This is a hastily written birthday present for my new friend Jasper1863Hale, who I think might be a real vampire, as she appears never to sleep. Having met her quota of expressed British slang, I present for her pleasure, Mr. Jasper Whitlock, naughty and in a bespoke waistcoat.

I'm borrowing Jasper, minus his trousers, from my Irish-loving Cumor. Tanks for tat. (Carlisle borrowed your tawse. Not sure if he's giving it back!)

But don't worry, ladies. I will return our Southern gent to you mostly unharmed. Remember that this is for his own good.

The Twilight franchise belongs to Stephenie Meyer, not me.

Carlisle was listening to a podcast lecture about the treatment of a rare blood disease by a well-known Johns Hopkins med professor when he became aware of a tussle in the house. He rose to move downstairs and quiet the struggle, but he soon realized that the commotion was coming up to his study. Instead he folded his arms, leaned on the front of his desk, and waited.

From the movements and noises on the stairs, he guessed that this was a brotherly row—all three lads, if he was hearing it right. This interpretation put him at ease, being no stranger to mediating these kinds of conflicts.

When the door swung open, however, Carlisle was immediately alarmed. A furious-looking Edward and a disgruntled Emmett each held the arm of a thoroughly out-of-control Jasper. Instantly the energy in the room surged with aggression. Alice was bounding up the stairs and came to perch on the heels of the boys.

No matter how courteous and civil he behaved, Jasper was, at his core, rugged and wild. Alice had tamed him well, but he was still a borderline vegetarian after all these decades. The human affect that the Cullens faithfully practiced was just that to their Texas brother and perhaps more so: staged, artificial...a mask easily seen through.

For instance, at the present moment, Jasper wore a collared shirt, rolled at the sleeves, and a buttoned-up waistcoat. The chap cleaned up well when Alice had anything to do with it. And yet now he was snarling and thrashing about, tugging against the hold his brothers had on him as though his life were in danger. There were bits of twigs in his hair and dirt smudged under his eye. And Carlisle was curious but thought it best not to mention the other irregularity until the situation was stabilized.

The doctor was in Jasper's face immediately, hands on the young man's shoulders. "It's all right, Jasper. You're safe, son. Calm down."

At his superior's voice, Jasper seemed to pull himself together. To be especially careful, Carlisle grabbed Alice, who was flitting behind Emmett, and pulled her to stand between himself and Jasper. If anything might motivate the lad to come to his senses it would be the sight of his dainty mate.

"It's okay, Jazz," she cooed. "Carlisle will help you. And before you ask, I'm not mad at you—"

"I am!" Edward growled.

"That's not helpful, Edward," Carlisle reprimanded. He rubbed his brow and thought for a moment. "I think we need to separate. Alice, I want you to accompany Jasper in your room. Emmett, I want you to stay with him as well."

Emmett nodded and mumbled, "Will do."

Jasper spoke up. "Carlisle, I'll be good. Emmett's enforcement is not necessary." It was not thirty seconds before that the boy had seemed deranged. Suddenly—and remarkably—the air cleared, and he was himself again.

"All the same, I want him with you for now. You must not leave your room, Jasper. Understand? I will be with you in a moment."

"Yes, sir," he answered.

Carlisle met Emmett's eyes, confirming that his biggest son knew that he was to keep the other confined. Then curiosity got the better of him.

"Jasper, where are your trousers?" Carlisle asked.

The younger vampire glanced down at his boxer shorts as if noticing the overlook for the first time. "Uh, I think I lost them while defending myself from these two. You know, all the girls want to get me out of my pants." He waggled his eyebrows.

"Shut up," Edward grumbled and Emmett shook his head.

"That's enough, son. Go to your room."

Edward reluctantly let go of his brother's arm. Jasper cocked a half-smile, winked, and made a kiss face at him.

"Did you see that?" Edward demanded of Carlisle, gesturing at Jasper with his hand. Alas, the other three had obeyed their father and were gone, while Edward remained motioning at the empty space they left.

Carlisle walked to his desk and turned to face Edward, who had followed him to flop in one of the two chairs that made up the sitting area of his office. The boy looked utterly miserable, and his father ached for him.

"Jasper came to kill her," Edward said; the statement was ambiguous, but Carlisle knew exactly what was meant by it.

"Oh dear. Tell me what happened."

Edward proceeded to recount the story. He admitted to having been in the girl's house, but Carlisle had suspected as much.

"I wanted to make sure she was all right. I know you screened the x-rays and released her to her father's care, but you don't know how"—he didn't want to say clumsy and so he paused to word it—"neglectful she can be when it comes to her safety and well-being."

His father waved him on. "I'm not interested in excuses about why you were in Miss Swan's bedroom whilst she slept. Tell me what happened with Jasper."

"My phone was vibrating in my pocket. It was Alice calling, but I wasn't—it was not a good time to take a phone call."

"Okay."

"Then I heard Jasper's intent. He'd been hunting nearby and caught Bella's scent. That's when he completely disregarded the outcome of our family meeting earlier today and your explicit verdict on the matter and decided that Bella was a danger to Alice and the rest of us, and he needed to right my wrong."

That morning, Edward had saved Isabella Swan from being crushed to death between a hurtling van and the rear fender of her truck. There was a disagreement within the family about what to do with her.

"Of course," Edward continued, "I met him in the woods before he reached the house, and we fought. Emmett showed up minutes later and together we subdued him and dragged him home."

It made Carlisle very sad that his family would fight each other. "Where was Alice?"

"She was there too."

Carlisle sensed that there was something Edward wasn't saying.

"You're going to do something about this," he said to his father.

"Of course..."

"I mean how many times has Jasper come in here and demanded that Emmett or Rose or I receive consequences for putting Alice in danger...or being rude to Alice or questioning her fashion sense...or whatever...? Bella is my concern. I feel for her like he feels for Alice."

Knowing Edward's frustration, Carlisle bent down to be eye level with his son. "You can trust me to take care of this. The Swan girl will not be hurt by any of us." He hooked his hand around the back of Edward's neck in a gesture that was both authoritative and comforting. "I promise you that neither Jasper nor Rose...nor any of us will touch her."

Edward, looking at the floor, nodded pathetically.

"Now I want you to go and get Alice and get out of here. Let me handle it."

The boy left without argument, and Carlisle thought that he would need to chat with him later—tell him again that he had done the right thing by saving a life and reassure him that things would work out eventually...and if not that his family would be there for him.

But there wasn't much recreational time for worrying about Edward's fancying a human girl. He knew he had a problem to deal with down the hall. Most likely, Jasper thought he was doing the right thing going to kill Charlie Swan's only child. It would probably take some effort to help his offbeat son see his wrongdoing.

Correcting Jasper wasn't something Carlisle was used to. The oldest Cullen brother mostly kept the other siblings in line, using his talent to influence and appease. Jasper's peripheral position in the family made him a tad standoffish, and yet all the Cullens loved and respected him, finding even his rougher edges attractive. He was fun and smart and always welcome for a good time.

Carlisle knocked twice on Alice and Jasper's bedroom door and walked in. Emmett was hovering over Jasper, who was sitting with his back turned. The vibrations in the room felt surprisingly mellow.

"Jasper," Carlisle began, "you probably overheard my discussion with Edward. I'm disappointed by what I hear, but I'm also aware that there are two sides to every story. Would you care to tell me why you backed out of your agreement from this afternoon?"

Jasper turned around to face his sire and replied coolly. "This fool won't let me fetch my britches. Like I'm more dangerous when I'm fully clothed." He laughed at the absurdity.

Emmett spoke up. "Take it from me, brother, you don't need your pants, and you're not going to want them after the old man is through talking."

Jasper smiled, inexplicably laid back. "Looky here, Emmett. I know how this goes. I don't need you to tell all the guts and feathers of it."

Carlisle interrupted before Emmett could open his mouth again. "I don't want to talk about your trousers or lack thereof. I want to hear your side of the story. This is very serious, son. You disobeyed my direct order, and I do not appreciate being ignored. Furthermore, you considered taking an innocent life—not on accident—you planned it. Now I'm giving you an opportunity to defend yourself. If I were you, I would start talking." Even as he was saying it, there was an air of amusement about him, and he wanted to laugh.

"It's like Edward told it, but he left out the part about him harassing Alice."

"What do you mean? Emmett, were you there for that?"

"Yeah. Well, you see how Edward and Alice fight. It was their typical bickering. Edward blames Alice for seeing something a certain way and the rest of us have no idea what she saw or what Edward's talking about. It's so damn confusing."

Jasper cut in. "He was shouting at her for seeing the girl dead...or seeing her as a vampire...or something. You know how he is. Thinks the sun comes up to hear him crow."

"Did he lay hands on her?" Carlisle asked. Strangely, he wanted to smile at that wording.

"No, because he had his hands full with me."

"I see." Carlisle considered this. "The fact is, Edward and Alice argue quite often, as Emmett pointed out, and I've never seen a fight during which Alice can't handle herself. They are inherently brother and sister. Brothers and sisters fight, by nature. Had either attacked the other—"

"So it's okay to verbally attack a family member if it's your sister?" Jasper asked with a twinge of irony.

Carlisle found himself feeling cross with unlucky Edward. "No, it's not okay. I will speak with Edward about it and tell him that it upsets you."

"Oh, he knows how I feel on that subject. It's why I fought him."

"You attacked Edward?" Until this point, Carlisle had imagined the fight having to do with Edward thwarting Jasper's murderous scheme.

"That's no way to treat a lady and sure as hell ain't no way to treat my lady."

Emmett made a throat-clearing noise. "If I can add my two cents here...?"

Carlisle nodded. "Go ahead."

"I think Jazz was worked up already having decided to go pop a cap."

"Yes, Jasper, tell me about that." Again, there was that humor. "Pop a cap"—how did Emmett come up with this stuff?

"It was...an impulse. Despite what you might think, I am sorry for that. Alice thinks the girl's going to be her best friend. Most likely, Edward's going to kill her himself, so I just thought to go ahead and load the wagon, you know? But then Alice was there and fretting like a virgin at a prison rodeo...and well, there are two theories for arguing with a woman, and neither theory works—"

"Did you remember at any point that I said not to hurt the child?" Carlisle asked, trying to figure his way around Jasper's emotional release. It was obvious that Jasper was sorry for disappointing Alice, not Carlisle.

"Uh, yeah, I recall thinking about that. Remember, I said it was an act of impulse."

Even though he didn't feel it, Carlisle affected a stern tone. "Young man, Isabella Swan is my patient and an innocent girl. I don't take kindly to having my directions disregarded."

It was fascinating how blithe Carlisle felt, even discussing a would-be murder and direct disobedience of an order from a member of the coven. He wasn't sure if Jasper was doing that on purpose, but the unfortunate fact remained that Jasper didn't think this was a big deal and everybody in the room could feel it.

"I am sorry, Carlisle," he said smoothly. "I don't know what came over me."

Emmett grinned, drawing on the lighthearted vibes too. "It's nothing a good beating can't cure."

"Thank you, Emmett," Carlisle said. "You may go now."

"Aw, can't I watch?"

"No."

"You always say that."

"Punishments are private, and I'm sure you will appreciate that yourself one day soon."

"Private. Yeah, yeah," Emmett mumbled, making his way to the door. "Uh, Dad? Can I talk to you in private for a sec? I don't want a beating, but I need to say something..."

"Certainly." Father and son left Jasper and met on the stair landing. Carlisle noticed that his good mood faded away once he exited the bedroom.

Emmett whispered directly. "I thought he was going to hurt Edward. It was...it was scary. He was freaking out. It was more serious than he's letting on."

Carlisle patted the boy's shoulder. "I got it. Thanks for your honesty and thank you again for your help." Turning away from Emmett, he took the stairs unhurriedly and used the delay to think out his next steps.

Emmett's take on the encounter outside the Swan house worried the older vampire. This would not do, he realized. Jasper willingly came under Carlisle's authority. The young man knew that he had been deliberately disobedient and that he would be punished for his misconduct. To not punish him would be considered an outright rejection—Jasper would think he didn't belong, and Carlisle didn't want that. He considered Jasper to be his son and hoped very much that Jasper considered him his father. Although this was a new circumstance for the two of them, Carlisle knew how to make a younger vampire very sorry for being disobedient. This was not his first rodeo, as Jasper would say. And he felt certain that Jasper wouldn't behave so casual about premeditated murder after he got through to him.

Instead of going back to Alice and Jasper's room, Carlisle found himself in his study again scanning the shelves of his wardrobe. He was searching for a particular object that would shatter that impossibly relaxed boy's aloof façade and eliminate the inappropriate emotional energy he was transmitting.

When Carlisle was satisfied with his findings, he rejoined Jasper.

"You admit your fault, and so you know what must happen now."

"Yep. Edward and Emmett want a piece of my hide. I can oblige them that." Jasper was taking this all so good-naturedly. Carlisle was puzzled, but thankful.

Jasper stood up. "Where do you want me?"

"Hmm... Right. Before we do this, I want you to be clear about I'm going to do and why." His young charges always despised this detailed description of their punishment. "The way I see it, Jasper, you ignored my rule that no harm come to the Swan girl—a decision you agreed on only hours ago in our dining room. Furthermore, you assaulted your brother with the purpose of hurting him. It's one thing to fight for play, but entirely another when the object is to physical harm. Am I straight?"

"Yes, sir, that about sums it up."

"So I am responsible for making you pay for two misdeeds." Abruptly, the carefree atmosphere was sucked dry, its energy evaporated like a puddle on a hot day. Carlisle gulped involuntarily.

Jasper's expression darkened instantly, but he tried valiantly to recover his good mood. "All right. I suppose so."

"What I'm going to do is take you over my knee for a spanking, like I would do for any of your other siblings had they started a fight."

Jasper nodded, but there was a mocking expression on his face.

"Then I will position you across the bed for a taste of this"—he pulled the implement from behind his back and held it up for Jasper to get a look—"no set number of strokes or specified amount of time, but until I feel you have learned your lesson."

It was Jasper's turn to gulp. "What is that?" He pointed at the handle and three long fingers of pliable leather.

"This wee devil is a tawse," Carlisle said, nonchalant, "used to keep Scottish schoolchildren on the tracks. It's nothing you can't handle." He grasped the dangly ends, running the strips though his palm, almost lovingly.

"Where did you get it?"

"Ebay."

Jasper was disturbed. Not much frightened him, except the idea of losing Alice, but that Carlisle had intentionally acquired this implement of corporal punishment was...concerning to him. He wondered if Alice knew about this.

"Why don't you skip the over-the-knee bit and hit me twice as much with that thing?" Jasper asked for the hell of it.

"I don't think you would want that. This strap bloody smarts." Truthfully, Carlisle wanted the personal contact—knee, hand, backside—a way to connect with this boy who stayed on the fringe of things. If that didn't send a message, he didn't know what did.

"Put out your hand," Carlisle commanded. Jasper did and Carlisle used the tawse to slap his palm.

"Ow!" Jasper gasped and shook his hand.

"You see?"

Jasper took a deep breath. "That's just...dandy."

Carlisle tossed the tawse on the bed (liking that phrase a lot whilst he did it) and moved to an ottoman to sit on its edge. Jasper followed and stood before his coven leader, who was hoping that this experience would bond them as father and son rather than divide them further. Carlisle tended to take on problems with practiced grace, accepting that circumstances came to teach or provide opportunity to make things better ultimately. Likewise, he welcomed this moment, no matter how hard it would be on both of them.

"All right. Take your shorts down."

Jasper hesitated, chuckling nervously. "Er... Really?"

"I am a doctor," Carlisle said. "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

"Yeah, well, you haven't seen this before," he stuck a hand on his chest, "and you know that expression doesn't make anybody feel any better," Jasper smirked.

"No, I guess it wouldn't. How about you lie across my knee and then I'll pull the shorts down?"

It wasn't really a request, and Jasper understood that. He did as he was told, balancing his weight using his bent elbows and forearms on the ottoman surface—to the side and slightly behind Carlisle—and his toes, which he braced against the floor. His pelvis was positioned over the older vampire's knee. Without flourish, Carlisle yanked the boxers down and out of the way.

Something was off, and Carlisle felt it. There was a...disconnect somehow. At the moment he wanted intimacy, Jasper was detaching, and Carlisle didn't know how to get him back.

Then he had a brilliant idea. "Jasper," he frowned. "This feels...awkward. Do you mind helping with that?

"Oh, sure." Jasper was surprised, but pleased to help out. Instantly the mood changed, like lighting a match.

Carlisle sighed. "That's better." Then he paused. "Jasper, this is for attacking your brother." After a moment, he saw Jasper bow his head in a nod of acceptance.

The doctor began Jasper's spanking with rigor, slapping six times fast on alternating sides. Then he waited a beat and started it again. Six smacks. Pause. Six more. Jasper honestly hadn't expected such a sting. It was humiliating and hurtful. His neck snapped up, and he clenched all his muscles against the blitz raining on his backside.

As a youngster, Jasper had avoided most punishments. Thinking back, he supposed that his influence and natural charisma helped him out of hot water when he happened to land in it. He recalled getting his hide tanned good a couple of times...in the woodshed—no lie—behind his family's house. This little spanking somehow didn't seem any easier.

Jasper tightened his mouth to keep from crying out only to feel it fall open uncontrollably in his distress a second later. Jasper actually felt sorry that he had given his brothers and sister up for this punishment in the past, having been of the opinion that what they needed was a good spanking for acting like spoiled brats. This, however, was not for the faint of heart or weak of body... How to describe it? No colorful Texan expressions came to mind. It was essentially not what he had expected at all.

After another minute of rapid-fire one-two smacks on his tenderized tail, Carlisle snapped the waistband of his boxers back in their proper position and playfully rubbed Jasper's head.

"Can you move to the bed?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jasper grunted. He thought about asking for a break but reasoned that he ought to get it over with sooner rather than later.

"Lie on your stomach. Now let's place this pillow under your hips. Take the shorts down. I want your legs spread apart. Yes, like that. You can hold onto the headboard." Jasper almost subconsciously received the directions and followed them.

"This is for going against my order. Brace yourself, son."

Jasper heard the slight whistle of air as the thick strips of leather came streaking down to thwack his battered rear end. Different from Carlisle's hard hand, yes. But a whole other kind of hell. The strokes came evenly paced, slow and torturous with a wicked snap in triplicate. When the leather popped against his skin, he tensed his buttocks and raised his hips. After ten or so blows, he was making noises he'd rather he didn't make.

"Ah! Ah-ah-AH!" Jasper whimpered and moaned.

He still didn't feel very sorry for attacking Edward, who deserved a taste of his own medicine, Jasper thought. Nevertheless, he would try very hard not to do that again. He didn't want to earn another spanking for as long as he could help it. But he did feel ashamed for breaking Carlisle's rule, and didn't blame the man at all for taking a strap to him. If he led a coven, Jasper would do the same.

Without warning, Carlisle increased the speed of the spanking, not allowing any rest between the slaps of leather. The assault was terrific, and when it stopped suddenly, Jasper didn't realize it and thought he still heard the crack of the tawse. He remained stretched and rigid over the pillow, the phantom marks on his skin throbbing and scorching.

Carlisle knelt down by his head and touched the back of Jasper's neck, like he had done for Edward. Jasper, feeling unarmed, whipped his head around in warning.

"Relax," Carlisle soothed, unphased by the overly defensive reaction. "We will talk about this later, when you feel better. You will need to make things up with Edward and Alice, but as far as you and I are concerned, it's forgiven and forgotten."

The atmosphere altered again, and it wasn't Jasper who was responsible for it. It was a blend of pride and admiration and fondness. It was love. Heartbreaking, agonizing love, from the unconventionally familial vampire who suffered with his children. Jasper leaned his forehead to his father's and absorbed it, welcoming sonship despite (and maybe as a result of) the severe ache in his backside.

All was calm again...for the time being.