Thank you to all who have exercised patience for me to update this story. I had to put "The Valentine's Chronicles" as my main priority but I have been itching to get back to this story! Just a warning - this chapter includes the disciplinary spanking of Abby by Gibbs. If you don't like that type of story, please skip to the next chapter (when it becomes available).
This ended up being extremely long but I couldn't break it up.
Thanks to BohoAngel, spacekitten2700, DS2010, and hippiechic81 for the reviews!
...
Gibbs sat in his parked car for a minute, trying to gather any vestiges of patience to his soul. He had made a promise many years ago to Shannon that he would never deal with one of his children in anger. He had failed at this ideal over the years, but it was not for lack of trying. Tonight he would try again. He watched Abby wring her hands and McGee give a feeble wave before turning back to the door.
What is McGee doing? Obviously something that Abby has done, but how is he involved?
Gibbs slowly got out of his car and deliberately walked up to the front step.
"Abby. McGee."
"Hi, Boss," McGee responded respectfully but Gibbs mostly ignored him, instead focusing his gaze on Abby who was equally as focused on not looking at him.
"Abigail."
Still no response, but she was flushed with what Gibbs assumed was shame.
"What's going on?"
"Uh, Boss, I'm just trying to help..."
"Not you, McGee, Abby."
"Ummmmm..."
"Words."
"WellIcameoverandIwasmadsoIdecidedto...to...todosomereallybadstuff."
"Words, not one long word, Abby." Gibbs walked over and took her arm and pulled her over to the door. "McGee, open the door. We'll all go in and then I want an explanation of why both of you are here. Not that I mind visits, but I don't think that this is just a social call."
"Uh, Boss, I would let you in but ..."
"But what?"
"The door's locked."
Wha...?
Gibbs struggled to remember the last time that the door had been locked. He felt Abby shudder and tightened his grip of her, his suspicions suddenly becoming clearer.
"What did you do, Abby?"
"I locked your door."
Of course. Of course, Abby.
"I've almost got it open," McGee interjected with a hopeful voice, trying to deflect any of Gibbs' frustration. "Oh, here, see?" McGee swung the door open and slipped the lock-picking device back into his pocket.
"You didn't let her see how you used it, did you?" Gibbs asked, nodding toward it.
"No, Boss, no!" McGee shook his head furiously. Gibbs allowed the agent a half-smile before leading Abby into the house, McGee following both of them.
"Sit." Abby and McGee looked at him until he turned and saw what they already knew - all of his furniture was shoved against the basement door.
Breathe. Breathe. Remember your promise. Calm down, Gibbs, calm down.
"Just to clarify, McGee, were you involved in any of this?"
"Uh, no, Boss, no," McGee stammered. Abby, to her credit, spoke up although she kept her head pressed against her chest
"He just came to help me unlock the door so that you could get back inside, Gibbs. He was trying to help."
The quiet confession made Gibbs smile inside, although he remained stern on the surface. At least she was eager to keep McGee out of hot water.
"Then go home, McGee. We'll see you Monday, if no case comes up over the weekend. Thanks for unlocking the door."
"You ... sure? Yeah, thanks, okay, see you Monday." McGee was obviously eager to get out of the area before the showdown started, but he stopped and gave Abby a gentle kiss on the crown of her head and a comforting pat on her back before leaving the two alone - the naughty child and disgruntled dad.
Where to start?
"Let's get the furniture back in place. C'mon."
Abby slowly nodded and began to help. Within a few minutes Gibbs' living room was back to normal and the doorway to the basement was accessible.
"Downstairs. Now." The order was headed although Abby dragged her feet all the way to the door. "I'm going to get some coffee, then I'll be down to deal with you. You'd better spend that time thinking of all the reasons that you're going to be disciplined."
Abby gave a meek nod, then headed down the stairway, making each step last as long as she could. Gibbs listened to her, hearing her shuffle across the floor and sit down on a rattly stool before turning to the kitchen and mixing a cup of coffee.
Let the caffeine work, then calmly deal with my not-so-calm daughter.
Gibbs raised the cup, then took a swig of the hot drink. He held it in his mouth, the swiftly went to the sink and spat out the horrid concoction.
Apparently even caffeine is a reprieve that has been denied.
"ABIGAIL!" he bellowed.
...
Oh, no! I forgot to warn him about the coffee! Oh, he's not just going to punish me - he's going to kill me!
The heavy clomp down the stairs caused yet another knot to be tied in Abby's stomach, as did the dragging of a sawhorse so that Gibbs could sit in front of her huddled figure.
"Look at me."
The voice demanded, but it was surprisingly free of anger. Abby timidly looked up into the eyes of the one person that she respected above all others, her surrogate father. His blue eyes were calm, but questioning; tired, but firm.
"What got into you today?"
"I ... I don't know."
It was not a real answer and normally Gibbs would have immediately demanded a better explanation. However, Abby did not know if she could. She had been trying to think of an excuse - any excuse - but she did not have one. Only that she had been hurt and mad and reacted in a totally childish fashion.
"I don't know either."
Gibbs' admission startled Abby. How could the omniscient Gibbs not know?
"You don't?"
"No. I don't know how my brilliant girl managed to lose her head so much that she did not act reasonably all day. I don't know how she decided that acting out was the only way to get attention. I don't know how she decided that being unkind to a co-worker was either acceptable or advantageous. And I don't know why I let her get away with it for so long."
"I don't either," Abby echoed in turn. They sat across from one another, each silent, each pondering, each dreading what lay ahead.
"Any more tricks?"
Oh no! The boat!
"Uh, yeah."
A quiet sigh, then "What is it?"
"Your ... your ..." When did I eat sawdust? "Your boat."
...
Gibbs stood and walked over to the boat, expecting mass destruction. Instead he found silly string draping it. Still bad, still enough to merit trouble, yet significantly better than what he would have expected.
"Then get your backside over here and help me get it off. While we work, you talk."
"Yes, sir," Abby mumbled as she hurried over, pointedly staying out of arm's reach while she began to pull off the colourful strands.
"Why did you come to my house and play these pranks?"
"I was upset."
"Not gonna cut it. I want a reason."
Abby fell silent, but a quick glance at her face revealed that she was not being stubborn but simply thinking. Gibbs worked beside her, the motion helping them both relax as much as was possible in the situation.
"I was jealous," Abby finally admitted when the last strand had been removed and only some stains remained. Gibbs did not reply, just gave a nod for her to continue. "I ... didn't want you to like Ziva more than me."
Gibbs walked over and moistened two cloths at a sink in the corner. He handed one to Abby and started wiping at the stains on one side while she worked on the other.
Abby continued. "I just felt so mad, you know? It was horrible when Kate died."
Gibbs stiffened a little as he did every time he remembered the bullet entering Kate's brain.
"I was angry 'cuz I couldn't do anything. And then Ziva comes and suddenly it is like Kate wasn't needed - which isn't true! It feels like the world should end because she isn't here but work just goes on. 'Oh, Kate's dead. Here's Ziva. She's an assassin from Israel - obviously she'll be as good or better.' I know, I know that it isn't that way, but it is easier to think that way. I guess it just felt good to be selfish and be mean to Ziva because I was hurting and I wanted her to hurt too." Abby handed the cloth back. Gibbs reached over and tipped her face up to look straight at him as she whispered out the words he had been hoping to hear - "And I'm sorry, Gibbs! I'm sorry!"
He reached out and pulled her into his arms. "I know," he whispered. "I know." He held for a moment until she pulled away, looking down at her boots which she scuffed in the sawdust.
"Am I still in trouble?"
"What do you think?"
A tiny nod answered the question.
"Then go get the paddle."
To her credit Abby did not fight, simply obeyed and got the small paddle from the cupboard and brought it over to him. Gibbs reached out and took her hand. "Come on, Abby, let's get it over with." He led her to the sawhorse and pulled her in front of him, taking the paddle from her and setting it next to him. "What are all the things that you did that got you here?"
"A lot of different stuff."
"Specify."
"Um, I was mean to Ziva all day, I disobeyed you like a hundred times everywhere we went, I locked you out of your house which I ruined ... um, and being disrespectful?"
"Is that a question?"
"No. I was disrespectful. I'm just trying to remember if there was more."
"Add lying and breaking rule twenty-three."
"What one is that?"
"Never mess with a Marine's coffee."
"Oh. Sorry."
"Your behaviour at the mall was enough to merit a spanking. Your behaviour at the restaurant was enough too. And then here? I'm going to have to make this one count, Abby."
Sniffles. "I know."
"And if you ever do anything close to this again, I will be dealing with you swiftly and strictly, understood?"
"Yes."
Gibbs sighed.
How I hate doing this!
"Ready?"
"Yes, sir." Abby slowly stepped to his side and bent over his knee. He held her, gently but firmly. He scrunched his eyes closed.
Shannon, I wish that you were here to take care of these kids. Wish me luck.
He delivered the first spank. Abby immediately began to cry. He forced himself to continue, each spank intended to reinforce his earlier words. But it was hard. Every swat hurt his little girl and there was nothing more contrary to his character than making the women in his life cry - except for letting them hurt themselves or others through their actions. So he continued, counting the hard, stinging spanks in his head until he got to fifteen. Then Abby began to fight him, kicking and crying.
"Hold still, Abigail," he ordered sternly, to no avail.
Every time. Every single time!
He smacked her thighs lightly and she stopped thrashing around although her crying became louder. He delivered another four swats, bringing the number to twenty. His hand was starting to sting from giving the spanks and it was obvious that it was having the intended affect. Abby hated very few things more than a spanking, and she was definitely being impacted by the one being delivered by her determined dad.
If only I could stop now. But there is no excuse for what she did. No excuse for her behaviour. Keep going, Gibbs. She doesn't hate you. You both know that she deserves this, needs this. Be rock firm or you'll both regret it.
Gibbs slowly picked up the paddle. He hated using it as much as Abby hated receiving it, but it was necessary in some situations - like tonight.
"Hold still," he ordered again, then gave ten hard spanks with the small wooden implement, each separated enough that its full sting was felt to the greatest degree. Abby could feel it, that much was apparent.
"No more! Gibbs, please! I'll be good! I'm sorry! Daddy! Please, stop!" Abby squealed, crying in gasps between heavy swats.
Normally he would have stopped with ten spanks from the paddle, but tonight there had to be more. Bracing himself, he held Abby tightly and delivered the next ten in a much faster succession, eager to have it over but knowing that the deterrent had to be big enough for Abby to squirm every time she even thought of repeating any of her behaviour of the day, specifically being unkind to Ziva.
He set down the paddle and felt Abby jerking with her sobs. He nearly sighed with relief of being almost done. He raised his hand again and began to question his girl.
"Are you going to be so disrespectful and disobedient anymore?"
"No!"
SWAT!
"Are you going to lock me out of my house or prank me again like this?"
"No...oo!"
SWAT!
"And are you ever going to treat Ziva, or anyone else, the way that I saw you treat her today and these past few weeks?"
"No..ooo...ooo!"
Gibbs gripped her and brought down his hand for the final spanks.
SWAT!
SWAT!
SWAT! SWAT!
Abby sobbed across his lap, all the fight gone from the normal fiesty girl. Instead she cried, "I'm sorry! I'll make it all better! I promise! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
A tiny bead of moisture landed on the back of her shirt. Gibbs wiped it, and its twin from above, away as he patted her back.
"Good girl, Abby, my good girl. It's all over. It's all over and I forgive you, my good girl."