NCIS Special Agent Gibbs walked in between the desks of his team. "Gear up," he announced. "We've got a dead Marine. Let's go!"

Ziva, Tony, and McGee all rushed to grab their gear and catch up with Gibbs as he walked into the elevator, looking slightly annoyed at having to hold the doors for them.

"What're we dealing with here, Boss?" DiNozzo wanted to know, shifting the weight of his black backpack to the other shoulder.

"We'll find out when we get there," Gibbs replied. "Local PD called it in."

After a short ride, the NCIS team arrived at a nice little house in Alexandria, Virginia. The entire area was cordoned off with yellow "Police Line, Do Not Cross" tape.

"Looks like the rookies got here before we did," Ziva remarked, observing the several police cruisers and all the officers swarming over the property.

"Special Agent Gibbs?" one of the officers asked. "I'm Captain Greer. I was one of the first on the scene."

Gibbs shook the cop's hand. "What can you tell us, Captain?"

As they ducked under the tape and walked towards the house, the officer told them everything he knew.

" A concerned neighbor called it in. She said she heard what sounded like a gunshot from inside the house around 11pm last night, but then the car left shortly thereafter, so she dismissed it. This morning, however, she noticed the car still gone and the front door partly opened. When she investigated, she discovered the dead Marine in the living room." The officer pointed to a young blonde-haired woman who was huddled on the front porch swing, gently rocking herself back and forth.

"We found her in the bedroom closet," he announced. "She had been tied up, gagged, and cold-cocked. She hasn't said a word so far."

"McGee," Gibbs said meaningfully.

"Right, Boss, talk to the girl. On it."

McGee walked over to the swing slowly. He could see that the girl was probably mid-twenties, had long blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. Her cheeks were tear-stained and her eyes still looked glassy.

"May I sit down?" Timothy asked politely.

She looked up at him, her eyes looking like that of a puppy dog who had been whipped. Finally, she nodded, yes.

"My name is Timothy McGee. I'm with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Can you tell us what happened here?" McGee could she that this girl was trying to keep up her bravado, but the tears were threatening to spill over at any moment.

"We…we were watching a movie and someb—somebody knocked on the door. Wi—Will went to get it, but he didn't come back. The next thing I knew, someone was coming up behind me. When I finally woke up, I was stuffed in the closet." She stopped to take a deep breath and McGee distinctly saw her bottom lip tremble dangerously.

"Keep going. You're doing great," McGee encouraged her. He put his hand lightly on her arm but she flinched and pulled away from him.

"The next thing I knew, I heard someone calling for Will. I tried to make some noise, but I couldn't really move. I heard the same person scream, and that's when I knew something had to be wrong." She ran her hands through her long hair and then buried her face in her hands.

Inside the house, Gibbs, Ducky, and Palmer were examining Lt. William Rogers body. He was lying on the kitchen floor, two bullets in his chest and a puddle of blood around his body. It was obvious that he hadn't been dead for more than twelve hours.

"Well, the obvious cause of death is from being shot," Ducky observed.

Gibbs rolled his blue-grey eyes. "Anything else you can tell me, Duck?"

"Well, not until I get him back to NCIS and perform an autopsy, Jethro. Mr. Palmer, go and get the gurney now, please."

Jimmy nodded, his glasses sliding down on his nose a little. "Right away, Doctor."

McGee was still trying to get some information from the girl, but she was getting more and more unresponsive. He wasn't sure, but he thought she might be going into some form of shock.

When Jimmy started coming back up the walk, the girl stood up suddenly. "I have to see Will before they take him away," she insisted, heading for the door.

McGee caught her before she could get very far. "That's…not a good idea," he told her quietly.

She looked up at him. "Why? What happened to him? How did he die? I want to know the truth!"

"He was shot," Gibbs announced, coming out of the house and answering her question before McGee had time too.

The girl swallowed hard and several tears rolled down her cheeks. "He is dead, right?" she whispered.

"Yeah, he's dead," Gibbs replied shortly. "Now, you better start telling us who the hell you are."

"My name is Elle. Elle Charlton. Will and I were best friends—we grew up together. Every Sunday night, I come over here to watch a movie with him . But…not anymore…"

That's when she broke down. The floodgates opened and her dammed up tears overflowed. She sank to the porch floor, sobbing quietly. Without a moment's hesitation, McGee knelt beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"She's in shock, Boss. She hasn't had time to process all the information," McGee insisted, looking up at Gibbs.

"Get her checked out by the EMTs. Then she's coming back to NCIS with us."

"What for Boss?" McGee wanted to know. He felt extremely sorry for this poor young woman. She seemed heartbroken.

"Because she was the last person to see Lt. Rogers alive," Gibbs called over his shoulder as he walked away.