AN: Brought this over from lj. Originally posted summer of 2013. Stand alone or taggish for Standoff Series. I hope you like it. First time writing Vance. :-) Feedback: Yes, Please! Spoilers: Nope Disclaimer: Dammit

Out and About

"I'm a Federal Agent. Consider yourself detained. If you try to walk away I will restrain you."

"This is bullshit! It's none of your business - you can't do this!"

"It's not bullshit, you made it my business when you broke the law, I can, and I am," Tony stated matter-of-factly.

"Broke the law? There oughtta be a law against...against that!"

The man gestured at the car he had been caught defacing. It was covered with fresh scratches and what looked like gobs of spit, a rectangular rainbow sticker had been scraped and torn, a knife sat on the lid of the trunk. The man had been urinating on a flattened tire when Tony arrived.

"There is."

"Against fags, you idiot!"

Tony waited patiently - Gibbs should have a chance to be in on this. He curbed his temper, his tongue, and his smile as the older man approached. He could have lectured the guy about vandalism and hate speech but he really didn't feel like talking anymore, and this promised to be much better.

Gibbs walked up and began taking in the scene. He raised his eyebrows, wordlessly checking in with Tony. Drunk and disorderly? Something else?

Tony stepped aside from where he had been blocking Gibbs' view of the rainbow sticker. Gibbs' left eyebrow quirked up another notch and still not speaking he glanced casually at the rest of the damage, sighed dramatically, and turned his attention to the man standing near Tony.

"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS." He pulled his I.D. from his pocket, flashed it and returned it as if it had been an afterthought. "Is there a problem?"

Tony watched the guy assess Gibbs' age and clothing and overall demeanor, saw him conclude that someone with some common sense had finally shown up. The man snickered and looked at Gibbs confidingly. Gibbs' expression remained open, ever-objective. If the guy didn't notice the muscle jumping at the hinge of Gibbs' jaw, well that wasn't Tony's fault.

"Well, Sir," he began, and Tony suppressed a snort, "I think the problem is that your fellow Fed here favors faggots."

The vein in the middle of Gibbs' forehead pulsed visibly and Tony took his cue.

"Nice alliteration, asshole," he muttered.

"Shut up DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked. "Not our jurisdiction."

"Shutting up, Boss."

"That's more like it," the man quipped appreciatively at Gibbs. "I bet he doesn't harass decent people when you're around!"

"Oh, he doesn't." Gibbs' voice took on the lilt everyone familiar with him knew was as good as a warning siren. "He doesn't harass decent people at all." He ambled into the man's space, speaking softly to command his full hearing. "And I'm not just his boss."

Tony noted precisely the incline of Gibbs' head and the amount of tension in his neck. The other guy had time for a flicker of uncertainty, his eyes darting to Tony who flashed an ear-to-ear grin, certain now of the pay-off.

"I'm his BOYFRIEND!" Gibbs exploded in fury, and the guy found himself spun around by two pissed-off Feds.

"Call Metro."

"Calling Metro, Boss. But don't you wanna...?"

"Nah, I told you it's not our jurisdiction."

Tony grinned. "And yet it so is."

Gibbs actually laughed as he settled the guy on the concrete, hands cuffed behind his back. Tony began running the car's plate, wanting to notify the owner ASAP, but he couldn't resist a little more fun.

"You're not going soft on me are you, Gibbs?"

Gibbs obliged with a substantial grin and a husky tone of voice. "Wasn't plannin' on it, DiNozzo."

The guest in custody turned a satisfying shade of green and then beet red in helpless anger. Gibbs skewered him with a steely glare that overshadowed the smirk on his lips. "Nobody's fault but your own, buddy."

The LEOs were given an efficient, professional report, and when the car's owner arrived moments later, the two Federal Agents took him aside. Gibbs and Tony gave him their numbers and assured him they would be available if anybody up the law enforcement chain decided to lose track of the case.

"Agent Gibbs, a word please."

The Director's voice rang firm and clear from the mezzanine and his face gave nothing away as Gibbs rose and moved to the stairs under a stern gaze. He gave his team the usual curt nod as he headed up and he avoided significant eye contact with Tony. If this was going to be about the two of them, as sooner or later it would be, Gibbs didn't want to give Vance the satisfaction.

Once inside the inner office, Leon Vance rounded solidly on the MCRT leader, his poker face gone, frustration boiling out of his voice.

"What is it with you, Gibbs! Enlighten me."

Not entirely unaccustomed to such encounters with his Director, Gibbs just gave a small jerk of his neck, crinkled his brow, and spread his hands in a "What?" gesture.

Vance rolled his eyes and practically stomped over to his desk, for the moment bypassing both Scotch and toothpick and thus depriving Gibbs of important clues. Instead Vance grabbed a clicker and the office screen lit up with a black and white video of Gibbs and Tony in a parking garage, detaining a man for obvious acts of vandalism. The Director's eyes were sparking and Gibbs had the decency to at least bounce a little on his feet. Leon didn't have to know that rather than being nervous he was trying not to laugh.

"You want me to play the audio, Gibbs? Do you?"

"I was there. Where'd you get it?"

"Metro P.D. This morning. Every cop in the city has seen it by now."

Gibbs shrugged - he really didn't give a crap.

"What happens if this goes viral, Gibbs? Did you think about that?"

He hadn't but he cocked his head and adopted a distracted air for about three seconds, thinking about it now.

"Nothing happens, nothing that will make a difference."

Vance's eyebrows shot up, then he sighed loudly.

"And just when I was beginning to believe you'd acquired some restraint."

"Eleven-plus years is pretty good."

"So it wasn't a joke."

"Isn't."

Vance pressed his lips together and shook his head before looking steadily at his most senior agent.

"Talk to me, Gibbs."

"You're asking?"

"I am. This is my agency. There are things to consider."

"We were off-duty, Leon, and I hope you don't think that after all the crap you and I have pulled, this agency can be hurt by someone's sex life."

Vance's eyes popped wide for an instant and then his expression relaxed fractionally and Gibbs thought he might have seen a trace of humor flash across his face, just maybe.

"I gotta hand it to you, Gibbs, I didn't see this coming." Leon finally drifted over to the sideboard and poured a Scotch for himself, knowing better than to offer one to Gibbs. The set of his shoulders unkinked and he dropped into one of the chairs away from his desk, leaning back and crossing his knees. Gibbs took a seat as well, intrigued that the Director had neither asked nor ordered him to sit.

Gibbs regarded his friend and boss. Leon Vance saw everything coming - it was the reason he was Director of NCIS.

"Really, Leon, you never saw it? I don't think I believe you." Vance had been the first and only witness to Gibbs' desperation over the Seahawk assignment.

"Ok Gibbs, if you insist, I'll rephrase. I saw it, but I didn't see it happening. All the ingredients were there but I didn't think they fit. There was one missing."

Gibbs nodded. "Orientation."

"How long?"

"Few months."

Vance smiled politely. "Not you and DiNozzo, Gibbs. Just you."

Gibbs suppressed a visceral response to the intrusion. Vance was never just plain nosy and given the less-than-official, less-than-hostile turn of the conversation Gibbs wasn't even sure why they were doing this at work. He decided that all things considered he owed Vance his honesty, on principle and because he owed it to Tony.

"Always been there, never been much of an issue." He paused. "I did marry a bunch of women."

"There's that. But only one took, didn't it?"

Gibbs didn't control his reaction to that, knew he never would, even if he lived forever. With Shannon it had always and only been the person, never the anatomy. He couldn't talk about her this way. He felt his face darken and heard his own voice, hoarse and distant.

"Too far, Leon."

"I know, Gibbs, and I'm sorry, but it's important. Do you disagree?"

"No, can't disagree with that."

"Good. If your team is affected negatively by this, if I see or hear so much as a hiccup, I will separate you." Vance breathed out through his nose. "God, I'm running a kindergarten."

"No you're not, Leon, have a little faith. You know this team."

"Yes I do. DiNozzo?"

"What about him?"

"Can he handle it, the scrutiny, his ego? Is he going to think he's fireproof now? Still be able to make the hard decisions?"

Gibbs stood abruptly. "Christ, Leon, what do you think? Tony survived Jenny's reign, and yours, and Eli David, and Kort, and hell I'm still not convinced SecNav wasn't trying to burn him! He's never failed this agency, he's never shit on his team, he's cleaner than the rest of us combined. If you're telling me you think he's a liability, you won't have to 'separate' us!"

Vance rose and stood face to face with Gibbs, swirling the drink in his hand. Gibbs listened to the clink of ice while he got his breathing under control. Vance broke into a wide grin and Gibbs just stood there, thunderstruck. Weary of the game, frustrated, he gave in completely.

"Leon, why am I here?"

"I wanted to see it for myself, Gibbs."

"What!"

"How you would stand up for the Agency." He paused to smirk at Gibbs over a sip of Scotch on the rocks. "And your boy."

Fin

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