"Sir, I found them trying to get inside. What do I do with them?" The blonde man, who was still holding Riley asked. Whitson Sr. waved his hand like it didn't matter. Ben bit his tongue to keep himself from screaming in frustration. How could anyone think other people's lives didn't matter, especially when those lives were his own, Abigail's, and Riley's, especially Riley's life?

"Leave them where they are, Mitch. They won't do anything. Not when we have their little friend with us. He's our ultimate bargaining chip." Whitson croaked happily, clasping Riley's arm in his arthritic claws. Ben saw Riley's half-concealed flinch, and fury once again tore at his insides. How dare that geezer lay a hand on my Riley?! Ben thought, too angry to wonder exactly when Riley had become his.

And then, something happened, something…completely unexpected. This event would not have been considered dramatic by movie standards, but it was one of those situations when, when it happens to you in real life, it is actually quite dramatic and terrifying to all those involved.

Most of the entire Houston police force burst into the hangar, every member wearing a bulletproof vest and waving an automatic fixed with a telescope, all the while shouting unintelligibly. Probably for everyone to get down on the ground, or something, which was no problem for Ben and Abigail, considering they were already on the ground.

Ben had never been gladder to see the police in all his life. Of course, this was the first time he had been caught by the police and hadn't done anything illegal. But he was still grateful Abigail had called Sadusky when he had done his first search of the house. If not for the FBI's authority among the police, probably the only reason the police hadn't taken their sweet time getting to the scene, Ben shuddered to think what could have happened.

--

While he was ecstatic to know that Riley was safe and alive, Ben was also overjoyed that their endless interviews with the Houston police were finally over. The first week or so after finding Riley had been agony, because the police had questioned them all, interviewing everyone at least four times to get the full story. Ben had barely been able to stop himself from going into the interviewing room and simply shooting Whitson Jr. (technically it had been Abigail who had stopped him).

The reason Ben was so furious his teeth hurt from clenching them together so hard and so long: Robin Whitson Jr. Whitson Jr. had admitted to beating Riley up more than a few times, and, when asked, said he had kicked Riley on several occasions, just for ha-has. This infuriated Ben more than anything else, even more so than the way the man smiled, the bastard actually smiled, when he told the police this.

Apparently, Whitson Sr. had nothing going for him apart from his son, the apple of his eye, so when he saw that said son was an utter loser, Whitson had come up with the crazy idea of holding America hostage until the current President stepped down and let Whitson Jr. take the position as dictator for life of America. Funny how most villains want global domination, hm?

"How did he think he was going to succeed?" Abigail had asked an officer near the end of yet another interview with the police. She and Ben had undergone so many interviews and questioning sessions she was beginning to wonder if she was ever going to go back to her job at the National Archives. The officer, a Mr. Parker, glanced at his superior for clearance. The other man, Mr. Nash, nodded.

"According to Agent Sadusky, they are authorized for the information." The man had said in a disinterested tone. Parker turned back to Abigail and Ben.

"Well, Mr. Whitson planned to make Mr. Poole to construct atomic bombs, which he would use to threaten the country. It was lucky we came when we did, otherwise those bombs would already be under construction. He also wanted Mr. Poole to construct security and computer-controlled weapons systems that would protect Mr. Whitson Jr. when he was in the White House." Ben knew he wouldn't be able to take much more revealing of Riley's life. If he wanted to know what Riley's life before meeting Ben was like, he would rather get his information directly from his friend, no matter how painful it was to ask.

"I've heard enough," Ben had said, despite his desire to know more, much more. He had heard the interviews with both the Whitsons and their Mafia-wannabe friend, 'Mercenary Mitch' as Ben privately liked to think of the man that was an old Marine friend of Whitson Sr., and felt if he heard one more word out of any of the men's mouths, he would go ballistic.

Thankfully, Sadusky had pulled a few strings and let them escape back to DC without too much interference from the press (Ben had requested that the whole thing be kept under wraps, for Riley's sake; he was sure that the young techie would not want reporters in his face every time he set foot outside).

Almost as soon as he had returned to DC, Riley sold his old flat and bought a new one four blocks away from it, saying he couldn't stand to be in it any longer. Ben supported his friend's decision whole-heartedly; indeed, had Riley not raised the subject of moving first, Ben had planned to pose the idea himself. Ben knew that if Riley was ever going to recover from his ordeal, he would have to relocate, his old apartment holding too many bad memories. Yet in spite of his good intentions, a small, traitorous voice whispered there was another reason he was so happy with Riley's move. Ben always pushed the voice to the back of his mind, but it had grown stronger since Riley's kidnapping.

So now life was continuing on as normal. Abigail was still in the historic mansion and Ben was still in his apartment; while he sometimes mourned the lack of historical significance concerning his small apartment, he wouldn't have traded places with Abbey for anything, because that would mean he wouldn't have Riley nearby. And Ben wanted Riley with him, within sight, within reaching distance, at all times.

And there you have it folks! The end of To Catch A Thief! (I'm sorry it's a bit short, but I was eager to move on to the sequel.)

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, and even to you who didn't review, thank you for taking the time to read. I know it's a bit of an abrupt ending, but I'm happy enough with it, even though I'm not sure about the order of paragraphs. I've edited this thing so many times I swear it's almost memorized.

Don't worry, it's not the end of the story, really. This is just the first part of it. I've already started the sequel, but I'm stuck on titles. I also can't decide if I want to start with the end of the story, or work it out from the beginning. Probably the latter option. If you're disappointed by the lack of romance in To Catch A Thief, it's coming in the sequel.

If the formatting, spelling, or grammar are wrong, let me know and I'll fix it. I've gone back over all the other chapters of this fic and edited them slightly, answering questions posed in reviews and clarifying several areas of confusion. If I've skipped over any questions you asked, tell me and I'll do my best to answer them.

Please review and give me sequel title and plot ideas! I accept all suggestions with open arms. Even if I don't use your exact suggestion, I'll consider it and probably incorporate it in the story somewhere.

Again, I am very grateful you took an interest in this little fic of mine and helped me through it. I'll be updating soon, so you haven't seen the last of me!