Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs International Airport
1230 Hours PDT
Gibbs, Jenny, and Tony exit Galanos' private jet. "Do you know how many times zones I've been in the last twenty-four hours?" Tony whines.
"We've went from Genoa to Kalymnos to Nice, and now all the way out to the West Coast of the United States." Jenny sighs at him.
"DiNozzo quit whining." Gibbs growls and spots McGee and Fornell waiting for them by a doorway leading inside of the airport.
"McGeek beat us to Palm Springs." Tony laughs and walks over to McGee. "Where's Ziva?"
"Watching the backdoor while we take on Benoit." Fornell answers.
"Good at least she feels that she'll be part of something, instead of sitting at the sidelines from her desk." Jenny says as she approaches McGee and Fornell.
"DEA, ATF, and FBI agents will be mixed in with some of the catering crew at Benoit's party tonight." Fornell informs them.
"Looks like the US finest, will be crashing Benoit's party, with an unexpected party crasher." Tony smirks over at Jenny.
"I can't wait to see the look on Davenport's face when he sees me." Jenny grins.
Julien Benoit's Mansion
Phillip Davenport is lounging poolside. EJ walks out from the back of the house with a frown on her face. "What's the matter?" Davenport asks.
"Julien, he seems upset about something." EJ answers and flops down on a nearby lounge chair. "I thought that he would drop business while we're here on vacation."
"He will never drop business while he's on vacation." Davenport laughs and takes a sip from his glass of ice tea.
"I have this uneasy feeling." EJ sighs hugging her knees.
"What for?" "We're living the good life." Davenport smirks.
"I've had it since I left Rio."
"You have everything you could ask for now." "Money and a man that loves you." Davenport reassures her.
"Julien Benoit is incapable of love." EJ sadly answers and looks down at pool drain. "I feel that my life is slowly draining away."
Inside the house, Benoit is in his office slamming his Blackberry down on his desk. "Where are they?" He snarls angrily in French. "Regine, Kort, Byron, Mortimer, and Kort's tramp Iris are nowhere to be found."
"We'll look into it sir." Vincent answers him and walks out of the office.
"It's a Saturday!" Alex laughs at him.
"When you work for me it's a seven day work week, there are no days off, am I making myself clear Alexander." Benoit shouts.
"I'll help Vincent out." Alex swallows and walks out of the room.
"That's what I thought." Benoit mutters.
Out in the hallway leading towards the living room. "Regine was right; bringing Trent Kort in was a bad idea." Victor sighs.
"Monsieur Benoit has had his sights on Galanos' daughter for well over five years now." Alex answers.
"According to Regine she's missing and presumed dead." Victor nods.
"Presumed, Monsieur Benoit won't rest until he kills Jenny Shepard himself." Alex smirks.
Washington, DC
Director Vance's House
1600 Hours EDT
Ziva and CIA Agent Leslie Donahue are discretely watching Vance's house. "Round of golf, lunch with a Senator." "Ho hum for a boring Saturday." Leslie giggles.
"He has to burn the money he made off of Julien Benoit somehow." Ziva sarcastically answers. Ziva's burn phone begins to ring. Spotting Gibbs' name on the caller ID. "You land in Palm Springs yet?" Ziva softly asks.
Palm Springs, California
Louann's Diner
1300 Hours PDT
"An hour ago." "Status on Tyler!" Gibbs says between bites of his prime rib.
"Played a round of golf at the country club, went to lunch with a senator and is now home with the wife and kids."
"Busy day!" Gibbs grumbles.
"I guess you're killing time before you raid Benoit's house." Ziva asks.
"We're eating lunch." "Finally getting a decent meal in us." Gibbs answers and makes a face at Tony's lunch.
"Don't knock it until you try it." Tony grins and begins to munch down on his Grilled Avocado Tillamook-Swiss Cheese and Tomato sandwich."
"I'll pass!" Gibbs grunts.
"I take it that Tony is eating something that you don't approve." Ziva snickers.
"The thought of avocado in a sandwich." Gibbs grumbles.
"What's Jenny eating?"
"Grilled Caesar Salad."
Vance walks out of the house with his wife and kids. "Gibbs I got to hang up, Vance just walked out of the house with his wife and kids." Ziva alerts him.
"Final outing as a family together." Gibbs sadly answers. "His wife and kids don't deserve this." He inwardly says to himself.
"You feel bad for him." Ziva says with surprise.
"No his family, because their victims in this also Ziva." Gibbs answers and hangs up.
"I keep forgetting about Vance's family." Tony frowns.
"His kids will have to go through the same thing that I had to, when I found out that the person I looked up to and thought the world of, is nothing but ambitious crook." Jenny bitterly answers and gets up from the table and walks off into the ladies room.
"Unfortunately Jenny you got that from your father also." Tony sighs.
"He made her DiNozzo." "If Jasper Shepard had went the straight and narrow instead of a corrupted Army Officer, Jenny more than likely would have been married to some Washington politician or to a lawyer." "She would have been the daughter that her mother wanted her to be."
"Prim and proper socialite." Tony answers.
Washington, DC
NCIS Headquarters
Director Vance's Office
1800 Hours EDT
Abby and Darren Wong are sitting at the conference table eating Chinese take-out. "These Caff-Pow's have a kick to them." Wong laughs as he sips his third Caff-Pow of the day.
"Gibbs is addicted to his coffee; I'm addicted to my Caff-Pow's." Abby laughs and takes a bite from her shrimp roll.
"We covered a lot of dirty schemes from Director Vance's computer today." Wong says between bites of his Egg Foo Young."
"I can't wait to see him getting hauled out of his office Monday morning; hopefully the SecNav will reinstate Jenny as Director." Abby smiles.
"You would think that he would do that." Wong curiously asks.
"I'm praying for it." "I want things back to normal around here."
Wong narrows an eyebrow at Abby. "Define normal?"
Abby points to the office door. "The sound of that office door slamming at least three times a day." "Mommy and daddy at each other's throats twice a day." "And in a perfect world when all is said and done at the end of the day, they call a truce and go home together and live their lives as Jen and Jethro." Abby beams.
"There are rules on inter agency dating." Wong reminds her.
"I know and Gibbs and Jenny broke that rule eleven years ago." "She broke off their partnership over a job offer and still put her job before Gibbs when Jenny came back to Washington after she took the job as Director of NCIS." Abby frowns.
"The one thing is for sure, when all is said and done." "Jenny will want nothing to do with the CIA that's for sure." Wong laughs.
Palm Springs, California
Julien Benoit's Mansion
2100 Hours PDT
Julien Benoit with EJ Barrett on his arm is wining and dining the Central American Drug Lords and Weapons Dealers, one of the guests that is in attendance is El Salvador Arms Dealer Enrique Sanchez, who was at one time a customer of Kosmo Galanos. "If you could match over Senor Galanos offer, I'll take you up on your offer."
"Five million more." Benoit shrugs.
"No a night in bed with your girlfriend." Sanchez grins.
EJ looks on in horror at the prospects of having to spend the night with Sanchez. "How dare you?" She hisses.
"Galanos' sold me his female operative advances to me." "It's been over a year since I've seen her." Sanchez frowns.
"Unlike Galanos, I do not sell my women's advances to him." Benoit scolds him.
"For the right price you will." Sanchez grins and walks away.
"You wouldn't dare." EJ asks in outrage.
"No but I know who will sleep with anything, Kort's whore Iris." Benoit smirks and walks off with EJ on his arm.
"I still can't believe that you have Kort working for you." EJ sighs.
"It's been working out so far, he's managed to get rid of Galanos for me." Benoit smiles, suddenly his Blackberry begins to ring. "I'll take this in my office." Benoit answers and walks away.
Davenport walks over to his niece. "You were saying about Julien." Davenport smiles.
"You were right." EJ smiles and watches Julien walk off towards the direction of his office with his phone attached to his ear.
Benoit steps inside of his office and closes the door behind him. "French authorities have raided my house." Benoit snaps.
"Kort is dead; Iris, Regine, Byron, and Mortimer are in custody." "Joint CIA- DCRI operation." Victor informs him. "I'm at the airport on stand-by just encase you want to flee the country."
"I'm way ahead of you." "I'll fly the plane to Rio, no extradition." Benoit smirks and glances down at his watch. "I should be at the airport in ten minutes." Benoit answers and hangs up. "EJ and Davenport you're on your own." Benoit grins and runs out the back door and casually makes his way over to the front of the house where he finds Vincent waiting in front of his Mercedes. "I guess Victor gave you the heads up." Benoit laughs and gets inside of his car.
"You kidding me, I don't want to be around when the Americans arrive." Vincent laughs and gets inside of the Mercedes and speeds off for the airport.
Out on the street the Feds are waiting inside unmarked cars. "McGee, get a bolo out on that plate." Gibbs orders him.
"Lucky for us I caught the tag number." McGee answers and flips open his phone and calls Wong back at NCIS Headquarters.
Fornell with his two way radio receives word that the agents are in position inside of the house. "Their ready!" Fornell nods over at Gibbs. "It's your team Jethro I'll have you make the call on how you want to position them."
"Since we studied the layout of the house from the aerial shot that was taken earlier in the day." "Tony and McGee you will enter through the side door next to the swimming pool." "I'll enter the front with Jenny, and you follow us from behind watching our six."
"I'll have two DEA agents enter through the back door, and the remaining agents watching the perimeter of the house." Fornell informs them.
Gibbs glancing over at Jenny, Tony, and McGee. "Are the three of you ready?"
"After this one more take down." Jenny smirks up at her lover.
"At least we won't have to storm Vance's Office to take him in." Gibbs laughs and gets out of the car with Jenny following him from behind.
"By the way, the SecNav Jarvis had asked to speak to you alone before I left." Tony sheepishly asks Fornell.
"You'll find out soon enough DiNozzo." Fornell grins and gets out of the car.
"I hate surprises." Tony groans and then realizes that he's still in the car with McGee. "Hey the old timers are beating us to the house." Tony grumbles and gets out of the car.
"Speak for yourself Tony; I'm still in my twenties." McGee teases him and follows Tony out of the car.
"I am not old." Tony pouts.
"Forties is middle age." McGee laughs at him.
Through their earwigs. "Could the two of you continue this silly argument later on, we have an arms dealer, a corrupt politician, and a dirty former federal agent to arrest." Gibbs barks at them.
"We're on our way boss." Tony speaks into his COM, as Tony and McGee walk up the driveway; Tony head slaps McGee on the back of the head.
"Ow!" McGee grimaces.
The agents take their positions, Gibbs, Jenny, and Fornell at the front door, Tony and McGee at the side door, DEA Agents at the back door, and the other agents watching over the perimeter of the outside of the house with Palm Springs PD out on the street with their lights off.
Inside the house, various, FBI, DEA, and ATF Agents pose as servers from the caterer that is working Benoit's party. "Fornell we're all in position." DEA Agent Tina Welsh says through her COM making sure that she isn't being observed.
"We are entering the house now." Fornell shouts into his COM.
EJ returning from Benoit's office. "Julien isn't in his office." EJ says with a troubled look on her face to her Uncle Phil.
"I won't worry about it sweetheart." Davenport reassures her.
Just as Davenport answers, federal agents burst into the room, with members of the catering staff drawing their weapons on EJ, Davenport, and Benoit's guests. "Federal Agents!" They shout in unison.
Tony approaches EJ from behind. "You picked the wrong crowd to associate with after you left NCIS EJ." Tony smirks at her and begins to handcuff her.
"Let go of me!" EJ screams and begins to fight off Tony.
"Agent DiNozzo have you lost your mind." Davenport scolds him.
"No, you're under arrest also." McGee grins and slams Davenport up against the wall and begins to handcuff him.
"On what charge!" Davenport angrily snaps.
"Loads of them Phil." Fornell chuckles.
"Special Agent Fornell you better have an explanation for this." Davenport shouts.
Jenny approaches Davenport and EJ from behind. "I have photos of your airhead niece selling classified files with an NCIS logo on the side of the file to Julien Benoit in Riohacha, Colombia on August 10th." "That file contained information on a Columbian Drug and Arms Dealer by the name of Bernardo Suárez." "Conveniently within an hour after your transaction, Julien Benoit had a meeting with Suárez." "I took photos of that as well." Jenny angrily informs them.
Davenport turns and faces Jenny. "You are under orders to stay dead." Davenport fumes.
"You're not SecNav now and the current CIA Director was never read into the perimeters of my mission with the CIA." Jenny smirks.
"Director Shepard!" EJ says in disbelief…."I thought that you were-"
"Dead!" Jenny finishes and shakes her head. "That's what you're Uncle, Director Vance, and the CIA wanted the world to believe." "The problem was four other people on the inside knew about my so called death." "You're lover tried putting a hit on me and Ziva a month ago, when I had contacted her about your little transaction with Benoit."
"Tried!" EJ nods.
"I took a round to my side and I needed to be patched up without going to a hospital." "Ducky knew I was alive, so I called him." "How Gibbs found out that I was still alive is through a DNA link from my blood at the crime scene." "Ziva and I pulled through and the one thing that Gibbs had vowed when I regained my strength is that all of you were going to be brought down." Jenny hisses and glares up at Davenport. "Including Tyler!"
"He's next on our list after we locate Benoit." Gibbs answers roughly…Speaking into his COM. "Has anybody located Benoit yet?"
"That's a negative boss; he's not upstairs, from what I understand from an ATF Agent." "Benoit had gone into his office just before we raided the house." "I was monitoring their conversations while we were sitting in the car. McGee's burn phone begins to ring; an agent standing next to McGee takes over with Davenport's arrest. "McGee!" He answers and walks over to the middle of the room.
"There are agents sweeping the house as we speak Jethro, they'll find him." Fornell reassures him.
"Do Agent Fornell and Director Petraeus know what Trent Kort has over you?" Davenport sarcastically asks Jenny?
"Trent Kort signed a legal paper stating that he killed René Benoit on a sanctioned hit back in 2007." Fornell informs them.
"Trent Kort said he had evidence other wise and will retract what he said to you when you shut down NCIS in March of 2008." Davenport chimes back.
"That will be kind of hard." Gibbs laughs.
"Why is that?" EJ curiously asks.
"Trent Kort is dead." "I put a bullet into the back of his head this morning on a raid in Julien Benoit's Mansion in Nice." Tony angrily snaps at her. "He almost killed me and somebody I loved dearly in a car bomb in 2007." "This morning Trent Kort had murdered CIA Agent Ray Cruz in a car bomb." "I won't be wasting a night's sleep over the loss of Trent Kort." Tony chokes and slaps the other handcuff on to EJ.
Enrique Sanchez, who's slammed up against a wall by a DEA Agent, recognizes Jenny. "Senora Jones!" Sanchez says with surprise.
"Wrong Enrique, its Senora Shepard." Jenny smirks over at him. "By the way, I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pool." Jenny laughs and walks off towards the direction of where McGee is at who's on the phone with Wong back at NCIS Headquarters.
"Wong just got the bolo back on that plate; it's registered to Julien Benoit." McGee anxiously says to Jenny.
"Fornell, Jethro!" Jenny shouts over to them. Gibbs and Fornell rush on over. "It appears that Benoit found out about the raid in Nice." "The bolo came back on the plate on the Mercedes."
"Benoit!" Gibbs growls in frustration. "So close!"
McGee listening in his cell phone. "Palm Springs International Airport!" McGee repeats and then looks over at Gibbs and Fornell. "GPS trace on Benoit's cell phone has him over at the airport."
Fornell flips open his phone and calls Petraeus. "Julien Benoit wasn't inside his house." "While we were setting up for the raid a Mercedes drove past us on the street, McGee wrote down the license plate and called Wong who verified it as Julien Benoit's." "Wong traced Benoit's cell phone signal to the Palm Springs International Airport." Fornell informs him and waits for Petraeus to respond. "If his plane isn't refueled we should be able to bring him in." "If it is!" Fornell groans at the possibilities of Benoit's plane flying off and getting away from them.
Gibbs and Jenny run off for the door. Tony nodding over at an FBI Agent. "I haven't read Barrett her Miranda rights yet."
"I'll take it from here Agent DiNozzo." Special Agent Lorna Knowles winks at him.
"Let's go Probie!" Tony shouts over his shoulder.
"Sir, we're on our way to the airport, get back to me when you have the information on Benoit's flight." Fornell asks and hangs up his phone. "Want to race an old man to the car McGee." Fornell laughs.
"We'll beat Tony." McGee chuckles and they start off for the door together.
"I heard that McGeek." Tony shouts through McGee's earwig.
Palms Spring International Airport
Julien Benoit's Private Plane
Twenty Minutes Later
"What do you mean they won't let me refuel?" Benoit shouts into his Blackberry.
Victor glances outside of one of the window and notices the blue and red flashing lights down the runway. "Maybe that's the reason why." Victor groans.
"I want you and Vincent to get off of the plane." Benoit instructs them.
"Monsieur Benoit you don't have enough fuel." Vincent anxiously warns him.
"I'll take that chance." Benoit snaps….."Get out!"
Victor and Vincent get out of the plane. Benoit gets up from his seat and pushes in the button for the door to close automatically. Victor and Vincent back away from the plane when they hear the engines ref up. "I told him he should have refueled his plane when he landed." Vincent screams.
"The greedy bastard was more interested in his party and showing off his whore." Victor sighs in disgust.
The plane begins to taxi down the runway; Gibbs pulls up and gets out of the car, with Jenny, Tony, McGee, and Fornell following him from behind. "Is Julien Benoit on that plane?" Gibbs shouts.
"Yes, but he's not going to be making it very far." "His plane is low on fuel." Victor frowns.
The plane lifts up into the air. "He's doesn't want to be brought in." Jenny answers.
"I guess he was hoping to be lounging on a beach in Rio." Tony sadly answers.
Up in the air, Benoit puts the plane into auto pilot; he gets up from his seat walks to the back of the plane and picks up his Blackberry. "I hope my men followed my orders after I bought this plane." Benoit sighs and dials a number into his Blackberry.
Back on the ground the lights on Benoit's plane can be seen off in the distance. Suddenly an orange fireball engulfs the sky. Gibbs, Jenny, Tony, McGee, Fornell, Victor, and Vincent look up in horror as Julien Benoit's plane is blow away from a bomb that he had planted inside of his plane to elude capture.
"Say hello to Kort." Tony viciously snaps.
"And my father!" Jenny chokes.