A/N Okay, so, here is Chapter Two. I'm dedicating this particular chapter to Miss Fenway! :o) Thank you all for your wonderful reviews for Chapter One. I hope this next installment doesn't disappoint. Please R&R? First thing I do when I come to my computer is check to see if anyone left me a review! :o) LoL May sound pathetic to some, but your thoughts really do matter to me! I hope it's an enjoyable read. ~Kelcor

Having finished reading Riley's book, Ben still found himself blatantly not tired. Doing his best not to wake the still sleeping Riley, he slowly lifted his arm from around his friend's shoulders and looked at his watch - just after midnight. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, he'd better go to bed and at least try to get some sleep of his own.

His eyes moved to the slumbering figure pressed against his side and he ran his hand briefly through the kid's dark hair. He then began to carefully extricate himself from the fist that had taken up purchase on the front of his shirt, only to be pre-empted by said fist tightening its grip in the fabric, which was followed quickly by a groan of protest from the young man.

With a lighthearted eye roll and a small grin, Ben settled back into the sofa for the night, hugging Riley close for a brief moment before closing his eyes to get some much needed rest - even if his body refused to admit to that need.

Five minutes later, Ben groaned inwardly and opened his eyes. The adrenaline from the day's events must still be coursing through his veins. But there had to be something else because he was simply and irrefutably not tired. He ran the last 24 hours through his mind, trying to figure out why his body wouldn't allow him to… Oh. Okay, yeah. That pot of coffee he'd consumed earlier that evening might have something to do with his apparent insomnia.

Well. If he was going to be awake, he may as well do something productive. He glanced down at the fist, which still had a death grip on his shirt. Then again, productive was highly overrated… something he never thought he'd ever hear himself say, er, think.

Ben glanced at the coffee table. The television remote was mocking him, just out of his reach. He couldn't just sit here and stare at nothing all night long… comatose just wasn't in his blood. So, with slow, intricate movements, Ben leaned himself and Riley forward, in an effort to reach that darned remote control. Just as his fingertips brushed against the desired target, Riley murmured something in his sleep and stretched out somewhat, effectively distributing the upper half of his body across Ben's lap, his head coming to rest in the crook of the elbow attached to the arm currently reaching for the remote. Riley curled his legs up onto the couch until his knees were pressed against the back cushions and seemed to settle in for the long haul.

Looking down at his young friend with more than a little amusement, it took Ben a moment to realize his other arm was now completely free. Changing tactics, he was able to keep Riley from being jostled too much as he reached over him with his newly freed arm. The new angle enabled him to snag the remote, a silent cheer of 'Yes!' on his lips as he turned the television on and immediately muted the volume to keep from waking 'sleeping beauty'.

NTNTNTNTNT

Riley woke in slow increments. The first thing he realized was that he felt… safe. Huh. Been a while since that was the first thought that entered his head when waking up. Usually, it was 'still tired' or 'don't wanna get up', but 'safe'? Weird. Then he noticed that, although he was definitely comfortable, whatever his head was resting on didn't quite feel like a pillow. Finally, his sense of smell kicked in. Cologne? What the heck? He slowly opened his eyes and was met with an up-close-and-personal view of a grey cotton sweater. Aw, man!

Squeezing his eyes shut in preparation for the acute embarrassment he was about to face, Riley rolled over onto his back and, when he opened his eyes, found himself staring up into the slightly amused eyes of the one and only, Benjamin Franklin Gates. "Sleep well," Ben asked in the dry tone he seemed to love.

Riley pulled himself into a sitting position, barely suppressing the groan of mortification… actually, not suppressing it at all. He placed his elbows on his knees, buried his face in his hands, and prayed that this was all just a dream.

"You were having a nightmare," Ben supplied gently.

"Still am," Riley muttered from behind his hands.

A moment of silence passed between the two friends, the awkwardness hard to miss as it emanated off Riley's entire being. Ben cleared his throat and, in an attempt to relieve the chagrin his friend was clearly feeling, he said, "Wanna watch the ballgame with me?"

This brought Riley's head back up. Wide eyes settled on Ben before turning to the television and seeing the Boston Red Sox on the muted television. His breath caught in his throat before he was able to croak out, "Who's playing?"

Ben gave him a curious look but passed the reaction off to the kid still being half asleep - not to mention the fact that the formidably independent Riley Poole had woken up in what he would see as a very vulnerable situation. "The Sox versus the Angels."

"Score?"

"So far, 4-1 for the Sox, bottom of the seventh."

"Cool," Riley said, finally relaxing back against the cushions, the redness in his face dissipating back to the kid's normal complexion.

Ben turned up the volume and they both grinned as Wakefield struck out yet another Angel slugger. Awkwardness now forgotten, the two friends sat shoulder to shoulder and watched as the Sox scored another 6 runs in the eighth inning. By the end of the game, the Sox had beaten the Angels with an amazing 10-1 lead.

As the two men stood up to retire to their respective bedrooms, Riley quietly confessed, "My dad used to take me to see the Sox at least once every season."

Ben shot a stunned glance his way. The seemingly nonchalant comment actually left the man speechless - definitely not a common occurrence for Benjamin Gates. Finally, as they each reached their bedroom doors, Ben turned to Riley, "I don't think you've ever mentioned your family to me before, Riley."

The younger man shrugged but refused to meet Ben's gaze. "Never came up in conversation before, I guess. 'Night, Ben." Without another word, Riley stepped into his room and shut the door, leaving behind a more than bewildered Ben.

He'd never realized before how little he truly knew about Riley's past. What kind of a friend did that make him? With a determined set to his jaw, Ben decided then and there that he was going to be a more attentive friend to Riley. He'd ask more questions, show more of an interest in what made Riley who he is today - which, truth be told, was a loyal and wonderful friend. How could Ben truly consider himself worthy of the 'best friend' title, if he didn't offer that same loyalty to Riley?

NTNTNTNTNT

Ben, Abigail, and Riley all stood together on the ancient see-saw, anxiously awaiting a response from Mitch as to whether or not there was a way out at the top of the thing they had tentatively called a 'ladder'.

"Mitch," Riley called out. "Come on!"

Abigail glanced at Ben and Riley, a look of regret clear in her eyes. "I've been doing the math here, and…"

"I know," Ben replied.

"We're gonna have to leave one person behind."

"Just promise you'll come back for me," Riley stated, knowing, of the three of them, who had the least to live for. He flicked his eyes up to meet Ben's, then darted them away just as fast. "I can do the math, too."

Ben continued to eye his young friend. Not gonna happen, Mr. Poole. Not gonna happen. Fully aware that, if he voiced this, it would start an all out war, Ben simply switched his focus to Abigail. He wouldn't let her be sacrificed by this hunt, either. "That makes you next."

"I'll go last," Riley added, watching as Ben and Abigail made eye contact and nodded. Neither Riley nor Abigail realized that Ben was actually saying goodbye to the love of his life with that one look. "No, we'll figure something else out, Riley. No, we need you up there, please, Riley." Ben recognized the fact that the kid was trying to be funny, to lighten the mood, but he also didn't miss the fear hidden beneath the words. Riley was always so ready to sacrifice himself for the ones he loved.

Abigail placed a hand on Riley's arm, effectively stopping his mini impersonations, but she had a tiny grin on her face. Mission accomplished, Riley said to himself. So long as Ben and Abigail lived happily ever after, his sacrifice would be more than worth it. Because, of all the people in Riley's life, no one deserved the whole 'happily-ever-after' scenario more than Ben Gates. "I'm just kidding," he said, offering up a tiny grin of his own. "Go."

"Okay," Abigail whispered, giving Riley's arm a quick, affectionate squeeze. She stepped away from the two men and, with a quick glance at Ben, fully unaware that this may be the last time she would see him alive, she made her way towards the dilapidated ladder.

Even as he and Riley moved in the opposite direction, pushing the other corner up closer to the ladder so that Abi could reach it, Ben started planning his next move. How the heck was he going to force Riley to leave him behind. The kid was loyal to a fault and, for some reason Ben had yet to discover, considered himself to be more dispensable.

Then the structure itself seemed to turn the tables for him because, as soon as he and Riley rushed forward and Abi had begun her climb to safety, the whole ancient see-saw started to fall apart beneath their feet. The resulting earthquake-type tremors gave Ben the perfect opportunity to push Riley closer to the ladder.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Ben lied, feigning innocence, hoping Riley would assume the tremors alone had jolted him forward a few feet.

A panicked cry brought their attention to Abi who was on the ladder but unable to gain purchase on the ledge. "I - I can't…" At the last possible second, just before Abi fell to her death, Mitch grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to safety.

Meanwhile, several feet separated Riley and Ben, with Riley even closer to the ladder than before. The two friends locked eyes.

"Go," Ben yelled. "Go now. Go!"

Reluctantly, Riley turned away from Ben and struggled along the shaking structure until he was close enough to make the jump. "All right. Ready," he called.

"Now!"

With a yell that he would argue was a battle cry, Riley threw himself through the air, just praying that he would reach the ladder… and that the ladder would hold his weight. He grabbed a hold of one rung and held on for dear life.

"Riley," Abigail called down to him. "Hang on!"

Yeah, thanks for the tip, Abs! He appreciated the concern but, seriously, did she actually think he was gonna let go? Okay, yeah, he'd been ready to sacrifice himself a few minutes ago but letting go now would serve no purpose whatsoever. Ben could still die.

Abigail searched around the small area she and Mitch were standing in - a sort of cavern within a cavern. Her eyes finally landed on something that just might save Ben! "Mitch, the idol." She turned back to Ben. "Okay, Ben, we found a gold idol here. We can roll it over to offset your weight."

"Then roll it," Ben called back.

Without wasting another minute, Abi and Mitch pushed the idol towards the edge. "Here it comes," Abi shouted.

Ben backed up a few steps and, as soon as the idol landed on the precarious structure, he took a running leap over top of it and launched himself toward the ladder.

"Come on, Ben!" Riley yelled.

Ben caught the bottom rung but one hand slipped off, forcing him to an angle where he was able to stare down into the depths of this enormous cavern.

"Here! Give me your hand!"

He looked up to see Riley was now sitting on a rung further up the ladder and had his arm stretched down to him. Ben grabbed his friend's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. "Thanks, Riley," he said, with more meaning behind the words than ever before.

"Why couldn't a girl see me do that," Riley lamented.

NTNTNTNTNT

Riley, Abigail, Patrick and Emily were just about on the other side of the door that would save them from certain death-by-drowning, when it suddenly came slamming back down to the floor.

Riley spun around and saw Ben almost get clobbered by the large wheel that Mitch had obviously released without warning. "Mitch," he yelled, "we need to be on the other side of that door!"

"Nobody leaves unless I say so," Mitch declared. "That door's not gonna stay open by itself! We both know what has to happen here, Ben."

"One of us keeps the door open… and stays behind."

"I vote Mitch," Riley piped up, not liking that look in Ben's eye.

Ben made eye contact with the kid, trying to silently tell him to keep his mouth shut.

"This isn't a democracy," Mitch rallied.

Ben kept his eyes on Riley. He new all too well that his young friend was antagonizing Mitch in order to draw the man's attention away from Ben and onto himself. Apparently, it didn't work because the next thing Ben knew, Mitch's fist was making a solid connection with his jaw, snapping his head back painfully.

"Hey," Riley cried, stalking through the water towards Mitch with a clear intent to defend his friend, only to have Mitch's elbow slammed into his face, knocking him off his feet and into the water. Ben saw him go down and immediately lunged forward, groping beneath the surface until his hands latched onto Riley's jacket. He hauled him up out of the water, supporting him for a brief moment while the kid caught his breath.

NTNTNTNTNT

The water was rushing around them, forcing them through the opening. Riley tried to get to Ben but the current was too strong. The last thing he had seen was his best friend bracing the wheel with his own body, keeping it open so that everyone else could get out. No! This wasn't happening. Riley wouldn't be able to live with himself if Ben died. He turned to Abigail, "We've gotta get Ben out of there!"

Without another word, Riley put all his strength into swimming against the fierce current, toward the door… toward Ben! After what felt like forever to his exhausted arms, Riley reached his intended target. He took a deep breath and plunged beneath the surface. As he made his way under the door, he recognized Ben's jacket - he was closer than Riley had expected. He wrapped an arm around his best friend's waist and yanked him below the surface of the water and pulled him to the other side of the door, just seconds before it slammed the rest of the way to the floor!

When Ben could breathe again, he turned to see Riley slumped into the corner, panting with the exertion of the rescue. He reached up with one hand, clasping it around the back of the younger man's neck. Riley turned and met his eyes, and Ben put as much love and gratitude into his gaze as he possibly could, then finalized it with a brief squeeze at the base of Riley's neck. "Are you okay?"

The kid nodded, his lips quirking into a small smile. Hoping against hope that Riley had understood the subtext of that question, Ben turned to Abi. "Thank you," he said, needing her to know how important it was to him that she had done as he had asked, that she had convinced his parents to escape.

NTNTNTNTNT

Riley worked his way through the large clusters of people, he had to find Ben, he had to show him this really cool souvenir he bought at the little shop in the… and then he saw them. Ben and Abigail, huddled close together, talking quietly. With a sigh, Riley turned and headed in the opposite direction. Once again, Ben had gotten the girl. He was happy for them, really he was, but being the third wheel was getting old. Which, if he were honest with himself, was probably one of the reasons he had distanced himself from Ben after finding the Templar treasure. A subconscious reason, but a reason nonetheless.

Then Abi had ended their relationship and kicked Ben out of their new house. And Riley hadn't been there to help his friend through the obvious heartbreak - at the very least, to offer him the use of his sofa. What kind of a friend did that make him?

With a new found determination, Riley changed direction once again. He was not going to abandon his friends. Especially, not Ben. Not this time. Besides, he'd been miserable without Ben in his life the past couple of years. His book had become the whole purpose of his existence, yes, but it had been a lonely existence.

"Excuse me?"

A female voice brought him out of his internal ramblings. He turned around to see a pair of gorgeous blue eyes staring back at him. Attached to those blue eyes was a beautiful face, framed by long, luxurious strawberry-blonde hair. With an adorable smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

And this woman was talking to him? Seriously? Huh. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't end up the third wheel again, after all…

"Hey, you're that guy. The treasure hunter guy, right?'

Then again… now, that made more sense.

"No, actually the guy you're thinking of," he turned to look in the direction he had been headed, "is somewhere over there."

"No," she said with a beaming smile. She reached into her shoulder bag. "You're him," she added, pulling his book out of the bag. "Riley Poole. I recognize you from your book."

Riley stared at her in stunned silence. She'd read his book??

"Will you sign it?"

And she wanted his autograph? He dropped the large bag of souvenirs, not giving the crashing noise a second thought, and managed to get out one. single. word. "Okay."

Problem was, he couldn't take his eyes off her long enough to actually do as she'd asked and autograph the book. But, judging by her expression - glowing smile, a sparkle to her eyes - she didn't seem to mind.

TBC

A/N2 The Red Sox reference was for Miss Fenway. Also, this chapter signifies the last clip from the movie... I think. I may use some as flashbacks, but that's not in my current game plan. So, from this point on, everything will coming directly from my imagination to the computer. I promise to get back to the 'bad guy' in the next chapter. I just wanted to establish the strained yet unbreakable bond between Riley and Ben. Again, please leave a review? I'm not begging or anything... okay, maybe a little! LoL j/k I would love to hear what you think, though. :o) ~Kelcor