Alex made her way onto the small aircraft and stashed her bags away before taking her seat sandwiched between two agents. The last time she had taken a flight like this, she had struggled to suppress tears of abject terror and utter sadness. This time, she was struggling to suppress tears of overwhelming relief and pure joy. The news of Liam Connors' death in prison came as a huge shock, and the blonde could hardly believe her ears when Agent Hammond informed her that she was being allowed to return home.
Home.
Home to her Olivia.
The love of her life.
It had been a little over three years since the last time Alex had seen those beautiful brown eyes or felt those strong arms around her or heard Olivia's loving voice in her ear calling her a good girl. The first year was a shock to her system, and if Alex wasn't required to hold down a job to keep a roof over her head and food in her belly, she would have preferred to get in her bed and stay there until an agent came to take her home where she belonged. The first Sunday that Alex went without a maintenance spanking, she spent all day sobbing. On their anniversary, Alex considered texting the number she knew by heart to wish her love a happy anniversary, but she knew that she couldn't, lest she put both herself and Olivia in danger. The entire month of December was a killer and Alex didn't even bother buying a tree to decorate. Now, three years later, Alex had mostly grown accustomed to living life alone. The only difference was that for three years, there had been no one there to hold Alex accountable when she let herself down. The first time Alex broke one of her rules after being ripped away from Olivia, she had bent across her bed and tried to take a wooden spoon to her own bare backside, but was dissatisfied with the results and never tried it again. She needed to feel Olivia's lap underneath her and Olivia's left arm holding her in place and Olivia's stern voice scolding her while at the same time reassuring her that her punishment was almost over, but those things were gone, and over time all of Alex's rules and structure flew out the window in favor of doing as she pleased, knowing that there would be no consequences for naughty behavior. Alex had received several speeding tickets over the last three years and a few times had woken up with a raging hangover after drinking more alcohol than she should have, and there was no such thing as workplace discipline at her place of employment, so Alex also got away with murder at work, knowing that her boss wasn't going to hold her accountable nor was there going to be any further discipline doled out when she arrived home.
Back in New York City, Olivia ran her fingers through her long brown hair as she paced anxiously at the terminal gate in the airport waiting for the plane to arrive, knowing that she had arrived too early and she had a couple of hours to wait. She had been told that the plane was flying in from Wisconsin, which was a two hour flight, and the brunette detective was shocked to learn that her sweet little Alex had been so far away yet so close for the past three years. As soon as Olivia had received the call that Alex was being released from Witness Protection, the very first thing she did was burst into tears of joy. She had spent the last three years worrying herself sick, hoping and praying to whatever higher power existed that Alex was safe and still alive. For the first year or so, Olivia was in the worst emotional pain she had ever felt in her life, and her grief often presented itself as anger. Several times, Olivia found herself being hauled into Captain Cragen's office for a sound paddling or caning after she defied him one too many times or got too rough with a perp in the interrogation room, and then she would be told to report to his apartment after work for another dose of discipline where he would then take her over his knee as his naughty daughter, not as his detective, after which he would hold her in his arms and let her sob out all of her stress, fear, and anxiety. The second thing Olivia had done after receiving the news of Alex's return home was to call Captain Cragen and the rest of her squad to tell them the news. Everyone was overjoyed to hear that Alex was alive and coming home, but Captain Cragen had made it abundantly clear that they were not going to bombard Alex with text messages and phone calls and unannounced visits. They didn't know what Alex may or may not have endured over the past three years, and they didn't know if they were going to get the same Alex back that she was when she left, so they were going to keep a respectful distance and let Alex decide if and when she was ready to interact with them. Everyone agreed to these conditions, knowing that Captain Cragen was very protective over his daughter and her wife.
Agent Hammond helped Alex gather her things and then guided her off of the plane and into the airport. Alex suddenly felt fearful when she saw all of the people walking around the airport, but then she laid eyes on a face that she thought she would never see again, and the blonde dropped all of her bags and took off running into the safety of Olivia's arms. Olivia caught Alex in her arms and had tears streaming down her own face as she held her sobbing baby tightly, kissing her head several times. Olivia's hand automatically reached down to gently rest on Alex's jean-clad bottom and Alex melted into the familiar touch.
"Oh, angel, I've missed you so much! I love you!" Olivia wept.
"I love you so much! Don't let go!" Alex wept. She went in for a kiss, and it was several minutes before the two women came up for air.
"Ahem." Agent Hammond cleared his throat, blushing lightly at the display of affection as he walked up carrying all the bags Alex had dropped, "Welcome back to life, Ms. Cabot. We've already filed all the paperwork, so you're free to go, and don't take this the wrong way, but I sincerely hope we never meet again."
"Same." Alex and Olivia stated simultaneously, and they laughed as they wiped away their tears.
"Come here, baby girl, let's get you home where you belong." Olivia smiled, holding out her hand for Alex to take.
"Yes, Ma'am." Alex beamed, the term of respect rolling off her tongue as if no time had passed.
When they arrived home, Olivia guided Alex into the apartment and the blonde gazed around at the familiar surroundings. Olivia had rearranged the furniture at some point in the last three years, and there was a fresh coat of paint on the walls, but otherwise everything was exactly the same as Alex remembered it. Olivia took Alex to the bedroom and the two women spent some time putting Alex's things away. Alex hadn't wanted to bring much with her that would remind her of the last three years, but she did pack some clothes and other various items. Alex went to the closet to put some clothes away and for the first time in three years she laid eyes on their collection of various implements. Alex had felt each one of these implements spank and punish her bare bottom at various times throughout the years, and she felt a strange mixture of fear, respect, and adoration as she lightly caressed Olivia's belt. The last time she had earned a spanking was two weeks before she was shot, with that very same belt.
"Hey, party in the closet?" Olivia popped her head into the closet and smiled.
"Oh, I was just debating whether or not I want to change clothes. Can I put on your NYPD sweatshirt?" Alex asked.
"Of course you can, princess, you never even have to ask." Olivia told her.
Alex quickly stripped out of her jeans and t-shirt and slipped into Olivia's oversized NYPD sweatshirt. Alex had always loved wearing Olivia's sweatshirt even though it was too big for her because it smelled of Olivia's perfume and was a great comfort to her. Alex emerged from the closet and found herself snuggled up on the bed in Olivia's arms. The pretty blonde automatically wriggled into a comfortable position and laid her head on Olivia's shoulder, delighted to find that she still fit perfectly in Olivia's arms the way she always had, and she melted when Olivia began to gently rub her panty-clad bottom to soothe her. All was silent for a long while.
"Ma'am?" Alex's voice pierced the peaceful silence.
"Hmm?" Olivia replied, kissing Alex's head.
"It's Sunday." Alex stated.
"Yes, it is. Tomorrow's Monday." Olivia teased, not quite sure what Alex's point was.
"Am I getting my spanking today?" Alex asked. Olivia was a little startled by the question, but suddenly the energy in the room changed and all the pieces began to fall back into place.
"Well, it is Sunday, isn't it? What happens to my good girl on Sundays?"
"I get a maintenance spanking."
"Come here."
Olivia gently guided Alex to lie across her lap, and the brunette detective smiled softly upon feeling the familiar weight of Alex's body on her thighs. Olivia lifted her sweatshirt up off of Alex's bottom and gently pulled her panties down, revealing her bare bottom. Olivia gently laid her hand on Alex's bottom and lovingly rubbed the soft flesh. Alex settled in comfortably and laid her head down on the bed, melting under Olivia's gentle rubbing.
"I'm going to spank you now, and when you've been properly warmed up we'll talk." Olivia explained.
"Yes, Ma'am." Alex agreed.
"Do you remember the rules?" Olivia inquired.
"No clenching, no screaming, no reaching back, no kicking, and keep wriggling to a dignified limit." Alex rattled off the rules that she knew by heart even after three years.
"That's my good girl." Olivia praised.
Olivia instinctively understood that after three years Alex's tender bottom was no longer used to being spanked, so she started off more gently than she normally would, raising up her strong right hand and bringing it down with a mildly stinging spank, followed by another, and another, and another, and another. Alex let out a soft gasp upon feeling Olivia's hand strike her bottom for the first time in three years, and she instantly knew that she was home where she belonged. Olivia spent a few minutes painting the supple flesh a blushing shade of pink, and then she paused and laid her hand on Alex's bottom, rubbing lightly.
"What issues are we dealing with today, baby?" Olivia inquired.
"I've been a naughty girl…" Alex began to confess every naughty thing she remembered doing for the last three years, and Olivia listened patiently to her sweet little Alex pour her heart out. As she confessed, Alex began to feel an overwhelming sense of guilt gnawing at her belly.
"I am so proud of you for telling me all of that, sweetheart. I am going to give you a spanking now to help you let go of all that guilt, and to remind you that you aren't your own boss anymore. I am in charge around here, and after this spanking is over we are going to let the last three years be in the past and we are going to move forward together with a clean slate, as if none of that behavior ever happened. When we are done here, it will be as if there were never a single speeding ticket, no rude language, no excessive drinking, and nothing else."
"Yes, Ma'am." Alex agreed. A clean slate sounded like a good idea to her.
"And just to help you remember what happens to naughty little girls in this house…" Olivia reached into the bedside table drawer and pulled out the hairbrush.
Alex felt the familiar weight of the hairbrush tapping her bottom, and she clenched her bottom in anticipation of the familiar sting.
"Relax back here, little one. You know better." Olivia said.
It took a moment or two, but Alex was able to force herself to relax her bottom muscles.
"OW!" Alex burst into tears immediately as her spanking began, and she had to cling to the bed sheets until her knuckles were white to resist the urge to cover herself. She remembered that the hairbrush hurt, but she didn't remember it hurting quite this much!
"You're a good girl, baby. You're a very good girl, and you are back home with me where there is a lot of structure and rules and accountability. For at least the next three months, I am going to be keeping a closer eye on you than I normally would, and we are going to work together to get our household back on track where we need to be. And starting now, you will be getting your regular maintenance spanking every Sunday. So keep that in mind, and let's see if we can keep this pretty bottom out of trouble for a while." Olivia lectured as she spanked.
"I'll be a good girl!" Alex choked on a sob.
"I know you will, sweetie. This is not a punishment, this is just a little sting on your bare bottom to wipe the slate clean and encourage you to keep being my good girl." Olivia assured her.
It didn't take very long before Alex was sobbing deeply, lying limp across Olivia's lap. The moment Olivia felt Alex go limp, the spanking was immediately over and she threw the hairbrush down as if it had burned her.
"Get up when you want to, lovey, and you can have a cuddle. It's all over now. It's all done." Olivia soothed, gently stroking Alex's long blonde hair.
Alex remembered this part of the ritual, this was the part that she loved. The blonde laid across Olivia's lap for several minutes catching her breath, knowing that she was allowed to stay there for as long as she wanted until she felt like getting up. When Alex felt strong enough, she pushed herself up and found herself wrapped in Olivia's strong arms where she belonged, knowing that Olivia would be there to hold her for as long as she wanted to be held.
"That's my good girl. That's my good girl. You just cry it out now, my angel. I'm right here, I'm never letting you go again. You're home, you're safe." Olivia soothed as Alex sobbed on her shoulder, clinging to her for dear life while Olivia rocked her.
Alex began to reach down toward her bottom, but then she remembered the rules about rubbing after a spanking and she stopped. Instead, she snuggled down further into Olivia's arms and relished the affection as she was comforted and babied. Olivia saw Alex start to reach for her bottom and had been prepared to stop her, but she was proud when Alex remembered the rules on her own. It would take a little time, but Olivia was confident that if they worked together, their household would soon be back on track where it needed to be.
For right now, Alex was home, back in Olivia's arms where she belonged, out of danger, and that was all that mattered.