Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter to the following readers: Troubled-Angel-26, Queenofwheels, Sarai, KrisShannon, rhiakate, DS2010, and Fan. And thank you for the encouragement, quintawrites! :)

Until December 5 I will be gathering story ideas from the comments. Then I will collect all of the ideas and put them in a poll on my profile. People can vote on which story idea they would like most (before December 10) and I will write it, aiming for 1,500-2,000 words (as everything permits!). I will try to post the story over Christmas break and will dedicate it to whoever suggested the story idea. :) So, if you have an idea, please comment! :D

Oh, and I posted the final chapter of "In a Different Way" today. I'm preparing to do some new stories soon, so I wanted to complete that one. I apologize if it seems abrupt - I just did not feel that it was fair to continue keeping a story going when I don't feel like I can update it as often. I will be doing a new story soon, with 500-600 words each chapter (more manageable at the moment). There should be new sequels to that story eventually, but it will be a little bit. :)

Now, enjoy!

...

Abby had significantly more experience with Gibbs' parenting than Ziva. She hated having a sore backside from the rest of the evening but she was able to giggle and play games and watch a movie as if nothing had happened. She was a little more clingy than normal, but even that with Abby was not particularly unusual. By the time Gibbs shooed the two of them upstairs for bed, having already set up an air mattress for Abby, the spunky scientist was back to her regular self, the spanking far behind her despite some residual tenderness.

But Ziva was a different case. Even if she had not received the spanking, she was upset by it. It was not fair for Gibbs to spank Abby so hard! Abby was a good person. Especially after Abby had whispered a confession about the fact that she had gotten in trouble for disobeying Tony, Ziva's indignation grew. Tony probably deserved to be annoyed! As the two friends found pajamas and decided who wanted to shower first in the morning, Ziva finally asked a question that had been eating away at her for the last few hours.

"Abby?"

"Yeah?"

"How did ... what did ...?"

Abby frowned a little, curious. "What, Ziva?"

"How did ... Gibbs spank you?" she asked, flushing a little just from asking, but she needed to know.

"He paddled me," Abby answered, flushing a little too but prompt in her answer.

Ziva felt a cold weight in her stomach as she hesitantly asked, "Did it hurt?" before she flushed, "That was a foolish question."

Abby giggled a little at the question. "Yeah, it hurt. I hate paddlings. Probably only a switching hurts more - at least according to me. Everyone finds some spankings worse than others. Like some hate belts more than paddles, but I hate paddlings more." She smiled a bit wryly. "That's probably why Gibbs uses the paddle on me far more than I would like!"

Ziva felt the cold weight grow stronger in her stomach.

Paddle.

Switch.

Belt.

She could feel a slight tremor go through her before she regained control, blocked the fear from her eyes, and went back to trying to decide whether she wanted sweatpants and a tank top or an actual set of pajamas.

But as she lay in bed, curled up protectively, she could not forget Abby's warnings.

If I do not learn my lesson, Gibbs will just make the spankings harder.

Or will he?

He loves Abby lots. She is his favourite. And Tony and McGee are special.

But I am just a liason. Jenny put me on his team. He chose everyone else except for me. Even the Caitlin Todd who was on the team before me had been someone that he chose.

He is spanking me because right now I live in his house and he has rules for everyone who stays here. Maybe I just get in trouble because he does not want to be inconsistent and he wants everyone else to keep following the rules.

Maybe Jenny cares but Gibbs has no reason to once I am all better and get out of his house.

If he is not going to care after another week or so when I can go back to work, I do not want him to care now.

But making him not care will be rather difficult.

Ziva lay there in the dark room, listening to Abby's steady breathing, blinking hard as a few tears welled up in her eyes. Stupid emotions! Why did Jenny and Gibbs have to unlock them even when there was no way that they would ever want to stay with her permanently?

She was going to need a way out. Recent ... experiences ... told her that the two guardians were not going to let her simply walk out of the house. Jenny would not want to move her off of Gibbs' team and Ziva did not want to go so far as to have her liason role terminated. Nothing - not even frequents spankings - were bad enough that she would willingly return to Mossad and her father's direct control.

There was only one choice.

Make them give up.

Specifically, make Gibbs give up.

She winced a little as she considered the possibilities. None of them were going to be nice. She had a feeling that the sting currently in Abby's bottom would be experienced by hers soon if she went ahead with the plan.

But then - she had a secret weapon that she could use!

Previously they had made sure that she could not zone out during the punishments. She had felt every smack, heard every word of every scolding or correction.

She had not liked it but she had submitted to it. She had acted as if they might possibly have a right to administer discipline to her.

But she was not going to accept it easily anymore. She was not going to refuse it - she did not want to deal with the permanent consequences of such an action - but she was not going to let it be internalized.

Tomorrow, Gibbs was going to meet a new Ziva.

...

Uh oh!

Remember to comment or message me any of your story ideas so that they can be put into the poll!

Stay safe and well!