Disclaimer:I am not now nor have I ever been a writer for NCIS; I don't own any of the characters but I do have fun playing the fanfic puppet master of their lives. I only hope to entertain.
Warning: THIS STORY CONTAINS NON-SEXUAL SPANKING; ABORT THE MISSION… DO NOT READ… TURN BACK NOW IF THIS ISN'T YOUR THING.
A/N: This story is complete AU and is my 1st foray into the world of NCIS fanfic. Have fun suspend belief and read it like the fiction it's meant to be… Read, Enjoy, Review….
"Hey Tony pick your sister's bags up and put them in the car. I want to leave here first thing in the morning without having to load the car."
Tony just stared at his sister smirking and waited for what he'd been listening to for the last three weeks… her doing everything in her power to keep their dad off his ass.
"Now," Gibbs barked.
"It's fine dad I'm not a cripple. I can put my own bags in the car." Caitlin rolled her eyes making sure only Tony saw the action.
Gibbs looked between his oldest children and shook his head. Whatever was between them would reveal itself soon enough he just had to wait. They had kept their little sibling rivalry and the ridiculous pranks that went along with it at bay for the most part. Over spicing food, dyeing hair, drawing obscenities on flesh in marker were a moronic use of time, but no grave harm had come and he'd only heard about most of the antics not seen them because of his caseload. However, the last three weeks saw the odd behavior come back ten-fold. They were hiding something and his guess was that it was big. For the most part he stayed neutral and out of it. But his infamous 'gut' was telling him something more was happening. He had the feeling that one or both of them had really crossed the line.
Hearing the raised voices from the foyer the Federal Agent set aside his concern with two of his kids in favor of playing mediator between his wife and his third. This was the fifth flare up between the two of them he had put out since they all woke up. His wife was once again coaxing their youngest out of her room first with bribes then under the veil of threat. None of it was working though because since the girl had gotten more involved with her friends in town she had no desire to return to the oppressive confines of the junior preppy prison she was forced to reside in. That was how Abby had taken to describing Hilton Prep to anyone within earshot.
"You talk to her. I can't do this anymore. And turn down that noise!" Jenny stormed through the door passing her husband and headed downstairs. Thank goodness the summer was over. She couldn't believe that a few months earlier she had been missing the noise and banter that three almost grown children could provide.
At the bottom of the stairs she watched Kate walk in the door huffing, hair plastered to her face and her cheeks flushed. She bent down to get a grip on the handle of another of her large suitcases.
"Katie I thought Tony was supposed to be helping." Mother inquired of daughter.
"He was… is… he's on the phone. Its okay I got it… really."
"Right, come here and let's at least get this hair up off of your face." Jenny walked over and pulled the hair away from the moist face and began to make one large braid. Kate pulled an elastic band from around her wrist and passed it back.
"Thanks mom that is better."
"So why have you been letting your brother get away with murder?"
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Gibbs turned the music off instead of down per his wife's request then met his daughter's glare. She broke the look first. He watched her stomp around throwing things from one pile onto another. Today's outfit didn't make him cringe as much as some of the others had during her summer vacation. This phase seemed to be gaining commitment and momentum. Not being anymore of a fan of this new look then his wife the former Military man allowed the freedom of expression as long as it didn't change who she was on the inside. Still his brilliant, inquisitive, happy and affectionate little girl Abby was only dark on the outside. Inside she was still his ray of over energized sunshine. She'd only gotten in trouble once for getting something other than her ears pierced without permission. It was the one time she took a spanking without pouting protest. He knew it was because she had already secured the win. She knew he'd punished her, but wouldn't make her remove it. And to his knowledge she hadn't snuck to do anything else like that again. Well, not that he knew of anyway.
"We can do this anytime you're ready Abs." Crossing from the doorway he made himself comfortable on the edge of the bed.
Her eyes were big as platters. Oh, there was no way he meant what she thought he meant. She hadn't been that difficult with her mom and she certainly didn't vocalize any of the grossly inappropriate things she was thinking about her. So, she had been pouting and stomping around all morning and was taking her own sweet time packing up, but surely he didn't think a… well that if he… that certainly wasn't going to make her day better. Good grief why was he just staring. He wasn't even blinking.
"Abby if you don't talk to me how am I supposed to help? What's going on and don't tell me you just don't want to go back to school. I want the truth. You and mom have been at it all day."
Staring into her closet she got even more agitated. Why was she taking all this time to pack stuff she wouldn't be able to use anyway? She spent nearly every day all day in a uniform and the rest of the time….
"Abigail I want an answer and sooner rather than later." Gibbs wanted to have more patience, but time was ticking and he had no intention of getting off schedule.
"Nothing to tell," under her breath she added "…not like I wanted my own room or anything."
"What was that?"
"What?" Turning on him she attempted to look puzzled even though she knew exactly what the tone meant and decided to dial it down a bit.
He saw her wheels turning and maintained his silence to give her time to choose her next words carefully.
"Why is she making me get a new roommate? It was bad enough I had to share with Kate, even though we don't share here. Now Kate's leaving and I still have to have one. This sucks!"
Silence… breathes, stare, silence, repeat… Father and daughter kept this up for what Abby worried was too long.
"That all of it?" Gibbs broke the silence.
"Can we just take this stuff down to the car? I'll apologize to mom for whatever I did to make her so angry."
"Look mom isn't angry she's frustrated and I'm one step behind her on that path. I know how much you're going to miss your sister at school. It'll be tough for you to make new friends we know that. That's why we decided you had to have a roommate. It's a nice start." Gibbs hoped he was getting through because he was rapidly tiring of the discourse.
"We… You agreed with her? You know something I make friends just fine. I just don't want to be friends with a bunch of snotty, phony, future housewives! I like the friends I have here." Abby slammed her suitcase shut and hardly remembered what the heck she had thrown into it.
Getting up off the bed Gibbs grabbed the suitcase and barked over his shoulder as he crossed into the hallway. "Get it together Abs because we leave with whatever you have in the car and the rest you'll get when you come home for Christmas."
At the top of the stairs he heard his wife's question to Kate and stopped to see what else he might hear.
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Looking at her mother in silence Kate was lost in her own thoughts trying to weigh the wisdom of the truth against the consequences of the truth. Maybe the pranks had finally gone too far. She hadn't started it, but she hadn't done anything to stop it from escalating nor had she told the truth. Thinking over the last three weeks she was sure they had gone too far.
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Flashback-Kate's POV-3 days earlier
Kate walked into her sister's room and flung her body across the foot of the bed. "Abs I think mom might be about to fire Noemi and its all Tony's fault… possibly a little of mine"
"Explain. Mom loves Noemi she's like family. I mean it would have to be something major. Like did she make off with some silver or something?" Abby was barely looking up since all of her energies were focused on the application of rhinestones onto her jean-jacket.
"She thinks it's for her own good. I heard her telling dad that this job was too much for an expecting mother with her history."
"Woa-baby, Noemi's pregnant? That's great news especially after the last two miscarriages. I mean the part about her getting fired kinda sucks, but I'm sure they were just spit-balling ideas. They're not going to get rid of her because she's pregnant. You're so blowing this out of proportion."
Jumping up and checking the doors into the room like she was sure they were being spied on Caitlin went on. "Missing the big point… she's not really pregnant. The test was a set up."
"You set up Noemi? That is wicked mean Kate. I mean I wouldn't put it past Tony, but not you. What'd she do to you?" Abby sucked on her finger which she had caught on a rhinestone for the tenth time since she started.
"Seriously, you think we'd go there? No, the set up was supposed to be on me. Tony had one of his little lab-rat frat brothers fake a positive and left it out for mom or dad to find so I'd have to confess to something he thinks I did."
Abby was near hysterics. "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! You two are dead meat. Can I have your laptop? It has major speed and ability and at least I won't have to wait until graduation to…"
"Please focus on my impending doom. We have to get Noemi out of this mess."
"I don't see how without putting you and T-man right in the middle of it. So, what does he have on you? What does he think you did?"
"Remember the fundraising formal Tony and I went to with mom."
"How could I forget? It was like dress-up hell. Turned out it was a great time to get grounded."
"I should have known there was a reason you got so careless with hiding that nasty piercing." Her sneaky little sister just smiled and waved her hand so she would continue with her tail.
"Anyway, it turns out that Ashen was in from Georgetown and there with the Senator Scalen. He was looking amazing and on top of that showing major interest in me. He kept my glass full, kept me laughing and kept me from having to dance with my brother all night. "
"Ashen from two doors down is HOT now? Tony found your spending time together objectionable, why?" Abby was puzzled and impatient.
"Abs, I'm building the scene here. So, we took a stroll around the grounds and ended up at the gazebo at the far end of the property. That's when Ashen confessed. Tony paid him to keep me out of his hair all night while he hit on anything in a skirt. He couldn't go through with it. Apparently he's matured more than our brother did over the summer. We really hit it off and then he kissed me. One thing led to another and once we got going we sort of forgot where we were and kind of went too far."
"Katie I didn't know you had the dirty in you. Way to go girl."
"Still not the point Abs. Too far wasn't that far, but when Tony walked up with his camera snapping I couldn't convince him otherwise. He's been torturing me ever since threatening to show the pictures to the Lord and Lady of the manor."
"Killer blackmail… classic Tony," Abby didn't want to show how impressed she was, but she was.
"I attempted to turn the tables on him and threatened to turn him in for pimping me out, but the photos look really bad. Blackmail wasn't enough though and neither was making me do all his chores, run his errands, buffer between him and dad or running interference with him and the bimbos of the week. He just had to make sure I had no chance with Ashen at all, hence the fake pregnancy test."
"Aw, Kate, that was his way of protecting you from the big bad boyfriend. He knew if dad even thought you had sex with Ashen you'd never be allowed to see him again… mostly because Ashen would be in a permanent care facility eating through a tube."
"This was not some big protective gesture." Caitlin Marie Gibbs was about to yell and just confess it all at the top of her lungs. If Abby didn't see the rotten in his actions no one would. She was supposed to be on her side.
"Abby, Ashen is a nice guy. He's not one of Tony's sleazy fraternity brothers trying to bed me down on the first date. I wouldn't be dealing with him if he was. Tony's just mad because he didn't get his way."
Her face clouded with confusion Abby asked, "How did Noemi get wrapped up in this?"
"Noemi found the test and put it with her things to talk to mom about it later, but mom found it in the laundry room with Noemi's things and assumed it belonged to her. She thinks Noemi was hiding it for some reason."
"Finally I'm not the strangest thing going on in this house. So, this is why everyone has been acting so weird around each other. Noemi's been doubling up your fruits and vegetables; Mom's been trying to keep Noemi from doing most of her own work; you've been Tony's 'Gal-Friday' and he's been snooping around your things more than usual."
"He's been trying to see how close Ashen and I have been before I left for Georgetown." Kate was glad to have it all out in the open even if it was only to her kid sister. Confession was good for the soul… as long as the consequences were at a minimum.
Abby looked up at her sister resolutely. "Confess… throw yourself on the mercy of the court and beg for leniency. Kate you don't have a choice. We leave in three days and you can't let Noemi get fired."
"Maybe I can reason with Tony, get him to confess and then we could talk to Noemi and put all of this behind us. She can just tell mom it was a false positive."
"Tony will never confess of his own free will. Your earlier assessment was right… you're doomed!" Abby shook her head and went back to her rhinestones while Kate walked across the bathroom to her room to think.
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"Any chance that what I say stays between us?" Kate's eyes were pleading but it was Gibbs' voice roaring down the stairs that truly paralyzed her.
"Not a chance in hell!"
Tony opened the door on the tail end of his father's thunderous edict. He tried to back out the door again but was stopped in his tracks. Jenny's voice wasn't as loud, but still brokered no room for negotiation.
"Anthony David Gibbs freeze because something tells me you're in this up to your perfectly spiked hair."
Flying down the stairs two at a time the patriarch took control over the situation and pending interrogation, "everyone with me now."
The soon to be collegiate senior and freshman were trading glares and worried glances. Tony mouthed to his sister, "what'd you say?"
She shook her head nothing, but he wasn't buying it. Secretly they both wished they were versed in sign language like their father and sister. Only Kate had taken Latin and Tony had taken Italian both languages useless in their present situation.
"I believe you were about to tell your mother something she was supposed to keep from me."
Caitlin's expression was that of a cornered mouse with a giant cat in front of him licking its chops, but her voice held steady. "Nothing really important just girl stuff really. It'll keep."
"That really makes me think I have nothing to do with this and I'm supposed meet a buddy whose things I'm gonna drive back to Ohio." Tony started to rise from his chair when a look from his father made him reconsider the action.
"Or I could just hang out and see where this conversation takes us."
Gibbs circled them both as his wife sat in her chair waiting for the boom to be lowered.
Kate thought about what bothered her most about how things went down and suddenly blurted out, "Noemi's not pregnant!"
Dragging herself to the edge of her seat Jenny Shepard nearly fell out of it.
"The test wasn't hers so she can keep her job and you can stop trying to do all of her work for her." Kate let out a huge breath and Tony feigned shock.
"Well I for one am appalled at this turn of events." His head shooting forward let him know that his father's hand had made the inevitable contact with his head.
"Ow! What was that for?" Watching the hand raise again made him swallow the pain and the question. Slinking lower in the chair he opted to keep further comments and questions to his self.
Jenny's question did require an answer. "Whose pregnancy test was it then Caitlin?"
"I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. That test didn't belong to anyone in this house. I swear."
"Then how did it get in this house? In my experience it's a pretty personal thing just to be leaving around." Jenny continued.
"Not a problem Jen. If they don't want to talk I'll just call the father's of some of Tony's girlfriends and you can take Kate in to the doctor before we let her leave for school and we'll just get our answers that way." Putting his hands on both chairs he continued, "Is that the way I should handle this you two?"
A final look at each other and two breathes let out a barely audible, "No sir."
A sex talk backed up with a doctor's visit… Gibbs talking to his girlfriend's fathers about a pregnancy test… Kate and Tony decided no prank was worth that.
So the story unfolded with brother and sister taking turns to give their version of events over the last month. At times they would down play the other's culpability and at other times highlight the other's involvement. Oddly enough neither parent uttered a word. They were stunned. Paying a guy to spend time with his sister was bad, but photographing her was worse. Then there was the blackmail and a fake pregnancy test, which Tony of course swore he was never going to use. Noemi found it with his things. It was all just one big misunderstanding.
Nah, even as he was saying it Tony wasn't buying the misunderstanding line either. He knew how it looked and how his folks would see it. This went beyond sibling torture and way beyond frat-boy hi-jinx.
Ashen was a playboy and a fraternal rival at times, but from all of Tony's snooping he hadn't seen any evidence of him treating Kate with anything less than respect, which is why he had aborted his pregnancy test plan. It was only a last ditch effort to turn him into persona non grata if he so much as thought of doing with his sister what he'd assumed they did at that gazebo.
The blackmail… well that was just fun and he was only planning to ride it out until they all headed back to their various schools.
The room was so quiet the sound of the wall clock was magnified. It was like the thing was roaring thunder. After listening to Tony Kate decided her part in this wasn't nearly as bad as she had thought. Yet both of her parents were still looking at her like they thought differently.
"Every picture better be destroyed. If so much as one turns up anywhere ever…." Jenny's words and threat hung in the air.
"The pictures are only on my camera. I wouldn't do anything with them." Turning to his sister he continued. "Katie I swear no one has seen those pictures."
Just then they all jumped when they heard the crash at the bottom of the stairs. Abby came running halting at the door like a player sliding into home plate. "Holy-interrupt-us! It was just my suitcase. I'm gonna go."
If ever a head was about to explode it was Gibbs' head at that moment. "Both of you go to your rooms. I don't want to look at either of you."
Kate's dander was rapidly rising to a dangerous place. "Are you kidding? I'm in trouble too? Can you say victim?"
Tony took one look at his father's face and yanked his sister out of her chair. "Can you say shut it?"
She didn't appreciate being man handled and tried to free herself from her brother's grasp. He wasn't letting loose though and hauled her up the stairs.
"You've done enough Madame-True-Confessions. Don't make it worse by mouthing off. Just get in the room and wait." Her older brother practically shoved her through the bedroom door and closed it before slinking off to his own room feeling all of twelve again.
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"Jethro you have…"
"Do not tell me I have to calm down. I'm not going to calm down. I'm not overreacting. I'm not making more of this then necessary."
"I wasn't going to say any of those things. But you can't deal with them from a place of anger. It has to be about consequences for actions only. That's all I wanted to say."
Smiling Gibbs walked over and pulled his wife close and into an embrace. "Nothing in that fool head of his told him to stop. I seriously cannot believe he's going to graduate in a year. His judgment hasn't improved since the tenth grade."
"I'm more concerned about all the lying that went on Jethro. Do you think Katie is being honest about the fact that nothing happened between her and Ashen that night? He's at Georgetown what if they're getting serious?"
"Then you'll talk to her about it and she'll deal with it as it comes. But you're right about the lying if we can't trust them then nothing else will matter. I won't tolerate lying or blackmail."
"I'm going up to talk to Kate. You go deal with your son."
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Gibbs took a deep breath outside his son's door. It didn't really calm him but it did focus him to the task at hand. If he waited until he truly calmed down he'd be outside that door for hours.
Tony jumped to his feet when the door opened. He'd been sweating both literally and figuratively. There was no way around what was about to happen. There was only one way his Marine father dealt with the breaking of house rules or the rules of good sense. It was also the reason he was able to take the paddling he'd gotten while he pledged so well. Experience had built tolerance, but something told him his father would be packing a much harder swing then 'Big-Brother-Grizzly ' during hell week.
"Do I even need to tell you all the ways this got out of control? You keep telling me you want to be an agent some day. Let's see, how many laws do you think you broke with this little stunt?"
"May I say something now?"
"No. Get over here." Gibbs was yanking his belt through the loops of his pants.
It had been a while since Tony had been in this much trouble, but he knew the drill. Walking to the foot of his bed Tony leaned over it and then quickly stood back up to drop his jeans and boxers. There was no way he was going to be allowed to keep them up and he couldn't deal with being told to remove them.
Wasting no time Gibbs landed his first smack and tore into his son with lecture that wouldn't quit.
Smack, smack, smack, "I can't imagine why you would think any," smack, smack, smack, smack, "part of what you did was alright" smack, smack, smack, "don't you ever disrespect your sister like that" smack, smack, smack, smack, "do you know the kind of danger" smack, smack, smack, "she could have been in" smack, smack "if Ashen didn't turn out to be such a nice guy" smack "if you ever" smack "act this reckless" smack "with your sister's well being" smack "again" smack "me taking a belt to you" smack, smack "will be the least of your concerns!"
Tony wanted to handle the spanking better than his sister, but the truth was that Kate was stronger than him in so many ways and that was one of the things that drove him crazy most. Having his father this angry with him hurt more than physically.
"Dad please… I would never put Kate… I'm sorry, I'm really sorry… please I'll make this right," Tony's breath and words word surrounded by gasping sobs.
Landing several more strategic lashes with his belt Gibbs was finally satisfied by his son's contrition and righted his clothes. He didn't bother putting his belt back on knowing he'd be using it again. When he heard Tony's breath begin to regulate he ordered him to his side on the bed. The boy sat with a great deal of caution only slightly covering the wince in his voice.
"I told the girls and I'm telling you for what I hope will be the last time. You're getting too old for this. More elaborate doesn't mean more mature. Knowing that something has gotten out of control is your clue to stop it. Your sister's have to trust you and depend on you and blackmailing them isn't the way to make that happen."
"Yes, sir."
"Tony you're cut off for the month. I'm only paying for things directly related to school. They'll be no dating or frat-house parties on my dime this month. I suggest you use the free time to think of ways to make it up to your sister and maybe pull your GPA up."
Tony stood when his father did and followed him to the door. "I'm sorry for being a disappointment."
Gibbs placed a hand on his son's shoulder looking him in the eyes conveying nothing but love. "You could never be a disappointment to me Tony. You're my son, my first born and the best part of me and your mother. I'm not disappointed in you I'm just not thrilled with your choices."
Backing out of the room he added, "You don't leave this room before dinner."
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Jenny met him in front of Kate's door.
"Jethro, I believe her. Nothing got out of hand with Ashen. We know the boy and the Senator. He's pre-law and a good kid. If things get more serious I trust her to tell us… well me."
Jenny eyed the belt in his hand and swallowed. It had proven effected for the more grave offenses, but it still wasn't her favorite method of punishment. Placing her hand on his wrist she guided him away from the door.
"I handled it and you just have to trust that. She was the 'victim' mostly."
"What about Noemi, the lying and allowing herself to be blackmailed?"
"She has to tell Noemi the truth and apologize; She's home every weekend for the next two months and grounded from the moment she crosses this door until the moment we return her to the dorms. That won't leave much time for Ashen."
"You thought this all out, huh?"
"Well, I get an idea or two every once in a while," Jenny said leading him downstairs.
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When Kate heard her parent's footsteps retreat from her door she tiptoed across the hall to her brother's room hoping he'd talk to her.
She knocked and waited. Maybe he fell asleep she thought. Walking away she heard his voice.
"What do you want Katie?"
"Katie… so you're not that mad. I just… well, I… Ashen is a great guy and even though what you did was rotten I guess I'm a little grateful." She turned and walked away.
"Hey, Kate if he's ever not great you just let me know."
She doubled back and pecked him on the cheek then quick bee-lined it for her room. He could be a real ass sometimes she thought as she got on her computer to IM Ashen, but he still wasn't a half bad brother. Besides she knew he'd provide her with an opportunity to pay him back with a little blackmail of her own in the very near future. After-all it was Tony and he was bound to screw up big sooner or later.