The next two weeks felt like they just flew by. Work kept Jethro busy, his team being given the most recent weekend shift, but he was able to leave the office at a decent time on Valentine's Day and take Shannon out to a French restaurant for a nice dinner, just the two of them.

Thankfully, his arm was healing well enough, although Jethro hated how ridiculous he looked when trying to put the stupid sling on. He couldn't wait until he could take the damned thing off for good. Not to mention the fact that his arm was still really sore.

Still, right after Valentine's Day came and went Jethro's team was thrown right back into the thick of things at work. A high-level security Navy reservist and psychologist, Robert Banks, had been found dead in his home in Arlington from what initially looked to be suicide. Jethro then found himself face-to-face with the ever-nosy Dr. Samantha Ryan of the DOD's PsyOps Division. The brain-gamer oversaw all Military Information Support Operations and seemed to do everything she could to prevent his team from getting answers every step of the way. Dr. Cranston, who turned out to be a colleague and friend of their victim, ended up providing as much assistance as she could.

"Be careful," Vance warned him when they spoke in his office. The director apparently knew Dr. Ryan from his time at the Naval War College. "She's inquisitive."

Jethro honestly wasn't that concerned. "Yeah, well, so am I."

The director got Jethro's attention as he reached out to open the office door. "Gibbs." He turned around and eyed his boss. "Not like her."

In hindsight, Vance's assessment of the woman had been right on the money. Dr. Ryan was supremely nosy and managed to make solving what turned out to be a homicide a fascinating case study in fortitude and mettle. Jethro had been tempted to throttle the woman when he found out that she'd had the audacity to bug his basement. His home. That was an absolutely disgusting breach of privacy.

Shannon felt the exact same way he did and had absolutely no qualms about showing it. "Of all the disgusting… that woman bugged our home, Jethro! She broke into our house and then bugged us!"

Both of his hands were in his pockets. "I know, Shannon, I'm pissed too."

His wife crossed her arms. "Oh, I'm so far past pissed right now, Jethro!"

"PsyOps 101," he said, not all that surprised by the huge invasion of privacy given how entitled Dr. Ryan had come across from the moment they'd met. "You approach people at their most vulnerable. You even the playing field."

Shannon eyed him, her lips pressed firmly together. "Handle her, Jethro. That woman broke into our house! That's absolutely unacceptable. Our home is off limits!"

"Damn straight it is," he readily agreed. "I'll deal with her, Shan." He fully intended to give the good doctor a taste of her own medicine.

She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Good."

In the end, however, he and Dr. Ryan called a truce. He showed up at her son's school, making his point loud and clear. Backing down, Dr. Ryan gave them the lead that they needed to break the case and find out that their victim's daughter, Amber, was behind her father's death. She'd had a Navy commander's help. She wanted the money that she'd get from her father's life insurance policy and Brian Mitchell had feelings for the teen. Not exactly an original motive for either party.

"I made your father look unstable," Mitchell said as he met up with Amber at a park. "I gave him the drugs. I did what you said."

"I said to make it look like he killed himself," Amber countered without missing a beat. "If they figure out I'm involved, I'll get nothing. I want that money."

"I just want you to be happy," Mitchell commented. "I want us to be happy."

"This isn't about us anymore," Amber replied coolly. "You killed my father, Brian. I will not go down with you for this."

Jethro promptly stepped out from where he and Ziva had been hiding and listening in on the little rendez-vous and eyed the teenager. "Oh, I'm afraid you are." Jethro's gaze flickered between both individuals. "Put your hands behind your back."

He approached Mitchell with purpose and started to collar him.

"She's as guilty as I am," the former Navy commander said as he was cuffed.

"He's lying," Amber stated. "No, he-he forced me to do this."

An incredulous look instantly crossed Ziva's face as the younger agent started to cuff Amber; the girl evidently had a few screws loose. "Somehow I doubt that."

"That's a nice girl," Jethrk told Mitchell, the blatant sarcasm evident in his tone. "Thirty years, take her home to meet the folks."

Their case had taken quite an interesting turn, but Jethro was just glad that the head brain-gamer was on their side. The veteran agent was even more glad that it was Friday and, once both suspects were booked, he decided that their case reports could wait until Monday and sent his team home for the weekend.

McGee turned to Ziva. "You up for a drink?"

"Sure," Ziva replied. "Just let me grab my things and we'll go."

McGee tilted his head slightly as Ziva started taking her keys and such out of her desk drawer. "The Columbia Room? We could invite Tony."

"Good by me," Ziva replied with a nod. "What are you doing this weekend, Gibbs?"

He smiled at her. "Shannon and I are heading out to casa de Walsh."

"Ah," she replied with a warm smile. "Have fun."

"Same to you." He glanced between the two agents. "Be safe, the both of you." Jethro then turned his attention to Dr. Cranston, making his way over to the elevator with her while they discussed everything that had gone down.

"Amber used me," Dr. Cranston stated. "Just like she used him."

Jethro gave an affirmative hum in response.

"I never saw it coming," she commented. "I thought she was another broken teenager caught up in an ugly divorce."

He stopped walking and turned so he could make eye contact. "Doc, you look for the good in people." Jethro gently put his hands on her shoulders, to emphasize his point. Amber was a piece of work. End of story. "There, there's not much to find."

Satisfied that he had made his point, Jethro resumed his walk to the elevator, the good doctor matching him step for step.

Jethro walked Dr. Cranston out to her car and once she left went to grab a fresh cup of coffee from the stand right outside the building. He then stood around drinking it while waiting for his wife to get there.

He'd just finished his coffee when Shannon pulled up. So, tossing the coffee cup in the garbage, Jethro contentedly hopped into the car.

"Hey," he said before giving his wife a peck on the check. "How was your day?"

"Good," she replied. "Had coffee with Connie after work."

"Oh?" he inquired. "Where at?"

"Northside Social," she explained. "Your shoulder bugging you much?"

"Nah," he said. "I've had worse."

Shannon swiftly rolled her eyes. "Real comforting, babe."

As they exited the Navy Yard, Jethro wasted no time on turning the in-dash car stereo on, wanting to listen to the country station on the drive out to Alexandria.