****

I walked green miles of jungle
I walked through yellow miles of pain
I crossed starvation's desert
Watched dead rivers swell with rain.
The song of insects fill the air
Nights in cities of despair.
Where killer's sons said, 'son beware.'
And all the roads from here to there
I sailed the sea of desolation
Dropped my anchor there
Plumbed the depths of isolation
Walked its length and was not scared.
Went from end to end to end
And then from there I went again.
The road that only this one knows
Off to nowhere here I go.
Illumination comes so hard
Makes me see but leaves its scars
At times I wish that I didn't know what I know now
Thought and thought until I lost my mind
Looked and looked until I went near blind
The path is fair but so unkind
-Henry Rollins, "Illumination."

*****

The desert stretched before him like a wave of blood.

The comparison did not make Rick O'Connell feel any better about his situation. The Scorpion King was dead...as was Imhotep and Anch-Su-Namun. A lot of blood had been shed. He remembered with renewed horror how he had felt when he had seen Evie, dead in the sand before the pyramid in the Oasis of Ahm-Sher.

Something had changed in Evie after her resurrection. She had saved him from death in the temple and they had survived another cataclysmic event. From that day onward, she was no longer the same woman he had fallen in love with. One didn't just die and come back to life without some sort of residual effects.

She had been cagey at first, despite her lightly flippant question asking if he wanted to know what heaven was like. At first, he had thought it was stress, the aftermath of the whole Scorpion King fiasco. She had slept a great deal at first. They had returned to England and she had sent their son Alex, to boarding school. As the wife drew away from the husband and son, so the son drew away from the parents. O'Connell could not remember the last time he had spent a day in the company of his own child.

It had been three years since Ahm-Shere. Three years in which his wife, his reason for living, had become a stranger to him. Three years since his son, the ultimate product of his love for Evie, had become a stranger with his mother's eyes and a glaring contempt for his own family. As the son lost a passion for Egypt, myths, legends and the extraorindary, the mother had lost...passion.

She worked, slept, ate. She was an automaton. Jonathon had remarked upon the change of personality to Rick one night after dinner. The next day she had turned to O'Connell and asked him quietly to leave, to leave her, their son and the tatters of their life. Tears streaming down his face, he had done as she asked. He had packed a bag, and walked out of their home. She had not bothered to watch him go.

Now he was back in the land where it had all begun, Egypt.

"I hate this place."

Egypt.

He blamed the entire country for the ruins it had made of his life, just as it had its own history. He understood now, intimately, the pain and anguish that must have over taken Imhotep as he watched his eternal love flee from him, leaving him to die in Ahm-Shere.

O'Connell knew why he was back in Egypt. He hated the place, but he knew here was the only person to whom he could truly confide, who would never judge him, who would listen to him and help him, if it was in his power. At least he hoped that that was the case. It was the only hope he had left. He moved through the desert on his camel looking for that person. The person who's name was Ardeth Bey.

****

He sighed, mentally running over the instructions he'd been given back in Cairo. It had been difficult to find someone willing to talk to him about the Med-jai, let alone someone willing to give him directions on how to find to find them.

Ride three days due north from Cairo.

Check.

When reaching the Obelisk of Set, turn east.

Check.

Ride east for two days.

Check.

Upon reaching the tomb of She Who Cannot be Named, wait for sunset.

Check.

The moon lights the way, along the path of silver.

The path of silver had been a snaking tongue of a tiny fork of the Nile. He had followed that for as long as he could, until the fork had disappeared into rock. He was now on a rocky part of flat, desert ground, and with no further instructions. Five days out of Cairo, with a dwindling supply of water, no whiskey, and only a grumpy camel for company.

He sighed, squinting up at the sun. He would never find Ardeth, and he would die out here in the desert. A part of him didn't seem to care. He urged his camel onwards, in a northwesterly direction. He had nowhere else to go. He should just keep on riding until his camel died beneath him, or he died from thirst. Whatever came first; he didn't care.

Evie didn't want him. His son didn't want him. The world didn't want him.

At the absolute lowest point in his entire life he found that he was content to die alone in the desert, unremarked and forgotten, unmourned.

The sun slowly set, leaving a blazing trail of gold, purple and red in the sky. He pulled his camel to a stop and got off, and taking his meagre provisions off the animal, he planted a wooden stake in the sand, and tethered the creature's reins to it. Sitting in the shadow of the large, bulky body, he pulled out a piece of salted, dried meat and began to chew, more from habit than from need or desire for food.

When darkness fell, it fell swiftly and completely, enveloping him and his silent beast. He laid out his bed and lay down, staring up at the stars.

*****

How long he'd been asleep he did not know, but he was awakened by a sound like thunder and the ground shaking beneath him. He sat up, dazed, and looked at the scene before him. His camel, disinterested as always, ignored him and what was going on before their eyes.

Horsemen. Hundreds of them.

Shadowy, black clad horsemen, astride the strong and elegant desert horses, bred for their power, their strength and their loyalty and intelligence. They were the equine equivalent of the men who rode them. The scene took on an ethereal quality under the light of the moon. Colour was leached from everything, leaving shadows of black and silver. He stared amazed at the flow of horses and men as they ran like a midnight river, past him.

How long he watched he could not say, but he became aware that one of the horsemen had detached himself from the horde and was riding towards him. He stared in uncomprehending bewilderment as the horse came to an abrupt stop, almost skidding on its haunches. He looked up into the darkest eyes he had ever seen. Egyptian eyes. The eyes of Imhotep and Anch-Su-Namun. The eyes were owned by Ardeth Bey.

Ardeth Bey. At last.

"Thank fuck its you!"

And then, relief washing over him like a blanket, he felt himself pass out.

*****

When he awoke, it was light. He could tell from the brightness coming from the direction of the tent flap....wait a minute. How had he come to be in a tent? He remembered the horsemen, he remembered Ardeth. He remembered passing out. He didn't remember how he came to be here, in a goatskin tent, god only knew where, in the bright light of day, lying on a pallet of blankets and pillows, completely naked, as the day he was born.

/Fabulous. Brilliant. Perfect./

Humiliation washed over him. He'd come so far and had fainted when he'd found the person he had sought. He had so many things he wanted to say, and instead he had obviously been brought to this place, wherever it was, and left alone. Misery filled his gut.

/I'm so tired of feeling like this./

There was a sudden flash of bright light and he averted his eyes, swearing sulfurously in three different languages. The light dimmed to the pale brightness his eyes were now accustomed to, and he looked up, to see the face of Ardeth regarding him with a quizzical expression.

"O'Connell. I did not think to see you again."

"I didn't think to see you again either. Fate hates me."

The handsome man standing before him frowned.

/I forgot how literal he is. Dammit!/

"Fate hates you? Why do you say this?"

"I was speaking figuratively, Ardeth."

The expression on Ardeth's face was still one of perplexity, but he did not pursue the matter. Instead, he stepped closer and sat upon the floor of the tent in an action of elegance that made his heart lurch.

/Steady. You're rebound guy remember? Lets not go down that road./

"Why are you here, O'Connell?"

He ran a hand through his hair, and sat up, pulling the light blanket nearest him around him, for comfort. It was an unconscious gesture, but one that the Arab noticed nonetheless. His expression became concerned. When their eyes met, Ardeth allowed his concern and his admiration and liking for O'Connell fill his eyes, trying to communicate this silently to the man before him.

For what he saw disturbed him greatly. He remembered Rick O'Connell as a strong, vibrant man, an adventurer, a treasure hunter, a warrior. Muscular, tall, broad shouldered, someone who walked with his head high, facing what came with a clear and open gaze, taking nothing for granted. Sarcastic, full of peculiar western idiom, and somewhat strange, yet Ardeth had liked him. The person who sat before him now was hunched into himself, pale faced, despite having been in the desert, with such an air of hurt and pain and loss that it was shocking to behold.

O'Connell met the full and honest gaze of Ardeth and sighed. He needed to tell him what had happened. It was like a dam within him and he couldn't break down the gate to let the flood flow. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Ardeth waited patiently. O'Connell opened and closed his mouth several times.

"Whatever it is, my friend, you can speak of it when you are ready."

With that one sentence in his ears, the dam burst. O'Connell let out a howl of pain and loss. Loneliness the like of which Ardeth had never heard before, not even in the howl of Imhotep as Anch-Su-Namun had betrayed him, a sound that had crossed the desert to resonate throughout the land, had been as wholly heartsick as this was. Tears streamed down the face of O'Connell as he wailed and shook.

Alarm rose in Ardeth's belly and he moved to the pallet, taking the shaking, sobbing form of his companion into his arms. O'Connell howled and sobbed into that beautiful muscled chest as Ardeth held him close, not speaking, merely holding him and letting him get it out.

*****

They remained so, for what seemed like forever. O'Connell gruffly pulled himself away from the warmth of Ardeth's body. Never mind that his mind and body seemed to be having a blazing argument about that action. Never mind that he had forgotten his reason for being here, for bawling like a baby on the shoulder of a man he had thought he would never see again. Never mind.... Oh, to hell with 'never mind's'.

He leaned forward and kissed Ardeth lightly on the mouth.

Ardeth stared in astonishment at O'Connell. He had been expecting some lengthy justification from the American and instead...a kiss. Speechless, he simply sat, staring at the now slowly blushing face of his friend.

"Can you please stop staring at me like that?"

Ardeth shook himself mentally.

"I am sorry. It is just...that I was not expecting....a kiss. From you."

O'Connell looked down at his hands, twisted in his lap.

"No, I s'pose you weren't."

His voice sounded soft, humbled, slightly lost, even to his own ears.

/I should leave. I really should leave./

Almost as if Ardeth had read his mind, he felt strong yet gentle fingers under his chin, as his head was brought up so that he could look into the eyes of the sexiest man he had ever seen.

/Does he know what sort of effect he has on me?/

"O'Connell, what is wrong?"

Blue eyes wide and glazed from a storm of crying and sobbing, O'Connell gazed into the dark gaze of the man in front of him. It was like looking into pools of melted chocolate. He sighed heavily.

"Evie threw me out. After she was brought back from the dead, she was never really the same. She seems to have left something of herself behind. Our son doesn't want anything to do with either of us. Both of them stopped loving me, stopped loving each other, years ago. I seem to be the only who didn't stop loving or caring.

"She was the center of my world, Ardeth, and our son was the perfect product of our love. He's growing up; he doesn't want an adventurer for a dad. She doesn't want me for a husband. Not long after I arrived in Cairo, the divorce papers caught up with me. That was when I made serious plans to find you.

"I've got nowhere else to go, no-one else to turn to, so I came looking for you. God knows why. I should probably leave, get out of your way. You've got more important things to worry about than my pathetic excuse for a life."

Ardeth exhaled slowly. He had wondered what being brought back from the dead would do to Evie. He had not expected this. He did not know what to say, what words of comfort to offer. He could see that O'Connell had reached the very bottom of himself and that he felt that he could fall no lower. He laid a hand on the man's shoulder.

"You are right; I do have important things to worry about. One of the most important is how my friend is. Stay. Please. You have searched long I am sure. I would welcome you as a guest in my home."

"You're just saying that."

Americans! Always wallowing in themselves. Ardeth suppressed a sigh and bit back the retort that sprang to his lips.

"I am not. It would be a pleasure for me to show you the place of my people, to enjoy your company and conversation."

Large, tear filled blue eyes met his, blinked once, slowly. The expression reminded Ardeth of his young nephew when he had been offered a treat. Incredulity, gratitude, worry swept over the face of the man before him.

"Rest now, yes? I will return in a little while, with some supper."

As if the words had triggered something in his brain, O'Connell lay back down on the pallet, closing his eyes. Almost instantly he was asleep, and Ardeth quietly left him alone to be with his own turbulent thoughts. Why had O'Connell kissed him? There was more going on with this man than he was telling. Ardeth was determined to get to the bottom of it all and solve the puzzle that the desert had dumped into his lap.

*****

The women of his people were sent to take food to O'Connell, while Ardeth himself sat before the fire with his brethren and thought. They were accustomed to his long silences and so did not question him. When the women returned from the tent, Ardeth got up abruptly and strode from the fire, leaving everyone wondering what was going on, in his wake. He didn't care. He wanted to ask O'Connell a question.

He entered without announcing himself and stood just inside the tent, now lit with candles, looking at the body on the pallet, eating the food that had been prepared.

"O'Connell."

"Ardeth."

The Arab ground his teeth together in silent frustration. The man was so irritating. He could be verbose, and prattle away for hours on end about nothing, or he could be extremely uncommunicative and getting information out of him was like prising apart the jaws of the dead with one finger.

"Why are you here?"

"Didn't I answer this already?"

"You said Evelyn threw you out and that you were looking for me. There is something else going on here, my friend. I would like you to tell me what it is."

O'Connell stared at him as he slowly chewed and swallowed. He sighed. Gesturing with his dagger, towards the pallet, he spooned another mouthful of food into his mouth.

"I'm not going to talk while you're standing glaring at me, Ardeth. Sit down, and I'll talk."

Ardeth silently sat in one fluid motion. O'Connell became intent upon his plate.

/Body, behave for me!/

Silence stretched out before them. Ardeth sighed. There would be no answer. Truth be told, the American himself probably didn't know why he was here.

"I came because I trust you, because even though we barely know each other, you're an honourable man and you would never judge me, but you would always tell me the truth. I need the friendship of a strong and honourable man, Ardeth, and you are both. If it truly is such an imposition or a problem for you having me here, I'll leave in the morning. But the truth of it is that I had no-one else to turn to. You were the only person that sprang to mind. Satisfied?"

"There is something else, O'Connell, something else you are not telling me. I can sense it."

"Look, I said all I'm going to, okay? Either kick me out, or stay or whatever. Just don't pressure me about something else, because there is nothing else."

"Why did you kiss me?"

He had nearly forgotten that.

/Shit./

"Oh. That."

"Yes. That."

"Um....because I find you an extremely attractive man?"

O'Connell looked up with eyes both hopeful and expectant of rejection. Ardeth merely let out a soft sigh.

"And was this so hard to admit, my friend?"

His eyes widened as he realised what he had just said and to whom he had said it.

"Oh fuck. I didn't mean to say that...."

"What did you mean then?"

"I...I...shit!"

Ardeth scowled in annoyance. Americans! Not for the first time he rolled his eyes heaven wards. Saying one thing, meaning another, full of inconsistencies and confusion.

"What do you want from me O'Connell?"

"A friend, Ardeth."

"That is all?"

"Y-Yes. I think so."

"Are you sure?"

O'Connell set down his plate and ran his hands through his hair. He was confused. His body was screaming loudly at him, demanding that the signals it was sending him be recognised and satisfied, while his mind shouted something about being on the rebound and this not being fair to Ardeth.

"I don't want to hurt you Ardeth. I've just lost my wife. I don't want to do something thinking its one thing and then later discovering its something else."

"You are of course, assuming, that I would be interested in the something of which you speak."

"Well....yeah."

"Do you really think I am attractive?"

O'Connell looked up then, into merry brown eyes, a face full of humor and wisdom, a small smile tweaking the corners of that lush mouth. He almost came in the blanket there and then.

/Gods above and below, what are you doing to my libido, man? I feel like I'm 14 again!/

"I think it, I say it. Its my way."

"Obviously. May I ask you a personal question?"

"Shoot."

"Shoot? What do you mean, 'shoot'?"

"I mean, sure, go ahead."

Ardeth shook his head slightly at the peculiarities of American colloquialism, but did not pursue it.

"Evelyn. Do you think you only *just* lost her?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think you lost her a long time ago, O'Connell. I think you know that too. I think when she died and came back, she was not the Evelyn you knew. The Evelyn you knew and married is dead and has been dead since Anch-Su-Namun killed her at Ahm-Shere."

The words sunk in like blows. O'Connell drew in one shaking breath, then another. He was suddenly very angry. Angry because he knew it to be true, but angrier still because he was not prepared to face this yet.

"Get out."

Ardeth regarded him silently and then rose. He left the tent as quietly as he had come, without a backward glance. Shaking in rage and sorrow, O'Connell buried his head in his hands and sobbed out his pain.

****

Night stretched into day, and O'Connell spent his time on the pallet, asleep or staring at the roof of the tent. He had tried to stand but his body, weak from tension and lack of decent food and sleep refused to co-operate. The world had become a dizzying place whenever he attempted to use his body, so he had finally given in and stayed in bed. The women came and brought him food, breakfast, lunch and dinner, all silent and uncommunicative.

Night came around again, and O'Connell began to regret having thrown Ardeth out of the tent. He was here as a guest of the man, and he had been rude, not to mention presumptuous. He had kissed the man, yelled at the man, bawled like a baby in his arms. Not good at all. His anger at Ardeth's words dissipated as he realised that he had been right. Evie had died at Ahm-Shere. She was a stranger in the body of his beloved. He had lost her then, and he had known it. It had taken a long while for him to truly know it, and now, here in the desert in a goatskin tent, he faced it openly.

It was unpleasant, but it didn't kill him. Carefully he ran his memory back over his time with her after Ahm-Shere. They should have gone their separate ways then, but he had blinded himself to the truth. The truth that Evie as she was now did not want him, did not love him, and did not want to be around anyone except herself. He examined his own feelings and found to his slight surprise, that he was no longer so deeply in love with her. It hurt, it always would. He knew that. But he could also face this knowledge and his memories with honesty, even though it was painful.

He had come to his realisations and conclusions about Evie and his relationship, which led him to another realisation. He wanted Ardeth. He had been thinking about the man for months, possibly even years. He had buried the thoughts and dismissed them as residual memories of exciting, perilous times. His body knew more than his mind did. He sighed.

He had been more than rude to Ardeth. It was imperative now that he apologise to him, to save the tatters of their fragile friendship, if nothing else.

One of the women came in to remove his plates and bring a pitcher of water. He touched her shoulder lightly, and she looked at him enquiringly.

"Could you ask Ardeth if he would speak to me, please?"

She nodded once and left. He sat up and wrapped his arms around his knees, waiting. It was a little while before Ardeth entered the tent. His face was impassive, calm, detached.

/He hates me./

"You wanted to see me, O'Connell?"

"Yes. Would you please sit?"

Ardeth hesitated a moment, then sat, not on the pallet, but on a chair on the other side of the tent. O'Connell sighed.

"I'm sorry for what I did and said earlier. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm a guest here, and I've been really, really rude. You were right. I did lose Evie a long time ago. I just wasn't ready to face up to that, I guess. But I meant everything I said about you---how much I like, respect and admire you. I just wanted to apologise for being rude in your home. As soon as I'm able, I'll leave and you won't have to see me again, that I promise."

Ardeth sighed and ran a hand through his black hair, a gesture so like his own that O'Connell blinked in surprise.

"O'Connell, you are the most frustrating person. But I accept your apology. You are still welcome to stay, if you desire it. It would give me pleasure to spend time with you."

/Desire it? Oh gods, I'm so hot for this man I'm going to explode!/

"Thank you, that's very kind of you, if you're sure I wouldn't be an imposition?"

"Not at all."

A voice from outside hailed Ardeth and he stood abruptly.

"Excuse me for a moment, O'Connell."

He sighed and looked at the walls of the tent. Things were still strained between them, that was obvious. It was going to take more than one apology to make it right. O'Connell wondered if Ardeth would give him time to show just how contrite he was. A twitch came from his groinal region. He sighed. He'd be spending tonight spanking the monkey, that was for damn sure.

/I haven't been so turned on since I first slept with Evie./

A noise beside him made him turn from his contemplation of the wall to find Ardeth kneeling on the pallet beside him. He jumped and swore.

"You scared me half to death! Warn a guy next time!"

Ardeth actually smiled, a full and amused smile. The sight of it warmed O'Connell's heart...not to mention adding more heat to his already well overheated body.

"Forgive me. I did not mean to startle you. You were saying?"

"Um...yeah. I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say really, but I'll try and prove to you that I mean it."

"I know that you mean it, O'Connell. Yet there is something else I believe we should discuss."

From outside the tent came the sounds of hoof beats and men calling to one another. O'Connell raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly towards the entrance to the tent.

"They are going on the hunt. Tonight it is you, me and the women and the guardsmen in the camp."

"Oh. What else do you think we should discuss Ardeth? I'm yours to command."

"Indeed? Well then, I do not believe we have anything to discuss....anymore."

"Wha....?"

Words thought, never got to be spoken as Ardeth's soft, full lips pressed against his own. Passion exploded throughout O'Connell's body and he wound his arms around the shoulders of the other man, twining his fingers in his hair.

The kiss deepened as their tongues tasted and explored each other's mouths. O'Connell became aware of soft hands upon his back, strong arms holding him tight. He gently nibbled Ardeth's lower lip, pulling it back slightly, eliciting a growl from the other man, even as he relinquished his prize and plunged his tongue back, deep into Ardeth's hot mouth. He tasted like cinnamon and fruit. He felt like a wild animal, powerful, confident, strong and passionate.

/I could get drunk on this man./

After what seemed a deliciously erotic eternity, they pulled apart. O'Connell panting slightly.

"Forgive me, you are not completely healed and I have tired you."

"Tired me? TIRED ME???? The hell!"

"You seem a little short of breath."

"YOU make me short of breath! You make my heart pound and my blood boil, and all I want to do is fuck you into the sand! Goddamnit! I'm not tired! Not by a long shot!"

Ardeth was grinning at him.

"So I should not leave you to get some rest?"

"If you do, I'll kill you."

"Ah. Then in the interests of my continued good health I shall stay."

"Damn right you will. If you go, I will never forgive you, Ardeth."

The Arab's dark eyes met his own blue ones.

"That would indeed be a terrible thing. I would mourn, should that be the case."

"Then don't go."

"I am not."

"Good."

Their lips met again, in a kiss of more passion and power and desire than the first one had been.

/They should write books about kisses like this./

****

Morning dawned, clear and sunny. O'Connell woke up feeling more refreshed and more relaxed than he had for some time. He smiled slightly, remembering the previous evening. Ardeth kisses. Oh yeah.

/Gotta have more of those./

There had been no sex, although O'Connell was plotting to change that as soon as possible. He respected Ardeth not to push things along, well, not TOO much anyway. He closed his eyes, smiling slightly as he remembered what it had felt like to hold him, to taste him, to feel him against his body.

Ardeth entered the tent with his usual silence and stopped. O'Connell lay on his back, eyes closed, one arm thrown back. The light blanket had slipped down, revealing the pale skinned chest. The smile on his face was gentle, and also slightly naughty. Ardeth suppressed a smile of his own. A slight movement beneath the blanket caught his eye, and he watched, fascinated at the way the blanket moved, in a rhythmic motion. His grin grew broader as he realised what O'Connell was doing.

Quietly drawing up a chair, he waited and watched as the man on the pallet slowly brought himself to orgasm, as the body shuddered slightly in release and the muscles spasmed with pleasure. The lazy smile on the face of O'Connell changed to a softer, gentler expression. Ardeth felt a pang in his chest. Evelyn had been a fool to drive this one away, but then her loss was his gain.

O'Connell opened his eyes and sighed. He stared at the ceiling for a few moments and thought.

/No substitute for the real thing, but it will do for now, I guess./

"Are you rested?"

With a slight yelp, O'Connell sat bolt upright in bed, looking around wildly. Ardeth's wickedly grinning face appeared in his line of sight and he gaped at him.

"How long have you been there? Didn't I say to warn me next time? FUCK!"

"I could not resist it. I am sorry; forgive me."

Trouble was, to O'Connell's ears, Ardeth sounded anything BUT apologetic. He seemed overcome with mirth.

/Dear god, he can't have....oh fuck me he did/

"You watched."

"I did, I confess."

"WHY???"

Ardeth spread his hands in a gesture of sweeping ignorance.

"You looked extremely peaceful. I did not wish to disturb that."

Spluttering, O'Connell waved his arms in the air.

"Okay. New rule. WARN me when you come in here, no matter what, please?"

"Very well. Would you like for me to leave and come in again, announcing my presence?"

"No, no, that's all right, seeing as you're here anyway...."

Ardeth laughed out loud. It was a rare thing to see O'Connell flustered. Like a new bride on the morning after her wedding night. The comparison amused him even more, and he laughed harder, until tears rolled down his cheeks.

"I'm glad you think this is so damn funny."

"It is not you that I find amusing O'Connell, but your reactions."

"Yeah, well, try swapping places and see how YOU like it."

Ardeth continued to laugh merrily at him. O'Connell sighed. He could not stay angry at this man, especially when this was the first and only time he had ever heard him laugh. Nice to hear. It was a happy, joyous, carefree sound. He sighed.

"So what can I do for you today?"

Ardeth's laughter subsided slightly and he looked in amusement at his companion.

"I stopped by to see if you would care to join me on a short ride today, that is, of course, if you are feeling well enough?"

"I'm well enough."

The eagerness in his voice set Ardeth's laughter off again. O'Connell threw back the blanket and hauled himself to his feet, aware that he was still naked, but curious to see how Ardeth would react to that.

Ardeth grinned at him.

"I suggest you wear more than you are currently, O'Connell. While it does not offend me, it might offend some of the younger members of my people."

"Fine, fine. I'm getting dressed."

/Damn. Didn't jump my bones./

O'Connell stomped to the corner of the tent where his clothes were and began to rummage through the pile, discarding one item and pulling on another. Turning, he found himself eye to eye with Ardeth, who was no longer laughing, but who's eyes held merriment and mirth. Ardeth raised a hand to O'Connell's cheek, gently tracing down the line of the jaw. He leaned in slowly, and lightly kissed him.

"Come."

"I just got dressed."

Ardeth frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"If you want me to come, you should have done something about it while I was naked. Now I'm dressed and I don't want to come in my pants."

Ardeth threw his hands up in the air.

"You are a strange, strange man, O'Connell, but I find you most entertaining. I meant, let us go off on our ride."

"Oh. Why didn't you say that then."

Ardeth swore at him in Arabic. O'Connell smiled sunnily at him and crossed his eyes in response. Waving his hands in the air, Ardeth moved out of the tent, a grinning O'Connell in his wake.

They rode out of the Med-jai camp at a canter, heading towards some low hills in the distance. O'Connell felt incredibly refreshed. His body still felt slightly fragile, but he figured that that would pass eventually. His libido was complaining loudly at not having had any real satisfaction from Ardeth. He was trying extremely hard to control himself.

They reached a small oasis, hidden in the hilly terrain and Ardeth flowed off of his horse, leading it to the small pool of water to drink. O'Connell followed suit, although his dismount was less grateful than Ardeth's. He watched as the Arab prepared a spot under the trees and sat down, gesturing for O'Connell to join him. O'Connell was happy to comply. He suddenly felt terribly tired and slightly weak.

"O'Connell. Are you unwell?"

There was real concern in Ardeth's voice, and O'Connell gazed at him, allowing himself to fall into those deep brown eyes and stay there.

"Just a little tired. I must be weaker than I thought."

Ardeth said nothing, merely nodded in understanding. They sat beneath the tree while their horses drank deeply from the pool and cropped at the pale green grass around it.

"Ardeth, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course O'Connell."

"Do you like me?"

"Of course I like you."

"That's not what I meant. I mean, do you like me as someone you'd want to have sex with?"

/Oh yeah, that was smooth./

Ardeth chuckled.

"Always right to the point, are you not."

"Like I said, I think it, I say it. Did I offend you?"

"No, no. You did not offend me. Before I answer your question, answer one of mine. Why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to have sex with you."

"Ah. Why do you want to have sex with me? Surely there are others you would prefer to have sex with?"

O'Connell thought about that.

"No. Not really, no. No other women, no other men, before you ask. Just you. No-one seems to do it for me like you do. Anyone else would be a pale comparison and I'd be forever fantasising it was you I was with. Not fair to them. That answer your question?"

"Yes."

"So answer mine."

"Yes O'Connell, I like you enough to have sex with you, but that is not the issue here. What do you want from me?"

"Why do you always push these psychological mind games on me?"

"I am not. I want to hear the truth from you."

O'Connell sighed. Truth. He hated that word. Truth got him kicked out of his home and traipsing through the desert after a dream that would probably never come true. Truth was meaning that there was nothing else to lose.

"I just want you."

"Why?"

"Because I trust you. I like you. I want to fuck your brains out, but that's not the question is it?"

"No it is not."

"I think you're the most attractive person I've ever met. I never figured why Evie didn't fall for you rather than me. You're a mystery to me, Ardeth Bey of the Med-jai. A gorgeous, sexy, charming, trustworthy, honest, honourable mystery. I like mysteries...especially when they come in such sexy packages as you. I want you because I know you won't hassle me, you won't lie to me, and you won't pretend to me. You'll be honest and if that kiss last night was anything to go by, you'll be passionate and one helluva lover."

Ardeth idly picked at strands of grass that poked through the mat he had laid out under the tree and upon which they rested.

"There could be....problems."

"How so? Oh hell, you're not married are you?"

Laughter.

"No, no. Not married."

"A virgin? I don't know which is worse!"

"Not that either."

"What then?"

"You are not Med-jai."

"Didn't you say my tattoo was a symbol of the Med-jai?"

"Yes. But you are not of our race."

"Yeah, and?"

"My people will never accept you, or this. They will not understand, because you are not one of us, you are not of this land. I am the current leader of the Med-jai. They look to me for guidance. If they see me wantonly pursuing a physical relationship with an outsider, there will be questions...problems...pain for you. This is not something I want to put you through."

"So you're saying we can't...."

"That is what I am saying, yes. Not as a man, not as a person, but as the leader of the Med-jai. I am sorry O'Connell. The most I can ever be to you is a friend. Please believe me, however, it hurts me as much as it hurts you. I too, would very much like to share the pleasures of the flesh with you."

O'Connell looked up into Ardeth's eyes, now full of sorrow. He swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat.

"I understand Ardeth. I don't like it, but I understand. Perhaps it would be better if I returned to Cairo tomorrow."

"Perhaps."

"That's it then?"

"O'Connell...."

"No, no. Its okay. We should head back. Wouldn't want your people to send out a search party for you."

Ardeth nodded silently, and they got up and returned to their horses.

The camp was silent when they returned. O'Connell made his way to the tent and began to pack his things. He would leave at first light.

****

He did not see Ardeth as he left the following morning. It would have been too painful. Ardeth, however, watched him from the shadows of the tents, as he rode away on his camel, into the desert, towards Cairo. He sighed heavily. Today was a day that he deeply resented being the leader of the Med-jai. His heart felt like lead in his breast, but he knew he could not satisfy his own desires. He had to follow his calling. As O'Connell's camel disappeared from sight, Ardeth turned back to his duties.

****

Cairo.

Three weeks of being drunk had begun to take its toll on O'Connell. He went to bed late, got up late, got drunk, went to the nearest brothel, got laid, threw up and went home again to sleep it off before starting all over again. He had been banned from several alehouses, brothel's and thrown out of one hotel already. Thankfully, Evie had continued to place money into his bank account to allow him to survive. He supposed that was simply so he would stay in Egypt and not go back to England. Not that he would; not now. There was nothing left for him there.

Truth be told, there wasn't much in Egypt for him either. He told himself he was sowing his wild oats, but in his heart of hearts, he knew that he stayed drunk so that he wouldn't think about Ardeth or remember what it felt like to be in his arms.

/The only time in my life I've felt special./

The days rolled into a blur of booze, sex, vomit. It was meaningless. He bedded them all, men, women. It didn't matter. He didn't care. He had just about run out of reasons to change his ways when the month of Ramadan arrived. With the religious observances of the largely Muslim population of Cairo also came the somewhat subdued working hours of his favourite shop owners. Brothels were closed, alehouses open only for a brief period in the evening.

Ramadan may be a holy time to everyone else in the city, but to O'Connell it signified a terrifying event.

Sobriety.

Three weeks of being drunk had done nothing for the person and personality of Rick O'Connell. After three weeks of being sober and spending night after night staring at the ceiling, feeling nothing but self loathing and utterly useless, he concluded that sobriety was doing him no good either.

When the night of Eid al-Fitr, the 'breaking of the fast' arrived, O'Connell concluded he'd been sober and celibate for 28 horrible days.

The streets of Cairo filled with people celebrating, and once again, the city came alive. Its Muslim population danced, eating and drinking, listening to music, exchanging greetings and hugs and kisses with everyone. O'Connell walked among them, head down. He was not feeling particularly joyful, but he wasn't sure which was worse. Being in the throng, or lying on his bed, listening to them.

It had been two months now since he'd seen Ardeth. He hadn't stopped thinking about him, however.

He pushed his way through the celebrants, with no other goal in mind than to get away from the happy, joyful sound. He did not want to infect their joyous celebrations with his own private misery.

He walked for what seemed like hours, out of the city and the suburbs, and into the desert. The Sphinx and the Pyramids reared in the distance, reminders of where exactly he was and what exactly it was that had brought him to this country the first time around, so many years ago.

Hamunaptra.

/I should have been killed there. Would have made things a helluva lot easier./

His feet protested, and he sat down on the sandy road along which he'd been walking. He sighed, looking out at the panorama before him. The timelessness of the ancient structures was not lost on him. They would be here long after any of this ceased to mean anything. He could hear the celebrants in the city, faintly, but still joyous. Enough to remind him that he was still alive.

"What are you doing?"

The voice sounded familiar, but O'Connell didn't bother to look towards it. He shrugged, surly and full of self loathing.

"Sitting on the ground staring into space. What do you care?"

There was a long silence and then the voice continued.

"How long do you intend to do this?"

It sounded genuinely curious. Frustrated, O'Connell turned his head sharply towards the voice. His eyes fell upon the solitary person of Ardeth Bey.

/Oh hell./

Ardeth was suddenly sorry he'd left his people to talk to O'Connell. He had seen him walking and had detached himself from his people to speak to him. Changes had occurred in the time since O'Connell left. It had been foremost in his mind to find him while he was in Cairo, and here, seemingly by design, he was, sitting by himself in the middle of the road. He had not expected a warm reunion, but he had not expected to see such bitterness and anger and hate in the eyes of the man he cared for.

"Ardeth Bey. Well fuck me. No wait...you can't. I forgot. Stupid of me."

"O'Connell...."

"Got more moralising to do? More suggestions for me to follow? Gonna tell me - again - not to come back? That would make it what, four times now? Keep this up and you'll have one for every fucking day of the week."

"O'Connell."

"Go to Cairo, Ardeth. Be with your people. Celebrate Ramadan. Leave me the fuck alone."

"O'Connell..."

"Why are you still here? Haven't you done enough? Get the fuck away from me, goddamn you! GO AWAY!"

Ardeth stared at him and slowly nodded. He could not believe how far the man had fallen. Had he truly done this to this once proud fighter? With a lump in his throat, he realised that he had.

"I am sorry. I do not wish to cause you more pain. I will leave you alone, as you wish."

Softly, almost so his sharp ears didn't catch it, Ardeth heard O'Connell mumble

"I don't wish it, but your fucking people do. More pain? There ain't more pain than this, friend. I'm all pained out, with change to spare."

A tear slid down Ardeth's cheek. He had done this.

"I am sorry O'Connell. I do not wish to be the cause of any more pain. May Allah bless you...and may He forgive me for what I have done to you."

He turned his horse, preparing to leave, as O'Connell looked up.

"Ardeth, why, for fuck's sake?"

Ardeth paused.

"Why what?"

"Why are you here? Why open old wounds? You must have known how much what you said those months ago would have hurt. So why make a point of talking to me now?"

The pain in the blue eyes were like a bullet through Ardeth's head. He slid off his horse and moved to sit beside O'Connell on the road.

"Because I care, O'Connell."

"Great So what else is new?"

"Many things. A great many things. One of my people was engaged to marry another of our clan. He left in the middle of the night, returning two days later, married to a woman from England. He defied the clan. However, he is the senior member of our clan, so we had to call a meeting to decide what must be done. He pled his case. He said "I love her. Love is the will of Allah. Allah knows what He is doing is for the right reasons." He was right.

"We agreed that he had indeed justified himself. It was so reported to the girl who had been intended for him and her family. Her family were outraged, but the girl was not. She had fallen in love herself, and it was not with the man who had been intended for her. The elders met and considered the situation. It seemed it was now the will of Allah that we should look around us, embrace the world as a whole and seek joy where it was offered, not throw it away in the pursuit of duty. Joy goes hand in hand with duty; without one, the other withers.

"So it was decided. Then there was the month of Ramadan and we journeyed to Cairo to celebrate the night of Eid al-Fitr. And thus I am here. Things have changed among my people O'Connell. I wanted to find you here, to tell you this, to ask for your forgiveness. I see now that I have hurt you too much to even begin to ask for your forgiveness, and so I shall do as you ask, and leave. I will not trouble you again."

Before he could move, however, O'Connell reached out his hand, gripping the Arab's arm.

"Stay a moment."

Ardeth inclined his head slightly and remained where he was.

"You say that things have changed."

"Yes."

"So....if I propositioned you right now, you wouldn't refuse me?"

"I would not refuse you."

"Interesting. I think you've got a lot to make up for though, Ardeth. I'm not the forgiving type."

"I do not understand."

"See, way I figure it is, you've gotta earn forgiveness from me, right? And hell, I still want you, more if the truth be told, because I've been....sampling what Cairo has to offer."

One of Ardeth's eyebrows shot up.

"No, I'm not going to explain that remark. I did it to forget you. Not to forget Evie, but to forget YOU. You had that much effect on me, you bastard! Now you're sitting here with your pretty speeches....FUCKING HELL!"

O'Connell began to pound his fists against Ardeth, who merely accepted the blows as they fell, doing nothing to stop the pain induced outrage. Tears mingling with anger, betrayal, desire and passion, the initial outburst faltered and stopped. Hair fell over his face like a curtain, obscuring his face from Ardeth's view. O'Connell was confused. Was he willing to try this again? What if he was rejected again?

Soft fingers gently tilted his chin up, and dark brown eyes locked with his. Eyes filled with passion and concern.

"Come."

Was all that Ardeth said, and he rose to his feet, gently leading O'Connell with him. Moving to his horse, he whispered a few phrases in Arabic. The animal nickered softly, nudging at him with her nose.

"This is Bastet, my wisest four legged friend, and the most loyal. She will carry us."

He flowed up onto the mare's back and reached down his arm. O'Connell took it, and pulled himself up behind Ardeth. With a clucking noise, the animal moved off, her smooth gait and good speed taking them away from Cairo and out into the night time desert.

****

They rode for several hours deep into the desert. The wind whipped Ardeth's hair back into O'Connell's face and he hung on to Ardeth's waist as they rode over rocky terrain and up into low, scrubby hills. The mare slowed at a command from Ardeth and finally stopped. O'Connell looked around him.

They were in a dell, a slight shallow in the hillside. The grass was thicker here, and there were a few scrawny trees. A small rock pool described a water hole and as Ardeth instructed him to dismount, he noticed the absolute absence of anyone else. No other living being for miles, just him, Ardeth and a tired and sweaty horse named Bastet.

Ardeth led his mount to the rock pool and loosened her saddle and bridle as she drank deeply. He pulled a cloth from his saddle bag and rubbed her down quickly and efficiently. She whickered through her nose in the water, causing droplets to splash around them. Ardeth's low chuckle reached O'Connell's ears.

/What in the name of all that's holy am I doing *here*? Wherever *here* is..../

The horse content and rubbed down, Ardeth gave her an affectionate slap on the shoulder and she began to nibble at the grass. Ardeth turned to O'Connell and stared at him, eyes hard and dark.

"Now, O'Connell, we must talk."

"Sure. Fine. Whatever."

"Why do you have to be so difficult?"

The question was soft voiced. O'Connell looked at Ardeth in surprise.

"Me? Difficult? Gee, well I dunno. Maybe something about being rejected when I was at my lowest point and sent packing without even a goodbye kiss? You never call, you never write...for fuck's sake, Ardeth---put yourself in my position. It's not pleasant. Would you be nice to you if you were me?"

Ardeth thought about that. Indeed, he had not considered things from this angle. He had only thought of himself and the reality that faced him was shocking. O'Connell was a westerner and an annoying one at that, but Ardeth realised that from his point of view, he, Ardeth, had caused unforgivable harm.

"I am truly sorry, Rick O'Connell."

O'Connell gaped at him.

"That's the first time you've used my first name."

"I know. I am sorry I did not do so before now."

/If he starts begging, I'm truly going to lose total control./

"So what do we do now, huh, Ardeth? Where do we stand with each other?"

Ardeth considered this for a moment. He looked into O'Connell's eyes, seeing a slight flash of hope therein. He shrugged his shoulders eloquently, and then with two large strides bridged the gap between them and took O'Connell's face in his hands and kissed him.

/Oh gods. Ohgodsohgodsohgods....!/

With no resistance, O'Connell allowed Ardeth to push him to the ground, allowed him to remove both of their clothes and trail his fingers down his body. He made no protest as Ardeth's hand found his rock hard cock and gently began to stroke. The only noise to come from O'Connell was a soft whimper.

Ardeth stopped. O'Connell wailed petulantly as he suddenly found that the hand was gone and the mouth removed from his. The wail turned into a strangled gasp as he felt a warm, wet mouth surround his cock and bring him to orgasm. All strength sapped from his muscles, O'Connell collapsed on his back, running his fingers through Ardeth's hair as those soft, passionate lips surrounded his cock, the tongue ran up and down the vein on the underside of the shaft, swirled around the tip and gently brought him to orgasm.

Ardeth looked up at the gasping, sweat covered face of O'Connell.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Y-Y--yeah. Oh yeah. Oh gods."

Ardeth frowned.

"What?"

"I thought you'd be good, but I didn't realise you'd be THAT good. Oh fuck me!"

Ardeth shrugged, a wicked glint appearing in his eyes.

"Since you ask so nicely, very well."

O'Connell felt one finger push inside him, even as he stared into those deep brown eyes, biting down hard on his lower lip to control the yell of pleasure that was building deep in his throat. Another finger joined the first, then a third. Slowly moving in and out, rotating slightly until he hit O'Connell's prostate, Ardeth kept his eyes locked on O'Connell's.

O'Connell couldn't keep silent any longer. As the pleasure from the gentle teasing pressure against his prostate increased, he yelled. Loud. Long. The yell was incoherent, yet as it diminished to a lustful gasping moan, it ended with one word.

"Ardeth."

Ardeth removed his fingers, taking up a pile of clothing and pushing it under O'Connell's thighs. Gently, he slid his own cock inside the body of O'Connell, moving slowly and gently at first, and at each rise of O'Connell's hips to meet his thrusts, his motion became quicker, his thrusts deeper. O'Connell lay on the grass and sand, eye's half closed, lips curled in a feral smile of indescribable pleasure, as what he'd fantasised about for so long actually happened. He felt a warm hand take hold of his cock once again, as Ardeth stroked him in time to his thrusts. When they came, it was together, and their fluids mingling in the sand, they called out each other's name.

****

They lay on the sand, utterly exhausted. O'Connell thought about that. Earlier tonight, he'd been sitting on the side of the road, sober and feeling sorry for himself. Now he was lying on his back in the hills, having made love to Ardeth and had Ardeth make love to him at least four times. He felt pleasantly numb.

"Ardeth?"

"Yes?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you...did we...you know."

"Because you wanted it as did I."

"Isn't this going to cause problems?"

"I do not think so, O'Connell."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Unless you decide to go to Cairo and try every whore house and ale merchant in the city in the attempt to set some new record of debauchery. Then there will be problems. Then I will have to kill you and I would hate to have to do that, especially when I care about you so much."

"You care about me?"

"Yes."

"Wow. Wait a minute....how did you know about Cairo?"

"I have sources everywhere, O'Connell. Even though I was not with you, I knew who you were with and what you were doing."

"Oh boy. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy."

"Yes."

"Everything?"

"Yes."

"Shit."

"It is in the past. We will not speak of it again."

"Thank you Ardeth. For what its worth, I'm sorry."

Silence fell for a while. O'Connell interlocked his fingers with those of Ardeth Bey.

"Ardeth?"

"Yes?"

"I care about you too, you know."

"Thank you, Rick."

"You're welcome."

"So why did you choose me to...care about?"

"Because you're beautiful. Because I guessed you were as lonely as I was. Because you're honest, intelligent, and I like you. And because, there's no aphrodisiac like loneliness."

"The truth at last."

"From now on, Ardeth."

FIN.