Hey guys!

As usual...

Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I don't own anything... well, except this fic and the netbook I wrote it on, of course.

"Alice, to me," Carlisle said and curled his finger, beckoning her to come closer.

She just stood there by the fireplace and her eyes glazed over for a brief moment while she contemplated running. The vision that followed that tentative decision seemed even more unpleasant than what was already awaiting her and so she slowly stepped a little closer to her father, but of course made sure to keep a safe distance between the two of them. It became obvious that she still wasn't sure what to do – the only thing she knew was that she did not like this situation one bit.

"I really think we should talk about it again!" The little pixie suddenly broke out and she nodded her head when Carlisle sat up straighter on the couch and just blinked his eyes at her. She wasn't sure if he was doing it out of annoyance or surprise, but at least it had distracted him for a moment.

He put his head back and exhaled loudly. "Sweetheart, we just talked about it."

They really had, but she was not happy with the outcome.

Biting her lip, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her father's eyes were back on her and he did not seem like he wanted to discuss the matter again - but too bad for him she felt the need to try and plead her case once more. "But did you take into consideration that-"

"Yes."

"What about the-" "Uh-huh."

"And the-" "Of course."

Her shoulders sagged and she started pouting. Well, what else could she do? There was no reasoning with him, he was a lost cause.

She looked at him with big puppy dog eyes, pleading with him, but all he did was shake his head.

"Come," he ordered.

But she did not come any closer. Instead she was grasping at straws that might help her now.

"You know," she started to say, then paused for a moment to think what exactly it was she wanted to say. It was supposed to make him change his mind, and so it had to make sense. "I think we should wait for Esme and see what she has to say about this."

Phew.

Yes, maybe Esme would help. She was a fair and loving woman, always so understanding and sympathetic and just sweetness personified. The main problem here was that she had failed to teach her husband that he couldn't treat his daughters that way - what he was planning on doing to her was barbaric and so very wrong. She was always nice to everyone, helped her mother with the housework but apparently it wasn't good enough for him.

"I already talked to her about it and she agrees with me."

She blinked at him sceptically, then distorted her mouth and asked, "Are you sure? I cannot imagine that she would."

"Alice," he said and barely managed not to groan, "don't prolong the inevitable. You already knew this would happen, didn't you?"

"But it's not fair!" she suddenly exclaimed defiantly and stomped her foot for effect.

He stared at her like he couldn't believe she would act so childish. Yes, sometimes his children managed to act younger than they actually were. "Throwing a tantrum won't make me change my mind," he admonished calmly. Well, at least she had not pulled her hair like an angry little girl.

Crossing her arms over her chest she breathed heavily as she realised with a sinking feeling that nothing seemed to work on him today. How unfair! Her eyes darkened slightly and she returned, "Well, what am I supposed to do when you are being unreasonable?"

He heaved a sigh. "I could ask you the same question."

Alice's brows knitted together as she thought about a way to change her father's mind, or at least get out of the house without having to submit to his unfeeling treatment. "How about we make a compromise?"

"A compromise?" Carlisle asked with raised eyebrows and leaned back into the soft cushions, never taking his eyes off her.

She nodded her head, unable to suppress a hopeful smile. She did not know what kind of a compromise they could make and it wasn't fair that she had to even suggest something like this as he was clearly in the wrong - but the cleverer gives in, right?

Unfortunately Carlisle's face turned into a blank mask before he crossed his legs and folded his hands to rest on his raised knee. "No."

She snorted angrily - she was half tempted to throw herself on the ground and bang her fists on the marble floor while screaming her head off, but then she realised that she didn't want to degrade herself. She was a proper lady, after all, a lady with class – not a little child. Which brought her to the main problem here: Why would he treat her like a child?

"Alice, it's enough. You know I need to get to work soon and you, my dear, need to be at school in less than twenty minutes."

"Oh my God, you're right, I'm going to be late!" she called and wheeled around, trying to run from the room before he could catch her or call her back. But the sound of him clearing his throat made her stop dead in her tracks. A curse escaped her lips and she turned back around, scowling at him.

"You will not leave the house until we are done here. Now come to me."

The scowl was still prominent on her face, and she slowly started to shake her head from one side to the other - a perfect display of blatant defiance.

"Alice...," he warned, hoping she would catch the firmness in his voice and comply, because he would follow through with this - he simply had to.

Now a protruding bottom lip joined the steady head-shaking, but unfortunately for Alice Carlisle did not look like he would relent.

Okay, fine, he asked for it.

Time to haul out the big guns...

She wanted her eyes to tear up because it would surely make him feel pity for her and then he'd change his mind, but the thick venom moved slowly and so it didn't work. She tried so hard, but it just. didn't. work.

"Young lady, you will come here right now before I will have to come get you. It's your choice." His patience was running thin, and he wanted to get this over with. He would not give in, not this time, and she'd better stop her defiance right now as it was of no use.

She remained standing where she was, looking as petulant as ever.

"Fine," he said and put his hands on his knees for a moment, letting out a deep sigh. Then he lifted his head and narrowed his eyes at her. "As you wish."

He shot up from the creme-coloured couch and approached her with quick strides.

Before he could reach her, she suddenly decided that running would indeed be an option that she should try out before it would be late, but when she turned around to sprint from the room, his hand had already encircled her wrist and she was pulled backwards in the direction of the dreaded couch.

"Please, daddy! Have a heart!" she immediately whined and tried to twist out of his grip, but it was a futile attempt.

"Alice, enough," he told her sternly and dragged her over to the seating furniture that he had occupied just a second ago.

Alice knew exactly what would happen as soon as they would reach the couch, and she wanted to prevent that at all costs. So she leaned all her weight away from him and tried to dig her heels in the ground in an attempt to escape the situation, but the smooth marble under her feet made it exceptionally hard for her to follow through with her plan.

Too quickly for her taste Carlisle reached the couch and sat down, his fingers still tightly wrapped around her wrist, keeping her from taking off.

He pulled her closer so she was standing in between his legs, and immediately her face scrunched up over the unfairness of it all.

Her awful vision was coming true then. And she had always thought he was a loving father.

Loving father, my ass... he was being cruel and sadistic, that's what he was.

She was facing an absolutely horrible day at school if he would follow through with this, but did he care? No! He was still determined to make her miserable – just because he could.

She huffed loudly and the strict look he gave her only served to make her look away. She was angry with him.

He cleared his throat as he wanted her undivided attention to make sure she would understand why he was going to do this, but she kept her eyes fixed on the floor.

"Alice," he said, and she huffed again before snapping her head around to scowl at him.

He eyed her for a moment, then sighed as he looked her straight in the eye, shaking his head. "You will not wear a diamond tiara to school."

Her face scrunched up. "But it's from Tiffany's!" she whined in response and stomped her foot, unable to understand why he wouldn't see reason.

Reaching up he put his fingers on either side of the sparkling and very expensive piece of jewellery and lifted it off her head, then held it securely between his hands. She had been wearing it at home for a whole week now which was completely okay, but today she was going to school and so he had to take it from her and keep it until she would return.

"Now off you go, sweetie," he said and gave her a little smile. "Your siblings are waiting for you in the car."

"But-" "You can wear it at home all you like, you know that."

She took a few steps, her head hanging, until she spun around again and took a deep breath to say, "Daddy, you have absolutely no fashion sense, so how come you think you can tell me what to wear and what not to wear?" she tried to argue with him.

He chuckled deep in his throat, then gave her a smile. "I'm sure you'll have a great first day at school today, Alice."

Yup, I felt like writing something silly for a change :D

Thanks for reading!