Author’s note: In “Full House,” Stephanie’s character could easily have become a 
Principal’s Assistant like those down in Australia; her presence as such may 
well explain some things, as noted in other stories. However, what if she had a 
really wild child to handle? Could she? This first in a series of (Book 
Universe) stories will examine just how she might have handled having a very 
unruly kid, with parents who just won’t fulfill their duties, leaving the 
schools and others to raise their kid. This story also looks at the unseen 
battles that can occur at times like this.

DEMONS AND ANGELS

Fifteen-year-old D.J. Tanner walked into the bedroom of her sisters, Stephanie 
and Michelle. The girls were about to start fifth and first grade, respectively. 
And, D.J. had been thinking. 

Since she'd met Steve, the "most awesome boy ever" in her words, during a class 
trip to Spain, she hadn't spent as much time with her sisters as she might 
otherwise. That had bugged her a little. Then, she'd gotten an idea. She walked 
into their room to see Stephanie, ten,just getting her shoes off. Michelle had 
already donned her pajamas for bed. 

"Hey, guys. You know what I was thinking? When was the last time we prayed?" 

"Last Easter. I ate all that chocolate and prayed I wouldn't get sick," Michelle 
said. 

"It was after that," Stephanie said with a grin. She removed her scrunchie and 
fluffed her long blonde hair so it flopped down over her shoulders. "Not long 
after, though," she had to admit. 

"I know. We don't do it like Mom would have with us. And, even she didn't pray 
with us all the time." Their mother had died in an accident over five years ago. 
"Still, this will be your first full year as Principal's Assistant, Steph. 
You've got a lot of responsibility, comforting and disciplining kids and all 
that. The principal's more than glad to let you handle that job that you've 
established while he handles administrative duties. But, you can't do it all 
yourself." 

Stephanie nodded slowly. Not only was their dad still there to help, but their 
Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky - in the third floor attic apartment - and their 
dad's best friend Joey - who lived in the basement apartment - could also give 
her advice. However, they couldn’t be with her all the time. And, sometimes she 
had to make snap decisions. 

Stephanie reflected on the time she prayed that her "best friend" be found; a 
favorite stuffed animal named Mr. Bear, which her mother had given her when 
Michelle was born. She nodded in agreement. That prayer had worked, even though 
she’d known God was always very busy with more important matters. So, why not 
pray here, too? 

Michelle walked over, and the sisters held hands as Michelle said, "But, I don't 
need any help." 

"Michelle, the idea is we pray together. Just believe, and pray what comes into 
your heart." D.J. sensed Michelle was likely too young to understand salvation 
by grace through faith, or other things. But, she would be helping to get her 
youngest sister off on the right path this way, as she had done with other 
things. Though Jesse and Joey had moved in as the primary care givers, D.J. had 
still been quite Mom-like at times.

The older sisters were mystified, though. After D.J. asked for “wisdom and 
guidance for Stephanie,” and Stephanie prayed to have a good, safe, fun year, 
Michelle prayed, "And please give Stephanie patience when she handles the really 
bad kids." Michelle scrunched up her face as if she'd bitten into something very 
yucky as she said this. 

Stephanie looked oddly at Michelle. "We don't have any kids that bad at our 
school," she said with great confidence. 

With childlike innocence, Michelle shrugged. Something had made her think of 
that, and she didn’t know why. "I know. I just felt like praying it." 

Danny Tanner, their dad, walked in after watching for a moment. "Well, I'm sure 
it worked," he said as he picked Michelle up, carried her over to her bed, and 
began tucking her in. He turned back to D.J. and said, "You know, honey, Uncle 
Jesse and Joey moved in to help. But, I've really been proud of you. You've 
always been there when needed. I didn't get as involved in stuff like prayer, 
not like your mom, but..." He caught himself rambling in his typical way. "Well, 
anyway, I'm glad you thought of that. I'm sure it helped." 

Jesse nodded. He'd walked across the hall after retrieving something in Danny's 
office. He wore a cross necklace that had been Pam's. "Yeah, your Mom would be 
really proud." 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Up in Heaven, Angel Stephanie - A-Stephanie - smiled. A new battlefield was 
forming in the spiritual realm, one which would test Stephanie to her limits. A 
battle which formed as the Lord put something in Stephanie's life that He knew 
she could handle, if she chose and did things right, something that required a 
person like Stephanie to handle. 

The guardian angel watched and waited, as all Heavenly angels did, for commands 
from God Being angels of light, and not the ones that had rebelled, these angels 
would obey. The prayer, prompted by God the Holy Spirit in D.J., and aided by 
Stephanie and the blissful innocence of the young Michelle, had done something 
very important, though, before the battle even began. 

A-Stephanie's counterpart, Devil-Stephanie, might have had a part in the battle. 
That part had been uncertain. But now, D-Stephanie was banished from the battle 
itself, and could only influence things from the outside. This would greatly 
increase Stephanie's chances of success in the conflict. 

D-Stephanie scowled and fumed as she paced up and down. This D-Stephanie was 
much different from the one in the mortal realm and from A-Stephanie. 
D-Stephanie had close cropped blonde hair and wore a leather jacket and black 
pants. Completing the ensemble was three piercings - two in her ears and one in 
her nose. She had an ever-present scowl and a voice that sounded something like 
her mortal counterpart but oozed malice in every utterance.

The seal on the part of the spiritual realm where she had been banished was 
tight. Not as tight as the impregnable seal around Stephanie's soul. D-Stephanie 
still couldn't believe how she'd blown that one! She'd induced Stephanie to fall 
for temptation by crashing Joey's car through the kitchen. And then what 
happened? Stephanie had not only come home and confessed, later that evening the 
then-eight-year-old girl had asked, "Why are you so nice to me?" That had led to 
a discussion on God's grace and mercy. Stephanie soon was bowing beside her bed 
and trusting Christ to forgive her for her sins and get her to Heaven. The 
family didn’t go to church much. But, they still knew that was crucial.

Stephanie's soul was forever safe from the devil now. But, D-Stephanie was about 
to try to mess with other things. Stephanie's nature made her very warm, 
compassionate, and so on. So, D-Stephanie wasn't very powerful. However, 
D-Stephanie still had ways to scheme and make Stephanie the most horrible 
witness she could. With lots of work, maybe she could even make sure Stephanie 
turned totally from God and entered Heaven embarrassed by having no rewards. 

No, that would be very hard. But, D-Stephanie could certainly try, from the 
outside, to wreck things, she thought to herself as she smiled cruelly and 
looked around the "room with no doors" that was her home. The room matched 
D-Stephanie's personality and outlook and was a shrine to bad kids everywhere.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A van carrying children from Fraser St. Day care to the elementary school of the 
same name pulled up tot he school. Unlike the other students entering 
Kindergarten Samantha Lynne Burke - known to all as Sam - had nobody walking to 
class with her. Even the other Day care kids had at least one parent who 
anxiously entered Kindergarten with them their first day. Not Sam, though.

“Hey, outta my way,” Sam declared, pushing past some kids, almost pushing a 
couple over. At least she was out of Day care - they had too many rules. Of 
course, they weren’t as strictly enforced as they could be, with so many kids 
they could miss something easily enough. But, Sam still thought this scene 
seemed so much better. Especially because she would be in the day-long 
Kindergarten program, which two of the three classes were in.

Sam wore a t-shirt and thick blue jeans, and wore her black hair cut so short, 
most would think she was a boy. A newly four-year-old boy, at that, for this 
five-and-a-half year old girl was small for her age, the result of just of 
sweets and a very unhealthy diet.

Sam noticed some cookies and cartons of milk on a tray, and ran over to grab one 
of each. The teacher tiredly escorted her back to her seat for story time, and 
Sam decided to sit there and listen for a few minutes. She didn’t have much of 
an attention span, but at least something would be going on. But, at the first 
chance, she would be up doing her own thing.

The teacher let out a sigh as the day wore on, and she found herself correcting 
Sam more and more for her disturbances. This could be a loooong year, she said 
to herself.

Indeed, merely two days later, the teacher had seen one gleefully thrown eraser 
too many. She escorted Sam to the principal’s office, where she saw two other 
children waiting in the outer office while Stephanie counseled a homesick boy 
inside. She instructed Sam to sit in a seat and wait for Stephanie. Maybe this 
will do some good, she thought to herself.

Stephanie was in the office talking to a boy named Peter. She was glad to see 
his tears were all gone now. “...so I walked my little sister back to her class 
last year, and introduced her, and said how cool she was. And by the end of the 
day, she loved it.”

“But you said that was her first day last year. I’ve been here three days and I 
can’t even read yet.”

“But, you will. Sometimes these things take time.” Stephanie knew this boy was 
only in the half-day program from what she’d been told. She understood; it would 
be hard for him in full-day Kindergarten. “My sister D.J. didn’t even know the 
girl who’s her best friend now till six months went past.” Stephanie liked to 
tease D.J.’s friend Kimmy Gibbler, especially because Kimmy was quite dumb at 
times. But, it was still a good illustration to use. “You’ll find something fun 
to do, and great people to play with; at least it’s not really scary, huh?”

At that moment, she heard a yelp outside. Sam was laughing and pinching another 
child. She’d also thrown papers around the outer office, which the secretary was 
frantically trying to clean up. It appeared there were two more homesick or 
lonesome children there, along with one who made Dennis the Menace look like the 
model of good behavior.

“How rude,” Stephanie scolded as Sam pinched again. Stephanie decided she’d 
better take care of this situation first. The three others - counting the one in 
her office - were obviously rather scared of Sam. “Peter, will you please wit 
outside. I know all three of you just need hugs, but this kid must need a long 
timeout,” Stephanie said, pulling the girl into her office and closing the door.

Before Stephanie could get a word in, though, Sam kicked her. “I’m not listening 
to any more rules! I had enough of them in Day care and now this place has 
more!”

Stephanie ordered Sam to sit in the corner chair reserved for timeouts. Sam 
merely stood defiantly as Stephanie glanced at the note the teacher had written, 
then handed it back tot he secretary.

“All right, Sam,” Stephanie scolded/

“All right, Sam!” Sam repeated.

“That’s not funny!”

“That’s not funny!”

Stephanie grinned mightily. The coup de grace for echoers, she said to herself. 
“I need a long timeout!”

“I need...” Sam scowled. She would not be fooled. Instead, she pushed Stephanie 
hard and tried to bolt out the door.

Stephanie glowered, thinking of the pain Sam was causing the other kids and the 
incredible disobedience she was exhibiting. She grabbed Sam with her left hand, 
and heard those words that sounded like a mixture of her mother’s and D.J.’s 
and...some...her dad’s voice: “Remember, use your words.” Instead of hitting, 
she marched Sam over to the chair, which had not yet been turned around for 
timeout enforcement. She sat down in it, and put Sam on her lap. She cuddled Sam 
while talking firmly yet gently to her about why rules were meant to be 
followed, along with why what she was doing was so bad.

She issued a final warning to this roughhouser, all the time wondering what, if 
anything, Sam’s parents did to teach her manners. “You will find me tough, but 
fair. I will be forgiving. But, I can also be very tough. Especially if you hurt 
my little sister, Michelle. Let this be a warning to you. I hear that you 
already were behaving very badly with others kids, and even hurting them. If you 
would ever hurt Michelle, the consequences will be quite severe!”

Sam shuddered and nodded slowly. She hated rules; but, she knew that this was 
one she had to listen to for her own good.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D-Sam snickered and rubbed her hands. “All right. I almost got Stephanie to 
spank her right away. That really would have wrecked Stephanie’s chances to 
start getting Sam to be good and respond positively to her.”

“Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades,” A-Stephanie remarked.

D-Stephanie said, “And atom bombs, don’t forget atom bombs.”

“Speaking of which, if I can get Michelle to get into some kind of tussle with 
Sam tomorrow...” D-Michelle began

“Yeah, right. That would never work. Michelle’s too nice,” A-Michelle remarked.

“Man, this is maddening; I agree with her,” D-Sam told D-Michelle. The demons 
all appeared to look like biker chick versions of the physical world 
counterparts. “But, the key is to get Sam scared of Michelle; she will be 
anyway, even without the dream I’m going to give her. Then this goody-goody 
Angel Michelle can’t do anything to help Sam become friends with her.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, Sam had a nightmare. She was running through the halls of the 
school. And, everywhere she looked, there were Michelles. They started chasing 
her, and finally, she awoke crying.

Nobody would come to her, her parents were too exhausted from work. But, she was 
used to that. Having so little of comfort and care at any time, it seemed, over 
the years that made Sam so hardened, at only five-and-a-half.

The next morning, when she got off the Day care van, she glanced very nervously 
at Michelle.

Michelle looked at her friends Cassie Wilkins and Denise Fraser. “Who’s that, 
and why does she look scared when she looks over here?”

“Maybe there’s a mouse,” Cassie said nervously as she glanced around her on the 
playground.

“There’s no mice here,” Denise said confidently. “Ill go ask her.” Several 
moments later, Denise walked back and said, “That girl says she’s afraid of you. 
Talk about weird.”

“I’ll say; I don’t even know her. I’ve never seen her, in fact.”

Michelle felt sad. She didn’t want anyone to be scared of her. So, she decided 
to go up to Sam and say “hi.” “Come on,” she said, motioning her friends to 
follow her.

Sam backed up a few steps as Michelle approached her. “It’s okay, I’m not a 
mouse.” Michelle grinned and added a joke to lighten the mood. “Besides, Joey 
says you have to run to a chair and stand on it if you see a mouse. That’s what 
they do in the cartoons.”

“Huh?”

“See, Joey’s my dad’s best friend. And, he loves cartoons. Anyway, my name’s 
Michelle.”

“I’m Sam,” Sam said, very reluctantly shaking the hand Michelle had extended.

“Sam I am. Would you like green eggs and ham,” a boy joked as he walked by. Sam 
scowled at him.

“That’s Jeff. He’s nuts sometimes.” Jeff was Michelle’s class’s clown. He’d also 
read “green Eggs and ham” recently, and loved to make jokes from it. “You don’t 
have to look mean at him. If you don’t like it, just say, ‘Jeff, please don’t 
make fun of my name.’”

Sam sighed. She was hearing more rules. And yet, this Michelle was sounding 
really nice about this one.

“Or, you could say something silly. Joey taught me this one. ‘I would not like 
them in the dirt. I would not like them down my shirt.’” Michelle could hear 
Jeff chuckling.

“Does Joey teach you lots of dumb stuff?” Sam asked. She thought it was a little 
funny. But, she didn’t want to expose her feelings, lest they be hurt.

“It’s not dumb. Joey’s a great guy. He moved in to raise Stephanie, D.J., and I 
when our mom died.”

“Oh.” Suddenly, Sam realized why Stephanie had said that about Michelle. 
Stephanie was protecting her. It was like some parents she’d heard about, how 
they looked out for their youngsters. She wished she had parents like that.

Michelle told Stephanie once they got home that she’d met Sam. “She’s not afraid 
of me anymore. In fact, she seemed kind of nice. But, she was rude, too.”

“Sam’s like that,” Stephanie related. “She...” How would Stephanie put this? She 
didn’t want to make it seem too sad to her little sister. “Well, she has quite a 
few problems. I think I’ll be seeing a lot of her in my office, I’m afraid.

“Maybe you should move your office into her classroom,” Michelle suggested.

“That might not be a bad idea,” Stephanie dead panned before going to their dad 
and relating what she’d learned about Sam.

As they sat on the couch, Stephanie explained. “Her parents both work a lot. 
They drop her off at Day care at about 7:30 and pick her up at 6:30. The Day 
care has reported lots of bad behavior to them, but they haven’t done anything 
about it. They usually don’t even return the calls, or answer any notes. It’s 
like they don’t even know she exists.”

“This is going to be a rough one, huh? You know, you can let the principal 
handle this one, I’m sure.”

“When I have to; like trying to contact the parents.” Stephanie sighed. “I 
really should try to see if Sam’s Day care needs any help. I mean, we can work 
together on stuff.”

Danny asked if Sam seemed well cared for physically. “Well, yeah, pretty much. I 
mean, I think what she gets at Day care or at school is the best stuff she eats. 
At least, that’s when she probably eats most often. And, she has clean clothes. 
She takes showers int he locker room of that building the Day care’s in, some of 
the older kids do that. So, physically, she’s fine. It’s just that attitude,” 
she said with a little disgust, making her hands form half fists. “Dad, I know I 
don’t have to do everything. But, that girl needs help. And, I’m going to try to 
do that.”

“Okay. He kissed her on the forehead. “Just remember last year with dance 
sweetheart. Don’t let it take up all your time like that wound up doing.”

“I won’t, Dad.”

“Great. Just remember, we’re here to help, whenever you have any questions or 
need someone to talk to.”

“I know, Dad.”

“Tell you what, we’ll call the Day care together. Maybe they have concerns you 
hadn’t heard about or thought of. You don’t have to try to be the mom. But, I 
guess if you’re not putting too much pressure on yourself, you can try to be a 
big sister.”

“Thanks.” They embraced. Stephanie was really glad to have such a wonderful, 
supportive family.

Sam thought Michelle seemed really nice. However, she continued to have a great 
distaste for most rules. The frustrating part to her was, Stephanie was so 
consistent at enforcing them, as were the teachers.

She continued to try to fight them, especially when it came to timeout. If a 
teacher or PA removed recess privileges, which happened often, there didn’t seem 
to be a way around that. But, she needed to be held down by Stephanie a time or 
too, until she decided to relent.

Her diet got better, though, with Stephanie and the school nurse - whom 
Stephanie also became quite acquainted with in helping Sam - talking to her 
about eating better, and trying to ensure she did at school, at least. And, she 
grew bigger. Which meant that soon, she was able to totally free herself from 
Stephanie’s grip a time or two when she was being walked over to the timeout 
chair. Until one day, Stephanie did what she’d done to a few other kids who had 
been especially nasty or vulgar when being lectured.

She didn’t mean to hit; but, she didn’t mean not to, either. It was sort of a 
reaction. During a long, loud lecture Sam kept taunting and refusing to sit. 
Finally, she hollered, “Bite me!” at Stephanie, a slang for “make me” that most 
kids her age didn’t know, Stephanie thought.

The next sound was a sharp yelp, , as Stephanie spanked Sam’s bottom. Sam stood 
there staring at Stephanie, looking ready to cry but also unsure of what had 
just happened. All she knew was, her bottom was sore.

“I’m sorry, Sam,” Stephanie said more calmly, but still with a hint of scolding 
in her voice. “But, you have been very naughty and disobedient. You could have 
hurt that kid very badly when you pushed him off the sliding board, and you know 
it. We’ve talked abut this plenty of times.”

They walked to the outer office, where Stephanie reported what she’d had to do. 
“We’ll let that be her punishment, rather than the timeout, long with no recess 
for a few days,” Stephanie said stoicly.

Inside, she hurt for the girl who was weeping and rubbing her bottom as she 
walked back to class. Stephanie could tell she’d cracked that hard shell some, 
with the spank she’d given. But, as always, she felt quite badly about having to 
do it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the spiritual realm, D-Sam was excited. She had finally gotten Stephanie to 
spank her. Stephanie had built a good enough rapport with Sam it hadn’t really 
damaged things. But, now, if she just worked a little on Stephanie, making her 
feel Sam couldn’t be dealt with...

She received a summons to leave the chessboard; D-Stephanie was calling her. 
“That does that miserable D-Stephanie want, anyway? ‘Ve been doing all the work, 
and she hasn’t been able to do diddly squat,” D-Sam mumbled.

She stepped out of the chessboard-like arena and wandered into D-Stephanie's 
lair. "This had better be good," D-Sam hollered at her. "The Day care's almost 
ready to kick Sam out - the parents won't do anything, and the workers there are 
on their last nerve. I don't want to miss it when they force Sam's parents to 
find some other way to take care of a kid they never planned in the first 
place!" She fumed at D-Stephanie.

"Well, just look at the brew I've concocted," D-Stephanie said with a glint in 
her eye. "You know how Stephanie's at the age when she wants to be popular?"

It’s about time, D-Sam thought. Just because she can’t take part in this part of 
the battle doesn’t mean she can’t do something. "Yeah, so what did you do? Give 
her a crush on a troublemaker?"

"Even better. Kimmy Gibbler will put holes in her head! Am I a genius, or am I a 
genius?"

"I don't know where you're going with this, but if you can tempt Stephanie to 
let Kimmy put holes in her head, all I can say is, more power to you."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stephanie had called Kimmy's house a couple weeks after giving Sam the smack. 
The weird, rather irresponsible best friend of D.J. had brought over an 
instrument that looked like it was meant for drilling holes in something far 
different than earlobes. "Go ahead, let her do it," D-Stephanie whispered in 
Stephanie's ear.

"You can still back out. You know how poor Kimmy is at most other things," 
A-Stephanie reminded Stephanie.

"Don't listen to that do-gooder. Get a life, you don't have to obey every rule. 
Just tell the kids at school your dad let you. They'll never know the 
difference," D-Stephanie countered.

Stephanie was debating as Kimmy turned on the drill. She decided she would let 
it happen - she was desperate to get into the in crowd with the Jennifers of her 
class. Not only that, but the kids might actually see her as more of a woman - 
like D.J. - with pierced ears.

After a while, of course, it started to smart. It hurt a lot worse than she 
imagined it would. And, she kept hearing a voice along with that pain. 
"Hypocrite," it resounded. Stephanie's conscience continued to bother her after 
a couple days. She didn't even feel comfortable telling Allie what she'd done.

Here she was trying to make other kids obey rules, while she'd done who knew 
what to her ears, and deliberately disobeyed her dad. She felt like the biggest 
hypocrite in the world.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You may fire when ready," D-Stephanie told D-Sam.

"Cool, thanks. I pretty much rule Sam, even with her feeling okay about 
Stephanie and Michelle. And, I must say, she's settled a little at school - 
she'll stay in timeout when Stephanie sends her now. But, they're on their last 
legs with her at Day care. And, the one girl who could help has such a crisis of 
confidence..." She sighed. She hated to admit that D-Stephanie was that good; 
she’d messed up enough other times. Still, she had to admit it. "You have 
outdone yourself this time."

"Hey, let's face it; I might not be allowed on that chessboard because of 
sporadic prayers over the last few months. But, I can sure tempt Stephanie 
really good!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stephanie had begun taking medicine for her infected earlobes. But, that 
couldn't shake the nightmare. As she was walking along the halls of Fraser St. 
Elementary, she kept hearing the voices calling her a hypocrite. They got louder 
the faster she ran through the seemingly endless maze of corridors.

She eventually woke herself up proclaiming loudly, "I am not a hypocrite!'

Danny tiptoed into the girls' bedroom a moment later. "Is everything okay?" 
Noticing Stephanie sad face, he sat on her bed and put an arm around her. 
Stephanie leaned her head against his shoulder. "It's okay, Steph."

"Dad, I just feel so bad about what I did. I mean, the kids at school look up to 
me. Now, instead of them saying, 'There goes Stephanie, the girl who always does 
good,' they'll say, 'There goes Stephanie, the girl who not only broke the 
rules, she let a complete dummy put holes in her head.' The doctor says it could 
have been really dangerous!"

"Steph, I know it's frustrating. But, don't be too hard on yourself. You've 
accepted your punishment, you don't need any more tacked on to the time I 
grounded you, or anything else taken away. I know you've learned your lesson."

She supposed so. Still, "That about Sam?"

"That about her? Steph, she goes around hurting other people. She won't listen 
to anything. Personally, I don't think she'll pay any attention to what you've 
done."

"Maybe not." Stephanie sighed. "The principal said the Day care had asked them 
if they had any ideas on how to handle Sam. They might be calling me here if 
they need me. Otherwise, they might have to kick Sam out; she might even become 
a latchkey kid then, Dad. We can't let that happen. And yet, here I am with two 
ears that are still look like if Rudolph’s nose ever gave out he could guide 
Santa’s sleight with them." They weren’t really red anymore. But, Stephanie 
harsh wisecrack helped her let off a little steam.

"Steph, Sam won't pay attention, I'm sure. The only thing she cares about is 
doing what she wants. Nobody ever taught her right from wrong, or even that 
there is such a concept. All she cares about is that you will make her behave."

"You really think so?"

Danny looked over at Michelle, who was still sleeping soundly. He whispered, 
"Steph, you girls all respond very well to the punishments I give. So, they 
don't have to be very harsh.” He was even more lenient with Michelle than with 
the others. “Sam won't respond to more lenient discipline, though. She needs to 
be sat in a corner, rather than just put in a room, right now. She needs very 
harsh lectures. Steph, Sam needs you to be very firm. You don't need that kind 
of discipline, so I don't have to be as firm. That's the difference."

"So, will she understand that?"

“It's hard to say. But, the important thing is, anyone could try to discipline 
her right now, and she'll fight just because she doesn't want to listen. Not 
because you didn't listen."

"Thanks, Dad." Stephanie thought for a second. "Yeah, she probably will fight 
me. Unless I give my best lecture. But, what happens with the other kids?"

"You can always comfort them later. Now, if you're ready, let's get some sleep. 
If they do call tomorrow, with that along with school, it'll be a long day for 
you."

"Yeah. One of my toughest." She sighed. She supposed she could do it, though, 
sore ears and all. After all, she had overcome many other obstacles in her life.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A-Stephanie smiled sweetly as she and A-Michelle kept whispering words of 
encouragement to Stephanie - and to Sam. While D-Sam was very powerful, they 
were finding that they could whisper words of encouragement in Sam’s ear a 
little. Maybe not much, but a little.

D-Sam laughed with scorn at them. “You better save that for your own earthly 
charges; I’ve got Sam totally under my control.”

“No, you don’t,” A-Michelle responded.

“Where there’s life, there’s hope,” A-Stephanie added. “Besides, she’d be below 
the age of accountability anyway, so even if she were to die she’d still be 
saved, thanks to Calvary.”

“You blabber as much as Stephanie on earth,” D-Sam cried. “Well, while you’re 
here failing miserably at making Sam think that she has to be nice, your 
counterparts are making Michelle jealous and doing other nasty things.”

“God has that part well in hand,” A-Stephanie retorted. “We’re not the only 
angels around, and they’re certainly not the only people down on earth.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Does this kid even have parents?"

Becky shook her head and folded her arms. "No, Jess. She has answering machines. 
They promise to get back to her as soon as possible; but that's generally for a 
few seconds maybe a day or two later."

"Poor kid. At least Stephanie's helping her," Jesse murmured. He'd asked Joey to 
take over the radio program that they hosted and handle it himself that day. 
Becky needed to get the twins to their doctors' appointments, and Danny was 
working on something late for the show he and Becky hosted.

When the phone rang, Jesse gave it to Stephanie. From the look on Stephanie's 
face, he knew right away that this was the call she'd been dreading. Once 
Stephanie hung up, Jesse said, "They're askin' you to make your office portable, 
huh?"

Stephanie smiled as Jesse's attempt at humor. "Yeah. Sam was playing with 
something, and some two-year-old came over and grabbed it. They got in a tussle, 
and Sam scratched him a couple times." Stephanie shook her head. "Don't her 
parents know she does these things?"

"Probably not." Jesse let her snuggle with him on the couch for a second before 
going to get the car. "I know, it's a horrible situation," he said as he placed 
an arm her. "But, these are the kind of people who just don't understand they 
have a responsibility. They figure anyone can do their jobs, and if Sam ever 
said she wished they were there more, they'd say she was bein' really selfish. 
So, it's up to someone else to care. Thankfully, she has that someone. A 
wonderful, loving, and determined girl, who I am proud as heck to call my 
niece."

Stephanie was beaming now. Jesse knew just how to lift peoples' spirits, and 
tell them exactly what they needed to hear. Some of it was from experience, of 
course. "Thanks. I guess you know I'm going to have to be pretty tough,” she 
said as they walked toward the door.

Michelle entered the living room. "Where are you going? I thought you were 
grounded."

"I'm just going over to the Day care to take care of a problem. You stay here 
with D.J. and Steve; they're upstairs studying."

"Why can't I come with you?"

Jesse knelt down to her level. "Listen, Steph has to deal with Sam. And, Sam 
scratched up a little two-year-old. She doesn't want you to get hurt."

"I don't want Stephanie to get hurt, either," Michelle insisted.

"Don't worry. Once I start yelling, she won't do it anymore. In fact, you're 
more than welcome to sit on the front stoop. You might be able to hear my 
lecturing from there," Stephanie quipped.

Stephanie thought about what Jesse had said as she rode with him to the Day 
care. He was right. She was a good girl. One mistake was not the end of her 
career. It was just another obstacle to be overcome. Stephanie would easily 
rebound and handle this situation.

The only depressing thing was, as Michelle said, she was grounded. This was not 
the sort of thing to bring relief as a break from being stuck at home.

"I'll wait here in the parking lot for you to come out, unless you need me."

"It's okay, Uncle Jesse." Stephanie got out of the car. "I'm the principal. I 
have a mouth and I know how to use it," she joked.

"Yeah, well, just remember, there's other kids there. Of course, I don't need to 
tell you that. That's one of the things you do best, comforting them when 
they're scared."

Stephanie agreed. She supposed she understood that really well, given how she 
felt sometimes. Indeed, while she had never been to this part of the community 
center - only the preschool and clubhouse part, the latter of which had housed 
Honeybee club meetings - memories came flooding back in bits and pieces. Running 
outside with several other preschoolers to see a nest a family of robins had 
built in a tree one spring, for instance.

Sam could have such fun memories, too. But, she never listened long enough to 
have them.

"Hi, I'm Stephanie Tanner," she informed the Day care worker at the front door. 
When told that Sam wouldn't even stay in the timeout room they had set aside for 
the especially rowdy kids - as opposed to the simple chair in the corner - she 
became furious.

"All right, kids. You are about to hear some very loud yelling. I suggest you 
cover your ears," she informed the other ones, before glaring hard and walking 
right toward Sam.

Sam, for her part, was stunned. She had never expected Stephanie to show up at 
Day care. She 

was a principal's aide; principal's aides didn't leave the school, did they? 
Well, maybe they did, since they were also students, but still, shouldn't she be 
home?

Instead, as Stephanie started lecturing, Sam realized that this girl was going 
to make her behave, one way or another. And, the rules she laid down here were 
obviously going to be as firm as those in school.

Remembering what had happened when she had blurted out "bite me," Sam remained 
quiet. And cowed, as Stephanie got in her face. Her lower lip quivered 
nervously, but she wouldn’t show how frightened she was. She felt like she had 
to maintain a tough attitude - it was hard enough dealing with parents who never 
cared, or Day care workers who were way too busy.

Of course, this Stephanie seemed to care sometimes. But, Sam was more interested 
in being good because Stephanie was being so loud. And, Sam didn’t like that 
yelling one bit, either.

Stephanie’s concern for her at other times certainly helped her decide to 
behave, though. She’d spent much time talking with her and being nice to her. 
And, that was having some impact, though she still felt the need to have that 
thick wall around her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D-Stephanie sneered. She'd always done a good job of trying to damage 
Stephanie's relationships - that was her strong suit. Not that it helped much 
with this loving family. But, she had gotten Stephanie really mad at D.J. once 
when D.J. had been hanging around pop singer Tommy Page, whom Stephanie had had 
a crush on. It was comical, Stephanie thinking that D.J. was stealing her 
"boyfriend." And now, it was Michelle who was feeling a little down, because 
Stephanie had gone to see Sam and hadn’t taken her. And, she’d tried to spend a 
fair amount of time talking with Sam at other times recently, too, trying to 
show her someone cared.

However, that was all D-Stephanie could do. The tightly knit Tanners were about 
to patch things up again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stephanie walked slowly into D.J.'s room in the physical realm. "Hey, Deej."

"How did it go?" D.J. asked as she placed a tender arm around Stephanie's 
shoulders.

"Fine. As well as it can with Sam. Which being translated, means I didn't have 
to spank her. I think my actually coming to her Day care, plus my volcanic 
eruption of a lecture, scared her straight." For now, Stephanie told herself.

"Well, that should make you feel good," D.J. said with a smile as they sat on 
her bed.

Stephanie knew it should. But, there was just one problem. "Michelle's been a 
little down lately. I'm worried she thinks I'm spending too much time with Sam. 
She wanted to go with me when Uncle Jesse took me today, after they called."

"I know. She told me you probably thought it was too dangerous. At least, that's 
what she guessed."

Stephanie smiled. At least Michelle was trying to understand.

Still, as she told D.J., "I wanted to take her, in a way - I would have if it 
was anyone but Sam. I mean, Michelle needs mom time. Or, at least the best we 
can give. And, all the adults have been pretty busy the last couple days. Plus, 
you're doing so much lately with Steve; even more than at first."

"Sam doesn't even have us, though. She certainly doesn't have parents who care 
very much, from what you've said."

"I know. But..." She searched for words to say.

"Look, Aunt Becky came up with a great idea, and I think maybe you should 
present it to Michelle. Since she seems to want to do stuff with you."

"Great! That is it?"

"Horseback riding. She still has Rocket, the horse I wanted to buy. That do you 
say we give Michelle an early Christmas present - horseback riding lessons. Dad 
says he'll let her do it if she really wants."

Stephanie beamed. She thanked D.J., and ran down to Joey's basement apartment, 
where Michelle and her friend Cassie were playing with some puppets. "Hey, 
Michelle. I have an idea," she began.

Michelle was excited when she heard. She was really enthusiastic about the 
thought of riding a horse - she loved animals. That a nice Christmas present 
that would be!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D-Stephanie sighed in the spirit realm. "Curses, foiled again," she muttered 
under her breath.

D-Michelle walked up to her and reminded her, "People can fall off horses, you 
know."

"Yeah, but what good is that going to do? Besides, especially for a beginner, 
even if the Tanners don't pray much, do you realize how many guardian angels are 
going to be around those animals?" D-Stephanie hollered.

"Yeah. I guess that won't be a good idea to distract her from Sam," D-Michelle 
confessed. "Oh, well, at least I'm invited to the party," she spouted, referring 
to the chess board of activity surrounding the situation with Sam. "I'll come up 
with something besides a horse riding disaster."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the physical realm, Stephanie smiled proudly as she and Michelle - who was 
smelly, exhausted, and very happy - returned home with Danny and Becky from 
Michelle's first full day of horseback riding. This was one of the best 
decisions they'd ever made - Michelle was loving it.

However, horses stunk to Stephanie; she really couldn't stand the smell. 
Besides, she was more concerned with Sam, now that Michelle was satisfied. The 
answering machine beeped as the entered. As she listened, she heard that there 
had been a problem wherein she had almost been called to lecture Sam again. And, 
while Sam was leery of her at school, it appeared that Sam was getting so 
physical with the others that Stephanie would probably be at her wits' end soon 
once more.

Several days later, the call came. Michelle was out horseback riding, and having 
lots of fun. Meanwhile, Stephanie was stuck at home, still grounded for a few 
more days. She’d been allowed to go riding with Michelle the one time because, 
technically, she was doing it in a “Mom-like capacity.” In other words, Danny 
had wanted to give her a reminder that not every kid she dealt with was totally 
wild.

Stephanie had appreciated that first time. But now, about a week after the first 
lecture, Sam was once again refusing to listen. And, Stephanie had no choice but 
to go and try to get her to behave. And, to stay in timeout this time.

“Aunt Becky,” she asked as Becky drove her to the Day care. “I’ve heard some 
people say if we were in the worst parts of San Francisco, I might have a dozen 
Sams. Is it really that bad?”

“Sometimes. Kids who see a lot of bad stuff just copy everything they see. You 
have to be a lot tougher to live there, just because most of the kids - though 
not all - will often have at least a little of Sam’s type of wildness.”

Stephanie nodded slowly. Deep in her heart, though she didn’t attend church 
often, something stirred in her heart that said that these kids needed the Lord. 
They needed to know there was hope outside of what they saw every day. It was a 
spark that would only become a flame several years later. But, she still thought 
about the need to teach them.

Sam, however, wouldn’t listen to anything, it seemed. Sometimes, kids like her - 
and, maybe, others - needed one-on-one attention first.

        “Thanks, Aunt Becky. Wish me luck,” Stephanie said with a smile as she 
left the car.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D-Sam clapped her hands with excitement. However, A-Stephanie interrupted her 
glee.

“Stephanie may have spanked Sam again,” A-Stephanie noted. “However, she gave 
her a chance before when she lectured the first time.”

“Ha! Sam scratched her face! And she said the privilege she’d get is that Sam 
will be able to sit by the time her parents get there.”

A-Stephanie nodded. “She would have done that anyway, it was only going to be 
one smack regardless. And, she showed enough love, too; it’s not like she even 
made her sit with the sore bottom. She’s going to be good at Day care now.”

“No way. Even if I have to wait till the next Principal’s Assistant comes along, 
or try to make sure there isn’t one, I can still cause lots of headache. Sam 
will still be a menace.” D-Sam snickered. “And, she still won’t get anything for 
Christmas. She doesn’t have a family. And, Stephanie and her family and friends 
will not be able to make up for that.”

“I say they can. Just wait,” A-Stephanie proclaimed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stephanie smiled as she watched Michelle tear through her Christmas presents. 
Between all that they'd gotten, plus the special treat - whatever it was - that 
their Uncle Jesse had planned for them, this was turning into a wonderful day.

More wonderful was the fact she hadn't heard from Sam or about her in a couple 
weeks.

"Do you think Sam got anything besides coal?" Michelle asked Stephanie that 
evening. Stephanie was putting away a few new things that she'd gotten that day.

Danny overheard. As he sat with Michelle on her bed, he said, "Honey, I don't 
think Sam's parents or Santa gave her anything." He couldn't bring himself to 
say that her parents didn't care at all about their daughter.

"Actually, Dad, they did." Stephanie turned and walked over to Michelle. "I 
called over there when we got back from the soup kitchen where Uncle Jesse took 
us to help deliver meals. After seeing what some of those kids went through, I 
really started to feel for her, too. And, her parents bought her all kinds of 
stuff. That's because that's all they care about - things."

"Maybe we should take them to the soup kitchen," Michelle suggested.

"Well...it's a little more complex than that," Danny said. "I mean, it's the 
same, in that they only worry about what they can get. Just like you girls were. 
But, just seeing a few people down on their luck won't help like it did you." 
Stephanie nodded slowly as Danny hugged and kissed Michelle, then tucked her in. 
"Good night, pumpkin. I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy."

Danny and Stephanie walked out the door, with Danny flipping off the lights. 
Stephanie spoke the words she hated to speak. "Seeing other people won't help 
when they can't see the attention and love their own daughter needs."

"You're right, Steph.” He placed a loving arm around her as they walked 
downstairs.

"I wish I knew what else to do. I talk with her, I give her lots of positive 
attention. I try to encourage her. But, nothing seems to work. Although, at 
least Sam seemed happy that I'd called her house. She told me about all sorts of 
neat things."

"I know. And, what she needs is time. Sweetheart, you're giving her that time. 
It's just going to take a while. But, she knows you called to wish her ‘Merry 
Christmas.' And, that will count for something, sometime."

"When?"

Danny sighed. "I don't know. I really don't know."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Off your duff," D-Stephanie shouted.

D-Sam scrambled to her feet and scowled. "Who are you to give orders to me! You 
and your hare-brained schemes! ‘Get Kimmy to poke holes in Stephanie's ears!' 
Phooey. You not only didn't help me drive Sam further into the dark side, you 
couldn’t even give Stephanie a serious infection."

"Pipe down, I was blocked by A-Michelle, okay. If Michelle doesn't tell D.J. 
that Stephanie’s ears hurt, it might last until it's really bad. But, listen, 
I've got a plan."

A-Stephanie came over from the chessboard, the one D-Stephanie was banished 
from. "How rude!"

"You don't even know what it is!" D-Stephanie shouted at her counterpart.

"I know that Stephanie is a great kid. I know that she called Sam on Christmas 
to see how she was, without my having to prod her. Because good always wins out. 
Like their rebellious Uncle Jesse turning into a good father figure," 
A-Stephanie retorted.

"Oh, go take your ‘good father figure' ideas and blow them on ‘Happy Days' 
reruns," D-Stephanie hollered.

A-Jesse smiled as he walked into the room. This good version of Uncle Jesse - 
this guardian angel - sported a nice haircut and a business suit, just as Jesse 
would when making ad presentations. "Hey, I think the Fonz made a great dad. 
It's like it was with Jesse - he was given responsibility when he moved in with 
the Tanners, and it really mellowed him out." He turned to A-Stephanie. "Hey, 
what gives? I got sent over here by the Lord to meet with you, yet this looks 
like the spiritual battle involving Sam."

"I don't know either, except she's got something up her sleeve besides her arm," 
A-Stephanie explained, pointing to D-Stephanie.

"That's right. A multi-pronged attack..."

"...Doomed to failure," D-Sam completed.

"Wait, wait, you haven't heard the best part." D-Stephanie whispered in D-Sam's 
ear. D-Sam begin to grin mischievously. "Think we can do it now?"

"You bet. I'm ready for some action. That last was too easy. But now..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A couple months into the new semester, in very early March, Stephanie and Allie 
were eating lunch together. "Hey, Steph, you look a little worried," Allie said.

"Oh, it's nothing, Allie. It's just...well, you know that boy, Charles, who I 
told Uncle Jesse about, and he hasn't been back to school for a week?" Allie 
nodded. "Well, last night, Uncle Jesse called, and did some checking. He's in 
another home, a safer home. I mean, I helped get him help, but still, I've been 
thinking about him so much, then about what the principal said."

"That, about training a replacement?"

"Yeah. He said the incident made the school board wake up and realize I won't be 
here forever."

"I kind of thought you'd like to move up to Middle School with me," Allie 
teased.

"Yeah, I would. I got a tape to watch when I get home tonight. It's 
about...well, about situations like with Charles. And, not just abuse, but other 
stuff, too. Jen's the girl who's likely to be my new replacement. And, she got 
one too."

Allie could tell there was something else. Since she’d met Stephanie in 
Kindergarten, only a few months after Stephanie's mom had died, Allie had 
learned to read her like a book. "That else? Michelle still giving you 
problems?"

"Well, not really." She took a long, pensive bite of her sandwich, then 
continued. "I mean, she accepted her punishment for those ‘Funny Buddy' long 
distance calls, she didn't try to get out of her early bedtime that week. But, 
I've just been spending lots of time with her lately so I can make sure there's 
no further problem."

"Yeah, D.J. has enough distractions with her boyfriend and that Kimmy girl she 
probably has to help a lot. But, cheer up; if her life's any indication, high 
school will be a lot easier than fifth grade."

Stephanie managed a laugh. "Thanks, Allie. Anyway, there's this one boy whose 
dad left his family who I've been counseling a couple times. Then there's a few 
other kids with minor problems where I wanted to make sure it didn't grow into 
something major. But, you know, in all of this, I haven't thought much about 
Sam."

"Kind of slipped your mind, huh?"

"Yeah. Allie, something's just...unsettling. It seems like I'm seeing her more 
and more the last few weeks. Her behavior's getting worse and worse again. I try 
to talk with her, try to do all I can to help..."

Allie put a hand on Stephanie's. "Steph, I know this attitude of yours. I've 
seen it enough before. You are expecting yourself to do too much. You can't 
always handle everything. You have other assistants, you know. You wouldn't have 
to be the only one handling things."

"I know. I guess I just feel like it's all up to me. Especially with someone 
like Charles - maybe he's what started it. After all, he confided in me about 
what was going on. Why didn't he confide in any other teachers? Why not in one 
of his own friends?"

Allie looked sympathetically at Stephanie, but said nothing. She simply 
encouraged her to keep talking.

"So, what do you think, Allie? Is Sam getting worse? Have I been missing 
something in all the timeouts I give?"

"I don't know, Steph. You've got a tough job. I don't know how the other girls 
who have this job, like those down in Australia, do it. But, I know one thing. 
Stephanie Tanner is the kind of girl who can handle this job."

Stephanie brightened. She may not have gotten any concrete advice. But, she felt 
more confident. And, sometimes, confidence was the best thing a friend could 
give. "Thanks, Al."

"Why couldn't I watch your video with you?" Michelle asked for what seemed like 
the hundredth time that evening. The six year-old was getting ready for bed in 
the room she and her sister shared.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "I already told you, Michelle. It had some scary 
stuff on it. Dad and I had to watch it together." A parents was required so that 
they could talk about the things with the child, and help them to understand. 
But, if Stephanie said it that way, maybe Michelle would think he had to comfort 
her.

It hadn’t worked. "I wouldn't have been scared." 

"That's what you said before you talked Dad into letting you ride the Scream 
Machine at the amusement park last weekend. Which happened several hours before 
I woke up with my little sister holding on to me for dear life in my bed because 
she'd had a nightmare," Stephanie pointed out with a loving, yet firm, smile. 
The eleven-year-old hastened to add, "Don't worry about me, Michelle. I won't be 
scared." 

"Well, if you are you may still come in my bed. But, you have to close your eyes 
and be quiet," Michelle said, repeating her older sister's rule for her. 

Stephanie thanked her, then walked upstairs to her Uncle Jesse's attic apartment 
- the soon-to-be high school graduate Jesse, that was. Stephanie was excited. He 
had finally gone back to finish school.

"Hey, Steph, " Aunt Becky whispered. "The twins just now got to sleep. Do you 
need to talk?" Jesse and Becky had one-year-old twins. 

"Yeah, I guess." They walked down to the first floor living room. "You know Sam, 
right?" 

"Yeah, that Kindergarten biker chick," Becky joked. 

"She's not that bad - yet. Although I think they modeled Angelica on Rugrats 
after her, and her parents each must work seventy hour weeks. They don't have 
limits for her at all, and their Day care doesn't do a lot better. She thought 
of it as ‘kiddie prison' because they have rules when I first talked to her."

"So it's up to the schools to set limits. Which means you," Becky said, trying 
to help Stephanie. 

Stephanie had helped Michelle make friends her first day of Kindergarten the 
previous year, but Stephanie's harsh but effective lecture to another kid on 
respect and being nice was what had really sparked interest in teachers in 
sending kids to Stephanie for help. At first, she was little more than a 
counselor, but as her fourth grade year wore on, a few discipline problems came 
to her. More and more did throughout that year, as her position grew into a 
full-fledged office aide. 

When Stephanie entered fifth grade, it was just assumed she'd be there to help. 
However, recently, the school's administrators - sometimes slow, as some 
institutions are wont to be - had realized that she was graduating at the end of 
the year, and going on to Middle School.

Their complacency had been further shaken by the fact Stephanie had told her 
Uncle Jesse about a case of abuse she'd been told about. Jesse had then reported 
the case of the boy name Charles to authorizes. However, the school then 
realized that not only Stephanie, but future kids in her position would need to 
be prepared for such things. 

This had led to her being given the video which her dad - and Uncle Jesse in 
this case - watched and discussed with her. It concerned certain problems, and 
signs to look for so the "principal's assistant" could tell if the child were 
telling the truth if and when the aide were told of them. 

"You've had a lot to think about lately," Becky said. "Jesse told me about 
Charles. I guess Sam's parents are the opposite, huh? Charles' dad was a bully; 
he was really mean." 

"Exactly. I don't expect there to be any more problems like Charles'. But, I'm 
running out of things to do with Sam. I mean, I've even smacked her, though I 
didn't use lots of strength the couple times I did. And it was just a reaction, 
like the other rare times when kids have been so nasty while I’ve tried to 
correct them. I just decided it was okay not to listen to that little voice 
telling me to use my words when I'm angry."

"And now, the effect of that has worn off?" Becky speculated. 

"Well, not totally. She's kind of polite now, but she's still nasty and defiant. 
The teacher sends lots of reports home about her pushing kids or being mean. 
And, I can't believe it. I've always been so proud of how nice and polite I've 
been at school. The worst thing I ever did was call a kid ‘Duckface' a lot one 
day, and throw bread at him and stuff. Thanks to Uncle Jesse talking with me, 
and the teacher making me sit with my head down for fifteen minutes after 
school, I never did anything like that again." And, as she always remarked when 
talking to kids, she'd accepted that punishment without talking back even though 
she didn't think it fair at the time. 

Becky nodded. "Steph, I wish I had an answer for you. I guess you just need to 
be thankful that most of the kids you handle are either in need of comfort or 
someone to talk to, or if they are discipline problems they're minor or the kid 
accepts punishment like Michelle." 

"Wellll," Stephanie hedged. “Michelle is now very polite. She still doesn't like 
what Dad did a few weeks ago, but at least she didn't rebel." 

"Right. Your Uncle Jesse tells me it took you a few days to get things right in 
your mind about Walter, or ˜Duckface' as your class knew him at first. Michelle 
will learn," Becky assured her. "I know, it was easy for you. You just got 
laughed at when you stood up for Walter later, and then you started talking 
firmly yet lovingly to your friends about how it felt when they got laughed at 
at different times. But, you know what? I think that showed more maturity than 
maybe most second graders would have. And, maybe it just showed that you were 
really cut out to make your mark at school by starting this now permanent 
position." 

Stephanie leaned back and thought about it. A smile slowly crept across her 
face. "You know, Aunt Becky, I think you're right. I guess it's just part of how 
I expect so much of others, which is because I'm so hard on myself, like Dad 
says." 

"Well, keep expecting. Because Sam shouldn't be doing what she does. Every child 
is different, and what works with one might not work with anyone else or might 
even scare some, or what you do with one might work with a lot. We’re all made 
in a special way. You'll find an answer," Becky said. They embraced as Stephanie 
thanked her and went into the kitchen for a bite to eat. 

The next day, Stephanie was talking with Jen, the girl who had been tabbed as 
her replacement. Jen was in fourth grade, although she was eating with fifth 
graders that day so Steph could talk to her. 

"...so then, my older brother asks, ‘when will I know it's true love?' And my 
dad says, ‘When you look at a girl with the same look that you have when you 
look in the refrigerator now," Jen said with a laugh. Jen was average sized for 
a new ten year old. But, her older brother, who was in eleventh grade, was six 
foot two, and ate a lot.

An office aide walked up to Stephanie, and handed her a note. "It's from the 
principal.”

Stephanie sighed. Sam had gotten in trouble at recess again for tripping kids 
and just general bullying. She actually considered threatening to spank her on 
purpose, than decided against it as she walked to her office. If she did that, 
it would lessen the effect if Stephanie did have to do it. And, she knew that 
was a big problem with Sam; Sam needed much different treatment than a good kid 
in a really ornery phase, or even than one like their Uncle Jesse had been. Sam 
needed love, even while being punished, but she also needed Stephanie to make 
large impacts when she lectured or disciplined Sam. Sam had built up such thick 
walls around herself, and now she was being punished so much, it was losing its 
effectiveness. A spanking on purpose was about the only thing she could imagine 
doing.

Yet, there was part of Stephanie that couldn’t imagine doing that. Or, even 
threatening it.

Stephanie once again lectured Sam, put her in timeout against the wall, and 
removed recess privileges from her for a few days. She explained to Jen out of 
Sam’s hearing that since she spanked Sam the one time several months ago, that 
at least Sam is staying in her chair.

“You don’t like to hit, huh? Neither would I?”

“I don’t think you can be very good while enjoying hurting others. It has to be 
hard for anyone.” Stephanie sighed. “Even doing it on purpose is impossible for 
me to imagine. I mean, I started saying ‘how rude’ when wee little to keep me 
from being physical. Even when I’ve done it as a reaction, except for Sam, the 
kids who have been bigger ones, and it was only if nothing else has worked.”

“Well, at least I know now what I’m in for, huh?”

“Still want the job?” Stephanie kidded her.

Jen nodded. “Yeah. Somebody needs to help these kids to behave.”

Stephanie walked Sam back to her teacher, talking along the way about her 
behavior. When she spoke to the teacher out int he hall, Stephanie learned that 
Sam had been getting quite a few timeouts and staying after class more, had been 
quite mean at times, and so on. Stephanie asked the teacher if she thought a 
spanking would be appropriate. The teacher would only say that it seemed to help 
last time as far as Sam's respect. When Stephanie asks the principal, the 
principal said that, sadly, it is an option she would have to consider if need 
be. And that if Stephanie did make that decision, she would be supported 100%.

Stephanie sighed. She was quiet on the way home, hoping that D.J. would be there 
to listen and help. Thankfully, she was.

"Those are some pretty bad things this girl's been doing," D.J. said after a 
while as they spoke in her room, putting an arm on Stephanie's shoulder. “You 
know, I've really been proud of you. You have taken charge and really kept that 
school from having any problems. You've worked with someone like Sam to where 
she'll respect you. Mom would be so proud." 

Stephanie loved the huge grin on D.J.'s face. She imagined their mom would be 
quite proud. However, D.J.'s comment had been totally off topic. "You don't 
know, either, do you, Deej?" She walked away while saying, "I just don't like 
the idea of hitting on purpose. I can't stand it, in fact." She whirled around. 
"I mean, that is such a hard decision to make for anyone. That would Mom have 
done?" 

"Well, Steph, we're lucky. Dad always says our hearts are tender enough he'd 
never have to go through the bottom to get to one. But, some kids are really 
stubborn. And, Mom might just say that to get to some kids' hearts, you have to 
go through the bottom once or twice." 

"Okay, so how would you do it - how would she?" 

"Well, remember that spanking is very emotional. It doesn't have to hurt much, 
just be pressure, or a little tingle, really. Having her think about what's 
being done is what will cause her heart to melt, the fact she's across your knee 
getting slapped gently three or four time." 

Stephanie thought a minute. D.J., a veteran babysitter, had sounded just like 
she imagined their mom would, from the little she recalled of Pam Tanner. "That 
sounds like Mom. She knew how to get through to kids. But, it also sounds like 
what she would have done as a last resort to someone in our family. In fact, it 
sounds a lot like something you would have done back when you were babysitting 
and had some bad kids," Stephanie remarked. "I think I'd feel better limiting 
myself to one and making sure it was a little harder. Especially with Sam; she’s 
smaller than the other kids her age; yet she’s also a lot worse than any I’ve 
seen. She doesn’t want to recognize there are rules." 

D.J. reluctantly agreed. "Maybe you're right. I don't know." She shook her head 
and inhaled deeply. "All I know is, you're handling a problem that none of us 
has ever faced; even Uncle Jesse wasn't this bad at his worst. I know it's 
tough. If everyone agrees, then I guess you do it." 

"Yeah, thanks, Deej." 

Stephanie walked up to Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky's attic apartment next. She 
was very glad for the support her entire family gave her. The important things 
for a PA was that their families be supportive, as it was impossible to handle 
the job alone. And, with the Tanners, there was always someone there to talk to.

Stephanie realized after discussing the situation that she was nowhere near like 
Charles’ dad had been. Stephanie wasn’t going to be bullying, she would be doing 
something that simply was a last resort. She’d be breaking through that rough 
exterior that Sam had built up, the same as she had the reaction swats. 
Stephanie would be doing it in love, not in anger. She’d be keeping herself 
under control. It would have the same effect on Sam as being grounded did on her 
and most of the kids she knew.

Yes, she could let the principal handle this; but she wanted to finish what 
she’d started. Besides, she cared a lot about Sam. She realized that Joey was 
probably right. While Joey normally did cartoon voices, he could do others, too. 
And, he’d pulled out a Winston Churchill voice she never knew he had when he 
remarked that, “It is not the beginning of the end. But, it may be the end of 
the beginning.”

Stephanie laughed. “You think there’ll be more to do?”

“Yeah, Steph, I’m afraid so. But, somehow, I have a feeling after tomorrow, or 
whatever day it is you have to do it, the hardest part will be over.”

Stephanie hoped Joey was right. His childlike faith was just as important for 
her as his childlike humor was for picking her up when she felt down.

Michelle came into their bedroom early that evening. She saw Stephanie sitting 
on her bed with a large frown, clutching Mr. Bear. 

"Steph, what's wrong?" Michelle asked. 

Stephanie sat Mr. Bear down, sat up, and dangled her feet on the side of the 
bed. Michelle sat beside her. 

Stephanie let out a sigh. "Michelle, you know Sam, right? That girl in 
Kindergarten?" 

"Yeah, she's okay." She saw the look in Stephanie's eyes. Michelle liked to be 
nice to everyone, but from the look Stephanie was giving, she knew she had to 
admit it. "She is kind of a meanie," she said lowly. "She pushed a kid off swing 
at recess today." 

"That's right, Michelle. She is mean. That's not all she's done bad lately. I 
talked to her teacher. She's not listening well lately again. She's being very 
selfish. She accepts some correction. But, she pretty much does what she wants. 
Her parents don't pay attention to her even when they are home." 

Michelle shook her head. "She's in big trouble, huh?" 

"Bugger than you can imagine." Stephanie closed her eyes for a second. "I think 
the time has come for me to smack her bottom. On purpose." 

Michelle suddenly got a little teary. "Don't do that, Steph," she said sadly, 
grabbing Stephanie's arm. "I don't want you to hurt her." 

Stephanie smiled. She reached over with her other arm, and hugged Michelle. She 
wished the embrace didn't have to end. It felt so good to be able to hug 
someone, and have them hug her, when she was down. That was one of there 
favorite things about the family. They were so warm and tender. And, she and 
D.J., along with the rest of the family, had done a great job teaching Michelle 
how to be like that, too. 

As Michelle sat next to Stephanie again, Stephanie tried to explain to her 
younger sister. "Michelle, you listen very well. I'm very proud of that. Dad is 
more lenient with you sometimes than I think he should be. But, D.J.'s right. 
That works on your heart. You listen when someone yells or has to punish you." 

"I try. I don't like it, though," Michelle admitted. 

"You're usually a very good girl. But, Michelle, Sam's different. I've tried 
setting those limits at school. Even though the parents won't, I've worked with 
the principal and teachers to try and reward her positive behavior with stickers 
and things, set limits and enforce them when she disobeys, and so on. And, it 
isn't working," Stephanie concluded. 

"It works for me." 

"It does. You're lucky. You should be very thankful that you do know how to 
listen," Stephanie said. "But, Sam won't. I only get her for her really bad 
behavior, especially lately. I used to try and talk with her at other times, but 
I’ve been so busy recently. I've punished her quite a bit otherwise, but the 
principal, teachers and I all admit the time has come. You know how I give a 
smack as a reaction sometimes?" 

Michelle nodded slowly, tearing up again as she thought of how bad her attitude 
had been when Stephanie tried to correct her about something one day within a 
couple months of her fifth birthday. While Stephanie hadn't hit her then, and 
nobody in their family hit, she realized she was very fortunate. She knew Sam 
had been a lot sassier than Michelle ever was. But, Michelle also knew some 
parents did hit for less. 

She was very thankful to have never been spanked. Since it was the only time 
anyone in their family had even mentioned the possibility, when D.J. and 
Stephanie had mentioned it while babysitting her, it had been very emotional for 
Michelle, even though it hadn’t been imminent if she hadn't started being good. 
She knew it would have been the gentle slaps D.J. had spoken about, with D.J. 
trying to only hurt her feelings. It was still a quite scary thought to her. 

Stephanie put an arm around Michelle. "It's okay, Michelle. I know you're very 
good, and I'm thankful for that. You accept your punishment when you mess up. 
But, Sam needs something harsher."

"I'll be right back," Michelle said. She suddenly hopped off the bed, and ran 
out of the door. Stephanie followed her curiously, until she saw Michelle in 
their dad's room. She was giving him a great big hug. "I'm sorry I was mad at 
you," she said. "Thanks for being so nice when I'm bad." 

Danny smiled as he picked her up and hugged her. "It's okay. I love you very 
much." 

Stephanie bit her lip. She wished she could have the same impact on Sam by just 
talking to her. 

The next day at school, Stephanie got a note in her class. She frowned as she 
read. Sam had taken a toy she wanted to play with from another kid, then hit him 
over the head with it. The teacher couldn't get her to apologize, and Sam 
instead insisted that she could do whatever she wanted. Eventually, it got so 
bad that Sam got sent to the principal's. 

Stephanie took the long, slow walk down the steps and through the hall to her 
office. She saw the little girl, just a little under six years old, sitting with 
the usual type of clothing - white t-shirt and blue jeans - and a rebellious 
attitude on her face again. 

Sam was a little startled to see Stephanie looking somber. Usually when she got 
sent, Stephanie was quite upset with her. She would even call her by her full 
name at times. Stephanie tried to be nice to her, and she often was. In fact, 
Sam sensed that she cared deeply about her from how Stephanie talked at times. 
But, something was different about this time.

Stephanie asked Sam to stand. She pushed the timeout chair in front of the door, 
then closed her eyes for a moment. She held Sam’s hands in hers, as she 
sometimes did. Her speech was much calmer and more somber than at other times. 
"Sam," she began, "I expect the same behavior out of girls as I do boys. 
Respect. Caring about others. Never wanting to hurt others. I have told you many 
times how you are expected to behave.”

Sam continued to look confused. Stephanie hd tried talking like this before, and 
Sam hadn’t listened. That would she do now?

“She’s not going to like this. I don't want to do it either but it has to be 
done,” Stephanie thought as she continued to explain how bad Sam’s rebellious 
attitude really was. Then, with a deep sigh, she sat down, making sure not to 
look at Sam. She was too busy reminding herself Sam would know she cared. With a 
quick reflex move Stephanie put Sam over her lap and gave her a sharp spank

Stephanie felt badly at seeing this tearful reaction. She would have gotten that 
kind of reaction from Michelle with just a little swat - and she would have let 
Michelle cry in her arms. She tenderly put her hands on Sam’s shoulders when 
they stood, and spoke. "I'm sorry this had to happen, Sam. But, you know that if 
you had been nice and good to others and listened you would not have gotten 
spanked." 

Sam sensed from the warmth in Stephanie's voice that she still cared about her. 
But, what she thought of most as she walked out of the door weeping and rubbing 
her bottom was that it hurt, just like she'd been hurting others. She hated to 
let others see her cry. So, she walked very slowly back to her classroom.

Stephanie closed her eyes, feeling incredibly bad as one class of first graders 
walked to the bathroom for a break. She could hear a few of them who noticed Sam 
going back - the loudest kids were cracking jokes.

Stephanie didn't even feel like saying, "How rude," though Michelle and several 
others did. This quickly quieted the teasers; Stephanie's favorite saying was at 
least somewhat common in the halls of Fraser St. Elementary. 

Michelle was glad the class was pitying Sam. She felt really sorry for her. But, 
she also saw Stephanie's pained face, and knew she had to do something.

Stephanie didn't notice Michelle till she felt her sister's warm embrace. She 
tenderly hugged her back, glad to be able to use her hands for loving, like she 
was used to. She didn't want to have to use one to hurt another ever again; 
especially on purpose. 

"It's okay, Steph," Michelle said. She could tell Stephanie needed a big hug. 

"Thanks, Michelle."

Michelle then ran up to Sam and gave her a big hug. Sam was shocked by the 
display of affection. She was even more stunned a moment later, as she waited to 
go in until her tears were dry. Stephanie actually came up to her and gave her a 
hug.

Why had she done that when she’d just hurt her? Sam wasn’t sure. But, she knew 
one thing - Stephanie cared about her. She could sense that. And, furthermore, 
Stephanie was going to do whatever she could to make Sam behave.

She didn’t like that part, of course. But, as least Stephanie cared.

Michelle called Cassie after school. "Hey, Cassie, my Aunt Becky will take us to 
the ice cream place," she reported. She'd invited Sam after school before she 
knew who could take them - but, between the people in her large family, she knew 
somebody would. Cassie's mom would have probably done so, once she understood 
the situation. But, now they didn't have to worry about asking her.

Stephanie walked into the living room as Michelle hung up the phone. "Hey, you 
guys are going for ice cream, huh?" she asked.

"Yep. We invited Sam, too." Michelle ignored the stunned look on Stephanie's 
face. "We'll pick her up after we get Cassie."

"Uh...Michelle...I don't know if..."

"She'll be good, I'm sure. I mean, she can't be that bad, right? I'll be there," 
Becky concluded, trying to reassure Stephanie.

"You should come too, Steph," Michelle told her sister.

"Me?! Uh, Michelle, I'm not sure..."

"Come on, Steph, she needs a friend."

"She needs a mother." Stephanie got a sour look on her face, still remembering 
how much trouble Sam was. "And, sometimes she needs an armed guard," she 
quipped.

Becky tenderly placed a hand on Stephanie's shoulder. "Look, I know Sam gives 
you problems. But, she needs to see that someone cares. You spend a lot of time 
talking to her in school, compared to the time you spend with other kids. But, 
that's because she doesn't have anyone else. If she sees you caring now, when 
she's being good, she'll want to be good more often."

Stephanie closed her eyes for a moment. She didn't want Sam clinging to her too 
much; it might make Michelle jealous. But, Michelle had invited her. Not only 
that, but Stephanie would be gone next year, with Jen replacing her. And, 
Michelle could grow closer to Sam, instead of Sam clinging to Stephanie. She'd 
be able to assist in keeping Sam on the right path, too. Maybe this was the 
start of that.

"You're right, Aunt Becky. I'll call the Day care and tell them we'll be there." 
She beamed with pride at Michelle for a moment, glad to think of her wonderful 
younger sister, instead of the very mischievous Sam. "Michelle, you're such a 
great friend. We must be doing something right with you."

Stephanie continued to beam as they picked up Cassie and drove to the Day care. 
She wanted to keep thinking of how gentle, warm, and caring Michelle was - 
perhaps to a fault in this case. That would take her mind off Sam.

But, perhaps Aunt Becky was right, too. Michelle was as good as she was because 
of constant work by the whole family from the time she was little, and more 
importantly, constant love. She was ornery, yes, but no more so than any other 
child would be. She certainly didn't take after their Uncle Jesse, who had been 
rebellious as a youth.

Even Jesse had been nowhere near Sam's wildness. But, still, Stephanie kept 
reminding herself that hard work could still make Sam into a really delightful 
girl. At least, by the time she was twelve or thirteen.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the spirit realm, A-Stephanie continued to whisper in Stephanie's ear - or, 
rather, into her heart.

"It helps that she's usually so positive," A-Michelle remarked of Stephanie.

"Yeah. This is the type of situation that would tax the most patient of mothers, 
though," A-Stephanie returned.

D-Sam appeared behind them and sneered. While D-Stephanie was very weak, almost 
as weak at times as A-Sam, D-Sam could do the work of both at times. Especially 
when it came to the chessboard of activity connected with Stephanie's dealings 
with Sam as Principal Stephanie. "Why don't you give it up; there's no hope."

"Are you saying that to Stephanie, or to us?" A-Michelle asked.

"Both. I've created a monster - and I love it. Her parents don't care, and now 
the one person who shows herself as a bit of a friend, that being Michelle, is 
going to give Sam the shock of her life by bringing Sam's nemesis along."

A-Stephanie shook her head. "You've got your nemeses crossed." She and 
A-Michelle chuckled. "Is that a word?"

"Hey, if the Lord can say ˜Let there be light,' and there is light, He can make 
words come into existence in no time."

A-Stephanie told A-Michelle that was true. She then turned to D-Sam. "I promise 
you, this will work for good. And, by the way, you can tell D-Michelle there 
that she may as well forget about it. This is not the time for Michelle to pull 
a prank, and she knows it. It's a couple weeks till April Fools' Day, anyway."

D-Michelle gave A-Stephanie the raspberries.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michelle was thinking out loud as Stephanie and she went to get Sam. "Maybe she 
can pull a simple joke with me on April Fools' Day."

"Sorry, Michelle," Stephanie said, shaking her head. "D.J. and I still want to 
watch you when you do them. And, Sam gets in too much trouble now to be trusting 
her to pull jokes. She could hurt too many people."

"Okay," Michelle agreed grudgingly. She knew Stephanie was probably right, as 
she thought about it. Sam did have a pretty wild mind.

"Hey, Sam," Michelle said as she noticed Sam coming out hesitantly. "Stephanie 
wanted to come, too. She'd like to be a friend, too."

Stephanie knelt down to Sam's level, and gave her broadest smile. She spoke 
firmly, yet lovingly. "Sam, this is a very special treat Michelle is giving you 
by inviting you out like this. I expect you will behave like a good girl. I 
don't want to have to think about what can happen if you don't, and I don't 
think you do, either." Sam shook her head slowly.

"She'll be good," Michelle declared enthusiastically. "Come on!" With a wide, 
sweeping motion, Michelle excitedly raced toward Becky's car, urging Sam to 
follow. Stephanie lagged behind the girls, reminding herself that it was 
important to have Michelle's childlike faith. Of course she will, she kept 
telling herself. And, Sam did behave very well then.

The following Monday, Michelle met Sam as she got out of the Day care van. She 
didn't know how Sam would take it. But, she'd seen lots of change in Sam's 
behavior over the last few days. Maybe Sam would be a good member of the 
Honeybees, without tearing the place up. Of course, she might think it was 
boring, but Michelle had to try, at least. Sam had received an invitation when 
she was five, but nobody int he house had paid any attention. They’d made sure 
to get her another one now that her sixth birthday had just passed.

"Hey, Sam. How would you like to be my visitor tomorrow at our Honeybees 
meeting?"

Sam looked oddly at Michelle for a moment. "You mean that bunch of kids who run 
around in bee costumes?" The Honeybees held their meetings in the same community 
center that housed Sam's Day care and a preschool - one could see them entering 
in their outfits from the Day care's playground.

Michelle didn't know better, so she didn't treat the comment as a sarcastic 
put-down, which it had been. Instead, she laughed - just like Joey would when 
their Uncle Jesse teased about his childishness. "Yeah. We decided yellow and 
black look prettier than orange and purple."

Sam laughed. "That would look so ugly!" she said, no longer thinking of the 
jokes like that as dumb. She’d grown to like Michelle over the last few months.

"It sure would. So, would you like to come? You'd have a great time. You don't 
make too many friends here at school. Maybe you would there."

Michelle's blunt, harsh comment jolted Sam. It was true. She hadn't made many 
friends other than Michelle. But, that was because she just wanted her way all 
the time. Nobody would reach out to Sam, as they were too scared of her. Of 
course, part that Sam didn't recognize quite yet was that she'd hurt quite a few 
of her classmates, too.

"You...think I could?" Sam asked. She hoped maybe she could find more friends 
like Michelle.

"Sure. We do lots of fun activities. We play games and sing camp songs 
sometimes. We do all kinds of fun crafts. And I'll be right with you so you 
won't get in trouble."

Sam sighed. Another stinging comment. And yet, she knew it was true. She really 
found herself liking Michelle, somehow knowing that Michelle was looking out for 
her. And, Michelle was saying things to her that really made her think - 
something that was quite important since Sam's conscience was only now really 
forming

When they got to the Honeybees meeting, most of the other kids were quite 
surprised to see Sam there. They seemed a little fearful, causing Sam to inch 
closer to Michelle instinctively. In addition, there were numerous murmurings, 
kids wondering how she could have changed, or saying that the only way they knew 
they’d be safe is that Michelle would report anything to Stephanie.

Sam was a little shocked; she couldn’t imagine how scared these kids were of 
her. That really hurt was hearing some say that her niceness was fake. That she 
was only nice because Stephanie was lurking somewhere.

The truth was, though Sam had great difficulty, for the first time she was 
actually thinking about wanting to be nice sometimes. She really did like the 
thought of having friends. These, unlike her parents, wouldn’t refuse to pay 
attention to her.

“Come on, you guys, let’s give her a chance,” Michelle encouraged them. “She 
knows how to act nice. It's not like she a ghost or a mouse or something." The 
girls started giggling. At least that was helping Sam feel a little more 
comfortable.

The fact that she even would say “Yes, Ma’am” like Stephanie had taught her was 
amazing to some kids. But, Michelle knew she could be good. And, that helped 
boost Sam’s confidence even more that these kids could be friends. Of course, 
having to face Stephanie if she wasn’t was the biggest aid. But, at least this 
was a start. And, after a few weeks, the other kids would warm up to her. At 
least, while she was there.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D-Stephanie stood up in the dock as the Judge began to speak.

"Hear Ye, Hear Ye. The Court of Infernal Affairs is now in session. The charge 
before us is that the defendant has been accused of becoming a powerless demon.”

As the Underworld audience gasped, D-Stephanie noticed D-Sam in the audience. 
She knew that it was she who was behind this. She scowled at D-Sam, who returned 
her dark look with a innocent smile and blew her a kiss, which sent D-Stephanie 
into paroxysm of rage.

“You are a hopeless bungler,” D-Sam shouted. “I have managed to get a new 
Principal’s Assistant brought in who will be great with good kids, but won’t 
know how to love the bad ones. Not only but Stephanie’s horror stories will make 
Jen think Sam needs to be treated more harshly than she does. While you...I 
would recommend that you be sent to possess a mosquito. But, you couldn’t make a 
rabid cat bite a bird that was sitting in its litterbox.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the end of the following week, Michelle saw Sam on the playground after 
school. "Michelle, guess what?" Sam said energetically. "I went a whole week and 
didn't have to miss recess once!"

"All right!" Michelle gave her a high five.

"You know..." Sam didn't know what to say. She choked back tears for a second, 
thinking of how this girl - and her sister - cared about her. Even though 
Stephanie was so tough sometimes, Sam could tell she cared. The deep recesses of 
Sam's mind had still known how to love, but she'd rarely used those recesses. 
And now, that love was coming out, bit by bit.

Sam didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she ran over to the principal and 
Stephanie, who were talking near the entrance. While many little kids also like 
to hug the principal's leg, Sam put her arms firmly around Stephanie, who hugged 
back. Sam wished the hug didn't have to end.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the spiritual realm, the chess pieces moved again, with a new chess piece 
emerging. A-Michelle and A-Stephanie had given D-Sam a look that would melt 
lead, then broken through the wall and freed A-Sam from her prison. Now, the 
good part of Sam was free, though still very, very weak. It would take quite a 
bit of work on the Lord's part, using the team of Stephanie, Michelle, and many 
other of the Tanners’ friends and family, but it was clear that the tide was 
turning, slowly, in God's favor.

D-Sam folded her arms and gave an evil laugh. "Well, you may have won this 
battle. But you have not won the war!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stephanie and Michelle waved goodbye to Sam as she left in the Day care van. 
Stephanie smiled at her younger sister. "Thanks for all your help," she said, 
placing an arm around her.

"Thank you. You guys taught me how to be friends." She thought for a second. 
"She must drive her parents crazy."

Stephanie didn't want to discourage Michelle. She had never done more than 
gotten one or two short written messages from them. But, she didn't want to 
expose Michelle to such uncaring attitudes this early. She was getting as 
protective as Danny in some ways. "Let's just say that...they'd rather let me 
handle things. I guess they like the way I do things."

"I guess so." Michelle inhaled deeply. "It's just sad that she's that bad."

"Well, we learned early on, with Mom's death, how to make the best of a bad 
situation. And, we'll keep doing here, too. It's going to take a lot of work. 
Like I said at the ice cream place, you're going to have to be a bit like a big 
sister to her. It's one time when your brutally honest remarks will really help. 
But, you, and all the rest of us, are going to be able to help her become a 
wonderful young lady. It'll be hard. But we've got the Lord on our side as a 
mighty force for good. I know we don't get to church a lot. But, that's one 
thing I remember - with God, all things are possible."

Michelle and Stephanie walked proudly, arm in arm, to Danny's waiting car, 
confident that - though there may be many struggles ahead - somehow, Sam would 
one day be as nice as they were.