AN: Just a quick oneshot in response to the news about Tony's season 12 girlfriend :) -kittiesgalore

Tony DiNozzo sat at his desk engaged in slightly inappropriate banter with his co-workers, Tim McGee and Ellie Bishop, when the office mail was delivered. He tossed the usual junk mail when he came across an unusual letter return addressed in Tel-Aviv, Israel. Intrigued by this, he ripped open the letter at lightning speed. It read:

Tony,

I've gotten the letters, and emails, and voicemails from all of you, and decided I should finally respond. I miss everyone, but I am happy, this is the life I believe I was meant to live. But there is something I need to tell you, Tony. NCIS is my family, I have always considered you all that and even more so when my father died. I love you, Tony, I love you to the moon and back, I love you from all of my heart, but I am not in love with you. The love we share, is not that of romance, but is a love of family. I know you've been refusing to let me go, and refusing to move on, but I am writing this letter to ask you to please do so. I honestly do not think I can ever find the courage or the reason to come back again. So I want you to accept whoever is sitting across from you right now, and not have hard feelings because that desk was once mine. There is someone out there for you, that you're meant to spend your life with. Please, Tony, I do not want you to ever forget me, keep me in your heart, know that I often spend nights laughing, and crying at all of our memories. Excuse the tear stained paper, but it's occurred to me that this needs to be our truly final goodbye. And when you've finally taken my advice, a wedding invitation is more than welcome :).

I love you, I really do,

Ziva

Tony caught himself shedding a few tears as he put the letter in his desk.

"You okay, Tony?" Bishop asked with a concerned voice.

"Yeah," He took a deep breath. "Much better than I was."

As he thought over what Ziva wrote, he realized he had been holding on to something that was never really meant to be and if he truly loved her he would want what's best for her, not what is best for him. He did love her like family, and he protected her like family, and he missed her like a lost family member. He also knew that you do what you have to for family, and what he had to do was let her go. It wasn't easy, and it was never going to be, but it is what it is, right?

AN: No hate please, even if you strongly disagree. I believe we all need to accept that Cote made a choice that was the best thing for her. And you know, it's a TV show, guys. It's honestly not the end of the world if someone leaves :). Cote should live the life she wants to live, not the life we want her to live.