Riley found a quiet place to sit on one of the many treacherous climbs around Mount Rushmore. Of course this one had stairs so there was no real danger of falling. Right now Ben and Patrick were with the North Dakota Police Department and Abigail was with her parents who had flown in for what was supposed to be an engagement dinner. All Riley was doing was trying to stay out of the way; since he was always in the way, he decided being out here in the middle of nowhere was the best option.
Jacqueline leapt up the steps, taking them to at a time, to where Riley was sitting. He looked very pensive so she quietly asked permission to sit down next to him. Jacqueline settled down so that their knees were almost touching. After a few silent moments, she spoke.
"They are thinking of sending us all back to Maryland after we've been cleared as suspects." Another Professor had already flown over to oversee them.
"That must be highly disappointing; having just been told you would have gotten to work on Cibola," contended Riley.
"You have no idea," she sighed. "Give Ben my condolences. Professor Appleton was an extraordinary teacher. A bit of a hard-ass, but extraordinary none the less."
"Yea, she was pretty stubborn," agreed Riley, thinking back to when they discovered Cibola. Their awkward silence returned before Jacqueline hopped up.
"Well, I guess I outa be going. Will I see you at the funeral?"
"Of course," came his automated reply. Jacqueline lingered for a moment, as if she was waiting for him to say more. Her dark eyes questioned Riley with something he didn't understand.
"Well…bye." She walked down the steps slowly, in contrast to how she arrived. Riley kicked himself for his cowardice.
"Um…Jacq?"
"Yes?" She asked still walking away from him. With a little hesitation, Riley got up and rushed to catch up with her. Jacqueline paused, apparently studying a blooming flower.
"Iwaswonderingifyouwantedtogotodinnerwithme." Again, Riley cringed at his inability to talk to girls. She gave a soft giggle before meeting his gaze.
"Assuming you just asked me to dinner, then yes." She flipped back her long ponytail with a smirk. "Tonight?"
"Umm…." Riley's first thought was Ben and how he would be coping with the loss of his mother. She smiled softly at his hesitation; it was a different look from the smirk he had previously received and he liked this better.
"Of course, you'll want to be with Ben. So how about lunch right now. We don't have to call it a date-just lunch."
"Sounds great!" said Riley, relieved. Jacqueline slipped her arm through his and motioned for him to lead the way. "So…you say your friends call you Jacq?" This caused her to grin and roll her eyes. Riley smiled to himself, impressed with his turnout.
NATIONAL TREASURE NATIONAL TREASURE NATIONAL TREASURE
Patrick Gates stood on the balcony of his hotel room, gazing into the night sky. It was a beautiful night; the sky a hazy dark blue with just enough clarity to see the dimly lit stars. He could not think of any scene more perfect with the backdrop of Mount Rushmore. However, he would trade all of this just for one woman to be enjoying it with him. Emily was dead- his Emily. For nearly all of Ben's life they only bickered and when she left him, he did not go after her. But the years of loneliness have had their effect on the older man. He still loved her. And now she was gone.
Ben and Abigail had just announced their engagement to Riley, Abigail's parents, and himself earlier this evening. Patrick tried his best to be happy for the two of them, even in light of recent events. He could see the pain fade from his son's eyes when he looked at Abigail, but every once in a while he would find him lost in thought again.
The Police still had not recovered any bodies, but with all of the rubble and the extent of the blast, they weren't expecting to find much. Something within Patrick was screaming that she was still alive; waiting for him to find her, but his mind wouldn't believe it. Emily was dead, and so was any chance of love.
The old man watched as Riley Poole and an unknown girl walked hand in hand along the road below him. That boy had become a second son to him over the years, and it was nice to see him happy with this girl. Granted, they only met about seven hours ago, but most girls didn't give the poor boy the time of day. There was something special about this one.
He could hear them laughing and chattering back and forth as they enjoyed the night; it was good someone could. A small smile played on Patrick's lips he watched them playing around. The girl had just run head into another person, causing Riley to pull her back protectively. He was about to leave them in private when he heard the young woman let out a screech.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" That was unmistakably Riley. "Get out of here Jacq!"
She took off in a run towards the hotel with Riley hot on her heels. A red pick-up truck cut them off. The driver joined the other figure in wrestling them to the ground. Patrick whipped out his cell phone, quickly dialing 911. He rushed down the stairs, informing the emergency operator the situation. By the time he got down to the street they were long gone.
"Damn it." After learning that the police were on the way, he hurriedly pressed his speed dial to reach Ben. "Ben! Get down to the front of the hotel quickly! Riley's just been kidnapped." Shaking slightly, Patrick watched the perfect night sky light up with red and blue flashing lights as the police made their way to the scene of the crime.
A/N: PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR THE LONG WAIT! I'm so sorry about this. I got caught up in my NCIS story and really got some writers block when it came to my other stories. Apparently, I can't keep any promises to when my next update will be but you will see Emily, Riley, and Jacq in the next one!
