A/N: Special thanks to Melizzy511 for pointing out my little mistake. Its fixed and makes a lot more sense. Thanks again.
Alex sat on the window sill, watching as the sun came up. She and her parents had been awake all night, worrying about Olivia, even though the young blonde wouldn't admit that for a long time. She couldn't believe what she had done. How could she just blurt it out like that? Yes, she was annoyed that Olivia was allowed to have Andy over while she couldn't have her boyfriend over, but she also knew Olivia was more respectful then to be secretly having sex in her parents' house. Maybe it was just to get her parents to stop arguing, but surely there could have been another way to accomplish that.
Part of Alex couldn't see what the big deal was. Nathan and Sophie wouldn't judge a person based on who they loved. In fact, there was a junior associate that her father talked about with a very charming boyfriend. The only reason her father disliked his employee was because he had a wife and kids he was sneaking around behind. However, the other part of her knew that it was probably something difficult to admit to the people you care about, afraid they'll turn their backs on you.
Alex closed her eyes and though back the conversation she had had with her parents just after Olivia had stormed out.
The three Cabots remained in stunned silence after the brunette ran out, Alex still not believing what happened. She watched as her parents slowly turned to face her. Her mother had an unsure expression on her face.
"Alex," she started nervously, "is that true?"
Not yet being able to find her voice, all the blonde could do was nod her head.
"How do you know that dear?" her father asked. Part of him was unsure he wanted to know the answer, but he would accept it, no matter what it was.
"I," Alex started shakily, taking a moment to clear her throat, "I saw her and Andy kissing at the concert we went to a few months ago."
"So you and she have never…" her mother trailed off.
"NO!" Alex declared quickly. "Olivia has never made any inappropriate moves or comments towards me." She ignored the feeling of disappointment at how true that statement was. She also ignored the small smirk on her mother's face, as if Sophie knew something Alex did not.
"You know it wouldn't be a problem if the two of you had right?" Nathan said. Realizing what he said, he quickly tried to correct himself. "I mean of course it would be a problem if you had done that. You're only fifteen, that's too young to be doing that. I just meant that if you were attracted to each other, and wanted to do that one day, you wouldn't need to be afraid to tell us." He stopped talking at the feeling of his wife's hand upon his.
"Dear, it would probably be best if you stopped talking," Sophie said in an amused tone. The humor in the situation, however, did not last long as they all once again began to worry.
Midnight came and went, with still no sign of the brunette. The hopeful sides of the three restless individuals in the living room, talked themselves into believing the brunette was at Amy's, working up the courage to return the following morning. However, Sophie had decided to call Maxine as soon as it reached a more appropriate hour.
Alex watched helplessly as her parents paced the room, or tried unsuccessfully to keep themselves occupied. It was all Alex could do to sit there and not try to do anything.
The young blonde was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of her mother's voice.
"Are you sure you haven't seen her Maxine?" Sophie paused as she waited for the woman on the other end to respond. "Well, I was having what I thought was a harmless conversation with her, and information was revealed that Olivia wasn't ready to share…I'm sorry Maxine, but that's her place to tell you, not mine…she's been gone all night though…all she took were her car keys…will you call me as soon as you hear anything, please?" Alex's heart broke at the worry she heard in her mother's voice as the call came to an end. She wished she had kept her mouth shut, if only to have everyone's minds still at ease.
****
Across town, Maxine had already replaced the receiver in the cradle. She thought for a moment. Out of all the times Olivia had needed to be alone, to go somewhere to gather her thoughts, to not feel so caged in, where had she gone? It only took a short while for her to remember the spot. Picking up the phone once more, Maxine dialed the all too familiar number, knowing she was going to need help.
She quickly explained the situation to the person on the other end. "Can you meet me here in an hour? I know where Liv is."
****
Olivia continued to sit on her rock hugging on knee, as the other leg dangled freely, a position she'd been sitting in for the past eight hours. As the sun rose above the water, she could hear it below crashing against the cliff she was currently atop. This was her favorite spot to come to when she needed to get away, to think.
She had remembered her mother taking her here camping when she was very little, it was one of the only good memories she had of the woman she barely knew. They'd gotten there early enough to see the sunrise, like she was doing now, and spent the day looking for interesting souvenirs. Olivia had found a rock in the shape of a heart. It was small, but she thought it was the best thing in the world. After treasure hunting, they ate, and her mom surprised her by taking a kite out of the car. The wind coming up from the cliff side was more than enough to propel the kite into the air. When they had spent a satisfactory amount of time playing with the new item, Serena tied the kite to a heavy rock, and they watched as it continued to stay airborne. After pitching the tent and getting a fire started, her mom surprised her yet again when she took out all the necessary items for s'mores. Serena told Olivia stories about when she was growing up, and even tried to tell a couple of scary stories, but Olivia just laughed at how silly the characters were. Because it was a clear night, instead of sleeping in the tent, Olivia had talked her mom into setting up the sleeping bags under the stars so they could watch them as she went to sleep. She remembered the look on her mother's when she got so excited about seeing her first shooting star. She couldn't remember what it was she had wished for that night, but it was still one of the best nights of her young life. They'd once again watched the sunrise, then packed up camp and went home. Not forgetting Olivia's new treasure, Serena helped her fix it to a chain, hooked so the heart was upright. Olivia had worn it every day until she had learned of her mother's death. She still had it in a jewelry box hidden in her room. She'd take it out whenever she needed a reminder of that night.
Now sitting her, many years later, Olivia began to wonder, if things would be ok after this. Would the Cabots allow her back into her home? Would she be put into a group home until she turned 18? She would really prefer the first option, but she didn't want to get her hopes up, in case it all went downhill when she finally returned. Olivia hadn't even decided when that was going to be yet, she just knew she needed time to process all that had happened.
The young woman upon the rock was startled out of her thoughts when she heard someone approaching. Not wanting to alert them to the fact she knew they were there, she stayed silent and still, just listening. It sounded like there were two people, walking at a slower pace, and talking in hushed voices as they continued they're accent. As they neared, Olivia could easily recognize both voices. She waited to address them until they had reached, her, each person taking up residence on either side. The one on the right reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, not saying anything.
"Max, am I a bad person?" Olivia asked.
"What in heaven's name would make you think that Olivia?" Maxine asked. She sat down beside the teen and wrapped her arm around her, allowing her to place her head on her shoulder. She looked up to see Liz Donnelly at a loss for what to do. She smiled in reassurance, and Liz hesitantly placed her hand on the young girls shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze, encouraging her to explain.
"It just feels like I'm being punished," Olivia explained. "First, I was conceived through rape. I have an abusive, alcoholic mother who basically gives up custody of me and then goes and gets herself killed because she was too drunk to walk down a set of stairs. Then, I am shuffled from foster family to foster family, most of which were abusive. Now, I am falling in love with someone who not only should I not love but would never love be back."
"First of all Olivia, love is never a bad thing. Second, if they can't see what a wonderful person you are, it's there loss." Liz answered softly
"Even if it's another girl?" they heard her ask quietly, not looking at either of them. Realization dawned on Maxine's face as she learned why it was Olivia's place to share this information and not Sophie's.
"Like I said, love is never a bad thing," Liz repeated.
They watched in heartbreaking silence as the girl they both knew to be so strong, broke down in tears. They let her cry out her frustrations, knowing it would be best in the long run. When she finally calmed down, they waited for her to speak, neither really knowing what to say yet. Thankfully they didn't have to wait long.
"Do you think the Cabot's are going to ask me to leave?" she asked both of them, not knowing is she wanted to hear they're opinions.
"I've known Sophie and her brother Bill for a long time Olivia, and they would not turn their backs on someone just because of something like this," Liz explained softly.
"I agree with Liz," Maxine said. "Sophie is the one that called me. She's worried sick about you. I really do think we should be getting you home."
"I'm scared," Olivia all but whispered. Both of the older women could feel their hearts break for the young girl, knowing there wasn't a whole lot they could do to help her right now.
"I have an idea," Maxine said carefully. "Why don't we take you back to my house? You can spend the day with Amy and you can call Andy and George to join you. Give yourself a chance to feel normal again before you go and talk with the Cabot's."
Olivia thought about the suggestion and decided she liked it better than returning to see the Cabot's right away. She knew Maxine was going to make her call them when they got to the house, just so they knew she was safe, which is why Maxine didn't include that in the plans, but she felt like she could handle that phone call at least.
The trio got up from the rock and started to walk back to the cars. Olivia dug her keys out of her pocket and handed then over to the attorney, knowing she was too upset to try and concentrate on the road at the moment. Besides, riding in the passenger seat would allow her to prepare what she would say when she made her phone call later that day.