A/N: First and foremost let me start by saying that I am so in love with this show ... especially Riley & Gabriel. With that said, I wasn't sure that I would ever write for this fandom since it's very technical, but last week's episode really inspired me, so this is a little AU from last week's episode, mixed with some stuff that I caught for the preview for tomorrow's episode. Since this is my first time writing for this fandom, please be easy with criticism. Hope you all enjoy!
Riley Neal had found herself in bad situations before. She had been stabbed, shot, tortured and always lived to see the next day. However, standing off to the side of her partner, and wanted criminal, Gabriel Vaughan, Riley knew that something was majorly wrong. Something was off, and she knew in that instant that one of them was not going to make it out of their current situation alive. Stealing herself, Riley made a decision right then and there that it would be her. She would lay her life on the line for Gabriel. Not just because that was her job, to protect him, but because he was her partner and she would do anything to protect him.
"Gabriel, something seems off here. This isn't right."
Gabriel spared Riley a side-long glance. The worry laced in his eyes concerned her immediately. Without saying one word, Riley knew that he agreed with her. Something suspicious was going on, but she couldn't believe that Lillian would willingly or knowingly put both their lives in danger. The woman appeared fairly heartless most of the time, especially when it came to Gabriel, but Lillian did care for the people that worked under her. Riley had a feeling that whatever was about to happen, Lillian didn't know a thing about it.
Swallowing thickly, Riley tried to pull Gabriel behind her to protect him, but found that he was attempting to do the same thing to her.
"Get behind me." He hissed in her ear.
"I'm supposed to be protecting you!" She hissed back, as she pulled her weapon, trying to find an invisible target to point it at.
"Would you stop with this 'honor and duty' crap, and just let me do this!"
Riley would have smacked Gabriel in the back of his head for that line, if the situation they were in weren't so dire. "It's not crap, Gabriel, it's my job. I am essentially your bodyguard, and I am supposed to keep you safe."
Gabriel fixed her with a glare. "You mean the chip, right?" With one final, hard shove, Gabriel managed to get Riley fully protected behind him. "Thought we were partners, Riley. Was that just some sweet talkin' trying to get on my good side?"
Riley sighed, "We are partners, Gabriel. Do you think I'd risk my job for just anyone!? No! I would only do that for someone that I trusted and believed in more than anything."
Gabriel smirked, "Then I still win. Now, you do a fine job protecting me, but this time, I need to keep you safe. You don't even know what you're protecting me from."
Riley sighed, conceding the point to Gabriel. She had to agree that he did have at least somewhat of an upper hand this time. Riley didn't even know who was targeting them or why.
It was with that thought that a shot rang out. Everything happened so fast. Gabriel fell to his knees, while Riley ducked out from behind him, aiming her weapon, trying her hardest to locate who took the shot. When she saw nothing, she immediately holstered her weapon and pulled Gabriel to his feet.
"We need cover." She shouted over the rush of blood in her ears. She couldn't even take a second to check Gabriel over. There was no time, and she knew that if she saw the blood rushing from his newly formed wound, she would never be able to find the ability to move.
Riley continued pulling Gabriel along beside her, his arm draped lightly over her shoulders, as she passed a few cautious glances behind them. She breathed out a small sigh of relief that no one had followed them, as Gabriel collapsed to the concrete floor beneath them. The parking structure wasn't the safest place to hole up, and Riley knew that Gabriel needed medical attention, sooner rather than later.
"Come on, Gabriel, we have to keep going!" Riley coached him, trying to get him to stand up at the very least.
He chuckled lightly, as his head shook. "No can do, Riley. Go on. Save yourself."
Riley fixed Gabriel with a glare, before focusing on their unwanted companion. "Help me, Mei Chen. We have to get him up and moving again. We need shelter."
"Look at him. He isn't going anywhere. It wouldn't matter if he did. Don't you get it? This whole thing. Your government caused it."
Riley turned her full attention to Mei Chen, who stared back cockily. "What do you mean?"
"Who do you think hired me to frame Gabriel?" Mei Chen's eyebrow shot up condescendingly. "You're doing him no good."
Riley growled lowly, under her breath. She didn't understand how anyone within the government would want to hurt Gabriel. Then it hit her. Of course. It always came back to the chip. It sickened her deeply how every single person that came in contact with Gabriel that knew about the chip, couldn't see past it. See the man that Gabriel was. See how much more he was. She had lost count how many times Gabriel had saved her ass, and if he was losing his humanity to the chip, he wouldn't risk his life to save hers. He wouldn't look at her with those concern-laced eyes and coach her through it all. He wouldn't care enough to even try.
"If you're not going to help me save him, then move." Riley finally spoke, before pushing passed Mei Chen. She crouched down in front of Gabriel.
It was the first time she really looked at him since the bullet had ripped it's way through his chest. The color had drained from his face, leaving behind a sickening pallor. She couldn't take her eyes off the crimson that continually dripped down his shirt, it's hue standing out against the whiteness of his skin. She was losing him, and quickly.
"Gabriel, stay with me, please." She all but begged, as she attempted to gain his attention. His blue eyes had long since gone glassy. "Gabriel. You have never let me give up. Not once. I'm not about to let you do the same. Let me get you some place safe, please. Let me save your life."
His head swiveled around until his glassy eyes found her's. "No promises." Gabriel attempted a smirk, but it appeared to be more of a grimace than anything else. The sight was less than comforting.
"Gabriel, can you help me just a little bit." Riley grunted as she attempted to pull the nearly unconscious form from the SUV that Riley had hijacked from the parking structure.
"I'm sorry," Gabriel slurred as he attempted to stand on his on accord. His legs caved immediately.
"Okay, that was uncalled for." Riley growled, as she snatched Gabriel around the waist, mindful of his still leaking gunshot wound. "Let's get you inside, and try to stop the bleeding before you lose anymore blood."
Gabriel nodded his head in agreement, as he allowed Riley to guide him up the short driveway before contending with three small, short steps up to the front porch. "Are you ready to meet my mother?" Gabriel asked in what Riley could only assume was a halfway seductive voice.
"I'm ready to fix this situation, and ensure that you don't die. Your mother just happens to be one of the only people that we won't be immediately tracked to."
Gabriel smirked softly, "That would be because of my excellent people skills."
Riley rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah, your people skills are fabulous."
Under any other circumstance Riley would have knocked on the front door, but she knew that if she had to carry Gabriel's weight any longer that she would fall over. Instant, she made a beeline for the side door that Gabriel had indicated would lead to the kitchen. Riley closed her eyes as she made a grab for the door knob, swallowing thickly, she gave it a turn. Her stomach immediately unclenched when the door gave way easily, indicating that it was indeed unlocked.
"Hey ma'," Gabriel called out, his voice slurring as his eyes made another downward plunge.
"Would you please save your energy." Riley hissed, as she tripped over Gabriel's still legs. "Dammit, Gabriel."
"Sorry." He mumbled as he attempted to make his legs move forward, at least a little bit.
A voice called from another room, and Riley knew that it must belong to Gabriel's mother. While she would prefer that her partner save up the little bit of energy he might have, she had to admit that she would need the woman's help saving Gabriel from bleeding out.
"Gabriel." The voice was very plaintive, but polite. "What did you get yourself into this time?" Her eyebrow cocked.
Riley didn't have time for this. Not if she had any intention of keeping Gabriel alive. "To be honest, this wasn't his fault. However, if you'd like me to save your son's life, I could desperately use your help, Mrs. Vaughan."
Gabriel's mother stared at Riley for a moment before nodding, "What do you need?"
"I sincerely hope you have a first aid kit. If not, I need whatever towels you have, gauze, alcohol, tweezers, flashlight, and thread and needle."
"Are you going to save my life, or knit me a sweater?" Gabriel asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"Really? You're going to dictate how I should save you? I don't think we have a lot of options, Gabriel. You've lost too much blood as it is, and the hospital is out of the question. At least until we find a way to clear your name."
"Thought we already did that? Oh right. You let Mei Chen go."
Riley huffed, "I didn't let her go, Gabriel. I left her behind. She was annoying and not in the least bit helpful. It's not like I didn't think about how important she is to proving your innocence. I left her hand cuffed to that concrete pillar."
Gabriel rolled his eyes, "Because that will stop her."
"Enough." Mrs. Vaughan finally spoke up. "I cleared off the kitchen table. You can lay Gabriel there. I also piled up everything that you asked for on the island there."
Riley offered the older woman a kind smile. "One last thing, Mrs. Vaughan. Do you happen to have any rubber gloves?"
With a sigh, she nodded, before leaving to retrieve them.
"You're really going to make my mother help you dig a bullet out of my chest?"
Riley groaned. "I don't have a lot of choice, Gabriel. Unless you plan on helping me dig the bullet out? No? I didn't think so."
Gabriel's mouth bobbed open, but quickly closed when his mother made a reappearance. "What can I do?"
"It's really simple, Mrs. Vaughan. I need to get the bullet out of Gabriel's chest, so that I can stop the bleeding. All I need you to do is hold that flashlight right above the wound, just like this." Riley held the flashlight up where she needed it, before handing it over to Gabriel's mother. "Great. With your gloved hand, I need you to put one finger on one side of the wound and another finger on the opposite side, just like this, and keep pressure on it." Riley watched as Gabriel's mother mimicked her perfectly. "Fantastic, Mrs. Vaughan."
Riley grabbed two of the dish towels that Gabriel's mother had laid out, along with the alcohol and tweezers. "Alright, Gabriel. Bite down on this towel, because this is going to hurt." He eyed her wearily before snatching the towel and biting down on it as hard as he could.
Taking a deep breath, Riley steeled herself for what she needed to do. Grabbing the alcohol in one hand, she dump some over the tweezers that she would be using, along with a generous amount on the second dish towel. She dabbed, carefully, against the wound in Gabriel's chest, before grabbing the tweezers carefully in her dominant hand. Without a second thought, Riley used the tweezers to start digging around for the bullet inside Gabriel.
Gabriel's body jerked, as he attempted to scream out in pain. Tears welled in Riley's eyes as she continued to maneuver the tweezers to locate the bullet. Gabriel lost consciousness not long after she started, and soon after she was able to locate the bullet and remove it without incident.
Afterward, she stitched up the wound before tapping on a generous amount of gauze.
"Will that keep him alive?" Mrs. Vaughan finally asked.
Riley looked at her, the concern and worry laced in Riley's eyes wasn't comforting. "It'll do for now, but if I don't find a way to clear Gabriel's name soon, then infection will start to set in. Plus there's the blood loss that he's endured up until now. There isn't anything that can be done about that until it's safe to take him to a hospital." With a sigh, Riley continued, "I will do everything I can to make sure that your son lives through this."
Gabriel groaned as he came to. The continuous beeping mixed with the wires hanging from his body answered his first questions. He was in a hospital. Which meant that Riley had really came through for him. She had both, literally and metaphorically saved his life, and he knew in that moment that he owed her big time.
"Glad your awake." The voice was familiar, like coming home. He and his mother might have their differences, they might not always get along, but he knew that she loved him and vice versa.
"Thanks, mom. How bad was it?" It hadn't been the first time his mother had seen him in less than stellar condition, but he had been firmly frightened that he might not make it out of the situation alive. No matter what Riley might have promised.
"It was pretty bad, Gabriel. That young woman, she did all she could to keep you alive and to keep you safe. Ultimately though, we nearly lost you."
Sighing, Gabriel hit the button on the side of his hospital bed, raising his body enough so that he could look at his mother better. "It's going to take a lot more than getting shot in the chest to kill me. You should know that by now, mom."
Mrs. Vaughan chuckled softly, before patting Gabriel's knuckles. "I hope you realize that girl is in love with you."
Her words took Gabriel by surprise. He hadn't even given it a thought. Sure they were friends … partners. They cared about each other, but he never thought Riley was in love with him.
"I don't think so, mom. Riley care barely stand me most of the time."
Mrs. Vaughan merely shook her head, "No one gets that upset at the prospect of not being able to save a friend, Gabriel. Just think about it."
Gabriel watched as his mother stood up to leave, "Hey, mom." He waited until she turned around, "I'm sorry, ya know, for all the trouble."
"It wasn't any trouble, son. I'm just glad your alive." With that she walked out of his room.
Silence fell over the air for a moment, and Gabriel felt a breath hitch in his throat. The panic didn't last long, as the door leading to his room squeaked open. His eyes found Riley's and he saw it. What his mother had been hinting at. The redness that seemed to have ebbed some was a tell-tale sign that she had been crying. The worry and concern that still littered her face. He could see it. What she was feeling was deeper than that of worry and concern for a co-worker. It was for someone that you loved. He knew that, because it was the same worry and concern that laced his face every time that her life was on the line.
"Hey." The rest of his words died on his tongue as he acknowledged the sling that was wrapped around her shoulder. "What happened?"
Riley chuckled, as she walked swiftly toward the chair beside Gabriel's bedside, before answering. "Things got a little hairy before it was over. You were a little defenseless, being unconscious. I did what I had to do to keep you safe. Like always."
Gabriel smiled softly, "Well, thank you, Riley Neal. I most definitely would be dead right now if it weren't for you."
"Not on my watch."
Gabriel's eyebrow raised questioningly, "Is this about the chip again? I swear that damn piece of technology gets more attention then I do."
Riley sighed, "No, it's not about the chip, Gabriel. It's about you. It's about saving you. You might not realize it, but I'm the only one that still treats you like a human being and not just some weapon to be utilized at any given moment."
"Easy." Gabriel murmured, as he put his hands up in surrender. "I was just pulling your chain, Riley." He sighed, as he made a decision. "Come here."
Riley's eyebrows shot up, "What do you want?"
"I want to thank you properly." He said, as he motioned for her to come closer.
Riley moved to the edge of his bed and leaned forward. Without a second thought, for fear that he would chicken out, Gabriel met her halfway, his lips pressed softly against hers. He waited a second for her to shove him away, when she didn't, he deepened the kiss only slightly.
After a few moments, Riley pulled away. "That's a hell of a way to thank someone, Vaughan."
Gabriel grinned, "What can I say, I live to please."
Riley rolled her eyes, "It can't happen again. Very unprofessional."
"Uh huh." Gabriel agreed as he pressed his lips to her again, "I don't think that's an ability I have." He murmured against her lips.
"Mhmmm, just shut up." She said, before initiating another kiss.