Accountability

Summary: Gibbs and Tony need to have a little chat about evidence. Warning: spanking of adults. Don't like? Don't read!

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just play with them.

A/N: This is part of my 'Lessons' series and builds on a larger plot arc. The story here should make sense on its own, though.

Warning: This story contains the disciplinary spanking of adults. If you have a problem with that, click on that 'back' button now. You've been warned.

'...so there's nothing to suggest that Sgt. Cooper didn't kill his wife and then shoot himself, and with the PTSD diagnosis, that's not totally out of the question. I'm still running that fingerprint we couldn't identify, but I don't think it's going to change anything. It was on a coffee table, after all, so it's probably just a neighbour that Mrs. Cooper had over for, you know... coffee.'

Abby finally ran out of breath, and Gibbs was able to ask the question that he'd called down to the lab about in the first place.

'And those symbols on the bathroom wall – what did they mean?'

'Uh... what symbols?'

'In those photos that DiNozzo brought down to you...'

'Tony didn't bring me any photos...'

'Are you sure?'

'Of course I'm sure! I'd remember if Tony brought me photos. Especially if there were weird unidentified mystery symbols in any of them!'

'Ok.'

As usual, Gibbs hung up without saying goodbye.

'DiNozzo!'

'Yeah, Boss?'

'I thought I told you to get those photos down to Abby?'

'I did, Boss!'

'She just told me you didn't!'

'What? I mean, I didn't bring them down personally – Jardine was going anyway, with those evidence bags this morning, so I just gave the memory stick to her to bring down...'

Tony trailed off as Gibbs turned around, seeking out the woman in question. With Tim away visiting his parents, Nikki Jardine was temporarily assigned to Gibbs's team, getting some field experience that Acting Director Vance thought that she needed. Gibbs wasn't sure what had happened between her and DiNozzo in Iraq, but there was definitely some unexplained tension between those two.

Not seeing her at the desk she'd been using, Gibbs sighed and sat back to wait for her to get back from what was probably yet another hand-washing foray into the ladies' room. A few minutes later, she finally appeared.

'Jardine!'

'Yes, Sir?'

Gibbs glared at her, annoyed that he still hadn't completely broken her of that habit.

'Did you bring a memory card with the crime scene photos down to Abby this morning?'

'No, Sir. I didn't take any photos...'

'Boss, I...'

Gibbs silenced Tony with a glare.

'DiNozzo didn't ask you to bring it with you, when you dropped off the box of evidence?'

She glanced quickly at Tony but her eyes were steady on Gibbs when she answered firmly, 'No Sir.'

'What? Jardine! What the hell? Boss, I swear...'

Gibbs glared at her for a long moment, but she didn't waiver. Finally, he dismissed her with an abrupt jerk of his head. She calmly returned to her desk and started typing at her computer, presumably working on her report.

His eyes narrowed dangerously, Gibbs walked slowly over to his senior agent's desk. Tony was looking up at him frantically. He squawked slightly in protest when Gibbs hauled open his desk drawers and flicked casually through the detritus collected there. By the time he started checking under the disorderly piles of paper that littered the surface of his desk, he was merely glaring mutinously. Gibbs ignored his displeasure and rolled him effortlessly out of his way as he worked his way across the untidy desk. Finally lifting up the keyboard, he revealed a small gadget underneath it, sheltered by the short legs of the keyboard and seemingly unharmed.

Gibbs glared over his shoulder, his blue eyes icy.

'Conference room! NOW!'