Chapter 5 Rick O'Connell is back

A/N: Finally, I'm back. I'm sooo sorry it took me so long for this to update but I had a lot of stress and trouble to deal with. This chapter is not beta read because my beta reader has problems with her computer. So sorry about my many mistakes. I really appreciate your many reviews, they helped me a lot. And I hope you'll like this chapter as well and that you review again!!

Evy stared out of the window, a faint smile upon her lips. Her best friend Kate watched her and had to smile too. "It's the first time I see you smile in all these days you've been here darling", she said.

She turned around and nodded slowly. "It's just like you've said.... everything is turning out to be alright. I don't know what changed Rick's mind but I'm glad for it".

Kate turned her head to the door that belonged to the room of the kids. "He finally stopped crying.. poor little Alex. God, he loves Rick so much, even after all these things he did", she sighed.

"Well, he's coming after me", she just answered matter-of-factly and her friend understood what she meant. For Evelyn it was hard to say it out loud that she still loved Rick. She couldn't believe it herself. Rick had changed so much but deep inside she had known all the time that he had stayed the same. His behavior had changed, that was out of question but in his soul, he was still Rick O'Connell in whom she fell in love with. And nothing would be able to make her stop loving this part of him.

"I just hope Alex is not too mad at me", she thought out loud.

Kate smiled slightly. "He's really upset but some day he will thank you for this and he'll understand that more time was good for his father. But for the next days, I can assure, he'll try his best to show you how much he hates you", she answered and laughed quietly.

Evys heart sank when she heard that. She hated the thought of Alex being mad at her. She loved this boy so much it hurt and she needed him right now, to support her, to be like his father, to remind her why her decision was right. "I guess I'm going to take a look after them and bring Sarah into bed", she said and stood up.

She knocked softly but no one answered. She leaned her forehead against the cold door and sighed deeply. "Alex? Sarah? It's me Mom. I know you're mad at me but please, can I come in?"

Still no answer. She knocked again and wondered why Sarah didn't opened. Sarah always listened to her mother and she hated it when she and Alex fought. But Evy also knew that she looked up to her elder brother and when he told her to shut her mouth and not open the door, she wouldn't.

"Okay.. I come in now kids. We need to talk!"

And with that she opened the door. She hadn't even switched the lights on but she already knew that something was wrong. And when bright light flooded through the room, she realized that her feelings could be trusted. The first thing she noticed was the open window that let cold air inside. She stepped forward and closed it. She took a deep breath and then she saw the empty beds. At first she thought that maybe she was mistaken, that she was in the wrong room. But no, on the floor there were Sarah's dolls.

This sight almost gave her an heart attack. She leaned against the wall to steady herself. Kate had watched her and now she came closer. "Evelyn? What's going on"?

"They're gone", she pressed out and her heart stared to beat madly in her chest. Alex and Sarah were gone. The fear choked her and left her breathless, her mind was all messed up. Her first thought was that they were kidnapped, that wouldn't be too strange, not after all these things they'd already experienced. But then she saw the missing suitcases and their missing clothes... and suddenly she knew what had happened. Her children had run away.

Meanwhile in London:

Rick opened the door and stepped into the study, a room he had never used. Books and stuff like that had never interested him very much. The room was dusty and musty. It was obvious that it wasn't used often.

He switched the lights on but the light didn't make it any better. He couldn't help it but he didn't like this room. But Doctor Booger had told him to do it, well not to get into this room in particular but to do something he never used to do. He had told him to start something new and he had helped him to get a new job at a school near London. And now he needed a study to prepare for his lessons. He looked around and sniffed.

"That's not me", a voice resounded in his head. But he was successful in repressing it. It's time to change buddy, he told himself. Put the gun and the bullets away and become a responsible and dependable father and then Evy will come back.

And then he started to tidy up the room and while doing that, he already imagined what it would be like to sit there every evening, correcting tests and other stuff. He stopped and sighed deeply. God, now this picture was burned in his mind and it was awful. He'd never wanted to be like this. That didn't mean he didn't want to be a good and caring father, but he'd never wanted to be like everybody else. He'd wanted to teach his children useful things, things that would help them survive in the real world, not in the world of books. That was Evy's world and she would make sure they would learn all the things she thought were necessary.

He let go of the books in his hands and sat down. And now? God, how much he longed to speak to Evy now, to tell her his problems, to hear her opinion. Sometimes he had the feeling that she knew him even better than he did himself. But he couldn't call her now. It would look like he wouldn't even be able to tidy up a room without her help and she surely didn't want to go back to someone who was this dependent and unstable.

But before he could think of anything else the phone ringed. He picked up, wondering who would call him this late.

"Hello?"

"Rick"?

His heart stopped. It was Evy. But not alone the fact that it was her made his heart jump but also the sound of her voice. Something was wrong, he could hear it.

"Evy? Is something wrong?"

"They're gone Rick.. they're gone", she sobbed.

He didn't have to ask whom she was talking about. He gasped at the thought of something happening to Alex and Sarah. His heart hammered in his chest, almost knocking him down. Why them? Why were these things always happening to them, to his family? Hadn't they gone through enough shit and trouble?

"What do you mean they're gone? Where are they? What happened?" The questions bubbled out of him, he couldn't stop himself. He needed to know everything or it would kill him.

"I'm sorry Rick.. I'm so sorry. Alex was so mad at me because I decided we would stay longer... and he run away and took Sarah with him.. I'm sorry", she cried.

Hearing her cry, he knew that he needed to support her. He hated to hear her cry, it was a sound that sent pain through his whole body. "Shh.. it's alright Sweetie.. it's alright. Calm down and take a deep breath Honey. They're okay, I'm sure. Alex is smart and he will take good care of his sister and he would never endanger her and you know that. Our kids will be just fine", he said.

She sniffed and slowly she calmed down. That was something that amazed him over and over again. She was so strong and brave and that was one reason why he loved her so much. "Call the police and I'll come as soon as I can. Don't worry, I'll get them back. I promise", he said. He didn't want to promise anything but the words just left his mouth and they seemed to comfort her a little.

She was quiet for a moment and then she answered. "Do you remember... when the Mummy kidnapped Alex? You promised me you bring him back to me", she said.

"And I did, didn't I?"

"Yeah.. yeah you did", she said and he could hear her smile slightly.

"And I'll again Hon. Relax, I'm on my way", he stated and then he hung up.

Then he paused for a moment. But how? How would he bring them back? He didn't know where they were, where they would go. He had no clue. But suddenly he realized that it didn't matter. Since when did it such questions bother him? The old O'Connell never asked after the how but just did it. But would he be able to get back to this old self?

That wasn't this easy. The last time he had had an adventure, was after Sarah's birth when Evy stole an ancient ring which unfortunately had an curse laying upon it. And all the other years nothing exciting happened. He hadn't missed the danger and the fear to much, not with Alex and Sarah by his side who caused him enough trouble. But still during this years, the wild and brave part of him, managed to have a few adventures every now and again. And Alex loved him for it, he loved to hear from all these exciting things and he loved when the whole family went to far away countries. But this all stopped when the baby died. The best part of his soul died, the part that never gave up, that never let someone down, the part that made Rick.. Rick. Now, he was nothing more than an translucently hull, a shadow of his old self.

He sighed. But how would he be able to win the part back that was missing? His look wandered around and stopped at a particular spot. He slowly opened the door to a room, he had promised himself he would never ever enter again. He switched the lights on and faced dozens of guns and bullets, knives and grenades. He had to smile at the sight of these things that remembered him so much at his past. Stepping into this room made him feel at home again and he realized that a study would never give him such feeling. His old spirit of adventure returned and he could already smell the danger again. He grabbed a pistol and fired at a fly sitting on the wall. He hit it right away. He smiled slightly, he was still capable, his hands were still working the way they should.

He grabbed the bag full of weapons and got out of the house. Rick O'Connell was back in the game.