I'm sorry this took so long! I intended to get it all updated over winter break, but then my laptop was taken in for repairs and after that school took over my life.

I know that Tessa's interactions with Imhotep here might not be what you were expecting. I debated changing it, but in the end decided to keep it as it was. If you feel that it should have gone different than feel free to tell me. I'm open to criticism so long as it's constructive.


Tessa let out a small cry as she fell unceremoniously out of the sandstorm that appeared to be the ancient priest's main way of transport. She began to slap at the body sprawled across her legs, knowing that the creator of the storm would never allow such a thing to happen so it had to be Beni. "Get off, you slime ball! Get off!"

She only managed to get a few hits in, however, before the man was being thrown off of her. She looked up with raised eyebrows to find Imhotep offering her hand out to her. She resisted the urge to take the assistance, however, batting his hand away as she pushed herself up onto her feet. She couldn't let herself forgive him for betraying his word, even given the chance that her friends might have escaped. Still, she was grateful that he had gotten rid that annoying man for her.

Neither of them paid much attention to Beni as he scrambled up from the ground to stand with them. "I need a new job," he groaned.

Tessa sunk her teeth into her lip as she took in the sight of the city a little ways ahead. "We're here," she murmured.

She frowned as she heard the sound of an engine buzzing since there weren't any cars around. That had to mean… She directed her gaze towards the sky, eyes widening as she realized that there was an airplane there. The grin that came onto her face was so wide that it actually hurt her cheeks to keep it there, but she couldn't make herself stop. Her friends were alive. Alive!

She was distracted from such happy thoughts, however, as Imhotep spread out his arms with a roar. The sand whipped up at his command to form an enormous wall like storm to follow after the airplane. It managed to avoid the sand, at first, only to get swallowed up a few minutes later.

Tessa whirled around to face Imhotep. "Stop it!" she demanded. "You'll kill them!"

The priest was too lost in his trance to hear her, but Beni gave an answer for him. "That's the idea."

The blunt tone of his voice caused Tessa to shudder. She cast a quick glance back at the storm to see if the airplane had emerged yet. Once she saw that it hadn't, she whipped around, pushing Beni out of the way on her way to Imhotep. She hesitated for a moment as she reached out her hands then realized that there was no time for her to do such a thing. She grabbed hold of his face while she still had the determination to do so, yanking his head forward until their mouths collided. She kept her eyes open so that she could stare back at him as his own flew open in surprise. She didn't release him until she heard the storm die down behind her. Her smile died on her on her lips, however, as she watched the aircraft crash into the sand.

She wasn't given the chance to wonder after the fates of those within it, however, for her arm was being gripped onto as Imhotep swirled into focus before her.

"Tell me the truth," he asked, "did you kiss me because you wanted to or to save your friends?"

Tessa kept her eyes locked with his just like she had only moments before. "A part of it was to protect them, yes," she said. "But…I did want to kiss you." She decided that it wouldn't hurt to give into the desires in her head for a short while. After all, hadn't she promised Candace that she would find a way to fix things?

Imhotep brushed the tips of his fingers across her cheek in a silent question, letting out a rough breath as she turned her face into the touch. He didn't give her a chance to take the action back, diving forward to claim her mouth as he hadn't been able to in three thousand years.

Beni turned away from the two of them with a wave of his hand. "Yeah, sure, take the girl," he grumbled. "You bastard."


Jonathan stood back with the girls as Rick worked with Ardeth to move the rocks out of the way. "I'd take those bigger stones first. Take them from the top, otherwise the whole thing will cave in on us. Come on. Put your backs into it." He stopped once the two men turned around, staring at him in a way that made him all too clear of the fact that there two equally aggravated women near him. "Yes, well, you've got the idea. Chop-chop."

He glanced around at the walls once the other two men had returned to work, noticing the jeweled beetles placed within it. He plucked one out from its pattern, holding it in the palm of his hand to examine it better. "Gents, you should come and have a look at this," he said. "Or at least the ladies should."

None of those that he addressed turned around, however, until he began to scream.

"What?" Rick demanded.

Jonathan thrust out his arm as an answer where a lump could be seen moving bellow. "It's in my arm!" he cried. "My arm!"

Evy pressed her hands to her mouth, but Candace lunged forward. "Hold him!" she ordered. Ardeth was quick to do as she requested, ripping the shoulder of Jonathan's shirt back so that she could better see her target. The man started to scream more after she whipped out her knife, but she made sure to dig it in as quickly as possible, flicking the beetle out before it could do any harm. "Ardeth taught me that," she announced proudly. She frowned in response to the arched eyebrows that she received from Evy. "What? You need to know these things when you grow up in the desert."

The beetle tried to rush back towards them once it was back on its legs, but Rick got rid of it with one straight shot.

Candace rolled her shoulders into a shrug. "I have to say," she admitted, "I rather like your way of getting rid of them too."


Imhotep had just placed the Book of the Dead down on the altar when a bang echoed from somewhere else in the crypt.

There was no doubt in Tessa's mind who it had to be. She found that she couldn't keep a small, amused smile from her lips as she spoke the name either. "Rick," she breathed.

Imhotep picked up a nearby jar, tipping the dust over into his hand, which he blew onto the wall besides him. It took only an inaction spoken in ancient Egyptian to make what had formerly seemed like engravings to begin to stir until two mummies broke forth from underneath the stone. They dipped a low bow to Imhotep, which he returned before gesturing off to his left. "Kill them and wake the others," he ordered.

Tessa grabbed onto the priest's arm before he could lower it. "Why do you insist on trying to kill my friends?" she demanded.

Imhotep moved his hand across her face in the mock of a caress just as he had once done back when he couldn't truly touch her without fear of it being noticed. "They have come to take you away from me," he said. "and that is something that I cannot allow. No matter who they might be."


Evy noticed a familiar silver disc in the room they had entered. She was about to maneuver her way towards it so that she could tilt it in the right direction to give them light, but Rick did so for her with a shot from his gun. She found herself unable to scold him for it, however, since the action revealed the treasure hold in which they were standing.

Candace shook her as she followed the others into the place. "Whoa," was all that she could say.

"Can you see—" Jonathan breathed.

"Yeah," Rick replied.

"Can you believe—"

"Yeah—"

"Can we just—"

"No."

The small group whirled around at a strange groaning noise to discover that there were mummies popping up from the sand.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Rick asked.

"Priests," Ardeth replied. "Imhotep's priests."

"Alright then," Rick said. Then with a nod of his head he began to fire off his guns with the rest of them. It wasn't enough to kill them, of course, but it did delay them enough for them to run away from them to regroup. It lead to them running down a corridor as Rick and Ardeth fired back at the mummies, but it worked to buy them time.

Evy cried out in triumph once she found the statue. "There he is!"

"Hello, Horus, old boy," Jonathan grinned.

Rick lit a stick of dynamite, tossing it back at the entrance, then hurrying everyone back behind the statue as it went off. He let them come back out once he had made sure that there was enough rubble covering the entrance. Then he began to work with Evy and Candace at the base of Horus. Or at least he did until he heard the familiar sounds of mummies from another doorway.

"Do these things ever quit?" Evy demanded.

"Keep digging," Ardeth said.

Rick lugged a box out hardly a minute later, letting Evy toss off the lid and push the coverings aside until the golden book was revealed. "The Book of Amun-Ra!" she exclaimed.

The moment was interrupted, however, as Ardeth fired off shotgun rounds at the mummified priests. He shook his head at his wife as he tried to approach. "Save the girl. I know that's what you want to do." He pressed a fierce, lingering kiss to her lips, stroking her face as he pulled away. "Kill the creature. I will see you when it is over." Then he was running down the corridor, firing at the mummies as he went.

"I am kicking your ass when this is over!" Candace cried after him.

Evy shook her head she grabbed onto the girl's arm to pull her after the others. "You know, given what I've learned about you these past few days, I really wouldn't be surprised if you did."