Good evening, everyone!

I am sorry that I have been so long in updating. I have had a hard time finding the motivation to write and update. I haven't given up on this story. I'm just struggling at the moment so updates will be sporadic. I'll see if getting back to university helps regulate my writing schedule a little better. I'm so sorry for the delays. Please try to understand. :)

Thanks to fiftyshadeswritergal for helping encourage and previewing this chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter - FeebleFluffyFan, Ludy, Jolie71, DS2010, Fan, KrisShannon, Sarai, Loads of Randomness, Troubled-Angel-26, Queenofwheels.

Enjoy!

Warning: Spanking in this chapter.

...

Ziva was not in a particularly good mood. A crash from downstairs had just woken her up from her nap that had only lasted fifteen minutes - not nearly long enough to reduce the bad mood. She rolled over and winced as her bottom was pressed against the mattress.

"Ouch," she whined unhappily to herself, pushing herself in a precarious sitting position above a fluffy pillow. She reached back and began to rub. She was not sure if it was helping or just making the whole situation worse.

This still stings a lot. And ... it's not over yet!

She flopped down onto her bed, ignoring the increased sting. This was going to be nothing compared to the bedtime spanking that she knew was coming.

"Why did I have to get in too much trouble?" she grumbled aloud.

...

Jenny had been taking towels into the bathroom when she heard the low voice in Ziva's room. She had left the door slightly open when she left after soothing Ziva to sleep and now she went to the crack to listen to what Ziva was saying. When she heard she rubbed her forehead.

Why indeed?

...

"Ziva's taking this hard," Jenny said softly, walking up behind Gibbs in the kitchen and wrapping her arms around him.

Gibbs was a little surprised but he did not move away. Instead he reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"What's she doing?" he asked.

"Trying to get rid of the sting and lamenting her abundance of trouble," Jenny reported. Gibbs turned and gently hugged her.

"It's only today. She'll be okay, Jen. It's just an afternoon of being grounded. We'll get her to bed early, get the spanking over with, and then everything will be taken care of."

Jenny huffed. "That's not exactly going to make the rest of the day go well for her. She's already upset over the first spanking - or spankings. She's not going to look forward to the next one."

Gibbs stepped back and looked her in the eyes. "Jen, it'll be okay. She might not like this - no one would - but it isn't that harsh, really. Her spanking tonight won't be as hard. I don't think she'd try acting out like that again. And you won't have to do anything, Jen. I'll be handling the spanking. If you want, you can help comfort but ..."

"If I want? And 'help comfort but'?!" Jenny protested, frowning fiercely. "Jethro, if you think that I would leave her alone to be disciplined than you don't know me."

Gibbs held up his hands appeasingly, like he would if trying to talk down a shooter in a volatile situation. "Didn't say that you were going to leave. Just trying to say that you can take care of the loving part instead of the spanking part."

"Isn't the spanking supposed to be love too?" Jenny demanded, still not impressed.

"Of course. But isn't giving her a hug more enjoyable than giving her swats with the spoon?" Gibbs asked bluntly.

"Yes," Jenny said, finally cracking a small smile. "But Jethro? For the record? I would never want you to have to do all the discipline. We'll have to work on figuring out what will be the right balance for when she goes back to work, but she needs it from both of us - mother and father figures, on the same page, with the same love for her."

"When she is ready, we'll need to have a talk about it," Gibbs agreed. "Until then, we'll just have to make the choices and hope that if something isn't working that Ziva will speak up or that we'll be able to tell."

"Messing her up a second time is one of my biggest fears," Jenny admitted softly.

"I know, Jen. Trust me - I know."

...

Ziva finally scooted off of her pillow throne and after a small stretch that ended in a wince, she headed down the stairs. There were Gibbs and Jenny, talking in that way that they had been doing so much more often as of late. Ziva was not exactly sure if she liked it. When they spoke like that, her hopes of wheedling Jenny into going against Gibbs or convincing Gibbs that being disrespectful to Jenny was unimportant? They went straight out the window ... like she was not allowed to do on threat of a sore bottom like the one she was enduring right now.

Life was not fair.

But seeing the two people she admired teaming up with loving her? That was ... kind of nice.

...

"Do you want to play a card game with us?" Jenny asked Ziva, who was curled up miserably on the couch, sighing loudly on a schedule of every two minutes on the dot. Ziva's eyes were fixed on a clock so she had a little help with the timing but the sentiment was not forced. Every two minutes was another two minutes closer to her next spanking - another spanking that she had no interest in receiving! A game of cards might distract her from her task of unobtrusively reminding Gibbs how unreasonable and unfair and heavy handed he was (literally) being about punishing her when she already so obviously felt badly about it! But then, it might also distract her from the fact that measuring off the hours by two minute intervals was hard work and sort of depressing as she realized the steady trot of time.

"I guess, since I have nothing better to do," Ziva said pointedly, glaring a little in Gibbs' direction. She did not dare glare like that directly at him - she did not like the idea of making eye contact with him while acting a little ... bratty. But still - her point needed to be made. This was absolutely unnecessary and absolutely unfair.

"That's the spirit," Jenny said brightly. "You really can't do any better than a good game of cards."

"Not what I meant," Ziva grumbled.

"Do you want a chance to explain what you did mean or should I just deal the cards before you can talk your way into another spot of trouble?" Jenny asked, calmly making eye contact and holding it. In that moment, Ziva knew that she was not going to win. The tingling reminders in her bottom kept her from fighting it any longer.

"I'll deal," Jenny supplied after an unintentional moment of silence.

"Okay," Ziva conceded. She accepted the cards that Jenny slid across the table in her direction.

"Jethro, do you want to join us?"

"Sure."

Should I decide not to play since he is part of it now? That would make a statement - but then they might continue playing and having fun and I would be left by myself without anything fun to do. Oh, and maybe if I play it will do something to Gibbs' head. Maybe it will get him into a good mood - one where he won't feel like punishing me for something from so far long ago as yesterday.

"I will still play, even if he does," she offered generously. It was only when Gibbs and Jenny gave her identical, stern, unamused looks that she realized that she had just said what before she had only thought. She coloured a little, then peeked at her cards, using their presence as a small shield against any follow-up questions. "As I am obviously the youngest, does that mean that I get to go first?" she asked.

Looking up she could see two more frowns, but at least they were attempts to hide amusement at her cheekiness.

"Go ahead," Gibbs motioned to her.

Ziva was finally able to smile proudly. As little as it might be, she had won at least one thing today.

And if she could get through the game while sitting on the wooden chair, maybe she would be able to win two things.

And that gave her an idea...

"How about we bet? If I win, you will not punish me anymore and ..."

"Not gonna happen, Ziva," Gibbs cut her off effectively. "You will be getting a spanking tonight at bedtime. If you want to pout about it, go to the living room. If you want to play, play."

Ziva started to roll her eyes, which was greeted by a small swat to her thigh by Jenny.

"Ow..."

"That did not hurt," Jenny scolded softly. "Now did it?"

"No..."

"But if you keep rolling your eyes it will."

Ziva shifted back and forth a little.

"Is that understood?"

Ziva looked down at her lap, unhappy.

"I said, is that understood?"

"Answer her, Ziva."

"Fine. Yes, I understand," she huffed.

"Ziva!"

I have never wanted to roll my eyes more than I do at this moment but ...

"I ... understand," she said in a more appropriately repentant tone. It was not exactly how she felt but she knew that it was what was expected of her. And as much as Jenny had said that small swat on her thigh had not hurt - and it had not hurt much - Ziva was not willing to risk another to make the tiny, sudden sting grow into anything larger.

...

She's faking, Jenny thought, looking at Ziva's face. There were the schooled features in what was a textbook display of repentance ... but the little tics that so often appeared when she was actually repentant. She hated to admit that she was sorry or wrong and her eyes would twitch a little. But then, there was not a whole lot that she could do to call Ziva out on it. What would she say? "You're lying about understanding"? It would not exactly be very conducive.

"Okay. Let's play," Jenny said, switching her tone to encouraging. "As you are so obviously the youngest, why don't you have any cards on the table?"

...

Ziva was shocked out of her annoyance resurgence by the light and teasing tone.

"Um ... okay. I will, once I get a chance to look at my cards," she grumbled, but this time it was more good-natured as well.

"I'll bet you chocolate chips," Gibbs said lightly. Ziva looked up and tried to decide if he was mocking her or if he was really willing to play.

"Show me the chips before we play," she demanded with a mischievous smile returning to her face.

...

Thank you, people, for reading and being patient. :D I appreciate it!

Hugs from afar. Hold in there!

MM