Three months later on a Friday
Gabriel walked into Cyber Com whistling. The lady at the front desk greeted him warmly. Agent Vaugnn seemed much happier and friendlier these days she noted.
Agent Vaughn stopped by Lillian's office and asked to leave at 2:30 that day. He had to pick up Felix and Jacob Merrick from school. They were in second grade and thought he was the bomb. He planned on taking them to the spy museum today. Him and Elly were pretty serious now and he enjoyed spending time with her family. She had two fourteen year olds, Ben and James, who didn't like Gabriel very much. Elly's youngest kids were four, Molly and Sam, and were pretty oblivious to why he spent so much time with them.
Gabriel found that Elly's ex-husband, John, wasn't hard to get along with either, he was just kind of immature, acting like he is still in his college fraternity. He had told them that he worked for the government and they didn't pry for details (that he couldn't disclose because Clockwork was so secret).
These days he kept his relationship with Riley strictly limited to professional work interaction. Their banter was toned down and they rarely spent time at each other's apartments anymore. When they did have drinks it was in groups at the bar or something. Gabriel stopped having drinks with other girls a few weeks after him and Elly started dating, even though he had a lot of new friends.
Even though things between him and Riley were awkward after his rejection at first, he felt like it was becoming more normal now, a new normal. Every day the sting of her rejection and the thrill of that one night they had together faded away. He felt like he was reaching a happy place. He had faked it till he made it, as they say and he was finally over Riley Neal. Or so he told himself.
His request to leave early was approved. He reached his desk and threw away his coffee cup. Where was his partner, he wondered? They no longer drove to work together because Gabriel sometimes was driving in from Elly's house but they usually arrived around the same time.
Riley Neal was panicked. She was laying on the ground in her apartment bathroom, her stomach twisted in knots and a sense of dread and a lot of sweat covering her.
She was pregnant. With Gabriel Vaughnn's child. She had found out last week after seeing the doctor about not feeling so great and wondering about her swollen abdomen. She was shocked and very scared.
Riley hadn't told anyone yet, not even Gabriel. Gabriel. These days that name broke her heart. He was happy and she was miserable. He loved this girl named Elly and now she was nothing to him. Riley still loved him, but he had moved on so fast. It was her own fault she reminded herself then burst out into tears again.
And now this. She had tried to put that night behind her for the good of everyone. Emotionally it was hard enough. Now it was going to be virtually impossible to move on from Gabriel. It was starting to show. How could she keep hiding this, would he be mad she hadn't told him? Riley Neal couldn't be a mother. She had never planned on having a family, her own experience with family wasn't very encouraging. She was probably going to lose her job. What if she said it wasn't Gabriels? No, she couldn't lie. Not to him. She hadn't slept with anyone else in awhile. Her lie haunted her every night and still felt like it was only yesterday she had shut Gabriel out.
Riley had relived what she remembered from the one night they had together every day in her mind. She may have been too drunk to remember what she was thinking but she remembered how it felt. Tears collected in her eyes again as Riley thought about the way her skin tingled when he lightly touched her, ever so gently but also in a fiercely passionate way.
She knew she was very late for work but at this point Riley didn't care. The secret service agent wouldn't mind if the tiles on the floor grew a mouth and swallowed her up.
Her baby bump was showing and she didn't feel well. Riley wasn't a crier but she stayed on the floor and cried herself to sleep, responsibilities at work be damned.
Gabriel was very worried by 12:20 a.m. He decided to go to her apartment. He hoped to be back before anyone noticed his absence. The traffic was light and he got there pretty fast. A panicked feeling had risen in his chest by the time he parked so he jumped hastily out of the car. His phone rang, and Elly's face showed up on his screen. He hesitated only for a moment. He hit ignore and ran up the stairs.
He realized he had no idea where the key he used to have was. He cringed when he remembered where it was. He had forced himself to put Riley's key in his junk drawer instead of its usual place in his back pocket, about a month ago.
After sprinting to his own apartment and recovering the key, Gabriel barged into Riley's apartment. The first thing he noticed was how disorganized it was. Dishes in the sink. Her uncovered trashcan had several empty tubs of ice cream. Movies littered the couch and blankets and magazines were everywhere. It never used to be like this he mused.
Where was his partner? His mind said that word awkwardly. The meaning was so different these days. partner.It used to mean something special to him. A word to describe a relationship that was more than a friendship. These days their relationship was barely a friendship.
He noticed the only inside light on was coming from the bathroom and he decided to approach the closed door. He knocked. No answer. He opened it slowly.
Thump.
The door stopped on something. Gabriel peeked his head through and almost had a heart attack. Riley was on the ground in a tang top and shorts. She looked awful, covered in sweat and had a very redface. Had she been crying?
He squeezed into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her up and draped her over his shoulder. She was out cold, not even waking when he accidently bumped her on the wall.
Gabriel took Riley to her bedroom. It was even messier then the rest of her apartment. He let her down on her bed slowly. That's when his hand grazed her stomach and he stepped back perplexed. Riley was a very thin woman. Why was….? The question died on his lips. Her stomach was more convex then he had remembered definitely. Like a dome.. Definitely sticking out a little. No, he thought as he inspected it, intrigued. She couldn't be.
Then jealousy distorted his face. Who had slept with his Riley? He corrected himself mentally, she wasn't his anymore, never had been. She didn't want him. Elly was his girlfriend. Gabriel checked his watch. He still had time before taking Jacob and Felix to the museum.
Wait. A realization dawned on him.
He had slept with Riley.
About four, maybe more months ago. Was that when a woman began to show? His mind started going a mile a minute. He googled it. When does a pregnant woman begin to show. Yahoo Answers told him about three months. Their night together had to have been longer ago then that, he thought. It couldn't be him.
Gabriel felt relieved then slightly disappointed. He scolded that emotion. Who did he care slept with Riley?
"Whu…gab…Gabreiel whutar you doing here" Riley's groggy voice disturbed his thoughts.
"Your pregnant" he cut right to the chase. Even though he wasn't the father he would support her through this, he planned.
At his words she woke up very fast."You know?" She tried to sit up too quickly, becoming nauseas at the motion. Her face blushed when she recovered. "Im sorry I didn't tell yo-"
"Its ok, Riley. I am here for you if you ever need anything". He put a hand on her shoulder and wore the most serious and sincere expression she had ever seen.
Riley tried to ease the tension (and the racing of her heart at his touch) by lightening the mood. "You better be. I mean you are 50% responsible." She laughed nervously and playfully punched his shoulder.
He was confused. "Wait. What? Am I…?"
His hand dropped off her shoulder and she suddenly felt awkward. "Um ya…you are the only guy Ive slept with in a while". She blushed again. Should she be embarrassed about that?
"But that was months ago, you seem very early on" Gabriel was still trying to grasp the situation.
"It was three months yesterday." Riley painfully corrected. "April 13th"
Gabriel's mind couldn't comprehend. It seemed like a lifetime ago. What day was today? July 14th….So much had changed. Had he really moved on that fast?
What would Elly think? The thought terrified him. His sweet Elly whom he loved more than life itself. Would she understand? Could he take care of Riley and see her at the same time? Could he still take the boys to the museum today? What if Elly broke up with him? Gabriel couldn't imagine life without her now. He didn't realize until now how much he relied on Elly and his other friends outside of work for relief from his stress and sadness over Riley and Amelia.
Riley only stared at her partner, watching him process everything. His face only showed a little bit of being overwhelmed.
"You ok Gabriel?" She finally asked. "I'm not asking you for anything, I was only kidding about the 50% thing earlier.."
"How long have you known" he spoke at last his eyes seemed glazed over in shock.
"About a week" She admitted. "I didn't know how to tell you."
Gabriel wasn't even angry. He just sat down next to her.
They sat like that for a few minutes. In silence.
"Are you ok, Riley?" he didn't turn towards her but his voice dripped with genuine concern.
"I…I…-" For the second time that day, she broke down crying, putting her head in her hands. There was a shift of weight on the bed and two arms wrapped around her. Gabriel pulled her into his chest and he just held her.
As Riley sobbed and he mumbled comfort into her hair Gabriel couldn't help but love the feel of his partner in his arms. Her smell, her warm skin, she was so fragile when she let down her walls. The bulge in her stomach was against his abs and he was conflicted. Did he love Elly or Riley? He couldn't have both. Did he have to choose Riley now that she was carrying his child? Not that that was a bad thing but leaving Elly and her family would be. Did Riley even want him? She had said she would never be with him apparently just three months ago. Oh, what would he do? He should be focusing on the problem at hand, Gabriel scolded himself.
He distracted himself by using the chip to research everything from pregnancy to parenthood. Parent life hacks, cures for morning sickness, the cost of collage, best baby food, when could you know the gender, schools nearby, all the medical disasters that could go wrong for Riley and the baby.
Suddenly his phone went off again. He panicked for a second thinking it was Elly and Riley lifted her tear stained face. But it was Lillian's name that flashed across the screen. Gabriel sighed, part relief, part dread.
"We should tell her" Riley croaked.
Gabriel nodded and moved to get his phone. Riley sat up, sniffling. She felt like a cry baby idiot but it had felt good to be in Gabriel's arms again. But she felt like she was obligating him to care for her. The guilt threatened to leave her bawling again but she held it together.
"Lillian" was Gabriel's curt greeting. He stood next to Riley and began rubbing her back with one hand, as much to comfort her as to support himself.
"I found her at her apartment…Yes….No…..She was ill…There is something we need to tell you…. No! well yes sort of….No we wont be able to come in today…..Riley is pregnant with my child….No..well I don't know…There was one night…..We were drunk…..Yes…I don't know yet…About three months….Sorry…Ok…..Ok….I Know…ok….I will…Thank you…Will do…See you tomorrow."
Riley could guess by his expressions each question Lillian asked. As her puffy red eyes looked up at him Gabriel felt as if he couldn't bear to let her down. She seemed so vulnerable, he had done this to her, maybe ruined her career, he couldn't hurt her anymore, Gabriel Vaughn would not make any more mistakes. He would do everything right regarding this baby daddy thing.
"She mad?" Riley asked as her voice cracked.
"No, are you?" Gabriel replied tentatively.
"What, Why would I be mad. Are you mad?" Riley was confused.
"No, no, no of course not." Gabriel sunk back down next to her and took his partner's face in his hands.
"We are in this together, now. I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted. It certainly isn't what we planned. But we are partners, Riley, and I am here for you because I am as equally responsible."
Her eyes shined in gratitude and relief. But just then Gabriel's phone rang again.
It was Elly this time and Riley's heart dropped back to the floor. The girl he really loved was calling.
Gabriel looked unsure for a second then stood abruptly and answered his phone.
"Hey El, Ive got something big to talk to you about….Its up for you to decide…..No I haven't forgotten ,been thinking about it all day…Oh, crap is it that late already…no way….could you…..sorry…..Thats perfect….I can talk to you then…..haha…..maybe…Do you guys have plans for dinner…Oh, that's ok…..alright… see you soon".
Gabriel finished his quick conversation with his girlfriend and looked down to see Riley looking like a kicked puppy. He felt guilty talking to Elly in front of her, for some reason. He wondered if he should feel guilty about being in another woman's bedroom while on the phone with his girlfriend. He was too late to pick the boys up from school now and Elly was having to get them and meet Gabriel at the museum. It would be a good chance to tell her about this.
He wanted her to meet Riley if she didn't dump his ass on the spot. But Elly couldn't do dinner today so maybe another time.
Oh crap, he had to go now or he would be late to the museum. But he couldn't leave Riley alone. She shouldn't be there when he told Elly. Riley was not looking ready to go out anyway.
"I have got to go tell Elly" he apologized. "I am taking the boys to the National Spy Museum today. I would cancel….but I can't now. It's too late. They are on their way."
She didn't speak.
"Will you be ok for a few hours?" he felt terrible. "It will never happen again, I promise."
Riley put on her fake smile and assured him they could talk later and she wanted to sleep anyway. A few minutes later he was out the door and she was in tears over her awful situation again. Not the pregnancy part, that she could handle, maybe even rejoice over, in any other situation.
But her situation with Gabriel. Before this, it was complicated and sad for her. They were barely friends anymore and he was with someone else. Now she was obligating him to love her, basically, and probably making his relationship very difficult. Gabriel wouldn't abandon her, she knew, but having someone be with you who doesn't want to be is worse. Hurting him and having him was worse than losing him.