'Well, I guess I better go home.' Olivia said to Mason. 'You know, before Dad returns from his business meeting and then I'm dragged by the hair to the nearest abortion clinic.' Olivia added, true fear being heard in her voice.

'You'll visit again, right?' Mason asked.

'Of course.' Olivia answered with fake optimism. 'Just tell me when Dad's away on a business meeting and I'll be right over. Or you can visit me. I think I'm going to be staying at Karen's for… I don't know how long, and you know she wouldn't mind you visiting. I'm sure she'd actually quite like you to visit.'

'Hey, are you going to find out what Karen meant?'

'I'm going to try,' Olivia sighed, 'but I'm not sure I'll get any answer.'

---

Sitting at her desk in Grace Adler Designs, Karen absentmindedly leafed through the apartment listings. While her hands turned the pages, her eyes stared into space. It had been nearly thirty years ago, but it still haunted her. She hated her mother for placing her in this living nightmare. If only it all had just been a nightmare, then she would have woken up, sixteen and pregnant.

When Grace entered the office, rambling on about some sort of queue at the fabrics place, Karen was still in another world, a happier world, a world where her mother hadn't ruined her life.

'What's with the paper, Karen?' Grace asked.

'Oh, I'm looking for apartments.' Karen answered, trying to sound cheerier thank how she actually felt.

'Didn't you, like, just move into a new apartment?' Grace asked, forgetting the events of the last few weeks.

'Yeah, honey.' Karen answered. 'That was before my stepdaughter turned up at my door, bawling her eyes out, because her father was going to kill her child.'

'I'm sure Stan will come around eventually. He'll see that Olivia will be able to look after herself and her baby and he won't make her get an abortion if she wants to go home.' Grace reasoned.

'Honey, I can't let her take that risk.' Karen said, as a lump built up in her throat. 'I can't let her become me.' She said, without even realising it.

Grace wasn't sure Karen had meant by that. Her gut instinct was to question the meaning of Karen's statement, but noticing Karen's unusually depressive demeanour, Grace thought that it was best not to ask anything about it.

'So… um… what kind of apartment you looking for, Kare?' Grace lamely changed the subject.

---

After work, Karen retuned to her apartment to find her stepdaughter asleep on the sofa. Closing the front door quietly so as not to wake Olivia up, Karen decided that now was the time to open that box which she had closed all those years ago.

---

'So I walked into my office and Karen is looking at apartment listings.' Grace began.

'And?' Will asked.

'Would you let me finish you queen?' Grace snapped.

'I'm sorry.' Will said.

'Continue.' Jack added.

'Basically Karen says that she can't let Olivia take the risk of moving back to the penthouse. That's not the weird part.' Grace said. 'The weird part was what she said after that.'

'Which was?' Will asked.

'Again with the letting me finish!' Grace said sarcastically. 'She said, 'I can't let her become me.'' Grace concluded.

'She really said that?' Will asked. 'What does that mean?'

'Do you know?' Grace asked Jack.

'No.'

---

Waking up, Olivia was hungry. Standing up and rubbing her eyes, she headed towards the kitchen.

'You want pickles again, huh kid?' Olivia said, hand on her ever so slightly swollen stomach. 'Let's see if Grandma has any pickles.' Olivia searched through all of the cupboards. 'Hmm, no pickles. We'll go to the shop and buy some, shall we?'

Having assumed that Karen was still at work, Olivia thought it was best to leave a note to say where she was, just in case Karen returned home and wondered where she was. Searching around the apartment for a piece of paper and pun, Olivia stopped in her tracks when she heard muffled sobs from Karen's room.

Olivia knocked on the door. 'Um… Karen?'

Opening the door, Karen said. 'Is that you awake, honey?'

'Actually I'm still asleep.' Olivia answered sarcastically. 'What's wrong? What's that?' Olivia asked, pointing to the box that Karen was carrying.

'Its stuff that I kept from when I was your age.'

'Can I have a look?' Olivia asked cautiously.

'Sure.'

Looking through the box, Olivia was confused.

'What's this?' She asked, holding an envelope.

Karen cleared her throat before answering. 'That's a sonogram picture I kept.'

'What?'

'Well, when I was sixteen, I found myself in a similar situation to you. But unlike you, I wasn't given the option of keeping my baby.'

'Why?'

'Well, we didn't have much money and my boyfriend took a hike as soon as I told him. My mum was a scam artist. We travelled from town to town, never stayed in one place for too long. My mum said that there was no way that she could afford to support me or help me, so I didn't have any option but to have an abortion.'

'What are these things?' Olivia asked, holing a few baby toys.

'When I first found out I was pregnant I was excited. I bought a couple of small toys. That was all I could afford with a little money that I had been saving. That was before I was told I would have to get an abortion.' Karen answered tearfully. 'I tried to convince my mother that I would be able to get a job and support myself and my baby, but my mum wouldn't listen. I was forced to get an abortion.'

'I'm so sorry.' Olivia said, looking down at the floor.

'Why honey?'

'I just… am.' Olivia answered. 'Why did you keep all these things?'

'Well, I thought that maybe someday, they would actually be used.' Karen sighed. 'And now they will.'

'What?'

'Honey, you take these.' Karen handed Olivia two small stuffed toys. 'You keep them for your baby.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yeah. No point on them sitting my closet when somebody could be using them.'

'Thanks.' Olivia said. 'I'm sorry if I've let you down.'

Karen knew exactly what she meant. 'You couldn't honey. You had the bravery to do what I couldn't.'

This time, Olivia knew exactly what Karen meant.

---

A/N: Hope you enjoy! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!