AGHHHHHHHHH! I am SO sorry for the delay! I'm looking for a new job,
before I leave a few people in a world of hurt. In addition, the guys just
weren't talking to me. I do have a new UC fic up. . .Frank was being very
patient with me, and keeping him waiting for a long time is NOT a good
idea. In addition, I caught Oded Fehr's episodes of 'Justice League,'
voicing Dr Fate, who has now joined my list of favorites.
In all honesty, I'm not real happy with this chapter, but after reading it and re-reading it, I can't figure out what's wrong with it.
Reviews:
Ardeth deprived: Yup, I do have a new story up, but I haven't been neglecting our beautiful Med-jai. I have no intention of leaving him in such an. . .interesting position with Celia. (smirk)
Kitrazzle Fayn: What a cool name! And stars and garters? I haven't heard that in forever! Not since. . .well, not since I read the last Mag7 fic focused on Nettie Welles. I'm very glad you enjoyed these chapters so much. I've been having a blast writing them. If this particular college campus is somewhat idealized, it's mainly because I graduated from college more than ten years ago, and haven't been back since. . .you know what they say about time pouring honey on the memories. In any event, I hope you enjoy the rest of the ride.
LilyLynn: Whoa! Now that's not a compliment I've gotten before (and trust me, I take all the compliments I can get). By the way, we share the same middle name (Lynn is also my middle name).
Terreis: I thought you would love that chapter! And yes, it's all captured on film. I think you'll like the exploding chemistry in this scene.
Sailor Elf: Ardeth without a shirt. . .yeah, definitely a drool-worthy moment. Oh, and here's another one for you. Rameses, Ardeth's previous incarnation? Think Antoine LaConte in ancient Egypt, and you've got Rameses.
Mommints: Don't know when you'll arrive here, but I thought I'd leave this message for you anyhow. So glad you're enjoying this story, as you're one of my favorite fanfic writers (Mummy or UC, doesn't matter, I love your stuff).
Okay, one last thing before I get on with the story. With the chemistry between Ardeth and Celia exploding finally, there's a question of how far they should go. This is a PG story, or thereabouts, and I wanna keep it that way. So, how much petting is too much? Sailor Elf, Terreis, you two are most familiar with my work, and how my love scenes are written in particular. . .how far is too far for these two?
Part Thirteen
Ardeth Bey's resolve to remain just friends with Celia Ferguson was not as rock-solid as he would have liked. In fact, the only thing standing between sanity and Ardeth giving way to his wish to kiss Celia senseless was his own sense of honor. Kissing her now, under these circumstances, without her knowing the full story, would not be honorable. And he couldn't tell her exactly what the full story was, not without compromising the safety of everyone he loved.
That didn't change one very important fact. Right now, sitting with her under a tree on her ancestral home, the most right thing to do seemed to be. . .to kiss her. That was sheer foolishness, of course. He had to keep her at a decent distance, had to remind himself that she might be hurt if he involved her in this situation any more than she already was. She would never willingly betray him, if Lock-nah learned of her importance to him. . .but Lock-nah was known for breaking the will even of strong Med-jai warriors.
However, his body wasn't cooperating with his mind. She was so beautiful to him. The glow from the fire played across her face, and turned her dark hair almost auburn. And her eyes were almost green with laughter and mischief. She was dangerous to him like this. He knew she was dangerous, and didn't even mean to be. He kept her talking about herself during the last hour, to avoid any difficult questions.
Unfortunately, that backfired in a rather spectacular way. His attempt to put walls up between them only served to draw them closer. The obvious love and pride in her voice as she talked about her grandparents was an echo of Ardeth's own love for his father and his mother. She wasn't the daughter of a chieftain. . .rather, she was the daughter of a businessman and the granddaughter of a working man. Suleiman Bey was one of the hardest-working men his son ever knew (as always, conveniently leaving himself out of that count).
And yet, for all the differences between them, their devotion to their families was a dominant similarity. Ardeth learned that her parents opposed her plan to become an archaeologist. He also learned she didn't let that stop her. He admired that as well. There were times when he felt trapped by his obligations to the Med-jai, and to the years of tradition. His ancestors were protectors and guardians. They carried burdens that no one should carry.
He supposed he could have resented the girl for not carrying the burdens he did, but that would have been foolish. Ardeth was young, but he preferred not to waste time on such useless emotions. Celia had no control over the things in his life. Indeed, she carried burdens of her own. Perhaps they were not of the same variety as Ardeth's. . .but they were no less weighty. For all the trouble which sometimes came to him in his position, at least he wasn't alone. He had his mother, and his step- father. . .he had his siblings. All of his siblings.
And perhaps, it would have been easier if he did resent her. Instead, he could only feel desire and frustration. Desire for Celia, a desire to kiss her. A desire she might share, if her expression was any indication. And frustration, because despite his best attempts, he was becoming more and more attracted to her by the moment. There was also, perhaps, some anger there as well. He knew her not even a week. . .how could he let this happen? Especially now?
And almost immediately came the response. . .what makes you think you can stop this? Any of this? He looked at Celia again. She tilted her head up, angling it in such a way that it would be so *easy* to kiss her. So very easy. What was he so afraid of? Would it be such a terrible thing to kiss this girl? After all, a kiss did not automatically make her his woman, his lady, his girl, whatever term one wished to use.
*Do not be so foolish, boy. It means everything. To you, and to her. If you kiss her, it will be a covenant between the two of you, a promise. Are you willing to make such a covenant, are you ready to make such a commitment?* Ardeth wasn't certain who was saying that, but he could hardly deny that it was speaking sensibly. If he was sensible, he would bid good-night to Celia right now, and return to the house.
Unfortunately, sensibility was flying right out the window at the moment. And each time sensibility dragged Ardeth away from Celia. . .from the light in her eyes. . .his hormones quickly overpowered his good sense. That was the only explanation for the fact that he was still sitting here, instead of returning to the house. Which is what he should do. He knew that. Really, he did. And he would get up. In just a minute.
Feeling very relieved by this return of good sense, Ardeth relaxed. Bad move. Very bad move. Celia told him in a low voice, "You can kiss me, you know. I want you to kiss me." Ardeth's hormones, put on hold for all these years by a self-control which his mother sometimes described as 'preternatural' overpowered that self-control in a heartbeat. She wanted him to kiss her. He wanted to kiss her. It came down to that one simple fact. They both wanted the same thing. And if Ardeth was honest, he didn't just want it. He ached for it.
So strange, how sometimes came to something so simple. Somewhere in Ardeth's hormone-drugged mind, his reason was protesting that she didn't know the full story. Didn't know why they were here, why it was too dangerous for her to become involved with Ardeth. Leaving now would be the honorable thing to do. But. . .and yet. . .Celia had a mind of her own. He knew from Rick that Celia and Anck sensed something was going on. Anck warned Rick that Ardeth was more vulnerable in the States than Rick was. Something Celia knew as well. And yet, even knowing that. . .she wanted him to kiss her. . .he wanted that, too.
He slipped his hand around the back of her neck, her dark hair lightly tickling his bare flesh. Amazing, how Ardeth seemed to feel so much more. Sense so much more. The feel of Celia's hair brushing against his knuckles. And the soft night air blowing against his face, moving through his own hair. It seemed as if Ardeth's skin and body was sensitized. . . heightened senses. But he would give her one last chance to back away.
He tried to tell himself again that he couldn't be attracted to this girl, he couldn't be so powerfully attracted to her, after such a short time. He tried a thousand different things to stall himself and her, but he failed to take one thing into account. One very important thing. Celia herself. Growing impatient with his stalling, Celia took matters into her own hands. . .literally. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him.
And that was when Ardeth knew why he stalled. For one moment, before his mind shut down, he knew exactly why he stalled. It felt like a bomb went off inside him. No. . .no, there were a thousand different little explosions, including one located around his groin. He gave a low sound in the back of his throat, his arms moving about her waist, instinctively drawing her closer to his body. Her hands left his face and slid around to the back of his neck, to cradle the back of his skull.
Then there was no more room for thought. . .sensation overwhelmed him. He moaned against her mouth, his bones turning to wet pasta, and his blood turning to lava. Burning, threatening to incinerate him from the inside out. Ardeth kissed her back desperately, drawing her closer to his body. He only wanted to. . .what? He didn't know. He just knew that what he wanted was something only this girl could give him.
They separated reluctantly, but unwilling to pass out from lack of oxygen. Ardeth pulled away, looking into Celia's eyes, which were now almost black. The expression in her eyes made his knees weak, and immensely grateful that he was already sitting down. But she smiled and said softly, "Took you long enough. I was starting to think I would need to give you an engraved invitation. Been wanting to do that since I met you."
"I was not sure. . .I. . .there are things about me, Celia, that you do not know. There are dangerous things. I did not wish for any harm to come to you, especially not because of me," Ardeth answered. He was cupping her face now, lightly caressing her cheek with his thumb. It would be so easy, to cross the line from attraction to love. So easy to fall in love with this woman-child, who was both strong and vulnerable. And it was that dichotomy which appealed to Ardeth. He saw the same dichotomy in his mothers and in his sisters. He could have never loved a clinging woman, not after being raised by Altair Costas Bey.
"I think you should let me be the judge of that, Ardeth. I don't believe you're here to harm me or anyone else. You're a protector at heart. . .and sometimes an avenger," Celia replied quietly. She gave him a half-smile, adding, "You're wondering how I knew that. My grandmother. . .she told me that like could always recognize like. She also told me that I was a protector at heart, but I could become an avenger if the situation was necessary. Didn't know what she meant until much later."
Now there was a haunted expression in her eyes. She looked at him steadily, explaining, "I protect what's mine, Ardeth. I protect what's mine, and I take care of what's mine. That sounds like I'm repeating myself, but I'm not. I'm a protector. . .and Anck is an avenger. I haven't decided what Evy is yet." She smiled ruefully, and Ardeth laughed softly. He was quite certain the lady in question didn't know the answer to that, either.
"I wish I could have known your grandmother, Celia. She must have been a remarkable woman," Ardeth whispered. He wasn't sure why he was speaking so softly, but it felt necessary. It felt. . .sacred. This woman was sacred. Celia smiled, her entire face lighting up. The young chieftain added, because this woman *was* sacred, "I promise you now, Celia. I am not here to harm you, or anyone else. I cannot tell you exactly what my purpose here is, not yet, but I swear to you, on the lives of my brothers and sisters, I will harm no one you love."
"Good. Now that's settled. . ." Celia replied and kissed him again. This time, Ardeth didn't even try to fight the onslaught of desire, of need which washed over him. He drew her tightly against his body, moaning softly when her hands found their way under his shirt. Yes. This woman was dangerous to him, but Ardeth wouldn't allow that to stop this moment, this hour, this night. He. . .
"Um. . .maybe I should come back later." It took Ardeth a moment to place the voice. And after a few seconds passed, he broke off the kiss with a groan. He looked up to find his brother smiling merrily. Rick added, his blue eyes twinkling, "Does the word 'busted' mean anything to you, bro?" Yes, actually it did. . .it was what Rick's jaw would be if he said anything inappropriate!
. . .
At first, Rick was ticked at Galen Ferguson for making him carry Evelyn Carnahan back to the house, while she was drunk and asleep. But as he walked back to the house, Evelyn draped over his arms, his irritation began to ease. For one thing, Evelyn was so damn cute when she was drunk. And it was a long time since Rick carried an adult woman (or mostly adult woman) like this. Too long. . .what, three months?
Yeah, something like that. That was about how long since he was *with* a woman. Three months was an eternity to Rick. He still didn't get how Ardeth managed some semblance of maturity and sensibility, given his brother's utter lack of experience. Rick supposed it was possible that his brother *was* getting some. . .Ardeth wasn't the kiss and tell type. . .but he didn't think it was likely.
Rick raised that subject once with his father. Predictably, Nathaniel's first reaction was chide him for butting into his brother's private business. Rick had his ways of taking care of Ardeth, while his father had his own. When Rick refused to drop the subject, Nathaniel sighed and explained that if you don't know what you don't have, you really don't realize what you're missing. Rick, who was sexually active since before he and his father left for Egypt years earlier, was dumbfounded.
And yet, his father's words made sense, in a warped, Ardeth-sort of way. Ardeth didn't know what he was missing, so he didn't realize he was missing anything. Further, his father added, don't go getting any ideas about taking him to some sort of brothel for him to lose his virginity. You'll just embarrass him, and that'll take all the fun out of it for him. Nathaniel shocked his oldest child with that, especially added, 'and that's the point, isn't it, at your age? To enjoy yourself?'
Ow. But Rick couldn't tell his father that he was wrong. From things said in the past, it seemed likely that Nathaniel O'Connell was a hell-raiser of the first order while he was growing up. Which explained why he viewed Rick with a combination of exasperation, love, and amusement. It also explained why he viewed Ardeth with a combination of love and concern. Rick couldn't tell his father that he was wrong, because Nathaniel really knew what he was talking about.
The young man wondered as he headed to the house, what his father would make of Evelyn Carnahan. Scratch that, he wondered what Dad would make of all three girls. It didn't take long to figure that out. Dad would be leery of Anck Cortez. Any sane man would be leery of a girl-woman like that, who exuded sex appeal the way some women exuded perfume. A woman-child like that was dangerous, just by existing. Even if she wasn't Rick's type.
He would be equally leery of the little roommate, for the simple fact that she was the quietest out of the three. One thing Dad always taught Rick, especially after he met and married Altair. Women like Anck were dangerous, but quiet women were even more dangerous. With them, you never saw it coming. Nathaniel knew quiet women very well, for while Altair was quite vocal and equally sassy, Rick's mother was the opposite. She was very quiet.
Nathaniel once told Rick the story of something which happened to his mother before she met and married Nathaniel, long before Rick was born. Someone at her place of employment mistook her quiet and reserve for. . .something else. Nathaniel didn't explain what that something was, and apparently, it wasn't important to the story. In any event, this guy started trying to get under Lily's skin, hoping to anger her. Some of his comments were borderline sexual harassment, and if Rick was there. . .
It was the classic case of 'be careful what you wish for. . .you might just get it.' This guy eventually pushed Rick's mom too far. . .and the resulting fallout left the jerk out of a job. From what Rick's dad told him, the jackass was told often to leave the women alone, before he found himself on the receiving end of a sexual harassment complaint. He didn't listen, and messing with Lily was the last straw.
According to Dad, they still talked about it at that place. The day Lily lost her temper and the day this turd went too far. The fireworks were rather spectacular. Rick, who only knew his mother as a quiet and gentle woman, was stunned when his father told him about it. How he knew, Rick didn't know, but apparently, one of Mom's co-workers gave Dad the lowdown when she met Dad. Told him what he was in for, if he ever hurt Mom.
Not that Dad would ever do that. For all that he was a hellraiser, Nathaniel O'Connell was a gentleman where the ladies were concerned. And all of his protective instincts were brought to the forefront when he met Lily. It was just dumb luck that the jerk (whose name Rick never learned) was long gone by the time Nathaniel and Lily met and married. Otherwise, Nathaniel might have been tempted to open a can of whup-ass on someone who hurt his Lily.
Funny, when Rick thought about it years later, he imagined his brother in a similar situation. . .then realized if anyone would push his little brother too far, it would be Rick himself. A sobering thought, and Rick turned his attention back to Evelyn Carnahan. He found out tonight what she was like when she was drunk. When the walls came down. He saw her mildly irritated. . .but as yet, he hadn't seen her as fiery as either of her two roommates.
And after seeing some of the walls fall. . .well, Rick wasn't sure if he wanted to see her as fiery as Anck Cortez was as a matter of course, or as fiery as the little roommate was while she was defending Beni. Evelyn Carnahan could be dangerous. And yet, with each wall that fell between them, it was becoming harder and harder to resist her. She wasn't even trying to seduce him, and that was what made her so damn irresistible.
That. . .her smile. . .her vulnerability. . .her intelligence. A half dozen other things that Rick couldn't name, and wouldn't dream of trying. She wasn't his usual type. That much was established a long time ago, and it was still true. She wasn't his usual type, and he didn't think he would be any good for her. It occurred to him that he was fighting his own attraction to Evelyn as hard as his brother was fighting his attraction to Celia Ferguson.
Yowch. Not something he really wanted to think about. As much as he loved his little brother, he didn't want to think about the possibility that he was becoming like Ardeth. That would just be too weird, and Rick's life was weird enough. Especially now that Ardeth was so strongly attracted to the last girl Rick ever imagined could interest his brother. And if an intense Ardeth was scary, a hormone-driven Ardeth was even scarier.
Someone had to keep their attention focused on taking down Imhotep, Lock-nah, and anyone else stupid enough to be involved with those two losers. Usually, that someone was Ardeth. . .and maybe he was. But just to be safe, Rick would start focusing, too.
At the same time, Rick thought back to what Anck-su-namun Cortez said about protecting Ardeth. It never even occurred to him. . .that Ardeth was much more vulnerable here than he was, but she was right. Especially when she reminded him of two years earlier. It was something he should have thought of. . .but he didn't. Then again, that was sort of his MO. In terms of those old stereotypes, Rick was the brawn, and Ardeth had the brains.
It wasn't that easy, of course, or that cut and dried. Where the Med- jai were concerned, nothing ever was. There were many shades of gray, but it suited Rick's purposes to put it in those terms. If nothing else, it led many to underestimate both himself and Ardeth. And that was often a good thing. It occurred to Rick, too, that underestimating the three roommates would be a very BAD thing. . .on many levels.
He looked at Evelyn again, who was sleeping soundly. Becoming attracted to this girl wasn't part of the bargain. Even if she wasn't as dangerous as her two roommates, she was still dangerous. She was dangerous to their mission, and she was dangerous to his focus. He couldn't afford to become attracted to her, not when his brother needed him to be focused. Especially if Ardeth lost his battle with his hormones.
Rick at last reached the house, and met Anck Cortez on his way up to the bedroom Evelyn shared with Olivia Chase. The other girl was wearing a grin that could be best described as 'shit-eating.' Too late, Rick remembered her with the camcorder and looked at her warily. What was he just thinking about, about not underestimating these girls? Anck just smirked and said, "You just never know when 'a place like me doing in a girl like this' might come in handy for blackmail material. Kinda like Celia in the shower footage."
Okay, that definitely fell into the 'too much information' category. Especially when it occurred to him that Anck might show the latter footage to Rick's brother. . .on the other hand, it might be worth it, just to see the look in Ardeth's eyes when he saw the little roommate naked and wet. Rick flushed at the image *that* conjured up in his imagination. Okay. Definitely too much information. He eased himself and Evelyn into the room she shared with the little girl, who was sleeping soundly.
Anck appeared behind him, murmuring, "I'll get her into her nightgown. After all, it's not like you trust my other roommate." Rick glared at her, but couldn't deny she was right. He didn't trust Celia Ferguson any more than he trusted Anck Cortez. Rick gently smoothed Evelyn's dark hair with the tips of his fingers, then left the room before he embarrassed himself. The young man left the house and headed back to the bonfire. Apparently, Galen decided he would leave that Talk until the following day, when they were thinking clearly.
As he reached the bonfire, he was greeted with an unexpected sight. Why it was unexpected, he had no idea. . .really, he should have seen it coming. But still, it was a shock, seeing Ardeth and the little roommate locked in each other's arms and in an equally passionate kiss. Rick raised his eyebrows, not just at the kiss, but at the low moans coming from his brother. At first, Rick was shocked. . .then dismayed. . .then angry. . .then finally amused. Well, well. Looked like Ardeth was even further gone than he thought.
It was a cruel and unkind thing he did next, but couldn't resist. Besides, that was part of his duties as an older brother. . .to torment and annoy his younger brother. Rick said, not even trying to keep the amusement out of his voice, "Umm. . .maybe I should come back later." His voice didn't register at first. Whoa. Guess Ardeth was pretty far gone. He heard Ardeth groan as he broke off the kiss, then turned his head toward Rick. Ardeth was not a happy camper. Rick grinned impishly, asking, "Does the word 'busted' mean anything to you, bro?"
"Yes, it is what I will do to your jaw, if you further comment," Ardeth growled. Actually growled at him. Rick looked again at his brother, blinking when he realized that while the pair were no longer kissing, they also weren't disengaging from each other. The little roommate still had her hand in Ardeth's hair, and his brother's arms were still around her body. And it was anyone's guess, which pair of lips were more swollen, and which set of eyes were more glazed over with passion.
Rick thought of the aborted kiss with Evelyn Carnahan, and wondered if the proper English girl would have looked anything like her roommate did right now. For the first time, he also realized that Celia's other hand was under Ardeth's shirt, her palm resting against his lower back. Okay. Definitely too much information. Especially since that made him think once more of Evelyn Carnahan, and how far things would have gone tonight if she kissed him.
It seemed massively unfair to him that his brother, the sometimes socially inept Ardeth, got further along than Rick. Not only was the girl he was kissing still one hundred percent sober, she was also not letting a little thing like clothes get in the way of getting closer to his brother. Maybe too close.
Rick felt his world tremble under his feet, and for the first time, he realized why his brother didn't want to pursue a relationship with this girl. Ardeth was all or nothing. . .he either gave his heart to this girl, or pretended she didn't exist. He couldn't. . .he couldn't be somewhere in the middle, his attraction to her was that strong. At the same time he made that discovery, he made himself a promise. If this girl hurt Ardeth, Rick. . .he would do something. He would make her pay. In one form or another. He would make her pay.
. . .
At the same time Rick O'Connell was making his promise to do whatever it took to protect his brother, Beni Gabor was making a similar promise to his fiancee, and to their daughter. That included telling Renee the whole truth. It was a decision he made at the end of the day on Friday, after his conversation with Dr Terrence Bey. It was only fair, he supposed. . .Dr Bey was trying to focus on the investigation, rather than his worry for his nephew.
It wasn't a decision he made lightly. He told her about his past with Rick O'Connell, about the three girls. . .some of which she already knew, since she knew the three roommates, and he told her about Lock-nah's threats against her and their daughter. Renee turned very, very pale, but didn't interrupt. A fact for which Beni was very, very grateful. If he stopped, he didn't know if he could ever get started again. . .this was taking all of the courage he had.
He told her about Rick catching him in the apartment, and his conversation with Terrence Bey. Beni also told her about his realization that everyone had a stake in this, in one form or another. If Dr Bey could look past his love and concern for his nephew to the investigation. . . maybe Beni could do something actively to help as well.
When he finally finished his story, Renee sat very quietly on the small sofa in her small living room in her small apartment. Their daughter was sound asleep in her little room, dreaming of being a ballerina and a police woman and who knew what else. She sat cross-legged, her dark hair hanging loosely about her shoulders and falling into her eyes. Beni couldn't see her eyes, and that scared him.
The eyes were the windows to the soul, after all. And Renee had especially expressive eyes. At last, she asked softly, "What are we gonna do, Beni?" She raised her eyes to look at him more fully, repeating, "What are we gonna do? You can't betray O'Connell. . .even if he wouldn't kill you, you can't do something like that to a person twice. You just can't. And if Lock-nah ever finds out that you're betraying him. . ."
"Take Ceci and leave town," Beni said, reaching over to grip her hand. He was more than a little relieved when she didn't pull her hand away from him. When he decided to tell her everything, he was terrified she would hate him. And she might still. However, Renee was shaking her head almost immediately, and Beni repeated, almost imploring her, "Leave town! It's the best way to protect you and Ceci!"
"Beni, I can't! If I do, Lock-nah will know something is going on! No, we have to figure something else out. Some other way to protect Ceci. . .she's the most important thing. I'm a grown woman, I can take care of myself. But Ceci, if he hurts Ceci. . ." Renee began, shaking her head. She looked up, her hair falling away from her eyes. . .now he could see her eyes. And her eyes were flashing as she hissed, "If he hurts my daughter, I'll kill him myself!"
Beni always thought of his fiancee as gentle. She was, but Beni forgot the most important thing. When angry enough, a gentle person can be the most dangerous of all. Something he should have remembered, especially after seeing Celia in action. The same was true of his fiancee. Renee would do whatever she felt was necessary to safeguard Ceci.
"All right. I'll do everything I can to protect Ceci, you know that. She. . .the two of you mean everything to me," Beni answered in a hoarse voice. He didn't deserve this woman. He knew that. He didn't deserve this woman, or their daughter, and yet, through some strange miracle, he had them both. He must have done something right in his life, for Renee to love him. And he would take care of her, he would take care of them both.
"You'll need allies. You said earlier that O'Connell would probably protect Ceci. I think you should arrange that immediately. O'Connell, and his brother. Ceci told me about him, about the brother. Said that he seemed nice. And. . .maybe the three girls? Especially the one who defended you when Ceci was with you. . .what was her name? Cecile?" Renee asked. Beni didn't laugh, though that was his first impulse. She wasn't concentrating on anything other than her daughter's safety, and they were probably fortunate that Celia's name was so close to his daughter's, otherwise Renee would have totally forgotten it.
"Celia. . .short for 'Cecelia.' And yes, I'm sure she will be an ally," Beni replied. Even if his friend realized tomorrow what a loser he really was. . .and Beni held no illusions of that. He knew what he was, and what he wasn't. But even with that possibility, Celia would still be an ally. She was a protector at heart. Not an avenger. . .Anck was an avenger. But Celia would aid him, because that was whom she was and what she was. She had her avenging angel moments, as he well knew. . .but she wasn't an avenger by nature.
They were both silent for a long time, then Renee said very quietly, "This doesn't mean I've totally forgiven you, Beni. Not yet. You've placed Ceci and me into a dangerous position, and I know why you did it. You were trying to do something good for us. I love you, Beni, and that's why I'll forgive you." Beni lowered his eyes. He thought of telling her that it wouldn't have made a difference, what he told Lock-nah originally.
He could have told her that Lock-nah would have used her and Ceci to enforce his compliance. He could have told her that. But he could tell from Renee's expression that it wasn't necessary. She knew that already. She remembered that part of the story. It was one reason she was swinging back and forth between rage toward him and concern. Beni sighed and reached over to take her hand once more. And once again, she didn't shy away.
"I know that, my princess, and I promise I'll make this right for you. For both of you. I would die for you both, you know that," Beni replied. Now Renee smiled sadly. He didn't know why. And worse, he was afraid to ask. He thought all girls wanted someone to love them, to love them enough to die for them. For their child, the baby they made together. But Renee was never like other girls.
"It's all well and good. . .but I also want you to live for us. Beni. . .we need you alive. We want you alive," Renee replied, leaning forward earnestly. It was a sign of just how serious the situation was. Beni didn't even try to look down his fiancee's nightgown as she leaned forward to explain her position. Further, not only did he not try to look down her nightgown, it was something that didn't even cross his mind.
Instead, Beni was thinking about what she said. Especially after she smiled at him and said, "I don't need a hero, Beni. I love you, as you are. I just. . .I just wish you would think a little more sometimes, that all. Your friend Cecelia, the brave girl. . .she can have the hero." Beni didn't think he should tell her that it was likely Celia would get at least one of the heroes. Even if Ardeth Bey didn't think of himself in that way, he was a hero, nonetheless. Even knowing that, Beni still didn't know if Ardeth Bey was good enough for her, but. . .
But it wasn't important, because Renee added, "Cecelia can have the hero. I just want you to be okay. I want us all to be safe. I would rather have a live Beni than a dead hero." Beni promptly melted. He caused this situation. He knew that. But he also knew that he would find a way to get them all out of it. With or without Rick O'Connell, it didn't matter. He would find a way to make things right.
. . .
The last thing Anck was thinking about that night as her roommate wearily entered the bedroom they shared was making things right. She was, in fact, thinking about Emmett Tepper, and second-guessing her decision to go after him once they returned to campus the following evening. For that matter, she was second-guessing her reaction to him. Evy and Celia were both falling hard for men they just met. Maybe she was just reacting to that.
Especially since it was so unusual for both of her friends to react so powerful, so quickly. In all the months she knew them both, neither Evy nor Celia ever even looked twice at a member of the male population with any degree of interest. Then again, Evy was immersing herself in her studies, trying to prove herself to god only knew who. And Celia. . .Celia was trying to prove herself to herself, Anck thought.
And though it caused her friend no small amount of heartbreak, it seemed like the death of Celia's grandmother woke her up. Made her realize she didn't have to prove herself to anyone. She was good enough for any man. It just took until now to find a man who was smart enough to realize that. Anck never met Celia's grandmother. . .she didn't know what Annabel would have thought of Ardeth Bey, but she knew Galen approved of Ardeth, and that said a lot. And. . .she approved of him.
"Remind me to kill Rick O'Connell the first chance I get," Celia said, breaking into Anck's thoughts. The girl looked up. . .and realized for the first time that her roommate looked a bit on the disheveled side. Okay. Make that a LOT on the disheveled side. In fact, she looked like. . .she looked like she was thoroughly kissed. Oh my. It looked like things just got really, really interesting. Anck raised her eyebrows questioningly at her friend, and Celia blushed, adding, "We kissed."
'We,' of course, meaning she and Ardeth. The idea of Rick O'Connell kissing Celia was enough to make Anck shudder. Talk about a squicky idea! Too squicky to consider, and Anck quickly banished all such squicky thoughts from her mind. She held out her hand to her friend, saying as Celia took it and sat down beside her, "And I take it that his stepbrother interrupted you just when it was really getting good?"
"If by 'getting good,' you mean, it was getting steamy. . .yes. Oh, Anck. . .I haven't wanted to seriously hurt someone in a few years, but when O'Connell opened his mouth and interrupted us. . .I wanted to hurt him. But Ardeth. . .oh, Anck. O'Connell said something about, 'does the word busted mean anything to you,' or something along those lines. Ardeth told him yes, it was what his jaw would be if he made any more comments," Celia replied.
Anck barely held back a giggle. He did, did he? Anck already liked Ardeth, just from what she saw of him today, but he just kept giving her more reasons to like him. And though she kept encouraging her roommate to go after him, Anck was pleased that Ardeth was holding back, trying to do the right thing by her roommate. It said a lot about him. Anck was a good- time girl, and would never say otherwise. . .but her roommate was another kettle of fish.
A saying she really had to ask Celia about one of these days, but now was not the time. Instead, she asked with an impish grin, "So tell me all about it! Is he a good kisser? Wait, never mind, you already told me. First kiss, and things are already getting steamy between you. It's like I always say. You gotta look out for the quiet ones. So how far did you get? Is it just kissing at this point, or did you manage to get some foreplay in?"
"Anck!" Celia gasped, her face turning bright red with embarrassment. Anck just hugged her very tightly. She was so proud of her roommate. Anck should have realized that when she found someone who was worthy of her attention, Celia wouldn't let anything or anyone stop her. And though Celia was holding back now, that was okay, too. She wasn't a girl who would kiss and tell her. Anck wouldn't respect her so much if she did. After a moment, her roommate added shyly, "I did kinda slide my hand under his shirt."
If not for the fact that just about everyone else was asleep, Anck would have shrieked at that top of her lungs. As it was, she clapped her hand over her mouth, trying to ignore the strange little noises coming from her throat. She couldn't wake the children up, and that was far more likely than waking Evy or her brother. When Anck got herself under control, she managed to gasp out, "Cecelia Anne! Dios mio! I am so proud of you! Tell me more!" Celia ducked her head, her face turning even redder.
"Give me a minute, I need to change into a nightgown. Oh, Anck. I'm scared. I mean, I'm scared and I feel all tingly. I kissed him first, you know," Celia said, rising to her feet. She went to her duffel bag, her back to Anck. Thus, she totally missed seeing Anck's jaw. *Celia* kissed Ardeth first?? And put her hand under his shirt? Anck reached up and physically closed her own mouth, still staring at her friend. Still reeling at this new side to her friend. Her quiet, shy friend who seemed incapable of even flirting with a member of the opposite sex.
She was half-tempted to ask Celia who the hell she was, and what she did with her roommate. However, Anck always suspected that something like this would happen. Despite Celia's shyness, despite her reserve, Anck always believed that her friend could be intense under the right circumstances. There was a poster in the bookstore. . .'beneath this cool exterior is a powder keg of passion.' That summed up Celia rather nicely. It just took the right man, the right situation. . .but even so. Celia just met Ardeth a few days earlier.
*Si,* she told herself, *but she's had more contact with Ardeth than you've had with Emmett Tepper, and that certainly hasn't stopped you.* At the same time, Celia tended to be much more cautious than Anck was. And that was where the surprise waited. Not that Celia would eventually let down her guard. . .but that she would do so with someone she knew less than a week. 'Love at first sight' was hardly Celia's style. . .not even 'lust at first sight.'
Or maybe that should be much less. Either way, her roommate just did a one eighty on her, and Anck was still recovering her equilibrium. She didn't have much time to do that. Celia was slipping into a flannel nightgown, and saying, "I kissed him first. He wanted to kiss me. I could tell. Isn't that funny? I've never been kissed before in my life, and I could just tell he wanted to kiss me. But he kept backing away, and trying to give me an out."
Give her an out? Oh. Oh, now Anck understood. . .Ardeth was being honorable and noble, and a general pain in the ass. Giving Celia an opportunity to change her mind. But was that being a pain in the ass or a gentleman? Anck would figure that out later. For now, Celia was speaking again, telling Anck, "I cupped his face in my hands. . .his beard tickles, you know that, in a good kind of way. Anyhow, I kissed him then. . .and that was that."
She sounded proud of herself in a shyly pleased sort of way, and Anck was just as proud of her. But there was absolutely no shyness in the other girl. Celia tried to smooth her hair as she sat down beside Anck once more, explaining, "We stopped kissing long enough to catch our breaths. Talked briefly. . .long enough for Ardeth to swear that he's not here to hurt anyone. Or anyone we love. Then we kissed again, and that's when O'Connell opened his big mouth."
Celia sounded utterly disgusted, and Anck couldn't blame her. Even so, she repeated Celia's earlier words in her mind. . .about Ardeth's defense of Celia to his brother, threatening to break his jaw if he said anything inappropriate. She might want to have a talk with Ardeth Bey in the morning, after they all had a chance to rest. Anck knew his intentions toward her friend and roommate were strictly honorable. . .it wasn't that kind of a talk.
But it wouldn't do for her to tell Celia that. Her roommate would likely kick her butt. Instead, she took Celia's hand once more and said, "I'll let you get some sleep. I want to see about the footage I took tonight. See how well that come out. I'm too wired to sleep. How soon do you want to start teasing Evy about tonight's festivities?" Anck could remember a time, not so long ago, when Celia would have chastised her.
Not tonight. Celia was different tonight. Everything was different. Her roommate answered, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully, "Let's wait for her to mention it. Then we can tease her. But Anck, we keep this videotape, and Evy's 'what's a place like me doing in a girl like this' to ourselves. Just to the people who were here tonight. . . no one." Anck glowered at her friend. Damn! So much for her blackmail plans.
Celia grinned then, her dark eyes sparkling as she added, "Anck. . .that also includes Matt and Cass, and Jonathan, once he's sober again. You can show it to them." Anck thought about Celia's words. People who were here tonight.
That was right. . .Celia didn't specify *when* someone was here, which left all sorts of interesting loopholes! Anck threw her arms around her friend, laughing softly. Celia wasn't ruining her blackmail plans, after all. . .just setting some guidelines. Her American roommate returned the embrace, saying softly, "And Anck, if you like. . .I'm sure you could find some good footage of Rick O'Connell as well."
Celia's observation didn't make sense at first. Until she remembered. Rick O'Connell was attracted to Evy. She was drunk through most of the night. That meant she didn't know any of what happened, or if she did, it was a dim memory. Anck looked at her roommate, whose eyes were almost green with mischief. With a peal of barely-muted laughter, Anck grabbed her friend and hugged her once more. Oh yes. Footage of Rick O'Connell sounded like an excellent idea! Even more blackmail opportunities!
. . .
Ooooh. . .her head hurt. Evy groaned, trying to block out the light with her hand. Unfortunately, the motion had the effect of making her seasick. Why was everything moving around like that? For that matter, why did her mouth feel like something died in it overnight? And why. . .oh. . .God. Evy gulped and opened one eye just long enough to stumble from her bed to the door, then from the door to the bathroom.
Which was mercifully empty. She kicked the door shut, moaning as another wave of nausea swept over her. And prayed that she would make it to the toilet in time. Someone was obviously looking out for her. As Evy flipped open the toilet seat, she was overwhelmingly, violently ill. Spasms shook her body, one after another. Evy was vaguely aware of someone opening the door behind her, and the sound of running water.
There was a gentle hand on her hair and Evy unconsciously turned her face in the direction of the hand. She moaned, this time in relief, as cool water was spread across her face. Something was murmured, then a toilet flushed. A gentle voice said softly, "Hope you were finished, Evy. Feeling better?" As gentle as it was, the voice was still a little bit loud, and Evy cringed away from it. She *was* feeling better. . .until just now.
The nausea was still there, but controllable. At least for the moment. Evy opened her eyes, and to her surprise, Anck was sitting beside her. Her roommate offered her a crooked smile, saying softly, "Don't think this means anything special. I was still up, and didn't want you waking Celia." Of course she didn't. There were times when Evy was jealous of Celia. She had Jason and Galen, both of whom would both kill for her and die for her. She had Anck. And before too much longer, she would have Ardeth Bey.
She didn't realize she spoke aloud, until Anck pointed out, "You have Jonathan. You have Celia. And before too much longer, you'll have Rick O'Connell." Evy shook her head sadly. No, she wouldn't. The girl was aware she was still somewhat drunk, because if she was sober, she would deny to her dying breath that she was attracted to O'Connell. Anck said, her voice very gentle, "You'll have Rick. He's the one who carried you to the house."
"But you don't like me. You put up with me, because of Celia, but you don't like me. Why don't you like me?" Evy asked. Again, she was aware that she was somewhat drunk, because if she was sober, she would never ask such a question. Anck didn't answer at first. She reached up and turned on the water. Evy rested her head against the sink, sighing when Anck washed her face again.
"You make it very hard to like you sometimes, Evelyn. But I do like you, especially when you forget to be such a know-it-all. I like you very much on days like today, when you act like just another person. Celia has said all along that you didn't really think you were better than everyone else, it was just a mask you wore to protect yourself. If she wasn't one of my best friends, I think I'd hate her for being right. Again," Anck replied.
Evy grinned, in spite of the pain spiking through her head, and answered, "That, and she doesn't gloat when she's right." Anck grinned back and nodded. The two roommates were silent for several moments, then Evy asked softly, "What do you think? How long will it be before Ardeth and Celia stop. . .well, before they admit just how strong their attraction for each other is?" Anck merely smiled almost evilly.
"Well. . .about three hours ago," she replied. Evy looked at her, and Anck continued, clearly enjoying herself, "Celia kissed Ardeth. While O'Connell was carrying you up here, Celia and Ardeth stayed in front of the bonfire, talking. Well, eventually, I guess they ran out of things to say, and Ardeth started finding it more and more difficult to keep his hands to himself. My words, by the way, not his, and not Celia's. Finally, Celia ran out of patience with his stalling, and she kissed him."
"Celia. Our roommate. . .kissed a man?" Evy queried, feeling more interested than sick right now. She wasn't sure how long it would last, and she intended to pay attention for however long it did last. Anck just nodded, looking very pleased. . .Evy just wasn't sure if she was pleased with herself or with Celia for taking such bold action. Anck would be pleased with herself for nudging Celia forward. With Anck, it could go either way. However, Evy was fairly sure that Anck was more pleased with Celia than anything else.
"Yes, she did. . .just like you almost did," Anck replied. Almost did? What was Anck talking about? Evy was on the point of asking her roommate what she meant, when the pair heard soft footsteps coming down the hall. The door opened and closed behind someone, and the two girls looked up somewhat guiltily, to find a sleepy-looking Celia standing there. She looked from one to the other, a confused frown decorating her face. Anck said helpfully, ignoring Evy's warning glare, "Evy's been sick, querida. . .though she seems to have escaped the curse of a hangover. Are you all right?"
"That's good. I wasn't sure where you were," Celia murmured. She sat down beside the combination shower/tub, cross-legged, and Evy looked at her roommate in surprise. She kissed Ardeth Bey. Her shy, quiet roommate, who barely spoke to most members of the male population, aside from Beni Gabor. . .kissed Ardeth Bey. Evy suddenly had the feeling that things were spinning out of control. Including Evy herself.
She was still trying to figure out what Anck meant about kissing a man, or almost kissing a man. Anck continued, "Celia, I was just getting ready to tell Evy about her own near-miss with Mr O'Connell." The bottom dropped out of Evy's stomach, and her blood ran cold. Near Miss? O'Connell? O'Connell was the man she almost kissed? Oh no. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening!
A faint smile appeared on Celia's face, and she replied with a yawn, "Oh, you mean, 'what's a place like me, doing in a girl like this?' That was how it went, wasn't it?" Anck nodded with an evil grin, and Evy looked from one roommate to the other, fighting rising waves of panic. 'What's a place like me, doing in a girl like this?' She couldn't have said that? Could she? She was drunk, but surely she wasn't that drunk!
"You don't believe us, Eva?" Anck inquired, using a nickname for Evy that only came out when she was in a truly mischievous mood. . .or when she was showing affection for Evy. The English girl looked from one to the other. Celia was smiling, though Evy was relieved to see there was no malice there. She looked amused, and too tired to hide her amusement. Anck continued, holding her hand out to Evy, "Come then. I will show you. I have the proof on tape."
Evy took her roommate's hand, allowing Anck to pull her to her feet. She swayed a little, but grabbed the towel rack for support. Anck was pulling Celia to her feet, and the three girls left the bathroom together. Now that she had something to focus on, aside from how lousy she felt, Evy was relieved to find the nausea diminished. The girls went quietly downstairs to the living room, and Anck turned on the tv, then hit 'play' on the VCR.
They weren't lying. Every word they said was true. Evy watched herself in astonishment and more than a little shame, at the way she fell into the tall American's arms. Oh dear. Now he probably knew she was attracted to him, and to paraphrase Captain Jack Sparrow, there would be no living with him after this. 'What's a place like me, doing in a girl like this,' indeed! And she told him about her parents! Not even her roommates knew about that!
Evy felt her face burn, grateful that at least her two roommates weren't being malicious about this. She was aware of Anck giggling quietly on Celia's other side, and Evy said to say it. She turned to her roommate, asking, "How much to never show this to anyone?"
"Far more money than you have, querida, far more money than you have. Celia has made me promise to show this to only people who were here tonight. . .and she specified the adults. And since I hardly think Galen is interested in seeing this again, that leaves the brothers, your brother. . .and Mathayus and Cassandra," Anck replied with a wicked grin. Evy looked at Celia, who sat down in a recliner and curled up like a cat.
"I suppose I should be grateful that you got her to agree to that," she told her American roommate. Celia nodded and allowed her eyes to drift shut. Evy looked back at Anck, then looked up at the clock. It was two thirty am, and they had to be up at eight with the kids. Evy once more looked at Anck, sighing, "All right. . .we should get Celia back upstairs to your room before she falls asleep right here. You and I will talk about this later." That was a promise.
Anck nodded with a mischievous grin, then slipped over to the recliner and pushed down the foot rest with her own foot, almost catapulting Celia out of the recliner. The American girl glowered at her and Anck put her arm around her shoulders, while Evy put her arm around Celia's waist. It was as much for Evy's own sake as Celia's. . .Evy's legs were started to wobble, and the English girl knew she would fall down if she didn't have some support.
As they went upstairs, Evy said softly, "You'll have to tell me all about your kiss in the morning, Celia." Her roommate blushed, quite cutely, and Evy grinned. At least she wasn't the only one blushing! However, after a moment, her smile died away. Celia kissed Ardeth. And Evy almost kissed that annoying brother of his. How on earth would she face him in the morning, and every time she saw him after that?
In all honesty, I'm not real happy with this chapter, but after reading it and re-reading it, I can't figure out what's wrong with it.
Reviews:
Ardeth deprived: Yup, I do have a new story up, but I haven't been neglecting our beautiful Med-jai. I have no intention of leaving him in such an. . .interesting position with Celia. (smirk)
Kitrazzle Fayn: What a cool name! And stars and garters? I haven't heard that in forever! Not since. . .well, not since I read the last Mag7 fic focused on Nettie Welles. I'm very glad you enjoyed these chapters so much. I've been having a blast writing them. If this particular college campus is somewhat idealized, it's mainly because I graduated from college more than ten years ago, and haven't been back since. . .you know what they say about time pouring honey on the memories. In any event, I hope you enjoy the rest of the ride.
LilyLynn: Whoa! Now that's not a compliment I've gotten before (and trust me, I take all the compliments I can get). By the way, we share the same middle name (Lynn is also my middle name).
Terreis: I thought you would love that chapter! And yes, it's all captured on film. I think you'll like the exploding chemistry in this scene.
Sailor Elf: Ardeth without a shirt. . .yeah, definitely a drool-worthy moment. Oh, and here's another one for you. Rameses, Ardeth's previous incarnation? Think Antoine LaConte in ancient Egypt, and you've got Rameses.
Mommints: Don't know when you'll arrive here, but I thought I'd leave this message for you anyhow. So glad you're enjoying this story, as you're one of my favorite fanfic writers (Mummy or UC, doesn't matter, I love your stuff).
Okay, one last thing before I get on with the story. With the chemistry between Ardeth and Celia exploding finally, there's a question of how far they should go. This is a PG story, or thereabouts, and I wanna keep it that way. So, how much petting is too much? Sailor Elf, Terreis, you two are most familiar with my work, and how my love scenes are written in particular. . .how far is too far for these two?
Part Thirteen
Ardeth Bey's resolve to remain just friends with Celia Ferguson was not as rock-solid as he would have liked. In fact, the only thing standing between sanity and Ardeth giving way to his wish to kiss Celia senseless was his own sense of honor. Kissing her now, under these circumstances, without her knowing the full story, would not be honorable. And he couldn't tell her exactly what the full story was, not without compromising the safety of everyone he loved.
That didn't change one very important fact. Right now, sitting with her under a tree on her ancestral home, the most right thing to do seemed to be. . .to kiss her. That was sheer foolishness, of course. He had to keep her at a decent distance, had to remind himself that she might be hurt if he involved her in this situation any more than she already was. She would never willingly betray him, if Lock-nah learned of her importance to him. . .but Lock-nah was known for breaking the will even of strong Med-jai warriors.
However, his body wasn't cooperating with his mind. She was so beautiful to him. The glow from the fire played across her face, and turned her dark hair almost auburn. And her eyes were almost green with laughter and mischief. She was dangerous to him like this. He knew she was dangerous, and didn't even mean to be. He kept her talking about herself during the last hour, to avoid any difficult questions.
Unfortunately, that backfired in a rather spectacular way. His attempt to put walls up between them only served to draw them closer. The obvious love and pride in her voice as she talked about her grandparents was an echo of Ardeth's own love for his father and his mother. She wasn't the daughter of a chieftain. . .rather, she was the daughter of a businessman and the granddaughter of a working man. Suleiman Bey was one of the hardest-working men his son ever knew (as always, conveniently leaving himself out of that count).
And yet, for all the differences between them, their devotion to their families was a dominant similarity. Ardeth learned that her parents opposed her plan to become an archaeologist. He also learned she didn't let that stop her. He admired that as well. There were times when he felt trapped by his obligations to the Med-jai, and to the years of tradition. His ancestors were protectors and guardians. They carried burdens that no one should carry.
He supposed he could have resented the girl for not carrying the burdens he did, but that would have been foolish. Ardeth was young, but he preferred not to waste time on such useless emotions. Celia had no control over the things in his life. Indeed, she carried burdens of her own. Perhaps they were not of the same variety as Ardeth's. . .but they were no less weighty. For all the trouble which sometimes came to him in his position, at least he wasn't alone. He had his mother, and his step- father. . .he had his siblings. All of his siblings.
And perhaps, it would have been easier if he did resent her. Instead, he could only feel desire and frustration. Desire for Celia, a desire to kiss her. A desire she might share, if her expression was any indication. And frustration, because despite his best attempts, he was becoming more and more attracted to her by the moment. There was also, perhaps, some anger there as well. He knew her not even a week. . .how could he let this happen? Especially now?
And almost immediately came the response. . .what makes you think you can stop this? Any of this? He looked at Celia again. She tilted her head up, angling it in such a way that it would be so *easy* to kiss her. So very easy. What was he so afraid of? Would it be such a terrible thing to kiss this girl? After all, a kiss did not automatically make her his woman, his lady, his girl, whatever term one wished to use.
*Do not be so foolish, boy. It means everything. To you, and to her. If you kiss her, it will be a covenant between the two of you, a promise. Are you willing to make such a covenant, are you ready to make such a commitment?* Ardeth wasn't certain who was saying that, but he could hardly deny that it was speaking sensibly. If he was sensible, he would bid good-night to Celia right now, and return to the house.
Unfortunately, sensibility was flying right out the window at the moment. And each time sensibility dragged Ardeth away from Celia. . .from the light in her eyes. . .his hormones quickly overpowered his good sense. That was the only explanation for the fact that he was still sitting here, instead of returning to the house. Which is what he should do. He knew that. Really, he did. And he would get up. In just a minute.
Feeling very relieved by this return of good sense, Ardeth relaxed. Bad move. Very bad move. Celia told him in a low voice, "You can kiss me, you know. I want you to kiss me." Ardeth's hormones, put on hold for all these years by a self-control which his mother sometimes described as 'preternatural' overpowered that self-control in a heartbeat. She wanted him to kiss her. He wanted to kiss her. It came down to that one simple fact. They both wanted the same thing. And if Ardeth was honest, he didn't just want it. He ached for it.
So strange, how sometimes came to something so simple. Somewhere in Ardeth's hormone-drugged mind, his reason was protesting that she didn't know the full story. Didn't know why they were here, why it was too dangerous for her to become involved with Ardeth. Leaving now would be the honorable thing to do. But. . .and yet. . .Celia had a mind of her own. He knew from Rick that Celia and Anck sensed something was going on. Anck warned Rick that Ardeth was more vulnerable in the States than Rick was. Something Celia knew as well. And yet, even knowing that. . .she wanted him to kiss her. . .he wanted that, too.
He slipped his hand around the back of her neck, her dark hair lightly tickling his bare flesh. Amazing, how Ardeth seemed to feel so much more. Sense so much more. The feel of Celia's hair brushing against his knuckles. And the soft night air blowing against his face, moving through his own hair. It seemed as if Ardeth's skin and body was sensitized. . . heightened senses. But he would give her one last chance to back away.
He tried to tell himself again that he couldn't be attracted to this girl, he couldn't be so powerfully attracted to her, after such a short time. He tried a thousand different things to stall himself and her, but he failed to take one thing into account. One very important thing. Celia herself. Growing impatient with his stalling, Celia took matters into her own hands. . .literally. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him.
And that was when Ardeth knew why he stalled. For one moment, before his mind shut down, he knew exactly why he stalled. It felt like a bomb went off inside him. No. . .no, there were a thousand different little explosions, including one located around his groin. He gave a low sound in the back of his throat, his arms moving about her waist, instinctively drawing her closer to his body. Her hands left his face and slid around to the back of his neck, to cradle the back of his skull.
Then there was no more room for thought. . .sensation overwhelmed him. He moaned against her mouth, his bones turning to wet pasta, and his blood turning to lava. Burning, threatening to incinerate him from the inside out. Ardeth kissed her back desperately, drawing her closer to his body. He only wanted to. . .what? He didn't know. He just knew that what he wanted was something only this girl could give him.
They separated reluctantly, but unwilling to pass out from lack of oxygen. Ardeth pulled away, looking into Celia's eyes, which were now almost black. The expression in her eyes made his knees weak, and immensely grateful that he was already sitting down. But she smiled and said softly, "Took you long enough. I was starting to think I would need to give you an engraved invitation. Been wanting to do that since I met you."
"I was not sure. . .I. . .there are things about me, Celia, that you do not know. There are dangerous things. I did not wish for any harm to come to you, especially not because of me," Ardeth answered. He was cupping her face now, lightly caressing her cheek with his thumb. It would be so easy, to cross the line from attraction to love. So easy to fall in love with this woman-child, who was both strong and vulnerable. And it was that dichotomy which appealed to Ardeth. He saw the same dichotomy in his mothers and in his sisters. He could have never loved a clinging woman, not after being raised by Altair Costas Bey.
"I think you should let me be the judge of that, Ardeth. I don't believe you're here to harm me or anyone else. You're a protector at heart. . .and sometimes an avenger," Celia replied quietly. She gave him a half-smile, adding, "You're wondering how I knew that. My grandmother. . .she told me that like could always recognize like. She also told me that I was a protector at heart, but I could become an avenger if the situation was necessary. Didn't know what she meant until much later."
Now there was a haunted expression in her eyes. She looked at him steadily, explaining, "I protect what's mine, Ardeth. I protect what's mine, and I take care of what's mine. That sounds like I'm repeating myself, but I'm not. I'm a protector. . .and Anck is an avenger. I haven't decided what Evy is yet." She smiled ruefully, and Ardeth laughed softly. He was quite certain the lady in question didn't know the answer to that, either.
"I wish I could have known your grandmother, Celia. She must have been a remarkable woman," Ardeth whispered. He wasn't sure why he was speaking so softly, but it felt necessary. It felt. . .sacred. This woman was sacred. Celia smiled, her entire face lighting up. The young chieftain added, because this woman *was* sacred, "I promise you now, Celia. I am not here to harm you, or anyone else. I cannot tell you exactly what my purpose here is, not yet, but I swear to you, on the lives of my brothers and sisters, I will harm no one you love."
"Good. Now that's settled. . ." Celia replied and kissed him again. This time, Ardeth didn't even try to fight the onslaught of desire, of need which washed over him. He drew her tightly against his body, moaning softly when her hands found their way under his shirt. Yes. This woman was dangerous to him, but Ardeth wouldn't allow that to stop this moment, this hour, this night. He. . .
"Um. . .maybe I should come back later." It took Ardeth a moment to place the voice. And after a few seconds passed, he broke off the kiss with a groan. He looked up to find his brother smiling merrily. Rick added, his blue eyes twinkling, "Does the word 'busted' mean anything to you, bro?" Yes, actually it did. . .it was what Rick's jaw would be if he said anything inappropriate!
. . .
At first, Rick was ticked at Galen Ferguson for making him carry Evelyn Carnahan back to the house, while she was drunk and asleep. But as he walked back to the house, Evelyn draped over his arms, his irritation began to ease. For one thing, Evelyn was so damn cute when she was drunk. And it was a long time since Rick carried an adult woman (or mostly adult woman) like this. Too long. . .what, three months?
Yeah, something like that. That was about how long since he was *with* a woman. Three months was an eternity to Rick. He still didn't get how Ardeth managed some semblance of maturity and sensibility, given his brother's utter lack of experience. Rick supposed it was possible that his brother *was* getting some. . .Ardeth wasn't the kiss and tell type. . .but he didn't think it was likely.
Rick raised that subject once with his father. Predictably, Nathaniel's first reaction was chide him for butting into his brother's private business. Rick had his ways of taking care of Ardeth, while his father had his own. When Rick refused to drop the subject, Nathaniel sighed and explained that if you don't know what you don't have, you really don't realize what you're missing. Rick, who was sexually active since before he and his father left for Egypt years earlier, was dumbfounded.
And yet, his father's words made sense, in a warped, Ardeth-sort of way. Ardeth didn't know what he was missing, so he didn't realize he was missing anything. Further, his father added, don't go getting any ideas about taking him to some sort of brothel for him to lose his virginity. You'll just embarrass him, and that'll take all the fun out of it for him. Nathaniel shocked his oldest child with that, especially added, 'and that's the point, isn't it, at your age? To enjoy yourself?'
Ow. But Rick couldn't tell his father that he was wrong. From things said in the past, it seemed likely that Nathaniel O'Connell was a hell-raiser of the first order while he was growing up. Which explained why he viewed Rick with a combination of exasperation, love, and amusement. It also explained why he viewed Ardeth with a combination of love and concern. Rick couldn't tell his father that he was wrong, because Nathaniel really knew what he was talking about.
The young man wondered as he headed to the house, what his father would make of Evelyn Carnahan. Scratch that, he wondered what Dad would make of all three girls. It didn't take long to figure that out. Dad would be leery of Anck Cortez. Any sane man would be leery of a girl-woman like that, who exuded sex appeal the way some women exuded perfume. A woman-child like that was dangerous, just by existing. Even if she wasn't Rick's type.
He would be equally leery of the little roommate, for the simple fact that she was the quietest out of the three. One thing Dad always taught Rick, especially after he met and married Altair. Women like Anck were dangerous, but quiet women were even more dangerous. With them, you never saw it coming. Nathaniel knew quiet women very well, for while Altair was quite vocal and equally sassy, Rick's mother was the opposite. She was very quiet.
Nathaniel once told Rick the story of something which happened to his mother before she met and married Nathaniel, long before Rick was born. Someone at her place of employment mistook her quiet and reserve for. . .something else. Nathaniel didn't explain what that something was, and apparently, it wasn't important to the story. In any event, this guy started trying to get under Lily's skin, hoping to anger her. Some of his comments were borderline sexual harassment, and if Rick was there. . .
It was the classic case of 'be careful what you wish for. . .you might just get it.' This guy eventually pushed Rick's mom too far. . .and the resulting fallout left the jerk out of a job. From what Rick's dad told him, the jackass was told often to leave the women alone, before he found himself on the receiving end of a sexual harassment complaint. He didn't listen, and messing with Lily was the last straw.
According to Dad, they still talked about it at that place. The day Lily lost her temper and the day this turd went too far. The fireworks were rather spectacular. Rick, who only knew his mother as a quiet and gentle woman, was stunned when his father told him about it. How he knew, Rick didn't know, but apparently, one of Mom's co-workers gave Dad the lowdown when she met Dad. Told him what he was in for, if he ever hurt Mom.
Not that Dad would ever do that. For all that he was a hellraiser, Nathaniel O'Connell was a gentleman where the ladies were concerned. And all of his protective instincts were brought to the forefront when he met Lily. It was just dumb luck that the jerk (whose name Rick never learned) was long gone by the time Nathaniel and Lily met and married. Otherwise, Nathaniel might have been tempted to open a can of whup-ass on someone who hurt his Lily.
Funny, when Rick thought about it years later, he imagined his brother in a similar situation. . .then realized if anyone would push his little brother too far, it would be Rick himself. A sobering thought, and Rick turned his attention back to Evelyn Carnahan. He found out tonight what she was like when she was drunk. When the walls came down. He saw her mildly irritated. . .but as yet, he hadn't seen her as fiery as either of her two roommates.
And after seeing some of the walls fall. . .well, Rick wasn't sure if he wanted to see her as fiery as Anck Cortez was as a matter of course, or as fiery as the little roommate was while she was defending Beni. Evelyn Carnahan could be dangerous. And yet, with each wall that fell between them, it was becoming harder and harder to resist her. She wasn't even trying to seduce him, and that was what made her so damn irresistible.
That. . .her smile. . .her vulnerability. . .her intelligence. A half dozen other things that Rick couldn't name, and wouldn't dream of trying. She wasn't his usual type. That much was established a long time ago, and it was still true. She wasn't his usual type, and he didn't think he would be any good for her. It occurred to him that he was fighting his own attraction to Evelyn as hard as his brother was fighting his attraction to Celia Ferguson.
Yowch. Not something he really wanted to think about. As much as he loved his little brother, he didn't want to think about the possibility that he was becoming like Ardeth. That would just be too weird, and Rick's life was weird enough. Especially now that Ardeth was so strongly attracted to the last girl Rick ever imagined could interest his brother. And if an intense Ardeth was scary, a hormone-driven Ardeth was even scarier.
Someone had to keep their attention focused on taking down Imhotep, Lock-nah, and anyone else stupid enough to be involved with those two losers. Usually, that someone was Ardeth. . .and maybe he was. But just to be safe, Rick would start focusing, too.
At the same time, Rick thought back to what Anck-su-namun Cortez said about protecting Ardeth. It never even occurred to him. . .that Ardeth was much more vulnerable here than he was, but she was right. Especially when she reminded him of two years earlier. It was something he should have thought of. . .but he didn't. Then again, that was sort of his MO. In terms of those old stereotypes, Rick was the brawn, and Ardeth had the brains.
It wasn't that easy, of course, or that cut and dried. Where the Med- jai were concerned, nothing ever was. There were many shades of gray, but it suited Rick's purposes to put it in those terms. If nothing else, it led many to underestimate both himself and Ardeth. And that was often a good thing. It occurred to Rick, too, that underestimating the three roommates would be a very BAD thing. . .on many levels.
He looked at Evelyn again, who was sleeping soundly. Becoming attracted to this girl wasn't part of the bargain. Even if she wasn't as dangerous as her two roommates, she was still dangerous. She was dangerous to their mission, and she was dangerous to his focus. He couldn't afford to become attracted to her, not when his brother needed him to be focused. Especially if Ardeth lost his battle with his hormones.
Rick at last reached the house, and met Anck Cortez on his way up to the bedroom Evelyn shared with Olivia Chase. The other girl was wearing a grin that could be best described as 'shit-eating.' Too late, Rick remembered her with the camcorder and looked at her warily. What was he just thinking about, about not underestimating these girls? Anck just smirked and said, "You just never know when 'a place like me doing in a girl like this' might come in handy for blackmail material. Kinda like Celia in the shower footage."
Okay, that definitely fell into the 'too much information' category. Especially when it occurred to him that Anck might show the latter footage to Rick's brother. . .on the other hand, it might be worth it, just to see the look in Ardeth's eyes when he saw the little roommate naked and wet. Rick flushed at the image *that* conjured up in his imagination. Okay. Definitely too much information. He eased himself and Evelyn into the room she shared with the little girl, who was sleeping soundly.
Anck appeared behind him, murmuring, "I'll get her into her nightgown. After all, it's not like you trust my other roommate." Rick glared at her, but couldn't deny she was right. He didn't trust Celia Ferguson any more than he trusted Anck Cortez. Rick gently smoothed Evelyn's dark hair with the tips of his fingers, then left the room before he embarrassed himself. The young man left the house and headed back to the bonfire. Apparently, Galen decided he would leave that Talk until the following day, when they were thinking clearly.
As he reached the bonfire, he was greeted with an unexpected sight. Why it was unexpected, he had no idea. . .really, he should have seen it coming. But still, it was a shock, seeing Ardeth and the little roommate locked in each other's arms and in an equally passionate kiss. Rick raised his eyebrows, not just at the kiss, but at the low moans coming from his brother. At first, Rick was shocked. . .then dismayed. . .then angry. . .then finally amused. Well, well. Looked like Ardeth was even further gone than he thought.
It was a cruel and unkind thing he did next, but couldn't resist. Besides, that was part of his duties as an older brother. . .to torment and annoy his younger brother. Rick said, not even trying to keep the amusement out of his voice, "Umm. . .maybe I should come back later." His voice didn't register at first. Whoa. Guess Ardeth was pretty far gone. He heard Ardeth groan as he broke off the kiss, then turned his head toward Rick. Ardeth was not a happy camper. Rick grinned impishly, asking, "Does the word 'busted' mean anything to you, bro?"
"Yes, it is what I will do to your jaw, if you further comment," Ardeth growled. Actually growled at him. Rick looked again at his brother, blinking when he realized that while the pair were no longer kissing, they also weren't disengaging from each other. The little roommate still had her hand in Ardeth's hair, and his brother's arms were still around her body. And it was anyone's guess, which pair of lips were more swollen, and which set of eyes were more glazed over with passion.
Rick thought of the aborted kiss with Evelyn Carnahan, and wondered if the proper English girl would have looked anything like her roommate did right now. For the first time, he also realized that Celia's other hand was under Ardeth's shirt, her palm resting against his lower back. Okay. Definitely too much information. Especially since that made him think once more of Evelyn Carnahan, and how far things would have gone tonight if she kissed him.
It seemed massively unfair to him that his brother, the sometimes socially inept Ardeth, got further along than Rick. Not only was the girl he was kissing still one hundred percent sober, she was also not letting a little thing like clothes get in the way of getting closer to his brother. Maybe too close.
Rick felt his world tremble under his feet, and for the first time, he realized why his brother didn't want to pursue a relationship with this girl. Ardeth was all or nothing. . .he either gave his heart to this girl, or pretended she didn't exist. He couldn't. . .he couldn't be somewhere in the middle, his attraction to her was that strong. At the same time he made that discovery, he made himself a promise. If this girl hurt Ardeth, Rick. . .he would do something. He would make her pay. In one form or another. He would make her pay.
. . .
At the same time Rick O'Connell was making his promise to do whatever it took to protect his brother, Beni Gabor was making a similar promise to his fiancee, and to their daughter. That included telling Renee the whole truth. It was a decision he made at the end of the day on Friday, after his conversation with Dr Terrence Bey. It was only fair, he supposed. . .Dr Bey was trying to focus on the investigation, rather than his worry for his nephew.
It wasn't a decision he made lightly. He told her about his past with Rick O'Connell, about the three girls. . .some of which she already knew, since she knew the three roommates, and he told her about Lock-nah's threats against her and their daughter. Renee turned very, very pale, but didn't interrupt. A fact for which Beni was very, very grateful. If he stopped, he didn't know if he could ever get started again. . .this was taking all of the courage he had.
He told her about Rick catching him in the apartment, and his conversation with Terrence Bey. Beni also told her about his realization that everyone had a stake in this, in one form or another. If Dr Bey could look past his love and concern for his nephew to the investigation. . . maybe Beni could do something actively to help as well.
When he finally finished his story, Renee sat very quietly on the small sofa in her small living room in her small apartment. Their daughter was sound asleep in her little room, dreaming of being a ballerina and a police woman and who knew what else. She sat cross-legged, her dark hair hanging loosely about her shoulders and falling into her eyes. Beni couldn't see her eyes, and that scared him.
The eyes were the windows to the soul, after all. And Renee had especially expressive eyes. At last, she asked softly, "What are we gonna do, Beni?" She raised her eyes to look at him more fully, repeating, "What are we gonna do? You can't betray O'Connell. . .even if he wouldn't kill you, you can't do something like that to a person twice. You just can't. And if Lock-nah ever finds out that you're betraying him. . ."
"Take Ceci and leave town," Beni said, reaching over to grip her hand. He was more than a little relieved when she didn't pull her hand away from him. When he decided to tell her everything, he was terrified she would hate him. And she might still. However, Renee was shaking her head almost immediately, and Beni repeated, almost imploring her, "Leave town! It's the best way to protect you and Ceci!"
"Beni, I can't! If I do, Lock-nah will know something is going on! No, we have to figure something else out. Some other way to protect Ceci. . .she's the most important thing. I'm a grown woman, I can take care of myself. But Ceci, if he hurts Ceci. . ." Renee began, shaking her head. She looked up, her hair falling away from her eyes. . .now he could see her eyes. And her eyes were flashing as she hissed, "If he hurts my daughter, I'll kill him myself!"
Beni always thought of his fiancee as gentle. She was, but Beni forgot the most important thing. When angry enough, a gentle person can be the most dangerous of all. Something he should have remembered, especially after seeing Celia in action. The same was true of his fiancee. Renee would do whatever she felt was necessary to safeguard Ceci.
"All right. I'll do everything I can to protect Ceci, you know that. She. . .the two of you mean everything to me," Beni answered in a hoarse voice. He didn't deserve this woman. He knew that. He didn't deserve this woman, or their daughter, and yet, through some strange miracle, he had them both. He must have done something right in his life, for Renee to love him. And he would take care of her, he would take care of them both.
"You'll need allies. You said earlier that O'Connell would probably protect Ceci. I think you should arrange that immediately. O'Connell, and his brother. Ceci told me about him, about the brother. Said that he seemed nice. And. . .maybe the three girls? Especially the one who defended you when Ceci was with you. . .what was her name? Cecile?" Renee asked. Beni didn't laugh, though that was his first impulse. She wasn't concentrating on anything other than her daughter's safety, and they were probably fortunate that Celia's name was so close to his daughter's, otherwise Renee would have totally forgotten it.
"Celia. . .short for 'Cecelia.' And yes, I'm sure she will be an ally," Beni replied. Even if his friend realized tomorrow what a loser he really was. . .and Beni held no illusions of that. He knew what he was, and what he wasn't. But even with that possibility, Celia would still be an ally. She was a protector at heart. Not an avenger. . .Anck was an avenger. But Celia would aid him, because that was whom she was and what she was. She had her avenging angel moments, as he well knew. . .but she wasn't an avenger by nature.
They were both silent for a long time, then Renee said very quietly, "This doesn't mean I've totally forgiven you, Beni. Not yet. You've placed Ceci and me into a dangerous position, and I know why you did it. You were trying to do something good for us. I love you, Beni, and that's why I'll forgive you." Beni lowered his eyes. He thought of telling her that it wouldn't have made a difference, what he told Lock-nah originally.
He could have told her that Lock-nah would have used her and Ceci to enforce his compliance. He could have told her that. But he could tell from Renee's expression that it wasn't necessary. She knew that already. She remembered that part of the story. It was one reason she was swinging back and forth between rage toward him and concern. Beni sighed and reached over to take her hand once more. And once again, she didn't shy away.
"I know that, my princess, and I promise I'll make this right for you. For both of you. I would die for you both, you know that," Beni replied. Now Renee smiled sadly. He didn't know why. And worse, he was afraid to ask. He thought all girls wanted someone to love them, to love them enough to die for them. For their child, the baby they made together. But Renee was never like other girls.
"It's all well and good. . .but I also want you to live for us. Beni. . .we need you alive. We want you alive," Renee replied, leaning forward earnestly. It was a sign of just how serious the situation was. Beni didn't even try to look down his fiancee's nightgown as she leaned forward to explain her position. Further, not only did he not try to look down her nightgown, it was something that didn't even cross his mind.
Instead, Beni was thinking about what she said. Especially after she smiled at him and said, "I don't need a hero, Beni. I love you, as you are. I just. . .I just wish you would think a little more sometimes, that all. Your friend Cecelia, the brave girl. . .she can have the hero." Beni didn't think he should tell her that it was likely Celia would get at least one of the heroes. Even if Ardeth Bey didn't think of himself in that way, he was a hero, nonetheless. Even knowing that, Beni still didn't know if Ardeth Bey was good enough for her, but. . .
But it wasn't important, because Renee added, "Cecelia can have the hero. I just want you to be okay. I want us all to be safe. I would rather have a live Beni than a dead hero." Beni promptly melted. He caused this situation. He knew that. But he also knew that he would find a way to get them all out of it. With or without Rick O'Connell, it didn't matter. He would find a way to make things right.
. . .
The last thing Anck was thinking about that night as her roommate wearily entered the bedroom they shared was making things right. She was, in fact, thinking about Emmett Tepper, and second-guessing her decision to go after him once they returned to campus the following evening. For that matter, she was second-guessing her reaction to him. Evy and Celia were both falling hard for men they just met. Maybe she was just reacting to that.
Especially since it was so unusual for both of her friends to react so powerful, so quickly. In all the months she knew them both, neither Evy nor Celia ever even looked twice at a member of the male population with any degree of interest. Then again, Evy was immersing herself in her studies, trying to prove herself to god only knew who. And Celia. . .Celia was trying to prove herself to herself, Anck thought.
And though it caused her friend no small amount of heartbreak, it seemed like the death of Celia's grandmother woke her up. Made her realize she didn't have to prove herself to anyone. She was good enough for any man. It just took until now to find a man who was smart enough to realize that. Anck never met Celia's grandmother. . .she didn't know what Annabel would have thought of Ardeth Bey, but she knew Galen approved of Ardeth, and that said a lot. And. . .she approved of him.
"Remind me to kill Rick O'Connell the first chance I get," Celia said, breaking into Anck's thoughts. The girl looked up. . .and realized for the first time that her roommate looked a bit on the disheveled side. Okay. Make that a LOT on the disheveled side. In fact, she looked like. . .she looked like she was thoroughly kissed. Oh my. It looked like things just got really, really interesting. Anck raised her eyebrows questioningly at her friend, and Celia blushed, adding, "We kissed."
'We,' of course, meaning she and Ardeth. The idea of Rick O'Connell kissing Celia was enough to make Anck shudder. Talk about a squicky idea! Too squicky to consider, and Anck quickly banished all such squicky thoughts from her mind. She held out her hand to her friend, saying as Celia took it and sat down beside her, "And I take it that his stepbrother interrupted you just when it was really getting good?"
"If by 'getting good,' you mean, it was getting steamy. . .yes. Oh, Anck. . .I haven't wanted to seriously hurt someone in a few years, but when O'Connell opened his mouth and interrupted us. . .I wanted to hurt him. But Ardeth. . .oh, Anck. O'Connell said something about, 'does the word busted mean anything to you,' or something along those lines. Ardeth told him yes, it was what his jaw would be if he made any more comments," Celia replied.
Anck barely held back a giggle. He did, did he? Anck already liked Ardeth, just from what she saw of him today, but he just kept giving her more reasons to like him. And though she kept encouraging her roommate to go after him, Anck was pleased that Ardeth was holding back, trying to do the right thing by her roommate. It said a lot about him. Anck was a good- time girl, and would never say otherwise. . .but her roommate was another kettle of fish.
A saying she really had to ask Celia about one of these days, but now was not the time. Instead, she asked with an impish grin, "So tell me all about it! Is he a good kisser? Wait, never mind, you already told me. First kiss, and things are already getting steamy between you. It's like I always say. You gotta look out for the quiet ones. So how far did you get? Is it just kissing at this point, or did you manage to get some foreplay in?"
"Anck!" Celia gasped, her face turning bright red with embarrassment. Anck just hugged her very tightly. She was so proud of her roommate. Anck should have realized that when she found someone who was worthy of her attention, Celia wouldn't let anything or anyone stop her. And though Celia was holding back now, that was okay, too. She wasn't a girl who would kiss and tell her. Anck wouldn't respect her so much if she did. After a moment, her roommate added shyly, "I did kinda slide my hand under his shirt."
If not for the fact that just about everyone else was asleep, Anck would have shrieked at that top of her lungs. As it was, she clapped her hand over her mouth, trying to ignore the strange little noises coming from her throat. She couldn't wake the children up, and that was far more likely than waking Evy or her brother. When Anck got herself under control, she managed to gasp out, "Cecelia Anne! Dios mio! I am so proud of you! Tell me more!" Celia ducked her head, her face turning even redder.
"Give me a minute, I need to change into a nightgown. Oh, Anck. I'm scared. I mean, I'm scared and I feel all tingly. I kissed him first, you know," Celia said, rising to her feet. She went to her duffel bag, her back to Anck. Thus, she totally missed seeing Anck's jaw. *Celia* kissed Ardeth first?? And put her hand under his shirt? Anck reached up and physically closed her own mouth, still staring at her friend. Still reeling at this new side to her friend. Her quiet, shy friend who seemed incapable of even flirting with a member of the opposite sex.
She was half-tempted to ask Celia who the hell she was, and what she did with her roommate. However, Anck always suspected that something like this would happen. Despite Celia's shyness, despite her reserve, Anck always believed that her friend could be intense under the right circumstances. There was a poster in the bookstore. . .'beneath this cool exterior is a powder keg of passion.' That summed up Celia rather nicely. It just took the right man, the right situation. . .but even so. Celia just met Ardeth a few days earlier.
*Si,* she told herself, *but she's had more contact with Ardeth than you've had with Emmett Tepper, and that certainly hasn't stopped you.* At the same time, Celia tended to be much more cautious than Anck was. And that was where the surprise waited. Not that Celia would eventually let down her guard. . .but that she would do so with someone she knew less than a week. 'Love at first sight' was hardly Celia's style. . .not even 'lust at first sight.'
Or maybe that should be much less. Either way, her roommate just did a one eighty on her, and Anck was still recovering her equilibrium. She didn't have much time to do that. Celia was slipping into a flannel nightgown, and saying, "I kissed him first. He wanted to kiss me. I could tell. Isn't that funny? I've never been kissed before in my life, and I could just tell he wanted to kiss me. But he kept backing away, and trying to give me an out."
Give her an out? Oh. Oh, now Anck understood. . .Ardeth was being honorable and noble, and a general pain in the ass. Giving Celia an opportunity to change her mind. But was that being a pain in the ass or a gentleman? Anck would figure that out later. For now, Celia was speaking again, telling Anck, "I cupped his face in my hands. . .his beard tickles, you know that, in a good kind of way. Anyhow, I kissed him then. . .and that was that."
She sounded proud of herself in a shyly pleased sort of way, and Anck was just as proud of her. But there was absolutely no shyness in the other girl. Celia tried to smooth her hair as she sat down beside Anck once more, explaining, "We stopped kissing long enough to catch our breaths. Talked briefly. . .long enough for Ardeth to swear that he's not here to hurt anyone. Or anyone we love. Then we kissed again, and that's when O'Connell opened his big mouth."
Celia sounded utterly disgusted, and Anck couldn't blame her. Even so, she repeated Celia's earlier words in her mind. . .about Ardeth's defense of Celia to his brother, threatening to break his jaw if he said anything inappropriate. She might want to have a talk with Ardeth Bey in the morning, after they all had a chance to rest. Anck knew his intentions toward her friend and roommate were strictly honorable. . .it wasn't that kind of a talk.
But it wouldn't do for her to tell Celia that. Her roommate would likely kick her butt. Instead, she took Celia's hand once more and said, "I'll let you get some sleep. I want to see about the footage I took tonight. See how well that come out. I'm too wired to sleep. How soon do you want to start teasing Evy about tonight's festivities?" Anck could remember a time, not so long ago, when Celia would have chastised her.
Not tonight. Celia was different tonight. Everything was different. Her roommate answered, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully, "Let's wait for her to mention it. Then we can tease her. But Anck, we keep this videotape, and Evy's 'what's a place like me doing in a girl like this' to ourselves. Just to the people who were here tonight. . . no one." Anck glowered at her friend. Damn! So much for her blackmail plans.
Celia grinned then, her dark eyes sparkling as she added, "Anck. . .that also includes Matt and Cass, and Jonathan, once he's sober again. You can show it to them." Anck thought about Celia's words. People who were here tonight.
That was right. . .Celia didn't specify *when* someone was here, which left all sorts of interesting loopholes! Anck threw her arms around her friend, laughing softly. Celia wasn't ruining her blackmail plans, after all. . .just setting some guidelines. Her American roommate returned the embrace, saying softly, "And Anck, if you like. . .I'm sure you could find some good footage of Rick O'Connell as well."
Celia's observation didn't make sense at first. Until she remembered. Rick O'Connell was attracted to Evy. She was drunk through most of the night. That meant she didn't know any of what happened, or if she did, it was a dim memory. Anck looked at her roommate, whose eyes were almost green with mischief. With a peal of barely-muted laughter, Anck grabbed her friend and hugged her once more. Oh yes. Footage of Rick O'Connell sounded like an excellent idea! Even more blackmail opportunities!
. . .
Ooooh. . .her head hurt. Evy groaned, trying to block out the light with her hand. Unfortunately, the motion had the effect of making her seasick. Why was everything moving around like that? For that matter, why did her mouth feel like something died in it overnight? And why. . .oh. . .God. Evy gulped and opened one eye just long enough to stumble from her bed to the door, then from the door to the bathroom.
Which was mercifully empty. She kicked the door shut, moaning as another wave of nausea swept over her. And prayed that she would make it to the toilet in time. Someone was obviously looking out for her. As Evy flipped open the toilet seat, she was overwhelmingly, violently ill. Spasms shook her body, one after another. Evy was vaguely aware of someone opening the door behind her, and the sound of running water.
There was a gentle hand on her hair and Evy unconsciously turned her face in the direction of the hand. She moaned, this time in relief, as cool water was spread across her face. Something was murmured, then a toilet flushed. A gentle voice said softly, "Hope you were finished, Evy. Feeling better?" As gentle as it was, the voice was still a little bit loud, and Evy cringed away from it. She *was* feeling better. . .until just now.
The nausea was still there, but controllable. At least for the moment. Evy opened her eyes, and to her surprise, Anck was sitting beside her. Her roommate offered her a crooked smile, saying softly, "Don't think this means anything special. I was still up, and didn't want you waking Celia." Of course she didn't. There were times when Evy was jealous of Celia. She had Jason and Galen, both of whom would both kill for her and die for her. She had Anck. And before too much longer, she would have Ardeth Bey.
She didn't realize she spoke aloud, until Anck pointed out, "You have Jonathan. You have Celia. And before too much longer, you'll have Rick O'Connell." Evy shook her head sadly. No, she wouldn't. The girl was aware she was still somewhat drunk, because if she was sober, she would deny to her dying breath that she was attracted to O'Connell. Anck said, her voice very gentle, "You'll have Rick. He's the one who carried you to the house."
"But you don't like me. You put up with me, because of Celia, but you don't like me. Why don't you like me?" Evy asked. Again, she was aware that she was somewhat drunk, because if she was sober, she would never ask such a question. Anck didn't answer at first. She reached up and turned on the water. Evy rested her head against the sink, sighing when Anck washed her face again.
"You make it very hard to like you sometimes, Evelyn. But I do like you, especially when you forget to be such a know-it-all. I like you very much on days like today, when you act like just another person. Celia has said all along that you didn't really think you were better than everyone else, it was just a mask you wore to protect yourself. If she wasn't one of my best friends, I think I'd hate her for being right. Again," Anck replied.
Evy grinned, in spite of the pain spiking through her head, and answered, "That, and she doesn't gloat when she's right." Anck grinned back and nodded. The two roommates were silent for several moments, then Evy asked softly, "What do you think? How long will it be before Ardeth and Celia stop. . .well, before they admit just how strong their attraction for each other is?" Anck merely smiled almost evilly.
"Well. . .about three hours ago," she replied. Evy looked at her, and Anck continued, clearly enjoying herself, "Celia kissed Ardeth. While O'Connell was carrying you up here, Celia and Ardeth stayed in front of the bonfire, talking. Well, eventually, I guess they ran out of things to say, and Ardeth started finding it more and more difficult to keep his hands to himself. My words, by the way, not his, and not Celia's. Finally, Celia ran out of patience with his stalling, and she kissed him."
"Celia. Our roommate. . .kissed a man?" Evy queried, feeling more interested than sick right now. She wasn't sure how long it would last, and she intended to pay attention for however long it did last. Anck just nodded, looking very pleased. . .Evy just wasn't sure if she was pleased with herself or with Celia for taking such bold action. Anck would be pleased with herself for nudging Celia forward. With Anck, it could go either way. However, Evy was fairly sure that Anck was more pleased with Celia than anything else.
"Yes, she did. . .just like you almost did," Anck replied. Almost did? What was Anck talking about? Evy was on the point of asking her roommate what she meant, when the pair heard soft footsteps coming down the hall. The door opened and closed behind someone, and the two girls looked up somewhat guiltily, to find a sleepy-looking Celia standing there. She looked from one to the other, a confused frown decorating her face. Anck said helpfully, ignoring Evy's warning glare, "Evy's been sick, querida. . .though she seems to have escaped the curse of a hangover. Are you all right?"
"That's good. I wasn't sure where you were," Celia murmured. She sat down beside the combination shower/tub, cross-legged, and Evy looked at her roommate in surprise. She kissed Ardeth Bey. Her shy, quiet roommate, who barely spoke to most members of the male population, aside from Beni Gabor. . .kissed Ardeth Bey. Evy suddenly had the feeling that things were spinning out of control. Including Evy herself.
She was still trying to figure out what Anck meant about kissing a man, or almost kissing a man. Anck continued, "Celia, I was just getting ready to tell Evy about her own near-miss with Mr O'Connell." The bottom dropped out of Evy's stomach, and her blood ran cold. Near Miss? O'Connell? O'Connell was the man she almost kissed? Oh no. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening!
A faint smile appeared on Celia's face, and she replied with a yawn, "Oh, you mean, 'what's a place like me, doing in a girl like this?' That was how it went, wasn't it?" Anck nodded with an evil grin, and Evy looked from one roommate to the other, fighting rising waves of panic. 'What's a place like me, doing in a girl like this?' She couldn't have said that? Could she? She was drunk, but surely she wasn't that drunk!
"You don't believe us, Eva?" Anck inquired, using a nickname for Evy that only came out when she was in a truly mischievous mood. . .or when she was showing affection for Evy. The English girl looked from one to the other. Celia was smiling, though Evy was relieved to see there was no malice there. She looked amused, and too tired to hide her amusement. Anck continued, holding her hand out to Evy, "Come then. I will show you. I have the proof on tape."
Evy took her roommate's hand, allowing Anck to pull her to her feet. She swayed a little, but grabbed the towel rack for support. Anck was pulling Celia to her feet, and the three girls left the bathroom together. Now that she had something to focus on, aside from how lousy she felt, Evy was relieved to find the nausea diminished. The girls went quietly downstairs to the living room, and Anck turned on the tv, then hit 'play' on the VCR.
They weren't lying. Every word they said was true. Evy watched herself in astonishment and more than a little shame, at the way she fell into the tall American's arms. Oh dear. Now he probably knew she was attracted to him, and to paraphrase Captain Jack Sparrow, there would be no living with him after this. 'What's a place like me, doing in a girl like this,' indeed! And she told him about her parents! Not even her roommates knew about that!
Evy felt her face burn, grateful that at least her two roommates weren't being malicious about this. She was aware of Anck giggling quietly on Celia's other side, and Evy said to say it. She turned to her roommate, asking, "How much to never show this to anyone?"
"Far more money than you have, querida, far more money than you have. Celia has made me promise to show this to only people who were here tonight. . .and she specified the adults. And since I hardly think Galen is interested in seeing this again, that leaves the brothers, your brother. . .and Mathayus and Cassandra," Anck replied with a wicked grin. Evy looked at Celia, who sat down in a recliner and curled up like a cat.
"I suppose I should be grateful that you got her to agree to that," she told her American roommate. Celia nodded and allowed her eyes to drift shut. Evy looked back at Anck, then looked up at the clock. It was two thirty am, and they had to be up at eight with the kids. Evy once more looked at Anck, sighing, "All right. . .we should get Celia back upstairs to your room before she falls asleep right here. You and I will talk about this later." That was a promise.
Anck nodded with a mischievous grin, then slipped over to the recliner and pushed down the foot rest with her own foot, almost catapulting Celia out of the recliner. The American girl glowered at her and Anck put her arm around her shoulders, while Evy put her arm around Celia's waist. It was as much for Evy's own sake as Celia's. . .Evy's legs were started to wobble, and the English girl knew she would fall down if she didn't have some support.
As they went upstairs, Evy said softly, "You'll have to tell me all about your kiss in the morning, Celia." Her roommate blushed, quite cutely, and Evy grinned. At least she wasn't the only one blushing! However, after a moment, her smile died away. Celia kissed Ardeth. And Evy almost kissed that annoying brother of his. How on earth would she face him in the morning, and every time she saw him after that?