June 19, 2011

She had never really been a morning person. She had always had to wake up early, though. First as a young girl getting ready for school or chores. Then as a young woman going to her early morning college classes. After that, she'd had to get up early due to the cries of her infant daughter wanting to be fed. And once her daughter was old enough, she'd had to get up early to go to work and teach young minds. It was ingrained in her now. She didn't do it purposefully but she couldn't force her body not to. Even when she was hung over, she still found her body waking up early with no sign of falling back to sleep. It had been fifty-three years of waking up near the crack of dawn. One didn't just turn that off with the flip of a switch.

Serena opened her front door to get the paper on the ground. Reading the morning paper was a relaxing activity. Sitting there drinking coffee and eating breakfast while reading about the events of the city was practically her pastime. It was also a quiet activity, which matched her morning personality. The fewer words she had to speak, the better.

Setting the paper down on the table, she ambled around the kitchen getting her breakfast ready. Nothing too fancy, an English muffin was her usual choice. Prepping the coffee machine, she hit the button and waited for it to brew.

She sat down at the table and glanced over the paper while she waited. She didn't actively read it until her breakfast was ready but she enjoyed scanning to see what was most interesting.

There was a large picture above the fold with the headline 'Quarterback's program makes kids shine.' She had never understood sports. She tried watching when she was in the bar but it always seemed so boring and pointless. She was glad her daughter somewhat shared her opinion of sports.

Hearing the toaster signal the English muffin was ready, she pushed the paper aside and went about preparing her breakfast. The coffee had begun to percolate. Getting the strawberry jam out of the refrigerator, she set it on the table before slipping her breakfast onto a plate. After pouring herself a nice cup of coffee she settled in at the table.

Unfolding the paper so she could see the entire page, she scanned the news. Gardening tips were being offered on a separate page. A scam was being ousted by the banks to warn users of fraud. Somebody was unhappy with the president again but that was nothing new. Deciding she may as well read the main article, she found her eyes scanning the picture again. The children looked so happy. The sight made her smile. She often wondered if her life hadn't turned out the way it did if she would have gotten married and had more children. She wouldn't trade Olivia for anything in the world, though. She hadn't been the best mother. She still wasn't the best mother. But she did love her daughter with all her heart. They were constantly working towards a better relationship but sometimes it seemed like every time they took one step forward they took four steps back.

Speak of the devil herself, this woman looks an awful lot like Olivia, Serena thought. She was on the back of a man piggyback style. They both had on the large smiles that everyone else did. She didn't recognize the man but the woman kept looking more and more like Olivia. Reading the caption at the bottom, she learned that the group had just finished a day at a mini football camp. Why would Olivia be involved in something like that?

Maybe she would pay her daughter a visit today to get to the bottom of this.

E

O

Opening the door to her daughter's building, Serena couldn't help but wish she had chosen somewhere else to live. Years ago Olivia had turned down her mother's offer to help her with rent in a better part of the city. Serena was always telling her how much she hated where her daughter lived but Olivia would hear none of it. She was as stubborn as they came.

Olivia lived on the third floor of a building that had seen better days but she always told her mother that she loved it. She knew her daughter enjoyed her freedom but she wished she lived closer. Not that she was incredibly far. One of her coworker's daughters had just moved to Vancouver for a job. Serena didn't know what she would do if her daughter even moved to another city let alone another country.

The one bright thing about this building was the elevator. It at least worked decently without the threat of feeling like you were about to die any second.

Walking down the hallway on her floor, she heard sounds of laughter. As she grew closer to her daughter's door, she realized it was coming from the apartment in front of her. Perplexed, she slowly raised her hand to knock. She heard shuffling on the other side of the door before it opened to reveal her smiling daughter.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" she asked, clearly confused. She stood there in her weekend attire – a tank top and a pair of shorts – and she had flour in her hair. Not a lot but it was definitely flour. "Did I forget a lunch date?"

"No, dear," she chuckled. "I can't surprise my daughter?"

She shook her head. "No, no, I just…wasn't expecting you, that's all."

There was something in her daughter's expression that she couldn't place. She didn't move from the door's entrance. Mother and daughter stared at one another until finally Serena couldn't handle it anymore.

"Well, are you going to let me in or not?" she chuckled. Recognizing her error, Olivia stepped back and let her mother into her apartment. She ran a hand through her hair where the flour was but it remained where it was. Serena was stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a man standing in the kitchen.

Now she understood her daughter's peculiar expression.

"Who is this?" Serena asked as calmly as she could.

The strange man came over to stand next to her daughter, wrapping his arm around Olivia's waist. He had flour on his shirt. More than her daughter. She had clearly interrupted something but was sure she didn't want to know what.

Olivia cleared her throat before managing a small smile.

"Mom, this is Elliot Stabler." Elliot reached his hand out for her to shake. "El, this is my mom, Serena Benson."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Benson," Elliot said brightly.

She slowly reached for the outstretched hand. He had a firm grip which she approved of. She could not stand people with weak, floppy handshakes. She supposed he was good looking. He had a nice smile, at least. He was in a pair of gym shorts and a short sleeve shirt with the logo of the New York Giants. Not exactly the classiest but she would give him a break since it was Sunday.

"You're the man in the photo," she blurted out, recognition sparking in her mind. The pair in front of her looked confused.

"What?" they said together.

Pulling the paper out of her purse, she showed them the picture on the front page.

"I thought the woman on the left looked very similar to you so I thought I'd stop by and ask you about it," she explained. "Seeing him, I realize now that I was right."

They both looked down at the picture she had practically memorized. Her daughter was on the back of this man in front of her, wide smiles on both of their faces. They looked happy in the picture. Just as happy as they looked now.

Her gaze falling to floor, she noticed something wrong.

"Olivia, what happened to your foot?"

They all looked down at her left foot. It was bandaged up but she was putting some weight on it.

"Oh, my legs gave out on me yesterday after I scored a touchdown," Olivia explained. "I tripped and twisted my ankle. It's all right, though. It doesn't really hurt today."

"A touchdown?" she raised a brow. Her daughter had never really been the sport type.

Olivia chuckled. "Elliot is the, uh, quarterback for the New York Giants." Serena's brows shot to the sky. "I kinda dared him to throw me a pass to see if I could catch it so my ankle is my fault really."

"She was amazing, though," he sang his praises. His smile was wide and bright. She had to give her daughter credit. The man was decently attractive. "I gotta say, I didn't actually think she was gonna be able to catch it but she did. I think she should be the new quarterback."

"Shut up," Olivia grinned, poking him in the ribs. The pair stared at one another for a moment with what Serena often described as dopey puppy love faces. She saw it frequently in her classrooms, around campus. She never thought she'd see it on her daughter though.

"Am I to assume the two of you are..dating then?"

Olivia looked at her mother. Serena had never met any of the men she dated. Olivia would mention their name and Serena was always aware of when they broke up, but beyond that she wasn't involved in that part of her daughter's life.

Olivia could see the hurt in her mother's eyes. She knew it was killing her that she hadn't told her personally about what was happening in her life but it wasn't as if they were best friends. They had a tumultuous relationship – good one minute, bad the next. Olivia had always kept things inside, keeping her thoughts, fears, doubts, relationships, friendships, everything to herself. She knew, from her mother's mournful sighs and longing looks, that Serena wanted her daughter to be able to confide in her but Olivia knew that day was still far off in the future.

She pushed Elliot back towards the kitchen, silently telling him she wanted to talk to her mother alone. He went without hesitation. She motioned towards the living room, hobbling over to it behind her mother. The apartment wasn't that big so technically Elliot would still be able to hear everything they were saying. She had a feeling she was going to be telling him all about Serena later.

"Um yeah, we've been seeing each other for a little over a month now. We ran into each other in the park a while ago and hit it off."

"Why didn't you tell me about him?" She was trying not to sound disappointed but she knew it was a hopeless feat.

She shrugged. "It never came up and we haven't really talked since then." She was feeling more and more like the bad daughter.

She glanced back into the kitchen. Elliot looked like he was very involved in making the chocolate chip cookies but she could tell he had one ear on the conversation. He had shown up today with the ingredients for cookies, telling her he was going to take care of her since it was fifty percent his fault that she was slightly immobile. She had smiled at his cuteness and given him full access to her kitchen. He had just barely started when her mom knocked on the door and brought the mood level down about three pegs.

"You don't think your mother needs to know when something important is going on in your life?" Serena huffed.

"No, mom, that's not it," she said, her voice showing her exasperation. "I just…forgot."

"Forgot?" she chuckled. "How does one forget to tell their mother that they're dating someone?"

"I wasn't advertising it to everyone," she struggled not to yell. "Christina didn't even find out until two days ago. Frank found out through luck. I just… I wasn't telling anyone because I don't need people calling me asking me for tickets or autographs or a chance to meet him. You know how the city loves their sports, especially football and the Giants."

Serena eyed her daughter. She could see how taxing even this conversation was on her. Olivia had always been a quiet individual. She had been a happy child but she had never had many friends. She always seemed to keep to herself. Serena supposed it was so Olivia could hide her mother's alcohol abuse from others.

"You always were secretive," she finally mused aloud. Olivia glanced up at her mother. "Even as a child you would never tell me anything."

Olivia didn't know what to say. Her mother had a point. She had always been secretive. Not on purpose but most of the time she just figured her mother wouldn't care to hear what she had to say. Clearly that was not the case. She knew her mother often felt hurt by their lack of communication but she never felt comfortable enough to share with her mother the details of her life. She only told her things when asked and conversation between the two of them had always been stunted. They talked but not about important things. The weather, events around the city, Serena's job, Olivia's job or rather her mother's hatred of it. Olivia longed to have a real relationship with her mother, one where she told her all her secrets and her mother guided her in the right direction.

Olivia covered her mother's hand with her own. "I'm sorry, mom," she apologized. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was seeing someone. I just didn't think it was that important to tell you."

"Thank you," Serena spoke quietly. "I suppose I'm not as…shocked as I seem to be." She looked over the back of the couch toward Elliot. He was still busy making cookies, looking thoroughly involved in the process but she knew he wasn't. He put on a good act though. She turned back to her daughter, lowering her voice before asking, "Are you happy with him? Is he good to you?"

"Yes," she nodded without hesitation. A smile spread across her face. "He's pretty amazing."

"Well," she patted her daughter's hand, "I'm glad you're happy." She stood and looked at Elliot in the kitchen again. Olivia felt nerves shot throughout her body. She braced herself for what she dreaded was coming. "However, I think it's about time I was formally introduced to this man."

"Mom," Olivia warned.

"I promise I'll go easy on him."

She shook her head as she watched her mother encroach on Elliot. She knew Elliot could handle anything but he didn't know the wrath that was Serena Benson.

E

O

"So how long have you been a football player?" Serena started the conversation after they all sat down around the table. Olivia had tried not to make it too obvious when she sat down close to Elliot. All of a sudden she felt like she was a teenager and her mother was meeting her first boyfriend for the first time. She felt awkward even though she wasn't the one under scrutiny.

"For about… God, about sixteen years now. Professionally for twelve years."

"Did you always want to be a football player? Was that your first choice?"

"No, it wasn't actually. I thought about becoming a cop, an astronaut, a marine. I worked in my uncle's bar for a while and I thought about working there for the rest of my life, taking it over when he passed or retired but I wasn't that happy working there. So I turned to football and worked hard to be as good as I could be. That turned into a full scholarship and me getting drafted after I graduated."

"I assume you make a decent living do that," Serena mused.

"Mother!" Olivia scolded. She buried her face in her hands, not believing that her mother had said that out loud. She fought the urge to jump across the table and tackle her mother to prevent her from embarrassing her further. Not that she actually would but it was nice to dream.

"What?" Serena said innocently. "I need to know that he can take care of my daughter."

Assuaging her embarrassment, Elliot chuckled next to her. She felt his hand at the back of her neck rubbing soothingly.

"It's all right," he promised softly. Turning back to Serena he even had a smile on his face. This woman had guts, he had to admit that. She was probably trying to scare him off but he wanted to make sure she knew he was there to stay. "I can support your daughter with no trouble. I play it very safe with my money."

"Please just kill me now," Olivia muttered under her breath loud enough for Elliot to hear. The warmth of his hand on her neck helped her take a few deep breaths. She knew her mother meant well. She just had to keep repeating that in her head.

"These have been the best two months of my life, Ms. Benson," Elliot spoke softly. His hand slid up under her hair, his fingers kneading the flesh there. Her hands fell away from her face as she slowly turned her head to look at him. She could see the sincerity in his eyes. "And I promise you that I would never do anything to hurt your daughter in any way, shape, or form."

The oven buzzed, signaling the first batch of cookies was ready to come out of the oven. Elliot stood to retrieve them leaving his words to hang in the air. Olivia didn't know where to look – follow Elliot's moves or meet her mother's pensive stare. The floor seemed like the safest option.

"We were gonna go out to lunch," Elliot continued, his back to them. He set a potholder on the counter before sliding the pan of cookies on top of it. "Would you like to join us?"

Serena watched the pair in front of her eyes. It was obvious the pair had feelings for one another. Now she knew the depth of their feelings. Or at least the depth of his feelings towards her. But she had no doubt that her daughter felt the same. She had never seen Olivia this way. She looked like she was positively glowing with happiness. Serena couldn't remember the last time she saw her daughter happy. Maybe when she had announced that she had been accepted into the police academy or when she'd been placed within a squad or when she made detective. But even then, her mother's detest of her job had tampered any excitement at sharing the news. It suddenly made sense why her daughter never told her anything.

"No, I'm afraid I've already made plans for lunch," Serena informed them. Olivia looked at her mother questioningly.

"With who?"

"A friend from the university," she lied with a smile. She couldn't interfere with her daughter's happiness today. Even if she was being invited.

"Oh." She was pleased that her mother wouldn't be joining them but a small part of her wanted her mother to see a different side of her. The real side of her. She often felt like her mother still thought of her a young child but she was far from it. She'd had to grow up real quick when her mother's drinking habit had started in full force once Olivia hit middle school. She hadn't been able to grow up slowly like normal children did. She'd been shoved into it, hoping to grow up quickly so she could escape her mother's grasp. But she always came back. After all, she only had one mother and despite all of her shortcomings, she still loved her.

"Well then, how about we all have dinner sometime?" Olivia suggested. Elliot rejoined them at the table, placing a plate of hot cookies in front of them.

Serena smiled at the couple. "I think that sounds wonderful."