Double Check

Summary: Tim verifies some information in his spreadsheet. Warning: discussion of spanking of adults. Don't like? Don't read!

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

A/N: This is part of my 'Lessons' series and builds on a larger plot arc. It won't make much sense unless you read In Vino Veritas? first.

Thanks to Xanthe2 for a conversation that inspired this.

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

'Uh, Tony?'

DiNozzo looked up from his game of Tetris.

'Yeah?'

'Last week, when we were at the bar...'

He couldn't believe his luck, that Tim was actually bringing the subject up himself. He'd been looking for ways to tease the probie about the fact that he kept a record of his spankings, studying the matter like one of his science projects. But between McGee being sent to Norfolk for three days to cover for a computer geek who had a family emergency and Tony being in court, they'd barely seen each other this week. And now Tim was raising the issue, on Gibbs's first coffee run of the day!

'Yeah?' he drawled, deciding to bide his time and see where this was going.

'You were just kidding, weren't you? I mean, that thing you added to my spreadsheet. The last one. About the... uh...'

Tony swallowed a smile.

'What, Probie? I don't remember what order I added things to your list for you...'

He did remember, of course.

'You said that Gibbs has... ummm... a... riding crop?'

'Oh, that. Yeah. Wasn't kidding, Probie.'

Tony turned his face back to his computer screen. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tim's mouth open and close soundlessly. Eventually he recovered and scurried over to Tony's desk, whispering frantically at him.

'A riding crop? For real? One of those leather things? That they use on... you know...? And he...? You've got to be joking...'

'No, I'm serious, Probie! You've seen how good the man is with horses – you think he got that way overnight? He did some serious riding at some point in his life. And he has an honest-to-goodness riding crop down there in that basement somewhere!'

Tony struggled to keep a straight face, watching McGee turn impossibly pale.

'But don't worry about it... unless you've got a wild side that I don't know about, I doubt you'll ever even lay eyes on the thing.'

Tim gaped like a fish a bit more, then crept back to his desk. Gibbs's arrival back in the bullpen prevented any further discussion of the matter. Tony quickly closed his game and started pecking away at his computer. He thought he saw Gibbs raise a questioning eyebrow at his visibly rattled youngest agent, but he kept his eyes firmly focused on the report he was supposed to be writing. Teasing the probie would have to wait.