Disclaimer: I do not own MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, its characters or storylines. This story WILL CONTAIN SPANKING if that bothers you please do not read any further.

CHAPTER 2

Feeling comfortable that he had made his point with Caleb Chris headed into the house to go and find Sarah Beth. Last time he saw her she was in the kitchen helping Ms. Potts make cookies.

Heading into the boarding house he ran into Vin who was sitting on the porch smoking. Chris decided to sit for a minute with his friend before facing the unpleasant task of punishing his new daughter.

"You seen Sarah Beth?" Chris asked Vin as he lighted a Cheroot. "She's in the kitchen fixin' cookies I think, why – she in trouble?" Vin recognized the look he saw in his friends eye as the same one he'd seen before when JD or one of the kids in town had raised Chris' ire.

"Reckon so" Chris nodded taking a puff

Vin just waited for Chris to explain, figuring the gunman would talk if he wanted to

"Seems Ms. Sarah Beth has been trying to work her charms on me and her brother so as to get her own way, lying to the both of us in the process and I been waitin' til she felt better to deal with her part in the fire" Chris finished his explanation trying not to sound as sad as he felt. It wasn't that Chris had not doled out his share of lickins to many a well deserved backside over the years but there was something about that little girl in there making cookies that wrapped him around her finger and he hated the thought of making her cry no matter how much he knew it was the right thing to do.

"I see. She been playin' you and Caleb against one another?" Vin asked

"Yup and it's gonna stop today" Chris said resolutely.

"Did ya talk to Caleb 'bout what you got planned? He may not feel to kindly about you warming his sister's backside instead of him" Vin asked, not trying to be nosy – just trying to be a friend. All of the peacekeepers had come to love both of the children already and even thought they were technically living with Chris as their guardian they all felt a parental responsibility to them.

"Yea, I figured as much too – just came for talkin' to him. He didn't much like the idea at first but we worked it out. He ain't got to be the Pa anymore and I think he's kinda relieved about that though he's too stubborn to admit it" Chris lifted his mouth in a small smile as he said that

Nodding his head Vin continued to stare towards the barn as he said "Time for the boy to remember what it was like to be a boy and let us be the grown ups. You headed in to find Sarah Beth?"

"Guess so – can't put it off no longer" Chris answered

"Reckon I might head over to the barn – maybe take Caleb for a ride out to Nettie's for the afternoon – do some a them chores she's been needed done. No sense in him bein' here for your talk with his sister." Vin explained as he stood and headed towards the barn.

Chris waited until he saw the two of them ride out before heading into the boarding house more than a little relieved that he wouldn't have to worry about Caleb interrupting him while he talked to Sarah Beth.

He found her in the kitchen finishing up the cookies with Ms. Potts and stood at the door listening to her giggle for a minute before either of them noticed him standing there

"Oh Mr. Larabee you startled me!" Ms. Potts laughed trying to catch her breath from the scare of turning around and seeing the tall gunman starring at her.

"Sorry 'bout that Ms. Potts. Them cookies sure smell good, hope you plan on lettin' us have some of them later" Chris smiled at the older woman.

"Not until after dinner young man, you hear me!" Ms. Potts admonished shaking her wooden spatula at Chris

"Yes Ma'am I hear ya" Chris laughed but then looked soberly at Sarah Beth "I'm gonna need to borrow your helper for a bit Ms. Potts. Her and I need to have us a talk this afternoon."

"Come with me to your room please Sarah Beth", Chris crooked his finger at the little girl to tell her to come on over to him and he could see her expression immediately change to one that looked nervous. He was pretty sure his tone told her she was in trouble and that was what caused the sudden change in demeanor.

"Yes sir" Sarah Beth said walking past Chris and heading towards the stairs. Her head was spinning trying to figure out what he wanted. She knew that tone of voice well, it usually meant that she was in trouble but usually that was from her brother, she wasn't sure if it meant the same from Chris but she had a feeling it did.

Glumly she walked up the stairs without looking back to see if he was behind her. She could hear his footsteps the whole way. Once in her room she sat on the end of her bed and stared down at his boots, not wanting to look up at him yet.

Chris pulled up a chair and sat in front of her. Taking a deep breath he started the talk "Sarah Beth you and I need to have us a talk about your behavior this week. You been doin' some things this week that are not acceptable and I cain't let you get away with them. Do you have any idea what behavior I'm talking about little lady?" Chris said sternly

Sarah Beth just shrugged her shoulders and refused to look up at Chris.

Sighing he tilted her head up with his fingers under her chin. "You will look at me when I'm speaking to you little lady and when I ask you a question I expect an answer, do you understand me?"

"Yes sir, I'm sorry Chris" She said sadly giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

For her part, Sarah Beth was fairly certain Chris must have found out that she had been asking Caleb to let her do stuff that Chris had already told her no on or asking him when Caleb had said no. She honestly couldn't think of anything else she had done wrong this week, but the rules here were still new so she thought maybe she broke a rule and didn't know it - she couldn't be sure so she didn't want to volunteer things and get herself into more trouble.

"So little lady, do you know what you might have done this week that would have earned you this talkin' to?" Chris asked again more sternly than before

"N-n-no sir" Sarah Beth answered by couldn't look him in the eye

"Sarah Beth I know that you and I are just gettin' to know each other and that you are still learnin' some of my rules around here but did Caleb ever allow you to lie to him?"

"No sir" she said sadly

"Good, cause I won't either. If'n you lie to me you earn yourself a whole separate punishment for the lie over whatever you done wrong that earned you trouble in the first place, which means it's much easier to fess up to what you done wrong then try and lie about, do you understand?"

"yes sir" she said, again trying to give him her best puppy eyes. Sometimes when she was in trouble they worked on Caleb so she figured it was worth trying on Chris but they didn't seem to be having much affect on him.

"Alright then I'm gonna ask you one last time if you can think of anything you mighta done this week that would be getting' you in trouble with me now." Chris asked this time slower and in his deep voice trying to make sure she understood how serious he was. He really wanted to know if she knew she was doin' wrong when she was manipulating Caleb this week. If she didn't, then he would consider letting her off with a warning, but the look in her eyes earlier told him she knew she had misbehaved she just didn't want to admit it - he wanted to see if she would be truthful with him.

Sarah Beth just sat there staring at his boots again. This was not how she was planning on spending her afternoon! Chris looked mad and she figured she knew why but dang it all she didn't want to admit it! He was gonna be mad at her and she knew he had spanked Caleb that first night they were at the house and Caleb had squirmed around in his seat the whole next day! What if he was intending to spank her too…she didn't want a spanking! Then an even worse thought occurred to her -what if he had decided she was too much trouble and he didn't want her and Caleb anymore and that was why he had brought her up her and it would be all her fault. Just the thought of Chris turning them away made her start to sob instantly.

Chris was taken aback when she started to cry so hard all of a sudden. He was expecting her to cry while he had her over his knee in a bit but this caught him by surprise. He didn't know what else to do but pick her up and place her on his lap, gently rocking her trying to calm her down.

"SSHHHH Baby tell me what's wrong, why did you start crying so hard?" Chris asked gently trying to get her to talk to him

"I'm sooooo sorry Chris" she sobbed "Please don't make us leave please, I'll be a good girl I promise" she choked out between sobs

That's when Chris realized the problem – not only did she know what she did wrong she thought he brought her up here to tell her they were going to have to leave. Just the thought of that broke his heart. Nothing she could ever do would make him send her away – he knew that but he needed to make sure that she knew that too!

"Oh baby, I'm not gonna send you away, never ever – you are my baby girl now, forever. Nothing you or Caleb do or don't do will ever make me want to send you away – we're a family now and families stick together no matter what" he tried explaining to her as gently as he could while he continued to sway with her.

She seemed to be calming down and the sobs were just soft sniffles now. He turned her so that she could turn her face up to him and looking her in the eye he told her how much he loved her and loved getting to be her new Pa.

"Really, honest you aren't sending us away?" She asked, still sounding frightened.

"No baby, honest" he reassured

"Then why did you look so mad?" She questioned

"I think you know why little lady, don't you?" he asked

She nodded her head and then took a deep breath before admitting to the behavior she knew he was talking about. She admitted that she would go and ask Caleb to do things that Chris had already told her no on. "And you would come and ask my permission on things that Caleb had said no to you on already too didn't ya?" Chris questioned.

"Yes sir, I'm real sorry Chris – are ya real mad at me?" she asked playing with the button on his shirt.

Kissing the top of her head, Chris picked her up and sat her back on the end of the bed to face him. If she stayed all sweet in his lap he knew he would wind up backing down and he needed to follow throw with this, especially now so that she knew there were consequences to bad behavior but he would never send her away.

"Not mad, more like disappointed in the way you acted this week. You should know better than to go behind my back or your brothers that way. You didn't treat either of us fair and you did it just so you could get your own way. I can't abide that kind of behavior – it's the same as lying in my book – do you understand why that is?" he asked, sternly but patiently

"Yes sir, cause I didn't tell Caleb that you had already said no or you that Caleb had said no. Caleb taught me that leavin' out information's same as lying" she looked down again snubbing the toe of her boot on the floor.

"Then you understand that you earned yourself a spankin'?" he asked pinning her with one raised eyebrow

"yes sir" she answered as she started to tear up again.

"There's one other thing we need to discuss before we start your spanking?"

"I didn't do nuttin' else this week I swear" she looked up saying defensively

"I'm talking about the fire."

"Oh" she immediately looked back down not wanting to meet his eyes "I was wondering if Caleb was gonna remember to tan me for playin' with that candle. I knew I wasn't supposed to and then I caused that fire" she stopped talking as the tears started to fall down her cheeks again.

"Caleb ain't gonna spank you for it but I am. I'm the Pa now so its my responsibility to deal with your behavior, and Caleb's when needed. And you not only disobeyed Caleb by playing with that candle you could have gotten killed in that fire." Chris felt himself involuntarily shudder at the instant memory of his son and how he died. He refused to allow that to happen to another one of his children. Trying to put that memory out of his mind and focus on Sarah Beth he continued to pin her with his best Larabee stare, "Putting yourself in danger like that will always earn you a very sore backside from me, do I make myself clear?" Chris asked

Not trusting herself to talk as she cried, Sarah Beth nodded her understanding at Chris.

Figuring they had prolonged this long enough Chris just wanted to get it done so they could move on. "Ok little lady, it's time to finish up this talk over my knee" he said holding out his hand out to her which she took gently allowing him to lift her across his knees.

She was holding onto Chris' pants leg when she felt her dress get bunched up on her back and the string on her drawers come open. Her mind started to panic at the thought of getting it bare and she immediately started to wiggle and try to put her hand back to stop him but he easily moved it out of the way and then got a good hold on her waist, pulling her in tightly to him as he began to spank her.

SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT he started spanking in a quick pattern without any lecture – they had talked this through enough and right now he just wanted to make sure he got his point burned into her tail end.

SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT she was crying and begging him to stop but he wasn't quite done yet.

SWAT SWAT "are you ever going to play with fire again?"

"NOOOO" she wailed as answer to his question. He paused for a moment satisfied at the dark pink shade of her butt and knew it was time to finish this part of her spanking.

"If I ever SWAT catch you with a candle SWAT or any other type of SWAT fire without an SWAT adult I will SWAT take a switch to your SWAT bare backside SWAT and you won't sit SWAT for a month SWAT of Sundays!"

Standing her up, he hugged her for a couple of minutes until she settled down some and then walked her over to a corner of the room "That part of your spanking was for disobeying Caleb and putting yourself in danger by playing with fire. You will keep your nose in this corner and think about the spanking you just got until I call you back out and we will deal with your behavior this week" Chris said firmly placing her in the nearest corner and then going back to the chair to watch her.

He hated this, hated watching her cry knowing he was the cause but she needed to know what her boundaries were and he figured they might as well start out the way it will be – hoping that if he did a thorough enough job this time he would hopefully not have to tan her again for quite a while…

After about 10 minutes he called her back out of the corner. "Alright little lady, its time to deal with your lying and manipulation from this week" She was still crying as she walked over to him but not as hard.

Reaching him she immediately started to beg "Please please Chris don't spank me anymore – it hurts so much and I don't think my butt can take anymore! Caleb never spanked me this hard – pleeeaaaaassssse I have learned my lesson I promise" she pleaded hoping it might work but she could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn't giving in to her pleas.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I know it hurts – its supposed to, but when you earn a lickin' from me you get a lickin' – it would do you good to remember that in the future. Now let's get this over with, besides it ain't your butt I'm gonna be spankin this time."

He tipped her back over his knee while she still had a very confused look on her face, that is until she felt the first SWAT and it landed directly on the top of her right thigh.

"YEEEOOOWWWWWW" she yelled as the matching swat landed on her left thigh. That was when she realized he wasn't spanking her butt because he was spanking her thighs and that was soooooo much worse!

Swat after swat landed on her thighs and sit spots. He covered every inch of skin from where her butt met thigh to the tops of her knees. He wasn't spanking as hard as he had on the first first because he knew he didn't have to. This area was much more sensitive and she was already sore from the first spanking. He wasn't trying to over do it or be cruel but he wanted to make sure she remembered this spanking every time she sat down for the next few days. He had to know she would mind him in order to keep her safe and her not wanting to repeat this spanking was a good way to insure she would be minding him for a good long time. Finally he felt like she had had enough.

Halting his hand for a moment, he asked his final question "Are you ever going to try and play your brother and I against each other again?"

"No sir" he heard in almost a whisper between sobs and he knew she had learned her lesson, both about the fire and the lying.

He rubbed her back for a minute until he she had calmed down some and then lifted her on his lap trying to keep her in his arms instead of sitting on his lap to stop from hurt her scalded bottom any more than it already was.

He sat there and rocked her in his arms, murmuring to her how much he loved her and that she was forgiven until she finally settled down and sniffles were all he heard.

"I'm sorry that was such a hard spanking – especially for your first spanking from me but I won't abide by you putting yourself in danger or lying – you managed to break two of my biggest rules at almost the same time" he tried to explain still trying to soothe her. "I can no longer imagine my life without you and Caleb in it and I will do anything I have ta do to keep the both of ya safe sweet girl" he said as he kissed the top of her head and laid her down in bed on her stomach.

"Why don't you take a nap and I will see if I can wrestle some of those cookies away from Ms. Potts for you when you wake up ok?"

"Ok Pa, I love you" he heard her say sleepily

"I love you too my little lady" he said bending to kiss her cheek.

"Pa" he thought to himself, that was the first time he had heard himself be called that by a little voice in a very long time – but he still loved hearing it.