Serena opened her eyes to her mother sleeping in a chair beside her, she stayed with her all night. She smiled as she took a deep breath in and out. All she kept thinking is that it is over, all the pain and suffering that she had went through her whole life it was over. The abuse, violence, and torture were done. Thinking about the things that can be, and all the things that will be with her new family. A loving mother, father, three sisters, and two brother she was going to finally get the love that she had been longing for her entire life.
Olivia opened her eyes and sat up. "Good morning, how did you sleep last night?"
"It was the best sleep that I think I have ever had in my life." Serena sat her bed up so she was sitting straight.
"That is amazing to hear, you will be getting more good night sleeps in the future when you come home with me. I was speaking to your doctor last night and they think that you will be able to go home today. There is just a few things that I need to sign, and I have to talk to the CPS about taking you home." She smiled and got up.
Serena sighed deeply. "Is this all a dream?"
Olivia walked over to her and she kissed her forehead. "No sweet girl this is real, you are safe, and you will never have to be afraid again." She smiled up at her mother, looking into her deep brown eyes she knew that her words were real and that things would be better. "I can not wait."

Olivia left to get everything on a roll so that Serena could go home with her. It had been only an hour after she left when she heard a knock on her door. Maureen popped her head in the door. "Can I come in, we need to talk." She looked around to make sure that Serena was alone.
"You are Maureen, right?" She nodded allowing her to come in.
"Yes, I am the oldest of the Stabler children. I seem to also be the only one who has her head on right, at the moment." Maureen sat in the chair beside her.
Serena looked at her confused. "I am unsure of what you mean?"
"Well you see my younger siblings seem to have their blinders on to you and Olivia, but I do not." Maureen got up and she closed the door, and sat back down.
"What do you mean? I spent a few hours with them all yesterday and they all seem pretty cool." Serena looked at her, she did not know what to make of her yet.
"My siblings are amazing, yes I know that. I am not talking about them as people, I am talking about their judgment." She rolled her eyes as she carried on. Elliot had arrived to check on her and was standing by the side door that Maureen did not see there, opened a crack. "I mean how they are so accepting of you and all your stories, and you and all you lies."
"I do not know what you mean. What lies? What stories?" Serena knew she was going to have to defend herself from this woman.
Maureen's voice raised a little. "Stop lying! You may be his daughter by blood, but you will never be his daughter! He was not there for your first steps, words, day of school. My father will never have a connection the way that he has with the rest of us. I think it best that you just cut your ties with him and run away, run far away and never come back. It is not like you will be missed by anyone."
Elliot held back, he needed Serena to stand up to Maureen.
Serena held back her tears and went into survival mode. "How dare you, you spoiled little brat! You have no idea what I had to go through, you have no idea what it is like to go to bed thinking that no one loved you! What it was like having the man that claimed to be your father rape you every night, and then sell you to the highest bidder! You want to know who is to blame for this! Your mother! You selfish, bitch of a mother!"
Maureen went to go at her when Elliot ran in and grabbed her. "Enough! Maureen that is enough!" He was angry.
"How dare you speak of my mother like that! When your mother is a lying homewrecking whore!" She pulled away from Elliot, she faced her father. "I am so out, I am out until you realize what Olivia is doing to our family!" She ran out of the room.
Elliot looked back at Serena who was in shock and had no idea what just happened. "Are you okay? She was out of line and I will be talking to her later"
She shook her head. "There is no need... Maureen was right.." sighing she looked away from him, her eyes filling with hurt.
"Serena, what do you mean she is right. Everything that Maureen said was uncalled for and not true." He took her hand.
"Yes it is. You will never love me like you do the others, I am sixteen and not a child. I am broken, damaged, and unlovable." She pulled her hand out of his.
Elliot sighed taking her hand back. "Those words are not true, I do love you and we will get a connection. I think that we will get a great bond, I can't wait to get to know you more. Serena, you are not broken or damaged. As for unlovable that is crazy, I have known you a whole two days and I am already fully in love with my beautiful daughter."
Serena was blown away by the fact that a man was being so gentle and loving towards her. "You mean all that, you are not just telling me what you think I want to hear?"
He shook his head. "No, you will learn that I do not say things because people want to hear them. I say things like they are, no white lies from this old man."
She smiled at him. "Okay, I will try to remember that. I just wish that all of your children liked me as well."
"They all do, and Maureen will come around. She is a mama's girl and right now she is in the middle of all this, her emotions are high and as a Stabler sometimes that is never a good thing. I can promise you once all the dust settles and she takes a minute to process all this she will be an awesome big sister."
Looking at the door she nodded. "I hope so as well."
Elliot seen that she was all of a sudden taking somewhere else in her head. "What is it Serena? You okay?"
"Um, yeah." She looked back at him. "Just that Oliva has been gone for a few hours now, I am wondering how it is all going? If they are going to let me go home with her or make me go back to Rene and Ron."
"Never will you go back with them, he can never hurt you again and she is going to go away for a very long time." Elliot reassured her.
"Ron will always find a way to get to me, he told me if I ever was able to get away he would hunt me down and bring me back. He will never stop, he will always try." She was so afraid of this man and it made Elliot's blood boil.
"Serena, he can not hurt you. There was a situation with Ron and Kathy, she felt like he was going to take everything away from her. So the other night she went to his home and she confronted him. He was a hearing her, and he threatened to take her down with him. That is when Kathy pulled a gun on him and she shot him down." He still had a hard time saying those words about Kathy.
Serena's face dropped, she was in shock. "I am free..." She said softly. "I mean, so he is dead? Like actually dead?"
Elliot nodded. "Yes, the police did not find him until the next morning and by then it was too late."
She smiled and laid her head back. News like this was normally sad but she felt nothing but joy out of hearing that the monster that did this was dead.