Disclaimer: The Mummy Movies do not belong to me.  I acknowledge that I am using the characters, that they belong to Stephen Sommers, and that when I get done with them I will put them in their proper place.  The words to the song that are in single space seperated by the ~*~ are by Stephen Curtis Chapman, and I do not take credit for it.

 

Author: Shelby     

 

Summary:  Once again a very beautiful song has inspired this story, one written by Steven Curtis Chapman, called When Love Takes you In, which is also the title of my story.  The year is 1945, and Rick’s last duty in war is to help liberate some of the Concentration Camps.  As he is doing this someone finds their way into his heart and later on Evies.

 

Note: I may not be historically correct with this, here I acknowledge that, from what I read they did start to liberate the camps around 1945, and as far as what I do in this story, I will do my best to make it believable, just be patient and bare with me.  Thanks.  Read and Review please

 

 

 

When Love Takes You In

 

 

 

Prologue : World War II

 

 

The choice to move to the United States had been a difficult one, but one Rick insisted upon, once he knew that London was targeted for bombing.  He had stayed out of the war as long as he could, and in 1940 he was called to fight, and accepted what they wanted of him.  He was part of the British Forces, a high ranking officer, and his leaving had been very difficult on Evelyn.  Even more difficult was when Alex got accepted into Oxford, and despite Evelyn’s protests not to go back to England he had.  Alone, Evelyn had managed the Museum she had opened with permission from the town in  Montana she lived in, and the Bembridge Scholars, and that filled her days and nights. Jonathan had moved to Egypt and managed the Museum there being the best parent he could to his daughter Victoria who was now 17, and according to him, ‘Damn near impossible to handle’  The War it seemed was finally ending, and for everyone worldwide it was a relief.

 

 

Chapter 1 : Liberation

 

 

After five years of fighting the war, to stop the Nazis take over of the European countries and the world, Rick had thought he had seen it all, but nothing could prepare him for when his troops began to help with the liberation of the concentration camps.  He thought himself a strong man, strong in mind and body, but seeing the condition of the people who had been kept there, Jews, Gypsies, any outcast that the Nazis had seen fit to put in there, was hard for him to stomach.  He thanked god that Alex was in School, and that Evie was far from where he was.   Day after day they set more and more people free, people who had nothing, but were thankful for their freedom.  The other grueling part was the dead. Thousands of dead bodies were found in pits used as tombs, and it angered him that people could care so little for their fellow man.  Night had fallen, and he took the brief time he had to himself to write to Evelyn, telling her of the atrocities he had seen, and how he longed to be home with her to hold her in his arms.  When he finished the letter, he set it aside to be sent with the rest of the mail in the morning.  Now Corporal O’Connell rested for what little time he had, thinking of Evelyn and their son.

 

~*~

I know you’ve heard the stories

But the all sound to good to be true

You’ve heard about a place called home

But there doesn’t seem to be one for you

So one more night you cry yourself to sleep

And drift off to a distant dream

~*~

 

The men in green had come to her camp today, and said they were free, but Hannah had hidden, afraid they would be like the other men, the men who hurt her, the men who had taken her parents away from her, and her big brother Daniel.  She had hidden for weeks undetected, under the buildings that were homes, stealing what food she could find.  Now the darkness came, in the home she had made for herself, Hannah slept trying to remember what life was like, what a family was like, for it had seemed a dream when she had that.  Morning came, and she found herself alone.  There were no screams, no cries from babies who were starving, just silence,  Terrified of the silence, Hannah who had matted brown hair and the prettiest brown eyes, ran from her home finding the fences gone.  Her feet bled as she ran on the hard crawled surfaces, but she ran, wanting to find someone to be near, even if she didn’t let them touch her.

 

~*~

 

It was time to go home, and for Rick, he never thought that day would arrive.  As he packed his belongings, all the things he held dear, such as a picture of Evelyn and Alex the last time he had been granted leave to see them, he became aware of a shrill screaming, very loud, and hurried out of his tent.  Two of his men had a hold of a girl, a very tiny girl who looked terrified.

 

“Let her go,”  he said.

 

“But sir,”  one of the men said.

 

“That is an order private,”  he said.  The men set her down, and she looked around, like a scared rabbit, shaking like a leaf.  Her cloths were black with dirt, and Rick guessed her own feces, and she was extremely skinny.  Remembering how Victoria was when she had first come to them, and how she had responded best when he got on eye level with her, Rick knelt down.  As soon as he did, the girl’s eyes focused on him.

 

“Do you understand me?”  he asked.  Her teeth chattered, and she wrapped her arms across her front, and nodded her head slowly.

 

“Do you have family?” he asked her.  After a moments hesitation her head shook, and deductive reasoning told Rick that her family was likely killed in the camp they had liberated, though how she was able to service was beyond him.

 

“What should we do sir?”  Brian asked.

 

“Leave,”  Rick said, hoping that he could coax her into coming with him to the medical tent.  Something about her reminded him of a girl he had known in Cairo prison, a girl abused by the head master.  Elise had died due to that abuse, and something about this child reached out to Rick.

 

“My name is Rick,”  he said staying perfectly still.

 

“Huh  huh Hannah,”  she said in a voice so soft, Rick barely heard her.  He smiled at her, and she tilted her head as if judging him, to see if he was all right to trust.

 

“Hannah, will you let me take you to a place where we can get some warm cloths for you, just me and you?”  Rick asked.  Again she hesitated, then very slowly she walked to him, tired of being alone, and took his hand.  Her hand was nothing but the top layer of skin and bone, and Rick gulped wondering if after all she had been through, she would die because of starvation for too long.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

Another day at the Museum, and only a few people had been to visit.  Evelyn was ready to close, when someone knocked at her door.  When it opened, Alex grinned from ear to ear, and behind him Megan stood.

 

“Oh you two,”  she said as she went to them hugging both of them, and placing her hand on Megan’s swollen belly.

 

“You should have told me you were coming in,”  she said hugging her son, who was every bit as tall as his father, and just as handsome.  They helped her close things down, then they all got in Evie’s car and drove the ten miles into the countryside to the house.

 

“So have you heard from dad?”  Alex asked as Evelyn drove them.

 

“A few weeks ago yes.  He sent a letter about the liberation of the Nazi camps.  I think he is ready to come home,”  she said, knowing that she was ready for that to happen.  When they arrived at the house, Marie who had gone with Evelyn from London, greeted them, and gave Evelyn a message from Rick.  When she read the note and its contents she screamed, and Alex and Megan ran in afraid she had been attacked by some Egyptian curse.

 

“Oh he’s coming home,”  she said sobbing in her son’s arms.  Megan stepped out going upstairs to lay down.  The long trip had worn her out, and with her baby due any day now she knew she needed to rest.

 

~*~*~*~

 

A week had passed since Hannah had entered his life, and Rick had grown more attached to her as the days went by.  He knew it was insane to take her in, she was likely four or five, and he and Evelyn were about to be grandparents, but this little girl had stolen his heart.  Now as she had her lunch, Rick made a call to the states, and on the second Ring, Evelyn picked up the phone.

 

“Hello beautiful,”  he said.  Hannah looked at him with curious eyes and Rick pointed to her bowl of mush, and she continued to eat.

 

“Oh Rick, tell me your on your way,”  Evelyn said seated in her office.

 

“Soon Sweetheart soon.  Evie, hear me out.  I know you and I have raised Alex, always wondering why we never had anymore kids, and you don’t have to say yes, but my men found a girl in one of the camps.  None of us know how she managed to survive, but she has no one, and none of the people we freed knows her family.  I guess what I’m trying to say, is that I want her to stay with us.,”  he said.  For a moment Evelyn couldn’t think straight, then she thought about what he had said, and guessed that the girl wouldn’t have a life in an orphanage, and that he had a point, maybe this was what they were meant to do.

 

“Will they let you bring her with you?”  she asked.

 

“It’s going to take me longer getting home, to make sure she really doesn’t have family, but if she doesn’t then yes they will let me,”  he said.  Evelyn agreed, and after a little more conversation they got off the phone.  As she hung it up Alex ran in.

 

“Mum mum, she’s well she’s having the baby,”  he said totally panicked.  Evelyn had him take some breaths and called the doctor, then both of them went up to be with Megan.

 

~*~

Where love takes you in and everything changes

A miracle starts with the beat of a heart

When love takes you home and says you belong here

The loneliness ends and a new life begins

When love takes you in

~*~