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"Benjamin Gates, are you insane?!" Samantha's green eyes were dark with fury, her accent growing thick in her throat as her temper rose. "How could you even think…?" She trailed off, collapsing onto the marble steps. She took a deep breath, burying her face in her hands.
"You are going to go to prison for this, you know that, right?" Riley pointed out. Ben sighed deeply, putting a hand to his forehead for a second before it dropped.
"Word about the map is bound to get out," He said quickly. "The only way to protect the Declaration is to steal it."
"Ben, for God's sake!" Riley jumped to his feet, his frustration evident. "It's like stealing a national monument! It's like stealing that statue of Lincoln behind you. It can't be done! I…" He closed his eyes, frustrated. "Let me prove it to you." Riley challenged, and then walked off without another word.
Samantha remained rooted in place; she clasped her hands together, eyes closed.
"Sam…" Ben spoke gently. "I need to do this. There are no other options. If I don't get the Declaration, Ian will. This is the only way to save it."
"No," Her voice was shockingly soft, even to her own ears.
"'No' what?"
"Mon Dieu, I can't do this!" Her emerald orbs snapped open as she attempted, without success, to swallow the growing lump in her throat. "I honestly wish I could do something, but I can't, Ben. I could lose everything…"
"And I can't?" Ben snapped, suddenly irritated.
"I know, but it's… It's too dangerous Ben, you know that. And you of all people should know how important my job is to me…" Her throat closed up again unexpectedly. "I'm sorry Ben. Good luck."
She stood to leave, fighting back tears.
'What am I crying for?'
She felt Ben grab her arm, but she didn't turn around.
"Samantha, please, we've been in this together from the beginning. After everything we accomplished together, you're just going to let that go? I need you to help me, and you're just walking away?" His voice had a pleading edge.
"What other choice do I have?" She choked on the words, stubbornly staring the opposite direction.
"You could help me."
"I…I'm sorry, Ben," She pulled her arm from his grip and walked away, leaving a stunned Ben behind her.
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Ever since she'd walked away, Samantha was wondering if she'd made the wrong decision. There was a message from Ben waiting for her everyday when she got home from work. Through these messages, she got the gist of his plan: They were going to do it next weekend, at the 70th anniversary gala at the Archives.
As each day passed, she began to feel more and more guilty as Ben's messages seemed to become more desperate, trying to change her mind.
'He really needs my help.'
The thought of the Archives gala reminded her of something. She stared blankly at the envelope that she had not touched since she'd retrieved it from the mailbox almost a week ago. It sat there on the kitchen counter, a constantly nagging reminder.
Finally, about 3 days before the gala, she snatched the bright white envelope off of the counter. Before she knew what she had decided to do, she was knocking on the door to Ben's apartment, which was opened by a surprised looking Riley.
Without saying one word, Samantha pushed past him and approached the couch where Ben sat, totally involved in the book on his lap. She dropped the envelope, and his head snapped up in surprise.
"Sam?"
"This is going to sound highly uncharacteristic of me, but screw my job." She couldn't help but grin as Ben's mouth fell open.
"I've been with you longer than I have with them, and I'm not letting you do this without my help, Ben."
Ben's shocked face dissolved into a grin that mirrored Samantha's.
"Well, then welcome back, Miss Evans."
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The night of the gala came faster than any of them had expected. But only two days later, Samantha was at Ben's apartment again, only this time she was dressed more extravagantly. She wore a cream colored dress and a white shawl around her shoulders, covering her upper arms. The light colors set her auburn hair blazing and made her eyes stand out brightly.
Once again, Riley was the one to open the door.
"Wow, you clean up nice," He teased with a smirk.
"Thanks, wish I could say the same for you."
"Oh, that hurts right here," Riley put a hand to his heart, pretending to be offended.
Samantha rolled her eyes, stepping in the door.
"I assume Ben's still getting ready?"
"Yeah, he's taking forever," Riley groaned. He pounded on the bedroom door. "Ben, come on! We don't have all night!"
At that moment, Ben opened the door, stepping out in crisp, clean tux. Samantha gasped.
"Nice tux. Where'd you rent it from?"
"I own it."
Samantha stopped short. "You bought that thing?"
"I might need it again someday," Ben shrugged. "Are we ready to go?"
"Yes, yes, we're ready to go," Riley sighed. "Let's get this over with. I hope we don't have to do anything like it ever again."
"You never know," Ben said with a grin, holding his arm out for Samantha. She took it and the threesome set out on their grand mission.
The ride to the gala was exceptionally silent, with the exception of Riley's constant begging Ben to re-consider and Ben's adamant refusals. Samantha sighed, nervously twisting a stray strand of hair between her fingers.
"Ben, come on…"
"Too late, we're here," Ben grinned, patting Riley on the shoulder. "Everything will be fine, Riley. Nothing to worry about." He stepped out of the van, opening Samantha's door.
"And here I thought chivalry was dead," She cocked her to the side, giving Riley a little wave. "Good luck, Riley."
"Yeah, thanks," He replied dully. "I'm going to need it."
Samantha shrugged, stepping out into the cool April air. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
"Let's do this, Ben. It's now or never, right?"
"You're not kidding," Ben muttered, leading her across the street. "Now or never."
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Chapter 6 Preview:
"Ben, are you sure we should do this?" She looked around the deserted hallway, green eyes pleading.
"We've come too far to back out now, haven't we?" Ben forced a bitter chuckle, pulling back the keyboard slowly. Samantha stared at him, her eyes filling with unexpected tears. Ben looked up, his gaze filled with concern. "What?"
"We're in deep, aren't we? In over our heads?" He voice wavered.
"In more ways than one." Ben said slowly, his gaze burning into hers. "In more ways than one."