Tom opens the door slowly.
"The coast clear?" Abby whispers.
Tom nods.
"Why don't you stay here and do some work and I'll go start dinner and maybe by the time they come back downstairs they'll have forgotten the whole thing."
"My kids?"
"There has to be a way."
"Threaten to take away their allowance?"
"They'll laugh right in your face."
"Then what do you suggest."
Abby thinks for a minute. "Nah...it'd never work."
"What?" he asks.
"Ignore them. But it'd never work. They'll say something, you'll get upset, you'll yell, they'll yell back..."
"Ignore them huh?" Tom says. "I can try."
"And when they say, 'Hey, Dad, how's your back?' what are you going to do?"
"Tell them, it is better."
"And when they say, 'Oh, yeah, we bet Abby really made you feel good'?"
"What is this, 20 questions?"
"You're not too bad," Abby concedes. "But we'll see how you are with the real thing."
"What happened to 'we' in this."
"You think they'll start in on me about this?"
"They might." he says.
"If they do, I'll just tell them what they missed walking in on."
Upstairs, Tommy is listening to his stereo.
"Hey little bro." Nancy says.
"Hey." he says.
"Where ya been hiding?"
"I haven't been hiding."
"Then how come we barely see you anymore."
"I've been here." he says. "Just pondering."
"Pondering what? If it's not too personal a question."
"How to tell Dad I've started a band."
"Wow Tommy that's cool. A Rock band right?" She hopes.
"Well its not Glen Miller."
She smiles. "As long as you don't let school work go I'm sure he'll be ok with it."
"I guess."
"Don't tell him," Joannie advises. "He'll freak."
"I know."
"Unless... If Dad can act like a teenager, Tommy should certainly be allowed to, shouldn't he?" Joannie says to Nancy.
"Yes he should."
"Tommy, my boy, have we got a plan for you..."
"What are you two talking about?" Tommy asks.
"Joannie will do you the honors?"
"Someone in this house forgot to lock a door and got caught by yours truly. I think I just figured out how we can take advantage of his embarrassment."
Nancy tells Tommy their plan.
He laughs.
"So, you in?" Joannie asks.
Tommy says, "Yep."
"I knew we could count on you."
"Cool."
The next day upstairs in Nancy and Elizabeth's room.
"Your Dad just pulled into the driveway." A male friend of Nancy's tells her.
She smiles and kicks her shoes off and removes her socks. She then unbuttons the top two buttons on her blouse. He grins and takes his shirt off.
"I just hope no one ever told him that David would attract me more than you ever would." He says.
She chuckles. "Don't worry your secret is safe."
They hear him coming up the stairs and start making noises, moaning noises.
Tom begins to hear something and checks it out. When he sees through an open door he yells "NANCY BRADFORD, what are you doing?" knowing full well what she's doing.
"Dad it's my room and I'm over 18. Will this is my Dad. Dad this is Will."
"Hi Mr. Bradford." Will holds out his hand to shake Tom's. "You have a lovely daughter."
"Out." Tom tells him
"But Dad." Nancy protests.
"I thought you said it was cool." Will says still playing his part in the scheme.
"It is he's probably just had a rough day."
Will kisses Nancy and says to Tom on the way out. "Sorry to hear that sir." He then leaves.
Tom fumes. "You know the rules, no boys upstairs."
"I thought you wouldn't mind after all that's happened."
"Nancy, what if Elizabeth, Tommy or even Nicholas had walked in here?"
"Do you have to put it that way?"
"How else would you like me to put it," he says.
She's about to reply when they hear laughter and noises coming from Mary's room.
Nancy tries to keep a straight face.
"What in the he...." Tom says and follows the noise.
Nancy laughs once he leaves the room
"Dad hi." Mary says when he walks in.
"It's so cool that you let Mary use her bedroom however she chooses," the guy with her says.
Tom doesn't say anything, except "ABBY!!!"
"What?" Abby says, coming out of their room.
Tom points into Mary's room.
"What about Mary's room?" Abby asks, wondering what Tom is so upset about.
"Take a look." He says.
Abby knocks on Mary's door.
Mary opens the door. "Hi Abby."
"Hi. Oh--I didn't realize you had a visitor."
Tom cringes.
"Hi." The guy says.
"You two studying?"
"Yep studying." Mary and the guy pretend to gaze at each other longingly.
"OK," Abby says, the penny finally dropping. "Well, it's pretty quiet up here, so I'm sure you two won't mind studying with the door open."
"Actually we'd rather have it closed."
"Sorry, you know that's not allowed."
"Mary I thought you said it was cool." Her guy says.
"Mary was mistaken," Abby says.
"Leave now." Tom says.
The guy gives Mary a long kiss and then leaves her with a smile.
Tom is stunned.
Soon there is giggling from Tommy's room.
"I can't handle this." Tom says. "I'm going to lay down."
"What? Wait--go find out what's going on in Tommy's room," Abby tells him.
"I'm afraid to." He says.
"What's wrong Dad?" Mary asks.
Before Tom can answer the giggling gets louder from Tommy's room.
"Mary, what was that about?" Abby asks.
She's about to say something when they hear giggling and loud noises from Susan and Joannie's bedroom.
Abby takes a look at Tom's reaction and starts laughing.
"I don't think there is anything to laugh about." he says.
"Of course there is."
"What?!?"
"Tom, you can't be that blind."
"Abby....." he chides. Then it hits him "Why those....." he gets angry.
Abby looks down the hallway and at Mary. "Why don't we go discuss this in private?"
Tom and Abby goes behind their bedroom doors. "What are they trying to do, give me a real heart attack?"
"Maybe. Maybe they just forgot we did invite them to the wedding."
"They are paying us back for the incident in the study." He says not really asking the question.
"We just have to beat them at their own game."
Hours later in Mary's bedroom.
"They're being awfully quiet." Mary says to Nancy and Joannie.
"Do you think they're on to us?" Nancy asks.
"Oh, they're on to us--or Abby is, at least," Joannie says. "The only question is what they're going to do about it."
"I can't believe I let you two talk me into this." Mary says.
"Oh come on like we really had to twist your arm?"
"And you're the one who stood up to Abby and let her catch on," Joannie points out.
"Only because you two were lucky enough to have only Dad catch you."
Joannie clears her throat. "Actually, Dad didn't technically catch me."
"So you didn't get to have any fun." Nancy says. "I'm sorry."
"There's always next time."
"Next time? Joannie are you nuts?" Mary asks.
"Nope. Just determined."
"Why don't we wait to see what they have in store for us first." Nancy suggests.
"Spoilsport."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"I know you are but what am I?"
"Are you two three years old or something." Mary jokes.
Nancy and Joannie exchange a look and then attack Mary with pillows.
Meanwhile somewhere in the neighborhood.
"I don't think we should hit that house tonight they have a dog." The guy who Sam had growled at earlier says.
"So we'll bring him a steak or something relax."
"And what if we're caught? We should wait til no one is home and til they bring their dog with them or something."
"You are such a wuss sheesh. I'll handle whoever walks in on us."
"Wait a minute. You said no one would get hurt."
"And if they're smart they won't get hurt, trust me." They continue to plot. Not knowing that Nicholas and Sam are going to spend the night at Irving J. Moore's house.
Later that night while everyone is sleeping the guy and his friend break into the Bradford's house.
"Shh." One of them says to the other. "If you get any louder you'll wake all of them up."
Meanwhile upstairs in Nancy and Elizabeth's room. Nancy awakens to the noise. "Elizabeth did you hear that?"
Elizabeth mumbles in her sleep but doesn't awaken. Nancy grabs a baseball bat and goes out into the hallway she looks down clearly sees one of the intruders downstairs. She wakes everyone tells them to be quiet and then they all go into Tom and Abby's room without even knocking.
"Dad, Abby wake up there's someone in the house." Mary says trying not to speak loudly.
"Sure there is." Tom says. "Another one of your schemes."
"Dad we're serious. I saw him." Nancy says.
"Right." He says turning over and trying to go back to sleep.
There's another loud sound from downstairs.
Tom sits straight up. "If this a joke, its not funny." He gets out of bed to investigate.
"Dad please don't go down there." Mary says. "Let's just call the police."
"The Police?" Tom asks. "You mean this isn't a joke?"
"No Dad it's not a joke. Let's just call the police ok." Nancy requests trying not to tremble.
Tom dials the number.
Bernstein answers the phone. "Officer Bernstein, how can I help you?"
"Tom Bradford, we have a break-in."
"Yeah right."
"Just send a car over here, all right?"
"Ok but if this turns out to be a false alarm."
Tom hangs up.
The kids wait while their Dad talks to the police. Nancy glances at Abby wondering how she's sleeping through all of this and wishing she was able to do the same. "I sure am glad Nicholas is with his friend tonight." She whispers to Joannie.
"He'll be angry he missed all the excitement. Speaking of, should we wake Abby up?"
"I don't know." She ponders this. "On the one hand it's good she's missing it and will hear about it second hand, but on the other the more alert she is the better."
"Well, I'm not going to do it. You can."
Nancy goes to wake Abby. "Abby, hey Abby." She whispers hoping that Abby hears her.
"Wha?" Abby wakes up. "Nancy? What are you..." She sits up. "What are all of you doing in here?" There's a noise from downstairs. "And what was that?"
"An intruder." Nancy whispers. "Dad's calling the police."
"Oh." Abby watches Tom, trying to gauge what the police are saying by the expression on his face.
Mary decides to barricade the door just in case.
Meanwhile downstairs.
"Oh no."
"What's wrong man?"
"Remember that substitute teacher we had?"
"Yes."
He points to Tom and Abby's wedding picture. "This is her house. Man let's get out of here."
"She's not going to catch us relax."
"You don't know that. Not only will we go to jail if we're caught if we ever have her as a sub again she'll be hard on us."
The sounds of sirens fill the night air.
They scramble looking for an escape route.
The police catch them and go upstairs to tell the Bradfords.
"Who were they?" Tommy asks.
"Come see for yourself." He says to the family.
They go downstairs.
"Hi Tommy, Elizabeth, Mrs. Bradford." One of the guys says quietly and avoids looking directly at them.
"Do you know these boys?" Nancy whispers and then recognizes the guy
from earlier that Sam had growled at. "Now I really know why Sam growled
at you." She says to the guy.
"He goes to Central."
The guy doesn't say anything.
Nancy waits for her Dad or Abby to speak.
"Well," Abby says, "at least we won't have any problems identifying them in court."
~I'm glad its you and not me.~ Tommy thinks.
"Well, Tom, at least you've got material for your next column," Abby says. "How I was broken into by two of the stupidest kids at Sacramento Central High."
"They aren't very bright are they."
"I guess not. There's only so much I can teach, I suppose."
"Don't feel too bad."
"True. At least you got the police here to catch them."
"Sorry we didn't know this was your house." Her former student says.
His friend gives him a 'shut up already' look.
"Oh, I see. Even thieves have ethics?"
"Boys let me remind you that I've already read you the Miranda." Bernstein says.
"I'm going back to bed." Tommy says.
"Me too." Elizabeth says and follows him.
Abby watches the two of them walk off, looks at Tom, then decides to discuss the whole matter later, when they're alone. "Do we need to go down with you to file anything?" Abby asks Bernstein.
Nancy hangs around downstairs glaring at the boys trying to scare them away from a life of crime if she can.
"Yes I do, but it shouldn't take long." Bernstein says.
"I'll go get dressed."
"Could we come in the morning." Tom asks. He looks at his watch. "Well, at least after the sun comes up."
"It's better if it's done now."
Tom grumbles and follows Abby upstairs to get dressed.
The police usher the handcuffed intruders to the squad car.
As they're getting dressed, Abby asks, "If someone you knew was caught breaking in here, would you just go upstairs without saying anything?"
"Huh?" he asks.
"Tommy and Elizabeth. They know those kids, and they just turned around and rushed upstairs as fast as they could."
"That was odd." He says.
"That's it? 'That was odd'?"
Tom thinks about it some more. "More than odd."
"And?" she prompts.
"I guess we should talk to them."
"First we have to go to police station, unless you want to split up."
"Might make it easier." He says. "The sooner we do this, the sooner we can get back to bed."
"Is that an invitation?"
"Honey with you, no invitation is needed." He kisses her.
"Still, it's nice to be asked."
"In that case, Will you join me in an early morning snuggle fest?"
"After we deal with the police and two teenagers, I'd love to. Which do you want to tackle?"
"Police. Officer Bernstein would miss me if I don't grace his presence."
"In other words, you're too chicken to deal with Tommy and Elizabeth."
"Pretty much." he jokes. He kisses her on the cheek and leaves.
Abby knocks on Nancy and Elizabeth's door, tackling the easier first.
Nancy answers the door. "Hi Abby what's up?" She yawns.
"I need to speak with Elizabeth."
Elizabeth's bed is empty.
"She must be in the bathroom." Nancy says.
Abby goes across the hall to check if Elizabeth is in the bathroom.
Elizabeth and Tommy are quietly talking in his room.
"We should have said something." Liz says.
"What could have we said?" Tommy asks.
Elizabeth shrugs.
Since the bathroom's empty, Abby knocks on Tommy's door.
"Who is it?" Tommy asks.
"Abby. I need to talk to you."
"Great." Tom whispers to Elizabeth and opens the door. "Can't it wait?"
"I think it's waited long enough, don't you?"
"What are you talking about?" he asks.
Abby walks into the room and closes the door behind her. "If two kids I knew from school broke into my house, I think I'd stick around to see what happened to them. Want to explain why you two ran off?"
"We didn't run off." Liz says.
"That's right--you were just training to join the track team," Abby says. "Come on, Elizabeth, what's up?"
Elizabeth looks at Tommy "Tell her." she says.
Tommy reluctantly concedes. "We overheard them talking about how they were going to break into some houses."
"And you feel guilty because you didn't say anything," Abby guesses.
Elizabeth nods. "Maybe if we had said something..."
"Maybe you still can. We don't know ours was the only house they hit."
"It's just our word against theirs." Elizabeth says.
"Besides the fact it'll look like we are making it up to get even with them for breaking in here." Tommy says.
"So you'd rather live with the guilt than the fear that the police won't believe you."
"She has a point Tommy." Liz says.
Tommy throws in hands up in defeat. "OK. We will tell the police."
"I'll drive you there."
"Fine." he says. Elizabeth goes to her room to change.
Abby goes to her room to get her purse, then waits for Tommy and Elizabeth in the hallway.
They each join her in the hallway.
"Let's get going so we can get some sleep tonight."
While Tom is filling out the paperwork, he sees Abby with Tommy and Elizabeth in tow. "What's going on?"
"I found out why they ran upstairs. The kids who broke in had been planning to break in somewhere for a while, and Tommy and Elizabeth knew about it. They've come to tell the police what they know. It may not do any good, but it'll make them feel less guilty about not saying anything earlier."
"Terrific." Tom says not to happily.
"Tom, no harm was done, and they are trying to do the right thing, if a little late."
"I know." He says.
"They could have pretended they knew nothing."
"They almost did, remember? You were the one that notice them acting strange."
"And you can discuss that with them. But later."
"Oh I intend to." Tom says going thru the papers. "Officer, why am I repeating the same information on different forms."
"Haven't you ever heard of bureaucracy? One for us, one for the DA, one for Legal Assistance, one for the juvie division. Want to know what the rest are for?" the desk sergeant answers.
"Spare me." He says. "Would you help me with these please." He asks Abby.
"Sure. Just pass a stack this way."
He hands the pages to her. "That cruise is looking better all the time."
"With our luck, Nicholas will stow away in our luggage."
"Don't even think it."
"In this family? You have to be prepared for anything."
"Dad doesn't look too happy." Liz says.
"Are you kidding?" Tommy says. "He's fuming."
Tom looks over at Tommy and Elizabeth. "They are sweating it."
"I thought that's what you intended."
"And its working."
"Maybe a little too well."
"Now don't feel too sorry for them." Tom says. "People could have been hurt by their non-action."
"And if you push it too far, people still can get hurt."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Don't make them too afraid of you."
"Afraid?" Tom says. "How can I expect people to come forward to help David when my own kids don't want to get involved."
"I don't know," Abby admits. "But I do know it's pretty late to start educating them if they haven't already been taught it."
"Oh so now you are criticizing my parenting." Tom replies. "Thanks a lot."
"Don't be so oversensitive," Abby answers. "But--if there's nothing to criticize, how come I had to be the one to notice anything was wrong? And how come you're the one who ducked out of talking to them about it?"
"I didn't duck out." he says. "I'll say plenty to them when we get home."
"No, you won't. You told me to handle it, and I did. That's it."
"That's it?"
"Yes," Abby repeats. "That's it. The situation's been handled. Leave it alone."
Tom grumbles.
Abby hands him her stack of filled-out paperwork. "Any more?"
"No." he says. "But you do plan on talking to them about getting involved right?"
"Of course I will."
"Fine." He says then takes the papers to the desk sergeant. "Are we done now?"
"Yes, have a nice night."
Tom looks at his watch and rolls his eyes at his comment.
After Tommy and Elizabeth gives their statements. They approach their Dad. "Sorry Dad." Elizabeth says.
Tom is about to say something when he sees the look Abby gives him. "It's over lets go home." he walks towards the car.
"Who was that?" Tommy asks Abby.
"A man who knows what's good for him," Abby answers.
Tommy and Elizabeth sigh in relief. "Thanks Abby."
"Don't thank me so soon. Just because he's not going to say anything doesn't mean I won't."
"But...." Tommy says. Elizabeth nudges him.
"But, Tommy?" Abby says sweetly.
"Nothing." He says.
Abby smiles.
They go home.
Meanwhile unable to fall back asleep Nancy goes downstairs and gets something to drink and finds some of her siblings down there. "Can't sleep either eh?"
"No, I can't that break in thing really bothered me." Susan says
"Yeah me too."
"I wonder how well Tommy and Elizabeth knew those two?"
Nancy shrugs. "Apparently not too well if they didn't know that this was their house."
"You make a good point. Well, I guess I'll go back upstairs and try to get some sleep. Goodnight." Susan says.
"Goodnight Suzy."
Nancy goes upstairs. Soon there's a knock on her door and Mary comes in.
"Tommy and Elizabeth went with Abby to the police station."
"Ok, but why?"
"I don't know."
"Can I have some privacy I want to go back to sleep now."
"Sure but are you all right?"
"Yeah why wouldn't I be?"
"Because of what happened tonight."
"It was a little freaky after what happened with Noah but Mary it's not the same thing. They were two harmless kids out for kicks." Nancy says.
"Then why are you still a little jittery?"
"Mary I don't want to psychoanalyze this ok."
"If you change your mind you know where I live." She kisses her forehead and then leaves the room.