Jacob's eyes watered as the soap assaulted his senses. His eyes and sensitive nose burned and then there was that God awful taste. His stomach lurched causing him to gag and cough as the suds attempted to slide down his throat.

"Don't spit it out until I tell you or we'll start over again," Carlisle warned sternly as he carefully monitored the young shifter for any signs of true physical distress.

Large sorrowful deep brown eyes pleaded with Carlisle before Jake sputtered some more while clamping his teeth down as lightly on the bar of soap as possible without letting it get away.

"Sorry to tell you this, Jacob, but that look doesn't work on me. I've had nearly a century to build up my immunity." A brief smile ghosted across the doctor's face as he shook his head at the boy's attempts to gain his sympathy.

Sulkily, Jake lowered his head as he grumbled while permitting some sud laden drool to flow pass his lips.

"Nuh-uh. There will be none of that, young man." Carlisle placed his hand under Jake's chin and gently lifted the youth's head until it was level again. "Keep your head up. We would not want someone seeing you and come to the conclusion that you are rabid, now would we?"

Jacob glared at the blonde before he closed his eyes with a growl of protest, but Carlisle noted that the boy's neck and shoulder muscles relaxed as he ceased fighting and fully submitted to enduring his punishment.

Crossing his arms, the elder called the boy's name. When the brown eyes turned to him once more Carlisle spoke softly.

"Do you think that you've learned your lesson?"

"Mmrumph."

Narrowing his eyes, he watched the boy closely. "I'm not entirely sure that I believe you; not to mention that growl really should buy you extra time. I thought that you were wise enough to know that it is never a good idea to threaten your disciplinarian. That can most certainly lead one to believe that you are not of a repentant mind set, young man."

A stream of unintelligible but desperate sounds came from Carlisle's rascally culprit.

"Hmm." Grasping the end of the bar firmly, Carlisle quietly ordered, "Let go."

Jacob didn't need to be told twice. The youth gladly spat the repulsive bar into the vampire's hand before scrunching his face up in disgust.

"Blech! Oh my God. Do you have any idea what that tastes like? Yech! That's cruel and unusual punishment. I should called CPS and the Humane Society on you. Cruelty to animals, Carlisle! Yuck."

Wiping at his tongue, the young shifter went to stand only to have a firm hand push him back down on his seat.

"Not just yet."

"Oh come on, Carlisle. Have a heart."

"Jake, you've barely had that bar in your mouth for a minute. If any of my children had found themselves in your place, their sentence would not be nearly as brief. You should consider yourself quite lucky."

The doctor placed the bar on the side of the sink and quickly rinsed his hands while the boy watched the flowing water with thinly veiled desire.

Grabbing a towel, Carlisle dried off before placing it within Jacob's reach then looked back at his captive with a soft sigh.

"I will be expecting you to mind your language from now on. I know that well ingrained habits are hard to break, but I have faith that you can over come this one. If you don't we will find ourselves right back here again. That is a promise, Jacob." Carlisle cocked a brow as he stared intently into the Quileute boy's eyes. "Mark my words well and don't test me on this."

"I won't. I'm sorry, Carlisle. I've got it. You made your point loud and clear."

"Excellent. Alright, then go ahead; rise your mouth and get cleaned up so we can take the rest of this discussion to my study. I would like to get this over as quickly as possible. I believe that you would wish the same?"

Jacob's head was under the tap in flash as he let the cool stream of water wash the worst of the soapy film away. Swishing and spitting several times he finally came up for air and dried his face before dropping the towel in the little hamper beside the sink.

"Aw, man. I can still taste it. Do you have a mint or some gum? Anything at all to kill this." He scrapped his tongue against his teeth trying to subdue the acrid flavor.

"Sorry, Jake. I'm afraid that I'm fresh out. You can use some toothpaste once we're finished upstairs. That should help," Carlisle offered sympathetically.

"Thanks. I guess I'll live."

"I never doubted that for a moment." Placing a guiding hand on Jacob's shoulder, the elder aimed him out the door, but the youth had only taken a couple of steps before he stopped and looked back at Carlisle.

"You're wrong, Carlisle."

"What am I wrong about?"

"I don't want to get this over as quickly as possible. Oh, don't get me wrong, I do want it over. It's just that..." Jake shuddered. "I don't know. I don't want to go through with it. How can I get through it when I'm afraid to begin?"

"It has already begun. This was the starting point. You've already taken that first big step. It just gets easier from here on out."

"Easier for who?"

"For both of us." Carlisle paused for a moment before adding, "and for your father."

Jacob's brow furrowed. "My father?"

Carlisle nodded. "He wants you to call him once this has all been resolved. He's worried about you, Jacob. Billy wants to make sure that you're safe."

"Oh man, more likely that he is waiting to give me an earful."

"No, Jake. He needs to know that you're alright. He's concerned about having put you in my hands and I don't blame him at all. I would feel the same if circumstances were reversed." The Cullen patriarch placed a steady hand on the boy's shoulder. "You are a young man teetering on the verge of adulthood, but you are still your father's responsibility. Billy does not cherish the idea of having to relinquish his duty towards you and have someone else act in his stead. The fact that someone else just happens to be me can only make it harder for him to bear."

Jacob could see regret and sadness reflecting in those pitch black eyes as Carlisle continued softly.

"I promised him that you would come to no harm, but it is only natural that he will want to assure himself of that fact. He is waiting for word from you to know that you are okay, so the longer we drag this out, the more anxious he'll become. If for no other reason than for Billy's sake, I would like to expedite things. Can you understand that now?"

The shifter glanced down as he nodded. "Yeah. I really fuc..."

Carlisle cleared his throat as he cocked a brow and effectively altered Jacob's word choice.

"..messed up, didn't I?"

"Well, I would not use your recent behavior as an example of the way an ideal house guest acts, but it also was not all your fault."

"I'm sorry for what was."

"I know that you are, son." Carlisle noted the pain in the boy's face before turning him back around towards the stairs at the end of the hall. "Let's go take care of that and then you can give your father a call to let him know that you survived."

Jacob moved nearly impossibly slow as they made their way up the stairs, but Carlisle was more than willing to allow the boy to set his own pace. It was easy to see the guilt beginning to weigh heavily on the youth's broad shoulders as he came to grips with his misbehavior and the trouble that it caused.

Seeing that self imposed misery on Jacob's face had nearly caused Carlisle to rescind his decision to punish the lad. The elder doubted that there was any punishment harsher than the one Jacob's conscience was already inflicting. The idea of commuting the boy's sentence to something milder was extremely tempting, but the haunted look in those warm brown eyes forced Carlisle to stand firm. Jake wasn't so different from his other children. He desired forgiveness with the exact same vigor and would have to be taken to task before he could forgive himself. It was all right there reflected in his eyes.

Carlisle sighed inwardly as he opened the door to his study and directed the youth inside, but as he followed a realization hit him. Jasper had been right all along. He did think of Jacob as one of his own. Just now he had even gone as far as to correlate the boy's reaction with those of his own children. The acceptance of his feelings for the youth along with the knowledge that he would defend Jacob from danger with the same ferocity that he did the other members of his family helped Carlisle steel his resolve to do what he knew to be right by the boy.

"Jacob, please take a seat."

Shit! Jasper was on the level. Fuck. Alright the key is not to fight him. I can do that. "Carlisle, can I ask a favor before you.. well? It's just something that I really need to do and I don't think I'm going to be in the mood after. It's kind of important."

"Of course, Jacob. What is it?"

"I need Rosalie to know something. Could you call her for me?"

"Would you like some privacy?"

"No. You need to hear this, too. Besides, I don't know that she will listen to me if you're not around to mediate."

"As long as you aren't actively trying to antagonize her, she will listen."

"Not my plan at all, but you still should stay."

Carlisle nodded. "While I go get her, make yourself comfortable. Sit, Jacob. Try to relax."

"As if."

The blonde patted his charge on the shoulder as he pointed towards the chairs in front of his desk before leaving the boy alone.

"Damn. This is like being sent to the principal's office at school." He sat down and stared at the heavy ornate dark wooden desk. "Wonder how old that is?" Looking at the polished surface a bit more closely, he noticed a number of cracks and gouges that marred the smooth finish. "Been though a war or two, haven't ya."

Unable to suppress his nervous energy, Jake got up and moved around the room marveling at the array of books, antiques and artifacts that filled the bookshelves lining the walls. Carlisle's office was brightly lit and much more comfortable than he had imagined considering how the others spoke about it.

What were you expecting? Whips and chains on the walls? He snorted as he walked over to the window and looked out into the forest. Of course not. Only rebar rods and a couple of lengths of four by fours. Maybe a set of iron manacles.

"Jacob?"

The velvet soft voice broke through his musings and caused Jake to flinch before he regained his focus. Still looking at the pane of glass, he saw the reflection of Carlisle and Rosalie standing just inside of the door way which had been closed behind them. Rose had her arms crossed and her stiff stance showed that she was on her guard as she leaned against Carlisle for support.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Jake took a deep cleansing breath before turning around to face the person he had hurt the most.

"Rose, listen, I didn't mean what I said. I was being an ass because I figured that was what you would expect of me. I never expected you to apologize and I guess that just confused me. I figured that it would be easier on both of us if nothing changed. I didn't want to hurt you.

I'll understand if you can't, but I'm hoping that you will forgive me and maybe give me another chance. I like that you keep me on my toes. It would be nice if we could maybe be friends after this is all over or at least go back to insulting each other without something like this happening again.

I am really sorry, Blondie. Can you forgive me?"

Rosalie didn't make a sound as she stared unwaveringly at the shape shifting boy. For long tense moments the only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock and Jacob's own racing heart.

Carlisle wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulders and gave her a little squeeze which seemed to break her concentration. Her eyes flickered to her father before she glanced back at Jacob while heaving a sigh.

"I'll forgive you under one condition."

Carlisle raised a brow, but before he could utter a word Jacob responded with, "Name it."

"Promise me that you'll do something about that flea infestation. Having to deal with you is bad enough, but I simply refuse to tolerate your parasites."

Rosalie turned her gaze towards her nails as she carefully considered the new color of polish that Alice had bought before she slyly looked up to find Jacob grinning at her.

"Whatever my Lady of Bleach-bottle Blondes commands," the boy stated as he graced Rose with a low bow.

"Alright you two. That's enough," Carlisle rebuked while a smile tugged at his lips. "Now kiss and make up so we can seal this deal."

"Dad, I am perfectly fine with forgiving that mongrel, but there is no way I'm going to kiss him."

"Oh come here, Rosie. Let me plant a nice sloppy one on you."

"Okay, ewww. On that note, I'm going back to my room to see if I can find some brain bleach so I can get that image out of my mind."

"I'm sure you have some in the bathroom cabinet. It's goes under the name of Clairol."

"Enough, I said. Jacob, come here." Carlisle ordered a little more forcefully.

The boy slunk over to the elder vampire and took his place next to Rosalie under Carlisle's watchful eye.

"Now, I know that you are playing, but you both also know that you need to tone it down for a while. If I have to tell you again..."

"I know, Dad. We'll cool it."

"Yeah, what she said." Jacob turned towards Rosalie and held his hand out for her to shake it. "Truce?"

"Truce." Rose took his hand without complaint and shook it firmly before pulling him into a hug as she whispered in his ear, "For now."

"Rosalie Lillian."

Quickly releasing Jacob, the beautiful blonde bounded towards the door just out of her father's reach.

"I'll just be going back to my room now, Daddy." She smiled before glancing back at Jacob with a little sorrow in her eyes. "Good luck, Jacob. I am sorry."

"Happens. Not your fault." He shrugged a bit then gave her a reassuring smile before she nodded and slipped through the door, closing it behind her.

There was silence once again in the room before Carlisle softly called Jacob's name.

"I know. Take a seat right?"

"Please."

Jacob flopped down in the leather chair and began to tap his foot nervously while Carlisle circled around his desk to take his own seat.

Leaning back in his chair, the patriarch considered the fidgeting boy for a few moments before beginning in a calm quiet tone.

"Jake, I appreciate your maturity in apologizing to Rose. It means a great deal to me that you realized your mistake and were looking for a way to make amends. I also appreciate you clarifying the reasoning behind your attitude towards Rose when her apology was offered to you. I understand how that breakdown in communication occurred even though I still don't accept that as an excuse for rudeness."

"Really wasn't making an excuse."

"I know."

Carlisle drew a breath as he struggled to come to grips with the awkward situation.

"Jacob, if you are gong to continue to stay with us, there are rules that you must abide by. As I said earlier, they are few and center around respect for each other. The banter between you and Rosalie is quite disrespectful and even though it is acceptable to the both of you, it creates stress in those around you. Within the confines of our already stress laden circumstance what wouldn't normally be much of an issue becomes explosive."

Jacob snorted. "Yeah, I get that."

"You are welcome to still joke around, but tread a bit more lightly until we're back to some semblance of normal."

The shifter nodded and Carlisle sighed inwardly in relief.

"Since you and Rose have buried the hatchet, I see no reason for this issue to be addressed any further."

"So I'm free to go? Awesome!" The Quileute began to get up, but a shake of the coven leader's head settled him back down in his chair.

"I wish it was that simple, Jacob, but your greater offensive was the fight that broke out between you and Jasper."

"Look Carlisle, Jasper and I have made nice also, so if that's the issue I think ..."

"Jacob, I am well aware that you have sorted out your differences, but the transgression itself has not been addressed. We do not physically fight with one another and the destruction that both of you are responsible for is deplorable."

"I'm pretty handy, Carlisle. I'll fix up whatever I can."

"Yes, you will. You and Jasper will be cleaning up that mess downstairs..." A thought suddenly occurred to the elder. "You don't happen to know how to replace window glass do you?"

"I do, Papa. Just order the pane and I'll fix it."

With a low groan, Carlisle rubbed his eyes while leaning his head back against the chair.

"Jasper, I was not aware of the fact that you had been included in this conversation."

"Dang, Jazzman. You have just seriously f-ed up big time. Dude, you are so not supposed to let on that you're listening. Don't you know...OW. Rosie, what did you do that for?"

Carlisle dropped his hand from his eyes and was rather surprised to see a grin on Jacob's face.

"I am sorry for the interruption, Jake. It would appear that MY CHILDREN have forgotten their manners. They know that it is only common courtesy to be considerate of others and not listen in on conversations that don't pertain to them."

Soft music could suddenly be heard drifting down from Edward's room as the mind reader switched on his CD player.

The voices fell silent before Emmett quietly injected, "Sorry, Jake. Didn't mean to be butting in, Dude. I'll just be... Gaming. Yeah, that will work. Jazz, up for some one on one?"

"Um..."

Carlisle ground his teeth while bowing his head to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Go on, Jasper just don't become too involved since you have work to do."

"Yesh, Sah."

Jacob smirked and gave a short snort drawing Carlisle's attention.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Jacob, if you have something to say you are welcome to say it or at least enlighten me on where you find humor in this situation."

"It's not the situation really. I know that I'm in it pretty deep and after hearing... Trust me, I know that this isn't going to be fun, but after what Alice told me... It's just that I know that Jasper just got a little shaken and it is funny that you can do that.

The Pack sees you as a pushover. They respect your position as leader, but don't see you as a threat at all. Jasper is a threat. Hell, Jasper is considered The Threat. I know that no one would ever admit to being scared of a vampire, but Jasper makes them all worry a bit more and they really don't want to mess with him unless they have to. But here you are making him all jumpy.

It's just really ironic, Carlisle. I know better, but someone else would think that you ruled with an iron fist or something, which is just hogwash."

"No iron fist needed. Pops there rules with a cold steel palm."

"Em-mett!" Carlisle growled at his son's interruption.

"Holy crap! Did I say that out loud? OW! Babe, would you quit pinching me? You're going to leave a bruise even if you can't see it."

The bruin's outburst was followed by a few seconds of angry mumblings that were too quiet for Carlisle to make out. The sounds of doors opening and closing quickly followed only to give way to the blaring racket of a video game battle which rapidly drowned out Edward's melody.

I never expected this to be easy, but this is just beyond the pale.

Satisfied that his offspring were now more fully engaged in their distractions, Carlisle returned to the matter at hand.

"Now where were we? Ruling with an iron fist. That is actually the way the majority of Covens are maintained, but that was never what I wanted. It goes right back to respect. I respect my family members as the unique individuals that they are. I want them to be able to freely express themselves instead of cower when I walk by. I never could understand the appeal of that sort of total control."

Carlisle thought back to the Brothers in Volterra and shook his head sadly.

"Maybe I'm just too lazy to maintain that sort of control because you must always be on your guard in that situation. It's much easier to lead a group of people whose respect you've earned than whose servitude you command through force. Eventually the tyrant will find himself either ruling a kingdom of one or reduced to serving another once a stronger foe rises to the challenge and dethrones him."

Jake scratched his head as he considered Carlisle's logic then nodded.

"I get that. It's the same way for an Alpha. You have to keep an eye on your flank because there is always someone just waiting for that moment of weakness so they can challenge you. Everyone wants to be the leader because they think it's all glory, but really the responsibility is hard as hell."

The elder cleared his throat and received a quiet "my bad" in return.

"That sort of absolute power is difficult to maintain, so when Edward came into my life I had to make a decision as to what I wanted; what sort of man I wanted to be and how I wanted my Coven to be structured. The results of that decision are what you see today.

I didn't want a Coven. I wanted a family. I wanted loyalty born of love and trust instead of dictated by fear. I've been blessed to find extraordinary individuals who share my vision. We respect each other and have grown to love one another. They all know that I would lay down my life to defend them as I know that they would do the same for me."

Jacob glanced down at his hands as his mind wandered over recent events before formulating the question that continued to nag him.

"If you guys really are the family that you claim to be, then why is Jasper scared of you?"

Carlisle found himself baffled by the question.

"He is not scared of me, Jake. Believe me, I would be the first to know if he was." Thoughts of his son's projected emotions dominated his thoughts as he quickly searched for a reason behind Jacob's assumption.

"But he is. He gets nervous. His voice changes. He becomes timid instead of the monster badass that he comes across as at any other time. I mean, come on, Carlisle," Jacob scoffed. "You would have to be blind to not see that as fear. Jasper is freaking scared to death of you."

Carlisle rubbed his temple and slowly released a held breath before responding.

"What you are misreading as fear is mainly remorse." A glance into the boy's eyes told the doctor that Jake didn't understand the distinction. "When you love someone, Jake, you want them to be pleased with you, don't you? You enjoy praise from your father; from Bella."

"Yeah."

"My relationship with Jasper is no different. Now ask yourself how you feel when you know that you've been caught doing something that you know to be wrong? When Billy has caught you up to mischief, were you scared of him?"

"I was scared of what he would do to me."

"Ah, but were you scared of him personally?" Carlisle raised his hand quickly to stop Jacob before he could respond. "Let me make this easier. Downstairs and then also when we came in here, you were nervous. You appear to have calmed down some since we've been talking, but when you first walked through that door over there, did you fear me?"

Jacob took his time before he answered with conviction. "I was scared, still am, but it's not you that I'm scared of. Guess it's the same as with my dad. It's what you're planning on doing that puts me on edge."

"It's the unknown that bothers you."

"More like the known; like I know that it's going to hurt like hell."

Carlisle clicked his tongue as he gave Jacob a disparaging look.

The boy groaned, growing exasperated with Carlisle's disapproval. "I'm trying, but it's going to take time."

"Do you require more incentive?" The vampire leaned forward and rested his hands on the desk as he interlaced his fingers while his expression turned dead serious.

"No." Jacob pressed his back further against the chair as his foot began to tap again. "I'm good."

Carlisle held the boy's gaze for several seconds before he allowed his body language to relax back into a neutral tone.

"Jake, you've been spanked before, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Then you know the pain is fairly fleeting and often quite cathartic. I can assure you that while yes, it will hurt, no harm will come to you. My children know this as well so punishment is something unpleasant that is to be avoided, but it's not frightening. I have given them no reason to fear punishment at my hand because they know what to expect and they have no reason to fear me."

Once again a disembodied voice filtered into the room. "Unless you get ignorant with Esme, right Jazz? Ouch! That was my head, Rose. What are you trying to do? Knock my brain out?"

"Aint like you've been using it anyway, Bro."

"Oh very funny, soldier boy. Let's see how you like it?"

The sounds of mild fighting erupted from the room across the hallway.

Jacob watched Carlisle close his eyes and bow his head almost like he was praying before the elder rose to his feet.

"Please excuse me for a moment, Jake."

"Sure thing." The shifter's interest was piqued as the patriarch stepped out of the room and disappeared for a moment.

"Now you've done it, you buffoon."

"Me? You were the one who started it!"

"How did I start it? You are the one who can't keep his big mouth shut."

Jacob jumped when two loud cracks silenced the argument and within seconds Carlisle was back at the study door. "Ten minutes. Rose, please time them and let them know when they can leave their corners. Boys, you may resume your game playing after that provided that you behave yourselves. If I have to come in there again, I will have no other option, but to separate you. Understood?"

"Yesh, Sah."

The blonde waited for a second.

"Emmett?"

"Got it, Pops."

Carlisle stood in the doorway and cradled his head in his hands as he sneaked in a few precious moments of calming quiet before lifting his head to look back at his main miscreant.

"If they were frightened of me, logic would dictate that they wouldn't act up like that."

"Can't argue." Jake held his hands up in mock surrender. "You win."

Carlisle gently closed the door then crossed his arms as he leaned back against the door frame.

"Jacob, I believe that we have delayed the inevitable quite long enough. While we are waiting for the Gods of War to return to their virtual destruction, let me explain my method with you so that there are no surprises."

Jake could feel his cheeks heating up with embarrassment at just the thought. "Don't think there is much to explain. You're just going to wail on my butt. Pretty straight forward."

Carlisle smiled slightly. "I wouldn't have used that exact term, but you do have the basic idea."

"Um?" The youth swallowed hard and averted his gaze suddenly as embarrassment and nerves got the better of him.

"It's okay, Jacob. What to you want to know? You can ask me anything."

"Jasper said ... " His eyes abruptly locked on Carlisle's as he rapidly spoke. "How bad was I?"

The elder pushed himself off the wall and walked over towards the boy as he softly spoke. "Well, Jacob, why don't you tell me what you see as instances of your misbehavior?"

Jake rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Hate this." Drawing a deep breath and lowering his gaze again to stare at the floor he began to tick off his less then proud moments.

"I treated Rose like shit."

"Language, mo buachaill. I shouldn't have to keep telling you this. Repetition is not something I'm fond of."

The stern hard look in Carlisle's onyx eyes caused Jacob to shudder. "But it's true."

"And you have already made amends for that particular transgression. Continue."

"I've sworn...a lot."

"Yes, you have and while I thought we had fully addressed that downstairs, you now have me questioning my effectiveness." Reaching out, Carlisle placed a finger beneath Jacob's jaw and raised the boy's head until he caught his eyes. "However, if you can mind your tongue for the rest of the night we will call that offense wiped off your slate as well."

"I'll try."

"You'll do more than try, young man."

Jacob nodded as he found himself once again feeling like he had been caught acting up in school and was back in the principal's office.

"Anything else?" Carlisle cocked his head to the side as he carefully gauged the boy's growing trepidation.

"Broke that rule about not fighting in the house."

"Not physically engaging other family members at all," Carlisle quietly corrected as he watched anxiety give way to confusion.

"Your family members."

"And yours as well. At least that is how we feel about you."

"What the..."

"Jacob, you are as much a part of this family as Bella is. We all care a great deal about you even if some show this is their own unique ways. Realize that I am not looking to replace your family in any way, but you are very much an extension of ours. We have already fought at each other's side. Now just know that any one of us will fight to the death to protect you."

AN: Somehow I doubt that Jake will actually appreciate that the Cullens have his back, not at this point anyway, but at least now he knows where he stands. I really thought that I was going to get him and Carlisle through this tanning in this chapter, but Jake's brothers-to-be had other plans. I simply could not get them under control. I thought about just cutting the interruptions out then decided to just trust the that the characters know what they are was suppose to be on the lighter side anyway.

Many many thanks to all of my wonderful readers. You guys are simply the best. My undying heartfelt thanks to my fabulous beta. Poor Splinter has to put up with a great deal of stupidity right now as my new computer and I battle it out. Could not do this without her. Stupid computer. I thought new was supposed to be better. Pfft.

Well, come the next chapter Jake will finally learn that while Carlisle is compassionate, the Pack certainly pegged him wrong as a pushover. ;-)