Partners For Life [A Bensler FanFic]

Forty-Three

"What do you mean? I dyed my hair, Mama." Maureen replied, as she anxiously twirled one of her curls around her finger.

"I can see that. But why would you do that? Your hair was so beautiful." Olivia sighed as she stood and walked to where her eldest stood.

"Liv-" Elliot started, but Olivia stopped him.

"No, El. I wanna hear what is happening from our kid. So Mo, why?" Olivia asked.

Maureen swallowed hard before looking over at her father. It had been easy to explain her reasoning to him, but now it seemed hard because she had to explain it to her mother. The woman who she wanted to be like, but the woman who didn't seem to like her current hair color.

"Mama, I'm tired of looking like Kathy. I wish that I was born with brown hair, because then I wouldn't have had to change it... When I look in the mirror, all I see is her. I see the way she walked away from us and the lack of love she had for all of us. I see the way she blamed her unhappiness on Dad, when it wasn't his fault. So I dyed my hair so I'd look like you. I wanted to look like the woman that stepped up and took charge... the one who loved us all without thinking twice." Maureen spoke, her voice shaking.

Olivia stared at her daughter for a long moment as she beat herself up for being a dick. She hadn't realized how being blonde had taken a toll on Maureen, but she wished that she had. Then she wouldn't have reacted so poorly.

"I didn't know, baby." Olivia whispered.

"How could you? I never told you." Maureen sniffled as she brushed a tear from her cheek.

"Baby, I'm so sorry for being a jerk... this is a huge change, but I will get used to it. You are beautiful no matter what color your hair is." Olivia spoke before stepping forward and hugging her daughter tightly.

Maureen clung to her mother as she finally felt like herself. She didn't feel like a horrible reminder of her parents' failed union.

"If you don't like this color, the hair dresser said that she wanted to try out blue or purple on someone." Maureen sniffled, as she leaned back and looked at her mother.

Olivia's face was covered in horror, and she quickly shook her head.

"Nope, you aren't dying your hair a crazy color while living under my roof... just stick to this right now."

///

"I cannot believe she dyed her hair to look like me." Olivia spoke, as she laid beside her boyfriend that night. Elliot rolled over and smiled as he looked at Olivia.

"She told me last night about her idea, and I supported it completely. I get why she wanted to do it." Elliot replied.

"I didn't know that she was feeling like this, El... do you think she has been feeling like this awhile?" Olivia questioned, and Elliot nodded slowly.

"I think so, unfortunately. With everything happening in the last several months, I guess she has been hiding it. Burying it deep down because of everything else happening lately. But I do think that making this change was like therapy for her. It isn't dangerous like doing drugs or drinking, and it made her feel better." Elliot smiled.

Olivia nodded slowly before slipping into Elliot's arms. They snuggled together for several moments, before Olivia leaned back and looked at Elliot.

"Can you cover dinner tomorrow night?"

"Of course I can. Why though?" Elliot questioned.

"I just have an errand to run tomorrow, and I don't know if I'll be home for dinner or much of tomorrow night." Olivia spoke.

"I will make sure the house doesn't burn down and our kids don't starve." Elliot grinned.

///

Olivia really wasn't looking forward to the errand she needed to run after work. All she wanted to do was go home and spend the night with her partner and kids, but she knew that this had to be done. If it wasn't taken care of soon, it would eat at her until it happened.

"We haven't talked since you asked to adopt my kids." Kathy spoke, once Olivia had sat beside her at the bar.

"Well, I didn't want or need to talk to you until now." Olivia replied.

She ordered a club soda, before looking over at Kathy.

"So what is this about, Olivia? Because if you want me to take the kids back, I don't think it works like that." Kathy sighed.

"I will never give my children up, Kathy. Those children are my world, and clearly I love them because I stayed when neither of their biological parents did." Olivia snapped. She was regretting this meeting more now than before.

"Okay, then why?!" Kathy huffed.

"You are a bitch." Olivia spat.

"Excuse-"

"Don't do that, Kathy. You are a bitch, and even if you haven't seen the kids that you carried and raised for a good portion of their life, you are still hurting them. Maureen hates looking at herself because all she sees is you."

"Stop-"

"I'm not lying! She just went and dyed her hair because she is tired of looking like you! She needs therapy because you ruined her! You think that walking away and letting me adopt the kids... you would think that it would have fixed things. But things will never be fixed. They are still suffering from being abandoned, and it is going to take the sun and the moon to fix it." Olivia spoke, her voice faltering as she reached the end.

Kathy looked at Olivia before swallowing hard.

"I don't want them to be sad... I don't want Maureen to hate herself." Kathy breathed.

"I don't either. And I don't know why I thought coming here would help... but I guess maybe if you know then somehow things would change."

"Can I have your permission to approach her and talk things through?" Kathy asked, and Olivia shook her head.

"I don't want you talking to my kids... but I hope that you will change for any future kid or future relationships with your existing kids... because no one deserves to feel the way Mo feels."