Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight in any way shape or form. Too bad, cuz I really, really love Carlisle… sigh.
Warning: This story contains disciplinary spanking, so if that's not your thing then don't read or flame!
A/N: Thanks for the reviews and all your opinions! Love hearing all your thoughts! So, general consensus was that Carlisle did not go too easy on Bella due to the fact that she is human. My initial thoughts leaned more towards Carlisle being too lenient, but after reading your reviews I think I may have been swayed to your side. Yikes. Since the stories already written, I really can't change what I used to think, so...hope I don't piss anybody off. :-/
Chapter 9: Down Time
Bella's POV:
I wrapped my arms around my father, burying my head into his shoulder as I sobbed.
"Shhh, shhh," he murmured softly, "I've got you little one. All is forgiven now, okay? All is forgiven," he repeated, "and I love you so much. It's alright now, everything is alright now."
He continued whispering loving and comforting words as he gently rocked me and I relished every moment. I now understood what Alice had been telling me earlier. Even though my backside ached something fierce, the guilt I had been feeling was gone. Carlisle was no longer disappointed in me, he had forgiven me, and he loved me!
I cried for a bit longer, mostly letting out all the pent up fear I had regarding this punishment before bringing myself under some semblance of control. Still sniffling a bit I remained where I was as I had no desire to move. I loved the feeling of his arms around me and the comfort and protection they offered. I took deep breaths, inhaling his soothing scent. I would have probably fallen asleep I was so relaxed if Carlisle had not shifted me so that he could see my face.
"How are you Bella?" he asked, and I was surprised by how upset he looked. Did spanking me affect him that badly? Wow.
"I'm fine Dad," I answered sincerely as I sat up straighter. He gazed into my eyes with a scrutinizing look before letting out a small breath of relief. Giving me a quick hug, he then said, "Good, I was worried that I may have…," he trailed off and I stared at him with a furrowed brow.
"May have traumatized me?" I pressed, and he gave me a sheepish smile. I was surprised to find that he had been so unsure of himself because he certainly hadn't looked or sounded like he was before or during my spanking.
"Don't worry Dad, you didn't traumatize me," I told him in a reassuring tone. "Both you and Alice were right about it not being as bad as I expected. I mean it hurt and I definitely don't want another one, but I'm fine." And it was true, I was fine. The spanking had been nowhere near as awful as I had expected it to be. It sure was embarrassing, but it was over and done with sooner than I thought it would be. I thought for sure he was going to really lay into me, especially with how I'd already gotten out of two other spankings.
"I am glad to hear that, baby," he replied appreciatively. "I certainly hated every second of it, so I hope the lesson was learned."
"It sure was," I said with an emphatic nod. "No fighting, I got it."
Dad gave me a smile before placing a light kiss on my forehead. When he pulled away I looked at him with slight embarrassment before saying, "I'm sorry about trying to wriggle away. I tried to control myself, but"—I said no more as he had placed a finger on my lips.
"Hush Bella," he said with an endearing smile. "It was your very first spanking and I would have been extremely surprised if you had not tried to evade my hand. Besides, I already punished you for doing so and you stopped when I told you to, so no apology is necessary."
"Oh, okay," I mumbled softly as I looked away.
"Alright sweetheart," my father then said, "why don't you go down and make yourself something to eat. I know you did not eat any of your lunch, so you must be pretty hungry by now," he remarked knowingly, and I immediately nodded my head. "When you are finished we can then watch a movie together, alright?"
I smiled at the thought as I once more nodded my head. "That sounds good to me." He smiled back before helping me stand up and pulling me in for another hug.
"I love you Bella," he said, and my heart warmed as I replied, "I love you too Dad."
He caressed my cheek lovingly before turning me towards the door. "Go on, I will join you shortly." I gave him a curious look to see if he would tell me what he was going to be doing, but when he just raised an eyebrow at me in response I decided I didn't really need to know. I then made my way out of his office and down the many stairs all the while rubbing the sting out of my sore backside.
Carlisle's POV:
I let out a sigh, grateful that I had caused Bella no permanent damage, be it physical or emotional. She truly seemed to have taken the punishment well, and seemed to bear me no ill will.
I supposed it was time to call Esme I thought as I pulled out my phone. I wondered what she would think of me changing Bella's punishment. Surely she would not be upset that I decided to only spank her once, or that I may have ended her spanking prematurely.
You did not end it prematurely, a part of me argued.
Well, you ended it before you had originally intended to, so… I roughly shook my head of these confusing thoughts. I needed to talk to Esme, I thought desperately.
I dialed my wife's number and she picked up before the first ring even finished. "Carlisle, my love," she greeted, "how did it go?" I smiled slightly at her concern.
"As well as expected," I responded somewhat cryptically.
"And what does that mean?" Esme asked anxiously. "Did Alice not help? Did Bella take it badly?"
"No, no, Alice's talk helped immensely, please thank her for me, and Bella took it very well. I, well I am afraid it was me who took it badly," I admitted with a good amount of embarrassment.
"You? Oh Carlisle," she said sadly, "Tell me everything."
I took in a deep breath before explaining what had transpired. When I finished explaining how I ended it sooner than I had originally intended I went silent as I anxiously waited for her response.
"What do you mean exactly when you say you ended it earlier than you had intended?" she questioned after several agonizing moments of silence.
"Well, I stopped when she gave in, meaning she had stopped struggling and was sobbing; however, she gave in a lot sooner than I had anticipated. I was only about halfway through what I had planned on giving her, but when she began to sob I could not bring myself to continue," I explained. "When I spank our other children I usually stop shortly after they give in, but none of them have ever given in so early on in a spanking."
"Why could you not continue?" my wife then asked, and I wracked my mind to try and come up with a response. "I—well, I am not quite sure. I mean I do, but I am not sure why this is," I answered lamely.
"Carlisle, you sound like the children when they do not want to explain why they misbehaved," Esme remarked in a slightly amused, but mostly confused tone.
I ran a weary hand through my hair before coming up with a more understandable response. "I am sorry my love, I am just a bit confounded by my own actions. I could not continue because I could not stand her cries, and I could not stand seeing the damage my hand was causing her. I don't know why I was so disturbed by it, but witnessing her bottom turn pink and then red because of me was upsetting."
Esme made a sympathetic noise before she spoke. "Why do you think her cries bothered you so much? You have been spanking our children for over 80 years and I have never heard of you ending a spanking because you could not stand their cries."
"I truly do not know, my love," I confessed. "I just—she looked and sounded so fragile. She was crying before I even started and it only worsened of course after I started. I heard and could see how much pain I was causing her, and then she gave in, so I-I felt the lesson had been learned."
"You were afraid of hurting her, Carlisle," Esme sighed, and I frowned before disagreeing.
"No, I knew I would not harm her," I argued. "I was in complete control"—
"You were afraid of hurting her," Esme repeated more firmly as she cut me off, and I fell silent.
"Tell me the truth, darling," Esme demanded, "If any of our other kids had reacted as Bella had, would you have still ended the spanking early?" I mulled over her question, letting out a sigh when I reached the answer.
"No," I responded reluctantly, "I would have continued until I felt they had received the punishment they deserved." I groaned quietly as I rubbed my hand over my face.
"I thought as much," my wife responded softly with a sigh. "Carlisle, I cannot believe I am saying this, but I think you were too lenient with Bella," she declared and I stared at the phone in stunned disbelief. Did I just hear right? Did my wife just tell me I had been too lenient? I had not been this shocked by my dear love since the first time she spanked one of the kids.
"Darling, are you still there?" Esme asked, and I choked out a, "Yes dear."
Silence.
"You believe I should not have ended the spanking as soon as I had?" I pressed, curious to see if I was understanding her correctly.
"Yes," she answered. "If you would not have ended it for the others, then you should not have done so with Bella. You were too soft with her."
I frowned unhappily at her words. It was so strange to have my wife telling me I should have been harder on one of our children, but that only served as further proof that I had messed up.
"I do not think," I began to say before she cut me off.
"You would not be having these doubts if you had given our daughter the spanking she deserved, so stop trying to make excuses and accept what happened," she scolded mildly. "Hopefully Bella really did learn her lesson and you will not need to re-teach it."
"But she is human, so I felt"—I attempted to defend feebly.
"Carlisle," she chided more sharply, "you are not giving our daughter enough credit. You are mistaking her human frailness for weakness of character. Bella is a very strong young lady, and while she may be physically weak compared to us, her spirit and resilience are just as strong, if not stronger. Just look at all she has been through and overcome not just since she has met us but even before. She would have handled the spanking just as well as her siblings."
I wilted slightly at her words, finally acknowledging the truth in them.
"You lost faith in yourself, my darling husband, and you allowed your fears to dictate your actions," Esme continued to explain. "I do not know why, but for some reason you seem unsure of yourself with Bella. Don't be," she demanded, "trust yourself as I trust you. You have proven to be an excellent father, so there is absolutely no reason for you to doubt yourself. Yes Bella is human, and yes she is more sensitive than the others, but then again aren't all our children different from each other?" she asked rhetorically. "Every single one of them have their own quirks and you have learned how best to deal with each of them in your own unique way. It is no different with Bella."
I absorbed her words, and mentally smacked myself for being so blind. Esme was absolutely right. I had let my baby girl get away with things I never would have allowed the others to. I had gone lenient against my better judgment because I had been afraid of how she'd react, or of hurting her. I had allowed her fears to sway me, a mistake I had never made before.
I let out a groan at these thoughts, now realizing that my decision to let Bella's recklessness go without a spanking was another result of my fear doing the talking.
"What is it?" my wife asked in concern.
Oh dear, I thought in worry. What will she think when I tell her this? "Ah Esme, I have a slight confession to make," I told her.
"A confession?" she questioned in confusion. "About what?"
"I, well, I may have allowed my fear to get the best of me once more. You see, I already told Bella that I would not be spanking her for her drinking escapade," I admitted quickly, bracing myself for the scolding that my wife was no doubt readying.
"You did what?" she asked in a deliberately slow and quiet tone. When I said nothing, she clicked her tongue impatiently before asking, "Why?"
I bit my lip before explaining. "I felt that she was repentant enough. She realized she had messed up and she gave me several genuine apologies, so I felt a physical chastisement was unneeded. I did assign her an essay though on the dangers of drinking and what consequences she should receive should she ever behave so recklessly," I informed her.
There were several seconds of silence and I anxiously tapped my finger against my leg as I waited for her to say something. "Our daughter endangers her life and you let her off with nothing more than an essay?!" she finally shrieks in astoundment. "Has the world turned upside down because for the second time today I am going to tell you that you were much too lenient with Bella."
"I know," I moaned quietly. "I messed up."
"Carlisle," she sighed, "I do not mean to chide you so harshly, but what were you thinking? If you had decided to spank Bella only once then it should have been for the recklessness. That rule is even more important for Bella to follow as she is much more prone to landing herself in danger than any other of our children combined, not to mention she is not as durable as any of them."
I let out another groan before attempting to explain my decision. "I decided to spank Bella for the fighting because she completely lost control of herself not once, but twice and with the same girl. When she confessed to me what she had done she showed no remorse, only a vindictive pleasure. This was not a trait I wanted her to continue with so I felt it the more serious matter, especially considering she had already acknowledged and apologized for the drinking."
"I understand your logic, but I still feel she deserves another spanking. However, what's done is done, so we should not dwell on it. Perhaps your punishments are sufficient for Bella to realize the gravity of her mistakes," Esme stated, and I felt relief that she was no longer upset with me.
"For both our sakes I hope she does, because I would hate to have to revisit any of these topics," I remarked.
Esme fervently agreed before telling me, "I am sorry for any distress I may have caused you, my dear. I do not mean to criticize your decisions, but I truly feel you made a mistake. I know how surreal it must seem for you to have me telling you, you should have been harsher with one of our brood, but it is what I feel."
"Esme," I said with a bit of loving exasperation, "you have no reason to apologize to me. You have all the right in the world to tell me what you feel, especially if you feel I have done wrong by our children. I have been so foolish today," I said with a good amount of shame.
"Oh darling," my wife sighed somewhat exasperatedly, "it is not the end of the world so do not be so hard on yourself. Neither one of us is perfect and we are bound to make mistakes. What you need to do now is learn from it and move on."
I smiled at her words, having some idea now of what the children felt like when they were on the receiving end of a lecture from their mother or me.
"Thank you, Esme," I said with appreciation. "I can always count on you to set me straight," I informed her with a grin she could no doubt hear in my voice.
"My pleasure, dear," she replied, and I could just imagine the smirk she was no doubt sporting. "If you do not mind," she then added, "I am going to come home tomorrow night. I get the feeling you both need me there."
I gave a sigh of relief as I replied, "It is no problem at all. I would really love to see you."
"I thought so," she remarked with a light laugh. "Very well, I will let you go so that you can enjoy the rest of the day with Bella, and I will see you tomorrow."
"I will be counting the seconds," I told her, and she gave another adorable laugh before saying, "I love you, Carlisle."
"I love you too, Esme. Goodbye," I said.
"Goodbye," she replied before hanging up.
Bella's POV:
I washed my dishes as I wondered what Carlisle could be doing. He'd said he'd be along shortly but it'd already been over half an hour. I stiffened slightly when I felt a small breeze before smiling as I turned my head to the side to see Carlisle standing next to me. Huh, speak of the devil.
"Have you decided on a movie?" he asked conversationally as he dried my dishes.
"Hello to you too Dad, and no, I haven't really given it any thought yet," I responded before yanking the towel from his hands and beginning to dry the rest of the dishes myself.
"Hi Bella," he replied with an impish grin before adding, "As long as it is not some sappy romance movie I am open to anything." He then took the towel from my hands and dried the rest of the dishes before I could so much as shout out a word in protest. I rolled my eyes before making a grab for the dishes so I could put them away, but in the blink of an eye they were all gone and I was left staring at my father who was sporting a smug look.
"You're impossible," I said with a shake of my head, which only caused his grin to widen.
"Just for that we are watching The Notebook," I then declared, and his grin immediately disappeared only to be replaced with a pitiful look.
"Awww, but Bella," he whined (yes, Carlisle Cullen actually whined), "I promise to be on my best behavior if you choose a better movie, something with a little more action or actual thought."
"Hmmm," I mumbled as I stroked my chin in mock-thought. "I don't know Dad, I'm not sure I can trust you. Besides, I'm sure you'll love the movie," I said as I gave him a smirk.
Carlisle's shoulders sagged in response before he looked at me with wide puppy-dog eyes. "Please Bella," he begged adorably. "How about Pirates of the Caribbean? That has both romance and action," he suggested as he continued to stare at me with those pleading eyes. I didn't know whether to coo at how adorable he looked or bust out laughing that he was acting more like a small boy asking for ice cream rather than a father of five—no six teenagers.
"Fine," I sighed in mock exasperation, "we can watch Pirates of the Caribbean. But let this be a lesson to you the next time you try and stop me from drying my own dishes, mister," I scolded with a shake of my finger.
"Yes ma'am, completely understood. Bella Swan washes and dries her own dishes. Lesson learned," he stated with an emphatic nod.
We looked at each other for a few more seconds before we both burst out into raucous laughter. I was laughing so hard that I had to lean on the counter so I wouldn't fall to the ground. No need to give dear old dad anymore teasing material. When we finally got ourselves under control, Dad graced me with a charming smile before holding out his right hand to me.
"Shall we, my dear," he spoke, a bit of his British accent leaking through as he gave me a small bow.
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing as I placed my left hand in his right. He gently grasped it before giving me a mischievous look and promptly picking me up and racing me into the living room.
"Hey!" I yelled before I watched as he raced in and out of the room, appearing with a blanket, soda, and candy. He then set up the movie and was casually sitting on the couch, one leg crossed over the other when I gave him a mild glare.
"Yes?" he asked with an innocent look and I just huffed before rolling my eyes and flopping down on the couch. I immediately let out a small gasp and had to resist the urge to jump to my feet. Shifting around I tried to find a comfortable position, but when your whole bottom was aching that was kind of hard to do.
"Lie down, Bella," Dad suggested and my face turned red as I hesitantly turned my head towards him. Thankfully, he was not sporting an amused or teasing look as I was sure I wouldn't be able to handle it. Instead, he was giving me an understanding and kind look as he held his arm out to me. "Lay your head on my lap. It'll be more comfortable for you, trust me," he spoke again in a gentle tone as he placed small pillow on his lap. I hesitated briefly before doing as he said. When I was settled he pulled a blanket over me and placed a kiss on the top of my head before wrapping an arm around me.
"Comfy?" he asked and I nodded my head as I gave him a grateful smile.
"Excellent," he replied as he pressed play on the movie. My movie-watching experience was quite enjoyable, the silence only being broken by our occasional questions and comments.
…"So, why don't you speak with a British accent, Dad?" I asked curiously
"Because we live in the US," he responded with a small shrug.
"Aww, but I like the way it sounds on Will Turner," I whined, and he gave an amused chuckle before saying, "Yes, Esme has mentioned it makes me sound sexier."
"Oh, ugh!" I cried out in immediate disgust. That brought up some images I really did not want to see. He immediately began to laugh as I yelled, "End of discussion! End of discussion!"…
…"I do believe you and Elizabeth Swan are related, Bella," my father mentioned, "You certainly have a lot in common."
"Meaning we're both strong, brave, smart, independent young women?" I asked with a bright smile, and he blinked at me before he hastily said, "Oh, well yes that is what I was thinking."
I narrowed my eyes at him before demanding he tell me what he was really thinking.
My dear, caring, compassionate father grinned cheekily at me before saying, "I was really thinking that you are both headstrong, stubborn, reckless, danger-magnets with lovesick boyfriends who lose all sense of reason when their damsels are in distress."
I outright glared at him after this. "You—why—how dare"—I sputtered before roughly elbowing him in the stomach. Unfortunately, all that did was cause me to hiss in pain as I tried to rub the sting out of my now injured elbow.
When I glared up at him once more he immediately morphed his amused expression into a pained one as he rubbed his stomach and let out an obviously insincere, "Ouch."…
…"Did you wear cool clothes like Jack Sparrow way back then?" I questioned.
"That is Captain Jack Sparrow, missy," he responded seriously, and I laughed before he then said, "And of course I wore cool clothes. Anything I wear automatically looks cool."
I laughed once more, nearly falling off his lap when he gave me a mildly offended look.
"What is so funny?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Nothing Emmett," I replied, bursting into even more laughter when his mouth fell open in outrage…
…"Have you ever walked under water like that?" I asked.
Dad chuckled as he shook his head. "No Bella, I cannot say that I have."
"Have you ever drunk the blood of a sea animal?" I then pressed, and he responded with a loud laugh before saying with a mischievous look, "Wouldn't you like to know."
"You have?" I said in surprise but he only shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe."
"Aww, come on Dad, tell me!" I begged, eagerly wanting to know.
He laughed again before finally answering, "Once."
I gasped before asking him how it tasted.
His eyes twinkled in amusement as he said, "It tasted fishy."…
And so it went like this through the rest of the movie and afterwards when we decided we would watch the other two Pirate of the Caribbean movies. By the time we finished our little marathon we had had many other interesting conversations, including such topics as marriage, mythical creatures, witchcraft, and even whether or not Carlisle had ever wanted to be a pirate in his youth.
"Alright, I believe it is time for bed," Carlisle announced as the credits rolled.
"You're tired already? Well, I guess it must be the old age. You go on without me, I'm gonna stay up and—Woah!" I shrieked as I found myself lifted into the air and rushed up the stairs and into Edward's bedroom.
"Change into your pajamas you cheeky little thing and then straight to bed," he ordered with a stern look, although I could see amusement in his eyes.
"Aye aye Captain," I responded with a salute, only to let out a yelp when he twirled me around and steered me towards the bathroom with a light swat.
"Alright, alright already! Sheesh! Old people are so grumpy these days," I grumbled before rapidly shutting the bathroom door shut.
"You will have to come out of there at some point, my dear daughter," I heard Dad announce before I heard him leave. I rolled my eyes at his comment, knowing he really wasn't upset with me at all.
I grinned fondly as I recalled all our teasing and bantering. I hadn't really seen this playful side of Carlisle before and I really enjoyed it. He really was a great father. He could be strict and stern, comforting and kind, but also mischievous and playful. Somehow, it made me love him even more, and it made me even more grateful that he viewed plain, boring me as a daughter. How had I gotten so lucky?
I quickly changed into my PJ's before making my way to my vampire parent's bedroom. Standing before the door I knocked before entering when I received permission. Once inside I noticed Dad was wearing black sleep pants with a light blue t-shirt.
"You actually own pajamas?" I asked in surprise, and he raised his eyebrows at me before grinning.
"Alice," he explained with a shrug of his shoulders and I laughed. "Besides, they're comfortable and Esme feels it makes us more human to wear them. Now come, it is late and you are getting up early tomorrow."
"I am? Why?" I remarked in confusion.
"You are getting up a little before I leave for work," he stated, and I let out a groan.
"That doesn't mean I have to get up," I whined. "Why can't I just sleep in?"
"Consider it part of your punishment. After you have eaten breakfast I want you to work on that essay I assigned you," he told me, and I gave him a pout.
"Come on Dad, I don't need to get up that early to finish the essay," I complained, but he just smiled and shook his head at me.
"You are not going to change my mind, little one, so get your butt in bed and go to sleep," he ordered, and I sighed before doing as requested.
After having settled myself I scooted to one edge and gave Dad a shy look before patting the spot next to me. I knew if he left me to sleep alone I would almost certainly have a nightmare, so I kind of hoped he would keep me company as he did last night. I was really embarrassed by my weakness, but he thankfully didn't look bothered or disgusted by it. Instead, he gave me a paternal grin before lying down beside me. He then wrapped an arm around me and began to hum a lovely tune.
"Sleep soundly, Bella," he whispered, and I gave him small smile before closing my eyes and falling asleep to the soothing lullaby he hummed.
A/N: Not much happening, but I needed a transition chapter. Hope you enjoyed the cute little moments between Bella and Carlisle, I certainly did! Next chapter things liven up a little with Bella's recklessness making a reappearance. PLEASE REVIEW!