The Little Things

Or, A Servant's Heart

Summary: Sometimes it's the little things that matter the most in the end.

Focus: Ben/Riley friendship fluffiness, set not long after Book of Secrets. I wrote this story one night after one little instance (Riley bringing in Ben and Abi's suitcases without complaint when they return to the States) that it compelled to explore his selflessness in regards to Ben, especially in NT2 and Ben finally recognizing him for his servant's heart towards him. Hope you all like. :) God bless, Golden-Heart.

Don't Own. All rights belong to Disney and Bruckheimer. Which is a huge shame, I long to hug Riley in real life ever so badly... By the way, Jerry, when is NT 3? I want to see it!

Ben Gates sat in his office in the Gates-Chase mansion, recalling past treasure hunts, ie, treasure protections. The Templar Treasure -what a find! - and it had proved the Gates family not crazy after all. The lanky man stroked his cheek thoughtfully, moving on from the glorious Templar Treasure discovery in his mind to Cibola as pots and pans clattered downstairs. Ben smiled, his icy blue eyes brightening at the mention of Abigail. She was preparing dinner, as his parents were coming over tonight to celebrate the third anniversary of finding Cibola and the vindication of the Gates family name.

Computer keys tapping upstairs on the second floor alerted Ben to the fact that Riley was hard at work on another book. Ben's memories returned to Cibola, and the search thereof, but a sudden remembrance hit him in the gut. Upstairs, the computer keys clacked on merrily, unaware of the treasure-protector's abrupt misery. Ben mentally kicked himself as his mind turned over events that happened two years ago. How could he have treated Riley the way he had? He had not even given him at least one thank-you for the pains Riley took to help him restore the Gates family name.

Memories flooded Ben's mind as the incidents surrounding the Buckingham Palace caper materialized before his eyes. It culminated in the reunion of Ben with Abigail, due to her meddling with his father, and that of a techie invisibly directing things - most notably a "scene," which revived the relationship between a certain treasure-protector and the archivist of the National Archives. But Ben's memories, however, were not allowing him to dwell upon that semi-happy time in the midst of the hunt. Instead they focused on something else - various things scattered within his memory that Ben hadn't even noticed originally, at all, he found to his dismay. Images flooded his mind as he stared down corridors of time brusquely ignored.

The lanky man walked up the stairs to Riley's room in the Gates mansion, which was strewn with papers and books with titles by people such as Carl Sagan on UFO sightings, a nonfiction book about cryptozoology, and an obscure tome on UFO sightings in America and how the government, as in the CIA; guardedly covers them up. Riley sat typing away on his laptop at his small desk in the room. He was now on a Bigfoot/UFO/ Dinosaurs Still Exist Supplied By the Aliens tangent, which formed the basic premise of his new book. Ben sat down on the bed, watching him. The young man, absorbed in making sure all the sources were correctly identified in the text, didn't appear to notice that the treasure-hunter was in the room with him.

Riley for one was not going to be accursed of plagiarism, even if his book was only self-published; aiding his best friend in less-than-morally defined i.e lawful ways in finding the Treasures Beyond All Imagining had left an already deep enough mark on his conscience. It would have eased them somewhat if Ben had actually listened back then, the night they stole Abigail and The Declaration of Independence...

Ben cleared his throat.

"Thanks, Riley."

Riley swiveled to face him, his eyes brighter than sapphires behind his glasses. Ben thought he saw a glimmer of pain glint in his eyes, but Riley averted his face.

"For what, Ben?" he retorted, turning back to his work.

"For everything..." Ben whispered, as Riley glanced up again, and then removed his glasses to hastily clean them, looking at the treasure-protector with a puzzled, anxious, albeit interested expression on his features. Ben thought of it as the 'Riley look'.

"For all the little things you do for me but no one seems to notice, least of all myself. For being there despite the taunts and the jeers I know were thrown at you when you first joined the team, for helping me in any way possible, even if your conscience didn't like my methods, for doing things for Abigail and I that we wouldn't do ourselves..."

Riley cut him off, his eyes bright.

"Do you mean it, Ben? Really? Because, you know I can just choose to leave you any day if I so wanted to."

Ben stood up, crossing over to Riley's desk, tousling up his unruly hair.

"Every word, Riley. Every word."

Riley reached up and grabbed his free hand, holding it tight, his smile of joy at Ben's recognition of him almost blinding in its happiness.

Abigail walked past the room, ancient crumbly papers in hands. She peeped into the room, smiling.

"Are my boys having a little brotherly moment?"

Ben and Riley looked at her, sporting wide silly grins on their faces.

"YES!" They exclaimed, giving each other high-fives.

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