CHAPTER THREE: Olivia Benson's POV

UNDERCOVER

"Where is she?" I reacted instinctively when Cragen told us another body was found and was already wearing a jacket. "Come on Cap! We're wasting time!" I waited anxiously, wondering why it was taking so long.

"Relax Olivia… take off your jacket… another victim, Ashlee Swanson, was found today," he started, but I quickly cut him off.

"JUST TELL US WHERE!" I shouted and quickly covered my mouth, realizing how loud I was. "Sorry, didn't mean to yell…" Cragen shook his head like a father disappointed by his daughter's actions. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that several other people in the precinct had their eyes on me. Quickly, my cheeks turned pink and I could feel a stab of heat rise to my cheekbones for just a brief moment.

Elliot reached out to touch my left arm with his right hand, reassur9ing me that nothing was wrong. I turned to him briefly and gave him a small grin and once again face the Captain.

"She was found in Vegas," the Captain completed as our mouths dropped open in shock.

"Las Vegas, Nevada?" Munch asked with as much surprise the rest of us were feeling. My wide eyes turned first to Elliot, then Fin to make sure I really had heard that right.

"Yes Jon, Las Vegas, Nevada. I called my friend Gil Grissom in the CSI crime lab to tell him about the suspects who had moved from here to Vegas… he told me that was a coincidence because him and his partner, Catherine Willows, were headed to a scene…"

"So what… it's their case now?" Fin inquired stubbornly. By now we were all confused.

Elliot and I had worked so hard on that case, looking at photos, checking phone records and trying to find anyone who could possibly know her.

"No Fin it's not… we're decided that it would be best to run an undercover operation between the two units. Now, before you protest, think about it…. This man or men have already raped and brutally murdered two innocent women; do you really want him to get away? Olivia… Grissom and I talked and you'll be going undercover with a man named Warrick, that is, if one of you doesn't want to go."

He found a file on the desk nearby and gestured that I should take it. Working with another unit would mean accepting orders from a man I didn't know and adjusting to a completely different work style. Though working undercover was something I had done before, it was always with someone I knew which meant that he could try to be in control all the time... however, working with Elliot would be like another ordinary day. It would be nice to spend even more time together, even if that did mean working longer hours.

Munch was the first to break the silence, "I'll…"

Elliot quickly cut him off, "I'll go Cap…"

"Elliot, Olivia, you do understand that this is a job so no hokie-pokie ok?"

"We understand Cap…" the two of us said in unison. Undercover with Elliot… maybe Cragen was right; separating work and play could be hard.