Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, though I did warn that they would happen! Will truly to start into Mummy 2 in the next chapter, but there are two time jumps here, one of them a major one (but not before some fluffiness). For the record, I generally pretend that the third movie didn't happen, just saying.
I hope I can get at least one more chapter out over the holidays, but no promises – once I get into the movie itself, I try to get the dialogue right when I do use it, so it's slower going.
Disclaimer per usual – I do not own The Mummy, just a fan with an idea. No profit here, just fun for me. Starting with this chapter, I do borrow dialogue from the movie in patches, with minor variations.
Layla kicks off her boots, dropping her knife on the nightstand before she collapses into their bed, draping her arm across her eyes. They just returned to Cairo, and she has to admit that as much as they managed to sleep at the Medjai camp, the subsequent celebration of both the creature's defeat and the pregnancy of the Chieftain's wife was as exhausting as it was exuberant and joyful, though tinged with sadness at the death of Dr. Bey.
She's grateful beyond words to be in their bed here, and she allows herself to sink into the soft mattress and pillows. Ardeth is taking care of the horses and the camel they brought back here, and Aziza is downstairs making them a light dinner. Layla isn't hungry, but she feels like she could sleep for a week. She knows that's as much about being pregnant as it is about the events of the last couple of weeks. Her body has been working overtime, and she knows it needs more rest.
She turns on her side, curling up in a small ball under the blanket, wondering if Ardeth or Aziza will come and try to wake her, or if they'll just let her sleep. She gets that answer when she blinks her eyes open again. Her body feels heavy, weighed down, and she realizes that it's because Ardeth is beside her, sound asleep, his arm across her body. She squints at the shuttered window, and she realizes that the dim light in the room is that of dawn, not dusk.
As comfortable as she is, she needs rather desperately to use the bathroom, and she's starving after missing dinner last night. She tries her best to get up from the bed without waking Ardeth, but he stirs when she slips out from under his arm. He blinks at her, but she stands and leans down, pressing a kiss to his temple. "Sleep. You need it, too, and it's barely dawn. I'll be back later."
He grumbles, but she's happily surprised when he follows her direction, his eyes falling shut as he rolls onto her pillow. She shakes her head and goes to the bathroom, grabbing some clean clothes, soft pants and a top, from the drawer on her way. Once she uses the bathroom, she washes her hands and splashes water on her face. She then puts on the clean clothes and twists her hair up into a knot.
Barefoot, she pads out of the room, giving Ardeth one last fond look before heading down the stairs. Passing a clock, she sees that it's not even six in the morning yet. She's surprised but not when she gets downstairs – it's still mostly dark and quiet, but when Layla gets to the kitchen, Aziza is there. She has tea ready, and there is a plate of fruit, flat bread, and cheese waiting for Layla.
"Oh, thank God," Layla breathes out as her stomach growls, and Aziza laughs softly.
"How did you get my nephew to stay put?" Aziza asks the question quietly.
Layla gives Aziza a half-smile. "I think he's as tired, if not more tired, than I was, but I doubt he'll be far behind me, knowing him." She motions to the food and tea. "Thank you for this, and for letting me sleep yesterday."
"Ardeth wanted to wake you. He was fretting over you not eating." Aziza makes a tsk-ing sound. "I told him to leave you be."
Layla snorts. At Aziza's questioning look, Layla explains, "I'm amused by the notion of my husband 'fretting.'"
Aziza laughs again. "Oh, believe me little lily, he was fretting. You and that little baby you carry are the world to him, oaths and responsibilities aside." She pauses. "He told me everything over dinner last night. You went with the monster?"
"What else was I to do, Aziza? We were cornered, and Imhotep wanted the baby, so he had to keep me alive." She takes a sip of her tea. "It was horrible. I couldn't see them after we walked away, but then the creature ordered the slaves to kill them – Ardeth, Dr. Bey, Mr. O'Connell, Jonathan. I yelled no at him, but then I heard screaming." She swallows hard. "I didn't know who it was, and all I can remember after that is that I blacked out." Shaking her head, she adds, "I was relieved but then horrified when I realized it was Terence who died. Ardeth confirmed that for me."
A tear courses down her cheek, and Aziza takes her hand. "I'm sorry, little lily. Had you become close?"
Layla sniffles a little. "As close as anyone got to Terence. He was like a gruff uncle." She smiles weakly at Aziza's soft laugh. "When I told him I am expecting, he was like a mother hen. He moved a sofa into my office to be sure I would rest enough. It was quite endearing. I will miss him greatly." She sighs. "And I have no idea what will become of my job. Terence accepted me. Others likely will not. We'll see. I may not even want it anymore without him there."
"May not want what, little one?" Ardeth's voice makes both of them jump. "Apologies. I did not intend to frighten you both."
Layla takes a deep breath as she shakes her head, and Aziza rolls her eyes. "Nephew, I am going to make you wear a bell around your neck so you cannot sneak up on us."
He chuckles, dropping into the chair next to Layla and pressing a kiss to her forehead. She looks up at him after noticing that he still wears what he'd been wearing in bed, a soft tunic and pants, but his hair has been combed. Ignoring his aunt, Ardeth asks Layla, "How are you and the littler lily this morning?"
Layla laughs and leans into him, letting him tug her close. "We are quite well, though she has driven me to consume a rather embarrassing amount of fruit and cheese."
"She?" They look over at Aziza, whose eyebrows are raised in surprise.
As Ardeth places a protective hand on her growing bump, Layla replies, "If Imhotep is to be believed." Layla shrugs lightly. "As I said to Ardeth, Imhotep may have been a murderous, psychotic monster, but I sense that he was right about this."
Aziza observes them silently for a moment, long enough that Layla begins to feel concerned that Aziza is disappointed that she likely carries a daughter instead of a son, but then Aziza grins. "Aziza is a nice name."
Ardeth rolls his eyes, and then he looks at Layla. "I thought maybe Zahra."
Layla bites her lip. "For my mother?" At his nod, she swallows back tears and says, "What about Zahra Teresa? For my mother and for Terence?"
"He would be honored, little one. Our people will be as well." He hugs Layla close, and then they hear a sniffle.
Layla looks at Aziza, who is dabbing at tears. It occurs to Layla that Aziza probably knew Terence most of her life. Layla starts to say something, but Aziza just waves her hand. "Oh, fine. That will do, as Zahra Aziza Teresa rhymes far too much to be acceptable."
X
Seven Months Later
Layla startles awake, a bad dream making her sit up straight, the plane crashing with O'Connell, Jonathan, and Ardeth aboard, but this time with a more sinister outcome for all of them, the men dead and Layla and her child enslaved, Evy taken as Imhotep's bride. She looks around the bedroom, and her brow furrows. It's so quiet, and she is completely alone. It's still dark out, but something feels off.
She shakes her head, then looks to Ardeth's side of the bed. It's empty, the sheets rumpled. She smooths her hand over them, and they are mostly cool to the touch. She then gasps softly, looking at the cradle on her side of the bed, and she sees that it's also empty.
She forces herself to be calm, standing up and wrapping a shawl around her shoulders. She heads down the stairs, moving quietly, and when she gets to the main room, she sees that the door is open to the courtyard. Then, she hears it – singing. Soft words in Arabic, a song Ardeth taught her as he sang it to their daughter while she was still in Layla's womb.
Layla moves to the open door, and she stops at the threshold, leaning against the frame. Ardeth is there, standing with their sleeping child cradled in one arm. His eyes are closed, and he's swaying gently as he sings. Layla's eyes fill with tears at the sight. She swallows hard, still upset to know that she almost missed this moment, that Ardeth almost ended up like her father.
Thinking back to her daughter's birth several weeks ago, she shudders. Just as with her mother, Layla struggled giving birth, and after, she bled heavily. Luckily, things are better than they were nearly thirty years ago, and both Aziza and the nurse who Ardeth had been able to fetch from the hospital knew what to do. Layla had been in pain and sore for many days, but she'd made it through.
Shaking her head, she reminds herself that she's here and healthy again, if not tired from all the late-night feedings. She's been grateful, too, that the interest is Hamunaptra has declined significantly of late, and Ardeth has been a near constant-companion since they returned to Cairo after defeating the creature. He still goes out to visit the tribes, but he doesn't have to be there as often right now.
He actually spent much of the last several months helping at the Museum. Despite her reservations, Layla has continued her work with the Museum. Local authorities and patrons refused to let the Bembridge Scholars place the lead Curator. They instead chose a kind, older man who, like her, is half-American and half-Egyptian. He told her when he arrived that he approved of the work she'd been doing and had no desire to interfere. He has been a quiet but fierce ally, and that has helped her ramp up her scrutiny on applications for digs and placements on dig teams.
While Layla did that work, Ardeth and several of his Medjai warriors came and did almost all of the repair work needed at the Museum. It had taken weeks, but the Museum is now good as new. Since then, when he wasn't out visiting the tribes, Ardeth has either been working on things here at their home or her shadow at the Museum. On those latter days, she'll return from a meeting with the Curator to find him on her office sofa, reading through books he finds in the library. She was oddly charmed by the fact that many of them were books on the history of America, his explanation being that his daughter would be one-quarter American and it wouldn't do for him not to understand her heritage.
As if on cue, as Layla has that thought, the baby begins to fuss a little. Ardeth opens his eyes and looks down at her, and Layla smiles at the adoration on his face. Ardeth nearly worships their daughter.
He turns to come inside, and Layla laughs softly at the surprise on his face when he sees her standing there. He comes to her side, gesturing to the soft sofa in the living area. As they move towards it, he quietly says, "And Aziza thinks that I am the one who needs to wear a bell."
Layla settles on the sofa and holds her arms out. He hands her the baby, and she adjusts her nightgown to allow the little one to latch onto her breast. "I rather think, Baba, that you were just a bit distracted."
He nods, placing one hand on the baby and pulling close to Layla with an arm around her shoulders. "Our little Zahra is definitely distracting." The baby blinks her still-light eyes up at them, the black hair already fluffy on her tiny head. Ardeth insists that her eyes will be green like Layla's. She thinks he's right, but she secretly hopes they'll turn the soft brown of his.
Layla is still surprised with how comfortable he is with sitting with her while she feeds the baby, changing her diapers, bathing her. When she'd commented on it, he'd just said that in his camp, everyone helped with the little ones, even future chieftains.
He is so good with Zahra that it makes Layla sad that the doctor, nurses, and Aziza have all been very firm that she very likely cannot manage any more children, that it would threaten her life. The nurse already gave her a device they can use to prevent pregnancy, and she also has an acacia and honey tea used by the Medjai as a contraceptive as well. The doctor actually doubts that she can conceive again, though, opining that she may have had some interior damage from labor.
It bothers her and worries her that Ardeth will be upset by it, be unsatisfied with just one child, and a girl at that. She jumps a little when he says, "What are you thinking about, little one?" He runs a soothing hand through her hair.
"How sorry I am." He gives her a strange look, and she explains, "That I cannot give you any more children. That I cannot give you a son."
He frowns. "Layla." He rarely uses her name when they're alone, and it makes her look up at him in surprise. "You and Zahra are more than I really hoped to have. I do not need or even want anything more. You two are more than enough."
"But what about the tribes, Ardeth? Don't they expect an heir?" Her voice is small and sad in a way she doesn't like.
He cups her cheek with his palm. "Layla, maybe that's what they hope for, but I have many capable seconds, and to be clear, I would not be the first Chieftain of the Medjai to have only daughters or a daughter. Leadership can pass to another part of the family or to another family entirely if needed. Or maybe even to our daughter. Who knows?" He gives her a wry smile. "It's not the Tudor English Monarchy, little one." He gently tilts her face up to his, kissing her briefly. "I would not trade the two of you for anything. Understood?"
She nods, offering what she knows is a watery smile. "Understood." She shrugs, causing Zahra to snuffle a little in protest. They both laugh quietly as the baby settles again. "I wouldn't trade you either, you know."
He leans in and kisses her again. "I'm quite glad to hear that."
She smirks. "It's also inexplicably sexy that you can easily make accurate references to Tudor England."
He chuckles at that. They both go quiet, but then Ardeth says, "Do you think the O'Connells are settling in back in London?"
Layla nods. "Yes. I got a cable from Evy yesterday. Rick is driving her crazy. Poor thing still has three months to go, and apparently, he hovers with far less subtlety than you did."
He snorts. "I can imagine. He's not a subtle man. Arguably, though, you and I seem a little less like opposites attracting than Evelyn and O'Connell."
She leans into him. "Agreed." She sighs. "I'll miss Evy, despite the fact that she –" She pauses.
Ardeth laughs and says, "Nearly brought about the apocalypse?"
"Yes, that. But it would be nice to have our children grow up together." She smirks up at him. "Can you imagine how much trouble they'd get into?"
With that thought, they settle into the sofa further, letting Zahra finish her late night (or maybe early morning) feed. When she finishes, it's Ardeth who is able to coax a burp, something he's been more adept at from the start. He offers to change Zahra's diaper, so Layla lets him, following him back upstairs and collapsing into bed as he changes Zahra.
Once the baby is settled back in her crib, sound asleep with one fist clutching a tiny stuffed camel gifted to her by Evy and Rick before they left, Layla puts a hand on her little head, still amazed that this tiny person came from her and Ardeth. He slips into bed behind her, scooting over to be able to wrap his arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to her neck. She thinks he might have already fallen asleep when he softly says, "Thank you, little one. Thank you for this life we have together."
Layla snuggles back into him. After a quiet moment, she starts to say something, but then she realizes that this time he really is asleep. She huffs out a light breath, and she lets sleep take her.
X
Eight Years Later
Layla is working at her desk at the Museum in Cairo, where she is now the Deputy Curator, second in command to the Curator and still in charge of expeditions, digs, and acquisitions for the Museum. She and the Curator, the man who took over after Terence perished at the hands of the slaves of Imhotep, have all but excluded the Bembridge Scholars and their condescending ilk from any sway over decisions.
Even Evy has distanced herself from them. She has established herself both as a capable Egyptologist and field archeologist, though Layla likes to complain to Ardeth that if she gets gray hair early, it'll likely have to do with an O'Connell or a Carnahan. Layla laughs to herself. Poor Rick, he just follows Evy around trying to get her to stop being so aggressive in her search for new information or sites.
With a sigh, Layla sets aside the report she was compiling, notes from the last few digs she's heard about on the Nile. She fears that one in particular has Evy's stamp all over it. Her friend is dedicated, but she's also become a maverick of sorts.
Layla rises and puts her things in her bag. She heads out of the Museum, ready to have a weekend at home. Ardeth is due in late tonight, but she fears he may not come, as they've heard consistent rumors regarding a group of Imhotep worshippers trying to raise the creature yet again. Layla shakes her head as she gets to the stables.
Many people in Cairo have started driving cars regularly, but Layla prefers her horse, a beautiful chestnut brown Baladi mare that Ardeth brought her in from the desert three years ago. Layla saddles her and mounts, soothing her, "Shhh, Dina, home please."
The horse trots out of the stable, and Layla picks her way carefully home. She knows she may have to get a car and driver sooner rather than later, something Ardeth has made clear he wants no part of; he can probably count on one hand the number of times he's been in a car since leaving England after his family died, two of those with Rick and Jonathan (and others).
She smiles, thinking about Aziza and Zahra, who will already be home, likely with Zahra trying to goad Aziza into making crêpes or a soufflé, something she might've learned at her school, a French girls school here in Cairo, Collège De La Mère De Dieu. Neither she nor Ardeth was willing to send Zahra to a boarding school, but they also wanted her grounded in the basics and taught languages.
She's a very bright girl, and it's important to Layla that she get all the opportunities she wants – so they deal with it being a Catholic school (when neither of them are Catholic, though Layla's American family was). Layla's position in the Museum and the fact that she, Ardeth, and several of the Medjai elders regularly teach the girls about the local people of Egypt have won them favor with the surprisingly diverse school.
So, her daughter, 8 1/2, can speak French, English, Arabic, Italian, and no small amount of Spanish and German. It amuses her to no end when Zahra badgers her to teach her new words in Spanish or German, sometimes even in the smattering of Japanese that Layla can recall. Aziza has learned French from Zahra now, though it was Layla who taught Aziza to swear in French, something that makes Ardeth roll his eyes.
Her little girl is also athletic, tall for her age, but willowy and quick. Layla and Ardeth have both spent time teaching her self-defense and even some offensive fighting moves. Layla insists to Ardeth that she'll be damned if she raises a daughter who cannot defend herself. As a Medjai, he is completely on board with that notion, though most of the women of the tribes are not fighters.
As Layla gets home, she steers Dina into the stable, dismounting smoothly as the horse stops. She nearly jumps a foot in the air when a hand touches her arm, and she spins to a defensive position. She relaxes and huffs out a breath when she sees Ardeth standing there, hands on his hips and an amused expression on his face. His bag is on the ground with the headdress he wears to ride long distances, and he's quite dusty, leading Layla to guess that he just arrived, too.
Layla mutters a curse in Arabic, making him laugh out loud as he steps up to her and kisses her soundly, backing her into the wall of the stable. It's been weeks since she last saw him, and as usual, they pretty enthusiastically show each other how much they were missed. When they finally pull apart, she says somewhat breathlessly, "I thought you weren't due in until late tonight."
He gives her a funny look, and then he moves to unsaddle Dina. Layla drops her bag and grabs a brush, using it on the horse. After Ardeth puts the saddle away, he puts down some feed and water for the animal. "All right, Nuri, are you done avoiding acknowledging what I said?"
He looks a little ill. "The creature has been found, and he has been transported away from the destroyed Hamunaptra site."
"What?" Layla shakes her head, feeling to color drain from her face.
He walks over to her. "Yes, he's been pulled from the ground. But he hasn't been revived as yet, from what we can tell. And there's something else."
"There's more? That isn't enough?" She scowls.
He snorts. "The O'Connells may have made a mess again."
"Damn it. Are you kidding me?" Layla's scowl deepens. "My last letter from Evy was cagey. I'd asked her about her next trip here, and she was very vague in her reply. And a report of a disastrous event at one of the temples down the Nile made me wonder."
"They're already on their way home, as I understand it." Ardeth shrugs, picking up his headdress, her bag and his as she finishes with the horse. "To be fair, it's not entirely their fault. But the other things at play are quite worrisome."
She looks up at him. "You think it's all related."
He nods. "I do. Come on, little one, Zahra and Aziza have probably made dinner. We'll talk more tonight. Suffice to say, we likely have to go to England if the rumors I hear are to be trusted."
As they walk to the house, he takes her hand, entwining their fingers. "I should have known something was going on when I heard they were here but realized they didn't even try to visit."
"I wonder if they had Alex with them." Layla knows that Evy and Rick often bring Alex with them when they travel, knowing there is value in experiences as opposed to pure classroom learning. They do the same with Zahra, who has spent significant time with the desert tribes and has even gone to Europe with Layla more than once.
"My scouts reported a small, blonde child, so yes, I think they did," Ardeth replies.
"Zahra will be disappointed." The children have spent time together on and off since they were toddlers. According to Rick, Alex is bold and brash except with Zahra, who he tends to follow with minimal questioning.
"By what?" Aziza appears at the door to the house.
"Not seeing Alex O'Connell; we think they were just here for a quick trip." Layla responds.
Ardeth nods. He's about to ask Aziza if she can look after Zahra while they go to London when a black-haired blur streaks in. "Baba!" Zahra slams into Ardeth, making Aziza and Layla laugh as he staggers slightly but then picks her up.
As big as she is getting, he's the only one who can easily lift her anymore, and she wraps her little legs and arms around him, clinging on. It doesn't bother Layla at all that Zahra is very much her baba's girl, because she's a sweet, smart child who misses her father terribly when he's not here. Layla gets far more time with Zahra, so when father and daughter are together, it warms Layla's heart.
She watches as he hugs their daughter close, murmuring, "I missed you, my Ameera." He calls her his princess, something unlikely from her sometimes gruff husband, but he has done so since she was tiny.
After a few moments, he lowers her to the ground. He grins as Zahra starts telling him about her recent school project in rapid-fire French (which he thankfully understands), her hazel eyes flashing with excitement. Depending on what colors she wears, Zahra's eyes can look green or brown, an interesting combination of her eyes and Ardeth's. Her eye shape and bone structure are all Ardeth – strong cheekbones and jawline, but she has Layla's mouth and nose, and she is willowy like Layla.
Like both of them, her skin is olive and her hair black and wavy, and she wears it long like Layla's. She looks every inch the mostly-Egyptian girl that she is, another early hurdle with her school. It was quickly cleared by a surprisingly progressive Mother Superior at the school. Layla later learned that the woman is one-quarter Egyptian herself.
They head inside, and Layla and Zahra get dinner on the table as Aziza herds her nephew towards the stairs to change out of his dusty clothes. Ten minutes later, they sit down to eat. Zahra sits between her and Aziza as usual, Ardeth taking the chair next to Layla, and she hooks her foot around his ankle, making him swallow a smile.
They spend much of the meal talking about Zahra's latest projects and subjects at school, but halfway through dinner, Aziza says, "So, I will leave day after tomorrow to go do more medical training at several of the tribes, and I will return in two weeks, remember?"
"And my school has fall break next week!" Zahra announces happily, bouncing in her seat.
Layla's eyes widen and she looks at Ardeth. Aziza notices. "What's wrong, little lily?"
"Something came up today; I'd forgotten about both." She exchanges a look with Ardeth. He shakes his head lightly, and she nods, adding, "We'll sort it out."
After dinner, Ardeth and Layla insist on cleaning up while Aziza gets Zahra up to her room to do homework for school tomorrow. As Layla rinses the plates, she looks at Ardeth. "I want to come with you."
"I know, little one, but I don't know if we can bring Zahra for this, and without Aziza, we cannot leave her here." He pauses. "And I was hoping to go tomorrow, so we can't take her out to the nearest tribe, either." He puts a plate down and dries his hands on a towel. "But I don't want to leave you two here alone. If those cultists are trying to revive Imhotep, I fear he may try to seek out the two of you." He looks at her. "Do you still have the nightmares?"
She shivers at his mention of the dreams that still occasionally wake her in the middle of the night. "Sometimes."
He steps in front of her, wrapping her up in his arms. "As do I." When she was pregnant, after Imhotep, he was awakened as often as she was by the dreams, dreams where they weren't able to stop Imhotep, where he was held captive until the baby was born and then forced to watch Imhotep kill Layla. "They hadn't happened as much for a while, but –"
She burrows into him and whispers, "But they've been more frequent lately."
He leans away enough to see her. "Yes." He swallows hard. "It may be that the cultists are getting close. His influence isn't well silenced by the grave, I fear."
She nods against him. "We should come with you, Nuri. Both of us. I know there's risk, but I don't want us to be separated. Please."
He frowns, his mind racing, and he realizes that she's right. He wants them with him. They don't know what they're facing, but he knows they'll do better facing them together. All he really has to go on is a picture of a man, and knowledge that he is involved with people from the O'Connell's skirmish at the temple. They know that and that a woman was leading them.
The next day, they bid good-bye to Aziza, assuring her that everything is, or at least will be, fine. Zahra is bouncing with excitement. She's been with Layla on Museum-related trips to Italy, France, and Spain, but she's never been to England. It's fall there, so she has the few warm sweaters Zahra owns in the one bag of clothes they're bringing, along with a coat she found on a quick trip to the markets this morning.
She'd also called in a favor from an old friend of her father's, and they're boarding a private plane. She knew she wouldn't be able to book them quickly enough, and she'd tried to picture getting a commercial flight with Ardeth's various swords and weapons and her dagger in her boot. She laughs softly at the thought, and Ardeth sits in the seat next to her after settling Zahra in a seat by a window.
He's clearly tense, and he lifts an eyebrow at her. She shrugs. "Just glad my father's friend needed to go to London. I was trying to figure out how we could have gotten all the weapons on a non-private flight." He smiles faintly, one hand gripping the armrest between them. "Ardeth, how many times have you flown?" She wraps her hand around his.
"Once." He gives her a pointed look. "When I went to school in England, I traveled by ship."
"Oh dear." She gives him a sympathetic look. "Well, hopefully no sandstorms this time."
"And at least I'm not strapped to a wing, though I will say I managed that with more dignity than Mr. Carnahan." He smiles wryly.
"That was likely a low bar to clear, Ardeth." She laughs at the thought. "Jonathan isn't exactly known for his calm in the face of challenge." He grips her hand tight even as he laughs. She squeezes it with hers. "Just hold my hand. It's going to be fine."
He looks vaguely embarrassed, but then he leans over and drops a kiss to her temple. "Thank you, little one."
The better part of a day and a couple of stops later, they land at an airfield outside of London. It's already nighttime, darkness falling quickly, along with the temperatures. As Layla puts her own coat on, Ardeth, already wrapped in his heavy cloak, helps Zahra with her coat. Layla comes over and puts a little woolen hat on her head, and Zahra smiles up at them in excitement, her little cheeks red in the air so much colder than what she's used to.
There's a hired taxi waiting for them, and Layla gives them the address of the O'Connell home. The driver looks impressed, and when they arrive, they understand why. The house is a manor, no other word for it. It's very large with significant land around it.
Ardeth peers up at it. "This is more impressive than I expected. Evelyn must come from means?"
Layla nods. "Jonathan squandered his inheritances and the treasure they brought home from Hamunaptra, but I'm fairly sure that Rick and Evy are more thoughtful with their funds."
They're about to approach the front, when Ardeth stops Layla with a hand on her arm. He points to two matching cars haphazardly parked at the back entrance to the home and the man dressed in red and black, clearly standing guard. They are still by a large fountain in the yard, and Ardeth crouches down to look at Zahra while Layla digs into the bag.
She puts her dagger on her ankle and pulls a small sword from Ardeth's bag and slips it into a sheath that she attaches to her belt. She's glad she's also wearing dark clothes, black flowing pants and a fitted dark burgundy long-sleeved top, both that will blend in. Her cloak is lightweight and black, just like Ardeth's.
As she prepares, she hears Ardeth say to Zahra, "Ameera, we need you to take our bag and get behind the fountain. You need to hide. Can you do that for us?"
Zahra's eyes widen. Layla crouches down next to Ardeth. "Can you be brave, my beautiful girl?"
"Yes, Mama, Baba. I can hide. Who can I come out for?" Their normally willful girl knows the ways of the Medjai. She has been taught from an early age that if they tell her to hide, they mean it. Being the only child of the Medjai chieftain is no small vulnerability.
"Me, Baba, Uncle Rick, Aunt Evy, Alex, or Uncle Jon. No one else, love. Hide until then." Layla smooths the girl's hair back as Ardeth stands.
"Yes, Mama." She grabs the suitcase and Ardeth's bag and quietly drags them behind the fountain as Layla stands.
When they both see her disappear behind the short structure, Layla sighs. As they carefully move towards the house, Ardeth nods and says softly, "I wish we hadn't needed to teach her such things either, little one." Layla has now gone on some trips with Ardeth, learned their processes for protecting sites, so she falls in with him easily. The way they read each other now helps them move well together.
Layla reaches for his hand, squeezing it with hers. They stop, shielding themselves with the wall of the home. He points at the guard, and she nods. He then moves silently, going up to the guard and rendering the man unconscious with one quick blow.
He drags the man to where Layla is, and she takes the man's sword and tosses it away from them before also taking his gun and tucking it into her belt, under her cloak. Ardeth binds the man with his own belt, and then they quietly move to the back door, which stands slightly open.
As they enter, they hear a deep voice say, "Good evening."
Layla exchanges a look with Ardeth as they hear Evy reply, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The deep voice says that he's looking for the chest and ordering her to give it to him. Then, Layla rolls her eyes when she hears the sound of a sword and Evy saying, "Get out of my house."
They keep moving into the house as they hear more movement and Alex's little voice say, "Whoa, Mom. Maybe not the best idea." Then there is a further exchange, and Layla has to swallow a snort as she moves close behind Ardeth and hears Alex say, "I think it's time to yell for Dad now."
Just as they enter the room, a man comes into Layla's view. Ardeth tenses, so she knows he recognizes the man, who says, "Now I will kill you and take it anyway."
"I think not," Ardeth says as they enter, him moving to one side of Evy and Layla staying near Alex, who holds a large box. All of the men pull their swords.
"Ardeth, Layla? What are you doing here?" Evy is clearly stunned by their appearance.
Ardeth says calmly, "Perhaps explanations are best kept for later."
Then, he looks at the large man, clearly the leader, who says, "Ardeth Bay."
Ardeth nods slightly. "Lock-Nah."
Layla hears noise from upstairs just as the large man and his followers yell in Arabic, and the fight begins, both she and Ardeth tossing their cloaks off. Layla pulls the sword and her dagger, and she keeps the men away from Alex. Evy moves like a woman possessed, and Ardeth fights off several of them. Layla's hackles rise when the man says derisively, "Not bad for a Medjai," an insulting lilt on the word Medjai.
As they fight, Ardeth yells, "What's in the chest?"
Evy yells back, "The bracelet of Anubis!"
Ardeth replies, "They must not get the bracelet. Get it and get out of here!"
Evy turns, and Alex puts the box down and tries to knock over a bookshelf on a man going after Evy. Layla slices at the man she was keeping away from Alex. The man falls, and she turns and helps Alex, the shelf crashing down on the man. Evy picks up the box, but as she does, more men come in, pushing Layla hard into the wall. She's a little dazed when she hears Alex yell for Evy and Ardeth say, "Evelyn!"
She tries to stop the men from taking Evy, but she only trips a couple of them, one of whom backhands her into the wall again. She looks over at Ardeth in time to see him dodge a knife from the man called Lock-Nah.
Alex runs to her, clinging on as she wraps her arms around him. "Aunt Layla, they took my mom! Are you OK? We have to stop them!"
"I'm alright, sweetheart." Ardeth comes over. She can see that his shoulder is bleeding. "Ardeth, are you alright?"
"It's fine. Come, we need to find O'Connell." Ardeth holds out his hand, and he pulls her upright, even as Alex hangs on. "We'll get your mother back, Alex."
Alex sniffles a little, and then he nods, standing. "OK. Thanks, Uncle Ardeth."
He nods, and they all hear more noise, clearly gunshots, and even as Alex yells for his dad, Ardeth and Layla say in unison, "Rick."
They run outside as a crash sounds, and they see Rick and Jonathan duck some gunfire and then Rick yelling for Evy, who he must see in the back of one of the two cars speeding away. Layla, Alex, and Ardeth run to Rick and Jonathan. Alex gets there first, calling, "Dad! Dad!"
Rick picks his son up as Ardeth gets there, Layla veering over to motion Zahra out of hiding. As she does, she hears Rick yelling as he grabs Ardeth and pushes him against a statue. Before Layla can admonish him, Zahra runs over. "Uncle Rick, you leave my baba alone. We came to help you!"
Rick mumbles an apology and asks where they might be taking Evy. Layla and Ardeth exchange a look, and Ardeth pulls out the picture his scouts had gotten him. "My friend, I'm not sure, but wherever this man is, your wife will surely be."
Over the next few moments they establish that Evy is likely at the British Museum and that in fact Alex has the bracelet on. At that revelation, Ardeth takes Alex's are and looks at him seriously. "By putting this on, you have started a chain reaction that could bring about the next apocalypse."
Layla nearly rolls her eyes. Her husband is sometimes too earnest for his own good. Rick may feel the same, because to Ardeth, Alex, and Jonathan, respectively, he says, "You, lighten up. You, big trouble. You, get in the car."
He then opens the back door. He says, "Layla, little Z," and motions them in.
Zahra hugs his legs before climbing in the back with Jonathan and Alex, but Layla pauses, hugging Rick and dropping a kiss to his cheek. "We'll get her back, Rick."
He gives her a grateful look and nods before helping her into the car and closing the door behind her. Ardeth shoots her a soft smile as they start to move, and she settles Zahra in her lap in the tight back seat. In the front, Ardeth looks at Rick. "I am sorry if I alarmed your son, but you must understand. Now that the bracelet is on his wrist, we have only seven days before the Scorpion King awakens."
In the back, Layla feels ill again. "It's the Year of the Scorpion."
Ardeth nods at her as Rick says, "We? What we?"
Layla says, "If he is not killed, he will raise the Army of Anubis, Rick."
Jonathan leans forward. "I take it that's not a good thing."
"Oh, he'll wipe out the world." Rick says sarcastically.
Layla can't help but snort when Jonathan leans back, saying, "Oh, the old 'wipe out the world' ploy."
Ardeth clearly has to swallow a wry smile as he glances at Layla and then turns back to Rick. "Whomever can kill the Scorpion King can send his army back to the Underworld, or use it to destroy mankind and rule the Earth."
"That's why they dug up Imhotep. He's the only guy tough enough to take out the Scorpion King." Rick just sounds resigned, now.
Ardeth nods. "That is their plan."
As they tear into London, Layla looks at Zahra and then Alex, and she realizes that they both look completely terrified, though Alex in particular is trying to hide it. Layla wraps one arm around her daughter and the other around Alex. "It'll be alright, my loves. We'll get Evy back, get that bracelet off of you, Alex, and we'll all be safe."
Alex doesn't say anything, but he burrows into her side. Zahra does the same on her other side, and she holds onto them both all the way into London.