A few months had passed and it was now December. It was the later part of December, Christmas had just been celebrated and Fred and Frances were to celebrate Freddy's 1st birthday. Frances was in the kitchen baking the birthday cake, with Freddy in his wooden high chair at the table.

"Are you ready for Grandma and Grandpa to come over?" Frances smiled and looked over at him in his high chair.

"I'll take that as a yes!" She laughed at him as he let out a cute little squeal and pounded his little hands on the table-top. Frances placed the cake on the table so it could cool down, and the ingredients for the chocolate icing were boiling on top of the wood stove. She went about her business stirring the boiling chocolate, sugar and water mixture that would be the chocolate frosting for the cake. She turned her head and smiled as she heard little Freddy making his little sounds...but then she saw he was trying to reach for the cake on the table in front of him!

"No sir..." She said, sliding the cake a few inches away from him, so that it was just out of his reach. Then she went back to the woodstove. She heard him again and turned around and saw him reaching for that cake again. She walked back over to him.

"Freddy, no sir." She told him sternly. "Don't touch the cake." She kept the cake there right where it was. She had to test him...Frances knew that sooner or later, he HAD to understand what no meant! So, she went back to the woodstove, took the boiling mixture off of the wood stove, poured it into a wooden bowl, and brought it to the table so that it could cool down and then she would stir and beat it till it was all creamy so she could frost the cake. She set the bowl down on the table and saw her little one reaching for the still unfrosted chocolate cake again!

"Well, it looks like you're determined!...So am I!" Frances thought, placing her hands on her hips. She slapped his hand away, not as to hurt the little fella, but to let it sting...and so he would know that no MEANT no! "Freddy, no sir...Don't touch the cake!" Freddy began to whimper and a few tears slid down his cheeks.

"You're just fine!...Stop your crying, now!...When I say no, I mean no."

"What's the matter in here?" Fred asked, walking into the kitchen. "Hey Fritz! What's with the water-works, huh?" Fred picked up his son, and Freddy had soon stopped crying. He gave him a little kiss on the cheek and gently placed him back in his little high-chair.

"He's trying to get at that other birthday cake I'm making!" Frances said, pointing her wooden spoon she was using to stir the frosting, in the cake's direction. "I slapped that little hand of his! If he did it again, thought I'd have to give him a little swat on his rear!"

"I don't want you hitting our son..."

"I'm NOT hitting him! Its called a spanking, Fred."

"Seems like hitting to me..."

"I'm TRYING to discipline him...He needs to know that no means no."

"He's little yet, he wouldn't understand! And don't go pulling that 'spare the rod, spoil the child' thing, now." Fred said, a little sternly.

"I'm not, and you know that Bible doesn't even say that, honey!" Frances said. "Its Proverbs 13:24, "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes."

"Don't try and quote the verses to me, I already know! Proverbs 23:13 and 14..."Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell." Fred quoted, putting emphasis on the word, beat.

"I'm NOT beating him!" She started to say, but he cut her off.

"Isn't that what the damn verse says?" Fred swore in his anger.

"Yes, it does...but I don't want these ears to her you swear! ESPECIALLY when refering to God's Word!" Frances snapped at him. "That may be what it SAYS, but it doesn't mean that's what it means! Don't look at it once and just assume what it says actually means what it says! Take some time and study the verse out! Pull out your Noah Webster's dictionary and look up every word you don't understand!"

Fred ignored her little 'speech'. "Quit quoting the verses to me...you sound just like her." He said harshly.

Frances stood there dead in her tracks as Fred gave her the coldest and dirtiest look you could ever give a person, and watched him walk out of the kitchen and heard him stomping through her sitting room and into the parlor.

Tears began to seep out of Frances' eyes as she turned and looked at her little boy, just sitting there in his wooden high chair. She wondered what was going through his little mind. She grabbed her mixing bowl and spoon and started to stir the mixture so she could prepare it into chocolate frosting. Frances glanced over at him and saw he was still just sitting there, not even bothering with the cake anymore. She smiled, a little weakly at him, which sent an adorable little grin and a squeal from Freddy. He started pounding his little hands on the table top again.

Frances chuckled and wiped away a few tears. "We promised you'd never see your Papa and me fight...this is the last time you do, if I can help it anyway." She said, smiling and smoothing his thin locks of reddish-brown hair. "Oh what am I saying?" She laughed and sniffled a little. "You're so young, you won't remember this!...I hope."

Fred was sitting in his chair in the parlor, as an aweful memory of his childhood flooded his mind again.

~Flashback~

A little 5 year old Fred stood in a bedroom with Mrs. Beck. She had a wooden hairbrush in her hand and was staring dagers at him.

"Looks like I need to discipline you for the first time, boy...Do you know why?"

The five year old just stood there, looking up at the middle-aged woman.

"You not only stole a cookie from the batch I was making for the church social tomorrow, but you LIED about it!" She snapped at him, little Fred just kept staring up at her, almost on the verge of tears.

"Do you know what that makes you, boy?...A theif...and a LIAR! Do you know that the DEVIL is a liar and the father of it?...Do you know that, boy?" Leah stared at him and went on..."Liars go to HELL!...Do you want to go to Hell, boy?"

Fred stared at her, but somehow managed to shake his little head no.

"The Bible says, "Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell."...Do you know what I need to do now?"

"I must discipline you, boy!" She said, harshly. "For in the Bible it also says, "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." Do you WANT to bring me to shame? I'm considered as your mother now, you know...Since my husband brought you here!" Leah stared at him and waited for an answer from him.

"WELL, do you WANT to bring me to shame, boy? Do you?" She yelled at him.

"No..." Fred stated quietly, tears starting to fall.

"Well, then I must do what I must do...Pull down your trousers, boy."

Little Fred pulled down his pair of brown trousers and his long-johns.

"Now, get over my knee."

Fred did as he was told, and Leah Beck took the wooden part of her hairbrush and proceeded to spank him with it. She was hitting him so hard, not only cries and sobs of pain were coming from the young 5 year old, but Leah very well KNEW it would leave a mark on his behind...and she intended to.

"The Bible says, boy, "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying."...You can cry, and you can plead and you can beg all you want to, but it won't work with me. Not with me, you hear?" She told him coldly.

~End of Flashback~

In anger and in tears, Fred slammed his fists down on the arm rests of his chair, and looked over and saw his wife standing there, a small hand gently resting on her pregnant belly. She was 5 months along as of now...He noticed she had tears in her eyes too.

"I...umm...I think you best go upstairs for awhile, honey...Don't you think so?" She choked.

Fred looked at her with tears still streaming down his cheeks. He didn't say a word, got up and walked through the sitting/sewing room.

"I love you, Fred..." Was all she managed to say, though unsure if he had heard, as she spoke it quietly.

Frances walked back into the kitchen as Fred was heading upstairs to their bedroom...Freddy STILL hadn't touched that cake in front of him and still sat there in his high-chair...She continued with making the frosting, when she heard a very faint, "Yoooo hoooo!" and a little knock at the back door. She smiled, answered "Yooo hooo!" back and went to the back door and opened it.

"My word! When did it start snowing again?...C'mon in guys, its really coming down! I'll have to put another log on the wood stove! Maybe two or three!" Frances exclaimed.

"Here sis, I'll do it for you. I don't want you doing any hard work in your condition." John told her. "Wouldn't want a repeat of the last time! Would we?" He said and walked back out the door. Frances stood there, hands across her chest, tapping her foot, looking at Joe, and at George Jr. "You two told him, I see..."

"We just wanted to let him know, in case you tried anything again, Frances!" Joe said. "You know we don't keep anything from family!'

"Your brothers are right Frances, I don't want you lifting a finger! I could've killed you when they told your father and I what you..."

"You TOLD Ma and Pa!" She exclaimed, starting to get angry.

"Now simmer down and quit acting like a little girl!" George Jr. told her.

Frances took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm not acting like a little girl..."

"So enough of this nonsense!" Big George exclaimed. "Let's get on with the birthday party!...Now, where's the cake?"

"I'm not all that quite ready Pa...I just need to frost the cake and we'll be ready." She said, striding into the kitchen.

"Here, I'll see if she needs any help." Melania said, following her into the kitchen.

"I can be of help too if you need me." Nona smiled.

"Can I help Ma?" Mary Jane asked, following her mother.

"No...I don't want you in the way."

"But I can look after Freddy! Pu-llleeeease Ma! Pretty please?"

"Fine...but only helping with Freddy. That's it."

Melania and Mary Jane walked into the kitchen, Melaina helped Frances with setting the little table while Frances was frosting the cake. Mary Jane, of course was playing with little Freddy, keeping the little one occupied. Frances just got finished frosting the chocolate cake, when Mary Jane looked over and saw two cakes on the table.

"Aunt Frances...Why are there two cakes?" She asked but thought a few seconds. "Oh I know! We've a good mess of people here! That must be why!" Mary Jane exclaimed.

Frances smiled and went to her neice and put her hands on her shoulders. "Well, you know Freddy's actual birthday is in two days, right?"

"Yes..." She smiled.

"And YOUR birthday is New Years Eve! I thought to celebrate both of your birthday's..."

"2 minutes after New Years Eve, to be exact! I'll never forget it! There was a brand new year,...and I had a brand new baby." Melania smiled putting her arms around her daughter, and giving her a little hug and kissed her cheek. "12 years ago...Doesn't seem that long ago...Anyway, Frances asked me if it was all right. She thought it would be so cute!...Cousins celebrating their birthday's together." Melania smiled.

"Could we?" Mary Jane smiled.

"We ARE, Mary Jane!" Frances grinned.

"Oh thank you, Aunt Frances! Thank you!" Mary Jane exclaimed, and hugged her aunt.

"Mary Jane! Not so hard!" Melania began to scold her daughter.

"Melania, calm down! It wasn't like she had a death grip around my middle!" Frances laughed, laying a hand on her stomach.

"But in your condition..." Melania began.

"My condition, my foot!" Frances said. "I'm fine!"

"But the baby!" She whispered.

"The baby's fine...you worry too much!" Frances whispered back at her, in a joking attempt at Melania whispering at her.

"Its okay! You don't need to whisper around me! Ma says I'm becoming a woman!...'Cause I'm starting to get breasts!" Mary Jane exclaimed excitedly.

"Mary Jane!" Melania cringed, embarrassed.

"But Ma, you told me that's what they are!...Why not call them what they are?"

"But not here!" Melania looked at Frances in an apology. "I've told her a few things lately..."

"How much?"

"Not much! I've kept it age appropriate! I can't tell her yet about...her very first cycle...or...sex! Especially the last one!" She whispered to Frances.

"Why not? You said so yourself that she's quite mature for her age. Don't shield her Melania, she needs to know sooner or later. It's part of growing up!"

"Now where's that birthday cake? I'm getting tired of waiting here!" Big George exclaimed, walking into the kitchen. "Oh, one just for me, I see!" He grinned, taking the chocolate cake off of the table.

"Pa, stop it!' Frances laughed at him, taking the cake from him. "That's for everybody!"

Everyone took a seat at the table. "Well, you know I made two chocolate cakes...One with chocolate frosting...and one with buttercream frosting! I hope that's okay with everyone." Frances smiled.

"Sounds okay to me!" Big George grinned, trying to grab at the chocolate cake again. Franziska slapped his hand away.

"I swear, George Michael! You're acting like a little boy on his birthday! We're celebrating Mary Jane's and Freddy's birthdays! Not your's for Heaven sake's!"

"Funny you should say that...Pa's not the only one trying to get at that chocolate cake."

"Who? Fred?" John asked.

"No...Freddy."

"How cute..." George Jr. laughed.

"I don't think its very cute, my brother...I told him no so many times!...I think he finally gets it. I slapped his little hand."

"You do more than just slap his hand! You give him a hard swat on his bottom! That's what you do!" Franziska told her.

Frances was slightly angered by this. "Mother, I INTEND to raise my children as by what the Bible says, and NOT just by what you tell me! I intended to spank him, not just give him a little slap on the hand!"

"Then WHY didn't you?"

"I'd rather not talk about it right now! Fine with YOU?" Frances raised her voice a little.

"And I'd rather not be talked to in such a manner! You may be an adult now, but you are still my daughter! And I don't want MY daughter yelling at me and talking back to me. Do you understand me, Franziska Catherine?"

Frances glared at her mother. "Yes Ma'am." Was all she said, but was still glaring at her. Franziska was as well, it was a mother/daughter stare-down!

A/N: Fred's flashback did not happen. I made that one up.

I modeled Big George after my grandpa, George's great grandson. The wanting the cake to himself is something he would do. lol.

I do not know of Mary Jane Gruber's actual birthdate. So I made it up for this chapter.