22. Reassurances And Attitude Problems

EPOV

“…it’s not like that, love. Nobody is going to abandon you, I will always be here. I don’t want you to have therapy so that you’ll go away, sweetheart. I just want Bella to feel better. I need you guys to be okay. My beautiful girls, I love you all so much, I never lied about that. Won’t you come out, baby? I will hold you…just open the door…” I kept pleading with her.


Three minutes later, I heard her moving around and realized that she was standing up. So, naturally, I stood too. Then the most wonderful thing in the whole fucking world happened.


She opened that damn door.


I took a second to drink in the sight of her. Her face was a delicious rosy red from crying, tears staining her cheeks, and some more of her long curls had come out of that messy ponytail at the nape of her neck. She sniffled and was rubbing her right eye in the most adorable way. As soon as the door was opened wide enough, I scooped her up into my arms and I cannot describe the feeling of relief that washed over me when she clung to me as if her life depended on it.


She burrowed her face in my neck and her little body shook with her cries that were starting up again.


“Edward,” she squeaked, her voice cracking through her sobs, “don’t make me go away.” She sucked in a deep breath, “Please…“ she pleaded and tightened her hold on my neck.


I tightened my hold on her, silently telling her I’d never let her go, and started our routine of pacing while I held her.


It always seemed to calm her down before, and that fact was ironic, because that was usually how you comforted babies and toddlers, so I would actually expect that of my little Isabella, but…not Marie. But before I could respond to her, or think anymore about how pacing calmed down my sassy seventeen year old, she gave me a muffled apology.


“I’m sorry,” she sobbed out. “Sorry I was being wicked downstairs, sorry I didn’t listen to you…” and then her hot breath fanned across my neck and collar bone and she breathed out another cry.


“Shhh…” I shushed her and kissed the top of her head gently.


I knew she was sorry but I didn’t want to talk about her spanking right now. It was over. Dealt with, and done. She didn’t need to worry about it anymore. I allowed my fingers to give her more than likely still sore bottom a soft, short caress before I gently patted it and held my hand in place.


“I know baby, I love you…” my soft voice in her ear seemed to relax her body a little.


“Don’t make me go away,” she repeated in the pitiful excuse of what was left of her melodic voice. It was shaky because of all the crying she had done. “Don’t take my Bell away from me…”


“I won’t, sweetheart,” I assured her and kept up my pacing while gently rubbing her back.


“I fucking love her, she’s mine…” she whispered with determination and sniffled.


“I know.”


“Don’t let your dumb doctor dad make me go away. Don’t let him hurt us,” she pleaded through her cries.


“He’s not going to hurt you,” I stated with conviction.


Poor dear… Esme thought at me, immensely worried about the delicate beauty in my arms.


She sniffled, then said, “Isabella is so scared, Edward, and it’s freaking me out,” she informed me, then lifted her head from my shoulder to look into my eyes. I stared back into her watery gaze as she asked, “Why is she so fucking scared if he’s not gonna hurt us?”


“I don’t know, baby…but she doesn’t need to be,” I said with sincerity.


I really didn’t know why Isabella would be so scared of sitting in a room with my father and talking for a little bit. I knew she was nervous around him, but I thought we were starting to make some progress in that department.


Marie’s bloodshot eyes got an almost desperate look in them as another sob tore through her throat. “She showed me, Edward! There were ugly, grungy white walls. A hard bed with a scratchy fucking blanket. And wicked, nasty people who hurt her and there were lotts of needles!” she stressed, desperately trying to get me to understand. She sniffled and shook her head, “You can’t let him hurt us…please, Edward?” she asked in a strained voice before she slammed her hand down on my shoulder and she screamed out a frantic, “Goddamn it, please!!” clearly starting to panic as she started to breathe harder.


Holy shit.


Sounds like the state hospital where Bella was institutionalized as a child Carlisle thought at me.


“Calm down, love. Nobody’s going to fucking hurt you. I won’t let that happen,” I said firmly, then placed a gentle hand to the back of her head and brought it back down to it’s spot my shoulder.


I started rubbing soothing circles into the tense muscles on her back again, trying to provide any comfort and reassurance that I could. A panic attack was the last thing she needed right now.


She buried her face back into my neck. “Please,” she brokenly repeated through another cry.


“Shhh…” I shushed her.


She continued to cry, but at least they weren’t those horrible wracking sobs that shook her entire frame anymore. She had started to relax with my touch, as I knew she would, and she was beginning to breathe normally again.


Six minutes passed by before she spoke again.


“Don’t take my Bell away,” she murmured pitifully and nuzzled her face into my neck some more.


“I won’t.”


"I need her so fucking much and she needs me. She's my pretty Bell. Mine."


"I know, love," I said, still a little stunned at Marie's possessiveness and devotion to Bella.


She suddenly gasped for a breath of air. “Edward I love you, don’t you love me?” she asked in a small voice, suddenly sounding very insecure.


“Of course I love you, you silly, beautiful girl,” I said incredulously. “I love you so much,” I repeated with conviction and kissed her warm forehead.


“Don’t make me go away…I fucking promise I‘ll try not to be wicked anymore,” she said in that same pathetically small voice.


“Marie, I’m not having you go to therapy because you disobeyed me in the backyard, that’s not what this is about,” I quickly clarified for her. “Nothing you could do would ever make me want you to ‘go away’, sweetheart. I love you,” I assured her. “This is not a punishment. This is so Bella will feel better and so that you all can be okay.”


After a minute of silence and sniffles, she spoke again in a cracked voice. “Isabella says not to trust the fucking blondies…”


I sighed. “Isabella is a very prejudice little girl with a lot of misconceptions because she simply does not know any better, or doesn’t understand. There is nothing wrong with blonde hair, Marie. You know that.”


Her fingers were at the back of my neck and she started lazily twirling strands of my hair. “Yeah, well that Rose vampire isn’t helping their case any,” she said cheekily, her usual spunky attitude starting to peek it’s head out now that she was relatively calm again.


I furrowed my brow and asked, “Why do you dislike Rosalie so much, sweetheart?”


She sighed and cleared her throat before she began her explanation. I placed another kiss to her warm flesh as she started talking and squeezed her tighter to me. I was just so glad that she was fucking calm again.


“She’s rude and hateful to my Bell just because my Bell wants to be down with you for life…for fucking ever, for eternity. So I’m rude and hateful back, to show that bitch what it feels like. Nobody gets away with that shit…treating my sweet Bell like that. And I know some stuff about Rosalie through what my Bell has told me and some of her memories. Rosalie is a vain cuntbag and a hypocrite. She doesn’t want my Bell to be a bloodsucker like you all, but it's okay for her to go out and find her own piece of man candy then ask the doc to change him for her? Em was a goddamn human and she fell in love with him, and that‘s all sweet n‘ shit, but when you fall in love with My Bell…all of a sudden, it’s wrong? You can’t love her as much as Rose loves Em? That’s some bullshit and plus, she’s jealous that you wanna sink your cock into my pretty Bell and not her ugly blonde ass.”


I chuckled at her choice of words and was surprised to hear the ring of truth of them. She was absolutely right.


“You need to be nicer to Bella,” I heard Emmett tell Rosalie sternly from the living room.


His protectiveness over my girl was shining through his thoughts. He viewed her as a kid sister and cared a lot about her. He also shared Marie’s view of not liking it when people were mean or hateful towards my Bella.


“Whatever,” she shot back, heading out to the garage.


I could tell from her thoughts that she was mad about the truth in Marie’s words and didn’t like being called out on her wrongdoings.


I removed my hand from her back to cup her face. She lifted her head from my shoulder and leaned her head into my palm. I smiled softly at her and removed the ponytail from her hair. I scooted a few silky strands to the side, so that they weren’t covering half of her face and I could look into her beautiful chocolate eyes.


I kissed her button nose. “If Rosalie is nicer to Bella, will you be nicer to Rosalie?” I asked, trying to figure out a way to bring peace between my sister and the most important thing in my world.


She nodded. “If my Bell doesn’t resent her, then I won’t be a bitch to her. I know who my pretty Bell likes, and who she doesn’t. I know who’s ass I need to kick and who I’ll be sweet to. I’ll know if that Rose vampire has made amends with my girl or not,” she informed me.


I nodded, knowing that that was the best I could expect from her. Rosalie was certainly in the wrong and had a lot of apologizing and explaining to do.


I heard Marie’s stomach growl then, and glanced over at the clock, noticing that it was just about time for her dinner. 6:32 in the evening…close enough. Isabella was around for lunch and all she had was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with three apple slices.


She blushed and put her head back down on my shoulder. I chuckled at her sudden shyness about her stomach growling, but then she stuck her thumb in her mouth and I knew that Marie had turned in for the night.


My little Isabella was back to see me. I heard her sniffle, and frowned, knowing that she had been aware this whole time. I shushed her and started rubbing my hand on her back again. Soothing circles…those always seemed to work. I kept up my pacing too.


“What should I prepare for dinner, Edward?” Esme asked me from her spot in the kitchen.


I made my voice soft and soothing again before I spoke to my little angel. “Baby, what would you like to eat for dinner?”


The only response I got was a quick shrug and a sniffle. She didn’t speak because of that thumb in her mouth. I was going to take it out, thinking of the bedtime rule, but thought better of it. She could have it for now…she must be awfully upset and needed as much comfort as she could get.


"Something yummy?" I lightly suggested.


She nodded and nuzzled her face into my neck.


I sighed and whispered at vampire frequency. “Just something simple, it will be for Isabella, not Marie,” I informed my mother before suggesting, “Maybe some of her macaroni and cheese, or something…she likes that. Chicken for her protein and she likes your steamed corn on the cob. Is that alright?”


“Of course, dear,” she answered me before I turned my attention back to Isabella.


She was awfully quiet. She had tightened her hold on me, so it mirrored the death grip that Marie had on me before she had started to relax. I buried my nose in her hair for a minute and breathed in deeply, trying to ground myself for whatever emotions Isabella would soon display.


“Hmmm…love you, baby girl,” I breathed out softly.


“Love you too,” she replied around her thumb, speaking in that adorable voice.


“What are you thinking?” I asked lightly after a minute of silence.


She shrugged.


“Tell me, angel…” I gently prodded.


She popped her thumb out of her mouth and used that hand to trace small circles on my collarbone as she spoke in her quiet voice. “You’re my Edward, huh?”


“Yes.”


“Bella is your‘s?”


I sighed. “Yes, and so are you, baby,” I assured her.


“Don’t let Bella forget me again…” I kissed her forehead as she spoke again. “Don’t let your daddy hurt me, Edward…”


“I won’t.”


“I don’t believe you,” she said a little harshly, taking me completely off guard.


“I‘m not lying,” I told her incredulously. When she didn‘t respond, and only kept up her fingers lazy trail along my hard skin, I made my voice a bit firmer and said, “Isabella, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”


“Daddies like to hurt me,” she said simply.


“Well, mine won’t,” I assured her.


“Your daddy is a doctor and they hurt me too.”


“Isabella-” I started, but she cut me off.


“He gonna put me in the hop-pistol and hurt me?” she asked endearingly, mispronouncing ‘hospital’ in the most adorable way.


“No hospitals. I promise.”


She lifted her head from my shoulder and looked into my gold eyes then. She stuck her thumb back in her mouth and gave me a curious, questioning gaze, as if she was trying to find the truth in my words, but wasn’t able to and it was confusing the hell out of her. Her past experiences just wouldn’t let her believe me.


“Edward…” she mumbled around her thumb.


“Hmmm?”


She seemed to be thinking about something as she took her thumb out of her mouth and grabbed a lock of her hair. She started trailing the tips of the hair strands lightly across her cheek, then looked back up into my eyes.


“He gots ugly yellow hair. He is a daddy. And he’s a doctor,” she informed me matter-of-factly.


“Uh-huh…” I trailed off, silently telling her that I already knew all of that.


She rolled her eyes, scowled at me, then suddenly yelled in my face. “He’s gonna hurt me!”


I was surprised that she had turned hostile in a split second. Her and Marie yelling in people’s faces was going to have to stop. I could nip it in the bud quickly with Isabella since this was her first time. Marie would take some more work, though…


“Hey!” I said firmly, keeping eye contact. “What did I just tell you, young lady? I’m not lying, he’s not going to hurt you. I won‘t let him.”


She squinted her eyes and started to actually glare at me.


Where had my sweet baby girl gone?


“You lie to Bella,” her quiet voice accused me.


I didn’t even want to start that discussion with her right now. About how I had to lie to leave to keep her safe and it ended up biting us both in the ass in the end. In fact, I would never be having that conversation with my five year old. Ever.


So I simply repeated, “I’m not lying to you.” And then I added, “And don’t yell in people’s faces. It’s rude,” informing her of another rule.


She softened her gaze out of a glare and sniffled. “My Edward, you love me?” she asked, still twirling that lock of hair and stroking the ends along her cheek.


“Yes, very much.”


“I don’t wanna go away again…” she said with a shake of her head.


“It won’t happen like that-” I started but she cut me off with a nod.


“Your daddy will tell Bella to forget me. He wants me to go away because he doesn’t like me,” she informed me.


I shook my head, wanting to clear up her misconceptions, but she continued on before I could speak up.


She raised her eyebrows at me. “Peoples with ugly yellow hair don’t like dirty kike babies like me, Edward,” she told me, pointing to herself as she said the word ‘kike’.


My eyes flashed with anger at that word. I had let it slip out of her mouth way too much without taking action against it…and the results are more racial slurs falling from her lips with perfect ease. I should have known this would happen and just taken care of it when I had the chance, because now certainly wasn’t the time.


It’s never a good time… you just don’t want to punish her.


Very true.


“Isabella, that’s not true. He likes you, and he’s going to be your friend,” I assured her before my tone took on a hard note. “And what have I been telling you about that word?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.


She shrugged and kept stroking her cheek with that lock of hair.


Shrugged?


Had she forgotten?


“It is one of those naughty words Isabella, and you are not allowed to say them anymore. Do you remember me telling you that?” I asked, keeping up this whole ‘firm’ charade.


She stuck her thumb back in her mouth and nodded. I gently grabbed her wrist and pulled it out. She furrowed her brow in frustration and whined.


“No, Isabella. Answer me,” I demanded.


“Yes.”


“So then, why do you keep saying those words? Do you want me to be angry with you?”


She shook her head and started to suck on her lips. When I gave her another hard look, she answered, “No.”


“Why do you keep saying those bad words?” I repeated.


“B’cuz that’s what I am, Edward,” she informed me, as if it should have been obvious.


I shook my head. “No. You don’t insult yourself, or put yourself down. The word is Jewish, Isabella, NOT kike.”


She nodded, then looked down and huffed. When she looked back into my eyes, she said, “Peoples with ugly yellow hair don’t like dirty Jewishbabies like me,” she repeated what she had said before, but changed that one specific word, even emphasizing it a bit for effect.


I squinted my eyes at her.


Is she trying to be a smartass?


“Are you trying to be a smartass, Isabella?”


“Yes.”


“Well, don’t," was my clever retort.


She sighed and laid her head back on my shoulder. “Edward?


I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to calm down a bit. I didn’t want to be firm with her anymore.


She’s very fragile right now…Be. Fucking. Sensitive.


“Yes, Isabella?” I responded and brought my hand to her back again. Soothing slow circles…


“Marie in trouble?” she asked hesitantly.


I sighed. “No, baby.”


“She got spankins, though,” she pointed out, reminding me that she was always aware.


“Yes…” I hedged.


“How come?”


“She was rude and didn’t do what she was supposed to, but baby - that’s over. She’s not in trouble anymore,” I assured her.


“Spankins hurt…” she said, then sniffled.


I cringed, wanting to change the subject. “I know.”


I walked over to the bed and sat her down on the soft comforter, then sat down in front of her so that we could talk face to face. She scooted close to me so that our knees were touching.


“Edward?”


“Yes, Isabella?”


“I’m hungry.”


“Dinner is being made right now, sweetheart,” I informed her, noting from Esme that it should be done in about five minutes.


She stuck her thumb back in her mouth, now that I wasn’t holding her hand anymore and I sighed, deciding that she really should be following all of the rules, all of the time. Not just picking and choosing which ones she would like to follow just because they are convenient at the time. So, that would mean that the bedtime-thumb rule still stands in full affect, after all. I shouldn't have allowed it a minute ago, it'll probably just confuse her now...


Damn it.


“No, Isabella.”


Her eyes flashed to mine, but she kept her thumb in her mouth.


“Bedtime, remember?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “You need to start following the rules, sweetheart. Thumb at bedtime, and no more bad words,” I reminded her.


She blinked slowly, keeping her eyes on mine, but kept her thumb in her mouth.


Testing me? Again? Really? Fucking hell…


“Do you want to be in trouble?” I asked her, implying that that would be the result of her testing me and not following the rules.


She shook her head.


I gave her a hard look, silently telling her that I wanted an actual answer, so she mumbled one around her thumb.


“No.”


I softened my gaze then, “Take your thumb out of your mouth, please,” I told her, giving her a chance to do it on her own this time.


I shouldn’t have to pull it out of her mouth every time, she should just do as she’s told.


Four seconds later it was still in her mouth, so I closed my eyes and sighed. I was going to lean against the headboard and get ready to show Isabella that I meant business, but when I moved my hand to start scooting back, she immediately popped it out of her mouth.


I had to keep myself from smiling, knowing that she had guessed correctly what was going to happen. I was relieved that she had finally listened though. Next time, she wouldn’t get that little four-second window of leniency.


I found myself brooding over the idea of having to be more firm with her. Stop giving her so many chances, and reminders. I didn’t like that…didn’t like it at all.


“Edward?”


“Yeah?” I asked softly, keeping my position in front of her now.


“You gonna spank me?” she asked with worried eyes.


“Not anymore…you listened, didn’t you?” I pointed out.


"But you were gonna?" she hedged.


I nodded, confirming her suspicions.


“But…but I’m just little,” she said in a small voice.


I just smiled softly at her, remembering pictures from Bella’s childhood album and knowing that that’s how Isabella still viewed herself.


“I know,” I said simply.


“Edward?”


“Yes?”


“Can I have a lolly? Pretty please?”


“No, baby. Dinner will be ready in a minute.”


She crawled into my lap then, and kissed my cheek. “Edward?”


“Yeah?”


“I got tears on my face,” she said, then sniffled.


I suddenly remembered the night that we had that little girl, Katy, over here for dinner with Bella. Marie had wiped the child‘s face with a warm rag after she had cried.


“Do you want me to get you a warm wash cloth?”


She nodded, so I scooted her off of my lap and headed for the bathroom. I grabbed a small cloth out of the linen shelves and ran hot water over it. After I wrung out the excess water, I brought it back over to Isabella, who was still sitting where I had left her on the bed.


She took it from me, and quickly ran it over her face, then handed it back. “Edward?”


“Yes, baby?”


She stood on the bed then, and started to casually hop around. “Your daddy living with us?”


“Yeah, he lives downstairs,” I informed her.


She looked at me then, and an unfathomable look crossed over her face.


“Do you got a basement? He lives down there?” she asked hesitantly, but never stopping her jumps and skips across the large surface of the bed.


“Yes baby, we have a basement. No, he doesn’t live down there.”


Her eyes flashed to mine as she asked, “Wh…what do you got in your um…basement?”


She was trying to feign nonchalance and mask her emotions behind her bouncing, but I wasn’t stupid. I could smell her rush of adrenaline and I knew why she was nervous all of a sudden. From what Bella has told me, most of her abuse had taken place in a basement.


“Furniture and boxes,” I answered her.


She didn’t respond, just kept on hopping around. Esme let me know then that her food was done, so I interrupted Isabella’s bouncing.


“Off the bed, sweetheart, it’s time for dinner,” I told her.


She stopped bouncing around and sat down on the bed before crawling over to the edge to hop down. I held my hand out for her, which she took and we made our way downstairs.


On the way down the steps, Isabella touched the railing.


“Edward?”


“Yes, baby?”


“Can I slide down it?” she asked, fingering the smooth surface of the wood railing.


“No,” I said firmly, wanting to make it very clear that stair-sliding was definitely a bad thing.


An image of her sliding down the railing and falling off passed through my mind, and it tightened my chest with anxiety. I really wouldn’t hesitate to spank her ass, like I had been, if I caught her doing that.


“But I want to…”


“No.”


“But it’s shiny,” she said, looking at it longingly.


“No.”


“But can I climb on it?” she asked hopefully.


“No.”


“But I-” she started, but I cut her off.


“But I said no,” I told her, my tone one of finality.


We were downstairs now, and Isabella was pouting because I had denied her something to climb on.


God forbid she didn't get her way...


“Pretty please?”


Hmm...she's really pushing it tonight.


But I wasn't so completely clueless as to not realize that it was because of this afternoon's events, and her intense feelings associated with them. Some of which would be insecurity and fear...of both abandonment and rejection. And her inability to trust my vow to keep her safe in this matter must be making it just that much more worse for her. It only took common sense on my part to realize that she would probably be acting out for both attention, and reassurance that no matter what she did, I would still love her and want to keep her around. It was typical child phsycology. Almost fucking textbook, the concept was so simple.


Well, do your worst, baby Isabella...I am sooo prepared to give you any kind of attention you need I mentally challenged her.


I gave her a stern look and shook my head before I lightly kissed her pout away. “Go climb into your chair and eat your dinner, Isabella.”


She walked around the dining room table and plopped down in her seat. She leaned against the high back of the chair and rested her head on it. She started sucking on her lips, and a second later, Esme brought her plate of food out from the kitchen and set it down in front of Isabella, along with a glass of juice with a plastic crazy-straw in it.


I had picked up a pack of those at the store yesterday when I saw that she was eyeing them intently with a smile on her face.


Isabella grabbed the cup and sucked up some juice through her straw, the corners of her mouth turning up in a smile. When she was done taking a drink, she leaned back against the chair and said sweetly, "Thank you, Edward's mommy."


Esme smiled at her. "Your welcome, dear. Would you like anything else?"


"A lolly," she said simply with a short nod of her head.


"No..." I drawled out with a shake of my head.


At my answer, Esme turned and walked into the living room to sit with Carlisle and watch our exchange from afar, as always.


"But I want it..." she whined and kicked her feet out, clearly on the verge of starting to throw a genuine toddler tantrum.


She hadn't had one of those yet, and I knew it would be nothing like Marie's famous tantrums. Marie's were teenage classic...I have a feeling that Isabella's were going to have a unique twist all her own.


"If you finish all of your dinner, you can have one, but not if you don't stop that whining. What is your new rule about whining?" I asked, wanting to remind her of that rule too.


It was a fairly new one...just given to her this morning.


She sobered up and said simply, "No whining, or you'll fuck my mouth."


"What? No! That's not what I said," I said harshly.


She looked up at me innocently, noticing my tone. "No whining, or you'll spank my ass," she corrected herself.


I set my elbows up on the table and put my face in my hands, groaning...trying desperately to get those godforsaken images of fucking my Bella's mouth out of my head, once again. I replaced the rush of lust with a rush of anger at my instinctual reaction to her words...and her slip with those words. After a few seconds, once I reigned in my emotions, I lifted my face from my hands and looked at Isabella to see that she was watching me intently and hadn't touched her food yet. I didn't trust my voice, so I just nodded at her correction.


"Will you fuck it too?" she asked then.


I dropped my hands down to the tabletop then, and exhaled sharply. "Goddamn it, Isabella..." my voice unexpectedly rough and husky.


Now I have to banish those images too? My God...


The rush of lust was almost too much to bear. Thank God for Jasper and his blessed abilities. He immediately sensed my current problem and wiped away the waves of lust crashing over my body.


"No!" I told her firmly.


"Why? Don't you want to?" she asked sweetly.


I furrowed my brow. "What?" I asked incredulously.


She shrugged and picked up her fork. "I'm a pretty kike baby with a fuckable little ass, donchya know..."


"My God, Isabella - Stop!"


This is so fucked up.


I got your back, man Jasper assured me in his thoughts as he started to take away the fit of rage that was slowly building inside of me.


When I was calm again, and she was eating a bite of her macaroni, I spoke again.


"I told you, not ten minutes ago, to stop using that word. Didn't I?" I prodded.


She nodded as she chewed.


"And you went and said it anyway. No. Lolly. After dinner." I said firmly.


She scowled at me, and after she swallowed she said, "But I want it!" screaming out the word 'want'.


"No."


She kicked her legs out and started to cry a little. "But I wasn't whining..." she said as she looked at me with those watery chocolate eyes.


I looked away quickly before they sucked me in, and I gave in to her. I really needed to work on my willpower with her.


"I said no."


She cried again and threw down her fork, crossing her arms over her chest. "Want a lolly..." she whimpered pathetically.


"Maybe next time, you'll listen. Hmm?"


She sniffled and wiped her eyes, done crying now. "I'ma tell your mommy on you. You lied," she said indignantly.


"I did not lie, young lady. I told you that you would be in trouble if you broke that rule again."


She scowled at the truth in my words.


"Would you prefer that I spank you? 'Cause I could do that and then you could have your lolly afterwards..." I suggested lightly.


"Nooo..." she whined with a shake of her head.


"Stop whining," I reminded her.


She did and picked her fork back up, taking a sharp stab at her chicken, venting her anger out on the unsuspecting piece of meat.


Carlisle joined us at the table then, shooting me a sympathetic look. I nodded at him, acknowleding his thoughts of sympathy and disbelief of Isabella's occasional word vomit.


"Hello, Isabella," he greeted her, taking a seat on the other side of me so that he wouldn't be too close to her, making her unnecessarily uncomfortable.


"Hi," she huffed indignantly and then shot him a bitter look that clearly said 'I hate you and your stupid yellow hair', before she brought a piece of chicken to her mouth.


"How are you this evening, Isabella?" he asked, always keeping his voice soft and bedside manner active around my skittish little girl.


"Mad," she said with a scowl on her face.


Her scowl was focused on her plate of food, but soon it shifted to Carlisle. She kept her brow furrowed and eyes fixed on him as she sucked her pouty bottom lip into her mouth.


"Why is that, sweetie?" he asked.


"B'cuz you don't like me and want me to go away like the other mean doctor man, and my Edward is being really mean to me," she informed him, then muttered "lolly nazi" off to the side, making me crack a small smile.


Wow, she's serious when it comes to her fucking lollipops...


"I like you, Isabella, and I promise that I'm not a 'mean doctor man'. How is your Edward being really mean to you?" he asked, his thoughts letting me know that he was very happy about Isabella's responsiveness to him tonight.


She huffed and gave him a pleading look, turning on her adorable charm. "He said that I could have my lolly after dinner, but then he changeded his mind and said that I couldn't. But I wasn't even whining!" she said, throwing up her hands a little in exasperation. "Can you tell him to gimme a lolly?" she whispered then.


He smiled at her whispered plea and asked, "Did you happen to say something naughty that maybe you weren't supposed to...?" he hedged.


"No," she said bluntly with a shake of her head, looking him square in the eye.


Huh...she's almost as good a liar as me.


He raised his eyebrows at her blatant lie.


"Isabella, are you lying?" I asked, calling her out on it.


"Yes," she said simply, then took a bite of her corn.


"Why did you lie?" Carlisle asked her curiously.


"B'cuz I can and I wanted to," she replied and attacked her crazy straw again, taking three long pulls of juice from it.


That's going to be a problem Carlisle warned me through his thoughts.


I gave him a nod and narrowed my eyes at Isabella.


"Edward?" she said, looking up from her cup.


"Yes?"


"Wanna cuddle..." she told me while giving me a longing look.


"C'mere," I said, holding my arm out to her.


She smiled and got out of her chair. She sat down on my lap and I grabbed her plate, scooting it over in front of me, then wrapped my arm around her waist, holding her close and dropped a kiss onto her shoulder.


"I don't want you to lie anymore, Isabella," I told her quietly.


"Why?" she asked and picked her fork back up.


"Because it's naughty, and I said so," I stated, giving her the universal parent-typical answer.


"You lie," she countered.


Damn it...


"That doesn't mean you have to, or that you are going to be allowed to. No lying," I told her.


She didn't respond, just continued to chew her food.


"Did you hear me?" I prodded gently.


"Marie says you're a hypocrite," she blurted out.


"That's irrelevant, Isabella. No lying," I repeated, hating that what Marie told her was true.


Way to go on setting an example, Cullen. Fucking awesome. Dumbass.


"What's a hypocrite?" she asked, succesfully dodging an acknowledgement of her new rule.


"Somebody that does something, and then turns around and tells people that they can't do that same thing," Carlisle explained from beside us so that I didn't have to.


"Okay," she said lightly and stuck a piece of chicken in her mouth.


"Isabella..."


"Hmm?" she hummed around chewing her food.


"No lying," I repeated her rule. She didn't answer so I squeezed her hip in warning. "Do you understand?"


"Uh-huh," she replied with a little nod, so I relaxed my grip on her hip and leaned back onto the chair.


"I don't like your hair," Isabella said then, looking to her left at Carlisle now.


"I know, and I'm sorry...there's nothing I can do about that. But I think you're a smart little girl...I think you can judge somebody on their personality and actions, not their hair color," he told her with a small smile.


She shook her head a little and said, "I wouldn't count on it."


Well, at least she's not shy around him anymore...


I jostled her a little by lifting my leg up an inch and bringing it back down, getting her attention.


"Isabella, don't be rude," I admonished her.


"Edward, don't be mean," she countered.


"I'm not being mean," I pointed out.


"Then give me my lolly," she demanded.


"Do you want a spanking?" I asked, reminding her of my compromise and getting a little tired of her attitude tonight.


"Nope," she said, then smacked her lips together and pushed her plate of food away.


"You're not getting a lollipop tonight because of your language," I reminded her.


"Are you ready for your first therapy session tomorrow, Isabella?" Carlisle asked softly.


"Are you ready for me to cut all your hair off tonight while you sleep?" she asked, mocking his tone, sounding almost condenscending with it, and avoiding his question.


"Isabella, that's enough," I said curtly.


"I don't sleep," he replied bluntly, becoming a little amused at her persistance with her hatred for his hair. Simply because it was 'yellow'.


It really was becoming ridiculous.


"Me and Marie won't let you make Bella forget me again. She won't leave me, no matter what you do or say, Mister," she informed him, keeping up their eye contact.


"I'm sorry for the misunderstandings, Isabella...but I'm pretty sure you have the wrong idea when it comes to these therapy sessions. I don't want anyone to abandon you, and I'm not going to hurt you. We are just going to sit and talk, like we are doing right now, sweetie," he assured her.


"I don't believe you," she told him in the same harsh way that she had said to me earlier.


I squeezed her hip again, reminding her to be polite.


"I'm sorry for that..." he said gently.


"You are not, you're a liar liar pants on fire. I know b'cuz it takes one to know one," she pointed out.


"Isabella, be nice," I told her.


"Edward, be nice," she mocked me.


Okay, I knew that she was going to act out tonight, but I'm beginning to run out of fucking patience.


She is pushing you, Edward...that is becoming very clear. It's almost as if it's intentional he thought at me, but kept eye contact with Isabella.


I nodded at him because I already knew that she was. I'm not stupid. But I also can't overreact to it because it's quite obvious that she's aiming for the reassurance that I will always love her no matter what happens, or how bad she behaves...that I'll always want to keep her.


She cocked her head to the side before saying, "My Edward wants to keep me too, so fuck off."


And once again, those words of profanity sounded all wrong coming from her adorable child-like voice.


He smiled gently at her, unaffected by her attempts to get a rise out of him, but I moved my leg to the side and swatted her ass. It was barely a flick of my wrist, but I knew it would be a hard hit for her.


She jumped a little and started to cry.


"Owwie.." she sniffled.


I had just got done spanking Marie for mouthing off to Carlisle, among other things, and it wouldn't be fair to Marie if I let Isabella get away with it, and not her. And Marie would know because she is aware of what's going on right now.


"Stop it. Now. That's enough," I spoke lowly in her ear.


She nodded, bringing a fist up to her eye and rubbed away some tears, then quieted down. It's not like she was being loud in the first place, just a few whimpering noises and a couple of tears. She leaned back into my chest and rested her head on my shoulder, then sniffled again. I kept my arm around her waist and waited for her breathing to even out.


"So, are you ready for your first therapy session tomorrow?" Carlisle softly repeated.


She shook her head.


"Why not, sweetie?" he asked. "It won't be that bad..." he said, trying to placate her.


"I wanna go play outside," she said, ignoring him.


"Answer him, Isabella," I insisted.


"Don't wanna get a doctor, Edward..." she whined.


I sighed. "We've been over this, baby," I reminded her and lightly ran my fingertips up and down along her right arm. "You're getting one." I said, then quickly added, "You've got one," correcting myself.


"I want a lolly, Edward."


"No, Isabella."


"I wanna swing on my swing, Edward."


"Maybe later."


"I wanna go on my jump-a-lene, Edward."


"Maybe."


"I wanna play outside, Edward."


"Stop avoiding the subject, baby."


"I wanna draw with my pretty chalk, Edward."


"Isabella..."


"I want my sparkly play-doh, Edward."


"Stop it."


"I wanna watch my princess movie, Edward."


"Sweetheart-"


"I wanna play with my dolly, Edward."


"We need to finish this talk first, baby," I said softly in her ear, never stopping my lightly trailing fingers.


"My baby needs her jammies on for bedtime, Edward."


"Baby girl-"


"I have to get her dressed b'cuz that's what good Mommies do, Edward."


"Your dolly can wait."


"I want a pop, Edward."


"No, you don't get desert because of your language."


"Edwaaard..." she whined and arched her back off of my chest in a clearly agitated gesture.


Get her to focus Carlisle thought at me, as I heard Emmett chuckling at Isabella's attempts to distract me.


"Stop whining, love. I'm not going to repeat myself on that rule again," I said, exasperated and ran a hand roughly through my hair before adding, "I don't want to spank you again, so just stop it."


"I wanna draw, Edward."


"Maybe after the conversation-"


"I wanna color, Edward."


"No."


"I wanna play with my big doodle, Edward" she said, referring to her new MagnaDoodle I had bought for her.


"Not until you talk to Carlisle. He asked you a question," I pointed out.


"No."


"Yes."


"No."


"Yes, Isabella."


"No, Edward."


"Stop it."


"Stop it," she said, mocking me again.


God, give me strength...


I sighed and Carlisle repeated his question for her again. It frustrated me because he shouldn't have to do that just because Isabella wanted to be a brat right now.


"Why aren''t you ready for your session in the morning, sweetie?" he asked.


She sighed and was quiet for a minute. "I'm not ready b'cuz you're going to hurt me with your needles and purity knives. I know you got 'em and I can tell b'cuz of your ugly yellow hair. All of you people have stuff like that to hurt the kike babies with. I may be small, but I'm not stupid," she pointed out with a small glare. "I'm wise to your act, doctor meanie," she informed him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Marie let me know all about you and your plans. You're the one who's gonna tell Bella to get rid of us. But we're not leavin," she insisted with a hard look in his direction.


Well isn't she just too fucking cute when she tries to 'tell it like it is'...


"I have no needles and no purity knives," he assured her.


"Sure," she said nonchalantly, clearing showing her insistant disbelief in his words.


"Well..." Carlisle started, then sighed. "I guess the only way for you to start believing me is to see for yourself," he replied in his ever-present gentle tone with her.


She latched her hands onto my arm that was currently around her waist and shook her head. "Not goin anywhere with you..."


I kissed her temple and murmured, "Not tonight, but you do have therapy in the morning, baby."


She gasped. "No Edward, wanna stay with you..." she pleaded.


"Shhh..." I whispered in her ear. "I'll be here."


She loosened her grip on my arm and said, "Edward?"


"Hmm?"


"You come with me?"


"No baby, you need private time with the doctor so you guys can learn to be friends," I explained.


She pouted and whined until her eyes eventually watered and I could smell the salt of the developing tears. "Don't wanna be friends with him. He's gonna hurt me. Don't leave me alone with the doctor, Edward," she pleaded.


"Stop it," I told her, referring to her whining and overreaction.


She sniffled, so I continued. "I'll be here. Just probably in our room, or living room. But baby, therapy is going to be your private time with Carlisle," I insisted.


She shook her head, "No Edward, I wanna stay with you..."


"I'll be here," I repeated.


She pressed the back of her head into my shoulder and kicked out her legs, starting to cry again.


"Nooo...come with me."


I sighed. "I think it's time for bed, Isabella," I told her, noticing her constant restless and whiny state.


The tears and cries immediately stopped then, as she exclaimed, "No! I wanna play, Edward."


She immediately started to get off my lap, so I stood with her and so did Carlisle.


"I'll see you in the morning, Isabella," he told her.


She looked up at him and shook her head. "Nuh-uh you won't," she muttered, then walked away towards the back doors.


"Isabella, where are you going?" I asked.


"Play outside."


"No. Upstairs. Now."


"Nooo..." she whined and stomped her foot.


I raised my eyebrows at her, giving her a hard look and daring her to tell me 'no' again, or whine again, or stomp her fucking foot again.


I bet Marie taught her that...


When she didn't move away from the door, I stepped in her direction.


She moved then, and started to go back towards the stair case. It didn't escape my notice how she tried to discreetly cover her bottom with her hands behind her back as she walked by me.


Yeah...she knows she's in trouble.


When we were back in our room, I had intended to talk to her about her behavior downstairs, but Isabella was quick to get her sketch pad out and a pack of markers, almost like she was on a mission. She sat down on the floor, her legs folded under herself so that she was on her knees, sitting back on her heels.


I sat down with her and watched as she drew a picture of the same purity knife that she had drawn earlier today with her sidewalk chalk outside. She had intense focus and concentration on her work, barely noticing my body beside her. When she was done with that picture, she ripped the page out of the sketch pad, and laid it gently on the carpet to the right of her. Then she picked up a black marker and started to make quick work of another piece. This one was a magnified demonstration of a syringe with a needle at the tip. When she was finished, she ripped that picture out also, and laid it down next to the picture of a purity knife. Her focus went straight back to the sketch pad and started all over again. This picture was of a sharp sewing needle with a piece of black thread hanging from it. That picture got ripped out too and placed side-by-side with the others.


Two drawings later, and she had a picture of a purity knife, drenched in blood. A typical doctor's needle. A sewing needle with black thread. What I recognized as a mouth ball-gag. And then we had a detailed, intricate drawing of coiled thick rope.


I kept my intrigued, but confused gaze on these pictures, wondering what significance each of them had, until I heard her soft, adorable voice calling me back to reality.


She turned to me then and asked, "Edward, you lie to me?"


"No, baby. No lying..." I assured her quickly.


She pointed to her pile of pictures. "Does your daddy got any of these?"


I skimmed over them with my eyes one last time before I shook my head. "No, baby. He doesn't," I said softly.


She stared at me for a minute before crawling into my lap. "Promise?"


"Promise."


"Swear it?"


"I swear it, baby girl," I reassured her with a quick kiss on her button nose.


"He gonna cut me if I'm bad?"


"No," I said firmly.


"Give me shots that burn my skin and make me all sleepy?"


"No."


"Put a ball in my mouth and strap it around the back of my head if I cry or say bad words?"


"No..." I said and could feel my anger growing with her odd questions.


She rubbed her left eye with her fist as she asked, "Tie me down so he can put a needle through my little baby cuntie lips and sew them up together? Make me stay like that on a time-out?"


Holy shit...


"No," I growled out.


"Tie me down so he can fuck my ass?"


Goddamn it...


"No," I growled out. Again.


"Promise?"


The rumbling in my chest continued as I growled lowly.


"Promise..."


My eyes black with fury now that I knew the significance of those goddamn pictures.


"Swear?"


"I fucking swear," I growled, my upper lip curling up on instinct as I kept my gaze on those pictures.


"Oh shit..." I heard Alice say as Jasper started to intervene on my emotions.


"I want those pictures, Edward," Carlisle told me from the living room.


"I'm going to go find that motherfucker. See how he likes my brand of torture that I will inflict upon him. I am sick of this shit," Emmett stated.


Yeah, like I hadn't already thought of that...


I had done my fucking research and found out that James Marshall Crowley, AKA Jim, is already dead. He was found raped and stabbed to death in the shower room at his prison three years ago.


What a goddamn shame.


Otherwise, me and my brothers would have had a field day with him by now.


My facial features were relaxed now, as was my breathing, all thanks to my bro, Jazz. I would have to buy him a fucking car, or something, for helping me as much as he has been lately. I have found myself truly grateful for his talent.


I had Isabella on my lap, enveloped in my arms, and was breathing in her scent when she asked, "Can we watch my Cars movie?"


"After we talk..."


"Kay."


I leaned forward and gathered up the drawings, putting them in her sketch pad and flipping the cover closed, remembering what Bella had said about keeping Isabella's creations away from her. If Carlisle wanted to show her...fine. But I'm not getting dragged into that shit storm. He's on his own with that one.


"Baby...you know you that have to go to therapy with Carlisle in the morning," I reminded her.


"Yah-huh, but he don't got those things?" she asked, pointing over to the flipped shut sketch pad, referring to her drawings.


"No, he doesn't," I assured her.


She nodded.


I kissed her temple softly and prayed that she would talk about this. I didn't want another episode like I had earlier today with Marie where I had to actually put her over my knee just to get her to fucking say something.


I sighed deeply, then asked, "Why were you a bad girl downstairs at dinner, Isabella?"


"B'cuz I had bad feelings, Edward," she said simply with a delicate little shrug.


I nodded, glad that she was cooperating, and started softly trailing my fingers along her spine. "Why did you have those bad feelings, baby?"


"B'cuz I'm scared."


"Why are you scared?"


"B'cuz I don't like Daddies, Edward. The hurt me and like it, it makes their dick hard."


I growled at that, but she continued on. "And I don't like the mean doctors. And I don't wanna go away again. And I don't want Bella to forget 'bout me again and not be my friend no more. And I don't wanna get hurt again. And I want you to go and be in the therapy room with me, but you won't be. It all makes me so sad and very mad," she explained in her soft, quiet voice.


I nodded at her simple explanation and tightened my hold on her. I was so relieved that getting her to talk was a lot simpler then getting Marie to talk when she was feeling upset.


"I love you, baby girl..."


"Love you too," she mumbled.


"You don't have to feel bad, baby...no one is going to hurt you anymore," I said softly.


She gave me a little nod. "Sorry for bein' bad," she whispered, then kissed my cheek.


"I know sweetheart, it's okay," I assured her and kissed her forehead.


After a few more minutes of holding her, she asked about her movie again, so I got up and put the movie Cars on for her. She grabbed her doll and hopped up onto the bed, starting to change it's outfit again, repeating what she had said before about it needing to be changed into pajamas for bedtime. When she was done changing it's clothes, she held a play bottle to it's mouth for two minutes, and then tucked the doll back into it's little plastic basinet on the floor against the wall. She grabbed her MagnaDoodle off of the desk, then made her way back over towards me.


"I'm a good Mommy, huh?" she asked me as she crawled back onto the bed.


"Yes, baby. You fed your dolly and tucked her in for bed."


She nodded with a proud smile on her face and sat down next to me, then started to randomly doodle things on her MagnaDoodle that she had placed in her lap, while occasionally fixing her attention back onto the movie that was playing on the TV.


She giggled at the screen and said, "Ta-Mater is funny, Edward..."


"Yes, he is," I agreed lightly with a smile.


When she got bored with her MagnaDoodle, she turned to look at me.


"Wanna cuddle, Edward..."


"C'mere," I said and invitingly held out my arms for her.


She snuggled into my side and started lightly running her fingertips across my chest, collarbone and neck. I kissed her forehead and held her close as the rest of the movie played out. When the end credits started rolling, she yawned, and I was instantly reminded to check the clock. I noticed that it was only 8:34pm and breathed a sigh of relief. She still had to take a bath and suck down another chocolate protein shake before bed.


"Ready for your bath, baby?" I asked as I sat us back up into a sitting position.


She nodded. "I get bubbles again?" she asked hopefully.


"Yes, angel you can have bubbles again."


"Does Ariel wanna come out and play with me again?" she asked, referring to her bath time mermaid doll.


"Yes, why wouldn't she?"


She shrugged. "We kinda had a fight last night..." she informed me.


"Oh, really? What about?" I asked suddenly intrigued...by an imaginary argument between Isabella and a damn doll.


What. The. Hell.


"She said that only she could sing the songs b'cuz they were her's in her movie, but I wanted to sing 'em too, but she told me 'no' b'cuz they were her songs and only she's allowed to sing 'em," she explained.


"Oh...well, you tell her that if you want to sing the songs, then that's what you're going to do. Don't let your dolly boss you around, baby," I told her, playing along.


She seemed to think for a few seconds before she said with determination, "I think I will tell her b'cuz I'm a big girl, huh?"


"Yes," I agreed.


"Okay."


"Alright, then," I said,making my way over to the bathroom and wondering what events tonight's bath time would bring.


Could she manage it by herself?


Would she still need my help?


Ooooh, would I get to wash her hair again?


Is it wrong that I want to wash her hair again?


Why is it that the only opportunity I have to see my Bella's exquisite naked form, is when her five year old personality is active?


And, God...is it okay that I'm okay with that?


Christ, when did things get so damn complicated...