SquidgeWorld Archive

And in the end... 1/?
Author/pseudonym: Sandra Lee (Sandy)
Email address: ssfdu@hotmail.com
Rating: PG
Pairings: Rick/Ardeth
Status: Ongoing, Work in Progress
Date: 18/06/01
Archive: Not until finished, then please ask.
Series/Sequel: Sequel to "...Is only the beginning"
Other website: http://ssfdu.tripod.com/

Disclaimers: Still not mine!

Notes: Well here it finally is - the sequel you've all been waiting for.
I love deluding myself Thanks go to Karen as always for
everything. Kay, Sarah, Deanna and Emerald for enthusiasm and
everyone else who liked the first story and sent such wonderful
feedback.

And a special (and second ) thanks to the wonderful Kay who
kept asking for more

Summary: The budding relationship is put on hold after our heroes
run into a little bit of trouble.

Warnings: None, yet.

Oh and this one will probably be a long one folks, and take a while.

Submitted through the The Mummy Plus Slash And Chat mailing list.

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

Rick O'Connell, American adventurer, treasure seeker and ex-Legionnaire lay perfectly still, fearing that the slightest movement would wake the man holding him so gently.

After managing a few relatively peaceful hours of sleep, he found himself wide awake and wrapped securely in the arms of the Med-jai Chief, a position that would normally be considered blissfully comfortable -- that is of course if his damn head wasn't spoiling the moment.

Instead of enjoying the warmth and sense of belonging as he should have been, he was again wondering what in the hell he was doing.

Besides suffering from a doozey of a headache.

//Well apparently you were wrong O'Connell -- not like that hasn't happened before. Your thoughts *did* manage to get more confusing.//

Rick mentally sighed.

//You shouldn't be here, like this. What happens if you start getting even more comfortable? What happens if you start to really fall for the Med-jai? What happens if he ends up leaving you like everyone else has? What would you do then? Try to drown your sorrows in the middle of the desert again and hope that this time no one rescues you?//

A small part of his brain warned him that if he wasn't careful, there wouldn't be enough time for something to go wrong, he'd spoil it all by himself before anything else could.

//This is ridiculous! When did you become such a coward Richard?//

O'Connell cringed internally - he was referring to himself by his hated first name -- things must be bad.

//What happened to the man who calmly faced down an army of Tuareg warriors, with little to no chance of survival? The man who wasn't afraid to begin a relationship with Evy even though he barely knew her. The man who battled the forces of the undead and walked away?//

Another mental sigh.

//He got left behind//

If he thought he got maudlin when drunk -- it was nothing on how he felt when he was trying to recover from the following hangover, especially when it was made worse by too much sun and being incredibly tired.

Emotionally and physically.

//You really pick them don't you O'Connell? See someone who has the potential to break your heart and instantly fall for them. First it was an impossibly adorable Librarian with the heart of a warrior, that was *always* too good for you, then an actual warrior. A Med- jai. A member of an ancient order that tried to kill you on several occasions. But no, not just any Med-jai -- you had to fall for the leader didn't you? Aiming too high once again Rick ol' buddy//

Being self aware wasn't all it was cracked up to be. In fact it was damn painful when you knew why you did something and even if you didn't want to do it again you couldn't help yourself.

It was easier to aim too high, that way he was guaranteed not to get what he wanted and he could just safely long for the object of his affections from a distance.

His heart would never be at risk because he would never get close enough for there to be any damage.

Well that had been the plan...

And with most of his plans lately it had gone straight to hell.

Now he had to decide what to do, and it was no longer just his emotions involved.

He had Ardeth to consider.

Leave and be safe, lick his wounds in private and go on with his life alone, or stay and take a chance. Risk everything again for a chance at happiness that would hopefully last.

And as much as he wanted to sneak away, grab his camel and flee like the coward he was, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Could he trust someone again? Especially with his feelings being so raw at the moment.

There is was.

That was at the core his troubles, could he trust someone again? So soon after Evy?

He loved Evy, he never denied it. But it wasn't enough, and when she left it didn't break his heart.

It cracked it a little though.

And it hurt like hell even when they both knew it was the right thing to do.

He trusted Ardeth to guard his back.

Could he trust him to guard his heart?

He was under no illusions that the Med-jai could hurt him, would hurt him at some point.

It was almost inevitable, even if it was involuntary.

Was it all worth it?

The man behind him stirred a little, nuzzling at the back of his neck and snuggling closer in his sleep.

To his surprise Rick felt a warm fuzzy feeling in response, somewhere in the region of his heart.

Such a little thing to inspire that kind of reaction.

And he found he liked it.

A lot.

And maybe, just maybe he had finally found the answer to his question.

****

The warmth of the dawning sun gently awoke the Med-jai leader, the heat caressing his face like a lover's touch.

Feeling more content than he could ever remember, Ardeth smiled and opened his eyes, his smile growing as he saw the man still lying comfortably within the cradle of his arms.

Almost expecting the American to run in the middle of the night he was pleasantly surprised to find him still lying against him.

Perhaps there was hope for them yet.

Unfortunately as much as he wanted to just stay where he was, watching the younger man sleep, he knew he could not.

Stealing a few more moments of contentment the warrior sighed quietly then carefully eased himself away from the younger man, trying hard not to wake him.

Basking in the early heat that chased away the chill of the desert nights, Ardeth stood, running his fingers through his hair and grimacing at the gritty sand and tangles he found.

Another glance at the American assured him that he was still asleep so he decided to bathe before preparing breakfast and dealing with the unknown that was O'Connell's reaction to last night.

He hoped that they had made some progress the previous evening and he prayed to whatever gods were listening for some guidance.

Did he continue to follow his heart's path or his head's, as he had done since becoming the leader of his tribe.

His heart urged him to stay with Rick, to learn about him, to explore the feelings that were between them, whatever they were and build upon them.

His head demanded that he escort the American to the nearest settlement and return to his people.

He should continue on with his patrol and try to forget the man that had brought so much trouble to his life, and would probably continue to do so. It was the right thing to do.

But in the case of Rick O'Connell he never quite managed what he *should* do.

He should have given the order to kill him that day as he stumbled away from Haunaptra and later instead of warning him and the others to leave that place they should have made sure that they left or killed them all.

It was Ardeth's duty, he was born to make sure that He Who Shall Not Be Named would never rise and in that he had failed, even if the circumstances were beyond his control.

Eventually he had triumphed, with the help of the stubborn American who held he and his warriors at bay with a stick of dynamite, willing to stand his ground even if it had meant dying himself.

Of course they had not done it alone and probably could not have succeeded without the help of the librarian and her brother, but there was just something about Rick, something he had felt the first time he had seen him, that had whispered in his head to let him go because he had an important destiny, and whispered in his heart that perhaps one day they would meet again.

Obviously he was not the only one who saw the American's potential.

But even as he grew angry with her for breaking his heart, he respected Miss Carnahan too much to ever hate her.

Another sigh, this one followed by a weary shake of his head, brought him out of the maze of his thoughts and reminded him of what he had planned to do before Rick woke.

Thinking about the situation had not been part of that plan, but it had been inevitable.

Walking silently across the steadily warming sand he began to disrobe, carefully leaving his clothes against the base of one of the palms that shaded the area.

Ardeth then turned his mind to enjoying this uncommon luxury, walking slowly into the water to about waist depth, savouring the coolness against his skin.

Kneeling, he immersed himself and held his breath to enjoy being under water for as long as he could.

Lifting his head, he smiled to himself as he looked over to where the other man still slept.

O'Connell had curled in on himself as if he was missing a source of warmth. The sight was very endearing.

Chuckling quietly, the Med-jai leaned backwards, floating upon the clear surface and watching the sky continue to lighten.

Strangely, instead of completely enjoying the solitude that he usually craved for this activity, he felt bereft, as though something was missing.

Or someone.

He had never shared this task with a lover, had never shared anything of himself with someone of such importance but had the feeling that it would be an incredibly satisfying experience.

One that he now craved.

But not just anyone, with Rick.

If he felt the need to share such simple things with the American, how could he possibly leave him and return to his people as if nothing had happened?

Quite simply - he could not.

Knowing this path would not be easy, that it would be at times be met with opposition from others as well as themselves didn't worry him too much because he knew the rewards were worth it.

Rick O'Connell would be a worthy companion, a fierce warrior, one that hid a caring nature.

He would also be a worthy mate, an equal.

Now he just had to convince the other man of that.

The little time that they had known each other did not matter, the quality of it did.

They had proven that they could work together and guard each other on several occasions, initial hostility had turned into respect, then admiration, at least on Ardeth's side.

The circumstances had been wrong at the time. He had to return and reassure his tribe, console those who had lost family and insure that the surrounding tribes did not use the panic and confusion of the undead priest's brief reign to cause trouble.

And Rick had been in love, and he had been pleased for him.

Ardeth had hoped that if the feelings stirring inside him at the time had to be denied, then the American would at least be happy with someone and not alone.

Unlike himself.

Loneliness had always followed him, but now he had a chance to change that.

Banishing any lingering doubts for the moment, he stood up, smiling with a renewed sense of purpose.

As soon the younger man woke up and they had eaten, they would talk, and after that only the fates knew what would happen.

It was enough, for now.