Ziva's second chance

Author Note: I have taken liberty with Ziva's history. I felt I needed to include her dealing with her past as well as how it pertains to the situations she finds herself in now. Warning: This story will contain spanking, if not your thing, then don't read!

(I find it rather odd that I post this warning at the beginning on all my stories and yet that are some people that will read it any way and then flame me! DON'T LIKE,DON'T'READ!)

Disclaimer: I own nothing, these characters are property of Don Bellisario and CBS.

Ziva David was raised to become a top Mossad officer. She had endured years of training that encompassed everything from learning vital interrogation techniques to learning how to live through torture. She had never experienced a "normal" childhood. She was taken away from her mother at age 8, after her sister had been killed in a roadside bomb attack. She was put in custody of her father, Deputy Director Eli David, but he did not take an active part in her rearing. She basically raised herself, she never had to worry about dad being concerned with any of her hair brained stunts. She never had to answer to anyone for anything. At least that was how it was until last spring. Ziva was sent over to control her brother, Ari, who had killed one NCIS agents and attempted to shoot another. It was then that she met the formidable Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a man that made Ziva for the first time, be responsible for her actions. After watching how Gibbs interacted with his team, not treating them as subordinates or just co-workers, but treating them like family, Ziva realized that she wanted that sense of belonging. She volunteered to become a Mossad liaison and wanted to be on Gibbs team. It was her decision to be here, no one forced her to take this position. But now as she stood in interrogation room one, she started to rethink her decision.

Ziva walked over to the two way mirror and started banging on it. "Oh, come on! If anyone is there just give me a sign. I feel like… Oh hell! Who cares any way? This is stupid. Why am I just waiting here? Granted, Gibbs told me to stay here until he could get some control, but I am not 10 years old. Time I put some of my skills to work." Ziva said with a smirk as she grabbed a paper clip she had in her pocket and started to pick the lock. It took less that one minute to have the door unlocked. "Yes! Who shows who now?" Ziva said aloud as she opened the door and walked into one pissed off Jethro Gibbs.

Gibbs had been on the other side of the window the whole time. He had sat and watched as Ziva went from the stage of obedience, to anger and then to defiance, with a sense of curiosity. He had learned from his past discussions with Director Shepard that Ziva had been raised with little to no parental supervision. She had been treated more as a soldier in the army than the child she really had been. He had watched her try to find her place in this team, or as he felt, family. She had become the big sister that Abby never had, she was also like a little sister to Tony and on more even ground with Tim. But she seemed to have the attitude that she did not have to answer to anyone for her actions, no matter how bad in judgment they may seem. When Gibbs saw her trying to pick the lock, he knew it was time for Gibbs to lay down the law with lil' miss David.

Gibbs stood there at the door waiting for her to open it and run into him. "Me shows you now!" Gibbs said as he grabbed her by the arm and led her not so gently back into the room. "Where the hell were you going, Officer David? I instructed you to stay here until I could come and talk with you, and here I find you trying to run."

"I..I.. was not running, I do not run from danger." Ziva stated in a flat matter of fact voice.

"Oh, so you think I am dangerous?" Gibbs said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He was trying to suppress the grin that wanted to come out. Most people that meet his team assume that Abby is the youngest, but in actuality Ziva was 5 yrs younger than Abby. Abby was just naïve about the true harshness around her, so she gives off the sense of needing the most protection, but really Ziva was the baby of the group.

"I.. do not think you are dangerous, I think you are manipulative and bossy." Ziva answered back with the nod of her head.

"You think I manipulate….Me?" Gibbs was starting to yell at her as he took two quick strides and was now standing toe to toe with her.

Ziva held her chin high, she was not going to back down. She had been trained to deal with all types of intimidation. "Yes, you Gibbs! You know that I am the most trained to deal with dismantling a bomb, and yet you refuse to let me try. You manipulated the situation so that I would have to disobey an order to try to dismantle it." Ziva walked away from Gibbs and went to stand on the other side of the table. She had heard how Gibbs dealt with his team some times and she didn't think she could take a Gibbs slap upside the head.

Gibbs slammed his hands down on the table in an effort of not putting them around her arms and shaking some sense into her. "No, this goes beyond just disobeying me. I can not protect you if you do not do as you are told Zi.."

"I DO NOT NEED PROTECTING!" Ziva yelled at Gibbs.

"Obviously you do, or you wouldn't have been 10 seconds from getting your ass blown up!"Gibbs yelled back, he was slowly losing control of this discussion. Gibbs sat down in the chair and instructed Ziva to sit in hers across from him. He had to take a deep breath and try to lower the intensity in the room. He knew that as long as Ziva was on the defensive, then she would not see reason. "Ziva, I knew that there would not be enough time to disarm the bomb. That was why I sent you out, not that I didn't think you could do it. But, do you listen to anything I ever tell you? NO!" Gibbs ran his hands through his hair as he relived just how close he had came to losing Ziva.

"I am not used to being told what to do. I was taught that I should always give it my all, even if it means sacrificing my life." Ziva said as she remembered once that her father Eli had been sorely disappointed in her because she had not tried up to the last seconds to disarm a bomb that was attached to a bunker in Israel. Ziva had realized that she could not do it in time and she left the empty bunker, she had thought she had done the smart thing and saved herself and let the empty bunker collapse. But in her father's eyes that was a failure.

"What kind of monster would tell you that? Huh? Some higher level Mossad agent? My God, they …" Gibbs started to rant as he saw her face change from tight to sad.

"No, Gibbs .. It was not an officer… It was my ….father." Ziva said in a whispered tone.

"Your what?" Gibbs asked with a sense of disbelief.

"You heard me the first time. It was my father. He never thought of me as his daughter, I was just another Mossad trainee. The only times he ever called me daughter was when I would excel, the rest of the time, I was on my own. I made the calls on what should be done. I answer to no one, but myself." Ziva answered as she tried to hold back the tears that threatened to break her tough façade.

Gibbs saw the internal struggle this young lady was having in front of him, it was then that he knew how he would treat this type of disobedience. Gibbs reached over the table and slowly grabbed Ziva's clasped hands. He gently rubbed his thumb over the top of her knuckles, trying to soothe the fight she was fighting inside her head. "Ziva, when you joined my team, you knew that they were not just my team…..they are my family. I will do anything to protect them. That is what real fathers do…. It is our jobs to protect our children. " Gibbs kept one hand on Ziva's as his other hand gently tilted Ziva's face so that she was looking straight into Gibbs eyes. "I fully understand that you have a biological father, but from what I can see he has never invested any paternal intentions your way. Ziva…. I would be doubly blessed if you would be one of my daughters."

Ziva sniffled and then the tears slowly trickled down her face. "But, Gibbs, you…."

"Ziva, you know from your dossier on me that I did once have a daughter, but I lost her. I feel like I have been given a second chance to be a father to the rest of my team. You know how I feel about them….and you."

Ziva was taken aback by the simple gesture that Gibbs was offering. For the first time in a long while, Ziva felt warmth spread throughout her. Gibbs was giving her something she had never had before…security. "Yes, then I would be honored to have a father in you." Ziva answered as she saw Gibbs stand up and walk over to her, he gently kissed the top of her head and then he whispered. "OK, my daughter."

Ziva leaned into Gibbs strong shoulders, basking in the warmth and security of a father for the first time in a long time. Ziva nodded her head as Gibbs walked towards the door.

Sensing the moment of acceptance from Ziva, Gibbs decided that it was time for Dad Gibbs to start his lessons. Gibbs stopped short of the door, and turned back towards Ziva. "Ok, Ziva, take a few minutes to get yourself together and then head up to your desk. I want a detailed report of what happened and then I want you to start writing; I will listen and do as I am told, until it is time to leave. You…."

"What! Are you out of your mind? I am not a child, you…." Ziva started to argue as she stood up.

"You acted like a child when you ignored my instructions and decided to do what you wanted to do anyway. So, your punishment is that of a child. Now you have 5 minutes to get yourself together and at your desk. And.." Gibbs was trying to keep his temper under control but Ziva kept interrupting his conversations.

"And what? I am grounded also? No way! I will…." Ziva stopped her little rant as soon as she saw Gibbs normally cool eyes get darker with anger.

Gibbs now stood behind her, trapping her between him and the table. "You will write the lines and you are grounded to your desk. You may go to the restroom when you ask permission, but other than that you will stay there. If we get a call, you will stay at your desk. You wanted to be part of this team and family, well it is not all fun and games. Believe me….You do not want to push me… You will not like what happens next, am I clear?" Gibbs may have spoken softly, but there was an underlying edge of steel in his voice.

"But.."

"This is not open for discussion. Am I CLEAR, daughter…" Gibbs stated matter of factly. "Or do I need to show you another way that a dad punishes a child?" Gibbs saw a confused look flash across Ziva's face.

"You….wouldn't…couldn't…" Ziva stammered.

"Yes, I will and yes, I could. I can tell you that if you do not get upstairs and start writing, you will be writing the lines on a sore ass. Any more questions?" Gibbs said as he opened the door and started walking down the corridor. "5 minutes Zi."

"OHHH! He is insufferable!" Ziva said as she started to walk to the restroom to try to make herself look less like she had been crying.

Please read and review! I love all of your comments on how you think this one is going?