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 4)

Disclaimer: See part 1

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Ardeth flopped down on the bed, and let his muscles relax. He sighed, if there was one thing the English could do it, it was make a comfortable bed. Without consciously realizing it he drifted off to sleep.

He stood out side of a large stone door. For some reason Ardeth felt nervous, and scared, as if he were going into battle. The door opened and a young servant hurried out, holding a basin of water. She barely acknowledged him, before disappearing around the corner.

Ardeth craned to see inside the room. He caught a glimpse of a tall bald man-Imhotep, leaning towards a young woman. The girl cried out and writhed in pain. Then the door swung shut.

Ardeth had the urge to go in there, to see what the Creature was doing to her, but his feet refused to move. The young servant, Isis was her name, came back carrying towels.

"Isis." He spoke without even thinking. "How is Basset?"

Isis looked up at him, and shook her head. "It is a difficult child." She then hurried into the room, leaving him behind.

'How did I know her name was Isis?' Ardeth thought. 'Who is Basset?'

Suddenly he found himself striding forward, opening the door and walking into a brightly lit room. In the center was a bed; on it lay a very pregnant Sari.

Ardeth gasped. At least he thought he gasped. Imhotep was washing his hands in a basin. He turned to Ardeth.

"Good, you came in. We need you." Imhotep instructed him to get behind Sari, who he called Basset, and to support her. "She must begin to push now. If she doesn't your children will not survive."

'Children?' Ardeth thought wildly. He found himself sitting behind Basset, his arms wrapped around her.

"It hurts." She moaned. "I wish it was over…"

"It will be soon." Ardeth said soothingly.

"Now Basset, you must push!" Imhotep commanded from where he stood at the foot of the bed. "Count in your mind to three, and them push!"

It seemed forever to Ardeth until he heard that one loud cry. The signal that it was nearly over. Imhotep handed the child over to Isis, and then turned back to Basset. "It's nearly done, the second child will be easier."

Basset nodded, and began pushing again. Ardeth supported her, feeling the strain of the birth, through her.

The second child came faster than the first. Soon two sets of cries filled the room, and Imhotep turned to Ardeth, who still held the tired Basset.

"Well, Djedi, you have a son and daughter."

~~~~~~

Rick stood by the window, staring out into the darkness. It was late, Sari had gone home a while ago and Alex was in bed asleep. Ardeth and Jonathan were still downstairs, not having been ready to turn in for the night so all was quiet upstairs. He glanced over at Evie who was getting changed into her nightgown. She smiled at him.

"Aren't you going to join me?" she asked softly. He nodded, unbuttoning his shirt and letting it fall to the ground. Upon being on the receiving end of his wife's glare though, he quickly picked it up again and placed it on a nearby chair, grinning sheepishly. His pants were quick to follow and he made his way slowly to their bed. Evie was already under the covers waiting for him, but he paused for a moment.

"What's wrong?" she asked in concern, pulling back the sheets for him.

"It's nothing," he replied, sliding in under the blankets. She snuggled up next to him and he took her into his arms, holding her tightly to him. Her head rested upon his bare chest and she gently stroked her fingers over his skin.

"Something's bothering you, Rick and I want to know what it is," she murmured. He hadn't been the same since their return from Ahm Shere and these visions of his seemed to be making him worse.

"I guess I'm just a little disturbed by these weird dreams," he said quietly as he stroked her hair. "I'm not really sure what to make of them." He didn't mention the fact that he was almost afraid to fall asleep, lest he start having more of them. He was aware that he was trying to block it all out, not open himself up to the possibilities as Ardeth had suggested to him.

"I think they're there for a reason, darling, just like mine were," Evie told him. "Maybe you're meant to see something, that these dreams are happening to make you aware of what happened in your past."

"So you think this all really happened somewhere in another life?" he asked.

"Yes, I do," she said firmly. "Just as my dreams showed me my previous life, so will yours. Everything happens for a reason, Rick so there has to be a meaning to these visions. Your dreams are the key." She smiled. "Just like the key that brought me to you."

He squeezed her gently. "Thank you," he said.

"For what?" she asked, lifting her head and moving up a little and laying her palm against his cheek.

"For being here," he murmured, his hand finding the back of her neck and guiding her closer to him. "For keeping me sane through all this."

"You're welcome," she whispered, smiling as her lips touched his in a tender kiss. And from then on, there were no more words.

~~~~~~

Rick was dreaming. Not a vision of his past life, but something he was more familiar with, something he had been plagued with in his sleep for some time now. He could hear himself speaking; hear the sobbing of his son as his wife lay dying in his arms.

"Take care of Alex," she whispered to him.

"Sweetheart, no," he said, touching a hand to her face, wishing with all his heart that this wasn't happening, that she wasn't slipping away from him.

"I...love you," were her last words and then she took her final breath, her eyes falling shut, never to open again.

Rick shook her gently; as though she were sleeping and he could wake her up. "Evie? Evie, come back," he whispered, his heart breaking when it finally sank in that she was gone for good. "Come back," he whimpered, letting his head fall to her chest as he cried...

He jolted awake, looking around frantically in the dark. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was and he fumbled on the beside table, snapping on the lamp. The room was bathed in light and he could see his wife lying next to him, one arm still flung across his chest. His fingers shakily made their way to the side of her neck, feeling for her pulse. She was only sleeping, he told himself, trying to shake off the memories of his dream.

He carefully moved her arm and laid his head upon her chest, feeling it rise and fall with every breath she took, hearing the beating of her heart. He stayed that way for a while; just taking in comfort of her body, reassuring himself she was still here with him. He sighed, wishing that it would all go away. He had told her about these dreams and together, they had done their best to work through them and he hadn't had them for some time now and now that they were back, he didn't know what to do. He was never going to get any sleep at all if this kept up.

After a few more minutes of staying like that, Rick lifted himself up and out of bed, leaning down to kiss her lips gently and she smiled in her sleep. He pulled on his pants and made his way down to the kitchen to get a glass of water. That and he had to get up and walk; he didn't think he'd be falling asleep anytime soon.

He entered the kitchen and rinsed out a glass, letting it fill with cold water before bringing it to his lips and drinking deeply. He placed the glass back down and leaned against the sideboard, sighing heavily. He ran a hand through his ruffled hair and that brought his tattoo to his attention, the blue ink standing out on his skin. He stared at it curiously, wondering not for the first time that had put it there and what it signified. Ardeth had told him that it was the mark of the Med-jai, but hadn't told him what the tattoo symbolized and Rick made a mental note to ask his friend in the morning.

He traced over the design with his index finger, the pyramid and the Eye and he shut his eyes, sighing. When he opened them however, he was no longer standing in the kitchen of his house.

~~~~~~

Amun followed Djedi into a small tent and took a seat opposite Ahmes, one of the village elders.

Djedi preferred not to sit, but he stood close by Amun, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Now is the time that your training has paid off, brother. This is the final step before you become a Med-jai." He looked over at the elder. "Ahmes is the one who will mark you as Med-jai, just as he did to me five years ago and to our father when he was a young man." He nodded at Ahmes.

Amun watched curiously as Ahmes began to prepare the things necessary for the ritual. He waited patiently and when the elder took hold of his right wrist, he was a little confused. "What are you doing?" he asked. It was always the tradition for a Med-jai to be tattooed upon his face and his arms so he was somewhat surprised that he should be marked elsewhere.

"You are to be marked here," Ahmes told him.

"And why is that?" Amun wanted to know. His brother frowned at him. It was not right to question the motives of the elders, but Ahmes merely smiled.

"Because, Amun, you are different and therefore, you are to be marked differently. It has been said that the young warrior with eyes the color of the Nile and almost unbeaten in combat will go on to achieve great things. You have a goal to accomplish, young man." He stopped talking and then began to apply the needle and ink to Amun's skin.

Amun wondered what he meant. He knew his blue eyes were somewhat unusual for Egypt and had been much talked-about, something which he personally had never understood. As the needle began its work, he gritted his teeth at the pain. He wanted to see just what it was that the elder was etching on him, but his brother kept him occupied with small talk to try and take his mind off it.

Amun winced when he began bleeding. "Stings a little," he remarked casually.

Djedi smiled. "It will not hurt for long," he told him. "You know, Nefertiti will be at the ceremony tonight. The pharaoh favors you. I heard that there is to be a marriage arranged between you and the princess."

"And who told you that?" Amun asked, not entirely displeased.

"I am not at liberty to say," his brother replied. Amun shook his head, smiling.

It wasn't much later when the elder was finished with the tattoo. Amun stared down at it. His wrist was still bloody, but it now bore the symbol of the Eye of Horus, a protection symbol which he could understand. What was new to him though was the picture of a pyramid behind the eye with two kings overlooking it.

"The bleeding will stop after a while," said Ahmes, patting his shoulder. "I will see you at the ceremony tonight."

Amun watched him leave. He looked down at the tattoo one more time, and then closed his eyes.

~~~~~~

Evie had woken up, suddenly aware that something was amiss. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and it was then that she realized that Rick wasn't beside her anymore. She lay in bed for a few moments, thinking maybe that he would come back soon, but when he hadn't returned, she got out of bed, pulling on her robe and decided to look for him.

She pushed open the bedroom door, noticing that the landing lights were on and from the top of the stairs, she could se that the lights downstairs had been turned on also. She tightened the sash of her robe and made her way down the stairs. She peered into the living room, which was dark, but the kitchen light was on, so she went inside, gasping when she saw him.

Rick was lying on the floor, moaning softly, a broken glass and spilled water by his side. Evie knelt down beside him, shaking him frantically.

"Rick! Rick, wake up!" she said, gently slapping his face. He remained unresponsive for a few seconds, but then his eyes opened and he gasped, sitting up quickly. He put a hand to his head, groaning as though he was in pain and she pushed his hand away, touching his forehead, which felt hot. "Rick, are you all right?" she asked worriedly. "What just happened?"

He blinked in confusion, looking up at her. "Evie?" he asked frowning.

"Yes, it's me," she replied, gently stroking his face. "I woke up and you weren't in bed with me so I came looking for you. I found you lying on the floor, moaning like you were in pain or something. What's going on?"

He didn't answer her for a moment, just closed his eyes and concentrated on her soothing touch. His hand found its way to his right wrist, tracing over the tattoo. He could still remember the pain of the needle as it branded him, marking him as a Med-jai. It was only a dream, but it had felt so Goddamned real. He couldn't remember falling or anything, one moment he had been sitting with Ahmes, one of the Med-jai elders and Ardeth...his brother, he reminded himself and the next, he was back in his kitchen.

Rick was startled when he felt something warm and sticky where his fingers were and he opened his eyes, glancing down curiously to see himself bleeding. He paled a little, his mind flashing back to how he had bled when the needle had marked him.

Evie followed his gaze and gasped when she saw it. "God, you're bleeding," she said softly. "Did you cut yourself on the glass?"

Rick frowned, wondering what she was talking about, but then he looked over his shoulder and saw the shattered glass on the floor. He stumbled to his feet unsteadily, swaying a little. "Sorry," he muttered. "I'll clean it up."

"No, you will not," Evie told him firmly, guiding him over to sit on one of the chairs. She hurried over to the sink, getting a clean washcloth and soaking it in cold water. She sat down beside him, gently pressing the washcloth against his skin, holding it there. She stared at him, not saying anything for a while. "You had a dream," she stated.

He nodded, gently moving her hand away so that he could peel the washcloth back from his wrist. He studied his tattoo, wondering why it looked like it had only just been put there, not as he had been used to seeing it for the past how many years. He began speaking softly. "It was a tradition of when you first became a Med-jai to be marked in some way. You've seen it with Ardeth, with the markings on his face, that was how it was back then." He frowned. "But mine was different. I got mine here-" he pointed to his wrist. "Not on my face or on my arms."

"And why was that?" Evie asked gently.

He shook his head. "I don't know. The guy who put it there in my dream told me that I was different, that it was there for a purpose, to remind me of who I am. For when I achieve my goal."

"What was the goal?"

Good question. The man who marked him hadn't been very specific about telling him why he was different. Rick thought about what he had just said. His goal...as far as he could figure, his "goal" had been to kill the Scorpion King which he had, remembering how in the temple at Ahm Shere, he had briefly believed. Those pictures on the wall had been bugging him ever since though, making him question exactly why the figure had had his tattoo in the exact same place.

Unless...unless it could have been an image of him from his past? Rick frowned. 'God, you're beginning to sounds as screwy as Ardeth.' But it made send in a weird sort of way. What didn't make sense though, was who had put those pictures there and how had they known what would happen?

Evie's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Rick? What was your goal?" she repeated gently.

He lifted his head, staring at her. "I don't know yet. But I believe I'm going to find out." He reached out and cupped her cheek. "Evie, I'm okay," he said softly. He knew she didn't believe him, he could see it in her eyes. Funny how suddenly he had gone from being scared by all this to accepting it. And now that he had finally taken it on board, the more he started to come to terms with it, the more she began to worry about him.

She sighed, leaning into his hand. "I never came across you out cold on the kitchen floor and bleeding as a result of these visions before," she murmured. "It frightens me, Rick."

"I know, honey, I know," he told her, pulling her over to sit in his lap. He held her tightly, burying his face in her hair. She pressed her head against his chest. "I think it'll be good to go back to Egypt."

She looked at him curiously. "Why is that?"

"I don't know exactly. Maybe things will start to get a little clearer."

She smiled slightly. "But we just got home," she told him teasingly.

"At least we're already packed," he replied, the corners of his mouth tugging up a little.

"Well, all we have to do is book the flight details and we're set," Evie told him. She sat up a little straighter so that she could look him in the eye. "Rick, are you sure you want to do this?"

He stared at her for a long moment and nodded slowly. It was time he faced his fears and found out about his past. She sighed softly and leaned in, brushing her lips over his. "Then come back to bed," she whispered. "We can sort things out in the morning. And besides, you need sleep; you look like-" she broke off, suddenly remembering not to say that word.

"Hell?" he suggested, grinning.

"Darling, don't swear," she said, frowning. She ran a hand through his hair. "You're tired, you need sleep. Come on." She rose up from his lap, taking his hand and leading him back upstairs to bed.