Pre Edit Count – 1,261 Words

Song I listened to for this chapter: The World You Want by Switchfoot

Previously:

She smiles. “Who would think a harmless look at some Egyptian remains would result on a journey like this?” Bella just shakes her head. These type of things don’t happen anymore.

Rick shudders, “Never say that to me, lady. Seems way too many of my adventures start out like this.” Flashbacks occur of all the times that a simple go look and see started things. Starting with the first one to Hamunaptra.

Now:

The following morning, Bella is boarding the private place with Hermes ever present by her side. Rick had gone ahead when they arrived, saying he needed to talk to the pilots. Coming back from the cockpit, Rick sees her, smiling at her he asks, “Ready to change the world?”

Rolling her eyes Bella replies, “I’m sorry but I am not seeing how this will really change the world. Making one man not die can’t change all that much.”

Sitting across from her, Rick taps his fingers on the arm, thinking of a way to put this so she will understand. “Did you really think before you met your Cullens that there is a world out there that is different than what you imagined?”

Watching the man in front of her, “No.” She is shaking her head, as Bella answers him.

He nods, noticing that the doors to the aircraft are now closed. “Imagine all the world richer by all those things we imagined as kids. The dragons, the gods, the mystical, all of it. I think science has taken over the world, and it has slowly stripped all the amazing things out of it. Now we are here watching the rain forests being stripped, the bottoms of the oceans probed and the mysteries of outer space so forth. We are concentrating on the world in front of us, even abandoning the chance to see extraordinary things beyond the stars. As we strip the world of the mysticism and rely only on science, then the world gets to be very boring.”

She blinks. “You really feel that way?” And she is slowly thinking over what he said, and how much richer her world became after knowing the supernatural is real.

Nodding as he settles better in his seat as the plane starts to taxi. Rick expands on what he is saying, “Imagination is being limited to the few, and even then it is mocked as others try to lose themselves for a couple hours. A book, a movie, even songs… all these things are slowly losing their appeal as science gets to be more out there. There seems to be more a demand for it to be realistic to have the unknown out there.”

Playing devil’s advocate, Bella answers him back, “But what of what is real. Do you think that there is any difference in having sparkly vampires out there? That mankind can be allowed to know about it without wanting to attack them?” She knows fear is a human response. While she acknowledges the pluses in knowing about them herself, not all humans are as accepting. To be realistic, they shouldn’t be. She knew a small group, per themselves, that ate animal blood instead of their natural prey. It might have changed her whole perception if they had been normal vampires.

Rick snorts, looking out the windows as they climb in the air. “Is this the world you want? Cause yes, they will hunt them down. It won’t be easy to change the world, but for it to gain the sense it lost of being amazed at what is out there, that pure wonder we lost as a child, earlier and earlier every year? Yeah. We need that. Badly. I regret my part in making it all happen.” Shrugging off the fact that he had little choice in it all, Rick is sad at the world he is due to live forever in, a sad world.

With that he closes his eyes, and Bella is left to think of what they are about to do. To go out and see if they can change the world, to make it into something else. All by saving one man’s life. She leans her head back into the window and she is soon asleep, her mind wondering.

In her dreams, that magical place that she often watches things in, Bella has a shock as the man she now knows as Imhotep comes to her. He stands in front of her, staring at her as he takes in the woman he has been promised for so long. “Can you forgive me?” It might be the most romantic thing, but for his first words to her, it is to him the most important.

She cocks her head to the side as she repeats, “Forgive you? For what?”

Hoping this may mean they might have a chance, he steps closer, “For not being there when you needed me. For you being the one who has to come and get me. For being so weak to fall in love with a woman who didn’t deserve it. For all the wrongs I have done, to lead us here.” His dark eyes never leave her, as he tells all, bares his soul to this woman who has come to mean everything to him over the years he has watched over her.

Bella smiles at the man in front of her while she asks, “And if none of it happened, would we have the chance of meeting?”

He smiles at her intuition. He slowly moves his hand to touch her so softly. “Not from what I have been told. You are aware of what you are about to undertake?” He wants her to be aware of all of it. This woman he would hide nothing from.

She continues to smile at him while she answers him, “Changing the world according to Rick.” She is mesmerized by this enchanting man she has seen now in her dreams, and lately, outside of them.

His smile gets bigger, showing his teeth as he remembers, “Oh yes. The O’Connells. Very worthy adversaries. Hard to understand that they are on my side now.” He shakes his head in disbelief at the end.

Laughing Bella teases him, “You do know he is immortal now. And he hates it.”

He nods, his composure serious as he thinks over his brother’s problem. “He lost his other half. When we remake the world, I will guarantee she never leaves him. Love like theirs needs to admired. And it will be. My brother will gain his other half back as I gain him at my back where he belongs, guarding it.” He thinks of all he needs to fix when he returns.

Bella’s eyes widen and she suddenly gets it. “He was never to be your adversary was he?”

Imhotep shakes his head. “He is my brother. The Gods don’t work on our time, but theirs. Anubis knew what would need to happen and with the blessings of his fathers and siblings, they have worked together to bring us all together. But so much of the world has been lost to disbelief. Even you with your knowledge of the cold ones are not immune. Can you change, my promised one?” His hand cups her cheek, reverently.

He then tells her in a softer voice, “My God is powerful, to make one such as you for me. To allow me to have the hope of your love. And I will gain this for me. But I am thinking that there will be much to overcome. There seems to be a trial of three. Three times we have to avail to come to our happy ending. Are you willing for this journey?” He pleads with her in his eyes, to do it, to prove to his gods that she is worthy of being his love. He has watched over her since he knew of her, and he has no doubts she is deserving of all she is to be.

She chuckles, a tear appearing in her eye. She informs him, “The vampire commanded me. The immortal cajoles me to fix the world, and you ask. For that alone, I will try. The world is a poorer place right now.” And the fact he cares enough to ask, not try to talk her into it, or worse, treat her as one who cannot understand and just order her about.

Elated by the news, Imhotep relays to her, “Then come to Hamunaptra with O’Connell and the book. Ask him about it, he knows where it is. Once you possess it, you will become the Mistress of the Dead. With this, we will be a step closer to where I will be by your side, and will never leave even if your order me away. For once I am yours, not even death can separate us. That is true love. With me, I will bring my brother’s other half.”

He leans forward and kissing her brow, he mutters something so low she cannot hear it then hears him tell her, “Go to the waking world, my love. I will be waiting here in your dreams for you until I can stand by your side.”

With those words, Bella’s eyes fly open, and she is disorientated. The man who has haunted her sleep, who she has watched to do some of the most powerful things she has ever seen, is now there for her. He has told her, and they had their first talk face to face. Or whatever that was.

She is gasping for air, feeling different. As if this is a different reality than the one she has been living in all this time.

Rick is suddenly in her view, telling her, “Breathe with me. That’s it, Bella. Breathe with me. Yes…” He takes a deep breathe, working to get her from hyperventilating. Finally he slowly calms her down.

He then raises his eyebrows, “What happened? I know that reaction, you were in the Land of the Dead.” It was not a welcome experience the few times he has had the misfortune to waking up from the waking dreams. But the sweet comfort of seeing his Evie for those moments makes it all worth it.

With his words, her eyes widen, “I was dreaming as normal.” The Land of the Dead? Why would she be there? How would she get there?

Rick chuckles, “And you normally dream in the Land of the Dead? Or was this dream just a bit different?” He is not sure which would be the case, but he suspects this may have been the first time she actually was part of the Land of the Dead, not just an observer.

She looks down, noticing that Hermes had his head in her lap. Unknown to her, he is keeping her grounded. She pets him, whilst slowly revealing, “He called you his brother. That when he comes, he will bring back your other half. That we will have three trials to triumph over before we complete it all.” Her eyes are looking back in her memory with Imhotep.

Rick is watching her, and with her information, he slowly nods, “Yep, you were talking to him, and to do that you would need to be in the Land of the Dead. Did he tell you anything else?” His eyes intent on her, wanting the information they have received. He didn’t think Imhotep would visit without giving her some information on what they need to be doing.

“We need some book, and go back to where it all started.” Then their eyes connect as they both say the name at the same time, “Hamunaptra.”

Final Count: 1,970 words

Fairfarren ~