Hello everybody! So…yeah, I told myself not to watch any more new tv shows…that didn't work out real well. It took me one episode to fall in love with this show, and thus, here we are!
I really like Gabriel and Riley's relationship right now, and I know it will get more serious down the line (which I don't mind in the slightest :) ) but for right now, I'm really enjoying their friendship/partnership dynamic so.
This will be a little two-shot. A little angst, a little fluff, you know, the usual :)
Didn't really have a specific timeline for this. It does take place sometime after all the episodes that have aired.
I don't own Intelligence.
Enjoy!
Irreplaceable (Pt. 1)
"I can't believe you, Gabriel," Riley growled form behind him.
Gabriel nearly groaned in exasperation at the fact that she was still following him. He thought after he'd walked into his apartment that she'd get the hint that he didn't want to talk about it anymore. But in his months knowing Riley Neal, he should've known she wouldn't give up that easily.
"What do you want me to say, huh?" he snapped, turning around to face his partner. "Do you want me to say I'm sorry for saving you, 'cause I'm not."
"I'm not mad that you saved me," Riley defended. "I'm upset because you put yourself at risk when you didn't have to,"
"Didn't have to?" Gabriel echoed in astonishment. "Of course I had to! If I hadn't gone back in there for you, you would've died."
"I would have been fine," she argued stubbornly.
"Riley, the building was burning down! It would have collapsed on you," Gabriel countered, remembering the thickness of the smoke, the heat of the flames in the building. He didn't need a Cyber Render to go through what had happened…
"Is that everybody?" Riley asked, giving a little cough.
Gabriel looked back at the inferno that was consuming the building. "I think so,"
They stood still for a moment longer, wiping at the streaks of ash on their faces. They were about to let the firemen take over when there was a distant scream from inside the building. Gabriel rushed forward at the same time as Riley, but she turned and put a hand against his vest to halt his movements.
"Stay here, Gabriel," she said.
"No chance in hell, Riley," he shook his head. "I'm coming with you,"
"No, you're not. The building—"
"Is weak, I know, that's exactly why I'm not letting you go in there alone!"
"No, that is why you're going to let me do this by myself. I'll be quick, I promise." Riley turned to go, and Gabriel moved to follow.
Riley swiveled around. "I mean it, Gabriel. Stay. Here." she said firmly. "If you try to follow me, I will handcuff you to the car,"
With that, Riley took off into the building again, disappearing into a screen of smoke. Gabriel gave it about two seconds before hurtling into the building after her.
The heat was instantaneous as he stepped into the building. Coughing, Gabriel pulled the collar of his shirt up over his nose and mouth, which made breathing a little easier, but it didn't stop his eyes from watering from the smoke. He pulled the building schematics up in front of him, looking for Riley's cellphone GPS signal on the 3-D image of the building. It took him only a few seconds before her signal appeared and he started walking quicker, skirting around flaming walls and watching the ceilings for any falling debris.
"Riley!" he shouted as he closed in on her signal.
She didn't answer, but he rounded a corner and found her, trying to haul a woman out from underneath a huge wooden beam that had broken off from the ceiling. Gabriel immediately ran over to help.
"What the hell are you doing? I told you to wait outside!" Riley shouted at him over the roar of the flames around them.
"Are we gonna help her or not?" Gabriel asked, ignoring Riley's question.
Riley didn't say anything, but instead turned back to the beam. Gabriel took the other end, careful not to touch where the wood was charred and still glowing orange.
"On three," he said to Riley. She nodded.
"One," he started.
"Two," Riley looked at him, gripping her end of the beam tighter.
"Three!"
Gabriel groaned as they lifted, raising it up just enough for the woman to slip out from underneath. He and Riley dropped the beam once the woman was clear.
"Thank you," the woman gasped, voice hoarse.
"Get her out of here, Gabriel, I'm right behind you," Riley said.
Gabriel opened his mouth to argue, but since he was closer to the woman and the way they'd come in, he figured it would do him no good. He sighed and gently grabbed the woman's arm, shielding her with his own arms as they stumbled through the wreckage. He glanced back, seeing Riley a couple yards behind him. It felt like forever, but finally they made it through the still intact doorway, and paramedics immediately rushed forward to help the woman. Gabriel turned around to say something to Riley, but when he looked, his partner wasn't there.
"Riley!"
Without a second thought, Gabriel was back in the building. The smoke was getting thicker, the flames hotter, and he could hear the building groaning as its support continued to fall victim to the flames around it. He backtracked the way he'd just gone. He almost missed Riley, but heard her cough. He spun a 180, seeing her trapped in between the frame of a door and a broken chunk of wall. He rushed over to her, gripping her shoulders and trying to move her from her current position. She winced as the movement further crushed her against the doorframe.
"Okay, this is gonna hurt, but I can't move this piece here—" Gabriel said, gesturing to the piece trapping her. "—without the rest of the wall collapsing in, which wouldn't end well for either of us. You ready?"
Riley nodded. He grabbed one of her arms and she wrapped her hand around his arm. He placed his other hand on her shoulder, and then, making sure her legs were positioned so she could slip out easier, he pulled, turning to block and falling debris with his own body.
"What are you still doing here?" Riley gasped once she was free, her words not nearly as demanding with the smoke inhalation roughening her voice.
"What do you think? You didn't come out so I came back in to find you," he told her.
"I'm fine," Riley said. "Let's go,"
"Oh no, this time you're going ahead of me," Gabriel argued.
"Gabriel, we don't have time for this, just go!"
"Riley—"
His words cut off as Riley tackled him, hurtling the both of them several feet forward onto the hard ground. Gabriel looked up just in time to see a huge section of the ceiling collapse right where they'd been a second before. Riley kicked some of the debris off of her legs, scrambling to her feet, and pulling Gabriel up after her. Without any more speaking, they rushed out of the building, pieces of wood and metal creaking and crashing behind them, following their footsteps as they ran. Just as they were about to turn the corner that led to the entrance, a twisted, white-hot piece of metal fell into their path. Riley pushed Gabriel back and gasped as a jagged piece that had been hanging off the side ripped through the sleeve of her shirt, giving her a decent sized gash on her forearm. Cursing under his breath, Gabriel grabbed Riley's hand, leading them out into the night, where they gulped in fresh air, watching as the burning building slowly fell apart in front of them…
If Riley had been concerned about his minute of silence, she didn't say anything. Gabriel looked at her, looked at the remnants of ash streaks on her face, the pristine white bandage on her forearm.
"I just don't like you putting yourself at risk," he said, softening his voice.
"I was hired to protect you. I was only doing my job," Riley countered. "I'm supposed to keep you safe—"
"What you're supposed to keep safe is the chip in my head," Gabriel snapped. "They don't care about me. They don't care if you protect me; they only care about their precious technology being protected. That's your job,"
"Actually, my job is to protect people. And last I checked, you were a person, Gabriel." Riley disagreed angrily. "If it came down to it and I had to choose between you and the chip, I would choose you every time, because you're what I give a damn about."
Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, but Riley stopped him, "I'm replaceable, Gabriel. You're not. And not because of the chip, but because there's no other man out there like you, that is willing to do what you are to protect people. Me? They can always find someone else to protect you. But if… if you keep up this-this recklessness…well, then you really can find someone else to protect you. Because I won't stand around and watch you die."
With that, Riley turned and walked out his door, shutting it loudly behind her.
So there's the first part! The second (and final) part should be up soon; just a couple of days to a week.
I hope you guys liked it! Reviews and constructive criticism are very much appreciated! Just take a minute or two to leave your thoughts, and let me know if you think they are in character :)
Thanks for reading!
-DaughterOfPoseidon333
P.S. Any mistakes are my own, and I apologize for them :)