♪ ♪
(thunder rumbles)
Morning, Gladys, Colonel.
Stay warm.
(doorbells jangling)
Morning, Elaine.
Hey, Gibbs.
You missed one hell of an accident.
Ah. Semi, huh?
Yeah. Driver fell asleep.
Beat up his rig pretty bad.
Well, at least he's alive.
(chuckling)
Eggs easy?
Uh-uh.
No, just coffee.
Finish that, I'll brew you fresh to go.
You're too good to me, Elaine.
Oh, I'm just waiting on a proposal. That's all.
(both chuckling)
♪ ♪
(hammer cocks)
Federal agent. Put it down.
(gunshot)
Will you listen to what I'm asking you?!
YOUNG GIBBS: Matteson-- is that right?
I'm Shannon.
SHANNON: Jethro! KELLY: I miss you, Daddy.
They're both dead. No!
FRANKS: Your wife and daughter died in the crash.
KELLY: Daddy!
FRANKS: Like the blue better, huh?
GIBBS: NCIS! ZIVA: Why me, Gibbs?
SHEPARD: You're not infallible, Jethro.
GIBBS: I'll keep you safe, Abby.
FRANKS: Hello Probie.
TONY: NCIS! ABBY: Gibbs. Found something.
GIBBS: Grab your gear. Got a dead sailor in Norfolk.
DiNozzo...
(distorted murmured conversations)
Dad.
Jethro.
Matteson?
Hey there.
(bullet clatters)
Mike.
Well, how do I look?
Alive.
Hell of a thing, isn't it?
What are you doing, probie?
Hesitating like that.
You should have shot him.
What? I mean... that's it?
It's over?
Well, I-I wasn't, uh... I wasn't done yet.
That's the problem.
Folks want to help you see the things you accomplished.
Understand the choices you made.
Jethro...
this is your life we're talking about.
♪ NCIS 9x14 ♪ Life Before His Eyes Original Air Date on February 7, 2012
== sync, corrected by elderman ==
♪
Didn't expect to see you so soon, Gunny.
Guess you can't predict these things.
(doorbells jangle)
I didn't see this coming.
Ain't life grand?
What is this, Mike?
A gift.
Well, it doesn't feel like it.
People want to give you closure.
A chance to see what you did.
- I didn't do anything. - Bull.
You solved hundreds of cases.
You helped families get over burying their dead
by putting away murderers and terrorists.
I'm just doing my job.
Well, folks use, uh, paper clips
and photocopy for a living.
Those are jobs.
What you did
is more than that.
I don't get it.
Try to.
Done things different, you'd be surprised
how everything would have changed.
How far do we have to go?
30 years?
Ten years?
What about yesterday?
Tell me how it started.
GIBBS: Like every other day-- nothing unusual.
This is definitely unusual.
"Unusual" is the operative word.
What are you two doing?
Don't play dumb, Tim.
We're trained federal agents.
We can see when something's up.
And something's definitely up.
What are you two talking about?
TONY: The two computer monitors on your desk.
You swapped them, and no one just up
and changes their viewing angle.
Something's up, McAnal Probie.
My monitors-- that's what you're worried about?
We're not big on change around here.
Well, I thought I would try a little something different today.
What makes today so special?
We know that look, McGee.
It is somewhere between melancholy
and constipation.
- Consternation? - No, I actually meant
that his mind looks clogged.
Well, it's not.
I just needed a change.
GIBBS: Don't change, McGee.
Let's go.
Dead petty officer, USS Gentry.
The Gentry, boss?
It's been out of commission for weeks.
It's in dry dock for repair.
There's no crew.
There is a skeleton crew, McGee.
Empty ship.
Why is there a body on board?
You change your monitor or something, McGee?
(laughs)
MCGEE: The electronic hub of the ship's
communications and operations system.
Only the ship's captain, the XO
and a handful of crew members are allowed access.
And our victim was none of the above.
By the way,
not the best place to discharge a firearm.
Ka-blooey. (laughs)
Doctor, should we be wearing Hazmat suits?
There's no leakage in here, Mr. Palmer,
save for our victim's blood.
I got two shell casings here, Ducky.
Does that match your body?
From what I can tell, yes.
However, Mr. Palmer, let's get her back to autopsy,
make our findings definitive.
Yeah.
Navy regulations prohibit the carrying of firearms
except for watch standers.
Well, didn't do her much good anyway.
Search for bullets or fragments of.
Witnesses?
Everybody on board was working aft.
There was a welder who heard something,
but he didn't check
until it was too late.
- Who else? - Skeleton crew.
There's ten, plus the guards at the ramp.
- Quarterdeck watch? - Ship's security
didn't see anybody leave.
I even checked their video surveillance.
Means whoever did this could still be on board.
(whispering): Gibbs.
Over here.
Bag and tag.
Ziva.
He's alive.
McGee! Get Ducky.
Think it's our shooter, boss?
I don't know yet.
Plenty of time to rest later, probie.
You think?
I-I don't follow, Mike.
I didn't ask for this.
Of course you didn't. You earned it.
How?
By making some tough decisions.
Everything happens for a reason.
People die needlessly-- I know that.
But sometimes good comes from the hurt.
Don't talk to me like a greeting card.
I'm talking to you like a friend.
(laughs)
Okay. Now what?
Come on.
Move!
Where?
Jethro. (sighs)
Why are we here?
One decision can change everything.
Sometimes better.
Sometimes not.
What's your point?
There's a point to everything.
Just got to find it.
Kate.
Agent Todd's dead.
Doesn't have to be.
What if you saw Ari on that rooftop?
KATE: Shooter!
(gunshots)
Kate!
You okay?
I just got shot at point-blank range, DiNozzo.
What do you think?
You're not going to Pilates class tomorrow.
And that wasn't point-blank range.
GIBBS: McGee.
Get air support. We got a sniper.
Okay.
Stay down, Kate.
(sighs)
(helicopter whirring)
Dang. This is good.
Why didn't you ever bring me here?
You mean to tell me that Ari never took the shot?
He never hit Kate?
Couldn't.
This time, you saw him, stopped him.
It didn't happen that way.
But what if it did?
What if, this time,
you protected your team and kept it from happening?
Kate's alive.
I know what you're thinking:
Kate doesn't die,
a lot of things would be different.
(elevator bell dings)
Did I miss it?!
- Everything's fine. - I promised her I wouldn't miss it.
You were undercover.
I know. I should have let you do it.
What was I thinking?! I'm family first!
Everything works out, Tony.
Look at me and Tim, okay? This was meant to be.
Okay.
Hey.
Oh, well, Agent DiNozzo. Glad to see you made it.
Everything okay?
See for yourself.
Hey, Kate. Sorry. Uh, drug deals, you know?
They never go according to plan.
Well, at least...
you look smaller.
What?!
Oh, boy.
Exactly.
Congratulations, Agent DiNozzo.
You're a father.
(baby cooing)
Welcome.
Nice job, Kate.
Life's dominoes.
Ripples like a stone skipping across a pond.
And you're the catalyst.
Think about Ziva. Kate lives,
Ziva would have stayed Mossad.
Be careful with this one.
I know her father well.
To say she's dangerous is an understatement.
Dangerous women are my specialty, Leon.
Oh, I'm familiar with your specialty, Tony.
I remember you.
Riva? Viza?
No, no, no, no.
Tiva.
Ziva. My name is Ziva David.
(chuckles)
Oh, yeah... Ziva, the icy Israeli.
I followed you to a hotel pool once.
Clearly, I made an impression.
Cannot say the same about you.
No way. No, you're not blaming me for everything.
I didn't say everything.
But we're just as responsible
for the things we do as the things we don't.
Yesterday was an eye-opener.
There was more to that case than you saw coming.
This can't be good. Cleaned out his desk, too.
Albatross! Albatross!
Petty Officer Janet McCaffrey had a spotless record.
ZIVA: Uh, two deployments on two different ships:
the Ontario and the Gentry.
So it's finally happened.
You two are snooping together as a team.
We are merely curious and concerned.
Well, it's nothing you need to know about.
There's plenty I need to know about.
Like our dead petty officer.
Pulled our victim's bank records, boss.
Two deposits in the last week.
- Both over $30,000. - From where?
- Still checking. - Civilian?
Peter Germaine. Still in the ICU at Washington General.
Background?
McGEE: Germaine works for a shipbuilding firm
out of Portsmouth.
His company was just absorbed
by a Hong Kong-based electronics company.
The Chinese.
Takeover's still pending. There's a security concern
regarding a foreign entity operating on a
U.S. military installation.
And before any ship undergoes repairs,
sensitive information is supposed to be removed.
Including most hard drives.
- Most? - Well, according to the data logs,
the Gentry's surveillance drives are still intact.
(phone rings) Treason, boss?
Could be our two shooters had an agreement that went sour.
Sweet and sour.
We need to talk to those Chinese.
Exactly. I'll tell Director Vance.
Yeah, Abbs, I'm on the way.
(grunting)
Hey, Gibbs. You feel better, Jimmy, or should I do it again?
Do what again?
Sorry, Agent Gibbs.
I pulled my oblique
while extracting Petty Officer McCaffrey
down the ladder off the Gentry, and, uh,
Abby's been Rolfing me.
Rolfing you?
Yeah. Uh, yeah.
Uh...
I'm gonna go down to Autopsy.
Rolfing, Abbs?
So, um, Ducky and Jimmy dug out the two slugs
that killed Petty Officer McCaffrey
and the round found in
our wounded civilian Peter Germaine.
I analyzed and compared all three.
And guess what?
- They all look the same. - Exactly.
All three slugs came from the same gun, this one.
Someone else shot them, Gibbs, and then they left the gun
there to make it look like Germaine did it.
The Glock registered, Abbs?
Nope. And the serial number is filed off.
So when I wasn't Rolfing Jimmy, I was able
to lift a partial latent print off the casing.
(typing) Meet... Michael Rose.
Freelance systems analyst.
Does a lot of work with Navy Intel.
All three had clearance to board.
Maybe they were all in it together.
Nice work.
Who knew Palmer had abs like that?
(dials phone)
DiNozzo? Yeah, boss?
We know no one left the ship.
We're looking for Michael Rose. Find him.
Well, you can forget it, 'cause I'm not taking the blame
for every coulda, shoulda, didn't, Mike.
I-I... I didn't order this.
Well, sometimes we don't know
what we want till someone shows us the possibilities.
Chocolate. My mom used to do this.
What'd you say your name was?
Ann.
That was my mother's name.
Hurt my feelings if you don't eat it.
No, I can't...
Mom.
Poor thing.
Brain must be running in circles trying
to make sense of all this.
And here I am, not a day older than the last time you saw me
carrying on about a mother's pride.
My goodness.
You never told me you were proud.
Proud of the boy I knew,
proud of the man you've become,
and proud of everything in-between.
How about I wrap this up?
You can take it home with you.
Do I get to go home?
Eventually.
I do have one bone to pick with you, though.
MAN: It's dangerous!
What?! You never... You could've cut him some slack.
Why won't you do what I ask?!
Dad blamed you for everything. He hated you for leaving.
Well, trust me,
he had one foot out the door already.
So, he drove a few women home.
God knows, I put your father through hell.
Man that age shouldn't be changing
his wife's bed sheets every night.
Best thing I did was go.
No, don't you say that.
It's true.
Course, raising a son is hard,
but doing it on your own,
you're gonna need a couple miracles
for things to turn out right.
(door closes)
Just ask Michael Rose.
Tell me about Michael Rose.
McGEE: 42, lives in McLean, Virginia.
Divorced. Single dad. Computer systems analyst
for the government, which evidently doesn't pay
well enough, because Rose has some major money problems.
No money in his checking account
and he's facing foreclosure on his home.
Rose has a son named Stephen.
He's 17 years old. An honor student who is
currently applying to colleges.
Son's bank account?
Only a savings account listed, boss.
- New deposits? - Rose deposited
$20,000 48 hours ago.
I talked to his coworkers. They haven't seen him,
and his voicemail is full.
Outgoing calls?
Three last night.
One to his son, the other two to secure diplomatic lines in D.C.
The Chinese embassy.
Ziva, go find this kid.
McGee, get back to the Gentry.
Find DiNozzo. Help him locate Michael Rose.
TONY: Computer monitors,
clandestine meetings in Vance's office.
You're up to something, McDevious,
I can tell. Wait a second.
Are you finally getting that sex-change operation?
Good for you, McGee.
Or is it McShe? No judgment.
I'm proud of you.
Look, Director Vance offered me a job promotion, okay?
As head of the Cyber Division in Okinawa.
That's it?
Yes.
Everybody knows that, Tim.
Good for you. It's fantastic.
You got to take that opportunity.
The last cyber-agent, he's at Microsoft now.
Yeah, as head of security. The guy's a rock star.
Let's not get carried away, but yeah.
Why are you being so normal about this?
Your sincerity's disconcerting.
You prefer I'd attack you with some kind
of sarcastic, hostile remark?
Sort of, yeah.
Mmm.
What do I do?
It's your choice.
But I'd trust my gut. That's what Gibbs would do.
- See ya. - All right, man.
Stephen Rose?
Hey, Stephen, we need to talk.
I do not play lacrosse.
Who are you?
NCIS.
(sighs) Look, lady, I'm sorry.
My dad said I have to protect myself.
From whom?
(panting): The Chinese.
He said we might have trouble.
ANN: Trouble connecting the dots, Jethro?
The newspaper,
what's it say?
Blank.
Hm.
That's 'cause you haven't decided yet.
I haven't decided what?
How things will play out.
See, it's all intertwined, Jethro.
You'd be surprised how one decision ripples into another.
It's your ship to sail, son.
I didn't pull the trigger yet.
Hmm, nope, sure didn't.
(sighs)
I wish I'd known all this before.
Learned from it.
Doesn't work that way, son.
Well, like it or not, you made a difference in folks' lives.
Certainly did mine.
Albeit short.
I never wanted to leave you.
Tell me you know that.
Yeah.
Yeah, I-I know that.
McCALLISTER: What are you in the mood for, Gibbs?
Rock? Jazz?
Always been a big band fan myself.
Let me guess.
After all this nonsense today,
you're more interested in a choir of angels?
Who are you, Riley?
You the ghost of NCIS past?
Please.
You think I wanted to be here?
Nobody invited you.
Oh, think again.
You did.
That's how it works.
Whether you realize it or not, I'm here because you need me.
I need a crook and a murderer?
As far as I'm concerned,
that's the pot calling the kettle black.
I think this conversation's done.
Mexico?
Pedro Hernandez?
Ring a bell?
You can play dumb all you like, but I know better.
You let your emotions get the better of you that day, Gibbs.
Damn foolish, if you ask me.
Give me a quarter.
For what?
God bless it!
Give me a damn quarter.
(big band music playing)
Fond memories, Riles?
At least I'm not haunted by mine.
I got a proposition for you.
Oh, I can't wait.
What if you didn't pull that trigger at all?
Think about all the lies, Gibbs.
Think about all you did for the sake of revenge.
And then imagine it never happened at all.
(screams)
I had to.
Killing that man made you as guilty as he was.
I'm not saying what you did wasn't warranted,
but we both know what's considered just
isn't always right.
And if it didn't happen?
Well, think about it.
For one thing,
Miss Sciuto wouldn't be carrying around the secret of a lifetime.
No one needs to know the truth
about the Hernandez investigation.
I'm willing to do anything for you.
I just need you to tell me what to do.
Maybe this time I did more harm than good.
I can't argue with that.
If I didn't do it,
where would that have put me?
Riley... I need to know.
GIBBS: Varsity lacrosse, huh?
Yes, sir.
Afterschool job, too, waiting tables.
Just trying to help.
You're an honest kid, Stephen.
How about your dad?
He as honest as you are?
(sighs softly)
What do you mean?
You had no idea he was selling secrets to the Chinese?
That's not true.
M-My dad's a good man.
He just got pulled in with some bad people.
Who?
I don't know their names.
Okay, then why?
Money trouble, bankruptcy, me getting ready for college.
Maybe he got wrapped up in something bad,
but he'd never hurt anybody.
I need to know where he is.
He called last night.
He sounded scared.
Told me to be careful.
Oh, please, you got to believe me.
You got to help him.
KELLY: Daddy!
FRANKS: Oh, for Pete's sakes, probie.
Stop embarrassing yourself.
It's done.
Let it go.
No.
I can't.
I did what I thought was right.
Well, what was right was wrong.
And we all make mistakes.
Where's McCallister?
Aw, hell.
Was that opinionated jackass here?
I figured he'd bring this up.
What would have happened if Hernandez didn't die?
To him?
To me.
It's not good.
Tell me.
If you hadn't shot him, it would've eaten you up.
Man carries around his demons long enough,
they start to take over.
♪ ♪
(door creaks open, footsteps approach)
What?
You're alive, Jethro.
It's been months since anyone's spoken to you.
Nothing to say.
So, how are you, boss?
I'm not your boss, McGee.
I haven't been your boss in years.
The boat's still here.
What have you been working on?
GIBBS: Rocker...
hope chest.
I was painting here.
And what are you hoping for?
To be left alone.
Guess that didn't work.
Is this for Kate's baby?
You missed the shower.
And the birth.
What'd she have?
A girl.
Eight pounds, six ounces.
She named her Kelly.
Guess you'll want to stay for supper.
Well, we don't have to, but...
Good, 'cause I don't want you here.
McGEE: Abby and I made you gumbo
and bread pudding last night.
It's my mother's recipe.
We'd love for you to come see our new place.
DUCKY: Jethro,
you're missed.
Perhaps it's about time you stopped thinking about yourself
and started to think about the ones who love you.
I've missed these.
Is this one of those interventions?
Gibbs, no.
Good. Then get out.
I don't want your pity.
What do you want?
Hmm?
FRANKS: Said it yourself, Jethro.
Did what you had to.
(gunshot)
I shot the son of a bitch, Mike.
But when I got home, my house was empty.
And my girls were still gone.
Mom mentioned Michael Rose.
Why bring all this up now?
Folks do the wrong things for the right reasons.
You of all people should understand that.
Maybe you and Michael Rose aren't so different.
(panting) It's been hours, boss.
We've checked every inch. (dog barks)
Thermals pick up anything? MAN: Search!
Some of the cleaning chemicals are generating heat,
throwing off the read.
Vance said he spoke to the Chinese embassy.
TONY: Let me guess.
They denied Rose even called?
They said they never got the messages.
(dog barking) MAN: Agent Gibbs?
Good dog, good dog. (barking)
Heel, heel.
GIBBS: Michael Rose,
NCIS.
We've got your son out here with us.
Dad?
Dad, I... I-I told them you didn't do anything wrong.
They just... they just want to help.
Please.
(lock clicks)
(door creaks)
Leave Stephen out of this.
I'll-I'll tell you everything.
Hi.
You look kind of lost.
I do?
Well, you look pretty smart.
My mom said we should help.
Where's your mom?
She's over there.
Come on. I'll take you to her.
This little girl belong to you?
Yep.
Belongs to you, too, I think.
KELLY: Come on, Daddy.
Sit.
We've been waiting for you.
GIBBS: Is that for me?
It's us again.
GIBBS: Germaine just died in ICU.
Two dead, your Glock.
I thought it would be easy.
I mean, I knew the Gentry was in dry dock.
The three of us had a plan.
McCaffrey was already on board.
Germaine had the connection to the Chinese.
And you figured you could handle the download?
They paid me.
But, as the meeting got closer...
You realized you couldn't.
I realized it wasn't just information I was selling.
It was people's safety.
It was... it was my honor.
You could have asked for help.
Tried.
I tried to call the Chinese embassy that night.
I tried to back out.
And when we went to the ship to erase the hard drive,
they were already there.
That's...
that's when the shooting started.
You killed them.
I killed them in self-defense.
I killed them and probably saved thousands of others.
That your confession, Mr. Rose?
Is it?
How could I look my son in the eye
and tell him that I lost our house
and that I couldn't send him to college?
We needed the money, Agent Gibbs.
I was trying to save my family.
GIBBS: That's a nice family.
I didn't see this coming.
I always knew it would happen, eventually.
Seeing you here, I shouldn't have let it happen.
I shouldn't have let you testify.
I wanted to help, Gibbs.
I wanted to put that drug dealer in jail.
I should have known better.
It wasn't about you.
It was about this family.
It wasn't your decision, Daddy.
SHANNON: If we hadn't died,
you wouldn't have joined NIS,
and you wouldn't have become an agent.
None of that mattered.
No Tony, no Ziva, no team.
But I'd have had my girls.
I'd have had you.
If you stayed a Marine, Gibbs,
the loss would have fallen on us instead.
Kelly, baby, dinner's almost ready.
Go wash up.
Mom, can I have a few more minutes?
What would your dad say if he was here?
He'd say, "Don't mess with mess, young lady."
That's right.
And he'll be back stateside in two weeks,
so get used to it.
(chuckles)
(knock at door)
(dog barks in distance)
Mommy?
Who is it?
Just think of all the cases,
all of the lives you've touched, Gibbs.
You sacrificed everything to help those people.
But I wanted both.
It doesn't work like that.
Stephen.
Go.
And my dad?
Can't you help him?
You talked to my father.
You can see the kind of man he is.
He was just trying to do what's right.
He killed two people.
Nothing right about that.
Good people do things sometimes.
Irrational things.
Things that just don't make sense.
You won't help him, will you?
It's your decision, Agent Gibbs.
♪ ♪
(sighs)
Morning, Elaine.
Hey, Gibbs.
You missed a hell of an accident.
Ah. Semi, huh?
Yeah, driver fell asleep.
Beat up his rig pretty bad.
Well, at least he's alive.
(chuckling)
Eggs easy?
Uh-uh.
No, just coffee.
Finish that, I'll brew you fresh to go.
You're too good to me, Elaine.
Oh, I'm just waiting on a proposal. That's all.
(both chuckling)
(hammer cocks)
Federal agent. Put it down.
(heart pounding)
FRANKS: We all make choices.
(gunshot, grunts)
FRANKS: Your decision.
What's it gonna be?
Stephen.
(panting)
(whimpering)
(voice breaking): I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
FRANKS: Guess you weren't done yet, probie.
(sobbing)
(sighs)
Well, McGee-san, you have something to tell us?
Actually, I do.
I am not taking the job promotion in Okinawa.
ZIVA: McGee, why?
That is a tremendous opportunity.
Well, no disrespect to our coworkers in Japan,
but I still think there's more I can do here.
That, my friend, is very noble.
Nice decision, Tim.
But you are missing on some of the finest
Geisha girls and sashimi the world has to offer.
- What's the matter with you? - A lot happens around here, Tony.
I'd hate to miss it.
You're not going to miss a thing, McGee.
Got a dead Marine in DC. Grab your gear.
Are you sure, Gibbs?
You were injured.
We can do this one without you.
- I'm fine. TONY: Yeah, I mean,
we're happy to cover the crime scene, boss.
No, I'm good.
Boss, you had a really traumatic day yesterday.
My choice.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
== sync, corrected by elderman ==