A/N: Alright, this is the third day in a row I've been house-ridden thanks to the deadly cold I've caught. I decided just now that if I was going to read any more, I had to contribute my own for someone else to read. It took me three tries to actually get a halfway decent fic that wasn't a rewrite of something I'd already done, so hopefully it's worth the read.
Disclaimer: National Treasure is not mine, despite my continual angry letters to Disney. The song, Dangerous by Attaboy, is also not mine. Mountain Dew? Nope. Blah blah blah.
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The way you move is dangerous-
Ben Gates was crazy. Of that much I was sure.
He excavated an ancient ship, he'd more or less thrown himself in front of a bullet (for me), and then he lit a flare and blew up said ship.
Plus he was going to break the law.
He wanted to steal the Declaration of Independence. The actual Declaration of Independence. Not one of the souvenirs, not a copy of the Declaration. No, no, the real, honest-to-God Declaration, dated 4 July 1776.
A million different reasons came to mind exactly why we shouldn't have tried. Firstly, the jail. He wasn't worried about it.
Then there was the
protection of the document. Not just guards and glass, but everyone
surrounding it. As if we could really even try without someone
freaking out! Of course, then there was the vault, where it was kept
when it wasn't being displayed.
He pointed out the preservation
room and the gala. Less security, distracted guards…
It was possible, I knew. But it was still crazy, and at least one of us would still go to jail, if not both of us. But I had to trust him, because I knew how much it meant to him, and I knew that somehow we would both make it.
-
You take me to the edge of trust-
Ben Gates was not a good friend. Of that much I was sure.
He hadn't read my book, he'd abandoned me for his girlfriend for a longer time than was considerate, and he'd gone behind my back to go see someone he thought he could trust when I'd already told him what I knew was true.
Plus he was going to break the law again.
This time it was some Cibola thing. I didn't really understand, again, but I knew Ben's great-great grandfather was involved, which meant he held personal stake in it, again.
He wanted to kidnap the President of the United States. The actual President. Not that there are any other Presidents of the United States.
Again, my head clogged
with reasons why I shouldn't help him. The obvious breaking-the-law
thing mattered less than his treatment of me during the last few
months. He had all-but-forgotten me, and then showed up on my
doorstep only when he needed help. Then I thought of prison—again—and
then he said something about Mount Vernon.
It was possible, I
knew. But it was still crazy, and he would probably still go to jail,
if not all of us. But I had to trust him, because I trusted him
before with something equally as dangerous, and he had pulled me
through then, and I knew he would now.
-
But I'll have faith, even if your way is dangerous-
Ben Gates was with Abigail. Of that much I had thought I was sure.
Until he showed up on my doorstep, told me that Abigail had kicked him out (again) and asked to come inside. I was honestly thinking 'that's what you get' but something in my brain told me I should let him in. He wandered around my living room while I got us something to drink.
"What did you do this time?" I asked, popping the tab on my Mountain Dew.
"Told the truth," he sighed, taking a seat on the couch.
I followed suit. "And she kicked you out for that?"
"I don't think it was the truth she wanted to hear," he laughed darkly.
"What did you tell her?"
"That I didn't want to get married."
I had to laugh. "Yeah, that's not something most girls want to hear." He raised an eyebrow, and I shut up. An awkward silence ensued, but I couldn't have that. "Why didn't you want to get married?"
He sighed and looked away. "I don't really love her anymore."
That was a strange reason. I looked at him curiously. "Seriously?"
"I love her as a friend, of course," he said, looking back at me with the same intensity that was always in his eyes. "But I think I love someone else."
"Oh." I couldn't think of anything else to say.
He changed the subject. "I'm sorry I don't treat you well, Riley. You're my best friend, and I hope you know that."
"I know," I said, and then it was quiet again. In my head, I wondered about his words. What was with the change of subject? And who else was there? Had I really missed that much? He still sat, waiting for me to figure something out…
And then it hit me.
"Oh," I said again. "Um…"
I thought of everything we'd been through. Treasure after treasure, police chase after police chase, he had stuck with me, even if it was from a distance. I trusted him like I trusted no one else…
He still sat waiting. "I trust you," I responded to his unanswered question.
So he kissed me.
Ben
Gates was with Riley Poole. Of that much I was sure.