Author: Shelby     

 

Rated: NC-17

 

Summary: A dig in Egypt with our favorite foursome, with some fun for everyone

 

Disclaimer:  The Mummy Movies do not belong to me.  Stephen Sommers owns them I just borrow them and expand on the story.

 

 

 

 

Another Egyptian Adventure

 

 

Prologue:

 

It was just another ordinary day at the British Museum.  Evelyn was busy showing a group of distinguished guests one of the new exhibits, guests who were prone to giving donations, and the museum was always in need of that, to afford more exhibits and also expansions.  After she had finished with the tour, she found a message written on her desk, and made a call to Franklin Brower, one of the senior members of the Bembridge Scholars.  When he asked if she, and Rick would mind going to Egypt to head a dig at Thebes, as part of a restoration and discovery, she jumped at the chance.  That evening when she arrived home, and told Rick he was less than pleased.

 

 

Chapter 1: Typical Evelyn

 

It was late when Evelyn had arrived home, and Alex was already in bed.  All day she had been floating on cloud nine, excited about going back to Egypt after such a long time away.  When she had told Rick about the restoration of Thebes,  she thought that he would share in her excitement, and thats where Evelyn was wrong.

 

“You told them yes?  Evie everytime Egypt pops up in a conversation, and someone asks you to go on a dig, you seem to forget that you have me, and Alex to take into consideration.”  Rick said tossing Alex’s blocks in the toy chest.  Less than happy to have him spoil her special moment, Evelyn snapped back.

 

“Since when have I not thought of Alex.  We haven’t even been on a dig since before he was born, and I for your information Mr. O’Connell, have thought of this family plenty.  Why is it that you become so, so defensive when Egypt pops into a conversation.  You seem to have forgotten that Egypt is what brought you and I together,”  she said, shaking out a blanket full of cookie crumbs right on the parlor floor.  Rick kept tossing blocks into the toy chest, trying to control his temper.

 

“I thought we agreed that it was better for us not to go back there until things with Hamunaptra died down,”  Rick said, turning to face her.  Evelyn got a broom and began sweeping the crumbs off of the carpet, and onto the hard floor to clean.

 

“Rick, this is not Hamunaptra.  This is Thebes.  We went there when I was pregnant with Alex. We found the treasure of Ramses, that was not dangerous,”  she reminded, becoming more defensive.  Their argument was leading down to one moment, that neither of them had spoken of, since the day Evelyn had given birth to Alex in the Med-jai camp, and as soon as Rick said it, he knew he should have kept his mouth shut.

 

“If we wouldn’t have been in Thebes then your peeping tom friends would never have taken you to Egypt, and we would likely still have been able to have more kids,”  he shouted.  His words drove through her like the sharpest knife, and she suddenly found herself unable to breath.  Seeing her in pain, and realizing he had said things he never meant, brought Rick quickly out of his anger.  As he started toward her, she backed away.

 

“Evelyn wait,”  he said, but it was too late, she was out the door, and down the drive faster than he could have blinked his eyes.

 

“GOD DAMN YOU O’CONNELL,”  he yelled kicking over Alex’s Rocking horse.  While in his rage, he didn’t see his two year old son sitting at the top of the stairs, and when Alex saw his daddy yell, combined with seeing his mum run out of the house he started to cry, which quickly got dads attention.

 

“Mummy gone, bad daddy bad,”  Alex said, then got up and ran to his room.  Rick heard the door slam, and said a few more cuss words before going upstairs to take care of things, and try to at least mend things with his son.  At the door, Rick found his son had learned a new trick.

 

“Alex open the door for daddy,”  Rick said.  All he heard were the sobs of his son, and he felt even worse than he had.

 

“Come on pal, daddy didn’t mean to say mean things to hurt mummy. It was very naughty of me to do that,”  Rick said, using Evelyn’s word to describe his behavior.  Still cries came, and no evidence that Alex was going to let him in.  Quickly Rick went into his, and Evies room and looked in her desk feeling relief when he found the skeleton key.  He opened Alex’s door, and found his son on the floor holding his Teddy tight.

 

“I’m sorry buddy,”  Rick said.  He picked him up and Alex clung to him.

 

“It’s okay big guy.  Mummy and daddy had a disagreement, and we should have watched out for you,”  Rick said, using a soothing tone.  He swayed with his son, and the cries soon stopped.  When Alex was asleep, Rick put him in his bed and tucked him in making sure Teddy was in close reach, then went to his and Evie’s room to wait for his wife.

 

~*~*~

 

Never before had Evelyn felt such pain, not even when her parents had died.  Now she sat at their graves talking to them.  It had been a long time since she had visited them, and only in times of great stress and trouble did she visit.

 

“I’m not sure I’ll go back to him,”  Evie said starting to cry again.  It had hurt so bad when Eshe and the Medicine man had told her she shouldn’t have any more children, and not once had Rick ever said he was angry.  He had supported her, and had been with her when she had gotten the operation to keep her from having more babies.  Part of her knew that Rick’s words had been said out of anger.  In the three years they had been married, she had seen all sides of him, and seen enough times when he was upset, to know he had a temper.  Her sobs shook through her, and it was a long time before she could stop herself from crying.

 

~*~*~

 

It wasn’t often when Jonathan ran out of money during the first game of the night, and on this night it seemed fate had solved Rick’s problem.  As soon as he walked in the door, Rick asked him where Evelyn went when she was upset.  Seeing the worried expression on Rick’s face, Jonathan answered immediately, and when Rick asked, he agreed to keep Alex for the night.  Now in his own car, Rick was left to think about what had gone on.  When Evelyn had said the word Egypt, fear had been the forthcoming emotion.  The only good thing Rick thought about, when he thought of Egypt, was their marriage, and the birth of their son, as stressful as the events leading up to that had been.  He had lashed out because of his fear, and he was scared to death that this time he had said something that she would not forgive.  When he pulled up to the Cemetery, he found her car there, and sighed relief.  It didn’t take long for him to find her, because he followed her cries.

 

“Evelyn?”  he asked. 

 

“Hold me,”  she said.  Evelyn was huddle to the ground, and Rick knelt down lifting her up, then sat down, and pulled her into his arms.

 

“I’m sorry sweetheart, what I said isn’t anything you have to forgive, or should for that matter.  It’s just after all that we have been through with Egypt, I get afraid,”  he said.  Her cries had subsided, and when he said that she looked at him.

 

“Yeah I know, your husband is afraid of a place,”  he said reaching out to move a strand of hair from her face.

 

“When you said that, it hurt, it still hurts, but I know you didn’t mean it, and I do forgive you.  Just promise me you won’t ever use something like that against me, when your angry,”  she said resting her head against his chest.  Rick gathered her in his arms holding her as close as he could.

 

“Never again,”  he said.  For long moments they sat in silence, until a guard came and told them they needed to leave.  When they arrived at their cars, Rick told her Jonathan was with Alex, and that he wanted her to meet him at the Plaza Hotel. 

 

~*~*~

 

Having gotten there a little before her, Rick got the nicest room in the hotel, a top floor suite, and had a few things brought up.  When Evelyn arrived, he met her at the door, and took her coat off for her.

 

“How do you feel?”  he asked easing her into his arms.

 

“Still hurt,”  she whispered.

 

“Will you let me try to make up for that?”  he asked, kissing the top of her head.  When she nodded her head, he led her into the bathroom.  It was huge, much bigger than their own.  The floor was tiled, and there was a large sunken bathtub already filled with water, and bubbles.  There was also a bottle of Champaign.  As Evelyn reached behind her to unfasten her dress, Rick reached out and eased her hand away.  He walked behind her and unzipped her dress pushing it off of her shoulders.  The soft skin that was exposed, was met with his tender kisses, and Evelyn sighed, closing her eyes.  Rick’s kisses trailed from her shoulder to her neck, and there he tenderly nibbled her soft sweet skin, getting a soft moan of pleasure in response.  While his lips explored her neck, his hands had moved the dress off of Eve’s upper body, as well as her bra, and now he rubbed over her supple breasts, getting more whimpers and moans from her.

 

“I need to be in your arms,”  she said feeling the sadness well up.  Hearing the quiver of her voice, Rick turned her, and held her close.  He was fully clothed, and longed not to be, needing to feel her against his flesh.

 

“Let me get both of us undressed, and then I’ll hold you for as long as you want me too,”  he said.  Evie stepped away, and began to shake, not from any chill in the air, for the bathroom was warm from the steamy water in the tub, but from the need to be in her husbands strong arms.  Rick wasn’t long, and once he had both of them undressed, he took her hand and led her to the bath.  Once she had stepped in, he joined her, and sat down on the little bench lining the inner side of the tub, then took her hand and pulled her close, and settled her on his lap.  Once in his arms, Evelyn stopped shaking.  She sat sideways so that her cheek was pressed against his chest, and for a while they just sat, occasionally sharing a kiss, but nothing more.

 

“I’m going to call Mr. Brower in the morning and tell him we aren’t going to head the dig,”  she said softly.  Rick closed his eyes, unable to take having her this upset, and also knowing that he needed to face his fears, and realize that it wasn’t Egypt that was bad, it was just the events which had played out over the first part of their relationship.

 

“No, we should do this.  I need to go back, if for any reason just to show myself that Egypt is just a place,”  he said.

 

“But I wasn’t thinking about Alex,”  she said, having thought about him a lot while she had been alone.  Rick had thought of that, and suggested taking he and Jonathan along, something which surprised her.

 

“Now, I don’t know about you, but I think that bed might be better than this bath,”  Rick said realizing that the water was getting chilly, and that they were both wrinkled.  Upon realizing the later, Evelyn laughed, and that warmed her husbands heart.  She got out of the water and started to pull a towel around her, when she found herself once again encircled in his strong arms.

 

“Not so fast, I have some repair to do before we call it a night,”  he said, the tone of his voice deep.  Evelyn looked in his eyes, and found herself hopelessly lost in his dark blue gaze.  His lips came down upon hers, lightly grazing first her bottom lip, then her top, before she felt his warm tongue enter her mouth.  While they kissed, Rick rubbed his hand down over her firm bottom, then knelt down and pushed her against his hardening flesh.  Evelyn gasped, feeling that touch both on the outer part of her center, and deep within, as if it called to her for response.  Another electrifying touch, and she did respond, moving her hand between them to rub against his hard penis.

 

“Yes,”  he said.  She took hold of his erection, and rubbed the tip of him at her entrance, a silent invitation, one that he didn’t hesitate to take.  He pushed against her bottom, pushing himself into her, then rested his head against her shoulder as he eased out of her, then pushed back in.  With each thrust of his hips, Evelyn let out soft cries of pleasure, and each entry filled her with joy, wiping away the sadness that had engulfed her just moments before.  When both needed to be closer, Rick lifted her, and Evie caught on, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her the short distance to the bed.  Both were still wet, but neither cared as he leaned forward, laying her on the mattress, while still wrapped in her wet warmth.  He continued making love to her, taking his time to enter her all the way, and pull almost completely out, catching her soft cries in his mouth as he kissed her.  Evelyn felt herself begin to contract around him, and soon felt  the most intense pleasure of her orgasm. 

 

“Rick don’t stop,”  she cried as she felt him lay against her.

 

“Shh, we have all night, just the two of us,”  he reminded.  Evelyn nodded, gasping as her orgasm overcame her.  Somehow Rick managed to keep himself from orgasming, and once she was calm he kissed her again, and began a more forceful loving.  Both of them cried out at his entering and leaving, and despite being in a hotel, Evelyn didn’t hesitate to scream out his name as her orgasm once again took over.  Rick’s was quick to follow, and he let out a cry of his own, then lay against her, rubbing his hand gently against her bottom.  Sleep soon followed the two lovers, and once again in their world all was right.

 

~*~

 

Chapter 2: While the Parents were Away

 

After Rick had left, Jonathan wondered what had gone on.  When he walked in the Parlor, and found Alex’s rocking horse on it’s side, and crumbs on the floor, as well as a blanket laying next to it, he quickly put two and two together, and realized that they must have had a pretty bad argument, which was not common.  They had their occasional disagreement, but anything that they disagreed on was quickly resolved, and most of the time Jonathan would come home from his late nights out,  and find various articles of clothing laying around.  He shook as head as he thought of that.  This Manor, the former Carnahan Manor used to be his parents, but now it was commonly referred to as the O’Connell Manor even by him, and as such Rick was the head of the house.  As Jonathan reflected, and set about cleaning up the mess left behind, he heard a soft voice, and looked up to find Alex standing at the bottom of the steps holding his Teddy, with a tear running down his face.

 

“Hey Partner,”  he said, walking over to him.  He knelt down, and Alex clung to him, crying, and talking at the same time, and Jonathan did not understand what he was saying.

 

“Okay shhh, why don’t we go get a glass of warm milk, like your mum makes,”  Jonathan suggested.

 

“Want Mummy,”  he sobbed.  It was becoming evident that this time Alex had caught his parents argument, and Jonathan was half tempted to call them and ask them to come explain things to their son, but decided to try and calm him himself first.  In the kitchen, while holding Alex in one arm, Jonathan managed to get what he needed to make his nephew some warm milk.

 

“Mummy home,”  Alex said lifting his head from Jonathan’s shoulder.

 

“They will come home in the morning,”  Jonathan reassured, but Alex shook his head, his lower lip drooping, and more tears fell.

 

“Hey why don’t we have some of that Chocolate cake Marie made,”  Jonathan said knowing that anything like that would cheer Alex up.  This time it did not.

 

“Want Mummy home,”  he cried.  Once the milk was ready, Jonathan added the sugar and cinnamon, and tried that, but Alex wouldn’t take it, and kept crying for Evelyn.  Still not willing to give up, but becoming somewhat unnerved, Jonathan carried Alex up to his room and found his favorite bedtime story, and settled in the rocking chair.  The story went unheard, as Alex continued to cry, and finally after almost two hours of trying, Jonathan went to the phone and had the Operator Dial the Plaza Hotel, knowing that Rick would only take Evelyn to the best of places.

 

“Plaza Hotel, How may I help you,”  A woman answered.

 

“Yes I need to speak to the O’Connells,”  Jonathan said, as he swayed with Alex.

 

“One moment sir.”  There was a moment of hesitation, then the woman spoke again.

 

“I’m sorry but Mr. O’Connell said no one was to disturb them tonight,”  she replied.  Jonathan held the receiver of the phone to Alex’s mouth, and then spoke.

 

“Well that was their son, and you tell them when they finish screwing around that their son is confused and upset,”  Jonathan said then slammed the phone down.

 

“Mummy want mummy,”  Alex screamed, picking up on Jonathan’s anger.  The tired man slid down to sit on the floor.

 

“Yeah Partner, it would be nice if they would think about what they did before they did it in front of you,”  Jonathan replied feeling tired, and a little angry.

 

~*~*~

 

It was the loud chirp of the phone which pulled both Rick and Evelyn from their sleep.  Rick picked it up feeling angry, and was ready to tell off the Plaza’s receptionist, until she told him about the call Jonathan made.

 

“Thanks, we’ll take care of that,”  Rick said feeling as guilty as he had when he saw Evelyn slumped to the cold ground in the Cemetery.  Evelyn still had her head resting on Rick’s chest, and felt him hold her tighter.

 

“We need to go home.  Alex saw you leave, and I thought I had calmed him down but Jonathan called and said he’s still upset,”  Rick said.  The mention of her son woke Evelyn fully, and she sat up.

 

“My poor baby,”  she said as they both set about getting ready to go.

 

~*~*~

 

Almost thirty minutes had passed with Alex’s non stop crying, and Jonathan had tried the Plaza again relieved to find that his sister and Brother-in-law had left.

 

“It’s all right Partner, they will be here soon,”  Jonathan kept saying.  Then they were there, and he gladly gave Evelyn her son, and grabbed his jacket and keys, pushing past Rick to go out and get a drink.  Rick knew he also owed Jonathan big time for helping with Alex, and decided that just once Jonathan could have his girls over, and he and Evie would take Alex to The Plaza at some point.  Finding himself alone in the Parlor, and still seeing the mess of cookie crumbs from the little party he and his son had taken part in, Rick grabbed the broom and decided to clean up, giving his son time alone with Evelyn.

 

~*~

 

Once in his mothers arms, Alex had begun to calm down, and by the time Evelyn was in his room rocking him, Alex was quiet.

 

“Mummy sad, daddy hurt,”  Alex said looking up at her.

 

“Sometimes mummy’s and daddy’s say nasty things that they should never say, and yes daddy did hurt mummy, but he and I said we were very sorry,”  Evelyn said softly.

 

“Daddy mean daddy,”  Alex replied through a yawn.  Not wanting her son to think that Evelyn corrected him.

 

“No Alex, your father is not mean.  He is a very good daddy, and a very good husband, and I love him very much, so don’t think that he is mean,”  she said sternly.  Alex closed his eyes then, and Evelyn sighed, still wondering if Egypt was such a good idea after all that had happened.

 

“How is he doing?”  Rick asked as he walked into his little boys room.

 

“Better, but we really need to watch what we do from now on,”  Evie whispered as she stood.  That movement roused Alex, and he whimpered holding to her tighter.

 

“Shhh, mummy is here baby, and I won’t go away,”  she whispered swaying with him.

 

“Daddy here too?”  he asked opening his eyes.  Rick walked behind them and held both of them close.

 

“I’m here big guy.”  he said.  Alex struggled and Rick moved away then took him hugging him close.

 

“Daddy say sorry mummy?”  Alex asked.

 

“Yes I did.”  Alex looked at his daddy and his mummy.

 

“I seep in bed if you mummy,”  he said.  Usually neither were willing to let him in their bed, but this once they both decided he needed them to be close, and without further debate they went into the large master bedroom, and soon all of them slept peacefully, the nights arguments forgotten, only allowing the love they had seep in as they slept.

 

~*~

 

Chapter 3: The Journey to Egypt

 

The rain pelted down on the taxi, as the driver took the O’Connells to the port.  In the back Alex sat between both his parents, making Teddy dance about.  In the front, Jonathan sat idly wondering just how he had managed to be talked into going back to Egypt, then remembered O’Connell’s promise to let him have the Manor for the weekend upon their return.  With that in mind, he thought of Angelique, and Josette, and sighed in complete contentment.

 

“Mummy I want out,”  Alex said sliding to the floor of the cab to stand.  He sided his way to her part of the car, and started to reach for the handle, but Evie moved his hand away.

 

“Baby, you can’t open the door while the car is driving,”  Evie explained as she lifted him to sit on her lap.  She pointed out different trees, and that kept him entertained until they arrived at the port.  While Rick and Jonathan paid the driver, and got their luggage, Evie took Alex to stand beneath the shelter while they waited for the time to board the ship.

 

“Mummy I make sand castle?”  he asked as he held his hand out to catch the falling drops of rain.

 

“I think we might be able to manage that,”  Evie said, giving him a kiss.  She looked past her son as Rick came with the umbrella.

 

“They said we can go ahead and get on board,”  Rick told her.  As they began to walk, Alex wanted down, and when Evie set him down, he ran for the boat, getting away from them.  Rick chased after him, pushing past the people who had gathered to wave at the passengers.

 

“Alexander O’Connell, you stop now,”  Rick yelled.  Alex just laughed, thinking that all of this was a fun game.  He jumped in a large puddle, and pushed through a group of people, then ran behind some crates.  Rick lost him when he got behind the group of people and bit his tongue, trying not to say a string of words Alex could pick up on and say .

 

“Alex front and center,”  Rick yelled.  Behind the crates, Alex stood waiting for daddy to find him, like when they played hide and seek, not realizing how angry he was making his father.  Evelyn caught up to her husband, and made him go cool off, then called for her baby.

 

“Alex darling, we need to get aboard the ship so we can go play in the sand,”  she reminded.  Too intent on finishing his game, Alex stayed right where he was.  The whistle blew, which meant they didn’t have a whole lot of time to board, and aboard the ship Rick walked to the end of the vessel, and found his son.

 

“Evie walk two crates back and turn right,”  he yelled.  She did what he said and found Alex, who started to run again, but she caught him.

 

“Nooo, play gain,”  he said tugging away from her.

 

“Alex the time for playing is over, we need to go,” she said picking him up.  he leaned back screaming, making it difficult for her to carry him and walk at the same time.  Then Rick came and took him giving him a swat on his bottom which caused him to cry, but also got him under control.  While all that was taking place, Jonathan had made a new friend with his bottle of bourbon in the ships bar area, glad to have time to himself.  The second blow of the whistle sounded, and the ship moved away from the port, carrying the O’Connells, and Jonathan to the hot sandy lands of Egypt.

 

~*~*~

 

By nightfall the rain was still falling, and for most of the day Evelyn had Alex to herself, wanting to spend quality time with him, something she had not been doing a lot of since the museum had been doing a restoration project in her department.  Now with Alex ready for bed, Evelyn sat on the little pallet with him, reading his favorite book, Peter Pan.

 

“Boy why are you crying? Wendy asked of Peter.”  Evie read.  Alex yawned, and answered.

 

“He cry cause his shadow runned way,”  Alex replied.

 

“Thats right,”  Evelyn said kissing the top of his head.  She continued on, and got to the part where Peter was teaching Wendy, John, and Michael how to fly, then felt his head fall forward which meant he was asleep.  Carefully she set the book aside, and laid him down on the soft blankets.  Instinctively, Alex reached for his Teddy, and once it was in his arms he relaxed.  Evie sat watching him with a great deal on her mind.  She had not gotten completely over the argument she and Rick had, and despite his reassurances, that he had just said those things out of anger, Evelyn wondered if Rick really did resent her for not being able to have anymore children.  The rapes, in combination with the stressful birth had hurt her badly, and she had been told anymore children would be to great a risk.  It was agreed that she would have surgery to keep anymore pregnancies from happening, and after that time, neither she nor Rick had spoken of more children.  Evelyn jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, then felt herself gathered in the strength of her husbands arms.

 

“How about sharing with me what you were just thinking,”  Rick said, though he had a pretty good idea of what.  Evelyn let out a shuttering sigh, then stood taking his hand.  In the privacy of their own room, she turned and asked the question she needed to have an answer to.

 

“You resent not having more children don’t you?”  she asked.  Her question was said without anger or sadness, just a question, and Rick felt his heart beat faster, and his palms sweat.  Until the day he had held his son in his arms, Rick had not realized what an amazing gift he and Evie had been given, and until Eshe told them they could not have anymore children, he hadn’t realized he had wanted more.

 

“I never thought I wanted kids.  The whole time you carried him, I kept thinking how little we would be able to do with him around,”  Rick admitted as he sat on the bed.  Evelyn settled beside him, and was glad when she felt herself gathered in his arms once more.

 

“The same day you had him, the first time I saw him, his tiny hands, how helpless he was, I realized how lucky we were to have him.  I think he is the only person, aside from you who makes me feel so protective and complete.  That same day when you started to bleed, and I was sitting alone, I kept worrying about you, wondering what would happen if I lost you, and I had to take care of him on my own.  You of coarse healed, but we lost the chance to make the magic all over again, and I resent the two bastards who took that chance from us, and Egypt, but never you Evelyn,”  he said.  She turned and Rick found they both had tears running down their face.  He lifted her to sit sideways on his lap then kissed her tears one by one, then over her eyes, and cheeks, until he reached her lips.  Evelyn held to him, needing to feel his touch, needing to let that touch heal both their hearts as it always did.  When he parted from her lips he moved her from his lap, and she was confused until she heard Alex.

 

“Mummy I seep if daddy you gain,”  he said rubbing his eyes.  For now their love would have to wait, and for now once again they all shared a bed letting sleep embrace them.

 

~*~*~

 

While they slept, Jonathan was finding his usual sort of fun, playing poker into the wee hours of the moring with some fine mates he had met.

 

“I bet this gold Ring,”  Jonathan said slamming it down in the pile of cash that sat in the center of the table.  The ring was pure gold, from Hamunaptra, and Jonathan was too drunk to realize that he had drawn unwanted attention to himself.

 

“Hey now thats a fancy piece of Jewelry,”  One man said.  The other three nodded, and Jonathan grinned.

 

“That piece of junk is nothing compared tooo wha Got in my room,”  he said taking another swig of Bourbon.  The four men looked at one another and all nodded.

 

“Well pal, what say you take us to your room and show us what you have,”  Simon said as he grabbed Jonathan, and held a knife to his throat.  The feel of a cold blade at his throat quickly sobered him, and he realized he was in deep camel dung, for two reasons. One, these guys were extremely dangerous, and the second was that his room was in the same cabin as Rick and his sister, and he knew Rick would do more harm to him than these men.

 

“Come to think of it I left all that back in London.  Let me give you the address, and you fine chaps can drop in anytime,”  Jonathan said.  The knife at his throat pressed harder, and he winced as he felt the blade pierce into his skin.

 

“You have more than that ring, friend, and unless you want to end up as fish food, you will take us and let us have our fill,”  Simon replied.  They let him go, and followed him, acting casual so not to draw any attention.  It was still raining, and Jonathan counted to three then ran. 

 

“Get him,”  Simon yelled.  Jonathan ran down the steps and turned a hard right running as fast as he could past Rick and Evelyn’s cabin.

 

“Come on he went that way,”  Sanders yelled.  The three men ran past the cabin, and inside Rick woke up listening, and closed his eyes realizing that Jonathan was likely in trouble.  Very carefully he eased out of bed, managing not to wake his wife or his son.  After slipping into a shirt, and slacks, as well as his boots, Rick grabbed a gun and walked out of their room, and out of the cabin getting rained on.  He heard more yelling further down the ship and went the other way, knowing that they would eventually meet up.  Carefully he climbed the steps and kept close to the wall listening past the pounding rain.  He heard foot fall and cussing, and knew it was Jonathan.  When his brother-in-law passed, Rick reached out and grabbed him putting an hand over his mouth and pulled him into the little crevasse he had found.

 

“Hold still damn it,”  Rick said.  Jonathan sighed relief, then realized it was Rick, and knew he was dead.  The four men passed them by, and once they had, Rick let Jonathan go.

 

“Lets go,”  he said.  Both men took the long way to their room, making certain that the men in pursuit didn’t find them, then once inside the cabin found Evelyn awake.

 

“I’ll take care of him,” she said.

 

“No thats okay, he and I need to have a little talk,”  Rick said keeping his eyes locked on Jonathan.  Evelyn left, and Rick pushed Jonathan to sit on the couch, then got right in his face.

 

“Now, I’m not sure what the hell you just did to piss those guys off, and I don’t really give a damn.  What I care about is my wife and my son, and I warn you Jonathan, if you pull your usual shit, and any harm comes to either of them you will have me to deal with,”  Rick said.  Jonathan sat as far back in the couch as he could and only nodded.  With that Rick moved away from him.

 

“I’d also advise you stay in the cabin, those guys looked pretty pissed,”  Rick said, then left going back to his room.  For long moments, Jonathan let his heart beat go back to normal rhythm, then got up and headed for his room.  Despite being wet, he plopped on the bed, and soon sleep came for him, the usual lonely sleep, with only the dreams of being with all the girls at his favorite hotel to keep him company.

 

~*~*~

 

The next morning when they woke up, Evelyn found a note from Jonathan basically stating that he had gotten his own room, and that they didn’t need to worry over him.  Now she was grilling Rick on what had happened.

 

“Evie he got into trouble, and had four rather large looking guys after him, I just told him to watch out, or he would have me to answer to.”  Evelyn sighed looking over at Alex who was too into his cars to pay any attention to them.

 

“I just wish for once you two would get along.  I know my brother doesn’t think about things, but he really does mean well,”  she said.  Deciding not to get himself in another jam Rick simply kept his mouth shut, finishing breakfast before she did.

 

“Well I think I might go for a short walk,”  he said.

 

“I think Alex and I will go try to find Jonathan,”  she replied looking up at him with purpose in her eyes.  Rick left without a word, and Evelyn’s heart ached.  The more she thought about it, the more she wished they would never have started this trip.

 

“Come on darling, lets go find Uncle John,”  Evelyn said as she picked her son up.  In their room, she got him dressed in slacks and a warm shirt, then got his shoes on him, and together they left to find Jonathan.

 

~*~*~

 

On upper deck, Rick sat sipping a glass of cold tea, thinking about a great many things.  Every since marrying Evelyn, Rick had noticed how she took Jonathan’s side in most things, as far as his gambling was concerned, and it was not something he liked.  He knew if she would put her foot down, instead of making up excuses for him, such as it was just his way, then Jonathan would likely snap out of it.  Then he thought about how she had changed him.  One example of the change was his like of cold tea, before Evie a bottle of bourbon, or an ice cold beer suited him.  Now it was tea or a glass of water.  As he finished his tea, he looked out on the water noticing that it was much calmer than the day before.  He had also noticed that it wasn’t nearly as cold as it had been, and that was a nice change.  After having his tea, Rick went to the top deck where all the lounge chairs were set up.  People were there catching the sun and talking.  Children were playing, and he knew he and Evie should be among them, but here he was alone, with his thoughts and he was beginning to wonder why he had agreed to come along.

 

~*~*~

 

Hand in hand, mother and son walked the lower decks trying to find where Jonathan was bunking.  They were below the decks now, in the lower part of the ship where the lower class slept.  To Evelyn there really wasn’t a difference between herself and anyone else, she and Rick selected the upper class tickets because they could afford them, but both were just as comfortable with either ticket.

 

“Mummy it tinks here,”  Alex said as they walked.  She smiled at her little boy.

 

“It’s just musty is all,”  Evelyn replied.  A feeling of unease hit her as they turned the corner, as if they were being watched, and memories that she had buried in the past surfaced.  Quickly she picked Alex up and turned going back the way they had come.  She rounded another corner and ran into a rather large man.

 

“Pardon me,”  she said, and started to move past him, but he moved in her way.

 

“Please I need to get my son changed,”  she said.  Alex clung to her, his face buried against her neck.

 

“I’ve been looking for you,”  he said, and with that grabbed her arm pulling her with him.  Evelyn started to shake, and Alex began to cry.

 

~*~*~

 

The moment he had gotten to his new room, the four chaps who had been pursuing him the night before, paid Jonathan a visit.  Now tied up in a closet, he tried to listen to what they had planned, then heard Alex’s cries, and knew it was bad.

 

“Put the kid with him, we will use her as bate,”  Simon said.  Alex tried to fight, and Paul shook him hard which made him really cry.

 

“Now then, you sit with your friend,”  he said as he opened the door.  Jonathan caught a glimpse of Evelyn’s shocked state as one of the men ripped at her dress, then Alex was thrust into his arms and the door shut.

 

“DADDDY,”  Alex cried.

 

“Shh, everything will be all right,”  Jonathan tried to reassure, as both of them heard Evelyn cry out.  Last night, Jonathan guessed that he and Rick must not have been careful enough, and that the bastards had seen them, and found out about Alex and Evelyn.  Alex cried a long time before he finally fell into an exhausted sleep, and by then only silence met them.

 

~*~*~

 

In another room, the men had taken Evelyn, and had her tied to a chair trying to get information from her about where all of Jonathan’s gold had come from.  She refused to tell them, despite threats to herself.  So far they had only ripped her dress, and as she sat there she began to realize Rick was right.  Jonathan needed to know that his gambling was not going to be a part of their lives, not while they had Alex around.

 

“Maybe we should go get the kid,”  one of the men said.  Evelyn shuttered praying that Rick would hurry up and figure out they were all in trouble.

 

~*~*~

 

By Lunch, when Evelyn and Alex had not returned, Rick got a bad feeling that something was not right.  His usual manor of doing things was to fight first and ask questions later, but the fact that Alex was somehow, or could be somehow involved, made him realize this once he needed to let the captain and crew help him.  Now he sat in the Captains office waiting for any word on his family’s where abouts, itching to go help.

 

~*~*~

 

When the door opened, Jonathan instinctively held on to Alex, but his efforts were futile as his nephew was taken from him.  The men did as they pleased because hardly any of the crew members ever came to the lowest part of the ship, so Paul took Alex back with him, not realizing that the captains man at arms, and a few other men had heard the commotion.  In the small room Evelyn looked up when she heard Alex’s cries.

 

“Now then tell us where the treasure came from, or we will start by breaking his arms,”  Paul said as Simon grabbed Alex’s hand, holding his arm straight.  Alex screamed and cried, and Evelyn was about to tell them, when the door slammed open, and the room was filled with people to help them.  Paul held on to Alex using him as a shield.

 

“You shoot me, and the kid dies,”  he said, as he backed out of the room, not seeing Jonathan approach with a gun of his own.  It wasn’t until Paul felt the cold metal barrel pressed against his back, that he realized he was in trouble and dropped Alex to the ground.  He turned and grabbed the gun from Jonathan, pointing it at Alex.

 

“He dies lady,”  Paul said clicking the gun into place.  Evelyn screamed when she heard a shot fired, and then when Alex cried, and the man fell nearly ontop of him she realized that it was over.  Rick ran in, and held his son who was now histerical as was Evelyn.  The rest of the men were taken out of the room, and Jonathan got Evie untied, then they all went up to their cabin together.

 

~*~*~

 

The ships doctor had come by, and found Alex had broken one leg from being dropped.  He had set the bone, and put a cast on him, and now Alex slept in his uncles room with Jonathan looking after him, giving Rick and Evie time alone, time they needed.  In their bed, Evelyn watched as her husband lit candles, and tried not to feel afraid, but was having a difficult time with that.  When he came to her, he was dressed only in a pair of boxers.  He settled on the bed beside her and kissed her lips gently.

 

“Why does this keep happening to us?”  she asked wanting to cry.  Rick lay beside her gathering her into his arms.

 

“I’m not sure sweetheart, but I think Jonathan realizes that he can’t keep up his old ways,”  he said, glad for that.  Evelyn lifted her head from his chest to look within his eyes.

 

“He won’t gamble, not while he lives in our home,”  she said with conviction in her voice.  She reached out and traced his lips with her fingers, smiling as she realized that once again Rick had saved her life, and Alex’s as well. When she felt her finger drawn into her mouth, all thoughts of anything but pleasuring her husband fled her, and after a moment she moved away from him.  After removing her nightgown she pushed on his chest, and he rolled on his back putting his arm behind his head, letting her explore this time.  When she moved to stratle his stomach, Rick watched her, moaning as her lips came against his, as her tongue licked just the outer part of his mouth. When he felt her slide herself lower on his stomach, in combination with feeling her wetness, Rick felt himself harden immediately.  Evelyn slid further down trailing her lips over his chest, then down his belly until she came to his boxers.  She looked up at him as she began to pull them down, and Rick groaned out her name as he felt her lips move over his highly sensitive, very hard penis.  Evie reached down, and grasped his balls squeezing them as she suckled.  Her husband began to arch his hips up, thrusting into her mouth, not surpressing his grunts and gasps as he did.

 

“Oh god what you do to me,”  he said as he continued to rock in and out of her mouth.  As much as he loved what she was doing to him, Rick preferred to be a part of her, and after a few more moments, he sat up and helped her move over his penis.  Evelyn took his hands and he held her as she slipped over him, then slid down on him.  Both of them cried out at the intense feeling of tightness, wetness and warmth, as two became one.  Still holding both of his hands, Evelyn began to push away from him, then come back to him, and for a little bit she kept up a steady rhythm.  Rick knew how much that tired her, and reached both hands around her waist pushing her further onto him, then turned them so she was laying on her back, and he was over her.  He began a steady rhythm of loving her, and then pulled out which caused her to gasp and cry out for him.

 

“Shh,”  he whispered as he kissed her lips, and moved away from her.  He lay on his side, then brought her to spoon against him with her back pressed against his chest.  Reaching over her, he moved his hand against her firm stomach, then lower to the soft thatch of wet curls.  Evelyn leaned her head back against his shoulder, and Rick leaned down kissing her lips.  His fingers found home at her clit, and Evelyn cried out softly needing more from him.  He reached down with his free hand to his penis and scooted her closer to him then slid into her from behind.  As he pumped into her, Rick found it easier to give her pleasure, both from making love to her, as well as finding easier access to her breasts.  It wasn’t long before he had her wiggling against him, crying softly at each thrust he gave her.  When he felt her tighten around him he gave out his own soft cry of pleasure and began to move faster.  Their joint orgasm was powerful, and for a few moments all that was heard in the small room was their heavy breathing.  Rick pulled her closer to him kissing the side of her neck, content now, as was she.  As the started to drift off to sleep, their duty as parents was announced by the approaching cries of their son.  Evelyn gasped as Rick slid from her, then both got out of bed pulling a robe around them, just before Jonathan brought Alex.  As Evelyn took him, Rick stopped Jonathan, thanking him for helping to save their lives.  Jonathan just nodded and left them, and Rick turned to find both mother and son already cuddling in bed.  After putting out a few candles, Rick joined them hoping the rest of the trip would be less of an adventure.

 

~*~

 

Chapter 4: Plans and Play

 

Once in Cairo, while Jonathan, and Rick kept watch over Alex, Evelyn busied her self with details of the dig.  The workers were already there, mostly American, and a few British, who were just as anxious as she was to start the restoration of Thebes.  Now in her office, Evelyn sat at her desk looking over maps drawn from past explorations there, which included a few she and Rick had mapped out when they had been there to find the Treasures of Ramses.  Luxor, was the last kingdom of the Pharoahs to stand, and had parished due to an attack, though the details of the attack were more myth than truth.  As she worked, Evie didn’t notice the late hour, nor did she notice her husband enter with lunch.

 

“How about something to eat,”  he said.  At his voice, she looked up, and smiled, which brought a smile to his face.  Rick never tired of watching her.  Her beauty was unlike any other woman he had ever met or spoken too.

 

“So how are the plans coming?”  he asked as he took the blanket he had brought, and spread it out on the floor by one of the huge windows.  After putting the maps she had been looking at away, Evelyn settled down on the blanket next to her husband.

 

“Good. I think we need to start in the Temple of Ammun,”  she said as she took a bite of cheese he offered her.  Despite his initial reservations about being in Egypt, Rick was beginning to feel his adventurous spirit return, and was rather looking forward to working beside his wife.  As they ate, Evelyn told him about how Luxor had parished, and how Pharoahs long after had worked on rebuilding it, but in vain, as the city seemed unrepairable by some unforeseen circumstances.  That bit of information, Rick frowned upon as he thought of curses, but seeing his wife so happy and determined, he quickly set his own thoughts of unease aside.

 

“Where is Alex?”  she asked as they finished their meal.

 

“Oh Jonathan took him to the Market to get supplies I sent him for,”  Rick said.  Evie turned facing him, and reached out unbuttoning his shirt.  At bold action, Rick raised his brow.

 

“Something in mind?”  he asked as she got the last button of his shirt unfastened.  Evie moved both hands up and down his chest, and Rick watched her intently.

 

“I was thinking we might get an early start on exploration,”  she said as she leaned in rubbing her cheek across the rippling muscles of his chest.  In response Rick groaned, and leaned back until his back rested against the blanket, and his head against the basket.

 

“And what is it you intend to find?”  He asked reaching out to rub a hand leisurely over her back.  Evelyn didn’t speak, letting her hands and lips do all the talking, and Rick’s body responded to what she was doing to him.  After three years of being his wife, Evelyn had learned how to make her husband happy, and in turn herself.  She kissed over his chest, moving her mouth slowly against his nipples, which got a groan of pleasure from him.  Lightly she grazed her teeth against them, then kissed down his chest to his stomach, rubbing her cheek there.  Her touch had aroused him, and Rick found his trousers painfully tight.

 

“Evie Evie,”  he whispered as he felt her hands at the buckle of his belt.  She unfastened that slowly, pulling it all the way off, then rubbed her hand against the bulge in his pants.  Reflexisivly, Rick arched his hips up letting his head drop from the basket to the floor.  Slowly Evie unbuttoned his pants, and carefully pulled the zipper down.  She slid his pants down as far as she could get them, as well as his boxers, then moved over him.  Rick had to stifle his cry of pleasure with part of the blanket as she covered his penis with her mouth.  For a moment she suckled him, then pulled away.

 

“God Evie more,”  he said lifting his head.  She took the time to take her panties, shoes, and stockings off, then strattled, him placing her hands at both his shoulders.  With his help she eased onto him.  Both of them gasped at the pleasure his entry caused, and moaned as she began to make love to him.  Her lips found his, and Rick moved his hands away from her waist pulling the creme colored blouse she wore out of her skirt.  He unbuttoned as much of the blouse as he could and pushed up her bra massaging over her soft supple breasts.  Evie stopped moving for a moment crying out as Rick’s hands began to push and pinch her sensitive breasts, then once again she began her movements tilting her head back as his hands continued their assault.  When her walls began to tighten around his hard penis, Rick moved his hands away from her breasts and rubbed them down her stomach.  He rubbed one finger against the soft thatch of curls at her center, and Evelyn bit the side of her cheek to keep from being to noisy.  His touch on her clit pushed her over the edge, and she leaned down, crying out in his mouth as they kissed.  Rick pushed his hips up and helped her move until his own climax took over.

 

~*~

 

Minutes later they finally began to move.  Evie lifted her head from his shoulder, her hair now a mess as it fell over them, curtaining his head.

 

“Hi beautiful,”  he said leaning up to kiss her.

 

“Hmm, I wish we had time for more exploration, but I need to get cleaned up,”  She said still staying where she was.  It was never easy to leave him, but Evelyn had more things than making love to her husband on her mind, and Rick knew that.  Once both of them had dressed, and as Rick was about to leave, Alex came bounding in, running despite the fact he had a cast on.

 

“Daddy Unc John mad me,”  he said hugging his fathers legs.  Rick picked him up about the time Jonathan walked in, and his face was red.

 

“Do you know what he did?”  Jonathan all but yelled.  Seeing Jonathan as mad as he was, both Rick and Evie wondered what their son had done, because it was not like Jonathan to ever get mad at Alex.

 

“Jonathan take a breath,”  Evie said.  He did, and she got him to cool off while Rick took Alex outside to work of some of the energy he was displaying.

 

“He took my best piece of treasure, from Hamunaptra no less, and before I could get my hands on him gave it to one of those God damn Gypsies,”  Jonathan said turning red again.  Evelyn had to control her urge to laugh at that, then looked past Jonathan as Rick and Alex came back in.

 

“Unca John I sorry I did.  She not have no shoes,”  he said.  Rick was also finding this amusing, and when Jonathan saw him trying not to laugh he stormed out.

 

“Well I think I’ll get him home,”  Rick started to say, but Alex ran to Evie hugging her.

 

“No want stay if mummy,”  he said.  Evie knelt down hugging him.

 

“Baby, Mummy has a great deal of work to do.  When I come home tonight, daddy and I will show you our special secret place,”  Evelyn said.  That got him excited, and willingly he went with Rick.  Once they were gone, Evelyn got back to her maps and plans for Thebes, while the two men of her life went to find some adventure.

 

~*~

 

Evening arrived, and Rick had made Moroccan Lamb Stew, and was stirring that as Alex played on the kitchen floor with his toys.  He was all dressed for bed, and had been remarkable well behaved, which was rare for him. 

 

“Daddy Unca John not home et. He mad me, and runned way cause I was naughty,”  Alex said sadly.  Rick turned the flame down on the stew, then sat down beside his son and Alex willingly climbed on his lap.

 

“Your Uncle John loves you very much, but what you gave away was not yours to give,”  Rick said.  Alex sighed.

 

“But you mummy give tings to peoples got no shoes and socks and toys,”  Alex said.  That was true.  When Alex outgrew his clothing, or if there were toys he hadn’t played with in ages, they usually gathered all of that up and gave them to the Orphanage.  Since becoming wealthy, Rick had found he couldn’t keep all their money, and giving like that made him hope that some kid wouldn’t have to do without the way he had when he was an orphan.

 

“Your right, but that ring was Jonathan’s and I’m sure if you would have asked him, he might have given you something else to give the Gypsie,”  Rick said.

 

“But He say they bunch of God Damn buggers,”  Alex said.  Hearing his two year old use that kind of Language did not make Rick happy, and he turned Alex to face him.

 

“Don’t you say that again.  Saying God Damn, and name calling is not nice pal,”  Rick said standing.  He put Alex in the Quiet chair, which got rid of the quiet in the house as he began to cry.  Getting back to his stew, Rick was getting ready to serve it up when Evie walked in frowning when she saw her baby crying, and in the Quiet Chair.

“What did he do?”  she asked quietly.

 

“Repeated something Jonathan said, and should not have in front of him, though I’m just as guilty,”  Rick said feeling less anger toward Jonathan.  When Rick got mad he tended to use profanity, even around Alex, and he was realizing that as well as not having arguments around him, they also needed to watch what they said, or at least he and Jonathan did.  Evelyn saw to the rest of the dinner preparations, giving Rick a chance to tell Alex why he had been sent to the quiet chair.  Once that was resolved, they sat down to dinner, which was pleasant.

 

~*~

 

A mile and a half from their house, close to the Nile was a watering hole which was Rick and Evie’s special place, and where they took Alex once dinner was finished.  Now on a blanket they all sat looking at the night sky which was filled with stars, stars they rarely saw much of living in London with all the lights from the city.  They lived away from the city, but the pollution, there and the lights caused the viewer less of an opportunity to see the sky in all its night time glory.

 

“Mummy, I unt go up there,”  Alex said as he rested his head in her lap.  Evie smiled remembering when she was a child, and how she thought if she climbed to the top of the Pyramids at Giza, she would be able to reach the stars.

“I used to want that too, but those stars are very far away from us, so for now we just have to watch them,”  she said leaning back against her husband.  It was rare when they had a quiet time with Alex, who was constantly on the go now that he was able to walk and talk.

 

“Daddy, you go up there?”  he asked yawning. 

 

“I think I would rather stay here with you and your mum,”  Rick said rubbing his hand over his sons tummy.  Soon Alex slept, and Evie eased him on his tummy, standing.  From his spot on the blanket, Rick watched as she took off her cloths, surprised that she was being so bold with Alex so close.

 

“Are you just going to sit there?  Or will you join me?”  she asked softly.  Evelyn didn’t have to ask twice, and once he was undressed, Rick took her hand and they walked the short distance to the clear water, formed from some sort of underground stream, they guessed from the Nile, though neither one cared how it had gotten there, only enjoying the time together.  It was chilly as they stepped in, and once in, Rick pulled Evelyn against him kissing her lips, then trailing his kisses over her chin, then down her neck.

 

“Should we be doing this?”  she asked, suddenly remembering Alex sleeping near by.  It was Rick’s turn to be bold, and he lowered himself so he was even with her breasts.

 

“I think so,”  he whispered as he took one breast in his mouth.  Evelyn wrapped her arms lightly around his head as he began to suckle her.  He eased away from her right breast standing up to kiss her lips before going to the left breast.  As he suckled her, Evelyn reached down and began to rub against his hard flesh.  Rick gasped out her name as she scraped her finger nail beneath his penis at the base, then moved her hand away.  He reached under and grasped his penis then positioned himself so that he rubbed it at her entry.  Evie pushed on his bottom, wanting him to take her, and without a second thought he did, pushing in to her and moving out of her in a slow steady rhythm.  He panted as her lips moved over his neck nibbling and licking her way to his ear.  There she nibbled on his soft lobe, then drew it into her warm mouth.  His hands against her bottom, rubbing there caused her to moan, and she pulled away, returning to his mouth as he began a more forceful rhythm.  Rick pressed into her harder, and with each forceful thrust Evelyn cried out, calling his name over and over until her body tightened around him, She placed her mouth at his neck and cried out as her orgasm came, inducing his own.  Rick held her tight against him rubbing one hand up and down her back.

 

“I love you,”  he whispered into her ear, kissing her there.  Once more composed, they got out of the water dressing despite being wet.  While Evelyn got their blanket, Rick lifted Alex into his arms without waking him, and they went home, to get some needed rest before their journey into Thebes.

 

~*~

 

Chapter 5: Thebes City of the Living

 

It was very early in the morning, even before the sun had begun to rise, when the group of twenty people heading for Thebes gathered at the edge of Cairo to begin the journey.  The group was comprised of men and woman, all scholars seeking to help restore the former home of Pharaohs, and perhaps to find some treasure along the way.  Once the group was ready, the trip began with Evelyn and Rick in the lead.  On his back, in a self made carrier using a large military issued backpack, Alex road securely asleep, which Rick was glad for.  He and Evie had rigged up an umbrella that went over both he and Alex to protect him once the sun began to rise, though now it was quite chilly.

 

“So whats the game plan Mrs. O’Connell?”  Rick asked as they road along, leaving the city behind them.  Evie smiled, looking at him.

 

“I was thinking starting in the Palace first would be good.  The throne room was supposed to be a commons area, and was for Pharaoh to see his people, but there were also places where he hid treasures of various sorts, and I want to see if we can find that for the museum in London,”  she replied.

 

“So no great discoveries await us?”  Rick asked cautiously.  At that Evie smiled.

 

“Well you never know what we could find, but Thebes has been visited by many groups such as ours before.  The likelihood of us finding anything would be very slim,”  she said.  What her husband didn’t know was that she had come across some writings in the Library of her father, of a treasure he had wanted to find after he and his mother had finished at Tututkamens tomb.  A

very special bracelet was said to be within the premise of Thebes, and Evelyn was hopeful for the time within the two week stay that they would come across that.

 

~*~

 

The journey to Thebes took the group two days, and upon their arrival the second day while they guys set up camp, Evelyn took Alex to the outer wall of the city. 

 

“Dat all broked, they not take good care of tings there,”  he said.  Evie smiled at her little boy.

 

“Well darling, no one has lived there for a long time, and with all the sandstorms, and no one to take care of things, it has deteriorated,”  she explained.

 

“Mummy I unt find treasure for Gypsies,”  he said.  Evie smiled again kissing him.

 

“Well then we need to go to our tent and find your shovel and your bucket,”  she said taking him back the small distance to the camp.  There Rick and Jonathan had set up their two tents, and were helping set up the other tents.  A few of the men and woman were putting stones in a circle, and putting wood down to build a fire to start lunch, and a few more people had gone to the Nile to gather water to cook the food.  She found Rick finishing the set up of another tent and smiled as Alex ran over to him and the two played chase.

 

“All right you two, lets go to our tent and get supplies ready,”  she said.  They followed her there, and once they had gotten Alex’s bucket and shovel, and her took kit, they all settled around the fire for lunch and a meeting to discuss what they wanted to accomplish with the time they had left during their first day.

 

~*~

 

As work on the restoration began, Rick noticed how determined his wife was, and the more he worked with her, the less he believed that she was there souly for the restoration.  After the second day of work, and once Alex was asleep he confronted her.

 

“Evie, I’d like to think I know you pretty good,”  he said as he settled beside her on their bedroll.  She was reading a book her father had written and jumped when he sat beside her, putting the book away, which got his attention.

 

“And just what is that your reading?”  he asked trying to get the book.

 

“It’s not important,”  she tried, but he had the book and found the page she had left off on.  The page told about the Bracelet of Anubis, and Rick shut the book.

 

“So you will be satisfied with just the restoration?”  he asked eyeing her.  She sighed.

 

“Rick, I won’t deliberately look for it, but I want to keep my eyes open.  That bracelet would be an amazing discovery for us, for the world.  He sighed laying down, and pulling her with him.

 

“So my love why is that bracelet so important?”  he asked smiling as she rested her cheek against his chest.  He rubbed her back, kissing the top of her head.

 

“Among the tales of Egypt one that has been told is about a powerful man, The Scorpion King,”  she began.  Rick grumbled something and yelped when she lightly bit him.

 

“Hey,” he said smacking her bottom.

 

“Behave Darling, or I’ll bite you harder the next time.”  Rick sighed and let her continue.

 

“At first he was among a group of assassins who defeated an evil man called Mimnon.  Once that happened, Egypt saw many peaceful years, and then The Scorpion King gathered an army of thousands of men, and began to take out the Ancient Kingdoms one by one, until only Thebes was left standing.  Pharaohs men had trained long to defeat him, and they did.  The rest is left up to myth. Some say that he made a pact with Anubis, a dark god and gained control of his army, the one that defeated this city. Others say the city fell under the curse of the Scorpion King, and it wasn’t until Seti’s time that the bracelet of Anubis was found and put into safe keeping,”  she said.  Rick had an uneasy feeling now that he knew the origin of the bracelet, and let her know that fast.

 

“Maybe since we have Alex with us, it’s not the best idea for us to try and find it.  I would assume it has a curse attached to it,”  he said as he thought of Hamunaptra.

 

“My father believed that it was just a bracelet, but there are some who believe whoever wears that bracelet will have the power to find the grave of the Scorpion King and once again raise the Army of Anubis,”  she said yawning.  Rick held her closer, and for now all talk of Scorpion Kings, and curses was left in the cool night, and the two lovers fell into a restful sleep, or at least one did.

 

A dream stole over Evelyn.  She saw images of a completed Thebes, of beautiful gardens, and a man who she didn’t know spinning her around.  Another image was of a woman, a beautiful woman who she walked the gardens with, perhaps a friend.  The next image brought sorrow as she watched priests sealing a tomb within Hamunaptra.

 

Beside him Rick felt his wife start to struggle, and felt her tears against his chest, which woke him.

 

“Hey,”  he said pulling her closer.  Evie came awake then, and lifted her head.

 

“I saw Thebes, but it wasn’t this Thebes, It was new, and beautiful, and I was somehow a part of it,”  she said.  More unease crept into Ricks heart and he sat up kissing her tears away.

 

“What else did you see?”  he asked.  Evie tried to think, but the more awake she became the less she was able to clearly remember what she had seen.

 

“It was just a dream,”  she said sleepily as she lay against the soft pillow on their bedroll.  Rick lay beside her, pulling her against him once again.  Long after she had gone asleep he watched her, worried that the dream had some sort of meaning.  Finally after a long time of watching her he went back to sleep, and the rest of the night went undisturbed.

 

~*~

 

Their first week at Thebes went by uneventful, and the restoration of the Throne room was going well.  They had found the stashes of treasures Evie had hoped to find, and everyone was pleased.  For Rick, his time was spent helping Jonathan with Alex who had been remarkably well behaved, and watching his wife who was waking up each night in great sorrow, then was unable to remember what she had dreamed.  This week Evie decided the group needed to begin the Restoration of the Temple of Osiris, and as the early Monday morning hours rolled past, the workers began to set up scaffolding in the Temple while Evie and another woman Sylvia dusted of the walls.

 

“What treasures are we to find here?”  she asked Evelyn.  Sylvia was a few years younger than Evie and had been her shadow for the past week.

 

“Scrolls mostly, ones I’ve seen before.  The museum would like to have them to put on display.  As far as any gold or jewelry, within these walls there isn’t much to find,”  She said as they worked together.  Rick came in at that point with Alex and his bucket and got him situated in an area instructing him to clean the floor, and put the sand he found in the bucket which Alex did gladly, then he went over to where his wife was working.

 

“So anything interesting ladies?”  he asked.

 

“Nothing out of the ordinary,”  Evelyn replied.  Rick nodded, and began to help them every so often looking in Alex’s direction finding his son happily working on cleaning the floor.  That job for Alex soon became boring, and so the toddler took his special light his daddy had given him and looked around the room.  He looked over at his daddy who was talking to his mummy, then moved to the far inner wall finding an entrance of some sort.  Since he was three, he didn’t have much fear, and went in the wall without hesitation.  Several minutes had passed since Rick had looked at Alex, and when he did all he saw was the bucket and the Shovel.  He looked around the room expecting to see him with some of the other workers, and when he did not he left Evelyn and began to look around.  The room was not all that big, and when Rick didn’t see his son, his heart began to pound.

 

“Evie Alex is gone,”  he said.  Evelyn looked at the bucket and not worried went to her husband.

 

“Go see if he went to the camp, I’m sure he went to find Jonathan and talked him into another swim in the Nile,”  she said.  Rick guessed she was right and walked out of the temple.  Jonathan had gotten heat stroke a few days before and wasn’t able to do much more than watch Alex during his naps, though yesterday the two had spent time in the Nile.  When he reached camp, he stuck his head in their tent, and not finding Alex there  went to Jonathan’s tent.

 

“Hey Jonathan, is Alex in there with you,”  A moment later Rick got his answer when Jonathan came out without his son.  As they were about to start a search Sylvia came running out.

 

“We found a passage, and Evie thinks Alex went in, she found his footprints in the sand,”  she said out of breath.  Rick left Jonathan speechless, and went back in the temple finding his wife frantic.  Quickly he grabbed her and held her until she calmed down.

 

“Rick he’ll get hurt,”  she said.

 

“Not if we hurry up and go find him.”  They gathered a few people and all went within the passage.

 

~*~

 

It was if something was drawing Alex within the depths of the temple, and the toddler walked the passages without getting lost.  Now deep within the underground passages, Alex snapped out of what ever trance he had been in, and looked around.  It was very quiet, and very dark with his small light.

 

“Mummy?”  he called out.  He began to wonder the passages blindly, walking for almost an hour until he found himself at a dead end.

 

“I want my mummy,”  he said and sat down beginning to cry.  What he did not notice were two scorpions by his hand, and he screamed when one of them stung him on his thumb.

 

~*~

 

On any other day, searching the passages beneath the temple would have been exciting for Evie, but the fact that her son was not with them, that he was lost somewhere within the depths of the temple made her sense of adventure disappear.

 

“ALEX,”  she yelled.  She and Rick had branched out from the group, and everyone had a string they had tied off at a junction which had three seperate passages.

 

“Rick where could he be?”  she asked holding tight to his hand.  Before either could answer they thought they heard a faint cry.

 

“ALEX,”  Rick yelled.  They heard more cries, and followed it until they came to the end of the winding passage and found Alex laying down.  Evlyn knelt down and upon touching him found him burning hot. 

 

“Oh god,”  Rick said noticing one dead scorpion beside where Alex had been laying.  Evie had not seen it and was holding her baby trying to get him to wake up.

 

“Evie he was stung by a scorpion we need to find where,”  Rick said.  She began to undress him and the looked all over his body, and just as they were about to give up, Rick took his hand and noticed how swollen his thumb was.

 

“I found it,”  he said taking a knife, but Evie moved his hand away.

 

“Rick you can’t do that, you’ll hurt him,”  she said sobbing.  Having seen men suffer from the sting of a scorpion,”  Rick knew they didn’t have much time.

 

“Evie listen to me.  I need to cut in to his thumb and try and Drain out the infection, then we need to get him back to camp and Let Dr. Ignatus look at him,”  Rick said.   Before she could say anything Alex woke up.

 

“Ummy ouch,”  he said softly.

 

“I know baby,” she said holding him close and closed her eyes as Rick cut into his thumb.  Alex screamed and cried begging Rick to stop as he began to squeeze his thumb.  Green infection dripped from his thumb for quite some time before the blood ran clear, and even then they were not out of the woods.  The venom had gone into his blood, and unless they got help, Alex would die.   Once Rick had wrapped a strip of cloth from his handkerchief around Alex’s thumb, they left, both running the way they had come, following the string path.  At the Junction they met with the other two groups who followed them out of the temple to the camp.

 

~*~

 

Night fell and Alex was very sick.  The Dr. had given him a shot of penicillin to try and fight of the venom, though he had said that the chances of Alex suriving the night were slim.  In their tent, Evelyn sat rocking her baby who was just in his underpants, wrapped in wet blankets they had soaked in the Nile to try and bring his raging fever down.  All Alex did was cry, and drift off into restless sleep.

 

“Alex listen to mummy, you have to stay with us,”  Evie said as she kissed his reddened cheeks.  Rick came in with more wet blankets and Evie let him take Alex to wrap him in those.

 

“No,”  Alex said softly.

 

“I know big guy,”  Rick said trying his best to be strong for both his wife and his son.  Once Alex was wrapped up Rick placed him on his bedroll, and went to where his wife was sitting crying.

 

“Why did we come back,”  Evie said as she let her husband hold her.

 

“Because we wanted to relive our past adventures?”  Rick said trying to lighten her mood.

 

“Because of that, we are going to lose our son,”  she said in a shaky voice.

 

“We won’t let that happen..”  he started to say then Evie got up and ran to Alex who had started to convulse.

 

“GET THE DOCTOR,”  she screamed holding him close.  Rick ran out and got Doctor Ignatus who sent Rick out to calm Evie.  Now they waited along with Jonathan for what seemed like an eternity before the Dr. came out.

 

“He is resting, but The poison is running its course,”  he said.  Evie pushed past him and went back to her baby

 

“Alex talk to mummy,”  she said laying next to him.  Rick came and lay on the other side of him, and both watched as he slept, his breathing labored.

 

~*~

 

In her dream Evie found herself at Alex’s bed, though where she found herself was once again in Thebes of Ancient times, and the child she tended was somehow not Alex, but hers.  This dream was not clouded, but as clear as any memory, and a priest came with a blue bottle and had the child drink from that.  The next image she saw was of the child playing, then the dream faded and she woke up as Alex started to scream.  His screams woke both parents, and Rick held him feeling the fever worse.

 

“I’m going to put him in the water,”  Rick said, knowing they had to bring down his fever.  Evie just nodded, and Rick left passing the doctor and the rest who had woken up.  Evie dressed and got a lantern then ran for the palace, knowing that the dream she had seen had meaning.  Upon their work in the Palace the week before they had found a room off of the Throne room, a room that looked like an Ancient version of a doctors office, but more holy, and Evie had believed it had belonged to Imhotep who aside from being the priest, was also a healer.  Now in his room, despising that she was in a place he had once walked, she began to look for the blue bottle.

 

“You must hurry,”  a voice said softly, using the ancient language.  Evie turned to find herself face to face with someone who looked like her, but was clearly not her.  The woman gave her the blue bottle.

 

“He must drink all of it,”  she said, then the woman was gone.  Evelyn ran back to their tent, and inside she found Rick with their baby who was breathing hard.

 

“Evie we need to find a way to save him,”  Rick said looking up at her.

 

“I have a way,”  she said.  She instructed Rick to lay so that he held Alex against him and then she offered Alex the bottle.  He got choked and began to cry, not liking what he was drinking.

 

“What is that?”

 

“Don’t ask questions just help me get him to drink it,” Evie said.  They had to force it down him, and it took almost ten minutes to get him to take all of it.  Once they had he continuted his raspy heavy breathing, with Rick holding him.

 

“Evie what did we just give him?”  Rick asked more demanding.

 

“I had a dream Rick, It was like I was here in Ancient times, and I saw Alex sick as he is now, and a priest giving him something from this bottle.  When I went into the ancient room, the one we found last week, I found the bottle, full,”  she said not wanting to tell him the exact details of the woman she had seen.  Rick was about to yell at her for acting so crazy, but then Alex’s breathing began to go back to normal.  Evie settled beside her husband, and Rick held her as well.  Despite their best efforts, they fell asleep with him.

 

~*~

 

It was feeling Alex begin to struggle against him which brought Rick to sudden wakefulness.  His son was still warm with fever, but not as bad as he had been.

 

“Shhh,”  Rick said.

 

“Daddy want up,”  Alex said softly.  Hearing his voice, Evelyn came awake and moved in front of Alex and Rick.  Her baby was very much awake, looking exhausted, but better.

 

“Are you thirsty?”  she asked.  He nodded and she went out of the tent finding her group awake all sitting around the fire.

 

“He is better,”  she said.  Dr. Ignatus wanted a look at him, and upon examining him found that Evelyn was right.  Now he sat watching Alex as he drank the water Rick had offered him.

 

“I’ve never seen anything like this,”  he said to Evelyn as she helped him gather what he had used to examine Alex with.

 

“Maybe you should see what this is made from,”  Evie said giving the blue bottle she had found in the Palace to the Doctor.  There was a little fluid left, and the Dr. left with the bottle in hand.  As the day moved on, Alex’s condition improved.  He was still weak, and wanted to sleep, which both parents were fine with, but it appeared he was getting better.  Now as he slept, Rick sat thinking things over, and Evelyn found him that way as she came in from exploring the room of Imhotep.

 

“What is on your mind?”  Evelyn said as she settled next to her husband.

 

“It’s ironic that a man like Imhotep who wanted to sacrifice you, and kill me, made something that saved our son’s life,”  Rick said as he gathered her in his arms.

 

“Before his betrayal of the Pharoah, he was a good man Rick.  He was the healer, and probably would cure most of the illnesses of today if he were still around to do so.  His knowledge of herbs, and medicines surpasses what Doctors know today, and I’m sure scorpion stings were more common then, than they are now,”  she said.

 

“It’s still ironic.  So what do you think of packing up and heading home early?”  Rick asked figuring she would protest.

 

“I think we should. He needs to rest, and the heat here isn’t good for him, not with what he has been through.  I think if we start now we can be ready by night, and if we ride through the night and into most of tomorrow we will be back in Cairo by nightfall.”  Rick turned her to face him and kissed her.

 

“I love you,”  he said.  She smiled and rested her forehead against his.  They shared a little cuddle time, then Evelyn addressed the workers who agreed to pack things up and leave, all supporting their decision to do what was best for Alex.

 

~*~

 

Evelyn’s plan of riding through the night and most of the next day worked, and by evening they were in Cairo.  Now in the comfort of their home, and in their room with the Ceiling fan on, Evelyn rocked her son who had just gotten a bath, and who was ready to sleep again.  Alex had finally eaten his first bit of solid food, regaining his appetite which the Doctor said he would do now that he was getting better.

 

“Mummy?”  he asked.  She smiled and kissed his wet head of hair.

 

“Yes baby.”

 

“I not want go back Thebes gain, dat hurt me,”  he said.  Evelyn held him closer to her chest.

 

“We won’t go back baby, rest now,”  she said.  Soon he slept, and after putting him in their bed, Evie went downstairs and found Rick and Jonathan talking.

 

“He’s asleep,”  she informed.

 

“Good, maybe being home will help him,”  Rick said.  Evie nodded walking to where he sat, and settled in his lap which quickly got rid of Jonathan.

 

“I want to go back to England,”  she said, having had her fill of Egypt.

 

“I made reservations for us on Friday, in two days time,”  he said as he kissed the top of her head.  Evelyn sighed.

 

“What?”  he asked.

 

“I’m not sure we need to be coming back here.  I think you were right about this place bringing us nothing but bad luck,”  she informed.  Rick moved her away so that she could see him face to face.

 

“Evie, I think that you and I coming back on digs is great.  I also think that leaving Alex home with your Aunt Annie would likely be better than trying to bring him with us,”  he said.  To that Evelyn shook her head.

 

“I remember what it was like when Mum and dad would leave us behind, and as Much as I love Aunt Annie, she isn’t responsible for taking care of our son,” Evie said.  She yawned, and Rick stood holding her in his arms.

 

“Why don’t we got upstairs and take a rest with Alex?”  he asked.  She nodded resting her head against his shoulder, and once in their room both parents slipped into bed with Alex between them joining him in sleep.

 

~*~

 

Chapter 6: Jonathan’s Party

 

It was raining when they had left London, and now upon their return, the O’Connells, and Jonathan found it was another chilly rainy day.  Their trip back had been fairly uneventful, and Alex had slept more than normal.  Now that they were home, Evelyn was going to take him to see their doctor, as well as their Family friend, Dr. Brigman, who knew about their times with the Mummy, and well believed them, and who could be trusted with that information.  As they got off the ship, Evelyn carried Alex to a waiting cab and got in, not wanting him to get chilled while the guys got their luggage.  Alex who had been asleep woke up as they settled in the car.

 

“Mummy home now,”  he said resting his head against her chest.

 

“We will be underway shortly baby,”  she said leaning down to kiss his soft forehead.  Alex sighed and closed his eyes which caused Evie to  frown, something that was not lost by Rick when he climbed in the back of the taxi beside her.

 

“He just wants to sleep,”  Evie said softly.  Gently, Rick took her hand in his own.

 

“He’ll be all right Evie, Dr. Ignatus said he would be tired for a while.”  The rest was an unspoken truth.  Alex shouldn’t be with them, and the sting from the scorpion should have taken him, however it had not, and both knew how lucky they had been.

 

~*~*~

 

Upon arriving at the Manor, Evie took Alex inside, and up to his own room to give him a bath and to get him dressed for bed, leaving Jonathan and Rick time to themselves.

 

“You know O’Connell, I got to thinking about your promise to me, the one about letting me have my girls here, while you Evie and Alex stayed at the Plaza,”  He said.  Too tired to really disagree or agree, Rick nodded his head.

 

“Just get some sleep, when we are more awake we can discuss that,”  Rick said carrying three suitcases with him up the stairs leading to the rooms he Evie and Alex slept in.  Alone Jonathan rubbed his hands together pacing and planning on what fun he would have.  He intended on having Angelique and Jossette to visit him, and with that in mind he headed to his own part of the house and went to bed.

 

~*~*~

 

After a full nights sleep the group was up early in the morning, mostly due to Alex being back to his normal energetic self.  Breakfast that morning was a noisy affair, with both parents telling Alex things such as not to spoon his cereal on the floor, or put his hands in it.  It was then too that Jonathan brought up his want to have his ladies over, and both Rick and Evie agreed that in four days time, when Friday rolled around, they would take Alex and stay at the Plaza.

 

“Well if you will excuse me I have arrangements to make,”  Jonathan said as he stood.

 

“Down, go if Unca John,”  Alex said hit his fits on the tray of his highchair.

 

“Hey Partner, I need to go into town to do a few things.  We will play later,” he said hoping Alex would take that as a reasonable answer.

 

“No go if you,”  he said.

 

“Go on Jonathan,”  Evie said knowing that when Alex became upset, it was difficult for her brother to leave him.  As soon as Jonathan left the room, Alex screamed and took his bowl of hot cereal, throwing it to the floor, and for Rick and Evelyn life was back to normal.

 

~*~*~

 

Arrangements were quickly made with the two beautiful woman of Jonathan’s fancy, and when Friday night rolled around, the host was ready for a party.  Jonathan was well known with single and married ladies alike for being a flirt, and all the ladies swooned over him.  All of his adult life he had heard enough from Evelyn that he needed to stop his careless ways and think seriously about a woman, but the problem was Jonathan liked his free way of living, and for the time being was not going to change his ways.  In the Parlor, he had candles lit all around, and had wine chilling and small finger foods ready for his guests.  Promptly at 9pm the doorbell buzzed, and Jonathan, who was dressed in a red evening jacket and dark slacks went to get it.  When he opened the front door, he had been expecting to see just Angelique and Jossette.  To his pleasant surprise they had brought a few other woman with them.  Kate, who was a voluptuous blonde, Mimmie who was a tall skinny Brunette, and Lilly who was a small plump red head.  Angelique’s features were soft, and she also had blonde hair.  Josette was dark haired with blue eyes and small in stature but well endowed.  Each of the women gave him a kiss as the entered then he led them into his Parlor.

 

“Welcome Ladies, make yourselves at home,”  he said.

 

“Oh we shall Jonathan, but we want to make you happy,”  Josette said.  Kate smiled.  She was young, just married a little over a year to a man who was married to his business.

 

“Just having you here makes me happy,”  he said as he approached her.

 

“My dear you don’t have to be so silent,”  he said as he took her hand and led her over to the coffee table.  There he poured her a drink, and sat beside her on the sofa.

 

“I’m not sure I should be here.  Robert says he knows I’m seeing other men, but he is so drab,”  she said.

 

“Well If he is away and not taking care of you, then you have a right to come over here and have some fun,”  he said.  She nodded and smiled as Josette and Mimmie pulled him to his feet getting him to dance with them.

 

~*~*~

 

After spending most of the day at the park, Rick and Evie had hoped Alex would wind down, but now almost at 10pm he was jumping on the bed laughing as his dad and mum danced.

 

“Me do me do,”  he said. 

 

“I’m afraid I have to leave you,”  Evie said as she and Rick shared a kiss.

 

“Just come back,”  he said as he nuzzled her neck.  It was difficult but Evelyn drew away from her husband and went to her little boy, picking him up.  Alex’s leg was fully healed and he was able to do what he wanted now.

 

“Mummy dance me,”  Alex said pouncing in her arms.  Evelyn spun around and Alex tilted his head back laughing as she did that.  When she stopped he wanted to do that again, but Evie knew they needed to get him settled down.

 

“No more, why don’t we get in the giant bath and play with your ships,”  Evelyn suggested

 

“Daddy you in if me?”  he asked.  Evelyn smiled.

 

“Yes angel,”  she replied smiling as Rick took her cue and went to get the bath running in the inground tub.  While he did that Evie got Alex out of his cloths, undressed down to his underpants, and before she could catch him he he ran into the bathroom where Rick was undressed.

 

“Woe there,”  Rick said as he lifted Alex away from the tub filling with water.

 

“You need to be careful big guy, or we will have to put another cast on you,”  Rick said.  Not having liked having one on, Alex listened to his daddy and waited until both parents were ready, then they all settled in the water.  For Rick and Evie standing, the water reached to their Knees.  Alex’s belly was covered as he stood in the water splashing and pushing his ship along.

 

“Daddy I be Mickey mouse,”  he said.  Just a few weeks before all of their adventure started, Jonathan had taken him to the Picture show to see a movie made by a man called Walt Disney, with a cartoon Mouse, something Alex had loved.

 

“All right, where are you going to sail your ship?”  Rick asked as he held Evie’s hand under the water.

 

“Goen to find A girl mouse.  Unca John say he need have a girl mouse,”  Alex informed.  Both parents groaned at the revelation, and Rick decided having a talk with Jonathan would be a good thing.

 

~*~*~

 

As the night passed on, most of the ladies had gone, leaving only Kate with Jonathan.  In his room the two of them kissed, and cloths were shed one at a time until only their nude bodies pressed together. 

 

“I miss being touched,”  Kate said as Jonathan sucked his way down her neck.

 

“Well you have come to the right place,”  he said as he found her right breast.  He took it between his teeth and nibbled on the nipple causing her to shutter all over.  With his other hand Jonathan rubbed over the left breast pushing it and pulling it, massaging it with his fingers.

 

“I need to lie down,”  she gasped.  Releasing her breast from her mouth,”  Jonathan let her back up until she came to the bed, then once she was on her back he moved over her.

 

“Make me forget Robert,”  she said peering into his eyes.

 

“Whose Robert,”  Jonathan said with a rye grin on his face, then he leaned down and kissed her, while at the same time rolling his hips joining their bodies as one.  Kate reached up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and Jonathan held her as he moved in and out of her, his body alive with sensation.

 

“Why don’t you settle down,” she managed as he lazily stroked in and out of her.

 

“I enjoy variety and spice of life,”  he said kissing her.  Lost in his kiss, Kate did forget for a while that she was a married woman, and let what Jonathan was doing her erase the emptiness she always felt at Robert’s long absences away.

 

~*~*~

 

It was the first glow of the morning sun peeping through the window that woke both of them.

 

“I should be going,”  she said as she stood.  Jonathan watched her, dumbfounded that a man like Robert could be so heartless not to want to love her and give her everything she wanted.  Once she was dressed, Jonathan got up and slipped on his robe helping her gather her things, then led her downstairs.

 

“I guess I will see you tonight at Genevieves?”  Kate asked. 

 

“Always,”  he said and gave her a kiss, then watched her go out to her car, and head to her own home.  Alone in the large house, Jonathan got to the task of cleaning up from his party, knowing that Rick and Evie as well as Alex would be home by lunch.  His promise to Rick was to have all evidence of women in the house cleaned away, so that Alex wouldn’t question things.

 

~*~*~

 

By Lunch they were home, and in the Parlor Alex had decided to make a ship out of the couch.  While removing all the cushions he found a silky red scarf, and a black pair of lace underpants.

 

“Mummy made mess,”  Alex said bringing the items to her.  At her desk Evie was enjoying a book, and when she saw what Alex had her book dropped.

 

“JONATHAN,”  she yelled gently taking the items Alex had away from him.  Used to his mum scolding his uncle, Alex went back to his ship building.  Both Rick and Jonathan came running from the back of the house, where they had been putting new shelves up in the back Library.

 

“You didn’t do a good job of cleaning up,”  Evie said angry.  Jonathan took the items in her hand and thought about Kate.

 

“Sorry Old Mum,”  he said backing away, then ran to keep from getting yelled at or worse by Rick.

 

“Mummy Unca John not wear dat undies, cause he a boy,”  Alex said from his ship.

 

“Hey partner, lets go see how Seti and Barnie are doing,”  Rick said desperately trying to think of a way to get his little boy’s mind off of the underclothes he had found.  Happily Alex agreed to that, and father and son went out for some time alone.  Sighing Evie shook her head then picked her book up from the floor, happy that life was back to normal.

 

THE END