Disclaimer: I don't own anything of National Treasure.

A/N: Like I said, there's going to be a chapter a day because I already have most of this written. Review if you want to. You don't have to but I'd like it...:D

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"I can assure you that the Declaration cannot possibly be stolen," a frustrated FBI agent told them for what felt like the hundredth time. "It is one of the most protected documents in human history. No one can possibly steal it."

"Sir, I don't think under-" Mia started but was quickly interrupted.

"No. I don't think you and your friends understand. Thank you for your concern but I don't find this relevant. Have a nice day," he said dismissing them.

"Well that went well," Riley said sarcastically.

"Well done Mr. Holmes," Mia replied with a mock British accent. "I do believe you've solved another one!"

"Very funny," Riley muttered. "Is it really so hard to believe that someone is going to steal the Declaration of Independence?"

"The FBI gets over ten thousand tips a week. They're not going to worry about something they're sure is safe." Ben rejected.

"Ben, no one is going to be crazy enough to believe us," Mia told him. "I mean, our family is already considered crazy. This is just gonna fuel the fire."

"And," Riley added, "anyone crazy enough to believe us isn't gonna want to help."

"We don't need someone crazy," Ben said. "just one step short of crazy. What do you get?"

Mia snorted. "Ian."

Riley gave a laugh and added, "The IRS."

Ben just smiled. "However correct those answers may be, they're not the ones I was looking for."

Riley then responded with, "Obsessed."

Ben's eyebrows raised as he glanced over at his sister. Seeing her angry look, they both said together, "Passionate," and walked away, leaving Riley standing alone, wondering what he had done.

--

"I don't understand why I can't just come with you," Mia complained from the back of Riley's red van. Tech supplies and other electronic objects layered the floor and shelves of the back of his van. You could hardly see the floor let alone stand on it without stepping on something.

"Because I don't want too many people in that office, Mia," Ben retorted.

"Make Riley stay here," she whined. "I'm much smarter than he is."

"I heard that!" he called in a sing-song voice from far in the interior.

"You were supposed to!" she sang back, her beautiful features contorted into a scowl.

"Okay," Riley said emerging from inside the van ignoring Anna's last comment, "now this- here you go, Ben- is an earwig. Both Ben and I will be wearing them so you can talk to us while we're in there. We'll also be wearing microphones so you can hear the conversation we're having with the curator. You'll be able to talk and hear us through this blue tooth. All you have to do is stick it in your ear and voila."

"Awesome," she said none-too-enthusiastically. "Well go on, oh tech-smart one."

"I will," he replied shutting the sliding van door on a pouting Mia.

--

"You know," Riley whispered to Ben from the lobby to the curator's office, "I'm afraid Mia may kill us this time."

"Don't worry, Riley," Ben whispered back. "I'm sure she'll only kill you."

"Thanks, but, and not to rain on your parade, that doesn't make me feel any better," Riley muttered.

"It makes me feel better," Ben said with a smirk.

"I can hear you, you know," Mia said over the earwig.

"Forgot about that," Riley groaned to himself.

"Dr. Chase will see you now, Mr. Brown," the receptionist said to the two men.

"Mr. Brown?" Riley asked as he got up from the blue waiting room chairs.

"Our family name doesn't get much respect in the academic community, Riley," Mia's voice floated in their ear.

"Ah, being kept down by the man," Riley replied to the disembodied voice. As they both walked into the office, they saw an attractive blond rise from the chair behind the desk cluttered with frames and historical artifacts. This prompted Riley to whisper, "A very cute man…"

"Riley, I didn't know you rolled that way," Mia told him, a smile very clear in her voice.

"Hello, gentleman. I'm Abigail Chase," the blond informed them.

"Whoa! It's a chick? Didn't see that coming."

"Paul Brown," Ben replied ignoring his sister's comment.

Dr. Chase turned to Riley as he stuttered, "B-Bill."

"Nice to meet you Bill," she said with obvious skepticism.

"Bill? That's the best you could come up with? Bill? We have got to work on your improv skills, man."

"Shut up," Riley growled under his breath.

"Excuse me?" Dr. Chase said, hearing what Riley growled. He covered up his mistake by coughing loudly.

"Your accent?" Ben said trying to divert the focus away from Riley's blunder. "Pennsylvania Dutch?"

As the woman corrected Ben Mia said, "You know, I take what I saud back. I like being out here. I can torture you and you can't do a thing about it." And she laughed. Riley frowned at both Mia and the other woman.

"Wait, you're not American?" Riley asked.

"Oh," she started, "I am American. I just wasn't born here. Please don't touch that!" she snapped at Ben who reached for several campaign buttons displayed on a wall.

"I see you have an astounding collection. George Washington's campaign buttons. You're missing the 1789 Inaugural though. I found one once."

"That's very fortunate for you. Now you told my assistant that this was an urgent matter?"

"Ben, you really shouldn't take that, 'if you've got it, flaunt it' thing to heart. It pisses people off," Mia reminded him.

After sitting down in the two chairs across from the desk, Ben immediately said, "Well, I get right to the point. Someone is going to steal the Declaration of Independence."

"It's true," Riley said when she didn't respond.

"I think I'd better put you boys in touch with the FBI-" she began, picking her phone.

"We've been to the FBI," Ben told her. She then hung up the phone.

"They assured us the Declaration cannot possibly be stolen," Riley offered, tremendously bored as if he'd done this a million times.

"They're right," she replied.

"My friend and I are less certain. However, if we were given the privilege of examining the document, we would be able to tell you for certain whether or not it is in any danger," Ben told her.

"What do you hope to find?" she asked.

"We believe there is an encryption on the back," Ben said.

"An encryption, like a code?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Of what?" she said with raised eyebrows.

"Uh, cartograph," Ben said simply.

"A map?" she translated. "A map of what?"

"She sure asks a lot of questions. Are you sure she's not the department shrink?" Mia said in the mens' ears.

"The location of hidden items of historic and intrinsic value," he stated ambiguously.

"Good going, slick. I hope she has a great vocabulary."

"A treasure map?" she asked.

"And that's where we lost the FBI," Riley groaned.

"Your treasure hunters aren't you?"

"More like treasure protectors," Ben corrected.

"Well I have personally seen the back of the Declaration of Independence and the only thing there is a notation that reads 'Original Declaration of Independence. Dated July 4, 1776.' But no map," Dr. Chase recited.

Ben let out a small groan before continuing, "It's invisible."

Riley put a hand to his head and whispered, "And that's where we lost the Department of Homeland Security."

"Not helping Riley," Mia told him.

"What led you to assume there was this invisible map?" she asked with an obvious smirk on her face and in her voice.

"An engraving on the stem of a 200 year old pipe," Ben stated matter of factly.

"Owned by the Freemasons," Riley added.

"May I see the pipe?" she asked suddenly intrigued.

Riley looked at Ben who looked back at Dr. Chase. "We-we don't have it."

She leaned in, squinted her eyes and said, "Did Big Foot take it?"

"Okay!" Ben said ending the conversation. "It was nice meeting you."

"Nice to meet you too."

Ben made a comment about her buttons being a nice collection and then he and Riley walked out of the curator's office.

--

Darling Abigail... It's plausible that she wouldn't believe us, but to mock us in the way she did. That was uncool. She was kind of hot but... she was really irritating. I don't understand how Ben fell for... well for that. I still don't get it.

Granted since she's been in the family for a while, she's gotten less irritating, but not by much. Actually, not really at all...

Mia was equally irritating during the conference, and I let her know it too. So, I'm not good at coming up with stuff off the top of my head. So sue me...

--

"Over a hundred and eighty years of searching and I'm three feet away," Ben whispered standing in front of the Declaration in the National Archives Building. Other tourists surrounded him, oblivious to the plot ensuing before them. "Of all the ideas that became the United States, there's a line here that's above all the others. 'But when a long train of abuses and usurpation's pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism. It is their right. It is their duty to throw off such government, and provide new guards for their future security.' People don't talk that way anymore."

"Beautiful," Riley whispered. "No idea what you said," he added.

"It means," Mia jumped in, "when something goes wrong that those with the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action… Wait, Ben you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."

"What's he thinking?" Riley asked a little too loudly. People started at his question to no one as they passed by.

"I'm gonna steal it," Ben muttered.

Riley chuckled, coughed, then asked, "What?"

"I'm gonna steal the Declaration of Independence," he said again. Turning on his heels he walked away, leaving Riley standing there stupidly laughing.

"Riley, he's serious," Mia told him gravely in his ear.

"Ben!" Riley called as he ran across the tiled floor.

--

A/N: So here's another one. Review if you want. Thanks for reading.