Living Without You
Well, for reasons of legality, it must be said that I do not own any of these wonderful, dynamic, superhuman characters (that would be Mr. Sommers). In any case, no lawsuits against me!! Bad lawsuits!! Back!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summary: What if the events at Ahm-Shere didn't end happily? In an alternate TMR ending, can life move on, even when it seems there is little to live for?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 1: Living in the Darkness
WHAM!! Rick O'Connell felt the wind rush out from his lungs as he was pummeled ruthlessly. He stepped back, hoping to regain his balance, and failing, stumbled backwards into a wall of solid rock. He didn't see how he could possibly defeat this...this...THING, this giant scorpion-man that was threatening to tear him into miniature, bite-sized Rick O'Connell pieces. Mummies, giant bugs, even the little pygmies in the forests of Ahm-Shere were tolerable, but he just couldn't see a way to winning this battle.
Suddenly, his resolve strengthened beyond all belief. He HAD to win this fight, not for himself, not for Jonathan, not even for his son Alex... but for Evie, his love, the soul that had been ripped from him. He had to avenge her – he had to deal with those who had taken his love away.
With renewed vengeance, Rick picked himself up, just in time to dodge the crunching blows landed on the rock by the Scorpion King. Rick vowed to defeat this monster – then, Imhotep would be next. The Scorpion King was only an appetizer; Imhotep was the main course.
Rick was sharply brought out of his reverie by a crash near him. The Scorpion King was relentless – the only way to win, Rick realized, was to clear out and come up with a plan. He quickly shoved a fire basin into the giant scorpion and ran like he had never run before.
~{:*:}~
Panting heavily, Rick leaned up against the nearest wall he could find. He casually glanced around, hoping, praying that he would find some device that would spell the doom of the Scorpion King. His gaze moved around the corridor until he finally looked at the wall he leaned against. Big deal, he told himself, it's just a bunch of hieroglyphics. He started to move away when suddenly he stopped. What the...?, he thought.
He whipped his head around and looked closer at the Egyptian man carved into the stone. On his wrist was...a tattoo...a familiar one.
Without any hesitation, Rick ripped off the leather band that encircled his right wrist, exposing the mark that was painted on his flesh. He held it next to the one in the drawing...they were the same...
Astonished, Rick Looked at the sequentially placed hieroglyphics, each depicting the man with his tattoo. The carving held a golden scepter...the same scepter that Jonathan held so dearly...the scepter could be twisted, transformed into a spear...that spear would be the bringer of destruction to the Scorpion King...
Breathing heavily, Rick said softly to himself, "Okay – now I'm a believer."
~{:*:}~
Jonathan Carnahan and his nephew Alex ran into the Scorpion King's main chamber, searching for Rick, hoping to aid him somehow. Not being able to see Rick scared Jonathan – if Rick had fallen, there was nothing else that could be done...
"Rick!!!" he yelled, hoping against all hope that his brother-in-law was still alive out there, somewhere.
Suddenly, Jonathan's fears were quelled as he saw Rick run around a corner to face his brother-in-law and his son.
"Jonathan!!" He pointed at the scepter that, thankfully, Jonathan still held. "The golden stick thing! It's a spear!!"
Jonathan looked down at the golden rod in his hands, not comprehending. "Really?" He shook his head, looking back up at Rick. "It doesn't look like a spear."
Rick shook his head and wished, for once, that Jonathan would just shut up and listen. "That's because it opens up into one!!"
Jonathan still didn't get it. He looked, dumbfounded, at the scepter. "Yes...?"
Rick let out a growl. "Jonathan! It opens up...into...A...SPEAR!! It..."
He felt the breath leave him as some unspeakable terror crept upon him. He slowly turned and looked up. There, on the ceiling, the Scorpion King crawled, eyeing his prey.
Faintly, through the blood pounding in his ears, he heard his son and his brother-in-law let out identical high-pitched screams and run away in a panic. He barely dodged backwards, avoiding the razor pinchers of the giant scorpion. However, his luck could not last – one of the Scorpion King's arms hit him, hard, sending him reeling to the floor.
He lay there, wondering how long it would be before he was torn apart, and hoping that Jonathan would somehow get Alex out of here.
"RICK!!!"
What breath that was left in his body ceased to move in and out of his lungs. He knew that voice, that sweet voice that he had come to love during the past 9 years. But, it couldn't be...she was gone...gone and never to return.
He sat up as quickly as his aching body allowed and peered ahead. The tears nearly slipped from him right then and there...
There she was – Evie, his darling angel, returned from the death she had been sent to what seemed like an eternity ago. He stared at her in disbelief, wondering for a moment if she was a specter, an illusion created by his ailing mind.
No, he thought. It IS her. She was there again, alive and beautiful – in that moment, the despair that wracked his soul, the fear and suffering that he had managed to mask during the battle, lifted. Now, his reasons for winning this fight were much greater.
"Evie!?" he cried out reaching towards her. He was sharply brought back to earth by a pincher strike aimed just between his legs. His adrenaline rushing, he rolled to the side and kicked one of the Scorpion King's blows away. He lifted himself up in one swoop and swung himself around, turning to face the Scorpion King. He heard his wife shout to her brother.
"Hurry up, Jonathan! Kill the Scorpion King!! Send his army back to the Underworld!!"
Rick turned and, as if in slow motion, saw Jonathan hurl the golden spear, praying that it would reach its target. It flew threw the air, whistling slightly as it streaked towards its target...
...and was suddenly brought down from its flight by a lightning fast hand. Rick looked, peering at the body that now held the scepter.
Imhotep...it was Imhotep.
He twirled the spear in his hands, laughing softly. He grinned a devilish grin and turned to plant his feet. In one fell movement, stepped forward and lunged, throwing the spear with all of his might. Evie watched it fly, suddenly feeling her hope drain away. She stepped forward.
"Rick!!" she screamed, trying to alert her husband to the spear's presence.
Rick saw the golden gleam out of the corner of his eye; he knew what would happen if the scepter struck the Scorpion King after having left Imhotep's hand. He leapt towards the spear, praying that he would have the strength and nerve to reach it in time.
He felt cold metal enter his grasp – he clutched at it and landed on the floor. He opened his eyes; the scepter was safely held in his hands. He faintly heard Imhotep, somewhere close by.
"NAI!!!"
~{:*:}~
Rick got to his feet, still astonished that he had managed to, for the time being, halt Imhotep's hopes and dreams.
He heard a loud growl behind him, and turned around quickly. The Scorpion King, it seemed, was not ready to give up. He rushed at Rick, pincers snapping powerfully. Rick felt himself being pushed back, back towards the crevice in the ground that contained all the lost souls of the Underworld.
He slipped, and then felt himself falling over the edge. From somewhere, he heard Evie yell, "No!" Blindly, he stabbed forward with the spear, hoping that he at could at least save the world...one last time.
He shut his eyes tight, hoping that, as he fell, he would land a strike on the Scorpion King and send him back to the darkness, where he belonged.
Strange, he thought, this doesn't feel like falling. He peeked out through the semi-closed slits of his eyelids. He saw himself dangling, holding desperately onto the spear, which, at the moment, was lodged in the chest of the Scorpion King. He stared in disbelief, hardly able to comprehend his fortune.
He quickly turned his amazement into rage. Driving the spear further into the scorpion, he growled, "Go to hell, and take your friends with you!"
The Scorpion King let loose a horrendous, unearthly screech and, without warning, disintegrated into a torrent of black sand. Rick felt the spear come loose – he tried to grab anything, anything that might save him. There was nothing, he realized – he realized it exactly as he fell into nothingness.
~{:*:}~
Evelyn saw the dark, deadly cloud rise away from where the Scorpion King had once stood. She held her breath as the evil veil swarmed over her – once it had passed, she looked over to the crevice in the floor. The Scorpion King was no longer there. . .Imhotep was no longer there...but, more importantly......
...Rick was no longer there...
She felt the despair clutch at her heart. Where was he? Could it be possible that...he...that he had......fallen in??
She didn't want to believe it, didn't want to confront the terrible possibility that her husband was gone. She had been given a second chance at life, at the existence that she longed to be a part of...why was fate toying with her like this?!?! Why was she brought back, only to watch the only man she'd ever loved fall away from her?!?!
She felt the hot tears begin to leak from her eyes. Her husband meant everything to her – no matter how many times she expressed that to herself, she never, ever felt any different. Rick was the other half of her, the half that held her half, the half that brought her out of darkness into the light.
Why...? Why was he gone, and she made to stay here without him...?
She stood there, weeping uncontrollably – she wept for her son, who now had no father; she wept for Jonathan, who now had lost the only brother figure he had ever had; but most of all, she wept for herself – now, she had no man to love her, no man to cherish her, no man to hold her when she needed to be held.
As the tears flowed freely, she gazed into the cavern, not wanting to break away from the spot where she had last looked upon her husband; she didn't want to move, didn't want to lose that feeling, that memory, that reality of him.
Suddenly, without warning, she saw a hand creep up over the ledge of the crevice. Her heart stopped; her breath stopped – she wanted to believe, needed to believe...
Another hand appeared next to this, and the owner of the hands began to pull himself upwards. Evelyn held her breath, staring at the hands that would be her salvation...
...She felt the breath leave her and the despair return. Imhotep. The hands belonged to Imhotep. The anguish inside her doubled: this man, this abomination that had ripped their lives apart, had survived. Her dearest love had not triumphed, and yet this monster had been allowed to live.
As the misery began to wash over her in unstoppable waves, she saw something that she had given up all hope on: another hand had appeared on the ledge, and yet another. She saw that the second hand had a ring, a simple gold band, on it. She felt her broken heart cry out in happiness when she saw those hands pulls their body upward.
Rick...it was Rick...he had lived!! He was still there, there to be forever. The sight of him alive nearly sent Evelyn to her knees. The happiness she felt now rivaled all other joyous moments in her life. Her love, her dearest was still here...and he wasn't giving up without a fight.
Just as she thought her elation could reach no higher level, she felt her insides plummet as she watched her husband drop out of view, and then, painfully, slowly, pull himself back up. Something was pulling on him...something was trying to rip their happiness away.
~{:*:}~
Rick struggled as he attempted to pull himself onto the ledge, but he couldn't do it. He looked down at the souls wrenching at his legs, trying to tear him away, trying to bring him into the depths. He looked to his side and saw Imhotep, dangling from the side of the crevice, fighting a much similar battle.
He looked over at his wife and saw her staring at him, disbelief and shock on her face. He saw her eyes, and the intentions that lay behind them.
~{:*:}~
Evelyn's body stood in a stasis; for all the tries she made to reach out to her husband, to pull him to safety, to hold him in her arms, her being would not budge. Her eyes conveyed her action as she looked at the temple crumbling around them.
~{:*:}~
Rick saw the pieces of rock fall from the ceiling and smash into the ground, creating shattering bursts of deadly stone. He looked back at Evie and saw her eyes darting back and forth.
In that instant, he knew what she intended to do. She was going to try and save him.
He saw another rock piece burst upon the floor – he realized that there was no way Evie could get there without avoiding all of the dangerous missiles.
He had watched her die once. Seeing it happen again would tear him in two – he had to save her, even if he could not save himself.
He looked deep into her eyes, locking his gaze with hers, trying to convey his love for her in one glance.
"Evie, no!! Get out of here!! Just get out of here!!"
He saw the pain in her eyes, the struggle between the parts of her soul. Nevertheless, he couldn't allow her to place herself in danger only for him.
"No!" he yelled, hoping that she would understand.
~{:*:}~
She heard his words – words that tore at her heart. They threatened to overtake her completely. She saw the love in his eyes, knew that he was trying to save her when he could not save himself.
Her rational mind told her that she had a son and a brother to think about. Her emotional mind told her that the love she felt for Rick would not be kept from this judgment.
With the two parts of her mind battling, her soul decided to push her body to a decision.
~{:*:}~
Rick watched in horror as his wife threw herself towards him, dodging rocks splashes as she went. He felt he could take no more when once, and then twice, she nearly escaped being crushed by the falling debris.
With one final move, she dove towards him, sliding towards his body that was hanging precariously in the crack. She grasped his head gently but firmly, pulling with all her might.
He saw the tears, and the love, in her eyes. He understood why she would have sacrificed herself for him – it was the same reason that would push him to give his life for her.
He tried to help her lift his body out of the pit – it took all of his remaining strength to raise himself up even a bit. He thought, just for a moment, that maybe, just maybe he could bring himself back, back to his son, back to his wife, back to the life he knew.
That optimism shattered as, with another gut-wrenching pull, the souls below him threatened to drag him into their depths. He felt his grip on the cold stone slip, his grasp on all that remained between him and all he had ever lived for, weaken. He felt his resolve, his being weaken, and, no matter how much he wanted to ignore it, he felt his body failing him when he needed it most.
~{:*:}~
She looked into his eyes, and began to realize: she could feel his strength leaving him. Fresh tears began to escape from her; she knew that Rick would never voluntarily give up – but, if it was beyond his control...?
She whispered to him, audible only barely above the crashing stone, "Rick...please...please don't leave me. Please..." No other words could escape her mouth; these were the only ones she had to convey her meaning with.
She watched him, holding him still, but unable, for all her effort, to do anything more.
~{:*:}~
Imhotep hung from the precipice, using all his strength to keep the souls from dragging him down. He looked to his left, watched as the woman known as Evelyn held onto her husband. He felt the love radiating from them, like the sun radiating out of their very souls.
He looked over at the doorway across from him. His love, Anack-su-namun, stood there, watching. He yelled to her in his native Egyptian.
"Anack-su-namun!! Help me!! Save me!!"
She looked at him, true fear registering in her eyes. She twisted her mouth, turned, and ran like the wind away from the cavern, away from her love.
"Nai!!" she shouted as she left.
Imhotep hung, staring in disbelief at his retreating love.
"Anack-su-namun..." he whispered, tears starting to form in his eyes. She had left him – she did not love him anymore.
He glanced again to his left, watched as his two enemies clung to each other, glad for them because, for just a moment, love seemed to still exist on the earth.
With one last breath, Imhotep threw himself into the pit, allowed the souls to grab, to tear into him, knowing that this physical pain would be nothing compared to the split he felt in his heart.
~{:*:}~
Evie watched her husband, saw his soul through his eyes. She saw what he saw; she knew what he was thinking: he could not be saved from this, not for all the tries they both made.
She could feel the horrible pain begin to enter her body again – she had almost lost Rick, only to find that he was still alive and savable. Now, once again, she was being denied to help the man in front of her.
Rick smiled, trying to be as comforting as he could, and whispered to her.
"Evie...you have to go...you and Alex and Jonathan have to get out of here while you still can."
"No..." she managed to say. She didn't want to believe that, after all of the suffering they had both endured – she didn't want to accept it. "No...you can't...no..."
The rumbling around them grew more intense. The pyramid was about to be taken back into the earth – they could both feel the ground shake beneath them.
Rick knew that the end was near – he could just feel it. However, for all that was happening around them, he never took his eyes off of his beautiful Evie. He wanted to capture that face, remember it, no matter where he went.
He blinked hard; he had to convince Evie to get out of here, to save herself, her brother, and their son – they had lives to live, even though he would not.
He gazed up at her, looking at her. He had never loved anyone as he loved her and now, with the end speeding near, he knew that he would not have given anything to change any of the nine years they had spent together. He knew his love for her would last forever, no matter where he went, no matter where she went.
"I love you, Evie – I'll love you more than you'll ever know. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. Don't ever forget that."
More tears leaked out of her; her husband had said the words "I love you," words that, although he had always conveyed to her, he could never seem to speak out. She also cried for the fact that, now, it seemed like things would not end happily ever after. How could things end this way...? She didn't understand, and that lack of understanding brought even more tears out of her.
"Rick...baby, please...don't leave me here...I love you, so much...don't leave me..." she wept, holding her husband's head in her arms.
He reached up with one hand and caressed her face, stroking her face and wiping the tears from her eyes. In that moment, the touch, the feel of his skin upon hers ignited her emotions beyond all understanding. She felt his energy, his life flowing through her and, through the sadness that plagued her heart, she could feel the incomprehensible love he felt for her.
"I love you – never forget that Evie, not as long as you live...Tell...Alex that I will always be there...Tell him that I love him, and that's he's the best son a father could ever have...But most of all, always know that, wherever we are, I will love you...forever..."
Suddenly, a giant rumbling overtook the cavern. She felt her grip on her husband slip, and then disappear completely. She watched him fall below, into the crevice, his eyes never leaving hers. Her scream penetrated into the ground, into the earth itself, implanting a wave of anguish into the air.
"NOOO!!!!!!!!"
Another rumble sent her onto he back, sliding away from the crack in the floor. She quickly scrambled up and flew towards the crevice...but she was too late. Rick had disappeared from view.
He was gone.
~{:*:}~
Alex watched, saw everything that happened. He saw his father fall from the crevice, out of sight. He wanted to rush out, to save his dad and bring him back, but his body failed him. In that moment, Alex began to cry. His father was gone, and he had been too weak to save him.
~{:*:}~
Evie sank to the ground, crying like she had never cried before. The despair took over, coursing through every facet of her mind, body, and soul. Oblivious to the increased destruction happening in and around the temple, she sat, huddled, wailing in lament for her love.
He was gone...he was gone, and there was nothing she or anybody else could do to bring him back. She would never see his handsome face again; she would never hear his laugh again; she would never again smile in delight at his American way of doing things; she would never again feel his lips upon hers; but most of all, she would never be able to share her love with him again. Life suddenly had little meaning to her and, in a moment of blindness, she considered following the route her husband had taken.
She suddenly felt a hand grasp her shoulder and bring her standing. She weakly turned around and saw her brother standing there, with her baby boy standing near the doorway.
"Evie!!" Jonathan shouted above the roar heard all around, "we have to get out of here, now!!"
~{:*:}~
Jonathan looked at his sister; saw the pure anguish raging through her face. She gasped for air, not being able to breath properly – Jonathan began to realize what was happening to her.
Evie mumbled out, "He's...he's......"
She couldn't finish; new tears sprang out of her and she began to sob again. Jonathan held onto her as a new realization hit him: Rick was gone.
The understanding was like an anvil hitting him in the chest. Rick was the closest thing Jonathan had to a brother; he was a tough, gun-toting American barbarian, but he had been a wonderful brother-in-law; more importantly, he had been the best father and husband to both Evie and Alex...
A loud crash brought Jonathan out of his reverie. He knew that, even with their combined sadness, they had to get out of the pyramid, the three of them together. He was the one who had the responsibility now; Evie and Alex were now his greatest concerns.
He gently but firmly lifted his sister up, guiding her towards the outside. He tried to run, but Evie would not, could not, do the same – her grief was too great. Without another thought, he lifted his sister into his arms and began to carry her towards the exit.
Passing his nephew, he said, "Come on partner, time to go!!"
Alex followed behind his uncle and looked at his mother cradled in Jonathan's arms – he saw the pain in her eyes. Alex wanted to follow his mother's state of being – he wanted to let loose the torrent of anguish that was built up inside of him. But he would not; he was the one who had to be the man now; he hadn't been strong enough to save his dad, but, for his father's sake, he would not allow any more members of his family to be hurt.
~{:*:}~
Jonathan, realizing that the oasis of Ahm-Shere was being dragged into the pyramid, elected to take the high ground and climb up the pyramid. Alex was adept at it: he sped up the pyramid, wishing to get as far away as he could from the chaos below. Jonathan had a hard time getting up, mainly because of his sister. The sorrow that ripped at her would not allow her body to function; it would not allow her to move. As a result, Jonathan had to climb up a level and then drag his sister up.
Finally, they all reached the top of the pyramid. It was then that Jonathan began to panic – the oasis was rushing into the golden structure, and it appeared that, once that had been completed, the pyramid would disappear as well, taking all of them with it. He couldn't see any way out...
"OY!!!"
Jonathan whipped around and saw the most welcome sight he had ever seen – it was Izzy, with his newly repaired dirigible.
"Izzy!!"
"Come on, come on, get your butts moving!" yelled Izzy. "Hurry up, I haven't got all day!!"
Izzy lowered the balloon to a point where they could easily get in. Jonathan grabbed Evelyn and placed her on the deck – he did the same with Alex before jumping in himself. As the dirigible lifted up, Jonathan watched the golden pyramid become sucked up into the desert, never to be seen again. He leaned back and blew out a deep breath.
~{:*:}~
Within minutes, night had fallen. Izzy guided his dirigible upwards, heading in the direction of Cairo.
Jonathan, still exhausted by the near fatalness of the whole experience, sat at the edge of the nose. He took in a deep breath and looked over at his sister.
She was huddled in a corner, still except for the trembling and the wracking cries that were overtaking her. Jonathan picked himself up, walked over, and sat down next to her.
"Evie...?" he asked, not really expecting and answer; just needing to know that she was still with them.
She halfway glanced up at her brother, eyes red and leaking non-stop. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a small cry. She gulped and tried again.
"J...Jon...Jonath...Jonathan..." was all she could manage before she began to sob again. Jonathan quickly pulled Evelyn to him and hugged her tightly. Her grasp on him instantly tightened; she held onto him as though she would fall if she let go.
Jonathan kissed the top of his sister's head, allowing a fear tears to leak out from his eyes. He turned his head and noticed that Alex was standing there. He stood tall, trying to be the man that he knew his father had been, but still, he began shedding tears beyond all reckoning.
Jonathan reached up and grabbed his nephew and pulled him into an embrace. As soon as she felt her son next to her, Evelyn wrapped around him as well, holding onto her baby as they all cried, whimpering and weeping for the hole that had forced its way into their lives.