WILLIAM ELLIS, underneath the eagerness to help and the need to be heard, is still very much a pain in the ass. Or, at least, a pain in Madeleine's ass.

"Still nothing to say as we're about to see Rick? Not even an ironic remark, nothing?"

She sighs loudly enough that Jonathan and Evelyn, both arguing in front of them, turn around and frown. "I don't know what you want me to say."

William shrugs. As far as he's concerned, Rick and Madeleine have been in love for approximately twenty years now. They're both just too blind or scared to admit it. It makes him want to eat sand.

"I'm doing this for Jimmy, that's all. To be honest, if it wasn't for him, I'd be happy to let Richard rot there."

He snorts. "Sure you would."

They both know it's not true, but for Madeleine's sake, William remains silent. What is true, though, is that they need Rick to get to Hamunaptra, and find the buried Egyptian wealth that is said to be buried down there. Hopefully, it'll be enough to adopt Jimmy. If it's not, there's not much they can do next.

"Speaking of Jimmy," he ventures carefully. "What about your initial plan? Didn't work out?"

Her initial plan was to marry one of the wealthiest men in England. The ghost of pain hangs around her face. It backfired.

"No. But we've still got that plan, and it'll go well."

Seeing as half the map was burnt by the curator of the museum, their only hope to find the City of the Dead now resided in Rick O'Connell. Madeleine hates it.

"Come, come!" the guy in charge of the prison hushers them closer. "Step over the threshold. Welcome to Cairo Prison, my humble home."

Madeleine's nose scrunches up at the state of the prison. "That's your home?"

"Yes!"

"I'm sorry?"

"I said yes."

"No, I'm just sorry."

The man frowns at her a little, and William nudges her, before he shows them the way.

William sighs. "I can't believe that idiot got himself in prison."

"I can," Madeleine says.

"Jonathan, you stole it from a drunk at the local casbah!" Evelyn cries out at her brother, making the Ellises stare at them.

Jonathan turns to them with an apologetic smile. "I picked his pocket, actually, so I don't think it's a very good idea..." He starts to turn around, but Madeleine grabs his arm.

"Oh no, you brought us here, now you're staying here." She turns to the man from earlier, who stopped in front of an empty cell. "What is he in prison for, exactly?"

He shrugs. "This I did not know. But when I heard that you were coming, I asked him that myself."

Madeleine's eyes widened slightly. "You told him who was coming?"

"Yes. He said he was just looking for a good time."

She immediately sighs, staring ahead, as William clutches his head in his hands, suddenly feeling dizzy.

"Oh this is going to be good."

Rick bursts, flanked with two buff guards, struggling to stop him from running to the bars. One of them kicks him behind the knee, forcing him down. Madeleine stares, unimpressed, at her best friend, hair now almost as long as hers, bearded, and more muscled than she remembers. He looks completely insane.

"Maddy," he grins at her.

Madeleine grits her teeth. "Richard."

William raises a hand. "Willy. By the way, I'm here, hi."

Rick nods. "Willy!"

"Don't talk to me."

Madeleine and Rick stare at each other, almost in defiance. She bets that he finds her changed too. The last time he saw her, she was twenty, an idiot with bangs and face still round. Now, she stands tall, hair tied revealing the scars on her face.

William wants to eat sand because of the way they look at each other.

Evelyn steps back, eyes wide. "This is the man that you stole it from?" she asks Jonathan.

He nods, eager to leave. "Yes, exactly. So why don't we just go sniff out a spot of tiffin..."

Rick finally notices that there are other people with the Ellises, and he frowns at the Carnahans.

"Who are you?" He stares at Evelyn. "And who's the broad?"

Willy huffs, "I will punch you Rick, don't test me." Evelyn blushes.

Jonathan immediately points to himself, hands flapping around and walking closer to the cell. "I'm just a local sort of missionary chap, spreading the good word, this is my sister, but see, I'm here with your best friend, right? Maddy."

Both Madeleine and Rick stare at Jonathan.

"Don't call me that."

"Yeah, don't call her that." Rick's eyes settle back on Madeleine. "Oh, well. Guess you're not a total loss anymore."

Madeleine gasps loudly. "I'm sorry?"

Their guide yells at some prisoners in the back of the prison, preventing Madeleine from punching Rick in the face. He sighs. "I'll be back in a moment."

Jonathan gets a bit too close to Madeleine, trying to whisper in her ear. "Ask him about the map."

She narrows her eyes at him, before staring back at Richard. "We found my box. There was a map in it, yeah?"

Rick shakes his head. "No."

"No?" She frowns. "Well what do you mean, no?"

"No. You came to ask me about Hamunaptra."

William steps closer. "Yeah, it doesn't take a genius to get that."

"How did you know that the map led to Hamunaptra?" Evelyn asks, eyes sparkling.

Rick stares flatly at him. "Because that's where I was when I found it." He smirks a little at Madeleine. "I was there."

Madeleine scoffs a little. He's such a show off.

Jonathan, despite William trying to hold him back, steps closer to the cell.

"But how do we know that's not a load of pig's wallow?" he asks.

Rick frowns at him, pointing at his face. "Do I know you?"

"No, no, I've just got one of those faces."

He punches that face. Jonathan is sprawled out on the floor, the others watching. Rick gets hit by one of the guards for that, but it seems worth it.

"He kind of deserved it," William says.

Evelyn nods. "Yes, he kind of did."

Madeleine, getting tired and frustrated, steps over Jonathan and gets closer to Rick. He looks up at her, piercing blue eyes and a devilish grin despite the conditions.

"Is it true? You were at Hamunaptra?" she asks, head tilted down with a clenched jaw.

He nods, smiling broadly. "Yeah, I was there."

She narrows her eyes at him. "Do you swear?"

"Every damn day."

She forces a chuckle. "Oh alright."

She grips the front of his shirt and brings him to his feet. He's towering over her through the bars, but she holds him tight, almost completely smashing his face on the iron.

William doesn't even try to stop her. Neither do the guards. And maybe worst of all, but Rick doesn't even try to get out of her grasp.

"Fool me once, Richard, I'm gonna kill you."

He nods, and they're so close that their noses almost brush. "I know. I was there. Seti's place, City of the Dead."

She purses her lips. "It pains me to ask, but can you tell us how to get there?" He blinks, blue eyes widening. The yelling from their guide is getting closer. She leans forward. "And I mean, the exact location."

He stares at her, in disbelief. "You want to know?"

"No, I'm asking because I'm interested in your debatable life choices." She rolls her eyes. "Of course I want to know."

William raises a hand in the back. "I'm interested in your debatable life choices, though."

They ignore him, Rick inching even closer now. "You really want to know."

Her mouth is a bit dry. "Yes."

He kisses her, long and hard, William completely dumbfounded and chains clinking against the bars.

"Then get me the hell out of here!"

The guards yank Rick back, yelling at him, while Madeleine stares ahead, lips slightly parted in complete and utter shock.

William scowls and gets her to step back as Rick fights off the guards, long enough to speak a little bit more with Madeleine.

"Do it, Maddy!"

Madeleine is still gapping when he's brought back in, and the prison's owner comes back.

"No wait, where are they taking him?"

"To be hanged." The Ellises turn to the man, eyes wide. "Apparently, he had a very good time."

William can see Madeleine's hand hover on the spot where her pocket knife is hiding, in her trousers' pocket. "Where?"

He seems shocked. "You wish to see? Come, come!"

He walks away, and William sides eye his sister. "You wish to stop him."

She shakes her head. "I don't wish for anything, Willy. I'll make it happen."

As Madeleine walks away after the guy, William hangs in the back with the Carnahans.

Evelyn walks up to him, worried. "Where is she going?"

He heaves out a sigh. "To stop a murder, apparently."

Madeleine's steps are stomping behind the man, the small heel on her high boots resonating in the corridors.

She may absolutely despise Rick, for leaving her five years ago. And for kissing her like that, a mere few seconds earlier. Not that she minds that he did. Or maybe she minds too much.

See, this is exactly why she needs him alive. So she can yell at him until she sorts out her emotions. But mostly so she can yell at him.

And if anyone here is going to kill Rick, it's Madeleine.

They sit on chairs in front of the gallows, where Rick is about to be hung. He looks around to the crowd, and his eyes settle on Madeleine.

And the gun she's pointing at the man's side.

"Maybe we can think of an arrangement. I will give you one hundred pounds to save his life."

He snorts. "Madame, I would pay one hundred pounds just to see him hang."

"Two hundred pounds."

He chuckles again. "Proceed!"

"Three hundred pounds."

A man tightens the rope around Rick's neck. "Any last requests, pig?"

He coughs. "Yeah. Loosen the knot and let me go."

The man turns to the owner of the prison, next to Madeleine, and translates in arabic. He scoffs.

"Of course we don't let him go."

He hits the back of Rick's head.

Madeleine cocks the gun. "Five hundred pounds and your life."

He freezes. Rick has the guts to smirk. The man orders them to stop.

"And what else?" He puts his hand on Madeleine's thigh. "I'm a very lonely man."

"Hey!" Rick cries from where he stands -- which is on very shaking grounds. "Take your hand off of her!"

Madeleine puts the gun under the man's chin. He takes his hand off. Guards start to close in on her.

"My men will kill you if you shoot."

She smirks. "But you'll be dead and buried by the time they get to me." She eyes Rick, standing there, with the rope around his neck. "We can get to an arrangement, can't we? You seem like a very smart man." He really doesn't but who cares. She's a hot woman flattering him, it's enough for his pea-sized brain. "That idiot down there..."

"Hey!"

"He knows the location of Hamunaptra."

His eyes grow wide, and gestures for his men to stop moving. "You lie."

"Why would I?"

"To save his life."

She scoffs. "Trust me, the only thing valuable about this man's life, is that very specific fact."

"Are you telling me this filthy, godless son of a pig knows where to find the City of the Dead?"

She nods, out of patience. "Yes!"

"Truly?"

"Yes! And if you let him go, we'll give you ten percent."

"I'm worth ten percent?!" Rick cries out, but he's ignored.

The man shakes his head. "Fifty percent."

"Twenty."

"Forty."

"Thirty."

"Twenty five."

"Deal."

He opens his mouth, realizing how she trapped him, before sighing. "Let him go!"

They take the rope off of Rick's neck, as William walks in, breathless, a bit worried.

"How did it go?" he asks Madeleine.

Madeleine smirks at Rick.

"I saved that idiot's life."

author's note: and then she regrets it for the rest of the book, fun times