Recap: Sometime in the week, where Gibbs is still on forced leave.

~ Eating habits ~

"Try."

Tentative she took the Brussels sprout into her mouth, chewing once, then twice before her movements froze and she put the fork down. Time seemed to stand still for the others till Mini-Ziva suddenly let the Brussels sprout drop back onto her plate. Her face quickly turned into a grimace and the little girl's hand went to whip the disgusting taste from her tongue. Suppressing a shiver of disgust she sheepishly looked at Gibbs.

"Did she really just," Tony trailed off, his own fork hanging midair.

"Uh huh."

Gibbs looked at the little girl who had lowered her head and drawn her hands into her lap, obviously waiting for his angry outburst.

However the team leader just smirked and stood up, taking her plate with him as he went over to the sink.

His movement made Ziva look slightly up, her eyes following him till he disappeared behind her back into the adjoining kitchen.

Across the table Tony took pity on the small girl.

"Don't worry. He's not mad," the teenager tried to calm the now squirming kid.

A moment later Gibbs reappeared with her plate, minus the Brussels sprouts, in his hand. The older agent cast a quick look towards Tony, before he set the plate back in front of Mini-Ziva, laying his free hand on top of the little girl's head and ruffling her hair playfully.

Surprised to have not gotten into trouble, she finally looked back up.

Gibbs, meanwhile having retaken his seat, gave her a small smile, "Use your napkin next time," he demonstrative took a bite of his own food before disposing it into his own napkin.

The little girl nodded slowly, showing him that she had understood.

For the next few minutes they resumed their meal, sharing a comfortable silence.

"Four more bites, Ziva," Gibbs ordered sternly, showing four fingers up as he saw that his youngest agent was about to push her plate away from her after having only taken a few and very small bites, "Big ones."

A rather loud sign was heard as the little girl scooped some mashed potato onto her fork and guided it to her mouth.

"Good," Gibbs praised gently and held three fingers up, "Three."

Would someone have asked him a month ago, to rate his team members, ordering them from the pickiest to the non pickiest eater as kid, Ziva would have been the last one on that list.

"How wrong," Gibbs thought dryly, watching his Mini agent eat, inwardly crossing the Brussels sprouts from their dinner plan.

"Was worth a try."

~ Fin ~