Exhausted, Irene stumbled back and collapsed into the sand. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, and she jerked up in surprise. "What's happening now?" she complained, brushing away the hair that had fallen into her eyes.

I should go find Rick...

She limped into the pyramid, staring at the debris and collapsed towers with her eyes wide. "Rick! Where are you?" she yelled, her voice hoarse from crying out in pain. How was she going to find them in a place like this?

Hurried footsteps echoed around her, and making up her mind, she quickly followed them. Her mind was so tired that she didn't even think what she would do if the footsteps belonged to the enemy...She sighed with relief when she caught up, revealing that it was indeed her brother and his family who were trying to run towards the opposite direction.

"Rena!"

"Aunt Rena, you did it!" Alex cheered, referring to her earlier fight.

Wait a minute. His family..."Evie?" Irene asked, her eyes watering when she saw her sister-in-law standing next to Rick in perfectly good shape. "Evie, you're alright! Thank heavens!"

Her own pain forgotten, she ran forward to hug her.

"We need to get out of here first!" Rick interrupted, stopping Irene in her tracks. Together, they tried to escape from the pyramid's various exits, only to see that the world around them was disappearing into the pyramid.

"This is hopeless!" Irene gasped, her hair whipping violently in the wind as they stopped by another doorway.

"This whole damn place is going to get sucked up! Let's move up!" Rick yelled, gesturing to the pyramid's steps. Together, the family struggled to make their way to the top.

Irene's arms burned in pain as she climbed, but she knew there was no other choice. It was as though the world was collapsing below them, and she shuddered at what it would feel like to be sucked in along with it. "Rena! You okay?" Rick asked with concern, catching her arm and pulling her toward him when he noticed that she was falling behind. At last, they had reached the top, but what they were going to do now, Irene had absolutely no idea.

They were out of choices.

She puffed out a breath. "I was just forced to battle one of those mummy soldiers you hated so much. Do I look like I'm okay?"

"What? Why didn't I know about this?" Rick demanded furiously, glaring at Jonathan and Alex.

"Well, you were a bit preoccupied with avenging Evie's death," Irene offered, wincing as Rick checked her wounds. "But if we're all going to die now, I'll forgive you since you'll always be my big brother."

Her words were true. They had nowhere to go, and soon it seemed like there was no way to escape the end that would fall upon them. Ardeth...I'm sorry...How ironic was it that despite surviving her first real battle, she would still never be able to see him again? Did something want to keep them apart that much?

Irene closed her eyes to prepare for the worst, but that's when the voice of a person they least expected called out to them from above. "Oi!"

Never would she be so happy to see Izzy. Tears were close to spilling from her eyes while Rick called out the pilot's name in joy. "Hurry up! I haven't got all day!" Izzy called, as Rick first lifted Alex up, then Evie and Irene. Jonathan tried to climb up from the side, only to accidentally let go.

"Jonathan!" Irene screamed with worry. Staying with these guys really isn't good for my heart, she groaned inwardly, slapping her forehead as she heard Jonathan demanding to be pulled closer to the top of the pyramid.

She watched the scene below in amazement as the rest of the oasis and the pyramid completely vanished together, leaving Jonathan dangling in midair. "Pull me up! Pull me up!" he wailed, clutching the gold tip to his chest.

After much struggling, Rick and Jonathan fell onto the dirigible's floor in exhaustion. Izzy looked around once and let out a celebratory whoop. His excitement must have been contagious, for Irene couldn't stop letting out a cheer of her own at the thought that they had somehow managed to survive. Then again, they were O'Connells, and O'Connells always had a knack for getting out of bad situations unharmed.

"O'Connell, you almost got me killed!" Izzy accused defiantly.

Rick shrugged. "At least you didn't get shot."

Before Izzy could protest, Evie rushed forward to kiss him on the cheek. "Izzy! Thank you, thank you!"

Having a change of heart, Izzy quickly changed the topic. "O'Connell, who have you been messing with this time, huh?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," Rick said. "Mummies, pigmies...big bugs..."

Remembering something, Irene turned to Alex, who was now happily in Evie's arms. "That reminds me. How did you get my gun back, Alex?"

He grinned. "Oh, that? I asked the guy if I could see the gun by pretending that I had never seen one before. And then I distracted him, so he quickly forgot what he had been doing earlier!"

"You sly kid," Irene teased, kissing him on the forehead. "You're just like Rick, you know? Promise you won't get in trouble when you grow up..."

"Don't worry. His mother will be keeping an eye on him," Evie promised with a laugh, eyeing Alex sternly.

"Oi, Rena? You better come see this," Rick called from where he stood by the handrail.

Wondering what her brother could be talking about, she approached his side. Her breath caught and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the dark figure riding on horseback below.

"Ardeth..." she murmured longingly, gazing at him with her eyes filled with love. If she left with her family now, who knew when she would be able to see him next time?

"Izzy! Lower the dirigible for a bit!" Rick ordered, but Irene was too lost in her own world to have heard.

She could feel his warm brown eyes watching her, too. Without warning, her body was suddenly lifted off the ground, and she let out a squeak of surprise when she saw that Rick was carrying her towards the dirigible's entrance.

"Rick! What do you think you're doing?" she exclaimed, hitting his back to try and let her go. He refused to budge.

Rick whistled at Ardeth to catch his attention. "You! Take care of my sister for me, alright? If I hear even a single complaint from her, I'll storm into your camp and take her away myself!"

Irene flushed. "Is that really necessary, Rick?"

Ardeth guided his horse into position and held his arms out, and then Irene was flying through the air. Unlike the times Imhotep or the mummy soldier had thrown her, this time Irene knew she would land in safe hands.

"Ardeth!" she cried happily, her own arms wrapping around his neck as he expertly caught her.

He smiled warmly at her, and Irene felt herself melt at his gaze. "You saved my life, Rena. I will never let you go again. Your brother does not have to worry."

"Oh, Rick? He's just a little overprotective sometimes," she dismissed, grinning like an idiot. Somehow, Ardeth always managed to make her act that way...With that, she reached up to him for a kiss, closing the distance between them and catching him by surprise. "But I know you can always beat him, right?" she smiled against his lips, feeling a chuckle tremble through his body.

"Of course, Rena."

Through her lifetime, she had lived in many different places - both in America, and England. But now, despite being a foreign country with no one but Ardeth beside her, she knew she was finally home.

- End -

A/n: We're Not in England Anymore has officially come to an end! /sobs Despite taking a few breaks in between, I'm so glad I managed to finish the story I started two years ago, and it's all thanks to your reviews. Thank you all for following Irene through her journey and sticking to the end with her. She's grown so much as a person, and it's all because of your support! As Ardeth said, only the journey is written, not the destination~

Let me know what you think with a review?

And don't worry, you're not seeing the last of Irene! She'll be back, someday - And hope everyone will look forward to my Ancient Egypt AU that will be coming out soon :)