Nancy goes to bed and tries to go back to sleep. When she can't she goes downstairs to wait for Tom, Abby, Tommy, and Nicholas to come home.
Soon Joannie joins her, yawning. "What are you doing up so early?"
"I can't sleep, what about you?"
"Same here. The thought that two kids broke in here..."
"Very unnverving."
Joannie hugs her. "Wanna talk about it?"
"Joannie it was just two harmless kids..." She can tell from her sisters look that she's not convinced. "Ok at first all I could think about is what happened to Noah when Rick broke into my penthouse and all I could think when I was waking all of you and getting you in Dad and Abby's room is please don't let it happen to another person I love."
"It won't, Nancy. We're all too obnoxious for anything to happen to us."
She laughs and then hugs her. After she's settled down. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I think I was scared of myself," Joannie admits.
"Scared of yourself why?"
"I got so mad at those kids. Breaking into a house where you know the people? I really wanted to hurt them."
"Joannie that is a normal initial reaction."
"I mean I *really* wanted to hurt them. Nancy, do you think that maybe you're not the only one who needs medications?"
"No, but I'm not qualified to make that decision about someone. Do you want to see a counselor about it?"
"I don't know. Maybe. But enough about me...."
"Nope not enough, if it's got you this shaken...."
"It's got you even more shaken."
"I'll be all right, I think."
"You should talk about it. It'd do you good."
"I don't even know where to begin."
"At the start."
"Well I already told you part of it, I guess the rest is that I'm upset with those boys too not even thinking of what might have gone wrong because of their actions."
"They're boys. They don't know how to think."
She smiles. "No they don't, but with the road they're going down they need to learn how. Did I ever tell you about the time when some girls at school tried to get me to break into a drug store with them?"
"No. You didn't do it, did you? Dad would have freaked."
"No I didn't do it, but they did everything in their power to tempt me. In the end they backed out of doing it in the first place."
"Smart of them."
"I think it was the only smart decision that they have ever made. Although I'm a fine one to talk I've made some very stupid decisions in my life."
"It's a family hazard."
She smiles. "So I guess we need to take the bad with the good."
"That's true. After all, we put up with Dad."
"He can be really sweet and caring at times." Nancy agrees.
"Like once a century."
She laughs and then Tom, Abby, Tommy, and Elizabeth arrive home.
"Did they lock them up and throw away the key?" Nancy asks.
"Your brother and sister?" Abby asks, confused.
"No, our intruders." Nancy says. "Why would they lock Tommy and Elizabeth up?"
"For being teenagers?" Abby tries to cover her tracks.
Nancy observes her younger siblings and figures out that something is up but doesn't press about it instead she laughs at Abby's comment.
"The jails would be overflowing." Tom states.
"Did they lock them up and throw away the key?" Nancy asks again.
"Pretty much." Tom says.
"Good."
"What are you doing up so early?" Abby asks Nancy and Joannie.
"We couldn't sleep."
"Well, I'm going to give it a try," Abby says, looking at Tom, wondering if his earlier invitation is still open.
"Me too."
Abby smiles at him, hoping this means their quarrel at the police station is history.
Nancy notices the way she's looking at her dad and exchanges a look with Joannie.
Joannie rolls her eyes.
Nancy tries not to laugh.
"Let's everyone go to bed." Tom says while winking at his wife.
"Good idea." Tommy says.
Joannie tries to stifle her giggles.
Elizabeth tries not to laugh.
Abby smirks in their direction, takes Tom's arm, and heads out of the kitchen, dragging him along.
"Goodnight you two." Tommy says to their fleeing backs.
In the kitchen, Joannie laughs. "Did you see the looks on their faces?"
Once out of range of the kitchen, Abby laughs, "Did you see the looks on their faces?"
"I'm trying to forget it." He says.
"I might be able to help you with that."
"I have no doubt."
"I wonder," Abby whispers and nuzzles at his ear, "just how much I could make you forget."
"Lets find out." he mumbles quietly
"But this time, we lock the door before we start."
"Good idea."
"I'll be up in a little while." Nancy tells her siblings and returns to the den. "Hey guys in here it's more comfortable!!" Nancy shouts from the den.
"Whoa." Elizabeth says. "You are going to get in trouble." She laughs.
"Sis with the way they were looking at each other I don't think they heard me." Nancy jokes when they enter the den.
"That's true."
"You know with it being Summer we're not supposed to go to bed early anyway."
"So what do you have in mind?"
"Anything but going to sleep."
"I can't do too much, I'm already in hot water."
"Why?"
Elizabeth tells her what Tommy and her did; rather what they didn't do.
"At least you came through in the end." Nancy says after she recovers from the bombshell. "And why are you in trouble? That part I don't understand, I mean you went to the police station and told the police."
Elizabeth shrugs. "Abby said she wanted to talk to us."
"That doesn't necessarily mean that you're in trouble, but why didn't you say anything when you found out were you threatened or anything?"
"No.......I don't know."
"Can you be more specific?"
"What if they were just joking? We didn't know for sure."
"If they were it's nothing to joke about. Things go wrong in break ins. Intruders can get scared of getting caught and lash out because of that....." She stops herself before going further. "Sorry, didn't mean to go off on a tangent."
"That's OK, I am sure I'll hear it again in the morning."
"Yeah." She turns on the tv but all the stations have already signed off for the night so she turns it off again.
"Now what?" Liz asks.
Nancy struggles to keep her eyes open. "What time is it?"
"Three am" she says.
"That's late enough to stay up in the Summer time what do you think?"
Elizabeth laughs. "I would think so."
Nancy laughs also, says goodnight to her siblings and goes back upstairs to bed.
Elizabeth lays on the couch flips thru a magazine but is soon asleep.
Later that afternoon Nancy awakens, showers, dresses and goes downstairs where Sam greets her. "Hey boy." She says as she kneels down, pets him, and gives him a kiss on the top of his head. ~I wonder if they've told Nicholas about last night?~
She finds Abby in the kitchen. "Does Nicholas know?"
"I didn't say anything; I don't know if your father told him. I figure there was no harm done, so why scare Nicholas?"
"Then I won't say anything to him."
"That's probably best. How are you doing?"
"I was a little freaked out last night, but I'm doing better, how bout you?"
"I was a little upset last night, but I've gotten over it."
"Good, so I guess I missed breakfast."
"Hours ago, but I can make you something if you're hungry."
"Only if I can help you make it." Nancy offers.
"I never turn down help in the kitchen."
"You're a smart lady." Nancy says and starts helping her.
"We'll see if you still say that the next time Tom offers to help me in the kitchen."
She gasps in a joking tone. "Abby you wouldn't."
"I could be tempted."
"You're scaring me."
"And you kids didn't try scaring us with that stunt you pulled yesterday?"
This silences Nancy.
"Cat got your tongue?" Abby smiles and puts the plate of food down in front of Nancy.
Nancy nods.
Joannie walks in. "Do I smell food?" she asks Nancy.
"Uh huh, you hungry?" Nancy asks.
"Starving," she says and sits down.
Mary walks in and sees the look on Abby's face. "Um I got to study." She tries to escape.
"Sit down, Mary," Abby orders.
Mary sits down. Nancy gives Mary and Joannie a look warning them about what's about to happen.
"Anyone else, or can we start this discussion?" Abby asks.
"What do you mean?" Mary plays dumb.
"Yesterday's little stunt," Abby reminds her.
"We were just having a little fun." Mary says.
"You call that fun?"
"Yes." Mary says. Nancy shakes her head.
~She's too brave for her own good.~
Tommy and Elizabeth come into the kitchen in a jovial mood, but soon do a bout face.
"In here, you two," Abby says. "We're having a little talk about yesterday."
Tommy and Elizabeth reluctantly take a seat.
"Since your sisters have been so quiet, maybe the two of you would like to explain why you thought that stunt yesterday in your bedrooms was necessary?"
Elizabeth looks around at the table. "We were just having a little fun."
"Fun is tackle football. Fun is going camping. Fun is not breaking house rules by having members of the opposite gender in your bedrooms and pretending something's going on. So why pick that as 'fun'?"
Elizabeth can't think of an appropriate answer.
"Tommy?"
"Good grief, can't you and Dad take a joke. " He says speaking before thinking.
Elizabeth looks at him stunned.
"That's what I thought." Abby takes a seat. "At the risk of sounding like your father, I'll remind you that he and I have a few more responsibilities around here than the rest of you--like keeping a roof over your heads and food on the table. In exchange for those responsibilities, he and I have a few more privileges. A co-ed bedroom is one of them. If you think that's something funny, I can move in with Mary and he can move in with you, Tommy. Would you prefer that?"
"No." he says looking at Joannie and Nancy who started this.
They glance at Tommy who was more than willing to take part in it.
"Good. You know, it's sad when a couple has to plan to go away to get any privacy in their own house," Abby says, looking at Joannie.
"Don't look at me. If the door's not locked, it's an open invitation. What if Nicholas had walked in on you?"
Abby blushes, remembering when Nicholas did just that, but goes on the offensive. "From now on, a closed door means knock. Get it?" she asks Joannie and all the others.
Tommy and Elizabeth nod.
Nancy nods. "I'm sorry, we really just meant it as a joke."
"And now that you realize it wasn't a very good one?"
"I won't do it again, but can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Deep down inside was there a part of you that thought it was funny?" Nancy asks in a neutral tone.
"Breaking the rules is not funny," Abby side-steps the question.
"Ok." Nancy says and finishes her lunch and cleans up after herself.
~Whew.~ "I think you should all go and apologize to your father. He was not amused," Abby says.
Nancy cringes. "What kind of mood is he in?"
"Should we go together or one at a time?" Mary asks.
"There's safety in numbers."
"I'm ready whenever you guys are." Nancy says to her siblings.
"Might as well bite the bullet," Joannie sighs.
"Ok, might as well get it over with." Mary says.
"This day keeps getting better and better." Liz says.
"Cheer up--how much worse can it get?"
~Abby could still lecture me and Tommy.~ "You don't want to know." She tells her.
"Come on, let's get this over with and they we can organize the rebellion when Dad tries to ground us."
"Ok."
Tom is in the back yard playing with Nicholas.
When no one answers when Nancy knocks on Tom's bedroom door they find her Dad and Nicholas in the backyard.
"Hi Dad." Nancy says.
"Hi." He says.
"We need to talk to you."
"About?"
"Um, uh." She hesitates.
"Well?" he asks his children.
"It was a joke we didn't mean anything by it." Mary says.
"Trying to give me a heart attack was not funny."
"Trying to us heart attacks wasn't, either," Joannie says.
"Excuse me?" he asks near anger.
"Imagine how you would have felt if you'd walked in on Grandmother Bradford and some man."
"First of all, it is not 'some man' " He says. "Second of all, I am married and don't have to explain my actions."
"You have had to if it'd been Nicholas who walked in instead of Susan and me."
"Dad we came out here to apologize." Nancy says.
"If this is an apology......" Tom says.
"I'm sorry." Nancy says. "But Joannie does bring up a good point. What if it would've been Nicholas?"
"But it wasn't." he says. "Boy if this is your idea of an apology, forget it." he says walking in the house.
"Geez, that man does not know how to take an apology," Joannie says.
"I was about to say I'm sorry, but I guess he doesn't want to hear it." Nancy says.
Tom goes back to his kids.
"Nicholas, we'll finish this game later." Tom replies. "Why don't you go inside and see if Abby can find you a snack."
"But..." Nicholas says. But does as he told when he sees how serious he is.
"That's the pot calling the kettle black." Tom says coming back. "What if it would have been Nicholas yesterday when you all thought it would be so funny to play your little joke. I sometimes wonder if Nicholas is more mature than the rest of you."
"What if he had walked in?" Joannie retorts. "He would have seen fully clothed people sitting around making funny noises. He wouldn't have seen people with half their clothes thrown on the floor."
"You know what Abby is a lot more reasonable than you can ever hope to be." Nancy says.
"Reasonable huh? So I'm unreasonable. Fine." Tom says. "As of this moment I resign."
"Fine." Nancy says, goes inside, grabs her car keys and heads out. ~Fathers!~
"Not fine," Joannie says to her father. "You're the father. Fathers can't resign."
"Watch me." he says.
"Joannie, drop it." Elizabeth says.
Joannie rolls her eyes.
Tom goes to his study and slam the door.
"Looks like they are still fighting." Nicholas remarks to Abby.
"Still fighting? I thought they were going outside to apologize."
Nicholas shrugs.
Abby puts the bowl of ice cream in front of Nicholas. "Eat this. I'll go check on your father." She goes and knocks on his study door.
"I've quit. Remember?" he says loudly.
"What do you mean, you quit?" Abby asks through the door.
"As a father, I resign." He says opening the door to let her in.
"You resigned as father?" Abby laughs.
"Except for Nicholas, yes I resign." He says seriously.
"You're the father, Tom. You can't resign."
"Oh no?" he says. "Like I told them outside, watch me."
"OK, what'd they do to you?" Abby says, prepared to indulge him a little.
He explains the scene outside.
"You know how they are."
"I'm sick of it Abby."
"So what? You quit? And go where? Or do you stay here and pout and watch me do all the parenting?"
"Everyone seems to think you do a better job anyway, so why not?"
Abby starts to get upset at his tone, but decides it's not worth the fight. "So what'll you be around here? My kept man?"
"At least I won't be called 'unreasonable' day and night."
"They're just acting out and you know it. It's tough for them. They think of you as the father-figure, not the romantic lead."
"So what do you suggest?"
"Ignore them. Just do what you think is right and forget their remarks."
"Ignoring them won't work, they'll keep pushing the issue."
"And you really think you'll be able to sit back and watch me be the sole parent and never give me advice?"
Tom sighs in frustration. "No, I guess not."
"So what are you going to do about their comments?"
"Ignore them."
Abby kisses him. "You're a quick study."
Tom laughs. "Keep close by, I may need another lesson."
"Any time. As long as we remember to lock the door."
"You got that right."
"Some day we'll have to figure out a way to pay them back. Maybe we'll plot while we're away on that cruise."
"Lady, I like the way you think." He holds her.
Abby smiles. "Are you going to tell the kids you're not resigning?"
"I'll tell them the Vice-President made me reconsider."
Abby laughs. "Come on, let's tell them before they run away from home."
After Tom and Nancy have left. "That went real well, not." Mary says.
"Yeah. When's Dad going to grow up?" Joannie says.
"Probably never." Mary says.
"Joannie why do you have to keep badgering him like that?" Liz asks.
"Why can't he admit he was wrong?"
"Elizabeth, Nancy tried to apologize and all she did was say Joannie has a good point and he practically jumped down her throat." Mary says.
"But we settled that inside with Abby, remember?"
"So you're excusing his tyrannical behavior?"
"No, but settling it with Abby and then coming out here to confront him with the same accusations was not bright."
"Elizabeth you're missing the point here. Oh forget it." Mary goes inside.
"Settling things with Abby doesn't count," Joannie says. "She's a reasonable human being. Dad, though..."
"Dad is Dad..." Tommy says. "I wouldn't hold your breath for him to change."
"How'd we raise a man like him, anyway?"
Tommy shrugs and goes in the house with Elizabeth.
A little while later at David's apartment.
"No you can't stay here go home."
"No." Nancy says. "If you don't let me stay here I'll just go elsewhere."
"Nancy, you should know by now that Dad is unreasonable sometimes." He says.
"I was trying to apologize to him."
"You also added that Joannie had a good point."
"Because she did am I not allowed to voice my opinion, right or wrong?"
"Is Dad not allowed to voice his opinion right or wrong?"
"Hey he's the one that was mean and cruel about it."
"You're not staying here."
"Bye then." She leaves. He shakes his head and starts to go after her but she's already driven away. She goes home and packs a few things.
"What are you doing?" Elizabeth asks.
"Leaving." She says still fuming a little.
"Again?"
"Yes again." She says as her tears start to fall, she then walks out.
"Nancy...wait." Liz pulls her back to the bedroom. "Lets talk about this."
She puts her suitcase down and sits down on her bed. "Why it won't change anything."
"Will running away solve anything?"
"No, but that was my first reaction." Nancy says calming down a little. "Ok so it wasn't a good one. But what can I do? Will Dad even listen if I try to apologize again?"
"Yeah, just let him cool off for a while." Liz says. "Nicholas says Abby is talking to him now."
She takes a deep breath. "I will, I just wish what I said hadn't of made him so angry. I didn't mean for it too."
"I don't think he was angry at you per se, just the situation. I mean we went out there to apologize and then Joannie had to open up her mouth."
"Joannie was just upset." Nancy says.
"And Dad wasn't?" Liz asks. "I am not defending him, but accosting him doesn't solve things."
She sighs. "I know but Dad wants to quit over it."
"Do you really think he can quit?" laughing at the absurdness of that question.
Soon Nancy is laughing also. "No I guess not, but it did hurt to hear him say that."
"I know." She says. "He'll realize he was wrong and apologize."
"I sure hope so, hey thanks for stopping me."
"No problem."
Nancy gives her a hug.
Tom calls the troops into the living room.
Tommy and Elizabeth are the first to arrive.
Joannie comes down, too. "Since when do ex-family members get to call meetings?" she asks her father.
Tom ignores her and waits for the others.
Joannie decides to ignore her father right back and sits on the couch, looking out the window.
Tom eyes Abby and shakes his head.
Abby shrugs.
Nancy and Mary then arrive.
"What's going on?" Susan asks joining the rest of her family.
"I'd like to apologize, fathers should never quit."
"No they shouldn't." Mary agrees and gives him a hug.
Nancy hangs back a little hesitant and unsure.
"I'm sorry Nancy."
"It's ok I'm sorry too." She says.
He hugs her. "Joannie?"
Nancy returns the hug while she and the others wait for Joannie's reply.
Joannie waits for Tom to apologize to her, too.
"Joannie, I am sorry I yelled."
"But..." Joannie starts to say, then decides against it, taking what she can get. She hugs her father and whispers in his ear, "Can I talk to you later? Alone?"
Tom nods.
"Thanks."
Abby looks at the rest of the kids to see if they have anything to say.
"Can we go now?" Elizabeth says.
"I guess." Tom replies.
Nancy heads for the kitchen to get something to drink.
Joannie goes upstairs to wait for her father.
"What was all that whispering about?" Abby asks Tom
"Joannie wants to talk to me privately." Tom says. "Why do I feel I have been summoned to the Principal's Office?"
"Oh, you shouldn't feel that way. Principals are much less scary."
"Gee Thanks." he says.
"But when you come back from the principal's office," Abby says, playing with the collar of his shirt, "the cheerleader will be waiting to cheer you up."
"Meet you behind the bleachers?" he jokes.
"As long as the principal doesn't catch us."
A cough and sneeze is heard from the kitchen. "I will not get a summer cold." Nancy repeats to herself. "I will not."
"Only in this family," Abby sighs and says to Tom, "do people think they can control nature..."
"We try." He kids.
"Sounds like someone is coming down with a cold."
"Poor Nancy. But summer colds do eventually go away--Joannie won't."
Tom kisses her and goes upstairs and knocks on Joannie's door.
Nancy doesn't hear them from the kitchen. She gets some orange juice hoping that will combat it.
Abby heads to the kitchen
"Hi," Nancy says and tries not to sneeze and makes it to a tissue in the nick of time before the sneeze reaches her.
"Summer colds are the worst, aren't they?"
"I'm not giving it time to fully develop." Nancy says intent on controlling it.
"Meaning I should put more orange juice on the shopping list?"
"Yes, I'll help pay for it."
"Nancy, don't be silly. It's household groceries. Besides, if you have a cold, we have to prepare for an epidemic."
"Oh no not another one." Nancy groans. "I'll try not to breathe on anyone."
"I'd like to see you manage that one."
Nancy tries to hold her breath but her nose is too stuffy. She lets her breath out. "You're right it's not do able."
"Told you. You think 10 gallons of juice will be enough?"
"Probably, and so would the nice comfortable couch and movies to watch on tv." She coughs.
"The living room is conveniently empty."
"Not for long." She gets a blanket and pillow, turns on the tv and lies on one the couches. She winds up falling to sleep to one of the movies.
Sam glances around to make sure Tom and Abby aren't in the living room to see him and hops on the couch and sleeps with her.
"Come in," Joannie says when her father knocks on her door.
Tom walks in. "So, what's up?"
"You really want to discuss it?" Joannie asks. "Without fighting?"
"I'll give it a shot, if you are willing to understand I am more than just a father."
"But you're not, not to me. You're my dad, and I want my dad back the way he always was."
"Like what?" he asks sympathetically.
"A dad. we have enough teenage hormones in this house from the real teenagers. You're supposed to be..." Joannie remembers what her father calls himself, "Sane and Steady Bradford."
"You mean, be quiet and just pay the bills."
"That's not true. That's not you've always done. I just don't want everything changing forever."
"Everything changes honey, do you think I like watching you kids growing away from me?"
Joannie thinks this over and decides that if she can't save the situation, she can at least try to exploit it. "If we're going to have to start seeing you as more than just a dad, could you maybe try seeing us as more than just kids?" she bargains.
"How so?"
"Well, Tommy wants to start a band. And curfews for women in college? Aren't we past that already?"
Tom cringes. "No." he says. "I will not have you kids coming and going at all hours." he stands firms.
"2 am and no curfews on the weekends," Joannie counter-offers.
"1 am and 2 am on the weekends."
"And Tommy's band can practice in the garage?"
"Can I get ear plugs?"
"I'll buy stock in the company."
"Deal." he says.
Joannie hugs him. "I love you, Dad."
As soon as Tom leaves Joannie's room, she goes seeking out her siblings, particularly Tommy. Meanwhile, Abby waits in her room for Tom to be released from the principal's office.
Tom walks in the bedroom. "Where's your cheerleading outfit?"
"Back behind the bleachers. I see you survived."
"I think we have a truce now." Tom tells her about the bargaining of the curfews.
"I don't believe it. She did all that just to get her curfew extended?"
"I don't think it was her original goal, or am I being naive again."
"With Joannie all bets are off."
"Did you know Tommy wants to start a band?"
"No, but it doesn't surprise me. Are you going to let him?"
"Another one of Joannie's bargaining chips."
"And you gave it to her? What exactly are you getting in return?"
"Peace?"
"With your kids waltzing in in the middle of the night and Tommy playing rock all hours of the day. Right. Oh, well, what's done is done, but you, my dear, are a sucker."
Tom sighs.
Abby takes pity on him and hugs him. "And I'll remember that next time I want something. Give you something you want and I can have everything I want..." she leers at him.
Tom smiles and locks the door.