Zilch

His son threw his head back and begged frantically, "Father, please don't say that! Let me…."

Jethro cut off his argument, "It matters not to me if I tan your bottom right here or at home. Since your teacher has shared with me the fact that you behaved disrespectfully towards her, that whipping is the what of what will happen. The when is within the next quarter hour. I will allow you to decide on the where- but decide right now, Anthony."

He needed no further prodding, but did as his father bid. The last thing he wanted was someone witnessing his agony as his dad spanked him.

A few minutes later he slipped silently into the jail. Pacci didn't even notice him as he made his way back to the living area. He paced the floor nervously around the kitchen table as he tried to think up a defense that would keep his dad from punishing him. Everything he conjured fell flat, though, and he knew he was doomed. Why did he have to go and backtalk the schoolteacher? That was the only reason his dad had decided to spank him at all. He would have doled out another punishment if disrespect hadn't entered the scenario. Tony's stomach knotted and he finally just sat down, realizing that getting his butt torn up was already a done deal for the evening.

Half an hour later Jethro joined him, after having sent Pacci to enjoy the dance, then securing and closing up at the jail for the night.

Tony greeted him with an attempt at a grin, hoping to disarm him. "You just got home, so why don't you throw out what you have planned and just rest instead?"

Gibbs didn't respond or waste time, but pointed his son to his bedroom. Tony stood up immediately, and then bit the corner of his lip and groaned softly as he watched his dad take the strap down and follow. That piece of leather hung by the mirror where Jethro shaved in the mornings. His father didn't discipline with a spanking often, and had only used that strap on him once before, when Tony and his best friend had been caught jumping from one roof of the town's businesses to another.

He sucked in a breath at the memory of the sheer agony that strapping unleashed.

Glancing over his shoulder, Tony unbuttoned his pants, then shrugged out of his suspenders and pulled down his clothing until finally his backside was bare. Anticipating the pain to come, his eyes filled as he turned towards his parent.

"Lie across the bed, Son," Jethro directed. He waited until Tony lowered himself onto the mattress before he ordered, "Tell me what you did to earn this whipping."

Tony answered honestly, "Disrespect- I disrespected the teacher, and I am really, really sorry about it now, Father."

Gibbs couldn't help but grin at the response, but he confirmed, "Correct, Son, and I want you to think about what you should have done instead every time I bring this strap down across your backside."

Tony nodded, then reached a hand back protectively.

"Move your hand, Anthony," his dad ordered. "it's too late to worry about protecting your butt now."

He reluctantly complied, and Jethro reached down and pushed Tony's shirt hem out of the way. Realizing his dad had stripped the last bit of protection from his bottom, Tony buried his head in his arms and braced for the first lick. He didn't have a long wait, and he cringed and steeled himself when he recognized the whooshing sound made by the leather. The first contact caused him to yelp at the shock of the instantaneous throbbing, and he frantically tried to squirm away from the painful sting of the blow. His father held him steady with one hand on the small of his back, however, as he delivered four more excruciating licks from the belt, determined that this punishment would not be one his child ever wanted to have repeated.

Tony's responsive sobs reflected the pain he felt- his butt blazed with a stinging, throbbing, intense hurt that echoed through his body and that he thought would never subside. It took a couple of minutes before the sobs decreased to loud crying, and Jethro sat down on the bed beside him and alternated rubbing Tony's hair and his back as his tears eventually slowed. When the crying finally turned into shuddery breaths, Jethro stood and began righting his son's clothes, but Tony eased himself up and put his hands protectively over his bottom. "Father, please, I don't want any clothes over my bottom right now."

Gibbs nodded and pulled the boy to him. He hugged him gently, then kissed the top of his head. Tony buried his head in his father's shoulder, and tried in vain to lean back with both hands and rub some of the sting away.

His parent had the soothing, familiar, smell Tony always associated with him, leather and sawdust. He rubbed his face against his father's shoulder and muttered into his father's shirt, "That hurt so badly!"

Gibbs ran his hand through Tony's bangs and kissed him on the temple. "Son, I will be a happy man the day you begin thinking through your actions. From the time you could walk you have known that I have zero tolerance for disrespect, and that you would be punished if you chose to be disrespectful, every single time. Isn't that correct?"

He tapped Tony under the chin and his son met his gaze, his lip puffed into a pout.

"I asked you a question, Anthony," Jethro prompted.

Tony kept his pout in place but answered miserably, "Yes sir, that is correct."

Gibbs shook his head ruefully and planted one more kiss on his son's head. "Time for bed now for you. Get on your nightclothes and under the blanket. I'll come tell you good night in a few minutes."

He started out of the room, but paused when Tony called, "Father, I won't do that again, I promise. I don't want another spanking- I've got zero tolerance for having my rear end blistered like this again."

Gibbs smiled and made his way out of the room.

"Tony! Tony!" His dad's voice came closer and he struggled to climb his way into consciousness. His father's hand on his shoulder gripped him insistently, though, so he opened his eyes slowly, squinting at the sunshine streaming into the room.

"Father, I …." He stopped at his dad's puzzled look.

Gibbs spoke, smiling softly, "Son, it's time for you to get up. You must have had some kind of dream because you were sleeping hard."

Tony shook his head and turned over on his side, then scowled, "Exactly, Daddy, and I dreamed that we lived in the 1800's and you were still you with no change whatsoever- Still I got punished- whipped- for disrespect. Nothing changed at all in my dream."

Gibbs laughed at the pout, "Well, then, you might as well reconcile yourself to the fact that you are stuck having me as the judge of your actions. It looks like you can't even dream me into becoming more lenient. So until you can, zero tolerance should influence your actions."

Tony couldn't help but laugh at his dad's dream interpretation.