The next few days were filled with debriefs and meetings, some to congratulate Cybercom and others to chew them out, depending on the agency. The mole was still at large but Lillian had a team working on it. What Gabriel and Riley had done was extremely reckless but had they not been there everyone it that room would have died and Lillian was willing to acknowledge that it was the right decision and she could honestly say that she would have done exactly the same thing. It was good work though she doubted the praise meant much to Riley. She hadn't been very responsive and Lillian doubted she even realised what was going on around her. Though her mood was dark Gabriel had managed to talk to her a few times, never letting her get worse. She figured with time to grieve and some encouragement from him she would find a way to be OK again.
"Lillian" Dr Cassidy mumbled, knocking on her office door quietly. Her assistant had gone home an hour earlier and she wasn't far away either. One look in the older man's eyes was all it took for her to realise just how worried about Riley he was. She acknowledged him with a slight nod of her head, gesturing for him to take a seat.
"She'll be ok" Lillian said, not giving him a chance to speak. His shoulders seemed to relax a bit.
"She just needs a break, we all do" he nodded in agreement.
"That's not the only thing I came here to ask Lillian" he said. She nodded at him to continue and he took a deep breath, replying "Gabriel and Riley are close, closer than any other agents here. She needs him right now"
"What is your point?" she said bluntly.
"I am warning you now splitting the two of them up would be a very bad idea" His eyes held an air of warning and she knew that he had thought long and hard about this.
"I don't follow"
"If they ever cross that line you need to leave them be" she sighed, shaking her head.
"Romantic relationships between co-workers are forbidden, it's out of my hands"
"Only if you let it" He spoke out of sincerity for his colleagues. Their relationship was changing, he could see it. The trust between the two of them was something he had never encountered before and doubted he would see again. It would be such a shame for that connection to be broken because of a few policies from the higher-ups who probably never left their office.
"I don't know if I can"
"Please, I am asking you this as a personal favour" He held her eyes for a few moments and she nodded.
"Thank-you" he said as he got up and left.
"Night Lillian"
"Night" she let out the breath she had been holding. She didn't know whether she would be able to keep her promise but she would try, which is what she had really been promising.
