"Is this what he does whenever I'm gone?"

Ziva and Tony's attention focus on me the second I walk out of the elevator. A red tint spreads across my cheeks and neck.

But it's nothing compared to the looks of embarrassment on their faces as they try on McGee's costume attire.

"Before you ask, no, I was not at a Halloween party." I drop my bag beside my desk. "I was at the children's hospital passing out candy."

"Well, that explains the costume. However, it doesn't explain why you're dressed as. . ." Ziva trails off, trying to figure out who I'm dressed as.

"Belle. I'm supposed to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Disney, kids, you know the whole ordeal." My fingers pull at the dress.

Tony kisses my lips affectionately. "Well, I think you look fantastic. A real princess." His left hand cups my cheek.

"Which makes you my prince." I boop his nose. "And a beast for most of the movie."

"I think we both know that holds true." A smirk grows on his face. "Especially when we —"

"I do not need to listen to what goes on behind closed windows."

"Closed doors."

"Closed whatever."

"Gear up." Gibbs walks in at his usual hurried pace. "General Custer has been shot, and he has a dead skeleton in his living room."

"What about —"

"Change in the truck, Evaline."

"I'm not opposed to —"

"You're driving, DiNozzo. So, no, you can't help her."

Ziva offers a change of clothes and even a pair of shoes, but I'm still left with the luxurious makeup and curled hair.

"Guy dressed as Custer is Staff Sergeant Erik Niles. LEOs are looking for his wife and daughter. Blood trail leads from his house to the neighbor's house, who called it in."

Cleopatra of the Nile stands on her porch, talking to one of the local officers.

"Tony, Evaline, get her statement. McGee, start processing the Staff Sergeant's living room. Ziva, figure out who the hell the dead John Doe dressed as a skeleton is."

Just as assigned, Tony and I meet with the woman who called in the incident.

"I thought he was play-acting at first." She wipes away the heavy eyeliner smudges. "General Custer's Last Stand, all that?"

"Why did you remove his jacket?" I jot down notes.

"To check for other wounds. There weren't any." Her gaze slowly shifts down to the wooden floorboards. "Just a single gunshot wound that nicked his carotid artery."

"You seem to know a lot about anatomy."

"I'm a doctor — pediatrician."

"Well, that explains why he headed over here." Tony nods lightly. "You probably saved his life, doctor."

"I stabilized him the best I could until the EMTs arrived." She brushes her dark hair over her shoulder. "And. . .it's Leslie."

While Tony looks in my direction, my mouth contorts to a fake smile.

"Did he ever say anything to you?"

"He tried to, yes. I think it was his daughter's name — Sarah. I'm hoping she was with her mother when this. . .this happened."

While bagging and tagging the crime scene, the staff sergeant's wife and her sister arrive to watch the John Doe's body being wheeled away. One of the other neighbors' kids even saw a silver Chrysler Sebring sedan driving off from the crime scene around the same time.

Meanwhile, Sarah, the Niles' daughter, calls her mother from a blocked number. Only, the distorted voice of a man takes over.

Gibb and Ziva stay with the family while the rest of us return to headquarters. But Tony and I are back on the road to visit another person who's seen the same vehicle.

"So you saw the Sebring driving that way?"

"No, no. . ." His words are muffled by the mask.

"What?" Tony lets out a single laugh. "Is that German? Are you speaking Ger — is that German?"

I turn to my boyfriend. "I think he can't speak because of the mask, Tony."

". . .yeah, that sounds like a more realistic justification."

"And I think he said he saw two people." I lift up two fingers, and the person nods in confirmation.

"Two people where?"

He continues with charades since that seems to be working a lot better than speaking.

"What is that, a manhole cover?" Tony laughs obnoxiously. "They're moving a manhole cover? And what is that, a rake?"

The costumed person looks over at me.

"Yeah, I agree. He's awful at charades."

"Screw this."

The senior agent rips off the bottom half of his mask.

"Ow!" He cries out. "Dude, you ruined my costume!"

Even during a tragic case, I can't help but have a little fun. "Dude, you totally just ruined his chiling costume!"

"You want to be charged with obstructing a federal investigation? Huh?" Tony suggests mockingly, clearly tired of being made fun of. "Then speak, zombie."

Once we get the information from him and check out the smaller, but still evident, crime scene the vehicle left behind, we drive back to headquarters.

"I didn't miss your little input back there, you know." Tony lets one of his hands rest on my knee as the other turns the steering wheel. "I totally ruined his chilling costume, dude? What are we, in the tenth grade?"

"Oh, if we were, you and I would be making out under the bleachers right about now." I sink back into the leather-clad seat.

"We should go out on a date soon." His hand trails up into dangerous territory. "It's been a pretty long time since we got dolled up for a night out."

"And suddenly, we're a married couple from the '50s."

"Ever since we said I do, there are so many things we don't." I smile and bat my lashes like Lucy Ricardo from I Love Lucy.

"Who do you think you married, some country pumpkin?"

We retrieve two-thirds of a Virginia license plate from the destroyed pumpkin, which Abby cross-references to one registered to a rental car company.

And reported stolen.

Soon, Mrs. Niles reveals to us the possibility of someone else being Sarah's biological father: Robert Miller. A quick search through the wife's call list helps us track down an address for the man, and we pay him a visit.

Outside of the location, we find a vehicle matching our BOLO, where we find a little girl's tiara in the trunk. We arrest Miller upon finding him inside the crowd of the Halloween party.

Tony presses a hand against my shoulder blade. "Your turn for a quick nap."

"I'm okay." I lean back against his touch. "It's not like I'll be able to sleep until the little girl's safe with her mother."

"You've always had a heart of gold." His lips linger over my hair.

Involuntarily, tears threaten to spill from my eyes. "And apparently the emotions of a hormonal teenager on her period."

Abby calls the four of us down to Forensics after she gets a hit on the name, Lee Varon, of our dead John Doe.

The dark night turns into bright and early morning, with an hour-long break for all of us to freshen up for the new day. We track Varon's vehicle to a law firm in Annandale.

"McGee, Ziva, with me. Tony and Evaline, find the girl." Gibbs mutters to the group as we split up within the firm.

"Hallway's clear. Come on in."

We search through each and every room with the Records & Archives wing of the firm. A muffled gasp comes from one of the rooms we burst into. The light shines across Sarah's figure, zip-tied to a chair.

"You're okay, honey. We're here to help."

The overhead light bulb flickers for a few seconds before staying on. Tony stands guard while I remove the tape and cut the restraints.

"We're friends with your mom, okay?" I flash a gentle smile in her direction. "We're going to take you home to your mom."

Upstairs, Sarah runs to her mother, as expected. But Mrs. Niles' sister is on her back on the ground, blood pouring from her nose.

"Apparently, she doesn't have a sister."

After missing a night of trick or treating, the agents of the NCIS play along for the young girl and hand out candy.

"I know you're not the real Belle." Sarah whispers. "But it's like Santa Claus at the mall: you have connections with the real princess, don't you?"

"I do, yeah. She and the Beast send their love, your Highness." I bow gracefully before slipping a handful of candy into her bag.

"You didn't have to do this." Laurie shakes her head and waves at her daughter. "I'm sure you guys have enough on your plates."

Tony drapes an arm around my waist, pulling me closer into his side. "Every little kid deserves a happy Halloween."

"You don't look like the Beast." Sarah tilts her head to the side while observing Tony precisely.

"Well, you see, this is the Beast after he turns into Prince Adam." I scan his lack of costume. "He lives among the modern people of. . .Virginia."

She walks along giddily with Abby, who's still dressed as Marilyn Monroe from the night before.

"You really think I'm a prince?"

"Well, you treat me like a princess every day."

"You, m'lady, are a queen." He kisses me sweetly. "My queen, to be precise."