Author's Note: Happy Labor Day to all of my readers in the US. I hadn't intended to write this next chapter so soon, but I couldn't get it out of my head. Please be warned, this chapter contains spanking, so if that bothers you, turn back now.
As always, I appreciate any feedback and reviews I receive from my readers. It's the payoff for all the time and effort I put into it.
CHAPTER 7
Krissy flopped down on her bed and kicked her shoes off. She didn't care that they'd landed in the middle of the floor. In fact, that was the least of her worries. She pushed herself up to sit with her back against the bed's headboard and drew her knees up under her chin. Tilting her head so that her forehead rested on her knees, she took a series of deep breaths in an effort to calm her raging nerves.
What had possessed her to think her actions yesterday were a good idea, she wondered to herself. Yesterday she'd been so angry at Dean and Sam for thinking they had the right to take over her life and tell her what to do. After her discussions with the brothers that morning, she was still angry that her life had, once again, changed drastically due to forces that were outside of her control. But, she was starting to realize that maybe, just maybe, the Winchester brothers cared about her, at least a little. It still didn't keep her from being mad at them, though. Plus, the concern over whether they would suddenly decide she wasn't worth their effort and abandon her played constantly in the back of her mind.
Krissy couldn't sit still any longer and began pacing the confines of her room. She was still pacing when Dean appeared in the open doorway. She turned to look at him when she caught his presence out of the corner of her eye and swallowed hard when she spotted the wooden paddle he held in his right hand.
"Take a seat." Dean pointed toward the bed as he entered the room.
After she'd perched on the side of the bed facing out into the room, Dean tossed the paddle onto the bed beside her. He moved to pull the chair away from the desk and set it in front of where she sat. Turning it so that it's back faced the bed, he sat straddling the seat. He folded his arms across the top and rested his chin on them for a moment as he studied the girl sitting in front of him.
"Help me out here, Krissy," he said as he straightened up, his arms still resting on the back of the chair. "At the risk of going full Sammy here, I'm trying to understand what's going on with you. Explain to me why you took off from the restaurant after I specifically warned you not to, and why you were shoplifting." He shook his head when she started to speak. "Practicing shoplifting is still shoplifting."
"If I tell you what you want to hear, are you still going to paddle me?" Krissy asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. Even the smallest glimmer of hope that that might be the case gave her a false sense of bravado.
"I don't want to hear anything other than the truth," Dean stated. "I want to understand what's going on so Sam and I can help you." He sighed heavily before continuing. "No, Krissy, I'm still going to paddle your ass. You more than earned it with your behavior yesterday. But, what you tell me could affect how long and how hard I tan your backside." His gaze met hers and didn't waver. "Now, are you going to answer my question, or do we just move on to the main event?"
Krissy squirmed in her seat, but it wasn't just Dean's expectant gaze and question that was making her uncomfortable. Her bladder had chosen that moment to make it's full status known. It always seemed to do that when she was nervous. "Could I go to the bathroom, please? Then I'll answer your question."
"Well, now, seems like you pulled that bathroom thing twice yesterday and both times you tried to take off on me. Why should I believe you aren't planning to do it again," Dean asked.
"I really need to use the bathroom. I'm not going to take off, I promise. I'm already in trouble for doing that, I'm not dumb enough to do it again," she admitted in a small voice. "Please."
Dean studied her for a moment before moving to his feet. He hadn't sensed any deception coming from her, but he wasn't going to take any chances. "I'll escort you across the hall, and wait for you outside the door. You try anything, and I'll take my belt to you right there the moment I catch you. Then, we'll come back here, and you'll get what you have coming to you for yesterday. Capiche?"
"What?" Krissy asked, confused.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," Krissy said quietly as she rose to her feet. She was embarrassed at the idea that Dean was escorting her across the hall and would be standing out in the hallway as she peed, but her bladder was leaving her no choice in the matter.
Dean took her arm and walked with her across the hallway to the Women's bathroom. He pushed the door open and stepped back to allow her to walk past him and enter the room. "Make it snappy. You've got five minutes," he said as he allowed the door to close behind her.
Moving to lean against the wall across from the bathroom door, he studied his fingernails. After several minutes passed he crossed the hallway and pushed open the door. "Get a move on, Krissy. You've got two minutes, then I'm coming in to haul you out of there."
Krissy winced. She'd quickly finished her business, but she'd been delaying returning to her room. She wanted to put off the inevitable as long as possible. Straightening her clothing, she quickly washed her hands and stepped out into the hallway.
Dean nodded once in acknowledgement that Krissy had followed his order before he took her by the arm and led her back to her bedroom. "Don't bother to sit down," he said as he closed the door. He passed by where Krissy was standing and took a seat on the foot of the bed. Reaching over, he grabbed the paddle and placed it beside his hip so he would have it close at hand when the time came to use it. "Come here," he directed, pointing to a spot directly in front of him.
Making no effort to hide her reluctance to follow Dean's order, Krissy dragged her feet as she moved to stand in the designated spot.
"Do you have an answer to my question?" Dean asked. His voice was steady, with no trace of anger or disappointment present.
Krissy sighed. "I thought about it while I was in the bathroom," she said. Her eyes met Dean's briefly before she lowered them. "You said you wanted to hear the truth. Well, the truth is, I'm not ready to talk about it - at least not yet." She shrugged her shoulders, still not meeting Dean's gaze. "I'm not sure I ever will be."
"Look at me, Krissy," Dean said in a tone that was relatively gentle - at least for him. When she met his gaze he continued, "I appreciate your honesty, and I accept that as your answer. Know that either Sam or I am willing to listen whenever you are ready to talk about it. However, that doesn't change what's about to happen. So, tell me, why am I going to spank you?"
"Because you're an ass?" Krissy responded flippantly. She knew it was a bad move when she did it, but she couldn't help herself.
"That's strike one," Dean replied in a stern voice. "Try again."
Krissy sighed. She knew where this was headed and she really didn't want to make things worse for herself. "Alright," she said and she crossed her arms over her chest. She raised her gaze to stare at a spot on the wall past Dean's shoulder. "I disobeyed you and ran from the restaurant and I tried to shoplift from that store," she said.
Dean nodded. "Okay, let's get this over with." He reached out and took Krissy's wrist, guiding her to stand between his legs. "Unfasten your jeans," he ordered.
He saw the unvoiced plea in Krissy's eyes. In response, he gave her a hard look that clearly told her she had best comply with his directive or face the consequences. "You do it yourself, or I will," he simply stated in a matter of fact tone.
Krissy considered his statement for a moment before deciding it would be far too humiliating for him to unfasten her pants. A tear streamed down her cheek as she reached to unfasten the button and zipper holding the denim together.
Dean nodded in approval before guiding Krissy to lay across his left thigh with her upper body resting on the bed. As he had done the day before, he rested his forearm on her back and captured her legs between his own, effectively pinning her in place.
Krissy didn't have long to wait before the first stinging slap landed on her backside. It was quickly followed by a barrage of hard swats that lit a fire across her buttocks and upper thighs that had the teenager quickly sobbing out promises to be good and to never run off or shoplift again.
After a minute or so Dean released his hold on her legs long enough to lower her jeans to her knees. He left her underwear in place, as the high cut style would offer little to no protection from the paddle. He also shifted Krissy slightly on his lap to give him a better angle with the paddle. He'd thought about having her bend over the bed for this portion of the punishment, but he decided against it. He felt the physical contact between their bodies would be more beneficial than her being at the right angle for him to get a good swing with the wooden implement. As it was, he could concentrate the swats on her upper thighs and sit spots, where she'd be sure to feel them for the rest of the day.
Krissy whimpered when Dean laid the paddle against the flaming red skin of her backside. The cool wood actually provided momentary relief against the throbbing ache, but she also knew what it heralded. She squealed in pain as the first swat of the paddle fell. Her squeals grew louder with each of the following dozen or so swats Dean rained down on her upper thighs and sit spots. She was too spent to beg him to stop, and,other than her legs occasionally curling back on their own volition at a particularly stinging swat from the paddle, she lay limply over his lap.
Deciding it was time to bring the punishment to a close, Dean paused briefly. "You do not run off." A half dozen harder swats were spread across her upper thighs, causing her squeals to turn into howls. "You do not shoplift." Another half dozen swats were applied to her sit spots.
Sighing, Dean tossed the paddle onto the bed. He really hated doing this, but he knew he had no choice. He removed his arm from Krissy's back and released his hold on her legs. He rubbed soothing circles on her back as she continued to lay across his thigh for a few minutes while she caught her breath and calmed down. When he felt her begin to rise, he reached down to push the jeans that had pulled around her ankles off onto the floor.
"You may want to leave those off for a while," he said as he helped her to her feet. When he was sure she was steady, he rose as well and opened his arms in an offer of comfort.
He hadn't expected Krissy to actually take him up on the offer of a hug. In fact, he'd expected her to push him away like she had done the day before. So, he was surprised when the girl practically threw herself against his chest and sobbed out her pain into his shirt. He stood there, rubbing her back and whispering soothing sounds until Krissy pulled away.
"We good?" Dean asked, studying the tear streaked face in front of him. When she nodded, Dean gave her a little, reassuring smile before saying, "please don't make me have to do that again. If I have to punish you again for the same thing, I promise it will be much worse for you. So keep that in mind, okay."
"Yes, sir," Krissy responded in a small voice. She turned and began walking around to the side of the bed so she could lay down and cry out her pain in peace.
Dean watched as the teenager maneuvered herself into bed without ever letting her backside touch the mattress. He stepped over and ran a comforting hand down her hair. "Get some rest. When you're ready, you have the run of the bunker. Just remember the areas that Sam told you are off limits. You're on your own for lunch, so help yourself to whatever you can find in the kitchen. Sam should be back from the grocery store by then, and it should be pretty well stocked. If you need me for anything and can't find me, send me a text, okay?"
His hand was still on the back of Krissy's head and he felt more than saw her nod of agreement. "Just so you know," he said quietly, "once you've been punished, all is forgiven and you start over with a clean slate. Okay?" Again, he felt rather than saw her nod.
Sighing, he turned and made his way out of the room, stopping to grab the paddle off the end of the bed. As he closed the door to give Krissy some privacy, he leaned back against it and wondered if it was too early in the day for a drink.
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Sam glanced at the handwritten list in his hand again to verify what he needed then reached out and grabbed the box of tampons off the shelf and tossed it in the shopping cart before moving on to grab the pads that were on the list. He ignored the looks he was receiving from the women in the aisle - both the flirtatious, assessing ones and the strange ones. It wasn't often someone saw a six foot five inch tall broad shouldered man in the feminine care section of the store.
He had just tossed a package of pads into his cart when his cellphone rang. He pulled it out of his shirt pocket and checked the caller ID before answering. "Hey, Jody. What's up?" Sam almost grinned as he noticed some of the more flirtatious looks turning to disappointment as the women assumed he was speaking to his girlfriend.
Using one hand, he guided his shopping cart toward the personal care section to get the soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and other personal care products they'd all put on their shopping lists while he listened to what the sheriff had to say.
"Good morning, Sam," Jody greeted. "I thought I'd call and see how the trip home and last night went. Are all of you still alive?"
"Krissy might not think so at the moment, but, yeah, we're all good."
"What happened?" Jody asked suspiciously.
"Well, in addition to the constant attitude during the drive home, she decided it would be a good idea to climb out the restroom window at the diner where we stopped to eat. We found her easily a few minutes later at a store, slipping merchandise into her pockets," Sam said as he grabbed a couple of boxes of toothpaste off the shelf and tossed them into the cart.
"Wow, okay," Jody responded on an exhale. "I really wasn't expecting to hear that. You talk to her about it?"
"Yeah, this morning." Sam guided his cart into the shampoo aisle and stopped to retrieve Krissy's list from the seat of the cart so he could verify what she had written. "We were all too exhausted to deal with it when we got home last night. But, we talked about it this morning after breakfast, and Dean was having a more detailed, private discussion with her when I left to go grocery shopping."
"Ah, I see. I know it's early, but do you have any insights into her behavior yet?"
"Yeah, I've got a few ideas. They mostly involve abandonment and accountability."
"I'd say you're headed in the right direction with that. Just keep strong, Sam. You and Dean will get through to her. It will just take time."
"Thanks, Jody. I may have to call you back for you to tell me that again."
Jody laughed. "Whenever you need to hear it." Now that conversation was over, the sheriff decided to move onto the second reason for her phone call. "Strangest thing happened last night, Sam, and I'm wondering if you don't know anything about it."
"What's that," he asked in a level voice that didn't give any hint of the sudden elevation in his heart rate. He suspected he knew exactly what Jody was talking about.
"One of my deputies found a stolen Ford Mustang in the woods not far from the Michelson place. He told me he was acting on an anonymous tip that came from a payphone located at a rest stop just over the state line. According to NCIC, the vehicle was reported stolen out of Carson Springs, Kansas. It was wiped clean when it was found, so there's no trace evidence to show who took it. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, Sam?"
The tone of the sheriff's voice told Sam that she already knew the answer to that question. He swallowed hard to calm his nerves then responded, "No, Jody, I can't say I do know anything about it. Sorry." He felt bad for lying to Jody, but he didn't have a choice.
"Uh huh," Jody responded, clearly indicating that she knew he wasn't being truthful with her. "You're full of shit, Sam Winchester. Make sure your niece reforms her penchant for grand theft auto before she gets into real trouble you can't get her out of."
"Yes, ma'am," Sam responded, feeling like he'd just been chastised. After all, Jody was older than he and Dean and worked in law enforcement. That alone was enough to earn their respect. However, at some point in their friendship, Jody had seemed to slip into a slightly maternal role. Sam couldn't quite point to when or how it had happened, but it had.
"Relax, Sam. I've taken care of it." Jody said in a lighter tone. She'd gotten her point across, and now it was time to move on. They continued to make small talk for a few minutes before the call ended and Sam finished checking off all the items on his shopping lists.
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Sam carried the first load of grocery bags into the bunker from the garage and put them on the map table in the war room to be sorted later. A small sound from the library caught his attention, and he headed that direction - not knowing if he'd find Dean or Krissy in the room. Stepping into the room, he watched as his brother uncapped a bottle of water and took a drink while he looked at something on his laptop. Sam silently prayed it wasn't anything pornographic. It had been bad enough that he'd do that on occasion with just the two of them living there, but it would be unacceptable for him to openly watch it where Krissy could walk in at any time.
"How'd it go?" he asked, coming to stand beside his brother. He was relieved to see that Dean was reading some type of news article.
Dean turned to look at his brother. "About as well as you'd expect. I think she understands now how serious we are about her following the rules." He put the bottle of water he was holding in his hand back on the table. "I tried to get her to talk some more, but she wasn't interested."
Sam nodded. He wasn't surprised. It was a bit soon for her to trust them enough to confide in them that way.
"I'd better go finish carrying the groceries in and put them away. You want your stuff in your room?"
"Yeah, that's fine. Krissy may still be napping. She was pretty spent after I finished with her. Otherwise, I gave her the run of the bunker." The heavy exterior door made a grating sound when it was opened. With the bunker's acoustics, he was sure he'd be able to hear it anywhere on the main level if Krissy decided to try and sneak out. But, he expected she'd stay put for a while.
Twenty minutes later, Sam tapped on Krissy's partially open door. It came open under his touch, and it was evident that the room was vacant. He carried the bags containing the items he'd picked up at the store for her into the room and placed them on her desk. He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and laid it on the surface beside the bags. He briefly wondered where Krissy might have gone in the bunker. He hadn't spotted her while he had been putting away the supplies he'd purchased. Taking a glance around the room before he stepped back out into the hallway, he realized her laundry hamper was gone.
When Sam stepped into the laundry room he was immediately swamped by the warm, humid air coming from the running dryers. He looked around the room and spotted Krissy slumped in a chair with her feet propped up on another one across from her so that her backside hung off the edge of the seat. Sam grinned, understanding completely the reason behind her uncomfortable looking position.
"You keep sitting like that you're going to mess up your back," he said as he came to lean against the laundry table beside her. "You okay?" he repeated the same question he'd posed to Dean earlier.
"My ass hurts. What do you think?" Krissy said without looking up from the book she was reading.
"You kinda brought it on yourself, you know," he responded. "And it wouldn't be an effective punishment if it didn't linger long enough to make you think the next time before you act." He studied her for a moment before nodding toward her book. "What are you reading?"
Krissy folded over the corner of the page to mark her place, then handed the closed book to Sam. He could tell by the creased spine and tattered cover that it had been well-read. The title on the cover read "The Looking Glass Wars" by Frank Beddor. He'd not heard of the book, so he turned it over to read the description of an alternate universe Wonderland where Alyss Heart, a young princess, had to battle her evil aunt, Redd, to reclaim her throne as the Queen of Hearts. "Sounds interesting," he said as he handed the book back to her.
"It's really good," she said, coming to her feet as one of the dryers buzzed to signal it had finished it's cycle. "I've probably read it a half a dozen times." Krissy opened the dryer and started pulling sheets out onto the folding table. Sam stepped up and pulled a sheet out of the bundle and began folding it as he listened to her. She continued, "there are two more books in the series, but I've not been able to find them in a store."
"What about ordering them online?" Sam asked.
"You have to have a credit or debit card for that. I don't have one," Krissy responded, not looking up from the pillow case she was folding.
"Ah," was Sam's simple response. He tucked that information away for the moment. He decided he'd get in touch with the owner of the small bookstore he frequented in town to see if she could get copies of the books for him. He was sure Krissy would enjoy receiving them as a surprise gift.
"I put your stuff on your desk," he said, deciding to change the topic as he reached for another sheet. "I also wrote down the wifi information. It's on your desk, too. I don't know what streaming you might have on your laptop, but I have Netflix on a tv in my bedroom. If you ask for permission first, I'll likely let you use it."
Krissy nodded. "Thanks."
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"Thanks, I'll be there a few minutes to pick them up. I appreciate you getting them for me so quickly, Julie," Sam said as he ended the call on his cell phone. "Hey, Dean," he yelled as he moved down the hallway.
"What is it," his brother asked, stepping out of his bedroom, shaving lather still covering one side of his face.
"I need the keys to the Impala. I've got to run into town to pick something up."
"Now?" Dean questioned. "We're leaving in a few minutes for Carson Springs."
"I know. I'll be back by the time you're ready to leave," Sam said. He took a step closer and lowered his voice, eyeing Krissy's closed bedroom door. "It's a surprise for the kid."
Dean eyed his brother then nodded. He strode into his room and grabbed his keys off the bedside table and tossed them to Sam. "Get back here quickly. We should be ready to leave in half an hour."
Sam snagged him out of the air and nodded. Less than ten minutes later he pulled the Impala to a stop and parked outside Turn the Page, the small, locally owned bookstore where he frequently bought his own pleasure reading material. He entered the store and a smile spread across his face as he spotted the store's owner, Julie, manning the counter.
"Hey, Sam!" She greeted him with a smile. "You here to pick up those books you ordered?"
"Sure am," he responded warmly. "How's Lily?" he asked as he watched her grab the books from a shelf behind the counter, referring to Julie's wife. Sam had been working up to asking Julie to go to dinner with him until one day he came in and was introduced to her wife. Although any possibility of a romance was out, he still considered the bookstore owner a friend.
"She's doing well. Getting ready to start school again in a few weeks."
"Oh, that's right. She teaches chemistry at the high school, doesn't she." At her nod, he continued. "I need to remember to get my niece enrolled. She'll probably be going in as a freshman."
"You mentioned you wanted these books for her," Julie commented as she rang up the sale and accepted Sam's payment. "That's sweet of you," she said as she handed the books over to him. "Maybe your niece will end up in one of Lily's classes."
"Maybe," Sam replied as he headed toward the door. He needed to get a move on to get back to the bunker before Dean was ready to leave. "I'll talk to you later."
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"Where have you been?" Krissy demanded the moment Sam walked into the bunker from the garage. "We're ready to leave, and you're out running around." She was anxious to get to Carson Springs so she could not only see her friends, but also get her own stuff. She was tired of her bedroom looking like a prison cell. She needed some color in her life.
Sam stopped in his tracks and looked at the teenage girl standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. He gave her a hard look as he held up the package containing the two books. "As it happens," he said, his voice taking on a disapproving tone, "I ran into town to pick up something I'd ordered for you. I thought you might want it for the trip. However, if that's the way you're going to act, I'll just hold onto it until you've earned it."
Sam turned and strode down the corridor on his way to his room. He intended to put the books in a desk drawer to save for when he felt she deserved them. As he passed Krissy, she reached out and grabbed his arm.
"I'm sorry," she said.
Sam turned to study her for a moment.
When he didn't speak, she took that as an encouragement to continue. "I'm anxious to leave, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you," she said looking down at her feet.
Sam reached out and tucked a finger under her chin so he could raise her eyes to meet his. He studied her face for a moment before asking, "How could you have handled that in a more appropriate way?"
Krissy was tempted to jerk her chin out of Sam's grip, but she continued to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry," she said again.
Sam nodded. "So you said. Answer my question." There was no heat behind his words, but Krissy could tell he was serious.
She sighed and lowered her eyes for a moment. "I don't know," she said as she shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe I shouldn't have demanded to know where you'd been. Maybe I could have just politely asked if you were ready to leave."
Sam continued to study her, causing her to squirm under his gaze. Finally, he released her chin and nodded. "Yes, that would have been better. Now, are you interested in what I brought you?"
Krissy grinned. It was the first gift she'd received from anyone since her last birthday before her dad had been killed. "Yes, please."
Sam glanced past Krissy and spotted Dean heading their direction. The look his brother was giving him clearly said Dean had heard everything they'd said. Dean's nod silently communicated that he approved of the way Sam had handled it.
Turning his attention back to the teenager standing in front of him, he smiled. "Okay, I'll give it to you on one condition."
Krissy eyed him suspiciously. "What condition?"
"You start working to control your temper and stop to think before speaking."
"I will. I promise." Krissy was practically bouncing on her toes in anticipation.
"Okay," Sam said. "Here you go." He held out the package.
Krissy grinned as she accepted it and plunged her hand into the bag and pulled out the two books. She read the titles: Seeing Red and Arch Enemy, both by Frank Beddor. She looked up at Sam, momentarily stunned. "Are they . . . ?" She didn't finish her question.
"Yes, they're the other books in The Looking Glass Wars series. I thought you might like them."
Sam braced himself for the impact as Krissy threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Thank you, Sam."
"You're welcome, Krissy. I hope you enjoy them," Sam said as he hugged her back.
"I hate to break up this touching scene, but we need to get a move on," Dean said as he strode by his brother and their "niece" on his way to the garage.
TBC