Jasper balls his hands into fists, shuts his eyes, clenches his jaw as the sound of Carlisle's belt smacks against Edward's backside. Edward tries hard to hide the fact that he's crying, but his sniffles and moans of discomfort are obvious to everyone in the room. No one expected any less, though.
"Dad, please! I won't do it again!" He begs Carlisle with a shaky voice.
"And I'm going to be sure of that." Carlisle answers. His tone is firm, but at the same time, even and calm. Of course, Jasper knows it's all a ploy- whooping his boys like this is tearing him up right now. But to Edward and Emmett, Carlisle is still being seen as the always calm, always in control father. He doesn't want his boys to know that he's shaken from their behavior. There's been so much yelling, so much punishment being dished out lately, that it would be too easy for him to show that their actions have made him question his ability to keep his boys in line. But apparently, some old school discipline is sending them back to that line.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Edward cries out. "I'll behave!"
"You're being punished, Edward. It is not the time to be talking."
Carlisle continues for another minute before Edward completely breaks down. He drops to his elbows on Carlisle's desk, holds his head in his hands. He cries out loud and doesn't care that Jasper and Emmett are there to witness it. He just can't take it anymore. Not only is the physical pain overbearing, but the emotional pain of now understanding how angry Carlisle is with him is making him want to just fall into his father's arms and beg for forgiveness.
Another minute goes by and Carlisle sets his belt on his desk and demands that Edward find a corner to bury his nose in. Edward does what he says, wiping venom from his mouth as he hustles away from the desk. Carlisle watches him for a moment. Jasper can feel Carlisle's heartache so strongly that it makes him wince. Carlisle knows exactly what he's doing to Edward and Emmett. He's breaking their spirits, and it kills him to do so. Spirit breaking is something coven leaders do, not good fathers, but at the end of the day, if he had to choose between breaking Edward and Emmett or losing his family to the Volturi, he'd choose the first option every time. It would be decided with a heavy heart, nonetheless. But if it's what he has to do every fifty years or so to keep his stubborn teenage boys from drawing attention that could be deadly, then so be it.
"Emmett." Carlisle says, turning to the only boy left on the couch. With a curl of his finger, Carlisle convinces Emmett to replace Edward's position at the desk. With a groan, he slaps his hands on the cold wood and braces himself. Edward has always been known for his theatrical performances during a punishment, but Emmett knows that his brother's reaction is pure and one hundred percent genuine.
Emmett tenses his shoulders once Carlisle places his hand on Emmett's lower back and mentally prepares himself for the breakdown he knows he's going to face.
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