Chapter 8 – The Benefit of Science

The two girls stood, shoulder to shoulder, facing the wall with their hands on their heads. They had been told to stand there for ten minutes, both knowing that Nate would be keeping an eye on the clock and would come and get them when their time was up.

Nate looked at the clock and saw that there was two minutes left as he watched them from the doorway to the Armoury. Looking at his two naked companions, he could see that whilst Cait's bottom had lost some of its glow, Valkyries had calmed down considerably, with all traces of the darker hues having vanished. He wondered if the sensation had disappeared just as quickly as the marks were. He would have to ask her that later.

He was about to turn away when he caught some movement from Valkyrie and a smile spread across his face. She had unlocked her fingers and taking one hand off her head, reached out to Cait who was stood to her left. Cait, having seen what Valkyrie was up to, took her cue and enveloped Valkyries hand in her own, pushing their palms up against the wall. There they stood, each with one hand still on their heads, the other high, up against the wall, their fingers interlinked, almost as if raising a hand in salute or defiance. Nate loved this girl and her inherent naughtiness in almost all that she did. He was sure that she would be a great addition to the team, as long as she didn't lead the others to open rebellion. He could already see that with Cait as a willing side kick, he would have his hands full with these two, but he imagined what would happen if Piper and Curie decided that cheek and sass were the order of the day. He chuckled at the idea of having to spank all of them on a much more regular basis. They would never get anything done.

Mirth still clear in his voice, Nate moved towards the two wayward girls. "You two are incorrigible!" He laughed.

Curie turned from where she was, sat at the computer terminal, "Oh mon dieu!" She exclaimed, her hand going over her mouth to stifle a laugh.

Piper turned from making the tea, "Ha! You two have a death wish or something?" She also laughed at the pose the two naked girls had struck.

Valkyrie and Cait, having seen that there would be no point trying to hide their act of defiance, looked at each other, shrugged and kept the pose.

Nate shook his head, "Ok you two, hands down, you can go get dressed now."

"Is that a sound of defeat creeping into your voice, Nate?" Piper asked cheekily.

"Absolutely not and don't you start!" He chuckled.

"They have taken a fairly decent spanking, so I am unphased by their larking about." Nate sounded as if he was looking to convince himself.

"Decent…ish." Valkyrie turned and rubbed her bottom absentmindedly. "I'd say, seven out of ten," she looked at Cait, who nodded in agreement.

"Ha!" Nate exclaimed, "I can always do more, dinner won't be ready for another hour or so." Nate pointed to the Armoury and the direction he kept his spanking implements.

Cait smiled, "wouldn't want you over doing it, sweetheart." She then leaned in to give Nate a kiss.

Nate grabbed his naked girlfriend around the waist and pulled her in for a deeper kiss. "And as for you missy," He looked down at the girl wrapped in his arms, "don't forget you haven't got the magic regeneration blood running through your veins. Your tush will have to carry around my disapproval a lot longer than V's will." Nate pointing to the other naked girl, who spun round obligingly to show her much lighter backside.

Cait pushed away from Nate, "you lucky cow!" she exclaimed moving up to inspect the very fast fading signs of Valkyrie's recent spanking.

"You still feeling any of it?" Nate asked, genuinely interested in learning more about Valkyries restorative powers.

"Every spank, just as she is." Valkyrie hooked a thumb at Cait.

"You are healing much faster than Cait, given the state of your backside earlier," Curie came up to join Cait in inspecting Valkyries spanked seat. "Some sort of Angiogenesis with no mitosis and entirely controlled, fascinating." Curie sounded excited. "I don't suppose you would be happy for me to take some of your blood and have a look at it?" Curie asked.

"I tell you what, I'll give you some blood if in return you make me an iron ass, I have a feeling I will be needing it," Valkyrie smiled, patting her bottom. "It might clear up quicker than you guys, but I'll still find sitting just as uncomfortable."

Curie moved over to the bookshelf, "Here," she said handing Valkyrie a large thick book with the title The Basics of Molecular Biology. Curie then put it over Valkyries bottom, "Hold it there and you will have all the protection you need. See, science helps." Everyone laughed at that.

"Right, off you two go," Nate instructed Cait and Valkyrie, "when you are back, we have the ammo to sort, the weapons to clean and the provisions to re-pack. We will be back on the road soon enough." Nate reached for a freshly made coffee.

"You do know how to spoil someone's fun," grumbled Piper as she poured everyone a drink.

"Ha!" came a shout from Nate and Cait's bedroom alcove, "you are calling that fun!" exclaimed Cait as she gingerly pulled on her underwear.

Nate smiled and headed back into the armoury to continue counting the scavenged ammo. The remainder of the afternoon was spent sorting, cleaning and preparing until Curie called everyone downstairs for dinner at eight.

Nate was the last to come down the stairs and as he did, he caught sight of Valkyrie taking the cushion that Curie had put at her place and returning it back to the sofa. It had become something of a tradition that any of the girls who had just been spanked, were then allowed to sit on a cushion for their first post spanking meal. The bench seats on the dining room table were hard and unforgiving to those with tender behinds. It was obvious that Valkyrie didn't want to enjoy that little bit of relief. What then made Nate grin was Cait's reaction to seeing her companion reject the offer of a cushion. She too took her cushion and placed it back on the sofa, Cait wasn't going to wimp out now that Valkyrie wasn't. Nate rolled his eyes and continued downstairs to take his place at the table.

Dinner began with everyone complimenting Curie on her culinary skills before falling silent as the team enjoyed the meal.

"Well, that was different," stated Piper, breaking the silence.

"What was," Curie looked concerned as she examined the pot with the remaining stew in it.

Cait laughed. "No, she meant the spanking."

"Oh!" Curie smiled in realisation." Yes, that is the first time I have heard laughing during a spanking, even from the person getting punished," Curie indicated across the table to Valkyrie.

"Well, it was different," Nate answered, "most especially as Cait and V asked for it," Nate said. "And because they came to me, to us," he indicated everyone around the table, "that takes away the element of disappointment. So, I guess it wasn't a punishment spanking, more of a set things right type of hiding."

"But it was hard!", Curie took on a serious look, "I would not have laughed if my bottom looked like theirs," she exclaimed pointing at Cait and Valkyrie.

"Yes," Nate leant forward, "It was hard, but that was because of the seriousness of the issue. What wasn't present was any need for it to be forced or reluctantly accepted." Nate thought for a second, "what I mean is it didn't contain any degree of non-consent, so a laugh was entirely possible. These guys were putting things straight and so they could do that in any way they wanted to."

"Including challenging each other to who could take the most." Piper smiled knowingly.

"We were not!" exclaimed Cait as she turned to Valkyrie for support.

Valkyrie smiled, her face taking on a guilty look as Cait's mouth opened and then closed in disbelief.

"Thanks for the support, friend." Cait stated, rolling her eyes at Valkyrie.

Nate laughed, "it's fine that you two do this, but it wouldn't have made any difference anyway. I knew how much you two were getting, so I am not that easily manipulated." Valkyrie coughed through a smile. "Oh, don't get me wrong Missy, I went harder on you because of your smart mouth, but what I mean is you guys would never be able to get me to lay on more and more, just so you can test my limits … and your own." Nate wagged his finger in mock disapproval.

"Haha!", Piper laughed. "Look at those two," she said pointing to Cait and Valkyrie. "If they aren't the faces of two people who have just accepted your challenge, then I am a molerat!" She raised her glass at the two girls sat opposite to her.

Nate looked at his two smiling companions who had recently been draped over his knee and he laughed. "Hmm you might be right there, Piper, you might be right."

Curie, who was looking pensive, asked, "so we are punished more if we don't agree with the spanking you are about to give us?" Curie looked at the puzzled faces, "when you said element of non-consent."

"I think what Nate means is the idea of consensual non consent," Valkyrie answered. Seeing no one change their expression she continued, "in this household, you guys have introduced the use of corporal punishment as a way for Nate to keep you guys in check." She saw Cait pull a face at that. "Ok, not in check, let's call it a method of discipline then," she looked at the other girls around the table. They all nodded.

"However, even though you guys all agreed to that as an overarching principle, one that would be present in your everyday lives. That doesn't mean you would always agree to every punishment when it was dished out, or agree to how seriously Nate intends on dealing with an omission or mistake. Just because you know a tanning is on the cards for things you do out on the road, that doesn't mean you skip enthusiastically home when you know you are about to get a good spanking for something you did, right?" Valkyrie looked around the table.

"Yeah," Cait smiled, "I love it when Piper thinks she can negotiate her way out of a skelping, when she knows she is destined for a trip over Mr Bossy's knee."

Piper took on an exaggerated look of shock and then smiled broadly.

"You all do it in one way or another." Nate nodded. "Cait flatly refused once, just didn't want it or think it was right and so it wasn't going to happen in her mind." Nate reached over to his girlfriend and squeezed her hand.

"I didn't think it was wrong, what you were saying at the time, I just didn't want to agree to it as I was so mad at you for what I had done. And for you being so right." She smiled at Nate.

Nate then turned to Curie, "and you are gorgeous when you know you are in trouble. The tears and the apology."

"But I am not expecting to get out of a spanking," she said innocently.

"Haha, so," Piper waved an accusing finger at Curie, "imagine one day, listening to your pleas, Nate felt so bad for you and let you off, are you saying you would insist he still tanned your backside," Piper laughed. Cait joined in, looking sceptical.

Curie looked guilty and then grinned. "Well, ok, maybe not." They all laughed.

"Well, I liked it," Piper drained her glass. "I know I wasn't the one getting my ass tanned, but I loved how you two were just … funny. It was a nice different."

"It was just what I needed," Valkyrie looked at Piper nodding.

"The spanking or the laughing?" Curie asked, looking puzzled.

Valkyrie turned to her synthetic companion and smiled a genuine and warm smile, "Both."

"Right, who needs a top up," Nate stood, holding an empty whiskey bottle. Cait and Valkyrie nodded, and Nate headed upstairs to retrieve another bottle of Single Malt.

When he returned Piper stated, "I know we chatted about you guys the other night," Piper waved at him and Cait, "but what is glaringly obvious to me, since Olivia, is that you are not very good at coping with Cait being in danger."

Nate looked questioningly at Piper.

"I am sure I am not the only one who has noticed, but your behaviour towards her, now that you guys are an item, has changed somewhat and not for the better." Piper's tone was matter of fact but not judgemental.

Nate smiled; he had expected that they would need to talk about him shouting at Cait when they were up in Sanctuary. "Ok so my little outburst was uncalled for, I accept that, but I did apologise." he reasoned.

"Your reaction was typical," Curie interjected, "it is your hero instinct now that Cait is your girlfriend." She smiled. "The hero instinct is a deep-rooted psychological urge that drives people, especially men, to step up and protect those they care about."

"But I care about you all," Nate looked concerned as to where Curie was going with this.

"That's true," remarked Piper, "I have been forced to feel your care for me a few times recently," she smirked, leaning forward and rubbing her bottom for emphasis.

"Yes, your care for us all is not in doubt," Curie laughed, "it is just that now Cait is special to you, your natural instinct is to want to protect her. For you, that protection manifests itself in more … Mr Bossy."

"Great," Cait feigns resignation, "so being shouted at and spanked more is the price I pay for being Mr Bossy's girlfriend." Cait smirks as she turns to Piper, "you want to take over for a little bit?"

"Ha!" Piper laughs, "I do not need any help with the number of times I find myself over his knee," She raises her glass in Nate's direction, "I seem to be perfectly capable of doing that all on my own, but thanks for the offer." Piper drained her glass.

"I don't think me getting cross the other day was because I was being overprotective." Nate screwed his nose up at that.

"Ok then, Mr, what was it?" Cait asked folding her arms.

Nate paused, thinking back to that evening up at Sanctuary. He had to admit, he couldn't think of any particular reason why he had been overcome by such a strong emotion on that night. "So, you really believe that this is me getting all papa bear on Cait, because we are now dating?" Nate was sounding much more conciliatory in his tone.

"Hmm," Cait purred, "so I get to call you papa bear from now on," she gave Nate a lascivious look.

"It is one of the most natural things an alpha male like you would experience; the desire to care, protect and guide. For you, I am sure the hero instinct is as deep rooted in you as the maternal instinct is in some women." Curie stated. "For some people there is an instinct which is triggered in certain circumstances. 'Fixed behavioural response in the context of certain stimuli,' according to Dr Monk. You naturally had that instinct anyway, when we became a team that instinct was triggered and now, with Cait being someone you are involved with…."

"My Mr Bossy is going into overtime!" Nate interrupted Curie, laughing.

"Precisely." Curie agreed.

"So, are you saying that to help Nate not be so Mr Bossy with Cait, we cancel the discipline side of the relationship?" Piper asked with a cheeky grin.

"Why, you feeling an urge to throw yourself over his knee sometime soon?" Cait laughed.

"I have absolutely no control over that, at all, you know this. In fact, I would go so far as to say, the harder I try not to end up in trouble, the quicker I earn myself a tanning!" Piper exclaimed. "It's fine," she held up her hands, "I have got this, I'm going to be angelic from now on and just hope Cait and V keep Mr Bossy far too occupied to notice what I am up to." Piper nodded to herself and then reached for her empty glass, "have we got any more?"

"I'll get it," Cait jumped up enthusiastically.

"Ha! Feeling it a bit, are we?" Piper teased.

Cait turned to Piper, one hand already moving to her bottom to give it a rub. "No," she huffed, moving her hand to rest on her hip.

Curie looks over to Cait's vacated seat, "Oh, why haven't you got your cushion?" she asked.

Cait said nothing, blushing a little.

"I think," Nate smirked, "she didn't want to be comfortable this evening because she didn't want to be shown up by V." He pointed to the lack of a cushion where Valkyrie was sat.

Valkyrie looked at Nate, then Cait and then down to the seat. "Oh, so the cushions were meant for us because we had just been spanked?" she looked genuinely surprised. "Aww, thank you. I thought they had been left there by someone and I was just tidying up, that's why I got rid of mine."

Everyone laughed at that except Cait, whose blush turned a deeper shade of red.

"So, you are now sat on a sore rump because… ha ha, that is so funny, you are utterly adorable." Nate continued to laugh.

Valkyrie stood and enveloped her blushing friend in a protective hug. "You leave my friend alone," She chuckled, "All of you, grrr." She growled as she shielded Cait from the rest of the group, who were all still laughing.

Piper wiped a tear from her eye as she was laughing so hard. "Did you just growl at us?" She grabbed her stomach as she doubled over, finding it hard to breathe.

Cait feigned a hurtful look and untangling herself from Valkyrie, theatrically stomped her foot, "Well, in that case…" And she spun on her heals and marched purposefully over to the sofa. She collected two cushions and placed them on the bench seat, next to each other. "There, at least I can now sit comfortably whilst you all laugh at my expense." She huffed as she sat herself back down.

"Erm.. the wine." Piper pointed to her empty glass.