"Dad, I'm going to go talk Ethan. If I don't do it now I might never do it."
"O.K, I'll clean up."
"Thanks."
Gibbs watched Tony walk towards the kid in question. He did not think he would ever get tired of hearing Tony call him Dad. The first time it happened was just after the car accident and Tony had immediately freaked out, apologizing for the slip, afraid Gibbs would kick him out. That was two weeks ago. Now, though, it was starting to seem natural for the young man to do so. Their relationship had certainly taken a huge leap forward and Gibbs was thankful for that. It just felt right having Tony in his life.
\ Sitting beside Ethan, Tony tossed him the basketball from the game. The boy looked terrible. Tony could understand that. He knew exactly what the kid was going through. Neglectful, abusive parents who had standards no one could meet definitely sounded familiar. The only difference between them was that Ethan, at ten, had someone who wanted him in the form of foster parents. Dan and Bridget Tyree loved the kid more than anything in the world, and wanted nothing more than to integrate him into their home life. Ethan had other plans though. His defenses were firmly in place and budged for no one. Tony knew what that was like.
"Ethan, Dan asked me to talk to you. He thinks because we have something in common, you might listen to me and I think he might be right."
Tony hated that he was going to have to reveal his childhood, but if it kept this child in a loving, attentive family, his fear of being judged was worth it. He just hoped Ethan understood what he had to say.
"You mean our parents?"
"Yeah, I do. My biological parents were much like yours. My mother died when I was just a little younger than you are now and that just set my father off even more. Everything I did was wrong no matter how hard I tried. I was constantly getting whipped for messing up."
"My father said his belt would teach me not to be stupid anymore. What happens with Dan and Bridget when I mess up? Are they going to hurt me too?"
Tony wrapped his arms around the frightened child and pulled him close. The kid had trust issues, but having people that loved him in his life would help with that.
"I really doubt that Dan and Bridget will hurt you. Have they hurt you?"
"No. They're great! I just…"
"You're waiting for the other shoe to drop? I can relate to that. However, you have something I never had. You actually get a chance to experience a real family, one that wants you and loves you. Dude, take that chance. Let yourself be happy."
"What about you? You seem happy now."
"I am now, but I wasn't for a long time. Then I met that man."
Tony pointed toward Gibbs and smiled. The older man had little kids swarming all around him, wanting him to play.
"Is he the reason you seem different now? You laugh more."
"Yeah, I guess he is."
"So you think I should cut Dan and Bridget some slack?"
"I think you should cut yourself some. Moreover, stop giving Dan so much hell! He loves you, kid, even when you completely exasperate him."
"So I shouldn't be so pissed about being grounded?"
"No. Taking off in the middle of the night is not a good idea and stop cursing!"
"You did!"
"You don't have to do or say everything I do! Now, go on, get out of here. Dan wants to grab pizza before you guys head home."
Ethan wrapped his tiny arms around Tony's neck and squeezed before loping toward his foster father, leaving Tony to stare after him. He wasn't worried about Ethan. Dan and Bridget would be amazing parents, even when Ethan got himself into trouble. Some people were just made to be parents, like Gibbs, while others should never be allowed to have children.
"Tony! Let's go."
Tony followed Gibbs to the car and climbed inside before releasing a soul deep sigh. His conversation with the Ethan had both exhausted and upset him. Telling people about his childhood always made him uncomfortable. He just could not shake the thought that one day someone would use that against him.
"You alright?"
"I will be."
Gibbs watched his son sleep and found himself marveling at how extraordinary the boy was. Even in sleep, Gibbs could see the hurt radiating off him, yet he used that to help someone else. That was Tony, though. Bury the pain and only let people see the smiles and laughs. The ringing of his phone interrupted his musings.
"Gibbs."
"Boss, we have a case. Dead Marine in Maryland."
"I'll meet you guys there."
"Do you want me to call Tony?"
"No. I'll get him."
The crime scene was a mess, blood everywhere, brain matter splattered all over the floor, and the killer, his girlfriend standing against the wall muttering to herself about pigeons and firewalls. With the scene processed and the evidence logged, Gibbs noticed his two favorite people had gone MIA. Tony and Abby together was never a good thing. Their minds somehow worked together to form plots of mass mischief. Abby was the only person who knew about the arrangement he and Tony had and her support had meant the world to Tony. The two were like siblings in so many ways. Gibbs only hoped that they had not gotten themselves into too much trouble.
Tony sat in his car and debated going home after dropping Abby off. He should probably go to his place since he was sure Gibbs had heard all about the little prank that had been pulled on Casher's team. He and Abby had left no evidence behind, but somehow Gibbs would know they had done it. The old man would not be happy about that, but Tony had been planning that prank for a week with Abby, it was sweet seeing the whole team get stuck to the floor. Granted the carpet in the office would have to be replaced, but still it was awesome! He didn't have time to relive his actions too much, though. His phone ID showed a text from Abby saying Gibbs had found out about the prank. She was currently sitting on his sofa waiting on her partner in crime to return.
Abby heard Tony come through the front door and prayed Gibbs would go easy on them. He had only ever punished her a few times, but those punishments had made a lasting impression on her. Especially the spankings and she knew Tony felt the same.
"Is he here, Abs?"
"He's upstairs. He seems pissed. He was chewing me out for doing something that could cost me my job. He said something about making sure neither of us would ever pull that prank again."
"God, I'll be grounded for the rest of my life!"
"You got that right!"
The voice of his father made him start. The anger in that voice left no doubt in his mind that he would be sitting gingerly for a while.
"Dad, it was just a prank!"
"One that could have cost you both your jobs! What the hell were you thinking?"
"I wasn't…"
"Clearly! I'm going for a run, I expect you both to be here when I get back."
Gibbs stopped in his drive and glanced at his house. The only light was in the kitchen. He could see two heads moving. Good, they had listened to him. The run had helped calm him down, but he still had to deal with his errant children.
Tony plated up Gibbs food as he heard the front door close. The pasta had become one of Gibbs favorites and Tony knew that.
"Abs, it's nice to see you still here."
"I thought about leaving, and then I realized that if I did things would be so much worse. That and Tony offered to feed me."
After dinner, Gibbs sent his wayward offspring in different directions, Tony upstairs to his room and Abby into the den. Divide and conquer.
"Don't sit down Abs you and I have already had this discussion. Let's just get this over with, alright. I don't want to do this anymore than you want me to."
Abby nodded and stood. Gibbs placed her over his lap, raised her skirt, and reached for his paddle. He knew it would sting for a while, but then again so would losing her job. Abby kicked, squirmed, and yelped and finally as the last lick fell, she apologized. She cried her heart out on Gibbs shoulder after the spanking ended. She felt terrible about the prank and about Tony, her best friend, being in trouble. When she at last regained her composure, Gibbs sat her on the soft, overstuffed sofa and wiped her face with a warm face cloth, promising forgiveness before heading upstairs to deal with his son.
Tony paced the floor until he heard the last spank. He could not understand what the voices were saying but he did hear the tears in his friend's voice. What had Gibbs used to spank her? The brush hurt, but not like that. His question was answered as his Dad entered his room. Now he understood the tears Abby had so freely shed.
"Do you mind telling me why you and Abby pulled this little stunt?"
"Abby already told you."
"I want to hear it from you."
"I don't know, okay!"
"Abby just wanted to have some fun or so she says."
"I know it was wrong, but I felt horrible. I just wanted to feel better and usually Abby can make me feel better. It was just a prank!"
"That's just it, son. It wasn't just a prank. The office was damaged during this little escapade. I cannot let that go. Especially since you and Abby are going to the director in the morning to explain this and offer to pay for the repairs."
"Daad!"
"You're not getting out of this, Tony. Now come on, lose the pants and boxers."
Tony did as he was told, then felt himself pulled over his Dad's lap. He had not expected this. He thought Gibbs would want him grabbing his ankles. It worked that way in military school. Not having to hold him in place gave the spanker more power, they could use more force when hitting him.
"Hurting you isn't the goal, Tony. Making you realize how much you did wrong is, though."
Tony swiped the back of his hand across his eyes and nodded. He felt himself start to tremble, Gibbs might not want to hurt him, but the paddle would definitely accomplish that.
Gibbs started rubbing his son's back in an effort to calm the nervous energy running through his son. Once he had his son calm Gibbs picked up the paddle and placed it on Tony's backside. The quiver made his heart break. Finally, he decided to start.
WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!
As the spanking ended, Tony sobbed into his Dad's thigh. While this had been the shortest spanking to date, it was the most painful physically as well. He knew without a doubt that his behind would be sore all night and he felt terrible that because of him, Abby's would be also. He didn't even notice when his Dad righted him and wrapped his arms around him. He didn't even notice Abby sitting beside him rubbing his back. He just knew that despite his screw up, his Dad still cared. His backside was feeling Gibbs displeasure now, but the man still loved him. He just had to take his own advice now. He had to do exactly what he had instructed Ethan to do. He had to let his Dad love him.