A/N: And so here it is, the FINAL chapter. Hope you all like the quick update! Please read the author's note at the end, as it will contain my last comments. Thanks!

Epilogue

"But I want to go!"

Ben sighed. Riley hadn't stopped whining all morning, and it was really starting to annoy.

It had been nearly a month since the incident at the Grand Canyon. The ghosts of those awful events still lurked occasionally; Riley would act a little off, sometimes waking Ben and Abigail in the middle of the night as he cried out for help. Though the little group of three returned to D.C. about a week after Riley woke up (Patrick and Emily left a day after; Ben and Abigail got a hotel room in the area), the techie was still mostly confined to a wheelchair and the limits irked him. He had been staying in his friends' mansion, which wasn't too much of a change from usual, except that he now required looking-after.

Ian was safely locked away once more in the D.C. jail, this time with tightened security. Sadusky assured them the Brit wasn't going anywhere soon. And after a full explanation of events had been provided by Riley, Powell and Shippen were given lessened sentences. Ben had even arranged for Phil's family to be compensated anonymously for his death.

All in all, things were going very well for the treasure hunters. And they finally had time and a greenlight to go after Quivira, along with professional equipment and help from the FBI. This, however, was the problem.

Riley wanted to go. His wanting to go was rational; he had never before been left behind on a treasure expedition, and didn't want to start a trend now. But Ben, backed by Abigail, blatantly refused to allow Riley to accompany them. Though the younger man was able to stand on a crutch, and his ribs were mostly healed and the bruises fading or gone, he was technically still recovering. And there was no way he would be able to keep up climbing over rocky landscape and getting through whatever other obstacles might await them.

"Riley, we've been over this. You can't come. I'm sorry. You aren't strong enough yet."

"Am too!" Riley pouted.

Ben felt sorry for the kid. He really did. Not only was he still on the mend, but shortly after returning from Arizona, Riley had decided to go visit Jackie, since he hadn't heard from her at all in the past couple of weeks. Turned out Jackie had been unexpectedly called away to England, where her sister lived, the day after Riley's kidnapping, and had been there ever since. Thus, she hadn't heard about the affair until she returned. Naturally, she had been very upset that she hadn't heard anything about her boyfriend's plight, and incredibly guilty for her trip's bad timing. Worst of all, she was moving to England to live permanently with her sister (whose quick summons was due to a serious illness) and help out. So she and Riley had to break up.

Riley hadn't been the same since.

"I have an idea," Abigail piped up from where she was curled in the corner with a book, trying to stay out of the argument. "Why don't you come to Arizona with us and wait while we go in?"

Riley's face fell.

Ben placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Ri, you know I would wait until you're all the way better to do this, but the government's waited as long as it can. The President himself wants the treasure uncovered. The public is getting antsy."

This was true. It had been impossible to keep Quivira a secret. Ben had personally returned the Book to the President along with his apologies. The man had accepted them with the ultimatum that Ben would find the treasure and show it to the world. It was time.

Riley nodded reluctantly. "I know. This just…doesn't feel right."

"I couldn't agree more," Ben admitted. He brightened. "Hey, maybe we can set up some sort of camera, so you can see us and talk to us while we're down there. And once we have the place excavated, I promise we'll get you inside."

Riley grinned. "Thanks, Ben. I guess that's all I can ask for."

"I'll call Sadusky."

--

"Can you see, Riley?" Ben asked as he, Abigail, and a small group of agents peered ahead into the gloom. With the help of some levering equipment, the gravestone at the Canyon had been moved, revealing a hole in the ground several feet deep that led further into an underground tunnel. Riley, Ben's parents, and more agents, including Sadusky, waited outside with a small screen that showed imaging from a camera on Ben's protective hard hat. They also had microphones to listen and talk with Ben and the others.

The tunnel was extremely dark ahead, even with the flashlights.

"Yeah, I see. Not much to see, but…"

"Gross," Abigail breathed as they moved forward, their lights revealing a scattering of rotted bones in the passageway. Ben winced and avoided staring at the ground.

Cautiously, they moved onwards, the air growing ever more stifling the further in they traveled. There was no way of knowing where they were, except that the ground sloped steadily, which meant they must be descending the Canyon.

Riley began to hum the "Indiana Jones" theme song in Ben's ear. Ben rolled his eyes but ignored it. If Riley couldn't be with them in person, he certainly wasn't going to let them forget he was there via cam.

They reached a fork in the tunnel and stopped short, unsure of which way to go.

"We could split up…" one of the agents, Pickens, suggested halfheartedly.

Ben shook his head, lips pursed. "The second clue said something about not straying from the path, or we risk facing nature's wrath. The wrong way will surely lead to something unpleasant. There has to be a clue around here somewhere."

"Take the right path," Riley said confidently.

"Riley, I really don't think-"

"No, seriously. There's all kind of superstitions about left paths. Like, evil and stuff. Go right."

"Riley…" Abigail began, but Ben cut her off.

"Actually, he has a point. The Native Americans were very spiritual, in their own way. And there are dark tales about the left, whether it be hand or path. I think we should go right, too."

Abigail shrugged and the others agreed, so, with a satisfied grunt from Riley, they set off again.

"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts – there they are, all standing in a row…" Riley sang.

"Riley – shut up," Abigail said matter-of-factly.

He snorted. "And what're you going to do about it?" But he reverted to humming again.

The path began to narrow, until they had to go single-file. Ben led the way so Riley could see from the camera. Very suddenly, they were met by a solid wall.

It was a large rock, as far as could be deemed by what little light there was available. Ben slowly raised a hand and ran it lightly over the stone. It was cool to the touch. He pushed gently. The stone was hard, unmoving. His fingers met indentations in the rock and he squinted, holding the light closer.

"Are you seeing this?" he whispered. It was a carving, with words written in some ancient native language, faint from age but still legible. "Mom, do you know this language?"

He heard a rustling as his mother moved closer to the screen. Then her familiar voice sounded in his ear.

"Yes, I do. It reads, 'Surrender your sight to the stone.'"

"Surrender your sight…" Ben closed his eyes and leaned against the stone. He felt a little stupid when nothing happened. He opened his eyes and faced the group once more. "Turn off your lights, and close your eyes. Just in case."

They complied dubiously, and the tunnel became pitch-black. Ben heard Riley suck in a breath.

"We're still here," Abigail whispered. Her hand found Ben's.

He squeezed it and stepped forward purposefully, shoving against the rock. It gave way easily now, and Ben fell forward as blinding light shone through his eyelids, shocking him. Cautiously, he opened his eyes.

The first thing noticeable was the light. The whole cavern was bathed in bright, blinding light, reflected all over so that there was hardly a shadowy corner. The source of the light was seen to be a small hole, high in the rock roof of the cave. And it was reflecting off of…

"Wow," Riley whispered shakily.

'Wow' was an understatement.

Before them was a kingdom of diamonds, glittering invitingly in the light. No, it wasn't diamonds – it was gold. Pure, startlingly brilliant gold. If possible, the city was larger than Cibola. It was amazing; indescribable. Ben felt his breath catch as he struggled to take it in.

Abigail moaned faintly at the same time Emily could be heard gasping.

"This is…this is really something!" Pickens gaped, his jaw hanging open.

Ben swallowed and nodded in silent agreement. Then he smirked and turned to Abigail, pulling her close. He whispered in her ear.

"Amateur."

She smiled back, kissing him on the cheek triumphantly.

"Ew!" Riley groaned indignantly, his voice still slightly breathless in awe. "Not in my ear, you two!"

They laughed.

--

The treasure finders returned to the surface without exploring the city. It was impossible without the right equipment – the city was isolated in the cavern by a circular ravine, which would require ropes and ladders to cross. Besides, Ben knew his mother, especially, would never forgive him if she wasn't there for the excavation.

As soon as Ben stepped out of the tunnel, he was engulfed in a bone-crushing hug from his father.

"You did it again, Ben," Patrick said proudly.

"We did it," Ben corrected him. "All of us."

Emily was wringing Sadusky's hand, her face flushed with excitement. The rest of the agents were already preparing for the formal expedition inside. Only Riley sat alone, a small smile on his face.

Ben approached him, squeezing his shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked.

Riley nodded. "I just wish I'd actually been able to help with this one."

"You did," Ben insisted. "Riley, without you, we wouldn't even know the Book existed. There would be no Cibola, no Quivira. You found this one, too."

Riley began to grin. "You promised, Ben."

"Promised what?" Ben asked, confused.

"Finder's fee!" Riley sang.

Ben had honestly forgotten about his promise to Riley. It hadn't come true with Cibola, so he supposed he owed it to his friend now.

"Okay. Do your worst." He winced in anticipation.

"Ten percent," Riley announced firmly.

Ben sighed. "All right. I did promise."

Riley pumped the air in excitement.

"I can't wait to get down there, Ben! It looked so awesome from up here!"

"It is," Ben assured him.

Riley sat back in contentment. "I like this treasure hunting thing," he said dreamily.

"Good," said Abigail, appearing and putting her arm through Ben's. "Because it's pretty much our full-time career now."

"Riley Poole, Ferrari Owner and Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire. I could get used to that," Riley decided.

A/N: And so it ends.

A huge thanks to everyone for their enthusiastic response and encouragement throughout the story. Without all you reviewers, I would not have felt the motivation to complete this story! I have been overwhelmed with the most and best reviews I've ever had before, which makes me want to write in this section lots from now on. Definitely look for more by me! Seriously, all of you guys can have whatever virtual treat you want and a million virtual points. You are the reason I write.

I have to dedicate this story to my deceased dog, Whitney. She was an English springer spaniel who passed away July 26th at the age of fifteen. I had her for eleven years, and we grew up together. It's been very hard without her, and as she died in the middle of the writing of this story, I feel it appropriate to dedicate it exclusively to her. I love and miss you, sweetie.

I would really love to reach 300 reviews, and I have a feeling that will be no problem. I've never even been in the triple digits before this fanfic! As I've said, this is one of my personal favorites.

So, signing off (for now - but keep an eye on the horizon!):

-broadwaylover07