"Alright, I picked up iced coffees." I carry in a tray of drinks. "And they're all melted because we're in the middle of a heatwave."

Tony rubs his palms together, reaching for a cup. "Morning, Eva. Have a good night?"

"Very." That's when I notice Kate holding McGee by the ears. "Care to explain what's going on over there?"

"McGee was being a peeping Tom." He whispers, throwing an arm over my shoulders. "He was underneath her desk when she came in."

"I see he's been learning from you." I nudge his ribs, chuckling ever so slightly. "How's the coffee taste?" He sighs in content.

"Perfect." He smirks before stopping not a second later. Gibbs comes in with his usual steaming hot cup of coffee.

The elder man stops in his steps, not turning around. "Tony. Did I just see what I thought I saw?"

"Out of respect for my coworkers, boss, I'd have to say yes. Yes, you did, and it's very disturbing."

"I agree. Put your damn shirt back on. This is a federal office building, not a gym."

"You fell right into that one, didn't you?" I hum, sneaking a small wink. "Have you been working out?" My fingers curl around his bicep.

"Why, 'cause I'm sweating like a pig?" He rolls up his sleeves.

I roll my eyes, standing on the tips of my toes. "I was going to say you look a lot stronger now, really packing some muscle."

"Care to test my stamina?"

I drag him towards Gibbs' desk where Kate is standing.

"We've got a problem, Gibbs." She informs him.

Although, he's a bit distracted from slamming his cell against his desk repeatedly. "Damn it, I hate this thing. Crap!"

"There's a secretary from the Pentagon downstairs." She begins the briefing. "She claims that her boss is being held hostage. . .by his computer."

"See? There's a reason I didn't trust these things." He raises his smashed cellphone.

I snicker under my breath. "Other than not understanding how to use them?" The look he gives me shuts me right away.

"Here. Reboot that or something." Gibbs tosses it to McGee. "Send her up." He makes his way to the interrogation rooms.

"Reboot it?" McGee motions to the beyond-repair phone.

"Or you can do what we always do."

"He can never tell the difference."

"It's his third one this month."

The secretary, Shirley Wilkes, explains the situation, even delivering a note written by her boss, Captain Mike Watson.

Gibbs sends Kate and McGee out to survey the Watson household, leaving me and Tony to find everything we can about the Watson family. The senior agent himself poses as a Gunnery to secretly set up video and audio.

"I need a way to communicate with Captain Watson." Gibbs comes into the bullpen.

"Communication part's solved, boss." Tony holds up the small earpiece. "Earwig radio receiver. Used 'em all the time for undercover work back in Baltimore."

"How do we get it in his ear?"

"Did I mention there's one tiny flaw in my plan?"

Gibbs drops the earpiece right into my hands. "DiNozzo, I show back up there as a gunnery, this guy's gonna get suspicious."

"And that is why I am the superior agent." I pick up a baseball hat. "Tony's going in as a delivery guy for General Wei's Chinese Restaurant."

"If NCIS doesn't work out. . ." Gibbs cracks a small smile.

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

The mission is successful, and we can now communicate with the captain. Even McGee and Kate are back from the Watsons' address.

Upstairs in MTAC, we play a live view of Captain Watson. Gibbs guides him into convincing the perpetrator to let his daughter go.

"I want to speak to her. Right now!" Captain Watson demands aggressively.

"Plays the piano. Gifted, I hear." The perpetrator speaks. "You don't need eyes to play the piano, but you sure as hell need ears."

The little girl screams in fear.

"One little tap. Monaural. Then the other ear. . .pow. Total silence and darkness forever."

Kate takes in a deep breath. "We can't risk that."

"He's bluffing. Stand your ground." Gibbs ignores her comment. "Tell him if he does that, he'll never see a penny." The captain looks conflicted as what to do.

"Gibbs, she is going to die if he does that." I watch in disbelief.

"Let her go unharmed," Watson gulps nervously, "or I swear you'll never see a dime."

"You know, I was never good at taking orders, Captain."

Forty minutes pass without any sort of contact. Gibbs urges him to stay confident and strong, but we're all losing hope as the minutes pass.

"You got something to say?" Gibbs slips off the headset.

She stands tall with her arms crossed over her chest. "We are taking a really big risk here, Gibbs."

"Yeah, Kate? What happens to the little girl and her mother when this dirtbag gets his money?"

Soon, the captain receives a call from his daughter, who had been freed. As soon as we receive a location, Tony and I are off.

"Can you imagine how lost and scared she must feel? I mean, my heart is just aching for her." We scan the train station.

He hooks his thumbs around his belt loops. "You think you'll ever want to settle down? You know, get married, maybe have a couple kids?" Weird question, but alright.

"I'd like to, but that all depends on what the universe has planned for me." I shrug my shoulders unknowingly. "Area looks clear."

Tony agrees. "Me, too. Let's go get that kid."

We come across a telephone booth where a little girl, hugging her knees to her chest, is crying silently.

"Hi, Sandy." I bend down in front of her. "I'm Eva, and this is Tony."

"We're NCIS agents. That stands for —"

She cuts him off. "I know what it stands for. They spoke at my school." My gaze shifts down to the red lines around her wrists from being bound.

"Then you know we're here to help you, right?" She meekly nods. "Your dad sent us." I place a gentle hand on her arm.

"We know what happened to you and your mom, but you're safe now, okay?" Tony assures her.

Sandy carefully stands up and walks between me and Tony. Once we settle her down with Ducky, the four of us work on locating the captor.

Downstairs, in Autopsy, McGee and Abby gain access to the video feed of Sandy's mother. We have her listen to some audio from where she was held.

"Gibbs, you have got to see her in action. I mean, she is absolutely —"

"I want her listening to the live feed."

Kate and I share a look. "She's been traumatized enough, Gibbs."

"Yeah? How about growing up without a mother. . .Kate?" He walks past us with a solemn-looking Tony behind.

"Hey, Sandy, I need you to —"

"Listen to the live feed." She finishes for him. "I want to help my mom, Agent Gibbs. I can take it."

I shift my balance between my feet, my shoulder slightly grazing Tony's. He watches my nervous body language carefully.

Sandy pinpoints a train in the background, giving us an exact time of the train passing.

"Hey." Tony greets the rest of us after we come up from Autopsy. "The only train in the area is an Amtrak." He clicks through the map on the monitor. "It left D.C. at. . .1620 and arrived at Lorton 1730. Average speed of 65 miles an hour. Now we know it passed our dirtbag at 1706, right?" He glances up from his notes. "So. . .damn it."

"It's here. Seven miles outside of Lorton." McGee points out on the map.

Tony zooms in on the area. "There's an abandoned train maintenance yard about a half-mile north."

"That's the place."

McGee's in charge of stalling Watson on transferring the money while the four of us head to the maintenance yard.

Before he can kill her or even escape, we reach them, our guns trained on him.

Once we arrest him, we take Sandy's mother back to headquarters where Captain Watson reunites with his family.

"Doesn't a sight like that make you think?" I find myself smiling.

He frowns. "About what?"

"Having a family with someone you really love."

"Yeah." He nods slightly. "I don't think I could handle that."

"Really?" My brows raise in surprise. "You don't ever want to get married? Or have some kids of your own?"

Tony just shrugs nonchalantly. "Depends on when I meet the right woman for me."

"We did good today, Gibbs." Kate can't seem to wipe the smile off her face.

He stops behind his desk. "Did we, Special Agent Todd? Grayson doesn't have the smarts to be in this alone. We still have to find out who hired him."

"Can't get it out of Grayson. Not when he doesn't even know who hired him."

Gibbs heads downstairs to get a report from McGee and Abby. Luckily, we find where our transferred money is.

"Captain Watson. . ." Gibbs raises his gun to the man behind it all.

"Agent Gibbs." The captain stares at the barrel of the gun. "It's not what you think."

"You're right. It wasn't."

Tony takes one briefcase while I grab the other.

"You did this to your own family?" Kate stands guard behind Gibbs, her gun trained on Watson as well.

"No. Nobody was supposed to get hurt."

Tony handcuffs the man. "That tight enough for you, Captain?" He mutters mockingly.

"I can't believe this is happening!" He grits out through his teeth. "It was a perfect plan. Even Grayson didn't know who hired him."

"Next time, I suggest sending a note to the FBI instead." I give him a sarcastic smile, which soon turns to a grimace.

"Look, you gotta understand. . .I needed the money because —"

Gibbs grabs him by his coat and slams him against the adjacent wall.

"Don't you dare tell me that there's a reason for you throwing away what you had."

That night, I drive back to my apartment with two bags of groceries. Copper and Todd are already asleep on their beds.

"You know, I really regret telling you about the spare key."

He switches on the light, illuminating the living room and kitchen. "You're welcome, by the way, for feeding the dogs."

"I'm guessing you're here for more than the comfort of my dogs. . .Tony?" I cock a brow.

The agent smirks lightly, walking up to me. "What gave it away?"

And he presses his lips to mine.