Forgotten Memories [A Bensler Fanfiction]

Seventeen

Olivia held her little sister's hand as they walked from the bathroom. Jennifer still felt so guilty about chasing her sister away, and was incredibly worried that this wouldn't work out. That Olivia would remember what happened and decide she wants nothing to do with her or their mother.

"Jenny?" Serena spoke, her chair sliding back as she stood.

"Hey, Mom. Sorry that I was late, this one cornered me in the bathroom and we got to talking," Jennifer said with a weak laugh. She glanced at her big sister, and Olivia smiled at her.

"It was nice to meet her alone, so we could actually talk. No need to sugarcoat things," Olivia replied.

"I-is everything okay?" Serena questioned.

"Everything is fine, Mom. We have things to discuss, but we are fine. I already know she's going to annoy me," Olivia chuckled.

Serena let out a slow breath before smiling.

"We can discuss things tonight, until then... Uh, Ava is hungry. We should order."

Olivia and Jennifer walked to their spots, and Jennifer shook hands with Elliot and Ava as she introduced herself.

So far, so good.

///

Dinner was devoured by everyone. Elliot paid for the meal before they headed to find a place for ice cream, since Ava kept insisting that they sing to her mother. It didn't feel right to celebrate without singing Happy Birthday.

"Mint chocolate chip... you haven't changed that much," Jennifer spoke, as Olivia awkwardly slid into her side of the booth. Olivia pulled the spoon from her mouth and eyed her sister.

"What do you mean?"

"Mint chocolate chip is your favorite ice cream flavor, and it has been since I can remember. Mom would always get a huge carton of it for your birthday. We'd put candles in it, light them real quick, barely sing, then you'd blow them out. We'd all eat out of the one carton with these dumb metal spoons that always bent," Jennifer smiled, as she heard Ava squeal the moment her chocolate ice cream with rainbow sprinkles were passed to her.

"I wish I remembered that..." Olivia trailed off, tears burning her eyes once again.

"I-i didn't mean to make you feel bad. Liv-"

"Jenny, I wish that a lot of things were different. I wish that Ava's biological father was Elliot and not Kevin. That I didn't miss out on years of my child's life... That you and I would have met before now, and that Mom didn't have to wonder why I ran away and never came back. I wish that we had made up before I ran off, so then maybe all the kidnapping and drugging never happened... I'm super emotional, Jenny. Not only because things have been changing for the best but also because I'm pregnant and it's really fucking with me," Olivia breathed, her hand reaching over and grabbed her sister's hand. 

Jennifer squeezed her sister's hand as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Do you think we will continue to talk and create a relationship together? This won't be a one-time thing, right?"

"I'm your big sister, and I promise to be a pain in your ass until the day I die," Olivia grinned. She pulled Jennifer close and placed a kiss on her temple before just holding her. The others joined, and once again Serena was worried that something had happened.

"Why are you two crying again?" Ava asked as her father wiped chocolate ice cream off her cheeks. Elliot glanced at his girlfriend. He knew that these were happy tears, especially since her face wasn't the usual dark red when she is angry or sad.

"Things are just fantastic right now, pumpkin... and Mama has been crying a lot anyway," Elliot smiled.

"Mama is kinda a mess... I love you though, Mama!" Ava giggled.

Laughter filled the booth, and then Ava quickly insisted on singing to her mother. 

There was no candle or a huge carton of ice cream that everyone shared. But it was one of the best birthdays that Olivia had experienced.

///

The next morning, Olivia woke up earlier than usual. She got ready for the day before sneaking downstairs to find her mother. She had received a text from her mother asking if she'd want to join her for breakfast before they headed back home. Olivia didn't even hesitate when agreeing, because she wanted as much time with her mother as possible.

"I'm surprised that Ava didn't tag along," Serena smiled as Olivia sat across from her.

"Ava was sleeping when I left. We have two queen beds in our room, and she's sprawled out in the middle of one of them. I didn't give her an option, clearly," Olivia chuckled.

"This might sound bad, but I'm kinda glad. I love my grandbaby, and your boyfriend is so sweet... but I need some alone time with you. I want to know what Jenny said to you."

"Okay, so what do you wanna know?" Olivia questioned. She was worried that maybe her mother would not like what was discussed. Like maybe there were conversations that were off limits, but Olivia didn't know about them.

"What did you talk about in the bathroom?"

"Mom-"

"Please, just tell me. You both were crying, and I was worried," Serena begged. Olivia nodded slowly, but waited until their order was taken before speaking.

"She told me why I ran away."

"W-what? I don't even know!"

"Now, just know that I'm not angry at Jenny. I am so excited to have her back in my life, and know that my babies have an amazing aunt and grandma in their lives. That-"

"Liv!" Serena exclaimed.

"She was picking on me. I guess she was calling me fat and ugly at the lowest time of my life. You were too busy trying to keep us fed and housed, that you didn't notice. So I left and didn't look back because of her, but I don't hate her or blame her for what happened," Olivia explained.

Serena frowned deeply as she looked down at her hands. She twisted her engagement ring around on her finger and only looked up when Olivia said her name.

"There may have been something else," Serena spoke, as she reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope with her own name on it.

"Huh?"

"This is a letter I found when we moved. It's from you, but I never read it. I have a feeling this tells more about your story than even Jenny knows."