A.N.- I like this story, I have ideas for this story- therefore, I'm writing this story. Which is to say that I haven't forgotten about 'If you get lost' or 'Love and be loved,' but that I'm still struggling with writer's block on those. No one seemed averse to witnessing Maddy's discipline in this chapter, so it's a direct continuation of the last chapter, mostly.
This chapter sort of got away from me, and I ended up torturing the 'kids' a little more than I originally anticipated, so yes, there are multiple spankings coming up. I hope you enjoy!
-o-o-o-o-o-
"How about the second time?"
"Well…" she sounded sheepish, "Joey was being particularly annoying and I sorta snapped at him?" Cass prompted her with a hum, and she amended her statement, "okay, I did snap at him, and I used 'language unprofessional for the workplace-' ow!" she rubbed the spot where Cass had just swatted, unamused with the mocking tone Maddy's voice had started to take.
"Was the end of your previous spanking ever mentioned once you got in trouble again?" Cass asked, again trying to confirm her initial suspicions.
"No, Ness forgot about it," she mumbled, but Cass could clearly hear the underlying words, 'forgot about me.'
"Oh, kiddo," Cass gave her a quick squeeze, "it's all going to be alright. I'm going to go talk to Ness and we'll figure this out." Reluctantly, she extracted herself from Maddy's embrace and went in search of her fiance.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Dave had watched Ness silently fret from the moment her fiance disappeared upstairs to when she reappeared.
"What's wrong?" she asked the moment Cass stepped into the kitchen, beelining to her fiance. Dave, figuring that it was more of a private moment (not like he and Ness knew what privacy was, but he'd at least pretend he wasn't listening,) continued sauteeing the pan of vegetables on the stove, hitting it with a few more spices and filling the air with the aroma of good food. He decidedly tried not to worry about Aaron, who he hadn't checked on, but who he hoped was still sleeping. After that awful plane ride, Hotch had looked incredibly tired, and there was little doubt in Dave's mind that his surrogate son was still deeply asleep.
"What happened the first time Mads got in trouble?" Cass asked in return, and Dave almost winced- he knew that mock casual tone, frequently employing it when trying to get Aaron to admit to something he did wrong. Which means that Ness did something Cass didn't approve of.
"What do you mean?"
"How'd she get in trouble?"
"She wasn't paying attention in a briefing and the ASAC called her out on it," Dave internally winced in sympathy- it was never good to be called out by your boss's boss.
"How'd you handle it?"
"Like always…?" Ness looked confused as she seemingly wracked her mind for anything anomalous.
"Nothing unusual happened?" Cass prompted, and Dave watched as Ness was hit with the realization of whatever the issue was, dramatically face-palming.
"Oh no," she groaned.
"Oh yes," Cass replied. Ness abandoned her task of setting the table in favor of dragging Cass over to where the barstools were to continue the conversation.
"Dave, can you put on the kettle?" Ness asked him, and then mumbled something under her breath about needing something stronger than tea. Dave tactfully ignored the second statement and plugged in the kettle before drifting back over to the same kitchen island the women were seated at, an eyebrow raised in question. Because yes, this was probably a private matter, but he was nosey by nature and Ness's decision to sit at the counter was her way of inviting him into the conversation. It made sense- Ness frequently gave him 'parenting' advice about Aaron, and Dave was looking forward to, one day, being able to do the same. He doubted he could help this time, either, but he could at least be a sympathetic ear. Ness glanced at him, then filled him in.
"I had totally forgotten," she groaned, "we got unexpectedly busy, starting with a phone call I had no choice but to take in the middle of spanking her- that phone call told us they found our suspect, and we were needed there immediately. The wording was strong, to say the least, and so we had to end it then, and then we got more and more busy- it totally slipped my mind." He fervently, privately hoped that he would never have to encounter a similar issue; though, typically, he dealt with misbehavior after the work day.
"Not Maddy's, though," Cass chimed in.
"Yeah, not Maddy's," Ness agreed. Dave understood her sheepish tone; the 'kids' needed stability and consistency- that's why this sort of relationship worked. Leaving something unresolved was a surefire way for their charges to get into trouble further, and Rossi understood how Mads had ended up in trouble more than once that day.
"Why'd you punish her in the middle of the day, anyway?" Dave asked, curiously. Unless Aaron had done something particularly reckless or he was taking advantage of a quiet office, the veteran profiler typically preferred to wait to handle misbehavior after the conclusion of the work day. It also made sure Aaron didn't have to suffer through trying to sit at a desk on a red behind and pretend like nothing was different than normal.
"She gets more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs if she has to wait more than a couple of hours," Ness said, "believe it or not, this is actually the first time we've had this issue." He hummed in acknowledgement, showing he was listening even as he started putting together the salad.
"So, she feels like it's still unresolved, probably," Cass said, "actually, she said something about not wanting the remainder of the spanking except for the hug." Dave smiled as he threw in the carrot slices- the necessary hug after a spanking was a special moment for both parties involved. Looking up, he saw Ness dramatically clutching her heart; despite how joking the gesture appeared, he knew that the underlying sentiment was genuine. While he and Ness were less 'allergic to feelings' than Aaron and Mads were, they both still sometimes got uncomfortable when talking about feelings. Cass's rolled eyes answered how she felt about that tendency of her fiance's.
"She also admitted to me that she hasn't been sleeping," Cass added.
"How many teeth did you have to pull for that one?"
"None, surprisingly," Cass said, and Ness's reaction demonstrated her own surprise, her jaw nearly dropping.
"Does she feel okay?" Ness asked, sounding more worried and tapping her fingers together, her own nervous gesture. The kettle had indicated the water had reached boiling, and he surveyed the expansive selection of teas for something soothing. The number of choices were overwhelming, and he was sure there were at least half a dozen specific 'stress-relief' tea blends with fancy names; finally, he found normal peppermint tea bags- he knew that was, at least, and knew that it was good for stress. Pouring mugs for Ness and Cass, he handed them to the two women before pouring his own mug and leaning against the counter as he sipped.
"If I had to guess, she was looking to get into some amount of trouble, and knew that we wouldn't be happy about her lack of sleep," Cass said in response to her fiance; Ness's face had taken on a contemplative look that Dave had become familiar with during study sessions at the Academy.
"I don't want to spank her again for something that happened this morning," Ness said, finally, "I don't want to spank her at all."
"I know, babe," Cass replied as she rubbed Ness's back, "we never do, but you know that-"
"It's what she needs," Ness sighed heavily, "I know. So, are we handling this?"
"Well, there are three components: the end of her spanking from this morning, a bedtime spanking, and we have to respond to her not coming to us about her lack of sleep, somehow," Cass laid out, and the way she could talk about disciplining her charge out loud Dave found to be impressive- the topic still made him squirm every time it came up in conversation. As Cass stated the charges, he could see her analytical science-brain at work. He also felt for Mads, who seemed to have found herself in a world of trouble, and who would certainly be sleeping on her stomach that night.
"Can we think of literally any response to the insomnia that doesn't involve tanning her hide?" Ness said, twirling a red lock of hair between her fingers as she took on a thoughtful expression. Dave understood- he frequently wished that he could think of other ways to discipline Aaron that would be as effective, but other punishments typically only worked for small things, or to supplement another punishment. He wondered what Ness and Cass typically did- he could always use ideas. At that thought, he smiled internally as he thought about Aaron's likely response to such a statement.
"Early bedtime?" He suggested- Ness had invited him into the conversation and he knew better than to try and duck participating. Besides, he had to admit the camaraderie was nice, even if the topic at hand was not their favorite. His suggestion was met with an exclamation of dismay from Ness, prompting laughter from Cass.
"She ends up waking up early," Cass explained.
"So early," Ness emphasized, "so much energy, so early in the morning." Her tone and Cass's playful laughter suggested there was a story there, and Dave smiled at the obviously close-knit family.
"Lines?"
"Punishment that fits the 'crime?'" Ness countered Cass's suggestion, the latter of whom hummed in thought.
"A half hour in the corner before bed every night?" Cass suggested, and Ness tilted her head as she considered it.
"You think she'll be too wound up after sitting still for so long she won't sleep?"
"I think sitting still for so long will drain her energy so she can sleep."
Dave was impressed by the cohesion and cooperation the two women had when it came to 'parenting,' in addition to a firm resolve that he frequently found himself lacking. Ness said she grew into it, and she had told Dave that she was sure he would as well as his relationship with Aaron strengthened.
"Could work," Ness said, still obviously thinking through the idea before she nodded, "how many days?"
"However many days she didn't sleep and decided not to tell us?" Cass proposed, and Ness nodded as the two women stood.
"We'll be back, Dave," Ness said, and Dave nodded his acknowledgement before making a shooing motion, catching Ness glancing at the half-set table.
"I got it," he said, with a playful shooing gesture, "go take care of your kid."
-o-o-o-o-o-
Ness and Cass silently climbed the stairs together, and when they entered Maddy's room, the younger girl looked up with an anxious expression that made her appear far younger than her years. Ness beelined to the bed, sitting down at the edge of it and reaching out to softly brush away the locks of hair that had fallen in front of the young agent's face. Her heart felt like it was breaking as Maddy openly seeked out comfort that she was typically too reserved for, practically climbing into her lap. Rearranging their bodies so Ness was seated against the headboard, with Maddy effectively on her lap, Ness held her surrogate child much like Cass had earlier. She felt her fiance sit at the edge of the bed, which caused Maddy to look up at the scientist anxiously.
"It'll all be okay, kiddo," Cass soothed in a low voice, "we'll get everything sorted out, it'll all be okay."
"I'm sorry about earlier," Ness started, "I didn't mean to leave things unresolved." The tenderness in her voice still surprised her as she continued, "You've had a hard day, hm?" She felt the girl squirm and press her face to Ness's shoulder, clearly embarrassed with revisiting her earlier misbehavior. "So we're going to finish that first spanking right now, I think," she added, and felt Mads curl in even closer. Rubbing the girl's back, she shot Cass a concerned look- while this situation had never arisen before, Maddy seemed upset by the idea of finishing the punishment.
'No shit, Sherlock,' her fiance's look conveyed her unspoken message perfectly, and Ness realized that she shouldn't have expected anything but dismay from Maddy; after all, she had just told the girl she was due a spanking. Well, part of a spanking, at least, but she doubted her surrogate daughter would care about the semantics. Still, she let Mads cling for a moment longer, unable to find the heart to pull her away and drape her over her knees instead.
Ness and Cass frequently argued about who the bigger softie was when it came to Maddy, but in truth, they likely tied each other, though in different ways. Cass was always indulgent after Mads was punished (even the most mild punishment,) but was also better at finding the willpower to initiate a punishment as well. That had proven frequently to be a blessing, like now, when Ness was guilty because part of it was her fault and she was stalling as a result; but Mads was likely to work herself up if she waited too long, and Ness was grateful when Cass helped reposition Maddy over Ness's knees, seeing as the girl made no motion to do it herself.
It wasn't frequently that Ness and Cass found themselves sitting side-by-side during one of Maddy's spankings. It did happen rarely- typically, when Maddy had done something particularly reckless, and they needed to drive home to Mads that she had people who cared about her. Then, they actually tended to pass her to the other mid-spanking. Cass looked like she didn't know what to do, but aborted her motion to stand when Mads reached out for her hand and gripped it. She didn't need to ask further; Cass sat back down and kept the hand she was holding.
The original punishment had been on Maddy's bare bottom, since Ness was trying to make a point memorable as quickly as possible (they needed to return to work quickly; any major infraction and Ness would have taken an extended lunch break to bring Maddy home.) She went about replicating the conditions of the original punishment that she was resuming, and gently pulled down the girl's pajama pants and underwear. Maddy whined in dismay, but Ness simply wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged the younger woman closer to her torso.
Reluctantly, she raised her arm, and at Cass's prompting nod, she let the first swat fall on the already reddened behind in front of her. Maddy cried out softly in response, clearly still feeling her earlier spankings- Ness's heart sank at that thought, and the younger agent still had punishment due her that evening. Wanting to finish the unpleasant task as quickly as possible- it had, after all, been entirely too drawn out- Ness let her hand fall in rapid succession as the faded red color of Maddy's bottom turned to a brighter red.
Ness felt Maddy's breath hitch- while ordinarily the younger woman tried to be stoic during a spanking, lingering soreness from earlier that day prompted her to unravel more quickly than usual. She turned her attention to the sit spots and upper thighs, making sure that those regions too turned the same red hue, before landing a few final hard spanks to close the punishment. Cass was whispering soothing phrases to Maddy, and Ness took the time to gently right Maddy's clothing before rubbing her back. To her surprise, Maddy stood up from her lap earlier than usual, but then she found herself once again with a lapful of rookie FBI agent.
Maddy had yet to let go of Cass's hand, so Cass climbed on the bed as well to snuggle the girl more properly. The two cuddled Maddy, who was still clingy (Ness suspected that one or both of them would have a shadow later that night,) though it didn't take her long to calm her tears.
"So I'm not in trouble anymore today, right?" Maddy asked in a hopeful tone, and Ness could only snort her amusement in response, leaving the girl's 'sentencing' to her fiance.
"Not even close, kiddo," Cass said, but the warm tone of her voice tempered the harsh words. Mads groaned, eliciting a fond chuckle from Cass before the professor handed down Maddy's sentence. "How many nights have you not slept?" She asked, gently. Ness felt Maddy fidget on her lap, clueing her in to the fact that the number was probably much higher than Ness and Cass would find acceptable.
"The truth," she reminded Maddy with a sharp tap to her bottom, prompting the young agent to stop fidgeting with a disgruntled sigh.
"A week," she mumbled, sounding pained to admit it, and Ness kicked herself for not seeing the agent's sleep deprivation sooner. In retrospect, that was about when Maddy started not having frequent nightmares, and also when Maddy's behavior started to devolve; she knew that the young woman was telling the truth and nodded to Cass in agreement. Ness couldn't help wishing the number was lower- a week full of nightly corner time would be trying, she knew. Fortunately, Dave and Aaron understood, and so they could handle it immediately; it wasn't like having her parents over, for example, who as a general rule never left the house at the same time until they were actually departing, for some reason. Then, they had to find quiet ways to address Maddy's misbehavior, sometimes having to leave a punishment for after the guests left, which Maddy tended to fixate on and panic over.
"Then for a week, before bed, you're going to spend 30 minutes in the corner thinking about why you need to come to us when you aren't sleeping." Maddy looked dismayed at Cass's decree, but didn't argue against it, and Ness wondered how insecure Maddy felt about her family sticking by her at that moment. "Those will start tonight, after your bedtime spanking," Ness's fiance added gently, and when Mads didn't respond further than clinging closer to Ness, Cass gently ran her fingers through Maddy's hair, whispering, "it'll all be okay, sweet girl." The trio stayed cuddled together on the bed for several minutes until Maddy's stomach grumbled, reminding them that dinner was ready.
-o-o-o-o-o-
As much as Aaron hated to admit it, his anxiety over meeting Dave's closest friend had plagued him as he fell asleep the last couple of nights, so he really needed that nap, especially after the flight from hell. He couldn't remember waking up at all between the time he was ushered into bed and the time Dave woke him up. He blinked his eyes several times as the world came into focus but mumbled "five more minutes" anyways.
"No can do, kiddo," Dave said, and Aaron thought the older man sounded far too awake and enthusiastic, "dinner's ready." Well, at least that would explain why his mentor sounded awake- most people typically were, this time of day. At his mentor's words, he sniffed the air appreciatively. "Ratatouille," Dave answered, before Aaron even had the chance to ask what was for dinner.
Aaron's grumbling stomach had him following Rossi down the stairs and into the dining room, where he looked at the chairs critically, and decided that he felt sorry for Mads if she ever had to eat at that table after a punishment- of course, the chairs at Dave's table really weren't any better. However, at Dave's prompting nod, he slid into one of the seats regardless- yeah, definitely uncomfortable. He spent a few seconds shifting in his seat, trying to find the most comfortable position, and ultimately decided there wasn't any comfortable position, so he gave up on his quest.
He was thankful for Dave's presence in the seat next to him, and his mentor's quiet but concerned questioning.
"How are you feeling?"
"I mean, don't get me wrong, it hurts, but I think I'll live," he finished dryly.
"Smartass," his mentor mumbled under his breath, but Hotch could tell that the tone was pure fondness, so the comment didn't sting.
"Really, Dave, I'm okay," he said more seriously, trying to reassure his mentor who looked vaguely guilty, "it's not your fault some guy on the plane next to me had bladder issues." A look of relief replaced the vaguely guilty expression Rossi was wearing prior, and for reasons he didn't understand, the veteran profiler laughed far longer than Hotch's deadpan humor called for.
"Ness told me that you'd say that, nearly word for word," Dave explained, and Aaron laughed as well- for all the insight Ness had into other people, she should have become a profiler. Then again, he guessed, she relied on that intuition and social skills to succeed as a spy.
Aaron was about to respond when he heard… was he hearing a spanking? Alarmed, he turned towards Dave with a questioning expression; his mentor's nod confirmed his suspicions. He wasn't expecting the amount of anxiety that washed over him with that realization; a small panic took root in his chest as he heard the sounds of punishment. Dave, clearly trying to diffuse the situation, attempted to initiate a conversation, but the low level of anxiety thrummimg in his brain proved to be too much of a distraction. His mentor grasped his shoulder, the contact soothing his anxiety somewhat.
"C'mon," his mentor said, "we can start on dessert." Aaron trailed Dave to the kitchen, glad for the distraction. At Dave's instruction, he kneaded dough before lining a pie tin with the crust. The motion of kneading was more exertion than he had expected, and combined with Dave's mini-lecture about how to properly make a pie, and the different types of pie, he was able to block out the sound of the punishment upstairs.
However, the fact that he had understood part of what transpired proved to be an issue for him as the three women emerged for dinner- It wasn't like he could forget what he heard, which made him unconsciously watch as Maddy seated herself with a wince. Mads, unfortunately, noticed this and responded with a glare- though pinked cheeks belied her embarrassment. He knew he needed to act natural, but his brain seemed to have short-circuited so he focused on his salad instead of watching Maddy.
He was so focused on his salad that the laughter from the other occupants of the table started him, and he looked up in alarm- were they making fun of him? He surveyed the table; Mads was glaring at her salad plate, so it was Dave, Ness, and Cass who were laughing (probably easy for them to laugh, too, not having to worry about jostling their seat, igniting renewed pain.) He directed a questioning gaze at Dave, needing to know that they weren't laughing at him. As it turns out, Dave explained, they sort of were laughing at him- both he and Maddy had eaten around the carrots in their salad, and the 'adults' laughed at the continued similarities between the two rookie agents. Aaron smiled sheepishly in response, but noticed that Mads was still glaring at her uneaten carrots. Maybe she just really didn't like carrots…?
Realistically, he knew she was probably reacting to something related to the discipline that she had just received. He recognized the sulky glare- he saw it on his own face sometimes at work, when Dave told him he was due a punishment, but he had to wait for the end of the work day. The similarities in facial expression made him wonder if what he had overheard wasn't yet complete- as Mads picked at her dinner the same way he tended to when he was anxious, he thought there was increasing weight behind his theory.
Dave and Aaron had shown up and immediately they were welcomed into the normal domestic life of the Bradley-Verity household. There were no stiff, awkward formalities or the weird nebulous boundaries that often accompanied being a houseguest. It made him feel slightly better about having napped instead of helping with dinner; besides, he helped with dessert. It was a unique experience, to be folded into the lives of (for him, distant) friends so readily and completely, but he found he didn't mind.
Aaron watched in fascination as Maddy's behavior devolved- did he look like that every time he felt possessed to push the boundaries? She was mostly fine, if quiet, at dinner. He caught Ness and Cass giving her several sharp looks in response to snippy comments, and Mads would apologetically duck her head only to say something else snippy a few moments later. He didn't think she was trying to push the boundaries then, not really- she seemed on edge, nervous about what he assumed to be an impending punishment.
The quintet played cards after dinner; Uno got surprisingly intense- at one point, Dave and Ness looked like they were about to engage in fisticuffs after Dave had to pick up 12 cards in a single turn. Hotch noticed that Mads always sat between Ness and Cass, which surprised him- shouldn't she be trying to get away from swatting distance if she'd been promised a punishment later? She did indeed get a few sharp taps from Ness or Cass, but unlike Aaron, it didn't phase her (he watched with a morbid curiosity, unable to look away; he felt bad about it, but it didn't seem like Mads took any notice.) Regardless of any smacks she received, she seemed to intentionally stick close to one of her 'parents;' Aaron knew that feeling as well.
Maddy continued to push her luck until they set up to watch a movie after they had dessert; her luck ran out while they were debating which movie to watch. Once again he found himself unable to look away as Maddy and Ness engaged in a battle of wills, ultimately ending with Maddy cursing at Ness- the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, he supposed.
"All I'm saying is that it's a good movie," Maddy argued.
"It's way too similar to our last case, no one needs more nightmares, so no." Aaron found the logic to be perfectly reasonable and, not being a fan of psychological thrillers (too close to their cases, too,) he didn't mind the direction the conversation was taking. Well, sort of- he didn't mind where the conversation about the movie was going, at least. Maddy's increasing disobedience made him a little uncomfortable, but mostly, he felt for her, knowing how it all felt- to be spanked on an already hot bottom, to have to wait for punishment… It all lent itself well to a weird feeling of camaraderie. Well, and some trepidation- would he somehow be roped into a scheme that would land the two of them in hot water sometime during this visit? Probably. Was she a bad influence? He hoped not.
"I don't need you monitoring my media like I'm a child, Ness," Maddy shot back in a vitriolic tone that made Aaron wince.
"I'm just saying that we don't need fuel for nightmares."
"I haven't been having nightmares!" Maddy looked self-satisfied at that comeback.
"You haven't been having nightmares because you haven't slept!" Ness exclaimed, and Aaron understood Maddy's attitude even better- no one could be entirely polite and pleasant when working on no sleep. He also knew how difficult it could be to argue without implicating oneself- and he had an advantage as a former lawyer.
"You just know everything, don't you," Mads spat, "well, fuck you!" The room went silent as the words hung in the air, after a few seconds, Mads she paled- Aaron guessed that everything had just caught up with her, making her realize how much trouble she had just landed herself in.
"Your room, corner," Cass stepped in between Ness and Mads, who were still facing each other as if to continue the faceoff. She was totally calm and collected, which Aaron found impressive- his temper had always run hot, and he fought for those he was close to; if anyone had just spoken to Dave like Maddy did to Ness, he would probably fight them. Even when that someone was his own self, the amount of mental castigation he submitted himself to was probably more excessive than Dave's scolding lecture would be.
Mads, apparently cowed for the moment, disappeared upstairs with no stomping or slamming of doors. Cass then wrapped Ness in her arms and murmured something that Aaron couldn't hear, but whatever it was prompted Ness to head to the kitchen and then upstairs as well. Before she also disappeared up the stairs, Cass addressed the impressed disbelief on the men's faces.
"You should see our department meetings."
-o-o-o-o-o-
Dave wasn't surprised when Aaron unconsciously moved closer to him while witnessing the argument between Maddy and Ness. Though Hotch would never admit it, he was sensitive- the action recapitulated his previous panic over hearing the spanking from upstairs. Which, he supposed, was likely to be an issue once more, and so he should probably find a way to distract the kid; poor Mads was in a world of trouble, and he suspected that they'd hear quite a bit of it.
"You had any good runs lately?" he asked, watching the relief settle over the younger man. Hotch didn't have many hobbies- their job took up most of his time- but Dave knew he liked running.
"Yeah," Hotch said, and Rossi could tell his protege was faking enthusiasm- an animated conversation would better block out the sounds of spanking, "I found a new trail the other day, actually."
"I thought you ran in the city?"
"Usually," Hotch shrugged, "but I run cross country too." Well, that certainly explained the younger man's speed in their takedowns, though Dave didn't appreciate how whoever approached the unsub first tended to be taken hostage. He was sure that Aaron had given him every gray hair he had.
He heard the muffled sound of spanks, then, and knew Aaron did as well- the kid turned deathly pale and again (unconsciously, he suspected) moved closer towards Dave, who tried to carry the conversation forward as best as he could, "you ever think of running a marathon?"
"Sure," Aaron shrugged, "I actually ran a couple of those when I was living in Seattle." Dave was surprised- how did he not already know that about his surrogate son? It wasn't in his personnel file anywhere, so he hadn't participated for a case or FBI fundraiser, and he was pretty sure he would have remembered Aaron bringing that up.
"How did I not know that?" Dave voiced his thoughts, though with the casual way Hotch mentioned it, he could have missed it entirely if it was said in passing.
"I never mentioned it," Hotch ducked his head, blushing.
"Anyone ever tell you that you have a tendency to downplay your accomplishments?"
"You?" Hotch suggested.
"Other than me?" he asked, and Hotch shook his head, making Rossi's heart ache for the child he once was; he pushed forward, saying, "well, it's true, kid. Running a marathon? Big! Achievement!" his animated voice and gesticulations, while genuine, also served to drown out any noise from upstairs. "It's something to be proud of!" he added, "I'm proud of you."
Aaron looked mildly pained at that, but Dave knew that it was a result of Hotch's childhood; he had once explained it to the older man as a reaction to something that he had longed for his entire life. "We'll work on it," he said, his traditional answer in that exchange. "Were the marathons themed?" Dave asked, trying to keep up the conversation- he still heard muffled smacks from upstairs.
"I ran a Halloween themed one twice, and one that was a fundraiser for cancer research," Aaron said, still more casually than a typical person would act when sharing that they had run three marathons, and without any boasting. Dave didn't have to fake any amazement for the sake of carrying on the conversation, being legitimately surprised he didn't know about this about his protege.
"That's incredible, Aaron," he said, watching as the younger profiler blushed, a bright red coloring his face.
"Thanks," Hotch eventually stammered out, rubbing the back of his neck as he dropped his head slightly- Rossi recognized the familiar gesture as one of sheepishness, embarrassment, or some combination thereof.
"I mean it, kid," he said, and the moment suddenly became very tender. Before either of them could dwell on that fact, though, they heard louder smacks from upstairs; Dave guessed the louder sound was the result of using an implement other than one's hand, and he remembered Ness stopping in the kitchen before she disappeared upstairs. He didn't think the sound of (what he guessed was) a wooden spoon could be easily talked over, but he tried regardless.
Aaron had once again looked vaguely queasy, and he pressed his body next to Dave's, seeking comfort. Dave understood- it sounded painful- and wrapped an arm around Hotch in response. He continued trying to start a conversation- sitting in silence listening to a spanking felt too intrusive. However, Aaron's responses to conversation continued to be clipped, and he was starting to approach disrespectful, so Dave tried to find something else for them to do before his protege managed to land himself over his lap as well.
Glancing around their surroundings, he grabbed the nearest piece of paper and a pen, drawing out a grid of dots and making the first line himself. Dots and Boxes was a good way to pass time- despite its quick nature, the game required strategy- not to mention, Aaron's competitive streak ensured his focus- and the men were able to draw their attention away from the sounds of a spoon meeting a punished backside. He kept one ear open, not as uncomfortable with hearing the sounds of corporal punishment proceeding as Aaron was. He heard the smacks of the spoon draw to a close, followed by silence; Dave suspected that Ness and Cass were busy hugging Mads, and he squeezed Aaron close in a half-embrace. He nearly laughed when Aaron insisted on squirming out of Dave's hold to finish the game- though he did remain glued to the other man's side.
In an instance of perfect timing, the women reappeared in the living room seconds after they had finished counting their boxes- Dave didn't particularly like to lose, but Aaron's genuine smile when he realized he won was worth it. His peripheral vision caught Ness nudging Mads in Dave's direction; a brief conversation ensued before both women walked over towards Dave and Aaron.
"Sorry for ruining the evening," Mads said; Ness responded with a slight cough and raised eyebrow, and she tried again, "Sorry for disrupting the evening?" she asked more than stated, looking at Ness, who nodded. Hotch too had a tendency to catastrophize and place all possible blame on himself, and the scene that played out between Ness and Maddy was similar to many conversations he had had with Aaron.
"You didn't ruin anything," Dave reassured the young spy, "Aaron and I just finished a game of Dots and Boxes- I've never met anyone who played quite as competitively as him." Dave grinned as he squeezed the arm wrapped around Hotch, who turned red and tried to stammer out a rebuttal, ultimately giving up and shrugging. His gentle teasing had the correct effect on the room as well, steering away from a more somber tone evoked by genuine apology.
Quickly, they settled on some inconsequential movie, and the group curled up on the couches- while Dave didn't cuddle Aaron, he was pleased when the younger man leaned into his half-embrace. Mads was pressed tightly between Ness and Cass, still needing the comfort that came with increased gentleness after a spanking. Ness passed popcorn around, in fun flavors, and the coffee table in front of the two men had bowls of Cajun, peanut butter, and caramel flavored popcorn. Unsurprisingly, by the end of the movie, there were a handful of pieces on the floor as well- kernels that fell short of their target when lobbed at the other sofa. It was sort of goofy, but he felt himself continue to relax, away from a neverending caseload. He and Hotch had truly needed the vacation.
And, Dave was beginning to realize, the casually open way discipline was handled in the Bradley-Verity household, like the way Mads had been swatted by Ness or Cass while the profilers were still in the room, seemed to give Aaron permission to let his guard down a little. His protege had stopped trying to conceal wincing as he sat, and seemed to give himself permission to fidget in his seat more often.
It also made Aaron less unwilling to engage in small acts of disobedience; maybe because he knew he wouldn't have to wait to be punished, or because he knew that it would be handled and over without questions from the residents of the household- regardless of the reason, Dave found his palm starting to itch as Hotch seemed to toe the line more and more. Rossi could tell every time the kid was about to misbehave, because his eyes would briefly flicker over to the couch where the women sat.
In a way, he's glad- Aaron never got a chance to be a child, to make inconsequential mistakes and to be playful. It's only when the slight teasing approaches disrespect that Dave starts wanting to smack the kid's bottom. Repeatedly.
And, in retrospect, he really should have just swatted the kid on the spot, instead of giving him warning looks and the unspoken promise of a spanking if he didn't knock it off. Ness and Cass certainly seemed comfortable enough swatting Maddy, even in the company of Aaron and Dave. He didn't know how Hotch would react, though, to a part of discipline- an intensely private thing- openly given. He didn't seem that phased when Ness or Cass swatted their troublemaker (though when the girl had earned a dozen spanks, instead of merely a few, Dave had found Aaron seeking comfort from him,) but still, Dave wasn't sure. In the future, at least privately (or in the company of people like Ness and Cass and Mads- people who understood,) he would, he decided after his protege continued to toe the line. And, in retrospect, perhaps that had been what Hotch was pushing for all along, complete with the same easy casual nature with regards to discipline and comfort.
The movie ended but none of them moved for a moment, comfortable on the soft, worn couches. Dave stirs first, nudging Aaron to rise as well. "C'mon, help me with the popcorn bowls," he suggested to Aaron and watched as the younger man's eyes darted to the other sofa before returning to look Dave straight in the eye as he refused, in a tone that Dave was sure his protege knew was disrespectful.
"I've been warning you about your tone all night," Dave said, his own gaze drifting over to Ness- who rolled her eyes, as if it were a ridiculous notion for Dave to be worried about her reaction to his troublesome son. Though, given that she had no such qualms about her own kid, he should have expected she'd be okay with it. Outwardly scolding Aaron, audibly, in front of other people just felt wrong. Perhaps, and probably, he would acquire the same level of casualness that Ness possessed, but for the moment, he struggled to keep his eyes on Aaron as the younger man fought back, a steely glint in his eye that let Rossi know that he wouldn't willingly back down.
"I'm an adult, Dave," Hotch retorted hotly, and Dave knew then that Aaron's misbehavior was absolutely a matter of pushing at the boundaries. Hotch had learned that arguing his adulthood, in pursuit of trying to avoid the consequences of his behavior, didn't go over so well with Dave; he knew what Dave's reaction would be to the claim, and so his evocation of the argument made it clear that the younger man was looking for trouble. Privately, Dave wondered if his protege fell back on that argument because he found it reassuring to be told that no, he wasn't solely responsible for making sure his life didn't fall apart- he had help, now.
"You're an adult who needs to go wait for me in the corner of your room," Dave responded evenly, "now," he instructed, and watched Aaron's eyes flicker over to the women again. "Do you need 'help' getting there?" he asked, a thinly-veiled threat that would serve as a litmus test for his protege's intentions- was he actually trying to provoke Dave into swatting him in the company of others? Bingo, he thought as he watched Aaron's eyes once again drift to the other sofa before meeting Dave's once more, the younger man refusing to drop his own glare.
"Alright," he said, mock-casually, "your choice." As he approached Aaron, the younger man eventually dropped his glare, realizing that he had indeed pushed Dave into doling out consequences. In the back of his mind, Dave wondered how aware of his own intentions Aaron actually was. Reaching the kid in a matter of seconds, he spun Aaron towards the stairs and propelled him forward with several sharp spanks, until Hotch scurried forward of his own accord.
"Pajamas, then the corner," Dave repeated to Aaron's departing back, before turning back towards the living room. "Could you get the popcorn bowls?" he asked Ness, who rolled her eyes at his apologetic tone.
"'Course, Dave," she waved him off, "go take care of your boy, we can handle a few dishes. Then we have our own discussion." Dave raised his eyebrows in surprise- what did Maddy manage to do- but the girl didn't see as she whined and buried her face into Ness's shoulder.
"Nightcap?" she mouthed over Maddy's head.
Dave couldn't have suggested a better idea himself.
-o-o-o-o-o-
It's not that he wanted a spanking, per se. He just… needed to see how Dave would change his own responses, in the company of people obviously casual with the idea of spanking their adult underlings. He needed to know if, like Maddy, he could expect sharp swats to his rear when he was mouthy (though, he wondered, if that was actually the status quo in the Bradley-Verity household, or if it was a response to how much trouble Mads had found herself in that day, which Aaron had to admit was an impressive amount of trouble, even by his standards.) He also needed to know if, should Dave swat him, he would get the same casual affection Ness and Cass showed Mads. He wasn't big on hugs and cuddling, normally, but seeing it so normalized made him wonder how it would feel. He couldn't deny that he sometimes clinged to Dave after a hard spanking; if he were particularly rattled, he'd be his mentor's shadow (not that he would ever admit that.)
He wasn't stupid enough to continue pushing Dave, so as soon as he made it to the room he was staying in, he went to stand in the corner. He did have some sense of self-preservation, however minimal Dave claimed it to be. Besides, he was trying to test Dave's reaction in front of people; now that they were privately talking, he had no reason to try to get in further trouble. He heard Dave enter the room, but was mindful not to turn his attention from the plain walls in front of him until his mentor spoke.
"Alright, Aaron," Rossi said, "c'mere." Though he despised the corner, he wasn't looking forward to his upcoming 'discussion' with Dave. Regardless, he didn't want to push any further and made his way to where Dave was sitting on the bed, drifting by the older man's side, nervously. Typically, he was allowed to bend over the bed or a table if his misbehavior was relatively mild; typically, only things like lying to Dave or putting himself in danger would guarantee a trip over his mentor's lap. So he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why Dave was sitting on the bed and why he'd positioned himself accordingly without a thought.
Dave had probably realized the root of Aaron's misbehavior, quite possibly before even Aaron himself did. That was the most plausible scenario, he decided- after all, he hadn't exactly been subtle when he tried the 'adult' argument- what was it they say? "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." He knew what he had signed up for the moment the words left his lips.
He suddenly realized that this was the first time he had actually tried to get into trouble. Despite what the older man said about some of his stunts 'demanding attention,' he had never yet done something to deliberately get in trouble with that being the sole motivating factor. Yeah, he did things he knew Dave wouldn't approve of, like entering a hostage situation unarmed, sans vest, but those were choices made in a larger context. This time, he was just being ornery, and the realization sobered him- he had decided to make Dave's life more difficult, for absolutely no reason, and he felt like a tool.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, genuinely remorseful for the inconvenience he caused. Dave helped him over his lap, and Aaron was pleased to retain all articles of clothing.
"I know you are, kid," Dave said, and Aaron could not, for the life of him, figure out why his mentor's tone was tinged with amusement. He was a holy terror, Dave should be furious at him.
"I'm sorry," he repeated fervently, voice laced with self-recrimination.
"Hey," Dave said, pulling him out of his miserable thoughts, "it's alright. You were a little naughty," did Dave really have to word it like that, "and we'll deal with it quickly. It's just a little spanking," he said, and Aaron couldn't help but think that Dave, sitting on an unspanked bottom, could call it a 'little spanking.' However, he found that the soreness from earlier, plus the new spanks, kindled an inferno rapidly.
This place was safe, he knew- he could just simply be, without the worries of having to impress his superiors on the job. Dave would stick around regardless of Aaron's behavior (or so the older man claimed, but Hotch had always struggled in believing those words.) He was already over the older man's lap, the worst that would happen, probably, is that he'd get a harder spanking. Which, while unpleasant, wasn't world-shattering. He was safe to just be, his stoicism flying out the window.
If Dave was surprised, he didn't show it, continuing the punishment with an even intensity. It didn't take long for the soreness in his backside to become unbearable, his squirming (as undignified as it was,) increasing as tears sprang to his eyes. However, before they had the chance to fall, Dave ceased spanking but continued to hold Aaron over his lap. Though he made to stand, Dave's hand on his back didn't relent, keeping him over the older man's lap, and his hopes for an easy (well, easier) spanking were dashed.
"I'm gonna ask you a few questions," Dave said, "and I expect honesty." He swatted Aaron again, as if to emphasize his point. "Were you trying to get in trouble?" Dave asked.
Leave it to his mentor to require honesty, then ask a question for which Aaron's answer would surely land him in more trouble. However, he knew Rossi was expecting a response.
"Yes," Hotch admitted, sounding pained even to his own ears.
"Why?"
Not wanting to answer that, he clamped his jaw shut in a refusal to answer. Dave, evidently not impressed, landed a volley of swats to his thighs in particular, and soon he was squirming.
"I'll ask again," Dave said, ceasing the spanking.
"I… uh… well I…" Aaron stammered, unable to voice his intentions, too ashamed. Dave, in response to his non-answer, gave Hotch another dozen swats.
"Trying," Aaron said, and as soon as he did, he regretted his tone. Dave, who didn't ever not pick up on something, he was convinced, apparently didn't appreciate his tone either, if the next dozen spanks were any indication. Regardless of his non-answer, Dave apparently decided to take pity on Hotch- yes or no questions were easier to navigate.
"You seemed pretty shaken by Maddy's punishments," his mentor said, rubbing his back gently instead of spanking. He didn't wait for Hotch to continue before he spoke again, "did it bother you that you could hear?" Aaron thought about that for a moment before answering.
"No," he said, truthfully. "It was just… unnerving, hearing it," he tried to explain, realizing that he had just contradicted himself. "I guess it bothered me?" he said, "Not that it was happening, I just…" he couldn't put into words the feelings that had him inching closer to Dave when he heard the sounds of a spanking from upstairs earlier. Dave's hand rubbed circles on his back soothingly before continuing.
"Did you want to see what I would do in the company of people who understand?" Dave asked, and Aaron winced at the accuracy- it sounded worse out loud, to him. Regardless, he had promised honesty, and Dave had completely uncovered his motives.
"Yes," he said, unable to elaborate on it further. Dave paused again, but it wasn't an unsettling silence- Rossi continued to rub circles on his back, settling him. When the older profiler asked his next question, Hotch understood why his mentor had taken the time to get him calm.
"Did you want me to spank you in front of the others?" Dave asked the question Hotch was dreading answering. Despite the bizarre nature of the statement, he didn't sound incredulous or judgemental. Still, he shrugged, unwilling to admit what he knew to be true. "Verbal answers," his mentor reminded him with several sharp swats- the pain was really starting to build up, again, and he squirmed miserably. Dave returned to rubbing his back and he settled down somewhat, but he knew that his mentor was expecting an answer.
"No," he said, "well yes, but no?" his voice reflected his confusion with his mental state. How did he explain that seeing how loving Ness's family was made him want Dave to behave similarly towards him; he found himself thinking he was pathetic. "They just," he tried to voice his thoughts, stammering out a few words at a time. "Love," he said, and a moment later stammered out "casual," and then "want." He hated that he couldn't form a coherent thought, but his backside was sore and his mind was confused.
"Ah," Dave said, sounding like he perfectly understood Aaron; Hotch didn't know how, considering he wasn't even sure of his own thoughts. "It's part of having a family," Rossi said, "and it's okay to want that." They had spent a long time talking through his guilt at that desire, but fortunately his mentor didn't seem like reinforcing that particular lesson. Then, his mentor paused for a long moment, still not letting Aaron up from his lap. He tried to be good, he really did, but eventually his nervousness got the better of him.
"Dave?" he asked, his voice wobbly.
"I know kid," Dave soothed, rubbing his back again, "I'm sorry, I need a moment to think." That was ominous, and Aaron fought to keep any sign of his fear at bay. "You have a choice," the veteran profiler said, surprising Aaron, "I need a moment to think- you can either stand in the corner or you can stay over my lap like this, whichever you prefer."
Hotch, on some level, appreciated the offer- he wasn't often prone to wanting physical contact, and Dave was offering him a solution that might make him more comfortable. But, on a more emotional level, Dave's offer devastated him- did his mentor want to send him away because he was so angry?
"Stay," he said, nearly immediately, "uh, if that's really alright," he mumbled as an addition.
"Of course it's alright, kiddo- wouldn't have offered otherwise," Dave said, and the older profiler rubbed circles onto his back as he thought. Hotch was glad Dave allowed him to stay like this- while he ordinarily would find it embarrassing and uncomfortable, the thought of having to go stand in the corner was nearly unbearable for some reason. It wasn't more than a couple of minutes, though it felt like years to Aaron, when his mentor spoke again.
"Alright, we'll try it; if it doesn't work for us, it doesn't work for us- I care more about you being comfortable than I care about discipline, far more," Dave rubbed his back, "regardless, you're stuck with me." While he thought he probably should have felt more put off- after all, he was a grown man, laying over his mentor's lap- but in the moment, all he really cared about was the fact that his behavior had forced Dave to punish the younger man. Filled with genuine remorse, he mumbled another apology.
"I know," Dave soothed in response, "I forgive you. You just have a little bit more spanking to go, then we're square." While it didn't surprise Aaron that what he had received earlier wasn't the complete spanking, and while his remorse was almost grateful for that, he, on principle, whined a little, softly, under his breath, at the decree. "I know kid," his mentor said, sounding like he was biting back a chuckle, but the warm fondness that colored his tone soothed Aaron, who nodded.
A moment later, a stinging spank landed; he thought it was harder than the other swats had been, and it drew a whimper immediately. A few more hard, hard spanks and Aaron was trying to wriggle to avoid the punishing hand. Dave had apparently decided he wasn't fooling around, and after a few more spanks, the older man paused and rubbed Aaron's back. However, Rossi didn't say anything, so Hotch figured that they weren't yet done. He did appreciate the pause, though, and the stinging in his rear subsided somewhat.
Until Dave picked up again, and once again the heat very rapidly built in his already-punished behind. A few more spanks, and Dave returned to rubbing his back. Hotch was confused- typically, punishments didn't include so many pauses, and he didn't know what the veteran profiler was thinking. Then again, it didn't exactly matter what he was thinking, because Aaron was safe over his lap, he knew; while a stinging bottom was not fun, he knew that Dave would never seriously hurt him. So, he stayed quiet as well, waiting for the next round of spanks.
"Atta boy," Dave said, and though Aaron didn't know what prompted the praise from his mentor, he appreciated it regardless. "Six more spanks to go, then it's all done, kiddo," he murmured in a gentle voice and Aaron was surprised; Dave had never given him a number like that, before. He didn't know if he preferred it or despised it- on one hand, he knew it would be over soon, but on the other hand, he knew exactly what was coming and he could feel himself start to become worked up over it.
Dave quelled the building anxiety very effectively, landing 6 hard spanks rapidly, all on his thighs. The pain made him halfheartedly squirm, and the tears in his eyes were dangerously close to falling. However, after those spanks were done, Rossi returned to rubbing his back until he felt steady enough to stand. Dave stood with him before drawing him into a tight, tight hug.
"It's okay to want a family," the older man said to him, "and some naughtiness is okay too." Aaron found that both reassuring and disturbing- did Dave think that he was going to get in trouble again soon? Probably, and he was probably right. He let himself relax into Dave's embrace, for far longer than he would typically allow himself. If his mentor was surprised, though, he didn't say it.
"C'mon, bed," Rossi said, pulling down the covers of the bed after Aaron had pulled away from the hug. The first few times his mentor had effectively tucked him in, he had been embarrassed, though he admitted the way Dave openly showed his affection was nice. After a little while, it started to feel more normal and ceased being embarrassing (which was good, giving the increasing frequency of the action.) He climbed into the bed- on his stomach, which made Dave's lips twitch upwards. He couldn't be annoyed about it, suddenly finding himself exhausted.
"Sleep well," Dave said, smoothing the covers over Aaron and turning off the bedside light.
"Stay?" he asked, fidgeting a little, still insecure, as he waited for a response.
"Of course," Dave said, sitting down on the side of the bed. The last thing Aaron remembered before drifting off to sleep was a large, comforting hand rubbing his back once more.
-o-o-o-o-o-
"Alright, darling," Ness drawled after Dave had disappeared up the stairs, "I'll go sort the popcorn bowls out, you go on upstairs. Pajamas, then corner," she said with a light swat to Maddy's bottom. The younger girl stood but looked uncertain, not wanting to drift too far from Ness or Cass. She really shouldn't have been surprised- Maddy had had a hard day, and it was partially due to a fear that she'd be cast off by her surrogate parents. Ness pulled Mads into another hug, feeling the girl cling as she looked over the younger agent's head at her fiance, who nodded. Ness was beyond thankful to have a partner like Cass, the two women had an unshakable relationship and frequently had entire conversations without uttering a word (a skill useful for 'parenting,' she'd admit.)
"Here, sweet girl," Cass chimed in gently as she guided Maddy away from Ness and towards the stairs, "I'm staying with you, it's alright, you're not being sent away," the sound of her reassurances grew faint as the two disappeared up the stairs, leaving Ness to take care of the popcorn bowls.
Only a few moments later, Ness pushed open the door to Maddy's room, feeling bad when the girl startled at the noise. Ness could tell by her body language and breathing that Mads was about to start panicking; it wasn't all that surprising, given the rookie's typical hypervigilance and the fact that her back was exposed to the room. And her backside, but Ness would ask Cass about that later.
She immediately went towards her surrogate daughter, who was trying her hardest to follow the rules and remain looking at the walls of the corner, her body minutely trembling from the exertion that took. "It's alright, darling," Ness said, pulling her into her arms. Maddy took that as permission to cling, her arms wrapped around Ness.
It was times like this, where Maddy was overwrought and on the verge of panic, when Ness actually appreciated the girl's slim build (typically, it worried her, because Mads had a tendency to forget meals. It had gotten better, once she started living with them practically full-time, but despite Ness's best efforts, Maddy would still forget to eat for the duration of an assignment.) She lifted the small frame easily, her surrogate daughter easily clinging to her. Rearranging themselves like earlier, Ness found herself with a lapful of Maddy as Cass sat close by and gently tugged up the girl's pants, which had been forgotten about in her panic.
Ness met Cass's eyes in question, and Cass responded by mouthing, "fidgeting." Mads sometimes struggled with standing still and not moving in the corner- to avoid giving the girl even more spanking on an already sore rear, she must have tugged down the pants instead. Maddy hated that, she knew (Ness knew that corner time this week would be hard on Mads, in part because she and Cass had decided that corner time would be, by default, with pants around her knees.)
Slowly, Maddy's breathing evened out, and she pulled back from the embrace, unable to meet Ness's eyes. "It's alright, darling," Ness said, "you're alright." Maddy's eyes flickered up, catching Ness's for a split second before the girl returned to hiding her face against her mentor's shoulder. She let her charge cling to her for another minute before she patted Maddy's bottom, getting her attention, "I think we still have a couple things to take care of," she said, She didn't want to rush Mads, but the more over-tired the rookie got, the more likely she was to get into more trouble, and Ness wasn't sure she could bear handing out even more punishment.
Having a partner in this proved to be frequently convenient as typically at least one was around whenever Maddy needed a 'parent.' They rarely disciplined the girl together, though- Ness tended to handle all infractions related to work, while Cass tended to handle the trouble Mads found herself in at home (or the mall, or on a hike, or… really, Maddy was talented in her ability to find trouble anywhere.) Though, after today, Ness thought that would maybe change- at least during those times where Maddy is particularly upset or panicked. Once again, Cass gently pulled Mads away from the embrace and helped situate the girl over Ness's lap; she tugged the pajama pants and underwear down, baring Maddy's still red bottom. Ness didn't want the girl to bruise, but she had promised a bedtime spanking, and knew she needed to follow through; still, she looked at the hot bottom over her lap for a moment, evaluating the best course of action to bring the least lasting damage to Maddy.
The girl would hate it, but the least red part of Maddy's backside was her thighs. A spanking entirely on the thighs seemed a little harsh for a bedtime spanking, but the magnitude of trouble Mads had found herself in was unlike the typical trouble that resulted in bedtime spankings. The advantage was that the thighs tended to be sensitive, and it probably wouldn't take too many swats to get her point across. With that in mind, she repositioned Maddy slightly, making her thighs more accessible. Cass, obviously understanding her fiance's intentions, winced in sympathy for Maddy, reaching out to hold the girl's hands.
Realizing that asking Maddy why she was being punished was basically inviting the girl to get in more trouble, Ness spoke, scolding gently. "When you end up with more than one spanking a day, you get a spanking at bedtime too," it was odd, she used to barely be able to say the word out loud, too mortified- now, it was an admittedly frequently used term in her vocabulary.
"Your first spanking was for not paying attention during a meeting, where the boss noticed that you weren't listening to him. Your second spanking was for snapping at a coworker, and using inappropriate language for work- I'm not going to wash your mouth out for that, though I should, so consider this a warning, kiddo," she had already had to do that once that day, and really didn't want a repeat- neither did Mads, if the soft whine was any indication. "Your third spanking was for being disrespectful and cursing at me, earlier," Ness continued to lay out Maddy's misbehavior.
"Sweet girl, you landed yourself in a world of trouble," Cass chimed in, her thumbs rubbing the back of Maddy's hands. At the rookie's shuttered breathing, she continued, "but it's okay. We'll take care of this as a family, the same way we always do, and then it's all in the past."
"You're already forgiven, darling," Ness said, bringing down the first few swats to Maddy's thighs, "this is just to help remind you to make better choices tomorrow." Mads kicked a little at a particularly hard spank, but Ness didn't comment on it- Mads was clearly trying, but Ness was spanking sensitive skin, skin that had already been spanked, no less. Ness would be more concerned if Maddy weren't a little squirmy, and the hitched breaths that preceded crying came quickly. A few more hard swats brought tears to Maddy's eyes, and another few spanks across the very tops of her thighs caused them to fall. She landed a few more spanks to close out the punishment, returned the kid's clothing, then rubbed Maddy's back softly until she had calmed down somewhat.
She could tell Mads was confused when Ness helped lift her up; Mads wrapped her arms around her, clinging, and Ness felt like the biggest ass in the world as she pried the girl away after only holding her for a moment. The kid's stricken eyes cut through Ness before she turned her attention to Cass, confused and probably worried.
"You still have corner time tonight, sweet girl," Cass explained gently while Ness struggled internally. Fortunately, Cass could see how hard this was on her fiance and took charge, helping the reluctant rookie to the corner. "A half hour," Ness heard her love reassure their 'daughter,' who whined as Cass tugged her pants and boyshorts down to her knees once more but thankfully didn't argue. "Just a half hour, and then all the cuddles you need, I promise," she could tell from her fiance's voice that Cass was feeling a little guilty over the punishment, even; Ness had a tendency to feel guilty over punishing Mads, though she knew the girl benefited from it, while Cass was more pragmatic about it. Tonight was a lot, though, for all of them, and Ness looked forward to when the half hour was up and she could cuddle her distraught daughter.
Cass returned to sit on the bed with Ness; they had learned long ago that they really couldn't leave Maddy in the corner alone in a room- it was a surefire way to induce panic. Ness reached for her fiance's hand, and Cass squeezed her hand before resting their foreheads against each other.
"It'll be okay," Cass reassured Ness, quiet enough that Mads couldn't hear, "in a half hour we can hug her and stop feeling like monsters." At that, Ness couldn't help but to crack a small grin.
"Thought you didn't get guilty," she teased gently, equally inaudibly.
"Today was bad, Ness," Cass admitted, closing her eyes. Ness knew what Cass meant- Mads had settled down a lot since they brought her into their family, and usually didn't push for trouble because she was feeling insecure. However, for a long while, every so often she could go completely off the rails, pushing to see if Ness and Cass would catch her. They did, every time, but it came with several painful conversations. It was strange to think that they were once more used to this magnitude of discipline, and Ness shoved the thought away before she could become queasy.
"I know," Ness said instead, "she just needs a lot of reassurance right now; I think that once she gets to know Dave and Aaron better, on a full night's sleep, she'll feel more secure again." With the way they talked, it sometimes felt like she was on one of those hammy armchair psychiatrist TV shows (in part because Cass had done considerable research on the topic once Ness started to seriously entertain the idea of a more 'hands-on' approach with Maddy.)
A pained-sounding breath broke their tete-a-tete as both women looked towards Mads in the corner, then back to each other, alarmed. Ness suspected it was a product of Maddy's childhood, the way she was able to hide panic; it had taken a while, but Ness had learned her surrogate daughter's minute physical tells of anxiety. It was actually part of why she preferred having the girl over her lap for a hiding, nowadays. So for Mads to have such a blatant sign of anxiety meant that she had likely been panicking for a long while, and guilt washed over Ness as she sprang to her feet and booked it to the corner.
Maddy didn't respond, looking at the wall and clearly trying to behave, so Ness simply picked her up again and carried her back to the bed, gently settling her between the two 'parents.' Mads winced as she was sat on her bottom, and Ness pulled her close so she was putting more weight on her hip. She helped the girl right her underwear, but untangled the pants from between her legs and pulled them off. Maddy, still panicked, looked unsure at that, probably expecting more punishment.
"It's okay, darling," Ness soothed, "you're okay, I just thought you would appreciate not having to pull pants over a hot bottom." That apparently reassured Maddy, who went back to clinging to Ness with a fierceness that spoke to the magnitude of her anxiety.
"Was it too much?" Cass asked, "the bedtime spanking and the corner, with not a lot of time for hugs between?" The way she phrased it, Ness knew that her fiance had been trying to figure out what had gone wrong as the kid calmed down. Mads shrugged, but neither woman had the heart to scold her for it. "Sweet girl," Cass tried, instead, "you're not in more trouble, but we don't like to see you hurt, and if we know what happened, we can hopefully avoid scaring you like that again."
"It was just… a lot?" Mads tried, after thinking over Cass's words, "I just… you were mad and I wasn't forgiven yet and I wanted to be good but I clearly can't be good if today proves anything and I'm not worth sticking around for," once Maddy started talking, she couldn't stop the stream of anxieties from tumbling from her lips, the words nearly blending together. Again, Cass's eyes met Ness's over Maddy's head- they had made it a point to not let her say things like 'I'm not worth it' about herself, but neither woman particularly wanted to discipline her further. Ness knew that Cass could tell she couldn't take it, and was glad when her fiance smoothly interrupted.
"You know better than to say those things about yourself," Cass gently scolded, causing the overwrought rookie to curl even closer to Ness. The senior agent felt even worse at that, and was glad that she had a 'co-parent' to help. Maddy, apparently aware of the implication of Cass's words, disentangled one hand from Ness's shirt in a weak attempt to block her bottom. Cass gently took Maddy's hand, moving it out of the way. "No sweet girl," she said, still gently, "we love you too much to let you think that poorly of yourself." Cass's words caused Mads to take a shuttery breath, and the younger woman squeezed her eyes shut and hid her face against Ness's shoulder. They weren't going to draw this out, there was no ritual to it, and so Ness just held Maddy close to her.
"Just two spanks," Cass told Maddy gently, "to remind you that we love you too much to let you say those things about yourself." Ness held Maddy tightly as Cass delivered the two swats with a cupped hand; it was a trick designed to amplify the sound of a smack without causing more pain- Maddy would think she was being punished, but it would affect her very little physically, which was good because Ness was sure the girl was already going to wake up the next morning still sore. As soon as she finished, she rubbed Maddy's back, still holding her hand, "All done, sweet girl," she said, "you did well." Mads shrugged, and Ness knew that she probably wasn't going to like whatever the rookie would say next.
"Not really," Mads mumbled, "how much longer do I have in the corner?" she sounded miserable, but resolved, and Ness realized that she didn't even think about the fact that Maddy technically hadn't completed corner time. She shot Cass a look, silently begging her to let it go, but Cass shot her back a sharp look, reminding her that they couldn't just let things slide without it hurting Maddy in the long run.
"Fifteen minutes," Cass said, wincing, "do you think you could handle it, now?" she asked. Maddy's hand tightened in Ness's shirt, and Ness guessed that the reason Mads wasn't answering was because she didn't want to lie. "I'm going to suggest an idea," Cass said, trying to disguise the trepidation in her voice (Ness, at least, could see right through it.) "I saw this idea somewhere, but if you're not comfortable with it, you need to tell us, okay?" she asked Maddy. "We don't want to harm you, sweet girl," and both women could tell how poorly Maddy was feeling that she didn't even joke about them harming her rear end.
"Would you feel better if your corner time wasn't in the corner, but was over one of our laps?" Cass asked- the idea didn't surprise Ness, but she would have never thought of it herself, and she was pretty sure this was a result of Cass's readings. Maddy nodded miserably against her shoulder and, knowing that Cass couldn't see the action, Ness stopped rubbing Maddy's back for a moment to flash her fiance a thumbs up sign.
Mads seemed unwilling to separate herself from Ness, so Cass again helped settle the girl across her mentor's lap, keeping her movements gentle. "Fifteen minutes, sweet girl," Cass said, bending down to kiss the top of Maddy's head before again gently lowering her underwear to her knees. Mads whined, probably feeling it as well as a little embarrassment, but didn't argue or try to move, which they were all thankful for.
In total, it was probably the most involved 'time out' they had ever given Maddy, and also broke every rule of the traditional corner time. Ness rubbed the girl's back the whole time, and Cass had gently carded through Maddy's hair with her fingers, both motions soothing the girl so they could get through the night without further incident.
Finally, the timer went off, and Cass helped right Maddy's boyshorts before helping her up and back into a hug. The three of them sat curled together for a few minutes, Ness hoping that it would help Maddy remember how much she was cared for, and eventually Maddy yawned- given the tumultuous night and the fact that she didn't nap nearly as long as Aaron did earlier, Ness wasn't surprised by the girl's drooping eyelids.
Helping Mads under the covers, both whispered their good nights to the rookie, and then sat together at the edge of the bed until they were certain Maddy was asleep.
That nightcap was looking better and better.
-o-o-o-o-o-
A.N.- Poor kiddos, tomorrow will be a better day for them! Someone asked if I was planning to have the 'kids' get in trouble together- the answer is a definite yes! I'm 100% planning on having them become 'partners in crime,' feeling like they're really family. Also, poor Mads is the guinea pig here- and Aaron benefits (or doesn't benefit, depending on who you ask) from the knowledge Ness passes to Dave. I intentionally kept one of the spankings 'off screen' for now, because I wanted to torture Hotch a little bit. I'm assuming that people want to see it, so I was planning on including it in the next chapter as sort of a 'flashback' when the 'adults' have their nightcap.
Anyways, as per usual, let me know what you think and also if you want to see anything in particular happen! Until next time…
- lms