Thanks again for reading and reviewing. This is the last chapter of the story for the Season 3 to 4 break. Season 4 is next! New story soon.

I woke up to Sam saying my name. I felt just as raw in real life as I had in the dream. I wondered if I was going to be able to light a fire before bed today, and then I remembered I'd seen Gabby. I'd definitely be able to light a fire, but it was probably going to hurt. The only time I'd hurt more was the time I'd almost burned myself out by holding in too much fire.

"Jessie," Sam said, bent over and snapping his fingers in front of my face.

I swatted at him. "I'm fine," I snapped.

His eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. "I know you're fine," he said. "I can see you're fine and you've been acting out for the last week. It stops now."

I glared at him and turned my head away, "Whatever," I said, refusing to look at him.

He sat down on the couch and pulled me over his lap.

"What the…?" I said as he brought his hand down on my butt. "Ow!... Ow! Sam, stop!"

"I don't think so, young lady," he said, bringing his hand down on my jean-clad butt over and over. I wiggled, trying to escape him. I hadn't expected this! I'd expected him to scold me and disappear with Ruby again. "I think that you've been pushing me away ever since Ruby came around, and I've been letting you do it." His hand just kept falling and I was already having trouble following him. My butt felt like it was on fire.

"You see, young lady, I was trying to give you some time to adjust, to grieve, to get used to it just being me. I was trying to offer comfort instead of punishment, but it didn't work. You keep pushing and pushing until you end up here, over my knee, don't you?" He stopped spanking. "Get up and drop your jeans," he said.

"Sam," I pleaded, not moving. I wasn't crying yet, more in shock. My butt was stinging and I could tell he had barely stared. He nudged me.

"Move," he said. I climbed off his lap and struggled with the button on my jeans until he knocked my hands away in impatience, unbuttoned my jeans, yanked them down, and pulled me back over his lap.

"Sam!" I said. "I'm sorry!" His hand descended.

"Sorry? Which thing are you sorry for? Disappearing for hours in the middle of the night without your phone to run around the lake and go swimming? Being rude to me over and over? Disobeying every order I give and when you're not disobeying, being snide about them? How about sneaking into Impala and going on a hunt when you were told to stay in your room? Disappearing without a word to take Sandi home when I told you to go to the car? Which one are you sorry for?" His hand just kept falling. I couldn't think anymore. My breath was catching and I was close to tears, but there was no way I was crying for him, not after the hell he'd put me through, ignoring me for Ruby, trying to get himself killed after he promised he wouldn't leave me. His hand fell again and my breath hitched.

"Which one, young lady?" he asked me again.

My anger sparked. "All of it, god damn you! But mostly because you caught me!" I yelled, fighting to keep the tears from starting. He was pretending to care, but I couldn't believe it, couldn't trust it, even though I wanted to more than anything in the world.

He stopped suddenly, and I sagged in disappointment. I give him any fight back at all and he's done with me. "Go get me the hairbrush," he said.

I froze. Sam with the hairbrush was scary as fuck. "What?" I asked, trying to buy myself some time.

"I said, go get me the hairbrush. Right now," he said. He picked me up off his lap and set me on my feet. I stared at him. He turned me around and landed another swat on my reddened butt. "Move."

I stepped out of my jeans, leaving them in a pile on the floor, and went to my clothes bag to dig out the wooden hairbrush. Then I stood there staring at it. I didn't understand what was going on. Why after all these days did he suddenly care about whether or not I was obeying? It didn't make sense.

"Jessie, get your ass back here. You have to the count of three. One." I ran. I was back to him as he said, "Two." He took the hairbrush from my hand and upended me back over his lap. Without a pause, he brought the hairbrush down on my butt. It stung like a motherfucker on my already sore bottom. I gasped and fought harder against the tears.

"What I'd really like to hear from you," Sam said as he spanked, more slowly now, "is what the hell you thought you were doing? Why did you decide to do all of those things? Huh, Jessie? Running off, disobedience, rudeness, going on a hunt when you're told not to? Why?" He paused, waiting for an answer as I struggled against myself. He brought the hairbrush down hard on the spot where my butt meets my thigh and said again, "Why?!"

It was my undoing. I started sobbing, hard. I buried my head in my arms and cried and cried. After a few seconds, I said, "You! You left me! You stopped paying attention to me because of Ruby! You didn't care what I did! You barely listened to me. You didn't notice me and you didn't say anything when I did stuff you told me not to. I don't know why you're doing it now! I don't understand!" I cried into my arms and he slid his arm under my ribcage and gently picked me up to hold me in his lap.

He shifted me until I was pressed against his chest. I grabbed his shirt in my fist, the buttons digging into my hand, and buried my face into his shoulder while he held me. He rocked me a little. "I'm so sorry, Jessie," he whispered, kissing the top of my head. "I'm so sorry. I thought that you needed space and I thought I was going to die. Just like Dean said, I didn't want your last memories of me to be bad ones. I was wrong. You needed me and I left you alone. I'm sorry. I promise; it won't happen again. It doesn't matter that Ruby is helping me. I'm here for you. You are so important to me, honey. Do you forgive me?"

I was still crying, my body shaking. I wasn't sure if I believed him, if I could trust him, but I wanted to. I wanted to so badly, and I did forgive him. Even if he'd messed up, he loved me and he was my Sam, my uncle, family. "I forgive you," I whispered.

"I love you," Sam said. "And I'm new to this. I've never had to take care of someone before all by myself, and I made a mistake. It's not going to be my last, but I'm sorry I did it, and I promise that the next time, I'll be sorry too."

I looked up at his chin. "I love you, too. I'm sorry I was so bad," I said.

He hugged me. "I forgive you, too," he said. He looked down at me. "Clean slate?" he asked.

I nodded. "Clean slate," I said. I wiped my face and he helped me sit up. I slid off his lap and picked my jeans up off the floor. "I'm tired, Sam," I said softly.

"I'll tuck you in for a nap." Sam said, getting to his feet and taking my other hand. He led me to my bedroll. I tossed my jeans at my clothes bag and Sam tucked me in.

I reached for him, and he hugged and kissed me. "I'll wake you up in a couple of hours for dinner, ok?" he asked. I nodded. Then he said, "Ruby will be here then and we'll go with her." I swallowed against a sudden ache in my stomach. I was going to have to trust him, or at least try to trust him. He said he wouldn't shove me aside for her again. I wanted to believe him and the only way I was going to know for sure is if I gave him a chance.

"Ok," I said. I closed my eyes.

Back in the field, Gabby smiled at me, "My priestess, what would you like to learn first?"

I took a deep breath and thought of Sam and Ruby. "Control," I said.