* * * * *

The next morning, Gibbs woke Tony up and told him to get ready for a run. When they got back and had showered and eaten breakfast, Tony put his plate and cup in the sink. "I'll see you upstairs Boss," he said as he left the kitchen.

Gibbs smiled. Then quickly sobered. "He's making this really hard," he thought. And then he had a second thought. "Why do I think he knows that?"

Tony was standing next to the bed when Gibbs arrived in the room, clearly unsure of what to do. Gibbs opened the dresser drawer and produced the paddle with a slight nod toward the bed. Without a word, Tony pushed his pants down to his knees and bent over the bed. The fourth hard spanking in three days was delivered without prelude and, like the four previous ones, brought Tony to tears quickly. Gibbs knew that in spite of its less threatening nature, the paddle could deliver a very painful spanking, especially when applied to a backside that had been welted by the strap. He was right.

When the paddling was finished, Gibbs put the instrument back in the dresser. "It's over for now. Come on downstairs when you're ready," he said quietly to Tony.

A few minutes later, Tony appeared in the kitchen where Gibbs was downing another cup of coffee. He glanced up at the young man. He was definitely hurting, but he looked calm. Gibbs took that as a good sign. Tony grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and got some water from the sink next to Gibbs.

"So…" he began after he'd gulped it down, "what now?"

Gibbs rinsed his cup and put it in the sink. "Do you want to mow the lawn or trim the hedges?" Tony looked confused. "Hey, you're grounded. You don't think I'm going to let you lay around watching TV all day do you? I figure I can get some use out of you while you're here."

"Yeah. Makes sense," Tony agreed with a smile. "Oh, by the way, my report is done."

"I know. Already read it. Not bad," Gibbs grinned.

"Wait, when did you have time to read it between beating the crap out of me and working on that damn boat?" Tony asked with a teasing grin.

Gibbs cuffed him gently on the back of the head and laughed. "I read it last night after you went to bed."

"Do you sleep?" Tony asked as Gibbs ushered him to the garage.

The two men worked side-by-side for the rest of the day and Gibbs was encouraged to see Tony laughing and joking around again. He suspected that he'd finally let go of some, if not all, of the guilt he'd been carrying around since Thursday. And since he had already accepted responsibility for his actions, Gibbs decided that they were both ready for the punishment to end.

After a quick dinner of pasta and leftover salad, Gibbs sent Tony upstairs. He went without hesitation.

"There's no way this is getting easier for you," Gibbs said to Tony when he arrived to find him already in position bent over the bed.

"Well, a little. I mean, it's still hurting like hell, but I guess, I don't know…" he trailed off.

"Hm," Gibbs grunted in understanding then placed his hand on Tony's back. "You ready?"

"You've never asked me that before," Tony said, twisting around.

"Well, I've never cared before," Gibbs laughed.

Tony grinned and turned back around. "Yeah, I'm ready."

The spanking that followed was plenty hard, but it didn't reduce Tony to the same sobs the previous ones had. He was definitely hurting as the paddle fell against his already sore backside and thighs, but it didn't hurt emotionally at all. He knew that Gibbs cared about him. He knew that Gibbs was proud of him. He knew that Gibbs had forgiven him. And he knew that even if Gibbs chose to spank him everyday for the next year, he could accept it.

Sooner than expected, Tony felt Gibbs' hand leave his back and rub his head. "It's ok, Tony. It's all over."

* * * * *

An hour later, Tony found Gibbs in the basement working on his boat again. A baseball game was broadcasting from the TV. As Tony hit the landing at the bottom of the stairs, Gibbs held out a bottle of beer behind him with his left hand as his right continued sanding. Tony smiled and took the offered bottle. He drank quietly for a while. But eventually, he decided that one of them had to break the silence.

"Boss?" he ventured.

Gibbs picked up his own beer, turned around and perched himself on the edge of the support the boat was resting on. He studied Tony for a few seconds and took a sip. "So," he said suddenly, "do you want to hit the shooting range or the batting cages tomorrow?"

Tony smiled. "It's all over," he said and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah," Gibbs said as he walked over to Tony and pulled his head toward his own. "It's all over. Well, except for the desk duty and schlepping," he added with a soft smack to the back of the young man's head.

"Hey Boss?"

"Mm hm?"

"I've been thinking. That strap - why do you even have something like that?" Tony asked uncertainly.

Gibbs smiled to himself for a moment. "It's a family heirloom, Tony," he said quietly. A second later, he snapped back. "Hey, let's go get ice cream."

Tony watched Gibbs bound up the steps, looking ten years younger than he had the other day. Life was good again.