Author's Note: I recently re-read my Fatherly Duties story and wanted to continue on. This time, Edward is the parent, and will have to deal with both the trials of raising a child and with his own father who is perfectly willing to metaphorically tan his hide should he step out of line. This story will have completely original plot lines because it all happens after Breaking Dawn. On the other hand, this won't be a long, complicated story. It will be vignettes and may not all be from Edward's POV. Also, this isn't a planned story. I will be happy to listen to suggestions for chapters.

Like my other story, it will have disciplinarian spankings. And like my other story, sadly, I don't own Twilight.

Fatherly Duties II: Like Father, Like Son

Chapter 1: Talent

Edward POV

Raising Renesmee is one of the greatest joys in my life. I never expected that I could ever father a child. I had assumed that it was not possible, but to my horror, it was. As soon as I found out that Bella had conceived, I tried to terminate her pregnancy. I thought that any child fathered by a vampire would be evil.

Bella disagreed. She fought to protect our child from me. She called the one person in our family that she knew would protect our baby above all else. She called Rosalie. Bella was brilliant in her choice. She knew that Rosalie would allow her to sacrifice herself to allow our child to live. What she didn't know was that Emmett would support his wife and keep me from going through Rosalie to get to Bella. She also didn't anticipate that Esme would support her decision. She too was beside Bella supporting her through her pregnancy even though she did not hold our child's life above Bella's the way Rosalie had.

Carlisle agreed with me in principle, but he would never forcibly end Bella's pregnancy. He only agreed to perform the termination because he thought I had spoken to Bella about it. Jasper agreed with me, but only because Alice did. Alice was on my side because she couldn't see our child or Bella in her visions. Alice and I were both afraid of what we couldn't see again, as we had been with Jacob. Ironically, Jacob was my most ardent supporter. He and I both tried to talk Bella into aborting the child. I even suggested that if she wanted a child, I offered to let Jacob give her one.

In the end, Bella was stubborn, and she was right. Our child was capable of love and emotional growth and she has been a real blessing in our lives. We named our little angel Renesmee.

Our blessing was nearly destroyed when the Volturi came to annihilate our family. Both Bella and I had thought that this would be the end of our existences, but the Volturi reconsidered when they saw that a fight with us would be devastating to them as well. When they left us, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief and started living out our forever.

Forever with a child, even a half-vampire, is not without its challenges. Even though she is gifted, both naturally and supernaturally, she is still a child. Renesmee whines on occasion. She misbehaves. And she seemed to inherit my talent for manipulation.

Shortly after she turned six months old (although she looked like a six year old), Carlisle advised us that she needed a little more hands-on discipline. He told us the longer we allowed her to behave this way, the harder it would be for us to begin correcting her.

After that conversation with Carlisle, we warned Nessie that she would be spanked for disobedience or manipulation. I could tell by her thoughts that she didn't believe that we would actually follow through.

She was very surprised three days later when she ended up over my knee getting five swats. I had put her to bed while Bella was out with the girls, and she kept coming out over and over until I finally told her to quit stalling and go to bed or she would get a spanking. She came out again for her third drink of water, and I carried her to my bedroom and gave Renesmee her first spanking.

I tried not to be too harsh with her first spanking for two reasons. First, her disobedience wasn't the end of the world. She'd gotten out of bed for a drink, not exactly a capital crime. Second, it was her first, and my first spanking (on the administering end, anyway). I went through with it though, because she was definitely testing me, and I knew it would escalate from there if I didn't put a lid on this now. That being said, I was probably too easy on her because she seemed more shocked than hurt. Although she cried, it was only a few tears.

Three days later, I was up to bat again when she refused to go hunting. She tried to convince me that grandpa had plenty of "the good blood" and stamped her foot on the ground in an act of defiance. Once again, we made the trip to my bedroom and she received five swats, and then we went hunting. I put a little more force into it that time. She pouted the whole time we were out.

After about five trips to my bedroom with Renesmee, I had mastered the art of the minor spanking. She hadn't done anything that warranted a major spanking yet, and so I had only given her five swats per incident. She was, after all, still very young. Her first big spanking came when she was nearly nine months old.

I came home from hunting with Emmett and Jasper and went straight to our cottage. Bella was not there, but Jacob was. He was sitting in our living room doing his homework, and Nessie was in her room screaming and banging on the floor. This was by far the most outrageous uproar my daughter had created.

"Do I need to take care of this?" I asked him, staring down the hall at my daughter's door.

"You'd better go to the main house and talk to Bella first." Jacob told me. "I can handle things here until you come back."

"Can you at least tell me what the problem is?" I asked him.

"This?" Jacob laughed. "She's mad at me because I told her that she had to stay in there until you came to get her."

"Bella sent her to her room?" I started to become wary.

"Apparently, Ness is in trouble." He explained, but refused to elaborate.

"And Bella left you in charge to make sure she obeyed?" I found that hard to believe.

"Bella was upset, and I suggested that she go speak with Carlisle." Jacob explained. "I told her I would watch Ness until you got back, but I think you should go talk to Bella before you go in there with Nessie."

"And this little outburst is because…?" I drawled, hoping that he would shed some light on this.

"She thought I would let her out when Bella went to see Carlisle." Jacob laughed.

"And you made her stay?" I asked him in astonsihment. "I thought you would give her anything she wants."

"No, I give her everything she needs." He corrected me. "Right now, she needs this… and Bella needs to talk to you."

"Of course, my apologies." I excused myself and ran to the main house.

Before I even got there, I could hear Bella's sobs and Carlisle comforting her.

"I will not spank you for this, Bella." He told her. "You've done nothing wrong."

"Y-y-y-you didn't see what she thought of me." Bella wept.

Not wanting to get any more of this second-hand, I sprinted up to Carlisle's study.

The door was closed, and so I knocked. I knew better than to barge in on a private time with Carlisle and one of the others.

"Come in Edward." Carlisle told me as if he'd been expecting me for a while.

"Do you know why Renesmee is in her room having a tantrum?" I asked Carlisle. I could see that Bella was in no shape to answer me.

"Don't you see, dad?" Bella howled in anguish. "I abused her!"

"You did not, sweet pea." Dad told her, sounding very much like he had told her many times, and she didn't listen. Though Bella was a wonderful mother with what seemed an unending supply of patience for our daughter, she constantly doubted her ability.

From Bella's emotional outburst, I guessed that she must have had to spank our daughter for the first time. I had been the sole disciplinarian in our family because Bella had feared that she wouldn't control her strength. She knew that she would probably have to do it eventually, and so she asked me for a demonstration of the strength that I used on Nessie. I put a pillow over my knee and showed her the force I used to discipline our daughter, but Bella wanted more hands-on instruction. She asked me to spank her the same way I spanked our daughter.

Before I was willing to spank my wife, I talked to Carlisle. I was surprised that he actually thought it was a great idea, and suggested that I allow her to practice on me once I had demonstrated it to her. I actually hoped that he wouldn't agree with her. I struggled with upbringing and constantly tried to assert authority over her. Having her over my knee would reinforce my outdated way of thinking. And that's why Carlisle suggested she practice on me, to even the playing field.

Even though we both knew she had the ability to instantly mimic what I had done, she asked for five repeat performances. I hesitated, but she begged me, not wanting to get this wrong on our daughter. I relented, knowing that the force I used on Renesmee wouldn't be enough to cause Bella any more than a mild discomfort because our skin is much tougher than our daughter's.

From the very first practice run, Bella used the appropriate amount of force, and I had no doubt that she would do wonderfully when it was her turn. This time, I insisted that she practice five more times, both wanting to give her confidence in her ability and so that we were even.

"Yes I did!" Bella sobbed, bringing me out of my memory. "I must have not controlled my strength enough! I should have waited for Edward or called you to help me! I'm a monster!"

"None of that, Isabella." He commanded her in his dad voice.

"But…" Bella argued, perpetually eager to accept the blame for everything.

As soon as she started to say the word, Carlisle flipped her into a prone position over his lap.

"I will not spank you for this, Isabella Maria Cullen." He repeated, adding her full name. "But I will not allow you to continue to argue with me. You. Did. Not. Abuse. Your. Daughter."

I stood in shock, hoping like hell that Bella would not provoke him any further and make me witness her get a spanking from dad. It was very rare for Carlisle to punish anyone in front of another person, but he sometimes would if the one receiving the spanking couldn't get in control of themselves. I feared that Bella was trying to bait him into spanking her so that she could feel that she was punished for hurting Renesmee.

I do not intend to spank her, Edward. Carlisle addressed my fears silently. But I need her to calm down and listen to me. I have put her in this submissive position to help her focus.

He was right. Bella immediately broke down sobbing. Before, Bella's posture was rigid as she argued with dad and tore herself apart emotionally. Now, she cried limply over his knees. He stroked her back lovingly allowing her to calm herself but at the same time, reminding her that he was in charge.

"Are you in control enough to lift your shield and show Edward why you think you went too far with Renesmee?" Carlisle asked her while she remained face down over his lap.

She nodded and breathed a great sigh as I felt her mind open up to me.

Bella started the memory with Nessie over her lap. Nessie fought like a rabid wolverine while Bella held her still. Bella delivered the first swat, and our precious little angel became even more desperate to get away, and she screamed like she was being killed. Even from Bella's memory, I could tell that Nessie was engaging in theatrics. Bella recalled witnessing me spanking our child, and Nessie didn't behave like that at all. She feared that she was not spanking her correctly.

But… Bella pressed on and delivered a second, this time less forceful stroke. I doubt this even hurt our… little spoiled brat. Still, Nessie howled and kicked like an unbroken horse. Bella quickly administered the last three swats and attempted to comfort our daughter.

While Bella held her, Nessie reached up and touched Bella's face, and the picture Nessie showed her was shocking. I could tell that this was Nessie's manufactured thoughts, not actually what happened, but Bella felt that this was how Renesmee saw the spanking. Bella's face was contorted in rage as she beat Nessie mercilessly. The child inside the memory became younger and younger until Bella was thrashing a baby.

At this point, Bella became distressed again. Her shield snapped back into place, and the thoughts in her mind became private again. As she told the story, I became disappointed that our daughter had hurt Bella in that way, but more than anything, I was angry with myself. I saw what Renesmee had done as a reflection of how I had manipulated Bella time and again, especially when she was human. I knew the hurt I had caused Bella with my behavior, and I refused to let Renesmee behave the way I had.

Without a word to Bella or Carlisle, I turned and walked out the door and toward our cottage where Renesmee probably continued to have her tantrum.

"Wait!" Carlisle commanded. "You will not discipline your daughter until you've calmed down."

"I'm calm enough." I refused to listen to him, though I was still very upset, absolutely loathing myself. "This ends today."

Before I could reach the front door, Bella appeared in front of me blocking my path. I had no idea how she got off of Carlisle's lap to get to the door before I did. I was usually faster than she was.

You will not abuse our daughter. I heard Bella's thoughts once again. The look in her eye was murderous.

You will come back to my office and sit down, Edward. Carlisle thought to me with a vivid image that showed me the thrashing I could expect should I refuse to obey him right now.

I threw my hands up in a surrender to show Bella that she didn't need to attack me, and I turned and made my way back to Carlisle's office. Bella followed me, still on the brink of growling at me. I could hear her teeth clenching together in absolute fury.

When we got back to Carlisle's office, I could see from his thoughts that Bella had not yet returned to a state of tranquility, confirming my suspicion that she was ready to pounce on me should I try to outmaneuver her and get to our daughter. I didn't let her know that I was concerned about her temperament at the moment. I simply strode to the chair and sat down.

As soon as Bella saw that I meant our daughter no harm, her face quickly changed from lethal to calm and then instantly to guilt-ridden. I had thought she was feeling ashamed that she had threatened me, but I was mistaken. I was taken aback when Bella hung her head and ran over to Carlisle, dropped to her knees and began crying.

"I-I-I'm sorry, dad!" She wept in distress. "I didn't mean…"

"Shhh," dad whispered in hushed tones to Bella as he reached down and stroked her face. "I could see that you meant to stop Edward."

"You're not upset?" She sighed in relief. "Even though I defied you?"

"You did no such thing." He assured her. "Sit in my lap, sweet pea." He helped her stand even though it was completely unnecessary. "Unless you feel that you need to lie across again?"

"No, dad." She shook her head. "I… I can control myself."

He smiled at her and kissed the top of her head, proud of her. Clearly you're a monster, Bella. He thought sarcastically, mentally rolling his eyes at that notion. I forced my lips together into a line to suppress a laugh.

"Why did you stop Edward, Bella?" He asked her, knowing the answer already.

"He can't spank her when he's like that!" She shouted more at me than dad. He squeezed her lightly to show his support.

"I wasn't angry with her, love." I tried to explain. "I…"

"Do you think that matters?" Bella yelled at me, piercing me with an angry gaze.

"You're right, Bella. It does not." Carlisle answered her rhetorical question to me. "Edward could be angry with me or Jacob, or anyone, and it would still be wrong to discipline Renesmee in that state."

"Are you angry with me?" Bella asked me in a small, unsure voice.

"I'm angry with myself, love." I promised her, closing my eyes and swallowing. "She reminds me of myself, and I don't want her to end up hurting you the way I did when you were human."

"You're forgiven, Edward." Bella reminded me.

"I know that." I admitted. "But that doesn't stop me from making the connection between what I did to manipulate you, and what our daughter did."

"You don't think I mistreated her?" Bella asked, still very insecure.

Edward, your wife is hurting. Shouldn't you be over here, comforting her instead of all the way across the room? Carlisle admonished me.

I nodded once to him and sat next to them on the couch, mentally slapping myself on the forehead. Initially, I had not intruded because it looked like they were having a moment. When I returned, I sat on the chair to put some distance between Carlisle and myself after disobeying him, but that was immature. I should have been comforting her from the moment she started crying again.

"No, of course not." I assured her, taking her hands in mine. "You stopped me from facing her in anger, and even told me that you wouldn't let me abuse her."

"You're a wonderful mother, sweet pea." Carlisle added. "You remind me very much of Esme."

Bella ducked her head in embarrassment, looking very much like she would be blushing if she could.

"Thank you." She mumbled, becoming shy at his compliment.

"All better?" He asked her.

"Close enough," she told him honestly.

"Good. We need to talk about your daughter now." He reminded her.

"Yes," I agreed, remembering that Bella hadn't ever told me how Renesmee had misbehaved.

"What do you want to know?" Bella asked Carlisle warily, but I answered her.

"You didn't actually mention what Nessie had done to earn a spanking in the first place." I told her, hoping she would elaborate.

"I'd rather not say." Bella looked at the ground and squirmed in Carlisle's lap. And with her mind, she added, Please don't make me say this out loud. I'll tell you later.

The problem with that plan was that dad knows her. He knows the only reason why she wouldn't tell me what our daughter did was that it would get someone else in trouble. I did a quick search of my history to make sure that someone wasn't me.

"I'd like you to tell me." Carlisle lifted her chin so that she was looking at him.

"She said a bad word," Bella admitted quickly, trying to minimize the chance that someone would get in trouble. She sighed as she told him the rest. "And when I told her not to say it, she said it again."

"Sweet pea," Carlisle chastised her, "I want the whole story."

"Fine," she huffed, earning a low growl from dad. She shrunk away from him and became much more compliant. "She was playing a video game with Emmett the other day, and she ended up beating him. He blurted out…" Bella paused, and then finished in a whisper, "F-ing H-E-double hockey sticks."

I chuckled at Bella's innocent way of saying it. She was not one for swearing. Neither was I for that matter. I would have hesitated before I said that word in front of my father, but I would have actually used it if I were quoting someone else. I guessed that she had never actually said that word before. Her innocence made me love her even more.

Edward. Carlisle thought to me in a reprimanding tone. I straightened my face immediately.

"She didn't know what it meant." Bella continued. "I didn't want to tell her the actual meaning, and so I told her he was frustrated, and he shouldn't have said that in front of her. I told Emmett to watch his language in front of Renesmee."

"Nessie said that twice, both times, she knew that you disapproved of that word?" Carlisle asked her, and she shook her head.

"Not exactly." Bella told him and then began the story of what led up to that foul language. "Earlier today, we were hunting. She tried to take on a mountain lion, and it ripped her dress. She repeated that choice phrase, and I scolded her, telling her that that word wasn't allowed, and she would be in trouble if I heard her say it again. She told me to F off…" Bella explained then added for dad. "I swear I don't know where she heard that one."

"Emmett." I growled, assuming that he had said that to her as well. "I'm going to kill him."

Just as I had finished threatening Emmett's life, two things happened. First, Carlisle reminded me to control my temper, and then Jasper knocked tentatively on the door.

"Yes?" Carlisle invited him in.

"I apologize." Jasper told us remorsefully. "She heard that one from me, not Emmett."

"Why did you choose to teach my granddaughter such coarse language?" Carlisle asked him, raising his eyebrow.

"I didn't mean to let that slip, dad." Jasper told us. "I was in the middle of a disagreement with Emmett, and she walked in and heard me say it."

"I will speak to both you and Emmett later about your choice of language." Carlisle told him. "Those words should not come out of your mouths whether or not Renesmee is near. If you grow accustomed to saying them, the words will, as you say, slip out at inappropriate times."

"Yes, dad." Jasper, properly abashed, left Carlisle's study.

"Now…" dad continued, "your daughter has deliberately hurt Bella emotionally. You will take care of this, or I will."