New story! I know- I know, I'm embarrassed because I have no self control and wrote this all out when I should've been studying or working on one of my stories that are already in progress, but, like I said- no self-control. Regardless, I did a trope- Rick's sister. I apologize, but I wanted to do my own because reasons.

The sand was, for the moment, still, as no one dared move and the wind, as if in some sympathetic magic, held its breath with the garrison crouched along a low sand wall in some mockery of protection. The soldiers were engaged in various activities- staring at the sand, checking their weapons, praying to whatever god they believed in. Their second line was positioned at the top of the city's walls, about a hundred fifty feet behind them. But being on anything other than the front line was not something Rick O'Connell was familiar with, and so there they were.

"Rick," a voice said lowly, whispering as the man checked his weapons with efficiency and then stared out at the dessert sand as if in challenge.

"Yeah?" he whispered back. Even O'Connell, a man with little tack and even less care to gain it, was hushed by the air of anticipation.

"You and me. Side by side."

"Of damn course," he said with a nod, eyes still on the desert stretched out before them.

"But if I die, I'm coming for you."

Rick just smirked before repeating, "Of damn course."

With that, the silence was over. Cries came as the opposing army rode, ever faster, towards their garrison.

"This doesn't look good," the soldier on the left commented, as if discussing the weather.

"Maybe we should run," Beni Gabor, a fellow Legionnaire, directed to the soldier, speaking around Rick O'Connell, who looked vaguely amused.

"Beni," was the reply, "Gimme your revolver, you're not going to use it."

Beni handed it over, "We could pretend to be dead- no one would bother us."

"Now gimme your bandolier," the voice was perfectly even.

Beni handed over the item, including all the ammunition stored on it, Rick O'Connell merely watching the pass, one eyebrow raised.

"There are plenty of hidden places in this city we could hide- I found some yesterday," Beni continued.

"Now I need a stick about yea long," the soldier continued, indicating a distance about the length of their rifles.

"A stick?" Beni asked, "What for?"

"To tie to your back since you're missing a spine," was the hissed reply.

Eyes looked towards their Colonel, who, face pale, threw his sword into the sand as his horse fidgeted.

He then turn and ran.

Three faces turned to look at each other in disbelief.

"You just got prompted," Beni said to O'Connell.

Lillian O'Connell, disguised as Lewis O'Donnell, just snorted, "Couldn't happen to a better guy," as her brother turned to face the oncoming Tuareg horsemen.

"Prenez vos positions!" O'Connell shouted, aiming his rifle.

"Steady!" he yelled as the horsemen draw closer, shouting their battle cries.

"You're with me on this one, right?" Rick muttered, eyes still on the opposing warriors.

"Oh, your strength gives me strength," Beni replied, his voice ringing with anything but truth.

"Steady!" Rick shouted again as they get nearer. And nearer. The soldiers held steady, but Lillian could see a few twitching out of the corner of her eyes- nerves getting to the men.

Nerves that evidently got the best of Beni, who turned and began to run, dropping his rifle into the sand. "Wait for me!" he shouted at the long-gone Colonel.

Rick rolled his eyes, "Steady!" he cried again.

The horsemen were practically on top of them down, the horse's legs pumping, their riders shouting and swinging their scimitars in the air. The French Foreign Legionnaires looked to Rick O'Connell.

There is a pause of a single heartbeat, before the American shouted, "FIRE!"

The next moments were a blur as the siblings shot, reloaded, and tried to hold the garrison together. The screams of men and horses were heard as round after round was shot. Spotting one soldier taking careful aim at her brother, Lillian fired a straight shot to the head, while her brother continued his own sharp-shooting.

That's when it all went to hell- a second front of horsemen came from their right side, and Legionnaires from both the front and second lines began to fall.

The siblings stood, still shooting, and began to lead their line back, step by step, firing upon the Tuareg.

Horses jumped over the small wall with sharp cries as their riders began to cut down the Legionnaires with their scimitars.

The O'Connells kept firing, occasionally using the butts of their rifles to knock down any opponents who came too close.

As Rick was reloading one Tuareg soldier, now on foot, came running towards him, battle cry sharp as the sand was kicked up and blinding both sides alike. Rick struggled to get his rifle loaded as the man came closer and closer, sword raised.

A sharp report fired and the man dropped, blood on his turban showing a bullet had lodged itself in his brain.

Rick turned and exchanged a nod with his sister, who still held Beni's smoking pistol, before getting back to work.

Rick was out of rifle bullets, and seemingly out of Legionnaires, when he dropped the rifle and picked up his pistols, firing upon their opponents who were driving him and his sister further and further into the dead city.

They leapt over one crumbling wall to see Beni, still fleeing the battle, who turned at that moment to see them both racing to higher ground.

"Run, Beni, run!" Rick shouted at the man, giving him warning.

Beni ran.

"Get inside! Get inside!" Rick continued to shout as Beni lead them on, straight to a doorway of the city's crumbling ruins, and then he began to shut the door.

"Beni!" both siblings shouted in annoyance.

"Don't you close that door! Don't you close that door!" Rick shouted, reminding Lillian of all the times he had scolded her growing up. It was odd to hear him use that tone of voice on someone else.

Beni closed it.

"Damn," Lillian cursed, as she and Rick slammed into the door, unable to stop themselves fully due to the speed they were running.

She looked around before dashing off again, "C'mon!" she shouted to her brother, leading him further into the city as bullets continued to rain down on them.

After leaping over a column, Rick dropped his final pistol. He would've reached for it, but the bullets fired at the lost gun made that option unattractive, so the siblings continued to run, looking for any place they could use to survive.

Coming around a corner, they realized they were being herded as another group of horsemen came around the opposite bend. They dashed to the right, no idea where they were going, until they reached the end.

There was nowhere else to run. Nowhere to hide. Just a tall statue, half buried in the sand, of the ancient god Anubis, standing watch over them with his jackal-head.

"Well crap, there's irony for you" Lillian said, standing beside her brother as both panted from the running.

The siblings stood tall, staring into the eyes of the horsemen turned firing squad.

"You and me," Lillian said one more time, "Side by side."

"Of damn course," Rick replied, eyes still on the horsemen.

"But if I die, I'm coming for you."

"Of damn course."

With that final exchange the O'Connells closed their eyes, waiting for the bullets that would end their fight.

The horses suddenly went into a frenzy, and the riders, rifles still cocked for the O'Connell siblings, turned and fled.

The two remaining opened their eyes cautiously.

"Well, I don't see Douglas Fairbanks, so I don't think we're dead."

Rick just shot his sister a look. "What the hell is goin' on here?" he murmured, looking around.

A voice drifted on the air, haunting, deep, speaking words neither sibling could understand or quite catch.

They turned to study the statue, whose head was just hovering above their own, and heard what sounded like jackals yelping around them.

Voices on the wind.

"Whoa!" both Americans cried as the sand began to move and swirl around them with the jackals' cries.

They stumbled away from the statue, both struggling to run in the shifting sands, as a deep moan sounded behind them.

Not turning back, they ran towards the bodies of their dead compatriots.

They wandered into the desert, nowhere else to go, but sure that the city behind them was nowhere they'd want to be. Their foes were long gone, disappeared into the desert as fast as their horses could take them.

Feeling eyes on them, the O'Connells stumbled to a stop before slowly turning to look behind them.

On a ridge overlooking the desert were ten horsemen, all in black, watching.

Rick grabbed Lillian's arm and began to lead her away, both of them stumbling slightly, as the horsemen continued to watch.

"Hey, Rick," his sister said, still slightly panting.

"Yeah?" he said, eyes squinting in the sun.

"You and me. Side by side."

"Of damn course," he said, pulling his sister slightly closer, relieved to have her, at least.

"But if I die, I'm coming for you," she said solemnly, looking directly at him.

He looked back, made eye contact, and sighed, "Of damn course."

Lillian O'Connell was born fightin'.

Or at least, that's what her brother Rick always told her.

He also told her that her eyes would turn orange if she ate too many carrots up until she was eleven, so Lillian isn't sure how reliable a source her older brother actually is.

Whether or not she was born fighting, she certainly lived her life in that manner, but she didn't have much choice in it as far as she was concerned.

Little girls in Cairo orphanages had to fight, or face some disastrous results. Especially little orphan girls with thick-headed older brothers who always got themselves into a mess of some sort.

She was luckier than most, she'll admit- she had an older brother to look out for her, just as much as she looked out for him, and while it was difficult to stick together sometimes (once, when she was seven, they were placed in separate orphanages, but she ran away and found Rick and no one really was bothered enough to force her back), they had managed quiet well for the past twenty some years.

That's why, when Rick was set to hang in some godforsaken Cairo prison, she made damn sure to get her brother out.

It wasn't exactly hard- after doing various bank jobs, swindles, and scams ever since she could run, breaking her brother out of a Cairo prison was actually one of the easier jobs she's pulled.

However, now, they needed to get out of the city. Somewhere, anywhere, else. She couldn't risk her family in the city any more, not with a price on Rick's head. So as her brother tried to wash the worst of the prison grime off of himself she was packing up their few belongings and trying to determine how long exactly they'd have to stay away before coming back to Cairo would be safe again.

Because they would come back. Somehow, they always ended up in Cairo.

There was a knock at the door, two short raps, then one heavy pound, a signal that Haytham was back and with company.

Hiding the signs of her flight, Lillian took a quick peak in the mirror, pulled her hair to some semblance of a neat bun, and then opened the door, hoping she looked as calm and collected as possible.