Pairing: Ric/Jeremy (M/m) hand
Mystic Falls Cemetery
Mystic Falls, Virginia
March 23, 2012
Night
Ric parked and walked the short distance to the mausoleums. He and Jenna had found Jeremy here once before when he went missing a few weeks earlier. Vicki, Matt's Donovan's older sister, was passed out from alcohol and Jeremy was cradling her head in his lap.
This time, Ric remembered to get the flashlight from his glovebox. It was dark as some of the lights in this part were burn out or damaged from vandals.
Ric heard voices and saw a small bonfire outside several of the older tombs. As a history buff, Ric loved reading the tombstones and learning about the deceased population of Mystic Falls.
"I had the weird dream last night," Ric heard Vicki say. "Your sister was in it, Jer. I was supposed to kill her so her blood couldn't make these monsters. I had all these super powers. It was so cool. In the dream, I was able to trap her in a car and burn it with fire. The funny thing was the car was Mr. Saltzman's! That's what you get when you flunk me in history," Vicki exclaimed, laughing.
Jeremy slurred, "That's wild. I never dream anymore..."
Another voice said, "Probably because you are always fucked up!"
Ric stomped into the clearing.
"Okay, kids, party is over," Ric hollered. "I already called the cops so I would get your stuff and leave."
Jeremy saw Ric and tried to stumble to his feet.
"Um, Ric, what are you doing here?" Jeremy blurted out.
"Shit, it's Mr. Saltzman!" another boy yelped. He grabbed his backpack and friend and scurried out.
"Still waiting for that essay, Steve!" Ric yelled after him. "And Dave, I'm going to tell the coach you were out here boozing. Go home, guys!"
Vicki just snickered, "Oh, Mr. Saltzman. Don't you have anything better to do?"
"Apparently not," Ric said dryly. "Vicki, does your mom know you are out here?"
"If you can find her, let her know," Vicki guffawed. "Gina, wait! I need a ride."
"Gina, are you okay to drive?" Ric asked.
"Yeah, we ran out of beer two hours ago," Gina replied. "Let's get out of here before we get busted."
Ric grabbed Jeremy before he could run off.
"Not so fast, buddy. You are coming with me," Ric said firmly.
"Ric, you just made me look like an idiot!" Jeremy fumed.
"No, Jeremy, you made yourself look like an idiot. Were you drinking again?" Ric asked, looking around at the discarded beer cans and bottles.
"I had a couple, but like Gina said, we ran out," Jeremy confirmed. "Did you really call the cops?"
Ric picked up a can.
"No, I didn't call the cops, but maybe I should have. This is my brand," Ric said. "Did you take this from the frig?"
"Yeah? So what? That's my house, too," Jeremy fired back. "Don't come here acting like my dad. He never would have embarrassed me like this."
Ric sat down on the ground by Jeremy.
"Jer, I'd never try to replace your dad," Ric started. "But before he passed, you weren't drinking and doing drugs. Right?"
Jeremy stared into the fire, poking it with a stick.
"No, I guess not," Jeremy concurred.
"Do you think they would have wanted you to act like this? Hang around these kids?" Ric countered gently.
"Don't start about Vicki! Okay, Ric? Let's just go home," Jeremy said, throwing the stick into the fire and then angrily kicking dirt on it.
Ric focused the flashlight on the cans.
"Come on. There's a trash can over there. Let's clean up these cans and bottles. This is a cemetery. Let's show some respect," Ric lectured, bending to pick up a bottle.
"Who cares? They are dead," Jeremy whined. Ric ignored this and continued to clean up the trash.
Jeremy huffed and finally started helping Ric.
"There! You happy?" Jeremy smarted as Ric tossed the last can in the garbage.
"Not really. It's the middle of the night and I had to come out here and find you again. This is after I had to pick up your sister at the Mikaelson mansion," Ric shared.
"Mikaelson? Why would she go there after that asshole Klaus wanted to kill her for her blood?" Jeremy snapped. "I thought she was at a party at Whitmore?"
Ric looked surprised. "I though they were hanging out at Bonnie's."
Jeremy gulped, "Oh yeah, I guess. But I thought Bonnie was meeting with some professor who knew Bonnie's Grams. Maybe I was wrong?"
"Don't backpedal now. I might be old, but I'm not stupid. Come on, let's get you home," Ric stated, trying to put an arm around Jeremy.
Jeremy shrugged off the man and stalked ahead, figuring the car was parked in the same spot as before.
Ric sighed and took a deep breath. He was now wondering if Elena had been out partying, too. He had been so concerned about the vampires that he hadn't even considered it.
"Jer, wait up," Ric yelled, as Jeremy ran to the car.
Mikaelson Mansion
Finn walked in and was surprised to see Klaus still up.
"What did I miss?" Finn asked.
Klaus snickered, "Where to start? Ah, Kol and Damon were accosted and my son was injected with some deadly virus. My girlfriend's head was sent to me in a box. We have a doctor chained up in the basement in the room next to my son and another bloke, who are foaming at the mouth and rabid...Fancy a drink?"
Finn took the glass of amber liquid and took a sip. It burned and then went down smoothly.
"The children?" Finn inquired.
"Still sleeping peacefully. Elijah is with them now. They must have been exhausted. He woke them up to feed them and give them some fluids and they both fell back to sleep," Klaus said.
"I should have been here. Sage dropped me off and went to get some sleep. Anything I can do?" Finn asked.
"Nay, just get some rest yourself. I'm going to check on Bonnie and Kol. They are downstairs working on the doctor now," Klaus mentioned. "Did you enjoy your time with Sage?"
Finn couldn't help but grin, "Very much so. She is a remarkable woman, Niklaus. I hope you can see that, but I am sorry about your woman. That is tragic."
"Thank you, Brother," Klaus said, he patted him on the arm as he went to enter the basement.
Finn took a sip of his drink. He couldn't remember the last time, Niklaus had been affectionate with him. Maybe he had changed?
Basement
"Doctor, can you tell us how you made the serum?" Bonnie asked again. Wes was groggy and rubbing his jaw where Kol had punched him.
"Quite a right hook on him," Wes complained.
"I barely tapped you. If not for my nephew, I would have torn your smirking head off your shoulders," Kol warned.
"Yeah, well, that wouldn't help your little nephew, now would it?" Wes said, baring his perfect white teeth.
Kol asked, "Bonnie, could you do a pain spell on him? One that wouldn't kill him, but would make him wish he was dead."
"Sure," Bonnie said, playing along. In truth, Bonnie could barely lit a candle. She had lost confidence in her magic which is the whole reason she agreed to meet with Professor Shane.
"Wait!" Wes exclaimed. "Look, I've spent years on this virus. I have come to see vampires themselves as a virus, so I thought, 'Why not have them turn on each other?' Once they feed, they will lust after only vampire blood, it makes them stronger, you know-."
Kol interrupted, "We know that. My own father only drank vampire blood. That with his Viking skills made him a match for all of us. But what we need to know from you, is how to cure it?"
Wes laughed, "To what end would I make a cure? Think about it. What has your kind done for humanity, except murder? You are an abomination on the human race. Bonnie, you are a witch, you know this is true!"
Bonnie growled, "So you are not going to help us? Damon can be an asshole, it's true, but not all vampires are evil. They didn't choose to be vampires, most of them. Now, give us want we want or we'll start taking eyeballs and fingers!"
Kol backed up, impressed by the young witch's prowess, saying, "Whoa, Miss Bennett, remind me to never cross you. I like the way you think."
Bonnie smiled, "Thank you, Kol. Let's give the good doctor some time to think. I'd like to do a spell on the others. I have an idea."
Before leaving, Bonnie cast a heat spell on Wes. It was an easy spell that would raise his body temperature slightly.
"Ahhhh! What are you doing to me?" Wes writhed.
"Just warning you," Bonnie said. "Come on, Kol."
Bonnie and Kol closed Wes's cell and went next door to where Damon and Enzo were chained up.
Stefan was sitting on the ground on the floor.
"Any changes?" Kol asked the younger Salvatore brother.
"Nope, just more drooling and withering. It's painful to watch," Stefan admitted.
Bonnie put a hand on his shoulder.
"Why don't you go take a break? I am going to try something," Bonnie said. Stefan nodded and went to see if the Mikaelsons had any animal blood. He carried around a flask of it, but could use some sustenance.
"What are you going to try?" Kol asked. "I happen to know a little about witchcraft."
"Or really?" Bonnie replied. "Um, I'm thinking that vampirism is rooting in the immortality spell your mother cast long ago. So even if Wes rooted it in science, at its core, is still magic. Maybe if I can remove the magic, I can reverse the spell? But first, I need to find the anomaly in them, then I can root it out."
Kol smiled, "Clever girl. As a vampire, I can no longer sense magic, but I recall how each thing touched by it, had a different...feel."
"Yes, that's it. Can you hold down Damon? I need to get inside his head," Bonnie said.
"Sure," Kol said. He went over and restrained Damon, pulling him as far from Enzo as possible.
Bonnie came over and put her hands on his forehead.
Bonnie chanted, "Im A Pran Khos Suptia Jhem Ai Pada Khe Rassatam. Im A Pran Khos Suptia Jhem Ai Pada Khe Rassatam. Im A Pran Khos Suptia Jhem Ai Pada Khe Rassatam. Ai Pada Se Rassatam. Ai Pada Se Rassatam. Ai Pada Se Rassatam. Ai Pada Se Rassatam."
Klaus came in and Kol shook his head so his brother did not disturb the witch. After a few minutes, Bonnie let go of Damon with a start.
"It's not a serum, it's some kind of elixir. A wild earth magic, I've never felt anything like it. It's strong, but rooted in nature. I think I'm going to need Elena's blood," Bonnie breathed. "And I need that book from Professor Shane."
Klaus smiled, "You shall have whatever you need, Miss Bennett. I think it is time we paid this professor a visit."
"Sounds lovely," Kol said. "But let's see if the good doctor is ready to talk."
Wes' Cell
"Look, he came to me," Wes said, still sweating from the spell Bonnie performed on him. "Can I have some water? It's really hot in here."
Klaus nodded to Kol, saying, "Get him some water. Tell us the rest. This Professor came to you?"
"Yes, he offered me a great deal of money for my research if I helped create the serum. He took it, I don't know where and brought me back two vials. He said I didn't need to know the rest. But once, I heard him on the phone with someone named Markos. Really, that's all I knew. The other Augustines don't know any of this. They just want to rid the world of the scourge of vampires," Wes said.
Kol unscrewed the water bottle and let Wes drink.
"See, luv? We're not monsters. We just want to live like anyone else. Now, give us the list of the other Augustines and we may just let you live," Kol promised.
"Live? If I betray the Augustines you think my life is worth anything. I have people, a ward, named Aaron. They will kill him, too, if I betray them. Please, he's just a kid," Wes begged.
Bonnie frowned, "Elena and Caroline just met an Aaron at a party. What's his last name?"
"Whitmore," Wes said, sinking back to the cold concrete of his cell. "He's innocent. He doesn't know anything about his...past. Please, kill me, but you must protect Aaron."
"Thank you, Doctor," Klaus said. "But you harmed my son. A son for a son?"
"No! I tried to help you," Wes screeched, thrashing against the chains violently.
Bonnie chanted a sleeping spell and the man fell silent.
"That comes in handy," Klaus noted. "Too bad we couldn't use that on Rebekah or Elijah."
Kol cleared his throat as Elijah walked in.
"I heard that," Elijah said dryly. "Any progress?"
Klaus wiped the smile off his face with the back of his hand.
"Yes, I think so," Klaus said. "I think we have a plan. Bonnie, let's get you to a bed so you can rest. Tomorrow shall be a busy day."
Elijah checked his gold watch.
"It already is tomorrow," Elijah said. "But let us go up and formulate this plan of yours."
Gilbert Family Home
"Jeremy, just get your butt to bed. I'm not going to deal with you until you are sober," Ric said. "And don't even think of leaving your room."
"I already told you, I'm not freaking drunk." Jeremy grumped, "I'm basically a prisoner in my own home."
"Yeah, it's called being grounded, now move," Ric said tiredly. He had texted Jenna earlier and hoped she was sleeping. Ric followed Jeremy up the stairs and flinched as the angry teen slammed his door. Ric checked Elena's room and saw that she was sleeping. He would have to deal with this all in the morning. He was bushed.
Morning
Jenna greeted Ric with his coffee, just the way he liked it: strong, black, and hot.
The former-vampire-hunted-turned-history-teacher blinked, "Thanks. What time is it?"
"11 o'clock," Jenna smiled. "You deserve a rest after last night. So, how did it go?"
Ric sipped the coffee, burning his mouth a little.
"Um, just like we thought. Jeremy was drinking with Vicki and a bunch of other kids," Ric said. "I told them I called the cops and they scattered. He yelled at me for embarrassing him and threw a fit. I made him clean up the beer cans with me. Oh, it gets better...He stole some of my beer!"
Jenna was horrified, "No, he didn't! That little brat. I hope you gave it to him good. Did you?"
"I gave him a talking-to and that didn't go well. He told me I wasn't his dad and...I grounded him to his room. I'll talk to him today," Ric promised.
"What? That's going to be difficult as he already left!" Jenna announced. "He said you said he wasn't grounded and...I assumed you had punished him."
Ric saw red. "I can't believe it. I warned him not to move from that room. Jenna, I'm sorry but that kid needs some damn discipline."
Jenna took the cup and set it down.
"I'm not arguing with you. He is playing us both for fools. He never acted like this when Miranda and Grayson were alive. I mean, he was a little spoiled and entitled, but aren't they all now a days?" Jenna wondered.
"No, they are not," Ric argued. "Plenty of kids his age are hard working, respectful, and obedient. I see it in my classes. Look at Matt Donovan, that kid works his ass off at the Grill and on the football field. Now, the sister is another story, but-."
Jenna stomped, "I don't care about the Donovans. I care about my nephew. Ric, I'm sorry to push this on you. I know it's not your problems..."
"Sweetheart, I love those kids like you do," Ric said. "And they are not a well, 'problem.' Okay, um, there is something else that Jer like slip."
Jenna sat back down on the bed, by a reclining Ric.
"Tell me," Jenna demanded, running a hand through her brown hair, which rested on her slim shoulders.
"I guess Elena and Caroline went to some party at Whitmore last night. Bonnie was meeting with some professor. When I picked up Elena, she was helping the Mikaelsons with something. Apparently, Damon is sick? I don't know what was going on, but I don't like it," Ric admitted.
Jenna frowned, "And Damon was with the Mikaelsons?"
"Yeah, apparently, Damon is now Klaus' son. Does that make any sense?" Ric mused.
Jenna had just found out about the supernatural in Mystic Falls. She was still getting used to the fact that vampires, witches, werewolves, and doppelgängers existed.
"None of this makes any sense to me," Jenna remarked. "If Elena was drinking and lying, then she needs to get punished also. I am done with this, Ric. They are walking all over me."
"And me," Ric added, sitting up and pulling her on his lap. "I'll go look for Jeremy, but first, let me hold you."
Jenna laughed, "I have to meet with my advisor, but I think we have some time. You should calm down before you deal with Jeremy."
Ric sighed, "I know how you can calm me down..."
Jenna kissed him, tasting the coffee on his lips.
"It's a deal," Jenna said.
Mystic Grill
Jeremy waited for Vicki to show up for an hour before getting up to leave. Matt came over and said, "Sorry, man. Vic isn't answering my calls either. She's probably partying with Gina and that crew again. Are you sure she told you to meet her here?"
Matt always thought of Jeremy as Elena's little brother and a kid. Vicki was not only too old for him, she would drop Jeremy in an instant if Tyler even glanced her way. Vicki didn't care if Tyler was with Caroline, the wealthy son of the mayor always had cash and liked to have a good time.
Jeremy held up his phone, "Yeah, look. She texted me that she was starving. We were hanging out last night, then Ric came and busted up the party."
"Party, huh? I don't know anything about that. I was here closing," Matt said, wiping his hands on his apron.
"You work a lot, huh?" Jeremy noted.
"Someone has to keep the lights on," Matt said dryly. "And it ain't my big sister. She's more of a spender."
"Yeah, I can see that. Well, if she comes home, tell her I was waiting on her. I'll try her later if Ric doesn't lock my ass up in my room," Jeremy grumbled.
"Ric is a good guy, Jer. I love my sister and all, but are you sure you should be hanging out with her? I mean, she's going through a wild spell," Matt conceded.
"Yeah, well, you only live once," Jeremy said, heading to the door. A pretty, petite girl with dark eyes approached him.
"Excuse me, do you know where the library is?" the girl asked.
"Um, yeah, it's just down the block. I'm leaving, I could show you. Are you new to town?" Jeremy asked.
"Yes, sort of. My name is Anna. I'm homeschooled and my mom assigned me this long research paper about Mystic Falls," Anna explained, smiling.
"Homeschooled, huh?" Jeremy said. "That must be weird."
"Is it?" Anna asked, surprised. "I never thought about it."
"Well, I didn't mean it like that, it's j-just I never knew anyone who was homeschooled," Jeremy stumbled. He realized that this girl was very attractive and he blushed.
"So, the library?" Anna prompted.
"Oh yeah, it's this way," Jeremy said, opening the door for her.
"So tell me about Mystic Falls," Anna said. "It's a real pretty place."
"Um, that used to be my dad's medical practice over there," Jeremy said, pointing to the storefront that still had the sign saying, "Dr. Grayson Gilbert, Family Physician" on it.
"Oh, he doesn't practice anymore?" Anna asked, smoothing down her long skirt. She kind of dressed weird, too, Jeremy noticed.
"He's, um, dead. My mom, too. Car accident on Wickery Bridge. It was in May of 2009, I guess I should be over it by now," Jeremy said.
"No, of course not. My father passed a lot longer than that and we still mourn him. My mother vowed to never marry again," Anna confided.
"So it's just you and your mom then?" Jeremy inquired, still looking at his father's sign.
"Yes, Mother's very strict, but she takes care of us," Anna said. "I just need to help out by doing my research. Wasn't there an apothecary shop where your father's office was? A long time ago?"
"I don't even know what that is," Jeremy laughed.
"Oh, like a pharmacy. I have an old map, for my research," Anna explained sheepishly.
"Do you want to see it?" Jeremy asked. "I still know the code. My aunt wants to sell it, but my Uncle John said no. It's been closed up for years."
"Um, sure," Anna said, looking around as they crossed the street.
Jeremy fumbled a bit with the code, but finally the door buzzed open. "It's my mom's birthday," Jeremy explained. "I was never good with dates."
"Ah, that's sweet. They must have been in love," Anna said wishfully.
"They were," Jeremy said, opening the door. It smells musty and different.
"Wow, this is really cool," Anna blurted out in awe. "It looks totally different!"
"Different from what?" Jeremy asked. This girl was really odd, if she wasn't so cute, he'd ditch her.
"Oh," Anna quickly corrected, "just different from what I expected. Where does that door lead?"
"Oh, just to the offices downstairs. We were never allowed down there much," Jeremy said. "Dad said there was dangerous equipment. But, you know what, let's go explore. Maybe there are some old pills. I have this pills who is kinda of pill popper, I'm sure she'd be able to sell them or something."
Jeremy knew that Vicki was more accustomed to hang out with him when he had money for pot or pills he snuck from the medicine cabinet at home. He'd lost his virginity when he shared some painkillers from Elena's dental procedure.
"Cool," Anna said glibly.
"Wait, it's dark. Let me see if the lights still work. It's dark down there," Jeremy said, flicking on the switch. "Nice. I just we're still paying for that."
The fluorescent overhead lights illuminated the staircase heading to the basement.
"It smells different down here," Anna noticed. "Like antiseptic. Did your dad do surgery down here?"
"No, he was just a family doctor. He had privileges at the hospital, but he wasn't a surgeon," Jeremy recalled. "Watch your step."
The two teens found the basement area trashed, a file cabinet was opened and garbage was strewn over the floor.
"Weird, it looks like someone was down here. I don't know why anyone would have come here," Jeremy noted. "I should call my aunt, but honestly, I got in trouble and took off this morning...She probably doesn't even want to talk to me."
"Oh, I'd never disobey my mother like that," Anna said fearfully. "Is your aunt hard to get along with?"
Jeremy felt a wave of guilt. "No, she's actually really cool, most of the time. It's her boyfriend. He's trying to be a hardass with me. Like he's also my teacher so it's...Honestly, I don't want to talk about it."
"I get it," Anna said. "What's in this room?"
"I don't know," Jeremy said, as they came to a plain metal door. "It's locked."
"Let me try," Anna said, before Jeremy could protest.
Anna jiggled the door and then found a piece of metal from the floor.
"Step back a little," Anna coaxed. Jeremy did and the next thing he knew, Anna had jimmied open the door.
"Wow, that's cool. Where did you learn to do that? I mean, no offense, but you are strong for a girl," Jeremy said in amazement.
"I watch a lot of tv," Anna said smoothly, pushing open the door.
"Ugh, what is that smell?" Jeremy said, almost gagging. He pulled his t-shirt over his mouth.
There were several gurneys, medical supplies and equipment everywhere. There was also a metal desk piled with books and an old typewriter.
"Formaldehyde, I think," Anna said. "Oh my goodness, this is amazing!"
The teens saw rows and rows of preserved specimens, from animals to human.
"Is that a pig?" Anna said, shuffling over some broken glass to look at a big jar.
"Yuck, I don't know. I hate this science stuff. My sister is the one who wants to be a doctor," Jeremy added. He cringed thinking of how he had outed Elena last night. In truth, he was pretty buzzed when Ric had found him. Elena was going to be furious with him, probably Bonnie and Caroline, too. God, he wondered if Caroline would get Tyler to beat him up again. The werewolf was always up his ass.
"Look, the file cabinet has been broken into," Anna noticed, looking at a wall of files.
"That's probably just patient files. I thought all this junk got cleared out. My dad was always big into patient confidentiality. Technically, he couldn't even tell us if someone was a patient or not," Jeremy said, watching Anna open a file folder.
"It looked like this is some kind of research," Anna said, handing the file to Jeremy. It was stamped "Confidential."
"We should probably get out of here," Jeremy said, getting nervous. "Wait, what's this?"
Jeremy saw a leather bound journal peeking out in between the plain manilla file folders. He fished it out.
"It's some kind of diary," Jeremy said.
"May I see it?" Anna asked politely, then she started. "Someone is upstairs!"
"I didn't hear anything," Jeremy said, alarmed.
"We should go. Give me the journal," Anna said firmly.
"No, I don't even know what it is yet," Jeremy said, shoving the diary into his backpack. "Let's go."
"Jeremy? Is that you?" Jeremy heard Ric call down.
"Fuck, I'm dead," Jeremy stated dryly.
He glanced at Anna, "Come on. Shut the door. I'm already in enough trouble."
The teens shut off the lights and Anna carefully shut the door.
"Ric, it's me," Jeremy called up. He knew the former hunter was always on alert and could be jumpy. Jeremy didn't know how mad Ric was, but he didn't want to get a crossbow arrow to the gut over this.
Ric looked down the stairs.
"Oh good, I was afraid someone had broken in," Ric said in relief.
"Um, how did you find me?" Jeremy asked as they got back to the first floor.
"Who's your friend?" Ric asked, noticing the thin exotic looking teen.
"Oh, hi, I'm Anna," Anna said, politely extended a hand.
"Nice to meet you. I need to have a word with Jeremy here," Ric said calmly.
"Yeah, I need to get to the library," Anna said.
Ric pointed, "It's right over there. That big building that says 'Library' on it."
Anna laughed, "I'll find it. Thanks. Um, Jeremy, can I get your number?"
"You can, but Jeremy won't be able to talk for a while," Ric said, giving the teen a pen from his jacket. Jeremy wrote his number on Anna's slim hand.
"Okay, well, thanks for the adventure," Anna said, exiting the former medical office.
"Ric, I can explain," Jeremy tried.
Ric put up a hand. "All that comes out of your mouth lately is lies. I'm tired of it and Jenna is, too. You knew you were supposed to stay home this morning. What happened? And I want the truth."
Jeremy kicked aside some discarded newspaper and then sat in one of the waiting room chairs, putting his head in his hands.
"I'm sorry," Jeremy said. "It's just that Vicki texted me to meet her at the Grill. How did you even know how to find me?"
"Well, there aren't that maybe places to go in Mystic Falls. Plus, Vicki called the house and stay she couldn't make it to the Grill," Ric shared.
"Then, Matt saw me leaving," Jeremy added, irritated.
"Yup, with a strange girl," Ric said. "She's cute but you had no business being in this office. You know that right?"
"Yeah, I guess," Jeremy said. "So I'm grounded for like ever now?"
"Not forever," Ric said, locking the office door and pulling down the blinds, darkening the room. "You know, Jenna has tried all the right things with you, like therapy and positive reinforcement that she learned about in her PHD program. Now, it's time I tried some things that worked on me."
Jeremy's head popped up. "Ric, you can't be serious. I know your parents beat the crap out of you, but that was like a long time ago! I'm too old."
Ric smiled, "It wasn't the Dark Ages, and I hate to break to you, but you're sure as hell not too old. The last time I got it from my old man, I was older than you. Now, I warned you what I was going to do if you broke your groundings again, didn't I?"
Jeremy paled and stood up warily, "Spank me? I never got spanked in my life. Come on, Ric, can't I just do extra chores or something?"
"You don't even do your chores now," Ric corrected. "But all that is going to change. Actually, a lot is going to change."
Ric pulled out a box from his jacket and opened it. It was a princess cut diamond ring.
"You're proposing to Jenna?" Jeremy asked in shock.
"Yup, I was going to do it when the time is right, but I thought I should talk to you and your sister first. This means that I will officially be your uncle and guardian. Would you like that?" Ric questioned.
Jeremy felt tears come to his eyes and sniffed, "Yeah, I would. It would make Jenna right happy, but Ric, do you want this? I know I'm a total pain in the ass."
Ric put the ring back in his jacket pocket and folded Jeremy in a tight hug.
"Kid, I'm going to give you a pain in the ass, but I love you. All of you," Ric said huskily. "Now, we're going to take care of last night and then we'll start fresh."
"You mean no grounding if I let you spank me?" Jeremy moaned.
Ric smiled, "Son, you're going over my knee either way, but I think we can reduce the grounding to just this weekend. And that's if we get a promise of no more drinking, stealing, sneaking out, or Vicki Donovan."
Jeremy thought of his new friend, Anna. He knew Vicki was troubled and not into him.
"Okay. I can do that. I know Vicki isn't even a good friend honestly," Jeremy admitted. "But do I have to get spanked?"
"Yup," Ric said. "But since it's your first time, I won't use my belt. But believe me, a hand on the fanny can hurt pretty good."
Jeremy winced, "Did you just say 'fanny'? Ric, just beat me and get it over with. This is torture..."
Ric laughed, "I'm not beating you. But I want you to take down those jeans. This time only, I'll spank you over your underpants. No sense in going home, at least you'll have some privacy here."
Jeremy cringed at the word underpants, he couldn't believe he was getting spanked in his dad's old office. Jeremy unbutton and unzipped his jeans as Ric got a straight backed armless chair and set it down.
Jeremy froze and couldn't go any further.
"It's okay. Come here," Ric said gently, pulling the boy to him, before sitting in the chair.
Ric carefully slipped down Jeremy's loose jeans to his knees. Jeremy shuddered and looked down at his boxer shorts. They had smiley faces and said, "Have a nice day!" on the seat.
Ric laughed, "Just be glad you are keeping them up. I never got a spankin' except on the bare butt. Well, at least, at home..."
Jeremy starting to panic as Ric leaned him over his knees.
"Wait, this is illegal! You could go to jail!" Jeremy tried.
Ric smiled, "Sorry, bud. It's not, but nice try. I want you to think about why we are here. You snuck out twice. If you would have accepted your grounding, we wouldn't be doing this."
Ric arranged Jeremy's backside over his right knee and patted the boy's rear with his large hand.
"Jenna will be mad!" Jeremy exclaimed right before the first smack.
Crack!
"Um, no, she agreed that you need this," Ric said. Smack! Smack!
Jeremy heard the loud, echoing whacks and didn't feel much until a moment later. Then, the burn started.
Smack! Whack!
"Ahhhh," Jeremy wailed. "Ric, that hurtsssss!"
Smack! Smack!
Ric ventured, "I'm just warming up your behind. We haven't started yet."
Smack! Smack!
Jeremy's tried to twist and reach back with his right hand, but Ric clasped it to his upper back.
"None of that," Ric scolded lightly. He continued to bring the flat of his hand down on the center of Jeremy's cheeks over and over again.
Slap! Slap!
"Owwwww, stop. I-I've had enough!" Jeremy hollered. He tried to kick and get up but his legs were tangled with his jeans. Ric pushed up Jeremy's t-shirt and tightened his hold on Jeremy's wrist.
"Stay on my lap," Ric warned. He lifted his hand higher and brought it down with a loud crack.
Slap! Slap!
"AHHHHHH," Jeremy called out, breaking into loud sobs. He couldn't believe how hot and stinging his bottom felt. This was terrible!
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Ric spanked the boy another minute as he cried and tried to squirm uselessly. He let his hand do the talking as he doubted Jeremy was ready to hear a lecture at this point.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
"Now, that was less than two minutes over my knee. You misbehave again and it's gonna be a lot worse. Now, anything you want to say for yourself, mister?" Ric prompted, rubbing Jeremy's sore behind lightly.
Jeremy yelped, "S-Sorry! I'll be good, j-just stop!"
Ric pulled down Jeremy's goofy boxers a little to check how pink his bottom was. It wasn't yet red and they had a ways to go.
"No, don't p-pulllll down my pants," Jeremy pleaded. "I m-mean it, no more d-drinking or l-lying. I'll d-do my c-chores. Riccccc, s-stop!"
"I will believe it when I see it," Ric stated. "Now, I'm going to spank you another minute and then we'll be done."
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Ric lightened the spanks, but kept going steadily for another thirty seconds. He wasn't spanking that fast or hard, but Jeremy was crying as if he was being flayed alive. Ric was relieved he hadn't used his belt on the boy, he didn't think he'd be able to take it.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
"Almost done," Ric promised. With that, he raised his right knee by putting his heel on the rung of the chair.
"Nooooo!" Jeremy howled, as Ric popped Jeremy's sit spots firmly five times on each side.
Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!
Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!
With one last hearty swat on the center of both cheeks, Ric was done.
"Okay, buddy, you did real good," Ric said, now rubbing his back.
Jeremy sobbed over Ric's knee another moment, until Ric stood him up.
"There, all done," Ric soothed. Jeremy's face was a mess of mucus and tears. Ric fished out a pack of tissues from his pocket and cleaned the boy's face as he rubbed his sore rear and stomped up and down.
"S-Sorrrrry, R-Ric," Jeremy sniffled, as Ric pulled him back onto his lap for a hug. Jeremy bounced up a little as his throbbing buns settled on Ric's hard thigh, but Ric held him.
"I know, Jer. I want you to tell Jenna that, too. Just don't mention the ring, I still want to talk to Elena first," Ric said, pulling the boy to his chest.
Ric held Jeremy, rocking him a little, and kissed his head.
"See, you're not too big for a spanking or a little cuddle," Ric whispered. "I do love you, buddy, even when you are acting up."
Jeremy replied, "Love you, too, Ric. But I never want another spanking again! I d-didn't think it would be that bad. You're not gonna use a belt on me, are you?"
Ric chuckled, "I guess I have a hard hand. I think the belt is a lot. It's been a while, but I think we ought to do a little wood working project. Does that sound like fun?"
"Only if we are making bird houses?" Jeremy grunted, letting Ric smooth back his hair.
"We can do that, after we make you a paddle. I don't think this is going to be your last spanking. Now, let's go home and show Jenna that you are still alive," Ric comforted.
Jeremy flushed to realize that Jenna would know he got a spanking, but then he wondered about Elena.
"Is Elena gonna get it, too? I mean, after what I told you last night?" Jeremy worried.
"You let your aunt and I handle that? Okay?" Ric said.
"Can I start calling you 'Uncle Ric'?" Jeremy grinned.
Ric stood them up and gave Jeremy a light pat on his boxers.
"You let me propose first, mister. Pull up your pants. It's time to go home," Ric said.
Jeremy tugged up his jeans over his throbbing cheeks. He felt better than he had in a long time although his butt still stung. Ric smiled and kissed his head once more. Jeremy smiled and snuck back a hand to massage his backside. Yeah, everything was going to be okay, he thought as they left the abandoned office.
It wasn't until later that he recalled the old journal in his bag.
