Ashlynn still snores softly, curled up on the couch.

Kevin shrugs.

"Maybe we could figure out a way to work from here. "

"Maybe," AJ says. "All I know is that she's going to be hard to handle, after seeing how she's behaved since we got her this morning."

Kevin nods. "But it only makes me want to keep her more."

"Same here," AJ smiles. "She needs us more than she knows or thinks."

Krissy's set her empty bowl and soda off to the side and is lying in the middle of the floor, watching the movie.

Ashlynn squirms slightly.

Kevin nods again. "Do you think an eight year old is too young for a belt?"

Kevin squeezes her gently and kisses the top of her head.

AJ shrugs. "Long as we don't use it too much, it should be okay. But, I'd start with smaller things first, and work our way up to that - need it be so."

Kevin nods. "I hope biting my leg was a one time thing," he says. "Because I can't hold her place very well in other positions."

Krissy looks back and shakes her head. "Biting is not nice," she recites having had a problem with that a few years ago.

AJ chuckles. "Well, I hope for your sake it is only a one time thing." He leans over to ruffle Krissy's hair. "Yes, it is wrong, Baby Girl. It's good you remember that."

Kevin reaches forward and gets his own lunch.

He looks back at Kevin. "I think our girls will need baths later though. One looks like she hasn't had one in quite a while." He nods towards the sleeping Ashlynn.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" he asks AJ. "Other than taking the stolen toys back to the store."

Kevin nods. "Definitely."

Krissy's eyes light up. "I like baths!"

AJ shakes his head slightly. "Do we even know why she stole those things?" He smiles down at Krissy again. "You just like being a Mermaid and playing with your toys."

Krissy giggles and goes back to her movie.

Kevin smiles but then turns back to AJ, shaking his head. "None whatsoever."

AJ sighs slightly. "So, how are we returning the stuff? Is she going to go to apologize?"

Ashlynn's slowly starting to wake up, as her bottom's throbbing.

Kevin nods. "Yeah. Don't know how it's going to go over, but that's what the plan is."

"Soon as she wakes?" AJ asks. "I can stay here and give the Little Mermaid a bath, then prepare dinner or whatever."

Ashlynn grumbles slightly, as she wakes up. She curses softly, realizing her bottom was still sore from before.

Krissy grins and hops up running over to AJ. "Yeah! Let's take a bath now!"

AJ laughs. "You don't wanna watch the end of the movie first?"

Kevin looks down and smoothes the hair away from Ashlynn's face. "Ashlynn...sweetie? You waking up?" he asks softly.

Krissy shakes her head. Playing in the water is MUCH more important than the movie.

Ashlynn nods her head silently, as she shifts slightly.

"Alright. You can have your bath now, Princess," AJ smiles. "Soon as you take your things to the kitchen."

Krissy lets her lip fall out, hoping to get leniency through cuteness.

"Nuh-uh Munchkin," AJ says. "You know the rules. But, if you take your stuff to the kitchen, I'll put in extra, extra bubbles."

Kevin helps Ashlynn get up as much as she wants. "So does your bear have a name?" he asks quietly.

Krissy immediately goes back to her bowl and practically runs with it into the kitchen.

"Sammy..." Ashlynn whispers softly, wincing slightly.

She gets it up on the counter and then sprints back to her sprite, picking it up and walking as quickly as possible so she doesn't spill, takes it back to the kitchen.

"Okay! Bath time!" she says waiting near the hall to head upstairs.

Kevin smiles. "Sammy's a good name," he says.

AJ laughs. "Good luck Kev," he smiles, going and picking Krissy up, to take her upstairs.

Ashlynn nods, giving her Bear a squeeze.

Kevin looks into Ashlynn's eyes. "You and Sammy look out for each other, don't you?" he asks.

AJ sets Krissy down once upstairs and tells her to go grab her pajamas, while he runs her bath.

Krissy picks out a nightgown with My Little Ponies on it.

Ashlynn tears up slightly, as she nods again. Sammy took care of her when she got scared - hence why she didn't like people taking him from her.

"Extra, extra bubbles are in!" AJ calls.

Krissy runs into the bathroom and hands the nightgown to Daddy. She'd forgotten panties, but her mind was on the bath.

Kevin smiles. "Did you and Sammy ever talk about wanting to get a nice big house with lots of toys to live in?" he asks.

AJ shakes his head. "Guess we'll get your panties later, huh?"

Krissy giggles. "Oops!"

Ashlynn shrugs slightly. She'd never really thought about it - always figured she'd be stuck in social services.

AJ shakes his head slightly. "Well, let's get you in." He strips her down and sticks her in the tub. "You can play for about a half hour or so, then we need to get you clean."

Krissy nods and starts playing very happily.

AJ sits there watching her play, splashing her every so often.

Kevin nods. "I see. Well do you have any objections to one?" he asks. "Of course Sammy has to agree too, but AJ and I are happy to have you call this home if you two are cool with that."

Ashlynn leans into him quietly, too scared to crawl into his lap completely - too sore too. She sniffles, clutching Sammy even tighter.

Kevin lifts her up and gently sets her on his lap. "Never had a daddy, have you?" he asks.

Ashlynn shakes her head quietly.

Kevin hugs her warmly and rocks her a little. "And now you've got two! What on Earth are you supposed to do with two?" he asks.

Ashlynn gives a small shrug. She didn't have a clue.

"Well I'll tell you what your two new daddies would like to do with you," he starts. "We'd like to give you a nice house to live in, nice toys to play with, nice clothes to wear, and most of all...we'd like you to know you're loved."

Ashlynn snuggles into him, sniffling a little bit.

Krissy plays with her bath toys for about five minutes and then spontaneously looks up. "C'n we not go to church tomorrow?" she asks.

AJ raises his eyebrows. "Why do you want to go to Church, Honey?"

Kevin holds her close. The poor kid just didn't feel safe! "But you know what? There are some rules about being in a family. And the thing about families is you can't decide you don't want to be in them, just because you don't like the rules. Because the rules are there to help you grow up into an amazing woman that people will want to be friends with."

Ashlynn scowls slightly. She'd never had any friends other than Sammy - she didn't see a point to wanting them anymore, so worked hard to drive any possibilities away.

She also hated rules - they were her biggest enemy! Well, other than water.

Kevin's not quite sure about the scowl. Probably the rules. "Know what else rules do?" he asks. "They help you get a job and a job means you can do whatever you want and buy whatever you want. You won't have to be cold or hungry or not have something fun to do. That's what's cool about a job. But you need rules as a kid so you can get a job when you're an adult."

Krissy shakes her head. "No, " she corrects him. "No church."

"We will see, Krissy," AJ says.

Krissy frowns. "It's boring," she tells him.

Ashlynn squirms then, wanting to be let go so she can run away from all the rules that surrounded her.

"It's important though, Baby," AJ says softly.

Kevin hugs her still. "But I know you're not used to rules so how about we start with just two?" he suggests.

Ashlynn shrugs indifferently, not really caring at this point.

Kevin wasn't expecting enthusiasm. "The two rules are that you are not allowed to cuss. That means no using the f-word, s-word, d-word, or h-word. And the second rule is that you're not allowed to steal. Stealing is a crime Ashlynn, and I know you're not a criminal, so no more stealing. Understand?"

Krissy's frown deepens. "But it's *boring*!" she exclaims as if Daddy wasn't listening to her.

"Krissy, I said we'll see," AJ says, growing a bit impatient.

Ashlynn grumbles a rude response.

She was not at all amused by these rules.

Krissy frowns and punches down into the water with her fists angrily, splashing water everywhere. Honestly, she didn't care about church. Heck, she liked to be dressed up, but Ashlynn had been naughty a lot and her daddies were always talking about Ashlynn so Krissy decided to match her new sister so she wouldn't be left out.

"Hey!" AJ says. "Control the temper Kristine."

Kevin continues. "Those are the rules. If you break the rules, Daddy AJ or I will spank your bare bottom just like I did earlier. I want you to understand that if we didn't care about you we'd just send you back to social services. Because we *do* care about you, we're going to teach you how to be a good girl."

Krissy just pouted, done playing, and very angry. "I don't wanna," she said firmly.

"Kristine Michelle," AJ says warily. "Don't make me have to take you out of this tub and spank you."

Ashlynn squirms and grumbles. "*F*ck no..." She mutters softly.

No one ever cared about her - ever.

Kevin quickly turns Ashlynn over on her tummy and spanks her bare, and probably sore bottom, five times. "I said no more cuss words, Ashlynn Lee Richardson."

Krissy just sits their angrily, not looking him in the eye.

Ashlynn starts to cry all over again. She wasn't liking this one bit - not at all. She leans down like she had earlier and bites his leg again.

"Kristine," AJ says in a warning tone. "We didn't forget about you because we were talking about Ashlynn."

This time, Kevin moves her far enough up that she can't bend that far and can't reach his leg with her mouth. And he continues to spank her.

Ashlynn screams as she cries. "OWW!"

She struggles with him even more, wanting the spanking to stop.

Kevin shakes his head. "You brought this on yourself, Ashlynn. Are you going to stop cussing?" he asks.

"NO!" Ashlynn screams at him. "Hell no!"

Krissy just whimpers. "She mad all the time," she says. "C'n we take her back an' get another?" she asks.

Kevin shrugs and keeps spanking the little bottom hard.

AJ sighs and smoothes Krissy's hair back. "Baby, she's mad because she's scared. She doesn't understand that we love her and want to keep her. You've always had Daddy and I to love you and teach you right from wrong. Ashlynn's never had anybody to do that for her - they all gave up. If we take her back, Baby Doll, we'll be like them - and we don't want that, okay?" He rubs her little face softly. "Give her a few more days to get used to us, alright? Can you do that, Honey?"

Ashlynn just keeps screaming and crying, amongst cuss words - she didn't know how to stop them from flying out of her mouth.

Kevin's at a loss. Most children don't want the discomfort of a spanking, that's why they stop the behavior. "I'm going to get the soapy rag back out, Ashlynn," he says firmly.

Ashlynn starts to cry harder then - she didn't like the soapy rag at all. "No!" She wails.

Krissy's eyes are teary. This day has been full and confusing for her. "Kay," she agrees moving to crawl out and onto Daddy's lap, despite the fact she's dripping wet and not yet clean.

AJ gives her a hug. "Okay. Now, how about we get you cleaned up, then dressed. You and I can play Barbies or something for a bit, then make dinner, alright?"

Kevin stops the spanking for a minute. "Then stop cussing," he says. "You're going to learn to use other words. Use heck in stead of the f-word," he suggests.

Ashlynn starts to squirm again, trying desperately to get away.

Krissy nods and sits back down in the tub.

Kevin holds her tight. "You can't get away, Ashlynn, so just stop. Now are you done cussing, because there's something to do before dinner."

AJ washes the little girl, so that she'll be all nice and clean. Once she's clean, he lifts her out and dries her off. "Okay. Now, do you want help into your jammies? Or are you going to try and do it yourself?"

Ashlynn nods slightly.

Kevin lets Ashlynn up and gives her a hug. "Good girl," he says. "Very good girl. Now let's put your panties and jeans on. We're going back to the mall to take back what you stole."

Krissy just clings to Daddy. "You help," she mumbles.

Ashlynn scowls upon hearing that. She'd swiped that stuff for Krissy. "No," she says firmly.

AJ kisses Krissy's brow. "Alright, Baby," He says softly, helping her into her jammies.

Ashlynn crosses her arms over Sammy, glaring at Kevin angrily.

She even stamps her foot, then runs for the front door so she can try and escape - despite the fact she's without any pants.

Kevin takes a few steps and catches her. He holds her underneath his arm, bottom facing front and starts to spank as he goes back to the couch. "Not an option, Ashlynn," he says. "You stole. That's against the rules so you have to take them back."

Ashlynn starts to scream and cry again, but without the cussing. Sammy is clutched even tighter to her chest.

Krissy is practically climbing on him for him to hold her and her thumb is set in her mouth.

AJ smiles and picks Krissy up once she's dressed in her jammies. "Alright Baby. Let's you and I go play, okay?"

"Now, do you want more spanking or are we going back to the mall?" Kevin asks her.

Krissy nods. "Wanna play doctor?" she asks.

Ashlynn doesn't answer, as she tries to squirm down. She'd go to the mall, if it meant he'd stop spanking her.

"Sure!" AJ smiles warmly. "You're my favourite doctor!"

Krissy smiles, starting to feel better.

Kevin keeps spanking the little bottom. "Answer me, Ashlynn. Which are we going to do?" he asks.

AJ carries Krissy into her room and sets her down. "Alright Doctor, find your bag."

Ashlynn sobs harder then; her bottom was throbbing worse than ever. "Mall," she chokes out softly.

Krissy runs over to her toy box and pulls out the purple doctor bag Gramma McLean made for her. "Are you sick?" She asks Daddy.

Kevin immediately stops spanking.

AJ nods. "Yep," he says, giving a fake cough.

Ashlynn squirms down from his grasp, stomps on his foot, then runs for her pants.

She throws her pants and panties on, then grabs the bag of toys she'd stolen. She then attempts to run upstairs to find Krissy and give them to her.

She manages to reach the top of the stairs, then runs down the hall to where she can hear Krissy and AJ talking. She runs in and drops the bag at Krissy's feet.

Krissy is about to take Daddy's temperature and then looks up in surprise.

Kevin's about five seconds behind Ashlynn trying not to limp.

AJ raises his eyebrows, eyeing Ashlynn warily. "Those are going back to the mall, Ashlynn."

Ashlynn shakes her head, and dumps them out for Krissy.

Krissy grins. "But I like toys," She tells Daddy, very confused.

"Yes, but those aren't yours, and they aren't Ashlynn's," AJ says, mad Ashlynn had brought them up for Krissy.

Kevin grabs Ashlynn by the waist and tucks her under his arm again.

"The child locks are installed in her room, right, Alex?" he asks over his shoulder as he leaves Krissy's room.

Ashlynn starts to cry all over again. She'd been trying to make a point.

AJ nods. "Yeah. They're installed."

He picks the toys Ashlynn had dumped out back up, and sticks them back in the bag, tying it shut.

Krissy looks at the bag longingly, her lip trembling. This was so over stimulating.

AJ sighs. He was not happy Ashlynn had now ruined everything with Krissy - he'd a feeling she was going to throw a fit soon, as everything was so confusing. He sticks Krissy in his lap. "Baby Doll, Ashlynn took those toys from the store without asking either Daddy or I first. We have to take them back, and make her say sorry, okay?"

Kevin takes Ashlynn to her new room and deposits her on the bed. "We're not taking you back, Ashlynn. You're going to live here until you're 18. That's ten years. It's up to you if they're good or if they're bad. But until you decide to behave and listen, you're getting a spanking every 3 hours and you'll be eating in here and you won't be seeing your sister. When you're ready to try and be a good girl, let me know and we'll get through this together."

With that he closes the door, locks it and goes back to Krissy's room.