"Rise and shine, Jer! Pizza's here!" Damon called as he opened Jeremy's door.
Jeremy groaned and rolled over in his bed, jumping up when he was reminded of how sore his backside was. Damon let out a quiet chuckle at the sight.
"Come eat your pizza while it's still hot."
Jeremy was slowly taking bites of his remaining slice of pizza. Damon could tell that Jeremy wasn't hungry anymore; he was simply trying to put off the conversation he knew would be happening after dinner.
Finally, Jeremy sighed deeply and pushed his plate away. Damon took the plate and put it in the sink before turning to face Jeremy. "Why don't we go take a seat in the parlor and have our discussion?" Damon said as he gestured to Jeremy to lead the way. Jeremy sighed again before making his way to the parlor.
Once in the parlor, Jeremy took a seat and began studying the floor. He was not looking forward to this conversation. He was a hunter, not a child. He didn't need rules, and he most certainly didn't need consequences! But the pain in his backside made him bite his lip as Damon sat down across from him.
Damon decided that the quicker they could get through the rules the better.
"Okay, Jeremy. Here's what we're going to do. First, I'm going to talk about the rules and expectations. Second, we will discuss consequences. After that you may ask any questions you have. But let me make myself clear, you will control yourself and speak civilly throughout this entire conversation. Do u make myself clear?"
"Yes, Damon." Jeremy replied, though he was quickly losing patience with the whole 'treat Jeremy like a child' routine.
"I will start with the most important rule: you will inform me of your whereabouts at all time. I expect that you will call or text me to let me know where you are going and how long you will be there. If I tell you not to go somewhere I expect to be obeyed."
"That's ridiculous!" Jeremy exploded. "I can go whenever I want, whenever I want to! I don't need your permission! I mean, you might as well stick a tracking device on me."
"Don't tempt me." Damon responded drily. "I will allow that one outburst, but you better start controlling your tongue! I am your guardian; you are an underage teenage boy; so that means that I am in charge, not you. Your little outburst brings me to the next rule: respect, I expect you to treat me with respect. You will control your temper, you will not talk back to me, you will speak to me in a civil manner, there will be absolutely no curses coming out of your mouth, and you will obey my rules! Is that understood?"
Jeremy decided this was not the time to challenge Damon, so he nodded in answer to Damon's question. "Verbal answer please Jer."
"Yes, Damon." Jeremy replied softly.
"Thank you. Now on to another important rule: I expect honestly at all times. Lying will just get you in more trouble. It's better to tell me the truth first than have me find out later. And believe me, I will find out. Lying will earn you a worse punishment every time."
Hearing Damon prefer to lying and punishment made Jeremy squirm. He had been keeping the secret of Bonnie's death for months. He was afraid of Damon's reaction when he found out. Those thoughts quickly disappeared as Damon began listing his next rule.
"You will of course have a curfew, no midnight strolls. I expect you in the house at eight on school nights and in bed no later than ten o'clock, as for the weekends..."
"You can't be serious! I am not having a bedtime like a five year old!" Jeremy yelled angrily.
Before Jeremy had time to react Damon had grabbed his wrist and pulled him over his knee. "I warned you about these little outbursts." Damon said as he brought his hand down on Jeremy's upturned backside. "Owwww! Damon come on! Im sorry! Please!" Jeremy cried.
Damon ignored him. "You brought this upon yourself Jeremy. I just told you that I expect to be treated with respect and you haven't gone more than five minutes without throwing a temper like a five year old you claim you are not!" Damon was done talking and started spanking Jeremy quickly. He gave Jeremy twenty swats, the last five being the hardest, before stopping and placing his hand on Jeremy's back. "I hope that you now understand how serious I am about this whole guardian thing, I will not tolerate disrespect. Now you are going to sit and listen to the rest of the rules. If I have to stop again to deal with you, I assure you your pants will be coming down and this will seem like a few love taps. Do you understand?"
"Yes Damon." Jeremy replied through his tears. "I'm sorry." He still wasn't okay with the whole curfew and bedtime but he also wasn't idiotic enough to bring that up again. He resigned himself to listening to the rest of Damon's stupid rules.
The next thirty minutes were filled with Damon informing Jeremy that he would attend school, respect all authority figures, and keep his grades up. He would have chores around the house and expected to keep his room clean. There would be no alcohol or drugs, this Damon said with a pointed look at Jeremy, making it clear that previous behaviors was unacceptable. Jeremy now knew from experience that Damon would do a lot more than yell at him like Elena did when she found out about the drugs.
Jeremy sat quietly through the rest of the lecture, while Damon ignored the eye rolls coming from the teenager. He is only a kid after all, got to cut him a little slack. Damon thought. Besides, I'd be doing the same thing if I were in his shoes. It's not like he's ever had any real discipline in his life.
"Alright Jeremy, those are the rules. I have laid them all out for you and there is no wiggle room. You have gotten away with far too much and that changes now. I think you know my preferred method of correction; a good spanking does wonders for a naughty boy. Other consequences you may receive are grounding, corner time, and good mouth washing. Now, I told you that you could ask any questions when I was done talking, so anything you need clarified?"
Jeremy was not happy with the rules, especially the consequences and he definitely did not like preferred to as a 'naughty boy' but he was exhausted from the spankings he had received and decided to save his arguments for another day. Besides, a part of him even if it was a very small part felt a little safer and more secure with clear boundaries and someone to set him straight if he crossed them. None of his guardians had ever done that, he had always thought that he was nothing but an inconvenience to them. They certainly never gave him the attention he was currently receiving from Damon. Even if he didn't always like the form that attention came in!
"Ummm, not that I can think of right now." Jeremy replied quietly to Damon's question. "If I think of some later can I ask them then?" Jeremy asked.
"Of course you can Jeremy. I'm here for you; you can talk to me anytime, as long as you speak to me with..."
"Respect." Jeremy interrupted with a smile.
"Yes." Damon replied, returning the smile. "You know Jeremy, not all consequences are bad; if you follow the rules you will be rewarded. And I doubt any other vampire hunters get to train with a superb like me."
"Are you serious Damon? You'll really help me train?" Jeremy asked excitedly.
"Yes Jer, but like I said, training is a consequence of good behavior. You follow the rules and you will avoid the unpleasant consequences as well as reap the benefits." Damon replied. "Now that we've gotten this talk over with, why don't we go watch a movie? You're not that terrible to hang out with." Damon said with a smile.
"You're not all that bad either Damon." Said Jeremy as they made their way out of the parlor.
As Jeremy and Damon sat down to pick a movie, Jeremy caught a glimpse of Bonnie standing in the corner. His stomach sank as his fears returned. He didn't even want to consider what Damon's reaction would be when he found out that Bonnie had been dead all summer, and he had covered it up, lying to everyone. He tried to push those thoughts away, telling himself that he was doing the right thing helping his friend, but doubt was slowing seeping in.
