The Not-So-Mysterious Case of the Missing iPod 2

The first five minutes of the spanking, Clara thrashed and cursed, angry at her conflicted feelings. Every few swats or so, Gibbs would bring his hand down just a little harder, waiting for Clara to finally break. It took quite a while, but after what seemed like forever, a few choked sobs escaped Clara's lips. Gibbs slowed the pace of the spanking and spoke:

"I know you, Clara. These past few weeks you've been acting more and more distant, even a little grumpy at times. That's not you, Clara. You're my daughter, even though we don't share the same blood. If you have problems, I'm always here, day and night. It hurts me that you still don't trust me enough to come to me for help."

A small whimper came from the girl, and Gibbs knew that it had little to do with the steady swats he was giving her as he spoke.

"Nothing you ever do will ever make me hate you," he continued softly, rubbing small circles on the small of her heaving back.

"B-but this..is s-s-so much worse th-than anything!" she choked out. "I h-hate myself f-for it... you'll have to hate me..."

Gibbs gave her a particularly hard swat. "Have you even been listening?" he said, his heart breaking at her renewed sobs. "I said nothing, and I meant it, Clara Hawkins."

Her sobs changed, these ones sounding more scared than anguished. Gibbs gathered her in his arms, rubbing more circles on her back and rocking her slowly back and forth, murmuring nonsense in her ear, like, "Shhh, I've got you, sweetheart, you're safe. It's okay, shh.."

A few minutes later, Clara's sobbing slowed and lifted her head to look at him.

"Promise?" she asked, referring to his assurances that he would never hate her.

"Promise," he said, stroking her soft blonde hair.

"O-okay," she said. She hesitated, but then began rolling up her long sleeves. Gibbs was about to ask her what she was doing when he immediately realized what was wrong.

Cuts. There were cuts all over her wrists and arms, some fresh, some a week or so old. Very, very carefully, he held her arms, tears coming to his own eyes.

"Why?" was all he could manage without losing control of his quivering voice.

"Well... it's my boyfriend, Gibbs," she said, not looking at his eyes. "He's always telling me that I'm not a good girlfriend, and telling me that I need to change. The things that he says to me, Gibbs," she paused, starting to cry again. "They hurt so bad, Gibbs. The biggest hurt, the one that makes you feel really sad."

He was an inch away from crying. The way she said that... she sounded so much like Kelly when she was a little girl. Clara was really hurting. 'The biggest hurt,' as Clara called it. She sounded so young, so innocent. He couldn't believe what she had been doing, what she'd been going. He wished so much that he'd found out sooner, before the cutting had started. He swore that he was going to kill the bastard.

He gathered Clara even closer in his arms, her head resting on Gibbs' chest.

"You listen to me, Clara Amelia Hawkins," he said, being extremely careful to keep his voice strong. "Maybe you can't see it, but I can - you are a work of art, just the way you are. There's a man out there who will recognize just how priceless and perfect you are, and he will love you." He took a deep breat. "What I see in you is beautiful, so beautiful - please don't change. Don't be afraid that you're not wanted, because you are wanted here. That bastard, scum-bag of a boyfriend's oppinion is worthless. Do you care about what I think of you?" Clara nodded. "I think that you're one of a kind. There is no one like you - you're smart, beautiful, kind, clever, brave. And you're the greatest daughter that I could have ever asked for."

Clara burst into tears. All the pain and anguish she'd been holding in for the past month or so came pouring out, and she felt so stupid. How could she have let that idiot affect her like that? To the point of cutting herself? Gibbs' words hit her so hard. A few minutes later, after Gibbs had succeeded in calming her down again, he turned her back over his knee. She didn't object, she knew what this was for - Tony.

"I don't want to hear you ever talk to your brother in such a hurtful manner ever again," he said sternly but gently. He lifted his right leg and lowering his left, spanking the sensative undercurve of her bottom that he knew hurt the most. This set off a whole new round of tears and pleading.

"Gibbs! I'm sorrrryy! I-I will ap-pologize t-to Tony, I sware! OW, Giiibbbbsss!"

Knowing that her promises were sincere, he stopped the spanking, for good this time. She wasn't crying too hard. She hick-up'd every once in a while, and was soon asleep on Gibbs' lap, too worn out to stay awake. Gibbs sat in his chair for 40 minutes, listening to Clara's steady, calm breathing and thinking things over. He couldn't believe that she'd been cutting herself. He never thought that something could drive his sweet Clara to something that dark. He was so glad that it had been addressed, though. He would have Clara stay with him for a while, recovering both physically and mentally.

Gently, he woke the junior Special Agent.

"Come on, my precious girl," he said, carrying her in his arms. "Let's get you to Ducky."

Ducky was just as distraught as Gibbs' had been. He held Clara for quite a while, too, telling her how much she meant to him. He cleaned and bandaged her wrist injuries and gave a gentle scolding, telling her that if she ever did this to herself again, he'd take her over his own knee. This prompted a small giggle from Clara, and melted into Ducky's embrace.

Poor Clara :( The things Gibbs said to Clara are lyrics from one my favorite songs, 'Someone's Work of Art' by Sixteen Cities. I don't own the song, nor do I own NCIS, I just play with them :) The next chapter will be the last of this particular story, so stay tuned :) It will be a short conclusion of Clara's recovery, I won't give anything away, but there be referrences to spanking. So be warned!

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