Chapter two. - Home comforts
The fort was still in chaos after Imhotep's attack, but Rick quickly managed to re-hire their previous rooms in the hotel, and track down the luggage they had previously left there.
Once he received his room key Jonathan quickly led the way to the rooms. Rick smiled as he followed; he couldn't help but notice the large bottle of whiskey that had found its way in to the man's hands.
"If by any chance another apocalypse happens along, feel free to deal with it without me," Jonathan called as he retired.
Evelyn smiled slightly at her brother's wit and watched him disappear through his door before she moved towards her own.
With her back against her own door Evelyn lifted her eyes to meet Rick's. His gaze was so intense that she began to feel self-conscious, and she shifted from one bare foot to the other.
"Evie," Rick began as he stepped forward, hoping now that they were alone they could talk.
Surprised by his movement Evie jumped backwards, and consequently slammed her back into the door. "Oh!" she cried, surprised.
Noticing the fear in her eyes Rick stepped back, concerned. "Its ok," he began soothingly, "we won, bad guys dead, we're safe now."
The word safe bounced around Evelyn's head. At at least one point in the last couple of days she had thought she would never be safe ever again, and now, even though she was supposed to be, she didn't quite feel it. Lowering her eyes she spoke softly.
"I...I didn't think you were coming for me," she admitted
Rick was shocked. He knew when she was talking about, but he couldn't believe it. "Not coming for you?" he asked. "You mean when he took you?"
Evelyn nodded, unable to look up.
Rick felt sick. He didn't know how she could have ever thought that. Didn't she know how he felt?
"Of course I was coming!" he said. "How could I not? I could never leave you." He stepped forward again and, taking her face in his hands, slowly tilted it back until he could see deep in to her beautiful brown eyes. "Evelyn," he continued, "I'm in love with you."
Evie's mouth fell open. Had she really heard that right?
"You...you love me?" she asked, stumbling over each word.
Struck dumb by the enormity of what he had just said Rick just nodded, and waited for her reaction.
Evie went to speak again but Imhotep's voice screamed in her head.
He won't want you, his voice intoned, repeating what he had told her as she had screamed for Rick in the bowels of Hamunaptra. He wont ever forgive you, he had continued, because you're mine!
Standing in front of the door Evie suddenly gripped the door handle and turned it. "I...I have to go," she mumbled, upset by the memories. "I...I have to sleep."
"Evie?" Rick asked, concerned by the look of fear he had just watched cross her face.
Turning away from him, Evie entered her room and began to close the door.
"Goodnight!" she called with forced cheerfulness.
"Evie!" Rick called again, louder this time, and he took a step forward just as the door slammed in his face. "EVIE!"
Rick stood there not knowing what to do. He had a strong urge to kick the door down, but he didn't know what purpose that would achieve. If Evelyn didn't want to talk to him she wouldn't- he had learnt that much. Eventually he just took a step away from the door, blew a kiss, whispered goodnight, and walked away.
As the door slammed behind her Evelyn fell to the floor, unable to stay on her feet any longer. Her back slid down the solid wood of the door. Leaning heavily against it, she began to listen for Rick moving outside. She couldn't hear anything at first, but she knew he was there; placing her hand flat against the door she could feel him.
That's when she heard it; the kiss, the goodnight, and then the most frightening noise;
his footsteps getting quieter and quieter until finally they stopped, and only silence was left. It was only then, when Rick was no longer with her and she felt so alone, that she began to weep.
Slow silent tears at first, like the ones earlier in the day, but soon they began to grow into bigger and bigger sobs, her shoulders shaking painfully as she gasped for breaths and allowed her distress to grow. As it did so anger flooded her veins, and with hysteria taking over Evelyn pulled Rick's jacket from her shoulders and threw it across the room with a scream of exertion, not caring were it landed. Now she turned her attention to the black nightdress she still wore. Griping it firmly by the neckline she began to pull down, ripping the fabric away from her body until she was naked and the gown was little more than rags.
Her tears having dried up during this process she felt a lot calmer as she got to her feet and walked through the bedroom into the en-suite bathroom. Once there Evelyn began to draw a bath. As she waited she crossed back into the bedroom and stood in front of the full length mirror for some time.
Rick stomped down the hallway. He couldn't believe what had just happened; for the first time in his life he had told a woman honestly, albeit unexpectedly, that he loved her and she had shut a door in his face
"Damn woman!" he swore as he tried to push Evelyn into the same category as all the women from his past. Even as he tried he felt a kick of guilt in his stomach. Evie wasn't like any woman he had ever known, and he knew it. "God, I need a drink," he mumbled out loud as he began down the stairs towards the bar.
"Drink?" an old soldier who happened to be climbing the stairs replied, having mistakenly thought Rick's declaration to be aimed at him. "In that case my boy you're in for a disappointment. The bar's closed"
The man's words halted Rick's progress and he turned.
"Closed?" he asked simply.
"Yeah," the old man continued, slurring just slightly. "Some damn fools poisoned the water or something."
Rick sighed heavily. That was not what he had wanted to hear. Looking around he wondered what to do next.
"If you need a drink that bad," the solider continued, seeming in no hurry to move on, "it's gotta be one of three things, a woman, some money, or your family."
"Family," Rick repeated, his eyes lighting up as he remembered Jonathan, and more importantly, Jonathan's bottle of whiskey.
"Yeah me an all," the man replied miserably, once again mistaking Rick's mumblings as an answer. Slowly he began to continue up the stairs, and as he followed Rick could hear the solider continuing to talk to himself.
"Mind you, it's me wife's family that want money, so it can be all three..."
Rick smiled very gently to himself once he stopped outside Jonathans room.
"And I thought I had problems," he thought. "Then again..." The smile disappeared from his face as he remembered why he wanted a drink. "I do." He turned to the door and began to bang on it loudly." Jonathan!" he called. "Open up!"
When he received no reply he just began to bang and shout louder. "Jonathan!"
"Alright, alright," Jonathan's voice eventually came through the door just as it cracked open. "Jeez, I thought I said leave me outta the next apocalypse."
"Just let me in," Rick moaned.
Seeing Rick's serious face turned Jonathan the same way.
"There isn't something going on, is there?" he asked as the adventurer entered the room.
"Relax," Rick drawled as he sat at the wicker table. "I just wanted a drink."
"A drink?" Jonathan asked incredulously as he hesitantly took the seat opposite Rick.
"Yeah a drink, the thing that generally comes in glass bottles. The bar's closed and I saw the bottle you had earlier..." O'Connell allowed the sentence to finish its self.
Jonathan smiled, relaxed now, and reaching behind him he pulled a bottle and two shot glasses off the shelf and sat them on the table.
"Drink," he said, "now that I can do."
As Evelyn stood in front of the mirror she began studying her reflection. Her dark curly hair that felt knotted and filthy looked nothing more than a little tussled in the mirror. Her sore and aching face showed only smudges where her make up had run with her tears. Surprisingly to her, her lips looked no different considering how traitorous they felt.
Her eyes travelled lower across her skin. Every injury that she had refused to acknowledge earlier now stood out against her pale skin, like loyal subjects of the creature that had inflicted them. Bruises snaked across her shoulders, as scratches did across her breasts, and burns adorned her wrists and ankles; reminders of the manacles that had held her so tight. Every part of her bore some mark, and yet none of the physical pain could compare to how she felt inside. Unable to take any more, Evelyn ran into the bathroom and plunged into the scolding water of the bath she had run.