The ride back to Washington was quiet. Kate fell asleep in the back seat, and any attempt Tony made at small talk with Gibbs went unanswered. It was late when they got back to the Navy Yard and Kate immediately put her bag in her car, said good-night and left.

"Gibbs," Tony said as his boss turned to leave.

Gibbs stopped and turned around. He leaned against his car and nodded. "Ok, ask."

"What happened?"

"That's not the question you want to ask," Gibbs said knowingly.

Tony swallowed, not sure he really wanted to ask. "What did you do to her?"

Gibbs took a deep breath. "I was paddling her, but something didn't seem right, so I stopped. It took a while, but eventually, she told me what really happened last night."

"But after she told you, you spanked her again!" Tony said angrily.

"She asked me to," Gibbs said wearily. "And I think you understand why."

Immediately, Tony felt horrible for being angry at Gibbs. He was right – he knew exactly why she'd done it. He knew, because he'd done it before too. "Good night, Boss," Tony said as he turned to leave.

"Hey Tony?" Gibbs called after him. "If you call first, she won't let you in."

"I know."

Kate had already pulled out the wine glasses and a bottle of wine by the time Tony knocked on her door. She'd learned long ago that it was better to just let him in than try to fight him. And tonight, she actually craved his company.

As soon as she opened the door, he wrapped her in a hug and held her for a moment before kissing the top of her head and letting her go. When they were settled in the living room – Kate laying on the couch, Tony leaning against the ottoman on the floor – he asked his question for the third time. "Are you ok?"

"Getting there. I feel better about some things," she said.

"Was it bad?" he asked.

"The first one was the worst he's ever given me."

"Yeah, but those pants probably offered decent protection." Kate gave him a look and Tony's mouth dropped open. "Not everything," he asked in shock.

"No, of course not," Kate said, taking a sip of wine. "Just my pants. He assumed I'd put them on on purpose," she shrugged.

"He assumed correctly, didn't he?" Tony said knowingly. "Yeah, I tried that once. Didn't work for me either. But I'm pretty sure a strap against skin was still worse than your brush over underwear." It was Kate's turn to be shocked. When she was done, he looked at her for a minute. "But why did he take the belt to you?"

"I lied to him," Kate shrugged. When Tony gave her a look, she looked away. "I asked him to. You know that."

"Yeah, I do. I just wanted to make sure." Tony looked at his friend and partner for a minute, then drained his glass and stood up. "Ok, well, it's late. I'll see you in the morning."

Kate walked Tony to the door then planted a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for not being you," she laughed.

Tony grinned back. "Good night, Kate. And Kate? Next time, seriously, just tell us the truth."

She closed the door and leaned against it for a moment. He was right, but she did feel better. And if nothing else, being exhausted would at least help her sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.