Entering the office behind Gibbs, Tim tensed.
He hadn't really seen Tony since the whole debacle had unfolded, and he was unsure of the elder agents reaction. Peeking tentatively behind Gibbs' back, he was relieved when Tony flashed him a very discreet, but obviously sympathetic and forgiving smile.
Throwing himself gratefully behind his desk, he let out a long breath.
Though Tony could drive him insane, he knew that the agent had gone to bat for him with their angry boss, and that pretty much meant the world to him. He'd also done the same thing for Tony before; it was sort of like their unwritten code.
The day soon settled in, and as there was no active investigation on the books, the team were merely catching up on old case reports.
Gibbs lasted about an hour before letting out an irritated sigh, and striding out in search of coffee. Ziva lasted about five minutes after that, before ducking out to get lunch for them all. As the elevator doors pinged, obscuring the Mossad from view, Tony turned to the junior agent.
"How you doing McGee? How did it go?" he asked with an uncharacteristic gentleness to his voice, which he kept low.
Looking up, Tim shrugged his shoulders slightly.
"I'm ok…boss is obviously mad as hell, but he's actually been great" he murmured.
Not being surprised by the team leader's well hidden delicacy shining through, Tony gave an approving nod and smiled.
"Be all over before you know it probie."
With that, he ducked his head back into his own files leaving a further relieved Tim in his wake.
Hours trundled on, and eventually the day came to a close, with a fully paperwork caught up team in tow.
Ziva and Tony shot out of the bull pen, anxious to get to the local bar for the trivia quiz challenge that was currently warring against the various NCIS teams. Abby and Palmer would meet them there. Tony spared a sympathetic glance to Tim as he scampered to the elevator.
Tim was obviously the master of quizzes, and his absence was a loss to their team's chances.
Seeing this discreet exchange between his two boys, Gibbs bit back a sigh.
He hated keeping one of them from having fun, but Tim's attendance tonight or any night in the foreseeable future was a complete write off.
"What do you want for dinner then?" he asked the junior agent conversationally, in an attempt to take his mind off the night he was missing out on.
"I don't mind boss, whatever you want" Tim replied politely, hoisting his backpack onto his shoulders.
Gibbs ginned.
"Oh really? How about I cook something then?"
The frantic shaking of the sandy brown head forced him to let out a chuckle.
"Didn't think so, how about some take out?" he laughed.
Grinning back, Tim nodded.
"Better safe than sorry boss."
Pretending to look affronted, Gibbs gently slapped the kid upside the head and guided him to the elevator.
An hour or two later saw the two agents chatting easily at the dining room table, finishing off the last of their meals.
Gibbs had grudgingly admitted that there was more to cuisine than fire roasted steak, and had actually found himself enjoying…whatever the hell kid called whatever the hell he was eating.
As he drank the last of his water, the elder man pondered for a moment.
Was it better to deal with the kid's second punishment now, and then hang out with him for a bit, or was it better to wait until before bed?
Deliberating, he decided in typical Marine style that it was better to get the damn thing over and done with.
Setting down his glass, he looked over at the relaxed looking Tim and bit back a sigh.
The kid would never believe it, but he didn't want to do what he was about to do, just as much as the boy didn't want him to.
Shaking his head slightly in an effort to pull himself together, he took a deep breath.
"Ok Tim, go on into the living room now. I'll be with you in a minute."
Looking up through sad puppy eyes, the younger man bit his lip as he paled, but he eventually pulled himself to his feet with a murmured "yes boss" and disappeared into the living room.
Groaning to himself, the elder man also heaved himself to his feet and quickly cleared up the kitchen.
Knowing it was unfair to the boy to make him wait any longer than was strictly necessary, he chided himself for thinking about how hard this was for him, and forced himself to stride into the living room.
Once again, the sight that greeted him, made him halt in his tracks.
Tim was yet again curled up in a contrite little ball of misery, peeking dolefully out over the top of the cushion he was clutching.
Gibbs sighed.
As hard as it was to punish Tony, and even though he had cause to tan the backside of his senior agent far more than he did any of the others, DiNozzo always recovered with the most expediency.
Always bounced back to his roguish ways with an ease born of plenty experience.
With Tim…it genuinely felt like he was tearing the poor kid apart.
Gritting his teeth and again yelling at himself for thinking about himself, he quickly dropped into the same armchair that he had last night.
"What am I punishing you for tonight Tim?" he asked sternly, figuring there was no point in beating around the bush.
Kid knew why he was here.
He waited patiently for the MIT grad in front of him to formulate the requisite words.
"For…" Gibbs winced as the younger man gulped, "for….deliberately endangering myself because I jumped to the wrong conclusions."
Nodding his approval, the elder man levelled a glare at the younger one.
"Have I, or have I not, dealt with this issue with you before?"
Tim paled as he dropped his head down to study his hands.
"You have boss" he muttered quietly, once again berating himself for his asinine behaviour.
Another nod was offered as Gibb digested this.
"Clearly I didn't make much of an impression then, is that it?"
The head shot up in horror and shook with an equal distaste.
"No boss" Tim all but squeaked, "you made an impression….honestly!"
Gibbs had to bite back a smile at how young and innocent the earnest kid looked.
"But you did it again?"
McGee nodded dejectedly.
"I know boss…I'm really sorry, I just…I wasn't thinking."
Silence descended for a moment as Gibbs took that in.
True, the kid hadn't been thinking…he'd been in a worked up, hyped up state.
But…he was a trained federal agent, and quite frankly, he knew better.
"My job is to keep you all safe, how can I do that, if I can't count on you to behave rationally?"
The simple sentence was so loaded with obvious disappointment that the junior agent flinched involuntarily.
"Answer me Tim" Gibbs commanded sternly when it was clear the boy was becoming muted.
Racking his brain for suitable words, Tim floundered.
"I…I don't know boss" he said quietly, "it will never happen again, I promise."
Gibbs pondered for a moment as he stared at the junior agent in front of him.
"You could have ended up dead because of a misunderstanding, you could have lost your job because of a misunderstanding, and you could have injured or killed others because of a misunderstanding."
A bubbling pool of an almost viscous nausea went streaming through Tim as he digested the words that seemed to hang in the air.
How could he have been so stupid?
"I'm so sorry" he stuttered out, fidgeting intensely with his cushion.
"I know you are Tim, I know that. This is the last time I'm going to repeat myself on the matter, but, you have no reason to ever think that Tony, or I, or anyone would ever think or say things like what you heard about you. We put our lives in each others' hands on a daily basis, do you have any idea what that means? The trust we have to have in each other? I cannot have you underestimating yourself like this; it puts not only you, but the team as whole, in danger. Do you understand that?"
"Yes boss" Tim replied immediately, and Gibbs was relieved to hear how strong and decisive his voice sounded.
Perhaps he had finally gotten through.
Better be safe than sorry though.
Feeling himself redden slightly as he struggled to vocalise these…these emotions, Gibbs took a deep breath.
"Get this into your head…you're part of a family now, my family…for god's sake, what do I have to do to get you to understand that you're like a son to me? Tony, Ziva, Abby, Ducky…all of you, you're all very different, very challenging, but I wouldn't be without any of you. Now, have I finally made myself clear on that?"
Gaping at the meteorite level of rarity that was the expression of emotion coming from the older man, Tim somehow managed to move his head up and down.
"I…well, yes…it's clear" he spluttered, feeling a warm feeling begin to replace the writing guilt in his stomach.
He had always thought of Gibbs as the father he never had, and whilst he had suspected the elder man reciprocated those feelings, hearing them tumbling out his mouth had done for the young man, what years of therapy surely could not.
"Well…good" Gibbs muttered gruffly, "now…how about we get this over and done with?"
Paling slightly, but holding his nerve much to the older man's pride, Tim nodded.
He made to stand up before a very recent recollection struck him.
"Boss…you're not…I mean, uhh…can I just bend over the arm rest like Tony this time?"
Biting back a chuckle as to how the kid always wanted to be treated the same as DiNozzo, Gibbs nodded.
"Yeah, you can Tim. But, if I feel you need to go over my knee anytime soon, I won't hesitate. I decide what your punishment is, got that?"
"Yes boss" McGee murmured.
Whilst there had been something…different, about last night where he was, after he had time to think about it, oddly grateful for being put over the elder mans knee, he was in no hurry to repeat the experience.
Squaring his shoulders, he quickly made his way over to the arm rest in question and as he was about to drape himself over it, he paused, and shot a questioning look at the silently observing Gibbs.
Reading the look without any difficulty, Gibbs shook his head sadly.
"Lose the pants Tim, you know better."
Gulping in misery, the young man obediently reached up and fumbled with the clasp of his belt, whilst Gibbs reached up and unbuckled his own.
Seconds later, McGee was bent over the sofa and Gibbs slipped into the familiar position behind him.
Placing a loose hand on the small of the kids back, he fought to steel himself.
Hell, he really didn't want to do this, but he knew he had to.
For Tim's sake.
Drawing his arm back, he quickly brought down the first lick of the doubled up belt, and held on slightly tighter to the kid as he bucked under his hand in response and let out a loud hiss.
The lick left an immediate red stripe on the otherwise pale backside, and gritting his teeth, Gibbs landed the second one just below it.
As usual, the elder man quickly settled into a steady rhythm, bringing down the thick leather belt down quickly and methodically.
It didn't take long for Tim to drop the stoic front, and to start sobbing under the constant onslaught of strokes.
Wincing at the sounds of his youngest boy's crying, Gibbs reluctantly tipped the kid forward slightly, and brought the belt down across the tender area of the exposed sit spots.
At this, the torso went completely limp over the sofa, and the loud sobbing petered out into a quiet and heaving weeping, letting the elder man knew they were nearly finished.
Starting a fresh and brisk cycle of searing swats, he landed another volley of progressional licks down on every inch of the now scarlet backside, paying careful attention to ensure no area went unattended to.
As he tipped the weeping McGee forward for the last time, he reluctantly laid down a precise flurry of licks across the already well punished sit spots.
With one last stinging swat, he threw the belt out of his hand with extreme relief.
Instantly crouching down beside the kid's face, he carded a gentle hard through the soft hair.
"Hey now, hey hey… it's ok buddy…all done now" he soothed, continuing to gently tousle the kid's hair.
As per his unofficial custom, Gibbs stayed crouched down beside his now gently sniffling and snuffling youngest boy, murmuring words of forgiveness and praise into his ears, until such time as the kid made to stand up.
Feeling the twinge in his legs from his buckled down posture, Gibbs was relieved to stand and busy himself with threading his belt back through his pants, giving McGee space and privacy to right his clothing.
When the tell tale gasp let him know the pants had been replaced over a stinging backside, the elder man turned to face his junior agent.
As usual, the tidal wave of guilt hit him as he surveyed the red eyes, the flushed face and the tear stained cheeks that greeted him.
Cupping the boy's face in his hand, he studied him intently.
"You ok Tim?" he asked gently.
Looking up through watery eyes, the young man gave a faint, but sincere smile.
"I'm ok boss" he replied quietly, his voice hitched.
Nodding, Gibbs looked at him thoughtfully.
"Can I have a hug then?" he teased gently.
He barely had time to blink before the wind was knocked out of him as Tim wrapped himself around his torso.
Chuckling slightly, he draped his arms around him and held him tight, resting his head on top of the kids head.
"Proud of you Tim" he murmured gently, and could practically feel the beaming smile the kid was wearing as he nuzzled into his chest.
Breaking apart, he was relieved when the young man looked much, much happier and grinned a true grin at him.
He was also suspicious.
"What?" he asked, whilst pretending to glare.
"Well…" Tim started, looking up beseechingly, which only intensified the elder man's suspicious. "It's just…there's this jet pack documentary I was really dying to see, and I was just wondering…"
Rolling his eyes, Gibbs smiled down at his youngest boy.
"Fine, fine" he gave in, "go and put it on and I'll fix you a snack."
Beaming, Tim darted back towards the sofa and was about to throw himself down on, before pausing.
With as much dignity as he could muster, he methodically darted around the various seats in the room, collecting all the cushions from them, and placing them on his seat, before gingerly laying himself down on them.
He managed a very un-Tim like glare, as Gibbs burst into laughter in response.
Holding up his hands in apology, the elder man, still chuckling made his way into the kitchen in search of the kid's favourite ice cream.
Moment passed as he dug around in the freezer, before he was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Sensing that Tim was already too engrossed in whatever hell he was about to be subjected to, Gibbs made his way to answer the disturbance.
Opening the door, he smiled a very rare full on Gibbs smile.
Clutching bags of what he assumed was copious amounts of junk food and all wearing identical looks of hopefulness, stood Tony, Ziva and Abby.
"Guys" Gibbs greeted amiably enough, glancing back to see Tim peering out at the door over the back of the sofa, also wearing a look of hope.
As usual, Tony took the lead.
"Look boss, I know that Tim's grounded and all, but we were just wondering if-"
Holding up his hand in interruption, Gibbs smiled at his eldest boy and his two girls.
"Aw hell DiNozzo. Come in. You know the grounding drill, I say no friends, I never say no family."
….
TBC
….
A/N: Please let me know what you guys think and if you have any suggestions! I'm pretty much using this story to avoid studying for exam's, so really, you'd be doing me a favour!
Hope you all enjoyed!