A/N: Ok so this chapter is where the slash starts moving along.Itskinda a filler chapter and I have the feeling that it might be a little bit random in its placement but I really just wanted to get the slash out there. Also, a significant amount of time has passed from the last chapter to where this one begins. It's only like a few hours but still, just thought I'd let you know.

Disclaimer: National Treasure is not and never will be mine cries

"Ben, could you please stop pacing and try to get some rest?" Abigail called from her bed at the far end of the hotel room. It was almost midnight and Ben had been walking back and forth in front of the room for at least two hours, and it was driving Abigail crazy. Ever since they arrived in New York a few hours prior, the treasure hunter had been acting anxious and withdrawn, not saying much to anybody. When he and Abigail went out to grab something quick to eat, he hardly ate anything. Abigail was worried about him. He didn't seem like the type of person who would let something like this get to him. Something deeper was plaguing Ben's mind and Abigail was determined to fine out.

Realizing that Ben wasn't going to respond to her previous request, Abigail got out of bed and stood in his path. The treasure hunter, whose thoughts, had obviously been elsewhere, almost bumped right into Abigail. He jumped back and clumsily met the blonde's eyes.

"Ben, you should really go to sleep." She told him, trying to ignore the discomfiting look of disorientation in his eyes.

"No, I'm fine." He replied distantly.

"Ben, you're not going to be any help to Riley if you don't get some sleep."

"I'll be fine!" He snapped, turning away from Abigail and walking over to the window. Abigail let out an exasperated sigh. This was going to be harder then she thought. Who would have known Ben would be this stubborn?

"Ben," She said gently, approaching the treasure hunter. "Something's wrong and I don't think it has anything to do with the treasure, so don't try to act like it does."

Ben exhaled but said nothing. He kept his gaze on the New York City skyline. Growing very impatient, very quickly, Abigail grabbed Ben's shoulder and spun him around, forcing him to face her.

"Ben, talk to me." She pleaded.

He paused for a second, opening his mouth like he was about to say something, but then stopped, thinking better of it. He honestly didn't know what was bothering him. All he knew was that ever since Ian had kidnapped Riley, he hasn't been able to think straight. He glanced up at Abigail, who was still waiting for an answer, arms crossed and foot tapping expectantly.

"I've just…I'm worried about Riley is all." He said, hoping this would be enough to satisfy Abigail. But Abigail being herself, it was nowhere near enough. But she had a hunch as to where this was going. All she had to do was push the right buttons.

"Ok, that's a start. What else?"

"I don't—"

"You do." Abigail insisted. "Just stop and think for a minute. Now, when Ian first told you he had Riley, what was the first thing you thought?"

"Oh, I don't know. Probably something like, 'I hate that guy?'"

"Ben, seriously. Think."

Ben sighed. "Ok…when I picked up the phone and it was Ian's voice instead of Riley's…the first thing that went through my head was, 'I don't know what I'm going to do with myself if I never see him again.'" Then it hit him, like the answer to a historical riddle that only he knew the answer to. It seemed so clear now. He didn't know why he didn't see it before.

"Abigail, I think I'm falling for Riley."

Abigail didn't look remotely phased, almost like she knew it all along.

"See, now don't you feel better?"

The treasure hunter thought for a moment. "Actually, I do."

"I don't know why you didn't see if before Ben. I had it figured out since you two walked into my office."

Ben shot her a skeptical look. "Somehow I doubt that."

"Ok, you're right. I didn't. But I had it figured it out before you did."

She had a point there.

"Now, c'mon Ben, let's get to bed so we can wake up and kick Ian's ass."

Ben smiled for the first time in hours. "You got that right."

Riley had no perception of the time of day, as he sat in the small, miserable, room that he had spent the latter part of the day in. While he knew he could easily pass the time by just shutting his eyes and drifting off into a deep sleep, he couldn't bring himself to do it, and not just because he knew that he would probably be awakened violently by Ian or one of his flunkies, but because he couldn't take his mind off Ben. This had to be the most amount of time the two had spent away from each other since they first met a couple of months before the Charlotte. Riley didn't realize how much he missed the treasure hunter, until now. It seemed the more he thought about Ben, the more he longed for him. And the more he longed for Ben, the more Riley realized that…

"No," the techie thought aloud. "It can't be." But the more the idea crossed his mind, the more plausible it became. The first thing that he thought when he was captured was, 'Oh my god, I hope I get to see Ben again.' And the reason why he followed him to the end of the earth and back with no questions asked, wasn't because he was just doing a very good friend a favor…

Riley was in love with Ben.

"Oh god." The computer genius felt the thought hit him like a ton of bricks, and if he wasn't already sitting down, he probably would have fell to the floor from the sheer emotion of that revelation, and what a moment to realize it, too. When he was trapped, and beaten, in a dark room in the middle of one of the most deserted parts of the city. As smart as he was, he couldn't believe it took this long for him to figure it out. A thought crossed his mind. Did Ben figure it out? More importantly, did he feel the same way?

Riley found his train of thought rather odd considering the situation at hand. But then again, the thought of falling for your best friend doesn't really cross one's mind often even in non-life threatening situations. The computer geek's brain was whirling with emotions and he was almost thankful when Ian came pushing through the door, breaking the techie's thoughts, Shaw and Powell on either side. Ian made a gesture toward Riley, Shaw and Powell responded with a nod, converging on the techie and yanking him up by the arms. Riley felt a sharp pain in his right lung as he took a quick breath from suddenly being lifted. He hung there for a moment, looking at Ian with piercing blue eyes full of fury. Ian chuckled, noticing the geek's expression. He walked forward until he was face to face with Riley.

"I can't wait until we get to New York so I can see the look on Ben's face when he realizes there's nothing he can do to save you," Ian sneered.

"What are you talking about?" Riley spat back. "Ben has all the clues."

An evil smile appeared on the Brit's face. "Yes, but he doesn't have the treasure, now does he?"

Riley's facial expression never faltered, however inside, his heart dropped to his stomach. Ian had a point. Their deal was that Ben found the treasure in 72 hours, not just one of the many clues. Riley really hoped that New York City was the last stop on this wild goose chase.

A/N: Ok so, the next chapter should come a lot quicker than they have been coming. I've been sick the past few days and I haven't been able to think. So sorry if this chapter didn't make any sense. Like I said, I just added soi could get the slash in there, cuz that's what the summary says its going to be. Ok im done babbling. Please review. C'mon this story has 30 alerts on it, I should be getting more then 4 reviews a chapter. Sorry if I'm being greedy lol that was just bothering me. Peace Out, Girl scouts :P