"Come on, Y/N, hurry up. The lions are over this way," Noah yells, dragging you through the crowd with a giggling Alex and Olivia trailing behind you.

Alex and Olivia had followed through on their promise last night and had not only punished you for the events leading up to your surgery but those that followed as well, leaving you with a still sore behind as you tried your best to keep up with Noah. The jeans you had decided to were proving to be a bad choice, but your childlike excitement at the different animals had been a helpful distraction. The otter exhibit had been your favorite, and you could have sat there forever watching them, but Noah had insisted they you move on because "there are a lot more fun things to see."

"Noah, slow down, buddy," you hear Alex call behind you.

"Look, Y/N," Noah says, pulling you closer to the fence as he points to the two smaller lions, "Those are the cubs the mama had a few months ago, right before we were here for Jack's birthday party. They got so big."

"I bet. They are just like you that have to grow big and strong," you say, wrapping him in a hug from behind and tickling him, "I didn't know you could have a birthday party at a zoo."

"I haven't had a birthday party here, but maybe next year. My favorite birthday party so far was the one at the big arcade last year. You helped me win so many tickets at the games."

"Yeah, that was pretty cool. I have always been pretty good at basketball and skeeball."

"What was the best place you ever had a birthday party, Y/N," Noah asks, turning to look you in the eyes.

"Well….ummm," you stutter as you try to make up a good answer and try to avoid the puppy dog stare, "Ummm…I…ummm."

"Y/N," Noah asks, trying to find your eyes with his, "Have you ever had a birthday party?"

You look into his big, sweet eyes and want nothing more than to come up with a spectacular lie that will appease his curiosity. But the more you try to create a story, the more your heart tells you to just tell him the truth. You smile at him and pull him into a big hug before releasing him and cupping his cheek when he returns your smile.

"No, Noah," you sigh "I have never had a birthday party, and the first time I ever when to a birthday party was when I was in college. I didn't have a real family or parents that loved me like Mama and Mommy love you when I was growing up."

"But you have a family now," Noah replies, looking up at you.

"And a Mama and a Mommy who love you," Olivia adds as she and Alex join you and Noah.

"Yeah, I guess I do," you sigh happily, pulling all three of them close in a hug.

Noah had continued to drag you around to the different exhibits and had demanded that you feed the Giraffes with him. Before leaving you separated from Alex and Olivia to go watch the otters again while they went with Noah to the store. For some reason, just sitting there watching them play was relaxing to you, and they had been your favorite animal for as long as you could remember. A short while later, Noah came running up to you carrying a stuffed otter in his hand.

"Look, Y/N, I got you an otter."

"Awe, thank you, buddy. I love it."

"Look at the tag," he says, reaching for the information tag on the ear and opening it, "It's name is River, and he has the same birthday as me. I was going to try to find one with your birthday but I don't know when it is."

"That is because it is a secret, and not even Mommy and Mama know. I love that it has your birthday, though that makes it even more special."

"How come it's a secret? We can't have a birthday party if it's a secret."

"It's just something I want to keep secret, buddy."

It had been a long and exciting day by the time you all walked back into the house that night. After a quiet dinner, you went off to shower hoping to relax your aching muscles and your sore bottom. However, while you were enjoying a nice relaxing shower you were unaware that Noah was doing some scheming that may just result in both of you earning sore bottoms tonight.

"Mama! Mommy! I found it. I found it," Noah yells, running to them, waving a small white band in his hand.

"What are you talking about, buddy," Alex asks, catching him in her arms.

"I found Y/N's birthday! It's only a few months away. Look it," he says, holding the small band up for Alex and Olivia to see, and they immediately recognize it as a hospital band for a newborn, "Look, see it says April 13th, 2005."

"2005? No, buddy, that can't be right," Olivia said, taking the band and looking at it closer.

"What's wrong, Liv," Alex asks when she sees the look on Olivia's face change the longer she looks at the bracelet.

"Noah, where did you get this," Olivia asks sternly.

"I found it in a box under Y/N's bed. She wouldn't tell me when her birthday was, and she said it was a secret even from you and Mommy. But if I don't know her birthday, we can't have a party," Noah replies, hanging his head, knowing he is in trouble.

"Noah, you know that you are not supposed to go through other people's things. This is Y/N's personal information, and if she wants it to be a secret, that does not mean you search her personal space to find it. It can make you lose people's trust," Alex told him.

"But Mommy, she never had a birthday party, and I wanted to give her one."

"We know that buddy, but how would you feel if Y/N went into your room and looked through your stuff and took something? Just because you are doing it for what you think is a good reason does not make it okay. You know the rules about staying out of other people's personal spaces. I think you need to go sit in your room and think about what you have done and think about how you are going to apologize to Y/N."

"Yes, Mommy," Noah sighed, hanging his head and turning to head to his room, and Alex sent him off with a swat to his backside.

"Liv, I know that face. What's going on?"

"It is 100% her hospital bracelet, and it says 2005 Alex."

"But how can that be right? That would make her barely 20. She would have had to of joined SVU at 15 and gone through the academy at 13 or 14."

"I don't know, Alex, but look at it," Olivia said, handing Alex the bracelet.

"Oh, crap. Liv, we can't let this go. We will have to question her about it. If she really is only 20 years old, we need to straighten some things out."

"We will be doing more than straightening things out. She has been on undercover assignments in bars and has been drinking when we go out with the squad," Liv huffs, clearly agitated.

"Liv, let's just hear her out and see what she has to say," Alex says, grabbing Olivia's hand and looking into her eyes, "Promise me you won't lose your temper and will listen to the whole story."

"I'll do my best, Alex."

A short while later, after getting dressed in comfortable pajamas, you went to join everyone out on the couch. You could tell by the way Alex and Olivia were sitting and looked up at you that there was something wrong. Looking around, your eyes fell to the coffee table where your baby bracelet was sitting, and you felt the panic run through your body as you understood why they looked so upset. You knew you were in trouble, but at the same time, you were relieved that you could stop living a lie.

"Honey, I think we need to have a talk," Alex says, pointing at the chair for you to sit down.

"Okay, what do you want to talk about," you ask sliding gently into the chair facing them.

"Noah wanted to be able to give you a birthday party, so he went searching through your room to find out when your birthday was. We had already talked with him about it, and he is waiting in his room to apologize to you, but now we need to talk about this," Alex says, holding up the bracelet.

"What is that," you ask, trying to play dumb.

"I think you know what it is, young lady," Liv replies sternly as Alex places a warning hand on her thigh.

"We are giving you a chance to explain this to us, Y/N, and we want the truth, please," Alex explains softly but with a stern edge.

"My birthday is April 13th, 2005," you sigh, looking up at Alex and Olivia before continuing, "I had wanted to be a cop for as long as I could remember. I have always been really smart for my age, and because I moved foster homes so much, I was always changing schools, so no one ever really noticed just how smart I was. Every new school had me take a test to determine which grade I should be in, so I did well on the tests, and I skipped a few grades. At my last home, things were really bad, and I knew that if I stayed there much longer, I would not survive, and if I did, it would be a miracle. So one of my foster sisters was working in a hospital, and she knew how much I wanted, no how much I needed to get out and be a cop, so she helped me get a new birth certificate with a different year to make me 5 years older. I graduated from high school when I was 12, and a few months later, right after I turned 13, I went to the police academy. I have always been tall for my age, and even though I have always been really skinny, being tall made it easier for people to think I was older than I was. At the time, even though I was only 13, I was 5'9, and my new birth certificate said I was 18, so it was easy to get into the academy. I graduated from the academy at the top of my class, and after a few short weeks, I took the detectives exam. It was easy to pass I didn't even really study; I just read through the book once. Then, I got moved to SVU as a detective about two weeks after I turned 15. When I started at SVU, I felt like I had finally found my home, and when you guys took me in, I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid of losing everything I had worked for and my family. I'm sorry."

"Y/N, do you have any idea how much trouble you could be in? How many laws you have broken," Olivia yells sternly, making you flinch and shift your gaze to the floor.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"I don't think you do. Did you ever once stop and think about what would happen if the truth came out?"

"Not really. I mean, I knew that I could be in trouble. Big trouble. But at the time, I just needed a way out. I didn't think I would survive, and I thought this was my only way out," you explain, tears brimming in your eyes.

"How could you be so stupid," Olivia yells.

"Olivia," Alex warns, "You are not helping. Y/N knows that it was not a smart thing to do, but it isn't going to change anything."

"I am really sorry."

"Honey, you have been lying to us for years; that is not something a sorry can just fix," Alex says softly.

"I know."

"Why don't you go to your room while Olivia and I talk about this and decide what to do."

On your way to your room, you decide to stop in and see Noah. He throws himself into your arms, apologizing over and over, begging you to forgive him. You tell him that everything is okay and that he is forgiven before cuddling him in your eyes for a while. After he feels better, you make your way to your room and wait for Liv and Alex to come find you. As you curl up on your bed, you let your mind think about all of the things that could happen. Would they take your badge? Will you be arrested? Will Alex and Liv decide to kick you out? A soft knock on the door jam brings you back to reality, and you look up to find Alex and Olivia standing in the doorway.

"Okay, sweetie," Olivia says, walking over to join you on the bed, "Alex and I have had a talk, and we think we have come up with a plan."

"You will be 21in a little over three months," Alex states, sitting on the bed and sandwiching you between her and Olivia, " so until then, you will not be allowed to drink. That means no going to the bar with the squad, no undercover jobs in bars or casinos, no drinking when we go out to eat or at home."

"So I can stay on the force? I don't have to go to jail," you ask, almost shocked.

"Well, we have decided that we will handle your punishment at home. You will be getting a spanking from each of us for lying, drinking underage, and putting yourself in a dangerous position. You will also be grounded until you turn 21," Olivia explains, running a comforting hand up and down your back.

"Noah's not in trouble, is he? He was just trying to do something nice?"

"No, he will just stay in his room until dinner and apologize to you," Olivia tells you, cupping your cheek.

"He already apologized. Are you guys going to tell Fin and Amanda?"

"We weren't planning on it, but do you want them to know," Alex asks, squeezing your hand.

"Well, they are part of our family, and I am tired of living a lie with my family, so I think we should tell them," you sigh.

"Okay, we can tell them at the morning meeting on Monday."

"This is going to be the longest three months ever."

"Yeah, it will probably feel that way. For right now, we are going to handle the spanking you have coming. I am going to give you one before dinner, and then tonight, before bed, Olivia is going to give you another one."

"Can't you just give me both of them," you ask, looking up at Alex.

"No, sweetheart. Why do you want me to give you both spankings."

"Liv spanks harder than you do, and she does it on my bare bottom, so it hurts a lot more," you state, trying to hide your smirk.

"Well, young lady, Liv does have those lovely cop muscles that make her wield a harder hand, and just so you know, I will be spanking you on the bare bottom from now on, too."

"But mommy," you start to say with a pout.

"No buts young lady. Now, lets get this over with," Alex says, pulling you over her lap.

As you gently sat down to dinner that night, you thought to yourself that maybe you were wrong about Alex not spanking as hard as Olivia. As you shifted back and forth while trying to concentrate on your dinner, you couldn't help but think that it really was a relief that you no longer had to be careful about what you said or did to make sure that no one would learn your secret.