* * * * *

Up in the guest room, Kate was pacing again. Why had she decided it was a good idea to rush this? Before long though, there was a soft knock on the door. "Come in," she choked out.

Gibbs walked into the room and closed the door. Kate saw that he was holding a paddle. It looked like it was fully capable of delivering a pretty sharp sting.

"Sit down," Gibbs said quietly. Kate sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. Gibbs settled himself next to her and put the paddle on the bed behind them. "Tell me something," he said. She looked at him, but said nothing. "How often does Tony start it?" He could see she was torn. "It's ok. It's just a question – you can tell me the truth."

Kate thought for a moment. She knew the answer, but she didn't want to get Tony in more trouble. She didn't want to lie either, though. "Most of the time," she finally said in a whisper.

"Then that means that all those times, you not only let him get to you, you kept it going."

Kate looked up suddenly. "Gibbs, I…"

"I'm just saying," Gibbs said gently.

Kate nodded. "I get it."

"Good. Now let's get this over with," he said standing up. "Turn over."

Kate stood up halfway, turned around and bent over the bed. She felt Gibbs' hand on her back and a second later, the paddle fell. She'd been right – it stung. Badly! It was nothing like the pain from the belt he usually used on her. And it stung far more than the hairbrush had. She hadn't really expected her thin pajama pants to offer much protection, but they were completely letting her down.

She'd started crying quietly almost immediately, but when she put her head down on the bed and let her shoulders sag in resignation, Gibbs knew she had learned her lesson. He spanked her just a little longer before he dropped the paddle on the bed and rubbed her back gently as she cried herself out. After a few minutes, she felt her start to push herself up. He let her stand up, then reached out and gathered her into a tender hug.

"You need to stop letting him get to you," he said quietly. "For both of your sakes, ok?" He felt her nod. He kissed the top of her head and then let go of her. He gently touched her cheek, then picked up the paddle and left her alone.

Kate climbed onto the bed, curled up and before long, she had cried herself to sleep.

An hour later, Gibbs sent Tony to bed. But when he went upstairs a few minutes later, he saw that Kate's door was open. He peeked his head in and saw Tony sitting on the bed next to a sleeping Kate. He had covered her with the blanket that was usually on the overstuffed chair in the corner of the room. He was whispering something to her, but he couldn't make out what was being said. He saw Tony move to stand up and he quickly turned and went into his own room. As he closed the door, he couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, Tony," he thought, "I'm definitely proud of you."