I'm in love with this new show, specifically Riley/Gabriel. When I first saw promos for the show, I didn't think I would like it, thinking it looked like a more serious version of NBC's 'Chuck'- and if you've never seen Chuck, you seriously need to, like right now (it's on Netflix). But since I reluctantly watched the pilot, I've been intrigued with Intelligence and the sparking potential of Riley and Gabriel.
I wrote this one-shot in about an hour, so excuse the sloppy mistakes. And please review!
He wasn't the jealous type.
Even with Amelia, he'd never gotten particularly possessive. He'd never worried when she got activated and left, though he knew undercover romance with another man was a definite possibility, because she was his wife. He didn't fret or go all caveman because he knew where he stood in their relationship and no amount of covert operations or flirtacious looks or flattering compliments would change that.
His relationship with Riley, however, was completely different. Their entire relationship, the part not blocked by professional boundaries, was touch-and-go, one-step-forward-two-leaps-backward. It was tense insecurities and secret feelings and hidden glances.
He had no right to be possessive of the woman he wasn't even dating, but jealousy was a bitch and he found himself being taken over by a green little monster that was poisoning his reasonable skills and alarming his hidden feelings. Ten minutes ago, he was a dormant volcano, now he was active, ready to blow.
The sight was accidental, something he truly wished he could go back in time and unsee. He'd been putting together the finishing touches on dinner, rushing through the kitchen gathering necessary ingredients. Gabriel had always loved cooking, loved the simplicity and normalcy of the house chore. Amelia hated cooking, so he was always in charge of meals and- well, old habits die hard.
Gabriel talked to Riley, inviting her over, but she declined, stating she had a headache and was simply going to lie down. He'd been disappointed, sure, but understood.
Stirring the sauce for the chicken parmesan, he just happened to glance out the window and catch sight of his partner in a beautiful red dress, her dark locks curled and framing her face.
Beautiful.
For the first time since a chip was installed in his head, his mind stopped, the constant whirling fading into the background as he stared in awe at the brunette goddess.
She was breathtaking.
But then his brain kicked back in and his obvious ogling changed to distant glaring.
Riley lied.
The agent- woman, his mind corrected itself, studying her tight dress covering off her smooth curves and no longer being able to deny the clear and apparently dangerous truth- assigned to protect him, openly deceived him.
And then his vision focused away from her and instead on the well-dressed man beside her. The guy standing too close to her. The guy making her laugh and smile and blush.
The bastard.
His fists clenched tightly while his nails dug into his skin, the blood fueling his anger, and he literally saw red.
He'd better not touch her.
Gabriel continued to watch for several minutes, his mind brainstorming ugly plans in the names of revenge.
He finally looked away from the sight when his nostrils closed and he blanched at the intense smell. Turning, he groaned and rushed to set out the flames, throwing the pot in the sink. Great, now he burned his sauce.
Gabriel gritted his teeth; that fucking asshole made him screw up his dinner.
Pulling out his cell phone, he quickly dialed the third number programmed on his speed dial, a distant plan forming in his mind.
"Nelson," he greeted tightly as soon as his friend answered the phone. "Give me a case."
"Wha-"
"Any case," he emphasized. "Not matter how big or small."
"Gabriel-"
"Now, Nelson."
"Um, okay..." he quieted and Gabriel heard the faint sound of typing. "There's been a series of pharmacies in the area being burglarized."
Accessing the chip, Gabriel had the culprit's name, address, and exact location in a matter of seconds. But Riley didn't have to know that.
"Thanks, Nelson. I'll get Riley and come in soon, alright?" He hung up before he could respond and twenty seconds later, Gabriel was jogging across the street, set on interrupting Riley's date or dinner or whatever the hell it was before it went too far.
(In the back of his mind, he knew he was being completely unreasonable, but he pushed that thought far away, ignoring any second guesses he might have been having).
Gabriel only knocked twice before she answered the door, which he took as a good sign.
She looked slightly flustered as she stared at him. "Gabriel," she said, clearly surprised.
"Hey, I just got a call from Nelson," he lied vaguely, letting himself in and ignoring the look she shot him as she slowly closed the door. "We've got a case."
Sort of...
Not really.
Marry me?
He ignored his flustered trail of thoughts and instead focused on the woman right in front of him who looked even more amazing up close. "You look beautiful, by the way."
A faint blush spread across her cheeks and she decided to focus on his first statement. "Nelson called you?" Making her way across the apartment, she unwittingly led him to the kitchen where her phone was charging. Frowning slightly, she checked her phone for missed calls. "He didn't call me."
"Yeah, I told him I would come get you," the excuse sounded reasonable and she nodded in understanding. "You know, since we live right across from each other."
Riley smiled lightly in amusement. "I get it, Gabriel."
Rocking on his heels, Gabriel nodded. He pocketed his hands, realizing that he hadn't exactly rehearsed what he was going to say once he got inside. Then his backstabbing mind flashed him an image of Riley with that man and he glanced around the kitchen, noticing the takeout spread across the counter. "I thought you weren't feeling well?"
"Huh?" Her lips made an 'o' shape as she tried to cover herself, "I mean, I wasn't... but I, um..."
She never finished that sentence, for the mysterious man walked into the kitchen, raising his eyebrows at the sight of the two partners standing too close to be professional. "Am I interrupting something?"
Gabriel and Riley both jumped apart, scattering to different sides of the room. "N-no," she laughed nervously, glancing between the two men who were clearly sizing each other up. "Of course not."
Deciding to be the bigger man (for now), Gabriel approached the competitor, feeling like he was joining the dark side. "Gabriel Vaughn," he introduced himself, holding out his hand.
"Finn Roberts," he said, shaking his hand, wincing slightly at the pressure Gabriel exhibited.
"Pleasure," he responded in kind, hiding a smirk as he stared down the wimp. Riley caught sight of it, though, and glared darkly at him, challenging him.
And he always loved a challenge.
"Gabriel is a... coworker," Riley informed Finn before Gabriel had a chance to say anything.
"I'd say I'm a bit more than that," he winked at her and was pleased to see a familiar blush taking root. Agent Neal was a lot more immune to his charms than Riley Neal, the woman, was and he was enjoying this new side of her.
Riley rolled her eyes in an attempt to divert attention from her flushed face. "In your dreams," she retorted.
"Every night," he shot back.
Deciding it would be wise to ignore the flirting Gabriel, she turned to Finn who was watching the two with unveiled interest. "I'm so sorry, Finn," she apologized, "but we have a work thing."
"I'm sure you do," they both ignored his suggestive look while he gathered his coat. "See you later, Riley." Finn hugged her goodbye and Gabriel held back a growl in protest.
As soon as he left, Riley turned back to Gabriel. "I'll go get changed and then we can go."
Gabriel lightly grabbed her wrist before she could leave, pulling her into him and she nearly collided into his chest. "Who was that?"
"Who?" she vaguely asked, partly to act stupid but mostly because she was too enchanted by the dark, sensual look in his eyes.
This time, he did growl. "Don't play dumb." He didn't give her time to respond before he tugged her impossibly closer and captured her lips in a heated kiss. She submitted to him immediately and begun to kiss back.
Not wasting any time, his tongue pushed past her lips and ravaged her mouth. There was nothing gentle about the rough kiss, the exact opposite of a desired first kiss, but for them, it was perfect. Gabriel sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and in return, she bit his lip, a deep groan rumbling from his chest.
As their tongues battled for dominance, Gabriel stumbled and pressed her tightly against his body and the wall. When the need for oxygen became too much, he pulled away from her swollen lips and focused instead on her skin, leaving a trail of desired heat as he kissed his way down her jaw and to her neck.
Her legs wrapped around his waist and her small hands moved to his his short hair, releasing soft pants near his ear. He nipped, licked, and kissed her skin, marking his territory for all to see. His hands rested against her buttocks as the dress rose up and she tugged on his hair, bringing his mouth back to hers. This time she took the lead, pressing short, heated kisses against his lips until he was literally groaning for more.
Somehow he managed to lead her to the couch without causing too much destruction and he spread her across the sofa, their bodies finally separating. Not nearly finished, Riley used his shirt to pull him on top of her and she used his momentary unbalance to bring their lips back together.
"Mine," he whispered, taking her earlobe into his mouth. "You're mine."
She giggled softly, "I'm nobody's." If it was any other time or anyone else, she would have kicked their ass for treating her like property, but with him, the possessive behavior was endearing- and so hot.
Gabriel pulled away, the desire in his eyes growing darker as he studied her swollen-kissed lips and mused hair and her heaving chest as she attempted to catch her breath. "No," he said finally, his voice hoarse. "You're mine, Riley Neil."
She stared at him in disbelief. "Gabriel..."
He kissed her again to silence her, his hands tangling in her hair. "I want you," he told her, "and I'm pretty sure you want me, too."
He looked genuinely nervous, and worried, and Riley couldn't help but smile at this insecure side of Gabriel she was seeing.
"Of course I do, Gabriel."
How could she not?
His relieved smile was so bright, so innocent, and this time when their lips met, it was a gentle kiss, full of hope and promise and passion.
Five minutes later they were in the midst of a heavy makeout, most of their clothes already shed, when Riley pulled away, gasping for breath.
"Wait.." all her thoughts nearly flew out the window when she saw how Gabriel was looking at her. "Don't we have a case?" she asked, frowning.
"Not really." This embarrassed look did nothing to reassure her. "I, uh... kind of blackmailed Nelson into giving us a really easy case so I could come over here."
"You did what now?" her tone incredulous, she stared him down, cursing the fact that she would probably look a lot more intimidating if she had a shirt on.
"Um..." her glare forced his words together and she could barely make out what he was saying, but she got the gist of it, "I kind of, sort of, wanted to interrupt your date so you wouldn't sleep with him." The laugh that escaped her lips was completely unexpected and he scowled, having the distinct feeling he was missing something. "What?"
"You thought... I was on a date... with Finn?" she asked in between laughs.
"Well, yeah." He frowned, "weren't you?"
"Gabriel," she finally stopped laughing enough to look at him, "Finn is gay."
"Wha- gay?"
She nodded, biting her lip to stop a smile. "I've known him for years and he's been away on assignment for months, so we were catching up now that he's back." Riley blushed lightly. "Actually, I was, uh, talking to him about you."
"You were?" she nodded again, confirming the news, and his heart felt like it was beating out of his chest. "So," he started to lean closer, his eyes shifting to her lips, "I guess it was a good thing I saw you with him and came over, huh?"
"Yeah, good thing my blinds just happened to be open," she stated, almost too casually.
His eyes widened with realization as he ranked over the meaning of her words. "You left your window open on purpose?" Riley just stared back at him, not confirming or denying anything, but there was a distant twinkle in her eyes. "Wait. Did you- you wore that dress," he eyed the article of clothing, disguarded and forgotten on the floor, "just in case I looked over and saw you, didn't you?"
"Well, I wasn't sure if a simple tank top and pair of sweats would get your attention."
"Oh believe me," his hand cascaded down her arm, "you would have my attention, no matter what you're wearing."
"I guess I'm luck you're a jealous man," she teased.
"I wasn't- I'm not jealous."
Riley winked, "sure."
Gabriel paused his ministrations, his eyes never leaving hers. "You're incredible, you know that?"
She laughed just as his lips found hers.
He wasn't usually the jealous type.
But maybe this time, it's a good thing he was.
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