AN: God, I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting all this time! Thing is, some idiot dropped my laptop to the floor and I had to have it repaired, which took longer than a week. But I think there's a little thingee in this chapter that will make it worth the wait. You be the judge.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

It was about 6 PM when Ardeth awoke to find Jean snuggled up to him with her head on his shoulder, her legs entwined with his. He feared that she would be pressing her wound against him, but she slept so serenely that didn't seem to be going through any pain. He decided to see how long it took her to wake. He didn't have to wait long, after a few minutes of watching her she started to stir and then opened her eyes. 

"What time is it?" Asked Jean, her eyes widening as she realized how close the two of them were, in what an intimate way they had slept.

"The sun will begin to set soon," he informed her, a bit amused by her reaction.

But when she tried to subtly disentangle herself from him, he firmly planted his hands on her waist and trapped her legs between his. She looked up at him and was about to protest, but when she saw the intense look in his eyes, the words of complaint died in her lips.

"I want to go outside," she whispered.

Ardeth shook his head. "You should wait," he told her.

"Please…"

He couldn't resist her pleading eyes and sighed. "Alright."

He rose from bed and splashed his face with fresh water from a basin, which he then handed to Jean, along with her make-up case. But there was something else in her tent she hadn't noticed before; it was a larger basin, which resembled a bathtub.

Before she had the chance to ask, Ardeth informed her, "I figured that you would like to look your best for this occasion, so I ordered my men to bring this while we slept. It is filled with warm water."

She smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you so much." But then realization struck her. "You mean... you mean someone entered and saw us sleeping like... this?"

The Chieftain noticed she had blushed intensely and let out a soft laugh. "Do not worry, sheytana, they were probably Ahmad and Tarek."

"Is that supposed to make it all better? God, I don't know how will I face them..."

"Habibi," soothed Ardeth. " They are loyal to a fault, if we cannot be ourselves in front of them then who else can we be at ease with?'

"But, what if they thought we...?"

"They know," was all he replied.

Jean nodded. She was still dying from embarrassment, but...

"I will give you some privacy now," he said, and left the tent.

Ardeth ran to the Nile for a quick dip, then to his tent to brush his hair and change into a cleaner robe and the returned to hers, to find her looking very beautiful.

She had washed her body thoroughly, glad to be able to remove all the fever's remains and then she had settled back in bed, for she was feeling a bit tired after the effort she had gone through. Her hair was wet and she was trying to disentangle it.

"Would you like me to help you with that?" He offered.

"Yes, please, I can't lift my arms just yet and looks like my hair is plotting against my best efforts to look good."

"You always do, kalila," said Ardeth, giving her a meaningful look that made Jean blush once again.

He then took the hairbrush from her hands and sat behind her. With extreme gentleness, he separated her hair in thin strands and ran the brush through each's length, enjoying the silky feeling of them against his fingers. He repeated the process several times, until her hair was entirely lustrous and tangle-free.

Jean had never imagined that having a man brush her hair could be so... sensuous. By the time he had finished, her breathing had become shallow and accelerated. When Ardeth looked at her, she realized his reaction had been exactly the same.

He then gave her the small trunk for her to pick and put on some jewelry and looked inside her trunk to find some clothes for her to wear. She was only wearing a very thin robe over her underwear, which she promptly removed, staying under the blanket to cover herself. He pulled out a turquoise dress.

"Would this please you?"

"Yes."

She started to get up from bed with difficulty and Ardeth helped her. When she was standing, he looked at her.

"I should turn," he suggested.

"First of all, you've had your hands all over me while we slept, so it would be ridiculous to ask you to turn," she said matter-of-factly.

"Come again?" He eyed her with curiosity and there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Ya know what I mean. And second, well, I kind of need your help."

Ardeth nodded. Still, no matter how strong his self-control was, at the sight of her body covered only by two pieces of thin underwear, he could feel his blood burning and his heart pounded almost painfully.

"You are beautiful, Jean. So soft, so pale, your skin like milk and rose petals," he whispered, his voice husky.

The woman looked at him with smoldered eyes and, when he reached out to run the back of his hand across the sensitive skin of her abdomen, she moved closer to him, never breaking eye contact.

Slowly, so slowly it was almost torturous, his lips met hers and she felt sparks like she'd never felt before. His tongue slid into her mouth, dancing with her own, his arms wrapping around her slender figure and caressing the flesh of her back.

Jean's hands slid up to the back of his neck, her fingers lacing themselves into his hair. A thousand sensations seemed to explode inside of her and she moaned his name. That was all he needed. He pulled her even closer, his arms going around her to clasp her to him.

She felt desire roaming through her body in a way that left her weak and her hands found their way to his robe's front opening. Finally, her fingers could have more intimate contact with his nude skin. She marveled at how brawny his chest was; the perfectly built muscles greeted her hungry-to-explore fingers and she let them travel up and down, occasionally digging her nails on the hard, yet soft tissue.

Ardeth was lost in sensations, the texture of her satiny lips distracting him enough that he had to force himself to release her as he realized what he was doing. He had given his emotions full rein, which in a situation like theirs was inexcusable. With a strength he didn't know he had, Ardeth pulled away from Jean.

She moaned in protest, but was left with nothing but liquid green eyes staring up into his face. His expression was of pure regret.

" I... I am sorry," he whispered breathlessly.

" No, it's OK..." Jean managed to answer.

Ardeth looked relieved. Without another word, he promptly helped her put on her dress and kneeled down to put a pair of golden sandals on her feet.

"You look very attractive," he told her after getting up. "But I am really looking forward to seeing you in the Medjai robes."

"Your grandfather's told you…"

"Yes, and I believe it is a wonderful idea. We all do," he reassured her, sensing his approval was crucial for her.

"Thanks."

Ardeth offered her his arm to sustain her after the manner of an Englishman and they both left the tent little by little.

When Ahmad and the rest of the Med-jai warriors saw that Jean was leaving the tent, a loud cheer went up. She blushed and felt like she did not need any kind of induction ceremony, for she already was a true member of the Med-jai tribe.

Almost immediately, she was surrounded by the warriors who were asking her about her health and congratulating her for beating Imhotep and for being about to become a Med-jai.

When they went back to their duties, Kasim approached Jean, who was still supported by Ardeth's arm.

"I was wrong and I hope you will forgive me some day," he blurted out.

"There is nothing to forgive, sir," she replied, as kindly as she could.

The man left and Ardeth couldn't hold back a smile.

"You really impressed him with that answer, Jean," he commented.

She smiled, but she hadn't been fooled by Kasim's words. He had said them like she used to repeat her lessons after having memorized them. She wasn't stupid and realized that the man hadn't accepted her yet, all the contrary, he still disliked her. And she couldn't care less.

"I am not a rancorous person. Would you please take me to the Nile?" She asked.

"And to the Nile we are going," said Ardeth and they both headed towards the river.

When they arrived, they stood there, gazing at the scenery and without saying a word. The sun was setting. The beautiful reds and yellows clashed in the sky as the orange sun sunk below the water line in the distance. Ardeth broke the silence.

"I should go help my men prepare dinner…but I don't want to leave you all alone."

"Go, go… I will be fine," she assured him.

"No. It wouldn't be prudent."

"Actually, I would enjoy some solitude."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, dear," she said with a smile, "as long as you promise to come back for me and not forget me here."

"Like I could ever do that. I will see you later." And with that, he was gone.

Jean stood for a long time in front of the Nile, supporting her body with one hand pressed against a palm tree, the sky's reds had been replaced by a dark blue blanket. She looked up at it, marveling at all the millions of stars. No sounds of cars, no smell of factories, just the purity of the sand and the stars. She let her breath out in a contented sigh. Silence. Privacy. Peace. And the taste of Ardeth still in her lips.