A/N: I know I'm a bad noodle but my motivation has been bleehhhh. Buut those promotional photos have given me renewed life. SO to tie us over until Friday... I might do a second chapter with Riley's POV but no promises.


Eclisse

"You know," Mac stooped to finish setting up the telescope, "Eclisse is Italian for Eclipse."

Riley stretched out on the blanket next to him, scrunching her face. "What?"

He shrugged, wiping the lens, "just saying,"

Riley shook her head. "You do know we're not actually here to watch the eclipse right?" She adjusted her messy bun and used the opportunity to get eyes on terrorist they were surveilling.

"Yeah Mac, don't go nerd on us," Riley heard Desi say over the coms.

Mac frowned, ignoring the remark and sat next to Riley on the grass, the telescope now fully assembled.

"I'm just trying to keep talking and look casual, we don't want to spook him." Mac said for the coms then his eyes fell on Riley. In response, she flashed him a small smile, a fake one. He didn't need to be a genius to know that.

"You're awfully quiet," he said.

She opened her mouth to respond but Matty's voice stopped her in her tracks. She closed it and listened to their boss.

"What's Antoinne doing?" Matty said.

Mac watched her carefully but she looked away, stealing another glance at the target.

"Ugh..nothing. He's just sitting and looking up."

"Keep an eye on him, he's supposed to be meeting his contact there." Matty said.

"Got it," Mac said. He clicked off his coms and returned his attention to Riley. They way he sat, he had them both in his line of sight.

"What were you gonna say?" Mac said, "Before…" Riley shook her head with a shallow sigh.

"Nothing, just that I'm tired…didn't get any sleep last night."

Mac nodded, "noisy neighbours?" Riley nodded slowly before gave him a strange look, "wait how did you know about the neighbours from hell?"

Mac scratched his head, "Desi told me…well I asked…" Since she wouldn't tell him herself, he had to resort to interrogating the people around Riley to find out if everything was okay with her. It was weird, since the Codex fallout he felt like she was only partly there. It was ironic, while undercover in Cdex he had never felt closer to her.

He was sitting closer than arms length from her yet she felt miles away. It had been like that for months and he had not given it much thought until now. He had been consumed with Codex and dismantling the rest of the organization. He had let all his relationships fall second to his vendetta. He was just realizing how far gone they were. This was the closest they had been in almost ten months.

Riley, still dodging his gaze, was inspecting the telescope, the grass and even the sky. Anything but him.

"You could always move back in…you're always welcomed." he said. "No," she rebutted before his mouth even clamped shut.

"I mean no thank you. I got it. I could use ear plugs until I find another place." she said, in a much calmer tone.

"Riles, it's really not a big deal." he pushed. He didn't understand why she was making life so hard on herself. His home had been the unofficial Phoenix Foundation motel for as long as he could remember. And truth be told, he missed her pancakes. And the soft rock music he would hear passing by her room. He even missed the way he would find articles of her clothes mixed in with his laundry.

"It's fine. Really." She opened her mouth to say more but she bit her lip instead. Mac didn't push any further as their target was beginning to look impatient, looking down at his watch every few seconds. He held something in his hand but Mac couldn't make out what it was.

"Did you get a look at what's in his right hand?" Mac said, he snapped on his coms and bolted into action. He sat up and pretended to be adjusting the telescope, and subtly turned the telescope in the direction of the target. intending to use it as a magnifying glass, he looked through and found the target staring directly at him. His heart lurched in his chest but he remained in control of his nerves on the outside. He nonchalantly tilted the telescope back toward the sky. He leaned back into a slouching position but Antoinne would not take his eyes off Mac.

He turned to Riley so it would look like he was speaking to Riley, just Riley. "I think he made me," he said for the others to hear over the coms.

Riley looked concerned but she didn't turn to look.

"Mac, Riley, play it cool. You can't blow this. You have to find a way to avert his suspicions." Matty said over the coms.

Mac took a calming breath before turning to Riley. "How do you supposed we do that?"

Riley followed his lead and relaxed her shoulders a bit. She shrugged then thought for a moment. "We could…" Mac tilted her chin to face him and covered her lips with his. He kept his eyes open just a moment to see the target's gaze still on them. He then closed his eyes and massaged her lips with his. He kissed the tension away and a beat later she was following his lead with her velvety soft lips. She hummed quietly in the back of her throat but he heard it and angled her head back so he could deepen the kiss. He had completely gone off books, he couldn't even remember what the mission was. All he knew was her name. And the way she felt. And the way she smelled….the way she tasted.

She pulled away from his a moment later and for the first time that day she looked him dead in the eye. He had never seen her look quite so… She was flushed, her eyes looked brighter and he couldn't help but follow the rise and fall of her chest.

"Sorry I couldn't warn you." he said.

"Did that work?" she asked, ignoring his apology which irked him. He didn't know if he had crossed the line. Well he knew he did, he didn't know how she was feeling about it.

"Umm," he reached over and tucked a dark curl behind her hair using it to glance over at the target who was back to glancing at his watch.

"I think so," he said. She nodded and looked down at the grass. Mac was exasperated, she was back to dodging his gaze.

"I think we're good," he said for the coms.

"How did you do it?" he heard Desi ask over the coms. He wondered if she could see them from the van she shared with Russ and Bozer. Surely not? If she could, they were probably too far to make out any details. He had to tell himself that. Why did he feel like he did something wrong? It was the job. He had to improvise. Things were complicated enough and he knew he just added gasoline to the fire. What was going on with him? Why were his lips still buzzing? Was she feeling the same way? He glanced her way again and his gaze zeroed in to her lips. He needed to remember what they felt like, so he could itch it into his brain forever.

"What's he doing now?" Riley said, making him snap back to reality.

In his peripheral he could see a tall man in a hoodie approaching the target.

"He's got company," Mac said.

"Take them both down," he heard Matty say. Whatever was going on with him, it would have to wait. He and Riley exchanged knowing looks before getting up and moving in on the target.