"What have we got?" Gibbs asked as he walked into the bullpen. Ziva stood up and grabbed the remote.

"Petty Officer George Branson was on leave from the USS Lincoln when he disappeared two days ago. His shipmates have no idea why we found him in that warehouse." She clicked a button on the remote to enlarge the photo and bring up Branson's bio.

Millie stepped forward. She looked up from the file in her hands. "I now know why I heard that name before. We were investigating him in connection with a case we've been working for the past month."

"And you did not involve NCIS?" Tony asked.

"That was my call," Brittany said as she walked in. "I didn't see to involve anyone else until we know how involved the petty officer was. The less that knew, the better." Tony's expression changed into a softer tone.

"Well then. I'd say that was a smart move."

Brittany glared at him. "Nice try, DiNozzo, but nothing you say is gonna work." Everyone, even Gibbs, either laughed or smiled. Tony, however, did not. "Anyway, we have tracked this guy's signature to see where he's been, but we can't put a face to the crimes."

Brittany was looking down at her folder, reviewing the facts in her head as the team listened to her and Millie reviewed the details.

"Brittany Alexa Madison!" She looked up straight into the angry eyes of Director Asher. "A word, please." She set down the folder and rolled her eyes. She climbed up the steps to meet with the director at the landing above. She followed him into a nearby conference room and disappeared from the view of the team in the bullpen below.

"Uh oh," Millie said. "He seems mad."

Brittany sat down at one of the chairs near the window while the director paced the room. "What are you thinking?" he began. "Getting involved in a case that could jeopardize everything."

"They found me, sir," she responded. "They will not let go of this body."

"You are not authorized to create joint operations."

"I am and you know it. You just don't like that this case is here." She unconsciously adjusted her glasses. "I have been working on this case for a month now. I am not about to let it go because it is now here, and you know it."

He stopped close to her and leaned close to her. "If they find out anything about your past case, I will yank you off this case and put you on a mission halfway across the world. Got it?" She nodded.

"Understood, sir."

He stood up and straightened his sport coat. "Good." He backed away. "Glad we are on the same page." He briskly walked out the door.

Brittany sat back and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath as she thought about what had just happened. He thought that it was a threat that she was working the case at NCIS, otherwise he wouldn't have made such a scene. He was more concerned about keeping the past in the past rather than keeping this case going. She composed herself before she stood up. With one last look in the mirror, she hurried downstairs to rejoin the team.

"Ok, so where were we?" The team eyed her carefully.

"What was that about?" Tony asked.

"Nothing, really. Just my director being concerned about the validity of us being here." She shrugged. "Can we just get back to the case?"

"He's been nicknamed Card Shark Shot," Millie said, pulling the focus back to the case. She sensed something else was up. "He would leave a playing card at every kill or sometime later at the scene."

"There wasn't a card when we were there," McGee said.

"But there could be later. If this is CSS, he will put a card there later." She sat down at the desk she was temporarily using. Her eye stole a glance at the photos of the smiling team and a young girl in the mix before turning on the computer. She pulled the electronic files on the plasma.

"We don't have a face to the name. Not even a suspect," Millie restated. "He has never been caught on film."

"So how are you sure this is the same person?" Ziva asked.

"The MOs are consistent. If this was another person, there would be subtle differences." Brittany clicked through the photos as she spoke. "The details about the cards never left our files. Very few people in the CIA even know this detail."

"All right then." Gibbs got up and headed toward the elevator. "Let's go see if your hunch is correct." Brittany grabbed her jacket and ran to the elevator before it closed.

"So, what do you guys do when he leaves?" Millie asked them. "He didn't really say anything to you guys."

"Usually try to find more information," McGee answered.

"But one of us is usually with him," Ziva added.

Tony walked over toward Millie and the stack of files. "Let's see what you've got. Maybe we can find something in there." He picked up some files and took some back to his desk.

"Like I said, Agent Gibbs, I am sure this is the same guy," Brittany said as she stepped out of the car when they arrived at the crime scene.

"That's why we are here to check that out." He handed her some latex gloves and slipped a pair on before ducking under the tape. Brittany followed behind him.

"Your boss didn't seem happy earlier," Gibbs commented.

"Oh, yeah, well I didn't really give him enough of a heads up, that's why. He doesn't really question my actions often." A silence fell between them. "So, how long have they been your team?" she asked as they walked through the scene.

"A long time. We used to have one more."

She knelt down to get a better look at the scene. "On the desk at the end, there is a photo of the team and a younger girl. How did she fit in?" She could only guess what he was going to say.

Gibbs looked at her while she surveyed the room. "She was on the team before her death a few months ago. That was her desk."

Brittany stood up and looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." She walked forward and headed to where the body was originally found. She was arguing with herself over whether or not she should have said what was bothering her.

Gibbs stood where he was and couldn't help but notice the similarities between that moment and the time when Sarah asked him about Kelly when she was 14. Of course, it was years ago but the events were very similar in nature.

"Gibbs! I found something." He pushed his thoughts aside and walked over to where Brittany was kneeling. She pulled out her smartphone from her jacket pocket. "It's a Queen of Spades." She snapped a couple photos. He pulled an evidence bag out of his pocket. When she was done with the photos, she picked up the card and examined it.

"Is there a pattern that the cards follow?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "Not that we have found, but I haven't had much of a chance to examine them. We can look through it when we get back." She dropped the card into the evidence bag. "I'll call Millie and have her pull the info we need." She stood up and walked off to the side with her phone. Gibbs walked the perimeter and looked for any other clues that were missed or added later, like the card. After Brittany got off the phone, she looked around as well.

She turned and looked at Gibbs. "See anything else?"

"I don't see anything. Do you see anything?"

She shook her head. "I don't think we're going to find anything else here."

"Come on." He started walking out. "Let's see what they've found." She looked at him before running after him. She could sense a small amount of tension forming between them, and if she didn't act quickly, it would get a whole lot worse.

AN: Another chapter down. Hope you enjoy!