"Tony, Kate," Gibbs grabbed their attention. "Will he go back?" Neither had to ask what he meant.

"Yes," they answered together. Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"You agree. Call the press," he quipped. "Why?"

Tony spoke first. "He failed, and he doesn't like to fail."

"He has a need to finish what he started," Kate elaborated, employing her profiling skills. "And to maintain his pattern."

Gibbs nodded thoughtfully. "Then we wait for him."

The figure crept along the side of the house, keeping to the shadows, virtually invisible. There were no unfamiliar cars around this time; he had checked. No strange women popping out of nowhere to foil him. This time he would succeed.

Sliding the master bedroom window open, he crawled through the window like a cat. Pausing just inside, he listened for any noise that would indicate he was compromised. Nothing. It was silent...too silent. There were no deep-breathing noises, he noticed. No rustling of sheets. The room was empty. Well, not quite.

"We meet again," a voice called softly from the shadows as Tony stepped into view.

The man's face twisted into a perverse grin. This was the moment he had been working for. "You found me." His voice was not unpleasant; he probably could have sung tenor in a church choir had he been so inclined.

"Yeah. Why'd you do it?"

The man laughed. It was an eerie sound, like the howling of wind through a canyon but without the natural awe such a sound inspires. It was completely devoid of any feeling. "You got in my way," he explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You needed to be taught a lesson."

"And the six people you killed?"

"Seven," the man corrected without missing a beat. "There's a Marine second lieutenant in my trunk. What about them?"

Tony was surprised to find that this information didn't upset him. All he felt now was a cold, quiet anger. "They didn't deserve to die like that. What did they ever do?"

"They didn't do anything. They were just a convenient way to get to you."

"Why the officers?"

"Oh, come on. I'm sure you figured that one out. They kept your team on the case."

"Why the torture?"

"Torture is such a strong word. I prefer to think of it as...experimentation. Did you notice how clean these ones were? Not like last time. I've learned." The man had the gall to sound proud of himself. Tony couldn't bear it any more.

"I'm not letting you off easy this time," he warned, his voice steady and cold. "I don't know how you got out, but I'm not letting it happen again."

"Aw, rookie cop like you? How cute, you want to play cops and robbers. Go ahead." The man's voice changed dramatically from teasing to threatening like the flick of a switch. "Take your best shot."

Tony did not need to be told twice. He drew his weapon and aimed, but did not fire. The man laughed again.

"I knew it. You can't shoot me; you've got a conscience. That's something I've never had to worry about," he mused. Smirking at Tony, he added, "That girl of yours was something."

His chest exploded in a cloud of red. Looking vaguely surprised, he fell to the ground in a heap. Tony stood over him, pistol still aimed, his face impassive but his heart a mess.

"Her name was Angela," he hissed to the dying man. "And I loved her."

"Tony, take the rest of the day off," Gibbs ordered. Ignoring Tony's objections, he continued, "Go home and eat something."

"Boss, I - "

"DiNozzo, I am not asking you!" Gibbs snarled. "I'll walk you out." Grabbing Tony by the arm, Gibbs steered him to the elevator.

"Tony, listen to me," he muttered, gentler now. "You ever need to talk about it, let me know."

"Boss...thanks," Tony said awkwardly. Gibbs grunted.

"Just rest," he advised again. "And don't drink."

Tony nodded and got in the elevator. He didn't want to think right now.

He spoke to them again that night for what he knew would be the last time. It was good to see their faces, whole and undefiled.

"Tony," she said, her voice a breath of fresh air. "You did good."

"Thanks," he replied, weak with longing. "It doesn't feel like it."

"That's good. If you didn't feel that, you'd be just like him."

"Then why does it hurt so much?"

"Because you can love, Tony. And you have loved. That's what makes you human. And that's what got you through."

"I'm not going to see you again, am I?"

She laughed. "I'll be there whenever you think of me. But you don't need me anymore."

"I'll miss you."

"I know. Goodbye, Tony."

"It would have been a great wedding," he called as she faded. He was sure he heard the faint echo of her laughter.

He was alone now. The case was solved. The ghosts were gone.