Gibbs looked up slowly as Abby padded very reluctantly into the room, chewing her lip nervously and fidgeting with the cuffs of her shirt. He forced himself wearily, to sit up, and to school his features into firmness as she approached.
Pointing to the arm chair across from him, he fixed her with a stern glare.
"Sit. Now."
Abby gulped.
Gibbs never spoke to her like that. This was his Tony voice.
She was, oh so very, dead.
Scurrying over to her assigned perch, she looked torn between staring at the floor miserably and staring at the irate boss miserably.
The end result of this was that she looked like she was coming down from a bad reaction to strong medication.
Sighing, Gibbs leant forward and clasped her twitching hands in his own and held them firmly.
"Stop fidgeting, and look at me right now" he commanded quietly.
For once having the sense to do as instructed the first time round, she tore her gaze up and ceased her jerky movements.
"I'm going to talk, and you're going to listen. Understand?"
The continued firmness of his tone made the young woman's head swoon slightly, but she nodded her acceptance nonetheless.
"You young lady, looked me in the eye and promised me that you would call me if you needed me. Instead, you did not. You chose to completely break that promise to me, disobey me, and put yourself in danger as a direct consequence. I know both of you to know well enough without anyone telling me, that you were the one who pushed against calling me."
He paused for a moment to take a breath, and to take stock of the effect of his words.
The ashen face staring back at him let him know they were hitting home.
Sighing, he pushed on.
"Your behaviour is inexcusable. I am sick and tired of you using that fact that it's so damned difficult to say no to you, to drag the other three along with whatever madness comes out of your head. Most of that is my fault, I let you away with everything short of murder and it seems that it's resulted in you turning into a spoiled little brat. Am I correct?"
She gaped at him slightly, but managed to jerk her head up and down.
Man he was really pissed.
A brat? He had called her a brat? A spoiled brat at that?
"You do not get to disobey me, just because you think I'm going to go easier on you than I do the boys and Ziva. It's not fair to them, and I'm putting a stop to it right now. Do you understand how disrespectful it is to me, to use my affection for you, against me? Manipulating it for your own ends?"
The air in the room seemed to be as thick as sludge, as it refused to cooperate in making its way into Abby's lungs. She gasped a little, as she felt the bile of guilt burst like a dam inside of her. She hadn't realised she took such advantage of Gibbs' open adoration of her. Sure, she pushed the boundaries of being the favourite, but she…she never thought she manipulated his love for her. Feeling tears of shame spring up in her eyes; she looked up at him morosely.
"I'm sorry" she all but wailed, fixing her wide eyes on the man in front of her.
"I never…I never intended to…to manipulate…I just…I'm so sorry" she babbled, her fidgeting beginning anew.
Gibbs sighed again as he observed her, cursing himself for his role in this.
He coddled her, he made excuses for her and he protected her from consequences as far as he could.
He had spoiled her, and this was the result.
Opening his mouth, he forced himself to remain resolute.
"Abby…you know damn well the boys and Ziva would do anything for you, that they adore you. You cannot keep using that affection to get your own goddamned way, and getting them in trouble as a result. You have got to start taking no for an answer, and not wheedling your way into getting what you want every single time. Do you understand me?"
She looked at him with a pained expression that twisted his gut, and nodded slowly.
"I understand" she all but whispered, feeling sick as she thought about all the times she had dragged her three favourites into all kinds of hot water.
She closed her eyes, as she remembered that in all those instances she had practically forced them into giving her what she wanted.
Gibbs was right; she was turning into a spoiled brat.
"When you didn't call me, and when you persuaded Ziva not to call me, what was your reasoning?"
He already knew of course, but he wanted to hear it from her.
Looking up slowly, she squirmed in her chair, but forced herself to answer.
"Didn't want to get in trouble" she mumbled quietly, feeling the full force of her stupidity in decision making crashing around her as she spoke.
Silence descended for a moment as Gibbs ran appraising eyes over his eldest girl.
He knew his words would be the worst part of this punishment for her, and he loathed that, but he knew it needed to be done.
"And how did that work out?" he asked dryly.
The muttered "not…not very well" oozed misery, and he stifled a sigh in response.
He was really getting far too old for this carry on.
"I'm disappointed in you. You know damn well what I expect from my people, and you damn well know what I don't expect. Am I right?"
"Yes Gibbs" Abby whispered despondently, wishing the ground would just swallow her up whole.
Feeling his resolve weaken as he took in the sadness etched on his eldest girls face, Gibbs yielded somewhat.
"Come here" he said firmly, but gently.
She didn't hesitate to obey him, which went some way in mollifying the elder agent.
As she approached him, she winced as he reached out and took a hold of her wrist, expecting to be upended over his knee.
Instead, he drew her into his arms and held her to him.
She instantly melted into his embrace and sniffled somewhat into his chest.
Pressing his face into her hair, he opened his mouth yet again.
"I'm cross, and I'm disappointed in you, but you're still my Abb's" he murmured softly, and smiled slightly as she let out another, but much louder sniffle and tightened her hold on his shirt.
Letting her rest against him for a few moments, he eventually extracted her carefully from his torso.
Knowing that he needed to speak no further, he carefully took her wrist as she was seated beside him, and firmly laid her over his knee.
"Know exactly why you're here, yes?" he asked quietly, wrapping his arm around her slim waist and holding her firmly in position.
To her credit, the answering "yes Gibbs" rang out strong and clear, and without hesitation.
Clearly his words had had their desired effect then.
Tightening his jaw, he saw no point in delaying the inevitable, and dished out the first of swat of what would be a long, hard punishment.
As with Ziva, he quickly settled into spanking his eldest girl with a familiarity born of too much experience. He methodically peppered the upended backside with hard and firm swats, not pausing between swats, or offering any relief.
It wasn't long before the girl began to squirm across his knee, reacting predictably to the upped ante of forceful swats.
Gibbs never spanked her so hard to begin with, which just added to her already well formed notion that he was about just as mad as he'd ever been with her.
She gritted her teeth, and did her best to keep still as his broad hand came down again and again, but it was a losing battle. As she wriggled, or attempted to wriggle away from the unyielding swats, the first tears sprang up in her eyes as he easily held her in place.
The fire was beginning to build in her backside, and the tears that she had kept in her eyes for as long as possible, were now streaming freely down her face. They streamed even faster when she felt her pants being gently tugged down, and the swats beginning anew on her panty clad rear.
Soon the room was filled with loud "oww's" and whimpering, mixed with brisk and rapid swats.
Gibbs felt a hundred years older than his chronological birth as he forced himself to keep a firm hold on his wriggling lab rat, whilst simultaneously ensuring that sitting wasn't going to be a pleasurable experience for the foreseeable future.
He deftly tugged down her panties, and didn't break gate as he landed the first stinging swat on her now bared and crimson backside.
It was this first swat that brought out the dam of loud sobbing that had been threatening to burst its banks from the word go, as Abby completely dropped the pretence of taking her punishment quietly.
She whimpered and sobbed as the sting continued to mount, squirming vigorously when Gibbs applied well earned heat to her tender sit spots.
She positively howled when the first thwack of the previously unseen wooden spoon descended upon her scorched rear, not needing to look back to see what implement of doom was being yielded.
They all knew that spoon.
Gibbs gritted his teeth as the loud sounds of discomfort vibrated around the room.
With difficulty, he forced himself to continue bringing the spoon down at a rapid pace, longing all the while to pluck his headstrong charge off of his knee and into his arms.
It wasn't long however before Abby's torso, as Ziva's had, began to go limp across his knee.
With the application of a few more well placed swats, the loud and strangled sobbing transitioned into the usual contrite and emotionally spent weeping.
Bringing the spoon down firmly across the well punished sit spots for the last time; he dished out the final swat and threw it out of his hand instantly.
His hand instantly flew to the small of his girl's back, as he began to rub his trademark soothing circles upon it.
The young woman's broken weeping tore at his heart, and he fervently wished to lift her up off his lap and hold her, but he knew she wasn't ready.
He therefore waited patiently, murmuring softly all the while, for Abby to regain control of her emotions.
His warm hand never let the small of her back, his comforting presence going a long way to stem the now intermittent crying escaping the scientist as she lay across his knee.
Soon, the last tear fell and all that remained were the post crying snuffles, as the young woman began to feel her breathing returning to normal levels.
With a last rub to her eyes, she gulped some air down and made to rise herself from the all too familiar position of being across Gibbs' lap.
As per his custom, the seasoned agent stood up with his ward, and turning, he scooped the spoon up from he had discarded it, and made a chore of returning it to its residence for the second time that evening.
He quickly threw the spoon back where it belonged, eying it with distaste, as he reached out and filled a glass with water.
Gulping it down gratefully he took a moment to get his own emotions under control.
Believe it though they might not, he was never that far off from being as reluctant to dish out a punishment as his four were to take one.
He knew it would be a long night hammering away at his boat for him to completely rid himself of the guilt he always felt from making any of his four burst into tears.
He spared a quick thought for his own father, and the struggles involved in raising a smart mouthed, head strong LJ Gibbs on his own.
He had been as incorrigible as Tony, as complex as Tim, as stubborn as Ziva, and as wilful as Abby.
He grinned somewhat despite himself when he realised that each of his four resembled a much younger self, albeit in different ways.
Throwing back the last of the water, he quickly grabbed a bottled version for his eldest girl before starting back into the living room.
Abby Sciuto just didn't do tap water.
As with Ziva, taking in the bleary eyes and the flushed face as she stared back at him, he was forced to bite down the guilt that bubbled in his gut.
Holding out the water silently to the standing girl, he racked an anxious gaze over her.
He had never been so tough with his words with the kid before, nor so hard with his hand.
"Talk to me Abb's" he said gently, looking down at her, "how are you doing?"
She didn't answer for a moment, looking up at him studiously through red rimmed eyes.
He was beginning to feel moderately sick from anxiety as he looked at her, looking at him, silently.
"I'm with you Gibbs" she pointed out, in a quiet, hitched voice "so… I'm doing just fine."
Feeling relief radiate through him, he smiled his rare smile down at her.
"I'm not off the Christmas card list then?" he teased gently, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
The first signs of the normal, bouncy ball that was Abby shone through as she looked at him in horror.
"Gibbs" she spluttered in outrage, "how could you say that?"
Chuckling, he thanked his lucky stars that he'd been blessed with four maddening, but amazing kids.
"I don't know what I was thinking" he placated, his eyes twinkling.
"But if that's the case" he continued, "can I have my hug now?"
His lungs protested instantly as their reserve of oxygen was removed as she bolted into his arms, wrapping herself diligently around his torso.
Sighing in relief, he wrapped his broad arms around her and held her to him tightly.
"That's my girl" he said gently, rubbing her back softly.
A few moments passed and the two broke apart, with Abby looking up at him questioningly.
Knowing what the gaze was communicating, he sighed slightly.
"Yup. Grounded. Very grounded" he confirmed, forcing a firm note into his voice.
The gaze intensified as she continued to look up at him.
"Indefinitely" he answered, "I'll let you know when I think you're ready to be released."
She nodded slowly, forcing herself not to scowl or sulk, much to Gibbs' amusement.
"Oh, and Abby?" he added, feeling all of his years on the planet.
"Yeah?" she answered slowly, hearing a note of…something, in his voice.
"You are going to spend an hour every day for the next two weeks volunteering at the intern recruitment fare, teaching remedial field work science. Understand?"
Silence descended in the Gibbs household, as a mild staring contest ensued.
He had dished out the remedial teaching punishment once before, and it had resulted in a mammoth battle of wills between senior agent and forensic scientist.
The young woman battled with herself, warring with the urge to protest and the common sense to remain silent.
"You didn't give Ziva extra did you?" she settled for asking, a mildly accusing tone colouring her words.
Biting his lip to keep from laughing at the expression looking back at him, he shook his head.
"Nope. And I think you know why you're getting extra, or do I need to go back over it?"
The trademark pigtails flew wildly as she shook her head vigorously.
"Remedial science, sure…no problem… everyone loves…remedial…science" she answered, weakly.
At this, Gibbs couldn't help himself.
Bursting into laugher, he gently guided a now openly scowling Abby to the foot of the stairs.
"That's the spirit Abb's" he chuckled, pointing up the staircase.
"Now, go on and get washed up. I suppose I'd better get started on feeding you two."
Instantly brightening up, she twisted around to show off her best puppy eyes.
"Roast potatoes?" she implored, never being able to recreate the effect Gibbs somehow managed to pull off with a modest potato.
Rolling his eyes, he smiled down at her.
"That's seasoned inmate privileges you're looking for" he chided half-heartedly, whilst already planning on making them.
Abby grinned devishly at him in response.
"What?" he asked warily, eying her mischievous grin with suspicion.
"Yeah…but I'm the favourite" she laughed, darting expertly out of the way of the exasperated swat Gibbs aimed at her backside, scampering up the stairs, with the odd wince.
Hearing slightly raised voices fighting over the bathroom, the much relieved Jethro rolled his eyes and set off towards the kitchen, before a sudden thought struck him.
Why did he always end up being the one cooking dinner?
…
TBC
…
A/N: This will probably be my last update for while as I have exams in a month! I will however definitely continue posting after exams finish.
Thanks for reading guys!