A.N: This story was not beta'd. All mistakes are my own. No knowledge of the mystery crossover is really required. I'm posting this as more of a prompt for others to use. My plot bunnies hopped off a long time ago, and I no longer have any motivation to finish this story. I just ask that if you do write more, please send me a link. I'd love to read this.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable in this. All the characters, places, names, etc belong to their respective owners.
"O'Connell, I got your message, what do you…?" Ardeth paused when his friend finally opened the door fully. Rick looked like he had not slept in days, and the pale skin beneath his tan only emphasized the dark circles under his eyes. "What is wrong?"
"Come on in. I just got Alex to sleep," he said when Ardeth gave him a look at his soft tone. "We need your help."
"You know you only have to ask." Ardeth looked around the small hotel room, "Where are Evelyn and Jonathan?"
Rick sat down heavily in the kitchen and motioned Ardeth to do the same, "We never got a chance to tell you what happened at the oasis. It changed us all. Jonathan started taking things a little more seriously, Alex actually started listening to us, I held onto my family tighter, but Evelyn changed more than any of us. In the jungle when we found Alex, he told us that if he wasn't in the pyramid before the sun hit it, then the bracelet would kill him, so I picked him up and ran. Evey and Jonathan followed after us. We almost didn't make it, and I collapsed as soon as we got inside. I looked up, and Evey and Jonathan were standing there, smiling, when it happened. They came up behind Evey so fast. Jonathan was thrown a long ways, and Anck-Su-Namun… she… she stabbed Evey." Rick put his head into his hands as his voice broke, "She killed my wife, and I couldn't do anything to save her."
Ardeth couldn't believe his ears as he finally heard the whole story and watched as Rick cried silently and continued his story.
"They walked right past me like I was nothing to them while I ran to her. They didn't even look at Alex. She died in my arms minutes later. I left Alex with Jonathan and went inside to stop them. I stopped the Scorpion King and Imhotep, but it was nearly too late. Somehow, a portal opened beneath our feet, and we were both falling. We were barely holding on, and then I saw her. Evey and Anck-Su-Namun were standing side by side, holding onto the walls. It felt like an earthquake, but all I could focus on was Evey... alive. She ran to me and pulled me out of the portal while Anck-Su-Namun ran away. Imhotep allowed himself to fall. We barely made it to Izzy's balloon before the whole pyramid disappeared. I found out later that Jonathan stole the black book and distracted Anck-Su-Namun while Alex used it to bring Evey back, but she wasn't really back. She started having nightmares of Seti being killed while she watched. She had gained all of Nefertiri's memories on the balloon, but now, she was Nefertiri with Evey's memories. About two months after the oasis, I walked in to see her cussing at Alex in ancient Egyptian. Soon after, she slapped Jonathan for touching her arm. It got worse and worse. I knew something would have to give soon, but I didn't think this would happen. I went out one day with Alex. When we got back, we found Jonathan on the floor, and Evey standing over him with a sword. He had tried to talk to her, and she had killed him. I called the police after that. She just kept yelling about how she was the queen of Egypt and above the law. They put her in an asylum. We couldn't stay there after that. Alex blames himself because he's the one who brought her back."
"What do you need my help with, my friend?"
"I might not know much about Nefertiri, but I know Evey. She will get out of that place, and when she does, she's going to come after me for taking Alex, and she's going to take him. She'll kill him, Ardeth, if she gets him. I can't let that happen. I need him to be safe. We need to disappear."
"Are you sure? You and Alex have a life in England. Leaving it behind will not be easy."
"Everything I care about is sleeping in the other room. I've never had much, and I don't need most of what I do have. All I care about is Alex. We've been dragging him around Egypt since before he was able to walk. Another move probably won't bother him. I just… I had to get him out of that house. I couldn't force him to stay where his mom murdered his uncle."
"I may have a way for the two of you to disappear," Ardeth started after a few minutes of silence. "You know I have no sons. My wife died many years ago, and my daughter's husband is in line to take my place as the leader of my tribe. My grandson and his future siblings will grow strong with their teachings. Fate is leading me away from them. My ancestors buried a cavern beneath the sands. My tribe has always kept it safe, but we are stretched too thin, and the cavern no longer needs a guardian. It is well hidden and no longer in use. One day, though, it will be found. We have lost the item that allows us to change the guardian. It was taken by those who need it for the newest version of the cavern… a storage building in London. I am the last guardian of the Egyptian cavern who is able to do the job, and I fear for when the cavern is found. They have a way to stop time for us. This is where I am going. One day, when the cavern is found, I will awaken and protect it as is my fate. If it is your wish, you and Alex can come with me. When we awaken, you may start a new life here."
"I need to talk to Alex first. I'm just not sure how."
"I will help you if you wish. My daughter did not wish for me to go at first, and I…," Ardeth paused as Alex walked into the room, rubbing his eyes.
"I want to do it," the boy said. "I heard some of what you said, Uncle Ardeth."
"Come here, Alex," Rick spoke, picking up his son and setting him on his lap, "you know I won't do anything without asking you first. We've already lost your mom and Jonathan. I don't want to lose you."
"I know, Dad. I'm sorry all this is happening! If I hadn't used the book, then…," Alex started crying.
"It's not your fault," Rick told him, tucking his son under his chin. "You did it to save your mom and because of that I'm still alive."
Ardeth spoke up, "Your father is right. You are not to blame for using the book. No one blames you for protecting your family. Your mother could have told someone that she needed help protecting her mind from the memories that the Creature unlocked. He is the one who forced her mind open to those memories. He made her less able to fight back against them. The Book of the Dead gives life, it does not bring past lives back unless those lives were already unlocked. Nefertiri ruled her kingdom with a ruthlessness that very few matched. She was not forgiving, and she did not forget even minor slights against her. She is the one who ordered the curse to be placed on the Creature. You are a child who wanted to save and protect his mother when no one else could. By bringing Evey back, you saved Jonathan in the pyramid, protected your dad, and helped save the world from Anubis's army. Do not think less of yourself for that."
"But I brought her back, and she killed him."
"You are nine years old. You have done more to protect his world than many of my tribe."
"How much did you hear?"
"You want us to go away so Mom can't find us. Uncle Ardeth wants us to go with him because he'll be needed in the future."
"That's right. We would go with him back to London and be frozen in time until he's needed to take over again as guardian. What do you want?"
"I want to do it."
"I thank you," Ardeth told them, "I was going to have to do this alone… a stranger in a strange land."
"When do we have to be in London?"
"We have two weeks before we have to be there. My people have been preparing for my departure for some time now. My daughter's husband will officially take my place in the tribe in two days. You are both welcome to stay with us until it is time to leave."
"Thank you for this."
"O'Connell… Rick, you are Medjai and my brother, you have nothing to thank me for."
-Page Break-
Two weeks later, Rick, Alex, and Ardeth walked up to a large building near the shipyards in London, each holding a small pack with the things they couldn't stand to leave behind. They were met at the door and led through aisles and aisles of objects, each carefully labeled with a warning, telling the powers that the objects had obtained through blood, sweat, imagination, and tears. Alex stayed as close to Rick and Ardeth as he could as they walked what felt like miles. Finally, their guide led them to a small corner he called the Bronze Section.
"Gentlemen, if you will step inside the bronzer, we will begin," she stated, motioning towards a large tube with shackles inside.
"What's with the shackles?" Rick asked.
"Many of those we bronze are criminals. Including you three, we have had six people willingly step inside this machine. Most of the others in this room are those who are too dangerous to allow to live, but we do not kill unless we have no other option, so instead, they are frozen here, forever. You three will be the only ones to ever be bronzed so that you can protect the future. The others have suffered tragedies and wished to live in the future away from their memories. We have a notice set up so that if what you fear comes to pass, then you will be restored."
"Will this hurt?" Alex asked, scared.
"No, little one. The man who created this machine didn't make it to harm anyone. He just wanted a way to keep people from harming others. He tested it on himself at first, just to make sure."
"Is everything settled so we have what we will need when we awaken?" Ardeth asked.
"Yes, we have left instructions for those who will run these storage facilities in the future. You will have what you require when you are unbronzed. Are you ready?"
The three had no other questions and so stepped into the bronzer. Alex stood in front of Rick, hugging his waist while Rick wrapped his arms around his son, and Ardeth placed his hand on Rick's shoulder.
"The process will only take a few seconds. When you wake, it will be as if no time has past. Good luck, gentlemen," she told them before she flipped a switch.
In their place, a large statue remained. It looked as if the three were simply painted. Sighing, their guide went to get help. She wasn't strong enough to lift the weight of three full sized bronze statues by herself.
-Page Break-
It was like coming out of a dream. The three slowly started moving again. Looking around, they noticed two women standing in front of them. One was thin and seemed barely old enough to be an adult. The other was older and stern. Both were wearing odd clothes.
"Gentlemen," the older woman stated, "I am Mrs. Frederick, and this is Ms. Donovan. You have been asleep for seventy-six years, and we need your help. Mr. Bey, your guardianship is required once more."
"Where are we?" Rick asked, noticing that they weren't in the same place they last remembered.
Mrs. Frederick smiled, "Welcome to Warehouse 13."
A.N. I did the math. The Mummy Returns takes place in 1933 according to the wikia. That particular episode of Warehouse 13 aired on Sept. 14, 2010. Kudos to everyone who got my (not very well) hidden clues as to where they were. red on Sept. 14, 2010. Kudos to everyone who got my (not so well) hidden clues as to where they were.