I'm so, so, so sorry for how long it's taken to update this! I've had a lot going on but I hope I haven't lost all of my readers. Thank you all very much for the reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

The next morning, Gibbs was pleased to note, Ziva was much happier. Now that the truth was out, the huge weight of guilt she'd been carrying around had disappeared and the Tylenol had finally kicked in reducing the excruciating pain in her head to a slight ache. In fact, the only thing that was wrong at the moment was the knowledge that Gibbs was not yet done with punishing her, but she was managing to push that thought out of her head for the moment.

"Good morning Gibbs," she greeted cheerfully as she entered the kitchen. "What's for breakfast?" To Gibbs' surprise she followed this up with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He quickly got over his shock and hugged her back.

"I'm glad to see my little Ziver's so much chirpier this morning," he said with a smile.

Ziva nodded as the sat down at the table. "Yes I think the medicine has worked now. Gibbs?"

"Yes?"

"I am very, very sorry about what happened. I really think I've learnt my lesson."

"I'm glad to hear it," Gibbs said with a smirk. "You've still got two more spankings coming."

"But Giiiiiibs," she whined. "I really have learnt my lesson."

"Ziva," he warned.

Ziva sighed. "Sorry Gibbs, I just really don't like getting spanked."

"I think that's kind of the point Ziver," he replied as he put a box of cereal on the table. "But I don't enjoy spanking you either."

Ziva raised her eyebrows incredulously. "Yes, I'm sure you find it extremely traumatising."

Gibbs smiled slightly and pushed the milk across the table to her. "It is not exactly traumatising but certainly unpleasant."

"Why do you do it then? If everyone hates it, what's the point?"

"The point is, Ziva, that you, and all the others, are usually sensible and mature but sometimes you do silly and dangerous things like you did the other day. You know that I think of you as my children and, as your father, it's my responsibility to do everything I can to keep you safe. Spanking has thus far appeared the most effective deterrent but even still, I hate to see any of you hurt and it's even worse when I'm the one causing that pain."

"But it's for our own good."

"Yeah Zi, it is. But it's going to hurt me more than it hurts you."

Ziva rolled her eyes, "I seriously doubt that, but okay."

Gibbs smiled, "Eat something then come down to the basement."

"No cooked breakfast this morning?" Ziva asked, holding up the box of Cheerios.

"Uh, no, I forgot to go shopping yesterday."

Ziva laughed, "Typical man, completely incapable of looking after yourself."

Gibbs rolled his eyes, "I am perfectly capable of living on Cheerios thank you very much."

"Still," Ziva smirked as she poured some into her bowl. "I think this place could still use a woman's touch. You know Jenny would. . ."

"Ziva," Gibbs groaned. "I get enough of that from Abby, please don't you start too."

Ziva laughed. "I'll see you in a minute Gibbs."

Gibbs went down to the basement deep in thought. He pulled one of the work benches out to the middle of the room and cleared some space around it. He grabbed a key from a box and, after a great deal of internal debate, unlocked one of the cupboards. He pulled out a hand-crafted paddle and turned it in his hands a few times. He remembered the day he had made it, and the day he had locked it away sure that it would never be used again.

xxxFLASHBACKxxx

Gibbs put down his sandpaper and held his latest project up for inspection. It was well made, shaped and sanded to perfection, but he had an overwhelming urge to smash it into pieces. The only thing that stopped him was how terrified he'd felt when he couldn't find his baby girl, and the mixture of relief and anger that had overcome him when Maddie's mother had called to tell him that Kelly had turned up there.

He heard footsteps on the stairs and looked up to see Shannon coming down. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Well, aside from the ten years of my life that I lost when we couldn't find her, I'm fine." Shannon looked at the paddle her husband was holding. "You've only ever used your hand before."

"Kelly's never done anything like this before. It's five blocks to Maddie's house Shannon, anything could have happened."

"I know," she sighed. "Just, don't be too hard on her, please."

"She'll be fine Shannon. I promise."

Shannon nodded. "I love you Jethro."

"I love you too Shannon."

"Good luck."

"Thanks," Gibbs sighed, he was going to need it.

A year later Gibbs was stood in that same place holding that same paddle. But this time there was no disobedient but wonderful daughter up in her room and the only creaks on the stairs were caused by the wind.

A tear rolled down Gibbs cheek as he looked the paddle away in the cupboard. He had tried so hard to be a good father, to protect his daughter, but just when she had needed him most, he wasn't there.

"I'm so sorry Kelly," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

xxxEND FLASHBACKxxx

He turned the paddle in his hands again for the first time almost twenty years later. He had been so sure he would never have another family, another daughter to use this paddle on and yet, somehow here he was.

It was sort of fitting really, he thought. He had only used the paddle on Kelly once but his sole purpose when making it was to give his daughter an incentive to keep herself safe and now he had another daughter to protect, even if it was from herself, and he was determined to do a better job this time. He would not bury another child.

He could almost hear Shannon's voice in his head, "Don't be too hard on her Jethro."

But then Shannon's voice became Jenny's, echoing the words she had said earlier that day. "She'll listen eventually Jethro. You just have to keep pushing her back."

Maybe Abby and Ziva were right, He mused. If he could love his five new grown up children just as much as he'd loved Kelly, maybe he could love Jenny too. There would never be a replacement for Shannon and Kelly of course, but now that a chance to have a family again had been thrown at him, he thought that maybe they'd want him to take it.

Shannon had always been big on making the most of life and Kelly, throughout her eight short years, had been so vibrant and happy. He'd spent nearly twenty years grieving for them, perhaps now was the time to try and be happy again.

In his mind he could see Shannon and Kelly smiling.

"Yes," he whispered. "I think you'd want me to be happy wouldn't you? You know that I will always love you both so much, but I love the others too." He laughed slightly. "You always wanted a little sister didn't you Kelly? Well, now you've got two, I just wish you were here to see them."

"Gibbs?"

Ziva's voice behind him made him jump and he turned around. Ziva took in his sad expression and the paddle in his hand.

"Kelly?" she asked quietly.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry Gibbs."

He smiled at her. "Don't be. I think they're happy that I'm happy. That I have a family again."

Ziva smiled back. "Really?"

"Yeah, I've been sad for a long time, I thought I'd just go on being sad forever but that was never going to happen with you lot around." It was strange, he thought. He usually hated to talk about his wife and daughter but stood here with Ziva he found that he that the words came easily.

"They would have adored you you know, all of you. Though at the moment Shannon would have been even more mad at you than I am." He added glaring at her.

Ziva couldn't help but laugh a little. It seemed very surreal to her, to talk about the dead this way. But she had come from a different place, a different world, where death was something to be dealt with on a daily basis and her coping mechanisms were very different.

"I find it hard to believe that anyone could be more mad at me than you are."

Gibbs smiled, "She did not like the people she loved putting themselves in danger, whether it was Kelly wandering off or me going to Kuwait. And she would definitely have loved you."

Ziva sat on the bench and looked up at him. "She sounds nice."

"She was," he agreed.

"You don't usually talk about them."

"No," he said sitting beside her. "It's hard, I loved them so much."

Ziva nodded, she could understand that feeling. "Why are you talking about them now?"

"Well," he twirled the paddle around in his hands. "I made this paddle the first time Kelly put herself in danger and when I came down here it seemed the obvious thing to use given the situation."

"How do you mean?"

"My daughter put herself in danger." He said simply and she smiled. He placed a hand on her cheek and looked at her seriously. "Please take better care of yourself Ziver. I have buried two daughters already and I don't think I could take losing another."

"Two daugh. . .oh, Kate. I'm sorry Gibbs, I'll take better care of myself."

He nodded. "Okay. Let's get this over. Do you remember what this one's for?"

She nodded. "The fight because I could have gotten hurt or hurt one of the others and it was very childish and would have given a very bad impression of NCIS if there had been any visitors there."

Gibbs nodded and took her hand, helping he over his lap.

Gibbs raised the paddle, took and deep breath and brought it down on her bottom.

Ziva gasped when the paddle hit her. She had known it would be painful but she had not expected it to be quite this bad. By the tenth swat she was squirming around on his lap as a fie began to build in her backside.

"Owww, Gibbs! Gibbs! I'm sorry! I won't fight with the others again I promise. Please stop! Oww! Gibbs! That hurts!"

"I know. Nearly done now."

Saying this, he dropped his left knee and raised his right exposing her sensitive sit spots.

"Gibbs!" Ziva wailed as she realised what he was doing. "Stop it!"

Gibbs wanted nothing more at moment than to put the paddle down and give her a big hug but he knew he had to finish what he started.

He brought the paddle down on her her backside and Ziva immediately burst into tears and lay sobbing over his knee until he had finished. Gibbs rubbed her back gently as she began to calm down.

"I'm sorry Gibbs. I promise I won't fight at work again."

He lifted her up and wrapped his arms around her. "I know sweetheart."

She hugged him back. "I love you Daddy," she whispered.