Author's Note: Hello, everyone. I hope you are all doing well. My life has been it's typical semi-controlled chaos. I seem to have so many projects going on that I've not been able to find a lot of time to write. Plus, this chapter has been hard for me to write. Krissy is dealing with a lot of emotions, and I'm not sure I've been very successful in portraying them. I'm the first to admit I've been very lucky with my family and have never had to deal with the doubts that are plaguing Krissy. So, I'm writing from my imagination rather than from experience, and I hope I did it justice. (That's not to say I didn't or still don't have issues, because I've got a ton of them.)

This chapter is shorter than I've been posting, but I didn't want you to have to wait any longer while I figure out how to get to where I want to go. I'm a fanfic reader, too, and I know what it's like to anxiously wait for the next chapter to be posted. I decided to cut what I had planned for this chapter into two parts so I didn't keep you waiting any longer than necessary.

As always, if you like what I've written, please post a review or send me a message I love hearing from my readers.

CHAPTER 22

Sam sat down in a chair and watched as Krissy hurried out of the room. He eyed his cup of coffee, once again wishing it was a bottle of beer. He grabbed it and drained the remaining contents before scrubbing his hands over his face in frustration.

"What the hell was that about?" Dean asked as he entered the kitchen. He headed to the refrigerator and began pulling ingredients for supper out and putting them on the nearby counter.

"What was what about?" Sam countered, somewhat confused.

"Krissy just stomped past me and slammed into her bedroom. The way you're sitting there all mopey makes me think you two got into it over something. What was it?" Dean closed the refrigerator door and turned to lean against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest.

Sam sighed as he settled back into his chair. "We got into it," he said, intentionally using Dean's words, "over her paper and her homework."

Dean raised an eyebrow and gestured for his brother to continue when Sam didn't immediately offer any further explanation.

"She took my critique of her paper on that anti-possession sigil personally. Then when I told her she had to rewrite it because of her attitude, she accidentally let it slip that she hadn't done any of her homework -- after she'd told me she'd finished most of it."

Dean nodded. The attitude and the lie about the homework were enough to get the teenager in trouble with either of them. But, he knew how much Sam cared about her education, so he wouldn't have been happy about the fact she wasn't applying herself to her education. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

Sam picked Krissy's phone up from where he'd laid it on the table. He held it up so Dean could see it. "To start, she's grounded for a week, and we now have some new, stricter rules about homework."

"What about that library thing next week? If she's grounded, you going to let her go?"

Sam shrugged. "We'll see. If she behaves herself, and we're still in town, I might." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "I have to spank her for the lie," he stated dryly. He absolutely hated the idea of having to do that, and he wasn't ashamed to admit it.

Before Dean could reply, Krissy's cell phone rang. Sam glanced down at it and shot his brother a look before he flicked his thumb across the screen to answer the call. "Hey, Jody." He shrugged in response to Dean's unspoken question.

There was a long pause before the woman on the other end of the call responded. "Sam? I thought I'd called Krissy."

"You did," he responded. "She just got herself grounded, and I took possession of her phone for the duration. When I saw your name on the caller ID, I answered since I thought it might be important. So, what's up?" He couldn't think of any reason why Jody would be calling the teenager.

"I decided when we were at Devil's Lake to keep in touch with her. There are times a girl needs another woman to talk to about things. I'm going to try to make it a regular Friday evening call."

Sam nodded, even though he knew Jody couldn't see him. "That's good. She's had something on her mind that she hasn't been willing to talk to us about. When I asked her about it earlier this week, she said she didn't have it straight enough in her mind yet to be able to put it into words. But whatever it is is really bothering her. "

"Okay, I'll see if I can get her to talk about it. Keep in mind, though," Jodie said, her voice taking on a more serious note, "whatever she tells me is going to be confidential, unless it's something I think you and Dean need to know to protect her."

"Got it," Sam replied. "And, thanks, Jody." The fact that he knew that he and Dean weren't equipped to meet all of Krissy's emotional needs went unspoken.

"So," Jody said, "what's going on? What did the kid do to get herself grounded?" She sensed some hesitation from Sam. Remembering how he'd shut her down the last time they'd talked about Krissy being in trouble, she quickly added, "please don't tell me she ran off and got another tattoo." The tone of her voice made it clear that she was teasing him.

"No, nothing that serious," he said with a chuckle. "She didn't do her homework this week and lied to me about it." He could almost sense Jody's sigh of relief. It was such a typical teenage problem that it was almost a pleasant change of pace.

"And here I thought you were going to tell me she'd tried to burn the bunker down," she teased. "Did she tell you why she didn't do it?"

"She made friends with the other local kids in the home school program and spent her time chatting with them and watching her new TV Dean and I had given her for her birthday." He didn't mention the time she'd spent on the paper.

"I can see how that would be more attractive than doing homework," Jody commented dryly.

"Yeah, I get it, too," Sam said as he came to his feet and headed toward the kitchen door. He intended to take the phone to Krissy so she and Jody could chat. "But that doesn't excuse her from the consequences of her actions. She'd been warned about chatting with her friends rather than concentrating on her schoolwork. Not to mention, Dean and I have a zero tolerance policy for lying."

"And that's a good thing to have," Jody commented. "But why do I sense some hesitancy in your voice?"

Sam stepped into his room and shut the door. He was willing, albeit somewhat reluctant, to talk to Jody about what was on his mind. However, he preferred that neither Dean nor, especially, Krissy overheard him.

"Zero tolerance means she lies, she gets her ass busted, no matter how small the lie might be," Sam said as he ran his hand over the back of his neck.

"That was what I understood it to mean," Jody commented dryly. She wasn't sure where this was leading.

"I get the need for it with the big stuff, but I don't know if it's really necessary for the small things. Dean thinks it is, and I know we need to present a united front. So, I've got to uphold the rule, as much as I don't want to do it."

Jody sighed. "And you don't think she needs to be spanked over lying about her homework," she concluded.

"Maybe, I don't know," Sam admitted. "I've spanked her twice now. Both times there was no doubt that she'd earned the trip over my knee. But, it makes me feel like an abusive bastard whenever I do it."

"Samuel Winchester," Jody stated in a stern voice. "Don't make me have to come down there to smack you on the back of the head to knock some sense into you. I might need a step ladder, but I swear I'll do it if I ever hear you say that again. I know you. You don't have an abusive bone in your body, especially where Krissy is concerned."

Sam winced at the vehemence in her voice, even though he knew Jody couldn't see it. "Yes, ma'am." He couldn't help himself and grinned at the mental image of Jody standing on a step ladder to carry out her threat. He was certainly glad she was lecturing him through the phone and not in person, because he was sure she wouldn't have appreciated the humor of the situation.

"Now, did she or did she not know what the penalty would be for lying?" Jody asked matter of factly.

"She knew."

"And she deliberately chose to lie to you anyway, correct?" Jody continued before Sam could answer. "Sam, she needs consistency in how consequences are delivered when she chooses to break the rules. Otherwise, she's not going to have a reason to follow them when she knows there's a chance she'll get away with it. She's a good kid, but she's still a kid. She's going to push boundaries unless she has a reason not to. You and Dean have to give her that reason by enforcing the consequences for breaking the rules."

Sam sighed heavily. "You're right, Jody. I just hate doing it. "

"If you didn't hate doing it, I'd worry about you ... and her. Now," Jody commanded, "let me talk to her."

"Yes, ma'am." Sam strode toward the door, and down the hall to Krissy's room.

XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX

Krissy was sitting against the headboard of her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. She'd tried to work on her English assignment, since she had the least amount of work to do on it, but she hadn't been able to concentrate. The moment tears started gathering in her eyes, she had moved to the bed.

She hated being in trouble with the Winchesters. During the time she'd been with them, she'd come to care about them and what they thought of her. As she wiped tears from her cheeks, her thoughts wandered to whether she still wanted to become a hunter. She was afraid that when Sam and Dean found out that she was thinking about not hunting, they would no longer want to put up with her. After all, making sure she didn't get herself killed hunting supernatural monsters was really the only reason they'd taken her in. If she was no longer in danger of that happening, would they still want the responsibility of having to take care of her?

She was so lost in her thoughts she jumped when a light knock sounded on her bedroom door. She took a deep breath to steady herself for what was about to come. "Come in," she called softly.

The door opened, and Krissy wasn't surprised to see Sam step into the room. Her eyes widened when she spotted her cell phone in his hand. She really hadn't expected to see it again for at least a week.

Sam held the phone out to her. "Jody called for you," he said as she took it. He nodded to silently tell her she had permission to take the call. "Talk to her, Krissy. I know there's something on your mind. If you don't want to talk to me or Dean about it, share it with her. She'll listen, and she'll probably have some good advice."

Krissy nodded. Maybe it would help to talk to Jody, she thought. "Okay," she replied, not quite willing to commit to it.

Sam signed in frustration. "Look, she's already made it perfectly clear to me and Dean that whatever you tell her is going to be confidential. She's not going to tell us what the two of you talk about unless you're planning to put yourself in danger."

Krissy nodded her understanding. That did make her feel a bit better about sharing her thoughts with the older woman. After all, she really didn't have anyone to talk to about this kind of stuff. Neither Josephine nor Aiden were all that interested in hunting, and she didn't think Sam or Dean would understand. Not to mention she couldn't reveal what was really going on in her life to her new group of friends.

Sam studied her for a moment and could see the thoughts racing through her head. "Dean's starting dinner. Come to the kitchen when you're finished. We'll have our discussion about what happened earlier after we eat."

Krissy nodded again as a blush reddened her cheeks at the thought of Jodie overhearing their conversation.

"The phone's muted, but she already knows," Sam commented. He paused a moment before continuing. "I needed to talk some things over with her, too." He figured the teenager might be more willing to share what was going on in her head if she knew she wasn't the only one turning to the sheriff for advice. "Just talk to her, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," Krissy said with a note of sarcasm in her voice.

Sam raised an eyebrow and studied her for a moment before he turned to leave the room, closing the door as he left.

Krissy unmuted the phone and raised it to her ear. "Hey, Jody."

"Hi, sweetie, you doing okay?"

"I've had better days," Krissy responded quietly.

"So I heard," Jody said dryly. "Was there a particular reason why you didn't do your homework and then lied to Sam about it?" While she'd waited for Krissy to pick up the call, Jody had decided that a straightforward, no nonsense approach would be best. During the time she'd known the teenager, she had never gotten the impression that Krissy wanted or needed to be handled with kid gloves. She was too strong willed for that, especially when she had something on her mind.

Krissy sighed heavily. "I'd planned to do it all on Sunday and get it turned in by the deadline."

"Why not do it the same day you had each class?" Jody asked curiously.

"Because I didn't want to." Krissy's shrug was an automatic gesture indicating that her response should have been obvious.

""And why didn't you want to do it?"

"I don't know," Krissy responded.

This time it was Jody's turn to sigh. This really wasn't something she needed to press Krissy on. The teenager had made her decisions and was going to be paying the price for them.

"I'm not going to push you on this, but you might want to think about it. It might save you some trouble with Sam."

"Yeah, I guess," Krissy responded.

"So, tell me about your new friends," Jody prompted, deciding to change the subject. She didn't want these calls to become about her fussing at Krissy. She figured the teenager got enough of that from the Winchester brothers.

"They're part of the homeschooling program, too. Apparently the program is also open to students from outside the school system," Krissy stated. "Devin introduced himself first, and we chatted for a while before he introduced me to the others. They're all local and have been in the program for a couple of years."

"I'm glad you're making friends. Maybe, since they're local, you'll get the chance to spend some time with them in person."

"There's a sort of study hall at the library on Thursdays. I'm hoping Sam and Dean will let me go if we're in town." Krissy paused a moment before she continued. "It starts next week, but I don't think Sam is going to let me go since I'm grounded."

Jody could hear the disappointment in her voice. "Maybe if you behave yourself between now and then and ask him nicely Sam will let you go."

"Maybe," Krissy responded, but she didn't seem very optimistic about it.

Jody was confident that if Krissy kept her nose clean, Sam would allow it. He struck her as being a bit more flexible, and she knew he understood Krissy's need to interact with people her own age.

"It's worth a shot," Jody said, hoping to get a more enthusiastic response from Krissy.

"Yeah, I guess."

Jody bit back a sigh. It was time to change the subject. "How's your arm?"

Krissy glanced at her left arm. The bandages covering the wounds could be seen poking out from under her tshirt sleeve. "It's just about healed," she said. "Sam is planning to take the stitches out tomorrow morning."

"That's good," Jody responded with a note of relief in her voice. "I'm sure you'll be more comfortable without them."

"Plus I won't have to meet Sam in the infirmary every morning for him to rebandage my arm."

"There is that." Jody paused for a moment. "Speaking of Sam, he mentioned that you've had something on your mind. Wanna talk about it?"

Krissy hesitated long enough that Jody wondered whether or not she was going to answer. "I don't know if I'm ready to talk about it or not." Her voice was so quiet Jody barely heard what she said.

"It might help if you do. I've been told I'm a pretty good listener." Jody paused to give Krissy a moment to think about what she'd said. "I promise to keep it confidential unless I think it's something the guys need to know. And even then, we'll discuss it first, okay."

Krissy sighed heavily, and Jody could tell, even over the phone, that the teenager was debating with herself. "Would it be easier if we turned this into a video call?"

"No, not really," Krissy responded. She could feel tears forming in her eyes, and she didn't want Jody to see her crying. Maybe Jody and Sam were right and talking about it would help her feel better. She took a steadying breath and swiped at the lone tear that ran down her cheek. "Will Sam and Dean still want me here if I don't want to be a hunter anymore?"

"Oh, sweetie," Jody said in a soft voice, "of course they will still want you if you don't want to hunt. They care a lot about you because of you, not because you want to hunt. That's not going to change."

"But the only reason they took me in was so I didn't get myself killed hunting." Krissy swiped at the tears that were now running steadily down her cheeks. She hated that she was already crying over this.

"Hunting is what brought you back to their attention. You had your heart set on becoming a hunter, so it's true that they put a lot of emphasis on that. But, that's not the only reason you're with them. You have to know that."

"Yeah, I guess," Krissy responded quietly.

"You guess?" Jody wished they were having this conversation in person, because she wanted so badly to wrap Krissy in her arms and hold her tight. "They're men, honey. Men who were raised by a father who spent most of his time hunting instead of taking care of his kids. They don't know how to show affection, but they are doing the best they can. As much as this has been an adjustment for you, think about what's changed in their lives. And they've done it willingly because they care about you and want what's best for you."

Krissy snorted in disbelief, and Jody bit back a sigh. Showing her frustration with Krissy wouldn't help anyone. "Krissy, think about it," she said, trying to keep the exasperation she felt out of her voice. "If all they cared about was you becoming a hunter, would they have bothered to get you enrolled in school? They live under the radar, do you really think they would be concerned about you being considered truant because you aren't enrolled in school and any trouble they could get into because of that."

Krissy remained silent for several seconds, prompting Jody to ask, "Well?"

The teenager shrugged, even though she knew that Jody couldn't see her. "Maybe."

This time, Jody did sigh. "Sweetie, I think you can do better than that. Think about this, too. Dean held you while Sam stitched up your arm. Sam has tended all of your wounds, including that tattoo you ran off to get. He even bought you some of your favorite chocolates as a reward. They've made an effort to celebrate your birthday. All of those are the actions of someone who cares. If they didn't care about you, they wouldn't put in that effort." Jody paused to allow Krissy to absorb what she had just said. "And think about this, Krissy. Sam needed to talk to me before he brought the phone to you because he was worried about whether he was handling things with you the right way." Although their conversation had been confidential, Jody saw the value in sharing that little bit of information with the teenager.

Krissy could feel tears streaming down her cheeks and reached up to swipe them away. She thought about the times Dean had stayed with her when she'd had nightmares and the books Sam had bought her because he thought she'd like them. "I guess you're right, Jody. But, it's just so hard."

"Oh, Krissy, of course it's hard. A hunter's life isn't easy on anyone – especially a hunter's child. You know that first hand. But, I also know that those two men will probably be relieved that you're considering stepping back from becoming a hunter. I happen to know they want more for you than that."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Krissy conceded in a quiet voice.

"Go talk to them," Jody commanded in a voice that brooked no disobedience.

Krissy grinned. She'd heard the older woman speak to Sam and Dean in that voice, and they'd always responded with a hurried "yes, ma'am." She did the same and quickly ended the call with a promise to talk to Jody again in a couple of days.

TBC