Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

A/N: Thank you for the amazing reviews! You are all awesome people!

Chapter 9: Four Days In

Bella's POV:

Four days had gone by since…well, it'd been four days so far…four tense days…four awful days.

You know how many days we lasted before one of us got another spanking? One. One measly, pathetic day. That's sad. It wasn't me though, which I'm sure has surprised you. Well, it surprised me too, but then again I was spending the majority of the day in my dad's presence which made misbehavior kind of hard. Lucky me.

So, a day had passed by and it was half an hour until my first nightly spanking when Edward, the love of my life decided to reason/argue with Dad. I love my mate, but I have to admit, he certainly lands himself in a lot of trouble on my account.

Dad and I were walking up to his office when Edward showed up. He was wearing a stubborn, determined expression as he blocked the doorway. I groaned quietly, and I could've sworn that Dad did as well

"Edward," Dad addressed, "I suggest you go to your room now and wait for Bella. She'll join you shortly."

Edward's lips thinned in response and he crossed his arms. He looked like a smaller Dad, and I couldn't help the spark of amusement I felt. The little spark quickly vanished though as my mate spoke.

"You can't do this, Dad," Edward stated. "You've already whipped her, and you can't seriously be planning on giving her a spanking every night for a week. It's not right! Can't you see she's sorry and that she's still sore because of yesterday? Please Dad, don't"-

"No, you don't," Dad interjected more sharply than he usually would. I'd noticed today, though, that he wasn't his normal patient self. This wasn't just with me, but with all us Cullen children. Dad was still in disciplinarian mode, which meant he wasn't up for games or arguments. While he normally was open to discussion, right now he wasn't. You did what he said or your bottom would suffer. A half dozen hard swats in the morning had revealed that to me when I had complained about having to follow him everywhere.

"You're being ridiculous!" Edward shouted heatedly, and I felt that I'd missed something. Dad must have thought something to him. "This isn't fair!" I couldn't help but agree at that moment, but I knew better than to say it. Instead, I tried to intercede and walk up to Edward, but Dad wouldn't let me pass by him. This only served to infuriate Edward more, and he let out a growl.

"Can't you see what you're doing to her?" he snapped furiously. "Can't you see how hurt and upset she his? She's sorry about disobeying you, but you're going way overboard with her punishment!"

"Edward, stop this, it's fine," I pleaded earnestly, but he blatantly ignored me, choosing instead to just glare heatedly at our father.

"Last chance, son," Dad declared in a chilling tone, and my loving yet idiotic mate decided to just let out a growl in response. Dad reacted instantly, flashing in front of Edward and pushing him until Edward's back was pressed against the office door. My brave mate attempted to maintain his stubborn, defiant expression, but whatever expression Dad was sporting or whatever he must have been saying through his thoughts, it was 30 seconds at most before Edward's face paled. It was then only a couple seconds before Dad slowly opened the door to his office before grabbing hold of Edward's upper arm and dragging him in.

Edward gave no fight, his expression still pale as he was forcefully led to the couch. Dad just sat himself down and easily put Edward across his lap before beginning to bring his hand down hard. I stared in open mouth horror, my stomach twisting as I watched my mate take his punishment. I had never seen anybody get spanked before. In fact, I'd never even seen any of my siblings get a swat before. They always managed to get in trouble when I wasn't around.

Edward's spanking was given in silence. Dad didn't say a single word, well, at least not out loud for me to hear. The only sounds I heard were the smack of Dad's hand on Edward's backside, and Edward's sounds of distress.

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

"OW! Yes, sir, I understand!" Edward cried out, and I winced at the distress in his face and tone. I wanted to protest the punishment, but I knew it wouldn't do any good.

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

These swats came harder than the others and they were all directed at the sit spots, which caused my husband to howl before beginning to cry. Dad rubbed his back a little before setting him on his feet. Although clearly upset, Edward forcefully brought himself under control and rapidly wiped at his face. His eyes kept flicking towards mine and I knew he was embarrassed. I gave him an understanding look to try and let him know he didn't need to feel this way, but I didn't think it worked out. I'd have to talk with him later.

Dad stood himself up, and he placed his hand on Edward's shoulder, gave it a squeeze and then let go. I felt a flash of anger at the lack of comfort, but Edward didn't seem to mind for he quickly turned and walked towards me. He brought me in for a hug, mumbled a quiet apology and an "I love you" before walking out. Looking back at my Dad's expression I was caught off guard by the look of anguish I saw on his face. It was gone in the blink of a second though, making me believe I'd maybe imagined it.

Back to present day, aside from Edward, all my siblings had managed to keep their noses cleaned. A few swats had been dished out, but no serious spankings. They'd definitely taken Dad's warning to heart.

Of course, my butt was still paying a price every night promptly at 9:30. It hadn't been so bad, though as Dad had only been giving me a quick dozen swats before sending me to my room. I'd been spending a lot of time with my father these past couple days and it'd been nearly unbearable. There was a tension between us that neither one of us was acknowledging, but that both of us clearly felt. Dad had told me that we still needed to finish our discussion from four days ago. We still needed to go over what had happened and why it'd happen and my feelings and-and just all the stuff we usually talked about when I messed up.

I wasn't sure if he was still furious with me. I wasn't sure if he was still extremely disappointed or hurt or if he just didn't want to talk or see me.

I wasn't sure of my own feelings either. Part of me was still angry, but that anger was no longer directed towards Dad. I'd had a lot of time to myself to think things through, and I was realizing more and more that I really had no one to be angry with but myself. I-I was finally allowing myself to realize how badly I'd screwed up. I mean I'd known that before, but I'd gone from just logically knowing to actually knowing in my heart. I wanted to talk to Dad now. I wanted him to want to talk to me!

I scuffed my foot on the floor, aimlessly turning the pages to a book I wasn't even paying attention to. We were in my parent's room right now and my mom was telling Dad about a new house she wanted to have built for us. We hadn't figured out where our next destination would be, but she wanted to be ready. Dad listened to her with an indulgent smile on his face.

I stared listlessly outside, my mood having dropped with my thoughts. I suddenly felt lonely and hurt. Maybe Dad didn't want me anymore. Maybe he was tired of all the trouble I caused.

That's ridiculous, I told myself.

But is it?

I suddenly jumped, giving a startled hiss when I felt a hand come down on my shoulder. My teeth were bared and a growl was rumbling in my chest before I realized that it had just been Mom trying to get my attention.

"Oh no, I-I'm sorry Mom, I didn't-I didn't mean it!" I stammered, giving her an apologetic look. "You just startled me," I explained lamely.

"Bella, sweetheart, it's okay," Mom responded, her hand once more landing on my shoulder. "I apologize for startling you. I just wanted to know if you're doing alright. You seemed rather distracted," she remarked in concern.

"I'm fine," I responded automatically, not surprised by the look of disbelief she gave me. I glanced over towards my dad and noticed him looking at me with a pensive expression.

"Please don't lie to me," Esme stated softly, but I didn't have time to respond before my Dad interjected, firmly saying, "Let her be, Esme."

Mom turned towards him, and they stared at each other for several moments before Mom let out a tired sigh. She turned back towards me, caressed my cheek softly and then went to sit back down at the couch. She gave Dad a mild glare which caused him to be the one to heave a sigh this time.

"Bella, do you need to hunt?" he asked me.

I said yes without thought. I didn't really need to hunt, but I wanted out of this house. He motioned for me to lead the way, and I immediately took off, jumping off their balcony and into the forest.

I ran until I found a moose, and I took it down. I fed hungrily, suddenly feeling much thirstier than I had been minutes before. The warm blood soothed the ever present burn in my throat and I let out a growl of contentedness. After I'd finished and hidden the moose I looked around to see where Dad was. My brow knitted in confusion when I didn't see him, so I sniffed the air in search of his scent. He was close by, I could tell, but where? I walked a few paces to my right, using all my senses in search of my dad. It wasn't until I heard a quiet chuckle that I realized where he was.

Looking up, I saw him stretched out on one of the tree branches giving me a small smile. I felt a rush of embarrassment that he'd literally been on top of me and I hadn't noticed. Clearly I still wasn't that great at using my enhanced senses yet.

"Do you want to go back, or are you fine with just hanging out here for a little while?" he asked kindly. "I've been feeling a little cooped up as of late."

"Me too," I agreed shyly.

"You're welcome to wander around," he said. "Just stay within shouting distance, please."

"Okay," I murmured, suddenly feeling awkward. I wasn't sure where to go or if I wanted to go anywhere else, so I just wandered about fifteen feet away and settled down on a large boulder next to a trickling creek.

I felt my father's eyes on me for a few seconds, but when I looked towards him his head was leaning against the trunk of the tree and his eyes were closed.

I stared down at my knees, wanting and not wanting to start talking to Dad. I wanted this awkwardness, or tenseness, or whatever was between us to end. I wanted things to go back to normal. I wanted-I wanted my daddy. I didn't want him to be angry with me. I didn't want him to be disappointed with me. I didn't want to be punished anymore.

I shifted around on the rock uncomfortably before deciding to just stand. My bottom was still sore and was going to continue to be for some time.

Giving my father another furtive glance, I bit my lip wondering if I should start speaking or apologizing or something. I crossed and uncrossed my arms, continuing to glance over towards my father every couple of seconds. He didn't seem to notice as his eyes stayed closed.

I felt alone again, or like he was ignoring me. Did he not see me? Did he not want to talk to me?

Tears began to well up in my eyes, but I stubbornly held them back. I wasn't going to cry. I took in a shaky breath, scrubbing at my face furiously.

"Bella?" Dad called out, causing me to jump and whirl around to see my father staring down at me in concern. Was his concern genuine? "Are you alright?"

"M'fine," I muttered, stubbornly looking away from him.

"No you aren't," he retorted in a matter of fact tone, and I gave a half-hearted glare as he easily jumped from his tree to one only a couple feet from me.

I huffed, crossing my arms and looking away from him again. So now he suddenly cared?

Why am I acting like this? Isn't this what I wanted? For him to notice me? Why am I suddenly turning away from him in anger?

I bit my lip, looking down at my feet in frustration. I rocked back and forth on my feet, fidgeting in sudden anxiety.

Talk to him, a part of me urged strongly. You want to, and it has always helped in the past.

Taking in a deep breath, I uncrossed my arms and called out a hesitant, "Dad?"

"Yes?" he answered simply.

"I'm not fine," I told him in a whisper, my throat suddenly constricting as tears once more flooded my eyes.

I turned hesitantly when I heard him drop lightly to the ground. His eyes were full of concern and love for me, and that finally pushed me to the edge causing me to burst into tears.

"I-I-I'm so sorry!" I cried out before putting my hands over my face in sudden shame. "I'm so-sorry for be-being s-so bad!"

"No, no, no, no," my father suddenly spoke, flashing over to me in less than a second. He firmly pulled my hands from my face and held them in one of his own while his other hand wrapped around the back of my head gently.

"You are not bad, Bella," he spoke passionately, "You have never been bad."

"But I-but I"—I began to stammer, but he cut me off.

"But nothing," he declared strongly. "You have made mistakes, but that doesn't make you bad. You are a very good person," he insisted, finally managing to make eye contact with me so I could see the sincerity in his face.

"You are a good person," he repeated. "Occasionally very naughty, but a good person nonetheless," he continued, his mouth tugging in a slight grin.

Some of the heaviness lifted off my heart, and I gave a short, watery laugh before saying, "Naughty? That makes me sound like a little girl."

He chuckled softly, cocking his head slightly to the side while saying, "Well...somebody's behavior has been that of a little girl." I pouted slightly causing his expression to become endearing as he then informed me, "Besides, no matter your age, you will always be my little girl."

My tears started falling even harder, and my heart warmed as I cried out, "I'm sorry, Daddy, please forgive me!" The guilt was killing me, and I wanted to know that I was forgiven, and that he wasn't still furious with me. I wanted to know that he would be able to trust me again.

"Oh, Bella," he sighed sadly, "come here." He wrapped his strong arms around me and held me close. I relished at the fatherly gesture, having desperately missed it over the past several days. I wrapped my own arms around him while burying my head in his chest and crying my eyes out. He rested his head on mine, giving it a kiss before saying, "And I'm sorry too."

That definitely caught my attention, causing me to inhale sharply.

"For what?" I questioned incredulously, looking up at him with wide eyes. He pulled away slightly from me and gently caressed my cheek with the knuckles of his right hand.

"I am sorry you ever felt you were bad, and I'm sorry that I hadn't made it clear to you that I did forgive you for what happened," he explained seriously.

"I am?" I asked hopefully, and his expression turned sad as he nodded his head.

"Nothing you do would ever be unforgivable in my eyes," he informed me, "and nor will you ever do anything that could cause me to not love you anymore."

I took in a shaky breath, hot tears flooding my eyes in sheer relief at his words.

"I love you Bella," he declared. "I love you, and I have already forgiven you for what happened."

I lost it once more, tightly clutching at my father's shirt as I cried into his chest. He forgave me. He still loved me.

"You were so angry," I sobbed, "and I thought you didn't want t-to s-see me any-anymore!"

"Bella," he sighed sadly, pulling me even tighter against himself. He allowed me to cry out all the tears I had, which took several minutes, and when I finished I pulled away, wiping away at my face and nose. When I had some semblance of composure, I looked at Dad who told me, "I think it's time we talked."

I nodded my head in agreement, sniffling softly as he massaged one of my shoulders. He stared at me right now with nothing but concern and sadness as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I was angry," he admitted. "I was furious," he added, "at what you'd done. I was hurt by what you'd done. I trusted you, Bella. I trusted you to keep your promise to me. I trusted you to know better than to act as you had. I expected so much more from you."

I stared down at my feet desolately, heart clenching with every word he spoke. He tapped the bottom of my chin, though, getting me to look back up at him.

"I'm sorry," I whispered dejectedly, and he replied, "I know that, baby girl, but I'm fed up with your apologies because you continue to repeat the same mistakes. I was dead serious when I told you four days ago that I was done being lenient with you. These kind of mistakes cannot ever happen again!"

I tried to look away from him, not able to maintain eye contact anymore, but he grabbed my chin firmly and forced me to look at him.

"Stop looking away from me," he scolded. "I can see guilt and shame in your eyes. You've apologized over and over again, and I know you're being genuine, but I really want to know what exactly you are apologizing for. Why are you sorry?"

I swallowed nervously before honestly answering, "I-I really messed up, Dad. I'm sorry for breaking my promise to you and going to see Charlie. I'm sorry I dragged everybody into this, which led to all of us breaking your trust." My heart fell at my own words. "I'm sorry for disobeying you. I'm sorry for defying you. I'm sorry for endangering myself and the family! I'm sorry everything went so badly on our trip to Forks. I swear to god that I never intended to actually talk to Charlie. I just sort of lost control and-and…" I just stopped speaking, not knowing what else to say.

"Why did you feel the sudden need to see Charlie so badly?" Dad questioned. "Why hadn't you shown such concern earlier? You knew this was going to happen, sweetheart. You knew that you would have to let Charlie go. I know the reality of losing him was difficult, but you had told me you'd had your goodbye. You had told me you understood that you could have no contact with him. You had told me that this would not happen!" he spoke loudly, his voice full of emotion.

I held back a sob before attempting to explain myself. "I was stupid, Daddy, I did know better and we did talk, but I just-I just-I'm sorry I'm so stupid!" I shouted.

"Stop insulting yourself!" he snapped, and my mouth closed immediately. I looked at him with guilt ridden eyes full of apology while Dad's stared back with those intelligent eyes that always seemed to be analyzing me. He nodded a bit to himself. "You broke my trust," he informed me after releasing his hold on my chin.

My face fell, a few tears beginning to trickle down my face. I wanted to look away once more, but I somehow managed to maintain eye contact.

"I've never been so disappointed in you than I have recently," he continued speaking softly, and I had to bite my lip to stop a sob from escaping. "You are smarter than this. You know better than this, yet…yet you still openly defied me." His lips pursed, his hand rubbing at the back of his neck as he let out a tired sigh.

I had to look down at my feet at this point. There was no way I could make up for this. There was no way I could be—

"You've already been forgiven, Bella, so stop that train of thought," Dad interjected gently, after having snapped his fingers together to get my attention.

"How could you forgive me," I asked in disbelief. "After all I did, you should just kick me out of the family. I'm not worth it."

A growl rumbled in Carlisle's chest as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at me. "I'd prefer if you didn't say such ridiculous things. If your backside wasn't already so sore, I'd have half a mind to give you some well-deserved swats."

A rush of embarrassment hit me as my hands automatically went to covering my poor butt to protect it from harm. Dad's lips twitched out of amusement no doubt at my action, but he thankfully said nothing. I glared nevertheless.

"You scared me," I blurted out, referring not to right now, but four days ago. His eyebrows knitted in confusion, so I added, "That day," and then realization hit him. "You were so angry, and you were glaring, and you spanked me so hard, and-and I-I was scared!" I felt emotional, and if my heart still beat, it would've been hammering away. I was nervous as to how he would react. Would he be angry with me? Would he argue with me?

"I'm sorry you felt that way, Bella," he responded softly after several moments of silence. "You're right, I was angry, I did glare, and I did spank you hard." I blinked up at him, somewhat surprised at him to openly admit to all that. I had expected denial, truth be told.

"I really am sorry you were scared," he continued, "but I can't say I am sorry for how I behaved. I needed to make an impression on you, and dealing with you as just your father wasn't going to work. I punished you as both your coven leader and father, and so I was harsh. This lesson is one that will be learned now, because this amount of disobedience and defiance is never going to happen again."

My stomach curled in on itself as I remembered that I still had four nights left of spankings, with the last one being another whipping. My bottom was already so sore and I didn't want more punishment.

"Daddy, please," I began to plead, grabbing hold of one of his hands, "Please don't spank me anymore. I swear, I really, really swear that I've learned my lesson. Please, Daddy, I'm already so sore I can't even sit and I don't think I can take anymore spankings. Please, please, please."

His eyes, though gentle, were also determined, a look that meant my pleas hadn't changed a thing. I closed my eyes and rubbed at my face to rid myself of the tears that were once more beginning to fall. "Why?" I asked pitifully.

"I already told you," he replied calmly. "I've issued this punishment as both your coven leader and father, and I'm making sure it will be one you never ever forget for as long as you live. You have four more spankings left, and that is not up for discussion. If you continue to behave, three of those will continue to be only a dozen swats, but if you happen to misbehave, I will make it worse."

"What about the whipping?" I had to ask, looking for one last bit of leniency. "Do you have to whip me? I told you, I'm already hurting, I can't take anything else."

"I know you're sore, baby, but I will not change my mind," he retorted firmly. "You will take the whipping and you will endure."

Frustration welled up in me and I turned away, taking several steps away from him before letting out a short yell. I clenched my fists and teeth and tried to quell my growing temper. "Not fair," mumbled mutinously, not brave enough to shout it at him, but knowing he heard me nonetheless. "Not fair, not fair, not fair!" I paced around for several moments, running angry hands through my hair and over my face, and I never once looked at my father while he never once said anything.

It took around ten minutes before I was able to calm myself down, and when I did I just felt tired and sad. I turned and walked back towards my dad with a lowered head; and I walked until my head hit his chest. Even being angry with him over how harsh I felt my punishment was, I still sought his comfort. He wrapped his arms around me, and I allowed myself to go limp causing him to laugh as he then just lifted me up until I was eye level with him.

I gave him the best puppy-dog look I could muster and whispered in the most pathetic voice, "Daddy, I don't want anymore spankings, okay? Please?"

He just looked me straight back in the eye, his full of fatherly affection and sadness as he whispered back, "No, baby girl, your punishment will not change."

I wanted to argue once more, but it wasn't warning that I saw in his face that stopped me, but sadness and pleading. My begging was hurting him, I thought guiltily. We all knew he hated spanking us, and that it always hurt him, but it was easy to forget when it was our backsides that got lit on fire. I sighed in defeat, gave a single nod, and he set me on the ground. It was dark outside now, and I knew I had only a couple hours until I once more found myself upended over this man's lap with the hand that was gently running through my hair now coming down hard as steel on my vulnerable backside.

"I do believe it is time we headed on home," Dad suddenly declared, giving me a loving smile. I grimaced before giving a short nod, and both of us took off at a leisurely run, arriving home in less than an hour.

Carlisle's POV:

We arrived home to the sounds of arguing, and I frowned while giving an internal groan as I rushed inside, Bella right on my heels. I arrived inside to the scene of Rosalie and Edward arguing heatedly with each other. I should have known things couldn't have stayed calm for long.

"Why do you always have to be such a shallow, pompous cow, Rosalie?!" Edward yelled right before Rosalie snapped back, "Why do you always have to be such an arrogant, idiotic jackass?!" Emmett was standing to one side, holding up his hands in a feeble attempt to get them to both calm down; however, at Edward's words he was now glaring furiously at his brother. Esme, Alice, and Jasper weren't in sight, so I came to the assumption that they weren't home.

Bella hissed, and I had no doubt she was about to get involved so I put my hand on her shoulder and forcefully shoved her behind me before stepping forward and taking in a breath. Time for some tough love.

"That is enough!" I roared angrily, giving both Rosalie and Edward a steely glare. They flinched at my voice and gave me wide-eyed stares.

"Come here," I ordered, pointing at a spot in front of me. They both exchanged uneasy glances, but when I gave a deep growl they were in front of me in under a second. Emmett sported a wide-eyed look as well, and looked rather nervous, so I looked over at him and ordered him to his bedroom. He bit his lip, gave Rosalie a mournful look before flashing upstairs. I then looked back at Bella and ordered her to turn around and face the wall. She was about to open her mouth to protest, but I silenced her with a cold look, which caused her to give a nervous swallow before following my direction.

Turning back to my most argumentative children, I grabbed hold of my son first by his arm, turned him to his side, and brought my hand down hard a dozen times. He yelled out and attempted to evade my hand, but I only tightened my hold, ordered him to hold still, and gave him an additional four swats on the thighs. I then released him and his hands flew to his bottom where he tried to furiously rub out the sting. A few tears trickled down his face, which he then hastily wiped away. I turned next to my daughter who looked rather pale, and when I reached out to grab a hold of her arm she made the mistake of trying to run. Giving another internal groan, I quickly caught hold of her as she reached the hallway.

"You know better," I scolded before quickly unbuttoning her jeans and pulling them down.

"No!" she shouted out in panic. "Please, Dad, I'm sorry!"

"I know," I replied before landing two dozen hard swats to her panty-covered bottom. She shrieked loudly, but having no doubt learned from her brother's experience, she did not try to evade my hand. When I finished her punishment, I pulled up her pants and allowed her to button them up before she too began to furiously rub at her bottom. Turning back towards her brother, I then motioned for him to come to me. When he arrived I grabbed hold of both his and Rose's ears and began to pull them towards the bathroom. As I did so, I yelled back to Bella that unless she wanted another week of spankings, then she would not move a single inch from where she was at. Her gasp of shock was enough to tell me that she would do as ordered.

We quickly entered the bathroom and I ordered them both to sit on the edge of the tub. They did so quietly, and even managed to contain their groans when I pulled out two bars of soap. I unwrapped them and put them under warm water before turning back to my feisty kids.

"Open your mouths," I told them, and they both reluctantly did as told, their faces already sporting looks of disgust. I wasted no time in putting the bars into their mouth and rubbing them all over their tongues and the sides of their mouths before telling them to bite down.

"Five minutes," I informed them stonily, and their eyes turned even more dismayed. I glanced at my watch before leaning against the sink counter, crossing my arms, and giving both miscreants a look of disappointment. They squirmed constantly, making many noises of disgust. They stamped their feet on the ground and clenched the tub tightly and threw me pleading looks. My expression remained unchanged even as tears began to fall even more rapidly down both their faces. My heart fell at their expressions, but I didn't allow them to know. Five minutes passed by, and I held the waste basket up to them, allowing them to spit the bars out. They did so, making gagging noises and wiping at both their mouths and tongues in a feeble attempt to rid themselves of the taste.

Keeping them in place with a hard stare, I began my very short lecture. "I don't care what you were arguing about. The fact is, there is no reason for the shouting, and there most certainly was no reason for you to be insulting each other as you did. This argument is over with and will not continue, am I correct?" I questioned.

"Yes, sir," they both responded meekly, and I stared them down for several more seconds before ordering the both of them to their rooms for the rest of the night. I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration, hating how strict I'd had to be with them. Their argument would not have normally resulted in a spanking, but I had given them fair warning.

Looking at my watch again, I groaned when I realized I only had an hour and a half until I had to give Bella her spanking. I put my hand on the edge of the doorway and put my forehead down on my hand. I was so tired, mentally at least…and emotionally.

I was relieved that Bella had finally been ready to speak, and that she'd finally been truly regretful of her actions. The tension between us these past four days had been unbearable, but I hadn't pushed for a discussion as I really didn't want another confrontation. Forcing this child to talk would've resulted in an argument and me having to give her a worse spanking. It was good to know that our relationship was slowly on the mend. It wasn't at where it had been, but it would take time for that to happen. She still had a lot of anger in her, and we still needed to talk about her and Charlie.

Giving one last quiet sigh I composed myself and then walked back into the living room where Bella stood still as a statue. Guilt swept through me at how hard I was being on her, but I shoved it aside. I was doing this for a reason, and there was no going back.

"It's over now, Bella," I informed her, and she hesitantly turned back towards me sporting a mild glare.

I raised an eyebrow at her, my expression turning stern. We maintained eye contact and I was worried for a moment that I was going to have to deal with an outburst, but at the last second she just let out a sigh and looked away. I relaxed, feeling a flash of pride at her stomping down her temper. I walked over to her and placed a hand on top of her head, giving it an affectionate ruffle.

Her glare was half-hearted this time before she rolled her eyes.

We went up to my office next and while I spent time reading up on the latest research in medicine, Bella spent time reading her all-time favorite novel, Wuthering Heights. How she could read that over and over and over, especially when she'd practically had it memorized prior to becoming a vampire was beyond me; but if it brought her happiness, then so be it. I filed away in my mind that a good Christmas present for her would be an original signed copy of the book.

My wandering thoughts were interrupted when Bella closed her book, set it down, and gave me a nervous look. I didn't need to glance at the clock to know it was 9:30. Closing my own book and putting it away, I walked to my couch, sat down, and motioned for her to come. I didn't need to say anything as she knew why this was being done and she hadn't done anything to earn more than the token 12 I would give her. She shuffled on over, gave me a miserable look, but when I just patted my lap she groaned before laying herself across. I adjusted her to my liking before quickly bringing my hand down 12 times, spreading them evenly over her backside. She squirmed the whole time, yelling out from the get-go before starting to cry half way through. I winced, knowing her bottom had to be sore for her to be crying after so few swats.

When it was over I helped her up and waited to see if she wanted comfort. The last few nights she hadn't, so I was pleased when she immediately wrapped her arms around my neck and cried out her apologies. I gratefully offered her comfort and reassurances, so happy to be able to do some good for this girl that didn't result in making her miserable.

There were only a few more days to go before this blasted week would be over. So far there had been no major incidences, and I could only hope it would continue to remain that way. Please God, continue to give us all strength. Continue to guide me to do what is right and just.

A/N: Only one chapter left guys! Currently working on a little one shot of human Carlisle as a kid getting a spanking from his best friend's dad.