TITLE: "True Love Eternal"

AUTHOR: Ardeth Saunders [a.k.a., Cruecial or Cruecial411]

RATING: R [Language, violence, and adult content]

SUMMARY: Ardeth Bay travels to the future to find an elusive woman who holds the key to the new world's destiny. Can he find her before all mankind is destroyed forever?

GENRE: Drama, Suspense, Action, and Romance

DISCLAIMER: "Ardeth Bay, " The Mummy, and The Mummy Returns belong to Universal Studios and Stephen Somers. The author is merely borrowing Mr. Bay to exorcise an unhealthy obsession…HA! NO infringement intended. All other original characters belong solely to the sick, twisted, and vivid imagination of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first venture into Ardeth Bay territory. Time and time again, I have been tempted to write a romance-oriented story centering on Ardeth Bay. Out of all of Oded Fehr's characters, Ardeth is my absolute favorite. If I screw something up, please do not hesitate to correct me, and I will see to it that it is fixed. Forgive any errors in my Arabic translations. I am SUCH a novice! Feedback of all types is greatly appreciated. THANKS!

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THE DREAM OF ALL DREAMS

Present Day

Damn it. Is it already three in the morning, Leven Medlem thought as she entered her tiny apartment. For approximately seven months, she had held down two full-time jobs. One of them was working in a casino hustling drinks to high rollers. The only good thing about that particular job was the huge tips she sometimes received if a bigwig had a particularly good night. However, there were more bad things that far outweighed the good. How many times had she come home at night with bruises on her ass from being pinched by dozens of drunken players? Ugh. Of course, she was expected to grin and bear it, just like the other girls who worked the same shift. She actually considered the bigwigs to be more lecherous than the regular folks. Perhaps the beautiful people felt it their right to act so disgustingly. Her other job was a bit more on the sedate side. During the day, she was a clerk at a pawnshop. There were only a few disadvantages to working that particular job. One of which was the constant threat of armed robberies. She had clerked at the shop for a little over six months and thus far, the store had never been robbed. She considered herself lucky. In her area of town, armed robberies were as common as rain in the jungle. Every day before she went to work, she literally knocked on wood to fend off intruders. She wasn't normally so superstitious, but hell, beggars couldn't be choosers, now could they?

Sighing heavily, she sat down on the foot of her bed. Actually, her bed was more of a cot. Since she lived alone, she couldn't afford anything fancy, even with two paychecks coming in. Her small apartment was an efficiency unit and everything inside was compact, including the bed. Absently, she glanced around the interior of the room and caressed one of her tired feet. She longed for the day when she could let one of her jobs go so she could lead a normal life. She kept so busy that she couldn't find time to date, for God's sake. Then again, the nightly pinches on the ass made her more than a little antisocial at times. She saw lecherous men every day, and she didn't want to deal with them on her free days [whenever she had them]. She needed to jump into the shower, but she had no energy to walk across to the even tinier bathroom. She knew she had to get moving. In less than six hours, she was due at the pawnshop. Her life was wearing her down to a frazzle. Every morning when she rose, she inspected her hair for the first tinges of gray. It always surprised her when she found none. You're feeling sorry for yourself, kiddo. It was true, she was, but she couldn't help it.

At twenty-five, Leven had lived alone at least eight years. She had left her family behind on her seventeenth birthday in the company of her best friend, Diana. The two teens had climbed into Diana's worn out Chevy Nova, and set out to conquer the universe. Or so they thought. Basically, the girls had ditched school, ran away from home, and thought they would find fame and fortune. Diana wanted to go to a large metropolis, maybe New York City, but Leven had no real opinion one way or another. More or less, she was along for the ride. Besides, her home life was as boring as snot, and she was flat out tired of her parents and younger siblings. Her friend had set her sights on becoming some famous fashion designer. Neither girl gave any serious thought as to what they were doing. They were young, stupid, and idealistic. Like many kids their age, they had a false sense of immortality and invincibility. Bad things couldn't happen to them. No way. Bad things happened to other people. Of course, they were given a bitter dose of reality.

As if from some hyped up horror story, the Nova literally fell apart in a godforsaken town called West Memphis. The girls were stuck in Arkansas with no place to turn. Leven immediately wanted to call her parents. It would take them no more than a few hours to fly in from home. Besides, she was more than certain both sets of parents had notified the authorities by now. Leven had no desire to be picked up and thrown in jail, especially not in this town. She had heard some weird shit about West Memphis, and she had no intention of screwing around here any longer than was absolutely necessary. It was one of many fights Leven and Diana would have during their misguided adventure. Eventually, Diana persuaded Leven not to call her parents. She basically won the argument as she usually did. Without a care or a thought in the world, Diana announced that she would leave her broken car and a major portion of her belongings behind. Let the cops and vags have it, she had said. She suggested that the two girls hitchhike on to Memphis, Tennessee. Perhaps once there, they could obtain enough money for bus fare onto another destination. Neither girl knew much about the area, but right away, they noticed that this particular stretch of interstate was a major roadway that connected Arkansas to just about every southern state in the union. Tons of big rigs buzzed past them and the traffic was horrendous. Diana was certain that it wouldn't take them long to hitch a ride, assuming that the cops didn't find them and lock them up. Leven immediately thought that hitching a ride with anyone was the worst idea known to man. However, Diana was stubborn. She intended to keep on trucking, whether Leven followed or not. Bound by duty and guilt, Leven couldn't leave her friend behind. West Memphis was a freaky little town, one that both girls were anxious to leave, even if it did mean hotfooting it until someone showed mercy on them.

The girls might have walked about a quarter of a mile until a trucker picked them up. Leven felt awkward and nervous. Something about the guy bothered her. He seemed friendly and harmless enough, but her gut had told her to stay away. Obviously, Diana had no trouble with the fellow. She hopped up into the cab of the truck as if she had known the man all her life. Again, Leven was duty-bound not to leave her friend behind. She climbed in beside Diana and listened to the trucker as he tried to make idle conversation with them. Leven had no interest or desire to chat up the guy, and she focused her eyes on the road straight ahead. They were no further than a dozen miles from Memphis, and she simply could not wait to get out of this truck. Something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Leven said nothing, didn't voice one suspicion. After all, she could have just been paranoid. No big deal. However, it became a big deal.

The trucker took a detour, claiming he needed to refill his coffee thermos before he took them to the bus depot in Memphis. As soon as the big rig came to a complete stop, Leven was out the door first. The trucker was creeping her out in a major way. When she turned to await her friend, she heard Diana's sharp scream before the trucker slammed the door. Before she knew which end was up, the truck squealed its way out of the parking lot. Crazily, Leven chased after the truck, somehow thinking that she could catch it. It took several long moments for her to realize what had just happened. The trucker who creeped her out had abducted her friend. How could this happen to them? This was shit that was supposed to happen to other people, not to Di and Leve. Hell no. After she gained control of her senses, Leven ran back toward the truck stop and ran inside. She called the police and her parents. Her folks demanded that she stay there, to wait for them, and Leven didn't argue. The police came and gathered as much as information as Leven was able to give. Shocked, the girl couldn't remember much of anything; just that the man was clean cut and dressed in jeans and a ball cap. By the time Leven's parents arrived at the truck stop, they found that their daughter had left. Leven continued onward toward Memphis. She never heard from Diana again.

Leven sighed as she dragged her tired body toward the bathroom. She often thought of Diana and wondered if her friend was still alive. Of course, it was a hopeless thought. If she had survived, she would have come back to Leven. The rest of her life story had unfolded uneventfully enough. She made it to Memphis, but never left. Something about the city appealed to her. It wasn't the safest place in the world for a single gal, but she was drawn to the city, seduced by it, and hadn't bothered continuing on with her journey. The first few weeks were a nightmare. She stayed in a homeless shelter where a sympathetic director helped her find her two jobs and a place to live within her meager means [which wasn't very damn easy]. She had reconciled with her family, but didn't return home. By then, she was at the age of consent, and they couldn't force her to come back. Sooner or later [she hoped sooner], she knew her life would change. She had a feeling that it would be for the better. Leven was intuitive to a fault and knew something big awaited her.

* * *

Why is it so hot, Leven thought within her dream. She had always been an active and vivid dreamer. Mostly, she seemed to be an observer in her dreams. However, tonight, she was an observer and a participant. The harsh biting rays of strong sunlight blinded her eyes. How weird, she thought as she tromped along what appeared to be a sandy plain. Yet, it wasn't a sandy plain. There was sand, but it was different. The terrain suggested she was in the desert. How odd. She had never set foot on any desert in her life. She made her way through the sand toward a campsite littered with tents. She gazed down at herself and noticed that she was dressed in a weird set of flowing robes. Her head and part of her face were covered. Her body was heavy with child. In the distance, she watched as two men emerged from one of the tents. She seemed to know both of them and she began waving at them crazily. Both men were tall and dark. One had particularly long black hair that fell in waves to his shoulders. Some funky looking turban thing hid the other's head from view.

"Sharîk," the man with the covered head called, "Ya-la!"

The language was strange to Leven's ears, but she understood what he said. It was 'let's go.' Apparently, she was walking too slowly for him, and he was trying to urge her on. "Id-dun-ya Harr gid-dan," she groaned. Amazingly enough, she knew exactly what she said. 'It's very hot.' It wasn't what 'Sharîk' felt; it was what Leven was experiencing. She had no idea who these people were to her, even though she kept plodding toward them.

Leven didn't understand why the men were so insistent that she hurry along. There seemed to be no urgency, no need to speed up. Besides, the child was dragging her down. She ran her hand over her hugely swollen abdomen and could actually feel the child inside her. The baby kicked fiercely and she felt a surge of love rushing through her. She moved toward the men, knowing somehow that one was named Qâtil and the other Ardeth. Qâtil was her husband and Ardeth his best friend. She was Sharîk Fa'inn Abadi. She continued to plod along and she watched as the two men suddenly began screaming for her. What? What was wrong? Why were they yelling? She didn't understand. Suddenly, she became aware of a ripping pain between her shoulders. At first, she thought she might be in labor, but somehow knew that wasn't it at all. She had been shot. She fell to her knees and noticed that the lower half of her body didn't seem to work anymore. What is happening to me?

As was the case in most of her dreams, the scene shifted quickly. She was no longer sprawled out on the hot sand. Seemingly outside her own body, Leven was looking down at herself. It was the strangest thing she had ever experienced. Was she dead? Alive? Injured? Sharîk/Leven was laid out on some type of flat, dark table. The covering on her head and face had been removed and she noted that her hair was a different color. In the dream, it was as black as coal. She didn't see the man she knew as her husband. Instead, the one she knew as Ardeth was standing over her, gazing down at her face with unshed tears in his eyes. Up close, she saw a series of tattoos on his cheeks and forehead. His eyes were deep brown and kind. But oh, they could be harsh. Hadn't she seen them that way? Long, black ornamental robes bedecked him, and he appeared to be grieving. She tried to will her prone body to rise up. She had a great need to sit up and take him into her arms. Why would she feel this way about this man if he were not her husband? Suddenly, she knew. She had loved him once, hadn't she? She had loved him but could not be with him, but she didn't remember why this was so. She couldn't move. Oh Allâh, why can I not move? Why can I not touch him? Why can I not touch this man I love so dearly?

"RâHa. Brîd 'âyiz shâf inti tâni marra," he said softly. ("Rest. I will see you again.")

She wanted to scream out her love for him, to let him know she wasn't dead. I can see you, I can hear you. I am not dead, Ardeth. I am here and I love you. It was no use. After the words were out of his mouth, he turned away and left. A horrid sadness filled her and she cried out, but no one could hear her. She would see him again. She would see him even if it meant searching for him throughout all eternity.

* * *

Leven had a rare night off three or four days after her weird dream. She spent it at a crowded district fair. Her mind was occupied by her strange night journeys into some type of parallel universe. All she could remember was sand, heat, and sorrow. It seemed as if she were searching for something or someone in these dreams, but never knew who it was. She hated them, hated when they came to her, because she awakened feeling upset and confused. She grumbled incoherently under her breath as she walked along a crowded midway with one of her co-workers. She had wanted to spend the night sleeping and resting her feet. However, Eva persisted until she agreed to come along. She had been in no mood to have fun, and her shitty attitude hadn't improved much at all since she and Eva arrived. Her friend was like a child, and she ripped into the fair as if she were a wayward ten-year-old. Leven followed grudgingly along. She wondered why she tended to choose friends who enjoyed bossing her around. She supposed she had a bit of sniveling wimp lying dormant inside her and it came out around certain people.

She passed by a strange display that caught her attention. She had lived in Memphis for eight years, but had never gotten caught up in the touristy attraction of the Pyramid arena. It was just another large building built from the sweat of city, county, and state taxpayers. She could count the number of times on one hand that she had actually been inside it. Yet, her eyes were drawn to a display of miniature versions of the arena. There were several different models of varying shapes and sizes. The barker behind the counter had arranged them in a way that vaguely reminded her of some location she had once visited. Ridiculous, she thought. She had never been anywhere outside the US. The only true pyramids were in Egypt. Right? She gazed at the pyramids for so long a time that the barker finally began his sales pitch. She was distracted and didn't hear him say that if she "busted three balloons with them arrows," she'd win her very own pyramid. Her daze continued until Eva's hand fell on her shoulder.

"Come on, Leven," she said with a grin, "I want you to try something."

She walked with Eva over to a booth hidden by see-through silk scarves. Madame Beatrice was written across a piece of cardboard that hung over the entrance to the makeshift tent. Eva believed in everything from Santa Clause to the Tooth Fairy to Area 51. Leven was more of a realist. However, she went along with her friend. Perhaps she would get something out of tonight, even if it were a laugh at Madame Beatrice's expense. She and Eva ducked into the tent and Leven had to hold back a laugh. Madame Beatrice was in her fifties and looked every inch the stereotypical gypsy fortuneteller. She was dressed in flowing robes with lacy veils over her head and face. When she saw her suckers enter, she threw back the veils dramatically and fixed them with the coldest gaze Leven had ever seen.

"You come to Madame Beatrice," the woman said.

Please don't let me laugh in her face. Leven was tempted to ask if she had attended some type of fortune telling training school. "Actually, she comes," Leven said, nodding toward Eva.

"Your friend I saw earlier. Right now, I see you," she barked. "Sit down and I will tell you what your future holds."

It holds work, work, and more work. She didn't need a fortuneteller to give her any ideas about her future. However, Leven decided to humor the old broad and get it over with. She wanted to get home as soon as possible, because she was afraid she'd miss her favorite TV show, UC: Undercover. With an annoyed sigh, she plopped down in front of the woman. "What do you want me to do?"

"Be silent," Madame Beatrice snapped. "I do the talking, you do the listening. Give me your hands."

Sighing, Leven handed them over. Madame Beatrice took them into hers. The woman's wrinkled hands were amazingly strong and her touch seemed electric. Suddenly, she didn't feel comfortable in this stifling tent. The fortuneteller closed her eyes and her lips began moving, but for a moment, no sound came out of them.

"Your soul has lived for many thousands of years," she began. "Before this life, you lost a great love. I see you searching for this man. I see him searching for you."

Madame Beatrice's hands clutched tightly at Leven's. She wanted to snatch them away, but couldn't. The crazy bitch was in some kind of trance, and to spite herself, she didn't want to back away.

"You lost each other before, but I do not know how. You will meet a stranger from a different time, a different place. His soul and yours joined many years ago. He will not know how you connect to him, but he will seek you out. He is your greatest love, your eternal love. There will be no other."

"Okay, I have had enough," Leven cried. She wrenched her hands out of Madame Beatrice's, breaking her trance. Her words were disturbing, harmful. She could listen to no more. It brought back images from her dream.

Madame Beatrice sat back in her folding chair with a little smile on her lips. "I do not remember what I said or what I did, but I see that it touched you. Are you a believer now?"

"You're full of shit," Leven snarled.

Leven backed away from the fortuneteller and bolted away from the tent. She didn't look back nor did she wait for Eva. She had all she could stand.

* * *

That night as Leven slept, the dark haired man came to her again. This time, she wasn't yet betrothed to the man she would come to recognize as her husband. She was with the other man, the one called Ardeth. Her body was devoid of its heavy robes and she appeared to be covered in some type of flowing gown. She had come to Ardeth, had sought him out. She could see he wanted to see her, but he was pulling away at the same time. She didn't understand. She touched his warm cheek with one hand as her other plunged into his silky hair.

Before she tasted his exquisite lips, he sighed and whispered, "Mâ lâzim ta 'mil haik. Inti khaSS la âkhar." ["You must not do that. You belong to another."]

"Lâ! Ana khaSS la inta." ["No! I belong to you."]

"Ana maHabbi inti, amma niHna byimkinni kân sawa." ["I love you, but we cannot be together."]

As he drew back and turned away from her, she cried, "Ardeth! Ana maHabbi inta! Ana irâdi khaSS la inta dâymann!" ["Ardeth! I love you! I will belong to you always."]

* * *

Leven awoke suddenly with strange, foreign words stuck in her throat. What the hell? She buried her face in her hands. When would these crazy dreams end? She couldn't take it.