Kate helped bring the diner food into the house and set it down on the table. Her mind was being pulled in so many different directions and her emotions were all over the place. She felt guilty and worried. She hated making people mad at her and just wanted to undo everything. It was almost worse than no one was yelling or flying off the handle. She felt like she didn't deserve the kindness.

Dean sat down and opened his box. He found a note and opened it.

Sam reached over and tried to grab the note.

Dean smacked his hands away and nearly tipped the chair backwards. "Dude, I will kill you."

Sam grinned. "What is it? Is it a love note from Lacy?"

Dean rolled his eyes and put the note in his pocket. "None of your business."

Kate giggled. "What does it say?"

Dean nudged her. "It is none of your business either."

Bobby shook his head. "Did you get extra fries too?"

Dean grinned. "Yep."

They teased him a bit and then dropped it.

Kate was thrilled that her match making skills had panned out well for Dean.

Conversation was mostly upbeat throughout dinner and it didn't hit a lull until the food was almost gone.

Kate shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Bobby gathered the trash and sat back down.

Sam went to leave but Dean told him not to.

Kate sighed and put her hands in her lap. She was hoping that they would forget.

Dean told her to repeat everything she had told him in the car. He wanted everyone on the same page.

Kate did as she was told and hung her head. "I know it was stupid."

The conversation was long and thorough.

Dean pushed his chair back and told Kate to stand in front of him.

Kate eyed him wearily.

Dean looked her in the eye. "Hit me."

Kate stepped back. "What?"

Dean nodded. "Hit me."

Kate looked at Sam and Bobby for help. "I'm not going to hit you."

Dean rolled up his t shirt sleeve and tapped his shoulder. "Punch me, slap me. I don't care but hit me."

Kate shook her head. "No."

Dean motioned for Sam to walk over as well. "If you don't Sam will."

Kate wondered if he had finally snapped. "Dean, why? What is going on?"

Dean nodded at Sam and Sam punched him in the shoulder.

Dean inhaled slowly.

Bobby leaned back in his chair and watched. He wasn't sure what Dean was doing but was intrigued.

Kate pushed Sam away. "Dean! No."

Dean rolled his shoulder and looked at her. "Hit me."

Kate started crying. "I don't understand what is going on? Please stop."

Dean shook his head. "Either hit me or Sam will again."

Sam wasn't sure what was going on either but pulled his fist back.

Kate stood between them. "Are you crazy?! Sam, don't."

Dean moved Kate to the side.

Kate pushed herself back. "Dean, please. I don't want to hit you."

Dean looked at her for a moment. "I have a point to make so either you hit me or Sam will."

Kate wiped her face and slapped Dean on the shoulder.

Dean rolled his sleeve down and told her to sit down. "How did that feel?"

Kate was bewildered. "Awful. I don't understand."

"Why did it feel awful?"

"You made me slap you. I didn't want to hurt you." She said with sniffles.

"Why did you do it?" He asked.

Kate's mouth dropped open. "You made me!"

He shook his head. "No, you refused at first. Why did you decide to do it?"

Kate wracked her brain for an answer. "I didn't want Sam to punch you again. I knew he would hit a lot harder than me and I'm so confused."

"So you chose the lesser of the two evils even though you really didn't want to do it?" Dean clarified.

Kate stared at him. "Uh, I guess."

He sat forward. "Think about how you feel right now and how hard that decision was."

Kate sat still and soaked in the emotions.

"How do you think we feel... How do you think I feel when I have to make a decision like that?" Dean asked.

Kate looked at him. She still wasn't following him.

"If you stay up late and have to get up early for school and you are tired the next day, that is a natural consequence. When you slack off on chores and have to bust it to get everything done before bedtime and miss your down time, that is a natural consequence. However, with some things, the natural consequence is too severe so one of us has to set up a consequence that gets the point across but isn't as bad. That is the decision you just made. It is hard and isn't fun. When you run off and sneak around and lie, you are putting yourself into a situation where the natural consequence could be injury or death. We can't sit back and let you do that to yourself so we are left with a decision." Dean said and gave her time to soak it in.

Kate started to speak but didn't quite have words.

Bobby hid a smirk. He had caught on to Dean's intended lesson and was impressed.

"Getting your hide tanned is an excellent deterrent. It sucks but it is better than ending up in a hospital with blood poisoning. However, that still leaves one of us with having to do the tanning. How you felt a minute ago, imagine being in our shoes. I personally hate it. It hurts me to have to do that but you bet your ass I would rather do that than see you in a hospital again."

Kate finally understood. She hung her head. "I'm sorry." She knew that Dean didn't enjoy it but hadn't considered just how hard it was for him.

"Had you told someone the night that you had the vision, the severity of all of this could have been avoided. I didn't make you punch me or hit me full force. How would you feel had I made you do that? No matter what, it is still better than Sam punching me but just think about it. When you hide things and lie, you are forcing people into that situation." He said slowly.

Kate let tears fall down her face. "I didn't think about it like that."

"I know you didn't and that is why I made you hit me. I wanted you to understand what it feels like from the other side. I want you to THINK before you do things." He held out his arms and motioned for her to stand up. He wrapped her in a hug and rubbed the back of her head. "I'm going to talk to Bobby for a little bit. You should go upstairs and think about everything we talked about."

Kate sniffled and nodded her head. "Okay." She turned slowly and walked up the stairs.

Bobby leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. "Where did you get that idea?"

Dean rubbed his face. "I don't know."

Sam frowned dramatically. "I was hoping she wouldn't do it. I was looking forward to that second punch."

Dean smirked at him. "Get out of here before I punch you back."

Sam slid back from the table and went outside. He gave Dean a lot of credit for basically raising him while their dad was in the wind but he hadn't really considered the mental load that Dean carried.

Bobby handed Dean a drink and sat down across from him. "What are you thinking?"

Dean groaned. "That I wished these kids listened."

Bobby smiled. "Me and you both."

Dean drummed his fingers. He already knew what needed to happen but he hated it.

They talked for a few minutes.

"I think it means more coming from you." Bobby said.

Dean rested his head on the table. He knew Bobby was right. "She did steal meds from you."

Bobby sighed. "She did. I can't comprehend what went through her mind. She is a smart girl. Too smart for that."

They stayed downstairs for a half hour discussing the best way to handle the situation.

Kate waited and waited. She just wanted to get everything behind her so that she could do better. She never wanted to hurt them again. She curled up under a blanket but nearly shot off the bed at the sound of footsteps. She heard a faint knock at the door and said "come in."

Dean looked worn out. He had a headache forming.

Kate stood up. "I'm really sorry."

Dean shook his head. "I know but we have been here before, haven't we?"

Kate nodded her head. "I am sorry for all of that too but I'm sorry you have to put up with it. I'm sorry that I forced your hand."

Dean was relieved that she fully grasped his point from earlier. "Maybe from now on you will consider that before going behind my back."

Kate nodded again. "I will."

Dean watched her movements and body language. He felt a twinge of guilt for making her nervous. He sat down on her bed and rested his elbows on his knees. He had so many thoughts rushing through his head but was lost on how to put them into words. "Come here." He patted the bed beside him.

Kate sat down but kept her head down.

"You put me in quite the spot, kid."

Kate mumbled.

He looked at her and then back at his hands. "My dilemma is that you truly messed up. You put your life in danger, needlessly. You lied and stole medication. Not to mention compelling me again. If I had done a fraction of that as a kid, my dad would have whipped me every night for a week."

Kate stiffened.

"Is that what I need to do?" He asked, looking over at her.

Kate shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. I understand that I messed up."

"We got the short end of the stick by growing up with parents who hunt. We got introduced to creatures and our lives are more dangerous than the typical person. Everything you did is so much more serious because of what we deal with on a daily basis. You could have died when you got burned or fallen into a coma. We would have had no idea what happened or how to help you."

Kate put a hand on Dean's leg. She wanted to say she was sorry and promise to never do anything stupid ever again but it wouldn't fix what she did.

He sighed and pulled her into a side hug. "Starting tomorrow, you are going to research the dangers of burns and the complications that can come from not treating them. You are going to also research the misuse of medication and what can happen if you take the wrong kind or too much. Sam is going to bring home some books and can help you but you are going to write two separate reports. They need to be thorough. If you do not take it seriously, you will redo it." Dean said.

"Okay." Kate squeaked.

"You are going to be doing extra chores around here for Bobby. You will be grounded so you may go to school and back here but that is it."

Kate looked at him with pleading eyes. She didn't like where the conversation was headed.

Dean sighed and bit the inside of his cheek. "If you were Sam I wouldn't think twice about taking a belt to you."

Kate's eyes flew open and she started to speak.

Dean put his hand up. "BUT when I used my belt on Sam, I wasn't that much bigger than him. I'm only four years older. You however are not Sam. If you keep pulling this crap, I will use it on you. Do you understand?"

Kate nodded quickly.

"Go grab the ruler and bring it back over here."

Kate felt queasy but complied. She didn't want to make it harder on Dean but also didn't want him to mention the belt ever again.

Dean took the ruler and sat it beside him. He felt like an ass but needed to make sure she remembered this. "Pants down."

Kate froze. "What?"

Dean tapped her leg. "Jeans down."

Kate stared at him. "Dean..."

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. "Once I start using that ruler, I don't want to overlap and leave marks."

Kate shifted from foot to foot. "Can I please wear the soft shorts?"

Dean sighed. He would never spank her bare but knew from experience that getting it over underwear was a humbling experience. "Do I need to start out with the ruler?"

Kate shook her head. She reluctantly pushed her jeans down and didn't meet his eye. Her dad had required it at times but Dean was different.

Dean didn't want to embarrass her more than he needed so he grabbed her arm and put her over is lap. He landed the first swat.

Kate hid her face in her blanket and tried to slow her breathing down. She wanted to accept the punishment without fighting because she knew Dean didn't want to do it.

Dean landed a few more swats. "Do I need to go back over why this is happening?"

Kate gritted her teeth. She hadn't realized how much padding a pair of jeans or shorts usually gave her. "No."

He focused on how easily she could have been taken away and used that to steel his heart. He peppered every inch of her backside to the top of her thighs.

Kate's heart sank. It already hurt like hell and she knew he wasn't anywhere near done.

He tapped her with the ruler. "I was just going to give you a few extras with this at the end if you lied to me again but you went above and beyond lying."

Kate panicked and tried to wiggle away.

"Give me your hand."

She shook her head frantically. "I'm sorry!"

Dean tapped her. "I want to get this over with."

Kate reached back and took his hand.

Dean was relieved that she wasn't arguing much. It meant that she understood. He smacked her with the ruler and had to tighten his grip on her hand.

"Wait. Wait." Kate said and tried to wiggle.

"What do you mean wait?"

"That really hurt. I didn't know it would hurt that bad." Kate whined.

Dean nearly laughed. "Why do you think I hissed when you hit me with it the other day?"

Kate groaned. "Please don't use that."

Dean tapped her gently. "Kate, I am going to make sure that this sticks."

Kate flinched when the next swat landed. Her brain struggled to comprehend the sting. She had a brief thought about burning the thing like Sam said.

Dean made quick work of laying stripes one right under the other until he got to her thighs. He could feel the fight leave her body and wanted to cry as well. He wanted to scoop her up and calm her down but had to finish the job. He gave her a minute to catch her breath.

Kate wondered if he was done and tried to get up.

Dean pushed her back down. "Oh no. Stay right where you are." He landed a much harder swat. "You do not put yourself in danger." Followed by another. "You do not take medication without an adult." He shifted so that her legs dropped slightly. "You do not compel me and you do not lie." The last two hardest swats hit her sit spots and Dean knew she would feel it for a while.

Kate went limp and cried openly.

Dean rubbed her back. He felt awful. "Shh, breathe. Deep breaths." He picked her up and pulled her into his arms.

Kate melted into his chest and cried. "I'm sorry."

"I know. You are forgiven." Dean said gently.

Kate didn't know how long she cried. The spanking hurt but a lot of the tears were from the guilt working its way out.

Dean shifted her so she could sit in his lap and winced when she nearly jumped. "Sorry." He said with a smirk. "Here, lay down."

Kate laid down on her bed and let Dean cover her with a blanket.

He rubbed circles on her back until she stopped crying so hard. "Please don't make me do that again."

Kate sniffled. "I'll do my best."

He smiled. "I know you will."

Kate reached out and grabbed his hand and pulled it close to her. She was physically and emotionally exhausted.

Dean let her hold onto his hand while he soothed her. "Are you ready for bed?"

Kate shrugged. "It is too early."

Dean looked at the time. "I think now is an appropriate bedtime."

Kate frowned. "I think I should apologize to Bobby."

Dean was pleased. "I think that is an excellent idea."

Kate looked at her jeans that she had kicked off.

Dean chuckled. "Do you want one of my shirts?"

Kate blushed but nodded her head.

Dean led her downstairs to Bobby's office. He knocked on the door facing.

Bobby looked up and saw Kate hiding behind Dean.

Dean nudged her.

She stepped toward Bobby and hung her head. "I'm really sorry that I stole medication from you."

Bobby pulled her into a hug. He paused and turned her to the side and gave her two swats. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."

Kate shrieked and put her hands behind her. "I wont!"

Bobby gave her another hug and held her at arms length. "I'll hold you to that."

Kate side stepped away from Bobby so he couldn't swat her again.

Dean laughed. "Tomorrow morning, after breakfast she is going to sit at the table and get started on those reports."

Bobby nodded. "Sounds good."

Dean gave her a gentle shove. "Bedtime."

Kate sighed but went back up stairs. She brushed her teeth and got ready for bed. She felt emotionally raw and broken.

Dean sat down on his bed and waited for her to finish up in the bathroom. He looked at her when she walked through the door. "Where is that book?"

Kate's face turned red. "Uh... here." She showed him the loose board that ran against the wall in the closet.

Dean crouched down. "Huh, that is a great spot." He held his hand out for the book.

Kate handed it to him. "Please don't take it all the way away. I know I made a mistake but it could be helpful."

He bopped her on the head with it. "We can look at it together."

Kate sighed in relief.

Dean put the book in his pocket and tilted his head toward her bed. He put her blanket back over her and gently massaged her head like he did when he had gotten her to fall asleep on the couch.

Kate relaxed and let her mind shut off.

Dean paused. "Kate."

She opened her eyes. "What?"

He gave her a smirk. "If I find out you did anything with the ruler or Sam helped you get over the discomfort you have right now, I'm going to kick both of your butts."

Kate gave him a look. "Is this because kid you would have did that?"

Dean winked. "Absolutely."

Kate rubbed her face into her pillow. She held up her hand and put her pinky out. "I pinky promise I will not burn the ruler."

Dean wrapped his pinky around hers. "Or trash it or snap it in half or throw it out the window."

Kate picked her head up. "What kind of child were you?"

Dean laughed. "Oh not me. That was all Sam."

Kate giggled. "I'll leave it alone."

Dean kissed the side of her head. "Good." he shut off the light and walked back down the stairs. Speaking of Sam, he needed to find him. His shoulder still hurt from being punched. Being the oldest came with its share of hardships but one perk was being able to gleefully torment Sam whenever he wanted. Dean had noticed Sam hit multiple growth spurts and as much as it annoyed him, he knew one day soon, Sam would be taller than him. He wasn't going to let his final days of being the bigger brother go to waste. "Sammy!"

Sam rolled off the hood of the impala. "What?"

Dean grinned. "Come over here so I can kick your ass."

Sam smirked. "What for?"

"Punching me, bitch."

Sam grinned back. He threw a water bottle at Dean and took that small window of opportunity to run.

Dean caught him and dumped the water bottle over his head. He punched him in the shoulder and grabbed him in a headlock.

Sam tried to escape. "Come on man, you told me to punch you."

Dean let him go. "I did. You didn't have to punch me that hard."

Sam smirked. "So I follow orders and you get mad at me."

Dean put his hands up. "You're right. It just took nearly 18 years for you to get the hang of it and it caught me off guard."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Is that your way of saying you are proud."

Dean put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Yeah brother, I guess so." He clapped Sam on the back and steered him back toward the house. He didn't want to think about college. He didn't want Sam to leave or to turn 18. He didn't want his little brother to outgrow him. He would never say any of that out loud but he wasn't ready. He shook his head and let go of Sam's shoulder. He opened the door and followed Sam back inside. 'Enough chick flick moments.' he thought to himself. He would save those for when Kate grew up.