Disclaimer: I do not now, never have, and almost certainly never will own NCIS.

A/N: The finale left me feeling sort of underwhelmed. I didn't dislike it, but I felt as though it didn't fully live up to the potential of its premise. What are your thoughts?

"We think we have to protect the people we love from the truth." –Mike Franks, 10x24: "Damned If You Do"

"You may not like how this ends, Ziva," Tony warns her as they prepare to hand in their badges.

Tone low, she replies, "I have never depended on happy endings."

And it is true – she hasn't, at least not since she was a young child. Parsons' taunting in the elevator had merely solidified the thoughts already swirling in her head.

Everyone close to her winds up dead or hurt. Parsons had meant to wound her when he said this, but that didn't make it any the less true.

Ziva David was never meant for happy endings. Tony, on the other hand... he is her friend; her best friend. She wants the best for him.

She lo– cares for Tony far too much to let him get closer to her, to let him ruin his life. They are too close as it is, but she cannot find the strength in herself to give up his friendship; as she told him, it means too much to her. (He means too much to her.)

So she pushes Tony away in the hopes that one day he will be able to have a happy ending with someone else.

Because if anyone deserves one, it is him.