Sorry for taking so long to update this story! My muse went on vacation while I focused on UMR. This is a filler chapter as I await Betty's (I decided to name her) return.

Lex is going to choose between the men soon enough so that the rest of the story can focus on Alexis and XYZ's relationship. Mati will, regardless of her decision be around as he's going to be bonding with Sam. So, stay tuned as I try to hop off my fence.

UNEDITED.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Bottom's Up

Sam released her father's hand and began to slowly walk down the long hallway towards her mother's room. Her heart raced with each step. When she was halfway there, she turned around and noticed that Mathieu was still standing there watching her as she made her way to her mother's room. She bit her lip and smiled nervously.

--- "Daddy?"

She sounded like a little girl.

--- "Yes, ma belle?"

She let out a breath and shook out her hands as though she were about to run a marathon… she had to prepare herself just in case her mother suddenly regained her ability to walk since twisting her ankle. Sam desperately hoped that was not the case.

--- "Um, can you… can you just remember what I'm wearing just in case—"

He walked up to her and gave her a kiss on the side of the head.

--- "How about I walk you the rest of the way?"

She nodded her head and wrapped her arm around her father. Despite having just met him only a day prior, she felt a comfort with him that took years to develop her mother. She supposed that it must have been the immediate release of her baggage at his empty doorstep that did it. When she and Alexis had found out that they were related, they had already so much bad blood between them that adding everything from her past had completely blocked the doorway to each other's hearts; it took time to sort through it all.

--- "You know, I think that would be for the best. I guess she can't really attack me if you're in the room—"

--- "I would never let that happen! Unless of course she's armed; then you're on your own!"

She stopped and laughed at him.

--- "HEY!"

He pointed at her and tapped her on the chin.

--- "From what you've just told me, you have a knack with weapons… As a matter of fact, what about this boyfriend—"

She quickly walked away from him toward her mother's door.

--- "Um, I have to go! We'll chat later, okay?"

He put his hands on his hips as he watched her run into her mother's room completely avoiding his question about Jason. He knew that something was completely off about the man and his supposed coffee business.

Sam leaned her head against her mother's door grateful to have deflected her father's question. She nearly let out a sigh of relief until she heard a familiar clearing of the throat.

--- "Hello Samantha."

She slowly turned around to face her mother. She felt like prey backed into a corner about to be eaten and killed by a predator.

--- "Mom—"

Alexis crossed her arms and glared at her daughter.

--- "Samantha, come here."

Sam opened the door.

--- "Oh, I think I hear Diane! She might have fallen off of the washer and dryer! You wouldn't want to be sued for negligence or anything, would you?"

Alexis smiled through a threatening glare at her daughter.

--- "No, lamb chop—"

Sam made a face at her mother.

--- "Lamb chop? Run out of candy names, Mom?"

She spoke in a sweet and gentle voice to her adult daughter.

--- "No, of course not. It just seems that the only candy I could think appropriate to give you right now is a jawbreaker, but I suppose you wouldn't like that nickname, would you?"

Sam bit her lip in both amusement and fear. She never understood how a woman who had never raised her, and with whom she had had many fights prior to their reveal as mother and daughter could possibly manage to intimidate her as she did.

--- "I guess not. So, I see your foot is still pretty pained; I think I'll get you some ice—"

--- "Samantha, I told you, Mommy needs you. Come here."

It amused Alexis how nervous her daughter had become; she enjoyed making her squirm. Sam took a deep breath and closed the door, unaware that there were four pairs of ears attaching themselves to the other side of the door.

--- "Mom, come on!"

She pointed her finger to her daughter.

--- "Come to Mommy, Sam."

Sam nervously walked towards her mother's bed and sat on the chair beside it.

--- "Yea?"

Alexis patted the empty spot beside her.

--- "You're being silly! Right here, honey."

She bit her lip, stood up and sat beside her mother on the bed. Alexis grabbed her arm causing Sam to flinch.

--- "Mom, I'm sorry!"

Alexis stifled her laughter at her daughter's paranoia.

--- "What in the world is wrong with you, Samantha? I just wanted to put my arm around my eldest girl!"

She gave her a kiss on the side of head.

--- "Now, how was your conversation with your dad?"

Sam let out a sigh of relief and relaxed on the bed forgetting that her mother was upset with her.

--- "It was good. It was really good, actually. I mean, he was completely understanding about everything, which was a welcomed change—"

--- "What is that supposed to mean?"

She looked over at her mother.

--- "Mom, let's be serious, you weren't all that happy to hear about the things that I had done in my past."

--- "Well, no mother would be, Samantha."

She continued.

--- "And, when you found out that I was the kid you gave up for adoption, I certainly wasn't what you had expected. My goodness, what well respected, newly appointed District Attorney wants to learn that the daughter they gave up was a former con artist with a rap sheet to rival the mob kingpin and his enforcer? Ooh! And we mustn't forget was DATING said enforcer!"

Alexis rolled her eyes at the reminder that her daughter was once again dating Jason; this was something that she was not going to easily get over.

--- "Okay, fine. I admit it; it was very hard in the beginning. But not for the reasons you think."

Sam squinted her eyes at her mother trying to get a read on her.

--- "So you're telling me that you never in that time was sorry that I, the person who gave you so much grief, was the person who ended up being your long-lost daughter?"

Alexis looked her daughter in the eyes.

--- "Let me make this point very clear, Samantha. I loved you, the baby taken away from me at birth, from the moment you were conceived. I love you, the person, as my daughter, the second I saw you dying from a bullet wound meant for Jason—"

--- "Mom."

Alexis gave Sam a kiss on the top of the head.

--- "Honey, just listen to me. There was nothing more painful than thinking that you would never know how much I loved you. Despite all of our issues of the past, and the bad blood from… everything—"

She did not want to bring up Lila or Danny. While the two had gotten passed Sam's blaming of Alexis for their deaths, it was still an emotional topic Alexis was not willing to get into in that moment.

--- "Once Jason told me that you were mine, none of that mattered. Yes, we had our issues and our baggage, but I NEVER regretted that you, Samantha McCall, were the beautiful baby I gave up all those years ago. I think more than anything, my heart hurt that you had had such a tough life because I was not in it from the beginning. But I ALWAYS loved you, sweetheart."

Sam smiled at her mother before wrapping her arms around her neck; she gave her a hug and kiss.

--- "I love you, Mom."

Alexis smiled and tightly gripped her daughter.

--- "I love you too, sweetheart. But you didn't let me finish."

Sam unwrapped her arms and tried to move from her mother's arms, but Alexis proved stronger.

--- "Mom what are you doing?"

Alexis quickly and rather easily laid Sam across her legs and gripped her tightly.

--- "Well, the reason I especially love that you're my daughter is because you're just so small and petite I can—"

Alexis gave Sam a hard smack on the bottom causing the young woman to scream in shock.

--- "MOM!"

Muffled laughs were audible from the other side of the door. Alexis kept a firm hold of her daughter as she looked toward the door.

--- "KRISTINA, MOLLY! IF YOU TWO DON'T WANT TO END UP WITH THE SAME FATE, I SUGGEST YOU LEAVE!"

Alexis heard quick scurrying away from the door and turned her attention back to her eldest daughter.

--- "Now, where was I? Oh yea!"

She gave her another spank on the bottom causing Sam to once again scream out in pain.

--- "Mom! Stop!!! I thought you didn't believe in corporal punishment?!"

--- "I don't—"

Sam felt another stinging hit; she was in agony.

--- "What the hell do you think this is?!"

Alexis gave her another hard spank; this time making a point. Sam knew that if she didn't have a bruise before, she certainly had one from that swat.

--- "I don't believe in corporal punishment in regard to underaged children. That, I believe is wrong—"

The young woman received another blow on her pained bottom.

--- "And this isn't? Come on, stop!"

Alexis thought about it for a moment before connecting the palm of her hand to Sam's backside once more.

--- "Nope, not at all. The way I see it, Kristina has two more years of grounding before she graduates to being spanked like her big sister. I mean, she is seriously lucky this Claudia debacle didn't happen a couple of years from now."

Sam attempted to squirm from Alexis' tight hold of her, but her mother was stronger than she had ever imagined.

--- "MOM! I'm an adult! STOP! You totally can't do this!"

Alexis shook her head and smiled.

--- "Looks like I am, Cry Baby."

Spank.

--- "This will teach you that you should one, never disobey your mother. When mommy tells you to not do something, you simply don't do it—"

She hit her again.

--- "And secondly, you never EVER embarrass her the way you did today!"

Sam could not believe she was actually lying there being spanked. She was beginning to lose feeling.

--- "Come on, Mom! It was a joke! I meant no harm!"

SPANK!

She screamed out in pain, as that last one was significantly harder than the last.

--- "Well, Samantha, clearly this is not. You humiliated Mommy in a very mean way. Do you know the things that I said to that man because I was so embarrassed?! My goodness, you know how much I ramble. This should teach you that the next time I tell you to do or not to do something, and I CLEARLY don't car if you're an adult, you will listen to me."

Sam closed one eye almost waiting for the next spank, but it never came. She looked up at her mother with tears actually rolling down her red cheeks.

--- "I'm sorry, Mom."

Alexis smiled at her daughter and leaned forward to give her a kiss on the cheek.

--- "I forgive you, big red. But, your punishment isn't over."

She wiped the tears from her face and looked at her mother.

--- "Are you kidding me? What are you going to do to me now?!"

Alexis tapped her daughter's bottom and laughed.

--- "Unlike you, Mommy doesn't joke. Now, help me to the bathroom."

Sam slowly got up from the bed and painfully walked around and helped her mother from the bed.

--- "Is this my punishment?"

Her comment earned her another swat on the backside.

--- "I've something much more appropriate for you, my little Take 5 bar!"

When Sam finally emerged from her mother's room, she wiped tears from her face. She was not crying from the pain… anymore… she was crying from the humiliation of having been, at twenty-nine, put over her mother's knee and spanked like a child. She walked into the living and saw her sisters, who had run from the door when they saw the handle moving, pretending to be reading books. She glared at them.

--- "Don't you say a single word to me."

Kristina and Molly hid their faces to hide their amused looks and to avoid laughing at their sister who clearly had not only a bruised ego, but also an equally bruised bottom.

Sam walked to the dining table and picked up one of the chairs. Mathieu, who had been in the kitchen looking for something to prepare for the group, as it was nearly lunchtime, walked into the living room and noticed his daughter. He immediately moved to help her.

--- "Let me help you."

She furiously shook her head and looked around to ensure her mother was not approaching the room.

--- "I have to do this myself. Thank you Dad."

Mathieu frowned and wondered what Alexis did to the girl. He watched as his daughter moved the chair to the corner of the room.

--- "Samantha?"

She put her finger up to him and shook her head.

He then watched as she slowly moved to sit in the chair but quickly stood up again. Her sisters could not hide their amusement; they laughed aloud.

Kristina stood up and walked over to her sister and put her hand on her shoulder.

--- "Um, I think we have Molly's old boppie somewhere around here. I mean, it could probably help with your problems."

Sam wanted so badly to say something to her sister, but her mother hopped in the room.

--- "Samantha, why aren't you sitting?"

Mathieu rushed over to the woman, and with Kristina's help, mover her down the step into the living and then over to the couch.

--- "Mom, can't I just stand up for this?"

Alexis turned and gave her daughter a threatening glare. Sam, seeing this, immediately nodded and sat on the chair, but groaned in pain just as Diane and Maxie walked in from hiding (when they had seen the door handle move, indicating that Sam was finally leaving her mother's room, Diane, Maxie, Molly and Kristina scurried out of sight).

Diane smiled when she saw the look of discomfort on the young woman's face.

--- "Sam, this isn't the place for that. I believe you have a very large bathroom where you can handle that issue. I mean, I'd give you the Pepto, but I use the last of it on blabbermouth over here"

While Maxie made a face at Diane, Sam turned to see if her mother was watching her before she made a gesture to her mother's best friend.

--- "Very polite, Ms. McCall."

Alexis did not bother to look at her daughter; she knew her well enough to know what she had just done.

--- "Samantha! Do we need to have another conversation?"

--- "No, Mother."

Maxie walked over to Alexis and shook her head at the woman.

--- "You know, Alexis, I'm surprised at you! What you just did to Sam was an assault and battery. You could be charged for that! Isn't that right Daddy?"

Alexis did not wait for Mac to respond, she smiled at the girl who had given them all so much trouble over the passed few hours.

--- "Maxie, I suggest you not say anything for a while, because I certainly will not hesitate to do to you what I've done to my DAUGHTER."

Maxie stuck out her lip and looked to her father for support.

--- "Daddy, are you really going to allow Alexis to threaten me like this?"

Mac shrugged his shoulders.

--- "Well, honey, it is her house—"

--- "But I'm your daughter."

--- "And Sam is hers. And to be quite honest, Maxie, I wouldn't blame Sam if she herself put you over her knee—"

Sam groaned in her corner.

--- "Does the WHOLE house know?!"

Alexis pointed a threatening finger at the girl.

--- "HEY! Do you want me to add more time to your 29 minute stint in the corner?"

Sam sighed and shook her head without turning to look at her mother.

--- "No, Mom."

--- "Good, so be quiet and don't speak over there. You're in time out—"

Kristina and Molly could no longer contain their laughter. They immediately laughed aloud at the ludicrousness of the entire situation. Alexis, on the other hand, shifted her body so that she could reach the one closest to her; it was Molly.

--- "Go ahead and laugh girls. Molly, you've got eight years left of enjoying being grounded—"

--- "What? How is that something to enjoy?"

Sam, never able to follow direction, answered for her mother.

--- "Because apparently our mother is a raving lunatic who seems to think—"

Diane, who had managed to pour herself another glass of wine, looked at the girl in the corner.

--- "Well, clearly it's not think, Sam. Alexis has plainly demonstrated that she obviously can and has no problem spanking her adult daughter. It's those two underaged rugrats who are spared… for now. Kristina, you better be careful what you do on your 18th birthday."

Maxie looked at Diane in awe. Diane had clearly gotten all of this information from their eavesdropping at Alexis' door.

--- "My goodness! Your hearing is like a dog's!"

--- "Gee, thank you Maxie! That wasn't remotely insulting."

The girl shook her head.

--- "No! I'm serious. I couldn't make out anything that she was saying that whole time. All I heard was Alexis' hand smacking Sam, and Sam screaming out in pain and begging for mercy."

Mathieu shook his head.

--- "Alexandra, did you really need to do this? She's an adult."

Alexis released her youngest and turned to look at the man.

--- "Excuse me, but I believe she is my daughter—"

--- "Our daughter—"

--- "Whatever! I've had 10 years to deal with her. She is so lucky I didn't do this a long time ago. That daughter of OURS was due for a spanking."

Mac put his hand on the woman's knee.

--- "I know the feeling, Lex. You know, when you actually raise your children—"

Mathieu took offense to Mac's comment.

--- "Excuse me, but I wanted to also raise Samantha."

Kristina jumped into the conversation.

--- "Um, Mom didn't actually raise Sam."

Alexis disagreed with the girl.

--- "BELIEVE me, Kristina, I raised your sister. She might have been in a bigger package than I would have liked, but that child you see sitting in the corner is the product of my blood, sweat, and tears."

Diane scoffed as she took another sip of her wine.

--- "And you're proud to claim that? You just put your 29 year old daughter over your knee, and NOW she's sitting in the CORNER in time-out!"

Maxie smirked.

--- "Better than sitting in jail, where she's landed on more than one—"

She felt everyone's eyes on her.

--- "Oh gosh, I did it again? I swear, I'm working on thinking before I speak."

Mathieu waved his hand dismissively at the girl.

--- "It's okay Maxie, I've already spoken to my daughter about all this."

--- "Oh! Great, so you already know that Jason's an enforcer?"

Diane smacked her hand on the table.

--- "ALLEGED! There is nothing on record to prove these accusations against my client. He has been proven innocent time and time again."

Mathieu's mouth fell open.

--- "Jason's been arrested? Numerous times?!"

Alexis looked up at the ceiling in annoyance with Maxie's constant need to reveal personal information about others.

--- "Where the hell is Helena and her knife when you need her?"

Mac sat beside Alexis and put his hand on her knee.

--- "I'm really really sorry about her."

She sweetly smiled at him.

--- "That's alright, Commissioner."

Sam's ears burned from utter humiliation of the whole conversation. She had attempted to keep silent during her time-out, but seeing as the group had the need to talk about her and her relationship as though she were not in the room, she could no longer contain herself. She stood up in annoyance over her family and friends' disregard for her feelings and privacy.

--- "Would you all STOP! PLEASE?! This is embarrassing enough without you bringing it up all over again!"

Alexis nodded her head in agreement.

--- "Yes, Samantha, sit down and stop talking. Mati, yes I do have to do this because Samantha needs a lesson in discipline. As for Jason, that's a conversation you need to have, SANS Maxie, to Sam when she's been given her talking privilege again. Kristina, and you too Molly, just because I didn't raise your sister, she's my kid just as much as you two are. You will never have to worry about discriminatory punishment in this house. Diane and Maxie, I thought I told you all to stop eavesdropping?"

Molly shook her head.

--- "No, that was us."

Kristina smacked her sister on the arm.

--- "Will you shut up?"

Alexis gave her daughter a disapproving look.

--- "We don't say shut up."

Maxie laid her head on the table.

--- "This house is like an episode of All My Children! Can we please do and talk about something other than disciplining each other."

Diane rolled her eyes.

--- "PLEASE! There is NO one in here I'd like to discipline, or would let discipline me."

Molly cocked her head to the side as she gave Diane a confused look.

--- "You want to be spanked, Diane?"

Alexis put her hand up.

--- "Don't you dare answer that Diane!"

--- "I was not going to say anything… much. I swear."

Mac stood up and clapped his hands for the rooms attention.

--- "Alright, I think Maxie's right! Let's play a game or something. I think we can use a distraction."

Alexis nodded her head in agreement as she attempted to lift her foot onto the table; both Mathieu and Mac rushed to help. Diane groaned in disgust as the men fought with each other as to who would get to lift Alexis' leg and who would place the pillow onto the coffee table. They both fawned over the woman like sick puppies.

--- "I'm all for games as long as it isn't poker. I think there's enough of an attempt with those three going on right now and it's making me sick to my stomach."

The group turned to look at the woman. While they were usually able to understand her many sexual innuendos, this one flew right above their heads.

Maxie made a face at the tipsy attorney.

--- "Poker?"

Diane rolled her eyes and pointed to Alexis and the two men.

--- "Clearly we've got the presumable Queen sitting on her throne in the middle of two guys."

Kristina remained confused.

--- "What?"

--- "Do I have to walk you people through everything? In a deck of cards, the queen sits between the jack and the king—"

Sam painfully sat in her corner listening to the conversation. She knew she was on time-out, but knowing the set up of a deck of cards, she was intrigued.

--- "Wait, so, who's the Jack and who's the King, here?"

Alexis turned to glare at her daughter.

--- "Samantha, REALLY? Do I need to once again take you over my—"

Sam shook her head and smiled nervously at her mother.

--- "That's fine, Mom! I'll be quiet."

Kristina and Molly began to snicker but Alexis pointed a threatening finger to them then to her lap causing them to stifle their laughter.

Mac puffed out his pigeon chest and looked to the witty woman.

--- "So, yea, I'm curious, who's the King here Diane? Me or him?"

Mathieu took Mac's distraction as his advantage to move and sit close beside Alexis, who sighed and rolled her eyes at the men's competition with one another.

Diane shrugged her shoulders and took another sip of her wine.

--- "Commissioner, we live in a democracy; there are no kings in this country. I do however see two Jack ASSES who are unable to see that the queen has been playing solitaire; she'll need a private poker lesson, before she can show out with a full house."

Sam immediately stood up from her chair and walked over to Diane.

--- "I think you need to go sit down over there."

Diane looked from the young woman to her best friend.

--- "Excuse me, but Alexis—"

Alexis shook her head at her best friend and pointed to the chair Sam previously occupied.

--- "Nope. Get over there."

The woman pursed her lips and attempted to bring her glass of wine with her, but Sam took it from her hands.

--- "Yea no. You'll need to spend your 60 minute stint in the corner sober."

My return to hell recommences on Monday. I don't know when this story will be updated… please bear with me. Thanks!