A/N: I couldn't help myself. Yesterday morning, I sat down at my computer. And didn't move pretty much all day. I write fifteen pages of a Word document. First time I actually mostly finished a story in one sitting! This isn't going to be a very long fanfic, only about five or six chapters. But it has more Ian and Riley! Yay.

Not related in any way to my completed fic. Still post-Book of Secrets, though. But that's it.

Disclaimer: I still don't own it. Isn't that amazing?

Parties and Problems

"Riley, you're going and that's final."

"But Abigail!"

"Absolutely not. I'm putting my foot down."

Ben smiled fondly at the argument leaking its way through the kitchen door. There was yet another gala that evening that Riley had been trying to worm his way out of all day. Abigail was making him go, as she usually did. Ben himself wasn't a huge fan of the social events, but he felt obliged to attend them. And he, at least, didn't whine about the tux for hours.

Riley appeared in the hall, looking disgruntled. He saw Ben.

"Your wife is forcing me to put on the monkey suit. Again," he complained.

"It's just for a few hours, Riley. Please?" Ben asked.

Riley sighed sadly. "It appears I don't have a choice. She stole the keys to my car. I have to get them back, and the only way to do that is to go to this stupid party."

Ben watched his friend trudge down the stairs, head hung. Riley was just playing it up. He always did. As soon as the gala was over, he'd be fine.

--

The party was grand, fancy, and boring. Ben soon found himself deep in conversation with a group of people he'd never met before, discussing politics. At least, that's what he thought they were talking about. He glanced around surreptitiously, trying to find Abigail in the crowd.

As it turned out, she found him.

"Ben!" Abigail called, pushing her way through the crowds to her husband's side. "Ben, you have to come! Something's wrong with Riley!" She began to tug him through the swarms of people. "We were just talking, and he collapsed!"

Ben's heart began to pound, the rate quickening when he saw his best friend lying on the floor, a shattered punch glass beside him.

"Did someone call 911?"

Abigail nodded wordlessly. Ben dropped to his knees and checked his friend's pulse. It was faint, but definitely there. He held his friend's hand until the ambulance arrived. Then he and Abigail followed it to the hospital in their car.

They hurried into the waiting area, rushing to the front desk.

"HeretoseeRileyPoole!" Abigail gasped in one breath.

"Who?"

"Riley Poole! We're – family!"

The woman nodded. "Okay. Just take a seat. I'll let the doctors know you're here."

An agonizingly long time later, the door opened and a doctor poked his head into the room.

"Riley Poole's family?"

Ben and Abigail stood.

"Is he okay?" Ben asked.

The man smiled and nodded, waving to the two of them to follow him into the inner workings of the hospital.

"He's just fine. We have his collapse down to a mixture of exhaustion and overexcitement. No treatment necessary, though we would like to keep him overnight just to make absolutely sure that's all it is." He stopped before a door. "This is him."

Ben turned the knob and pushed the door lightly. It swung open, and Abigail followed him inside.

A very annoyed looking Riley Poole glared at them.

"They want me to stay overnight!" he hissed as if it was a capital crime.

"They want to make sure you're all right," Abigail told him.

"I'm perfectly fine, and ready to go home!"

"One night, Ri," Ben said firmly. "It's not that bad."

"You say," Riley muttered.

Ben smiled and squeezed his friend's hand. "On the plus side, you got to miss most of the Gala."

Riley's eyes lit up. "Yeah, that is a good thing."

Abigail kissed the techie on the forehead. "Go to sleep. We'll be by to pick you up in the morning."

"Okay…" Riley said resignedly. "Bye."

He watched as his friends left and turned over, sighing unhappily.

He was never going to get to sleep.

--

Riley woke up in the middle of the night. He didn't know what prompted his sudden consciousness, only that he wanted to go back to sleep right now.

Vaguely, he heard the door open, and he moaned and turned his face away from the light streaming into the room.

"Don't want any more tests…" he murmured. "'M fine…"

The door closed, and Riley heard a soft chuckle. For some reason, it sent chills down his spine.

"Who is it?" he muttered, opening his eyes cautiously. The room was so dark, all he could see were shadows. That was odd. A nurse would need a light. "What's going on?" He heard the panic rise in his voice.

"Calm down, Riley. We're here to rescue you."

Ian.

Riley gasped.

"I-Ian?" he squeaked. He started to yell, but a hand was clamped over his mouth and a gun pressed into the side of his head. He began to shake violently instead.

"Relax…" Ian told him quietly. "I'm not going to hurt you, Riley."

Riley made a noise halfway between a snort and a terrified whimper.

"If Ben cooperates," Ian amended. "Now, stay still and this'll be all the easier."

The hand was removed from Riley's mouth, but at the same time he felt a sharp pricking in his arm and gasped reflexively as he felt his consciousness slowly melting away into blackness.

The last thing he heard was the ripping of Velcro as they tied him down…

--

"Ben!" Abigail called. "Are you coming to bed?" When there was no reply, she descended the stairs, poking her head into the living room. "Ben?"

Ben was on the couch, staring at the TV. "Uh…" he grunted.

She sighed and entered the room. "Ben, I know you feel bad about Riley being at the hospital, but it isn't your-"

"Abigail, look!" he interrupted her.

Confused, Abigail glanced up at the screen. And jumped as Ian stared back at her.

"He's escaped?" she whispered. "Oh no…" Then, at the same time as Ben –

"Riley!"

--

They knew they were too late. Even as they pulled up to the hospital, rushed inside, and sprinted to their friend's room…

"Visiting hours are over!" a nurse called, annoyed.

They ignored her and burst through Riley's door.

The bed was gone. Ben's blood ran cold as Abigail gasped.

"Riley…" Ben moaned, putting his face in his hands helplessly.

"Sir, you need to get out right now!" The nurse had followed them into the room. Her face paled at the sight of the missing patient. "I-I don't understand!" she gasped.

Abigail stepped around Ben, her eyes roving the room. She sighed and turned to the distraught woman.

"Call the police."

A/N: And now we have the set-up of the story. So review and I hope to post once a day until it's all up.