Finally back with another chapter. Sorry that it took me so long to update this!

Thanks to all the reviewers - Troubled-Angel-26, Fan, DS2010, Fashionista-girl, Loads of Randomness, S, HappyGuest, Ludy, JessicaRae95, Rhi, and KrisShannon. You are all such wonderful readers and I appreciate your patience with my long delays between updates lately! I am making up for it today - I posted "Snakes and Scares" (a one-shot with a surprising backstory!); I posted the last chapter of "The Finding of Cable"; I added another chapter of "In A Different Way"; and I updated my co-story with fiftyshadeswritergal, "The Christmas Challenge". I hope that you will be able to enjoy the account-wide update. Hopefully I will be able to update more regularly now that I am readjusting to my school schedule!

Thank you to fiftyshadeswritergal who offered some wonderful editing advice (with short notice!). I appreciate your hard work and your insightful ideas and suggestions!

Enjoy!

...

Shortly after Jenny returned to the office to take care of some calls that had only been able to be scheduled that weekend, Ducky stopped by to visit his patient.

"Ducky, I will do anything! Please tell Gibbs that I am better!" Ziva pleaded.

"I cannot do that, Ziva," Ducky said seriously. "You are still healing and I cannot tell him that you are recovered without lying."

"Then lie!"

"Ziva!" Ducky's tone was censuring and shocked.

"Just a little lie!" Ziva protested.

"It is not, and even if it was a little lie my answer still would not change."

"Ducky, I will pay you whatever you want!"

"I do not take bribes."

"A hundred?"

"No. You will 'pay' me with respect toward your health and physical condition." Ducky was becoming more stern as Ziva's frustration mounted.

"Will threatening you work?" Ziva asked hopefully.

Ducky was horrified. "Ziva, one more word and I will have Gibbs deal with you!"

"But I have been grounded forever - an entire two days and I am tired of it! Gibbs makes me do chores in the morning, rest in the afternoon, go to bed on time, and follow all those rules! He is a tyrant!" Ziva grumbled in self-righteous indignation. "That is far too long to keep me imprisoned and he will only let me free when you tell him to do so."

"Oh, dear," Ducky said gently, sitting next to her and patting her shoulder. "I wish that I could end your grounding in good conscience, Ziva, but I cannot - not yet."

"Then when?"

"When your side is better."

"How long will that take?" Ziva asked, grumpy yet resigned. Ducky had to hide his amusement at her amusing little pout.

"If you behave and take care of yourself, perhaps a week."

"A WEEK?!" Ziva yelled, jumping to her feet. She moved her hands in frustration. "I will NEVER survive a week!"

"Zi..."

"I never will! I will go crazy! Gibbs will not let me outside. He will not let me use my phone. He will make me go to bed even though I am NOT tired! He will ..."

"Only if you keep breaking the rules," Gibbs said from the doorway. Ziva turned around and frowned and both him and Ducky, but Gibbs could see that she was listening. He continued, "As you may remember, Ziva, I told you that if you behave you can earn back some of your privileges before your grounding is over. But you need to show me that you are trying to behave - and acting up with Ducky isn't doing that."

Ziva gritted her teeth, but slowly nodded her acceptance.

"How about you go ... read or something," Gibbs said. Ziva glared a little, then remembered that he had said that if she behaved she might have hope of regaining some lost privileges. She desperately wanted the darts and her weapons back, so for their sake she lost some of the defiance and obediently left the room so that Gibbs and Ducky could visit privately for a moment before Ducky went in to work.

"She's a good girl, really," Ducky said optimistically.

"I know," Gibbs said. "She just has a hard time showing it at points."

"Poor child."

"Yeah."

"She's desperate for her grounding to be over."

Gibbs smiled wryly. "I've noticed."

"Why did you have to include me in this discipline situation?" Ducky grumbled.

"Because she was lying to you and endangering her health! What? You wanted me to let it go?"

Ducky shook his head in frustration. "Not at all, but ..."

"Being in charge of discipline is harder than you thought?" Gibbs asked with a knowing chuckle.

"When she - Miss David of Mossad - is begging me to 'set her free'? Yes, it is hard!"

Gibbs laughed and slapped his old friend on the back. "Welcome to my world, Duck. Want some coffee before you go?"

"Normally I would say 'no', but after that? I think I need the sustenance!"

...

"But Gibbs! PLEASE let Ziva come with us!" Abby begged on the phone. "I really want her to be able to come this movie with us. We've planned such a fun night and all of us agree - the only thing that we need to have the BEST night ever is to have Ziva with us too!"

Gibbs rubbed his temple. He could hear Ziva stomping around upstairs - he would never cease wondering how she could go from a tread quieter than a cat's to sounding like a bull elephant. She was vacuuming so at least he did not have to worry about her overhearing his phone call with the scientist and joining in with her own whining.

"Abs," he said patiently, "you know how it is when you are grounded. It is fine for you to come visit her but she is not going out with you and others."

"But...!"

"She is not going. I'm letting her watch a movie tonight when Jenny comes to visit, but that will be here at home - not out at a theater."

"Gibbs, it would only be for a few hours. I promise!"

"Abs, the answer is no."

There was a long silence that Gibbs knew instinctively was due to Abby pouting on the other end of the line.

"I know you don't like it ..."

"That's an understatement!"

"Abby."

Pause. Reluctantly - "Yeah?"

"I know that it is upsetting, and I wish that I could say 'yes,' but Ziva is getting the same treatment that you or the boys would get if any of you were grounded. She is not going to the movies."

There was another long silence.

"Okay," Abby said sadly. Suddenly there was a happy lilt to her voice as she said, "I understand, Gibbs. I'll talk to you soon. Love you!"

She was gone before he could say goodbye or - more importantly - question why she was sounding so mischievous.

...

Ziva lay on her stomach and kicked the bed lightly, more from boredom than frustration. Gibbs kept insisting that she lie down and rest. Today, like any other day, she did not want to but Jenny was going to be returning for another visit that night and Gibbs had promised that if she behaved that she would be able to watch a movie with them even though she was still grounded. It was not quite on par with her weapons being returned, but it was enough to make her clamp her teeth and behave even when she wanted nothing more than to throw a tantrum or climb out her window - and run away this time!

There was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she mumbled. She looked up as Gibbs entered the room and smiled at her.

"Mind if we talk for a bit?" he asked.

Ziva looked at him suspiciously - was he hiding annoyance toward her for some reason? Was she in trouble? Was he going to ground her for even longer? Why ...?

"I'm not upset about anything, just wanting to connect with you," Gibbs clarified, seeing the indecision in her face.

What does that mean?

"You can sit down," she offered cautiously, sitting up on her bed while watching him. Gibbs took a seat on a chair and smiled at her.

"Ziver, you know that I'm not mad at you, right?"

She did not respond. After growing up around people who were mad at her all the time, she had a difficult time separating anger from other emotions. Gibbs did not seem mad, but she might not just able to detect it. Maybe he was hiding it. Maybe ...

"I'm not mad," Gibbs affirmed. He picked up a book from the bedside table and flipped it over to read the back. "This interesting?"

Ziva shrugged. It was, but she was not going to let Gibbs know that. It would be best to present her grounding as the most depriving experience possible.

"It looks interesting."

Ziva shrugged again. She had been so bored the other day that she had started reading an old dictionary. She was trying to act "aloof."

"You've been doing a good job, Zi," he praised, setting the book back onto the night table. "I'm glad that you are following the rules."

Ziva relaxed a little and leaned back against the headboard.

"It is hard," she admitted.

"I know." He reached over and took her hand and have it a gentle squeeze. "I love you, Ziver. I do. That's why you have to be disciplined and that's why you're grounded right now."

"I do not like it," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"I know and that's okay. Just keep behaving and it'll go faster."

Ziva's eyes squinted in skepticism. Gibbs chuckled and stood.

"How about you come down and help me get supper ready? Then when Jen comes back you can choose a movie for us to watch."

Ziva smiled a little. At least cooking would be more interesting than lying on her bed. She jumped to her feet.

"What are we making?" she asked with a hint of excitement in her voice as she hurried down the stairs after him.

...

Ziva thrived in the kitchen and eagerly joined in helping Gibbs prepare dinner. She had some very definite ideas of what spices and vegetables to combine with the rice dish that Gibbs had suggested. Gibbs opposed some selections, but yielded when he saw how determined she was. When they tasted the final product, he had to agree - she knew what she was doing.

High on his praise, Ziva was in one of her very best moods when Jenny arrived.

"What is that?" Ziva asked, taking a container from Jenny.

"That is my vanilla, pineapple, strawberry, and coconut five layer cake," Jenny said. "I made it last night and saved it as a special treat for you. I have to go away for a trip early tomorrow morning, so I will not see you until Monday. I wanted tonight to be a little extra fun, even if you still have to be grounded."

"Oh! That is so yummy!" Ziva sighed happily, carrying the delicious dessert into the kitchen carefully, ignoring the comments about still being grounded. She set it on the counter before turning back to Jenny, spotting a second dish. "And what is that?"

"Meatballs. You and Gibbs made rice and vegetables, right? They should go well together."

Ziva nodded and smiled. "I chose how the rice was made, so it is very good."

"Are you saying I don't know how to make rice?" Gibbs asked over his shoulder as he took plates and cutlery out of the cupboards and drawers.

"Not as good as I make," Ziva said confidently.

Jenny grabbed a fork, took a small taste, then shot Gibbs an amused look as he started serving the plates.

"I have to agree with Zi!"

"Fine! Let's just not forget that I paid for the ingredients, so I made some small contribution," he said dryly. "Now, how about we eat this wonderful dinner made by two beautiful and talented chefs?"

Ziva was absolutely beaming at that point. Her attitude was significantly better than any other time that the three had eaten together and both Gibbs and Jenny appreciated the difference as well. For the first time in a long time, the Gibbs house was the site of a peaceful family dinner.

Until there was a knock on the door.

...

I wonder who is at the door? ;)