CH. 3 is up! Yes! The whole story is actually finished, but I'm not sure I'll post it all today.

Disclaimer: Much to my dismay, I do not own National treasure or any of its characters.

Riley let out a girlish squeal when Celia took a sharp corner and the Ferrari was practically in the next lane.

She gave him a look and he glared at her. "You wreck my car and I'll be pissed,"

"I'm not going to wreck your car," she said in exasperation.

"Yeah, u huh, just be careful…" he fidgeted with his tie, "I really hate these penguin suits. They are so uncomfortable and stiff. And I especially hate the shoes! I mean what is wrong with a good old fashioned pair of sneakers, or converse for that matter?"

"Shut up Riley," was her only reply.

And so he did, he sat quietly for the rest of the ride. As they drove in silence, he remembered the day this all began.

He had been approached by Agent Seduski, Seduski told him he had caught wind of a plot against the Gates family and anyone who stood beside it.

"What are you doing here Seduski?" he ground out with a frown.

"Helping you," Seduski said casually. He then went on to explain the plot against Ben and his family.

"So why are you telling me, and not Ben?" he asked softly.

"Because," Agent Seduski explained patiently, "You are the closest tie to Gates and his family. And I think we could use your help and wrap this up quickly."

"What do you want me to do?" he asked without hesitation.

"I want you to have it out with him, and allegedly leave. But we'll really be moving you out of the way so we can put someone in near him for his protection. If this is the guy we think it is, he runs with a pretty large crowd. These guys after him are big, we've been trying to bust them for years; and now we may finally have the chance. You can help us by running the sting operations with your skills from behind the scenes."

"Why can't I just do it in my normal place, and we tell Ben?" he asked with confusion.

"He needs to be acting natural, with no one to give it away. Doing this could save his life Poole and yours along with it. So will you do it?"

Riley blinked, "Yes,"

"Riley, HEY! Riley!" Celia snapped at him, whacking him on the shoulder. "Snap out of it, we're here,"

"Good, I was beginning to think you took a wrong turn," he jibbed coming out of his pensive state.

She glared at him, "I never take wrong turns. And do you want to know why that is?"

He was given no time to answer, "It's because I got the directions before hand and in any case I am not afraid to stop and ask for directions either"

"Are you just practicing for a fight?" he asked with a grin.

"Huh, you are impossible Riley, I mean good god." She turned sharply on her heels- her black party dress swirling around her legs- to leave, but he caught her arm, and very quickly pulled her to him. He kissed her briefly before pulling away.

"For luck," he said sheepishly at her dazed look.

"Right, lets go," she grabbed his arm and began pulling him towards the gala.

Her tight grip on his arm shifted to a hand hold as they walked in, playing the part of the happy couple. They danced and laughed and then he excused himself to go to the bathroom; nodding at her as he left.

Riley looked at his watch as he went, he only had 30 minutes before Seduski figured out where he was. He followed his mental map to the basement.

Looking around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary; yet his gut feeling told him that Ben had to be here somewhere. He leaned down to look at the books in a shelf, when he felt cold metal on the back of his neck. He straitened slowly- eyes going glassy for a moment.

"Riley, this is Dylan Myers, the agent we will be putting in to keep an eye on Gates." Seduski said.

"Nice to meet you pal, you take good care of them; alright?" he asked extending his hand.

Dylan Myers was a tall and very handsome man. He was 6'1" with brown hair and emerald green eyes. He smiled reassuringly at Riley, "Don't you worry kid, I'll take care of them. Real good care."

"Good, I'll be watching you, and don't call me kid." he said waggling an eyebrow at the man, all the while making sure his eyes told the truth.

After Dylan was in place, he relaxed somewhat, though he still hated himself for having to hurt Ben and Abi like that. He and Dylan had become somewhat close, sharing a friendship – more or less. He began to trust him.

But now he knew better, now he knew it was all a sham.

"Dylan," he said calmly, "I wasn't sure you were in on it, but I should have kept a better eye on you."

"Yeah, well kid you won't be keeping an eye on anyone in about a minute or however long it takes you to die," he sneered cocking the gun.

And then he paused, "Although, I hope you know that I am going to feel a little regret about killing you kid. We were almost friends,"

The metal came back.

Riley closed his eyes, and waited for it to come. When the shot fired, he stiffened. But when there was no pain, he looked around in surprise to see Celia holding a dart gun looking down at Dylan, with a troubled look in her eyes.

"I thought that he was on our side?" she asked.

"Yeah," he sighed. "me too."

Just then they heard a noise.