J.M.Captein: Why thank you. Hopefully this meets your standard. And thank you for reviewing.
Pheonix-fire13: Graci! Thanks for reviewing.
Evil-Irish-Wolf: Yes, that's the best part, is it not? Thank you. I think that it was a bit better, so I'm posting some more now. Thanks much for reviewing.
Essenze: Thank you kindly for reviewing. Of course Ms. Abigail is going to be an evil beotch. What other kinds are there? Me neither. [Wish I had one of those. :D Oh! Me too! Seriously, she didn't even believe them in the first place. And she ignores Riley. Poor Riley. Thanks, again.
RentFreak: WHOOT! YES! I totally agree. Well… She'll still be an evil •••••, but I'll try to lighten up on the bashing. I don't think she would either, but she stole Ben from Riley, so… Definitely clueless. And thank you very much for reviewing.
CountToEight: Thank you. Yes, they do seem popular, don't they? Got it. The next chapter has quiet a bit of changes, including a scene never in the movie. But, meh. Hopefully it will be an improvement. Thanks for reviewing, and thanks for the tips/help.
Agarwaenloth: Thank you very much. Hey, me too! Except, I couldn't find one. Aha. Is there like, a button to say 'accept anonymous reviews', because if there is, I'd definitely click it. If not, then, well, darn. I couldn't find any. Thank you kindly for reviewing. It's very much appreciated.
Okay… please review. –coughs- Thanks. I'll definitely post another chapter after how many reviews I got. I seriously only expected one. So, getting seven was definitely a great thing. WHEEEEEEE!
Author's Notes: I know the characters are a bit out of character, but that's why this is an AU. [Alternate universe, people. Riley is a bit more 'wild' I guess, and Ben responds a bit more to Riley's actions. And Doctor Chase is a bit more stuck up, a bit more b---- like, and quiet a bit more like a girl. Yes, I think that's about it. Wait! One more thing. I posted this earlier, because school starts in about a week, but I have to go to work, so I don't know when I'll get to post again. Hopefully on the fourteenth but you never know. That's when I'll post, for sure, though. Oh. Sorry this is so short, just barely three thousand words, but the next one will be longer. This I promise.
Title: Friends
Rating: M
Warnings: Yes, I know this is a Disney film, but I'm revising it a bit. So there will be cussing, killing, and evil bitches. Also, kissing, hugging, and perhaps a bit more. Enough said.
Summary: From the beginning of their story to the end, Ben and Riley's relationship grew into something more. BenRiley slash BGRP AU
Chapter: … Two?
Date for next update: 01-14-08 (Seriously)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I think this movie is Disney's, and I'd get sued a lot of money if I said it was mine, so I definitely don't own anything. I'll let you know if I get successful on EBay though.
Chapter Two
East of the Artic Circle:
November 8th, 2004
Riley Poole was bored. And if you've met Riley Poole, you would know that a bored Riley was a dangerous Riley. He didn't exactly blow things up- unless you counted your eardrums. You might ask why Riley was bored. And I could tell you why. I mean, wouldn't you be bored if you had been walking for five miles? Then discover that you still had four more to go? Yes, Riley was as bored as he could get. And his companion, Benjamin Gates, was dieing. Not from lack of air or blood. Rather, from lack of silence. Did you know that it could be damaging to your soul if you didn't get enough silence? Well, at least, that's what Ben though.
"Ben, I'm bored."
"Guess what? I've decided that once we get back home, I'm going to eat all of your jellybeans."
"Hey, I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat?"
"Ben! Ben? Ben… I was thinking… 'cause I do that a lot, you know… Do you even have jellybeans?"
"I don't think you have jellybeans at your house. So… You'd better buy some, that way I can eat them. Else I'll take all the peanut butter. And you don't have any peanut butter, so you'll have to buy some, that way I can take it."
Yes, listening to a bored Riley Poole in the middle of the Artic Circle for five hours straight was very devious torture. Ben guessed that God was probably watching from Heaven right now, laughing his head off.
The two of them had been walking in the snow for five hours. Why? Because their ride home had driven off without them. Why did it do that? Because the ride was owned their new arch-nemesis. Why was he their arch-nemesis? Well… because he held both Riley and Ben at gunpoint? And because he told Riley to be shut up. No one did that and lived. Except, maybe, Ben, because Ben was his friend.
"Ben! I'm bored," Riley complained. Ben groaned. That made it, what, the seventy-eighth time Riley had said that?
"I know," Ben muttered.
"Can't you do something?" Riley asked, poking Ben with his finger.
"What do you want me to do?" Ben tried to dodge the finger, but it ended up getting him in the shoulder.
"Well…" A grin grew of Riley's face.
"No!" Ben growled out, "I am not carrying you on my back."
"Please?" Riley pouted. Ben glared at him. Man, was Riley drunk or something? Riley pouted some more. "Come on Ben, please? I won't start screaming 'Mush' or anything!"
"Be quiet Riley," Ben sighed.
"Riley," Ben stared at his younger friend, "I have a question."
"Yeah?"
"Why…" Ben hesitated. He wasn't nervous, of course. He was just uneasy about asking Riley this. Riley poked Ben again.
"Well? What?" Riley asked, curious.
"Why did you hold my hand back there?" There. Ben had said it.
Riley froze in his steps. Gulping, he looked up a Ben. "You see… Um, well, I… Because… I was cold!"
"You were cold," Ben said, unbelievingly, also stopping where he stood.
"Yeah. I was cold. Really cold, you know? And your hand was sitting there, and it was really warm, and I was really cold, so I figured that if I held your hand, my hand wouldn't be as cold. See, cold hands," Riley took a deep breath then held up his hands in front of Ben's face. Ben stared at him for a moment, then pushed the hands back down, out of his face. Riley chose that moment to continue his ramblings, "Cold. Your hands were warm. And I couldn't help it. Don't be mad! Please, don't be mad."
Ben gave a short sigh. Cold. Cold hands. He thought, Why don't I believe Riley? The man in question was biting his lower lip, looking away.
A small smile graced Ben's lips. He walked in front of Riley, placing a hand on his shoulder. Quietly, he told the fidgeting boy, "Riley, I'm not mad. I was just curious. Don't worry about it, okay?"
Riley relaxed a bit. He didn't do anything to the hand on his shoulder. "Alright."
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building:
November 9th, 2004
"Is it really that hard to believe that someone is going to steal the Declaration of Independence?" Riley asked Ben as they walked out of the FBI Building. The two treasure hunters had gone just about everywhere they could to find help, to find someone that would believe the Declaration on Independence was in danger. The FBI had been the last on their list.
Ben snorted. "The FBI gets at least a thousand to ten thousand reports a week. They aren't going to pay attention to something they think is safe."
"But anyone who had to anything is going to think were crazy. Anyone crazy enough to believe us won't want to help. Where can we find someone crazy that can help?" Riley demanded. Ben spun around to face Riley.
"We don't need someone crazy. What's one step short of crazy?" Ben asked his friend. Riley groaned inwardly, thinking, Not another damn riddle!
"I don't know! Obsessed? Foolish? Outrageous? In love?" Riley shot out answers like a thesaurus. Ben leaned in.
"Passionate." And with that, Ben turned away and began walking again.
"Wait! Ben!" Riley called out, confused. "Passionate? Where do you find someone passionate about the Declaration of Independence?"
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
National Archives:
Fifteen minutes later
Riley Poole knew the first moment he laid eyes on Doctor Abigail Chase that he wouldn't like her. Not one bit. She was blond. She was rich. She had an accent. She had a secretary. She seemed powerful. She was part of the government.
And she had Benjamin Gates wrapped around her finger. And that was a major no-no on Riley Poole's list.
You see, Ben and Riley were on a quest. A quest to save one of the most important pieces of parchment in the history of the US; The Declaration of Independence. So they had set out to find anyone who would believe them- the police, the fire department, even the FBI. But they had found no one.
This was their last option- Well, it was really Ben's option, since Riley didn't want to see her in the first place. But Riley didn't have much a say once Ben decided.
They had just walked in to Doctor Abigail Chase's office.
"Good afternoon, gentleman," Doctor Chase greeted them politely as she set down a phone on her desk.
"Hello," Ben said calmly, a smile on his face. Riley inwardly scowled. He didn't like the look Ben just gave the doctor. The doctor stood.
"Abigail Chase," Doctor Chase smiled at Ben as well, holding out her hand over the desk. Ben shook it firmly. "Pleasure to meet you…"
"Paul. Paul Brown," Ben told her. Riley scowled. They were still shaking hands. He didn't like that. The doctor must have just seen him, for she let go of Ben's hand and faced Riley. She also held out her hand for him, but Riley didn't take it.
"You are?" She asked sweetly, her hand still there.
Riley stared at the hand in disgust. "Bill."
"Nice to meet you as well, Bill," Doctor Chase smiled at him, but he glowered at her. She turned her attention back on Ben. "How may I help you, Mr. Brown?"
"Your accent," Ben admired, "Peensylvanian-Dutch?"
"Saxony-German," She informed him coolly, sitting back down, "Nice ear."
"You're not American?" Riley asked snidely, narrowing his eyes even further.
"Oh I am an American, yes," She replied, staring back at Riley, "I just wasn't born here."
Ben looked around the room, eyeing the doctor's possessions. A box on top of a bookcase stood out. He leaned in, looking at the items. "Please don't touch that!"
The doctor's voice snapped, once she had realized where her other guest was. Ben straightened his back quickly.
"Neat collection you've got there," Ben praised her, even though the lady had just yelled at him. Doctor Chase nodded slowly. "George Washington's campaign buttons. I see you're missing the 1789 augural though. I found one once, you know."
"How very fortunate for you. I have been looking for that one for quiet some time. I was never lucky enough to fin it. Perhaps at a later time, we might be able to discuss how you came across it," The doctor said, "Now, you told my secretary that this was very urgent and important. Can I ask what is so … urgent?"
Riley clenched his fists. Was it possible to hate a person with all your guts after only meeting them for a minute? He didn't think it was until now.
"Yes ma'am. I'm going to be very blunt, and get straight to the point," Ben took a seat next to Ben, in front of Doctor Chase's desk, "Someone is going to steal the Declaration of Independence."
Abigail Chase blinked. Of all the things she had been expecting, that was definitely not one of them. She glanced at Riley, who glared, muttering, "It's true."
She closed her eyes for a moment, saying, "I think I'd better put you guys in touch with the FBI."
"We've already been there," Riley told her.
"And?"
"They assured us that the Declaration could not possibly be stolen."
"They're right," Doctor Chase said, staring at Ben.
"My friend and I are less certain," Ben cut in, giving Riley a look. Riley didn't like that look. He turned back towards Doctor Chase. "However, if we were given the privilege to have just a few minutes to look it over, we could tell you if it was actually safe."
Doctor Chase looked amused. "What do you think you are going to find?"
Ben and Riley glanced at each other. Riley nodded slightly, although he looked a bit disappointed. "We believe that there is an encryption on the back."
"A code?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Of what?" She raised an eyebrow.
"A… A cartograph," Ben leaned forward.
"A map?"
"Yes ma'am."
"A map of what?"
"The location of," Ben took a deep breath, glancing over at Riley, who was staring out the window. Ben also noticed that Riley's hands were clenched, and he wondered why. "Of rare and valuable hidden items, historical items that had great importance in our history."
"A treasure map?" Doctor Chase asked hesitantly.
"Don't act so surprised. Besides, that's were we lost the FBI," Riley said, looking back into the room, away from the birdies he had been looking at moments before.
"You're treasure hunters, aren't you?" Doctor Chase directed her question at Riley, who grinned, pleased at making the doctor anything besides happy.
"No, of course not!" Riley winked at her, "We're more like treasure protectors. A big difference, you know?"
"Mr. Brown, I have personally seen the back of the Declaration of Independence. I promise you there is nothing on there, except the notation that reads-"
"'Original Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776.'" Ben joined in, speaking at the same time.
"But no map," The doctor shook her head. "I'm sorry, but-"
"Well, no, there is no visible map." Riley shrugged. "But there is an invisible map."
"Oh. Right," The doctor whispered, nodding her head.
"And that would be where we lost the department of homeland security," Riley told her, shuffling his feet.
"And why to you presume that there is an invisible map? What led you to believe this?" She asked Ben, tilting her head, ever so slightly.
"We found a carving on a two hundred year old pipe."
"Owned," Riley cut in, so as not to be bested, "by the free masons."
"May I see the pipe?" She asked, "The one that brought you to me?"
"Well, we don't have it, but we'll let you know when you do," Riley said.
"What?" The corners of the doctor's lips twitched upwards, "Did Bigfoot take it?"
Ben stood, saying, "It was nice meeting you."
He turned away, as to leave.
"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Brown. I'm afraid the same can't be said about your little friend, Bill, was it?"
"Yes," Riley snapped. He too stood, but didn't leave. Ben glanced at him, but Riley made a shooing motion with his hand. Ben left the room.
"Listen, lady," Riley hissed at her, placing both hands down on the desk. "You stay away from him. He might be stupid enough to fall for you, but I don't see through your little act."
Abigail Chase stared up at him sweetly, a smile on her face. "What act, Bill?"
Riley began to walk away. Right at the doorway, he turned back. "Just know that I've warned you."
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"If it's any consolation, you had me convinced," Riley told Ben as they walked towards the Declaration of Independence.
Ben sighed. He looked at his friend then sighed again. "Thanks."
"I was thinking, what if we go public? You know, post this story all over the Internet. It's not like we have any reputations at stake." Riley suggested. The two had reached the famous parchment. Ben stared at Riley.
"Riley?" Ben sucked in his breath. He just did this yesterday! Why did it still seem difficult? "Why were you so rude up there?"
"Huh? Oh. You mean when talking to that Abigail lady, right? She's bad news, Ben. I can feel it. She'll just get us in even more trouble," Riley told him. Ben narrowed his eyes, waiting for the real reason. "Okay! I get it. I didn't like her, all right? Happy?"
"No," Ben said, staring down at the Declaration. "One hundred and eighty years of searching, and I'm only three feet away. Of all the words written here about freedom, there's a line here written at the heart of others. But when a long trail of abusives and usurpentations pursuing variably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute desperatism, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. People don't talk that way any more."
"Beautiful," Riley whispered, not sure whether or not he was talking about what Ben had just said, or Ben himself. "I had no idea what you just said."
"It means if there is something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action," Ben was silent as Riley thought about that. "I'm going to steal it."
That immediately caught Riley's attention. He snickered, then realized Ben was serious. "What?"
"I'm going to steal the Declaration of Independence."