Work Text:
Gideon loved coming to work. Until today. She was doing her makeup and reviewing her stories for the day when something caught her eye. Something terrible. Rip, her Rip. The other reporters wouldn’t know it, couldn’t pick it up from just the words and hazy picture, but she knew it was him.
She was going to murder him after she saved him!
Gideon got up from her seat and hurried down the hallway. She knocked on the door. “Ray! I’m unwell, I need to go home!”
“You look fine. Besides, I need you.”
“I can’t, something came up. I mean-” Gideon coughed loudly.
“Take a cough drop, I need you at the university.”
Gideon stopped and looked at her notes and then at him. “The - the university? Where the professor and students are being held hostage?” Rip!
“That’s the one, unless you want Captain Cold to scoop you.” Also known as Leonard Snart, he’d earned his nickname for his winning personality.
Gideon glared at him. “I’ll take a cough drop.”
Ray smiled. “Cisco’s waiting for you.”
She grinned. “Thanks.”
He returned to his office and she went searching for Cisco. She grabbed her purse and checked her phone again. Rip had disappeared for nearly a month, no call, no text! Normally he told her when he was going on a dig. She had been so angry with him for not telling her and now, to find out he had returned by being the top news story, he had some nerve!
Gideon headed out to the news van where she found Cisco. As she had hoped, he was already behind the steering wheel. She could try to find more information on the hostage situation as he drove. “Hi.”
Cisco started the car. “Big story today, heavy stuff. You ready?”
“I will be by the time we get there.”
“Better be.”
She looked over the notes Ray had prepared for her on the hostage situation while Cisco drove. There wasn’t much as it was a developing story. First classes of the day, a man wandered in by the looks of it and held a class hostage. Rip’s class. Was the man armed? Was Rip in danger? By the time Cisco pulled up to the university, Gideon had the notes memorized and was no closer to finding the truth.
The place was swarming with police and crime scene tape. There were other news vans also preparing to get ready to deliver updates to civilians. Gideon took a deep breath. Somewhere, in the midst of all this chaos, was Rip. How did he get himself into this situation? What had he done that had caught the wrath of the hostage taker? There was no doubt in her mind this was all due to Rip, the man was a magnet for danger.
“Do you know where Doctor Stein is?” asked Gideon, “I have to try and get an interview before the other vultures start circling.”
“Could try his office.”
“In this mess? Looks like they’ve evacuated everyone.” Gideon scanned the crowd. How could she get to Rip unnoticed?
Cisco used his cell phone to pull up a picture of Doctor Stein. “If I find him, I’ll let you know.”
“Thank you. I’m going to have a look around, maybe talk to some cops, see if any of them are willing to talk on camera.” And see how long it would take to get this hostage situation resolved.
“Keep in touch.”
“I will.” As best she could. Gideon disappeared into the crowd. “Detective West!” Gideon waved at the kind man she had met at many a crime scene. She had learned to befriend her sources of truth. “Please tell me there’s good news.”
“Just got here myself a few minutes ago.”
Her heart dropped. “Hostage situations are bad. Have you heard any demands? Or if someone will be released?”
“Not yet. We’re getting someone into place to open negotiations.”
“You’ve got to get them out, Joe.” Her heart was hammering against her rib cage. If Ray knew how close she was to this story, he would never have let her come.
“That’s always the goal in hostage situations.”
“Are all the exits sealed off? Guards?” Was there any way for her to get in?
“Working on that now.”
Gideon nodded. “Please.” She looked at the crowd and recognized Doctor Stein. “Excuse me.” She had promised Ray a story.
He was busy, getting his staff and the students to safety. Gideon ran up to him. “Doctor Stein, Dean Stein! I know, I know you’ve talked with many reporters but…I’m not here as a reporter.” She was here as a girlfriend. “A moment of your time, please?”
“I’m very busy, young lady.”
“Please, I’ll make it quick.”
“You have thirty seconds.”
“What room are they being held in?”
“No-one’s allowed near there.”
“What room?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Please, please,” Gideon begged, whispering close to him. “I just need a room.”
“Why?”
“For-for my story.”
“You’ll have to wait with the others.”
Disheartened, Gideon turned away as other reporters congregated by professors and pushed her further. If she wasn’t going to get the help she needed she’d find a way in on her own. Rip had snuck her in plenty of times. She told herself firmly that he would again. Gideon weaved her way through the crowd, counting the police at each door.
She hoped they didn’t know about the tunnels. As she walked, she reached for her small flashlight and stopped when she felt a folded up paper, too. She pulled out both. Gideon opened the paper and read the handwriting.
Jones-Franklin History Building
Lecture Hall D, Fifth Floor
Gideon made her way through the tunnels, brushing away the cobwebs. Rip had taught her about them many years ago, back when they were both students at the college. She had been a journalism and media major and he had been in history, specializing in archaeology. They met in their literature class and became fast friends, eventually leading to more.
She needed to reach him quickly. Gideon took a left so that she was under the building. She crept through the door which led to the basement. She was trapped behind storage boxes and dug her way out.
Now to get to the fifth floor. How could she ascend unnoticed? Perhaps the stairs first. She made her way out of the basement.
Now, where were the stairs? She turned the corners, checking this way and that. Gideon found the back staircase Rip had once taken her up. She had just made it to the fifth floor unnoticed when she heard something. She crouched behind a bookshelf, making herself as small as possible. She heard footsteps grow nearer. She barely breathed as she prayed not to be discovered.
“What do we have here? Trying to escape?” A man grabbed her by her hair and pulled her up.
She bit her lip so she wouldn’t scream. He dragged her and she had no choice but to scurry along with him. She cussed, using a generous number of Rip’s favourite words as she tried to escape. But the man stopped all her attempts and grabbed her roughly, dragging her into a classroom.
“We got a runner, boss.”
Gideon wrenched her arm free and stalked over to Rip, ignoring the others. She was barely close enough to hear him. “You’re just making this worse.”
She collapsed next to him on the floor.
“Tie them up.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I came to rescue you!” she whispered fiercely in his ear. “Not that you deserve it.”
Rip stared at her in confusion, shock, fear. “Are you hurt?”
“Me? You’re the one that is being held hostage. After going missing for a month! Seriously, not even a text?”
“I left you a message.”
“Liar!”
He closed his eyes. Gideon nudged him in annoyance.
“How did you get yourself wrapped up in this?” she hissed, looking around the room. A handful of his students and his TA, Jefferson Jackson, were with them.
“No talking!”
Well, someone was in a foul mood.
“Eobard Thawne, captor extraordinaire,” Rip said dryly.
“I said be quiet,” Thawne growled. “If Mr. Hunter here just gave me what I wanted, then you’d all be free to go now.”
“And as I said, I don’t have it.”
“Have what?” Gideon interrupted, clearly irritating their captor.
Rip stayed silent.
“Have what?” Gideon demanded of Thawne.
“Shut her up.” Thawne nodded at one of his men.
“Don’t touch her!” Rip yelled.
“Only one way to stop it.”
“I told you I don’t have it!”
“Have what?” Gideon screamed.
“He thinks I stole an emerald necklace. I didn’t,” Rip ground out.
“A very reliable source swore you have it in your possession.”
“I don’t.”
“Pity. Kill them, and start with her,”
“No!” Rip lunged as best he could with his hands tied at the man. Gideon shook her head. He was an idiot but also her knight in shining armour.
She dodged the man lumbering towards her and reached for Rip’s side pocket, he usually kept a knife there. He probably hadn’t had the chance to use it nor wanted to alert the bad, bad men about it.
If ever there was a time…
As Rip kept them occupied, she managed to grab the pocket knife out of his jeans. The two men’s attention momentarily distracted, Jefferson and the other students attacked them, knocking them to the floor. Gideon cut through her ties and then undid Rip’s.
Thawne stepped towards them as he raised his gun. Without blinking, Rip thrust the knife into Thawne’s stomach as deeply as he could. The gun roared, the bullet hitting his accomplice in the chest.
“Go get help!” Rip demanded, as he checked Thawne for a pulse.
Gideon stood frozen so Jax ran out of the room instead.
“Are you all right?” Rip demanded, looking at Gideon.
She stared at him wide-eyed and managed to nod with a squeak. He checked to make sure she was uninjured.
“Are you okay?” she asked in return, her hands running over him.
“I think so.”
“Good, good.” She slapped his shoulder. “You disappeared for a month! I figured you’d left for a dig but you never told me!”
“I didn’t? Sorry, I thought I’d left you a message. It must not have gone through.”
“You didn’t,” she all but growled. “And then I wake up this morning to find out not only are you back but you’re being held hostage! Seriously? No phone call about getting back? How long have you been back?”
“Got in late last night, went to sleep, and, well, you know what happened when I arrived here.”
“Should have texted me,” she muttered. Gideon gave him a look that made it clear they weren’t done talking about it before throwing her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Go out with me tonight, after you finish work? I’ll make it up to you.”
“It’s a date.” She leaned in, about to kiss him, when Jax burst through with Detective West. Gideon stepped back, belatedly realising that Rip’s students were also still in the classroom, cowering against the wall.
“You’ll have our exclusive interviews,” Rip said.
“Good.” It was the least he could do, after going missing with nary a word.
She shrunk back as Joe noticed her and shook his head disapprovingly. He called the medics in and Rip and Gideon were separated once more as the police took over and they were taken out of the building to be checked over.
Nearly a half hour later after all the chaos, Cisco found her by the ambulance.
“I can explain,” she said sheepishly.
“I’m listening.”
“Ummm…we have an exclusive?”
“You should have at least brought a camera!”
“I…I will next time.” She smiled as brightly as she could.
“No next time!”
“Right, right. Of course. Don’t tell Ray?”
“He already knows.”
“Bollocks.”
“Gideon!”
She shrugged, her face lighting up when she saw Rip walking towards them.
“I’m ready for that interview,” Rip said.
“Excellent. Cisco?” Gideon prompted him as she got to her feet.
“Camera coming up.”
As Cisco turned away, she squeezed Rip’s hand.
“I hope you aren’t in trouble,” he said.
She shrugged. “Ray is usually forgiving.” Usually.
“If you want me to talk to him, I will.”
“What I want…is for you to move in with me.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “This past month-this morning-it was far too much. I never want to feel that way again. You should move in with me so I’m not constantly scared for your well-being.”
“I’ll always come back to you. I promise.”
“Move in. I’m ready for this step, truly.”
“I practically live in a closet and your place is scarcely bigger.”
“You can save on rent.”
“If you really want us to live together, we can start looking for a new place this weekend.”
She smiled. It was a reasonable compromise. “Fine, but we should really target by the end of the month.” Before he went on another dig.
“We’ll try.”
“I love you,” she murmured.
“I love you, too.”
Gideon went up on her tiptoes and pulled him down for a kiss.
Rip held her as Cisco filmed them. The camera man had been trying to get their attention for a while. Oh well. Somehow, Cisco would make sure that shot ended up in the broadcast report.