Title: Staying Focused

Disclaimer: I don't own the character on NCIS, I'm just borrowing them for the story.

A/N: So, here is chapter three. I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think. It really motivates to keep writing. Thanks!

Chapter 3

The doors opened and Gibbs entered autopsy. He had gotten a call from Ducky asking him if could come down for a talk. Tony and McGee had come up to the bullpen a while ago and Gibbs had noticed Ziva's absence but had chosen not to ask about the reason right away. What he saw when he entered made him sigh deeply. Ziva was standing facing the corner with her head slightly bent down. It was obvious to him, because of the fact that she was standing there, that she had done something pretty big in Ducky's book. Knowing how much the old Medical Examiner liked Ziva Gibbs felt sure he never would have punished her otherwise.

He made his way over to her and noticed that she didn't turn around. He reached out and touched her shoulder as soon as he was close enough. Ziva jumped slightly and turned her head.

She was very surprised to see Gibbs standing behind her, she had expected Ducky. He had left the room approximately five minutes ago and she had thought it was just him returning. Therefore she had not turned around, knowing he would be furious if she did so.

They looked at each other in silence for a while, until Gibbs finally raised a brow in question and asked "Why are you standing here?"

She turned around fully to look at him. "I...I" she stuttered in a low tone of voice, trying to look directly at him but finding it difficult to do so.

"Ducky put you here?" Gibbs helped her on the way a bit.

Ziva nodded and glanced at him. There was no anger yet but it was bound to surface as soon as Ducky showed up and told him about what happened.

"Why?"

Gibbs had never been a man of many words, so the simple question didn't exactly come as a surprise to her.

When she didn't answer he took hold of her chin and turned her head so that she was forced to look into his eyes. "Why?" he asked again, slightly more determined this time.

"Because she did not behave with the proper decorum of an NCIS agent. And then there is the fact that when I later tried to question her about her behavior she acted even more disrespectfully toward me which led to her currently being placed in the corner."

Ducky had entered the room and answered the question for her. Ziva could see Gibbs eyebrows start to draw towards each other in a frown. She then looked at Ducky and felt him pin her with a hard look with an annoyed expression written on his face. "Why aren't you facing that corner, young lady? I thought I specifically told you NOT to turn around."

Ziva did not move. She was getting tired of this punishment. It had taken at least thirty minutes for Gibbs to arrive and she had been staring at that awful corner the entire time without turning around. She ignored Ducky and instead turned with a somewhat pleading look to Gibbs for help.

He smiled but it certainly wasn't a kind smile, it was more of a smile that said she shouldn't expect any sympathy from him in this case. "Oh no, you don't." he said as his smile faded and was replaced by his stare. Oh God how she hated that stare of his, and being the one subjected to it. "If Ducky made a decision to put you in the corner then I'm sure he had good reason to." she sighed and rolled her eyes, for a second forgetting who she was defying. Gibbs took hold of her upper arm and quickly turned her back so that she was once again facing the corner. "YOU stay there until we have talked!" he yelled in his Gunnery Sergeant voice and actually made her jump. Uh oh, she realized she had just made him even angrier than he would have been after just hearing Ducky's story about the morning events. "And then maybe you can come out. Or perhaps we'll decide to leave you there an extra hour so you can think of a way to keep that temper of yours under control." he said and saw her shoulders slump a bit. He could see she was feeling sorry for herself, and that wasn't good. If anything she should be sorry for her actions that put her there.

Gibbs and Ducky walked out through the autopsy doors to stand next to the elevator. It was Ducky ho had steered his steps in that direction because he knew he would be able to see Ziva from out there while they talked. Otherwise he probably would have suggested they'd go for a cup of tea, which was what he really needed after this morning.

To be continued