Morgan frowned, eyeing the pictures on her coffee table as Russell let out a whine at her side. He nudged her hand and she closed her eyes and let out a breath, patting his head and gathering up the images of herself on the phone, at a crime scene, in her car showing her ID at work. She took them and tossed them in a cardboard box on top of Russell's kennel with more photos and a few notes. She knew it was Levi now. There was no doubt about it with the familiar scrawl and cadence on the notes. He knew where she lived, where she worked, and with whom. Gibbs and the team were in a few of the pictures and she'd be damned if they got caught up in this mess because of her.

Her best bet was to put a bit of distance between them when out in public. She shouldn't always ride with Gibbs to cases, shouldn't show up early to spar with Ziva, needed to watch her expressions while outside, and how much joking she did with the others on the team. Most of all, she needed to make her routine unpredictable. The more systematic it was, the more likely Levi would get the jump on her. Changing things up was her only choice even though she hated having her routine disturbed.

She dragged a hand through her hair, muttering complaints about extra work under her breath as she grabbed her keys and Russell grabbed his leash eagerly. She'd usually take him for a run, then head to work but now she was going to change that and drop by a gas station before heading directly there. She'd be a bit early but any small change was a welcome one in this case. She'd dealt with Levi before and could deal with him again. She knew how frustrated he got back when he couldn't follow her around like a lost dog. Still, the direction this was going in wasn't good and she was sure to grab a knife today, tucking it into a holster across her lower back.

He'd lose both kidneys if she had anything to say about it.

She got to work without issue, though she would feel as if she was being watched for a while and was doing her best to ignore the feeling. She would only grow more paranoid if she focused on that and not only would more people notice—Gibbs will notice—but it would put her at risk if Levi decided to go a step further. She sighed as the elevator door opened, cracking open her energy drink and downing half of it on the way to her desk. Gibbs raised a brow at her, early as he always was, but she ignored him as she put the two other energy drinks she'd gotten into her desk drawer.

"Rough night?" He asked, earning a shrug.

"Same as always," she muttered, pulling out a medication bottle from her top drawer and shaking it without a sound. "Waiting on prescriptions."

He hummed, knowing that she often had issues with getting her meds fulfilled on time. She was forgetful, in that sense, much like with her phone but he also knew the pharmacy was oftentimes a pain to work with, especially with the strength of some of her meds requiring a lot of doctor's notes to be sent in time and time again. He'd suggested abusing her power a little as a federal agent but she brushed it off saying that a day or two wasn't hard to deal with. The elevator chimed then and he glanced over as Ziva walked in, greeting her only for her to scramble to remove some earbuds.

"Good morning," he repeated, seeing she hadn't heard him.

"Good morning, Gibbs," she offered sheepishly only for a clatter to draw their attention to the large hunting knife and sheath placed on Morgan's desk from under her shirt. "Whoa, where's the party and who's ass am I kicking?"

Morgan cracked a small smile and snorted, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. I always keep a knife on me."

Gibbs didn't mention that he knew it wasn't this knife. Her usual knife was a smaller maybe 2-3 inch blade that could be tucked into her shoe or along her belt. This was a beast of a military knife, measuring closer to 6-8 inches, and could cause some serious damage. He had his suspicions but given how their previous talks went, he hesitated on bringing it up, much less with the team around to overhear. He let out a small sigh before stiffening—not flinching—when Abby suddenly appeared at his desk.

"Did you get it?" She asked, hardly waiting for a response before squeezing around him to open one of his desk drawers.

"Abby!" He complained as she pulled out a small black gift with a red bow.

"I put this year's tax refund to good use. I got one for everybody on Team Gibbs," she said, showing him the music player and headphones she'd unwrapped just as Tony came in, belting "Luck Be A Lady."

"Luck be a lady tonight. Luck, if you've ever been a lady, to begin with. Luck be a…" He trailed off when Ziva made a slashing motion at her neck and Morgan sent him an annoyed look. "Hey, boss. Sorry about that," he apologized to Gibbs. "Sinatra, you got to sing along. I mean, it's Old Blue Eyes. It's the Chairman of the Board. I'm gonna Rat Pack it up…"

Gibbs gave Abby a look that she just smiled at as Morgan frowned at the little black gift she also had in her drawer. She was fine with music and wouldn't mind it usually, but having it in her ears blocking out her surroundings didn't seem like a smart thing, especially in her current situation. Gibbs didn't seem to appreciate it either and when he spotted McGee also trying to stealthily listen to his own music player, he got up and stepped up close to get his attention.

"MIT lecture," McGee fibbed, clearing his throat and hastily putting it away. "Nothing I can't listen to on my own time."

"It's the newest version, Gibbs," Abby explained as he went back to his desk. "It's 160 gigabytes. You could download like 40,000 songs."

"I only listen to five, Abbs," Gibbs informed her.

"5,000?"

"No. Five."

"Oh, Gibbs. We really have to broaden your horizons. I could download some of my music for you. Like Android Lust or Flesh-Eating Foundation, Green Satan, or Suicide Commando," she rattled on, glancing over at Morgan. "What about you, Morgan?"

Morgan closed her eyes with a soft sigh, knowing she might regret this later. "I don't like earbuds when they mute my surroundings."

"Oh, well, you don't have to wear them. I could get you a speaker! What kind of music do you like?" She asked, bounding over as Morgan hesitated to answer just in time for Gibbs to get off the phone.

"Dead Marine."

Abby turned to look at him, confused. "Never heard of them."

"Fort Belvoir Army Base," he said, correcting her error. "Let's go."

The team hurried to gather their things but when they started to get into the cars, Morgan stopped Tony.

"Hey, go with Gibbs."

Tony blinked, confused, and pointed at himself. "Me? But I thought you always—"

Morgan glared at him and he nodded.

"Right. Don't argue with the boss's boss."

Her glare hardened and he scampered away, earning a confused look from Gibbs as the man frowned and Tony quickly tried to not get in trouble with him too.

"Look, I don't know, okay? She just told me to go with you… Are you two fighting or—"

"Just get in the car, DiNozzo," Gibbs said sharply and Tony sighed.

"Just my luck," he breathed, ducking in as they headed to the crime scene.

"Good morning, Jethro," Lieutenant Colonel Mann greeted, turning her smiling face down toward the dog that had barrelled toward her and sat before he could run into her legs. "And a good morning to you too, Sergeant Major Russell."

"Busy morning," Gibbs commented, turning to find Morgan letting out a heavy sigh but leaving Russell to help the team unload their gear.

"You work for me on this one, Jethro," Mann informed him. "It's my army base and my crime scene."

"And my people, my office."

Mann glanced over at the rest of the team, eyes catching on Morgan. "You make your move yet?"

"Perhaps," Gibbs replied, earning a raised brow from Mann.

"Then, why is she over there and not over here?" Mann pointedly gestured to the happy Russell leaning into her side as she scratched behind his ears. "Not like her to let Russell out of her sight just to avoid people."

Gibbs frowned lightly. "Who said she's avoiding me?"

"You took separate cars," Mann pointed out.

"We don't always take the same car," Gibbs countered.

"Right," Mann drawled in disbelief before turning toward the truck. "Morgan!"

There was a loud slam and a string of curses before Morgan scowled as she poked her head around the door; a hand on the top of her head.

"What!"

Mann smirked and gestured to the door of the home they were at. "Let's go. We don't have all day."

Morgan groaned but passed her bag to McGee and grabbed some evidence markers before heading their way. Once she stormed past them and regained control of Russell, Mann gave Gibbs a smug grin.

"Who's people?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes as he headed in after them and the rest of the team joined them awkwardly.

"Marine Captain Trent Reynolds," Mann explained as they moved into the room where the man had been harpooned in the back with a speargun. "Worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency on an inter-agency task force. His wife found him last night when she got back from a convention in Charlottesville."

"Where's the wife now?" Gibbs asked.

"Mother's house."

"How long has he been, uh… stuck here?" McGee asked and Mann turned toward him only for Ducky to walk into the room.

"Only the dead know the true meaning of patience, Timothy. No more places to go, people to see. Except me, of course," he hummed. "Colonel, Jethro… So, to whom do I report?"

"Her," Gibbs said at the same time Mann replied.

"Me."

Tony chuckled, speaking under his breath. "Better get used to that."

Mann sent him a challenging look and he hesitantly turned away from the framed fish and weapon on the wall.

"Spearguns," he fumbled. "Pretty cool. Thunderball. Very James Bond… boss… ma'am… colonel."

"Captain Reynolds was a recreational diver," she informed him, moving back toward Gibbs.

"Burglary?" He asked as Morgan came up behind him.

"Back door was jimmied. Russell followed a scent to the curb so whoever it was drove off."

"Wallet and cash were still on him," Mann added. "And the wife doesn't think that anything's missing."

"Makes me think it's his work," Morgan mumbled, making Mann hum before Morgan's phone went off and she pulled it out without even looking and hung it up.

Mann raised a brow but was ignored by her as she brought Russell into the main crime scene to look around. Mann turned her gaze to Gibbs instead and he mouthed the word "later" so she could continue focusing on the case.

"Dr. Mallard, you got anything?" She asked, making the doctor turn to her with a smile.

"You do realize I arrived about a minute ago. The dead speak to me, Colonel, but give the poor man time to catch his breath, so to speak." Ducky pulled out the thermometer and checked it. "Time of death: between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m."

Gibbs's phone went off then and he stepped out to answer as Mann took over.

"Tony, review the witness statements."

"Yes, boss. Ma'am…" He replied, still not sure what title to use. "Uh, Colonel."

"Ziva."

"I will check Captain Reynolds' phone and bank records," Ziva offered and Mann nodded, turning to McGee.

"Agent McGee, see if you can pull some prints off the back door."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Morgan?" She hummed, nodding behind her as Gibbs started coming back. "Double check the yard, other ways of entry."

Morgan nodded. "On it."

She stepped out as Gibbs came over, eyeing her back for a minute before facing Mann again.

"Do you know a Major Sweigart?"

"Depends, you want to talk about what's going on with Morgan?"

Gibbs glanced at her as they turned to head out. "You have a ride?"

"I do now," she hummed, joining him in his car, missing the small frown Morgan had when she saw them before climbing into the truck with the rest of the team. "So? What's going on? I thought things would be happy in paradise once you pried open that shell of hers."

"It was, for a bit," Gibbs grumbled. "This is something recent."

"Something she hasn't told you yet," Mann said, understanding quickly how Morgan worked. "Well, I'd say you got what you asked for in that case."

"This is different," Gibbs countered. "She's sharing some things. Small things. Probably thinks they're insignificant. Things about before she was in the military."

Mann nodded. "Orphan stuff."

"Yeah, but this is new. Or, newer. She got a call to go to Fort Bragg."

Mann immediately whipped to him in surprise. "Fort Bragg?"

Gibbs gave her a surprised look. "You know why?"

"Well, not why exactly, but Fort Bragg is the base where we first met. I wasn't stationed there, just had a job there for a while that lasted longer than expected. Why would they call her to Fort Bragg?"

"I don't know. She wouldn't say, but since then she's been… on edge, jumpy. Phone has been ringing off the hook. Said it was a prank caller but she's not sleeping right and I know there's more to it."

Mann frowned, bringing a hand to her chin. "Well, there was one guy…"

Gibbs turned to her as he finished parking the car. "Who?"

"Don't know. I'd have to make some calls and look him up but there was some altercation she had with someone. Rumor was he was stalking her from another base. We talked about him before, remember? Supposedly, he showed up at her place and she stabbed him in the gut. He lost a kidney and went to jail for it."

"I need his name," Gibbs said sternly, blood boiling as they got out of the car and Mann grabbed his arm when they stepped into the elevator.

"You can't go after him, Gibbs. This is Morgan, we're talking about. She can—"

"I don't care if she can take care of herself," Gibbs snapped, jerking his arm free. "If this guy is a threat—"

"But she cares," Mann pressed, stopping the elevator to confront him. "Look. I'll get his name and see what I can dig up but you can't go after this guy without her knowing. If she finds out, whatever you two have or want to have is done for. She won't trust you again, Gibbs."

"So, I just wait until some stalker shows up to kill her?"

"Use your head," Mann snapped in return. "She stabbed him, not the other way around. People said he followed her like a damn dog. He wouldn't kill her and might not even hurt her intentionally."

"You're supposed to be stopping me from wanting this bastard dead," Gibbs argued.

"Believe me, I want him dead too if those rumors were true, but you have to be smart about this. Try to get it information out of her, try to figure out what her precautions are, work with her, and don't try to do this on your own. Okay? She is being stubborn but she does actually want people to worry and care about her. Care, not smother."

Gibbs took a breath, pulling a hand through his hair much like Morgan did and he nodded, starting up the elevator again. "Fine, but if we find out this guy is back—"

"We'll throw every damn law in the book at him."

Gibbs was tacking away at his computer after having dealt with Major Sweigart and his associate but was struggling to get his computer to cooperate as Mann headed over to help.

"Try the return key."

"This one?" Gibbs asked.

"Here, let me—"

"No, I got it."

"No, I don't think you do," Mann argued before there was a loud sigh and Morgan took the keyboard from them both.

"Move."

Mann smiled and stepped aside, gesturing to the computer as Gibbs rolled his eyes when she turned her smile his way. She was definitely messing with them both and he was silently holding onto the fact that she would have information on Morgan's stalker so long as he held his temper. Morgan typed on the keyboard and frowned lightly when another window popped up.

"Delete the search?" Mann questioned, confused as to how they got there and Morgan shook her head, moving the mouse to hit "No" only for it not to work. "Why isn't it working?"

She reached over to hit more keys but Morgan smacked her hand away with a frown.

"Don't press more buttons or you'll make it worse."

"I'm not the one making it worse."

Morgan bared her teeth in a snarl before McGee hurried over and interrupted.

"Ah, here. I've got it."

Mann winked at Morgan, allowing the woman to huff and get up to head back to her desk as Mann explained to McGee what was going on. "Prints from Reynolds' back door scored a match, but your computer's a little…"

"It's linked to Abby's lab. It's perfectly fine, Colonel," McGee said, earning a hum from Morgan.

"Too many cooks."

"What?" Gibbs questioned as she sat down and cracked open an energy drink; dropping her ringing cell phone into the bottom drawer of her desk and kicking it closed.

"It was being used downstairs while we were trying to access it up here. Too many cooks in the kitchen trying to use it at once."

"Ah."

The images were then brought up on the main screen to show a familiar face to Gibbs.

"Major Sweigart," he hummed, glancing at Mann. "Seems we need to have another talk. Morgan, hold down the fort."

"Yes, sir," she replied half-heartedly, making him pause for a moment as he grabbed his coat.

"I'll, uh… go on ahead," Mann offered, heading for the elevator, and McGee also quickly made himself scarce with the excuse of going to the bathroom.

Gibbs went over to Morgan's desk and eyed her as she ignored him and typed on her computer. "Something wrong?"

"No," Morgan answered simply, earning a look from him.

"You said 'sir,'" he reminded her.

"Slip of the tongue," she muttered, though he knew it wasn't.

"Is this because of what's going on?" He asked, frowning. "If he's still bugging you—"

Morgan glared at him, suspicious now. "He?"

Gibbs mentally winced at his mistake, scrambling to cover it up. "Your prank caller. I can get you another phone but if this has gotten worse—"

"It hasn't," she said sharply, turning back to her computer as Russell let out a whine from his bed, perking up at her rising temper.

He couldn't press any further and let out a sigh. "Well, my door's always open if you need somewhere else to go for a while."

Morgan didn't say anything as he pulled out his keys and headed for the elevator. Once the doors closed, she waited a few extra minutes before letting out a heavy sigh and dropping her head onto her desk. She hadn't meant to start a fight with Gibbs. It honestly had been a slip of the tongue but only because she was trying to go back to how she was in the army. She was trying to put some space between her and the others and accidentally slipped into that old mindset. Then, Gibbs had asked if he was still bugging her and she worried he found out somehow about Levi.

For a moment, she'd panicked. Maybe he looked up her records while back at Fort Bragg. Mann knew so maybe she told him or he found out some other way or she slipped up without realizing. Abby was the only other person who knew but she didn't know about the current situation, and as it was, she'd lied to him. Levi had stepped it up with the notes and pictures. She was worried about heading back to her apartment even with Russell at her side because she knew Levi wouldn't give a damn about hurting him to get to her. He never did like animals and complained about those officers who had military dogs back on the base. Levi thought an actual weapon was better than a beast that could and would think on its own, putting the handler at risk. Of course, he said it jokingly but she didn't trust anything he said back then to be anything but serious, especially now.

"—gan. Morgan!"

She jerked upright, having not realized that she'd dozed off at her desk until now, as McGee shook her shoulder to wake her.

"You okay?" He asked first and she nodded, clearing her throat and reaching into her desk to pull out an energy drink to fight the leftover grogginess.

Gibbs was right about that too. She was letting this affect her too much. She couldn't let her issue with Levi get in the way of her actual work by falling asleep at her desk.

"Sorry," she apologized, snapping open the can and ignoring his uncertain glance. "Didn't mean to doze off."

"That's alright. You've been looking tired lately but, um… they want you up at interrogation."

That surprised her and she turned to him in confusion. "Interrogation?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm not sure what for, exactly. We brought in a witness. Friend of the wife's who was with her when the body was found. Something was off though. I don't know what. Lieutenant Colonel Mann and Gibbs were in with the Director a minute ago and then called for you."

Morgan just got up, knowing better than to question things, and thanked McGee as she told Russell to stay with him and headed over to interrogation. She stepped into the room on the other side of the mirror and faced Gibbs and Mann; the latter who smiled while Gibbs just frowned.

"You're up," Mann said, handing over a file to Morgan who eyed it for a second, hesitating.

"Me?"

Mann edged the folder closer. "Yes, which is why I'm handing you the file."

Morgan glanced at Gibbs who was refusing to look her way and slowly took the folder. "Right… and why aren't you or Gibbs doing it?"

Mann continued to smile as she took Morgan by the shoulders and led her to the door back outside. "Because we all felt that you would be able to conduct the interview without any bias or external feelings to compromise the case."

Morgan began to frown now, glancing back at Mann as she was pushed out the door. "I feel like this is a trick."

"You've got a little bit of time to look over the file before you need to start. You'll also be on your own as I need to escort Agent Gibbs elsewhere to protect the integrity of the interview."

"Integrity of the—"

"By the way," Mann said, her smile turning into a more mischievous smirk. "The witness is his ex-wife. The third one."

Morgan stiffened, understanding now what was going on and that she'd just been thrown to the wolves and turning angrily toward her friend who'd done so. "Mann, you—"

"Have fun with it, Morgan," Mann encouraged. "I'll keep Gibbs occupied for you. Besides, the Director approved."

The door was closed and Morgan felt the urge to kick the door down and strangle Mann for throwing her into this mess, but instead, she pinched the bridge of her nose and swallowed it down. While she wouldn't say she was the best choice in this situation, it was understandable that she was picked to do the interview. Gibbs was too close. Mann had ulterior motives—even if those motives were to help Morgan and Gibbs—and the rest of the team were busy with other work. The team had only just found out about Morgan and Gibbs thanks to him kissing her on the cheek out of the blue, but the Director probably didn't know. Or she did know and is messing with us like Mann is. Either way, I now have to conduct an interview with Gibbs's ex-wife who probably isn't happy at all about this mess.

"Great. Just fuckin' great."

Morgan stepped into the interrogation room and set the file down on the table, facing Stephanie Flynn far calmer than Tony or Ziva expected.

"I thought she would come in swinging," Tony hummed, watching from the other side of the mirror with Ziva who huffed.

"She is not that hot-headed. I was expecting Gibbs to come in swinging."

"Good point."

"What time did Major Sweigart arrive at your apartment?" Morgan asked Stephanie calmly, leaning back in her seat as the woman rolled her eyes.

"About 6:30."

"What time did he leave?"

"About 10:00. Where's Gibbs?" Stephanie demanded. "I know you know he's my ex."

"He's busy," Morgan replied evenly.

"Some things never change."

"There," Ziva said, pointing at the glass with a smirk. "She is irked."

"What?" Tony questioned, leaning forward and not seeing what Ziva was talking about. "Who? Morgan?"

"Yes. Her grip on her pen tightened when Stephanie complained about Gibbs. It was subtle. She's good."

"Who do you think is prettier?" Tony asked as Morgan continued to question Stephanie. "Ex-wife number three or future ex-wife number four?"

Ziva elbowed him in the gut, making him groan. "Just because Morgan is not the type of woman you'd date doesn't mean she isn't beautiful in her own way."

"D-Doesn't answer my question," Tony pointed out and Ziva rolled her eyes.

"Morgan is at a disadvantage because of her uniform."

"She's not wearing a uniform."

"Not physically, but her posture is stiff, her form: crisp. She might as well be wearing an army uniform. Not a hair out of place."

"How long have you known Major Sweigart?" Morgan asked.

"Eight months," Stephanie replied, eyeing Morgan. "I've known Gibbs longer."

Morgan didn't rise to the bait. "Are you seeing each other?"

Stephanie sighed. "I know how this works. You're implying because I love Eric, I'm lying for him."

Morgan glanced up from her notes. "It's a possibility that my boss wants me to cover."

Stephanie scoffed out a laugh and got up. "He's watching, isn't he? If you're going to have me interrogated, Jethro, at least do it yourself!" She called out toward the mirror, knocking on it. "Come on. You never could talk to me, could you? Well, that was then, this is now, so just… get the hell in here!"

"Feisty," Tony commented at the sight of the woman's frustration before he caught sight of Gibbs's and Mann's reflection in the mirror. "In an unattractive kind of way. Got zip at Fort Belvoir, boss."

Ziva agreed, offering her run down as well. "Captain Reynolds got along with everyone."

"No one heard a thing last night," Tony said, waiting for a response before quickly excusing himself. "I'm gonna go check those phone records."

"I am going to help him," Ziva offered, wanting out of there as well.

Once they were gone, Mann stepped up beside Gibbs, smirking as Morgan rubbed at her temples.

"How long before she snaps, do you think?"

"Which one?" Gibbs questioned, shooting her a look. "You wanted her in there."

"Well, thought the current should meet the exes. Give her an idea of what she's dealing with. Who knows, they might get along."

"Sit down," Morgan snapped, making Stephanie jump and turn toward her as she pointed firmly at the chair across from her. "Now. Please."

Gibbs gave Mann a look and she rolled her eyes. "At least she said please."

Stephanie took a seat and frowned over at Morgan, but didn't speak as Morgan checked her notes to ask further questions.

"Were you aware of any of the work Sweigart was doing?"

"He wasn't exactly sharing government secrets but at least he talked about work," Stephanie quipped and Mann raised a brow as Gibbs sighed and rubbed his face.

"Three."

"Three what?"

Gibbs just pointed at the mirror in a "just watch" movement.

"What did you make for dinner that night?" Morgan continued and Stephanie sighed, leaning her head on her hand.

"Does it really matter what I made for dinner?"

Morgan just stared at her and she gave in.

"Chicken piccata, slightly overdone, steamed vegetables, slightly underdone, served with a Chardonnay that was just right."

Morgan didn't make any notes on that. "Did he appear agitated at all?"

"No. He complimented my cooking despite its faults, unlike someone."

"Two," Gibbs breathed, tipping his head back in exasperation.

"You having fun, Jethro?" Stephanie complained once more, leaning to the side to check the mirror once more and Gibbs stepped out of the room with Mann on his heels, confused.

"Why are you counting down?"

"Go and watch," Gibbs told her, thrusting a finger at the open door. "Preferably before I get to zero."

Mann opened her mouth but closed it and returned to the room to watch, unsure of what was going on until she got back and saw Stephanie back on her feet again.

"Seriously, Jethro. I'm really getting tired of this. Why are you targeting my boyfriend? Can't I be happy with someone else?"

Gibbs wasn't there to say "zero" but he didn't need to when Morgan slammed her hands on the table and stood.

"Sit down."

Stephanie almost went to argue but Morgan spoke over her before she could.

"I am trying to do my damn job while Gibbs is doing his. This has nothing to do with you two. The world and this case don't revolve around you, and so help me God, if you do not stop complaining about him, I am going to—"

The door opened then, cutting Morgan off as a blur of black fur rushed in toward her and immediately began fusing at her feet; Russell lifting his front legs up to shove at her as he fussed. Morgan closed her eyes and took in a long breath through her nose as Gibbs turned to Stephanie and placed a coffee cup in front of her.

"Still decaf?" He asked, though before she could respond, he moved over toward Morgan; leaning in and speaking quietly as he handed her something. "Just this once."

Morgan took the pack of cigarettes, shooting him a glare that he offered a small smile at before she stormed out with Russell glued to her hip. Stephanie eyed the interaction before confronting Gibbs.

"We need to talk."

"Talk away," he replied as she herded him toward the door, away from the two-way mirror.

"What are you doing? Like I asked Sergeant—"

"First Sergeant," Gibbs corrected. "Frost."

"First Sergeant Frost," she fixed. "Why are you targeting my boyfriend?"

"I'm doing my job, Stephanie," Gibbs said, turning to leave but she grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Can we at least finish one conversation?"

"I'm starting to feel like I'm married," Gibbs complained.

"That's funny. I never felt like we were ever married," she quipped back. "Look. Eric didn't do this and I don't know what evidence you've got that makes you think he did, but you're wrong. Just don't screw this up for me, Jethro."

"It's not about you," Gibbs reiterated and she gave him a stern look.

"Well, it was never about me, was it?"

McGee cleared his throat, ending the impending argument before it could continue. "Uh, boss? Abby needs to see us and I thought I saw Morgan head outside with some cigarettes. Do I need to… uh…"

Gibbs sighed. "I gave them to her. There's only one left. She'll cool off and come back."

"Right. I'll just…" McGee nodded down the hall and Mann took that as her cue to exit as well, leaving Gibbs with Stephanie.

"I'm happy you found somebody," he told her genuinely. "I'll send an agent down to escort you out." He closed the door behind him and faced McGee where he was waiting awkwardly with Mann. "Cyber guy here yet?"

"Yeah, in with Abby. She'll be fine."

"Might I ask why you decided to have your smoke break down here?" Ducky called out to Morgan as she sat on a table in the corner, well away from his work with the last bits of her cigarette hanging from her fingers.

"No smoke alarms," she grumbled, making him chuckle.

"Yes, well, smoking outside has a far better view and doesn't require you to be all tucked away in a corner like you are while I'm working," he replied, waving vaguely in her direction as he sewed up his cadaver. "Not smoking at all would be even more beneficial for your health and that of others."

Morgan sighed and put out her cigarette in the sink beside her. "Happy?"

"Content," he hummed easily. "Though you appear to be the opposite. Tell me, are you here because you are attempting to hide from Jethro?"

"Among others," she grumbled, letting out a huff as Russell approached her and rested his head on her knee for pets. "Mann had me interrogating his third ex-wife who's a material witness in our case. Stephanie Flynn."

"That must have been extremely awkward… for all concerned," he mused and Morgan glanced over at him.

"Three ex-wives?"

Ducky hummed. "That is correct."

"Is he just that abrasive?"

He chuckled. "Well, you're one to talk, my dear!"

She rolled her eyes, getting up from the table and heading over. "Well, she obviously wasn't pleased with him so I'm assuming something must have happened."

"You know," Ducky hummed. "A man's heart often tells us how he lived. Sometimes, it might even tell us how he died but contrary to popular myth, it never tells us how he loved." Ducky removed his gloves and lit up the x-ray he had of their victim with the harpoon through his chest, giving Morgan a serious look. "You won't find a better man than Jethro. He's a fiercely loyal colleague and friend but he does come with his challenges."

Morgan scoffed. "So does Russell but he doesn't come with three ex-wives that I might end up having to deal with. The one was plenty for me, thanks."

"Yet, you have questions," Ducky pointed out. "You could just ask him, you know."

"I'm not asking you," she grumbled, making him chuckle.

"Yes, well, not outright, you aren't. But when faced with him or his ex-wife, you come down here to see me, his long-time colleague."

Morgan sighed heavily, following him to his desk as he gathered his paperwork. "He won't tell me anything anyway. I came down here to get away and talk, not dig into his past or his marriage or whatever."

"They weren't married long," Ducky informed her and she huffed.

"Fourteen months," she said, drawing his attention. "I dug a bit when he fell into that coma and woke up with no memories. I've been there and knew the hell I had to deal with. Figured he was reliving some hell of his own. I'm good at finding information, not so much talking about it."

Ducky offered her a small smile. "Remind me to ask for a highly qualified lawyer should I ever end up on the other side of your interrogation table."

Morgan huffed, glancing away. "We're both hiding things, so I don't expect him to be forthcoming about it all… but I don't like it when it gets dropped on me out of nowhere. The first time was bad enough."

Ducky eyed her cautiously. "First time? You've met his ex before?"

Morgan shook her head, gaze turning solemn. "No, just dug a little too far. I read about his first wife in the process of trying to help him."

His eyes went wide. "You know about Kelly."

She nodded. "Not all of it. Not even a little, just that they're gone and it haunts him. I understand that. More than anyone, I know what it's like to have something terrible haunt you like that so I know he won't talk about it. Maybe not ever. Maybe just not with me. I'm hiding a lot of shit from him too, but sometimes it just feels like we're both standing on opposite sides of a wall, and occasionally a rock comes flying over from his side and knocks me upside the head. Other times, I stumble across a hole. A little crack in the wall and peek through only to get jabbed in the eye for trying."

She shook her head, running a hand through her hair and moving away to lean on one of the autopsy tables.

"I don't know. It's stupid and hypocritical of me to think that I might get a hint of something from him when I don't offer anything of equivalent value back."

"It's not about comparing values, Morgan," Ducky argued lightly as Russell fussed over her for a moment. "It's not a trading system or something to barter over."

"You sound like Dr. McNeil," Morgan grumbled, making him crack a small smile.

"Then, I must be doing something right. My point is, you both have a similar way of dealing with your past and that is by hiding it from everyone so they don't see you as vulnerable. Then, at some point, you will come to find that there is someone you love enough to share it with because they will take one look at that fear and pain, and tell you how brave you are for it."

Morgan thought back to when she'd attacked Gibbs in a haze and how he'd told her how vital her presence was to him. He didn't see her fear and mock her for it or blow it off. He made her feel strong about it even now. He wasn't pressing her about Levi and was allowing her to take care of it herself while also being there should she need him. It all made that urge to tell him all the more noticeable. Ducky must have noticed something in her expression too, and spoke.

"Did you read the files you found?"

Morgan shook her head silently and he let out a soft sigh.

"His wife witnessed a murder," he explained, drawing her sad gaze to his. "She identified the shooter. He came after her."

She said nothing, turning her gaze to the ground for a minute before glancing at the corner where she'd been perched only moments before. "Wish I hadn't snuffed out at cigarette now."

Ducky managed a small smile at that before the door opened and Gibbs walked in.

"Results, Duck?" He called out, pausing when he saw Morgan there. "You stole my agent."

"Actually, Jethro, your agent became a stowaway," Ducky teased. "I do believe she was hiding from your ex-wife."

Morgan rolled her eyes. "I wasn't hiding."

Gibbs smiled a little himself as he headed over and gave Russell a pet from where he was seated beside her leg. "My ex is the one who should be hiding."

Ducky shook his head and gestured to the corpse in front of him, returning them to the topic at hand. "Captain Reynolds' cause of death was relatively straightforward, but I did find something else. On his cheeks, we found a residue of prolactin and lysozyme." He gave Gibbs a pointed look. "Tears, Jethro. Captain Reynolds was crying when he died."

Tony and Ziva stepped in then along with Mann.

"I checked Reynolds' phone records, boss." Tony glanced at Mann, hesitating a moment. "Colonel, ma'am. I drew a blank…"

"So we checked Major Sweigart's phone records," Ziva added. "Ten calls in the last three days to the same person. A woman."

"Stephanie?" Gibbs asked and Tony shook his head.

"No. Jill, Captain Reynolds' wife."