The drive was actually pleasant. As promised though, Lieutenant Commander Burke spent a good chunk of time talking about her two tours in Afghanistan and why she decided to become a chaplain, wanting to help people find peace. Jethro didn't really mind it, though. It made the time pass.

Talking to Justin Fanniker, unfortunately, did not give them much in the way of useful information. With that being said, the discussion did help them to ascertain that First Lieutenant Flores was not back in the country.

Jethro did, admittedly, feel rather bad for Fanniker who was clearly devastated by the first lieutenant's presumed death. The young man was seriously struggling.

"I'm just trying to keep it together," Fanniker told them. "I met Gabriela, and my whole life changed. I loved her, and now she's gone."

Fanniker had seen what was left of the school where she was working. The Marines wouldn't tell him anything but one of the students was standing there crying. When Jethro asked about Fanniker's little proposal, Fanniker said that the first lieutenant had turned him down and would never have abandoned her unit.

Back at the Navy Yard, although it was already 2200, Jethro and his MCRT team were still busy working. Jethro was honestly at a loss. The case seemed to be at a dead-end and he had no idea what move to make.

"What are we looking at?" he asked as he walked in.

"Satellite footage," McGee explained. "Just released by the Joint Staff. The structure in the middle is the school and, based on witness accounts, Lieutenant Flores could be in any one of these clusters." A structure exploded. "There's RPG one."

"How long until the second RPG hit?" he inquired.

McGee turned to him. "RPG two made contact a few minutes later."

"Can you sharpen this?" he questioned, not happy with the poor video quality.

McGee gave Jethro an exceptionally incredulous look. "Boss, this is... It's like a low-res feed from a satellite output that came to me via e-mail. I can try to get my hands on a cleaner copy in the morning, but that's if they'll give me access."

Well, he had a solution to that particular problem. "Tell them the commandant of the Marine Corps needs access."

McGee still looked a bit skeptical. "And if that doesn't work?"

"It'll work," he said simply.

Just then both Ziva and DiNozzo starting coming down the stairs from MTAC where the pair had just got off a video conference.

"We spoke to the lieutenant's C.O," Ziva informed him as the pair made their way into the squad room. "They have been searching round the clock."

DiNozzo chimed in. "Coming up empty-handed, Boss, but not for lack of trying."

Ziva sounded very exasperated as she spoke again. "No remains. Nothing to go on but a set of dog tags and some ripped clothing."

"There has to be something here," Jethro said, staring intently at the information that was up on the plasma. "Just got to look harder." Jethro paused for a moment before he made the next call. "Tomorrow. Go home. Get some sleep."

"What about you?" Ziva asked, evidently catching the fact that Jethro hadn't moved to leave himself. "You going to work all night? 'Cause if you stay, we stay."

"Let's not get carried away, Ziva. You heard the man," DiNozzo said. Ziva immediately lifted a hand and proceeded to give the Senior Field Agent a head slap to shut him up. "Special Agent David, you did not just do that."

"I did," Ziva asserted, "and I would do it again."

"You will not," DiNozzo retorted.

Those two were definitely about to fight, a fight that DiNozzo would definitely lose, so Jethro decided to intervene before the bickering got too out of control. "Stand down, DiNozzo. I appreciate the offer." He sighed. "We can all use the rest... distance."

"Might help us think," McGee commented. "Tired, Boss? Need a ride?"

"No," he said appreciatively. "Need to do one more thing."

Making sure that his team all went home for some much-needed rest, Jethro made his way down to autopsy, still feeling quite at a loss.

The lights were all off when Jethro walked out of the elevator and headed into autopsy, so he figured that Ducky had already gone home after his own insanely long shift.

He walked by a few of the bodies and picked up a clipboard. Jethro had just started to read the medical examiner's detailed notes, hoping for some direction, when his earlier assumption was swiftly proved wrong.

Ducky walked out of his back office, surprised to see him. "Jethro."

He glanced up. "Hi, Duck. Thought you went home."

"Making final arrangements for the departure of our guests tomorrow," the long-time medical examiner explained.

"They need to be with their families," he said.

"It's a primal desire… that affects the living more so than the dead." Ducky gave him a bit of an assessing look. "I hear there's still one Marine to be accounted for."

"First Lieutenant Gabriela Flores," he confirmed.

"Ah. Well, I doubt that my friends here can tell you details of her whereabouts," the medical examiner said, "but feel free to ask."

Jethro put the clipboard down. "I don't know what to ask."

"Then it may be that you are talking to the wrong people," Ducky commented. "Jethro, the dead have always been kind to me. Provided answers I have required. But if there is a possibility, that First Lieutenant Flores is still alive, then perhaps these are not the ones to whom you should turn."

Feeling less lost, Jethro pulled out his phone and quickly dialled a number, the woman immediately picking up. "This is Chaplain Burke."

"Burke," he said, walking towards the glass autopsy doors to finally go home, "Marines who understand these schools... do you know any?"

Setting up a meeting with a former FET Marine for the following day, Jethro finally left the Navy Yard and headed home, feeling tired but a little less stuck.

Walking into the house, he noted that Shannon, who was looking quite sleepy, was in the living room quietly watching a show, having clearly opted to wait up for him.

Jethro walked up to Shannon and gave her a kiss. Once they broke apart, he eyed his wife. "You didn't have to wait up."

He took a seat down on the couch beside her.

"I did," his wife countered instantly, "Couldn't sleep." Shannon then snuggled right up to him, laying her head gently on his chest.