Reckoning Time

Tony heard him enter and bolted from his bedroom to the landing, then jumped down the stairs to land with a flourish in the entry.

Gibbs smiled and pulled him over in a hug. "Hey, you, did you already eat supper?

Tony grinned and followed his dad into the kitchen. "I did. I saved you a slice of pizza, and the change from the twenty is on the counter. I will leave it right there in that spot where I put it, unless, of course, you would like me to take it."

His father couldn't help but laugh. "Go ahead and take it."

Tony snatched the money greedily and quickly shoved it into the pocket of his pants.

Gibbs started a fresh pot of coffee and pulled the remaining slice from the box. The fact that his child had consumed all but one piece of a large pizza did not surprise him. The boy could eat. Even as a toddler, he possessed a voracious appetite.

Tony gave his father a couple of minutes to unwind, then pounced.

"Dad, please don't make me suffer. What did my teachers say?" Tony yanked out a chair and sat down at the table, regarding his father nervously.

"Well, they all assured me that you had checked and double checked with them the past couple of days to determine what they would tell me about your behaviour."

"Good thinking, right? I wouldn't be a Jethro Gibbs son if I didn't know to anticipate." Tony licked his lips and grinned gleefully at his father.

"That it was. Anyway, you received rave reviews from your anatomy and physiology teacher. He said that while he'd been out those six weeks in September and October for surgery you actually taught the class at the substitute's request. He also told me you had done a superb job, and that students this semester have scored higher on those end of semester tests than they have ever done in his entire twenty year teaching career."

Tony jumped up and took a bow, then sat back down quickly and explained, "You know Ducky's been teaching me anatomy and physiology since I was a toddler, Dad. He used to put my booster seat in a chair and pull me up to the autopsy table."

Gibbs grinned. "I do know. I plan to share the teacher's comments with Ducky. He will be extremely proud. In addition, I heard roughly the same thing about your helping out the Spanish teacher's substitute."

"They all know I'm bilingual, Dad, and that my grandmother's Latina. The principal always sends me to help the subs," Tony elaborated.

"Your history teacher claims that she has never met a teen better mannered than you. To say that is impressive to me would be an understatement," Jethro relayed.

Tony responded jubilantly. "Touchdown! That one comment alone will earn me favours from Abuela my entire next visit. Make sure you share that with her, please, Dad."

Gibbs eyed him. "Don't you have any shame, Anthony?"

"No, I do not. I view this as an opportunity which has fallen into my lap, unexpected and unbidden. Sometimes Abuela proves stubborn about granting me permission for this or that. Someone complimenting my manners definitely will keep me in good graces with her, and I shall certainly milk that compliment. You know she views my manners as her crucial responsibility and duty in life." Tony smirked.

Jethro fell silent while he finished the last bite of pizza and swallowed a large gulp of coffee.

Impatient at the delay, Tony prodded him. "Daddy, don't stop there. What else did they tell you about my grades and my conduct?"

"Come here," Gibbs commanded, motioning him over to him. When Tony leaned towards him, he planted a kiss on his forehead.

The teen stepped back to regard his father seriously.

"Did you kiss me because you think you have the best son in the world, or did you kiss me 'cause you are going to give me a spanking later and you feel sorry for me?" Tony looked questioningly at his father.

"You are so silly." Gibbs pushed his chair back and continued the conference story. "I am satisfied with all of your grades, Tony. I want that Trig grade pulled up to an A, and your British Lit grade pulled up to an A, also, by report card time, though. However, other than those two, the rest of your marks are A's this year, and I am beyond proud of you. This is the grade report I have waited eleven years to see. You have outdone yourself this time, Son."

Tony genuinely looked pleased, and he smiled shyly at his father. "May I call Abuela and tell her that?"

Gibbs nodded, "Of course, but wait until later tonight. I want to finish talking to you first."

His son looked stricken and asked in a panicked voice. "Dad, did one of them say I'd been misbehaving in class?"

His father reassured him. "No, what they each relayed was that though you are too playful and spend too much time flirting with your female classmates, at no time are you ever disrespectful to them or of them."

Tony regarded him expectantly.

"We both know that disrespect ranks pretty high up on my list of what is going to earn you an unforgettable and unwelcome punishment."

"Dad, I am aware of that."

"I just wanted to point out the obvious. So, while they didn't hold you up as the exemplar of a well behaved student, they certainly had no real issues with your conduct." Jethro started to stretch, trying to alleviate a kink in his neck muscles.

"Then that means that everything sounds good, right?" Tony could barely contain his relief.

"Yes, I am more than pleased with what I heard tonight. You have made me very, very proud, Anthony."

Tony gave him a megawatt smile. "So, Daddy, now are you thinking about letting me go to the Springsteen concert?"

Jethro nodded his head. "Yes, actually, I am, and..."

"Please don't say no right now-" Tony interrupted, shutting his eyes in a squint.

"As I was trying to say, I believe you deserve to be handed a free night, an exception to the rules for one night. You earned it, Son. I am going to allow you to go to the concert."

Tony jumped out of his seat so fast in his excitement that he knocked over his chair. Grabbing his father he hugged him, then danced around the kitchen, swooping back to the table to right his chair.

Gibbs finally stopped laughing at his antics and said firmly, "Hey, get settled before you destroy the furniture."

Tony stopped twirling and answered simply, "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, Son. Now, go call your grandmamma and tell her about your good grades and your good teacher comments. Hearing all of that will make her night. Call me if she doesn't believe it and needs verification."

Tony bestowed another megawatt smile on his dad. "I will do that, my favourite father of all fathers in the whole, wide world. You know, tonight has turned into so much fun that I'm going to have to overcome my ingrained reluctance and start sending you to more parent conferences!"