Riley was never happier to visit a hospital, despite the fact that he hated them altogether and did his best to avoid them whenever possible, but today he had good cause. Not only was Emily being discharged, but he had great news that he wanted to deliver to her personally. 

His own wounds had been treated at a different hospital the night before, and despite how bad they looked from the outside, they were mostly treatable without surgery. His leg still hurt like hell, and he was a little shook up from the whole incident, but he was intact. 

“We got the fucker!” Riley blurted out as he entered the room. Had he stopped to consider who was around he would have phrased it differently, because who he could only assume were Samantha’s parents and grandparents turned around at his shouting. “Oh, Jesus, I’m sorry, excuse me.”

“You got the fucker?” Emily yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. “I could kiss you.”

“Don’t,” he joked. “My girlfriend wouldn’t approve at all, but I’m all hugs all day.” 

“I’ll take a hug.” Emily wasn’t usually the hugging type, but the news that the Ripper had been dealt with warmed her right up. “Wait,” she said, pulling back. “Got him like how? Like, got him got him?”

Riley looked around the room. He didn’t want to say too much in front of Emily’s family. “He’s gone,” he said with a grin on his face. “We got him, got him.” 

“Thank God!”

“All the credit goes to you. You recognized what was happening when no one else did. I just did the legwork when you were hurt. I’ll make sure that all of your superior officers know that.”

“Thank you, Riley.”

“You’re welcome. The criminals of this town had better watch out then, ‘cause you’re one of the best cops I’ve met, and that’s saying something, trust me.”

Emily smiled. She wasn’t good at taking compliments, but Riley thought the world of her. He was back to his part of New York, but he was happy to have met a cop like her and had an experience that was very different than anything he’d ever done before. “I never thought I’d say this, detective, but I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you, too. Keep in touch, okay? Maybe we can catch another serial killer together one day.”

“Huh,” Riley said. “I was thinking of maybe getting dinner or something sometime.”

“Or that.”

They laughed and hugged one more time, and then Riley was out, back to the ferry for the last time, to the New York that he knew and loved. He left Emily behind to bask in the satisfaction of both knowing she was right all along about the Ripper murders, and in the knowledge that she helped end his killing streak. All and all, it had been a hell of an experience.

Netflix and chill was the perfect expression for what Riley and Samantha were doing. There was the chilling part, of course, which was the part that Riley was really interested in. He couldn’t give a shit about whatever binge-worthy show was on the screen in front of him, as long as he was under the covers with her. Samantha, on the other hand, was preoccupied with finding something good to watch. 

“I’ve already seen both seasons of Narcos.”

“Me, too.”

“House of Cards?”

“Not into political shows.”

“Stranger Things?”

“I’ll check it out. I’ve heard it’s great.”

“Same,” Samantha said, stopping on the icon of Eleven and the boys. “Stranger Things it is.”

“Sam,” Riley said, running his hands through her hair. “I’m really happy to be here with you. I’m really happy in general when you’re around. I love spending time like this with you. I just wanted to tell you that. I feel like expressing yourself is not just all the bad stuff.”

“Awww,” she said. “I’m happy to be here with you, too. I’m glad you’re done with that case, though.”

“Not as much as I am. But what I’m really happy about is that those women are safe. At least they’re safe from the killer, that is. I guess they’re not really safe.”

“You can’t save everyone, Riley. Remember that.”

“I know. I try to forget that whenever possible.”

“I love that about you, but right now it’s time for some 80’s nostalgia, do you understand me? No more cop talk.”

He smiled. “I thought you wanted me to express myself.”

“I do,” she said. “But after Stranger Things, okay?”

“Oh I see how it is.”

“Yup, that’s right,” she joked. “Netflix and chill, emphasis on the chill.”

“Got it.”

“There’s one other thing that I love besides spending time with you, by the way.”

“Oh yeah?” she asked. “What’s that?”

“You.” He leaned in and kissed her slowly, caressing her face with his hands, and enjoying the feeling of her lips against his.

“Ditto.”

“Ditto?” He laughed. “That’s all I get? I give you ‘I love you’ and I get ‘ditto’?”

“You never said I love you.”

“Did so,” he replied. “I just said it.”

“No you didn’t. You didn’t say the words together.”

“You’re right,” Riley said, realizing that she was. “I didn’t. I love you.”

“Oh, then I love you, too.”

They kissed again. “Are you excited to meet everyone this weekend?”

“I am. I’ve heard so much about them. It’s going to be weird meeting everyone at once.”

“It seems like that, and I’d probably be intimidated to meet that many people at the same time, but, honestly, they’re some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.”

“If they’re friends of yours then they’re friends of mine. I’m sure I’ll love them.”

“And I’m sure they’ll love you, too,” he said. “How could they not?”

“Awww.”

“Double awww, I’m having a good night.”

“You may be,” she said, giving him the eyes again. “But first it’s time for some 1980’s throwback fun with a few monsters in there for good health.”

“Let’s do it.”

They started the Netflix part of ‘Netflix and Chill’, and for the first time in a while, Riley thought of the present and the future instead of the past. Far too often the mistakes of the past, missed opportunities, or failed relationships, overtook the majority of his thoughts, but that night, with Samantha by his side, he felt content, and he wasn’t worried about anything except what the future would bring. 

He was hopeful.