A/N: Thanks for all the support guys! Here is chapter two, hopefully I'll be done with this soon (like I said, before Monday). I hope this part is up to par for ya'll. Enjoy! "We Fall Apart" lyrics by We As Human.
The Running Free
You're a liar but I'm a coward
So I can't throw a stone
We're so imperfect but so worth it
Because we're not alone
It's the wars that we wage
The lives that we take
For better or for worse
It's the lion we cage
The love and the rage
That keeps us wanting more…
XOX
"You don't have to do this, you know that?" Gabriel said to Troy as the genius teenager went about forging documents and creating new identities for him and for Riley.
Troy shrugged. "Not like I haven't done it before. You know my skills, gotta keep up or they get rusty. Besides, it's bull, what they're saying about you on the news."
Gabriel smiled. "Stay off their radar, Troy. Don't do anything to jeopardize your future. I already ruined Riley's."
"Trust me, I don't think that's how she sees it," Troy said, looking up from his tedious work and eyeing Gabriel. "She's your protector, right? Your personal security. To her, she's still doing her job."
"I know," Gabriel replied quietly, wishing she'd stop. She was young and beautiful and could have done so much more than become a face on an America's Most Wanted list. She gave it all up for him. That thought twisted his heart.
Troy looked like he was about to say something else, but his gaze moved to the end of the room at a point beyond Gabriel. His jaw dropped lower. "Whoa," he said, a little dazed.
Gabriel knit his brow, turning in his seat to follow the boy's line of sight. "Riley?" he managed to ask aloud, awe in his voice.
The pitch black hair caught his attention first, standing out starkly against her pale skin. She'd cut it, and despite the loose waves it took on, it looked severe on someone who usually appeared soft and effortless. Her makeup was heavier; he realized she didn't usually wear it, or if she did it was natural and barely there whereas now the effect made the blue gray contacts stand out brightly. He didn't even want to comment on the dress, flowing too delicately around her hips. He didn't think Riley even owned a dress, having only ever seen her in jeans and a tee shirt, one of her leather jackets topping off her typical breezy look.
She looked different, strange, uncomfortable in her own skin.
His gaze fell away, reflecting on the image Mei Chen had conjured of Riley in their shared render and finding he missed it tremendously. This wasn't his partner. It was who she had to be now.
She cleared her throat. "What do you think?" she asked, trying to muster a smile that didn't quite make it to her eyes. Troy nodded, still gaping.
"Hot, very, very hot," he answered, finally tearing his eyes away to get back to his work. "I should be done soon, just need photos."
"Gabriel?" she tried again. He wouldn't look at her though, and he stood abruptly, wincing at the movement as he left Troy's 'office.'
She shook her head, biting her lip to hold back the immediate surge of emotion. She felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. It wasn't exactly the reaction she'd been hoping for, even if she felt the same way.
Riley followed after him. "Gabriel, wait," she pleaded; catching up with him was easy when he was still recovering from a gunshot wound, she thought, finding him sitting on the stairs. She walked up a few steps, taking a seat next to him. She nudged his shoulder with hers. "Talk to me."
"I don't want you to do this, Riley. I don't want you to give everything up for me, your career, your appearance. It's too much, for any one person to do for another. Not without a good reason at least," he said bitterly, shoulders tense.
Riley looked taken aback. "I need a reason to help my friend, now? I can't possibly not have some hidden motive or agenda, is that right? Do I look like Mei Chen to you?" she bit out harshly.
He shook his head, running a hand through his now deep brown hair, frustrated. "That's not what I meant, and you know it," Gabriel said, finally meeting her strange, blue gray eyes. "I don't think you realize what you're giving up to be here."
"We already had this discussion, Gabriel. What is it that you really think I'm giving up? My mother and I don't speak, I haven't seen my father in years, and my brother and I talk on Christmas; and let's face it, it's not like I have someone waiting for me at home either. As for my career, do you really think they would have taken me back with open arms, having spent the past year with America's top secret weapon in my charge? I'd be lucky to protect some spoiled D list celebrity, let alone the leader of the free world. If anything, Gabriel, they would have used me against you, to get to you. I'm safer here with you."
He laughed humorlessly. "You're really something, you know that?"
She smiled a little, putting a reassuring hand on his arm. "I thought this through. I know all the implications of my actions. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, I promise you that."
Gabriel sighed heavily, his hand coming up to twist one of the loose, midnight black tendrils of her hair in his fingers, his new brown eyes meeting her striking blue ones. "This is going to take some getting used to."
"It's just hair, Gabriel," she said quietly, knowing she was trying to comfort herself as much as him. "It's still me. It's still you."
"Yeah, I suppose it is," he agreed, still put off by the stranger sitting next to him.
"There's one more thing you might have to get used to, by the way," Riley said carefully, reaching into the small clutch he hadn't seen her carrying. "The covers Troy is creating for us, to make them stick, I figured we'd get by easier if we came off as just your ordinary married couple."
She opened her fist, revealing two rings. "I had your mom get these as well."
His eyes went wide, curious. "From where?" he asked in surprise, taking the pretty, gold engagement ring from her palm. A modest diamond sat in its center, an abstract swirled design curling around it with two more diamonds sitting on either side. It always looked like a flower to him.
"I'm not sure, I just gave her a list, Gabriel. I was kind of making this up as I went along for two days." To try to keep herself from worrying about his health, she didn't add.
"This is my mom's ring," he said gently. "Was my grandmother's."
Riley gaped a little, unsure of what to say as she looked down at the gold band in her open hand, noting it was probably his father's.
"Why would she give this to you?" he said more to himself. It should have gone to his oldest brother's wife, he realized. Or even to Amelia, when he'd married her. He'd assumed it was too hard for her to give up once his father had died. He hadn't given it much thought even, but he rendered his mother's image when they arrived at her house, ring still on her hand, and after she'd hugged him before they left.
It was gone.
"Gabriel, I didn't know," she said, bracing herself for some kind of backlash.
"She never gave it to any of us," he continued, as if he didn't hear her. "We all figured it was too hard for her to give it up when my dad died. I'm not sure what you said to her, but she wouldn't have given these to you unless she…trusted you, I suppose."
Riley swallowed, not sure how to respond to his guess or his mother's outward display of trust or admiration or…something else entirely. Maybe she had assumed they were involved somehow, taken her protective demeanor as something more than friendly concern.
Maybe she saw more than either of them wanted to see.
"Are you going to be okay with this?" Riley asked warily, a little afraid of his response. Their covers were hinging on her plan.
He twirled the ring between his index finger and thumb. "Yeah," he smiled, grasping her left hand and sliding the band onto her ring finger slowly. "If I have to be fake married to anyone to save our lives, you're someone I'd consider."
"Oh, gee, thanks," Riley replied sarcastically. She knew he was trying to lighten the mood.
Gabriel looked at her seriously, the question out of his mouth before he could stop it. "How long do you think we'll have to keep this up?"
Riley shrugged, feeling as helpless as he looked. "I don't know. Mei Chen's in the wind, sleeper agents aren't just going to stop, Lillian's been relieved of duty, Tetazoo is obsessed with taking the chip out of your head…"
"We're pretty screwed," Gabriel said, cutting her off with a dark laugh. She nodded. He squeezed the hand he'd just put the ring on. "Much as I don't want you involved in this, I'm glad you're with me."
"I wouldn't be anywhere else," she answered, a sureness in her voice he couldn't believe was really there.
Troy came around the corner. "Guys, picture time."
XOX
He took their photos, uploading them in quick succession. "The ID's should be done in a few minutes. I've got your credit histories set up, former jobs and employers, marriage and birth certificates, addresses, what magazines you like…basically the only person that could figure out this was fake would be you, Gabriel," Troy said with conviction. "And they'll never be able to track this back to me without someone like you anyway, so my future is safe."
"They're lucky to have you, you know?" Gabriel said, speaking about Cyber Command.
Troy grinned proudly. "Naw, they'll be lucky to have me. They were lucky to have you. That's their bad."
He handed Gabriel and Riley their IDs and various falsified documents in a folder. "Jonathon and Susanna Kent," Gabriel said, trying the new names out.
"You guys be careful. If you need me, Riley knows how to get in touch with me. I know you probably don't wanna use your chip thing that much, but all this information is backed up online. Everything but where you're going now, you know, like if you buy a house or something."
"Thanks Troy, we should be able to manage with this," Riley said, bringing the teenager in for a hug.
"Totally worth it," Troy smiled, enjoying the embrace a little too much. Gabriel raised an eyebrow.
"Okay kid, that's enough," Gabriel razzed good-naturedly. "I'll find a way to let you know we're okay."
"Stay safe, and I'll try to cover up any digital tracks you leave along the way," Troy said as the pair gathered the duffle bag together.
"Seeya later, Cortez," Gabriel winked, guiding Riley out of the home as Troy waved them off. "So, where to now, Susanna?"
Riley shot him a look. "First we need a new car, then we'll find a hotel for the night, figure out where to go from here."
XOX
They stopped when darkness fell, too exhausted to keep switching cars and driving. The hotel was far from four stars, let alone one, but it was a place to sleep.
Riley had Gabriel wait in the car while she ran into the hotel. The news ran silently on the tv screen behind the receptionist, and she paled a little at the consistent running tagline at the bottom. Armed and seriously dangerous. Riley cleared her throat. "Room for two adults for tonight and tomorrow, please?"
The receptionist, Pam, from her nametag, glanced up without a single spec of recognition for the woman across the counter from her. "ID, and will that be credit or cash?"
Riley smiled politely. "Cash," she responded, handing over the fresh ID. Pam clicked through the computer, adding the information.
"I've got a non-smoking room with a king bed, or non-smoking with two singles," Pam said, waiting for Riley's answer.
Riley bit the inside of her cheek when she nearly asked for the second option. They couldn't look suspicious, especially if they were married. "The king is fine."
"$104. 35, there's breakfast in the morning, seven to nine," Pam added as Riley handed her the cash. She slid the key card across the counter.
Riley took the key card, holding her breath. "Thank you, good night."
Pam nodded, picking up the remote and changing the channel.
So far, so good.
XOX
Riley knocked on the passenger window, rousing Gabriel from his brief nap. "We good?" he asked, looking around cautiously when he closed the car door.
"Yes, but we should be careful how often we leave the room. We're a breaking news story, after all," she said, grabbing the small suitcases she'd purchased to transfer everything from the duffle bag into. They'd picked up clothes, toiletries, and two burner phones, all with cash, throughout the day. "I also think we should go out tomorrow and buy a used car, something cheap we can buy in cash without the need for a lot of background checks, not that I don't trust Troy."
"Just precaution," Gabriel added, taking the suitcases from her hands. Riley gave him a wry smile.
"C'mon, we're this way," she said, leading them up the narrow staircase to their room.
"Well, this looks…cozy," Gabriel stated, eyeing the single king bed in the room after she swiped them in.
Riley sighed, raising an eyebrow at him. "Yes, a married couple checking into a hotel and asking for separate beds won't look the least bit suspicious."
"We could be fighting?" he tried.
"We could be dead tomorrow?" she shot back. He nodded.
"That's a fair point." Gabriel grabbed the remote, flipping on the tv. "May as well see how they're painting us."
"I'm gonna change," Riley said tiredly, grabbing one of the suitcases and moving into the bathroom. "And put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door, the last thing we need is housekeeping in here."
Troy was certainly right in his statement. Everything the media was saying was a bunch of slapped together bull. Having enough, he turned the set off, putting the sign outside the door and changing into boxers and a white tee shirt. He'd have Riley redress the bandage on his abdomen when she came out.
Riley breathed deeply, trying to calm herself down as she gripped the edge of the counter. When had everything spun so far out of control? When had their worlds turned upside down and backwards? A week ago they'd been sharing dinner and drinks and laughing, going to work and solving crimes and doing it all again the next day.
But everything was different now. And for once, she didn't think they'd make it out of this alive. Or at the very least, she didn't think she would. Despite their mutual respect, attachment to each other, and use of the word partner to describe their equal footing, she would always put him before herself, at whatever cost.
The Director of National Intelligence hadn't been wrong when he'd said protection was in her blood.
It was just another possibility in her slap dash plan.
She turned on the sink, cupping the cool water and running it over her face, smothering the soundless tears before they had a chance to fall. She looked far older than her thirty-one years like this, she thought, removing the heavy makeup and placing the icy blue contacts back into a small case.
Free of makeup and able to see herself with her own bottle green eyes reflected in the cloudy mirror made her feel less like a stranger to herself. She could deal with the hair; it wasn't the worst color she had ever tried. At least makeup free and bearing her own eye color, Gabriel might actually look at her. He'd avoided all major eye contact since she'd entered Troy's room so many hours ago.
It hurt that he wouldn't acknowledge her. And she knew he realized that. But it didn't change anything.
She folded the dress she'd worn neatly, pulling out gray pajama shorts and a black tank top. Exhaustion filled every crevice in her body.
Riley turned off the light, emerging from the bathroom.
"Think you can take a look at this?" Gabriel asked, pawing through the first aid kit Mary had packed for them.
"Sure," Riley answered, coming around to the side of the bed by the window. "Your mom gave us everything we'd need to take care of the wound. Lay back, and take your shirt off," she instructed.
"That's a little forward Agent Neal. Figured we'd do dinner first," Gabriel jested, making a show of removing his shirt. Riley gave him an evil look.
"Please, you'd have to do better than dinner," she threw back smugly, noticing the surprise in his eyes as she peeled back the bandage, checking the stitches. "Stitches are holding up well, doesn't look like infection is setting in."
She cleaned the wound gently, recovering it with a new bandage and taping the edges. His hand wrapped around her wrist when he saw the contacts she'd been wearing were gone. She looked up at him curiously.
"I…miss your eyes," he admitted, surprising her with his sincerity. "I'm not a fan of the gray, it seems too cold for you."
She smiled, flushing slightly. He'd removed his contacts as well, and only the bright blue shined. "I'm not too crazy about your brown eyes either."
"You almost look like you again," he said, not releasing her wrist yet. Instead he let his thumb drift over her pulse point. It jumped erratically.
"That a compliment?"
"Definitely," he replied. Their gazes locked for a long moment, and she had to shake herself to come back to the reality at hand.
"We should get some rest. I'm still coming up with this plan as I go while trying to keep your ass alive."
"So, we can't afford to be distracted," Gabriel replied, a loaded statement if she'd ever heard one. His blue eyes turned dark with an emotion she didn't want to think about.
"Exactly," she whispered, pulling her wrist out of his grasp. Riley moved from her perch, going to the opposite side of the large bed. "Good night, Gabriel."
He sighed, frustrated with her distance. "Night."
XOX
Most people dreamed when they slept. Gabriel rendered.
And in the dark of night, his subconscious mind took over, morphing events and suppositions into renders he walked through, completely aware of everything he saw before him. Sometimes he wondered if he ever really slept since he acquired the chip.
The dream render echoed the very room he currently resided in, down to every spec of dust. Something called him, and he pushed back the covers to follow it.
Gabriel.
He turned towards the window.
Mei Chen was reflected back, standing behind him.
"It's tiring, waiting for you to go to sleep. It's the only time we can play," she pouted.
"You've got to stop this Mei Chen," he growled.
"Please, you enjoy being here as much as I do. You search so hard to find someone who understands you, and you forget I'm right here, Gabriel," she approached him slowly, seductively. He took a step backward when she reached out, running her hand down his chest. Her eyes narrowed. "I don't get your hesitation Gabriel, we had so much fun last time."
He laughed darkly. "It wasn't real, Mei Chen. It happened in our heads, and it was a play at that."
She blatantly ignored him, the impish grin overtaking her red lips again.
"Perhaps a change of scenery is in order. You seem to enjoy this view," Mei Chen said slyly, transforming herself into a render of Riley wearing little more than a black negligee.
"Stop it," he commanded coldly.
"Stop what? This is what you want, isn't it?" she moved closer to him, moving her hands up his chest, taunting him with a perfect imitation of her voice. "You can have anything you want here Gabriel, you can have me."
She pressed her body against his, bringing their lips together. He lost himself for a long moment, holding onto the only version of the woman he wanted for as long as he could. The Mei Chen/Riley render viciously tore at the buttons on his shirt, pushing it off his shoulders as his hands roamed her back through the thin mesh.
Warning bells clanged in his head as the render flickered like a damaged string of Christmas lights. He pushed back, gripping the rendered Riley by her shoulders. The render fell away, leaving him cold as he glared back at Mei Chen.
"You really are a serpent," he ground out.
"Spare me," Mei Chen spat, vanishing before him.
Gabriel's eyes flew open, finding himself back in the actual hotel room, breathing hard and sweat coating his forehead. He tried to get up, hoping if he threw ice water on his face he'd feel better, but his movement was restricted.
Riley was curled up to him, head lying on his bare chest with her right arm thrown over his stomach, holding him to her. He smiled at the protective gesture. Even when she was sleeping she kept him safe.
Gabriel relaxed, easing his own arm around her shoulders. She made a sound in the back of her throat, tilting her head so it rested in the crook of his neck. He brought his free arm up, combing his fingers through her newly black locks.
He didn't need a render.
The renders weren't real.
The woman in his arms was.
XOX
