Original subtitles

♪

Whoa.

Boo to you, too, Mr. Chicken.

Fool me once, chicken...

♪

Doctor said it could be any day,

but if he doesn't show up by the weekend, they'll induce.

Doctors believe they can scare a baby into being born.

Don't think that'll work.

Foul ball.

So, how is Caitlyn holding up?

She's nervous. And I'm not sure

I'm the steadying influence she was hoping for

in this situation.

Why not? I'm nervous, too.

I haven't had a baby in, like, ten years.

Well, Daniel, you've actually never had a baby.

All right, come on, Alex, you got it.

You got it, Alex!

Aah!

Alex!

Coach!

Time! Wait, wait, wait, wait.

We need to let the coach handle it.

Coach, coach!

Hang on, Alex.

Stay down.

It's okay.

Sheesh.

Looks like someone put this guy through a meat grinder.

That will not be my official COD

for our young environmental officer.

Okay, what will be?

He died of mauling.

Well, extreme blood loss caused by mauling.

Like a dog attack mauling?

Well, if we had rabies in Hawai'i, maybe.

But we don't, so it seems unlikely

our sailor would have been attacked by dogs in a way

that would have generated these kinds of injuries.

So...Some kind of apex predator.

What, you mean, like,

"lions and tigers and bears, oh, my"?

Without the "oh, my." Yes.

But we don't have apex predators in Hawai'i.

The zoo.

Dude, I think we would have heard if a lion

escaped from the zoo. The lower part of his leg

was ripped off. A smaller predator

would have had to gnaw it.

And that is the point of the initial attack,

And the animal was downwind, which is

what it would do if it was hunting, right?

Can't state the animal's intent, but

it's clearly a danger to humans. All right, well,

let's get some signs posted in the area,

keep the hikers out and find this animal

before someone else gets hurt.

Hey, you want me to have a uniform stick nearby,

just while you're finishing? No.

Whatever it is isn't hungry now.

But if I'm still here in 12 hours, ask again.

Okay.

Achilles injuries are really common in young athletes,

when their bodies grow faster

than their tendons can keep up with.

What's the next step-- surgery?

Probably. The ER doctor gave us the number to an orthopedist,

but Daniel's making some more calls.

Our victim was a very interesting guy.

A box...

of animal by-products.

See? Interesting.

I have zero glass jars full of things

I'd rather not touch, but he had many.

I also brought his laptop. I'm gonna give it to Ernie,

see what he can find. I'm assuming there's gonna be

a lot of animal photos on there, 'cause he loved 'em.

I've never seen so many nature books in one house.

Well, judging by his expertise, he probably didn't know that

a dangerous animal was out there.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone alone or without a sidearm.

You're right. Reid was much smarter than that.

Hello, Agent...

Melanie Dawes. I'm with Fish and Wildlife.

Yes, your patch gave you away.

You knew the victim? Uh, not well. But

I saw your alert about the death of your sailor,

and I realized your case might be related

to a shipwreck CGIS and I have been investigating.

What's the connection? We have pieces of a boat,

some dead exotic animals and a few empty cages,

including one large enough for an apex predator.

Smuggling. We think so.

Any leads on locals who might be responsible?

We don't know any who deal in creatures

this size. But my partner, Siggy, is currently

tracking an animal near where your victim was found.

Any chance it's wearing a collar

with the smuggler's name and phone number on it?

Probably not.

But if we catch it, maybe we'll get some clues

that will help us track its origin.

Which, hopefully, will help us figure out who brought it here.

Which will help us find out who's responsible

for the death of our sailor.

Is, um, Kai still on the scene?

Yeah.Okay, well, introduce him to Melanie. And, Lucy,

can you get that laptop to Ernie? Uh, yeah.

Nice to meet you, Melanie.

Let's see if two agencies are better than one.

Yeah.

I finally connected with Dr. Yuen.

You're saying that like I know who he is.

He's the top ortho on Oahu.

Go-to guy for college athletes and any pro

who wants to rehab on the islands.

He pulled up Alex's X-rays

and confirmed the original diagnosis.

Poor Alex.

He also

has an opening on his surgical calendar for tomorrow.

What? No, no, no.

The other doctor said, like, a month or so.

Yes, but, apparently, the timing of the surgery

is not as important as the rehab.

So he might as well start rehabbing now.

Look, I understand-- I understand you're nervous.

I'm not nervous. Okay?

I just want to make the right decision for my son.

Our son. And me too.

I know. Sorry.

Look, it's not

a question of if, it's just when.

And this is definitely the guy that we want.

We can do it tomorrow or in three weeks.

During which time,

Alex will be hobbling around on crutches.

And in a lot of pain.

I think you're in the wrong field.

You should have been in sales,

like, vacuum cleaners or something.

All right, look, I just...

I need a minute to think about it, okay?

Of course.

Ooh! You saved me a trip.

Oh.

"Ho. Opon. O. Pono."

Ho'oponopono.

I got you a session with a kahuna

so he can lead you through the prayer.

Prayer for what?

Healing and forgiveness. You know, after Whistler.

That's... that's really sweet, Ernie. But I'm fine.

Sure, but I see how you're walking around

and I wonder if perhaps you could be more fine.

I got you mysticism. You got me hardware.

It belonged to Environmental Officer Keller.

I'm hoping you can break in and see

if he knew anything about the animal that killed him.

I will give it my best.

Thank you.

You're-you're welcome.

Oh, you're thanking me for my gift, right?

Not for trying my best.

'Cause... that's my job.

I always try my best.

You must love nature to be out here with the bugs all day.

More than anything.

Did you go to school in something related?

Uh, I have my master's in conservation biology,

but that's not mandatory.

I did have to get legally qualified to carry a gun

to enforce the rules.

But I get to do that surrounded with...

...crimson I'iwi.

Nihoa finch.

Shampoo ginger.

Gee, I didn't see any of those.

Just takes practice.

Hey, what island you from?

Island of Iowa.

I'm sorry. I-I assumed that you were just...

It's okay. I love Hawai'i.

And the fact that you think that

I could be part of it is really flattering.

Okay.

Everything okay?

Yeah. Siggy clearly sees something.

Siggy? Wh...

Okay, I'm beginning to feel really stupid.

Siggy?

This is Kai Holman with NCIS.

Hey.

Nice to meet you. Hey.

Were you looking at tracks?

No. I saw a chicken.

I was hoping it would come over to me. But... no go.

Come on, there's some tracks over here.

Let's go find a big cat.

Wait, wait...

Big cat? Well, cats have

retractable claws, which don't show up in their tracks.

House cat, bobcat, bigger cat-- usually all the same.

Except for the size, of course.

And this one's big. Very big.

Oh, I'm afraid that by the time we saw a predator this size,

it'll be too late to use that.

Okay, so what do we do?

Try not to be seen.

Well, at least until we can tranquilize it.

Did you lose the cat's tracks?

No. I found it.

I had a vet come in and help me with the tiger-topsy.

We confirmed that the animal had

fresh human remains in its stomach.

Fits with the timeline of the attack on your victim.

So when we caught it they would have euthanized it anyway.

More than likely. Though...

perhaps that would have been a better death

than being tranquilized and breaking its neck

tumbling down a Cliffside.

Tranquilizer dart.

Someone else knew the tiger was loose and tried to catch it.

Yes. Well, can we identify who bought it?

Well, there's no serial number on it,

but I was gonna take it to the forensic lab,

see if they could pull a fingerprint.

Well, I'm heading back that way.

I'll take it for you.

I assume making my deliveries is not why you came to AFMES?

No.

Alex ruptured his Achilles playing baseball

and my ex-husband found a doctor

who's willing to do the surgery immediately.

Oof.

So we should wait? No.

Medically, timing of the surgery doesn't matter.

It's the rehab. The rehab is a bitch.

But it's nothing to worry about.

Alex is young. He's healthy.

He'll be fine, I'm sure.

No, I know. It's just...

When your kids are little and they need something,

you just do it. You know? You...

you feed them, put them to bed,

kiss a skinned knee.

And then, when they get bigger,

you can't do lots of things.

And the action is replaced by...

Worry.

Um...

Alex has his whole life in front of him.

I want it to be what he wants it to be.

Me too.

Aventurine.

A crystal for healing.

So, please give it to Alex,

with my hopes for his speedy recovery.

Thank you.

Axis deer, feral goat, house mouse,

feral wallaby.

The wallaby colonized Hawai'i when some escaped from the zoo

in the early 20th century.

So none of these are exotic animals from your shipwreck?

We think this is a white-throated babbler.

A rare bird from Myanmar.

How rare? Enough that

the loss of one is a tragedy.

There's blood on this feather, so it's likely dead.

Did anything other than the tiger

survive the shipwreck?

Based on how many cages we found,

we think we've accounted for most of animals.

Some small mammals might have survived.

Though I hope not. Without natural predators, they could

devastate the ecology of this part of the island.

Just interfaced with Pike at CGIS. They believe

the ship that wrecked was an off-shore supply vessel.

Plenty of range to make the trip from Asia to South America,

although they would refuel in Hawai'I.

The smugglers would want to

disembark the animals for a while. I mean, otherwise,

they would lose too many on the second half of the journey.

But I still don't understand

why the boat was on that side of the island.

Like, there's no good place to anchor or unload.

Well, whoever knows the answer to that question

is probably the same person who tranquilized the tiger.

Which makes them responsible for the death of our sailor. Well, we couldn't pull

any prints from that dart, but I reached out

to the manufacturer to ID anyone

who imported them to the island.

Ernie, these are our colleagues

from Fish and Wildlife-- Siggy and Melanie.

Hi. I have those pants.

Our victim kept a log on his computer.

Turns out when he heard about the wreck

he was looking for the animals that survived.

While he was in the field, he ran into a man with a rifle.

Ernie, this handwriting's

indecipherable. How can you read that?

It's not that hard to read.

Ripple.

Rifle. Okay.

Timer.

Tiger.

Did Keller get a name?

Kevin Trager. DVM.

Kevin Trager?

Yes? We're with

NCIS and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

We'd like to talk to you about a Bengal tiger

that was on the island.

I don't know anything about a Bengal tiger.

Then you won't mind if we check your cabinets

for any VG branded tranquilizer darts. Do you have a warrant?

Dr. Trager, I don't think we need a warrant.

What? What?

Well, no one goes to vet school unless they love animals,

so I don't think you were the one who shot that tiger

so close to a cliff that it fell over.

But you probably do have 100K in educational loans to pay back.

Nothing good here happens if you lose your license.

I can't help you. I looked at your website.

Lots of large animal work. How are people gonna feel

about you making a mistake like that with a tranquilizer gun?

All right, you're right about the loans.

But I'm not responsible for anything that happened.

How about you cut me some slack?

Okay, how about you tell us

who smuggled the tiger onto the island?

The Hawaiian Lion King.

I'm never gonna play baseball again.

Not true.

But there's no guarantee.

No, sweetheart. There's not.

Look, all the doctors say that your commitment to rehab is key.

And your mom and I both know that

you'll be as committed to rehab as you've been to baseball.

Yeah.

I'm gritty.

I'll be sure to put that on my college applications.

Okay.

Look, this sucks.

We're really sorry that this happened to you.

But there is nothing we can do but go forward.

And your dad and I are gonna be here every step of the way.

No pun intended.

I hate puns.

Let's go. Come on.

All right, we'll see you after, okay?

Yeah.

I love you, Alex.

Thanks.

You want to go get coffee?

I'll text you when he heads to his room.

Thanks, Janey.

According to the vet,

this guy calls himself the Hawaiian Lion King

because he grew up overseas and once had a pet lion.

His real name is Darrin Schwartz.

He runs a pretty successful smuggling operation

between Asia and Latin America. Right.

The only price for his success

is living in the middle of nowhere.

You sure this is the place Siggy said we should go?

Definitely. The vet said there's a five-acre compound

at the end of the... Aah!

This is definitely the place.

I don't hear anyone moving to flank us.

I'm guessing he's alone.

Flank us. You're ex-military.Marine.

That explains the excellent posture.

The...

Since he seems to be alone,

I like our odds of being able to outflank him.

Or...

Or?

Want to try talking to him?

Yeah. Yeah. Sure.

Okay.

Darrin Schwartz?

You're on my property. I'm just protecting myself.

How about we use our words and not our guns?

I'm Melanie Dawes with Fish and Wildlife.

My colleague, Kai Holman, is with NCIS.

We need you to put down your weapon.

So you can shoot me?

Mr. Schwartz, shooting at us is the only reason

we'd need to be shooting at you, okay?

How about nobody shoots anybody?

All right, what do you usually do if talking doesn't work?

F and W has really big trucks, so I just drive over them.

Really?

No. Talking almost always works.

Okay.

We're coming out, Mr. Schwartz.

Put the gun down.

Put it down.

Hands up.

Are there any unrestrained animals that might attack us?

Pepper.

No.

Hey. Kai and Melanie are talking to the Hawaiian Lion King.

The ship was his, so CGIS has solved their case. If he admits

to smuggling the tiger, we've solved our sailor's death,

even though no one's gonna be happy

with a charge of involuntary manslaughter as an outcome.

Any update on Alex's surgery?

Yeah, uh,

the doctor just came out,

said that it went great

and Alex would be headed to his room soon.

Why are they keeping him overnight?

This doctor has a post-operative

stem cell treatment he uses on college and pro athletes.

Alex will be getting that, too.

As he should. I mean, even if he doesn't end up

playing pro baseball, he's got a long, bright future

of walking around upright.

Might as well do it the best way possible.

Yeah.

Look, I'd, um, I'd come to the office,

but Daniel's wife finally went into labor

and I don't want Alex alone when he heads to his room.

No worries. I'll give you a call if anything comes up.

Okay.

Hey, uh...

I know how hard it is

keeping all these balls in the air.

I don't know how I'd do it without Heather.

You're a superhero.

No more than any other single mom.

Well, still. You should all get capes.

Yeah, that wouldn't be embarrassing at all

to our children.

I'll talk to you later.

I mean, it's not my fault that tiger escaped.

But you admit to smuggling it from Thailand.

Yeah.

Okay, then help me understand

why it getting loose isn't your fault.

'Cause that boat had no business being over there.

Why was it?

I don't know.

By the time I checked the tracking system to find them,

they had already wrecked.

But I tell you what, that boat was in tip-top shape.

And if the crew had just done what they were

supposed to do and gone where they were supposed to go,

there would have been no problem.

So where's the crew?

I don't know.

I called them. Never heard back.

The only reason I went over to that side of the island

was because I was looking for the boat

and that's when I saw the tiger tracks.

Pepper, stop.

All of his animals are well cared for.

Yeah, why wouldn't they be?

Maybe because it's hard to believe you really give a damn,

you know, since they are thousands of miles

from their native environments.

I assume I'm going to jail?

I'd imagine.

I, uh, I use, uh,

Pepper to judge people's qualities.

And she really likes you.

Would you look after her for me while I'm away?

Dude, my dog's head is bigger than your whole dog.

She won't care.

Please.

I don't-I don't want her to go to a shelter.

Like, how about...

you get me a list of everyone you work with...

...and an inventory of what was on the boat.

Come here.

Look, I'm not sure

that shipwreck was an accident, though...

for the life of me, I can't figure out

what else could have happened.

You'll figure it out.

Pepper believes in you.

Hey.

Hey. Hey, sweetheart.

How you feeling?

Fine.

Hey, your dad had to step out.

Looks like the baby couldn't wait.

Can I get you anything?

No.

I'm gonna take a nap.

It's okay if you go to work.

I'm happy to stay, Alex.

You make your appointment yet?

I will.

The kahuna's really busy.

Ernie. You can stop worrying about me.

How did Whistler break your heart?

Did you tell her you loved her

and she didn't say it back?

Did you open up to her, and she wasn't capable of...

reciprocating?

Was it cheating?

Ernie.

Lucy, I-I hope none of those things happened to you,

but something did, and you're sad.

Really sad. I can read it all over your face.

But you'll be fine.

Eventually. I just-I just...

Hey, hey. I just want you to get there faster.

Making me cry wasn't why you called, was it?

Because if so, I'm never coming down here again.

No, no. Sorry.

Okay. Based on the manifest the Lion King gave us

and the carcasses and feathers

and other evidence people have found,

it seems like all the animals from the boat

have been accounted for. Except one.

Looks like a deer. Cervus nippon,

or the sika deer. Totally common.

Was it coated in gold?

Not that I know of.

Then why put it on a boat and bring it over from Asia?

Because someone paid him to.

Meet Joseph Gooden.

Time to pay Mr. Gooden a visit.

I was just being polite

letting Lucy ride shotgun, but it's

actually quite comfortable back here.

Well, with three kids, a cat and a dog, you need space.

You let your pets in your new car?

Yeah, seats are waterproof.

Also has that new car smell,

which I love,

but why are we not in an NCIS car?

Well, mine's getting an oil change.

And mine may or may not have

the Hawaiian Lion King's dog in it.

But it's a cool day.

Pepper's in the shade, the windows are slightly down,

and there's a bowl of water

on the floor.Plus,

Ernie's gonna grab her after lunch.

Okay, good.

Melanie seems nice.

That apropos of...

Nothing.

She married?

I don't know.

I mean, she's not wearing a ring.

Oh, so you noticed she wasn't wearing a ring. She's also

five foot, six, she has brown hair and...

Brown eyes to die for.

Ooh! Jesse joins

in the fun! Hey, um,

what about this case, huh?

Everyone living on the edge of nowhere?

You know, maybe they should invest

in some filler for these giant potholes.

Nine and a half inches of ground clearance. We're good.

But nice job changing the subject.

No lights on inside.

Might just be a "sit in the dark" kind of guy.

All right, Lucy and I will take the front,

Kai, head around back.Will do.

Mr. Gooden?

So, you think the taxidermy is a hobby

or a professional thing?

Hey.

There's another structure back here.

The deer's inside.

Wellness check?

It's not well.

It's horrible.

Yeah. But that's not how taxidermy is done.

Looks like Gooden drained all the blood

but he left the insides inside.

Why pay someone to bring a deer all the way from Asia

only to kill it when it gets here?

Guys, we need to get out of here.

Why, what is it?

Maybe nothing.

Maybe anthrax.

Good news. Your anthrax vaccines,

along with the lack of any dried spores,

is likely gonna keep you from dying.

Today. Of anthrax.

So there was no anthrax in there?

Oh, no. There's definitely anthrax.

In the blood on the floor. It just wasn't in a form

that would have made it dangerous.

So the deer had anthrax?

Many ungulates do.

But, like humans, they need to inhale it.

This bacteria was in its bloodstream.

Why? That is a mystery,

and one I hope you'll get to the bottom of.

Okay, to recap:

we have a taxidermist who hired a smuggler

to bring an anthrax-laden deer from Asia here

so he could kill it.

Have 'em all walk into a bar and order a beer, and you got

the makings of a joke no one will understand.

Joseph Gooden only owns

one car, which was parked behind his workshop.

And so far, we couldn't find any taxi or rideshares

that came out to get him.

Someone picked him up. Probably.

And cell phone pings have him on the island

the last couple weeks, so he wasn't on the boat.

Well, they always have a co-conspirator.

Ernie's checking his cell phone records

and social media accounts, trying to figure out

who's working with him.

Commander Chase.

I had the biohazard lab analyze a sample of dried deer blood,

and I was reading the results

as I walked back to my office.

Have a seat.

Seemed prudent to come straight here.

This is not ordinary anthrax. It's been bio-engineered.

And injected into the deer's bloodstream? It might be less rugged

than biologic anthrax. It seems like they needed

the live deer, which is a natural host, to keep it viable.

Okay, why go to all the trouble? I can't say

for sure, but I believe its chemical structure

will make current vaccines and treatments less effective.

So if somebody

extracted it from the blood with a...

Centrifuge.

They'd be able to weaponize it? Yes.

Okay, how much can they make? Based on the concentration

in the deer's bloodstream, about a tablespoon.

If properly dispersed,

it's enough to kill a lot of people.

Well, this explains the boat crash. Gooden

and whoever he was working with wanted to destroy the evidence

of how the biotoxin got to Hawai'i.

Okay.

Lucy, work with Commander Chase, learn everything you can

about this anthrax. Jesse...

Ernie just sent me a list

of the taxidermist's close contacts.

Find them. On it.

They're charming. A combined 72 years

of prison for attempted murder, assault, armed robbery, arson.

One of them even kicked his neighbor's dog.

Okay, but do they have any sort of agenda?

They frequent a social media group called Sons of Thunder.

Currently obsessed with borders and how porous they are

in the U.S.All right, well, this is Hawai'i,

and we don't have borders.

But we do have lots of people passing through

from lots of places.

How long does it take anthrax to kill someone?

Two to three days.

So, if you expose some tourists and they got sick,

it'll feel like a pandemic.

That sounds fun.

But they have to infect people first.

The spores would need to be inhaled. You wouldn't

want to do it outside, because they'll blow away.

So it has to be an indoor location with high traffic,

a place where lots of people come from someplace else.

Airports, hotels...

Conferences. The convention center.

The International Tourism Board

is meeting at the convention center.

First time in three years. One thousand people

from all over the world. Ends today.

All right, send this to everyone. Include HPD,

CGIS, the FBI and Fish and Wildlife.

I hope that guy changed his pants.

We've got law enforcement

on site. Ventilation is on the roof--

hasn't been tampered with,

and we got uniforms sitting on it.

Should we lock the doors?

No, that's a problem if our suspects are already inside.

Lucy,

did you brief everyone on the biotoxin?

Briefed 'em, scared 'em. Yes to both.

All right, listen, they're gonna want to infect as many people

as possible. They're gonna need a powered device

to spread it broadly. What's that look like?

Don't know. I've got one of Gooden's

close contacts.

Blue shirt, brown hat.

Jeans and blue sneakers. Small backpack.

Watch on right wrist.

That is a very detailed description.

This isn't different from identifying birds in the field.

Yeah, except these birds are carrying a lethal biotoxin.

Well, there's that.

Melanie, Kai, grab him in a way that doesn't spook the others.

Hey, we got another one-- far left door.

Dark khakis, green henley.

Grey backpack.

Got him.

Jesse, Lucy. He's yours.

Federal agents. We need you to come with us.

NCIS. Federal agents.

I've got eyes on Gooden.

But he spotted us.

He's heading into the convention center

through the glass doors.

♪

Jesse, you go that way. Siggy, that way.

I'll go up the escalator, see if I can see him.

In a crowd, a predator's instinct

is to stay on the fringes.

Good tip. I'll keep an eye on the walls.

There-- by the tile mosaic.

He's taking something out of his backpack.

Uh...

Got it.

People like you-- you can't stop us.

Dude.

She already did.

Don't mess with a lioness.

Ain't that the truth.

Come on.

Excuse me. I'm looking for my son, Alex Tennant.

He asked for a wheelchair about 30 minutes ago.

He headed that way.

Okay, thank you.

♪

Hi, sweetheart.

Hey, Mom.

I remember the day you were born.

Your dad and I felt so... lame.

How were we gonna take care of something

so little?

Now look at you.

Yeah, bigger and wrecked.

Bigger and rebuilding.

But I know what you mean.

Baseball was my ticket.

I had these plans.

N-Not to play pro, but...

To be a fireman.

I was five.

Astronaut.

Eight.

Architect. I get it.

Plans change.

Maybe.

But maybe they don't.

This is just a pause, okay,

in your life to rediscover how much you love baseball.

Or find something new that you love.

And no matter what,

I'm gonna be right there with you.

I know.

You better.

Well, this investigation was very exciting.

Thank you for letting me be a part of it.

Oh, we couldn't have wrapped it up without you.

And Siggy.

Where is he, by the way?

Oh, he doesn't like being inside.

I understand.

That fringy suit of his is, like-- wow.

You'd never want to take it off.

In case you were wondering,

we will find homes for all of the Lion King's animals.

And, uh, hopefully no one else steps in

to fill the void arresting him created.

Uh, well, not even you believe that.

Unfortunately, someone always fills the criminal void.

Well, m-maybe we'll see you again, Melanie.

Maybe. Take care.

Yeah.

I really enjoyed working with you.

Me too.

And I guess I was wondering if you would like to...

have dinner.

Yeah, I would.

Okay.

I'm a vegetarian.

I'm allergic to avocados.

I like bluegrass.

Oh.

I think cats are weird.

Hey.

You getting ready to go?

Yeah. We've saved the world enough for one day.

Oh, you got a dog.

Uh, Kai thinks it's his. But I think Pepper

likes me best. Right, Pepper?

Right?

Yeah? Oh, my God, you're so cute.

Well, I, um, just came by

to tell you that I made an appointment with the kahuna.

Saturday afternoon.

Great. Let me know how it goes.

I'll let you know.

Hey, can I-can I ask you a question?

Yeah.

Way back when, you told me you and Whistler

had gotten together before this.

How did that happen?

Okay.

So, I, um...

I sometimes go to

my neighborhood bar,

pretend that my life and my job are normal.

Like, I work in finance or in retail.

But I don't lie to people,

I just don't go out of my way

to tell them all the things that we see every day.

One day, this...

unbelievably beautiful woman

walks into the bar and orders dinner.

And as she sat there, waiting for her food,

I decided to talk to her.

And she was smart and charming.

She was in town for a meeting.

I didn't ask what she did. She didn't ask what I did.

And... one thing led to another.

I'm reading between the lines. I hope that's okay.

Yeah. Yeah.

So, after two nights, three days, she left.

All good.

Then, after six months,

She walks into the bullpen.

Mm-hmm. Turns out she worked at DIA

and had gotten transferred to Hawai'i.

That was a year and a half ago. About.

She was new at her job. I was new at mine.

So, working together, even peripherally,

made a relationship seem...

...complicated.

So, we decided it was better

if we stayed the scrappy NCIS agent

and that annoying woman from DIA.

Was that hard?

You've seen her. What do you think?

I think you are a very strong woman.

And I mean that in all sorts of ways.

I hope the kahuna helps.

Me too.

Come on, Pepper.

Come on.

No. Hey.

This is your brother.

Nathaniel Stillwater Tennant.

Stillwater?

Family name on Caitlyn's side.

We're gonna call him Nate.

Oh, love it.

Hi, Nate.

Well, if you would've called him Stillwater,

we would have made that work, too.

Okay, watch his head.

Hey, Nate.

I'm Alex.

I'm gonna get strong so you and I

can run around together real soon, okay?

Oh, not too soon,

I bet.

You were at 15 months when you walked.

Don't listen to her.

You're gonna be an overachiever.

I'll be right back.

Hi, hi.

He's beautiful, Daniel.

Well, all my kids take after their mothers.

How is Caitlyn doing?

She's tired.

How's Alex?

Doctor said that the surgery

went as well as it could possibly go.

After a couple months of rehab,

he should be good as new.

I'm glad to hear it.

How was your day?

Hi.

It was great.