Title: Snakes And Ladders

  Authors: Sarah ([email protected]) and Alex ([email protected])

  Rating: R

  Category: Drama/romance/angst

  Spoilers: Brief mention of events from TM

  Status: Complete

  Disclaimer: They don't belong to us

 

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

 

  She flung her pack over her shoulder. Jonathan had made her carry both packs and she brushed her hand over her face. She was so hot.  It felt even hotter here in India than it did in Egypt. She handed back the kerchief to Rick and smiled. "Thank you."

 

 "You're welcome," he smiled back, shaking his fringe out of his eyes. God, it was hotter than hell and he wiped his damp forehead with the back of his hand. He took one of the packs from her, slinging it over his shoulder before getting out the canteen and drinking thirstily. He offered it to her. "Want some?" he asked. 

 

  She took it, setting down the bags, and drank greedily. "Thank you," she said and blushed a bit under his gaze. "This place makes Egypt feel like a vacation spot." She smiled and picked back up her bags and began to walk ahead of him. "According to the map the temple should be close to us."

 

  Rick hurriedly packed away the canteen again and followed her, looking over her shoulder at the map. "Are you sure we're getting close?" he asked. "We've been trekking for hours already. Please don't tell me we're lost again." He sighed when he remembered how Johnathan had at first insisted on being the one to navigate and all he had done was get them hopelessly lost. After God knew how long of wandering around, Rick had yanked the map out of Johnathan's hands and given it over to his much more capable sister. 

 

  She brushed a fallen strand of hair out of her face and then looked around. "I'm sure it was supposed to be right here." She took a couple more steps and then suddenly the ground caved in and she fell down having found the place in a rather uncomfortable way. She landed on her back and grunted in surprise. "Oh...."

 

  "Evelyn!" Rick called out frantically. He peered over to where she had fallen through and he could vaguely make out her form. It hadn't been a big drop, but it looked dark down there. "Evelyn, are you all right? Are you hurt?" He took off his pack, getting ready to drop down and join her. "Watch yourself," he called, waiting a moment before letting his pack fall to the ground and he joined it, slipping a little and landing on his ass.

 

  "I'm just a little bruised up." She moved a little, then felt something cool slide over her skin. She sounded worried and bit her lip trying not to move as she spoke. "Rick! Something just slid over my arm." She paused. "Its on my stomach now!"

 

  "Just stay still and keep calm, Evelyn," he told her. He knew the kind of creatures that lived in hot places like this, such as snakes and scorpions, but they were only supposed to attack if provoked. He fumbled about with his pack, cursing softly. It was too damn dark in here...he finally got one of the torches lit and held it up to her to see what had crawled over her and gasped when he caught sight of it.

 

  It hissed and she sat incredible still. She was ready to scream out. A small, but poisonous snake lay curled on her stomach and she didn't even dare to breathe. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep and stayed as calm as she could.

 

   "Just don't move, Evelyn," he said, leaning closer to her. He didn't know much about snakes so he wasn't sure if this one was poisonous or not. It looked pretty small, but that didn't really mean anything and he wasn't about to take any chances. So far, it hadn't moved from where it was coiled on her stomach and he was just contemplating what to do when suddenly, it moved itself, hissing loudly.

 

  She felt it slowly leave her stomach and when she thought it was far enough away she twitched and sighed. She yelped loudly when she felt its teeth sink into her hand and she stiffened her hand and reached over ripping it out and throwing it aside. Then she lay back on the ground, breathing deeply.

 

  He jumped when she threw the snake aside and he drew one of his revolvers from the holster at his side, aiming and blowing the damn thing to smithereens before it could do any more damage. Having done that, he dropped to her side and looked over her anxiously. "Oh God, are you all right?" he asked, grabbing a hold of her hand to take a closer look at the fang marks on the back of her hand. The skin had been punctured and little dots of blood showed on her skin where the snake's teeth had bitten.

 

  She twitched a bit. "I'm okay," she whispered reassuringly and she lay uncomfortably wondering where her brother had gone off to.  She looked at him and offered a forced smile. "Not too bad..."

 

  He shook his head, knowing she must be feeling anything but okay right now. He dug around in his back pocket and pulled out his butterfly knife, snapping it open. "Okay now, Evelyn, I need you to hold still for me, honey. I'm gonna have to cut you a little so that I can get out the poison, all right?" 

 

  She nodded and gave him her hand. Her palms were sweating furiously and her body was shaking. Her forehead was blotted with sweat as well and she looked at him for comfort. Oh, she wanted the pain to stop. "I found the place," she said ironically.

 

  "So I gathered," he said wryly. "Just our luck that something like this should happen." He smiled at her reassuringly, gripping her hand tightly in his before digging his knife into her soft skin, wincing at her cry of pain as he X'd the wound. He quickly lowered his lips to it, trying to suck out as much of the poison as he could before drawing back to spit it away. He could hear her whimpering softly and he hated himself for causing her pain, but he had to do this, otherwise it could get a whole lot worse.

 

  She felt a bit faint, but she kept her cries to a minimum while he sucked the blood from her skin. She closed her eyes tightly and her lips and throat felt very dry. "Rick...when you are finished may I have a drink?" she asked quietly.

 

  Finally, he was done sucking out the poison and he looked up at her worriedly. Her cheeks and forehead were sweaty and he dug out the canteen from his backpack, but first, he had to stop the blood and bandage up her wound. He set the canteen on the ground and tugged his shirt out of his pants, yanking it off and ripping it so that he could get some of the material to staunch the blood flow. Luckily, there wasn't that much of it, but he pressed down hard anyway. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wished they had brought medical supplies with them, but for now, they were going to have to make do. He helped her sit up and held the canteen to her lips, letting her drink.

 

  She was grateful he had helped her drink from it and she took a few sips before leaning back. She was hurting. "Oh, I'm so stupid, I should have kicked him off of me before he bit me." She looked up at him gratefully, this man who had once again probably saved her life and she gave him a small smile.

 

  "Don't worry about it, it's okay," he told her softly, pulling back the cloth to see that the bleeding had pretty much stopped by this time. He tore another strip from his shirt and wrapped it as tightly around her hand as he could. "It's all over now, Evelyn." He smiled gently at her and ripped off another piece of his shirt, wetting it a little with water before dabbing it to her head, trying to cool her down. "How are you feeling? Are you having trouble focusing at all? Headache? Nausea?" 

 

  She nodded and looked him square in the eyes focusing as much as possible on him. "You are very beautiful to look at," she remarked to calm her mind and his. She blushed a little. They had hardly been romantically involved since their return a couple weeks ago from Hamunaptra. Things had been so busy. 

 

  He felt his own cheeks grow hot and he laughed, a little self-consciously. He hadn't thought twice about taking off his shirt to use the material as makeshift bandages, but now that things had calmed down somewhat, he suddenly became very aware of the fact that he was naked from the waist up in front of her like this. "Are you coming onto me, Evelyn?" he teased. "Now I know you must be feeling sick." He wet the strip of cloth again, gently wiping over her cheeks and forehead.

 

  She blushed. She hadn't thought she was coming onto him, but it must have sounded like she had. She adverted her eyes. She was hot. "Get my neck, you can unbutton the top of my blouse if you need to," she said and stared up at him. She knew it could be a whole lot worse then it was.

 

  He nodded, fumbling with the top couple of buttons on her blouse and finally slipping them out of their hold. He held the cloth up to the neck of the canteen, tipping it so that it soaked up some of the water. He gently dabbed the side of her neck, her throat. "Is that better?" he asked anxiously. If she was feeling that hot, it couldn't be a good thing. He kept talking to her, hoping that she would stay alert. Thankfully, he had rid her of most of the poison, but he still had to make sure she was okay. 

 

  She looked at him and nodded. "Yes, thank you." She brought her hands up undoing the rest of the buttons and letting the long thin film of fabric slide off her shoulders so only her thin undershirt remained. "Much better," she told him, watching him carefully and placing a hand on his shoulder.

 

  He jumped when her hand touched his bare skin and he respectfully kept his gaze above her shoulders. He cleared his throat nervously as he continued stroking the damp cloth over her heated skin. He glanced up at her face, giving her a lopsided smile. "You all right?" he asked, wanting to make sure. They were miles away from the nearest village and he sincerely hoped that she wouldn't get ill.

 

  "I think I'll be okay," she said, not wanting to move on but wanting to stay behind and be held in his arms. "Shall we go then?" she asked, making an effort to stand. She only leaned back in his arms. He was looking at her oddly she noticed, in a way that made her heart pound quickly.

 

  "Hey, hold on a second," he said, pulling her back. "We've been wandering around for hours under the scorching hot sun, you just had a run-in with some nasty snake and now you want to go exploring? Sheesh, woman, rest for a moment, would you?" His tone was light, but he knew he was babbling, a sure sign that he was nervous. He couldn't tear his gaze away from hers and he started breathing a little faster. He was almost unaware of the fact that his arms had tightened around her, keeping her close to him.

 

  She nodded and closed her eyes, resting her head against his chest. "Are you frightened?" she asked, for she could feel him trembling as he held onto her. She had to reassure him that she would be all right and that she wouldn't need help though she wasn't sure herself.

 

  "Who, me? No," he replied quickly, shaking his head. He willed his body to stop shaking and he sighed deeply, holding onto her tightly. He rested his chin on her head and his gaze darted around the room. His torch was still burning and he could see that they were in an underground chamber of some sort. Not that that mattered yet, there would be no exploring until she began to feel a little better. He glanced up to where they had fallen through. "Maybe we should go back," he said uncertainly.

 

  "I'm fine," she insisted and pulled free from his arms standing up and holding her arm delicately where she had lost some of the feeling from the bite. She looked around and leaned against a stone rise. It was with great interest that she looked around the place.  

 

  He sighed, getting to his feet. No matter how much he loved her, she was still the most stubborn person he'd ever met in his life. Once she set her mind to something, there was no talking her out of it. Barely a month of getting to know her had gone by, but he was already aware of that aspect of her personality. "All right, we'll look," he said, even though he wanted nothing more than to turn back and get out of this damn place. "But if you even begin to feel sick, we are *leaving*. Okay?"

 

 "I don't feel sick at all," she said and looked back at him smiling. She hated to lie to him, and yet it was clear by the fever she was forming that she was. Her body was doing battle with the poison that had soaked into her bloodstream and she didn't really feel all that great.  

 

  He stared at her for a long time and he couldn't bring himself to give her a smile of his own. His forehead creased in a frown. He really didn't like this place, it kind of freaked him out. And they sure as hell hadn't gotten off to a fine start. She didn't look sick at all, but he was still worried about her. If anything did happen to her, they were too far away from the nearest medical centre. He shook his head, trying not to think about that. She said she was all right and he believed her. He broke her gaze and bent down to pick up the torch, holding it up so that they could get a better look at their surroundings.

 

  She walked over to him and looped her arm through his. They had not done a lot of talking lately. They hadn't even kissed romantically though she wanted to badly. She looked up at him and then she began to feel her legs give out on her. "Rick, catch me!" she cried before she began to fall.

 

  He gasped in shock as she stumbled and he caught her before she could fall. He lay her gently down on the ground, placing his hand to her forehead. She was burning hot. "Oh my God! Evelyn, talk to me," he said worriedly, gently shaking her. She was shivering slightly and he held her tightly, hoping she wasn't going to go into shock. He looked down at her face and he could see that she had started sweating again and that her pupils were dilated. "Right, that does it. We are leaving *now*!"  He glanced up at the hole where they had fallen through, wondering how the hell they were going to get back up there. "Evelyn? Sweetheart, say something."

 

  "Rick...I'm okay," she replied weakly and looked up at him, blinking a few times. "Just tired...very very tired. Let me rest here and then we'll explore. I do so want to explore." She shivered now despite the fever and her burned flesh. She reached for him.  She suddenly voiced what had been on her mind. She would never have thought to speak of this, but her slight delirium was the cause. "Rick...why have you not kissed me again?" she asked softly, trying to focus on him.

 

  Now that question had caught him off-guard. Her eyes kept closing and opening again as though she were struggling to stay awake. He had to keep her talking until he could figure out a way to get her out of here. He couldn't let her lose consciousness. He held her tightly, his gaze darting around frantically in an attempt to find a way out. She had a point though, not since Hamunaptra had they shared a proper kiss. He knew the real reason why, which was he had been afraid. God knew he wanted to kiss her and never stop kissing her, but every time they seemed to get closer, something happened and stopped them. Just like this. Still, this was one conversation they could save for later. "I kiss you all the time," he said hesitantly, getting out the water again to try and make her drink.

 

  She shook her head and opened her eyes. "No, you don't. You never kiss me anymore. But that's okay." She stopped midsentence to take long drinks of water, some of it dribbling down her chin. "We aren't together really...so I shouldn't expect it."

 

  "Yes, we are together," he said in confusion, wiping away the water that dripped down her chin. He sighed, taking back the canteen and stroking her hair. He bit his lip, wondering how he was supposed to tell her exactly *why* he hadn't kissed her lately. "All right, so I haven't kissed you properly lately, but there is a reason for it."

 

  She looked up at him, forcing her eyes to stay open. Her fever was getting worse. "You never made it clear you were courting me." She sighed and decided not to fight with him. "Why haven't you kissed me?" she asked again and let his arms support her body entirely. She was shaking too hard to do it for herself.

 

  He held her tightly, feeling the shudders wrack her body. "God, I didn't want to tell you like this," he said, fighting the urge to cry. "But I didn't want to scare you. I know that sounds stupid, but it's true. Every time I look at you, I want to kiss you. I want to kiss you and never stop, Evelyn. God dammit, I want to make love to you!" He brushed the hair back from her forehead tenderly. "I wanted to take this slow, to make it special for you, but all I've done is screw things up because that's all I ever do. And now this happens to us, well, that's just my luck." He laughed bitterly, knowing he was losing it a little. "It's all my fault we're here, Evelyn. If only I'd taken you back sooner, then you might not have gotten this sick. I shouldn't even have let you come here." He hung his head, letting a tear slip down his cheek. "It's all my fault."

 

  She brought his head to rest against her breast as if he was a frightened child. "Shhh now, none of that. No need to cry for me." She rocked him in her arms trying to force herself not to shiver.  "Oh, darling, I love you. I love you no matter what you do, or what happens."

 

  He buried his face against her chest and sobbed, feeling guilt over getting her into this situation, over having her comfort him when she was the one who was sick. He didn't know what was wrong with him, he had never fallen apart like this before. He suddenly realised that it was the first time she had told him she loved him. He knew that she did, but she had never spoken the words before. He held onto her fiercely. "I love you so much," he muttered. "Please don't leave me, Evelyn."

 

  She soothed his tears and his sobbing and she comforted him, knowing exactly how he felt. She wanted to cry too, just wanted to lay in his arms. "There now, darling, its all right. I'll be okay," she said hopefully, knowing that he wasn't dealing well with this right now. His skin felt cool against her own burning flesh and hands. "We've been in bad before," she reminded him gently.

 

  "Never like this," he said softly. He cried his last tears and then pulled away from her slightly to sit up straighter, cupping her face in his hands. He kissed her gently, letting his lips press against hers momentarily. When he pulled back, he told her, "that is for not having kissed you lately." And then his lips met hers once more, softly, sweetly. "And that is what you have to look forward to when we make it out of here." He grinned. He had said *when* not *if*. His determination was back after that brief moment of collapse and he smiled. "I'm not giving up, Evelyn. Not now, not ever. We're going to make it, I know we will."

 

  It was then the voice came from up above. "EVELYN!!! Where are youuuu?" Jonathan slipped and fell plop onto his tush into the tunnel. "Oh bloody hell," he yelped and cradled his butt. "Evie?" He looked around and saw a torch burning. "Oh, there you two are," he said, thankful that he still had the rope to get them out of there. "Hey, what on *earth* do you think you're doing?" He was shocked to see a shirtless O'Connell half-laying on top of his sister.

 

  Rick looked up, laughing at the man's sudden appearance. "Johnathan, I don't think I've *ever* been so happy to see you before," he told him, his smile widening when he caught sight of the rope he held in his hands.

 

  She was slipping and she needed a doctors administration of enti-venom. She looked up at Rick, forcing her eyes open. "Kiss me again, I don't think I can feel my face."

 

  "Jesus, that can't be good!" Rick got to his feet, stooping down to pick her up, cradling her in his arms. He lowered his head to kiss her lips quickly, pushing her hand away when she tried to hold him to her. "Unh-uh," he admonished her. "I told you we have to get out of here first before I give you any more of those." He smiled at her reassuringly. He looked over at Johnathan. "Come on, Johnathan, we have to get out of here and fast."

 

  "What's wrong with her?" asked Johnathan, coming over to her side.  She looked back at him tiredly and he stroked her cheek. "Jesus Christ Evie, you're burning up." He looked at O'Connell. "What happened to her?" he asked worriedly.  

 

  "Snake bite," said Rick quickly. "She'll be all right for now, but we have to get her out of here and to a doctor right away." He carried Evelyn over to where they had first fallen in and he looked over at Johnathan. "You go up first, okay? Then you can help Evelyn up there." 

 

  He nodded and threw back up the rope, letting it catch on the side and slowly began to climb up it. He settled back on the ground and then reached down. "Its too far, I won't be able to reach her. Can she bring herself up? Either that, or you'll have to carry her up." 

 

  Rick nudged Evelyn gently. Her eyes had slipped shut again and there was no way she would be able to make it up the rope on her own, she was barely conscious as it was. "Hey," he said softly. He kissed her gently. "Change of plan. Don't conk out on me and I'll keep on kissing you," he said, hoping to keep her alert. "Now there's an incentive wouldn't you say?" Her eyes opened to look up at him. "Now I need you to hold on tight, I'm gonna try and get you up to the surface, all right?"

 

  She nodded and let him help her onto his back like a child. She used all her strength to cling to him and it was hurting her already.  "Okay I'm with you, but those had better be some good kisses," she warned and held onto his back. Her legs wound around his chest and felt him begin climb up the rope. She whimpered in his ear most of the way up.

 

  His heart almost broke when he hard her small noises of pain, but eventually, they reached the top. He sat down for a moment to catch his breath from the climb and he eased her into his lap, resting his forehead against hers. "Doing good so far," he murmured and kissed her again. "Keep with me and there'll be more where that came from."  He got to his feet, lifting her so that he cradled her in his arms. "Try to stay awake, Evelyn," he told her gently. He looked over at Johnathan. "Ready to go?" he asked.

 

  Jonathan was grumbling bitchily about all the kissing, but he was worried and kept his comments to himself for once. "Yes, its about a two hour walk back to camp and from there we have the camels and we can get her to a doctor. Was it a very poisonous snake, O'Connell?"

 

  She turned in Rick's arms and kissed him back gently, then felt him guide her down the path. She was worried she would be too heavy and that he couldn't carry her for that long.

 

  "Poisonous enough," he replied, following Johnathan, praying that he remembered the right way back to camp. "I managed to get most of it out of her, but she must still have some in her bloodstream which is why she needs medical treatment right away." He continued walking, kissing Evelyn gently whenever she seemed to start zoning out again. 

 

  She remained snuggled in his arms and then she began to drift off. She had been enjoying his kisses, but that last one had hardly been strong enough to rouse her. 

 

  "O'Connell, keep her awake...do whatever you have to, just keep her awake."

 

  He barely heard Johnathan's words as Evelyn started to lose consciousness. He stopped walking for a moment and he nuzzled her nose gently with his. "Hey, Evelyn," he said, repeating her name until her eyes finally opened. It took a while, but finally she looked up at him. "I need you to hold on for me. We're almost at camp." Her eyes had started to fall shut and before she could slip out of it, he quickly pressed his mouth to hers, but this time he nipped at her lower lip, letting his tongue slip into her mouth and *that* got a reaction from her.

 

  It caused her to kiss him right back, one of her hands moving slowly, but surely around his neck as she held him to her lips. Oh, he tasted wonderful, she must surely be dreaming to feel something so marvellous. She kissed him with all the effort she could provide, keeping her mind awake.

 

  He kept that up for another couple of minutes before pulling away, breathing hard. He smiled at her and began walking once more. "Any more kisses like that and *I'm* the one who's gonna need treatment," he joked, feeling elated when she smiled slowly at him in return.

 

  She nodded. "Any more kisses like that and I don't think we should remain merely 'together,'" she said, once again not really thinking about what she was saying or having enough energy to stop herself from speaking her mind on such intimate matters.

 

  He chuckled softly, thrilled at the fact that she had actually started talking to him again. Now, he just had to try and keep her that way. "Hmm, just hang on until we reach the hospital sweetheart, then this 'beautiful' body you were admiring earlier will be all yours." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Johnathan's look of disgust, but he couldn't worry about that right now. Evelyn was still hanging on, that was all that mattered.

 

  "I could never consummate without marriage." Again she spoke her mind without thinking and she heard Jonathan tell her she must delirious to be thinking of such things. She didn't hear him though, she was only focused on Rick.

 

  "Well, if that's the case, I'll make you a little deal. You hold on until we reach the hospital and I'll marry you. Can't say fairer than that." He could see Johnathan staring at him as though he had lost his mind, but he was being honest. "I mean it, Evelyn. Just hang on and I'll give you whatever you want."

 

  Jonathan looked at him in horror. "She most certainly will not marry you and you should shut your mouth, O'Connell. Especially since she is so sick." He ran his fingers through Evelyn's hair. Her fever seemed worse but he was more caught up in this affair of her getting married.  

 

  Rick sighed, trying not to lose his temper. His nerves were already worn down and he was still worried sick over Evelyn and doing all that he could to keep her with it. "Look, you said do all that I can to keep her awake. Talking to her and kissing her is keeping her awake. I'm sorry if you don't agree with that, but right now, it's the only thing that'll work. Just let me deal with it, all right?"

 

  "Well, asking her to marry you is going a bit too far," he snapped and looked at Rick with daggers in his eyes. 

 

  She watched them both, waiting to hear Rick's reply. She wasn't sure that he had really meant what he'd said and she was key to see how this was going to go. She just prayed that they wouldn't get in an all-out fight.

 

  "Going too far?" Rick exclaimed, not slowing down for a second. "What the hell do you mean by that? For God's sake, are you *blind*? I love your sister more than anything and I *do* want to marry her. As a matter of fact, I've been trying to think of a proper way to ask her ever since we returned from Hamunaptra!" He bit his lip. He had let too much slip already and he quickened his pace, not saying anything more.

 

  She saw the shock and dumbfounded look her brother gave them and she knew he would stay quiet as he'd been struck by that comment.  She reached over and placed her hand, which had now turned as cold as ice against his bare chest. "Yes, Rick."

 

  "Yes, what?" he asked in confusion, wondering when the hell they were going to reach the campsite. Already he was sorry for snapping at Johnathan. The guy wasn't that bad, he really did love his sister and he had rescued them. So he could be somewhat annoying at times... He glanced down at Evelyn, wondering if she hated him now.

 

  "I'll marry you, if you are being serious," she told him and pressed her lips to his chest. She looked up at him and held on tightly, letting tears fall from her eyes. She had sworn never to marry, but she fell in love and that changed everything, especially her daddy saying she'd never find a man who could deal with her. 

 

  Now that stopped him in his tracks and he stared down at her in shock. "Really?" he asked. "You want to marry me?" He frowned, almost as if he couldn't believe what she had said to him. "Of course I'm serious, Evelyn. I love you so much, but I still can't figure out why you would want me. I know I'm not exactly a prize catch or anything and I don't have much to offer other than my love...you *really* want to marry me?" 

 

  She nodded, closing her eyes again and pushing her face against his chest. Her fever was raging now and she was becoming more and more dizzy. She must have burned his skin cause she felt him flinch at the touch of her forehead. She sighed softly.

 

  "Hey, don't you dare fall asleep on me after all this," he whispered, kissing her forehead. She was burning up, even worse than before. He gently kissed her lips and then motioned for Johnathan to bring him the backpack. "Get out the water, she needs to cool down," he said frantically.

 

  Jonathan hurried forward and grabbed the canteen, one of the ones they were carrying and poured it over her head. She coughed and sputtered, and he left it entirely up to Rick to calm her down. 

 

  She was clinging to him and had begun crying softly.

 

  "You didn't have to *drown* her!" Rick snapped, glaring at Johnathan before shushing Evelyn. It was the first time he had ever seen her cry and it frightened him. He was used to her always being the strong one, but this time he had to be the tower of strength. "Sssh, sweetheart, it's going to be okay," he said soothingly. His heart soared when he looked up to see their camp not so far away. "We made it to camp, Evelyn. It won't be much further now."

 

  Jonathan shrugged. "With her, you have to be rough or she doesn't get the message," he said as he watched O'Connell baby his baby sister. He humphed. That was his job, but he hurried ahead to grab the camels, only getting two ready.

 

  She let the tears spill down her cheeks and she felt much like a child in need of a parental touch, but she had more than that. She had Rick, and she tried to take warmth in his love and affection. She shivered, a little in shock over having the cold water poured over her, yet it had helped calm her fever a bit. 

 

  He held her tighter, kissing her gently. "Sssh, just hold on sweetheart," he said softly, approaching one of the camels that Johnathan had gotten ready for them. He quickly got on the camel, still holding her in his arms and he bid the camel to rise which it did. He turned to Johnathan. "Come on," he said. He looked back down at Evelyn. "Just stay awake, all right? It won't be much further, I promise."

 

  She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest and she felt his hand in her hair. "Sing to me, talk to me....do anything...I'm so tired," she said softly, ignoring the huffing coming from Jonathan about how close she was to Rick. "My hand hurts so badly." Indeed it was swollen from the bite.

 

  "I know, I know," he said, stroking her hair. He smiled slightly. "Just don't fall asleep, all right? Please, Evelyn, hold on for me." He held her tightly so as to make sure that she wouldn't start to slide off the camel. "We'll get you to the hospital real soon and then you'll be better in no time. And then you can do whatever you wanna do. You'll be strong enough to go out exploring again." He grimaced slightly. "But maybe we could just forget about that for a while. "There are better things to do." He kept up a steady stream of conversation, trying to keep her alert.

 

  She continued to fight off the need for sleep, wondering why it was  that anything painful never allowed you to slumber. She couldn't keep her head from rolling back on her shoulders and she mumbled something that made little sense. She couldn't help but slip out of consciousness for a few seconds.

 

  He gasped, grabbing her tightly when she slumped in his arms and he shook her gently. "Evelyn?" he said, panicked. "Evelyn, open your eyes. Don't fall asleep on me here!" He tipped her chin and pressed his mouth to hers, keeping up with the kisses that had kept her conscious for the past couple of hours. His tongue moved in her mouth, gently playing against her tongue and it took a while for her to respond, longer than any time before. Her eyes finally fluttered open after he broke the kiss. "Gonna make me work to keep you awake huh?" he asked, smiling.

 

  She tried to keep up with him. "If that's work, you must have a pretty good job," she told him with a tired, but coy smile. The fingers of her good hand held tightly to him and her lips still tilted in the same way that they had been as he kissed them.

 

  "Damn right," he told her with a smile, but then stopped when she frowned at him. Then he remembered. "Oh sorry, I'm not supposed to swear." He grinned. "I guess you'll cure me of that habit," he said, kissing her lips once more, not to keep her awake this time, but just because he could. She was holding onto him now which was a good sign. At least she had the energy to do that. 

 

  She kissed him back gently, eagerly. "I'm going to spend all my life kissing you," she said, surprised that she could keep herself awake when he kissed her like that. She blushed and closed her eyes, giving a slight moan as pain brushed across her breast. "It hurts."

 

  "I know it does, sweetheart," he said sadly, knowing that he couldn't do anything for her right now other than to keep her awake and get her to a hospital as fast as he could. "Just a little while longer Evelyn and I promise you, it'll all be better soon." He kissed her gently. "Where are you hurting, your hand? Your head?"

 

  She felt him place his hand on her neck and she closed her eyes.  "Lower, Rick...lower," she instructed him her head rolling back a bit. She felt him keep going on her upper chest. "Lower, no, no undo the buttons," she told him.

 

  He did so, unfastening the buttons of her blouse almost to the point of indecency. "You hurt here?" he asked worriedly, wondering why that was. Her skin was flushed and he wished he could get a damp cloth to wipe over her skin, but his hands were full. So to speak. He bit his lip, trying not to focus on the flesh that was being revealed to him. "Are you hot Evelyn? Does this feel better?" he asked anxiously.

 

  "No, it still hurts. Move lower," she said softly, arching her back a little so that he could find the breast that was bothering her. She opened her eyes, blinking a little and then as she felt him go lower, she closed them again, praying her brother wasn't watching this.

 

  He grunted when she pushed her breast into his palm and automatically, his hand gently squeezed it. He groaned, closing his eyes. God, she felt so soft, so good. "You hurt here?" he mumbled into her ear. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he came back to himself, remembering where they were. He pulled his hand away awkwardly. "Sorry," he muttered, his cheeks flushing bright red.

 

  "Well, don't stop," she complained. "It really hurts me there." She sighed. "Lower, yes, lower please," she said, burying her face into his chest. At least her brother was walking behind them so that Rick's back hid his hands from view.

 

  "What, down here, you mean?" he asked, moving his hand to gently rest on the skin of her stomach. Well, at least that wasn't so bad. He gently stroked over her skin as though she had a tummy ache. "You hurt here, Evelyn? Is this better?" He quickly turned his head to make sure that Johnathan wasn't seeing any of this. Luckily he hadn't and Rick turned back to Evelyn. He knew this was innocent, but he also knew that it wouldn't look that way to Johnathan if he caught sight of them. 

 

  "Close, but it hurts lower," she informed him in a begging whisper. She felt him rub her abdomen. She realised she was still wearing her belt and she moved his hand over it. "Too tight, it hurts me. It hurts inside as well," she complained, sighing softly when she felt his fingers undoing it. "Not there, lower."

 

  "Lower?" he asked as he worked at her belt buckle with one hand while holding her close with his other arm. He bit his lip, fumbling with his fingers which had suddenly gone nerveless at her commands. He finally got the belt undone and let it slip off of her. He rubbed gently over where the belt had been, letting her move his hand to rest low on her belly. "Well, that's that gone," he said nervously. "Surely you can't be hurting any lower than this."

 

  She reached down and gripped his wrist, pushing his hand down a little more until she could feel it resting against the curls between her legs. "I hurt here," she told him in a soft childlike whimper, needing of his touch.

 

  He swallowed hard when his fingers touched her wetness and he stifled a groan. This was bad, very bad. She held him to her so that he couldn't move his hand away. He cleared his throat nervously. "That must be some pain," he said, swallowing again. He resisted the urge to move his fingers and he tried to tug them away.

 

  She felt his hand leave and she let him go, not wanting to force him to be close to her in such a way. She rested her forehead against his throat and her eyes slipped shut once more. Her hand reached up and stroked through his hair very slowly. She was losing  

herself again and she let her hand fall as she drifted back into sleep.

 

  Oh God, not this again. He moved his hands away from...down there back to her shoulder, pushing against her gently. She didn't stir. He lowered his head to kiss her once again, seeing as that had always worked before, but this time, she didn't wake up. He shook her again, a little more frantically this time. "Evelyn? Evelyn, please wake up," he said, starting to panic now.

 

  Her breathing was low and quiet as she slept and her body fought to stay alive, but it was getting so much more difficult to wake up anymore.

 

  He shook her again, hard. "Evelyn!" he said loudly. He very gently slapped her cheek and she moaned a little, but didn't open her eyes. "Oh, shit, this is bad," he muttered to himself. He reached for the canteen by his hip, fumbling to get the lid off the container and then poured some of the water over her head, feeling terrible about treating her this way, but he had to do something, anything to wake her up.

 

  Her head lolled back and she hardly felt the coolness of the water on her face. Her lips were parted, open and moist from the kiss that he had just given her.

 

  He nudged her cheek, feeling rewarded when she let out a small moan. At least she wasn't totally unconscious yet, so that meant there was hope. He kissed her swollen lips and still she didn't respond. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He moved his hand back lower between her legs, first making sure that Johnathan wasn't watching and he stroked against her, hoping that would get a reaction from her. "Come on, come on, wake up," he muttered.

 

  She had already started to stir a little when she felt his lips touch hers in another tantalising kiss and when she felt his hand move down between her legs, it wrung another moan from her, but this one of more intimate qualities. She had never been touched there and her eyes fluttered awake at the sensation of his caresses. Her hand came up to touch his neck and kept him kissing her.

 

  He pulled away from her slightly so that he could see her face and he smiled broadly at her. "Welcome back," he said softly, kissing her forehead. He hugged her tightly to him with the one arm he had around her. "You had me scared there, Evelyn. I thought you weren't gonna wake up." His smile stretched out into a grin. "Try and stay awake, all right?"

 

  She nodded her head and her cheeks were flushed, though this time not so much from fever, but from the fact he was touching her in very pleasurable ways. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words fell limply upon her lips and she pressed her face into his chest.

 

  "Hey, are you okay?" he asked in concern. He tipped her chin up to look at him. "Please talk to me, Evelyn. I need to know that you'll stay with me." He squeezed her gently, pressing his lips to her head. "Don't fall asleep on me like that again, I don't know if I can take another scare like that." He looked up to see if they were any closer to civilisation and the hospital.

 

  She looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry, I couldn't make myself talk when you are touching me like that," she told him, as though he had forgotten his finger's position on her body. She nuzzled his face and kissed his lips a couple of times. "I'm doing the best I can, I'll try better to stay awake," she told him quietly, catching her breath.

 

  "Hey, you're doing just fine," he told her before her other words hit him. He began to blush profusely when he realised where his hand still lay and he pulled it back to rest on her thigh. "Sorry," he said, avoiding her gaze. "It's just that you wouldn't wake up and I got scared and I couldn't think of any other way to wake you..." he mumbled, hoping she wasn't mad at him.

 

  She looked away from him. "No, I'm sorry about that, I never meant for you to feel uncomfortable." Small beads of sweat were on her forehead as she spoke to him and she rested her head on his chest while she tried to fasten up the buttons on her blouse. 

 

  "The only thing I was uncomfortable about was that I was touching you like that in plain sight where your brother could have seen at any moment," he told her, helping her fasten her blouse. His blush deepened. "I know you're probably gonna slap me for this, but I...I liked touching you there. I just though that maybe....maybe it's best suited to somewhere more private." He looked away and bit his lip. "I'm sorry," he mumbled for what must have been the thirteenth time.

 

  She nodded, smiling. "So, you do want to be with me that way?" she asked and moved one arm around his back. She coughed slightly and pushed her face into his chest. She was still very hot but thankfully, the hospital was not so far from them anymore.

 

  "More than anything," he answered truthfully. "But I know you said you didn't want to consummate without marriage, that's why I wasn't sure." He smiled at her, holding her close.

 

*******

 

   After another hour on the camels she was growing weaker, and she swallowed hard. She closed her eyes. Even the sunlight hurt her and she took deep breaths, showing him her swollen hand.

 

  He took her hand and kissed it gently. "I know baby, I know," he murmured into her hair. He fumbled for the canteen and tried to get her to drink. The last thing he wanted was for her to get dehydrated. He held the canteen to her lips, helping her drink. They were almost at the hospital now, he could see the town just over the horizon.

 

  She sighed taking sips, but some of the water dribbling down her chin. She wiped it dry with her good hand and waited patiently. It seemed like hours when it was really only minutes until they reached the hospital. She felt the camel stop and Rick's strong arms helping her down.

 

  He held her tightly to his chest, getting her off of the camel and then carrying her up the hospital steps, not bothering to look back to see if Johnathan was following. They entered the building and he looked around for someone, anyone to help them. He spotted a nurse dressed in medical scrubs and called her over. "We need help," he said frantically. He beckoned to Evelyn who was almost unconscious by now. "It was a snake bite and she needs help right away."

 

  A doctor hurried out to them and pulled the wrap off of Evelyn's hand. "Looks like a snake bite," he said and helped get her onto a stretcher. "Nurse, I'm going to need the anti-venom," he told her, getting Evelyn into a room and hooking her up to some wiring, inserting an IV into her hand. "And lets put her under, that way we control it," he ordered of the nurse.

 

  She did so, giving the woman in injection that sent her to sleep within minutes and then she ushered Rick and Johnathan out of the room. "You two wait outside now," she told them. "We'll do the very best we can to help her."

 

  Rick began to protest, not wanting to go, but the nurse had already shut the door in his face so he sighed reluctantly and sat in a chair outside the room. "Well, at least we got her here in time," he said to Johnathan.

 

  "I told her we shouldn't have gone on this silly little excavation.  I hate India, bloody country. I'll take Egypt over it any day," he complained and shut his mouth when he got some evil glares from people. "Then again, I could be wrong." Besides, it had been Rick who had discouraged Evelyn from going, but Jonathan was one to easily take credit that wasn't rightfully his to get.

 

  Rick shrugged tiredly, placing his head in his hands. He didn't want to pick a fight with him right now so he just let it be. He sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. "I wonder what they're doing to her in there," he said softly. He glanced up at Johnathan. "Aren't you gonna sit down?" 

 

  He shook his head and walked over to the window, leaning against it. "She'll get herself killed one of these days. Who's going to be around to clear things up all the time? She knows I'm no good at picking up her messes," he said and wrung his hands together, worried about his little sister.  

 

  "Hey, there won't be any mess to pick up," Rick protested. "She got bitten by a snake and it could have happened to anyone. Besides, both you and I were around to help her. And I'm always going to be around for her." He looked over at the door again, wishing they would just hurry the hell up in there so he could see her again.

 

  A while later, the doctor came out of the room and headed toward Rick. "She was lucky you managed to suck out most of the poison," he told him. "She's going to be fine, but she is a very lucky lady. Many people die from those type of snake bites."

 

  Rick hurriedly got to his feet, sighing in relief. "That's good to hear," he said. "Is she still sleeping? Can I go in and see her now?" He grinned over at Johnathan, suddenly feeling so much better. "Thank God she's okay."

 

  Johnathan too was smiling, but he knew Rick wanted to see her badly and since the man could rip him to shreds if he wanted to, he figured it was all right to let him go first. "Go and see her, old boy. Send her my love." He patted his shoulder and moved back to sit down in the chair.

 

  The doctor smiled. "She'll be waking up shortly so for now, you may sit with her quietly," he told Rick and directed him inside Evelyn's room.  

 

  He quietly stepped into the room and stared down at her sleeping form. He gently touched her arm, careful of the wires they had inserted into her. He sat in the chair by her bed, waiting for her to wake up. After a while or so, he saw her eyelashes flutter and he smiled, touching her cheek. "Hey," he said softly. "How are you feeling?"

 

  She yawned, feeling somewhat stiff from all the needles and such.  "I'm all right," she replied and batted her eyelashes a little. "Wow, what a sight to wake up to. Has anyone told you while I was sleeping how beautiful you are?" She reached up, mindful of the cords for his hand and brushed her fingers over it.

 

  "Um, not as far as I know," he said shyly, twining his fingers around hers. He looked down at himself, remembering his lack of a shirt and shrugged. He could take care of that later. He smoothed the hair back from her face and smiled. "You had me worried you know," he admitted. "Maybe now we can take a break from this exploring thing for a while."

 

  "Take a break?" she queried, not sure about that. "And do what?"  She leaned into his hand as he touched her hair and she sighed, realising that as each moment went by, she fell more and more in love with him. She kissed his fingers gently while her other hand held onto his other one.

 

  He smiled at the sensation of her lips against his fingers and he continued to gently caress her face. "Oh, I don't know. I'd be content just to be with you all the time." He grinned. "No curses, no plagues. Just you and me. How's that sound?" He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.

 

  She thought for a moment and pursed her lips together. She wondered if he had really meant what he said out in the desert. "Rick....were you serious about marrying me?" she asked, needing to be clear on this.

 

  "Yes, I was serious," he told her quietly. "I meant everything I said out there and I had been thinking of a way to ask you since we got back from Hamunaptra. Evelyn, I care about you so much, if I didn't, I wouldn't have been worried sick over you today like I was. I just want to keep you safe, always."

 

  She smiled up at him and though she was still tired and weak she kept her eyes open. "Rick...then don't you think you should ask me properly to be your wife?" she said teasingly. "Propose to me like the gentleman I know you're not, but are trying to be."

 

  "All right then." He smiled, squeezing her hand gently and then he shifted to kneel one leg on the chair. "What?" he asked when she giggled. "If I got down on the floor on one knee, you wouldn't be able to see me." He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling nervous for some reason. Then he blurted it out. "Evelyn, will you marry me?"

 

  She squeezed his hand as tight as she could. "For the rest of my life and then some I shall marry you, Rick O'Connell," she told him with tears in her eyes and she reached up with the hand that wasn't hooked up to gently touch his face and smile at him.

 

  The grin spread across his face at her answer and he wanted to throw his arms around her and hug her tightly, but of course he couldn't, so he settled for holding onto her hand. He leaned over the bed, brushing away her tears. "I love you," he murmured, brushing her lips with his.

 

  She kissed him back gently. No wound would ever be hard to bear with him around. Her heart was soaring as she kissed him and she knew that she would always be safe from the world with the love of this man. "I love you too." Now their paths and destinies were intertwined and they both knew it.  

 

  He smiled and gently nuzzled her nose with his. He didn't think he'd ever been so happy right now. He had Evelyn, she was safe and she had just agreed to spend the rest of her life with him. And that was all he needed.