Disclaimer: All I want for Christmas is a writing job… a writing job. Gee, all I want for Christmas is writing job on NCIS!!! Alas, that may be a wish even Santa can't fulfill!

So, you know the drill… I haven't purchased the rights in the last 24 hours… I still don't own it!

A/N: Thank you to the many readers that have shown their support for this story with their reviews, and tags as a favorite story/author... you have my Muse on fire & you ROCK :-)!

Warning: THIS STORY will CONTAIN NON-SEXUAL SPANKING; ABORT THE MISSION… DO NOT READ… TURN BACK NOW IF THIS ISN'T YOUR THING.

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The defiance Kate was feeling was bubbling up and out of her. She was galled by the fact that her father thought so little of her that she'd actually have sex with a guy in her bedroom with her brother downstairs and her little sister in the room next door. In her mind even Tony wouldn't be that suicidal or stupid. Besides Ashen was a great guy and she certainly didn't like her father thinking otherwise. It was all a stupid misunderstanding and she meant to clear it up before this went any further.

"You're going to let me explain!" Not wanting to shout Kate couldn't control the modulation or volume of her voice as she paced behind the chairs that faced the double desk.

Having gotten the belt off Gibbs held it in one hand while scratching through his hair, in exasperation, with the other. "You're gonna change the tone you speak to me in." He was much better at the whole control thing.

Arms still crossed Kate went on either not noticing or not caring about the obviously rising blood pressure of her father. "I didn't do anything wrong. I would never do what you're thinking I did."

"I know."

"I certainly wouldn't… you know?" She stopped mid-pace to lock eyes with her dad.

"Caitlin, I never thought you did that, because if I did Ashen would never have left here on his own two legs."

She was back to being huffy. If he knew she didn't have sex in her bed with Ashen what the devil was he so worked up about? "I don't understand why you're being so crazy about this then daddy. You know we didn't do anything we just fell asleep."

"If I have to explain everything wrong in that statement this is going to take a lot longer then I planned." Gibbs walked to the edge of the desk taking up position. Whether she was seriously in denial or simply trying to delay the inescapable he was ready to be done with this now.

"Okay, bringing him upstairs was…"

Cutting her off mid-sentence, "you need to know that every word you say is digging a ditch you are not going to be able to pull yourself out of young lady."

Caitlin Marie fell silent. Trying to convince him she hadn't had sex was the big 'case' she had to win and once he believed that she was expecting the rest to fall away. Things were not going according to plan. She was weighing her options as quickly as she could in her head. They still hadn't dealt with the Hilton Prep fiasco and he was pretty pissed already. Letting her arms fall to her side she attempted to look less defiant and more open to the chewing out she knew he felt she deserved.

"You done?"

"Yes, I was..."

"Over here now Caitlin." It wouldn't be like it was with Abby. Kate didn't expect, accept or require the level of reassuring her sister did. She had always been clear with the concept of crime and punishment even if she didn't always see eye-to-eye with her parents. She would come out swinging and make her point, but once it was out dealt with the fact that she would not be getting her way.

Now standing toe-to-toe Kate watched her father's eyes. He was exhausted and disappointed. There was a good chance, she thought, that she had contributed to both looks.

"Kate I cannot watch every move you make or control every choice while you're at school. I can only hope what your mother and I have taught you will help you make the best possible decisions."

"Daddy I am…"

"Not done! What you need to learn and remember every time you cross that front door is that I do control what goes on under this roof. I don't care if you're here for five minutes, five hours, five days or five months am I clear?"

She was nodding her head furiously as she was placed over his outstretched legs. She figured her general discomfort was part of the punishment.

As the first lick of the belt came down Kate was trying to articulate how she understood. "Okay, dad I get it. It won't happen again… dad!"

He was in no mood to lecture. As far as he was concerned his position on the subject was clear and warranted no further discussion. Eight spanks in and he felt sensed her shift emotionally and physically. This was not a subject to ever test him on again.

The rapid succession of smacks silenced her chatter and she reverted back to what she knew best… holding her breath and counting the searing throbbing pain in her posterior never letting her mind wonder far from the why of this spanking. She really should have gone with her gut that said letting Ashen come over was bad and taking him upstairs downright dumb. It was poor judgement at its best and her mother was right she had no one to blame but herself. Then her tears began to fall.

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"Get your big hooves out of the way." Abby wanted out of the closet now. Her ears were covered with her hands in an attempt to block out the sound of the belt.

"Stop being a baby. Trust me Kate wasn't feeling that bad last night while we were watching that movie and you were getting a spanking."

"That's because you weren't outside the door listening. This is just creepy now Tony. Let me out."

Pulling himself up and reaching for his wiry sister they both scrambled off the floor and for the door.

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Gibbs lifted her off his lap the minute he put the belt down. He'd made his point without being too harsh knowing that they may very well be there again if things at the school were worse than he expected. She was silent, but had clearly heard him and the message the spanking had driven home loud and clear. Neither spoke for a moment as her breath got back under control and she dried her silent tears. In his head he counted to ten.

"What are the rules?"

"No company without permission, no boys in my room ever, if I'm not sure I should do it… I shouldn't do it," he only hoped she would remember them beyond tonight.

"Kate I know all the ways something that seems so innocent can turn bad and that isn't a reality I ever want you to experience. We are not done talking about this or what happened up at that school."

"I know."

"Go tell your crime ring to get ready for dinner. You're in your room until then. When I get the report from Mrs. Updike you better pray your version of what happened matches the evidence."

She wasn't sure how to respond to that, so instead changed the course of the discussion. "Can I still see Ash?"

"You need to learn to quit while you're ahead." Kissing her on the top of the head Leroy Jethro Gibbs left the room.

Kate was beginning to understand why his abrupt exits aggravated her mother so much.

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They knew she was coming up the steps any second and assumed it was Kate's footsteps they heard right outside the door when they opened it.

"What were doing in there?"

"Huh," was the simultaneous reply.

"If you can huh… you can hear. What were you doing in my bedroom?"

She never missed a beat. He'd remember that someday fondly… someday. "I was chasing Tony out because he wanted to eavesdrop on Kate and dad's talk."

Seriously… that was the look her brother bestowed on her. He couldn't believe his ears. He was going to murder her.

"I wasn't really… Abby's exaggerating."

"No I'm not. This wing-nut thought you could really hear through the carpet, floor and ceiling just because a room was right beneath you." She rolled her eyes in the air for added effect.

"I guess there's a reason I was only a phys. Ed major."

"Stay out of our room you two. Abby we need to talk."

"Mom, I was kidding… we didn't…"

"Relax; it has nothing with whatever you two were up to in there. I would knock it off though before your dad bust you next time."

Kate reached the top of the landing as her mother pulled Abby into her room. Taking her brother's arm she pulled him toward his own room.

"We need to talk."

***This was a 'McShort' chapter so you didn't have to wait until I went on vacation to crank out a long one.

****Up next: Kate and Tony get their story straight, the evidence from Updike comes in, and Jenny & Abby do a little mother/daughter relationship healing.

Read & Review darlings….