: : Summary : : Alex O'Connell is all grown up now, going on his own digs and such. He's even started a family. His wife, Emily Neilson O'Connell, and their son Joshua Alexander O'Connell love Egypt as much as Rick and Evie do. After a dig in which Evelyn and Rick stumble upon a famous ring that is saught after by a certain buyer. Adventure hits the two families head on as they get thrown into another precarious perdicament.
"Em, my parents just got back from a dig in Thebes, and they're inviting us
over to the museum to look at the artifacts before they go to auction." Alex
called out to his wife as he walked into the room, seeing her lying on her
back looking up at the ceiling, the 18 month old baby over her head as she
made noises and the baby boy giggled.
" Well, when do we have to be there?" she called, not realizing that he was
standing at the doorway. "Oh." she jumped, seeing him at the doorway and set
Joshua Alexander O'Connell on his feet as he ran to his father.
" There's my boy." he called as he scooped him up and into the air. "Well,
the pieces go on sale at six, and I suppose we'll need at least an hour to
see them, so why don't we leave now? Its about four thirty, and I'll call
them and say we'll meet then there at five."
" It sounds to me that you've had this planned for a while." she sauntered
over to her husband, wrapping her arms around his neck as he set Josh down.
He wrapped his arms around her slim waist, pulling her closer to his muscled
body as he lowered his mouth to hers. His tongue swept across her lips,
teasing them as she opened her mouth to obligee him. He gently swept her
mouth, touching her tongue with his own, sighing into her mouth. They
finally came up for air, breathing hard and the desire flowed through both of
their veins, threatening to consume them.
A small cry brought them back to the present as Emily looked into the hall,
spotting Josh as he sat on the floor crying.
" Hed!" he laid his small chubby hand on his forehead, rubbing it lightly.
Emily kissed his head and handed him to Alex.
"I'll get ready, and meet you two downstairs in fifteen minutes. Get Josh
ready would you?" she couldn't look at him without wanted to make love to
him. She closed the door behind her, and leaned her back against it sighing
into the air, her eyes closing. Her body felt weak, and her knees were ready
to give out. Finally, she got dressed, and packed a few extra diapers for
Joshua, sweeping from the room with a spray of perfume. She met Alex and
Josh downstairs and smiled. Son was asleep on father's lap, as Alex rocked
him back and forth on the old squeaky rocking chair.
" Are you ready to go?" she asked quietly, seeing him in a tux, and Josh
dressed much the same, with a small white shirt, silk button up trousers, and
a small dark green silk vest. She lifted him off of his fathers lap, and
held him against her chest, his head propped on her shoulder.
" You look beautiful." he complimented, standing next to her, his tie
horribly crooked.
" Married for three years, and you've lived with your parents forever, and
you still haven't learned to properly put on a tie." she scolded, and he
tried to fix it in the small mirror hanging in the hallway to the O'Connell
Neilson Manor, bought as a wedding present for the new couple by the
O'Connell's and the Neilson's.
" It's impossible, but we're going to be late, so I'll have mum fix it when
we get there." he walked up behind her, pulling their jackets off of the
rack. "Let's go."
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Alex, look at you." Evelyn O'Connell scolded as the family walked into her
office at the British Museum. She stood firmly, and walked over to him,
fixing his tie.
" I told you." he grinned to Emily as she walked in carrying the awake, but
sleepy Joshua.
" Gammy." he mumbled lightly, his thumb in his mouth as he reached out for
Evelyn. She smiled and took her grandson in her arms, giving him kiss.
" Hey, there's my beautiful daughter-in-law." Rick bowed, taking her hand
and kissed it. He wrapped her into his arms, hugging her tight.
" Hello Rick." she smiled and kissed Evelyn's cheek. "At least you hug me,
Evie's using me for Josh." Evelyn stuck her tongue out, and nodded for them
to follow her.
"We found the most wonderful things at Thebes Alex, it was Anna's first dig."
she smiled and led the family into a large room with golden artifacts,
Statues, symbols, and everything that any self-respecting Egyptologist would
all in love with, and that's exactly what Alex and Emily did. Fall in love.
They looked through everything, but one thing stood out to Alex. While
Evelyn and Emily talked, Alex took Rick to the side.
"Dad, I want that ring." he pointed to a beautiful, yet small gold ring,
perfect for a young woman's finger. A symbol of the cat goddess Bastet
imprinted on it, and jewels on either side of the cat's body. "For Emily.
It's perfect for our three year anniversary."
Rick nodded, picking it up. "We should hurry though, it's what we were sent
out there to get. Anna found it. But...you being my son and all, I'll make
up a story." he grinned his American charm, and handed Alex the ring. "Meet
me at the jeweler tomorrow at ten, and we'll get something inscribed on it.
She'll love it."
Alex loved having a romantic father that was also an adventurer. "Thanks
dad, you won't get into trouble for giving me this will you? I mean, if it
was what you were supposed to find and everything, I don't want to get you
into trouble."
" Nah, it's nothing." he smiled as Alex pocketed the ring, winking at his
father.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What do you mean you did not find the ring?" Greg Williamson snarled at
Rick in a separate room from the action going on in the room opposite.
"I'm telling you, we didn't find it. There was no ring to be found." he
lied, knowing full well the whereabouts of the ring.
" I need that ring! It...completes my collection, and I have nothing
without It." he growled. "Do not hide anything from me O'Connell, you'll
regret it!" he stormed from the room, as Rick lifted an eyebrow.
" Egyptian's." he grumbled and followed. Soon the party ended, and the
guests went home. The family collapsed in Evelyn's office, as Rick popped
the cork from a bottle of Champaign.
" Well, we made out like bandits!" he cheered, and poured them all glasses.
"We made a total of..." he paused looking over at Evie as she figured out the
sum on paper.
She flopped back against her chair, the breath leaving her. "Four....
million pounds. We made four million pounds." she smiled up at them, making
them all cheer.
" Well, it's about time for us to get home. I'm fairly sure that I've had
enough excitement for tonight." Emily stood, pulling Alex up after her. "We
should get home to Susan, we've never asked her to stay this late." they said
their thanks to Evelyn and Rick, and Alex winked at his father, thinking of
the plan.
"Well, I still think that it was wrong to ask your parents to baby-sit, just
so we could have time alone. We could have just put him to bed early."
Emily grumbled, and looked up at Alex.
" Look, if you really want him back, I'll go get him. I just wanted time
alone with you."
" Alex, We're parents! We don't get time alone. I just don't see why we
had to send him out when he's sick." she stood and walked over to the large
window, and sighed, crossing her arms over her stomach.
He stood quickly, knocking back his chair. "Emily, I'm trying as hard as I
can, but I'm going to die if I can't get you alone every once and a while!"
he shouted, making her turn and glare at him.
" Don't raise your voice, it was your idea to give him to your parents when
he has the flu. You don't just force him off when he gets sick, Rick and
Evelyn don't need to get ill."
" Don't tell me how to be a father!" he shouted and stalked up to her, yet
she stood her ground. She knew Alex would never actually hurt her, and
what's more, Alex knew that she knew. "I don't ever force my son off on
anyone, and I won't sit around here and listen to you tell me that I'm a bad
father!"
" You're not a bad father Alex; you don't know what you're doing! Either do
I! It's not like I've ever done this before! I'd rather be here taking care
of my baby, so go and get him!" she pointed to the door, and Alex's blue eyes
smoldered. He grabbed her hand, and yanked it palm up and dove his free hand
into his pocket. He thrust the ring into her hand and stalked over to the
door. "Happy anniversary." he growled, slamming it as he left.
Emily looked down at her fingers, and saw the beautiful gold ring, and looked
on the side carefully. Engraved were the words 'Love you forever and
always'. Tears leaked from her eyes as she realized that it was indeed their
anniversary. She'd forgotten, and he had remembered. She ran to the door,
and down the steps, seeing the car pull out of the drive, and down the
street. She closed the heavy wooden door quietly, and flopped down on the
couch crying.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Evelyn answered the pounding at the door, and found a furious Alex. He
stormed into the house, grabbing Josh's coat and diaper bag as he swept
through the house, stopping when he ran into Rick's chest.
" Woah son, what happened?" he asked and grabbed him as he tried to push
past him.
" Look, Emily and I got into a fight, and I'm here to pick up Josh." he
ground out and finally stopped struggling. "You know, you're not that much
bigger than I am, and you still manage to put me in my place." he grinned up
at his father, making Rick smile.
"Come on, tell us what happened, and Josh is asleep upstairs in the nursery."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emily awoke to a crash, and looked around the room. She was still on the
couch, the ring still in her hand. She slid it on her finger, next to her
wedding ring. She gathered her things, and started toward the door when a
voice stopped her.
" We're going to need to look for something my dear, don't mind us." She
spun around, and saw a tall man, not taller than Rick or Alex, but quite tall
standing right behind her.
" Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" she growled, stepping away
from him as he stepped toward her.
" I'm here for the ring. Where is it?" She hid her hand behind her.
Three other men stepped up and began tearing things up in the large living
room. "Stop it!" she ordered them, yet they persisted in making the room a
mess.
" Search everywhere, we're not leaving without it. Come with me my dear."
he grabbed her upper arm, and waited for the men to find it.
"I don't have it! I don't have a ring." she desperately pulled from him, and
was thrust in front of a large safe.
" Open It." he growled, and she did as she was asked, filing out the
combination, and popping it open. Thousands of pounds sat in the safe,
making the robbers smile. "We'll just borrow this until we get the ring."
" I told you, I don't have it!" she screamed, kicking him in the shin. He
growled and backhanded her, making her land heavily on the floor unconscious,
blood trickling from a small cut under her eye.
" It's not here." a man announced, coming back down the stairs after
throwing things about upstairs in their room, and Josh's room.
One man lifted her up, and grinned. "Oh well. I'll bet the O'Connell's
still have it. They'll have to deliver it in order to get her back." They
left a note for O'Connell on the table next to the door, and exited the house
through the front door leaving it open.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex had calmed down a bit, and had discussed things with his parents. He
carefully lifted Josh and placed him into the car seat, feeling his hot
forehead. "Well, thanks for everything." he hugged them both, and smiled,
climbing into the car and driving away. "Well Josh, here goes nothing." he
grinned as pulled up to his home. He picked him up from the car, and carried
his sleeping son up to the door. It was slightly ajar, and Alex began to get
worried.
He lightly pushed on the door, and nearly dropped his son at the atrocious
sight of his living room. He laid Josh down on the couch, and ran upstairs.
" Emily? Em?" he called out, seeing his bedroom turned upside down, and
seeing Josh's the same.
He charged back downstairs, the note catching his eye.
' O'Connell, deliver the ring to 1134 W. Manchester Ave. and the lady will
not be harmed. You have until 10:00 am tomorrow morning, to get the ring to
us. If not, the blond will die.' Alex's heart sank. They had his wife, and
the last thing he'd done to her was slam the door in her face. He grabbed
the overturned phone, calling his parents.
"Hello?" a groggy voice cam on the other end.
" Dad! Dad, its Alex! They have her, the kidnapped her." as he talked
about it to his father, he let the tears go. They left hot streaks down his
cheeks as he looked down at Josh, contentedly asleep and unknowing that his
mother wouldn't be with him when he awoke.
" Alex? They have who? Who is they?" he was fully awake now, and yanking
on his pants and shaking his wife awake.
" You ass! That ring you were sent to find, and you gave it to me! They
want the ring, and they took her for it. You said nothing would happen if I
took it, and now they've got my wife!" he shouted, waking his son. Josh
began to cry, and Alex lifted him into his arms, rocking him back and forth.
"I'll be their soon." he ground out, and slammed the phone on the receiver,
making Rick jump.
" Emily's been kidnapped, and it's all my fault." he announced to a half
awake Evelyn.
"What? What happened?"
" Remember that ring that I said we didn't have because it got lost
somewhere? Well, it's not lost. Alex said he wanted it, and so I gave it to
him. Apparently, it's really needed, and someone took Emily to get Alex to
deliver the ring. We're in trouble Evie." he pulled her clothes out as
Kirianna walked into the room.
" Daddy? Where are we going?" she asked lightly, climbing onto the bed and
snuggling up against her mother.
" Nowhere Angel Baby, you're going to stay here with uncle Jon, and mommy
and daddy around going to try and find Auntie Emily." he announced, grabbing
his gunbag, and handing Evie some clothes.
" Rick, I'll stay here. They're going to need someone to take care of Josh
too, and I know that Jonathan can't." Evelyn broke the silence. "While
you're gone, I'll get a hold of Greg Williamson, and I'll get some answers."
he promised and helped Anna under the covers, telling her to go back to sleep.
" Mom?" Alex called as he walked into the house, Josh still crying as the
baby held his head on Alex's shoulder. "Here, take him." he handed his son
over, and the baby instantly calmed. Alex turned to glare at his father,
pointing a finger at him.
" You got me into this, and you're going to get me out." he snarled, and
they prepared for the trip to eastern London, to 1134 W. Manchester Ave.