Hello campers! (Sorry, been spending time with Jack O'Neill lately.) Here
is the next chapter, a little ahead of schedule. You can thank Ardeth for
that. . .for someone who is usually very quiet (at least compared to Rick),
he doesn't shut up once he gets going.
Reviewers:
Terreis: Nope. . .Homecoming by itself is looking to be quite eventful. . .with Margit in the mix, it'll get even more interesting. Got more movie lines in this chapter, including my favorite one (and no, I don't mean Rick's perennial, 'we, what we?)
Sailor Elf: Yeah, I kinda got the impression you liked the movie 'Titanic.' Call me weird, but I didn't cry until the very, very end, when Rose reunited with Jack. More movie lines coming, where I can fit them in. Including one of the funniest exchanges in the first movies. . .Rick teaching Evy to fight.
Deana: That's one of my favorite lines, too. Although, aside from the infamous 'what's a place like me doing in a girl like this' scene (see above), I think my favorite Evy scene from the first movie is after she convinces the Warden to stop the hanging. She rises slowly to her feet and just smiles very sweetly at Rick. Kinda reminded me of an ancient Roman lady at the Coliseum.
Part Seven
Rick O'Connell was thinking this gig with the campus security/police wasn't so bad after all. In the first place, he didn't really have a job to do. . .Uncle Terrence arranged it so that the campus security was a cover story. He only had to check in every other hour. The rest of the time, he was free to gather information around the campus. In his own way. Of course. As opposed to Ardeth's way.
After checking in with Winston and Colin, and finding out the best places to go for information, Rick decided to take a page out of Ardeth's book. The places Winston and Colin suggested to him wouldn't be good until after hours. . .as in, the wee hours. . .so, he would try the library. He had a lot of unanswered questions, such as, why did Imhotep come here? Sure, Chi-town was a cool place to hang out, but why would Imhotep come *here* of all places?
Was he familiar with Chicago and the outlying areas? It was possible. . .not especially likely, but it was possible. Hell, anything was possible, and even the most unlikely of leads could pan out. He charmed the dragon lady at the desk into suggesting a way to search for. . .well, famous crimes in the Chicago area during the last twenty years. He implied to the woman that he was researching for a paper. He was particularly interested in art thefts, anything dealing with objects of beauty. Artifacts stolen from museums, anything of that nature.
He admitted that he wasn't really sure what he was looking for, which was why he was here, rather than searching the internet. The lady, who by this time was actually quite pleasant, told him that he could find what he was looking for in the microfilm department. Since he obviously had *no* idea in the world what she was talking about, she was then kind enough to take him to the books for the Chicago Tribune, and what to look for. Huh. He would have to tell his brother that sometimes, honey *did* work better than vinegar.
After about an hour of searching, Rick went into the room containing the microfilm machines (was it microfilm or microfiche? Rick couldn't keep them straight). And there, sitting with her back to him, was Evelyn Carnahan. The American barely managed to keep from looking over his shoulder at the rows of shelves containing the microfilm. Nope, they were still standing when he came through a minute ago, and she was here before he was.
*Huh. Guess she only tips over bookshelves when she's working in the library, instead of just when she's studying in it,* Rick thought as he deliberately chose the table located directly behind the girl. He shook his head, remembering what Izzy told him and Ardeth the day before. A wicked grin crossed his face as he deliberately allowed his stash of microfilm to fall onto the table. He was rewarded when Miss Evy Carnahan jumped, and spun around to glare at him.
He gave her his most charming smile (and if it was mischievous, too, oh well) and said, "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." He was rewarded with another glare, then the girl's eyes dropped. For a moment. . .just a moment, Rick thought she was. . .uhm. . .checking out his packaging, then he saw the way she was actually studying what newspapers she was using. Rick thought briefly about pushing himself forward, then decided it wasn't worth his time.
If he hoped to get a rise out of her Levis, he was sorely disappointed when she replied with a slight tilt to her head, "The only thing that scares me, Mr. O'Connell, are your manners!" And then she turned her back on him. Rick stared at her, mentally repeating her words, unable to believe that a girl of nineteen just said that to him, in that tone of voice. He discovered she was nineteen after talking to Ardeth, who told him most of the students in that particular class were freshmen and sophomores.
Rick was still having a hard time tracking that, with the lengthy title of the course, but oh well. Hell, he never went to college, so what would he know? Thoroughly annoyed that she (or her roommate) got the better of him twice now, Rick stuck his tongue out at her. He was immediately grateful that she couldn't see him. . .she, or Ardeth. Rick could just about hear what his too-serious brother with the mischievous streak a mile long would say about that!
And anyone who said that was a contradiction in terms didn't know his younger brother. At all. Rick shook his head, still hearing his brother teasing him about that particularly childish act and what it might mean. Damn kid. Let him take one psych course. . . Rick shook his head again, then started trying to thread the microfilm into the machine. Except, of course, it was absolutely determined to be difficult. The damn machine had to be female. Had to be. Or maybe it was a machine version of Ardeth. Okay, that was a scary thought, move on, O'Connell!
For the next five minutes, Rick struggled with the microfilm, muttering every curse he could think of, in every language he knew. English, French, German, Arabic, and Med-jai. Hell, he probably even made up a few, without even thinking about it. And in that time of struggling to properly thread the microfilm into the machine, he grew both more determined that this damn machine wouldn't best him, as well as more certain that it was a machine version of Ardeth. It had the same reaction to Rick's swearing that Ardeth did. Usually a blank look and, 'do you feel better now, ya ahi?' Damn him.
And then, out of the blue, Evy Carnahan huffed out of her seat, rounded the table and pushed Rick out of the way. She gave him a glare that Rick interpreted as saying something along the lines of, 'MEN!' Then she removed the canister from the spindle and turned it in the opposite direction. Oh. No wonder he couldn't thread it. Then, she proceeded to thread the microfilm properly into the machine.
Rick watched her carefully, because he had *no* intention of going through this again. And unfortunately, the nice lady's instructions didn't sound so simple when he repeated it to himself a few moments later, after he finished gathering his canisters of film. He felt his face burning with embarrassment. Ardeth would give him no end of grief when Rick told him about this (and Rick *would* tell him, he always did). Once the girl was finished, Rick managed to mumble, "Thank you."
The sophomore nodded curtly before marching back to her table. And yes, 'marching' was the perfect way of putting it. Damn. And he thought Ardeth was uptight? Well, he was, but given his responsibilities, his duties, his birthright, Ardeth pretty much had a reason to be uptight. This gal, on the other hand. . .Rick couldn't figure out her problem. Well, actually, he could, but he was taught not to talk that way about a lady.
He should have gotten to work. He knew that. But she *was* in that class of Ardeth's, for Egyptian art. Rick chewed his lower lip thoughtfully. He located the notebook he brought with him (one he 'borrowed' from Ardeth. . .he'd buy his brother another one after he left here), then said as casually as he could under the circumstances, "You know, if you know so much about these machines, and I know you're in that Egyptian class, maybe you know something about an artifact called the Book of Amun-Ra, said to be made of gold."
There. Throw that out and let her chew on that for a few minutes! Evy Carnahan went still in her seat. And just sat there. Rick grinned with satisfaction and began searching for the items on his list. Lessee. . .here's something. He pushed a lever as a test, then almost fell back in his own seat, seeing how quickly the pages whirred past. Damn! And he thought VCR's moved fast when you put them on rewind! He found the date and the page he was looking for almost immediately, then pulled his notepad from his backpack to start taking notes.
At last, Evy's brain unfroze and her jaw dropped in astonishment. Rick glanced at his watch and timed it. Cool. He stunned her speechless for two full minutes. That little voice inside his head, the one that sounded just like Ardeth, chastised him for his lack of focus. Rick promptly told that inner-Ardeth to shut the hell up. It listened to him just about as well as his brother did in the real world. Not at all.
Finally, the girl in front of him blurted out, "Why yes! It's a very ancient, and very famous book, with the spells and incantations of the Old Kingdom in Egypt. No one knows where it is, or even if it truly exists. Why, are you researching the Book of Amun-Ra? Why? Your stepbrother is from Egypt, why don't you ask him about it? Made of gold? You *do* know your history!" Funny, she almost sounded. . .well. . .admiring. He got a smug 'I told you so.' Again, from his inner-Ardeth, who was twice as annoying as the real thing.
"I know my treasure," O'Connell corrected, pulling his notebook free. He flipped it open, and began writing down possibilities. Right now, he would write down anything he found. Then he and Ardeth would work together to eliminate anything that didn't have Imhotep's modus operandi. If they didn't find anything in Chi-town proper, they would make their way out in an ever-growing circle. And if nothing turned up in Illinois?
Well, it was worth a shot. He also noticed that his reply silenced Evy Carnahan. Again, and this time, he didn't think to time it. Oh well. Rick decided to contribute a little more to the conversation, saying, "And I don't ask my brother, because he's got other things to worry about, including several nubile young females who have taken a liking to him. Speaking of which, why don't you tell me a little about your roommates, since they seem to act like human beings, instead of female vampires?"
The girl blinked and stammered, "My roommates? You want to talk about my roommates?" Well, yeah, he did ask about them. And funny thing was, she added almost in the next heartbeat, "Well, I suppose you do want to know about them, since you asked. But why do you want to know about them?" She was eyeing him in a way that didn't make him entirely comfortable. He wasn't even sure why he was asking about her roommates. . .
Yes, he was. Number one, he wondered how in the hell Beni managed to bamboozle this particular trio of girls, and number two, he knew that Ardeth was giving the little roommate second and third looks. And now that Rick saw her in her avenging angel mode, so to speak, he could sort of see what Ardeth was seeing when he looked at her. It still annoyed the hell out of him, that Ardeth could see a person's potential when he couldn't.
He decided to use the two rationales, combined into one, to explain his question. He replied, writing down another interesting fact, "Well, your roommate. . .the little one. . .is kinda annoying to me for taking up for my little buddy Beni. But I think my stepbrother likes her. I guess I just want to make sure she's good enough for him. And the other one. . .hell, she's dangerous no matter how you look at her! I kept getting the feeling that if I even looked at your little roommate the wrong way, she would have cut me into pieces."
Okay, maybe she wouldn't be the only one who would cut him into little pieces. His reluctant companion retorted, twin spots of color burning into her cheeks, "Good enough! I'll have you know, Celia is from one of the finest families in Chicago!" Rick just raised his brows at that. From one of the finest families in Chicago? What the hell did she think Ardeth was, chopped liver??? Rick fought back his temper with an effort, telling himself that if he blew his stack now, they might regret it later. How, he didn't know, but it was possible.
As it was, he twirled his finger in the air, answering, "Yea for her. I don't much care if she's the daughter of royalty, sister. I wanna know if *she* is good enough for my brother. Not her family. Her. Will she take care of him, will she be good to him? You know, the important stuff. Not how rich her family is." Now technically, Rick knew that Ardeth was right. They were here to get the Book of Amun-Ra back, take down Imhotep, and deal with Lock-nah. However. That didn't mean Ardeth couldn't have some fun in the meantime.
"If she decides someone is worth her trust and loyalty. . .well, you've seen my roommate in action. You tell me," the girl fired back. Okay, good answer. She was right. Beni probably didn't deserve that girl's loyalty, but she unsheathed her claws in a hurry to protect him. Evy continued, her voice still low to avoid attracting attention, "And for your information, her name is 'Celia.' Or, to be more formal, 'Cecelia Anne Ferguson.' Not, 'your little roommate.' And the question then becomes, is your brother good enough for my roommate? Anck and I won't allow just anyone to date Celia, after all."
Rick blinked in astonishment as the prim and proper English rose turned into a spitting hellcat, though not as fiery as her roommate was this morning. She arched a brow, obviously expecting some sort of answer. Unfortunately, Rick didn't have one for her. Dammit. Bested again. And when she realized that she won (this round, at least), Evy Carnahan turned her back on him, sniffing as she did so. Nobody sniffed like that. Nobody in Rick's world at least.
A moment after that, a genteel curse filled the air and Rick realized that she was leaving. She rewound her film until it was all back on the proper doojimifloppy, removed it, and shut down the machine. And of course, she returned everything to its proper place before she left the library in high dudgeon. Rick always heard that phrase, but until he watched Evelyn Carnahan leave the microfilm room with a huffy air, he never saw it happen.
Shaking his head, Rick returned his attention to what he was doing, muttering, "Wow. I knew they called it 'higher education' for a reason, but that one never even occurred to me." He glanced at his watch. It was eleven thirty, which meant he was at it for a little under half an hour. Okay, he would finish up this article and head over to the student union building food court at twelve thirty to meet Ardeth.
Nah, on second thought. . .he would return to the campus police station and check in with Winston and Colin. He liked to hang around, just in case they might need his help. At six three, Rick's size sometimes came in handy during bar fights. He just made sure he was alone when he went to a bar here in the States. He was, as he told his brother that morning, *not* ashamed of Ardeth. But he also didn't believe in borrowing trouble.
Besides, Ardeth was very uncomfortable in those settings. He could handle it if he was working, gathering information. But for relaxation purposes? Not a chance. Again, Rick thought about his most recent confrontation with those three girls. Evy. . . the little roommate was Celia. Evy was obviously quite protective of her roommate. More open than Rick was in his own protectiveness toward Ardeth. Then again, she was a woman. She was allowed to be.
Rick finished up his notes and put the pad away, but not before tucking the information found in the books in the pad. He sighed, rising slowly to his feet. His spine crackled in protest, and Rick rethought his plan to go to the campus security post first. Sure, it was a nice day, but did he really need the exercise that badly? Especially when he thought about how much time it would take him to get to the station, then back to the student union building. *You know,* he thought, *I could save myself a trip and call Colin once I get outta here. Get over to the student union building first and surprise Ardeth by being early for once.*
He liked that plan. Liked it a lot. And since the lady at the desk was so nice to him, Rick repaid her by putting the canisters where she asked him to. He didn't always pay attention to that sort of thing, but this time. . .he would. Besides, he might need the library again, and if he needed more information, it would be a good thing, to be on the good side of one of the librarians. (Aside from the one he just pissed off, of course).
As he left the library, he removed his cell phone (provided and paid for by Uncle Terrence, of course), and called Colin at the station. His 'partner' told him everything was quiet, enjoy whatever he was doing, just please be back by two. They wanted to preserve the illusion that Rick was working there, after all. Rick laughed and agreed, hung up, then continued on his way. He actually thought he might make it from the library to the student union building without incident.
He almost made it, too. He was approaching the doors to the student union building, when Henderson and Daniels stepped out from behind a pair of bushes. Rick almost groaned. *Oh, you gotta be kidding me. Can we possibly get any more clichéd?* Instead of asking that, however, he asked in the most conversational tone he could muster, "Something I can do for you, boys? Or are you blocking my way for the hell of it?"
"We gotta few things to say to you and your boy, O'Connell. But since it's just you, I figger you can take a message," Daniels spat out. Rick felt himself doing a slow burn. He wasn't concerned about himself. He could take these two losers without even breaking a sweat. But he *really* didn't appreciate them insulting Ardeth like that. Again. Rick forgot to swallow as Daniels and Henderson were joined by four other men. Oh. . .shit. This SO did not look good! And making it worse. . .Rick was fairly sure some of these were Lock-nah's guys.
However, Rick wasn't alone either. As he dropped his backpack, a cold, familiar voice retorted, "I think not!" Rick barely held back a grin as his brother joined him. The billowing black desert robes weren't swirling around Ardeth's body, but the entrance was no less dramatic for all that. And Rick couldn't remember a time, except one, when he was so proud of his brother. Ardeth dipped his head in a mock bow, his black hair falling forward. He said nothing more. Nothing more needed to be said. Daniels gave an inarticulate yell, and the six attacked. Ardeth swiveled around, so that he and Rick were back to back, and the fight was on.
. . .
As she and Evy got ready to meet Anck for lunch, Celia learned that she got her facts backward. Wasn't the first time that happened, and she was fairly certain it wouldn't be the last. There were times when Celia thought her natural state was confusion.
At any rate, Anck had the nine-thirty and the eleven am classes. Evy only had the ten am class, but in her words, it felt like the class that never ended. The professor acted like he didn't want to be there, an observation that made Celia groan in sympathy. She was all too familiar with the type. They were there for the money, not because they cared anything about the subject matter or the students.
After class, Evy went over to the library, where she encountered 'that annoying Mr O'Connell.' Celia raised her eyebrows at that. And just what did the annoying Mr O'Connell do to make Evy so annoyed with him? Evy actually blushed and mumbled something. Okay, she didn't quite catch that. Evy glared at her, and repeated, this time audibly, "He kissed me. He kissed me, and said 'it seemed like a good idea at the time.' The nerve of that man!"
Celia blinked at her friend and repeated, "He kissed you. At the library?" Evy turned even redder and shook her head. The only other time that Celia knew that O'Connell was anywhere near her roommate was in the student union building. The shorter girl asked, saying the words aloud so they actually seemed real to her, "He kissed you. . .this morning? In the student union building? Where was I when this was going on?"
"At our table, shaking like a leaf. It was while I was taking Ceci Gabor to the bathroom. That annoying man and his brother accosted us as we were coming out, and Ceci. . .ah. . .well, she. . .uhm. . ." Evy hemmed and hawed. Celia glowered at her, and Evy spat out, "Well, she saw Mr O'Connell and started pounding on him, screaming that he hurt her daddy and she hated him. Mr O'Connell, I mean."
Celia was barely able to hold back a grin. Little Ceci, who was no bigger than a minute, was pounding on that arrogant ass. Oh, this just got better and better all the time! Evy continued, "After Ardeth Bey and I got Ceci calmed down, she remembered that she was missing her little pocketbook and went back into the bathroom for it. And it was while she was in, looking for the pocketbook, that I. . .that O'Connell kissed me."
Celia waited patiently as they left the dormitory. No further explanations were coming from her roommate, and she sighed deeply. She might have to employ underhanded methods if she wanted to hear anything more about this kiss. Evy caught on rather quickly and added, "Oh, for goodness sake! It wasn't that good of a kiss! Even he said so. . .he said it seemed like a good idea at the time. In the space of ten minutes, he saw someone he never wanted to see again, was bested in an argument with a woman the size of a ballet dancer. . .or something like that. . .and got beaten up by a three year old."
A ballet dancer? Please! Celia wasn't even close to being that graceful! Admittedly, she was petite, but that was all he had to say! Besides, she was more concerned with the way Evy was reacting than she was with how O'Connell described her. Celia asked, painfully aware that she was revealing her own inexperience with the male population, "Then why, dear roomie, are you acting like this? If it wasn't that good of a kiss, why are you so put out with him? You're gonna have to explain this one to me, Eve." Okay, maybe it was a stupid question. But Celia was never in a relationship. . . never even been kissed.
"He didn't kiss me because I was special, Celia. . .he kissed me because I was there, and I was available, and I was a warm body! He would have kissed anyone in the situation. When I'm kissed, I want it to because the man thinks I'm special, I want it to be because he thinks I'm special. Not because he's mistaken me for some desperate floozy who will allow him to take liberties with my person because no one else will pay attention to me!" Evy retorted.
That wasn't something Celia ever really thought about. Up until she met Neil Grady, she never really met anyone who exasperated, annoyed, and frustrated her as Rick O'Connell did her roommate. She said slowly, "I suppose I figured because you're so pretty, you were used to guys kissing you. I mean. . .O'Connell can't be the first guy who's ever kissed you. Can he?" She couldn't help the questioning tone of voice as she directed a glance at her roommate.
"Well. . .that's not the point, Cecelia! You won't know until it happens to you, if it ever happens to you," Evy replied. Celia couldn't help flinching at that. She wasn't sure if that was how it was meant, but she couldn't help but think Evy had a point. It was very hard for her to imagine a decent guy who would find her attractive, much less desirable. Despite her earlier talk with Margit, she had a hard time accepting that Ardeth Bey would give her second or third looks.
"You have a point. I can't know what you're talking about, since no one has ever kissed me. . .no decent guy has ever shown an interest in kissing me, either. I guess I would be so stunned that someone did kiss me, it would never even occur to me to ask why they did it," Celia acknowledged, struggling to hold her voice steady. She glanced first to her right, then to her left to check for traffic, and barely caught sight of her roommate's shocked expression.
She paid it no mind, however, because the road was clear, and Celia jogged across the street. There seemed to be something going on at the lower entrance to the student union building, but she couldn't tell what that something might be. As they reached the other side of the road, Evy reached out and took her arm, turning her to face her roommate. The other girl said, almost stammering, "I never meant. . .Celia, you can't really think that, can you? You're only nineteen, much too young to give up on yourself!"
Celia glanced back toward the odd situation at the lower entrance to the building, then turned her attention back to her roommate. She replied, praying that her voice would remain steady for her, "I never said I was giving up on anyone or anything. I was merely stating facts. Fact. . .no decent guy has ever shown an interest in kissing me. Fact, no one has kissed me period. Fact, I wouldn't know how to react if someone *did* kiss me. Fact. . .I cannot imagine a man who would *want* to kiss me."
"And what would. . .oh my God. Celia. Turn around. Now," Evy said. Startled by the strange tone in her roommate's voice, the smaller girl turned around and gaped. That odd gathering she noticed earlier just took an ugly turn. Six men surrounded Rick O'Connell and Ardeth Bey. The two brothers were standing back to back, ready to fight. Something that Celia couldn't quite make out reached her ears, and the six men rushed the pair. Ohhh, no! She didn't like those odds. . .didn't like those odds at all! Celia was fully prepared to ride into the rescue for the second time that day. That wasn't to be, however.
Celia lunged forward, but Evy grabbed her around the waist, hissing, "What are you doing? Discretion is the better part of valor, Cecelia!" She would talk about valor later. . .the odds of six against two seemed unfair to her. She tried to lunge free of her roommate, but Evy held fast. She said this time, a hint of desperation entering her voice, "Celia! They are having a fist fight! What can you do to help them? Neither of us knows how to fight."
She was right. Dammit, she was right! There was nothing Celia could do, and if she tried to help, there was a good chance she would end up causing Ardeth to get hurt. With a strangled cry of protest and frustration, she forced herself to relax. She whispered, "I hate being helpless. I hate standing by and doing nothing." Evy dragged her behind a tree, one of the huge oak trees that grew on the campus.
"There is a way to help them. If someone asks, we can say that it was six against two, and it was the six who made the first move. We aren't totally helpless, my friend," Evy whispered, squeezing her shoulder gently. Celia rested her forehead against the bark, sighing. She was right. Celia *knew* she was right. But that didn't make it any easier to simply watch and do nothing. Didn't make it easy at all.
. . .
Ardeth had a sense that he was being watched, but at the moment, he was more concerned with staying on his feet and holding his own in the fight than he was with whomever was watching him. One of his three opponents was already on the ground, leaving him with two. He would deal with this pair of fools, then he would see to Rick. He shook his head, narrowly missing a blow to his jaw, and responded with a satisfying knee to his opponent's groin.
It was the American, Henderson. He crumpled to the ground, and Ardeth turned his full attention to his other opponent. One of Lock-nah's men. . .and he was armed. With a rock, or was it a brick? It was held by both hands, high over his head. Ardeth reacted quickly, reaching up to grasp the man's wrists, then planting his foot in his assailant's chest and pushing. The momentum slammed the other man into the wall and the brick fell on his own head.
He crumpled to the ground, motionless, and Ardeth whipped around to find that one of Rick's opponents had broken off to engage him. Well, that was good news for Rick, for he had his hands full with his two opponents, neither of whom were quite ready to go down. As opposed to Daniels, who was on the ground. The bad news for Ardeth was that this was a new player in the fight, and he was *big.* Bigger than Ardeth, bigger than Rick, bigger than Lock-nah. Which meant Ardeth had to use his brains more with this one. Ardeth wasn't short by any means. . .but this man was nothing short of huge.
It wouldn't take more than one or two punches from this giant to take Ardeth out, and the young chieftain was determined that the other man wouldn't get *any* punches in. Unfortunately, the giant came to the same conclusion and reached out with one meaty hand for Ardeth's throat. Uh. . .no. Ardeth darted out of the way, spinning around behind the giant to land two quick punches to his opponent's lower back, before launching a kick to the back of his knees. The man stumbled forward, then swung around to face him.
"That was a mistake, little man," the giant growled. Ardeth merely stared at him. . .then stumbled as he was struck in the back of the head from behind. The giant roared, seizing Ardeth by the throat, "Stay out of this, you little fool, this is my fight, not yours!" Ardeth gasped for breath, then fought just to stay conscious when the giant shook him, muttering under his breath about stupid fools who couldn't stay out of fights that weren't theirs.
Stay conscious. . .stay conscious. Lose consciousness, you lose the fight and possibly your life. Ardeth held onto that thought. Focus! Keep your focus. It was hard to do that around the roaring in his ears. It sounded like the ocean was nearby. His vision was graying at the edges, and Ardeth was losing strength in his limbs. Every time he tried to kick at the big man, he would find himself being shaken again.
And then. . ."STOP IT! YOU'RE HURTING HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!" The giant's grasp on Ardeth's throat eased, just a little bit. . .just enough for him to catch a deep breath. He coughed and the giant looked at him, as if seeing him for the first time. The voice came again, "Let him go, Justin, he's done nothing to you." The voice was familiar. . .but whom did he know with an English accent?
The answer came when the giant named 'Justin' said, "But Evy, I saw him fighting with those other men, and he wasn't fighting fair." Evy? Evy Carnahan? Despite the pain, Ardeth turned his head in the direction of Evy Carnahan's voice. Yes, it was her, and she wasn't alone. Ardeth would have groaned, if he could have spared the breath. She wasn't alone. Her roommate was with her, and they both looked exceedingly unhappy.
"Justin, he and his brother were attacked by six men. . .of course he wasn't fighting fair," Celia Ferguson replied. The man named 'Justin' looked at him, and Celia added, her own voice showing some strain, "Besides, he's smaller than you are. Is that really a fair fight?" Now both chagrin and shame were showing on Justin's face and he let go of Ardeth's throat. Despite his best attempts, Ardeth wobbled, his legs unsteady and Justin eased him to the ground before he could fall down.
Henderson was trying to sit up, and he wheezed, "Don't listen to them females. . .finish 'im!" Ardeth struggled to catch his breath as Justin very gently patted his shoulder. He was trying to apologize, but couldn't find the words. Ardeth struggled, and found, a weak smile for the big man. His reward was a gentle smile from the man who tried to kill him only moments earlier. How strange life was, but Ardeth would think about that later. They still had problems, and a quick glance at his brother told Ardeth that Daniels was starting to sit up. Henderson muttered about damn females interfering when they had no right, and Justin's eyes darkened.
As Rick might have said, if he weren't finishing off his last attacker, 'uh-oh.' The big man rose slowly, majestically, to his feet and turned to face Henderson. Ardeth had the pleasure of seeing the blond man gulp, and Justin said in a low voice, "I know you. You cause trouble around here. . .and you made fun of me last year. I remember what you did. I remember that you called Celia 'ugly.' But you're the ugly one. Now get your friend and get out of here, before I decide to show you what ugly is!"
Henderson whined, "But we was just showin' O'Connell and the pretty boy what we do to. . ." By this time, Rick was done with his last opponent, and he stormed over, grabbed Henderson by the collar, and punched him hard in the face. At the same time, Justin glowered at Lock-nah's men, which sent them all scurrying. Ardeth wondered fuzzily if he could learn how to do something like that to frighten his own opponents. He didn't realize, of course, that he could be quite fearsome in his own right.
"Last time I'm saying this, you son of a bitch," Rick hissed, "he is my brother. Got that? My brother. Unless you'd like me to start spreading rumors around the campus about you and Daniels, huh?" Oh. Nicely done! Ardeth closed his eyes. His throat hurt. His head hurt. And he had a half dozen other aches and pains from blows he took in the last few minutes. Worse yet, the day wasn't over yet.
"That won't be necessary, Rick. Justin, could you do me a favor? It's all right, Justin, the ladies told me everything. It was six against two, I know that," an unfamiliar voice said. Ardeth forced his eyes open to find a young man standing beside Evy and Celia. Evy looked haughty and triumphant, and Celia looked strained. The man said, nodding to Ardeth, "I'm Colin Burns, Rick's contact at the police station. I heard about a disturbance, and came to investigate. . .the girls told me the other four ran away."
"Ardeth Bey, Rick's brother. I do apologize for the disturbance, Mr Burns, but when I arrived a few minutes ago, the odds were six to one. . .I could not ignore that," Ardeth replied hoarsely. He closed his eyes again and allowed his head to loll back against the building. Unfortunately, the contact sent fresh stabs of pain through his skull. Another day, another headache, even if it was different way of accumulating it.
"Of course you couldn't," Burns agreed. . .well. . .agreeably. Ardeth didn't open his eyes, but he heard the disappointment in the other man's voice as he addressed his two friends, "And you two. What the hell were you thinking? Six against one? That isn't the way we were taught, you both know better than that. Or were you thinking you could trick me into thinking that you were the aggrieved party in this?"
Daniels whined, "We sure as hell weren't expectin' no girls to come to the aid of them two funny cowboys!" Ardeth heard a low growl deep in his brother's throat, and realized Rick was closer than the last time Ardeth looked. Daniels obviously didn't realize yet that he was in a lot of trouble, because he continued, "It ain't like they're gonna git either of them pretty boys in their pants." Ohhh. . .no. If Rick didn't kick his butt for that, the ladies would. Ardeth was incapable of holding up his head at the moment, much less leaving that idiot in a world of hurt
"Well, I never! You rude little man, you take that back immediately! There is absolutely no reason for you to be insulting to us, or to Mr O'Connell and Mr Bey! I'm beginning to wish I let Celia come down here when she wanted to the first time, instead of talking her out of it!" Evy exclaimed. Ah. So *they* were the ones watching. Ardeth was grateful to Evy for keeping her roommate out of the fight. Ardeth didn't need to watch his back, Rick's back, and worry about Celia getting hurt as well. On second thought, she might have surprised him even more.
She proved this second idea a moment later when Ardeth heard Daniels squeak in pain, and Celia said with no small amount of satisfaction, "There. Now you and your smug friend have a matched set. If there's any justice in the world at all, neither of you will be able to reproduce and create more annoying little gnats who only cause trouble. Mr Bey, Mr O'Connell, are you both all right?" Quite the change from this morning, when she was standing up to Rick!
"Yeah, I think so. Ardeth. . .you okay, little brother?" Rick asked, his voice much more gentle than normal. Now he was right beside Ardeth, and the chieftain nodded, searching his memory for the last time he heard Rick's voice so gentle. He was having a hard time, though, thinking around the pain. Gentle hands slid under his arms, lifting him into a standing position, then Ardeth felt Rick's arm sliding around his waist, pulling his arm over Rick's shoulders.
And Ardeth remembered the last time he heard Rick's voice *that* gentle. It was seven years earlier, after Ardeth was stabbed. He murmured, "I am fine, Rick. I am merely somewhat bruised, no life- threatening injuries." He opened his eyes then, and offered his brother a crooked smile. Rick smiled back at him, for once not employing that mask which drove Ardeth's mother and sisters insane with frustration. It was only Rick, only Ardeth's brother, and no one else.
"I know you're all right. But it's big brother's right, privilege and fringe benefit to take care of little brother. . .especially when the little brother usually takes care of the big brother," Rick answered, his eyes twinkling. This time, when he looked over at Evy Carnahan and Celia Ferguson, there was something in addition to the wry amusement and respect. Something different in the way he looked at Evy. Something. . .interesting.
Ardeth would find it highly amusing if the brother who urged him to consider a. . .a. . .a dalliance with Celia ended up getting involved with her roommate, the roommate whom he kissed, supposedly because it seemed like a good idea at that time. Ardeth ignored the part of him which said perhaps it would not be such a bad thing, his brother's suggestion. Courageous though she may be, Ardeth could not risk Celia's life in such a way. He smiled impishly, and Rick narrowed his eyes at him, asking, "What? I know that smile. It usually means you're up to something you shouldn't be."
Ardeth laughed and immediately regretted it, as it set his head to pounding once more. When the pounding eased, Ardeth replied, "What would I be up to, ya ahi? You are the one who was preparing to take on six attackers when I arrived." A growl began deep in Rick's throat, but this time, it was teasing. Ardeth could tell from the look in his brother's eyes. The younger grinned and added, dropping his voice ever so slightly, "Or would you like to tell Miss Carnahan that there was more to that kiss this morning than what you told her?"
"You wouldn't dare!" Rick whispered, glancing furiously at the two girls standing side by side a few yards away, identical expressions of uncertainty and concern decorating their faces. Ardeth followed his gaze, gave both girls a gentle smile, designed to ease their minds and hearts, then looked back at his brother. The smile given to Rick was one of pure mischief. His brother muttered, "Oh, you would. . .in a heartbeat, you would."
Ardeth's smile widened. Well, they were making progress. He was on the point of teasing his brother further, when another familiar voice interrupted, sounding *very* worried, "Madre de Dios! What the hell happened here?" Rick released Ardeth, so quickly he barely had time to re- adjust his center of gravity as Rick reached for a weapon that wasn't there.
"It's all right, Anck, we were good little girls. Unfortunately not everyone can say that. When Celia and I arrived a few moments ago, six men, led by our old friends Henderson and Daniels, were attacking Mr O'Connell and Mr Bey," Evelyn Carnahan answered. She paused, then tilted her chin ever so slightly, adding, "Justin was a little confused about whom was attacking whom, but we sorted that out."
Anck Cortez, the girl who only hours earlier promised to watch out for him, watch out for the girls who would try to take what he would not give, allowed her gaze to wander to the two fallen men. Her eyes grew hard, obsidian hard, and she asked, "And where are the other four men? I always knew you were fools, senores, but I never had either of you figured as bullies. And I always wondered what a decent sort like Colin Burns could possibly see in you."
Ah. So there was bad blood between the trio of girls and Ardeth's unexpected enemies. As if hearing his question, Anck said, "You see, Ardeth, last year, these two idiotos thought it would be funny to play a Halloween prank on my roommate after watching 'Carrie.' Unfortunately for them, someone else got caught in the crossfire. Namely, our very tall friend there. Justin did not take kindly to being drenched in pig blood, or whatever that was."
Oh yes. Definitely some bad blood, and it sounded like in this case, it was literally a case of bad blood. Justin added, still seething, "And they told me they rigged it because they thought it would improve Celia's looks." Justin, Ardeth was coming to realize, was the archetypical gentle giant, the kind who would give piggyback rides to children. . .and who could be lethal when you caused harm to someone he cared about.
"I keep telling Justin I'm used to comments like that," Celia said with a sigh, "but he insists that no one should ever say that to another human being. They also made the mistake of thinking just because Justin's big and has a temper, that he was also simple. Not so. Justin is one of the smartest people on the campus. I think he's even smarter than Evy, and until I met Justin, I always thought Evy was the smartest person I ever met."
"People shouldn't say such cruel things. You're nice to other people. That makes you pretty," Justin replied stubbornly. He looked over at Ardeth, adding, "Don't you think so?" Rick's eyes swung back to him, and Ardeth knew it was Rick's turn to tease him. He met Celia's gaze, saw the amused resignation in her eyes.
And that hurt. No one should ever be used to thinking of themselves as somehow lesser. Ardeth replied, "It does not surprise me that Mr Henderson and Mr Daniels lack the vision to appreciate Miss Ferguson. Sometimes, a more discerning and more subtle eye is required to detect such beauty. Therefore, it should surprise no one that those two persons lack the necessary sight to understand that which you and I see, Justin."
He glanced around, and realized the only ones who had no clue what he just said were Henderson and Daniels. Celia was blushing, Anck was grinning at him broadly, Evy was nodding emphatically, and Rick muttered, "Smooth, little brother, very smooth. Have you been taking lessons from Uncle Nassor and me?" Ardeth glared at him. Hardly! While he was a warrior first, Ardeth did *have* some rough skills with diplomacy!
"What in the hell did he just say?" Daniels demanded, sounding dangerously close to whining. He came dangerously close to really being in a world of hurt a moment later, muttering, "Goddamn screwed up foreigners can't come to this country and speak English." Rick's expression changed from amused and teasing to downright thunderous, while Celia's face was contorted with rage.
"He was speaking English, idiot, if you were paying attention. And just for that, I should let go of Celia. Judging from her expression, I think she could quite happily kick you in the nuts once more, and I'd let her!" Evy snapped. Ardeth blinked. Did she just say 'nuts' or did his overused brain imagine that? No, she definitely said that. . .he saw the same stunned expression on his brother's face, as well as everyone who knew Evy, albeit briefly.
"Since you're too stupid to understand what he said, I'll be happy to translate. He said that he's not surprised you can't see how pretty Celia really is, because to see it, you'd need better vision than you've got. That's putting it into terms that you can understand," Justin retorted. He paused, then said, "You know, Evy, that's the first time I've ever heard you speak so bluntly. I didn't think you had it in you!"
"Oh, my roommate is full of surprises. They both are. And now that these two morons have been put in their place, can we *please* get something to eat? I'm starving!" Anck pleaded. Everyone laughed, and Anck continued, "I'll take that as a 'yes.' Mr O'Connell, since you're behaving like a human being, instead of the rat bastard you were being this morning, would you and your brother like to join us for lunch?"
Rick was looking at Ardeth to see his reaction, and thus, missed seeing Evy Carnahan shaking her head 'no' desperately at her roommate. The Med-jai nodded, and Rick looked back, saying, "Sure, sounds like a good idea. It'll spare both of us the indignity of a meal I prepared." That made the girls look at each other and laugh. And judging from their laughter, it seemed likely that at least one of them was a bad cook. Rick added, nodding at Henderson and Daniels, "And what about these two losers?"
"Well, before anything else happens, I have a few things to say to them both," Anck replied. She marched over and kicked Henderson hard in the groin.
Ardeth winced. Two blows to the groin in a twenty-minute period. Someone would need to carry him back to his place of residence, most assuredly. She walked over to Daniels, who was trying desperately to scoot away before she could do the same to him. Didn't work. She kicked him even harder, also in the groin. That was two for two. Anck added, "That was for insulting my roommate. Again."
With those two duly chastened, Anck turned to her roommates and said, "Shall we go? Time is wasting, and I'm sure Celia is getting as hungry as I am. Let's eat, and we can talk. I have much to tell you both!" She linked arms with both her roommates and strolled past the brothers. Justin was helping Colin Burns with his two wheezing friends, and the dark-haired Texan (for Ardeth remembered Rick mentioning that Burns was also from Texas) motioned for them to go ahead. Rick grabbed Ardeth by the back of his neck and steered him inside. This would prove interesting.
As Rick often said, he didn't know the half of it.
. . .
This was turning into a most interesting day, but Anck held back the details of her. . .encounter with Professor Emmett Tepper until the two men were away from the table, getting their own food. And then she told her roommates everything, all that transpired between herself and the mysterious new professor. Anck wasn't entirely certain why she waited until they were gone, before she told her roommates. It just. . .she just didn't feel like sharing it with anyone other than Celia and Evy. She concluded by telling her roommates, "You know, I think this is some sort of sign. All three of us have met men who stir our souls."
"Well, that's one way of putting it," Celia said dryly, "but considering what we've been facing over the last year, I'm half inclined to think you're right, Anck. The timing is what gets my attention. On the same day, all this happens. And Evy, whether she wants to admit it or not, is attracted to 'the annoying Mr O'Connell.' Quit making that face, Evy, your muscles will freeze like that and stay that way."
Anck tried very hard not to laugh at her roommate's comment, as well as Evy's indignant expression. Celia sounded just like Anck's mother right then, and she was sure it was meant to sound that way. The English girl sputtered, "What. . .I. . .what makes you think I'm attracted to him! The very idea!" Anck and Celia exchanged a glance, both girls looking amused at their roommate's reaction. Anck was thinking, *just keep protesting, amiga, you'll only serve to convince us that much faster.* Evy finally said, "That's just plain ridiculous. You both have found men to whom you're attracted, and now you're trying to matchmake for me."
"Well, that would be a plausible explanation except for one reason. . .'scuse me, for two reasons," Celia replied reasonably. Anck took a bite of her sandwich. She actually had a pretty good idea what her friend would say, but she would let Celia take care of this. Her American roommate obliged her by saying, "For one thing, if it were up to us, neither of us would choose to matchmake you with Rick O'Connell. For another, neither of us have ever seen you act like this. I think Anck's right. There's a reason all this is happening at once."
Evy shook her head in frustration and disbelief, saying, "I don't believe you two! Next, you'll be talking about curses and magick spells, and heaven only knows what else!" Anck and Celia exchanged another look. This wasn't the first time they had this conversation, but in the past, they usually let it go. This time would be different. Anck couldn't shake the feeling that the events of the day would be very important.
"You do not believe in magick, Evy? You do not believe, at the very least, in the psychological impact of curses?" Anck asked, taking a sip of her soda. This was something she studied in both high school and college. And growing up as she did, she was familiar with the blending of the old and new religions. Her mother was friendly with the village strega. Anck didn't just believe in magick. . .she knew it existed.
"No, I do not," Evy replied definitively, "I believe if I can see it and touch it, then it's real, that's what I believe." Anck raised her eyebrows and glanced over at Celia. She often wondered why her American roommate believed in magick, especially given Celia's own background. For now, Rick O'Connell and Ardeth Bey were rejoining them, and Evy asked O'Connell, "And you, Mr O'Connell, what do you believe in?"
Oooh, loaded question! The tall American replied, "I believe in being prepared." He placed his tray gently on the table and looked around, before taking his seat. His brother followed suit, but he took longer to find whatever he was, or was not, looking for. Rick O'Connell continued, "Caught part of your conversation. So your two roommates believe in magick, and you don't, hmm?"
"Which begs the question," Ardeth said quietly, removing his food from his tray, "why do the two of you believe what she does not?" Another loaded question, but Anck figured she should have been prepared for it. Magick was an emotionally charged subject for many people. There were the recent controversies over the Harry Potter books and movies. Anck read the first book, and saw nothing evil in it. But given her own background. . .
"Because I grew up with two religions intermingling. And that was the accepted way of things. That is very hard for some in this country to understand, I know, because of duality. If you are Catholic, you cannot deal in tarot cards. Which is true in the Catholic faith, that is not something you are supposed to do. However, the reality is much different. There was the Catholic Church, and every week, my mother and I attended Mass. Sometimes, my mother would attend Mass, or Eucharist, or whatever they're calling it, more than once a week. And there was also the old religion. I lived not far from the village strega. I grew up with magick. It is as real to me as the Catholic faith in which I was raised," Anck replied.
Celia took a bite of her own sandwich and explained, "My grandmother was raised by Native Americans in British Columbia after her parents were killed at sea. She lived with them for several years, and learned a great deal from them. Magick was among that. I could give you a few examples, but you're both men, and I wouldn't want to embarrass you." The American's face flamed at that.
However, Ardeth smiled and answered, "I have four sisters, Miss Ferguson. Two of whom are now young women. I do not think it is possible for you to embarrass me, as I believe I've heard everything from them. Acacia and Aleta hold very little back, even from their brothers, as Rick could tell you." The older brother nodded, still blushing. Ardeth added with a shrug, "However, I do think it might embarrass my brother. Perhaps you could explain another time, when he is not present?"
"I think that's an excellent idea. Anck, before I forget, would you have a problem with Margit visiting us during Homecoming? Seems she's having some problems, and wants to get outta town for a while," Celia commented. Anck grinned. Was Celia joking? Anck *loved* talking with Margit, and it sounded like a lot of fun. Maybe Margit could help her in her matchmaking attempts between Ardeth and Celia.
She wasn't sure why she liked the idea of putting her roomie together with Ardeth Bey. Though he took even Anck's breath away with his beauty, Celia seemed more comfortable with him than she was with most guys. And there was his comment earlier, that Henderson and Daniels lacked the wisdom, the vision, to see Celia as she really was. Besides, they'd make a really cute couple. Celia was tiny, and looked even smaller next to Ardeth, who was at least one or two inches over six feet.
And speaking of Margit and matchmaking. . . Anck asked her roommate, "Does she still have a thing for your brother?" Celia grinned brightly, and Anck continued, "Well, I was just thinking. Your brother's annual fundraiser for the hospital is coming up. I was thinking the three of us could help out, and that'll give you a chance to figure out how Galen feels about Margit. That way, if he feels the same way, we can do some heavy- duty matchmaking while she's here in October for Homecoming."
"Okay, this conversation has officially gone over the edge," O'Connell muttered. Anck ignored him, though she could hardly ignore the way Evy was glowering at him. It made her smile, really. She, Evy, and Celia were all attracted to men, and were handling it in vastly different ways. Evy was deep in denial, Celia was struggling to deal with it, period, and Anck? Anck turned bright red every time she thought of Emmett Tepper, and wondered when she would see him again.
Ardeth interrupted those thoughts, asking, "What sort of fund raiser would this be?" Anck looked up, to see the handsome young teaching assistant looking at Celia with a curious expression, his dark brown eyes thoughtful. Anck glanced over at her roommate, seeing the way red stained her pale cheeks. *Hang in there, querida,* Anck thought, *you've been doing so well, now is not the time to lose control.*
And she didn't. Instead, Celia replied, "It's for his hospital. Galen is a resident at one of the local children's hospitals. And really, 'fund-raiser' is a misnomer. Every year, he takes about twenty, twenty- five kids to some property the three of us inherited from our grandparents, and the kids spend a few days away from the city. Kinda like Make-a-Wish or something similar, except these kids aren't terminally ill. Their siblings are the ones who are sick or injured, and Galen likes to get them away from the hospital atmosphere."
"It is a fund-raiser, though," Anck put in, "because he ends up getting a lot of donations from the parents of these kids, and his neighbors. Not because he asks for donations, it just happens. And the neat thing is, it's no more than fifty dollars per family. . .each family donates what they can, and the money Galen gets from the families and the neighbors goes into a fund to make the hospital a little less intimidating for children."
"This year," Celia said, taking up the narrative, "Galen wants to branch out more. And thank you for reminding me about that as well, Anck, because Galen wanted to know if we could put the word out on campus. The guy who usually takes the kids around on the horses over the weekend is down sick, and he needs someone to fill in. The picnic is on Sunday, like always, and he wants to know if we can help."
Anck was on the point of assuring her roommate that she would be there, with bells on, when Ardeth asked curiously, "What sort of qualifications does your brother seek? I have some skill with horses, and I am fond of children. What time should we be there?" It was, Anck thought, a general 'we,' as in anyone who would be helping on that particular day. And she had no problem whatsoever believing that once children got past the intimidating height and equally intimidating tattoos, they would love Ardeth Bey.
However, Rick O'Connell was staring at his brother in shock, asking, "We? What we?" Ardeth's head snapped around, and the look he gave the other man was enough to scare Anck. Enough, too, to convince her that she really did *not* want to be on this man's bad side. However, O'Connell continued, "Could you ladies excuse us? My brother and I need to have a little conversation about his habit of volunteering us!"
Reviewers:
Terreis: Nope. . .Homecoming by itself is looking to be quite eventful. . .with Margit in the mix, it'll get even more interesting. Got more movie lines in this chapter, including my favorite one (and no, I don't mean Rick's perennial, 'we, what we?)
Sailor Elf: Yeah, I kinda got the impression you liked the movie 'Titanic.' Call me weird, but I didn't cry until the very, very end, when Rose reunited with Jack. More movie lines coming, where I can fit them in. Including one of the funniest exchanges in the first movies. . .Rick teaching Evy to fight.
Deana: That's one of my favorite lines, too. Although, aside from the infamous 'what's a place like me doing in a girl like this' scene (see above), I think my favorite Evy scene from the first movie is after she convinces the Warden to stop the hanging. She rises slowly to her feet and just smiles very sweetly at Rick. Kinda reminded me of an ancient Roman lady at the Coliseum.
Part Seven
Rick O'Connell was thinking this gig with the campus security/police wasn't so bad after all. In the first place, he didn't really have a job to do. . .Uncle Terrence arranged it so that the campus security was a cover story. He only had to check in every other hour. The rest of the time, he was free to gather information around the campus. In his own way. Of course. As opposed to Ardeth's way.
After checking in with Winston and Colin, and finding out the best places to go for information, Rick decided to take a page out of Ardeth's book. The places Winston and Colin suggested to him wouldn't be good until after hours. . .as in, the wee hours. . .so, he would try the library. He had a lot of unanswered questions, such as, why did Imhotep come here? Sure, Chi-town was a cool place to hang out, but why would Imhotep come *here* of all places?
Was he familiar with Chicago and the outlying areas? It was possible. . .not especially likely, but it was possible. Hell, anything was possible, and even the most unlikely of leads could pan out. He charmed the dragon lady at the desk into suggesting a way to search for. . .well, famous crimes in the Chicago area during the last twenty years. He implied to the woman that he was researching for a paper. He was particularly interested in art thefts, anything dealing with objects of beauty. Artifacts stolen from museums, anything of that nature.
He admitted that he wasn't really sure what he was looking for, which was why he was here, rather than searching the internet. The lady, who by this time was actually quite pleasant, told him that he could find what he was looking for in the microfilm department. Since he obviously had *no* idea in the world what she was talking about, she was then kind enough to take him to the books for the Chicago Tribune, and what to look for. Huh. He would have to tell his brother that sometimes, honey *did* work better than vinegar.
After about an hour of searching, Rick went into the room containing the microfilm machines (was it microfilm or microfiche? Rick couldn't keep them straight). And there, sitting with her back to him, was Evelyn Carnahan. The American barely managed to keep from looking over his shoulder at the rows of shelves containing the microfilm. Nope, they were still standing when he came through a minute ago, and she was here before he was.
*Huh. Guess she only tips over bookshelves when she's working in the library, instead of just when she's studying in it,* Rick thought as he deliberately chose the table located directly behind the girl. He shook his head, remembering what Izzy told him and Ardeth the day before. A wicked grin crossed his face as he deliberately allowed his stash of microfilm to fall onto the table. He was rewarded when Miss Evy Carnahan jumped, and spun around to glare at him.
He gave her his most charming smile (and if it was mischievous, too, oh well) and said, "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." He was rewarded with another glare, then the girl's eyes dropped. For a moment. . .just a moment, Rick thought she was. . .uhm. . .checking out his packaging, then he saw the way she was actually studying what newspapers she was using. Rick thought briefly about pushing himself forward, then decided it wasn't worth his time.
If he hoped to get a rise out of her Levis, he was sorely disappointed when she replied with a slight tilt to her head, "The only thing that scares me, Mr. O'Connell, are your manners!" And then she turned her back on him. Rick stared at her, mentally repeating her words, unable to believe that a girl of nineteen just said that to him, in that tone of voice. He discovered she was nineteen after talking to Ardeth, who told him most of the students in that particular class were freshmen and sophomores.
Rick was still having a hard time tracking that, with the lengthy title of the course, but oh well. Hell, he never went to college, so what would he know? Thoroughly annoyed that she (or her roommate) got the better of him twice now, Rick stuck his tongue out at her. He was immediately grateful that she couldn't see him. . .she, or Ardeth. Rick could just about hear what his too-serious brother with the mischievous streak a mile long would say about that!
And anyone who said that was a contradiction in terms didn't know his younger brother. At all. Rick shook his head, still hearing his brother teasing him about that particularly childish act and what it might mean. Damn kid. Let him take one psych course. . . Rick shook his head again, then started trying to thread the microfilm into the machine. Except, of course, it was absolutely determined to be difficult. The damn machine had to be female. Had to be. Or maybe it was a machine version of Ardeth. Okay, that was a scary thought, move on, O'Connell!
For the next five minutes, Rick struggled with the microfilm, muttering every curse he could think of, in every language he knew. English, French, German, Arabic, and Med-jai. Hell, he probably even made up a few, without even thinking about it. And in that time of struggling to properly thread the microfilm into the machine, he grew both more determined that this damn machine wouldn't best him, as well as more certain that it was a machine version of Ardeth. It had the same reaction to Rick's swearing that Ardeth did. Usually a blank look and, 'do you feel better now, ya ahi?' Damn him.
And then, out of the blue, Evy Carnahan huffed out of her seat, rounded the table and pushed Rick out of the way. She gave him a glare that Rick interpreted as saying something along the lines of, 'MEN!' Then she removed the canister from the spindle and turned it in the opposite direction. Oh. No wonder he couldn't thread it. Then, she proceeded to thread the microfilm properly into the machine.
Rick watched her carefully, because he had *no* intention of going through this again. And unfortunately, the nice lady's instructions didn't sound so simple when he repeated it to himself a few moments later, after he finished gathering his canisters of film. He felt his face burning with embarrassment. Ardeth would give him no end of grief when Rick told him about this (and Rick *would* tell him, he always did). Once the girl was finished, Rick managed to mumble, "Thank you."
The sophomore nodded curtly before marching back to her table. And yes, 'marching' was the perfect way of putting it. Damn. And he thought Ardeth was uptight? Well, he was, but given his responsibilities, his duties, his birthright, Ardeth pretty much had a reason to be uptight. This gal, on the other hand. . .Rick couldn't figure out her problem. Well, actually, he could, but he was taught not to talk that way about a lady.
He should have gotten to work. He knew that. But she *was* in that class of Ardeth's, for Egyptian art. Rick chewed his lower lip thoughtfully. He located the notebook he brought with him (one he 'borrowed' from Ardeth. . .he'd buy his brother another one after he left here), then said as casually as he could under the circumstances, "You know, if you know so much about these machines, and I know you're in that Egyptian class, maybe you know something about an artifact called the Book of Amun-Ra, said to be made of gold."
There. Throw that out and let her chew on that for a few minutes! Evy Carnahan went still in her seat. And just sat there. Rick grinned with satisfaction and began searching for the items on his list. Lessee. . .here's something. He pushed a lever as a test, then almost fell back in his own seat, seeing how quickly the pages whirred past. Damn! And he thought VCR's moved fast when you put them on rewind! He found the date and the page he was looking for almost immediately, then pulled his notepad from his backpack to start taking notes.
At last, Evy's brain unfroze and her jaw dropped in astonishment. Rick glanced at his watch and timed it. Cool. He stunned her speechless for two full minutes. That little voice inside his head, the one that sounded just like Ardeth, chastised him for his lack of focus. Rick promptly told that inner-Ardeth to shut the hell up. It listened to him just about as well as his brother did in the real world. Not at all.
Finally, the girl in front of him blurted out, "Why yes! It's a very ancient, and very famous book, with the spells and incantations of the Old Kingdom in Egypt. No one knows where it is, or even if it truly exists. Why, are you researching the Book of Amun-Ra? Why? Your stepbrother is from Egypt, why don't you ask him about it? Made of gold? You *do* know your history!" Funny, she almost sounded. . .well. . .admiring. He got a smug 'I told you so.' Again, from his inner-Ardeth, who was twice as annoying as the real thing.
"I know my treasure," O'Connell corrected, pulling his notebook free. He flipped it open, and began writing down possibilities. Right now, he would write down anything he found. Then he and Ardeth would work together to eliminate anything that didn't have Imhotep's modus operandi. If they didn't find anything in Chi-town proper, they would make their way out in an ever-growing circle. And if nothing turned up in Illinois?
Well, it was worth a shot. He also noticed that his reply silenced Evy Carnahan. Again, and this time, he didn't think to time it. Oh well. Rick decided to contribute a little more to the conversation, saying, "And I don't ask my brother, because he's got other things to worry about, including several nubile young females who have taken a liking to him. Speaking of which, why don't you tell me a little about your roommates, since they seem to act like human beings, instead of female vampires?"
The girl blinked and stammered, "My roommates? You want to talk about my roommates?" Well, yeah, he did ask about them. And funny thing was, she added almost in the next heartbeat, "Well, I suppose you do want to know about them, since you asked. But why do you want to know about them?" She was eyeing him in a way that didn't make him entirely comfortable. He wasn't even sure why he was asking about her roommates. . .
Yes, he was. Number one, he wondered how in the hell Beni managed to bamboozle this particular trio of girls, and number two, he knew that Ardeth was giving the little roommate second and third looks. And now that Rick saw her in her avenging angel mode, so to speak, he could sort of see what Ardeth was seeing when he looked at her. It still annoyed the hell out of him, that Ardeth could see a person's potential when he couldn't.
He decided to use the two rationales, combined into one, to explain his question. He replied, writing down another interesting fact, "Well, your roommate. . .the little one. . .is kinda annoying to me for taking up for my little buddy Beni. But I think my stepbrother likes her. I guess I just want to make sure she's good enough for him. And the other one. . .hell, she's dangerous no matter how you look at her! I kept getting the feeling that if I even looked at your little roommate the wrong way, she would have cut me into pieces."
Okay, maybe she wouldn't be the only one who would cut him into little pieces. His reluctant companion retorted, twin spots of color burning into her cheeks, "Good enough! I'll have you know, Celia is from one of the finest families in Chicago!" Rick just raised his brows at that. From one of the finest families in Chicago? What the hell did she think Ardeth was, chopped liver??? Rick fought back his temper with an effort, telling himself that if he blew his stack now, they might regret it later. How, he didn't know, but it was possible.
As it was, he twirled his finger in the air, answering, "Yea for her. I don't much care if she's the daughter of royalty, sister. I wanna know if *she* is good enough for my brother. Not her family. Her. Will she take care of him, will she be good to him? You know, the important stuff. Not how rich her family is." Now technically, Rick knew that Ardeth was right. They were here to get the Book of Amun-Ra back, take down Imhotep, and deal with Lock-nah. However. That didn't mean Ardeth couldn't have some fun in the meantime.
"If she decides someone is worth her trust and loyalty. . .well, you've seen my roommate in action. You tell me," the girl fired back. Okay, good answer. She was right. Beni probably didn't deserve that girl's loyalty, but she unsheathed her claws in a hurry to protect him. Evy continued, her voice still low to avoid attracting attention, "And for your information, her name is 'Celia.' Or, to be more formal, 'Cecelia Anne Ferguson.' Not, 'your little roommate.' And the question then becomes, is your brother good enough for my roommate? Anck and I won't allow just anyone to date Celia, after all."
Rick blinked in astonishment as the prim and proper English rose turned into a spitting hellcat, though not as fiery as her roommate was this morning. She arched a brow, obviously expecting some sort of answer. Unfortunately, Rick didn't have one for her. Dammit. Bested again. And when she realized that she won (this round, at least), Evy Carnahan turned her back on him, sniffing as she did so. Nobody sniffed like that. Nobody in Rick's world at least.
A moment after that, a genteel curse filled the air and Rick realized that she was leaving. She rewound her film until it was all back on the proper doojimifloppy, removed it, and shut down the machine. And of course, she returned everything to its proper place before she left the library in high dudgeon. Rick always heard that phrase, but until he watched Evelyn Carnahan leave the microfilm room with a huffy air, he never saw it happen.
Shaking his head, Rick returned his attention to what he was doing, muttering, "Wow. I knew they called it 'higher education' for a reason, but that one never even occurred to me." He glanced at his watch. It was eleven thirty, which meant he was at it for a little under half an hour. Okay, he would finish up this article and head over to the student union building food court at twelve thirty to meet Ardeth.
Nah, on second thought. . .he would return to the campus police station and check in with Winston and Colin. He liked to hang around, just in case they might need his help. At six three, Rick's size sometimes came in handy during bar fights. He just made sure he was alone when he went to a bar here in the States. He was, as he told his brother that morning, *not* ashamed of Ardeth. But he also didn't believe in borrowing trouble.
Besides, Ardeth was very uncomfortable in those settings. He could handle it if he was working, gathering information. But for relaxation purposes? Not a chance. Again, Rick thought about his most recent confrontation with those three girls. Evy. . . the little roommate was Celia. Evy was obviously quite protective of her roommate. More open than Rick was in his own protectiveness toward Ardeth. Then again, she was a woman. She was allowed to be.
Rick finished up his notes and put the pad away, but not before tucking the information found in the books in the pad. He sighed, rising slowly to his feet. His spine crackled in protest, and Rick rethought his plan to go to the campus security post first. Sure, it was a nice day, but did he really need the exercise that badly? Especially when he thought about how much time it would take him to get to the station, then back to the student union building. *You know,* he thought, *I could save myself a trip and call Colin once I get outta here. Get over to the student union building first and surprise Ardeth by being early for once.*
He liked that plan. Liked it a lot. And since the lady at the desk was so nice to him, Rick repaid her by putting the canisters where she asked him to. He didn't always pay attention to that sort of thing, but this time. . .he would. Besides, he might need the library again, and if he needed more information, it would be a good thing, to be on the good side of one of the librarians. (Aside from the one he just pissed off, of course).
As he left the library, he removed his cell phone (provided and paid for by Uncle Terrence, of course), and called Colin at the station. His 'partner' told him everything was quiet, enjoy whatever he was doing, just please be back by two. They wanted to preserve the illusion that Rick was working there, after all. Rick laughed and agreed, hung up, then continued on his way. He actually thought he might make it from the library to the student union building without incident.
He almost made it, too. He was approaching the doors to the student union building, when Henderson and Daniels stepped out from behind a pair of bushes. Rick almost groaned. *Oh, you gotta be kidding me. Can we possibly get any more clichéd?* Instead of asking that, however, he asked in the most conversational tone he could muster, "Something I can do for you, boys? Or are you blocking my way for the hell of it?"
"We gotta few things to say to you and your boy, O'Connell. But since it's just you, I figger you can take a message," Daniels spat out. Rick felt himself doing a slow burn. He wasn't concerned about himself. He could take these two losers without even breaking a sweat. But he *really* didn't appreciate them insulting Ardeth like that. Again. Rick forgot to swallow as Daniels and Henderson were joined by four other men. Oh. . .shit. This SO did not look good! And making it worse. . .Rick was fairly sure some of these were Lock-nah's guys.
However, Rick wasn't alone either. As he dropped his backpack, a cold, familiar voice retorted, "I think not!" Rick barely held back a grin as his brother joined him. The billowing black desert robes weren't swirling around Ardeth's body, but the entrance was no less dramatic for all that. And Rick couldn't remember a time, except one, when he was so proud of his brother. Ardeth dipped his head in a mock bow, his black hair falling forward. He said nothing more. Nothing more needed to be said. Daniels gave an inarticulate yell, and the six attacked. Ardeth swiveled around, so that he and Rick were back to back, and the fight was on.
. . .
As she and Evy got ready to meet Anck for lunch, Celia learned that she got her facts backward. Wasn't the first time that happened, and she was fairly certain it wouldn't be the last. There were times when Celia thought her natural state was confusion.
At any rate, Anck had the nine-thirty and the eleven am classes. Evy only had the ten am class, but in her words, it felt like the class that never ended. The professor acted like he didn't want to be there, an observation that made Celia groan in sympathy. She was all too familiar with the type. They were there for the money, not because they cared anything about the subject matter or the students.
After class, Evy went over to the library, where she encountered 'that annoying Mr O'Connell.' Celia raised her eyebrows at that. And just what did the annoying Mr O'Connell do to make Evy so annoyed with him? Evy actually blushed and mumbled something. Okay, she didn't quite catch that. Evy glared at her, and repeated, this time audibly, "He kissed me. He kissed me, and said 'it seemed like a good idea at the time.' The nerve of that man!"
Celia blinked at her friend and repeated, "He kissed you. At the library?" Evy turned even redder and shook her head. The only other time that Celia knew that O'Connell was anywhere near her roommate was in the student union building. The shorter girl asked, saying the words aloud so they actually seemed real to her, "He kissed you. . .this morning? In the student union building? Where was I when this was going on?"
"At our table, shaking like a leaf. It was while I was taking Ceci Gabor to the bathroom. That annoying man and his brother accosted us as we were coming out, and Ceci. . .ah. . .well, she. . .uhm. . ." Evy hemmed and hawed. Celia glowered at her, and Evy spat out, "Well, she saw Mr O'Connell and started pounding on him, screaming that he hurt her daddy and she hated him. Mr O'Connell, I mean."
Celia was barely able to hold back a grin. Little Ceci, who was no bigger than a minute, was pounding on that arrogant ass. Oh, this just got better and better all the time! Evy continued, "After Ardeth Bey and I got Ceci calmed down, she remembered that she was missing her little pocketbook and went back into the bathroom for it. And it was while she was in, looking for the pocketbook, that I. . .that O'Connell kissed me."
Celia waited patiently as they left the dormitory. No further explanations were coming from her roommate, and she sighed deeply. She might have to employ underhanded methods if she wanted to hear anything more about this kiss. Evy caught on rather quickly and added, "Oh, for goodness sake! It wasn't that good of a kiss! Even he said so. . .he said it seemed like a good idea at the time. In the space of ten minutes, he saw someone he never wanted to see again, was bested in an argument with a woman the size of a ballet dancer. . .or something like that. . .and got beaten up by a three year old."
A ballet dancer? Please! Celia wasn't even close to being that graceful! Admittedly, she was petite, but that was all he had to say! Besides, she was more concerned with the way Evy was reacting than she was with how O'Connell described her. Celia asked, painfully aware that she was revealing her own inexperience with the male population, "Then why, dear roomie, are you acting like this? If it wasn't that good of a kiss, why are you so put out with him? You're gonna have to explain this one to me, Eve." Okay, maybe it was a stupid question. But Celia was never in a relationship. . . never even been kissed.
"He didn't kiss me because I was special, Celia. . .he kissed me because I was there, and I was available, and I was a warm body! He would have kissed anyone in the situation. When I'm kissed, I want it to because the man thinks I'm special, I want it to be because he thinks I'm special. Not because he's mistaken me for some desperate floozy who will allow him to take liberties with my person because no one else will pay attention to me!" Evy retorted.
That wasn't something Celia ever really thought about. Up until she met Neil Grady, she never really met anyone who exasperated, annoyed, and frustrated her as Rick O'Connell did her roommate. She said slowly, "I suppose I figured because you're so pretty, you were used to guys kissing you. I mean. . .O'Connell can't be the first guy who's ever kissed you. Can he?" She couldn't help the questioning tone of voice as she directed a glance at her roommate.
"Well. . .that's not the point, Cecelia! You won't know until it happens to you, if it ever happens to you," Evy replied. Celia couldn't help flinching at that. She wasn't sure if that was how it was meant, but she couldn't help but think Evy had a point. It was very hard for her to imagine a decent guy who would find her attractive, much less desirable. Despite her earlier talk with Margit, she had a hard time accepting that Ardeth Bey would give her second or third looks.
"You have a point. I can't know what you're talking about, since no one has ever kissed me. . .no decent guy has ever shown an interest in kissing me, either. I guess I would be so stunned that someone did kiss me, it would never even occur to me to ask why they did it," Celia acknowledged, struggling to hold her voice steady. She glanced first to her right, then to her left to check for traffic, and barely caught sight of her roommate's shocked expression.
She paid it no mind, however, because the road was clear, and Celia jogged across the street. There seemed to be something going on at the lower entrance to the student union building, but she couldn't tell what that something might be. As they reached the other side of the road, Evy reached out and took her arm, turning her to face her roommate. The other girl said, almost stammering, "I never meant. . .Celia, you can't really think that, can you? You're only nineteen, much too young to give up on yourself!"
Celia glanced back toward the odd situation at the lower entrance to the building, then turned her attention back to her roommate. She replied, praying that her voice would remain steady for her, "I never said I was giving up on anyone or anything. I was merely stating facts. Fact. . .no decent guy has ever shown an interest in kissing me. Fact, no one has kissed me period. Fact, I wouldn't know how to react if someone *did* kiss me. Fact. . .I cannot imagine a man who would *want* to kiss me."
"And what would. . .oh my God. Celia. Turn around. Now," Evy said. Startled by the strange tone in her roommate's voice, the smaller girl turned around and gaped. That odd gathering she noticed earlier just took an ugly turn. Six men surrounded Rick O'Connell and Ardeth Bey. The two brothers were standing back to back, ready to fight. Something that Celia couldn't quite make out reached her ears, and the six men rushed the pair. Ohhh, no! She didn't like those odds. . .didn't like those odds at all! Celia was fully prepared to ride into the rescue for the second time that day. That wasn't to be, however.
Celia lunged forward, but Evy grabbed her around the waist, hissing, "What are you doing? Discretion is the better part of valor, Cecelia!" She would talk about valor later. . .the odds of six against two seemed unfair to her. She tried to lunge free of her roommate, but Evy held fast. She said this time, a hint of desperation entering her voice, "Celia! They are having a fist fight! What can you do to help them? Neither of us knows how to fight."
She was right. Dammit, she was right! There was nothing Celia could do, and if she tried to help, there was a good chance she would end up causing Ardeth to get hurt. With a strangled cry of protest and frustration, she forced herself to relax. She whispered, "I hate being helpless. I hate standing by and doing nothing." Evy dragged her behind a tree, one of the huge oak trees that grew on the campus.
"There is a way to help them. If someone asks, we can say that it was six against two, and it was the six who made the first move. We aren't totally helpless, my friend," Evy whispered, squeezing her shoulder gently. Celia rested her forehead against the bark, sighing. She was right. Celia *knew* she was right. But that didn't make it any easier to simply watch and do nothing. Didn't make it easy at all.
. . .
Ardeth had a sense that he was being watched, but at the moment, he was more concerned with staying on his feet and holding his own in the fight than he was with whomever was watching him. One of his three opponents was already on the ground, leaving him with two. He would deal with this pair of fools, then he would see to Rick. He shook his head, narrowly missing a blow to his jaw, and responded with a satisfying knee to his opponent's groin.
It was the American, Henderson. He crumpled to the ground, and Ardeth turned his full attention to his other opponent. One of Lock-nah's men. . .and he was armed. With a rock, or was it a brick? It was held by both hands, high over his head. Ardeth reacted quickly, reaching up to grasp the man's wrists, then planting his foot in his assailant's chest and pushing. The momentum slammed the other man into the wall and the brick fell on his own head.
He crumpled to the ground, motionless, and Ardeth whipped around to find that one of Rick's opponents had broken off to engage him. Well, that was good news for Rick, for he had his hands full with his two opponents, neither of whom were quite ready to go down. As opposed to Daniels, who was on the ground. The bad news for Ardeth was that this was a new player in the fight, and he was *big.* Bigger than Ardeth, bigger than Rick, bigger than Lock-nah. Which meant Ardeth had to use his brains more with this one. Ardeth wasn't short by any means. . .but this man was nothing short of huge.
It wouldn't take more than one or two punches from this giant to take Ardeth out, and the young chieftain was determined that the other man wouldn't get *any* punches in. Unfortunately, the giant came to the same conclusion and reached out with one meaty hand for Ardeth's throat. Uh. . .no. Ardeth darted out of the way, spinning around behind the giant to land two quick punches to his opponent's lower back, before launching a kick to the back of his knees. The man stumbled forward, then swung around to face him.
"That was a mistake, little man," the giant growled. Ardeth merely stared at him. . .then stumbled as he was struck in the back of the head from behind. The giant roared, seizing Ardeth by the throat, "Stay out of this, you little fool, this is my fight, not yours!" Ardeth gasped for breath, then fought just to stay conscious when the giant shook him, muttering under his breath about stupid fools who couldn't stay out of fights that weren't theirs.
Stay conscious. . .stay conscious. Lose consciousness, you lose the fight and possibly your life. Ardeth held onto that thought. Focus! Keep your focus. It was hard to do that around the roaring in his ears. It sounded like the ocean was nearby. His vision was graying at the edges, and Ardeth was losing strength in his limbs. Every time he tried to kick at the big man, he would find himself being shaken again.
And then. . ."STOP IT! YOU'RE HURTING HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!" The giant's grasp on Ardeth's throat eased, just a little bit. . .just enough for him to catch a deep breath. He coughed and the giant looked at him, as if seeing him for the first time. The voice came again, "Let him go, Justin, he's done nothing to you." The voice was familiar. . .but whom did he know with an English accent?
The answer came when the giant named 'Justin' said, "But Evy, I saw him fighting with those other men, and he wasn't fighting fair." Evy? Evy Carnahan? Despite the pain, Ardeth turned his head in the direction of Evy Carnahan's voice. Yes, it was her, and she wasn't alone. Ardeth would have groaned, if he could have spared the breath. She wasn't alone. Her roommate was with her, and they both looked exceedingly unhappy.
"Justin, he and his brother were attacked by six men. . .of course he wasn't fighting fair," Celia Ferguson replied. The man named 'Justin' looked at him, and Celia added, her own voice showing some strain, "Besides, he's smaller than you are. Is that really a fair fight?" Now both chagrin and shame were showing on Justin's face and he let go of Ardeth's throat. Despite his best attempts, Ardeth wobbled, his legs unsteady and Justin eased him to the ground before he could fall down.
Henderson was trying to sit up, and he wheezed, "Don't listen to them females. . .finish 'im!" Ardeth struggled to catch his breath as Justin very gently patted his shoulder. He was trying to apologize, but couldn't find the words. Ardeth struggled, and found, a weak smile for the big man. His reward was a gentle smile from the man who tried to kill him only moments earlier. How strange life was, but Ardeth would think about that later. They still had problems, and a quick glance at his brother told Ardeth that Daniels was starting to sit up. Henderson muttered about damn females interfering when they had no right, and Justin's eyes darkened.
As Rick might have said, if he weren't finishing off his last attacker, 'uh-oh.' The big man rose slowly, majestically, to his feet and turned to face Henderson. Ardeth had the pleasure of seeing the blond man gulp, and Justin said in a low voice, "I know you. You cause trouble around here. . .and you made fun of me last year. I remember what you did. I remember that you called Celia 'ugly.' But you're the ugly one. Now get your friend and get out of here, before I decide to show you what ugly is!"
Henderson whined, "But we was just showin' O'Connell and the pretty boy what we do to. . ." By this time, Rick was done with his last opponent, and he stormed over, grabbed Henderson by the collar, and punched him hard in the face. At the same time, Justin glowered at Lock-nah's men, which sent them all scurrying. Ardeth wondered fuzzily if he could learn how to do something like that to frighten his own opponents. He didn't realize, of course, that he could be quite fearsome in his own right.
"Last time I'm saying this, you son of a bitch," Rick hissed, "he is my brother. Got that? My brother. Unless you'd like me to start spreading rumors around the campus about you and Daniels, huh?" Oh. Nicely done! Ardeth closed his eyes. His throat hurt. His head hurt. And he had a half dozen other aches and pains from blows he took in the last few minutes. Worse yet, the day wasn't over yet.
"That won't be necessary, Rick. Justin, could you do me a favor? It's all right, Justin, the ladies told me everything. It was six against two, I know that," an unfamiliar voice said. Ardeth forced his eyes open to find a young man standing beside Evy and Celia. Evy looked haughty and triumphant, and Celia looked strained. The man said, nodding to Ardeth, "I'm Colin Burns, Rick's contact at the police station. I heard about a disturbance, and came to investigate. . .the girls told me the other four ran away."
"Ardeth Bey, Rick's brother. I do apologize for the disturbance, Mr Burns, but when I arrived a few minutes ago, the odds were six to one. . .I could not ignore that," Ardeth replied hoarsely. He closed his eyes again and allowed his head to loll back against the building. Unfortunately, the contact sent fresh stabs of pain through his skull. Another day, another headache, even if it was different way of accumulating it.
"Of course you couldn't," Burns agreed. . .well. . .agreeably. Ardeth didn't open his eyes, but he heard the disappointment in the other man's voice as he addressed his two friends, "And you two. What the hell were you thinking? Six against one? That isn't the way we were taught, you both know better than that. Or were you thinking you could trick me into thinking that you were the aggrieved party in this?"
Daniels whined, "We sure as hell weren't expectin' no girls to come to the aid of them two funny cowboys!" Ardeth heard a low growl deep in his brother's throat, and realized Rick was closer than the last time Ardeth looked. Daniels obviously didn't realize yet that he was in a lot of trouble, because he continued, "It ain't like they're gonna git either of them pretty boys in their pants." Ohhh. . .no. If Rick didn't kick his butt for that, the ladies would. Ardeth was incapable of holding up his head at the moment, much less leaving that idiot in a world of hurt
"Well, I never! You rude little man, you take that back immediately! There is absolutely no reason for you to be insulting to us, or to Mr O'Connell and Mr Bey! I'm beginning to wish I let Celia come down here when she wanted to the first time, instead of talking her out of it!" Evy exclaimed. Ah. So *they* were the ones watching. Ardeth was grateful to Evy for keeping her roommate out of the fight. Ardeth didn't need to watch his back, Rick's back, and worry about Celia getting hurt as well. On second thought, she might have surprised him even more.
She proved this second idea a moment later when Ardeth heard Daniels squeak in pain, and Celia said with no small amount of satisfaction, "There. Now you and your smug friend have a matched set. If there's any justice in the world at all, neither of you will be able to reproduce and create more annoying little gnats who only cause trouble. Mr Bey, Mr O'Connell, are you both all right?" Quite the change from this morning, when she was standing up to Rick!
"Yeah, I think so. Ardeth. . .you okay, little brother?" Rick asked, his voice much more gentle than normal. Now he was right beside Ardeth, and the chieftain nodded, searching his memory for the last time he heard Rick's voice so gentle. He was having a hard time, though, thinking around the pain. Gentle hands slid under his arms, lifting him into a standing position, then Ardeth felt Rick's arm sliding around his waist, pulling his arm over Rick's shoulders.
And Ardeth remembered the last time he heard Rick's voice *that* gentle. It was seven years earlier, after Ardeth was stabbed. He murmured, "I am fine, Rick. I am merely somewhat bruised, no life- threatening injuries." He opened his eyes then, and offered his brother a crooked smile. Rick smiled back at him, for once not employing that mask which drove Ardeth's mother and sisters insane with frustration. It was only Rick, only Ardeth's brother, and no one else.
"I know you're all right. But it's big brother's right, privilege and fringe benefit to take care of little brother. . .especially when the little brother usually takes care of the big brother," Rick answered, his eyes twinkling. This time, when he looked over at Evy Carnahan and Celia Ferguson, there was something in addition to the wry amusement and respect. Something different in the way he looked at Evy. Something. . .interesting.
Ardeth would find it highly amusing if the brother who urged him to consider a. . .a. . .a dalliance with Celia ended up getting involved with her roommate, the roommate whom he kissed, supposedly because it seemed like a good idea at that time. Ardeth ignored the part of him which said perhaps it would not be such a bad thing, his brother's suggestion. Courageous though she may be, Ardeth could not risk Celia's life in such a way. He smiled impishly, and Rick narrowed his eyes at him, asking, "What? I know that smile. It usually means you're up to something you shouldn't be."
Ardeth laughed and immediately regretted it, as it set his head to pounding once more. When the pounding eased, Ardeth replied, "What would I be up to, ya ahi? You are the one who was preparing to take on six attackers when I arrived." A growl began deep in Rick's throat, but this time, it was teasing. Ardeth could tell from the look in his brother's eyes. The younger grinned and added, dropping his voice ever so slightly, "Or would you like to tell Miss Carnahan that there was more to that kiss this morning than what you told her?"
"You wouldn't dare!" Rick whispered, glancing furiously at the two girls standing side by side a few yards away, identical expressions of uncertainty and concern decorating their faces. Ardeth followed his gaze, gave both girls a gentle smile, designed to ease their minds and hearts, then looked back at his brother. The smile given to Rick was one of pure mischief. His brother muttered, "Oh, you would. . .in a heartbeat, you would."
Ardeth's smile widened. Well, they were making progress. He was on the point of teasing his brother further, when another familiar voice interrupted, sounding *very* worried, "Madre de Dios! What the hell happened here?" Rick released Ardeth, so quickly he barely had time to re- adjust his center of gravity as Rick reached for a weapon that wasn't there.
"It's all right, Anck, we were good little girls. Unfortunately not everyone can say that. When Celia and I arrived a few moments ago, six men, led by our old friends Henderson and Daniels, were attacking Mr O'Connell and Mr Bey," Evelyn Carnahan answered. She paused, then tilted her chin ever so slightly, adding, "Justin was a little confused about whom was attacking whom, but we sorted that out."
Anck Cortez, the girl who only hours earlier promised to watch out for him, watch out for the girls who would try to take what he would not give, allowed her gaze to wander to the two fallen men. Her eyes grew hard, obsidian hard, and she asked, "And where are the other four men? I always knew you were fools, senores, but I never had either of you figured as bullies. And I always wondered what a decent sort like Colin Burns could possibly see in you."
Ah. So there was bad blood between the trio of girls and Ardeth's unexpected enemies. As if hearing his question, Anck said, "You see, Ardeth, last year, these two idiotos thought it would be funny to play a Halloween prank on my roommate after watching 'Carrie.' Unfortunately for them, someone else got caught in the crossfire. Namely, our very tall friend there. Justin did not take kindly to being drenched in pig blood, or whatever that was."
Oh yes. Definitely some bad blood, and it sounded like in this case, it was literally a case of bad blood. Justin added, still seething, "And they told me they rigged it because they thought it would improve Celia's looks." Justin, Ardeth was coming to realize, was the archetypical gentle giant, the kind who would give piggyback rides to children. . .and who could be lethal when you caused harm to someone he cared about.
"I keep telling Justin I'm used to comments like that," Celia said with a sigh, "but he insists that no one should ever say that to another human being. They also made the mistake of thinking just because Justin's big and has a temper, that he was also simple. Not so. Justin is one of the smartest people on the campus. I think he's even smarter than Evy, and until I met Justin, I always thought Evy was the smartest person I ever met."
"People shouldn't say such cruel things. You're nice to other people. That makes you pretty," Justin replied stubbornly. He looked over at Ardeth, adding, "Don't you think so?" Rick's eyes swung back to him, and Ardeth knew it was Rick's turn to tease him. He met Celia's gaze, saw the amused resignation in her eyes.
And that hurt. No one should ever be used to thinking of themselves as somehow lesser. Ardeth replied, "It does not surprise me that Mr Henderson and Mr Daniels lack the vision to appreciate Miss Ferguson. Sometimes, a more discerning and more subtle eye is required to detect such beauty. Therefore, it should surprise no one that those two persons lack the necessary sight to understand that which you and I see, Justin."
He glanced around, and realized the only ones who had no clue what he just said were Henderson and Daniels. Celia was blushing, Anck was grinning at him broadly, Evy was nodding emphatically, and Rick muttered, "Smooth, little brother, very smooth. Have you been taking lessons from Uncle Nassor and me?" Ardeth glared at him. Hardly! While he was a warrior first, Ardeth did *have* some rough skills with diplomacy!
"What in the hell did he just say?" Daniels demanded, sounding dangerously close to whining. He came dangerously close to really being in a world of hurt a moment later, muttering, "Goddamn screwed up foreigners can't come to this country and speak English." Rick's expression changed from amused and teasing to downright thunderous, while Celia's face was contorted with rage.
"He was speaking English, idiot, if you were paying attention. And just for that, I should let go of Celia. Judging from her expression, I think she could quite happily kick you in the nuts once more, and I'd let her!" Evy snapped. Ardeth blinked. Did she just say 'nuts' or did his overused brain imagine that? No, she definitely said that. . .he saw the same stunned expression on his brother's face, as well as everyone who knew Evy, albeit briefly.
"Since you're too stupid to understand what he said, I'll be happy to translate. He said that he's not surprised you can't see how pretty Celia really is, because to see it, you'd need better vision than you've got. That's putting it into terms that you can understand," Justin retorted. He paused, then said, "You know, Evy, that's the first time I've ever heard you speak so bluntly. I didn't think you had it in you!"
"Oh, my roommate is full of surprises. They both are. And now that these two morons have been put in their place, can we *please* get something to eat? I'm starving!" Anck pleaded. Everyone laughed, and Anck continued, "I'll take that as a 'yes.' Mr O'Connell, since you're behaving like a human being, instead of the rat bastard you were being this morning, would you and your brother like to join us for lunch?"
Rick was looking at Ardeth to see his reaction, and thus, missed seeing Evy Carnahan shaking her head 'no' desperately at her roommate. The Med-jai nodded, and Rick looked back, saying, "Sure, sounds like a good idea. It'll spare both of us the indignity of a meal I prepared." That made the girls look at each other and laugh. And judging from their laughter, it seemed likely that at least one of them was a bad cook. Rick added, nodding at Henderson and Daniels, "And what about these two losers?"
"Well, before anything else happens, I have a few things to say to them both," Anck replied. She marched over and kicked Henderson hard in the groin.
Ardeth winced. Two blows to the groin in a twenty-minute period. Someone would need to carry him back to his place of residence, most assuredly. She walked over to Daniels, who was trying desperately to scoot away before she could do the same to him. Didn't work. She kicked him even harder, also in the groin. That was two for two. Anck added, "That was for insulting my roommate. Again."
With those two duly chastened, Anck turned to her roommates and said, "Shall we go? Time is wasting, and I'm sure Celia is getting as hungry as I am. Let's eat, and we can talk. I have much to tell you both!" She linked arms with both her roommates and strolled past the brothers. Justin was helping Colin Burns with his two wheezing friends, and the dark-haired Texan (for Ardeth remembered Rick mentioning that Burns was also from Texas) motioned for them to go ahead. Rick grabbed Ardeth by the back of his neck and steered him inside. This would prove interesting.
As Rick often said, he didn't know the half of it.
. . .
This was turning into a most interesting day, but Anck held back the details of her. . .encounter with Professor Emmett Tepper until the two men were away from the table, getting their own food. And then she told her roommates everything, all that transpired between herself and the mysterious new professor. Anck wasn't entirely certain why she waited until they were gone, before she told her roommates. It just. . .she just didn't feel like sharing it with anyone other than Celia and Evy. She concluded by telling her roommates, "You know, I think this is some sort of sign. All three of us have met men who stir our souls."
"Well, that's one way of putting it," Celia said dryly, "but considering what we've been facing over the last year, I'm half inclined to think you're right, Anck. The timing is what gets my attention. On the same day, all this happens. And Evy, whether she wants to admit it or not, is attracted to 'the annoying Mr O'Connell.' Quit making that face, Evy, your muscles will freeze like that and stay that way."
Anck tried very hard not to laugh at her roommate's comment, as well as Evy's indignant expression. Celia sounded just like Anck's mother right then, and she was sure it was meant to sound that way. The English girl sputtered, "What. . .I. . .what makes you think I'm attracted to him! The very idea!" Anck and Celia exchanged a glance, both girls looking amused at their roommate's reaction. Anck was thinking, *just keep protesting, amiga, you'll only serve to convince us that much faster.* Evy finally said, "That's just plain ridiculous. You both have found men to whom you're attracted, and now you're trying to matchmake for me."
"Well, that would be a plausible explanation except for one reason. . .'scuse me, for two reasons," Celia replied reasonably. Anck took a bite of her sandwich. She actually had a pretty good idea what her friend would say, but she would let Celia take care of this. Her American roommate obliged her by saying, "For one thing, if it were up to us, neither of us would choose to matchmake you with Rick O'Connell. For another, neither of us have ever seen you act like this. I think Anck's right. There's a reason all this is happening at once."
Evy shook her head in frustration and disbelief, saying, "I don't believe you two! Next, you'll be talking about curses and magick spells, and heaven only knows what else!" Anck and Celia exchanged another look. This wasn't the first time they had this conversation, but in the past, they usually let it go. This time would be different. Anck couldn't shake the feeling that the events of the day would be very important.
"You do not believe in magick, Evy? You do not believe, at the very least, in the psychological impact of curses?" Anck asked, taking a sip of her soda. This was something she studied in both high school and college. And growing up as she did, she was familiar with the blending of the old and new religions. Her mother was friendly with the village strega. Anck didn't just believe in magick. . .she knew it existed.
"No, I do not," Evy replied definitively, "I believe if I can see it and touch it, then it's real, that's what I believe." Anck raised her eyebrows and glanced over at Celia. She often wondered why her American roommate believed in magick, especially given Celia's own background. For now, Rick O'Connell and Ardeth Bey were rejoining them, and Evy asked O'Connell, "And you, Mr O'Connell, what do you believe in?"
Oooh, loaded question! The tall American replied, "I believe in being prepared." He placed his tray gently on the table and looked around, before taking his seat. His brother followed suit, but he took longer to find whatever he was, or was not, looking for. Rick O'Connell continued, "Caught part of your conversation. So your two roommates believe in magick, and you don't, hmm?"
"Which begs the question," Ardeth said quietly, removing his food from his tray, "why do the two of you believe what she does not?" Another loaded question, but Anck figured she should have been prepared for it. Magick was an emotionally charged subject for many people. There were the recent controversies over the Harry Potter books and movies. Anck read the first book, and saw nothing evil in it. But given her own background. . .
"Because I grew up with two religions intermingling. And that was the accepted way of things. That is very hard for some in this country to understand, I know, because of duality. If you are Catholic, you cannot deal in tarot cards. Which is true in the Catholic faith, that is not something you are supposed to do. However, the reality is much different. There was the Catholic Church, and every week, my mother and I attended Mass. Sometimes, my mother would attend Mass, or Eucharist, or whatever they're calling it, more than once a week. And there was also the old religion. I lived not far from the village strega. I grew up with magick. It is as real to me as the Catholic faith in which I was raised," Anck replied.
Celia took a bite of her own sandwich and explained, "My grandmother was raised by Native Americans in British Columbia after her parents were killed at sea. She lived with them for several years, and learned a great deal from them. Magick was among that. I could give you a few examples, but you're both men, and I wouldn't want to embarrass you." The American's face flamed at that.
However, Ardeth smiled and answered, "I have four sisters, Miss Ferguson. Two of whom are now young women. I do not think it is possible for you to embarrass me, as I believe I've heard everything from them. Acacia and Aleta hold very little back, even from their brothers, as Rick could tell you." The older brother nodded, still blushing. Ardeth added with a shrug, "However, I do think it might embarrass my brother. Perhaps you could explain another time, when he is not present?"
"I think that's an excellent idea. Anck, before I forget, would you have a problem with Margit visiting us during Homecoming? Seems she's having some problems, and wants to get outta town for a while," Celia commented. Anck grinned. Was Celia joking? Anck *loved* talking with Margit, and it sounded like a lot of fun. Maybe Margit could help her in her matchmaking attempts between Ardeth and Celia.
She wasn't sure why she liked the idea of putting her roomie together with Ardeth Bey. Though he took even Anck's breath away with his beauty, Celia seemed more comfortable with him than she was with most guys. And there was his comment earlier, that Henderson and Daniels lacked the wisdom, the vision, to see Celia as she really was. Besides, they'd make a really cute couple. Celia was tiny, and looked even smaller next to Ardeth, who was at least one or two inches over six feet.
And speaking of Margit and matchmaking. . . Anck asked her roommate, "Does she still have a thing for your brother?" Celia grinned brightly, and Anck continued, "Well, I was just thinking. Your brother's annual fundraiser for the hospital is coming up. I was thinking the three of us could help out, and that'll give you a chance to figure out how Galen feels about Margit. That way, if he feels the same way, we can do some heavy- duty matchmaking while she's here in October for Homecoming."
"Okay, this conversation has officially gone over the edge," O'Connell muttered. Anck ignored him, though she could hardly ignore the way Evy was glowering at him. It made her smile, really. She, Evy, and Celia were all attracted to men, and were handling it in vastly different ways. Evy was deep in denial, Celia was struggling to deal with it, period, and Anck? Anck turned bright red every time she thought of Emmett Tepper, and wondered when she would see him again.
Ardeth interrupted those thoughts, asking, "What sort of fund raiser would this be?" Anck looked up, to see the handsome young teaching assistant looking at Celia with a curious expression, his dark brown eyes thoughtful. Anck glanced over at her roommate, seeing the way red stained her pale cheeks. *Hang in there, querida,* Anck thought, *you've been doing so well, now is not the time to lose control.*
And she didn't. Instead, Celia replied, "It's for his hospital. Galen is a resident at one of the local children's hospitals. And really, 'fund-raiser' is a misnomer. Every year, he takes about twenty, twenty- five kids to some property the three of us inherited from our grandparents, and the kids spend a few days away from the city. Kinda like Make-a-Wish or something similar, except these kids aren't terminally ill. Their siblings are the ones who are sick or injured, and Galen likes to get them away from the hospital atmosphere."
"It is a fund-raiser, though," Anck put in, "because he ends up getting a lot of donations from the parents of these kids, and his neighbors. Not because he asks for donations, it just happens. And the neat thing is, it's no more than fifty dollars per family. . .each family donates what they can, and the money Galen gets from the families and the neighbors goes into a fund to make the hospital a little less intimidating for children."
"This year," Celia said, taking up the narrative, "Galen wants to branch out more. And thank you for reminding me about that as well, Anck, because Galen wanted to know if we could put the word out on campus. The guy who usually takes the kids around on the horses over the weekend is down sick, and he needs someone to fill in. The picnic is on Sunday, like always, and he wants to know if we can help."
Anck was on the point of assuring her roommate that she would be there, with bells on, when Ardeth asked curiously, "What sort of qualifications does your brother seek? I have some skill with horses, and I am fond of children. What time should we be there?" It was, Anck thought, a general 'we,' as in anyone who would be helping on that particular day. And she had no problem whatsoever believing that once children got past the intimidating height and equally intimidating tattoos, they would love Ardeth Bey.
However, Rick O'Connell was staring at his brother in shock, asking, "We? What we?" Ardeth's head snapped around, and the look he gave the other man was enough to scare Anck. Enough, too, to convince her that she really did *not* want to be on this man's bad side. However, O'Connell continued, "Could you ladies excuse us? My brother and I need to have a little conversation about his habit of volunteering us!"