Title: When We Were Very Young

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

  Rating: PG

  Category: Romance/drama

  Status: Complete

  Disclaimer: Not ours.

 

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  The air that morning was crisp and for the time being, it was still warm and fresh. The only sounds on the Sunday morning were the quiet animals scurrying around and the soft sound of birds chattering about. That, and the soft sound of crying as eight year old Evelyn Carnahan stood at the grave of her mother. Evelyn was knelt on the ground clasping white lilies in her hands, crying softly. Her hair, dark coffee coloured, was curled in delicate ringlets and pulled back into two blue ribbons that matched the frothy dress she wore for such an occasion as a grave visit. 

 

  Richard O'Connell grinned to himself. He was pleased that he had managed to sneak out of church while his supervisor hadn't been looking and now the eleven year old was off in search of adventure. Admittedly, there wasn't much adventure to be found strolling around the church gardens, but it beat sitting inside and singing hymns. He had walked out front and now had gone round the back and into the graveyard, wondering what he would find. What he actually saw was a small girl standing by a tombstone. He wondered if he should go over and say something, but she looked really sad. He bit his lip and decided to go on over anyway and he walked across to her. "Hi!" he said brightly.

 

  She turned her head around, tears decorated her pink cheeks. Her otherwise beautiful hazel eyes looked tired and worn and she stared at him, wondering what he was doing here and why he was so happy. At eight years old, it seemed she had forgotten her happiness. She pursed her lips and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Are you going to make me go home?" she asked softly, figuring he was going to tattle on her for having been away from home.

 

  He looked confused. "No, why should I do that?" he asked. He grinned mischievously. "You aren't supposed to be here either? I'll make you a little deal then. I won't tell on you if you won't tell on me. How's that sound?"

 

  She nodded and clung tighter to the lilies she was holding. She looked back down at the gravestone. She closed her eyes and sniffled again, trying hard not to cry. She didn't want to look like a baby in front of this person, but she just felt her heart breaking. ~Mariah Carnahan, beloved wife and Mother~ She choked down tears and reached out with trembling fingers to place the flowers on the grave. "I want my Mum," she said out loud.

 

  He frowned, stepping closer to her. He didn't like to see anyone being sad and especially not this little girl. He had only just met her, but already, he was concerned about her. He stuck a hand in his pocket and yanked out his handkerchief, holding it out to her shyly. "Here, you can borrow this if you'd like. Don't worry, it's clean and everything." He glanced down at the grave. "I bet you miss her a lot," he said softly.

 

  She placed the handkerchief against her face and cried into it softly. "All the time. She died on a dig with my father. There was a cave in, and she was hurt by the rocks. They called it bleeding in...in..ternally," she replied. And then with the gift of his kerchief and the gentleness in his voice, she cried hard, just letting the tears flow freely. Her shoulders shook with her sobs, her curls bouncing against them.

 

  He moved closer, not knowing what to do. He hated to see people cry. He gently placed a hand on her back, not knowing if she'd like him so close to her. "That's a sad story," he said. "So your mom went on digs?" he asked. "Isn't that what archaeologists do?" He tried to take her mind elsewhere. He didn't want to see her sad.

 

  She nodded and after a few moments ran the kerchief across her eyes and turned to face him. "Yes, my father is a famous explorer."

 

  "An explorer? That sounds neat. I've always wanted to be an explorer, but the care workers never even like me going off into town on my own." He made a face.

 

  She watched him closely. "He married my mum because he wanted to marry Egypt and my Mum was Egyptian. He cries a lot now and won't go on digs anymore. He locks himself in his room and won't even talk to me or my brother." She stood up, brushing off her dress. Her clothes were nice compared to his, they were fancy and his were simple. "My name, is Evelyn," she said softly.

 

  He smiled. "Nice to meet you Evelyn, my name is Richard, but all my friends call me Rick. I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you an English person? I just noticed that your accent was a little different."

 

  She nodded. "Yes, I am English." She giggled a bit at him calling her an English person, people always noticed she had a different tone in her voice. She thought them silly. "May I call you Rick?" she asked to be polite.

 

  He grinned at the sound of her giggle. "Sure," he told her. "Wow, I never met an English person before. I come from America,  but I've been here in Cairo since I was really small. What's it like in England then? Does it rain as much as everyone says it does?"

 

  "All the bloody time." She gasped and covered her mouth. "I'm not supposed to say 'bloody', it's not a good thing," she told him in a whisper and her cheeks blushed as though she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. 

 

  He laughed at that. "Hey, I'm not supposed to say hell or damn, but I always do. Like I said, I won't tell if you won't." He looked around the church grounds. "If I get caught out here by my supervisor, I'm toast. You wanna go into town or something?"

 

  "Well, I suppose so, just give me a second." She knelt back down carefully and clasped her hands together. "Mummy, I love you and I'll be back soon." She leaned forward and kissed the gravestone and then stood up again taking the hand that he offered her. "You look my brother's age, but you don't mind being with me. My brother is a bully and he doesn't like me," she said, holding tight to his hand. 

 

  "Why doesn't he wanna be with you?" he asked in puzzlement, leading her our of the church. "I think you're a nice person to be around. If he bullies you, do you want me to beat him up for you or something? I'm the toughest kid in the orphanage you know."

 

  She smiled at him and nodded. Little did he know that he was the first person to actually get her into a happier mood and she held onto his hand tighter as they took off at a run through the graveyard and away from the church. She got scared as they ducked through the street and into an alley, her heart racing. "Wow..."

 

  He grinned at her. "Don't worry, I know where I'm going. I go to town on a Saturday all the time, so we won't get lost." He tugged her out into the crowd of people on the streets and laughed. "Come on, let's have an adventure!" he said.

 

  "I love adventures, but I'm too young to go on them." She grinned and she clasped both her hands onto his arms, feeling nervous in the large crowd of people. She kept her head pressed close to him, as if she was completely terrified that they would be separated.

 

  "Tell me about it," he replied, rolling his eyes. "If there's one thing I *always* get told, it's 'you're too young to do this, blah blah, blah, we like to *control* you'! But I bet we'll find something fun to do today." He put an arm around her, keeping her close so that he wouldn't lose her. "Hey, don't worry, I've got you," he said. "Come on, it's this way."

 

  She held tightly to him as she could as they milled the streets.  "Where are we going?" she asked, her voice not hiding the emotion. She was excited and nervous all at once and her little heart pattered against her ribcage at a quickened pace. 

 

  "You and I are going into town," he told her, directing her to walk down the streets that were, at least to him, familiar. "There's all sorts of fun things to do there and you can buy lots of neat stuff too. But I don't have any money," he added. "I got my allowance stopped this week because I broke a window with my football. We'll still find something to do though."

 

  She reached into a pocket and handed him a bunch of silver coins. "I've got lots of money, my Daddy always gives it to me and I save it because I never know what to spend it on. You can have some since you broke the window, my Daddy will give me more. I have everything I want...and what I really want, I can't have." 

 

  He shook his head, handing the money back to her. "You keep it, I don't want to take your money from you. Keep saving it and maybe someday you'll find something really great to buy." He frowned a little. That sort of lifestyle was completely new to him. He could never have what he wanted. He guessed Evelyn came from a rich family. He looked at her curiously. "What is it you want that you can't have?" he wanted to know.

 

  "My Mummy, I want my Mum to sing me to sleep at night. I want to feel her arms around me, and telling me that everything will be okay. She called me her Egyptian Princess. And she would make Jonathan be nice to me, now he doesn't like me anymore. She told me tales of ancient kings and queens that roamed Egypt." She frowned. "I want to hear her stories again." 

 

  He looked at her sadly. "Well, I guess you can't buy that," he said. She looked like she was about to cry again, so he led her over to a nearby wall and he lifted her up onto it and hauled himself up to sit next to her. "She told you stories?" he asked. "Your mom sounds like she was really nice. Did she tell you them from story books?"

 

  "Yes, she told me all kinds of stories! Things both from story and memory." She went on to talk about the Pharaohs and princesses and suddenly the rumbling of her belly interrupted her story and she giggled. "I'm a little hungry," she admitted. "I missed breakfast. I have my coins, I'll buy us good things to eat." She jumped off the wall and waited for him.

 

  He jumped off after her and took her hand again. "Come on," he said. "We're almost there." They walked through the crowds of people and eventually reached the town square. He laughed at Evelyn's wide-eyed expression. "So, where shall we go first?" he asked, smiling.

 

  "Food," she replied instantly not in one little bit ashamed of her appetite. "I want to have a picnic." She let go of his hand and in her excitement, she ran for the food stands, but when she turned around she couldn't see him. "Rick!? Rick?" 

 

  "Evelyn!" he shouted out, searching for her. He cursed a little, trying to push through the crowds of people. Being a kid was no fun. Plus, she wasn't very tall either so that would make it hard to find her. He shoved his way through the throng of people, ignoring the dirty looks he got and he eventually found her huddled by a nearby stall. "Hey, Evelyn, are you all right?" he asked in concern.

 

  Tears were once again in her eyes and she jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was a very light girl, and small enough to be held and she pushed her head into his neck, crying lightly. "I thought you had gone from me forever," she mumbled and squeezed him tighter.

 

  He was a little surprised by her clinging onto him like that, but he rocked her, shushing her. "Hey, it's all right," he said. "I only lost you for a minute, it's okay now. In future, just don't let go of me again, okay?" He took his handkerchief and gently wiped it over her face. "I'll take care of you, Evelyn."

 

  She watched him closely and let him comfort her as she stared into his eyes. "Will you stay with me forever?" she asked softly, holding onto him. "I don't want you to leave, not now. Not after I like you so much." She didn't want to lose someone else like she lost her mother.

 

  "I don't know about forever, but I'll stay with you for as long as I can," he said. "But you have a family to go home to, Evelyn, you don't wanna lose that," he reminded her. "I like you too, but you have a brother and a father who are probably worried sick about you." He hugged her gently. "How about we go and have something to eat, then I'll help you find your way home?"

 

  She nodded, climbing out of his arms and walking ahead of him, though she kept very close to him. She wasn't about to lose him again. With her money, she bought a couple of ripe peaches, two sandwiches and two Danish's. She let Rick carry the bag because Mum had always told her that was what boys were supposed to do. It never worked on Jonathan, but Rick seemed to be okay with it. She found a small place by the fountain and she sat down, taking out food and beginning to eat. 

 

  He sat down beside her, making himself comfortable and he smiled when he watched her hungrily eat her share of the meal. He followed her example and began eating. He too had been pretty hungry that morning. "This is really great," he told her through a mouthful of food. "We don't eat stuff like this in the orphanage."

 

  Her eyes opened wide. "Really? We eat like this every day." She was not very familiar with people not having enough food to eat. The money they made on digs was enough to support about five families. Finally, she finished and settled back on her back looking up at the sky.

 

  He looked down at her curiously. "Are you tired, Evelyn?" he asked. He stared up into the sky, wondering what she was looking at. He shrugged off his best Sunday jacket and folded it up, placing the little bundle under her head as a pillow.

 

  She looked over at him and grasped his hand in hers again. "Lay with me and we can fall asleep. We can sleep forever and never be separated," she said, her hazel eyes shining with the sun hinting off them. 

 

  He nodded and lay down beside her, keeping hold of her hand, but not closing his eyes. He knew that the streets of Cairo weren't the safest place for two children to take a nap, but if she was tired, he would just stay awake and watch over her. He supported his head on his arm and tilted his head slightly so that he could look at her.

 

  She couldn't stop herself from dozing for a while. The breeze was warm and the company was safe. She remained unmoving, except for a moment when she rolled over and her face pressed into his chest. She sighed in her sleep. Evelyn Caranahan had been known to sigh in her sleep a lot, but she looked peaceful this time and she wasn't tormented by the truth that she would never see her mother again.

 

  He smiled, feeling happy that she trusted him enough to fall asleep on him. He hugged her in her sleep and she mumbled something unintelligible. He liked Evelyn. She wasn't like any of the other girls like he knew at the orphanage. She was nicer, more..sweet. He stared up at the sky and waited for her to wake up from her nap.

 

  It wasn't more then a half hour later when her mouth creased in a yawn and she rubbed her eyes open. She had thoroughly enjoyed sleeping beside him. "You can come and stay at my house. You could sleep in my bed every night," she whispered softly, not really understanding about things like that, though he being older did. 

 

  "That sounds really wonderful, but I don't think your father or your brother would really like that," he told her, smiling sadly. He hugged her. She was such a little thing and she brought out a protective urge in him that he had never felt before. "You're nice," he told her. "Different from other girls."

 

  "Jonathan says different is bad. He says I should keep my mouth shut and behave and not play around, or ruin my dresses. He says that now that mum is dead I have to be a proper woman and grow up," she told him sadly. Her mother's death had been very hard on Jonathan and he had taken it out on Evelyn. 

 

  "Well, I don't think different is bad," he said. "I like it. You like to go on adventures and you like stories about Egyptian kings and queens. Other girls don't like that. No offence, but your brother seems kinda weird. Does he always say stuff like that to you?"

 

  "Oh yes. Lately, all he thinks about is girls, girls, girls. He says he has a girlfriend, but she thinks he has cooties." She giggled and stuck out her tongue. "She is odd and I wish he wouldn't play with her. I like you. I'll be your girlfriend if you stay with me." Again she really knew nothing of that stuff. "I'll even let you kiss me like Jonathan says boys have to do," she told him, innocent as ever.

 

  He smiled at her naivety, yet another thing that endeared her to him. He chuckled a little, shaking his head. "You're really something, you know," he told her. "I'd be proud to have you as my girlfriend and maybe sometime when we're a little older, I can kiss you. But boys don't *have* to kiss girls, you know, it's not that important." 

 

  She put her little hand over his mouth and then pulled it back.  "I'm old enough." She crossed her arms over her chest and her face got all pouty. "I'm not a little girl, Daddy says I've grown nine inches." She blushed. "But I don't ever want to do what mummies and daddies do, that's icky. I wouldn't want to do icky things with you, 'cause I like you."

 

  He laughed out loud again. "No, you're not a little girl, you're a little lady," he said. "You're right though, we shouldn't be doing 'icky things'." He laughed again. "You're cute," he told her, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. "There you go," he said, grinning. 

 

  She smiled and blushed. "Now we are boyfriend and girlfriend!" she exclaimed and hugged him close. She leaned forward, pecking his lips quickly with her own. 

 

  He blushed himself a little at that, but he smiled at her. He squeezed her gently and then got up, tugging her up. "Shall we go and have an adventure then?" he asked, mischievous grin back in place. His face lit up. "Hey, I have an idea, but you must promise not to tell anyone about it first."

 

  She nodded her head quickly. "Tell me! I won't tell a soul," she promised and held out her pinky. "I pinky swear it." She jumped to her feet. "What are we going to do Rick?" she asked.

 

  He bent down to rummage through his jacket pockets and when he found it, he pulled out his most prized possession; his slingshot. He stood up and showed it to her. "I'm not supposed to have this," he admitted. "My supervisor at the orphanage took it off me, but I got it back. You know what this is?"

 

  "It's a slingshot, my brother hits mice with one," she said, her eyes opened wide. Her fingers reached out to touch it as she was never allowed to play with Jonathan's toys. "Wow, it's really great. What are we going to do with it? Are we going to hit the mice?" she asked curiously.

 

  He shook his head. "It's bad to hit animals," he told her. "But it's okay to hit people so long as they don't catch you. That's why I got it confiscated, because I kept hitting the other kids with it all the time." He bent down and scooped up a couple of small stones. "Want me to show you how to use it?"

 

  She nodded her head vigorously and one of her little bows began to come loose. "Yes, yes, teach me how!" she cried and watched him closely. She couldn't help but grab it in her hand, looking it over. "Wow, it's so wonderful," She told him, one hundred and one per cent in love with it.

 

  He smiled, letting her get familiar with it first before pointing over to a nearby wall. "Okay, there's your target, I want you to try and hit that. Now, hold the slingshot in your right hand like this-" he showed her what to do and then waited until she held it properly. "Then you put the stone here like this, pull it back with your other hand as far as you can and let it go. Go on, give it a try."

 

  She gripped it in her tiny hands and shot it off, but the pebble only fell to the ground. She huffed and picked it up trying it again, and again and again. When she heard him laugh she glared at him. "Don't laugh at me!" she complained.

 

  "I wasn't laughing at you, I was laughing *near* you," he told her, smiling. "Go on, try again. Pull the strap back as hard as you can and see if you hit the wall." He stood a little bit away from her, lest she hit him or something in the process.

 

  She tried once more and *bam* the thing went sailing right across the sky and into the wall, knocking out some pebbles in the process. "I did it, I did it!" She jumped up and down, completely thrilled that she had finally been able to do something right.

 

  He grinned at her enthusiasm. "That was great!" he told her. "Wanna try it again?" He scooped up a few more pebbles from the ground and then something caught his eye. Down by the town square, he could see a couple walked by the fountain, obviously rich and obviously tourists. His grin widened and he motioned for Evelyn to take a look. "Here, give me that," he said, beckoning to the slingshot. "We've got a better target now."

 

  She hurried to him, peering over the wall and she snickered. "I bet you I can hit them," she said, keeping the slingshot from him. She stood back aimed the thing, letting the pebble go flying. She hit the woman square on the shoulder. The woman looked up and Evelyn gasped. "Oh no, she saw me!" she said and stepped back, frightened. "She will tell on me."

 

  Rick grabbed her arm, pulling her away. "I *told* you let me do it!" he said. He glanced over the wall and he saw the man who he assumed to be the woman's husband come running up towards them. "Oh hell, we have to go!" he shouted, grabbing his jacket and his slingshot and dragging Evelyn away. "Come on, hurry up! If we get down to the port we can lose him. Let's go!"

 

  She ran as fast as her little legs would carry her, huffing and puffing the whole way. Finally she was holding him down and the man was still following them in close pursuit. She ducked out of the way with Rick. "Can't...run...anymore..." she got out. Her hand slipped out of his grasp and she stumbled, scraping her knee on the sidewalk.

 

  "Evelyn!" he cried, crouching down next to her. He looked up to see the man gaining on them and he didn't look best pleased. Rick searched around frantically for an escape route and just about when he was ready to finally give in and panic, he noticed an opening to the sewer beside them. He grabbed onto the manhole cover and pulled with all his might. The god-darned thing was heavy, but he kept tugging and he finally pulled it away a little. He picked Evelyn up into his arms and jumped, grunting in pain when he hit the floor, Evelyn on top of him.

 

  She gasped out as they hit the ground. Her knee was bleeding from the fall and it was bright red with blood. Now her brother and father would really scold her for getting her nice blue dress messy. She was quick to climb off him and stood up. "I don't like it down here, how do we get out?" she asked and rested against the wall.

 

  "We have to wait a while until we're sure he's gone," Rick told her, getting up awkwardly. "Don't worry, he won't come down here." He rubbed his arm, scowling at the pain he felt. He went up to Evelyn and knelt down before her. "How's your knee?" he asked, trying to get a closer look. He knew that she had scraped it, but he couldn't see how much it was bleeding.

 

  She lifted up her skirt and indeed she had gotten a pretty good scrape. A bunch of small pebbles were embedded in the sticky blood. She whimpered. "It hurts, Rick..." No matter how many scrapes or scars she received, she would never get used to them. She swallowed the pain. "It hurts pretty bad," she said and bit her lip so as to be brave and not cry.

 

  "Sssh, it'll be okay," he told her, holding up her dress a little with one hand so he could get a better look at her knee. "Do you still have my handkerchief?" he asked. She nodded and handed it out to him. He took it and licked it a little before very gently wiping it over the graze on her knee, getting out the stones. He wrapped the handkerchief around her knee, tying it tight before standing up to hug her. "Is that better?" he asked worriedly.

 

  She hugged him close to her. "Yes, that is much better." She sat down and curled up to him. "Do you think we'll have to wait long?" she asked. She held his hands in hers while they watched the afternoon turned into evening and she held to him, getting a little chilled from the lack of sun and sitting inside the cold sewer.

 

  He figured enough time had passed by now, plus it was starting to get dark and he knew he had to get himself and Evelyn home before they got into even more trouble. "Stay here," he told her, climbing up top and peering out cautiously into the street. Thankfully, there was no sign of their guy and he sighed in relief, dropping down beside Evelyn. "He's gone," he said. "All right, I'm gonna get you back up there." He lifted her up onto his shoulders. "Can you climb up and out?" he asked.

 

  It took a few moments, but she reached up and over, clinging onto the side and climbing out. She then reached down and offered him a hand.  Finally they were both out in the dusk of the town. She was torn now, it was getting close to her bedtime and she wanted her family, but she wanted him as well. She wrapped her arms around his neck just holding him as she fought inside her mind how to decide.

 

  He smiled, hugging her tight. He could feel her little body trembling, so he moved out of her embrace to take off his jacket and he put it onto her, laughing a little at how she looked. He hugged her again, then took her hand. "Come on," he said. "I'd better get you home before it gets even darker. Can you remember where it is that you live?"

 

  "Elmrose and fifth," she replied, knowing that he was going to leave her as soon as she got home. She squeezed him tight and held close to him, not sure what to say at this point. "Thank you for giving me an adventure," she told him and leaned her head on his shoulder, yawning softly.

 

  He shrugged a little. "Wasn't much of one," he admitted. "We got chased by that guy, you hurt your knee, I'll get into a whole heap of trouble when I get back home to the orphanage. But it was all worth it just to meet you. I like you, Evelyn." Her house wasn't too far from town, they would be there soon.

 

  "Don't go, you can come live with me." She begged and held tightly.   "I want us to live together. You can stay and play house with me. I promise I'll be a good girl, I promise." They came round the corner to stop near her house. "Please?"  

 

  Rick looked down at her and bit his lip. "That sounds great, but I can't," he said sadly. "You belong with your dad and your brother and I belong at the orphanage. I wish I could stay with you, but I can't." He hugged her, burying his face in her hair, trying to commit everything about her to memory.

 

  She squeezed him tighter then ever and it was then that one of her hair ribbons dropped to the ground, but she paid it no mind. She stared at him, tears filling her eyes and she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I love you," she said softly, holding his larger hands with her own little ones.

 

  "I love you too," he said, wiping away her tears before leaning in to peck her lips. He smiled, pulling away a little to bend down and pick up her ribbon from where it had fallen to the floor. "You dropped this," he said, holding it out to her. 

 

  She gave it back to him. "You keep it, you'll remember me better that way," she told him, wiping her eyes. She had found a truer friend in him then she ever had before and she was losing him faster then she had found him. She watched him closely.

 

  "Thank you," he said, staring down at the ribbon before putting it carefully in his pocket. He paused for a moment and then took out his slingshot, handing it out to her. "Here, I want you to have this," he said. "Then you can remember me." He gave her a lopsided grin. "You're better with it than I am anyway. Just don't go hitting people anytime soon."

 

  She smiled and accepted his gift. "Thank you. I'll hide it so Johnathan doesn't take it away from me." She held it close to her as if it were a treasured doll. She suddenly heard the sound of her brother's voice calling out, "Dad, she's here! I found her!"

 

  She turned and looked at Rick. "I suppose I have to go," she said softly. "I'll never forget you," She promised and then hurried up the stairs and into the warm welcome arms of her brother and father.  

 

  He watched as she went away, suddenly getting a funny feeling in his heart as he saw her go and he turned away quickly. He wished he could stay with her. He wished he could have a family just like she had. But he knew he couldn't have any of that and it made him sadder than ever. He broke off at a run, hoping he could get back to the orphanage before it was too late. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the ribbon that she had given him, smiling when he saw it. He knew he would never forget her either.

 

~~~~~~

 

 

  ***  18 years later ***

 

  The day was sunny but chilly and Evie clasped the lilies to her chest, walking over to the gravestone where now years later both her parents lay. Her hair crowned her face in waves and she knelt down.  "I miss you Mum and Dad. You'd be very proud of me, and of my family." She lay the flowers down on the grave and soon she felt tears welling in her eyes and they poured over as they always did.

 

  Rick walked around the church gardens and into the cemetery, spotting Evie by her parent's grave just as he had so many years ago.  He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck. "Are you okay?" He murmured, squeezing her a little.

 

  "I just forget sometimes how much I miss them," she said softly and didn't stop crying. The smell of the lilies was strong and she sniffled, dragging her handkerchief out of her purse and wiping her eyes with it. 

 

  He laid a hand gently on her back, stroking it soothingly. "I know honey, I know," he said softly. He watched her in concern, squeezing her shoulder a little. It had been a while since she had last been here to visit her parent's graves and he knew no matter how much time had passed that she would always miss them.

 

  She turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. They had been strangers when they had met in Cairo, only later remembering a forgotten childhood and she held to him now tighter then ever. Finally, she relaxed in his arms and ceased her crying, just holding to him. "I love you."

 

  "I love you too," he said, rubbing her nose with his. He held her tightly to him, nuzzling her hair and running his hands over her back soothingly. He brushed the tears from her cheeks and kissed her. "This isn't just a place of sadness you know," he told her quietly. "Remember when we first met in this exact spot?"

 

  She smiled at him. "How could I forget the first boy I ever kissed? I was willing to marry you then," she told him and she kissed him back. Her hand moved over his shoulders then up to his hair and gave him a much more passionate kiss then the one they had shared so long ago.

 

  He smiled when the kiss broke and he rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. "I still remember how you looked that day you know, all wide-eyed and innocent in your pretty little dress and ribbons. You were the cutest thing I'd ever seen. And you still are," he said, his mouth finding hers for another kiss.

 

  She kissed him back deeply, her arms wrapping tight around him. "I was very innocent. I told you I would never do the kinds of things mummies and daddies do with you," she said. Her hands trailed down his back. "Kiss me like that again and I think you might persuade me to do that right now."

 

  He grinned. "You told me you didn't want to do 'icky things' with me. How things have changed," he teased, obliging her and pressing his mouth to hers once more. His hands moved from her back and up into her hair, letting his fingers wind round the dark strands.

 

  "I don't do icky things, I do beautiful and pleasurable things with you," she whispered into his mouth as he kissed her again. Her hands rested on his side as they knelt on the ground supporting each other, and she found a peace inside of her.

 

  "LOOK OUT!" Alex yelled as he shot off a pebble heading right for his kissing parents. He got his dad right on the shoulder and put his hand to his mouth. "Uh-oh! Sorry, Daddy!"

 

  "Ouch! Alex, that wasn't nice," said Rick, rubbing his shoulder. He quickly kissed Evie, then got up after his little boy, catching him and swinging him squealing into the air.

 

  She stood up and chased after her husband and son. "Don't leave me out of this," she complained and wrapped her arms around them.

 

  "Mummy, Mummy save me from my Daddy, he's big and scary." Alex was giggling however and his father threw him up in the air catching him.  "Daddy, I'm flying!" He cried.

 

  She smiled at them laughing in joy as she watched the two most important individuals in her life play together. 

 

  Rick tossed his giggling son up into the air one more time, catching him and then he kissed the top of his head, holding Alex in the crook of his right arm and putting his other arm around Evie, kissing her gently. His son tugged on his hair and he broke the kiss, tilting his head to look at him. "It's rude to interrupt you know," he said, smiling.

 

  "Daddy, no kissing, it's icky!" he told him and put his hand over his father's mouth. He didn't like to see his parents kiss and he stuck out his tongue. "It's icky."

 

  She smiled and kissed Alex's little hand right over Rick's mouth. "I said the same thing once, a long time ago," she whispered, looking her husband right in the eye. She rested her head against his shoulder looking at the two of them.

 

  Rick teasingly nibbled at Alex's hand, laughing when he yanked it away, swatting at his cheek. "Oh, I don't know Evie, I think I like icky," he grinned, tightening his arm around her. He could feel Alex messing with his hair, yanking on it and twisting it in his little fingers. He looked over at his son suspiciously. "You're being awfully quiet. You're not putting gum in my hair again are you?"

 

  She giggled. "My two men. You are my gifts," she murmured. "And I agree with you Rick, icky has a nice ring to it. It brought Alex into the world," she told him, blushing a little at the talk of making love.

 

  He smiled at the redness on her cheeks and his lips found hers, kissing her gently. "How about later, you and I can do some more 'icky stuff'?" he said, grinning. He leaned in for another kiss but was stopped short by his son pulling on his hair. "Ow, Alex, careful! That's attached you know!"

 

  "Mmm-hmm, and what if I get pregnant with another baby?" she asked,  brushing her hand through his hair. She took Alex's hand away gently. "Come on Alex, be nice to your daddy. Give him a kiss and make him feel better."

 

  He leaned forward and pecked his father on the forehead where he had pulled the hair.  

 

  Rick smiled, lifting Alex up to sit on his shoulders. He held onto him tightly with one hand while he kept the other arm around his wife. "If you do get pregnant again, then I'd have three of you beating me up like this," he said, taking the slingshot from Alex who had been waving it around in the air dangerously close to his face. 

 

  "Slingshot go bye-bye!" He waved as Daddy took the slingshot away from him and he started playing the drums on his father's head. "Drum, drum, drummm!" he sang loudly.

 

  She smiled at Rick. "You're sure you want to get me pregnant again?" she queried and smiled up at her son. "Alex, shhh. This is a quiet place."

 

  "I'm sure," he murmured, squeezing her gently. "But we'll talk about it later tonight when things are more peaceful," he added, giving her a lascivious look. He handed the slingshot over to her for safe keeping. "This looks mighty familiar," he said, smiling.

 

  "It's the one you gave me when I was little," she told him, knowing he was already aware of that. "I kept it all those years and I decided Alex was old enough to play with it." She thought about that. "Actually, Alex found it and decided he was old enough to play with it."

 

  "Sounds like Alex," said Rick, laughing. "He has a better aim than I do. Have you been teaching him?" he asked, grinning. "My hands are full, but check my back pocket. My wallet should be in there and I think you'll find something of yours inside."

 

  "Hmm, permission to grope you." She reached up and kissed his neck, "I accept." She nibbled his earlobe, making quite the show out of reaching into his back pocket and rubbing her hand over the material. "Mmmm, it's hard to find," she said teasingly, knowing she was driving him crazy.

 

  He closed his eyes and groaned at her fondling. "Ohhh, I don't think this is the time or the place for that, honey," he said, sighing. He kissed her forehead, all he could reach at that moment, what with his son still perched on his shoulders. "Found it yet?" he asked huskily.

 

  "Mm-hmm, but your trousers suddenly got tighter." She pulled his wallet out and flipped it open. She found money, pictures of them. "I didn't know you kept so many pictures of me in here. Oh, I remember that. The day Alex got into your underwear, how adorable." She kissed his neck. Then she came across a piece of faded blue silk and she swallowed. "My hair ribbon."

 

  He smiled. "Something to remember you by," he said softly. "The little girl who came into my life and changed it forever." He pressed his lips to the top of her head, letting go of Alex with one hand to gently hold her to him. "I still kept it all these years, just like you kept my slingshot."

 

  "I always figured we would never see each other again. Then I saved you from death and the rest of it is history," she said smiling at him. She reached up and poked Alex in the tummy. "Someone is getting sleepy."

 

  "No, I'm not!" he protested, but he yawned, resting his little head against his father.

 

  "Rick go and put him in the car and I'll be right there." She wanted to say goodbye to her parents.

 

  He hoisted his son off his shoulders and into his arms, smiling when he snuggled against him. He knew whenever Alex got this quiet he was about ready to take a nap. He leaned down and gently kissed her lips. "I'll be waiting," he said softly, kissing her one last time before making his way out of the graveyard with his son.

 

  She walked back to the gravestones and she knelt down before them.  "Mum, Dad, I wish you could have known my husband and our son, but I know you watch over us. Thank you for being my parents and for guiding me to find the man I love. I'll see you next year." A leaf fell from the tree and landed over the stones.  She sighed and picked it up. She thought for a few moments about the twists life could take, and the happiness that one could find in the hardest of times. Then she heard Rick call her name and she stood up. "Coming!" she yelled and she took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the lilies before hurrying back to the family she now had and the love that death could never destroy.