His lips lifted into a wicked grin, watching the family grieve from afar.

He knew the girl was trouble, despite her innocent appearance and stupid mind - no other woman dared to stand in front of him, and so he remembered her well. If he wasn't mistaken, she had also been the one to kill one of his slaves to spare the life of the Medjai warrior, further complicating his plan. She was an annoyance, and annoyances had to be taken care of.

And he had the perfect solution to get rid of her once and for all.

"Wait," he said to Anck-su-Namun in their native tongue, pausing before the steps that entered the pyramid. "There is something else I have to do..."

Back in that modern city, the one called London, he had originally sent four of his soldiers to chase the family of the man who destroyed him the first time, but called one back when he had thought that three were enough. But he had been wrong. And Imhotep was never wrong.

This time, he knew just what to use to deal with the girl.

"We have no time," Anck-su-Namun hissed beside him impatiently. She was always supportive of him and his plans, and that was what he loved about her the most.

"This will be over shortly," he promised, and with a wave of his hand, his loyal soldier appeared in front of him, ready for orders. His smile widened. "Go. Kill the girl."

Without needing to see that his deed would be done, Imhotep swept his way into the pyramid, preparing to face the evil feared by all mankind...

Rick hugged Alex tightly, Evie's loss still lingering in the air as they knelt beside her. Irene touched Evie's once warm hand, now ice cold, and didn't think she would ever be able to get over the thought that her sister-in-law was gone. Evie...I never got to repay you...

"Stay here," Rick whispered to his son. He gave Jonathan and Irene a meaningful look, cutting off the protest that was about to escape from Irene's mouth. He turned and wordlessly headed for the pyramid - the choice he made was final.

"Rick..." Irene watched him go, her blue eyes clouded with pain. A few years ago, she would have tried to stop him no matter what the cost, the danger lurking in the pyramid's shadows evident. But now, she had learned to accept his choices, knowing that what he did was for the best. Sure, she was worried about him, but Alex needed their comfort, too. How could she bare to go with Ardeth now that her nephew needed her so much? Was this her punishment for taking a life?

Suddenly, a shadow swept toward the tip of the pyramid, darkening the sky and everything around them. Irene looked up, her eyes narrowing into a frown at the impending darkness. Something was happening, that much was certain...

She reached into her pocket, her hand stopping as it felt the familiar coolness of Ardeth's gun, giving her the comfort she needed. Sensing that the danger had passed, she sat down next to her nephew and pulled him close. He reminded her so much of Rick.

Alex had helped her, bringing joy to her life in the times she had missed Ardeth terribly.

She smiled fondly as she recalled the first time he spoke, Rick and Evie both holding their breaths to see which parent he called out first. Instead, he had uttered "Re...re - " and Irene was extremely touched that he had spoken her name. Then there were the time she told him stories of her adventures in America, working as a haircutter and the interesting people she had met on the job. She had giggled nonstop when he spat out his food in disgust at the mention of her horrible boss. Then, on his birthday that year, he had asked Irene for a haircut, asking for the same style that Rick had.

He meant so much to her. Seeing him upset and crying was worse than feeling the pain herself, and she knew she had to help him, too, because that was the least she owed him. She took a deep breath and reached out to ruffle Alex's hair. "Maybe heaven really is up there," she murmured, her voice cracking.

Jonathan nodded, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Try to think of it like this, Alex. She's gone to a better place. You know, like they say in a good book."

Alex's head lifted with sudden hope. "The book! That's it, the book!" At the two adults' confused expressions, he pulled them both up. "The book, Uncle Jon, Aunt Rena! The book!"

They had barely taken a step closer to where Alex was trying to lead them when a loud roar from the shadows of the pyramid echoed around them, chilling Irene to the bone. She froze, staring in shock at the mummy soldier that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Where had he come from?

"What is he doing here?" Jonathan groaned.

But they were out of time, and Irene knew it. She trusted that Alex's plan could succeed, but if they didn't go now..."Go with Alex, Jonathan! I'll take care of this!"

Never would she think that those words would come out of her mouth, yet they did. She had to admit that she was proud of herself for managing to stand up like this, nothing like the time she had stumbled onto a battlefield in a drunken state. She had grown since then.

Jonathan looked at her doubtfully, and Alex tried to protest. "But Aunt Rena!"

"No buts, Alex," she said with a small smile, her voice firm. She took out her beloved gun and held it up for him to see, checking whether it was fully loaded at the same time. She let out a breath when she saw that it was indeed still intact. "I'll be fine with this. You already helped me enough."

Jonathan tossed an extra round of bullets to her. "Well, if you're sure, Rena. You do deserve a bit of action too, sometimes, I'll give you that!"

"Just go!" she yelled, turning to face her enemy, not waiting to check if they had really entered the pyramid because she trusted that Jonathan would take care of Alex for her.

She remembered how, during the bus ride, she had hid in a corner while the others had bravely fought these same soldiers off. If Rick could defeat them, she had a chance, too.

She held up the gun and prepared to charge, lowering into the fighting stance that Ardeth had taught her. Even though he wasn't with her in person, his fighting spirit and words of wisdom would never leave her as long as she was able to fight.

But the mummy was still stronger. It leapt at her, making the ground tremble as its feet landed, and slashed its curled blade in her direction without pausing.

Irene, remembering what Ardeth had instructed her to do, shifted her weight off her back foot and slid nimbly to one side. She cried out as she flung her fist at his skin, flinching in pain as she made contact. She hadn't realized that it would be hard as iron.

Sensing his chance, the soldier grabbed her arm and swung her into the air. Irene screamed, feeling her arm twist in pain as she was thrown around and around.

Only once the mummy was bored, he threw her at the ground, and Irene wailed out. It was the second time she had felt the same fire burn inside her, and her stomach churned when she understood that she must have broken a bone.

It's my duty to keep him busy, she reminded herself, no matter how much her muscles seemed to beg her to just stop and rest. I can't lose here, not when everyone else is fighting, too. "I won't let you play with me like a toy!" she declared, pushing herself into a standing position. She almost collapsed again, but one glance at Evie's body, lying limp and defenseless on the ground, gave her the strength she needed. Evie had died fighting. She couldn't let her sacrifice be for nothing.

To her dismay, the mummy had barely started. It thrust its blade into her shoulder, making her bite her lip to stop herself from yelling out again. She staggered back, her arm weak and exhausted. She could barely lift her gun.

No! I must!

She could't just let it beat her up over and over again. She had to do something...But what?

The mummy moved too fast to let her aim from afar. And with her arms aching enough as it is, she wouldn't be able to pull the trigger. Suddenly, an idea formed in her head, and she purposefully let the soldier push her to the ground. If she couldn't attack standing up, she would have to find a new angle to strike.

Her arms, supported by the sand, gave her just the strength she needed. She let out a scream and aimed her gun at his chest, but the bullet merely passed through without scraping him. And then, she felt a piercing pain as he delivered a blow to her cheek.

Irene had always been the weaker one of the O'Connell siblings, she knew that. War had never suited her, and her small, feminine arms had never been fit for battle. She was constantly under the protection of someone else, living happily and without a care in the world. But now...she was alone, and no one else was able to protect her. She knew that if she didn't win, she would die. And death was something she couldn't afford, not when Alex still needed her. Rick. Ardeth.

Think, Irene, think!

Rick had told her stories of his battle with the soldiers his first time. And then, in London, only massive amounts of damage had been able to stop them. But they must have some sort of weakness.

The mummy soldier suddenly roared in her face. Irene choked, squirming uncomfortably at the blast of hot, rotten-smelling air. Without thinking, she stabbed its empty eye sockets with her fingers, making the mummy pull back with disgust.

The eyes, huh...

She knew what she had to do. With a triumphant grin, she rolled out from under his grasp, and called the mummy's attention to her. "Hey there, bad guy!"

And then her bullet flew right at his eyes.

Irene squeezed her own eyes shut, too terrified to see whether her plan was successful. Please...please work!

There was a loud thud, and she cracked an eye open to see the soldier stumbling backward. His head smashed right into the base of the statue that stood behind him, and then his body grew limp.

It was over.

A/n: special thank to LeopardFeather for being the 100th reviewer! Thank you all for your continued support~

My little girl is all grown up. Saving Egypt. /sobs (excuse my poor attempt at writing action scenes.) She used the same trick Rick did on the bus! ;)

About the mummy soldiers, I think if Imhotep sent one after Irene before he had his powers removed, they would still be able function properly. Ah well, even if that's not the case, just ignore the loopholes because it's a story XD /slapped

I think Irene deserves her own bad guy after how much she had learned. It's also my version of the explanation as to why one of the mummies were missing during the chase scene back in London~

Let me know what you think with a review? - and whether you would be interested in an Ancient Egypt AU?