Chapter 2: Warnings

A/N: Normally, I like to post chapters day by day, but I'm just posting it all at once. It's all done, so no reason to wait.

Esme's POV:

My mind whirled with thoughts of the conversation I'd just had with Carlisle, but I pushed them aside for the moment, deciding to focus just on the task at hand. I was going to talk to Eleazar to make sure he knew what he was doing, and to warn him that he would suffer not only my wrath, but that of our entire family if any one of us felt he'd been too hard on my beloved. Carlisle may feel he could handle whatever Eleazar had planned, but I wasn't so confident. I didn't doubt his fortitude, but a spanking would put him in a vulnerable state as he'd need to let down his defenses. I knew how to deal with that, but Eleazar didn't know Carlisle as well as I did. I needed him to know what could transpire if things went wrongly.

Listening intently around the house, I knew Eleazar was with Carmen in his room. I walked with determination to their room, glad to see the door already open. It would have been quite awkward had I interrupted an intimate moment between them. Giving a polite yet unnecessary knock to let them know I was here I was promptly given permission to enter. Eleazar was stuffing clothes into a bag while Carmen was standing off to the side. She looked mildly upset as she looked at me, but I knew she wasn't upset with me. Looking towards Eleazar, he locked eyes with me before letting out a sigh. He looked unsurprised to see me, and I realized he had anticipated this.

"Esme," he began in a placating tone, but I cut him off with a sharp wave of my hand.

"I'm not here to stop you," I declared, and his mouth closed, surprise mixed with curiosity adorning his face.

"Carlisle has made up his mind, and I know better than to try and talk him out of this," I continued, to which Eleazar just gave slow nod. He was no doubt wondering why I was here then.

"Your husband is as stubborn as mine," Carmen declared in frustration. "I have tried to reason with Eleazar that this is unnecessary, but he insists otherwise." I graced her with a grateful look.

"I have not explained to you everything that Carlisle and I discussed, mi amor," Eleazar defended calmly. "I am truly sorry you are not in agreement, but this matter is between our hermanito and me. I have warned that man repeatedly of the consequences of allowing his temper to get the better of him"—

"And I believe he has suffered the consequences already," Carmen stated hotly. "Can you not see the state of their family?"

I watched the couple argue back and forth about my husband's punishment, and felt this situation was rather surreal. I wondered if this is what Carlisle and I looked like when we argued over one of the children's punishments. Most likely yes.

I silently listened for a little more, touched by the obvious love both of them had for Carlisle. They both considered him a younger brother, and I was immensely grateful that I had people willing to look out for my husband. Now, while I appreciated Carmen's fervent defense, I knew Carlisle well enough that he needed the consequences Eleazar had promised him, despite what she and I felt about the matter. It was time to interrupt.

I cleared my throat noisily, gaining both their attention. "Carmen, thank you, truly, for your defense of Carlisle," I began, my eyes displaying my immense appreciation, "but I feel whether you convince Eleazar not to go through with this or not, Carlisle's mind is set. He feels deserving of punishment, and once that thought enters his mind there is no changing it. Believe me, I've been through this before with him."

Eleazar gave a satisfied nod while Carmen let out a sad sigh. "I understand, but that does not mean I am happy about this, or happy with you," she stated, giving her husband a glare. I felt amused at the sudden uncomfortable shifting that Eleazar was suddenly doing.

Pushing this amusement aside, I decided it was time to get to the point. "The reason I am here," I spoke, causing the couple to look at me, "is to make sure this punishment of yours does not go too far."

"I would never hurt Carlisle," Eleazar immediately declared. "This is not the first spanking I have delivered."

"You do not know Carlisle as well as I do," I insisted, "and you do not know how badly his experiences with his father have affected him. If you do not tread carefully he will fall back into old habits and completely shut himself off, which would make this entire punishment useless."

"I know of the abuse he suffered, Esme, and I assure you," he insisted, "that he will not"—

"You know very little about what he suffered at the hands of that monster," I growled heatedly, anger flaring up at the mention of the man who had caused my husband so much pain. "I know you and Carlisle are close, as close as brothers, but there are still things he has not shared with you, such as his worse memories or even his experience of the first time I punished him."

The Spaniard frowned deeply, giving me a searching gaze. I could tell he was upset by what I said, both at the fact that Carlisle had not been so open with him, and at the implication that he would cause Carlisle harm. Several quiet moments passed before he asked, "What do I need to know? The last thing I would ever want to do is hurt him."

"I know," I immediately replied, "your love for him is obvious, which is the only reason I am not fighting either of you about what is to happen." I paused, eyeing him up and down before continuing to speak. "I'm going to be point blank with you and tell you that when you punish him you must have him over your knees. If you have him bend over anything, he will be more likely to fall into a flashback, and you won't even realize it."

"I see," the older man mused, a look of surprise on his face, "that is good to know as I had not been planning on putting him over my knee."

I sighed wearily. I was glad I had decided to talk to him, but I will admit to feeling guilty that I was speaking so openly about Carlisle to Eleazar. I knew Carlisle would never have wanted Eleazar to know any of the details of his past punishments, but this could not be avoided. Eleazar needed to know this, unfortunately.

"He will fight you on this, and if he does, ask him to explain to you what happened during his first punishment with me. Also," I decided to add, "he may push you to punish him harder. Carlisle can be quite masochistic when he is feeling guilty."

"On that note, you have nothing to fear," Eleazar assured me. "Carlisle will not feel the need to ask for anymore punishment once I am through with him."

"Good," I replied with a single nod before gracing him with a foreboding look. "You had better not cause him any harm because I swear I will tear you apart if any damage is done; and after I am finished with you, my children will deal with whatever is left."

Eleazar's eyebrows rose in surprise, his eyes widening as his own wife added, "Heed her warning, Eleazar, because she would not be the only one to be angry with you should you cause Carlisle any harm. I also have no doubt Tanya, Kate, and Irina would join in as well."

"Ladies, please have a little more faith in me," Eleazar declared holding up defensive hands. "I swear to you that I will not cause Carlisle any harm. Apart from a sore backside, I will return your husband in one piece with no lasting damage. He will always be safe with me, I promise you," he stated seriously.

I pursed my lips, eyeing him for any hint of deceit or uncertainty. Finding kindness, understanding, and determination in his expression I responded with a single nod and a sad sigh.

"Very well," I sighed. "Please take care of him, Eleazar," I now pleaded. "Carlisle does not do well when he is in a vulnerable state. He is still not accustomed to displaying what he deems to be weakness in himself."

Eleazar voiced his understanding and promises to take care of my husband once more, and I finally felt there was no more that needed to be said. I would just have to trust that this man knew what he was doing, and what he was getting into; and I hoped that my love was prepared for what was to come.

I gave Eleazar my thanks, shot him one last warning look before leaving to head back to my room.

Edward's POV:

I slowed my run to a walk as I approached the Denali house. I was looking forward to just sitting at the piano and composing a new piece of music. I had been hit with a sudden inspiration while I was with my brothers, and when their endless bantering and bickering had begun to bore me, I had decided to just head home.

Using my senses and gift I quickly assessed that my parents along with Eleazar and Carmen were the only ones home. My plan to play the piano shifted to suddenly wanting to spend some time with my parents. It was very rare to find myself alone with them, and although we lived together in the same house I found myself missing the one on one time we used to have. As much as I tried to hide it, I could not deny that I still felt some resentment at times of having to share my parents with siblings. Those moments were few and far between, though, especially since I'd found Bella.

I was starting to walk up the stairs when I finally registered the thoughts that were going on in the house. I froze as I listened in, focusing on my parents first before shifting over to Eleazar. What I heard in his thoughts alarmed me, and I rushed to my parent's room. I was surprised to not see Mom, but quickly assessed that she'd gone to speak with Eleazar. My eyes zeroed in on Dad who had paused his packing to glance up at me. He immediately closed his mind off to me, but knowing it was too late, let out a sigh before motioning me in.

"Eleazar is going to—are you really—I can't believe—are you sure—you don't have to do this, Dad!" I exclaimed, giving him a shocked and concerned look.

Dad responded with a simple loving smile before resuming his packing once more. Why was he so frustrating?

"Why are you doing this?" I had to ask. "Is it because of the warning Eleazar gave you the last time you were here? Is he forcing this on you?"

"How did you know about—No, this is not being forced on me. Eleazar and I discussed this, and yes, he did warn me, but I also agree that this…this is warranted," he replied. "I don't really expect you to understand, but I really made a mistake with you kids, and with Esme," he admitted, suddenly shamefaced. It was weird to see such an expression on his face. "My mistakes always result in you guys being harmed. I lose my temper and I hurt you whether physically, emotionally, or both," he explained grimly. "I deserve whatever Eleazar has planned for me, I assure you."

I heard what he was saying, but I still didn't quite understand and nor did I quite agree. I had to talk him out of this, especially since I was sure he didn't know what Eleazar had planned for him.

"He's using a strap, Dad, a strap!" I informed him loudly. "You don't deserve that."

I watched as his eyes widened, his face paled, and he murmured a quiet, "Oh." He stopped his packing and slowly sat down on the edge of his bed. His eyes expressed turmoil while his face was blank. He was unconsciously attempting to hide his emotions from me, but he was failing, at least to a certain degree. I could see fear, though, plain as day, and that was an expression I never wanted to see on my father's face.

"You don't deserve that, Dad," I repeated insistently. "I mean I-I've never been spanked with a strap, but I know what a belt feels like so-so"—

"I know what a strap feels like," he interrupted quietly. "It has a similar feel to a belt, so yes, it will hurt," he murmured, and I felt he was talking more to himself at this point. A grimace crossed his face, a hand running through his hair in agitation.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" I suddenly heard Mom say, and I whirled around to face her, so focused on Dad that I hadn't noticed her enter the room. I was about to open my mouth to say something when Dad lifted the block on his mind and mentally shouted, Edward Anthony Cullen, do not even think about telling her what you just told me!

I couldn't help the flinch I gave at the suddenly stern order he'd just given him, and I immediately turned to give him a mildly hurt look. I only wanted to help him. I never wanted to see my father go through something like this—not my strong, courageous, loving father.

"What did you just say to him, Carlisle?" Mom then asked, our exchange not having gone unnoticed at all.

"Edward has read all our minds so he knows what is about to happen," Dad explained, ignoring Mom's question entirely. "He is here trying to convince me otherwise."

My mother's eyes softened and she caressed my cheek softly. I frowned, giving her a look of shock. "You're okay with this? Why?" I had to ask. "I don't understand."

"You don't need to understand, son," Dad replied, and Mom sighed before responding. "Your father has his reasons, and you should respect his decision."

This was absurd. "But why?!" I exclaimed, wanting them to give me a better answer. "I don't want this, and I'm sure Bella, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie wouldn't want this either. No matter what's happened recently, you don't owe us anything, Dad. You don't have to prove anything to us."

"I know that," he stated, walking over and placing both his hands on my shoulders, "but I am not doing this for you so that I can earn forgiveness or prove anything. I am doing this so that I can forgive myself, and so that I can hopefully learn to consider my actions more carefully the next time I decide to punish any of you. In a round-about-way I suppose this is about all of you as I am trying to assure I do not let my anger get the best of me, but I am mostly doing this for me."

I heard his words and I had a better understanding of why he wanted this, but I still wasn't happy. I felt a childish stubbornness or protectiveness come over me as I told him, "I don't want you to do this. I don't want to see you in pain, it's not right. You're my dad," I finished pathetically, embarrassed yet uncaring at how pitiful I must've sounded.

Oh Edward, my beloved son, my father thought as he pulled me into a tight hug. I returned it tightly, wanting to hold onto him and keep him from going. I never liked hearing of him getting punished corporally. The first time after the incident with Emmett I had been understanding. It had been upsetting, but somehow touching to know how far he'd go to atone for his actions. The second time, though, when I'd been…gone I'd been extremely bothered by hearing what had happened. I was so upset that he blamed himself at all for anything that I'd done. Everything the family had gone through was my fault, and while I'd certainly suffered my father's wrath upon my return, I'd hated and felt guilty at the fact that he'd also suffered a similar fate a month prior.

Now here he was once more about to receive punishment, and I was part of the reason. In fact, such as with his first punishment, Bella, my siblings and I were responsible for pushing him past his limit. Our childish behavior had led to this. I felt guilty, and I felt worried. It wasn't Mom who was doling out the punishment this time, it was Eleazar. I knew Eleazar was a brother to Dad and that he loved him, but he was planning on using a strap, which Dad had been punished with quite often as a child.

"I don't want to see you hurt because we were stupid," I mumbled into his chest, keeping my arms wrapped tightly around him. "It's our fault you're guilty."

No, no, no, my little man, none of you are to blame, he thought to me. "Look at me," he spoke aloud, attempting to break apart, but still feeling childishly stubborn, I refused to let him go. "Edward," he sighed, "Please let me go and look me in the eyes."

"No, I won't let you go," I declared, and instead of continuing to fight me, my father hugged me once more, placing a kiss on my head as he fully opened his mind to me.

Read my thoughts, Edward, read my thoughts. See why I need to do this he told me mentally. I didn't want to really understand, but I couldn't help but be drawn into his thoughts. So rarely did he allow me to delve so deeply into his psyche, not since he'd learned how to block me.

Using my gift I scanned through his thoughts, witnessing the conversation between him and Eleazar earlier today along with his conversation with Mom. I'd already witnessed some of this through the others' minds, but seeing it through Dad's eyes was different. The next thoughts shocked me as they were memories from that dreaded week. They were snippets only, but I saw the absolute fury, terror, and hurt that tore through his mind the entire time. I saw how he did let his anger get the best of him, and how he had effectively shut out Mom. I saw the hurt he caused us through his eyes and it was absolutely horrifying and intriguing at the same time. I saw his growing realization and guilt at what he'd done, and I now truly understood why he needed this. I understood the gnawing pain of guilt and the need for atonement so that he could not only be forgiven, but forgive himself.

I finally released my hold and gave the man a sad yet understanding nod. He graced me with a small smile as he ruffled my hair. Thank you. I let out a huff before I then felt Mom place a hand on my shoulder. She gave it a squeeze. I know this is difficult, Edward, but you must let him do this. I turned towards her, murmuring a quiet, "I know."

We heard footsteps headed towards us, and by the gait and scent we knew it was Eleazar. Dad immediately flashed over to his bag, putting in the last of his items before hitching the backpack over his left shoulder.

"Are you ready, Carlisle?" Eleazar questioned when he was standing in the doorway.

I heard a flurry of anxious thoughts rush through my father as he calmly responded, "Yes, I'm ready."

Eleazar nodded before turning to me and greeting me with a smile. I couldn't help but glare. "If you even think about hurting my dad, I will rip you apart and feed your remains to the wolves."

"Edward, there was no need for that!" Dad reprimanded sharply, his eyes widened in surprise. "Apologize."

Like hell I will, I thought, ready to share my thoughts but Eleazar held up a hand and simply said, "I understand, Edward, Your papà will be returned to you safely in a couple days." He gave me an understanding smile, but I just looked away and let out a huff.

"Edward," my dad warned, his voice deepening, and I darted my eyes to him and decided to give him a puppy eyed stare. "I was just trying to protect you," I explained, purposefully sounding younger than I was.

He let out a scoff, rolling his eyes, completely aware of what I was trying to do. Damn. This used to work on him. I suppose having six kids had made him immune to this trick. He came up, ruffled my hair, gave Mom a kiss and then headed out the door with Eleazar. I watched them go and then turned to envelop my mother in a hug as I had heard the sudden flurry of worried thoughts that fluttered through her mind.

Carlisle's POV:

"I'm sorry about Edward or whatever it is Esme may have said to you," I immediately said to Eleazar as we walked out of the house. "I've found they can be as protective of me as I am of them."

Eleazar gave a light laugh as he picked up what looked to be a tent bag and threw it to me. "It is no problem," he reassured me. "I find their protectiveness endearing. You are very lucky to have them."

"Yes," I replied softly before giving him a questioning look about the tent. He interpreted my unasked question and held up a packaged cot while simply answering, "You'll want it. Lying on a cot away from the elements will be preferable to you than on wet ground." And with those words, he began to run. My stomach flip-flopped at his words, but I decided not to analyze them anymore as I took off after him. He was in charge right now, and I would trust that he knew what he was doing.