Freeze Frame 4: Dead Man Talking:

by gaben

A dead Marine, a burned out car, a poker chip, a trophy bullet, a cold case, a bunch of lies and a broken promise. What do these things have in common, and how will these threaten Marley's new life with Gibbs and Gill? Fourth in the Freeze Frame series

13. EPD: Extra Punitive Duties

FREEZE FRAME 4: Dead Man Talking.

DISCLAIMERS: I do not own NCIS.

Previously...

Finally, Henry Lau Quing's operations have been revealed and shut down. He has also been charged with the murder of Patrick Devlin, along with Angus Devlin.

Marley, with the help of the Semper Fi Gang, headed to Stillwater to Jackson Gibbs's house in a bid to enable the NCIS team to take Henry Lau Quing into custody, forfeiting any diplomatic immunity.

Jackson Gibbs looked stunned, and then he remembered the phone. "Leroy!" SFX; Gibbs voice over; Dad! Dad! Pick up the phone!

Warning: Corporal Punishment of minors in this chapter.

Chapter 13: EPD: Extra Punitive Duties.

FREEZE FRAME: Cut, to mid shot, profiles of Marley and Gibbs. She is on Gibbs's knee, her face is screwed up and her tongue is poking out in a playful scowl while Gibbs is chuckling. Convert Black and White CUT.

Fade in to long shot of Marley standing on Jackson Gibbs's side porch.

Marley watched Jackson Gibbs cautiously as he moved back into the door way and headed for the telephone in his living room. She stayed outside on the small side porch lit by a single outside lantern. She craned her neck in a hopes that she could hear the conversation .

"I'm here, Leroy. What in the hell is going on? There's a kid at the door who says I'm her grand dad... You got something ta tell me son?

The sooner the better, she looks about ten years old already," quipped Jackson as he looked over the rim of his glasses.

"Oh... oh hold... Which button is that again ... Oh right, there it is." Jackson hit a button on the phone's console, and suddenly Marley could hear the wrath of God himself...

" Marley Rose get your butt over to the phone." bellowed Gibbs voice from the speaker on the consol.

Jackson held out the phone and called the child in. Marley stepped in the door way, closed the door, then stopped.

"I think he means you to come to the phone," offered Jackson.

"Well first off, Mr. Gibbs, Senior, sir, I can hear Dad from here. It's on hands free, and second it's a cordless phone. So, I figure you could be standing in the backyard with it, and I could still hear Gibbs with it."

"You've been figuring too much already, now move! " yelled Gibbs all the way from DC. "Spill," he ordered.

"I'm safe, Gibbs. You get what you needed from Lau Quing?" asked Marley, hoping to defer some of the wrath and remind Gibbs that her actions were, hopefully, of help.

Gibbs paused, "Yes, Gill and I will discuss that with you tomorrow. How'd you get there?"

"Caught a bus, Gibbs, it ... "

"I know about the bus, Marley, and the burn phones. That's another little discussion we'll be having, as well as about certain funds being transferred from a certain trust account. We know it all. How'd you find Dad?"

"Abby told me about your dad, Gibbs, and Stillwater. I remembered the name. How many Gibbses can there be in Stillwater?"

"A lot actually, if count Old Jeremiah ...had the only workable still round these parts..."

"Dad!"

"Don't you dad me, son. You've got some explaining to do. Where I'd get a granddaughter from? Not that I mind but what in tarnation is she travelling all alone for, and at this time of night. How'd she get here? You know it's only a three hour drive, son. You could have ..."

"Dad, Marley doesn't have mine or her mother's permission to be there. I'll explain everything in depth tomorrow when Gill and I get there."

"Gill... who's Gill?"

"She's my mom, well my new mom. Rose was my biological mother, but she was killed just over a month ago."

"Okay, just hold here, how old are you?"

"Dad, I'm still here!" interrupted Gibbs.

Jacksons annoyingly put the hone to his ear. "I know, Leroy, and I'll get to you in a minute,"

"I'm twelve," said Marley," nearly thirteen."

"Not for five months, little girl, if you're lucky!" snapped Gibbs.

"How'd you get here? There aren't any Greyhounds, not since they re- directed the highway ."

"Well, Camp Winnemucca is just across the lake," explained Marley, like she was pointing to the neighbors house across the way.

"You swam?" yelled Jackson, echoed by Gibbs.

"No! I can't swim all that well. I took one of the canoes. A kid called Myron, yep that was his name, helped me push off from the camp. Had trouble with the life jacket, though. It was too big, but that's all they had there. Myron said the smaller ones were in the boat shed, but it was locked. So, I just left it since I couldn't row real well with the big one on. Everything else was real easy. I just have to get the canoe back by day after tomorrow."

Marley hadn't noticed the eerie silence that had shrouded the room. She looked up, then around the place, wondering if something unusual she was unaware of had happened. She considered herself to be getting rather good at reading her instincts. This detective stuff was interesting, and she was pretty sure her gut told her something was up... She just couldn't figure out what...

Jackson just stared at her with the phone frozen in his hand.

"Gibbs...Dad, Gibbs you still there?" asked Marley.

"Corner now! " bellowed Gibbs.

Marley jumped in surprise, but didn't move until a huge hand , the one not holding the phone , made contact with her denim-clad backside.

"Ow, ow... Holy Moley Guacamoley!" yelped Marley.

"Your father said, 'Corner Now!' You'll find enough space right over there in that one." Jackson put the phone down and lead Marley to the only empty corner of the room: one in between the television and an old book case overflowing with magazines. He added another two swats for measure. "Hmmmfft... hands free telephones, what will they think of next?" he sprouted.

Jackson went back to the phone. "Leroy, one miscreant in the corner. Gotta laugh, son. 'Holy Molly Guacamoley,' she's been around Abby for sure.."

" Yep, she and Abbs have a lot in common.. Thanks. I'll be there first thing in the morning, just keep Marley with you. She's not to go anywhere, either, she's grounded. But I'll be there before sun up."

"Okay, that don't sound too difficult."

"Dad, she's a good kid. Don't worry, she isn't my illegitimate offspring. But, I consider her a daughter."

"What about her mother?"

"I don't consider her a daughter, Dad," quipped Gibbs.

"Okay, smart ass, skirt around it. Kid might give me the answers I want."

Gibbs laughed at the grumpy banter his dad projected. "Dad, the kid can give you the answers she wants, there aren't any secrets. But she is in witness protection, so just keep it between you two."

" Okay, but I want answers from you too, Son."

" Bye, Dad," said Gibbs.

Jackson hung up the phone, huffed, then took a quick look at Marley standing in the corner. Don't go scuffing my base board," He warned. He then looked at the clock on the wall. "Should be in bed by now," he grumbled to himself as he shuffled into the small kitchen.

Marley could hear him poking around in there, so she took the time to rub her backside. Jackson Gibbs may have landed only three swats, and he didn't seem all that mad, but the man must have hands as big as boat oars because each of her cheeks stung like hell. "Maybe the man builds boats too," she thought out loud. "Well, at least boat oars. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea."

Marley was pretty impressed, though, at how fast she and the gang had put it together. After lunch with Lilith, Marley could not stop thinking about the gang doing their little search. The photo of the phones was enough to motivate her to get organized. She bought burn phones and a map, and arranged the rendezvous at the house knowing Ben and the others were going to be heading there. Her going missing was supposed to give the NCIS team grounds to search the house and take in Lau Quing. She would have thought Gibbs would be happy. She knew he would be worried, and she made sure to leave enough clues so he knew she was safe. So what was the big deal?

Besides all that, Lilith had constantly hinted at Marley spending more time with her and her husband. Marley didn't want to be anywhere near either of the Devlins if she didn't need to be. Gibbs had told her that they couldn't take custody of her, sure, and that her case was complicated. Witness protection didn't just hand over their clients just because a new relative had appeared out of the blue. Lilith was nice and all, and did deserve closure about her son's death, but Marley knew the kind women was determined to have Marley in her life. Marley wasn't ready to consider any time allowance there yet. She'd just gotten used to Gibbs and Gill, and now she hoped Jackson. He was part of the family already, Abby had said so. Though she didn't expect the older Gibbs to be mad at a kid he really didn't know yet. He must be special, special like his son, and over protective. "Figures..."

Marley suddenly jumped, disturbed from her revere, when Jackson came back into the room and spoke. "You eaten?"

Marley tried not to laugh. Jackson seemed a man a few words, like Gibbs. She turned around, "A little," she admitted.

"You should have eaten. There's juice and a sandwich on the table," he said, pointing to the kitchen.

Marley smiled and picked her nap sack up from the floor before she entered the kitchen. "Thanks, Mr. Gibbs, you didn't have to that. I still have one juice box left in my pack." Marley pulled out a small carton.

Jackson grabbed it from her and read the carton." I sell this stuff occasionally. It's just soda. You're not going to bed with that electrifying your system. The juice is fresh. I squeezed it so this morning."

"Okay ... Ahh, I'm sorry if I caused problems between you and your son, Mr. Gibbs. But well, I was in a bit of a spot. Abby told me all about you, and you sounded real nice. She said you made her feel like you were her grandfather. I thought you might like to be mine, too. I know Gibbs thinks of me like his girl now..."

Jackson had a pained expression on his face.

"Ohhh, not like that, yeah well like that. But, I'm nothing like Kelly. I know about Kelly. He told me about her when I was in NCIS custody after my mom was killed. He doesn't see me as a replacement or anything, if that's what you were wondering."

"He didn't tell me anything about you," said Jackson, feeling a little left out the loop that was his son's life.

"I suppose he hasn't had time. My mom got killed four weeks ago when a marine was attacking her. She killed the marine. Ziva and Tony were working undercover, and they saw my mom with me. My mom wasn't real well, Mr Gibbs, and Ziva and Tony . . . . Well, Ziva thought my mom was going to shoot me, so she shot my mom. But then, so did someone else at the same time, because they thought my mom had something they wanted. But, I had it. So, I was put under Gibbs's care while he was investigating. He was tough, but I felt real safe with him. He was honest with me too, all the way along, and his team helped me."

"Yeah, they're good people. Eat your sandwich." Jackson nodded, feeling better, yet concerned about the events of this small girls life.

Marley took a huge bite before continuing. "Then, because of a lot of other stuff, like my uncle being kidnapped, Gibbs and his team still had to hide me. Gill, my counsellor, had to come, too, because this judge and children's services gave her guardianship of me. We all pretended to be a family and got to stay in a toffy hotel. We called ourselves the Stillwater family. But Gibbs wouldn't have been able to tell you anything, because we were undercover. It was all pretty scary there for a while. But, they saved my uncle and made out he was dead, so that neither he nor I would be chased ever again. NCIS is in charge of my secret files. They are sealed there until I'm twenty one. Gill and Gibbs are named as my guardians, my parentis or something. So, I guess if you don't mind your my parentis or something grandad parentis." Marley took another nervous bite of her sandwich then washed it down with the rest of her juice.

"So you on another case now? One that, I'm guessing knowing Leroy, you weren't supposed to be on."

"Sort of. NICIS found a body in a car. The Semper Fi Gang found it, really. But, anyway, turns out he was my biological father. But my mom, Rose, she never told me, and he never told his family. My mom had bi-polar, Mr. Gibbs, and she would sometimes do things she couldn't remember, including conceiving me. Anyway, this bad Chinese guy probably killed Patrick. That was his name. He was a good guy and all, but he got killed. Probably by this Chinese guy, who had diplomatic immunity, but only on an old crime. He didn't have diplomatic immunity on a new crime, like kidnapping for example. So, we figured..."

"Who's we?"

"The Semper Fi Gang. We figured if the authorities thought he had committed a new crime, like kidnapping me, they would be able to search the place that I went missing from. Me and the Semper Fi Gang figured that was probably the house where they used to live."

"Who used to live?"

"Patrick, with his mom and dad."

"You figured this out? I know my son and my Abby. They would have figured this out before you..."

"They did, but they couldn't get all the evidence because Patrick's dad and the bad Chinese guy had diplomatic immunity."

"Ohhhh!" nodded Jackson."Eat the other half of your sandwich. You put yourself in a dangerous situation so you could help catch the bad guy?"

"Yempft... but I think Gibbsth is realft madth," said Marley around a mouthful of sandwich.

"Don't eat with your mouth full," he chastised, then leaned in real close and looked Marley square in the eye. "Oh ya think he's mad, do you? You, little girl, have just made the biggest understatement of your life. You won't sit for a week when he gets through with you, and I'll be there cheering him on. Any of that plan could have backfired. Not to mention you crossing the lake in the dead of night, without a vest. Boy, kid, you'll be lucky to be sitting by Christmas."

Marley dry swallowed. "We... We had it all planned. Besides, this important navy secretary wanted my help. They had me meet Patrick's mom and dad. They're nice and all, but I think they want to take me away. When I lived with Rose, it was just her and me, and then sometimes Uncle Nic. My Grandpa John died when I was little, and Grandma Louise when I was just born. I helped Rose. Me and Rose were a team. I'm used to being a team, Mr Gibbs. Gibbs and Gill and the NCIS team, we're a family team, just like Rose and me were. I've been helping all along, don't see why this is any different, Mr Gibbs, senior, sir."

"You can call me ..."

"Papa Jackson?" requested Marley.

The senior Gibbs smiled, recalling Kelly's affectionate name for him. The seven year old had called him her special Papa Jack smurf. "Yeah, sounds nice. Okay, so let me get this straight. You are afraid that Patrick's mom and dad..."

"The Devlins."

"The Devlins want to take you away. Why? They apply for custody?"

"Yes and no. I'm scared they want to take me away, but they haven't applied for custody."

"Well, don't you think you should worry about something like that…If it happens?"

"That's what Gill says, too. Even if she's a little bit afraid, as well. But, she said her and Gibbs won't give me up, not if they can help it. They are my guardians. I even have Gill's surname, but..."

"You want the Gibbs surname."

"If you don't mind, and I have to have different name, yeah. But I want Gill to have that name, too. I guess Gibbs isn't ready for the commitment. Though he told me his intentions are honorable."

"Oh are they, now?"

"Yep, but I think it would be better if they made up their minds soon. I know he was married before. How long did he wait to ask them? What were they like, anyhow? Maybe Gill should figure out what exactly Gibbs doesn't like in a woman, then she..."

"Whoa, there, Marley. I only met his first wife, Shannon. I never met any of the others."

"How come?"

"Because, Leroy and I had a big fight after his wife and little girl, Kelly, died. We didn't speak to each other for a long time."

"Hmmm, you're both stubborn, hey?"

"Yup. Now what about this Gill, your new mom. She must be pretty special."

Marley wiped her mouth with the napkin, nodding. Then all of a sudden her eyes lit up. "Yeah!" she exclaimed, "she is, and she is special to Gibbs, too. He's bringing her here, to meet you so he must think that... He must think differently this time. Hey... Yeah, do you think..."

Jackson laughed. "You onto the next case already? Matchmaking this time?"

"Well, if the opportunity presents itself... Yep! Wanna help?"

"Maybe..." Jackson shook his head at Marley ; the bundle of energy. "How many of those sugar drinks did you originally have in your back pack, anyway?"

"I had four, drank three. So wanna help or not?"

"I'll think on it," he chuckled. "Come on, bed. It's late. I'll make up the guest room. You can help, and then both of us better get some sleep. Newspapers arrive here at 5.30 am, and your father and mother parentis or something won't be far behind them."

Cut away to NCIS headquarters. Mid shot of the bullpen.

Gibbs strolled into the bullpen with determination, then nearly melted when he saw Gill's worried expression.

"Don't worry, she's safe. She's at my dad's," he said, pulling her into an embrace.

Abby was not far behind him, and slammed her tall body into both of them, awarding them one of her famous bear hugs.

A few seconds later, Tony entered and coughed to announce his presence. Ziva and Tim joined him as they watched the trio in front of them.

"Do you think we should join them?" asked Ziva, "You know, for a stamps on..."

"It's stacks on, Zive, and yeah, why not," chuckled Tony.

Tim, Ziva and Tony moved forward to add to the group hug, when Gibbs suddenly threw out his arm. "Don't even think about it," he warned, though he smothered the smirk that had threatened to appear. "Abbs, you can let go now," he grunted.

"Oh, oh, okay, Momma and Papa bear. She's safe, Gill. Jackson will make sure of that." Abby bobbed up and down after releasing the couple.

"Are we going to get her?" asked Gill.

"Yup, first thing in the morning. Pack for a couple of days," said Gibbs.

"Why can't we go now?"

"It's late, and we need to tie all this up. And I need you to do something important for me," explained Gibbs.

"Sure, what?"

Just then the elevator pinged, and Lilith exited with Arielle and the two little boys.

"Agent Gibbs," called Lilith. "Marley? Have you found her?"

"We have, she's safe. Lau Quing didn't kidnap her," stated Gibbs.

"Oh, thank goodness. And my husband, Agent Gibbs, where is he?"

"Agent David, Gill, will you take Mrs Devlin to the conference room? Ducky will meet you there. They'll explain everything."

"Ahh, Boss, the kids are still in there," interrupted Tony. "They're with David Lindsey. You wanted to see them."

"Agent David, use my personal lounge," said Leon as he descended the stairs. He walked over to the group. Lau Quing is being transported to the detention center. Angus Devlin is still here, Ma'am, and is speaking with his lawyer."

Ziva nodded and lead the woman away from the group and up the stairs.

"McGee, get a hold of Ducky, send him to the right room," requested Gibbs.

Vance turned to Arielle. "Mrs Fitzgerald, Clayton Douglas would like to speak to you. Please join me in my office."

"My boys, will they be alright here, Director Vance?" asked Arielle.

"They can come with you."

Arielle nodded nervously, and then gathered Sean and Archie. "Mommy, I need the bathroom," announced four year old Archie.

"Down the hallway to your right," directed Tim.

The family of three headed down the hallway. The rest of the team, including Gibbs, looked quizzically at the director. He glared back at each of them and then stopped at Gibbs.

"SecNav got some more bad news for that family?" groused Gibbs.

"Don't think so. It's taking him nearly twelve years to get this ring, Gibbs. All the warehouses have been closed down. Lau Quing's list of crimes is a mile long. Devlin is refusing to take immunity for Patrick's death, and will testify, but thanks to..."

"Daniel Fitzgerald knew didn't he?"

"Not about the details of Patrick's death, but he suspected Lau Quing all along on everything. When Angus closed him down about those suspicions, he went to Douglas."

"So, they used him, too. Lau Quing, he was responsible for the road side bombing," inferred Gibbs.

"Probably."

Gibbs's, jaw tightened and his eyes flared at Vance, relaying his unspoken opinion on the matter. Innocent people being killed never sat well with him, no matter if it was for the greater good.

Vance met Gibbs's glowered expression with one of his own."It's not all bad, Gibbs. Finish up here and get to your family. All of you get your reports done, then take an extra long weekend. I don't want to see any of you until Monday." He ordered, then turned to join Arielle and her boys at the bottom of the stairs.

Once out of sight, Tony stood scratching his chin. "You know, Boss, the president of the car club said they shipped Daniel's body back in pieces, but not all the pieces."

"The one arm, man!" gasped Tim.

Suddenly they heard squeals of "Daniel, Dadddyyyy," coming from Vance's office, before the door was closed and silence reigned in the halls. A nice silence, thought Gibbs, but only for a moment; then he wondered how Lilith was doing.

Feeling good about what they had all had just heard, Tony beamed. "Daniel Fitzgerald's alive. He kept his own investigation going. SecNav must have kept him hidden and safe. He'll be able to testify as well," he surmised.

" Boy, I'd love to see what's going on in that room right now," said Tim.

"Happy tears!" announced Abby. "Ohh, Gibbs, how wonderful. See, SecNav isn't all business."

"Maybe," said Gibbs, bluntly.

"Wouldn't like his job," said Tim.

"Me either, wouldn't take it. I like this one too much," said Gibbs.

"It's late, Boss, you want me to send those Semper Fi kids home?" asked Tony.

"Nope, let's get this over with. DiNozzo, you're with me. Abby, Tim, get your reports done, and then head home. I don't wanna see you till Monday either. "

Cut Away to conference room. Long shot of Gibbs, Tony and David Lindsey, sitting on the conference table. Each have a leg propped on a chair seat, that had been previously occupied by Ethan, Ben, and Jarrod, leaders of the Semper Fi gang. Each adult has a child tipped over his raised knee.

"On my mark, fellas," said Gibbs, his hand raised preciously over Ben's upturned backside.

"Hey, shouldn't you make sure we know what we did wrong?" asked Ben.

"Nope, ONE!"

"OW!" all three boys chorused.

"TWO! You know why you are here, and I know you know. Don't want to hear your excuses!" said Gibbs.

"OW! OW! OW!"

"And THREE!" announced David Lindsey. "You understood the consequences and the risks," he added, with Ethan trying to squirm his way off his father's knee.

"OW! OW! OW!"

"FOUR! Besides, Boys, you're taking one for the team, right. You're the leaders, that's what guys do for each other," chuckled Tony, glad to be in on this take down. These kids had been trying to put one over them from the first time he'd meet them. Besides, it was probably good therapy for him, getting close to ankle biters; hitting his phobia head on; well butt on. Literally. "FIVE!" he counted.

"OW! OW!" yelped Ben and Jarrod.

"YIKES! I'm not the leader, I was only following orders," cried Ethan.

"That's true, Gibbs, I was the leader." Ben then tried to explain.

"And me!" yelled Jarrod, trying to raise his face and aim his indignant expression at Ben. However, Tony had his butt high in the air and his head low, making it too big a task.

"SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT!" rounded off Gibbs. "You want, we can forgo the punitive measures, just log an official report, impeding an investigation. NINE! Close down the Semper Fi Gang's headquarters. TEN! That means no tree house and no Semper Fi Gang. ELEVEN!"

"OW! OW!" screeched Jarrod and Ethan.

"OW! No, Gibbs, please, we'll take your extra punitive measures. Right fellas?" asked Ben.

"OW! Yeah," said Jarrod.

"TWELVE!"

"OW! Shit! No, I won't," said Ethan, "besides we weren't the only ones, and we helped with the case, didn't we?"

"THIRTEEN! Language, Ethan! And don't worry about anyone else, son. Jess will be getting a serve tomorrow morning. And Tom and Sam, well once their parents find out, I'm sure they'll be sporting sore backsides as well," threatened David.

"FOURTEEN! And Marley," announced Gibbs, as he dropped Ben to the floor. Tony and David followed suit with Jarrod and Ethan.

The three boys looked a little relieved, as they rubbed at the seat of their jeans. It was short lived however, as the men stood up in front of them and towered over them with their arms crossed, fixing each child with a glare that would melt ice.

"HEY!" bellowed Gibbs. "Eyes front, hands down! You have any idea how dangerous you being at that house was?"

All three boys shook their heads.

"There were over ten military agents there, WITH GUNS!" he yelled. "Watching for anything, or anyone suspicious. We were all lucky there wasn't any fire, any shots going. YOU WERE LUCKY! Now drop em'!" ordered Gibbs.

"HUH?" all three boys questioned in unison.

"Your trousers, Boys, drop them," explained David.

"Dad?"

"All of you, now! Gibbs, this one's yours, the NCIS special agent extra punitive action," endorsed, the fire chief ,David Lindsey.

Gibbs nodded at David Lindsey's approval as he pulled his belt through the loops of his pants. All three boys stared frozen on the spot. "If I have to ask again, Marines, I'll be adding extra!"

Ben was the first to move. Resigned to his fate, he recalled the warning threat Gibbs had made regarding the consequences of any further interference in the case of Patrick Devlin.

Gibbs folded the belt in half and tucked Ben under his left arm and to his side, letting him place his hands on the conference table. He held him around the waist firmly and applied two hard and fast slaps with his leather belt to Ben's boxer clad backside. Gibbs then let Ben up and pulled Jarrod towards him. He held him the same position as he did Ben, before applying the same number of slaps to a very embarrassed and tearful boy.

Once Jarrod was standing, Ethan paled. He fumbled with his jeans, finally relenting and figuring that he was as in this as much as the others. Only problem was, his hands didn't agree with him, and he was struggling to undo the top button of his pants.

Gibbs waited patiently for him, feeling for the kid, some. Finally the button popped and Gibbs pulled him in, again giving the child time to brace his hands on the table top. He pulled Ethan's jeans down far enough to expose his cotton clad backside, and then laid down the two prescribed wallops with his belt.

Gibbs stood Ethan up and placed him beside his sniffling and bunny, I've just been walloped, hopping comrades, as he threaded his belt back through his cargo pants. "You boys get home. Operation Secret Squirrel and Cinderella Liberty is cancelled. Any further missions you got going in your brain buckets are also terminated, as of now. Once your community service is done you all will be doing boot camp with me and my team.

"Boss; all of us?" frowned Tony.

" All of us; Got it!" shouted Gibbs.

"Yes sir," grizzled and snivelled Jarrod, Ethan and Tony.

"Wilco,; Yes, Sir," saluted Ben.

Cross fade to white and fade in from to mid- shot of Jackson Gibb's living room. Marley is coming down the stairs rubbing sleepy eyes. She is dressed in a long T-shirt and boxer shorts. It is mid-morning.

Neither Marley or Gibbs spoke as Marley descended the stairs into Jackson's small living room. Gibbs held the newspaper he was reading high as he occasionally sipped on a tall homemade instant coffee. Marley knew he was watching her as she walked sleepily down the stairs. Gibbs had x-ray vision and eyes in the back of his head, all of the above that every kid dreaded. Still she didn't hesitate. Fact was it was good to see him, and he was in his childhood home, not NCIS headquarters. His job and role were nowhere in sight. Marley quietly crossed the room, sat down next to Gibbs on the sofa, dipped her head under the spreadsheet he held in his hands, and snuggled up to him.

Gibbs raised one arm slightly, so Marley could snuggle closer into his chest and kept reading the newspaper over the top of his glasses at the same time. Finally, after the silence of a warm and comfortable minute, he folded the paper and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. He picked up the steaming coffee and took a generous mouthful, then swallowed. "You had a good sleep?" he asked.

"Yeah, I needed it. What time did you and Mom get here?" asked Marley.

"Around seven."

"Gee, you must have gotten up real early."

"Yup. You had Gill worried."

"But, not you, right?"

"A little, but more annoyed."

"You weren't worried, but annoyed?"

"That's not what I said. I know how you figured all this out. I know why you felt you should interfere, and I know you're pretty good at looking after yourself, but…"

"There's always a 'but' with you," groused Marley.

"Careful kid, you're on some pretty serious charges here," warned Gibbs.

Marley sighed, "Okay give me the but!"

"No, you give it to me. Why am I annoyed?" asked Gibbs, as he looked over the rim of his glasses still perched on the edge of his nose.

"Because... I interfered with the case, even though I helped."

"We would have gotten there…we were well aware of all the evidence. So yes, that one of the reasons I'm annoyed. You were specifically ordered not to interfere and?"

"I put myself in a dangerous situation."

"Not just one…"

"So I'm in deep, shi… poo," interrupted Marley.

"Yup, there's one more thing."

"Huh? What, danger, disobeying a direct order... Oh... lying."

"That ,too. Marley, how did you get the money for the phones? You also had supplies, food, a back pack. You couldn't have had more than twenty dollars on you."

"Maybe Lilith bought me some things," offered Marley, though not convincingly.

"She did, but they are still in her car."

"You know don't you. I bet Tim figured it out."

"Yup. That's the second time you've hacked into your trust account. The first was when you bought all those presents..."

Marley jumped sideways and gave Gibbs a plea. "No, Uncle Nic said I could get you all something. He agreed."

"To most of it, yes, and we let it slide, with Uncle Nic's permission. But, Tim changed the password after that and put a little alert thingy on the account. When it got used it sent him a message."

Marley blushed, she'd been caught and knew her hacking days were most likely over. "He's real clever, Tim. You know you should let him do more field work. I bet he hates being behind the desk so much."

"The white collar crime, little lady, is a concern. But, you were also told what that fund was to be used for, and if you wanted anything special, you ask. Like a car, when you're older, but..."

"Yeah? A car, can I have a Jeep wrangler JK -8 Independent? A yellow one with..."

"No, quit stalling!" Gibbs grabbed Marley by the hand and guided her up the stairs.

"What about the case, Gibbs? You haven't filled me in on the case..." she rambled as she was pulled along. " And the Semper Fi Gang, they helped. They should know how it all turned out."

"They know, and I've also had a discussion with them. Now it's your turn, Cinderella," said Gibbs as he lead Marley into the guest room and sat down on the bed.

"Cinderella Liberty, you got to admit it, Gibbs , that was a good name. Dad, really I'm sorry I worried you and I will never, I mean never... Dad, no wait I mean it," yelled Marley as Gibbs hauled her over his knees, and then landed a powerful swat to her backside.

"Ouchhhh! Dad, I'm..."

SWAT! Gibbs landed another one. Marley yelped and started kicking as Gibbs pulled her in tighter and added another particularly nasty stinger to her upturned bottom. "Stop your kicking, and your excuses." SWAT! "When I'm finished, then you can make your promises, promises I know you will keep." SWAT! "Because, this is going to be a spanking that you will not soon forget." SWAT.

"Ow, Ow, Owwwweee, Dad, I'm sorry."

SWAT. SWAT. "I know you are! Just like last time." SWAT. SWAT. SWAT.

Marley continued to kick and wriggle, without causing too much hindrance to Gibbs's swinging arm and large palm that flattened her butt. After two more swats he stood her up between his legs and held on to her waist as she cried.

"Okay, corner time now, and I want you to think about the disobedience, the hacking into your account, and the lying. Then we are going to have another talk about putting yourself in danger."

"Noooo, My... bottom's on ...fire, Dad. I ...wasn't in bad...danger. How was I in danger?" she sniffled.

"Tricking Lilith into taking you the house, where there were suspected murderers, terrorists and armed officers. Running off and hitching a three hour bus ride...

"They were kids on... the bus," said Marley, wiping the tears from her eyes. " t's not like I drove myself, which I could have, if..."

"And rowing yourself across nearly two miles of lake in the dark without a life jacket. Turning up at a strange person's house. What if you had gotten the wrong place? What if Dad wasn't home? What if someone grabbed you off the dark street before you even got to the shop? Marley, you are twelve. Twelve year olds are children, not mini adults. They think they are, but they are not. You are not. You are a child. You need to learn, you need to obey us, your guardians, your parents, who know how to keep you safe. We've been through this all before. Now, what was my warning when you put yourself in danger the last time?"

Marley scrubbed at her eyes, and shook her head.

"Marley?" he asked again before handing her a handkerchief.

Marley blew her nose, then looked at Gibbs. "You said I wouldn't sit down for a week, and get I'd my bare bottom spanked again."

"So you do remember. You didn't think of that when you made all those poor choices yesterday?"

"I guess I thought you wouldn't be so mean," she pouted handing back the now drenched handkerchief.

"Mean, really? I think you thought I would think that you were just too cute," he smirked.

"Yeah, maybe that, too. I didn't think I was in danger."

"You never do. But, you will remember from now on, even if you are cute. Corner for five minutes. Think about why I'm going through with this, and how you could have ended up in worse trouble than just getting a spanking."

Marley wiped the last of her tears and found a corner to stand in, all the while starting to regret her decisions. She trusted Gibbs more than anybody she had ever trusted before, even her Uncle Nic. And worse thing was, she kept letting Gibbs down. She started crying again, long before her five minutes were up.

Gibbs read the signs. "Come here, Knucklehead."

Marley ran and threw herself in his arms."I'm sorry, Gibbs," she sobbed.

"Hey! What happened to calling me Dad? Shh, stop with the tears, talk to me." Gibbs wiped the fresh tears from her cheeks and waited.

"Dad. I get scared that's not going to be case, you being my dad. That someone like Lilith and Angus, or some nosy busy body from children's service s is going to take me away."

"No one's..."

"I know, I know that, but I just wanted Lilith to go away. Once Patricks murderer was found, then she would. She's nice, but I don't want..."

"They aren't going to apply for custody, ever. Gill's going to explain some things later, things about Angus and things that Lilith wants you to know. Both of them were worried about you. You may have given us a reason to gather the solid evidence. But, you not only put yourself in danger, you being missing kept Angus from making his statement. He believed Lau Quing had abducted you. They just wanted you safe."

"I didn't mean that happen and I'm sorry I worried them, too," she said sincerely.

"You can tell them that. We are all going to Patrick's service together on Tuesday."

Marley snapped her head up, worry etched on her face as she bit her lip.

"Then, you, Gill and I are all going home together on Tuesday night. No more worrying about that."

"I really like being with you guys. Gill and you like being with each other and me. I like the team, and feel I am part of it. I like being a kid. I do dumb kid things, so I must be getting better at being more like a kid. I'm sorry for scaring you and disobeying you. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry I don't want to be with Lilith. I know it hurts her, but I'm just scared. I love you guys, I feel safe with all of you. I guess that's why I don't think I'm ever in danger."

"Okay, Kid, good answer." With that Gibbs put her across his lap again, lifted the oversized t-shirt and pulled her boxers down.

"Hey, I thought it was a good answer?" yelped Marley craning her head and scowling at Gibbs, as the cool air hit her bottom.

SWAT. "It was. You'll remember it, I'll remember it, and you'll remember that dad always follows through on a promise. Hopefully, now you'll keep yours." SWAT.

Gibbs continued to pepper Marley's bare backside with quick sharp paddles until her cheeks were rosy red and hot. She lay crying for some time over his lap. Gibbs replaced the tail of her t-Shirt and rubbed slow circles over her back as she calmed. He then stood Marley up on her feet again and let her drag her boxers carefully up, before pulling her to sit on his lap.

Marley winched when Gibbs first positioned her, then buried her head in the crook of his shoulder. "I won'tpft sift down por a monfth," she grumbled incoherently into his chest, as she wiped her tears and runny nose on his shirt.

"We'll see. More like a couple of hours. But, then tomorrow night, before bed, you'll be getting another reminder.

"Oh, CRAPFT!" she growled.

Gibbs chuckled then pushed Marley back and kissed her forehead. "Now, go see your mom. Gill's already seen you, but you need to go see her."

" I know, I felt her come in when I was sleeping in this morning, but I was pretty dopey. She kissed me while I was sleeping, right"

"Right," affirmed Gibbs.

"Where is she?"

"In the shop with Dad. She's fixing some sandwiches for lunch."

Tears almost forgotten, Marley grinned from ear to ear. "Oh, good, so what does Jackson think of her?"

"Dunno."

"I'll ask him. He said you never bought any of your other wives to meet him, just Shannon, but no other girlfriends or wives. So this is good, right? You brought Gill to see him."

"I brought Gill to get you. I don't care what Dad thinks about Gill. It's what I think."

"Oh, you do too care," smirked Marley, nudging Gibbs with her forehead as she still sat on his lap.

"Get going, cupid. Give your mom a hug, and no more scaring the crap out of her." said Gibbs, slapping Marley's thigh.

FREEZE FRAME: Cut, to mid shot, profiles of Marley and Gibbs. She is on Gibbs's knee, her face screwed up and her tongue poking out in a playful scowl while Gibbs is chuckling. Convert Black and White CUT.

TBC Chapter 14: Epilogue; Belles of The Ball.

A.N. Okay back from OS and the promised post before Jet Lag sets in. A big shout out to Harliquinn for the edit and the thumbs up on the resolutions. We've also 'nutted' out a new story. This one; FF4, has at least one more chapter, maybe two. Sorry they just keep getting longer.