Disclaimer: I do not own the Mummy or the Mummy Returns. Just writing for fun!

A/n: Hey everyone. So, I'm sorry I haven't updated in like a hot minute, I've been dealing with kind of a lot, and work's been kicking my butt lately, and I haven't really had much time to process everything, but I think I'm okay now, and ready with another update. Sorry to keep ya'll waiting! Thank you all to those that have reviewed, followed, and favorited, they are welcomed, and loved! Enjoy!

Chapter 23: You'll Just Be You

It seemed to take forever to get to Abydos, but Ardeth's Medjai tribe made it without anymore complications. The ride was quiet save for Rory's small complaints about how hot the sun was beating down on their backs, or the lack of scenery, or the lack of any real civilization around them to be honest. She honestly didn't know how Ardeth could have survived the Sahara this long. More power to him though if this was the type of lifestyle he wanted or was just born into. He said he'd occasionally slipped into the civilized life but didn't care much for it, too busy, crowded, preferred the wilderness. Quieter, peaceful. Rory supposed it was the opposite for her. She was used to noisy civilization, a roof over her head, and always having food in her stomach. If she didn't have Rick to help her and train her to survive, she wasn't sure where she would be right now.

Sleeping wasn't coming to Rory at all. She kept dreaming about those who have died at Imhotep's hands, begging her to be moved on. She didn't know how to help them. Part of her was scared. Part of her worried she wasn't right for the job. It'd be a lot easier for her if she just succumbed to Osiris, and Horus, accept it, and then release that energy towards them. She would know what to do when they got to the temple. The sooner they entered the temple and got to the tomb of Osiris, the sooner she could be herself again and things would be more balanced. She might even get a peaceful night's sleep. Rory must keep the peace, and not let the dead disturb the living. It was equivalent to a Medjai warrior.

"So, now that we're here, what do we do?" She asked, holding her torch, searching Ardeth's tattooed symbolic face for answers only finding passiveness. His energy was elsewhere, she could feel it.

"Is…reading your energy apart of it too? Does that mean we're essentially getting closer?" Rory hoped.

"Perhaps," he said still reading the hieroglyphics of the caved walls. There were many statues around them, especially those of Osiris, Horus, and Isis. "Do you know the story of Osiris?"

"Very little, from what the nuns told me when I was a child, trying to get to sleep. Seth was the one that murdered his own brother. Nice bedtime story," Rory said with a shutter. "And of course I remember Isis. Can't forget about her. I liked that part of the story."

Ardeth smiled warmly at that.

"Now, we pray. You must learn to have patience, Rory," he said calmly. His voice was so calming and soothing to her soul, she could honestly listen to him all day. She had liked Lock-Nah's voice too but sometimes it was a bit edgy for her tastes. "This is a gift. Not a curse. You will learn it at your own pace. I promise you."

Rory tilted her head to the side and watched Ardeth get down on his knees and placed his hands flat upon them. She set her torch down in a holder beside her along the wall, and followed suite.

~*TM*~

Praying took most of the afternoon. By the time Ardeth and Rory got out of the temple the Medjai had already set up tents outside and had perfected a perimeter of watchers to protect the temple from outsiders. There was food and water waiting for Rory's tent so they ate together.

"You know I did feel something while I was in there," Rory said, digging her fork into some cooked rice within her wooden bowl.

Ardeth looked up as he took a sip of water from his cup. "And what is that?"

"An odd sense of calmness. You did tell me to let go and I did. I released all the energies I didn't need and that were not helping me hone my abilities. They were only blocking them. And I feel lighter," she said with a small smile.

Ardeth nodded. "Good. Well, eat up, you'll need your strength."

"For what?" she asked curiously.

"To practice. You did say you want to learn how to protect yourself didn't you?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded.

"Well, I'm a man of my word. We'll start with the basics tomorrow," he said.

Rory grinned. "Thank you!"

He chuckled at her enthusiasm as she reached over and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him. It'd caught him off guard and almost spilt his rice on the ground. He hugged her back and gently sat her down across from him.

"You're welcome," he said, giving her a curt nod.

Later that evening, Rory said good night to Ardeth who'd left for his own tent, leaving Rory to get ready for bed. She was excited about tomorrow and couldn't wait to start her training. Her eyes fell to a close after tossing and turning on her cushioned makeshift bed and light sheet of covers that wrapped around her. The night was cool on the desert, and the sand was nicer to dig your feet in, not that Rory wanted to, it was just nicer to walk on, and not the usual scorching hell she was used to.

"Rory…"

A voice called out to her in the middle of the night. It sounded real and beautiful. She was pulled to it but she wasn't sure why.

"Rory…my angel…"

She grimaced. Angel. Definitely not. Though, she did not mind the compliment from whoever it was. Curious. She woke up and got out of bed, blinking her eyes to adjust to the darkness that surrounded her. She chewed her bottom lip, wondering where the voice was coming from until she heard a "Pfft…."

She nearly jumped out of her skin, and twirled around to see a head poking in her tent, a head that none other belonged to Lock-Nah. She widened her eyes and marched right over towards him, and yanked him inside her tent.

"Are you insane?" she asked rather hotly.

He towered over her and gave her a roguish grin. "Maybe. I had to see you."

She rolled her eyes. "You had to see me, so you followed us all the way over to Abydos then?"

"Yes," he said guiltily.

"Oh come on. I couldn't have made that big of an impression on you," Rory said with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Oh but you did," he said, stepping closer towards her. She subconsciously stepped back, uncrossing her arms. "You really did. Come on, I know you've been thinking about me too."

Rory scoffed. "Actually, I'm in training. So, no, I haven't. Well, maybe, a little. But it was only cause I hoped you were okay after seeing Ardeth again."

"So you were thinking about me then!" he exclaimed and pressed his lips upon hers, making her gasp in shock, trying to place a hand upon his chest lightly to try and pry him away from her. Weren't there guards outside her tent or something? What'd he do to them? She had so many questions in her head that suddenly melted away because the kiss was honestly that good and she was slowly melting right into his arms that wrapped around her protectively.

She pulled herself apart and looked up into his eyes that were now suddenly possessive. Her face was flushed and she was certainly sure that he'd done something to her because now she was fuzzy and loosing the will to see. Her world around her was suddenly coming out of focus.

"Lock-Nah…?" she asked meekly before she slipped into his arms.

He smiled. "The angel to my demon heart. You really should watch your words carefully, princess."

~*TM*~

He carried her down to the tomb of Osiris and laid her body on top of it. The spell was done and cast. He knew that if she was with Ardeth Bay, she was something, someone special, someone they've always wanted. A shadow queen at its best. He's heard the tales since he was a child of such wonders that she would come to those and take the darkness right out of them, make them whole again. There were many rumors of what she could do.

She woke to a cold stone underneath her and her arms shackled to the tomb. She blinked as she saw Lock-Nah standing over her, hands clapped together as if he were in a silent prayer. Her heart was pounding against her chest. Why did she feel like she was about to be sacrificed or something? What had Lock-Nah done to her? She grimaced, realizing he must've put something into her water because he'd watched her drink it. Shit. Because every thought she had of him made her crave him. Yes, he was very attractive, and sure, she would've probably liked him, but not this way. She tried to yank out of her chains, but a hand curled around them.

"Don't be frightened. Give in. Soon, you'll learn to love me. You'll take the pain away from me."

She gulped. "You could've just asked."

He smirked. "Would you have agreed to this?" he crawled on top of her and she widened her eyes.

"M…maybe," she grimaced slightly as he grinned down at her. His closeness was overwhelming but intoxicating at the same time as she tried to fight the spell of feelings he'd sent her from whatever magic he'd possessed.

"My powers are used for good, Lock-Nah….not…" he kissed her and she closed her eyes at the tenderness he showed her. He was very tender and careful with his body on hers. Rory felt a bit of comfort from him as well. It'd shocked her just because she'd never done anything like this before, but at the same time she wasn't really all that apposed to it. She grimaced. That wasn't her at all. She shook her head and tried to fight the surging feelings that'd been amped up with some sort of serum he'd put into her.

"Damn it," she muttered within the kiss. "Lock-Nah, come on, I could've helped you, you didn't have to steal me."

"That's not his style. Lock-Nah! Get off of her!" Ardeth's voice boomed within the temple and an arrow shot through the air and landed straight through Lock-Nah's ankle. He yelled in agony, stopping his movements. Rory widened her eyes when she saw swirls of gold and dust swirling in the air as if it were a confused soul trying to figure which body to go back into. It eventually went back into Rory's but had a tiny bit of darkness added towards it.

Lock-Nah ripped out the arrow and tossed it onto the sandy floor. He glared at the Medjai.

"She's tree days into her training, Lock-Nah. How dare you try to corrupt her," Ardeth demanded.

"I'm corrupting her? She's the one that doesn't want it. I'm just trying to give her a way out," he said.

"By kidnapping her and seducing her to her death? That's not a way out and you know it," he said.

"She wasn't going to die, Ardeth. I promise," he said.

"Get out. Get out now and never come back. We're not in your territory anymore, remember?" he said.

Lock-Nah eyed him up and down and at the crossbow before he casually glanced at Rory who was watching them with lidded eyes.

"Out. Or I swear..."

"You can't kill me Ardeth," he smirked. "You never could." He looked over at Rory and gave her a gentle nod. "I apologize." He walked over and unhooked the shackles for her that'd just been precautionary and was going to help her down but she held her ground and yanked her arms away from him, keeping them tight against her body. He gently bowed his head and offered mercy while she climbed down off of the tomb and headed back over towards Ardeth's side, still feeling slightly wobbly. She almost fell over if it hadn't been for him reaching out towards her.

Rory glared at him, too tired to focus a coherent comeback at him. She let out a sigh as he disappeared around the corner, hoping he was leaving the temple for good.

"Are you all right?" Ardeth asked her.

She looked over at him as he lowered his crossbow. She nodded, though felt like she was going to fall over. "Just tired."

"Let's go home," he said, and she was most grateful for that.

~*TM*~

Rory sat in her tent the next day, waiting for the verdict of what was going to happen next. Her training had been put on pause because of what happened to her. Ardeth tried explaining to them that she was under influence and had been under a serum crafted by Lock-Nah himself to fall for his tricks.

Ardeth came into her tent making her look up nervously. She let her fingers drop from the bottom of her lip and looked at him, sensing his worries.

"So, what'd the old man say?"

"Execution."

"What?" Rory nearly jumped up out of her bed and onto her feet. "Excuse me? You did tell him what happened right?"

"Yes of course I did, but your soul is tainted now. Activated the wrong way, we could have another Imhotep on our hands, and I don't want that for you. You will be mummified, Rory. And if someone awakens you, you will tear apart the whole world."

"Oh, that's bullocks!" Rory exclaimed. "I wouldn't do such a thing like that! I'm not that kind of girl!"

"I know, the rest of the Medjai know, even he knows, but it's the rules of our tribe. There is darkness in you now. There's no telling what will happen even at the slightest trigger. We fear it was Lock-Nah's intentions all along. He's been looking for something like this for ages for his own tribe, his own leader. They're obsessed with the supernatural and would do anything to find it and use it to their own personal gain. They could've turned you into their ultimate killer and killed innocent people for their own cause. We're here to protect it. Protect you, and I failed."

Rory's eyes softened and she shook her head. "You didn't fail. It was my fault. I let him get to me and under my skin. I did fall for him, but I've also fallen for you, Ardeth. I know it sounds crazy to say right now, but you've been one of the kindest men I'd ever met. I was warned about your kind a long time ago, but you're different. I feel safe with you. I don't know how to explain it, but you're right. There's something between us. And I am scared, however, if…if he wants me dead, fine. I'll die for the sake of keeping the world safe, I just thought you should know how I feel before hand…."

Ardeth's eyes danced upon her slender frame, taking in her words, and feelings of warmth inside. Damn it. Against his greater will, he walked over and gently grabbed the side of her jaw and looked down at her lips. "May I?" he asked.

Rory smiled and nodded, allowing him to kiss her. They fell into each other's arms and deepened the kiss that made her feel electric and once again alive. That's what he made her feel. Alive. Not at all soul crushing.

"Damn it," he said softly, pulling apart.

Rory looked down as he put her forehead onto his, listening to their heartbeats in rhythmic rhythm.

"What?" she asked.

"There's another way. Another way around this. You won't have any more nightmares, you won't have any powers, you'll just be you," he said. He sighed. "Lock-Nah wasn't wrong about that."

Rory chewed her bottom lip out of curiosity. "I'm game. As long as it doesn't harm anyone else."

"It won't," he promised. "As long as you trust me."

Rory smiled. "I trust you."

"I'll run it by him," he said, giving her a curt nod and planted one more kiss upon her lips before he left once more. She sighed and crossed her arms, looking down in the sand. Rick was never going to believe this.

~*TM*~

A/n: So that was fun! Sorry, I couldn't resist. I love Ardeth rescue moments, they're my favorite. Hope you guys liked! Follows, favorites, and reviews are always welcomed and loved! More updates soon!