A/N: Written in response to a request from a loyal reader on AO3 a few months ago. Please note again: This story does contain references of corporal punishment. If this isn't your cup of tea, you have been duly warned…twice.

Ben was finding out that one of the hardest things about single parenthood was those times he had to leave the ranch for several days for business. For the past several years he had always had Marie to watch over his sons when he had to leave. This time was different. It was the first time he had to leave for an extended period after the death of his beloved Marie. Luckily though, Adam was now seventeen and therefore could be trusted to take care of both the ranch and his two younger brothers while he was gone.

Ben pulled Adam aside a couple days before he had to leave. "Now, Adam. I expect to be away on business for a week. I'm going to leave you in charge this time. I trust you to keep the ranch going as well as be there for your brothers."

Adam couldn't believe this Pa actually trusted him enough to look after everything for a whole week. "I won't let you down, Pa."

"Seeing as this is your first time being in charge for an extended period, I'm also going to give you permission to discipline your brothers, within reason, as you see fit." Ben held up his hand to hold off the protest he knew was coming from Adam. "I know you've only given them a few swats in the past, but I know your younger brothers and they are bound to test your authority while I'm gone. You can't go a whole week with them causing you problems. I will make sure they both know you have my permission to spank them if necessary so it doesn't come as a surprise."

Adam knew his Pa was right. He just hoped he wouldn't have to follow through on it.

Three days later, Ben is saying goodbye to all his sons out in the yard. "Boys, remember Adam is in charge while I'm gone. If you have a problem or need help, please ask him. Don't forget that he also has the authority to punish you if you get in trouble. Please don't test him on that." He finished by eyeing both Hoss and Joe. He kept his gaze until he got nods from them both before turning to all three of them. "I will miss you all, but I should be home in about a week. Don't forget to have a little fun while I'm gone too."

After a final round of hugs, he mounted up and took his leave, his sons watching before he disappeared around the bend.

The first few days went smoothly. The ranch work all got done in a timely manner and the boys were behaving exceptionally well. Hoss and Joe even helped Adam with some of the more difficult chores without complaint. Adam decided if they kept up this helpful attitude that he would surprise them by taking them fishing on the weekend as a reward.

Unfortunately for all of them, the blissful atmosphere was short-lived as chaos ensued about halfway through the week.

It all started off with a couple innocent pranks. Adam had woken up to the sound of chickens squawking in the yard. Little Joe and Hoss appeared to have left the coop open letting all the chickens have free reign of the yard. Thinking it was an accident, Adam went to pull on his boots so he could head outside to coax the birds back into their rightful place. However, his boots had mysteriously disappeared. He frantically searched the house thinking he just put them somewhere else last night, but they were nowhere to be seen. It wasn't until he heard both Hoss and Little Joe giggling from behind the blue chair that he realized his brothers had something to do with this.

Adam straightened up from looking under the table before calling them both to him. "Come here, both of you." When he had both boys in front of him, he continued. "Do either of you know where my boots are?"

Little Joe quickly shook his head no, a little too quickly for Adam's liking. Hoss was slower to answer. One look at his face and Adam could see the guilt written all over it. "No. I thought you put them by the door last night."

"That's what I thought, but they seemed to have walked off overnight. Are you sure you haven't seen them?" Adam fixed Hoss with his best 'Pa' look. That's all it took to make him break down and confess. "So, you let the chickens loose on purpose then took my boots so I couldn't go outside to put them back?" Adam was trying hard to contain his temper.

"Yeah. We just thought it would be funny."

It might have been funny for them, but Adam failed to see the amusement in it. "I don't see anything funny with causing extra work for somebody. I expect you both to return my boots then you both can go outside and put all those chickens back in their coop. You have both been so good this week, but it ends here. This is your first and final warning about your behavior, boys. Any more pranks this week and your backsides won't like the consequences."

Two identical 'Yes, Adam's' were heard before they both scampered off to do what Adam had said.

Adam watched them both head out the door to take care of the chickens before heading into the kitchen to see what there was for breakfast.

The next day went by peacefully. Adam had thought he had actually gotten through to the boys that there weren't to be any more pranks. He was premature to think so, though, as the boys decided to pull another prank that evening.

Adam was finishing up evening chores in the barn leaving both Little Joe and Hoss in the house. They were supposed to be getting ready for bed. Adam had spent a long, hard day checking and mending some fences along the south pasture. All Adam wanted to do when he came inside was to read for a few minutes and then get ready for bed himself.

Heading upstairs, he decided to get changed into his night things before settling down to read. He opened up one of the drawers while letting out a long yawn. Where he expected to find just nightshirts, he was surprised to find several frogs, toads, and one tiny garden snake. They were freshly caught and muddy causing all his clothes to be unwearable until they could be washed again. Fuming he yelled out, "Hoss, Joe, get in here!"

Two innocent-looking boys entered Adam's room. "Did you two put these critters in here?"

"What critters, where?" Hoss tried to feign innocence, but Adam wasn't about to fall for that tactic.

"Absolutely not! Don't pretend you have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm talking about those frogs and toads in my drawer!"

Hoss was getting slightly nervous at seeing his older brother get so angry. He didn't get angry at them much, but when he did, he could almost be as scary as his Pa when he was angry. He knew the game was up and figured it was best to confess now before Adam got any angrier. "Umm…yeah."

"Do you see this? My clothes are all muddy and wet now. I'll have to rewash everything I own!"

"We didn't know they'd climb over all your clothes. We put them in that box there. We thought they would stay in there and you'd just be scared a little when you opened your drawer and saw them."

Adam narrowed his eyes on both his brothers. "So, you both played another prank on me after I explicitly told you no?" No answer from the boys. Joe looked to be on the verge of tears, while Hoss was suddenly realizing how he might not have judged the outcome of this prank as well as he would have liked. "Your silence speaks volumes to me. I think you both know what you did was wrong. You both defied my word and not to mention you completely messed up all my clothes. Go on back to your rooms. I'll be in momentarily to deal with you."

They both scurried out of his room as Adam sat down on his bed. He needed to take a few minutes to calm himself before he went to deal with his brothers.

Twenty minutes later, Adam headed down the hallway to deal with his younger brothers. He was not looking forward to what was about to happen but knew it had to be done. Deciding to deal with Little Joe first so he didn't have to wait, he knocked on his door before turning the handle and walking in.

Little Joe was sitting on his bed and looked up as Adam walked into the room. Adam crossed the room sitting down next to Joe. Considering Joe was only five, he wanted to talk to him a few minutes before to make sure he knew exactly what he did wrong and why it was wrong.

"So, Joe, do you know what you did wrong that led us to this situation?"

Joe scrunched his face up, deep in thought. After a few seconds, he tilted his head and replied in more of a question than a statement. "I didn't listen to you?"

"That's right. And do you know why was that wrong?" Joe only shrugged in reply before looking to the floor. Adam lightly tilted his head back up so he could have eye contact with his youngest brother. "It was wrong because I had already told you not to pull any more pranks. When I'm in charge of you and your brother, you are expected to listen to me. What if it was something dangerous and I told you no? I have to be able to trust you'll listen to me. Does that make sense?"

Joe nodded when Adam released his chin. "Yeah, I guess, Adam. But I was only following Hoss! He said it would be okay and we wouldn't get in trouble. He said you would find it funny." Joe pouted as he returned his gaze back to the floor.

Adam sighed. "I know little buddy. Sometimes you have to stand up to your brother if you think what he's doing is wrong. Hopefully you'll remember that next time." Little Joe just nodded. "Alright, ready to get this over with?"

Adam was met with silence. He gently grabbed Joe's arm pulling him off the bed to stand in front of him. Not wanting to delay this any longer, he quickly pulled him over his knee giving him five firm swats. Righting him again, he pulled a now sobbing Joe into his arms and then gently lifted him to sit on his lap, careful of his now slightly sore bottom. Adam continued to rub his back and offer words of comfort until Joe's sobs lessened. Once Joe's sobs had stopped, he stood up and laid Joe on the bed.

"Why don't you stay here while I go deal with your brother? I'll be back later to check on you and to say goodnight." Joe nodded and rolled onto his stomach, tucking his pillow under his chin.

Adam left the door open a crack before heading down the hall to deal with Hoss.

Again, Adam knocked and went right into Hoss' room. Just like his brother, Hoss sat waiting on his bed. He stood, though, when Adam came in clearly not sure how this was going to work. Adam went over to his bed, taking a seat and gesturing for Hoss to do the same. Hoss was six years older than Joe and he didn't feel he really need to make sure Hoss knew what he did wrong and why like he did with his younger brother. He was sure Hoss already knew. However, he did want to clarify a few things before dishing out punishment.

"I'm sure you already know what you did wrong and why so I'm not going to lecture you on it." Getting a nod from Hoss, Adam continued. "There are a couple things I want to talk to you about before we get to the unpleasant task, though. You know Joe looks up to you. He told me he only put those creatures in my drawer because you were doing it and you said it was going to be okay. You need to start setting a better example for him."

Hoss hung his head looking totally dejected. He had always been a sensitive child and lectures like these were always worse than any tanning he received. Adam tapped his knee after seeing his forlorn look. "You know I was in the same position you are right now. When you came along and were Joe's age, you used to follow me around like a shadow, even into danger and trouble. One day I was out in the barn taking care of the horses. Even though Marie told you to stay inside, you snuck out and followed me out there. I should have sent you right back inside when you showed up at the entrance of the barn, but I didn't. I put you up on one of the horses that were in the stall thinking it would be alright for you to just sit up there and pretend to ride. The horse got spooked, though, and threw you against the stall wall. Luckily you managed to walk away with just a little cut on your arm and a tear in your pants. Pa sat me down after that incident and after giving me quite the tanning for putting you in danger, gave me basically the same lecture I'm giving you right now. You want to be a good leader for your younger brother. He'll only continue to look up to you more as he gets older. It was a harmless prank this time, but can you imagine the guilt you'd have if he follows you into danger and gets seriously hurt all because you said it was okay and nothing would happen?" Now it was Hoss' turn to be on the verge of tears so Adam decided it was time to wrap up this discussion. "I love you boys too much to see you get into trouble. Why don't we get this over with so we can start fresh?"

Hoss nodded and stood up before lying across Adam's lap. Eleven swats later, Hoss was crying. Both stood up as Adam gave him a big hug. Hoss felt too old for much comfort from his older brother. Instead, he laid down on the bed, while Adam sat on the edge. Adam rubbed Hoss' back until his sobs subsided. Emotions taking over Hoss, he quickly fell asleep. Adam kissed him on the head before covering him with the blanket.

After checking on Joe, who was now asleep, Adam covered him with his blanket, gave him a kiss as well, and then headed downstairs. It was an emotional evening and a nice cup of coffee by the fireplace sounded like the perfect way to relax before he headed to bed as well.

Adam expected both his brothers to be a little upset and withdrawn after the previous night. It wasn't that long ago that he was in their position and when he was younger, he had always wanted to be alone after receiving any physical discipline. So, when they both came down to breakfast the next day and didn't say more than five words to him, he wasn't surprised. Surely, they would be back to their normal selves by the evening.

However, when supper time came, he could tell they were still brooding. Sure, they were polite, saying please and thank you when passing the dishes around the table, but they didn't engage in conversation with Adam. The most they said to him that night was if they could be excused from the table after they finished what was on their plate. The sorrowful look they both gave him after granting permission to leave the table was like a dagger piercing his heart.

The younger boys headed up to their rooms, leaving Adam alone in the Great Room. He attempted to read, but it was a futile effort. He couldn't help thinking about whether he did the right thing punishing them. Maybe he should have just waited until their Pa came home. He's had a lot more experience dealing with misbehavior than he has. On the other hand, he was almost one hundred percent certain he knew how their Pa would handle it and it was no different than how he handled it. They both said they knew what they did wrong and why it was wrong. Why then are they continuing to give him the cold shoulder? Maybe he was he too harsh with them? The only consolation was knowing Ben would be home tomorrow.

Ben rode into the yard only to get bombarded by Hoss and Little Joe. He quickly scooped them both up into a big hug.

"Pa! We really missed you."

"Boys, I've missed you all too. It feels so good to be home." He noticed Adam hanging back on the front porch looking anxious. He made a mental note to ask him about it as soon as possible.

He untied his saddlebags, handing them to Hoss and Joe. "Why don't you both take these inside for me while I go take care of my horse?"

"Sure, Pa!"

While the two younger boys took his bags inside, he turned to Adam. "Adam, I think I need your help in the barn. Can you please join me?"

Inside the barn, Ben directed Adam to sit down while he started rubbing down his horse.

"I noticed you hanging back out there. Did something happen while I was gone?"

Adam was planning on telling Ben all about what happened, just not so quickly after he got home. But after seeing his Pa's longing expression waiting for him to talk, he decided now was as good a time as any. "Well, things started off good. Hoss and even Little Joe were very helpful with all their chores. They even helped me complete some of mine without complaint. Unfortunately, it didn't last though. You were right about them, Pa. About halfway through the week, they began testing me by pulling a few pranks. I warned them to stop, but they defied me by continuing with their pranks. I had to follow through and take them both over my knee." Adam spared a glance at Ben to see he was angry with how he handled the situation. Ben's face didn't show any anger so Adam continued with the story. "But it didn't end there. They didn't cause me any more trouble, but they both gave me the silent treatment the remainder of the time for punishing them. The guilt is killing me and I'm beginning to second guess what I did to both of them."

Ben turned away from his horse, sitting down next to Adam. "Well, from what it sounds like, you did the right thing." A doubtful look crossed Adam's face as Ben continued. "Parenting isn't easy. You found that out this past week. Parents don't always get things right and sometimes we make the wrong decisions. I see nothing wrong in your decision, though. I would have done exactly the same if I was home and caught them pulling pranks on me. They were testing you and you gave them a chance to stop and change their behavior. When they did not, you had no choice but to follow through."

"It wasn't dangerous pranks though. I could have just ignored it or given them some extra chores or time in their room. I didn't have to physically punish them."

"Yes, you could have. But did you promise them a spanking if they kept it up?" A nod from Adam. "It was important that you stood your ground on this. If you had given in without letting them face consequences or entirely different consequences, they would only expect the same next time. It was just some harmful pranks this time, but next time it could be something much more dangerous. You can't let them think that they can talk you out of what you promised them. It is one of the many ways they will learn to respect you."

"I guess you're right. I know you never let me talk you out of punishment." For the first time during this discussion, Adam finally looked up and gave a half-hearted smile at Ben.

Ben let out a small chuckle at Adam's response. "If it makes you feel better, I do plan to talk to them about this. I'm sure they already know that the behavior that got them in trouble to begin with was unacceptable, but the way they are treating you now isn't any better."

"Please don't spank them again."

"Don't you think they deserve it?"

"Yes, sir. But I'd like them to know that I can handle their misbehavior on my own though. I feel like any respect and authority I've gained from them might be lost if you just go in and punish them again. They won't learn to trust me as the 'adult' in the house when you're gone if they know you'll just come in after me punishing them too. It's me they disobeyed and it's me who they should face. I think they have sufficiently paid their dues this time."

"Very well. Just a discussion and maybe a swat to drive home the lecture and my disappointment in their behavior."

A small smile tugged at Adam's lips. He knew from his own experience that his Pa's lectures weren't any easier to endure than a tanning. "That's fine. I'll just stay out here until you are done if that's alright?"

"Fine. I'll send them out here to get you when we're finished."

Back inside the house, Ben paced in front of his two youngest sitting on the settee.

Ben stopped pacing before he turned to address his two miscreants. "I want to know why you two did it."

Joe remained silent but looked to his older brother to answer. He's had much more experience calming his angry Pa over the years than he has. Hoss noticed Little Joe glancing at him and decided it was best not to keep his Pa waiting any longer. "Well, we…umm…well, we just thought it would be funny."

Ben's eyebrows shot up. "You thought it would be funny?" Hoss cringed at his Pa's response. He always hated it when he returned his answers as questions.

"Sure, Pa. You said to have fun while you were gone. We was just having some fun." Hoss rolled his eyes and hung his head at Little Joe's response. Sometimes he just didn't know when to be quiet.

Ben got deadly quiet before pointing his finger at both sons. "That is NOT what I meant by having fun and you both know it. So, you both got in trouble with Adam and I heard he had to punish you."

"Yeah. We didn't think he'd actually do it though."

"Did you not feel like it was justified?"

"Not really." One look at his Pa's raised eyebrows though made him change his answer. "Well, yeah, I guess."

"The way you're treating him doesn't make me believe you thought it was justified. He's out there feeling horrible about the whole situation. He warned you and you kept pushing him. He was left with little choice. He might seem like the mean, older brother right now, but I'll tell you both right now, if I was here when this happened, I would have handled it exactly the same and you can be certain I would have given you more swats than he gave you. When we are done here, I expect you both to give Adam a proper apology for the way you have been treating him."

"Yes, sir."

"From now on when I leave for business, Adam will be in charge. You both need to respect him as another adult figure in this house. That means I expect you to obey him and not give him problems. He'll be in charge of you both and he may have to punish you again, but he loves you both so much. Never forget that."

"Alright, Pa. We're sorry we caused Adam problems."

"Yeah, Pa. We didn't mean to be trouble."

"Apology accepted, boys. Now, if there aren't any questions, I think we are just about done here. Joseph, come here please."

Sliding off the settee, Joe tentatively approached his Pa. When Joe was within reach, Ben swiftly grabbed his arm and after turning him to side, landed one stinging swat to his backside. After doing the same with Hoss, he sent them both out to the barn to apologize to Adam.

"Hello? Adam, where are you?"

Hearing his younger brothers enter the barn and call out to him, he stopped raking the straw in one of the stalls and went to meet them near the entrance to the barn.

Hoss hoped Adam would forgive them for the way they acted. Once Adam was standing in front of him, Hoss gave his apology first. "Adam, we're very sorry for the way we have been treating you. Pa, made us realize how awful we've been. Will you ever forgive us?"

"Yeah, Adam, will ya? Please don't hate us." Joe piped up to give his little five-year-old apology with a frown and his pleading puppy dog look.

Looking at his brothers, Adam can see that these aren't just words they're being forced to say; they are a heartfelt apology. Opening up his arms he pulls them both into a big hug. "Of course I can. You two are some of the best brothers one could ask for, even if you do get on my nerves sometimes."

Sending Hoss and Joe back to the house while he finished up with the stalls, he realized changes are happening all around him. They're all growing up so quickly. He's taking on more responsibility around the ranch and his Pa trusts him to look after and care for his younger brothers. They might continue to test him when he's in charge, but he will always love them. And that's something that will never change.