Disclaimer: I don't own squat, not a damn thing. Well, I own a rather nice pair of red Converse high-tops, but that's it. As far as Ardeth, Evy, or Rick, no, sorry, not mine. The OC, however, is mine. Flames will be used to light my backyard barbecue pit. Please R&R, I'm desperate.

-Belle

Evy left Lira to her packing and rushed downstairs. It didn't take long to find Rick and Jonathan sitting at the bar with Alex. The boy seemed almost asleep as he leaned into the lapels of Jonathan's sport coat. The two men appeared to be absorbed in some conversation or another, which Evy promptly decided was of little importance compared to the news she had. She wasted little time throwing herself onto the barstool between them and ordering up a glass of water.

"You're not going to believe this." Evy began without missing a beat. Rick and Jonathan, their conversation having been abruptly cut off, stared at her incredulously.

"And what is it we're not supposed to believe?" Rick asked, resigning himself to the fact that whatever Evy had to say wasn't going to wait.

"It's about Ardeth and that girl, Lira." Evy began, but Jonathan managed to take all her thunder in one fell swoop.

"Yes, yes, we know. He's absolutely mad for her. What of it?" he mused, beckoning the bartender over and trying to adjust the sleeping toddler on his lap so as not to crush his lungs. Evy and Rick stared at him. "What? Oh for goodness sake I saw it from the bloody beginning. I've been bombarded by you two ever since that whole mess with… well, you know. Thanks to the both of you I have developed a finely tuned sense for these things. They're stupid for each other, though they hide it well for the most part. From what I can tell though, our boy Ardeth is the biggest obstacle. But I don't see what the big deal is here, Evy."

"Jonathan, you really amaze me sometimes." She smiled, but Rick had a different look on his face altogether.

"Hang on a minute here. Are you trying to say Ardeth, Mr. Bad-ass, gun toting, sword-wielding, desert warrior has a crush on some broad he met a couple weeks ago? You're kidding me." Rick interjected, shaking his head.

"I'm not saying anything about a crush." Evy protested, "I'm saying he's in love with that woman, and she feels the same way though she's a little hurt and angry over the manner in which he keeps drawing her in just to push her away."

"I'd have to agree with Evy, old chap. This is no simple case of chemistry." Jonathan shrugged reaching for the glass of brandy the bartender had just placed in front of him.

"Whoa, hold on. That's not even possible. Ardeth is… look he's just not the type of man to fall in love in a matter of days, alright." Rick brushed it off, then chuckled to himself, "Love. Hmph." No sooner had he said it than he felt two holes burrowing into the side of his head and he reluctantly turned to face his brooding wife.

"O'Connell," she began, her tone low and commanding, and he knew in an instant he was in trouble. She only used his last name when she had thoroughly had it with him, "Do you mean to tell me that a man is incapable of falling in love with the right woman in a short amount of time?" He knew it; she was throwing their little romance right in his face.

"Evy, sweetie that was different. Stories like ours just don't happen every day. You and I were the exception." He cooed, reaching a hand for her cheek. It was promptly swatted away.

"I'm ashamed of you, Rick, for ever doubting true love." She chastised, and Rick saw Jonathan just behind her, rolling his eyes. Fortunately, he managed to keep a straight face. "You only knew me for those two and a half weeks before charging across the desert to rescue me from an undead, all powerful, immortal monster. You crashed an airplane, killed the monster, and destroyed an entire city on my behalf. What makes Ardeth so very different from you?"

"Well, for starters I have my doubts that he's human." Jonathan quipped, but Evy ignored him.

"Now, Ardeth is our friend. He risked his life to give you a chance to save me, and it's time to repay him." Evy insisted.

"Evy, please don't tell me what I think you're going to tell me." Rick groaned, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"He saved us, and now we are going to save him from his own stupid pride," she beamed, "We are going to give him and Lira one last chance." Both Rick and Jonathan groaned and turned away from her to face the bar. Even a sleeping Alex made a small huff as if in protest to Evy's scheme. "Well, fine, if you two aren't going to help, then I'm just going to have to do it myself," she proclaimed and without hesitation made her way toward the staircase. Rick and Jonathan looked at each other.

"You do realize this is your fault," Jonathan accused, "You brought this romantic nonsense out in her."


When Evy reached the roof, Ardeth was nowhere in sight. She swore a little under her breath and surveyed the whole of the rooftop to make sure he wasn't there. It was, of course, nearly impossible to locate the elusive Medjai commander when one wanted to, though he had an uncanny knack for popping up when and where he was sorely needed. Evy was in a hurry, however. Lira was dead set on leaving in the morning, and a part of Evy was afraid Ardeth would disappear by then so as not to have to say goodbye. She ran through a list in her head of all the places he could have escaped to. She would start by checking his room, and if he wasn't there she would perhaps try to contact one of the Medjai warriors standing guard around the fort, but beyond that, she had no clue where to look. As she ran for the staircase she wished silently for a reprieve, something that would delay Lira's departure. And that's when she heard a gunshot echo in the still night air.
Per Ardeth's instructions, the Medjai had been on a tight watch. Many of the men doubted this blond stranger would ever show his face near the fort. They knew full well how… persuasive, their chief could be. Still, they remained vigilant, and when one of the younger warriors, Ayman, spotted the foreigner, he gave the signal to his nearest comrade. The blond man was approaching the fort casually, unaware that he was being watched. The Medjai had access to secret underground entrances that led into the back courtyard of the Fort. Ayman stayed on the stranger while the other warrior stole away into a darkened building, heading for the secret passage. The blond man was reasonably tall, maybe only a couple inches shorter than their chief, but he walked with the arrogance of ten men. Ayman continued to follow the pale intruder, and as he glanced up he saw Ardeth standing atop the roof of the fort. The younger man swelled with pride, thinking this a testament to their leader's dedication.

Ardeth needed only to see the moving shadow that could have only been one of his men to know this "Joshua" was headed toward the fort. In a heartbeat he made way for the small emergency ladder that lead down the back of the building. Ardeth's heart raced in anticipation and he held his breath back as he darted quietly around the sides of the building. Just before the blond man would have stepped into the yellow light that streamed from the windows of the lobby, a hand stealthily grabbed Joshua's mouth and pulled him back into shadows. Ardeth silently praised this warrior and quietly made his way through the shadows to where Joshua had disappeared.

Where another's eyes would have perceived only darkness, Ardeth saw the blond man held down against the base of a palm tree. Seething sea green eyes glared at the relative youth who held him at bay with a familiar looking sword. Ardeth smiled. Joshua had not seen him yet, but Ayman was fully aware of the chief's presence and was humbled.

"My commander," he whispered, "What would you have me do with him?" Ardeth placed a proud hand on Ayman's shoulder.

"Tie him and gag him. We will take him to Esam."

"We know all about you, Mr. Lieger," a dark, graveled voice rumbled from the shadows. Joshua sat tied to a chair beneath a glaring light. The heat from the lamp made him sweat profusely and he squinted, his eyes trying to observe his captors.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" he commanded.

"We will be asking the questions and making the demands, Mr. Lieger," the voice responded.

"What is the meaning of this!" Joshua shouted, ignoring the voice.

"What is your relationship with Lira Onen?" the voice asked. Joshua looked incredulous.

"I'm her fiancée." He replied indignantly, "I was just going to meet her at the fort."

"Is it true that you brought her to Egypt and hired a band of marauders to kill her?" the voice continued, ignoring his statement.

"Certainly not," he scoffed, "I love my Lira."

"Liar." Came another voice off to his left, and this one he recognized. True fear began to course through his veins.

"It's you. What are you…" he stammered, but the original voice cut him off.

"Mr. Lieger, let us cut to the chase. Egyptian records list you as dead, yet here you are. Your fiancée even thought you dead, and she was nearly raped and murdered by the same bandits who allegedly killed you. Now, we know all about this little business of yours, and you have confessed to your fiancée that you wanted her dead because she was the only person who could prove your existence. We also know why you needed to fake your death. What I need to know, is how your former fiancée figures into your little… business."

"And why should I tell you anything?"

"Because we need to know if she is a danger to us. We need to know if she was involved in the exportation of Egyptian relics to foreign 'collectors.'" Ardeth had been watching the proceedings with interest, but hearing Esam insinuate Lira might have been a willing accomplice made his blood boil. He shot a look at Esam who just held his hand up to silence any dissent. Ardeth just had to trust that the man knew what he was doing.

"And if I do tell you?"

"If she is seen as a threat, we shall have to execute her." Esam said coolly, and it was all Ardeth could do to hold his tongue, but in an instant he saw Esam's line of reasoning. Joshua's eyes lit up. He'd seen a way to get the problem taken care of for him, and he fell for it. Ardeth was at once deeply grateful to Esam and resoundingly appalled by Joshua.

"Well, she had nothing to do with the planning per say. Stupid woman never even knew what I was involved in. But she was the inspiration for my… archeological ventures." He offered slyly. There was a moment of silence before Joshua continued, "She talks in her sleep sometimes. Only if you start talking to her, but she has these visions in her sleep. When she started muttering something about Egypt and treasure, I asked her where. She told me, and I went looking. I spent three summers down here and all I found were old jars and paintings and scrolls. I thought it was all useless until, in the process of selling some items, I stumbled across some occult enthusiasts who were willing to pay handsomely for this junk. Anyway, I took a couple years to track her down again and I asked her to marry me. Whenever I got the chance, I'd ask her where more things were, and she told me. I don't think she can help it, but if she'll talk to just anyone in her sleep about this, and you're obviously concerned, then yes I'd say she's a threat to you."

Ardeth was stunned. She hadn't lied in her letter at all. She had had visions, she was just never aware of them until recently. And this Joshua had used them against her. Suddenly it all made sense. Her past memories had told him exactly where to find certain things. She had been invaluable to him, but she had only been a slave in her past life, so eventually the information must have slackened off. She wasn't valuable to him anymore, so he had to have her disposed of.

Then, as if lighting had struck, he realized. His waking dreams had been real. It was her. She was the slave girl that the palace guard had fallen in love with thousands of years ago. They were together again, and he'd ruined it. He understood now the gaping void that had opened in his chest, and it now ached more than ever. But the silence was broken all too soon by a gunshot. Joshua's head snapped back and he was still. Ardeth spun, drawing both swords. There was some smoke in the air, but even in the darkness he knew who it was. And her green eyes were lined with cold tears.

A/N: OK, here's another chapter. Hope it wasn't too... rushed, there are parts that kinda felt like it to me, but I wasn't sure how to fix it. Anyway, let me know what you think. My thanks to NewsieGoil1899, FawkesFire, Faerie Childe, shaid (Actually, I live in Texas. Lucky Denver Mint is a Jimmy Eat World song), and Shorty McGee (see, I like the name because my uncle used to call me that when I was a little girl. My family is predominently Scottish and Irish so he thought it was a riot). I'm going to post a second chapter with this as well, but I ask only one thing. If it's not too much trouble, could ya'll review both if you're going to review? Pwease? Pwetty pwease with cheeks on top (another throwback from my childhood, I am a sad creature).