A/N: This is my first multi chapter story. This story's format is going to be a little different. Odd numbered chapters will be the present time. Even numbered chapters will be the past case. Unless otherwise specified. This was actually inspired by an episode of Modern Family. Season 11x10 The Prescott, also guest starring David Beckham and Courteney Cox. It featured a posh (pun intended) apartment, with a group of private hot tubs etc. I thought about what if there was a spa like that in Manhattan... and this was born. Oh this takes place after the Valerie Sennet case, where they've begun to mend their partnership/friendship, so season 8. Elliot has signed, sealed and delivered the divorce papers, so as far as they're concerned he's divorced.

Disclaimer: SVU isn't mine, obviously.

Chapter 1

Precinct, Wednesday, Post-Case

Elliot took a deep breath as the elevator doors opened on his floor of the precinct. It was his first day back since their undercover assignment, it was her first day back too. They had been given the Monday and Tuesday off to recover, and he had had to get his doctor to sign-off on his health, since he was technically injured on the case. He didn't consider the 5 stitches to his deltoid an injury, but apparently the department did. He grumbled thinking about the stupid scratch. It was starting to itch, his doctor informed him that that was a good sign, that it meant it was healing, but it annoyed him nevertheless.

Elliot took a few steps off the elevator and walked to the doors which would lead into the bullpen. He could already hear and see people bustling around. He couldn't see her though. Hadn't seen her since late Sunday night. Elliot closed his eyes, he hadn't seen her since he'd seen her, and he was ashamed to admit it was almost all he thought about for the past 48 hours. He didn't know how to face her, look at her, even sit across from her after their long weekend assignment. They had been told how different this assignment was, before going in, and even Cragen had voiced his reservations about this one. In hindsight they should've known it would fundamentally change absolutely everything.

Elliot opened his eyes, he couldn't put it off anymore. What scared him is that he didn't want to. He wanted to spend the last 2 days with her but she had wanted, no needed, the space from him and told him as much when she drove him home from the hospital. He had respected her request. So much had happened in those 4 days, way too much to try to sort through in just 48 hours. He certainly hadn't and he knew she would thoroughly pick through every moment in a lot more agonizing detail than him.

Elliot pushed through the door, and walked in, he took a few steps towards his desk his eyes instantly landing on her. He should have known that she would be there before him, she had just glanced up at him, their eyes locking when Elliot heard his name and hers being shouted from behind him. "My office now."

Elliot spun around before he could spend anymore time gazing at her. He knew he was right about his assumption that working with her was going to be very hard, in more ways than one, and different from now on. He walked over to Cragen's office, through the door and took a seat, Cragen nodded at him and then Olivia as she hesitated but took the seat right next to Elliot. Cragen got up and closed his office door, it seemed this conversation needed to take place in private with nobody listening in.

Cragen sat back down in his chair and folded his hands in front of him contemplatively. He waited a bit before speaking, it seemed like he was trying to get his words in order or think about what he wanted to say.

"How's the shoulder Elliot?"

"Fine," Elliot responded "It barely grazed me, it was just a scratch, doc signed off said I was good to go, no physio or anything needed."

"Good, that's good, you got lucky, as we know the other couples didn't fair as well," Cragen said while nodding his head. "Well first off, I, the chief of D's, and the mayor all want to say thank you and what a good job you did. But as your boss I wanted to check in and see how you two are doing. I'm not saying this to embarrass you but I've seen some of the evidence from the weekend, the polaroids the bastard took and the video to be specific."

If the situation wasn't so serious Cragen would have found the looks on his detectives faces hilarious. They both gulped audibly when he revealed he had seen some of what transpired between the two. Elliot seemed absolutely shocked and speechless but it was Olivia's response, or what she blurted out that had him gaping.

"We didn't have sex!" Olivia exclaimed. Cragen had never seen Elliot's head move so quickly as it whipped in Olivia's direction, still showing a face of complete and utter shock.

"Okay," Cragen said "You two are professionals, I never assumed you did," he replied while raising his eyebrows.

It looked like Olivia was almost shaking, she rolled her eyes and scoffed loudly, "If you saw those pictures or watched the video then I know what it must have looked like, I just wanted to clarify on the record that we did not have sexual intercourse."

Cragen used this opportunity to look again at Elliot, he no longer looked shocked but was scrunching his eyebrows together. Cragen thought he actually looked confused. He couldn't understand that though, surely if something had happened they would have spoken over the last two days and gotten their stories straight, so he did believe Olivia when she told him that they did not have sex. The pictures were damaging enough, but the video… it only picked up some sounds, but Cragen had instantly muted it, he didn't need to hear his detectives moaning and groaning whether it was fake or not. Having to see them both in the buff, naked as the day they were born except for some strategically placed sheets was bad enough.

Olivia spoke up again, she seemed to be struggling with her words now, making excuses for what Cragen had seen, "He was wearing that thingy that they gave us for him to wear that flesh coloured... sock, for lack of a better word, and I had on the matching thong, we weren't naked."

Cragen spoke without thinking, "Well you're pretty damn close to it and unless you two have something very different to tell me it's the most either of you have ever seen of the other. And I don't recall you having a top on Olivia. Let me make myself perfectly clear so there's no confusion. I am not condemning you two in any way shape or form, you're not in trouble, we knew what you would have to do going into this, it's why I was so hesitant to even agree to ask you two to take this assignment. I know this year has been rough on both of you and your partnership and that you were just getting back to a good place and I didn't want to stir the pot or throw any shit in the mix. You did everything you were supposed to do, crossed every T, dotted every I. Everybody has signed off on the assignment it was all completely legit. The reason I'm speaking to you this morning isn't because you're in trouble because of what went down," Cragen paused here noticing both of them blushing and squirming slightly in their seats, "The reason I am speaking to you two about it, is because I want to make sure your partnership is still intact and that you can still work together after what ever happened this weekend between the two of you."

Elliot still had not said a single word since Cragen had started talking about the assignment. Olivia spoke up again "We're fine, we'll be fine," she responded. Cragen looked at Elliot.

"Stabler?"

Elliot couldn't believe this entire conversation. When they had written their reports and sent them in for the assignment they had left all the intimate details out especially what happened on Saturday and Sunday specifically. Even though he knew ahead of time that they would be photographed and taped, for some reason he had never thought about his CO seeing them. He didn't know if he was embarrassed, but the male side of his brain was also begging for a copy of those polaroids and video. Now he sat here beside Olivia and she was denying anything happened? He thought about what she said again, no she wasn't denying anything happened, she was denying sex and he guessed if you took the term sex at it's technical definition, penetrative intercourse, than technically no they did not have sex. He did not know however, how she could say that everything was fine, he sure as hell was not fine in any way. They needed to talk, and he knew that she knew, they needed to talk. So if he had to tell Cragen that they were fine he would, he was not about to lose her again, not for anything.

"We're fine," Elliot agreed.

Cragen looked between the two he could tell they were anything but fine. "Do I need to get you two to speak to Huang?"

They both shook their heads and responded at the same time, "No," "We're good."

Cragen nodded again, he would keep a close eye on them for the time being. He wasn't dumb or naïve, and now that Elliot no longer walked around with that ring around his finger he wasn't blind and believed that something might happen. "Okay, well as I said before thank you for taking on this assignment, I know it was unorthodox to say the least. You've been off for a week now in total so you two both have a lot of paperwork and cases to catch up on."

Olivia and Elliot both stood up taking that as their cue to get to work. Olivia open the door and walked out without looking back, Elliot nodded at Cragen before walking to his desk and taking a seat just as Olivia sat down too. They both looked up and caught each other's eyes. They'd always been able to read one another and in this moment that was no different. Everything had changed that weekend and looking into each other's eyes now they both acquiesced that they did not know how to move on from there.

Next chapter 2: first chapter of the undercover assignment.

Please like or review if you enjoyed. Chapter 2 should be posted in a day or two. Health permitting. No beta sorry for any mistakes.