Stabler Residence

Thursday, September 5

7:02 am

"Mommy, I hate my new uni-uni-what's this thing called again?" Pia looked up at her mother with her big brown eyes, dissatisfied with the new uniform she had to wear for her first day of kindergarten.

"It's called a uniform baby, and why don't you like it? This is what big girls wear once they go on to kindergarten," Olivia kneeled down in front of her daughter and ran her hands through her curly brown hair.

"Well then take me back to preschool with the babies, I don't like this!" she threw her cardigan on the floor and ran to lock herself in her closet. Olivia sighed, feeling defeated this morning already. Today was Pia's first day at her new private school and she had been hoping this day would have gone a lot smoother. She took a deep breath and ran her hand through her chestnut waves before standing on the other side of the closet door.

"Pia.." she said calmly.

"I want daddy!" Pia screamed on the other side of the door. Olivia had to admit she wasn't shocked. She was a daddy's girl and had Elliot wrapped around her little finger- both of his girls did.

Olivia regretfully went to find Elliot in their room in only his slacks and undershirt. "It's only 7:30, why do you already look done for the day?" he walked over to her, noticing how tired she had looked.

"Pia is asking for you, she's refusing to wear her new uniform and has locked herself in the closet," she took a deep breath and released, trying to remember that these were the years full of testing.

"Hey don't worry, I'll get her in her new uniform and downstairs for breakfast. Why don't you go and enjoy a cup of tea? I don't want this one coming early like his sister," Elliot wrapped his arms around her from behind and ran them over her small swell.

"The doctor says he's fine, I'm fine..everything will be okay," she turned her head to kiss him before heading downstairs.

She was almost seven months into this pregnancy and Elliot was praying she'd at least make it to eight. When Olivia had gotten pregnant with their eldest, Corinna, it had been an easy pregnancy. Despite the fact that they were both Juniors in college, they both made it work after her birth. Elliot worked his way through school to provide for Olivia and Corinna, eventually moving on to starting his own business. Olivia however..ended up becoming a full time mother to Corinna after finding out the cost of childcare was well out of their budget. She'd always promised herself she would go back to school and get her degree to become a rape crisis counselor, but once Corinna was in school she had already begun to feel like it was too late. It was ten years before she had Pia. She was born premature, almost 10 weeks early, but Pia had fought like hell and came home finally after 5 weeks in NICU- their miracle baby.

And now years later she was pregnant again at the age of 37. It was risky, her and Elliot both knew but they wanted to try at least one more time for a baby boy. She needed a little Elliot.

"Morning Corinna," Olivia rounded the corner and entered into the kitchen, still in her pajamas and robe. She kissed her daughter's forehead who sat at the kitchen island barely paying attention to the bowl of cereal she had in front of her.

"Hey mom, so do you think I can borrow a few dollars and go to the mall with Lena after school?" she took a moment to look up from her phone but quickly returned to texting away.

"What's 'a few dollars'? I just gave you money to go shopping last weekend," Olivia started on a bowl of oatmeal and fresh strawberries for Pia- the only thing she would eat these days.

"I know but there's these new shoes that I want..they're $150 but-"

"$150? No way Corinna-"

"But mom everyone has them and- and it would be so much easier if you would just give me a credit card like the rest of my friend's parents do," she pouted in her seat, her long dark hair falling over her face.

"They have credit cards because they are just a bunch of spoiled brats whose parents just let them run the streets do whatever they want, but you my dear won't be getting any credit cards until you're old enough to get one on your own. Now I don't want to hear about this ever again," Olivia had had enough of her daughter constantly asking for money and not understanding the value of a dollar.

"This isn't fair! We're loaded and all you guys like to do is sit on all this money and make me miserable!" she spat back at her mother raising her voice a few octaves sending Olivia's blood pressure through the roof. "Sometimes you can be a real bitch," she tried to mumble under her breath but didn't go unheard by Elliot who was coming down the hall with Pia in his arms. The room fell silent when he entered, anger already flashing across his face. Corinna had been slick at the mouth as of late and they had been trying their best to discipline her, but each time she just bit back harder.

"Elliot-" Olivia said calmly knowing that his short temper had often gotten the best of him.

"Are you kidding me? Did you really just call your mother bitch?" he placed Pia on the ground and went over to where Corinna had been sitting. "The same mother who quit school to raise you? Who sacrifices so much for you everyday? Who shows up to every game, makes sure dinner is always ready for you, does everything around this house?"

"Elliot! Not now," Olivia snapped at him nodding her head towards Pia who sat at the small dining table in the kitchen eating her breakfast. She was just as upset as him with their daughters harsh words, but now just wasn't the time for this conversation.

Elliot's shoulders had relaxed and the strain in his neck had decreased when he looked over at Olivia. She was the one who helped keep him balanced and his head on straight. Seeing her pregnant form had reminded him for the sake of her health he needed to at least try to keep his anger in tact.

"Baby please go upstairs and gather your things for school. It'll be time to go soon," Olivia ran her hand down Corinna's back and gave her a small smile before the young girl got up and went to do as her mother said, slightly thankful she had saved her from her father's rage.

"You can't keep dismissing all of the nasty things that come out of her mouth. She needs to be put in her place- Olivia, she called you a bitch!" he whispered harshly.

"I know I know," she placed both of her hands on his chest. "After school her and I will be having a very long talk because yelling at her obviously is doing nothing," she sighed and leaned in to peck his lips. "You better get going before you're late," he complied, knowing this was an argument he wouldn't win.

"Just promise me you'll take it easy today?" he placed both hands on her belly, feeling the light movements of their baby boy.

"Yeah yeah," she rolled her eyes playfully and kissed him one more time before shooing him away. He went to kiss Pia goodbye before grabbing his keys and heading to the garage.

Stabler Residence

Thursday, September 5

6:14 pm

It had been a long day full of thinking for Olivia trying to decide what was the best way to go about what happened with Corinna this morning. She was her age at once and just like her she was angry with her mother for other reasons she wouldn't admit. It had been a battle the last few months. Corinna was starting her junior year of high school and for some reason she thought that meant she suddenly had a new set of freedoms, and that being respectful towards her parents wasn't a big deal anymore. Olivia sighed, realizing these were the years she had been dreading once she found out she was having a girl all those years ago, and had no idea how she would deal with it.

Olivia hadn't really been given the best example on how to parent a child growing up. The only memories of her mother revolved around her issues with alcohol, and anger towards Olivia for being nothing but a reminder of what her father had done to her. She was a product of rape, and her mother had made sure to not let her forget that. She had spent a majority of her childhood being a caregiver to her own mother, cleaning up her messes and making sure she didn't injure herself every time some crazy idea came to mind in her drunken state.

What had happened this morning in the kitchen had left a bad taste in Olivia's mouth. Her own childhood and teenage years coming to bite back at her. She had left home as soon as she had gotten accepted into Hudson, she had tried her best to put it entirely behind her. But now the memories were starting to come back. Her mother begging her not to leave, promising that she would get better, and Olivia packing her bags and never looking back. And that's what she had been terrified of when it came to Corinna.

She didn't want Corinna running away from her like she did to her mother. Whether that meant literally or figuratively, she couldn't stand losing her- especially at this age.

"Corinna.." Olivia knocked on her door before entering. "You know we need to have a talk.." she sat on the queen sized white canopy bed across from Corinna.

"I know and I'm sorry mom. I was just so angry. You guys never let me do anything!"

"Baby you're 16. You're asking us for hundreds of dollars every week, saying you're one place when you're out at a party, breaking curfew..Corinna I've had enough. From now on it's school and straight home. No cellphone, no more shopping, no friends over," Olivia reached to grab the rose gold phone from her nightstand.

"This is bullshit."

"Excuse me? Corinna you're being a little shit and it needs to stop now!" this wasn't like her to act like this and Olivia didn't know what to do at this point. She pushed herself off of the bed and went to go finish dinner. It was her last resort but she knew the only person who could talk some sense in their daughter at this point was her father.

"Mama, does baby brother love me?" Pia sat at the kitchen counter with her mother, helping her add veggies to the salad.

"Oh of course he does. He hears your beautiful voice everyday when you sing to him and I know he loves it because he kicks mommy so much!" she kissed her temple and twisted her curly ponytail around her finger before letting it go. "Why baby?"

"I don't think Coco loves me anymore," she grabbed the small pile of cucumbers her mother chopped and placed them in the salad bowl.

"Coco loves you so so much! She's just a little upset with me and daddy," she sighed and continued cutting.

"Why? You're the best mommy and daddy in the whole widest world!" she pouted slightly, disappointed in her older sister.

"Don't worry your pretty little head," she leaned over and kissed her temple. "Pia come here!" she gasped and pulled her small hand over to her swell. "You feel that?" Pia began to giggle when she felt the movements over her baby brother pouncing under her palm.

"He's kicking me mommy!" she smiled bright with her hazel eyes and pulled back quickly. "Daddy!" she quickly turned her attention to her father who had just walked through the garage door.

"Oh I missed my big girl today!" he scooped her from the chair she sat in and covered her face in kisses. "And I missed you," he leaned over and kissed Olivia lovingly.

"Dinners almost ready," she pulled him in for another kiss, realizing just how she had missed him too today.

"Pia why don't you go tell Coco to go wash up?"

"You okay?" she said noticing how much his mood changed once he sent Pia upstairs. Olivia rose from her seat to pull the dish she had baked from the oven.

"I uh-I checked the mail before I got in the house," he pulled an envelope from inside his suit jacket. Olivia grabbed it from his hands and had sworn she felt the world fall around her when she seen the sender's name:

Serena Benson

"I thought you told me your mother was dead?"

"She is to me," she forced the envelope back into his hands. "I don't want anything to do with whatever is written in this letter," she hadn't heard a word from her mother since she had left nearly twenty years ago. Serena hadn't made any effort to find Olivia since then, and she didn't see any reason for her to now. "Go change out of that suit. I'm gonna go set the table," she picked up the four white dinner plates and went into the dining room, dismissing their entire conversation.

"Olivia, you're not gonna explain this at all?" he followed closely behind her. Elliot knew she wasn't one to push but a matter like this- her mother suddenly rising from the dead, he needed answers.

"You wanna know what happened?" she stood on the other side of the dinner table, a few tendrils of hair framing her face. "My father raped my mother and she turned into a drunken mess. She blamed me everyday for the reason she was so miserable. Serena made my life hell Elliot, and once I turned 18 I left- no I ran. I ran as far as a could from that house. She's a monster.." she flicked the tear that escaped and continued to set the plates. "Now will you please go?" she focused on looking down, avoiding eye contact with him.

He sighed, scrubbing his hands over his face. Normally he would let her have her way and just leave her be. But this wasn't something he could just let go of. Olivia had told him her mother had died soon after she left for college, and her dad hadn't ever been in the picture. And to think that her mother had been alive this entire time..that her father was a rapist..it just couldn't be.

I really don't know why I started a new story when I've got two I can barely keep up with lmao. But I've had this idea to do a story with Serena being around. This is definitely an AU