Sorry it took so long to write again, life got a little busy :) But I'm back... let me know if you like it

The next week at work, Nick and Amanda made sure they kept everything professional. They would smile at each other's jokes and make comments that only the two of them understood. Nick hadn't thought of the incident at Olivia's house in weeks. He was happy with his new found friendship that he and Amanda had. He had also forgotten all about the moment they had in the alley, where he had been face to face with her, ready to just grab her...and then hearing her say that all they had was a sympathy kiss. Nick and Olivia had been cordial with one another, only talking when it was about the case and nothing more. Olivia and Fin had started working together, which Nick felt worked out best for them all. Fin and Olivia had known each other and she trusted him. He and Amanda had started a great partnership, it all worked out, until now.

"Benson, Amaro, my office...now." Cragen yelled out as he walked through the squad room. Nick looked at Amanda as she shrugged her shoulders. They had been working on the warehouse case for over a month now, getting small breaks here and there. Nick broke the biggest when he got a name off a recording that they believed was the leader.

"Uh...yes captain?" Nick asked as he held the door for Olivia, not making eye contact.

"Close the door."

"What's going on?" Olivia asked, sitting down in the chair, facing the captain.

"You two are going to be going undercover."

"WHAT?" Nick asked, almost yelling.

"I need you two to keep it a secret, per one PP, from everyone. Including your partners in the squad room."

"Oh come on, what are we supposed to tell them? We're going on vacation?"

"You let me handle that."

"When are we supposed to be starting and what do we have to do?" Olivia felt the tension in the room rise almost immediately.

"You'll be going to live upstate New York, there's a set of apartments that three of our guys, including Lewis, our fearless leader. We need you guys to become friends with him, learn him, get into his circle. Find us the most solid evidence so we can finally put this guy away for good. You need to go home and pack, tell your family bye and I'll meet you back here to give you your new car keys, your new names and your keys to your new apartment."

"Wait...so...we're going to be living together? For how long?" Olivia suddenly felt anxious and nervous. The last time they were in an apartment together, Nick's hands ended up on her body, his lips kissing her thighs. She was daydreaming, remembering that night. She began to get turned on, her face flushed, the wetness growing between her legs. If she wasn't already sitting, her knees would have buckled on her.

"You'll be living together for as long as it takes, so if you guys don't like each other, I suggest you find the information and make friends with him quickly. If you guys can't manage to pull this off, we'll lose everything we have on them and he'll walk, so suck it up and act like you're in love with each other, or at least like each other."

At that moment, Nick and Olivia found each other's eyes. It's the first time they had really looked each other and actually saw each other since the day in the alley, where Nick had told Olivia to pull friends out of her ass and Olivia had told him she kissed him out of sympathy.

"Okay Captain. I'm going to uh, head out for lunch with Rollins then I'll go home and get my stuff packed." Nick broke eye contact first. He was still hurt by her words. He didn't expect anything to come from the kiss, but to say it was a sympathy kiss, dug deep into him.

When the two of them walked out of the captain's office, there was an awkward tension.

"Hey uh, Nick, mind if I join you and Rollins for lunch? Maybe we can ride together to get our stuff packed." Olivia asked, trying to make the transition a little bit easier.

"Actually, we made reservations with a couple of the guys we met last week."

"Oh...I um, I understand." Olivia responded, feeling a pang of jealously. Nick smiled, noticing the change in her.

"But, if you want I can come pick you up afterwards and take you to your apartment."

"No, no, it's okay. I'm going to head home. I'll probably just call Cassidy on the way. It's no big deal. I'll meet you back here in a little bit." Olivia tried to fire back without making it obvious, in an attempt to make Nick jealous. It worked. Nick's face cringed at the sound of his name. He wasn't sure what it was, but there something about Cassidy that he just didn't like.

"Okay, I'll see you later. Rollins! You ready for lunch?"

"Of course, I'm starving, let's go."

"I'll drive Rosy." Nick smiled. Rosy was a name that Nick had come up with after their night at the bar. Amanda's cheeks were as red as a tomato but it fit her well.

"Alright Handy." Amanda laughed as she tossed the keys to Amaro. When they arrived at the restaurant, Nick wanted to tell Amanda that he wasn't going to be there anymore, but he remembered what the captain told him, so he decided to just have a good last lunch with her, making sure she had stopped her gambling, nervous that when he left, she may return to it. He didn't know it, but Amanda Rollins had become his best friend, and he, hers.