A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this up - I just forgot. This is the conclusion of Rule 51. It may be a while before I add another story to this 'verse since I have a bunch of other WIPs.

Eventually Gibbs managed to get everyone together in the bullpen. The whole team could tell that he was truly worried since he paced back and forth while he spoke.

"We've got a problem. The FBI is jealous of our solve rate and thinks they smell a rat. As of right now they have no idea of our *real* methods, maybe they just think we're cutting legal corners, but they will be watching us," he said as he looked around to see if everyone was paying attention and saw that Ziva was cleaning her nails with her knife. "Ziva," he barked, "this is important."

"I don't see what it has to do with me. They can look all they want but they won't see me unless I want them to," she said in a bored tone.

"Don't you understand - it could be as simple as them seeing your car but not you and then, without warning, there you are. The more suspicious they get, the closer they'll look until eventually they catch you in the act." Gibbs turned from Ziva and addressed the team as a whole. "If they ever ... ever ... get any inkling of what we can do, we can kiss our lives as we know them goodbye. Just imagine what the DOD or NSA could do with our talents. So unless you want to spend the rest of your lives as lab rats, you need to be very careful."

"How am I a problem?" asked Abby, "They can't get into the lab without permission so I'm not in any danger."

"You still need to make sure that anything you discover can be backed up by *normal* science. One whiff of anything hinky and the Feebs will be on us with a microscope. Until further notice, none of you are going to use your powers on a case without my express permission."

"But Gibbs, how are we going to solve the cases?" asked McGee.

"The same way everyone else does. Superpowers or not, we are still the best investigative team around and we're gonna prove it."

"Hey, Gibbs," said Tony with a big grin,"I think this calls for another rule."

"Huh?"

"Well, there's rule thirteen: 'never involve a lawyer' but I think we need another for this situation. Number fifty-one: 'Keep the FBI out of it'"

Even Gibbs smiled. Leave it to Tony to lighten even the worst situation.

Everything ran smoothly for a few days. The team actually enjoyed flexing their long unused investigative skills and when it was necessary, and only after Gibbs scanned the area, they did occasionally put their powers to use. Tony made a quick run to grab some evidence for a court order, which allowed Ziva to sneak in invisibly to plant a bug. McGee still explored the inner workings of various computer networks but they were careful not to disclose anything that could not be obtained by superior hacking skills. Abby used her X-ray vision on a regular basis but now she also performed the actual experiments as backups. No one really worried about Ducky since Gibbs had declared that his talent was so strange that even if someone walked into FBI headquarters and testified to it the only thing it would net them was a psych eval. Gibbs, of course, went right on reading minds but he was even more taciturn than usual as he guarded his conversation to prevent any awkward leakages.

Unfortunately, their efforts were for nought. Finding nothing, the FBI just looked harder. When the field yielded no clues, the Feebs started paying regular visits to the Navy Yard. Gibbs wasn't sure whether or not he was happy that they hadn't sent Fornell. On the one hand, Fornell shared his dislike for the tactics of the higher ups so Gibbs would stand a chance of persuading him to keep any small finds under wraps. On the other hand, he was also a clever investigator and one look inside the mind of the bozo they did send told Gibbs that he wouldn't recognize a superpower even if it walked up and introduced itself.

One day it almost came to just that.

Whenever the senior FBI agent was in NCIS headquarters, Gibbs sent a feeler into his brain. Unfortunately the guy had one of the most annoying trains of thought Gibbs had ever encountered. Porn, lunch, more porn, his car, porn in his car ... it was never ending. And it wasn't even good porn. If Gibbs had to listen to him imagine some blonde (brunette, Asian, red head, Russian ...) bimbo saying, 'Oh John, you're so big I don't think I can take all of you,' one more time he thought he was going to lose his lunch. But then the guy's latest imaginary tryst was interrupted by a phone call.

"Agent Riggs here ........ You've got something? ........ Uh huh ........ Well, give me the details ........... He what? .........."

Then the agent moved over to the window and lowered his voice. Not that that was a problem for Gibbs. He couldn't read the mind of the agent calling in (his powers only worked clearly for a limited distance and were at their best if he could see his subject) but *listening* to the head guy was enough to let Gibbs know that they had narrowly dodged a bullet.

"So, you're telling me the guy just revved up and ran off in a blur ........ like the cartoon roadrunner, oh yeah, that makes so much more sense ......... You're not sure what you saw ........... Look, you idiot, I don't know what you were drinking last night but if you try to report drivel like this again you'll spend the next year chained to a desk."

Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief and started contemplating Tony's punishment.

It was late, and the bullpen was empty except for Gibbs, when Tony finally walked in that evening. He gave Gibbs a cheery hello but then stopped dead when he saw the scowl on his face.

"Do you realize you almost blew our cover today?'" he asked Tony in a flat voice.

"What? When? How do you know it was me?" protested Tony.

"Aside from the phone call Riggs got?" asked Gibbs rhetorically and pointed at a stain on Tony's shirt. "I can always tell when you eat on the run."

"Shit, no matter how careful I try to be, the sonic boom always knocks the cheese off the pizza."

Gibbs gave him his best death stare.

"Really boss, I had some errands to run at lunchtime and they took longer than I thought and, well, I have to eat, you know. I wasn't anywhere near the office or any of the case sites. I thought it would be safe."

"You didn't think. They're tailing us. Do you understand that? We have to be on our guard all the time and every place."

"I'm sorry boss, it won't happen again."

"No it won't. I'm gonna make sure of that," said Gibbs as he gestured Tony over to his desk and indicated that he should drop his pants.

"Please boss, not in the office."

"Oh yes, in the office."

Tony knew better than to object any more. He undid his belt and had started to lower his pants and shorts when a thought occurred to him. "Hey boss, you're sure Ziva went home, right?"

"Now DiNozzo!" was all the answer he got.

Tony sighed. Resistance was futile so he dropped trou' and braced himself on Gibbs' desk. Gibbs took a moment to admire Tony's beautifully rounded ass. The fact that he was going to enjoy this did not take away at all from the seriousness with which he intended this punishment. He raised his hand and ...

Thwack! Tony jumped a bit in surprise at the force of the blow.

Thwack! Gibbs could begin to see a slight flush on one side of his agents buttocks.

Thwack! Gibbs shifted position a bit to work on the other cheek.

Thwack! Tony made a small, painful squeak.

Thwack! "Ow!" Tony finally yelled in protest.

Gibbs paused and looked down at his lovers glowing behind. He couldn't help himself and reached down to caress the abused flesh. Tony moaned as Gibbs' hand smoothed across the skin he had so recently been torturing.

"Are you focusing properly now Tony?" asked Gibbs.

"Yes, boss," replied Tony in a somewhat shaky voice.

Gibbs smiled to himself and then turned his nails into Tony's ass and raked them none too gently across the tenderized flesh.

"Ow! You never said anything about scratching," protested Tony.

"And you didn't tell me you were picturing make-up sex."

"Well what did you expect me to do when you started petting my ass?"

Gibbs smiled. "Just one more for good measure."

Thwack!

Tony stood up gingerly and retrieved his pants, not even trying to hide the erection that his *punishment* had produced. "So," he said, "Can we go have that make -up sex now?"

"Yup."

Tony reached for Gibbs' hand, in a hurry to get his reward now that he had endured his spanking.

"Tony! Have you forgotten already?"

"Nnno boss," he stuttered, "I was gonna drive. Really." He grabbed the car keys off his desk.

Now it was Gibbs' turn to hold out his hand. Tony looked at him for a moment, confused as to what he wanted.

"The keys, DiNozzo. I'm gonna drive and you're gonna think about how some things are better when you do them ... SLOWLY."