This chapter contains a teeny tiny spoiler for episode 8x23, Swan Song.

Gibbs came into the observation room and flung himself into a chair. Jenny leaned against the wall and tilted her head to one side.

"Are you alright?"

"Not really, no?"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He said nothing for a moment, and then looked up at her. "I just can't understand what I'm doing wrong. No matter how many times I try to get through to her, she refuses to do as she's told! Maybe I shouldn't have spanked her. Maybe we're not close enough for her to trust me in that kind of position."

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs that is the biggest load of bullcrap I have ever heard!"

Gibbs looked up at her in surprise.

"If you hadn't spanked her, what would have been the alternative? Would you have preferred to send her back to Tel-Aviv?"

Gibbs shook his head immediately. "No, rule number five Jen. And she's good. Most of the time."

Jenny nodded. "I agree. So, would you have punished her through official routes?"

"I don't believe in paper punishments Jen. They don't work."

"Exactly. So what does that leave you with? Ignoring what she did? How would that have helped anybody? She'd think it was okay for her to disobey orders, to lie to people and she'd think you didn't care about what she did."

"She doesn't seem to care what I think about her actions, or what I do about them."

"Jethro, I've met Ziva's father, and whilst I do think that he cares for her on some level, he's not at all good at showing it."

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, she told me about a time when he punished Ari severally for something that was mostly her fault."

"Yes, that sounds like Eli David. I get the feeling that he thinks of, and treats, Ziva like she is just another agent and not his daughter. And as such, she's not used to anyone caring about her on a personal level, only a professional one. Hell, I think Ari and Tali, her little sister, were the only ones that ever did give a damn about her."

"What about her mother?"

"She died when Ziva was very young, just after Tali was born. I don't know what she was like, Ziva never talks about her."

Gibbs nodded, he could understand that, the pain of losing a mother.

"So, I think the issue you have here is that Tali and Ari were the only people who ever really cared about her. . ."

"I can't imagine Ari Haswari caring about anyone," Gibbs said venomously, thinking of Kate.

"He cared about Ziva. For all that he may have been, he loved her. I remember the first time I worked with Mossad. Ziva was only just gone sixteen and she disobeyed an order and almost got herself killed, just like yesterday.

"Her father didn't seem to care how close she'd been to death, he didn't ask her if she was okay or tell her off, nothing. It was Ari who dragged her into the living room and yelled at her for being so careless, and it was Ari who hugged her and told her how much it would hurt to lose her."

"And now he's gone."

"He and Tali, and I think that Ziva feels she has no one left who truly cares for her."

"She has us!"

"I know that, and I think she does too. It's just that, when you've been hurt so many times by all the people who were supposed to love you unconditionally, it's have to believe that anyone could ever care. Especially for Ziva, she builds up all those barriers and wont let anyone in because she's so afraid of being hurt again. She's pushing you Gibbs, like a child, she wants to know whether you really care for her, and you need to show her that you do. She'll listen eventually, you just have to keep pushing her back."

"You're right," Gibbs agreed.

"I usually am," Jenny smirked. "But you should probably deal with Abby first, she's been in there for ages and that last thing really wasn't her fault."

"I know," he leant over and kissed Jenny's cheek. "Thanks Jenny."

"Anytime Jethro. Anytime."

I'm sorry if you were expecting this chapter to be Gibbs dealing with his girls, that was my intentions but then my muse took over and well, this happened. I hope you enjoyed it!