Title: Hayley
Characters: Everyone (Tate)

Season: AU now that Kate's dead. cries

Spoilers: None for now. I might use things from past episodes.

Disclaimer: And we have just received breaking news…HG does NOT own NCIS! What a big shocker.

Author's Note: I wrote this a while ago so…yeah…Kate's not dead. Oh, and Hayley is…uh…seven years old.

Rating: T (bad language)

Chapter Title: Late

The flight attendant sends her a sympathetic look as she dials the phone number once again. It rings and rings in her ear and she still gets no answer. The little girl looks worried as she stares down the long hallway. Janitors clean the floors and business men catching the red eye flight rush past. The flight attendant, Laura is her name, looks at her watch once again.

10:59

Whoever this Anthony DiNozzo is, he is almost an hour late picking up…Hayley. She hangs up the phone after getting the answering machine. She doesn't leave a message. She's already left four. She glances down at the little girl and she stares back up at her. Her big brown eyes making it clear she's worried.

"Hayley do you know any more numbers for…," She checks the form before continuing "your dad?"

Hayley shakes her head no and yawns.

"Okay let's call your mom and ask her." Hayley nods and Laura picks up the phone.

She's about to dial the number when she hears a man's voice yell, "Hayley." Hayley's face lights up and she runs towards the man coming towards them.

"Daddy!" The man scoops her up in his arms and Hayley flings her arms around his neck.

"Hi munchkin." Laura gathers up the forms and heads towards them.

"Hi," he says when she stops in front of him.

She smiles and says, "I need to see your license before you can take her." He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet. She compares the information on the form to his driver's license and hands it back to him. He slides it back into his wallet and then places the wallet in his pocket. "And if you could just sign here." He signs his name and then smiles.

"Is that it?"

"Yes. Bye Hayley."

"Bye," She says quietly back.

"Thanks." He tells her as he leads Hayley away from the gate and towards the baggage claim.

"I'm hungry Daddy," Hayley announces as the get close to the revolving doors.

"I am too. What do you want?"

"McDonald's." It's her favorite place and he can't tell her no even though his sick off it.

"Okay." He pulls out his cell phone and hands it to her, "Here you call Mommy while I get your suitcase." She takes it in her tiny hands and starts punching the numbers in.

"Hi Mommy…McDonald's…I don't know…Bye Mommy," are the fragments of the conversation he can hear.

He lifts her black suitcase off the carousel and places it on the floor. The cell phone is handed back to him and she says, "Mommy wants to talk to you."

"Hi Madelyn."

"You were late Tony."

"I know. I got tied up at work."

"I got the later flight so you could get there on time."

"I know Madelyn but…"

"It's past her bedtime Tony. She's going to be crabby tomorrow. No sweets before bed time. Make sure she takes her vitamins at breakfast. And…"

"She's allergic to chocolate. I know Madelyn."

"About the only thing you know about her Tony."

"And who's fault is that. I only get her for Thanksgiving and for the week of Father's

Day!" He says into the phone with each word his voice becoming louder.

"Tony…It's too late for us to be fighting. Bye Tony. Tell Hayley I love her."

"Will do." He hangs up the cell phone and drops it in his coat pocket. He grabs the handle of the suitcase in one hand and Hayley's hand in the other.

She hates it when they fight. Why can't her Mommy and Daddy be like her friend Olivia's? Mommy and Will don't fight either. And Anna doesn't have to fly to go she her Daddy. All she has to do is walk around the house to find Will.

She stands waiting as her dad tries to shove her suitcase in the trunk of the car.

"You're only here for a week." He says thinking she can't hear him but she absorbs every word. He finally gets it and slams the trunk. "Alright let's get going." He says with a smile on his face and she smiles back at him showing off the gap in her mouth as she opens the door.

"Lost a tooth, huh?"

"Yeah."

"How much did the tooth fairy give you?"

"Two dollars."

"Then you can buy us dinner." He laughs and she forces a smile even though she doesn't get it. He starts the car and the leave the parking garage and soon their outside of the airport heading towards their usual place.

As he drives the car off the highway and onto the exit ramp his cell phone starts ringing. He picks it up out of the cup holder and looks at the name on the screen. And the four letters he normally so happy to see now sends fear through his veins.

'KATE'

He presses the accept button and puts the phone up to his ear.

"Tony where are you?" Her voice is dripping with concern and he shudders at the fact he has yet to tell her. There just hasn't been a good time.

"I'm in the car."

"Are you on your way?" He has no idea what's she's talking about.

"What?"

"We're supposed to meet my oldest brother and his wife."

"Shit. Kate…" He curses himself for forgetting, double booking himself, and for saying a curse word in front of Hayley.

"You forgot…" She says quietly.

"Honey I am so sorry."

"I just call them and reschedule. We can't have dinner anyways…"

"Sorry Kate."

"Forget it. Are you coming by tonight?" He glances at Hayley who is looking out the window.

"I don't think so. I'm pretty tired."

"Um…okay. Well…I see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah."

"Bye Tony. I love you."

"Bye." And with that he shuts off the phone leaving a very confused Kate on the other end.

He glances at Hayley. He can't see her face only her neatly done braids. There just hasn't been a good time to tell either of them.