Chapter 6

The first thing Tony did upon walking into his apartment was to call Abby and invited her over. "Just come on in Abs, I'll leave the door unlocked…I'll order a pizza or two and we can watch a movie," he instructed her as he hurried into the shower…he wasn't prepared for who met him as he exited the bathroom dressed on in a pair of boxers….a trio dressed in black from head to toe.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Tony asked fearfully.

The trio said not a word as they closed in on Tony and held him as one pummeled him on his body and dropped him as he lay. "Do as you're told," he was told before they left him on the floor….for Abby to find when she arrived fifteen minutes later.

"Tony! Tony! Where are you?" Abby cried as she entered his apartment and walked further in. She paused to call out again when she heard what sounded like moaning and hurried in to find her friend on the floor.

"Oh Tony," she cried,"I'm calling Gibbs and Ducky," said as she pulled out her cellphone.

"Don't Abs…this was a warning for me; there is no need to call Dad or Ducky…I know who was responsible. This was a message from my Uncle John to obey his command," explained Tony as slowly got up off the floor.

Abby helped him to his room and onto his bed.

"Why would he have you beaten, Tony?" asked Abby curiously.

"Because he gave me an order today after work and I told him to go to Hell…he doesn't take disobedience very well…at least not from me."

"What did he order you to do?"

"Stay away from you…he feels you are not good enough for me; but he is so wrong and I told him that I would be friends with whomever I liked and there wasn't nothing he could do to stop me…it was as if I waved a red cloth in front of him and he set this up," explained Tony angrily.

"You need to tell your Dad about this Tony," insisted Abby, "your Uncle needs to be stopped."

"Dad's not to believe me Abs; he never has when it concerns Uncle John. He believes his lies over anything I have said…why should this time be different," Tony replied, "come on let me get cleaned up so our evening won't be ruined. I'm not going to let this spoil our time together."

Abby reluctantly agreed and the night progress and they had a wonderful time. Abby even spent the night with Tony being the gentleman and sleeping on the couch.

The next day at work Tony made a point to call his uncle and say, "Your scheme didn't work Uncle John…the licks your men gave me last night did nothing to prevent me from seeing my friend…she came over and we watched a movie together and she even spent the night. I'm not about to let you dictate my life as you did TJ and Jamie…goodbye Uncle John and stay out of my life."

"I guess I'm just going to have to take you in hand personally boy to make you behave and obey," John murmured as he hung up the phone.

The final confrontation between Tony and his uncle didn't occur until about a week later after Tony made it his business to show his defiance of his uncle's order whenever he could with regards to his association with Abby. They intensified their visits and open displays of affection as his uncle put it with hugs and pecks on the cheek.

The final blow came as Tony and Abby were walking back from lunch talking about a movie they had both seen laughing over a particular scene. "Abby I want to thank you so much for the time we have spent together this last week it has done so much to relax me and get my mind off Uncle John and his ultimatums. I wish I had known you then," Tony was saying as he sensed he was being watched and turned to find John Gibbs standing behind him livid at being disobeyed.

"Agent DiNozzo I wish to talk to you…now!" he said urgently as he moved away from the couple.

Tony got up and walked towards his uncle waiting to hear what he was going to say next.

"Yes?"

"This is how you choose to handle my order, boy?"

"This is how I choose to be with my friend…yes. Uncle John what you can't seem to understand is that you have no authority of my life any more. When I was a teen you managed to convince my dad that what you did to me was right and so you were allowed to punish me as you saw fit but that was when I was a boy unable to take care of myself. That has all changed now…I'm grown and not some little boy you can bully with strappings to follow your directives…the only one now that has that authority is my dad and he does it whenever I have really screwed up and to protect me but you always enjoyed it too much…you enjoy inflicting pain…my dad never did. He was a parent…a dad…you have never been either," cried Tony vehemently before he turned around and started back to Abby.

"You can't talk to me like that," yelled John Gibbs as he took Tony by the arm and struck him on the jaw and knocking him to the ground.

"No!!!!!!! Tony!" cried Abby as she rushed to his side only to be waylaid on the way by one of Major Gibbs aids who held her as Tony was dragged from the ground. She watched as Tony was unceremoniously was dragged to a Navy vehicle and thrown inside that she was released. She took note of the license tag before running into the NCIS squad room yelling for Gibbs.

"Gibbs…Gibbs," she cried frantically, "Tony has been kidnapped…you've got to save him."

Gibbs heard her as she exited the elevator and moved towards her, "What did you say?"

"Your cousin has kidnapped Tony," she said breathlessly. Gibbs pushed her gently in his chair and said, "Tell me everything Abs," as he motioned for McGee and Kate to join them.

Abby took a deep breath and told them everything that had occur a few minutes ago watching as Gibbs' anger grew. "I got the license tag number," and quickly gave it to McGee who immediately put and BOLO out on it.

"What I don't understand, Gibbs is why Major Gibbs would utter an ultimatum. He has no authority over us," asked Kate.

"He thinks he does, at least of Tony," replied Abby. "They need to know Gibbs," she signed to her boss.

Gibbs nodded and said, "Major Gibbs thinks he has that authority now because he had it when Tony was young. I adopted Tony when he was twelve after his father had disowned him and John met him soon afterwards. John was a constant companion when I was a boy and so I entrusted him with my son whenever he was in town and I needed to leave on a case. I gave him that authority for a while before I learned that he was a bit more violent with his punishments and took it away; a fact I guess he has conveniently forgotten," Gibbs explained to his team.

Tim and Kate took the information without batting an eye but Abby's eyes got big at the announcement that Tony's uncle continued to abuse him even after having the authority removed. "Gibbs when did you tell your cousin he couldn't punish Tony any longer?"

"When he was fourteen he and his cousins decided to punish a local bully who had been terrorizing the little kids in our neighborhood…it was on one of John's visits before been assigned here when Tony was fifteen. This time he brought his boys with him. They dumped a mixture of vile smelling substances and paint on the bully from above…to make a long story short John busted their butts to such an extent that Tony was still sore several days later. It was then that I learned that John used too much force on something that deserved a spanking but not a beating and told him from now on just to take note of what Tony does that doesn't follow my rules and I would deal with it when I got home. He said that it would be no problem and I took care of his punishments when I got back," explained Gibbs openly.

"Well, that might have been what he told you but that is not what he did. Gibbs he continued to spank Tony for anything he did that did not meet with the Major's beliefs. I guess he just made sure that Tony wasn't hurting by the time you returned so you wouldn't know."

"Tony would have told me if his uncle was still punishing him," argued Gibbs.

"Tony told me that he never did after the bully incident when he tried to tell you about his uncle's heavy-handed approach and you didn't believe him," Abby said quietly, "so he still believes that you wouldn't believe now since you didn't then."

"Oh Tony, I didn't know," groaned Gibbs as he momentarily gave in to his emotions…and then just as quickly barked, "I will find you, son."

McGee chose that time to interrupt, "Boss we have a location on that truck…it's at the warehouse on the eastern side of the Navy yard. It's a warehouse that stores old truck parts," and gave Gibbs the address.

"Gear up," cried Gibbs and alert Ducky that we may need his services as a doctor…but not to enter until we give him to all clear," ordered Gibbs as they sprang into action.

"Owwwwww….owwwwwww…owwwwwww…yeowwww," cried Tony as the cane came down again and again on his butt and thighs. He was tied over a barrel as he was being punished in a traditional naval fashioned.

He had tried to keep from crying out but the cane hurt worse than the belt and he wasn't able to hold his cries until after he had received twelve or thirteen licks.

"Now that I have your attention, boy do you know that this was the established way of punishing midshipmen in the Royal Navy as early as the 16th century and most definitely through the 19th, it was called 'KISSING THE GUNNER'S DAUGHTER' but then it was over the breech of a cannon that the boys were tied and not over a barrel as you are," explained John as he brought the cane down once again.

"I-I'm n-not a m-midshipman-n, U-Uncle John," argued Tony as he tried to keep from crying, "you d-don't have the a-authority to p-punish me."

"It doesn't really matter if you aren't a midshipman back during the Napoleon Wars when HMS Victory roamed the seas; I've decided that you are need of an attitude adjustment that your father has failed to give you and as your uncle I feel that it is my duty," explained John as he brought the cane down twice as hard as before on Tony's 'sit spot' causing him to howl in pain.

John Gibbs paused to let the pain recede a bit before continuing on. "Now that I have warmed you up I think your real punishment will commence," as he put the cane down and took up the whip. It was fashioned like a cat-of-nine tails without the pits of metal at the end. "Do you know what this is called?" he asked Tony as he showed it to the bound man.

"It what was used on midshipmen and powder monkeys when they misbehaved. Its called a reduced cat or a boy's cat and wasn't as vicious as the whip that was used on the crew…and it was applied to the bare-bottoms of the boys," Uncle John lectured as he quickly cut Tony's trousers and briefs away showing his stripped bottom. The cane had done an excellent job on Tony's backside leaving bruising and cuts on the area that he would feel whenever he sat.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" yelled Tony as the fist lick came down harshly on his bare and abused bottom causing his to sob with pain. The lashes intensified the pain the cane had caused. John was smiling as he brought the whip down again and again as Tony struggled in his bonds.

In fact he was having such a good time at Tony's expense that he didn't even notice when Gibbs and his team burst through the doors to shout,

"FREEZE...NCIS!" with their guns in hand.

Major John Gibbs turned with whip in hand to see his cousin pointing a gun at him and he paused. In his defense he only said, "He had an attitude adjustment due and since you wouldn't do it, I did," as he was taken into custody and led away.

"Kate, get Ducky," ordered Gibbs as he made his way to his son.

"Tony, son…everything will be okay, I've got you," he said as he quickly cut Tony free from the barrel and helped him to stand. His bottom was a mass of red stripes and seemed to radiate heat.

"McGee, bring a blanket for Tony…he's cold," ordered Gibbs as soon as McGee came back from turning Major Gibbs over to the MP's with instructions that he be taken to NCIS interrogation.

"Jethro…where is our lad?" asked Ducky as he came in carrying his medical bag.

"Over here, Duck," replied Gibbs as he waved him over to where Tony was shivering.

Ducky hurried over and began his administrations. "Oh Anthony, why does these things always seem to happen to you," he asked as he tenderly surveyed Tony's backside. "He'll be okay…won't sit comfortably for some time but there is no permanent injury," he said as he made his findings known. He quickly injected Tony with a powerful painkiller as McGee came forth with the blanket.

"Thanks Timothy…help me get him to the van…we'll put him on his stomach for the return trip home…do you want him taken to your place, Jethro?" he asked his friend.

Gibbs nodded, "Yes, and can you stay with him until I get there; I need to ask my cousin some questions," he added grimly.

"You got it Jethro," replied Ducky as he and McGee walked Tony to the ME van and tenderly helped him in. Tony was tenderly placed on his stomach in the back on a mattress Ducky kept for emergencies and drove off.