AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm including the last couple of sentences from the last chapter, as a re-cap. Hope you enjoy.

~ ~ spn ~ ~ spn ~ ~

I pulled my bike up close to the porch and then climbed off of it and went inside.

"-all right, here she is, I'll put it on speaker," Grandpa John held the phone up as I walked over to him.

"Hi Daddy, did you find a ghost?" I asked.

"We stopped to get a late lunch," he said, "Charlotte Anne Winchester, why are you riding your bike without your helmet and safety pads?"

"Oh, uh-" I looked up at Grandpa John, and my tummy clenched with nerves. He was watching me with a stern look on his face.

"Did you tell Grandpa John that Uncle Sam said you didn't need to wear your safety gear?" Daddy's voice was hard.

"Um, I—yeah," I said quietly, feeling myself start to blush. I stared down at the floor.

"Little girl, why would you do that? I was going to let you stop wearing the pads after you've stopped using the training wheels, but you always need to wear your helmet. That'n non-negotiable, and I think we told you that when you first started riding."

I toed the floor in front of me. "Sorry," I mumbled.

"Well, sorry doesn't cut it. I'm upset with you, Charlie, and so is Uncle Sam. That was dangerous of you to go riding without your gear on."

"And then when I told her to put her helmet on, she said okay, but she still didn't put it on," Grandpa John said.

"What?!" Daddy sounded shocked, "Charlotte Anne!" he said angrily, "What the he-you—I can't believe this!"

"What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?" Uncle Sam piped up. He sounded just as angry as Daddy.

I gulped, feeling my face get hotter. "Dunno," I whispered.

"Dunno is not an answer," Daddy's voice was still hard, "We're going to have a discussion about all this tomorrow."

"Uh—a discussion?" I asked hesitantly, "Do you mean—are you-" I squirmed with embarassment. Sometimes when Daddy said a 'discussion' he meant a spanking.

"You mean am I going to spank you? Grandpa John is the one that you lied to, so I think it's up to him to punish you, however he sees fit."

I looked up at Grandpa John in shock.

"I—Are you gonna-" I gulped, and tears filled my eyes.

"Not only did you break a rule about wearing your safety gear, you flat out lied to me about it, and in doing so, you put yourself in danger. And then you didn't listen to me when I told you to put your helmet on. You have earned yourself a spanking, little girl," now Grandpa John's voice was stern.

"But—but-" I sputtered.

"No excuses, Charlie—you deliberately made those choices, and now you have to deal with the consequences of your choices. Maybe a spanking from your grandfather will get you to take this seriously," Daddy said, "And you'd better behave for the rest of the day, or else you will be getting a spanking from me when I get home. Is that clear?"

"Yes Daddy," I said glumly.

"All right, we have to go. I'll try to call or text you at bedtime."

"Okay...bye."

Grandpa John hung up the phone and put it into his pocket. I looked up at him and swallowed, my mouth going dry. He took my wrist and led me over to the sofa.

"I'm sorry—please-" I dragged my feet as I walked, not wanting this to happen.

He sat down on the edge of the sofa. "I'm sure that you're sorry, but I'm still going to give you a spanking."

Tears came to my eyes again as he pulled me to his right side, He had to lift me up to put me over his knees, just like Uncle Sam did. He put his hand on my lower back, and then he began to spank me. I burst into tears and started to struggle and kick. I couldn't believe that Grandpa John was spanking me!

His hands were big like Uncle Sam's, so after just a few swats, my whole rear end was stinging. After landing several more swats, he paused to reach under me and undid the button on my jeans. I screeched and tried to wriggle off of his lap as he pulled them down. "Nooo!"

"Did you lie to me?" he asked sternly, adjusting my position over his lap.

"Y-yes," I admitted, sniffling.

"Not only that, you did something dangerous, and you could have gotten injured," he finished pulling my pants down and then he tugged my panties down as well.

I cried out as his hand began to fall on my bare bottom. "Owww! Gr-gran—pa—pleeeeease! Nooo!"

He peppered my rear end with sharp swats and I kicked my feet some more and howled as he landed a few on the lowest part of my butt.

"You gonna listen to me, and do what I tell you from now on? Keep yourself safe?" he asked.

"Y-yes, Gr-granpa J-John," I heaved out. I didn't want him to spank me ever again!

"You gonna lie to me again?"

"N-no, m's-sorry!"

He pulled my panties up over my stinging butt. "Then come here," he lifted me up into his arms and held me tightly against his chest. I buried my face in his flannel shoulder and cried.

"All right, it's over now, shh," he soothed, rubbing the back of my head.

"M'sorry I w-was b-bad," my chest hitched as I turned my head and leaned on his chest.

"Shh, you're not bad, you just make bad choices sometimes, and misbehave. You're a good girl," he shifted me and began to rub my back.

I stayed snuggled in his arms until I was calm, and then he set me on the floor and helped me pull my jeans up. I winced as the rough fabric rubbed against my sore rear end.

He stood up. "Let's put your bike away."

"Yes, Grandpa John," I followed him outside and picked up my helmet and pads, and he carried my bike around to the back. We went into the door that led into the laundry room and I hung the safety gear from the handlebars.

"I'm going to be doing some research on my laptop, what are you going to do?" he asked me.

"Um, I guess I'll go play in my room," I said. I still couldn't play my 3DS or my Kindle, and now I was probably going to be grounded from riding my bike too. Playing in my room was pretty much the only thing left for me unless I wanted to do schoolwork. Which I didn't want to do.

I went upstairs and played with my figurines, but it seemed boring. I thought about the dollhouse at the library and how I missed my dollhouse.

I tried to build some rooms by propping some of my books on top of each other, but it didn't work very well and I kept knocking them over. Eventually I just picked up a book and laid on my bed on my tummy and read.

I woke up when there was a knock on the door. I had fallen asleep with my head on the book. Grandpa John leaned into the room. "I made dinner for us, darlin'."

I got up and shuffled downstairs after him, rubbing my eyes sleepily. He had made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

"Your Dad texted me, he won't be able to call later," Grandpa John showed me his phone.

The text read, "Confirmation of ghost, now we have to find out where the remains are located. Three cemeteries we have to look at—will be busy til late. Tell Charlie goodnight, and I love her."

I sighed, "O-kaay."

I helped Grandpa John clean up the dishes after we ate, and then we watched a movie together.

He came into my room at bedtime, to tuck me in, and sat down on the edge of my bed.

"You nervous about your Dad being away, still?"

I nodded.

"It'll be fine, Charlie, you'll see," he took my hands and held them in his. I got a flash of seeing just then, but it was knowing, what his emotions were. I saw a flash of rolling flames on a ceiling, and felt Grandpa John's fear, and then I saw an image of me riding my bike without my safety gear on, and felt fear again, but not as strong. Then I felt his anger, mixed with a little sadness.

My hands jerked by themselves, and he frowned slightly. "Did you just—see inside my head?" he asked.

"Yes, but—I didn't do it on purpose, I swear!" I said quickly.

"What did you see?"

"You—you got scared, and now you're—you're mad at me!" tears came to my eyes again.

"No, Charlie, I'm not. When I asked your Dad why you didn't have to wear your safety gear anymore and we realized you'd lied to me, I was angry. I am disappointed that you thought it was okay to lie to me, but I'm not mad now."

I gulped as the tears spilled over and started to drip down my cheeks. I didn't like it when one of them said they were disappointed with me. "M' sorry!" I wailed, "I don't know why—I—did-it!" My chest was hitching with sobs all of a sudden, and Grandpa John pulled me onto his lap and put his arms around me.

I looked up at him. "Why were you sad too?"

He shifted. "Well, I don't like having to punish you, but I know it has to be done. Misbehavior has to have a consequence so that you learn to do the right thing. Doesn't mean I'm happy about doling out the consequence."

The thought that he was upset about giving me a spanking made me feel guilty, and I cried harder.

"Shh, you're all right," he soothed, "You need to realize that the rules are not going to change, no matter what. We're going to be here for you, and even if you push back, things will stay the same."

I didn't really understand what he meant, but I felt better somehow, when he said that things would stay the same. Having Daddy and Uncle Sam go out hunting again had reminded me of when they were trying to find the creature that had killed my mom, and how scared I had been.

I snuggled into him. "Will you stay here with me 'til I fall asleep?" I asked.

"Of course, sweetheart." He brushed my hair back from my face, and kept smoothing it back in the same motion over and over again, until I started to relax. Then he helped me get under the covers and told me to roll over. The last thing I felt before I fell asleep was him rubbing my back.

"Charlie," I felt a hand on my shoulder, "Charlie, wake up."

I rolled over and opened my eyes. Daddy was sitting on the edge of my bed.

"I wanted to say good-bye, I have to leave for work soon. You're usually up by now."

I sat up and threw my arms around him. He hugged me back, resting his chin on my head.

"M'sorry I was bad yesterday, Daddy, are you—are you gonna spank me too?" I looked up at him.

"You can stop with the puppy-dog eyes, I'm not going to spank you, although I should," he pushed my hair out of my face, "You're going to be writing lines for Uncle Sam."

"Aww, I hate writing lines!" I grumped, letting go of him.

"Would you rather have a spanking, then?" he raised his eyebrows at me.

"No!"

"Then no complaining. You should feel lucky that Uncle Sam and I are not both spanking you for the helmet issue. We talked about it, you know. Because it's something that we've both discussed with you before, and it's a safety issue."

I blushed and looked down at the bed.

"Charlie, I'm not sure what's going on with you, but you can't keep flaunting the rules like this. We've always expected you to act a certain way, and no matter who you become friends with, we expect you to keep behaving like you always do. You're a good girl, and you have a good heart, and you know to do the right thing. Don't let other people influence how you act just because it's something new and different."

I looked up at him. "I'm not!"

"Yeah, you are, even if you don't realize it. Everyone does it to an extent, we start to pick up the behaviors of the people around us. You just have to be aware of when that behavior is not like how you normally behave. I want you to continue to be my sweet girl." Daddy cupped my cheek with his hand and smiled at me.

"Okay, Daddy," I got out from under the covers and sat on his lap. He took me in his arms and stood up. "I've got to get going."

He carried me downstairs to the kitchen and set me in a chair at the table.

Uncle Sam was rinsing out a bowl at the sink. "Hey, you want some oatmeal, Charlie?"

"I guess," I yawned, "Did you guys get rid of the ghost?"

Uncle Sam turned and shared a look with Daddy. "Yeah, we did," Daddy said slowly, "But you don't need to know about it."

"But I'm curious! I think it's neat!"

"Well, it's still nothing you need to concern yourself with, so don't ask anything more. You don't need to know about hunting," Daddy poured coffee into a travel mug and put the lid on. He came over to me and leaned down to drop a kiss on my head. "Be good, today, Charlie. See you tonight."

"Bye, Daddy," I put my arm around him as he hugged my shoulders.

Uncle Sam heated up water in the microwave and fixed a bowl of oatmeal for me, then sat down at the table next to me while I ate.

"I've got lines for you to write, after we get done with your schoolwork," he told me.

"I know, Daddy already told me," I said sulkily.

"Hey, don't get all pouty, you got yourself into this. Hopefully writing lines will help you remember to behave and do the right thing."

I huffed, and he said, "All right, that's enough. Finish your breakfast so we can get started on your school work."

25. I will follow the rules and do what I'm told.

26. I will always wear my helmet and any gear that I am supposed to wear.

27. I will not do anything that is dangerous.

28. I will not tell lies.

29. I will follow the rules and do what I'm told.

30. I will always wear my helmet and any gear that I am supposed to wear.

31. I will not do anything that is dangerous.

32. I will not tell lies.

33. I will follow the rules and do what I'm told.

34. I will always wear my helmet and any gear that I am supposed to wear.

35. I will not do anything that is dangerous.

36. I will not tell lies.

I turned in my chair. "Uncle Saaaam," I whined, "Can't I take a break? I wanted to play outside today!"

"How many lines have you written?" he asked. He was sitting on the sofa in the living room, doing something on his laptop.

I glanced at the paper. "Uh, 36."

"No, I want you to get it all finished today." I heard the computer keys clicking.

"But- one hundred lines is too much!" I protested.

"No it's not. And it can be your writing practice."

"But the weather's nice today! I should get to play outside today 'cause it's warm and sunny! I need sun, y'know!"

He chuckled. "What, are you a plant? Should I water you and give you some Miracle-Gro too?"

I got mad. "Shut up!" I snapped, throwing my pencil down and shoving the paper away from me.

Uncle Sam sat up straight and stared at me. "Hey, watch it," he said warningly, "You want to add 'I will not be rude or disrespectful to my family' to the lines you're writing?"

"This isn't fair!" I kicked the rungs of my chair in frustration.

"Settle down, young lady-"

"I am settled!" I yelled, interrupting him.

In about three seconds flat he was behind me, pulling the chair out from under the desk. "Enough. You're gearing up for a tantrum. Time out, go stand in the corner and cool off."

I looked up at him in disbelief. He'd never sent me to the corner like this! "Wh-what? No!"

Uncle Sam took my arm and stood me up. "Charlie, you need a break to calm down so that you don't get yourself in more trouble. And I need a break to calm down too."

I looked up at him. He had the same look on his face as he had when he and Daddy argued- brows together, cheeks red, jaw set.

"I don't wanna stand in the corner!" I said stubbornly.

He took my shoulders in his hands and steered me over to the corner of the dining room. I dragged my feet as we walked, and he swatted my butt once I was facing the walls.

"You will stay here until I call you out," he said firmly, "Is that clear?"

"Yes, Uncle Sam," I said grumpily, rubbing my bottom.

I heard his footsteps walking away.

I didn't cool off, I stayed mad. I didn't want to be here, standing in the corner. I didn't want to be stuck inside writing line after dumb line of the same thing over and over, when I could be outside playing with the neighborhood kids. I had already been spanked, why did Uncle Sam have to give me more of a punishment? It wasn't right of him to do that, and it wasn't fair either!

I heard Grandpa John come into the room, and he and Uncle Sam started talking quietly.

After about a million and a half minutes, Uncle Sam said, "Come here, Charlie."

I turned and trudged over to him, standing on the other side of the coffee table.

"What do you have to say to me?" he asked.

"It's not fair that you give me more stuff to do for a punishment when I already got a spanking!" I blurted.

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really? That was the wrong answer, by the way. You were supposed to apologize to me for telling me to shut up. And yes, it is fair that I give you more to do, because I'm trying to get you to learn from your mistakes so that you don't do it again!" His voice had gotten louder as he talked, and was almost a shout by the end.

"I really don't understand what's going on with you, Charlie. Nothing has changed with us, so I don't get why you're still pushing boundaries. And you lying about using your helmet is kind of the last straw for me. You want really firm limits and rules? Because I'm about ready to give them to you. And if you're not happy about writing lines, I can guarantee that you'll like all the rules I give you even less." Uncle Sam's voice had deepened like Daddy's did when he got really angry, and it made me nervous.

He waited a long moment, and then said, "Well?"

I toed the rug with my socked foot. "Uh, I—I don't want more rules."

He sighed angrily. "Have you even been listening to what I've been saying?" he shook his head. "Go finish your lines, and think about what I've said."

"Wait," Grandpa John said, "You need to apologize to your uncle, young lady. Not only does he prepare your schoolwork and teach you, he takes care of you every day, and that includes correcting your behavior when you've misbehaved. And you're giving him grief and telling him to shut up? None of us are going to tolerate that blatant disrespect, and if it continues, you're going to be spending a lot of time looking at the floor over someone's knee."

I swallowed nervously—I didn't want Grandpa John to spank me again!

He took a step towards me, and I said, "Sorry, Uncle Sam."

"Show me that you're sorry by changing your behavior," he said, and then he nodded at me.

I walked back over to the desk and sat down, picking up my pencil and starting to write again. It took me until dinnertime to finish my lines. Daddy called to say that he was staying late at work because they were having a staff meeting.

When we finished eating, I asked, "Can I go outside now?"

"All right," Uncle Sam agreed, "If your friends are outside, you can play with them, but no bike, and no going into anyone's house."

I put my shoes on and ran outside. There were a bunch of kids running around near Addison's house, so I joined them.

"We're playing freeze tag!" Addison said, "Hey, tomorrow, Franny's coming home!"

"Who's that?" I asked.

"She's our next-door neighbor. She was in the hospital for a long time. Her parents are gonna have a celebration tomorrow after everyone gets home from school, on the front lawn!"

"Okay, I'll ask if I can go."

Addi gave me a look. "Why do you gotta ask about everything? Don't you get to do what you want?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, I have to ask permission for stuff, don't you?"

She shrugged. "Not really. Mom tells us to go play outside, but she doesn't care where we go. We can do stuff without asking about every little thing."

"My Daddy wants me to be careful, I guess," I said.

She made a face. "Why do you call him 'Daddy'? Only little kids say mommy and daddy."

I shrugged. "Dunno."

I saw the Impala turn the corner and come to a stop in front of our house. I turned. "I gotta go, my, uh, my Dad's home!"

"Okay, bye!" a couple kids called.

I skipped down the sidewalk, and by the time I got inside, Daddy was in the kitchen talking to Uncle Sam.

"Hi Dad!" I said, running up to him and throwing my arms around his waist.

He put his arm around me.

"-did apologize, after Dad talked to her about it," Uncle Sam was saying.

Daddy looked down at me. "You told Uncle Sam to shut up and argued with him? And almost threw a tantrum? You need to seriously think about how you're acting, little girl, because I'm not going to put up with this kind of crap much longer. Got it?"

I let go of him and stepped backwards, in case he was going to swat me. "Uh, yes, Dad," I mumbled.

"What's with the 'dad'?" he asked, walking over to the microwave and removing a plate.

The cooking contest show that I liked to watch was on, so I sat down in the living room to watch it. Uncle Sam and Daddy sat with me too.

"Tomorrow there's supposed to be a party for one of the kids, can I go?" I asked during a commercial.

"A party? For who?" Daddy asked.

"Um, Addi's next door neighbor, a girl named Franny. Addi said that she'd been in the hospital for a long time. Her parents are gonna have a thing in their front yard."

"If you get all your work done," Uncle Sam said.

"And if you behave yourself," Daddy added, "No sassing, no attitude, no disobeying."

He nudged me, looking down at me. "Did you hear me?"

"Yes, Daddy." I decided that I liked calling him Daddy.

Grandpa John came into the living room. "Bobby's going to be calling in a few, he needs our advice on something."

"All right," Uncle Sam stood up and started to follow him back to his rooms.

"Go get ready for bed, and we'll be up in a few minutes to say good night," Daddy turned off the t.v. "And brush your teeth!" he called after me as I went upstairs.