It's time for Tony to go. Set at the end of Season 13. For Tony fans who saw him as more than the T in Tiva. Definitely not for Tiva fans. Yes, Ziva is still dead. No, I don't own the characters. If I did, what we saw on screen wouldn't have happened.

Enough

Former NCIS Special Agent Tony DiNozzo stepped into the elevator, turned, pushed the button one last time, and allowed himself just the hint of a smile. What a crazy week it had been; he still hadn't wrapped his head around everything that happened. One minute he'd been standing in the squad room watching a house explode and now, in the space of a week, Ziva and Kort were both dead, he had a daughter named Tali, and he'd quit his job. To an outsider it would look like bad fiction, but it was his life.

He leaned against the back of the car, closed his eyes, and let his mind wander back to the previous Monday morning when it all began. He and the rest of the team had watched in horror as they realized it was Eli David's house exploding in flames on their screens. When the news mentioned a survivor, they had all breathed a sigh of relief that Ziva, their former teammate and friend, was alive. Tony had to see for himself of course and in the few minutes it took him to reach the decision to go to Israel, McGee had already arranged for a flight and Gibbs was telling him to go. "They know me so well," he had thought at the time. It was common knowledge in NCIS circles that if any member of team Gibbs was in trouble, the first one running off to help was always Tony. He was so damn predictable. Although even he had to admit that tracking down Ziva was getting old. What was this? The third time? She just couldn't stay out of trouble.

Then when he'd barely started packing, the news came that she was dead. It was a punch to the gut. He'd always seen her as invincible, a cat with nine lives. They'd worked together for 8 years, been partners, flirted, had each other's six countless times. He was gutted and confused; there had been a survivor. Who? Why wasn't anyone else upset? His teammates' reactions puzzled him, especially Gibbs. He was so cold. Ziva had been like a daughter to him and he acted like her death didn't matter. In fact he just seemed pissed at Tony — again. He'd been chronically pissed at Tony since being shot in Iraq. For a year Tony had been nothing more than Gibbs' whipping boy. Everything seemed to be his fault. When he wasn't being berated, he was being ignored. "Senior Field Agent my ass," thought Tony, McGee was now Gibbs' go-to guy and Tony, try as he might, couldn't figure out why. Gibbs sure wasn't talking. Tony had even been kicked around the idea of leaving NCIS; the reactions to Ziva's death weren't giving him any reason to stay.

Wednesday Orli had shown up with a toddler in tow, the survivor pulled from the rubble of Eli's house, complete with go-bag. She was Ziva's daughter, Tali. "Your daughter," Orli had said to Tony. At the time, he was too stunned to protest. She couldn't be his daughter so why was Orli saying she was? What the hell was going on? The kid was just so damn cute though. She'd just lost her mother and been dragged half way around the world. He couldn't bring himself to tell this sweet, innocent child he wasn't her father. She wouldn't understand, at least not right now. He'd deal with that later when he figured out what was going on. As for why he didn't tell the others, he wasn't sure, but they didn't even question it. When had everyone started believing he and Ziva were a thing? Was he the only one who knew better? Abby even told him that Ziva had said she loved him. Huh? Since when had Ziva loved anyone but herself? She'd treated him like pond scum for years but now she suddenly loved him? She had a funny way of showing it. How could anyone think he could be in love with someone who had treated him that way? Did his teammates and friends believe he had so little self esteem that he could feel that way about someone who had been so deliberately and consistently cruel? He had always tried to be her friend, but he could never be and had never been her lover. Yet no one had any trouble believing that Tali was his, which meant they had no problem believing that he would take advantage of Ziva when she was so vulnerable back in Israel. Maybe they didn't know him as well as he or they thought they did.

She had been so wounded and alone and he had tried so hard to help, to get her to come back to DC and to her friends, but she had refused. She said she needed time alone to figure things out. He had honoured that wish. In fact, for the first time, he genuinely admired her. She was finally going to try to get her life together. He always believed she'd contact them when she was ready, but she had apparently never been ready. And now she was dead and she had, according to Orli, sent him her child. Was it because she knew he could be trusted or was it one final shot at her favourite punching bag? He remembered how she had come on to him his last night at the farmhouse, how she had said she wanted him, but he had turned her down. He knew it was just the wine and the loneliness talking. Tony DiNozzo may have been a player in his day, but he had never deliberately hurt someone and he knew if he gave in to her advances, she would be hurt and angry in the morning and would never forgive him. Instead he sat with her and they talked almost all night, then shared one sweet goodbye kiss on the tarmac and went their separate ways. Yet Ziva had lied and told Orli that Tali was his, or maybe it was Orli who was lying.

He had lied as well; to his team, his friends. Maybe lying was too strong a word. He remembered how he had couched his words to Tim sitting on that bench. He had said, "I loved her, Tim." He'd talked about the "fond farewell". Truthfully, he did love Ziva just like he loved all of them and he supposed the kiss could be interpreted as a fond farewell. That half truth, little white lie, whatever he wanted to call it had seemed like the right thing to do at the time. What was the point of calling Ziva a liar now that she was dead? Besides if he told them the truth what would happen to Tali? She would be taken from him and either placed in foster care here or flown back to Israel to an uncertain future. She didn't deserve that, none of it was her fault. And she was such a little sweetheart. He had to admit he liked having her around and Senior doted on her, so he had kept up the charade, kept right on letting everyone believe Tali was his. He would set about finding her real father as soon as he could figure out what was happening.

One day after work he'd gone through the go-bag again and found the picture. Tali had pointed to him and said, "Abba". It almost broke his heart. Ziva had lied to her own kid too. Then it hit him. The picture! He should have known the picture was a clue. Who puts a framed picture in a go-bag? For that matter, who makes up a go-bag for a kid? And why that particular picture? He had looked at it more closely and realized that it couldn't have been taken in Paris. There had never been an opportunity and it couldn't be a traffic camera, the angle was wrong and besides who smiles into a traffic camera?

"Sheesh, some Special Agent you are, DiNozzo," he growled as he gave the back of his head a quick slap. It had taken too long for him to figure that one out. After taking the framed picture apart, he finally found it — the note tucked inside a slot cut into the frame.

"Tony, cheri, I hope you never read this because if you do, it means I am dead and my sweet Tali is an orphan. Not too long after you left, I found someone willing to accept my 'offer'. He was nice enough, but not as good a man as you who refused me. It meant nothing but brought me some brief comfort. I do not know if that makes sense to you, but it is how I deal. Please do not judge me. We spent only two weeks together and then he left. I heard he had been killed in a car accident only a few days later and I did not even cry. It was typical of my life, what was one more death? When I learned I was pregnant with Tali, I was shocked and scared and angry and then resigned. I thought of her as punishment for years of sins. But then I saw her and I was smitten. She has brought so much joy and love into my life; joy and love like I have never felt before. Forgive me, Tony, I told everyone you were the father. I needed to know she had somewhere safe to go if anything ever happened to me. I hope you never need to learn what I did, but her birth certificate and all other legal documents have you listed as the father just in case. I even told Orli because I knew she would bring Tali safely to you. You told me once I was not alone. Please do not let my Tali be alone, Tony. Please."

By the time he finished reading the note Tony was quietly crying. Tali had come over and given him the biggest and best hug he'd ever had — even better than Abby's. That was the moment he decided that Tali was indeed his daughter, maybe not in blood but in his heart. He was her everything. He would not give her up, he would not leave her alone. He couldn't even be mad at Ziva anymore. For once she had been thinking about someone else. She'd been punished enough; she would never see Tali grow up. She had trusted him of all people to raise her child and he would not betray that trust. He still couldn't believe Ziva ever loved him, but he had to admit that, unlike the rest of his team, she sure did know him.

He had then reached the only conclusion he could. He was finished with Gibbs and his job and DC. It was time to move on — to what he wasn't sure, that would come later. For now he had a little girl to get to know and he didn't need to be dealing with Gibbs and whatever issues he was having this time. He was done. He had phoned Vance that evening to give him a heads up that he would be quitting first thing Monday morning. Then he'd shown up right on schedule, badge, gun, and letter of resignation in hand and headed straight for the Director's office. That was when Vance had surprised him with a job offer from the FBI. It was as part of the Counter Terrorism Task Force in New York. The Director had spent the weekend calling in a favour and it hadn't hurt that Fornell had put in a good word from his hospital bed. There it was, in black and white, on FBI letterhead, one Offer of Employment, complete with a better salary than he was making now, benefits, and even a couple of weeks grace before he had to accept or decline.

"It's definitely something to think about," said Tony, "me working for the FBI, Gibbs will love that. Ha, I might just take it to see the look on his face."

Reaching out to shake his hand, Vance said, "Take the job, Tony. You're good, damn good and I don't think I've ever told you that. Consider this my way of saying it now."

So that was that. As far as the others knew, Tali really was his and Ziva's child, he really was unemployed and he really was leaving for Israel by way of Paris. He saw no reason to set them straight. He had said his goodbyes and headed for the elevator.

His reverie was interrupted by the familiar loud ping when the elevator arrived at the main floor and, just like that, he was done with MCRT and on his way to his future. The FBI job sounded pretty good; he'd probably accept but he wouldn't rush. He needed to take some time to hang out with Tali, think about selling his apartment, ask Senior if he wanted to move back to New York. First things first though; he steeled himself to make one last trip to Gibbs' basement for one final lie and one final goodbye.