A/N: Not mine, so don't sue me. ^_^

*************

Sara rolled onto her side and woke with the shock of feeling someone next to her. Pushing her hair out of her eyes Sara looked over at Gabriel who was sleeping on his stomack, his hair messed and covering much of his bruised face.

Moving carefully Sara snuggled up to Gabriel's side and watched him sleep.

'What would I do without you?' Sara thought as she tugged her sleeve away from her hand so she could gently touch the side of his face.

He moved into her touch and opened his eyes slowly, "Good morning." Gabriel said with a small smile.

"Mornin'." Sara ran her thumb over his jaw line and smiled, "You look like hell."

"Well, it's nice to see you too." he laughed but stopped with a wince, "Oh, right. I was hoping it had been a dream."

"I wish it had been." Sara kissed him soundly before climbing out of bed.

"Are you headed to work?" Gabriel asked as he stretched carefully.

"Yea, but if you want to hang around I get off at noon today." Sara began shifting through her closet for a clean shirt. The on she had on was as rumpled and uncomfortable as the jeans she had also slept in.

"As long as I can use your shower." He winced and sat up slowly.

"Make yourself at home." Sara ducked into the bathroom and washed up quickly before getting dressed.

When she returned to the bedroom Gabriel was still just sitting there on the edge of her bed.

"Are you ok?" Sara asked in concern.

"I need some of those pain killers the docter gave me last night before I attempt anything." he sighed, "Now I know what you ment by hating the 'helpless' feeling."

Sara found the perscription bottle in Gabriel's coat pocket and brought it to him with a large glass of water.

"Take a shower or nap or whatever but be carefull and call me if you need me. I'll be back in no time. Today is training day for the rookies and Danny decided to sigh Jake up instead of me so I have a short work day."

Gabriel laughed quietly as he shook his head, "I'm sure Jake appreciated that."

"You have no idea." Sara laughed kissing his forehead as he closed his eyes and took her hands, "Just be carefull."

"Same to you chief." Gabriel kissed the corner of her mouth before letting her go.

*************

The station was buzzing with activity as Sara pushed her way to the door of the office she shared with Danny and Jake.

"Damn it!" Sara nearly yelled when she was bumped from behind causing coffee from her paper cup to spill down the frontof her light colored shirt.

"Sorry, Petz-ini." Dante smiled down at her, "I didn't see you there."

"Not a problem, Cap." Sara forced out a smile, "It happens to the best of us."

"You could say that again." he smiled his annoyingly smug smile at her and opened the office door for her.

"Thanks." she muttered and hurried inside.

Danny and Jake were waiting for her.

"What?" Sara asked when she was met by silence.

"We heard about last night." Jake said as Sara attempted to wipe some of the coffee off of her pale blue shirt.

"And?" she asked not really paying attention.

"How's Gabriel?" Danny asked causing Sara's head to snap up.

"In pain but good. Why?" she asked almost dreading the next sentence.

"He was able to walk away from it, right?" Jake asked and Sara nodded, "Well, the guy in the red car died before he reached the hospital and another died in the night."

"The third?" She asked.

"Will be going home within the week." Danny looked up at her for a moment then sighed, "We were afraid that Gabriel was really hurt."

"He wasn't" Sara looked from one man to the other, "He's sore, yes but not on his death bed or anything."

"Good." Danny smiled, "I don't want you to get hurt again."

"Gabriel would never hurt me, Danny." Sara smiled in relief. They were only worrying again. Nothing big....at least not this time.

"He better not." Danny looked out at the confusion and sighed, "Were you scared?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. I was on the phone with him when it happened."

"Really?" Jake looked up from the file he held.

"Yeah, I never want to go through anything like that again." Sara plopped down behind her desk and with a grin asked, "So, Jakey, ya ready for the lecture on training today?"

"You just had to say it, didn't you?" he groaned.

"Of course." she smiled. Picking on Jake was always fun.

**************

The pain medication had Gabriel snoring before Sara had closed the door and he didn't wake for three hours. When he finaly managed to shake the sleepiness and groggy feeling he took a hot shower. The water felt wonderfull on his tight, abused muscles and for a few minutes he just stood there letting the water beat against his back and sholders. He hadn't felt this horrible since that time he and Sara had been chased down. Gabriel had been caught then beaten for information he didn't know.

Once out of the shower he realized that he couldn't wear the clothes he had worn the day before due to the fact that not only had he slept in them but his shirt had blood all over it.

Wrapping a towel around his waist Gabriel grabbed the phone and called up a friend.

"Sly?..Yeah. man, could you do me a favor?....Yeah, you see-"

Sly had always been a good friend and Gabriel knew he could trust the guy with just about anything. True, Sly could be a bit....out there but he was loyal and that's what counted. Once Gabriel had finished telling him about the events of the night before Sly was all too willing to help his friend out.

Within the hour the buzzer sounded annoucing Sly's arrival with Gabriel's clothes.

"You are a life saver, man. Thanks." Gabriel took the bag his friend handed him and headed for the bathroom, "I'm a bit too doped up to try to make it down the stairs. Not to mention I would have had to walk back to my place with a shirt covered in dried blood looking like some sycho killer."

Opening the bag Gabriel found just about everything he could have possibly thought of wanting. His lap top was even in there with a few cd's.

"You're just lucky I was home." Sly said as he looked around Sara's loft, "By the way, who owns this place?"

"My friend Sara. She's a homicide detective." Gabriel replied as he dressed carefully.

"Wow. You're friends with a cop?" Sly laughed, "Wouldn't your mother be proud!"

"I would never hear the end of it." Gabriel came back out into the living room a few miutes later fully dressed, "She'd want to know why I had never dated a girl like that before."

"Dated?" Sly looked over at his friend with one eyebrow up, "Are dating this cop?"

Gabriel shrugged, "I guess. I mean, I like her a lot."

Sly just shook his head before gently hitting Gabriel's sholder, "I gotta get going. Lots more to do."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks again for bringing me my clothes." Gabriel laughed when he realized how odd that sounded, "You know what I mean."

"Yeah." Sly laughed, "I'll see ya around."

"Yeah, bye."

*************

Sara opened the door to her loft and smiled when she was met by loud music.

"Gabriel?" she called out when she didn't find him in the livingroom, "Where are you?"

"I'm in your room." came the reply and Sara smiled and took her jacket off before heading to the back room where she usually slept.

Gabriel lay across her bed horizontaly with his lap top out and a half eaten sandwich beside him.

"How are you feeling?" Sara asked as she sat next to him and ran her fingers through his dark curles.

"That's the thing," he laughed "I don't feel. Not a thing."

"So the meds. are working?" Sara smiled as he looked up at her.

"Yup." he nodded and then gestered to his shirt, "Sly even brought me some clean clothes not too long ago."

"That was nice."

"Sure was." Gabriel nodded again and then frowned, "I just don't like this feeling of floating."

Sara bit back a laugh as she kissed his cheek and then his lips, "That happens."

**************

Gagbriel was amusing all afternoon and not just because of the pain killers but because he was just happy to be there with Sara. It was wonderfull not having to worry about the other having to get back to work or answer a phone call.

They watched movies and Gabriel played with Sara's hair while they snuggled on the couch like he had planned on doing the night before and even learned that she has a fear of spiders.

"They just have too many legs." she said with a small embarrassed smile after her confession, "I've never really told anyone other than Danny that."

"Your secret's safe with me." he laughed.

"What do you fear, Gabriel?" Sara asked seriously as she rested her head on his colar bone.

"Dying and realizing that I was never truly alive." he replied quietly but without hesitation.

"Do you feel alive?" she looked up at him, the movie forgotten.

"I do when I'm with you."

*************

A/N: As always, please review. ^_^