AT THE INDOORSWIMMINGPOOL

Elliot and Mac entered the coach's office without knocking. Coach Leery was sitting behind his desk.

"I see you still have not learned to knock on a door" he welcomed the two men.

"Sorry coach" Mac excused "but I think you have two little toddlers here waiting for us."

Coach Leery smirked. "Do you know the two of you look like your dads when they came to pick you up about 25 years ago?"

Elliot and Mac looked sceptically.

"I know you don't want to hear it. Especially at the moment but there's a story I should tell you before you will go to roast two little butts. So please sit down!"

Elliot and Mac sat down in front of the coach's desk.

Elliot smirked "I don't think I will ever sit in this office without having a bad anticipation for my butt."

The coach grinned "I think the two of you didn't get as many penalties as you really deserved. I still remember a bad tempered platform diving trainer who wanted to know who had mixed his shampoo with a green colour. If Mrs. Sneider had ever found out who had changed the music for the synchronised swimming team in hard rock the night before the competition she would have to pulled you by your ears."

"C'mon on coach. You can't tell me you knew we had done all these stunts. Why didn't you say word? I mean when we tried to mix up your shampoo with colour we were not able to sit without a pillow for a week. "

"I didn't say a word because I knew some people deserved your stunts. And most of the time your little pranks were funny. But I want to tell you something your dad told me the day you had your graduation ceremony." The coach said pointing on Mac "I asked you father if there was any white hear on his head you were not accountable for. He smiled and said: boys will always be boys. And I know one day every boy will become a father and gets the son he deserves."

"This knowledge didn't ever stop him from roasting my butt for a stunt." was Mac's answer "But to be honest I must say I didn't get the number of spankings I really deserved. And I think my dad always was a wise man."

"You have wise sons too." Coach Leery told men "The little rascals told me that it's in their DNA to pull stunts. And they asked me if I couldn't say like father like son as an excuse for their stunt."

"I sure you treated them the way like father like son." Elliot teased.

"Sure I did. And I can tell you I'm still a good handicraftsman. Now I think it's time to go to the boys. They are waiting in the boys locker room. But can you tell me what prank they played on you yesterday. Reed told a little"

Elliot recounted the water bomb story. When he ended the coach was convulsed with laughter.

"That's not funny coach. You must admit we never played such a prank on our dads." Mac complained.

"Little boy!" the coach told him "you never did such a prank on your dads. But I still want to know where my wooden ruler has gone. And I think today is the right time to ask." With these words the coach pulled the paddle out of his drawer causing Mac and Elliot to gulp.

"C'mon coach!" Elliot started "You can't use that. I mean we are adults."

"That doesn't change anything." he coach answered "I want to have my ruler back right now."

Mac asked "You never found the damn thing in all the years?"

"No! It was gone the day after I used it to roast your butts for driving my car without a driving licence."

Elliot gulped and stood up. He walked to the ventilation shaft and removed the grate. Then he took out five pieces of the wooden ruler.

"Sorry coach" he said "we thought it was a good idea."

The coach smirked "I think we can call it time-barred. Now let's go to Reed and Ryan."

"One last question coach" Elliot stopped him "You never used a paddle when we were teens. When did you change your mind?"

"Your father gave me the paddle after cherry bomb 1.0. But I never used it on anybody. I told you I'm still a good handicraftsman. But if I ever would hear you two forget about boys will always be boys I would change my mind."

"I can promise this will never happen" Mac smiled back.

IN THE LOCKER ROOM

When Elliot and Mac entered the locker room the boys were leaned against their lockers.

"I'm proud you see us as idols." Elliot told the boys "But I think if you decide to walk in our footsteps you should also know the other side of the coin.

"But Dad! Coach Leery has already spanked us. My butt still hurts and ……….." Reed tried to change their dads minds.

"No arguing!" Mac ordered. "When you told the coach like father like son you should have thought about it will also count for your butt."

With these words Elliot and Mac took their boys on their ears, putting one of their foots on the bench and bending the boys over. And without any hesitation they started swating two still very sore butts knowing it was exactly the same way their dads had handled the same situation years before.

I didn't take a long time till the boys were wriggling.

Synchronously both boys put their hands back when their dads started to work on their sit spots. But their hands were pulled against the small of their backs.

A few swats later the boys had enough. Tears were running over their faces.

Their dads gently guided them into a warm hug and calmed them down fondling their heads.

On their way out of the building they were stopped by the coach. He gave Mac the laptop and the webcam.

Mac raised his eyebrow and started to sing "Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are callin' " knowing that Gibbs would have handled the situation when they came home.

LATER

On Wednesday morning Mac gave Reed a wooden ruler and asked him to give it to the coach.

Reed looked sceptically and asked "Do you really think this will be a good idea. I mean the coach doesn't chart so much so maybe he would decide to use it in another way."

"Bring it to the coach. Tell him it is a present and I'm sure he will know how to use it." Mac ordered.

Two weeks later he met the coach at a competition and asked him if he had got the present.

"I didn't get anything" was the answer "but I think two little boys and I will have a talk about it and I'm pretty sure I will get the ruler although I will get it in many pieces. But you must remember like father like son" the coach smirked.

The rest of the week went quickly. The dads decided to spent more time with their boys to avert more practical jokes. So they spent most of their time in the public swimming pool or in the movies. For the boys these days were the first holidays with a real family.

On their flight back Tony asked Gibbs.

"Maybe it would be a great idea to denounce my apartment. I think I don't need it any longer."

"I think this is a great idea" was Gibbs answer "So I can have an eye on you."

"C'mon that's not funny" Tony complained "But I can tell you, you are the first person in my life who cared enough to ground me or sp… you know."

"And what do you think about it?" Gibbs asked.

"Well I think you are great father and the nearest to a family I have. And I hope you will allow me to call you dad."

For the first time for years Gibbs was really happy. "I would be proud if you would call me dad, son!" was his answer. And he gave Tony a warm hug.

Five silent minutes later Tony said "but I didn't know how much a spanking hurts since you spanked me. So I think it will be not necessary to repeat…..Ow"

"Believe me my son it will be necessary. I know boys will always be boys."

The end