"Trust my instincts." Carlisle snorted as he slowly ascended the stairs. "That's what got me into this mess to begin with."

At the top of the stairs, the patriarch drew a deep breath picking up the scent of his mate. A low rumbling purr sounded in the depths of his chest as he felt his passion ignite as it always did whenever he caught her scent or heard her gentle lyrical voice.

Get a grip on yourself, Carlisle. You might as well hang that thought up right now.

He followed her scent as it grew ever stronger while he made his way down the hall towards their bedroom. With his head bowed slightly he knocked lightly on the door.

"Esme, my love, may I come in?"

"Do whatever you want, Carlisle. Isn't that your right as Lord of the Manor anyway? You don't need to ask for permission to do anything. Everything and everyone under this roof belongs to you and are only here to serve and do your bidding."

The sharp bitterness of her tone took him by surprise causing Carlisle to wince. With a grimace he closed his eyes and stilled his hand on the knob while leaning his forehead against the cool wooden surface of the door.

You deserved that. You've acted like a controlling ass. Did you really think that she was going to just accept you back with open arms after that stunt?

Bracing himself for the full impact of his wife's rage, the patriarch slowly opened the door and stepped into the dimly lit room that so seamlessly reflected his mate's mood. Usually the floor to ceiling windows welcomed the warm life giving sun, but Esme had drawn the curtains in what he assumed to be an attempt to block out the world while she laid curled up beneath the vintage quilt that decorated their bed.

The unbidden purring came again forcing Carlisle to cough in an attempt to cover up his inappropriate response to seeing his wife in their marriage bed. With a mild shake of his head he drove off his lustful thoughts as he returned his focus to the matter at hand.

"My heart, we need to talk."

"I don't feel like talking to you right now, Carlisle."

For a moment Carlisle considered abiding by her wishes and retiring to his study. When she was ready to talk, she could come find him easily enough, but then something caught his attention. His mate's golden brown hair was damp from a recent shower and she had changed into one of his work shirts; the shirt that he had worn the previous day that still needed to be laundered.

You are still angry, but maybe not quite as angry as you want me to believe, huh, my dearest treasure?

A quick assessment also noted that Carlisle's pillow had found its way into his wife's arms as she cuddled it to her chest to envelope herself in his scent. She was using his essence to try to calm herself down.

"Sweetheart, may I join you."

"I already said that you can do whatever you want. There is no point in continuing to ask me, Carlisle. I'm just one of your underlings, anyway. It's not like my opinion matters in the least."

He felt his jaw tighten with frustration, but a slow deep breath relaxed the muscles and brought the patriarch a feeling of peace.

"It matters a great deal to me."

Kicking his shoes off, Carlisle crawled beneath the quilt and scooted up against his wife, allowing his arm to drape over her while propping himself up on his elbow.

Esme stiffened slightly at his touch, but didn't move away or try to shrug him off; something that Carlisle took to be a good sign.

"Are you alright, grá mo chroí? Did I hurt you?" When she didn't respond, Carlisle swallowed back the venom that his nerves caused to pool in his mouth. Obviously, you have, Carlisle. Quietly he amended his question as he trailed the back of his fingers along her cheek. "Are you in any physical pain?"

"No," she snarled quietly.

He breathed a soft sigh of relief. Thank God for that small mercy.

"Honey, you don't have to talk, but I'll ask you to listen."

Hugging the pillow tighter, she gave a soft grunt, but didn't speak.

"I am so dreadfully sorry, Sweetheart. I don't know what came over me." Carlisle inhaled deeply then edited himself. "That's not entirely true. I do know. I was worried. You frightened me more than I have ever been frightened throughout my existence. I thought that I would lose you. Dearest one, you are truly my heart. I could not go on if anything would happen to you so I reacted out of that fear. This is something that I never should have done and I swear to you that I never will do anything like that again."

He kissed her shoulder, but Esme twisted ever so slightly clearly rejecting his attention.

Carlisle closed his eyes and allowed the sounds of her soft breathing to relax him slightly while he carefully chose his words.

"Esme, I am not Charles and I would never subject you to abuse. I love you far too much to ever do something as loathsome as that. I have no wish to rule you with an iron fist, nor do I expect for you to follow me blindly. I respect you for the loving, brilliant, creative and very spirited individual that you are. I adore that you challenge me because by doing so you cause me to work harder and make me a better person. With that said, I must stress that the rules that are in place for this family to follow are geared towards the protection and wellbeing of us all and they must be obeyed by every member without exception."

Opening his eyes, Carlisle gazed lovingly at his mate. If she could only have seen the incident through his eyes and experienced the absolute terror that took hold of him at the thought of her being taken away from him forever, maybe then she would understand. His breath caught in his chest as that same fear raced through him once again to chill the venom in his veins.

Catching a lock of her golden brown hair, he twirled it around his finger as he forced himself to breathe before he continued to speak in a gentle soothing tone.

"I don't feel that any of the rules are superfluous, but if you disagree I am more than willing to hear your complaints and work towards a revision that we can both agree on. I absolutely welcome your input, my love. I am proud to have you at my side and can't hope for a better person to help me lead this family. If I have made you feel inferior in any way, all I can do is apologize and promise to make a conscious effort to prevent that from ever occurring again."

Esme shifted while muttering into the pillow, "You treated me as though I were a child. You made me feel like a lesser being. You made me feel like your subordinate instead of your partner, Carlisle."

"That was never my intention, love. I sincerely regret causing you to feel that way." He ran his hand lightly up and down her arm. "While I stand behind the truth of my statement that you are my creation, my child and therefore my responsibility, in my eyes you are so much more than me. Without you, Esme, I would cease to function. Without you, my soul would be lost."

"Humph. Then you should be more careful with how you treat me, Carlisle Cullen. I don't have to stand for your mistreatment and I won't accept it from you again."

Her words stung him more than any slap ever could.

"Mistreatment?" Carlisle nearly choked on the word as he whispered it and gave it new life in his voice.

"What else would you call it?" Shrugging his arm away, she rolled over to face him, her eyes black and hard with anger. "You struck me, Carlisle. You hit me in anger; something that you swore to me you would never allow anyone to do. Apparently that all-encompassing 'anyone' did not include you."

Carlisle closed his eyes as he cringed at his mate's sharp tone only to have her lightly slap his cheek.

"Look at me, Carlisle," she demanded with a soft growl.

With a heavy heart and deep sigh, he met Esme's shimmering tear glazed eyes.

"Never again. You will never lay a finger on me in anger again. I lived the better part of four years in fear of a man, I'll be damned if I am going to do the same for an eternity." There was a spark of fire in her eyes that tears could not quench. "Should there be a next time, Carlisle Cullen, you'll find yourself being fitted for a prosthetic because I will take the offending appendage off and burn it. Count on that."

Carlisle drew back slightly as he gazed in shock at the ferocity of his normally gentle mate. "Esme, I…."

She reached out and placed two fingers against his lips to silence him.

"I know, Carlisle. Just don't let it happen again." She held his gaze for several breaths before softening her tone. "Promise me."

Taking her hand carefully in his, he removed her silencing fingers from his lips and gently grazed her smooth pale skin with a light kiss.

"I give you my word, Esme Anne Cullen, that I will never lay a hand on you in anger or may my life be forfeited."

"Dismemberment before death, Carlisle. I would prefer to keep you alive. Death is too easy anyway. It would be much more fulfilling to torture you."

Carlisle looked stricken for several seconds before heaving a soft sigh of relief as the slightest of smiles graced Esme's lips.

Pulling her hand out of his, Esme raked her fingers through Carlisle's hair pushing it back out of his face.

Closing his eyes, the patriarch bowed his head and leaned into his wife's touch as he accepted this moment of reprieve.

"Carlisle, we do still need to talk."

The hair at the nape of his neck bristled at her quietly spoken words, but drawing a breath he forced himself to look at his wife while mentally preparing for the next round of his chastisement.

"I thought that you weren't in the mood to talk to me."

"I've changed my mind. It is a woman's prerogative, you know?"

"So I have heard." Carlisle's mind tried to stay alert and focused as it worked to prepare for the next tempest, but Esme's gentle stroking of his hair was causing his body to relax of its own accord.

"Carlisle, I was weak in body and spirit when I became Charles' victim. I am no longer that same person and I don't wish to return to that state. Please understand that. It's the reason that I reacted as I did."

Carlisle glanced at his beautiful mate then gave her a slight nod. "I do understand that, Sweetheart. There is no reason for you to explain yourself to me. I don't want…."

Impulsively, Esme leaned over and silenced her mate with a kiss before pulling away to stare into his eyes.

"I am sorry that I slapped you, Carlisle. It seems just a tad hypocritical to condemn you while I find myself guilty of the same thing."

"Oh, Esme, no apology is necessary on your end. You've done nothing wrong. I more than deserved that."

"No, you didn't."

Carlisle cocked his head as he raised a brow.

"Okay, so maybe you did, but I deserved to be corrected as well."

His brow knitted as he leaned back away from her. "Esme?"

"What you said out in the woods was true, Carlisle. If any one of the children had pulled something like what I did, I would have demanded that you bring them to heel. That is if I didn't take matters into my own hands first."

She swallowed the lump in her throat that formed as she recalled the fearful expression that her mate had worn earlier at the roadside and then again in the forest. At the time, his anger had been her focus, but now once that dreaded emotion had abated in them both she was able to see more clearly.

"I'm sorry that I put you through that, Carlisle. I still don't believe that I would have reacted any different, nor do I feel that a spanking is going to change that fact, but it does seem only fair that I accept the same discipline that the rest of the family is subject to under similar circumstances."

A soft groan rumbled in Carlisle's throat as he rubbed his eyes. "My Love, you don't have to do this."

"I know that I don't have to, Carlisle. I do trust you when you say that this afternoon's incident will never reoccur. As that is the case, you will never force me to do anything against my will, correct?"

"Absolutely."

"Therefore, you aren't forcing me to do anything right now. This is me, giving my consent and being willing to accept the consequences of my actions as they fall in line with the consequences faced by the rest of my family. Fair is fair, lover. If the children are required to accept a sore backside for their errant ways and you're willing to face my fury should you become foolish enough to break the rules…," Esme nodded slightly as her eyes sparkled at the odd prospect. "Then I am willing to submit myself to the established Cullen form discipline for what I've done."

"Esme." Carlisle shook his head slightly.

"Carlisle." She nodded in response as she watched his every move expectantly.

With a sigh he rolled onto his back and slipped his right arm beneath his head as he stared up at the ceiling searching for some divine inspiration to help decide on the right path to take. His sense of justice groused that Esme was no different from his other "children" and needed to be taught a lesson in personal safety. Another voice that had been given life by the guilt that he felt over his earlier reaction told him that it was wrong to subject his mate to punishment regardless of the reason or her acceptance of his discipline.

While the debate continued on in his head, Esme snuggled under his free arm and up against him as she closed her eyes. Rubbing her arm gently, he listened to her breathing slow and deepen as she finally allowed herself to relax.

They remained this way for quite some time with Carlisle unwilling to destroy the tranquil scene, but eventually he accepted his role in the dance and acknowledged what had to occur. He felt certain that the children would be returning soon though he knew that Alice would try her best to keep them at bay. It wouldn't be fair to them nor was the continual delay fair to Esme and himself.

Stirring slightly, he brushed a lock of hair out of her face. "Sweetheart, I don't think you know what you're asking for."

Her golden eyes fluttered open and she gazed at him for a moment before nodding. "I do understand. I've tended to each of the children after such experiences. I don't expect things will be much different with the exception that I will be the one in need of someone to kiss the tears away."

His breath came out in a soft huff as he studied her closely.

"Carlisle, this might come as a surprise to you, but I have been spanked before apart from our little games. My memory may not be the best, but I do recall a few of those trips to the barn with my father. He didn't want to have to repeat these outings any more than I did so he made sure to make a strong impression on my rear. I don't expect things to be any different than they were back then." The skeptical look in his eyes caused her to smile slightly as she placed her hand against his cheek. "You love me just as much and will continue to love me after. That's all I need to get me through this and then we can put today's events to rest and have a fresh start."

"But will you still be able to find it in your heart to love me?"

The barest of a frown creased her forehead and darkened her eyes. "What sort of question is that?"

"An honest one, my love. I do fear that if I do this our relationship will change for the worst and that you won't be able to continue to love me. I can't bear the thought of you coming to view me in the same light as you did Charles."

Esme's eyes narrowed. "Carlisle Cullen, if you really believe that I would stop loving you, maybe it's you who needs his hide tanned for doubting his wife's love and devotion. There is nothing, and I do mean, nothing that can stop me from loving you. Even when I was furious with you, my love never waned and it never shall. "

Drawing a deep breath, Carlisle held the useless air in his lungs while he considered his mate's words and the expression on her face. Finally with a slow release of the held breath, he nodded before leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"I don't doubt you, mo shíorghrá, I just fear losing you so much."

"Isn't that why I'm being punished in the first place?"

Carlisle snorted out a soft laugh. "Why yes it is, little Miss."

"So what's the problem, love?"

With a shake of his head he felt his reluctance leave him. "The problem is that you have been a very naughty girl, Esme Anne, and have earned a first class spanking."

"I always do aim for the best of everything," she countered cheekily with a grin before the gravity of what was to happen fully hit her. "Do you want us to head over to the study? Will you be more at ease in a formal setting? That way we can keep the bedroom the relaxing fun filled oasis it's supposed to be," she offered helpfully as she began to feel the first twinges of nervousness.

Carlisle thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No. I think the informality might actually help me, if it doesn't have a negative effect on you, that is."

Esme stifled a laugh as she cocked her head to the side. "It doesn't matter one bit to me, Carlisle. I think I'm going to feel a little negative regardless of where my backside gets bared and blistered."

"I imagine you will." He nodded then looked at her solemnly. "Esme, I am going to need just a couple of minutes to collect myself. I'm going to ask you to go stand in the corner for just a few moments. Hopefully that will put us both in the correct state of mind to proceed." The dark look in her eyes caused him to amend his order quickly, "I'm not trying to treat you as a child, love. The lack of stimulus will help you reflect on your actions and clear your head while I do my best to do the same."

Slowly, his mate slid off the bed and padded quietly over towards the corner.

Carlisle once more found himself suppressing his lust filled purring as he allowed himself to glance at his penitent charge. She was so beautiful but now there was something of the cute little sassy girl that he romanced in play coming through into their real life. The behavior was something that he couldn't allow, but the attraction of seeing his bad little girl, barefoot dressed in only her panties and his dress shirt with her damp hair hanging down to veil her face as she leaned into the corner, was undeniable.

Sighing inwardly, Carlisle chided himself for his inability to control his thoughts and emotions when he needed that control the most.

Sitting up on the side of the bed, Carlisle allowed the coven leader a bit of freedom as he focused on the task ahead. He wanted to be lenient, but he needed to be stern. Placing his elbows on his knees, he cradled his head and took several deep breaths. She could have been killed so easily because of this foolishness. A sore backside is nothing in comparison to what could have happened. Esme has already accepted the fact that she is to be punished; now you have to do the same and be strong for her.

Running both hands through his hair, Carlisle raised his head, a look of sad determination etched on his face.

"Esme, when you're ready, please join me."

At her mate's call a shiver ran up Esme's spine. Was she really going to be able to go through with this? Carlisle had spanked her before in play, but this was serious and to be honest, she was scared. She knew that her lover would never harm her and the decades of reassuring the children after they had a run in with Carlisle's hand taught her that he was certainly not abusive and always in control of himself. He would keep her safe, but he would have her sitting uncomfortably for quite a while.

You made the decision to be defiant knowing full well what that would get you. Now it's time to pay the piper, Bunny. Come on and let's get this over with. Her father's words from a lifetime ago suddenly echoed in her head as Esme turned away from the dull wall to face her executioner.

Carlisle held out a hand to his mate beckoning her on.

With feet that felt like lead, Esme shuffled over towards Carlisle suddenly finding it much more difficult to meet his eyes. Maybe it was her fear of seeing his disappointment that caused her reluctance or maybe it was the guilt over her actions having put her beloved in the position to feel that she deserved to be punished. She couldn't be sure, but something was making this much harder than it should have been.

Coming to stand between her husband's knees, Esme bowed her head as her anxiety peaked and butterflies came alive in her stomach.

"Dear heart, look at me, please."

Slowly raising her head she met his eyes. They were dark with worry, but shone with nothing but the deep devotion, love and respect that he held for her.

"Sweetheart, you are about to pass the point of no return. Are you absolutely certain that you want to go through with this?"

Esme sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth as she thought for several moments before nodding. "I don't want to do it, but I think it's warranted. I was the one who brought up the practice of Domestic Discipline anyway so I might as well put up or shut up." Nervously she grinned at her mate, but was a bit surprised when he didn't return her smile.

He stared deeply into her eyes. "Esme, this is not going to be like one of our games. I need to make sure that you understand that before we continue. There will be no safewords here. This is serious, sweetheart. This is meant to be punishment and for it to work as any sort of deterrent at all, it has to hurt. You won't be harmed, but you will feel my effort for at least the rest of the day." Closing his eyes for a second Carlisle drew a breath then looked back at his mate before adding, "And you will undoubtedly not be happy with me."

"Carlisle, I'm very well aware of how this works. I also know that I'm asking for this. It was your idea first, but it is my agreement that brings it about. I will never hold that against you."

Her mate inhaled deeply then, as Esme watched, the look in his eyes became determined and hard as the disappointment that she had feared swirled in their dark amber depths.

Carlisle's miscreant dropped her glaze only to feel a gentle tap beneath her jaw encouraging her to raise her head. Instead of giving into his unspoken request, Esme shook her head while squeezing her eyes shut.

"Esme Anne Cullen, I expect you to look at me when I speak to you. I suggest that you comply." His voice was quiet, but rang with authority.

"I can't," she whispered.

"Yes, you can."

When she still didn't respond, he growled softly before firmly gripping her arm and angling her slightly away to deliver a sharp swat to her backside.

Esme yelped from the sudden sting then found herself once again facing her husband.

"Disobedience is never a wise choice, young lady. You know this already. I should not have to remind you of that fact, but I will continue to do so if you insist on being defiant." Crossing his arms, Carlisle tilted his head as he gave her a stern look of disapproval. "Are you ready to follow my instructions?" Esme nodded quickly. "I trust then that this is one lesson that shall not need repeating."

"No, Carlisle. I will not give you a reason to repeat yourself."

Taking her hands gently in his, Carlisle gazed up at his mate. "That's what I want to hear, Little Miss." Carlisle broke his authoritative stance to give his wife a reassuring smile, before slipping back behind the austere façade of the Coven Leader. "Now, why is it that you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, young lady?"

Esme began to lower her eyes, but stopped herself before Carlisle could call her out on it. Clearing her throat she looked Carlisle straight in the eyes as she declared boldly, "I endangered my life in the service of rescuing others."

"Esme," Carlisle growled out in warning.

"Well it's the truth, Carlisle. Do you wish me to lie?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Carlisle groaned in annoyance. "No, my love, I do not want you to lie, but I would prefer that you show a little contrition."

"I have no reason to be contrite. Lives were in danger and there was no time to think, I simply had to act. No harm came from it."

"There is always time to think, my dear heart and the only reason that no harm came from it was because you got exceedingly lucky. Oh, thank God the children are not nearly as stubborn as you or I would never survive." Carlisle sighed in exasperation. "Esme, it is not my practice to punish the unrepentant, but for you I shall have to make an exception. Maybe a sore backside will help you find a bit of remorse for gambling with my greatest treasure."

Carlisle tugged his mate down over his left thigh and snugged her up tightly against his body. Once he had Esme settled and as comfortable as reasonably possible, he laid his hand lightly on her rear.

"Young lady, you have no idea how much I really wish there was another way to get through that hard head of yours, but since you refuse to listen to reason you leave me with precious few choices."

Steeling his nerve for what he needed to do, Carlisle raised his hand, but before he brought it down a soft cry halted him.

"Carlisle?" Esme's voice wavered as she whispered his name.

"Yes, Sweetheart?" His voice was soft soothing and gentle causing his tone to seem drastically out of place to his mate.

"Are you angry with me?"

"No, Honey. My anger is long gone. I'm disappointed and a little bit hurt that you can't seem to understand why your behavior is an issue, but I am not angry. I wouldn't be comfortable enough to go through with this if I were." He rubbed her back as he tried to help her relax. "Esme, don't tense up, baby, or you only make this worse on yourself. Be mindful of your breathing. That will help a bit."

"This is not exactly a relaxing position to be in, Carlisle, but I'll try," Esme muttered quietly as she buried her head in her arms.

Carlisle gave his mate a few extra minutes to settle down before he spoke again. "Alright, love, it's time we get this over with." His hand rubbed one last lazy circle before she lost the pacifying sensation of his touch on her back as he moved his hand to rest lightly on her behind. "Esme Anne, why are you being spanked?"

"Because I broke a coven rule by putting myself in mortal danger."

"Good girl. That's a much better response."

Without further ado Esme heard Carlisle sigh quietly before his hand lifted only to return with a vengeance as he delivered a strong slap to her rump. A soft grunt slipped out at the impact, but she valiantly fought against the stinging pain as it blossomed across her rear.

Another swat followed by another mild muffled vocalization and Carlisle felt a bit of his worry fade. He eased into a rhythm that peppered his wife's bottom with blows that stung but did little damage to anything more than her pride.

Gradually, he built up both in speed and intensity until Esme was squirming over his knee trying to avoid the continual onslaught that lit an inferno that threatened to consume her backside.

"Stop, Carlisle. I can't take anymore. It hurts."

"Sweetheart, remember what I told you. There are no safewords in this and it is supposed to hurt," he reminded her gently without missing a beat. "That is the difference between play and punishment."

Esme kicked hard to try to dislodge herself from her husband's firm hold and earned herself a few smacks to the back of her thighs followed by the swift loss of the meager protection of her underwear for her efforts.

She gasped as the biting sting on her bare flesh proved to be harder to endure, but blinked back her tears until Carlisle's soft voice reached her over the sounds of his hand connecting with her bottom.

"Young lady, I don't ever want you to put yourself in this sort of danger again. You have no idea how worried I was when I saw you disappear into that car as it caught fire, but there is more to this transgression that I don't believe you have given a thought to."

Several rapid fire whacks of Carlisle hard hand brought a cry from his mate that caused his heart to crush with guilt.

"Esme, the most important factor to me is your safety because I treasure you above all else, but you also put this family in danger and I cannot allow that to ever happen again."

Taking in a gulp of air Esme shook her head as her hand shot back to protect her burning backside. "I… didn't endanger…. the family."

He paused in his attack on her buttocks and caught her hand to pin it to her lower back. "Yes, you most certainly did, Little Miss. You exposed our kind through your actions." He held her down, but didn't continue the spanking as he gave her a chance to concentrate on his statement.

"No, Carlisle. No, I didn't."

"Oh, didn't you? Well let's see, my sweet, you used your speed and strength to extract a human and her child from a burning car. The mother might not have had enough awareness to realize that during her part of the rescue, but she certainly would have noticed how you blurred back to the car, wrenched a crumpled door free, recovered her child and then blurred back towards her in the span of a second or two. Adrenaline rush can only explain so much, my love. If that woman mentions what she witnessed, we could be in for a world of trouble."

As the truth of his words rang in her head, Esme's found that she suddenly no longer wanted to fight Carlisle or the punishment that she had brought upon herself. A whimper clawed its way up her throat while she sniffled as a few tears leaked from her tightly shut eyes to rolled down her cheek.

"Do you finally understand why this behavior cannot continue, Esme?"

Meekly she choked out, "Yes, Carlisle."

"Then this will not be an issue in the future?" He punctuated his question with hard strokes to the tender weight bearing edge of her backside.

"No. I won't do it again Carlisle," she promised in a whine as her tears flowed freely. "I won't."

"What won't you do again, Honey?" Carlisle quizzed as his hand continued to increase the stinging of his mate's rump a little further.

"I won't endanger my family."

"Now answer my question again, Esme." He gave her several more whacks before allowing his hand to come to its final rest on her fanny. "Why did you just receive a spanking?"

Esme drew loud gasping breathes as she fought through her tears to find her voice. "I was… I was spanked for endangering myself and my family." She whimpered before adding, "I'm sorry and it will never happen again."

Carlisle pulled her up to sit in his lap as he hugged her tightly and kissed her tears away. "That's what I needed to hear, my heart. I love you so much that it hurts. I can't bear the thought of losing you or my family and if it takes a sore rear to prevent that, then so be it. I'll gladly accept your anger and hatred if I know that my correction will make you think twice the next time a foolish notion crosses your mind."

AN: Took longer than I thought so y'all will have to hang on for one more chapter to handle the after care and a bit of good loving for the parents; maybe Carlisle getting a little taste of his own medicine. ;-)

Yes, I do know that domestic discipline can be a bit hard to read, but it's where the characters decided to go. This chapter proved very difficult to write since I ended up dealing with an extremely reluctant disciplinarian. Carlisle decided that he would much rather have sex and if that meant letting Esme's little indiscretion slide, he was more than willing to do so. It's was Esme who pushed this one through, but only once she was sure that she was able to put Carlisle in his place first.

Domestic discipline and abuse differ in various subtle and not so subtle ways, but the main difference focuses on consent given. Technically, in the first chapter Carlisle did have some half ass consent from Esme, but he was still completely wrong for acting out in anger.

Special thanks to Splinter for putting up with this story and all my weirdness in general and a huge thanks to all my readers for... well pretty much the same. *grins*