A/N: I got such a nice response from the last chapter! Gosh you guys are sweet. I even saw that somebody shared the link to chapter one on Tumblr, and I wanted to jump up and down 'cause I was so excited! So, I just had to write this fluffy chapter real quick. I don't think I've ever updated this quickly!

Disclaimer: Really? You think CBS would be this fluffy? I'll own this the day they pay me.

Rated – T

Chapter Nine - Kissing

Riley's head was still in her hands when Gabriel pulled her quickly but gently towards Officer Bates' squad car.

How could she be so thick as to trudge right through poison ivy? Riley thought to , she was an avid outdoorswoman, she should know better. For all the years she'd been camping, she never once made a mistake as stupid as this.

She must have been just completely distracted by something. Riley thought back on the conversation she was having with her partner… What had they been talking about?

Her eyes widened and she realized what it was. She almost stopped where she stood, but Gabriel was moving her at such a pace that she knew she would fall if she did. Riley did clench her fingers into a fist, though. Boy was he going to be in trouble, she thought, seething internally.

The partners were in a half-jog to catch up with Sally before she pulled out. When she saw them, she frowned in concern. "Is something wrong?" she called after rolling her window down.

"Can you call back one of the medics and send them to our Cabin, please?" Gabriel almost looked livid, but Riley could see that the anger was actually fright. But why was he scared? Continuing, he explained, "Riley accidently walked through some poison ivy, so I'd like to have her checked out, please."

He left Officer Bates with her mouth hanging open, not waiting for an answer. He hurried with Riley over to their car, expression hardening. Something else must be bothering him. She was determined to ask him once they started down the road.

"What's wrong with you?" Riley asked as they pulled out. She was supposed to be the annoyed one here. Her legs didn't really feel any different, but she knew the oils from the plant were probably all over them by now. She hoped the medic had lots of experience treating this sort of thing.

He scoffed. "Me? What about you? I thought you knew all about the outdoors, yet I'm the one who noticed you stepping in a poisonous plant before you did," he grouched. He knew it wasn't her fault, but he couldn't help but be frustrated.

"Excuse me?" Riley seethed. "You're acting like this is my fault? This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't tried kissing me again!"

"So it's my fault now?"

"Well, I'm not saying it isn't. You've been trying to get a rise out of me all day! Don't even try denying it," she said when it looked like he was going to.

"Oh, come on. You kissed me back, and besides, I was doing that to keep up with our cover," he said, ignoring her accusation. "I don't see what that has to do with you stepping through –"

"You distracted me!" Riley nearly shouted, cutting him off. "How do you expect me to focus when you completely distract me by kissing me senseless and holding hands all day and-"

She broke off suddenly, aware that she'd said too much. Taking a deep breath, she added, "Oh, you know what I mean." Stealing a quick glance at him, she furrowed her brow because Gabriel was hiding a smile.

"Didn't know I was that great of a kisser," he chuckled quietly. He noted a faint blush on her cheeks and stopped smiling, though. "I'm sorry. You're completely right."

"About what?" Riley waited.

"I haven't been terribly professional at all." Gabriel gave her a small smile that stirred something inside her.

"Darn right." Riley nodded, relieved that he'd agreed with her on one thing. "But I haven't tried my best to ignore you, either."

Gabriel just let out a quick laugh. The conversation might have been slightly awkward, but it was revealing. At least they'd stopped fighting somewhat. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's just that, well I'm worried, that, you know…"

"Yeah?"

"If you get too sick, we might have to leave the cabin earlier than expected," he said somewhat solemnly. She was surprised and looked over at his forlorn expression. His eyes were determinedly looking ahead at the road. Maybe he was just as eager to prolong their stay as she was.

Why did it suddenly feel like butterflies were invading her stomach? She took a deep breath, but all she could reply with was, "Oh."

It seemed to greatly contrast with the thoughts swirling wildly in her mind, threatening to spill out in protest at them leaving. Dammit, she wasn't going to let one stupid mistake ruin their vacation. She would pull through, somehow. She put a hand over his quickly and poured sincerity into her voice when she told him, "I'm really sorry Gabriel."

He shook his head and entwined her hand with his, holding it there for a moment longer. "Don't apologize. I wish you weren't hurt."

He lifted his hand off hers, trying to respect her wished for once. It had been his fault for distracting her, and he knew it. And, it ate at him that it had actually caused her harm", and he wasn't the least bit proud of himself. He glanced over at her to find Riley watching him with worried eyes. He felt a pang in his chest when he realized she was probably trying to hide the fact that she was a bit scared about her own condition.

They soon pulled up to the cabin and Gabriel guided Riley inside, going straight to the bathroom. "Sit here," he'd instructed, pointing to the tub edge as he left to go to the kitchen. Gabriel returned with rubbing alcohol and a washcloth that he'd gotten from the linen closet. "If it makes you feel better, I've just become an expert in treating poison ivy, thanks to the chip," he said, smiling at her.

"That's very reassuring," Riley said with a breath of relief, not a hint of sarcasm in her voice. It was touching to see he was going so far to help her. "You really do care about me a little bit," she absentmindedly remarked.

Gabriel held her gaze for a moment before replying. "Of course." He started opening the alcohol and soaking the washcloth with it. "Can you take off your shoes and socks?"

She did as she was asked and hung her legs over the side of the tub as he turned towards her. His eyes widened suddenly as he realized something. "Wait! Did you touch the affected area?"

Riley swallowed. "I might have. I don't know exactly where the ivy got me, but my hands did graze my legs when I removed my shoes," she said worriedly.

Gabriel swore and briefly closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. The oil from the plant spreads easily, so you probably have it on your hands, now." He bent down with the washcloth in hand. "I'm going to have to wash your legs with this, now. Try not to touch anything else, okay?"

Riley swore under her breath, too. "As if I didn't think I could make the situation worse," she sighed. She really wanted to cross her arms, but her hands hung awkwardly away from any exposed skin she might accidentally touch. "How come you're washing my legs with rubbing alcohol?"

He'd started gently washing her ankles off with the stuff, using the cloth as a barrier between his skin and hers. "This stops the spread of what you got on your legs. Is it itching yet?" Gabriel looked up at her.

"Nope," was all she could get out. The gentle way he was treating her gave her a funny feeling in her chest again. He was medically helping her out though, so she shouldn't have found his gesture the least bit intimate.

This day had been wild for both of them. First they woke up together, tangled up under the sheets, and had kissed each other so thoroughly that Riley had almost thought that they would be staying in bed all day. She blushed at the thought. After extracting themselves from one another, they had come together yet again and cuddled on the couch for half the day. They'd shared another kiss under the guise of being a married couple to spectators watching the search party commence, and now Gabriel was taking care of Riley with a tender touch.

How Riley had survived the day, she didn't know. The problem was, she hadn't really been annoyed with anything Gabriel had done to her. In fact, Riley was having trouble admitting to herself that the day had been, dare she say, one of the best in respect to spending time with him. She frowned for a moment at her traitorous thoughts.

Riley hadn't realized that Gabriel had finished washing her ankles and was now reaching for her hands. She held them out to his awaiting, cloth-covered hands, and he gently took them, massaging them to rid her skin of any of the poisonous oils it might contain. She was enjoying the feeling immensely, and her earlier frown was quickly replaced when she thought of them on the couch again. She laughed quietly to herself.

"What is it?" he asked, pausing to hold her hands steady in his. His eyes met her mirth-filled ones.

"Did you know you sleep talk?" she chuckled, raising her eyebrows in question. She knew she shouldn't tease him, but his funny habit was, for some reason, extremely entertaining to her at the moment.

Gabriel immediately frowned and squinted at her. "No way. You're making that up,"

"I'm not."

"That's ridiculous. If I did sleep talk, then what… What did I say?" He seemed almost fearful.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes, actually, I would."

Riley giggled. "Nah, it's a secret between me and Sleep Gabriel."

"Oh come on, stop trying to be cute," Gabriel glowered at her.

"You think I'm cute?" Riley asked with a mock tilt of her head. "Aw, that's sweet, Gabriel."

"It doesn't matter how cute you are. Just tell me what I said!" he pleaded.

But Riley was in full teasing mode. "Well, I'm pretty sure you just confirmed that you find me cute," she pointed out.

Gabriel moved closer to her in warning. "Alright, let's just get it out of the way then. Yes, you're adorable." His eyes roamed her face thoughtfully. "But unless I told you that when I was sleeping, I don't see how that's relevant."

She was smiling shyly, if not a little victoriously. Her stomach had butterflies in them again. Gabriel was making her feel giddy again, and she laughed as he rolled his eyes, embarrassed at his own admission. "Well, that's not quite what you said."

"You're never going to tell me, are you?" He sighed in defeat and dropped her hands, now clean. It was bothering him because he wasn't sure he wanted her to know what he'd been dreaming about. While he'd been sleeping, Gabriel had been graphically envisioning the partners picking up where they'd left off in bed that morning. He'd removed her shirt and ignored the knocking at the door in his dream, taking Riley further than they'd ever gone before. Her kisses had been drugging and Gabriel was completely absorbed in her, shocked and sad to realize that it'd only been a dream. The only thing that made waking up okay was that she was still on the couch with him, pressed up tightly in his warm embrace.

"Maybe I will, someday," she teased. Riley smiled sweetly at Gabriel. She was thinking about how he'd admitted to loving kissing her, but she couldn't tell him she knew. Otherwise, he might start making out with her again, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop him. It wasn't like her opinions varied from his.

He gave a very slight shove to her shoulder in fake annoyance. He turned from Riley to turn on the tub water. "I can't believe I'm helping you when you're being so mean," he gave her a mock glare and helped her scoot forward to run her ankles and hands under the cool water. "I tell you what, you are lucky to have me."

She simply replied, "I know." The words were sincerely spoken, which Gabriel confirmed when he looked her in the eyes. They actually were quite close again, and so Gabriel hung an arm around her as Riley finished rinsing her ankles. It was almost like a hug, but not quite. It felt more like he was holding her.

Gabriel left her side to get a towel to put on the bed. He came back to the tub and, careful to avoid her affected limbs, picked her up fireman style. One of Riley's elbow was hooked around his shoulders, and he lifted her up with ease. He could tell she was about to speak up, so he twisted his head so that it was a few inches from hers as they moved out of the bathroom.

Her breath had caught in her throat, and she struggled to remember what she was going to say. "Is this necessary?" she breathed against his mouth. They weren't quite that close to each other, but her warm breath still washed over his cheek anyhow.

"I'm not sure if the rubbing alcohol stopped the spread of the oils completely. They might have washed down to the bottom of your feet, and I don't want you to track the stuff all over the floor," he quietly replied, unnerved by her nearness. God, she was beautiful.

He sent her gently down against the propped up pillows and on top of the strategically placed towel. Before letting her go, she reached up to give him a gentle kiss on the cheek. He tightened his grip on her inadvertently. "What was that for?"

"For being sweet to me. You're a really great partner, you know that?" She was looking at him with admiration, giving up the pretense that she didn't love his close presence.

It was taking a lot of effort on his part not to kiss her back roughly, so he settled for a lingering peck to the side of her mouth. "I'd like to return that sentiment."

"I'm glad we agree."

"Good." A sudden brilliant thought crossed his mind. "Now, I hate to tell you this, but I think the medic I asked for is going to be here soon, so I'm going to have to go open the door." He saw her smile lessen just a fraction as he finally released his tight grip on her and instead sat next to her on the bed. "And, we're going to have to remember that we're expected to be married, so you might have to hold my hand again."

Gabriel could've sworn he saw her eyes darken, and her smile had fully returned. "I guess I'll have to live with it." She lifted off the pillows and sat straighter up, which lessened the difference between them greatly. "Do what you have to do, I'll survive."

He caught a glimpse of merriment in her green depths and returned it. He glanced out the window when some movement caught his attention, and saw that the ambulance was pulling up with a singular medic. Riley was still in his personal space though, so he turned his attention back to her while waiting for the medic to approach the door.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He placed a hand on her cheek. At her small nod, Gabriel moved his hand into her soft brown locks and brought her eyes up to his. "Are you ready to play it up, Mrs. Vaughn?"

If it was possible, her pupils dilated even further.

"Let's do this," her husky voice replied. He wasn't sure if she was referring to pretending to be his wife or the fact that she couldn't tear her eyes away from his. Gabriel wasn't surprised that he found himself leaning forwards.

Riley met him halfway, resting her forehead against his. Gabriel leaned impossibly closer and whispered against her mouth, "Gotta practice, right?"

"Right," she answered, enjoying the way he didn't wait before pushing past her lips. It hadn't been barely an hour since they'd last been this close, but she found herself missing his touch. His hand, still tangled in her curls, tilted her head so that Gabriel could take the kiss deeper.

Preoccupied with the things Gabriel was doing to her mouth, Riley started moving her hands up to bring him closer. He dropped his hands from her hair, ready for the movement and pinned her forearms against the headboard of the bed so that she wouldn't spread the poisonous oils onto his skin. He followed her with his mouth when she came to rest back down against the propped pillows.

Riley's heart rate was sky-rocketing. The way her arms were pinned up was somehow making the kiss unbelievably hotter. Gabriel could do anything he wished with her at this point, and she had little power to stop him.

Not that she wanted to. Not even a little.

He didn't want to stop either apparently, because he wasn't even close to moving from her by the time they heard a knock on the door. Riley wasn't making it easy to leave anyway; she'd captured his upper lip and was running her tongue over it, crushing his resolve to get up. However, he didn't want her to be feeling the effects of the poison later, so he slowed the kiss as much as he could and spoke against her mouth.

"Good practice, darling." His voice sounded a bit strangled, but he couldn't deny how glad he was for the reason behind it. He lingered in their personal bubble until another knock sounded. Her eyes were dark and sparkling. Why did their perfect moments always get interrupted?

"Same to you, honey," she said nonchalantly, but bit her lip. When chalked up to the excuse of protecting their cover stories, she had a much easier time kissing him. Not that they really had an audience at the moment, but she felt less hindered anyway. And good god, was it worth it.

Gabriel extracted himself from her and let her arms down. "We'll continue later, eh?" he remarked with a wink at her.

She didn't reply but wordlessly watched him move out of the room. It seemed like the same old Gabriel, but something was different about him. His steps were lighter and his whole demeanor had changed in general. Maybe he was as greatly affected by her kisses as she was by him. What a love story.

Riley's smile tightened. She had to stop thinking this was love. Didn't she? He'd said things were going to return to normal when they went back home, so her feelings were just setting her up to fail in the end. She was pretty sure it was a one-sided affair.

Right? Unless…

Nah.

She put the thoughts out of her mind when Gabriel brought the medic into the bedroom. She didn't, however, keep the smile erupting across her face at the sight of her would-be husband. Sometimes, when she looked at Gabriel, she was taken aback by how handsome he was when he was trying to be heroic. Really, he was nice to look at all the time, but when he was protecting her and showed concern for her, his features seemed to become enhanced automatically.

Riley tore her smoldering gaze away her partner and greeted the other man. The medic came around and asked how she was feeling, where she got affected, and what they had done to treat her. He was astounded that the couple treated the affliction as well as they did. "That's actually really great news. Because you removed the oils quickly, they won't have had as much time to set into your skin. It looks as if your hands and ankles are only just starting to turn red, and I'd say that you'll be better by tomorrow evening."

"Really, doc? That's great news," Gabriel smiled, relieved. He squeezed Riley's shoulder and kissed her on the forehead. He received a warm and proud smile from her.

"Yeah, you cleaned her thoroughly, and it would have been a lot worse had you not acted so quickly. I'm going to give you some calamine lotion and instruct you to take some Benadryl. You'll heal very quickly. You're lucky to have such a caring husband," the medic added, handing them the antihistamine and ointment.

"Don't I know it," Riley gazed up thankfully at Gabriel. He saw her move her head in a quick jerk, indicating that she wanted him to lean down to her. He did so and received a quick peck on the lips, spreading awareness all throughout him for the umpteenth time that day.

Gabriel walked the medic out the door, then went into the kitchen to get a drink and start boiling some water on the stove. He went back to the bedroom and was going to hand Riley a glass of water when he realized her hands were covered in calamine. He met Riley's eyes with a bit of humor.

"You know, I meant it when I said I was lucky to have you. I wanted to let you know that I appreciated everything you did for me today," she said somewhat shyly, finishing putting the lotion on her legs. Riley had no idea what was causing this sudden confidence burst that let her speak her feelings, but she wanted it to stop.

"Riley, you know I'd do anything for you. What are partners for?" He smiled and kneeled down next to the bed, grabbing a pill from the box she was given. He brought it up to her lips, unprepared for the shock he received when Riley's lips brushed his fingers, bringing the pill into her mouth. He held the water glass up for her, and watched her throat work as she swallowed.

He gulped right along with her and tried to get himself under control. "By the way, I'm making you mac n' cheese for dinner again. Are you good with that?"

Riley nodded vigorously. "Of course - that's my new favorite meal, you know. You're the best husband a girl could ask for!" She laughed when she added the last part.

"Oh, thank you, my lovely wife!" Gabriel joked right along with her. He was glad to see her smiling and alert even though she was stuck in bed. He was cheered up when she called him her husband, and wasn't prepared for how much he found that he loved when she said that.

He disappeared into the kitchen for a moment, waiting for everything to finish cooking. When he returned, Riley was pouting and staring angrily at the remote, so he dutifully picked it up for her and turned it to the channel she wanted.

Riley gave him a smile in return and sighed contentedly. She was trying not let out a laugh, realizing that Gabriel was certain to be her slave for the next day or so. This could be very fun, she decided. She couldn't move much, so it gave her the opportunity to get back at him for teasing her the whole morning.

A few minutes later, he left to retrieve her a very appetizing bowl of mac n' cheese. Her eyes widened and she stretched her hands out to receive the bowl, taking her hands back a minute later when they both ended up staring at her pink hands. Gabriel broke the silence with a laugh as she scowled.

"No way. I'm not letting you hand feed me. It's not happening." She voiced her protests louder as he sat down on the other side of the bed next to her and smirked all the while.

"How else are you going to get a bite of this delicious food?" he asked, waving a heaping spoonful in front of her face. She huffed at him, but opened her mouth to receive the food. She swallowed with conflicting emotions shown on her face - she wanted to hate Gabriel, but his macaroni was delicious.

"This is the best day ever," he remarked.

"Shut up."

"Make me."

She avoided looking at him and just accepted the food she was given by the spoonful with shame. "This is so unfair."

Gabriel pointed at her shirt. "I think you dropped something." He was barely holding it together.

She looked down, scanning the shirt for anything that may have escaped her mouth. She couldn't find anything on her, so she asked, "What?"

"Your dignity," he burst out laughing. He chuckled even as she hit him hard in the arm with her elbow. He knew he was being mean, but he couldn't help tease her. It wasn't in his nature to give up on something that made him happy.

"Don't be such a jerk," she grumbled. Soon, a small grin was threatening to spread on her face, and she found herself giggling at the joke. "Just give me my food."

"Is that anyway to treat your husband?"

"I can treat him anyway I want. He's not going anywhere."

"How do you know?" Gabriel mock-threatened. "You're not accepting my help very nicely right now."

"Oh you won't leave – you're bound to me by marriage. Besides, we've been married too long for you to divorce me now," she countered.

"Couples who have been together for a long while divorce all the time," Gabriel pointed out.

"Yeah, but who would love you like your wife does?" Riley winked. Heavy sarcasm had been present when she said it so that it was clear that she was only joking. She wasn't admitting to anything.

Gabriel had his own bout of butterflies when she said it, but decided to ignore it for fear of admitting something himself. "Well that's good, because then you'll still love me even when I steal your food."

"Seriously? Every time I have food?" She wished she could have stopped him as he brought a scoop of the macaroni up to his mouth. It was infuriating that he tried to eat everything she did. He set the bowl out of her reach and onto the nightstand nearest him so that it wouldn't be grabbed out of his hands.

"Mhm, that's good stuff." His mouth was full of the stuff and he licked his lips loudly just to annoy her. Peering into the bowl, he announced, "Oh, look at that. There's only one spoonful left."

Riley'd had it. She was careful to keep her hands from directly contacting his skin and launched herself at him, effectively pinning him against the bed. She whispered fiercely to him. "You are not going to steal the last bite."

His eyes were dark and he was smirking up at her. "Oh yeah? What's going to stop me?" Gabriel glanced at her lips, hovering closely above his face, and made sure she couldn't lift up by wrapping his arms around her. "I'll gladly make a trade."

When she toppled him over, the towel had followed, wrapping around her legs, and it was keeping the lotion on her legs from getting on his. Her forearms were resting on either side of Gabriel's shoulders and she wasn't exactly hating the pressure from his arms, which was bringing their lower extremities inextricably closer than they'd originally been. She knew it hadn't been on purpose, but that didn't make laying on top of him any less enjoyable. She formulated a quick plan that involved escaping his clutches and getting the last bite. Not surprisingly, it was going to involve a lot of teasing.

"If you give me the last bite," Riley started seductively, "I'll tell you what you said in your sleep." She watched him open his mouth and close it, apparently mulling over her words. Finally, he nodded and released one of his arms from around her to reach the spoon nearby.

He brought it up to her mouth. Just as she had reached it, he cruelly pulled away his hand, saying, "Yeah, like I'm going to fall for that old trick."

"Wait! Come on, I promise." Riley looked sincerely into his eyes and gave him a pout. "You don't trust the woman lying on top of you?"

"Exactly," he stated weakly, tearing his eyes away from the sexy pout. "But I'll relent this once. You better hold up your end of the deal, Riley."

"I will," she insisted. Finally, the spoon was brought closer and she savored the last bite. If this had been some sort of evil plan all along just to get her on top of him, she was going to pitch a fit. However, a deal was a deal, so she sighed and asked, "You sure you're ready for the truth now?"

He nodded firmly. He was trying not to react to the way she grinned saucily at him, feeling her laughter through his own chest.

"You told me how much you loved making out with me," Riley said after her laughing and making him wait a long moment. As soon as the truth was out of her mouth, Gabriel raised his brows in surprise, and if he was honest, with a bit of self-loathing. This wasn't something under his control. How could he ever trust himself when he was asleep now?

Thankfully, it hadn't been a bigger admission than that. He covered his face with his hands in embarrassment, only half-ashamed that he'd let the "big" secret get out. She had to know by now that he had an inkling of a crush on her. Except to him, it wasn't just an inkling anymore.

"How do you know I was telling the truth? You never know, I could have been sleep-lying." he said when he removed his hands to look at her again.

"Were you?" she asked him knowingly, watching him closely as he sighed in defeat and looked firmly into her eyes.

He shrugged his shoulders. "No."

And with that, Gabriel put a hand through her hair again, brought her head down an extra inch, and kissed her soundly.

A/N: Thanks to diana_of_wales for everything! You make my words make sense, and I appreciate everything you do.

Not sure when I'll get a chance to update, but enjoy this quicker update while you can. Anyone else excited for the new episode soon?