TITLE: Journey to the Underwold

FANDOM: The Mummy Returns

RATING: R

KEYWORDS: Alternate Universe, Angst, Torture, Adventure

FEEDBACK: Definately

ARCHIVE: Anywhere just keep my name on it and let me know where it's going

SUMMARY: An alternate take on tMR and the events after it

DISCLAIMER: The mummy returns does not belong to me. It belongs to Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios. I am making no money off of this. This story is copywrited 2002 and cannot be altered in any way without the express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is an alternate universe story. In this story, Evie was never revived after being stabbed by Anuck-se-namun.

By Cheri.

Part One

Rick sighed as he stared at the photo. He ran his finger down across the image of Evie beside him in the pic, smiling at the camera as she held baby Alex in her arms. It had only been a few months since the Scorpion King had been defeated but to him it seemed a lifetime. He had narrowly escaped being thrust into the underworld along with Imhotep. If it hadn't been for Johnathan and Alex pulling him out, he would have been lost forever. But with Evie dead, he wondered if it would have been a better choice to just let go.

He wiped a tear away as he put the pic back by his bedside. He rose and slowly walked downstairs. As much as he wanted to hide away from the world, he had to be a father to Alex. He owed it to Evie to see that Alex was raised properly.

He walked into the dining room. Alex and Johnathan were sitting at the table playing poker. As he entered they looked up and smiled at him. Rick walked past them quietly, not seeing the smiles. Alex and Johnathan looked at one another and sighing resumed their game.

********************************

Rick leaned against the outside wall staring at the garden behind the house. The garden was one of Evie's favorite places. She and Rick used to go to the gazebo in the middle of it and sit for hours just holding hands and enjoying one another's company. Tears came to his eyes as he remembered how beautiful she would look in the moonlight. He had been so engrossed in his thoughts and memories that he didn't hear Alex come up behind him.

"Dad?"

Rick jumped at the sound of his voice and looked down. Alex was leaning next to him on the wall staring at him with a worried look in his eyes. Rick grinned for his benefit and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm okay Alex....Just thinking."

"She's in a better place, dad." Alex said softly.

Rick bit his lower lip and nodded. Even though he knew Alex was right, it didn't help to ease his pain much. A tear rolled down his cheek as his heart ached with longing. Alex quietly creeped away as he saw Rick become lost in his dream world again. He walked to the door where Johnathan had been standing and observing the scene. They closed the door leaving Rick to cry silently to himself...

*************************************

Evie looked out of the bars of her prison. She remembered being stabbed by Anuck-se-namun outside the pyramid at Ahm Shere and seeing Rick's tear stained face before all went black. The next thing she knew she was being dragged down by hundreds of tormented souls into the center of the earth. When she finally reached the bottom she saw a disfigured demon standing over her. It grabbed her by the arms and flung her into this prison hissing that her judgement would soon be at hand.

And now here she was, listening to the faraway screams of the damned and dreaming of her family. She hoped that everyone had made it out of Ahm Shere alive. She cursed that bitch Anuck-se-namun for doing this to her and causing everyone grief.

She watched as another ugly demon dragged a helpless soul away to be tortured. The look of terror on the poor man's face was almost too much to bear. She hoped that Rick and the others weren't down here too awaiting their punishment. The thought of them in pain made Evie sick to her stomach.

A howl of agony jerked Evie out of her thoughts. She sighed as she listened to the man being tortured over and over.

***************************************

Rick turned on the light and looked at his alarm clock. He groaned as he saw it was only 3 a.m. Another sleepless night alone in his bed. He didn't know if he could bear many more nights like this. As he turned off the light and lay in the dark, he began to contemplate suicide. He quickly shook the thought from his head. It wouldn't be fair to Alex and Johnathan. They had already lost Evie and to lose him too would be earth shattering.

He closed his eyes and pictured his beloved lying beside him in bed with her arms around his chest and sighing contentedly as she dreamed. He would often stay awake at night to watch her, taking in her beauty as her chest rose and fell with every breath. The memory of it was almost too much to bear and he quickly blocked it from his mind as a tear fell down his face. After a few minutes, he knew that he wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon. He rose and walked downstairs to the kitchen intending to brew some tea. He stopped when he saw Johnathan sitting quietly at the kitchen table with his head in his hands. As Rick entered he looked up...

"Can't sleep either?" He asked quietly

Rick nodded.

"I've already made some tea for myself. You're welcome to it." He said pointing to the kettle on the stove.

"Thanks" Rick said as he grabbed a cup from the cupboard.

Pouring some tea into the cup, he sat down across the table from Johnathan. For the longest time, neither spoke just quietly sipping their tea. Finally Johnathan broke the silence.

"I still can't believe she's gone.:

Rick sighed as he nodded.

"Yeah"was all he could think of to say.

"I don't think I'll ever get over the loss either." Johnathan continued. "As far back as I can remember, I've always looked out for her. Even when I was young I always made sure she stayed out of trouble and now...." He broke off the sentence too choked up to speak.

Rick took hold of Johanthan's wrist. Johnathan looked up at him with tears in his eyes.

"We have to go on living."Rick said to him. "We have to be strong for Alex's sake. Evie would have wanted it that way."

Johnathan nodded.

"You're right Rick. She's depending on us to raise Alex." Johnathan managed a laugh. "Besides, He'll grow up to be just as clever as his mum was. Maybe even become a famous explorer."

Rick grinned.

"Yeah," He said laughing softly. "We'll just have to make sure he stays away from mummies."

Johnathan laughed softly. Having no more to say, they both sat and drank their tea, each knowing that they would probably spend many nights like this now. After about an hour, Rick finished his tea and saying goodnight to Johnathan, he climbed the staircase back up to his room to try to sleep again

*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*

Part Two

"Next!"

Anubis nodded to the guards. They opened a giant door and watched as a screaming Anuck-se-namun was pulled through.

"Let me go, imbeciles!" she screamed at them in Egyptian

Anubis looked over to Thoth, the baboon headed god and shook his head. He wanted to get this judgement over with as quickly as possible to get the screaming wench out of his sight. He watched as Anuck-se-namun was pulled before them.

"You stand before us in this hall of judgement to be judged on the deeds of your mortal life." Anubis boomed. "You see before you the scales of judgement. Your heart shall be weighed against the feather of Maat, the goddess of truth. If your heart is lighter than the feather, it means you have lived an honest life and you shall recieve paradise in the bosom of Osiris. If not..." He pointed to a beast at the base of the scales that had a crocodile head, lion front and hippo back. "Your untrue heart shall be eaten by Ammet and you shall spend eternity in torment!"

Ammet turned and eyed Anuck-se-namun with a hungry look in it's reptilian eyes. Anuck-se-namun glared back at it defiantly.

"Bring forth the feather!" Anubis called out.

Anuck-se-namun watched as a servant came forth holding a pure white feather in his hands. Gently, he placed the delicate feather on one side of the scales.

"And now your heart!"

Anubis stretched forth his hand and Anuck-se-namun gasped as she felt her heart tear away from her body and fly to his hand. She watched as he nodded to Thoth who readied his papyrus and pen to record the judgement. Placing the heart on the empty side of the scales, he stepped back to watch. Anuck-se-namun watched with fascination as the scales tipped slowly back and forth as it made it's decision about the heart. Finally after a few moments the heart side of the scales slipped low to the ground. Anuck-se-namun widen her eyes in horror as Ammet's crocodile grin spread even wider.

"You are unworthy to spend eternity in paradise!" Anubis announced as he pointed at her. "You will spend your afterlife instead screaming in agony." He motioned to Ammet and Ammet advanced towards the heart licking it's chops.

"Wait!"

Anubis, Thoth, and Ammet all turned and looked at Anuck-se-namun in shock as she held up her hands to stop them. Knowing that she had their full attention, she began to speak as fast as she could.

"I am not the one who sent your armies back to the underworld!" She cried out pointing at Anubis. "It was Rick O'Connell!"

"I am well aware of his name!" Anubis said annoyed. "But O'Connell is alive, unlike you!" He started to motion Sobek to eat the heart.

"But his wife is not!" Anuck-se-namum said desparately.

Anubis looked back at her and sighed, his patience running out.

"What has this to do with your judgement, damned one?" He spat out.

Anuck-se-namun chose her words carefully knowing that at any moment Anubis could completely lose his patience.

"Let me go back and I shall deliver O'Connell to you for judgement." She said.

"That is impossible" Anubis said. "It is against the natural law to send someone back once they have passed judgement.Why not accept your fate as others have done before you?"

"And will you accept yours?" Anuck-se-namun screamed out to the shock of all in the judgement hall.

Taking advantage of the shocked silence she continued...

"You have longed to rule the mortal world ever since the Scorpion King. If it wasn't for O' Connell, you would even now have dominion over that world. If you let me go, I can get you O'Connell so you can see to his punishment personally."

Anubis raised his eyebrow.

"And in return?" he asked suspiciously.

"Let me live again." She said simply.

Anubis shook his head.

"That is impossible. You have been judged and condemned."

"Let the O'Connell woman serve my punishment then in exchange for my life."

She saw that Anubis was considering this and a glimmer of hope rose within her.

"Think of it, Rick O'Connell in your grasp and all I'm asking for is my mortal life back."

"Ah, but how will you get close enough to him without him suspecting you?" Anubis shot back. "You did kill his wife after all, I don't think he will welcome you back with open arms!"

"Then allow me to possess the woman's body as a disguise."

Everyone turned to watch Anubis as he paused in thought.

"My Lord, you should not do this. Ra will become angry if the order of the universe is disrupted in this manner." Thoth said.

Anubis considered this. Finally he looked up.

"I shall give you 48 hours to accomplish this task." He said. "If you do not succeed in capturing O'Connell in that time, you shall be returned to the underworld to face your punishment. Is it agreed?"

"My Lord! Ra..." Thoth began to protest.

"I shall handle Ra if he says anything." Anubis said. "Well, mortal do we have a deal?"

Anuck-se-namun nodded, delighted.

"I shall not fail you, great Anubis!" she gushed.

Anubis held up his hand.

"Save your fawning. You may regret it if you fail." he said.

Anuck-se-namun bowed low and let the servants lead her from the judgement hall as everyone cast a worried glance at Anubis.

*******************************

Evie sighed as she rocked back and forth in her prison. The hours blurred into one another down here until she was no longer sure how long she had been there. Suddenly her eyes widened as she saw someone familiar standing outside the cell...

"Nefertiri"

Evie pursed her lips

"Anuck-se-namun" she said hatefully.

Anuck-se-namun seemed to take delight in her being captive.

"I've always thought a jail cell was where you belonged, Nefertiri." she said venomously. "Parasites like you and your father belong in Hell. It was my pleasure to wipe that blight from the face of the earth. Pity I couldn't have dispatched you at the same time. Two pests elimanated with the same sword!"

She smiled at Evie's hateful glare. Then, her smile fell from her face as Evie suddenly smiled at her.

"Well...your standing here means you must be dead too. So I guess the world is rid of another parasite." She mocked.

Anuck-se-namun's smile returned...

"Ah, but only one of us is going to return to the land of the living." She gloated. "I've just made a deal with Anubis to return in your body and deliver Rick O'Connell to Anubis in exchange for my life."

She laughed as she watched Evie's eyes widen in horror.

"So long, Nefertiri, I shall keep O'Connell company for you but don't worry I'm sure you'll see him soon...at judgement."

She walked away laughing, as Evie's anguished scream filled the room.

**********************************

Ardeth nodded and smiled as the exercise was finished.

He had been training new recruits to become MedJai. Even thought the Scorpion King had been defeated, he knew that there could be another threat at anytime. The armies of God must be stronger than any evil that dared to threaten the world. After The defeat of the Scorpion King, Ardeth had invited Rick to stay on and help train the recruits, but he understandably didn't want to remain in Egypt so close to where Evie had fallen. With a promise to keep in touch with Ardeth, he had left persumably never to return. Ardeth sighed as he remembered how upset his friend had been. He would have commited suicide then and there if He, Johnathan and Alex hadn't talked him out of it.

He turned his attention back to the training as his assistant ready the recruits for another run. They had been training all day on horseback...learning how to get on and off a moving horse and how to fight while they were in the saddle...skills essential to a MedJai.

As the first of the recruits started the run on the obstacle course they had set up, Ardeth suddenly got a premonition. He felt as though the balance of the universe had been disrupted and the disruption was evil. Ardeth motioned to his assistant to continue the training. The pull of the premontion was too strong to ignore. Somehow he knew the O'Connells were involved. As the assistant stared at him confused, he jumped on his horse and hurried into the city...

****************************************

"No, nothing's happened around here. It's been pretty quiet" Rick said to Ardeth over the phone.

Johnathan and Alex walked into the living room watching as Rick listened quietly into the reciever. He looked over at them and smiled.

*Who is it?* Johnathan mouthed

*Ardeth* Rick mouthed back.

He went back to the conversation as Ardeth explained the feeling he had gotten earlier.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked Ardeth.

Johnathan and Alex looked at each other as Rick nodded.

"Okay, I'll be sure to keep an eye open. Thanks for warning me, old friend."

Rick hung up the phone and eyed Johnathan and Alex who were patienly waiting for an explanation.

"Ardeth got a feeling of danger and he wanted to call and make sure we were okay." He said to them

"Is there any other feeling he gets except danger?" Johnathan asked.

Rick laughed ruthfully. He looked over at the huge picture window as a thunderboom shattered the sky followed by a flash of lightning. If there was one thing to expect from living in England, it was rain. They watched as a deluge of rain hit the window with a pounding noise. Rick sighed. He used to love to sit at the window and watch the pouring rain. Now it was just one more painful memory to endure...

Suddenly admist the thunderbooms, The O'Connells heard another boom. Someone was knocking at the door. Quickly O'Connell shoved a small bowie knife in the back of his pants. It was automatic to him now, after all that had happened it paid to be prepared. He stood at the door and waved Alex and Johnathan to get back. After they had backed up, Rick opened the door and immediately froze...

Evie stood staring at him in the pouring rain....

*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*

Part Three

Rick stared in silent shock at the rain soaked image of his wife at the door. He closed and opened his eyes thinking it had to be an illusion. He felt Alex and Jonathan behind him and he could hear their breathing as they stood there in shock also.

"Rick?" Evie finally spoke. "It's me, honey. I'm back!"

At that tears streamed down Ricks face. With a yell of utter joy, he pulled Evie to him and hugged her tightly.

"Oh my darling, my darling." He moaned in ecstacy.

******************************

Anuck-se-namun winced as she felt Rick hug her tightly. She fought to keep from vomiting at being touched by her sworn enemy. She looked over his shoulder and saw Evie's brother and son looking at her with tears streaming down their faces. Evie gave a sickening sweet grin at Alex longing to do all sorts of terrible things to him. As Rick let go and Alex ran to hold her, the urge inside her increased. She used her warrior training to maintain her calm, however, and she hugged him back.

Up till now no one had questioned her return, but now Rick began to look at her strangely...

"Honey, We saw you die. How is it that you are alive again?" Rick asked, confused.

Anuck-se-namun silently cursed him for bringing up that question. She frantically racked her brain for a suitable answer....

"Um....The power of your love must have been so strong...it brought me back to life." She said hesitantly

Anuck-se-namun groaned inwardly. He would never buy such a lame answer. But to her surprise, he nodded. She couldn't believe it. He had bought it? But then she thought about it. He had fought off imhotep twice, a bunch of mummies, and flesh eating scarabs. She figured after all of that, he was willing to believe anything...or maybe he was just so glad to have Evie back, he really didn't care what the answer was. Either way, it worked to her advantage. As Rick closed the door and escorted her into the kitchen to get her something to eat. Anuck-se-namun smiled to herself. It was all too easy....

********************************

Evie sat with her head in her hands. Ever since Anuck-se-namun had made her intentions known to her, she had worried nonstop about what might happen to Rick and Jonathan and Alex. She tried to think of something..anything that would allow her to escape. But if she escaped, then what? She couldn't go to Anubis and beg him to let her use a dead body as Anuck-se-namun had done.

"Come on, Evie! Think! You have to get out of here!" she mumbled to herself.

Suddenly a high pitched squeal down the corridor made her look up. Someone was being dragged to judgement. Evie sighed. The people who came by her cell on their way to be judged was neverending.

"Please let me go! I'll give you anything!"

Evie blinked. That voice sounded familiar. As the demon walked by she widened her eyes as she saw who it was...

"Beni?" she said in disbelief

Beni looked over and his eyes widened as well. He frantically gestured to her...

"Take her! Take her! Not me!" He yelled up at the demon.

Evie rolled her eyes. Beni hadn't changed a bit...

"I told you naughty boys always get their comeuppance in the end, didn't I?" she grinned at him.

Beni wrapped his legs around the bars of her cells causing the demon to curse and tug at him with all his might. Beni held on despite the pain he was feeling in his legs...

"I wouldn't be talking. I see you're down here too!" He said in his gloating kid voice. He looked up at the demon who was losing his patience. "Would you mind not pulling me? I'm trying to talk here!" He said to him.

The demon growled in response and pulled even harder causing Beni to wince.

"Yes, but unlike you I was surrounded by the people I loved when I went. Not alone and buried alive in a 5,000 year old city." Evie shot back. She began to kick at Beni's legs...

"Hey!" Beni cried out "Quit that!"

"Why should I? You don't matter to me! You turned against us when you were alive, so why should I help you when you're dead?" With one swift kick, Evie managed to dislodge his legs.

The demon looked at Evie and she could swear he was flashing her a look of thanks. He began to drag Beni back down the corridor as Beni hollared and pleaded. Suddenly in a move that surprised Evie, Beni got a footing on the floor, kicking up he sank his teeth into the demon's arm biting as hard as he could. The demon yelped in surprise and pain releasing Beni who took off back down the corridor. The demon stood frozen for a moment and with a roar gave chase. As Evie heard Beni's scream echo off the corridor she sat back and began to think again...

*********************************

Ardeth shook his head as the flight attendant offered him something to drink. He had booked a flight to England. After the phone call to Rick and the promise he got from him that he would call if something came up, he still felt uneasy. There was something definately wrong and now some of the other MedJai were beginning to feel it too. After leaving his assistant in charge of the training, he hurried into Cairo and booked the first flight out. He knew it seemed like an odd thing to do and some of the recruits had given him odd looks when he explained what was happening. But the recruits had not been trained to be as intuitive as he was...yet. Only the most senior members of the MedJai had understood his urgency and they had let him leave with their blessings.

He leaned back in his seat as he silently urged the plane to go faster. He hoped he was wrong about everything, but if not...he hoped he would make it in time....

***********************************

Alex yawned as Anuck-se-namun kissed him on the forehead. He had just crawled into his bed for the night and he wanted his mum to tuck him in....

"I'm glad you're back, mum." Alex said sleepily

"Me too, Alex." Anuck-se-namun said trying to make it sound as genuine as possible.

With another yawn, Alex closed his eyes and sighed contentedly happy to have his mum back at last. Anuck-se-namun closed the door and walked down the hall. Passing by Jonathan's door, she saw that he was up reading in bed. She blew him a kiss goodnight and passed by towards....

Anuck-se-namun took a deep breath. She dreaded having to share a bed with O'Connell. The thought was enought to make her feel sick to her stomach. But, she couldn't very well sleep on the couch. Not without arousing their suspicions. Rick had bought one far fetched explanation but she doubted he would buy any reason for why she refused to share a bed with him. Especially considering how close they had been. She pushed down any feelings of revulsion and pushed open the door to the bedroom...

She was surprised to see that Rick was waiting for her. He was sitting up in bed, reading with no pajama top on. He was under the covers so Anuck-se-namun couldn't tell if he didn't have any bottoms on either. She hoped not. When he saw her, he grinned from ear to ear and patted the space beside him. Anuck-se-namun tried to smile as sweetly as she could as she walked to the armoire and grabbed her nightgown. She headed for their small bathroom to change when she heard Rick behind her...

"No, hon. Change right here for me."

Anuck-se-namun felt the bile rise in her throat. She considered denying his request but she wondered if maybe this was a nightly ritual with them. If she deviated from it, he might become suspicious. She slowly turned around with a huge grin plastured on her face and began to take off her clothes. She watched as with each article of clothing, he became more and more aroused. She longed to claw his eyes out for even looking upon her body but she could do nothing. Finally after the last stitch of clothing had left her body, Rick motioned her into bed beside him. Anuck-se-namun walked slowly to the bed wishing with all her heart she was somewhere else. She cursed Anubis for forcing her into this situation. As she lifted the covers, she saw with masked horror that not only did he not have any bottoms on, but also no underwear. She groaned inside as she realized his intentions.

As she slid into bed beside him, he immediately took her in his arms and began to shower her with kisses. Anuck-se-namun felt as if she was gonna be sick. She watched as he inched closer to her and she knew she couldn't go through with it...

"No!" She said a little too quickly...

Rick stared at her in disbelief and she knew it was the wrong thing to say.

"I...I mean...I don't feel well tonight. I'd rather try to get some sleep." She said more gently

She watched as Rick stared into her eyes and she began to get uneasy. It seemed as though he was trying to decide if it was really her or not. Slowly, he nodded...

"Okay, babe. I can wait. I'm just glad you're back." He said still staring at her.

Anuck-se-namun nodded.

"Thanks, hon" She said kissing him on the cheek.

Rick watched as she snuggled down into the covers and shut her eyes. He suddenly had the funny feeling that this Evie was not the Evie he knew. He decided to watch her more closely before he made his decision. Sighing, he slid further under the covers and turned off the light...

*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*

Part Four

When Anuck-se-namun arose in the morning, she noticed the bed was empty. Thanking the gods she didn't have to look at his naked body, she rose and went to the shower. After her shower, she went to the armoire and selected a blouse and a long brown skirt. Hoping that this is what she would usually dress in, she slipped it on and applied some makeup and fixed her hair. After checking to make sure she looked alright, she went downstairs. She looked around wondering where everyone was. Suddenly, she heard Alex's voice coming from the kitchen. She decided to follow the voice and when she entered the kitchen, she found all of them sitting around the kitchen table....along with Ardeth Bey.

She fought to control her breathing as she smiled at Ardeth. Ardeth smiled back, but she noticed his eyes were narrowed too. His narrowed eyes increased her nervousness and she wondered why he had come. She sat down next to Alex, who was munching away on his cereal and Johnathan, who was sipping tea and reading the morning paper.

"Ardeth, what a pleasant surprise." She said as lightly as she could. "What brings you to London?"

"I was worried."Ardeth said narrowing his eyes even more.

Anuck-se-namun swallowed silently.

"Worried? Whatever for? We're fine here." She said trying not to panic.

"I sensed a disturbance in the universe." Ardeth said casually. "After all that we have been through, I thought it wise to check up on all of you. Plus, you have to admit, your sudden resurrection is quite odd to say the least."

Anuck-se-namun shifted uneasily in her seat as Ardeth's black eyes bored into her.

"Well...I admit it's strange but as you know, stranger things have happened." she said

"Indeed."

Anuck-se-namun shifted in her seat and cleared her throat.

"So....Alex, have you been a good boy while I was away?" she said trying to change the subject.

Alex nodded as he chewed a mouthful of Corn Flakes. Anuck-se-namun noticed that he seemed to be wary of her too. She wondered what Ardeth had been telling them.

"I missed you alot." she tried again.

"I missed you too, mum."

Anuck-se-namun noticed that he didn't sound too emotional for a boy who had lost his mother. She began to worry that she had been found out, especially since Ardeth hadn't taken his eyes off of her since she had come in the room. Eager to leave his gaze, she got up....

"Well, I'm gonna take a walk in the garden. It's such a beautiful morning, I'd like to get some fresh air." she said quickly.

She left without waiting for an answer from anyone. As Rick watched her go, he turned to Ardeth....

"You see what I mean? Evie's not herself..."

Ardeth nodded.

"I agree. Something tells me that this is not your wife, O'Connell. I've been around Evie long enough to know her and this is definately not Evie. The question is...who is it?"

They all looked out the window at Evie who was slowly walking through the garden....

"How can we tell who it really is, though?" Rick said as he focused his attention back on Ardeth.

He watched as Ardeth produced a small vial from beneath his robes.

"This is a kind of truth serum." He said. "We can put this in her tea and get her to drink it. Then, she will fall into a trance. We'll be able to get the truth out of her then."

Rick nodded. He took the vial and stared at the clear liquid inside. As he studied it, he felt Ardeth tug at his sleeve. Looking up, he saw Evie coming back into the house. He quickly passed the vial back to Ardeth who hid it in his robes...

As Evie passed by the kitchen door, Rick called out to her...

"Aren't you going to have your morning cup of tea, hon?" He asked.

He watched as Evie paused by the door and looked in. Rick raised his eyebrows as she looked confused...

"Um...sure. How silly of me. I always have a cup of tea, don't I?" Evie said as she went towards the teapot.

Rick raised his hand.

"That's okay, hon. I'll get it." he said.

As he got up, Ardeth slipped him the vial. He walked to the teapot and grabbed a cup. As he poured her a cup of tea, he dumped some of the clear liquid into the cup along with some sugar and stirred with a spoon. He finished stirring and slipping the vial into his pocket, he brought the tea to Evie who had sat back down in the chair she had used before. He sat back down and smiled at Evie as she sipped her tea...

Suddenly Evie's eyes rolled back in her head and she dropped the cup which shattered into bits on the floor. Rick looked at Ardeth who got up and moved around to Evie who was now staring blankly up at the ceiling.

"Who are you?"Ardeth asked her.

Evie continued to stare up at the ceiling as she spoke slowly...

"I am Anuck-se-namun." she said

Everyone looked at each other and back at Anuck-se-namun.

"Where is Evelyn O'Connell?" Ardeth said

"She's imprisoned in the underworld. I made a deal with Anubis to come back to earth in Evie's body in order to deliver Rick O'Connell for judgement and get my revenge."

Rick's eyes widened. He got a sickly feeling in the pit of his stomach. He pictured Evie writhing in torment and tears came to his eyes.

"How long do you have to do this?" Ardeth asked

"I have one more day, otherwise I will have to return to face eternal damnation."

Rick looked at Anuck-se-namun.

"And after you go back, will Evie return to her body?" He asked hopefully

"No, this body will become a corpse and Evie will simply go on to her judgement."

Rick shut his eyes as his heart broke.

"Then there's no hope of rescuing Evie." He said quietly.

"On the contrary my friend, there is a way but it's dangerous." Ardeth said grimly

Rick opened his eyes and looked at him.

"What is it? I'll do anything to save Evie." he said.

"There is a potion I can make that is known only to MedJai. It would stop your heart for 24 hours. In effect, it would put your body in a kind of suspended animation while your soul journeyed to the underworld. After 24 hours, your body would be revived. In that time, you must try to convince Anubis to set her free and allow her to return while Anuck-se-namun would be sent back. It's very dangerous because you would have to bargin with a god but if Anubis let Anuck-se-namun return, perhaps he will let Evie return as well.

"Yeah, I just have to hope he doesn't remember I was the one who prevented his army from coming back." Rick snorted.

"As I said, It'll be very dangerous, my friend." Ardeth said. "But if you feel up to it, I'll make the potion."

Rick stared at Evie's body...

"I want to do it." He said.

************************************

Two hours later. Rick was lying on the couch in the living room. Ardeth had prepared the potion and was standing above him as was Alex and Johnathan. Anuck-se-namun was tied up in a chair on the other side of the room. She had been given chloroform to keep her from making trouble.

Rick hugged Alex tightly.

"Please bring mum back." He said

Rick nodded and smiled at him.

"I will, don't worry!" he said. He looked up at Johnathan. "Take care of him while I'm away."

Johnathan nodded.

"Good luck, Rick" He said as he put his hands on Alex's shoulders.

Rick leaned his head up and sipped the bitter liquid Ardeth gave him. As he laid his head back on the small pillow, he began to feel funny. He began to feel his heart stopping. Suddenly he felt himself slipping away through the floor and into darkness...

*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*

Part Five

Rick felt himself land with a small thump on the hard rocky floor of what looked like a cave. He got up and looked cautiously around at his surroundings. The only source of light seemed to be coming from torches mounted on the walls. Eerie shadows played along the walls as Rick began to move forward...

As he walked down the cooridor, he began to see prison cells carved into the rock. As he passed by, he saw the frightened faces of prisoners staring back at him...everyonce in awhile one would come and beg to be let free. Rick tried but he wasn't able to get the doors open and reluctantly he had to give up. As he moved up the hallway, he began to hear tormented screams and the sound of whip cracks. The sounds filled him with dread and he prayed Evie wasn't among the screamers.

Suddenly Rick heard a scuffling noise. It seemed to be coming from up ahead where the cave split off into another cooridor. Rick flattened himself against the wall, not really sure about how he was going to defend himself since he didn't have any weapon. He hoped whatever was making the noise could be subdued with his fists...

Suddenly his eyes widened as he recognized the person who flew around the corner. It was Beni. As Beni ran past him panicked, he reached out his hand and grabbed him by the arm. The touch of his hand caused Beni to let out an effiminate scream which amused Rick...

"No! No! Let me go!!" Beni squealed.

"Beni, you son of a bitch, how are you?" Rick said barely able to keep from laughing.

At the sound of his voice, Beni calmed down. He turned and looked at Rick with a smug grin....

"Soooo, they finally got you too, O'Connell?" He taunted.

"No, unlike you, I get to go back!" Rick said.

"Not if I can help it, O'Connell." Beni said confindently

He yelped as Rick tightened his grip on his arm.

"And just how are you gonna stop me?"Rick hissed

Beni laughed at him...

"All I have to do is alert the guards you're here and then I run for it while you are captured."

"You are gonna run, huh? You think you're strong enough to break my grip?" Rick said glancing down at his hold on Beni's arm.

Beni snorted. He smirked as he tried to pull his arm away. Rick watched amused, as his smirk fell away and he finally gave up...

"Oh yeah, you're really strong Beni." Rick said sarcastically.

"Alright, alright...I'm not that strong!" Beni admitted. "But I know something you don't know..." He said in a singsong voice.

"Beni, the day you know anything, let alone something I don't know, I'll drop dead of a heart attack."Rick said annoyed.

"Really?" Beni said gleefully. "Well, O'Connell you better arrange your funeral then. Because I know where Evie's being hel..."

He choked on the last word as Rick suddenly took his hand off his arm and tightened it around his neck instead.

"Take me to her, you little weasel and no funny business or you will spend eternity down here without a head!" Rick spat out angrilly

**********************************************

Evie sighed as she sat and rocked back and forth. The demons were still taking people to be judged and judging from the horrified screams, they would be at her cell in no time. She was beginning to hope it would all be over with soon, because she was tired of hearing the torture and the screams of the damned.

Suddenly her head jerked up as a huge ugly demon came into view. With a sneer, he began to unlock the prison door...

"Your time has come. You must be taken for judgement." He said in a deep, rumbling, voice.

Evie nodded. She wasn't really afraid anymore. Besides it wouldn't do any good to be scared. There was no one to save her from her fate...

As the door swung open, Evie stood up preparing herself for what lay ahead...

Suddenly she heard a familiar voice...

"Yoo-hoo! Mister Demon person!..."

The demon swung around and both of them watched Beni as he came into view...

"Don't you want me to be judged first?" Beni mocked him

The demon hollared with rage and stomped out of the cell towards Beni who was now terrified. As the demon got closer, Evie suddenly saw a leg thrust out and kick the demon square in the stomach. The demon, propelled by the force of the kick, flew back into the bars of the cell on the other side and fell forward to the ground, knocked out.

Evie stared in wonder. She wondered who had done this. Suddenly she gasped as she heard a familiar voice...

"See Beni, That's all you've ever been good for...bait for the monsters!"

"RICK!" Evie screamed as she ran out of the cell. She yelled with joy as she saw Rick and ran into his arms crying and kissing him. Suddenly, it hit her just where he was...

"Oh my God, You've been killed? She killed you?" she blubbered up

Rick laughed and held her close...

"No hon, we found her out. She tied up now. Ardeth gave me a potion to stop my heart for twenty four hours so I can come down here and get you."

"Ardeth? He's at the house?" Evie asked confused.

Rick nodded...

'Yup, he felt a disturbance in the universe. So he came to warn us. It was him who figured out it wasn't you." Rick said with a grin.

"Oh I'm so glad he did!" Evie said tearfully.

"Well, isn't this touching. I gotta be going now."Beni said as he began to walk away.

He gasped as Rick grabbed him by the back of the collar. Keeping a firm grip as Beni struggled, he nodded to Evie and together the pulled both Beni and the demon into the cell and grabbed his sword that was hanging on the side of his body. Ushering Evie out, Rick threw Beni into the wall and quickly ran out. As Beni caught up, he slammed the door and grinned at him...

"Give my regards to your cellmate, when he wakes up!" Rick said as he saluted him goodbye.

Quickly he and Evie ran back down the cooridor as Beni screamed out behind them....

"DAMN YOU, O'CONNNNNNNELLLLLLLLL!"

*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*-----------------------------*

Part Six

Rick and Evie ran down the narrow cooridors, hand in hand...

"Do you know how we're supposed to get out of her, Rick?"Evie asked as she gasped for air.

"Um...no, not really. Ardeth forgot to tell me that part." Rick said sheepishly.

"Oh...wonderful. So, we're not even sure if we're gonna be able to go back or not?" Evie asked

"Well, Ardeth said that the injection only lasts twenty four hours and after that i'm supposed to wake up again, presumably you would return to your body as well....But if it doesn't work, at least we're together."

"And do you know how much time is left until the twenty four hours are up?"

Rick shrugged his shoulders

"Not sure, hon. I hope it's not too much longer though."

"So do I!" Evie said as a sudden scream pierced the air. " I can't wait to get back home where it's nice and quiet....for the most part." She added as she suddenly thought of Johathan.

Rick snorted and smiled, knowing who she was refering to...

"Don't worry, Evie, everything will be alright as long as we don't run into....whaaaaaaa!!

Rick turned a corner and came face to face with a demon. The demon was hauling a frightened prisoner towards his judgement. Rick and the demon stared at each other in shock. Just then, Evie ran around the corner and straight into Rick almost knocking him off balance...

"Rick? Why on earth did you stop?...Oh my!" Evie looked from Rick to the demon who had gotten over his initial shock and was now growling at them...

"Um...Hi....big fella!" Rick said as he and Evie started to back up. "Um...We made a wrong turn so If you'll excuse us, we'll just go back the way we came!"

The demon narrowed it's eyes and held up it's huge sword. Rick gulped and tightened his grip on his sword as he and Evie continued to back away.

"Um....Shouldn't you get moving? It looks like you have your hands full. I don't think your bosses would like it if you were late with him!" He said gesturing to the squirming man in the demon's grip.

The demon looked around at the man and backhanded him across the face, knocking him out. He looked back at Rick and started towards him...

Rick laughed nervously. Suddenly he looked back at Evie...

"Run!" He screamed.

They took off running back down the cooridor. Behind them, the demon let out a roar and gave chase, holding his sword high above his head. Rick and Evie looked back fearfully as they saw he was catching up to them. Rick looked up and saw one of the torches on the wall. Reaching up, he grabbed it out of it's holder as he ran. He slowed a bit so Evie could pass him. Once she was in front, he turned and lobbed the torch at the demon. It hit him square in the face causing the demon to drop it's sword and fall to it's knees, howling in agony...

Rick grinned and gave himself a mental pat on the back for his great aim...

As the demon was rubbing it's eyes, Rick grabbed Evie's arm and ushered her around a corner. They pressed up against the wall of the cooridor gasping for air.

Suddenly Evie gasped. Rick looked over at her and looked across the room where she was pointing and his eyes went wide...

Staring at them from a cage was Imhotep...

Rick laughed to himself...

"First Beni, now him....I wonder if the Scorpion King is around here too?" he said

He watched as Imhotep glared at him from his cell..

"Well, I see he still hates me." Rick said dryly.

Just then they heard the demon roar and stomp down the cooridor. Rick paused for a moment in thought and then a smile spread across his face...

"I think I have an idea for a distraction." he said.

Gesturing for Evie to start running down the cooridor, Rick took his sword and cut the lock on Imhotep's cage. With a cry of revenge, Imhotep lept from the cage. Rick dodged him and took off after Evie just as the demon rounded the corner and ran straight into a surprised Imhotep. As the demon tripped over Imhotep, Rick could hear him cursing at him in Egyptian and smiled to himself. They rounded another corner and looked back in shock as they saw ten more demons walking down the corridor. The demons yelled at them and with their swords drawn gave chase...

"SHIT!" Rick screamed.

He felt like his sides were about ready to burst. Evie was panting and puffing beside him. He didn't know how long he could keep going. He wondered if he should turn and make a stand, but decided against it as the demons had to be at least seven feet tall each. Summoning up all his strength, he pushed himself to move faster as the demons began to close the distance between him and Evie....

They turned a corner and almost ran head first into a dead end. Rick cursed as Evie bent over gasping for air. He turned and stepped in front of her with his sword raised determined to fight to the death. The ten demons rounded the corner and seeing that they were trapped began to advance slowly down the short cooridor laughing at them in deep sinister voices...

Just as the reached Rick, he suddenly felt a funny feeling wash over him. He looked down at his hand and saw it was becoming transparent. He looked back at Evie and saw she was beginning to fade too. The demons stopped and regarded them with confusion as they began to fade from view. After a moment, Rick and Evie had faded completely leaving the demons to wonder how they escaped...

Suddenly the demons saw someone else reappear in their place. Anuck-se-namun began to solidify in front of their eyes. After a moment, the process ended and Anuck-se-namun was left standing there staring at the demons with frightened eyes. As she screamed they pounced on her and began to tear her to ribbons...

**********************************

Rick's eyes snapped open. He was back on the couch with Alex and Johnathan standing over him, goofy smiles on their faces....

"Oh thank God!" Rick said with relief.

Alex ran and hugged him tightly. Rick hugged him back happy to be reunited with him. Alex leaned back up and he and Johnathan moved to the side of the couch. Rick looked over and saw that Ardeth was standing across the room by the chair and sitting there and smiling at him was Evie...his Evie.

************************************

"Damn that O'Connell!" Beni cursed as he sat in the cell. "Just wait till I get out. I'll get him for sure!"

Just then, Beni heard a rustling sound behind him and his eyes widened as the demon finally came awake. The demon looked at him for a moment and then leaping to his feet began to move towards him...

"DAMN, YOU O'CONNNNNNEELLLLLLL!!!"

THE END