"I vote we leave this place before anything else happens," Lawrence says, swaying slightly on his feet from the head wound.

"I'm with Henderson," O'Connell agrees," let's get moving." The group was just turning to face the exit when the ceiling and walls began to lower, sand pouring inside. "Race you guys to the camels!" AJ and Lawrence make up the rear, their bodies sore after the beatings they'd taken and Lawrence's balance off.

"I hate this country." AJ nods in agreement, breathless already and they were only climbing up the first set of stairs that led down to the cemetery, forced to pause in order to help Jon up when he tripped, the gold book sliding into a pool of tar.

"You lost the book," Evy cries, running back just in time to see the book sink beneath the surface. "I can't believe—"

"Not now, Evy!" AJ could feel her panic almost choking her, the adrenaline of the fight coming back to numb the pain and allow her to run faster. Together, she and Lawrence chase after the others, hot on their heels as the sand continues to fall and the ceiling gets lower.

If I've come this far only to be squashed, Allah and I are going to have a long talk.

They're all forced to bend at the waist as they duck through a doorway, entering a room full of treasure where Jonathan skidded to a stop. "Couldn't we just," he starts in a whine, letting out a yelp when Lawrence latches onto his arm and drags him after them.

"What did I tell you earlier," O'Connell demands," I said no touching things!" The sound of stone grinding against stone was nearly deafening as they all ducked under part of the collapsing city, almost on their hands and knees as they rolled through a shrinking doorway.

"O'Connell," cried a panicked Beni, desperately crawling after them.

"Come on, hurry!" AJ and the others watch with tensed shoulders as Beni starts to crawl under the lowering ceiling, his fingers brushing O'Connell's seconds before the doorway sinks into the sand and O'Connell is forced to yank his hand away or have it crushed. "Goodbye, Beni."

"Go," Lawrence shouts, keeping a tight hold on AJ's wrist to keep from losing her. "Hot damn, I see daylight!" The group races towards the door, AJ letting out a sigh of relief when she's able to straighten up and run properly through the collapsing city. "Whoa!" She's jerked to the side as two massive pillars fall to the ground, narrowly missing AJ's back.

As a matter of fact, all of the structures were crashing to the ground like dominoes, and a crevice split open behind them. It's chasing us, AJ thought as she forced herself to keep pace with the others, the crevice continuing to split open just two feet behind her.

The camels were running too, like they were trying to see who the fastest was until Hamunaptra was half a mile behind them all. The group stops and turns as the city disappears, a mountain of sand shooting up into the air like a volcanic eruption, burying Hamunaptra as it showers down over the earth.

AJ allows herself to relax, the danger passed and her aches and pains beginning to make themselves known again. She felt like she'd been caught in the middle of a stampede; stabbing pains in her back, her lungs burning, her double vision coming back as she turned her gaze to her husband and realized there should only be one of him in front of her.

Jonathan's scream of fright doesn't help her relax any, all of them echoing him and then glaring at the person that had caused it. The Medjai was seated on one of the camels, looking no worse for wear after everything they had all been through, and more than a little amused at having scared all of them for the second time in less than a week.

"You bastard," AJ breathes, a hand going to cover her racing heart. "You're just determined to kill me, aren't you?"

"I could not pass the opportunity up," he smiles. With the turban removed, his dark hair fell to his shoulders in loose waves, a rich brown color nearly identical to AJ's. "You all have earned the respect and gratitude of me and my people." Unless that comes with a free trip to Hawaii, I'm not interested.

"It was easy," Jonathan states with a wave of his hand. O'Connell nods in agreement, one arm wrapped around Evy's shoulders. Well, it's about time those two decided to get together. AJ's been waiting on it to happen since that night on the barge and she's proud that she'll have someone to gossip with about men.

"May Allah smile upon you always." He kisses his knuckles and presses them to his forehead before gesturing with them at the others. AJ returns the gesture respectfully, her upbringing not allowing her to do otherwise.

"And yourself, Artie." Everyone makes a face at that, Ardeth arching a brow until Jonathan waves him off. "It sounded better in my head." Smiling, Ardeth grasps the reigns of his camel and presses his heels into its side, riding further into the expansive desert. "Well, I guess we go home empty handed…. Again."

"I wouldn't say that," O'Connell murmurs, turning and pulling Evy into a deep kiss that would make the poets jealous. Lawrence looks down at AJ with a cocky smile. She could read what he wanted to do without him even opening his mouth and it wasn't about to happen.

"We've been married for five years," she reminds him, walking over to a nearby camel. "You can hold off on kissing me until I've taken a shower and brushed my teeth."

"It won't be romantic if we do it that way," he points out, grasping her hips and lifting her up on the saddle before climbing on behind her.

"Maybe not, but we won't taste like sweat and blood either." The others climb up onto camels as well, Lawrence getting the chance to take the lead this time around. It would be nice to get back to Texas where clean clothes were waiting, being able to hold her son in her arms and sing him his lullaby. She looks up at her husband when she feels his breath stir her tangled mane, his chest vibrating with his muffled laughter. "What is it?"

"It's just that you said we wouldn't get to ride off into the sunset and look what we're doin' now, honey."

"Shut it, Larry."