Hey guys! I'm back with something new. Sorry it's been a while. I've been trying to get my P.I. business going. Warning: Reference to spanking and spanking in this story. If that isn't your thing, please do not read.

Learning to Live in the Moment

Jethro Gibbs watched from his position on the crutches as his son effortlessly led the investigation of the scene. Hearing footsteps, he turned to find one of his oldest friends walking up behind him. Quickly changing his facial expression, he greeted the M.E.

"Bask away Jethro. You are allowed to take pride in your son. And the wonderful job he is doing with this case. He is quite the investigator. But I suppose you already knew that."

Gibbs smirked at being caught. Yes, he was extremely proud of Tony, and not just because he was a great agent. His son was an amazing person, more so than most people gave him credit for. Thinking about the events that brought on the crutches, he had to smile again.

Playing football in the park with a bunch of ten year olds sounded like a harmless enough way to spend a Sunday afternoon with not only his son, but also the children his son spent so much time and energy on. Being a mentor for those children meant more to Tony than he would ever admit.

So it began. They split the teams up and appointed him and Tony the quarterbacks for obvious reasons; they were the only ones who could actually see over the heads of the linemen. The game was going great until the bunch decided to gang up on Gibbs and sack him before he could through another touchdown pass.

As soon as the wall of preteens hit his lower body, Jethro Gibbs knew he was in trouble. Feeling the left knee pop painfully out of place as he fell to the ground, he tried to keep his composure for the children. Tony though knew something was wrong the moment he saw his dad's face. The panic seemed to set in then.

The trip to the emergency room was anything but pleasant. So few trips to the ER rarely are. Having his knee put back in place was painful. Watching the guilt in Tony's bright green eyes was more so. Tony would blame himself, of course. After all, the game had been his idea. It wouldn't matter that Jethro had chosen to play all on his own. Tony wouldn't see that. He would just see that his dad was hurt and it was his fault.

That night was spent getting the guest room ready for Jackson, who had upon hearing about the injury, insisted on driving down to help out until Leroy was back on his feet.

The shuffling of feet beside him brought back to reality. Tony was just finishing up with the photos, packing everything to get it back to Abby. The look he threw at his dad spoke of his concern for the older man. Despite many attempts on Tony's part to convince him to take a few days off and rest, hear he stood.

"Dad, you really should be home, resting, healing. You trained me well; I can take it from here."

Gibbs had no doubts about his son's abilities to head the investigation. Tony was intelligent, insightful, and diligent on cases. His concern was for Tony, himself. The kid would work himself into the ground trying to do everything just right because of that misplaced guilt. He would second-guess everything he did and every insight into the case he had.

"I think I'll stick around awhile. I like watching you guys work knowing I get to sit back and do absolutely nothing."

"Well you can sit back and do just that at the office. Come on. Ziva and McGee have already left to take the evidence back to Abby."

The drive back was quiet. Gibbs tried to talk to Tony about the incident at the park, but the boy just brushed him off.

"Tony this was not your fault. This…was an accident. This is the universe telling me I'm way too old to play tackle football with rambunctious ten year olds."

Tony parked the car in the lot and turned the key before he took a deep breath. Gibbs just didn't get it. This was totally his fault. He was the one who agreed to the football game. He was the one who let Gibbs play even though he was worried something might happen.

"I was scared. I just kept thinking about all the awful things that could happen. This is just a minor injury, but what happens when something major happens? I don't think I could handle that."

"Tony look at me."

When Tony still kept his head turned toward the window, Jethro did what any parent would do. He used his if you do not do what I ask I'm going to wear your backside out voice.

"Now son!"

Tony's head snapped up and over, his eyes focused on his dad. He knew that voice. He knew that if he disobeyed, his dad would bust his butt. He had too much experience with that particular side of his dad to ignore him now.

"We have a dangerous job, things are going to happen. People are bound to get hurt. We can't prevent that. All we can do is try to prepare for that. Take precautions. Use common sense. I'm not going anywhere for a while, kiddo. I have too much in my life that I'd miss. Moreover, this little knee thing was all my fault. I should have known better than to get out there with those children. You know what though? I had fun. And so did you. Those boys did also. It was a great day, son. I plan to do it again as soon as the knee heals."

Tony watched his dad head for the elevator. Maybe he was right. Even so, Tony would now be keeping a closer eye on the man.