Title: We've Come This Far (part 1/4)

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

  Rating: NC-17. This story contains yet more graphic sex scenes. If you don't

like that sort of thing then run! Run away now or else your eyeballs will

melt/fall out! You have been warned!

  Status: Complete (part 1/4)

  Spoilers: The Mummy Returns

  Category: Romance/angst

  Disclaimer: Not ours. Nuff said.

 

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

 

  She placed one final kiss to her son's forehead as he lay sleeping and tied

the sash tighter around the thin silk of her robe. It was good to be home. She

closed the door and went back to her own bedroom. She yawned softly and gave her

husband a smile. "Hey there."

 

  "Hey," he replied from his sprawled out position on the bed, smiling up at her

and motioning for her to lie down beside him before gathering her into his arms.

They were silent for a while; the only sound they could hear was the ticking of

the clock from its place on the nightstand until he finally spoke. "Glad to be

back?" he murmured into her hair.

 

  She turned in his arms and curled her head more closely upon his shoulders.

She'd been so close to losing all this, losing the man in her arms and she

wanted to cry at that. She murmured a quiet, "Of course I am," then nestled

closer.

 

  "I'm glad to have you back," he said softly, running his fingers through the

soft strands of her hair. He was grateful that he had been given a second chance

so that she could be here with him, so that he could just enjoy holding her like

this when he had literally lost her. Mentally, he thanked Evie for teaching

their son ancient Egyptian. If she hadn't then...who knew? To be honest, he

didn't even want to contemplate a life without her. Now she was back in his arms

and she wasn't going anywhere.

 

  "I'm glad to be back. You stopped me before but Rick, do you want to know what

heaven's like?" She sat up a bit off his chest and looked him coolly in the

eyes, dark depths staring back into his own light pools. She smiled at him as

she waited for his answer. Oh, heaven was wonderful, but it hadn't had Rick.

 

  "What do you mean I stopped you before?" he teased, wrapping a strand of her

hair around his fingers. "You know how Alex and Johnathan are when we get a

little...romantic." His voice lowered on that last word and he felt her shiver.

Grinning, he moved his face closer to hers, whispering, "but now that we are

alone, how about showing me a little heaven?"

 

  She blushed as she always did whenever he suggested they make love. She closed

her eyes briefly and then opened them to look into his. "No, they don't

appreciate our romance. Not one little bit." She moved her body a bit closer to

his, one leg against his, her toes playing softly with the bottom of his pants.

"Heaven, hmm? Just was do you think heaven is?"

 

  "I'm looking at it," he said huskily, vaguely distracted by her attempt at

playing footsie with him. He smiled when he saw the flush on her face and

brushed his lips over her own, pulling back when he felt her hands creep up to

his face in an attempt to hold him there. He knew she hated it when he teased

her but he wanted to savour this, to take things slow. After all, he had come so

close to losing her. 'Not now,' he thought as he nuzzled her cheek, feeling her

warm, soft body pulling his thoughts back to the present.

 

  "Rick." Her voice was hardly a whisper as she felt her heart jump. She closed

her eyes. Feeling him close to her, the mere touch of his body could still her

mind, his breath upon her face and his hands in her hair. Everything about him

made her feel safe. She moved a bit closer to him, the silk of her nightdress

brushing across his side, her foot moving up under the calf of his pant leg.

 

  "Make me forget, Evie," he whispered, shuddering as he felt her foot brush

against his leg. Just the tiniest hint of bare skin sent his mind reeling and he

almost forgot his earlier intentions of taking things slow. He wanted to feel

her, warm and alive again. He gently pressed his lips against hers, intending

only for it to be the briefest of kisses when she surprised him by cupping the

back of his neck and holding his face to hers so that their mouths wouldn't

separate.

 

  She never wanted them to part. She never intended for the kiss to break and

her body was awake with the sense of his body near hers. She ran a hand up to

cradle his neck and ran her tongue through his open lips to play and mingle with

his. She needed it, needed to taste his breath, to feel his soul mingle with

hers. She continued the motion of rubbing her toes against his leg, right inside

of his pants. She was touching him, envious of her own feet for getting to touch

him while the rest of her body wanted to touch their skin together.

 

  Vaguely, Rick thought that things were moving along slightly faster than he

had anticipated but he couldn't stop now. He wanted this, needed this and he

moaned into her mouth at the feel of her warm, wet tongue sliding against his

own. His arms seemed to move of their own accord as his hands wandered over her

silk-clad back, sliding down to her hips, then up over her shoulders. The feel

of her warm toes against his leg was driving him crazy and he wanted more of the

sensation, wanted more access to her bare flesh.

 

  It seemed evident that they both wanted each other. In a way, it would be like

their first time. She had been dead there, lost to him and the only thing left

to do in this new life of hers, this second chance to join with her husband in a

rocking sensation of emotions. She wanted to savour this, she wanted to take

this slow, but her fingers weren't listening to her. They reached the top

buttons of his shirt and undid the first few to slip her delicate fingers inside

to stroke his chest. She kept her hand on the back of his neck, keeping him

kissing her long and deep.

 

  He could feel her small fingers undoing his shirt buttons and then the

glorious feeling of her caressing his bare chest. He felt her fingers circle his

nipple and he moaned again as she tugged on it before soothing it gently. He

wanted more though and she seemed to sense his urgency as he let her unfasten

the rest of his shirt, revealing his naked chest to her hungry gaze.

 

  "Heaven is you and me," she whispered, laying her lips upon his chest, kissing

his warm skin and laying small licks here and there to taste him. She loved this

body almost as much as the man it belonged to. She loved being able to share it

with him.

 

  "You got that right," he groaned as her lips moved over his chest before

stopping for a while to tease his nipples. She moved slowly, leisurely and he

just let himself lay back to enjoy the sensations she was arousing in him. After

a while though, he began to miss her mouth on his and he gently tugged on her

hair to direct her back to his lips, their tongues dancing over each other once

again. "Evie..." he sighed as they broke apart, his hands moving to the knot at

her nightdress, plucking teasingly at it.

 

  Oh, she wanted him to take it off. To lay together, skin upon skin in the most

intimate level she knew possible. She moved her lips on his, a long wave of hair

falling from her shoulder to brush his chest. "Yes, Rick?" she whispered as she

moved closer to him.

 

  "I want to feel you," he murmured, finally unfastening the knot at her waist

and sliding the robe off her shoulders. He kissed her again, toying with the

straps of her gown before moving his palm down to cup one of her breasts. "Is

that good?" he whispered, gently nibbling her earlobe.

 

  "Everything you do is wonderful." Her hands were finding the buckle of his

pants and she took her time in unfastening it. Her mind was heavy with him and

the sense of his fingers running over her breast. She could feel him through his

pants, hard and needy. She let her fingers just lay here and she found that even

these clothes were too much in the way of their passion. "Oh, Rick...Rick..."

 

  "Evie..." he moaned at the feel of her cupping him through his pants. He

wanted more and deciding to move things along more quickly, he released her

breast and pulled at her nightgown. "Lift up," he said, motioning for her to

lift her arms so that he could remove the thin garment from her body, so that he

could touch her skin, so much softer than silk.

 

  She did so, lifting her arms into the air and sighing deeply. Oh, this was

going to feel good. Once free of the material, she was only wearing her panties

but she didn't care about those yet. "Rick, what if Alex needs us?" she wondered

as her lips neared his for another kiss.

 

  "He's sleeping isn't he?" Rick asked, meeting her lips for a brief kiss. He

smiled again at the thought of his son and rubbed his nose against hers. "Every

day I look at him and all I see is you," he chuckled, kissing her again. "He

drives me crazy sometimes but God help me, I love him so much." His smile

widened at the memory that came to mind. "Remember that night when Alex was

born? God, it must have been terrible for you with both Johnathan and me running

around like headless chickens!"

 

  She smiled as she thought back to that. "And right as I needed to push him

free of my body, you stopped panicking and wrapped your arms around me and

whispered words of undying love." She kissed his nose, then ran one hand over

his bare chest, deep within the thoughts of the past.

 

  "Yeah well, at least I was good for something," he laughed, kissing her again.

He shifted their positions until she was lying on her back beneath him and he

began kissing the hollow of her throat, knowing how she would react. His lips

traveled to the side of her slender neck to suckle the soft pale skin there,

leaving behind a red mark before moving his lips down to her chest.

 

  She cooed softly at his touch, breathing heavier as his lips reached her

breast. She arched her back up to meet him, letting him take more of the soft

flesh into his mouth. She tugged at his pants and undid the zipper, pulling out

that painful erection of her husbands, leaving him bare atop her other than the

barrier of her own thin panties. "Want another child, Rick?" she whispered to

him.

 

  "I'll give you fifty children if it means doing this all the time," he groaned

at the feel of his wife's soft hand gently stroking his penis. His eyes were

closed but when he opened them, he could see that she had been serious about the

kid thing. He smiled at her, saying, "I would love to have another child with

you." He nuzzled her breast lightly before continuing. "I remember being quite

fond of your bump when you were carrying Alex inside of you."

 

  "I was a whale," she told him softly, pulling one hand back to push down her

underwear and throw them aside. They were unneeded at this time. She ran her leg

up that of his own, letting him feel the heat that burned within her body,

beckoning him inside her as she let her head fall back on the pillow.

 

  "You were beautiful," he told her firmly as he prepared to enter her. "You

*are* beautiful." And with that, he thrust his hips until he was buried deep

inside of her wet warmth. They both groaned in unison as he began to build up a

rhythm. "You're beautiful, Evie," he insisted, loving the way she gripped his

cock inside her body, so hot and tight and wet.

 

  He filled her every crevice and she had to gasp out when she felt him enter

her body, to do what she had never allowed another man to do. She moved her hips

with his in the rhythm so needing, feeling her body take him in and out of her,

slow and steady and then faster, her head tossing from side to side.

 

  "Evie, look at me," he gasped, changing the angle of his thrusts as he stared

down at her. Her fingers were pressed into his back and he envied her touching

him. His arms braced his weight on either side of her head as they moved

together. He kissed her closed eyelids, wanting her to open them so that he

could gaze into them, so that he could express his love for her and the joy at

their connection.

 

  She opened her eyes slowly, dark circles revealing the passion she felt in her

heart and in her mind. "Rick, it feels so good." Her lips hardly moved though as

her eyes stayed open and watched him. They widened as he slid along inside,

touching and soothing her and pleasuring her to no end.

 

  He answered the soft cries she made with small noises of his own as their

bodies rocked together in the rhythm of their love. He gazed down at her, eyes

full of love for her and he bent his head, brushing her lips with his own. He

was surprised when he felt the tears spill from his eyes when he pulled back to

see the adoration in her gaze and again, it hit him of how he'd almost lost her.

"I love you, Evie," he said softly, almost choking on his love for this woman

who was his whole life.

 

  "I love you," she whispered and held him close to her, her legs wrapping round

his waist to hold him closer to her, deeper inside of her and it was more

powerful than anything could have been. They hadn't done this in a few weeks and

getting back to it was full of rich rewards. Feeling him move inside of her, her

hands gripping his back and praying that this would never end, that she would

never not become one with this man. He was her soul. Her fingertips reached up

to brush aside his tears. "Darling," she whispered and wrapped her legs tighter

around him.

 

  "Evie," he sighed as her legs tightened around him. He was so close and he

could feel that she was too as he began to speed up his movements before he went

rigid in her arms as he spilled himself inside of her, calling out her name and

his love for her.

 

  She cried out softly as she'd learned to control their cries so that their son

wouldn't wake up and wonder about his parents. Dark curls stuck with sweat along

her forehead and her lips were wet as she licked them, trying to calm down as

she unwrapped her legs. She didn't want him to leave her body. Her eyes stared

at him, almost begging him to stay inside of her.

 

  He could tell that she didn't want to lose the closeness between them but he

was also afraid to rest his full weight upon her for fear that he would crush

her. So he hooked his arms around her and rolled so that he lay flat on his back

with her cuddled on his chest. Rick smoothed her hair tenderly as he attempted

to slow his breathing and all was quiet until he started chuckling.

 

  She closed her eyes, just resting and enjoying the presence of him within her

body. She questioned his chuckling though, exhausted by their exertions as she

looked at him in puzzlement. She squirmed a bit with him deep inside of her.

"Want to let me in on what's so funny?"

 

  Rick saw the confused expression of his wife and this only made his smile

widen until he let her in on what he had been thinking. "Oh, nothing...Just

wondering what Alex's reaction will be when he hears that he'll be getting a new

baby brother or sister."

 

  She gave him a wide smile, her lips showing off her perfect teeth, her eyes

glowing. "Rick darling, we don't know for sure that I am pregnant yet. I may not

be." She brushed his lips with hers.

 

  "Hmmm," he replied, returning the kiss. "I'm sure Johnathan will be pleased to

hear that there might be another kid on the way." He smiled broadly and nuzzled

her nose with his. "But I think we should...y'know...keep trying until we're

sure that you are pregnant," he told her, his smile stretching into a boyish

grin. "After all, that can take a while, but I'm sure we can use that time

constructively. What do you say?"

 

  She smiled and pressed her nose against his, cuddling him closely. She moved

her hips a bit and regretfully let him slip out of her. She groaned softly as

she did that, she tended to get a wave of cold emptiness every time they parted,

like she had lost a part of herself. "I say we can have a thousand children if I

can try that with you."

 

  He whimpered, suddenly feeling bereft and his arms tightened around her

reflexively. "A thousand children?" he said mock-thoughtfully. "I do like the

idea of that and I like the idea of the practice that we'll get when we're

making a thousand children." He laughed again as he stroked her hair.

 

  "So, Rick, you really want another child." She wanted to know to make sure.

After all, Alex had been quite the little troublemaker as a baby and child. She

couldn't help but question it; she just wanted to make sure. She felt so very

fertile and she ached to be pregnant again.

 

  Rick could sense the serious tone of his wife's words so he decided to stop

joking around and reply to her sincerely. "Evelyn, look at me. There is nothing

more I would love than to have another child with you. I love you so much, Evie.

You and Alex are the most important people in my life but I'm sure that there'll

be room for another child. I know there will," he said decisively. "God, I was

so knocked off my feet when I found put you were pregnant with Alex." He smiled

at the memory that came back to him.

 

  "Do you know how nervous I was when I told you?" she said, smiling her own

little smile at him and brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes as she bent

down for a kiss. "I didn't know how you would take it, it happened so fast."

 

  "Yeah, but remember how I reacted?" he laughed. "Grabbing you and twirling you

around in the doctor's office yelling, 'I'm gonna be a dad!'"

 

  She smiled and held him closer. "I would like a baby girl this time, what do

you think? Would you like a daughter?" She sighed and laid her head against his

chest.

 

  "A little girl sounds wonderful," he replied honestly, resting his chin on her

head. "A tiny miniature Evie running round the place." He smiled at the thought.

"And she's gonna look just like you when you were young."

 

  A tiny knock came to the door and the sound of crying followed the soft

tapping.

 

  "Alex?" said Rick worriedly. He glanced at Evie before stumbling out of bed,

pulling on his pants and opening the door to see his son standing there. "Alex,

what's wrong?"

 

  She held the blanket tight around her as she watched her son in concern. She

loved the way Rick spoke to him when he was frightened and it soothed her.

 

  "Mum was dead again...She died again. Dad, I want mum," Alex whimpered. He was

still very young and in need of his mother's warmth and he'd had to grow up fast

out in the desert.

 

  "Mum's right here," Rick told Alex, scooping him up into his arms. "She's

right here in bed." He carried his son over to where Evie lay with the blanket

wrapped around her and set Alex down on the bed. He stroked his son's hair

soothingly, feeling for him as the bad dream that he'd had. God knew he'd had

enough of them before. Losing Evie terrified him and the memories of Ahm Shere

came flooding back. "Mum's here," he repeated, for his son's reassurance as much

as for his own.

 

  She wrapped her arms around her darling boy and kissed his hair. She smoothed

down the blonde locks and held him close. "I'm not dead darling, I'm not dead,"

she whispered, reaching out one hand to grasp her husband.

 

  He took the hand she held out to him and sat down on the bed, Alex in-between

them. This felt so right, the three of them together like this. Alex and Evie

were the only people that mattered to him and he wanted them both to be happy.

He wanted to take away his son's pain and the awful memories of the past few

days.

 

  It took him a while to calm down and relax in his parent's hold but he was

finally resting and closing his eyes as he curled between them and soon fell

fast asleep.

 

  "Oh Rick, I love him so much," she mumbled and rested against her husband as

she cradled her son. She kissed his forehead. "I think he's asleep. Should we

put him back to bed?"

 

  "I think maybe we should let him stay here tonight in case he has any more

nightmares," said Rick. "I want to be there for him."

 

   "I saw hoping you would suggest that. Can you get my nightgown, the one with

the thin straps? I need to put something on if I am to sleep with him here," she

sighed softly as she laid her son on the pillow next to her.

 

  Rick let go of her hand reluctantly and rose off the bed to get his wife's

nightgown. He opened the chest of drawers and pulled out the gown that she had

requested. Sensing the downturn in her mood, he held the gown up to his chest,

grinning as he attempted to model it, shaking his leg mischievously. "Do I look

big in this?" he teased as he walked over to the bed and handed it to her.

 

  "Oh Rick, you are terrible. Soon I'll be a whale and I'll look big in

everything." She sighed and climbed from the bed in a seductive manner, turning

towards her husband and letting her figure be illuminated by the moonlight. Alex

was a dead sleeper; she wasn't worried about waking him.

 

  "Yeah, but I liked you as a whale," he told her, taking her in his arms and

bringing her close. "I loved your bump when you were carrying Alex." He dropped

to his knees and pressed a kiss to her belly, nuzzling it until he tilted his

head to gaze up at her lovingly.

 

  "Rick," she whispered. Her gown was dropped to the floor as she laid her hands

in his hair and let him kiss her stomach. She loved it when he did that.

"Darling, keep that up and I am going to want to make love to you again," she

said as she closed her eyes, running her fingers through his hair.

 

  "Hmm, are you sure that's wise with Alex in the room?" he teased, loving the

feel of her slender hands in his hair. "Or maybe we could settle this matter

elsewhere..."

 

  "You know Alex can sleep through thunderstorms," she said. It didn't look as

if she'd need the nightgown any more. She smiled down at him and let her hands

run over his neck. His kisses on her stomach were driving her crazy.

 

  He got to his feet, much to her surprise and without giving her time to react;

he scooped her up into his arms, holding her close to his bare chest. "Maybe we

should move this party along," he murmured seductively, carrying her off into

the walk-in bathroom and kicking the door shut behind him. He bent his head down

to Evie's, his lips brushing hers before asking her, "now, where were we?"

 

  "I think you were kissing my stomach and working around this way and that,"

she murmured invitingly. She ran her hands along his chest and neck, kissing him

back with renewed vigour and leaning against the wall. She knew she would never

tire of this with him.

 

  "Oh yeah. Now I remember." He set her down gently and as soon as her feet

touched the floor, he knelt before her once again, placing open-mouthed kisses

to her belly, his tongue darting out to taste her skin. "Like this?"

 

  "Oh, yes Rick," she mumbled, loving the sensations he was giving her, the

excitement that he arose within her body being that close to her sensitive

areas. She leaned her head back against the wall, her hands tightening in his

hair and she moaned softly.

 

  He smiled upon hearing the soft sounds coming from her throat, moving one hand

from her hip to the inside of her thigh, stroking the soft skin there, knowing

she wanted his fingers a little higher. "And like this?" he whispered, tipping

his head back in order to gaze up at her.

 

  She moaned in reply. Her knees were trembling with need and she whispered out

to him softly, her cheeks blushing. She was so wrought with desire that she

actually spoke her own wants. "Rick, I want your lips on me." She moaned again

and moved her own fingers to push inside of her, moving herself along.

 

  Rick groaned at the sight of his wife pleasuring herself in front of him and

involuntarily, one of his hands snaked its way to his crotch, rubbing over the

bulge in his pants. He gasped, trying to regain control instead of acting like a

horny little school kid. He pulled her hand away, telling her, "maybe I should

take care of this," before sucking her fingers into his mouth, licking away the

juices that coated her slim digits.

 

  She could feel the warmth of his tongue slipping over her fingers, moving them

from the heat of her insides to the warmth of his mouth and her very fingers

felt as sensitive as could be. She ached to be touched again and she could feel

his breath so close to her body as she slipped her fingers from his lips back

inside herself, letting her thumb brush over her clit, her fingers thrusting

into her deep, wet warmth. She cried out, closing her eyes, not paying attention

to the fact that she was pleasuring herself in front of him.

 

  He watched intently as she touched herself, aching to do the job for her, but

unwilling to do anything but stare as his gorgeous, sexy wife masturbated right

in front of him. He rose up a little from where he was kneeling so that he could

reach up and grasp her breasts, running his fingers over her rock-hard nipples.

"How does it feel, Evie?" he rasped, taking one of her nipples into his mouth

and suckling hard.

 

  "Oh, it feels wonderful," she moaned and closed her eyes, pushing her fingers

deeper inside herself, stroking every place that she had learned throughout her

life that felt good; a soft brush here, a push against that, everything in

perfect form. But she wanted more and she gave a meek cry as she spoke to him.

"Rick, would you do anything for me right now?"

 

  "You know I would," he whispered, his lips traveling over the valley between

her breasts before sucking her other nipple into his mouth, his cheeks hollowing

with effort. "What is it that you want, baby?"

 

  "Kiss me there. I want to feel your lips against me," Evie whispered, hoping

that it wasn't too much of a request. She sighed softly, thrusting her fingers

harder and faster, feeling the passion growing inside her.

 

  "Your wish is my command," he murmured, kissing his way down her torso. He

tugged at her hand, pulling her fingers out and, before she had time to protest,

he eased two fingers of his own up inside her, feeling how wet and hot she was.

He gasped out when she clenched her muscles round his fingers and pumped her

roughly for a few seconds, enjoying the soft mewling sounds she made before

kissing the juncture of her thighs. His mouth searched for her clit and he

latched onto it, sucking hard.

 

  She gasped out loudly and her knees buckled, about ready to give up on her.

She moaned and tossed her head at the feeling of his lips wrapped around her

clit and she felt sure she was going to collapse. Her body was terrified that he

would stop kissing her there if she moved. "Rick...oh God, you're amazing," she

squeaked out through clenched teeth, arching her hips into his face.

 

  He moaned in way of reply, not letting up on his assault on her senses for a

moment. He could tell that she was close by the way she bucked her hips

shamelessly against him and how she had begun moaning almost continuously. He

eased another finger into her vagina, thrusting rhythmically while continuing to

suck hard on her throbbing clit.

 

  "Rick, I can't take much more..." Her legs were shaking at this point and she

cried out as she felt her knees buckle. Her orgasm was hard and fast and she

crumpled against him, literally falling on him as she moaned in undeniable

pleasure and felt the heat of his body against hers.

 

  He cradled her in his arms, whispering soothing words to her as she came down

from her high. He stroked her back gently for a while, shifting them both so

that he was now sitting on the floor with her in his lap. He couldn't contain

the groan that slipped out of him when she moved against his erection though,

still trapped within the confines of his damn pants.

 

  Once she had come down a little, she took notice of his erection underneath

his pants. They had a very equal relationship and she moved from his lap,

 

pushing him down on the floor and crawling between his legs. She undid the

zipper, pulling off his pants and leaning forward to take his penis into her

mouth.

 

  He moaned long and deep when he felt her lips wrap round his cock and his eyes

fell closed, his face contorting with pleasure. He gasped out for breath, his

hands finding her shoulders and moving up into her hair, not to guide her, just

needing to touch her somehow, his fingers tangling in the soft strands as her

mouth did unbelievable things to him.

 

  She ran her tongue around him, circling the tip and tasting the pre-cum that

had settled there. She could feel him harden in her mouth and she let out her

own little cries as she watched him feel pleasured. It did wild things to her

own senses and she sucked him harder, running her mouth sloppily all over his

cock.

 

  His moans grew louder when she focused her attention on the sensitive tip of

his cock and he forced his eyes open so that he could watch her. He was babbling

now, nonsense words falling from his lips, mixed with her name occasionally. "Oh

God, Evie...mmm, yeah...'sgood."

 

  She didn't want him to come yet; she wanted him deep inside of her when he did

that. They were trying to get her pregnant after all but she kept up with her

sucking, pulling back to talk to him for only a second. "Honey, tell me when you

want to be inside of me. We are trying to get me pregnant remember," and she

smiled at him, wrapping her lips around him once more.

 

  "Now...would be a...good time," he panted, tugging on her hair to let her know

he was close. He cried out pitifully when his cock left her mouth but then

pulled her up against his body, positioning her hips over his straining erection

before pushing up into her, filling her with one long thrust. He called out her

name, eyes almost rolling back into his head with pleasure at the feel of her

hot, tight walls clenching around his cock.

 

  Lucky for him that she was even hotter deep within her folds, burning with

desire for him and she gasped out herself, feeling her pleasure increase once

again as she longed to keep him inside her. She rolled her hips with him, her

hair making a dark curtain around her head.

 

  "Oh God, Evie..." he moaned as their bodies joined over and over again. His

hands were on her hips, slamming her down with every upward thrust of his own

and he had to quite himself when he remembered that his son was sleeping

peacefully in the next room.

 

  She had to contain her own cries as she neared her climax and just kept

pulling him deeper and deeper inside of her, whimpering when he couldn't go any

further. She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his shoulder as she voiced her

passion.

 

  His hands moved up to cup her face and brought her lips to his, kissing her

sloppily, groaning into her mouth. He had been close to coming ever since she

wrapped that gorgeous mouth of hers around his cock, but he wanted to send her

over the edge first. "Are you close, Evie?" he panted when he broke the kiss,

gasping for air.

 

  She couldn't respond much, save for muffling her voice against his lips to try

and contain herself so that she didn't wake Alex. She pushed herself against

him, tightening her muscles around his cock and holding him embedded deep within

her.

 

  He cried out when he felt her inner muscles contract around him, gripping him

even tighter and he felt like he would pass out with the sheer pleasure of it.

He buried his face in the side of her neck, biting the soft skin gently before

licking it soothingly. He could sense that she needed that little bit more and

his hand pushed its way between their bodies, down to the place where they were

joined and he ground his fingers hard over her clit.

 

  She screeched, unable to hold back anymore when she felt him push against her

clit and she crumpled into ecstasy, holding on hard and gripping him more

tightly than ever before as she contracted around him. She closed her eyes; she

felt sure that she would burst and she smashed her mouth against his.

 

  Rick groaned loudly into her mouth when he felt her inner muscles spasming

round him and it was all he needed to push him over the edge. He pulled back

from her lips to call out her name as he bucked up into her, spilling his juices

inside of her. Then he was quiet for a while, his body still trembling in the

aftermath of his orgasm as he held her tightly to him, sighing in contentment.

 

  Evie was breathing heavily and her body shook as she lay against him, another

marvelous attempt at getting her pregnant. She held him close; after all the

orgasms she'd experienced that night, she was feeling quiet tired and she just

held him close to her, running her fingers lazily over him.

 

  His hands traced patterns on the smooth skin of her back as he nuzzled her

hair. "As much as we seem to have developed a thing for bathroom floors, may I

suggest that we move along back to bed?" he chuckled, just enjoying the feel of

her warm body so close to his own.

 

  "Yes, I don't think it would be a good idea for Alex to accidentally find us

here." She sighed in regret as she stood up, swaying slightly. Her body was

still not entirely functioning after the powerful climax they had just

experienced.

 

  Rick followed her, groaning as his sore muscles protested the activity and he

staggered out of the bathroom behind her. He stooped down to pick up his wife's

long-forgotten nightgown and handed it over to her before tottering off to grab

a pair of boxer shorts from the chest of drawers.

 

  She let him pull the nightgown over her head and she moved Alex to one side of

the bed, curling up into the middle space. Nothing was going to stop her from

sleeping snugly on her husbands' chest tonight.

 

  He climbed into bed beside her, sighing as his back met the cool sheets of the

bed. He reached out for her, arranging things so that she was curled up on his

chest and he held her close, kissing her forehead. "It's a good thing Alex can

sleep through thunderstorms," he joked as he smoothed down her hair. "We had

quite a bit of fun tonight."

 

  "Yes, but then again, he hasn't exactly stopped us before." Evie smiled and

placed a couple of lazy kisses on his chest as she smoothed his hair back, just

enjoying the presence of him. She yawned softly as she felt sleep nearing her.

"Rick, I fought through heaven to get back to you and I never for a second

doubted that I made the wrong choice. You are my life, my heart, my very soul."

 

  He choked up hearing her words, feeling a single tear slip down his cheek.

"Evie, you're everything to me," he said, arms tightening around her. "I don't

know what I would have done without you. I love you so much."

 

  "I hope that we created life tonight Rick, because in this moment, I don't

think I could possibly love you anymore than I do." She sighed and let her

fingers brush away the tear that fell from his eye.

 

  "I hope we did too," he told her, kissing her tenderly. What better way of

fighting the memory of death than creating new life. He glanced over at the

other life they had created, his son who was sleeping blissfully at his side.

 

  She smiled and turned his chin to kiss him. "We've done good so far, Rick."

She lay her head back down on his chest, almost drifting off to sleep. "We've

done good so far."

 

  "We have indeed," he murmured in agreement as he placed one final kiss to her

forehead before closing his eyes to join his wife and his son in slumber land.

 

 

  Title: We've Come This Far (part 2/4)

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

  Disclaimer: See part 1 for details

 

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

 

  It was four weeks later and Evie was exhausted. She had hurried home from a

meeting at the Museum just wanting to get home to her husband and son. She was

feeling incredibly agitated and she was completely ready to shoot someone. Every

muscle in her body was tense and to top it off, it was raining and she had

forgotten her umbrella. "I'm home," she stated as she slammed the door shut.

 

  Rick looked up from where he was sitting on the sofa helping Alex with his

homework just in time to see his wife at the door. "Hey honey, is everything

okay?" he asked in concern. "Bad day at work?"

 

  "You could say that," she sighed and hurried into the kitchen, not bothering

to kiss her husband or son. She felt miserable and cranky and was rather

irritable. She grabbed a bottle of wine and poured a glass, drinking it all down

and sighing.

 

  "Dad," said Alex. "What's wrong with mum?"

 

  "Mum just had a bad day at work Alex," said Rick, knowing the effect alcohol

had on his wife and decided that maybe it was time for Alex to leave for a

while. "Why don't you go upstairs and bother your uncle Johnathan for a while?"

 

  "Well, alright, dad. Just take care of mum." And with that, he hurried

upstairs to see his uncle.

 

  Rick rose from the sofa and went over to Evie, taking her in his arms. "Evie,

are you okay?" he murmured.

 

  Her hands were shaking and her eyes were watery as she set down the frail

glass. It ended up breaking on the side of the counter and she tumbled trembling

to the ground to pick it up but only managed to cut herself on the broken glass.

Even for Evie, this was scatterbrained and she pulled back her finger,

whimpering softly.

 

  "Sssh, Evie. Never mind the glass," said Rick worriedly, taking her finger and

kissing the blood away. He pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to her

forehead. "Jeez, something really bad must have happened to make you like this.

What the hell happened to you?"

 

  "I-I don't know. I feel completely terrible. I can't stop trembling and I had

a really bad meeting and I was confronted by a man on the way home who looked a

lot like Imhotep...I know it sounds stupid but it frightened me," she admitted

as she wrapped her arms around his form, letting herself feel safe with him. "I

feel sick, really sick."

 

  "You're not stupid," he said firmly. "You're the furthest thing from it. It's

okay to be scared sometimes." He paused, gently kissing her forehead again and

rocking her to ease her trembling before her other words registered. "Evie, what

do you mean he confronted you?" he asked, beginning to feel angry. "If he did

anything to you, so help me God, I'll..."

 

  She sighed and pulled back from him, unbuttoning her blouse and pushing it

aside so that he could see the bruise that circled her arms from where the man

had grabbed her and wouldn't let go. She pushed the blouse off and just stood in

her undershirt, letting him see the bruise and crying softly.

 

  He sucked in his breath at the sight of the bruise on her arms and he leaned

down, gently running his fingers over the mark. "Oh, Evie," he whispered,

reaching up to brush the tears from her face. He could sense that his anger

wasn't going to help now but as soon as she was asleep, he'd put Johnathan in

charge before going out to look for the son of a bitch that had hurt his wife so

that he could break his arms. "Where did you see this man?" he asked gently.

 

  "Down on the corner by the Old Elm. He asked me for the time and grabbed my

wrist as I tried to get away. He wouldn't let go and I couldn't get him to leave

me alone. It really hurts Rick." Blood was on her finger again from cutting it

on the glass and she shivered a little without her shirt on and how insecure she

felt.

 

  Rick could feel the trembles emanating from his wife and he wrapped his arms

round her, trying to make her feel safe. "Sssh, it's okay now. I've got you," he

murmured into her hair. "No-one will get you as long as I'm here." He rocked her

for a while until he noticed that her finger had begun to bleed again. "Let's

get you something for that finger."

 

  She nodded and kept close to him as they headed upstairs. She could hear Alex

playing with Johnathan and it comforted her a little. She felt the dizziness

again and she tightened her hands on his shirt, nearly resting all of her weight

against him for support.

 

  He gasped as she slumped against him and he leaned down so that he could lift

her up into his arms. "Relax, I've got you," he said soothingly as he carried

her up the stairs and across the landing into their bedroom. He kicked the door

shut behind him and gently lay Evie down on the bed before going off to fetch

the first aid kit.

 

  "Rick, I think I'm going to be sick!" she called out, her voice almost a

pained whine as she grasped her stomach, tears falling down her cheeks. She

longed for something to make her better.

 

  He almost dropped the first aid kit as she sprinted across the room to her.

"Oh God Evie, what should I do?" he asked in panic. "Should I call the doctor?

Evie, talk to me!"

 

  She reached next to their bed and grabbed the trash can, throwing up into it

for a good while before pulling back, setting it on the floor as laying down on

the bed. She must have looked like a weak kitten. She certainly felt like one.

 

  "Oh my God Evie!" he kept saying, climbing onto the bed and holding her head

in his lap, trying to calm her down. "Okay honey you're scaring me now. I'm

going to call the doctor, okay?"

 

  She nodded slowly and closed her eyes, not having the energy to keep them open

anymore. It felt like a job to even blink so she just closed her eyes and felt

his hands cradle her.

 

  He was extremely reluctant to leave her side even for a second but he gently

moved her so that she was lying beneath the covers. "Will you be alright for a

moment while I phone the doctor?" he asked, wanting to make sure.

 

  She didn't want to respond, having drifted off into a dream world. She had a

fever, a high fever and she was tossing fitfully in her sleep.

 

  Rick gently pressed his fingers to her forehead and gasped when he felt how

hot she was. He looked up when he heard the door open to see his son standing

there.

 

  Alex could sense there was something wrong with his mother as he pushed open

the door to their room. "Dad, what's wrong with mum?"

 

  "Mum isn't feeling so good Alex," Rick told him. He got up off the bed,

glancing at Evie. "Alex, I need you to do something important for me. I want you

to stay here with mum while I phone the doctor, okay?"

 

  "Will she be alright dad?" Alex was worried as he clambered up onto the bed

and lay next to his mother, leaning on her shoulder and placing a hand to her

head. "Dad, she's really hot."

 

  ********

 

  Doctor Trevor hurried over as soon as he received the telephone call from a

frantic Richard O'Connell. He was a close friend of the O'Connell family and

hearing that Evelyn had taken ill made his heart beat and he was at her bedside

in an instant.

 

  "Alex, could you please wait outside for me?" he said. "Maybe you should go

too, Richard." He doubted Rick would actually go but then he changed his mind.

"Actually no, stay here. I need to ask you some questions."

 

  Rick started to panic again when the doctor told him to leave but then relief

washed over him when he was allowed to stay. "Okay Alex, go sit with your uncle

Johnathan for a while," he said, gently ushering his son out the room. "Mum will

be okay, I promise."

 

  Alex nodded and hurried off.

 

  Doctor Trevor knelt by Evie's side and pulled the blankets off of her. He saw

that she was stirring in her sleep and then her eyes opened. "Hey, Evelyn," he

said reassuringly. "I'm going to take care of this. You just relax."

 

  "Where is my husband?" she queried, sounding somewhat like a sick child asking

for her beloved toy.

 

  "He's over there," said the doctor as he ran his hands along her side, lifting

her shirt slightly to move his hands over her stomach as he listened to her

heart.

 

  "I'm right here, Evie," Rick assured her, coming to stand by the side of the

bed and taking her hand in his, stroking it soothingly. He watched anxiously as

the doctor studied his wife, waiting on tenterhooks for the diagnosis. "Is she

going to be alright?" he asked uncertainly. He didn't know what he would do if

she got sick. He'd almost lost her once already and he didn't know if he could

handle going through something like that again. He'd give anything to take away

her pain.

 

  "Hmm, she threw up you said on the phone?" asked Doctor Trevor. "Has she been

getting nauseous lately and faint? Have you noticed any changes in your wife's

moods at all?"

 

  "Yes, yes and yes," replied Rick impatiently. He knew he shouldn't be snapping

at the doctor like this but he couldn't help it, he had to know what was wrong

with Evie.

 

  The doctor placed his hand on Evie's forehead. She was burning up but

something didn't make sense to him and he wanted to figure out what that was. He

placed his stethoscope on her stomach and listened carefully before asking Rick,

"A couple of things. where did she get those bruises and has she had her monthly

yet?"

 

  "Actually, Evie told me that she was late this month. The nausea only came on

a short while ago. And the bruises?" Rick could hardly keep himself from

growling at what Evie had told him. "She was stopped by a man not long before

she came home from work today. And then she got real sick again."

 

  "Is it possible that Evelyn is pregnant?", the doctor asked, putting away his

stethoscope and pulling out a black bottle of liquid from his bag. He had to ask

in order to rule out some other things that could have been more dangerous.

 

  Rick almost choked at his own stupidity. How could he have missed it? All the

telltale signs and yet it had never occurred to him. "P-pregnant?" he stammered.

God, it seemed so obvious now! The worried expression that had previously

adorned his face now transformed into a smile of joy. After they had returned

from Ahm Shere, Evie had asked him about conceiving another child but still...he

had to make sure. "Can you definitely tell?"

 

  "It looks that way," Doctor Trevor said, handing the bottle over to Rick.

"Here, give her this. As for the bruises, if they swell, just wrap a cold

compress around them. It should help with the pain too. The fever is just

elevated from the excitement of today and I'm sure that within a couple of days,

she will be feeling much better. The stomach sickness will probably last a

little longer though, possibly another couple of months." He remembered when

Evelyn was pregnant with Alex; she hadn't taken to the pregnancy very well.

 

  "God, thank you," said Rick sincerely. "I was so worried! I feel so stupid for

missing all the signs..." Suddenly, he burst out laughing with relief. He had

been so scared for Evie. He always tended to worry about things too much,

especially when it involved her.

 

  "Well, I suppose that's all," said the doctor, packing away his things and

heading for the door. "I have another house call to head off to. You take care

of her now and I'll see you again soon." And with that, he showed himself out.

 

  "Hey, Evie!" said Rick excitedly, sitting down next to her on the bed. "We're

going to have another little baby!"

 

  Her eyes opened slowly as she looked up at him. Dark brown orbs seemed to look

right through him and she smiled slightly. She still felt miserable but somehow,

knowing why she felt like this was a comfort as she reached her arms out to him,

wanting to curl beside him. She put a hand to her belly. "Really? Rick, really?

Another little you and me?" She almost thought she was going to cry when she

heard the news.

 

  Rick took her outstretched hand and curled closer to her. "Yep," he told her

proudly. "Another little you and me is inside of you now." He rested his own

hand gently over hers. "Our little baby," he said, choking up at the thought.

Then, he started crying and laughing at the same time. "Evie, I love you," he

told her, grinning through his tears.

 

   She sighed as her own tears spilled down her cheeks. She felt simply amazing

suddenly and though she knew it was going to be a rough few months, she couldn't

think of anything else she wanted more. She and Rick had brought life into the

world before and now they were going to do it again. "Hold me Rick. Hold me

close," she said, sitting up and falling into his arms.

 

  "Anything for you," he whispered, gathering her into his arms and holding her

close to him, his hand still curled protectively over her stomach, rubbing it

gently every now and then. He nuzzled her nose with his and smiled at her,

brushing the tears from her cheek with his free hand. "Have I told you lately

how amazing you are?"

 

  "No, you haven't," she told him, unable to break away from the look he held

for her. "Am I?" She had fallen even more in love with him in those past few

minutes, if that were even possible and she felt like she would burst. She

pressed her lips against his.

 

  "Evie, you're amazing," he murmured, meeting her kiss before pulling back to

press little kisses over her face. "Completely-" he kissed her cheek. "Totally-"

his lips pressed lightly on the tip of her nose. "Wonderfully...amazing." He

stopped just a couple of inches away from her lips. "Evie, I love you so much."

His mouth curved slightly as his lips hovered over hers teasingly, moving closer

and closer until their very smiles kissed.

 

  Alex knew he was supposed to wait with uncle John but he was worried about

mum. He pushed open the door and went back inside his parent's bedroom. "Dad, is

mum okay?" He backed up a bit when he saw his parents kissing and he seriously

wondered why they always did that. What was the big deal? It passed him.

 

  "Your mother is definitely okay," Rick told his son, smiling at the disgusted

expression that crossed Alex's face, knowing he hated it whenever his parents

did 'mushy stuff.' "Hey, Alex," he said, patting the space next to him. "Come on

over. We've got some news for you."

 

  He hurried over and climbed up onto the bed, sitting next to his father and he

felt his mother's hand stroking his cheek. She was smiling at him and he smiled

back. He loved his parents more than anything and he patted his mother's

shoulder. "What's the news, dad?" he asked as he looked up at his father and

waited.

 

  Rick smiled down at his son, his heart swelling with love for him. He curled

one arm around him, his smile widening as Alex cuddled closer. Although Alex was

eight years old now and growing up in front of his eyes, he would always be his

and Evie's little baby although he knew his son would throw a fit if he heard

that. "Alex, what would you say if you were to know that you might be getting a

little brother or sister soon?"

 

  "What do you mean dad? Am I getting a new brother or sister?" he asked, eyes

wide and eager for information to understand what was going on.

 

  "Darling..." Evie started, and looked up at Rick with loving eyes, then looked

back at Alex. She placed her hand over Rick's as he held her stomach

protectively and she was suddenly so aware that life was inside of her.

 

  "What I'm trying to tell you Alex is...yes, you are getting a new brother or

sister," Rick laughed. "That's the reason why mum got so sick. It happens when

women get pregnant you know, but mum will be okay. We're here for her right?"

 

  "Of course," Alex said. He scratched his head, very curious as to what was

going on before uttering the words that every child asks when they find out

their mum was pregnant. "But dad, where do babies come from and how do they get

into mum's tummy?" he asked, pointing at Evie's stomach.

 

  Evie blushed. She hadn't expected that at all and her eyes darted to Rick. She

couldn't help but remember every time they had made love that month, each time

just as passionate and needy and she swallowed.

 

  Rick burst out laughing at his son's question, ruffling his hair

affectionately, much to Alex's annoyance. "How can I put this?" he began,

wracking his brains for a child-friendly explanation of the facts of life

without trying to sound too patronising. "Ummm...you know every time your mother

and I kiss and you turn away making gagging sounds?"

 

  "Yes dad?" He ran his fingers through his hair to comb down the hair that his

dad had ruffled but he snuggled closer and smiled, eager to know more about

this. He eyed his parents carefully, seeing that his mother was continuously

looking nervously back and forth between him and dad.

 

  Rick noticed that his wife kept looking his way and his smile broadened as the

blush that crept over her face. He knew she was remembering the times they had

made love these past few weeks. He turned his attention back to his son who was

waiting impatiently for his answer. "Well...every time your mother and I kiss,

it's because we're showing our love for one another..." he slowly explained.

"And then there are other ways that we show our love for each other and these

ways can make babies..."

 

  "Alex, it's a parent thing," Evie chipped in. "We get to do this stuff because

we are in love and I love your father more than anything in the world. Except

for you, of course." She smiled and kissed his forehead but when he leaned

against her bruises, she gasped slightly, pushing him away as gently as she

could, her eyes closing in pain.

 

   Rick noticed her wincing with pain and he realised that Alex must have

pressed against her hurt arm. He really didn't want Alex to know about the

bruises, as he'd been through enough already, what with the nightmares he'd been

having. He moved away from Evie a little in order to pull Alex into his arms.

"Yeah, it's a parent thing," he stated, holding Alex close while looking over at

his wife to check that she was all right. "Actually, we found you under a bush."

 

  "Dad!" said Alex, rolling his eyes. "But what else is there to do apart from

kissing?"

 

  "Someday Alex, we'll tell you more about this topic but not until you're much

older," said Rick. "But for now, let's just be happy you're getting a new

sibling, okay?" He could see that Evie was still in pain so he attempted to

distract his son somewhat. "So, what names do you like?" he asked Alex, reaching

a hand out to Evie to let her know that he was there for her.

 

  "I don't know, dad. I read about this girl in a book who traveled to Egypt and

her name was Charlotte." Alex seemed sure that he was getting a little sister

for some reason.

 

  Evie leaned forward and kissed her son's cheek. "I like that name Alex, and I

remember the girl in that story was very brave."

 

  "Charlotte is a pretty name," Rick agreed. "Your mother and I thought that

maybe this baby will be a little girl so someday when she's older, you'll have a

wonderful little sister to take care of, just like your mother and uncle

Johnathan when they were younger. But just be sure not to boss her around too

much, okay?"

 

  "I promise, dad. I promise."

 

 

  Title: We've Come This Far (part 3/4)

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

  Disclaimer: See part 1 for details

 

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

 

  Another day at work and she rushed into the house, slamming the door shut and

sinking to the floor. She sighed and held herself tightly. Not again...he'd

found her again. She was becoming a nervous wreck about leaving work and being

pregnant now, she was even more frightened. She grabbed the trashcan and began

to throw up into it.

 

  "Evie?" Rick called out upon hearing the front door slam. He knew that she was

usually home from work at this time and he ran downstairs into the living room,

searching for his wife. It was usually her first port of call where she would

kiss him and Alex hello but this time, she wasn't there. "Evie?" he said, a

little louder. Then he heard her. He quickly followed the sound of her pained

cries and found her huddled in a corner of the hallway, holding herself. "Oh my

God," he cried, rushing to her side in fear.

 

  She leaned back against the door and her hands were trembling. She was

bleeding a little along her arm and her shirt showed the red stain.

"I'm...okay," she whispered to let him know that she wasn't dying or anything.

 

  "No, Evie, you're not okay," he said frantically, touching his fingers to her

face before noticing the blood on her shirt. "You're bleeding!" he cried,

ripping open the sleeve of her shirt to take a closer look. "Jesus, what

happened to you?"

 

  "That man caught me again," she sighed as she ran her hand along her pinned-up

hair, letting it fall loosely to her shoulders. She winced as his fingers ran

over the cut. "He always knows where I am it seems. I should just be more

careful."

 

  "Again? What do you mean again? Evie, I thought you said you hadn't seen him

around anymore! Did he do this to you? I'm gonna hunt him down myself, never

mind the police!"

 

  "He was just there and he grabbed me from behind with a knife and when I

pulled away, the knife slipped and caught my arm. Oh Rick, it's all my fault."

She touched her stomach gently and ran her fingers along it. She just didn't

want the baby to be hurt at all.

 

  "No, no honey, it's not your fault." Rick took her chin gently so that she

would look at him. "Listen to me, it is *not* your fault." He sighed. "I'm sorry

about getting angry with you but Evie, this man sounds like he's been following

you for some time now! I mean, Christ! He knows where you work; he's attacked

you at least twice! You can't go on letting him get to you like this. I won't

let him get to you. Oh, Evie..."

 

  "Rick, he scares me." She buried her face into his chest and sobbed softly.

She prayed that Alex was upstairs with Johnathan so that he wouldn't see her

like this. "Plus I threw up about three times at work today and the new curator

is angry at me for that. Oh Rick, he scares me."

 

  "Honey, he scares me too," he admitted, wrapping his arms around her and

stroking her hair comfortingly. "He scares me because I don't know why he's

doing this to you." He wanted to go outside and find this guy so that he could

pump him for information his way, but then Evie had always said he wasn't a

subtle man. He just couldn't help feeling angry though at why anyone would want

to harm a woman on her own, especially one who was five months pregnant. "Evie,

maybe I should take you to work tomorrow?"

 

  She pulled her head back to look at him. "Rick, I think I know where he is,"

she told him softly and then continued to explain that she saw him at the corner

of the Old Elm. She had followed him at a safe distance and had seen him cut

into the woods. "He should be there, Rick."

 

  "And he was there today?" he asked. Rick's better judgment said that he really

should call the police and inform them about this but on a deeper level, he

wanted to get the son of a bitch who had dared touch his wife.

 

  "Mmm-hmm, he was, but when he saw the blood, he took off." Evie sighed and

wiped her eyes. It was late. She had been at a long meeting and she knew at this

point, Alex would be in bed. She slowly climbed to her feet, putting one hand

behind her back and one on her stomach.

 

  Rick rose up behind her, pushing her hand out of the way in order to rub the

sore muscles of her back. He knew that the baby was putting a strain on her

already and he hated seeing her in pain. "Let's get you to bed and cleaned up,

okay?" he said softly. When it came to Evie, he always got over-protective. He

knew that it drove her crazy sometimes but he couldn't help it. He had to take

care of her first before going out on his search.

 

  "Rick, I really don't know if I want you going out there alone." She sighed

and leaned against him as they went upstairs. She lay down on their bed and

grabbed a towel, cleaning off her wound. She stripped out of her clothes and

cleaned along her breasts and arms. She lay one hand over her belly. She was

definitely showing now and being in nothing but a slip made her feel slightly

self-conscious.

 

  Rick watched as Evie cleaned herself off and he hovered slightly, knowing that

she didn't appreciate him fussing over her like a mother hen. "You okay?" he

asked gently. "Want me to lie down with you for a while?"

 

  "I'll be fine Rick." She spoke softly as she looked up at him, her eyes

holding a troubled gaze. She placed a hand behind her back as she stood up,

arching her back a little in an attempt to soothe her muscles from carrying a

child. Five months and it already felt like an eternity.

 

  He didn't believe her but he was loath to push the matter further, especially

as she seemed so tired and worried lately. He saw her wince in pain as she stood

up and gently moved her hand out of the way to knead the muscles of her back.

"That better?" he asked, wanting to do something, anything for her to make her

feel better.

 

  "Yes, Rick, that feels really nice," she said, slowly making her way back to

their bed and climbing under the covers. she was having a hard time looking at

her husband. She felt so stupid for getting herself hurt and she blamed herself

for putting the baby in danger. She closed her eyes, longing for sleep.

 

  Rick watched as she crawled beneath the blankets, feeling a little hurt and

useless at the fact that Evie wouldn't let him do anything for her. "Um...I'm

gonna check on Alex now," he mumbled. "Do you want me to bring you anything, a

glass of water maybe?" 'Evie, why won't you talk to me?' he asked silently.

 

  She shook her head indicating that she wasn't really into anything right now

and she turned her face into the pillow as she started to cry silently. She

hated crying and she was hurt both physically and emotionally by the man.

 

  Rick turned away, hurt and he decided to go and see that Alex was alright

before going out to look for the bastard who had hurt his wife. He intended to

beat him to a bloody pulp in order to find out what was going on. "I'll see you

later, okay?" he said, stepping out the door and closing it quietly behind him.

 

********

 

  He hid out in the forest in his tiny little shack. He was a gruff man, his

face rough from not having shaved in a while. His eyes were dark and narrow, his

clothes shabby. He was a large man by standards and he eyed the collection of

guns that lay on the table. He'd almost gotten it out of the woman tonight.

 

********

 

  Rick walked down the hallway and knocked lightly at the door to Alex's room.

He intended to make sure Alex was in bed before going downstairs to arm himself.

He wasn't sure that he would need his guns but he had always believed in being

prepared. He knocked on the door again, a little louder this time. "Alex?"

 

  Alex was already nestled in bed and sleeping peacefully as his father knocked

on the door, not stirring for an instant. When Alex didn't answer, Rick gently

pushed the door open and looked inside. He smiled when he saw his son already in

bed but then the smile disappeared when he remembered his mission.

 

  He pulled the door to and headed off downstairs where he grabbed his holster,

checked to make sure that the gun was loaded, then threw on his jacket to

conceal the weapon. Then he went off to begin his search, starting along the

path to the Old Elm.

 

********

 

  He swore he could hear something but he ignored it, figuring it was an animal

scurrying around. He set down his gun and went back to try and focus on the key.

That woman knew things about treasure and she refused to tell him. He hadn't

meant to hurt her, but things happen...

 

********

 

  It was dark as Rick hurried along to the Old Elm. He initially cursed himself

for not bringing a flashlight and then kicked himself for even thinking that.

What better way in which to announce his whereabouts? He shrugged and looked

around for a man who fit the description Evie had given him, but not a soul was

around. He was just about to leave and look elsewhere when he noticed a dim

light shining out of a shack at the entrance of the woods so he crept further to

investigate.

 

********

 

  He cursed himself as he tripped over a chair in the middle of his pacing but

he straightened himself and picked up the chair, righting it as he looked

around. Oh well. Perhaps tonight wasn't the best of nights but he was certainly

going to do better tomorrow. He'd catch that bloody woman.

 

********

 

  Rick froze as he heard a crashing noise and then the sound of somebody

cursing. More specifically, the sound of a man cursing. His suspicions rose as

he half-crouched, half-ran over to the shack until he was sitting underneath the

small window. Weighing up his options, he could either go for his usual approach

of barging in face first, guns blazing, but this was different. He wanted

answers from this guy before shooting him, preferably in the face. Rick's jaw

clenched in anger and he told himself to focus.

 

********

 

  He could sense there was somebody outside and he pulled back the gun, walking

outside in an attempt to see who was sneaking around. He was cautious and he

knew that this was serious enough to make sure that he wasn't caught; otherwise,

all his plans would go ascrew. He aimed his gun, ready to shoot at a moment's

notice.

 

********

 

  Rick cursed silently as he saw the door open. So much for a surprise ambush.

He did, however get a closer look at the man. Tall, shabby-looking, he fit

Evie's description to a tee. He clicked the safety off his weapon and crept

closer. Luckily, the guy had his back to him.

 

********

 

  He turned round and jumped when he saw Rick and reached for his gun to point

it at him. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he asked angrily, his

heart pounding. He paid it no heed however as he took a step back from Rick.

 

  "I'm here to ask you a few questions, you son of a bitch!" Rick shouted,

aiming his own gun at the man. "Who the hell are you and why have you been

harassing my wife?"

 

  "I ain't been harassing nobody. Now, get the hell out of here." He watched

Rick closely, ready to fire at a moment's notice, but seeing that Rick too had

his gun aimed and ready and he narrowed his eyes.

 

  Rick growled angrily. He couldn't shoot yet as he had no doubt that the man

would fire his weapon in retaliation if he did so. He tightened his hold on the

gun. "Well, let me refresh your memory," he snarled. "She's about 5'7, has long

dark hair and she works at the British Museum where you've been stalking her

lately...and did I mention the fact that she's five months pregnant? Now what

the hell do you want from her? Don't lie to me."

 

  "I don't know a woman who fits that description," he lied, his eyes narrowing

even further. He smirked over at Rick then said, "oh wait, maybe I do. She must

be the one that I was going to kill today if only that damn officer hadn't been

walking by. Oh well, tomorrow is another day I suppose. I can't wait to see what

happens." He was a completely intolerable madman and not above killing anybody.

 

  "If I allow you to live through today that is," Rick growled, his finger

tightening on the trigger. He didn't know what to do; he didn't have any other

choice. He had to shoot; it didn't matter about what happened to him. Just as

long as he never got the chance to reach Evie again. "So now you remember who

I'm talking about, now tell me what it is you want with her. I'm giving you ten

seconds before I pull this trigger."

 

  "Forget it, I'll shoot you before you have a chance to get me!" He squeezed

the trigger and shot.

 

  "Riiiiick!" Evie screamed out, pushing him out of the way of the bullet and

landing on top of him. Tears fell down her cheeks as she held him close to her,

not wanting to let anything happen to him. She knew he had intended to come out

here tonight and she had followed him, managing to get him out of the way of

being shot.

 

  "Evie?" he asked in disbelief. He wanted to ask her what the hell she was

doing here but there was no time for that as he pushed her aside and aimed his

gun at the man. He had been distracted at Evie's appearance and Rick saw his

chance and took it. He squeezed the trigger and hit the guy in his gun shoulder.

 

  He held his shoulder in pain but charged forward, knocking Rick to the ground

and grabbing Evie, pointing his gun at her head.

 

  She gasped out but stayed still, not wanting anything to happen that they

might all regret. The only movement she did make was to place a hand over her

belly protectively. She eyed Rick pleadingly.

 

  Rick stared at Evie anxiously, not lowering the gun, but reluctant to use it

to say the least. Although the guy was at least a head taller than his wife, he

couldn't just shoot him in the face. Back in the Foreign Legion, he wouldn't

have had any such qualms about doing such a thing, but this was different,

dammit! The lives of his wife and unborn child were at stake here and he

couldn't do anything rash or stupid. "What do you want from us?" he asked

slowly, keeping his gun trained on the man. Maybe if he kept him talking, he

wouldn't do anything that they'd all regret.

 

  "She knows the location to Hamunaptra and I want to know what's there...I

think that she can be my guide. Isn't that a lovely idea?" he snickered as he

spat off to the side.

 

  "Please...please let go of me, I'm afraid I'll be sick," Evie pleaded. She was

feeling nauseous and of all the times to suffer from morning sickness, it had to

be this one. She felt tears sting her eyes and she stared at her husband,

helpless as could be. She shook and he tightened the knife on her throat. She

could feel the burning pain of the blade digging against the skin of her neck

and she hardly dared breath.

 

  "I suggest you make do and hold it in," her captor whispered loudly, gripping

her shoulder painfully. "We couldn't do this the easy way so now we'll have to

do this the harder way."

 

  "Well, if Hamunaptra's what you're looking for, I'm afraid you're out of luck,

buddy," Rick snarled. "That God-damned place disappeared underneath the sands

over a decade ago, you couldn't find it if you tried. Now that we've settled

this, why don't you just let her go?"

 

  "I suppose I could just take your wife as my treasure," the man laughed. "In

fact, it is written in the book of Amun Ra that a woman who is with child will

be able to raise the sands of time." He ran his hand sensually down her arm and

then right over the swell of her stomach, keeping the knife pulled tight against

her throat.

 

  Evie was already in pain but now he had begun touching her. She could handle

him hurting her, but oh God, she couldn't bear to have him touch her the way

that only Rick was supposed to. A tear rolled down her cheek, she didn't seem to

have much of a choice.

 

  "Get your hands off of her!" Rick shouted, enraged at the sight of another man

touching his wife. It made him sick to his stomach and he would rather slit his

own throat than have Evie go through something like this.

 

  The man snickered as he kept his hand over Evie's stomach. "What are you gonna

do about it?" he sneered, kissing her cheek lightly. "This kid is going to make

me rich, very rich." He pulled back a little and cut the knife along the nape of

her neck.

 

  Evie squealed in pain as she felt the blade of the knife break her flesh and

she squirmed in fear. Reaching her hands in one swift motion and leaving all

sense of logic outside from how much she was hurting, she grabbed the knife in

her palms, yanking it out of his hands. She screamed in terror and pain as the

knife cut both of her hands. Still, better than her throat.

 

  Rick gasped when he saw the blood, but it was all the distraction he needed in

order to rush up to the son of a bitch and punch him hard in the face. He then

punched his stomach before grabbing a hold of the guy's gun and yanking it out

of his grasp, aiming it at him alongside with his own keeping both guns trained

on him, ready to shoot. He made sure that he stood in front of Evie though,

shielding her from view.

 

  He doubled up in pain from the blows, falling backwards and discovering that

his nose was now bleeding profusely. He gasped when he saw that Rick now had him

in target, but he just smiled as he looked up at him. "What are you gonna do,

shoot me?" he asked.

 

  "Yeah. What are you gonna do about it?" said Rick mocking his earlier words.

"I did it before, what makes you think I won't do it again? And this time, I'll

be aiming above the neck."

 

  He sneered. "Do you have any idea of how important your wife could be? She

could be the richest woman in the world. She holds the key to the Temple Island

of Philae. She holds the key," he said, pointing at her.

 

  Evie lay weakly on the floor, holding her hands to the scratch on her neck,

but her hands were bleeding more from pulling away the knife. For all the pain

she felt though, she was alive and that was what mattered the most.

 

  "You know what?" Rick told him. "I don't care about some damn key! My wife is

the most important thing in my life and no one, not anybody is going to take her

away from me. Not while I'm still breathing." He glanced over at Evie worriedly,

seeing the blood on her. He had to get her out of here fast and finish up with

this sick bastard.

 

  "At least I'll know that the last woman I touched was your beautiful and sexy

wife," the man laughed. He didn't care about dying at this point, seeing as it

was unavoidable so he figured he'd just piss her husband off some more.

 

  "And the last thing you ever see will be me killing you," said Rick squeezing

the trigger. "Goodbye." And with that, he shot him in the face. He just stood

there for a few moments, feeling numb until the soft sounds of Evie's whimpering

brought him back to reality. He rushed over to her side, helping her to stand as

he examined the back of her neck. The wound there was superficial, but the cuts

on her hands warranted more attention. "Hey," he said gently. "Are you okay?"

 

  She felt her whole world spinning around her as she broke down into tears and

fell against him, not caring about getting blood all over the fine white shirt

he was wearing. She could barely hold herself up and every time her hands

touched him, it hurt so badly. She looked over at the bloody mess of the man on

the floor and she screamed, completely terrified.

 

  "Sssh honey, it's okay," he assured her, turning her away from the sight. "He

won't hurt you anymore now, I promise." He swayed her in his arms for a moment,

feeling the sobs wrack her body and he sighed. He had to get her out of here.

"Come on baby, let's go," he said, leading her out of the shack. "We have to get

those cuts seen to."

 

  She forced herself to calm down, but her knees were shaking so badly that she

couldn't even hold herself upright and, as they buckled, she bent to the ground,

her knees connecting with solid earth.

 

  He bent down to pick her up, holding her close to him and pressing a kiss to

her head. "We're gonna be okay baby," he said, carrying her away from that evil

place. Even at this stage in her pregnancy, she was no great weight and he

tucked her head under his chin, keeping her close. She was in shock and he had

to get her home in order to clean her cuts and warm her up. "Talk to me Evie,"

he said, in an attempt to keep her from slipping out of consciousness.

 

  Shock had stolen her body and her hands were trembling, covered in the sticky

fluid of her own blood. Her head stayed nestled under his chin as she just

shook. His words didn't entirely register in her mind and she swallowed hard,

hanging onto just being awake. The night air was freezing and she couldn't even

talk at that point.

 

  When she didn't answer him, he was concerned, but her violent shivering

worried him more and he hurried back to their house, locking the door quietly

behind him and hoping to God that Alex was still asleep. He carried Evie up into

their bedroom and gently lay her down on the bed before going to fetch the first

aid kit. He took one of her hands in his, very gently wiping the blood from her

palm. Now that he got a better look at it, it appeared to be worse than it

really was. She wasn't going to need stitches, but nevertheless, he knew that it

had to hurt.

 

  Her clothes were dark with her blood and she was still shaking badly from the

cold and the shock. Her body was having a hard time adjusting to all of this and

her mind couldn't keep up. Her eyes darted about the room, tying to stay focused

on something, but having a hard time considering how nervous she was. She stared

at her blouse, the blood only scaring her more, not to mention the fact that the

man had touched her body and pregnant womb the way that she had *only* let Rick

do. She had stopped crying, but she was still just as frightened.

 

  She was far too quiet for his liking and it scared him. He chatted softly to

her as he cleaned her wounds, gently wrapping a bandage around each palm to stop

the bleeding. Having done that, he tended to the wound on her neck before

beginning to unfasten her blouse. "Let's get you into something warmer, okay?"

he said, easing the shirt off of her body and wrapping the blanket around her

while he went to get clothing from the chest of drawers. She was almost

non-responsive and that frightened him.

 

  Evie didn't nod or shake her head, but just kept thinking about what had

happened. It was almost more frightening than the time in Ahm Shere when she had

been stabbed in the stomach. She lay still on the bed, her eyes following him,

but her lips formed no words. She didn't know what to say and she couldn't even

feel the pain in her hands anymore.

 

  Rick frowned. He had to get her out of this, but he didn't know how. All he

could do was to be there for her and offer his support and his love. He returned

to their bed and gently wrapped her in one of his shirts, knowing that it would

be big and loose enough for her to be comfortable in, but also thick enough to

keep her warm and he had to keep her warm. She was in shock. He held her close,

rubbing her back soothingly and pressing gentle kisses to her face. "Say

something, Evie," he pleaded, rocking her gently.

 

  It was a long time that she remained like that, but her body eventually

stilled its trembling and she broke out of shock when she felt the first kicks

of her baby within her womb. She shivered and gasped out, putting her hands to

her belly in a shocked manner and looked up at Rick, acknowledging his presence

for the first time.

 

  He stared at her in concern when she cried out. She still hadn't said

anything, but at least now she seemed to know he was there. "Hey, are you okay?"

he asked gently, squeezing her. "Are you in pain or something?"

 

  She shook her head, staring at him with wide eyes. "No, I'm alright...I felt

the baby kick." And sure enough, she felt the soft fluttering where her hand was

pressed to her belly. "I can feel the baby."

 

  The frown on his face transformed into a huge grin as he lay his hand on her

stomach, feeling the tiny life moving inside of her. He rubbed her belly

soothingly and kissed her forehead. He was so happy that she had finally snapped

out of her silence and was talking to him again. "I can feel it too," he said

softly, gazing into her eyes. "Evie, are you alright?" he asked seriously.

 

  "I'm okay. I guess I just got a little scared back there." She held tightly to

him, feeling the sensations of her baby continuing to move around inside of her

as she held onto her husband. "I couldn't let you face that man alone."

 

  He sighed, holding onto her tight. "I know honey, I know," he murmured,

rocking her gently. "But I had to go after him, he was dangerous and disturbed.

I didn't want him to keep harassing you, you know that. But I was stupid and I

didn't think and because of that, you got hurt. I'm sorry Evie, I'm so sorry. I

was so stupid."

 

  "No, it wasn't your fault." She let him rock her in his arms. It felt

comforting. It was just the three of them together like this and she held onto

him as though she had almost lost him. "I love you Rick," she whispered. "Please

be more careful next time."

 

  He sighed deeply, kissing her forehead. "Oh Evie, I love you so much," he

said, keeping her close. "And I will try and be more careful, but hopefully

there isn't going to be a next time. I think we've been through enough lately,

don't you?" He continued rubbing her belly, kissing her gently. "How are your

hands?"

 

  She looked down at them, seeing the white gauze he had wrapped so tenderly

around them. "They don't hurt too badly. It was all I could think to do when he

had the knife to my neck," she told him, pulling him so that they both lay down

on the bed.

 

  He went with her, cuddling close as he stroked her back soothingly. "I know

sweetheart," he said quietly. "And you were so brave. But it's over now, it's

all over." He kissed the top of her head before pulling back slightly to look at

her as though he had just made an amazing discovery. "Hey, you want to know

what's weird? You can fit into my shirts now," he teased, trying to lighten

things up a little.

 

  She batted at his shoulder playfully. "Darling, they are still too big on me,

I can just get my stomach into them. Besides, I wear your clothes even if I

can't fit into them," she whispered. She knew he always found it sexy when he

came home to find her lounging around in one of his shirts.

 

  "When you're right, you're right," he said, smiling. He nuzzled her nose

gently with his, relieved that she was feeling better enough to joke around with

him. "I must admit, I've always enjoyed seeing you in one of my dress

shirts...and nothing else." He kissed her gently.

 

  "Are you attempting to turn me on, Monsieur O'Connell?" she asked, trying to

form her voice like one of Johnathan's French girls. She chuckled at her own sad

attempts, but ran her hands down his back carefully so as not to hurt herself.

 

  "You betcha," he said, nuzzling the hollow of her throat, his shoulders

shaking with laughter. "Well, you do happen to be wearing one of my shirts right

now, so at least out of the two of us,*I'm* feeling pretty turned-on," he

teased, letting his head rest lightly on her chest, breathing in time with her.

 

  Evie sighed, running her fingers through his hair. She loved him so much. If

he was aroused then they could certainly do something with this. She however was

going to be playful. "Well, at least *one* of us is aroused."

 

  "And that means that the other can't be far behind," he laughed, nuzzling her

breasts through the fabric of the shirt. He closed his eyes and sighed, just

happy to lie here like this, his head on her chest and her hands in his hair.

"Mmmm, keep doing that," he murmured, loving the feel of her soft hands running

through his hair.

 

  "I wasn't planning on stopping," she said, tightening and relaxing her hands

in his hair, holding, touching, and teasing. "Oh I don't know Rick," she

whispered. "You might have to work with me a bit," she told him as his hands

grazed her pregnant belly. She wanted him to erase the memories of what had

happened that night and she smiled seductively. "You know...arouse me and such."

 

  "Arouse you, huh?" he asked, lifting his head slightly in order to look up at

her. He thought she had just been playing with him, not actually being serious.

"Have you been sniffing anti-septic cream again, Evie?" he asked suspiciously.

 

  She shook her head, moving his hand over her shirt to rest on the bump of her

belly. She gazed into his eyes. "Can you believe that your child is in here?"

she said softly, sexily. She felt his fingers rubbing over her belly, searching

for signs of life.

 

  He smiled at her as he moved his hand over her stomach, pushing the shirt up

in order to access her bare skin and he nuzzled the warm flesh there, kissing

her belly just the way he knew she liked, letting his tongue snake out to taste

her.

 

  "So you *are* attempting to arouse me," she said, her hands going back to his

hair and smoothing down the dark locks. She sighed, feeling the baby move inside

of her, kicking at Rick's lips as though saying he wasn't allowed to touch mama.

 

  "Only if you think you can handle it," he said slyly, letting his hands rub

over her stomach as he kissed his her bare skin. "Have I told you lately that I

really like your bump?" he murmured, dipping his tongue into her belly button.

 

  "That bump is turning into your child, I think you should love it," she said,

moaning a little. Her belly button was so very sensitive and a rain of pleasure

shot straight down to her centre, causing her to cry out softly.

 

  He smiled in response to her little sounds and decided to move things along a

little, moving back up her body to unfasten the buttons on the shirt she wore,

revealing her naked body to his hungry gaze. His fingers grazed the sides of her

breasts teasingly, knowing how sensitised she had become since her pregnancy had

begun.

 

  She moved her hands to his wrists, holding him there, sliding her hands down

his own and moving their fingers to run over her breasts. She pinched her

nipples, feeling them harden. She loved touching herself and she loved the way

he responded when he watched her touch her own body.

 

  He groaned at the sight of her pleasuring herself and he sat up, pulling her

with him and moving them so that he sat against the headboard of the bed with

her in front of him, sitting between his thighs. One of his arms was around her

stomach, holding her tightly to him, while his free hand grasped one of her own,

guiding it to the juncture of her thighs. "Touch yourself, Evie," he murmured,

kissing the side of her neck. "Let me watch you."

 

  She nodded, toying with the skin of her thighs before resting her palm over

the curls protecting her flesh. She softly touched the very layers of her

centre, feeling the wetness of her arousal dripping from her and she pushed a

finger through the two folds to enter herself. Her movements were slow and

elegant, like a dance, and her other hand wove around the back of his neck.

 

  "Yeah, sweetheart, just like that," he encouraged, watching over her shoulder

as she began moving her fingers in and out of herself. "God honey, you're so

sexy," he breathed, one hand remaining stationery on the curve of her stomach

while the other moved to her breast, his fingers playing delicately with the

nipple. He suckled at her neck, but kept his eyes open to witness her every

movement.

 

  After a few moments of thrusting her fingers in and out of her body, giving

herself so much pleasure, her head fell back to rest on his shoulder and she

closed her eyes. She pulled her fingers free, sliding the wetness from herself

and lifted her fingers dripping with her own secretions to his lips, offering

him a taste.

 

  His tongue darted out, lapping at her fingers before reaching for her wrist,

moving her fingers into his mouth and he suckled hard, savouring the taste of

her juices. His eyes slipped shut as he concentrated on his task, his teeth

lightly grazing her knuckles and his tongue moving under her fingers.

 

  She turned her head a little so that she could look at him. "Taste good?" she

asked, knowing that they were lost in a world that belonged to them alone. She

could feel his erection pressing up against her buttocks and she pulled her

fingers from his mouth in order to grab her ass and separating her cheeks so

that while she sat on his lap, he could rub against that part of her body. Then

she slipped her fingers back inside of herself once more, gathering up the

wetness before offering them to his lips again.

 

  He accepted them eagerly, licking her fingers clean, sucking on the slender

digits. "Evie," he sighed, letting her fingers slip out of his mouth. "God, you

taste incredible." He moved her hand back between her legs, settling her into

position. "Let me see more," he whispered, rubbing his cock against her a

little. "Touch your clit."

 

  She nodded, pushing through the soft folds and she immediately grasped her

clit, pinching the swollen pink flesh. She gave out little cries of pleasure and

excitement, keeping her arm wrapped around his neck.

 

  He moaned softly as he watched his wife pleasuring herself in his arms and he

rocked his hips against her slightly. He nuzzled her ear, gently nibbling on the

lobe, as his breathing grew heavier. He kept one hand on her stomach, caressing

it softly while his other hand toyed with her breast. "Does that feel good,

Evie?" he sighed.

 

  Her head nodded affirmatively as she pushed her thumb hard against her clit.

She leaned her head back against him, her arm clenching tight around him as she

climaxed, her own fingers buried deep inside herself. She rode it out and then

slumped against him, letting him hold her. She pulled out her fingers,

glistening with the evidence of her arousal and pushed them into his mouth.

"Taste me," she whispered.

 

  He did so, licking her clean before he tilted her chin to look at him. He

brushed her lips with his, pulling away slightly so that he could look at her

face, flushed from her orgasm. "You're beautiful when you come, you know," he

told her, kissing her again.

 

  She turned around then so that she was sitting on his lap, facing him. She

leaned forward, kissing his lips hungrily before pulling back slightly to look

into his eyes. "I can taste myself on you," she whispered, and then delved back

into the kiss, running her tongue along his.

 

  He moaned his reply into her mouth and let his hands run through her hair,

holding her to him as his tongue dueled with hers. God, there wasn't a thing

about this woman that didn't turn him on. One of his hands moved down her back,

pressing her swollen stomach to him so that he could rub against her a little.

 

  It was her turn to moan when he did that and she let him play with the swell

of her belly, feeling him so hard against her. He needed attention badly and she

was going to give it to him. She scooted back some, letting his fingers feel the

warmth of her centre burning with arousal, but just as he reached for her, she

shook her head and moved his hand down to his cock.

 

  He groaned as his hand closed round his erection, squeezing it slightly. His

eyes closed and his head tipped back on his shoulders as he moved his fist up

and down his length a few times. He was panting lightly when his eyes fluttered

open to gaze at her mournfully. "Can't I touch you?" he asked, slowing the

movements of his hand.

 

  She leaned forward to kiss his lips, wrapping her hand tightly around his fist

and moving it slowly, sensually up and down his cock, letting him feel himself.

"I'll come soon enough," she told him gently, rubbing the tip of his penis

against the swell of her belly.

 

  He moaned again, letting her hand guide his over the length of his swollen

cock, his eyes slipping shut once more. It felt so good to finally get some

attention, even if it was his own hand generating that pleasure. He would have

much preferred her own soft little hands touching him, but he guessed that fair

was fair since he did always enjoy watching her touch herself. It was only right

that he could do the same for her.

 

  She brushed her lips over his ear, biting gently on the lobe and whispering

softly to him. "I want to touch you," she sighed, rubbing her cheek against his.

She let him continue to brush the tip of his erection over her belly, feeling

the pre-cum there.

 

  "Touch me then," he moaned, gasping out when he felt her teeth nip at the

sensitive flesh of his earlobe. His hands didn't let up on the smooth strokes of

his cock however, and his other hand moved to cup and soothe his aching balls,

his breathing laboured.

 

  She pulled his hands away to his groans of disappointment and made him lie

down on his back. Once he was comfortably settled against the pillows, she

climbed onto him so that her stomach was resting on his, her backside against

him as she lowered her lips delicately to the tip of his cock. One hand reached

to stroke his balls as she took him tenderly into her mouth.

 

  He moaned when he felt her take him into her mouth and he stroked the skin of

her thighs, gasping out to her, "Evie honey, do me a favour and back up a little

would you?" He licked his lips, moaning again. "I want to taste you too."

 

  She moved herself back a little, shifting so that she practically lay on top

of him and she sighed, waiting to feel his lips on her. She brought him into her

mouth, rolling her tongue around him.

 

  He gasped at the feel of her hot, wet mouth engulfing his cock and in

automatic response, his mouth latched onto her clit, sucking hard. He closed his

eyes as his tongue worked her, his hands grasping the skin of her thighs and

molding the soft flesh. He loved the sensation of her mouth on him as the same

time he had his on her and it felt simply incredible. It was a win-win situation

all round, he decided, focusing his attention on her, suckling greedily.

 

  She gasped out when she felt his tongue on her and she let her teeth graze his

cock ever so slightly. Her eyes closed tightly and she moaned against him,

lapping at him hungrily. Her hand still held his balls, rolling them gently in

her palm.

 

  He'd praise her for her attention to him if he wasn't so currently occupied,

but he let her know about it by voicing his pleasure, moaning into her loudly.

He let her clit slip out of his mouth momentarily and he stabbed two fingers up

into her, pumping roughly for a while before bringing his lips back to her once

more, lavishing attention on her lovingly.

 

  She felt the world spinning around her and she sighed in complete bliss. She

sucked harder at him, but had to pull back and groan when she felt his teeth

against her. "Oh God, Rick, I love you," she gasped before wrapping her mouth

around him again.

 

  He would have replied to that, but he was reluctant to take his mouth off of

her so he simply moaned in response, letting her feel his love for her though

his caresses. Her lips around his cock felt so amazing and he voiced his

pleasure again when he felt the vibrations of her moans around his cock, only

serving to heighten his enjoyment. He kept up his efforts, sucking strongly at

her. His chin and jaw were coated in her juices and he was loving every minute

of this.

 

  She could feel her pleasure growing, could feel it surrounding her and she

sucked on him roughly, knowing she was going to come soon. She pushed her hips

against his face, shuddering in delight as she felt herself spill into orgasm,

her mouth never leaving his cock.

 

  He reached his climax soon after hers, his hips jerking up a little into her

mouth as he spilled into her, his lips leaving her body to call out her name as

he came. His eyes were clenched tight shut and he panted heavily, trembling as a

result of his orgasm.

 

  She swallowed his seed, cleaning him off gently before climbing off of him,

rubbing her belly as she did so. This position was nice, but it was getting a

little difficult now that her stomach was growing larger. She lay beside him,

rolling on her side to face him. She ran her hand over his cheek lovingly and

offered him a small smile.

 

  His head turned toward hers on the pillow, leaning into her hand and smiling

back at her sleepily. He shifted so that he could pull her body closer to his,

his arms holding her tightly. Her belly was pressed against him and he could

feel their little one's fluttering movements between them. He kissed her deeply,

sighing into her mouth.

 

  She licked his lips and then her own as she pulled back slightly to yawn,

giggling at herself. She brought his hand to her lips and kissed it a few times.

"Do you know how much I love you?" she asked softly, eager to make sure that he

knew. Her head nestled against him comfortably.

 

  "Hmm, maybe about as much as I love you, which is a lot?" he queried, smiling

sweetly at her. "I love you so much that it physically hurts sometimes Evie,

You've saved me so many times, you put up with my nonsense and I love you for

it."

 

  She held his hand, moving it down to her womb. "You've never given me any

nonsense," she told him gently, letting his hands smooth over her stomach. "My

life was missing something until I found you. You gave me everything I could

ever need, a child more perfect than anything in the world, another child soon

to belong to our family, to you and me." She kissed him gently. "I love you for

all you are and all you make me be."

 

  He smiled at her words, resting his hand on her belly, right where their baby

was nestled. "I love you for everything *you* are," he said softly. "You make my

life complete. You're everything to me Evie, my love, my heart, and my soul. The

mother of my children." He kissed her tenderly. "I love you so very much."

 

  She grabbed the blanket and pulled it over them, resting her head on his

chest. "Just hold me," she whispered as she yawned again. She cuddled against

his familiar body, nestling close.

 

  "Always," he told her, rubbing her back gently and yawning himself. It had

been a long night and right now, all he wanted to do was sleep with his wife in

his arms. He closed his eyes, the movements of his hands slowing, then finally

coming to a halt as the beating of her heart lulled him into slumber, the smile

still on his face even in his sleep.

 

 

  Title: We've Come This Far (part 4/4)

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

  Disclaimer: See part 1 for details

 

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

 

  Stubborn little Evelyn came in through the door of her house absolutely

drenched by the rain that was pouring outside. Rick had tried to get her to stay

at home away from work, but she had refused. She hated feeling useless and even

though she was due to give birth soon, she had still gone to work that morning.

She leaned against the door, dripping wet and put a hand over her now very large

stomach, trying to catch her breath.

 

  Rick rushed over to her, towel in hand as he stripped her out of her coat and

dried her off in the hallway. He knew she hated it when he fussed over her like

this, but he couldn't help it. He worried about her too much. "Honey, I wish you

would just take some time off," he sighed as he rubbed her hair vigorously with

the towel. "Get changed out of these clothes alright? You'll catch your death of

cold."

 

  "Rick, darling." She tried reasoning with him as she slowly walked up the

stairs, one hand on her back, the other on her belly, stroking it with her

thumb. "I need to be doing something. I don't want to sit around the house like

some fat cow." She made it to their room and began pulling off her wet clothes,

moving out of his view so that he couldn't see how large he was. She felt very

self-conscious about it for some reason so she backed up looking for something

to put on over her brassier.

 

  He followed her into the bedroom, watching as she went in search for dry

clothes. "I know, I know," he relented. "I just worry about you, that's all. You

*and* our baby," he told her, coming up to wrap his arms around her, rubbing her

belly gently. "I just want you to be okay Evie."

 

  "I've done this before, Rick, I can do it again." She swallowed though. Her

labour with Alex had been very hard on her and she'd been bed set for nearly a

week. Now she was educated enough to know that women had a harder time giving

birth as they got older. She sighed and leaned against him, letting her thoughts

subside, especially when the baby moved and she smiled. Their life was inside of

her and letting them know about it as the baby kicked at Rick's hand.

 

  "Feisty one," he laughed when he felt the baby kick right where his hand was

placed on her stomach. "Takes after mom." He smiled, kissing her forehead gently

and tightening his arms around her. "You'll be okay Evie," he said softly.

"Don't forget I'll be at your side through it all when you need to yell at me or

yank on my hair." He was teasing, but his tone was serious. These days, he was

reluctant to leave her alone at all.

 

  She sighed. He always did this to her. She wanted to give him just what he

wanted and she smiled coyly at him, not unlike that time when he had asked her

not to go on that trip to Ahm Shere. "Well...I suppose it would be best for me

to stay close to you then and not go to work," she offered, letting him know she

was giving into what he wanted.

 

  "Now you're talking," he said, sitting down in a nearby chair and pulling her

down in his lap. He was wise enough to know that she must have something up her

sleeve whenever she reacted this way to his mothering. He kissed her nose

gently. "After all, what's a few days off work? You and me, all on our own in

the afternoons...Alex at school, Johnathan...getting thrown out of whatever bar

he happens to be frequenting at that time...I'm sure we can find something to

help pass the time. What do you say?"

 

  She let the silk of her robe brush against his neck as she wrapped her arms

around him. "All alone?" she asked mischievously, looking deep into his eyes.

"No-one else but you and me and this baby of ours that I'm carrying?" She

continued smiling at him coyly and rubbed his hand over the round curve of her

stomach as she snuggled into his lap.

 

  "Oh yeah, and baby too," he smiled, stroking her belly. "I'm gonna miss this

y'know. I was so disappointed when you gave birth to Alex. No more bump." He

pouted playfully at her and the hand that was not caressing her stomach made its

way to her chin, tilting her head up for a kiss.

 

  She eagerly obliged him, kissing him long and deep as her arms tightened

around him. When she finally pulled back, she stared at Rick, a loving, warm

look that only two soul mates could share. "Just think about the little baby

that you're going to hold in your arms. Watching me breastfeed, singing the baby

to sleep," she whispered softly, listing all the things he had loved watching

her do with Alex.

 

  He grinned at her, leaning down for another kiss. "Hmm, I suppose I could be

willing to trade in your bump for those things," he teased, nuzzling his nose

against hers. "But don't ask me to sing again. Last time I did that to Alex, he

disowned me." He laughed softly, just enjoying being with her like this.

 

  "Just promise me you'll be right beside me when I go into labour." When she

had begun giving birth to Alex, Rick had been about a two-hour drive away at a

job and she had never been more afraid as she went through the terrible

contractions. She had been ready to scream at him when he arrived but had been

distracted by another contraction. "I need you at my side," she murmured,

kissing him quickly.

 

  "I'll be there," he promised. "Why do you think I haven’t taken on a job these

past three weeks? I won't leave you Evie," he whispered, knowing she was afraid.

He gazed into her eyes, wanting to kiss away the worried little frown on her

brow. "I'll be right beside you." And he sealed that promise with a kiss.

 

  "Good," she said, leaning her cheek against his. "It's hard to believe that

our love has once again put a baby inside me, a life that you and I created."

She brushed her lips against his cheek and ran a hand softly through his light

brown hair in a soothing and almost motherly manner.

 

  "Check out this belly you've got my hand on," he joked. "Seems pretty

believable to me." He smiled when he felt the baby kick again. "You know, I'm

sure this kid is trying to kick its way out of your stomach," he laughed.

 

  "Probably...Rick, what if I...you know, need surgery to get through this?" She

felt rather worried about it and she pressed her head to his heart to let it

soothe her in its lullaby way. She just had this intuition that something was

going to go wrong, but maybe it was just nerves. "Part of me wants to keep this

baby inside me forever," she admitted.

 

  "I'm sure everything will be okay," he whispered, holding her close. "Both you

and this baby will be okay Evie and I'll be here for you, I promise." He sat

there, simply content to hold her like this, rocking her gently and pressing

soft kisses to her forehead occasionally.

 

  Evie felt comforted by the way he held her in his lap and before long, her

mind was drifting off into slumber land, just happy to be resting against his

body, letting go of her fear so that she could sleep peacefully.

 

  Meanwhile, Alex had just gotten back from a late dinner with his uncle and had

been looking forward to seeing his mother and father. "Dad! Dad!" he said loudly

in order to get his father's attention when he found him sitting in the big

chair with his mum in his lap. He didn't know she was asleep as his voice

increased in volume. "DAD!"

 

  "Sshh," said Rick, pointing to Evie to let Alex know she was asleep. He

couldn't help but smile at his son's enthusiasm; he was practically jumping up

and down on the spot to gain his attention. Like he had ants in his pants, Evie

would say. "What is it, Alex? Giant alligator on the loose in Hampstead Heath

again?" he teased.

 

  "Not this time, dad, uncle John let me go to the hotel he always visits!" the

young boy said excitedly. "We met all these really nice girls. One was called

Rosa and she was really nice and pretty." Alex of course didn't know what these

girls did, but that was Johnathan's territory and his uncle had forgotten to

tell him to keep his mouth shut. He had said it was an adventure, so of course,

Alex had to tell his father about it. "Dad, it was sooo much fun!"

 

  "A hotel huh?" asked Rick suspiciously. "I thought your uncle was supposed to

be taking you out to a restaurant. Where did you go?" Looked like he'd be having

words with Johnathan again tonight.

 

  "Well, we did go to a restaurant, we just went to a restaurant at the hotel,"

Alex told his father. "These girls though, I mean they looked like mum when she

wears that black robe except it was less...I don't know, but they were really

nice." Looked like little Alex was growing up a bit. Luckily, another little one

was on the way.

 

  "Oooh, sounds like somebody has a crush," Rick teased, deciding that he would

deal with his brother-in-law later. It was bittersweet watching Alex grow up.

Rick still considered him to be his baby although Alex preferred being known as

a 'mature child'. He ruffled his son's hair affectionately, before suddenly

remembering. "Oh, I'm not supposed to do that," he said, drawing his hand away.

 

  "Don't worry dad, just this once is okay," said Alex, giving his father a

lop-sided grin. "How is mum?" he asked softly, reaching forward to touch his

mothers' hair. Right now he thought his mother looked beautiful, but he wasn't

sure if he was going to like having another person take mum and dad's attention

away.

 

  "I think your mother will be relieved when she's had this baby," Rick told

him. "Now though, she's just feeling a little tired. It must have been a long

day at work." Suddenly, he felt the baby move again. "Hey, Alex," he said,

taking the boy's hand and placing it on Evie's stomach. "Your sister is saying

hello."

 

  That put a smile on Alex's face as he touched her belly lightly, feeling the

baby kick against his hand. "You know for a fact it's a girl?" he asked. He

really wanted a little sister so that he could be just like his uncle and his

mother had been when they were children. He wanted that more than anything.

 

  "Well, your mother seems pretty certain," said Rick, smiling at the awed

expression on his son's face. "Call it mom's intuition, but we think you're

going to get a little sister any day now."

 

  "Can I please stay in the room when mum has the baby?" he asked for the tenth

time. He had always been told he was to stay with uncle John, but he wanted to

be close to his mum. "Please dad, I really want to watch." He was as curious as

ever, the young O'Connell boy.

 

  "No Alex," said Rick, gently but firmly. "I told you already you have to stay

with Johnathan." He remembered how his wife had been when she was giving birth

to Alex and the foul language she had used due to the pain she had been in. She

had cursed the day he ever touched her and he would have been amused by some of

the more colourful expressions she had used had he not been so frightened and

worried for her. "I promise you can see the baby just as soon as it's born."

 

  "But why do you get to be with her and I can't? I love her too, dad," said

Alex, placing his hand against his mothers' cheek. When her eyelashes fluttered

a little, he pulled back to make sure that she would stay asleep and she did.

 

  "I know you love her son, we both do. It's just that when your mother gives

birth, she's gonna be in a lot of pain, but the doctor and I will be there to

make sure she's okay. Your mother wants me to stay with her and it isn't that

she doesn't love you too, but she needs you to be strong for her with your uncle

while we wait for this baby to make an appearance, okay?" Rick looked at him

seriously. "Alex, I promise you I will take care of her and not let anything bad

happen."

 

  "But...but.." Images of his mum lying dead on the temple floor came to him and

he pushed them aside. She was just giving birth, she wasn't dying. "Alright dad,

I know that you'll protect mum and take care of her," Alex smiled, leaning

forward to kiss his mother's cheek.

 

  "You know I will protect her, Alex," said Rick, remembering the time when

Ardeth had told him about his past history as a Med-jai, sworn to love and

protect his wife. He still had trouble coming to terms with the idea that he was

a warrior for God, but he could easily believe that he had been created to love

and protect Evie for as long as he lived.

 

  Evie felt the kiss and she stirred, opening her eyes to see her son standing

before her. "Hello, sweetheart," she whispered to him.

 

  "Hey," said Rick when she woke. "Nice nap?"

 

  "Yeah," she mumbled drowsily, still half-asleep. "Nice nap." She curled closer

to him, reaching out one hand to brush her son's cheek.

 

  Alex smiled at her as he leaned into her hand. "Mum, guess what? I met some

ladies today at uncle John's hotel where he goes all the time. They served us

dinner."

 

  "That's nice darling," she murmured softly, the words not registering right

away, but when they did sink in, she sat up straight in her husband's lap.

"WHAT?" she said, exasperated. She was suddenly very angry with her brother. How

could he do this to her son? He was far too young to know about things like

that.

 

  "Sshh Evie, calm down," said Rick gently. "I'm going to have a word with

Johnathan myself later on. Don't upset yourself, okay?" He rubbed her back

soothingly, trying to settle her back down.

 

  Evie sighed, but still got up off his lap, bracing one hand on her back to

support herself. "Alex, it's time for bed," she announced flatly, leading her

son from the room.

 

  "But mum, I don't want to go to bed right now. I want to stay up with you and

dad," he begged as he was led from the room, but reaching up to hold her arm for

support.

 

  "Your father and I are going to bed in a few minutes anyway so there won't be

anything to focus on," she told him, helping him get ready for bed before

tucking him in. "Good boy Alex," she said, placing a kiss on his forehead and

pulling the covers up.

 

  He yawned, giving away his own exhaustion. "Night mum," he said, rolling onto

his side as she clicked off the light and shut the door.

 

   She made her way down the hallway towards her bedroom, closing and locking

the door behind her. "Alex is asleep."

 

  His eyebrows rose when she locked the door, his concern for her battling with

bemusement as he rose from the chair and walked over to stand directly in front

of her. "You locked the door," he said accusingly, smiling at her to let her

know he was teasing. "Either I'm in for a really good time or you're about to

beat me senseless. Please give me advance warning so that I can prepare myself."

 

  She chuckled and placed a hand against his cheek. "Darling, I'm planning on

beating you senseless," she murmured in her own teasing manner as she stepped

closer to him, her stomach pressing against his, although it did leave some room

between them.

 

  Rick shrugged, guessing he should be used to these sudden mood changes by now.

"Well, thanks for letting me know," he smiled, turning his head slightly so that

he could nuzzle her palm with his lips, closing his eyes. "Then after you've

done that, what is it you plan on doing to me next?" His eyes opened again as he

gazed down at her. "I'm just trying to be prepared," he whispered, kissing her

palm.

 

  "Well, I was thinking we could improvise," she said, walking away from him and

letting her clothes slip off her body as she grabbed her robe, slipping it on

over her bare skin. She took the pins out of her done-up hair, letting it fall

around her shoulders and then walked over to their bed slowly, pulling back the

covers and slipping underneath. She lay back against the pillow and looked over

at him.

 

  "Improvise huh?" he asked, shucking off his shirt and pants and joining her in

bed. "I like the sound of that." He lay down on his side next to her and propped

himself up on one elbow. "Have I kissed you these last few minutes?" he

murmured, tracing over her lower lip with his index finger.

 

  She shook her head slightly, taking his finger into her mouth. She watched him

carefully as she rolled to her side, moving a little uncomfortably with the

weight in her stomach, wondering what had brought this on. "I haven't beaten you

senseless yet," she reminded him.

 

  "I know, I know," he sighed, enjoying the feel of her mouth suckling at his

finger. "Just get it over with quick so that we can move onto the main show," he

said, distracted by what she was doing to him. It always happened like this, him

with his intentions of seducing her which would always backfire the second she

turned her attention on him, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

 

  She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him as close as she could get him.

She could hear the distant rumble of thunder, signifying that a storm was

heading their way. She hated the thunder for some reason. Being pregnant had

made her more afraid of things. Her hormones were so out of whack these days and

as the sky flashed with lightning, she dropped what she had been doing to bury

her face into her husbands' chest.

 

  "Hey," he said softly, bringing his arms around her to hold her reassuringly.

He could feel her body trembling against his and he rubbed her back soothingly.

"Are you feeling alright Evie? he asked in concern.

 

  She nodded and just lay curled against him, her arms tight around his body and

she shivered. She felt shaky all over and she kissed him very gently before

laying her head on his chest, tightening her hold as another clap of thunder

ripped at the windows, wind blowing fiercely.

 

  He figured it was the storm that was making her act this way when he felt her

cling to him as another bout of thunder resounded outside. One hand was on her

back, holding her close to him while the other was in her hair, stroking it in

the way he knew she liked, hoping it would calm her down. "You sure you're okay,

honey?" he asked gently. "It's just a storm. We're safe in here."

 

  She nodded again and then pulled back. "I'm going to make some tea," she told

him. "You wait here for me, we'll continue this when I get back." She kissed his

cheek and his neck gently before pulling away and getting out of bed, making

sure her robe was fastened tightly. She unlocked the bedroom door and headed off

downstairs. She was glad when he stayed in their room so that she could pretened

to be brave.

 

  She clicked on a couple of lights and made her way to the other side of the

house into the kitchen. She fixed a pot of tea and poured two mugs, getting a

tray together. She was just turning around when another bolt of thunder, louder

than anything crashed out and she felt her stomach tear at her as she crumpled

to the floor. She was all the way on the other side of the house and she knew no

one would be able to hear her as a harsh contraction ripped at her, warm fluid

running down her leg. "RICK!" she screamed out at the top of her lungs as the

pain tore at her.

 

  Meanwhile, Rick was laying on his back in bed, staring at the ceiling as he

waited for his wife to return. Thunder crashed around the house ominously and he

sighed, wondering what was taking her so long. He was worried and after a couple

more minutes, he decided to go looking for her.

 

  He hauled himself out of bed, yanking on his pants as he walked out onto the

landing. "Evie?" he called out, making his way down the stairs. He couldn't hear

anything other than the noise of the storm, but suddenly during an interval, he

heard a voice he knew all too well crying out for him. "Evie?" he shouted,

sprinting down the stairs to find her in the kitchen, slumped on the floor, her

face a mask of pain. "God Evie, what's wrong?" he asked in panic, rushing over

to her.

 

  She sat on the floor, holding her stomach and crying in pain, her water broken

and pooling round her legs. "Rick..." she whispered in a pained voice, reaching

out for him. A window was suddenly whipped open by the wind of this terrible

storm and she shrieked in terror, taken with another contraction as she clutched

her stomach.

 

  "Oh my...Evie!" he cried when she screamed, out of fear or pain or possibly

both. Of all the nights to be born, the kid had to pick this one. Trying to

clear his head, he unwrapped her arms from around her belly and helped her stand

up. He had to get her out of the kitchen but where to? He couldn't carry her to

their bedroom; it was too far away so he figured the living room would be his

best bet. "Evie? Evie honey, listen to me," he said firmly, lifting her chin up

to look into her eyes. "I need to get you out of here and into the living room,

so I need you to be strong for me so that I can help get you there, okay? Do you

think you can manage that?"

 

  She nodded and leaned into his arms. She desperately wanted to be back

upstairs in their bed. She didn't want to have this baby on the living room

couch where her son might easily come into the room and see what was going on,

he was far too young for things like this. She took small steps, inhaling and

exhaling slowly and deeply to try and keep herself calm. She looked over at the

couch, which seemed too far off for her tastes, although it was only a few feet

away. She cringed as another clap of thunder broke the sky and lit up the mostly

dark room.

 

  "We're almost there, Evie," he said encouragingly as he braced an arm around

her, guiding her over to the couch. "Stay with me honey, I got you. You're doing

great." They finally reached the couch and he helped her down onto it. "I need

you to stay calm now, okay?"

 

  "Yeah, I know," she murmured, closing her eyes and placing a hand on her

stomach, taking deep breaths. She tried to lighten things up a little by saying

to him, "sorry we didn't get to...you know, make love." She laid her head on the

pillow, trying to get comfortable. She really wanted her bed right now.

 

  Rick snorted with laughter at that as he knelt beside her, helping her get

more comfortable. "Don't worry about that now, just concentrate on bringing our

little baby into this world," he told her. He smoothed a lock of hair from her

forehead tenderly. "I'm right here with you Evie, it's going to be alright." He

knew that despite her attempt to make him smile, she was scared and he was

trying his best to take that fear away.

 

  "Rick..." She took a shaky breath and reached out to grasp his hand. "I need a

doctor," she said, squeezing her eyes shut as she leaned back, just wanting to

get this damn kid out of her. She cried out as she felt another contraction take

control of her body.

 

  He winced, feeling totally helpless as yet another contraction tore through

her. This had been the worst part of watching her give birth to Alex, knowing

that he couldn't make it better for her, couldn't take away her pain and it

broke his heart. She was right though, she did need a doctor. "Okay honey, I'm

just going to call Doctor Trevor," he said, letting go of her hand. "Will you be

alright for just a minute? I promise I won't be long." Fortunately, this

contraction seemed to be over.

 

  At that moment, the entire power supply to the house shut off, leaving them in

total darkness and with dead phone lines. Evie cried out for him to come back to

her. "Rick? What happened? What just happened?" she asked, frantically searching

through the darkness for him.

 

  "I'm here," he said, grabbing hold of her hand and squeezing it gently. "It's

a power cut. We won't be able to get through to the doctor now." He bit his lip,

trying to figure out what to do now and fighting the urge to panic. "Evie,

listen to me, we're gonna be okay."

 

*******

 

  One of Johnathan's girls was hanging on his arm as they shut the door behind

them. Cynthia, the unhappily married woman who often took comfort in Johnathan's

arms was looking forward to a quiet yet romantic night with him. She shook her

head and wrapped her arms around him, giggling madly. "Well, we beat the storm

again," she told him as they made their way to the living room.

 

  Rick perked up when he heard voices and his spirits lifted even more when he

recognised one of those voices as Johnathan's. He wasn't Rick's idea version of

a helper, but right now he would just have to do. "Johnathan!" he cried, trying

to make him out in the darkness. "Johnathan, is that you?"

 

  "Johnathan," said Cynthia in her ditzy blond voice. "I thought you said we

were going to be alone tonight?" She kissed his neckline and began working on

his buttons, wanting to head up to his room.

 

  When Rick heard the woman talking, he fought the urge to bash his

brother-in-law's head against the wall. Not again, he thought, reining his anger

in. His temper wasn't going to anybody any favours right now. "Johnathan!" he

shouted. "Where the hell are you?"

 

  Out of his wine-induced buzz, Johnathan could vaguely discern Rick's voice

yelling at him. "Rick, is that you?" he asked, squinting into the darkness. "I

say, why is it so dark in here?"

 

  "Because the lights aren't on!" Rick practically bellowed. "There's been a

damn power cut and I need your help. Now I want you to stay calm and not panic

here, but Evie's gone into labour."

 

  "L-labour? Me help?" Johnathan sputtered, those words sobering him up faster

than coffee ever could. "Shouldn't the doctor be on his way?"

 

  "The power is out," Rick repeated through clenched teeth. "I can't use the

phone right now so you have to help me and Evie."

 

  "But, Johnathan," Cynthia whined. "I thought we were going to head upstairs

and spend some time together," she continued, fooling with the buttons on his

shirt.

 

  Rick snapped when he heard the woman speak again. "Get her the hell out of

here Johnathan! Your sister is about to give birth here!"

 

  Cynthia took a step back and spoke to him harshly in her fluffy little voice.

"Well, I never!" She shook her head, blond curls bouncing around her face as she

glared in Rick's general vicinity.

 

  "Now that I don't believe," Rick muttered as he turned his attention back to

his wife.

 

  Evie felt the contraction leave her and she dropped her head down, bringing a

hand up to wipe the sweat from her brow. Everything was happening so fast and

her eyes pooled with tears of pain and worry. She hiccupped softly and reached

for Rick's hand.

 

  He held her comfortingly, smoothing her hair back from her damp forehead.

"Everything's gonna be okay sweetheart, Johnathan's here to help," he told her,

kissing her forehead gently. He could still hear voices and he turned tiredly

toward them. "Look miss, I'm sure you're a nice girl and all, but can you please

leave? My wife is about to have a baby God dammit!"

 

  "But it's still raining," Cynthia protested, not wanting to get herself any

more wet than she already was, but knowing that she would have to leave.

 

  Evie screamed out again, feeling her whole body completely taken over in pain

and she sobbed out loudly, leaning into Rick's arms and crying her heart out.

"Rick, it hurts...it hurts terribly," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around his

neck and holding him to her.

 

   He held her close, fighting the urge to cry himself. "It's gonna be okay

sweetheart, we've got help," he told her soothingly. "Such as it is," he

muttered under his breath.

 

  She groaned out loudly and tried to keep up with everything. Her legs were

sticky and she hurt so badly. In her pain, she grabbed his shoulder and bit

down.

 

  He gasped when her teeth marked his shoulder, but if it helped her get through

this, he guessed that it couldn't hurt. Much. Anyway, her pain was his pain.

"We'll get through this honey," he told her, holding her tight.

 

  She pulled back, realising that she had just bitten him.  "I'm sorry...sorry

sorry sorry..." she muttered over and over and then screamed again as her

contractions started getting worse. This was going too fast and she was nervous

as hell. "Rick..." she murmured, reaching for him.

 

  "It's okay baby, it's okay," he told her, holding her close. "Bite me all you

want sweetheart if it helps get you through this."

 

  Startled at his sister's screaming, Johnathan pushed Cynthia towards the door.

"I know it's raining Cynthia, but I really need you to go now. I'll call you

okay?"

 

  She nodded as she left, guessing they would have another night of passion

sometime soon.

 

  With that, Johnathan turned to Rick and made his first useful suggestion of

the evening. "It is rather dark in here old boy, might it be wise to get some

candles?"

 

  "Yes, candles are very good," Evie groaned, gripping her husband's hand as she

went through another bad contraction. "SHIIIIIT!" she moaned out, leaning

forward.

 

  "Johnathan, get the damn candles!" Rick yelled, keeping his attention focused

on his wife.

 

  "Mum, watch your language!" said Alex as he always did whenever his mother

swore. He stood at the top of the stairs, wondering what was going on and why

everyone was downstairs on the couch. "Mum? What's going on?" He hurried down

the stairs only to see his mother who seemed to be in terrible pain, his father

trying to comfort her and his uncle setting up candles. The young boy dropped by

his mother's side. "What is it, what's the problem?"

 

  Evie cried out as she faced the worst contraction yet and she swore loudly,

angry that she had to go through this, but biting her tongue after swearing in

front of her son. "Alex, go to bed," she groaned.

 

  Rick looked up to see Alex and he panicked. 'God, he can't see this!' he

thought frantically. "Johnathan, change of plan! Take Alex!"

 

  "But I thought you wanted candles?" asked Johnathan, confused and then he saw

his nephew. He dropped the candles and the box of matches on the floor and took

Alex, pulling him away from the living room. He remembered all the times Rick

and Evie had told him that Alex was not to be there during the birth and he

tugged the young boy toward the stairs. "Come on Alex, your mum says we have to

go upstairs," he said, ushering the boy back to his room.

 

  "But, but I don't want to go back upstairs, I want to help dad and mum," Alex

protested as he was led away by his uncle. He sighed. At least he didn't have to

go back to bed. "Fine then..." he mumbled unhappily as he followed his uncle to

the other side of the O'Connell manor.

 

*******

 

  "Alex is upstairs with Johnathan now sweetheart," said Rick wiping her brow.

"They'll be okay together. Now, how are you doing?" The contractions seemed to

have passed for the moment and he was relieved at this small break she was

having from the pain.

 

  "Rick, can you get me some sort of washcloth to wipe my forehead?" she asked

weakly. She felt sticky and covered with sweat and she didn't care how she

looked right now with tendrils of hair stuck to her face, her eyes dazed with

pain. She just needed to be soothed and cooled off, to be told how much he loved

her, especially when she heard another crack of thunder.

 

  "Sure honey," he said, kicking himself for not having thought of it sooner.

"I'll be right back, I promise. Hold on for me." He released her reluctantly and

then ran toward the kitchen, cursing as he crashed into a chair on the way.

 

  He dug around frantically under the sink and guided by the lightning, he found

a couple of washcloths. He grabbed a pair of scissors from the drawer and ran a

bowlful of cold water. On his way back out, he snagged a few clean towels,

figuring they might come in handy later and he returned to the living room, his

hands full as he knelt back down beside her. He dipped one of the washcloths in

the water and wrung it out, gently wiping it over her forehead. "That better?"

he murmured, brushing her hair back from her face and kissing her head.

 

  "Yeah," she sighed. "I think the contractions are over for now." She was

relieved that the pain was over for now. "I hope Alex is safe and taken care

of," she said, ever the caring and nurturing mother. Even through her pain, she

still put everybody else before herself. The cloth on her forehead was soft and

cool and she closed her eyes, feeling drowsy even though she knew she wouldn't

fall asleep. "Can I have some hot tea?" she asked in a child-like voice.

 

  Rick turned the washcloth over and dabbed her forehead. "I don't think I

should get you anything to drink right now Evie, you're not supposed to be

having any liquids now. I'm sorry honey." And he was. He felt terrible for

denying her anything, but this time he had to.

 

  She sighed at the word 'no' and she did something that she hadn't done since

she was a little girl being told 'no' at the doll store. She whimpered and began

crying softly, tears falling from her eyes. She was in so much pain and tea

always helped calm her. She knew that she wasn't supposed to have it, but she

couldn't help crying anyway.

 

  "Oh God Evie, I'm so sorry," he said, wanting to cry himself. He reached out

to brush away the tears, kissing her cheek and telling her, "everything will

work out honey, you'll see." The words sounded hollow to his own ears though. He

was useless in situations like this, but he had to be strong for her, he had to

help get her through this. "It's going to be okay because I love you and

together, we can survive anything."

 

  Her whimpering quieted and she pressed her face into his chest, sighing deeply

and hiccupped as one usually did after crying their heart out. She was so

terribly frightened and no one was around because of the storm. Still, she could

feel his heartbeat and she knew she had his love to get her through this, even

as she felt  another contraction tearing at her belly. She cried out in pain,

her voice carrying over the crash of the storm outside.

 

  He held her close, squeezing her hand as another contraction tore through her.

"You're doing great Evie," he said reassuringly. Her pain cries upset him

terribly, but he had to focus on helping her now. "You're doing just fine honey.

Just keep it up and this kid will be out in no time."

 

  She groaned in pain. "Tell me *why* I decided to have another baby with you."

She sounded almost angry by that as she breathed through a painful contraction.

She dug her nails into his back, holding onto him tight as she tried to get

through the pain. "Why did I let you do this to me?" she sobbed.

 

  He winced as her nails gouged into his back, but he still kept his hold on

her. Even though her words were angry and accusing, he knew she didn't really

mean them, that it was just the pain talking. Plus, she wouldn't let go of him

and he figured that if her using him as a scratching board helped, then so be

it. Looked like he was going to walk away from this with scars when it was all

over, but it didn't bother him a bit. He wanted to take away her pain so badly,

wanted to help her. "Don't think about the pain right now, honey, just

concentrate on getting our baby into the world," he said, wiping her brow again.

 

  She pulled away from him and lay back on the couch, clutching her belly. She

knew she wasn't ready to give birth just yet and she wailed her way through the

rest of the contraction, tossing her head from side to side.

 

  "Get it out of me, get it out!" she shrieked, bending her knees beneath her

robe, knowing she would have to get rid of it. It took a while for her to

register, but she could feel stickiness around her thighs and her fear grew.

"RICK, RICK! I'm bleeding!" she sobbed, reaching out for him in the darkness.

 

  He could feel her fear as if it were a tangible thing and he began to panic,

finding her hand in the darkness and squeezing it gently. "Okay Evie, I'm gonna

have to take the robe off so that I can see what's going on," he said

soothingly, tugging the garment off of her. Still keeping a hold of her hand, he

moved down her body down between her legs. God dammit, he couldn't see anything

clearly and he fumbled for one of Johnathan's abandoned candles, lighting the

damn thing and finally getting a proper look at her. He gasped when he realised

she had been right; she was bleeding. "Oh my God!" he cried, grabbing one of the

towels, trying to mop up the blood. "Evie, you're bleeding! What am I supposed

to do?"

 

  She could sense his panic and she knew that she had to stay calm. She knew

that her body wasn't going to get her through this if she freaked out and

although she was in incredible pain, she bit down another wail and looked at

him. "Calm down Rick, I need you to calm down for me...it can't be *that* bad,"

she said, trying to reassure both of them. She closed her eyes, feeling the cold

air of the house upon her naked flesh and she sighed. This was crazy she

thought, whispering a prayer to whatever god was listening to help her get

through this safely. "Please, Rick, just stay calm."

 

  He breathed deeply, calming himself just like she had asked. Then he felt

ashamed. It was supposed to be his job to comfort her, but she was the one doing

all the comforting while he had lost his head like an idiot. Seeing the blood

had been the thing that had set him off though and he bit his lip, trying to

focus. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, sounding like a little boy. "I'm so sorry Evie."

 

  She nodded. "It's okay darling, just love me." She grabbed his hand, pulling

him closer so that she could look deep into his eyes. "I love you, I love you so

much," she said, pulling his mouth to hers to share a momentary kiss with her

husband in between bouts of pain. For a few seconds, the blood and the pain left

her mind. "Just stay strong darling," she whispered against his lips, still

taking on the role of comforting her husband even in *her* time of need, but she

couldn't help it.

 

  "With you by my side I always feel strong," he told her as a single tear

slipped down his cheek. "I love you Evie." He kissed her briefly before giving

her a determined smile. "We'll get through this. We always do." And with that,

he kissed her hand, making his way back down her body. He cleared the blood away

so that he could get a closer look to see how she was doing.

 

  She gasped out and nodded at him. "I'm sorry for yelling earlier," she said as

he checked between her legs. "I am happy to be having this baby with you. We're

making life together." She sobbed softly as another contraction hit. By now, she

was about six centimeters dilated and the blood was not coming out as fast. She

gripped her hands to her naked belly, but then she heard the sound of her

darling boy at the top of the stairs.

 

  "Mum!" cried Alex. "I heard you scream and I just had to come and help you,

please dad, please let me help you." Tears were streaming down his cheeks,

feeling so scared at the sight of his mum trying to give birth to a baby. He'd

managed to sneak out when Johnathan had decided to take a nap.

 

  "Jesus, Alex!" said Rick. "I thought I told you to stay upstairs. You’re not

supposed to be here, go back to bed!" He cursed himself for sounding so harsh.

"Please Alex, if I ever needed you to do something for me, it's this. Just

promise me you'll stay upstairs until this is over. I swear everything will be

okay."

 

  "JOHNATHAN!" Evie screamed loud enough to wake the dead and when he appeared,

she yelled at him. "TAKE CARE OF MY BABY BOY!" It was easy to yell things when

she was in so much pain and it actually felt like a relief to have this

opportunity to scream out loud.

 

  "Mum! Mum!" Alex felt like he was back at the temple watching her die and he

was terrified, running down the stairs two at a time to get to her.

 

  Johnathan cringed at the tone of his sister's voice, but did as she said,

scooping Alex up before he could get any further. He had only dozed off for a

moment. "Alex, we have to go," he said firmly, carrying the squirming boy back

upstairs. "Trust me, you really don't want to see this."

 

  "Mum!" Alex yelled, struggling in his uncle's arms. "Mum, don't die again," he

cried, burying his face against Johnathan's chest.

 

  Evie sobbed out, her heart breaking, not wanting to have her son see this, yet

she felt so distraught. She was full of pain and anguish that her son would be

so afraid and she struggled to stand up, forgetting her need to give birth as

she took two steps before collapsing on her knees. "Alex, I love you," she

called.

 

  Rick's air of calm rapidly disintegrated at the chaos going on around him.

"God Evie, get back on the couch!" he cried, lifting her up from the floor and

placing her back to where she had once been. "Johnathan!" he yelled. "Get Alex

upstairs now!" He turned back to Evie. "Settle down honey, we'll get through

this you'll see."

 

  She felt her husband's arms close around her settling her back onto the couch.

She sighed, trying to keep calm, but the panic around her wasn't helping one

bit. "Rick, go take care of Alex. Get him settled and then come back to me. I

promise I'll be fine, Alex needs you now more than I do." She needed him badly,

but was in no way going to allow her son to be so scared.

 

  He was crying now, tears running freely down his cheeks. "Evie, I can't leave

you," he sobbed, holding her close. "What if something happens to you while I'm

gone? I'd never be able to forgive myself."

 

  "Rick, I've given birth before, just take ten minutes to take care of our son.

If you don't, I will," she told him, cradling his head in her hands and looking

him right in the eyes. Her own hazel orbs were bright with pain and fear, but

she offered him a smile, always the brave girl.

 

  He sighed, wiping his tears away roughly with the back of his hand. "I'll go

see to him," he said, loosening his grip on her. He gazed at her, his brow

creased in worry and he kissed her hard for a moment before releasing her and

getting up from his place on the floor. "I'll be right back," he promised,

running up the stairs after his son. "Alex?" he called.

 

  "Dad!" Alex threw himself into his father's arms, crying so hard. "Tell me mum

isn't going to die, please dad, please..." he cried into his shoulder. "Why was

she bleeding from her legs?" he asked bluntly, scared and confused as he held

tightly onto his father.

 

  Rick clung to Alex, rocking him gently. "Alex, listen to me," he said softly.

"I promise you your mother isn't going to die. She won't, she just...won't. I

won't let her." He leaned back slightly to brush away the tears from his son's

face. "It'll be alright," he murmured, feeling Alex hiccupping a little, but he

could tell he was calming down somewhat. "She's bleeding like that because

that's where the baby is going to come out, okay?"

 

  Alex hiccupped again, making tiny little whimpering noises as he looked at his

father with teary red eyes, nodding his head. "I got scared dad, I'm afraid I'll

lose mum again." He wrapped his arms around his father's neck, holding him

close. "I need mum." He was also curious as to why mum brought life into the

world like that. Little Alex was already as intelligent and as keen on knowledge

as some high schoolers.

 

  "I know you do," said Rick, holding him tight. "But believe me, you won't lose

her again. She's just giving birth and she's going to be in a lot of pain, but

she'll get through it, she will. We both know how strong your mother is." He

continued rocking his child gently. He was glad now that Evie had demanded he

take care of their son, it had made him much more focused and had also succeeded

in calming both of them down. He smiled. His wife always knew best. "Come on

Alex, let's get you back to your room."

 

  He nodded slowly and released his father, taking his hand and following him

into his bedroom. He felt so much better now as he jumped into his bed where

uncle John had been waiting for him.

 

  "Uncle John, will you stay with me tonight?" he asked in a voice that could

not hide his exhaustion. He gave his father another hug before resting against

Johnathan's chest. The two of them would be safe here and finally, some quiet

was allowed.

 

  Rick watched as his son nestled in bed with Johnathan. "Get some sleep son,"

he said to Alex, turning off the light. "Everything's going to be fine." Then he

spoke to his brother-in-law. "Look after him, alright?" he said before closing

the door.

 

  "Come on partner, you heard what your dad said so let's get some sleep," said

Johnathan, holding the boy close. He smiled, hoping that his nephew would sleep

well and praying to God that his sister would be all right.

 

*******

 

 After closing the door behind him, Rick fairly bolted down the stairs to his

wife. "Evie? Evie, I'm back!" he called, rushing to her side.

 

  Having things calm down a bit had allowed Evie to drift off to sleep during a

break from one of her contractions, but her head moved to the side a little,

showing that she wasn't in that deep a sleep. Her stomach moved up and down with

every breath she took, the child inside of her taking its time coming into the

world.

 

  He smiled when he found her asleep and relief washed over him. She was free

from pain, for the moment anyway. He contemplated taking her in his arms, but

decided against it, not wanting to wake her. Instead, he just sat very close to

her, kissing her forehead gently and taking one of her hands in his.

 

  She awoke about half an hour later with another strong contraction battling

her system and she leaned forward to breathe in deeply. She knew she wasn't

ready yet, but God, she wanted to push. "Rick! I want to push...I want to get

this baby out of me." She leaned back against the pillow again, doing her

breathing exercises and feeling the stickiness around her thighs once more.

 

  "Not yet sweetheart, not yet," he told her soothingly. "It isn't time yet,

just try to take deep even breaths and stay calm okay? I'm here for you, just

hold onto me." He reached for another towel, cleaning the blood on her thighs.

At least that gave him something to do other than hold her hand and offer

reassurances.

 

  She nodded and clung to him. "Rick, is there a lot of blood?" she asked,

worried as she couldn't see all that well. Her contraction had gone away again

and she looked at her husband anxiously, trying to stay calm. She was curious as

to how dilated she was, knowing she had to be at least nine centimetres so that

she could begin to push. It felt tight.

 

  "Not as much as before," he told her, wiping the blood from her thighs.

"You're doing good Evie, just don't start pushing yet, okay? You're doing just

fine sweetheart." He kissed her forehead gently. "How are you feeling?"

 

  "Just great," she moaned as she leaned her head back against the pillow riding

out another contraction. "*You* try pushing a bowling ball out of you and see

how that feels." She was sorry for snapping at him, but it just hurt so much and

the pain clouded her thoughts.

 

  He bit his lip, knowing she didn't really mean it. She was just hurting and he

was an outlet for her pain. Still, at least she wasn't yelling at him. Yet. He

dipped the washcloth in the water once more, wiping her brow and trying to cool

her down.

 

  "I'm sorry darling, I am. I don't mean those things, it just hurts so badly,"

she said as she calmed down a little for a brief moment. The contractions were

now coming within a few minutes of each other and she knew it wouldn't be long

now. Her mouth was dry and she swallowed hard.

 

  "I know honey, I know," he assured her. Her contractions were coming faster

and more regularly now which had to be a good sign. He smoothed her hair back

from her face and gently dabbed her hot cheeks with the washcloth.

 

  She whimpered, trying to pull her knees a little higher. "Darling, I'm going

to need some blankets, some warm water for the baby and something to cut the

baby free," she panted, feeling the pain against her pelvic muscles. "I have a

feeling you and I will have another child before the hour is over."

 

  He hovered for a moment, unwilling to leave her, but he knew he had to go get

the things that she needed. He had already brought in scissors from his first

trip to the kitchen, but he would have to go upstairs to fetch the blankets. He

kissed her quickly and with a muttered, "be right back," he dashed upstairs to

fetch some blankets from their bedroom, flinging them over his shoulder before

racing off to the kitchen. He ran the warm water faucet, waiting until the water

got hot enough before getting a bowlful of the stuff and then hurried back into

the living room and over to the couch, trying not to spill any of it.

 

  She looked up at him when he came back. "Thank you darling. Have I told you

how much I love you?" she whispered, rubbing her belly and feeling another push

on her pelvis. She wanted to scream out in pain again, but she swallowed and

held back as she waited for him to get settled by her side.

 

  "You tell me every day," he said softly, arranging everything before sitting

back down beside her again. He kissed the top of her head, frowning at the

pained expression on her face. "You're so strong Evie, far stronger than I'll

ever be. I love you so much sweetheart."

 

  "I love you." She reached out to take his hands in both of hers, holding on

tightly as she felt a push against her. "Rick...Rick, something feels wrong,"

she muttered in fear. Her heart was pounding non-stop in her breast and she

clung to him, holding him closer to her.

 

  He stared at her worriedly, holding her tight against him. "What feels wrong?"

he asked. "What is it Evie?" He held her close, trying to soothe her, but also

fighting his own urge to panic. "Just tell me what's wrong and I'll do my best

to help you."

 

  She swallowed hard, leaning her head back. "Rick, am I fully dilated?" she

asked, keeping her grip tight on him. "I need to get this baby out of me." She

whimpered and tears fell from her eyes. "Please Rick, take care of me. Don't let

anything bad happen."

 

  He could sense her fear and he had to calm hr down. He cupped her face in his

hands and stared into her eyes. "Evie listen to me," he said solemnly. "I

promise you I will never let anything bad happen to you. I'm here for you, baby

and I'll always be here. Now, you need to let go of me for a second while I take

a look."

 

  She nodded and loosened her hold on him while she pulled back and cried

through another contraction, feeling it take her hostage for a few moments deep

into pain. She gasped and she felt it release, taking tiny quickened breaths as

she waited for him. "Rick....Rick!" she cried out.

 

  "I'm here honey, I'm here," he said quickly, moving back up her body to take

her in his arms again. "I checked and it looks to me like you're fully dilated,

maybe about four inches, so I guess that means the baby is on its way

sweetheart."

 

  She nodded and when the next contraction struck, she did her best to push, but

only lay back, gasping for breath. "Rick, I can't push, the baby won't move!"

she cried out in fear as she tried again. Nothing happened. "RICK!" she screamed

out in complete pain.

 

  He winced at the way she shrieked his name and tried not to show his fear. She

was ready to push now, why the hell wasn't it working? He was totally at a loss

for what to do, but he didn't want to frighten her even more. "Evie, it's going

to be alright," he said desperately, fighting the urge to cry along with her.

"Try again sweetheart."

 

  She tried once more to push the baby free from her, but only ended up falling

back against the couch once more, sobbing freely. "I can't do it Rick, I can't

get the baby out..." She tossed her head, gripping his arms in fear and pain,

trying to keep calm.

 

  'Think Evelyn, think'. She knew she had to get the child out of her, but it

was dead set on not budging and it was like one continuous stream of pain for

her. "Rick, help me get the baby out...I'm scared, I'm scared..."

 

  "Just stay calm honey, it'll be okay," he told her, holding onto her tight.

"Now you have to help me help you Evie. Tell me what it is I have to do." He had

promised her he would do everything in his power to get her through this, but

first he had to know what to do. If he just had something to focus on, some way

to help her, everything would be fine. "Don't be scared honey, we're going to

get through this."

 

  She nodded, holding him tight as she thought back to what the doctor had told

her, trying to bite back the pain she was feeling. "I think...I think you have

to move the baby a little...Doctor Trevor said that if ever the baby has a hard

time moving, just adjust it a bit. That's all I remember." She held his

shoulders in a death grip, crying through it, trying to get up to see what was

going on.

 

  "Settle down Evie, you need to lie back now," he said, gently easing her down.

"Right, so we have to adjust the baby so that it can move. Sounds like a plan."

And then it hit him what he'd just said. "*I* have to...to...." basically, he

had to reach up inside of her to move the baby a little so that she could push

it on out. He bit his lip in panic. 'I can't do it!' he thought in horror.

Jesus, he'd hurt her! He had to do this though, otherwise it could end up a lot

worse.

 

  Evie closed her eyes. "I'm so thirsty Rick, please...please may I have a

drink." She just wanted to quench her thirst before she went through this with

him. "One drink...one sip." She turned her head and cried out, knowing that if

she pushed again, she could hurt the baby, but holding back hurt worse than

anything.

 

  "Okay, but just a little drink alright?" he said. He knew her throat had to be

sore from all the screaming and panting she'd been doing and he let go of her.

"Hold on for me honey, I'm just going to fetch some water. I won't be a moment."

And with that, he ran back into the kitchen for a glass of water, returning to

her side once again and holding the glass to her lips so that she could take a

couple of swallows.

 

  She drank greedily, hating it when he took it back saying she'd had enough.

She hiccupped and felt the urge to push again. It came harder and more desperate

each time. "Help me Rick, please help." Her fingers gripped the hand he was

going to need to help her, finally letting it go so that he could do what she

needed him to and prepared herself for the worst.

 

  He attempted to smile at her reassuringly, but got the feeling he didn't quite

pull it off. His hands were trembling and he blinked his eyes rapidly to stop

the tears from falling. He had to do this, he just had to. His hands rested on

her thighs for a second and he breathed in deeply, tying to stay cool before

slowly and gradually easing his right hand inside of her.

 

  She cried out loudly. It was almost too much for her, but she bit back another

wail as she knew he had to do this, that he was helping her to bring this little

life into the world. She clenched her teeth, trying to fight the pain. She

didn't want him to know how much this hurt her, how much she just wanted it to

be over. "It's okay, Rick," she said once again, being the comforter even

through all of her pain. "It's okay..." The tears ran down her cheeks and she

wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him or herself.

 

  "Oh God," he said, tears now falling freely down his face. He was hurting her,

he could tell and he wanted nothing more than to yank his hand out, but he knew

he couldn't. "Stay with me, Evie," he murmured, wincing when she gasped out in

pain as his hand moved up higher, feeling for the baby. His free hand wiped the

tears roughly from his eyes so that his vision wasn't so blurry and he settled

it back on her thigh, stroking it comfortingly. His searching fingers moved

around inside of her and he gasped when he touched something...it was the baby!

"I've got it Evie, I've found her!" he cried.

 

  She nodded, looking up at him. "Is she alright? Is she alright?" she cried out

over and over again. "Let me get her out, let me push her out." She felt the

baby move inside of her and she couldn't help but try and push a little.

"Rick...I think I can push her free now." She tightened her hands in the couch

beneath her, closing her eyes tight. "RIIIICK!" she screamed out, needing his

help.

 

  His job done now, Rick told himself everything would be fine. He gently

withdrew his hand from her and spoke to her encouragingly. "Alright Evie, I've

moved her so now I need you to push for me alright? I need you to push now

sweetheart."

 

  She leaned forward and pushed with every amount of energy she had left, her

face tight with pain. She reached for his hands, sticky with amniotic fluid and

gripped his hands tightly.

 

  "Keep pushing honey, you're doing great," he said, squeezing her hands. "You

can do it sweetheart, you're going to be just fine. You're so brave Evie."

 

  She finally pushed the baby free and she dropped back against the couch,

panting heavily. She heard the cries of her child, but was unaware that the cord

had gotten twisted around the tiny body. "Rick...do we have a daughter or a

son?" she asked, eager to know.

 

  "Hold on a second, Evie," he said, eyes widening when he saw the umbilical

cord wrapped around the baby's neck. He panicked for a second before realising

all he had to do was gently and quickly unhook the cord, supporting the baby's

chest as it slipped free from its mothers' body. "It's a girl, Evie!" he all but

yelled in his excitement.

 

  "A girl? I have a daughter?" She tried to get up so that she could take a

look, but ended up falling back onto the couch again. She realised that the

thunder and lightning were not bothering her anymore, nor how was how sore her

body felt and she half-laughed, half-cried as she felt everything leave her

body. She felt almost sad, the typical woes of a pregnant mother losing her baby

from the womb.

 

  Rick laughed along with her, quickly tying the cord and cutting it then

wrapping his baby daughter in one of the blankets. He was so happy he felt like

he would burst and that was when the tears started again, but this time he

didn't brush them away. "We've got a little daughter," he grinned, handing the

baby over to her. "Say hello sweetheart."

 

  "Hi," she whispered and hugged her ever so carefully. The little infant looked

up at her with big blue eyes, trying to figure out what was going on and then

her tiny mouth searched out Evie's breast, beginning to suckle softly. "What a

grip," she said softly, reaching out for her husband's hand. "We did it." This

time, tears of happiness fell from her eyes.

 

  "Yeah we did," he sighed happily, wrapping his arm around her and nuzzling her

cheek. "You were amazing honey," he told her. "I love you Evie."

 

  "Oh Rick, she's beautiful...absolutely lovely." She brought her fingers up to

wipe the tears from his eyes, kissing him deeply. She was just trembling with

love for this little child.

 

  He smiled at her gently and looked down at his tiny daughter still suckling

and his smile widened into a grin. "You're right," he agreed. "She's absolutely

perfect."

 

  "Rick, let's go to bed," she murmured. "This couch isn't the most

comfortable...I suppose that's what I get for buying authentic Egyptian

furniture." She laughed at herself and slowly sat up, aching something awful.

 

  He helped her sit up, aware that she was still rather sore. "You just wait

here for a moment while I go get Johnathan okay?" he said, knowing that he'd

need some help getting both his wife and his daughter up the stairs.

 

  "Alright," she nodded, reaching over for her robe with her free hand to tug it

around her shoulders. She curled the baby closer to her heart, staring down at

her completely transfixed. She heard the soft cries coming from her and she

shushed her softly, humming gentle lullabies she hadn't uttered since Alex was

little.

 

  He smiled down at them both, his heart swelling with pride and love and then

he reluctantly left, dashing up the stairs and into Alex's room. He opened the

door quietly and he could see that Alex was still asleep, hugging the edge of

the bed while Johnathan slept beside him, snoring away obliviously. How Alex

managed to sleep through that he'd never know. He shook his brother-in-law

gently. "Hey, Johnathan."

 

  Johnathan grunted in his sleep, wishing that whoever was shaking him would

just go away. When the shaking started getting a little more violent, his eyes

opened to see Rick leaning over him. "Rick?" he asked groggily. "Something wrong

old boy?"

 

  "Nope, nothing's wrong," Rick told him happily. He glanced over at his son who

was still sleeping and he put a finger to his lips. "I just need some help

getting Evie and the baby upstairs."

 

  Alex snorted in his sleep. He thought he could hear his dad saying something,

but he was too tired out to pay any attention.

 

  That woke Johnathan up fast. "The baby?" he asked in disbelief. "She's had it?

Jolly good show!" He sprang out of bed and followed Rick down the stairs to

where Evie was sitting on the couch, holding the baby close to her. "Hello, old

mum," he said happily. "So what have we got Evie, another nephew or is it a

niece this time?"

 

  "A niece." She smiled up at her brother and tilted the baby in her arms so

that he could get a closer look. She then turned her head to look at her husband

and her eyes shone with love and adoration. 'I love you,' she mouthed as

Johnathan took a good look at the newest O'Connell. Suddenly she heard another

meek little cry and she turned to the baby, whispering gently. "Sshh now, none

of that. Mummy is here with you."

 

  Rick smiled as he sat beside his wife, kissing the top of her head while

Johnathan cooed over the baby, marveling over how tiny she was. "I love you so

much," he murmured, gently wrapping an arm around her. "You were amazing

tonight."

 

  Evie leaned close to him, sighing with happiness and letting him see their

baby. "Can you believe we made her, Rick?" she asked, brushing a tear from her

eye. She didn't really care what words she used in front of Johnathan, she and

her husband had created life together and she couldn't be happier.

 

  "I know honey," he said softly, holding her close. "She's so wonderful

and...perfect. Just like her mother," he added, kissing away her tears. He

grinned again. In spite of all what they had been through, it had been one of

the most rewarding nights of his life. "Wow, I can't believe I actually helped

deliver her."

 

  "You probably saved her life," she said, nuzzling closer to him. "Let's

relocate upstairs so that I can get comfortable." She leaned against Rick,

trying to stand up, but just ended up wincing with pain and went back down on

the couch. "Guess I'm going to need some help up the stairs."

 

  "Just hang on a minute, honey," he said, settling her back down. "Johnathan

can take the baby so that I can carry you upstairs, will you be okay with that?"

 

  She slowly handed her newborn daughter over to her brother. "Take care of her,

hold her head just so..." She heard the baby cry a little as she felt her

husband's strong arms around her body, lifting her up. "Rick, she needs me," she

mumbled, upset at the sound of her little one crying.

 

  "Sshh, Evie, she'll be okay," he said soothingly, carrying her carefully up

the stairs and into their bedroom, Johnathan close behind them. He could hear

his daughter whimpering softly as he got his wife settled into bed.

 

  Johnathan held the baby very gently as he waited for Rick to get his sister

settled before handing his niece over to her. "So, do you have a name for this

little one?" he asked.

 

  "I was thinking perhaps Charlotte Evelyn O'Connell," she said, smiling at

Rick. Since her son had taken the middle name Richard, they had thought it was a

good idea for a daughter to bear her mother's name. "So, little Charlotte." She

took the child to her breast, the warm flow of mother's milk soon soothing the

little girl and Evie looked around the room and then back at her. "Welcome to

the world."

 

   Alex had heard voices so he went into his parents' room to find out what was

going on. "What's happening?" he asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes. His gaze fell

upon his new sister and he smiled. "Is that...is she mine?" he asked, pulling

himself up on bed.

 

   "Say hello to your little sister Charlotte, Alex," Rick told him, sitting

down next to his son and smiling at the awed expression on the boy's face. "I'm

sure she's very happy to meet you." His face hurt from all the smiling and

grinning he'd been doing, but he was too thrilled to care.

 

  "Hi, Charlotte," said Alex, touching her tiny hand. She paid him no attention,

too intent on suckling her mother's breast, her eyes closed. "Mum, why is she

doing that?" he asked, ever the curious one.

 

  "She's a baby, that's how she gets her food. I used to feed you this way,"

Evie said, ruffling his hair.

 

  "Mum!" he complained softly, not liking the idea much. But he got over it

quick and snuggled up against her. "Hey Charlotte, you can't keep mum all to

yourself you know."

 

  "She won't darling, she won't." Evie smiled at the slight jealousy in her

son's voice, but she knew that he was just as happy as the rest of them were.

She smiled at her husband as she held her two children close.

 

  Rick grinned as he watched Alex interact with his little baby Charlotte and he

rubbed his son's back reassuringly. "I'm sure the two of you will get to spend

plenty of time with your mother," he said, just picturing the two of them in a

few year's time, arguing, laughing and playing together, each as headstrong as

the other. He looked over Alex's head to smile softly at his wife.

 

  She smiled back at him. She was in seventh heaven and she had everything she

could ever need in this bed. She looked over at Johnathan, staring in tired awe

at his niece and nephew. She had her husband, the very part of herself and their

two children. "I guess it doesn't get any better than this," she said, a yawn

about her lips.

 

  "Guess it doesn't," he said softly. He could see that she was growing tired

and he lifted his son onto his knee. "Okay Alex, time to go back to bed," he

told the boy, tickling his ribs teasingly. "Your mother really needs some sleep

right now and so do you."

 

  "Aww, dad," he said, but he really was quite tired so he gave his mother a

kiss on the cheek and jumped off the bed.

 

  "Goodnight sweetheart," Evie told him as she felt Charlotte finally let go of

her breast, her eyes closed in sleep, tiny little bubbles on her lips from the

milk. She gently dabbed her lips clean with a soft cloth.

 

  Johnathan took his nephew's hand, leading him out of the bedroom. "Night Evie,

Rick, Charlotte," he said, blowing the baby a kiss as he shut the door behind

him. "Well Alex, that was rather fun wasn't it? Time to get some shut-eye now

though." He ushered the yawning boy into his room, tucking him in his bed.

 

  "Yeah it was quite exciting. Now I'll have someone to torture just like you

had mum," Alex grinned as he curled beneath the blankets, watching the

expression on his uncle's face turn to one affecting guilt.

 

  "Now I don't know what your mother has told you Alex, but I never actually

tortured her when we were children, I merely...manipulated her. She was the

first person I perfected the art of pick-pocketing on you know, but I suggest

you don't try that with your sister." Johnathan smiled. "Now then partner, would

you like me to stay with you or will you be alright on your own?"

 

  "You can stay if you want, Uncle John," Alex said, already half-asleep. His

heart was full of relief after worrying so much about his mum and he fell asleep

with a smile on his face.

 

  The boy had barely been able to finish his sentence before falling asleep and

Johnathan rose from the bed, knowing that Alex would be okay on his own for the

rest of the night. He closed the door softly behind him, looking forward to

getting some sleep himself as he headed off to his own bedroom.

 

*******

 

  Evie yawned. The night's events were finally over and she was content to

simply watch her husband and daughter. She knew Charlotte would be sleeping for

a long while, as would she. "You want to hold her?"

 

  Rick nodded eagerly, taking the baby from his wife to hold her gently against

his chest. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake and he smiled down at her,

stroking a finger over her head. "Hey Charlotte," he whispered, completely awed

at the tiny miracle he held in his arms.

 

  Once he had Charlotte, Evie scooted down to find an acceptable laying

position, but she couldn't seem to get comfortable on the pillow so she lay her

head in her husband's lap, curling close to him. She kissed his leg,

half-asleep. "Thank you, Rick, for giving me this perfect life," she whispered.

 

  "It was my pleasure," he said, choking up again at the joy of being with his

two girls. He smiled at his wife who was almost asleep. "I love you," he

murmured as her eyes closed.

 

  "I love you too," she whispered.

 

 

 

  END