Disclaimer: At this period in my life, owning The Mummy
or The Mummy Returns would be the fulfillment of my deepest, darkest
fantasies. But since I don't, I can
only dream.
Let me
guess…we're going back?
"I still say we burn the
books." Jonathan said, folding his arms
across his chest as he leaned against the wall.
"You can't!" Amanda began.
"No!" Evy said at the same time.
Both women looked at each other,
surprised that they agreed on something.
"Bloody librarians." Jonathan muttered, his expression turning to
one of innocence as both Evy and Amanda turned to glare at him. "Well, seriously. They've caused enough trouble. Twice. I for one would not be
sad to see them go."
"I do not believe they will
burn." Ardeth said quietly, rising to
his feet. "But we can try."
Evy stepped forward, ready to
protest. Rick's hand on her arm halted
her, and she met his stare.
"Let them." He said fiercely, his stare intent. "We almost lost our son because of those
damn things. If burning them prevents
that happening again, then let the damn things burn."
"Rick-"
Think of Alex. Think of our baby." Rick said, bringing up a hand to cup her
cheek gently. "Stop thinking like a
historian."
Evy nodded, closing her eyes as
Rick bent down to place a kiss on her lips. They stood there for a moment, taking comfort from the embrace. Both were thinking about their son, who was
sleeping soundly thanks to Amanda foiling Beni's plan. Rick laid his hand against the slight round
of Evy's stomach, resting his chin atop her head as he wondered about this new
child.
Amanda looked back and saw the
moment of tenderness pass between the couple, and her own eyes misted with
tears. She turned blindly, bumping into
Jonathan, sending them both off balance. His arms came around her to steady them both, and she looked up to find
him staring down at her with a grin. That grin faded when he saw her tears, and changed to one of concern.
"What's wrong?" He asked, running his hands up and down her
arms as if looking for damage. "Does
your head hurt?"
"No. They were just-" She broke off, nodding back towards the
living room.
"Oh, they're kissing
again." Jonathan said,
exasperated. "Hey do that all the time,
it's nothing to get choked up about."
Amanda smiled. She wasn't going to explain how it had been
more than kissing. He'd think she was
crazy. She brought her hands up,
pushing him back gently so she could continue out the door. In the courtyard Rebecca was just setting a
lit torch to the books. They set afire
with a whoosh. Amanda closed her eyes,
unable to watch over 3000 years of history go up in smoke.
"Would you look at
that." Jonathan said softly. "Ardeth was right."
Amanda opened her eyes. The flames still burned, but the books were
unaffected by their heat. Rebecca
brought out a blanket, using it to smother the flames. Everyone stood and stared at the two books
lying on the ground, seeing the smoke trailing up from their covers.
"Does this mean we go back
to Hamunaptra?" Amanda asked,
unsure.
"Not again." Jonathan groaned. "Shouldn't we take the books as far away from that place as
possible?"
"It wouldn't do any
good." Rick said grimly. "They raised Imhotep in London last
time. I don't think it matters where it
takes place, so long as they have the book, and his body."
"So what we need to figure
out is where the body is." Amanda
announced.
All eyes turned to her, making
her the center of attention.
"We can't destroy the
books." She continued, waving her
arm at them. "Could we destroy the
body?"
"We'd have to figure out
where it is." Rick said, rubbing
his chin thoughtfully. "Hamunaptra
would be the most likely place to start."
"That's where Molnar took
me last time." Rebecca added as
she looked at Ardeth. "He was
prepared to start the ritual. Imhotep's
body had to have been there."
"We know Molnar didn't
leave with it." Jonathan joked.
Ardeth had beheaded Molnar for
the dishonor brought to the Medjai by his actions, and for the kidnapping of
Rebecca.
"So we return." Ardeth said with a frown. "I would prefer it if you remained here
Rebecca. Evy and Amanda as well."
"It is nice to know what
you prefer." Rebecca said sweetly,
belying the flash of anger in her emerald eyes as she walked from the room.
"How come nobody ever asks
what I prefer?" Jonathan
complained. "I wouldn't mind remaining
here too."
Amanda looked at him with an
amused grin as the others began to return to the house. They were used to Jonathan's complaints and
comments, and ignored him.
"You could stay." Amanda suggested, one eyebrow raised. "But I have a feeling you'd be here by
yourself. Then all those ways you've
come up with to get me into your bed would go to waste."
Jonathan stepped forward,
intrigued by the invitation he saw in her eyes. He brought up a hand to cup her face, his thumb brushing gently
over the bruising around her eye.
"Does that mean I have a
chance to get you into my bed?" Jonathan asked as he leaned down to brush his lips across her cheek.
"Maybe." Amanda replied, her heartbeat speeding up as
his lips neared hers. "If you stay
here, you'll never know."
A loud crash sounded, startling
the two apart. Jonathan cursed, the
sound drowned out by Rick's loud cursing from the house.
Evy turned from the upstairs
window where she and Rebecca had been watching, a frown on her pretty
face. Rebecca quickly hid her smile
when she saw her friend's expression, turning to begin packing her travel bag.
"I don't like
it." Evy said with a scowl.
"What is it you don't
like?" Rebecca asked, her tone
pleasant. "The fact that
Jonathan's interested in someone, or is it the fact that it's Amanda?"
"I don't like that it's
her." Evy said with a frustrated
sigh. "I don't trust her."
"She certainly came through
yesterday morning." Rebecca
pointed out.
"Yes, she did. Thank goodness." Evy agreed. "That doesn't change the fact that she tried to steal from
Jonathan."
"Not that this justifies
anything, but Jonathan didn't used to be a completely upright and honest
person." Rebecca said. "Remember, it was him stealing the key
from Rick in the first place that got you into this whole business to start
with. Rick forgave him."
"You are the second person
to point that out." Evy said
irritably.
"Oh?" Rebecca asked with interest. "Who was the first?"
"Amanda. I told her I thought it was terrible that
anyone could lust for gold like that. She said that I must have a horrible opinion of Jonathan, because he has
always wanted gold, just as she has. As
if I'd have a horrible opinion of my brother!"
"Right. You've never judged him for his
actions."
Evy eyed Rebecca narrowly, not
sure if she cared for her tone.
"You've always had a soft
spot for Jonathan." Evy accused,
though there wasn't any anger in her words.
"Your parents always
favored you." Rebecca said with a
shrug. "Not that you could help
that, but someone had to stick up for Jonathan."
"You still do." Evy said with a grin. "You've made your point. I'll try to be a little nicer to her. But I swear, if she hurts him…"
"We both get to kick her
ass." Rebecca finished.
Evy left, and Rebecca resumed
the chore of packing. She closed the
case, leaning forward on it so her weight held the bag shut as she zipped
it. As she rose a pair of arms wrapped
around her from behind, hands coming around to cup her breasts as she was
pressed against a warm body.
"This may be our last
chance to be by ourselves for awhile." Ardeth murmured against her ear.
"Then we should definitely
take advantage." Rebecca smiled,
turning to fit her body against his.
He pressed her back atop the bag
she had packed, pressing against her so that she could feel his desire for
her. Her head fell back as his lips
burned a trail down her throat, and his fingers began the work of unbuttoning
her blouse.
"European women wear too
many clothes." Ardeth said with a
grin as his fingers encountered the bra that she wore beneath the shirt.
"I can't make it too easy
for you." She gasped as he nibbled
through the thin material of the bra. "Then again, maybe I should."
***********************************************************************
The next day:
Rick stood on the deck of the
steam ship, leaning against the railing as he watched his wife and son walk
towards him. He saw their heads close
together as they pored over a book, not seeing the people swerving out of their
path. He smiled; Alex was about to top
his mother in height.
He glanced to the right as
Ardeth stepped up beside him. He nodded
a greeting.
"This is much better than
the last time I rode one of these things." Rick said. "It's a
much better boat ride when it isn't on fire around you."
"Indeed." Ardeth said with a nod. "We have secured the book."
"Alex has hidden
ours." Rick stated. "He has hiding places I haven't been
able to find. No one else should be
able to."
"Yes, and I found a passage
I think we can use to counteract the Hom-Dai." Alex said, rolling his eyes when his father bent to kiss his
mother. "But it only works once
Imhotep's been resurrected."
"It will be nice to have
something to fall back on if we cannot locate the body." Rick said, linking his arms around his
wife's waist. "Alex, can you make
a copy of that page? Draw out the
symbols?"
"Sure."
"Do that, then, and keep it
on you. That way if we lose the book,
we have the spell."
"Good idea, Dad." Alex said, impressed. 'I'll do that, then give the key back to
Uncle Jon."
*******************************************************************
Jonathan scowled when Rick
slapped the reigns in his hands. Why
did this always happen?
"I hate camels."
"I think they're kind of
cute." Amanda said, patting her
camel's head affectionately.
"You and my
sister." Jonathan muttered as Evy
approached, cooing at her own camel. "Why can we never get horses?"
"Horses are more
expensive." Rick said. "That leaves more gold in your pocket
for later."
"It would be worth being a
bit poorer if it meant I didn't have to deal with one of these."
Jonathan helped Amanda up into
the saddle, letting his hand linger on her calf as she situated herself. She grinned down at him from beneath the
brim of a wide straw hat that was tied beneath her chin. Her hair was piled loosely beneath it,
leaving her neck bare. If she were down
on the ground beside him, he would bend and place his lips in that spot just
above her collar…
His camel butted him, jolting
him into awareness. He glared at the
offending animal, getting nothing but a placid stare in return before he swung
up into the saddle. He sighed; his gaze
on Amanda's back as the journey across the sand began…
Later that night:
Amanda sat cross-legged beside
the fire, sipping a cup of coffee contentedly as she stared into the
flames. Now that the heat of the day
had passed, the warmth of the coffee was a comfort. She was the only one still up; the others had gone to their tents
as soon as dinner had been finished. Amanda had volunteered to clean up; after washing the plates with sand
and storing everything away she had brewed the coffee, taking advantage of the
quiet to enjoy a bit of alone time.
The ride had not been
difficult. She had been on digs before,
and was used to the pace. She smiled as
she remembered Jonathan's complaints along the way. While the others had been annoyed, she had seen that his
complaining kept their minds off their own discomforts, and broke up the
monotony of the trip. She'd played
along, knowing that he was doing it on purpose.
She wasn't sure what to make of
Ardeth. He intimidated her. Though it had not been confirmed, she was
convinced he was a Medjai. His bearing
was regal, and it was obvious that he was used to being obeyed by all. Except for his wife. Rebecca listened to what he said nodded,
then went about doing things in her own way. She'd seen them go head to head, the fiery redhead holding her ground as
he towered over her.
Rick was easygoing, as long as
you didn't cross him. His very presence
was reassuring; he knew what he was doing and had the skills to defend
them. He was also gorgeous, but she
didn't think she should say so as long as Evy was around. Evy still looked at her with distrust, even
though her words were polite.
Alex was a charmer. He'd rode beside her for a bit, talking her
ear off about all sorts of information about ancient Egypt. Jonathan had accused his nephew of flirting
with her, which had started a good-natured argument between the two. She'd shaken her head and rode ahead to join
Rebecca, calling back that she would speak to the two of them when they decided
to behave like gentlemen.
Amanda's solitude was broken
when the subject of her thoughts sat beside her, holding aloft a bottle of
brandy.
"Want a little pick up for
your coffee, luv?" Jonathan asked.
He didn't wait for her response,
tipping the bottle so that some of its contents poured into her coffee. He sat back, resting comfortably against one
of the bags of cooking supplies. He
stretched his legs out before him, tipping the bottle back without benefit of a
glass.
"This has been the
bloodiest damn day." He said with
a sigh.
"Stop it." Amanda said softly. "It's just the two of us now."
"What do you mean?"
"You don't have to pretend
to be miserable so that I'll feel better." She teased. "I saw
what you were up to, Jonathan. You
don't hate this as much as you pretend."
"Well, then." He replied, uncomfortable under her knowing
gaze. "What makes you think I'm
pretending?"
"Because there's more to
you than meets the eye, Jonathan Carnahan." Amanda replied, sipping her brandy-laced coffee. 'You try to hide it, but there's a wonderful
man inside you, I'm thinking."
"Do you always talk this
much?" Jonathan asked
irritably. "I came out here to enjoy
the stars. Instead I get you trying to
tell me I'm something I'm not."
"If you want peace and
quiet, Jonathan, you could always go back to your tent." Amanda suggested with a smile.
"Or I could do
this." He said.
His hands slipped into her hair,
tilting her face up as his mouth came down on hers. She melted instantly, the coffee cup slipping from her fingers
unnoticed as fire raced through her. Her hands came up to his chest, fisting in the material of his shirt as
her lips opened beneath his assault.
All Jonathan could think about
was how sweet she tasted as he slipped his tongue inside her mouth. Her hair felt like silk in his hands, and he
ran his fingers through the strands as she arched up against him, straining to
get closer as he pressed her back into the sand.
"I smell coffee." Rebecca said, sniffing appreciatively as she
rounded the corner. "Oh,
dear."
Jonathan rolled onto his back,
groaning aloud as Amanda sprang to her feet. Rebecca turned to go, Amanda's voice halting her.
"There's plenty of coffee,
I was just going to my tent, goodnight!" Amanda babbled, rushing off.
"You're timing sucks,
little sister." Jonathan said,
glowering at Rebecca as she smothered a laugh.
"Now we're even,
brother." Rebecca said as she
poured herself a cup of coffee. "I
seem to recall you interrupting my first kiss with Ardeth."
"How do you know this was
the first?"
Rebecca merely smiled, holding
out her cup towards him.
"Quit sulking, and give me
some of that." She said,
indicating the brandy. "Then you
can tell me all about it."