Hello everybody!

Here's chapter twelve!

Enjoy your reading!

Pavs.

Chapter Twelve: Will You Be There to Catch Me When I Fall?

[Tool's]

Tool was finishing his coffee with a smile on his lips. He then heard the elevator and saw Gabrielle soon after. His smile grew bigger.

''You know, next time you can tell Gunnar to close his window,'' he said, and Gabrielle blushed. ''At least it was nice from what I heard…''

''TOOL!'' Gabrielle said loudly as the blood drained from her face.

Tool laughed and motioned for her to join him at his work table.

''At least she ain't saying 'Gunnar' now,'' Toll commented while he came out of the office.

Gabrielle threw a pencil at him, and both the men laughed.

''So, now that I got the message about me being loud. I actually came to ask you something,'' Gabrielle said to Tool.

''And what can I do for you darling?'' the man replied.

''What you do best, a tattoo,'' she said, and Toll looked at her, his interest piqued.

''Do you know what you want?'' Tool asked.

''No, but I trust you to…I want to hide my scars on my thighs, and I know that I won't want to…I'll want it to stay intact so, you know?'' she explained, and Tool felt his heart melt.

''I'll help you sweetheart. Don't worry about that,'' Tool promised before he added with enthusiasm. ''So, I get to do what I want?''

''Of course. You're very talented after all,'' she said, and Toll shook his head.

''Wow, he'll never shut up about it after that,'' he said before he smiled at Gabrielle. ''I am glad you asked for help you know.''

''Thank you, both of you,'' She said, and Toll nodded.

As for Tool, he began his work.

.

''So, we're done with the outlines. Let's take a break before I get started on the colors,'' Tool said after about two and a half hours of work.

''It looks great,'' Barney said, and they both turned to look at him. ''Look Gabrielle I…I thought about it. Hell, I haven't slept. I spent enough time away from you, I want to get to know you, and I don't want you to be scared to talk to me.''

''I love him,'' Gabrielle answered with a shaking voice, surprising both Tool and Toll with her blunt statement.

They knew she liked Gunnar, but love was another matter.

''I can see that,'' Barney noted, trying his best not to protest. '' And I might not like it, but I want you to be happy. I love you too, no matter what will happen or what you've been through.''

Gabrielle got up and hugged him.

''Thank you,'' she said, and Barney sighed.

''You don't have to thank me, my love for you isn't conditional,'' Barney promised, and Gabrielle couldn't stop the sobs.

She hadn't seen them coming either. It was like his words had made her aware of some of her deepest scars. It was painful to think about it again, and she felt her father holding her tighter against him.

''I love you, Dad,'' she managed to say. ''And it ain't conditional for me either.''

Barney understood her reaction a little too well, and so he kept holding her until she was ready to let go. He then wiped the tears off her eyes, and Gabrielle went back to Tool's tattoo bike.

''So, you're ready for part two?'' Tool asked with a soft voice, and she nodded.

''Impress me,'' she shot back at him with a smile, and Toll laughed.

Barney looked at her smile and let himself relax a little. He might not like her relationship with Gunnar, but he loved her smile.

And he could still shoot the man if need be.

[Gunnar]

He was proud of himself. He looked one last time at the set up in the hangar and got in his truck to go and get Gabrielle, leaving an amused Yang behind him.

.

Gunnar saw Gabrielle looking at her new tattoo in the mirror, and he smiled. She turned to Tool who looked proud as hell of his work. It was beautiful after all, and Jensen hadn't missed the meaning of where she got tattooed.

''Hey Gunnar, you're still alive?'' Toll teased, and then he noticed Barney looking at him with a neutral expression on his face.

Gunnar was about to answer when Gabrielle looked at him and smiled. He loved her smile. He didn't even notice, nor cared, that he looked at her like she was everything in front of everybody. She was his; the rest of the world could fuck off.

[Tool's]

''Wow, she really got him on his knees,'' Toll whispered to Tool, and the artist nodded.

''Hey, how was your day?'' Gabrielle asked while she walked towards Jensen.

Once she got close enough, she kissed him briefly on the lips, and Gunnar put his arms around her.

''Great. I got a surprise for you," he answered.

He could tell that she was dying to know what it was. He let one of his hands wonder towards her ass before he heard Barney's cough. Gabrielle felt the heat rising to her cheeks and let go of him. Tool snickered while Barney tried to look as if Gunnar had done nothing.

''Well, Yang is waiting for us at the hangar. You're all welcome to join us,'' Gunnar said, and Gabrielle offered him a suspicious look.

He wasn't one to seek out attention. She wasn't the only one to notice it, and so they all made their way to the hangar.

[Barney's Hangar]

''You've got to be shitting me,'' Gabrielle said while Yang looked at her with an amused smile.

''I told you she would react this way,'' he commented, and Gabrielle looked at Gunnar like she might actually kill him.

''There are only so many firsts,'' Gunnar justified, and Gabrielle rolled her eyes.

She then went to turn off the camera.

''How about we just live the moment then?'' she said, and Toll, Tool and Barney took a seat.

''Well, she's got your temper.'' Tool said to Barney while Gabrielle decided to ignore Gunnar, and Toll laughed.

''You just noticed?'' Road said while Gabrielle talked to Yang about the basics.

She then got on the bike and managed to start the engine with Yang's help.

''Be careful, the reason she's my old bike is because she's sensitive,'' Yang said, and Gabrielle nodded before she took off.

Way too fast.

She fell off the bike, and Barney ran to her.

''Are you hurt!?'' he asked her, and she sighed.

''Yeah, my ego is fucked,'' Gabrielle replied, and Barney caught himself chuckling.

He helped her back on her feet while Gunnar took care of the bike.

''Scene one, take two,'' she said, and the giant hesitated for one second before he helped her back on the bike.

''Be careful, princess,'' he said, and she smiled at him.

''I got this,'' Yang interrupted before he got on the bike behind Gabrielle. ''This time we will try to go easier.''

Gabrielle restarted the engine and managed to go in a straight line.

''Try and slow down,'' Yang suggested, and Gabrielle panicked.

''How?!'' she asked seconds before she lost control.

They fell off the bike, and Gabrielle felt a sharp pain on her side. She looked on her right and saw Yang struggling to get up. The pain kept her from breathing normally, and one look at herself told her why.

[Yang]

They got up as fast as they could, including Yang. While the man had definitely had seen better days, he knew he would be fine. The same could not be said about Gabrielle. He was about to go and get the medical supplies when Toll saw him.

''Sit the fuck down, Yang, I'll go get this. You might be hurt too,'' Toll ordered, and Yang did so, surprised by his friend's tone.

He hadn't had a good look at the girl, but from Toll's reaction and the way Tool ran to get the truck, it couldn't be a good sign.

Then he saw Gunnar's reaction, and he felt like the apocalypse might just happen in seconds. And that they weren't ready for it.

[Gunnar]

He didn't think he ever ran that fast before, but even then, she'd already lost a lot of blood. He felt his heart miss a beat when he saw just how deep one of the debris had gotten into her belly. Then he did something he never had before.

He froze.

He could see Barney trying to put pressure around the wound to stop the bleeding, he could hear Toll trying to calm both the father and daughter down, he could smell the truck that Tool drove close to them, but he did nothing.

He just couldn't.

He was terrified.

[Barney]

Barney was watching Gabrielle sleep while Tool had gone to see if both Yang and Gunnar were ok. He was focusing so much on her breathing that he almost jumped out of his chair when Hale knocked at the door. The man came in and offered him a bag of food.

''I came as fast as I could,'' Caesar said before he looked at her. ''How is she?''

''Stable, for now. There was motor oil in her wound and she reacted badly to it so…It could go either way…'' Barney said with a broken voice.

''She'll be fine,'' Hale assured him while trying to convince himself too. ''She's too stubborn to give up like that.''

''Thanks Hale,'' Barney said, and his friend nodded before he went out.

As the door had been closing behind Caesar, something hit Barney: what the hell did he mean as fast as he could?

[Tool]

He'd looked everywhere after he'd called Hale for help. Gunnar was nowhere to be found. So, he sat with Yang in his hospital room, waiting for the doctor to clear him so they could get out.

''I just came from Gabrielle's room and left Barney some food. Thought you could use some too.'' Hale said while entering.

''How is she?'' Tool asked, and Hale sighed.

''It's looking bad, infected in fact,'' Caesar answered, and Tool got up off his seat.

''I gotta go…just…take care Yang. I'll be back,'' he said, and both Yang and Hale shared a worried look.

[Tool's]

Christmas had just come in his room from a long day of being begged by Lacy to forgive her. Hell, he was about to until she told him that they could arrange things so that he wouldn't have to be a mercenary anymore. He knew right there and then that she would never truly love him. And worse, that he loved his job more than her.

He heard someone coming from the staircase, then Toll's door banging against the wall and frowned. This wasn't normal. He went to ask him what was going on and came face to face with him. He had his shirt put on backward, a vest in his bloody hand and traces of blood on his face.

''What the hell?'' he asked, and Toll put on his vest.

''Gabrielle had a bike accident and Gunnar's missing. She's in the ICU at Parish's, and I am going to find Jensen,'' Toll explained.

Lee felt his heart stop.

''Gabrielle…'' he began before he realized. ''Jensen is missing? Why?''

''Shock,'' Toll answered, and Lee looked at him with incomprehension written on his face.

''Say that again?'' Lee asked while he felt the fear rising in him. ''Just how bad was it for him to be scared?''

He'd said it aloud without noticing it.

Toll didn't know what to say. After all, it was worrying him as well.

[Barney]

Nobody knew just where the hell Gunnar was. That's what he'd been told by text message anyway. Barney was still at the hospital, and Tool hadn't been back since he left Yang. The rest of them, including Yang, who had been given the all clear, were in Tool's tattoo parlor, waiting for him to give them some news.

But there was none, and he kept looking at his daughter like her life depended on it. He didn't even look at the doorway when he heard steps. It probably was the nurse, looking at him with pity in her eyes.

''Is she ok?'' Gunnar asked, his voice so weak and broken that Barney almost didn't understand what he said.

But he did get up from his chair and turned to look at him. His anger faded as soon as he looked Jensen in the eyes. The fear, the vulnerability, the guilt…Barney had never seen him like that, and there wasn't much that he hadn't seen from the guy.

Gunnar kept looking at him for an answer, and Barney was rendered speechless. The blonde then looked at Gabrielle and got closer to her. Barney could see the silent tears rolling down his cheeks, and he felt like something was keeping him from breathing. He needed to vent; this was too much. Even for him, the legendary Barney Ross.

''Can you?'' he managed to ask, and Gunnar nodded.

Barney was out seconds later.

[Tool's]

They hadn't been talking much, even when Tool had come back. It was almost midnight, and there still wasn't any news. Then they heard Barney's truck in the driveway.

Anything they were about to say died on their lips the moment they saw him. He was crying, which was frightening on its own, and looked like he couldn't breathe properly.

''She's not…'' Hale tried to ask as the words faltered.

''She's with Gunnar,'' Barney said, and Lee looked like he was about to kill someone.

But Christmas was just intelligent enough to know that now wasn't the time. He also had a feeling that there was more to it.

''She's still stable. The meds are working, and she should be making progress soon. I…I am taking a shower and then I'll be going back.''

''You still got clothes upstairs,'' Tool said while pointing out Barney's bloody shirt.

The man looked at it and felt numb.

''Barney?'' Christmas asked, deeply concerned.

''She was bleeding,'' he began with an almost automated voice. '' There was so much blood. And the guilt, the fear…it was too much. He was crying you know? I thought she was a phase, I thought he was scared of my reaction after all this mess. I was so mad, and he looked so guilty. I wanted it to be his fault, but it was an accident. It was…she almost…''

''Come here, we're going to wash you up,'' Tool offered when Barney couldn't go on, and Barney followed him without question.

.

They stayed in the parlor long after Tool went back to the hospital with Barney. They stayed so long, in fact, that they finally saw Gunnar in the doorway. He had dark circles under his eyes, and they could tell he'd been crying.

Christmas could now tell why Barney had been so shaken. He'd never seen Jensen looking like that. Hell, that probably was why Ross had finally lost it. The giant let himself fall on the couch and took his head in his hands.

''Gunnar?'' Toll tried with what resembled a soft voice.

''She's uh…she's going to be ok. I…I had to make sure. But she'll be fine,'' he said before looking at them with an almost desperate look on his face. ''She's got to be, right?''

And while they nodded to answer him, they could only hope it was true. But there was something they could be sure of: Gunnar could never, ever let her go.