Part of the Stabler Girls series. Lenore knows that a scary movie will cause her to have nightmares, but she ignores that in an attempt to impress her big sister.
Nightmare in the Stabler House
by Lenore and Breanna
Breanna had begged Elliot to let them stay home alone. It was a teacher work day in their school district, so kids didn't have to go to school. But Elliot refused his oldest daughter's request. Last time they had stayed home alone, it ended up with Lenore in the hospital, and he hadn't quite trusted them enough yet to take the chance of something else bad happening.
But that meant that now Breanna and Lenore were bored out of their minds trying to find something to do while they hung out at Grandma's house. "UGH if we were at home I could at least get on the internet," Bre groaned, trying to find someone to text. Chris was in class, and her other friends were in a movie... but it was Rated R and Elliot hadn't let her go with them.
"I like coming to Gramma's," Lenore replied, as she lay on the couch with her head hung over the side. "Though, it's borin' right now....." She sighed as she flipped off and landed on the floor. "We could always go bike ridin'!"
Breanna looked up long enough to give Lenore a look that said "yeah right" and then went back to trying to find someone to text. "Wish I was at that stupid movie with my friends."
"Am I boring you?" Lenore aksed, scowling at her sister
"Yes. This sucks. I want to do somethingggg!" she said, and then added, "something FUN."
"Well, if you hadn't made me sick last time, we could've been home having fun!" Lenore snapped slightly. "Instead we're here with nothin' to do 'cause Gramma don't trust us to be alone."
Breanna rolled her eyes and gave up on finding anyone to text. She played Angry Birds instead... even though she'd already beat the game twice.
Lenore grabbed her sister's phone from her. "Why don't we watch a movie or somethin'?"
"Heyyyy!!!" Bre yelped. "I was in the middle of a level," she grouched, then snatched the phone back. "Yeah, go find a movie and we can watch it.... Grandma is watching her soaps upstairs anyway... she won't need this tv."
Lenore hurried off to where the movies were kept. There she found two movies her father would never in a million years let her watch. "Bree! Look what Gram had hidden in her movie cabinet!"
Bre glanced up. "Hah... Grandma has horror movies?" She put her phone down and walked over to her little sister. "I dunno though... you get nightmares... or have you outgrown them?"
"I haven't had nightmares for a long time now," Lenore insisted - though, truthfully, she'd had a bad one a couple weeks ago.
"Mmmmm...." Bre thought about it for a minute. Even though the movies were rated R and probably way too scary and violent for her little sister, she knew that Lenore was growing up and she'd be exposed to it soon anyway. Besides... there were a couple of movies in there that Bre wanted to see anyway... "Okay! Which one do you wanna watch?"
"This one!" Lenore insisted, holding up The Ring. "It don't look as creepy."
Breanna took the movie and set it up in the dvd player, then closed the blinds to make it seem dark and gloomy so it'd be scarier. They both settled down on the sofa, watching intently
Lenore watched with interest, doing her best to be brave. Though, she ended up jumping through parts of it, and by the end she was practically in her sister's lap.
By the time Elliot picked them up, Breanna had all but forgotten about the movie. She couldn't say the same for her little sister, though, who still jumped everytime Bre's phone made a noise. This wasn't a good sign.
Lenore chewed her lower lip quietly, trying hard to hide the fact she was extremely jumpy. So much for her being big and brave like her sister. She was slightly relieved when they reached the house and she could escape the sounds of her sister's cell phone.
She stuck by her father's side right up until bed, which was slightly normal for her. He was her hero and she enjoyed being around him; unless he was angry with her. She slipped into bed quietly, clutching Mr. Stuffles in a death grip. She lie there staring at the wall; her nightlight casting spooky shadows on the walls.
Eventually, she dozed off, only to end up having nightmare after nightmare about the creepy movie she had watched. She awoke terrified, and screaming as she ran for her father's room with Mr. Stuffles in her arms. "DADDY!!!!!! DADDY!!!!!!!!!! THE MONSTER IN THE TV'S GONNA GET ME!!!!!!!!"
Elliot stirred, his first instinct to grab his gun, but then he realized what Lenore had said. "A monster?" He held the little girl in his arms. "What are you talking about, baby? What monster? There isn't a monster in your tv... you know that." He rocked her for a moment to calm her down then sat her in his lap facing him. He pushed some hair out of her eyes. "Now, what is this about a monster?" he wanted to know. It had been a long time since she'd come to his room like this...
"There's a monster in the TV," Lenore insisted, sniffling and hiccuping. "She's gonna come out an' get me an' kill me 'cause it's been seven days an' phones won't stop ringin'....."
"Nooooo, baby, that was just a...." he began, then cut off realizing that he would never let Lenore watch a movie so scary. How would she know it was a movie? He cleared his throat. "Lenore Edna... did you watch a scary movie at your grandmother's house today?"
Lenore shrunk a little in his lap, as she brushed more tears away with the back of her one hand. "Maybe....." She whispered.
He sighed loudly, ready to give her a good talking-to... and Breanna too! He was sure that Bre had something to do with this. But first things first -- he had to calm his little girl down. "Princess, you know that it's just a movie, it's not real. Don't worry, honey." He pulled her close again, stroking her hair to calm her down.
"But it was SO real, Daddy!" Lenore whimpered. "She was comin' to get me 'cause I answered the phone. She'd all ready gotten you an' Bre, an' I was all alone an' terrified!"
"Well, did you answer any phones today?" Elliot joked.
Lenore shook her head. "No.....Gramma was quick at answerin' them, an' after the movie I was too scared to answer one."
"So, I don't think any scary monsters from the tv will really be coming for you," he said.
"But what if I answer the phone in the next few days?" Lenore wanted to know. "She comes if you answer after watchin' the movie, an' it's always seven days....."
"It's just a movie, honey. It's not real. Somebody with a really big imagination made it up." Elliot was becoming a bit frustrated. To him it was obvious that no monsters would come... but to a little girl, not so much. That's one reason why he didn't let her watch horror movies. Because he didn't have the patience to help her through the nightmares. "Come on, honey, it's really late."
"Can I sleep in here with you, Daddy?" Lenore asked hopefully, giving him her best puppy-dog look. "Please?"
He looked at her, finally giving into the puppy face. "Okay. Sure." he pulled back the blankets for her and tucked her in, kissing her forehead. "Get some sleep. We'll talk about this watching horror movies thing tomorrow..."
"I'm never gonna watch them again," Lenore insisted sleepily, snuggling into him, while still hugging Mr. Stuffles tightly.
He didn't push the issue. "Night, princess," he said.
The next morning, bright and early, Lenore was downstairs with Mr. Stuffles watching her Saturday morning cartoons. She had slept better in her father's room, and hadn't felt as scared with him there. Though, she was still eyeing the phone warily.
Elliot was the second one to awake, staggering downstairs and into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. He yawned, glancing at Lenore. "Did you finally get some sleep?" he asked.
"Yes," Lenore answered, nodding a little. "But Mr. Stuffles is still a little scared....." She usually referred to the bear being scared, when she still was, but didn't want to flat out admit it.
Elliot brought a cup of coffee into the living room and sat down at his desk, opening up his laptop. "You know that you and your sister are in big trouble for watching that movie," he said, peering down at Lenore.
Lenore frowned. "But Daddy, I'm never gonna watch scary ones ever again," she insisted. "I swear it!"
"You're right you're not... because this spanking will make sure that you think twice in the future, Young Lady."
"But that's not fair!" Lenore argued. "Wasn't my nightmares punishment enough?"
"Don't be difficult, princess," Elliot said, pulling up the news on the internet and taking a sip of his coffee. "It's still too early. I'll have a talk with you both after Breanna gets up."
Lenore scowled, crossing her arms over her chest angrily. "This is what I get for tryin' to get my sister to do stuff with me. Not my fault she thinks all my games are boring."
Elliot yawned again and read on until he decided it was breakfast time. He knew the smell would rouse his oldest daughter. And he was right... Shortly after he put on the bacon, the teenager came downstairs, grumbling and plopping on the sofa. "Well, good morning Miss Sunshine," he teased. She just groaned in response.
"We're in trouble," Lenore spoke flatly, her eyes glued to her cartoon.
That woke Bre up a bit. "What?" she said in a loud whisper. "Why??"
"I had a nightmare," Lenore mutered. "Daddy knows we watched the movie...."
What a great way to start the day! thought Bre. "Shit," she muttered, just as Elliot called them to breakfast. "This is great... just great," she said annoyed. "I thought you didn't get nightmares anymore!?"
Lenore glanced down at her lap, as a commercial came on. "I lied," she whispered.
Bre glared at her and stood up. "Come on, breakfast is ready." She started towards the kitchen before looking back and saying, "Oh, and I'm blaming this on you."
Lenore could feel her tears threatening to fall, as she followed her sister dejectedly. She took her seat, keeping her head down, in hopes no one would notice she was about to cry.
But of course Elliot could sense the tension and guessed what had happened. "Well, Breanna, I suppose you know we need to talk?"
Bre shook her head. "There's nothing to talk about. It was Lenore's fault. She's the one who wanted to watch it."
Lenore didn't say a word, for fear of crying. She'd known her sister would never have agreed to a Disney Princess movie - she'd had to improvise.
"I even tried to stop her... but she told me that she didn't have nightmares anymore!"
"I didn't want you to think I was some stupid lil' baby," Lenore choked out. "But obviously, I am......" She stood and ran upstairs to her room, slamming the door behind her.
Breanna rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "yeah, you are."
Lenore hid out in her room throughout breakfast. She wanted her sister to think she was grown-up, but she really wasn't. She cried easily, she scared easily.....she was nothing but a big baby, and she hated it sometimes.
"Bre, it's obvious she wants to impress you," Elliot stated. "If she'd been alone, she'd have never picked that movie out."
"Well, that's not my fault."
"I didn't say it was," Elliot continued. "But you have to see things through her eyes sometimes. She's this cool big sister she wants to hang out with and impress. Only she doesn't know how, because everything she likes is stupid to you."
Breanna just nodded, taking a bite of eggs and not sure what her father wanted her to say.
"So can you see why she lied about still having nightmares?" Elliot pressed. "She's trying to be grown-up and not succeeding very well, because she's not ready to grow up."
"Yeah, okay," Breanna said. "But she's the one who lied. So she should be in trouble. Not me."
"I think you could've tried a little harder to make sure the movie wasn't watched," Elliot replied. "It's your job as big sis to look out for her."
"Why should I?" Breanna said and frowned. "This isn't fair! I always get in trouble when it's HER fault!"
"You are the oldest and should be setting an example," Elliot replied.
"Whatever," she replied, pushing her plate away. "I'm finished." She angrily pushed her chair back, causing it to topple to the ground. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes, but before she'd let them fall, she charged upstairs to her room and slammed her door, too.
Elliot shook his head as he finished eating and cleaned up; he needed time to think.
Up in her room, Breanna pouted. It wasn't fair that she was always blamed for everything her little sister did. She hated being the oldest!! But she did feel a little twinge of guilt. She had let her sister watch the movie, even though she could've guessed it would give her nightmares. Lenore was so innocent and naive, she would believe almost anything. And she knew what it was like to have bad dreams -- she had her own share after their mom died. She would wake up at night, drenched in sweat, scared of her own shadow. She shivered just remembering it. And felt even worse that she'd assisted in Lenore going through the same thing.
After a minute, Breanna trudged to Lenore's room. Without bothering to knock, she pushed the door open and looked at the little girl. "Sis," she said. "I'm sorry."
"What're you sorry for?" Lenore sniffled. "I'm the one whose nothin' but a baby."
"I'm sorry for making you feel like a baby." Bre sat down next to her sister and put an arm around her. "I think you're awesome, sis. And I love you lots. I'm sorry for making you feel bad... You don't have to prove anything to me by watching a stupid scary movie. I think you're great no matter what." She was confused as to what really to say provide comfort, but she put forth her best effort anyway, then added, "I used to have nightmares too, ya know."
"Really?" Lenore asked in surprise. "What were yours about? Monsters?"
"Something like that," she said. "But that doesn't matter. It was horrible and scary and I would hate to have bad dreams like that again. So I'm sorry for not being a better big sister and not looking out for you."
Lenore hugged her tightly. "Why's Daddy so angry about it? He's gettin' angry, like he got angry 'bout Eminem."
"Because Daddy is grumpy."
"I wish he wasn't," Lenore sighed.
Breanna giggled. "He'll always be grumpy."
Lenore giggled a little as well.
"I guess he's right though. He's worried because he doesn't want you having nightmares, and I guess since I'm oldest I shouldn't let you watch that scary stuff," Bre thought aloud. "We're gonna get spanked ya know. We might as well go down there and take it bravely, right?"
"I don't wanna be brave," Lenore pouted. "It's not fair. Weren't nightmares enough?"
Breanna shrugged.
Lenore silently slid her hand into her sister's, doing her best to be brave.
"What should we do, sis?" Bre asked, chewing on her fingernail.
"I dunno," Lenore shrugged. "I'm no good at these things."
As both girls waited, Breanna noted the silence that pierced her ears. All she could hear was the muffled sounds of her father washing dishes. As soon as he finished them, she knew he would be climbing the stairs to deal with her and her sister. But would it be better if they went down there and apologized for their behavior? She was pretty sure it would... but like her little sister, she wasn't feeling too brave.
Finally, she took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's go down there and apologize. He'll go easier on us then."
"Kay," Lenore said softly, as she licked her lips nervously.
Breanna stood and took Lenore's hand again, then led her downstairs to where her father was just finishing up the dishes. Elliot turned off the faucet and looked at them. "Yes?" he asked, glancing at each of them and folding his arms. "D-Dad," Bre stammered, trying to find the right words to say. "We're sorry." She then allowed the tears to spill as well as all of the thoughts she'd had the last few minutes. She choked out every apology manageable until she just broke down and couldn't speak anymore.
"I'm sorry, Daddy," Lenore whimpered, as she too, started to cry.
Elliot softened. If the girls had plotted to make his heart melt with these antics, they had succeeded. He hugged them both in a big group hug. "I'm very glad that you've thought about your actions, girls," he said. "You're right, I do worry about you both... I don't like it when you have nightmares, Princess," he said looking at Lenore.
"I don't like them either," Lenore answered, rubbing her eyes. "They're scary."
"And both of you had quite the attitude this morning," Elliot added. "I think you know what's going to happen next."
"I'm sorry," Lenore whimpered. "I got cranky 'cause I didn't sleep good."
Breanna nodded. "I'm sorry, too. I'm just hormonal," she said, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.
"Apology accepted," Elliot said. "But you're both still getting a spanking. For the attitude, and for watching a scary movie when you're not supposed to. You both know better than that."
Lenore whimpered a little, darting her eyes to the floor
Breanna swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to get her heart to stop pounding so fast, and managed to choke out, "yes, sir."
Elliot guided them to the living room where he sat down on the couch. "Let's get this over quickly. Who's first?"
Lenore froze, looking like a deer caught in headlights. She really hated being first, though it usually meant she got it over with faster. She went to step forward, but hesitated.
"I think Lenore should go first," Breanna said matter-of-factly. She also hated going first, and while she would hate watching her little sister's spanking and the anticipation of the one she was going to receive, she couldn't bring herself to volunteer to go before her little sister.
Elliot nodded. "Yeah, I think it would do you some good to see your little sister get punished for something you contributed to." He looked at Lenore to see if she had any response.
Lenore just gave him her best pout in return. What was there to say? They were always going to make her go first.
"Okay, it's settled." He reached out for Lenore's wrist, knowing she wouldn't come on her own, and moved her close to him. He put her in front of him and looked deep into her eyes. "Lenore Edna, you know that you are not allowed to watch scary movies. You are still a little girl, and you still have nightmares. When you get older, you can watch all the scary movies you want, but for now, you won't watch anything that you know I wouldn't let you watch. Do you understand, Young Lady?"
"Yes, Daddy," Lenore spoke softly, her eyes filling with tears once more. "I don't like 'em anyway."
"Good. And another thing... your sister adores you, Princess. She may hang out with her friends a lot, or think some of the stuff you do is boring, but she still loves you just how you are. There is no need to try to impress her with stuff that just hurts you, got it?"
Lenore nodded. "Kay."
With that Elliot took the little girl over his lap, lifted her night gown and pulled down her panties. Breanna watched, squirming as he exposed her bare bottom. She knew she'd soon be in the same position as her little sister. Almost immediately, he started raining down smacks.
Lenore yelped, crying almost immediately.
Elliot peppered both cheeks, giving her quick and mild swats. "I don't want to ever hear of you doing this again, Lenore, do you understand?" he asked, giving her a couple of spanks on the sit spots.
Lenore howled, sobbing loudly.
"And also, the attitude that you pulled today better not happen again either, got it?"
"O-Oka-ay!" Lenore wailed.
Elliot continued spanking a little more, turning her tiny bottom a dark pink, and then he stopped. "Have you learned your lesson, Princess?" he wanted to know.
"Yesssss!" Lenore cried.
He gave her a final two swats, then lifted her up and let her fall into his hug. "I love you, baby. I just want you to be okay, and you know I worry."
"I'm sorry, Daddy," Lenore wailed, hiccuping and hugging him tightly.
"You're forgiven, sweetie," he answered, still holding her.
Lenore clung to him for quite awhile, needing the extra comfort. Once she felt ready, she let him go and stepped back, wiping her eyes. "May I watch cartoons now, Daddy? Please?"
"After your sister's spanking," he answered, eyeing his oldest daughter.
Lenore scowled, hating that he always made her watch. She didn't like to watch at all.
"Breanna, it's your turn," Elliot stated.
Bre took a deep breath and walked towards her dad, wanting to beg and get out of this, but knowing it was impossible. Oh well, at least he didn't seem to spank Lenore too hard... so hopefully he wouldn't for her either. Of course, the embarrassment was worse than the spanking itself anyway...
Elliot helped her over his lap and bared her immediately. He began to spank soon after. "You will set better examples for your sister."
"Owww! I will," Bre promised, kicking a little and squirming over his lap.
"Next time she wants to watch a scary movie, you make sure she doesn't, Breanna," Elliot warned, smacking her sit-spots harder.
Breanna squealed when he spanked her sit spots. "Ayyyy, okay daddyyyy," she said, all modesty forgotten as the first tears trickled down her cheeks.
"And no more attitude, young lady," Elliot scolded, smacking her bottom even harder. "I've had about enough of the attitudes around here lately."
Bre wiggled over her dad's lap. He sure was spanking her harder than he had Lenore! But she couldn't say that through the tears. "I'll be goooooood, Daddyyyyy!" she yelped, trying not to reach back.
Elliot spanked until her bottom was a nice healthy shade of crimson, then stopped. He eased her up and rubbed her back. "You're forgiven."
Bre fell into her dad's arms and also invited her little sister to join their sentimental moment.
Lenore joined then, enjoying the group hug. Though, she jumped and screamed slightly when the phone rang. "DON'T ANSWER IT!!!!"
Breanna giggled and said, "Yeah, Dad, don't answer it!" Elliot couldn't help but laugh, too.
"I'm serious," Lenore insisted, clinging to them tighter. "You never know whose on there!"
Elliot just chuckled and kissed his girls' heads.
"I like coming to Gramma's," Lenore replied, as she lay on the couch with her head hung over the side. "Though, it's borin' right now....." She sighed as she flipped off and landed on the floor. "We could always go bike ridin'!"
Breanna looked up long enough to give Lenore a look that said "yeah right" and then went back to trying to find someone to text. "Wish I was at that stupid movie with my friends."
"Am I boring you?" Lenore aksed, scowling at her sister
"Yes. This sucks. I want to do somethingggg!" she said, and then added, "something FUN."
"Well, if you hadn't made me sick last time, we could've been home having fun!" Lenore snapped slightly. "Instead we're here with nothin' to do 'cause Gramma don't trust us to be alone."
Breanna rolled her eyes and gave up on finding anyone to text. She played Angry Birds instead... even though she'd already beat the game twice.
Lenore grabbed her sister's phone from her. "Why don't we watch a movie or somethin'?"
"Heyyyy!!!" Bre yelped. "I was in the middle of a level," she grouched, then snatched the phone back. "Yeah, go find a movie and we can watch it.... Grandma is watching her soaps upstairs anyway... she won't need this tv."
Lenore hurried off to where the movies were kept. There she found two movies her father would never in a million years let her watch. "Bree! Look what Gram had hidden in her movie cabinet!"
Bre glanced up. "Hah... Grandma has horror movies?" She put her phone down and walked over to her little sister. "I dunno though... you get nightmares... or have you outgrown them?"
"I haven't had nightmares for a long time now," Lenore insisted - though, truthfully, she'd had a bad one a couple weeks ago.
"Mmmmm...." Bre thought about it for a minute. Even though the movies were rated R and probably way too scary and violent for her little sister, she knew that Lenore was growing up and she'd be exposed to it soon anyway. Besides... there were a couple of movies in there that Bre wanted to see anyway... "Okay! Which one do you wanna watch?"
"This one!" Lenore insisted, holding up The Ring. "It don't look as creepy."
Breanna took the movie and set it up in the dvd player, then closed the blinds to make it seem dark and gloomy so it'd be scarier. They both settled down on the sofa, watching intently
Lenore watched with interest, doing her best to be brave. Though, she ended up jumping through parts of it, and by the end she was practically in her sister's lap.
By the time Elliot picked them up, Breanna had all but forgotten about the movie. She couldn't say the same for her little sister, though, who still jumped everytime Bre's phone made a noise. This wasn't a good sign.
Lenore chewed her lower lip quietly, trying hard to hide the fact she was extremely jumpy. So much for her being big and brave like her sister. She was slightly relieved when they reached the house and she could escape the sounds of her sister's cell phone.
She stuck by her father's side right up until bed, which was slightly normal for her. He was her hero and she enjoyed being around him; unless he was angry with her. She slipped into bed quietly, clutching Mr. Stuffles in a death grip. She lie there staring at the wall; her nightlight casting spooky shadows on the walls.
Eventually, she dozed off, only to end up having nightmare after nightmare about the creepy movie she had watched. She awoke terrified, and screaming as she ran for her father's room with Mr. Stuffles in her arms. "DADDY!!!!!! DADDY!!!!!!!!!! THE MONSTER IN THE TV'S GONNA GET ME!!!!!!!!"
Elliot stirred, his first instinct to grab his gun, but then he realized what Lenore had said. "A monster?" He held the little girl in his arms. "What are you talking about, baby? What monster? There isn't a monster in your tv... you know that." He rocked her for a moment to calm her down then sat her in his lap facing him. He pushed some hair out of her eyes. "Now, what is this about a monster?" he wanted to know. It had been a long time since she'd come to his room like this...
"There's a monster in the TV," Lenore insisted, sniffling and hiccuping. "She's gonna come out an' get me an' kill me 'cause it's been seven days an' phones won't stop ringin'....."
"Nooooo, baby, that was just a...." he began, then cut off realizing that he would never let Lenore watch a movie so scary. How would she know it was a movie? He cleared his throat. "Lenore Edna... did you watch a scary movie at your grandmother's house today?"
Lenore shrunk a little in his lap, as she brushed more tears away with the back of her one hand. "Maybe....." She whispered.
He sighed loudly, ready to give her a good talking-to... and Breanna too! He was sure that Bre had something to do with this. But first things first -- he had to calm his little girl down. "Princess, you know that it's just a movie, it's not real. Don't worry, honey." He pulled her close again, stroking her hair to calm her down.
"But it was SO real, Daddy!" Lenore whimpered. "She was comin' to get me 'cause I answered the phone. She'd all ready gotten you an' Bre, an' I was all alone an' terrified!"
"Well, did you answer any phones today?" Elliot joked.
Lenore shook her head. "No.....Gramma was quick at answerin' them, an' after the movie I was too scared to answer one."
"So, I don't think any scary monsters from the tv will really be coming for you," he said.
"But what if I answer the phone in the next few days?" Lenore wanted to know. "She comes if you answer after watchin' the movie, an' it's always seven days....."
"It's just a movie, honey. It's not real. Somebody with a really big imagination made it up." Elliot was becoming a bit frustrated. To him it was obvious that no monsters would come... but to a little girl, not so much. That's one reason why he didn't let her watch horror movies. Because he didn't have the patience to help her through the nightmares. "Come on, honey, it's really late."
"Can I sleep in here with you, Daddy?" Lenore asked hopefully, giving him her best puppy-dog look. "Please?"
He looked at her, finally giving into the puppy face. "Okay. Sure." he pulled back the blankets for her and tucked her in, kissing her forehead. "Get some sleep. We'll talk about this watching horror movies thing tomorrow..."
"I'm never gonna watch them again," Lenore insisted sleepily, snuggling into him, while still hugging Mr. Stuffles tightly.
He didn't push the issue. "Night, princess," he said.
The next morning, bright and early, Lenore was downstairs with Mr. Stuffles watching her Saturday morning cartoons. She had slept better in her father's room, and hadn't felt as scared with him there. Though, she was still eyeing the phone warily.
Elliot was the second one to awake, staggering downstairs and into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. He yawned, glancing at Lenore. "Did you finally get some sleep?" he asked.
"Yes," Lenore answered, nodding a little. "But Mr. Stuffles is still a little scared....." She usually referred to the bear being scared, when she still was, but didn't want to flat out admit it.
Elliot brought a cup of coffee into the living room and sat down at his desk, opening up his laptop. "You know that you and your sister are in big trouble for watching that movie," he said, peering down at Lenore.
Lenore frowned. "But Daddy, I'm never gonna watch scary ones ever again," she insisted. "I swear it!"
"You're right you're not... because this spanking will make sure that you think twice in the future, Young Lady."
"But that's not fair!" Lenore argued. "Wasn't my nightmares punishment enough?"
"Don't be difficult, princess," Elliot said, pulling up the news on the internet and taking a sip of his coffee. "It's still too early. I'll have a talk with you both after Breanna gets up."
Lenore scowled, crossing her arms over her chest angrily. "This is what I get for tryin' to get my sister to do stuff with me. Not my fault she thinks all my games are boring."
Elliot yawned again and read on until he decided it was breakfast time. He knew the smell would rouse his oldest daughter. And he was right... Shortly after he put on the bacon, the teenager came downstairs, grumbling and plopping on the sofa. "Well, good morning Miss Sunshine," he teased. She just groaned in response.
"We're in trouble," Lenore spoke flatly, her eyes glued to her cartoon.
That woke Bre up a bit. "What?" she said in a loud whisper. "Why??"
"I had a nightmare," Lenore mutered. "Daddy knows we watched the movie...."
What a great way to start the day! thought Bre. "Shit," she muttered, just as Elliot called them to breakfast. "This is great... just great," she said annoyed. "I thought you didn't get nightmares anymore!?"
Lenore glanced down at her lap, as a commercial came on. "I lied," she whispered.
Bre glared at her and stood up. "Come on, breakfast is ready." She started towards the kitchen before looking back and saying, "Oh, and I'm blaming this on you."
Lenore could feel her tears threatening to fall, as she followed her sister dejectedly. She took her seat, keeping her head down, in hopes no one would notice she was about to cry.
But of course Elliot could sense the tension and guessed what had happened. "Well, Breanna, I suppose you know we need to talk?"
Bre shook her head. "There's nothing to talk about. It was Lenore's fault. She's the one who wanted to watch it."
Lenore didn't say a word, for fear of crying. She'd known her sister would never have agreed to a Disney Princess movie - she'd had to improvise.
"I even tried to stop her... but she told me that she didn't have nightmares anymore!"
"I didn't want you to think I was some stupid lil' baby," Lenore choked out. "But obviously, I am......" She stood and ran upstairs to her room, slamming the door behind her.
Breanna rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "yeah, you are."
Lenore hid out in her room throughout breakfast. She wanted her sister to think she was grown-up, but she really wasn't. She cried easily, she scared easily.....she was nothing but a big baby, and she hated it sometimes.
"Bre, it's obvious she wants to impress you," Elliot stated. "If she'd been alone, she'd have never picked that movie out."
"Well, that's not my fault."
"I didn't say it was," Elliot continued. "But you have to see things through her eyes sometimes. She's this cool big sister she wants to hang out with and impress. Only she doesn't know how, because everything she likes is stupid to you."
Breanna just nodded, taking a bite of eggs and not sure what her father wanted her to say.
"So can you see why she lied about still having nightmares?" Elliot pressed. "She's trying to be grown-up and not succeeding very well, because she's not ready to grow up."
"Yeah, okay," Breanna said. "But she's the one who lied. So she should be in trouble. Not me."
"I think you could've tried a little harder to make sure the movie wasn't watched," Elliot replied. "It's your job as big sis to look out for her."
"Why should I?" Breanna said and frowned. "This isn't fair! I always get in trouble when it's HER fault!"
"You are the oldest and should be setting an example," Elliot replied.
"Whatever," she replied, pushing her plate away. "I'm finished." She angrily pushed her chair back, causing it to topple to the ground. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes, but before she'd let them fall, she charged upstairs to her room and slammed her door, too.
Elliot shook his head as he finished eating and cleaned up; he needed time to think.
Up in her room, Breanna pouted. It wasn't fair that she was always blamed for everything her little sister did. She hated being the oldest!! But she did feel a little twinge of guilt. She had let her sister watch the movie, even though she could've guessed it would give her nightmares. Lenore was so innocent and naive, she would believe almost anything. And she knew what it was like to have bad dreams -- she had her own share after their mom died. She would wake up at night, drenched in sweat, scared of her own shadow. She shivered just remembering it. And felt even worse that she'd assisted in Lenore going through the same thing.
After a minute, Breanna trudged to Lenore's room. Without bothering to knock, she pushed the door open and looked at the little girl. "Sis," she said. "I'm sorry."
"What're you sorry for?" Lenore sniffled. "I'm the one whose nothin' but a baby."
"I'm sorry for making you feel like a baby." Bre sat down next to her sister and put an arm around her. "I think you're awesome, sis. And I love you lots. I'm sorry for making you feel bad... You don't have to prove anything to me by watching a stupid scary movie. I think you're great no matter what." She was confused as to what really to say provide comfort, but she put forth her best effort anyway, then added, "I used to have nightmares too, ya know."
"Really?" Lenore asked in surprise. "What were yours about? Monsters?"
"Something like that," she said. "But that doesn't matter. It was horrible and scary and I would hate to have bad dreams like that again. So I'm sorry for not being a better big sister and not looking out for you."
Lenore hugged her tightly. "Why's Daddy so angry about it? He's gettin' angry, like he got angry 'bout Eminem."
"Because Daddy is grumpy."
"I wish he wasn't," Lenore sighed.
Breanna giggled. "He'll always be grumpy."
Lenore giggled a little as well.
"I guess he's right though. He's worried because he doesn't want you having nightmares, and I guess since I'm oldest I shouldn't let you watch that scary stuff," Bre thought aloud. "We're gonna get spanked ya know. We might as well go down there and take it bravely, right?"
"I don't wanna be brave," Lenore pouted. "It's not fair. Weren't nightmares enough?"
Breanna shrugged.
Lenore silently slid her hand into her sister's, doing her best to be brave.
"What should we do, sis?" Bre asked, chewing on her fingernail.
"I dunno," Lenore shrugged. "I'm no good at these things."
As both girls waited, Breanna noted the silence that pierced her ears. All she could hear was the muffled sounds of her father washing dishes. As soon as he finished them, she knew he would be climbing the stairs to deal with her and her sister. But would it be better if they went down there and apologized for their behavior? She was pretty sure it would... but like her little sister, she wasn't feeling too brave.
Finally, she took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's go down there and apologize. He'll go easier on us then."
"Kay," Lenore said softly, as she licked her lips nervously.
Breanna stood and took Lenore's hand again, then led her downstairs to where her father was just finishing up the dishes. Elliot turned off the faucet and looked at them. "Yes?" he asked, glancing at each of them and folding his arms. "D-Dad," Bre stammered, trying to find the right words to say. "We're sorry." She then allowed the tears to spill as well as all of the thoughts she'd had the last few minutes. She choked out every apology manageable until she just broke down and couldn't speak anymore.
"I'm sorry, Daddy," Lenore whimpered, as she too, started to cry.
Elliot softened. If the girls had plotted to make his heart melt with these antics, they had succeeded. He hugged them both in a big group hug. "I'm very glad that you've thought about your actions, girls," he said. "You're right, I do worry about you both... I don't like it when you have nightmares, Princess," he said looking at Lenore.
"I don't like them either," Lenore answered, rubbing her eyes. "They're scary."
"And both of you had quite the attitude this morning," Elliot added. "I think you know what's going to happen next."
"I'm sorry," Lenore whimpered. "I got cranky 'cause I didn't sleep good."
Breanna nodded. "I'm sorry, too. I'm just hormonal," she said, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.
"Apology accepted," Elliot said. "But you're both still getting a spanking. For the attitude, and for watching a scary movie when you're not supposed to. You both know better than that."
Lenore whimpered a little, darting her eyes to the floor
Breanna swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to get her heart to stop pounding so fast, and managed to choke out, "yes, sir."
Elliot guided them to the living room where he sat down on the couch. "Let's get this over quickly. Who's first?"
Lenore froze, looking like a deer caught in headlights. She really hated being first, though it usually meant she got it over with faster. She went to step forward, but hesitated.
"I think Lenore should go first," Breanna said matter-of-factly. She also hated going first, and while she would hate watching her little sister's spanking and the anticipation of the one she was going to receive, she couldn't bring herself to volunteer to go before her little sister.
Elliot nodded. "Yeah, I think it would do you some good to see your little sister get punished for something you contributed to." He looked at Lenore to see if she had any response.
Lenore just gave him her best pout in return. What was there to say? They were always going to make her go first.
"Okay, it's settled." He reached out for Lenore's wrist, knowing she wouldn't come on her own, and moved her close to him. He put her in front of him and looked deep into her eyes. "Lenore Edna, you know that you are not allowed to watch scary movies. You are still a little girl, and you still have nightmares. When you get older, you can watch all the scary movies you want, but for now, you won't watch anything that you know I wouldn't let you watch. Do you understand, Young Lady?"
"Yes, Daddy," Lenore spoke softly, her eyes filling with tears once more. "I don't like 'em anyway."
"Good. And another thing... your sister adores you, Princess. She may hang out with her friends a lot, or think some of the stuff you do is boring, but she still loves you just how you are. There is no need to try to impress her with stuff that just hurts you, got it?"
Lenore nodded. "Kay."
With that Elliot took the little girl over his lap, lifted her night gown and pulled down her panties. Breanna watched, squirming as he exposed her bare bottom. She knew she'd soon be in the same position as her little sister. Almost immediately, he started raining down smacks.
Lenore yelped, crying almost immediately.
Elliot peppered both cheeks, giving her quick and mild swats. "I don't want to ever hear of you doing this again, Lenore, do you understand?" he asked, giving her a couple of spanks on the sit spots.
Lenore howled, sobbing loudly.
"And also, the attitude that you pulled today better not happen again either, got it?"
"O-Oka-ay!" Lenore wailed.
Elliot continued spanking a little more, turning her tiny bottom a dark pink, and then he stopped. "Have you learned your lesson, Princess?" he wanted to know.
"Yesssss!" Lenore cried.
He gave her a final two swats, then lifted her up and let her fall into his hug. "I love you, baby. I just want you to be okay, and you know I worry."
"I'm sorry, Daddy," Lenore wailed, hiccuping and hugging him tightly.
"You're forgiven, sweetie," he answered, still holding her.
Lenore clung to him for quite awhile, needing the extra comfort. Once she felt ready, she let him go and stepped back, wiping her eyes. "May I watch cartoons now, Daddy? Please?"
"After your sister's spanking," he answered, eyeing his oldest daughter.
Lenore scowled, hating that he always made her watch. She didn't like to watch at all.
"Breanna, it's your turn," Elliot stated.
Bre took a deep breath and walked towards her dad, wanting to beg and get out of this, but knowing it was impossible. Oh well, at least he didn't seem to spank Lenore too hard... so hopefully he wouldn't for her either. Of course, the embarrassment was worse than the spanking itself anyway...
Elliot helped her over his lap and bared her immediately. He began to spank soon after. "You will set better examples for your sister."
"Owww! I will," Bre promised, kicking a little and squirming over his lap.
"Next time she wants to watch a scary movie, you make sure she doesn't, Breanna," Elliot warned, smacking her sit-spots harder.
Breanna squealed when he spanked her sit spots. "Ayyyy, okay daddyyyy," she said, all modesty forgotten as the first tears trickled down her cheeks.
"And no more attitude, young lady," Elliot scolded, smacking her bottom even harder. "I've had about enough of the attitudes around here lately."
Bre wiggled over her dad's lap. He sure was spanking her harder than he had Lenore! But she couldn't say that through the tears. "I'll be goooooood, Daddyyyyy!" she yelped, trying not to reach back.
Elliot spanked until her bottom was a nice healthy shade of crimson, then stopped. He eased her up and rubbed her back. "You're forgiven."
Bre fell into her dad's arms and also invited her little sister to join their sentimental moment.
Lenore joined then, enjoying the group hug. Though, she jumped and screamed slightly when the phone rang. "DON'T ANSWER IT!!!!"
Breanna giggled and said, "Yeah, Dad, don't answer it!" Elliot couldn't help but laugh, too.
"I'm serious," Lenore insisted, clinging to them tighter. "You never know whose on there!"
Elliot just chuckled and kissed his girls' heads.
