So I know it's been forever since I've updated anything here, and I am shamed! 0o I will be trying to get more updates on new and older stories with better frequency in the future. Pregnancy has kept me drained, and with about 3 weeks to go, I somehow am getting an energy spurt! :P Anyways, enough about me! ;) This fic was written by my lovely husband Jason off of a plot I provided. I just couldn't see Joshua being taken out of the series like that! Boo! So, this is my AU fix it! Hope you enjoy! And of course, for all those familiar with my works here, this piece will indeed have spanking in it! *evil grin*

Joshua fidgeted under the look Dr. King now gave him, acutely uncomfortable due to the fact that Kong had told him several times that he would come crawling back… and here he was. He let go of a deep sigh and did his best to avert his gaze so that he would not see that knowing look his 'father' often gave him.

"So here you are." King said simply. "I will prepare an injection for you…" King gave Joshua a meaningful look, "…I trust you will resume working for me again in exchange for this very expensive development?"

Joshua nodded, feeling chagrined. "Remember that I still want to wean off of it... just enough so that my organs stop failing."

King smiled, "Enough to restore your powers, of course?"

Joshua glared, "Damn the powers, I just want to stop feeling sick."

King nodded sagely and Joshua knew his mentor did not have to say that those powers would be needed by the scientist as well, for whatever dirty work he needed...

Joshua turned away, leaving before his rising anger at being forced into this role again could overcome him.

A few days later Joshua returned to King's lab. He slammed a syringe down on King's desk, not caring that this caused a look of annoyance from the scientist. "Are you playing games with me?"

King looked genuinely confused, "I don't know what you mean..?"

Joshua slapped at the item on the desk, rattling the objects on it in his frustration, "It doesn't work! No powers, and I feel worse than before."

King stood slowly, a look of puzzlement battling a look of deep thought for his face. "I think I might have an idea why…"

Joshua motioned impatiently, "Well, spit it out."

King looked a little worried, and that crack in his normally clinical attitude made Joshua even more nervous, "I believe Dr. Powell may have been more successful than we had thought."

Joshua's mouth drew into a tight line, "Which means?"

King sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, still thinking, "It means she has immunized you to our serum…" King watched Joshua closely as that bad news sank in. "…the only person who might help you before your condition becomes….intractable… would be Dr. Powell."

Joshua stood there a long moment clenching and un-clenching his hands, strong emotions tugging for dominance on his face. At last he spoke, "Fine. " He turned and walked out without another word, and Dr. King simply watched him go, tapping a finger to his mouth. This was most unexpected.

Stephanie glanced up then did a double take when she saw Joshua standing patiently in from of her work station. She stood quickly, faster than was humanly possible, in fact, and her face was set in a determined aspect. "We told you to leave Katie alone."

Joshua grimaced, a pained look crossing his features, and he looked down before addressing Dr. Powell with a level stare, "I'm sorry, I am running out of options… the anti-serum you gave me isn't working."

Stephanie could now see him more clearly now that the initial shock of his arrival had passed. He was pale and a slight tremor affected his hands and voice as he spoke; he was showing signs of withdrawal again. "…Alright. Let's have a look at you."

Joshua sighed in relief as Stephanie allowed him into the lab proper and instructed him to sit in a simple metal chair. She went about her work professionally and Joshua would be hard pressed to detect her concerns about him being a danger to Katie or herself, but he knew they were there.

Once she had drawn his blood Stephanie placed the sample in each of her machines respectively and tapped at the controls to a high-powered microscope at super speeds. Joshua marveled at how her mind must have to operate to keep up with her body's powers.

In a few minutes Stephanie stopped turning dials and reading various illuminated screens, taking a moment to stand still and reflect on what she had just observed. Joshua sat quietly, not wanting to disturb her meditation.

At last she looked up, "Your powers are obviously gone due to my anti-serum. However, the dependency your body has built over the years to King's serum suggests that a mixture of some basic elements of it will be required to sustain you long enough to adapt to a normal algorithm."

Joshua perked up, "You can still cure me?"

Stephanie's face was still all business, but Joshua detected a cold edge as she spoke, "You failed to tell me that you visited Dr. King first."

Joshua's face flushed guiltily, "I'm sorry, I just… knew you probably wouldn't be wanting me around unless there was no other way… it's like I said, 'I'm running out of options'."

Stephanie considered him for a few more moments and Joshua felt uncomfortable beneath that analytical stare, so much like Dr. King's way of regarding him. "Alright," she said at last, "It's going to take a while to wean you off the serum and then off of the anti-serum, you're going to have to stay with us until you can get back onto your feet."

Joshua's eyes widened in surprise, "With us? You want me to stay with your family? I have a hotel room…"

Stephanie shook her head, already having made the decision, "You are going to get worse before you get better, and I will need to have access to you should something go wrong." She arched an eyebrow at him, "Also, these are sensitive materials we will be handling, I trust them few other places than here, and you can't be here when Katie shows up."

Joshua gulped past a hard lump in his throat at her name, nodding his agreement to her pervasive logic, he was overcome with mixed feelings on sharing the Powell home for any period of time, the dominating emotion gratitude that Stephanie would allow him this despite everything that had happened.

His voice was somewhat choked when he spoke, "Thank you."

Stephanie gave him a tight-lipped and humorless smile, "Don't thank me yet."

Joshua could hear them arguing from the small guest room that he had been permitted to stay in. He supposed that Jim could care less if Joshua heard him, "What are you doing letting that man into our home?"

Stephanie put her hands on her hips the way she always did when they argued; as if she were going into a more defensive stance. "Like I said, he doesn't have his powers any more, and he's going to get really sick. I can't just leave him out there to die."

Jim brought both hands to his bald head and rubbed them there, massaging his temples. His voice lowered to a more reasonable tone. "Look, I understand you wanting to help him, but here, with our kids within reach?"

Stephanie nodded, "Exactly, our son is a super-brain and our daughter can read minds, Jim. He knows better than to try anything." Her own tone took on a softer edge as she drew close, taking Jim's hands in her own. "I may not believe him on any other account, but I do believe that he doesn't mean us any harm. Besides," She smiled, "he would be nuts to do anything with the world's strongest man waiting for an excuse to hit him with a table."

Jim smiled without much humor but nodded his eventual acceptance. "Okay, fine. But let's have Daphne check him out to make sure he isn't lying."

Stephanie smiled and nodded her own agreement, and back in the guest bedroom Joshua let out a sigh of relief that he would be allowed to stay. He knew from previous experience that his withdrawals were going to incapacitate him completely, and he would feel much better with Stephanie looking out for him like this.

Later that day the entire Powell family gathered in the guest room around Joshua, and as Daphne stepped up, he raised a hand, his face betraying more than a little fear. "Please… read my surface thoughts, see that I'm being honest, but don't delve too deep, I meant what I said about trying to protect you from what I know."

Daphne looked askance of her parents and Joshua tried another approach, "I want my mind to myself, it's private… please."

Jim and Stephanie shared a look and then nodded, and Daphne stepped closer, "Okay, just surface thoughts… tell me, are you here for any reason other than to get well?"

Joshua answered immediately, "No."

Daphne squinted as she studied his face and more deeply his thoughts, then she stepped back as if to also unravel herself from his psych. She smiled, "He's telling the truth."

The tension in the room seemed to dissipate, and Stephanie asked him a few less important questions to settle him into his stay. Once all was said and done, Joshua lay in his bed, wondering how he had managed to get to this place in life. He rolled over and did his best not to think on it, eventually finding sleep.

When Katie shrieked, Joshua nearly jumped out of his skin , rubbing sleep from his eyes as he propped himself on one arm to take in the blurry form of Katie standing in front of him. A blur of motion coalesced into Stephanie, who had her arms extended in a placating manner to Katie, "Katie! Don't worry, he's supposed to be here, he's sick!"

Stephanie couldn't have been more right! Joshua pulled a hand across his sweating brow, bracing himself against a terrible headache that dulled his ability to think straight. He had passed out on the couch last night, so weak that he hadn't even been able to make it back to his room after eating in the kitchen.

Katie's face was a picture of shock, "Supposed to be here? Since when… if I hadn't dropped by unannounced, when exactly were you going to tell me he was here?" Katie clutched an impressive number of cappuccinos to her chest; apparently she had been planning on surprising Stephanie with a treat before work.

Stephanie dropped her hands in a defeated manner with an apologetic look on her face, "I know, I should have told you sooner, but I kept putting it off. The anti-serum is finally working, but he needs care to survive it, and we can't exactly check him into a hospital."

Katie seemed to take all of this in and finally took a deep breath, "Okay." She handed the enormous bundle of coffee to Stephanie and gave Joshua a cold stare as he stared wordlessly back at her, holding his breath. "Don't say anything to me. What Stephanie is doing is perhaps more than you deserve, and doesn't mean you are welcome back into my life."

Joshua's countenance fell, if that was at all possible, seeing as he was already miserably sick, and he opened his mouth but did not speak, honoring her request. His eyes were a study in misery, and he might have seen a sheen of wetness enter her own eyes but she turned suddenly away, stalking out of the house quickly.

Joshua rolled over so that he faced into the couch and Stephanie stood there a moment longer, feeling genuinely bad for the man, but also uncertain, until finally she also left for work without a word, hoping that Joshua would find some rest while she was gone.

Joshua slept in delirious fits, and was unsure if Katie had actually visited or if he was simply thinking of another time, when she had taken care of him last time he had been sick. A warm damp cloth lay across his forehead and he could swear that he saw Katie sitting cross from him, monitoring his progress, but all he could think was 'That can't be her'.

Then at last Joshua's illness began to be brought under control by the refinements of Stephanie's work, and his head finally cleared, giving way to gradually to perceptions no longer inhibited by fever. He glanced up and stared in surprise as Katie went about setting out a breakfast in bed for him, setting a tray full of saucers on the bed and glancing up to see him staring at her.

Katie brushed a stray hair from her face as she looked away from his curious gaze. "I thought since you are getting better now, we can move up to more solid foods again." She started pulling toppers from the plates on the tray and moving it over his lap as he continued to stare, dumbfounded by her presence.

Katie's mouth quirked a bit, "Okay, maybe what I said earlier was a bit harsh, sorry."

They both sat for some time in awkward silence, then Joshua cleared his throat to speak but Katie pointed at the cooling plate before him, "Eat."

Joshua dutifully began to spoon food into his mouth, eating with zeal as he realized how hungry he was. After a few minutes of this and Joshua felt more than full enough he looked over to Katie, who waited patiently beside him without making eye contact or speaking, "It's alright", he said, "I understand…. I…"

Katie held up a hand to silence him while giving Joshua an intense look, "No more talking, not until I can be sure every other thing you tell me isn't a lie."

Joshua looked down, frowning, "I'm sorry."

Katie took a deep steadying breath, "Are you really? How can I be sure?"

Joshua looked up into her eyes and took her hands into his before he could even realize he was doing it, his eyes showing his raw guilt, sadness, and hurt. "Please, I would do anything to prove this to you, that this time, no more lies."

Katie felt her heart skip a beat at the sincerity in his voice and mannerism, but she pushed his hands back slowly, her features showing resolve. She had been taken in by him twice, she would not be a fool three times. "There… there can't be a you and me again… I just felt bad for how miserable my comment earlier had made you… I wasn't looking to…"

Joshua's voice rang with desperation, "Now who is the one that's lying? I want to be with you, and I know you want the same, please just…"

Katie held her hand up again and Joshua drew silent, looking at the floor. "I need to think about this… I need to step back, and think." She drew in another deep breath and reined in the way she felt as best she could. "At least give it a few more days… we'll talk then."

Joshua nodded, and though he still looked heart-sick, hope lifted his face somewhat. Katie left before either of them could be allowed to betray their decision.

After a few more days had passed, Joshua looked and felt much better, finally able to fetch food for himself again and knowing that soon he would need to leave his temporary residence in the Powell home. He found that he would miss J.J.'s inquisitive nature and Stephanie's easy smile.

He was about to turn off the lamp and retire for the evening when he heard a noise and looked back to see Katie standing in the doorway. "Have some time to talk?"

Joshua moved to stand in front of her, suddenly shy as he wrung his hands nervously, "O-of course." He saw that she carried a small black bag as she moved to sit on his bed opposite him.

"Why don't you have a seat?" she said.

Joshua sat, wondering what Katie had come to tell him.

After an period of time had passed Katie finally broke the silence, "I've given it a lot of thought, and ultimately, I have one question."

Joshua looked askance of her, seeming to hold his breath for her next words.

Katie took his hands this time, squeezing them gently, "You said you would do anything… did you mean it?"

Joshua had started nodding even before he spoke, "Yes!" Though his expression indicated his confusion at the reason for this question, which made Katie blush, knowing the nature of the request she would be making.

It was her turn to look sheepish as she played with the bag she had brought before speaking again, "I looked up a lot of help sites on couples working out issues of honesty between each other, and after a great deal of research, I might have found a way for us to make thus work…"

Joshua watched her and nodded, the hope that had been in his heart lifting his bearing noticeably. "Okay, what do we need to do?"

Katie's blush deepened, and she brushed at her hair before meeting his eyes, "I need to spank you."

Joshua stared in stunned silence, and Katie reached into the bag and pulled out a paddle, disproving the notion that he had heard her wrong. "What…?"

Katie still blushed furiously, but her face bore a determined look as she nodded, "I need to spank you. As a form of intimate discipline that brings trust back into our relationship."

Joshua still couldn't believe what he was hearing, still expecting this to be some sort of joke. "Wait, wait… what kind of sites were you researching?"

Katie waved the question off, obviously embarrassed, and pushed on adamantly, "Are you going to let me spank you and accept responsibility, or should I just leave now?"

Joshua's countenance sobered and he nodded, suddenly grimly determined to let her do whatever she wished to put her mind at ease. What was a little spanking, after all?

Katie wasted no time, sitting back onto the bed with her back supported by the headboard and motioning him over.

Joshua became suddenly self-conscious, "Here, now? What if one of the Powells…"

Katie shook her head, "It's just us two here for now, they are all on a late family dinner, I asked them if I could have some time alone with you to… discuss things. "

Joshua hesitated still and Katie started to look annoyed, so he hurried to comply with her wish, pulling himself over to where she sat.

Katie pulled him further onto her lap, so that his hips met with her right leg, then she placed her left arm squarely across his shoulders as she worked his pants down past his now exposed cheeks.

Joshua had not expected her to pull his sleep pants down and he looked back with wide eyes to see was already lifting the paddle so as to arc neatly into his ass. Suddenly he felt reservations about being held in this manner and some anxiousness about how the wooden paddle would feel, but his qualms were far too late…

The paddle whished through the air and impacted with a harsh slapping noise, and Joshua jumped at the sting of it. "Try to hold still," Katie told him, "I don't want to miss and hit your thigh."

This seemed all too ludicrous now, and as Joshua looked back to see how ridiculous he looked trussed up over her knees like this it was his turn to blush in embarrassment. Each stinging slap served to teach him that this was no 'simple spanking', and was going to hurt very much, if his reddening cheeks continued to grow more sensitive with each swat as they did.

"Wait!" he found himself crying out, "There has to be some other way we can hash this out…"

Katie gave him a scornful look, "Are you backing out?" Her hand paused, and Joshua cringed both at it and her tone.

"N-no…" Joshua said at last, realizing that Katie wasn't going to accept an alternative at this point; either he lived up to what he had agreed to do, or this was just another lie, and she wouldn't be giving him another chance.

Katie nodded, her eyes still narrowed, and resumed spanking his now squirming cheeks. Joshua couldn't help but wriggle about as the board crossed his rear; it hurt too much not to demand some action on his part. Soon even this was not enough, and his gritted teeth finally parted to cry out with each swing as his fists clenched the sheets of his bed tightly.

Katie noted how Joshua's responses had shifted from surprise to pain and finally to acceptance, and as she watched his reddened cheeks twitch beneath the paddle, she found herself energized, strangely enervated in this task.

At length, Katie took a moment, stopping to breath and let herself cool off, feeling more heated perhaps than was necessary. "So… are you sorry?"

Joshua nodded into the sheets, and when he spoke she realized belatedly that he was crying, "Y-yes. Yes! I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry…"

Katie felt a little pang of guilt for hurting him this much, but pushed it down, thinking of why they were here and why this was necessary. Besides, he was doing very well, this couldn't be going any better! "And you won't ever again lie to me?"

His voice floated weakly from where he sobbed into the bed, "N-never, I'll never lie again!"

Katie nodded even though she knew he wouldn't be able to see it from where she was, "Alright, then. We're almost done then, the rest of this will be my way of reminding you what you can look forward to if you don't keep your word."

With that she began soundly spanking him again, and his muffled cries grew louder as his body went taught with the strain of the stinging blows. Otherwise, Joshua was completely compliant, relaxing into her light grip as she disciplined him. Katie nodded to herself again; this was what she needed, to know that he felt guilt and was willing to work to make it right.

At length Katie stopped slapping Joshua's ass with the paddle and pulled his sleep pants back up over the red and swollen cheeks, which made Joshua gasp in pain despite how gently she did so. He moved to lay on his stomach and she lay next to him, both thinking on what had just happened.