Title: Ben, please don't leave me!
Author: Laheara
Rating: K
Summary: Book of Secrets Spoilers!!! Abigail's terrified thoughts as she almost lost Ben twice within Mount Rushmore. DO NOT READ if you haven't seen and don't want spoilers for the new movie as this fic contains major events in the film.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this; I just enjoyed the great movie made by Disney.

Abigail gasped as she felt the knife against her throat. Her first thought was 'Ben, help me!' She later thought it funny that they had been fighting for so long and she had kicked him out and yet when she was in trouble her first thought was still of him. She heard Ben pleading for her life, for Wilkinson to let her go. Then she heard him say that he would stay behind and let the others escape and her heart leapt into her throat. She couldn't scream out loud because Wilkinson was holding her too tightly, but she screamed in her mind. 'NO, Ben, please don't leave me!'

Finally when the agreement was made and Ben was standing over at the lever she was freed. She wasn't surprised when her feet immediately started wading towards Ben through the ever deepening water. She could feel the tears coming to her eyes and she saw him stare at her like he'd never see her again. But his eyes spoke of more then what his words were telling her. His multifaceted mind was one of the things that had drawn her to him right away. The way he could be thinking about so many things at once and his eyes or his words only ever gave away one.

As she reached Ben he gripped her hands tightly but she didn't care. After being in the cold water she was going numb anyway, and the touch was something she'd not had in so long she savored it. She could see so any things going through his mind as he looked down at her, but only one thing made it through to her mind. His final requests, as it were. "Make sure my parents leave. Please, make sure my parents leave."

He was still staring at her and she could see him memorizing her face as he spoke. She could also tell from the quick glance in Riley's direction that Ben wanted her to make sure he got out too. Abigail didn't know if she wanted to kiss him for his selflessness or hit him for even thinking about staying behind and leaving them.

Abigail thought back to those few terrifying moments on the weighted table. While all of them were on the wobbling surface she was scared of course, but she knew that Ben would figure something out. She had first heard the sound of the support structure cracking as she reached to try and pull Riley to safety. She had frozen when she looked down and saw Ben franticly trying to counter the swaying of the centuries old device. Then like thunder, they all heard the beams beginning to give way and the table leaning even more.

When the supports started to collapse it was his friends who now had to come through for Ben. She looked around and saw the golden idol in the corner and shouted to him they could roll the statue out to him to counter his weight so he could jump for the ladder. She was scared the old rickety ladder wouldn't hold both Ben and Riley but it was Ben's only chance and she knew Riley wouldn't mind the added risk. After all, Ben and Riley were best friends and he had already offered to stay behind to save the rest of them on the condition Ben and the others come back for him. She smiled to herself at the time, knowing that Ben would go through hell and high water for any of the people he loved.

Coming back to the present danger Abigail was more fearful than every. She had nearly lost Ben so many times in their adventures, but now, in this room rapidly filling with water, she was the most scared. All the other times they had been in peril she could look into Ben's eyes and see he that he either had a plan or his quick and brilliant mind was working on one, but now when she looked into those eyes she saw fear. It scared her more than their situation ever could because she had never seen it before.

Ben was always so sure and confident. He was always going through the options and working out a plan using his extensive historical knowledge. Now Wilkinson had put him in the position where he could find no way out but the one he was using, and it was only to save them. If he hadn't promised to stay and keep the flood gate open Wilkinson would have kill her. If killing her didn't work he would have moved on to Riley or one of Ben's parents, knowing that Ben wouldn't risk any their lives just for his own.

She was honored by his willingness to sacrifice himself for the ones he loved but she was scared to death this time it might actually come to that and she might loose him. All their stupid fights over the last little while flew through her mind, all the hurtful things she had said to him that she now regretted but didn't have the time to apologize for. She just hoped the pain and love in her eyes spoke what she didn't have time too. She could Ben read her and the relief she felt as he nodded to her it was OK and he loved her. Then he pushed her towards Riley and his parents as Wilkinson took up his position on the other side of lever.

She waded back to the three others who immediately began protesting and refusing to leave Ben behind to die. She just started pushing them all toward the floodgate as she yelled, "He's trying to save our lives." It didn't shut them up but they did start moving.

When they were all in position Wilkinson and Ben started turning the big wooden device and the gate started rising. She could feel the current picking up intensity and whirled herself around one last time to look at Ben before she was washed into the spillway and she saw him watching her.

When they were all on the other side and trying to hold themselves from being washed away she pulled herself up and felt Riley desperately clawing at the water trying to beat the current to get back to the gate and hold it open to save Ben. She started to push forward also when they all heard a massive crack and the ceiling began falling. Riley was fully panicked now as the reality of loosing his friend fully sunk in and he threw himself at the floodgate. "We've gotta get Ben out of there!"

Abigail tried to help Riley get to the gate by pushing him but she knew what was wrong right away. Just like with the huge weighted table and stone flood barriers in the upper chamber, the centuries old mechanism was breaking down and malfunctioning. They saw Ben and Wilkinson trying to hold themselves on the slippery rocks. Abigail hated herself for thinking it, but she prayed Ben would loose his footing and fall into the current that would bring him back to her and Wilkinson would be lost instead. No sooner had she thought it when Ben fell, he managed to hold himself for a few minutes directly under the flood gate holding it open.

Ben yelled for Wilkinson to let go and swim to him, if he was holding the gate it would give the man time to escape also. But Wilkinson must have been able to see something Ben and the others couldn't, or perhaps his morality had finally resurfaced and he told Ben to left himself go. He only asked that when credit for finding the Golden City was being given Ben would say he helped. Ben fought to hold the gate but the water was rising and he was going to drown. Riley and Abigail were holding him on the other side trying to help him but it wasn't doing much good. Finally it became too much and Ben was washed out into Abigail's arms, all the while grasping for the gate not wanting to leave anyone behind.

She admired his sense of honor but all she could do was hold onto him as tightly as she could. Riley and Ben's parents moved closer so they could touch Ben, all smiling that he was safe. Riley latched himself onto Ben's right arm as Abigail put her head on Ben's left shoulder and held his hand. It was like they all still refusing to let go of him until they was good and sure their hero really was there and safe. Then a flash of light caught everyone's attention.

They all looked down the channel and could see the sun shining in, showing them the way out. They all were grateful to be getting out of the mountain but it struck her that the FBI and Secret Service would be crawling all over Mount Rushmore by now and Ben was going to be arrested for kidnapping the President.

When they got out, it was just as she has feared, there were black SUVs everywhere. Ben pulled out his cell phone and shook it; shocked it was still working and called the one person he knew would listen to him, Agent Sadusky.

THE END

That was a little thing that's been running through my head since I saw the movie on Friday. And may I say, GO SEE BOOK OF SECRETS, it ROCKS!!