Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo stepped out of the elevator and headed towards the bullpen in a lot better mood than an usual Monday morning. He considered his weekend well spent. He had watched three movies, met five beautiful women and the best of all, hadn't fallen sick. When he had left the office on Friday, there were approximately five to ten sick people. Today he noticed at least twenty.

It was a very nasty flu spreading around the NCIS office. Even though Ducky had a good medicine for it, some weaker ones had to stay home in sick. Somehow Tony had managed to escape the flu.

He was just remembering his amazing weekend when he reached the bullpen and heard a loud sneeze from McGee's desk and right after that a quieter one from his left. That caught him off his thoughts.

He could understand that McGee was sick. Probies always fell sick whenever there was an epidemic but... Ziva? She was never ill. She was like metal, she was... she was Ziva. Ziva just didn't fall sick. No disease was brave enough to make her sick.

But there she was, sneezing and snorting with a box of tissues on her desk. Even though Tony was glad to know that she was just a human after all, she wasn't the Ziva he was used see.

"Bless you both," he told them as a greeting and sat behind his desk.

"Morning, Tony."

The look in Ziva's eyes clearly told Tony, that even a single comment on her being sick would be a really bad decision.

"So, how was your weekend?" Tony unsuccessfully tried to keep their conversation.

"Nice and private," Ziva said in a conclusive tone. Tony understood she would not tell him more.

So, childish as he was, he decided to change the direction and start picking on McGee.

"So, Probie, how was your weekend? Caught up a little disease from somewhere?"

McGee gave him a displeased look.

"You think I'm gonna tell you?"

"I was hoping so. What did you do then that's such a secret?"

"What I did at the weekend is not a secret, Tony, it's just none of your business."

Tony didn't let the lack of his coworker's enthusiasm discourage him.

"You know, I could tell you about my weekend if you'd like to hear," he offered hopefully.

"No need to," Ziva broke in on their conversation. "I am pretty sure we both can imagine it quite well. Right, McGee?"

There was a slight clue in her last words which were meant to McGee. So slight that he almost missed it.

"Uh... yeah, I think so," McGee agreed before Tony could talk their ears off.

Ziva smiled contentedly and turned back to her partner.

"Lots of movies and women, yes?"

"Nah, that's just a bottom line. The whole story is much more interesting," he vaunted.

"Save it, DiNozzo."

Gibbs walked in with his usual cup of morning coffee.

"Morning, boss."

That really wasn't a story Tony would have liked for Gibbs to hear.

Suddenly Ziva and McGee sneezed in unison again. That caught Gibbs' attention.

"You two have taken Ducky's medicine?"

"I have," McGee assured him and moaned. "It doesn't seen to be working."

"Give it time," Gibbs advised and turned to Ziva. "And you?"

"I am fine, Gibbs."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"No, you're not."

Ziva opened her mouth to object but Gibbs cut her off before she could even start.

"This is not a debate, Ziva. Go take the medicine, you are no use to me if you're sick."

Ziva found it pointless to object further and started heading towards the elevators. She answered Tony's smirk with a deadly glare.

Tony went over to McGee. "Hey, McIllness, maybe there's a reason the medicine isn't working," he offered.

"Yeah, and that would be what?"

"Maybe you don't have the flu. You could have, I don't know, sinusitis, pneumonia."

"Tony, it's definitely the flu."

Tony went on offering diseases that McGee could have. Obviously he got a bit excited at the thought. His proposed illnesses varied from simple influenza to something as illogical as a broken leg. McGee didn't even bother to figure out how he got to that solution.

There were already two people in the autopsy when Ziva reached it. A woman from the Legal Department and Joe the Janitor, as Gibbs liked to call him.

"Hi, Ducky," Ziva greeted the doctor and nodded politely at the other two people.

"Ah, Ziva, how nice to see you. Could you wait a second?

"Of course."

Ducky gave the others their medication in small plastic cups.

"And now I am all yours," he announced to Ziva when the others had left.

Ziva smiled.

"May I ask what brings you down here?"

"Gibbs," Ziva replied promptly. Then she sneezed again.

Ducky smiled understandingly.

"Bless you."

"Thank you."

Ducky looked at Ziva for a while as if he was gathering his thoughts.

"You know, there is nothing shameful about getting sick, my dear. It shows we are all just humans."

"I know, Duck."

"Here, take this," Ducky told Ziva as he handed her the medication, "you will be fine for tomorrow."

"McGee complained that it is not working."

"Well, every rule has an exception."

Ziva raised one dark eyebrow.

"If he won't feel better tomorrow, then he'll be fine for, well, the day after tomorrow."

Ziva drank the medicine with one sip and shivered.

"Wow, Ducky, you should really taste your own medicine," Ziva noted.

"You want to say that I have done something bad to you or somebody else?" Ducky asked with a look of concern on his face.

Ziva was confused. "Why do you think that?" she asked.

"Well, you know the idiom 'a taste of your own medicine'."

"Actually I do not."

"Oh, well then. It means when you are mistreated the same way you mistreat others," Ducky explained the Israeli with a quizzical look on his face.

"Oh, no, no. I did not mean it like that. What I wanted to say is that this," she pointed at the small empty plastic cup she was still holding, "medication has a particularly nasty taste."

So, this is the best I could come up with. I've had a bit of a writer's block lately and I hope it'll go over soon ;). But now about this chapter. I don't know where that idea came from, but it just popped into my head and even though I would hate to see Ziva sick, I had to write it down. Please review and let me know how I'm doing. Oh, and just to be sure, the woman from the Legal Department was not Lee. Just a totally random person.