A/N: I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thanks for all of the reviews and an extra special thank you to CherryCorday for suggesting that the girls go to a school dance on Valentine's Day. :)

February 14, 1986

Twelve-year-old Olivia Benson stood in front of the mirror in the girls' bathroom and examined her appearance. She had gone through so many changes over the past few months and she began to wonder when or if she would ever grow into her changing body. She looked at the way her skirt looked on her new curves. Granted, her hips were nowhere near womanly, but she was no longer as straight-legged as she had been and all of her clothes were fitting her differently. As she looked herself up and down, she noticed that her bra strap was showing. She quickly moved it so it was hidden under the collar of her blouse, but something still didn't look right to her. She absolutely hated her training bra, but she knew she could no longer get away with not wearing one. She may not have been as well-endowed as some of the other girls in her class, but the size of her chest got her plenty of unwanted attention from boys.

One of the biggest changes about Olivia was her wardrobe. She no longer wore oversized sweatshirts and boys' clothes everyday. She was becoming a teenager and she wanted her wardrobe to make her feel like one. Olivia's mother nearly cried when she had to go bra shopping with her daughter for the first time and when Olivia took everything out of her closet and said she wanted 'teenager' clothes instead. Remembering what it was like to be twelve-years-old and wanting to fit in, Serena took Olivia shopping for a whole new wardrobe at the trendy stores junior high and high school girls shopped at. The sales associate helped Olivia pick out skirts, sweaters, bangle bracelets, slimmer jeans, blouses, and hair accessories. Serena thought her daughter looked beautiful, but Olivia still felt awkward and somewhat like a little girl trapped in a woman's body.

As she continued to look at herself, her best friend Abbie emerged from the bathroom stall in her Valentine's Dance attire. She was wearing an oversized red sweater, black leggings, a red headband, and chunky heart earrings. On her feet were red pumps that she walked in flawlessly. The outfit wasn't particularly glamorous, but Olivia was jealous of the way Abbie could wear anything she wanted and still look as if she belonged in the fashion section of Seventeen magazine.

"What the hell are you doing?" Abbie asked as she applied coat after coat of her Bonne Bell Lip Smacker.

"I hate this bra," Olivia told her, her hands still repeatedly fixing her strap.

"Why?" Abbie asked. "Wearing a bra means you have boobs. You're lucky."

"I don't want them," Olivia said glumly. "They get in the way when I play softball."

"No, they don't!" Abbie told her.

"Okay, they don't, but still. I wish we could trade bodies."

"You don't want my body," Abbie said glumly. "I'm so skinny. What if I never look like a woman and stay this skinny my whole life? What if I stay flat my whole life too?"

"Abbie, you're perfect," Olivia said, trying to console her.

"No, I'm not. Look at this," Abbie said and quickly flashed her chest to Olivia. "I have nothing there. They aren't even the size of mosquito bites yet. They're completely flat. What if they never grow, Olivia?"

"Abbie, they're going to grow," Olivia reassured her.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Abbie said hopefully. "Do you think boobs are like plants? Like if I water them and sing to them, they'll start growing?"

"Abbie," Olivia groaned.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop. But I know something you don 't know," Abbie said and started giggling.

"What?" Olivia asked. "Tell me. Tell me."

"I saw Alex checking you out today," Abbie whispered into Olivia's ear. "She tried looking down your shirt."

"She did?" Olivia asked with a huge smile on her face.

"Yeah," Abbie said excitedly. "I think she wants your tongue in her mouth."

Olivia became lost in a fantasy of tongue-kissing Alex until she realized she didn't know how to tongue-kiss or even kiss with her mouth closed.

"Alex is cute, isn't she?" Olivia asked with a dreamy expression on her face.

"Really cute," Abbie agreed.

"She's so cute, Abbie. I want her to be my first."

"Your first?"

"My first real kiss on the lips," Olivia told her. "Kissing Alex is all I think about these days."

"Then kiss her," Abbie insisted. "What's stopping you?"

"I'm so nervous," Olivia admitted.

"Don't be. You already know Alex has a crush on you. Just ask her to the dance."

"The dance that's in thirty minutes?" Olivia asked. "That dance?"

"Yes! That dance! You know she's going, just ask her to go with you instead of going alone."

"Are you going with Trent?" Olivia asked in an attempt at changing the subject.

"No way," Abbie said with a disgusted look on her face. "Trent's really cute and we had fun last year, but this isn't fifth grade anymore. We're sixth graders now and being a sixth grader comes with expectations. If I go to the dance with Trent, then he'll expect me to be his girlfriend and if I'm his girlfriend I'll have to kiss him and then I'll have to have sex with him and then I'll have to marry him and then I'll have to have babies with him and buy a house and the whole thing is just way too much pressure."

"Abbie?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm ready to ask Alex."

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Abbie said excitedly. "She's doing her homework in the quad right now. Hurry up and ask her before you get nervous. Good luck."

Alex was exactly where Abbie had said she'd be. Olivia tried not to be nervous because she knew she would start making excuses so she wouldn't have to ask Alex. As Alex looked worked on her history homework, all Olivia could do was think about kissing her. She could have went up to her and kissed her right then and there, but Olivia knew that would be wrong. She wanted it to be romantic and memorable.

"Alex," Olivia said nervously.

"Hey, Liv. What's up?"

"Are you going to the dance?"

"Of course," Alex told her. "We're sixth graders. I mean, might as well."

"It's starts in twenty minutes."

"I know," Alex said nonchalantly. "Liv, what's this about?"

"Well, I'm going to the dance and you're going to the dance, so why don't we go together."

"Like a date?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, a date," Olivia said, finally feeling relieved. She had done the unthinkable and it was now over with.

"Liv, I can't," Alex told her. "I'm really sorry."

"Sorry?" Olivia asked. "Wait, why can't you?"

"Casey Novak asked me this morning and I said yes."

"Casey Novak, the fifth grader?"

"Yeah, I'm really sorry, Liv. She's just really cute and I couldn't resist."

"Let me get this straight. You're going with a fifth grader?"

"Yes, Liv," Alex said. "Can we drop this now? I have a huge crush on Casey. I kind of have a crush on you, too, but I didn't think you were going to ask me. She gave me a flower and everything."

"But she's a fifth grader," Olivia repeated. "How can you go with a fifth grader when you're my girl?"

"Can we talk about this some other time? I'm supposed to meet her in five minutes."

"Yeah," Olivia said. She bit her lip to prevent herself from crying, but it didn't work. Instead of saying goodbye to Alex, she took off running back to Abbie. She explained everything to Abbie who, in turn, gave Olivia the obligatory speech about Alex not being good enough and there are plenty of beautiful girls in the world who love to be her girlfriend.

When Abbie and Olivia walked into the multipurpose room, they saw pink and red streamers that led to a disco ball that was hanging from the ceiling. There were paper hearts and bits of confetti everywhere they looked. The overall cheesiness of the décor made Olivia want to puke. As a twelve-year-old she thought it was all so romantic and she kept telling herself that there was no point in romance if she wasn't with Alex.

Olivia glanced over to the other side of the room and saw Alex laughing and talking with Casey. It means nothing, Olivia thought. She's only with Casey because I didn't ask her soon enough. That thought quickly escaped her when she saw Alex touch Casey's hand. Never in her life had Olivia felt so betrayed. For the past seven years, Alex had been her Valentine and Olivia wasn't ready for that to change.

"Dance with me," Abbie ordered to get Olivia's mind off of Alex.

"Don't you want to slow dance with Trent instead?" Olivia asked.

"You're my best friend. I'd much rather be with you than any boy."

Abbie led Olivia to the dance floor and the two of them awkwardly danced to a Cyndi Lauper song. It wasn't exactly the experience she had hoped for, but she was grateful that Abbie was being such a great friend to her. When the song ended, a group of the popular boys started pointing and laughing at Olivia. What the heck? Olivia thought. Am I that bad of a dancer?

"Liv, what's going on?" Abbie asked.

"I don't know," Olivia said frantically. "Why are they laughing?"

"Olivia," one of their classmates whispered in her ear. "There's a big red stain on the back of your skirt."

"Oh no," Olivia said and ran out of there. It was the moment she had been dreading ever since her mom had given her the talk about becoming a young woman. This is just what I need, Olivia thought. Alex is with Casey and I start my period on the same day.

"Abbie, my life is over," Olivia said as she cried into her shoulder. "I can't face these people again. All they're going to talk about tomorrow is how I started my period at the dance."

"Maybe not," Abbie said with a mischievous look on her face.

"What are you doing?" Olivia asked as Abbie took her sweater off and handed it to Olivia.

"Here, put this on. I'll wear your blouse. My sweater will cover your stain."

Before leading Olivia back into the multipurpose room, Abbie stripped down to her panties and an undershirt.

"Abbie, what are you doing?"

"Stealing your thunder," Abbie said and started smiling. The moment they returned, Abbie started running around and flailing her arms. All eyes were on her, which is exactly what she wanted. The girls were gasping and whispering among themselves while the boys were all whistling and making catcalls. Olivia's embarrassing moment was now old news and everyone was already talking about Abbie. The whole streaking incident lasted less than thirty seconds, but it was enough to leave a lasting impression on all the fifth and sixth graders.

"Abigail Carmichael," Mrs. Williams, the principal, yelled once she had cornered Abbie outside of the multipurpose room. "I want you to go home right now and you are hereby suspended until next week."

"Yes, ma'am," Abbie said. She tried to look scared, but Olivia knew Abbie felt like laughing.

"Abbie, I love you," Olivia said as they started walking home. "You're the best friend I ever had. I can't believe you'd do something like that for me."

"No prob," Abbie said casually. "I'm just glad it got everyone's mind off of your bleeding vagina."

"Instead of today being the day I bled through my skirt, it'll be known as the day Abbie Carmichael stripped down to her underwear and ran around in front of everyone."

"I think that makes me a legend at North Fallbrook Elementary," Abbie said excitedly. "How am I ever going to top this? I'll just have to think of something better in junior high."

"Like running around naked," Olivia teased.

"Liv?"

"What's up?"

"Trent Abernathy saw me in my underwear today," Abbie realized. "He's going to worship me now."

"Eww, gross," Olivia told her. "I wish Alex would worship me, though."

"She'll come around," Abbie reassured her.

The girls parted ways when Olivia reached her house and, although, Olivia wanted to run into her room and fall asleep until her bleeding stopped, she knew she had to tell her mom eventually.

"Olivia, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Serena asked. Instead of responding, Olivia ran to her room so she could grab a change of underwear and one of the pads her mom had bought for her. She felt like she was wearing a diaper and it dawned on her that she was going to be experiencing this every month. The whole ordeal was so depressing that Olivia put her pajamas on and mentally prepared herself for the talk she was going to have with her mom.

"I'm having the worst day of my life, Mommy" Olivia said as she cuddled up to her mom on the couch. She knew she had just taken another step toward becoming a woman, but Olivia wanted to forget all about that and be her mom's little girl for awhile longer.