Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: I was in a depressed mood when I wrote this. Please read. Yes, it may be bad, but please review. Reviews make me happy...so make me happy cos I'm still depressed...

Spoilers: Nothing giving away the storyline, but is set after Hometown Hero

Tony walked into his apartment. Scratch that. He stormed into his apartment. He had just had another bad day and he was pissed. Probie had been, well ... Probie, Kate hadn't exactly been supportive with the whole car inncident, Gibbs hadn't let him rest at his desk all day and to top it all off, his car had been smashed up after being stolen by a robber. He threw his gear hard against the wall and went into the kitchen and opened his fridge. There, thankfully, was a nice cold beer waiting for him. Five beers, actually. He popped the cap off one of them and took a swig as he slumped down on his couch. He rested the newly opened bottle on the small table beside him and loosened his tie with a sigh.

'Today sucked,' he thought, picking up the bottle to take another sip, followed by a mouthful. He once again put the beer down beside him. He leant over and cradled his head in the palm of his hands. To be honest, he wasn't just pissed, he was depressed. Upset even. Not that he would admit that to anyone. Not Gibbs or Probie or Abby. Not even Ducky or Palmer or ... Kate. In fact, Kate was half the reason he was this way. Not that she had done anything wrong or bad ... just the fact that she hadn't been as supportive as he had hoped had hurt him more than he had thought. He took another swig from his beer and closed his eyes, letting the bitter, yet smooth and comforting liquid run down his throat as he tilted his head back against the couch. Before he knew it, he had nearly finished the bottle.

'Who am I kidding?' Tony thought as he rose from his seat to get another beer. What else had he expected? For Kate to drop everything with the case to comfort him? To tell him that it would all be alright? He flopped back on the couch bringing two beers with him; one for now, one for later. All the stress from having his car stolen and his weekend that had been spent at work was getting to him and it was giving him one hell of a headache. Tony massaged his temple with one hand while the other held the rim of the beer bottle close to his chapped lips, making each mouthful of alcohol easier to reach. The minutes that passed by became more bareable with every sip and soon, he had downed 3 bottles and clearly had no intention of stopping anytime soon.

Tony had not always been this way. When he was a kid, his father had always been a mean drunk and put him through hell growing up. Tony had sworn to never be like him. 'But this is different,' he thought. 'I'm not effecting anyone else.' Normally for him, a night out on the town with a hot date or his frat buddies would cure the blues, but recently, the only thing that could stop the pain was drinking himself into a alcohol induced sleep ... while his mind wouldn't let hm think of anything but Kate.

"Kate," he whispered. Her beautiful face came to mind and his eyes went glassy with unshed tears. The alcohol was just messing with his emotions was his only excuse. He got up as quickly as he could in the state he was in and headed towards his bedroom, wiping away his tears and grabbing another beer on the way.

Two hours later, Tony was asleep on his bed, lying on top of his covers with an empty bottle in his hand. His tousled hair and wrinkled suit weren't the only signs of his former distressed state; the many tears that had spilled down his cheeks were now dry streaks across his skin, yet his eyelashes were still moist. Meanwhile, his dreams carried him to the only place he could ever truly feel safe. Kate's arms wrapped around his biceps, her hands resting protectively on his back. He held her close, his face fitting perfectly in the hollow of her neck as she spoke calmly. He wasn't aware of his surroundings, only the sound of her voice.

"It's okay, Tony, I'm here," she said softly. He pulled away to gaze into her eyes. The love, care and security those beautiful brown eyes gave him made Tony want to kiss her. Only Kate could give him that feeling. Kate, and only Kate. But he had no idea why.

BRING! BRING!

The intrusive noise startled Tony. He tried to focus on the woman in front of him, but it was redundant. She disappeared from his embrace and he awoke to find himself on his bed, still dressed in the clothes he had been wearing the day before. He discovered that the intrusive noise was coming from his cell phone which was nearly vibrating off the bedside table. He picked it up and pressed answer before putting it to his ear. The sudden movement and the gravity pulling him down made the pain in his head worsen.

"DiNozzo," he answered.

"Tony, it's Kate. Gibbs got me to call you because he needs the reports from yesterday ASAP," came the reply. "I'm doing mine now, but you need to get over here."

Tony glanced at his alarm clock. It read 8:00 am.

"Now?" he asked.

"Yes, now," she demanded. Her voice was much more strained than to that of his dream.

"Okay," he said. "I'll be right in."

"Alright, just be quick," she said. "Gibbs is in a bad mood." 'That's new,' Tony thought with a sigh. It was going to be another one of those days.

"'Kay, I'll see ya soon," he replied. He nearly hung up the phone when her voice came in through the receiver.

"Tony?" He put his cell back to his ear.

"Yeah?" he asked in a half-hearted tone.

"I'm ... I'm sorry for yesterday," she said. "What with your car and everything. I really am." Tony went quiet and Kate became slightly worried. "Tony?"

"Yeah ... Oh, um ... really?" Tony's voice perked up.

"Really," she said. "And I'm sorry that I wasn't very ... well, I'm sorry that I wasn't very nice yesterday." Tony went silent again. Was this really the Kate he knew? He finally decided to speak before she thought something was wrong.

"Well, ah ... thanks, I guess," he said. "I should get going. I'll see you at the office."

"Okay," she replied. "Bye, Tony."

"Later, Kate." As he clicked end on his cell phone, his heart rose as he realised it was a new day. Yesterday was over and work awaited him. 'Well, that and and my rental car,' he thought trying to block the images of his beloved Corvette smashed up on the news. He sighed and got up. 'At least Kate and I are alright.' A smile found his lips as he walked out the door.

Yesterday was over.

A/N: Please review!