Disclaimer: I do not own National Treasure, just Elizabeth.

Chapter Ten

"So what did Sadusky say?" asked Elizabeth, fidgeting on the couch.
"Yeah, what'd he cough up?" Riley asked, sitting nearby in a chair.
"Really, no need to pester him," Abby said lightly, sitting next to Elizabeth, "Now, Ben," She turned towards him, "What did he say?"
Everyone rolled their eyes.

"He said that only that the book exists and that only the president knows where it is. He said it's passed from president to president and the only way I'll see it is if I get elected to the office," Ben said quietly, leaning back in his chair.

"That could be a problem," Patrick murmured, pacing slowly in between them all.
"I'd vote for him," Elizabeth pointed out.
"It's not like the popular vote even counts," Riley muttered. (1)

"All I need is a few minutes with him," Ben said, breaking the silence.
"Even if you were married to the president, you wouldn't be able to get a few minutes," Riley said.
"How do you expect to get the president alone?" Elizabeth asked.

Ben paused, thinking, "Before the Civil War, the states were all separate. People used to say, 'The United States are.' Wasn't until the war ended people started saying, 'The United States is.' Under Lincoln... we became one nation," Ben said.
"And Lincoln paid for it with his life," Patrick interjected.
"So did Thomas Gates," Ben said hotly.
"Right," Patrick murmured.
"With his life... So, how am I gonna get him alone?" Ben asked rhetorically.
"Please don't be melodramatic," Elizabeth whispered to herself, closing her eyes childishly.
"I'm gonna kidnap him. I'm gonna kidnap the president of the United States," he finished.

Elizabeth began to laugh. Honestly, could Ben ever deliver his law-breaking news without the dramatics?

"That's not funny," Abigail said, glaring at her sister and Ben, her voice rising in pitch.
"I'm your father! How do you expect me to respond? I can't let you ruin your life!" Patrick snapped, standing up.
"Are you out of your mind? Read my book, and you'd know you CAN'T get to that book!" Riley shouted, waving his arms around as if to prove his point.

Elizabeth cocked her head to the side and studied Ben carefully.

"Exactly how do you plan on doing this?" she asked calmly, raising her eyebrows, as if to say, 'I'm in but not unless you have a plan.'
"I was thinking Mount Vernon," he said.
"Oh," Patrick said, seeming to understand the significance.
"What...?" Abigail asked, a sigh in her voice.
"I'm in," Riley said, giving up on reasoning with his friend.
Elizabeth sighed and shrugged her shoulders, "I'm in, although I don't know why. It was low dragging Lincoln into this though."

Ben shrugged and smiled at them. They had some planning to do.

___

"I feel so... nefarious," Elizabeth commented.
Riley snorted, typing away at his laptop. "Is that a common occurrence for you?"
She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment before grinning, "Yeah I guess it kind of is."
After a couple minutes of comfortable silence, Riley commented, "Time to make some phone calls."
"Good luck with that, I'm gonna check on the others," Elizabeth said, kissing him on the cheek.

Elizabeth stood up and went to the kitchen to make a couple sandwiches. She passed Ben, who was sketching out a game plan and Abigail, who was sitting next to him, typing up expenses and logistics. She slapped together some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and made her way back to Riley, who was booking hotels so the President would be forced to have his birthday bash at Mount Vernon. She tossed a sandwich into his hands while he was on the phone.

"Yeah, I know it's short notice but the pipe burst in the hotel that we previously booked, I... There is water everywhere!" he exclaimed, chuckling to himself.

Patrick walked by, on a phone with a different hotel. "A retirement party for 200 people... Gunston Hall."
"Oh wow," Riley said, throwing down the rest of his sandwich, "You are a lifesaver."
"I see how much you think of my sandwich skills," Elizabeth muttered dryly, eating her sandwich.

Riley hung up and picked up the remainder of his sandwich, "I think your sandwiches are fantastic, but I think we've accomplished our goal of operation Mount Vernon."
"Well that's good, remind me again why it has to be Mount Vernon," she asked.
"Because of some underground tunnels that Ben can get the President in and talk to him about the location of the book."
"Right... We're going to jail for awhile aren't we?"
Riley sat up and looked at her strangely, "Where's my optimist?"
Elizabeth sighed and smiled back, "Just feeling reality knocking on the front door."
"Don't worry, we'll find some loophole: we always do," he said, reassuring her, and taking a bite.
"That's true. I mean, I sure don't want to go to jail over some presidential macho man diary."

Riley began to choke on his sandwich, "What?! It's not a... a diary! It's... it's... AREA 51!!! NOT a diary. And besides, men don't have diaries. If you must put a label, call it journaling, but the president's secret book is not a diary!" He stood up and walked out of the room, muttering about the 'absurdities of women and their jargon'.

Patrick came into the room and took Riley's seat. He picked up the rest of the sandwich and began to eat it. "Presidential diary eh?"

She just rolled her eyes, "You'd think I just burned all his electronic equipment."

(1) The way to elect the President of the United States is not by the popular vote. The Electoral College votes for the President and that's how he/she'll get elected. That's why some President's who have lost the popular vote can still be elected into office. Some states have provisions that state those representing them in the College must vote with the popular vote, but that's not all the states.

http:/ /people. howstuffworks. com/ question472. htm

A little in between chapter to set up for the action that's going to come soon. I hope you guys like it!

Aly