A/N: Hello, fandom! The person who introduced me to Intelligence said I would like it because of the complex relationship between Riley and Gabriel. I watched one episode and was hooked. Love those two!

Hope you enjoy.

Angel's Bluff, Virginia
Cyber-Command Fitness and Training Room
07:36 EST

Special Agent Gabriel Vaughn was flat on his back. Stars were swimming before his eyes, and as he dizzily stared up at it, he was fairly certain that the ceiling of the training room hadn't always been that ugly moss green tile.

"Geez…" he groaned, wondering what idiot ever thought sparring on gym mats would soften a fall when you landed head first. "The hell was that…?"

The hum and buzz of the large room, the sound of weights clanging, and fellow agents exercising, didn't block out the sound of one snarky male voice. "From where I'm standing, 'that' was you getting your ass kicked."

Scowling, Gabriel rolled his head to the side and spotted Chris Jameson standing a few feet away, arms crossed and smirking at him. Like Gabriel, the neckline of his T-shirt was stained with a dark arc of sweat, and his hair, normally combed and neat, stuck out at odd places. Jameson cocked an eyebrow at his friend, daring a rebuttal.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "You can be next, you know."

He knew he had to get up, but the world was still spinning a bit too fast for his liking. Not that Gabriel would ever admit to it. If he did, his partner would worry about the microchip in his brain and haul his ass to the doc's for a day's worth of scans and probes. You didn't mess around when it came to billions of dollars of cutting-edge, top-secret government technology.

Jameson's smirk grew wider. "And end up on my back like you? Think I'll pass, thanks." Turning his attention to someone standing at Gabriel's feet, Jameson waggled his eyebrows. "Nicely done with that take down, by the way. Wouldn't want come up against you in a dark alley."

Following Jameson's gaze, Gabriel looked to find Riley Neal; his partner, protector, and friend watching him with hands on hips. Her lips were pulled up in a triumphant smile. Her long, dark hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her cheeks were flushed from their sparring match, and the low-cut tank-top she wore revealed a chest that glistened from exertion.

Not that Gabriel was looking there.

"Thanks," Riley replied. "Actually haven't used that move since my second day at Secret Service. Good to see I've still got it." She eyed her partner as he continued to lay prone on the mat. "You all right?"

Although her tone was light, Gabriel could tell from the way she kept watching him that Riley was starting to grow concerned over the fact that he hadn't yet gotten back on his feet. "Just peachy," he growled as the room finally stopped spinning.

"Then get up, princess." Her voice was teasing, but layered. Then, as if realizing what would definitely get him moving again, she bent at the waist and raised one perfectly arched brow with a mischievous smile. "Or are three minutes all you can handle?"

As Jameson chuckled at the double entendre, Gabriel made a fast decision: worried or not, Riley was going to get it for that one.

They'd been partners for almost a year now, so she knew Gabriel's strengths and weakness and he could handle Riley kicking his ass. He could also more-or-less handle her calling him a princess. She seemed to delight in that one. But for some reason, and especially since Jin Cong's EMP attack a month ago, the idea of Riley Neal questioning his sexual prowess was not something Gabriel was okay with.

Not that he was about to think of why. Right now, it was time to exact some sweet revenge.

"Oh, I'm plenty ready to handle more," Gabriel breezed, rolling onto his side and propping himself up on his forearm. "The only question is; are you?"

Without any other warning, Gabriel snapped his leg around and literally swept Riley off her feet. With a yelp, she crashed onto her back and a moment later Gabriel was straddling her hips and grabbing hold of her wrists to pin them on either side of her head. Immobilized, Riley stared up at Gabriel first in surprise, then with annoyance as she realized he'd managed to catch her so completely off guard.

With a shake of his head and a tisk-tisk, Gabriel leaned close and murmured low and teasing; "Guess you weren't."

Their faces now only inches apart, Riley tensed under him and Gabriel's smirk started to fade as he became acutely aware of just how close they were. He could feel the smallest of Riley's movements. He could see the pulse in the curve of her throat. Sense the heat radiating from her cheeks. Count every crease in her full, bottom lip. There she was – trapped so submissively and defencelessly beneath him, and –

"Gabriel…" Riley said in a slow, dangerous voice. "Get off of me."

He blinked. Then blinked again.

Right.

"What, no 'please'?" he quipped, hoping to cut through the air of tension that had thickly descended around them.

If looks could kill, Gabriel would have died letting go of Riley's wrists.

Getting to his feet, he offered her a hand up but his partner was already standing. Standing, and backing away from him. Arms crossed, she stared at the mats while pointedly clearing her throat. There was a tense pause, and when Riley finally met Gabriel's eyes, he saw a mask.

"I think I'll do some weights," she deadpanned.

Ouch.

Just then, the opening theme song from Buffy the Vampire Slayer cut through the air, causing heads to turn. The sound was coming from Riley's cell, left next to her water bottle on the edge of the mats. She had a call.

While his partner walked away to answer her phone, Gabriel suddenly realized that Jameson was still standing off to the side, watching them. Which meant he had witnessed Gabriel and Riley's…whatever the hell it was…in its entirety.

As if on cue, Jameson raised an eyebrow at Gabriel and gave him a knowing look.

Great. That was just great.

The theme music ended when Riley pressed the Talk button. "Neal here." Listening to the speaker on the other end, she picked up her water bottle and took a quick swig. "Okay, we're just in the training room," Riley told the caller. "Be there in twenty." As she disconnected, the serious look on her face read that it was game time. "That was Nelson," Riley explained, darting her eyes between Gabriel and Jameson. "An op just came down the line and we've gotta move on it fast. I'll meet you guys in C-DOC." Waiting only half a second for the two men's nods of understanding, Riley made a hasty retreat towards the change rooms without so much as a backwards glance.

Jameson joined Gabriel on the mats. "Well, that was…" he trailed off in contemplation.

Arms crossed and frowning, Gabriel watched his partner continue her fast getaway. "Awkward as all hell?" he offered. "She's a sore loser."

"Right, because Riley's the one with the problem, here." There was a pause before Jameson continued on. "Word of advice?"

"Oh, this should be good…"

Jameson moved so that he was facing Gabriel and set him with a serious look. "Ever since that EMP messed with your head, something's changed between you and Riley. Now, I get that you two are close and maybe that attack made you closer, but trust me; you don't want to fall for her. Not when she's supposed to take bullets for you."

Something painful twisted in Gabriel's chest. "I'm not falling for her."

Snorting a bitter laugh, Jameson clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Sure you're not." Then he retreated to the change rooms, leaving Gabriel to his thoughts.

Angel's Bluff, Virginia
Cyber-Command Cyber Defense Operations Center (C-DOC)
08:02 EST

Cyber-Com Director Lillian Strand walked into a bustling roomful of agents, holding a tablet that controlled the line of screens she headed towards. Searching, she saw Gabriel silently leaning against a computer terminal off to the side, with Riley rigidly standing a step behind him; her hair still wet from a fast shower. Reaching the wall of screens at the front of the room, Lillian spotted Nelson Cassidy to her right, sitting in front of a computer monitor and gesturing to it as Jameson hovered over his shoulder.

The kids were all here.

Lillian swiped a finger over the tablet and a satellite image of Japan popped up behind her. "Listen up, people," she began, bringing eyes up front and all noise to an end. "Less than an hour ago, we intercepted some chatter between two nationals in Tokyo, concerning an assassination planned against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe." She zoomed the satellite image until it focused on an aerial view of Tokyo's Roppongi District, and highlighted one particular building. "Intel's limited at this stage, but it seems that whomever is planning the attack is going to be making their move during a banquet that's being held tomorrow night at the Grand Hyatt hotel," she pointed to the highlighted building, "in honour of President Finnegan's visit to Japan."

The mention of the American president's name caught Gabriel's attention. "Finnegan? What's he doing in the Land of the Rising Sun?"

"It's the first stop on his Asian tour," Riley explained, keeping her eyes on Lillian. "Besides discussing economic and diplomatic issues, the president wants to bring Japan into the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement."

Lillian gave a short nod, glad that one of her agents was keeping up with current events. "Correct. TPP negotiations are set to begin the morning after the banquet."

Nelson raised his hand in question. "So, uh, is the Prime Minister of Japan secretly the grown-up version of Astro Boy or something? Because that's the only reason I wouldn't be cancelling dinner if I knew someone was trying to kill me."

Jameson shot his friend a patronizing look, mouthing the words "Astro Boy?"

Lillian pressed a finger to her tablet and the mug shot of a scowling Japanese man appeared on one of the screens. Only his left eye was open. "The Prime Minister wants to proceed because we've been able to identify one of the two nationals as this individual." She gestured to the photo. "Meet Kiyoshi Takayama, also known as the second-in-command for the Yamaguchi clan."

"Yamaguchi?" Riley repeated. "As in the yakuza?" She glanced at Gabriel, looking wary. "The Japanese mafia is behind the assassination?"

"It gets better." Gabriel's eyes were sharp as he stared off into space, using the chip to pull up more information. "Takayama here didn't make it to second-in-command by fetching coffee. Besides losing his right eye in a sword fight, this guy's been implicated in arms deals, extortion, drug dealing, contract killings, and…" he frowned. "…human trafficking."

"Badass…" Nelson whispered in awe.

Riley shot him a scathing look. "There's nothing badass about kidnapping innocent girls and forcing them into prostitution."

"Wait, no, I-I didn't mean that," Nelson stammered. "Just the sword part is - " He caught Gabriel glaring at him and went silent. "Sorry."

Lillian continued on, unfazed. "Prime Minister Abe has had a target on his back ever since he passed some heavy legislation named the Yakuza Exclusionary Laws a few weeks ago. Essentially, these laws make it illegal for civilians to share profits with gang members, or give them money in any way. This includes protection money, blackmail, extortion, racketeering…the list goes on. Needless to say, this has been a big hit to the yakuza; and will cost them millions, if not billions. Killing Abe would send a very big message back to the Cabinet, but he won't back down. The banquet is proceeding as planned because he wants the yakuza to know he isn't afraid of them and will do whatever it takes to break the stranglehold they have on his country."

"Even if letting the dinner happen puts the President of the United States at risk, too," Gabriel added. "Ballsy."

Lillian faced him. "Which is why I'm sending you and Riley to Tokyo. Obviously Takayama knows better than to show up at the banquet himself, so we need you to use the chip and identify anyone at the dinner who could have ties to Takayama or the Yamaguchi clan. It's estimated that there are over 55,000 members, and since we haven't been able to ID the man Takayama was speaking to, any number of them could be part of this plot. And unfortunately, we don't have any intel on how they're planning to execute it."

"Oh, so no pressure, or anything," Gabriel said sardonically. "That's a relief."

Despite the severity of the situation, Lillian allowed herself a small smile at his quip. "Once you land in Tokyo, you'll liaison with Japan's National Guard and of course the Secret Service for the op, and go from there."

As Lillian expected, all eyes went to Riley. After the mission in Syria, everyone had found out about her past relationship with Secret Service Agent Charlie Griffin, and how he had went behind Riley's back to snag the promotion of Detail Leader.

Gabriel flashed his partner a teasing smile which Lillian noticed didn't fully reach his eyes. "Here that, Riley? We get to work with your favourite person again."

"Great." Riley's tone was flat, but Lillian saw something in her expression that suggested she might be more accepting of the idea than not.

Interesting.

The Director glanced at her watch then faced the room. "We're under a crunch here, people, so let's move." As agents jumped into action, Lillian caught Gabriel's eye, knowing she had to set the record straight on one particular item. "Gabriel, I'd like a word?"

He joined her at the front of the room. "Going to ask me to bring home some sushi for you?"

Lillian fixed him with a no-nonsense look and cut straight to the chase. "I read Agent Griffin's post-op report from Syria. He called you a -"

" – 'loose cannon with a cowboy complex'?" Gabriel quoted, flashing a mischievous smile and tapping at his head. "I read it, too."

That wasn't a surprise.

"And you called him a 'whining pansy who couldn't aim'."

He shrugged casually. "I thought that summed it up pretty well." Glancing back at his partner, Gabriel added; "I'm sure Riley would agree."

Lillian cocked an eyebrow at him, sensing tension ahead. "Play nice, children. That's an order."