AN: Thanks for your patience as I get back into this story. Hope you enjoy this new chapter.

EOEOEOEO

Elliot watched as Olivia walked back into the precinct. She had the strap of a duffle bag thrown over her shoulder and another bag in her hand. He jumped up and moved to meet her, grabbing the bag from her hand.

"Where've ya' been?" he asked, sounding more annoyed then he'd intended. He knew it sounded just as he thought when Olivia rolled her eyes. He saw her shoot her eyes over towards Fin and Munch as she dropped her other duffle on her desk chair.

"I told you this morning that I had to pick up some things."

Elliot remembered their conversation, which had ended abruptly when he'd mentioned moving in together. Looking at both bags, he smiled. She must be planning on staying for a while.

"And I had to get something to wear tonight." She looked over at Fin. "You all set for tonight?"

"Yeah. I got it covered." Fin said, leaning back in his chair.

"I ordered some Chinese." Munch said. "You guys have some time to eat, right?"

Olivia looked at her watch and saw it was a little after 6. "Yeah, we just have to be ready by 8." She glanced over at Elliot. "I'm going to take this stuff upstairs." Olivia motioned towards her bags.

"Let me help you." Elliot said, grabbing her bag off her chair and motioning towards the locker room.

Olivia glanced quickly over at Fin and Munch to see if either one was going to make a smartass comment but they had both gone back to whatever it was they'd be doing. She headed out of the squad room with Elliot in tow, feeling a bit awkward with Elliot carrying both of her bags. She was glad the guys weren't paying attention.

When they got into the locker room, Elliot dropped both of her bags onto the bench in front of their lockers. "Did you pack up your entire wardrobe?" he teased, quickly dropping the smile on his face when he saw the scowl on hers. He reached for her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey." He said softly. "What's wrong?"

Olivia brushed his hand off and turned to open her locker. "Nothing's wrong." She took her watch off her wrist and placed it on the shelf. "I'm just tired of wearing the same things." She looked at him pointedly. "And aren't you the one that told me you wanted me to stay?"

"Yes." Elliot said quickly, straddling the bench next to her bags. He really wished she would tell him what was bothering her. He pondered what he should say next, watching as she took off her jacket and hung it up. "Are you sure you're up for this tonight?" As soon as he said it, he knew it was exactly the wrong thing to say.

Olivia whirled around. "That's the second time today you've questioned my ability to do my job." She said sharply, putting her hands on her hips.

"I didn't say that. I mean, I didn't mean it that way." He said in an exasperated tone. "It just seems like something's bothering you today…like you're distracted. You need to have your head straight."

Olivia shook her head. She wanted to be pissed at him, but she knew he was well tuned to her mood and thoughts. "I'm fine." She grabbed a towel and a smaller bag from her locker. "I'm going to take a shower."

Elliot knew that was the end of the conversation, and that he would really piss her off if he questioned her again. He had to trust her when she said she was up to the undercover op. "I'll save some dinner for you."

Olivia shook her head. "I'm not hungry." She said as she walked towards the shower. "I'll be down for the debrief."

Elliot watched as she closed the door to the showers, knowing he had clearly been dismissed. She had made it clear that she didn't want him to wait for her. He let out a frustrated sigh, running his hand over his head. He stood up and headed back into the squad room.

Fin looked up as he walked in. "Everything OK in paradise?"

Elliot knew he was probably reading the expression on his face, and he debated whether or not he should say anything. He looked back towards the locker room and then back at Fin. "Liv seem OK to you today?"

Fin shrugged his shoulders and Munch looked up.

"She seemed fine to me." John said.

Elliot shook his head. "She's distracted. Something's bothering her."

"What the hell did you do?" Fin asked.

"This time…nothing." He sat down in is chair. "I'm just worried that she's not going to be focused tonight."

"Liv's all about the job man. When it's game time, she's on." John said.

"She knows how to do her job and she'd be pissed as hell if she heard you right now." Fin added.

"I know."

They were interrupted by the delivery of their food. They all fished in their pockets for money to chip in for the food and the tip, and headed upstairs to eat. As the spread out the food and started to dig in, they talked about the club and what could possibly be going on there.

EOEOEOEOEO

The guys had finished up dinner without an appearance by Olivia. Fin h ad broken off almost half an hour ago to get changed, and Elliot and Munch were back at their desks when he came walking back into the squad room. Elliot had to admit he looked good, dressed in a dark suit with a dark shirt. The suit looked expensive, and Elliot wondered if it was his own or if it was on loan.

He didn't have time to ask him, or even give him a hard time as Fin stopped by Olivia's desk, because he heard the clicking of heels on the floor, and saw John and Fin's gaze move to a space behind him. He swiveled and saw Olivia walking back into the squad room. He instantly bit down on his bottom lip to keep himself from saying anything as she strode to her desk, and he noticed she was avoiding his eyes as well.

Munch let out a wolf whistle, and Elliot only tore his eyes away from her long enough to shoot him a dirty look. In seconds, he was looking at her again and he couldn't help but take her in. She was wearing a black, long-sleeved black blouse, but the material was gauzy and semi-transparent, and he had no issue seeing the lacy black bra she wore beneath. The first few buttons were undone, but he silently wondered why it mattered, because the shirt left very little to the imagination. Worse yet, it was tucked in to a very short, black leather mini-skirt. Her long legs were bare; her feet encased in some spiky heels, but he couldn't focus on that. The only thing he could focus on was the amount of exposed skin…and he was counting everything on display beneath that poor excuse of a shirt.

She looked sexy as hell.

And it wasn't just him…wasn't just because of their relationship. Any straight man would want her.

And that made her a prime target tonight.

His eyes met hers and he saw she was watching him. Almost daring him to say something.

He bit his lip again, and Fin took that moment to come up behind her and wrap one arm around her waist. He pulled her back against his body and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Damn baby…you look good." He said, dragging out the word good. The Captain happened to walk out just as he said it, and saved Elliot from saying anything.

"Knock it off." Cragen said as Olivia laughed.

Fin released her and stood back with his hands up. "Just getting into character." He said in defense, smiling as he looked back at Elliot.

Elliot scowled at him. He knew everything in the squad loved Olivia in their own way. She was the heart of the team. But Fin and Liv had some special attachment. He didn't really think anything had ever happened between them…they were more like brother and sister. But Fin liked to give Elliot crap and it always bothered him more than it should. There was a part of him that wished he would be in that bar tonight, but there was also a part of him that was glad that he wasn't. He didn't want to watch Fin with his hands all over her tonight…playacting or not.

He realized Cragen was talking and he tuned in to hear him giving them some last minute instructions.

"Thompson should be here any minute to give you more details and take you to the rendezvous spot. The bar knows you're armed and to wave you through."

Elliot found himself looking back at Olivia and wondering where she could possibly be hiding a weapon "Liv, you're armed?" he interrupted.

Olivia nodded and gave him a small scowl, so he turned his attention back to Cragen.

"OK then. Good luck tonight. Stay sharp. We'll be waiting for a report from Thompson."

Cragen headed back to his office and Elliot turned back to Olivia and Fin. Before he could say anything, Olivia spoke up.

"Got a minute?" she asked, pointing upstairs.

Elliot nodded and headed over to follow her.

"Hey, don't be messin' with my woman." Fin called out after him as he reached the stairs.

Fin's words barely registered as he trailed behind her. The only thing he could focus on was her ass encased at that leather skirt and the back of those long legs.

When they reached the break area, Olivia moved across the room. When she was out of eye sight from the crew below, she turned to face Elliot.

"Thank you." She said.

Elliot moved closer and leaned his butt against that table, facing her. "For what?"

"I know you wanted to say something down there and you didn't. I know that's not easy for you."

Elliot was surprised she acknowledged that and nodded. "That outfit is…"

"Doesn't mean I want to hear it now." She said cutting him off.

Elliot was shocked until he saw a small smile creep onto her face.

"I can't walk into a club like that in jeans and a t-shirt." Olivia continued.

"I know." Elliot said in a resigned voice. "But do you have to…" he stretched out his arm, motioning up and down. "There's just so much…"

"It was either this or a skin-tight black dress that shows lots of cleavage and has no back to it."

"Those were the only options they gave you?"

"These are my clothes El."

"What?" Now he was really reeling. "You own this?" He didn't even want to think about where she might have worn something like this.

"Yes, but I don't usually wear this shirt with just a bra beneath it." Olivia shook her head as she started to explain. "We're getting off-track." She didn't bring him up here to talk about her wardrobe. "I just wanted to say thanks for keeping your cool down there…" She moved towards him and put one hand on either one of his shoulders. "And to tell you to try not to worry. I'm going to be fine."

Elliot placed his hands on her waist, pulling her body slightly closer. "I know you can do your job. Fin too. But I'm still gonna worry."

Olivia nodded. "I know." She pressed her lips against his. "I love you."

Elliot ran a hand through her loose waves and then tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling her mouth back against his. He kissed her deeply, making the moment last as long as he could before he felt her pull away. He grinned when he saw he damage he'd done to her lipstick. "I love you too."

Olivia swiped her thumb across his lips. "This color looks good on you." She took a step back. "I'd better get back downstairs.

Elliot nodded and pushed up until he was standing next to her. They headed for the stairs.

"Where on Earth do you have a weapon hidden?" he asked, running his eyes up and down her body one more time.

Olivia turned to look at him with a mischievous smile on her face. "Tell you what. You can search for it when I get home."

EOEOEOEO

Fin and Olivia had been in the bar about a half an hour, and Olivia was ready to leave. They'd gotten in quickly; the bouncer choosing them the line of people standing behind the velvet rope. They'd slipped in despite the complaints of others standing in line in front of them, and Olivia felt relieved to escape the cool, damp air. Her relief was short-lived though, because the minute they were inside, they were surrounded by noise and heat and chaos.

The music was playing loudly; selected by a DJ standing up on a small stage. It was some heavy dance beat…the bass causing her body to thrum. There was a mass of people on the dance floor, all seemingly intertwined as they ground against each other. The rest of the bar wasn't much better, and Fin had cut a path, pulling her behind him by their intertwined hands, as he headed for the long bar off to the right. She'd been groped and pawed it numerous times, but it was hard to tell if it was intentional or just circumstantial as they forced their way through the crowd. The air was hot and she could feel the perspiration already gathering on the back of her neck.

Now, thirty minutes later, she was holding a mojito in her hand and scanning the crowd while Fin tried to keep her from being jostled. She wanted to take a sip of the cool drink; it was so unbelievably warm in here. She looked at Fin and saw he'd taken a sip of whatever he was holding in his hand, and she motioned towards it and asked what it was. The noise prohibited any conversation, but he had obviously understood her.

"Club soda."

Olivia furrowed her brow, wondering why he'd ordered her a real drink when he hadn't for himself. Once again, he must have read her mind. He put his left hand on her waist and leaned in close, talking directly into her ear.

"It's a virgin."

Olivia pulled her head back, not quite hearing what he said. Something about a virgin…what the hell was he trying to say?

He motioned towards her drink and she laughed, suddenly understanding what he meant. She took a sip and felt the cold drink slide down her throat. It tasted heavenly. Olivia noticed Fin kept his hand on her hip and stayed close, their bodies knocking together as people moved around them.

Olivia could tell he was scanning the crowd by the small movements he was making with his head. He stayed in character the entire time, running his thumb back and forth against her abdomen and placing a few kisses on her temple. Olivia was surprised it didn't feel more awkward to be in this position with Fin, but they were playing a role. She placed her free hand on his shoulder, smiling while she looked around.

When they'd met during the debriefing session, there had been nine other "couples". At the time, it had seemed like a lot to have twenty undercover cops in one small club, but now she could see that it wasn't nearly enough. She and Fin had been trapped in this one small space since they'd been here, and there were so many people, she didn't know how they could possibly tell if anything was happening that shouldn't be.

Check that. There was a lot going on that shouldn't be. The woman next to her was snorting coke off the bar and someone had just squeezed her ass, despite the fact that Fin was draped all over her. She was about to turn her head to see who was behind her, when Fin whispered in her ear.

"Finish that drink. Let's dance."