Personal Treasures
Chapter 1—Domestic Treasure Hunt
A/N: I completely made up Abigail's middle name. Oh and I also don't own any of these characters. Enjoy!
Benjamin Franklin Gates-renowned historian, world famous treasure hunter-had never been so nervous in his life. Sure he had outwitted dangerous criminals, solved age-old riddles and discovered limitless treasure that transformed history as we know it, but nothing could have prepared him for what was about to come. As he slid the box into the tube and closed the end tightly, Ben scanned his mental checklist and sighed in relief knowing that everything had been taken care of. He hurried down the grand staircase of his Virginia Manor reaching the bottom parlor just in time to hear Abigail's car pull into the ¼ mile driveway. He headed to the kitchen to check on dinner one more time.
"Ben?" Abigail called, setting her briefcase on the floor and tossing her keys on the table next to the door.
"In here," he yelled.
Abi followed his voice and found him in the kitchen standing in front of the stove. She smiled and walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her chin against his back. "Something smells really good."
Ben laughed, "That would be my attempt at alfredo sauce. Linguini's almost done and the garlic bread is in the oven."
"Wow," Abigail smiled. "What's the occasion?"
Ben checked the oven once more before turning and wrapping her tightly in his arms. He dipped his head down and captured her lips with his own. "I just thought I would do something nice for the woman I love." Abi blushed light and kissed his lips again. "Now," Ben said showing her to the table that he had set complete with candles and champagne glasses, "you just take a seat and relax. Dinner will be done soon." Before she could object he was gone, back through the swinging door into the kitchen.
Moments later Ben reappeared through the kitchen door carrying to plates of pasta with a slice of garlic bread on each. He set one in front of Abigail and placed the other at his own seat.
"Ben this looks amazing," Abi delighted. "Let's just hope it tastes as good." She took her for and spun a small amount of the pasta around it. Carefully Abi lifted the food to her mouth and savored the wonderful taste.
"Well I guess since you're not dead it must be okay," laughed Ben.
"It's good to know that I'm your guinea pig," Abi chided. "It's actually rather good."
The rest of dinner passed with periods of light talk and comfortable silence. Soon the plates were empty and the wind was drunk. Ben rose to clear the table, grabbing both plates. Abigail also rose to help but he was quick to object.
"I've got this covered. You just relax and finish your wine." Ben knew that she was not going to listen and in fact he was banking on it.
As he disappeared through the kitchen door, Abi rose from her seat and blew out the candles. She picked up both wine glasses and set about cleaning off the rest of the table. As she picked up her unused napkin she noticed a small black stain coming through from the opposite side. She took the napkin in her hand and turned it over. The stain on the back was not merely a small mark but instead a line of text that filled the entire space.
"Ben," she called, "what is this?"
Ben came back into the dining room and glanced at the napkin Abi was holding. "I have no idea."
She studied him momentarily before smiling. "You know Ian was right. You are a terrible liar."
"Maybe you should just follow the clues."
"Fine," she agreed. She looked back at the napkin and studied the passage:
Daily movement, place to place
Home to work and back again
She thought about the words closely. "Daily movement…movement like travel? Travel from place to place. My car? What about my car?"
Ben shook his head, "I have no idea."
Not wanting to argue, Abigail went to the front door, grabbed a light coat, and stepped outside. She observed the scene and noted that her car was still parked where she had left it and nothing seemed to be amiss. Slowly she descended the steps and made her way to her car, opened the driver's side door and climbed in. She surveyed the steering wheel, the panel and the dash board but found nothing out of the ordinary. Abi opened the glove box and searched through the various documents but found nothing. She dug through the small opening in the dash board but once again came up empty handed. As a last resort she popped the lid of the center console. Sitting on top of her cell phone charger was a piece of paper rolled into a cylinder and tied with a small piece of ribbon. Abigail untied the bow quickly and unrolled the paper. Her eyes scanned the paper as the words sunk in.
True to times lifeline
Never of the Founder's days
Without is not an option
Connection established.
Still holding the paper in her hands, Abi made her way back into the house, shedding her coat at the door and continuing into the sitting room. She plopped down on one of the couched and continued to examine the paper.
Ben came into the room and paused in the doorway. He studied her face, the way her eyebrows knitted together as the wheels in her brain began to turn.
"You know this would be much easier if you just told me what I was looking for," she said without looking up from the paper. Abi knew he was there, she could sense his presence in the room.
"That's true," Ben conceded, "but where would the fun be in that?"
Abigail huffed and began to voice her thoughts about the puzzle at hand. "Lifeline…modern day life line…modern day." A moment passed before her eyes lit up. "My laptop. Of course!" She leapt up from the couch and raced into the office that she and Ben shared. She opened her laptop and quickly scanned the desktop. There were no new documents loaded nor was anything changed. Shutting the computer, se sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"I don't get it," she said knowing that Ben was within hearing distance.
"Well then you're obviously not going about it in the correct way."
"Thank you Captain Obvious," Abi growled. "A modern day lifeline with a connection established." Her thoughts were becoming jumbled but the sound of the house phone cut through the mess. "My cell phone!"
Ben laughed as Abigail pushed past him into the foyer. He picked up the phone that lay unacknowledged on the desk and recognized Riley's number on the caller ID. "Hello?"
"She find it yet?"
"No," Ben laughed, "but she's actively hunting as we speak."
"Well let me know when she reaches the end," Riley laughed. "That is unless you are otherwise occupied."
"Goodbye Riley," Ben hung up with a laugh and followed the sounds of Abi's voice as she searched for her cell phone.
"When did you have time to send me a text message?" she asked. She didn't wait for Ben's response knowing that he wouldn't tell her anyway. She read the message aloud:
Newton's playground
Beware the Hunter
Time for a better look
"Okay," Abi sighed. "Well I'm assuming by Newton you mean Isaac Newton. So that would mean that Newton's playground would be…math…physics? What are you getting at Ben?"
"You're getting there," he said. "But remember Newton was a talented man."
"Sounds like someone else I know," Abi said offhand. She knew that Ben was blushing furiously and she loved it. The slightest hint of even a pseudo sexual comment could get him to turn redder than a tomato. "Okay so if it's not physics it's got to be…" she closed her eyes for a moment and searched her brain and what little knowledge she had of science. "Astronomy!"
"Very good."
"A better look," she thought, "the telescope?" Without waiting for Ben's agreement, Abi started up the steps. Ben was not far behind knowing that she was close to the end and he wanted to be there for it.
Upon entering the bedroom that she and Ben shared, Abigail made a beeline for the telescope that sat near the balcony doors. Uncapping the end she bent down and looked through the lens. However only darkness greeted her. "Something's wrong with this thing," she said. "I can't see anything."
Ben only smiled as he took a seat on the edge of the bed and watched intently.
Not too sure of what her next move should be, Abi looked through the opposite end of the scope and noticed a small, dark object lodged in the tube that was obstructing her view. "I'm never letting Riley play with my toys again," she complained with a hint of humor. As she unscrewed the outer lens, Abigail reached in and pulled the object from its prison. In her hand was a small black box and suddenly Abi began to shake. "Ben?"
'It's now or never,' he thought as he stood from the bed.
She opened the box only to discover it was empty. "What…?" But when she looked up Ben was no longer standing in front of her but instead he was kneeling in front of her on one knee. "Oh God."
"Abigail Maria Chase, I love you more than words can express. We've been through things unimaginable together and my love for you has only deepened. Would you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife?" Ben opened his hand and produced the missing ring: a simple silver band with two smaller diamonds flanking a larger diamond in the middle.
As the tears welled in the corners of her eyes, Abigail could not find her voice. All she could do was to nod in the affirmative and choke out what she hoped sounded like a 'yes'.
Ben took her hand in his own and slid the ring onto her finger. "Perfect fit," he said and rose to his feet. Before another word could be spoken Abi threw her arms around his neck and attacked his lips with her own. The black box was dropped to the floor as she walked them both backwards until they fell onto the bed.
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As they lay there in each others arms, the cool material of the comforter caressing their naked skin, Abi's head rested on Ben's chest. She traced random patterns on his skin and watched as her ring caught the light shining in from the full moon.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Ben asked.
"Just thinking about all the trouble you went through tonight."
Ben laughed, "Trust me it was well worth it."
Abi lifted her head and stared into his eyes. "I love you Benjamin Franklin Gates."
"And I love you Abigail Maria Chase." Their lips met again and the night was lost.