Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, not even the gorgeous ones like Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward…too bad.
Warning: This story contains disciplinary spanking, so if this bugs you then find something else to read.
A/N: I've got a big stupid grin on my face because of all the AMAZING reviews you guys left! Glad to hear you all enjoyed Emmett. Sorry I take so long to write anything, but I don't like posting anything until I've finished a story and I feel it's the best it can be. Even then I usually make tons of edits as i'm posting. Thanks again for the reviews, hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 2: Tell Me All About It
Bella's POV:
It had been two weeks since the incident. Two whole weeks. Two agonizingly long weeks. Two, well, you get the drift. By the time Emmett and I had gotten home Dad and Edward had already been there wondering where I had been. Before an guilty expression could even cross my face Emmett spoke up and admitted to having taken me out for a hunt because I'd looked so bored when he'd gotten home. Dad hadn't been too happy and had scolded the both of us, saying that we knew that I should have at least two people with me to hunt in case something happened. We both apologized, but after we reassured him that nothing had occurred Dad relented, saying that he would let our disobedience go this time with nothing more than a warning, but not to do it again. I had barely restrained myself from letting out a huge smile of relief.
I'd gone to play Mario Party with Emmett at that point, giving Edward a look to see what he thought of this. I knew immediately that he'd read Emmett's mind and knew what really happened. He waited until Dad decided to go for a hunt before asking me what happened. I'd debated over what to say before deciding just to be honest. He was my mate and if I couldn't be honest with him, then I couldn't be honest with anyone; so I told him nearly everything, leaving out the part of Emmett having swatted me. Edward would not have taken that well. He had listened intently, saying nothing until I finished. He hadn't scolded me or anything. He just looked at me with understanding, loving eyes. I'd nearly started bawling at that point, and he held me in his arms telling me that everything was alright and that he loved me very much. "It was a mistake, Bella, we all make them," he told me. I didn't even bother asking him if he'd tell Dad because I knew he wouldn't. He hated seeing me in trouble.
Mom, Rosalie, and Alice came back the following day and that proved enough of a distraction to keep my thoughts away from what I'd done. I'd enjoyed hearing about what they'd done, especially when Mom started handing out presents. She'd gotten me a couple books and lots of clothes. As corny as it was my favorite had been a t-shirt that read, 'someone who loves me very much went to New York and got me this t-shirt'. I laughed when I'd seen it, immediately putting it on over the shirt I had been wearing, and Mom had enveloped me in a loving hug, ecstatic that I loved her gift.
Everybody had gone back to school though that Monday. Dad was once more at work and I was alone with just Mom. I had more time to myself. I had more time to think about what I'd done and what had almost happened. I'd almost killed those men. I'd lost complete control of myself and almost killed 10 innocent men. I'd hurt Emmett. No serious injury, but I had banged him up enough to where I had noticed him wincing a couple times when we'd been playing video games that day. I'd felt so guilty I'd let him win every game after that. He realized of course what I'd been doing, but instead of calling me on it he'd played worse trying to let me win, but I just worsened my play. Jasper had been rather astounded by how dismally we were both playing, and he had immediately jumped at the chance to beat the both of us. His victory dance had been the highlight of my week.
Anyways, as these two weeks had slowly inched by each one of my siblings had been informed of what happened. Jasper had felt my guilt and pestered me until I confessed. Alice had seen my decision to tell Edward and had then confronted me, getting me to give her more details; and Rosalie had gotten the truth from Emmett who had been unable to hide his concern for me. Each one of them had been really kind and understanding with me, something I hadn't felt I deserved. They'd all been sympathetic, even Rosalie who'd I'd expected to lash out at me after hearing how I'd treated her mate. Emmett must've not told her how rough I'd been with him. None of them ever told me I shouldn't have done what I did. None of them brought up how foolish my decision had been or how lucky I was that nothing worse had happened. They could all obviously see my growing guilt with each passing day, and couldn't bring themselves to add to it. None of them had brought up mentioning this to our parents, either, each one assuring me that they'd keep my secret. I felt conflicted with their promises. I was relieved to know I wouldn't be getting in trouble, but my guilt was worse as I knew that if what happened ever got out that they'd be in trouble as well. Our parents wouldn't tolerate something like this being kept from them, I was certain.
So, my guilt continued to grow and grow. Mom had noticed right away that first week that something was wrong. The first few times she questioned me and I said I was fine she let it go, but when she noticed my mood worsening she pestered me until I just told her that I was upset about not having been able to go to New York, and about the fact that I was cooped up in the house all the time. She'd bought my words and turned all motherly, comforting and reassuring me that she'd talk to Carlisle about getting me out more. She praised me for the patience and understanding I'd shown, and that had only made me feel worse. I didn't deserve her compassion or pride. I'd assured Mom though that I'd eventually get over my moodiness, and that she shouldn't worry; and so she had let me be even though she's noticed my worsening temperament.
My guilt was so large that I alternated between stages of depression and anger, feeling the urge to cry one second and then lash out the next. I nearly blew things two days ago with one of these episodes by having blown up at Mom for no reason. I'd been quietly moping in the living room as I pretended to read when she'd simply asked me to help her with the laundry. I'd rudely refused, and that was when the request turned into an order. I'd given my mother a heated glare at that point, snapping that I didn't have to help if I didn't want to and that she should just leave me alone. Mom had not been happy, but she had given me a chance to take back my words, raising her eyebrow as she patiently asked me to repeat what I just said. Normally I would've been rushing to apologize, but I'd been unable to control my temper as of late so I had once more began to shout, this time telling her she had no right to tell me what to do and that I was tired of her bothering me all the time.
With those final words I'd begun to walk away, completely ignoring her order to come back. Unsurprisingly, about two seconds later Mom was hauling me by my ear over to a corner all the while smacking away at my backside. This was my first time ever being disciplined by Mom so I hadn't expected her swats to hurt so much, but they did. We reached the corner and after having shoved my nose into it she continued to wail on my poor rear end for a whole other minute. I'd been sobbing by the end of it, feeling absolutely miserable. I'd tried to rub some of the sting out, but Mom had stopped my hands and landed another scorching smack before placing my hands on top of my head. She had then ordered me to remain in this position until she let me out.
Having been reminded of my place, I did as ordered, finally being let out 30 long agonizing minutes later. I'd immediately began offering profuse apologies to my mother but she heard none of it as she began to give me a thorough tongue lashing. She had lectured me on respect, obedience, and controlling my temper. I felt like she went on forever, but my attention never wavered and I listened intently, answering all her questions with proper respect. When she had finished she had then warned me that I was on thin ice. "You had better watch yourself, young lady," she had told me quite sternly, "because if I don't see some rapid improvement in your behavior today, I will be informing your father of what occurred and allow him to impress upon you a further lesson on respecting your parents, am I clear?"
I had nearly frozen in fear at her words, not wanting Carlisle to be informed of anything, so nearly tripping over my words I had offered her sincere apologies and assurances that I would be on my best behavior; and I had. Nothing more had happened that day or since, but that was mostly because I had shut myself off in my room, avoiding any sort of confrontation with the family. I did not want to risk getting into anymore trouble, and I knew the best way to do that was to just not talk to anybody.
Truthfully, the one person I feared finding out the most hadn't even noticed anything different with me. Dad had been extremely busy since we moved here. He was at the hospital all the time, and when he came home he spent his time cooped up in his office doing paperwork. Any spare time he devoted to hunting and spending time with Esme. Occasionally he would spend a little time with us kids, but it wasn't often. I missed spending time with him, but with the guilt I was feeling he was the last person I wanted to see, so his busy work schedule was a blessing in disguise. I was able to lie to Mom, but I knew if Dad pressed me I wouldn't be able to do the same thing. He knew me too well.
It was Friday evening now and I'd just gotten back from a hunt with Alice and Rosalie. They'd wanted to help cheer me up and help convince me that I needn't feel so guilty. I hadn't killed anyone, they said, and I had obviously learned my lesson. They told me I needed to move past this, and that my attitude was starting to weigh on the whole family. It wouldn't be long, they warned before Dad noticed something amiss. I only half listened, my irritation at their sudden lack of understanding flaring up. I had rudely snapped at them to mind their own damn business, and they hadn't appreciated that at all. We'd finished the hunt in frosty silence before returning home where I immediately ran up to my room.
Edward, who had been playing chess with Jasper immediately noticed my increased distress and raced after me.
"What's wrong, love?" he asked, coming over and wrapping his arms around me. I happily accepted his embrace, wrapping my own arms around his neck as I leaned my head against his.
"I pissed off Rose and Alice," I informed him, and he gave me a small smile as he remarked quietly, "They probably deserved it."
I gave a weak smile at his words before shaking my head. "They didn't. They were only trying to help me, but I just…" I broke away from Edward, letting out a weary sigh as I sat down on the chest at the foot of our bed. "I can't do this anymore, Edward. The guilt is killing me."
Edward sat himself at my side, taking my hand in his as he concernedly asked, "What is it that bothers you so much, Bella? Why can't you forgive yourself? It was a mistake, a horrible mistake, but you didn't kill anyone. Emmett got their in time to help you. You already told me you'll never go out on your own again, so I don't understand what's wrong."
I looked into his earnest face. He was frowning, his eyes shining with love and deep concern. He really wanted to help me, but he didn't know how. I wasn't even sure how he could help.
"I lost complete control of myself and almost killed those men, Edward," I responded in despair. "Isn't that enough of a reason for the guilt I feel?"
"Almost being the key word," he replied gently, but I just shook my head. He didn't understand. I wasn't sure even I really understood what was bothering me so much.
"This isn't something I can just get over quickly. I feel terrible. I was such an idiot! My immaturity nearly led to ten deaths, Edward," I attempted to explain. "I keep going over what happened and how I lost all control of myself. I wanted to kill them all. And when Emmett tried to stop me I didn't even recognize him. I could've really hurt him. If I'd somehow managed to get my arms around him I could've killed him all for the sake of my thirst. What if something like this happens again? I don't want to lose myself like this ever again, Edward. I'm so afraid"—
"Shhhh, shhhh," Edward murmured soothingly as he placed a light kiss on my lips. I'd been working myself up, a few tears escaping me as I spoke.
"I understand, love," he responded, smoothing my hair, "and I'm so sorry you feel this way. This is a part of what we are though. We are vampires and there will always be that beast in us that fights for control any time we're around humans. You know this, Bella, but I promise you it will get easier. You will gain the control the rest of us have, and you will be able to be around humans without feeling as though you'll lose yourself."
I took in his words, but only felt slightly comforted as I found them hard to believe. "I don't think I'll ever have the control you do. I now understand why Jasper is so cautious. I don't have your guys' strength. I don't ever want to go around a human again, Edward, never again."
"Bella," he sighed sadly, his own eyes mirroring my sorrow. He looked incredibly pained by my words, and my ever present guilt intensified. This had been one of his fears of turning me. He'd feared that I wouldn't be able to handle being what I was, and here I was proving him right. I wanted to tell him not to blame himself. I wanted to tell him I didn't regret this change, but I couldn't manage to get the words out. I felt so tired.
"What can I do to help you?" Edward asked. "What do you need from me?"
I nearly winced at the sheer amount of desperation in his voice, my guilt nearly overpowering me as I had nothing to tell him. There was nothing he could do to help me; and actually, his presence was making me feel worse now. I couldn't stand seeing him like this. I couldn't stand seeing him so broken hearted and helpless; so, with a very heavy heart I said, "I just want to be left alone now."
"No, I can't. Please, there must be something"—Edward tried to plead, but I just shook my head, not looking at him as I kindly asked him to leave.
"Bella," he called out, but I just ignored him, going to lie down on our bed. He stood there for a full minute before walking out of the room without saying anything. I felt horrible, but I didn't want him around me when I was like this. He didn't need to suffer along with me. Hopefully Emmett and Jasper could cheer him up.
I lay on my bed for who knows how long, simply watching the sun set. I focused all my attention on every detail of what I was viewing because I couldn't stand going over what happened anymore. The incident had been on near constant replay since two weeks ago, all kinds of 'what if's' going through my mind at the same time. The sun had nearly set when I heard a soft knock on my door. I sighed, wondering who it could be. I knew it wasn't Edward as he wouldn't have knocked, so I just said, "Please go away," hoping that whoever it was would respect my privacy.
It seemed luck was not on my side, however, as the door opened. I felt a spark of irritation as I began to turn around. "I said go awa—Oh…," I trailed off awkwardly, my anger vanishing as quickly as it appeared when I realized it was Esme standing in my doorway.
"Um, do you need something?" I asked, turning over so that I was now sitting up in my bed.
Mom stared at me for a few seconds before answering, "Yes actually, I do." I gave her a questioning look as she came over and sat herself down on Edward's side of the bed. "I need you to talk to me, baby," she said.
I sucked in a breath, crossing my legs and biting my lip before nervously asking, "Talk to you about what?"
Mom raised an eyebrow in response before patting the spot next to her. I slowly scooted over until I was next to her, my mind trying to come up with what I was going to say to pacify her. The truth obviously wasn't an option.
"I know something is bothering you, Bella," she began, but before she could say anything else I quickly stated, "I've already told you what's bothering me. I told you it'd take some time for me to get back to normal so"—
She interrupted me, placing a finger on lips all the while giving me a look to say I wasn't fooling her.
"You told me something, yes, but I've come to realize you weren't very truthful with me. Something else is bothering you and I would like to know what it is," she remarked calmly. I cringed slightly as I looked at her, expecting to see disappointment or anger; however, there were neither of those emotions. She just looked sad and concerned, so I relaxed minutely.
"I'm fine," I protested weakly, "and I didn't lie to you." I shrunk down slightly when my mother's stare turned stern, looking down at my lap as I tried to come up with another tactic. What else could I tell her to make her go away?
"Do us both a favor, sweetie, and cut the lies," she spoke calmly, her face soft and kind. I nodded my head, still having no intent on really telling her what was bothering me.
"Now, I know something happened so don't bother to deny it. I know Edward and your siblings know as well," she told me, and I sucked in a quick breath, unable to believe they had ratted me out. My fear was cut short though when she said, "I've seen the way they've all been especially kind to you, and how they've been quite protective of you when I questioned them about your behavior. You want to tell me what's wrong?"
"No, I don't," I responded, giving her an apologetic look. "I don't want to bother you and I can deal with this on my own."
Esme nodded her head at my words before saying, "Normally I'd respect your decision, except for the fact that it's been two weeks now, and you've only been getting worse. It's obvious to me you have not been dealing with this at all. Not to mention you have a history of bottling things in until you land yourself in serious trouble. I'd like to prevent that, and that'd be a lot easier if you'd talk to me."
I looked away at her words, guiltily shifting around on the bed. It was a little late for that, I couldn't help but think. I didn't know it at the time, but this mere little gesture was my downfall. I'd been just golden until my observant mother saw my reaction to her remarks.
Esme's POV:
It did not escape my notice the way my youngest had reacted to my words. Her face was a mask of guilt that she feebly attempted to hide from me by simply turning her head away, but the way she was shifting and playing with her hands were just as telling. It was with a sinking heart that the pieces began to fall together.
"Bella," I requested a bit warily, "Please look at me."
Slowly, ever so slowly my daughter lifted her head, my fears confirmed with a single glance into her guilt-ridden eyes.
"It's already too late, isn't it," I stated more than asked, and Bella's eyes filled with tears giving me all the answer I needed.
I fought back a groan. My sweet Bella had gotten herself into trouble. What kind, I had no idea, and how she had managed to keep it from Carlisle or me I had even less of an idea. This explained everything though. It explained the attitude and the way she slowly began to isolate herself more and more. My dear little one did something bad enough to where she was unable to deal with the guilt.
I felt worry at what she may have done to have put herself in such a state. Perhaps she got into a fight with one of her siblings, or maybe something had happened on a hunt that they didn't want to tell us about. My mind raced through different possibilities before I decided to outright ask.
"Baby, what did you do?" I asked her gently, wanting her to know that she could open up to me. My question only seemed to upset her more though, and tears began to rapidly fall down her cheeks.
"Oh Bella, come here," I called softly, holding my arms out to her. I worried for a second that she might not come, but that fear was for naught for she promptly launched herself into my embrace, burying her head in my chest as she began to cry.
My poor, poor baby, I thought sadly. Whatever she had done had been tearing her apart, and in true Bella fashion she had kept it all inside. I ran a gentle hand through her hair as she cried, allowing her to get some of her emotions off her chest. I hated to see my child suffering, especially over something like this. With the amount of guilt she was feeling, I could only assume her offense was one that would lead to a spanking. No trifle matter would cause my daughter such anguish.
I was going to have to coax her into confessing what had happened, and I felt torn. She clearly needed to get this off her chest, but once she did punishment would follow. I needed to know what happened though. Perhaps what she'd done wouldn't warrant a physical chastisement. Her guilt seemed like punishment enough already. I'd have to see though.
I held Bella in my arms for quite a while, saying nothing even after she had stopped crying, only sniffling once in a while. I wanted to make sure she was sufficiently calmed before proceeding.
"You ready to sit up and talk?" I whispered quietly after a few more minutes had passed. She responded with a groan, her grip on me tightening as she pressed her head into my chest. I withheld a sigh at the action. This was not going to be easy.
"You will feel better if you talk about this, trust me," I informed her, keeping my voice very quiet and soothing.
"Nuh uh," she disagreed with a shake of her head, and I couldn't help the fond grin I gave as I kissed the top of her head. She seemed more like a small child right now rather than the 18 year old young woman she usually was. Ever since Bella had been turned I'd noticed her beginning to relax more. She'd always been very mature for her age, acting years older than she was, but now that she lacked the responsibility of her human life she had begun to act more her age and younger. Emmett was her main influence, but I found it heartening to see her letting loose more. She could still be her mature self, but she had become more prone to getting into childish mischief and whining and complaining. It was annoying at times, but I loved seeing how happy she was, and hearing her laughter as she bantered back and forth with her brothers over a video game or gossiped with her sisters.
"Sweetie, you know you'll feel better by talking," I spoke softly. "I can clearly see now how the guilt of what you did has been eating away at you, and I want to help. Please Bella, open up to me."
"No, I can't," Bella responded tearfully, her voice muffled as it was still pressed flat against my chest. "I'm fine, I don't need to talk."
"You and I both know that's not the truth," I responded kindly, gently trying to pull her away enough so I could see her face.
"Noooo," she whined quietly, "I don't wanna talk. Please don't make me talk, Mama. I'll be fine, I swear."
"You'll be fine?" I questioned skeptically. "Why do I find that hard to believe?" I pressed with some amusement, maneuvering myself so that I was now lying on my side with Bella lying on my right arm. With my left I ran my hand through her long hair, soothing her until eventually she pulled away enough so that we could look into each other's eyes.
I greeted her hesitant look with a loving smile to help set her at ease before asking, "Why don't you want to talk, Bella? Is it because you know you'll be in trouble?"
Bella immediately tried to hide her head again, but I kept my hand on the side of her face gently forcing her to keep her head where it was. I wasn't going to make her look me in the eye, but I at least wanted to be able to see her face.
"Bella," I encouraged when she nervously flicked her eyes back to me. Her eyes were rapidly filling with tears once more as she tearfully stated, "I did something really bad, and you're going to be so angry with me."
I felt relief that I'd finally gotten her to say something, but sorrow at what she felt.
"And how do you know I'll be angry?" I asked, and she took a shaky breath before replying, "Because I broke a big rule."
My poor daughter was shaking now, and my heart was breaking for her. I could see the fear in her eyes beginning to overtake the guilt, and I failed to understand why. What did she fear so much? She really couldn't believe that we'd hate her for whatever she did? Or that we would kick her out? We'd gotten past this stage, hadn't we? Or was it the punishment itself she feared? Was she so afraid of a spanking? She'd been spanked before though. They were no fun, but there was no need for such fear. She knew neither Carlisle nor I would ever hurt her. Had something changed since then? Had one of her siblings frightened her with some bogus tale?
"Perhaps I will be angry, but you know that even if I am angry at what you did that I still love you, right?" I decided to ask, and her eyes finally focused on me once more as she gave a hesitant nod.
"You don't seem so sure," I remarked sadly, and Bella responded, "I really messed up, Mama, and you and Dad are going to be so mad and disappointed because I was such an idiot!"
"You are no such thing," I chided mildly, upset she would say such a thing of herself.
"But it's true," she argued, "I am an idiot. I am a thoughtless, ungrateful idiot for what I did."
I bit my tongue to hold back a scolding, feeling that the best way for Bella to open up to me would be to continue to be non-judgmental and sympathetic. "Why don't you tell me what you did and let me be the judge?"
"No," she immediately responded with a shake of her head, a bit of panic entering her eyes. "I can't."
"Why, sweetheart?" I asked. "Why can't you tell me? What are you so afraid of?"
"I already told you," she said, but I just shook my head.
"There's more that you're not saying," I remarked.
Bella fell silent, looking down at my words, and I sighed internally as I tried to figure out what to say. "No matter what you did, Bella, your father and I will always forgive you and love you. You know this, so why the fear and reluctance? You know that talking will help, but you refuse. Yes, Carlisle and I may become angry and disappointed, but you know those emotions never last. You know that even in those moments we still love you with all our hearts."
With each word I spoke my daughter seemed to become more and more upset, tears once more falling down her face. She tried to wipe them away, but they kept coming.
"Oh Baby," I sighed sadly as I pulled her close to me once more, "Please, please talk to me. It is absolutely killing me to see you like this."
Bella cried for a couple minutes before finally blurting out, "I-I don't want a-a whipping."
A whipping, I thought in surprise. Why would she think what she did was bad enough to warrant that? The children had several names to replace the term spanking, but when the word whipping was used it referred to one thing only, and that was the belt. This was my husband's harshest punishment and only was used for the worst misdeeds. There was only one sure way to be subject to it, and that was by attacking either my husband or me. Any other time was left up to Carlisle's judgment.
Why would Bella feel she would be subject to such a harsh punishment? Was her mind just blowing what she'd done out of proportions? It was possible. She'd been stewing over this for at least two weeks, and her mind had probably made things out to be worse than they really were. There was only one way to find out though.
"Why do you think you'll get a whipping? Is that what you feel you deserve?" I questioned, wondering if she was like Jasper who at times still asked for harsher punishments than he deserved.
"C-Cuz Daddy s-said," she cried brokenly, and I felt completely confused now. When would Carlisle have said this? More importantly, why would he have threatened her with this punishment?
"What exactly did your daddy say, Bella?" I pressed, hoping she would unknowingly confess what she had done. Luck was not on my side it seemed for Bella rapidly began to shake her head back and forth before burying her face into the pillow.
I said nothing for another five minutes, just giving Bella the comfort she so desperately needed right now. I wanted her to feel secure and safe. I wanted her to feel that she could trust me enough to open up.
When Bella once again managed to stop her tears she stared at me with an absolutely miserable expression. Now I was the one holding back tears as I gazed at her. I hated seeing how much pain she was in and not being able to help her.
"Sweetheart, please, I cannot stand seeing you so distraught," I spoke earnestly. "Your pain causes me pain, and I will not in good conscience be able to leave you until I know that you are better; and that won't happen until you open up to me. You trust me, don't you?"
"Yes," she responded tearfully, wiping at her tearstained face.
"Then why won't you confide in me?" I asked.
My daughter gave me a look as though the answer to my question should be obvious before answering with some accusation, "Because you'll tell Dad what I did, and then he'll be so angry with me, and he'll whip me just like he promised, and-and I-I don't w-want a whipping," she finished, her breaths coming out in shudders as she fought back sobs.
I closed my eyes briefly, contemplating what my next move would be. Normally she would be right, but only to a certain extent. I never told Carlisle all the mischief our lot got up to, but if it was something serious that endangered themselves or the family then I would feel obligated. I used to inform him of every time I spanked the children, but after realizing that he would always give another spanking upon finding out I had begun to keep lesser misdeeds between myself and the child or children involved, only informing Carlisle when the misbehavior was particularly egregious and/or I felt a further lesson was needed. I had informed my husband of what I did years ago, and while at first he had been quite upset with me, he had eventually let it go, letting me know that he would trust my judgment on this. He was not at all happy with my deceit, he clarified, but he understood why I did it. He understood my need to defend my babies, and he understood my need to take a larger role in our children's discipline. If I said I had dealt with a punishment, then he would accept that I had, and if I said he needed to take over, then he would.
In this instance, well, I could already tell that whatever Bella had done was bad enough to warrant a spanking. Whether or not her misbehavior warranted a whipping was inconclusive, but the main point was that in my heart I knew that whatever she told me would need to be told to Carlisle. I held hope that Bella was just over exaggerating, her own mind making things out to be worse than they had, but I had a very strong feeling that was not the case. That said, if I agreed with Bella's accusation, then she would not open up to me. She would shut down and I would be forced to take harsher methods to get her to speak or involve Carlisle; and that would involve a lot more tears and anger than necessary. If I agreed to keep this a secret though, I would be bound by my word. I would not, no matter what she told me speak a word of what she did to my husband. I didn't like that option at all, but my gut was telling me that this was the best way to get to the root of my daughter's issue.
The main issue right now was to find out what happened so that I could begin to help my daughter heal. Anything else, like punishment, could be dealt with later.
"Bella, honey," I began speaking, forcing my daughter to lock eyes with me so that she could see how serious I was, "you have my word that I will not speak a single word of whatever you tell me to your father."
Bella's eyes widened almost comically at my declaration, seemingly at a loss for words. I waited patiently for her to digest what I'd said and form a response.
"No matter what I say, even if-if I did something really horrible? Even if I broke a promise I'd made to Dad, you wouldn't tell him?" she asked in sheer disbelief. I nodded my head, saying, "I wouldn't tell him." As I spoke those words I couldn't help but frown internally, guilt now stirring in me at the thought of deceiving my beloved. This was obviously a matter he needed to not only be involved in, but take care of. I pushed these thoughts out of my mind. Help Bella first, worry about everything else later.
My daughter still continued to stare at me in disbelief, but it slowly began to diminish and be replaced with hope and relief. It was these two emotions that soothed me because I felt I had made the right decision.
"You ready to talk to me now?" I asked, and Bella gave me one last searching look before nodding her head. She sat herself up, crossing her legs as she faced me. I mirrored her position and took her fidgeting hands into mine, feeling beyond relieved that this was actually working.
"When did this happen?" I decided to ask, gently spurring my nervous daughter into speaking.
"Two weeks ago today," she meekly answered, throwing me an anxious look as though I would somehow know what must have happened with that little detail.
"Were you the only one involved, or was Edward or your siblings a part of this?" I then asked, and Bella bit her lip, seeming unsure of how to respond before giving a definite, "It was me, all me."
I wondered at her hesitation. I'd gotten the feeling that all my children were aware of what happened, but if they weren't a part of this, then how did they know? "Did any of them witness what you did?" I decided to ask, and she once more bit her lips in indecision before giving a single nod. Ah, I thought, that would explain it. If one of my kids knew what happened, then it wouldn't take long before the others found out, and in true sibling fashion they had banded together to protect Bella. I filed this thought away, deciding what Bella did was more important than the fact that my children kept what happened away from their father and me.
"What happened, sweetie?" I finally decided to ask. "Start from the beginning please."
Bella's eyes filled with tears and fear as she stared back at me, and I worried she might refuse. After taking several shaky breaths though, she seemed to resolve herself to the task and I finally began to hear all about her disastrous lone hunting trip.
A/N: Okay, so Bella has obviously been torn apart with the guilt but too afraid of her parent's reactions and the punishment she'd face. That's why I had to bring Esme in to help give a little push to her daughter.
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