Original subtitles

♪ We wish you a Merry Christmas ♪

♪ We wish you a Merry Christmas ♪

♪ We wish you a Merry Christmas ♪

♪ And a happy New Year ♪

♪ Good tidings we bring... ♪

Don't be shy, we have plenty for everyone.

Santa's here till noon, so take your time.

- Make way, make way. - Hey.

Back again, Vicious?

That's Mr. Vicious to you, lady.

Got any milk back there?

You are not here for milk; we all know why you are here.

Yeah? Well, call a cop.

I can't believe I need a bouncer on the food line.

- Hey, where's Jerome? - I think he's taking out the garbage.

Jerome?!

Jerome!

We need our peacekeeper.

Seems like our friend Vicious

didn't get the message yesterday, and since you're

the only one he will listen to, could you just...?

Oh, God. Jerome?

Oh, God.

♪ NCIS 16x10 ♪ What Child Is This Original Air Date on December 11, 201

== sync, corrected by elderman == @elder_man

All right, final report's almost done.

How's that witness list coming along?

I am sending it to you right now.

How's our confession summary, Nick?

I'm pressing "print" in three, two, one.

Ah, the sweet sound of the last case before the holidays.

Jack, please, do not jinx us.

If anyone needs me, I'll either be on the slopes

or drinking some damn fine whiskey in the lodge.

Christmas in Vermont, lucky you.

- You driving up tomorrow? - Crack of dawn.

And I'm not even close to being packed.

Anyway, Merry, Merry Christmas, all.

Hey, you, too.

- Merry Christmas. - Sure wish I could drive.

I just hate flying on Christmas Eve.

Yeah. You and me both. Oklahoma bound?

Mom has been baking all week. You?

Chicago with the in-laws.

Delilah's had the twins there since Hanukkah.

We're talking two whole weeks.

I'm sure you didn't mind, uh, a little break from the kids.

Well, the first day was nice and quiet,

but every day since then is a little too quiet.

You'll know what I mean someday.

Yeah, no.

Playing Candyland with, uh, Palmer's kid

after Christmas, uh, dinner, that's, uh,

plenty of parenting for me.

I just love that Jimmy's having you over.

Aw, I just love that you make it sound like a,

like a charity case. Ugh.

Okay.

Last bit of paperwork. Donzo.

All right, guys. First round of eggnog is on this guy.

Ooh, count me in.

Whoa. I thought you were supposed

to be in New York by now.

Change of plans. My mom and sister decided

to go on a cruise, so I decided

to stay here and catch up on work.

Hey. No one should be working on Christmas.

Yeah, and no one should be making eggnog plans

before noon on a workday.

You're so worried about jinxing, McGee.

Yeah. Relax, McGee.

Listen, it's a known fact,

the crime rate goes down during holiday time.

Actually, the exact opposite is true.

- But one can dream. - Guys, trust me.

Okay? It's eggnog time. We are donzo.

No, we're not.

Dead Navy vet in Columbia Heights.

Uh, Navy veteran, boss?

That's not always our jurisdiction.

Well, it is today.

MPD is slammed.

Hmm. Well, hopefully, it is an open-and-shut case.

- Ah! - Don't jinx us.

Geez...

Jerome's tattoo reminded me of his service.

It just seemed right to call you guys.

Big dude.

He was a big teddy bear.

Big knife wounds.

How long had he worked here?

About three years,

but strictly as a volunteer.

Budget didn't cover guardian angels.

That's what he was... to everyone.

Boss, found this knife tossed in a storm drain back there.

Could be the murder weapon.

Oh, well, all we need now is a suspect.

- Jerome had enemies? - No, none.

I mean, except for the neighborhood drug dealers

he was always trying to keep out of here.

You know, come to think of it,

one of them was back again just this morning

after Jerome had tossed him out yesterday.

A-a guy they call "Vicious."

On it.

After everything Jerome had overcome--

PTSD, alcohol.

He even got himself a bed at the local V.A.

And... now this.

Hey. You got anything, McGee?

One second.

It's still loading.

All right, there we go. Here it is.

Street name "Vicious," real name Albert Leary.

He's got a long rap sheet and a last known address

not far from here.

That's him. Th-That's Vicious.

Bishop, Torres, you're with me.

McGee, the V.A. center where Jerome was staying,

see what you can find.

Let me get you the address.

Hey, don't worry about it, guys, I got this.

I'm telling you now.

Ain't nobody coming in here without a warrant.

Why do they call you Vicious?

Yeah. I wish I knew, baby.

You're looking at a law-abiding citizen.

Maybe it's because you're a vicious liar.

I ain't lying, mijo. Me and Jerome maybe had

a little misunderstanding the other day,

but I ain't never killed nobody.

- Did he just...? - Mm-hmm.

Did you just call me "mijo"?

Yeah, and you just called me a liar.

Now if you don't mind, I got things to do.

We mind.

Get your foot up out of my door, man.

Get your door off my foot.

We have some questions.

Fine. Hell with it. Come on in.

See? I got nothing.

But I'm still calling my lawyer to sue your asses,

'cause I know my damn rights.

Yeah, one would hope so since you've

had them read to you so many times.

Damn.

If you didn't kill Jerome,

what were you doing at the homeless shelter this morning?

Getting breakfast. That a crime?

You don't look very homeless.

Hey, yo, law man, I got a problem here.

What's behind that door?

Hey. I said you could come in here.

Back there ain't none of your business.

Yeah. Here's the issue, though.

When you say that's none of my business,

it kind of makes it my business.

Ooh.

I said don't go back there.

- Easy, buddy. - Oh, yeah, now you say easy.

I told you I didn't want you in here.

- Now, get out! - A little late for that.

Let's put the gun down before this gets any worse.

Put yours down!

Bishop, you okay?

Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

- Look-look at me. - Okay.

- Are you all right? - Yeah. I'm okay.

He's dead.

- Okay? - Yeah.

Ready?

Uh...

Vicious is a dad.

Hardly any way to kick off the holidays, Gibbs.

Understatement of the year.

And Bishop is all right?

Yeah. Considering.

She and Torres took the kid to Child Services.

Well, hopefully, they can locate the baby's mother.

Hey, boss.

Guess I missed some pretty serious fireworks. Director.

Why, McGee, where were you?

I was at the, uh, V.A. center,

collecting our victim's personal effects.

No obvious leads, but sounds like we don't need them.

Bishop and Torres seem pretty certain

- this Vicious guy is our killer. - They called you?

No, they're, uh, down in the lobby.

Why didn't they come up with you?

Well, they kind of have their hands full.

Full with what?

Ah, Gibbs, Director, hey.

We can explain.

What happened to Child Services?

Shh. He's sleeping.

So we were sitting in traffic and I called them,

like, five times and they put me on hold every time, like, over and over.

Yeah. They must must be really overwhelmed this time of year.

You know, so between that and the traffic on the Beltway...

Yeah, so we figure, bring the baby over here.

We can find the mother way faster than Child Services.

And once we find her, we will have closed the case on Vicious,

and we can all go home for Christmas.

Oh, that kind of rhymes.

So Bishop nearly gets killed

and they both went into shock?

No, uh, Director.

This office is no place for a baby.

Though he is pretty damn cute.

Cool. So, uh, we're good?

No. We are not good.

We are not near good.

But here we are.

That baby is your responsibility.

McGee, see if you can unlock

this creep's cell phone,

and see if the mother's in there somewhere.

Nothing in his records about marital status or kids.

You two, go down and check with Kasie.

She's running prints off the knife we found.

Tell her to run the baby's DNA while she's at it.

- You got it, Gibbs. - Uh, boss,

someone claiming to be Albert Leary's attorney

wants to see his client. Vicious.

Any prints from our suspect yet?

I'm only just unwrapping him now.

Okay. Well, then this must be our victim.

Yeah. He is a homeless vet.

Apparently a real hero down at the shelter.

Um...

Jerome Murray.

Wow.

Wow, what?

You know him?

Just, uh, reminded me of someone.

Yeah? Who?

Oh, good.

Kasie, you're here.

Oh. Here I am. Is that a baby?

Uh, yes. Yes, it is, and he is not coming in.

Uh, baby, as in, like, this guy's baby?

I heard you found one at his place.

Uh, hey. We need his DNA ASAP

and whatever prints you found on the knife.

Oh, yeah. No problem. What's the hurry?

The hurry is Christmas.

Well, we just need to find the baby's mother,

and confirm that Vicious was the killer,

preferably before we leave tomorrow.

Oh, he is the cutest; what's his name?

Well, we didn't get the chance to ask,

with the shooting and all.

Right. I heard about that.

I'm so glad you're okay.

Thanks.

You'll send me blood and prints?

Quick as I can.

I admit, Agent Gibbs, to a rather reluctant soft spot

for my pro Bono clients, which is why I'm here.

Ah, so you're the one he called.

Yes, and I hadn't seen nor spoken

to Albert since getting him a plea deal months ago.

Then out of the blue this phone call and those gunshots.

I went by his place and the local P.D. pointed me here.

Well, what can we do for you?

I saw the blood.

May I ask what happened? Is he even alive?

No. He was a suspect in a murder investigation.

He would not answer questions.

He started shooting.

Man, you try to help these people, and they just...

won't be helped.

He ever mention a wife, girlfriend?

Oh, couldn't tell you.

Soft spot or not, I maintain a healthy personal distance.

I mean, for all I know, Albert had ten of each.

- This one would have just had a baby. - A baby?

Oh, man. Come on.

Again... for all I know, he had ten of those, too.

Right.

Okay. Sorry about your client.

Thank you.

Oh, come to think of it,

Albert said that he was from Florida.

Might be a girlfriend down there.

There you go, buddy.

Good boy, Nicholas.

Nicholas?

Yeah, we might as well give him a name.

Hmm.

So you name him after yourself?

No, the... it's, like, NCIS.

You know, you move some letters around,

- you toss in a view. - Mm, yeah, right, mm-hmm.

I'd say he's more of a...

Logan or Cody.

Those are, like, the whitest names ever.

Rude.

Well, whatever his name is,

he is adorable.

Isn't he cute, McGee?

All babies are cute.

Yet you won't even look at him.

Yes. That's because if we make eye contact, I will bond,

and if I bond, I'll get distracted from this case,

which in turn could prevent me from spending Christmas

with my own two little cuties, so let's just find his mother.

Okay, you're right. We got distracted.

And, look, he's all asleep now,

so... we'll be able to get some work done.

Careful. Babies do wake up.

McGee, don't worry.

We got this.

Okay.

Whoa.

Nicholas, buddy, what happened?

You jinxed us. Again.

All right, somebody put a BOLO out.

- On who? - On the 300-pound biker

who dropped a log in this kid's diaper.

Oh, my God.

- Oh, no. - No worries.

We are prepared.

Here, here.

Oh... We got, um...

we bought plenty.

Oh, no. No, these are for toddlers.

These are way too big for him.

Hey, uh, McGee?

So, like...

what do we do?

What do you mean? You got this.

Jimmy.

Ah, come on, buddy.

It's nice to know I haven't lost my touch.

Yeah, cloth diapers are so much better than disposable,

both for the environment and for the baby.

- Here, let me get that. - What? No.

You can't use a stapler.

Safety pins. Even I know that.

Seeing as we don't have any safety pins,

these little binder clips

should do the trick.

Palmer, what are you doing? You're gonna pinch him. You're pinching him.

No, it's okay. He's probably just hungry.

Oh, here, I have his formula.

Oh, no, not that brand.

No. That's filled with, uh, preservatives, corn syrup...

Yeah. Put that back. Maybe some apple juice.

That's even worse. You might as well pour him a beer.

- Hmm. - There's so much to know.

Yeah. So much we don't know.

You guys are new to this.

It's like a rite of passage for all new parents

to feel inadequate.

Oh, there we go.

Hi.

- Where is everybody? - With Jimmy.

Apparently, changing a diaper is now a three-person job.

Swell. Update.

Well, no help on the cell phone.

Other than calling his attorney, Vicious used it exclusively

to call burn phones.

No wife or girlfriend to be found.

Recheck the numbers.

See if any have a Florida area code.

Boss, I hate to say this, but I really can't miss

my flight to Chicago in the morning.

No one's missing anything, McGee.

Once we confirm the killer, you go,

whether we find the mother or not.

Thank you.

It shouldn't take too long. Seems pretty open-and-shut.

Oh, it doesn't seem open-and-shut, Tim.

It most definitely is.

Fingerprints? And blood.

The latter being Jerome's,

and the former matching Vicious, our killer.

Well, not a happy ending for either party,

but at least it's the quick case we were hoping for.

Kase, you get DNA?

DNA came back negative.

- What? - Albert aka Vicious

is most definitely

not the baby's father,

making us oh-for-two on parents right now.

All right,

here's the little man, good as new.

Yeah, no thanks to you, McGee.

Uh-oh. Nobody's smiling.

What's wrong?

We're looking at a stolen baby.

Hey, wouldn't we have heard something?

There had to be an Amber Alert.

Make that three alerts, Director,

just in the Northeast this week.

But none for a newborn.

I just can't believe the statistics on missing kids.

I mean, they're stolen from hospitals, parking lots,

people's own homes.

Double-check every case.

Start locally, work outward.

I've got two cases here in the Metro area,

but neither matches our baby's age or description.

What kind of monster would steal a baby?

The kind dead on Palmer's table.

Whatever lowly, depraved person you were in life,

here's your chance in death.

Where did you get that baby?

Are you really expecting an answer?

From beyond, maybe.

A psychic message.

At this point, I will take what I can get.

I need a word with my buddy Jerome.

Yeah, you mentioned that he reminded you of someone?

Oh, yeah. Not really, though.

But did you happen to find anything in his clothes?

Anything that might have fallen out, maybe?

Anything like...?

Purple Heart. This box was in his duffel

with no medal inside.

Wow. No, I didn't find anything like that.

Got me looking into his service record,

and turns out he did not one,

but three tours in the Middle East.

Purple Heart came after an IED nearly killed him.

That would explain all the old surgical scars.

After he was discharged, he battled PTSD

and a painkiller addiction for years.

V.A. tried to provide support, but with no living family,

he fell off the grid entirely in '07.

- Off the grid? - Oh, homelessness.

An all-too-common tale.

Yeah, the numbers are pretty staggering.

You think the medal might have fallen out

when McGee was packing the duffel?

You know, that or maybe Jerome

just pawned it for cash at some point.

Yeah. But he kept the box.

So clearly, it meant something to him.

He should be buried with it.

Too late to hit the V.A. center.

Yeah, we'll just have to go over there in the morning.

Uh, "we"? Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.

Okay, so we'll go over there early.

Well, the medal obviously meant something to Jerome,

which means something to you, so...

why not "we"?

All right, you bring the blanket around,

keep it nice and tight,

and there you go, snug as a bug.

He's like a little baby burrito.

I like burritos.

Look how secure he looks.

Like he's back in the womb. There you go, buddy.

Hey. Don't you got to get going?

Uh, yeah, boss. Got an early flight

to catch-- still got to pack.

But, uh, I know you'll find the mother before then, so...

Go, McGee. Say hi to your family.

Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, boss.

Happy holidays, guys.

See ya. Bye, McGee.

What about you?

What time's your plane leave?

Uh, whenever. I can book a later one.

You know, I still think

Child Services is the best place for him.

Ooh, and we

respectfully disagree.

"I mean, where are they gonna put him, anyway?

He's already been through so much

to be handed off to some stranger.

Little Nicky's place is right here.

Oh. Now he's Little Nicky?

Okay, I get it, but...

he can't stay here.

Which one of you gonna take him home?

Well, your place isn't exactly, uh, baby-friendly.

And your place is no day care center.

And neither one of you

know how to take care of a baby.

Nope.

No.

Not gonna happen. N...

I'm not doing it.

No.

Yeah, this is more like it.

No. More like it would be you tending the fire

and me holding the baby.

And since when do you care about stereotypical gender roles?

Whoa.

Whew. Remind me to clean out the attic.

You still have this.

Got to hold on to what you can.

You know, it might be a better idea to set this up

in the spare bedroom upstairs.

Uh, we were also thinking that

maybe, uh, down here could be

a little bit more cozy, plus...

you know, the three of us can take shifts.

Shifts?

Yeah. Like... you know, like, every few hours.

Yeah.

No.

No shift for me.

No, I'll be in the basement.

Night.

- What? - Huh?

You sighed.

I didn't sigh.

Okay, I sighed.

I was just thinking about what Gibbs said

about hanging on to what you can.

Talking about the bassinet?

His daughter's bassinet.

Mm...

his ornaments.

You know, Shannon and Kelly,

they've been gone for so many years, but...

he keeps them right there up on the tree.

Forever means forever.

I almost died today, Nick.

I'm trying not to think about it.

Yeah, you and me both.

And that baby...

made it a lot easier.

But it can't help but make a person

reassess things, you know?

Things like...?

Like what you just said.

Forever.

What we hold on to, what we leave behind.

- And? - And...

I don't know.

I always thought I'd be a mom someday,

but... I never really pictured myself,

like, mothering, you know?

Hmm.

Well, after today, I feel pretty much prepared for anything.

Ay.

Right on cue.

You know, I never saw any medals.

But maybe that nice agent who was here yesterday,

maybe he dropped them.

You might want to look around Jerome's bed.

Thanks so much. We shouldn't be long.

I must say, I've been having some challenges

just trying to find his next of kin

to notify. Jerome didn't have any.

Parents died before he was enlisted

and no siblings or cousins on record.

- You saved me some trouble. - But if you need a point person

for funeral plans, I'm here... Uh, no, no, no.

No, no, the V.A. will handle everything.

They'll come and pick up Jerome's body

right after Christmas.

Ah. Excuse me.

Well, that was certainly nice of you to offer.

Man's got no one else.

I'll never understand how a guy

like Jerome could end up homeless.

You know, some young people enlist

to escape a bad homelife or neighborhood.

They get some structure, some discipline,

only to be discharged and come back to

none of those things.

Same bad homelife, same low prospects.

Only for some of them, it's compounded

by the emotional and physical wounds of combat.

You sure know a lot about this subject.

My, uh... my dad did.

Wait. Was he ever homeless?

No, but he always said he could have been.

Struggled himself after serving.

Then he got a job with the post office and started a family.

But he counseled homeless veterans on the side.

He was helping 'em get a leg up, he'd say.

So that's why we're here.

This is something your dad would have done.

Maybe.

Is it true what I just heard?

Vicious killed Jerome?

It appears to be the case, yeah.

So Jerome did it.

He went and ratted Vicious out to the cops.

Uh, ratted him out?

Jerome was kicking himself for not stopping it right away.

- Stopping what? - Whatever he saw Vicious do.

He wouldn't say what, but Jerome told me right here in this room

he planned to go to the cops about it.

And now he's dead.

Wait, wait.

Whatever Jerome saw,

did he happen to say where and when?

♪ Dashing through the snow ♪

♪ In a one-horse open sleigh ♪

♪ Over the fields we go... ♪

Jack?

Hey, what about skiing in Vermont?

Oh, I made the mistake of checking in

with Vance before leaving this morning.

One mention of a stolen baby,

and I thought you guys might be a little shorthanded, so...

Hey. Yeah, Palmer, what do you got?

So you came all the way back for, uh, the case or the baby?

Aw, come on. Who doesn't love a baby?

I especially love a baby

in a safe and happy home.

Yeah, which we're still no closer to finding.

Palmer found a witness.

We need to dig up security footage

from an all-night store in Annandale.

What are we digging for?

Anything we can find

on Vicious or our victim.

Hey, guys.

McGee?

Couldn't sleep a wink, so, uh, booked a later flight.

What happened? I thought you were supposed to be in Vermont.

Oh.

Any luck, Tim?

Well, took some doing, but fortunately, there is only one

Atlantic E-Z Mart in Annandale. You said the parking lot, boss?

That's what Palmer said. Around 3:00 in the morning.

Hard to know what we're looking for exactly.

Slow it down.

Who's that?

Do we know her?

Nope, not yet.

Well, that's our guy right there.

That is Vicious.

He's taking the baby.

I'm gonna be sick.

Here comes Jerome.

Wait. What is she doing?

He's giving her an envelope.

And she's... she's letting him take the stroller.

Oh, my God, that baby wasn't stolen.

Boss, that's got to be money.

He was sold.

I cannot imagine what this girl's been through

to want to sell her baby.

You got anything?

Uh, the only prints on this stroller belong

to Bishop and Torres, and no hits on DNA, either.

Facial recognition?

No matches yet.

What's that about? Oh, that? That's nothing.

It's not nothing. She's trying

to find a Purple Heart, Agent Gibbs, for Jerome.

You can buy one online for,

like, 50 bucks,

but delivery this time of year takes weeks.

Why does Jerome need a Purple Heart?

Because he earned it, and lost it.

Yeah. Yeah.

Leon, I'm on my way.

What?

You're such a sweet boy.

Well, so much for your ski trip.

And McGee, what about Chicago?

What can we say, Leon?

We're here for the same reason you are.

Doubtful. I'm pulling the plug.

- What? - This is what

Child Protective Services does. It's right there in their title.

But, Director...

No, I'm not gonna waste any more of our time,

our resources, and all of our holidays

trying to do what they do best.

I'm not sure you'd say that if you saw the video.

The mother was sobbing, Director.

There has to be more to the story.

Certainly her story.

Hey.

So, no witnesses,

and we all but papered the walls of the convenience store

and the neighborhood around it. Nobody knows her.

How's my Little Nicky?

Hmm. Looks more like a Logan to me.

Hey! I was thinking Logan, too.

- Yeah. - Yeah, or like a Cody.

See, I'm thinking he looks more like a Luke.

Oh, another Star Wars name, huh?

Well, I believe, uh, Logan is Wolverine.

How about, uh, Superman? Kent? Clark?

Well, we may not have found

the mom yet, Gibbs, but this baby certainly has no shortage

of aunts and uncles.

Hey, Superman.

Let's just call him Superman. Albert's a better name.

I'm just saying, there was no need to involve Gibbs.

There is always a need.

Look, if you want to help Jerome, Kasie, you got

to let other people help you. I let you help me.

I'm not Gibbs.

Surely your dad didn't help all these homeless vets

all by himself, did he?

No. I don't know.

Look, just leave my dad out of this.

There you go again. Every time I bring up your dad,

- you change the subject. - No, I don't.

Now find a face already.

It was him, wasn't it?

Who Jerome reminded you of.

It was your dad.

You got all weird when

you saw Jerome's body, the same weird

that you got at any mention of your dad.

Look, I...

I'm sorry.

I overstepped there. I didn't mean to...

No. No, you're right.

I get weird.

Jerome reminded me of the first dead body I ever saw.

It was your father.

About the same age, Navy tattoo.

It just reminded me of our last Christmas together.

In the middle of opening presents,

I mentioned having second thoughts

about finishing grad school, and he was... he was not happy.

You know, he always said I had a knack

if I would just apply myself, and...

oh, needless to say, it ruined the day,

and most every day after that,

right up till the day he died.

- When was that? - A month later, out of nowhere.

Just had a heart attack on his mail route.

You know, the medics said

that he was dead before he even hit the ground.

Mom couldn't bear to I.D. the body, so I did.

Kasie, I'm so sorry.

You know, the day after that, I went back to grad school,

and I busted my butt, and he was right.

I had a knack.

And within a week, I started working with Ducky, and...

man, I knew in my heart

that I was on the right track after all.

Wait. All of this was a year ago?

Last Christmas, yeah.

Well, there you go. Kasie,

that's why you don't want to go home.

No, I-I... I have work to do, and I...

No. No, you don't.

And your mom and your sister--

they're-they're not going on any cruise, are they?

I just... I know it's gonna be a rough Christmas.

There we go. Got a hit.

Uh,

Tanya Jacobs, 17.

Three trips to juvie for drug offenses.

Yeah, Palmer. What do you got?

We're sure it's the same Tanya?

Her I.D. and probation number were used to check in yesterday.

She knows we're here. Manager must have called.

Tanya Jacobs! NCIS!

- Tanya! - Please let me go! Let me go!

It's okay. Tanya, it's okay.

It's not okay. Leave me alone, please!

Hey, hey, we just want to talk.

It's not mine, I swear. I swear.

It's okay.

You pretty high right now, Tanya?

I'm not high at all.

I've been clean for months.

There anybody we can call?

- Parents? - Yeah. Yeah, right.

No. They kicked me out as soon as I got pregnant.

Then my boyfriend skipped town.

That's when the adoption agency hooked me up with Pete and Judy.

- Last name? - They don't tell you that.

They were nice people, though.

So nice.

They helped pay for my rehab and my medical care,

all just for a chance to adopt my baby.

When did Vicious come along?

Right before I delivered.

I used to be a customer before I got clean.

When he saw me knocked up, he offered me ten grand cash.

More money than I had ever seen.

So I lied.

I told Pete and Judy that I wanted to keep the baby.

And I felt bad for breaking their hearts,

but adoption agencies--

once the baby comes, they don't pay you.

And I knew it was wrong the second I took the envelope.

But opportunities like that, they don't...

they don't come around every... maybe ever.

I thought I'd be okay,

but then I found out that Vicious was dead,

and-and-and... and now I don't even know where my baby is.

Tanya, we have him.

You do?

Yes. He's safe.

Wha...

What's the name of the agency?

This changes everything.

Why-why does it change everything?

I mean, maybe this is a sign.

I've been... I've been sitting here,

and I've been thinking maybe...

maybe if I would've just kept my baby,

then I would've saved everybody from all this trouble.

- No, no, no, no. - Why not?

I've got money now.

I could get us a place.

A nice one.

I mean, maybe this-this could be my second chance.

Hey, Tanya, y-your best chance is without a baby right now.

And your baby's best chance is with those adoptive parents.

This opportunity...

doesn't come around much.

You have come this far,

but you could go so much further,

and so could your baby.

If you let him go.

You seem so sure. How do you know?

Because I know. All right?

We all end up with regrets in our life,

but one thing you will never regret

is giving your baby a better life.

More than anything else, I know that.

And I'll help you get the support you need

to get clean and turn your life around.

I promise.

- Okay? Okay. - Okay, I will. Thanks.

Tanya... what did Vicious have planned for the baby?

Well, that's just the thing. It wasn't all about the money.

It was to Vicious.

Who was he selling the baby to?

He said he had a nice home lined up.

Rich people.

Like, a-a doctor or a lawyer or something.

Lawyer.

Let me save you some time, Agent Gibbs.

It's already been the worst Christmas Eve ever.

Yeah. How?

My wife figured out what kind of strings I was pulling

to make this adoption happen.

You call paying a drug dealer to buy you a baby

"pulling strings"?

Stupid, I know.

Oh, it is way more than stupid. After I got Albert

the plea deal, he said if there was anything he could do.

And he meant anything.

So you said, "How about a baby?"

Our third adoption had just fallen through,

and we were crushed.

Albert said

for 25 grand, he would find us

a healthy and willing birth mother.

$25,000.

I was desperate to give my wife a family.

Never expecting anyone was gonna die over it.

Hey.

- Hear the good news? - Yeah.

Uh, great. I mean, bittersweet, but at least we can find

the original adoptive parents now.

I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something?

Oh, no. Just...

just deleting a bunch of spam. You headed home?

Yeah, I just wanted to, uh, come by.

Drop off a little something. Jimmy, why?

You didn't have to. I didn't get you anything.

Yes, you did. Trust me.

- Do I open it now or...? - That would be the idea, yeah.

- Just o-open it. - Yeah. Okay.

It's not Jerome's,

but it's-it's someone's.

Someone who doesn't need it anymore, I guess.

- Who? - I don't know.

But that is why you involve Gibbs.

He knows people.

Thank you, Jimmy.

Merry Christmas.

Oh, and Kasie?

I'm a big believer in fate.

I know there's nothing good that can be said

about your dad passing away,

but if nothing else, it led you here.

To us.

I sometimes think maybe my dad gave me a little...

shove from above.

Well, we're all glad that he did.

Hey.

We've got the hang of this now.

Yeah. He's looking stylish, too. Aren't you, little Cody?

What? Cody?

Consider that my Christmas present to you.

Great news.

The agency tracked down Tanya's adoptive parents.

Pete and Judy Shaw

of Fairfax. They're only 20 minutes away.

- Oh, that's... that's great. - Mm-hmm.

I got a plane to catch.

May the Force be with you, little Han Solo.

Really good job, you guys.

Thanks.

Okay, then, little guy. Here we go.

Yeah, so, uh...

we tell Gibbs now, right?

- Mm-hmm. - Mm-hmm.

You know, they say, "You can't take it with you."

But this?

This, Jerome, you are...

most definitely taking with you.

Or as my father used to say...

"No greater love than this,

that one should lay down his life for his friends."

Hey, baby. What's up? You okay?

No, Mom, I'm fine, really. I just, um...

I actually finished that work faster than I thought

and was thinking maybe I could still catch a flight home?

Oh! We'd love to have you here, sweetheart.

Hey, Jack.

Hey.

You still coming?

Are you kidding me?

I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Special Agent Gibbs?

Ms. Miles.

Lydia, yes. From the adoption agency.

I spoke with your Agent McGee on the phone.

Special Agent Sloane.

Thank you so much for arranging this on such short notice.

Of course. We were overjoyed.

We worked it all out with Tanya.

She spoke very highly of you both.

I take it the child is with you?

- Absolutely. - Great.

All right, here we are. Hi. Hi.

Thank you so much for coming. Thank you.

- And there he is. - Oh.

Wonderful. Well, I'll just take him from here.

No.

Sorry. It's just we'd like to...

deliver him ourselves, if that's okay.

Actually, that might be better. I told the Shaws I was coming

but didn't want to get their hopes up

before you got here.

They've been let down before.

Yes, we know.

Why don't I just, uh, go on

and break the good news while you wait at the door?

Great.

This is a nice neighborhood.

Good schools. I checked.

- That's good. That's good to know. - Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Good schools. That's important.

Hey, you two.

You should get over there.

Right. Okay.

Bye, buddy.

Are you okay? Got it?

Ooh.

Oh, how adorable.

Congratulations.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

Come on.

That was weird.

Yeah. Just kind of came out.

Okay.

Hey, uh, hold on.

You did good.

Yeah. You did, too.

We both did.

And you did good, too, bud.

Yeah.

You...

are going to a great home.

You're gonna love it there.

Absolutely.

- Oh, wow. - All right, that's not even fair, buddy.

Okay.

Let's go.

Pete and Judy,

these are the agents I was telling you about.

They've been taking care of your baby.

Our baby?

- Yeah, your baby. - This is, uh...

It's a miracle, right?

It's got to be a miracle.

Sure feels like it.

Does he have a name?

That's up to you.

Thank you.

Oh. Thank you so much.

Congratulations.

Here.

Merry Christmas, Gibbs.

Merry Christmas to you, Jack.

You still going skiing?

It's a little late now.

Why? You got a better plan?

I was just thinking about that gift bottle you gave out.

- Kentucky's finest. - Oh.

Small batch.

I want to crack that. You in?

== sync, corrected by elderman == @elder_man