One day, Allen turned the news on, and sat down.

" And we're here today with Mia Detain, daughter of Firefighter Freya McCloud and Officer Duke Detain."

Allen gawked. " GUYS?!" He yelled. " COME HERE!"

Clemmons and Buster came running down the stairs.

" What?" Clemmons asked.

Allen pointed to the TV.

" Oh, wow."

Mia came on screen, and started blabbering a bunch of words none of the brothers understood.

" Right now, compared to her, I feel dumb." Buster signed.

As the brothers stared at the TV, Mia continued speaking with an air of confidence and expertise that left them speechless. She was explaining something in a highly technical language that went right over their heads.

Allen, still gaping, managed to say, "What on earth is she talking about?"

Clemmons shrugged. "I have no idea, but it sounds... important?"

Buster, who was usually the one who picked up on things quickly, signed with a wry grin, " This is ridiculous."

They watched as Mia passionately discussed her topic, gesturing animatedly. The camera occasionally cut to the interviewer, who looked equally impressed and slightly lost.

"Since when does she know all this stuff?" Allen asked, still trying to wrap his head around it.

Clemmons shook his head, equally baffled. "I don't know, but she's definitely in her element."

Just then, Duke and Freya walked in, having heard the commotion. Duke looked at the screen and then at his sons, who were still staring in disbelief.

"What's going on?" Duke asked.

Allen pointed to the screen. "Mia's on TV... and she's like... really smart."

Freya chuckled, sitting down next to them. "Mia's always been smart, Allen. She just doesn't always show it in ways we expect."

The camera panned back to Mia, who was now wrapping up her segment with a confident smile. The interviewer thanked her, and the screen cut back to the studio, where the news anchors were visibly impressed.

"Well, that was Mia Detain, clearly a young expert in her field," one of the anchors said, before moving on to the next story.

As the broadcast ended, the brothers sat there, still processing what they'd just seen. Mia had always been a firecracker, but seeing her like this was a whole new level of surprise.

"She never ceases to amaze us, does she?" Duke said with a proud smile.

Freya nodded. "That's our Mia. Full of surprises."

Clemmons chuckled. "I guess we should be careful not to underestimate her."

Allen shook his head, still in awe. "Yeah... I don't think we'll ever figure her out completely."

Buster signed with a smirk, "Good luck with that."

As the TV flickered to another interview, the screen displayed Mia sitting confidently in a studio, this time talking about rules and regulations. The headline at the bottom read: "Mia Detain Discusses the Importance of Rules in the Workplace."

Duke, who was still seated with the family, leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at the screen. "This... could be bad," he muttered, sensing that Mia was about to drop some controversial statements.

Freya, sipping on her hot cocoa, watched with a mix of curiosity and concern. "Let's just hope she doesn't say anything too-"

But before she could finish, Mia's voice filled the room.

"Let me be clear: No one is allowed to drink on the job," Mia declared, her tone firm and authoritative.

The effect was instantaneous. Freya, caught completely off guard, choked on her hot cocoa, sputtering as the liquid sprayed out in surprise. "What did she just say?!"

Duke's eyes widened as he realized the implications of Mia's statement. "Oh no..."

The boys were equally stunned. Clemmons glanced over at Duke, unsure whether to laugh or panic. "Is she... is she serious?"

Allen, eyes glued to the screen, shook his head in disbelief. "I think she is."

On the TV, Mia continued her speech, oblivious to the chaos she had just caused back home. She was passionately laying out her views on workplace professionalism, completely unaware that her family was reeling from her blunt declaration.

Buster, trying to keep a straight face, signed, "Well, that's one way to make sure people follow the rules."

Freya finally managed to catch her breath, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "I can't believe she just said that on live TV!"

Duke rubbed his temples, already imagining the repercussions of Mia's bold statement. "We're going to have some very interesting conversations at work tomorrow."

Clemmons laughed nervously. "At least she's consistent...?"

Allen chuckled, shaking his head. "That's Mia for you-never afraid to say what she thinks."

Freya, still recovering from her shock, looked at the TV with a mix of pride and exasperation. "She certainly knows how to make an impression."

As the interview wrapped up, Mia signed off with a confident smile, completely unaware of the stir she had caused back home. The family sat in silence for a moment, letting the reality of what just happened sink in.

Duke finally broke the silence, sighing deeply. "Well, we knew she was going to be a handful... but I didn't expect this."

Freya nodded, still trying to process everything. "We'll just have to deal with it, like always."

The boys exchanged glances, knowing that with Mia, life was never dull. As the TV clicked off, they all knew one thing for sure-Mia was a force to be reckoned with, and they wouldn't have her any other way.

The phone rang just as Duke was still processing Mia's latest TV appearance. He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was the captain. He sighed, already anticipating the conversation.

"Hello, Captain," Duke answered, trying to keep his voice steady.

The captain's voice boomed through the phone. "Duke! What in the world did your daughter just say on live television? Are we supposed to be dehydrated while we work?!"

Duke winced at the volume. "Captain, I-"

"'No one is allowed to drink on the job'? Does she think we're all robots? How are we supposed to stay alert without any water, coffee-anything?"

Duke rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "Captain, I'm sure she didn't mean it that way. Mia's very... passionate about rules. I'll talk to her and clear this up."

"You'd better! The entire department is buzzing about it. I've got officers worried they'll be written up for sipping a water bottle!"

Duke sighed heavily. "I'll handle it, Captain. Just... give me some time to explain things to her."

The captain grumbled. "You'd better, Duke. This kind of statement could cause chaos. And let's be honest, we don't need any more of that."

"Understood, Captain. I'll get it sorted."

As Duke hung up the phone, he turned to see Freya looking at him expectantly. "Captain?"

"Yeah," Duke confirmed, slumping back into his chair. "He's not happy."

Freya crossed her arms, her face a mix of concern and frustration. "This is going to be a mess, isn't it?"

Duke nodded. "Looks like we've got some serious damage control to do."

Just as Duke hung up with the captain, the phone rang again. This time, the caller ID showed it was the mayor. Duke exchanged a worried glance with Freya before picking up the call.

"Hello, Mayor," Duke greeted, trying to sound composed despite the tension in his voice.

"Officer Detain," the mayor began, his tone measured and formal. "I must express my utmost consternation regarding the recent public statements made by your daughter. The implications of her remarks, particularly the assertion that hydration should be eschewed during professional duties, are both perplexing and potentially detrimental to the operational efficiency of our municipal workforce."

Duke blinked, struggling to keep up with the mayor's sophisticated vocabulary. "Uh, I understand, sir. She, uh, didn't mean it the way it came across."

"One would hope," the mayor continued, not missing a beat, "that this was merely an unfortunate miscommunication rather than a reflection of an intent to implement draconian measures within the public sector. However, the resultant discourse has sparked a degree of consternation within both the police force and the general public. It is imperative that we address and rectify this matter with alacrity."

Freya, overhearing the conversation, motioned for Duke to put the call on speaker. He did so, and Freya listened, her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to make sense of the mayor's elaborate speech.

"Yes, sir," Duke replied, trying to keep his response as professional as possible. "We'll make sure this gets sorted out immediately. Mia was just... being very literal about the rules. We'll clarify things with her and the public."

The mayor sighed, a sound that somehow managed to convey both disappointment and understanding. "I trust that this matter will be handled with the requisite diligence, Officer Detain. The last thing we need is a misapprehension of our policies leading to a public relations debacle."

"Absolutely, sir," Freya chimed in, finally finding an opportunity to speak. "We'll make sure Mia understands the importance of clear communication, and we'll issue a statement to correct any confusion."

"Very well," the mayor said, his tone slightly more conciliatory. "I expect to see this resolved posthaste. We cannot afford to have the public-or our workforce-operating under such misconceptions."

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention, sir," Duke said, eager to end the call before the mayor could drop any more sophisticated terms on them. "We'll take care of it."

"See that you do," the mayor replied before the line went dead.

Duke and Freya exchanged looks of exasperation.

"Well," Freya said, shaking her head, "that went about as well as could be expected."

Duke sighed deeply. "I guess it's time to have a serious talk with Mia... and maybe invest in a dictionary."

As the news sank in, Allen's face turned pale. "No drinking on the job?! I... I have a very sensitive body! I need to drink water!" He paced back and forth, his hands tugging at his hair.

Duke raised a hand to calm him. "Allen, calm down."

"Calm down?!" Allen nearly shrieked. "I CAN'T DRINK WATER ON THE JOB!" His voice was rising in pitch, teetering on the edge of panic.

Meanwhile, Clemmons was running around the living room in a frenzy, his arms flailing wildly as he yelled, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Buster sat on the couch, shaking his head in disbelief. He signed, "This family is doomed."

Duke took a deep breath, trying to bring some order to the chaos. "Guys, let's think about this logically. Mia didn't mean you can't drink water at all-"

"Then what did she mean?!" Allen interrupted, his eyes wide with fear. "Because I can't go a whole shift without water! I'll shrivel up!"

Clemmons, still running in circles, shouted, "We're all going to shrivel up!"

Duke pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "Okay, everyone stop!" he ordered, his voice firm.

Clemmons finally came to a halt, breathing heavily as he stared at Duke.

"Listen," Duke said, addressing all of them, "we're going to fix this. Mia was just being Mia-overly enthusiastic and very literal. We'll talk to her, get her to clarify what she meant, and make sure everyone knows that drinking water is not banned on the job."

Allen stopped pacing and blinked at Duke. "So... I can drink water?"

"Yes, Allen," Duke said with exasperation. "You can drink water."

Buster, still sitting calmly on the couch, signed, "Thank goodness. I thought we'd all be dehydrated."

Allen finally took a deep breath and tried to relax. "Okay. But we really need to have a talk with Mia about her public statements."

Duke nodded. "We will. But first, let's all calm down before any more panic sets in."

Clemmons nodded vigorously, still catching his breath. "Agreed. No more running around. I'm tired."

"Good," Duke said, feeling slightly more in control of the situation. "Now, let's figure out how we're going to talk to Mia before she gives another interview and bans something else we all need to survive."

As if the universe had a cruel sense of humor, the news channel switched to another segment featuring Mia. She was sitting confidently, her expression serious as she spoke to the interviewer.

"And another thing," Mia declared, "no one should be eating on the job either. It's a distraction and can lead to mistakes."

Allen's eyes went wide with horror. "WHAT?!" he exclaimed, his voice breaking. "No eating on the job?!"

Clemmons, who had just caught his breath, immediately resumed his frantic running in circles. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed, his voice echoing throughout the house.

Allen started pacing again, this time with even more urgency. "I need food to function! How am I supposed to get through a shift without eating?!"

Duke's attempt to stay calm was rapidly deteriorating. "Okay, let's not panic-"

"NOT PANIC?!" Allen cut him off, his hands flailing. "I CAN'T DRINK WATER, AND NOW I CAN'T EAT EITHER? I'M GONNA PASS OUT ON THE JOB!"

Clemmons continued his hysterical lap around the living room, shouting, "WE'RE ALL GONNA PASS OUT!"

Buster, still seated on the couch, shook his head in resignation. He signed, "Here we go again..."

Duke rubbed his temples, trying to quell the mounting headache. "Alright, everyone stop!" he commanded, though his voice lacked the authority it had just moments before.

Clemmons skidded to a halt once again, panting heavily. "This is a disaster," he muttered.

Allen, on the verge of a meltdown, looked at Duke with desperation in his eyes. "What are we gonna do? We can't survive like this!"

Duke sighed heavily. "We're going to have to talk to Mia-again. She doesn't realize the chaos she's causing with these statements."

Allen's voice was shaky. "But what if she bans breathing next?"

"Please don't give her any ideas," Buster signed with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

Duke took a deep breath, trying to find some semblance of calm. "Alright, let's handle this one step at a time. First, we get Mia to clarify her comments-again. And second, we make sure no one else gets any more ideas from her interviews."

Clemmons nodded weakly, still trying to catch his breath. "Can we please just survive this day?"

Duke gave a wry smile. "I'm working on it, Clem. I'm working on it."

As if on cue, the news anchor asked, "Mia, any final thoughts on maintaining discipline during work hours?"

Mia, with an innocent expression, leaned into the microphone and said, "Oh, and one more thing-no one should be allowed to breathe too loudly on the job. It's distracting."

The room went silent for a split second, and then all hell broke loose.

Allen's eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out of his head. "WHAT?! NO BREATHING?!"

Clemmons, who had barely recovered from his last panic attack, immediately resumed his chaotic sprint around the living room. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking with sheer panic.

Allen began hyperventilating, ironically not following Mia's new rule at all. "I CAN'T-I CAN'T BREATHE! SHE SAID WE CAN'T BREATHE!"

Duke, who had been trying to stay calm up until this point, finally snapped. "EVERYONE JUST STOP!"

But there was no stopping Allen and Clemmons. Allen was practically pulling at his hair, muttering to himself about the absurdity of it all. "I'm gonna pass out! We're all gonna pass out! I CAN'T EVEN BREATHE ANYMORE!"

Clemmons was now running in even faster circles, if that were possible, screaming louder than before. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Buster, watching the chaos unfold, let out a long sigh and signed, "This is beyond saving..."

Duke slumped into the nearest chair, rubbing his temples with both hands. "This is a nightmare," he muttered to himself. "A complete, absolute nightmare."

Allen, in his frenzied state, finally turned to Duke, eyes wide and desperate. "What are we gonna do?! I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS!"

Clemmons, still running, yelled, "WE NEED AIR! WE NEED FOOD! WE NEED WATER!"

Duke, realizing there was no calming them down now, stood up and shouted over the noise, "Alright, enough! We're going to talk to Mia-again-and fix this! I'm not letting my family lose their minds over this!"

But it was clear that getting them to calm down would be easier said than done. Allen and Clemmons were too far gone, their panicked screams filling the house as Buster quietly shook his head, wondering how things had gotten so out of control.

Just when everyone thought it couldn't get any worse, the news anchor posed another question. "Mia, any last regulations you'd like to share?"

Mia, still oblivious to the chaos her words were causing at home, thought for a moment before adding, "Oh, and no one whose name starts with the letter A should be allowed to work. It's just too common, you know?"

Back at home, Allen's eyes widened in sheer terror. He was already on the brink of a meltdown, but this was the final straw.

"NOOOOO!" Allen screamed, his voice reaching a pitch that would shatter glass. "SHE'S TARGETING ME! SHE'S TAKING AWAY MY JOB! MY NAME STARTS WITH AN A!"

He collapsed dramatically onto the couch, clutching at his head as if the world were ending. "I CAN'T BREATHE, I CAN'T EAT, I CAN'T DRINK, AND NOW I CAN'T EVEN WORK! I'M DOOMED!"

Clemmons, still running in circles, joined in the screaming frenzy. "ALLEN CAN'T WORK! WE'RE ALL DOOMED! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Buster, who had been calmly observing, finally threw his hands up in defeat. He signed, "This has officially spiraled out of control."

Duke, trying desperately to maintain some semblance of order, shouted over the noise, "EVERYONE, CALM DOWN! WE CAN FIX THIS!"

But Allen was beyond reasoning at this point. "HOW, DAD? HOW? I'M BANNED FROM WORKING! I CAN'T EVEN USE MY OWN NAME!"

Clemmons, still in full panic mode, screamed, "THE WORLD IS ENDING! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Freya walked into the room, eyes wide as she took in the scene. "What on earth is happening in here?"

Duke looked at her, utterly exasperated. "Mia just banned anyone with the letter A from working, and Allen has completely lost it."

Freya sighed, shaking her head. "We need to talk to Mia before this gets any worse."

But as they turned their attention back to the TV, they could hear Allen continuing his frantic rant. "I'LL NEVER WORK AGAIN! I'LL STARVE! I'LL-"

Duke finally had enough. "THAT'S IT! We're turning off the TV and going to have a serious talk with Mia. This madness has to stop."

But even as he reached for the remote, Allen's screams echoed through the house, and Clemmons continued to run in frantic circles, the chaos showing no signs of letting up.

As Clemmons was still running around in circles, Buster finally had enough. He signed urgently, "STOP!"

Mia, who was still on the screen, added another rule with a cheerful, almost innocent tone, "Oh, and anyone with the letter C at the start of their name has to be a mommy."

Clemmons, who was already on edge, froze in his tracks. His face turned pale as the realization hit him.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Clemmons screamed, his voice echoing through the house. "NOT A MOMMY! I CAN'T BE A MOMMY!"

He dropped to his knees, clutching his head and sobbing uncontrollably. "THIS IS TOO MUCH! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

Freya rushed over, trying to calm Clemmons down. "Clemmons, it's okay! It's just a rule, we can work around it!"

Allen, still recovering from his earlier meltdown, looked at Clemmons with a mixture of sympathy and confusion. "Are you okay, Clemmons?"

Clemmons looked up through his tears. "I- I can't be a mommy! It's just not in me!"

Buster shook his head, clearly frustrated but still trying to maintain some semblance of composure. He signed, "We need to talk to Mia about these rules before it gets any worse."

Duke turned to Freya, desperation evident in his voice. "We've got to do something before she creates more chaos. Let's go get her."

Duke and Freya arrived at the station, still processing the chaos Mia had caused with her so-called rules. When they found Mia at her desk, she looked up at them with a mischievous grin.

"It's a comedy show, people," Mia announced, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Duke's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?!"

Mia turned to the reporter standing nearby. "This is the comedy show, right?"

The reporter nodded, clearly amused. "Yes, we said on Fridays from 5 to 6, we would have a comedy show."

Duke sighed, relief and exasperation mixing in his expression. "Oh, I see."

Allen, who had been nervously fidgeting, perked up. "So I can eat and drink on the job?"

Mia looked at him, puzzled. "Uh, yeah? I guess so."

Freya gave Duke a sidelong glance, trying to suppress a smile. "Looks like we've all been part of an elaborate joke."

Duke shook his head, chuckling softly. "Well, at least it wasn't as serious as we thought."

Allen, now visibly relieved, let out a sigh of relief. "So, I'm not going to be breaking any rules?"

Mia shook her head, still looking a bit confused. "Nope. No real rules were broken. It was just part of the show."

Duke patted Mia on the back. "Just try to be more careful with what you say in the future. It's important to make sure everyone understands the context."

Mia nodded earnestly. "Got it. I'll make sure to clarify things next time."