Rated: PG-13 for mild swearing and suggestiveness, plus a healthy dose of action adventure violence:)

Summary: Although it may take a while (I like mushy romantic stuff so we'll spend a few chapters on that), Imhotep shows up in Cairo and wrecks havoc on everyone's favorite cast of heroes. I introduce a nasty new villain, explain a little about Rick and Evy's lives before they met, and have a merry old time. Please read, and be nice, people!

Disclaimer: If I owned Rick, Evelyn, Jonathan, Ardeth (don't worry, he'll show up eventually), Dr. Bey, or even Bob, that would mean I was Stephen Sommers. Since I am neither a millionaire nor a genius, I cannot make this claim. However, all the other characters do belong to me, thankyouverymuch.

CHAPTER 1

Knowing

She had fallen asleep a few hours into the journey. The heat from her body kept him warm as the cold desert night descended around their little caravan. Every few minutes he would look down at her and marvel once again at what an amazing woman she was. They were so lucky that she was alive, for that matter, that they were all alive. He shuddered to think what might have happened if they hadn't been in time...mere moments and she might have been lost to him forever.

His shivering woke her and she mumbled sleepily into his shirt, "Where am I?"

"In the middle of bloody nowhere," came a voice from behind them. "Can't we camp yet?" he whined, like a little fly buzzing in Rick's ear. He supposed he should be nicer to Jonathan, after all, if things went the way he hoped...now where had that come from?

"I guess so," he said, shaking it off. He lowered the still groggy Evelyn down off the camel and set about searching for a blanket, something, anything they could sleep on. He was just about to check the rear pack when Jonathan announced he'd found some throws.

They spread them on the ground between the camels, with Evelyn in between him and Jonathan. Exhausted, she fell back asleep almost immediately. She shivered slightly in her insubstantial nightgown, but there was nothing to put over her. Rick tentatively placed his arm around her and she snuggled into his warmth, resting her hand on his chest and nestling her head into his shoulder. In the bright moonlight she looked almost angelic, even with her tangled hair and dirty face. She was beautiful, there was simply no other word for it.

And he was in love. He'd known it the moment he'd been ready to fight a crowd of diseased fanatics with his bare hands to get her back. He'd known it when his heart had torn in two at the sight of her taking Imhotep's hand and walking away. He'd have done anything, just to keep her safe. He'd have fought a 3,000 year old walking, talking, immortal corpse to his death if it meant she could escape. He almost had. Falling asleep with his arms around his love, he was the happiest he could ever remember being. It was in this moment he realized that he would never let her go. He couldn't.

Evelyn opened her eyes again and took in her surroundings. The night sky stretched above her, the stars twinkling down at her like they shared some private joke. Night was when she liked the desert best. It was so peaceful, so calm. She still wore only her nightgown, so why wasn't she cold? In an instant it all came rushing back as she realized that she was in Rick's arms. He was asleep. So handsome with the moonlight shining down on his tired features...but this wasn't proper. She should get up and move...but somehow she couldn't bring herself to wrench herself from his embrace. She snuggled into him once more and closed her eyes. Who would know? Jonathan was somewhere nearby, but his opinion on such matters was not of much consequence to Evy.

Whose opinion mattered to her at the moment was Rick's. What if he didn't feel the same way about her as she felt about him? What if it was all a dream, and he was gone when morning came? Or when they got back to Cairo? What would happen then? Questions swirled around Evy's head and filled her mind with doubt. And what kind of a person was he, anyway? They didn't know each other at all. Sure, he was kind, brave, handsome...but he was also impulsive, reckless, and maybe a criminal. They only really knew that they loved each other...and with a flash Evy knew that was all that mattered. He had risked everything for her, and she knew he would all over again. Her mind quieted as she looked at his face and fell in love with him all over again.

Rick opened his eyes and found Evy staring at him. "Hey," he mumbled, as she blushed and tried to pretend she was actually asleep. "I saw you," he teased.

"Hi," she whispered. "Sleep well?"

"Exceptionally," he grinned. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Just tired."

"I should think so. Everything else all right?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "Why?"

"I just thought...you went through a lot today-"
"Honestly, O'Connell, I'm fine. I'm tougher than I look."

He smiled and her heart melted again. "I know. And you can call me Rick."

"Sorry. Rick," she said, testing the name. She liked how it sounded. Rick O'Connell. Come to think of it, Evelyn O'Connell didn't have a bad ring to it, either. No, she had to stop thinking like that. Who knew what Rick felt for her? Evy felt the doubts rising again.

"Evelyn?"

"What?"

"You spaced off for a minute there."

"Sorry."

"What were you thinking about?"

She hesitated. "Nothing important."

Rick raised his eyebrows. "You sure?"

Evy's doubts were quieted for the moment. She didn't like the thought of hiding things from him. "I was just thinking about...what's going to happen when we get back to Cairo."

She could feel his muscles tense. Why had she brought it up? She'd ruined everything!

"Evelyn..." Rick trailed off. He didn't know what to say. What did she want him to say? He'd probably say the wrong thing and ruin everything.

"I mean, the library's probably still a mess, I don't even know if I still have a job! And they'll have to find a new curator-" she rambled.

"That's not what you meant."

Evelyn paused at his ability to read her so well. "No, I suppose it's not."

Rick was silent for a few moments. Evy was about to start babbling again when he looked straight into her shining eyes and said, "Evelyn, all I know is that I love you. And I'll never let you go. I don't think I could live without you. I don't want to try."

Evy was speechless. Could it be true? Had she heard the words correctly? Her heart felt as if it might burst from joy. "I love you, too, Rick," she whispered. "I was so afraid that I'd never get to tell you. I was so afraid you wouldn't- that you wouldn't feel the same way."

Rick smiled. "What does a guy have to do to impress you?" he said jokingly.

"Oh, I didn't mean-"

She never finished the sentence. As soon as his mouth touched hers she couldn't even remember her own name, let alone continue her previous train of thoughts.