*warning-fictional child disciplined by a fictional adult in this chapter*

Hey Readers, thanks for the reviews. I'm so glad you are enjoying this story.

Gibbs took a long gulp of the horribly bitter-tasting emergency room coffee and leaned against the wall, just taking a few minutes for himself. The nurse had shooed him and Tony from the room, leaving Abby and Aimee behind to help Janessa settle into her room. Tony had excused himself to see how Tim and Ziva were making out on the case, and Gibbs had just used the time to take a breather. His anger and frustration with Aimee's antics resulting in Janessa's fall had got the best of him, and he thought it best that he took some time to cool off.

"Boss?"

Gibbs looked up to see Tony walking towards him holding out a real coffee. Gibbs reached for it like he was a drowning man and it was his lifeline. Just the smell helped to calm his nerves.

"Thanks."

Tony smiled and joined his boss, leaning against the same wall. The two of them stood side by side quietly for several minutes enjoying their hot beverages until Gibbs broke the silence.

"How's the case?"

"Compromised."

Gibbs groaned, not sure he wanted to continue the conversation. He was frustrated enough and felt like anything else would be the straw that broke the camel's back.

"How so?" he dared to ask.

Tony looked towards the ceiling and exhaled a deep breath. "Frankly, Boss, the local LEOS screwed up big time. I spoke with Tim and…"

Gibbs held up a hand to forestall the younger man's rant. "On second thought, I think I'll just leave it in your capable hands until tomorrow."

Tony managed a small smile. "That's probably a good plan, Boss. Tim and Ziva have things well in hand anyway, and Ducky and Palmer are knee-deep in the guts and glory right now."

"Gonna need Abby soon, I suspect."

Tony shrugged. "I speculate it's going to be a long night any way you slice it. The Petty officer's parents are freaking out, and the guy's father is pretty high up in the Navy. Man by the name of Cosgrove."

Gibbs lifted a brow. "Admiral Jayson Cosgrove, by any chance?"

Tony took another long drink of his coffee as he nodded. "Know him, Boss?"

"Oh, yah," scoffed Gibbs with a dry chuckle. "Damn, this case just got interesting, DiNozzo."

"Uh, yah, sure, Boss. Whatever you say," groaned Tony, sarcasm evident in his voice.

Gibbs smirked and stared at the floor thinking about Cosgrove thoughtfully. He'd crossed paths with the contentious admiral on numerous occasions during his tenure with NCIS. It hadn't been fun under normal conditions, and he couldn't imagine what it was going to be like to deal with the man under such dreadful circumstances. Gibbs pushed the thought from his mind. Today had enough troubles of its own; he certainly didn't want to borrow any from tomorrow.

"You taking Aimee home now?"

Gibbs closed his eyes for a second and leaned his head against the wall. "Not sure how safe she's going to be with me tonight." His voice was low. He wasn't serious but he was allowing himself to be vulnerable with his protégé.

Tony gave a low whistle. "That mad, huh?"

"What do you think?"

Tony walked across the waiting room to a nearby chair and sat down, stretching his legs out. "I think Aimee is testing you, Boss."

Gibbs walked towards Tony and stood over him, still taking long mouthfuls of his coffee.

"I know she's testing me. I just don't know why," said Gibbs, annoyance in his voice. "Do you think Ducky could do without Abby tonight?" Gibbs sat down beside his protégé.

"I dunno, possibly. McGee and Ziva scoped the scene out pretty thoroughly after I left, collecting what evidence they could. Ducky and Palmer got what they could while I took the LEOs to task over their idiocy. Damn it, I can't believe they could be so…"

"Relax, DiNozzo. What's done is done. Getting yourself all riled up over what you can't change is just a waste of energy."

Tony groaned. "Boss, if you'd been there, you'd have been bouncing heads off the pavement…" Tony stopped talking, his face growing pale when his brain caught up with his mouth. "Uh, well, you know what I mean. Sorry, Boss."

Gibbs waved a dismissive hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "If it's possible maybe you could have Ducky detain the chain of evidence for tonight. Another 12 hours or so isn't going to matter too much on the grand scale of things. I'd appreciate if Abby could stay with Janessa until I work out a few things tonight."

Tony nodded his understanding. "I'm positive Abby won't mind. She's become a little mother hen with those girls which is a far cry better than her freaking out of the Major." Gibbs smirked and nodded his agreement as Tony continued, "What are you going to do?"

Gibbs shrugged. "I dunno, Tony. I just don't know."

"I don't feel like I'm much help in the parenting department, so take what I say with a pitcher of salt, but Boss, my gut says that something is really wrong. The Percy case is settled. David Brody, well, I guess stuff is still pretty complicated where he's concerned but Aimee has been sheltered from much of that. I know the girls have been through the ringer the last few months, but why is Aimee so hell-bent on running away from you? You'd think she'd be embracing the stability. We all love those girls. Janessa seems to be flourishing. I know she's a lot younger but still; shouldn't Aimee be settling in just a little? Where's this urge to run away coming from?"

Gibbs ran a finger along the top of his coffee cup. "I wish I knew. I've tried everything I can think of to help her. I've been as patient as I can possibly be, but damn it all to hell when the kid puts her sister's life in danger, I can't sit by and allow that. I mean there has to be a limit, doesn't there?"

Tony shrugged not knowing what to say in response. Aimee's behavior baffled him.

"I've talked to her repeatedly about running away. I think I've been beyond patient with her. Hell, if Kelly were alive and pulled even half the stunts Aimee has, she'd have been over my knee faster than you could say Jiminy Cricket."

Tony chuckled. "Jiminy Cricket? I'm impressed, Boss. Never pegged you for a Disney lover."

Gibbs scowled at him.

Tony sobered. Echoing his earlier question, he said, "So, what are you going to do about it?"

Gibbs sat forward, setting his cup on the center table and resting his head in his hands. "I know what my gut is telling me to do, but I just don't know if it's the right thing. I've already screwed things up with her before."

"You lost your temper, Boss. It happens to the best of us."

Gibbs nodded but didn't look up. "There's no excuse for it. I can't allow things to escalate to the point of losing my temper. For Pete's' sake, I deal with worse crap at work than she will ever be able to throw at me. Why the hell am I letting her get under my skin?"

"Because she's your kid, and kids know how to push your buttons. It's in their DNA or something."

Gibbs rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore the comment. "She needs consistency. She needs to know that I am a man of my word. If she takes that to heart then maybe she will believe me when I tell her that I'm never going to give up on her."

"You figured that out too, huh?"

Gibbs turned his head to look at him. "Figured out what?"

Tony softly cleared his throat. "Trust is a hard thing for Aimee. She pushes back hard at everything we do. Even with me. The times she's run away and shown up at my door, she does her damnedest to control the situation and pushes back when she loses that control. Obviously, she's easy to overpower. She's nine years old, but she fights like a wildcat to keep in control. Just when I manage to break through her resolve and catch a little glimmer of trust, she pitches us back into darkness and the cycle begins again. For some reason, she just can't allow herself trust us."

Gibbs heaved a sigh, straightening up once again. "Yah, I've noticed that too. We take one step forward and five steps back."

"I wish I was a better help, Gibbs," said Tony, using Gibbs' name as a form of companionable comfort. Gibbs visibly relaxed at the familiarity and comradery. "If it means anything, I have faith that you'll do the right thing."

Gibbs looked at his SFA and good friend with an appreciative smile. "You sound like Abby. She called me a superhero, for Pete's sake. Honestly, you people need to stop putting me on some kind of pedestal like I know it all. I don't."

Tony's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Just remember you said that, Boss, and I'll be sure to remind you as often as I can."

Gibbs reached out and smacked him lightly on the back of the head. "I meant when it came to parenting!" Tony snickered in response making Gibbs laugh and shake his head.

Tony stood to his feet, brushing his hands down his pants to straighten them. "Just don't second guess yourself, Boss. You never do that normally, and I don't know why you're doing it now."

Gibbs rose to his feet as well. "There is a whole world of difference between solving a NCIS case and parenting a child."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what?"

"That infamous Gibbs gut never lets you down, so why should it now?" Tony patted Gibbs on the shoulder and began to walk away but, as an afterthought, he then turned to say, "Trust your hunches. They're usually based on facts hidden just below the conscious level."

Gibbs fell into step with Tony as they walked from the room together. "Never pegged you for a theorist, Tony."

Tony grinned. "I'm not; I overheard McGee tell Abby that once, but I thought it was pretty sage advice. He's pretty wise for a Probie, but don't tell him I said that."

Gibbs shook his head with an amused grin. "He's definitely a smart kid when he's not quaking in his boots."

Tony smirked and bid Gibbs goodbye, wishing him luck with Aimee.

"XxX-NCIS—XxX

Gibbs opened the front door to his house, dropping his keys on the side table and turning to see Aimee still sitting in the backseat of the car. He took a deep breath, trying to remain patient with her and crooked a finger at her to come inside. She shook her head adamantly and dropped her gaze into her lap. Gibbs groaned. The ride home had been a quiet one. He hadn't been in much of a mood to talk either so he found himself content with her silence. Aimee had popped in a music CD to fill up the silence much to Gibbs relief. It gave him more time to sort out his thoughts. Once they arrived in his laneway, he took off his seatbelt and told her to go to her room. It was approaching three in the afternoon and he wanted to take some time to eat something. Abby had bought food at the hospital cafeteria for Aimee so he knew she'd eaten, but he hadn't had so much as a nibble since breakfast and he was famished. He stared at the young girl still sitting in his car. Now what? He hadn't anticipated she'd refuse to get out of the car. He didn't want to fight her on every little thing right from the get-go or they'd get nowhere.

Gibbs shook his head and used his keys to lock the door to his car. A fat lot of good it would do for him since Aimee could open the car from the inside anyway. He just hoped it would let her know that he didn't want her taking off on him. He'd had enough of her running away, but his gut told him she wouldn't take off this time. Aimee never went far from Janessa so that gave him peace of mind enough to make a quick sandwich.

Chewing on his PB and J, he wandered back outside to find Aimee still sitting in his car. He knocked on the window but she ignored him.

"Aims, we need to talk sooner or later, so how about coming out sooner. I only wanted you to go to your room to cool down while I made something to eat." He showed her the sandwich. "I haven't eaten anything since breakfast, and I thought I'd be in a better mood if I ate. Do you want anything?"

Aimee shook her head but didn't look up. Gibbs used his key FOB to unlock the car, and he opened the door, kneeling down to her level. He took another bite of his sandwich and stared at her meaningfully.

"Go away, Gibbs," she muttered reaching out to try and close the door again. Gibbs caught her by the arm, and she yanked it away heatedly.

Gibbs purposefully finished chewing his bite. "We can do this one of two ways, Aimee. You can walk inside by yourself or I can help you. Either way, you're coming inside, so we can talk. It's been a rough day on both of us. How about you make a wise choice?"

She looked at him straight in the eye. "Why? So you can hit me? Go to hell, Gibbs."

Gibbs rose to his full height and sternly looked down at her. "Aimee, if I have to force you inside, I will spank you first before we talk. I'd rather not do that."

Aimee's eyes sparked in rebelliousness and, for several seconds, Gibbs thought he was going to have to throw her over his shoulder and carry her inside kicking and screaming which would be such a great show for the neighbours. Thankfully, she huffed in indignation and got out of the car so he didn't have to force the issue further. She slowly walked past him shooting him a dirty look as she passed. Gibbs shut the car door and followed her inside. Once inside, she headed for the steps but Gibbs caught her by the arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To my room."

He shook his head. "Uh uh," he said, leading her into the living room. "Plant your butt on the sofa, kid. You and I are going to have a little chat."

Aimee narrowed her eyes at him and sat down, crossing her arms defiantly. Gibbs ignored her icy glares and sat down in the chair kiddy corner to her.

"So, why you were running away this time?" asked Gibbs, cutting to the chase, not seeing any point in wasting time with pleasantries.

Aimee huffed but said nothing.

"Aimee, I've been tolerant with you up until now, trying to give you the benefit of the doubt but my patience has run out. I've warned you repeatedly what would happen if you insist on taking off on your own. It's dangerous! And forcing Janessa to go with you by threatening to leave her? That's just plain mean. Why would you do that to Ness?" Gibbs saw Aimee shiver at his words. He could tell she felt guilty about what happened, and he was going to use that to his advantage. "Your sister loves you very much and looks up to you. She'd do anything for you. You know that."

Aimee blinked back tears and her bottom lip trembled at his words. "I-I never meant for her to get hurt."

"Well, she did, Aims. And it could have been much worse, couldn't it? What if she'd landed on her head? That fall could have killed her." Gibbs' voice was stern. He didn't actually think Janessa could have been killed from a five-foot fall, but if that's what it took to scare Aimee into talking, then he'd play that card. "Why do you insist on running away from me? What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I hate it here," she snapped.

"Why? What's so bad about being here? Aimee, I love you and Janessa, and I'm working hard to adopt you. I've fought that social services lady until I'm blue in the face and I don't intend to give up. Don't you get it, kiddo? I'm not going anywhere."

Aimee shook her head. "I don't care! You're stupid and I hate you!"

Gibbs sat forward on his chair. "Aimee, you can be as naughty as you like, and you can say whatever you want but it's not going to make me go away." He shifted himself to the sofa and catching her completely off guard, flipped her over his knee. "But there will be consequences." Nearly everytime they had a conversation, it almost always ended up with her hurling insulting words his way. He would try to calm her down and she would just escalate further. Gibbs wasn't going to repeat the same mistakes over and over. This time he intended to stay calm and end it before it began.

"Lemme go!" she screamed as she kicked her feet and struggling with all her might to get free.

Gibbs lifted his hand and applied several sharp swats to her small jean-clad backside. Aimee stiffened and ceased kicking for a moment, seemingly shocked by her predicament. Gibbs continued with a few more swats, increasing the intensity. He wanted her attention more than he wanted to punish her.

"I've had enough of this behaviour. It stops now, do you hear me?" His voice was stern.

Gibbs' heart melted at the sound of her distressed whimper but he refused to back down.

"Stop running away! It's dangerous. And stop bullying Janessa into going with you! It's mean! You're supposed to help keep her safe." He gave her another swat to punctuate his words.

"S-stop it!" she shouted, belligerent anger obvious in her voice.

Gibbs gave her a few more swats. "Be respectful and do not talk back to me or any other adult left in charge of you."

"You suck!" she screamed in response, kicking her legs up and down again.

Gibbs delivered a couple of particularly sharp swats to her upper thigh causing her to yelp and gasp for air. She stopped kicking and reached back to rub her leg. Gibbs rested his hand on her lower back and rubbed it gently. He speculated the swats really stung if his own stinging hand was any indicator, and he felt horrible about causing her pain but he wasn't finished yet. He checked himself and knew he didn't feel angry. He was calm and in control.

"Are you ready to have a respectable conversation with me yet or shall we continue?"

She choked back a sob. "No, please, stop," she begged, rubbing her thigh. Gibbs didn't prevent it.

"Are you ready to talk with me?"

"No!" she snapped and then Gibbs felt her tense up in anticipation of his response and he didn't disappoint. Another firm swat landed on her other thigh.

She yelped and broke down into shuddering sobs.

"I can do this all day, Aimee. I don't want to but I will. You are nine years old, kiddo, and you need to learn to respect me. You do not get to call the shots here. Now, I'm going to ask you one more time. Are you ready to speak nicely with me?" Gibbs kept count and knew he didn't want to spank her much more. For a little girl her age, he didn't want to use more than ten or fifteen swats. If he needed much more than that, then the tool wasn't working and he needed to switch things up. But he still had a few more to go and he intended to use them if need be.

"No more, please stop," she hiccupped.

Gibbs continued to rub her back but he didn't allow her to get up. "Answer my question, please. Are you ready to talk with me politely?"

Aimee swallowed and repeated her words through her hitched crying. "I don't wanna talk to you!" Despite her crying, her tone was still holding an air of belligerence.

Gibbs sighed. Damn, he thought, why does she have to be so stubborn? Gibbs lifted his hand and applied three more sharp swats to her behind, leaving her no time to recover and she stiffened up and shrieked, both hands struggling to cover the offended area. Gibbs easily pinned them to her lower back and landed one more. He was done. Even if she didn't give in, he wouldn't do anymore. His hand was stinging, and he was positive he'd made his point, regardless if she gave in or not. He wasn't the kind of parent who would ever spank his child into submission. That was never his goal. He aimed to grab attention and punctuate his words, no more and no less.

"S-stop, daddy, I'm s-sorry," came her plaintive cry.

Gibbs closed his eyes momentarily, feeling hopeful. She didn't refer to him as daddy very often and he considered it a good sign.

" Are you ready to talk respectfully?"

Her whole head shook to the affirmative. "Y-yes, please, no more."

Gibbs felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Then we're done." He drew her up into his arms and embraced her. She melted into him, weeping shuttering sobs which pulled at his heartstrings. He hated doing that with a passion but if it brought some peace to his home, he would do it as often as it was necessary. He pulled her in tightly to his chest and rocked her; he hushed her with soothing tones and told her she was okay and that he loved her.

"I-I didn't want Nessie to get hurt, Gibbs; I swear I didn't. She's gonna be okay, right?"

"You saw her, sweetheart. Ness is going to be just fine," he assured her.

She sniffled. "I never thought she'd fall…"

"I know you didn't."

She rested her head against his chest and heaved a quivering sigh, finally able to stop the sobs. Tears cascaded down her cheeks and she struggled to keep up with wiping them away. Her nose was running and she continued to sniffle and choke back hiccups.

"Are you okay?" he asked, feeling guilty but not wanting to allow it time to fester.

She nodded and squirmed on his lap. "That really hurt." It was a statement only.

"Yes, I imagine it did. It was kinda the point. How about you remember this and not let it happen again, huh?"

She didn't respond so he lifted her up and set her on the table in front of him. He saw her wince slightly as her bottom made contact with the hard surface.

"Why'd you run away?"

"I- I didn't…"

He put a finger to her lips. "Yes, you did. Remember this morning when I asked you to make your bed?"

Her eyes widened and he knew she remembered.

"Why'd you run away?"

"I didn't want to make m-my bed."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes at her sternly. "Yah, I got that part. Why?"

"Cuz you're n-not the boss of me," she whispered without any heat.

Gibbs admired her tenacity. She was being truthful in that moment and not belligerent and he appreciated that it took guts to admit. He figured there was a lot more to it but he was willing to accept this explanation for now. There would be time to talk later.

"Well, I think we've established that I am, haven't we?"

She stuck out her bottom lip and shook her head.

"No more running away. Understand?" She nodded and he continued, "If you have a problem, you come and talk to me. No more doing things that are dangerous and no more bullying your sister into doing things either. Am I making myself clear?" She nodded again, her blue eyes swimming in tears.

He pulled her back into his arms, leaning back against the sofa and she melted into his embrace. There was plenty more he wanted to discuss with her, but he felt too tired to continue. Right now he just wanted to hold her in his arms and she seemed content with that as well.