A/N: I'm sorry it took longer to get this chapter up! Here's a pre-Thanksgiving gift from me. Thanks for your reviews they are truly encouraging!

Ben stretched, trying work out a kink in his back. Glancing at the clock he saw that it was already 11:35am. Yawning, he looked around to see if Riley had woken up as well. His friend wasn't in his bed. Ben stood up feeling a little bit concerned. Then he heard the shower running and realized that Riley was in the bathroom. He sat back down again, feeling thankful his concern was a false alarm. A piece of paper on the nightstand caught his eye. He picked it up to read it, recognizing Abigail's handwriting.

Ben-I went over to Riley's house earlier this morning and picked up a bunch of his stuff. If he asks how I got into his house tell him that I broke in through the window. I actually borrowed his keys, but don't tell him that. Didn't want to wake you-you're both so cute when you're asleep. Love you-Abi.

Ben chuckled and put down the paper. His wife would do something like that. It wasn't a particularly short ride either; it took about an hour to get to his house. She and Riley always pretended to quarrel about things, but he knew when it came down to it they both held affection for each other.

Ben looked up as Riley walked out of the bathroom, seemingly having just taken a shower. He had on the borrowed pajama pants but not the top, for good reason. It was slung over his shoulder and it looked like he had scrubbed it until the color had faded. Riley was toweling his hair to rid it of dampness. Ben observed that he looked fatigued despite the induced sleep he was in last night.

"It takes some talent to sleep sitting up," Riley said as a greeting.

"You bet it does. I'd like to see you try it," Ben shot back. His back was feeling sore from his vigil over Riley. As far as he could tell the kid slept without any disturbances but he couldn't be sure.

"How'd you sleep?" he said, making his tone casual.

"Pretty good I think. Don't remember anything. Medicine must have worked." Riley answered. He paused and looked around.

"Um, I just thought of something. I don't have anything to change into."
"Actually you do. Abi went and got some of your stuff."
"What?" Riley's eyes seemed to bug out of his head. "When was this?"
"Um, she left me a message on the nightstand. It was sometime this morning." He indicated to the corner of the room. There was a suitcase, presumably Riley's. "Enjoy."
"Wow, Abigail's good twin must have taken over." Riley said sounding impressed. He opened the suitcase and found not only his clothes but also his laptop.

"Scratch that, it's definitely alien abduction."

Ben watched as Riley happily sorted through his clothes. The older man smiled to himself. Inwardly he thanked Abigail for bringing Riley's belongings. It seemed to cheer him up a little bit. It was what he needed after such a hellish night.

"You seem a little better this morning," Ben ventured.

"Maybe. A little. I don't know." Riley stopped going through his suitcase and sighed before turning toward Ben. "I'm scared out of my mind to tell you the truth," he admitted.
"Why's that?"

"Because…well, because I'm going to tell you and Abi what happened to me. And…I'm just…not sure how you'll react."

"And you're scared…that we'll leave you?"
"No! Geeze…no Ben." After how they stuck with him during roughest night he had in a long time, he wasn't expecting them to abandon him. And he couldn't even put into words how grateful he was. He wasn't used to this kind of concern from people. It was mostly because he never let anyone get close enough to him. But Ben and Abigail…they were honestly the closest friends he ever had. And they cared for him and loved him and it honestly scared him. Because if he told them…when he told them, he would be the most vulnerable he had ever been.

"It's not that. I trust you both." When Riley looked up, Ben could see the trust in his eyes. He wanted more then anything at that moment to just erase whatever horror happened in Riley's past. It pained him deeply to see his best friend in such a state.

"Then why?" Ben asked with genuine puzzlement.
"I just..." Riley sighed and ran a hand through his still damp hair. "I don't want you to think of me as some kind of freak show. I know I have issues…I mean if that wasn't already obvious from last night. But I don't want to be put in some psychotic ward."

"Riley, you're always going to be the obnoxious computer geek we've always known. Nothing that happened to you is going to change that."

"Not even…" he motioned disgustedly to himself, "This? Me? I mean, I'm a freaking mess right now."
"And you're still Riley. You're not going to transform into a different person."

"What if I am?" Riley's voice suddenly held the insecurity and fear he was feeling. "Ben, what if this thing beats me?"
Ben stared hard at his friend, holding his gaze. "You know as well as I do that you're going to put up a hell of a fight. And when you slip up that's when I'll be there. That's when Abi will be there. We're going to support you through this until you beat it down. Don't forget that we're here for you. Get it through that thick skull of yours, Riley.

The two men held each other's gazes for another few seconds. Finally, Riley broke eye contact and shook his head.

"Wow, and people say I'm stubborn."
"It runs in the family."

-

A few minutes later Ben left to get ready for the day himself. Riley was left alone with his thoughts. It was still terrifying. Everything felt terrifying. Not feeling like he wanted to get changed just yet, Riley wandered over to the window. He pressed his forehead against the cool glass and let his breath fog up the view to the outside.

The prospect of telling his friends still sat heavily in his stomach. He had never told anyone, his whole entire life, he kept the turmoil bottled inside. Containing it had proved difficult at first, but it became easier as time went on. The memories became grayer as the years past, only haunting him when they crept into his dreams.

He moved away from the window and sank back down on the bed.

Then last night…he saw his father. And all the memories he worked so hard at suppressing came flooding back all at once. Riley was smart enough to know he needed some kind of release. If he kept it to himself any longer he would go absolutely insane. But he was so afraid of reliving it again, especially since the story would be out in the open at last. He was surprised to feel a tear slip from his eye. It was more from being overwhelmed then anything else. He brushed it away impatiently.

Riley looked into the corner of the room where the suitcase Abigail had brought him rested. He was more then lucky to have friends like these. And he knew he could trust them. The only the problem was trusting himself to tell them.

-

It took a while for Riley to work of the resolve to finally get changed and go downstairs. He trudged down the unnecessarily long staircase that lead into the kitchen. Stopping abruptly, he leaned heavily on the railing. He heard Ben and Abigail talking in low voices to each other. The tone of their voices made it obvious the conversation was about him. Fighting off doubts that began creeping into his mind, he descended to the bottom of the stairs.

"Okay Riley," he muttered to himself. "You can do this." Finding that he just wanted to get his over with, he walked into the kitchen.

Ben and Abigail looked up as he came in. He still couldn't believe they were going through all this trouble for him.

"Your welcome." Abigail greeted pointedly.

"Good morning to you too," Riley replied without a beat.

He sank down on a chair at the kitchen table with a deep sigh and wondered what the best way to go about telling them was. It was driving him crazy. Ben and Abigail were looking at him intently. He felt their stares for a good minute before looking up.

"What?" he asked in exasperation. They not so subtly averted their eyes.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Abigail asked, changing the subject.

"Uh, no it's okay Abi…thanks." He was rather nauseous anyway. It felt like he was about to go onstage for a play. They sat in silence for another few moments before Riley banged his hands on the table, making his friends jump.

"I need to just tell you guys. I can't put if off any longer or I might change my mind!"

-

A few minutes later they were all seated on a couch in the living room. Ben and Abigail were on either side of him. He was thankful for the light streaming in through the window. It warmed him a little bit, made him think that quite possibly he could get through this. His heartbeat had elevated and he was swallowing compulsively. The distress must have shown somewhat on his face because Ben put a firm hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay Riley, go ahead," he said encouragingly. Riley let out a breath and began, although he barely knew where to start.

"It happened when I was ten. Well, it started even before that actually. Mom and Dad were going through a divorce…It was hard on the kids, especially my younger sisters Kimberly and Miriam. They didn't really understand. My parents always had these awful fights…my dad usually came home drunk. Sometimes he would hit my mom. It was ugly stuff."
He suddenly recalled how his sisters would come into his room seeking comfort when things were especially bad. He would do his best to distract them from the commotion downstairs, telling jokes or reading them a story. For a little while it seemed like a small oasis in Riley's room. He gulped as that memory surfaced, He hadn't thought about it in years.

"One night, dad was arrested for some reason. I can't remember now. He called the house, drunk asking my mom to bail him out. We were already tight on money so you can imagine how she reacted. It was pretty much the last straw. It was the thing that solidified the decision for her to leave. She had been threatening to do it for a long time, but Dad never really believed her. So she just grabbed us kids and got the hell out. It was that night…it turned into one of the longest of my life."

"So I guess she wasn't thinking straight or something? I don't know…She was just crying the whole time while in the car. Miriam and Kimberly didn't know what was going on. They were just crying because Mom was crying. But for whatever reason…my mom wasn't paying attention…to the road…"

At this point, Riley faltered. Maybe he couldn't do this after all.

"It's alright. Keep going." Ben's voice anchored him. He forced him himself to keep talking.

"We had an accident. They…all died. Mom, Miriam and little Kimberly. They died." It was only a small mouthful but Riley felt as though he spilt his guts all over the coffee table. He had to stop for a good minute, putting his head down and trying to control the pain threatening to burst out of his chest. Ben and Abigail patiently let Riley take all the time he needed to get his bearings. Riley didn't look at them but if he did, their expressions were horrified. After a while Riley let out a shuddering sigh and continued.

"They died instantly I was told later…I…waited for hours. I…cannot tell you…how excruciating the pain was. It was pitch black….I couldn't move because the pain was so unbearable. I honestly thought for a little while … I was in hell. The rescue workers had to take their time extracting me from the wreck..."
"I think I passed out because the next thing I remember was being wheeled in a gurney. The noise and lights didn't make sense. But I was able to look at the car. Some EMT tried to block my view…but I saw…"
Riley suddenly choked and bit down on his fist. Ben was gripping him so tightly that it hurt. The man had not let go once since the story began and Riley wondered briefly if his arm was sore. Abigail had reached out and taken his other hand, stroking it softly. There were a few moments of silence broken only by Riley's ragged breathing.

"I saw-my family…but they…were so mangled…I couldn't even recognize them...I could…barely…tell…"

Riley closed his eyes tightly, recollecting himself to keep talking.

"…I was in the hospital for a month. A whole month, and not once did I see my dad."

Riley gritted his teeth and glared at the carpet.

"It was because he was in jail. I guess I should have been more understanding. But…" He shook his head, not finishing the thought. There was a deep anger, a hate against his father he held for the longest time. So many things factored into it and it circulated inside like a slow moving fire. The man was dead to him as far as he was concerned, nothing could change his mind from that.

"My dad was pretty much the only family I had. I rarely had visitors. There were a few people…teachers…nuns…that sort of thing. But there was no one I knew."

Riley couldn't think too hard about that month. It still anguished him every time he thought about it, even more then a decade later.

"Middle school to the end of high school were not the best years for me. My dad still came home drunk, but in some ways it was worse. He was so unpredictable after the accident. Sometimes I would find him sitting there and crying. Other times…well, he used to slap my mom around. He started slapping me around instead."

Riley would hide his bruises under his clothes. He hated gym because he had to change. He ended up failing it most of the time for incompletes.

"Afterwards he would apologize and say how sorry he was. Whatever. I never believed him. He was so full of crap. If he were sorry he would have stopped drinking. "

"Anyway, when I turned sixteen we had this huge fight. Normally I wouldn't bother arguing with him when he was drunk. He was unreasonable. I don't even remember what it was about. "

"It ended with me being thrown down a flight of stairs. And that's when I ran away. The police found me and saw my bruises and I lived with foster parents until college. My dad wasn't allowed to see me. And I haven't seen him in years. Until last night."

Riley let out a deep breath it seemed like he was holding that whole time.

"And that's it. That's why I'm a nut job right now. That's what…" He buried his face in his hands. "…that's what happened to me," he finished brokenly.

Ben still had his hand on Riley's shoulder and Abigail had hers wrapped around his arm. He couldn't see them but they wouldn't lessen their grips, they wouldn't let go. Riley finally dared to look up at his friends. Abigail had a hand over her mouth and was blinking back tears. Ben was gazing at him with a strange mingled expression of anger and sorrow. Abigail sniffed and squeezed his arm.

"We love you very much Riley. I hope you realize that."

He looked at her in confusion. "Why?"
"Because we're going to help you deal with this crap the best we can, whether you like it or not," Ben said.

Riley gave them both a real genuine smile. It was a tired, worn out smile but it showed the gratefulness he was feeling at that moment. Feeling overwhelmingly exhausted, he passed a hand over his eyes. Telling his story had taken everything out of him.

"I'm, uh…I'm going to…go for a walk." Riley got up in sort of daze.

"Do you need anything?" Abigail asked, her brow furrowed in worry. Riley turned slowly back around; every pore of his body seemed to be weighing him down. He looked between his two friends and shook his head. Ben ached at the grief present in Riley's blue eyes.

"No…I don't need anything…thanks Abi." With that he turned and walked through the main hall and out the front door. Ben took Abigail's hand as they watched him leave. Neither of them tried to stop him.

-

Riley walked slowly through the expanse of property belonging to the Gates. It was huge, more then five acres Ben had told him. If someone tried hard enough they could get lost. That's exactly what Riley wanted at the moment. He wanted to just wander and not think about anything at all. He wasn't really sure what he was thinking or feeling. It was this mix of so many things that they seemed to cancel each other out. All he felt was this dull pain in the center of his gut.

It mid afternoon now, the sun was at its highest point in the sky. He wasn't really sure where he was going. He just needed to be doing something, feel like he was going anywhere. Suddenly, he found he couldn't go on. Everything seemed to catch up to him at once. He sank down onto the grass. Then he lay flat on his back, staring straight into the sky. It was so comfortable. The chirping of insects nearby and the sun beating down on him made his eyelids grow heavy. His last drifting thought before falling asleep was that he wasn't afraid of having a nightmare.

-

Ben felt a wave of relief when he finally found Riley, only to be accompanied by panic. He hurried over to his friend, and then chuckled when he realized that Riley was sleeping. He checked his watch. It was already after six. Riley needed to come inside but he hated to wake him up when he looked so peaceful.

Ben sat down and waited for another ten minutes. Then he gently tapped Riley on the shoulder. Blue eyes fluttered open, almost reluctantly. Ben was about two feet from Riley's face with a mildly amused expression.

"Out here was probably not the best place to catch a nap. I'm surprised you didn't get sunburned."

Riley looked straight up blinking. The sun was already setting. Brilliant splashes of color filled the sky. He didn't sit up, just took the scene in. For some reason he thought of his mom and sisters. Their faces seemed to go hand in hand with the beauty of the sunset.

"She would have loved this." Riley said in an almost inaudible voice. It startled him that he spoke his own thoughts out loud. Ben followed his best friend's gaze to the sunset.
"Who?"

Riley's expression softened, as he seemed to recall something. "Miriam. She was the outdoorsy one. She was into saving the dolphins, that sort of thing."
Ben smiled to himself, thinking of Riley as an older brother, playing with his sisters. It was something beautiful, something that was lost in one horrific moment. Ben looked at Riley out of the corner of his eye.
"You miss them," he said in a gentle voice. It was a statement more then a question. Riley's blue eyes misted over. No tears fell, they just shimmered on the surface.

"Yeah," he whispered thickly. Ben's expression became sorrowful as he looked at his friend.
"Sometimes I hate them." Riley said numbly. "I hate them for leaving me. I hate them for being in my head for so many years." Riley looked at Ben, almost imploringly. "It's crazy, I know."
Ben shook his head, feeling tears beginning to form in his own eyes. "No. It's not Riley. I promise you it's not."

"I would do anything you know." There was an emotion that Ben couldn't identify in his voice. "Anything. I would give all of the treasure in the world to have them back."

Riley's face was now hidden in the evening shadows. Sighing, Ben lay down with his hands behind his head. They both watched the sky as it grew darker and the stars began to appear. Finally Ben sat up again. The crickets had come out and the fireflies were floating around.
"Let's go inside before the mosquitoes start biting. Plus Abigail's going to kill me for taking this long to come back. The walk back isn't far."

"Ben, I don't know if I can make it."

Ben stopped short. He knew that Riley wasn't talking about the walk.

"It just hurts. It hurts so much." Riley hadn't moved from his prostrate position since that afternoon.

Ben put out a hand to help Riley up. "I know kid. Come on. Take my hand. You'll get through this." His voice had some sort of comforting effect on Riley. He believed it when Ben said it, even though he couldn't believe it when he told himself.

Riley hesitated then reached out and grabbed Ben's hand. He was surprised at how real and warm it felt, grounding him back to reality. Ben hefted him to his feet. Riley stood there for a minute in a dream-like state and Ben rubbed his shoulder.

"Come on kid," he said quietly. They both slowly made their way through the night to the brightened house.