Sauce for the Gander

Summary: Remember that evidence Gibbs swapped at the end of Family Secret? Warning: spanking of adults. Don't like? Don't read!

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, I just play with 'em.

A/N: This is part of my series that began with The Lesson. Tag to Family Secret (3x16) – takes place about a year after the episode. This was written quickly, mainly because a particularly aggressive plot-bunny wouldn't let me concentrate on what I'm supposed to be writing. It's lighter than my last story; there will eventually be sequels to Tim's First Time exploring the deeper emotions in further detail, but this one is pure entertainment.

Thanks to draggon-flye for help with brainstorming this one.

Warning: This story contains the non-sexual spanking of adults. If you have a problem with that, click on that 'back' button now. You've been warned.

'You wanted to see me, Jen?'

'Jethro. I just received a call from some local LEOs. It seems the coroner's office finally got around to running the DNA from the John and Jane Does they've collected over the last year or so.'

Gibbs was starting to get a sneaking suspicion about where this was going.

'They got a hit on one of them, and called to let us know they'd found our missing Marine. Only he wasn't missing. His body had already been identified.'

Gibbs put on his best 'innocent' look and tried to appear out of the loop.

'So they forgot to remove the DNA sample from the backlog when someone ID-ed the body. It happens.'

'No, actually. The body that was identified as Lance Corporal William Danforth Jr was in our morgue at the time. The ID was made by Ducky and Abby. Surely you remember the case, Jethro? The exploding ambulance? We got a perfect DNA match in the end.'

'And...?'

'And the local coroner just got a perfect DNA match... to Lance Corporal William Danforth Jr... from his body. So tell me, Jethro. How can two different bodies make the same, perfect, DNA match?'

'I dunno, Jen. Maybe their tech screwed up, ran the wrong sample. Danforth's body was in their morgue before they tried to transport him to Bethesda. Maybe they took a sample from him rather than the John Doe.'

'That doesn't explain why Ducky says you seemed to take a particular interest in the case. Why you insisted on bringing Abby the DNA he had just taken from the body. Yourself. Why you were in so much of a hurry you didn't even wait for him to sign the evidence bag.'

'I... just wanted to give a Marine family some closure as soon as possible.'

'Uh-huh.'

'What are you saying, Jen?'

'I'm saying that you knew there was something... hinky... about the situation, Jethro. There was something that you didn't want coming out during the investigation. Maybe something to do with the unauthorised kidney transplant that Lance Corporal Danforth had?'

'Jen...'

'I'm saying, Jethro, that I think you let some misguided 'semper fi' loyalty blind you. I'm saying that I think you tampered with evidence in an ill-conceived attempt to conceal something that you thought would be bad for the Corps.'

Jen was pissed. She didn't usually shout at him. At least, not when she wasn't trying to prove to some suit that she was as capable as any man of running an armed federal agency.

'Do you have any... evidence... of that, Director?'

'No. Not yet.'

'Then can I get back to work? I have a case to solve. An active case. Not some inconsistency that is ancient history...'

Gibbs was almost at the door before she stopped him.

'We're not finished here, Agent Gibbs.'

'What do you want me to say, Jen? I haven't done anything I regret.'

'The idea that a senior NCIS agent would deliberately tamper with evidence is just shocking, Agent Gibbs. There will, of course, have to be a full investigation. Possibly even criminal charges.'

Jen's anger had vanished, and been replaced by her cool 'Director's' voice that irritated Gibbs to no end.

'You do what you have to do, Jen.'

'And we will have to look into the possibility that the rest of your team was involved.'

Gibbs's eyes narrowed dangerously.

'They weren't.'

'Then an investigation will show that. Of course, the fact that they were even investigated for something of this magnitude might cast a shadow over their careers.'

'Jen...'

'And I won't be able to put Agent DiNozzo in charge of the team after you're removed from active duty. Not with this hanging over their heads. They'll have to be split up, assigned to different units. Maybe even transferred out of DC.'

'This has nothing to do with them, and you know it.'

'Or... I could write this up as an accidental mislabelling of evidence.'

'And?'

'And we could deal with that... informally. I know how you prefer to keep matters of discipline informal.'

The look in Jen's eyes made it perfectly clear what she was suggesting. And that she was rather enjoying the situation.

'You wouldn't.'

'Oh, yes I would. In a heartbeat.'

'So that's what this is. Pay-back for how I taught you what you needed to know to get to that chair, Director?'

They exchanged a glare across her desk. In that moment, they each knew that they were sharing the same memory.

X X X

flashback

'What the hell were you thinking about, Jen?'

'I...'

'Because you sure as hell weren't thinking about the case. Or your job.'

'Gibbs...'

'You've been doing this long enough to know how important the chain of evidence is.'

'Of course...'

'And yet your careless, newbie, irresponsible failure to document evidence properly just about cost us three months of undercover work.'

'But, it didn't...'

'It only didn't, because I covered for you.'

'What do you want me to say? I'm not allowed to apologise...'

'I don't expect you to say anything. I expect you to get your ass over here, for starters.'

Jenny moved closer to her boss, expecting the usual headslap. Instead, Gibbs pointed to one of the overstuffed armchairs in the apartment they were using for surveillance.

'Bend over the back of that.'

Jenny looked at him in shock. She'd heard rumours that Gibbs had spanked members of his team when they screwed up. But she wasn't entirely sure she believed the scuttlebutt, headslaps notwithstanding. And she sure as hell didn't think that he'd apply whatever outdated Marine bonding ritual he was trying to recreate to her.

'You can't be serious.'

'Do I look like I'm joking?'

'The regs don't allow you to beat your agents when they don't live up to your standards, Gibbs.'

'You want to talk about the regs? What do the regs say about dereliction of duty by a field agent? Are you sure you want to do this according to the regs, Jenny?'

'Oh, come on, Gibbs. No harm, no foul. Right? The mission wasn't compromised. You don't seriously...'

'NOW, Jen.'

'No.'

'No?'

'That's right. No. You want to punish me, you do it by the book.'

'By the book gets you a month's suspension and a note in your file that makes Liaison Officer in Resolute the highest promotion you're gonna get. My way leaves your record clean.'

'And you think I care about that enough to let you beat me?'

'Spank, Jen. Not beat. There's a difference. And yes, I think you do care enough.'

'You'd actually hit a woman?'

'I would spank an NIS agent whom I am responsible for training and who clearly needs some lessons reinforced. And drop the gender-sensitivity crap, Jenny. You want the same responsibilities and the same opportunities, you deal with the same consequences.'

They glared at each other for a few seconds. Then Jenny turned her back to him and hesitantly bent forward over the back of the chair.

Gibbs gave silent thanks to whatever higher power might be listening for Jenny blinking first. The truth was, he'd never been in command of a woman before, so he'd never had to spank a woman. This was going to be hard enough; the battle of wills he'd just endured had done nothing to help the situation.

He hesitated for a moment before pulling off his belt, then brought it down firmly on Jenny's upturned ass before he could change his mind.

She sucked in a breath with an audible hiss and fisted her hands against the overstuffed cushion.

Another two lashes, and she was moaning softly.

By six, she was sobbing openly.

The last three searing reminders of her duty were accompanied by cries of pain that tore at his heart.

Finally, he lowered his hand and pulled her upright, folding her into his arms to cry against his shoulder.

end flashback

X X X

'What's the matter, Jethro? Your own medicine too strong for you? You're not willing to try a taste of it yourself?'

'Dammit, Jen...'

'You know damn well this is how you would deal with any member of your team who pulled a stunt like that! Since when do your rules not apply to yourself?'

Gibbs glared at her again. He knew she had trapped him with his own damned sense of honour. He couldn't hold himself to a lower standard than he did his team. He couldn't stand by and let their careers be destroyed because of his actions. And he couldn't argue that what she was proposing was inherently unfair. Not when he had taken the same approach with every team he'd ever led. As much as it galled him to accept this reversal of roles with his former probie, whom he'd never entirely accepted as a commanding officer, he had no real choice.

Jenny stood up and came around the side of her desk to stand beside him.

'Well, Jethro? How are we going to deal with this? Off the record? Or on?'

'Off.'

'Very well, Agent Gibbs.'

Jenny gave Gibbs an expectant look and held out her hand.

'What?'

'You know exactly what, Jethro.'

Her eyes moved fleetingly to his belt before looking back up at him.

'You can't be serious.'

'I'm perfectly serious.'

'Jen...'

'Now, Jethro!'

Still glaring at her, Gibbs unfastened the buckle and drew the strip of leather from its loops. Folding it in half, he held it out to Jen, sorely tempted to demonstrate how foolish her dramatic gesture was by bringing the belt down hard on her outstretched hand.

Taking the offered item from him, Jen angled her eyes towards the desk.

'Do I have to say it?'

Giving her a final glare to signal his displeasure at the situation, Gibbs turned towards the polished surface. He bent over, holding on tightly to the sides of the desk and gritting his teeth, determined to put his Marine conditioning to good use.

Stepping closer to her former partner, Jenny adjusted her grip on the belt. She'd been waiting a long time to turn the tables on him, and planned to enjoy her opportunity to be on the other end of Gibbs's belt, for once. Taking careful aim, she raised her hand and...

X X X

Tony looked up as Gibbs rounded the corner of his desk, heading towards his own. Something seemed off. His jaw was set a little too tightly, his pace a little too measured. He knew his boss got a bit stiff sometimes when the weather was crappy, but it was a perfect day outside.

'You need something, DiNozzo?'

'No, Boss.'

Tony turned back to his computer screen. Out of the corner of one eye, he saw Gibbs hesitate for a moment before sitting down, then scowl inexplicably before starting to shuffle papers around on his desk. Something was definitely wrong. He risked a glance in his boss's direction, but the glare he received in return silenced him instantly. Tony knew that there would be ice skating in hell before Gibbs told him what was going on.

A few minutes later Tony again looked up from his keyboard, his attention caught by the Director's movement at the edge of his peripheral vision. He watched as she walked over to Gibbs's desk, her body shielding whatever she was carrying in her hand from Tony's line of sight.

'You forgot your belt, Jethro.'

There was a muted thud when it landed on top of the report that Gibbs was reading.

Tony's eyes were as big as saucers as he stared open-mouthed across the bullpen. The glare Gibbs aimed at Jenny as she walked away, a smug smirk tugging at her lips, left no doubt that the conclusion he had drawn from the Director's comment was on the mark. Incredulous, he wondered if Lucifer was prepared for snow.