| Four Weeks Later Rick took a last look around Cairo. Two weeks ago, he couldn't bring himself to leave. It took these extra days to convince himself to go. He would miss this place. The adventuer, the mystery, but most of all, Evelyn. God, he didn't want to leave. He didn't think he had another choice. Rick knew he was going crazy without her. It had been a month since he had seen her. Had it only been a month? It felt like an eternity. He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts of the British beauty out of his mind. He took a deep breath and walked forward, ready to board the boat that was to take him to America... home. Funny how he wasen't happy about going home. He stoped when someone put their hand on his shoulder. Rick spun to see Jonathan. "Thank... god...... I caught... you." Jonathan gasped, completely out of breath from running for about an hour trying to get to O'connell before he left. "Jonathan. Something wrong?" "Evie... Evelyn..." he still was breathing to heavily to get it out. "What about Evelyn? Is she okay?" Rick felt panic over take him. "O'connell... Rick. You can't leave." Jonathan looked up at him,"No... she's not okay. Yes, she acts like it, Rick. But she isnt. I know she isnt. Without you, Evie's falling appart. I know you are too! We all know how much you mean to each other." Rick was shocked Jonathan had this in him. He usally hated that "yucky, mushy, love stuff". Rick looked away,"If this is all this is about, then good bye, Jonathan." He turned to walk up the ramp. "Bloody hell, O'connell! You can't honestly leave her!" "What if I can?" Rick yelled over his shoulder. "What about love, O'connell?" "Love just leads to heartache, partner, you were right, who needs is?" "Evelyn dose! And you do too!" Jonathan saw Rick was just going to keep going,"And I thought you were a man! You're really just a coward." Jonathan turned on his heal and started to push his way back through the crowds of people. Rick burned under what he had just heard. How could Jonathan tell him he was a coward? How could Jonathan possibly know what he was going through? What he was suffering? Rick knew that he was right, though, wether he would ever admit it or not... he knew he was a coward. He made his way up the plank, onto the boat. He headed for the front and ploped his bag down at his feet. Home... suddenly home didn't mean happiness. Home meant lonelyness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jonathan felt like exploding. Rick was accualy leaving Evelyn. He really had thought more of the American. If he had known this was going to happen, he would never had let Evelyn fall in love with O'connell. He knew there woulden't have been a way to stop her, though. Suddenly there were shrill screams coming from every direction. People started to run. Some coming off of the boat O'connell was on. Jonathan turned his attention to what it was people were making such a commotion about. The water... blood... His mind automatically told him his worst fear... Imhotep was back. It was Jonathans turn to scream when a big, strong hand clamped down on his arm. "Woah, it's just me!" Rick told him. "You gave me a bloody heart attack!" Rick barely even heard him,"We have to get to Evelyn. NOW!" "Right." Jonathan felt himself tugged around panicing groups of people by Rick, who still had the firm grasp on his arm. At the speed they were running at, it took a surprisingly short time to make it to the house. Rick busted through the front door, Jonathan close behind. "Evie!" Jonathan yelled. "Let her be here! Let her be here!" he said under his breath. "Jonathan? What are you doing home?" Came her voice from the other room, before she appered. Rick felt his heart stop at the sight of her. Just as beautiful as ever. Not that he had ever expected anything different. It was obvious, though, that something had been weighing heavily on her heart. Evelyn froze as she saw Rick. Suddenly she was short of breath, and just seeing him made her want to cry agian. She had had enough crying over the past month, and she certianly wasen't going to infront of O'connell. She quickly went back into the room she came from. Jonathan gave Rick an apologetic smile,"I'll go talk to her." he hurried after his sister. "Evie..." "What is HE doing here?" Evelyn started to pace,"Right when I was starting to think I just might be okay... I just might live... he showed up." "He's here for a reason, old mum." "Would you just tell me why already?!" "Well, ummm, please try not to freak out to much..." Jonathan paused,"Imhotep, Imhotep's back." Evelyn fell back into a chair,"Did, did, did I hear you right?" "Afraid so..." "So... so..." Evelyn coulden't hold back all the tears and a few had escaped,"We have to go back to Hamanaptra?" Jonathan nodded and went over to her, grabing her hand,"Yeah, I guess we have to." Evelyn put her face his her hands, taking a deep breath to calm down so she could face Rick. "Alright." she took another deep breath,"God how could this be happening agian?!" "Come on Evie, let's just get packed." She stood up and nervously started up to her room. When she passed through the living room she noticed Rick sitting there. Bolth of them tryed not to look at each other, or atleast let the other know they were looking at each other. Evelyn ran up the stairs and into her room, she through a few things into a bag. Something at the bottom of a drawer caught her eye. She moved a blouse out of the way and instantly reconized it. The ring box Rick had shoved into her hand before he left. She realized that over the month, she had been so upset, she haden't even looked at at ring. Evelyn fliped the top up. The heart shaped saphire, and little diamonds on either side of it, placed in a solid silver setting glistened in the sunlight that came through the window. "You ready?" Evelyn jumped as Rick asked her the question. She quickly shut the box and slid it into her bag, hoping he haden't seen it,"Uh." she grabed the bag and went back downstairs. "Thanks for clearing that up for me." he muttered, following her down to Jonathan. "Let's go." Evelyn said softly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It really didn't surprise Rick that over the past few days, Evelyn hadn't said more than four words to him. None of them put kindly. He woulden't lie to himself, he haden't expected anything different, and he didn't blame her either. Jonathan had to admit that the icy silence that was always between the two was very different, and very annoying. He tryed making the mood more friendly by cracking jokes, but he would just get glared at. Joanthan knew he had to do something to get those two back together. "I'm guessing it's another day til we get there." Rick broke the silence,"I'm surprised" and a little worried, not that he would say it,"that we havn't seen any sign of him since the Nile turned to blood..." "We know he's out there." Evelyn said. "Well that's nine." Rick told himself. "Huh?" Evelyn glanced over at him. "Nothing." Rick grinned. She seemed to be warming up a bit... "He told you that was nine." Jonathan butted in,"Nine words you've said to him in the last few days." Rick shot Jonathan an evil look. "You've been counting?" Evelyn smirked. Rick ingored her,"I think we should get some sleep. A few hours of rest might be a good idea." he informed. "Sounds dandy." Jonathan smiled. "Dandy?" Rick chuckled, then stoped his camel, climbing down and grabing his bag. He gave the order for his camel to lay down as the others did the same. They pitched tents then ate dinner and sat around the fire for a little while. "I'm heading for bed." Jonathan excused himself as he stood up and ducked into his tent. Evelyn and Rick watched him go then bolth looked into the fire, feeling very strange in this position. "I could use some sleep to." Evelyn got to her feet,"Good night, Mr.O'connell." "Evie, just stop with the bullshit." Rick moaned. Evelyn was surprised he would talk to her like that,"What?" "Damn it, Evelyn! Just stop calling me Mr. O'connell. Stop pretending that what happened between us didn't happen. All three of us know exactly what's going on, you aren't leaving anyone in the dark!" "Well, god, Rick! I'm sorry, but what do you want me to do about it, huh?! Break down and cry agian? Personally I've had enough crying for a lifetime just durring this past month and I'm sick of using tears on something that crying isnt going to help. You can't leave me without even talking about what was happening and then expect me to waste my whole life being sorry for myself and wishing you would come back!!!" "That's not what I want and that's not what I'm asking." Rick got to his feet,"I just wanted you to get your priorities straight before you wandered into something that you weren't ready for. You know damn well that you could have called me or came to me and told me that you were willing to work things out and that I would have without even taking time to think about it." "Yes, and then I would be the weak one, right Rick?" Evelyn felt the all to familiar sting of tears trying to over take her again,"That way you could leave me anytime you felt like it and know that I would come crawling to you asking to be let back into you life! Well I don't think so! If anyone is going to do the crawling it's you! You're the one who left me. You're the one who said you'd always love me." "I never said I stoped." "Don't do this, Rick. Don't tell me you love me. I frankly do not want to hear it. Wether it's true or not, my heart is shatered into enough peices right now as it is. So unless you're planning on asking me to take you back, do not say it! Bolth of us know that neither of us are going to ask to work this out and neither of us are going to come crawling back to the other." Rick stared at her, wishing he could make himself ask her for another chance. His mind and heart screamed for him to do it, but, being Rick O'connell, his pride took over and controlled his bodies movements, and any words that were to come out of his mouth. "I suppose so." he hung his head sadly. They bolth felt any hope that they happened to have slip away. Still unshead tears burned in their eyes. Evelyn nodded,"Good night, Rick." she slid into her tent. Rick slowly went into his own. This wasn't the way things are supposed to be. The kight in shinning armor and the damsel in distress are supposed to get married, and have thirty children, and be HAPPY after they ride into the sunset together. Rick coulden't help but ask himself... what ever did happen to happily ever after? |