Warning: This chapter contains the disciplinary spanking of a teenager. If you are offended by that, don't read it.

CHAPTER 5

Anya quietly pulled the door closed as she stepped out into the hallway. The house was silent, but the click of the door latching was barely audible. She walked softly down the hallway, listening carefully for any sign that Gibbs or Ziva had heard her moving about. Thinking she was going to be able to make good on her escape, she stepped into the kitchen, and nearly jumped out of her skin when the overhead light flicked on.

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized that Gibbs and Ziva hadn't made an appearance in the hallway because they were standing by the kitchen table. And, they weren't alone. Anya nearly groaned out loud when she recognized the tall, skinny young man who sat between the two NCIS agents. The look of sheer terror on his face gave silent testimony to the way the situation was going to play out.

"I believe you two know each other," Gibbs stated, breaking the tense silence. "Ronnie, here, tells me that he stopped by to pick up you. Seems he got a text message from you – only it wasn't sent from your cell phone. It came from Abby's." He pinned Anya with a look that had caused more than one hardened Marine to swallow hard. "You care to explain that to me - especially since I told you not to contact anyone?"

Anya shot Ronnie a hard, accusing look. He shrugged in response. The young man had been much more afraid of the two NCIS agents than he'd ever been of Anya and had willingly told them everything they wanted to know.

"Don't look at him, young lady," Gibbs directed. "I expect an answer. Now." When Anya continued to remain silent, he turned to Ziva. "Escort Mr. Breckinridge back to his car, then follow him home, and make sure you aren't being followed."

"Yes, Gibbs," Ziva stated as she moved forward to pull Ronnie to his feet.

Gibbs leveled a look at the young man. "You even breath a word about getting that text from Anya or where you found her to anyone, and I'll find a reason to ship you off to Gitmo as a suspected terrorist. You understand me?"

Ronnie swallowed hard. He wasn't sure that the NCIS had the power to do what he had threatened, but he wasn't willing to take that chance. "Yes, sir."

Turning back to Anya, Gibbs again pinned her with a hard look. "Now, I would like an answer to my question, young lady."

Anya returned Gibbs' hard look with one of her own and remained silent.

"You are in enough trouble already, Anya," Gibbs stated. He was struggling to keep his voice reasonable and not yell at her in his best marine gunnery sergeant voice. "Being stubborn about it isn't going to help you any. It's time for you to grow up and accept the consequences of your actions – all of your actions. Because, if you continue acting like a child, I will not hesitate to treat you like one - and, I think you have a pretty good idea what I mean." He paused for a moment to allow time for his words to register. "I also think you have a pretty good idea how this is going to end. You aren't getting out of the punishment you have coming for this stunt, but you can make it easier on yourself by talking to me. Now, I'm going to ask you this once more. Why did you use Abby's cell phone to contact your friend after I told you not to?"

Anya plopped down in one of the kitchen chairs. She knew she had just lost her last chance to escape from Gibbs' custody. At Gibbs' warning glare, she shrugged. "It's not like Ronnie was somebody Lubivich could connect to me. I mean, he's my friend, Kat's, older sister's boyfriend."

"So you're now telling me that you know Lubivich well enough to know how his mind works?" Gibbs moved to brace his hands on the chair arms and lean in close to Anya so that his face was only inches from hers. "What else have you lied about, Anya?"

Anya was stunned. She hadn't expected this reaction from Gibbs. She'd thought that telling him that Ronnie was so far disconnected from her circle of friends that she didn't see how he could even be on Lubivich's radar would pacify him. "That's not what I meant." She tried to scoot her chair back out of Gibbs' grasp in order to create some personal space, but the chair wouldn't budge.

"What exactly did you mean? Any while your at it, explain to me how you knew Ronnie Breckinridge's cell phone number if he wasn't a friend."

"I meant that Ronnie's not someone I spend time with. I only know him from seeing him at Kat's house when he's been there with Angie, her sister. I don't even know where he lives or have his cell phone number saved in my phone." She paused to take a calming breath. "I have a photographic memory for numbers. I only have to see a number once to remember it. Ronnie was flirting with me one day and gave me his number. I looked at it before tossing the piece of paper in the trash, but I can still remember it." Again Anya shrugged. "I just figured he'd be willing to help me if I called."

Gibbs straightened and took a step back from Anya's chair. "And why would a man you're merely an acquaintance with come to help you in the middle of the night based only on a text message?"

"I didn't promise him anything, if that's what you're after. I just said I needed his help and asked him to pick me up here."

"And why would you do that?" Gibbs demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

Once again, a shrug was his answer. "I don't know."

"Not good enough. Try again."

Anya studied the flaking polish on her finger nails, refusing to meet Gibbs' angry gaze.

"Fine. We'll leave that for now. How did you a hold of Abby's cell to send the text?"

She hadn't been expecting that question, and she hoped that she hadn't gotten Abby in trouble. "I told her I needed to get in touch with my friend, Kat, because I wasn't able to meet her for lunch yesterday and she would worry. Abby let me use her cell phone to text her a message with the understanding that she had to read my text before I sent it. I sent the text to Ronnie and erased any proof of it from the phone. Then typed one to Kat and put in a number I made up. After Abby read it, she let me send it." She looked earnestly at Gibbs. "Please, she didn't know I was going to contact anyone else. Don't be mad at her."

"How I decide to deal with Abby is between the two of us. I'm more concerned with you at the moment. I suggest you just go up to your room and wait for me. I'll be up shortly." Gibbs would talk to Abby in the morning about allowing Anya to use her cell phone. As brilliant as the forensic scientist was, she was still too trusting of people in many ways. He was sure that Abby fell hook, line, and sinker for Anya's sob story and thought she was helping the girl out by allowing her to send the text message.

"What?" Anya asked, somewhat taken aback by the sudden change of topic.

"You really didn't think you could pull something like this and get away with it did you? If so, you're a whole lot less intelligent than I gave you credit for. Now you have two choices. Either you go up to your room and wait for me, or I blister your ass here and now. Either way works for me, but I thought you might like a little privacy in case Ziva returns before I'm finished with you." Gibbs shrugged one shoulder, indicating that he really didn't care which option she chose. "If it were me, I wouldn't want someone to walk in and see that."

When Anya didn't move, Gibbs stepped forward and grasped her arm to pull her out of her chair. "Fine, have it your way." In one swift movement, he took her vacated seat and had her pulled face down across his lap. Before she could even register her current position, Gibbs had hooked his hand in the waist band of her pants and stripped both her pants and her underwear down to her knees. The first stinging slap caused Anya to gasp in surprise. That first slap was quickly followed by others, and Anya's gasp of surprise became moans of pain. Gibbs continued the spanking until her moans turned to sobs.

It took Anya several seconds to realize that the spanking had stopped. She prayed he was finished, but was afraid he was only taking a break.

"Why are you getting this spanking?" Gibbs asked.

She hesitated too long in answering and Gibbs' hand descended three more times. "Okay, okay. Stop. I sent a text to Ronnie asking him to come pick me up after you told me not to contact anyone."

"Good. What else?"

"I tricked Abby into letting me use her cell phone to sent the text message."

"If I ever catch you doing anything like that again, the spanking you will receive will make this one seem like child's play in comparison. You understand me?"

Anya hesitated, but quickly answered before Gibbs' hand could descend again. "Yes, sir, I understand."

Gibbs helped her stand and averted his gaze while she straightened her clothing. When she was done, he stood and pulled her into his arms for a hug. "Why do you keep fighting me, Anya?" he asked as he pulled back to look down into her face. "I don't know how else to say it, but you can trust me and my team to keep you safe from Lubivich. But you're doing everything possible to prevent us from being able to do that."

Anya shook her head and leaned into Gibbs' chest and the comfort it represented. "I don't know," she whispered.

"Well, I hope you figure it out soon, because you can't keep this up." He ran his hand down the back of her hair. "Why don't you go on up to bed? We'll finish discussing this in the morning."

"Okay," Anya replied, glad for a reason to leave the room. She wanted to wallow in her misery for a while, and that was best done alone.

"You're going to have to tell Abby what you've done." Gibbs' words followed her out of the kitchen into the hallway.

Just perfect, she thought, one more thing to worry about during the night.

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The next morning Abby glanced up at the sound of footsteps. Her eyes widened when she saw Gibbs entering her lab, pulling a very reluctant looking Anya in his wake. Her curiosity turned to concern as she watched Gibbs close the door to the lab and lock it.

"What's up?" she asked, looking first at Anya, then at Gibbs.

"There's something we need to discuss, Abby."

"Yeah, I kinda got that, Gibbs. What is it?"

Turning lose of Anya's arm, Gibbs moved to lean against the work table that sat in the middle of Abby's lab. "Did you let Anya use your cell phone to send a text message?"

Abby glanced at Anya, then back at Gibbs. "Yes. She said she needed to let a friend know she was okay. I read the text, Gibbs, there was nothing in it that gave any indication of where she was."

Gibbs nodded. So far, that matched what Anya had told him. He turned to Anya who had wondered over to look at the enlarged print of a colorful mold spore that was currently the lab's artwork. "I think you have something to say to Abby, young lady."

Abby had a sudden sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. She hated disappointing Gibbs, but she quickly reassured herself that she hadn't actually disobeyed him or broken any of his rules. Nobody had informed her that Anya wasn't to contact anyone – at least that was what she planned to argue in her own defense.

Anya moved over to stand in front of Abby and spoke so softly that the forensic scientist was only able to make out the words lied and phone.

"Wait a minute, what did you do?" Abby demanded.

Anya glanced back at Gibbs, who gave her a hard look and nodded toward Abby. "Tell her," he directed.

"Yeah, tell me, and don't leave anything out." Abby propped her hands on her hips and gave Anya an impatient look.

"I used your phone to send a text message to someone asking him to come to Gibbs' house to get me. I deleted that one and typed the one to my friend, Kat, which you saw – only it got sent to a number I made up." Anya met Abby's gaze for the first time. "I'm really sorry I lied to you."

"How could you do something like that?" Abby asked. "I thought I was helping you, only you used me to go behind Gibbs' back." She turned to Gibbs and said, "I'm really sorry, Gibbs, I had no idea. I would never have let her use my phone if I had known what she was going to do."

Gibbs moved to pull Abby into a hug. "I know," he whispered into her ear. "You've got to learn not to be so trusting of people, Abs. Sometimes a little skepticism is a good thing."

Abby moved out of the hug and yelped when a hard swat landed on her backside. "What was that for?" she demanded, turning to glare at Gibbs.

"To remind you to think things through a little more carefully next time." Gibbs turned to Anya. "Do you have anything else you want to say?"

Anya looked first at Abby, then to Gibbs. "Could I talk to her alone? Please?

"Abbs?" Gibbs asked, wanting to know her opinion.

Abby shrugged. She felt betrayed by Anya and really didn't have much to say to the girl. But, she was willing to listen. "Yeah, okay."

"Fine," he stated as he started toward the door. "I'll be back in twenty minutes." He gave Anya a pointed look. "Don't leave this room."

Anya resisted the urge to salute. Cheekiness probably wasn't the best response at the moment. "Yes, sir."

She waited until Gibbs had left before turning to Abby. "I'm really sorry I lied to you, and that I got you in trouble."

Abby tried to ignore the tears that she saw forming in Anya's eyes, but she wasn't quite successful. Still, she gave the girl a hard look that Gibbs would have been proud of. "How could you do something like that? I thought I was your friend, and that I could trust you."

Anya shrugged. She hadn't wanted to talk about this with Gibbs, and she supposed now was as good a time as any to discuss it with Abby. Maybe, she thought, if she could explain what had been going on in her head, the woman would forgive her and still be her friend. "I was scared, Abby. I still am."

"I know you're scare, Anya. But that still doesn't excuse what you did."

She resisted the urge to turn away from Abby's assessing gaze. "While I was sitting there waiting for Gibbs to get home I kept think about what would happen if Lubivich found me there. My dad might be willing to drag Gibbs and all of the rest of you into this, but I'm not. It's my mess, and I have to fix it. I can't do that if I'm stuck under Gibbs' thumb. Since I figured Lubivich might be trying to track me through my friends, I thought I could use someone else's cell phone to contact someone that he wouldn't think to connect to me."

That hadn't exactly been what Abby had expected to hear. "That's insane. Gibbs and the others can take care of themselves, and you. You might not know it, but they've survived encounters with people a whole lot scarier than some thug for the Russian mob. There isn't anybody who will keep you safer."

"Maybe," Anya conceded. She studied Abby's face for a moment. "Can you forgive me? I could really use a friend right now."

"I don't know, Anya. I really don't like being lied to." Abby thought for a moment. "But, I suppose we can try."

Anya stepped forward to envelope Abby in a hug, which she returned. "Thank you."

Upstairs, Tony met Gibbs as he stepped off the elevator into the bullpen. "Agent Dawson is downstairs. McGee has gone to escort her up. She said she has something she needs to tell us."

TBC

Author's note: I've posted this chapter a little ahead of schedule because I'm going to be traveling again next week. The next update will probably be a little later in coming, too.