Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who took the time to post a review or leave feedback on this story. I love seeing other people's perspectives - they often make me see things in a different way or that things don't always come across the way I meant them. That helps me improve as a writer, which is something I'm always striving to do. So, if you have a minute after you read this chapter, post a review or send me a PM with what you think.

Warning: this chapter contains disciplinary spanking. If that's not your thing, I suggest you turn back now. I do delete flames - after I use them to warm whichever muscle is aching at the time.

CHAPTER 3

The trip from the Sheriff's Department to Jody's house was made in tense silence. After seeing Dean's stone-faced expression, Sam had begun studying Krissy through the Impala's side view mirror. She was sitting in the passenger side of the back seat, pressed up against the door like she was trying to get as far away from Dean as she possibly could in the small confines of the vehicle.

Sam's heart broke a little as he watched her wipe tears from her cheeks. He knew she didn't realize she was being observed, or she wouldn't have let that weakness show. He could only imagine all of the emotions she had to be feeling at the moment.

As the Impala turned into the tree-lined street where Jody lived, Sam sighed heavily. "Why don't you find the key and get the house opened. Start some coffee," he said to Dean. " I think Krissy and I need to talk in private."

Dean glanced over to quickly study his brother's face. He recognized the serious, thoughtful expression Sam was wearing as one of determination. He then studied the young woman in the backseat through the rearview mirror. Shrugging, he replied, "if you're sure." Maybe Sammy could talk some sense into her before they had to hash out what had happened at Jody's office and what their future held. He didn't regret delivering those few swats and turning into a hardass. Krissy had earned it, but he really, really hoped she didn't reach strike three so he wouldn't have to carry out his threat.

"I'm sure." Sam said, again watching Krissy through the side view mirror. She had dried her tears, and was now looking concerned at his suggestion. He could tell she was wary of what he might be planning. Good, he thought. It meant she wasn't completely clueless as to her behavior and the potential consequences.

Sam waited until Dean had disappeared around the back of the house before getting out of the car. After sliding his cellphone into his shirt pocket, he reached out and opened Krissy's door. "Come on," he said, indicating that he wanted her to exit the vehicle. As she did he moved to lean against the front passenger side of the car.

Krissy slowly climbed out of the car and stood looking around at the tree lined neighborhood. She couldn't help but think it looked so normal while her life was falling to pieces. She caught Sam studying her, and she sent him glare before turning away.

"If you run, I'll just catch you," Sam warned. "Then I'll turn you over to Dean. I'm pretty sure he'd consider that strike three." He smiled a little at the look of surprise that flashed across Krissy's features before she could stop it. "Yeah, I know about 'three strikes,'" he said. "Dean pulled that with me a couple of times. You've lasted longer than I did before I got my third strike the first time. I don't think I sat comfortably for two days afterwards."

He could sense that Krissy was beginning to relax ever so slightly. Reaching over to pat the hood of the car, he said, "let's talk."

Krissy narrowed her eyes, trying to decide if Sam was trying to pull a fast one on her. He hadn't said much in Sheriff Mills's office, but she'd been able to tell he hadn't been any happier with her than Dean was. She wasn't quite sure she could trust him right at that moment.

"Just talk, I promise," Sam said solemnly.

Krissy moved to hoist herself onto the vehicle's hood far enough away from Sam that she figured she would be safely out of his reach. She resisted the urge to drum the heels of her heavy boots against the side of the vehicle, as she was pretty sure Dean wouldn't have been very happy if she damaged it's finish. "What?" she asked shortly.

Sam shrugged. "I just thought you might want to talk about what's happened today. You seemed pretty upset on the ride over here."

Krissy just stared at him for a minute. She couldn't believe he was asking her to talk about what was probably the most humiliating experience of her life.

"And why would I want to do that?" she asked as she slid down the side of the vehicle and regained her feet. This was a conversation she preferred to have standing on her feet rather than sitting on the hood of a car.

Sam moved to lean against the side view mirror. He hoped she would perceive the mirror as a physical barrier between them, making her feel at least marginally safer. "Look, Krissy," he said seriously, "I know you aren't happy with the way Dean handled things at Sheriff Mills's office."

Krissy just stared at him a moment before turning on her heel with the intention of storming away from him. He reached out and grasped her arm to halt her progress.

"Dean had no right to do that," she practically yelled, pulling her arm from Sam's grasp as she spun to face him. She growled in frustration as she swiped tears of humiliation from her cheeks. She'd told herself that she wasn't going to let either man see her like this. "Are you happy now?" she demanded.

Sam stepped forward and pulled Krissy into his arms. At first she remained stiff, but after a few seconds she wrapped her arms around him and leaned into the comfort he offered. Sam rubbed a hand down her back and just let her cry out her frustration and humiliation for a moment.

"Dean cares about you. We both do," he said gently.

"He's got a funny way of showing it," Krissy said into his chest.

Sammy couldn't help the smile that crossed his face at the teenager's disgruntled statement. "If Dean didn't care, he wouldn't have identified you to Sheriff Mills, and he would have just left you sitting in that jail cell." Sam paused, giving Krissy a moment to absorb what he'd said. "Instead, he immediately began making plans to come get you and about how we'd handle things moving forward. There was no question in his mind about him doing that." Sam chose to omit the fact the Dean hadn't been sure that what they were doing was actually the best choice for any of them. "You haven't had the chance to get to know Dean all that well yet," Sam said as he rubbed a comforting hand up and down Krissy's arm. "Once you get to know him better, you'll realize that when he cares about someone, he goes into full big brother mode when he thinks they're in trouble."

He grasped Krissy by the upper arms and drew her back so he could look her in the eye. "I understand why you feel that Dean didn't have the right to swat you that way. But, he feels you gave him the right to act exactly as he did when you had Sheriff Mills call him to bail you out. One thing you'll learn is that when Dean is in big brother mode, he expects to be obeyed and he expects those he feels he needs to protect to show respect to others - especially to those in authority."

Sam let go of Krissy as she moved to lean against the side of the Impala. He leaned on it beside her. "I know you don't know much about us, but Dean practically raised me when he was just a kid himself. Our dad was too busy hunting to do it himself, but the one thing he'd instilled in Dean was respect. It was the one thing Dean really insisted on, and it was one thing I'd frequently get in trouble for."

"Three strikes," Krissy said.

"You caught that, did you?"

When Krissy nodded, Sam just grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, three strikes."

Sam shifted so he was facing Krissy. He was silent for a moment as he tried to decide how he wanted to proceed with this. Having made up his mind, he took a deep breath and let it out. He'd decided a straightforward approach would be best. "Krissy, I know Dean told you not to give Sheriff Mills a hard time. I was in the room while he was talking to you on the phone. From what Jody told us, and from what we observed after you were brought into her office, you did nothing but disrespect her and her deputies." He paused a moment to gather his thoughts and consider what he wanted to say next. "While I don't necessarily agree with the way he did it, I don't disagree that Dean gave you those swats. In my opinion, you earned them and more. He just should have found a way to do it more privately."

Krissy just stared at Sam. She'd started to think she'd found an ally against Dean. Now, she got it. Sam wasn't an ally at all. He'd just lured her in by pretending to be nice and understanding, hoping she'd start to "behave." Well, she'd show them that she wasn't going to fall for it. They had no real authority over her, despite what Dean Winchester thought, and she would be gone the first chance she got.

She turned on her heel and started walking toward the road as she raised her right hand into the air, middle finger extended. She knew she wouldn't get very far, but at least it would tell Sam Winchester exactly how she felt about his little "talk."

Sam just shook his head in resignation at Krissy's stubbornness and attitude. He was willing to let this slide and try and work through her issues. Dean wasn't nearly as patient. If she wasn't careful, Krissy Carmack was going to learn exactly how dangerous it was to play games with Dean. She was bound to lose and lose big.

Three long strides was all it took for Sam to catch up with Krissy. He reached out and grabbed her by the left forearm, halting her progress toward the road. "Come on," he said as he turned and started walking toward the back of the house, pulling Krissy along behind him. "I'm sure Dean is waiting, and there are a lot of things we need to discuss before Jody gets here."

Krissy almost had to run to keep up with his long strides, and she nearly ran into Sam's back when he suddenly stopped. Turning around, he pinned her with a look. "I highly suggest you drop the attitude you've been sporting today. Otherwise, you're going to be biting off more than you can chew. And, keep in mind what I told you about respect."

XxxxxX XxxxxxX XxxxxX

Sam opened the back door and guided Krissy into the kitchen with a hand on her shoulder. He was a little shocked to see Dean standing at the counter making what appeared to be sandwiches.

Dean nodded in response to the silent question on his brother's face. His temper had cooled since the drive over.

"Jody texted and said to make ourselves lunch from whatever we could find in the refrigerator. I found ham, turkey, swiss cheese, lettuce, and tomato," he announced as he gestured to the two sandwiches he'd already made. He knew, just like himself, Sammy would want some of everything. "What do you want on your sandwich, Krissy?"

"I'm not hun…" she started to respond. Her stomach was still tied in knots and she felt a little ill at the thought of eating.

"Don't say you aren't hungry, " Dean interrupted. He gave her a hard look that clearly conveyed how little he thought of the statement she was about to make. "I know you didn't eat any breakfast, and I'm sure you hadn't eaten for a while prior to that either."

It seemed so normal and domestic that Krissy was momentarily stunned. At prompting from Dean she replied, "ham, cheese, and tomato please. If I want lettuce, I'll eat a salad." She realized she was hungry, so she might as well take advantage of the offer. That didn't mean she wasn't still mad at Dean and Sam - it was a matter of basic survival. If she managed to get away from them, she didn't know when she might get her next meal or where it might come from.

Dean grinned at that last little bit of snarkiness, and he was pretty sure he heard a quiet chuckle come from Sam's direction. Yeah, this was nice, but it wasn't going to last long, he thought - especially given the look on Krissy's face. Ignoring that for the moment, he pointed to the nearby pantry and ordered, "Krissy, see if you can find any chips or something to go with these sandwiches." He managed to hide the relief he felt when she complied.

The three of them ate in silence. The only sounds heard were the occasional crunching of potato chips and the dull thud of a glass being placed back on the table. Once everyone was finished, Sam gathered the dishes and carried them to the nearby sink, where he began washing them.

Knowing there were things they needed to discuss before Jody got home, Dean leaned forward and placed his crossed arms on the table. Giving Krissy a steady look, he simply said, "We need to talk about you hunting and what happens from here."

Krissy sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "There's nothing to talk about. I decided that vampires needed killing, so I'm doing it. There's nothing you or anyone else can do to stop me."

"You think so?" Dean asked, his voice serious. "You told me the first time I met you that you wouldn't be hunting. In fact, you said you and your dad were getting out of the business. Then, last year you told me you and your friends weren't going to go looking for vampires. You'd stick to dealing with anything that was local." Dean studied Krissy's face and body language as he continued. "So what changed, or was that just a lie to get rid of me?"

"I got tired of hearing about vampires being out there killing people and nobody doing anything about it. What do you care, anyway? It's not like you have any say in what I do," Krissy challenged.

Her body language shouted to Dean that she was defensive. He rubbed his hands over his face in frustrated anticipation about how difficult this upcoming discussion was going to be - on all of them. Dean glanced over at Sam as the younger man pulled out a chair and sat beside him. He'd finished washing the dishes and felt it was best to join the conversation so they could present a united front.

"You see," Dean said leaning forward, "that's where you're wrong. Hunters are a sorta family. As a family, we all look out for each other." Dean paused for effect. "And for each other's kids. Your dad was a hunter."

"There's an unspoken rule that if a hunter dies, other hunters step up and watch out for their kids," Sam interrupted, drawing Krissy's attention. "That means, whether you like it or not, you're like family to us."

"And family watches out for each other," Dean said levelly as he took back over the conversation. "When the person being watched out for is a kid, then the person doing the watching has a right to step in and stop them from making dumb ass mistakes."

"Dean!" Sam was shocked at what his brother had just said.

"What!?" Dean shrugged. "I didn't say she was dumb, just that her actions were." His face and expression turned serious. "Hunting solo is a slow, painful way to commit suicide. You keep doing that and you'll be dead before you're eighteen," he said. His eyes met Krissy's in a hard look that told her he was deadly serious. "Victor barely taught you the basics before he was killed. You're essentially untrained and are an easy target for anything you might go after." Dean shook his head in wonder. "You're freakin' lucky you're still alive."

"Besides," he continued, as a slight grin of satisfaction crossed his features, "you gave me the authority when you had Jody call me to bail you out of jail." Dean unknowingly echoed Sam's earlier statement.

Krissy slumped back in her chair. "I'd have had better luck waiting for a chance to escape the sheriff or from juvie," she muttered.

"Not likely," Dean responded lightly, finding a perverse humor in her statement. Turning serious again, he continued, "here's how this thing is going to play out. You're going back to the bunker with us. You'll go back to school, and you'll be expected to get decent grades."

"Good grades," Sam said, jumping in to correct his brother's statement. "You're smart. I've seen your records from your previous school. Dean may not care as much about your education, but I do. You'll be expected to put in your best effort on that."

Dean shot Sam a hard look at his interruption. "As I was saying," he said, "You'll have rules to follow, chores, and you will have the opportunity to just be a teenager - find a boyfriend, go to dances, and all that shit. But, we'll also train you how to be a hunter. We haven't quite figured out how it's all going to work yet, but we will. When you're eighteen, you can decide for yourself whether you want to continue on with that life, or do something else."

"And what if I don't want that," Krissy asked sharply. Part of her really liked the idea of returning to some semblance of a normal life, but a larger part of her resented the fact that the Winchester brothers were planning on forcing it on her while keeping her from hunting.

"You ain't got much choice," Dean responded. "You agree to what we've offered you, or we'll make sure you're locked up somewhere where you won't be able to be a danger to yourself." He wasn't sure if there really was such a place. Even if there were, he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to subject her to it. Still, he needed to present and maintain his front as a hardass. Otherwise, he would lose her. He'd already lost enough people in this life to the supernatural. He didn't think he could bear it if he lost her, too.

Krissy glared at Dean's response and rose to her feet. When she started toward the kitchen doorway leading into the rest of the house Dean demanded, "where are you going."

"To find a bathroom. I need to pee. You have a problem with that?" Krissy didn't wait for his response before leaving the kitchen in search of the bathroom she assumed was located somewhere on the first floor of the house.

Dean waited until she was out of the kitchen before he rose to his feet and headed toward the back door.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked, a little confused.

"To meet her on the front porch," he replied matter of factly as he exited through the doorway.

Sam just sighed and shook his head in resignation before taking a seat at the table to wait and see how this played out. He didn't doubt Dean's instinct that Krissy was trying to make a run for it.

Krissy finished her business and quietly left the powder room she'd found in the short hallway that connected the living room to the kitchen. She glanced down the hallway toward the kitchen and, when she didn't see either Dean or Sam watching for her, she made her way into the living room and toward the front door she'd spotted earlier. This was too easy, she thought as she slowly opened the door just wide enough for her to slip through.

"You know, I'd really hoped I was wrong," Dean said in a low voice, causing Krissy to jump in surprise. He was leaning against the porch railing, his arms crossed over his chest. He straightened and took a step in Krissy's direction, intending to escort her back into the kitchen.

Krissy stepped back through the now open door and grabbed the first thing she saw, a heavy ceramic vase on a table beside the door, and threw it hard toward Dean's head. He ducked, and the vase shattered on the post behind him. He looked at the broken remains of pottery scattered across the porch and saw red. Realizing that she had gone too far, Krissy began slowly backing away from Dean as he advanced on her. Without warning, he charged, leaning forward so that his shoulder caught her in the middle.

He didn't say a word as he entered the house with her slung over his shoulder. Kicking the door shut with the heel of his boot, he headed toward the couch. He tightened his grip on Krissy's legs as she began struggling to get loose. "Sammy," he yelled as he landed a hard swat on her upturned backside after she landed a hard punch on his back a little too close to his spine for his liking.

"Sonuvabitch." Krissy ceased struggling for a moment at the surprise of the swat that landed on her backside. She didn't stay still for long, but quickly resumed her efforts to attempt to escape her current predicament. Her struggles were met with another hard slap to her backside.

"Keep it up, and you're going to be one sorry little girl," Dean practically growled as he landed a third swat to emphasize his words.

"What do you need?" Sammy asked as he stepped out of the hallway into the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Krissy held captive on Dean's shoulder and watched in curiosity as his brother lowered the girl to her feet.

"Give us some privacy, would you?" Dean asked, as he grasped Krissy by the upper arm. "Trying to run wasn't enough for her. She had to add assault and destruction of property to her list of crimes."

Sam quickly studied his brother's face and knew there would be no talking him out of what Dean planned to do. Truth be known, Sam wasn't sure he really wanted to, even if he could. The little hellion had more than earned what she was about to receive. "Yeah, I'll go wait by the car." He glanced at his watch. "Jody should be here any minute.. I'll head her off if she gets here before you're finished. Text me when it's safe to come back in."

Dean nodded and waited until Sam had left the room before taking a seat on the couch. He transferred his grip from Krissy's upper arm to her wrist and pulled her to stand in front of him. "I hadn't planned to start our relationship, or whatever this is, out this way. I was going to let you off for your behavior today with a stern lecture and a warning. I wasn't even going to spank you for attempting to run. Believe it or not, I actually understand why you tried it. Hell, I probably would have done the same thing under the circumstances" He ignored the scoffing notice Krissy made and continued, "But when you threw that vase at my head," he paused to emphasize his next words. "Well, I can't let that go. You just earned your third strike. Since I'm a man of my word, I'm going to bust your ass." He yanked her forward so that she fell across his lap.

She immediately began twisting and kicking in an attempt to free herself. "No, Dean. You can't do this." Rearing back as far as she could, she used her free hand to try to land a punch to his face. "Let me go, you asshole."

Dean just signed heavily and blocked the punch. Pulling her forward until her body rested on the couch at his side, he grabbed both wrists and held them in his left hand at the small of her back. His elbow rested between her shoulder blades, effectively pinning her down. "You've earned this with your behavior today. So, just suck it up. You keep fighting me, and you're going to make things a whole lot worse for yourself," he said as he shifted her lower body so he could pin her flailing legs between his own. He wasted no time in landing the first series of hard swats to her backside.

"Ow, you motherfucker!" Krissy yelled as she tried in vain to squirm her away out of Dean's tight hold and escape the punishing slaps that continued to rain down on her backside.

"Watch your language," Dean responded, landing four blazing swats to the tops of her thighs, causing her to squeal in pain. "I don't ever want to hear that word comin' outta your mouth again, you got me?" he asked as he resumed spanking her backside, making sure to cover every inch of it with punishing slaps. When she remained silent, he landed two more swats to her thighs. "I ask you a question, I expect you to answer it. So I repeat, you got me?"

"Yes," Krissy responded through gritted teeth. She couldn't believe this was actually happening.

"You better, cause if I hear it again, not only will I use my belt on your ass, you'll find out if you like the taste of soap." Dean turned his attention to Krissy's sit spots, causing her to cry even harder. He stopped spanking her when he felt the fight drain from her body. He rested his hand on her now burning backside. "Tell me why you're getting this spanking."

"Because you're an asshole," Krissie said, mustering up the last bit of fight she had left.

"Wrong answer," Dean said as he resumed spanking her. After spreading a dozen swats over her backside, sit spots, and thighs he asked again, "Why are you getting this spanking? Keep in mind before you answer that I can and will keep this up a lot longer than you can."

Krissy took a hitched breath. "Alright, you win," she said as she sobbed.

"This isn't about me winning or you losing, Krissy," Dean said as he again rested his hand on her backside. He really hoped that she was going to answer his question satisfactorily because he really didn't want to have to continue with the spanking he was delivering. "This is about your attitude and behavior today. So, unless you want this to go on a lot longer, I suggest you answer my question." He delivered two more hard slaps to the middle of her backside to emphasize his words.

Krissy sobbed again at the added sting to her already burning backside. "For the way I acted at Sheriff Mills's office today and for throwing the vase at you."

"Are you going to act that way again?" Dean asked. He made an effort to keep his voice stern and not show the relief he felt at her response. While he knew the spanking he had delivered to Krissy was well deserved, he hadn't enjoyed doing it. In fact, he'd hated every second of it. But, he knew he needed to let Krissy know in no uncertain terms what he would and would not accept from her.

"No, sir," Krissy said so softly Dean almost didn't hear her.

"Good girl," he said. "Remember that, because if you do, this spanking will feel like child's play compared to the one you'll receive. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

Again, her "yes, sir," was spoken so softly he nearly missed it.

He released his hold on her wrists and removed his elbow from between her shoulder blades. It took Krissy a moment to realize she was no longer restrained and she pushed up from the couch to regain her feet. She swayed slightly from the sudden change of position and the emotional and physical impact the spanking had had on her system. Dean reached out a hand to steady her.

When he was sure Krissy was steady on her feet, Dean rose to his feet. He reached out to draw Krissy into his arms for a comforting hug, but she backed away from him.

"You had no right to do that," Krissy said angrily. It was all she could do to keep from throwing a punch at Dean. The only thing that stopped her was the knowledge that he wouldn't take it very well and the all too real possibility that she'd end up back over his knee. She wanted to avoid that at all costs.

Dean rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. He'd known from the moment he and Sam had decided to take her in that it wouldn't be easy. He just hadn't expected it to be this hard this soon. "Krissy, I've lost way too many people who were important to me, people I cared about, to the supernatural." He sighed heavily as the weight of loss and guilt settled on his shoulders. "I can't lose you, too. I won't lose you - not if there's something I can do to prevent it."

He moved so that his eyes bored into hers. She met his gaze for a moment before hunching her shoulders and looking away. He grasped her chin and tilted her head up so her eyes once again met his. "And if that means busting your ass to make you stop and think before you act, then that's exactly what I'm going to do - whether you think I have the right to or not. So, you'd best get used to the idea or learn to behave. Either one works for me." Transferring his grip from her chin to her shoulder he gently turned her in the direction of the kitchen hallway and the powder room. "Get yourself cleaned up, then find a dustpan and broom to clean up the mess you made on the porch," he said, giving her a slight push to get her started in that direction.

After watching to be sure she was going to do as she'd been told, Dean pulled his phone out of his shirt pocket to send Sam a text, letting him know the coast was clear to come back inside. When he turned the device on he saw the text from his brother notifying him that Jody was home. Just great, he thought. He wasn't quite ready to deal with the Sioux Falls Sheriff quite yet.

TBC