The two college students made their way along the dark streets of Washington D.C. It was a quiet night. Even in the heart of the country’s political system, the city settled down in the early morning.

It had been a long night for the two of them. They smelled of cigarette smoke, sweat, and alcohol. They were both too intoxicated to care.

The woman stumbled at the mouth of an alley. Her boyfriend caught her arm to steady her. She smiled mischievously and used his grip to pull herself closer to him.

“I bet you did that on purpose,” he said, smiling.

“Maybe.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

He gave her a quick peck on the lips and spun her around. “Let’s see how you like this!”

She laughed and twirled, nearly losing her balance again. The two of them stumbled a few more steps into the alley, arms tight around one another. They came to rest in a relatively stable position, standing close and kissing slowly.

“We really should be getting back,” murmured the woman as she came up for air.

“Yeah…” The man stiffened suddenly, raising his head to look at something over her shoulder.

“What is it?” she turned her head. The two of them stared at the sprawled figure of a person lying near the alley wall.

The man separated from the grip of his girlfriend cautiously and fished in his pocket for a cell phone. He turned it on and used the screen as a source of light to get a better look at the huddled form. It was a man lying on the ground. He was unmoving, and covered in blood.

Author note:
I've attempted to set up each chapter to coincide with each "act" in the show NCIS. After this short first chapter, the opening credits would roll.

Please enjoy.