See Chapter 1 for all warnings and disclaimers. I do not own anything affiliated with Magnum P.I. or John Wayne.

Also, I wanted to thank everyone for the reviews, favorites, and followings. I also want to thank the guests here because I cannot thank you personally.

Warning: There will be talk of spanking and spanking in this chapter.

"Night Dad." Aimee whispered half asleep.

Gibbs smiled. "She'll probably be embarrassed when she realizes she said that, but maybe she is beginning to accept the situation." Gibbs thought as he turned off the light not looking forward to the conversation they were going to have about her going to the park at 2:00 in the morning.

Chapter 12

Aimee woke up the next morning a little groggy. She looked at the clock and realized it was 10:00 a.m. She started to get out of bed and then remembered the night before. Dread washed over her because she knew Gibbs would not be a happy camper this morning because of her late night field trip to the local park. She was also escorted home by a police officer. These things did not bode well for her. In essence, she had put herself in danger.

"Oh no!" This was all she could think. "I put myself in danger." Then the embarrassment set in that she had called Gibbs 'dad' and that she'd have to face him sooner or later.

When she finally made it downstairs, Gibbs was at the table reading his newspaper and drinking coffee. "I have brunch warming in the oven. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, Sir. I slept well. Where's Tony?"

Gibbs wanted to chuckle at the 'Sir,' but didn't. "Tony is spending the day with Tim."

Aimee ate in silence while fidgeting a little in her chair.

"Something wrong?" Gibbs knew but wanted to let Aimee feel the discomfort of a minor interrogation. He wanted her to think next time before she put herself in danger by going out at night. He needed her to think like a teenager and not an adult when it came to the way she looked and her safety. It wasn't safe for a young woman to be out at that time either.

"No, Sir."

"Really, I would think that you may be a little uncomfortable with the fact that I am not happy with the danger you put yourself in last night and that you were brought home by a police officer. Anyone could have found you out there and I wouldn't have known you were even gone." The anger and fear began welling up inside of Gibbs and it was starting to show.

Aimee showed signs of remorse while Gibbs was speaking. "I'm sorry." Aimee whispered her response while looking at her plate. She had lost her appetite.

"Finish eating and meet me in the basement in fifteen." Gibbs put his mug in the sink and went into the basement.

Aimee finished her breakfast reluctantly and cleared her dishes. She knew Gibbs would not allow her to skip eating and she stalled as long as she could with the dishes.

Aimee made her way down the basement stairs to find Gibbs in the middle of a woodworking project. He had cut a paddle out of a piece of wood and was in the process of sanding it. She could also see the boat he was working on. Aimee knew she was in for it when she eyed the paddle. She had hoped that the sanding she was hearing was the work on the boat. Wishful thinking. All she could do was stare in silence while Gibbs worked on the paddle.

When Gibbs finished his project, he sat on a stool and motioned Aimee over with his finger.

After Aimee reached Gibbs, he spoke.

"Do we really need to go over what you did wrong?"

"No, Sir."

"Tell me anyway."

"I left the house in the middle of the night without telling you and ended up in a park where someone could have harmed me. I put myself in danger. A policeman had to bring me home. If something would have happened to me, you wouldn't have known that I had even left the house."

"Good. What else did you do wrong?"

Aimee thought for a while and could not think of anything else. After all, what she did was bad enough.

"I'm not sure." Then it dawned on Aimee. "Oh, I called you 'Dad' last night. I'm sorry."

Gibbs' heart broke for Aimee. It was unreal that she thought she had to apologize for that.

Gibbs stood from the stool and pulled Aimee into a hug. "Don't ever apologize for calling me 'Dad' because that was an honor. I am glad you did."

"Really?"

"Really. You know I lost my little girl years ago and I would be honored to call you my daughter. Once again you are not replacing her. You are you."

Aimee had tears in her eyes when Gibbs confessed that.

"You need to understand that you can call me Dad all day long, but I take fatherhood very seriously. I protect my own and I expect them to talk to me. Your mistake was not talking and then leaving the house at night without permission."

"Let's get this over with." Gibbs sat back on the stool and pulled Aimee over his knee. Aimee was wearing wind pants, so there wasn't much protection. Gibbs began with his hand.

After many swats and much tears, Gibbs began using the paddle. At first Aimee protested the paddle, but Gibbs continued. He had to make an impression.

"Don't put yourself in danger. You are too precious to me to lose you!"

Aimee cried harder here. She had never heard that from a father-figure.

"You need to believe that you are precious and never say you are sorry for calling me your dad."

To Aimee the swats with the paddle felt like fifty, but in reality there were five. Gibbs knew she'd feel them adequately enough after the hand spanking he gave her first. He then began rubbing her back.

Gibbs let her up and then pulled her into a hug. Aimee no longer fought the comfort. She had learned a long time ago to let Gibbs do this. He wouldn't have it any other way and neither would Aimee at this point in time.

"You said I was precious. I am not used to hearing that."

"I know, but you are."

"Thanks. No, not for the spanking."

They both laughed.

"Thanks for caring."

"You got it. All forgiven. Moving on. What do you want to do now?"

"Nothing I have to sit for."

"Help me sand. With the grain."

Gibbs and Aimee sanded in silence for a while. The sound of sanding was comforting. Aimee knew that all was well again and had such a burden lifted now that Gibbs had given his brand of discipline.

Aimee had fallen asleep on the cot that Gibbs kept in the basement. The sounds of sanding had finally lulled her to sleep. Gibbs' presence gave her a sense of safety that she had not known since she was very young. She was finally relaxing and letting someone else be in charge.

The next morning Aimee woke a little sore, but happy and in peace. She felt completely and wholly loved for the first time in her life. All was well at last. Nevertheless, she could not help but wonder when it would fall apart. Of course, she couldn't let Gibbs know those thoughts because he wouldn't be too happy with her. She chuckled and called to Gibbs in the basement. "I'm going to get the paper."

"Alright."

Aimee went out to get the newspaper as she so often did and saw a toddler out on the sidewalk. She then observed the fact that there was no adult with the child. Aimee walked out on the sidewalk and called out to the child. The toddler had been playing with a ball. The ball rolled out in the street and the toddler went out to get it. Aimee noticed the car coming and pushed the child out of the way only to get hit by the car.

"Aimee. Aimee. Can you hear me?"

Aimee woke to find herself in a hospital bed.

The doctor attending Aimee began checking her over.

When Aimee was able to focus well she realized that she could see people around her, but they were not the familiar family she had become accustomed to. They were her 'old' family and she was an adult.

She was happy to be home, but missed her other 'home' that she had come to love. It was where she felt peace and safety. It was where she didn't have to be in charge.

After a few more days in the hospital and many more tests, Aimee was finally released. The whole time she was in the hospital everyone could see she was fine, but there was something off about her. When asked, she said she was fine. No one had to know that she had been silly enough to believe that she had lived with the great Leroy Jethro Gibbs. It was all because of the coma she had been in because of a car accident. She later found out that she had only been in the coma for three weeks. She had lived with Gibbs for months.

All she could do now was remember the safety of the life she had with him even though it was coma induced.

After she had been home for a few days, she began going through her purse in an effort to begin putting her 'real' life back together. This is when she came upon a small box inside her purse. When she opened it, Aimee found the same chocolate diamond ring that Gibbs had bought her during the coma.

"I'm dreaming. No way is this possible." She asked her mom where she had gotten the ring. When her mom relayed that she had never seen the ring, Aimee decided to visit the doctor who had promised to help her get through the trauma of coming out of a coma. Surely she had to be going crazy.

Of course the doctor tried to reassure Aimee that it was a ring that she had simply forgotten about. Aimee was having none of it. "I would have never bought myself a ring like this. It is too expensive. No one bought this for me before the coma."

"I can't explain it any other way for you."

With that said, Aimee broke down. Her sobs came from deep inside her. She was broken. It was obvious that she was grieving a horrible loss.

"You had better move out of my way!" Aimee heard a familiar growl. "Aimee, it's me. Stop. You'll make yourself sick." Aimee could hear the voice, but nothing seemed real anymore. Of course, Gibbs sat on the floor with Aimee, had her in his lap, and was holding her tightly.

"Young lady, I said enough!" That snapped Aimee out of her sobbing. "Gibbs? What is going on? I thought I was losing my mind."

"Gibbs, huh? I thought I was about to have to turn you over my knee for this tantrum you were throwing."

When Aimee looked into Gibbs' eyes in surprise all she saw was love, concern, and fear. She knew he didn't really mean he'd spank her.

"Let's get you in a more comfortable place so we can all talk." The doctor thought getting everyone to sit in chairs would help.

"Noooo!" Aimee did not want to move out of Gibbs' lap even if it meant they had to sit on the floor. By this point, Ducky had also walked in. Ducky made a motion to the other doctor. The doctor understood that it was best to wait.

After a few more moments and a lot of hugging Aimee tightly, Gibbs spoke. "Would you mind if we move to the couch? These old bones are not what they used to be."

Aimee smiled and moved to the couch with Gibbs. "I am sorry. I must look silly as an adult right now. I don't understand. I am so confused."

"Don't apologize. I'll explain. When you got hit by the car saving that toddler... Yes the child is fine... we rushed you to the hospital. In the hospital, we weren't sure you'd make it at times. Your mom and son never left your side, but were so worried. We all were. During your stay, the growth antidote was perfected and as your guardian I made the decision to give it to you. We had heard that in your condition you may benefit from the change back into adulthood. Tony wanted to take the antidote with you. He stayed with you while the change happened."

"Hey Sis." Tony had come into the room while Gibbs was explaining. He was standing with his white teeth flashing everyone.

"Tony!" Aimee held out her arms and Tony bent over to hug her. "My partner in crime. How does it feel to be an adult again?"

Tony leaned over and whispered conspiratorially that he never really grew up anyway and that they could still get in trouble together. Of course he was just trying to get a laugh out of Aimee.

"I can still deal with the two of you at any age." Gibbs had to add his own brand of comment.

Aimee blushed and Tony's eyes widened.

"We wouldn't have it any other way." Aimee hugged Gibbs again. Everyone laughed.

A few minutes later, the door opened again and Michael came in and hugged his mom. "Mom, we are glad you are back. We just couldn't say anything yet. They wanted you to recover before anything else was said." Aimee's son looked guilty.

"And don't blame him. This is what the orders were." Aimee blushed again. Gibbs was protecting her son and mom from any repercussions. "Once you were settled back into your life, we were going to explain. We just let you believe that you were in a coma all this time. After all, you were in a coma for a few days after you pushed the toddler out of the way of the car." Gibbs' eyebrow lifted again.

Aimee blushed and begged with her eyes for Gibbs not to say anything about his feelings about that incident until they were alone. Gibbs caught the look and restrained himself.

"I know that you and your grandmother were doing what you were told to do. It's okay. I understand what it is like to be under the orders of Agent Gibbs. I don't blame you." Anyone who knew Aimee knew that she had expressed sarcasm and that this conversation with Gibbs was not over. "I would have been perfectly capable of handling this news. I am not that fragile." Aimee was starting to get angry that she wasn't trusted to recover with the full news and all her frustrations were directed at Gibbs.

"Doctor, anything to add?"

"No, Agent Gibbs. I think you have this covered."

"Ducky?"

"No my Boy, I must agree with the doctor."

"Alright would everyone excuse us? Doctor, do you mind if Aimee and I use your office to finish this discussion?"

"I have rounds to perform. That would be fine." The doctor left the office.

"Let's all meet at my house for dinner around 6. Tony, round the team up for me. Mrs. Smith and Michael will you be there to help us celebrate?"

"We'll be there. See you tonight Aimee. Later Mom."

Aimee smiled nervously at her mom and son and nodded.

After everyone left, Gibbs looked over at Aimee. "Why do you seem nervous?"

Aimee blushed.

"Afraid I'll spank you for the tantrum you just had and the sarcasm you displayed?"

Aimee looked down at her hands in her lap.

"Well, do you deserve it?"

"I'm an adult again Gibbs. Those times are gone."

"You don't think I am capable of showing you the error of your ways at your age? You didn't answer the question."

"Well, I'm sure you could. I just didn't believe you would. I just figured you'd want to cut all of this off since I am an adult now I guess I'd deserve it."

"I became 'Dad' to you before you became an adult again. I am still 'Dad' and all the responsibilities that go with it." Gibbs said the word 'all' with emphasis. "So, you were rude a while ago because you thought I was giving up on our arrangement just because you are an adult again?"

"Yes." Aimee had the decency to appear embarrassed.

"Didn't I tell you to talk to me when you were unsure?"

"Yes."

Gibbs pulled Aimee across his knee and gave her a five swats. Those swats hurt, but the spanking was over almost before it started.

"Before you ask, I went easier on you because of the trauma you have been through. Don't take it for a habit."

Aimee smiled and hugged Gibbs. "I'm glad you aren't giving up on me Dad."

"Never. You are stuck with me." Gibbs smirked.

"That's fine with me."

Everyone met at Gibbs' house for a celebration of Aimee's recovery and for both her and Tony's growth back into adulthood.

"So how bad was it with the boss this afternoon?" Tony wanted to know that Aimee was alright and had pulled her aside for a talk.

"Oh, it was fine. He actually went pretty easy on me. By the way, he isn't giving up on his corrective measures even though we are adults."

"What do you mean, 'we'? You got a mouse in your pocket?" Tony was hoping he hadn't understood what he thought Aimee was saying.

"Nope. No mouse. Just you and Aimee." Tony's eyes widened at the sudden interruption of Gibbs.

"You are kidding, Boss."

"Do I kid often, Tony?"

"No, Boss."

"Just don't make me prove myself. Let's join the rest of the crowd. Can't celebrate without the two of you."

Aimee moved back home and resumed her life with her son and mother. She went back to work. She did not get an explanation as to why she was in Gibbs' world now, but didn't care. She also did not explain to Gibbs about being in this world. All was well now. She had her family that now included the team. This arrangement now included that father-figure that she always wanted. Gibbs would love her unconditionally and would be there for her son and mom. She was also held accountable for taking care of herself and never had to do things on her own again. Oh, she tried at times, but not without consequences and that was alright with her.

The End?...

I am ending the story here for now. I am not sure if I will come back to it. Who knows if Aimee's story will continue from here, but she is truly happy at this point. It would be wonderful if we could all have those fairy tale happy endings, but real life isn't always so. I guess we just have to count our blessings for what we do have and live our lives to the best of our ability. : )

I am still working on Andi and How Will We Fare. Andi will be up sooner than How Will We Fare though. Thanks for your patience, support, and reviews!