A/N: Hope you're not sick of me, yet. Three posts in a week, I've got too much time on my hands apparently.

Anyway, this is an AU. I've never written anything like this before, so I hope, some of you will like it.

DiNozzo doesn't work for NCIS and this is set vaguely in Season 2 which means that Kate is still on board. I've never written her either, so that's going to be tricky, too. I just needed a more carefree Gibbs for this story that's why I set it this early.

Aaaanywho, hope you like it. It's going to be a multi-chapter story.

Aaaand it's Tibbs, of course.

COUNTING STARS

God, he hated when they ran. Especially, when Gibbs didn't even know why. He had wanted to double-check something the witness to their latest murder had said earlier as they had taken his statement. Something hadn't really matched up, but it wasn't anything that had raised his suspicion at all. Now though with the guy running, it was something else entirely.

He was slowly losing ground on the much younger man as he rounded a corner. Cursing internally, Gibbs tried to pick up his pace, but his knee had been bothering him again lately and it seemed like he'd need a miracle to get the young seaman in front of him. Panting heavily, and idly wondering why he was so out of shape these days (deep down, he knew why, ex-wife #4 and her stupid cooking skills…), he finally rounded the corner the perp had taken and then came to a sudden stop. The miracle had arrived in form of an FBI-agent.

Gibbs didn't know him, but little did he care as he watched the scene unfold in front of him.

"Federal Agent," the man in a blue FBI-jacket and a suit shouted at the seaman, having a gun raised at him. "Hands where I can see him."

"You're under arrest, Petty Officer Granger," Gibbs continued without hesitation as he approached the man and then cuffed him to a nearby rain gutter.

He quickly read him his rights and removed a gun from the man's coat pocket before he turned around to the FBI-agent who had his gun still raised at them and who was grinning from one ear to the other. Furrowing a brow, Gibbs scrutinized the agent. He seemed oddly familiar, but he wasn't one of Fornell's people.

"Thanks," Gibbs finally said, walking towards him. "Agent?"

"Ha!" the other man exclaimed, that shit-eating grin still on his face. "You believed me. Awesome!"

"What?" Gibbs checked back.

"I'm not an FBI-agent. I'm far too good-looking for that, don't you think?"

Gibbs didn't reply immediately, instead he tried his best to remember where he had seen the man before but his memory betrayed him again. He was a bit taller than Gibbs himself, his short brown hair gelled back neatly. What struck Gibbs, though, were his eyes. He was sure he had seen them before. One thing was for clear, though, he was pretty sure he'd never talked to him before. Otherwise he'd probably have beaten that grin right off his face.

"I'm an actor, don't you recognize me?" the man said again, laughing again, but it seemed oddly fake to Gibbs.

"No," he replied stubbornly, even though the penny had dropped a second before. Abby and Kate would be so jealous.

"Anyway," the guy said a little irritated as if it was treason not to know him, which infuriated Gibbs to no end. "I'm shooting this movie down the street."

He pointed towards the far end of the road and Gibbs could only just make out the cameras.

"So what are you doing here committing a crime?"

"What? I wasn't committing a crime, man!" the man cried out, slightly blushing now. "I helped you out! That guy was outrunning you!"

"He was not," Gibbs replied indignantly, even though he knew that he was right. "You posed as a federal agent and you were a pointing a gun at him. Newsflash, that's a crime."

"I… I… but," the man fumbled with his words and for a moment Gibbs was sure that he was not used to being speechless. "Look man," he finally continued. "It's not even a real gun. It's just rubber."

To highlight his point, he bent the gun in his hand and for sure it gave way easily. Gibbs could hear the perp curse in the background, but didn't pay attention to him. He was too angry at the other man.

"Are you stupid?" he cried out now, getting into the other man's face. "Or just suicidal? You can't point a rubber gun at someone who's being chased by a real federal agent. What if he shot you? Would that have been 'awesome', too?"

"No," the younger man replied, his voice sounding a bit rueful now. "That wouldn't have been awesome."

Gibbs stepped back, taking a deep breath. God, he hated people like him, so full of themselves that they didn't even have common sense left. He stared at the man for a moment, realizing that the false bravado from before had given way to barely visible insecurity. He still hid it well, but he was an actor after all. Gibbs had noticed a flicker of something he couldn't quite place in the other man's eyes at the word 'suicidal' before, too. He didn't know what to do with it, however, so he let it drop. It was none of his business anyway.

"Listen," the other man started over again, the confidence back in his voice. "I was just on a coffee run and then this guy kept running at me and then I saw you, obviously some kind of cop… what's NCIS anyway?"

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service," Gibbs spelled it out, grumbling.

"A Navy Cop? Is that a thing?"

"Apparently," Gibbs replied, only just able to hold himself back from cuffing the man in front of him just to keep him from talking.

"Anyway," the actor hurried on. "I thought I could help. I just didn't think it through. I mean I helped you, right? Can't we… like… make a deal? I won't tell anyone I helped you and you don't tell anyone I impersonated a federal agent?"

"I don't make deals."

"Thought so," the younger man said, slightly grinning. "Man of integrity, huh? So, is there any way you won't arrest me?"

Gibbs didn't reply for a moment as he thought it through. He was sure that the actor's lawyers would have him out of jail in no time and really, the guy had helped him after all. Subtly shaking his head, Gibbs wondered when he had turned soft. Maybe he was getting old.

"Fine, I won't arrest you," he finally relented. "But I still need to take your statement at NCIS."

The actor beamed at him and this time it seemed almost sincere. "You know," he said. "Do I really have to come to NCIS? The press would be insane, trust me. You don't want that."

Again, there was a shadow in the man's eyes and Gibbs was already considering other options when he realized that he was most likely being played again. He could see his point, though. Damn it. Before he could answer though, the other man was babbling again.

"There's going to be the yellow press, then there's going to be those who want to help me and those who want to dig up dirt on me. All in front of your NCIS and I assure you…"

"Shut it, DiNozzo," Gibbs snapped, getting highly irritated again, but immediately regretted having said it as he saw the look on the actor's face.

"Ha! So you do know me," he grinned again.

Gibbs sighed. Of course, he knew him, even though it had taken him a moment before. Tony DiNozzo was the movie star at the moment. He was so famous in fact that even Gibbs had seen two of his movies. It had been mindless action flicks but they had been alright. He was pretty sure that Kate and Abby were having regular DiNozzo movie nights.

"Anyway," he finally continued. "We can meet someplace else, too. But it has got to be today or tomorrow. I've got to close this case."

"Alright," DiNozzo beamed. "Here's one of my cards. Just call me later today and we can meet up tomorrow. Filming should be finished by then."

"If you don't…" Gibbs threatened, but DiNozzo cut him off again.

"You'll find me and have me arrested. I got that."

"Good."

With that, Gibbs turned around, uncuffed Granger from the rain gutter and then pushed him down the road towards his car.

"Thanks, Agent…" DiNozzo said. "I don't even know your name."

"Gibbs."

"No first name?"

"Nope. Just Gibbs," he said, never turning around.

"Just Gibbs, huh? Only one name? That's so 90s-model of you," he was shouting now and Gibbs could just hold himself back from turning around.

God, that guy.

"Fine, don't say anything. You're handsome enough, though. For a model, I mean. Just have to lose the perp."

Gibbs didn't dignify that with an answer as he stalked towards his car, the seaman still in tow.

It was going to be a long two days.