Drown, a national treasure fanfic

A/N: Hey, hey, everybody!! Yeah, I'm back with this little oneshot. I, um, would like to thank you all for makin the poll on my profile like the least successful in fanfiction history!! Psych, no big deal. Actually, I was gonna leave it up there for one more week from today to give you guys a second chance. Yeah, I know the poll is a little random, and it pretty much would get me burned at the stake if I were totally serious, but bear in mind that it's up there strictly for the fun of it. You'll have to copy and paste the link to see the picture in its original context. The more I looked at it, the funnier I thought it was, so I had to get everyone else's opinions. The choices to the poll come from the context the picture's in. You can vote multiple times. Try not to stone me, PLEASE!! Eh hem, I'm done ranting now. On with the oneshot!

"What the hell is wrong with you, Riley?! I swear to God, I don't get it, I really don't understand! Explain it to me, please?!" Anna shouted running down the steps. She had been under pressure at work, and she'd always been patient with him, but this put her over the edge. "You promised you were gonna quit!"

"I swear to you it was just this once! I know what I did was wrong, but wouldn't you rather I'd have told you now than find out after the wedding?" he asked, almost pleading. He chased after her down the steps.

"Yeah, actually, I'm ecstatic you told me now!"

"Good," he said with a sigh of relief.

"Because I finally figured out exactly how Amber felt!"

His eyes grew wide with the realization of what she had said. "That's not fair, I—"

"But I shoulda figured out how easily distracted you are when Amber told me why you guys broke up!"

"I fucked up, is that what you want me to say? I realize that, thanks!" He instantly quieted down when he saw her face. She hated that word. She only used it to make a point to a criminal, and only one she hated, for that matter. "Look, I'm sorry. Y-You make me happy. Happier than I've ever been," he said as sincerely as humanly possible, spinning her around.

She saw his passion through those clear blue crystals he liked to call "irises," but it wasn't enough this time. She shook her head at him, letting her tears flow freely. "Apparently not happy enough," she squeaked. She took her ring off and put it in his palm. "At least that one's made of the hardest stone on the planet," she said once again locking their gazes.

He had been holding her hands in both of his own, keeping her as close to his body as he could. He looked down at the tiny heart-shaped diamond in his palm with confused eyes. "What does that mean?" he asked quickly looking back into her eyes.

She straightened up and swallowed hard. "That you can't break that one, too," she said, tearing again. "Get out, Riley."

"But, Anna, I—"

"Please. Just go," she said turning away from him. Her tone telling him it was a command, not a request, though she had said it softly.

He opened his mouth to protest, but couldn't find words. "Okay," he said defeated. He hung his head and started out the door. He got halfway through the doorway and stopped. He turned back to see her solid form, just watching him leave. "I-I'd leave my key, but it wouldn't make sense. I-I'm gonna come back for my stuff," he said and turned back, finishing his walk-of-shame through the door, tears streaming down his face. Good, job, Poole. Damn drinking problem. Thanks, Dad. Of all the things you coulda given me, you gave me the drinking gene, he thought as he started his Ferrari to pull away. I just hope I didn't get that chick pregnant. What would I tell her then?

It had been a week and Riley was going stir crazy within the confines of his old house. He had gotten most of his things from Anna's place, but couldn't resist leaving a few things behind. He really hoped he could convince her to take him back, but even that left his mind when he caught himself taking a swig from the Johnny Walker bottle he always seemed to have handy. He looked down at it and got angry with it. He knew it was the cause of this whole mess, all the pain. He moved to smash it, but couldn't muster it. Instead, he just took another drink.

Anna opened the door to see an exhausted, but sober, Riley standing on her front steps. She took in his appearance…Same old Riley. Messy hair, slight goatee, jeans, t-shirt, and her personal favorite, brilliant blue eyes. She smiled slightly at the sight. "What do you want?" she asked, trying to sound as if she was still angry with him. He didn't answer. He just turned his iPod up and handed her an earbud. She placed it in her ear with a raised eyebrow. The song was The Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg." She looked at him as if he had grown another head. "Since when did you like The Temptations?" she asked handing the earbud back to him. He just smiled in response and started dancing to the music blasting from the device. She was honestly getting frustrated, but thought to herself, Stop that! I always did love that. Riley Poole: Dork Extraordinaire, Always Good for a Laugh. She couldn't get those words out, though, so she said what she could. "Please, Riley, I have to go to work. Go home, we'll talk later, okay?" His smile grew wider at the words 'we'll talk.' She wasn't even sure he was listening until then; he looked so enthralled in dancing.

"Okay," he said. He motioned for her to come out. "After you," he said with a little lilt. He walked her to her 2003 Anniversary Edition Corvette and opened the door for her to get in. He closed it behind her and rested his chin on his crossed arms on the windowsill.

"What?" she asked.

"Promise you'll call," he said with puppy-dog eyes. "Please?"

"I promise," she smiled. He backed off for her to drive away. Jackass, she thought with a little laugh.

Riley answered the phone in a little bit of a stupor. "H'llo?" he hiccupped.

"Damn it, Riley!" came the voice. It sounded exasperated and tired.

"Anna?" he asked in shock. Shit! he thought.

"I'm hangin' up," she said and moved to put the phone back in its cradle.

"No, wait!" he shouted. "I'm sorry, I-I just bought this bottle, I swear! I was doin' good, I—"

"That's not the point!" She exhaled heavily in attempt to calm down and buy time to think of a way to say this gently, "Look, I believe you, but that's not your only problem here…Just…call me when you're sober."

"Anna, I—" He looked at the phone in his hand when he heard the fierce click. "Shit," he said.

He went to the bathroom to wash his face. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He looked like Hell, but that didn't matter. He would've hated what he saw no matter if he was drunk. He, without thinking, punched the reflection staring back at him, shattering the glass and cutting his knuckles. He didn't care.

Anna grabbed her keys and walked to the car. She realized she was getting into the '63 Stingray. As much as she loved the gift, she just couldn't bear to look at it anymore. She started it up and drove to Riley's house. She parked the Stingray and left the keys in an envelope on the windshield with a note. She rolled the windows up and locked to doors. She took a bus to work that day.

Riley got home about an hour after she had gone. He noticed the Corvette sitting outside, but Anna wasn't in it, nor was she on the steps waiting for him. He parked the Ferrari and curiously went to the 'Vette to examine it. He noticed the note on the windshield. He opened it and read it to himself:

Riley—

You know I've always loved you. What happened can never change that. But I just can't do this anymore. I tried so hard. You tried so hard. I think we both realize it's just no use anymore. Please don't ask why, just keep the 'Vette for me. Finish her for me; I know you'd like

that. You always asked to help and I always told you that I could handle it and I'm sorry. Well, here's your chance to help. Help both of us and keep her.

I'm so sorry, Riley. I really am.

Love You So Much,

Anna

The tears welled up in his eyes. He couldn't take it anymore either. He just wanted it to end. No more pain, no more arguing, no more nothing. He crumpled the paper and went inside. He threw the note on the floor just inside the door and sat down at his kitchen table. He poured himself a drink and started to write. When he was satisfied with what he'd written, he went upstairs, still clinging to the letter in one hand and the bottle in the other. He plopped down on his bed and drank the rest of the bottle, which was about half, in one big gulp. He put his face into the pillow and cried himself to sleep.

"Ben, I'm worried," Anna said looking over at the man driving. "He's not answering the phone, he's not even on the computer," she said, obvious anxiety in her voice.

Ben looked at her a moment. "How would you know if he was on the computer? The kid always brags about bein' 'untraceable,'" he smiled.

She smiled back casually. "I learned well from the master," she answered. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach from the thought of him and looked down to the floor. "Please drive faster," she said softly.

They arrived at Riley's house shortly thereafter. Anna got out almost before the car even stopped. She ran close to full speed to the door and jammed the key into the lock. She threw the door open and looked around. The only thing that looked out of place was the crumpled paper on the floor. She squatted down and carefully picked it up. She even more carefully uncoupled it. She gasped and began to tear up. "Oh my God," she said.

"What?" Ben asked. She ignored him. She just got up and started moving for the stairs. "Wait up," he said.

"Riley?" she called. No answer. "Riley?!" she tried again. She noticed his bedroom door was cracked open a little. She gently pushed it all the way and knocked. "Riley?" she asked more quietly when she saw him face down on the bed. She went over to him and put a hand through his hair. "Come on, Riley, you can't ignore me for—" She stopped when she noticed he wasn't breathing. "Oh, God, no," she said frantically. She finally caught glimpses of the bottle and the note. "Ben!" she called, checking Riley for any sign of life. "Ben, come here! God, no! Riley!" she screamed.

Ben came rushing in. "What is it, Anna?" Then, he too, noticed the scene.

"Come on, Riley!" she said turning him over and trying everything she could think of. "Please don't do this! PLEASE!"

"Come on, Anna," Ben said calmly when he realized it was no use. His best friend was gone. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away kicking and screaming, the tears pouring down her face.

"No!" she shouted at him. "No, Riley, you son of a bitch!" she sobbed and collapsed to her knees at Ben's feet.

"Shhh," he said pulling her into a hug. "It's okay. You're gonna be okay," he said soothingly and just let her cry into his chest.

The funeral was a few days later. It was a solemn scene. There were plenty of people there, but wasn't what one would call "huge." Ben was amazed at the mass before him. Riley was always so reserved, withdrawn and kept personal issues, well, personal. No one knew just how many people Riley had impacted in his short thirty years. Ben didn't even think Riley knew for sure. Yet, here they all were, grieving the loss as well.

Ben held Abigail close. He had prepared himself for the response he'd get when he told her about the techie. It was similar to Anna's, just quieter and without the colorful language. Then Ben looked over to Anna, who was nearly being held up by her sister. Poor girl, he thought. I can't even imagine. He was heartbroken, of course, Riley was like a brother to him, but Anna never could seem to stop blaming herself for what happened. She practically memorized that note he was clutching. So did Ben, actually. He closed his eyes and recited it in his mind:

Everybody—

I know you always say you care. I believe you, I do, but it never seemed to matter that much so…

Alex—

It's kinda weird, isn't it? For all these years I thought I'd never get to see you again. I never could get over not being able to say, "good-bye." I finally got the chance to know you again and I went and screwed it up, just like I screw everything up. At least this time I get to say it. Good-bye Big Brother.

Anna—

I know you're the one who found me. I'm sorry I did what I did. I'll never know how much I hurt you, but I guess it's for the best. I got a good indication when you gave the Corvette back. Don't cry for me. It's not your fault. I just wanna get outta your way. I want you to move on and never look back. I'll always love you, and tell Amber I'll miss her. I know you love me, too. I never doubted that. But I think I made you doubt me when I cheated. I'm sorry. You'll never know how sorry I am. Please forgive me.

Ben, Abigail—

Sorry I didn't do this "the right way." I just couldn't bring myself to pick up the phone. It's not like I'll be missed that much anyway. My talents aren't all that unique and I've always been the expendable sidekick to the group. Take care of yourselves. Don't dwell on this. You couldn't have stopped me.

See You Guys in the Afterlife,

Riley

Ben wiped a tear from his eye. "Expendable"? "Not missed"? What was wrong with him to make him feel that way? You're my best friend, Riley, my little brother. You always will be. You're invaluable to all of us…Especially to Anna, he thought.

Anna put a hand on the casket and leaned into it. "What have you done? What's wrong with you? What's wrong with me? I drove you to this, I know it, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she sputtered. She kissed the casket. "Why didn't you come to me? I was listening, I was. I just wanted you to know that I wasn't gonna take it anymore. I never wanted it to look like I didn't care. Why did you think I wouldn't care, that I could just move on without another thought? How could you think Ben, Abigail, Alex and Amber wouldn't care?" She quietly gathered and scolded herself for her little breakdown. "I love you…and I NEVER doubted you," she whispered. "See ya 'round." She kissed the casket one more time and walked unsteadily away.

It had been three years since Riley's death. Nobody could seem to get things back to normal. Treasure protecting wasn't the same to Ben and Abigail without Riley along for the ride. They never tried to replace him. They knew they never could. No one could ever live up to Riley in their opinions. Still, it was tough without his expertise, and forget about entertaining without his sarcasm. As for Anna, she never could get past him. She resorted to his old trick, wondering what kind of comfort he found in it. She never had the taste for Scotch so she chose Crown Royal instead. It slowly took its toll on her work and she quit all together. She eventually couldn't even bring herself to go out with Ben and Abigail anymore.

Anna sat down on her couch and looked through some old pictures she had found. They were all of Ben, Abigail, Riley and herself. Every once in a while Amber and Alex would show up, too. Looking

at the whole group together reminded her of the argument she had had with Ben and Abigail over what shoes they would dress Riley in for his burial. They had agreed on the suit and tie, which was beautifully tailored to his frame. It actually made him look like he had some meat on his bones…unless that was just all the Italian food Anna had been cooking. But Ben and Abigail wanted to match the suit with dress shoes. Anna wanted to put him in his beloved Converse sneakers. After hours of bickering about how it just wouldn't be Riley without his Cons, or the sneakers don't match, and, in Anna's words, "If he wasn't embalmed with his back broken, he'd probably get up and punch you out for even suggesting he wear anything but his Cons!" Alex had agreed with Anna and being the next of kin, the dispute was ended.

She took a drink and shook her head when she spied one of her old favorites. It was of Riley when he took her to Tuscany only a month after the official engagement. He had that trademark goofy grin on his face. She didn't know it at the time, but he had been planning a huge picnic in the country overlooking the rest of the region, complete with candles (that he nearly set the hill on fire with). He had surprised her with the most beautiful blue diamond earrings that night. She remembered asking, "Why blue?" and his answer being, "Because they match your eyes." Anna smiled sweetly at the memory.

"I still can't believe I did that to you," she said to the picture, her voice cracking with tears. She went to take another drink, but her glass was empty. She took the glass and the picture into the kitchen. She placed the glass in the sink and grabbed the Crown Royal bottle. She headed upstairs.

She had never let go of the picture. She sat down on her bed, taking a swig of the whiskey. She downed the rest of it and put the bottle on the nightstand. She looked at the picture one last time. "See ya soon," she said and kissed it. She laid face down and drifted off to sleep, still not releasing his picture.

"Do you know how she's doin'?" Abigail asked Ben, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Not well, I'm afraid," he said cautiously, afraid of how she'd react. "I couldn't get her to answer the phone. I don't like it," he confessed, recalling the day they found Riley. He sped up.

They arrived at Anna's house in a matter of minutes. Ben quickly went to the door and stopped when he realized he didn't have a key. Abigail looked expectantly at him. He half-nodded and kicked the door in.

"Anna? Anna, where are you?" Abigail called.

Oh God, Ben thought. "Anna?!" He went upstairs hoping he wouldn't find what he expected. His suspicions were confirmed when he found her face down on the bed. He was immediately sent back to when she found Riley and how he felt when he saw her try to revive him. The scene would be identical if Abigail came in. Abigail! Where is she? he thought. "Abigail! Oh God, Anna," he muttered to himself.

"What, Ben?" she asked innocently. He pointed to Anna's body. "Oh my God, not you, too!" she shouted in disbelief. She started crying hysterically immediately after. Ben grabbed her and tried to soothe her the way he did Anna three years before.

Ben scanned the scene before him. So many people. It was dé jà vú, the same willow tree, the same people, one more person missing from the family.

"I can't believe she did it, too," Abigail said softly, sniffling.

"I know," was all he could say. What else was there to say? She had mirrored Riley's demise almost exactly. It was tearing Ben up inside and he knew it did the same to Abigail and Alex. As for Amber, well, let's just say that Ben hoped this was the last suicide he'd have to walk in on.

Ben was brought out f his reverie when he noticed two strangers walking up to the funeral. He would have stopped them had he not noticed something familiar about them. They were so happy, despite the circumstances. It reminded him of how Riley and Anna were together. Something about the young woman's hand captured his attention. He looked closer to see she had on a custom set diamond ring next to a new band. The stone was heart-shaped, just like Anna's had been. He knew Riley hadn't gotten rid of it, for he was found with it in his pocket. Anna was allowed to take it, under Alex's consent, and she wouldn't have given it up, either. Ben looked up to ask the young man how he'd come across the ring when he was met by the most striking blue eyes. He knew right then and there whose they were. The stranger smiled wide as if to say, "Don't worry about us," as he allowed his left hand to come into view. He wore on his ring finger a shiny, new band. Ben looked to Abigail only for a moment to get her attention, but when he looked back, the strangers were gone. They left no trace of ever being there, not even footprints in the loose soil around the site. Ben smiled to himself, safe with his thoughts. They're gonna be okay.

A/N: Wow, please don't burn me at the stake—or stone me!! It's only a story! (ducks and covers) Would it help if I said I'm workin on a sequel to "Questionable Legality" and they'll both be alive and well? Please be nice in your reviews…PRETTY PLEASE? (cautiously lifts head over bed) Please?

Oh, btw, this story was inspired by many songs. One of them is obvious because it's pretty much the same story with more detail, but Points to the person who can figure them all out! Oh and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" doesn't count because I mentioned it specifically and "Drown" by Three Days Grace doesn't count either because I wound up using that as the title even though it follows a different song more closely. You are welcome to put guesses in your very welcomed reviews!! And please don't forget about my pole!

Thanks so much!!