New Beginnings-chapter 4
By Sampast and Huggedlots
Copyright © 1999, All rights reserved.

After the reception, Heather and Bob kissed Maggie good-bye and cautioned her to behave for her grandmother. Then they were off to the LaGuardia Marriott for their honeymoon night. They would be leaving the next morning for the Bahamas.

Maggie had a tearful good-bye with the twins, as well. "Maggie, you'll see them on Friday. It's only five days away," Charlie explained.

"I know," Maggie replied.

"I'll pick you up at 2:00 Friday, okay?" Charlie told her.

Maggie smiled. "I'll be ready. See you then."

She then got into the car with her grandmother. It was a two hour drive to her house. Once in the car, all Maggie could do was chat non-stop about the wedding. She told her grandmother about all the fun she had, and who looked the nicest, and so on and so on. Finally, her grandmother said, "All right, Maggie, that's enough. I think you should close your eyes for a little while. You've had a long day!"

"Okay, Grandma!" Maggie said. Maggie fell asleep instantly and had happy dreams. They arrived at her grandmother's exactly two hours later. Maggie ran into the house and looked around. It looked the same.

Since it was only 7:00, Maggie watched t.v. After awhile, Maggie looked at the clock. It was almost 9:00. Her grandmother didn't say anything about putting on her pajamas. Maggie watched the end of one show and another whole half hour sitcom and still her grandmother didn't say a word.

Maggie knew if she were at home, by now her mom would have made her put on her p.j.'s. She also knew that she would have had to argue with her mother even to stay up to 10:00. Maggie looked over at her grandmother. Her grandmother smiled back. Maggie watched t.v. a little longer. She looked back at her grandmother.

Finally her grandmother said, "Maggie, is there something wrong?"

"Uh, no Grandma. I was just thinking maybe I should go put my pajamas on?" she said.

Grandma smiled. "Oh, okay, honey, whatever's most comfortable for you."

Maggie peeked at the clock. Almost 10:30. She had never been allowed to stay up this late. Oh wait! Yes she had. Back before the summer, before they went to the Dude Ranch. Before they met Uncle Charlie, Aunt Lisa, and the twins. Maggie remembered now. She didn't have a bedtime then. Boy, that sure seemed like a long time ago.

Maggie went into her old room and put on her pajamas. She yawned; she really was getting sleepy. But she didn't have to go to bed. Here, with her grandmother, she could stay up as late as she wanted. She went back to the living room. Her grandmother was still watching t.v. Maggie sat down on the couch and watched a little more.

She felt funny. She felt like she was doing something wrong. She felt like she was going to be in trouble. Maggie kept sneaking peaks at the clock and at her grandmother, but nothing happened. She kept expecting her grandma to say, "All right now, it's getting very late, time to go to bed." But she never did.

Maggie actually felt sad. It was almost like Grandma didn't even care whether she went to bed or not. Finally, Maggie felt like she couldn't watch one more minute of t.v.

"Grandma, I'm tired. I want to go to bed," she said sleepily.

Her grandma looked up. "Oh, okay, honey. Good night. See you tomorrow."

Then she looked back at the t.v. Maggie was sad. She missed her mommy and daddy. There was no one to hug her and tuck her in, and read her a story. She looked over at Grandma. Should she ask her to tuck her in? She never had before. Did she know how?

Her grandma noticed Maggie staring at her. She said, "What's the matter, honey? Forget something?"

"No, Grandma, I just, uh," Maggie began.

"What? What is it, Maggie?" her grandma asked.

Maggie took a deep breath. She went over to her grandmother and said, "I just wanted to give you a hug and say good-night."

So she did. And her grandmother actually hugged her back. It wasn't the most loving hug like Mommy and Daddy gave, but it was something. Maggie smiled for the first time in hours.

"G'nite Grandma!" she called and ran to her room.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Maggie was up early. She went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of juice. Then she went into the living room and watched cartoons for a little while. Finally, at 10:00 when her grandmother was still not up, Maggie decided to wake her.

She ran into her grandmother's room, jumped on the bed, and yelled, "Rise and shine!"

Her grandmother clutched her heart, jumped up and said, "Huh? What? Whatsamatta?"

Maggie got scared. "N-n-nothing, Grandma. I just wanted to wake you up and say good morning."

"Well, you scared me half to death! Don't ever do that again!" she yelled.

Maggie started to cry. "I'm sorry, Grandma. I didn't mean it!" she cried.

Her grandma said, "Why are you crying? I'm not going to hit you. Did you think I was gonna?"

"Well, I get a spanking at home when I misbehave," Maggie reasoned.

Her grandmother was surprised. "Do you now? Well, not here. I don't believe in it. All right, enough talk, I need to get back to sleep. Go and amuse yourself now. I'll see you later."

Maggie watched as her grandmother got back under the covers and went back to sleep. She went to the kitchen to see what to make herself for breakfast. There was no cereal that she was interested in. There was an Entenmann's cake. So Maggie had some of that with her juice.

She knew her mother would not approve of this breakfast. But Mommy was not there, so it was okay.

Maggie found that putting herself to bed and preparing and eating her own meals was nothing compared to what she did on her own for the next four days. Each day she woke up and went outside to see which of her friends were around. There was a little bit of snow on the ground, enough to go sledding in. She went with her friends and their parents and had a lot of fun. She barely saw her grandmother, except at night when they watched t.v. together.

Well, not really together. They were both there. And they were both watching t.v., but they weren't really watching together. At first Maggie was sad. She tried many different things to get her grandmother to do stuff with her. But she never did. After a couple of days, Maggie gave up and just did her own thing.

She had forgotten what that was like.

Maggie came and went as she pleased. She didn't take many baths the whole time she was there. Her grandmother didn't even notice.

On Friday, at exactly 2:00, Charlie pulled up. He was surprised not to see Julia's car there. He went to the door and knocked: no answer. "Hmm, that's strange. Where could they be?"

He got back in the car and waited. Finally, around 2:30, Julia pulled up in her old Chevy Nova. When she got out, Charlie was surprised not to see Maggie with her. He walked over to her.

"Hi, Julia. Charlie Clemente. I'm here to pick up Maggie," he said.

Julia, Maggie's grandmother looked around. "Oh, I'm sure she's around here somewhere. Did you knock?" she asked.

Charlie was shocked. "Um, don't you know where she is?" he asked.

Julia shrugged. "Not exactly. I don't keep tabs on her all day. She's a very active girl. She could be anywhere."

Charlie followed Julia into the house. He looked around. So did she. "Hmm, guess she's not here. She could be next door. Got a friend over there. Tanya. Want I should give her a call?" Julia asked Charlie.

"Yes, please," he said.

About ten minutes later, Maggie came banging into the house. "HI, Uncle Charlie!" she yelled, running into his arms.

Charlie pulled Maggie back and gave her a long, hard look. "Hi. Where have you been? You look like you've been playing in a mud puddle."

Maggie laughed. "No! Silly!"

"Um, Maggie, remember I told you I would be here at 2:00. Why weren't you here waiting for me?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I just forgot," Maggie said. She opened the refrigerator and started to drink orange juice from the container.

"Maggie!" Charlie blurted. He couldn't believe that in less than a week with her grandmother she had gone back to all her old ways.

Maggie pulled the carton away from her mouth and looked at her uncle. "What?" she asked innocently.

"Maggie, you know that's not polite. Now, go get your bag, and let's get going. I don't want to hit too much traffic going back," Charlie stated.

"Okay, I just have to go find all my stuff," Maggie replied.

Charlie became angry. "What? You don't have your stuff packed yet? Why not?"

Maggie replied fliply, "I'm sorry, I guess I just didn't get around to it."

Charlie gave Maggie's bottom one solid smack. "Don't you talk to me like that, young lady! I suggest you go pack your bag immediately, unless you want to have a sore bottom the whole way home," Charlie expressed sternly.

Maggie was stunned. Suddenly, she became aware of who she had just spoken to. "Yes, sir," she said. She ran to get her things.

When she was ready, she kissed her grandmother good-bye and promised to write. Then she followed Charlie to the car.

"Okay, get in," he said, opening the door for her. "And put on your seat belt."

"Oh, do I hafta?" she whined.

Charlie put his hands on his hips, and leaned in and stared at her. "Yes, you do. And there had better not be any more whining, young lady."

Maggie gulped. "Yes, sir."

Maggie fell asleep almost as soon as the car started. Charlie wondered what time she had gone to sleep the night before. When Maggie woke up, she looked out the car window. It was dark out.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"We're on the Long Island Expressway," Charlie replied. "We're almost there. We'll be home just in time for you to take a bath before dinner."

"A bath? I don't wanna take a bath, Uncle Charlie!" Maggie whined.

Charlie frowned at her, but she couldn't see in the dark car. When they got to the apartment door, the twins attacked Maggie.

"It's so good to see you," Robin said.

"Yeah, we missed you," Jenn added.

Maggie smiled. "I missed you guys, too. I had fun at my grandma's, but I wished you two were there."

Lisa hugged Maggie. "You're just in time, honey. The girls waited for Charlie to light the candles."

Charlie spoke up. "Maggie needs to take a bath before dinner, honey."

Lisa said, "Oh, honey, dinner is ready. She can take one after. Come let's light the candles. The girls have been dying to open one of their presents."

Maggie had forgotten. It was Chanukah. She had learned about it in school. Jewish boys and girls lit candles on something called a menorah, and then they opened presents. There were eight days and children got one present each night. Maggie watched in fascination as the Clementes lit the candles.

"Baw-ruch a-taw a-do-noi e-lo-hay-nu me-lech haw-o-lawm a-sher kid-d'shaw-nu b'mitz-vo-sawv v'tzee-vaw-nu l'had-lik neir shel Chanukah," they all said in unison.

Robin and Jennifer ran to get one of their presents. They each grabbed one and then took another one and gave it to Maggie. "Here, for you," they said.

Maggie's eyes opened wide. "For me?"

Robin said, "Yeah, we bought it today."

Maggie opened the small gift. It was a yo-yo. "Great! Thanks!"

"I got one, too. We can practice together," Jennifer said.

"Okay, what else did you get?" Maggie asked.

The twins looked at Lisa. "Mommy, can we show Maggie?"

Lisa shook her head no. "No, c'mon, dinner is ready. Let's eat!"

They all sat down to eat dinner. Maggie ate like she hadn't eaten in days. "Didn't you have lunch today, Maggie?" Lisa asked.

Maggie thought. "Um, no, I don't think so. I think I forgot to eat."

Lisa and Charlie exchanged looks. The girls finished their dinner, and said, "C'mon, Maggie, come see what else we got."

"Hold on," Charlie said. All three girls froze. "Bring your plates into the kitchen. And Maggie, I didn't forget about your bath. I'll call you when it's ready. Okay?"

"Uh, yeah, okay," Maggie said, as she brought her plate in, and then ran to catch up to the twins.

Fifteen minutes later, Charlie went to the twins' room. All three of them were sitting on the floor playing with Barbie's new dreamhouse that Robin and Jennifer had gotten as a present to share.

"C'mon, Maggs, your bath is ready," Charlie called.

"In a minute," Maggie called over her shoulder.

Impatiently, Charlie said, "No, now!"

"I'll be right there!" Maggie shouted.

Robin and Jennifer froze. They couldn't believe the way their friend, er, cousin had just spoken to Charlie.

Charlie didn't let it go by him either. He went over to Maggie and picked her up and said, "No, right now. Let's go!"

He carried Maggie kicking and screaming into the bathroom. He deposited her on the floor and pulled off her dirty clothes. "You are positively filthy. Into the water you go, right now!" Charlie had picked her up again and dropped her into the tub.

Maggie was fuming mad. She also wasn't thinking. She took a big scoop of water and splashed it at Charlie. He became soaked.

Charlie jumped up. "I can not believe you just did that, young lady. You are going to be very sorry. Lisa!" he called.

Lisa came running in. "What's the matter?" she asked. Then she looked at Charlie and saw that he was all wet. "Honey, what happened?"

Charlie looked at Maggie. She knew she was in big trouble. She began to cry. "You might want to save those tears!" He turned to Lisa, "I'll let you give her her bath. I'm going to change."

After Charlie left the room, Lisa frowned at Maggie. "That wasn't too smart, Maggie."

Maggie sobbed, "I know." She continued to cry. Lisa washed her. Then she helped Maggie out of the tub and dried her off. Maggie put on her pajamas, even though she knew she wouldn't be keeping her bottoms on for too long.

Lisa led Maggie into their bedroom, where Charlie was waiting for her. "Come here, Maggie," he said gently. Lisa slipped out of the room.

Maggie went and stood next to her uncle. "I'm really sorry, Uncle Charlie. I don't know why I did that."

"Well, I do. You got used to no one telling you what to do again, and you thought you could get away with it some more. But now you're back here where there is a lot of discipline and rules to follow, young lady. And unfortunately, you're going to remember the hard way. Let's go!" Charlie ordered.

He pulled her pajama pants and panties down and laid her across his lap. He started to smack her bottom, alternating cheeks. As he smacked each cheek, he lectured her on the rules that she seemed to have forgotten.

"And you will (SMACK) follow them (SMACK), young lady (SMACK), or you will (SMACK) end up (SMACK) right (SMACK) back here (SMACK). Do you understand me?" he informed her.

"Y-yes, Uncle Charlie," she stammered.

"Okay, then, we're finished," he said, as he stood her up. He reached down and pulled her panties and pajamas up. Then he gave her a big hug and a kiss and reassured her that he loved her.

"I don't want to have to do that again this weekend. Do you understand, Maggs?" he spoke.

"Yes, sir," she sobbed. "I love you, Uncle Charlie, and I'm sorry!" Maggie continued to cry. He held her until Lisa called her to answer the phone.

Maggie picked up the phone. "Hello? Daddy? Hi."

Bob's voice came through loud and clear on the other end. "Hi, Magpie, how're you doing?"

"Um, okay," Maggie said. She didn't know whether to tell him that she had just gotten a spanking.

"I understand you've already gotten into a little trouble!" he announced.

So Aunt Lisa had told him. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry, Daddy!" she cried.

"Maggie, Mommy and I told you to behave yourself while we were away. Now I talked to your grandmother and she didn't seem to have any problems with you. You've been there, what two hours, and you've already gotten yourself into trouble," Bob cautioned.

"I know," Maggie sobbed, "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"Well, you just had better behave yourself, Magpie. I don't want to hear of any more misbehavior this weekend. Okay?" Bob asked.

"Okay, Daddy."

"Okay, here's Mommy," Bob said, handing the phone to Heather.

"Hi, honey," Heather called.

"Mommmmmmeeee! I miss you!" Maggie cried.

Heather took a deep breath. "I miss you, too, Maggs. Why are you crying?"

Maggie sobbed. "Because Daddy's mad at me. He must hate me!"

"No, Daddy doesn't hate you. Why would he hate you?" Heather asked.

"Because Uncle Charlie had to spank me, Mommy. I'm sorry, I won't do it again," Maggie exclaimed.

Heather said, "Don't worry, honey. Daddy is not mad. Here, talk to him again." She handed the phone back to Bob.

"Maggs? Maggie? Are you there?" Bob asked.

"Y-yes," Maggie answered quietly. "Are you mad at me, Daddy?"

"No, sweetheart, I am not mad at you. I am a little disappointed in your behavior, but you promised me you would do better, so I'm not angry. Okay?" he said softly.

"O-okay," Maggie said. "Let me say good-night to Mommy!"

After Maggie said good-night to Heather, Charlie got on briefly to speak to the happy couple. They were having a wonderful time and never wanted to leave.

"But of course, we have to. We'll be home late Sunday night. We'll pick Maggie up Monday morning. See you then," Bob told Charlie.

"Okay, good night, then," Charlie said as he hung up the phone.

~~~~~~~~~

In the middle of the night, Charlie felt someone shaking him awake. He heard, "Daddy, Daddy, wake up!"

Charlie leaned over and said, "What is it? What'samatta?"

It was Robin. "Daddy, it's Maggie. She's crying but won't wake up. Jennifer's sound asleep, and I can't sleep."

Charlie sat up. "Okay." Lisa sat up. She said, "What's wrong?"

Charlie told her. Lisa got up to comfort Robin and take her to the bathroom, while Charlie went to check on Maggie. He walked into the twins' room. Maggie was laying on the cot that they had put in between the two girls' beds.

He sat down on the edge of the cot. "What's the matter, sweetie?"

Maggie threw herself into Charlie's lap. "Oh, I had a really bad dream! Daddy!?"

Charlie held her close, and said, "No, honey, it's Uncle Charlie. Daddy's away with Mommy, remember?"

Maggie looked up at her uncle. She could barely make him out in the dim light of Jennifer's nightlight. "Oh, yeah. Uncle Charlie, I'm scared!"

Charlie picked the little girl up and rocked her. "Now, now, it's okay, nothing to be afraid of. Come, we'll go in my room and talk." Charlie saw Lisa leading Robin back into bed. Jennifer slept through it all.

They went into Charlie and Lisa's bedroom. Charlie laid down on his bed and pulled Maggie against him. "You want to tell me what your dream was about, honey?" he asked Maggie.

"It was, it was about, um, I don't remember, but it was horrible. I felt scared," Maggie admitted.

"Well, it's all over now, okay, sweetie?" Charlie reassured Maggie until she was asleep.

All the while, Charlie stroked her hair and rubbed her back. He said aloud, but he knew she had fallen asleep already, "You know, Maggie, if you had told me five months ago when I met you at the Dude Ranch, and you started calling me-Uncle Charlie-that I would really become your uncle, I never would have believed you."

Lisa thought they looked so cute. Charlie fell asleep with Maggie laying against him.

His alarm woke him up at 6:00. He had to open the store at 7 am, but only had to work until noon. He carefully got up as so not to wake Maggie. Charlie kissed Lisa on the cheek and told her he would bring home a pizza at a little after twelve. "Maybe we'll take the girls to the movies, or something," he said.

Jennifer was up at 8:00. She couldn't believe Maggie had woken up first. She changed and went to find Maggie in the den. No Maggie. Jenn then went to her parents' room. She saw her mom asleep and Maggie asleep next to her. She woke Lisa up.

"Mommy, why is Maggie sleeping in here?" Jenn asked.

Lisa looked over, saw Maggie, and remembered. "She had a bad dream in the middle of the night. Come on, I'll make you some breakfast," Lisa said leading Jenn to the kitchen.

At 9:00, Maggie woke up. Jenn waited for Maggie to have something to eat, then the two girls went to watch t.v. The telephone rang soon after that. It was Charlie.

"Well, honey, I have a feeling we'll think of something else to do today," Charlie uttered mysteriously.

"What do you mean?" Lisa asked.

"Well, have you looked out the window lately?" Charlie inquired.

"No," Lisa answered. Then she did. Everything had a beautiful layer of snow on it. "Girls!" she called to the den, "Come look out the window!"

Maggie and Jennifer ran into the kitchen and looked out. "SNOW!" they both yelled. "Oh, Mommy, can we go out in it?" Jenn asked.

Lisa chuckled. She was trying to listen to Charlie at the same time as the girls begged her to go in the snow. Charlie said, "After lunch, we can take the girls to the park and go sledding."

"Sounds like a plan. Let me go, honey, I'll talk to you later!" Lisa smiled as she hung up the phone.

"Oh, please, Mommy!" Jenn begged. "Please, Aunt Lisa!" Maggie pleaded.

"Don't you want to wait for Robin to wake up?" Lisa asked, smiling.

The girls looked at each other. "NO!" they both yelled.

Lisa was laughing. "Okay, okay, but I want both of you to use the bathroom before I bundle you all up."

Jennifer went right in. When she came out, Lisa told Maggie to go in. "Oh, I don't have to, Aunt Lisa!" Maggie whined.

Lisa frowned. "Then you don't have to go out, either!" she said, putting her hands on her hips.

Maggie looked at Lisa. Did she want to test her? No. "Okay," Maggie said.

A few minutes later, Lisa had both girls all bundled up. "Now, girls, you stay inside the fence, where the playground is. When Robin gets up, we'll meet you down there. Okay?"

"Okay, Mommy!" Jenn said. "Okay, Aunt Lisa," Maggie repeated.

The girls went down to the yard. They played for a while in the cold snow. Maggie said, "Hey, we need more snow, let's get some from over there." Jenn looked to see where her cousin was pointing. "No, we can't. That's outside the fence, and Mommy told us to stay inside."

"So? She won't know," Maggie expressed.

"Well, I'm not," Jenn said.

"Okay, fine," Maggie said.

Then Jenn said, "I'll be right back. I have to go to the bathroom."

"Again? You just went!" Maggie reasoned.

"Yea, but I have to go number two," Jenn said, embarrassed.

"Oh, okay, well, I'll wait here," Maggie said.

Jennifer went up to the apartment. Lisa was surprised to see her back so soon, and said as much. Jenn explained why she came up. "Well, where's Maggie?" Lisa asked, concerned.

"She's waiting for me downstairs," Jenn replied.

"Oh, well maybe I'd better go check on her. I'll be right back, Jenn. And be quiet, your sister's still sleeping," Lisa requested.

She bundled herself up and went down to the yard. She did not see Maggie at first. Then she frowned. There Maggie was, digging in the snow right outside the fence. Lisa marched over to Maggie and grabbed her arm. "Okay, you've had enough, let's go!"

"Huh? What? Oww, Aunt Lisa, you're hurting me!" Maggie yelled.

Lisa did not let go of Maggie's arm until they were in the elevator. "What did I tell you about being outside?"

Maggie started to cry. "Not to go outside the fence!" she cried.

"Yes, and as soon as I turn my back, you go and do just that! Well, now you're going to be punished, young lady!" Lisa snapped.

They arrived on their floor, and Lisa lead Maggie back to her bedroom, after taking off her wet, snowy things. Lisa sat down at Charlie's dressing chair and placed Maggie between her legs.

"Tell me why you're going to be punished, Maggie," Lisa ordered.

Maggie continued to cry. She blurted out, "Because I didn't follow your directions! I'm sorry!"

Lisa frowned. "Tell me exactly why you're getting this spanking!"

"B-b-because you told me not to leave the yard, and I went outside the fence!" Maggie sobbed.

"Yes, you did. And you've been warned before, when you've been here, to stay where you're supposed to be. You don't seem to understand, Maggie, that we need to know where you are at all times. And if we have to spank you every time you forget, then Uncle Charlie and I will do just that. Do you understand me?" Lisa exclaimed.

"Yes, yes, Aunt Lisa," Maggie whispered.

"Okay, then, let's get this over with!" Lisa said, as she turned Maggie over her knee. She spanked hard and fast in the center of Maggie's bottom. Lisa watched as Maggie's bottom turned from white to pink to a deep, dark red. She hit Maggie over and over again across the middle of her bottom, along her thighs, and especially in her "sit" spot.

Maggie howled. Finally, Lisa stopped. She stood Maggie up, whereupon Maggie grabbed her bottom and tried to rub the sting out. It hurt so much. Maggie screamed, yelled, cried, and carried-on so much, that finally Robin woke up.

Jennifer had just come into their room. Robin sat up and said, "What's going on?"

Jenn looked at her sister. "Boy, you missed everything. Hope you had a nice sleep! Mommy's spanking Maggie. I think she went outside the fence, or something." Jenn filled Robin in on the morning's events.

After Maggie's war dance, Lisa asked Maggie if she wanted her panties pulled up. Maggie shook her head no. "It hurts too much!" she cried.

Lisa took Maggie in her arms and began to rub her bottom. "I'm sorry I had to do that, Maggie, but you must learn to listen. Remember what I told you?"

"Yes, that you'll do it again, if I don't listen," Maggie stated. Then she thought of something. "Are you gonna tell my Daddy?" she asked.

Lisa looked at Maggie. "Well, if you behave the rest of the day, I don't see why I'd have to mention it to him. But you must tell Uncle Charlie I punished you. Okay?"

"Okay," Maggie said.

"Okay, now, why don't you lie down?" Lisa asked, pulling down the covers on her bed. Maggie slipped in wearing just her shirt. "I'll wake you in a little while," Lisa said as she walked out the door.

~~~~~~~~

At exactly 12:15, Charlie came home with a piping hot pizza. "GIRLS! I'm home, and I've brought pizza!"

Robin and Jennifer came running into the kitchen. They each gave Charlie a big hug and kiss. Lisa told them to go wash their hands for lunch.

Charlie said, "Well, I see Robin finally woke up." He looked around. "Where's Maggie?"

Lisa nodded toward the den. "She's watching t.v. She has something to tell you."

"Uh-oh, why do I think I'm not going to like this?" Charlie asked skeptically.

He walked into the den, and sat on the couch. He took the remote and turned the t.v. off. "Maggie, Aunt Lisa says you have something to tell me?"

Maggie turned around and went to Charlie. She leaned her head against his chest and began to cry.

Charlie pulled the little girl into his lap. "What is it, honey? What's the matter?"

"My daddy's gonna be really mad at me!" Maggie whined. She was so upset, that she had disappointed Bob. The past hour she had berated herself terribly. She and Charlie talked it out.

"Well, if Aunt Lisa said she won't mention it to him, then all you have to do is make sure you follow the rules the rest of the weekend," Charlie reasoned.

"But I tried. I can't help myself!" Maggie whined.

"Now you listen here, young lady. You spent what, five days with your grandmother? Five days of no rules! It'll take time to remember that you have to listen. But as for trying, I don't think you've tried very hard. You said Aunt Lisa told you not to leave the yard? But then, what ten minutes later, you left the yard! That's not trying very hard, Maggie!" Charlie cautioned.

"Yes, sir, Okay, I'll try harder!" Maggie volunteered.

"Okay, sweetheart, I know you will. Come on, let's go eat some pizza before it gets cold. Then we'll go sledding!" Charlie announced.

Maggie looked scared. "Me too?" she asked.

"Of course, you too. You've been punished already. We won't speak of what happened this morning again. Unless you break the rules again. Okay?" Charlie reassured her.

"Okay," Maggie replied.

A few times while they were sledding, Charlie had to remind Maggie of the rules of staying near them. It only took one time for Charlie to threaten another spanking, that Maggie stuck to them like glue. Surprisingly enough, both Robin and Jennifer were well-behaved the whole day. Probably because it was still Chanukah, and they wanted to make sure they weren't gypped of any of their presents.

That night, after dinner, Robin and Maggie asked Charlie if they could have their bath together. "Mommy said it was okay with her, if it was all right with you," Robin explained.

Charlie asked Lisa. She replied, "Well, I thought it would be okay. You know, honey, usually when the three girls get together, it's Maggie and Jennifer. And Robin is usually left out. I thought this would be good."

"Okay," Charlie laughed, "but you get Jennifer!" Lisa chuckled, too.

Before bed, Charlie sent Maggie and the twins to brush and wash up. "Maggie, your mom will be calling soon," Lisa told her.

Maggie asked, "Are you gonna tell my daddy that you had to spank me today, Aunt Lisa?"

"No, but you are," Lisa explained. Maggie looked at Lisa.

"I had told you, if I didn't have any more problems with you, then I wouldn't tell. But, sweetie, how many times did Uncle Charlie and I have to remind you to stay near us this afternoon?" she asked.

Maggie cried, "A lot."

"Yes, a lot," Lisa frowned. "So, if you don't tell your mom and dad, then I will. And if I have to tell, it's going to sound a lot worse for you. Got it?"

Maggie nodded. She then went to the bathroom and washed up for bed. Seconds later, the phone rang.

"Hi, Heather. We're fine. Hold on, here's Maggie," Lisa said into the phone. Maggie took the phone from her aunt.

"Hi, Mommy!" Maggie said. "I miss you!"

"I miss you, too, honey. How're you doing?" Heather asked.

"Okay. When are you coming home?" Maggie asked.

"I've told you a million times, sweetheart. We'll be home in time to ring in the new year with you. Okay?" Heather supplied.

"I know, but I want you here now," Maggie whined.

"Sweetie! Oh, here's Daddy, honey," Heather said, handing Bob the phone. It was killing her listening to how much Maggie missed her. She and Maggie had never been separated this long. She almost asked Bob if they could go home a day early.

Bob grabbed the phone and said, "Hi, honey. How's my little Magpie doing?"

Maggie just cried into the phone.

"Maggie? Honey? What's the matter? Hello? Hello?" Bob tried again.

But Maggie had dropped the phone and ran crying into the den. Lisa took the dangling receiver and held it to her ear. "Hello?" she said.

"Maggie?" this from Bob.

"Oh, hi, Bob. This is Lisa," she responded.

"What happened? Is Maggie all right?" Bob inquired.

Lisa looked into the den. She saw Charlie holding Maggie on the couch. He was cuddling and comforting her. Lisa sighed. "Yeah, she's okay. She just didn't want to tell you that I had to spank her today."

There was silence on the line. Finally Bob said, "What, again? Oh, Lisa, tell me what happened."

So Lisa did. Bob said, "I don't understand it. Every night when we called her at her grandmother's, Julia didn't mention any problems."

"Well, I think Charlie has a theory about that. Hold on, I'll put your brother on," Lisa stated.

She went into the den and handed Charlie the phone. She also took Maggie out of Charlie's arms and brought her back to the kitchen.

Charlie got on the phone. "Hello? Oh, hi Bob. How's it going?" he asked.

Bob said, "The honeymoon's great, bro. But what's going on with Maggie? Lisa said you guys had to punish her again, today. I was telling Lisa about how Julia didn't mention any bad behavior out of Maggie the whole week."

Bob sounded stressed. Charlie knew that what he had to say would add to his brother's stress. "Well, I'll tell you what I think..." Charlie went on to explain to Bob that Julia hadn't watched Maggie that well, that Maggie was basically on her own, and didn't have any discipline.

"It was like that when we first met Heather and Maggie," Charlie continued, "and after a few days back with Julia, Maggie slipped back into her old ways. She's going to need a lot more, strict discipline to help her remember, to listen and to be safe. She needs her parents, Bob!"

Bob sighed. "I think," he said, looking at Heather, who was listening on an adjoining phone, wringing her hands, "that we just might come back a day early."

"Oh, Bob! Really?" Heather asked. Bob nodded. Then into the phone, he told Charlie, "Don't tell Maggie, but we'll be home tomorrow. We'll pick her up in the afternoon. Okay?"

"Okay, brother. See you then," Charlie said.

"Wait, don't hang up. Put Maggie on for a minute," Bob said.

Charlie put Maggie back on. She listened as Bob told her, "Honey, I'm not angry, but I just want you to know that we are going to have a very long talk when Mommy and I come home, okay?"

"Yes, Daddy," Maggie said. Then Lisa hung up the phone.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, the Clementes went to the mall. It was more of the same thing. Maggie kept doing her own thing, wondering off, and Charlie and Lisa kept reeling her back in. At one point, Charlie looked around and did not see Jennifer or Maggie.

"Where are those two?" he asked.

Pointing, Robin called, "There they are!"

Charlie went over to the two of them. He smacked Jennifer hard on her bottom and picked Maggie up. Carrying her back to where Robin and Lisa were sitting, he said, "I think, young lady, that you need another spanking." He landed one hard smack across her bottom, too.

"No, Uncle Charlie, not here! I'm sorry!" Maggie wailed.

"No, not here. When we get home. You are going to be one sorry little girl," he explained.

"NO! I'm sorry, I won't do it again," Maggie cried.

Lisa laughed. "Maggie, do you know how many times this weekend you have said that?"

Charlie frowned at Maggie. "Young lady, you just walked away from us for the last time." Then he said to Robin. "Finish eating, we're going home."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a long, silent, twenty-minute ride home. No one dared speak. When they got home, Charlie told Robin she could go into the den and watch television. He asked Jennifer to go to her room and for Maggie to wait in his bedroom.

He went to the twins' room first. He sat down on Jennifer's bed and called her over to him. "What were you thinking, Jennifer, wandering away like that?" he asked sternly.

Jennifer looked up at her father. She was about to answer, "I don't know," when she stopped herself. "I'm sorry, Daddy. Maggie just wanted to show me something. We weren't that far away. I didn't think you'd mind," Jenn answered.

"If you didn't think we'd mind and it wasn't that far away, why didn't you just ask?" Charlie questioned his daughter.

"I don't know, Daddy," Jennifer answered honestly.

"Jennifer!" he warned.

"But really, Daddy, I don't know why I didn't just ask," she repeated.

"Well, you would have definitely saved yourself this spanking. Let's go!" Charlie said as he pulled Jennifer's pants and panties down. He then pulled her across his lap and began to spank.

Charlie smacked her two dozen times, alternating cheeks as he hit. He lectured her about wandering away from them, and the dangers of bad people taking her. The things her father said made Jennifer scared, and she cried more from that than her sore bottom.

When he stopped, he hugged her and reassured her that he loved her. He put a pair of pantsies on her and tucked her under the covers. "Now, I want you to lay here and think about what we talked about. Then you need to nap for a little while. This afternoon, maybe we can rent a video. Okay, baby? I love you."

"I love you, too, Daddy," Jenn said.

Next, Charlie went into his bedroom. Lisa was sitting on the edge of the bed trying to comfort Maggie. Charlie heard the tail end of what Lisa was saying.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Lisa replied, "Maggie's unsure of a few things, hon."

Charlie looked at Maggie, "What aren't you sure about, sweetie?"

Maggie took a deep breath and said, "Well, what if my new daddy doesn't really want to be a daddy after awhile? Will I have to go back and live with my grandma?"

Maggie looked so serious, that Charlie's heart went out to her. "No sweetie, that really worries you, doesn't it?"

Maggie nodded. "I love her, but I felt sad when I was there."

Now it was time for Charlie to nod. "I see. And now tell me, do you think a dad just stops loving his daughter? Because I don't think your daddy would do that!"

"But I am not a real daughter, Uncle Charlie, and I won't ever be," Maggie explained.

Charlie looked at Lisa. Her heart really went out to this little girl, but she couldn't help but think Maggie was just trying to get out of her impending spanking. "I think I'll leave you two alone to discuss this," Lisa said.

She squeezed Charlie's hand before she left. He nodded at her and mouthed, "Thanks." Then he called after her, "I love you, hon!"

Lisa smiled back at her husband. "I love you, too, honey." She winked at Maggie. "You two have a nice talk."

Charlie looked back at Maggie, "Now tell me why you don't think you're a real daughter, Maggs?"

Maggie sobbed, "Cause I won't have the same last name, and kids at school won't even know he is my dad, now will they?"

Charlie replied, "Now, hon, that's nothing to get all upset about. Changing your name is a bit more complicated than it may seem to you. There are all kinds of legal stuff involved, but that doesn't mean that your dad is not your dad, hon. And, no matter what you do, or how you test him, he will always love you. That's a promise. But, you sure could save your bottom a lot of grief if you didn't feel the need to test so often, young lady!"

Maggie looked up at her uncle. She wasn't sure if he was teasing her or not. She didn't think so. She began to cry.

"Now let's talk about your latest stunt at the mall, with Jennifer. You know, your cousin has already been punished," Charlie explained.

Maggie blurted, "But it wasn't her fault, Uncle Charlie. I wanted to show her something. It wasn't that far away. I didn't even think to ask you!"

"No, you didn't, honey. And that's why you're in trouble. Do you remember what we told you yesterday?" Charlie asked Maggie.

"That you have to know where I am at all times. I know, but I just thought---"

"Well, you thought wrong," Charlie replied. "Maggie, I think Aunt Lisa told you this the other day. You must learn to listen. If you can't, then we will correct you. And if we have to correct you over and over until you learn, then that's what we'll have to do. And your mom and your dad feel the same way. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, Uncle Charlie. I didn't mean to do it again. I'll try harder to think better next time," Maggie said.

She sounded so sincere. Charlie almost wanted to forego this punishment, but how could he? Especially when he had already punished Jennifer. And also, when he just tried to convince her how they were going to be consistent.

"I know you will, Maggs, but you're still going to be punished. Come on, let's get this over with," he said.

Maggie went and stood next to Charlie's leg. He pulled her pants and panties down and pulled her over his lap. Because this was her umpteenth offense, he gave her a harder spanking than he gave Jennifer. Charlie smacked Maggie's poor bottom at least fifty times, alternating cheeks as he went. He bottom turned white to pink, to dark pink, to red, to crimson.

When Charlie finally stopped, Maggie didn't even realize. That's how much it hurt. Then Charlie put Maggie on her feet. She rubbed her bottom to try to relieve the sting. She hopped around as if her bottom were on fire. All the while, Maggie screamed and cried.

Finally, Charlie took Maggie into his arms. He hugged her and rocked her, and tried to rub the sting out. "I'm sorry I had to spank you so hard, honey."

"No, it's okay. I know I deserved it, Uncle Charlie. I'm really sorry," Maggie squealed.

"I know you are. And I know you are going to try real hard to listen from now on," Charlie commented. "And don't feel bad about your daddy, everything will work out fine, I promise. Okay?"

Maggie nodded, but Charlie wasn't so sure he got through to her. Charlie hated seeing her so unsure of herself. He realized that no matter how much he tried to reassure her, it was up to Bob to really help her understand that his love was permanent. It was not going to be an overnight thing, to allay this child's fear of abandonment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Meanwhile, on the airplane, Heather and Bob were flying home, discussing their trip, and Maggie.

Heather said to Bob, "You are the best, sweetheart. As much as I loved being with you, I was getting worried about Maggie, and I'm glad we're going home early."

"Yes," Bob replied, with a frown, "I am not too happy about what my brother had to say, though. I think Maggie needs discipline, but I am worried about her thinking that I am going to hate her. Maybe she needs some reassurance from me as well. I just don't know. I am new to this dad business, you know."

Heather laughed over at him. "Sweetheart, you are the best person, well besides Charlie, that I have ever seen in the dad business, so stop worrying about it. Between us, we will prove to Maggie, just how loved she is."

Heather looked deep into Bob's worried eyes, and loved him even more for caring so much about Maggie. They kissed and held hands, as the captain announced they were preparing to land.

to be continued...

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