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Enjoy this A/O oneshot!

Olivia and I have good days and bad days. On good days, she gets home from work and turns on the television or opens a book or simply lays her head in my lap while we chat, sometimes about menial things like movies we want to see and sometimes about important things, like Olivia's mother or the cases we're working on. Those days, we make love gently before bed. It's beautiful and passionate, but peaceful in a way, and it feels so good.

But on bad days, she comes home with only one thing on her mind, and that's sex. That may sound awful, but it really isn't; it's just the way she's learned to cope with strong emotions. When she feels angry or sad or scared, she needs to reassure herself that she's not alone; she needs to be close to another person. And she trusts me enough that she wants to be close to me.

That should make me feel good, but it doesn't. Instead, it makes me feel bad because I know it's not right and I shouldn't let her do this to herself. It feels good when we do it, even though it's rough, which is how she likes it on those days. It's not the sensation that I object to; it's her reliance on it. She needs to find another outlet, one that doesn't have the capacity to destroy her. I couldn't live with myself if it did.

When she walks in the door today with that look of set determination on her face, I can tell that it's going to be one of those days.

She drops her back and comes into the living room. "Alex," she whispers, a quiet plea. I know what she wants, but as her hands go to my shirt, I realize that I don't.

I take her hands in mine. "Not today, Liv."

She ignores me and continues to undress me, unbuttoning my shirt and laying it on the couch, then moving further down.

"Liv," I say, more firmly this time. "I don't want to today. And I don't think you do either. This isn't the right way to deal with things."

"Bad, Liv, bad," she chastises herself mockingly, moving her hands downward, trying in vain to snake between my legs.

Clenching my thighs tightly together so she won't have access, I shake my head and slap her hand away. "Olivia! I said no!"

Without any warning, Olivia bursts into tears. I just stare at her, uncomprehending. I've never seen Olivia cry before! That's because she never does. Or so I thought.

So I do the only thing I can do. I pull Olivia close and wrap my arms around her, gently stroking her hair and wiping her tears away. "Shh, baby, it's okay," I whisper, immediately regretting my harshness.

"I'm sorry, Alex," she whimpers, curling up against my side and resting her head on my shoulder. "I didn't – I didn't mean to –"

"It's okay," I repeat, kissing her tears gently away. Then, taking a deep breath, I tell her the one thing I've wanted to say since the moment I met her. "I love you, honey, and nothing's ever going to change that."

I hear her sharp intake of breath as she looks up at me through her wide, glassy chocolate eyes. "You do?"

I've never said this before, but it's the truth, and she needs to hear it now. "That's right," I say, pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of her head. "I do."

I can feel her body start to relax and she leans back into me. "I love you, too."

I hope you liked this little oneshot. Please review if you did!