Riley was a tiny bit apprehensive as she waited for Lillian Strand to call her into the office. It was unusual for Lillian to table an appointment she usually addressed them at briefings or operationally. She couldn't think of anything she'd done which would warrant a formal interview. Her charge had been roughed up a few times but then Gabriel wasn't one to hold back from a fight.

'Agent Neal,' Lilian's cool tones broke into her introspection and she got up and followed the agency director into her office. Lillian waited for her to be seated and offered her coffee which she poured for them both. 'This is a difficult conversation but it's one you and I need to have.' She placed their respective coffees on the table and sat down. She smiled at the agent's response; Riley Neal was a cool customer and didn't bat an eyelid at her rather dramatic statement.

'What's the greatest threat to Gabriel other than his wanton disrespect for danger?' Her cool, blue gaze questioned the other woman.

Riley thought about it for a minute and then came clean. 'The greatest threat to Gabriel is Amelia Vaughn or his feelings for her; the impact of her death. And the fact that he can relive the moment she died in Technicolor detail every day. Cyber rendering is a great asset for Clockwork but it must be a curse for Gabriel; he can relive every memory he has of her, it doesn't allow him to forget. The grief is always fresh.'

Riley felt sad at the thought of Gabriel enduring such emotional pain; she could see it in his eyes when he thought she wasn't looking. There were times when the façade of charm and confidence disappeared and the anguish was there in plain sight. If anyone needed a hug it was Gabriel but he wouldn't thank her for that thought. He was a proud man with deep feelings, how could Amelia have thrown away a love like that; it was a blessing few received. Her colour fluctuated slightly at that thought, was she jealous of Amelia's gift? Well why not, being loved like that didn't happen to everyone and certainly hadn't happened to her. Gabriel was a natural protector she'd witnessed that and yet he'd let the woman he loved go off and do a dangerous job and left her free to be herself.

'Amelia Vaughn, led Gabriel to her at that final meeting,' Lillian stated baldly. She gave the young boy the information you followed up, he didn't find it; I know that because I questioned him later.' The Agency Director's cool blue eyes held Riley's and this time the younger woman did look startled.

'Why would she do that?' Riley was surprised and this time it did show. 'One final meeting or…. She couldn't believe Amelia would go so far as to try and harm her former husband.

'Or the intention was to blow Gabriel Vaughn and the chip into the next world,' Lillian finished for her. 'Amelia would have known he would do anything to save her, she would have known that Gabriel would move heaven and earth to try and find her.'

'Why would she do such a thing?' Riley personally thought that maybe Amelia wanted to see her husband before she died or perhaps die in his arms. It would be hard to leave Gabriel behind; he was a hard act to follow. That annoyed her when had she becomes such a fan of chip boy?

'We didn't find Amelia Vaughn's body and I can't find out from her branch of the secret service what her assignment was. It may be that the explosion left little of her behind but we can't find any DNA on the debris that suggests she died in the blast and believe me I've checked because she is the biggest threat to Clockwork's major asset which is Gabriel. I've had a forensic team run over the remains of the building with a fine toothcomb and they haven't come up with anything that suggests she died in the blast.

'I see,' Riley frowned. 'So she may reappear and she may or may not be a danger to Gabriel in the future. He'd be bound find a way to see her if he had the slightest chance of understanding what she was doing and why? He doesn't believe she's a terrorist, I think Gabriel believes Amelia was just saying that to make sure he'd leave and wouldn't die in the blast.'

'Yes I know,' Lillian looked a little pensive. 'In truth I can't answer that question any more than you can. She was a very courageous agent, one of our best but going in deep can mean that the individual may start to like and admire the people that they have infiltrated. They become family and it's hard to then see them as the enemy. Deep cover always has that risk and Amelia was gone six years and never once contacted Gabriel which seem either very professional or deeply suspicious.'

Riley sipped her coffee and enjoyed the slight buzz it gave her. 'You want me to watch out for any sign that Gabriel's been contacted by Amelia?' Riley surmised.

'A little bit more than that, I want you to get close to Gabriel so that if she does contact him you would know or feel it. I want you to be as close to Gabriel as you can be.' She leaned forward to emphasise the request. 'And if Amelia does make contact I want you to kill her without giving her the benefit of the doubt.'

Riley's coffee cup clattered against the saucer. 'I can't do that Ma'am. It would be a betrayal of the worst kind. I'll protect Gabriel with my life if necessary and if Amelia looks like causing him harm I will kill her but I can't kill the woman in cold blood on the chance that she might kill him. And what exactly do you mean by being 'close' to Gabriel you're not suggesting we become romantically involved?'

Lillian smiled it was a thin cheerless smile and her expression was as cold as flint. 'I expect you to follow orders Agent Neal so you will not be romantically involved you will be protecting your asset and if that means sleeping with that asset to keep it safe and out of harms way I expect you to do that.'

'Gabriel's a human being not an asset and he's smart so if I pretended to be in love with him he'd figure it out in a heartbeat,' Riley pushed her hair back behind her ear. The idea of romancing Gabriel gave her a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach; it was unsettling.

'You two get along; Gabriel trusts you, he likes you; I know that because he didn't like the other agents I provided and that was very obvious. Very few men become friends with a female without wondering what it would be like because that's the way they're made and if you think he hasn't cyber rendered you a few times then you can think again.'

Riley felt her temperature raise slightly at that thought; it threw up a number of images which weren't entirely distasteful. I must get a date, she noted mentally. I'm having hot fantasises about our super weapon. 'I'll protect him from Amelia but I'll do it my way or you can have my resignation,' Riley responded.

'You didn't' apply for the job Agent Neal and you can't resign from it either, think about what I've said and then we'll discuss it again on Monday, you're dismissed.' The tone of natural authority the director used set Riley on her feet and she was outside the office door in seconds.

'Fiddling your expenses?' Gabriel came up behind her and handed her a coffee with his usual smug smirk. 'What did she want with you? I got beaten up badly on that last job did she rap your knuckles and tell you to up you game?'

'Something like that,' Riley took the coffee and raised it to her lips. She didn't want to talk about the meeting with Lillian Strand she wanted to go home put her head under her pillow and think about her options. 'You could actually accept my protection more gracefully and then you wouldn't get damaged I don't suppose that's occurred to you and the super chip?'

Gabriel ignored that suggestion for the waste of breath it was and changed the subject. There had been something he'd been meaning to ask Riley all week but he kept putting it off. 'I need a plus one for a Delta Squad reunion dinner; its wives and girlfriends and you're up because you pushed me out of that window and I haven't got either of those currently.' Gabriel wasn't afraid to use emotional blackmail when needed and he knew Riley felt terrible about what happened with Amelia.

'You could go on your own,' Riley pointed out but then the 'get close' thing rattled round her brain and she hadn't decided what to do about that yet.

'If you think about it if I asked any other girl on a date it would give you more work than if you come with me yourself; you'd have to check her out and then you'd have to ride shotgun on us in case she was dangerous. And I'd be hoping she was dangerous because I could do with a little excitement,' his eyes twinkled as he pushed Riley's buttons.

'When and where,' she bit out resentfully. She'd earned this weekend and she had a lot to think about without being eye candy on a Delta Force arm.

'I'll pick you up at 7 p.m. and it's at the Grillion which is a nice fancy place and I'm sure you'll enjoy it; my treat.' He liked the idea of having Riley on his arm because she was a very attractive young woman and that wouldn't hurt his image at all. The boys tended to be competitive about that kind of thing and he was just a guy when you came down to it. He didn't think the guys had it in them to get a hotter date than Riley. 'Wear something pretty,' he murmured in her ear as they both headed out of the building.

'Don't bother picking me up I'll come and get you as I'm your guardian angel and as we all know you're the pretty one so I'm expecting you to scrub up well,' she snarked back at him.

'I'll pay attention to my appearance as I wouldn't like to disappoint,' he gave her a humourless smile. 'And tone down the sarcasm whilst we're with my buddies and just be nice,' he muttered. The last thing he wanted was Riley being the guy in the relationship. 'No need to mention the job,' he tacked on and didn't miss her smug smile.

'You don't' want me to mention that you're wearing protection?' She bit her lip to stop herself laughing out loud. 'And I guess I shouldn't arm wrestle with your buddies or break their fingers if they get a little too friendly.'

'You know what, forget I asked,' he took the coffee back off her. 'I don't want to talk about Amelia that's all and if you come with me that won't happen because you're hot enough to distract the guys from that.'

'Well since you asked so nicely I'd be delighted,' Riley responded thinking her compassionate nature was a definite weakness. 'And don't worry Gabriel tonight I'll be the girl.' She took great pleasure in the way his jaw squared at that taunt. There was something about Gabriel that made verbal combat exciting and she definitely thought she'd won that particular round.