Happily ever after was off to an interesting start.
I had thought it might be nice to get away from Egypt for our honeymoon, and my parents' house in London still sat vacant after all these years. They had insisted on keeping the house, though I never really knew why. My parents had packed up Jonathan and I nearly eight years ago, moving us to Egypt to be closer to all of the amazing discoveries that were happening out in the desert sands. They had helped lead parts of the expedition that uncovered Tutankhamen's tomb. It was in these journeys that they had met their untimely ends.
Perhaps what we all needed was a fresh start, away from Egypt for a while. I loved Egypt with every bone in my body, but after the thrashing my body had taken (and mind for that matter), I thought perhaps a change was entirely in order.
After our first night of wedded bliss, Rick and I chartered a flight out of Cairo to London. The taxi dropped us off just before sunset, the snow falling lightly on us as we made our way up the snow covered drive to the steps of the house. Years of fleeting memories rushed back all at once, nearly toppling me off the front porch as I fumbled with the keys to get the old door unlocked.
"Evelyn?" an old, familiar voice called out to me. I turned, my face lighting up as I caught sight of Mrs. Bentley, my parents' neighbor and mother of my closest childhood friend. She stood on the covered porch of their home, staring at me wide-eyed and bewildered.
I stepped off the porch, meeting Mrs. Bentley halfway in the middle of the snow-bathed lawn. "Oh, my goodness gracious, child!" she exclaimed, taking me in her arms. "Look at you! All grown up, you are. I was so terribly sorry to hear about your parents," she said sincerely. I could hear Rick drop the luggage on the porch with a soft grunt, the snow crunching under his feet as he walked up behind me. "Oh, and who is this dashing young fellow?" She smiled knowingly, though I don't believe she was quite ready to hear the next part.
"Mrs. Bentley," I said, grabbing Rick's arm, pulling him up beside me, "this is my husband, Rick O'Connell." I could feel my face flush slightly in the bitter cold air as I said the word 'husband.' It was going to take some getting used to.
"How do you do?" Rick said politely, quite a change from the way he had greeted me not so long ago. Mrs. Bentley's mouth opened slightly, as though she wanted to say something more, but she stood on the lawn, speechless.
"Charmed," she finally managed to say. It was no secret to me what most people had said about me behind my back when I was growing up; they all figured I would be an old maid librarian. 'Beautiful as she is,' I remember them saying, 'with a temper like that, and as stubborn as she is, she'll never be able to hold a man.' I smiled proudly. In proving them all wrong, I had found the part of me that I had been missing. "You must come to our Christmas party tonight," she finally managed to say, prying her eyes off of Rick. "Annie will just die to know you're back in London."
"Annie's here?" I asked.
"Oh, yes, she came back from the States almost six months ago and has been working for the British Museum." It would explain partially why I hadn't heard from her in nearly a year. "She's been terribly upset since Anton broke off their relationship. An old face from her childhood will do her good." It was a moment before I could respond, thoughts racing through my head. Anton had broken it off with Annie? It was terrible and wonderful at the same time. Annie and I had been superb friends when we were young, but as we entered those infamous teenage years, we had begun to grow apart. I still firmly believe that Annie had only liked Anton in the beginning to spite me, knowing full well I had always liked him in that 'wanting to be more than a friend' way growing up. That definitely explained why I hadn't heard from her. Perhaps it could all be put behind us and she and I could start fresh. I brought myself back to the present, standing in the middle of a frozen lawn.
"What do you say, Darling?" I asked, looking to my husband. "Are you feeling up to it?"
"It's all right by me," he said with a smile.
"We do need to see what condition the house is in," I said, turning back to Mrs. Bentley. "After all, it *has* been nearly eight years since anyone has lived there."
"Of course. The party starts at eight. Come over when you're ready. And I won't tell Annie. It'll be a nice surprise, don't you think?" We said our good-byes, and went back to finish the battle with the front door, which I refused to lose.
It finally took Rick nearly breaking the door down to get us in. The sun was setting quickly, and there would be no electricity in the house until we could get it turned on tomorrow. "Maybe we should have just stayed in a hotel tonight," Rick said as I fumbled my way in the door.
"What? And miss an opportunity to show off my new husband?" I said with a grin. He dropped the bags in the foyer, closing the door behind him. The house was only a tad warmer than outside. I wrapped my arms around his neck, staring at him with loving eyes.
"Yeah, she had seemed a little surprised when you said I *was* your husband. What was that all about?"
"Oh, just surprised no doubt that I married before Annie," I replied. "They all used to say that I was too pigheaded and tenacious to ever catch a man who would put up with me."
"Well, they got one thing right," he said with a little smirk. I pushed off of him, trying to hide my smile as he grabbed my wrist, pulling me back to him. "But that's what I love about you." I narrowed my eyes as he smiled sheepishly. Oh, for goodness sake, I couldn't even *pretend* to be mad at him! He leaned in, kissing me. Despite the cold chill in the house, I was ready to melt in his arms. "Come on," I said, after reluctantly pulling away. I curled my fingers around his, leading him to the stairs. We had fleeting light and it would probably be wise to use it as best we could before there was nothing but the pitch-black dusk would bring to the house.
My eyes wandered around the house as we climbed the stairs. Everything was just as we had left it so long ago. The dust covers clung to the furniture I had grown up with; every little detail of every sofa, bookcase, table, burned into my memory. I could have told him what every piece was without uncovering it. We reached to top of the stairs, and I had to make a tough decision: which room would we stay in? I had initially thought we should sleep in my old room, but then it occurred to me that there would be no heat in there. My parents' room had a fireplace, but the thought of sleeping in my parents' bed with my new husband... Pushing aside the silly, childish thoughts, I opened the door to my parents' room. Besides the warmth, it was a bigger bed, and the bed linens I had packed wouldn't fit on my old bed. "We should build a fire so we have some light to make the bed by," I said softly, glancing around the room. The hot tears crept into my eyes, blurring my vision as Rick went to the fireplace, finding several old pieces of wood waiting for him. He glanced back at me, realizing I hadn't moved from the doorway.
"Are you all right?" he asked, stepping back toward me. I sniffled as the first tear escaped.
The memories flooded into my mind before I could think to stop them. "I...I haven't been here since... since my parents..." I couldn't even finish as the grief overtook me for a moment. Rick enclosed me in his embrace, stroking my hair softly as I let it all out. It wasn't long before I felt foolish, his soft shirt soaked through with my tears. It had been three years, after all. I then suddenly felt comforted strangely, as though my parents approved, something I had wondered since Rick had proposed to me. I could feel them smiling, knowing I was safe and loved. I no longer felt strange that this was their room; this was where they had loved each other as much as I loved Rick. I pulled away, smiling up at him. "Thank you," I sniffled.
"Hey, it's what I'm here for," he said, thumbing away the tears. "Now...about that fire..." He went back to the fireplace as I opened the bag I had brought upstairs with me, pulling out the sheets and quilt.
Within a few moments, the fire roared in the stone hearth, and we sat on the bed, his arms wrapped around me. "Are you gonna be okay?" he asked softly. "I mean, are you sure you don't want to go to a hotel?"
"I'll be fine," I answered, tilting my head up toward him. "It was a step I needed to take. Thank you for being there to take it with me." I leaned up, kissing his full lips. I surprised myself with the passion that spilled from me. I think it surprised him too.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, slightly taken aback. "I mean, this *is* your parents' bed after all."
"I know," I said, my eyes narrowing seductively. "Somehow how I have the feeling it's all right with them."
I dressed, touching up my smeared make-up in the uncovered mirror. Tomorrow, we would have to go through the house and clean...what a way to spend a honeymoon! But alone with Rick, anywhere, doing anything, was heaven for me.
I fussed with my hair, pulling the brush through it, catching sight of Rick crawling out of the bed to dress. He had slept lightly afterward, and I didn't have the heart to wake him. It had been a long day already, and now he was going to be thrown to the wolves of my old friends. I smiled to myself as I pulled only part of my hair back, leaving the rest to hang, the same way the Arab women had done it what seemed ages ago. Rick was a wonder when it came to handling battles and the like, but when it came to scholars and socialites...well, tonight would be the big test.
He shrugged on his shirt, coming up behind me. Kissing the top of my head, he ran his hands tenderly over my shoulders, hooking his fingers at the base of my neck. "Are you ready for this?" he asked, staring at me in the mirror.
"I should be asking *you* that," I said with a small grin. "*I* know these people...it's you I'm worried about." In all truth, butterflies were bouncing off the walls of my stomach, and I knew he could tell. He kissed my cheek, unlacing his fingers to button his shirt.
"I'll be fine," he assured me with a shrug. He probably would be just fine too.
As we stepped out the front door, I noticed all the cars lining the street. I remembered that the Bentleys' Christmas party was always the big to-do of the season, but never really remembered having enjoyed myself. As children, we were always shoved off into a back room to play, even as teens, Mrs. Bentley had locked Annie, Jonathan, and I back there with the small children to bore ourselves.
I had scantly knocked before the door had been ripped open. "Ahh, wonderful!" Mrs. Bentley cried out when she saw us on the front porch. "Come in, come in, before you catch your death!" We stepped in, my hand tightly gripping Rick's. Maybe I really wasn't ready for this...
"Oh my God in heaven," I heard said slowly behind me as Mrs. Bentley took our coats. Annie looked over the heads of the crowded front room, squeezing her way through the people. "Evelyn Carnahan?" she asked, almost as if she didn't believe it was really me standing before her.
"Hello, Annie," I said, hugging my old friend. She turned, grabbing my arm, pulling me toward the crowd. "Everyone! Look who's back from the desert! It's Evy!!" I glanced back at Rick who smiled, waving good-bye as I was sucked into the vortex of bodies in the small room. All at once, I was enveloped by screams of girls I had gone to school with, many of whom I had not seen in more than ten years. I felt a rush of comfort pass over me, reverting to my old school days of a chattering little girl. We talked about anything and everything that had happened to us, be it schooling or courting, though I had little to say there...I still hadn't told them my last name was no longer Carnahan. I had to stifle a laugh, though, as Mary came back from the food table, practically drooling.
"Have you guys seen that hunk of American meat talking over there?" said Mary breathless. All heads turned as I smiled, inwardly proud of myself. None of the other girls had married yet, expect for Tabitha, but we all had known from grade school that she and Eric were going to be together for the rest of their lives. She was currently pregnant with their fourth child.
"Someone go find out his name," Aggie chimed in as the other girls twittered.
"It's Rick," I stated with a grin. They all silenced, turning toward me in wonderment. I held up my left hand, proudly displaying my wedding ring. Every jaw in the circle dropped in unison.
"He's yours?" Mary asked finally, breaking the awestruck silence of the group. I nodded with a smile. Annie grabbed my hand, looking at the ring closely.
"Evy, where did you get this ring?" she asked, pulling her glasses out of her pocket. Rick and I had agreed that it would be most appropriate if our wedding bands had come from the treasures in the saddlebags from Hamunaptra. After all, it was because of the City of the Dead that we were even together. "This band is priceless! It's a piece from the reign of-"
"Seti I," I said, cutting her off. "Yes, I know."
"We just recently got a rather large collection of pieces in nearly perfect condition at the museum from a buyer. He wouldn't say where he had obtained the pieces from, or where the dig was. I don't think he knew." I had wondered what the buyer who had taken a little more than half of our treasures had planned on doing with it all. We had kept several pieces for ourselves, selling the rest to the Cairo Museum of Antiquities.
"Oh, I could tell you where they came from," I said, "but you wouldn't believe me."
"Wouldn't I?" she asked skeptically. This was almost the same look she had given me so many years ago when I had told her that I liked Anton.
"Did you hear about the dig at Hamunaptra?"
"Yes, yes, everyone was talking about it some months ago, that eight people had gone out, but only three came back. It's not like that had really found anything. What's that got to do with the ring?" I smiled at her knowingly. She never had been very quick to pick up subtle hints.
"Rick, Jonathan, and I were those three."
"Oh, Evelyn, that's a load of pigswallow and you know it."
"You don't believe me? Well, fine then. Ask your buyer tomorrow whom he bought the pieces from. If he won't tell you directly, ask if it was a Rick O'Connell. Then see what you believe." Everyone else in the group had been hanging on every word, though none really seemed to know whom to believe. "Excuse me," I said, stepping away from the group. I squeezed my way through the crowded room, my eyes searching for Rick. I felt a firm hand land on my shoulder, and was met with a surprise as I turned to find the owner of the hand. "Anton," I managed to breath. He was still as handsome as I remembered. But then I also remembered the way he had treated me in school. How blind I had been. Thank God it was something I never had to worry about again.
"Hello, Evelyn," he said, his deep voice resonating. There had been a time when that voice had made me weak in the knees. Now it was nothing more than another octave that added to the din of the gathering. "You're the talk of the party tonight," he said with little conviction.
"Really?" I asked, stepping back slightly to release his hand from my shoulder. "How so?"
"Your sudden reappearance in London," he stated as though the answer should have been as clear as the crooked nose on his face. "So what brought you back from that wasteland?"
"That 'wasteland' as you call it still happens to be my home, Anton," I answered. "But if you really are interested, I happen to be on my honeymoon." Anton laughed, as though it were the most absurd answer he had ever heard.
"Little Evelyn Carnahan is married? To what, another self-righteous bookworm?" I began to fume at his array of insults when another hand fell on my shoulder, this time belonging to my husband. I smiled curtly at Anton as he mouth opened slowly, but no audible sound came out. I wrapped my arm around Rick's waist, pushing him gently to walk away with me.
"You all right?" he asked after the sea of people had closed the gap between Anton and I. We stood next to the back door, away from the crowd.
"Yes, I'm fine," I said, smiling up at him. "Thank you for rescuing me. How are you holding up?"
"Oh, fine," he said. "I was just talking to Mr. Bentley about the house. He knows some people who would be more than willing to come out and fix any problems we find. I guess old friends of your parents." I smiled, closing my eyes.
"Thank you for putting up with this," I said, opening my eyes slowly.
"I put up with you, don't I?" he said, eyebrows raised.
"Ooooh." He glanced up with a grin, pointing upward.
"Look where we stopped." Mistletoe. Any anger I had pretended to have toward him had long since faded. He leaned down, kissing me gently on the lips. It was a quick kiss, and yet there was so much to it, I couldn't even take it all in. He felt it too as he eyes opened slowly, staring at me. "I think we need to get some of this for next door," he said, almost breathless. I giggled softly, watching his eyes as they fell on someone behind me. "You've got company." I glanced over my shoulder to see Tabitha coming up, smiling.
"I don't know about you," Tabitha said, both her and my coat in hand, "but I need some fresh air." She smiled, handing me my coat, her oh-so-subtle way of getting away from the other girls. I glanced back at Rick who only smiled.
"Go on. Catch up," he said. "I'll see what other nice, juicy blackmail I can dig up about you."
"Blackmail?" I asked stunned as he slipped back into the crowd. I shook my head with a laugh, turning to Tabitha.
It was bitterly cold out back; I was most definitely still used to the heat of the desert.
"Don't worry about Annie and Anton," Tabitha started, easing herself into a chair. "They're just jealous because no one ever thought you would be the first to marry."
"I know," I replied, blowing into my hands. My fingers were already frozen. "I don't expect Annie to believe me about Hamunaptra either. Had the roles been reversed, I don't know that I would believe her."
"I believe you," she said, unconsciously rubbing her growing belly. "I don't know why, but I believe you. So, did you find anything good?" Sure, we had found the treasure I the saddlebags and all, but for some reason, that didn't seem worthy of the answer. I rubbed my hands together for a moment, trying to warm them up, catching the glint of the wedding band in the light.
"I found Rick," I said, blushing lightly. I had never really thought about it like that before, but it was practically true.
"Oh? Do tell." Tabitha smiled broadly.
"He had been there once before, and I wanted to go badly enough that I was willing to swallow my pride and follow this...filthy, rude scoundrel into the desert." I smiled, laughing to myself as I said these words. "Funny how your opinion of someone can change."
"Yes, like everyone's opinion of Anton went from bad to worse."
"Yes, so I noticed. What happened?"
"When Annie came back from the States, he broke it off with her without reason. He never really loved her. I don't think he was even faithful two days after she had left. I know she thought she loved him, but it was never real love." She looked at me, a smile spreading across her lips. "When did you know? I mean about Rick. I'm curious, only because I've always known with Eric."
"Well..." When *had* I known? I thought about it for a moment. There were so many times I thought there might have been something between us, but then he had shot off his mouth, and it was all gone...but that first kiss.... It had always stuck out in my head, driving me crazy when I didn't want to think I could love someone like him. "I'd have to say the first time he kissed me," I started, staring off into the blackness of the back yard. "Oh, we hadn't known each other more than a few minutes at that point, and he was very rude and all, but..." I laughed at myself, sounding like the schoolgirl I had been back inside the house. "I know it sounds crazy," I said, looking to her. "It's a long story, but I think I *really* knew when I had to leave with another man to save all of our lives. Like I said, long story, but the way he looked at me as I walked away, his blue eyes just piercing the darkness. The way he said my name as we became separated by the crowd..." I barely mumbled the last two sentences, my eyes focusing on nothing at all as I saw very clearly they way he looked after me as Imhotep dragged me through the crowd of his slaves. I could feel my body grow weak from the thought, the painful memory when I thought I would never see him again, that I would never get to tell him that I loved him as Imhotep gave the order to kill them all.
"You'll have to tell me this story sometime," said Tabitha with a smile of curiosity. I shook my head, inhaling deeply with a smile. "You are absolutely head-over-heels for him, aren't you? It's so nice to know someone finally understands what I'm talking about when I say that Eric is like my other half. He's part of me, as much as I am part of him. None of them understand that. They've never felt it like we have, where you feel your breath catch in your throat just hearing his voice. Where you see him across a crowded room like that," she said, motioning in the window, "and know you are the only one in the room that really matters to him." I followed her eyes in the window. Rick and Eric were talking with Mr. Bentley. "They've never known love so strong that it will break every rule, every moral code they've set out for themselves, that they would risk life and limb for that person." Their eyes met for a moment across the crowded room, through the glass. I could see the smile spread on Eric's face, as he saw nothing but her, then shaking his head as he looked to Mr. Bentley with an 'I'm sorry, what did you say?' Tabitha looked at me with a smile. "It's too bad we weren't better friends as a child. We have so much in common now." I smiled at her, looking to the twinkling stars above. If we did move back from Cairo, I would miss being able to see nothing but a sky full of stars; London was too bright and it drowned out most of the fainter stars.
My attention was suddenly brought back to earth when Tabitha inhale sharply. "Are you all right?" I asked as she grimaced, shifting uncomfortably in the chair.
"Yes, yes," she said, as though she were trying to convince herself. "Just the baby kicking." She inhaled again, her face contorting with pain.
"That's some kick," I said, knowing otherwise. That was the baby's way of saying 'Hello, here I come.' "Do you want me to go get Eric?"
"No, no, it's nothing," she said, trying to stand. She collapsed back into the chair, seeming almost shocked by the pain. "On the other hand..."
"Wait here," I said (as if she had much other choice at the moment), before rushing into the house. "Eric!" I called into the crowd, squeezing through the people. I pushed my way through, leaning against Rick for balance. "Forgive the interruption," I said, barging into the conversation, "but Tabitha needs you. Now."
"The baby?" I nodded. "But it's early!"
"I don't think it cares much about that right now," I said.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," he said, tossing his empty glass onto the table. He parted the crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea, catching Tabitha as she nearly fell in the back door.
As they left, Mrs. Bentley told them she would gladly watch their children until the baby was born. The excitement died down, and I stifled a yawn, turning back toward Rick.
"My word," Mr. Bentley said with a grin, "you two have quite the stamina. I don't think I would still be awake after a plane flight here, and then a party such as this! Too much excitement for me." He smiled as he caught sight of someone else, calling out to them.
"Do you want to go home?" Rick asked, placing his arm around my waist. "You know, it's such a long walk home, I wouldn't want you falling asleep on me on the way." He grinned idiotically at me.
"Oh, hush, Richard," I replied evilly, but couldn't help but smile. I knew if I *had* fallen asleep, he would have gladly carried me the entire forty steps home.
We bid Mrs. Bentley good night, promising to have lunch with her sometime this week before heading out the door, down the porch, across the lawn, and up the steps to our home. Our home, I told myself again as Rick had to knock the door in again. Not my parents home, or my room at the fort, but if we truly decided to move back to London, this would be *our* home.
The bedroom was still warm from the glowing embers in the fireplace. Rick stroked the fire as I changed into my nightgown. I walked up behind him, encircling my arms around his waist as he stared into the fire. "What are you thinking?" I asked as his arms closed around me.
"About Tabitha and Eric," he replied. Then he looked down at me, his piercing sapphire eyes dancing in the firelight. He tilted his head, caressing my cheek with his fingers. "About...someday....having children ourselves." He half smiled as I looked above him, as though lost in thought.
"Hmmm...Rick O'Connell...Family Man...." I said, with a smile, bringing my eyes back to his. "Yes, I think I can see that." He smiled fully, enclosing his lips over mine. Once again there was that passion that left us both breathless was he pulled away.
He picked me up suddenly, as though he knew I was too weak in the knees to walk to the bed. "Mistletoe..." he said with a grin. "Who needs it?"