The five of them headed back to the O'Connells' mansion to change and
regroup. Ardeth stood looking at Rick's weapon selection. He had refused
the clothes Evelyn had offered him seeing how his robes had been through
worse, and they weren't that damaged. A few minor adjustments and he was
set. He could live through it. He didn't, however, pass up the chance for a
quick shower.
He sighed heavily as he carefully packed the many guns, daggers, and broadswords into a small trunk. Every time Ardeth had fought with Rick it had been for his family. He fought for Evelyn and then Alex, but now, now the battle had just gotten personal. This time it was his only daughter out there, a prisoner of Imhotep. By the time he found her it would probably be too late.
"I am a terrible father." He said numbly as Rick walked up beside him.
"You know, I thought the same thing when Alex was captured. I kept running over the list of things I could have done to prevent it. I kept blaming myself." Rick confessed, "Thinking like that is pointless, it only slows you down."
"I never meant to leave her for as long as I did. It's just that He was back again and you needed help. Then it took so long clean everything up. It's just that Akila, my wife, didn't make it easier on me either. She made me choose the Medji or her and Monifa. I tried to have both, but look where that led us."
"No matter what you would have chosen Imhotep still would have gone after her. Don't beat yourself up about this. We will get her back."
Ardeth stood thinking this over.
He will get his daughter back, or die trying.
*~*~*
Monifa woke up surprised not to be in the car. Instead she was inside a building, a house from the look of it. One quick glance at her surroundings told her that no one was in the room with her.
She climbed out of the bed and headed towards the window. As soon as she opened the wooden shudders, the worm sum light fell on her as she smiled to herself.
She was in Cairo.
It was all a dream, one horrible nightmare.
Her mother wasn't dead and neither was her father. Nor were Mr. and Mrs. O'Connell, Jonathan, or....Alex. Just the thought of him sent her stomach fluttering. She pressed her hands onto her stomach to stop that feeling to find; instead of her nightgown she was wearing her very wrinkly, very dirty school uniform.
It was real.
It all had been real.
As the pain and depression from last night slowly drifted back to her, she walked out on to the balcony and sat on the ground, leaning against the wall of the house. Below her the villagers were hustling and bustling about. If Monifa looked closely, she could probably name a few of the venders. She knew this place like the back of her hand, but she couldn't help but feel incredibly lost.
Imhotep walked out onto the balcony with her.
"You're up."
Monifa turned to face him, shocked a little. That was the first time she ever heard him speaking in English.
"How'd you know?" She sarcastically replied.
He was the last person she wanted to see at the moment.
"So beautiful when angry." He said, smiling as he ran a hand through her hair.
"Then I'm about to look angelic in a moment, now leave me alone."
He laughed to himself a bit.
"But I am here to give you answers. Isn't that what you want?"
She stood up a leaned against the metal rail. Imhotep came up behind her.
"Why me?" She asked as the wind played with her hair.
"You already know."
"Why me?" She asked more fiercely, turning and looking him squarely in the eyes.
"Because I love you."
"Like you loved Anuk-su-namun? You left me for her!"
"Poor judgment by me."
"Poor judgment?! You went and got yourself killed because you made a bad choice, is that what I am to believe?"
"What do you want me to say?"
"Nothing. There is nothing you can do to fix it. You left me there raising a child all on my own."
For the first time in pretty much all of Imhotep's existences, he was speechless.
"Don't look at me like that. She didn't live. Died shortly after birth."
They stood there in silence for a while until Monifa said with tears in her eyes, "I hate you. I hate you so much."
And before she could think of what she was about to do, her lips were already on his.
A/N: Dun dun dun!! Finally updated. You wanted Ardeth's soft side, so I gave it to you. He was a little like a robot, wasn't he? The whole Imhotep/Monifa age difference thing, in my eyes, is no ickier then the old Pharaoh marring Anuk-su-namun. Back then older men married young girls. Oh well.
Don't worry, Monifa and Imhotep wont.....you know. They'll just make out for a bit. Just incase that was bothering you or something.
He sighed heavily as he carefully packed the many guns, daggers, and broadswords into a small trunk. Every time Ardeth had fought with Rick it had been for his family. He fought for Evelyn and then Alex, but now, now the battle had just gotten personal. This time it was his only daughter out there, a prisoner of Imhotep. By the time he found her it would probably be too late.
"I am a terrible father." He said numbly as Rick walked up beside him.
"You know, I thought the same thing when Alex was captured. I kept running over the list of things I could have done to prevent it. I kept blaming myself." Rick confessed, "Thinking like that is pointless, it only slows you down."
"I never meant to leave her for as long as I did. It's just that He was back again and you needed help. Then it took so long clean everything up. It's just that Akila, my wife, didn't make it easier on me either. She made me choose the Medji or her and Monifa. I tried to have both, but look where that led us."
"No matter what you would have chosen Imhotep still would have gone after her. Don't beat yourself up about this. We will get her back."
Ardeth stood thinking this over.
He will get his daughter back, or die trying.
*~*~*
Monifa woke up surprised not to be in the car. Instead she was inside a building, a house from the look of it. One quick glance at her surroundings told her that no one was in the room with her.
She climbed out of the bed and headed towards the window. As soon as she opened the wooden shudders, the worm sum light fell on her as she smiled to herself.
She was in Cairo.
It was all a dream, one horrible nightmare.
Her mother wasn't dead and neither was her father. Nor were Mr. and Mrs. O'Connell, Jonathan, or....Alex. Just the thought of him sent her stomach fluttering. She pressed her hands onto her stomach to stop that feeling to find; instead of her nightgown she was wearing her very wrinkly, very dirty school uniform.
It was real.
It all had been real.
As the pain and depression from last night slowly drifted back to her, she walked out on to the balcony and sat on the ground, leaning against the wall of the house. Below her the villagers were hustling and bustling about. If Monifa looked closely, she could probably name a few of the venders. She knew this place like the back of her hand, but she couldn't help but feel incredibly lost.
Imhotep walked out onto the balcony with her.
"You're up."
Monifa turned to face him, shocked a little. That was the first time she ever heard him speaking in English.
"How'd you know?" She sarcastically replied.
He was the last person she wanted to see at the moment.
"So beautiful when angry." He said, smiling as he ran a hand through her hair.
"Then I'm about to look angelic in a moment, now leave me alone."
He laughed to himself a bit.
"But I am here to give you answers. Isn't that what you want?"
She stood up a leaned against the metal rail. Imhotep came up behind her.
"Why me?" She asked as the wind played with her hair.
"You already know."
"Why me?" She asked more fiercely, turning and looking him squarely in the eyes.
"Because I love you."
"Like you loved Anuk-su-namun? You left me for her!"
"Poor judgment by me."
"Poor judgment?! You went and got yourself killed because you made a bad choice, is that what I am to believe?"
"What do you want me to say?"
"Nothing. There is nothing you can do to fix it. You left me there raising a child all on my own."
For the first time in pretty much all of Imhotep's existences, he was speechless.
"Don't look at me like that. She didn't live. Died shortly after birth."
They stood there in silence for a while until Monifa said with tears in her eyes, "I hate you. I hate you so much."
And before she could think of what she was about to do, her lips were already on his.
A/N: Dun dun dun!! Finally updated. You wanted Ardeth's soft side, so I gave it to you. He was a little like a robot, wasn't he? The whole Imhotep/Monifa age difference thing, in my eyes, is no ickier then the old Pharaoh marring Anuk-su-namun. Back then older men married young girls. Oh well.
Don't worry, Monifa and Imhotep wont.....you know. They'll just make out for a bit. Just incase that was bothering you or something.