Unconventional Family

Summary: Kaitlin and Thomas put themselves in danger. Even though the outcome was a positive one, it could have been so much worse...and two people take issue with that
Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for seasons one and two of the podcast Passenger List; references to violence and canon character death; references to torture
Author's Note: Okay, so Dead Boy Detectives is next, I promise...but I binge...listened?...to all eight episodes of season two of this earlier. And I now have a plot kitten attached to my ankle so...here we are.
This is actually the first podcast I've listened to and it was really engaging, so if you like podcasts (or, like me, haven't listened to them at all), you should definitely listen to this!
I hope you enjoy the fic!

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Kaitlin was exhausted. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept...slept properly, that was. She hadn't truly slept for more than a few hours at night, ever since the disappearance of Flight 702 and her brother along with it. And that was if she was lucky.

After the recording had gone public, things had happened very quickly. No one could hide the truth any longer. Families had been reunited. There were still some people who'd been lost, but at least those family members left behind now had closure.

It had been hard, really hard, for her to let her brother go to the hospital with the rest of the survivors. Somehow, she couldn't let go of the fear that if she took her eyes off him for even a second, he'd vanish again. But at least she wasn't the only one in the hospital waiting room.

Jim hadn't seemed any happier to let his daughter go with the doctors, but he wasn't pacing up and down like Kaitlin was. He was sitting on one of the chairs, glancing continually at the doors which the doctors had gone through. Finally, though, he turned his attention to Kaitlin. "Pacing up and down isn't going to make them work any faster."

"Neither is watching the door." Kaitlin couldn't help the sharp tone that crept into her voice and she winced, but didn't apologise. She was grateful that Jim had come after her and Thomas and ended up saving them, but she was still irritated by how overprotective he'd been of her.

Thomas, who was also sitting on one of the chairs and had been staring at his hands, looked up at her response. "He was in a really bad way. I just hope he can come out the other side of this."

"He's alive. And it was thanks to him that we were able to get the video out so no one could cover it up again," Jim said. "I don't think you need to worry about him right now. And I am worried about my daughter," he added. "But I know she's in good hands now. I'm not looking for the doctors to come back."

Kaitlin frowned, glancing towards him. "Who are you looking for, then?"

Jim opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, there was the sound of footsteps approaching.

Kaitlin glanced towards the door, expecting and half-afraid that the doctors were returning with bad news. Conor had been in really bad shape, after all. And what if they'd done something worse to him? Worse to the rest of the survivors?

When the door opened and a familiar figure stepped through, Kaitlin couldn't force herself to relax. She trusted Rory, at least as much as she could trust any of them, but...what was he doing there? "What are you doing here?" she blurted.

Rory smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I've been involved in this case for so long, I needed to see things through till the end." He looked towards Jim, then focused on Kaitlin once more. "How are they? Conor and the others?"

"The doctors need to run tests." Kaitlin looked away, trying to hide just how much all of this had affected her. Trying to hide just how tired she felt. "I know Conor was tortured. I...I don't know about the others, but I don't think they were physically harmed. Conor was the only one they thought had any information about the supposed terrorist." She shook her head. "They broke him, or at least tried to, and there was no terrorist on the plane at all."

"They've taken Emily in for observation as well," Jim said quietly. "I have a few contacts left in the FBI who I trust. Not many, but those who I can trust are willing to stand guard here." He stood up slowly, looking at Rory.

The two men didn't say anything out loud, but a silent communication seemed to pass between them before Rory turned to Kaitlin and said, quietly, "I've booked a couple of hotel rooms. They're not far from here."

"Hotel rooms?" Kaitlin shook her head. "I'm not leaving Conor again. I'm staying here until he's discharged from hospital, and then we're going home."

"Kait...." Thomas spoke up from behind her.

Kaitlin turned to him, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Seriously? You're going to tell me you agree with him? I told you I don't need another parent!"

"And I told you that I'm not trying to parent you," Thomas replied. "But I know you didn't sleep at all after we were captured. You look exhausted, like you'll fall unconscious the moment you let yourself stop even for a second. Conor isn't going anywhere. He'll still be here when you get back tomorrow."

"The rooms are enough for four people to use," Rory said to Thomas. "I'm expecting you to join us in the hotel as well."

Thomas swallowed visibly, looking uncertain...an expression that wasn't usual for him. "I was planning to stay here...."

"So am I!" Kaitlin cut in. "You two should go to the hotel." She glanced at Rory, then turned to Jim. "You've been through just as much, so you should get some rest too. I'll stay here. Call you if anything changes, or if there's any news."

"Kaitlin, you're not staying here," Jim said. "It's over. You found them. You proved I was right. They're going to be safe now." A slightly stern note crept into his voice as he said, "You need to rest. And I'm not going to argue with you about it."

"You are not my dad," Kaitlin stated. Eyes darting towards Rory, she added, "Neither of you are my dad. You don't get to tell me what to do."

Jim moved a bit nearer to Kaitlin. He sounded even more stern when he said, "Listen. I'm going to give you one chance to come with us without causing a scene."

"And if I don't?" She didn't know why she was arguing; why she was resisting. It wasn't like any of them were wrong. She was tired. She hadn't truly felt it until now, when things had settled and she was no longer the only one believing her brother still lived.

But she wasn't a child. And she didn't need two men trying to be her parent, trying to be dad, to her.

Jim didn't respond with words. He didn't say anything. He just moved closer to her and reached out, grasping her upper arm and turning her to one side.

Kaitlin opened her mouth, but before she could ask him what he was doing, his palm connected hard to her backside and she gasped. It stung a little over her pants, but it was the embarrassment of being swatted like a...well, like a naughty child...that felt worse. She tugged at her arm, glaring at Jim, and demanded, "What do you think you're doing?"

"You're acting like an overtired chid about to have a tantrum." Jim's voice was calm, almost conversational. "You don't want to push me on this, Kaitlin. We are going to the hotel. You are going to sleep. And tomorrow morning, before we come back here, we'll be having a discussion about the actions you've been taking."

She stared at him, her mouth open, for several long moments before she finally found her voice. "You can't be serious!" Her stomach dropped and even though she thought she should be offended and angry...she actually felt kind of warm inside. Almost comforted.

She was obviously far more tired than she'd realised, if she was reluctant to protest Jim deciding to step in like he just had.

"We'll discuss it in the morning," Rory said, drawing Kaitlin's attention to him as well.

She looked at the two older men who'd apparently decided she needed to be adopted...and she thought about arguing; about protesting more. But that one swat had been just enough to take the edge off. She could argue and protest whatever they had planned in the morning. Still, she coudn't help but ask, "What if Conor needs me?"

"The doctors have my cell number. So do my contacts," Jim said. "If he needs you before tomorrow, we'll get a call. And if we're needed, we can come straight back here." He squeezed her arm lightly, then looked towards Rory. "Did you get the rental?"

Rory nodded. "We might as well go to the hotel now. Like Jim said. If any of us are needed, we'll find out. Otherwise, we'll come back in the morning. Besides, I'm sure Conor and Emily could use a good night's sleep just as much as the rest of us," he added.

Kaitlin took a deep breath and nodded. She glanced over her shoulder at Thomas, making eye contact with the man. "You are coming as well, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Thomas took a deep breath and nodded. "There's nothing I can do for Conor right now, so it makes sense to get some sleep and come back tomorrow with fresh eyes."

###

Kaitlin had slept much better than she'd thought she would. The hotel that Rory had booked was comfortable, true, but it was more the sheer relief in knowing that she finally had the answers to what had happened to Flight 702. She finally knew for sure that her brother was alive...and she'd be seeing him again later.

Now, she was lying in the bed, staring up at the ceiling as the sunlight streamed in through the window, playing across her face. Rory, Jim and Thomas had taken the second room to give her some privacy, but there was an adjoining door between the rooms...and she suspected part of the reason was because Rory and Jim were worried she might try sneaking out and go back to the hospital to see Conor again. Maybe she would have done, if Jim and Rory hadn't told her they'd go straight back to the hospital if Conor needed her. At least, that was what she told herself. It certainly had nothing to do with Jim swatting her, and then threatening a full-blown spanking if she continued to argue.

A knock on the adjoining door drew Kaitlin's attention to it and away from her thoughts. She focused on the door, considering ignoring the knock. After all, she didn't have any desire to have the 'conversation' Jim had promised her. And she definitely didn't want to have it first thing in the morning.

But both Jim and Rory had made it clear they were worried about her. Thomas, too, even though he wasn't trying to be a parent, wasn't trying to be a dad, to her. If she didn't answer, she'd cause them more worry and stress, which wasn't exactly fair...even if she did think they were being far too overprotective of her.

Kaitlin cleared her throat and called, "Come in!" At the same time, she slid out from under the bedsheets and pulled the white fluffy bathrobe on.

The door was opened and Thomas poked his head in. "You're awake." He stepped into the room and gently closed the door behind him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." She might not have been so honest if it had been Rory or Jim facing her. But Thomas wasn't going to tell her he'd told her so. He wasn't going to scold her, especially since he wanted to do the same thing she did. "Where are Rory and Jim?"

Thomas' smile looked more like a grimace and didn't seem to come to his face very easily. "Rory went to get breakfast. Jim is getting dressed. They were worried you might try to sneak out during the night to see Conor, but I told them you'd seen the sense in resting and letting him rest. I also told them that no matter how stubborn you are, you wouldn't go back to see Conor without taking me with you."

"My stubbornness let us find Conor. And the rest of the survivors," she reminded him.

He held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I never said it didn't. But you can't blame them for worrying. I know you think they're being overprotective and that you don't need that from them. But they care about you. Whatever happens today, it's only because they care."

Slowly, she sank down onto the bed, some of the tension seeping out of her. "Did they tell you what the plan is?"

"Not in so many words. But given what happened at the hospital yesterday, I think I have a fairly good idea." He sat down on the bed next to her. "You're lucky."

"Lucky?" She looked at him. "I haven't been spanked like a child since I was a child."

"You're lucky to have two people who care enough about you to step in and make an effort to change your behaviour for the better," he clarified. "I don't have that. Well. Conor always cared, but I thought he was dead for six months."

And he'd blamed himself for what might have happened to the plane. Kaitlin reached out and placed her hand on his, squeezing gently. "I care." It wasn't the same, of course. But maybe it would help, at least a little.

Thomas looked down at her hand on his and then turned his own hand over, clasping hers, though he didn't say anything.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before there was another knock on the door. Kaitlin glanced up, swallowing hard, unable to help but tense up.

Thomas squeezed her hand gently. "It will be okay. You've faced much worse than this."

She nodded, although she couldn't quite relax. Still, she managed to call out, "Come in."

The door was opened and Rory stepped into the room, holding a paper bag and a cardboard tray of coffees. Jim followed close behind him, his hair still damp.

"I picked up coffee and bagels." Rory began handing out the food and coffees to each of them. Then, once everyone had their breakfast, he pulled the chair out from under the desk and sat down, beginning to eat his own bagel.

Kaitlin had freed her hand from Thomas' so that she could eat her own bagel...but while she forced herself to eat, her stomach threatened to rebel. Her nerves were affecting her too much for her to eat a lot...and finally, she had to put her half-eaten bagel to one side. "We can go back to the hospital today, right?" She was asking for permission, but it was something she wasn't used to, so her voice sound uncertain even to her own ears.

"Of course," Jim said. "We need to see both Conor and Emily."

"Okay." Kaitlin whispered the word to the remnants of the bagel. She breathed in deeply and raised her eyes to look at the two older men who'd decided to adopt her. With the next words she spoke, she knew she would be accepting this unconventional relationship between them. She'd be acknowledging Rory and Jim as having authority over her...and the thought scared her as much as made her feel warm inside. "Can we just get this over with? I don't want to leave Conor alone any longer," she admitted.

Rory finished drinking his coffee and set it down on the desk before he spoke. "There isn't any reason to put this off any longer. Kaitlin, you put yourself in serious danger when you and Thomas went to that facility alone. You didn't tell Jim what you were planning and it was only when he and I spoke on the phone that we realised what you'd done."

"Before you carry on...I feel like I need to say, I was just as much at fault here as Kaitlin was," Thomas said. "Whatever punishment you give her, it's only fair you give to me as well." His voice was calm and level. Only the tight clasping of his hands, together in his lap, gave away just how tense he was.

"You're right," Jim said. "Both of you are equally responsible for what happened. Yes, it ended well. The survivors have been found and those who haven't been reunited with their families already will be eventually. However. If you'd told me what you were planning to do, we could have come up with a better plan that didn't end with either of you getting captured. Or tortured." He paused and then asked, "Is there anything either of you need to say before we continue on to deal with this?"

Kaitlin bit her lip. Any argument or protest she might make would only prolong the inevitable. Really, there was nothing she could say that would make her actions any better. They were both right. She still remembered how much it had hurt...and she'd only gone through the torture once. Conor had been tortured multiple times, all to get information that he couldn't even give them.

"You're right." Thomas broke into her thoughts as he admitted, "We should have told you where we were going. I think we were just so desperate to find Conor, to prove he was still alive, that neither of us thought things through." He took a deep breath before asking, "What's going to happen now?"

"You're both going to get a spanking," Rory said. "Since this is the first time, we won't use any implements. But you will both be spanked by both of us." He reached out and grasped Kaitlin's hand, pulling her to her feet and towards him.

Kaitlin whimpered and immediately felt a stab of embarrassment that she'd whimpered already, before the spanking had even started. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jim moving over to the bed, sitting in the area she'd just vacated...but her focus quickly shifted to her own situation, as Rory drew her round to stand at his side. His other hand pressed against her back and that, combined with a simple tug on her hand, resulted in Kaitlin falling into position across his lap.

Another tiny whimper escaped her lips as Rory adjusted her position, so that her bottom was the highest point of her body, and then pushed up the bath robe, baring the entirety of the lower half of her body. She felt exposed and vulnerable; helpless and dependent on Rory, just like a child.

The first crack of flesh striking flesh made Kaitlin wince as sting immediately blossomed on her left buttock. It hurt more than she'd expected it to, but she wasn't given much chance to react to the initial swat before a second was landing on the opposite buttock. And then another pair of swats followed, landing just below the first two.

By the time Rory delivered a full series of swats to Kaitlin's backside, down to her thighs, she was shifting and squirming over his lap. She could hear each swat given to her echoed, along with quiet gasps and groans, as Thomas was in the same position with Jim.

As Rory began a second circuit of swats, starting over from the crest of her bottom, his other hand came to rest on her lower back, rubbing gently while his other hand delivered stinging swats to her bare bottom. "I know you don't think you need anyone to be a parent to you, Kaitlin. I know you think Jim and I are being overprotective of you. But we care about you. We care about you staying safe. You cannot put yourself into dangerous situations. You cannot rush off into a situation with no preparation, or letting either of us know what's going on. Do you understand?"

Before she could respond, a series of harder smacks fell, taking her breath away, and causing her to kick her legs out. By this point, the stinging had turned into a burning ache and tears were blurring her eyes, beginning to trickle down her cheeks. He'd asked her a question, but she couldn't concentrate on anything past the burning pain in her backside and the tears that were now obscuring her vision.

By the time the spanking paused, Kaitlin was crying without pause, her bottom aching. Rory was gently rubbing her back and speaking in a soft tone. "I know how desperate you were to save Conor, but you have to know that he wouldn't want you to endanger yourself any more than Jim and I do." He rubbed her back for a few more moments, letting her calm down a bit, and then lowered the bath robe over her sore bottom before he helped her to stand and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

Sniffling sadly, Kaitlin wrapped her own arms around Rory and hugged tightly. She could hear Jim talking quietly to Thomas and Thomas' quiet words in response, broken by hitches in his breathing, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She just burrowed into Rory's arms and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"I know. I know and I forgive you." Rory held her for a few more moments, stroking her hair. Then, he turned her round and led her over to the bed.

Still sniffling, Kaitlin looked at Thomas, who was standing with tears on his own face, then focused on Jim's face. "I'm sorry," she whispered to the other man who'd become a father figure. "I'm really sorry."

"I'm glad to hear it." Jim patted his own lap. "Let's get this over with, Kaitlin."

The thought of another spanking, on top of her already-stinging bottom, made more tears spring to her eyes. She whimpered softly, casting a glance towards Thomas...although all he did was nod to her before he moved over to Rory's side. She looked away quickly, but she could still hear when the spanking started: Rory swatting Thomas' bare bottom and Thomas beginning to whimper and cry immediately.

"Kait. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can move past this."

Her eyes darted to Jim's face. His smile was kind and gentle, but there was still a tiny hint of sternness that made her stomach flip. He wasn't pulling her into place; he was expecting her to place herself into position for more spanking on her already sore backside. And it would hurt. She knew it would, because she could hear Thomas' crying quickly becoming full sobs. "Please..." she whispered.

"What do you think would have happened if I hadn't come for you?" Jim asked directly.

She whimpered quietly, but had to answer him honestly. "We would have been...made to disappear. Like Connor. Like Emily." Like the rest of the survivors.

Jim nodded. "Made to disappear. Tortured more, because they weren't going to accept the truth. You didn't tell me where you were going and if they'd thought you were a threat, they could have outright killed you." He reached out and took hold of her hand, squeezing it gently as he looked into her eyes. "I care about you, Kaitlin. I know you said you don't need another father, but I think you need someone willing to pull you back and stop your dangerous, reckless behaviour."

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she stared into his eyes. His face was open and unguarded and she could see how much pain her actions had caused him. Her own parents cared, but she couldn't call their relationship a close one.

Jim...and Rory...it was different. They both cared about her as a parent should care about their daughter. And she found herself responding to that care, adjusting her thinking. It was like she now considered them both fathers to her.

And she'd hurt both of them.

The tears still falling down her cheeks, Kaitlin moved slowly into position over Jim's lap. When he rolled up the bathrobe, she whimpered again, her stomach flipping as she submitted to the realisation that she wanted these two men to be her fathers, no matter how unconventional it was.

The first smack, landing on already stinging flesh, was hard enough to take her breath away. He didn't give her a chance to adjust as he quickly continued to swat, not leaving a single inch of her backside untouched.

It took only a few swats for her to start wriggling and squirming across his lap. By this point, she was crying so hard that it was hard to see through her tears. She had to reach down and grab hold of his ankle, because otherwise, she'd throw it back to cover her throbbing bottom. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" That was what she tried to say, at least. She was crying so hard, it was difficult to get any understandable words out.

"I know, love. Just a little more and then it'll be over. You'll be forgiven," Jim promised.

The words more than the spanking made her slump over his lap. Forgiven...her parents had never really offered that, instead holding whatever she'd done over her head for however long they wanted to.

A final couple of smacks and then Jim stopped spanking. He replaced her bathrobe and then helped her up, tugging her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug.

Trying to swallow back tears, Kaitlin clung to Jim, tucking her head under his chin. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm down, and whispered, "I am sorry."

Jim kissed the top of her head and murmured, "It's okay. All forgiven now."

Swallowing, trying to calm her tears, Kaitlin looked back at Rory, who was standing and hugging Thomas. When she looked at him, though, Rory gave her a reassuring smile and nod, guiding Thomas over and sitting on the bed next to Jim. "Completely forgiven," he promised, reaching out and brushing a lock of hair out of Kaitlin's eyes.

She relaxed, allowing herself to cuddle into Jim's arms. She reached out and took Thomas' hand, giving him a tiny smile that he hesitantly returned.

For the first time in six months, it felt like things were finally going to be all right.

The End