Authors note. Thank you for your comments. Firstly I'd like to apologise for all the spelling and grammar mistakes in the past couple of chapters, I do proof them but obviously didn't proof them close enough. Anyway here's the next chapter I hope you like it.

Gabby stared out of the car window all the way home, nerves reeking through her body. Not just because of the impending punishment she knew she was about to receive, but the thing's she'd said in the park, the way she had said them, the things he'd said, they were all playing on repeat through her mind, she had so many questions and no answers and it unnerved her. Matt had been very calm but firm in his response after her outburst and that was worse than him just getting mad there and then. She knew he wasn't impressed with her, the first rule in their relationship was that she spoke to him respectfully about any problems and under no circumstances was she to shout, yell or scream at him, and she'd just broken all four points of that initial rule. Sure the circumstances had been unusual so maybe that would work in her favor. She wondered if she'd ever given him cause to doubt their relationship before today, had this been a sudden change in his mindset? Was it really just what Dr Charles had said about her need for control? She wasn't sure, but she knew it was something she needed the answer to. Right now wasn't the time for that conversation though. She continued to stare through the window at the changing colors of the trees and passing houses, spring had well and truly sprung and she could almost feel the long summer days that were fast approaching. She loved summer, the long walks, the firehouse doors being open all shift, the BBQ's with friends and the endless benefit events they held. She allowed her eyes to close as the pleasant and comforting thoughts played through her mind.

"Gabby." Matt's voice cut through her thoughts and she realized they had stopped, refocusing her eyes she noticed they were home. The ball of nerves in her stomach was back, she made no attempt to get out of the car. Looking at Matt she spoke quietly, "can we start easy again please? It's been a while." She wasn't sure if her little voice was due to fear or regret but she hoped that Matt would take note of it.

"Gabby what is the usual punishment for shouting at me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A hand spanking, and usually the belt." She whispered, dropping her gaze slightly.

"And what is the usual punishment for dis-respectfulness?"

"The brush and belt." her voice small and full of sorrow.

"Ok. Well you just told me, no sorry you shouted at me that you needed this, correct?" she nodded gently. "Right well therefore you will receive a punishment fitting to the crime am I understood."

"Yes sir."

"Good because you broke all four points of our first rule did you not?"

"Yes sir."

"Well I suggest you make your way into the apartment and to the wall for your corner time while I decide just what I'm going to do with you."

"Yes sir." Gabby opened the car door and headed slowly towards the apartment building in front of her, Matt wasn't far behind her, she could feel his eyes burning through the back of her head. As he followed her up the stairs and into the home they shared he couldn't help but wonder if he was doing too much too soon. Sure she'd said she needed it, and he had agreed that he would go with what she felt best but was now the right time for them to be doing it. He pulled his phone out needing to discuss this with someone but deciding it probably wasn't best to attempt talking it out with Gabby just yet. Dialing Severide's number he hoped he wasn't out on a call and could talk.

He was relived when Kelly's rough voice appeared at the other end of the phone "Hey man, you ok?" he asked.

"Yea, are you free?"

"I've got a few minutes yea. What's up?"

"I need some advice" Matt started, going on to explain everything that had happened so far today, and what he was having difficulty with. "So you see I don't want her to hate me, but I know she won't thank me if I don't keep to our normal lifestyle."

Severide was quiet on the end of the phone for a little while, for such a while that Matt actually checked to make sure the call was still connected, after a couple of minutes he spoke, "I think you have to do what's right for you, but if it were me I'd continue as I normally would. Especially since she's made it very clear that is what she wants."

"So you think I should spank her as I would normally before all of this?"

"I do. I think if you don't it's going to start causing more issues with her mental health. She is already questioning every life decision and digging deeper into her feelings, it sounds like she needs some form of normality in her life. I'd give her the same as you would have done last week if she'd spoken to you like that."

Matt thought for a moment, Severide knew a lot more about this than he did really, he had been having relationships of this nature for a long time. "Ok. Thanks Kelly."

"No worries, let me know if you need to talk anymore ok?"

"Thanks, I will. Bye."

He hung up the phone and headed towards the sink for a glass of water deep in thought. If Gabby had behaved the way she did today, last week she'd have been grounded and spanked hard, but it wouldn't be healthy to ground her at the moment, she needed access to the outside world, contact with Shay and time to go and run, walk, get some fresh air when she needed to. He would be making it very clear that if the circumstances were different she would have found herself grounded for two weeks. The spanking needed to be hard in order for her to not think he was holding back, but he didn't want to be too hard. If she'd behaved like that last week it would have been cause for the cane to be used, but he wasn't going to use it today unless she fought him. No he'd spank her with his hand, then the brush and she'd be receiving a fair amount with the belt, but he wouldn't decide how many until he'd spoken with her.

"Gabriela come here please." His voice was low and controlled, she turned to face him but made no attempt to move from the corner she'd been stood in for the past fifteen minutes. "Do I have to say it again Gabriela? You will not like it if I do. Come here please." He paused waiting to see if she'd move, when she didn't he added "now." In a firm tone, that told her he wasn't in the mood to be messing about. Reluctantly she walked the short distance across the room to stand in front of him, eyes down at the floor she mumbled something he couldn't quite work out. "I can't hear you if you talk to the floor, look at me please and repeat what you just said."

"I said I'm sorry sir" she said quietly, "I shouldn't have spoken to you in that way."

"I'm sure you are sorry Gabriela, but that doesn't mean you are getting out of this. You said in the park you needed this normality, is that still true?" He needed to be 100% sure before he followed through.

"Yes sir. I do and I understand that I need to be punished."

"Ok then, is there anything you've got to say for yourself?"

"No sir."

"Very well, pants off and over my knee. Your going to get ten minutes with my hand, ten minutes of the brush and then my belt. How many will be dependent on you. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir"

"Good, now over you go."

Matt started to rain down hard on her bare behind almost immediately, even after all this time the strength of his hand against her bare skin took her breath away almost as soon as he would start. He knew exactly how to cause maximum effect and how to make sure she was regretting her bad decisions quickly. Swat after swat fell with Gabby wriggling around trying to escape from the torture unsuccessfully.

"Gabriela stop wriggling!" Matt ordered.

She tried her hardest to lay still but was struggling to with the fire in her butt starting to burn even deeper.

Matt picked up the brush and landed two sharps whacks against the backs of her thighs.

"Keep moving and I will finish the hand spanking time with the brush and then you'll get the ten minutes of brush on top." He warned.

She fell still and he resumed the outslaught with his hand. Before long he felt her body relax, she was no longer holding her position because he was expecting it, she was holding it because she'd stopped fighting. He rubbed his hand against her burning skin as the ten minutes wound to a close, picking up the brush he reminded her not to reach back and not to move before CRACK! The brush hit her left cheek making her squeak as the red mark rose to a welt. CRACK! It came down on her right cheek, she almost jack knifed on his lap, the brush was painful enough but on top of a soundly spanked bottom it could be agony.

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK steadily Matt turned her bottom to a deep crimson colour, she did well not to reach back and kept her position well, after ten minutes Matt could feel the heat coming off her undoubtly sore backside as he rubbed circles against her skin. He spoke softly but firmly telling her to stand and bend over the bed.

"I'm going to give you ten for each point you broke, so forty total, take them and we will be done, stand up, fight me or reach back and you will be getting the cane. Got it?"

"Yes sir" she sobbed. There was no way she was going to be sitting anytime soon, she wondered if he would be grounding her too. Before she could dwell on it anymore there was a whoosh and crack behind her before a line of fire spread across her already burning bottom.

Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack. Matt stood back giving her time to recover from the first ten strokes and rubbing soothing circles on her back, he could feel the sobs radiating through her body. Crack, crack, crack, crack crack crack crack crack crack crack. Again he gave her a short break before bringing the third set of ten down, each time the belt cracked against her bare skin she screamed in pain. Crack crack crack.

"Last ten baby and we're done." He told her, she nodded her head gently signalling to him that she was ready.

Crack "I don't"

Crack "want to"

Crack "have this"

Crack "conversation"

Crack "again"

Crack "am I clear" he waited for a response before bringing the final four strokes down diagonally across the welts. She screamed loudly before falling forwards and sobbing heavily.

Matt threw that belt down and sat next to where she lay, again he rubbed her back gently while whispering comforting things to her.

"Sssh, it's ok." He said "it's all over. You are forgiven."

After twenty minutes the sobbing finally subsided and Matt felt her body going limp, he knew she was exhausted, she'd barely slept last night and she was always emotionally drained after a punishment, especially a hard one like she'd just received.

"Do you need some cream baby?" He asked quietly, very aware that she'd probably need it but also that she'd probably deny herself the relief. She shook her head, "are you sure? You've just had a pretty serve spanking, I can't imagine it's comfortable for you at the minute."

"I'm sure, can you lay with me though. I'd like to nap please?"

"Sure baby. Come on" he lifted her gently to her side of the bed and pulled the sheets up and over her, careful not to let it brush against her skin too much. Walking round to his side of the bed he set an alarm so that they didn't sleep too long, before climbing in next to her and opening his arms. She climbed into them hissing slightly as she shuffled into a comfortable position, Matt encircling her in his arms and kissing her forehead gently.

"Matt" she whispered.

"Yea baby?"

"Am I grounded?"

"No baby. Not this time, but speak to me like it again and you will be." He told her firmly.

"I won't speak to you like that ever again I promise." She said sleepily allowing her eyes to give in to the heavy feeling and sleep to take over her.