Captain Cragen looked up wearily from his chair as the disused conference room door creaked open slowly. Detective Benson walked in purposefully, and sat down in the chair opposite her boss. He smiled a small smile of pride at the determined expression on her face.

"Hey Liv" he greeted softly, looking at his unashamedly favourite detective closely.

"Hey Captain" she murmured, fidgeting somewhat in her seat.

Sighing, he leant forwards and rested his elbows on his knees.

"Know why you're here?"

The big brown eyes looked up at him and he groaned to himself.

Meeting out discipline to any of his team was hard, but it was always a hell of a lot harder with the young woman in front of him.

"Screwed up" Olivia answered quietly, her voice dripping with guilt.

Nodding, the suddenly very tired man scrubbed a hand across his face.

"I don't think you need the lecture. You know what you did, and you know the repercussions it had on that victim, am I right?"

Huge doleful eyes looked back at him, brimming with misery.

"Yes Captain."

"Ok then, come here" he commanded quietly, scooting back in his own chair.

Forcing herself not to whine, the young detective got to her feet and managed one step before speaking.

"But…but you uhm…paddled Elliot?"

Closing his eyes wearily, the Captain nodded.

Call it sexism, old age, or flat out of chauvinism but there was just no way in hell he could bend Olivia over the table and paddle her like he did her partner.

He just couldn't.

"I know I did" he agreed quietly, motioning her to keep walking.

She stood rooted to the spot.

He sighed.

"But…I shouldn't get off easier than him. We both did the exact same thing wrong Captain."

Shaking his head wearily, he once again motioned her to him.

"You won't be. Now come here."

She once again remained resolutely put.

"Captain-"

"Benson" he interjected firmly, "come here, right now."

Recognising the warning tone in his voice, Olivia reluctantly sent the brain signals to her legs to jolt them into action. Within a second she was stood at her boss' side. He spared her a sad look, before reaching out for her wrist and laying her gently across his knee.

Wrapping a strong arm around her delicate waist, he held her close to him and wished he was anywhere else, doing anything else, than what he was about to do.

Seeing no point in dragging out the girl's misery, he raised his arm high and the first swat fell hard on the upturned backside with a sharp crack.

He tried hard to ignore the startled gasp that wafted up to his ears, as his hand came down a second time.

Within a moment he had settled into a regrettably familiar rhythm and the only sounds to be heard in the room was that of his hand making contact, and the corresponding and increasing yelps and whimpers that were coming from Olivia.

She tried to stay strong and quiet, she really did. She always did. But…she never could manage it after the Captain settled into a predictable tempo, and the stinging fire began to spread across her backside.

As a particular firm swat landed on her sit spots, she let out a loud squawk and tears sprang to her eyes.

He was right, she definitely wasn't going to be getting off any easier.

The Captain didn't speak or scold as he spanked, knowing such speech would be redundant.

He sighed sadly to himself as he heard the beginnings of what would become loud crying escaping his favourite.

Forcing himself to remain resolute, he tightened his hold on the now squirming Olivia, and continued to dish out the much merited punishment.

After one or two more minutes, the crying had transitioned into loud sobbing and he noted with relief that they were nearly done.

Reaching out in severe reluctance, he reached out for a drawer built into the old wooden conference table, and pulling it open, retrieved its contents.

A heavy, old fashioned and thick wooden hairbrush.

Holding the crying detective to him, he squeezed his eyes tightly shut and raised his arm once again.

The ten stinging swats came down in a rapid succession, changing Olivia's sobbing into a quiet weeping and rendering her limp across her boss' knee.

Throwing the brush back into the drawer with distaste, the unit leader instantly began to rub soothing circles on the small of Olivia's back as she began to bring her breathing back into some semblance of normalcy.

He spoke quietly to her, words of reassurance that he was satisfied she understood from the corresponding, if jerky, nodding of her head.

After a few more moments, and a few more words of forgiveness the detective made to push herself off of her boss' knee. Standing with her to aid this, Cragen kept a gentle hand on her shoulder as she fully righted herself.

He watched sadly as she rubbed a hand across red and watery eyes.

Putting a gentle hand under the chin, he levelled eye contact between them.

"You ok Liv?"

Smiling somewhat ruefully, much to Cragen's staggering relief, she nodded her head once again.

"Yeah…I'm good Captain."

Nodding thoughtfully, he kept a careful gaze trained on her.

"You ok enough to give an old man a hug?"

She chuckled hoarsely.

"I guess" she teased lightly, and wasted no further time in falling into the man's outstretched arms.

Holding her tightly to him, he breathed a sigh of relief that what he'd had to do was over with.

"I'm sorry Captain" she murmured into his chest.

Letting her go, he shook his head as he reached out and ruffled her hair.

"It's all forgotten about now Olivia."

She scowled as she fixed her hair, but smiled as he chuckled fondly.

Suddenly looking chagrined, she looked up apprehensively.

"Desk duty?" she asked, making a face.

Holding up his hands in mock offence, he shook his head.

"Come on now, am I really that bad that you think I'd give you desk duty as well?"

She looked at him wryly, arching an eyebrow meaningfully.

"Ok, ok" he conceded with a laugh, "maybe I am, but no, not this time."

She let out a relieved breath.

"But" he cautioned, "like I told Elliot, you two are to be sitting at your desks for the rest of today at least."

She scowled.

"C'mon Captain, can't we just-"

He silenced her with a look.

"Sitting's good" she conceded weakly.

Rolling his eyes, he draped an arm over her shoulder and guided her towards the door.

"Ok then Liv, scoot. Take some time, and then get back to work."

Nodding, she paused in the doorway and watched for a moment as he began to put the chairs back in their respective places.

"Captain?"

Turning immediately.

"Yeah Liv?"

She chewed her lip for a moment.

"Your shirt is on inside out, been meaning to tell you all day."