"Duck!!!" Gibbs screamed.

Dr.Mallard had slipped in the snow and tumbled down a long steep slope on the side of the forested road. They had been called in to investigate a Sargent's fatal car accident on the mountainside. While getting out of the morgue van Palmer had opened the door on him in a rush, unaware he was there and caused him to fall back and slip. Gibbs had bolted after him as the others looked on. His fall looked like a nasty one.

"Duck!!!" Agent Gibbs shouted running down after him, himself almost falling more than once.

Ducky laid at the end of the slope, he felt like he was still spinning but felt no pain. Quite certain the wet snow had broke most of his fall nevertheless he continued to lay still on his back just staring up at the winter tree tops spinning.

This incident made Ducky think back to other firsts in his life, the good and the bad. He had many and could remember them quite visually.


The first time he was aroused.
The first time he saw a blurred fist coming to strike him.
The first time he saw his own blood.
The first time he broke a bone.
The first time he mourned the death of a loved one.
The first time he saw a dead body.
The first autopsy he performed.
The first time he saw a naked woman.
The first time he saw another naked man.
The first time he realized his true sexuality.
The first time he kissed.
The first time he had sex.
The first time he had his heartbroken.
And most importantly, the first time he and Jethro made love.

Tumbling down a Icy seventy-foot slope into the mud could now be added to this list.

Suddenly a familiar voice beckoned his name and broke his concentration.

"Are you okay, Duck?!" Jethro shouted as loud as he could. He could see Ducky, now sitting up and covered in foliage, snow and mud.

"Yes, I believe so..." He rubbed his head, trying to brush himself off the best he could. "Luckily I managed to not hit any trees on the way down." Jethro was now hovering over him, Ducky looked up at him then at the slope up at the three tiny figures looking down at them, "good heavens! I fell from up there?"

"Yup - are you sure you're not hurt?"

"Just my pride." He spoke gravely looking down at himself as he tried to pick away the mud and leaves. He groaned, "this is embarrassing...I look a mess!"

"You do not," Gibbs reached down to help him up with a chuckle, "you just look like you fell down a seventy-foot, wet, snowy slope."

"Ohhh..." Ducky scowled, "this isn't funny!" He padded himself then looking around him. "Oh dear,...it seems I've lost my glasses...and my hat."

"I bet," Jethro looked around, "we'll look for them on our way up."

"Up?" Ducky laughed sarcastically as he stood, " dear Jethro, you don't expect me to walk up that do you?"

"No," he squeezed Ducky close to him under his arm. "But I can."

They started to walk around the slope, going up behind it. Peering down for Ducky's things as they walked. Ducky still under Jethro's arm, he was wet with mud and snow and started to shiver. "Whooh," he squeezed closer to Jethro, "I'm quite frozen now."

Jethro smiled, giving Ducky a kiss on the cheek with a sly grin, "I know a way to warm you up."

---------- Up the slope moments ago

"Do - do you think he's okay?" Palmer stuttered, holding Ducky's hat he had snagged off the ground.

"Yeah I guess so-Boss would have called us If he wasn't" DiNozzo peered over the hill barely seeing the two men through the dense trees and snow they heard their voices faintly echo.

"What just happened?!?!" Ziva ran towards them from the wreck, "I seen Gibbs running over here and -"

"Palmer pushed Ducky down this slope Boss ran down after him."

She turned to Jimmy, "You pushed Dr.Mallard?!?!"

"I did not! - I mean not on purpose!" Palmer stammered, "I - um - he was behind the door when I opened it and I bumped him and-uh-he slipped..." They noticed the two men getting up and walking off, Jimmy pointed, "he's okay! See he's up!"
"Nevertheless your a dead man when they gets back up here - I betcha Ducky's pissed," DiNozzo chuckled teasingly.
"What?! Oh - but I didn't mean! -" Jimmy turned whiter, but the two ignored him.

DiNozzo grinned, looking around the ground, "you know, if I could find a good wide piece of bark that looks like it would be fun."

"What?" Ziva looked curious, "you want to slide down?"

"Yeah! Me and my friends did it all the time when we were kids. I had a sled,-but I liked a trashcan lid better...it made me go faster."

"...A trashcan lid."

"Yeah, it was a blast!" He smiled looking smug, "wanna race?"

Ziva sighed shaking her head, "some people never grow up."

"What's that DiNozzo?" Gibbs reappeared up the path with Ducky under his arm.

"Noth'in Boss!" They turned around surprised.

"Well since you want to go sledding you can get Duck's glasses. They're snagged on that tree down there about fifteen feet down."

"Uh...Boss? I can't um -" DiNozzo was taken by surprise.

"Can't what? Mush DiNozzo!"

DiNozzo stared a minute but hopped over the edge clumsily creeping down the slope as Ziva laughed at him.
"Ziva - the accident - now."

Ziva wiped the grin off her face to a smirk, "Yes, Boss." She darted back to the scene.

Palmer came running up to Ducky as he sat down in the back of the ME van, stammering as he came towards him, "Dr.Mallard! Sir-I'm so sorry-uh-um-that is uh-I didn't see you-I didn't mean to-I'm so so sorry!" he handed him his hat.

"Oh, Mr.Palmer!" Ducky growled, snatching the hat, "do watch what your doing next time!"

"Yes, Sir! I will, Sir!" He paused, seeing Ducky's appearance, "are you injured, Dr.Mallard? Were you hurt?"

"No..." Ducky pouted looking at himself, "but I'm now covered in mud! It's on my clothes-on me-in my hair - I'm wet - I'm cold..."

"I'm so so so sorry, Sir."

Ducky let out a exasperated groan, looking up at Jimmy. He reached up and swatted the back of Palmer's head. The action made Palmer grin. "Mr.Palmer just go to the scene and take my things, I'll follow shortly."

Palmer continued to grin but he took Ducky's bag and walked off.

Ducky sighed again, trying to wipe off the mud ",Well...this is another first for me." He groaned, "I suppose I'll have to endure this state for the remainder of the day."

"Stop fretting, Duck. I'll drive you home so you can wash up and get clean clothes."

Ducky smiled warmly, "oh thank you, dear."

"Anyway -" Jethro leaned down to Ducky taking his hands, "then I can finish what I started going up the path..."

"Hmm," Donald raised an eyebrow, "perhaps I should fall in the mud more often."

They seen DiNozzo crawling back up the slope, on the road, breathless. He held up the glasses.

"Come, Jethro," Ducky pulled himself up holding onto him, "Lets get this over with, the Sargent has waited long enough."