Warning: Contains non-sexual spanking. Don't like, don't read, don't flame.
Disclaimer: Do not own Twilight in any way shape or form.
A/N: Ok, first off I just wanna give another thanks to all of you who are enjoying the fic and reviewing. Secondly, to those who decide to flame me because of the spanking part, notice that every chapter had a warning, as well as the summary. If you know you don't enjoy reading discipline fics, then why do you bother to continue reading? This is fiction, and I never said I condoned or encouraged anything in real life, so lay off.
Chapter 14: Mom is Home and She is Not Happy
Carlisle's POV:
The rest of the day had passed by quickly and uneventfully. Bella and I had relaxed, watching movies and playing games. My devious daughter had even coaxed me into playing one of boys' Wii games, and to my eternal embarrassment, I lost. Who knew virtual tennis could be so difficult, or that my clumsy daughter could pull off such graceful moves. I honestly don't know what those kids find so entertaining about those games, but it had made Bella smile and laugh, and I had enjoyed seeing her so relaxed and carefree. She no longer had the haunted look in her eyes, or the look of someone who was carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Right now she was sleeping soundly in her room alone. I felt tonight would be a good time to test whether or not her nightmares were gone yet. As I sat in my office working on paperwork, I focused intently on her room, listening for any hint of a whimper or change in heart beat.
Rubbing a hand over my face, I froze when I heard the sound of a car coming up the driveway. I quickly ran downstairs to find out who it was, and became confused when I heard the girls. They weren't due back for another few days, I thought. With a sense of foreboding, I realized that Alice must have seen something for them to have come home early.
I began walking towards the door when in burst my loving wife looking quite upset. Uh oh, I thought worriedly. Following closely behind her were Alice and Rosalie, who looked at me concernedly
"Carlisle Cullen, what has been going on?" Esme demanded, looking at me somewhat angrily. "Alice saw that you had to punish Bella, and saw you mentioning that Bella had almost died! Is this true, and if so, why have you not called me?" she asked outraged. Before I could open my mouth though, she continued. "Is she alright? What happened? Is she here? I have to go see her!" she said while promptly running up to Edward's room.
A little stunned by her abrupt arrival and departure, I looked at my daughters who were both wearing worried expressions. Alice came up to me in near tears and asked, "What happened Dad? Is what you said true?" Nodding my head at her, she then promptly burst into tears.
"Oh Alice", I said, wrapping my arms around her, "Bella is fine now, so there's no need to cry angel".
"But it's my fault!" she choked out. "I should've kept a better eye on her! I could've stopped any of this from happening! I'm a horrible psychic and sister!" she cried out.
Wrapping my arms around her more tightly, I did my best to console her. "Alice, my angel, you are not at fault. There was nothing you could have done to have prevented this, and it is not your job to keep tabs on every member of this family." Lifting her head up, I then leaned down to look into her eyes. "And you are a wonderful sister to Bella, never think any different. She does not blame you and neither do I", I told her sincerely, wiping the venom tears that slid down her face.
Nodding her head at me, she then looked at Rosalie, who gave her a partly exasperated, partly amused look while saying, "I told you it wasn't your fault Alice." I gave my eldest daughter a proud look, causing her to give me an embarrassed smile in return.
"So what did happen Dad?" she then asked in concern.
I shook my head at her while sighing. "Let's wait for your mother to come down and then I will explain", I told her tiredly.
Abruptly, my wife appeared at my side, looking slightly more relaxed. She then looked at me knowingly and wrapped her arms around me. I gladly accepted the hug, needing all the comfort she could give me. Breathing in her scent, I allowed it to wash over my senses. I stifled a moan when she pulled away and gave me a serious look. "What happened Carlisle? Our daughter looks as though she's been through hell, and so do you."
"I'll explain everything I can" I assured them, while guiding them towards the living room. Taking my familiar spot, I took an unnecessary breath, wondering where to begin. Esme sat down next to me, taking my hand in hers.
"I'm not going to go into detail, for much of this story is Bella's to tell," I explained, while my wife gave me a look saying that I had better explain everything to her later.
"Bella has been suffering from severe nightmares for several weeks now. They have taken a toll on her health. The nightmares were quite disturbing and made Bella have many doubts about her place in our family", I explained.
"Oh Bella," Esme moaned in pain, while my daughters motioned for me to continue.
"A few days ago, Bella had a particularly horrific nightmare that caused her to panic. She got into her car and went for a drive with no idea of where she was going." The girls groaned out loud at this. "That is so Bella," Alice said sadly.
"What happened next?" Esme asked nervously.
I closed my eyes, watching the horrible scene once more, until a hand on my face caused me to open them. Esme was softly caressing my cheek, giving me an encouraging nod. Taking another breath, I continued the explanation. "As I have told you earlier, these nightmares had caused Bella's health to suffer. She was severely exhausted, and at some point while she was driving, she fell asleep."
The girls all gasped out loud at this, looking at me with wide eyes. "I had come to Bella's house shortly after she had left, looking for her. When I realized what she was doing I quickly set off in search for her. When I found her, she was fast asleep in her car that was halfway into the left lane of oncoming traffic, and there was a truck headed right for her. The driver was busy searching for something in his car, so paying no attention to the road. I screamed for Bella to wake up, and then ran as fast as I could to her, pulling her vehicle out of the way in the nick of time," I finished quickly. I felt no need to expand, for the girls had obviously caught on to what I had not said; that Bella would have died had I not been there.
I could feel Esme shaking, so I pulled her towards me, caressing her soft hair as she cried into my shoulder. I looked at my daughters, who both had tears in their eyes. "Bella is fine now", I said to reassure them. "She has been staying here since that night and we have had several illuminating conversations. She has not had any nightmares these past few nights, and is well on her way back to recovering her health."
My words seemed to soothe them, for they all began to calm and bring themselves back under control. I looked at my wife, who gave me a look saying she needed to know the full details, and she needed to know them now. Glancing at my daughters, they seemed to get the hint, because they both had the sudden urge to go hunting.
Once they had left, I softly nuzzled my face against my wife, gaining the strength I would need to repeat the events of the past few days. As I explained the events, she cried as she heard about the contents of our daughter's nightmares, and of how our daughter could ever think that we would be better off with her dead. She smiled when I told her I had convinced our daughter that she would always be a part of our family, no matter what, and became absolutely outraged when I told her of Bella's disrespect and defiance. However, she calmed once I told her how I handled the situation, telling me that she was in full agreement with my punishment. Like me, my wife cannot stand it when any of our children are disrespectful, and has made no secret of that. I then explained to her the events of a few days ago, and what had caused Bella to act so foolishly. Her face took on a pained expression as I recounted the events in more detail. I then finally explained the punishments I had come up with, and looked at her somewhat nervously, waiting for her opinion.
Noting my anxiousness, my wife smiled and me and pecked me on the lips. "Oh Carlisle, my love, do not worry so. I agree completely with how you punished our daughter; she deserved every stinging swat. Her penchant for putting herself in life threatening situations scares me, and anything that may curb that desire is fine with me."
Sighing in relief, I relaxed into her embrace, burying my head into the side of her neck. Now it was my turn to seek comfort, but once again, it seemed like my wife had other things on her mind. Moaning out loud as she pushed me away, I winced slightly at the glare she was now giving me.
"We are not finished yet, darling husband of mine", she said seriously. "What I want to know now is why you did not contact me. This was a very serious situation and you should have at least called to inform me of what had occurred. If you did not want me racing home, then you could have told me, but I do not appreciate being left in the dark!"
Cringing, I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off.
"Our daughter almost died Carlisle! Did you not think I deserved to know this? I would have understood you not calling me had Bella only gotten into some childish mischief, but this was not", she angrily hissed at me. "I should have been here to help her!" she shouted before abruptly standing up and turning her back on me.
Guilt wracked me as I desperately thought of how to explain myself. Standing up, I slowly made my way over to my wife and touched her lightly on the shoulder, causing her to turn and face me. Taking her hands in mine, I stared into her angry and hurt eyes and said softly, "Esme, I am so sorry, and you are absolutely right; I should have called you. I never meant for it to seem as though you were not needed, or that I did not think you could help." Esme sighed softly and some of the anger began to leave her.
"I know she is our daughter, and not just mine, but I honestly was unsure of how to deal with the situation, and I felt that involving more people would cause more harm than good. Bella was being extremely stubborn and reluctant when it came to discussing anything with me, and I felt that if I involved more people she would just shut down", I told her as sincerely as possible.
Letting go of her hands, I ran one of them through my hair, finally revealing some of the fear and frustration I had felt over the past few days. "I was so scared Esme," I whispered to her quietly, "that we were going to lose her, and that thought has been plaguing me for days. I cannot get the images of what almost happened out of my head," I admitted painfully, turning my head away.
"Oh Carlisle," my wife said, gently turning my head back towards her.
Leaning into her touch, I continued speaking. "I was also extremely angry at myself for not having seen what was happening to Bella. I was angry for having allowed it to get to this point." Esme wrapped her arms around me, allowing me to bury my head into her soft hair.
Pulling away from me, she then placed both her hands on the sides of my face and looked me in the eyes. No longer did her eyes show anger and hurt, but understanding and love. "Carlisle, you do not have to explain anymore to me, I understand. But I want you to know, that all you were feeling was all the more reason for me to have been here. We could have dealt with this together, and I could have reassured you that what happened was in no part your fault. I could have reassured you that there was nothing more to fear for Bella was safe with us, and we were not going to let her go until we were sure she was absolutely fine," she explained to me, before placing a kiss on my lips.
I responded hungrily, pulling her closer to me and putting all the love I felt for her into the kiss. God, how foolish I had been and how lucky I was to have such a loving, caring, and understanding wife such as her.
Pulling away, I looked her in the eyes and said softly, "I do not know what I would do without you Esme Cullen. You are my everything, and without you I would be nothing. Thank you for being such an understanding and loving wife".
Esme laughed softly, causing my heart to flutter at the sound. "I love you too, my wonderful and adoring husband", she told me lovingly, while running her hand softly through my hair. I closed my eyes at the soothing gesture, but opened them immediately when I heard the sound of an increasing heartbeat. Esme's hand stilled, and we both glanced upward before looking at each other. We then heard a loud voice say, "No!" and then a cry of pain which caused us to immediately run into our daughter's room.
Upon arriving, we turned on the light to find Bella on the floor with blankets tangled around her legs, staring up at us with wide eyes.
Bella's POV:
I stared up at my parents, completely mortified at them finding me tangled up on the floor like this. Kicking my legs, I desperately tried to untangle myself, only to groan in pain as I rolled onto my aching backside. My parents immediately came over to assist me, and as my father untangled my legs, my mother picked me up.
Looking at Mom, I wondered how long she had been here, and how much she knew. "Are you alright sweetheart?" She asked kindly.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I quickly assured her, while avoiding her gaze. "I just, um, fell out of bed," I explained lamely.
"Were you having a nightmare Bella?" my father asked in concern.
I glanced at my mother, noting she was not surprised at the question. So she knows, I thought. Blushing, I looked at Dad and said, "Yeah, but it wasn't one of the bad ones". When he raised a questioning eyebrow at me, I quickly expanded. "It's not like the ones I've been having. It's just… it was just about what happened in Italy", I explained softly, while staring at my feet.
I then felt cold fingers lifting my chin, and looked into the concerned eyes of my mother. "Do you want to tell us about it?" she questioned.
I was about to shake my head, when I thought about how talking had seemed to help with the other nightmares. Looking at both my parents, I then wondered if I was comfortable speaking about them in front of Mom. Perhaps, thinking the same thing, she caressed my cheek softly and said, "If you would like to tell only your father, I can leave sweetie". When I didn't immediately respond, she made her way to leave but I quickly grabbed her hand and exclaimed, "N-no, please stay Mom!" I knew she cared for me just as much as Dad, so if I could talk to Dad about my nightmares, then I could talk to her about them too.
Giving me a loving smile, that only a mother could give, she then led me over to my bed. Dad then sat himself on the bed and pulled me onto his lap, making sure to avoid any contact with my backside. Mom sat across from me, and taking my hand, gave me an encouraging smile as Dad kissed the top of my head.
Taking a breath, I thought back on the nightmare I had been having, shuddering slightly at the memories. Noticing my shudder, my parents immediately wrapped a blanket around me, thinking I was cold. I was touched by their concern, and reveled in the care they were giving me.
"The nightmare was about when Edward, Alice, and I were with the V-Volturi", I began quietly, knowing they would be able to hear me perfectly fine. "Aro had just tested his gift on me, to see if it worked. It hadn't, and I'm pretty sure he wasn't as happy about that as he portrayed," I said, swallowing nervously.
"Why do you think that?" my father asked warily.
"B-Because he turned to Jane then and asked her to try out her gift", I spat out venomously, "on me". Mom gasped at this point, covering her mouth, as Dad stiffened, pulling me closer to him. I stared at my mom, confused by her reaction. Hadn't Alice or Edward told them about his?
"Didn't you guys already know about his? I thought Alice said she had told you everything," I asked them.
Mom shook her head at me, while Dad said in a stiff voice, "No, we were not informed of this".
Glancing up at him nervously, I saw that his jaw was clenched and his eyes closed. I wondered whether I should continue or not.
"Did it work?" my mother asked sadly, rubbing my hand comfortingly.
"No," I told her quietly, watching as she sighed in relief. Not wanting to continue, but wanting to get it off my chest, I then said, "But it worked on Edward when he got in the way".
Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth as she moaned, "Oh Edward". Behind me, I felt and heard as my father's chest rumbled with a ferocious growl. "Damn you Aro!" he hissed angrily.
Startled by his outburst, I froze in place, wondering if I should've just kept my big mouth shut. I seem to have really upset the both of them, I thought worriedly. Noting my frozen state, Mom hissed something at Dad who immediately relaxed and wrapped his arms around me.
"I apologize Bella for frightening you. I should not have reacted so strongly," he told me quietly.
"It's fine, no big deal. You were angry, so your reaction was understandable," I said consolingly.
Shaking his head at me, He said, "No, it wasn't. I should have had better control of myself because I could have easily hurt you without meaning to".
Understanding, I just nodded my head at him.
My mother then grabbed my attention by saying, "So Jane used her ability on Edward…"
Nodding my head jerkily, I winced at the memory. "It was so horrible," I whispered quietly. "He was in so much pain, but he wouldn't make a sound. I kept shouting at Jane to stop and to do it to me, but she wouldn't listen!" I said, getting louder. "And to make it worse, she had this stupid little smirk on her face the entire time!" I yelled, breathing heavily.
Mom caressed my cheek soothingly, wiping at my traitorous tears as Dad held me more tightly. "It's not your fault Bella," my mother said kindly, but firmly. I stared at her, recalling the conversations I had had with Dad. Sighing, I looked down at my hands, saying, "I know Mom, but that doesn't make it any easier. I just wish there was something I could have done to help. I never want to see Edward in pain like that again," I told her brokenly
Dad then let me go so that Mom could pull me into her arms. As she whispered loving words to me, my father said, "We promise you Bella that we will never allow something like this to happen again. If the Volturi ever consider harming any of you again, they will regret it", he said fiercely. I stared up at him and caught a glimpse of how dangerous he really could be. Reassured that he meant what he said, I nodded my head while leaning against my mother contentedly.
Esme's POV:
I held my daughter, while staring up at my husband's hard face. Carlisle was extremely protective of his family and I knew he meant every word he said. He may not like fighting, but that doesn't mean he is not capable of fighting, and if pushed too far, he would be a force to be reckoned with. Wrapping my arms around my daughter protectively, I hoped to God we would never have to go through with the promise.
I was about to say something to Carlisle when Bella spoke first. "Dad, your eyes are pitch black again," she said in concern, and somewhat guiltily. Carlisle looked at her, frowning. "I just hunted yesterday," he said quietly.
I widened my eyes at his statement. These past few days must have been extremely stressful and trying for him to need to hunt so soon. "Carlisle, you should go hunt, we will be fine here," I told him reassuringly.
He looked at me before glancing at our daughter. Sighing, he tiredly rubbed a hand over his face before nodding his head at me. My poor husband, I thought; he puts too much on himself.
Giving us a small smile, he stood up and said, "Very well ladies, I know arguing with you two is a losing battle, so I will go hunting." Giving me a kiss on the cheek, he then kissed the top of Bella's head, saying "Behave," before leaving.
Looking down at my daughter, I said, "How about we get you back into bed sweetie".
"M'kay," she responded quietly, shifting herself until she was lying under her covers. As I went to tuck her in though, she abruptly sat up. I gave her a curious look to which she blurted out, "Did Dad tell you what happened?"
I frowned lightly, nodding my head at her.
"Everything?" she asked with wide eyes.
Once more I nodded, causing her to lower her head ashamedly. She is expecting me to be angry, I thought sadly.
"Bella, look at me," I told her, tapping her under the chin lightly. She slowly raised her head, looking at me with a wary expression, causing me to smile. She looked like a little girl who just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
"Sweetheart," I said, chuckling softly, "I am not angry with you, so you can relax". I watched as most of the tension left her body, and she gave me a small smile.
"So you're not going to lecture or punish me?" she asked slowly and nervously.
I frowned once more, considering her question. Sighing, I looked at my nervous daughter. "Bella, I am sure your father has said everything that needed to be said, and I know he already punished you," I said, causing her to blush in embarrassment.
"However," I continued, "since you brought it up, there are a few things I would like to say". My daughter nodded her head at me, her heart beating in anticipation.
"The most important thing I would like to say is that you are to never behave so recklessly again", I told her firmly. "I was so terrified when Alice told me you had almost died. I am sure your father has already mentioned this, but I want you to hear it from me". Taking her hands in mine, and leaning close to her I said, "Bella, my lovely daughter, I love you as if you were of my own flesh and blood, and if anything bad were to happen to you I don't know if I would ever recover. I have lost a child once, and I could not bear the thought of losing another, so promise me that you will take better care of yourself in the future, and start thinking before you act," I asked of her.
Bella looked up at me with tears in her eyes. "I promise Mom, and I love you too," she said tearfully, wrapping her arms around me. I returned the hug, savoring the moment.
When we pulled away, I gave my daughter a stern look, causing her to lean away from me slightly. Holding up a finger, I then said, "The second thing I would like to discuss, my dear, is your attitude". Bella blushed once more, while looking at me with wide, guilty eyes.
"Isabella Marie Swan, when your father told me of how you had acted, and of the things you said to him, I could not believe my ears. I have told you before that I would not stand for such blatant disrespect, did I not?" I questioned her.
Shrinking, she nodded her head at me, "Yes ma'am".
"Then what exactly were you thinking when you openly defied him and said such foul things?" I asked her. I still could not believe what Carlisle had told me of how Bella had acted and of what she said to him. I knew she could be stubborn and temperamental, but this was crossing a line.
I watched as my daughter bit her lip nervously and heard as her heart rate kicked up. "I'm waiting young lady," I told her sternly.
Looking up at me, she then said, "Oh Mom, I'm so sorry for how I acted, I swear! I was stupid and childish, and I am so ashamed of myself! I don't know what I was thinking, but I'm so sorry and I swear it will never happen again," she finished, looking up at me earnestly.
I sighed, running a hand through Bella's hair to soothe her. "I know you are sorry Bella, but the fact is you should never have acted like that in the first place. I am very disappointed that you would treat your father so disrespectfully, especially after everything he has been doing for you this past week."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she bowed her head. "I know, please forgive me," she pleaded, looking me in the eyes.
My heart ached seeing my daughter so upset. "I've already forgiven you sweetie," I told her kindly, brushing away a few stray tears from her face. She looked at me in relief before wrapping her arms around me. I returned the hug, rubbing her head comfortingly.
I then pushed her away slightly and looked her straight in the eyes. "I have forgiven you Bella, but let me be clear with you. You have accepted Carlisle and I as your father and mother, and as such, we deserve to be treated as such. You do not have to agree or like everything we say or do, but you are to never treat us with such disrespect or speak to us in the manner you spoke to your father. Your father was quite lenient when it came to your attitude this past week, but that was only because of the stress you were under, so I would learn to watch my temper if I were you because that leniency ends now. I warn you, that if you act in such a way from now on we will be quick to reel you back in and I promise that you will not like what we do. So", I said tapping my daughters mouth, "watch your mouth if you do not want a repeat experience of your father's punishment".
My daughter quickly nodded, before leaning against me tiredly. "Now, enough talk, it is time for bed," I said before tucking her in. As I brushed a few strands of hair out of her face, she looked at me and quietly said, "I'm sorry for scaring you and Dad, I didn't mean to. I promise never to scare or worry you guys again".
I smiled at her, knowing how impossible that task would be. "Never say never, sweetheart. All I ask is that you try your best. Now get some sleep baby, I love you," I told her.
She closed her eyes and mumbled, "I love you too Mommy, and thanks for taking me into your family".
My heart glowed warmly at her words. "Thank you for accepting us as your family Bella", I whispered to her as she fell asleep.
A/N: Awwww, that was so freaking cute! I wish I had a mommy like Esme! Well, what'd you think of this chapter? I definitely liked how Esme got all angry with Carlisle for not calling her. Let me know what you think by REVIEWING!