AN: Happy New Year everyone!!!!!!! I thought it would be cool to start 2004 with a new chappie of this story, so here it is. Best wishes and enjoy!
CHAPTER THREE
While he was in there, Jean changed into a comfortable pair of dark blue jeans, low-heeled sandals and a white cami trimmed with cyan chantilly. She then jammed her Medjai robes into a bag, altogether with several t-shirts and a couple of jeans. She didn't forget her swimsuit, some underwear and, of course, the clothes she had worn the last time she had been in the desert: tunics, dresses, sandals and all the rest.
She was preparing her purse when Ardeth emerged from the toilet. He looked at her sweet face and got lost in his study of it.
She hadn't changed much, but she had definitely got more beautiful, if such thing was possible. The only difference lay in her hair; it was longer and now it looked more... tamed. Ardeth regretted that, for he preferred her wild mass of fiery red ringlets. That mass he had once buried his head into, while they slept together.
Her voice brought him out of his trance. " What ever happened to you tattoos?"
" As I said, I do not like to attract too much attention, so I covered them with a special herbal mix my grandfather prepares," he replied and watched her try to suppress a smile.
Amusement, however, got the best of her and she laughed softly. " You mean you wear make-up?" She asked, swallowing back the last bit of laughter that tried to bubble forth.
Ardeth's brows arched and he closed the distance between them in two long strides. Doing his best to cover his own smile he stood towering over Jean. " You seem to delight in making fun of me, habibi," he replied, trying to appear the most intimidating he could.
Jean simply gave him a soft shove. " I'm not easily frightened by men who wear foundation," was all she said. But as she took her passport, a sudden thought made her pause.
" Jean, is everything alright?" Asked Ardeth, noticing her worried expression.
" I can't go back to Egypt. Last time I went they made an exception and allowed me to enter the country without a visa, but I doubt they'll do that again."
" Do not worry, I brought a special pass for you to cross the border without any problems."
Without knowing, he had given away a bit too much of his intentions. " Aha! Then you WERE expecting me to go with you," exclaimed Jean triumphantly.
Ardeth laughed shortly. " I must admit I hoped you would. Not just because you are an incredible fighter, but also because my men miss you very much."
" And what about you?" She asked, lifting her gaze to meet his, unconsciously speaking Arabic.
" I have missed you as well," he replied solemnly.
The answer satisfied Jean and she stood on tiptoes to plant a soft kiss on his cheek.
" I'll leave Nicole a note and we are out of here, OK?"
" That's fine, there's no need to hurry so much, Jean."
She smiled as she cut a piece of paper from one of her college's binders. Quickly, she composed the note:' Nicky, Ardeth is here and I am leaving to Egypt with him right now. Please, tell my family I'll be fine and that if they need anything, they can send a telegram to this address.' Jean carefully wrote down Ardeth's home address at the Medjai village. ' Take good notes at college, water my plants and tell the teachers I had to travel for family reasons. Lots of love, Jeannie.'
" OK, let's go now." She grabbed her light blue hoodie and Ardeth followed her outside, carrying her bag.
In front of the adjacent apartment, she ducked and slid the note under the door. As they took the elevator, Jean asked him another question. " Are we meeting your men in Cairo?"
" No, they are already at Hamunaptra, we will meet them there. Quicksand awaits for us at the stables," he announced and those words caused Jean to smile broadly.
" And what about Diamond?"
" He was needed to carry supplies, but I believe he has not forgotten you. You see, he rarely allows me or my men to ride him."
She let out a wistful sigh. " I know it was my decision to leave, but I can't believe how much I miss the Sahara and everything associated with it," she confessed, just as the doors opened.
Ardeth placed a warm hand in the small of her back and ushered her outside and towards Brian's silver Mitsubishi Galant. " It shows. You carry the desert in your eyes, my sweet blossom."
With that, he took the back seat, while Jean, still speechless, sat with Brian. The ride to the airport was incredibly awkward and she was relieved when it ended. Ardeth hurried to EgyptAir's counter, leaving her and Brian alone for a while. When he returned, tickets in hand, he found Jean in her boyfriend's arms. Now, the Medjai Chieftain had endured many painful wounds in his life, but none of them could compare to the hurt he had to undergo at that point. Still, he couldn't do anything, except for waiting until Jean noticed his presence.
When she did, she subtly ended the embrace. " So, when are we leaving?" She asked after clearing her throat.
" We were lucky, there were still available seats on flight 1303, which departs in two hours. We will have to hurry through Customs, though."
Jean nodded and followed him to the airline's check-in counter, but was surprised when he led her to the one that was exclusive for Business Class passengers. She didn't say anything, however, and in less than ten minutes, they had their boarding passes in hand.
" We must go to the gate now."
" OK," with that, Jean began walking towards terminal E, the two men behind. Since she knew JFK airport very well, she had no trouble finding it.
When they reached the security area, Jean turned to Brian, a million emotions written in her lovely face. He didn't have a plane ticket, so he couldn't go any further. The time to say goodbye had arrived.
Ardeth understood that. " I will wait for you before Customs," he said simply, before entering the concourse.
" How rude of that mongrel to speak Arabic knowing I do not understand his language," fumed Brian, scowling at Ardeth's retreating figure.
Jean was about to stand up for Ardeth and give Brian a piece of her mind, when she realized she was too confused right then as to start a scene. So, instead, she chose to tactfully ignore his comment. " I'll be back in two weeks," she told Brian, doing her best to keep her tone reassuring.
He managed to give her a faint smile. " And I'll be waiting for you."
With that, he claimed her lips in a deep kiss; when its intensity lessened, they stared into each other's eyes.
" Listen, Jeannie. Are you sure you want to do this? Something doesn't seem right, and I certainly don't trust your traveling companion," he said, frowning.
Jean placed her hands on his shoulders. " I appreciate your concern, but it's really misplaced. Ardeth looks fierce, yes, but I'd trust him with my life."
Brian snorted. " You're doing just that, you know."
" Yeah, I do."
" Come here," he said, and pulled her into his arms. He buried his head on her hair and held her close.
A sense of oppression, of approaching disaster, haunted Jean and a strange feeling, like if the hall had suddenly become thirty degrees colder made her cling to him with a strength she didn't know she possessed.
" I love you, Brian. I know I haven't said it very often lately, but I do," she whispered as she untangled herself from his arms. Who was she trying to convince, that's something she wasn't sure of, but Brian looked as if he had just received the world's best news.
" Jeannie, I'm so lucky to have you in my life... I won't be happy until you're safe in my arms again."
Jean smiled sweetly, but a quick glance at her watch made her smile fade. " I've got to go now."
He nodded and kissed her again. " Be careful, baby."
" I will, don't worry." With those words, she turned and went inside the terminal not looking back.
" I love you," whispered Brian to her vanishing figure.
He lost track of the time he had spent standing there, the grief in his heart too much to bear. ' She'll be back soon,' he told himself. ' Jeannie is loyal to a fault, she would never leave me. Problem is... what if she wants to?'
Knowing that those gloomy thoughts were only sinking him deeper into despair, Brian made his way back to the parking lot. Some people turned to look at his slumped figure, walking out of the airport as if he were leaving his entire life behind. And maybe he was.
Jean, in the meantime, had gone through the many security checks (which even included removing her shoes) and located Ardeth. Without a word, she sat next to him and busied herself with putting her sandals back on.
He glanced sideways from his copy of The New York Times and noticed the shaking of her hands. " Would you like me to help you with that?" He offered, kneeling in front of her.
The woman licked her suddenly dry lips and her hands stopped moving. Taking it as a yes, Ardeth took the thin leather straps and wrapped them softly around her ankles.
Delicate shivers of excitement tingled up and down her spine at his closeness, awakening nerve endings, the effects of his simple touch reaching far further than her ankles. Uncountable feelings and sensations were stirring to life deep within her. Those same feelings and sensations caused a great swell of guilt to rise from the pit of her stomach. Only minutes ago she had left her future husband nearly on the verge of tears and now she was relishing on another man's touch.
Almost sick of herself, she pushed Ardeth's hands away from her legs and he looked at her, confusion bathing his features.
" Don't," she said sharply. " I can do it myself."
His eyes hardened. He released her, stood up and then stepped back from her. His face had gone stony. He shook his head, glancing briefly to the floor.
" Of course," he muttered.
Not looking at her again, Ardeth turned and started walking away from her, but she grasped his arm.
" Wait, I'm sorry..." When he turned to look at her, his gaze was inscrutable, but he didn't resist her hold. " This isn't easy," was all she could say in her defense.
" You didn't have to come with me, you know that," he growled and immediately noticed the hurt those words had brought to Jean's eyes.
" Yes, I know," she replied humbly.
His expression softened into what might have been regret. " I did not mean it like that, little one."
" And I didn't mean to be so harsh with you, Ardeth," she whispered, rubbing her neck.
He smiled lightly and sat next to her once again. They remained silent for what seemed centuries until Ardeth broke the silence, " You will miss him, won't you?"
" Not just him," she replied noncommittally. " It's funny. When I'm here, I miss the Sahara, and when I'm there, I can't stop thinking about my family."
" That is because you belong to both worlds," he pointed out.
" Yeah. And Brian told me I should choose 'cause a person cannot live torn between two lifestyles."
Ardeth's fists clenched involuntarily. " And what was your answer to that?"
" Well, the way I see it, it's a lot more valuable having the best of both worlds than denying the existence of either one of them. That's why I don't want to get married so soon," she reflected and the Medjai Chieftain felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his chest.
" That's rather strange, Jean. Men are the ones who are usually more reluctant to commit," he commented.
" I know, but there's so much of the world to see. So much to do, to study, to learn… I don't want to give up the chance of discovering all those things by myself."
Ardeth didn't know why, but he felt immensely proud of her at that moment. ' She has this nature...' he reflected, ' determined, strong and yet so feminine, exactly like the kind of woman a Medjai leader is expected to marry.'
As he was shaking his head, silently scolding himself for allowing those thoughts to surface in his mind, Ardeth didn't notice the boarding call for their flight.
Sensing the depth of his mood, Jean looked at him more attentively and softly touched his arm. " Ardeth, you OK? It's boarding time," she told him.
A tiny smile curved his lips as he nodded. Coming out of whatever trance his thoughts had brought on, he finally managed to mumble a few coherent words before standing up and following her to the gate.
Without any more spoken words, the two of them entered the plane, ready to embark together in a new adventure.