Author's Note: This story is completely fiction. It takes place post-BD but without the creation of Renesme. This would be as if Bella just joined the family similar to Emmett's appearance. The Cullens have moved from Forks post marriage between Bella & Edward.
Also for those who read it when it was first published, it has been updated to hopefully answer further questions. Once again, I only own the ideas (most of them) and the mistakes (all of them). Thanks for reading and I apologize for the lengthy absence on my part.
The girls, loaded with shopping bags and full of giggles, stopped to eye the sparkles of a large yellow diamond in the window of Le Rio Jewelry store just outside downtown Boston. "Wouldn't that look so lovely for Esme?" Bella's voice chimed high above the murmurs of the passing crowds. "What a great idea, Bella. We should definitely get it for her. Right, Alice?" Rosalie waited for confirmation from her pixie sister. When Alice didn't respond, both girls looked over at her. That was when they saw the all too familiar blank stare settle over Alice's face. "Alice? What is it?" Bella's non-existent heart raced from an also all too familiar feeling of fear and panic raced through her veins.
Moments passed slowly as Bella and Rosalie waited for Alice to come back to real time. In the reality of the humans that walked near the three exquisite looking ladies, not even a second had passed until Alice blinked. "Definitely, but we'll need to get the earrings, too." She squeaked and attempted to distract her concerned sisters. But Bella and Rosalie we're not going to be fooled by her tactics. "What'd you see Alice?" Rosalie, concern soaked in her eyes, asked as she shifted the bags in her hands. "Really, it was nothing."
She headed towards the front door of the small boutique, but Bella grabbed her by the upper arms and spun her on the heels. "Don't tell me it was nothing. Nothing is ever just nothing!" Bella panicked as her words strung together in a single breath. Alice took a breath and taking a moment to form her words carefully. "The boys have run into some trouble." But as soon as the words left her lips and Bella's eyes grew to the size of saucers, she instantly knew she probably should have chosen different words.
"No. No. No." She backtracked. "The boys are in no danger. They were just being stupid and they're about to find themselves in trouble…" Her voice trailed off, but Bella didn't relax, so she continued. "with Carlisle." Rosalie instantly understood, "Those silly boys will never change. Is what I think about to happen going to happen, Alice?" Alice's head nodded as Rosalie gave a quiet chuckle. "Serves them right. They'd been treading on thin ice with Carlisle ever since we moved here. I'm sure Emmett did something stupid." Though Alice already knew what they did, she didn't fill Rose in on the details because her concerned remained with Bella. Bella's eyes had yet to return to the normal size as the only words registering in her mind were "Edward. Trouble."
Before Alice could react, Bella turned on her own heels and, in a non-human pace, walked back to the parking garage where Rosalie's Porsche sat. Unknowing to the few people that walked the sidewalk, Bella sped by them making it nearly a block and a half before she was stopped. Quickly Rose and Alice caught up to Bella and headed her off into an alley. "Bella. Now listen to me." Alice put her hands on Bella's shoulders. The bags had been gently set on the ground only seconds before. "We can't go home right now. Understand please." Alice pleaded but couldn't bring herself to tell Bella the real reason why they couldn't go home even though Bella already knew the reason.
But there was no connection in Bella's eyes, so Alice took a deep breath. "Remember when Esme and I talked to you before you got married to Edward? About the whole family dynamic thing?" Alice hoped Bella would remember that conversation that Alice had been so nervous to have, but of course, Bella couldn't remember it because she had still been a human and those memories were only a mist now. Releasing a frustrated breath, she tried again. "Bella, Carlisle is going to want to discuss the boys' decisions they made and we don't want to hear it." Bella cocked her head to the side trying to understand the subtle hints in Alice's voice.
An aggravated scoff of air came from Rosalie. "Are you still that dense Bella? Carlisle is going to whop the boys for being stupid…again." Rose's voice was layered with disgust as she picked up the discarded shopping bags. Her beautiful blonde hair gracefully flew behind her as she turned on her heels and returned towards the jewelry store. Alice ran her arms down from Bella's shoulders to her hands. "Now don't worry. Edward will be fine…after a while." She couldn't help but give a sly smile. "The boys have been on the receiving end of Carlisle's 'discussions' quite a few times." Her sly smile turned into a grin she couldn't contain. Bella closed her eyes for a moment but she eventually released from her frozen stance against the brick wall of the darken alley.
Her brain searched back to the specific conversation Alice mentioned that she apparently had with her and Esme. It came in pieces but she finally saw herself, the clumsy and ordinary self, sitting at the large kitchen table in the house at Forks. Esme's gorgeous face spoke with Alice sitting protectively beside the human Bella. Then a sentence sparked to life in her vision of her past. "There are consequences to every action, and you, as part of our family, will receive your consequences like your future siblings always have." Esme's voice had been firm that day, extremely motherly. Then the word registered in Bella's head. "Spanked". The consequences in the Cullen household for misdeeds were spankings and Bella, a member of the Cullen household, would be no exception.
Finally the information connected in her brain. She blinked at Alice who remained at her vigil in front of her. "Are you sure he'll be ok?" She whispered out. No human ear could have detected her question no matter how near they were. "Yes. He will be. It happens quite often." Alice's newest statement confused Bella again. She had been a member of the Cullen family for quite some time and she had never seen Carlisle lay a hand on any of her 'siblings'. "When? How come I haven't seen anyone get a…" She couldn't bring herself to say the word. It sounded wrong coming from her mouth.
"Well the last 'real' whipping in the house came when you were still human. Dad lit Edward up when he returned from Italy. You don't remember that? I thought I saw Edward telling you about it." Bella strained to remember that moment. The times without Edward were easier to remember because they were painful memories, but she couldn't remember him saying anything about his punishment upon returning. She shrugged her shoulders. "And anytime dad was going to lay in to Emmett or Rose, they're the ones who get the most swats; Edward always got a heads up and made you leave. I guess he was protecting you." Bella can remember heated discussions between Rose & Emmett with Carlisle and Esme and then Edward suggesting they leave them be and they go for a walk. She had no clue that was the reasoning behind it.
Bella took an unnecessary but greatly needed breath and allowed the cool sea air coat her lungs. She smelt things that would tantalize a human. The sweet scent of kettle corn being popped somewhere in the distance mixed with the aroma of a nearby Italian restaurant. But those scents didn't appeal to her anymore. It was, however, the delicious smells of the humans walking the sidewalks that stimulated her throat. She noted in her mind that she needed to hunt upon their return home. Alice smiled at her, noting her decision, and placed her arm around Bella's shoulder. "It'll all be ok. Better than ok." She spoke softly to Bella as they headed to meet Rose in the jewelry store.