A/N: Yay! I finally updated! I got a super sweet response from last chapter and I would like to thank Guest (1), snowflakes211, , KTaylorCSI, Blue Obsidian Butterfly, sunshineforever13, bandgeek033095, Guest (2), DanihhH, Guest (3), byLunaA, NCISGleek, nrdhrd3, USNeshama, kwisteria, and Poncha00 for their incredibly amazing words of kindness! I don't usually mention my reviewers like this, but you guys were just too beautiful this time! I love you all.

Also, SUPER SPECIAL thanks to diana_of_wales for all of her ideas concerning this story. Much of what I wrote in this one is based off of her suggestions.

Disclaimer: Please, I implore you to get me the rights to these characters. Go tweet Michael Seitzman like I did and become friends with him. Maybe one day he'll let me collaborate with him. Or maybe I'm just a wee bit too obsessed for that?

Rated: T

Chapter 12 – Wine

"That's probably the most adorable thing I've ever seen," Riley announced, looking out the window at the dog in the yard that was running around in circles. Ivy was so energetic; her ears were flopping in an incredibly cute fashion as she bounced all around the yard, stopping every so often to sniff at this and that. Riley laughed at the dog's silly behavior.

Gabriel, on the other hand, groaned into his hands. They were resting on top of his elbows and he was sitting on a chair nearby the window. "I can't believe you talked me into this. I don't even have time to raise a dog. Can I even take care of her? It's been years since I've owned a dog, Riley. Years."

Riley rolled her eyes with a small smile at her dramatic partner. "You'll do fine. You can't really complain about this," she stopped to gesture to the chubby dog that started chasing its own tail, "She is so perfect."

By perfect, she surely meant that this dorky, adorable dog couldn't give him too much trouble. He raised his head but peeked out at Ivy through his fingers warily. He guessed his partner was sort of right. But, it was still kind of her fault for guilting him into keeping Ivy. She'd given him one look with her wide, olive-green eyes and he'd practically melted into a puddle. Maybe that was why they were deemed "puppy-dog" eyes, because they could convince a man to buy a puppy for his stunningly beautiful partner.

He supposed that he wouldn't have to hard a time raising Ivy, though, seeing as how playful and happy the dog always seemed. How her original owner could ever treat her like he did was beyond Gabriel. He sighed and thought yet again about how Riley was to blame for the cute bundle of joy flopping around the campsite. "You're going to have to come visit Ivy a lot, you know, since you wanted me to keep her so badly. Or at least find her a sitter for when we go on missions."

"Why is that my job?" she asked while still holding onto her smile. Riley couldn't help but find humor in her partner's grumpiness. She guessed he wasn't expecting to bring home a dog, and she could only imagine what Lillian's reaction would be if she found out they'd adopted Ivy. Come to think of it, Riley imagined Lillian would be furious if she found out about half of the things that had gone on between Riley and her partner the past couple of days. She shuddered and put the thought out of her mind and suggested to her partner, "What about your neighbor? That elderly lady always seems nice."

"Mrs. Dodd? She must like you more than she likes me," Gabriel grumbled. "You can take Ivy over to her door if you want. She probably wouldn't be able to stand doing me any favors."

Riley momentarily furrowed her eyebrows. "What did you ever do to that sweet lady? I doubt she could hate anyone."

"Apparently she doesn't like my occasional late-night workout sessions." Gabriel left it at that and stood up to join Riley at the window. He looked at his new pet, the fluffy golden ball of energy, as she seemed to have finally tired herself out and was trudging around the front side of the house. Ivy traipsed though the doorway that the agents had propped open and collapsed on the rug in front of the fireplace.

The partners each shared a glance and smiled at the sleepy creature whose eyes were slowly shutting. Gabriel heard a small noise come from his partner, and once more looked at her to see a small pout forming on her lips. He smiled at the thought that underneath his partner's tough exterior was a someone who melted at the sight of cute puppies, just like any other woman.

To Gabriel, his partner was so much more than that, but he more or less meant that he felt like he was slowly peeling the layers of her deep personality. He seemed to learn new things about her every day, which he couldn't be happier about. He felt like showing his appreciation somehow, but he was still having trouble coming up with a way to express how thankful he was to have such an amazing partner.

Later on, Gabriel and Riley were sitting on opposite ends of the couch, facing each other and sitting cross-legged on the sofa. They were running out of things to do, so each decided to pick up a book they'd found in the dusty bookshelf by the fireplace. Both agents immersed themselves into what they were reading as they listened to the soft snores coming from the dog.

As Gabriel's legs started to get stiff from the position they were in, he started to ask his partner something at the same time she opened her mouth.

"Can I stretch out my legs?"

"Do you mind if I stretch?"

Both were said simultaneously, and the agents both smiled. On the left side, Riley stretched her legs out first and Gabriel moved them to the right of his hip. "Now scoot over so I can move my legs," he said.

His feet were tucked between Riley's hip and the couch, and his legs were much more comfortable than they had been. At least his circulation wasn't cut off anymore. Riley seemed to be having the same issue, for when Gabriel asked why her face was scrunched up, she'd answered that her legs were asleep.

With a pleasant feeling, Gabriel realized how comfortable the partners had grown to be with each other's presence. Riley wasn't giving him a displeased look for being within five inches of her, and Gabriel wasn't freaking out over the barest of touching between them. Okay, so he was actually enjoying the way his skin was hot where it graced hers - even though his clothing- but it wasn't as bad as before. And that thrilling feeling was due to the action commencing in his book, not because he could feel her sigh and laugh while she was reading.

Yup, Gabriel was definitely proving that he could withstand her touch for hours and not be affected. Totally.

It was well into the afternoon by the time both were finished reading. They'd skipped lunch, but neither was keen to move to get up to make food. However, their reluctance didn't have all to do with the fact they were absorbed in their books.

Though hungry, Gabriel remained in his spot, gently toying with the edges of a page in his book. He was waiting for Riley to finish, and since she hadn't noticed him, he took the time to watch her expressions as she neared the last pages of the small, worn book in her hands. She'd been wearing a frown of deep concentration for at least ten minutes when suddenly her eyebrows raised in shock. End of the book plot twist, Gabriel concluded.

He watched her facial features for a few more minutes as her mouth settled into a satisfied smile. Finally, she closed the book and looked up to catch him staring at her. Riley's hair was in a bun again and a few loose strands were hanging down to frame her warm cheeks. Her thumb had been caught between her teeth as she'd read the last few sentences, and he caught the appearance of her pink tongue pressed against the back of her teeth. Her hand left her mouth and she gave him a small smile. "How was your book?"

"Pretty good," he said, handing her the object in question so that she could read the back page summary. When Riley handed the book back, he could've sworn he felt her fingers grace his, leaving them tingling. "You looked like you enjoyed yours, too."

She nodded, looking down at the book she was now clutching against her chest. "I didn't think this old lodge would actually carry any good books. Especially since I've never heard of any of them," she told her partner, who nodded along with her. "It's a good thing we're both speed-readers."

Once again they were left with nothing to do. The air seemed to be slightly charged between the two agents that had spent the last couple of hours cozying up with one another. Riley felt it had gotten awkward between them all of a sudden, and without a clue what to say, she pretend to reread the summary of her own book.

Truthfully, she had started to get nervous again. The books had offered a nice distraction from Gabriel's "distractions," and now she was worried that they would fall into their routine of abruptly attacking one another with their mouths. It was never planned, at least on Riley's part, and she really didn't want to keep putting herself in situations like these that had her wanting to lose control, reach across the couch, and launch herself on her partner.

Her own eyes widened at her traitorous thoughts. She was simultaneously disgusted and amazed at herself for even owning the thought that had just crossed her mind. Since when did she have thoughts about jumping her partner? No way had she ever wished they would end up doing that. And she still didn't, Riley resolutely reminded herself.

Dare she look up at Gabriel again? She could feel him stretching his toes absentmindedly against her hip, but still she refused to glance at him. When he'd been in the middle of his book, she'd secretly watched him read. Unlike herself, his face was kept free of emotions as he read, but every so often, his mouth would open slightly as if he were reading the words of the book out loud. The only real movement Gabriel had made was to reach up to smooth his jaw with his hand, one she was suddenly missing the feel of.

She really needed to stop thinking such dirty thoughts about him while he was in the same vicinity of her. All of a sudden, she knew what she needed to do.

"I'm gonna take Ivy for a walk. I'll be back soon." Thankfully, noticing Ivy starting to wake up had given Riley the perfect opportunity to get some air. She extracted herself from her position on the couch, refusing to meet Gabriel's confused eyes. She brushed off her shorts and placed her book back in the shelf, feeling his eyes burrow into her back.

"You could take her down by the lake. The weather site I just checked says it's really warm out again." Gabriel finally moved up off the couch and followed his partner down the hall. Riley had noticed the slight edge to his voice, but couldn't quite pinpoint the reason behind his annoyance.

"Thanks for the suggestion," she smiled sweetly at him, deciding to ignore his tone for now. His features seemed to soften by a minuscule, so she took it as a good sign. "I'll bring my swimming suit, then."

She didn't hear any response from him, but as she finally dared to look back into his scowling face, she noted that his eyes seemed to have clouded over with something when she mentioned her suit. Maybe he was still remembering the way she looked without her shirt or pants. Riley had caught the heated look Gabriel had given her when he'd helped her undress that morning, and she was no fool. He looked like he was ready to rip the rest of her clothing off with his bare teeth, and without the initiative she'd taken to make sure she showered alone, Riley wasn't sure she would've been able to stop him.

The heat on her cheeks brought her out of her reverie, and she took her bathing suit in the bathroom with her to change. Gabriel was on the other side of the door, already pouting like a little boy left bored and alone. She opened the door to greet a frowning partner who looked at her still fully-clothed form in dismay. He covered it up in a flash, though, and told her, "You're not going to need that shirt in the warm sun, today."

She gave him a teasing look and said, "Well I was planning on leaving this at home," she paused to tug on the hem of the shirt, "but what if I meet another creep like Chris on the trail? Wouldn't want to give him any ideas."

"So you're saying that the people you let see you in your bathing suit are the ones you want to give ideas to?" Gabriel wiggled his eyebrows. His smile had returned, and unfortunately, so had his dirty mind.

"Just because you've seen me shirtless doesn't mean I want to give you any ideas," she huffed, suddenly regretting her attempt to cheer him up. She started walking out into the hall.

"I'd say it was a whole lot more than shirtless," Gabriel said, implying the actions had been dirtier than they were. He walked close alongside her as they moved towards the doorway, faking innocence. "Or should I say less? And, if it didn't mean anything, why are you blushing?"

"I'm not blushing," she insisted while turning her face from him and willing her blood to stop rushing to her face. She schooled her features as best as possible and faced him once more. "It's not like I'm embarrassed to wear my own bathing suit."

"Sure thing. I'm completely convinced, now," he answered. It was quite obvious he doubted her by the way he smirked down at her, stopping inside the door frame to lean against it. Ivy brushed past him and Riley followed the dog out the door. She stopped in her tracks after taking a few steps, turning on him once more with a defiant edge to her jaw.

"You know what?" Riley started suddenly. "It is pretty hot out after all." She wanted to see the realization of what she was saying dawn on Gabriel's face. She was rewarded with a blink and slight drop of his jaw, and so she took one step nearer to him.

"Maybe you were right. I don't need my shirt." Riley's smile turned wicked and her eyes seemed to look right through him as she grabbed a hold of the bottom of her shirt. In one swift move, she lifted the hem up and over her bathing suit underneath, revealing a bare stomach and bikini-covered chest.

Before he could say anything, she threw the shirt in his face, chuckling because it caught him off guard. She really needed to stop flirting with him, even though half the time she was always just trying to prove him wrong about something. Distance was what they needed, Riley reminded herself. Distance.

Gabriel watched as she descended onto the trail, following Ivy's wagging tail. Before disappearing completely into the trees, she called back, "I'll be back soon. I hope I can trust you to be safe on your own."

He gave her a thumbs up. Gabriel shouldn't have been grumpy because he was left alone. He wasn't five years old, and he'd been living on his own for most of his life. Maybe it was the fact that his bodyguard had left him on his own when she was supposed to be with him at all times, and this had been the first time in a while that they'd separated.

Or then again, maybe he was just frustrated with himself over the fact that he was already missing her and she'd only been gone a minute.

Gabriel swore as his head knocked hard into one of the open cupboards he'd forgotten to close. He rubbed his head for a moment and kept walking across the kitchen to stir the pot on the stove so it wouldn't boil over. Where had his brain gone?

For the past half hour, he had been trying to preoccupy himself and keep busy while awaiting his partner's return. Since he really didn't have anything else to do, Gabriel wandered into the kitchen, searching the available ingredients in order to come up with a dish for dinner. He figured it would make the time pass faster, but it didn't make it easier in the slightest.

While he was waiting for the soup on the stove to heat up, he'd started thinking about the way she'd tossed the shirt at him earlier. He saw the defiant expression on her face when she'd first made the decision to take off the shirt, but after, it was like she was embarrassed by her own actions. Riley hadn't proved a damn thing by the way her cheeks had gotten rosy and she'd run off, so he was left wondering why she'd done it in the first place.

All it really did was tease him and make his imagination run wild, causing him to render the scenario of what it'd be like to see her take her shirt off like that for him in a whole different type of setting. Gabriel couldn't stop the images from flooding his head of her lithe form running away from him down the trail earlier. He hadn't noticed before how the taut muscles in her back were displayed when she swayed her hips, or how the string of her bikini top was so thin in the back that if he just so happened to snag it with his finger-

He was jerked viciously from his daydream when the smoke alarm blared and he remembered that he had food on the stove. Gabriel had grabbed a towel to fan the smoke out of the room and was rushing back to the stove when he ran into the open cupboard.

Now, looking at the soup that he'd just nearly prevented from boiling over, he was frustrated at himself because the food looked inedible and burnt. That was what he got for not setting a timer - and for thinking dangerous thoughts about his partner.

He dumped the useless pot of soup into the sink and frowned, looking towards the window. When was she getting back, anyways?

Just then the chip notified him of an email he'd received from Lillian. It basically said that the team had developed an important lead on the case and they were going to send the information over later that night.

Gabriel sighed. He knew their vacation was going to have to come to an end eventually, but he had always hoped they could at least stay until the end of the week. Maybe they could celebrate their last few days here together somehow. But how? He looked around the kitchen, trying to come up with something.

Oh.

Well, then. That was settled.

But what would he cook her for dinner?

Riley smelled something absolutely heavenly in the air as she walked the front steps to the cabin. Ivy must have as well, because she scratched eagerly at the door, waiting to be let in. The dog ran inside and immediately headed to the kitchen as Riley opened the door. She called out, "Gabriel?"

"In here," she heard him answer. She caught a brief sight of him as he was ushering Ivy out of the door way to the kitchen, telling her, "None for you." Ivy just sulked off and resumed her usual spot in front of the fireplace.

She was walking up to see what he was cooking, but found her path blocked when he suddenly appeared directly in front of her, chest obstructing her view. Riley jumped and took a step back, surprised that he'd gotten there so quickly.

"Hey there. How was the swim?" Gabriel nodded nonchalantly to the wet suit she was still wearing. His side was leaning on the door frame and he had an arm gripping the other side of the entryway, making it impossible for Riley to squeeze past him.

She didn't know what he was trying to achieve, but vowed to figure it out. "The swim was fine, but I was wondering where you put my shirt. It was kind of windy on my way up here, and I'm chilly without it." She ran a few fingers through her damp hair, waiting for him to answer.

"Right, your shirt. I forgot about that," he said with another unintentional glance to her exposed chest. He pointed to the couch and to the piece of fabric hanging limply off the back of it. "I guess you did actually need it. Sorry."

She gave him a look and walked across the room to grab her shirt as Gabriel ducked into the kitchen hurriedly. Riley had just shrugged the shirt over her head and had made it to the doorway of the kitchen again when Gabriel once again blocked her path. This time, she didn't see him, and she bumped into his chest.

He steadied his partner at her elbows, unintentionally holding her closer to him. "Are you okay?"

"What gives?" she asked without moving. She tried to peak over his shoulder but he moved so that she couldn't see past him. "What in the world are you hiding? It smells so good."

"Nothing. Quit it!" he ordered when she tried to push past him. She was unsuccessful, though, and he grabbed her by the shoulders, peeling her away from her attempt at shoulder-checking him. She glared at him.

"Why don't you feel like sharing?" she started. Riley noted with curiosity that the faintest of blushes had appeared on his face. Since Gabriel wasn't budging, she figured she could always use her "special powers" against him.

She stepped into his personal space and his grip on her shoulders tightened. Although she was not proud of herself for using this technique, her curiosity was getting the better of her. Riley tilted her chin up, matching the angle of his, and she held his gaze with a hard stare. She pressed lightly on his chest with a soft hand, trying to make it appear that she was just resting it there, rather than slowly pushing him backwards. He flicked his eyes down to her mouth when she sucked in a breath, and the corners of her mouth twitched when she tried to contain a smile. He was so easy.

He leaned down against her cheek and whispered, "Nice try."

The frown on her face overtook her previous grin with force, and her eyes widened with alarm when he scooped her up suddenly. His arms dipped down and he lifted her from just below her backside, causing her to wrap her arms around him to keep her balance. He physically moved her back into the living room as she said in a fierce tone, "Gabriel. Let. Me. Down."

He simply said, "Okay." She was dropped down over the couch so that she landed safely on the cushions.

"You're going to pay for that," she started viciously. Riley immediately sat up and was going to climb over the couch to run after him, but didn't realize he hadn't moved an inch. He brought his face close to hers to get her attention. It was also a defiant action that would show his partner that he wasn't scared of what she would do to him.

Riley stopped her forward motion instantly, just in time to avoid smacking right into his lips. Thank god, she told her suddenly pounding heart. Wait, no. She was supposed to be mad at him, right? She wasn't supposed to be staring at his lips. Or how his throat gave way to a thick swallow. How his eyes were gleaming at hers…

"Can you please stay out here?" He'd asked her in a pleading whisper that served its purpose in grabbing her attention. He gave her a serious, albeit slightly amused look. "Just trust me, okay?"

She returned his serious look. Riley held his gaze for a few moments longer than necessary, and her mind slowly started working again. She gave Gabriel a small smirk. She stated, "You're cooking dinner for me."

"What?" he blurted out.

"You always cook dinner for me. Why can't I see it?" Though she was all the way over on the couch, she pretended to peek over his shoulder again. She laughed when Gabriel tried to block her view again, just as she expected he would.

He sighed and rested his chin in his hands, elbows supported against the couch in front of her. "Yeah, but this is going to be a better one." More special. "It's not anything like those other dishes – it's something way better than Mac n' Cheese."

"Ooh, now I'm excited," she teased. Why had he gone to the trouble all of a sudden? Oh well. Riley supposed she couldn't argue with him about a delicious, free meal. "Why the secrecy, though?"

"Don't peek," was the only answer he gave her. His dimples made a charming appearance again, and Riley withheld a sigh that threatened to escape because of his nearness. She couldn't help it; Riley was slowly finding out she was a sucker for his smile.

"Fine. I promise not to look," she grudgingly replied. She soon turned her head away from him, no longer able to keep up a scrutinizing glare because his dimples would not disappear. Riley was rewarded with the feel of his mouth giving her a smack of a kiss on the cheek as he scampered off into the kitchen.

Riley heard him call his thanks as she brought a hand up to touch her cheek where he'd made contact. Now she knew something was definitely up. Either he was just trying to distract her from entering the kitchen again, or he was genuinely being sweet. She decided not to dwell on it though, and got up to take another shower and change out of her wet clothes.

Gabriel knocked on the door to Riley's room. "Make sure to wear something nice."

"What do you think, I own more dresses?" she called back grumpily. He was making her wait to eat his delicious food and look nice? What cruel fate was this?

She heard a heavy sigh from the other side of the door. "Just not sweatpants, then."

Riley opened the door then, clad in skinny jeans and a nice top. It wasn't too dressy, but perfect for a casual evening, or whatever Gabriel had planned for their date.

Date? Wait – nobody said it was a date. Gabriel certainly hadn't implied that, and she chided herself for the Freudian slip. Couldn't she just relax for once? It wasn't like he was trying to "woo" her or anything.

A second later, however, she wasn't so sure of herself. Her "date" had been leaning against the wall next to her door out of sight, wearing a clean black V-neck. He held his arm out to her, and she warily allowed him to accompany her down the hall. "You changed, too?"

"I was trying to clean up dishes from earlier and spilled soup on my shirt – don't ask." He kept his face neutral and directed her towards the living room. She noticed he'd moved the table out from between the couch and fireplace, and Ivy was nowhere to be seen.

In the space where the table had been, there was a blanket spread out with plates and wine glasses, as well as a wine bottle. The warmth that the wind had taken away from her earlier had returned.

"It's a picnic." Gabriel watched her turn around with an adorable smile on her face. "You still haven't told me the occasion, yet."

He shrugged and gestured for her to sit down. He ducked into the kitchen quickly and came back holding a big plate of food that smelled of the same heavenly scent Riley recognized from earlier. He set it down between them on the floor and she finally discerned what it was.

"No way! They had steak stocked in the freezer?" Her eyes gleamed at the delectable-looking meat, and then reached her partner's eyes, full of gratefulness. Mouth already watering and eyes wide, she told him, "You are the best partner ever."

"And you doubted my actions before," he snickered. "See? I know what you like and what makes you happy. You've just got to trust me." He started cutting into the steak, carving slices for them each.

She gave him a smile in response, but on her insides were turning to jelly at the possible double-meaning of his words. Her stomach felt funny, but she sure wasn't going to give up the chance to eat this meal because of a few butterflies. She didn't really have anything to be nervous about, anyways.

"I guess I should tell you the reason behind this," Gabriel said once he'd settled comfortably with his own plate of food. "I got a message from headquarters earlier. They've got something on the guardsman case, and they're sending us the information tonight."

She shook her head in confusion. "How does that warrant a five-star meal?" Riley held up a piece of the steak up in emphasis and closed her mouth around the bite, savoring it with a hum to make him smile.

The smile didn't last though, and he continued. "They said they had an important lead." He waited for her to realize.

There was silence except for the wind howling outside. It was growing louder with every moment.

"Our lodge getaway is coming to an end soon."

"Oh."

Riley wasn't sure what she was feeling. On one hand, she was going to be going home and back to work soon. On the other hand…

She reached for the wine bottle and, with some effort to pop off the cork, poured them both a drink. They lightly clinked the glasses together in a sullen toast. "I know I shouldn't be sad," she began, "But I was kind of enjoying it up here."

Relieved that she felt the same way, Gabriel let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Me too. That's why I figured we should have a celebratory dinner, seeing as this could be one of our last nights here. So…yeah. Enjoy," he finished awkwardly.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks Gabriel. I will deny ever having said this if you repeat it, but this really is sweet of you, and I appreciate it. I love y-your food." Gabriel just nodded in shock and gave her pleased smile.

Internally, Riley cursed her ill-timed mistake. She'd started to chew on a particularly large bite of her steak, and paused to swallow right as she was telling him how much she adored the food. Had the pause been any longer, he probably would have thought she was telling Gabriel how much she adored him. God, he would tease her to no end if she ever let a thing like that slip.

She wondered if his heart was pounding as hard as hers was as they continued to finish their first bites. She didn't get to dwell on the matter for much longer, though, when all of a sudden the agents were plunged into darkness. Riley reached for her gun out of instinct, but realized she'd left it in her room. Instead, she searched for the best thing – Gabriel's hand.

He grasped for her fingers at the same time and the two pulled each other up, reaching in the dark for the couch behind them. Simultaneously, they both asked, "Are you okay?"

After confirming that they were, they moved blindly in the direction of the door, peeking out the nearby window for any signs of an intruder that would have cut their power. "I thought they were close to catching the guardsman. Wouldn't they tell us if he was near to our campground?" Riley asked incredulously. "Gabriel?"

He hadn't answered for a moment, and she squeezed his hand to get his attention. "Sorry. I was checking the weather alerts."

"And?"

"The whole town is basically out of power. It's nothing to worry about, just a wind storm," he sighed. Both partners felt each other relax as their grips loosened on each other. "We just need to find a match to light the fireplace now."

He led her back towards their food, careful not to bump into anything. Riley realized something, though, and spoke up. "Gabriel? You're still holding my hand."

"I know," he said cheekily. She was glad her partner couldn't see the heat she was sure was on her cheeks. It reminded her of the time they were plunged into darkness in the basement of the warehouse, but that seemed like ages ago. Her palm started to feel sweaty were it was connected with his.

He finally let go when he lit the match and lit up the fireplace, leaning down to throw the flame in. The light was very dim at first, and he stood up to see where Riley was. He didn't realize they were so close until the flames grew bigger and the fire started roaring, illuminating the room with a warm glow.

She was the first to step back.

Riley sat back down on the floor, resting her back against the couch and taking a big sip of wine. He joined her and began to eat the forgotten food at his feet. Riley dug in as well, slowly gaining back her enthusiasm about the tender meat. Soon enough, the tension eased and they began talking and laughing with one another again.

"When we get back, you have to cook for me more often. No more settling for take-out anymore," Riley teased him.

"I mean, if I have to…" he mock-sighed. His smile grew, though, and he added, "I'm only kidding. I'd love to have you over for dinner more." He'd said it without even a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

She smiled and clinked her wine glass with his once more. She loved it when her partner was serious with her and especially when he was nice to her. It seemed to her that her plan to give them space earlier had worked, and she was glad Gabriel was acting gentlemanly again. He hadn't even tried to kiss her – or succeeded in reaching her lips, for that matter – in almost a whole day.

Not that she was counting the hours or anything. She'd done well not thinking about his lips in a long time. Well, a long time by her standards. He wasn't paying attention at the moment, so she stole a glance over to his mouth. His stubble had started to grow back already, forming a shadow over his jaw. Riley followed the trail of the shadow up to his lips, stained from the wine. Gabriel took another sip, and her eyes lingered on the way he licked his lips after.

Riley chuckled quietly, hoping he wouldn't hear her, but her partner detected the laughter gracing his ear almost immediately. "What is it?" he asked.

"You've got some…" she started and pointed to her mouth. He only looked down at her mouth, not realizing what she was trying to say. Riley's laughing only continued, and her partner started to look self-conscious. Maybe the wine was doing things to her.

"What?" he stressed.

"Oh, just let me." She rolled her eyes and reached over to him, beckoning him closer before she brought her thumb up to wipe at the corner of his mouth. His lips twitched when her hand rested on his jaw so she could take care of his messy face. She hadn't realized the intimacy of the act until his wide eyes met her unassuming ones. She fumbled for something to say, but her mind went blank.

"Thanks," he breathed. She felt his breath against her hand, making the hair on her arm stand up. Seriously, when in the world did they get so close that they were basically sitting right next to one another? Her hand was still holding Gabriel's jaw, and sometime in the last five minutes, he'd placed his hand on her knee without her noticing. Riley immediately moved her hand like it had been scorched.

It indeed had been too long since she'd thought of his lips, and this was always what happened when she gave into those thoughts. She really didn't want to move away, especially when she was sure he'd leaned even closer to her since her hand left his face.

As fate would have it, at that very moment, Gabriel lost his grip on his wine glass, and the dark liquid went flying. To his dismay, the contents of the glass all landed on his crisp, clean new shirt. He swore as he stood up, reaching for a napkin nearby.

Riley snickered as he dabbed at his shirt. She knew he would be in a worse mood if he heard her laughing, and went to grab a towel in the bathroom. He still caught a sight of her concealed smile though, and went to grab the towel from her nearby the hallway with a frown. They were caught up with trying to take care of the stain, Gabriel grouching at Riley while she did her best to placate him and keep a straight face.

Neither heard the silent opening of the front door, and so they continued fighting with each other.

"If you hadn't distracted me, this wouldn't have happened," Gabriel huffed.

"Now it's my fault?" Riley said, not losing her cool. She kept dabbing at the stain.

"This shirt was new," he pouted.

"I'm getting nowhere like this. Just take the shirt off," she told him.

"My, my, Agent. Such an provocative command."

"Just do it, will you?"

He relented and took off his shirt for her, giving her an irksome grin. She was about to lose her temper soon. However, both agents jumped apart in surprise when they heard someone clearing their throat.

The fear was evident on both agents' faces, and they exchanged a grave look at the horrible situation they'd found themselves in. They guiltily looked back at their uninvited guest with shame.

"Just what in the hell is going on here?" Lillian Strand asked.

A/N: Yeah I'm evil for stopping here. I hate me too. I made this chapter the longest I've ever written because I'm REALLY sorry about not updating soon enough. I got through half of my finals, and the other half will likely be done in a week and a half. Sorry, but I'm warning you now – don't expect a speedy update. I love you all though and I really appreciate your continued support and patience. Shoot me a review?