A/N: Okay, here goes the first chapter! Enjoy! This kinda goes along with my National Treasure 3 trailer you can read on my profile if you want!
Disclaimer: ...do I look like I own it? I didn't think so..
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Abigail had never been one for thunderstorms. As a little child, she was always afraid the lightning would hit her house, and that the rain would cause a flood. Needless to say, she was paranoid about them. Or at least, she was. As an adult now, she was long over her fears, as she had a family now - and she had to protect her own daughter against the thunderstorms. Standing in the window of her bedroom, she watched the rain splatter against the window, lighting flashing every once in a while, followed by a loud clap of thunder. It had been raining since earlier that morning - it was what had woken Abigail up.
Of course, Riley was still unconscious in his room down the hall, having spent most of the night up with Amelia, playing games. And Ben was already at work - well, it wasn't really work. He mainly went around to colleges and schools, giving speeches about the treasures he had found, how history and clues in history that had been left behind by the people before us were the keys to finding their own treasures. She had heard the speeches many times herself, as she had often accompanied Ben when she didn't have to work herself. Sometimes she thought she was really the only one in the tight-knit family that had a real job, which was working at the National Archives. She was actually still waiting for her boss to come in and tell her she was fired - frankly; she probably deserved it for all the laws they normally broke when treasure hunting.
At least they hadn't done anything illegal for the past five years or so. She and Ben had found parenting a full time job - a trickier journey than searching for treasure. Of course, Riley had been there, helping every step of the way, starting from the moment Abigail had found out she was pregnant about a year and a half after they found Cibola, and about four weeks after their wedding. And she had put her foot down against treasure hunting then and there. But it seemed Ben was getting antsy as of recently, wanting do go out and search for more treasure. Hopefully he wouldn't just up and leave.
But she didn't really want to jinx it.
There was suddenly a bright flash of lighting, touching down what Abigail could have sworn was inches from the window. She took a step back instinctively, a groan escaping her lips as the manor was suddenly plunged into darkness. Great. Just great. The lightning must have hit a power line - now they were out of power.
She fumbled for a moment, following the wall around the room to the nightstand, where she kept the small flashlight and matches for the candles downstairs. Pocketing the matches, she flipped the flashlight on, thanking god they had thought to replace the batteries after the last time the power had gone out. With the beam of light illuminating her way, she made her way out of her bedroom and down the hall. She pressed her ear to Riley's room, making sure he was still sleeping - he was - before continuing down the hall to her daughter's room. Last time she had checked - about an hour ago - Amelia had been sleeping. But now, Abigail couldn't help.
Of course, she was sitting upright, blankets pulled up to her chin, trembling as she sat in the dark, too afraid to come and find Abigail. She looked at Abigail as she entered the room, the beam of light shining Amelia's toys and stuffed animals. Abigail made her way across the room, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"You okay sweetheart?" She asked softly, brushing a curl of hair from Amelia's face. Amelia just trembled, letting the blankets drop as she crawled into Abigail's laugh. Her small hands gripped Abigail's sweater tightly and Abigail pulled her to her chest, holding to her tightly as she stood. The flashlight was held between Abigail's teeth as she carried Amelia out of the room and downstairs, into the Gates living room.
Setting Amelia on the couch, Abigail went around the room, using the matches in her pocket to light the candles she kept for such occasions as this. Soon, the living room was lit up with flickering candles, the sound of rain pelting the window the only noise that broke the silence. Ben really needed to get home - Abigail felt uncomfortable in the dark alone like this. But pushing the feeling away, she turned back to her daughter, sitting on the couch where she had left her. Abigail sat down next to Amelia and pulled her into her lap, her fingers playing with a tendril of her daughter's soft blonde hair.
"How about a story?" Abigail asked after a moment. Amelia loved stories, mostly ones that had to do with adventures and princesses and all the usual things little four-year-old girls loved to hear. She smiled and nodded quickly, settling into Abigail's lap and preparing herself for a story. Abigail thought for a moment, trying to come up with one that Amelia hadn't heard before - which was very hard to do. Finally settling on a story she had read somewhere in a book, she began.
"Once upon a time, there was a point in time when everyone fought. They would battle and go to war just for Princesses, treasures and other things like that." Abigail began, smiling as Amelia's eyes lit up - she was going to enjoy this story. "But one such battle was over a beautiful city, a paradise said to lie in the Atlantic Ocean, called Atlantis. It was famous at that time, for its riches, technology and other important things that made its people smarter than anyone else."
"It was the greatest place on Earth at that time - a Utopia some called it, the perfect place to live. And some wanted it's riches and treasures for themselves, so they sent out fleets of ships, just to find Atlantis. Now, the King of Atlantis didn't agree with this, so he tried to come up with something to do, to protect the city. And in order to protect the city, the King made the city sink, far below the ocean, where no one could find it. And it was never seen again." She continued. "But that's not the end. Some people say that before he sank the city, he sent out a ship, with the Princess of Atlantis aboard, telling her to hide clues and such so that one day, somebody with a pure heart who didn't want the treasure for themselves, but to share with the people, would be able to find it."
Of course, Abigail had made the last part up, but Amelia didn't know that. Amelia smiled, clapping her hands together.
"I'm gonna find it!" She giggled, burying her face into Abigail's chest. Abigail just smiled and playfully began to tickle Amelia, causing her to shriek and giggle uncontrollably. She rolled off Abigail's lap and onto the couch, where Abigail continued to tickle her. She screamed with laughter and Abigail pressed a finger to her lips, quieting her.
"Uncle Riley's sleeping - don't wake him up." She whispered, tapping her nose. Amelia giggled again, this time softer.
Headlights suddenly shone through the window, reflecting on the wall as the sound of a car pulling up the gravel driveway could be heard over the rain, which had let up just a bit. Of course, the power was still out. The car door slammed and moments later, the front door opened.
"Watch out for the tabl-!" Abigail began to call, but there was a loud crash and several muttered swears, making her shake her head. "- Table." She finished quietly with a sigh. After a few more bumps and noises, Ben emerged into the living room.
"Storm knocked the power out." Abigail explained before he could even ask, an amused smirk across her face. "Did you hit the table?"
But Ben was saved from answering as Amelia leapt off the couch, running and latching herself to his leg with a giggle.
"Hi Daddy!"
"Hey sweetheart." He grinned, lifting her up and spinning her around like he normally did when he got home.
"Mummy told me a story!"
"Oh really? What about?"
"At...At. Lan..." She began, struggling for the word. She looked to Abigail for help, who laughed.
"Atlantis." She finished.
"Yeah! That!" Amelia said before squirming out of Ben's arms. "Can I go get Uncle Ri?" She asked. Ben looked at his watch and nodded. She grinned and ran toward the stairs.
"What are you doing telling treasure stories Abigail? Thought you were against all that?" He asked, an amused grin on his face as she got to her feet, crossing the room to give him a kiss.
"I was entertaining her. But don't you go get any ideas." She warned, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly. Ben held his hands up in defense.
"I never said a word."
Abigail arched an eyebrow as if daring him to mention it again. He grinned at her for a moment as she opened her mouth to say something again. However, a strangled cry and a loud thud from the floor above stopped her. Grabbing the flashlight off the couch, she flipped it on and darted up the stairs, flinging open the door to Riley's room. A wave of calm washed away the worry she had when she spotted Riley in a tangled heap of blankets on the floor beside the bed, Amelia jumping up and down on the bed, laughing.
"Amelia Bronte Gates get down this instant!" Abigail scolded, but couldn't help the small smile that came to her lips. Amelia jumped off the bed, landing right on Riley, who groaned. Ben let out a laugh as he approached the doorway, shaking his head.
"You two are ridiculous." He sighed, shaking his head. Abigail grabbed Amelia, rolling her eyes.
"Come on honey. Let's see if we can find something to snack on." She muttered before she left the room, a giggling Amelia in her arms. Ben went over and began to help Riley disintangle himself from the sheets, finally getting the techie to stand on his own to feet. He looked rather tired, but rubbed his eyes and tried to wake the rest of the way up.
"She's going to be the death of me." He mumbled, picking the blankets up and tossing them back on his bed. Ben chuckled.
"And the sad thing is, you're not even her father. I hate to see the day when you have kids Riley." He laughed. Riley made a face, shaking his head.
"No kids for me. I'll just be the uncle that spoils yours and instructs them on the finer arts of hacking into computer databases. They'll be able to access the White house files by the time they're eight, and by ten, they can take apart any electronically working device, name each part and what it does, and put it all back together in working order."
"Do you want Abby to kill you?"
"Who ever said anything about her knowing?"
Ben laughed and sat down on the bed as Riley disappeared into the adjoining bathroom to the room. Ben seemed to hesitate for a moment as running water kicked on from the bathroom, and Riley began brushing his teeth.
"Hey Riley - I've been thinking -"
"Oh God."
"No, shut it and listen. I've been thinking that there may just be one last treasure hunt in me."
"Do you want Abby to kill you? Like, rip your body into pieces and bury you in the flowerbed so no one can find you or ever prove she did it?" Riley said, peering around the door, toothbrush in his hand as he foamed at his lips. When he talked, toothpaste foam was sent in several directions. "Because if you even mention the words 'treasure' or 'hunt' around her, you know she'll spaz out and that's what's going to happen to you. And I'm pretty sure I'm not saving you, because I don't fancy dying either."
Ben rolled his eyes at Riley, who just shook his head and disappeared back into the bathroom.
"Why do you think I haven't mentioned it around her before? And besides, I think she wants something to do to. She keeps saying how boring her job's been getting and -"
"He job has always been boring."
"And," Ben continued as if Riley hadn't interrupted. "I think it'd be fun."
"No, fun is when you play a game. Treasure hunting is dangerous, though I do think that terror you call your child is a lot worse. But I'm tired of getting shot at, being in car chases, and nearly dying. Haven't you had enough of that? I mean, we're all rich enough to support us for, like, the rest of our lives." Riley said, spitting and rinsing out the sink. "And - why?"
"You don't have to come. But I want to go. I've been sitting here for almost five years now, and I'm ready to get back out there and search for more! I don't think I'll ever be fully happy unless I'm hunting for treasure."
"Like hell I'm not going - I've been with you this far what should it matter now? But there's one problem to that..." Riley said, exchanging a glance as he crossed the room to the closet. Ben sighed, and they both spoke at the same time.
"Abigail!"
"Yeah, convincing your ever-so-cheery wife to let you. Because if you go, she'll flip out and want to go too, and then Amelia will come, which is dangerous, because four-year-olds aren't meant to be on treasure hunts. They stay home and play with their little toys and dolls and stuff." Riley muttered, digging out something to wear. Grabbing a shirt he had tossed on the ground, he sniffed it to make sure it wasn't dirty before taking off his pajama top and changing into it. Now to find some pants...
"Well, first I have to find a treasure, so I think we can put off that little conversation until I do." Ben muttered.
"Shouldn't be too hard. There's plenty of treasure just waiting to be found, mysteries to be solved, yadda, yadda, blah, blah." He grabbed a random pair of pants, sniffing them also before - with some difficulty - changed into them. "God it's hard to get dressed in the dark! If I don't match, no laughing. It's not my fault."
"Well. when Amelia mentioned that story, it got me thinking. What if we found Atlantis?"
Riley stared at Ben - or at least the spot where he though Ben was; Abigail had taken the flashlight back downstairs, so they were completely in the dark.
"And you've finally went off the deep end Ben. There's no way that's possible - Atlantis never existed."
"Can you prove that? I've read some historic texts that depict a pure city like Atlantis. In fact, there was one in the things with the Templar Treasure. I didn't get to read it all, but it was like a diary of some sorts..." Ben muttered.
"And where is that diary now?"
"The Smithsonian, I believe."
"Good luck getting that back. It's security is close, if not better than the Archives because that's where the Hope Diamond is." Riley stated. "But come on. Let's get downstairs before Abigail has to come and find us. And try not to kill ourselves going down the stairs..."
It was a few hours before the power finally kicked back on. They had eaten ham sandwiches Abigail had made for lunch, and had been sitting around the living room, attempting to play a simple round of cards by candlelight as Amelia played with her dolls on the floor beside them. And now with the power back on, Abigail was in the kitchen, making something that smelled actually really good, as Ben and Riley childishly flicked cards at each other from across the living room.
"Daddy?" Amelia asked as Ben ducked and ace, sending an eight flying back across the room. "Can we play hide and seek." She continued in that sweet little innocent voice and looking up at Ben with eyes that he could never say no to. So that's how Riley was now cramped in the laundry room behind the door, and Amelia underneath Ben's desk in the study.
By the time Abigail called them for dinner, Ben has still not found either one of them.
"God Ben you suck at this game." Abigail muttered, approaching him just as he came out of the dining room, looking for Riley or Amelia.
"This is why I don't play...I leave it to Riley and Amelia." He mumbled. She just shook her head.
"Riley's in the laundry room and Amelia's probably under your desk. Don't tell them I told you either - it's just their favorite hiding spots."
"How do you know?"
"I'm a mom - it's what I do." She smirked and kissed his cheek, heading back into the kitchen.
And Ben almost regretted his earlier decision about going on a treasure hunt.
Almost.
That night after they had put Amelia to bed and Riley was in his room, typing away on his laptop, Ben casually brought it up as they were laying in bed, Abigail reading beside him as he flipped through some notes that he was using for another speech in a few days.
"So. Abby...you were talking about maybe doing something else because you job is getting so...boring. And you're wanting to do stuff more as a family...right?" Ben asked. She barely glanced at him as she continued to read.
"Yes..." She said cautiously. "Why?"
"I was thinking...well...maybe we could go on one very tiny, little, last, hunt?"
And suddenly, Ben felt as if he was a knight facing a dragon, as Abigail's nostril's flared and she shut her book, setting it on the nightstand beside her. She stared at him for a moment, anger sparked beneath her eyes.
"We've had this talk before Ben - absolutely not." She said, struggling to keep her voice under control.
"But why Abigail? It would be fun, and we'd be doing something together as a family!" Ben defended.
"Because Ben! We have Amelia now and we need to focus on her! And do you know how dangerous that treasure hunting is? Usually one of us gets hurt or threatened in some way, and I will not have our daughter around that. If anything ever happened to her, I don't know what I'd do."
"But the thing is Abby, we don't have to worry about people like Ian or Mitch this time. And if anything happened to her, I'd probably die myself Abby, so chill out for a moment and just think about it." He said, taking her face in both hands as he tried to get her to calm down. She pulled away, shaking her head.
"If there's treasure, there's always going to be someone after it." She said quietly. "So drop it."
"Mummy? Daddy?"
They both looked up to see Amelia standing in the doorway, dressed in her pink pajamas with her curls pulled into cute little braids. She was clutching her favorite teddy bear.
"What's wrong sweetie?" Abigail asked, the anger instantly gone from her voice. Ben stared at Abigail for a moment, wondering just how in the hell she changed her voice and moods so fast. He figured it was a woman thing.
"I can't sleep." She murmured. Abigail sighed, but smiled gently.
"Come on then. You can sleep with us tonight."
Amelia walked over to the bed, and Abigail lifted her up onto it, settling her between Ben and herself. Abigail shot Ben a glare, as if daring him to even bring it up with Amelia in the room. But Ben remained silent, brushing curls out of his daughter's face, thinking that if anything did ever happen to her on a treasure hunt, he'd never be able to forgive himself.
Abigail turned off the bedside lamp and settled down into the blankets. She hated to admit that she did in fact want to go on a treasure hunt, but she had Amelia now. And things were different. They just couldn't up and leave - it just didn't work that way. And convincing Ben of that was like trying to budge an elephant. It just wasn't going to happen.
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Nothing really exciting, but the good stuff starts next chapter! Review?