Irene struggled to climb out of the debris.

Her dress was drenched and heavy, preventing her from moving easily, and she jumped as a bout of steam exploded from a few inches away. Unfortunately, the sudden movement made her even more entangled in the mess.

Elsewhere, Izzy was complaining about how he could fix the dirigible without gas to Rick. They were all too preoccupied to stop and help her out, not that they would be able to hear her anyway with all their arguing. Her eyes skimmed their surroundings, noting the lush forest that laid ahead of them and the bright yet harsh sun that shone from above. They had definitely arrived at the oasis.

"Are you going to stand there all day, Rena, or do you plan on getting out?" Rick's irritated voice sounded from next to her. In her daze, she hadn't noticed that they had finished talking and were now passing whatever items that had survived the crash into safer territory.

"I'm trying," she said through gritted teeth. She knew they were all on edge because of the earlier incident, but that didn't mean Rick could take out his anger on her and expect her to just accept it. With a firm tug, she finally broke free - albeit ripping her favorite dress - and half stumbled, half fell onto the ground. Letting out a huff of annoyance, she made a mental note to never wear dresses whenever her brother showed up with an ancient artifact ever again.

Rick sighed, watching Irene's clumsy behavior disapprovingly. "Maybe you should stick with Izzy."

"And get left out of all the action again? No way!" Irene shook her head vehemently.

Izzy winked at her. "She's just worried that she'll get shot if she's with me."

"He's...got a point," Rick said finally, giving the signal for them to head out into the forest. None of them had noticed that Jonathan had stolen his stick back from the dirigible pilot during the commotion.

"So, Rick. What's the plan?" Jonathan asked cheerfully, having his prize back in his possession at last.

"Let's find some higher ground," he decided, gesturing at the thick forest that loomed ahead. It was dark and unknown with a sense of forbidding. Irene didn't dare think what could be hiding in its depths, waiting to pounce at the first opportunity.

The group had barely proceeded further when a loud gunshot echoed through the trees, eery and sudden. And there was only one explanation as to what was being shot at. Ardeth whipped around, panic in his eyes. "Horus!" he called, desperately clinging to the last bit of hope that the bird might have gotten away, that the shooter might have missed by a centimeter...

There was no answer.

Irene's heart clenched in pain for him. Ardeth had told them that Horus was his best friend, and yet now he was gone. How many others must die for their sake before Imhotep could be stopped? Her eyes watered, and she was only vaguely aware of him turning back to Rick and urgently telling him that he needed to leave.

"I need you to help me find my son," Rick insisted, then paused before adding in a lower, gentler voice, "And I can see that you need her. She needs you, too."

Irene let out her breath when she saw him nod in response. "And first I shall help you."

Ardeth fell in step beside her as they continued onward, deeper into the maze. She didn't think they would be able to get out at the pace they were going, but what mattered was that they would be able to find Alex.

"I'm sorry about Horus," she said quietly, afraid that speaking out loud would disturb the strange silence that lingered among the trees. She closed her eyes briefly, remembering a flash of pain from years ago. "I know what it's like to lose something so precious. When I was younger, after Rick and I had been separated, he sent me a present once. It was a kitten..."

She could still remember when the tiny cat showed up on her doorstep one afternoon, her fur bedraggled and small frame thin but otherwise healthy. There had been a note tied to her collar. When Irene had taken it off to see who had sent it to her, all that was written in a messy scrawl was I promised I'd always look after you, right?

Her teacher had tsked and scolded her, dismissing the gift as a prank, but Irene knew where it had come from. She'd be able to recognize the handwriting anywhere.

Rick must have somehow smuggled the cat in despite being sent away to the orphanage. How he managed to do something so crazy, she would never know. Her heart ached with longing for him as she gingerly held up the small form of life in her fingers. She wondered how he was and if he had enough to eat. Did the other children pick on him? If only she could have stayed with him...

The cat kept her company throughout her youth and well into her teenage years. It was her only source of comfort on dark stormy nights. The cat listened to her sobs, licked away her tears, when Rick couldn't be there for her during hard times. She even named her Ricky.

"And then, one day, she disappeared. My teacher said she had ran away, but earlier that morning, when I couldn't sleep, I had wandered out into the garden and saw her with her hands bloodied. I knew then what she had done to her..." Irene trailed off, her voice shaking with emotion. "I still don't understand why. Why we were separated, my brother and I...and why my cat had to die."

"Perhaps your parents did not wish for you to experience the harsh life of a Medjai," Ardeth said thoughtfully, "If that is what your brother went through at the orphanage."

"Perhaps," she agreed, and then jumped when she stepped on something soft and squishy. She looked down, just in time to see the tip of a tail disappear into the clump of bushes next to her. "What...what was that?" she asked breathlessly.

Ardeth smiled at her disheveled form. Now he could see why Rick had been so adamant that he stayed with the group. "A snake," he informed her dismissively. "A harmless one."

Irene pouted, feeling silly, but also feeling relieved because he was no longer frowning. "Oh. Still. I really hate forests - " at this, she glowered at the trees surrounding them, as though they were the roots of all of her problems (pun intended) - "And mummies. And scarabs. But mostly mummies."

"I can definitely imagine better places to be right now," Ardeth nodded. "I owe you that coffee, for one."

She didn't think he would remember after all these years. "Well, you probably owe me more than one cup with all that interest added. If you know what I mean." What was she saying?! It was just like her to get caught in the moment and do unnecessary things like flirting, when they had undead mummies chasing after them!

"N-Never mind," she said quickly. "That was wrong of me. Pretend I didn't say anything." Casting him a sideways glance that she hoped was subtle, she picked up her pace so she could talk to Rick. She could swear that Ardeth was laughing.

He was deep in thought, but looked up when he heard her approach. "What's wrong?"

"I'm hopeless," she sighed miserably. "I was trying to cheer him up, but ended up saying stupid things again."

"Oh? But if you ask me, that's what makes you so endearing, little sister," Rick said. "And Ardeth probably thinks the same. So don't hit your head over it, Rena. It's what makes you...you."

It wasn't the first time she had heard it, but it didn't make her feel that much better. But now that a question was nagging at the back of her mind since she had told Ardeth the story earlier, she couldn't stop herself from asking instead, "How did you get that cat to me, Rick?"

"Ah. That's how you made him feel better, I see. But I can't tell you. It's an O'Connell family secret," he winked at her, pressing a finger to his lips.

"I'm an O'Connell, too," Irene puffed indignantly, swerving to one side to avoid a fallen log that had blocked their path.

"Not for much longer."

Her mouth dropped open at what he was suggesting. So even Rick was against her now, was he? "I can't believe you!"

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." A grin spread across Rick's face. "See? You're not useless, Rena. You can get rid of any tension just with your presence!"

"I can start a comedy dual with Jonathan if you'd like," Irene said sarcastically, to which Rick roared with laughter. The bushes next to them shook violently, and Irene grabbed onto Rick's elbow in alarm, only to see a tiny bird soar into the sky. "Just a bird..." she mumbled, more to herself than to Rick, and, remembering Ardeth's teasing from earlier, added, "A harmless one."

The stupid animals really needed to stop scaring her like that. Then again, how was she going to be able to survive living in the desert if she couldn't even walk five feet before scaring herself? The Medjai had countless years of training to grow accustomed to their lifestyle. But for someone like Irene, who had barely survived two days of training with their chieftain and only watched (waited, really) as the men defeated Imhotep, had no right to waltz into their camp and declare herself their co-ruler.

She really wasn't cut out for leading, anyway. Maybe Ardeth will have to find himself a more suitable wife, and she'll have to settle as the concubine. Wasn't that what they did in Ancient China?

She shook her head. That wasn't exactly very appealing. But the last thing she wanted was to embarrass him and hold him back, and she didn't see how she could improve herself. There must be something she could do...

"What are you thinking about?" Rick asked. His laughter had died down, and his expression grew more serious when he saw Rena's frown.

"About the future," she admitted, looking back to where Ardeth was speaking with Jonathan. Even now, just seeing him made her heart do somersaults in her chest and her stomach flop with butterflies.

"Our friend Imhotep's future is definitely looking bleak right now," he remarked good-naturedly.

She rolled her eyes. "You know that's not what I mean."

Rick gave her a playful nudge. "And you know that whatever happens will be the right thing. As Ardeth himself said, fate is strange like that."

"He didn't say that," she said, pretending to be unimpressed, but a smile danced on her lips all the same. "You just reworded his words." She was touched by how far they had come, from the time Rick doubted Ardeth's loyalty to them working together to stop the Scorpion King. Maybe I did help with something after all, she realized, feeing immensely better.

"Same thing to me," Rick joked. "And from that smile, I guess you've figured it out, right? Stop worrying so much and try to enjoy this as much as possible. I mean, it's not everyday you get to trek through an oasis with the one you love!"

Irene blushed and nodded. If this had been any other occasion, it almost sounded like a honeymoon. Oh, what she would give to spend a day with Ardeth that didn't involve homicidal mummies!

But Rick was right. She had to believe in herself. And maybe, just maybe, she too had what it takes to defeat the undead.

A/n: Sorry this chapter took longer to update! I wasn't sure how their walk in the forest would go (time skips are so annoying sometimes grr) but I think it turned out alright!

And Irene is learning how to be more confident, so I hope her character is more likable now ;) I know she used to just cry and do stupid things hehe but as Rick says, she's the one who cheers everyone up in dark times :)

Leave a review and let me know what you think?

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