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Summary: Sequel to Misunderstanding. Mac warned Danny that if he acted like a child, then he would be spanked like one. Danny's not too sure he believes Mac...he thinks Mac will up and leave him like every one else...Mac decides to show him different.

A/N: This story will take three to four postings. I hope to decide by the next time I post...which will be this weekend.

Thanks: To Shot for the idea and to Tracy, Mary Anne, and Jen for the wonderful reviews!!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own CSI: NY or anything CSI: NY related.

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Prologue:

Danny hated the case and even more then the case he hated Stella. If Stella hadn't opened her big mouth then he wouldn't be in the position he was in…or so he thought. He hated Stella for going to Mac. Even more he hated that Stella seemed to have told Mac everything.

Right now though what Danny hated even more then Stella was a mad Mac. Why? It was a mad Mac that dragged him to his house. It was a mad Mac who said something about him being…grounded. It was a mad Mac who swatted his backside a dozen times. And finally because it was a mad Mac who stuck him where he was…in the living room…nose in the corner.

Mac sat on his couch, newspaper in hand. He wasn't really reading the paper; he was alternating between looking at Danny to make sure he hadn't moved and re-thinking about what Stella had told him.

-- FLASHBACK –

"Do you have sec, Mac?" Stella asked obviously nervous.

"Of course," Mac answered. "What the matter?"

"It's Danny…look Mac, I don't want cause any more problems between you two but Danny's really not acting right."

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" Mac suggested.

Stella nodded her head and began her tale. She told of how Danny had gotten in the face of a gypsy cab driver, accusing the man of killing his passenger. How Danny had come close to exchanging blows with the man. How she had, had to tell Danny to control himself or go wait in the car for her to be done…Danny had gone to the car.

She quietly told Mac how Danny had questioned her every move; asking whether most of her actions were really necessary. She told Mac how Danny had yelled at Adam until she had finally dragged him away. And last she told Mac how Danny had called her…well; let's just say it rhymed with witch.

-- END FLASHBACK –

Mac looked back up at the boy in the corner. "Are you ready to talk calmly?" He asked.

Danny nodded his head and waited. The truth of the matter was he was still angry but he would keep his temper in check if it meant getting out of the corner.

"Come and sit down." Mac ordered. Danny walked over to the sofa and sat beside Mac. "Why don't you tell me what happened to get you so worked up about the case you and Stella had finished?"

Danny hesitated but seeing Mac reach to him and knowing that it could only mean that Mac would spank him, held up his hand to halt Mac's actions.

"I – I don't like gypsy cab drivers in general but the one from the case just looked…he reminded m – me of the guy that beat up my dad. It just set me on age and I got mad and me and the driver started to argue."

"Why have you been giving Stella a hard time?" Mac asked.

"She treated me like I was a child and not her co – worker." Danny replied softly.

Mac put his arms around the younger man. He understood what Danny had told him. He also understood that he couldn't let Danny get away with his behavior.

"I will talk to Stella in the meantime you go to work, you come home, and that's it. For the next two weeks consider yourself grounded. That means you go work, come home, there's no going out, and no taking extra shifts, no phone calls in or out unless it's work related, you better not leave the apartment unless you ask me first; if you do I will know the reason why. Do you understand?" Mac asked firmly.

"Yes," Danny answered.

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1 WEEK LATER

Mac could hear raised voices coming from the lab. With a sigh he entered the room and glared at Stella and Danny who were face to face yelling at each other.

"What going on?" Mac asked sternly.

"Mac, I'm trying…I swear I am but call him off before I forget myself and protocol and hit him!" Stella yelled.

"Both of you back up…NOW!" Mac too yelled. "I don't know what's going on here but both of you solve it before I do. Danny, go to my office; Stella keep working."

Mac stood still and watched as Danny walked towards his office and Stella turned back to what she had been working on.

When he'd calmed down Mac turned to Stella, "What happened?"

"Nothing," she answered.

Mac glared at her but still she refused to answer. Before Mac could say anything else Flack walked in. "Stel, are you…" Flack faltered when he was Mac.

"I want to know what's going on and I want to know now." Mac said harshly.

Flack looked at Stella and seeing that she wasn't going to answer decided he would. "When we went out earlier today Danny went in with swat; we told him not to Mac but he didn't listen."

Mac said nothing as he stormed to his office. "What the hell were you THINKING?"

Danny stared at Mac in shock. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You went in with S.W.A.T!" Mac yelled. He took a deep breathe knowing he was too angry to talk with Danny. "Go find something to do; you're confined to the lab for the rest of the day."

"What?" Danny exclaimed.

Mac continued as if he never heard the younger man. "I suggest you start your goodbyes early because you have twenty minutes to get home once your shift is over."

"It takes thirty minutes easy Mac and you know it!" Danny yelled.

Mac rose in eyebrow in quiet warning, "I think that when you get home can put yourself in the corner till I get there. Do you understand?"

Danny shook his head. Mac stood up and took a warning step to him but it didn't seem to make difference to the younger CSI.

"You will stand in the corner until I let you out. Do you understand?" Mac asked harshly.

"I won't," Danny said, crossing his arms in finality.

"No?" Mac asked. "Maybe I can change your mind."

Mac reached him in one step. Before Danny could react Mac spun him around and laid two stinging swats to his backside.

"OW!" Danny couldn't help but yelp.

"You will stand in the corner until I get home. Do you understand?" Mac asked for the third time.

"That's n – not…" Danny's voice faltered as Mac, hearing further protest, landed another 2 swats to his backside.

"Do…you…under…stand?" Mac asked again slowly…a warning in his tone.

"Yes," Danny answered shakily.

Mac nodded his head and Danny all but ran out of the office. Mac sat down at his desk and started some paperwork trying to calm his nerves.

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Danny left Mac's office and looked around. He was glad when he realized no one saw Mac swat him. 'He had no right to do that.' He thought as he stormed into the locker room. After calming down he went back to Adam's lab.

"Hey Adam…" He began.

"Danny," Adam said softly.

"I wanted to apologize. I didn't mean what I said." Danny told him.

Adam gave him a lop sided grin, "Yeah, I know. Want to help?"

Danny nodded, glad to have something to do. The two worked quietly side by side. It wasn't until Adam left the lab and then came back twenty minutes later with a pizza that Danny realized that Adam knew he was confined to the lab.

"Who told you?" Danny asked embarrassed.

"No one; I saw you and Stella going at it and then I saw you leave and Mac leave minutes later…obviously mad. I kinda put two and two together." Adam answered. "Don't worry about it Danny; I won't tell anyone."

Danny nodded and blushed but said nothing as he began to eat.