Well that's sad. I wrote a note here and it just got deleted. Oh well.
What I said in a nutshell:
Shorter-than-usual chapter. Sorry. Been stressed. School starts soon. Less updates once school starts due to having to work right after school.
Realized in every chapter have said "I'm tired" before ending. Decided to say something different. Estoy muy cansada. Voy a dormirme ahora. ¡Buenas noches!
Disclaimer: Not mine. Hey Cilla, have we disclaimed our story?
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"Jesus, what took you guys so long?" John asked when Olivia and Elliot returned downstairs.
Olivia and Elliot glanced at each other.
"We straightened things out. Elliot made me feel so much better," Olivia said, turning away from Elliot.
Elliot smirked silently.
"Um. Okay, then. Well, Liv, your mother called. I told her you were busy, but that you'd call back when you got the chance."
"Damn it, John." Olivia flopped down on her desk chair. "Why'd you tell her that? I want nothing to do with that woman."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to say."
"Well, I- Jesus Christ." Olivia suddenly stood up and rushed toward Donald's office. She knocked on the door.
"Come in," Donald said. Olivia opened the door and stepped inside. "Hey, Liv. You all right?"
"Yea. Cap? Is it all right if I leave early? I'm a little stressed right now..."
Donald looked at Olivia's face. He could tell, even through her brave face, that something was troubling her. "Okay. Go ahead."
"Thanks, Cap. If you need me, you can call me."
"All right."
Olivia turned to leave.
"Liv?"
"Hmm?" She turned around, the doorknob still in her hand.
"Is everything all right?"
Olivia smiled, grateful for his concern. "Yep. Thanks for asking." She left.
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Olivia lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Tears were flowing freely down her face.
"The reason I wanted to see you was so that we could catch up. I want to rebuild our relationship. I want to get to know my daughter."
"Why in God's name do you want to know me?" Olivia said out loud. "The daughter of your attacker? The person who shouldn't even be on this earth?"
"Olivia. Your mother loved you very much."
"No. She didn't. She hurt me, Elliot. She really hurt me. Emotionally and physically."
"If she didn't love you, then why did she want to see you? Why do you think she wants to rebuild your relationship? She wanted to keep you, Olivia, so she could give you the opportunity to have a life and enjoy it."
Olivia turned onto her side. Maybe Elliot was right. Maybe her mother really did love her. Maybe...
There was a loud knock at the door, causing Olivia to jump. She crawled out of her bed, wiping her eyes on the way to the door. She looked through the peephole, only to find Serena Benson on the other side of the door. She turned away, having every intention of leaving her mother behind. Then she stopped, Elliot's words soaring through her head once again. Reluctantly, she unlocked the door and let her mother enter.
"Hi," Olivia said.
"Hello, dear," Serena replied.
"Um. Mom. Please don't call me dear. Or honey. Or any of those names. I'm not ready for that."
"Okay, sw- erm, I understand."
"Can I, uh, get you some coffee?"
"Oh, uh, no. I'd just like to talk to you."
"Okay. Go sit." Olivia followed her mother to the living room, where the two sat on the couch.
"I love what you've done with the place, Olivia. It's exactly the same as I remember. And different."
"Thank you. I like to think so."
"It's true." Serena was clinging to the conversation, afraid to face the same awkward silence they'd encountered at the diner.
As it turned out, Serena had no reason to worry about a silence of any kind, as Olivia was not about to let that happen.
"So when are you going to tell me about you and the WPP?" Olivia asked, adjusting herself on the couch.
"Actually," Serena responded, "That's what I came over to do. Your coworker told me that you'd call me back, but I figured that you wouldn't. So I stopped by. Since I knew you wouldn't ignore me if I came to you in person."
"How did you know? I mean, how could you have known that I'm like that?"
"Because I see some of my own traits in you."
"Yea. And all the others I got from my father. I'm a mix of alcohol and violence."
Serena winced. "Come on, Olivia. You're being unfair."
"Psh."
"Listen, do you want to know about the WPP or not? Because I can just up and leave right-"
"No, no. Tell me."
"All right. I'll tell you. But on one condition."
"What?"
Serena leaned forward and took Olivia's hand in hers. "I want to have my daughter. I know I- we- can't erase the past, but can we just put it behind us?"
Olivia considered this. Maybe she deep down, she wanted to know her mother as much as her mother wanted to know her. He thoughts drifted back to the diner.
"Olivia, the reason I wanted to see you was so that we could catch up. I want to rebuild our relationship. I want to get to know my daughter. Can we just start over?"
"No."
Olivia had told her mother that the reason she didn't want to rebuild their relationship was because Serena had hurt her. But the true reason had just hit her.
She had been afraid. She didn't want to have to relive the past. That was one of her biggest fears. The reason she'd thrown herself into her work and thrown away her social life. The reason every relationship she'd have was really only about sex. The reason she trusted no man with her love.
She was afraid to face her fear.
I'm not afraid to face my fear, she assured herself.
"Olivia?" Serena's voice snapped Olivia back to reality.
"All right, Mom. I'm willing to give it a shot."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Serena leaned in to give her a hug, but Olivia pushed her away.
"No. Not yet. I'm not ready."
"Okay. I understand."
"Good. Now please tell me about the WPP."
The two women adjusted their positions on the couch, as Serena got ready to begin her story.