I Believe
by: ssdangel
Disclaimer: I do not own Ardeth Bay, Rick, Evy, or Alex O’Connell, or Jonathan Carnahan, or any event relating to The Mummy or The Mummy Returns, Stephen Sommers does. The other characters are mine.
If you wish to comment on my story, please email me at herndonam@aol.com. All comments will be much appreciated.
Rated: R
He sat there watching them, wondering why they would pick such an old dilapidated building. It had been abandoned long ago, presumed unlivable. It was also the only building near their compound. They had chosen the old warehouse for the compound because it was on the outskirts of town, the last building on the street, secluded for the most part, and it had space out back for their stables. They had occupied the old warehouse for many years, liked the seclusion, and when from time to time over the years there had been trouble there, it’s seclusion guaranteed that the citizens of Cairo would not be harmed, they generally stayed away, knowing the Medjai preferred to not mix too often, knowing they had a calling and it did not include being too neighborly, though most knew they could request their help if a situation required it.
But now this woman and a dozen or so children moved into the old building near the compound, disturbing their piece. She was picking glass shards out of the windows, children of varying ages playing in the yard. She had the hem of her long skirt pulled up making a pocket of sorts and was placing the shards in it. An older boy came around the end of the building with a bucket and set it down next to her. Smiling at him, she dumped the shards from her skirt into the bucket. Ardeth noticed that the boy looked sad, his clothes were worn, full of holes, he noticed that all the children were wearing clothes that were worn out, should have been thrown out long ago, but they all looked clean. And with the exception of the oldest boy, they looked happy. The boy began helping her clean up the windows, probably removing the broken glass so the children wouldn’t get hurt.
As she continued picking glass out of the windows, she was startled by a scream, raking her hand across one of the glass shards, blood immediately running from the cut. Ardeth’s eyes moved to one of the smaller children, looking down at her feet, screaming. He watched as the woman ran over to the little girl. He could see she was talking to the girl and looking around the ground for something. Finally, she picked up a stick and moved back to the girl, and scooped it off the girl’s foot. He thought it odd that this woman, obviously not Egyptian, would be that gentle with a scorpion. It had obviously scared the girl and he knew that most people would have brushed it off her and stomped it to death. Instead, she balanced it on the stick and carried it away from the yard and let it go. Then she went back and comforted the girl.
From where he was sitting on his horse in front of the compound entrance, he could see that she was nice looking, long auburn hair, nice curvy figure, full bosom. He wondered how she ended up there, taking care of children who were obviously orphans. He noticed she was holding her cut hand, blood dripping from it. As he stared at her, lost in his thoughts, it didn’t register that she was now staring back. When it did register, he nodded to her, she nodded back. He rode over to her and without saying anything, pulled his sash from around his waist and wrapped it around her hand, then got back on his horse and turned back towards the compound.
***
Later that evening, Jamil told Ardeth that the woman was there to see him.
“I wanted to return your sash, and thank you for helping with my hand. I guess I should be more careful.” She handed him the sash, she had washed it and had mended a tear in one end of it.
“Thank you. How is your hand? Do you want our healer to look at it, see if it needs stitches?”
“Oh, no, thank you. I sewed it up, probably not a very good job, but I think it will do. Not something I want to do to myself ever again.”
He reached for her hand and looked under the bandage, smiling at her stitching. “You are right, I’ve seen better stitching. Are you sure you don’t want our healer to look at it?”
“I’m sure, but thank you. I should get back to the children. Good evening.”
“I’ll walk you back, it’s late. You shouldn’t be out after dark, it’s not safe.”
“Thank you.”
As they walked down the street, he asked how she came to live in that old run down building with a bunch of orphans.
“My father was an ambassador, he did some work here a while back, and I liked it here, so I came back. When I saw all these kids living on the street, I just thought someone ought to do something for them. I guess that someone was me, and somehow everything just worked out this way. Once I get the place fixed up, I can bring more kids in.”
“Why not put them in the orphanage?”
“I tried to get the orphanage to take them, but they wouldn’t, they said they could only handle so many kids, the rest weren’t their problem.”
As they neared the yard in front of the house, Ardeth noticed the older boy was watching them from a window.
“Oh, don’t mind Nahor, he’s a good kid. He doesn’t speak, and he’s very protective of me.”
“What happened to him?”
“I don’t know, I found him by the old dump. He didn’t speak then, hasn’t said a word since. He was all beat up, had a broken arm. Most of these kids have been abused in some way. Children should not be hurt like that.”
Ardeth could see tears welling up in her eyes, and then she shook her head and took a deep breath “Well, I’d better get in there, get them all to bed. Thanks again.”
***
Over the next several weeks, he saw her several times, mostly when she was out with the children or working on the old building. The few times he spoke to her, she was always very friendly. His men advised that they, too, often had contact with her, and a couple of the boys would sometimes sneak in the stables and watch them work with the horses.
***
Ardeth and Jamil were coming in the back of the compound from the stables. It had been a long, hot day and Jamil knew that Ardeth still wasn’t himself. He hadn’t been since the incident with the Tuaregs. That was four months ago, and it still bothered him. The few times Ardeth came into Cairo since the incident, Jamil often caught him standing out in front of the compound staring at the now abandoned old building. As they walked down the hall from the back door, Omar came up to them. He looked nervous, which was not something Ardeth saw in him often.
“Ardeth, there is a woman here. She says she needs to talk to you.”
“I really don’t feel like talking to anyone right now, Omar, you handle it.”
“I…I…”
“What is it, Omar? Just find out what she wants and take care of it.”
“I think you need to talk to her…she’s…well, you really do need to see her. She’s in the entryway.” Omar walked off quickly, leaving Ardeth and Jamil staring at each other.
“Well, I guess I’d better go see this woman. I’ll check with you later.” Ardeth knew that Jamil was hoping to take a nap before dinner. He had the patrol tonight and wouldn’t be getting much sleep later.
As Ardeth came to the front of the building and turned towards the entryway, he saw a woman standing in front of the large tapestry hanging just inside the door. She was small, shapely, with long auburn hair and she was dressed much like Evy usually dressed, in pants and a shirt tucked in and boots. There was a rucksack on the floor just inside the door, he assumed it was hers. She was scrutinizing the tapestry, with her hands on her hips and her head tilted back so she could see up higher.
“I understand you asked to see me…what can I do for you, Miss…” and as she turned, he gasped and had to steady himself. He just stared at her, he could see she had started to speak to him, but he couldn’t hear her, he could only see her face.
“Evans…Jeni Evans” and she walked towards him, extending her hand. And then she noticed that he didn’t seem to have heard her. “Hey, are you ok?” As she got near him, he backed up a couple steps. She stopped, realizing that he was obviously thinking she was Joni.
“You’re dead…”
“I’m sorry, I’ve upset you, maybe I should go, come back another time.”
“No…no…but you’re dead” and she noticed he really did look upset. He was so big and under any other circumstances, with his size and weapons, he’d probably scare her, he looked so dangerous.
“No, I’m Jeni…Joni’s sister. I’m sorry I scared you. I didn’t mean to, I just wasn’t thinking.”
Ardeth tried to compose himself, trying to take deep breaths, calm his pounding heart. “I am the one who should apologize…I just wasn’t expecting…”
“To see this face again.”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t get your letter until a couple weeks ago, and it’s taken me this long to get here.”
He looked confused “But it’s been four months. I sent the letter to
She could tell that she truly had upset him and he obviously wasn’t thinking straight “Well, your letter went to our home in
“Oh.”
“Could we sit somewhere, I’m a bit tired, it’s been a long trip. And I have a million questions for you.”
“Yes, I’ll have some food and tea brought in, you must be hungry.”
He led her to what might roughly be called a sitting room, there were chairs and a couple couches, but not set up like a normal sitting room, but then she remembered that this was a place that housed warriors, men, and she doubted that they had many women even visit the place, much less spend any time here.
Ardeth excused himself and went to find the cook and have him fix something for her. Before he went back into the room, he paused, trying to finish composing himself. When she first turned around and he saw her face, he thought he was seeing a ghost and it almost floored him.
***
When he came back into the room, she was pacing and when he spoke it startled her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“That’s ok, I’ve been a wreck since I got your letter. Just the week before, I got the last journal she sent. I wasn’t expecting anything else. I certainly wasn’t expecting anything like your letter.” And Ardeth could see tears welling up in her eyes as she turned away from him.
“Come…sit” Ardeth ordered, and she found she immediately did just that. Normally, if someone ordered her to do anything, she’d rebell, might even get angry. But, somehow, his voice made it seem perfectly natural to do as he ordered.
She looked at him for some time, he was trying not to look at her, but found he couldn’t help himself.
“Will you tell me what happened, you didn’t go into any detail in your letter. All I know is that she died saving your life.”
“Yes, she did” he said as the picture of that day flashed back through his mind. Cook brought in a tray and set it on the table in front of the couch and left without saying anything.
“Eat” he said as he noticed her looking at the food like she hadn’t eaten in a week. And she thought, again she was doing as he ordered.
While she ate, he told her about that day, when a small pretty woman he barely knew threw herself in front of a bullet to save his life. He didn’t tell her how it destroyed a part of him to hold her sister in his arms and watch as her life left her, watch her beautiful sparkling eyes become vacant. She was such a little thing and when her body thumped against his, he had wished the bullet would continue into his body, taking him so that he would not have to live with the vision of her dying in his arms. He didn’t tell her that her sister had touched his cheek and tried to smile at him. And he didn’t tell her that her sister haunted him, his waking thoughts, his dreams, when he could manage to sleep, and he knew she would haunt him forever.
“Your sister bought that old building across the way and moved in with a bunch of children, orphans. We had only talked a couple of times, I didn’t really know her.” His mind started to drift again.
“But what happened that day…why the hell were you fighting near Joni and the children?”
Ardeth could hear anger in her voice, but could tell she was trying to control it. He looked at her for a few moments, and she could tell this had hurt him deeply. But she had to know what happened and she wouldn’t let him get out of telling her.
“We were coming back to the compound and weren’t expecting the Tuaregs to be waiting for us. We hadn’t had any problems with them for some time, and I just didn’t see it coming. They had waited for us and they didn’t care that your sister and the children were around. She had been trying to clean up the grounds, make it safer for the children when they were playing. When the fighting started, I saw her trying to round up the children to get them to safety. But one of them had been around in our stables and heard the shooting and came running around the building. I got the boy and was trying to get to cover, but she had seen the boy running around the corner of the building and was running to help him. She was almost to us when she saw one of the Tuaregs off to my side, ready to shoot me. She just grabbed me and pulled herself between me and him.”
She could now see tears in his eyes.
“And you’ve been wondering why she did it.”
“Yes…we are supposed to protect the innocent, it is what we do. I am not supposed to get someone killed. She saved me and the boy.” He was getting that hollow look he’d had since the incident. She knew that feeling, she’d had it since she got Ardeth’s letter.
“I’m sorry, this has hurt you deeply.”
“As it has hurt you. I am sorry I brought you this pain. I should have somehow made sure she and the children were safe.”
“No. If you had gotten to know Joni, you’d know that she did exactly what she was meant to do. She always put others before herself, even me. I would expect nothing else from her than to sacrifice herself for someone. It didn’t matter that you barely knew her.”
He looked at her and could see that she was probably just like her sister that way. She should hate him for causing her sister’s death and here she was trying to make him feel better. She, too, thought of others before herself.
“Where is she buried, I’d like to visit her grave, if that’s ok.” And she could see the shock on his face and it scared her. “She is buried somewhere, you haven’t left her somewhere…”
“No…no…it is not our way to bury our dead, we cremate them. We cremated your sister. We didn’t know what else to do, without a reply, we treated her as one of our own.”
“Oh…her ashes?”
“I can take you to where I scattered them…it is one of my favorite, most private places…to let her sleep in a beautiful place.”
“Maybe tomorrow, I need to find a place to stay for the night. I need to think, this has all been a bit much.”
“It is too late in the day anyway. I’ll take you tomorrow. And you can stay here tonight. We have rooms in the back, no one will bother you” and as he turned to leave to get Jamil to show her to a room, he stopped and asked “You said you received a journal from your sister.”
“Yes, we’ve kept journals since we were teenagers. Our father was an ambassador and traveled a lot, and he always took one of us with him. He couldn’t handle both of us at once. Whenever we were separated, we’d keep journals and send them to each other every couple months. It was our way of keeping in touch, it was hard to be separated, we’d always done everything together. And then when we were adults, we just seemed to always be apart, so we continued the journals. Her last one talked a great deal about the Medjai and the children. Oh crap, I forgot about the children. She said the orphanage wouldn’t take them and that’s why she bought that old building and took them in. She always did have a soft spot for kids. What happened to them, are they here?”
“No, we got them into the orphanage. We’ve helped the director a few times, so he took them in for us.”
“Oh, good. I worried about what had happened to them.”
“We would not have left them out on the street.”
***
Later that night, Ardeth saw her again looking at the tapestry in the entryway and again startled her when he spoke.
“It’s an interesting tapestry, isn’t it?”
“Oh crap” as she jumped at hearing his voice, she hadn’t heard him coming up behind her.
“Yes, it is, it’s Zwahili. I was trying earlier to remember something and it’s just now dawned on me. The Medjai and the Zwahili were once enemies, but then fought together against the Romans. That was thousands of years ago, this must be really old, it’s beautiful. But I can’t remember how the Zwahili and the Medjai ended up together in that fight, your countries and cultures are so far apart.”
“It’s a great story, I will tell you sometime.”
“Oh, here” as she stuck her hand out and pushed something into his hand “I was bringing you Joni’s last journal when I thought about this tapestry and got sidetracked. You might find it interesting. It may tell you more about Joni.”
“Thank you. Good night, Miss Evans.”
“Good night…and call me Jeni. Miss Evans seems so formal and I think we’ve shared something too personal to remain formal with each other” and she tapped the journal as she walked passed him.
“Then call me Ardeth, Jeni.” He stared after her, not sure at all what to make of her. In a way she reminded him of his brief encounters with her sister, but there was something else about her, she seemed more sure of herself, she was bolder, more open and direct. Her sister was a softer, more tender hearted, frailer type person.
He took the journal and retired to his room and sat up for several hours reading it. Sometime during the night he got up, wanting some fresh air. Reading someone’s private thoughts was a bit unnerving and he needed to stop for a while. As he walked down the hall, he could hear Jeni in her room, crying. He knew this must have been a great deal for her handle. She’d lost her sister, her twin, her other half as Joni had referred to her in her journal. He knew how he’d feel if Rick was killed and they weren’t even true brothers, just brothers in their hearts. That would be unbearable.
He thought that maybe he should knock on her door, see if he could do anything for her, but then he thought that he was the reason her sister was dead. As nice as she had been, she might not want to be comforted by the man who took her sister away from her. Deep down she might hate him, and maybe she should.
***
“So, where are we going?”
“It’s a couple hour ride from here. Do you ride?”
“No. That’s one thing I never learned to do.”
“Then you’ll ride with me.” Ardeth mounted his horse and easily pulled her up in front of him. He was amazed at how light she was. She was amazed at how he just reached down, wrapped his arm around her and instantly she was sitting up there in front of him. She liked it.
As they rode, he noticed that she relaxed against him and he tightened his grip around her, and he liked that she didn’t seem to mind.
“You don’t talk much, do you? Do I still bother you?”
“No. The fact that it is my fault your sister is dead bothers me.”
“Ardeth?”
“Yes, Jeni.”
“Do you believe in God?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then you must believe in forgiveness. Joni wouldn’t want you to feel guilty about this. As hard as this is for me, I know that Joni did what she believed was the right thing to do, what God would want her to do. So you need to forgive yourself because, if there was anything to forgive, everyone else already has.”
“Everyone?”
“Yes, everyone. I don’t believe you did anything that needs forgiving, but if that is what you feel you need, then I forgive you.”
“Your faith is very strong.”
“Yes, thanks to our mother. Life would be unbearable without God.”
“Thank you, Jeni.”
She relaxed a little against him and wrapped her arm around him.
“So, what were you doing in
“Oh…men! You’re all the same. You always think a woman can’t take care of herself” she said as she rolled her eyes. “After our father died, I took over some of his duties. Father was so well liked at the embassy and they knew that I knew his duties backwards and forwards, so even though I don’t have his extensive formal education, they hired me to take over his duties. And I think it was partly because they couldn’t find anyone else to go down there.”
She laid her head on his shoulder and said “Ok, your turn. How long have you been the Chieftain of the Medai?”
“Since I was 15, when my father died. I had no choice but to take his place.”
“That must have been hard. How did you know what to do? Did you have to fight at that young age?”
“Yes, it was hard, and yes, I had to fight. As the Chieftain I was expected to be better than anyone else. I had to constantly prove myself to the older warriors until they trusted me to lead them. And, no, quite often I didn’t know what to do. But I learned.”
“And now they all look up to you, they have faith in you, I can tell from the way they are around you.”
“The men at the compound are just a small number, a few men from each tribe. They spend six months there and then are replaced by others from their tribes.”
“How many men, how many tribes?”
“There are twelve tribes, and each tribe can have several thousand men. They live in various villages and camps throughout
“Wow, I had no idea. And you are the Chieftain of all the tribes? Now that’s a big job.”
“Yes. Sometimes it is a big job.”
She could now see where they were heading, a beautiful green tree lined spot along the river.
“This is beautiful, Ardeth.”
Ardeth helped her down off the horse and noticed that she rubbed her bottom a bit.
“Are you ok?”
“Oh, yeah, my butt’s just a bit numb, sitting crooked on the saddle I suppose. I’m fine.”
Ardeth walked down to the water and closed his eyes, listening to the peace and quiet. “I come here when I need to think, sometimes when I just need some peace. I scattered your sister’s ashes here, so she can rest in a beautiful peaceful place.”
“Thank you, Ardeth” and when he turned back around to her, he could see tears running down her face.
Ardeth walked over to her and put his arms around her, pulling her to him, letting her cry.
They rode part of the way back in silence. And then she looked up at him and asked “You call me Jeni, but you always refer to Joni as my sister. Why don’t you ever call her by her name?
“As you said, you and I have shared something, and you asked me to call you Jeni. It is a familiarity that is not proper unless a woman wants it. The few times your sister and I talked, we never introduced ourselves. I did not know your sister’s name until I went through her things to find a next of kin to notify.”
“I didn’t realize. I guess I thought when you said you talked a few times that you had become friends. Joni was normally so friendly.”
“She was, but I think she may have realized that our customs between men and women are stricter than yours. She was very reserved around us, very proper.”
She giggled “And I’m not, I guess. I’ve always been a bit more assertive, maybe even impetuous, than Joni.”
“You are much like my brother Rick’s wife Evy. She also speaks her mind. She is very assertive and impetuous also.”
“You have a brother named Rick, that doesn’t sound like a Medjai name.”
“Rick and I are brothers by destiny, in our hearts. He is American, and Evy is English. They met here in
***
The next morning, Jeni asked if Ardeth would take her to the hotel. “I think I’m making some of your men nervous. They aren’t used to having a woman staying here, are they?”
“No…I will take you to the hotel if you wish, but you are welcome to stay here. The men will deal with it.”
“Thanks, but I don’t want to be a bother.”
“As you wish.”
Over the next few weeks, they met for tea or meals and talked, and Ardeth helped her resolve her sister’s affairs.
One afternoon as they had tea, Jeni told him she was going to return to
“If you think that is best.”
She looked at him, a little disappointed and hurt. She was partly relieved that she’d decided to go home, and partly upset that he hadn’t asked her to stay, but she couldn’t figure out why that upset her. He had never said or done anything that would make her think he would want her to stay. He, in fact, had told her that he would be returning to his village soon.
The morning she was to leave, Ardeth was waiting for her in the hotel lobby. He said he’d take her to the port, wanted to make sure she got there safely.
“Thank you, but you don’t have to do this. I’m sure I can get there myself.”
“Well, then, I will go…”
“No…no…since you’re already here, I would be honored if you’d escort me to the boat.” She hooked her arm in his, noticing that people were staring at them as they walked out of the lobby.
Before Jeni boarded the boat, Ardeth gave her a piece of paper.
“The first address is mine, it’s how you would send something to me here. Let me know that you’ve arrived in
She looked at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. He was truly an enigma. And she thought if he asked her to stay, she would. She guessed that he could never have a relationship with an outsider, but she’d stay anyway, just to continue whatever this was that they had, that they felt, whatever it was he felt for her that she knew he was trying so hard not to show. She was sure his hesitancy had something to do with his guilt about her sister’s death.
When she finally had to board, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, and knew he felt something too when he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground, holding her tight.
“Be safe, Jeni” he whispered to her.
When he set her down, she touched his cheek and said “You be kind to yourself, Ardeth. It was not your fault, and Joni’s in a peaceful place now.”
Then they heard the last call to board and she had to go. He watched at she boarded and then as the boat left the dock.
***
Over the next few weeks, Ardeth thought of her often. He returned to the village and to his duties, trying to stay busy throughout the day so that he wouldn’t have time to think about her. But nights were an altogether different matter. He laid in bed each night thinking about her. He wanted her so badly the thought even occurred to him to go to
Jeni arrived in London and opened the old house. With their parents dead, she or Joni, whoever was there last, would cover everything up and close up the house when they left. It smelled musty and stale, much like that old building Joni had bought in Cairo. And since her mind was suddenly on Cairo, it was a short trip to Ardeth. She thought about him often, still not sure what she was feeling, wishing he had shown some feeling for her, given her some idea what he wanted her to do.
She’d been back for three weeks when the urge overtook her and she suddenly found herself outside their door. Ardeth had said they’d help her and she desperately needed their help. Thoughts of him were driving her nuts.
After she knocked, she was about to leave, telling herself how silly this was. If he had wanted her to stay, he’d have said so. But then the door opened and an adorable young boy stood there smiling at her.
“Hi…you must be Alex. My name’s Jeni Evans.”
She and Rick and Evy sat and talked for hours, and they finally decided that she should stay the night. It was much too late and cold for her to go out.
“The cold really bothers Ardeth when he’s here. He’s so used to that damn heat, he says the cold makes his bones ache.”
Over breakfast the next morning, Evy suggested that they all go back to
“He’s a wonderful man, very caring, very loving. I think he’s always put his own personal happiness on hold because of his people and his duties. You have to understand that he could never set them aside. If you want him, you have to accept them too. He would never neglect his duties even for someone he loved. You said he told you a little about how we met him. Well, it wasn’t the only time he and Rick had to save the world. He may think that he can’t find someone who could understand that and share him with his people and his responsibilities. He and Rick are so alike in so many ways, they can both be infuriatingly stubborn and bull headed at times.”
Jeni had a lot to think about on their trip back to
“You’re just nervous, Jeni, everything will be ok. We’ll find out where he is, and I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”
***
“It’s been four days, Evy, and no word. He’s not coming.”
“He’ll come. Rick had Jamil send word that we were back, but he didn’t tell him that you were here. You’ll know from the look on his face when he sees you that he wants you. You’ll see.”
Ardeth arrived late that night. He was glad to see them and they sat in the library and caught up for a little while. They didn’t mention that Jeni was upstairs sleeping, she’d gone to bed, another night disappointed that he hadn’t come. Ardeth wanted to ask them if she had contacted them, but didn’t. Surely if she had, they’d have told him, let him know how she was doing. Rick knew something was bugging him, but didn’t dare ask. If Ardeth asked about her, he’d have to tell him, and he preferred to let him find out himself.
And then, just as Ardeth was excusing himself to go up to bed, Alex came running in and jumped into his arms.
“Alex” Evy yelped, “you’re supposed to be in bed, it’s way passed your bedtime.”
“I know, mum, but I heard Uncle’s voice” as he gave Ardeth another big hug, “and I wanted to see how happy he was to see Jeni.”
It was suddenly a slow motion moment, Ardeth looked at Evy and then at Rick, and they looked at him, both smiling. He slowly set Alex down and calmly said “She’s here? Where?” And Rick could see he was breathing heavily, and as Ardeth turned to go upstairs, Rick grabbed his arm.
“Wait, buddy. She’s up in your room. She wasn’t sure if you wanted her here, if you wanted her at all. If you’re not serious about her, maybe you shouldn’t let her know you’re here till the morning, let her get a good night’s sleep before she’s devastated. I think she loves you.”
Ardeth looked at him, trying to absorb everything he’d said. And then he turned and ran up the stairs.
***
He opened the door and stepped inside, not sure what to expect. The room smelled of honeysuckle. She’d obviously taken a bath, and that thought made his head swim. The light by the door was still on and he could see she was in bed, asleep. He walked quietly over to the bed and watched her sleep for a few minutes, and then slowly sat on the edge of the bed and ran his finger over her forehead brushing a stray wisp of hair from her face. Then he moved his hand to her cheek, caressing it and whispered “Jeni.”
She stirred a little and moaned, and he touched her cheek again and whispered “My sweet Jeni.” She slowly opened her eyes and gasped when she saw his dark form on the bed with her, not immediately seeing that it was him.
“It’s ok, Jeni, it’s just me.”
“Ardeth? Ardeth, is it really you?”
“Yes, my love, it’s really me.”
She bolted up, her arms whipping around his neck and she hugged him so tight he had trouble breathing. He put his arms around her, feeling how soft she was through her thin gown. It was cut open down the back and he ran his hands over her skin, moaning at the feel of her.
“I can’t believe you’re really here. I thought you weren’t coming.”
“I didn’t want you to go in the first place.”
She pulled away from him and smacked him on the chest “Then why didn’t you say something. I thought you didn’t want me. I’ve been going nuts for weeks now.”
“I am sorry, my love. I didn’t realize how much I wanted you until you were gone, and I didn’t know you wanted me. I cannot offer you much except a life in a tent in the desert. It is not an easy life, there are no luxuries in the desert. I wasn’t sure you’d want…”
She put her fingers up to his lips to quiet him. He took her fingers in his hand and kissed them, and then kissed her wrist, and then kissed his way up her arm to her neck. She began breathing heavily, her breasts heaving. Her gown was cut low, exposing her cleavage, giving him a hint at what it covered. He ran his fingers down her chest between her breasts. He moved both hands up and caressed her cheeks, kissing her softly, then moving them down her neck and over her shoulders, slipping her gown straps off her shoulders, pulling them down her arms and dropping them down around her waist. She moved her arms out of the straps and back up around his neck. He sighed and then kissed her, slipping his tongue in her mouth when she parted her lips slightly at the feel of his tongue running around her lips, but he could tell she didn’t know what to do.
“Kiss me back, my love, I want to feel your tongue on mine, I want to feel all of you” and he kissed her again, moaning when she did slip her tongue into his mouth and let his tongue caress hers. As they kissed his hands moved down to her breasts, making her moan again, and as he rubbed her nipples till they were hard, she broke away from his kiss, her head flopping back as she groaned with pleasure.
“Oh…oh…” she began panting. He laid her back on the bed and marveled at her full round breasts, running his hands around them before leaning down and suckling them as she ran her hands through his hair and pushed herself into his face.
His hands started roaming her body, pulling at her gown and the covers that were hiding the rest of her body. “Wait…wait…Ardeth…I’ve never done this…”
He sat up and looked at her, he’d been so caught up in his desire that he hadn’t considered that she might not be ready for this.
“I am sorry, my love, I wanted you so much, I should not have assumed you were ready for this, that you wanted me.”
She sat up and took his face in her hands and smiled at him “I do want you, I love you, I’ve just never done this before. I’m sitting here half naked with you and I don’t know what to do.” She leaned forward on him and he hugged her to him. He whispered to her “It’s ok, we won’t do anything you’re not ready for. Tonight we’ll just sleep together, everything else will come.”
He stood up and removed his clothes, hearing her sigh when he removed his shirt and gasp when he removed his pants. “Scoot over” he said as he lifted the covers and slipped in the bed next to her. She pulled her gown the rest of the way off and waited to see what he’d do.
He laid back and pulled her over to him, part way onto him and held her tight. After a few minutes, she reached up and pushed her hands around his neck, pulling herself up on him and whispered “Teach me that kiss.” His head was about to explode, he could feel her skin rubbing on his, she smelled so good, and now she wanted him to kiss her, and he felt compelled to oblige.
He gently kissed around her face and then settled on her lips, slipping his tongue into her mouth when she opened it inviting him in. He moaned when she slid her tongue along his, matching his caresses. She pressed herself against him when she felt his hands roaming down her back and kneading her round bottom.
“Let me make you mine” he whispered as his hands continued exploring her body. He ran his hands up and down her sides and waist and hips, letting his thumbs rub the sides of her breasts.
“I am already yours” she sighed as he kissed her neck, laying her back on the bed, moving his hands up her arms, pushing her arms up over her head. He kissed and licked and suckled her breasts until she was groaning and pushing herself into his face. He kissed his way down her belly and paused when he came down to her.
He gently caressed the inside of her thighs until they quivered and then he pushed them apart, moaning when he opened her up to him and slid his fingers in, finding her little nub. He rubbed around it until she was groaning again, begging him for more. He moved her legs open wider and moved his fingers lower, finding her wet. He looked up at her and saw that her head was thrust back and her eyes were closed. She was grasping the pillow above her head, waiting for him to touch her again.
He began licking and suckling her little nub, hearing her panting and moaning, as he slipped a finger into her “You are very tight, you feel so good.” As he sent a strong climax roaring through her body, he could tell she’d never felt that before, and he chuckled as she was panted “Oh, my…oh, my…” over and over, and when he moved back up on her, before she even opened her eyes, she whispered “Was that…is that…oh, please, do that again.”
He chuckled again, loving the fact that she enjoyed what he had done to her. “I can take you there in many ways, my love. If you are ready, I will show you much more pleasure, but it will hurt a little at first.”
She pulled her head up and looked at him. “Ok” she said with a shaky voice.
He pulled himself up and laid on her, caressing her face and kissed her gently. Then he moved off her, lying next to her. He took her hand and wrapped her hand around him, chuckling when she sigh at the feel of him in her hand. He moved her hand on him, showing her how to stroke him, moving her thumb over his tip, nuzzling his face against her neck, and she could feel his breathing becoming sharper. He released her hand, moaning as she continued stroking him, feeling every inch of his shaft, circling her fingers around his tip again, learning what pleased him. As she stroked him, he moved his hand back down to her, massaging her again right to the edge of another climax, and then slipped his finger in, feeling she was warm and wet and ready for him. He felt how tight she was, how her muscles clamped around his finger, and he felt her barrier, making her jerk as he gently pressed his finger on it.
“It will hurt for only a moment, sweet one. And then your body will adjust to me and our bodies will work together to give us both great pleasure.”
He kissed her and then put his hand back around hers, still stroking him, he could feel his release coming, and he helped her guide him to her. As he pushed into her, he felt her body tense. He waited, letting her get used to the feel of him in her. She again grasped the pillow above her head, moving her hips up to him, inviting him to continue, and as he pushed in further, to her barrier, he kissed her, feeling her lips tremble. As he pushed through her barrier, she gasped and held her breath. “Breathe, my love, it won’t hurt anymore.” He moved slowly in her, letting her take him a little at a time, until she took all of him, and he felt her contracting around him, her tight muscles caressing him. He groaned loudly as they worked together, building to their releases. He reached down and massaged her little nub as he thrust, feeling her body tremble under him and she moaned his name.
As he laid there on her, their bodies slowly relaxing, he buried his head next to hers, smelling her hair, feeling her hair on his face. He slowly moved down on her, resting his face between her breasts. He felt her body shudder and looked up at her, seeing tears running down the sides of her face.
“What is it, my love, did I hurt you?”
“No…well, just a little…it’s not that. It’s just that I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you and it’s a bit scary. I don’t know what I’m doing…what if I disappoint you…not just right now, in bed…but in everything. I’m just not used to being so insecure about anything.”
“Shhh, my heart, you will never disappoint me, in anything. I will teach you everything you need to know, about our pleasures and about our life. I know it will be difficult at first for you, but you will have me and my mother, she will help you, she will love you, I am sure of that.”
“Oh, we hadn’t even talked about that, I didn’t know your mother was alive, I guess I assumed you were alone, like me. You see, there’s so much I don’t know.”
He rolled them onto their sides so they could face each other and they talked for some time. He finally calmed some of her fears about this sudden turn her life had taken. She knew she’d be leaving everything about her life behind and he knew how that had to scare her.
When they were all talked out, he showed her other ways to pleasure each other. As they laid there in each other’s arms, neither able to move, Ardeth whispered to her “I believe, my love, my heart, that we were made for each other.”
“And I believe that Joni would be happy for us, I’m sure she’s at peace now.”
The End