Lori: Next chapter! Thanks for the great reviews :D

Jaeh: Yep, what she said! Thanks for reading, guys!


Riley sat in the passenger's side of the car in silence as Ben drove down the highway. The treasure hunter glanced at his friend repeatedly out of the corner of his eyes. Riley seemed very agitated, shifting in his seat or tugging at his long sleeves.

"Are they bothering you?" Ben asked quietly. Riley's wounds were healing slowly but surely, and Riley could be in varying amounts of pain. He was very protective of those injuries, not letting anyone see any of them. He always wore long shirt and pants even in the humid summer weather.

Riley made a non-committal sound and stopped fidgeting. "No," he muttered with a scowl.

"Are you worried about seeing the therapist?"

"No," Riley repeated shortly. After a few moments silence, he glanced side long at his older friend. "Maybe. A lot, okay?"

"It's okay to feel nervous about this, Riley. But you really need to see someone, especially after…" Ben trailed off. After Riley's panic attack when he and Abigail were gone from the house. That episode had honestly terrified Ben, and he didn't want to think what could have happened if they didn't show up when they did. He was scared Riley would do something rash to himself if he didn't get help.

He heard Riley sigh and shift in the seat again, staring out the window. "I know, I know." The guilt was heavy in his voice. After they found him in his room, and Riley managed to calm down enough to be understood, he apologized repeatedly through his tears to them. Ben could tell Riley was going through with this for him and Abigail, not for himself. And he didn't like that.

"I just," Riley sighed heavily again, and rubbed a hand over his face. "I-I don't know if I can talk about it. And I don't know if it'll help me anyway."

Ben paused for a moment. "You know, Riley, I was in therapy."

Riley looked at him in surprise. "You…you were?"

Ben nodded, his eye fixated on the road. "In high school, when my parents were officially divorced. They were separated for a while. I was picked on a lot by the other kids in my school. Studying history and treasure hunting helped me escape from reality for a while. But I was very depressed a lot of the time. It didn't go unnoticed by my dad who thought seeing a counselor might help."

Riley looked thoughtfully at him. "Did it?"

Ben nodded. "It gave me someone to talk to about my problems for that period when I felt like I had no one to talk to. And it helped me sort out some stuff. I can't say it helps everyone, but it's worth a shot, you know?"

"Yeah," Riley said quietly. "You know, Ben, I always had it in my head that you were the popular guy in high school, always had it together."

Ben chuckled and shook his head. "Are you kidding? I was the weird kid in the corner reading a giant textbook about history."

"Wow, it sounds like we actually had things in common back then. Not to brag, but I was the president of the chess club. "

"Well, I was on a basketball team too…"

"That's where the similarities end I guess," Riley sighed.


Ben walked into the building, Riley limping behind him. The kid had his hands stuffed into his pockets, tensed up, not looking at anyone. It was as if he was afraid people would magically know what he was hiding under his clothes.

"Okay," Ben read off from a sign. "We're on the 6th floor. Come on, kid."

He walked over to the elevator and hit the button and it opened. Ben got in and realized Riley was still standing outside. "Riley, come on." Riley was staring into the elevator, his face turning two shades paler. Ben frowned and quickly stopped the elevator door from closing. "Riley?" Riley continued to stare into the elevator, his breathing uneven.

"Riley!"

Riley blinked and looked around at Ben, swallowing hard. "I can't get in there Ben."

"Riley, I know you're nervous about seeing someone but-"

"No, it's not that…" A shudder ran through his frame and he lowered his eyes. Ben understood and stepped out of the elevator. He put a hand on Riley's shoulder but the kid flinched away. Ben sighed and dropped his hand.

"Do you want to take the stairs?" he asked softly. Riley nodded, looking utterly ashamed of himself.

"It's okay. Let's go."


"Hello, you must be Riley Poole and Ben Gates?" A woman with short brown and in her mid forties greeted the two men. Ben nodded, glancing at Riley. "He's the one who's here to see you." Riley nodded slightly at her.

"Hello, Mr. Poole, I'm Renee," she greeted mildly.

"What, no Dr. Steiner?"

"Nah. You should be comfortable around me. 'Dr. Steiner' is too formal for my tastes."

"Fine, I'll call you that, if you promise just to call me Riley."

"It's a deal. Shall we head to my office then?"

Riley looked worriedly at Ben who flashed him an encouraging smile. Riley took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay… let's do this."

Riley found himself sitting in a chair in her office. He glanced around at the various pictures hanging around, trying to avoid her gaze.

"Comfortable, Riley?"

Riley snorted and turned back toward her. "I don't see how this will be remotely comfortable for me."

"We'll only talk about things you're comfortable with talking about," Renee encouraged him. "And… when you're ready… we can talk about what happened to you." That was a reassuring thought for Riley. He frowned at his hands, trying to ignore the therapist's steady gaze. "Am I going to have to go to a psyche ward?"

"Most likely not." She tilted her head curiously. "What makes you say that?"

Riley still didn't look at her. He felt very small. "Maybe it's a good thing I'm here. I think I might be going crazy."

"Why do you think you're going crazy?"

Riley sat up again and rubbed his arm nervously, shifting uncomfortably as he felt the bandages wrapped around stinging cuts. When he spoke his voice was hushed. "It's what made me decide to get help. I know I needed help but I didn't want it. But I heard him. I knew he couldn't be alive, he was dead, but… it was so real… I was scared."

"He being Devin?"

"Y-Yeah… I hate it. I see him all the time… and I thought I would I at least be safer during the day."

"Flashbacks and nightmares are a natural reaction to a traumatic event. You are not going crazy, your mind is just trying to process what happened."

Riley looked relived, and let out a deep breath. Well, that's good to know I guess. Suddenly, he shot a glance at Renee. "How much do you know? About… you know… what happened to me."

"Not much Riley. The FBI won't let anyone close to this one, they're doing a good job at keeping the media away. But I looked up some of Devin's past case files. I know what he did then… and I know what he is capable of. I was called to work with you because I work specifically with people who are survivors of torture."

After that the session was relatively uneventful, Riley talking about his life with Ben and Abigail and helping Ben with his various crazy treasure exploits. Renee was open and understanding, listening without bias and it put Riley more at ease with her. But he didn't feel like he could tell her any of the events that transpired at that dark carnival. It was too painful to even think about, and he wanted nothing more than to just bury the memories deep into the recesses of his brain.


Riley had stopped fidgeting.

Ben could see it as he surreptitiously glanced at the side view mirror, stealing glances at Riley's still form. The younger man was staring out the window, watching cars fly by.

"Riley?"

Riley didn't answer. Ben didn't expect him to answer, anyway. "How was it?" Ben asked.

Riley mumbled something in reply, and the treasure hunter raised an eyebrow. "Riley?"

Riley shrugged. "We talked, and that's about it."

There was silence in the car again. Rain started pouring, and for a while, there was nothing to listen to but the rain drops that tapped on the roof of the car. Ben cleared his throat a couple of times, but Riley didn't react to anything. Even when Ben surreptitiously made the car tires squeal with every brake, there was nothing.

It was moments like this when Ben was really, really worried about Riley. He would've preferred indignation, anger, annoyance, but silence was the most unnerving.

But that wasn't the thing that pressed most on Ben's mind. He still couldn't get over how much their lives had changed in a week. And Riley. He was so worried about Riley – of course he would be. After all that had happened, he would be entirely insane if he didn't.

Riley was resilient. He'd been through so much, and Ben was certain that the younger man had learned to cope.

But this. This is different. This is very different.

No one should be kidnapped and tortured by a psychopath.


Abigail watched Ben's car roll to a stop in front of the house. She turned from the window as she heard the front door open, and met Riley at the stairs. The young man headed straight to his room, not even acknowledging Abigail as he ran past her.

Ben entered the house, shaking water from his umbrella. Abigail gave him a kiss. "How was it?" She asked. She and Ben had been talking about the therapy, and Abigail had been waiting anxiously as she did her work.

"I don't know. He didn't tell me anything about it. I didn't want to push." Ben said. He hung his coat, and headed to the kitchen.

Abigail handed him a cup of coffee, and Ben sat down. "It's probably for the best."

"I'm worried about him."

"I am, too." Abigail smiled sadly. She grabbed herself a cup of coffee, too, and stirred in some sugar and cream.

For a moment they sat in comfortable silence. Abigail placed a hand on Ben's, and they stayed like that for a while.

"Do you remember that girl from the celebration at Cibola, the one Riley had been talking about?" Ben suddenly asked, staring at his cup of coffee.

Abigail wrinkled her forehead. "I think so, yes. Jaqui, Riley had said, if I remember correctly." Abigail smiled to herself. "He couldn't stop talking about her."

Ben nodded. "Yes, her."

"Why do you ask?" Abigail sipped from her mug. "What is it?" Her voice took on a tone of concern and worry.

"She and Riley had been talking for a while now. She wants to see him. Riley… he…" Ben sighed loudly, and trailed off.

With that, Abigail knew. Ben didn't need to explain to her. She understood perfectly what it was.

She had seen Riley's wounds, crisscrossed over his back, chest, his arms, his legs. She had climbed into the ambulance herself, and held Riley's hand. She had watched the paramedics press layers of absorbent bandages against the numerous cuts to soak up the bleeding. She had watched him scream in agony as the doctors treated him.

Abigail knew how Riley hurt. Physically.

She knew that emotionally, psychologically, it would be just as bad. Maybe even worse.

"Oh Riley." Abigail managed softly.

Ben closed his eyes. "Abigail, I don't know what to say to him. He thinks that he's a freak, that those scars…" Ben trailed off again, as if he couldn't continue. "He doesn't deserve this."

Ben drank the rest of his coffee in one gulp, and poured himself another mug.

"They've been talking for months, ready to take it to the next step, Riley said." Ben said. "He's afraid of what she'll think. What he looks like."

Abigail placed a hand on Ben's shoulder, and Ben pulled her into a hug. "We'll get him through this. By God, we'll get him through this, Ben."


Riley locked the door, and sat on his bed. He dropped back, and stared at the ceiling.

The dream he had kept on coming back every time he closed his eyes, and he could hear Devin cackle in his ears. Riley grabbed his earphones and stuck them in his ear, and played songs at full blast.

He closed his eyes, and tried to push Devin from his mind. He suddenly felt really tired, and all he wanted to do was sleep.

His bed started buzzing.

Riley groped for his cell phone. The beginning notes of a song started to play, and all that Riley could do was to let it ring and ring.

He couldn't get himself to answer the call. It was Jacqueline, undoubtedly calling to check on him. She had been dropping him voice messages and text messages, and he hadn't answered even one yet.

He didn't know what to say to her. Hi, Jacqui, yeah…. Sorry I have been ignoring you. It's just that I don't feel like talking to you right now, or seeing you for that matter. Yeah. I'll call you in a decade or so. Riley rolled his eyes. He knew he couldn't do that, not to her.

The phone stopped ringing, and Riley could only stare. That was the third call that Jacqueline left him. He dropped the cell phone, and rubbed his eyes.

He had no idea what to do next.


Lori: Please review, tell us what you think! I have a few announcements as well. First, if you have a deviantart account I need more people to join the NT fan club I am co-founder of. We are about to start an art contest and it would be great if we had more input. Remove the spaces and go here http: / / ntfans. deviantart. com

Also I'm looking for people to draw a fanart, either for the stories from this account or my other stories on my LoremIpsum account. If you draw something, I'll write a NT related one-shot for of anything of your choosing (except slash or like, graphic sexual content which isn't really my cup of tea).

Jaeh: As for me, I also have an announcement: and it will be in the next chapter. :p Send stuff to Lori now!