I am so sorry for the long wait. Things with Covid have been hard, along with some of my school classes being really triggering and some mental health struggles. If you pray, I'd appreciate if you could think of me. ;) I do need to be writing more though - I worked on a bit this weekend and it was good to reconnect with that part of myself. I'm trying - I really am! - so please be patient even when I can't post for awhile.

Thanks to all the reviewers and to quintawrites (I keep writing fiftyshadeswritergal by habit!) for her encouragement and editing help.

Hugs to you all. Please, pretty please, stay safe!

Now, enjoy!

...

Jenny lightly knocked on the door that Gibbs had left open earlier.

"Zizi?

"I did not ask for you," mumbled the heap under the rumpled sheets.

Jenny smiled gently and walked over to Ziva, slowly taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"I came anyway."

There was a long pause. Ziva was clearly not in a talkative mood, although Jenny could feel the mattress under them shaking a little with compressed sobs.

"You had a hard day today, didn't you?" Jenny said gently, reaching over and rubbing Ziva's back.

...

Yes, Ziva thought to herself.

"I bet that you're hurting and mad," Jenny commented.

Yes, I am!

"And you're probably still stinging from that last spanking."

Ziva nodded just a little.

Jenny gently moved her hand down and patted Ziva's bottom. It was a strange but comforting sensation. Somehow the gentle pressure seemed to help reduce the pain rather than increase it like her own rubbing always did.

"I would imagine that your heart is hurting too," Jenny said perceptively.

Ziva gritted her teeth.

Jenny knows too much.

The hand moved from her bottom to her curls and began to work through her hair, gently tugging and untangling and working through the wavy tresses.

"You, darling, have had a hard day and it is okay for you to be upset. It's okay for you to cry and to need time to feel better about it."

"I do not need to cry," Ziva replied flatly. "And it would not help anyway."

She said it just as the first tear broke through her defenses and was absorbed into her pillow.

Stupid emotions.

"It is okay that you feel that way right now," Jenny affirmed. Then they both stayed silent until Ziva was nearly asleep.

"I love you, Zizi."

"Mmm," Ziva responded, drifting into dream land.

...

"She asleep?" Gibbs asked when Jenny came downstairs. When she nodded he went up to the room and quietly went over to Ziva's bed.

"Love you, kid," he said softly, gently brushing the curls off of her forehead and kissing the top of her head.

She stirred a little and he smiled at her fondly. It had been a long day and he was glad it was over ... but as hard as the day had been, the lessons being learned were important and worth it.

...

Abby woke up, happy. She had today off and was ready for fun. The last few days with a bossy Tony had been ... difficult. Abby was missing Gibbs' leadership and having Ziva on her side.

And so to have fun she wanted to spend time with Ziva.

She was not quite sure how things were going at Gibbs' house so she waited until the afternoon to head over, guessing that if they needed to be out they would have done so by then. She did not want to risk calling Gibbs, asking permission, and being denied. So, in typical Abby fashion, she grabbed her car keys and headed over.

"Abs," Gibbs greeted her calmly. "No call?"

"Um ... no?" she replied evasively. Gibbs fixed her with "a look" and she began to squirm a little at his scrutiny.

Is he just annoyed about me not calling or has he been talking to Tony?

At long last, Gibbs' face softened into a neutral expression.

Good. No Tony.

"Come in, Abs."

She grinned brightly, pushing away her concerns about the stories Tony could tell. She kissed Gibbs' cheek in gratitude, then skipped into the kitchen where a disgruntled Ziva was rummaging for tea supplies, still not too happy about the previous day's occurences. Ziva's frown, no matter how well-grounded, fled the moment that she saw her friend.

"Abby!"

"Ziva!"

Abby launched herself onto Ziva in a hug.

"I haven't seen you in forever!"

"You saw me a few days ago," Ziva said, amused.

"A few days too long," Abby corrected with a grin.

"Oh, hello," Jenny said cheerfully, walking into the kitchen.

"Do you ever leave here?" Abby asked curiously.

"Abs..."

"Of course," Jenny interrupted Gibbs and smiled at Abby.

"Okay," Abby said speculatively.

"She does ... sometimes," Ziva added. She gave Gibbs a charming smile when he gave her a frown, not wanting himself and Jenny to become the fodder of the office gossip. The smile was not meant to be reassuring. "Come up to my ... the room, Abby. We can ... talk." She gave Gibbs and Jenny an evil grin and then scampered up the stairs, Abby on her heels with a matching expression.

"That's trouble," Jenny murmured, shaking her head in exasperated amusement.

"Tell me about it," Gibbs grumbled. Then he reached for his phone.

"What are you doing?" Jen asked idly.

"There's a phone call I need to make. I have a feeling Abby has been causing some trouble."

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "I haven't heard anything about her."

Gibbs have a nod, then said, "But you wouldn't have. Tony might have some failings but he's loyal to a fault - something the others occasionally take advantage of. And I'm going to make sure that's not what Abby's doing right now."

...

"So, how is it?" Abby asked, bouncing down on Ziva's bed and grinning at her friend. "You doing okay with the wardens down there?"

Ziva rolled her eyes, then relaxed and laughed. "That is how they act," she agreed.

Abby curled up and hugged one of Abby's pillows. Ziva froze as Peanut slipped out and onto Abby's lap.

Of course she had to touch that pillow. Now she will know that I am acting and being treated like a child and ...

"What a cute bear," Abby commented, setting it on top of the other pillow and settling down for "story time". Ziva waited for a moment, expecting some sort of teasing, but none came.

Wait. Of course! This is Abby! She would not tease me about something like a stuffed animal. She owns dozens of children's toys.

Ziva smiled in relief and slumped onto the bed next to Abby.

"So, who's harder? Gibbs or the director?" Abby asked eagerly.

"What?" Ziva asked, flushing unexpectedly.

Abby smiled. "Oh, you know what I mean. I'm sure Gibbs has spanked you lots by now and I think Jenny probably spanks you as well - she acts like the type of person who might. So - who spanks harder? Mommy or Daddy?"

Ziva felt like her face was in the Sahara Desert.

Like being spanked was not embarrassing enough on its own!

Abby seemed to notice and reached for Ziva's hands and gave them a squeeze. She made eye contact and said sincerely, "Ziva, we've all been there. Tony, Tim, and me - especially me! - have all got our butts spanked for doing something wrong. If anything, I'm surprised that you lasted so long before getting one of Gibbs' spankings. None of us made it that long before our first time getting hauled off to some quiet place to be given a red backside. I think I was just a few months in before I did something crazy. Tony got it within ... what? Maybe two more months than I did. I know Tim got to eleven months but then he got it BAD for lying to Gibbs - and Gibbs HATES lying! You made it for about a year. You should be proud of that. When you started I was sure you were going to break the record on the other end. But you didn't!"

Abby beamed at Ziva, whose eyes were reflecting her bewildered state. Abby sighed, rolled her eyes, then tried again.

"Ziva, take it from me, your sister in multiple ways - spankings are normal in this family. Sure, we might not like getting them - or talking about them - a whole lot, but it's part of being one of Gibbs' kids. He doesn't spank just anyone, but if he spanks you it means that he loves you enough to think of you as one of his kids. And being in his family has honestly been a life saver for me. He's strict, but he makes up for it. Anyway, that's just to say - I'm not trying to embarrass you. I've been spanked by him far more than you have - I can guarantee it! And though I don't like it, I don't let it bother me as much anymore. A spanking is just a spanking. You'll be okay."

Abby launched from her pep talk into a strangling hug, but Ziva did not mind. The young woman's words had been a huge encouragement.

"Thank you, Abby," she whispered, feeling her eyes get unexpectedly teary. She blinked hard, glad for the hug and wild ponytails shielding her face. If Abby noticed, she could always claim that it was a pigtail to the pupil.

Abby nodded and pulled back with a smile.

"I love you, Ziva."

"I ... love you too."

"So, who spanks harder?" Abby asked with a mischievous smile as she leaned back into the pillows.

Ziva gave an embarrassed smile but then admitted, "Gibbs does, but Jenny can be hard too. She goes longer and ..."

Abby sensed some hesitation and nodded for Ziva to continue.

"She ... likes to sp ... spank me b... bare more," Ziva admitted, her face flushing.

Abby raised an eyebrow speculatively. "See? Told you I've had way more. Gibbs spanks me bare most of the time - at least most spankings end that way. If I'm lucky they don't start bare."

Ziva started at Abby, horrified. "It gets ... worse?!"

Abby gave a sympathetic grimace and reached out to squeeze Ziva's hand.

"Don't ever try to get him to think that a spanking is ineffective. Because he doesn't give up on spanking - he just makes it worse!"

...

"Um hmm," Gibbs said into the speaker. "Good job, Tony. And I'll address the problem."

"Boss, just be ..."

Gibbs cut off the plea as he snapped the phone closed and started up the stairs.

...

Uh oh! I think trouble is on the way!

Yes, yes, yes - spanking in the next chapter, so skip if you don't like that!

Stay safe until next time (and hopefully beyond then, but you know... ;D)!

MM