Duke had just woken up one morning to find it... quiet. He checked the clock. It read 9:00 a.m. He slipped into his robe and went to Mia's room. Her bed was empty. He walked down the stairs and paused. The boys were down there. Freya was asleep. Something was up.

"You have to tell Dad!" Allen hissed.

"Is it really our fault?" Clemmons replied.

Buster shrugged.

"Well, we're going to have to tell Dad," Allen sighed.

"You have to tell me what?" Duke asked.

The three boys froze, side-eyeing each other.

"What happened?" Duke asked.

The boys remained quiet. Now Duke knew something was up.

"Tell me!" Duke insisted.

"You tell him!" Allen said.

"No, you!" Clemmons argued.

"Buster can do it!" Allen said.

"What?!" Buster seemed to say. "Are you crazy?! I can't talk!"

"No," Clemmons replied.

"All three of you can tell," Duke said, his voice finalizing the terms.

Allen sighed, then said, "You know how you always say 'the easy way is rarely the best way'?"

"Yes?" Duke replied.

Clemmons took over. "Well, Mia woke up and thought about that quote when she woke up."

"Well, that's great! She is going to be a great police officer, like her father," Freya said, sipping hot cocoa as she walked to Duke.

"What she did was not great," Buster said.

"What did she do?" Duke asked.

"Guess there is no reason to hide it," Clemmons said.

"Hide what?" Freya asked impatiently.

Allen sighed. "Mia went out to the police station, wearing nothing but her underwear."

Duke stared at the boys in disbelief, then turned to Freya, who had nearly choked on her hot cocoa. She set her mug down and said, "She did what?"

"Mia thought she'd get ready quickly and make it to the station on time," Allen explained, looking at his feet.

"And she figured it was more efficient to just go in her underwear?" Duke asked, still trying to process the information.

Clemmons nodded reluctantly. "She thought she'd save time by getting dressed there."

Freya pinched the bridge of her nose. "But why didn't any of you stop her?"

"We tried!" Buster exclaimed ( or it seemed like it). "She was too quick. Before we could even react, she was out the door."

Duke took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Alright, where is she now? Did anyone bring her back?"

Allen shook his head. "We haven't seen her since she left. But we thought she'd realize and come back on her own."

Freya grabbed her phone. "I'm calling the station. Hopefully, someone there has seen her and can keep her out of trouble until we get there."

As Freya dialed, Duke turned back to the boys. "Next time, don't let her leave the house like that. If she insists, call me immediately. Understand?"

The boys nodded solemnly, feeling the weight of their father's words.

Freya got off the phone and sighed with relief. "Good news, they've found her. She's in one of the offices, mortified, but safe."

Duke nodded. "Let's go pick her up and make sure she understands why this wasn't a good idea."

As they prepared to leave, Duke glanced at the boys. "Remember, the easy way isn't always the best way, but sometimes, the hard way can lead to the most valuable lessons."