The Bracelet of Chance

Outside in another room, Malik and Alex were sitting, wondering what was going on. Both of them gasped as Rick carried out Ardeth.

" Oh my god! What happened?" Malik asked.

Mariana walked over to her.

" He was killed." she answered.

The coldness in her voice was unlike the Mariana they had all come to know…there was no warmth in her eyes.

" God." Malik muttered.

Mariana glared at all of them and walked out the door.

After seeing Ardeth, Evy went off by herself to the bedroom. She was still in shock from coming back, and Ardeth's death didn't help her calm down any better.

* I came back….Ardeth died…if this is some cruel joke, take one for another…I hate it! He's not worth my life! I should have stayed… But how did I even come back? There was no books, and there's nothing else that I have ever heard of…that could bring someone back from the dead, besides the book.* Evy though to herself.

" Is Mariana ok?" Jonathan asked.

" Ardeth is dead Jonathan, how would you be? Was I ok when Evy died?" Rick replied

" Oh, good point…but how you acted…well, that was just…you…but this is Mariana…" Jonathan replied.

Rick looked at him angrily.

" What?" Jonathan asked innocently

" Just shut up." Rick answered.

" Dad…what are we going to do now?" asked Alex.

" I don't know." Rick said looking around the room for Evy.

He saw she wasn't there and his eyes got wide.

" Where's Evy?" Rick asked getting worried.

" I think she went to you room." Jonathan answered sitting down in one of the chairs.

" I'll be back, Alex, stay with your uncle." Rick added walking out.

Rick quietly opened the door and looked in. He saw Evy curled up in a chair staring at the floor.

" Evy?" Rick said softly, closing the door behind him.

He slowly walked over to her. She looked up at him.

" Rick…this just keeps on getting worse." she said.

Rick bent down so that he could look into her eyes.

" We will find something…" Rick replied.

" You know we haven't been able to talk yet, since you…well came back." said Rick looking in her eyes.

" I was so scared when I saw you and Mariana, running in to save us. I knew the minute I saw the look on your faces…on yours, I knew you were going to get us out, even if it meant you taking my place." Rick said looking at her deeply.

" Well, I wasn't just going to sit there and do nothing especially since I knew what was going to happen." Evy replied.

" Evy, you didn't have to do that, you shouldn't have done it." Rick argued.

" Rick, we both know that we have a destiny, and we have already been told we choose it. That's what I was doing, if one of us…had to die….then well, you would be better to live…for Alex, you would be able to protect him and…teach him how to protect himself…If you were to die, I wouldn't be able to do that. Rick, I wouldn't be able to." Evy finished.

" No, I don't like to admit it very often, but your wrong. You could do all of that with Alex, you can protect him and teach him things to make him smart to figure his way out of things and danger. You could do all of that, that what a mother does." Rick said.

Evy just stared at him.

" The fact is, if you died…again…and it was permanent I wouldn't be able to do any of that. I could barely look at Alex a couple of hours ago because he reminded me of you. I wouldn't be able to do it Evy, I know I wouldn't. I would just stay in a room, and never come out. The point is, that no matter what, if one dies, the other cant do it, that's the point, neither of us can do it alone. That's our destiny Evy, to live together, if we cant do that, then our destiny is nothing." Rick finished.

Evy looked at him, tears coming to her eyes.

" I know Rick, I'm sorry I…always worry…" she said beginning to cry.

" Well, you're a mother now, things are different now from when we first got married, and got in all that trouble, then we didn't have to worry about anything except each other, now we have something that can be used against us, but if we are together, we will be fine, and we will be able to protect it for the rest of our lives." said Rick.

" You have every right to worry, especially the fact that our fears are much more than…drugs or things like that, we deal with mummies, pygmies, big bugs, and henchmen…and well, your brother." Rick added.

Evy gave a weak laugh.

" I promise Evy, from now on, I will heed your so called visions…which turn out to be warnings, and do my best to not get into situations like the other day, well, at least not without my guns or a lock pick." Rick finished, wiping the tears from Evy's face.

" I know Rick…but my visions arnt exactly correct, I mean we know that now, we know they can be changed." Evy replied.

" One thing though…make sure you tell me exactly what happens, especially if it involves us or Mariana and Ardeth." said Rick.

" Deal." Evy replied smiling.

They looked at each other and then kissed.

" Come on, lets go get Jonathan and then go see if we can figure out what we can do." Rick said standing up.

Evy stood up and they went out into the adjoining room, where Rick and left Jonathan and Alex.

" Where did they go?" Rick said looking around.

" Well, Mariana went to the bar right?" Evy asked.

" I …don't know where she went." Rick replied.

" Well, Jonathan finds any excuse to go to the bar…so he probably just made himself believe she went there so he could go…" Evy started.

" And when we bust him, he could say that he thought Mariana would be there, at which point, I hit him. Good thinking." Rick replied and they headed for the bar.

Inside the bar, Jonathan was drinking , Malik was beside him, and Alex was sitting quietly at a table, with quiet, wordless Mariana.

" Ah…good ole chap, I'll have another." Jonathan said waving his hand.

" Do you really think you should be doing that?" Malik asked while she was playing with the bracelet.

" Of course…it…he…lps…my nerves." Jonathan said drunkenly.

Alex sat looking at Mariana, who was staring into space but looked as though she was looking at the bottle in front of her…one of the many bottles on the table.

" M…Mariana, I'm sorry about Ardeth." Alex said quietly.

" I…really wish…it were…me…I fell like all of this is my fault." Alex finished.

Mariana connected the words she was hearing to the voice, from which they were coming from and she looked up.

" You have no right to be wishing something like that. You are just a little boy, even though you're your fathers boy, but none of this is your fault." Mariana said in a quiet choking voice.

" Do not feel like that, none of this is your fault, my nephew." Mariana finished with a weak smile.

" Jonathan!" Rick yelled as he and Evy came into the bar.

Jonathan jumped and turned around, Alex got up and went over to Evy.

" Mum!" Alex said grabbing her.

" Alex…I'm alright." Evy said with a laugh as she hugged him.

Then she went and sat with Mariana.

" Jonathan, I told you to stay in the room with Alex." Rick scolded.

" Actually, ole chap, you told Alex to stay with me…you didn't say to stay with me in the room, did you ole chap?" Jonathan said smartly, and being drunk, didn't really realize to whom he was speaking.

" Well, ole chap…I think your right." Rick said in a British accent, as he got a smirk.

Jonathan smiled as though he were proud, he thought, because of Rick's trick voice, he was merely talking to another drunk.

" But, when I say stay with Alex, I mean stay where you are!" Rick started in the accent and came back to his own stern voice.

This seemed to make Jonathan sober up, as the voice he was talking to, became all too familiar.

" Ah…Rick…" he said nervously.

" Yup." Rick answered and punched him.

" Aw you fell down Jonathan, let me help ya up. I must be so drunk I didn't know where my hand was going." Rick said sarcastically as he picked Jonathan up, who was rubbing his jaw.

" O'Connell! What the hell did you do that for?!" Jonathan snapped.

" Are you arguing with me?" Rick asked

" You bloody bet your arse I am!" Jonathan replied, but then realized what he had just said.

Rick was about to punch him again, but Evy interrupted.

" Rick…" Evy said shaking her head no.

Rick lowered his fist and walked over, but not without telling Jonathan he'd get back to the issue after all this was over.

" Mariana…" Evy said in a calming voice.

" Evy…I…I'm glad your ok…" Mariana said looking up, with a teary face.

" Enough about me…don't worry, we are going to find a way to get him back, you will, and we owe it to you, to him, to help." Evy said calmly.

" Thank you." Mariana replied.

" Yeah, and no one and I mean no one, is going to get in the way again!" Rick said walking over and he sat down by Mariana and hugged her.

" Don't worry sis, your not going through this alone." Rick said softly as he hugged her.

Mariana hugged him back tightly and began to cry in his arms.

" Its ok, I'm here, were all here. Your not going through this alone." Rick said softly.

Malik, Jonathan and Alex were standing at the table watching.

Evy looked up at everyone, then started to look back at Mariana, but stopped when she saw something Malik was holding in her hands.

" Malik…what is that?" Evy asked pointing at the bracelet.

" Oh, I found it, its what made you come back." Malik answered.

After Malik had answered, the bracelet appeared on Evy's arm. Evy's eyes widened as she saw what it was.

" You…you used this…to bring me back?" she asked almost in a scared voice.

Mariana had sat back up and was listening, Rick doing the same.

" Yeah, I used it. When I first found it, that's what brought Imhotep back to life, then after I had seen you, I remembered it, and then I brought you back." Malik answered.

Evy didn't say a word. She sat there looking at the bracelet, that was on her arm. She looked at it with disgust afraid to touch it with her other hand, and by this time, everyone else noticed it was now on her arm.

Rick looked at Evy strongly trying to read her.

" Why? What is it?…Evy?" he asked.

" It's…it's the bracelet…" she replied

" Is there another part to the sentence?" Rick asked.

" No, Rick she just lost interest in the sentence." Jonathan said.

Rick glared at him, if he weren't so worried, he would have hit him hard.

"Evy? Remember our little chat? Details, ring a bell?" Rick asked.

" It's the bracelet…of Mafdet." Evy answered.

" Mafdet? Does that mean something?" Rick asked.

" The bracelet of chance." Mariana answered.

Evy and Mariana looked at each other. Everyone was quiet.

" The bracelet of chance?" Rick said and got quiet.