Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of its characters.
Chapter 13
Gibbs was just about to put the car into drive when Taylor spoke. "No. Wait!" She couldn't do it. Unfastening her seatbelt she climbed out of the car and made her way back to where her mom was standing in the doorway. Taylor hugged her tightly. "Love you too." Before reluctantly letting go and joining her dad again. .
"Can we go now?" Her dad asked when she'd secured her seatbelt.
"You mean I have a choice?" Taylor grumbled.
"Nope."
"Then why'd you ask?" She folded her arms defensively.
He gave her one of those looks that made her want to disappear. "Sorry."
Letting the attitude slide, Jethro pulled the car out of the drive. This was going to be one long trip.
o
Still pissed at having to leave before Vicky arrived Taylor decided to try a little reverse psychology, not only to wind her dad up, but to convince herself it might just be fun. Even without Vicky there. "You know this is gonna be a great week. Well, not exactly a week, five days. It'll feel a bit strange though, not having you or mom checking up on me all the time."
When her dad didn't bite she risked taking it a bit further. "Will Ethan be home? I wonder if he still has that wreck of a car or if he's still mad at me? But then he might have turned into the perfect little soldier."
From the way her dad was gripping the steering wheel Taylor could see she was starting to get to him. Now all she had to do was made sure she didn't push him too far.
o
Taylor didn't say anything more for a few minutes, giving him time to calm down. When his grip on the wheel relaxed, she started again. "Did you ever sneak out at night when you were my age?" She asked innocently.
Taylor instantly regretted it when her father slammed on the brakes and pulled the car over to the side of the road. Still feigning innocence she asked, "Did you forget something?"
"No, I did not forget something!" He growled at her.
She frantically tried to backpedal. "Oh come on, I'm just curious. I didn't say I was gonna do it! Geez dad, way to overreact again!"
"You think I'm overreacting?"
"Well, yeah. Don't you think all this is a bit extreme?"
"Extreme?"
"Sending me away just because I took one little tablet. You know it's perfectly natural to experiment with drugs." That had definitely sounded better in her head.
"I think we'd better get a few things straight right now. You're not going to stay with your grandpa for an early vacation, you're being punished. If you think you'll be setting a foot outside, you're very much mistaken, and by the time I'm through with you, getting into trouble of any kind will be the last thing you're gonna want to do!"
Taylor was horrified. Until now she'd assumed that missing Vicky's arrival was going to be her punishment.
"Now, unless you want to spend the rest of the trip sitting on a sore backside, you'll stop trying to find out just how far you can push me. Do I make myself clear?"
Taylor nodded, and stared out of her window at the trees beside them, determined to keep her mouth firmly shut until they got to Stillwater.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
The rest of the drive really was silent. The radio was switched off, and Taylor was not going to ask her dad if she could turn it on. He was not in her good books right now, any more than she was in his. Eventually Taylor became so bored, she fell asleep, only waking up when her dad pulled the car up in front of her grandpa's store. He wasn't waiting outside this time, so Taylor made her way into the store, with her dad close behind her, carrying her bag.
o
At least her grandpa looked pleased to see her as he came out from behind the counter to greet them. He gave her a hug, before turning her to the side and smacking her butt.
"Is there anyone who's not mad at me?" She asked as she quickly backed away from him, hands strategically covering her ass.
Both her father and grandfather answered at the same time. "No."
Her dad handed her the bag. "Go on up to your room and unpack, and when you're done, stay there."
Taylor did as she was told, hoping a few cups of coffee would put him in a better mood.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
It took Taylor all of thirty seconds for her to unzip the bag and literally just tip it into two drawers. Opening the bedroom window, Taylor took a look around outside, then lay down on the bed to try and figure out what she'd be spending the next week doing. Probably cleaning, or if she was lucky, helping out in the store. At least if she was allowed in the store she would actually have some contact with the outside world. Then suddenly Taylor sat bolt upright. "Crap!" She had just remembered that she had mailed the strap back here. Real smart move Taylor, she thought. Tiptoeing over to the door, she listened to the two men talking downstairs. There was nothing else for it, she had to try. Taylor crept into her grandpa's room and made straight for the drawer where she knew it had been kept. It wasn't there. Damn it, he must have found a new hiding place. Maybe it was in the room her dad had stayed in. it was worth a go, and Taylor quickly ducked into the next room, before gently easing the top drawer open.
"Looking for something?" Her dad's voice came from right behind her.
Taylor spun round, drawer sliding shut as she backed up against it. "Nn..no."
"Sure about that?" He asked, knowing full well what she was trying to find.
Just about to deny it again, Taylor caught sight of the strap in his hand. "Crap!" was all she could come up with.
Jethro pointed back towards Taylor's room. She edged past him, but he was still able to get in a decent lick, making her yelp and move a lot faster.
o
Taylor's butt was safely planted on her bed before her dad entered her room. This whole situation was just getting worse and worse. Casually tossing the strap onto what would be Vicky's bed, her father sat down beside it.
"So, you want to tell me why everyone's so angry with you?"
Fighting back the urge to say no, Taylor tore her eyes away from the strip of leather, and looked up at him. "Cause I got high, but that was all Jason's fault."
"That's it? That's all you got? And it was not Jason's fault!"
"Was. If he hadn't been bugging me about talking to DJ I would have just dumped it."
Jethro had to force himself not to reach over and throttle his daughter, someday Taylor was going to learn to take responsibility for her actions, but it didn't look as if it was going to be today.
"Are you allowed to talk to DJ?"
"No."
"Why didn't Jason want you talking to DJ?"
"He doesn't like him either, but I should be able to talk to anyone I want to, freedom of speech, and all." Taylor complained.
This time he couldn't hold himself back, but instead of throttling her, he pulled her up and swatted her butt. "That's enough Taylor!" He warned as she dropped back onto the bed. "Why did Jason tell you to stay away from DJ?"
Afraid of another swat, Taylor finally admitted the truth. "He said he was dealing. But I did not buy anything! DJ just slipped it into my pocket."
"So explain to me now how everything was Jason's fault."
She sighed. "Maybe it wasn't exactly his fault."
Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Keep going."
"Alright. I got high on something, and I didn't know what it was. It was dangerous and could have killed me. But it didn't. Oh, and I climbed onto the roof. But you can't really blame me for that, cause I don't remember doing it, and you could just be telling me that."
"Oh, believe me you did." He held up his finger and thumb with only a small gap between them. "You were this close to falling off the edge, before Abby found you."
Taylor shrugged. "Still only got your word on that one."
"I really hope you're not trying to accuse me of lying, because you're in enough trouble as it is." He snarled.
That might have been a dumb thing to say. "No, I just meant that it's hard for me to think I did it, when I can't remember. I can't really remember any of it."
Before her dad could continue his interrogation Taylor asked a question of her own. "Are you gonna hit me with that?" She nodded towards the strap.
"I told you before that if you ever put yourself into danger again that I'd take the hide off you, so yes, I am."
"Oh….. Is mom gonna spank me too? You know, for the car."
"That's up to her, but I think this'll cover it."
o
Taylor stared at the floor, trying to decide if that was good or bad." When she looked up again, he was on his feet.
"Stand up."
"You really gotta ….."
"NOW!"
As soon as she was up he turned her round to face her bed. "Lose the pants and bend over the bed."
Even though it was the last thing Taylor wanted to do right now she dropped her jeans, and leant over until her elbows were on the mattress.
"Shorts too."
Taylor looked back over her shoulder at her father, prepared to plead. "Aw come on, it hurts enough..."
It didn't work, and before she'd finished her sentence he'd jerked them down himself, and landed the first lick.
Crying out, Taylor buried her head in her quilt before the leather strap struck again, just below the first stripe. Her father didn't say a word, there was no point, the fire he was lighting on her backside was making it perfectly clear how unimpressed he was with her behaviour.
If Taylor had thought she had even the slightest chance making it out the door, she'd have tried it. But she had no other option but to lie there and take it, until her father decided he was done, and she was a sobbing mess. Once she managed to get the sobs under control she slowly straightened up. Taylor was convinced there was no skin left on her backside and she'd never be able to sit down again, ever. That was by far the worst hiding he'd ever given her. Pulling up her shorts, Taylor didn't even bother trying to replace her jeans, knowing how the heavy fabric would only intensify the heat. Instead she kicked both them and her sneakers off, before turning to face her dad. He was sitting down again, just watching, and waiting for her to come to him, and she did, tears starting again as he held her close.
o
When Taylor calmed down Gibbs held her out at arms length. "You had better not do anything as stupid or dangerous as that again! And you WILL stay away from DJ. Understand?"
She nodded. "Are we done then?"
This time he nodded. "Keep your nose clean until we show up next weekend, and we're done. Think you can manage that?"
"Uh huh." There was no way Taylor was going to risk as much as a single swat the way her butt felt right now. "Are you going back now?"
He stood up and kissed the top of her head. "Have to. You can stay up here until your grandpa calls you for dinner, and for heaven's sake Taylor at least try and behave yourself." With one last hug he was gone, and Taylor was left in her room with only her throbbing backside for company.