Leon had called Gibbs up to his office. Moments later Gibbs appeared. He took a seat in a chair in front of Vance’s desk.

“What I can do for you, Leon?” Gibbs asked.

“I told you that making DiNozzo Agent Afloat was not a punishment.” Director Vance paused. “I got the feeling that you don’t believe that.”

“That’s very perceptive of you.” Gibbs said, being slightly sarcastic.

Vance smiled, nodded at the sarcasm and continued. “I’m sure you have heard the saying. ‘Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.’”

Gibbs nodded.

“Jethro, the man I saw out there in the desert.” Vance said, speaking of Tony. “I didn’t recognize him. He looked …old. He looked tired. He looked broken.” Vance sat down at his desk. He leaned back in his chair. “Tony is a good man, Jethro. But he is too good natured and kind-hearted for his own good.”

Gibbs just sat in his chair. He was unable to speak. He had expected Vance to rake Tony over the coals. He had not, in any way, shape, or form expected this.

Vance continued. “The op turned bad quickly. It spiraled out of control. THAT was not his fault. He fell for a target. It happens. He was hurt badly by the relationship ending. Then, he Senior Field Agent, loses a person he is supposed to protect. He was following orders when, Shepard told him to stay away.”

Gibbs was shocked. He knew Vance had read their field reports. He had expected that. It was the personal stuff he knew that surprised him.

“He was following orders, Jethro. No one can fault him for that. There was no way Anthony could have known what Jenny was up to. And to be honest, Gibbs, if Tony and Ziva had been involved, if they had both been killed instead of her, I don’t think she could have taken it. She and Ziva had been friends for years. She had developed a strong relationship with Tony over the 4 months that you were gone. She cared deeply for him as an agent and as a friend.” Vance paused. “Anthony was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders for this, for things that were not entirely his fault.”

“How do you know all this?” Gibbs interrupted.


“Former Director Shepard left a diary of sorts. When they cleaned out her stuff, they over looked it.” Vance said indicated the desk where he was sitting. “I must say Gibbs, it was a most interesting read.”

Gibbs nodded, hiding his shock in front of Vance, and waited for Vance to continue. He made a mental note to find a way to get his hands on that diary.

“DiNozzo was hurting. I could see it. I KNOW you could see it.”

Gibbs nodded. “Which is why he needed to be here, Leon.” Gibbs insisted. “He needed to be with his friends. He needed people around him who cared about him.”

Leon shook his head. “He needed to be away from here. If I had left him here, let him stay. As nice as it would have been for you all to be together, it would have hurt him more. He would have wallowed in his guilt. He knew you blamed him. He was sure Ziva blamed him.” Vance paused, noting Gibbs surprise. “I’m a student of human nature. You don’t’ get to get this ‘high-up’ and not understand people and what motivates them.”

Gibbs questioned. “You sent my agent away to help him?”

“DiNozzo needed the time away to focus on his job, not on his pain.” Leon explained. “He needed space and distance to work things out for himself. He was not being punished, Jethro.”

Gibbs nodded and smiled, finally understanding.

“I kept up with him on the ship. I talked to the captain and his CO regularly.” Vance stated. “You were never in danger of losing him, Jethro. I, for the sake of your team and for the sake of NCIS, wanted him back. He is too good an agent to waste on Agent Afloat, any cop could do that job. Anthony is probably in the top 5 agents here.” Vance paused. “I needed to get the DiNozzo back that annoys the hell out of me. I needed to see that fire and that spark. The reason I wanted to keep him out longer is because I was not sure if he was ready. But seeing him in MTAC, he looked ready. His spark was back. Your and Ziva’s trip to Cartihanya only helped.” Vance stated.

Gibbs nodded again, happy to finally understand what had happened, and he had gained new respect for Vance.

“I genuinely like Tony, Gibbs. He’s a good man. He’s a great agent. As much as he gets on my nerves and as infuriating as he is, he’s up-front and honest. I admire that. He genuinely loves his job. He has a great affection and appreciation for his co-workers and you all return that to him in spades.”

Both men were quiet for a moment. Then Vance spoke up. “I had to be cruel to be kind, Jethro. It was the only way I knew to fix what was broken.”

"So, the stuff with the two agents for San Fransisco?" Gibbs asked.

"I do have a reputation to uphold." Vance explained.

THE END