ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Evy startled awake. Rolling off Rick's arm, she carefully sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, before glancing around, in search of what had woken her. She spotted nothing; the room was peacefully still. Relaxing back against the headboard and closing her eyes, Evy decided it must have been a dream. She was just drifting into another one when the hall clock chimed, rousing her.

'Hmmm…six o'clock,' Evy thought, lazily. The sun wouldn't be up for a bit, so she considered curling back up next to Rick. Abruptly remembering Ardeth, Evy's eyes flew open. 'I should check on him – no – I'll only disturb him.'

Dr. Hamilton had promised to leave Ardeth in peace until morning, and she knew she should honor that, despite the difficulty of it. It had been painfully obvious that Ardeth needed sleep. She knew she might as well lie back down, but settled for closing her eyes and trying to relax sitting up. It didn't take long to realize the pointlessness of the endeavor. Sighing, Evy carefully rose from the bed, pausing for a moment as Rick stirred slightly, before rolling over. Once he'd settled again, she tiptoed toward the door. As she wasn't likely to get back to sleep, she decided she might as well grab something from the pantry to distract herself from the continued temptation to check on Ardeth.

'The journal! Where is it?!' The thought striking her suddenly, Evy halted mid-step halfway out the door. 'Please, don't let me have left it sitting next to Ardeth!'

Slipping back into her bedroom, Evy glanced around, desperately praying she'd remembered to grab it. A long, relieved sigh escaped her lips as she spotted it on the nightstand. Tiptoeing over, she snatched it up and made her way out the door.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Reaching the pantry, Evy grabbed a tin of biscuits and set it, and the journal, on the table, before putting on the teakettle. It was a bit early, but she found the thought of the warm, soothing liquid too tempting to resist. Sitting at the table to wait, Evy flipped the journal open to the dog-eared page, then turned to the next one:

"Allah be praised! Ardeth's fever has broken at last. It happened very late in the night, just as it seemed death had finally, mercifully, arrived to claim him. He'd struggled for so many hours, there seemed no strength left, of body or will, and then he'd grown so still, even Fathi was certain that Ardeth had passed. He could not bring himself to reach out to him, for fear of confirming it. Neither could I. But dear, steady Badi'a did. I could hardly believe her words when she said he still lived and his fever had relented. Ardeth has not awoken, but it matters not. Once again, we dare hope. It is a great gift from Allah."

Relief washed over Evy. The journal hadn't said that Ardeth died; she'd been so certain that it would.

'Of course it hadn't,' Evy thought to herself, 'he's upstairs in our guestroom, so obviously, it couldn't have said that he died. I was just too exhausted to think rationally last night.'

Glancing at the next paragraph, she noticed it was dated several days later, but the kettle's whistle interrupted before she had a chance to read more. Jumping up, Evy rushed over to silence it before it awoke the entire household. Sliding the kettle off the heat, a little knot of worried tied in her stomach. What if it woke Ardeth? Evy decided, despite her earlier resolve, she better look in on him. Pausing long enough to put away the biscuits and grab the journal, she headed back up the stairs toward the guest room.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Returning to Ardeth's bedside, Najat frowned, anxiously. The feverish blush of his skin had grown deeper during her absence, and the sweat, glistening in the low light, coalesced into increasing larger droplets before trickling down. She noticed his expression was peaceful, however. The powerful herbs had at least eased his pain, even if they'd done little, if anything at all, to quell the infection draining the life from him.

It was tempting to not disturb him, but Najat knew she must. Grabbing a fresh bandage, she took a deep breath to steal herself and gingerly lifted his hand from atop the melted ice pack. Ardeth didn't even stir, but that was not unexpected, and she tried not to let it worry her. The Medjai desperately needed the sleep the medicine had allowed him; it did not seem unreasonable that he would be reluctant to wake again so soon.

Lifting away the melted ice pack and the poultice as gently as she could, Najat frowned. The swelling had decreased enough to see the angry, jagged edges of the wound. It had all the appearance of having been inflicted with deadly intent, despite Ardeth's determined assurances to the contrary. However, Najat refused to waste precious time speculating on events that could not be altered. It already seemed doubtful the Medjai possessed sufficient strength to accomplish his task. Whatever reserve he drawn from to get as far as he had, the fever was quickly draining away.

Forcing herself to focus, Najat pressed the fresh bandage against the wound, finally provoking a response from the Medjai. Abruptly waking, he hissed and grabbed her hand, pulling it away. The suddenness of his reaction startled Najat, but she quickly regained her composure.

"My apologies for waking you, but we must prepare to leave."

Ardeth dazedly blinked his eyes several time, before nodding. Responding more reflexively than coherently, he attempted to rise, sending intense flares of pain shooting out from his abdomen. Hissing loudly, the Medjai crumpled weakly back onto the bed, gulping down air in deep gasps that provoked even more pain from his broken ribs. Closing his eyes and focusing, Ardeth managed to even out his breathing, slightly decreasing the pain. However, the effort drained much of the strength that sleep had replenished, and he found himself drifting toward slumber again.

Sighing mournfully, Najat finished securing his bandage and backed away. Studying him, she decided to let him sleep a few more minutes while she woke the others. Tentatively turning away, she faced the Englishman.

"Jonathan." A soft, sensual voice wove its way into his dream, making Jonathan smile, giddily.

"Mmfflllmmm," he yawned in his sleep. "Oh yeah! That's it! Sing to me, my sweet little songbird."

Reaching out for the luscious beauty in his dream, Jonathan toppled off his precarious perch and landed, solidly, in a heap on the floor. 'Snort' "What in the….!"

"Jonathan?!" Najat exclaimed, sheepishly, reaching down to help the Englishman to his feet. "I beg your forgiveness! It was not my intention to startle you so."

Jonathan looked, blurry eyed, at the burqa-shrouded figure standing over him. "Najat?"

"Yes," the figure responded. "You are uninjured?"

"Fine. I'm fine," he hastily answered, his words slightly slurred with last vestiges of sleep. Recollection slowly replacing the haze in his brain, Jonathan shrugged away her concern, and her help - trying salvage a little of his pride as he clumsily rose to his feet. "Did you need something?"

Smirking beneath her burqa, Najat stepped back, giving him more room to maneuver. "It is time to go."

"Oh, right, of course, time to go," Jonathan mumbled in response and stumbled toward the door. Colliding solidly with Johari, he tripped over his own feet and, abruptly, found himself sitting on the foot of the bed, provoking a grimace of pain from Ardeth.

"Aren't you supposed to be holding up the other door?" Jonathan quipped, wary, even in a sleepy daze, of the foreboding Abadi warrior.

"There is no longer a need, as we are all in this room," Najat distractedly answered for her warrior.

"Huh? Where…?" Jonathan began to ask, trying to rub the stubborn bits of sleep from his eyes. Najat glanced over and sighed, wishing the Englishman would finish waking up.

"Muhannad and Samih escort Zaynab and Widad to the home of the O'Connell's, so that they may assure them of their son's safety, " she explained, waiting, this time, for a reply.

"Oh! Right. Carry on, then. We should get going, too. Don't you think?" Jonathan stammered. Nearly fully awake, he stood and, self-consciously, shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Yes. That would be wise," Najat replied, almost patiently, before turning her attention to Alex. She frowned as she noticed the child's scrapped knees and hand. The injuries weren't serious, but should have been tended to all the same. Najat sighed softly, aware that there wasn't time to do so at the moment; it would have to wait until they were on the plane.

"Child...Alex," she softly intoned.

"Mmfflllummp," Alex replied, rolling onto his side.

About to try again, Najat hesitated, tempted to let him sleep. She or Jonathan could easily carry the child. However, Najat could see that he'd been disturbed enough by the jostling mattress to teeter on the brink of waking, and suspected that it would only upset him if anyone attempted to pick him up. Gently caressing his cheek, she tried again.

"You must wake, Alex. It is time to leave."

"Huh?" Alex snorted, startling at her touch and looking up with bleary eyes. After a second, he remembered where he was and sat up. He paused to rub the sleep from his eyes with his fists, then, glanced coherently at Najat. "Time to go, is it?"

"Yes," Najat replied, pleased the child had come around more quickly than his uncle. Backing away as Alex climbed from the bed, she moved around to the other side to reawaken Ardeth.

"You put your burqa back on," Alex observed.

"Yes."

"Why?" he quizzed.

"I removed it because you are my guest. To make you more comfortable, it was proper that I uncover. However, now we are to venture out into the world, so it is proper that I be hidden once more."

"Oh," Alex replied, simply. Najat bowed, slightly, and returned her focus to the Medjai.

"Ardeth." The sound of his name provoked no response from the soundly sleeping Medjai. "Ardeth, you must wake."

Still managing no response, Najat softly caressed one of his tattoos, hoping to rouse him from his dreams. He woke, very abruptly and with a startled gasp. "My apologies, but it is time to leave."

Ardeth nodded, drowsily, and shifted to rise. Although only slight, the movement was enough to provoke more pain. Biting back a clipped moan, he closed his eyes to ride out the wave.

"ARDETH!" Alex shouted, rushing to the warrior's side. Najat grabbed him before he actually reached the bed, but it was close enough for Alex to notice how much weaker the warrior appeared. Ardeth attempted to wave away the concern, but couldn't quite muster the strength.

"I am all right, Alex. It was simply unexpected," he whispered, opening his eyes and managing a weak half-smile for the child.

"If you would allow me to assist you, honor…." The Medjai sighed, reminding Najat of his earlier request. "…Ardeth."

As she spoke, Najat signaled Johari to come closer. As weak as he'd grown, the rather large Medjai would be hardly more than dead weight. She didn't doubt that she could get him to his feet, but was unsure her strength would be sufficient to support him as they moved.

"There is no need. I can manage," Ardeth croaked, weakly, but firmly.

Waving away the Abadi's offer of assistance, he bit his lip and balled his fists, before attempting to move, determined to do a better job of hiding his discomfort this time. With the deepest breath he could manage, Ardeth eased himself over until he sat on the edge of the mattress. He smiled a little as he rested there. With his four of traveling companion hovering around him, it pleased the warrior that he'd made no sound that would betray his weakness. Taking another deep breath, Ardeth attempted to rise, but found, to his chagrin, that his legs were not feeling as cooperative as his voice. As they crumpled beneath his weight, four sets of hands reached out to catch him.

"I am fine," Ardeth commented, preemptively, before sighing in frustration. His words did little to convince anyone, however, and three of the four sets of hands continued to grip him as Johari shifted to pull the Medjai's arm over his shoulders.

"Uh-huh," Jonathan quipped, as he and Najat let go. "Of course you are. Just peachy."

Ardeth ignored the Englishman, choosing, instead, to focus on the child anxiously slipping a hand into his.

"All will be well, young O'Connell. Do not worry," he whispered. Glancing up, Alex attempted a reassuring smile, not wanting Ardeth to waste any energy worrying about him. Ardeth smiled, weakly, in return, but it turned into a grimace as the group began to move.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!"

O'Connell bolted upright as the panicked scream ripped him from a very pleasant dream. He was alert, on his feet, and halfway to the door by the time Evy flew through it.

"THEY'RE GONE!" She shouted, as Rick's mouth opened to ask her what was wrong.

"Who?" Was what he ended up uttering.

"WHO?!" his wife responded, looking at him as though he were the village idiot. "ALEX AND ARDETH!"

"Please, stop shouting, Evy," Rick pleaded, firmly of the opinion that it was way too early for that sort of volume. "You're gonna wake the dead."

"CALM DOWN?!" Evy responded, earning a disapproving glare from her husband. Throwing her hands up in exasperation, she earnestly tried to speak more softly. "How can I calm down? Didn't you hear what I just said?"

Rick frowned, shaking his head as he replied, calmly. "The whole house heard what you just said."

"How can you be so calm about this!?"

Rick sighed; it was also way too early for hysterics. "All right, Alex and Ardeth aren't in their room, right?"

"EXACTLY!" Evy responded, relieved that he was finally starting to grasp the alarming development. However, she found it more than a little disconcerting that he still appeared calm. 'He's in shock,' she finally decided.

"Well, let's think about this for a second. Alex is eight – a handful, yeah, but, still, just a kid. And Ardeth, well, Ardeth can barely even sit up. How far away could they be?"

Evy's brow wrinkled as she considered Rick's annoyingly rational argument. She realized he was right, of course. They couldn't have gone far. Still, that didn't mean there wasn't a problem. Ardeth had no business being up and around. Anything could happen! He could pass out, injuring himself further as he fell, or even just trip and reopen his wounds. Evy gasped as another possibility crossed her mind - the stairs. He'd never make to the bottom on his feet in the condition he was in, and another fall down them might just kill him. Turning abruptly, Evy fled from the room, without explanation, and raced toward the stairs.

"ALEX! ARDETH! WHERE ARE YOU! ANSWER ME!"

Pausing just long enough to throw on some pants, Rick flew out the door after his wife. He slammed, painfully, into Dr. Hamilton, who looked a little bleary-eyed, but alarmed.

"We seemed to have lost your patient," Rick informed the physician, before he could ask.

Dr. Hamilton's eyebrow rose. "Lost?"

Rick shrugged. "Apparently they aren't where she left them."

The physician's brow wrinkled with concern and disapproval. Between the blood loss and fever, it seemed doubtful Ardeth could stay on his feet more than a few minutes, if that, before collapsing. When that happened, he would certainly rip out some of his stitches, at the very least. Dr. Hamilton had no particular desire to re-stitch the wounds again. Nor did he relish the idea of having to tend to any new injuries his patient might incur. Swearing softly under his breath, he wondered where an eight-year old and a gravely-injured Arab might go in the middle of the night.

"Did she check the washroom?" He inquired of his host. Rick smirked, doubtful that anything that simple had crossed Evy's mind. Both men immediately headed towards Ardeth's room to check for themselves.

"RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!"

O'Connell darted out of the washroom and into the hallway. Not expecting him to emerge from Ardeth's room, Evy slid to a halt so abruptly that she lost her balance. Latching on to Rick to steady herself, she glanced up, questioningly.

"We were checking the washroom," he admitted. Evy stared at him for moment, and Rick worried she might yell at him. When she frowned sheepishly, instead, he realized his suspicion had been correct. She hadn't checked the washroom yet.

"You found them?" Evy looked up at him, a spark of hope lighting her eyes. Rick shook his head.

"Rick! Where could they be?! I've searched everywhere – upstairs and down. They're simple NOT HERE!" She cried, growing desperate.

"They couldn't have gone far," Dr. Hamilton muttered, distractedly, wandering out of the guest room in search of Rick. " 'He' certainly couldn't have gone far on his own, and Alex is much too small to have supported him."

As Rick listened to the physician's reasoning, a sudden thought struck him, and his stomach dropped. Glancing at Evy, he could tell by the look on her face the same thing had occurred to her.

"JONATHAN!" They shouted, simultaneously. Rick held onto Evy's arm as they dashed towards her brother's apartment. Throwing open the door, the couple split up to search. It didn't take long to confirm their suspicions.

"I'm gonna wring his neck," Rick grumbled, as he joined his wife back out in the hallway.

"What on earth would have possessed him to…?" Dr. Hamilton mumbled, disbelievingly shaking his head as he joined the couple. Rick just shook his head, disapprovingly.

Evy sighed, glancing speculatively at her husband. Guessing what she was thinking, he frowned and shook his head with even more disapproval.

"What?!" Dr. Hamilton demanded, feeling acutely like he'd missed something along the way.

"He better not have taken my car," Rick grumbled, racing toward the stairs.

"Rick, Evelyn…?" The physician persisted, following the couple downstairs.

"Ardeth just showed out of the blue," Evy explained, cryptically.

"Right. And….," the physician prompted.

"He wouldn't have done that unless he were here for a reason," Rick explained, taking over for Evy.

"All right, he has business here in England. Surely, it could be postponed." Still not grasping the significance, the physician began to feel a bit thick.

"Likely, it couldn't be," Evy began to explain, but was distracted. "Rick!"

Both Rick and Dr. Hamilton followed her gaze to the front door.

"Friends of yours, I hope," the physician muttered, slightly awestruck at the sight of the two silver-clad, Arabic-looking warriors and two burqa-shrouded, presumably, Arabic women standing just inside the entryway.

"Only one way to find out," Rick quipped, before turning toward his wife and growing very serious. "Perhaps you and the Doc should wait here."

"Richard O'Connell, if you think you're leaving me here while you go….."

Rick threw a hand up, pleadingly. "All right, all right. At least let me go first?"

Evy nodded and watched her husband warily approach the strangers.

"Um, hello, name's O'Connell. Please, don't hesitate to invite yourselves into my house," Rick quipped, sarcastically. "Now, who are you and what do you want?"

One of the warriors tossed something that Rick reflexively caught. Looking down at what he held, his face reddened.

"My keys?!" He bellowed. "When I get my hands on that little…."

"I am sorry. We assumed you would be pleased to have your vehicle returned," one of the women explained.

"He is," Evy clarified, stepping in front of her husband. "He just has a funny way of showing it."

The woman nodded, politely.

"I'm Evelyn O'Connell. And you are?" She prompted, hoping for better results than her husband.

"I am Zaynab. We are of the Abadi."

"Assalamu 'alaykum," Evy greeted, respectfully.

"Wa 'alaykum assalam," Zaynab replied, with a slight bow.

"Niceties out of the way, how 'bout you explain what you're doing here, besides returning my car," Rick demanded, stepping to the side of his wife.

"Rick," Evy hissed, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye.

"We bring word of your son," Zaynab announced, ignoring Rick's impudence.

"Alex! Where is he?" Evy overenthusiastically lunged forward, startling one of the warriors, who protectively stepped in front of Zaynab.

'Whoa there, big guy!" Rick defensively stepped in front of Evy.

Zaynab moved from behind the warrior, waving away his concern as he warily glanced at her.

"Please, we do not wish trouble between us," she pleaded.

Chagrined, Evy pulled her husband back. "'Asfa. I didn't mean to startle, uh, him."

"He is Muhannad," Zaynab informed them.

Evy smiled, appreciatively. "I didn't mean to startle Muhannad."

Zaynab bowed, slightly. "Of course not. You are worried for your son, but you need not. He is safe and well."

Evy breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling Rick squeeze her arm slightly, she glanced over and, unexpectedly, found worry still clouding his eyes. It took a moment for her to realize why.

"He's safe and well, but not with you, is he?" Rick questioned, drawing Evy closer to him, as she began to tremble.

Zaynab ducked her head, confirming his suspicion.

"Where is he, then?!" Evy wailed. "Why are you keeping him from us?!"

Rick tensed as Muhannad flinch in reaction to Evy's tone. However, Zaynab placed a gentle hand on the warrior's arm, stilling him.

"You misunderstand," she explained, calmly. "We do not 'keep' him; he refused to return."

Rick raised an eyebrow, as Evy frowned.

"What do you mean 'he refused to return'?" She asked, warily.

"Ardeth Bey insisted the child return home, but the child threatened to follow on his own if not allowed to stay by his side," Zaynab explained, patiently.

"Alex…," Evy hissed under her breath.

Rick shook his head, smirking. "Yeah, that sounds like our son."

"You're certain he's safe?" Evy questioned, anxiously.

"My people will watch him closely. I assure you no harm will befall him," Zaynab soothed.

"Keeping an eye on Alex isn't as easy as it sounds," Rick muttered, peevishly. "So, how 'bout you tell us exactly where Ardeth is taking our son, and, I assume, Jonathan?"

"You assume correctly. The Englishman also travels with our honored Medjai guest."

"To…," he prompted.

"Patience, Rick," Evy softly chastised, afraid he'd offend the Abadi before they found out where Alex was.

"Do not worry, Evelyn O'Connell. We take no offense," Zaynab assured, realizing the Englishwoman's concern. "My people escort Ardeth Bey and his guests to Cairo. From there, they will travel to our village, where it is hoped you may be reunited."

"Wouldn't it have been simpler to travel together?" Evy asked.

"Yes, that would have been preferable, but our guest could not be delayed any longer," Zaynab explained. "Even now, it is feared there is not sufficient time to complete the journey."

"What do you mean?" Evy responded, her wariness increasing.

Zaynab didn't immediately answer, taking a moment to study the O'Connells.

"Please, if Alex is heading into trouble, you must tell us," Evy pleaded, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach.

Zaynab held up a hand, gesturing for calm. "I assure you, your son is in no danger."

"So why the hurry," Rick quizzed, reflexively tightening his hold on Evy.

"As you are surely aware, Ardeth Bey is…unwell." Evy winced, guiltily, but Zaynab choose to ignore it.

"Yes, quite," Dr. Hamilton affirmed, abruptly jumping into the conversation. "Much too unwell to travel. Oh, my apologies, Dr. Ian Hamilton."

'"Doctor," Zaynab greeted, with a small bow. "Yes, our own healer is of the same opinion. However, it could not be avoided."

"But surely, a few days wouldn't…," the physician began protest, but Zaynab interrupted.

"The journey could not be delayed."

"Yes, you mentioned that," Evy commented, impatiently. "But why can't it be? What's going to happen?"

Zaynab took a deep breath, before reluctantly answering. "It cannot be delayed because Ardeth Bey is too weak to battle the fever that plagues him."

"Exactly why it should be delayed," Dr. Hamilton insisted.

Zaynab sighed. "You do not understand."

"Well you're dead on there," the physician grumbled.

"Perhaps you can help us to understand," Evy mediated, clinging to Rick, as a queasy feeling tickled her stomach.

"It is not difficult to understand," Zaynab replied. "Only to accept."

"Wait just a minute!" Rick suddenly understood. "You're saying he couldn't wait for us because he's dying."

Zaynab responded with a clipped nod. "Indeed, it is feared that, before many days have passed, his soul will free itself from his body. His task must be completed before this happens."

"Oh…," Evy gasped, tearfully, tightening her grip on her husband.

"What is this task, exactly?" Rick demanded, more harshly than intended.

"I am forbidden to say," the Abadi replied, softly.

"By whom?" Came a cool response.

"By Ardeth Bey," she answered, provoking a long string of profanity from the American.

"Ardeth, what are you up to?" Evy muttered under her breath, as her husband vented.

"It will all be made clear in time," Zaynab soothed. "Now, if you would gather your luggage. We must arrange transportation."

"Sounds like my cue to go," Dr. Hamilton commented, with resignation, feeling summarily dismissed as Evy and Rick scrambled to pack.

"You are welcome to journey with us, Doctor," Zaynab stated, seeing a frown on the physician's face.

"No, thank you…um…Zaynab." She bowed to acknowledge his sincere attempt at her name. "As sorely tempting as it is, I doubt it would make my wife very happy. Um…ma a sally ma."

"Ma'assalema, tabeeb," Zaynab replied, grinning beneath her burqa.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ