Title: When the Past Comes Alive

  Title: When the Past Comes Alive

  Authors: Alex (skettipikachu@aol.com) and Sarah (silivin@aol.com)

  Rating: PG-13

  Category: Action/adventure

  Spoilers: TMR

  Status: Work in progress (part 1)

  Disclaimer: Shock, horror! These characters don't belong to us!

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  Alex ran out ahead of his parents and into the hallway of their house. "Well, we're back."

  "Great," said Rick behind him, carrying their suitcases and letting them drop to the ground before stretching his back. "Thank God for that." He yawned widely. The long plane journey not to mention the events of the past week had taken its toll on him and he was so tired right now. 

  Evie was the last to walk in and she kicked the door unceremoniously shut behind her. "God, I hate planes!" she exclaimed.

  Rick smiled, taking her into his arms and rubbing her back soothingly. "I know you do, but we're home now. All we need to do is get a good night's sleep and things should be fine in the morning." 

  She sighed and leaned into him, neither of them paying much attention to the gagging sounds Alex was making in front of them. A banging sound from upstairs distracted them, however. A moment later, a hungover Jonathan stumbled down the stairs

  "Oh, hello then! I see you're back," he greeted them, before wandering off toward the kitchen muttering about strong coffee.

  "He looks refreshed," Rick remarked, kissing his wife's forehead. He loosened his hold on her to gently pull the coat from her body, shrugging off his own jacket and hanging them up before taking her back in his arms. "Now where were we?" he murmured.

  "Oh brother!" said Alex, rolling his eyes. He set off into the kitchen. "Uncle John! Uncle John, wait for me!" 

  "Well, you know what we need the most?" Evie didn't bother waiting for his reply. "A nice long bath..." She turned and began tugging him up the stairs. 

  A grin spread across his face as he followed her. "A nice long bath, huh? Sounds good to me," he said, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. They stopped when they reached the bathroom and he smiled, holding open the door for her.

  She grinned and swept past him before grabbing the front of his shirt and yanking him inside. 

  He grunted in surprise when she did that and he stumbled into the bathroom, almost falling over. He regained his footing and smiled at her aggressiveness. "Someone's feeling frisky tonight," he said, making sure he locked the door behind him.

  "You could say that," she said huskily, before capturing his mouth with hers. She swiftly began undoing the buttons on his shirt.

  He opened his mouth to her, letting her explore as he undid the fastenings of her blouse. He pushed the fabric off her shoulders, letting it slide to the floor and he smiled appreciatively at what he saw.

  She blushed slightly; she always did when he gave her that look. She reached around to unhook her bra, before stopping. "Wait!" She exclaimed. "We've forgotten about the bath." She ignored Rick's annoyed look and proceeded to begin filling the bathtub. When it was at the right temperature, she turned back to him. "Okay, now you can rip my clothes off."

  He shook his head in amusement. "Not a moment too soon," he replied, reaching round her back to unfasten her bra. He let it fall to the ground before his hands went to undo her pants, pushing them and her panties down and he pressed his lips to her briefly. He slipped out of his shirt and fumbled with the buckle of his belt, finally getting out of his pants and boxers, leaving him naked before her. "Shall we?" he asked, helping her climb into the bathtub.

  Evie took his hand and giggled as they stepped into the tub. After they were settled she draped her arms around his neck and sighed. "Rick just hold me for a bit, I just want to feel you hold me."

  "Sure," he said softly, holding her soft little body close to him. He closed his eyes, stroking his fingers through her hair and just enjoying being with her like this. He nuzzled her cheek and murmured, "This is nice."

  She nodded wordlessly. She stroked his chin lightly, feeling the short bristle that had grown over that last day. A disturbance downstairs caught her attention, but didn't bother her enough to make her move. "Rick, do you think Jonathan has thrown up by now?" 

  "Probably at least twice before we even got here, otherwise he wouldn't have been looking for coffee." He kissed the top of her head. "He'll be okay, just as long as he doesn't break anything. Besides, Alex is there to watch over him. Sometimes it feels as though we have two eight year old kids around the house."

  "No, Alex is eight and Jonathan is two." Evie smiled. "But you know I wouldn't trade him for anybody else."

  "I know, I know," he said, squeezing her gently. "He has his moments." He let go of her hair to place his hand over his mouth to cover his yawn. 

  "You're tired." Evie looked up at him and smiled. He started to protest but she put her finger over his mouth. "You need sleep, I need sleep. Let's get to bed. I'm sure we can have a nice romantic day tomorrow."

  He frowned at her, pouting his lips in exactly the way that Alex did when he was told he couldn't have something, but he knew there was no arguing with her. He kissed her finger but didn't release his hold on her. "I say tomorrow we put your brother on babysitting duty while we have a day all to ourselves," he murmured.

  "Sounds wonderful," she said, then kissed him lightly and climbed out of the tub. "I'm going to go check on Jonathan and Alex. The last time I got back from a trip Jonathan had used my 12th Dynasty chamber pot for when he got sick."

  He laughed at the memory of that day and he regretfully watched her pull on her robe and then leave. He closed his eyes and sighed, staying in the tub for a few minutes longer before getting out himself and draining the water. He rubbed himself dry, wrapping the towel around his waist and was just about to open the door when suddenly he was hit by a wave of dizziness. He swayed unsteadily ad leaned his head against the door, breathing hard. It took a moment for him to recover. He shook his head in puzzlement, wondering what all that had been about before making his way across the landing and into their bedroom to get changed.

  Evie was downstairs when she heard a muffled thump. She glanced up at the ceiling, but soon heard Rick's footfalls as he made his way to their bedroom. She was soon busy refereeing an argument over whose idea it had been to 'let the dog clean up' where Jonathan had become sick. Finally she resorted to grasping Alex by the ear and Jonathan by the arm. When Jonathan was in his room and Alex in the bathroom, with firm instructions to wash his face good, she finally was able to get to their bedroom.

  He pulled on his pajama pants and had just lain down on the bed when Evie entered the room. He closed his eyes, trying to clear the dizziness from his head. "Are they both alright now?" he asked tiredly.

  "Yes." Evie sighed and yanked on the first nightgown she came across. "I heard a thump when I was downstairs, did you hurt yourself?"

  He shook his head no and he opened his eyes to look up at her. "I just felt dizzy for some reason. I'm okay," he said softly, beckoning her over to the bed.

  She slid in beside him and turned off the lamp. "It's good to be home," she murmured before drifting to sleep.

 

  He lay back against the pillows and rubbed her back gently. She sighed quietly in her sleep and snuggled up against him. His eyes drifted shut and blessed sleep came upon him.

  He was walking down a golden hallway. He became suddenly aware that his feet and chest were bare and he only wore a loincloth, similar to that he had seen Imhotep wear.

 'What the hell?' He though dizzily. His feet continued on, heedless of his thoughts to stop. He came to two tall golden doors much like ones he had seen in Hamunaptra. Guards stood on either side, but let him pass by without question. He entered the doors and saw Evie dressed in full Egyptian attire before him.

  'Evie?' He thought. But instead out of his mouth came. "Nefertiti, Beloved."

 

  She took a step towards him. "What is wrong? Where is your brother?" she asked, concern filtered in through her voice.

  Brother? Rick thought vaguely. He didn't have a brother...yet he found himself replying all the same. "Djedi is sick," he sighed, frowning. "I took him to see the village healer just after we returned. He says it is nothing, but I know my brother."

  "Stubborn to the last." Nefertiti smiled. She extended her arms and pulled him to her. "Basset will be worried." She kissed him lightly on the lips. "I suppose I should go tell her."

  "Yes, I suppose you are right." He smiled down at her, enjoying the feel of her warm body in his arms. "Must you leave so soon?" he asked. "I only just got back after all. I missed you," he said, leaning down to nuzzle her nose with his.

  "I have to go to the ceremony. But I will be back by tomorrow." She giggled as his breath tickled her neck, the spot where his mouth had drifted. "We have an audience," she reminded him, nodding to the young maid who nervously looked on from the shadows. 

  He sighed in regret, placing one last kiss to her neck before pulling back slightly. "I shall see you then," he told her. "Meanwhile, I should watch over my brother to make sure he doesn't get any worse." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers briefly. 

  She slid from his grasp, and gave a little sigh. "I'll send Basset with you." She motioned to the girl. "Tell Basset to accompany Amun." As the girl ran to do her bidding she grabbed him in a fierce hug. "I love you." She then turned and left, glancing back only once before disappearing being long golden curtains.

  He watched her leave and then walked out onto the balcony to look down at the courtyard. It was dusk so all was quiet and his attention turned to Nefertiti's temple which could be seen from beyond the palace walls (how Rick knew this was Nefertiti's temple, he couldn't say). Suddenly, he heard a voice speaking out to him, one that he knew all too well. "Rick? Rick..."

  "Rick, are you alright?" Evie shook her sleeping husband by the shoulders. 

  His eyes fluttered open to the sight of his wife leaning over him, staring down at him anxiously. He shook his head groggily and all thoughts of the golden palace left his mind. "I'm okay," he told her. "I just had some sort of weird dream."

  "I'll say." She peered at him closely. "Since when did you speak ancient Egyptian?" 

  He frowned. "What?" he asked in confusion. "But I don't speak ancient Egyptian..." his mind cast back to the dream. Was it signficant? It couldn't be, it was just a dream, right? Something that his mind made up.

  Evie studied him for a moment. "You said 'Nefertiti, beloved'. Were you dreaming about..." She trailed off, unsure how to put it into words. "About her?"

  He wasn't sure that he wanted to talk about this. Dreams and visions were her business, not his, dammit, he didn't believe in this stuff! But he found himself unable to dismiss it outright. "You were in my dream," he began hesitantly. "Decked out in Egyptian garb. I called you Nefertiti."

  Evie smiled wickedly. "Did I look good in my 'Egyptian garb', Rick?"

  His mind drifted to how she had looked in her clinging golden dress and he felt the blush rise to his cheeks. "Uh, yeah, pretty good," he said, avoiding her gaze.

  She smiled and straddled his lap. "So what happened in this dream?"

  All thoughts of the dream were rapidly leaving his mind when she did that and his hands automatically came to rest on her waist. "Well, we talked a little bit," he said, not really wanting to focus on it any more. "And then-"

  Suddenly, they heard a patter of feet outside the bedroom and then the louder steps of Jonathan quelled any idea of romance. The door burst open and Alex barged in, followed by Jonathan. "Mum! Dad! Guess who's here!"

  Jonathan frowned. "Alex! You shouldn't rush in like that! They're doing lovey-stuff!"

  Evie rolled her eyes. "Go ahead, say 'eww' and tell us who is here." 

  Rick gently moved her so that he could sit up. "Yeah, who's here?" he asked curiously.

  "That troublesome Med-jai, Ardeth." Jonathan wrinkled his nose. "I told him no more mummies!"

  "Ardeth's here?" Immediately Rick felt fear in his gut. Whenever Ardeth showed up, either something bad had happened or was about to. "He's in the house?"

  Jonathan nodded. "Yes, but he said not to try to shoot him this time, there's no trouble."

  Rick frowned. "Then why is he here?" he asked, getting out of bed. "No wait, I'll ask him myself. Give us five minutes to get dressed. Alex, you go back downstairs and take care of your uncle."

  "Take care of me? I resemble that comment!"

  "Resent, darling." Evie corrected as she climbed out of bed. She was thankful she had on one of her longer nightgowns.  

  Rick shook his head and smiled. "Alright, go," he said, ushering his son and brother-in-law out of the room. He walked over to the wardrobe in search of a clean shirt. "I wonder what he could want?" he muttered, half to himself, half to Evie.

  "Maybe he wants to see us. I rather think he considers us his friends," Evie said as she pulled off her gown. "I certainly consider him one of mine."

  "I know, honey, I know. But doesn't it strike you as odd that he's traveled all the way over here just to say hi? There has to be a reason." He tugged off his pajama bottoms and pulled on his pants.

  Evie sauntered by and pinched his butt. "He always has a reason, but if there is no danger, I don't care." She pulled a skirt on and tucked in her blouse. "I hate wearing these now, you spoiled me on pants."

  He grabbed her naughty little hands and pulled her close to him. "You have to admit, skirts are more convenient," he murmured with a grin, letting go of her wrists to let his own hands wander over her body.

  She giggled and pushed his hands away. "Later. Let's see what he wants." She slipped out his grasp, much the same way Nefertiti had, and waltzed out the door.

  He shivered at the sensation of deja vu, but shook it off, dismissing the weird feeling. He followed her down the stairs and into the living room where Ardeth was seated on the sofa, Alex babbling on excitedly about something. "Ardeth," he said in greeting. "What brings you here? Can't be the fine British weather."

  Ardeth looked up at him with that intense stare he always held. "No, I came to assist Evie with the museum. I understand there are certain things that need, shall we say, some paperwork removed." Straight to the point as usual.

  Rick came to sit in a nearby chair, relaxing a little at the fact that this visit wasn't about some curse, or mummies or anything like that. "That and we still haven't come up with a decent explanation as to why the curator has mysteriously vanished, or why the Egyptian wing is a total wreck."

  Ardeth smiled ever so slightly. "Well, I also came to talk to you, my friend." 

  "About?" Rick asked curiously, shifting a little in his seat as he awaited the reply.

  "Have you had any...visions or flashbacks of any sort?" Ardeth too looked slightly uncomfortable. Evie stepped in and tugged on Alex's sleeve, removing him from the room and gently closing the door behind her.

  Rick watched them go, suddenly wishing that they had stayed so that he wouldn't have to have this conversation. After a moment of silence, he said, "I dreamt something weird just this morning. Evie told me I had been talking in ancient Egyptian which is crazy seeing as I don't know any." He looked at Ardeth suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

  "Well..." the Med-jai shifted in his seat. "Ever since the last incident, I have been having dreams. And they all involve you, Evie, and Alex. And someone else...but I don't know who."

  "What kind of dreams?" he queried, curious as to why Ardeth would be having these dreams too. "Wait, Alex was in your dream?" He had only seen Evie, but then the dream that he had had been his first. He shuddered, hoping there wouldn't be anymore of them, but somehow he had the feeling that there would be.

  "I'm sure it was Alex! He was younger, and dark...not blonde, but his eyes! I know his eyes! And Evie was not Evie, she was Nefertiti, and you were different too. Also darker...it is you who I see the most." He stood up and crossed to the window. "In one dream you called me brother."

  Rick's eyebrows lifted in surprise at that statement. Then he remembered in his dream that Evie...Nefertiti had asked him about his brother. "Nefertiti called you Djedi, my brother," he murmured, almost in a trance-like state as he recalled the events. "You and I had been traveling and had just got back to the palace. You were sick..." He shook his head suddenly as though someone had startled him. God, this was weird. He wasn't sure he could handle it.

  "And your name was Amun, after the sun god. I believe Nefertiti was your wife in the past, and that you also had Alex as your son. Although I do not know what his name was." 

  Rick got up from his seat and walked slowly over to Ardeth. He wanted to just deny this were even happening to him, that it was all nonsense, but if Ardeth was having visions too, then it had to mean something. "How long have you been having these dreams?" he asked.

  "Since I returned home from the last battle." He put his hand on Rick's shoulder. "If it is what I think it is, I would be proud to call you my brother."

  Despite all the mixed up feelings he was having, he couldn't help but smile. "Likewise, buddy," he said. Then his smile faded. "So what are we gonna do about this? We both know what happened when Evie started having these...visions."

   Ardeth grimaced. "I know. And for once I have, how do you say it? No clue." 

  "Oh great, and here I was thinking you had all the answers," said Rick, only slightly teasing. It was true though. In the past, Ardeth had always been a guide and now that he wasn't sure what to do this time made him feel nervous.

  "Don't look at me. I am only a man after all." Ardeth grinned fully at him now. 

  He smiled in return. "Alright then, first things first. We go over to the museum to try and sort things out. Now I'm not saying something bad's gonna happen, but I believe in being prepared. Are you packing heat?"

  "I come from the desert, that doesn't mean I am always hot," his friend replied, furrowing his brow.

  Rick stared at him for a moment and then burst out laughing. "Sorry, western expression there. What I meant was are you carrying any weapons?"

  "Oh." Ardeth still looked slightly confused, but he nodded. "I always carry something."

  He grinned. "Well, just in case anything *does* happen, I got a Tommy gun in the trunk of the car with your name written on it."

  Ardeth's face lit up at the mention of the Tommy. "I have managed to acquire a Thompson, but I'm afraid it's back home." He sighed and shook his head. "I should have brought it anyway..."

  "Well it's a good thing I come prepared then," Rick told him. "Let's go."