______________

O'Connell had regretted many things in his life, but none more so than his decision to stay in Egypt for a while, as Evie and Alex and Jonathan returned to England. He could see their point, in a way - put some distance between them and the land that had been the cause of so much pain and terror - but to unanimously elect him for the job of selling Jonathan's large diamond, swiped from the top of the pyramid of the Scorpion King, seemed a bit unfair. He was not a gem dealer. He was a soldier...a treasure hunter and a lover of wine, women and song.

Of course, they had put their decision to him in such a way that it was ultimately *his* decision, and then all of them had been delighted that he'd come to such a happy conclusion himself. He had the feeling that he'd been manipulated. He had promised himself there and then never to play poker with any of his scheming family. So he had helped them pack and board their ship for the return to England, stood on the dock, waving like a good, well behaved husband and father, and had returned to his rooms in Cairo, swearing like a pirate.

Selling the diamond hadn't really been that big a job. Finding passage back to England, now that was the really huge job. There was nothing out of Cairo for six months. He had wired Evie and explained the situation to her. She had been supportive and loving, as always. Once again, he had the strong feeling he was being manipulated. So he had decided to go out and see the country, and with that thought in mind, he'd bought a camel, copious supplies, not the least important was the large quantity of wine and whiskey, and set off on his desert adventure.

*****

Ardeth Bey, leader of the Med-jai, warriors descended from the bodyguards of Pharaoh Seti I, named for the God of the Red Desert, Set, sat astride his black horse and stared into the featureless landscape. All was quiet. Hamunaptra was at peace. His people had rejoiced and celebrated with the destruction - he hoped - of Imhotep and the Scorpion King. Ahm-Shere was nothing but a sand basin. So why did he have a feeling in the pit of his stomach that something bad was coming towards him?

It was not often that a leader of the Med-jai got to spend time alone. The title came with various duties, rituals and other trappings that roles of power inevitably demanded. Ardeth had avoided them all by dismissing his retinue and taking supplies and riding into the desert. He needed space, time alone, to gather his thoughts, to meditate, and to pray - to Allah, to Set, to Osiris and Horus. He rode, confidant of his destination, the Farafra Oasis. (* This oasis does actually exist. Its location is north east of Abydos.) The oasis would provide comfort and peace to his weary body and soul.

*****

Several days out of Cairo, O'Connell was growing bored. Sand, sand, and oh wait...still more sand. He sighed. His provisions were still plentiful and he had ample time on his hands. He could do practically anything he chose out here in the red desert.

His beast topped a sandy hill and he blinked in surprise, reigning in the camel, who protested loudly, to a stop.

Below him lay a vista of absolute beauty.

A small pool of water, perfect for swimming in, trees, grass, a small rocky outcropping that would be perfect for shade and shelter. He could see game moving in the grass, and sighed in delight.

Perfect.

He rode his camel down the hill. The animal needed no urging. Dismounting, O'Connell pulled his supplies off his beast and went to set himself up under the rock. He drew to a sudden halt, blinking in surprise.

Someone had beaten him to it. A horse, black as midnight, supplies, bedding were under the outcropping.

"O'Connell. Why do I always run into you when I least expect to?"

He turned in astonishment.

"Ardeth!"

"The very same."

The two men shook hands warmly. Ardeth inclined his head in a gesture of respect. He was pleased to see O'Connell. Even though he had wanted peace and quiet and rest, he admitted to himself that time with O'Connell, without a crisis or the approaching end of the world, would be time well spent.

O'Connell was delighted. He clapped Ardeth on the shoulder, laughing with delight.

"I'll be! Its good to see you. This place...its magnificent!"

Ardeth smiled in return.

"I know, I know. It is a place of tranquility and beauty and peace."

O'Connell's eyes narrowed slightly, although the happy glint there betrayed his mood.

"No Kings from the past with delusions of grandeur gonna rise up and try to kill us, are they?"

Ardeth actually laughed. O'Connell joined in.

*****

They made camp together, sharing food and water. O'Connell limited himself to a small glass of wine, knowing that the Arab would not be impressed were he to get rolling drunk. They spread themselves out on their pallets, and fell asleep.

A shout of pain woke O'Connell from the soundest sleep he'd had in a very long time. The light of the moon and stars and the fire they had left burning throughout the night revealed a picture of horror. Ardeth, face pale and covered with a sheen of sweat, shaking like a leaf.

"Ardeth! What is it?"

"Asp. Poisonous...."

O'Connell reacted instantly. He knew how to deal with the venom of a poisonous snake. He just hoped he was in time. Grabbing his knife, he sliced open the robes of the other man, digging into the puffy marks left by the fangs of the snakes. Taking a deep breath, he sliced down and deep, eliciting a cry of pain from Ardeth. He ignored it. Time was of the essence now. He dropped the knife and began to suck out the poison from the wound, spitting it a fair distance away, being extremely careful not to swallow any of it. Tying a tourniquet around the arm, above and below the bite, he watched carefully as blood rose to the surface of the wound. He sucked, spat, waited. The cycle continued until the flow stopped. Carefully, he released the tourniquet and looked anxiously at Ardeth's face.

Ardeth had passed out. An asp bite was a serious thing. O'Connell swore colourfully and at length. He gritted his teeth, and pulled off Ardeth's robes, setting them aside. Carefully, he lay Ardeth's prone, sweat covered body back on the pallet. Standing, he moved to the fire, building it up again, so that there was now a respectable blaze. Grabbing a bucket from the supplies of his friend, he trotted down to the pool, filling the bucket with cold, clear water.

Returning, he rummaged about, finding a cloth. Carefully, he dipped it into the water and applied it to the wound, which was now angry and red looking. He watched and waited for the sun to come up.

O'Connell dozed, alert in his light stupor for any sound from Ardeth that would signify either a worsening or improvement of his situation. There was no change. He sighed. He kept changing the wet cloth, noting that the wound was still looking like an angry, red creature with a life of its own. An asp. No wonder Cleopatra had chosen that method of suicide. Only a cobra was more deadly.

It was about noon when Ardeth stirred. He opened glazed, pain filled eyes and looked up at O'Connell.

"O'Connell...."

"Shhh...rest. You were bit. I think I got all the poison out, but I won't know for sure for a little while. You have to stay still. I'll help you, okay?"

Ardeth nodded once, falling back into unconsciousness.

O'Connell ate a small meal, never taking his eyes off his friend. As the sun set in the sky above him, he once again built up the fire in preparation for the night ahead.

*****

/Soon now. Pretty Med-jai will be MINE./

*****

He was exhausted. A day and a night and a half of watching over Ardeth was taking its toll. Try as he might, even having eaten several spoonfuls of raw coffee, O'Connell found himself drifting off into sleep.

*****

Ardeth awoke to find lips pressing softly against his, a tongue demanding entrance to his mouth. Too weak to fight back, and not sure if he really wanted to, given the identity of the owner of the body half on top of his, Ardeth moaned softly, whether in pain or pleasure he could not tell.

The body of Rick O'Connell moved gently, passionately on top of his, removing clothing, and touching the places that had not been touched in far too long.

"O'Connell...."

"Shhh...pretty one. It is my time now."

He did not understand, and he pushed feebly at the strong shoulders above him. Eyes still slightly glazed, Ardeth looked into the passion filled gaze of the man above him.

"Am I dead?"

There was soft laughter.

"No, pretty one. Not dead."

"Dying, then?"

"No. You are....in need of rest and care. Relax now, pretty one, and let me care for your needs."

Any thought of further struggle went out of Ardeth's head as he felt O'Connell slide along his body, skin to skin, and slowly lower his mouth to his erect cock.

/Bliss. It has been too long./

"Med-jai tolerance is legendary, pretty one. Yet it has been too long for you, yes?"

"Y-yes....ohhhh....."

Ardeth felt as if his bones and body had turned to sand. He gave thanks to the gods in his mind, as the skilled hands, tongue, mouth and body of O'Connell sent him spiralling into orgasm again and again.

Come dawn, Ardeth was sound asleep, and peaceful.

O'Connell was fast asleep, the sleep of the truly exhausted.

Imhotep arose from the body of the sleeping American and chuckled to himself.

/I am not so easily banished or killed, little one. I have had my fun in taking the Med-jai. Your desires betray you. Now I will have my fun in watching you deal with the Med-jai./

The familiar roar that marked Imhotep's passing awoke O'Connell from a very strange and passionate dream.

"Only a dream."

Shaking his head in wonder, the American returned to his sleep.

*****

With the morning sun's rising, O'Connell woke. Ardeth was still asleep, and O'Connell took the opportunity of the quiet of the early day to have a long desired bath. He stripped off, leaving his clothes on his bedding. In the state Ardeth had been in, O'Connell didn't think he'd have to worry about being caught skinny dipping.

The water was cold, and O'Connell shivered at first, but as he grew accustomed to the temperature, he began to feel exhilarated. He lay, floating on his back in the cold water, reflecting on the dream of the night before. The most erotic dream he'd had that hadn't involved a woman and had in fact, involved Ardeth. He frowned slightly, lost in thought. Could he want his friend in *that* way? He'd heard it said that dreams were the gateway to the soul.

Not possible. He shook his head and dived deep into the water, dispelling any such thoughts and the memory of his dream.

Stepping from the pool, he stripped the water off his skin with his hands, and shook his hair slightly to rid himself of the excess water. He strode up to the shelter, looking at the ground, and intent on his own thoughts. So intent, that he didn't notice Ardeth sitting up, looking at him with a confused expression on his face.

Drying himself off with a rough towel, O'Connell slowly turned to look at his companion, only to find that he was being observed in turn. With a startled yelp, he jumped and immediately covered himself with the towel.

"ARDETH! You're...awake! And staring!"

Ardeth frowned and shook his head slightly, as if coming awake from a bad dream.

"O'Connell. You seem refreshed this morning."

"Well yeah. Cold water and being surprised tends to do that to a person, y'know."

"I thought....after last night you might be a little more...tired."

"Last night? What about last night?"

"You seduced me."

O'Connell stared at him. He opened his mouth and then closed it again.

"I did what?"

"Seduced me."

"No. Never happened. Ardeth, you're delirious, buddy. You need to rest, okay? I'll be here to make sure nothing happens. You'll be fine. No-one is going to seduce anyone. Not on my watch, got it?"

O'Connell reached down to lightly touch Ardeth's face. The skin was hot, clammy. Clearly still feverish. What fever dreams had the man had to confuse them with reality? O'Connell was concerned. The poison must have entered the bloodstream quicker than he had been able to suck it out. He gently pushed Ardeth back into the bedding and smiled warmly at him.

"You'll be fine, okay? Just rest now."

Troubled, Ardeth watched as O'Connell got dressed and disappeared from view. Could he have been dreaming? Was he truly that ill to have confused dreams with reality? Growing more concerned, he thought about the previous night. His mind, foggy with the need to sleep, and to heal, however, would not focus on one thing for longer than a minute. It flittered from impression to impression, and soon, Ardeth found himself drifting off to sleep again.

O'Connell returned to find Ardeth fast asleep. He carefully placed the cloth moistened with water on his friend's forehead. He would not stray too far from their camp today. Ardeth was worse than he had at first thought.

An unseen prescence in the oasis ground its teeth together in silent frustration.

/You will both bow to my demands, puny ones. You *will* submit to me. It is the way of things./

****

Night fell, and the sounds of small creatures coming out to eat, drink and be merry filled the air. O'Connell lay on his back, not tired, but reluctant to move. He was comfortable where he was, and he was within easy reach of Ardeth should he be needed. Ardeth had regained consciousness a few times during the day, but had been vague and quiet. O'Connell had fed him, given him water and a cup of the tea that Ardeth so liked.

O'Connell drifted off into a doze. As soon as he entered REM sleep, another came to take over his body.

Ardeth awoke with a start as once again he found O'Connell's lips pressed against his. This time, he did push the other man away, forcefully. He glared up into the deep blue eyes, determined not to succumb.

"What are you doing, O'Connell?"

"I thought it was obvious, little one. I am kissing you."

"No."

"No?"

"You are married and have a son. It is forbidden."

"No-one would ever know. It would be between you and I, little one."

Ardeth was adamant.

"No."

The face of O'Connell twisted into an ugly smile.

"You are not strong enough to stop me, little one."

****

O'Connell came awake to an excruciating pain in his groinal region and the sound of someone that wasn't him howling in his head.

/What the fuck?/

He felt himself being pushed aside as a voice from the past roared

"So be it, little one. Die."

He felt his hands surround the throat of Ardeth. He felt helpless to stop what was going on. What could he do? Desperation surged through him, and suddenly it dawned. As the oxygen was being deprived of Ardeth, so would he deprive himself of oxygen. He shut his eyes and held his breath.

The invader of his body, so intent on strangling the Med-jai that he did not realise what O'Connell was doing until it was too late. Beginning to feel faint and dizzy, he relinquished his hold on the other man.

Howling, he sped out of O'Connell and fled into the shadows.

"BREATHE, O'Connell!"

The voice overrode his intentions to suffocate himself, and he opened his mouth, sucking down a lungful of air. Gasping painfully, he rolled off of Ardeth, who was looking at him with concern. O'Connell reached out to his friend, horrified as Ardeth recoiled from his touch.

"What happened?"

"I might ask you the same thing."

"I was asleep, okay? I woke up to find that I wasn't in control of my body anymore."

Ardeth stared at him and then his eyes widened.

"By Allah! The Creature! He is awake!"

"Hey, hey, hey. Slow down, okay? We killed it. Twice. You telling me that we didn't quite finish killing it....again???"

Ardeth gasped. O'Connell was shocked to see that the strong muscled chest was covered with cuts and rivulets of blood.

/I couldn't have done that!/

"The Creature is able to posses the bodies of others while they sleep in order to continue his work. I believe that such is what he has done to you."

"Oh. Fuck."

"Must you always swear O'Connell?"

"You must be getting better. You're sounding like my old school teachers."

"We must kill the Creature."

"Of course. Because one guy who's injured and recovering and another guy who's nursing the first guy back to health can do A LOT. Be reasonable, Ardeth. We can't do anything. Not yet. We have to wait until you are healed before we do anything. We'll just have to be careful, all right?"

Ardeth glared at him, on the verge of protesting. His body protested louder. It needed rest and it needed to recuperate. Ardeth was honest enough to himself to know that if he tried to push the issue now, he would probably die before they had ridden a mile. He sighed.

"You speak the truth, O'Connell."

"Thank you. Now. What happened? You're bleeding!"

Ardeth looked down at his chest.

"While in your body, the Creature used you to....do things."

O'Connell's blood ran cold.

"Things like what?"

Ardeth would not look at him. He merely picked something up from beside the bedding and tossed it at O'Connell's feet. O'Connell stared at the needle thin implement in horror. It was red with blood.

"What is that?"

"An ancient weapon used in torture. It causes almost no pain going into human flesh, but causes a multitude of painful sensations coming out."

"He...I used this on you???"

"Yes."

"Oh. My. God."

O'Connell felt self loathing like he had never felt before. Whispers of memories of what he'd thought were dreams invaded his mind. He'd drawn the implement out of his robes and then he'd pushed the needle like implement into hot, squirming flesh, delighting in the feel of the flesh as it writhed in horror away from his touch. With almost gentle precision, he had pulled the implement out, slowly, carefully, delighting in the screams of pain coming from the man beneath him.

He remembered the feel of the blood on his hands, the taste of it on his tongue as he had licked at the wounds, using his tongue and hands to create bloody patterns on a canvas of Ardeth's skin. He remembered working his way down Ardeth's bleeding body towards his groin, and sucking, sucking....bringing Ardeth to climax, even as he lightly ran the implement over already injured skin, causing more injuries, as he brought the man to orgasm.

The memories were almost intoxicating.

"I am going to kill him. Again. This time, for good."

Ardeth still would not look at him.

"It was not you, O'Connell. It was him. I know that it was him."

"I don't care. He used me to hurt you...to do things to you that I don't ever want to think about!"

With some force, he threw away the needle implement. Getting up, he grabbed up the bucket and stormed down to the pool to fill it. Returning, he took up the cloth he had been using to keep Ardeth's temperature down and dipped it into the pail of water.

"I need to tend to the cuts, Ardeth, but if you would rather I didn't....I understand. I'll tell you where they are, and you can do it."

This time Ardeth did look at him. The pain in those dark eyes almost made O'Connell's heart burst with guilt.

"It is all right, O'Connell. I trust *you*."

/And never have I hated myself more in my entire life./

Swallowing, O'Connell gently covered the cuts with the cold cloth. The bleeding soon stopped on most of them, a few were too deep to be stopped so easily. He sighed, and continued to place the cold cloth on the wounds, hoping that Ardeth would be all right.

Ardeth watched warily as O'Connell administered to his injuries. Although he knew that it was not O'Connell who had done this, but Imhotep, he couldn't stop himself from feeling wary and cautious of the other's touch. The previous night it had been in passion, a passion that was a lie, for Ardeth now knew the truth of the first encounter to have been one between him and Imhotep. It may have been O'Connell's body, but it had been Imhotep's intent and desires. He felt sick.

"Are you okay?"

Ardeth looked up into the deep blue eyes full of worry and concern.

"I am....surviving."

"I'm so sorry, Ardeth. If there were anything I could do...."

"I do not think that there is, Rick."

O'Connell looked at the ground. Ardeth had called him by his first name but also told him there was nothing he could do to help him. O'Connell knew there weren't many things he was good at, but one of the things he was best at was talking. He would talk until Ardeth fell asleep or punched him; whatever came first.

He advised his patient of his intentions.

"You intend to talk to me all night?"

"That's the plan."

"Allah help me."

"Very funny."

O'Connell returned the cloth to the bucket and soaked it in more water, squeezing out the excess. As he returned the cloth to the chest of the other man, he talked. His topics of conversation were wide ranging. He talked about childhood memories of Egypt, of his time in the Legions. He talked about life in London compared to Cairo and how much he loved treasure. He soon had Ardeth chuckling at his more amusing tales. The tension between them relaxed as O'Connell talked and bathed wounds by turns.

"I had the weirdest dream last night, you know."

Ardeth raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed? My people believe there is wisdom to be gained from dreams."

"Yeah? Well, what's the wisdom to be gained from this one, Oh Mighty Med-jai?"

Ardeth chuckled softly.

"Tell me your dream, Rick."

"I dreamt that I was lying on a bed of silk and that I was being kissed all over from head to toe. I couldn't move, but that was okay, because the feelings of being kissed were making me lose total control of my motor functions. I didn't want to move, because I wanted to see what came next. The person kissing my body lingered on all the parts that really get me....horny. Apart from the obvious, places like my thighs, my hips, my chest, my neck, just under my ears. They kissed my mouth in ways I'd never thought possible and their hands were all over me, touching me and filling me with the feeling of being on fire.

"The only thing I could do, was kiss the person back, deeply, passionately, and to wrap my arms around them. I could feel their soft, thick hair in my fingers, brushing across my shoulders, as we moved together, our bodies connecting. I'd never felt so aroused, so sexy. It was like the world around me had ceased to exist and the only things I knew were the feel of the tongue on mine, the hands on my body, the growing arousal. It was incredible.

"I felt soft fingers on my dick, gently stroking me so that I nearly came, even as I was still being kissed. I just lay there, feeling like I was being pampered and loving every second of it. I didn't want it to end. I could feel fingers sliding inside me, and I didn't care about that either, because it all felt so damn good. I wanted to feel the person who was kissing me inside me, fucking me as passionately as they were doing everything else to me.

"It was almost like the other person could read my mind, because they pulled their fingers out and replaced them with their dick. The feel of it was....intense. We came, together, still kissing, still touching one another. It was amazing. I've never had sex like that in my life. So, Dr. Ardeth, what does that mean?"

Ardeth swallowed - several times. Apart from the position of submission and the bed of silk, O'Connell had just described their previous night of passion in almost perfect detail.

"May I ask a question?"

"Sure."

"Who was your partner?"

O'Connell went bright red.

"I don't know if I should tell you that."

"Why not? I will not laugh, if that is your concern."

O'Connell went even redder, and stayed silent. Finally he sighed, his shoulders heaving, and said softly

"You were my partner, Ardeth. You were the one having sex with me, and I didn't want it to end."

Ardeth blinked. O'Connell continued.

"So I guess now I've just said all that, I've brought back really bad memories of the last 24 hours and I should go hit myself in the head with a rock. Yeah, I'm so full of charm and wit...if I were anybody else, I'd hit me."

"O'Connell."

"Perhaps the orphanage was right and my real mother did drop me on my head when I was a baby, because there's no way I could be naturally this stupid."

"O'Connell."

"Or maybe I got bitten by the stupid stick. They say some people get hit with the ugly stick, so there has to be a stupid stick. Yep, that sounds about right. Or maybe a combination of all the above."

"O'CONNELL!"

"What?"

"Are you always so full of this self inflicted misery? How do you manage to go through life with so much guilt?"

"Natural talent, I guess!"

"By Allah! You can be the most annoying man sometimes!"

"All right, all right...you've made your point. What did you want to say?"

"Your dream was not just a dream. It happened, except you were in my place and I was in yours. Imhotep used your subconscious desires against us both."

"I'm going to kill him. Did I mention that I'm going to kill him for good?"

"Do not be ashamed of your dreams....or your desires."

"Why? You must think I'm the biggest...whatever-you-call-a-slut in the world."

"Slut? What is a slut?"

"Never mind. Its not a very nice term. Continue. Please."

"Your colloquialisms are strange, O'Connell. As I was saying, you should not be ashamed. If I did not desire you, Imhotep would not have succeeded in his....activities."

O'Connell digested this information.

"Ohhhhh.......so you're saying that you want me and I want you and that's cool?"

"Yes."

"Woah. Cool. Very cool."

"I am glad that you think so."

/I'm grinning like an idiot. I don't care!/

O'Connell once again placed the damp cloth on the bloody wounds, concentrating on them rather than anything else.

/If I look into his eyes, I'm gonna be so busted..../

He raised his eyes to Ardeth's and froze, locked in that midnight gaze.

/Yep. Busted./

Ardeth leaned forward and kissed him softly, carefully, as if not sure quite how the gesture would be taken. O'Connell leaned eagerly into the kiss, kissing back. The kiss deepened, becoming more and more passionate as their tongues tasted one another's mouths, enjoying the sensation of doing this while they were both conscious and in control of their own bodies.

Lying back, Ardeth pulled O'Connell down on top of him. O'Connell couldn't believe his luck.

/I'm going to kill Imhotep. First I'm gonna thank him, but then I'm gonna kill him./

"What about your injuries?"

O'Connell realised his own voice sounded a trifle unsteady and breathy. He felt like he was on his first date. Ardeth grinned at him.

"They will heal. If the mind, spirit and body are united, the healing process is rapid. Come, O'Connell. Help to unite the mind, spirit and body."

"Oh yeah. Definitely."

There was no more talking as they touched each other, gently, passionately, kissing and moving together in the soft, warm darkness.

In the shadows, Imhotep grumbled to himself. It had seemed such a good plan. Use the American's body to overcome the Med-jai, get them arguing about it, watch them fight and then possibly kill each other. It had been a good plan...in theory. Now it had backfired, and the sounds coming from the rocky overhang were not sounds of fighting and pain, but sounds of passion and joy.

With an angry howl, the Priest took off into the desert.

FIN.