Hello Dear Readers! Back with another update. Super happy and proud of myself for being able to get one up again so quickly! I've been enjoying having my muse back and have been taking every possible advantage I've had to write. This story has taken on a life of its own and this is not the last chapter. There is still so much to explore and tie up in a neat little bow with this story so there will be at least one more chapter after this one. In this one, Rachel struggles with her guilt and telling her mother the truth. Shelby, in turn, has to decide whether or not to follow through with her promised consequence should Rachel lie, manipulate, or sneak around again (we all know Rachel is guilty of all three of those things). I personally feel for both Rachel and Shelby in this chapter. None of it is easy for either of them. But enough blabbing. Let's get on with the show!

Love from,

DARecruit

Bottoms Up: Chapter Four

Rachel headed straight for her bathroom, lowering her pajama bottoms and panties as she turned to inspect her posterior in the mirror. The spot where her mother's hard hand made contact was warm and pink and stung so much more than one swat ever should.

The girl bit her lip and rubbed at the sore spot as tears made their way down her face. Her stomach twisted in on itself as she weighed her options. Her mom was going to learn the truth one way or another. Rachel knew she had to confess, but the idea of doing that now, when her butt still throbbed from that single warning swat, was too much. If she already hurt this much after one spank from her mother's hand, she was really in for it once the woman was wielding a spoon or hairbrush or whatever it was that she was going to use on her.

Suddenly the image of Santana gingerly sitting on the hard plastic chair in the choir room this morning rose unbidden to the forefront of Rachel's mind. Brittany had told everyone that Mrs. Lopez had spanked Santana with a wooden spoon. Santana had still clearly been feeling the effects of that punishment twelve hours later. Would that happen to Rachel too?

Well now I really can't tell right now, the girl thought. It was already nearing nine-thirty; twelve hours later would put her in second period. Would she have to ease into her chairs too? What if she squirmed? Would her classmates notice and guess what happened? The embarrassment alone would kill her.

Mind swirled as her mother's threat played once more in her ears and a thought occurred to her. A glimmer of hope bubbled up inside her. Her mom had said a repeat of that behavior would earn her an implement. Repeat meant it happening in the future, and the party was now in the past. Surely that meant a reprieve if she told the truth. And maybe she wouldn't even be spanked at all! She had, after all, already been punished for drinking.

Tomorrow. I'll tell her tomorrow, Rachel decided, that beacon of hope casting a much-needed light on her worries. Everything was going to be just fine. With one last rub to her bottom, she righted her clothes and grabbed her toothbrush. Maybe I should text her during school...give her time to calm down, in case I'm wrong about her reaction.

Rachel brought the toothbrush to her mouth and began brushing. What if that only makes it worse?

With that thought, reality crashed back down around her, making her feel nauseous. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, the girl realized she was trying to manipulate the situation again to get out of trouble on a technicality. It hadn't been a conscious decision, like it had with the entire auditorium mess, but there it was all the same. Her mother's earlier lectures echoed loudly, bouncing off the inside of her head, and her hand began to cramp once more as she thought over the lines she had written this afternoon. I will not manipulate people or situations to get my way. I will not lie or sneak around to do what I want.

All of her punishments flashed behind her eyes and guilt crept in and settled heavily on her stomach. What was she doing? Hadn't she gotten into enough trouble these last two days? She had disappointed all three of her parents. She had lied and snuck around and been caught and punished. She had promised all of them several times over that she'd never repeat this behavior and here she was not even an hour later doing it all over again. She was breaking her promise—had been breaking it all day—and that realization hurt. How were her parents ever going to trust her again?

She had to tell the truth. It was the only way to show her mom and dads that she was hearing their lectures and learning from them.

She had to come clean tonight—as soon as her mom came upstairs. It would only be worse the longer she waited. She had to accept whatever her mother doled out. Even...even if that meant feeling the crack of a wooden spoon across her bare ass.

Rachel headed for her bed, crying hard. Knowing she had to confess and even deciding to do it didn't make it any easier to face. She hated that she was going to see that disappointed expression darkening Shelby's beautiful features once more. It seemed like that was the only expression she had seen on her mother's face these last forty-eight hours. Disappointed, angry, upset. She'd see it on her fathers' faces again when they found out.

Guilt gnawed at her knowing how badly she had messed up—again. Knowing how upset her parents were going to be when they found out. And especially knowing that she was going to be punished again and she had made it worse for herself by not telling the truth sooner.

She had had the opportunity to confess forty minutes ago when her daddy asked if she had a party. They'd have all been mad and she probably would have wound up over her mother's lap then and there, but maybe she could have avoided both her mom and dad's threats.

Hell, she had the opportunity the day before to tell the whole truth. Her mom had asked her point blank if she had lied about the weekend. Rachel said no and then continued to lie. If only she had come clean then, she wouldn't be worried about more spankings now. It truly would have been over.

Shelby climbed the stairs fifteen minutes after sending her daughter up them. She tapped the knuckle of her index finger against the teen's open bedroom door before walking in. Her heart went out to her girl at the sight of the teen hunched against her headboard with her knees drawn up and arms resting atop them. Tears continued to fall steadily down flushed cheeks. Red, puffy eyes lifted at her entrance and Shelby was seated and had the girl in her arms in a flash.

Rachel flung her arms around Shelby's neck, letting herself fall apart in the safety of her mother's arms.

"Shhh, shhh baby," Shelby soothed, rocking them and rubbing Rachel's back to calm her. "Everything's over, sweetheart. There's no need to keep crying, okay? You're okay. It's all okay."

"'M s-s-ssssooorryyyyy, M-Mommmmy. Sooo soorrryyy," the girl sobbed unintelligibly.

"You've been forgiven, Rachel baby," Shelby said loudly, so she'd be heard over the wailing child. "You need to calm down before you make yourself sick. Hush now."

Rachel was a mess. The guilt and worry was becoming too much for her, rising inside her like bile, wanting to be set free. All she had to do was open her mouth.

The girl swallowed hard a few times as she mustered up the courage to say what she needed to, not noticing the sudden increase of saliva in her mouth.

"Mom, I—" Her stomach chose that moment to turn inside out and before she knew what was truly happening, she was vomiting all over herself and her mom.

"Oh!" Shelby exclaimed, pulling back out of instinct. Rachel cried harder as she retched again.

Shelby wasn't normally good in this sort of situation, but the fact that it was her child made all the difference. She held Rachel's hair back and comforted her as best she could and just let her finish heaving on the bed. She figured it would be easier to clean up afterwards if the mess was contained to one area.

Rachel coughed and wiped at the snot and tears dripping down her face and looked up at her mom with apologetic eyes. It was then that she noticed the vomit covering her mother's shirt and sobbed out an incoherent "I'm sorry."

"Baby, it's okay," Shelby soothed, brushing Rachel's sweaty bangs off her forehead. "Are you...finished, do you think?" she added uncertainly.

Rachel nodded and allowed her mom to help her up from the bed and into her en-suite. She didn't argue when Shelby carefully removed her soiled pajamas and put her in the shower.

"Do you want me to stay and help or can you do it yourself?" Shelby asked the girl as she went into the linen closet to pull out a clean towel and wash cloth.

"I c-c-can d-do it," the girl sputtered.

"Okay, love. Call me if you need me. I'm gonna strip your bed so I'll be right out here," Shelby said, pulling her own shirt off and adding it to her daughter's pile.

She hurried to the teen's bed and carefully folded the comforter over so the mess was on the inside, then stripped the blanket and sheets in one move. She grabbed the clothes from the bathroom, tucked them into the sheets, and then headed for the laundry room.

Returning several minutes later in a fresh shirt and sweats (for good measure), Shelby was surprised to hear the water turn off. She had expected Rachel to take a longer time in the shower. She moved to the dresser to pull out a pair of undies and a sleep shirt for the girl, forgoing pants as Rachel hardly ever wore them to bed anyway.

"How are you feeling, baby?" the mother asked as she brought the clothes into the bathroom and set them on the counter.

Rachel pulled the curtain back and was surprised to find her mom standing on the other side holding out a towel for her, eyes full of concern as she waited for Rachel's answer.

Rachel took the offered towel and just held it as her mind whirled. She had calmed down considerably during her shower, practicing what she was going to say. Now that the time had come to confess, she wasn't sure she could do it.

Just say it. Rip the band aid off! Rachel scolded herself. Taking a deep breath, the girl let the words tumble quickly from her mouth before she could overthink it again. As she said it, relief washed over her at finally being free of that secret. It was short-lived, however, as it suddenly occurred to her, standing stark naked and dripping wet, that her backside was completely vulnerable to her mother's hand. All Shelby had to do was sit on the closed toilet seat and haul Rachel over her knee. And when her mom didn't say anything, only took a step towards her while reaching her hand out, she feared she was about to do just that.

Shelby took the towel back from her child and began to dry the girl off. "You never answered my question, kid," she said as she focused on Rachel's hair. "Are you feeling better?"

Shelby tugged the towel backwards off the teen's head, revealing timid brown eyes glistening with guilt and confusion.

"Mom, did you...did you h-hear what I said?" Rachel stammered uneasily.

"Yes, I heard you," Shelby said, wrapping the towel around Rachel's shoulders and moving her hands up and down to dry her arms. "You threw up, Rach. My main concern right now is how you're feeling. Do you still feel sick?"

"N-No, I—I feel fine now," Rachel answered, touched by her mom's compassion. Cheeks grew warm with shame and she silently scolded herself for ever thinking her mom would just grab her and start spanking. That wasn't how Shelby operated; she always made sure that Rachel understood what she had done wrong and knew how much she was loved before moving onto any punishment.

Shelby was relieved to hear Rachel wasn't feeling sick anymore, but that meant she now had time to allow her disappointment and anger to sink in as she finished drying the girl off. She helped her daughter step out of the tub and then turned to grab her clothes. When she turned back around, Rachel was shifting from foot to foot and kept giving her anxious glances.

"I'm so sorry, Mom. For everything. I—I lied to you and snuck a-around. I did everything I promised I w-w-wouldn't. I lied all weekend and I k-know that was m-ma-manipulative. I sh-should have told you yesterday but I was just t-trying to get out of tr-trouble. I'm so sor—sorry, Mommy. I know I should have t-told you sooner," Rachel said, the words pouring out as she began crying yet again.

Shelby sighed and passed her daughter the fresh pair of undies, holding her steady as Rachel stepped into them. She then pulled the shirt down over her girl's head and waited as the teen put her arms through the sleeves before answering. "Okay, that's enough crying. You've done too much of that today and it stops now," she said in a gentle yet firm tone, not wanting her child to work herself up to the point of vomiting again.

Rachel sniffled and hung her head while she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Shelby hooked a finger under her girl's chin and lifted up so she was forced to make eye contact.

"Baby, I love you so much. I promise there's nothing you can do that will ever change that," she affirmed with a kiss to a warm forehead.

"I k-know I've d-d-disappointed you and Dad and D-Daddy and made you all so angry."

"I'm certainly upset to learn about your actions this weekend, Rachel, but I'm also so proud of you for telling me the truth. I know how hard that was for you."

"I—I'm sorry, Mom. I know I'm getting a—I mean, you're gonna—" The girl let out a shaky breath, silent tears making tracks down her cheeks. "C-Can we just get it over with now? Please?" Rachel didn't exactly want it to happen and wasn't looking forward to the pain she knew it would bring, but she knew without a doubt that she deserved it. And if she was being completely honest with herself, after all of the guilt and worry she was feeling, it would be a relief to go over her mother's lap. The only real concern she had now was, what implement was her mom going to use on her?

"Do…do you want me to go g-get something? A—a spoon or hairbrush o-or…" What else could she be spanked with, really? Anything, probably…but what were the usual suspects? "A…a switch?" Rachel wasn't even sure she knew what a switch was—a thin stick, she thought, but did it have to come from a certain tree? Face paled as the girl sucked in a sudden gasp. "Please not a belt, Mommy," she pleaded.

"Honestly, Rachel," Shelby chided lightly, rolling her eyes at the girl's dramatics. "I'm not gonna hit you with a belt or a switch. Crazy kid," she couldn't help but chuckle as she pulled the teenager in for a much-needed hug.

"We'll take care of everything tomorrow. We both need time to calm down, and it's already almost ten at night. You need to get to bed, little girl," she said, rubbing soothing circles on Rachel's back.

"Aw, Mommy, please," Rachel whined. "I don't want to wait until tomorrow. Why can't you—"

"No arguments, Rachel," Shelby said with a light pop to her child's panty-clad bottom.

Rachel wriggled slightly in mother's arms, letting out a soft whine before giving in and burying her head in the crook of her neck, soaking up all the love being offered.

"Alright, it's getting late," Shelby finally said after several minutes, pulling back and pressing a soft kiss to Rachel's damp hair. "Make sure you brush your teeth again and then come to my room. It's bedtime."

Bottoms Up * Bottoms Up * Bottoms Up

Shelby flopped down on the sofa with a tired sigh and took a long pull from her Corona. She had put her daughter to bed twenty-five minutes ago and stayed and cuddled the girl, singing a soft lullaby until she fell asleep. Now it was time to FaceTime Hiram and LeRoy and get them up to speed.

Another swig of the frothy liquid, then the call was made. Shelby waited as her phone chirped; it wasn't long before she saw the two men framed in the phone screen again.

"Oh no, Shelby, what happened now?" LeRoy said in way of greeting. He and Hiram hadn't been all that surprised to see Shelby's name pop up again and shared a knowing sigh.

Shelby wasted no time updating them on their daughter's weekend exploits. "Well shit," Hiram groaned, thinking back on his earlier threat. "Does that mean I have to follow through now? I don't actually want to blister her butt!"

"That's why you shouldn't promise something you aren't prepared to deliver," Shelby countered.

"Hold on," said Hiram, an idea forming. "Technically I told her 'again'—as in future. This is still one incident so…I'm off the hook!" He threw his arms up in celebration, looking to the other two for congratulations on his quick thinking.

"Mmhmmm," Shelby nodded, gracing the gleeful man-child staring back at her with a patented Coach Corcoran glare. "Well now I know where our darling daughter picked up her bad habits from. I've been trying to teach her not to manipulate people or situations and here you are doing it too!"

"And this is why we're so happy you're in our lives. So you can be the hard-ass when the kid needs it. God knows we're not capable of it," Hiram teased, eyes sparkling.

Shelby's stern mask cracked and she burst into laughter, finishing off her beer. She set the empty bottle down on the coffee table and sat back with a long sigh, turning serious once more.

"I'll certainly be playing my role well tomorrow," she lamented. At the questioning looks from the men in her phone, she elaborated. "I told Rachel she'd feel more than my hand on her bare bottom if she repeated any of her recent behavior."

"Are you going to follow through on that?" asked Hiram.

The woman sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. "I have to. I said I would and I've already made it clear to Rachel that I keep my promises. Besides, she's already expecting it. She asked just before I sent her to bed if I wanted her to go get something—her suggestions included a switch or a belt."

LeRoy's face turned ashen as he gasped in an eerily similar fashion to their teenager. "Shelby, you're not seriously going to—"

"God, LeRoy, of course not! Calm down, you old drama queen!" Shelby scolded with a laugh. "You're worse than Rachel!"

"Sorry, got carried away," LeRoy said sheepishly. "I don't envy you that task, Shelbs. I don't have it in me to cause that child any pain. I cry after having to scold her!"

"Well it's no walk in the park," Shelby said as she stood. She needed another beer. "I wouldn't do it if I didn't think it was doing her any good. It's definitely not something I enjoy or want to do often, but I do think she benefits from it."

"We do too, Shelby," Hiram said with sincerity, and LeRoy nodded his agreement.

"We just wish it wasn't needed again so soon. You just spanked her yesterday," LeRoy said.

"She's just not used to following any real rules or being held accountable when she does something wrong, so it's not a one and done thing," said Shelby, taking a large gulp from her second drink. "No offense, guys, but you let that little girl get away with murder." She put her beer on the counter and winked at them.

LeRoy held a hand to his chest, letting out a scandalized, over-exaggerated gasp while Hiram threw his head back and cackled. LeRoy smacked his husband on the arm and leveled him with a mock glare, which only made the other man laugh harder.

"Well…she isn't wrong," he said after he caught his breath.

"Fine. Yes, yes, you're right. We're just big ol' softies," LeRoy conceded. Turning serious, he met Shelby's eyes. "We really are so thankful to have you back in our lives, Shelby. You are a wonderful mother and have done Rachel a world of good—us too."

The woman felt her cheeks warm at the compliment and offered a grateful smile. Her eyes then wandered up to the clock on the wall and sighed. It was a quarter past eleven; she had spent nearly an hour on the phone with the men by now and it was time to head to bed herself.

"Okay, gentlemen, it's past my bedtime. I should get going," she said. "Thanks for chatting with me and cheering me up. I needed that after today."

"Sometimes the only thing you can do is laugh. It'll hopefully all be over tomorrow, right?" Hiram said.

"It sure as hell better be!" Shelby exclaimed.

"Goodnight, Shelby. Good luck tomorrow. Call us if you need anything," LeRoy said, blowing a kiss. "We love you."

"Love you too," the woman smiled and then pressed the red button on her screen. Picking up her drink once more, she finished the rest off in one go. She set it in the sink next to its companion and then turned to the large drawer to her right that housed all of her cooking utensils.

With a sigh, Shelby opened it and began digging. Most of what she had was either stainless steel or silicone—not appropriate for this situation. She knew she had at least one wooden spoon, but was beginning to think she had gotten rid of it when she spotted it all the way at the bottom.

"There you are, you little sucker," she mumbled to herself, holding up the utensil to inspect. She raised the spoon, then swung it down in the air, testing its feel in her hand. It was fairly light. She bounced it off her palm as she let her mind wander. Will this really even hurt more than my hand? she wondered. Does it need to?

The mother considered that for a moment. I want this spanking to be more serious than her last one…maybe just the act of using something more on her will be enough.

There was really only one way to find out, she decided. With a steadying breath, Shelby lowered her sweatpants to her knees and sat down on a kitchen chair. She rubbed the top of her thigh for a moment, wondering if she was crazy, before raising her hand and swatting herself—hard.

"Ah!" she hissed, inspecting the light pink mark she left. She then picked up the spoon, gripping it firmly in her hand as she prepared herself for what she was about to do next.

The first swat was weak and Shelby cursed herself for wussing out. The second try wasn't much better, creating the barest hint of a sting that the woman wasn't sure she hadn't imagined.

"If you're going to do this, you have to do it properly," she scolded herself, and all at once, she was reminded of the very first time she had spanked Rachel. The girl had told her almost the exact same thing that day, and it was the push she had needed to do what was needed.

With that thought firmly planted in her mind, Shelby raised the wooden spoon for the third time. Closing her eyes briefly, she delivered a stinging swat that she definitely felt.

"Ow! Holy shit!" she yelped, tossing the offending tool back on the table. It rattled across the surface a few times before laying harmlessly still. "Fuuucckk," Shelby groaned, rubbing at the pink splotch searing her skin.

The pain peaked around ten seconds and by the time she stopped rubbing, her skin was already returning to normal. "That'll work," she said, standing and righting her pants. Sixteen licks with that damn spoon after a good hand spanking would certainly teach her teenager the lesson she wanted to impart.

Bottoms Up * Bottoms Up * Bottoms Up

Rachel's eyes fluttered in the early morning sun shining through the window. She yawned and rubbed at them for a moment before opening them fully. A few seconds delay, then two things were suddenly very apparent: one, she was in her mother's room—the events of the previous evening came flooding back—and two, she had overslept.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, bolting to sit up as she looked for her phone. She needed to know what time it was so she knew what part of her morning routine she had to sacrifice in order to still make it to school on time.

Unable to find her phone, Rachel twisted her top half to get a look at the digital clock she knew was on her mother's nightstand. 7:08 flashed back at her in blinding red and the girl cursed again. Why would Mom not wake—

Her thought was abruptly cut short as she zeroed in on the foreign object sitting smack dab in the middle of that very same nightstand.

Shit. Shit. Fuck, the words repeated inside her head as her stomach dropped. So this is what her mom was going to spank her with. A shaky hand reached forward and fingers closed around the handle.

The wooden spoon was lighter than she expected and looked far too much like a paddle for Rachel's liking. That's exactly what it's gonna be once it's in Mom's hand, the girl thought ruefully.

She turned the utensil over and over in her hands, studying every inch of it. The whole thing top to bottom was about twelve inches, most of that being taken up by the handle. The head itself was a large oval shape, roughly the same size as Rachel's palm. It wasn't very thick, but the girl didn't think that mattered. In fact, she was pretty sure she remembered reading that the lighter an implement was and the smaller the impact area, the worse it would sting. If that was true, this thing was going to sting something fierce.

Shelby finished sending off the last of her emails to the school with her lesson plans for the subs for each of her six classes that day and sat back in her chair with a sigh. She had already talked to someone in the administration's office at Rachel's school to call the girl out and then sent a text to friend and Carmel principal, Stacy, letting her know that she was taking a personal day but would be in that afternoon for VA rehearsal—Regionals were coming up and Shelby wasn't going to cancel another practice before then, come hell or high water.

Another sigh left the mother's lips as she thought over this morning's task. She really and truly did not want to have to spank her daughter—and certainly not with the wooden spoon she had taken upstairs last night. She hadn't wanted to chicken out at the last minute by having to bring the dreaded thing upstairs while Rachel waited anxiously. But as much as she didn't want to do it, she knew she had to. Shelby had made a promise to her child and had to keep it. It was going to be painful for the both of them, but Shelby hoped it would teach Rachel this lesson once and for all.

Shelby rubbed the back of her neck for a moment, trying to ease the tension building there, before standing and stretching. She closed her laptop as she brought her hands back down to her sides and left the device sitting on the dining room table as she headed for the stairs. If she was lucky, Rachel would still be sleeping and Shelby could crawl back into bed for a few more hours of sleep before really starting her day.

Annnd I'm not lucky, she lamented to herself upon reaching her bedroom. Rachel was already sitting up in bed and Shelby knew there was no way she'd be able to talk the girl into a few more hours of sleep. Not with everything they had hanging over their heads.

"Hey, Rach, what are you—" The words died on her lips as she stepped into the room and got a good look at her child. She suddenly realized the girl was sitting there holding the spoon and was so focused on it that she hadn't heard Shelby's footsteps approaching.

Rachel jerked at the sudden noise and the spoon went flying from her sweaty fingers, landing halfway across the room with a clatter. "Holy shiiii—" she broke off when she realized the source of the noise was her mother and eyed the woman nervously.

"Man, I'm gonna have to start wearing a cowbell around my neck so I don't scare you all the time," Shelby tried for some levity as she moved to pick up the fallen utensil and return it to the nightstand.

"Mom, I-I'm sorry I overslept. It won't take me long to get ready for school, I—You're not gonna, you know…now, are you?" Rachel gulped and once more saw Santana easing onto her chair in her mind's eye. "Mommy, you can't!" she gasped, heart racing.

"Rachel, you're not—"

Panicking that her mom thought she was arguing, the teen was quick to explain. "I know, I don't make the rules and don't get to decide on my punishments—I swear this isn't like that. I-I'm not trying to be m-manipulative, Mom. Just please, please don't do it before school."

"Rach—"

"I'll be sore all day! I won't be able to sit and e-e-everyone will know!" the girl continued, not hearing Shelby's interruption.

"Baby, no one's going to know besides you and me," Shelby soothed as she sat on the bed and reached for the girl, wanting to pull her close.

Rachel allowed her mom to draw her in but shook her head the whole time, blinking back tears. "But Santana—"

"We're staying home today so we can deal with this and then—What about Santana?"

"We're staying home?"

Mother and daughter had been speaking at the same time and now wore matching confused expressions as they waited for the other to explain. After several seconds of silence, Shelby decided she better go first.

"Yes, we're staying home. I didn't want to have the spanking hanging over our heads all day and I thought we could both use a bit of a break once it's over," she said.

"Oh," Rachel sighed, relieved and even touched that her mom was doing that for her.

"Now what were you trying to say about Santana?" Shelby asked.

The teen blushed but told Shelby of Brittany's inadvertent loose tongue and how the rest of the Glee Club laughed at Santana. She mentioned that the laughter had been short lived for the popular girl but it wouldn't be the same for her. "I saw how she sat in her chair, Mom—it's exactly how I do it when I'm still sore. She was clearly still sore after twelve hours!"

"I promise no one will see if you squirm on your chair today except me and I won't laugh—and there's no way you'll still be sore more than a few hours later, let alone twelve," Shelby reassured her child. She didn't actually believe the other girl had still been sore so long afterwards but she understood that Rachel was nervous and wanted to ease her worries.

Rachel huffed and gave her mom a sidelong glance, highly skeptical. How would she know?

"Alright, there's a lot we need to talk about, Rach. How 'bout we—"

"I have to go to the bathroom!" Rachel said in an urgent tone.

"O-Okay," Shelby said, alarmed at the suddenness of her daughter's need. "You aren't feeling sick again, are you?"

"No, I just really need to pee," said Rachel, trying to remove herself from her mother's arms. In truth, while she did in fact have to go to the bathroom, she really needed a minute to herself before what was about to happen, happened.

Shelby withdrew her arm from around her daughter's shoulders and leaned slightly to the right so Rachel would have an easier time crawling off the bed. She then adjusted the pillows to be more comfortable against the headboard and waited for her child to return.

Rachel had taken as long as she dared in the bathroom and went back out to her mother with a grim determination. Just get it over with, you can do this, she encouraged herself. Her eyes met her mom's for the briefest of moments and she suddenly wished she could go back in time to before any of this happened.

"Come here, Rach," Shelby said after several seconds had passed and the girl had yet to move.

Rachel sighed and mustered up what little courage she had left to walk back over to the bed. She stopped on the left side, taking a moment to gather her nerves. Then, before she could chicken out, the girl hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties and yanked them down as fast as she could. She was on the bed and over her mother's lap before they had even hit the floor.

Shelby barely had time to register what Rachel was doing before the girl was over her lap, her bare bottom just peeking out from under the hem of her nightshirt.

"Wha—Rachel, sweetheart, we need to talk first," Shelby overcame her momentary surprise, patting the girl's bottom gently to encourage her to sit up. "Rachel," she tried again, this time in warning.

"Mommy, please. Please don't make me wait any longer," Rachel begged, the first tears leaving wet trails down her face.

"I'm not trying to drag this out, love, but we need to talk so I know you understand everything you did wrong and how to make better choices going forward," the mother answered, tone gentle.

"But I understand!" Rachel cried. "I lied to you all weekend. I just t-told you whatever I needed to so I could do what I wanted. I know that I was being manipulative and sneaky and—and dishonest. And I had a party and listened to my friends and s-stole…" The girl sighed at this point, remembering how adamant she was just a day and a half ago that she hadn't stolen from her fathers, but realizing now that she had—and apparently, it was going to cost her more than the forty or so dollars she had originally assumed. "…daddies' alcohol and…and got drunk. Please, Mom. I get it. Can we just get it over with?"

Shelby sighed and rested her hand on the bottom in front of her, thinking. Gone was the Rachel from the other day, the girl who tried to argue and whine her way out of going over her mother's lap. Her daughter's behavior today reminded Shelby of the way she had acted that day in October when she had asked—begged—for a spanking. That day, the guilt of Rachel's actions were eating away at her and she needed her mom to step in and give her a consequence, and with it, absolution. It was exactly what Rachel needed now as well.

"You've already been punished for stealing your fathers' alcohol, so that's not one of the reasons you're being spanked today," Shelby was quick to clarify. "As for everything else—"

"Mommy," the teenager whined, interrupting. "Please."

"Okay, Rach, but we're going to talk about everything afterwards, got it?" Shelby conceded, removing her hand just long enough to push her girl's shirt up and out of the way. She gave her bottom several firm taps to make sure she had the child's attention, then continued, "Before we do this, is there anything else you need to tell me about this weekend or the past few days? Tell me now if there is, Rachel. If I find out about it later, I'll consider that a lie and we will be right back in this same position, only next time it will be double what you're getting today."

Rachel squirmed under the weight of that hand and its silent promise of the pain it would soon bring as she took in her mother's words. She had no doubt the woman would do everything she said—Rachel had learned the hard way that her mom always followed through.

The girl racked her brain trying to think of anything she may have missed telling her mom about recent events. She was pretty sure she had confessed to everything, except maybe—

"There—there was never a science project," she offered.

Shelby smiled as she shook her head and rolled her eyes good-naturedly, glad that Rachel was facedown over her lap and couldn't see her reaction. The mother had suspected as much and while that wasn't exactly what she had meant when she asked if there was anything else to tell, at least the teen was taking it seriously; that's really all she wanted.

"Thank you for telling me, baby," Shelby said in a serious tone. "Anything else?"

Rachel wiggled nervously, her mother's hand resting once more on her exposed bottom and feeling warm against the coolness of her own skin. It only served to remind the girl that her backside was about to feel a lot warmer in the next few minutes.

"N-No…no, ma'am," she squeaked out, the title coming easier now than it had the night before.

Shelby rolled her eyes at the honorific, wanting to make a joke about being far too young for that, but thought better of it. The time for joking was over and Shelby needed to set the tone for the next part. But before she did that, she wanted to make sure Rachel knew one more thing.

"Rachel, I want you to really hear me when I say this," she said. "Are you listening?"

Rachel tensed at her mother's words but nodded and whispered out a quiet, "Yes."

Shelby started to rub soothing circles on the girl's bottom before moving upwards to do the same on her back. "I love you so much, Rachel. The last few days have been hard on both of us, and I don't enjoy having to be a hard-ass with you—I'd much rather get to play and have fun with you—but I wouldn't trade this role I have in your life for anything. I absolutely love being your mom, sweetheart, and I always will no matter what. I'm disappointed by your actions but so incredibly proud of you for telling the truth. That took a lot of courage and I appreciate it."

Rachel buried her face in her hands, completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of love emanating from her mom right now—and it was all for her. It was better than anything she had ever imagined her mother to be all of those times she thought about the woman growing up. Now she was here and even in this moment, as Rachel lay over her lap about to be punished, Shelby was speaking so kindly to her and telling her how much she was loved. Shame then crept in over her recent behavior and she cried out her feelings, apologizing over and over again.

"I know you're sorry, love. We're going to take care of it now and then it'll all be behind us. We can move on," Shelby said, trying her hardest to remember this is what Rachel needed. They needed to get through the next few minutes and then it'd all be over. You have to be the hard-ass right now, Corcoran, she added to herself.

Taking a few deep breaths, Shelby reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the dreaded spoon, tucking it just behind her on the bed for later. She felt Rachel stiffen as she did so and rubbed the girl's back for a moment to calm her. Right arm came to wrap around the girl's waist, both for comfort and to hold her in place, and left hand rested once more on the pale bottom.

"Okay, Rachel, I'm going to start with just my hand and give you a full spanking like I normally do. Then I'll pick up the spoon and you'll receive sixteen swats with it—one for every year of your life," Shelby explained upfront, not wanting it to come as a shock to the girl later. Another deep breath to steel her nerves, then, "Are you ready?"

Rachel's stomach dropped at her mother's pronouncement and it took everything in her not to jump clear off the woman's lap in that moment. She wanted to scoff and ask her mom if she still thought she wouldn't be sore twelve hours from now after what she had planned, but the only thing that came out was a choked sob.

Shelby's heart went out to her child, but she raised her hand, letting it hang in the air for the briefest of moments, and then brought it down with a resounding smack, right in the middle of Rachel's left cheek. A second swat, just as hard, landed on the girl's other side directly after.

"Ah!" Rachel gasped, shocked at the intensity of the first two swats. She wasn't sure if her mom was spanking harder this time or it just felt that way because of all the guilt that had been building up inside her since the previous night. Either way, it really hurt!

Shelby sighed softly and set a steady pace, spanking slowly and methodically to warm the girl's skin. Once bottom and thighs sported a uniform pink blush, she increased the strength but not the tempo and focused on the same spot for two or three swats before moving onto her next target.

Rachel clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, grunting and hissing when she wasn't yelping out an almost continuous string of "ows". Her butt stung and she was pretty sure her mom was deliberately going slow so she could only focus on the pain.

Shelby turned now to the girl's sit-spots and thighs and made sure to give them some much-needed attention with sharp swats that had Rachel bucking over her lap and reaching back.

"Ow, Mommy, no! That h-hurts!" child whined pitifully, pulling at mother's heartstrings.

"I know it does, sweetheart, but when you lie and manipulate, that hurts others," Shelby forced herself to say when what she really wanted to do was pick the girl up and hold her close. But this was a lesson her child needed to learn and learn well. She caught the girl's hand in her own and held it out of the way, squeezing gently in reassurance.

"I-I'm sorry! Please, Mommy. 'M s-s-sooorrryyy."

Shelby sighed, trying to close her ears to her daughter's cries. This was hurting her too. Her stomach clenched knowing they were far from done and hating that she'd be the cause of even more tears for Rachel before it was all said and done.

"I want this to be the last time we have to address these behaviors, Rachel. Do you hear me?" the mother asked as she moved back to the fullest part of the teen's bottom to began another circuit. The swats fell faster now, painting the bottom a darker shade of pink.

"Owwhoww! Y-yes! Yes! Last time—OW!—I promise!" Rachel's tears picked up the pace when her mother's hand did and she fought harder to wiggle away from the growing sting.

"No more lying, manipulating others, or sneaking around to do what you want, Rachel. It stops here," Shelby scolded, adjusting the girl's hand in hers so she could wrap her arm more securely around the small waist.

Rachel wiggled and cried harder as her mom drew her closer to her body, stomach dropping at the implication of that move. Things were about to get a whole lot worse for her.

"I promise! I p-promise!" she squealed as the hardest swats yet hit her sensitive sit-spots.

Shelby stilled her hand, resting it atop the warm and rosy bottom in front of her. She let the teen cry for a minute or two and calm down a bit. She needed the girl to be able to really focus on what she was about to say.

"You've made that promise before, sweetheart, and yet here we are," she said sadly, giving the girl a firm pat for emphasis, making her wiggle. "It's bad enough you lied to me all weekend about where you were and what you were doing. But then you had several opportunities to tell the truth. I know I asked you directly on Monday if you had lied about being at Kurt's all weekend and you said no—in fact, you were deliberately manipulative with your words that day. You had another chance on the phone with your dads last night. You continued to lie. Lying is never okay with me, kiddo, and I truly hope you learn that after this spanking. I don't want to repeat it but I will if I have to."

Mother paused to let her words sink in, listening as her child's tears turned remorseful. "We wouldn't be here right now if you had told the truth from the very beginning, Rachel. Do you understand that? You would have still gotten that one spanking on Monday and it would have been over. Now you are on your second spanking in less than forty-eight hours, and it is because you lied to me."

Rachel's heart sank at her mother's words; she had thought those very same things the night before but having her mom say them out loud made it all the more real for the teenager. She dropped her head onto the bed and cried out her own disappointment with her actions.

"I'm sorry, 'm sorry, s-s-sorry, sooorrryyy," she wailed, her apology turning more incoherent with each repetition.

"You could have avoided this by being honest," Shelby reiterated. "I promise you, Rach, honesty will always be your best option with me. It won't always earn you a reprieve from consequences, but it will lessen the severity of them. I want you to know that as hard as I'm coming down on you now, I did take into account that you told me the truth before I could find out myself. I'm proud of you for taking responsibility like that. And it's because you told the truth that you are only receiving sixteen swats with the spoon. Had I found out on my own, you would be getting at least double."

Rachel kicked her right leg against the bed with nervous energy as her mom spelled it all out for her. She didn't feel that the woman was giving her much of a reprieve for telling the truth. It was certainly better than thirty-two whacks with the spoon, but Rachel was pretty sure sixteen was still gonna suuuuck. Oh, why hadn't she just come clean at the beginning?

Deciding she had said enough on the matter, Shelby raised her hand and, ignoring the tearful whine from her child, picked up where she left off on the girl's sit-spots.

Rachel yelped and twisted her hips back and forth in an attempt to avoid her mother's steel-infused hand. It didn't help; her mom found her mark every time and Rachel earned herself a few well-placed swats to her even more sensitive thighs for all her trouble.

"Owwwhooww! OW! M-Mommy, nooooo," the girl let out her first true sob, legs kicking frantically to try to ease the pain. This was awful and her mom just kept raining down swats. At this rate, Rachel wasn't going to be able to sit down the rest of the week—forget about the rest of the day.

"I-I'm s—sorry! Ow! OWW! Sor-ry. P-Please no mo—more!" Legs stilled and Rachel slumped over her mother's lap, worn out and crying for all she was worth.

Shelby had tears threatening to fall as she landed one last spank onto her daughter's red bottom. She could feel the heat rising from the skin—and they still weren't finished. Cursing herself for ever having made that threat, the mother slowly reached for the dreaded implement. She hated herself in this moment but she couldn't back down. Not now. Rachel needed her to follow through—she might not understand that now, but she would someday. When Rachel grew up to be a kind and honest adult, this would all be worth it. Hell, if Rachel learned today not to lie or manipulate anymore, it would be worth it.

Rachel was just catching her breath when she felt the smooth, cold surface of the wooden spoon on her burning cheeks. It almost felt good, the coolness taking a bit of the heat away, but the girl knew that was a fleeting comfort. The moment that spoon lifted, it would deliver a fire of its very own to stoke the inferno already blazing across her backside.

Shelby took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out in a long, sad sigh. "Lying is wrong, Rachel. Manipulating people and sneaking around is wrong. That behavior can even be dangerous—as it was this weekend. Party and drinking aside, you allowing me to think you were somewhere you weren't all weekend is dangerous. You're sixteen, Rachel Barbra. You are a child and as your parent, I need to know exactly where you are, who you're with, and what you're doing at all times. That's nonnegotiable. What if something had happened? I had no idea where you really were. Never again, Rachel. Do you hear me? Never again."

The mother gave the bottom in front of her several firm taps to emphasize her point, watching as the girl jumped and wiggled in nervous anticipation of what was to come.

"Yes, yes, I s-swear! I—I'll never lie or s-sneak around again. P-Please, Mommy, I'm s-so sorry!"

"Let's finish this up, Rach," Shelby said, heart breaking at her daughter's cries.

"No, n-no, Mommy, please, I—OWWW."

The first swat with the spoon was like an electric shock. Rachel cried out the moment she heard the sharp crack of wood on skin; the sound reverberated in her ears seconds before the pain was actually felt. The sting itself wasn't much more than the one she felt from her mother's hand, but it was concentrated in a smaller area on impact, so that made it worse.

Shelby wasted no time and landed the first six swats in close succession. She wanted to get this over with just as much as Rachel did. Her daughter's yelps and cries were breaking her heart. Ten more, just ten more, she repeated for herself.

"OW! OWW! Ma—AH! Maamaaaaa!" Rachel wailed, squeezing her mother's hand that still had a firm grip on her own.

Shelby had almost stopped then and there. She had managed to deliver four more swats, all to the girl's sit-spots, when the girl called her 'Mama'. The tears she had been trying so hard to hold back spilled from long lashes to form rivers down her cheeks. She was used to her child calling her 'Mommy'—she could ignore 'Mommy' in order to do what was needed. 'Mama' was a different matter completely. 'Mama' was what she had always imagined a baby Rachel calling her. 'Mama' was heart wrenching—especially the way her child sobbed it out.

The mother couldn't bring herself to cause her child any more pain, but she also couldn't in good conscience stop before her promised sixteen swats. She needed Rachel to know that she was serious and would do what she said, no matter what. Still, perhaps she could compromise.

"We're almost done, baby. Six more," she choked out, raising the spoon for the eleventh time. She let it land on the girl's cherry red bottom with a light tap.

"OW!" Rachel cried out in reflex before realizing there was no accompanying sting. Another swat landed just the same and it clicked for the girl that her mom was giving her an even bigger reprieve than originally planned. That realization made her sob ten times harder.

The last four swats were delivered and Shelby threw the spoon across the room and then scooped the sobbing girl off her lap.

Rachel barreled into her mom, arms wrapping around the woman's shoulders as she buried her head in the crook of her neck. It wasn't the most comfortable position—she was kneeling on her mom's left side, her top half bent forward to lean into the hug. She knew she wouldn't be able to stay like this for long, but Rachel couldn't wait to be in her mother's arms even a second longer.

Shelby wrapped her arms around her child, rubbing the girl's back and letting her cry it all out, crying right along with her.

Eventually the pair slid down on the bed so that Shelby was on her back with Rachel sprawled out on her stomach, head resting on her mother's chest. The girl's left arm was wrapped around Shelby's waist, fingers tangling into the hem of her T-shirt. Rachel was still crying, but less so, and Shelby had gotten her own tears under control some time ago. The mother would wait as long as necessary until Rachel decided she was finished. They didn't have anywhere to be until this afternoon, so Shelby would sit and hold the girl all day if she had to, if that's what it took to make her child feel safe and loved.

"I-I'm s—sorry I lied to you, Mom. And snuck around and had a—a party," Rachel sniffled, rubbing her nose on her mother's shirt sleeve. "Am I in trouble for that? The—the party I mean? And, uh…drinking?" She buried her head back into her mom's neck, afraid of the answer to come. She just hoped it didn't cost her another week from Glee. At this rate, she'd never get to go back.

"I'm not happy about the party or you drinking, and I certainly don't want it to happen again…but I get it. I remember what it was like to be your age. I understand being curious and wanting to experience this rite of passage," Shelby said and Rachel tensed as she waited for the 'but'.

Shelby rubbed the girl's back, smiling as the small body relaxed under her gentle touch. "You aren't in trouble with me over the party. We will be having a long conversation about the dangers of alcohol at some point today, but that will be the end of it as far as I'm concerned. Whether or not your dads want to add further consequences is up to them. I know they already told you that you'd be replacing what was taken out of your allowance. I'll take you over to the house after we're dressed and ready so we can get a list together. Then we'll call your dads and go from there."

Rachel went from apprehensive to relieved and back to apprehensive in less than a minute. It gave her whiplash and she groaned, curling further into her mom's side as she worried over her fathers' reactions. Would her dad really spank her too? He had threatened to if Rachel ever touched their alcohol again. Would he consider this to be "again"?

"Okay, sweetheart," Shelby began, hand moving to soothe a tender bottom, "Are you ready to get up? We can stay and cuddle a bit more if you'd like, but I'm gonna need some breakfast soon."

The girl's stomach rumbled in response and both mother and daughter laughed; all at once the atmosphere lightened and they were back to normal.

"Do you want to go out to breakfast? We could go to that vegan bistro you like so much," Shelby offered.

"Yeah! Can we?" Rachel said, eyes lighting up. The excitement was short lived though as reality settled on her shoulders once more. "Wait, we can't. I—I won't be able to sit." Rachel blushed and sighed, scooting backwards to the edge of the bed. She stood and wiped at the lingering tears with the back of her left hand while right reached behind to inspect warm and stingy skin.

Shelby tilted her head and gave her daughter a sympathetic look as she scooted off the same side of the bed. Standing, she wrapped Rachel in her arms and placed a kiss to bedhead hair. "Maybe we can go to brunch instead," she suggested, pulling back to cup the teenager's face.

"I'll still be too sore by then," the girl pouted.

"What time is it?" Shelby turned to look at the clock, then back to child. "If we went at eleven-thirty or twelve, you shouldn't be. That's almost four hours from now."

Rachel gave her mother a disgruntled glare, not believing for a second that she wouldn't still be sore by then. Shelby may not realize it, but she hit hard. Rachel knew. She was going to be sore all day. She was sure of it.

A/N: That's it for this chapter. In the next we'll see S R go to the dads' house and S sees just how much alcohol her kid and friends went through. I'd also like to include a scene back at Carmel to at least finish Rachel's lines. And only other scene that I really want to see happen is a conclusion with a happy ending with the dads coming home. That said, if there is anything you think needs to be added or you would just like to see happen, please let me know! AND if you have any ideas for a continuation of this story/stories in this universe, definitely let me know! I really enjoy this Shelby/Rachel dynamic and would love to explore more with them!