The camp outside drowned in the sandstorm. There was no evidence of the O'Connells' tents or supplies, not even a swell of sand where the equipment tent had been. Only the camels were unscathed, wandering aimlessly around the temple. "Never thought I'd be so happy to see these flea bags!" Jonathan exclaimed, racing to the dusty beasts. The sun was setting as each person mounted their choice of the animals, and when they headed east, the camels without riders followed.

"Perhaps my price could be persuaded to be lowered if you give me these delightful creatures as a… bonus, or incentive." Aamir suggested. "I am open to suggestions. After all, a camel ride with friends is never long."

And indeed, the journey back to Cairo passed swiftly compared to the journey to the temple. Perhaps it was the lack of equipment weighing the beasts down or journeying through the night without the sweltering sun. Regardless, the party finally saw Cairo's skyline in the distance around noon the following day just as Rick, Evy, and Aamir finished negotiating his pay.

"I suppose that is a fair price for my," Aamir looked to Ardeth and cleared his throat before continuing, "Expertise. Add all the camels and you've got a deal."

"The camels were included from the start." Rick replied. "I don't have the room for these at home."

"I don't know Dad, we could knock out one of the walls in the garage –" Alex began.

"Alex, don't interrupt your father." Evelyn chided. The boy frowned and fell silent.

"I should have negotiated more, then! It is a deal." Aamir agreed, reaching over the side of his camel to shake Rick's hand.

"You will refrain from taking ownership until we arrive at our hotel, right?" Jonathan asked warily. "My legs are cramping horribly."

"Come on, Jon, walking's good for you." Katrina teased.

"Only if you're in front of me, Miss de Lujun."

"What is it you Brits say? Ah yes… You cheeky bugger!" Katrina thwapped the man gently on the shoulder and the casino owner just grinned.

Both Kit and Ardeth had been silent for most of the ride. Ardeth returned with the O'Connells and company to Cairo with the excuse that he needed to replace his horse. Besides some competitive banter between Aamir and the Medjai, he had said nothing. He chanced a glance at Kit as they entered the outskirts of the city. Her fingers were wrapped in the reins and dark bloodstains dribbled down the back of her linen gown. Ardeth didn't know whether he had a right to ask her anything before her family did. And while the woman had saved his life and ultimately made the "right" decision, she was nothing more than a mystery to the man.

They said goodbye to Aamir outside of the Grand Pyramid Hotel that was, indeed, within sight of the ancient landmark and the smaller pyramids accompanying it. Aamir's face glowed when he gathered up the leads of his new camel herd after accepting a thick fold of pound notes from Rick. "What is a digger going to do with all these camels?" Evy questioned the man as she patter her former mount's nose, genuinely interested.

"The temple made me realize digging is for jackasses." Jonathan bristled slightly at Aamir's words, but the digger did not notice. "Who wants to spend their entire life carting sand around to die in a cave in or something that clearly soars over your head? No, I'm giving it up." The former digger puffed out his chest with pride. "Going back to my roots, going to be a camel herder! This is a good start, I say." He grinned. "You know what they say – 'He who has no job should search for a camel!' Luckily, I have a dozen!" Aamir laughed at his good fortune. "Farewell!"

"Ardeth, you staying with us?" Rick asked as they entered the lobby. He looked to his withdrawn sister. Get everyone settled and then you can talk to her... "I'm already gonna have to pay for an entire floor with this lot –"

"And we are worth every pence." Evy reminded, kissing her husband on the cheek.

"Can't argue with that…"

"Perhaps for the night." Ardeth replied. "If you wouldn't object –"

"I asked, didn't I?" Rick replied.

The party made themselves comfortable in the hotel's largest suite, complete with two bathrooms, a common room, and a balcony overlooking the pyramids. Since their luggage had been swallowed by the sandstorm, they had to make do with what they had for the moment. A great rush was made to clean up in the facilities, but by early afternoon most of the occupants had taken to loitering about the suite.

"Ahhh…" Jonathan sank down on the sofa, grabbing a cluster of green grapes from the food service cart Evy had called up to feed the group. He slowly popped them off the vine and into his mouth, talking to Rick as he chewed. "Life is hard, isn't it? 'specially when you've been doing nothing but manly work for days…"

"We were at the temple for two. You worked for, what, a total fifteen minutes?" Rick asked, grabbing the newspaper next to the fruit bowl and, realizing it was in Arabic, snatched up the The Egyptian Gazette instead.

"Yeah, and it was… hard." Jonathan observed, biting off a few more grapes. "Maybe I am more suited to casino work."

"Means you have to forfeit all of that chest hair."

Katrina entered the room then, her hair still damp from bathing. She paused and looked between the brothers-in-law. "What is it with your fixation on chest hair?" She sighed in exasperation. "You're just like Aamir with his camels."

"Am not!" Jonathan indignantly objected.

"Are too." Alex agreed, prancing back in from checking out the pyramids on the balcony. "Stop eatin' grapes Uncle Jon, we gotta go to the market."

"What for?" Jonathan asked, continuing to chomp on the fruit. "I thought we were done with camels."

"I am not staying in these clothes until we get back to London." Katrina objected, grabbing Jonathan's free hand. "Come on."

"Oh, alright," The man stashed his half-eaten grapes back in the bowl. "Women, eh?" He commented to his nephew as they trailed out the door.

Rick sighed, opening the newspaper as he sat in the large wicker chair across from the sofa. His eyes scanned blankly over the words, not really processing them. He knew he was just busying himself until –

"Hey." Lingering in the doorway leading to the bedrooms, Kit hung back as though she didn't want to enter the common room. She had been the only one not to make an efforts to get into the bathroom and wash herself. The blood-stained linen dress still clung to her, but she had removed the golden cuffs. The ivory and gold earrings still hung from her earlobes. "Are you ready, or should we get Evy?"

"I'm here." Evy strode from one of the bathrooms, her hair combed and parted. She joined Rick in his wicker chair and they watched as the younger woman crossed to the sofa, sitting on the very edge of a cushion. Rick folded the newspaper and set it on the side table, putting an arm around Evy afterward. Surveying Kit, he saw and sensed how much she had changed since the day before. From the day they reunited, she had been jovial, confident, and comfortable with their family. Since Shafek and the temple, she had withdrawn until Rick barely knew her.

But maybe that was the short and tall of it – he didn't really know her.

Evy looked to her husband to begin, a hand squeezing his arm. Rubbing the unshaven stubble on his chin, Rick wasn't quite sure where to start. So he decided to start big. "How did you find us? Really?"

Kit slowly grasped each finger of her left hand with her right as she spoke, releasing the finger and moving to the next in a self-conscious and never-ceasing rhythm. "I didn't start looking for you until I was I returned to Sudan a year ago. I was too small to remember a brother, even with Mother's locket. I really did find those papers at the orphanage, and I wanted to find you but…" She chewed her lip for a moment before continuing. "I caught malaria. I had no money, I couldn't work, and for the longest time I just waited to die from it. Really. Thought about writing to you, but I didn't." Kit looked like she wanted to shy away from Rick's gaze, but she forced herself to look him in the face as she continued. "Shafek found me in Sudan, begging and barely alive. And he – Well, you saw his magic. He did something to me, called it 'reading the soul.' And…" The woman shivered. "I will always remember the smile he gave me. It chilled me to the bone.

"He told me I was Amunet in a past life. About Imhotep and you and Evy and everything. He told me he could help me find you, get to you. He could save my life. But I had to find an artifact for him. And the famous O'Connells would surely be able to find it, booby-trapped or not." Kit sighed, her hands still fiddling as she continued. "Shafek planted the Latin book in the shipment to the museum and told me that I needed to find it and persuade Evy to go after the belt."

"But – The Latin, the museum, how could you be sure that I'd be forthcoming? How could you be sure someone else wouldn't get to the book first?" Evy asked, her brow furrowing.

Kit gave a hopeless shrug. "I don't know. Shafek said that all would come in time. I didn't question him, he was giving me the family I always wanted." Her eyes looked down for the first time since she began talking. "And uh... I really can't read Latin." Kit looked almost pained to say it. "Shafek's magic translated it both ways for me. There was no girl's school." Hesitantly, she looked back to Evy. "The only schooling I ever received was at the orphanage in Sudan. After that I was out on the streets with my friends. I can speak Arabic and some German, but I've no idea how to write or read it."

"How else does Shafek fit into this?" Rick asked.

"He paid for my voyage to England and to get me to your door. And that… I swear that was it." Kit opened her arms, palms turned towards the heavens in supplication. "I had no idea what he wanted to do. He told me I could pay him back when we found the belt. He didn't specify the price and..." Kit swallowed hard. "I didn't think it would be too high until I found Ardeth in the quicksand. He had a habit of being in my head – er, Shafek. Not Ardeth. And Shafek demanded that I let Ardeth die." The woman paused, halting in her fidgeting. "I wouldn't. I couldn't."

Rick still had trouble taking this all in. He wasn't sure whether to trust her or believe her. He desperately wanted to accept everything Kit was saying, but Evy's presence tempered his desire to accept Kit as his sister once more with common sense. "But why would you still want to find us after he told you about Imhotep?" The man asked his sister. "He was driving home the point that you were Imhotep's child again and again. Why would you come find the people that defeated him twice? What did you really care about?"

"I like to think I'm not stupid." Kit replied. "I thought that he was just telling stories with Imhotep and Amunet – How in the world could such a thing be real? – but that was before he healed me. But even then I had my doubts." She admitted. "And this was something I knew nothing about and – Rick, Evy, would you want to be the child of a selfish monster who would destroy the world because he didn't get what he wanted in life?" Kit shook her head. "I know who I am. I'm the daughter of James and Madeline O'Connell, sister of Rick O'Connell. I didn't and don't know this Imhotep even less than I knew you, Rick. Imhotep doesn't matter to me; you do. I only wanted to live long enough to find you, meet you… And see if maybe you had been looking for me too."

The trio sat in silence for a moment or two. "Where… does this leave us?" Rick asked slowly. "You could have gotten Alex, Evy, Jonathan, hell, all of us killed." Rick shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "And whatever trust I had in you before – It's all gone now, Kit. I'm not sure how we can rebuilt it." Evy's hand squeezed her husband's arm again and both man and wife fixed their gaze on the younger woman.

Kit's hands stopped fiddling with her fingers.. "I've been thinking about that." Now she broke eye contact, staring intently at the floor. "I've been thinking since the temple and I think it'd be for the best if I left –"

"Like hell you will." Rick was so abrupt in his denial that Kit looked up, jaw dropped in shock. "Just because we have problems does not mean that one of us leaves. I said that I wasn't sure how I can trust you again, but that doesn't mean I don't want to."

"But, like you said, I could have killed Evy, killed – killed Alex –" Kit's voice broke.

"Yeah, and you didn't. I'm not going to forget what could have happened but –" The man's voice went soft and wavered for a moment. "God, it killed me to see you die, Kit. As much as your deal with Shafek hurt, I also realized I can't just – I can't go back to before I knew you were alive." Rick fell silent for a moment. Evy had stayed silent the entire time and as her husband contemplated, her hand rubbed his back soothingly. Rick had to clear his throat before he continued speaking. "You're my sister, Kit. Despite everything you did, I still find myself... loving you. I want you in my life, even if I am a bit pissed at you. That is, if you want to stick around."

"Of course I do!" Kit replied, her eyes wet. "I've always wanted a family. I hate, hate, hate that I did this to all of you. And it makes me feel even more foolish because I knew, I knew as soon as Shafek told me to kill Ardeth that I'd done something wrong that was going to affect all of us –"

"Then remember that." Rick said. "Remember that. You're my sister and I really want us to be family. God, do I ever. But just remember what could have happened and... I guess it's a start."

Kit managed a weak smile. "I can do that. I will do my best to make sure I never put you in danger again. I couldn't take it if I did."

"Then we're okay for now. And hey," Rick cracked a smile. "It's gotta be nothing but better from here."

"I have something that I'd like to talk about." Evy broke in, speaking slowly at first to ensure that her husband and Kit were done. When met with no objections, she continued. "About what Shafek said about Nefertiri and Amunet –"

Kit shook her head. "I don't really care about what he said. Everything was to bait me, to try and bend me to his will and bring Imhotep back." Kit shrugged. "I'd rather forget all that. Amunet isn't who I am – I'm Kit."

Evy nodded. "I understand, but..." She swallowed, "This is some selfishness on my part." Rick looked at his wife, his brow raised in curiosity. "Shafek said Amunet was tortured and executed by Nefertiri's behest – my behest. And it's gnawing at me." She chose her words carefully before proceeding. "I want to find out if that's the truth."

"Hon, it doesn't matter –" Rick began.

"It does to me." Evy insisted. "Kit, do you know anything about Amunet apart from what Shafek told you? Have you had any dreams or memories that aren't yours?" Kit shook her head. Evy's lips scrunched together in disappointment. "I want to find Amunet and what happened to her. Who knows? If she was Imhotep's daughter, she could still figure into all of this."

"I'd rather not, but... If you both are so quick to give me another chance and this means so much to you, we could see what we find." Kit offered with a shrug. "I know who I am and anything about Amunet that might be uncovered won't affect that."

"Are you sure?" Evy asked. "Know what Nefertiri went through... It's changed me somewhat. It might change you, Kit."

"I guess we'll find out."

Ardeth left the O'Connells, Jonathan, and Katrina to relax in the hotel as his search began for a horse that could take him back to the Medjai camp. He took a piece of the belt with him when he left. Even though it was little more than broken bits of ivory and gold now, Ardeth wasn't sure if he trusted all the pieces in one place. The effect the belt had on Kit, even when broken, was both astonishing and terrifying.

He found a new mount in the marketplace before the sun set. The palomino had barely been broken, and while she was full of spirit and sometimes a bit stubborn, Ardeth thought the mare would be a good horse and a steady companion in the desert. The Grand Pyramid Hotel was decidedly more English than many other establishments in Cairo, but even so the hotel still had stables for its patrons who had yet to become motorized and instead preferred camels, jackasses, mules, and horses. Ardeth paid for his horse's stable for the night (O'Connell had already been good enough to pay for the Medjai's bed; he wouldn't add his horse's expense to the man's tab) and set about making the mare comfortable for the night.

Ardeth began rubbing down his horse after taking her through her paces around the pyramids and then galloping her through the fertile earth of the Nile's riverbank. He brushed sand from her creamy coat and then plucked up a pick and began cleaning rich Nile soil from the horse's hooves. She temperamentally batted the first hoof he handled, but after some firm words from the Medjai, she complied and let the pick dig around in her hoof.

"She's beautiful."

Ardeth's eyes moved to find Kit peering over the gate to the stall he had rented. She had changed from the bloodstained white linen gown to a simple blue one that lacked style, probably brought back from the market by Katrina, Alex, and Jonathan. Her blue eyes were large and meek, and her body lingering on the other side of the stall as though she were conflicted as to whether or not she should be present.

"Thank you." Ardeth finished rutting out the hoof. "Are you well?" He asked. Since the sandstorm and the temple, he had lost the ease he had felt around the woman. The jovial words and easy conversation were no longer there and Ardeth knew why. He had never suspected her, not until the sandstorm. And that scared him.

She nodded and leaned a little more on the gate. "Am I bothering you?" At a shake of his head, she continued. "I just wanted to apologize for..." For a moment, the woman looked a little scared, but she bravely continued. "I... I hesitated when you were in the quicksand. And I shouldn't have."

Ardeth released the cleaned hoof, grasping the pick tightly in his fingers. "I'm alive, am I not?" He asked after a pause. He moved to the other hoof, struggling slightly with the mare before she relented and allowed him to hold her hoof. "It's nothing."

"But I should have known then that I shouldn't have struck the deal with Shafek. I should have known to listen to you and tell you what to expect. If anything had happened to you –" Kit fell silent. "I would have never forgiven myself."

The Medjai was touched by her sentiment. He finished cleaning the hoof, releasing it and straightening up. He crossed to the gate, leaning on it slightly. "Kit, the only thing I could think to forgive you for is lying to my friends and putting them in danger." The words were not harsh but gentle. "And if O'Connell and Evelyn have already done that, it is not my place to hold a grudge. And I am very grateful, whatever you say, for you pulling me from Shafek's trap."

Kit was astonished into silence. "Has anyone ever told you that you are extremely relaxed for a warrior that spends most of his time in the desert guarding sacred ruins?" A faint glimmer of her former self sparkled in her eyes as she gave the slightest smile.

Ardeth laughed unexpectedly. "I have never been regarded as such. I was decidedly less so when I first met your brother –"

"I believe the words 'Leave this place or die' were uttered a lot?" Kit asked, brow arching. At Ardeth's surprised look, Kit shrugged. "Jonathan told me all about it when they came back from market this morning."

"Age has calmed by soul. Or at least the knowledge that the Creature did rise and was put down twice with the help of very good friends." The tension was slowly easing between the two and Ardeth found himself more prone to smiling.

"I enjoy your candor." Kit replied. "Would you say you're like a fine wine, then? More mellow with age?"

Booming laughter echoed from Ardeth's throat. "I am not a partaker of wine, so the comparison is sadly lacking on me." He and the woman smiled at each other. Ardeth unlatched the gate, gesturing for Kit to join him in the stall. She did, slipping in the narrow gap and leaning against the gate to close it.

"And before anything else, I just need to get this out." Ardeth nodded, bidding her to continue. "Thank you for your words of encouragement from the sandstorm on out. And I am very grateful you did to Shafek what I could not."

Ardeth was silent for a moment. He remembered the sight of Kit, bloodied and dying and strength it must have taken for her to pull the fatal blade from her back. Her words were quiet and yet booming as he asked him to kill Shafek. He swallowed, nodding as his golden eyes met with her blue ones. "You're welcome." The horse whinnied behind him, pawing at the ground.

"What were you even doing to that poor thing?" Kit asked, arching a brown brow and looking around the Medjai to the palomino.

"Cleaning her hooves – You've never seen a horse's hooves being cleaned?" Ardeth asked, moving out from behind the horse.

"Heavens, no. Horses were scary on the streets. One well aimed kick could make you take the long sleep in a minute." Kit replied, eying the beast. "My friend Chris got his foot broken by a big burly stallion once on the streets of Johannesburg. I prefer camels, myself."

"You and Aamir had the opportunity to became better friends than you are, then." Ardeth laughed, moving to the horse's right foreleg. The palomino fixed him with a beady stare and he gently tapped her on the nose. "You stop that."

"Doesn't the pick hurt them?" Kit asked, eying the tool in Ardeth's hands.

"Come here." Ardeth nodded her over, gently lifting up the horse's right front hoof. Kit approached and watched as Ardeth pointed out the anatomy of the horse's hoof, telling her the names of each part. He then continued. "Their hooves aren't solid, see? They sometimes get soil or rocks in them and need to be cleaned so they don't hurt themselves. So you just take the pick and make sure they aren't clogged with anything." Ardeth offered the pick to Kit. "Care to try?"

"Sure." The woman accepted the pick and, as she gently cleared the horse's hoof, said, "This is nothing like spearing scorpions."

"No." Ardeth agreed, smiling.

"Less tasty."

"That is true. But you aren't doing too bad."

Ardeth cleared the last hoof and, with the grooming done, gave the palomino a pat before feeding her a flake of hay. He and Kit exited the stall, latching the door behind them. "What are you going to name her?" Kit asked, resting her back against the gate.

"I was thinking..." Ardeth began, grinning sheepishly, "...Aasifa."

"Aasifa?" Kit echoed, arching a brow. "Meaning 'storm?'"

"Short for Aasifa Ramliyya." Ardeth replied, breaking into an all out grin. Together, both of them identified the Arabic phrase as, "Sandstorm!" and Kit laughed heartily.

"You have an interesting sense of humor." She laughed, looking over her shoulder as the newly christened Aasifa chewed her hay.

"A sandstorm is the reason she's here." Ardeth said with a shrug. "And she has a rather... feisty temperament."

"And I bet you could lose her in a sandstorm with a coat like that." Kit laughed. "I like it. It's a good name."

Ardeth nodded and the two exited the stables, heading for the hotel. Camels milled about the bases of the pyramids in the distance, the setting sun casting long shadows in the desert. "I'll take my leave tomorrow." Ardeth informed Kit. "I do not wish to be a burden any longer when you all should be focused on getting back home."

"I'll miss your company." Kit said, giving him a nod and they continued walking. As they approached the doors to the hotel lobby, Kit halted and turned to the Medjai. "Can I... write to you?" Her question was sheepish, but her eyes didn't shy away from the Medjai. Ardeth gave the woman a questioning look. "I don't want to forget you. I'm sure I won't, but I'd like to write to you."

The idea was not unpleasant to think off. "I think I would like that." Ardeth replied with a smile. Kit returned the grin, and the pair headed for the suite.