A/N: I haven't been able to see any of the new season since I no longer have TV, so my characterization of Ellis is based solely off what I've seen in episode recaps and such. I hope I'm not too OOC here. If it is, I'm sorry.
You can't really explain what it is about him that draws you in and makes you trust him on instinct alone.
Maybe it's his voice, or how he looks so gentle.
Maybe it's that he's almost the polar opposite of the one who hurt you so badly, who let you become completely co-dependent on him and then pulled the rug out from under you.
You don't know why, but it doesn't really matter. He's here- and from the sounds of things, he's here to stay.
You fit together like a pair of Legos. Or maybe more like a Lego and a MegaBlock. Most people would take one look and write your ability to fit off, but you know better.
It shouldn't work, but it does. He's a defense attorney and you're a cop, but the sparks of friction between you slowly change to something else. Eventually, you learn to separate your work and home lives so that what he does at work stays there, and vice-versa. It works well enough; despite some occasional arguments, nothing serious ever happens.
He's unlike any man you've ever met before. With him, you can be the vulnerable one for once. As hard as it may be to believe at times, you can stop being the strong one and you won't get whacked for it, and he won't think less of you.
Slowly but surely, you start becoming yourself again. Bayard Ellis has brought back the things that made you, you, that you had been missing for so long. You start to smile again. You sleep better and have more energy at work as a result.
You had been coming close to developing compassion fatigue, but no longer. Your passion is back and you're on a roll. You close case after case, and soon the whole team starts to feel the energy that's returned to the bullpen, and they follow your lead. Your team becomes an unstoppable force, the juggernaut you had missed being for so long.
You start living again. You smile and laugh, you do things for fun instead of because they need to be taken care of.
And your happiness makes Ellis the happiest man alive. He truly wants nothing more than to see you happy, and when he has that he does everything he can to keep it that way.
"I think you've met your match, Olivia," Alex and Casey both tell her when she talks to them. You hope they're right.
The day those three little words are spoken is an otherwise mundane day. No clouds fall away to reveal a double rainbow, but that's okay with you.
It happens casually, easily, just like everything else with you two. You're in a small cafe, drinking some cappuccinos and play-fighting about whether the Yankees or the Mets are better.
And then he laughs, shaking his head, and sets his hand on your cheek.
"You know I love you, right?" he says, smiling.
You smile back, heart fluttering a little, and murmur, "I know. I love you too."
It's late at night, and he's sleeping peacefully on the sofa, having had one of the longest and most stressful days at work imaginable.
You smile softly, laying down next to him. You wrap your arms around him and kiss his cheek.
This is how your life is supposed to be.