Tales of the Tournaments

 Her mobile rang.

Sam picked it up, not needing to look to see who it was. There was only one person in her phone who had "Kiss the Girl" as a ringtone, (and it wasn't the obvious one).

"Hej, Mor," she answered cheekily.

"Hej dig selv, min frække lille pige. Why haven't you been playing?" Pernille asked, switching back to English and imagining Sam's crimson face at being called her naughty little girl.

"Injury," Sam said briefly, feeling aggravated. "Isn't that what we said?"

"You picked up an injury during training," Pernille sounded skeptical. "You, Samantha May?"

Fuck .

"Uh..."

"Or did you pick it up while visiting your girlfriend?" Pernille asked.

She could almost see the blush spreading to the back of Sam's neck and pinking up her ears. 

"Uh...well....oh come on, P, this isn't fair," Sam sputtered.

"What do you call me, Samantha?" Pernille rebuked her.

"Mor," Sam replied dutifully.

"So why don't you tell Mor what happened, Samantha."

"Because it's none of Mor's business."

Sam's brain only caught up with her mouth when she heard Pernille laughing.

It was not a laugh that boded well for her.

"We either have this conversation now, on the phone, Samantha, or we have it on Monday, on the field and in the locker room. And we will be having it one way or another," Pernille said finally. "What have you been doing, that you haven't been taking good care of yourself?"

"Um..." Sam squirmed. 

"Just a second, Magda's calling us." Pernille left no room for doubt or excuses as to what she was going to do next, and by the time she'd patched Magda in on the call, it had become a group FaceTime.

Sam groaned and sat back on her bed, looking at the two blondes warily. 

"Hej, Mamma," she greeted Magda reluctantly, and Magda chuckled quietly to herself.

"Hello, brat."

"You can't talk on that score," Sam pouted, and Magda rolled her eyes.

"That's enough. I hear P's been asking you a question and you've been refusing to answer her? Are you allowed to ignore your mothers, Samantha May?"

This time Pernille got to enjoy Sam's blush to the fullest.

"No ma'am."

"You, she listens to," Pernille sighed at her girlfriend. "Alright Samantha May, I'll ask you again, and this time you're going to tell me. What were you really doing when you were out on injury?"

"...had a visit from Kristie, Mum," Sam grumbled, sticking to English just to annoy Pernille a little but mostly for ease of conversation now that both the Dane and Swede were involved. 

"Was your calf actually injured?"

Sam fidgeted. "It depends on what you call injured...."

"Sam?"

"Hmm?" Sam flicked her gaze toward Magda's side of her phone's screen.

"I would strongly suggest you give P a straight answer, unless you want a lengthy personal visit to the Matildas locker room Monday." 

"Well, that ship's already sailed," Pernille muttered.

Sam swallowed nervously.

"I...uh...not my calf precisely. I might have had some...temporary damage to my thighs. And, uh, glutes."

Magda snorted. "Good for Kristie, I'm sure you deserved it."

"She got carried away," Sam said reluctantly. "She's not usually the one in control, you know."

"Oh, we know," Pernille agreed. "You like to be in charge, little girl. Except with us."

***

August 7 2023

Stadium Australia, Sydney

80th minute

Sam Kerr surged off the bench, trading armclasps with Hayley Raso, and entered the match to cheers from the stadium.

She was a late substitution, on for goalscorer Hayley Raso, alongside Cortnee Vine replacing Emily van Egmond. But Sam was eager to play, eager to make any difference she could for her team - who, it had to be owned, were already up 2-0 even without her, thanks to Hayley and to Caitlin, of course. 

As she ran into the game, she passed Pernille Harder, one of her 'Chelsea moms', who gave her a small, knowing smirk.

Sam blushed.

Great. Now I'll be thinking about that for the next ten minutes or whatever, she thought, P's phone call surging to the forefront of her mind. She shook her head. Focus, Sam, focus.

She certainly did her best to focus, but for Pernille's little knowing looks and smirks that seemed to find her, wherever she was on the field. The Danish captain had the ability to unnerve her in a way that few of her national teammates could. 

Luckily for Sam's sanity, Pernille's looks didn't amount to further scoring. The score stayed where it was, finishing 2-0 and eliminating Denmark.

The hosts were through to the quarterfinals.

The ten minutes had been an eternity, but too short all the same, Sam thought, as she signed a few autographs and took a few questions before heading back to the locker room and collapsing on the bench.

She was so wrapped up in her own head that she barely noticed the last autograph holder was more than just another fan, until said fan followed her down the tunnel that is.

Kristie collapsed on Sam, leaning into her side. "I don't need your autograph, I have you right here. And if Catley tries to make me leave I won't go."

Steph came up behind Sam and Kristie, speaking softly to them. "I won't make you go anywhere, Mewis. But I think you ought to know that a certain other couple are requesting your presence in the other locker room right now."

"But what about Ellie--" Sam began, only to hear Magda's voice from Steph's phone.

"Ellie's fine, Daan's taken her for a couple days. You'll get her back before you head to Brisbane. As for Alanna, I've told Steph to send her over when she gets a call from your Mor. We want the two of you naughty little girls over here now, please."

Color flooded Kristie and Sam's cheeks, and they looked at Steph in consternation.

"If I were you I'd do what Eriksson says, Sam."

Sighing, Sam nodded and gathered her things. Kristie followed after her.

"They...adopted you, love?" Kristie hazarded, trying to remember the arrangement.

"M-hmm. They're Mor and Mamma, just like I'm Mummy to my girls," Sam agreed. "We've been close all the time we were at Chelsea together. Them not being there is going to be weird, but at least they're still together."

"Oh god, it's like I'm meeting my future mothers-in-law," Kristie sputtered.

Sam's eyebrows flicked up. "Well, two of them anyway. You've already met the other one."

Kristie paused outside the Danes' door. "Did you just propose to me?"

"I thought you were proposing to me," Sam said.

Kristie laughed nervously. "It would be the most unromantic proposal ever. I don't know, it just kind of fell out of my mouth and I guess I assumed--"

"We'll propose to each other properly when we're not about to be smacked," Sam said, shutting Kristie up with a kiss before she could panic. Sam was blushing with embarrassment, as well as the realisation of what had just happened.

"But Sam, I don't want to be smacked," Kristie mumbled into the kiss.

Suddenly the door swung inward, and Kristie broke apart from Sam with a yelp.

A voice spoke out of the shadows, making Kristie jump. "Come in, come in, my children. One mustn't lurk in doorways, it's rude. One might question your upbringing."

"And one wouldn't want to do that, would they, ma'am," another voice added, startling a giggle out of Sam, who pulled Kristie into the mercifully almost-empty Danish locker room.

They entered the dressing room with trepidation, Sam shutting the door behind them and looking around for Pernille and Magda. Of course it was Pernille and Magda, who else, she thought as they stepped out of a shadowed corner.

"Sorry, Mor, we weren't lurking on purpose," Sam said. "We just, um, didn't expect the...uh...summons."

Kristie let Sam do the talking, regarding the Dane and Swede with wary interest. She wondered why, exactly, they wanted her here, unless it was as support for Sam.

She had her question answered a moment later, as Magda pulled Sam aside to question her. Pernille turned her gaze on Kristie, frowning down on her.

That was a feat, considering that physically, Kristie was two inches taller, but something in Pernille's presence loomed large, especially when someone had done something to offend her.

"You, little girl," Pernille said. "You were the reason my Sam was unable to play in this tournament until tonight. You did this to her." 

Sam turned around, eyes wide. "Mor, no," she protested. "Kristie wouldn't, only I asked her to."

"You asked her to injure you?" Pernille retorted, arms folded, eyebrows raised.

Sam's cheeks flushed and she dropped her gaze. "No, but Mor, it was an accident, really!"

Kristie squirmed, unsure what to say or do. She would have known what to do if she was at the Kerrs', she thought. Sam's family were confusing too, but only because their house was so chaotic. She was used to their kind of confusing by now. Pernille's kind of questioning was different.

"Really, Samantha May?" Pernille raised her eyebrows, and Sam sputtered. But before she could answer, the door opened again and Caitlin Foord stepped inside.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, ma'ams. I was told to come here," she offered by way of apology.

"By who?" Pernille asked, though she thought she knew.

"Steph said, and I quote, Pernille is already dealing with one of us, she might as well deal with you too." 

Pernille sighed. "Sounds like Catley is the one in need of smacks," she muttered. "Alright little girl, come here, I'll take you first. Samantha, be a good girl and bring Mor the brush."

Sam paled slightly, but did as she was told.

Pernille took the brush from Sam.

It was not, as Caitlin had thought, a hairbrush.

It was the bath brush. She gave Pernille a wary look.

"What did I do? Besides scoring," she added, arms folded and glaring at the Dane.

"Cait, I'd shut it before you get into any more trouble," Sam cut in. "You know you ran into Pernille's teammate and she nearly got taken out of the game."

"We ran into each other," Caitlin grumbled.

"But only she got walked to the side by the med staff," Sam pointed out. "That's enough now."

"Traitor."

"You're all getting this," Pernille cut in. "You're just going first, Foord. Bend over and put your hands on the bench."

"You're not my--"

"I am, and I said do it," Sam interjected sharply. "Steph sent you here for discipline, you're getting it."

"I don't have to if I don't want to."

Sam paused. "Well, that's right. You don't have to take it from Pernille," she agreed. "But would you rather take it now and get it out of the way, or end up at the Classification Centre after we go home? Would you like Pernille to call up Katie?"

Caitlin blanched. "No." 

"No, I thought not," Sam agreed. "Can you be a good girl for Pernille then?"

Caitlin looked at her Danish opponent reluctantly. "Only because this is the only way she gets the satisfaction of beating us, right?"

"This isn't the time for sass, Foord," Pernille said firmly. Caitlin wisely shut up. At a gesture from Sam, she took her position, bent over, hands on the bench. She felt the tap of the bath brush on her still clothed bottom, and sucked in a breath.

You hurt one of her players, idiot. She's going to be mad with you.

The mere fact that Pernille hadn't bared Caitlin's bottom for her, letting her keep her dignity, told Sam that Pernille wasn't mad with Caitlin. Pernille knew what an accident looked like. But avoidable accidents were better off, well, avoided.

"I don't want any blood on your lips or inside your mouth, Foord. No biting," Pernille warned Caitlin. That was the only sort of warning she got before the first solid smack with the bath brush landed.

"Ow, fuck!" Caitlin gasped, gripping the bench harder. She always seemed to forget how much a smacking hurt until she was taking the next one.

But Pernille's swats were unceasing, just enough of a pause in between to let Caitlin feel each burning smack.

Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine.

The smacks had Caitlin squirming and crying hard, doing her best not to throw her hands back - she knew that wouldn't be allowed.

"Oww, ma'am, sorry, sorry I hurt your teammate," she was crying by smack number eight.

The ninth landed hardest of all, across the middle of her sit spots, and Caitlin yowled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

But then Pernille set the brush down.

"Compose yourself, Foord," she ordered, letting Sam take her fellow Australian in hand and give Caitlin a bottle of water.

When Caitlin was calmer, Pernille sent her back to the other side. "Send Kennedy to us," Pernille ordered Caitlin, who nodded quickly, unwilling to disobey the Dane again.

"Yes ma'am."

"Tell her to bring anything she needs with her."

"Okay," Caitlin agreed. "Ma'am."

Sam gave Pernille a wary look as Caitlin disappeared through the door, and stepped closer to Kristie, putting an arm around her girlfriend and hugging the blonde close to her side.

"Mor, what are you going to do with us?"

"Nothing just yet, my naughty little girl," Pernille responded in English for Kristie's sake. "We'll talk when Alanna gets here. No, she's not in trouble, but I think you both could use her presence."

Sam squeezed Kristie's hand and they waited apprehensively to Alanna to appear, which she did shortly after. She was carrying her bag, mindful of the instruction to bring everything she might want with her, and then went straight to Sam and Kristie.

"Mummy," Alanna whispered, putting the bag down. "What're they going to do? Why are they going to do anything? You weren't bad, and you won the match."

Pernille cleared her throat lightly. "Little girl."

"Am not," Alanna sniffled.

"There's nothing wrong with being little, Alanna darling," Kristie soothed. 

"Nothing at all, little Joey," Sam agreed. "We won the match, of course we won. But that means that Mor lost, and that means she's going home, she can't stay here to take care of us."

Alanna turned to look at Pernille warily. "Mummy doesn't need taking care of."

Magda covered a smirk. "Oh yes she does, little one."

"You might want to hush before we decide you do need taking care of, Alanna," Pernille advised, and Alanna sucked in her lower lip.

"S-sorry. I just want Mummy to be okay."

"That's all we want too, little one," Pernille agreed, gentling her tone. "And for Sam and Kristie to know that they have to be careful. We don't want any more careless smacks getting the two of them really hurt again."

Kristie and Sam exchanged nervous looks, as Pernille sat down on the bench. "Come here Samantha May."

Sam slowly crossed to Pernille. "I already apologised for what happened with Kristie--"

"What was your own carelessness, leaving the team short a captain, and one of their most important players, all through the group stage," Pernille scolded. "You shouldn't have let Kristie take charge of you, not when she's not used to it." 

Sam blushed, then yelped as Pernille pulled her in a controlled fall to land over Pernille's lap. She squirmed as Pernille reached over to tug her panties and shorts down together to her knees.

"Mor! That's undignified."

"So is an avoidable accident like that. We'll just have to make sure you don't get hurt like that again from this smacking."

Sam gulped as Alanna walked over, offering Sam her stuffed koala.

"Do you want him, Mummy?"

"Thank you sweetheart." Sam accepted the stuffed toy, holding tight as Pernille's hand landed firmly on her bottom.

Alanna sat on the bench next to Sam and Pernilla, looking worriedly at Sam, her Mummy, as Pernilla smacked her bare bottom.

Sam, meanwhile, was trying to stay still, mindful of Alanna's presence, but it was very hard when Pernille had her over her knee like this, smacking her like a naughty child. "H-how many, Mor?" she whispered through her tears.

"Twenty, and we're over halfway there now little girl," Pernille replied as twelve, thirteen landed. 

Sam knew she'd been smacked harder before. A lot harder. But somehow, this childish spanking over Pernille's knee had her sobbing as though Pernille was using the brush on her, too.

She cried her way through the last seven swats, and yelped as, after nineteen, twenty impacted her thighs, Pernille suddenly lifted her up, still bare, sore bottom planted on Pernille's thighs as she was righted.

"Mor," Sam protested, as Pernille put an arm around her, hugging her close to her chest. 

"It's alright my naughty little girl, Mor's here, but I won't have you much longer," Pernille said softly. "So I want you to be a good girl for your Mamma, and mind her, alright?"

Sniffling, Sam nodded.

"That goes for Kristie too," Pernille added, and Magda looked at Sam pointedly. She took a seat on the bench facing Pernille and Sam's.

"Come here young lady," Magda said in her best Captain-authority tone. Kristie squirmed, but obeyed, unsure what the Swede planned on doing with her.

Kristie's stomach twisted as Magda ordered her into position, and she found herself bare over Magda's lap a moment later. The Swedish woman began spanking her, Magda's hand connecting with Kristie's bare bottom repeatedly.

"Count, little girl," Magda said after the third smack, and Kristie squirmed on the Swede's lap, counting her way through the swats.

Only when twenty-one, twenty-two had landed on Kristie's thighs did Magda pull her upright, sitting bare on Magda's lap across from Sam and Pernille.

"S-sorry," Kristie gasped. "Sorry I hurt Sam."

“It’s alright little girl,” Pernille cooed, taking the lead, and Magda nodded, stroking Kristie’s hair lightly.

“It’s forgiven, both of you,” Magda added, and they helped Sam and Kristie up, righting their clothes for them. “But as long as we’re both in this, as long as you stay here with Sam, you will respect Sam and you will respect me, young lady. Got it?”

Kristie gulped and nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

‘Good,” Magda said softly. “Come on then, it’s past time you girls were in bed.”

She led them back to the hotel, and they went to the suite shared by Sam's little family. Sam and Kristie had one of the two rooms, while Ellie and Alanna had the other. There were two beds in each room, so there was enough room for not only Kristie, but Daan, and even a place for Magda and Pernille to sleep should they wish to. 

When they got back to the room, though, it wasn't Ellie who opened the door for them, but Daan.

"Come in," she said urgently, "Steph told us to wait for you here. Knowing you were in trouble put her in a bad way."

Sam cursed and ran to Ellie, finding the girl curled on her bed, wrapped around her Roo, and sobbing softly. Kristie was two steps behind Sam, and she pushed ahead, climbing up on the bed with Ellie and rubbing her back.

"Ellie, baby Roo, sweetie, can you talk to me? Tell me what's wrong?" she cooed, and Ellie flung an arm around her, clinging hard.

"Mommy Kristie, Mummy Sam's in trouble with Mormor! And it's not fair cause of we won!"

"A little bit of trouble, baby Roo," Kristie said coaxingly, "but it's alright, all done, we survived. Mummy Sam's here for you, Ellie, can you sit up and look at her?"

"B-but being in trouble w-with Mormor, made me remember..." Ellie sat up with a sob, looking at Pernille. The Dane sighed. 

"Darling, I promise, that's all forgiven now. Do your Mommy Kristie and Mummy Sam know what happened?"

Slowly, Ellie shook her head. "Not unless Lanna told."

Alanna shook her head. "Mormor took care of it."

Sam raised her eyebrows. "What's this, now?"

"It was Daan's birthday," Ellie said meekly. "The night you were sharing with Steph."

"Tell us."

Swallowing, Ellie nodded. "Promise you won't be mad, Mummy. Even with Daan."

"I promise."

***

Ellie Carpenter had been feeling out of sorts, like she could sleep for a week if they let her. Not that anyone was going to let her, but, well...it had been one hell of a ride so far, this World Cup.

She couldn't believe that they'd made it so far without Sam, without Mummy, there to guide and protect the team. Oh, she'd been there on the sidelines, but....

Look, Ellie knew it was none of her damn business what Mummy got up to in the off hours with Kristie, who she shouldn't even be around right now. But if Sam was able to sneak around with her international girlfriend, it wasn't fair that Ellie hadn't been able to have hers around.

Especially when it was Daan's birthday.

Ellie had gone to bed the night before dreaming about what she would do in the morning, probably text Daan something cute, something to make her girlfriend and Top laugh at her. 

She slept that night as she always did when sleeping alone in her bed, with her arms wrapped firmly around her plush Roo, her gift from Mummy Sam and Nikki, years ago.

Sometime in the early morning hours, though, as false dawn lightened the horizon, Ellie felt a more solid form press against her. She nestled toward it instinctively, still mostly asleep, and felt a strong arm wrap around her waist, a breathy laugh in her ear.

Ellie froze. Sam or Lanna wouldn't wake her like that. She tried to squirm away from her captor.

"Stay still, my Ellie. Mama's not going to let go of you, mijn lieverd."

Ellie's cheeks heated as she heard the whispered words. She buried her face in Daan's shoulder. "Daan...w-what are you doing here?" she sputtered to cover her surprise.

"What do you call me when we're alone, Ellie?" Daan replied, and Ellie's blush deepened further.

 "Mama, but what are you doing here?"

"It's my birthday. I get what I want today," Daan said lazily. "And what I want is my beautiful girlfriend."

"Lanna's going to find us," Ellie protested. "Mummy Sam's going to know. They'll find out. And we'll be in trouble."

"Oh, well, we wouldn't want that," Daan said with an air of regret. "So if you really want me to go and spend my birthday alone today--"

"No," Ellie denied, shaking her head. "Only how did you get in my room?"

"I swiped Kennedy's key in the hallway."

"What was Lanna doing in the hallway?" Ellie sputtered. 

"Doesn't matter now." Daan shrugged. "She can't get back in."

The urgent banging on the door of the Dane's room jolted Pernille Harder out of a sound sleep. She ran to the door, dressed only in a long t-shirt and shorts, and yanked the door open.

Pernille grabbed the culprit by the collar of her shirt and hauled her inside, shutting the door firmly and locking it.

"Alanna Stephanie, what in the names of all the gods do you think you're playing at?"

Alanna grimaced. "You said to come to you if I needed help--"

Pernille sighed and looked Alanna over. "Are you injured? Is it Sam? Ellie?"

"It's Ellie...kind of." Alanna shifted her feet nervously. "Daan showed up and swiped my key."

"I assume no one thought to call Sherida."

Alanna shrugged. "I had to fight my way out of a broom closet, I wasn't thinking much about calling anyone."

"Hotel security maybe?" Pernille pulled on her jacket and slacks, trying to make herself look more presentable, and ran a brush through her hair. She got her shoes on. It seemed like Alanna was still in the clothes she'd been wearing the day before. "How long were you in there?"

"Couple hours."

Swearing, Pernille left her room with Alanna, heading straight for Ellie and Alanna's room. She knocked sharply on the door.

No answer.

It was locked, too.

"Ellie, Danielle, you have ten seconds to get decent before I open this door." Pernille would kick the door down if she had to.

Exactly seven seconds after Pernille finished speaking, Ellie was opening the door, fighting with a hair tie and wrapped in Daan's jersey. She was nowhere near what Pernille would call decent, but at least she was covered up. 

"Mormor, please," Ellie pouted.

"Gå og sæt dig i hjørnestolen." Pernille snapped her fingers at Ellie and pointed, and although Ellie's Danish was limited, her vocabulary did extend that far. She sighed heavily, blushing, and walked to the corner opposite the door, turning the chair to face the wall and sitting obediently.

Alanna, for her part, strode past Pernille into the room, heading for Daan in a towering rage. "You don't go around locking people in closets, you stupid--"

"That's enough, Alanna Stephanie, or I'll put you in the other corner." Pernille stuck to English this time, but it was enough to shut Alanna up. "Danielle, come here," Pernille ordered.

Daan had pulled her clothes back on as quickly as possible, but she wasn't keen on going over to Pernille. "I smacked Ellie already," she said, in an attempt to distract Pernille.

"That might count for your birthday, Danielle," Pernille said. She stood with her arms folded across her chest, glaring at the Dutch footballer. "But it doesn't have anything to do with your sneaking around and locking Alanna in a closet, stealing her room key to get in."

"She wasn't ready to come out yet!" Daan protested, earning herself a glare from Alanna as well as Pernille.

Alanna grabbed the older girl by the arm, yanking her toward Pernille. "You're not funny," she seethed. "You were rude, and naughty, and awful, and I hope Mormor roasts you until you can't sit for a month."

***

"She didn't," Daan grimaced. "But she made her point well enough, you don't have to repeat it Kerr."

"If you ever lock my Joeys in a closet again I will kill you."

The Dutch girl winced. "Point taken. Can there be exceptions for if we're sharing the closet?"

"I thought we already talked about you, Ellie, and broom closets. Stay out of them, brat."

"Yes ma'am," Daan said reluctantly. "I understand."

"Alright then. Now that it's all sorted," Pernille said firmly. "Bedtime. Are you alright now, Ellie?"

Ellie nodded, snuggling into Daan's embrace. "Thank you for not staying mad."

"Of course." Pernille and Magda settled the little Australian in bed, tucking her in with her Roo, and not objecting when Daan slid in beside her. Alanna got in bed, too, and let Kristie and Sam tuck her in.

Then Pernille and Magda went to Kristie and Sam's room. "Are you two alright?" Magda asked, and Sam nodded, giving her bottom a careful rub.

"I've had worse from you two."

"Just a little reminder, darling. Mor can't stay with you, but Mamma will be here," Pernille said softly. "At least a while longer." They gave Sam and Kristie each a kiss on the forehead, and let them get into bed. "Behave yourselves, my girls."

Sam nodded gratefully. "Safe flight, Mor," she said softly, and Pernille smiled. 

"Thank you. Goodnight."

The Dane slipped away, and Magda lingered only long enough to see the pair were properly asleep before she followed her girlfriend.

It had been a long day.