If only (Reira)

[Gabriel Seran]

Most would consider it a bright sunny day though, and through Gabriel's eyes it was. The only distortion was the darkening effect his shaded sunglasses concealed it behind a darkened veil. He was quite curious about a few people one in particular he'd bumped into about a week or so ago. Reira, remembering the few occasions they'd met he figured he'd chance a second meeting, this time however on more serious issues. She wanted to regain her gang life or thats how he suspected it to be. A low laugh as he flipped open the daily newspaper.

The headline read: School Violence at an all time high! What can be done?

Well not much, though Gabriel saw a solution, they would wait it out till a change was instituted whether it be from the higher powers or from within the school itself. But over all the pillar system was failing. Blaze was right on how fruitless their exploits were and Gabriel sought to find a middle ground. He found his status changing key, it lie within Reira, she was an in-expendable asset to his goals. Whether she realized it or not.

His legs crossed over still hidden behind the expanded newspaper. The leather Jacket he wore fit firmly to his wide shoulders and it gave him an intimidating yet neat bravado about him. He'd left a message with the girl to meet him for a bit of business he hoped to settle first off.

[Reira DeMorvick]

Reira was dressed in a casual outfit that consisted of short, grey plaid shorts and a thin black sweater. The sweater had buttons that revealed a comfortable amount of cleavage and showed the tan skin of her stomach. On her feet were small, trendy heels. Overall, it was a more conservative outfit, one she would miss wearing in a few months time. It still boggled her that she was expecting.

A sigh escaping those full lips of hers, as she left the private clinic she had been in for the last hour. She never liked being in any building that had doctors in it, because odds are it had that same clinicy smell that she learnt to detest over the years. Matrim was in the hospital enough to make her shiver at the thought of having to sit in one of their waiting rooms. In any case, this visit to the clinic was of different measures. It was actually on a happier note and to her satisfaction, her doctor told her that her and her child were healthy.

Running a hand through her long, brown hair, Reira had just hailed for a cab when she felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. She was expecting it to be Matrim, since he was really the only one who texted her, so she was surprised when she saw it was from Gabriel. Oh crap. She totally forgot about him and their deal! She didn’t try to forget of course, it’s just that so much had transpired since the last time she spoke to him that she had forgotten much of their previous conversation.

God damn me…

“Where to mam?,” asked the cab driver. Reira stepped into the shotgun and gave him the directions that Gabriel had sent her. May as well talk to him again, after all, he was a sort of an acquaintance of hers. In no time the cab dropped her off and watched as it sped off. There she stood, standing a few feet down from a guys holding a newspaper in front of his face. It didn’t occur to Reira that, that could be Gabriel, so she just stood there and waited.

[Gabriel Seran]

The paper flapped as a sudden gust picked up knocking the articles about. Gabriel had to subsidize it with an edge of force that caused them to wrinkle and clatter beneath his palms. Though his eyes looked up to catch Reira standing before him which was indeed his end goal. A smoothed out smile pinned it's way across his face. So she'd decided to show up did she. He was starting to love this girl's energy more than he knew.

Gabriel sat still watching the girl with curiosity. Another bulky man walked slowly towards Reira with caution not to be spotted till he was behind her. Gabriel had planned this test yet he would not be found the victim she needn't know he staged it all. From behind he'd clutch her arm tenderly though with a sudden vigor and dragged her along as if this were a mobster assassination.

"So you decided to come? Unfortunate." His voice formed a Russian Accent

The Russian would pull her along into an alley way where a dark vehicle was parked and throttle her into the back closing it after her. She would find the doors to be locked suddenly. And Gabriel would make for the car sliding into the passenger seat unbeknownst to Reira.

"Who sent you?" The Russian poked with hostility, "Who made you come out here?"

He started the engine and rolled off a ways. The event would be certainly traumatic. Gabriel would remain neutral and unchanged. Fiery and passionate. He needed to know if Reira was trust worthy, then he'd "save her" from this traumatic event. And she'd never know it was all staged...

[Reira DeMorvick]

Placing a strand of her hair behind her ear, Reira continued to wait. Her patience grew weary and she was beginning to question why she came in the first place. She was about to say ‘screw it’ when she felt a presence approach from behind her. With quick reflexes, she swung her body around…only the man was had the element of surprise. Before she could even step away or throw in a swing he had her by the arms. Both arms. They both fit in one of his hands. Then she was being dragged around like a rag doll into a dark alley way, her destination being a random car that was parked there.

"So you decided to come? Unfortunate."

“Fuck you,” she spat. Her words were like venom on the tip of her tongue. Oh she was very, very pissed off. But behind her anger was a very frightened Reira. It’s not like she had her Qi to protect her anymore. And judging by mere comparison in size, there was no way she could ever take this guy down. Course, that wasn’t going to stop her from giving him hell. As he dragged her along, she managed to twist an arm free in her struggling about and slammed a hard fist to the bridge of his nose.

She felt her knuckles crack. For a mere second she cringed in pain, but for an very strange reason it soon disappeared and she found that he had let her go. Only for a split second. Reira only managed to take a step away from him when her placed an arm around her stomach and roughly jammed her into the back of the car. She froze then, like she suddenly grew paralyzed. He had grabbed her by the stomach…Nothing, nothing was more important than making sure no harm came to her baby.

"Who sent you? Who made you come out here?"

Reira laughed cockily, trying to re-orient herself from the sudden shove into the back seat. “You just made a very, very bad choice today…” she said darkly. The girl managed to get herself in a half sitting position. “You have no idea how much you’ll regret this.” Finding one of her heels that was thrown off of her feet, she secretly grabbed it and was about to make a move to jam the heel into the man’s temple. If all went well, the car would probably start swerving out of control.

There was another guy in the passenger seat, but she’d fuck with him later…if the crash didn’t take care of him first. All she could think about was surviving and protecting her child. In the back of her mind somewhere, she wanted to kill Gabriel. He told her meet him there...

[Gabriel Seran]

Gabriel waited, now was not the time but he sealed the black glass so she couldn't identify him there. There would be a strong barrier the only way to penetrate it would be by a very rough battering ram. Gabriel neither spoke nor grinned, he hated having to do this but that voice in his head questioned. He remembered back about a month ago Matrim had told him of a Reira being of some importance to him. His fiance. He figured the man to be of enough morality to stand in defense of his soon to be wife risking everything. Even a title. If that didn't work Gabriel would always have yet another weapon to use against him. And there was nothing more painful than a woman scorned.

"Now understand this, you will tell me who you are meeting! What is his purpose? Give me a name?" The Russian hollered through the black glass as the noise resonated in the cabinet. Gabriel took his leave from the car without looking back. He had a communicator to hear all that was going on. Now was the time for him to make an entrance.

He'd wait on Reira's reply and give it a few moments. The poor Russian was only given the briefest of warnings before a fiery Gabriel crashed through the front window with a savage fist and tore him out.

*Crash*

The sound would boom through the car. A small whimpering and wailing audible from within as the man was beaten within an inch of his life. Gabriel's left hand would be covered in blood of the Russian and his own from the glass. His breath raged from the exertion and he'd peel open the door to let Reira escape.

"Are you all right? I came as fast as I could!" Gabriel half shouted through raged breaths leaning slightly against the car door to block out the body of the Russian.

[Reira DeMorvick]

Through her rampaging mind, she failed to realize the thickness of the black glass that separated her from the diver. Damn, one of those cars! Which inadvertently meant that she couldn’t wham the man over the head with her heels as she planned. In other words, Reira was helpless. Slamming her already hurt fist into the back of the dark glass, she winced as pain shot up her arm. Sitting back down, she tried unlocking the doors once again, knowing full well it was hopeless. She just hated not being able to do anything…yet.

"Now understand this, you will tell me who you are meeting! What is his purpose? Give me a name?"

Reira scoffed, then grinned almost cleverly. “Now tell me, why should I tell you? It’s clearly none of your business. In fact, if you want to get anything out of me, you’re going to have to come back here and force me to.” It was a bold statement, particularly in the situation she was in. But the plan was for her to speak to the Russian in such a way, that he would get pissed off enough to stop the car, get out of his seat, and open the back door. Which would give her the chance she needed to escape.

“I’m going to--”

*crash*

The sudden sound of breaking glass resonated throughout the vehicle. There was only a faint amount of time, where she realized that the front windshield had been broken, or rather, someone had thrown themselves into it. Then the car collided into a stop, making the vehicle rock forward roughly. Reira braced herself as best as she could but ended up hitting the front of her head against the black glass that separated the front of the vehicle from the back.

Dizziness clouded her mind.

She hardly noticed that someone opened the door to let her out. They were talking to her and she found it rather hard to stand, so she was pretty much using him to balance herself properly. Other than the bump in the head, the only injuries Reira had were her cracked and bleeding knuckles and a few bruises.

“I-I’m fine…,” Reira said, looking up at him. “Is that you Gabe? My head…hurts.” She leaned into him more heavily.

[Gabriel Seran]

Gabriel put on an almost perfect panicked voice. Great acting on his part but he needed her in one piece so in turn he was fully concerned. Gabriel knelt to allow her time to hold herself up. A hand rested gently against her head trying to dissuade her.

"Fine isn't good enough for me..." Gabriel knelt down and picked her up holding her close to his chest so she didn't tumble over.

"I need you to be checked out... " He carried her to the street side and hailed a cab, "Hospital." He said in a solid voice setting her beside him.

[Reira DeMorvick]

"Fine isn't good enough for me...I need you to be checked out... "

Reira didn’t even have time to protest, as Gabriel’s strong arms had lifted her off her feet. Even if she wanted to protest, she felt too tired to do so and compared to that Russian guy’s treatment with her, Gabriel’s touch was very soothing. So Reira allowed him to carry her, to wherever they were going.

“It’s okay. I’m fine, really. My head doesn’t hurt anymore,” she said, opening her eyes from having them closed as her head throbbed. It was an old habit of hers. She didn’t like to show weakness, and right now, she was showing a lot of that. Having him carry her like that and having him know she was hurt was picking at her pride.

“Who was that man?”

"Hospital."

Hospital? Eeep, Reira didn’t want to go there! Matrim would find out and then he’d get mad at her for being so reckless. More importantly he would get mad at her for endangering the baby. Her injured hand coming to rest on her stomach, her and Gabriel entered the cab. Unknown to her, was how her knuckles and broken skin around them were free of pain…and looked a lot better than before, almost as if she was healing.

“Your timing is impeccable. I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t come when you did….so, thanks,” she said with an embarrassed, sort of blush on. It was very faint though. She felt so damsel in distress. “I can usually hold on my own, but I can’t right now, I have to be more gentle.”

She was talking about being pregnant of course. Her hand was still on her stomach and if Gabriel didn’t catch on, she’d tell him if he so asked.

[Gabriel Seran]

Gabriel grinned not quite looking directly at her at this point he was still worried about her condition. It wasn't all too bad he began to calm his eyes settling in on her movements assured she didn't have a concussion. Thats when it hit, her hand trailed to her stomach in a motherly defensive way. His eyes widened miraculously and moved his mown hand against the spot. He could feel a tremor through his Qi, the electrical waves of life spinning within.

Gabriel's eyes shot open wide with dread, his mouth dropped with shock and he pulled away and fell into the foot space of the taxi. What had he done? What was he about to do? He truly was a monster if that was indeed his plan. Such horrible guilt consumed him and he sat quietly for a few moments not staring at her but the blank place in space at Reira's belly where life grew. It was Matrim's child...

"You...You're Pregnant..." Gabriel managed to choke out still unable to make eye contact.

[Reira DeMorvick]

Reira paid close attention to him, her eyes falling on his face. Gabriel’s own blue eyes widened in shock at the news she subtly hinted at. It was no less of a surprise to him. Not very many people knew actually, Gabriel would be one of the first. Watching him place a hand over her stomach, Reira’s lips parted, about to say something…but she thought against it. His behaviour confused her.

“Gabriel?”

He looked more distressed than previously, as he pulled away from her. She had never seen him like this. It was odd. Where was the calm and collected Gabriel? It was almost as if the news of her being pregnant somehow affected him in a way it probably shouldn’t. Still, Reira was oblivious. She had no idea why he was acting the way he was…his steady stare at her stomach was beginning to make her uneasy.

“Yes, I am,” Reira said, also avoiding making eye contact. For some reason she felt embarrassed. “Which is why I’m not joking when I said I’m grateful for you helping me back there.”

She turned her head slightly, daring those cerulean eyes to look up at him.

“What’s wrong? Are you…alright?”

[Gabriel Seran]

Gabriel collected himself uneasily. Yes he was unbreakable, something like this could hardly shake his nerves. Things would go through as planned but at the cost of another life? Would he ever take it that far. Gabriel's darker half didn't have to surface to state the truth. But Gabriel still faltered uneasily hiding behind a self preserved mask that held him afloat. He'd need to protect her and her unborn child, he would have to sacrifice his ambitions. It angered him somewhere down deep inside. The choice between ambition and responsibility raged within him.

"Yes, I'm quite alright just a little caught off guard." He forced a grin, "Congratulations... Who's the father?" He already knew the question....

Gabriel remained disconnected. Though his eyes slowly made there way to match hers. He was a good liar but this had torn him into a new set of challenges. Why was it so hard to decide now?

[Reira DeMorvick]

"Yes, I'm quite alright just a little caught off guard. Congratulations... Who's the father?"

The brunette looked at him quizzically. Wasn’t it obvious who the father was? The question almost made Reira seem like she was one of those girls that applied for the Maury Show to get paternity tests! It almost offended her, but then logic calmed her from any outbursts. Gabriel didn’t know her well enough to know the extent of her and Matrim’s relationship. At least he was acting normally again.

“Matrim Gallagher. You probably know him, right?”

Obviously he did. Who didn’t know the School Captain? Reira gazed out the window then, focusing on the many passing buildings and the various people walking the streets. If she’d known any better, she’d say they were almost at the hospital. Then again she wasn’t familiar with this part of town. So, she was more or less in the hands of Gabriel at the moment.

“I almost don’t want to tell him about what happened today…save him the worry. What did happen today anyway? Did you know that Russian man?”

It was a question she asked before, but she was ignored. Still, she almost didn’t care about his answer. She was more worried about what Matrim would do when he heard of her and Gabriel’s day together. She had a strange feeling he wouldn’t like hearing Gabe's name come out of her mouth. Paying no attention to her knuckles, if one looked, they’d find it almost fully healed. A notion of an unknown Qi.

[Gabriel Seran]

Yes Gabriel knew the man quite well unfortunately. Perhaps under better terms they could have grown to be friends but due to the circumstances they had become bitter rivals. Enemies till one side won. Whether they played it out on a chess board or a go board the game didn't matter the cycle would go on uninterrupted until one side was dead. Gabriel knew clear well of the fact that one of them had to die to end this each man was too powerful to lose.

Gabriel's face turned up again, "Good, I'd prefer he didn't know you were talking with me we don't exactly see eye to eye..." Gabriel said lightly, he was drastically undermining the problem to Reira, Gabriel had in fact planned on using her as leverage against his foe but couldn't bear to anymore. He needed the strength to burry emotions, to put his humanity to rest it was for the greater good...

"Yes, I believe the Russian was under Matrim's orders to pursue me..." Liar

The taxi cab was nearly there about another half mile or so and they'd be there. Would she believe him? It only required the particular skills to do so and Gabriel was a very good liar.

[Reira DeMorvick]

Could she really not tell Matrim about this day? It would almost be impossible, considering she told him everything. Not to mention the fact that Matrim knew her very well. He could tell when something was bothering her and when she was lying to him. She could do the same to him. There was no way she could keep this from him. Rei would get too guilty. She would tell him when she got back home. Whenever that would be…

However, Gabriel didn’t need to know that. He had just finished telling her that Matrim and himself didn’t get along. Shame. She had no idea what Matrim would do when he heard about this. Hopefully she could convince him to let it go. It wasn’t a big deal…okay, lie. It was a big deal. For crying out loud, Reira almost got taken somewhere, with some big guy, to be dealt with in who knows that kind of ways! The though made her shiver. Not to mention the fact that her baby’s life would be in peril the whole time.

She remained quiet…but the next thing he said to her made her eyes widen.

“No way! Matrim would never,” she said in an matter of fact voice. “You two may have your differences, but Matrim doesn’t fight dirty like that. If he really wanted to get you, he’d come and do it himself.”

The cab turned the corner and the hospital could be seen.

“What set you and Matrim against each other anyway?”

[Gabriel Seran]

The complexities of himself and Matrim were deep seated, in fact he couldn't quite remember what it all added up to. Could have been the fire at the school, Gabriel's assault, even the fact of his rebellion from the norm. But he knew in the end it came down to something childish. A pointless matter that would end in neither of their favor. So Gabriel wouldn't lie he'd simply tell another side of the truth.

"A game of Chess..." The rules however were slightly altered of course.

Gabriel saw the approaching hospital and waited till the taxi halted. He'd move to pick Reira up once more carrying her safely to the automatic doors reserved for handicapped accessibility. Her baby would be checked out here to see if it was in fact safe. Gabriel felt a strange attachment to the child now almost as if his Qi had formed a bond with it. Their channels were now on a similar link.