This is what I get for watching the Mummy movies one too many times and fangirling over Ardeth Bay. I had noticed that most people used the first Mummy movie so I decided to be different and do the second one.
Hope you all like it. Please read and review!
Disclaimer – I do not own Mummy or its characters. I don't even own the plot. All I own is the character I stuck in so that Ardeth could have some romance in his life.
Twice In A Lifetime – He began stalking toward her with a possessive gleam in his eyes. "Life in the desert is harsh." She nervously backed up a step for each one he took, mouth dry. He stopped in front of her after her back bumped into a tree trunk and placed his hands on either side of her head. "You better not regret your choice later." He breathed against her lips as his hands tangled in her hair.
Chapter One – Plans Gone Wary (Part 1)
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Naomi rubbed her forehead. It was really late yet she couldn't sleep. The strange but familiar dream had come back again after a six week absence. A yawn threatened to break her jaw as she tiredly walked out of the bathroom, one hand scratching the back of her head.
The hallway was darker than normal but it didn't deter the woman running on autopilot any. She lazily searched for her borrowed bedroom as she shuffled down the hall, contemplating if she should snag a snack or not from the kitchen on the way back. Whenever sleep eluded her, sometimes munching on food helped.
After stumbling down the hallway for a few minutes, she cursed her brother and his enormous mansion. Even if he was being very sweet and allowing her to reside there until she could finish her studies, she still hated the gigantic place. It made it super hard to navigate in the dark.
The sound of doors opening and closing reached her ears. Naomi hurried to her bedroom, all traces of sleepiness gone. Her brother was due back soon but he hadn't informed her when exactly. Flipping on the light, she dove for the gun hidden under the bed. Rick had taught her to always be prepared. She really couldn't blame him, not after that mummy from nine years ago.
She switched off the light after slipping on a pair of black flats then tip toed her way to the front parlor. It was so much easier navigating the mansion when you weren't half asleep.
Once she got to a set of closed double doors, she carefully eased one open just enough to squeeze through. By now she could distinguish voices and breathed a sigh of relief when her sister in law's mellow voice filled the corridor. She lowered her gun and placed it on the rounded table next to the stairs leading to the second floor.
"…to the lost oasis of Ahm Shere." Naomi quickly ducked into the shadows beneath the carpeted steps, not wanting them to know she was awake. Dressed in an old pair of sweatpants and worn baggy shirt would give away what she had been trying to do earlier.
"Evy, I know what you're thinking," She grinned at Rick's knowing tone. "and the answer is no. We just got home." There was a resounding thud and Naomi poked her head out just enough to see he had just dropped all their bags on the floor.
"Well, that's the beauty of it. We're already packed." Evy sounded smug at her brilliant idea. Rick walked over to her with a single finger up.
"Why don't you just give me one good reason."
"It's just an oasis," Evy grabbed his hat and threw it sideways. "Darling." Rick heaved a sigh as she walked around him while unwrapping his scarf. "A beautiful, exciting, romantic oasis."
Naomi giggled quietly behind her hand. She had always found a great source of entertainment from watching the couple.
Rick let out a "Mmm…" under his breath before sliding his hands slowly over her shoulders and down her back, forcing their bodies closer together. "The kind with the white, sandy beach and the palm trees and cool, clear, blue water." Evy nodded to each thing he mentioned. "We could have some of those big drinks with the little umbrellas."
Evelyn smiled. "Sounds good."
"Sounds too good." He grabbed the tops of her arms and pushed her back a step, bending over just enough to peer directly into her eyes. "What's the catch?"
"Supposedly it's the resting place of Anubis's army." She didn't bother trying to hide the truth. He threw up his hands, letting her continue toward the stairs to the second landing. Naomi ducked further back into the shadows and prayed they wouldn't see her. Her brother would more than likely hound her for not being in bed at the late hour.
"You see? I knew there's a catch. There's always a catch." Even with all the complaints, he still followed his wife. Running a hand through his hair, he added, "And let me guess. It was commanded by that Scorpion King guy?"
Evy was starting to sound excited. "Yes, but he only awakens once every five thousand years."
"Right." Naomi could practically feel the sarcasm dripping from his voice. "And if someone doesn't kill him, he's gonna wipe out the world."
"How did you know?" Evelyn's voice was filled with surprise.
Naomi heard their footsteps on the stairs as Rick answered, "I didn't. But that's always the story."
Evy went on ahead nonetheless. "The last known expedition to actually reach Ahm Shere was sent by Ramses the Fourth over three thousand years ago. He sent over a..." Her voice grew dimmer as they headed up. It wasn't until after their footsteps faded from the stairs that Naomi dared to breathe again.
She picked up her gun and stuffed it in the waistband of the gray sweatpants she was wearing for pajamas. After sweeping the area with her eyes once, she headed to the main living room where she knew Evy and Rick had gone to via the second floor.
She spotted their son struggling with an old style chest coming through a door in front of her after walking into the big room. Alex was grumbling under his breath when Naomi went over to help him. She ruffled his hair, much to his displeasure, then took one side, balancing the heavy weight between them.
"What's this?" She asked with curiosity lacing her tone. He shrugged, eyes drawn to the second floor where familiar voices were growing louder.
They saw his mother come in, slipping off the outer robe she had been wearing and draping it over the railing as she walked. "Alexander the Great sent troops in search of it." Evy said over her shoulder, addressing the person behind her.
"Hooray for him." Rick's voice was exasperated.
Naomi and Alex watched them for a bit while thunder crashed loudly outside. Then she turned back to Alex with one eyebrow raised. "Do you know what to do with this?" She asked him over his parents' conversation.
"So did Caesar."
Naomi snorted at her brother's reply to his wife's statement. "Yeah, look what happened to his career." Sometimes he made her want to kick him. Evy headed over to a bookshelf with her husband still following her and climbed up the ladder. Naomi decided to ignore them for the moment in favor of getting some answers.
"Where did you guys go anyway?"
Alex shrugged again as they carefully walked further into the room. "Some underground temple I think." They passed a huge square cut window with smaller squares cut into the glass. "Mom!" He yelled a few seconds later. "What do I do with this chest? This sucker weighs a goddang ton." Naomi giggled at his complaint. She looked up to see Evelyn lean over the railing to glare at her son.
"Alex, watch your language!" The stern tone of voice made Alex mumble something under his breath. The mother then seemed to notice who was holding the other end of the object in question. "Oh, hi Naomi."
Naomi waved. "Rather weighty, this." She gestured to the chest with her free hand. Evy turned back to Rick and their conversation quieted down to where Alex and Naomi could no longer hear what they were saying.
Alex pointed to an end table with a checker board carved onto the top. They heaved the object to the table and set it down with twin grunts. She laid one arm over her nephew's small shoulders as they turned around. "So what happened this time?" It seemed like whenever the O'Connells took their youngest member with them, he usually caused some sort of trouble.
"Well-" Alex started but halted suddenly, making Naomi jerk to a stop because her arm was still around his shoulders. "Huh?" He faced the chest with a confused look, forcing her to drop her arm, before walking back to the chest. When he placed the key in front of it, she rushed back to him.
"Alex, wait." The young boy didn't pay any attention to her as he turned the key. The lid popped open and he slowly lifted it. Both she and Alex gasped in awe at the golden ornament lying inside. She didn't stop him from picking up the sparkling object and placing it on his left wrist. The sides clamped shut with a defining clink.
Naomi backed away when he stepped back with his left arm raised then faced the area where his parents were still talking softly to each other on the second floor. She watched his back bend as if some sort of force had been applied.
A few seconds later, the blonde boy began tugging on the golden bracelet while muttering, "Aw, cripes, how do you get this thing off?" The question jarred his aunt into action. She tried pulling on the bracelet as well but to no avail.
"Great," She huffed after a moment of hard work. "Now what?" Alex just looked at her with frightened eyes. His parents were going to kill him and they both knew it. She blew some falling black strands out of her eyes then smiled brightly. "I have an idea."
"Hey, Alex, behave yourself for five minutes alright? Naomi, watch him." Rick called down to them.
"You betcha," They said at the same time while the boy slid his coat sleeve down, hiding the golden bracelet from sight. Naomi heard someone coming down the stairs and hurriedly motioned for Alex to follow her. Going over to the shelves by the chest, she quickly threw in a random baseball trophy and Alex slammed down the lid after her hand was clear. They turned as one to face the incoming person, both smiling nervously.
"Happy to be home?" Evy asked her son as she walked to them holding an opened book.
"Couldn't be happier," Alex replied.
Evy stopped in front of the boy and flipped the open book she had been reading so he could see. "It's the year of the Scorpion." Naomi grinned at the excited look that came over his face.
"Neat!"
"Thought you might like that," She said then addressed her sister in law with a smile. "Naomi. How are you?" The other woman shrugged.
"You were gone a long time Evy. The house was quiet without someone to argue with." The two friends shared a chuckle. Though Rick was technically only Naomi's half brother, the two got along very well. He had taught her everything he knew about guns and even some hand-to-hand combat skills after she started living with them. For safety purposes was his excuse to his disgruntled wife.
Evy let out an unexpected gasp. Naomi watched as the mother took one look at the blank space before the closed chest then turned to her son, who was still reading the book she had given him. "Where is the key to the chest?" He merely shrugged and set down the book on the back of a couch. She knelt in front of him, hands digging through the pockets of his coat. "Alex, I'm serious. If you've lost that key, you're grounded."
Naomi crossed her arms over her chest. "He didn't lose the key." Evy glanced at her while continuing her search.
"Right. I just can't find it. There's a difference." Alex tried to save his hide.
"Well you better start finding it then." And Evy was in her stern mother mode again. Naomi sighed. Both of them should be blamed if truth be told.
"There's nothing to worry about Evy." Naomi said just as a tall dark skinned man wearing red robes walked in.
"Good evening." The man said, probably trying to be polite even though he was an intruder. Naomi faced him as she backed up to where her relatives were standing. There was a cold look within the man's dark eyes.
"Who are you?" Naomi was surprised her voice didn't waver. Evy shot her a what-the-heck look. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for the chest, of course." The man stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Naomi saw Alex grab it out of the corner of her eye. "Give it to me now." The tone had turned darker.
Evelyn went to the weapons rack lining the wall to their right and grabbed two swords. She handed one to Naomi before standing directly in front of the tall man. Naomi took her place at Evy's side with Alex behind them both. The small gun in her waistband was all but forgotten.
"Get out. Of my house." Evy tried to look somewhat threatening. Naomi had to hand it to her sister in law though – hiding fear underneath threats seemed like a good strategy.
"Whoa, Mom. Maybe not the best idea," Alex could be a little dense at times. The two women raised their weapons higher.
"Alex, get back there." Naomi told the younger boy. For once the child obeyed without any complaining. More red robed men came into the room and flanked the dark skinned man's sides. Naomi swallowed. This was starting to look bad for them.
"Definitely not the best idea. I think it's time to yell for Dad now." Naomi agreed with him. Having Rick just might put their odds in better favor.
The man stepped forward with his henchmen following. "Now I will kill you and take it anyway."
"I think not." The male voice froze Naomi to her spot. The feeling that the voice was familiar, and beloved, invaded her thoughts. That she should know the deep tones and slight accent. The way it also made her weak in the knees.
The henchman of the dark skinned man wore expressions of apprehension as they ripped out their scimitars. A man dressed in black robes with silver on his black cape passed between Alex and Naomi. She struggled to wipe off the glazed look she just knew was on her face as he passed, making it so all she glimpsed was his wavy shoulder length black hair.
"Ardeth, what are you doing here?" Evelyn asked, sending him a surprised look. It seemed like she already knew the newcomer. Naomi was strangely a little jealous.
He glanced at Evy. "Perhaps explanations are best kept for later." Yes, Naomi agreed silently with a grimace. She wanted to know how her sister in law knew the man causing the weird déjà-vu sensation within her head.
When she settled her gaze on his back, a slight pain speared through her head. The black clothes he was wearing were replaced by a bare bronze back with the edges of a black headdress hanging down. A feeling of knowing that skin, had run her hands over it, filled her.
The vision was broken when someone spoke. Her startled eyes flew beyond Ardeth and landed on the tall dark skinned man. He had heaved a silent sigh. "Ardeth Bay."
"Lock-Nah." Thunder crashed beyond the mansion. Naomi stepped closer to the black robed Ardeth, steadily holding the sword Evy had given her in front of her. She glanced at his face a couple of times, stunned by the fact that she kinda recognized the gorgeous features. The dark brown of his eyes, the tattoos, even the facial hair. The tattoos looked to be written in Arabic and there was one on each cheek with a third across his forehead.
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I know it kinda ends abruptly but I had to split this chapter in two. So if you guys wanna know what happens next (if you haven't guessed it already) make me wanna update faster by reviewing!
Lightning Mistress
Sneak preview of the next chapter – Plans Gone Wary (Part 2)
Embarrassment flooded her. The most gorgeous man she had ever met had seen her wearing sweatpants.
This just wasn't her night.
