Author's note: It's another short chapter, but this is the rest of what I had intended to be part of the previous chapter. I've got plans for another chapter or two that I think you will enjoy, and and toying with an idea for chapters beyond that. But, it may be a little while before I write them and get them posted. Keep a watch out, though, I'm working on a one-shot story involving Dean and Charlie. I hope to have that posted soon.

As always, please post a review or send me a private message. I love hearing from my viewers. Let me know what works or if something doesn't work. I gladly accept constructive criticism. After all, that's how I improve and grow as a writer.

CHAPTER 23

"Come eat." Krissy stared at the text message she had received from Dean. She was debating sending him a reply that she wasn't hungry. It was the truth -- the thought of food made her stomach roil. But, there were two things stopping her. She didn't think either Winchester brother would let her get away with not eating supper. Plus, her luck, Sam would consider that breaking her grounding. She was in enough trouble as it was, and she didn't want to add to it.

As she sat there contemplating going to the kitchen her phone buzzed again. She glanced down and saw it was a text from her new friend, Shelby. Without reading it, Krissy typed out a quick reply. "Can't talk. I'm grounded. See you in class on Monday."

She'd just hit send when Dean's booming voice carried down the dormitory corridor. "Krissy, get your ass to the kitchen! Now!"

She sighed heavily and rose to her feet. She briefly wondered how he knew she'd finished her phone call with Jody. She didn't think he'd be demanding that she get to the kitchen if he thought she was still on the phone with her.

She stepped into the kitchen and immediately spotted the plate of food that had been placed in front of her usual seat. Dean had made a one skillet hamburger and pasta dish, and there was a bowl of salad to accompany it. A bottle of her preferred salad dressing sat beside her plate as well.

"Eat," Dean directed, pointing toward the plate with his fork.

Krissy took her seat and picked up her fork. Her stomach felt queasy as she took a small bite.

"Did you have a good talk with Jody?" Sam asked as he studied her. He could easily tell something was still bothering her, and he wondered if she'd talked about it with the older woman.

Krissy nodded as she nibbled a little at her salad before pushing it and the plate of food away. "Yeah, we talked some," she said, purposely keeping her answer a little vague.

Dean opened his mouth to reprimand her for not eating, but closed it again at a silent signal from Sam.

"What's bothering you, Krissy?" Sam asked gently. "Did your conversation with Jody not go okay?" He couldn't imagine that Jody would have said anything that would have upset Krissy this much, but anything was possible.

Krissy sighed. She might as well just rip the bandaid off. It would be better to know for sure, one way or the other, she thought. "Will you still want me here if I decide I don't want to hunt anymore?" she asked in a voice that was barely audible. In her mind, there was no difference between the question of whether they'd still want her there or whether they'd still care for her.

Both men sat in stunned silence for a moment at her question. "Come again," Dean directed as he tilted his head to the side, convinced that he'd somehow heard her incorrectly.

"Krissy, why do you think we'd make you leave if you decided you don't want to hunt?" Sam asked in a bewildered voice. He honestly didn't understand where that question had come from.

Krissy shrugged in response and stared down at her mostly untouched plate of food.

Realizing he'd heard correctly, Dean sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't know how the teenager had gotten such a damned fool notion in her head, but he was determined he was going to set her straight. "I'd like to hear the answer to that question myself," he said dryly.

When Krissy didn't respond, he continued. "I'm pretty sure we had a discussion not two weeks ago about what you could do to fight the supernatural if you didn't hunt. You remember that conversation?"

"Yes," Krissy responded quietly.

"Was there anything in what we discussed that even hinted at us not wanting you around if you chose to stop hunting? Because I don't remember saying anything of the kind."

Krissy shook her head negatively.

"Did I tell you had to pick one of those options? That it was an ultimatum that you had to do something to keep fighting or we would make you leave?"

Again, Krissy shook her head. She still hadn't raised her gaze from her plate.

"Look at me, Krissy." This time it was Sam who spoke. His voice was thick with a mixture of confusion and worry. He waited until her gaze met his before he continued. "Have we ever, through our words or our actions, ever given you the slightest reason to think that the only reason you were here or that we care about you is because you wanted to learn to hunt?"

"No." This time Krissy spoke softly.

Sam sighed and reached over the table to take one of Krissy's hands in his. He held it gently as he rubbed his thumb over the back of it. "Help us out here, because we don't understand why you would think that we'd no longer want you around if you didn't want to hunt."

Krissy picked up the folded paper towel that had been tucked beside her plate to use as a napkin and swiped at the tears running down her cheeks and her suddenly runny nose. "I don't know," she said quietly. "I just got the thought in my head, and I can't get rid of it."

Sam nodded. He knew all too well how something like that could happen. "Is that what's been eating at you this past week?"

Again, Krissy nodded. She realized that Sam was studying her intently and squirmed under his gaze.

"I want you to get something straight right now, young lady," Dean interrupted before Sam could say anything further. He rested his arms on the table and leaned forward toward Krissy. "I don't know where the hell you got that idea, but I swear to God there's no reason either Sam or I would kick you out of the bunker or out of our lives." He sat back in his chair. "Do you remember what I made you recite when you first came here?"

Krissy shrugged. She did remember, but she didn't want to say it. She was a bit embarrassed by the fuss that was being made over her insecurity. She almost regretted bringing it up. Both men were reacting more intensely than she had anticipated.

"Was that a yes or a no?" Dean asked as he watched the emotions play across her face.

"Yes," she responded quietly.

"Then tell me."

"Do I have to?" she whined.

"Yes, you have to," Dean responded. The tone of his voice made it clear that he was beginning to lose patience with her.

She let out a sigh. "I am here because Sam and Dean want me here."

"So, what part of that don't you understand?"

"I don't know," Krissy responded as she again wiped tears from her cheeks. "I don't know why I thought that. I just did."

Dean studied her face for a moment before turning to look at Sam. Krissy didn't know what silent communication passed between them, but she was startled when Dean suddenly pushed his chair back from the table.

"Come here."

"Why?" Krissy questioned. She was worried about what Dean might be planning.

"Because I told you to," Dean responded. When she remained seated, he rose and moved around the table to grab her by the wrist and pull her to her feet.

"Dean," Sam said in warning. He didn't know what his brother planned to do, but he was sure it was something unwise.

Dean ignored Sam's warning and Krissy's resistance as he resumed his seat at the table and pulled the teenager down to sit sideways across his lap. He tucked her head under his chin and cradled her against him, letting her cry for a moment.

"There's something I want to make perfectly clear to you, young lady," he said. His voice had softened, but it still held a note of authority. "I don't care if you want to hunt or if you want nothing to do with the supernatural. Neither does Sam. I guess we haven't been so great at showing that, because that's all we've ever had in our lives." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. This chick flick stuff didn't come as easily to him as it did to Sam.

Sam quickly realized where his brother was going and picked up the conversation. "What Dean is trying to say, Krissy, is that there is nothing that would ever make us kick you out or stop caring for you."

Dean gave her a squeeze. "We may get pissed as hell at you, but we'll still care about you. We may have started off calling you our niece for convenience sake, but now that's how we both think of you." He gave her a moment to consider what he'd said before he continued. "A wise man once told me, family don't end with blood. You, Krissy, are family, and family is everything. We don't abandon family just because they want something different or do something we didn't approve of. Do you get what I'm saying to you?"

Krissy nodded against his chest.

"No, I need to hear you say it."

"Yes," she responded quietly.

Dean briefly considered having her repeat it to add the "sir" onto it, but decided against it. This wasn't something he was demanding respect over. Instead, he gave her another squeeze, then patted the side of her thigh, indicating that she was free to move back to her own seat.

"Are you ready to eat now?" Sam asked as she rose to her feet.

Krissy thought for a moment. Her stomach still felt queasy from all of the emotional turmoil she'd experienced during the last few minutes. She shook her head.

Sam stood. "Okay, then. Dean, why don't you put her plate in the refrigerator to save for later?" he suggested as he watched the emotions playing across the teenager's face. He knew the moment she realized his intentions. "Krissy and I have some unfinished business to attend to."

Krissy's eyes widened as Sam stepped around the table to lay a hand on the shoulder. "Do we have to?"

"Yes, we have to," Sam responded and he guided out of the kitchen toward her room. "I know you've had a rough evening, but you knew to expect this. And, not only will it address your problem with lying, but maybe it will help you understand how much I really do care about you."

Krissy remained silent as Sam steered her into her room and closed the door behind them. She almost laughed out of nervousness when the question of why Sam had bothered to close the door when Dean was the only other person in the bunker and knew exactly what was about to happen crossed her mind.

"Have a seat," Sam directed as he sat on the bed and patted the mattress beside him. Once she was seated he draped an arm around her shoulders and drew her close. "I want you to understand something, Krissy. Despite what I said a few minutes ago, this spanking is only about you lying to me. I would never punish you for doubting whether or not I care for you. I would tell you that you aren't to ever doubt that, but I know that's not how it works. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, sir," Krissy responded. Tears were already forming in her eyes again. The last hour or so had been such an emotional rollercoaster she truly didn't think her face would ever be dry again. She did understand what Sam had said, though. She'd known when she'd said it that this was what would happen if Sam realized she'd lied to him about her homework. So, this would have been the consequences no matter what else had happened. But, she supposed, it also showed that Sam did care about her -- at least enough to make sure she followed the rules.

Sam took a deep breath to prepare himself for what came next. He let it out slowly, not caring that it revealed his reluctance to Krissy. "Alright, kiddo," he said as he rubbed the palms of his hands on his denim clad thighs. "Let's get this over with."

"Do we have to?" She looked at him with hopeful eyes. She wasn't above using her version of puppy dog eyes to try to get out of what was about to happen.

"Yes, we have to," Sam responded, his voice taking on a stern note. "Come on, stand up. You don't want to make this any harder than it has to be."

Krissy sighed heavily. She had no doubt about what Sam had meant by that state. She was sure the spanking he had intended was going to be bad enough. Really really didn't want to antagonize him into making it worse.

She allowed Sam to take her hand and draw her to her feet. He guided her to stand between his spread legs. "Tell me why you are getting this spanking."

For a brief moment Krissy thought about giving him a smartass answer, but she quickly decided she was already in enough trouble. She wasn't up to dealing with any additional fallout from giving Sam attitude at the moment. She sighed heavily. "I lied to you about my homework."

Sam nodded in acknowledgement of her answer. "Krissy, I don't enjoy doing this. In fact, I hate it. I'd be happy if I never have to do it again. But, it's also my responsibility as one of your guardians, and as someone who cares about you," he paused for a moment to allow Krissy to register what he'd just said, "to make sure you grow up to be a responsible adult. Part of that is always being honest. Being able to trust you now and in the future is vital. Dean and I can't do that if you lie to us, even about the little things like homework. Do you understand?"

Krissy nodded. "Yes, sir," she said quietly.

Sam didn't say anything further before he drew Krissy over his left knee and secured her torso under his arm. He hesitated for a second before he reached under her to flip open the button at the waistband of her jeans.

"Sam, no, please," Krissy begged. It was bad enough that she was being spanked, but it was going to be even worse without the protection the denim would have provided.

He ignored her protest and pulled the jeans down to her knees before trapping her legs with his right one. Although it had been a small lie, it hadn't been the first time she'd been untruthful. While this particular lesson didn't need to be harsh, it did need to make a point.

Sam didn't make her wait long before he landed a hard swat to the middle of her backside, causing her to flinch and cry out in surprise. He continued to rain down swat after swat until the teenager's bottom and upper thighs glowed an angry crimson. By the time he stopped, Krissy's cries and pleas had become sobs of pain, and tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Sam rested his hand on the back of her thigh and took a deep breath, reminding himself that he wouldn't be doing the teenager over his knee any favors by not finishing the punishment.

"You do not lie to me or to Dean -- ever," he said in a stern voice as he delivered a dozen blistering swats to her upper thighs and sit spots. Krissy cried out at the renewed assault on her posterior. "Do you understand?" Sam asked as he once again rested his hand on her reddened thigh,

He sighed when Krissy didn't respond and began spanking her again. "Krissy, you know how this works. I ask you a question, and you respond. Now," again he increased the force behind the next five swats that punctuated each syllable of his question. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." Her response was so lost in her cries that he'd barely heard her.

Sam sighed in relief. He loosened his grip on her and rubbed her back gently as she calmed down. When she was ready, he drew her Jean's back into place and helped her to her feet before pulling her down onto his lap, making sure her sore backside rested between his legs. He rubbed circles on her back, soothing her as she calmed down and her tears dried.

"My dad didn't want me to hunt," Krissy said quietly into Sam's chest.

He wasn't sure he had heard her correctly, so he leaned back slightly so he could look down into her face. He saw emotional pain reflected in her features. "Yeah, I got that impression after you showed up with Dean on that Vetala hunt." There was a trace of humor in his voice.

"It was the last time he spanked me." She didn't know why she mentioned that to Sam other than the fact that he had just finished lighting her ass on fire.

"Hmmm," Sam hummed. "I can't say you didn't deserve it."

They sat in silence for several moments, before Sam asked, "If you knew your dad didn't want you hunting, why were you so dead set on doing it?" His voice carried a note of curiosity rather than condemnation. He thought he knew the answer to that question, but he wanted her to work through it on her own.

Krissy shrugged. She shifted and moved to get off Sam's lap, wincing when her sore backside made contact with the mattress. "Victor made it sound really attractive," she said. "I'd get revenge against the vampire who killed my dad, plus I'd be saving the world."

"And it wasn't what you thought it was?"

Krissy shook her head before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I didn't have any problems hunting vampires," she said. "I wanted to do that. I thought I was supposed to do that." She paused to gather her thoughts. "I was excited about that hunt in North Dakota. I thought it was my chance to show you what I could do."

"Was it because you were injured?" Sam asked gently.

Again, Krissy shrugged. "The investigation and the research part was really interesting. I liked doing that -- finding that really obscure Native American legend and tying it to those people."

"Yeah, I get that. That's my favorite part of the hunt, too. Now, Dean, he hates that part. He lives for the action of the hunt itself."

Krissy smiled slightly. "Yeah, I can see that." She fell silent again, lost in her thoughts.

Sam draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to offer what comfort he could. "You know," he said, "you can stick to the background investigation and research part of the hunt. What you did in North Dakota really helped us out. It freed me up to be in the field with Dean and Jody, and we didn't have to lose time while I did it. If you want to try going back out into the field again later, you can. Or, if you never want to do it, that's okay, too." He shifted so that his gaze met Krissy's. "Whatever you want to do, it's completely your choice. Neither Dean nor I will ever hold it against you or care about you any less if you decide you just want to do research or if you decide you don't want to have anything to do with hunting at all."

He gave her a moment to process what he'd said before giving her a quick squeeze and rising to his feet. "If you're hungry, your dinner is in the refrigerator. Pop it in the microwave. You aren't confined to your room, but you are grounded from your electronics. I do suggest, though, that you spend some time this evening working on either your homework or rewriting your paper."

He started to leave the room, but a thought suddenly occurred to him and he retraced his steps to where Krissy still sat on the bed. He stopped in front of her and held out his hand, palm up. She gave him a quizzical look.

"Phone," he demanded.

Krissy sighed and shifted onto her hip as she pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans and placed it in his hand. She was a little surprised that he hadn't plucked it out of her pocket while she was bent over his knee.

"Before I check, have you used it other than to talk to Jody?"

Krissy winced, suspecting what Sam's reaction was going to be. Since she'd just had her ass handed to her for lying, she wasn't going to say anything but the truth. "I got a text from Shelby. I responded that I couldn't talk because I was grounded."

Sam studied her for a moment before he nodded. "Okay, I'll let you get away with that one. But I'm keeping your phone until your grounding is over." He studied her for a moment, causing her to squirm under his gaze. "I don't suppose I need to remind you that your computer is to only be used for your online class session or homework."

"No, sir," she quickly responded.

"Good girl." He gave her an approving smile before he left the room and closed the door behind him.