"NCIS" Season 11, Episode 12, "Kill Chain" is reportedly set to welcome back Gibb's ex-girlfriend, retired Col. Hollis Mann (Susanna Thompson). The episode continues the arc involving terrorist Benham Parsa and the "Brotherhood of Doubt."

Spoiler alert: This feature contains minor spoilers from NCIS Season 11, Episode 12, Kill Chain. Major spoilers from the 2013 episodes of NCIS 11 also included. The crime drama is on holiday hiatus, but set to return to CBS with a new episode on Jan. 7.

TV.com has an interesting episode guide for NCIS 11x12, the show's first 2014 episode, which also caps the first half of Season 11: "When a stolen drone is linked to the elusive terrorist Parsa, the NCIS team partners with the Department of Defense, including Gibbs' former girlfriend, Hollis Mann, to track down the device before it is used for a large scale attack."

The spoiler return of The CW Arrow's Moira Queen had been leaked to fans several weeks ago. Retired Col. Mann and Gibbs (Mark Harmon) crashed into Splitsville after she realized Gibbs just couldn't move on since Shannon's death.

"Sources confirm to me exclusively that Susanna Thompson is set to reprise her role as Jethro's ex, Hollis Mann, this January. And, show boss Gary Glasberg, teases: 'She is coming back in an unexpected way,'" TVLine.com's Michael Ausiello wrote.

Fans can put Department of Defense and "unexpected" together and get an out of retirement picture for Hollis Mann. NCIS Season 11, Episode 12 would probably show Mann couldn't retire from saving the world, just like Leroy Jethro Gibbs. But will she come out of the show alive?

Tim McGee's (Sean Murray) girlfriend Delilah (Margo Harshman), who is with the DOD, is also resurfacing. Abby (Pauley Perrette) and Delilah have become friends, but fans expect jealousy to show every now and then. The lovebirds could drive Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) crazy.

NCIS Season 11 has seen a lot of fan-favourite recurring characters since Cote de Pablo's Ziva David left the show at the end of Episode 2. (Softening the grief, NCIS showrunner Gary Glasberg?) FBI Agent Tobias Fornell (Joe Spano) and Diane Sterling (Melinda McGraw) get back together in "Devils Triad." Gibbs offered Abigail Borin (Diane Neal) a job in "Oil and Water," but she's not quite done with the Coast Guard yet. Ralph Waite has also returned for a special father-and-son episode in "Better Angels." Even the late Mike Franks (Muse Watson) also returned in "Anonymous Was a Woman."

Many fans are thinking it is only a matter of time before Cote de Pablo returns to NCIS to reprise her role as Ziva David. Cote herself has expressed optimism that Ziva is not gone for good.

Avid viewers can expect NCIS Season 11, Episode 12, Kill Chain to be a bigger than usual episode. After all, it's mid-season (NCIS usually gets epic around this time). And the big bad Benham Parsa is back. There is no telling how much damage he and his "brotherhood" can spark this time. As for Col. Mann, should she and Gibbs reunite so soon after Fornell and Diane rekindled their romance? Fans should tune it to CBS on Jan. 7.