Emmy's Penance
Ali Krieger-Harris rocked back and forth on Emily’s bed with the younger defender curled in her lap, petting her blonde hair. She pressed a light kiss to the trembling girl's forehead. "Okay, shhh, it's all right, hon, you're safe, I promise, Sonny, deep breaths for me." The girl had just confessed to being one of the group of rookies and 'newbies' who had chosen to join Alanna Kennedy's jaunt out to the bar, the Aussie perishing for a real drink. Since the governor had said it was safe, NWSL be damned...
Well, suffice it to say Ali was pissed off, but not with Emily, though she was really old enough to know better. The governor shouldn't have said what he said either. Then this happens. Go figure. Thank god Emmy isn't sick, that she stayed masked up, that she wasn't a total idiot...
Not that any of that would save her from punishment. The best Ali could come up with was that surely Emily wouldn't catch it as badly as their less responsible teammates. Hopefully her wife would be just as reassuring to their terrified teammate and charge.
Ashlyn’s footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Emily whimpered. She obediently took deep, slow breaths until her shaking had stopped, and looked up as Ashlyn entered the room. Emily accepted a sip of water from the bottle in Ash's hand and looked at her Captain and goalkeeper with round eyes.
"I'm...I...Ash..."
"Shh, honey, I know," Ashlyn soothed. "Emily, you're so important to us. So very precious." She took over stroking Emily's hair, sitting down beside her wife with their charge tucked in between them. "Easy now, it's okay, we're not mad with you, honey. Okay? We're disappointed in your choices, but not so much as we are with the other girls. We know how hard you tried, sweetie, and you were trying to fit in with the team, we get it. We do."
Emily nodded, sniffling. "I want to be a good girl, and fit in good with the team."
"Oh, Emmy. We know," Ali murmured. “But you did lie to us,” she added, and Emily swallowed nervously. “We can either get your soaping out of the way, or we forget the soap and you take your paddle swats bare for it.”
“Like…like Alanna?” Emily asked, wide-eyed. “And the others?”
“No, not like Alanna and the other rookies,” Ashlyn promised. “But you’ll be getting enough, little one. What do you say?”
“Please no soap, Ash,” Emily whispered. The keeper nodded. “All right. I know you can be a good girl for Ali and me,” she said, getting a meek nod in return. "Okay, sweetie, Auntie Ash has to get up for a little but you can hold on to this while Auntie Ali gets started, okay? I’ll be right back." Ashlyn said, rolling a pillow into Emily's arms. Emily clutched her pillow tightly as Ash left her alone with Ali.
Emily was already in her pjs for the night, so Ali didn't bother getting Emily up to move any clothes around. Ali just moved Emily gently, settling the younger girl more comfortably over her lap.
"O-oh..." Emily wriggled. Just before Ali lifted her hand, twin notifications pinged.
"Oh, of all the..." Ali exhaled, nudging Emily up so she could pick her phone up while Ali looked at her own. This had better be a team emergency, she thought, grumbling when she saw it was a Tweet from her big brother that tagged her, Ash, and certain members of the Pride.
Kyle Krieger @kylekrieger The truth will come out.. and these players need to be waived. Putting so many people at risk because you want to fcking go out to a club? 120,000+ people are dead in the US. THIS ISNT A FCKING JOKE.
Ali winced. Her older brother was right, of course, but this was horrendously bad timing. She had to wonder if it was accidental, or if he'd purposefully called out their teammates as soon as—
Kyle Krieger @kylekrieger Anyway— you already know who it is, but still I needed to get on here and voice my little opinion on this hellscape of an app. Send good vibes to these Orlando players who follow protocols.
Emily groaned, slamming her head down in the pillow, "Kill me now Ali and get it over with, before your brother says anything else?"
"No killing. There's been quite enough of that."
Ali cuddled Emily until the girl had relaxed. "Okay, no killing, sweetheart, but we do have to get this done," Ali added, giving her shoulder a sympathetic pat as the younger defender sat on her lap. "Come on, back over now." she coaxed, and with a reluctant sniffle, Emily obeyed.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Ali spanked Emily firmly, but not cruelly, and the blonde was wriggling by the time those were done. "All right kiddo. Pj pants down," Ali said, not unkindly. "Lift up for me."
Emily, sniffling, obeyed meekly, letting Ali tug down her pj pants before being settled back in position. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty.
The ten spanks over Emily's underwear mirrored the first set - three to each bottom cheek, one to each sit spot and each side of her undercurve. Emily was kicking and wriggling tearfully, but her head lifted as Ashlyn returned, the Orlando team paddle in hand. Emily scrambled backward off Ali's lap, and Ashlyn set the paddle down on Emily's nightstand, going to scoop the girl up. "Hey," she cooed gently. "Sonny, sweetheart, breathe for me."
Emily whimpered and curled into Ashlyn's embrace. "I...I..."
"Shhhh, sweet girl. How many did Ali give you, hmmm?"
"T-twenty," Emily whispered.
"Okay, Em. Okay, easy," Ashlyn sat down and hugged the anxious girl close. "Kiddo, shhhh, it's gonna be okay. Did you behave for Ali?"
Emily nodded, eyes wide as Ashlyn looked to her wife. The older defender nodded agreement.
"She did, Ash. Em's been a good girl."
"Good. Good girl," Ashlyn soothed Emily. "You've only got ten more coming, sweetheart. That's all."
"B-bare?" Emily sniffled.
"Yes, Em," Ashlyn settled Emily over her lap, rubbing her back soothingly. "It's okay, little one. It's okay, take your time, Auntie Ash's gotcha, kiddo. No rush, it's just us." Ashlyn rubbed Emily's back and stroked her hair until the younger girl was calmer. "I think mainly you're feeling little because you're scared, Emily, but you'll see, it'll be over soon. Just these last ten left."
"A-all with the paddle?" Emily ventured.
Ash paused. "I'd planned on four with my hand and six with the paddle, Emmy," she said. "O-oh....but K-kyle's mad, so mad..." Emily whimpered.
Ash exchanged a look with Ali. "Do you think you need more smacks with the paddle to make him less mad, Emmy?"
"Maybe?"
Ashlyn's heart broke. She ran her fingers through the defender's long blonde hair. "Wait just a minute, sweetie."
Emmy nodded, sniffling, as Ashlyn called the older Krieger on video call.
"Hey, sis," Kyle answered the call, face tight with stress. "Are you all okay over there?" "Em's fine," Ashlyn said quietly. "She's the only one that was exposed in our house, but she's tested negative."
"She went? I swear if I get my hands on her--" A frightened squeal alerted him to the fact that Ashlyn wasn't alone. "Wait, is that Emily?"
"Yes. Good job, Kyle," Ashlyn said sardonically. "I'd just got her calmed down, too. Easy, easy, honey," she crooned gently to Emily, pulling her back up to sit on Ash's lap where Kyle could see her face.
"M'sorry, Kyle, was so bad, didn't mean to be bad," Emily whimpered. "An' Ash's gonna p-punish me an' Ali already did some but if...if you think Ash sh-should..."
"Oh," Kyle sighed, softening. "Em, honey, slow down, okay?"
"Y-you don't h-hate me for bein' bad?" Emily hiccupped.
Kyle shook his head. "No, sweet Emmy," he said firmly, but not unkindly. "You wouldn't ever be bad on purpose. You're not a bad girl." He hadn't even noticed how the timbre of his voice changed when speaking to an obviously little and terrified Emily, but Emily noticed, her shaking slowing and her tear-filled eyes focused on Ali's brother.
"Do I have to be p-punished lots?" Emily asked tearfully.
"Well, let's see. Do you want to tell Uncle Kyle what Auntie Ash was gonna do?" Kyle asked. Emily blushed and stared at her lap. "Ten smacks on b-bare 'cause Auntie Ali gave me twenty," she confessed. "And...and six of 'em gonna be with the paddle."
"Oh," Kyle soothed. "I think that's plenty for you, little one. You don't need any more, unless you were naughty for Auntie Ali."
"Wasn't, promise," Emily said immediately, and Kyle nodded.
"Okay then, sweetheart. Uncle Kyle's gonna go now and let Auntie Ash finish up, okay? You be a good girl for Auntie Ash, just like Auntie Ali, and it'll be over real soon. I love you."
"Y'sir, Uncle Kyle," Emily promised with a sniffle. “Love you too.”
Kyle ended the call, and Ashlyn handed her phone to Ali, who put all three phones aside as Emily was settled, bare, over Ashlyn's lap again.
"Okay, honey," Ashlyn said softly. "Auntie Ash's gotcha, kiddo." She patted Emily's bottom gently, and Emily tried not to tense as the slightly callused hand descended on her already pink bottom.
One. Two. Three. Four. Two smacks to each cheek, enough to get Emily wriggling again, and then Ali was handing over the bright purple team paddle. It was the small wooden one, round with the logo in the center. It was painted on one side, etched on the other, and Emily squeaked as the etched side came to rest on her left bottom cheek. She jumped a little.
"No, sweetie, I won't be using that side," Ashlyn promised. "Not on you, at least." (Alanna and the rookies were another story, but there'd be some time before she could deal with them.)
Emily relaxed - slightly - when the paddle was turned over and she felt the smooth side. "P-promise, Auntie Ash?"
"I promise, sweetie," Ashlyn soothed. "You can hold my hand if you want, or Auntie Ali's."
Emily took Ali's offered hands, squirming a bit, and yelped as Ash shared out the smacks from the paddle evenly; two to each bottom cheek, one to each sit spot. Then Ashlyn pulled Emily up into her arms to cry it out.
"There, there, sweetheart," she soothed Emily. "All done, Emmy, Auntie Ash is so proud of you for doing so well."
"Auntie Ali's proud of you too, honey," Ali murmured. The soothing reassurances from her older teammates comforted Emily, and she was just small enough not to care that Ali insisted on putting her in a pullup after her paddling - mostly for comfort than because Ali thought she was likely to use it, but why take the chance? Emily cooperated with Ali, let her pj pants be put on again, and then let herself be pulled into the older defender's arms so Ali, too, could hug her and keep her safe.
She was coaxed back out of littlespace as Ali soothed her, though she knew the ordeal was just beginning. Ash and Ali still had nine insubordinate teammates to deal with in due course. Emmy had just been the first.