It was a cold and rainy day in February when Serena first brought her daughter home. Unlike the other new moms in the maternity wing, Serena didn't have a husband by her side or even any family members stopping by to bring flowers or gifts for the baby. In fact, her only visitor was her best friend Elizabeth Cabot. Serena met Elizabeth when she was a senior and Serena was a freshman pledging Elizabeth's sorority. Slightly over three years had passed since Serena last wore a pledge pin, but it had felt like an eternity for her. When she found out she was pregnant during the end of her junior year, her sorority sisters turned on her, all except for Elizabeth who had gotten married shortly after graduation and found out she was pregnant just a few months after Serena did.

Mr. and Mrs. Benson knew their daughter had been raped and that her pregnancy was a result of that rape and not her being careless with a member of a fraternity, so they offered to pay for her abortion regardless of what it cost. Serena was a beautiful young woman and, although she was smart and talented, the real reason why they sent her to a prestigious university was to meet a young man from a family with a similar background to theirs and get married after graduation.

"No man will want to marry a woman who had her rapist's baby," Mrs. Benson told her daughter when Serena confided in her that she wasn't sure if she wanted to have an abortion.

"I'm not having my rapist's baby," Serena argued. "I'm having my baby. He or she is currently growing inside of me and it'll be me that shapes his or her personality and morals, not the man who attacked me."

Her mother placed her hand on top of hers and Serena was shocked by the first act of affection her mother had shown her since she was a small child. "Serena, you are going to be a great mother someday, but this is not the baby you are meant to be a mother to. This thing is not our grandchild and you will be getting rid of it next week."

The day of her appointment came and went and, when Serena failed to show up at their house, it was the final straw for her parents. They agreed to help her financially, but they no longer wanted to see her or meet the baby that they claimed would ruin the Benson name.

That summer, Serena moved out of her sorority house and into a studio apartment and spent all of her free time reading parenting books to help her prepare for her baby. Serena wanted a girl and she chose her baby girl's name while reading Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Elizabeth's mother had told her, "Childbirth is the most excruciating pain a woman can go through, but it'll all be worth it the moment you hold your baby."

...and on that first night when Olivia was home with her and they were sitting by the window listening to the sound of the falling rain, Serena realized she was right.

"Olivia Margaret Benson, I can't believe you're finally here" she said softly to her baby girl who was sleeping peacefully in her arms. "I'm sorry you weren't brought into this world in the traditional way, but regardless of how you were conceived, you're my baby and you have nothing to do with him. You're so innocent, my sweet Olivia, and you've already helped me heal more than I ever thought possible."

As much as she wanted to hold Olivia all night, she knew she'd eventually have to place her in her crib. "I never believed it was possible to love someone this much," she said to Olivia as she watched her sleep. "I can't tell you what life has in store, but I promise to always be the mommy you deserve."