*I want you to know,* Gabriel thought, coming to his feet yet again, *so you’ll understand after I’m dead and you’re in your right mind again.*
River slammed her elbow into Gabriel’s face once, twice, three times, blood spraying into the air. As he fell, she delivered two sharp kicks to his right side, snapping still-healing ribs.
*I love you.*
River froze, expressionless.
“I do,” Gabriel spoke. He sluggishly forced himself to his feet once more. “I love you.” He paused to spit two teeth out. “You’re the only thing in this ‘Verse that I do.”
River’s face paled, and tears began to appear in her eyes. She trembled, the tremors worsening exponentially.
“So you finish beatin’ me to death,” Gabriel finished, voice soft and calm, “an’ after I’m gone, I want you to remember that this is how much I love you.”
-- The Reynolds Gang by lonewolf7