Disclaimer - I own no-one, Steve Sommers does
Genre: Romance
Rating: NC 15
Pairing - Evy/Imhotep
Summery - Sequel to Brief Encounter with alternate ending to TMR
Chapter 2 : Secret Revealed
Rick and the others were not winning with the two men because horrible little pigmies had joined in. Jonathan had been stunned by one the things and Ardeth had been knocked out which left Rick to fight them himself. Soon both men were dead and he left them to the pygmies, he task now was to bring the other two round and get back to Evy.
"Take it easy pal" he said to Ardeth as he came round.
"What hit me?" he asked holding his head.
"A log, look if you can stand we have to get back to Evy, she is on her own. Jonathan get up out of that hole" he shouted.
Jonathan was already trying to get out of the hole where he had jumped, he hadn't been hurt and the three men walked the half mile back to where they had left Evy, only to find her gone. Ardeth sat down on a log, his head throbbed and he felt dizzy.
"Oh God where is she, they must have taken her. Come on we have to find her"
Evy still laid in Imhoteps arms, sated and content, he certainly knew how to pleasure a woman. She could hear the others shouting her name but she didn't want to move, they would never find them in this thick fern and undergrowth.
"Imhotep, I really have to go, please"
"I am not stopping you Evy, I just wanted to be with you again"
"What about Alex, let him go, please, for me"
"He will be fine as long as you get him into the pyramid before the dawn on the seventh day or before Lock-nah kills him, I think he would given the chance. You understand why I am doing all this"
"No but you won't win, Rick will see to that" she said.
"Can I ask you a question before you go"
"Yes" she said standing up and straightening her clothes .
"Is Alex Rick's son?"
She turned and looked at him, somehow he knew and she couldn't lie to him.
"No, he is your, Imhotep, he is your son"
With that she walked away, leaving him standing there with tears in his eyes. The one thing he had always wanted and now he would never see him grow up. He made a decision there and then, Alex would not die, not at his hands and neither would Evy. Somehow he would get the Army of Anubis without harming either of them.
"Evy where were you, we were worried?" asked Rick as he saw her coming into the clearing.
"I hid when some of the men came through here, I waited till I was sure it was you coming back" she lied "Ardeth are you alright, here let me look at that"
She went over to Ardeth who was still holding his head and wiping the blood from his forehead where he had been hit.
"No leave it, I'm fine bit of a headache but I'll be alright" he replied looking at her.
Suddenly he saw something in her face, something had happened while they were away but he couldn't quite work out what.
"Come on let's get Alex before they kill him" shouted Rick loading his rifle.
"Imhotep won't hurt him, he promised" she said without thinking.
Rick didn't hear her but Ardeth did and would have to speak to her.
"Rick, you and Jonathan go on, I'll bring Evy, I think I do need something done with this, it's bleeding again"
"Okay if you are sure but don't be long, it's not safe here"
Evy went to look at the cut but Ardeth stopped her.
"What did you mean Imhotep promised" he asked.
"Nothing…I…nothing" she stammered.
"You've seen him haven't you, spoken to him, where and why?"
She went to walk away but she owed Ardeth so much and decided he could be trusted with her secret.
"You're a wise man Ardeth, if I tell you something please, promise never to tell Rick"
"It depends Evy on whether it puts our lives at risk but I will try not to"
She told him everything, well almost and he was shocked that she could have done that.
"How could you do this, you could have got us all killed. Imhotep is ruthless, he cares about no-one. What makes you so sure he will not kill you or Alex, he is using him to get to the Scorpion King, when he has finished with him, he will kill him"
"No Ardeth he won't, he promised me"
"You are so naïve Evy, I am sorry but I have to tell Rick, at least part of this. Our lives are at stake. I do not want to be killed because you went with this 'man'"
He went to find Rick but Evy grabbed him to stop him.
"No Ardeth…please…Imhotep won't kill us…I swear"
"For Gods sake Evy, he will, nothing will stop him getting his way. You have to believe me" said Ardeth almost shaking her.
"Ardeth…Imhotep will never kill his own son" she blurted out.
This comment stopped the Med-jai in his tracks, he let go of her and looked at her.
"His son…who…oh my God…Alex…he is Imhoteps son"
The last comment was a question and a statement. Evy sat down on the log and tears ran down her face. Ardeth walked over to her and crouched down in front of her and took her hands.
"How Evy…when?"
"At the market place…he took me to this room, I couldn't say no…he never forced me…I wanted him Ardeth…oh how I wanted him. Then after I found out that I was pregnant, I knew it wasn't Ricks but I made out that it was. But I knew. Then tonight, he conned you into going after those men…I was with him when you came back. Oh Ardeth what a mess I have made, I am so sorry…what do we do…I want Alex back"
Ardeth put his arm round her, he knew this was painful for her even if she had brought it on herself. After a few moments they got up, Rick would wonder where they were.
"Are you going to tell Rick?" she asked wiping her face.
"No…not now…this is between you two, however if anything goes wrong and our lives become any more at risk, then I will have to reconsider"
They went off in search of Rick and Jonathan and found them about a mile away. After that things happened quite quickly, Alex was rescued by Rick and they ran into the pyramid just in time where the bracelet unlocked itself and Alex threw it away. Ardeth had gone back to his tribes to get ready for the battle that would surely happen.
As Rick and Alex lay getting their breath back, he saw Imhotep and Ancksunamun walk past, Jonathan was thrown out of the way but Evy wasn't touched. He wondered why but was thankful.
Ancksunmun saw this and was furious, why didn't he kill her, he had the chance. Taking out a dagger, she plunged it into Evy's stomach. Rick screamed her name and started to run towards her, Imhotep turned at the sound and saw Evy fall.
He couldn't help her without giving away their secret but he had tears in his eyes as he dragged Ancksunamun away. Suddenly he turned and shouted to Alex.
"ALEX USE THE BLACK BOOK"
Then he turned on Ancksunamun.
"What did you do that for, I told you never to touch her" he yelled.
She had never seen him so angry and she tried to calm the situation.
"My Lord, I thought…she was a threat, she had to die"
"No…I promised her she would live"
"When, when did you promise this, I am your woman not her" she retorted.
Imhotep backhanded her across the face and walked off. She decided that she didn't like this side of him. Making a decision there and then, if there was anyway she could get the Army of Anubis, he wouldn't stand a chance. She had only been with him for the power after all.