Hey babes! Back again with a new story for ya! This little number is inspired by the teaser that came out about how they planned to have Mac and Riley confess their feelings and then kiss after having a big fight in season six. So this is my interpretation of that moment. And let me tell you right now, I wrote and rewrote their fight so many times because it was so difficult to get it exactly how I wanted it. But I think I finally did it. So here you go.

And yes, I did take the title from a Taylor Swift song because it's the first thing that popped into my head and I thought it was perfect.

Enjoy!

All the times before when Mac had thought his world was crumbling and falling apart at his feet are nothing compared to what's happening right now. He heard the words, in the back of his mind he knows what was spoken, but it's still not registering. His day had been perfectly fine until now. But now it's all coming crashing down with just a few simple words from Matty.

"Riley's quitting the Phoenix."

The announcement had nearly knocked the breath right out of him and everything started spinning. It doesn't make any sense. Riley leaving the Phoenix doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Not when months ago, she told him how happy she was that they're still getting to work together. Everything had been fine. And then something must have happened to make Riley think that leaving the Phoenix was her only option. But he doesn't know what.

He'd been running later than usual that morning and hadn't arrived with everyone else. When he got to the War Room, he could instantly feel the tension in the air, having clearly walked in on the aftermath of a less than pleasant conversation. His eyes had immediately found Riley, like they usually do whenever they're in the same room, wanting to see how she was dealing with whatever happened.

And then he'd made the mistake of asking what he missed.

Riley stared at him for a moment longer before shifting on her feet and looking away. Russ, Desi, and Bozer all avoided eye contact with him completely. Matty was the only one who had held his gaze, maybe because she was simply on a screen instead of there in person to deliver the blow.

In the back of his head, he knows it's only been a few minutes since the metaphorical bomb was dropped on him. But it feels like it's been an eternity.

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, Mac turns his whole body to face Riley. "I don't get it. Why are you leaving? What happened?"

She sighs, shifting on her feet. "Nothing happened, Mac. I just...I've outgrown my time at the Phoenix. I'm beyond grateful for everything this place has done for me, for everything you've done for me, but it's time for me to move on."

Mac shakes his head emphatically, taking a step toward her. "No. You're not done here, Riley. You're staying."

She leans back and raises a brow. "Whoa, okay. I didn't realize you got to make decisions about my life for me now."

He lets out a small huff of frustration, shifting on his feet. "I didn't...that's not what I meant. It's just that you seemed more than happy to stay with the Phoenix after we dealt with the nanobots and cut ties with the government. So saying that you're leaving doesn't make any sense."

She shrugs. "Stuff happens, Mac."

Mac turns his attention on Russ and Matty, raising a brow and letting his eyes move back and forth between them. "Aren't either of you going to do something to make her stay? You both know as well as I do that we need Riley here at the Phoenix. No one can do what she does and you're just letting her leave."

"Mac. Stop."

He turns back to Riley, his heart hammering inside his chest. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

She nods. "Yes, I am. I've made up my mind about this. I'm leaving the Phoenix."

Things are quiet, the tension that had been there when he first showed up has only grown in its intensity. And he hates it. He hates everything about this. He just wants to believe that it's some terrible dream he's going to wake up from, or that it's some cruel joke that everyone decided to play on him. He wants it to be anything but the truth.

When he focuses back on the present, he realizes that Riley is no longer standing in front of him and everyone else is staring. Spinning around, he makes a beeline for the door, stepping into the hallway in time to see Riley getting farther and farther away from him.

"Riley!" he shouts as he takes a few steps forward, watching as she stops. "You said I wouldn't ever be alone."

She slowly turns to face him but doesn't move any closer. "You're not alone, Mac. You've still got everyone else in there," she says, gesturing to the war room.

"But I won't have you," he says, taking a few more determined steps across the floor. "You told me, Riley," he pauses, swallowing thickly, "you told me that I was never going to lose you. You said that we're family forever. So why does it feel like you didn't mean any of it?" his voice nearly breaks when he asks her, his eyes tracking her face for a sign. He doesn't know exactly what he's looking for, though. Just something. Anything.

Riley's brows furrow tightly. "What? Of course, I meant it, Mac. Do you honestly think I'd say something like that to you and not mean it? We've been through way too much together for you to believe that."

Mac throws his hands up in the air. "I don't know what to believe anymore, Riley. I thought everything was fine. But now my best friend, the person I trust most in this world, is telling me that she's leaving. Did I do something? Is that what this is about? Because if I did something then I need you to tell me."

She shakes her head. "No, Mac, you didn't do anything."

Mac raises a brow at her. "Really? Then why was I the last to know about you leaving? You told everyone else at the same time but didn't even bother waiting for me to show up. And it wasn't even you who told me, it was Matty. So it sure as hell feels like I did something."

Riley sighs heavily, running a hand through her hair as she shifts on her feet. "Why does this even matter to you, Mac?"

"Because you matter to me, Riley!" he shouts, his frustration over the situation continuing to grow with each second that passes. "Because you mean the world to me. Because not having you here every day is going to suck. Because you're leaving me when you said that you never would. Because there are so many things that I want to say to you but I know it won't make a difference."

She takes a few steps toward him, raising her chin as if to challenge him. "Well, if it's not going to make a difference anyway, then maybe you should just say whatever else it is that you need to say so that I can leave because I—"

"It matters because I love you!" His chest is heaving and his eyes are brimming with tears as he watches her face carefully, taking in the way her eyes go wide and her breath catches. "I love you, Riley," he says a little softer this time, his brain latching on to the way her eyes start to fill with tears. "I have loved you for years, have thought so many times about how amazing it would feel to be with you. I never thought, though, not even for a second, that you'd love me back. But then Mexico City happened. And I found out that the woman I have been crazy about since I unlocked her handcuffs using a paperclip somehow had feelings for me too."

Riley swallows. "How come you didn't say any of that before?"

"I tried!" he shouts, letting out a humorless laugh and fighting to keep his tears at bay. "I wanted to talk to you, Riley, like we always do, to try and process everything. But if we weren't being interrupted, you were shutting the conversation down before it could go anywhere." He swallows, shifting a little on his feet. "And then on the plane you said you made your feelings go away. You made it very clear where you stood. I didn't know what I was supposed to do after that."

"Fight for me," she says, staring right back at him with her eyes full of unshed tears. "You were supposed to fight for me, Mac. If you actually wanted to be with me like you said, then you wouldn't have given up so easily, and you wouldn't have run right back to a relationship that I know you weren't really happy in. You would have tried to convince me that risking our friendship would have been worth it. But you didn't." A few tears slip down her cheeks. "You didn't fight, Mac."

His eyes go wide. "Seriously? How was I supposed to know that you wanted me to do that, Riley? You told me that your feelings went away. You agreed to keep that door closed. And I went along with it because I didn't want to make you uncomfortable or push you away. All of this is just as much on you as it is on me. You easily could have done something if you wanted to. But you didn't."

She breathes deeply and straightens her back. "No, I didn't. And it doesn't matter anymore."

He takes a small step forward. "Yes, it does, Riley."

"No, it doesn't!" she shouts, more tears falling from her eyes. "It's too late, Mac. Don't you see that? We missed our chance, over and over. And after I realized how hard I'd fallen for you, it just about killed me every time a new chance to be with you would slip away. Because I love you, Mac. I love you so much it hurts sometimes, and I know it would completely shatter me if we ended badly. I wouldn't survive that." She swallows thickly. "But these last few months I have finally been starting to get over you because I don't want to lose you. So just forget it, okay?" she asks, practically begging him. "Forget about your feelings, forget about me, just forget it." She lets out a heavy sigh as she wipes the tears off her face. "I'm tired of this, of all of it."

Watching her start to walk away, possibly for good, that's the moment he decides to finally throw all caution to the wind. She wanted him to do something, she wanted him to fight for her, so that's what he's going to do.

Striding the length of the hallway as fast as he can, he doesn't hesitate even for a moment when he reaches her. He grabs her wrist and spins her around quickly, pulling her closer until there's barely any space left between their bodies. His free hand immediately finds its way to the base of her neck, tilting her head back as their lips finally collide together. Kissing her is everything he's ever dreamed it would be and so much more. He doesn't know if he can find the words to describe how it feels. Just that it's exactly what he's known he's wanted for a very long time.

Breaking away for just a moment to breathe, he keeps his eyes closed, gently touching his forehead to hers. "Don't say it's too late."

"Mac…" she breathes out.

Releasing her wrist, he moves his hand just enough to grab hers, lacing their fingers together and squeezing gently. "Asking me to forget about you is asking me to do the impossible. I can't forget about you, Riles. You are always there, in every single part of my mind, you're right there. So don't ask me to forget about my feelings for you. Because I can't do it."

Before he has a chance to open his eyes and gauge her reaction, Riley's kissing him back. Her free hand is gripping tightly to the front of his shirt and her lips are moving perfectly in sync with his, her mouth falling open easily, allowing their kiss to deepen. He's not at all surprised by their synchronicity once his brain registers what's happening. They're so in sync in so many other aspects of their life, so why not here too? It just makes sense.

A soft moan from the woman in his arms pulls him out of his thoughts and spurs him on. Desperate to hear that sound again, he moves them across the floor to the nearest wall and uses his whole body to hold Riley against it. He moves their joined hands above their heads and against the wall, the action bringing their bodies even closer together; he needs to be as close as he can get to her. He's wasted too much time already not acting on his feelings. He doesn't want to waste any more.

He lets his hand fall from her neck to her hip at the same time hers moves from his shirt to his hair, a groan escaping when her fingernails run over his scalp. The sensation has him pushing his hips further into hers which has her moaning again, and he smiles proudly against her lips.

Everything about this moment is almost perfect. Because as soon as his brain catches up, it reminds him that they're still in the middle of one of the Phoenix hallways. Where anyone can see them, whether by walking past or checking the video footage later.

Just as quickly as he'd started kissing her, he stops. He pulls back just enough to look at her, taking in her parted lips and flushed cheeks, his own hunger and desire for her reflected back at him through her darkened eyes.

He lets out a breath and rests his forehead against hers, releasing her hand so he can settle both of his on her hips. His eyes flutter closed. "That's not how I thought our first kiss would happen."

She laughs quietly, but there's very little humor in it. "I know. But at least it finally happened."

"Yeah," he says breathlessly. He takes a small step back and then gently tugs her forward by her hips, letting his arms snake around her waist to hold her in place. He would smile like there's no tomorrow when her arms wrap around him if the heaviness of the situation wasn't weighing down on him.

He tightens his arms around her as he buries his face in the crook of her neck, breathing deeply and slowly, the familiar scent of coconut filling his senses. He always does his best to commit to memory every moment where he has her in his arms. Even the quiet ones like this. He doesn't want any of them to disappear. Doesn't want her to disappear.

"Stay," he eventually whispers so he doesn't risk his voice breaking, his arms tightening a little more around her. "Don't go, Riley. Please. Just stay."

She works her way out of his hold and he instantly misses her warmth, turning toward her as she moves away from the wall. She smiles sadly at him. "I can't, Mac. I'm so sorry." She rises on her toes to press a lingering kiss to his cheek, her hands finding his and giving them a gentle squeeze.

He has to fight back the urge to yell and scream when he sees her slowly backing away from him down the hall. It takes every ounce of willpower that his entire body contains not to chase after her when she turns and steps through that door. They finally gave in to their feelings, finally acted on everything they've both been trying to fight for so long, and now he's losing her. Before he even had a chance to really have her.

He was wrong all those times before when he thought his world was crumbling and falling apart at his feet. Because his entire world just walked away from him. And, as a single tear rolls down his cheek, he fears that he might never get her back.

So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I don't know why, I just love their idea of their first fight/first kiss being in the middle of a Phoenix hallway.
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Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!