Treasure Hunters: A National Treasure Fanfiction

Chapter Eleven: One Big Happy Family

           

Ding dong! The doorbell gave a great ring when Ben pushed it. Moments later the door opened to reveal Patrick in a bathrobe.  He looked surprised to say the least.

"Dad," greeted Ben nervously.

"Hey Dad," said Alex cheerfully, as if nothing was wrong. As if they hadn't just committed a federal crime.

"Where's the party?" asked Patrick.

The Gates siblings exchanged a glance.  "Uh, well, we're in a little trouble," Ben chuckled nervously, while Alex just stood there with a cheesy grin on her face, internally panicking.

Patrick looked from them to Abigail.  "She pregnant?"

"What, no–" cried Ben.  Really Dad?  

Then Patrick looked to his daughter standing next to the young man he was sure she was secretly dating.  His eyes narrowed behind the lenses of his glasses. "You're not-"

"No!" cried Alex, waving her arms in the air.  "No one's pregnant Dad, that's not why we're here."

Before her father could say something along the lines of, 'well then why are you here?' Ben jumped in.  "And even if either of them are, are you really going to leave the woman carrying your grandchild out in the cold?"

Patrick stood for a moment before gesturing them inside. 

"I look pregnant?" Abigail said softly to Alex who assured her that she did not.

"Well, come in, make yourselves comfortable," Patrick said awkwardly, gesturing to the couches in the spacious living room.  "There's some pizza there, still warm I think." Then he lowered his voice and said only to Ben, "this had better not be about that dumb treasure."

Abigail was pleased to find that she wasn't the only one who thought this was all just some silly fantasy.

"You ask him," Ben hissed to his sister who returned the over-exaggerated grin to her face and turned back to their father. 

"Dad, we need the Silence Dogood letters – please," she added, hoping it would help.

At their father's confused look Ben added, "yeah, it's about the treasure."

This obviously upset their father, just as they knew it would.  He turned to the others.  "And he dragged you all into this nonsense."

"Literally," Abigail said.

"I volunteered," spoke up Riley.

"Well un-volunteer before you waste your life,"

"Knock it off Dad," Ben said, trying to stop an oncoming argument, even though it was most likely inevitable. This wasn't the first time he and his father had clashed about their views on the treasure, and, he guessed, it wouldn't be the last time either.

"Sure, I know, I'm the family kook," ranted Patrick, ignoring his son.  "I have a job, a house, health insurance.  At least I had your mother for however brief a time, at least I had your sister, unless she's been dragged into this too.  At least I had you.  What do you have? Him?" He gestured to Riley who was helping himself to the leftover pizza.

Ben sighed, trying to keep calm.  "Look, just give us the letters and we're gone."

Patrick shook his head.  "You disappoint me Ben."

Alex let out a gasp.  "Dad!" she cried, appalled.

"Yeah, well maybe that's the real Gates family legacy, sons who disappoint their fathers," Ben shot back.

"Ben," warned Alex.

Patrick's jaw was now set tight.  "Get out, just get out. And take your troubles with you."

"Alright you two that's enough." Alex stepped in fully this time, before either of them could say something else they would most likely come to regret. She couldn't stand it when her father and brother fought, and had witnessed it more than enough, even worse than this. 

"I found the Charlotte," Ben was the first to break the tense, uncomfortable silence, his voice softer now.

At this Patrick's eyes widened. "The Charlotte? You mean she was a ship?"

"Yeah, she was beautiful, it was amazing Dad."

"And the treasure?" Patrick dared to ask.

"No, no treasure, but we found another-"

"Another clue," finished Patrick. "And that's all you'll ever find is another clue.  You know I've finally figured it out: the treasure was invented to keep the British occupied searching for buried treasure.  It's a myth."

Ben and Alex exchanged a glance.  "We refuse to believe that," Ben spoke for them both.

Patrick looked as though he was about to argue further, but then gave up and sighed.  "Well, you can believe what you want, you're all grown up.  Do what you want."

"He's probably right," Abigail said after a moment. She shrugged. "You don't even know if there really is another clue."

"Well I know of a way we can find out," Ben said, now looking a little less crushed and once again determined. "And we can find out right now."

(Time to find more clues! Haha thanks so much for reading and the over 100
reads! :))