When Stefan walked into the kitchen, he was very surprised to see Damon sitting at the table with Bree and Rose, chatting amicably.

"Why didn't you mention your brother was such a sweetheart?" Rose asked.

"Because he's not," Stefan said shortly.

Rose narrowed her eyes. "That's strike one, young man."

She and Trevor had only been in Lexi's household for a few years, but she'd quickly worked her way up in the pecking order as Lexi's second. Made sense, because she was over nine hundred years old, but it felt like she'd achieved that by mostly by disciplining Stefan. She was quite cross that she wasn't allowed to put Stefan over her knee and he suspected she took that out by punishing him more with approved methods. Stefan had been spending a lot of time with his nose pressed in a corner lately. On some level, Stefan understood. To her, he must look like a bratty toddler. And, from the way she handled Trevor, it was clear she had very little patience for brats.

But Stefan had little patience with her, too. He folded his arms. "At your age, I'd expect you to be able to see through my brother's shallow charm."

"Strike two," Rose was infuriatingly calm, "you will not enjoy the consequences of a third strike."

"I'll be adding to your punishment if it gets to that point," Bree's disappointment was crushing.

Stefan felt the familiar rush of guilt building up. Bree was usually so gentle and understanding with him. In any other situation, he would be offering up apologies. But, the last time he'd seen Damon was after he'd killed their young cousin, Leah. She'd only been twenty-four. She'd looked so much like their mom, with her long black hair, cool blue eyes, and a rare but sweet smile.

He stormed over to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle of deer blood. Then he tossed it in the sink with enough force to make the bottle burst and splatter everywhere. He wasn't going to clean it up unless an adult made him. "Don't trust him," he leaned against the kitchen island and tried not to feel guilty about Bree's disappointed face. He looked straight into Rose's eyes. "You'll only get misery for the trouble, ma'am."

"What is wrong with you?" Rose asked. Her eyes were blazing. "He's your brother. Do you know how rare it for a vampire to get to keep a sibling?"

"Not rare enough," Stefan spat.

Unexpectedly, she teared up. It hit Stefan that he was as ignorant of her history as she was his. However, before he could try and make amends, Damon intervened.

"Come here, Stefan," Damon was crooking his finger. He hadn't done that since 1930. A chill went up Stefan's spine. It took a lot of effort to stay still. Damon's voice became significantly harder. "Now."

Stefan had no choice but to obey. As soon as he was close enough, Damon grabbed Stefan's wrist and yanked him over his lap. He reached down and quickly undid Stefan's fly in order to bare his cheeks and thighs. Stefan flushed and squirmed as the cool air hit his naked skin. Bree had seen him get a bare bottom spanking from Lexi, but Rose hadn't. From her position, Rose could see everything. Stefan planned to keep his legs closed, no matter what.

"Lexi's going to be pissed," Bree said.

"Let her be," Damon snapped. Stefan heard a zipper being undone. He twisted around to see his brother take a tube of some sort out of a duffel bag. "Eyes on the floor, Stefan." Stefan looked down. "Fold your arms behind your back." Stefan folded his arms behind his back. Damon grabbed his wrist hard enough to bruise and moved his arms up so he could pin them near the top of Stefan's back. It was very uncomfortable. "You are going to regret being cruel to Rose."

Stefan tried to get up and was rewarded with a pair of hard smacks to his sit spots. They pain was brief, but so intense that he had no choice but to settle over Damon's lap. "You're a fucking hypocrite."

"I'm washing out your mouth and putting you in the corner when Damon's done with you," Rose said. Her tone brokered no argument.

"I'll be adding to it," Bree said, sounding very unhappy. Stefan's chest tightened. "I'm also going to suggest Lexi take her brush to you."

Stefan tried to protest, "Neither of you understand - "

Damon shut him down, "I only want to hear sir or tears for the duration of your punishments." He made sure Stefan got the message by giving him a full round of extremely painful smacks. It had been decades since Stefan had been taught with that lesson. Damon made sure every inch of Stefan's cheeks and thighs were disciplined. They didn't receive equal attention as Damon gave Stefan's creases three hard slaps before he continued circuiting. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Damon's hand was back on Stefan's bottom. But instead of smacking it, he was rubbing some sort of cream into it. It was ice cold. Until it wasn't. It felt like Damon was rubbing literal fire into Stefan's skin. And it was not healing. Worse, Damon kept dipping back into the tube to get handfuls of more cream to spread every inch of his thighs and cheeks. The pain was so bad that Stefan actually tried to get off Damon's knee without permission, but Damon just held him down and added more cream.

"What is that?" Bree asked.

"Some sort of witchy brew Sage commissioned," Damon said. He was completely unbothered by Stefan's kicking legs and hysterical tears. "She gave me some extra for Stef, but Lexi didn't want it."

"She's too soft with him," Rose said, "he's a young child and a ripper. Going to bed with a hot bottom for a month would do him so much good."

"I know," Damon said. Stefan would normally have thoughts about his dark tone, but Damon was adding extra cream to Stefan's under curve. Stefan wept brokenly. "Can one of you grab me a towel and a flipper?"

"Got it," Rose said.

"Your hand," Stefan could hear Bree coming over, "it looks worse than Stefan's bottom."

"I should have put on some gloves," Damon said, "but I had to hold you down, didn't I, Stefan?" Stefan was in no position to do anything but cry and wiggle. He was sure that his spanking spots were being burned to a crisp and there was nothing he could do but lie over Damon's knee and fail to kick away the pain. "Thank you, Rose." Stefan's arms slumped down when Damon let him go. "It won't burn so much in a few minutes, little brother."

Damon was right. After a few minutes the fire burning him cooled down to an itchy heat.

"The worst part is over," Damon's voice was firm but gentle. "I'm going to finish you up with this," he tapped Stefan's hot skin with the flat of the flipper, "then you're going to apologize to these fine ladies and submit to their punishments."

Stefan was on autopilot. "Yes, sir."

Damon spanked him with the flipper for a few minutes. He only punished Stefan's poor sit spots this time. He was fast, hitting just by twisting his wrist over and over. The sting would usually produce would be mild, but on his flaming skin, it felt like he was getting a real thrashing. Stefan thought he was too worn out to move, but he was wrong. He rocked his hips and kicked his legs about as his big brother punished him with a smacking.

When he was done, Damon dropped the flipper on the table and pulled Stefan to his feet. Stefan reached back and was able to rub his hot and sore skin for only a brief moment before Damon swatted his left thigh several times and grabbed his wrists in both hands and pinned them to Stefan's sides. "Apologize."

"Yes, sir," Stefan said between sniffling. "I'm sorry for being rude and cruel." He wanted to say more, but he was too tired.

"No rubbing," Damon forced Stefan to fold his arms behind his back and twisted him around. "Go to Rose."

Stefan wanted to put his hands in front of his sex, but didn't have the nerve to move his arms from where they had been placed. He told himself that Rose already got an eyeful as Stefan squirmed and kicked over Damon's knee. It didn't help much. Pants and underwear round his knees, he walked over to her so he could continue being punished.

Rose was standing with a bar of soap in her hand. "Open." Stefan opened his mouth. She put the bar into his mouth. "Sink your teeth into it." Stefan bit the soap. It tasted horrible, but he'd had his mouth washed out enough to be able to tolerate it without spitting it out. When he was fifteen, he discovered the wonders of sarcasm. He'd spent practically the entire winter tasting soap. Then Katherine arrived, and she encouraged his sass while Damon punished it. Sometimes. Damon's conflicting expectations had been impossible to meet during that time.

There was an empty corner in the kitchen. It had been cleared our specifically for Stefan. He spent a lot of time cooking and Lexi agreed with Rose that having a special place in said kitchen to punish Stefan was a good idea. Rose marched him over his corner and urged him to press his nose firmly against the wall. Stefan's pants slipped down to his ankles as he was walked across the room. Stefan's face burned in shame. "I want you to lick the soap. Swallow if you need to. You're going to stand here for an hour and clean your mouth."

Stefan nodded.

Then Bree was behind him. She was giving him two empty buckets to hold. She muttered something that made his stomach drop. The buckets were now just heavy enough to make his arms strain. "I hate doing this to you, but I'm not going to let you become the ripper again."

After Stefan nodded, she pressed a kiss on the top of his head before walking back to the table.

I will not lose control, Stefan thought. He hated when Bree made him do lines like this. He had no control. But it was effective. I will not lose control. He licked the bar of soap until the bubbles became too much and he had to swallow. I will not lose control. Holding the buckets made the ordeal even more unpleasant. I will not lose control. The worst part was his burning and itching bottom. I will not lose control.

"How long is his bottom going to stay red?" Bree asked.

I will not lose control, Stefan thought. He licked the soap. He wanted to shift around to ease the pain in his bottom, but when Rose put him in the corner, she expected him to stand still. I will not lose control.

"For a normal vampire, about an hour," Damon said. Stefan wished he could rub his bottom. He swallowed soap. "For Stefan, probably about a day."

"I like it," Rose said, "standing in the corner with a red hot bottom did wonders to improve Trevor's behavior back when he was human."

"It also makes a spanking hurt more, doesn't it?" Damon asked.

I will not lose control Stefan thought. He licked his soap. Tears burned behind his eyes. He confirmed Damon's claim with a nod. Then he put his nose firmly into the corner. The strain on his arm was almost as bad as the soap on his taste buds. I will not lose control. His bottom ached and burned so much.

"Here," Damon was writing something down, "you can get some for your boys. But Stefan is off limits."

Stefan slumped as he swallowed the bubbly soap. I will not lose control.

"Stand up straight, young man," Rose told him. Stefan obeyed. The strain on his arms was starting to get to him. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm not giving you extra time. Just try your best."

"I'll take care of that." Damon was suddenly behind him and smacking his sore bottom. "You've become very spoiled, baby bro."

Stefan cried as his big brother's strong hands taught him to stay still by smacking new sting into his cheeks. I will not loose control. He hated the taste of the soap! And licking it meant he had to keep tasting it over and over. Damon braced his hand between Stefan's shoulders and brought Stefan's spanking spots to a hot boil. He swallowed the soap and began to lick again. His arms ached and Damon toasted his behind. I will not loose control.

"You don't need to be that hard on him," Bree said.

Damon smacked. Stefan swallowed soap and tears. At least his sore arms weren't bothering him too much. I will not loose control.

"He's a ripper," Rose said. That was enough to quiet Bree's protests.

Stefan couldn't keep standing up. I will not loose control. Damon pushed him up against the wall and spanked his thigh so hard that Stefan's teeth scrapped against the soap. He bit off a big chunk. He forced himself to swallow. I will not loose control. Damon continue to punish by spanking Stefan.

"What the hell is going on in here?"

Lexi was here! She shoved Damon to the ground. She yanked the soap out of his mouth. She peeled his fingers off of the buckets. Stefan reached behind and rubbed his sore skin as he slumped into her arms.

"He was being cruel," Bree said, "look at what he did to the blood."

Stefan deserved his hot bottom and yucky mouth and exhaustion. Last time he went out of way to hurt someone's feelings, he'd felt so guilty he had to turn to human blood to cope. Bree hadn't been alive then, but he and Lexi had both shared what he'd become with her. And with how he'd treated the deer blood, it was no wonder she was so worried.

"I'll write more lines, ma'am," Stefan said. He tried to get out of Lexi's arms, but she refused to let him go. "I need to go back in the corner." He looked over to Rose, who was looking horrified. It was his fault. "I'll eat all the soap, I promise."

"Go to my room," Lexi was pointing at Damon.

"I'm not in your household anymore," Damon said.

"I have three hundred years on you," Lexi said, "so go to my room unless you want me to spank you with my brush right here, right now."

He was so angry. Stefan made him that way. And Lexi was angry. But this was all Stefan's fault. "I should get the hairbrush!"

"Stefan," Damon sounded oddly sad.

Lexi handed him over to Bree, who pulled him into her lap. She was so tall and strong that Stefan easily fit on her lap. Stefan didn't understand why Lexi was so mad at Damon. She gave his brother three powerful smacks on the rear, which convinced him to obey.

"What haven't you told me?" Rose was yelling at Lexi.

"I'm sorry!" Stefan said. He tried to get up to go back to his corner, but Bree wouldn't let him up.

"Stefan isn't Kol, Rose," Lexi rarely yelled, but she was yelling now, "and I'm not Elijah!"

Bree waved her hand. Suddenly, both vampires were sitting at the table and could not get up. "Both of you need to calm down. Take some deep breaths." She chanted and all the aches and pains in Stefan's body instantly faded away. Even the horrible taste of soap was gone.

Stefan rested his head against Bree's shoulder. "Can I please write my lines now?"

"No," Lexi said. Her tone was final. Stefan didn't even dare to sulk. "What happened?"

"I fell for Damon's charm again," Bree admitted, "when Stefan came downstairs and wasn't his usual sweet self, I just assumed the worst. You weren't craving human blood, were you?"

"No more than usual," Stefan said. She looked sad. That was his fault too. "Punishments always help me. Please don't feel guilty."

"If Stefan wasn't slipping, why was Damon so hard on him?" Rose asked.

"Are you actually going to listen to me this time?" Lexi asked.

Bree let Stefan get up. He moved to sit down next to Lexi. She scooted her chair close so that she could grab his hand.

"Yes," Rose said, "please tell me what I'm missing here. I've been in Damon's mind, Lexi. I know he's devoted to Stefan. If I had any idea he was going to tear Stefan apart, I would have taken out his heart."

"Please don't do that," Stefan said, "I deserve everything he gives me."

"Then why were you so angry with him?" Rose asked.

"Leah didn't," Stefan said.

"Their cousin," Lexi said, "Damon killed her in front of Stefan a fear years back. He's got a bad habit of killing what's left of their human family to torture Stefan."

"And his heart is still in his chest, why?" Rose asked.

"Because Stefan loves him," Lexi said, "and buried under all that anger is a good man."

"This is why witches aren't supposed to join vampires," Bree said, "the total disregard for human life is appalling."

Rose and Lexi both looked a tiny bit shamed. Stefan wished he was back in his corner, paying for his sins.

"But the ancestors are worse," Bree said, "and Damon's never pretended to be anything but what he is. It's why I like him. But I'll be more careful in the future."

"I'll paddle you both anything like this happens again," Lexi said, "next time either of you think Stefan needs something more than the usual, wait for me."

"Your the boss lady," Bree said.

"I will obey. But the two of us still need to talk," Rose said and added with meaning, "alone."

"We'll get to that," Lexi stood up, "but Stefan and I need to take care of Damon first. We'll need privacy. The two of you should go out for awhile. Get Slater out of that library and into a bar, for god's sake."

"I should have put you in a corner," Lexi said.

Damon drained the last of her favorite brand of bourbon that she kept stashed away for herself. He was lying on her bed, completely unbothered by the glare she was giving him. "I'm not Stefan so don't pretend to treat me like him."

"I was going to wait to paddle you after we talked," Lexi said, "but I don't mind giving you two rounds."

"Fine," Damon said. He set the bottle on the nightstand and sat up.

Lexi sat down next to him and urged Stefan to join her. "Why did you torture Stefan, Damon? And don't tell me it's about your promise for an eternity of misery."

"You promised to take him to task after Leah," Damon said, "and I know for a fact you didn't." He cut his eyes to Stefan, who couldn't help but scoot back. "I'm not finished with you, yet."

"What I said," Damon had the good sense to look worried at Lexi's tone, "was that I would hear him out and put him over my knee if I thought he needed it."

Damon did not have the good sense to stay worried. "I think it's time I take back Stefan, Alexia. You've lost your touch."

"After what happened last time?" Lexi said, "over my dead body. He stood in a corner and starved himself for a month while waiting for you to return."

"You have no room to talk after you decided it was okay for him to use a vampire hunter to torture himself with," Damon said. Stefan eyed the door. Lexi might disagree with Stefan's interpretation of what went down with Leah. She might think it was a lie. And if she did, Stefan would be toast. Running was a very sensible option. Damon caught him. "You move an inch and I'll cut a switch."

Stefan knew he wasn't bluffing. He bowed his head in shame.

"Did you lie to me, Stefan?" Lexi asked.

"No!" Stefan was suddenly angry. Leah deserved better than his pitiful simpering. "I told you exactly what happened. Damon killed her parents in front of her and made her live with that pain for almost twenty years." He glared at his brother, who looked completely unashamed. "Just as she was finally starting to recover, he killed her."

Damon's eyes flashed red. He began to unbuckle his belt. Stefan's mouth went dry. "She had you in vervain soaked chains and spent days almost burning you alive." He slid the leather out from under his belt loops. "You need a whipping."

Lexi had rarely been given Stefan such a furious look. "Get my hairbrush, Stefan."

Stefan stood his ground. "No. She was just using me as bait to lure out Damon. I was getting through to her, but Damon - "

"Let me guess," Lexi stood up, pulling Stefan with her. She popped him several times on the seat of his jeans. Stefan hissed at the pain. He wanted to twist away from her sharp hand, but knew better. She gave him a couple more licks between gritted teeth. "You were letting her take out her rage on you."

"If I had been just one second later, he would be dead," Damon had folded the belt in half and was tapping the bed with it. "I don't like to spank Stefan when I'm pissed. It's taken me years to calm down enough to teach him a good lesson. I'm spanking him, Lexi."

"Yes, you are," Lexi gave Stefan a few more firm smacks. "And you, young mister, will be getting bed time spankings for two weeks from me."

"Neither of you understand." Stefan was cut off by Lexi yanking off all of Stefan's clothes and pushing him over Damon's waiting knee.

Damon pinned his legs and arms before starting to strap him. From the crown of Stefan's buttocks down to the back of his knees, Damon laid down lick after lick. He was relentless with the strap, blanketing Stefan with burning welts. Worse: he was fast. Stefan had no time to heal between the smacks. After the first round, Damon's whipping belt scorched fresh heat on welted skin.

When Stefan began to cry, Lexi grabbed Damon's hand. "What are you learning, Stefan?"

"You both suck!" Stefan said.

"Give me your belt, Damon," Lexi said, "I'm going to soak in some water."

Lexi didn't lecture during a spanking. And she only used her hand when Stefan's bottom was due for a wet spanking. Before Damon could hand it over, Stefan relented. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm learning not to lie to you, ma'am."

"We'll go over lying during your bed time spankings," Lexi said, "right now you're learning not to use other people's trauma to punish yourself."

"You don't let people kill you," Damon snapped the belt back down. He used the bite of the leather to reinforce his lecture, "you fight back." The flame from the leather hurt so much more than the cream. Because while Damon was using anger to power his blows, his voice was only filled with concern. Stefan didn't deserve compassion, not for this. "The only time you lie still and take pain is when you're getting a spanking."

Damon continued to lecture, but Stefan couldn't make out the words. The whipping was much too sound for him to process anything but how much the leather cutting into fresh welts hurt. As always, Damon gave some extra attention to his under curves. The final few minutes of his whipping was Damon exclusively disciplining that crease of skin with extra nerve endings. Children needed that bit of skin be smacked the most so learning could continue when they sat down.

Stefan didn't deserve to fight back, but he was learning that Damon expected him to. Unless he was getting his bottom tanned. Then he needed lie still and accept the spanking. Stefan accepted his whipping.

Damon shoved him on the ground. There was a whoosh. He was gone.

Lexi pulled him up and held him until he calmed down. She stroked his back and let him rub his bottom, even though it no longer hurt. "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

"What about Lee?" Stefan asked.

"He can go one night without me," Lexi said. She brushed her fingers through his hair. "You can make it up to him by cooking his favorite dinner tomorrow." She pulled back and gave Stefan a look that made him shiver. "Take a shower. Don't dry off or put on any clothes."

Stefan nodded. "Can I take a long one?"

"Sure," Lexi said. She kissed his nose, turned him around, and propelled him to her bathroom with a gentle swat.

"On your tummy," Lexi said, pointing at the bed.

Stefan felt like a toddler as went over to her bed and laid down on his front. Tummy down, bottom up. He folded his arms in front of him and buried his face in them. Lexi tucked his soft sex safely away and closed his legs.

"What happens to the bottoms of lying boys?" Lexi asked as she set her hand on his cheeks.

Stefan was a very miserable little boy. "They get warmed up."

"They do," Lexi said as she gently patted his plump buttock, "what am I going to do to your bottom?"

Stefan squirmed. "Make it hot and stingy."

"Every night, for two weeks," Lexi said, "you'll stand in a corner until I tell you to shower. Then you'll get on your tummy so I can heat up your wet skin with a good spanking. Then I'll put your jammies on and tuck you in."

Stefan's eyes were wet. "Yes, ma'am."

"This will be a good lesson for you," Lexi said as she sat down in the bed next to him.

Then she started to talk with her cupped palm. She smacked his chubby cheeks over and over. Lying boys didn't get gentle swats, they got very hard spanks. His skin was wet, but only for a handful of good smacks. She warmed him up to a hot sting by spanking him soundly.

He drummed his feet and wiggled around. Her cracking hand on his bare skin was as loud as it was painful. Each time her palm came down to punish, his hips were pushed deep into the bed. She was flattening his round cheeks by spanking him! But they didn't stay flat. The rebounded to roundness so she could pop them back down. This happened over and over and each time it hurt more because she was giving him such a swift hiding that his skin had no time to heal.

She moved low, burning his sitting spots by smacking them with the heel of her wrist. It hurt so much that Stefan burst into tears and kicked his legs wildly. He wanted the smacking to be over!

But Lexi wasn't done. Lying little boys got very hot and extremely sore bottoms during their bed time spankings. She just set a hand on his back, pinned him on the bed, and taught him to be honest by whacking and smacking his poor globes. He palm felt like a paddle and her fingers felt like a whip so he got the worst of both: the deep thud and pricing sting. Every inch of his naughty bottom was treated with both a stern palm and wicked fingers.

"I'll be good!" Stefan promised. She just cracked new heat into his bare bottom. She was no longer cupping her hand, meaning his spanking wasn't as loud, but it hurt so much more! "Please," he kicked his legs and howled as she tanned, "please, no more! I'm sorry!"

Lexi's response was to spank him harder. She pounded new heat in. Stefan thought his bottom must be literally smoking with how soundly it was being smacked. He couldn't do anything but cry as his she gave him the hot and stingy bottom he'd earned.

It took Stefan several minutes to realize his spanking was over. He reached back and rubbed. The skin felt cool under his hands, but his poor rear still felt so hot and sore that he had to keep rubbing. He kept attending to his freshly punished bottom until his tears dried up.

"All done," Lexi said, "I'm very proud of how well you took your spanking, sweetheart." She helped him into his soft pajamas and wiped the drying tears off his face. "I know you're going to learn to be more honest."

Stefan nodded and clung as she pulled him into her arms. "Do I gotta get more spankies?"

"Yes," she told him firmly, "two weeks of special tummy times will teach you a very good lesson."

Stefan pouted. But he didn't argue. He yawned big and giggled when she pressed kisses all over his face. He loved her so much. Having his bottom warmed wasn't fun, but he trusted her to take care of him. Spankies were like hugs. They were how Lexi showed she cared. And when he was her good boy, he got extra hugs and no spankies.

"I'll stay with you every night until you sleep," Lexi promised. He cuddled her. "I promise."