Strong [A Barson Fan Fic]

- 27 -

"Sophie Benson? My sister? I'm getting custody of my sister?" Olivia repeated as her eyes went wide and her heart started to pound hard in her chest.

"You are." The officer replied plainly, as Rafael stood up from his desk and walked over to where his fiancee stood. He looped his arm around her waist and felt as she leaned heavily on him.

"W-why?" Olivia whimpered.

"Liv, let's sit." Rafael spoke gently, before helping his fiancee over to a chair. He sat her down on it, before the officers moved to where she sat.

"Miss Benson, someone called the cops, and we responded. We found your mother in the bathtub with a needle in her arm that she was too high to remove while getting high. The apartment was a mess and many drugs and bottles of open alcohol were within hand's reach of the minor." The officer replied.

"Where is Serena? I-is she alive?" Olivia breathed.

"She is at the hospital currently, but we will be charging her with many things. So, are you good with taking care of your sister and holding full custody of her until something else happens?" The officer asked, and Olivia looked over at Rafael and he gave her a soft smile.

"We can take her if you want, love. I will help out with her, I promise." Rafael spoke gently.

Olivia didn't respond as she ran her fingers through her hair. She couldn't believe that Serena really went back to her old ways. She may not have hit Sophie, or it wasn't known yet... but she had started using again and that was bad enough.

"Can we have some time to-" Rafael started, but Olivia interrupted him as she stood.

"I'll take her in..."

///

The officers led Olivia back to their precinct, where Sophie was waiting with a detective. She was sitting at a desk and coloring in a coloring book when Olivia arrived, and the little girl didn't even seem too phased by the current situation. She was just happy to have a big box of crayons to pick from.

"Detective Munch?" One of the officers spoke as they walked in with Olivia.

"Is this the sister?" The older man asked, as he stood and moved to them.

"Olivia Benson, sir. Uh, thanks for watching her." Olivia spoke nervously.

"Olivia, we have a few things to discuss before you can take her home. Okay?" Detective Munch sighed.

"Yes, of course." Olivia replied. 

They moved out into the hall before the older man started to speak.

"Olivia, your sister is really quiet. We don't know yet, but she might have been physically, and more than likely, mentally abused. If you can get her to open up, then we need to know what she's saying. Tape her talking or call me and I'll come out and talk to her. We don't want to hand her back over to your mother if it will lead to Sophie getting hurt again."

"Of course, sir. I don't want my sister to get hurt again, just like me." Olivia frowned as she thought about her own childhood.

"Your mother abused you too?" He asked, and Olivia nodded.

"Yeah, she did. But I made it out, and maybe this will be my sister's way too." Olivia smiled weakly, before looking back into the room and seeing as her little sister packed her bag with the help of an officer.

"Take my card and call me if you find anything else out. Okay?"

"You will be the first one I call, I promise."

///

Sophie didn't speak to her sister at all on the ride back to Olivia's house. She just held on tightly to her dirty gray bunny as Olivia told her different things. She tried to talk to her about how much fun they'd have together, but Sophie didn't care.

Olivia was just getting Sophie out of her car seat when she spoke for the first time.

"Where's Mama?" Sophie questioned, as she looked up at her big sister and frowned.

"Mama?" Olivia asked, and Sophie nodded.

"Our Mama... where is she?" Sophie sighed.

"Oh, uh... she's getting help, honey. She's sick right now, and she needs help to get better." Olivia replied. She wasn't lying to her sister, because Serena was actually sick. Something was seriously wrong with her, and that caused her to act the way she does. She needs help to work through it, but Olivia prayed that she never got Sophie back.

"How long till she's better?" Sophie asked, and Olivia shrugged as she finally lifted her from her car seat before settling her on her lip.

"It might be awhile. But you get to stay with me until she's better, okay?"

"Okay." Sophie yawned, before resting her head against Olivia's shoulder. She placed her thumb into her mouth before closing her eyes.

///

Sophie was an easy kid all night. She didn't talk again, and she ate her dinner and took a bath without fighting Olivia and Rafael. Once she was tucked into bed, Olivia and Rafael checked on Ezra before heading to bed themselves.

"This really changes things." Olivia frowned as she brushed her hair.

"It does... but we will figure things out." Rafael replied gently.

"Do you think that Serena will ever be able to take Sophie back?" Olivia mused, as she sat her brush down before turning and looking at her fiance.

"Honestly, I don't think so. The officers and I talked, and it seems like this might have been happening for months."

"Months? Like, do you think that this is my fault?" Olivia asked, as her eyes went wide.

"You? Baby-"

"I went and saw her months ago! What if I triggered her and caused her to abuse Sophie and get hooked on drugs again?" Olivia cried.

"Honey-"

"No! I need to figure this out!" Olivia yelled, before quickly running from the bathroom and then from the room.

Rafael tried to catch her, but when she was angry, there was no chance in hell that he'd catch her.

///

Olivia stood outside of Serena's hospital room and watched as she played with her food. She was cuffed to the bed, and the guard outside the door didn't stop Olivia from watching Serena. 

"Can I go in there real quick?" Olivia asked weakly as she turned to the guard.

"And who are you to her?" He asked.

"I'm her oldest daughter... I promise to be quick."

"Stay at the foot of her bed." He replied with a sigh.

Olivia nodded before opening the door and walking in. She moved to the foot of the bed before locking eyes with her mother.

"Olivia." Serena spoke weakly.

"Were you using before I showed up again?" Olivia whispered.

"No, I wasn't. I was being a good mother until you insisted on thrusting yourself back into my life. This was all your fault, but you got exactly what you wanted... I'm going to jail and losing the only person that I have ever loved."