a/n: gotta love a cliff-hanger! thanks for reading, everybody :D and all your reviews are so encouraging, thanks for those too :)

a/n: and, uh, angry Lizzie ahead, so...language.

Elliot joined Olivia and Abby in the hallway a moment later, the backdoor still banging from Lizzie's exit. He tried to embrace his fiancé, but she moved away from him, the sadness radiating off her. A second later she passed Abby to him and followed Lizzie out the door.

Olivia stepped outside alone. Lizzie was across the yard on the swing set, back to the door, and trailing her shoes in the dirt. Liv berated herself, wondering why she hadn't followed her gut and told the girl about her baby sister. Her guilt built inside her. She was so sorry, sorry about everything poor Lizzie had gone through since this had all started. Always being left in the dark, never being told what was going on. It wasn't fair to her. Lizzie needed the truth, and gaining her trust back was going to take some work.

Olivia slid into the swing next to her and the two sat in silence. The girl did her best to completely ignore her.

Olivia took a deep breath, "I'm sorry," she said. Lizzie just kicked the dirt, sending a rock flying into the fence, rather hard. Silence fell again.

"How was practice?" Liv asked, trying a new approach.

"Leave me alone," Lizzie grumbled.

"Look, Lizzie-" Liv sighed out, and Lizzie was overcome with anger.

"Don't you dare 'look Lizzie' me!" she said, fire in her eyes. She struggled in her rage to get out of her swing then stood in front of Liv, full of ire. "What the hell was that?" she demanded, stabbing a finger at the house, yelling at full force. "Where thefuck did that baby come from?"

Lizzie's words hit Olivia like a physical blow; she winced at the forcefulness of Lizzie anger. She felt the pinpricks of tears in her eyes, but she refused to let Lizzie see her cry.

"She's mine, and your father's. She's your sister," Olivia said, holding her gaze. The look of resentment and disbelief on Lizzie's face withered Liv's courage.

"If I had a sister my parents would have told me about her, they wouldn't cover it up. That baby is not my sister!" Lizzie declared. Olivia couldn't hold up to the rejection and she felt her tears spill over. Lizzie didn't want any of it, "Oh, now don't get all mushy on me, you're the one who lied to me, you're the one who never said 'oh, and you have a fucking BABY SISTER!'"

"I wanted to tell you… but…" Olivia trailed off, sniffing hard; she wouldn't let herself tell Lizzie it was her father who wanted the secret kept. She wouldn't drive that wedge between them too.

"But what, Olivia?" Angry tears sprung from Lizzie's eyes, and a desperation to understand crept into her voice. "All those times on the phone, Olivia, all those chances! Damnit, I am sick and tired of adults treating me like a goddamn child!" She nailed Liv in the eye, "I thought you were different!"

Liv couldn't hold her gaze and dropped her eyes to her lap. She couldn't claim to be any different; she had lied to the girl, just like every other adult in her life. "I'm so sorry, Lizzie," she said, but when she looked up Lizzie was running away, back into the house. The girl ignored her father as she stormed up the stairs to her room.

Elliot stepped outside a moment later, still carrying Abby. He went to Olivia, pulled her from the swing and held her in his arms. She held him and her daughter tightly, and they rocked together in the yard.

Elliot sighed as he entered the dining room an hour later.

"She refuses to come down to eat," he said. Olivia couldn't bring herself to look at the empty chair next to hers.

It was time to leave.

"Bye Lizzie," Elliot called up the stairs, to no response. "Please remember what I said."

Everyone else said their goodbyes, and the young family packed up the car. As they drove away those left behind waved. Kathleen glanced at her mother as the car turned the corner. She saw the slight cracks in her veneer and she clapped her mom on the shoulder,

"You did a good job tonight, Mom," she said, causing her mother to sigh. "And don't worry, we'll turn Lizzie around. Everything's going to be alright."

TBC…