todanny

         Heather sat on the floor of her room surrounded by
     paper, ribbons and bows, hastily wrapping Danny's present.
     She didn't usually wait until Christmas Eve to wrap gifts,
     but she had made her little brother's present herself and
     she had not finished it until today. She smiled as she taped,
     knowing Danny would be surprised, wondering what his
     reaction would be.

          Danny was working in the kitchen with his stepmother.
     Kelly pushed a strand of blond hair off her face, wiped her
     floury hands on her red apron and rolled out some more
     dough. Danny used cookie cutters to press out letters and
     then pushed them together to form his, Heather's, Kelly's,
     and his Aunt Scarlett's name. Kelly carefully picked up the
     dough and placed it on the cookie sheet. When they were
     done, Kelly would make a hole in each one. Then they
    would be decorated, glazed and hung on the tree.

          There were edible treats, too. Candy cane cookies,
     Santa Claus cookies, angels, bells, reindeer and trees.
     There were cookies spread with chocolate and some filled
     with jam.   And, of course, there was chocolate chip,
     Danny's favorite. Dinner was at least two hours away.
     Kelly would not even start to cook until her sister,
     Scarlett, arrived. But the temptation of all those sweet
     treats was more than Danny hungry tummy could resist.
     Each time Kelly turned away from him, Danny snuck a
     little taste of something. He had just popped a tiny
     chocolate chip into his mouth when the doorbell rang.

"Aunt Scarlett!" he exclaimed. "She's here!"

          "If you don't stop eating cookies, the first thing Aunt
     Scarlett is going to see is your bare bottom over my knee,"
     Kelly gently chided.

          Danny swallowed while staring at his stepmother with
     his huge dark eyes, a look of guilt on his face.

          Kelly held her stern gaze for a moment, then burst into
     giggles at the sight of that innocent face. She turned
     Danny around and gave his bottom a single, playful swat.

          "Let's answer the door before Aunt Scarlett freezes.
     Kelly said. She took off her apron to reveal trim, black,
     brushed suede pants and a snug, creamy pull over sweater.

          Heather, having just put the bow on her stepbrother's
     present, raced down the stairs, her short, red swirly skirt
     tickling her bare thighs; her small breasts bouncing in a
     matching v-neck sweater. She threw open the door before
     Kelly and Danny were even out of the kitchen.

          "Aunt Scarlett!" Heather screeched and threw her arms
     around the woman's neck.

          Scarlett, laden with presents, kissed Heather's cheek.

          "Merry Christmas to you, too, Sweetheart. Now let me
     in before I freeze my buns off."

          "Hi Aunt Scarlett," Danny greeted shyly.

          "Merry Christmas, my boy, Danny," Scarlett said as she
     bent down to give him a kiss. "Is that chocolate I smell on
     you? How did you manage to hide that from ol' Eagle Eye?"

          "He's not here," Danny said with a smile, referring to
     his absent father.

          Scarlett laughed in one short burst. "I meant your
     mother. I never got away with eating the cookies she
     baked."

          "Did she spank you?" Danny asked.

          Scarlett's eyes widened and she glanced at Kelly who
     smiled and shrugged. "No, it never came to that. Besides,
     I'm her older sister. A younger sister can't spank an older
     sister. It's a law or something," she explained. "Now,
     does anyone want these presents?"

          "Yes!" Danny and Heather chorused. They took them out
     of her arms, shaking the boxes discreetly before placing
     them under the tree.

          "How are you?" Scarlett asked Kelly, looking directly
     into her eyes.

          "Fine, Scarlett," Kelly said, looking back at her
     sister. "Really. I'm fine," Kelly responded with a smile,
     before warmly embracing her.

          Scarlett hugged back and held on a moment longer than
     was typical of her.

"Come on," Kelly said, "let's finish those cookie
     ornaments."

          "Okay," Scarlett agreed, "just let me get out of this
     coat." She shrugged off her coat and casually let it fall
     to the floor. She stretched out her arms to afford her
     sister the best view of her outfit.

          "Wow!" Heather breathed.

          Danny just stared.

          Kelly shook her head.

          Scarlett turned from side to side to show off the body-
     hugging, curve-embracing burgundy dress with a plunging
     neckline. She slid a foot toward Kelly to show off her 4-
     inch burgundy leather pumps.

          "I see you came prepared to spend an evening in the
     kitchen rolling out cookie dough," Kelly said.

          Scarlett laughed. "Honey, I'm always prepared for
     whatever life has to offer."

          Heather and Danny turned and headed for the kitchen.
     Kelly put her hands on Danny's shoulders. "Remember, Baby,
     the cookies are ornaments. They are not for you to eat."

          Danny smiled. He opened his eyes as widely as he could
     and rubbed his
     tummy. Scarlett smiled and shook her head. Kelly laughed
     and gave his bottom another light smack.

          "This is the happiest I've ever seen him," Scarlett
     whispered.

          Kelly nodded. "Ironic, isn't it?"

          "No," Scarlett said. "Not at all."

          Kelly glanced at her sister and quickly looked away.

          "All right, everyone," Kelly began, "let's get the
     cookies done first. While they cool, we'll get dinner on the
     table."



          The dining room was full of the aroma of honey baked
     ham, scalloped potatoes, fresh peas, and Kelly's special
     baked-from-scratch buttermilk biscuits. Danny and Heather
     were giddy with the excitement of Christmas, the rare treat
     of their Aunt's visit, and the freedom to revel in both.
     They engaged in lively, excited conversation, each competing
     for their Aunt's attention, telling her every detail of
     school exams and pageants. They described their shopping
     excursions and teased both she and Kelly about the special
     gifts they had chosen for them.   Kelly and Scarlett begged
     to be told what their presents were. They each pleaded for
     a hint, which Heather and Danny gleefully refused to give.

          "If you aren't even going to give me a tiny, little
     hint," Kelly said, "then we may as well decorate the tree.
     "I've got to get my mind off those presents if I am not to
     be allowed to open them until tomorrow."

          "They're under the tree!" Danny exclaimed. "You'll be
     walking all around them."

          "Oh no!" Kelly wailed. "I just know I'm not going to
     be able to sleep tonight. You're so mean to me, Baby,"
     Kelly pouted.

          "I'm mean, too," Heather reminded her mother, crossing
     her arms over her chest. "You can't open mine, either."

          Scarlett laughed and shook her head. "Let's have a
     contest to see who can be the most competitive."

          "Yeah!" Heather enthused. "I'll win!"

          "You will not!" Danny countered.

          "Oh, God, Scarlett," Kelly moaned, "don't encourage
     them."

          "All right. Let's just trim the tree and have a nice
     time together. Okay?" Scarlett suggested.

          "Okay," Heather agreed and jumped up. "Let's go." She
     ran into the living room, picked up an ornament and put it
     on the tree before Danny had even stood up.

          "Ha! I put on the first ornament. I bet I can put on
     more than you."

          "You can not," Danny said, picking up two decorations.

          "They sure are lively when he isn't around," Scarlett
     observed.

          "Yes," Kelly agreed in a whisper. "They're out of
     control, which is not something I usually allow, but
     tonight, I just ..." she shrugged.

          "I know," Scarlett sympathized, putting her hand on her
     sister's arm. "Have you thought of your options?"

          "What options?" Kelly asked, her eyes flashing. "Are
     you suggesting I leave? How can I do that? You know very
     well that no court in this state is going to grant me
     custody of someone else's child. I'm not going to leave
     Danny. I can't and I won't.

          "I know. I didn't mean that I thought you should,"
     Scarlett said quietly.

          "I can live with anything but that," Kelly said.

          "I know, Honey," Scarlett said. "Believe me, I know."

          "Let's get that tree trimmed," Kelly said, heading for
     the living room.

          Kelly turned off all the lights. Scarlett flipped a
     switch and the Christmas tree lit up with hundreds of multi-
     colored twinkling lights. That and the roaring fire were
     all the light in the room. Scarlett and Kelly sipped
     coffee; Heather and Danny, quiet for the moment, drank hot
     chocolate as they stared at the tree.

          "Can we open just one present tonight. Mommy? Please?"

          "You win," Scarlett said to Kelly. "I owe you a box of
     Belgian chocolates. I was certain it would be Heather who
     started the pleading."

          "I was just about to, but Danny can't ever keep quiet,"
     Heather complained.

          "You never even thought of it," Danny contradicted.

          "I did, too, you just ..."

          "Enough!" Kelly said with a laugh. "I give up! Uncle,
     uncle! You each may open one present. One. If I hear
     another word about opening more, I'll send you both to bed
     with hot bottoms," she promised.

          "I'll help," offered Scarlett.

          Danny reached for a present with lightning speed.

          "Open this one, Heather. It's from me."

          Heather threw off the wrap and opened the box. Three
     bottles of nailpolish in her favorite colors and one of
     clear.

          "These are great!" Thanks, Danny. The colors are
     perfect," Heather said. I'm going to do my nails tomorrow
     in whatever color you choose." She leaned forward and
     kissed her younger brother's cheek.

          "Red!" he exclaimed. "I'm glad you like them. I
     thought you would," he said blushing.

          "Okay, now open mine," Heather insisted. "I made it
     for you."

          "You did?" Danny asked. "You made something for me?"

          "Heather, that is so sweet!" Kelly said with a teary
     smile. "Danny Darling, open that one. I can't wait to see
     it."

          Danny grinned broadly. "Okay."

          Heather handed the gift she had recently wrapped to her
     stepbrother.

          "Thanks," Danny said with a smile. He tore off the
     ribbon and paper and tossed it aside. He threw the lid off
     the box and stared at the contents for the few seconds it
     took the happy smile on his face to fade. He slowly picked
     it up.

          Heather's eyes were sparkling; her smile was wide.

          "What is, Baby?" Kelly asked. "Let me see it."

          Danny turned around and showed Kelly.

          "It looks like a paddle," Scarlett said.

          "It is!" exclaimed Heather.

          It was a wooden rectangle with a long handle. Each
     side was trimmed with alternating hearts and flowers. In
     the middle there was a sketch of a dark-haired, teary-eyed
     boy looking behind him at his bare, pink bottom and there
     were stars in an arch around it. Between the hearts and
     flowers, and the sketch of the boy, there was a rhyme.

          "Read it, Danny!" Heather commanded. "Here, I'll do
     it," she said before Danny could utter a sound.

                    "Pretty paddle made of wood,
                    Teach me, teach me to be good.
                    Spank my bare bottom to a blister.
                    Maybe then I'll be nice to my sister."

          Kelly put her face into her hands. Scarlett laughed
     out loud. Heather was simply gleeful. Danny scowled.

          "Aren't you going to say 'thank you?'" Heather asked.

          Danny stared at his sister in silent anger.

          "Mommy, he isn't being nice to me at all. I think you
     should try this paddle out on his little bare bottom right
     now," Heather suggested.

          "If that paddle gets used tonight, it's going to be on
     your bare bottom, Heather," Kelly said. "I know you spent a
     lot of time making it and you did a beautiful job,
     especially on the artwork. You really are talented," Kelly
     complimented her daughter to Danny's open-mouthed shock.
     "But," she quickly amended, "I am the one who decides who
     gets spanked and who does not and what implement, if any, I
     use. Now, I think you know that that is not a gift your
     brother would like, let alone appreciate. If you didn't
     make it because you thought he would like it, then it really
     isn't a gift, is it?"

          Heather shrugged. "I just thought it would be funny,"
     she said quietly.

          "Do you see me laughing?" Danny asked, frowning.

          Heather kept a straight face as long as she could and
     then burst into giggles.

          "I should get to open another one, Mommy, please?"
     Danny asked.

          "No!" Kelly refused. "You'll have plenty to open
     tomorrow and there will be no more paddles. I promise."

          "Okay, it's my turn to open a present," Scarlett
     declared. "Toss one over to me, Heather."

          Heather picked up the first box with her aunt's name on
     it.

"Oh! Not that one, Heather," Kelly said.

          "Yes!" Scarlett said. "That one! Toss it, Heather,"
     she said with a laugh. "It must be a good one if your
     mother doesn't want me to open it."

          "No! Oh, nooooo .... go ahead," Kelly said, resigned.

          Scarlett took her time opening the present. She
     carefully tugged the ribbon off the box. She gently pried
     off each piece of tape and unfolded the paper. Danny and
     Heather stared at the box in rapt silence until they could
     no longer stand the suspense.

          "Hurry up, Aunt Scarlett! Just rip it off!" Heather
     insisted.

          Kelly sighed and shook her head. Scarlett smiled and
     continued taking her time to open the gift. Finally the
     bare box was revealed and she opened it.

          "Uhhhhhh!" she squealed in delight. She pulled out a
     black satin negligee with a plunging neckline, split to the
     thigh, and trimmed in lace all the way up. She stood up and
     held it to her enormous breasts. She put an arm around her
     tiny waist and held the soft gown against her large, well-
     rounded hips.

          "Oh, baby!" she whispered seductively, swaying her
     hips. "New Year's Eve will be something to celebrate this
     year!"

          "Scarlett, please," Kelly pleaded. "That was not meant
     to be opened, ..." she inclined her head toward her
     children, "tonight."

          "All right," Scarlett said with exaggerated reluctance.
     "I'll put it away. Why don't you open a present, Kelly?"

          "Yeah! Open mine," Danny insisted, grabbing a box from
     under the tree.

          Danny handed it to his stepmother and sat down next to
     his Aunt Scarlett.

          Kelly shook the box. "I wonder what it could be?" she
     said with a smile.

          Danny beamed back at her.

          "Gee, it's too bad what's his name, uh, Dominic,
     couldn't be here."

          "Scarlett ..." Kelly warned.

          "It just isn't Christmas without him," Scarlett said
     innocently. She leaned toward Danny and whispered. "Now
     it's something to celebrate."

          Danny nodded and giggled.

          Kelly shot her sister a stern look as she unwrapped her
     present.

          "I'm still unclear how he got sent to Siberia,"
     Scarlett mused. She whispered to Danny "I wonder who he
     ticked off to get that assignment."

          Danny bowed his head and laughed.

          Kelly stared at her sister while she unwrapped her
     present.

          "I mean, is that a choice job? Siberia? At
     Christmas?" Scarlett asked. "It's a bit cold there this
     time of year, isn't it?" she asked innocently. "I'll bet he
     wishes his chestnuts were roasting over an open fire," she
     whispered to Danny.

          "What do you mean?" Danny asked.

          "Oh, sorry, my boy Danny," Scarlett apologized. "I
     meant, I hope the dear man is able to keep warm," she said
     with a wink.

          Danny winked back. "Yeah, me, too."

          "You have to go where the work is," Kelly explained.
     "If there doesn't happen to be any work in a particular
     corner of the world, then you go there to make it happen.
     Under ordinary circumstances he may not have been forced to
     go there at Christmas. Maybe someone thought he should go.
     Maybe someone was able to influence the person who makes
     those decisions. Maybe she, or, uh, he, thought his boiling
     blood needed to be cooled and Siberia was just the place to
     do it. Maybe that person was wrong. Maybe not. Maybe
     after a cold and extended absence, someone thought he would
     appreciate hearth and home. In the meantime, as sad as it
     is that he isn't here, we'll just have to make the best of
     it and try to have a merry Christmas anyway. Won't we?"
     Kelly asked.

"Yes!" Danny cried. "We'll have the merriest Christmas
     ever! We'll show him." Danny gasped and looked at Kelly.
     "I mean, we'll try our best to be happy and, uh, show him, I
     mean, show Dad, that, uh, we are trying really hard to get
     along without him and doing our best to be happy anyway."

          Kelly stared into Danny's big brown eyes. "Look at
     what my baby bought for me," she said. "Bath bubbles and
     body lotion. And a scented candle. Thank you, my darling
     Danny. I love it! After everyone is asleep, I'm going to
     slip into a hot bath and cover myself with bubbles."

          Danny beamed and hugged his stepmother tightly.

          "And speaking of bed, it's time you two settled in for
     the night. Come on, Aunt Scarlett and I will tuck you in."

          Danny and Heather did not even protest.



          Danny lay in bed forcing himself to stay awake. He
     listened to the soft voices of his stepmother and aunt,
     though he could not hear what they were saying. He waited
     patiently until he heard them say goodnight to one another.
     He waited a few minutes more. The house was silent now,
     except for the sounds a house makes only when its occupants
     are asleep.

          Danny got out of bed. He quickly and quietly put his
     clothes on over his pajamas. He pulled on some socks and
     boots, He put on his jacket and gloves. He tiptoed down the
     stairs and quietly opened the front door. With little
     effort, he made two dozen medium-sized snowballs. He ran to
     the garage and opened the side door. He found the ladder
     and lugged it to the front yard. He ran back and found a
     bucket, a towel and a rope. He filled the bucket with the
     snowballs he had made, set up the ladder and started to
     climb. On the roof, just above the front door, he emptied
     the snowballs into the towel and carefully positioned it.
     He tied the rope to one end of the towel. He climbed down a
     few rungs and loosely fastened the rope to the door. Danny
     climbed down the ladder and rubbed his hands together.

          "I hope you enjoy the present I made for you, Heather,"
     Danny whispered.

          He took the ladder and bucket back to the garage and
     then ran to the warmth of his bed.

          The following morning, Danny awoke to the smell of
     coffee and the voices of Kelly and Aunt Scarlett. There
     would be no opening presents until after breakfast, he knew.
     He pulled on his clothes. He threw on a scarf, put on his
     boots, still cold from the night before. He put on his
     jacket and gloves and ran to Heather's room.

          "Heather! Come on, wake up! It's Christmas!" Danny
     shouted. "Let's make a snowman!"

          Heather sat up rubbing her eyes. "I want to open
     presents," she whined.

          "We can't. Mommy and Aunt Scarlett are making
     breakfast. Come on, let's build a snowman. Let's do that
     first," Danny urged.

          "All right," Heather reluctantly agreed. "We'll make
     him look like Daddy, and dress him in his clothes," she
     said, suddenly enthused.

          "Yeah. Okay. Good," Danny consented. "I'll meet you
     outside. Hurry up!"

          Danny ran down the stairs, out the back door and around
     to the front. He paced in the front yard and waited. And
     waited. He looked up at the snowballs positioned just
     right. He smiled at the thought of how Heather would look
     with snow all over her hair and face. He made a snowball
     and tossed it up at the window to Heather's room. "Come
     on," he urged.

          "Heatherrrrrrrr!" Danny shouted in the early morning
     air. "Come onnnnnnnnn!" "Heatherrrrrrrr! Hurry
     uuuuuuuup!" Danny stepped back and tripped, falling into
     the icy snow. "Heatherrrrrr!" he shouted again, as he stood
     up, angry that she was taking her time. "Get out
     herrrrrrrrre!" He brushed the snow off his freezing bottom.

          The door opened and Kelly stepped out. "Danny, stop...
     Uhhhhh!" she gasped as two dozen snowballs fell onto her
     hair, shoulders, down her neck and back, all over and under
     her emerald green velvet robe.

          Danny stood still in shock and watched the avalanche
     hit his stepmother. Scarlett ran to the door, Heather right
     behind her, when she heard Kelly scream.

          "Oh my God!" Scarlett breathed a second before she
     burst into laughter.

          "Did you throw snowballs at Mommy?" Heather asked, not
     believing her eyes.

          "No," Danny shook his head. "That was for you. You
     were supposed to open the door. The snowballs were supposed
     to fall on you."

          While Kelly brushed snow off her hair, Heather started
     laughing. "Oh man! You really blew it this time. Are you
     okay, Mommy?"

          "Danny, " Kelly began, ignoring her daughter.

          "Mommy, I didn't mean for it to happen to you. It was
     for Heather. It was a 'present' I made for her. Like she
     made the paddle for me."

          "Come into this house, Danny. Now!" Kelly pointed to
     the doorway.

Danny gulped.

          "You made a present for me, Danny? I'm so touched,"
     Heather said laughing. "And speaking of presents,..."
     Heather ran to get the paddle.

          Danny crossed the threshold and watched Heather hold
     out the paddle to
     Kelly, who gave her a stern look. Scarlett took the paddle
     out of Heather's hand and smacked her bottom with it.

          "Ow! What did I do?"

          "Your mother doesn't need any help from you, Heather."

          Kelly looked at Danny and pointed to the stairs. Danny
     climbed the stairs and walked into his room, his stepmother
     right behind him.

          "Take off your jacket," Kelly directed.

          Danny shrugged off his jacket.

          "Gloves, too," Kelly ordered.

          Danny pulled off his gloves.   Kelly sat down on the
     bed, her robe falling open. She lifted her nightgown to her
     thighs. "Come here."

          Danny stepped over to his stepmother. "I didn't mean
     it, Mommy," Danny said as Kelly unbuttoned his jeans. "It
     wasn't supposed to happen to you," he continued. Kelly
     unzipped his pants. "It was for Heather," he explained, as
     Kelly pulled down his jeans.

          She turned Danny over her knee and gasped at the feel
     of his cold legs over her warm, bare thighs. Without
     another sound, she pulled down his thin cotton briefs,
     gliding them down his legs to his knees. She lightly
     smacked one plump, bare, snow white cheek. The palm of her
     hand came back cold. She spanked his other cheek, a bit
     harder this time. Her hand was still cold.

          Danny lay over his stepmother's lap, squinting in
     anticipation of the spanking. He did not feel either of the
     first two. His bottom was nearly numb from the cold. He
     wondered briefly if it was this frigid in Siberia. Even if
     it was, at least his father wasn't getting spanked on
     Christmas day.

          Kelly spanked each cheek again, a bit harder, and
     faster, too, back and forth across each plump chub.

          "I'm sorry, Mommy," Danny sincerely apologized. "They
     were meant for Heather. Because of that paddle."

          Kelly spanked the fleshy arch of her stepson's bottom.

          "How did you manage to get those snowballs on the
     roof?" Kelly asked as she spanked some heat into Danny's
     frozen bottom.

          "Oooh! Danny breathed, more in gratitude than in pain,
     for the warmth in his bottom. "I climbed up on the ladder."

          Kelly spanked down to the tops of his thighs in quick
     bites.

          "Where did you get the ladder?" Kelly calmly asked
     while spanking back and forth across Danny's tender flesh.

          "Ow! Ow!" Danny exclaimed, now feeling the sting.
     "From the garage," he said, thinking she should have known
     that.

          "And you brought it to the front of the house?" Kelly
     asked spanking up each cheek in turn with sharp smacks.

          "Yes!" Danny admitted, wiggling his bottom, the heat
     just now penetrating.

          "And you climbed up on that ladder?" Kelly asked,
     spanking the middle of Danny's now-pink bottom with hot
     smacks.

          "Yes!" Danny began kicking his legs.

          "How did you get snowballs up there?" Kelly asked,
     spanking across each cheek once again.

          "Owwww!" Danny screeched, the freezing numbness out of
     his bottom replaced with too much heat. "I made them on the
     ground. Owwww! And I put them in a bucket. Owwwww! And I
     carried them up the owwww! ladder," he explained a second
     before he burst into tears.

          "And when did you manage to accomplish all of that?"
     Kelly asked, spanking one spot over and over until it shaded
     to red, then moving to another.

          "Uhhhhh! Last niiiiight! Owwww! After everyone was
     alseeeeeep!" Danny wailed.

          Kelly rested her hand on Danny's hot bottom. Danny
     felt the stinging heat spread over both cheeks for long
     seconds before it faded to a tingle. Kelly raised her hand
     up high. She brought it down in rapid bites all over
     Danny's bottom. She spanked on each quivering chub, she
     smacked down to the part where bottom curved under and his
     strong thighs began. She spanked back up to the middle and
     smacked both chubs at once and scolded her stepson with
     every spank.

          "You got out of bed in the middle of a dark and
     freezing night. You climbed a slippery ladder with a bucket
     full of snowballs in one hand. You must have had that rope
     and towel with you, too, unless you made two trips up those
     rungs. Did you?" Kelly asked as she spanked the hot red
     bottom in front of her.

          "Owwwww! Noooooo! I just climbed oooooonce!"

          "You just climbed once," Kelly affirmed as she spanked.
     "Just once up a slippery ladder in the middle of the night.
     You stood on that ladder and, correct me if I'm wrong, used
     both hands to empty the bucket of snowballs into that towel.
     Then used both hands to tie the rope to the towel. And then
     you stood on that ladder and, still using both hands, not
     holding on to anything, tied the rope to the door. Is that
     right?" Kelly asked, her voice stern, her hand scolding
     Danny's bottom.

          "Owwww! Yeeessss!"

          "And you never. Once. Considered," Kelly admonished,
     punctuating her words with sharp spanks, "the possibility
     that you could have slipped. off. that. ladder."

     SPANK! SPANK! SPANK!

     "You could have fallen and hit. your. head. on the sidewalk.

     SPANK! SPANK! SPANK! SPANK!

     "You could have been knocked. unconscious. and lain there.
     all night long. bleeding.

     SPANK! SPANK! SPANK! SPANK! SPANK!

     "And I would never have known. I would not have discovered
     you until this morning. I would have opened the door and
     found you. My baby hurt, probably even worse than hurt.
     And all because you wanted to get even with Heather for that
     paddle. Was her silly prank worth risking your life?" Kelly
     demanded to know as she heartily spanked each hot, reddened
     chub.

          "Nooooooo!" Danny quickly admitted. "I didn't think
     about falliiiing! Ooooooh!"

          "Are you going to think about it the next time?" Kelly
     asked spanking harder now, rapidly smacking each chub back
     and forth.

          "Yeeeeessss! Oooooooh! I'm sorryyyyyy! Mommyyyyyyy!"

          "Are you ever going to climb that ladder again without
     me standing right next to you?" Kelly asked, her own hand
     stinging and hot as she spanked her stepson's bottom.

          "Nooooooo! I promiiiiiise!" Danny howled between
     sobs.

          "I have a good mind to get that paddle Heather made and
     roast this little bottom of yours for that stunt," Kelly
     threatened.

          "Noooooo! Please don't Mommyyyyyyy!" Danny wailed.
     "Heather's always doing things to me. And he lets her. Dad
     lets her. I wanted to get her one time. I'm sorryyyy. I
     didn't mean to make you mad at meeeee," Danny cried.

          Kelly put her hand on Danny's bottom. She glided it
     over his hot flesh.

          "I'm not mad at you, Baby," Kelly soothed. "I was
     frightened."

          Kelly pulled up Danny's briefs and help him up. She
     sat him on her lap and hugged him to her. Danny wrapped his
     arms around his stepmother tightly.

"The thought of your being hurt, scared me. You can't
     take risks with your life," Kelly gently chided. "I can
     live with anything except what life would be without you or
     Heather," she explained. "Yes, even Heather," she said with
     a smile and held Danny closely to her.

          "I'll never do it again," Danny promised. And I won't
     try to get Heather back ever again."

          "Well, I don't think you have to go that far," Kelly
     giggled. "She needs a little comeuppance now and again.
     Just make sure you don't risk either your life or hers to do
     it."

          "I'll always be careful and I'll think before I do
     something to make sure it isn't dangerous. And I'll never
     get hurt again as long as I live."

          Kelly kissed Danny's forehead and hugged him again.

          "That's the best Christmas present I've ever received,"
     she said. "Now let's go downstairs and see what else there
     is."

          Danny removed himself from his stepmother's lap. He
     smiled up at her and took her hand. They walked downstairs
     together, one with a warm hand, one with a warm bottom,
     neither wondering what Christmas in Siberia was like.