To Have and To Hold

by Julie Horwitz

A minisequel to Truth's Consequences. The mummies, Presley, and Amanda run out of money while on the run and decide to resupply in Las Vegas.

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fanfiction. All characters and situations belonging to the animated television series "Mummies Alive!" are copyrighted to DIC Enterprises. Everything else, including original characters, is of my own creation.

Author's Notes: This story is a sequel of sorts to my fanfiction novel "Truth's Consequences." It picks up the exact same day the novel ends. However, it is not a true sequel. Instead it is a bridge between "TC" and the unwritten sequel, which will also be a full-length novel. The purpose of this story is to set up certain plot elements that will be very important in the future sequel.
The city of Las Vegas as portrayed in this story reflects its current status. However, the story takes place in late 1999/early 2000 and the city was slightly different at the time. (Ex. The Aladdin Casino had not been reopened.) Although this has no impact on the story whatsoever, I thought I would just point this out to the readers for their own information.
This story contains adult situations but no actual content. (There is a missing scene story, "Completion," if you are interested.) Everything is either implications or lead-ins without anything being described. Younger readers may want to proceed with caution nonetheless.
All questions and comments may be sent to me at:
Thank you and I hope you enjoy the story.

To Have and To Hold
by
Julie Horwitz

Presley turned over in an attempt to hide from the invasive sunlight but found that there was no escape. He had no choice but to wake up. Groaning, he pushed the blanket away and started to sit up.

A loud indignant meow was heard and he couldn't help but laugh as he saw the cat-shaped bulge move under the blanket.

"Oops, sorry girl," he apologized as he lifted the blanket.

Kahti shot him a dirty look before jumping off the cot in disgust. Tail high, she padded out of the RV's bedroom.

He laughed again. It wasn't his fault that the cot wasn't as big as his bed back in San Francisco. (And there was absolutely no way he'd share with Mom! Why couldn't the RVs one bedroom have come with two beds?) If Kahti wanted to continue sleeping with him, she'd have to resign herself to getting buried every morning. After three months, she was still taking it personally. Cats!

He stretched and was about to get out of bed when movement from outside the window flashed into his peripheral vision. He turned to see what it was.

"Man..." he murmured.

Outside, seated at a picnic table, were Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina. And they were kissing. And not just kissing, but really going at it. They were practically laying across the table, their hands doing who-knows-what to each other. The fact that they were out in public didn't seem to be bothering them at all.

"Eww."

They really, really needed to get a room.

While he was thrilled for them, he didn't need to be seeing them doing stuff like this. It was...weird. They were his guardians. To see them acting like, well, normal people madly in love was just weird.

While he had seen kissing and stuff in the movies, he had never seen it in real life. And he had seen some real hot stuff. (Having a mom who worked late a lot had its perks!) But none of those could even compare to what he was seeing outside. What they were doing...

"Eww," he repeated for good measure.

Yet he found that he could not look away. He was fascinated. He'd never seen anything like it, not even in the hottest of movies. (Okay, so the highest he had ever gone was R, but that's all they showed on tv. It wasn't like he had access to any of those nastier channels.) There was just something about the way their bodies were pressing together. Would they...?

"Eh-hem."

Turning bright red, the thirteen-year-old turned away from the window to see Rath standing right behind him, his arms crossed.

"Young Rapses," he said, "your mother has been calling you for several minutes. What exactly is it out there that you find so riveting that you didn't hear her?"

Presley turned even redder. "Er, nothing."

Rath cocked an eyebrow. "Really? Then perhaps I should see for myself."

"No!" Presley cried, practically leaping from the cot. "No! Um..." He laughed nervously as he tried to pull himself together. "I mean, um, no, not until you tell me what Mom wants."

Rath gave him a look. "She didn't say."

Presley saw him try to look out the window and deliberately stepped into his line of vision. "Breakfast is probably ready or something," he decided. "She wants me to get some while it's still, um, there. You know how hungry Armon gets when he wakes up."

"When isn't he?"

"Y-yeah," Presley agreed. He started moving forward. "Let's head towards the galley then."

"You first, my prince," Rath gestured with a hand.

"Thanks. I'm pretty starved. What's-"

"By the wings of Horus!"

Presley turned around to see Rath staring out of the window.

"What do those two think they're doing? Acting like a pair of lovesick children! It's disgusting! You'd think he'd know better than that. And in public, no less! I think I'm..."

Presley didn't wait around to hear the end of his rant. He made a break for the galley. He knew he was going to get one heck of a lecture for spying on them the next time Rath had him alone and cornered. He'd try to stay as close to his mother as possible for the next couple of hours. Safety in numbers, he always said!

((((())))))

"That doesn't make any sense," Amanda murmured as she arrived at a figure. "Where did I go wrong?"

"Morning, Mom!"

She looked up to see a red-faced, too-widely grinning Presley plop down across the table from her.

"Good morning, Sweetie," she answered carefully. She knew that look on her son's face and it could only mean one thing: trouble. What had he been up to when she sent Rath to get him? "Is everything all right?"

"Yep," he said, grinning even wider, making the fact that he was hiding something all the more obvious. "Rath said you needed me."

Everything was most definitely not all right if she knew Presley as well as she believed she did. What had Rath caught him doing? She was going to find out if it was the last thing she ever did!

But first, she needed his help. "Here." She slid the piece of paper with her calculations to him.

Presley took it, and as he glanced at it, his face scrunched up in disgust. "This looks like math."

"It is," she informed him.

"Ugh," he commented, looking up from the paper. "Why are you doing math?"

"You like having money to buy food, don't you?" she asked. "This is the only way to make sure we have enough."

"By doing math? Can't you just, you know, count it by hand?"

"What exactly were you doing all those hours you spent in school?"

His grin returned. "You mean besides being bored out of my mind?"

"Never mind," Amanda sighed. What was she going to do with this boy of hers? "Anyway, would you mind checking my calculations for me?"

He groaned. "So early in the morning?"

"It's important, honey," she told him. "Please?"

"Fine," he gave in. "Can you make me something to eat while I'm doing this?"

"Thanks, baby," she smiled as she handed him her pencil and got up from the table.

"Why are you doing this anyway?" he asked as he glanced down at the paper. "Didn't you and Ja-Kal come up with a budget or something? You know, to make sure we had enough?"

"Yes," she confirmed, "but we haven't exactly been strict about our spending. Plus there are so many expenses you can't plan for and-"

"Like Armon's appetite?"

"Hey!" came the indignant response from the couch. "It's not my fault that I get hungry." He took a huge bite out of his sandwich. "It just happens."

Mother and son shared a look.

"Anyway, Presley, as I was saying," Amanda continued, "I was getting a little worried about the way we've been spending lately. In the beginning, we were so careful. But now..." She trailed off as she pulled a box of cereal from a cabinet.

"You think we're running out?"

"Let's hope to god that I'm wrong," she told him as she went over to the refrigerator. "That's why I want you to check my calculations. I'm praying you find a mistake somewhere."

"I'll give it my best shot," he promised.

"There you are."

Amanda turned to see Rath emerge from the bedroom. He looked even more irritated than usual.

What on earth had her son been up to?

"My prince, we need to talk. Now."

She looked at Presley, who had once again turned very red and was semi-sinking into his seat.

"Presley?"

He swallowed. "Y-yeah?"

"What's this all about?"

"N-nothing?"

She folded her arms.

"It's not nothing at all," Rath informed her. "Your son was-"

"Rath!"

"My prince, your mother has a right to know what kind of...activities you enjoy," Rath continued.

"Yes," she agreed, "I do." She turned back to Rath. "What do you mean by 'activities'?"

"Mom!" Presley cried.

"What were you doing in there, Presley?"

"Um, can I tell you later?"

"No, you most certainly cannot," Rath answered for her. "You are going to tell her immediately. Her reaction is certain to be far less severe than Ja-Kal's when he learns of this." He paused for a second before adding under his breath, "children today."

"What did you do?" she demanded.

"I, er, um..." He looked down and resumed working on the finances.

"I'm waiting, young man."

"Um... Well..." Suddenly his expression changed and he looked up. "Forget about what I did. We've got more important problems.

"You were right, Mom."

All questions about Presley's actions were forgotten at his words. "Are you sure?"

"I did it three times," he assured her. "Math may suck, but it's not that hard."

"What's going on?" Rath wanted to know.

"We only have five hundred dollars left," Presley told him.

"Impossible," Rath asserted. "We started with over twenty thousand. We've only been traveling for three months. We've hardly bought anything besides food and fuel."

"I can't understand it either," Amanda put in. "We-"

She was cut off by the sound of the passenger door opening.

"Good morning," Ja-Kal greeted them as both he and Nefer-Tina stepped inside.

"Hi," Nefer-Tina chimed in as Ja-Kal put an arm around her and pulled her close.

"Good morning," Amanda began hesitantly. Of everyone, they were the ones she had dreaded telling the most. They were the ones who so desperately needed to enjoy the short break from the constant running. Once they knew about the money shortage, the rest would be over.

"Is everything all right?" Ja-Kal asked, seeming to instantly pick up on her discomfort.

"No, unfortunately," Rath told him. "Rapses has made a discovery."

"We're out of money," Presley explained. "Well, not totally out, but real low. We've only got like five hundred bucks left!"

"Are you sure?" Nefer-Tina wanted to know. "That doesn't make any sense."

"I said the same thing," Amanda agreed, "but you can't dispute the numbers. We somehow spent more than we should have."

"But how?" Ja-Kal questioned. "We were so careful."

"Apparently not," Rath put in haughtily. "Unless frivolous spending was included in our budget."

"What 'frivolous spending'?" Presley asked. "We only bought food and gas."

It was at that moment that Amanda noticed the necklace Nefer-Tina was wearing.

Hanging around her neck was the most beautiful opal Amanda had ever seen. It was cut into the shape of a heart and the delicate gold work surrounding it was incredible. It had to have cost a small fortune and was obviously what Rath was referring to.

Knowing Ja-Kal, he had probably bought it for her before they left San Francisco, with permission from Presley first no less, and had only just given it to her now. "Both of those are expensive," she spoke up, hoping to deflect the scribe's train of thought. Rath had no concept of tact and trying to accuse someone like Ja-Kal of breaking his own rules in front of everyone was low even for him.

"Yeah," Presley added, "especially food when you have to buy a whole lot of it."

All eyes turned to Armon as he let out a loud burp as if on cue.

"Excuse me," he told them as he stood up from the couch. He walked back over to the kitchenette and began rummaging for more food.

"Point taken," Rath admitted.

"So what do we do now?" Presley wanted to know. "There's no way we can make it to the east coast on five hundred bucks alone."

"There's only one thing we can do," Ja-Kal said matter-of-factly. "We must find jobs."

"Jobs?" Presley repeated incredulously. "Are you serious? How? Where?"

"We must find the nearest city and remain there until we have replenished our money," Ja-Kal told him. "I don't like it, but there's nothing else we can do. As long as we keep a low profile, we should be safe. Let me see the map."

"I'll get it," Amanda volunteered. This was exactly what she had known would happen. It was back to business as usual. She went over to one of the overhead storage cabinets and opened it up.

"What about me? What am I supposed to do while you're all working?" Presley asked.

"Well," Amanda spoke up as she took out a pile of map books, "I guess we can always find a school to enroll you in."

"Mom!" Presley cried.

She smiled as she started shuffling through the books. She knew she was being mean, but she couldn't help herself. Teasing Presley was always so enjoyable. "Did you really think that you wouldn't have to go back?"

"Um, yeah," he informed her. "We're hiding, remember?"

"And that's exactly why you have to be put back in school," she told him. "That's the last place Scarab would ever look for you."

"Mom!"

She suppressed a laugh as she started shuffling the books around in her arms.

"How long do you estimate that we'd have to stay?" Rath asked. "From what I've read, it takes weeks before workers see any of their money. And it's never what they actually earned."

"Your government at work," Amanda explained as she flipped open one of the books. "Both the federal and state governments take out money for various purposes, such as taxes and retirement plans."

"Is there any way to avoid that?" Nefer-Tina asked.

"Not that I know of," Amanda answered as she found the map of Nevada. "Here it is." She closed the book and slid it under her arm. She quickly returned the rest to the cabinet and shut it. "There's no such thing as free money."

"That's not true," Presley offered. "What about the lottery?"

Amanda laughed as she walked back to the group. "Oh, they still take out from your winnings there, too. And you never get it all at once either."

"Bummer."

She reopened the book and laid it on the table, searching the map for their current location. "We're here right now," she said, placing a finger on Red Rock Canyon. She started scanning the surrounding area. "And the closest city is..." Her eyes fell on a name. "Las Vegas."

"Las Vegas! Cool!" Presley remarked. "And you said there was no such thing as free money!"

"Las Vegas," Rath repeated. "Hmm, I've never heard of it. Is it a place of importance to this time?"

"Is it ever!" Presley assured him. "This is one of the only places you can get money without working for it. It's even better than the lottery!"

"What do you mean?" Ja-Kal questioned.

"Gambling, baby!" Presley announced happily. "Gambling!"

"Gambling?" Rath's expression was one of disgust. "A nasty habit. And one I'd never indulge in."

"Even if it meant not having to get a job?" Presley wanted to know.

"Presley," Amanda jumped in. "You seem to be leaving out a few important things."

"Like what?" the boy asked innocently.

"Like that fact that you have less of a chance of making enough money than you do playing the lottery," she pointed out. "Yes, you can win more often at the slots, but not more than a few quarters at a time."

"But what about-?"

"Those are very rare cases," she corrected him. "You've been watching too much tv."

"What are these 'slots'?" Ja-Kal interjected. "And how can they give you money?"

She turned to him. "They're called slot machines. The best way to describe them is that they're devices that you put money into in the hopes of getting more money out of them."

"I still don't understand," Nefer-Tina said. "Why would you get money back if you put it in?"

"That's the gambling part," Amanda explained. "After you insert your money, you pull a lever. On the front of the machine is a panel with wheels. If all the wheels have the same picture on them when they stop spinning, you win. The amount of money you win depends on the pictures you get.

"Like I said, it's very rare to win the kind of money we need," she continued. "It's all based on luck."

"Hmm..." Rath began thoughtfully. "Perhaps there's a way to insure that we have the kind of luck we require."

"I say stick with your original decision," Amanda said. "A job is the most dependable way to make money. It's not as fast as gambling, but at least you know you'll get your money no matter what."

"What you're saying is true," Ja-Kal agreed, "but I don't like the idea of staying in any one place for too long. We'd be putting the prince in too much danger. We have no idea what Scarab is doing in order to find him. Remaining in one place increases his chances of finding Presley."

"He has a point," Presley chimed in. "It's way too risky!" He looked at Rath. "Have you figured out how to you can make us win every time?"

"I'm with Amanda on this one," Nefer-Tina said. She looked up at Ja-Kal, who was still holding her close. "At least with jobs we'd be guaranteed money. These slot machines sound unreliable. What if they don't respond to magic?"

"Humph," Rath sniffed. "There's nothing immune to my magic."

"See?" Presley said. "If Rath says he can get them to do what we want, I believe him."

Amanda heard Rath mutter something under his breath that sounded like "nice try." "It's up to you, Ja-Kal," she said. "You're the leader here."

He nodded. "My decision is that we use the slot machines." He looked at Nefer-Tina. "We have to think of the prince's safety."

She nodded at him.

He turned back to the others. "We have a lot of work to do before we arrive. Amanda, what can you tell us about the city?"

"Not much more than I already have," she told him truthfully. "I've never been there."

"Oh," Ja-Kal said, "from the way you were speaking, I just assumed-"

"Slot machines aren't restricted just to Vegas," she informed him, "but that's what the city's most known for."

"I was hoping you could give us some guidance on where to go and what to do," Ja-Kal told her. "We must move quickly and quietly throughout the city. We don't want to attract any unwanted attention, especially with the amount of money we will be taking."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I did almost go...once, but..."

"Really?" Presley asked. "When?"

She gave him a little smile. "Your father thought it would be romantic to elope and get married in Vegas."

"Oh, cool!" Presley cried out excitedly. "That would have been so epic!"

"Paul thought so too," she said. "And, for a while, so did I."

"So what happened?" Presley demanded to know. "Why didn't you?"

"Your grandparents," she told him. "I knew they'd never forgive me if I didn't have a traditional wedding."

"Ouch," Presley commented. "Grandpa's still pretty sore about the divorce. Imagine how he'd be if you hadn't gotten married in a church."

"Tell me something I don't know, baby," she sighed.

"You can get married in Vegas?" Nefer-Tina asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes," Amanda answered. "It's actually one of the most popular wedding locations in the world."

"Wow," Nefer-Tina murmured.

"The reason is that there's no waiting for a marriage license," she explained. "All it takes is some identification. There's none of the usual hassles. You can be licensed and married in the same day."

"Don't be getting any ideas, you two," Presley spoke up with a wicked grin as he looked directly at Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina.

Nefer-Tina's face fell at Presley's words.

Amanda instinctively opened her mouth to admonish her son but closed it when she saw his grin fade. He knew that he had said something wrong. Good. After she had made sure he had apologized, she would have to have a word with him about being more careful when making jokes. (Though he didn't know why Nefer-Tina had gotten upset like she did, he would have to learn that there were some things that you couldn't make fun of, no matter how well you thought you knew the target.)

"The main office back at the park entrance is bound to have some information on Vegas," she changed the subject. "Especially about RV accommodations."

"I agree," Ja-Kal said and Amanda noticed that he was holding Nefer-Tina just a tiny bit closer. Obviously he had picked up on her mood change as well, which filled her with relief. It meant that she would be comforted as soon as the discussion ended.

"Begin preparations to leave," he continued. "I want us ready to go by ten p.m., when the access road opens up to vehicles."

((((())))))

Presley emerged from the bedroom and looked to see who was around. The only person he could see was Nef, who was sitting at the table studying a bunch of maps. Everyone else was missing. (Well, almost everyone. Mom and Kahti were both snoozing in the bedroom, which was why he had decided to leave. Nothing screams boring more than people (and cats) snoring. The guys probably were too.)

He hesitated for a moment. Should he go over to her? He wanted to apologize, but was she ready to hear it yet? Would she even want to hear it?

He felt absolutely horrible for whatever it was he had said that had upset her so much. He had only made what he thought was a funny joke. Obviously it hadn't come out that way and he was very, very sorry.

He had tried to apologize right after the fact, but Nef had been too upset to talk to anyone-even Ja-Kal! After their meeting was over, she had asked (actually asked!) Ja-Kal to give her some time alone. It was then that Presley knew that something was majorly wrong. Nef never asked Ja-Kal to give her time alone. Whatever he had done to make her upset, it was bad.

However, he still couldn't figure out what he had said. What was it about his supposed joke that had been hurtful to her? All he had done was "warn" them not to get any ideas about getting married. It wasn't like he really cared if they got married or not. (After what he'd witnessed them doing this morning, he'd think they'd jump at the chance!) They loved each other, right? (Unless all that kissing and touching and other mushy stuff meant something else!) And wasn't getting married what people in love did?

Finally, he came to a decision. He had to apologize. Even if she didn't want to hear it yet, it was the right thing to do. She needed to know how sorry he was.

He quickly made his way over to her.

"H-hi, Nef," he greeted her as he sat down across the table from her.

"Hi, my prince," she quietly returned as she looked up at him..

Presley could see that she had been crying and immediately felt even worse than before.

"I...I..." He stumbled as he tried to find the right words to say to her.

"If you've come to apologize, there's really no need," she told him in that same soft voice. "I know that you were just joking."

"Y-you do?" Presley asked, feeling just the tiniest bit relieved.

"Of course," she nodded. "You do not have a mean bone in your body."

"T-thank you," he managed. "I'm still really sorry though. I was just trying to be funny."

"You were," she assured him.

"Then why...?"

"It reminded me of something," she said.

"Something bad?"

She shook her head. "No, not 'bad'. Just... Just..." She paused. "Something very painful for me."

"I'm so sorry."

"You couldn't have known," she informed him.

"Is there anything I can do?"

She gave a small, sad smile. "I'm afraid not, my prince. Not unless you know how to change the past."

((((())))))

After hours of not being able to fall asleep, Ja-Kal finally decided that it was time to talk to Nefer-Tina. He had respected her wishes to be left alone for long enough. She had to learn that she didn't need to hide things from him anymore.

Slowly, he pushed open the lid of his sarcophagus.

"Not unless you know how to change the past," came Nefer-Tina's voice.

Ja-Kal froze in place.

"Oh, Nef," Presley's voice responded. "I'm sorry."

"It's no one's fault but my own," she told him sadly. "I'm the one who made the choices I did. I'm the only one to blame."

What was going on? What were they talking about? Without making a sound, he looked and saw that they were both seated at the table.

"When you're young, you sometimes do things without thinking," she continued. "When I made the decision to disguise myself as a boy, I didn't even think about what I was throwing away. They weren't important until now... Now, when it's too late."

"What?" Presley asked very quietly. "What did you throw away?"

"The chance to have a family."

Oh, gods, Ja-Kal thought. Although the story she was telling Presley was interwoven with lies (she had never had a choice in anything she had done), he knew the part about a family was true. Because of what Tia had done to her, she had lost any chance of having a normal life.

"Oh, man," Presley commented. "I'm really, really sorry, Nef. I shouldn't have said anything."

"You didn't know," she soothed him. "You were only making a joke.

"I love Ja-Kal so much. He's the only man I have ever loved. I never dreamed that he'd love me back..."

My poor love...

"I spent years imagining what it would be like to have a family with him," she went on. "To be married to him... And now that he finally does love me back, we can't do any of those things. Things I'd give anything to have. And that hurts.

"It hurts so much."

"I'm so sorry," Presley repeated.

Oh, Nefer-Tina, why haven't you told me this?

"If I had met him before I became 'Nefer', things might have been different, but I didn't," she went on. "And now that we're mummies..."

"Well, maybe there's a way you still can get married," Presley suggested. "Remember what Mom said about getting married in Vegas?"

Nefer-Tina gave a soft laugh. "Ja-Kal would never agree to it. You know how he is."

"But he knows how you feel, right?"

I do now.

"No," she told Presley. "I couldn't tell him. I couldn't do that to him."

"Why not?" Presley's question echoed Ja-Kal's own thoughts. "He really loves you. He'd understand."

"Understanding has nothing to do with it," she informed him. "You know as well as I do that duty comes first with Ja-Kal. Always has, always will. He may tell me otherwise, but I know him too well. Taking time to get married would take him away from his duty to you for too long."

She's right, he bitterly realized. It was too dangerous to put himself in a position where he could not get to Presley immediately if an emergency should arise. He would want to give Nefer-Tina a proper wedding and wedding night. She deserved nothing less. But to devote the necessary time to her would mean leaving Presley open to danger. He could not do that.

He would not do that.

However, she was wrong about one thing. She came first to him, not his duty. Yes, his duty was important and took priority above all other things, but it did not mean that he valued it above all else. How could she even think that he did? She was everything to him.

"It'd only take a couple of hours," Presley protested. "It's not like he's deserting me or anything. Why don't you ask him? What do you have to lose?"

"You're very sweet to try and help me, Presley," Nefer-Tina said, "but I don't want to press the issue. Although it hurts me, I've already accepted that we'll never be more than lovers. We can't be... I love him and he loves me. I think that's all that should matter."

"I disagree," Presley informed her. "If getting married is important to you, you should tell him."

"No," she shook her head. "I can't do that to him. It would only make him feel guiltier than he already does."

"That's exactly why you should tell him," Presley decided. "Guilt trips can work wonders!"

Ja-Kal admired Presley's persistence. The young prince was trying very hard to make Nefer-Tina feel better, but he knew that nothing the boy could say would alleviate her pain. He was the only one that could do that.

If only he could.

I'm so sorry.

Suddenly, Ja-Kal felt a gentle hand land on his arm. He turned around to see Amanda standing behind him. She held a finger up to her lips and gestured for him to follow. He nodded and she quietly led him into the bedroom.

Once inside, he closed the door behind him.

"Is what shes saying true?" Amanda asked without preamble.

"How much did you hear?" he countered. He did not want to answer the question. He knew what she would say to him and didn't want to hear it. He was already guilty enough.

"Enough," she told him. "So answer my question. Is it true?"

He looked down. "Yes."

"For god's sakes, why?" Amanda questioned. "Why can't you push aside your duty for once in your life? She's suffered so much already. Give her this one thing. Make her happy. She loves you. And I know you love her, too."

And she did know. She knew everything. About Tia, about the rape, the banishment...everything.

Ja-Kal had never meant for her to find out. But the day when Amanda had made Nefer-Tina cry all those months ago, he had found himself left with no other choice but to tell her. He couldn't risk letting her hurt Nefer-Tina again, even if it had been unintentional.

During those hectic early days, when they were preparing to leave San Francisco, Amanda had approached Nefer-Tina and just started talking to her. Ja-Kal had been pleasantly surprised by that development. It had been unexpected, but very welcome. Nefer-Tina needed to have a female friend and the fact that she was also the prince's mother was just an added bonus.

However, Nefer-Tina herself had not been comfortable with it at first. It wasn't that she didn't like it, which she in fact did. (She had confided in Ja-Kal that she found Amanda's desire to be her friend miraculous.) What had bothered her was the way Amanda questioned her about her past. The questions had been much more personal than anything Nefer-Tina was used to and she had not known how to answer most of them. The responses required her to have led a normal life, which, as Ja-Kal well knew, she had not.

On that fateful day, Amanda had brought up the subject of first loves. Ja-Kal had been in hearing distance and had smiled as Nefer-Tina proclaimed him to be her first and only love. Unfortunately, Amanda had not believed her and had started pressing her for "the truth". Nefer-Tina had not budged from her assertion, which only served to make Amanda more insistent. And the more and more insistent she became, the more and more upset Nefer-Tina had gotten, until finally, she had just broken down and cried.

Ja-Kal's response had been immediate. He had wrenched Amanda aside and demanded to know what she thought she was doing. He had been so angry. If he had for once second doubted that what she had done was unintentional, prince's mother or not, he knew he would not have been able to contain his rage. No one could treat the woman he loved like that. He would not stand for it.

Amanda had been both very confused and very upset by what had happened. Nefer-Tina's reaction had taken her by surprise. She had apologized profusely, repeating over and over that she hadn't meant anything. She had explained that she was only trying to be friendly and that was how women who were friends talked to each other. They asked each other intimate questions and dug until they got the true answers. Nefer-Tina was the first woman Amanda had ever met that didn't instinctively know this.

As he listened to her, Ja-Kal had realized that the only way to avoid any future incidents like this was for him to tell Amanda the truth about Nefer-Tina's past. Only by knowing the things that upset her could she avoid asking about them. As much as he had hated breaking Nefer-Tina's trust, he had known it was the right thing to do.

So, after swearing the woman to secrecy, he told her.

Amanda had been shocked by what he had told her. The expression of horror on her face after he had finished told him everything he needed to know. She now understood why Nefer-Tina had cried, why she had been reluctant to talk about her past at all. She had not been able to speak for several moments after listening, but when she finally had, she had sworn that she would never bother Nefer-Tina about her past again.

And she hadn't.

"My feelings for her have nothing to do with this," he informed her. "You said it yourself, you know how much I love her. I wish I could just abandon my duty to Presley, but I can't. His safety is too important."

"It would only be for a couple of hours, Ja-Kal," Amanda pointed out. "And it's not as if Presley would be alone and unprotected. He would have Rath, Armon, and myself. You and Nefer-Tina aren't his only guardians."

"I never said that," he corrected her. "And I know that you are all perfectly capable of defending him as well. However, I am his head guardian and it is my responsibility to be ready to protect him at all times. I am the one that must always be there when he needs me. I cannot just walk away from my duty, even for a little while. I...tried that...once. And the results were nearly disastrous."

"What happened?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Scarab placed me under a spell and nearly succeeded in taking Presley's soul because of it," he said.

"I don't understand. How was being under a spell walking away from your duty?"

"I walked away because I did not know I was under a spell," he explained. "Scarab was using his magic to drain my energy and since I did not know the true cause, I believed that I was growing weak. And I came to realize that in my condition I was more likely to endanger Presley than protect him. So, I decided that it would be best for everyone if I went away. I didn't tell anyone. I just...left. And walked right into Scarab's trap."

"You make it sound as if the whole thing was your fault," Amanda commented.

"It was my fault," he informed her. "Because I was too stubborn to ask for help, your son nearly died."

"I disagree," she told him, "but that's just my opinion. Anyway, what we're talking about is totally different. You wouldn't be leaving him for good, just for a few hours."

"The amount of time makes no difference," he argued. "It's the act itself of leaving him unprotected. If anything were to happen to him while I wasn't there-"

"What if it were?" she questioned. "Let's say the worst happened and Presley did die. What then? Are you telling me you'd spend the rest of your life blaming yourself for something you had no control over? Would you wallow in your own misery and ignore everyone else who needs you? Especially the one who needs you the most?"

"I..." Nefer-Tina would understand, he knew. She would understand better than anyone.

"Or what if something happened to him while you were there?" she pressed on. "Would you still blame yourself? Even if you knew you did everything in your power to protect him?"

"Yes," he told her.

"You're a fool," she told him.

"Then so be it," he replied as calmly as possible. "Keeping my prince safe is my duty. I am his head guardian. If he were to be harmed or killed, then it would be my fault. It would mean that I had failed at my duty."

She gave a little smile and shook her head. "You're one in a million, aren't you?"

"I don't understand."

"It doesn't matter," she waved him off. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about the possibility of anything that extreme happening for a long time. As long as that lawsuit's going on, Scarab won't be coming anywhere near us."

"You are referring to what is being said in all those articles and news programs on the magic box, correct?"

She nodded.

"But how do we know whether or not any of it is true?" he wanted to know. "These stories of a... What are they calling it?"

"A hostile takeover," she supplied.

He nodded. "These stories of a 'hostile takeover' may very well be a fabrication to distract us from his true activities. He may very well know exactly where we are and is waiting for us to become careless because of these lies before he attacks."

"That sounds a little farfetched to me," Amanda told him. "Besides, if he knew where we were, he would have attacked by now. From what you've told me about him, Scarab's not a very patient man."

"This is true," Ja-Kal conceded. "He grows more and more desperate for his immortality. He would take any risk to get it."

"Exactly my point," Amanda said. "If he knew exactly where we were, he would have already made his presence known. No, I really think he's stuck back in San Francisco fighting to save his company. 'Harris Stone' can't afford to lose his empire. Without it, his chances of ruling the world are pretty remote, immortal or not. Money is power. The more money you have, the more powerful you are. If Scarab loses his money, he loses everything."

"But how long will it last? How long before he comes looking for Presley again?" Ja-Kal wanted to know.

"There's no telling with these cases. Could be weeks. Could be months. Could be years. It all depends," Amanda said. "From the way this one's been sounding in the news, it's going to take a while. Telnec Industries is not known for losing."

"I doubt they will be able to defeat Scarab," Ja-Kal asserted. "As you said, he must win."

"We've gotten completely off the subject here," Amanda told him. "I brought you here to talk about why you won't marry Nefer-Tina."

"And I have told you why. My duty to Presley must come first."

"But didn't we just say that Scarab's too busy to be coming after you?" Amanda insisted. "Presley's perfectly safe for the time being. You can afford to go off-duty for a couple of hours now."

"Scarab is not the only threat to his safety," Ja-Kal informed her. "He may be the most dangerous, but there are other things that we must guard him from."

She shook her head. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?"

"Why am I stubborn for following the orders of my pharaoh?" Ja-Kal wanted to know. "When I was appointed the prince's head guardian, I was instructed to protect him from all danger. That is what I did in Egypt. That is what I'm doing here."

"But you had a life in Egypt too," she pointed out. "You were married and had a family. So don't tell me you never walked away from your duty."

"That was different," he told her. "In the palace, there were guards everywhere. We were not the only ones watching over him. His safety did not solely rest in our hands. We were allowed to become distracted by other things.

"And," he added for good measure, "I was married before I was appointed to guard over Rapses."

Amanda sighed. "We're not getting anywhere, are we?. Look, all I ask is that you really think about this. You have a chance to give the woman you love something she's wanted for a very long time. Imagine how happy she'd be if you were to ask her to marry you. She loves you so much. Just think about it, okay?"

"There is nothing to think about," Ja-Kal told her. "I cannot abandon my duty again. Not even for her."

"I think you're making a mistake," she informed him.

"I am sorry you feel that way," he said.

"So am I."

((((())))))

"Oh, wow!"

Nefer-Tina didn't have to look to know the exact expression of wonder Presley had on his face.

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" she asked him. Las Vegas had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the vast desert. It had risen from the barren sands and filled the RV's windshield. It was one of the most incredible sights she had ever seen.

"Who has the directions to the hotel?" she called as the city limits grew closer.

She felt a hand land on her shoulder.

"You're going to continue following 95 until you see Russell Road," Ja-Kal told her. "You'll make a left and that should bring us right to the entrance."

"Great," she said. "Thanks."

He squeezed her shoulder. "You are welcome."

Nefer-Tina knew Ja-Kal was not happy with her for keeping what had happened yesterday from him, but he had not said anything about it yet, which surprised her. Ever since they had gotten together, he had been overly protective and concerned about her. This was the first time he had ever left her alone about anything. She could only assume it was because he had other more important things on his mind, which she was glad for.

As she had told Presley, her desire for a family was one subject she'd never bring up to Ja-Kal. First of all, it was impossible. They were, after all, mummies. Although their bodies were still functional in many ways, she knew she was incapable of having children. She had not had her bleeding time once since being brought back to life.

The other, more important reason was Ja-Kal's devotion to his duty. Protecting Presley was his number one priority. If anything were to ever happen to the prince, Nefer-Tina knew Ja-Kal would ultimately blame himself. He would not allow himself to be put in a position where he'd be distracted from keeping Presley safe. And getting married would be the ultimate distraction.

Telling Ja-Kal that she wanted to marry him would only make him feel guilty. As important as his duty was to him, he loved her and, as he had told her over and over again, he only wanted to make up to her for the years of suffering he believed he had caused her. (No matter how many times she told him that it wasn't his fault, he still refused to believe her.) He'd tear himself apart over his inability to give her the family she so desired. She couldn't do that to him. It was better to keep it a secret. Better to suffer in silence.

The RV arrived at a traffic light and Nefer-Tina took the momentary pause to touch Ja-Kal's hand, which he seemed to have forgotten to remove from her shoulder.

He turned his hand over and took hers. "I love you," he said quietly as he gently squeezed her hand.

"I love you," she whispered back.

"Oh, please!" Presley groaned. "Don't you two ever quit?"

"No," Nefer-Tina informed him as the light turned green.

"I had to ask," Presley muttered as Nefer-Tina resumed driving with a smile.

But, despite this one heartache, she was happy. Happier than she'd ever dreamt of being. She now had the one thing she never thought would be hers: Ja-Kal's love. Ja-Kal loved her.

And that was enough for her.

((((())))))

"Can we come out yet, guys?" Nefer-Tina questioned through the bedroom door.

"Not yet," Presley answered as he tied his sneakers. He was the only one fully clothed. The rest were still in various states of undress.

"We'll tell you when," Ja-Kal assured her as he slipped on a shirt.

Armon, Rath, and himself were not as accustomed to modern dress as Nefer-Tina was. For the six months Scarab had been missing, she had disguised herself almost every night in order to attend school and work. It had become natural to her. So natural, in fact, that she only wore clothing these days. They, on the other hand, only disguised themselves when necessary. Unless they were going to encounter the general public, kilts and bandages were just fine.

"Have you applied your cosmetics yet?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Nefer-Tina put the flesh-colored stuff on every day, even if she did not need it.

"Of course," she replied. "You?"

"Not yet," was his reply. Like the clothing, it was something he, Armon, and Rath only used out of necessity. And since they used so little, they only applied it after everything else was done.

Nefer-Tina clucked her tongue. "Sounds like someone's getting lazy on the job."

He smiled. "And it sounds like someone is headed for a disciplinary action," he teased her back, something he would never have dreamed of doing three months ago.

Until he allowed her into his life, he had always believed, because of his position and responsibilities, that he needed to appear serious and disciplined at all times. (He had, however, found himself slipping now and again but he was, after all, only human.) But the more and more time he spent with Nefer-Tina, the more and more difficult he was finding it to maintain that level of discipline. She was too much of a free spirit, so playful and happy. She could always make him smile, something not even Tia had been able to do. She made him be himself. And, much to his surprise, he was finding he liked it. He liked not having to be the strong leader at all times.

He liked feeling human.

"Youd better listen again," she informed him, "because if you think I'm gonna do a thousand push-ups in this outfit, you're absolutely insane!"

"I guess I must be insane," he called back through the door.

"I knew it!" she shouted triumphantly.

Presley began to laugh wildly. "You two are so weird."

"And you don't think you'll be the same way when you fall in love, my prince?" Rath asked him.

"How would you know, Rath?" Presley shot back. "Your only experience was with that Chontra-lady and we all know how well that turned out."

"For your information, Prince Rapses, my 'relationship' with Chontra never went beyond the student-teacher phase," he informed him haughtily. "But I am sure that if it had, I would not have behaved in such a way."

"Sure, Rath. Whatever you say," Presley told him in a tone that implied he hadn't believed a word of it.

"I think he believes you are lying," Armon helpfully told Rath.

"Of course he does," Rath said. "Leave it to you to point out the obvious."

"Thank you," Armon smiled.

Presley and Rath shared a look.

"You may come out now," Ja-Kal told Amanda and Nefer-Tina as he and the others finally finished putting on their clothes.

"It's about time!" Nefer-Tina announced.

The door opened and Amanda stepped out first. She gave Ja-Kal a look. He knew what it meant. She was still convinced that he should push everything aside and marry Nefer-Tina.

How he wished he could.

Nefer-Tina came out next, looking, as usual, absolutely beautiful. She was wearing a sundress that was the very same color of the star it was named for.

Ja-Kal smiled and walked over to her. "You're right," he said. "You can't do push-ups in that."

She gave him a smile of her own. "Maybe you're not that insane after all."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "What about now?"

"I'll have to think about it," she teased.

He kissed her again. "You're very lucky I love you as much as I do."

"You guys!" Presley complained. "I'm gonna hurl if you keep this up!"

"Presley!" Amanda admonished.

"Well, it's true!" he insisted.

"You didn't think that yesterday," Rath spoke up.

"Rath!"

"Does this have anything to do with what you wanted to discuss with him?" Amanda asked.

"Why do I have the feeling we missed something important?" Nefer-Tina commented.

"Nothing!" Presley cried out. "You missed nothing!"

"Then why are you so defensive, my prince?" Ja-Kal asked teasingly.

"I am not defensive!" Presley shot back. "I'm just... Just..." He seemed to think about something. "I'm just ready to blow this joint already," he finally declared. "It's a nice RV and all, but I miss civilization."

"Have you picked out where you want me to take you yet?" Nefer-Tina asked him, going with the subject change. She had volunteered to stay with him for the first day and Ja-Kal had a feeling it had something to do with what had happened yesterday.

"Yep and I already know where I want to go first," Presley announced.

"And where is that?" Nefer-Tina questioned.

"Circus Circus," he informed her. "It's the only casino with a built in amusement park!"

"Sounds great," Nefer-Tina told him.

"Well, no one's going anywhere until certain people finish getting ready," Amanda pointed out.

"You are right, of course," Ja-Kal agreed. "Rath, Armon, the two of you use the cosmetics we keep in the bathroom. I will use the supply in the bedroom.

"Amanda, I want you and Presley to do one final check of what we need for today's first venture. Make sure the cell phones are fully charged and that there are enough coins for each of us."

"I assure you," Rath sniffed, "I prepared more than enough. In fact, I believe you will find a sufficient amount to last our entire stay."

"Very good," Ja-Kal told him. He turned back to Amanda. "Count out enough for today and divide it into three equal groups."

"Will do," she acknowledged. "Come on, honey."

"Sure," Presley said.

"Be ready as soon as you can," Ja-Kal urged. "The earlier we get started, the more money we have a chance of getting."

"What do you want me to do?" Nefer-Tina asked him as the others went to work.

He pulled her closer and kissed her. "Keep me company."

"I can do that," she told him.

"I love you," he said as he released her from his arms.

"Youd better," she teased as she walked ahead of him and went into the bedroom.

Smiling, he followed her.

She was waiting for him just inside the room and he pulled her into another embrace, kissing her.

"Shall I close the door?" she murmured between kisses.

"I wish." He knew that she had been joking, but he meant his answer with all of his heart. How he wanted to make love to her again.

She leaned heavily against him. "When will we ever be able to make love again?" she quietly asked as if reading his mind.

He gently stroked her back. "As soon as we've settled into our new lives," he promised her. "We'll have a place all our own. Right now the prince is in too much danger. Until we know he's safe, we can't leave him unprotected."

"I know," she told him.

"But once we are certain that Scarab can't find him again, I'll make it all up to you. I swear I will."

"I know," she repeated. "I know. I just wish..."

He knew what she wished and it sent pain coursing through him that he couldn't make it come true.

I'm so sorry, my love.

"Our one night together was the most incredible thing I've ever experienced," she told him. "I just want to...feel that again, you know?"

"I know."

She moved to look up at him. "I still can't believe you love me."

It was his turn to sigh. "Nefer-Tina..."

She averted her face. "I just feel so unworthy of you, that's all. You could do so much better."

"No." He pulled her away from his body. "No, I can't." He reached out and lifted her chin so that he could see her face. "You're the only one I'll ever love."

"Thank you."

"Never forget that," he ordered her. "No matter what happens to us."

"I won't," she promised. "I love you."

He pulled her to him again. "I love you too." And then he kissed her.

As he kissed her, a wave of sadness passed through him. Why did she still feel the need to hide things from him? Why hadn't she told him about her desire for marriage and a family? If he hadn't overheard her yesterday, he still wouldn't know about it. Why did she continue to question his love for her? What would it take to make her understand that she could tell him anything without fear of rejection?

Who am I fooling? I know exactly what it would take. If only I could give it to you, my love.

He broke the kiss. "I have to finish getting ready, my love."

"I know," she murmured, leaning against him again. "I just wish we could just stay like this forever

"So do I," he told her.

"So do I."

((((())))))

"You all have your casino lists and coins, correct?" Ja-Kal checked one last time.

"And food money too," Armon added for good measure.

"Remind me again why he is accompanying me," Rath muttered.

Ja-Kal ignored him. He had put Armon in Rath's charge for the very simple reason that, in their strange way, they were best friends and Rath was the most capable of keeping Armon in line. As much as he complained, he enjoyed being "annoyed" by Armon.

Ja-Kal turned to Presley, who stood next to Nefer-Tina. "My prince, remember to be back here at a reasonable time."

"Don't worry, Ja-Kal," Presley brushed him off. "Nef'll keep me in line. Right, Nef?"

"You know me too well," Nefer-Tina grinned. "You try anything and I'll whip you right back into shape." She reached out and placed a hand on Ja-Kal's shoulder. "You can count on me," she said seriously.

"Always," he told her. He turned back to the others. "You have your assignments. Return to the RV by six o'clock."

"We will see you then," Rath acknowledged. He turned to his companion. "Come with me, Armon. We have a schedule to keep."

"Can we stop for a snack first?"

"No."

"But I'm hungry," Armon protested.

"You're always hungry," Rath informed him as he opened the door. "I'd think you'd be used to feeling that way by now."

"Why?" Armon asked as he stepped outside. "I always eat so I don't feel hungry anymore. See?"

"Ra give me strength," Rath muttered as he followed, closing the door behind him.

Ja-Kal just shook his head.

"And I thought you two were bad," Presley commented. He adjusted the straps of his ever-present backpack and started heading towards the door. "Let's get this party started! Bye, Mom! Bye, Ja-Kal! Come on, Nef!"

Nefer-Tina went over to Ja-Kal and gave him a quick kiss. "See you later, my love."

"I look forward to it," he told her.

"I take it back!" Presley announced from the doorway. "You two are still the worst!"

Nefer-Tina giggled as she went to join him. "Be careful, young prince, or I'll spend the entire day talking about how much I love him."

"No! Anything but that!" Presley groaned as Nefer-Tina herded him out the door.

"Bye, Amanda," Nefer-Tina called.

"Keep him out of trouble," Amanda ordered her.

"Sure thing," Nefer-Tina promised as she pulled the door shut.

"She really knows how to handle him, doesn't she?" Amanda commented as she came over to Ja-Kal.

"Yes, she does," he agreed.

Amanda paused thoughtfully. "She would have made a wonderful mother."

Ja-Kal whirled to face her. "Don't start this again. Please."

"Start what? All I did was make an observation."

"Don't play games with me, Amanda," he warned. "I've already told you why I can't marry her. Let it go."

"I can't," she informed him, crossing her arms. "Not when your reason is so ridiculous."

"Ridiculous?" he repeated incredulously. "Since when is protecting your son ridiculous?"

"When it's unnecessary and gets in the way of everything else," she said matter-of-factly. She sighed. "Look, all I'm saying is that not all dangers can be detected and you're fooling yourself if you think you can save him from every little thing. Accidents happen, you know. If Presley were to trip and fall right in front of you, could you really blame yourself?"

"What? No, of course not!" If anything being said was ridiculous, this question was it. "How-?"

"Or could you be held accountable if he caught a cold?" she pressed, cutting him off. "Things like that are more likely to happen than, say, an attack by a group of thugs, which, if I'm right, is the kind of thing you're thinking of."

"It is far wiser to be prepared for any event, even the least likely, than to be caught unawares," he countered. "The alert gazelle is less likely to fall prey to the prowling lion."

"If that's true, why let him out of your sight at all?" she questioned. "I know that he spent many hours away from all of you back home."

"Things were different then," Ja-Kal stated. "He had his amulet which he could use to summon us from anywhere. Now we must use cells phones, which are far from reliable."

"You're missing my point. What if he had been prevented from calling you?"

"I..." This was not something he had ever considered. He had always taken for granted that Presley would have time to summon help. They all had. "I never thought of that."

If what she was saying was true, then he had failed to fulfill his duties completely. It had never crossed his mind that not even the amulet was infallible. How lucky had they been that Scarab or any of the other enemies they faced had never figured out this flaw either.

"My point exactly," Amanda said. "There's probably a lot of things you've never even thought of. Nobody's perfect, Ja-Kal. You can't expect to be able to protect him from everything. Not even when you're right next to him."

"You've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?" he asked with a small smile despite the distress he was feeling over his negligence.

"More than you think," she answered back. "So, will you think about it again?"

"Why is this so important to you?" he wanted to know.

"Because I know how happy it would make her," Amanda soberly told him. "She's lost so much. I just want her to be given something that she can hold on to."

"You're a good person. I can see from where Presley gets his heart."

"Thanks," she smiled. "I try." She walked over to the table where she had left her purse. "Well, we should probably get going now."

"Yes," Ja-Kal agreed. "We should."

She slung her purse over her shoulder. "Promise me you'll think about it."

"You have my word." He would do as she asked but already knew that the conclusion would be identical.

Unlikely or not, as long as the possibility of attack existed, it was his duty to always be ready to defend his prince.

Always.

((((())))))

"I smell... I smell..."

Rath did his best to ignore Armon's idiotic excitement over the aroma of food. They had just entered the hotel with the strange name of "New York, New York" (what possible purpose could naming a building twice, with the same name no less, serve?) and he needed to familiarize himself with the layout in order to put his plan into action. They, well, he anyway, had a job to do. He did not want to spend any more time in here than absolutely necessary. It was an absolute affront to the senses and the sooner he got started, the sooner he could leave.

"Pizza!" Armon suddenly announced as his nose finally honed in on something. "Mmm..."

Rath dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Here," he said opening it and drawing out several bills. He handed the money to Armon, who was already getting a glazed look in his eyes. "Go knock yourself out."

Armon snapped out of his trance. "Thanks, Rath!"

For a moment, Rath feared he would hug him.

"Good luck getting the money!" Armon said, much to Rath's relief. And, with that, he bounded off into the crowd, no doubt directly to the pizza vendor.

"If only he'd move that fast the rest of the time," he muttered.

Finally rid of his burden for the time being, Rath cast his gaze around the hotel lobby. He was quickly able to determine that the slot machines were mainly to be found in the central area, which would save him lots of time and make his plan much easier to implement.

His plan was this: he would play several slot machines off of a single ten dollar bill, moving around the casino floor to make himself appear to be just an ordinary tourist looking for that one lucky machine. After he had used up his initial money (and any true winnings he had earned), he would use one of his specially charged quarters on one of the machines labeled with a large sum of money. After he had collected his winnings (and Armon), he would move on to the next hotel. It was perfect in its simplicity. (In fact, he felt that it was so perfect that he alone of the group would bring in the most money.)

Spotting a change machine, he headed out onto the casino floor.

"Come on, baby!" a voice screeched right next to his ear, causing him to nearly jump.

"Oh, Phil, tell me when it's over! I'm afraid to look!"

Rath turned to glare at the people responsible for nearly deafening him, but found himself wasting his perfected look of annoyance on their backs. "Phil" and his excitable companion (the woman was now madly jumping up and down) were too busy staring at something blocked from Rath's view.

Curious as to what was causing such an uproar (Phil had joined in with his friend's wild bouncing, a rather frightening sight in Rath's opinion), he decided to get a closer look. This, however, turned out to be quite difficult since there was a whole throng of people around whatever it was and they were all as poorly mannered as Phil and his friend.

"Place your bets!" came a voice from inside the crowd.

Gambling, Rath realized. Well, that explains a few things, like their lack of manners. During his life in Egypt, he'd been exposed to more than a few betting matches and it seemed that nothing had changed in thirty-five hundred years. It was amazing what the prospect of supposedly free money could do to people.

But what could they possibly be betting on in such a small area? Determined to find out, he circled the large group until he finally found a gap. He stepped up and got his first taste of modern gambling.

"What in the...?" he murmured in surprise.

In the center of the gathering was a table. Embedded in the table was a strange spinning object. The object was covered with black, red, and green strips that each ended in a numbered slot at the outer edge. The same numbers and colors were repeated on the table where plastic, coin-shaped markers formed tiny piles. And, strangest of all, inside the spinning wheel was a ball. On what they were actually betting, he could not guess.

"No more bets," the uniformed man standing next to the object announced.

Suddenly the spinning stopped and the ball came to a standstill.

"Red 26," the same man called out as he read which slot the ball had landed in. And with that, the crowd became rowdier than before.

Satisfied that he now knew what they were betting on, Rath decided that it was time to resume his mission.

And Rapses insists that this world isn't barbaric, he sniffed as Phil's friend began to hit and scream at him.

He continued along through the casino, his gaze wandering as he went. There were numerous other gaming tables swarming with people behaving as badly as Phil and his friends. But the tables seemed to be outnumbered by the slot machines. They were everywhere, their eye-searing lights flashing like there was no tomorrow. The only thing worse than the shouting of the people was the alarms signaling that someone had won at a machine. (He'd have to remember to purchase some earplugs before moving on to the next hotel.) He sped up slightly, once more eager to do his job so he could get out of there.

However, he came to a dead stop when his eyes landed on something completely out of place in the chaos: a quiet gaming table.

There were five men at this table, four sitting on one side and the fifth, who was wearing an identical uniform to the one at the previous table, stood alone on the other. The seated four all held playing cards in their hands while the uniformed one had the remaining deck in front of him along with two cards laying on the table. There were piles of those plastic coins (did they have some sort of value?) everywhere.

"Hit me," one of the four spoke.

Hit?

But much to Rath's relief, no violence came of this request. Instead, the uniformed man simply picked up a card and slid it face down across the table.

The man who had asked for it picked the card up and then, a moment later, declared "twenty-one."

The other men groaned and laid down their cards as the man in uniform pushed several piles of the plastic tokens towards the man who had obviously won.

Is this gambling? Rath wondered because it sure didn't look like it. Rather, this appeared to be a game of skill.

A game that apparently rewarded you when you won.

As the winner collected his tokens (proving to Rath once and for all that they were very valuable indeed) and left, the others remained and the man in uniform collected all the cards and began to shuffle them.

Intrigued by the prospect of seeing an entire game played (maybe even picking up the rules himself), Rath decided that he wasn't in such a rush to leave the hotel after all...

((((())))))

Amanda turned in small circles as she attempted to take in everything at once. There was so much to see and so little time to see it in! If only she were here as a tourist...

But she wasn't. She was here on a mission. A mission in which she could not fail. Because if she did, her only son's life could be lost.

Sighing, she pulled her eyes away from the astonishingly detailed decor and moved deeper into the hotel named the Venetian.

She had chosen this particular casino simply for the reason that she had always wanted to visit Europe and Italy in particular. For years, she had planned to go right after college. However, there was one minor detail that she hadn't counted on and that was falling in love.

She had met Paul during her sophomore year. He had been a lab aide for the anthropology department. He was more than a few years older than she was and she had been surprised by his interest in her. They had started dating almost immediately, the relationship quickly becoming serious and exclusive. Going to Europe after graduation had no longer seemed as important to her.

If anyone had asked her, she would have told them that this was the man that she was going to spend the rest of her life with. How wrong she had been.

Though her own marriage had failed, she still believed that true love existed and that, if the couple was truly a perfect match, a relationship could last forever. (Her parents being a prime example.) People who disagreed with her only made her angry because she knew she was right. There was too much evidence supporting her observation.

That was why she was so angry with Ja-Kal. He and Nefer-Tina had a love that rivaled anything she had ever seen. Nothing could break them apart. They were living (well, sort of) proof of her views. Marriage was the next logical step for them. It would bond them together in a way nothing else could.

Just thinking of his lame excuses infuriated her. What was wrong with him? How could he pass up his one and only chance to marry the woman Amanda knew he loved with his heart and soul? Why was he being so stubborn?

His reasoning made no sense to her. Did he truly believe that danger lurked around every corner? And even if it did, how could he expect to be able to fend it all off? How could he live like that? There had to be another reason that he wasn't telling her.

In all truthfulness, Presley was probably safer now than he had ever been back in San Francisco. Not only were they constantly on the move, but Scarab was out of commission for the time being despite Ja-Kal's claims otherwise. (The mummies had come a long way in understanding the modern world, but some concepts, such as money equaling power, still escaped them. Scarab wasn't going anywhere until the suit was finished.) Ja-Kal could probably go away for weeks and come back to find that nothing had happened. And once they had settled somewhere on the east coast, it would take nothing less than a miracle for Scarab to locate them.

As much as she loved Presley and wanted to keep him as safe as possible, she thought that Ja-Kal was a fool for putting his well-being ahead of Nefer-Tina's. She should be his number one priority. The woman he loved, not a boy who had many capable people looking after him. Ja-Kal was not his only protector. Besides, after all the heartache she had been through, Nefer-Tina deserved nothing less than the full attention of the man who claimed to love her more than anything. What would it take to get him to see this?

She would not let this go. She couldn't let this go. Ja-Kal had to be made to realize that it was safe to take the time to get married before it was too late. Because once they left Las Vegas, marriage would truly become impossible.

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina couldn't help but smile at Presley's growing excitement as they approached the ticket counter of the indoor amusement park. He was acting nearly half his age.

"This is going to be so great!" he enthused. "I want to ride everything!"

"I think that can be arranged," she told him. Ja-Kal had given them no time limit, only that they return at a decent time, which, in her opinion, could even be sometime after dinner. (But then again, knowing Ja-Kal, he'd be very angry if he returned to find the prince still out and about so late.)

"Are you going to ride too?" Presley wanted to know.

"Of course," she grinned. "You think I was going to let you have all the fun?"

"Oh, sorry," Presley smirked. "I think I had you confused with your boyfriend."

She laughed. "You have to admit, he's gotten a little bit better." Ja-Kal really had started to loosen up. The fact that he played along with her when she teased him now was a major sign of improvement. (Not that there had been anything wrong with him before. She would love him with or without a sense of humor.) He had "blamed" her repeatedly for this, telling her that she was ruining his reputation. (Not that he minded one bit, he always added as he moved in to kiss her.)

Presley seemed to think about this as the line inched forward. "Um, I guess. Yeah. A little."

"Not enough for you, huh?"

"Nope," he determined. "I won't be satisfied until... Hmm..."

"Until he runs around screaming at the top of his lungs for no reason?" she suggested in a nonchalant tone. (The image would now be stuck in her head for days. Poor Ja-Kal! He'd be so confused when she just looked at him and started laughing! She'd have to quickly distract him with a kiss before he started asking too many questions!)

"Ooh! That sounds good!" he exclaimed. "Can you get him to do that?"

"Hmm... It's not gonna be easy," she determined playfully. "How much time do I have?"

"Um... How's ten years sound?"

"Deal! Let's shake on it," she grinned.

"You're on!"

And then the two of them started laughing.

((((())))))

As he stepped through the glass revolving door, Ja-Kal gasped in wonder at the sight that greeted him.

The lobby of the Bellagio hotel was breathtakingly beautiful. All the brochures Amanda had gotten yesterday about Vegas has proclaimed its elegance, but none of the words had done it justice. From the decorative flooring to the exquisite flower sculpture on the ceiling, it was nearly as magnificent as the pharaoh's palace in Memphis.

Nefer-Tina would love it here were the first words that sprung into his mind.

As he thought of his love, he was again consumed with feelings of guilt and sadness. Amanda's words had played endlessly through his mind. If only he could marry her. He loved her so much. All he wanted was for her to be completely happy, something she could never be as long as he denied her her greatest desire.

As if to mock him, a young couple began to kiss directly in his line of vision. The woman held a bouquet, an unmistakable sign of a wedding.

He turned away, unable to continue watching them, and resumed wandering the massive lobby. To his left, he saw a passageway and took it. Hopefully it would lead to a place where he could find a map and learn the location of the slot machines.

Much to his relief, the passageway led to a room where a wall was lined with desks, each manned by an employee of this fascinating hotel. All his questions would be answered here.

He made his way over to one of the desks but stopped when he came upon a stand in the middle of the floor. There, at the very top, was a map of the entire hotel.

Perfect, he thought.

A star with the text "you are here" showed him his current location, a small area off of the main lobby.

He scanned the map, easily finding the casino. However, out of curiosity, he didn't stop there. This was one of the most wondrous places he had ever seen in the modern world. He wanted to learn all he could about it before he resumed his mission.

But when he came across the section marked "wedding chapels", he stopped cold, the guilt surging again to the surface.

He's the only man I ever loved...

I spent years imagining what it would be like to have a family with him...

You know as well as I do that duty comes first with Ja-Kal... Taking time to get married would take him away from his duty to you for too long...

Why can't you push aside your duty for once in your life... She's suffered so much already...

I still can't believe you love me...

The words of yesterday and this morning flooded through his mind, haunting him, making him hate himself. He loved her so much. But he had to protect the prince. He had to. It was his duty. And his duty had to come first...

Oh gods, I'd give anything to push it all aside for her.

If only there was some way of knowing that Amanda was right and that Presley wasn't in any immediate danger. If he could be certain of that one thing, that one small thing, then he'd marry her in a heartbeat.

And he'd do it here. Here in this beautiful fantasy palace.

He pushed these thoughts away. They had come to this city for the sole purpose of replenishing their money. He had a job to do. Standing here and tormenting himself over something that was impossible wasn't doing anyone any good.

He glanced again at the map, his eyes lingering on the wedding chapels.

I'd give anything...

((((())))))

"Pardon me, but how do I go about participating in this game?" Rath asked the uniformed man behind the gaming table. He had done his business, his winnings safely tucked away in his pockets, and now was ready to try his hand at the game he had observed earlier. Armon was nowhere in sight, obviously still busy stuffing his face, so he was in no hurry to leave the casino.

The man, whose name tag read "Art", gestured at a white circle printed on the green table covering. "Place your cash or chips here."

"Excuse me?" Rath was puzzled. He had to pay to play this game? This was not something he had noticed during his earlier studies.

"Your bet?" Art prompted. "You want to play, place a bet."

"A bet? But I thought this game-"

"You wanna play? Place your bet," Art repeated, sounding annoyed.

"Just throw some money in the circle already," another man grumbled. "You're holding things up."

Rath glared at him. "I don't appreciate your tone of voice."

"And I don't appreciate your cluelessness," the man returned. "So either show us the cash or move on."

"Well, I never!" Rath huffed. He looked at Art. "I refuse to play with this rude gentleman."

"Fine," Art told him. "Since he was here first, I'm getting this hand started. If you want to play the next one, stick around.

"The minimum bet is twenty bucks. Have it in the circle by the time we finish."

A minimum bet, he wondered. On what? What could they possibly be expecting him to bet on? Was this not a game of skill?

Oh, well, he decided, fishing out a wad of money. When he won, he would get it all back anyway.

He located a twenty and placed it in the circle. Folding his arms, he sat back to wait. He wasn't in any hurry. And besides, those men would eat their words when he won his first game with ease...

((((())))))

"Oh, man! That was so awesome!" Presley excitedly said as he and Nefer-Tina exited the Canyon Blaster roller coaster. "I so want to do that again!"

"Definitely," Nefer-Tina agreed. "These rides are way too short!"

"Maybe, but they're a whole lot safer than some of the rides you took me for in the Hot-Ra," Presley told her, backing up a few steps and wearing an innocent grin.

"Okay, that's it," she declared. "You're going to get it!"

"Oh, no!" Presley mock wailed, still grinning wildly. "The big bad mummy is going to hurt me. Whatever shall I do?"

"You can start running," she suggested with a sly grin.

"Uh-oh!" Presley gulped. "I'm out of here!" And then he ran.

Laughing, Nefer-Tina took off after him, not caring what anyone thought of her. Today she was going to have fun and if that meant acting as young as Presley, so be it.

However, she found that running was nearly impossible in the shoes she was wearing, so she slowed down to a fast walk. By the time she caught up with Presley, he was sitting on a bench, feigning a look of boredom.

"What took you so long?" he asked with an exaggerated yawn. "I was getting ready to take a nap!"

Nefer-Tina did a low curtsey. "My apologies, my prince, but I am merely a woman and as such, my attire is not fitting for such...such..." She looked up at him. "...frivolity," she finished with just a hint of an accent.

Presley's mouth fell open. "Oh, my god! Nef, that was hilarious! You sounded just like him!"

"Thanks," she grinned. "I'm glad to know some good's come out of hearing him constantly talk about himself."

"You should try it on him sometime," Presley suggested, getting up from the bench. "It would drive him crazy."

"I don't think Ja-Kal would be too happy with me for that one," she told him.

"Aww, poor Neffy's afraid that she won't get smooched for a few days," Presley teased in a sing-song voice.

"Watch it, kid," she warned in a mock-menacing tone.

"Ooh, did I hit a nerve?" Presley pressed, still grinning.

"If I weren't wearing a dress right now," she threatened, "you'd be so dead."

"Think your Egyptsu can beat my Egyptsu?"

"Only one way to find out," she replied.

"You're so going down," he informed her.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yea-"

"Girl!"

Nefer-Tina and Presley stopped in their tracks.

"You so crazy!" came another loud voice.

"You're just jealous 'cause I'm winning and you ain't," added a third.

"This game ain't over yet," the first voice asserted.

"Ooh!" a fourth one commented. "This is getting goood!"

"You watch yo' mouth," the third one warned.

Presley looked at Nefer-Tina, who just shrugged at him. She had no idea what was going on.

They followed the loud voices to the source.

There they found a small arcade, mostly video games and one or two pinball machines. Playing one of the video games were four teenage girls, who looked to be somewhere between fifteen and sixteen. They were laughing and wildly bouncing up and down as they played.

Suddenly, there was a loud "whoop!" and the girl on the middle left threw up her hands in what Nefer-Tina assumed to be victory.

"I win!" the girl shouted triumphantly. "I still the very best! Ya'll better bow down to me!"

"Oh no she didn't!" the one furthest left declared and started laughing.

"She so crazy!" commented the girl on the far right. And all four started laughing hysterically.

"Who wants to go again?" the winner asked.

"Not me!" the one on her right informed her. "I had enough of you whooping my ass for today!"

"How about you?" the winner questioned the other two.

"Uh-uh!" one answered.

"There ain't no way," the second agreed.

"Fine!" the winner proclaimed. "I just have to find me another opponent."

"I'll play you," Presley spoke up.

All four turned to look at him.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Presley."

"You sure you want to play her?" one asked him. "She don't play fair."

"Oh no you didn't!" another cried and there was another round of laughter.

"Don't you mind her," the winner said. "She always talking trash about someone. My name's Martika."

"Nice to meet you," Presley said. "This is my friend Tina," he added, gesturing towards Nefer-Tina.

"He doesn't play fair either," Nefer-Tina informed them with a grin.

"Hey!" Presley cried, digging into his pockets for quarters. "I do too!"

"Well there's really only one way to find out," one of Martika's friends decided. "I'm Chantal by the way."

"I'm LaRosa," the third introduced herself.

"Jasmine," came the fourth.

"You ready?" Martika asked.

"Sure thing!" Presley told her and approached the machine, quarters in hand.

"This is gonna be good," LaRosa decided as the two opponents inserted their money.

Nefer-Tina just shook her head and smiled.

((((())))))

Amanda shifted her purse higher onto her shoulder as she finished drying her hands. It was starting to get rather heavy with the massive amount of money she had collected so far today. She was in her fourth hotel, the Aladdin, and was getting ready to head over to her fifth. Her hope was to hit at least ten before calling it quits for the day.

The method she had devised would guarantee that she got as much money as possible per day. She was only playing one machine once per casino, the magic quarter guaranteeing a win every time. Not only did it save time, but it also allowed her to explore each casino a little. (Ja-Kal hadn't given them any guidelines other than to get as much money as they could.) Her hope was that by the time they left Las Vegas they would have much more money than they started with. It was the best way to insure nothing like this ever happened again.

She walked over to the trash can to dispose of the used paper towel. As she tossed the towel, she glanced up and noticed the poster on the bathroom wall. Reading it, she sighed heavily.

It was for the casino's wedding chapel.

Yet another reminder of how foolish Ja-Kal was being.

God how she hoped he'd do the right thing before they left.

((((())))))

I shouldn't have come here.

Ja-Kal's heart ached as he realized his mistake too late. Just looking inside of the chapel hurt him. It reminded him of everything that he was doing...was denying her.

He knew that Nefer-Tina would love it here. It was absolutely beautiful, just like the rest of the hotel, and the perfect setting for a wedding. He could just imagine her smiling at him as they stood holding hands, exchanging vows and pledging their eternal-

"May I help you?"

The unexpected voice startled him, shaking him out of his private reverie. He turned around to see a young woman standing there.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked again.

She wasn't wearing a uniform or nametag of any kind, but based on her questions and formality, he assumed she worked for the hotel.

"No, no," he shook his head, giving her a little smile that he did not feel. "I was just looking."

"Seriously?" was her startling reply. "Just looking? A guy like you?"

Ja-Kal was taken aback by her reaction. What did she mean by that? "Excuse me?"

The woman suddenly looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, sir! I, uh, tend to get a little carried away. I hope I didn't offend you."

"You didn't," he said, unsure of what to make of this woman. Her lack of professionalism for someone working in a hotel of this standard surprised him. "You just startled me, that's all."

The woman let out a sigh of relief. "I'm really sorry. I have this bad habit of opening my mouth when I shouldn't. It absolutely drives my poor husband crazy!" She extended her hand. "I'm Natalie. Natalie McGregor."

"Jack Hunter," he told her, accepting her hand. She appeared to be harmless, a bit overly friendly perhaps, but still harmless. He would speak with her for a few minutes as not to appear rude before excusing himself. He had wasted too much time here already.

"Nice to meet you, Jack," she told him with a bright smile. "First time in Vegas?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I'm here with a group of friends."

"Ah, a road trip, huh? You couldn't have picked a nicer city to visit," she assured him. "Well, as long as you avoid the seedier elements, that is."

He mentally shook his head. She really couldn't control her mouth. How had she ever gotten hired here?

"So, how come you're here 'just looking' all by yourself? Where's the rest of your friends?"

"Elsewhere in the city," he told her. "We all have our own agendas."

"Hmm, that's a first," Natalie commented. "Usually groups stick together. What, do you guys not all get along or something?"

Does she even realize what she's doing? he wondered. Although she recognized she had a problem with speaking her mind too much, she didn't seem to put much of an effort into solving it. After getting over his shock from her initial outburst, he had taken an immediate liking to her and worried that her mouth would one day get her into trouble.

Aloud, he answered, "We get along fine. Our ages greatly vary and therefore we have diverse interests."

"And you guys are all friends? Wow," she remarked. "I guess you have at least one common interest then."

"We have many," he informed her. "We are more...family than friends."

She smiled. "That explains that then. So, what brings you to the Bellagio? And our wedding chapel, no less." She looked him up and down. "You're not married and you don't have a girlfriend with you. Tell me, what's the attraction?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean," he responded, confused. Had he breached some obscure rule of modern etiquette that even the young prince and his mother didn't know about? (If they had, they surely would have mentioned it.) "Have I done something wrong?"

Natalie first looked puzzled and then gave a little laugh. "Wrong? Why would you think something ridiculous like that?" She shook her head, smiling. "No, what I'm saying is that it's unusual for a single guy, especially such a..." She gave him another once over. "...hott-, er, good looking one at that, to be 'just looking' at chapels. The guys who usually come here are planning on getting themselves hitched and tend to bring their girlfriends with them."

Ja-Kal was amused to hear that not only did she assume he was single, but she found him attractive as well and was making no secret of it. I'm lucky she's already married.

"I'm not single," he corrected her. "I'm actually in a very serious relationship."

"Well, well, well, well, well. You've been holding out on me, Jack," she said with a sly grin. "By 'just looking' you mean 'shopping around'. Clever. Very clever. Planning on surprising her with the location, I see. Trying to find the right one? Well, let's see if I can convince you to get married with-"

"No, I'm really just looking," he cut her off, trying to redirect her train of thought. If she believed he was searching for a place to get married, he could be stuck talking with her for hours. Hours he did not have. He'd already wasted too much time as it was. "We have no plans to marry."

"What?" Natalie looked as if Ra himself had descended from the heavens and made a decree. "But you just said you were in a, and I quote, 'serious relationship'."

"Yes..."

"Don't you know what 'serious relationship' means to a woman?"

He shook his head, utterly baffled by her new behavior. She now sounded upset. Why?

"Marriage!" she cried. "'Very serious relationship' implies marriage! You can't not marry her! You've already told her you would! It's your duty!"

If only... "I don't know where you've gotten that idea, but Tina knows that I have no intention of marrying her. We haven't discussed it, but she understands."

"You really believe that, don't you?" she questioned.

"Why shouldn't I?" he pointed out. "If she tells me that she understands and accepts my reasoning, I believe her. She wouldn't lie to me."

"Jack, Jack," Natalie shook her head. "You don't know a thing about women, do you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe she's just saying that because she knows it's what you want to hear?"

"No," he shook his own head. "Tina's not like that."

She gave a little laugh. "All women are like that. We do whatever it takes to hold on to the men we love, including lie. We tell the guys what they want to hear in order to get what we want." She then smiled widely. "Of course, after we're married, we go back to normal and tell them like it is, but that's beside the point."

She's wrong, he told himself. Nefer-Tina had never lied to him about anything except her true identity back in Egypt. She withheld things out of fear, but never lied.

Yet what Natalie had said about doing anything to hold on to the one you love had struck a chord with him. His relationship with Tia had been a sick perversion of that. She had pretended to love him in order to get what she wanted. And he had fallen for it. He had believed she loved him. And that belief had blinded him to Nefer-Tina's suffering for so long...

My poor love.

He felt a hand touch his arm and he looked up to see Natalie looking concerned.

"You all right, Jack? You don't look so good all of a sudden."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm fine. I was just-"

"No, I'm the one who's sorry," she interrupted. "I was overstepping my boundaries as usual. I had no business telling you how to conduct your life."

"Thank you," he accepted.

"I'm just a sucker for the fairy-tale endings," she explained. "I believe people in love should always get married. It's why I went into this business. I enjoy spending my time helping couples start a new life together. Especially couples who are really, really in love."

"I wish with all my heart and soul that I could marry her," he quietly told her.

"Then why don't you?"

"It's difficult to explain," he said, thinking of a way to tell her without giving away too much. "Our...work doesn't allow us much privacy. We must remain in close contact with our teammates at all times in case we are needed, which could be at any time. Much of our work involves life or death situations. It's very important that we're there at every one. To take the time to get married would mean that we wouldn't be available if we were needed.

"I can't take the risk that lives would be lost because we could not be there."

She looked at him funny. "I didn't realize you were such an egomaniac."

"Ego has nothing to do with it," he informed her. "I am in charge of my team. It is my responsibility to always be with them when we are working."

"You mean you don't have a second-in-command or whatever they call them these days?"

"I do," he said. "Tina."

"Sheesh, that sounds like a tv show I watch," she decided. "So is there anyone else to fill in for either of you?"

"No." This conversation was coming dangerously close to the two he had had with Amanda. "There are only four of us altogether. No further command structure is needed."

Natalie appeared to think about this. Suddenly, her expression changed again. "Wait, didn't you say you were here on vacation? How-"

He reached into his pocket and produced his cell phone.

"Oh," she said. "Kind of takes the vacation out of vacation, doesn't it?"

Since he was not truly on vacation, he had no answer for her. He was here on business. So, he just shrugged.

"It is just the way things are," he told her truthfully. As he had told Amanda over and over again, his duty was his first priority. He had to be ready whenever Presley was in danger. "I have come to accept it, as has Tina. She knows how much I love her."

"But is that enough?" she asked.

The question startled him. "What do you mean?"

"Is just loving her enough?"

Nothing will ever be enough, he silently answered. She deserves more than I could ever give her.

"It has to be," he finally said aloud. "Believe me, if I could, I'd marry her in a heartbeat."

Suddenly, a sly smile appeared on her lips. "Then do it."

"What?"

"Marry her!"

"But I just told you-"

"Forget all the reasons why you can't," she informed him. "Just do it!"

He looked at her with disbelief. She was now entering territory even Amanda wouldn't dare.

"I know it's crazy but I think it would be good for you," Natalie continued. "Not only would you be marrying the woman you love but you'd be doing something exciting! You'd be taking a risk! Everyone should take at least one in their lives."

I've taken more than my share already, he silently told her. "I can't-"

"Stop with the can'ts already!" she ordered him. "In fact, just stop thinking altogether! You, my friend, are in serious need in letting your heart boss you around for a day or two. And I'm not letting you go anywhere until you say you'll do it."

He just stared at her. Was she insane? Did she actually think she could keep him here if he wanted to leave?

"Oh, it'll be so great!" she continued. "You throwing caution to the wind and Tina getting her man in holy matrimony! You two are going to be so happy! And you'll have a fabulous story to tell the kids one day!"

The mention of children shook Ja-Kal out of his daze. It was immediately replaced by the all-too-familiar guilt and the pain that went with it. Children were the one thing he could never give her even if they did get married. It was physically impossible for them.

What am I doing to her?

Gods, he loved her so much and all he did was hurt her over and over again. No matter what he did or how hard he tried, he only ended up causing her more pain. He did not deserve to be loved by her. He probably did not deserve to be loved by anyone.

Yet she loved him. She loved him despite everything. She had fallen in love with him before they had ever met and continued to love him no matter what had happened to her, even death. Her love for him knew no bounds. He could not understand why, but he knew that he could no longer go on without it.

Without her love, he was nothing.

"Oh gods," he whispered as the realization struck him.

He broke away from Natalie and stumbled into the nearest chair, placing his head in his hands.

He felt so confused. He knew his duty had to be his number one priority. It was why they had all been resurrected. Protecting the prince was their sole reason for being. So why did it not feel as important to him anymore?

Ever since he admitted to himself how much he loved Nefer-Tina, nothing else seemed to matter as much to him as it had before. He wanted to spend all of his time with her, attempting to make amends for everything he had done. All he wanted was for her to be happy. His duty had become secondary. Or had it?

Neither Amanda or Nefer-Tina seemed to think so. And even Natalie, with the modified version he had told her, believed he put his duty first. But wasn't that what he was supposed to do? Put Presley's needs before his own?

However, it wasn't his own needs that he had to be concerned with anymore. Nefer-Tina's were more important. But they were needs he had thus far avoided even attempting to meet.

As painful as it was to admit, he could not meet all of them. Nefer-Tina knew and understood this. They were mummies, not regular humans, and they could never live a normal life together. Their duty wouldn't allow it. As long as Scarab and all the rest of the world's dangers existed, they had to devote all of their time to keeping Presley safe. They...he...could not fail again.

Fail. That's what he had done back in Egypt. That's what he had almost done because of Scarab's spell. He could not let it happen again. And if he took the time to marry her, there was a possibility that he would. It was a possibility he could not allow for.

Or could he?

As Amanda had said, he could not protect Presley from everything, which he knew was true. But he had to always try to keep him safe. Amenhotep would settle for nothing less.

But Amenhotep wasn't here. In the nearly two years they had been alive again, their pharaoh had never once emerged from beyond the Western Gate to either praise or discipline them. Did that mean he was not watching them? Or was he observing and choosing to allow them to make their own decisions? Back in Egypt he had taken an active role in his son's well-being.

But Presley was not truly his son. Presley was the reborn spirit of his son. He was not Rapses. Perhaps that was why the pharaoh had seemingly taken no interest in what went on outside of the Western Gate. As long as they kept the spirit safe, he was satisfied.

His thoughts turned back to Nefer-Tina. She was his love, his heart, and his soul. He wanted more than anything for her to believe him when he told her this. She knew he loved her, but didn't think she meant as much to him as she did. Marriage was the only way he could think of to truly convince her of how deep his love for her was.

"Jack?"

He looked up to see Natalie standing over him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sounding very concerned.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted. "You've said some things that have made me think and now I don't know what I want anymore."

Natalie let out a sigh. "I'm so sorry. This is my fault. Me and my big mouth. I should have minded my own business."

"I love her so much," he said. "I only want to make her happy."

"Would marrying her make her happy?"

"Yes."

"But you're still worried about your job?"

He nodded.

"Do you really think anything will happen in the next couple of days?"

"I don't know," he honestly answered. "That's why I'm uncomfortable about abandoning my position."

"Let me rephrase the question. Has anything happened since you've been here?"

"No."

"Is it possible that nothing will happen for the rest of your stay?"

He hesitated before answering. Amanda was probably right about Scarab being trapped back in San Francisco for the time being, but he had no idea about the crime element in Las Vegas. Just because he hadn't seen any evidence of one yet didn't mean it did not exist...

I have to take the chance, he finally decided. I owe her that much. I love her too much to let her suffer anymore. Right now she needs me more than Presley does.

"I'll do it," he said at last. "I'll marry her."

A wide smile lit up Natalie's face. "I knew you'd make the right decision! Come on." She reached out and grabbed him by the hand.

"We have so much work to do!"

((((())))))

"I...I...lost?" Rath asked in disbelief as the woman on the far left of the table was given a pile of the plastic tokens.

"Again," Art helpfully supplied with a smile Rath just knew was fake. "Your hand only added up to thirteen."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Rath demanded to know. "Anyway I still don't see where you're getting those values from. How do I know that you're not just making them up?"

Although he had now been playing this game for hours, the rules still eluded him. The fact that no one had offered to explain them to him either had not gone unnoticed.

Rude commoners, he silently sniffed.

There was yet another chorus of groans from around the table.

"As I've explained to you, sir, the numbers on the cards denote their value," Art said in a tone that Rath didn't like.

"I only see one numbered card here," Rath informed him. Did they really think him that stupid?

"Go away already," grumbled the same man who had dared insult him when he first came to play.

"I will not," Rath huffed. "I have no intention of going anywhere." Not until I show these ruffians the power of my superior intellect. They've just been lucky so far, that's all. I'll figure out this game given the proper time to study it. And once I do, they'll be sorry for the way they've treated me.

Again, the sound of groans was heard.

"Allll right then," Art said. "Suit yourself. Everybody make your wagers."

Rath dug into his pockets again for the Ra-only-knew-how-many time. His huge wad of money was almost gone. He'd have to replenish it as soon as he won this game.

He still didn't see the purpose of betting on a game of skill but apparently it was common practice in this city, so he just continued to pay as a way of remaining at the table. He was not leaving until he had won at least once. He had to prove his superiority to Art and that rude man who would not leave him alone.

It was a matter of dignity!

((((())))))

"Make yourself right at home," Natalie told Ja-Kal as she ushered him into her office. "We're going to be here a while."

Ja-Kal walked in and his jaw nearly dropped open. Again he questioned how this woman was still employed in such an elegant hotel.

The office was brightly decorated in reds, pinks, and whites. The only object spared from that color scheme was her wooden desk. Every inch of her walls was covered with paintings and posters of couples in romantic poses, mostly kissing or passionately embracing. The furniture and shelving were buried under heaps of pillows and stuffed animals. The desk was the clearest area and it was covered with picture frames.

"Okay, Jack," Natalie said as she made her way over to her desk. "Let's see what we can come up with for you." She gestured towards a pillow-laden easy chair across from her desk. "Please."

Ja-Kal nodded and walked over to the chair, moving most of the pillows before sitting down.

"All right, here's what I'm thinking and tell me if I'm on the right track here." She was now seated at her desk and was quickly jotting down things on a piece of paper. "I see you as wanting a private ceremony. Very simple, just you and your bride. No fuss, no muss."

"Yes," he confirmed, amazed at her accuracy.

"You don't seem the religious type, so I think a civil ceremony is the way to go," she decided.

Again he was amazed. Maybe I was wrong about her.

She put her pen down and looked up at him. "Okay, you have two choices. You can either pick one of our wedding packages, which I don't recommend for someone with your needs, or you can custom design your own wedding. I strongly suggest you go with the custom. That way, whatever you don't want, you don't have to have."

"Which one is less expensive?" he asked, the realization that he would have to pay for this dawning on him. He knew he should not worry about the cost of making his love happy, but he had no choice. They had come to this city to gain money, not spend it. He could not afford to give her the type of wedding she deserved.

Natalie made a sound. "Not another word about cost," she waved him off. "I have a lot of friends in high places who'll cut me a little slack. And they have yet to turn me down. You have nothing to worry about. So, go wild! Give your Tina a wedding she'll never forget!

"So, what do you want?"

Ja-Kal smiled. "Tell me what's available."

"You got it," she smiled back. "Let's start with the chapels..."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina sighed dreamily as she gazed at the dress in the store window. It was absolutely beautiful. She wondered how she'd look in it and, more importantly, what Ja-Kal would think of her in it.

"Girl, that dress is the bomb," came a familiar voice from behind her.

She turned to see Chantal, Presley, Martika, LaRosa, and Jasmine coming over.

"You should go and try it on," Chantal urged. "It'd look so good on you."

"I couldn't," Nefer-Tina told her as she handed the girls their shopping bags.

"Why not?" Martika demanded to know. "It not like you has to buy it."

Nefer-Tina gave her a faint smile. "That's the problem. I'd want to. But I don't have the money for it. While the five of you were on "Race for Atlantis", I paid quite a few of the stores a visit. The prices here are way out of my league."

"But that's the beauty of this city," LaRosa pointed. "All you has to do is win the money in the casinos and whatever you wants is yours."

Nefer-Tina laughed. It was not far off from what they were really doing here, but they'd have to be much more careful with their spending from now on. A dress really didn't fit into their budget. Ja-Kal would probably throw a fit if she bought it. (Though he wouldn't be mad at her for long.) "That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

"It could happen, you know," Presley chimed in. "I mean, look at all the luck everyone else in our group's been having."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, they have!" he insisted, a mischievous grin on his face.

Oh, brother! "So how was the ride?" she changed the subject.

"It was so much fun!" Presley told her. "You should have come with us."

"Well, I would have, but someone needed to stay behind and watch all of this stuff," she informed him. "What have you four been buying anyway? Those bags weigh a ton!"

Martika gave a wide smile. "You knows how it is. We girls have to keep ourselves lookin' good if we want to attract the mens. Isn't that right, girlfriends?"

"You said it, Boo," Jasmine agreed. "We're gonna gets us some boyfriends when we go back home."

Nefer-Tina and Presley shared an amused look.

"And speaking of the mens," LaRosa spoke up. "Check out that mighty fine boy over there. Mmm, mmm! I'd love to take some of that home!"

The four girls all began to ogle and make comments about the guy they had spotted.

Nefer-Tina shook her head and smiled.

"Are all girls like that?" Presley wanted to know.

"Like what?"

"That," he emphasized, pointing at the now giggling girls.

"No, my prince," she informed him, remembering her own lack of interest in the opposite sex until that fateful day in the court of Amenhotep. "Not all."

"Good! 'Cause I'd hate to be judged like that!"

Nefer-Tina just laughed.

As her laughter died down, she turned around and took another wistful glance at the dress in the window.

If only...

((((())))))

Armon tried to ignore the insistent tapping on his shoulder as he licked the final drops of cream sauce from his plate.

"Mmm," he happily purred as he put down the now-empty dish.

"Sir," the annoying voice repeated. "I really must insist that you pay your bill and leave now."

Armon looked at the man who wasn't letting him enjoy his meal in peace. "Why?"

"Because you're scaring our other customers," he matter-of-factly informed him. "This is a respectable establishment, not one of those all-you-can-eat buffets. Your manners, or, rather, lack there of, are very offensive. Parents are afraid for their children."

"I'm sorry," he apologized though he really didn't understand why but felt that it was the right thing to say. He turned his attention to the nearest untouched plate. "Chicken. Mmm."

"Sir, do you not understand me? You need to stop eating and leave."

"But I'm not done," Armon pointed out. "And I'm still hungry."

"I'm very sorry, sir, but there are other restaurants more suited to your...needs. Please, pay now so you can find one of them."

"But I like the food here," Armon told him. "I do not want to leave." He ran a finger through the sauce of another entree sitting in front of him and placed it in his mouth. "Mmm," he declared as he sucked it clean.

"Don't force me to call security," the man warned.

"Why would you?" Armon asked, confused.

The man made a noise before turning his attention elsewhere.

Armon shrugged and continued eating.

((((())))))

"And don't come back!" the uniformed man ordered.

Armon, more confused than ever and now with a sore tut, just nodded numbly. Why had those men dragged him from his table and taken all of his money? What had he done wrong? And why hadn't he gotten to keep his leftovers?

The man and his four companions went back into the restaurant.

Armon couldn't understand what had happened. All he had done was eat. Wasn't eating what you were supposed to do in restaurants? He was very confused.

And still very hungry!

Deciding that there was only one person who could help him, he picked himself up off the floor and went to find Rath.

((((())))))

"Oh, poor Ralphie!," Misty, the most annoying person Rath had ever had the misfortune of meeting (worse than even Armon), cooed. "You'll do it next time."

Rath pulled the clinging woman off his arm. "I have no need of your sympathy or encouragement," he sniffed. "Now, will you leave me alone already?"

"But Ralphie," she pouted, thrusting her oversized bosom against him. (What was the purpose of that anyway?) "I wanna stay with you."

"For Ra's sake, Woman, why?" he demanded to know. Gods, what was wrong with her?

"Because you're so cute!" she grinned. And in a huskier voice, she added, "I like that in my men."

Dear gods! "For your information," he haughtily told her, "I am not cute. I never have been and never will be. No one has ever called me that until now and I hope you are the first and last person to do so.

"And if one were to bestow an appropriate attribute upon me, it would be 'handsome' or perhaps 'elegant', but not 'cute.' Cute. Humph!"

"I don't think any of those do you justice," a woman at the far end of the table announced. This was followed by hearty laughter from the other players.

"Hey!" Misty cried out. "You leave my Ralphie alone!"

"I can defend myself," Rath insisted. "Please don't help me. Please."

"But I want to," she pouted again, once more employing her chest in that strange fashion.

"If you want to help me, you can leave me alone."

"Ralphie!" she giggled, "you're so funny!"

"I very much doubt that," he muttered. He looked at the new hand he had just been dealt. It was a black two and a red nine.

"Rath!" a very familiar and very unwelcome voice called.

Why am I being punished?

Groaning, he turned around to see Armon bounding towards him. Not surprisingly, his clothes now sported colorful new food stains.

"Rath! Ra- Wait, I mean Ralph, he proudly corrected himself. "I need you to help me."

"This should be good," he muttered under his breath.

"I was eating in a restaurant and I was kicked out," Armon told him. "I do not know why. I was minding my own business when these mean men picked me up and threw me out the door. While I was still eating!" he practically wailed. "They took all of my money and now I can't buy anymore food. And I'm still hungry!"

"So what else is new?" Rath commented in a very low voice.

"You poor thing!" Misty decided. "I know exactly how that feels! I get kicked out of places all the time!"

"I would have never guessed," was Rath's comment.

"That isn't very nice," Armon said.

"I know!" Misty agreed. "It's not like I do anything wrong either! And it's always for some stupid reason too! My clothes, being told I'm harassing the customers..."

"Manners?" Armon suggested.

"Hmm, I don't think that one's ever come up," she said in what Rath took to be a thoughtful tone. "I'm not usually there to eat. I'm working."

"You're a serving girl?" Rath asked, somehow not too surprised given her low intellect.

"No, silly!" she giggled. "I'm looking for a husband!"

Rath could find no words.

"No wonder you are getting kicked out," Armon decided. "You're not eating!"

Gods give me strength!

"You know what, Ralphie?" Misty said, sounding as if she had just had a major revelation. "He's right! Thanks, big guy!"

"Aww, it was nothing," Armon waved her off.

"But it's really not going to be a problem anymore," she continued. "Right, Ralphie?"

"What are you talking about?" he grumbled as he gestured for another card.

Misty giggled. "Silly Ralphie. You know what I'm talking about..." She leaned closer to his ear. "Lover," she breathed.

Rath nearly fell off of his stool.

Misty giggled again and then planted a very wet kiss on his cheek.

Gods help me!

((((())))))

"Now I want you to choose very carefully," Natalie instructed as she led Ja-Kal down a hallway lined with shops. "The two of you will be wearing these for the rest of your lives."

"Are there any restrictions on what I can pick?" he asked her. In Egypt, there had been no marriage customs involving rings or any kind of jewelry. A couple only had to be blessed by a priest. Modern marriage, as he was rapidly learning, was far more complicated.

"Well, that actually depends on the kind of ceremony you have," she told him. "In certain religions, there are severe restrictions on everything. But as far as I know, civil marriages don't have any. There are some traditions that can apply to any kind of ceremony if you choose to follow them, but nothing is enforced." She stopped walking. "Here we are."

Ja-Kal turned to look. They were standing in front of a store that looked as elegant as everything else in this hotel. The large sign above the double doors read "Tiffany and Co."

Natalie pulled the metallic doors open. "Follow me."

The two of them entered the store and Ja-Kal immediately knew that he'd never be able to afford anything here on his own. He only hoped Natalie meant what she said about having friends "in high places."

"As I was saying," Natalie resumed, "there are some traditions. For example, diamonds are the preferred choice for engagement rings." She held out her left hand and for the first time Ja-Kal noticed the rather large ring she was wearing. "My Hayden's a bit of a traditionalist. My parents nearly had a heart attack when they saw this rock." She sighed happily. "I'm so lucky."

Ja-Kal only smiled. He knew exactly how she felt. True love was a miracle that very few got to experience and he was one of those lucky few.

"Anyway," she went on, leading him to a counter, "this is their selection of precious and semi-precious rings. Engagement rings are typically one of these while wedding bands are usually without stones.

"Take your time here. Look at all of them. Don't make your selection until you're absolutely certain that you've found the right one. Remember, this is what you're using to convince her to marry you."

He nodded as he started browsing, amazed at all the beautiful rings that lay before him. He wanted the one he picked to be both perfect and special, just like his love. A plain diamond wouldn't do, not for his Nefer-Tina. The ring he gave her had to be just as colorful and vibrant as she was.

"May I- Well, well, if it isn't the marriage queen herself," a new voice interjected.

Ja-Kal looked up to see a woman standing behind the counter in front of him.

"To what do I owe the honor of your presence this time?" the woman wanted to know.

"Oh, you know me, Charli," Natalie spoke up. "I'm always meddling in other people's business."

"Let me guess," Charli said, turning her attention to Ja-Kal. "She's helping you get hitched." She extended her hand. "Charlene Bevins, but you can call me Charli."

"Jack Hunter," he introduced himself, accepting her hand.

"So what can I help you find?" Charli inquired.

"Well, an engagement ring for starters," Natalie told her.

"An engagement ring?" Charli repeated. "Jumping the gun on this one a bit aren't we?"

Natalie grinned. "You can never get involved too early," she declared.

"So says the enemy of singles everywhere," Charli grinned back. "I guess you're going to need a pair of wedding bands too?"

"Smart girl," Natalie replied. "We need to have the whole shebang together by tomorrow night."

Charli raised her eyebrows. "Any reason for the rush? A shotgun wedding, perhaps?"

"Ha-ha, very funny," Natalie commented, though Ja-Kal had no idea what they were talking about. She turned to him. "Jack, you go ahead and continue looking while I have a word with the amateur comedian here. We'll be back to check on you in a couple of minutes."

"All right," he acknowledged, returning his full attention to the glass case.

His eyes swept over countless rings, each sparkling brightly.

Which one?

((((())))))

Her purse now rather heavy, Amanda decided that it was time to head back to the RV for the day. She had visited a total of seven casinos, earning over five thousand dollars altogether, and was now exhausted. Ja-Kal would be very pleased with her results.

Oh, that man, she mentally huffed. She could not get over his sheer stubbornness. Here was his only opportunity to marry the woman he loved and he was blowing it on the off chance that Presley would be attacked by some random criminal.

"Mom!"

She turned towards the voice to see both Presley and Nefer-Tina waving at her from the median strip of Las Vegas Boulevard. They were both smiling happily.

Pushing away all thoughts of Ja-Kal and what he was doing to poor Nefer-Tina, she waved back. "Hi!" she called. She could not risk saying anything to Nefer-Tina, who was convinced that he would never marry her anyway.

The traffic light changed and Presley, with Nefer-Tina following closely behind, bounded across the street.

"I love this place!" he happily greeted her, pulling her into a hug. "I'm having the most epic time ever!"

"That's wonderful, Sweetie," she told him. She looked up at Nefer-Tina. "Is he behaving himself?"

"Oh, he's been an absolute angel," Nefer-Tina answered, still smiling.

"Sure, you say that now," Presley said, "but we all know your story's gonna change the minute I'm not there to listen."

Nefer-Tina made a mock-indignant sound. "It will not. I'll just...lose some editing!"

"Ah-ha!" Presley exclaimed. "I rest my case!"

"Brat," Nefer-Tina grinned.

"And proud of it," Presley replied.

"Oy," Amanda groaned. "So, where are you two headed next?"

"Back to the RV," Presley informed her. "I'm pooped! We've been on the go all day!"

"You'll have to tell me all about it," she said. "I'm on my way back too. We can talk as we walk." A thought occurred to her. "Nefer-Tina, why don't I take Presley off of your hands so you can have some time to yourself? You can get a little sight seeing of your own done."

"Oh, I don't know," Nefer-Tina answered. "I..."

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Presley seconded. "You can go buy that dress now."

"No. No, I can't," she told him. "I can't afford it. Besides, what would I do with it?"

"You'd keep it until the next time you and Ja-Kal went out again," Amanda put in. "How much is it?"

"It doesn't matter," she waved her off. "Ja-Kal would never let me spend our money on something this unimportant."

"It'd be important the minute he saw you in it," Presley assured her. He smirked. "It was sex-ay!"

"My prince!" Nefer-Tina gasped.

"Presley!" Amanda cried at the same time.

"You know I'm right," he continued. "It's cut so low your-"

"Presley!" his mother repeated, cutting him off.

"Well, it's true!" he protested.

Amanda shook her head. "How much is this infamous dress?"

Nefer-Tina took a breath. "Three thousand."

"Man," Presley murmured.

"Here." Amanda reached into her purse. "Take this and buy your dress." She produced several large bills and held them out.

Nefer-Tina's eyes widened. "No, no. I couldn't."

"Take it," Amanda insisted. If this dress was as revealing as Presley said it was... "I want you to have it."

"But this money's for our journey," Nefer-Tina protested.

"I can always get more later."

"Listen to Mom," Presley urged. "You loved that dress."

"I..."

"And if that's not reason enough," he continued, "think of what Rath'll say when he sees you in it."

A new smile appeared on Nefer-Tina's lips. "You mean something like...'Gods above, Woman! What is that'?"

Presley burst out laughing. "Yeah, like that."

"Okay, you've convinced me." She accepted the proffered money. "I'm heading back to Caesar's."

"All right!" Presley crowed triumphantly. "And you'll model it for me later, right?"

"In your dreams, young man," Amanda stated firmly. She took her hormonal teenaged son by the arm. "We'll see you later."

"Thank you," Nefer-Tina said in a more serious tone. "I don't know how I'll ever repay you, but thank you."

Amanda smiled. "Seeing you happy is enough for me," she truthfully told her. "You've been a good friend to me these past few months and to Presley for even longer than that. I think it's about time I returned the favor."

"T-thank you," Nefer-Tina repeated, sounding stunned.

"Now off with you," Amanda shooed her as she would a child. She tightened her grip on her son's arm. "Come on, Presley."

"Mom!" he unhappily griped.

"Bye," Nefer-Tina waved. She then turned and walked away.

Amanda smiled to herself as she and Presley began their own journey.

((((())))))

Armon warily approached the brightly flashing machine. Would it really give him money for more food like Rath had promised it would? He hadn't really been paying attention when Amanda explained how to use it yesterday. He'd been too busy eating. (It had seemed much more important at the time and, if those nasty men hadn't stolen his money, it would still be more important.)

He dug into his pocket and grabbed one of the coins Rath had given him. None of them were taken from the special ones he had made, but Rath had assured him that there was always the chance that he'd get lucky if he kept at it long enough. ("Think of all the food you could buy," Rath had said. "Don't stop until you've won!")

"Great is the power of George Washington," Armon chanted as he placed the coin in the slot. (He was the only mummy who still paid homage to this great modern man. Why the others had stopped he just couldn't understand.)

His single hand now free, he reached out and pulled the handle. The colorful pictures inside the glass began to spin around and around...

((((())))))

"Well," Natalie said, "everything's set now. The rest is up to you."

"I couldn't have done any of it without you," Ja-Kal told her. "Thank you."

"It was nothing," she waved him off. "Well, it's my job, but you know what I mean. I enjoy doing this. Your Tina is going to love it."

"I hope so," he said. "I only want her to be happy."

"She will be," she assured him. "If these past couple of hours with you have taught me anything, it's how much you love her. She's a very lucky woman."

If only she'd believe that herself. "I'm the lucky one."

Natalie smiled. "Okay," she then changed the subject, "let's go over everything one last time. Do you have your key card?"

He nodded.

"The applications?"

"Yes."

"My phone numbers?"

"Yes."

"The ring?"

He reached into his pocket and felt the tiny box as his fingers brushed against it. "Yes."

"Great. I have the wedding bands locked in my safe. The suite is yours for the next three days. Remember what I said about bringing some stuff up before tomorrow night, especially clothes for the next day."

Ja-Kal smiled at that.

"Your dinner reservations are for seven. Be at the restaurant no later than a quarter to.

"I have the chapel reserved from eight-thirty to eleven. Take your time with dinner. There's no rush. I've given you plenty of time.

"Getting the license itself shouldn't take too long. Dave is expecting you to show up in that time frame. Everything's already paid for-"

"But I haven't paid for anything," he corrected.

"You have," Natalie winked. "Credits cards are a wonderful thing."

"But what about-?"

"I told you not to worry about it," she cut him off. "When you go to check out, the total bill will be ready for you.

"Don't worry," she soothed. "I do this sort of thing all the time. Money is nothing compared to a lifetime of happiness. Hayden and I can afford to help people like yourself out. Besides, as I've said, I enjoy it."

"You are a very special woman," he told her.

She shrugged. "I prefer to think of myself as a hopeless romantic. Anyway, as I was saying, my friend Dave knows you're coming. The two of you will be licensed to be wed under Nevada state law in no time flat. You'll then hop in a cab, return here, and you and Tina will get to start your new life together in the lap of luxury. You two will be married and my job will be done." She stood up from her seat, extending her hand. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Jack. I look forward to meeting your fiancée tomorrow night."

"Thank you for everything," he said, meaning every word of it.

"Now go and ask Tina out already so all of this won't have been for nothing!"

((((())))))

As much as Rath wanted to run away screaming, he couldn't pull himself away from the game. The nagging feeling that he was going to win overrode his need to escape. He just knew if he kept playing that he'd win...

Eventually.

He was determined that he was not going to leave until he either won or ran out of money, whichever came first. He'd just have to put up with that...that...woman until he did.

"You think you'll win this time, Ralphie?" Misty asked in her ear-splitting voice.

"One can only hope," was his reply.

"Good, because I'm so bored," she told him. "I wanna get out of here already."

"Then why don't you?"

She giggled. "Oh, Ralphie! You're so funny!"

"And why, pray tell, is that?"

"You know I can't find your room without you!"

His eyes bulged. "M-my room?"

"Of course," she smiled as if this was the most natural thing in the world. "Where else are we going to make wild and passion-"

"You were right!" a happy voice interrupted.

Thanking the gods above that he didn't hear the conclusion of that sentence, he turned to see a stupidly grinning Armon standing behind him.

"Look." Armon held up a large canvas bag that had the hotel name printed on it. "I can eat again now!"

"Good for you," he feigned interest. "Now, go and stuff your face. I'm still busy."

"Okay," Armon shrugged. "I think I will have pizza again. They were very nice to me there."

"Good, good," Rath muttered as he turned back to the table. "Now go away."

"Bye, big guy," Misty said before putting another death grip on Rath's arm.

"Bye," Armon returned. "Hmm, how many pizzas can I buy for five hundred thousand dollars...?"

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina tightly held on to her purchase as she made her way back to the RV park. She couldn't wait until her first chance to wear it. It was so beautiful. Ja-Kal would love it...

"Tina!"

Recognizing her love's voice, she suddenly felt a wave of guilt as the realization of what she had done hit her. She had spent money they needed to get to the east coast. Money to aid them in protecting their prince. What would Ja-Kal say when he found out? What would he-?

"Tina!" he called again, his voice closer this time.

Pasting a smile on her face, she stopped and turned around, just in time to see him catch up to her.

"Nefer-Tina," he said quietly, a broad smile on his face.

Her feelings of guilt were pushed aside as an overwhelming burst of love filled her. "Hi, Ja-Kal," she greeted him.

He put his arms around her, package and all, and pulled her close. "I've missed you today."

"Have you?" she teased.

"Let me show you how much." He then leaned in and kissed her.

Nefer-Tina lost herself in the kiss, her entire being filled with warmth and love, not caring that they were out in public. She loved him so much.

Ja-Kal ended the kiss. "Where's the young prince?" he asked.

"With Amanda," she told him. "They went back to the RV."

"So we're alone?"

"We're alone," she answered. "Well, sort of."

He laughed. "I love you."

"I love you too," she answered, giving him a small kiss.

"What's this?" he inquired, indicating the bag crushed between them.

"Promise you won't get too mad?"

He sighed. "Nefer-Tina..."

"Just promise," she urged.

"I promise."

She braced herself. "It's a dress."

He looked at her. "You thought I'd be mad? Why?"

"Well...you know. It's not a necessity," she explained. "Amanda gave me money that should have been put towards getting to the east coast."

"Does it make you happy, my love?"

"Yes..."

"Then it's a necessity," he told her.

"Ja-Kal!"

He kissed her again. "Will you wear it for me tomorrow night?"

"What's tomorrow night?"

"I'm taking you out," he informed her. "I want us to have some time alone."

"Oh, Ja-Kal," she breathed.

"You'll always come first to me," he softly said. "Never doubt that."

"I love you," she told him.

"I want tomorrow night to be just for us," he spoke, gently kissing her some more. "That means we're going to leave our cell phones behind."

"What?" She broke away from him in surprise. "A-are you serious?"

He moved towards her and drew her back into his arms. "Very, my love."

"What if-?"

He silence her with another kiss. "It's a risk I'm willing to take. I've been unfair to you for far too long."

"No," she disagreed. "Never."

"Yes," he argued, "I have. And I want to make it all up to you."

"There's nothing to make up," she protested. "You love me. That's all that matters."

"Let me be the judge of that." He drew her into another deep, drawn-out kiss. When it ended, he said, "I don't want to hear another word on the subject. Do you understand me?"

She nodded. Why couldn't he understand that he had nothing to make up for? She didn't need or want anything from him other than his love. What would it take to convince him of this truth? She wanted him to stop tormenting himself for things he could not control.

He gave her a quick kiss and when he ended it, he took the dress bag from her. "Let me carry this for you, my love."

"Thank you," she managed.

"Now let's get back to the RV before the others start wondering where we are."

((((())))))

Armon threw the last piece of his ninth pizza into his mouth and began to chew contentedly. This was the ultimate bliss. Nothing was better than eating, not even receiving praise from your pharaoh.

"Mmm," he happily murmured.

He then picked up the box and licked the greasy interior.

As he went to turn the box around so he could get at the far edges, he noticed the time on his watch. It was five-forty.

"Uh-oh," he said, dropping the box.

Ja-Kal had told everyone to be back at the RV at six o'clock. That was in, er, ten?, twenty? minutes. (Armon was not sure. Math had never been his strong suit.) Ja-Kal would be mad if he and Rath weren't there on time.

And a mad Ja-Kal was one Armon liked to avoid at all costs.

"Why hasn't Rath come to get me?" he wondered out loud, getting up from his seat. "Maybe he forgot the time. I will go and remind him."

He headed back towards the casino area, not giving the idea of cleaning up his rather large mess a second thought.

((((())))))

Rath groaned in frustration as he watched yet another player get rewarded. He was down to the last twenty dollars of his most recent supply of magically-induced winnings. After this next round he'd have to use another charged coin.

"Poor Ralphie," Misty tried to comfort him, hugging his arm even tighter. "You were so close this time, too!"

"Apparently not close enough," he told her. "Unlike some people," he muttered under his breath.

He shook his arm in the hopes of dislodging her, but to no avail.

"You think you're going to be finished soon?" she wanted to know. "I really, really want to get out of here already."

"As I have told you numerous times since you have made your...inappropriate intentions known, you are not following me once I leave here," he informed her.

"Oh, Ralphie," she giggled, tightening her death grip on his already numb arm, "you're such a kidder! All the really nice guys I meet let me follow them back to their hotel. And, believe it or not, some of them even pay me in the morning! Isn't that sweet?"

"'Sweet' is not quite the word I'd use," he told her.

"And you're the nicest guy I've ever met," she added for good measure, still giggling.

"I sincerely doubt that."

"Um, Ralph?"

Not him again! Rath turned around to see a very anxious Armon standing there.

"What is it this time, Armand?"

"We have to leave now," Armon told him. "It is nearly six o'clock."

Rath glanced at his own watch just to make sure. (He didn't trust an incompetent like Armon to be able to tell time correctly.) "We have fifteen minutes," he informed him.

"Good," Armon said. "We should get back in plenty of time then."

"Yes, you will," Rath corrected. "Tell Jack that I will return as soon as I have finished here." If Armon thought that he was going to leave before he had won at least once then he was gravely mistaken.

"But Ja-K-, um, Jack said for all of us to be back by six," Armon protested. "He will not be happy if you disobey."

"Who's Jack?" Misty wanted to know.

"A friend," Rath waved her off. He returned his attention to Armon. "When he sees the-"

"Is he staying with you?" Misty interrupted.

"There are six of us altogether," he informed her. Again, he turned to Armon. "As I was saying, when-"

"Ooh!" Misty squealed delightfully. "I've never been with so many men at once!"

Rath resisted the urge to correct her. To Armon, he finally said, "When Jack sees the money that I will bring back with me, he will be very glad I stayed."

"Huh? What money?" Armon questioned.

Dunce. "The money that I am going to win," Rath clarified.

"Oh. But isn't it wrong to disobey an order?"

"Of course, but-"

"Then you cannot stay," Armon declared.

"I believe that he will make an exception in this case," Rath informed him confidently.

"It is still wrong," Armon argued. "We must leave now."

"Let me use the powder room first," Misty spoke up. "Don't leave without me!" She gave Rath another moist kiss before (at last!) getting up from the table.

"Aww, I think she likes you," Armon said.

"Humph," Rath sniffed. "I don't think there's a man she doesn't like."

"She's so nice!" Armon smiled. "Maybe we should wait for her then."

"No!" Rath insisted. "Leave now. There's no reason for Jack to be mad at you. I'm still staying here."

"No," Armon countered. "You are not." With that, he reached out with his single arm, grabbed Rath by both his jacket and shirt, and slung him over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" Rath protested. "Put me down at once, you stupid idiot!"

"That is not very nice," Armon told him.

"Put me down!" Rath shouted again.

Armon just shook his head and started walking away from the table.

"No!" Rath cried. "I was almost winning! You can't do this to me! Put me down!"

"I will not let Ja-Kal be mad at you," Armon insisted as he continued walking. "That would not be right."

"I don't care!" Rath ranted. "I can't leave before I win!"

"You can play again tomorrow," Armon told him in a knowing voice.

"But it won't be the same!" Rath nearly wailed, despair closing in on him.

"Ralphie!"

"Oh, no," he muttered.

"Ralphie! Wait!" Misty cried. "Don't leave without me, Lover!"

"Go faster," Rath suddenly decided as he saw her running across the casino.

"Ralphie!" she called again. "Wait for me!"

"Get me out of here!" he ordered Armon, now very glad to be leaving.

"Ralphie! Ralphie! Ral-"

Misty's calls were cut off as she suddenly tripped and fell flat on her face.

"Ralphie!" she wailed. "Come back!"

As Armon carried him away, Rath heaved a sigh of relief as the sight of the sobbing Misty grew more and more distant.

He would play again tomorrow. But at a different hotel. A hotel where Misty could not find him.

He hoped!

((((())))))

"This isn't good," Amanda said solemnly. "We didn't even make a quarter of what we hoped."

"I'm sorry," Ja-Kal apologized again. "I should not have allowed myself to become so distracted."

"It's not your fault," Nefer-Tina comforted him. After all, a good portion of the blame belonged to her as well. If it wasn't for her new dress, they'd have five thousand instead of two. She ran her hand soothingly along his back. "You're only human."

Yet there was something about Ja-Kal's story that bothered her. If he was as upset as he was now acting, why hadn't he been like this when she first ran into him on the street? Why hadn't he immediately confessed his "failure" to her? He had been so happy to see her, so...romantic. Their date for tomorrow night shouldn't be happening. What was going on?

"Rath and Armon still haven't gotten back yet," Presley spoke up. "I'm sure Rath did really good."

"You are probably right, my prince," Ja-Kal sighed. "I'm just sorry I failed you all."

"Don't worry about it," Presley told him. "We're not leaving for a while yet, are we? You have plenty of time to get more money."

"Listen to the prince," Nefer-Tina urged. "As you often say, he is wise beyond his years."

"If only my teachers could have realized that," Presley grumbled.

"Maybe if you'd studied and gotten good grades, they would have," Amanda pointed out.

"Mom!"

"She's right, my prince," Ja-Kal said. "A mother lion only knows what her cubs have learned by their performance."

"Um, what?" Presley questioned, making a face.

Nefer-Tina laughed despite herself. "What he means is that if you had gotten good grades, your teachers would have known how smart you are. They aren't psychic, you know."

"You never met Mrs. O'Neil," Presley said. "Nothing got by her!"

The sound of the RV door opening attracted everyone's attention.

"We are here," Armon announced as he came in. He was followed by a glowering and mumbling Rath.

"What's eating you?" Presley questioned Rath as he stood with folded arms.

"If you really must know, I lost everything because of this dim-wit here," Rath said. "He forced me to leave before I was able to win the game I was in the middle of."

Armon looked confused. "But you said-"

"I only said that when that...that...female was chasing us," Rath corrected, a look of disgust on his face. "Now that I am away from her, I can think clearly again."

"What 'female'?" Amanda wanted to know, an amused note in her voice. Nefer-Tina and Amanda had often discussed Rath's low opinion of women.

"I'd rather not discuss her," Rath sniffed. "My...experience with her was not pleasant."

"She was really nice," Armon put in.

"Armon," Rath said, sounding more than a little irritated, "do not help me."

"So you didn't get any money? Oh, man," Presley groaned. "We're in trouble."

"I don't understand," Ja-Kal spoke up. "I thought you said the coins you charged were infallible."

"They are," he told him haughtily. "But I was not playing the slot machines. I had the fortune of discovering a game of skill among the multitudes of betting tables. There is no gambling involved. A rarity in this place, I am sure."

"A 'game of skill'?" Amanda repeated disbelievingly

"Yes," Rath told her. "Although I have not quite figured out the rules, I am certain that I can easily win once I do."

"You mean you didn't ask anyone?" Presley wanted to know.

"Presley," Amanda said warningly, which Nefer-Tina was glad for. She wasn't in the mood to hear Rath rant about his superiority again.

Amanda turned to Ja-Kal. "Well, there goes our hope that today wasn't a total loss."

He sighed. "We'll just have to try to visit twice as many casinos tomorrow to make up for it."

"What are you talking about?" Rath interjected. "Didn't the two of you bring back money?"

"A little over two thousand," Amanda told him.

"Only two thousand?" Rath sputtered. "Tha-that can't be right! The spell was designed to-"

"It wasn't your magic's fault," Ja-Kal interrupted. "I did not use my coins."

"Ja-Kal? You? Not use your coins?"

Nefer-Tina could see the wheels turning in his head. He was going to use this opportunity to make himself look completely innocent of any wrongdoing.

"I am sorry," Ja-Kal apologized for the umpteenth time. "I'm afraid I spent most of the day distracted by the sights of the city."

"It's not just Ja-Kal's fault," Nefer-Tina jumped in before Rath had a chance to open his mouth. "There was more, but I spent some of it on myself."

"Nefer-Tina," Ja-Kal protested, but she held up a hand.

"Humph, that's something I'd expect from you," Rath huffed self-righteously, "but from Ja-Kal?"

"Everyone makes mistakes, Rath," Amanda pointed out.

"Some more than others," he muttered.

"Will this help?" Armon offered, holding out a canvas bag that Nefer-Tina had not noticed when he came in.

"What is it?" Amanda asked as she walked over, taking it from him.

"It is the money I did not get to buy food with," he explained.

Amanda set the bag down on the table, unzipped it, and gasped as she peered inside.

"Mom, what is it?" Presley wanted to know.

"It's...it's..." Her voice faltered.

Nefer-Tina came over to look at the bag herself. "Oh, gods!" she exclaimed as she saw its contents.

"See? I knew it would help," Armon beamed proudly.

Nefer-Tina felt a hand land on her shoulder. She turned to see Ja-Kal standing behind her.

"Armon, exactly how much money is in here?"

"Um... Well... I am not sure. I only got to buy nine pizzas and there was, um, I think, five hundred thousand to begin with," Armon said.

"Whoa," Presley commented. "I think that more than makes up for what you two didn't get, huh?"

"Definitely," Nefer-Tina said and she felt Ja-Kal's arms go around her waist.

"Thank you, Armon," Ja-Kal said.

"You are welcome," Armon replied, still beaming.

Nefer-Tina thought she heard Rath mutter something under his breath. "Did you say something, Rath?"

"Not a single word."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina sat on the couch, a purring Kahti curled up in her lap. As she gently pet the sacred cat, confused thoughts of Ja-Kal whirled through her head.

What was going on with him? She couldn't understand his behavior. One minute he was happy and romantic, ready to risk everything for one evening alone with her, and then the next he was apologizing for something that wasn't his fault. (They were in a new strange city. Why would anyone blame him for wanting to explore?) What was wrong?

She knew he was hiding something from her. She could feel it with every fiber of her being. He was keeping a secret from her, the woman he loved, and it bothered her. It bothered her a lot.

She was the only one in this relationship who was supposed to still be keeping secrets. (Well, not supposed to but did it in order to protect him from his own misplaced guilt.) She wanted him to be nothing but honest with her. She wanted him to know that he didn't ever have to hide anything from her. There was no reason to. She'd never stop loving him.

Never.

And where did tomorrow night fit into all of this? What had brought that on? If he had been so upset over not bringing back any money, what had made him want to take her out for a private romantic evening, a risk she would have never dreamed he'd take in a thousand years? Was it part of whatever he was hiding from her?

"Nefer-Tina?" came a quiet voice.

She looked up and smiled. "Ja-Kal."

Over the past few months, he had begun quietly announcing himself whenever he approached her and she did not notice him. It was a habit she greatly appreciated. Ever since her rape all those years ago, she became terrified whenever someone came up to her without her being aware of it. The fact that Ja-Kal now incorporated this into his interactions with her made her love him even more.

He sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms.

He was still wet from the shower, but she did not mind. Besides, she was still a little damp herself from her own.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, kissing her cheek.

"Thinking," she truthfully told him.

He reached around her and gave Kahti a stroke. "About what, my love?"

"You," she smiled as Kahti rolled over to expose her belly.

He kissed her again. "Only good things I hope."

"Always," she informed him

He grew silent for a moment. "May I ask you a question?"

She twisted as much as she could without disturbing Kahti. "What is it?" Could it be about what was bothering him?

"I...overheard you yesterday," he confessed. "When you were talking to Presley."

What? No!

"Gods, Nefer-Tina, why didn't you tell me?"

She looked away from him, suddenly understanding his behavior. He had been trying to protect her again, trying to keep her from getting upset. "You know why."

"I'm the one who's supposed to protect you," he said as if reading her mind. "Not the other way around."

"That's not fair to you and you know it," she told him. "What makes your feelings any less important than mine? I hate how your always blame yourself for everything and I didn't want to give you another reason to feel guilty." Gods, why did he do this to himself? "It's not your fault. None of it is."

He pulled her closer. "You're wrong. It's all my fault. I'm the one to blame for everything that's ever happened to you."

"No, Ja-Kal, no," she disagreed, still not looking at him. She felt the tears begin to form. Listening to him blame himself hurt her more than anything else anyone could have done to her. She loved him so much. What would it take to convince him that he had had nothing to do with what had happened to her?

"Yes, it is," he emphasized. "And I intend to make it up to you as much as is humanly possible.

"Even if it takes all of eternity."

Kahti chose that moment to get up and leave and Nefer-Tina immediately found herself being turned around to face him.

"I love you," he continued. "I only want you to be happy."

"I am happy," she told him, the first tears escaping. Why did he do this to himself? "You love me. That's all I've ever wanted."

"No, it's only the first of hundreds of things you wanted and more than deserve," he corrected. He wiped at her tears. "If only I could give them all to you."

"You've already given me more than I ever dreamed," she said. "I don't need anything else. Please believe me." Please, my love.

Instead of answering, he leaned in and kissed her.

The kiss started off gentle and then slowly became more heated. Nefer-Tina felt her body immediately begin to respond and she knew she should pull away, but she didn't. She didn't want to. She wanted to make love to him again so badly. If only they could...

The moment Ja-Kal's body became aroused, she knew it was time to stop. They could not allow anything to happen here, not when anyone, especially Presley, could walk in on them.

Very reluctantly, she pulled her lips away from his.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured and Nefer-Tina knew that he was not only talking about this close call.

"Your love is enough," she firmly told him.

"It shouldn't be," he argued.

"It is," she countered. "Please, Ja-Kal. Don't torment yourself. I love you. I hate seeing you suffer like this."

"I can't help how I feel."

"Try, my love. Just try." She lightly kissed him. "For me."

"I love you," he said.

She leaned heavily against him. Why did he have to be so hard on himself? It wasn't his fault. Nothing was ever his fault.

She felt him tighten his arms around her.

"Spend the morning with me," he said softly.

"You mean the evening isn't enough for you?" she gently teased in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Nothing could ever be enough," he answered seriously. "Even if you never left my side for one moment."

She smiled at that thought. "I love you."

"I love you too." She felt him start stroking her hair and back. "Close your eyes, my love. Get some rest."

She obeyed and found herself quickly lulled to sleep by his gentle caresses.

((((())))))

Eager to start another day of adventure, Presley practically jumped out of bed, scaring Kahti half to death in the process. (Er, relatively speaking!) A loud hiss was sent his way before she indignantly strutted out of the room, her tail high in the air.

Laughing at the poor cat's expense (hey, it was pretty funny!), he headed out of the bedroom.

The first sight to greet him was Nefer-Tina sleeping soundly on the couch. Someone, probably Ja-Kal, had covered her with a blanket.

Gee, I guess I was rougher on her yesterday than I thought! Sorry, Nef!

Presley continued on to the kitchenette where he found Mom, Ja-Kal, and Armon sitting around the table, eating breakfast.

"Good morning, my prince," Ja-Kal greeted him in a soft voice. (Presley figured that they were being quiet because of Nef.)

"Morning," he replied just as softly. (He wasn't about to have Ja-Kal on his case if he accidentally woke up his girlfriend!) "Hey, Mom. Armon."

Armon mumbled something Presley hoped was a greeting through a mouthful of food.

"Morning, Sweetie," Mom said. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Sure," he told her as he sat down in an empty chair. "What's up with Nef? How come she's not in her sarcophawhatits?" he asked Ja-Kal.

"She fell asleep there last night," Ja-Kal explained. "I didn't see the need to wake her to put her in her sarcophagus."

"I think I wore her out yesterday," Presley said. "Sorry!"

Ja-Kal chuckled. "That is all right, my prince."

"Hey, where's Rath?" Presley asked.

"He was gone when I woke up," Ja-Kal told him. "I can only assume he went to try to win that game again. He was furious that he was not allowed to continue playing last night."

"And he was really mad too," Armon added for good measure between bites of his food.

"Sounds like someone's got a gambling problem," Presley grinned. "'Game of skill,' my tut!"

"Good morning."

Presley and the others all turned to see a just-awakened Nefer-Tina sitting up on the couch.

Ja-Kal immediately rose from the table and went over to her. Presley refrained from rolling his eyes as they kissed.

Don't they ever give it a rest?

Ja-Kal led her back to the table and sat her down in the chair next to his.

"Here you go, Hon," Mom said as she placed a plate of scrambled eggs in front of him. "Good morning, Nefer-Tina. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "I'll have whatever everyone else is having."

"It'll be a couple of minutes," Mom told her.

"That's fine. Thanks," Nef said.

"Hey, sorry if I was so rough on you yesterday," Presley mock-apologized with a smirk. "I'll try to go a little easier on you today."

"Nefer-Tina is with me for the day," Ja-Kal broke in. "Armon will accompany you this time."

"Cool," Presley approved. While Nef was the most fun, Armon came to a pretty close second. The big guy knew how to have a good time. As long as you kept him well fed, that is.

"Amanda, continue what you were doing yesterday," Ja-Kal told her.

"Of course," Mom called from the stove.

"The only other thing I need to add is that Nefer-Tina and I will not be back until very late tonight," Ja-Kal announced. "We're spending the evening out."

"Where are you going?" Armon asked.

"Ja-Kal's keeping it a secret," Nefer-Tina smiled. "He's going to surprise me."

"Ooh," Presley smirked. "Who wants to bet there's a motel involved?"

"Presley!"

He looked up at his mother as she returned to the table with Nef's food. "What? It's probably true."

"Presley!" she cried again. "Enough!"

Presley smirked at the expression on her face. It was priceless. And Nef's wasn't too shabby either.

He leaned back in his chair smugly. He knew he was right. He'd bet Armon a dozen burgers that he was too. Those two were in serious need of a roll in the hay!

It was probably the only thing that'd cool them off! They'd been way too frisky lately! It was disgusting!

When he got a girlfriend, he'd never act like that with her.

Never!

((((())))))

"Ja-Kal," Amanda said, "I just want to apologize again for Presley's behavior. I don't know what's gotten into him lately."

"It is all right," he told her. "Presley is only acting normal for his age. He has reached the time in his life when he is starting to become more man than boy."

"But that doesn't give him the right to make lewd jokes," Amanda countered. "Especially at your and Nefer-Tina's expense."

"You're right, but I think we can handle it when he does," Ja-Kal waved her off. "Presley's mouth has always had a tendency to run away from him. It is a part of who he is."

"I know, but I'm just worried how it might affect Nefer-Tina," she pressed. "After the incident from the other day..." She sighed. "I don't have to tell you how bad that was and I doubt you want to see it repeated either."

"Your concern for her is greatly appreciated, but unnecessary," he told her. "After tonight, a lot of things are going to change for her and Presley's words won't affect her the same way ever again."

Amanda looked at him, confusion clearly written on her face. "What are you talking about?"

Instead of answering right away, he looked around to make sure no one else would hear. Nefer-Tina was safely isolated in the bedroom while Presley had locked himself in the bathroom for the time being. Armon was eating again, meaning that he was oblivious to the world around him.

He took Amanda by the arm and silently led her to the couch.

"Ja-Kal? What's going on? What's this all about?" she wanted to know, a hint of worry in her voice.

"I'm marrying her," he simply said.

"Wha-? Marrying!" she breathed. "Oh, Ja-Kal! That's wonderful!" She took him by the hands. "I'm so glad that you finally made the right decision. I kept praying you would. What made you change your mind?"

"A lot of things," he admitted, "but it was mostly what you said. If it weren't for you, I'd never have even considered it, even after learning of Nefer-Tina's pain. I was being such a fool. You forced me to question my way of thinking and for that I'll be forever grateful. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she accepted, gently squeezing his hands. "The two of you are going to be so happy."

"I love her so much. I think it's about time that I start showing her," he said.

"Good for you," Amanda applauded. "So, I take it she has no clue about the wedding."

"None whatsoever. I want the whole thing to be a surprise. I'm going to propose after dinner."

"Perfect," she approved. "She won't even see it coming."

He nodded. "After she accepts, I'll take her immediately to get our license and then we'll return to the hotel for the wedding."

"Which hotel is it?"

"The Bellagio."

Amanda gasped, her eyes wide. "The Bellagio? How are you-?"

"A woman I met there arranged everything," he interrupted. "She would not take 'no' for an answer. While it was you who made me question myself, this is the woman who finally made me change my mind. She repeated all of the same things you had said and then continued to list everything you were too kind to put into words."

"But how are you going to pay?" Amanda tried again.

"As I said, Natalie arranged everything," he told her. "A bill will be waiting for me in the morning."

She gave a tiny smile. "I had a feeling you weren't going to be back tonight."

"I told you that I would give her a proper wedding night."

"Both of you deserve it," she said. "Maybe you should take a short honeymoon while you're at it. Stay in the hotel for a few more days. Rath and I can handle the mission."

"Thank you but no," he declined. "I cannot stay away from my duty for any longer than I have already planned."

She nodded. "When were you planning on telling the others?"

"I wasn't," he admitted. "I can't risk Nefer-Tina overhearing. I was about to ask to talk to you when you came over to apologize."

"When do you want me to tell them?"

"It's up to you," he informed her. "All I ask is that you keep Armon and Presley away from here until at least seven. That's when our dinner reservations are for. I can't guarantee her whereabouts until then."

"You know Presley's going to have a field day with this."

"I know."

They shared a laugh.

"Come here," she said, reaching out and pulling him into a hug. "Congratulations," she murmured.

"Well, well, well," came a voice Ja-Kal knew as well as his own. "I'd never have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. You're cheating on me! How could you?"

Silently laughing, he broke out of the hug. He turned to see Nefer-Tina standing in the bedroom door, her arms folded in front of her chest. Her expression appeared to be serious though he could see her struggling with it.

"What, this?" he asked teasingly. "It's just a hug between friends."

"Oh, it looked friendly all right. Real friendly," she declared.

He gave Amanda's shoulder a squeeze before getting to his feet. "You don't believe me, my love?"

"No," she informed him, her facade cracking just a tiny bit more. "I've been told that cheaters use that lame excuse all the time. You're going to have to do better than that."

"All right," he said as he crossed the distance between them. "How's this?"

He grabbed her and pulled her into a kiss, dipping her backwards.

When it was over, she managed, "That worked."

"Oh, man," Presley muttered loudly from the bathroom door. "I've gotta have the absolute worst timing!"

((((())))))

Rath smiled superiorly as he received his cards. Now that he knew how to determine their value, he was sure to win. Blackjack, as this game was called, was extremely simple.

The staff at this hotel, the Palace Station, was much more accommodating than the rude one at New York, New York. Not only had he been taught the rules of Blackjack, but he had been shown how to play several other games as well. None interested him, of course, but it was the thought that counted. But best of all: no Misty.

He had made an effort to select a hotel that was as far away from New York, New York and the main street as possible. He believed a female like her would remain where she believed high quality men, such as himself, could be found. (Was it any wonder she had found herself attracted to him?) This casino did not fit her requirements. He could play in peace.

His current hand, a red eight and four, equaled only twelve. He could safely accept more hits for a while without worrying about going over twenty-one.

While he now understood that there was a tiny bit of gambling involved (not knowing which card you would receive next), he still stood by his conviction that this was in fact a game of skill. After all, only a superior mind such as his could calculate the risk involved in asking for another card. And since he was obviously the most superior mind in the room, victory was bound to be his.

As the dealer (the uniformed person behind the table) turned to him for his next move, Rath heard the most hideous sound in existence and cringed.

"Ralphie!"

((((())))))

"I think we did pretty good in there," Nefer-Tina declared as she and Ja-Kal sat on a bench counting their collective winnings. "We make a nice team."

"In everything," he added.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're too sweet."

"I'm only being honest."

She laughed and kissed him again, this time on the mouth.

Ja-Kal immediately put his free hand on her back and held her in place, not allowing her to end it too quickly. He loved kissing her and wished he never had to stop.

Finally, reluctantly, he released her.

"I love you," she murmured.

"I love you," he quietly echoed. He ran a hand through her hair. "How did I manage so long without you?"

"Good question," she smiled. "So, back to business. Where to next?"

"How would you like to see where I'm taking you tonight?" he asked.

"Hmm, it depends. Why ruin the surprise?"

"I'm not," he told her. "Just because we're going into the hotel doesn't mean I'll show you which restaurant we'll be eating in."

"Good point," she conceded, kissing him yet again. "And I doubt the slots are part of tonight's plans."

"No, they're not." They were most definitely not.

"I wonder what else you have planned besides dinner," she asked with a sly grin. "Could our prince have been right?"

"Nefer-Tina!" he laughed, though she was very close to the truth. They were going to make love, such wonderful love...

She laughed and kissed him. "I'm just teasing."

He shook his head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Just love me," she simply said.

"I could never stop." Never, my love.

Another quick kiss and she began putting the money in her purse.

She finished and stood up. "Lead the way."

He rose from the bench and took her hand, gently squeezing it. "Follow me."

((((())))))

Married, Amanda thought happily as she placed her quarter in the slot. They're getting married!

Whatever that woman in the Bellagio had said had finally knocked some sense into Ja-Kal and she'd give anything to find out what it was. He was the most stubborn man she'd ever met. Whatever had been said had had to have had the most incredible significance in the world to him. Nothing less would have had the power to sway him.

She pulled the lever and could immediately sense the magic at work. Almost instantaneously, three bunches of fruit lined up in the window and the siren went off. Quarters began to pour from the machine. Soon, all eight hundred dollars worth had been collected.

Satisfied that this casino had fulfilled its purpose, she gathered her winnings and headed for the nearest money exchange.

So far this morning, she'd earned, counting this new amount, nearly three thousand dollars. If she kept this pace up all day, Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina would have a nice surprise waiting for them as a wedding gift.

((((())))))

"I don't ever want to see you two again!" the man ranted as Presley dragged Armon away from the ride's exist. "You hear me? Ever!"

"Oh, man," Presley groaned. "Armon, I told you it wasn't real! Why did you have to go and do that?" Thank god he had been stopped before he had a chance to call his armor!

"Osiris was going to hurt you, my prince. I was protecting you," Armon told him matter-of-factly.

"But he wasn't real!"

"That does not matter," Armon insisted. "He was going to hurt you. And I would have had him too if the lights had not allowed him to escape."

"Argh!" Presley cried. "He disappeared because the movie was turned off! He wasn't there! He wasn't real!"

Armon stared at him blankly for a moment. Then, "I'm hungry. Let's go get a snack."

Presley fought down the urge to kill him.

Why had he gotten stuck with Armon? Why?

((((())))))

"I wish you didn't have to go," Nefer-Tina sighed.

Ja-Kal reached out and caressed her cheek. "We'll cover more ground this way. As much as I'd love to stay with you, we can't forget what we came here to do. Protecting Presley is our main priority."

"I know," she admitted, "but I wish..."

"Tonight, my love," he promised. "Tonight." Tonight she'd become his wife and she'd never question her place in his heart again.

He pulled her close and kissed her.

"I'll see you when you arrive at the hotel," he told her when he released her. "I'm looking forward to finally seeing that dress."

"I hope you'll like it," she said.

"I know I will. You'll be in it."

"Ja-Kal..."

He kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you." She kissed him once more before slowly walking away from him. "Goodbye, my love."

He watched as she disappeared into the crowd and then he turned in the direction of the RV park.

It was time to begin.

((((())))))

"Ooh, you were so close!" Misty sighed. "Poor Ralphie. Still no luck."

"I'm starting to think it's the company," Rath muttered.

As Misty curled ever tighter around his arm, all he could think was "why me?"

When she had first arrived, she had told him her tale of "woe": after spending three hours waiting for him at New York, New York, she had begun a "quest" to find him. (The way she described it, one would think it had been a matter of life and death!) She had decided to look for him in every casino in the Las Vegas area.

Unfortunately for him, she'd gotten lucky in the second place she tried.

Rath just sighed, resigned to his fate.

((((())))))

"Here you are, sir," the bellman said. "Suite 402."

"Thank you," Ja-Kal told him. He took out his keycard and slid it into the reader mounted on the door.

The light went from red to green and he turned the handle, pushing the door open.

The room he stepped into took his breath away.

It was ornate as any of the pharaoh's private chambers and just as spacious. Yet it was better. Modern amenities could be found spread everywhere throughout the entire area. It was a personal paradise.

Nefer-Tina would love it.

"Will there be anything else, sir?" asked the bellman.

"No, thank you," Ja-Kal answered. Remembering what Natalie had told him, he reached into his pocket for money. He extracted a roll of single dollar bills. Selecting three, he handed them to the patiently waiting man.

"Thank you, sir," he said, accepting the gratuity. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon."

The man left and Ja-Kal found himself left alone.

He set his bags down on the nearest couch and set to work.

((((())))))

Amanda was leaving the MGM Grand when she spotted Presley and Armon sitting on a bench across the street eating ice cream cones.

She looked at her watch. It was only three-thirty, too early to let anyone near the RV but also too early for dinner. She'd have to keep them busy for several more hours yet.

She walked over to them. "Hey, Sweetie," she greeted her son.

"Oh, hey, Mom."

"Hello, Amanda."

She sat down next to Presley. "So, what have you boys been up to?"

"Lots of stuff," Presley told her. "We visited a lot of the, er, kid-friendlier places."

"They all had good food," Armon put in.

Amanda smiled at that. "Well, I hope you two didn't eat too much because since Nefer-Tina and Ja-Kal are going out to dinner I thought the three of us could too. What do you think?"

"Mmm...dinner," Armon announced his opinion as he popped the remnants of his cone, paper and all, into his mouth.

"I'm up for it too," Presley seconded. "Just, um, not right now." He grinned sheepishly. "That triple scoop cone kind of stuffed me for the moment."

Amanda laughed. "It's a little early anyway, Honey. I was thinking of around five-thirty or six."

"That long?" Armon pouted. "I will need another snack before then."

"Don't worry, Armon. I won't let you starve," she promised.

"Thank you."

"So, where do the two of you want to go next?"

"Well, I'd love to check out that Star Trek Experience over at the, um, Hilton I think it's called," Presley suggested. "Though I don't think it's such a good idea to bring Armon on it..."

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina was surprised to find the RV almost completely deserted. The sole occupant was Kahti, who was soundly sleeping in one of the chairs around the table. She had hoped to find Amanda because she had wanted to ask her help in getting ready for tonight. She had wanted to look perfect, but since Amanda wasn't there to help, she'd just have to settle for her normal all right. (Not that Ja-Kal would mind too much.)

After adding her money to the box on the table, she went directly into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

She laid her purse down on the bed and walked over to the closet. She smiled as she pulled the doors open and saw the dress bag. Although she herself wouldn't look any different tonight, the dress on its own was incredibly stunning and she could only hope that some of its glamour would rub off on her, if only for just one night. (Ja-Kal proclaimed that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever known, but she knew he was just being sweet. If she was so beautiful, then why had she so easily passed as a boy for so many years?)

Gently removing the bag from the closet, she carried it over to the bed. She laid it down as she would a newborn baby, taking great care not to wrinkle it. She untied the bottom of the bag and delicately removed it from the dress.

She took a moment to admire it. The main body was a blue that matched the sky on a bright, sunny day. The skirt, which was made of an intricately embroidered lace and began just above the knees, was a much lighter shade. It was split in the front, exposing her legs, and it hung to just above her ankles in the back. The entire effect of the dress was elegance with a hint of daring. She absolutely loved it and hoped Ja-Kal would too.

Giving the dress one last look, she began to strip herself for a quick shower.

((((())))))

"You did it, Ralphie! You did it!" Misty practically shrieked with joy. "Oh, I'm so happy for you, Lover!"

Until this moment, Rath had never believed that anything could spoil a victory for him. Misty had once again proved him wrong.

Ignoring her, he accepted his winnings from the dealer. It was a rather decent amount, but not as much as he had hoped for. (No, deserved, in his humble opinion, for all the trouble he'd gone through to get it.) Other rounds he had lost had given the winner much larger winnings.

He'd just have to keep playing until he received exactly what he was due. After all, it was only right.

"Let's go, Ralphie," Misty urged, pulling on his arm. "You won, so let's go!"

He glared at her. "When will you get it through your thick head? I am not going anywhere with you...ever. Especially now that I've won. As I keep telling you, you are free to leave whenever you want."

"But I don't want to leave without you," she pouted, thrusting her chest forward in that strange fashion again. "I want to stay with you forever!"

Dear gods, no!

She curled around his arm again. "I guess we can stay a little while longer," she decided. "I'm happy as long as I'm with you."

As he added his new bet to the box, he looked at the dealer pleadingly as he mouthed "help."

The dealer only shrugged sympathetically.

((((())))))

"It's almost time," Natalie told Ja-Kal. "Nervous?"

"Why would I be?"

She gave a small laugh. "Most men aren't as sure as you are that the woman they love will say yes. They're taking a risk."

"Hey, I wasn't nervous," Hayden, Natalie's husband, pointed out.

"That's because I harassed you every day until you did propose, remember?" she challenged.

"No. No. I seem to remember it being more of a threat than a harassment," he decided.

"Oh, you!" Natalie cried, lightly punching him in the arm. She turned to Ja-Kal. "You see what I have to put up with? I hope you don't treat your Tina this way."

"If I'm so bad, how come you're still married to me?" Hayden wanted to know.

"I like the perks," she informed him.

"Is that so?"

Ja-Kal just shook his head and smiled. Their playful banter reminded him so much of Nefer-Tina and himself during one of their teasing sessions.

Thinking of his love, he once again glanced at his watch. It was just about twenty to. She should arrive at any moment.

He switched his gaze to the door and suddenly the entire world came to a stop for him.

Nefer-Tina stepped through the revolving door.

She was always breathtakingly beautiful and tonight was no exception. The dress she wore was exquisite and looked as it had been made for her alone. He could see why she had fallen in love with it. It was perfect. Just like her.

She walked to the spot where he had told her to wait for him and stood there, her eyes scanning the crowd, most likely for some sign of him.

Without a second thought, he started moving towards her.

A hand landed on his arm, bringing him out of his trance.

"That's her, isn't it?" Natalie asked very softly.

"Yes."

"Then go to her."

He simply nodded, resuming his quest to be with her. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her. Gods, how he loved her.

He rapidly closed the distance between them. His eyes never left her face and he knew the moment that she saw him. Her face lit up instantly, sending a burst of warmth coursing through his body.

I'm coming, my love, he silently promised.

As he got closer, he noticed that she was wearing the opal necklace he had bought for her. The very same necklace she had fallen in love with in the jewelry store all those months ago. He had finally given it to her three days ago. Before this night was over she would have two more gifts of his love to proudly display.

But, more importantly, she would be his wife.

"Hi," she smiled as he walked up to her.

"Hi," he answered back, caressing her cheek.

"Am I late?" she wanted to know, leaning into his touch.

"No, you're right on time. As always."

"Right," she laughed. She reached up and slid his hand to her mouth and kissed his palm. "Sure."

"I love you," he told her, moving his hand from her lips and pulling her into his arms.

"I love you too," she replied. "With all my heart and soul."

Without saying another word, he kissed her, holding her tightly to him.

When he ended it, she quietly inquired, "Do I look all right?"

"Perfect," he assured her.

"Liar."

"Not about you," he said. "Never to you."

"Right," she grinned. "That's my job."

He laughed and kissed her again. "Are you ready to go in?"

"To the mysterious restaurant that you refused to tell me about? Of course."

He laughed again. "I love you."

"You just said that," she informed him.

"So? I can't say that more than once to you?"

"Hmm, let me think about that."

He offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

She eagerly accepted it. "Why am I suddenly having a sense of deja vu?"

He laughed once more. "I think you're remembering our first date."

"Oh, you mean the one where you almost kissed me but didn't?" she wanted to know.

"If I recall, you did the same to me," he pointed out.

"I don't know about you, but I had my reasons."

"And those were?"

"You want the short list or the long one?"

"I think I'll pass on both," he decided, knowing that further discussion of that time could lead to unpleasant memories for both of them, which was the last thing he wanted to do to her. Tonight was going to be the happiest of her entire life and afterlife. He was going to make sure of it.

"Oh great, I'm dating a wimp!" she laughed.

"Come on, my love," he said, gently tugging on her arm. "We don't want to miss our reservation."

"I love you," she stated.

"And you thought I said that too much," he teased.

"Woman's prerogative," she declared and they both laughed.

He started guiding her towards "Jasmine," the restaurant Natalie had selected. As they walked, his free hand made its way over to his pocket and reached in. Inside, his fingers were rewarded with the feel of the ring box.

Soon, my love. Very soon.

((((())))))

As she, Armon, and Presley waited on line to get into the buffet, Amanda took a look at the large clock on the wall. It was after seven. Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina were safely in the restaurant. It was time to tell them.

"Can't this line move any faster?" Presley complained as she turned around to look at him.

"I'm sorry I let it get so late, Sweetie," she lied. She had known exactly what she was doing. "But you know, since we're not going anywhere for a while, there's something I need to tell you."

"What about?" Presley wanted to know.

"Well," she began, "you know that Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina have gone out tonight, right?"

"Yeah," Presley answered, that smirk of his rearing its ugly head. "And I bet I know how they plan on spending most of it."

"Eating?" Armon spoke up.

Presley just groaned, his raunchy humor having been ruined by Armon's simplicity.

Thankful for small favors, Amanda decided to continue and ignore her son's inappropriate remarks. "Well, they're doing a little more than that.

"They're getting married."

Presley's eyes practically bugged out of his head. "Married? For real?"

"Ooh," was Armon's offering.

"Yes, 'for real'," she assured them. "Ja-Kal plans to propose after dinner."

"Oh, wow," Presley murmured. "And Nef thought he'd never marry her. Man, is she in for a surprise!"

"Yes," Amanda agreed. "She has no idea what he has planned."

"Cool. Very cool," Presley decided. His smirk came back. "Looks like I was right about that hotel after all."

"Presley!"

"What?"

She groaned. "Never mind."

As Presley continued to smile evilly, obviously proud of his dirty mind, she just shook her head.

If this was only the beginning of the teenage years, she didn't think she could survive until the end!

((((())))))

No, this can't be happening, Rath silently moaned as he watched the money, his money, go to another man. How could this be? How in all of the gods' names was he losing again?

It made no sense. He'd already won, establishing himself as the best player at the table. By all logical reasoning, he should have won each subsequent game after that. The other players, with their primitive minds, should have become more careless and cocky, insuring his absolute and total victory for the rest of the day. In their fruitless attempts to beat him, they should have repeatedly lost, especially any and all newcomers. But they hadn't. No, instead, they had beat him every time.

Every time!

It just wasn't fair!

"My poor Ralphie," Misty cooed. "You'll win again. I know you will."

"Of course I will," he sniffed. "How could one such as myself not?"

Misty giggled. "Oh, Ralphie. You're so funny! Even when you're losing!"

He groaned. Why wouldn't she just go away? He had told her repeatedly and firmly that she was not to follow him after he left. (The very idea of sharing relations with her of all people absolutely revolted him.) Why couldn't she take the not-at-all-subtle hint and leave him alone?

"Why don't you go get us something to eat?" he suggested, repeating the same ploy he'd used on her all day to make her go away for several minutes. Although he was not hungry (a sensation he had had the misfortune of experiencing during his time in Armon's body), it was a way to get a breather from her. (The other being when either of them had to go relieve himself.) The woman was suffocating!

"Okay!" she readily agreed! "I'll be right back, Lover!" And as she got up to leave, she planted another very wet kiss on his cheek.

He resisted the urge to immediately wipe it away.

"Don't go away, Ralphie," she warned him. "I'll be right back."

"Not unless you get lost first," he hopefully muttered, turning his attention back to the table. Maybe a discreetly placed spell...

Deciding against that (knowing his luck, it would backfire and insure that the woman never left his side!), he instead placed a new bet in the box and waited for the dealer to give him his first card.

((((())))))

"That was delicious," Nefer-Tina declared as she set down her fork. "I don't think I've ever eaten this much before!"

He laughed. "If you enjoyed it, then it was worth every bite."

"I did," she smiled. "Thank you so much for this."

He reached across the table and took her by the hands. "You're so very welcome, my love."

"You're too good to me."

"No," he shook his head. "I'm nowhere near as good as I should be."

"Ja-Kal," she sighed, squeezing his hands. "Not tonight. Please?"

"All right," he said. "Just know that's how I'll always feel."

"I don't care about that," she told him. "I love you. You, Ja-Kal. Not the things you do or give me."

"And I love you," he replied. "So much more than I could ever express."

She gave him another smile. "What a pair we make."

"A perfect one," he informed her.

"You wish," she teased.

"I know," he corrected and squeezed her hands.

"So, what's next on the agenda?" she wanted to know.

"A surprise," he told her with a small smile.

"Another one? Well, I've heard the expression 'just full of surprises', but tonight you're giving that a whole new meaning," she told him.

"I think you'll really like this one," he said with a tone that belied knowing.

"Well, you haven't been wrong yet," she conceded. "But I'm watching you, Mister!"

"If I'm wrong about this, then I give you permission to punish me in any way you see fit."

"Oh, really?" she cocked an eyebrow. "And just what do you mean by 'punish'?"

"I leave that entirely up to you, my love."

"A bad move," she informed him. "A very bad move."

"Let's just hope I don't have to find out then," he told her.

"Yes, you'd better."

And then the two of them laughed.

"I love you," he announced once again.

"I love you," she answered.

He stood up without releasing her hands. "Come with me."

She looked at him quizzically. "But what about-?"

"It's all been taken care of," he promised. "Trust me."

She let him pull her to her feet. "I do."

He leaned in and gently kissed her. "I want you to close your eyes."

Her eyes momentarily widened and then she acquiesced. "This better be good," she warned.

"I await your judgment," he told her, kissing her again.

A moment later, she felt him pull her by both hands and she let him lead her to whatever destination he had in mind.

((((())))))

After a walk of several minutes, Nefer-Tina sensed that he had come to a stop.

"Are we there yet?" she asked him.

"We're here." He let her hands go. "You can open your eyes."

Slowly, she opened them and as soon as her eyes had adjusted, she gasped.

She stood in one of the most gorgeous places she had ever seen. She twirled around in wonder. Flowers could be seen everywhere, of every color and variety imaginable. At one end of this garden chamber stood a small white pagoda. It looked as if it had been taken out of a dream or a fairytale. It was nothing short of wonderful.

"Oh, Ja-Kal," she managed as she turned to face him. "Where... What... It's so... Oh, it's so beautiful!"

"I knew you'd like it," he said quietly. "As soon as I saw this place yesterday I knew that I had to bring you here. Especially to ask you..."

"Ask me what?" she wanted to know when he didn't finish his sentence.

He reached out and took her by the hand again.

"Ja-Kal, what is it? What's going on?"

He said nothing and simply tugged on her hand.

"Ja-Kal..."

There was no answer and she let herself be guided once more.

What was going on? What did he want to ask her? Why was he being secretive about this whole evening?

He led her into the pagoda and released her hand.

She turned and put her arms around him. "What is it? What do you want to ask me?"

Instead of answering, he leaned in to kiss her.

She did not pull away, kissing him back. She loved him so much. Whatever this was about, it wouldn't change the way she felt about him. Nothing ever could.

When he ended the kiss, she asked again, "What's this about, Ja-Kal? Is anything wrong?"

"Yes," he said very softly. "There's something very wrong."

A feeling of dread passed through her. What was going on? "What is it?"

He pulled her very close. "I've treated you so badly for so long. It's about time I tried to fix some of my mistakes. I love you so much. I can't stand the thought of hurting you anymore."

"What are you talking about? You're not-"

He silenced her with a kiss. "Let me finish."

She nodded, confused by his words.

He slackened his hold on her to allow her to look directly at him as he spoke.

"Until I overheard you talking to Presley, I didn't think there was anything left for me to harm you with. I couldn't have been more wrong. I should have thought... I should have known.

"You were so young when everything happened to you," he continued. "If only I had seen you. I could have prevented all of it. I could have kept you from suffering so much and you would have had all those things you so badly wanted. A family. A home.

"A husband."

"Ja-Kal..." she interrupted.

He placed his fingers against her mouth and shook his head. "Please. I want to get this out in the open. I need for you to hear it."

She nodded again.

"I'm so sorry that I waited so long to love you. I was such a blind fool. And now that I do love you, which you must know...gods, you have to know...I can't give you most of those things you wanted...still want. Gods, how I wish I could."

Nefer-Tina's eyes filled with tears. Why wouldn't he stop beating himself up over this? None of it was his fault. How could he possibly think that? All she needed was his love, which she had. She did know she had it. That was never in doubt. What was in doubt was how she could have it. The gods only knew how unworthy of him she was.

"I can't give you a real home. Even though we'll have a place of our own when we reach the east coast, it won't be a true home. Not until we're sure that we'll never have to leave. Because if Scarab finds us, we'll have to start running again.

"I can't give you children," he went on, reaching up to wipe away her tears. "We both know that's impossible, no matter how hard we try.

"But there is one thing I can give to you, if you'll have it."

She nearly opened her mouth to cry out that she would. She'd have anything he would give her even though all she really wanted was him. She loved him so much.

Much to her surprise, he let her go from his arms and lowered himself to one knee. He took both of her hands in one of his.

"You already have my heart and soul. They are yours forever. As is my love. I doubt I can ever give you enough. The only thing I have left is my life. And, if you'll have it, I'd love nothing more than to spend the rest of it and whatever comes next as your husband."

"What did you say?" she barely breathed. He couldn't have just said that. Not Ja-Kal. Not this man who put his duty above everything else...

With his free hand, he reached into his pants' pocket and produced a very small box. Releasing her two hands, he held the tiny package up to her and opened it.

She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

It was a ring.

She had seen enough television shows and movies on the magic box to know what this meant. The tears came faster now that she realized that she had not misheard him.

"Will you marry me, my love?"

She was too shocked to speak. She could only cry harder.

Ja-Kal said nothing, rising to his feet and pulling her into his arms.

Oh, gods! Oh, gods! She couldn't believe this was happening. Ja-Kal had asked her to marry him, something she had never dreamed of. How could she? She knew him so well, knew how he placed duty ahead of everything, including her. Where had this come from? How could he do this? This that went against everything he believed in?

"Oh, my love," he murmured. "Don't cry. Please don't cry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

A horrible realization struck her as he spoke. He thought she had rejected him! He thought she had turned him down!

Oh, gods!

She broke out of his embrace, doing her best to stifle her tears.

"Yes, Ja-Kal," she quietly spoke. She reached up to touch his cheek. "Oh, yes."

His expression changed immediately. "Are you sure?"

"I love you," she told him, hoping that was enough to convince him.

A smile slowly formed on his lips. "I love you so much."

"Good," she gently teased, "because we'd have one lousy marriage if you didn't!"

He laughed and she knew that she had gotten through to him.

She lifted herself onto her toes and kissed him deeply, throwing her arms around him once again. She felt his arms go around her at almost the same instant.

The kiss went on until he finally ended it.

"I love you, Nefer-Tina," he said. He held up the ring box, which had been closed during the confusion, and lifted the top again.

Without hesitation, she reached out and extracted the precious gift.

It was absolutely gorgeous and unlike any engagement ring she'd ever seen on the screen. Where all the ones she had observed had been plain diamonds, this one consisted of a central blue sapphire, which, by sheer amazing coincidence, matched her dress. Surrounding the gem were several tiny diamonds which gave the overall effect of being a flower. The setting was made of white gold. The entire ring sparkled in the bright lights of this indoor garden.

She slipped it onto her left hand and found herself being kissed once more.

When this kiss ended, she managed, "When?"

"I've been thinking about this ever since I overheard you with Presley," he told her, stroking her back as he held her. "It took Amanda and someone I met here to convince me to do the right thing." He kissed her again. "I finally realized that I had to stop hurting you."

"Ja-Kal," she sighed, "you've never hurt me. You never could."

"Don't lie to me," he ordered her. "I know you're in pain. You said as much to Presley."

She didn't know how to answer that. He was right. She was in pain, but none of it was his fault. This pain was from what had been done to her long before she had ever met him. He had nothing to do with any of it.

Nothing.

"You love me," she finally said. "That's enough for me. And this..." She brought her bejeweled hand and placed it on his chest where they could both see it. "...Only makes me love you more, which I didn't think was possible until this moment. No pain can compete with that."

"You're everything to me," he told her. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am," she informed him. "Gods, I am. I love you."

"I love you."

They kissed again, the kiss both sweet and passionate.

He was once again the one to end it. "Come, my love. It's time for us to take the next step."

"Next step?" she questioned.

He smiled at her. "We can't have a wedding without a license, can we?"

"You mean...?" She couldn't believe what he was saying. Could they really...?

"I'm marrying you tonight, my love. Right here in this wonderful place," he told her. "Before tomorrow, you will be my wife."

"Oh, Ja-Kal," she breathed. "Oh, gods."

He kissed her once more. "I love you so much, Nefer-Tina. I can't go on another day without you as my wife."

Renewed tears filled her eyes. "Ja-Kal..." Oh, how she loved him!

He took her hand in his. "Come with me, my love."

"Anywhere," she vowed.

"Anywhere."

((((())))))

Rath smiled smugly as he finished assessing his current hand. It's about time!

"Twenty-one," he proudly announced with a wave of his hand over the cards.

Misty's grip on his arm suddenly tightened.

"Yay!" she squealed. "You did it again! Oh, Ralphie, I'm so happy for you!"

"Yes, I can see that," he commented dryly.

She then did the impossible and squeezed his arm even tighter.

The urge to scream was very, very strong.

"We have a winner," the dealer announced. "Congratulations, sir."

"I'm so proud of you, Lover!" Misty added, kissing his cheek again. (Thank the gods she hadn't tried to place her lips anywhere else.)

Rath ignored her as he watched the prize, a hefty twenty-thousand dollars (he'd been fortunate to be playing against some high-stake opponents this time), be slid his way.

This was the kind of reward he had been after for the past two days. This was exactly what a man of his intelligence and skill deserved to win. He no longer needed to play this simple game anymore. He had what he had come for and could leave.

And, best of all, he'd finally be free of Misty!

"Can we leave now, Ralphie?" the woman who would haunt his nightmares for weeks to come wanted to know.

"I'm leaving," he told her. "What you do now is up to you."

She giggled. "You're so funny."

"You are not following me," he informed her. "Get that through your head this instant. I have no intention of going anywhere with you either."

"You're such a kidder!"

"No, I'm not," he sniffed. "Lying is beneath me."

She giggled again. "Oh, Ralphie. We're going to be so happy together! Good relationships have lots of humor in them."

"Did you not hear anything I just said?" he demanded to know. "I want nothing further to do with you. Actually, I never wanted anything to do with you, but you would not leave me alone. Go away!"

Misty giggled a third time. "You're such a hoot! My precious Ralphie!"

Gods forgive me.

No longer caring what anyone thought, he roughly snatched his arm away from her and started gathered all of his winnings together.

"Ralphie?" she questioned.

He ignored her. He was sick and tired of her whiny voice. His arm ached from the way she had clung on to it. If she followed him out of the casino, there was no telling what he would do. (One of his frightening face projections certainly would not be enough to scare her off. Knowing her, she'd think it was adorable.) This woman was a menace!

"Ralphie? Lover?" she kept trying.

As soon as he safely tucked the money into every available pocket he had, he stood up from the table.

"R-Ralphie?"

"Good evening," he informed his fellow players and began to walk away.

"Ralphie!" Misty called after him. "Where are you going? Ralphie!"

He continued ignoring her. Let her find another man whose life she could ruin.

Suddenly, there were arms around him.

"Ralphie!" Misty cried. "What are you doing? Why aren't you talking to me, Lover? Tell me, Baby! Oh, Ralphie!"

Distastefully, he took the offending appendages from around his waist and turned around to face her.

"Ralphie," she sobbed, tears (tears!) streaming down her face. "Don't leave me. I love you!"

"I feel very sorry for you then," he stiffly informed her. "I have not shown one iota of interest in you, yet you persisted in allowing yourself to remain attracted to me. It is your own fault that you feel the way you do."

She threw her arms around him, sobbing even harder. "You'll learn to love me, Ralphie! I swear you will! I need you! I can't go on without you, Lover! Don't leave me!" And then she continued crying.

Rath did not know what to do. Misty was obviously more unstable than he had ever believed. She truly thought she was in love with him! (Not that he could fault her choice in men.)

He patted her back. "I am sure you will find someone else," he told her in an encouraging tone.

"Never!" she wailed, crushing him against her.

Oh, gods! How am I going to get rid of her?

He had to think. What could he do? She did not want to leave him. And now she claimed she loved him! (This was far worse than her desire to have him in bed!)

"Oh, Ralphie," she murmured into his chest.

He wondered what the others would do in this sort of situation. Surely Ja-Kal had had many women throw themselves at him back in the pharaoh's court. How had he handled them?

Probably with the same honesty he uses for everything else, he decided, something that was definitely not working with Misty.

He had to do something drastic, something that she couldn't argue with. But what?

He tried to go over all the useless tidbits of information that had constantly streamed out of her mouth. There had to be something in there that he could use against her.

It was then he remembered something she had told him about her youth.

"Misty," he spoke in the gentlest voice he could manage, "how much would you like to bet that I can easily win another game?"

((((())))))

"Here it is," Dave, Natalie's friend at the Clark County Marriage Bureau, announced as he slid the official document across the counter. "Congratulations."

Ja-Kal hugged Nefer-Tina tightly to him as he took the license. "Thank you."

"Just doing my job, sir," Dave smiled. "I wish you two all the happiness in the world."

"Thank you," Ja-Kal repeated. To Nefer-Tina, he said, "How do you feel?"

"Like I'm dreaming," she informed him. "Oh, gods, Ja-Kal. I can't believe this is really happening."

He leaned down and kissed her. "It's really happening," he assured her. "As it should have a long time ago."

"I love you," she said, tears appearing in her eyes again.

He smiled and kissed her a second time. "I love you too." He released her from his arms and took her by the hand. "Let's go get married."

She squeezed his hand. "Yes."

And he led her out of the bureau.

((((())))))

"You may kiss the bride."

Nefer-Tina looked deeply into Ja-Kal's eyes as the words of the justice-of-the-peace sunk in.

They were married! She and Ja-Kal were married! He was her husband and she was his wife. It was the most amazing sensation she had ever experienced.

Ja-Kal leaned down towards her and she suddenly found herself being kissed. The first kiss of their new life together. It felt more amazing than just being married to him. She could sense his overwhelming love for her in this simple intimate touch. It was magical.

Her arms worked their way around him while she could already feel his holding her. She did not want this perfect moment to end. Gods, how she loved him.

She was saddened when he pulled away from her.

"My love," he murmured, caressing her cheek. "My wife."

"I love you," she managed only to have him kiss her again.

"Congratulations!" Natalie's cheerful voice interrupted.

Nefer-Tina turned to see the smiling face of the woman who had made all of this possible.

"Thank you," she said, hugging Natalie. "Oh, thank you."

"Don't thank me," Natalie waved her off. "All I did was knock some sense into your husband here. Isn't that right, Jack?"

Ja-Kal smiled and took Nefer-Tina back into his arms. "You did much more than that."

Natalie made a sound. "You hear that, Honey?" she commented to her own husband, Hayden. "I think I'm getting more appreciation from these two than I ever get from you!"

Hayden just laughed. "That's because they don't know what it's like to live with you." He came over and took Nefer-Tina's hand, kissing it. "Congratulations to the both of you."

"Thank you," Ja-Kal accepted for both of them as Hayden shook his hand.

"So, what would you lovebirds like to do now?" Natalie asked.

Nefer-Tina looked at Ja-Kal and wondered what other surprises this night had in store for her.

He leaned down and kissed her before answering. "We've had a long day. I think it might be wise for us to retire for the night."

"Ah," Natalie said knowingly. "Do you need to be escorted to your suite?"

Suite? Nefer-Tina was startled. They were spending the night?

She looked to Ja-Kal again. Was he truly willing to remain out of touch with the others for an entire night? Could he take such a risk, even to be with her?

"No," he answered, his gaze meeting his wife's. "I know the way."

They were! She could not believe it! They were spending the night in this hotel. This hotel where they had just gotten married...

"Then I'll say goodnight to the both of you here," Natalie said. "Don't forget to drop by my office before you leave."

"We won't," Nefer-Tina promised.

"I enjoyed meeting both of you," Hayden added. "I wish you both a very happy life together."

"Thank you," Ja-Kal smiled. He pulled Nefer-Tina tightly to him. "Come, my love," he softly told her.

She only nodded, finally having an idea what the near future held for her.

"Good night," he said to Natalie and Hayden.

"Good night," Natalie smiled.

"Good night," Hayden echoed.

"Good night," Nefer-Tina voiced her own farewell.

And then Ja-Kal guided her out of the chapel.

((((())))))

Amanda yawned as she leaned back against the bench she was sitting on. She had had a long day and was eager to crawl into bed. Unfortunately, she was stuck out on the town until her two charges decided that they were ready to head back too.

Presley had read about a large arcade called "GameWorks" located in the Showcase Mall and had begged to go there after dinner. Amanda, of course, had given in and let her son have his way.

Armon, on the other hand, had decided to roam the mall looking for even more food. How he could still be hungry after what he had eaten at the buffet was beyond her but she had simply given him some money and sent him off to do as he pleased.

She looked at her watch. It was nearly nine-thirty. She'd give both of them another half hour before she demanded that they return to the RV.

Her mind wandered to Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina. What were they doing at this very moment? Surely they had gotten married by...

She blushed as she realized where her train of thought was taking her. It was none of her business how they spent their wedding night. Though she did pray that Ja-Kal would take Nefer-Tina's brutal past into consideration when they-

"Um, Amanda?" a voice suddenly spoke, breaking into her thoughts.

She turned to see a very sheepish looking Armon standing in front of her.

"Yes, what is it, Armon?" she asked.

"Will this help?"

He then held out a large canvas bag very similar to the one he had returned to the RV with yesterday evening...

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina leaned against Ja-Kal, who held her tightly in his arms, as they rode the elevator to the fourth floor.

She still couldn't believe what had happened...what was still happening. She was married! It had happened so fast that it didn't seem real. What was supposed to have been only a simple dinner out had turned into a life-altering experience.

She held up her left hand and admired the tiny gold band that adorned her ring finger. Its presence left no room for doubt about the reality of what was going on.

She was married to Ja-Kal.

The elevator came to a stop and she let him herd her out of the car. She only wanted to be where he was.

He stopped as soon as they were through the doors and turned her to face him, immediately capturing her mouth in a kiss.

She let herself get lost in the kiss, loving the feeling of his lips pressing against hers. She loved kissing him. It was almost as good as making love. Almost...

Suddenly she found herself being swept from her feet and into his arms.

She broke the kiss. "Ja-Kal," she asked with a laugh, "what are you doing?"

"Following a modern wedding tradition," he told her. "I believe it's called carrying you over the threshold."

She shook her head. "You never change."

He kissed her. "I hope that won't be a problem, my love."

"I've put up with you for this long," she conceded with a smile. "I think I can manage for a little while longer."

"I love you." The ever-present sincerity in his voice made her heart sing.

"I love you too," she replied, hoping he could hear the same thing in her own.

He kissed her again and then carried her down the hall.

She rested her head against his chest. It felt so wonderful to be held in his arms. In his embrace, she felt as if nothing could ever harm her.

He brought her to a door that was labeled with the number 402.

"We're here," he told her and she sat up as best she could in his arms.

He shifted her weight to one arm and reached into one of his pockets. He pulled out a keycard and used it to unlock the door.

Once unlocked, he turned the handle, pushed inward, and stuck his foot out to keep the door from closing. Returning his arm to its proper place around her body, he carried her into the room.

"Such a gentleman," she teasingly commented.

He smiled and kissed her, letting the door close behind them.

"You can put me down now," she said softly when he ended the kiss.

"Not yet," he informed her and began to walk again.

She found herself being taken through a minute entry hall that led into the main suite area.

"Gods," she barely managed at the sight that greeted her.

"Did I chose well, my love?"

"How...?" she tried to ask. How could they afford any of this? She knew he loved her. She didn't need to be shown such extravagance. All she wanted was him.

He gently lowered her so that she was standing, but did not release her from his arms. "Natalie insisted. She only offered me the suites to choose from."

"You mean we could be spending our wedding night in a..." She made a gasping sound. "...Regular room?" she teased. Gods, he could have brought her to a garbage dump and she wouldn't have cared. As long as they were together, that was all that mattered. "And you dare to call yourself a romantic!"

He caressed her cheek. "Can you ever forgive me?"

She nodded against his touch, growing serious. "I love you."

"Gods, I love you too."

They both fell silent, their eyes locked.

He slowly slid his hand from her face down onto her shoulder. He pushed the purse strap off of her shoulder and she let the tiny bag fall to the ground. He then moved his hand to her back and pulled her to him.

She watched his face all the while. There was such love there. Love...and something more.

It was desire. Desire for her and only her. His wife.

She wanted him so badly. She loved him so much and craved his touch.

"Ja-Kal..." she barely whispered but found herself unable to say another word as he began to kiss her...

((((())))))

Ja-Kal was roused from his sleep by the bright light of a new day seeping in through the pulled curtains. His attention was immediately drawn to the warmth wrapped in his arms. He smiled as he looked down upon his sleeping wife.

It was an amazing feeling to wake-up with the woman he loved laying in his arms. He had missed out on this when she had snuck out from the bed the morning after they had made love for the first time. She had been so determined to prove herself worthy of his love and it had nearly resulted in her second death. Gods, he had never been so frightened in all of his life and afterlife.

But, thankfully, she had lived and now she slept safely in his embrace, an expression of contentment written on her beautiful face. He loved her so much. And now she was his wife.

His smile grew as his thoughts returned to the previous night. First the dinner and then the proposal, during which, for one horrible moment, he had feared he had made a terrible mistake. Her tears had badly scared him. He had not known what to do, his confidence briefly shattered. But when they had turned out to be only tears of happiness, he had thanked each and every god he knew profusely.

Everything had flown by so quickly after she said yes, not slowing down until he had brought her here to their suite and their wedding night had begun.

It had been the most incredible night he had ever had the privilege and pleasure of experiencing. She was so wonderful, and nothing compared to making love to her. Watching her surrender to ecstasy, ecstasy he was bringing to her, was the most erotic and romantic experience he had ever been through. There was a certain thrill to seeing (and feeling) her reach and then pass the point of no return and knowing that he himself had brought her there. There was nothing more important to him than pleasuring her. He looked forward to the time when they could spend every night like that.

He lightly kissed the top of her head, not wanting to wake her. He was in no hurry to return to the RV, and by default, his duty. All he wanted was to stay here in this magical palace with his love.

His wife.

He felt her stir in his arms.

"Ja-Kal?" she sleepily questioned.

"Go back to sleep," he told her gently.

"What time is it?" she wanted to know, turning around to face him.

He maneuvered to look at the clock on the bedside table nearest to him. "It's only after seven. Go back to sleep, my love."

She kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, stroking her back. "Now close your eyes."

She cuddled against him. "This is new for you. You're usually up long before this."

"Today is special," he told her. "And, after last night, I think we both need our rest."

She laughed softly. "Last night was wonderful. Thank you."

"You're more than welcome, my love."

She kissed his bare chest. "Married. We're really married."

"Yes," he verified. "You're my wife."

"Wow" was her only comment.

"I love you," he said.

She looked up at him. "I love you too."

For a moment, they just held each other's gazes.

Ja-Kal again wished that he could stay here forever. If only he could permanently abandon his duty to Presley. He would have loved nothing more than to spend the rest of his existence with no one but Nefer-Tina.

But this last morning was all he would allow himself. His sense of duty would not stand for anything else. As soon as they left this hotel, everything would return to normal. They would finish what they came here for and then resume running, hoping against hope that Scarab would never find them. He and his wife would not be able to spend another night together until they reached the east coast and found a place of their own to live.

He would have to make every last minute of this morning with her count.

He reached out and took her chin in his hand, keeping her face raised towards his. He then leaned down and captured her mouth with his own.

She immediately began to kiss him back, bringing her arms into play. She wrapped them around him and lightly clutched at his back.

He deepened the kiss, becoming aroused as he did so. He was going to make love to her again before they walked out of this hotel room. Perhaps more than once...

Nefer-Tina seemed to sense this and tightened her arms around him.

He broke the kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," she returned breathlessly.

And then he began to kiss her once more, pulling her close and rolling her onto her back...

((((())))))

Amanda was drinking a cup of coffee when the RV door was thrown open and a very disheveled-looking Rath trudged in.

He was an absolute mess. His clothes were in disarray, wrinkled and looking like they had been thrown on. His hair was tangled and nearly standing straight up. The makeup on his face looked as if it had been nearly wiped away and the remains were smudged. And, strangest of all, he looked covered in lipstick prints.

"Wh-?"

"Don't say a single word," he warned in a menacing tone. "Not a word."

Her mouth hung open as he stomped over to his sarcophagus and slammed himself inside.

Regaining her composure, she simply shook her head and resumed drinking her coffee.

Apparently Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina weren't the only ones who had "gotten lucky" last night.

((((())))))

"Good afternoon," Natalie greeted Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina as they walked into her office. "Did you two enjoy your stay last night."

"Very much," Ja-Kal told her, hugging Nefer-Tina tightly to him. Very much.

"I'm very glad to hear it," Natalie smiled. "You two deserved the rest. Though I'm sure it wasn't too restful, right?" she added with a wink.

Ja-Kal felt Nefer-Tina stiffen in surprise against him and ran a comforting hand along her arm. He had done his best to warn her about Natalie's way of overstepping her bounds, but knowing about it and experiencing it were two different things altogether.

"It was exactly what we needed," he answered truthfully. He kissed Nefer-Tina's hair. "We're incredibly grateful to you."

"Oh, don't start with that again," she waved him off. "You know I live for this kind of thing.

"And I see that you two are already leaving us," she commented, indicating the bags Ja-Kal was carrying. "I was hoping you'd reconsider and stay longer. That's why I reserved the room for three days."

"We can't," he told her. "We have responsibilities we cannot continue to ignore."

"Right. That mysterious job of yours."

He had also told Nefer-Tina about the modified story he'd given to Natalie about who they were and what they did. He continued to rub her arm calmingly although she seemed more at ease hearing this than Natalie's comment about last night.

"Do any of your coworkers know about this little escapade of yours?" Natalie wanted to know.

"They should all know by now," Ja-Kal said. "I instructed someone to pass the news on."

"Think any of them were all that surprised?"

Ja-Kal laughed and looked at his beloved. "No, I don't think so."

"Definitely not," Nefer-Tina added with a grin.

"Ah, the not-so-secret office romance," Natalie declared, rising to her feet. "Well, I guess I shouldn't keep you two any longer. Have you checked out yet?"

"Yes. Right before we came to see you," he informed her. "We figured we'd take care of business before saying goodbye."

"And you were okay with the bill?"

"It was far too generous," Ja-Kal said. "Are you sure that's all you want to charge us?"

"If I wasn't sure, it wouldn't have been on the bill," she told him matter-of-factly, circling around her desk. "Besides, as head of the department, I can charge whatever I want."

Ja-Kal's eyes widened in surprise. She was the head of the department? The leader?

"Didn't expect that, did you?" she smiled at his reaction. "Why do you think I can get away with so much? Marrying well can only get you so far."

"I should have suspected," he said. "No one can be as skilled as you are and not be in a leadership position."

"Please!" she waved him off. "Enough with the flattery! You're going to give me a swelled head!"

Nefer-Tina laughed. "Jack means everything he says. He only speaks the truth. Trust me. I know."

He hugged her closer. "Yet you still don't believe me most of the time, my love," he teased.

"I'm your wife. I don't have to," she informed him, kissing him.

Natalie walked up to them with her hand extended. "It was a pleasure meeting both of you."

Ja-Kal accepted her hand. "Likewise. Again, thank you for everything."

"Hey, no problem. Your story is the kind of fairy-tale romance I love bringing to life," she told him. "And, like I said when we first met, you'll have one heck of a story to tell the kids."

Nefer-Tina immediately stiffened against him and he started stroking her arm again. Natalie had no way of knowing that they could not produce children. She believed them to be normal humans.

"We had better be going now," he said. He wanted to get Nefer-Tina somewhere private where he could take a moment to comfort her. He knew how badly the mention of children had hurt her.

"Don't forget to come see me the next time you're in the area," Natalie told him. "I love hearing updates from all the couples I've helped. I definitely look forward to hearing from you someday."

"We will," he pretended to promise, knowing they'd never return to this city again. It was too much of a risk.

She pulled both of them into a hug at the same time. "Take care of each other, you hear me?"

"We'll do our best," Nefer-Tina promised.

"That's all I ever want to hear," Natalie said.

"Thank you," Nefer-Tina repeated as Ja-Kal pulled her close once more.

"You're more than welcome. Now, get!" she shooed them. "Get on with your new life!"

"Goodbye," Ja-Kal smiled. "And thank you."

"Go on already!" Natalie insisted. "Get!"

He and Nefer-Tina shared a laugh and then left her office, ready to face whatever the future would bring.

((((())))))

Presley woke up to find himself literally being shaken from his sleep.

"Presley," he heard his mother's voice saying. "Come on, Sweetie. Get up. There's something I need to show you."

"Mom," he groaned unhappily. "I'm so tired."

"And whose fault is that?" she gently chided. "You're too young to be staying out past eleven. Now, come on. Get up."

"Ugh, why?" he demanded to know, refusing to budge.

"There's something you have to see," she urged.

"Unless it's the newlyweds making out, I'm not interested," he announced.

"Presley!"

Oops! "Er, sorry?"

She threw the blanket off of him. "Up. Now!"

"Okay, okay," he groaned concedingly as he sat up in bed. "What's so important anyway?"

"Come and I'll show you."

"Can't you just tell me?"

"Now."

"Fine!" he threw up his arms and started grumbling to himself about tyrannical mothers who were worse than overprotective head guardians.

He got out of bed, and yawning, followed Mom out of the bedroom.

"Good morning, my prince," Armon greeted from the table, where Mom was already standing.

"Hey, Armon," Presley said, yawning again.

"Come look, Baby," Mom waved him over.

Presley acquiesced if only out of fear of her getting angry with him. (Unlike Ja-Kal, Mom had no problem punishing him.)

Presley went to stand beside her and noticed the piles of money for the first time.

"This is the money we won, right?" This is what she had gotten him out of bed for? Money?

"Yes," she corroborated.

"What about it?" he wanted to know so he could go back to bed. He had no idea what time it was and he really didn't care. Though he was a little hungry now that he was up...

"How much do you think there is?"

"Um, a lot?" he ventured.

"Presley."

"What? How am I supposed to know?" This was starting to get annoying. Moms!

"What would you say if I told you that there was about one million dollars here?"

Presley gave her a look.

"You don't believe me?"

"Well, would you?" he pointed out. "A million bucks? Come on! How could we have that much?"

"You have Armon to thank for that."

"You mean-?"

"He hit it big again last night," she explained. "Without magic."

Presley turned to Armon, who was licking something off of a plate.

"Uh, wow" was his only comment before returning his attention to his mother.

"My sentiments exactly," she agreed.

"Wait until Ja-Kal and Nef find out," he said.

"I can't think of a better wedding gift," she told him. "Maybe we can convince Ja-Kal to relax for a few days. Take a real honeymoon."

"Good luck," Presley told her. "You know he won't agree to it."

"I know," she sighed, "but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try."

They both turned when they heard the RV door open. First Ja-Kal and then Nefer-Tina stepped inside.

"Welcome back," Mom greeted them, walking over to where they were standing. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Nef said as Mom hugged her.

"I'm so happy for you," Mom continued.

"Hey guys," Presley waved. "Did you have a nice night?" And then he plastered an innocent grin on his face for good measure. (These days he could never be too careful with how they took anything he said!)

"It was wonderful," Nef told him and Ja-Kal pulled her close, kissing her hair. "Thank you."

Ooh! They must've finally gotten it on! Presley silently smirked. I was right! I rule! Then, to deflect any suspicions from his train of thought, he said out loud, "We've got something really cool to show you. Right, Mom?"

Mom smiled. "You two are going to love this."

"What is it?" Ja-Kal asked.

"Come look," Mom said, waving for them to follow her.

Ja-Kal released Nef from his arms and followed.

Mom went back to the table and pointed to the piles of cash.

"How much?" Ja-Kal wanted to know.

"A million."

"A mi-million?" Nef stammered as Ja-Kal pulled her into a new embrace. "H-how?"

"Armon," Presley gestured.

They all turned to look at Armon who was digging in the refrigerator at the moment.

"How he hit the jackpot twice without any magical help I'll never know," Mom said.

"He has always been very lucky," Ja-Kal told her.

"Yeah," Presley grinned. "Obviously." (How else could someone like Armon have ended up as a royal guardian?)

"Presley!" Mom cried.

"What?" What did I say this time? Geez!

"Where's Rath?" Ja-Kal asked, changing the subject.

"In his sarcophagus," Mom told him. "He stormed in about seven-thirty this morning and just shut himself away. He was in a pretty bad mood."

"He must have lost at that game of his," Presley decided. "It's his own fault, you know. He refused to ask for help."

"I don't think that's what was bothering him," Mom corrected with a strange tone in her voice. "He looked like... Well, it's really not my place to say, but..."

"What?" Presley demanded to know.

"Let's just say he had lipstick all over his face."

"Oh, he must have been with Misty," Armon declared coming over, a wedge of cheese in his hand. "She was very nice."

"Misty?"

"A very pretty lady who liked Rath," Armon helpfully explained. "She kissed him a lot."

"Ooh!" Presley grinned, waggling his eyebrows. "I think I know what happened!"

"Don't even think about it, young man," Mom warned.

"Hey, you said just as much," he pointed out.

"Back to the money," Ja-Kal interrupted, changing the subject. "I see no need to stay here any longer. We've made more than we started with. We can easily make it to the east coast now without worrying about running out again."

"True, but why the rush to leave?" Mom questioned. "We'd already decided to stay here a week. We were taking a break when this whole thing started. Why not finish what we started? Besides, you and Nefer-Tina could use the time alone."

Ja-Kal sighed. "Amanda, we've been over this. It's too dangerous. What I did last night was as much of a risk as I was willing to take."

"It's all right," Nef spoke up. "Don't worry about us. We're perfectly happy as long as we're together."

Ja-Kal kissed her again. "Presley's safety must come first."

Presley rolled his eyes. How Ja-Kal managed to be both romantic and commanding at the same time he'd never know.

"When do you want to leave?" Mom asked.

"As soon as possible," he told her.

"Then we'd better get started," Mom said. "We need to fuel up, disconnect everything, and pay the bill."

"You take care of the bill," Ja-Kal ordered. "Armon and I can handle the rest." He turned to Nefer-Tina. "You start checking the maps."

She nodded.

"Hey, what can I do?" Presley asked.

"You can go back to bed now," Mom told him.

"Cool!" Presley declared.

"All right, everyone. Let's get started," Ja-Kal announced.

And Presley promptly headed straight back to the bedroom.

((((())))))

Nefer-Tina smiled as she felt a kiss pressed into the back of her neck.

"Are you ready, my love?" Ja-Kal softly questioned as he placed his arms around her.

"I will be as soon as you let me go," she teased. "I can't drive if you've got me trapped like this."

"Amanda's driving," he told her.

"Really?" she questioned. "And whose decision was that?"

"Hers."

She twisted in her chair to look at him. "Seriously?"

"She volunteered," he said. "And she wouldn't take no for an answer."

"That's happening a lot to you lately, isn't it?"

"I must be losing my edge," he decided.

She kissed him. "Not with me."

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you too."

"Ugh, what is it with you two?" Presley's voice wanted to know.

They looked up to see him standing across the table.

"Mom asked me to get the map," he grinned. "Don't stop making out on my account."

"Presley!"

Presley looked in the direction his mother's voice had come from and rolled his eyes. "She's almost as bad as you are, Ja-Kal."

"No one's as bad as Ja-Kal," Nefer-Tina corrected, which earned her a kiss on the top of her head.

"You two make me sick," Presley announced as he grabbed the forgotten map book and stomped off.

They both laughed.

"Just wait until he finds that special someone," Nefer-Tina said. "Then we can make fun of them."

"That wouldn't be very nice, my love," Ja-Kal told her.

"No, but it would be satisfying," she grinned.

"What's going on here?" Rath's voice suddenly interjected.

He had just come out of his sarcophagus and Nefer-Tina could immediately see what Amanda had not wanted to say.

There was not a sign of his usual meticulousness. In fact, he looked as bad as she had last night from Ja-Kal's loving ministrations. Could he and that Misty Armon had mentioned have...?

"We're preparing to return to the road," Ja-Kal told him, straightening up. "A lot has happened since your return this morning."

"But we can't leave!" Rath cried. "I have yet to make my contribution to the money supply."

"We have no need of any more," Ja-Kal informed him. "Thanks to Armon, we have enough to last us long after we reach the east coast."

"A-Armon?" Rath sputtered. "Don't tell me he-"

"He won again," Presley jumped in from the passenger seat in the cockpit.

"What? But...? How...? Did he...?" Rath stammered.

"And without your magic coins," Amanda added.

"Impossible! No one's that lucky!" Rath stated.

"Armon is," Presley pointed out. "Right, big guy?"

Armon looked up from his latest snack and mumbled something through his currently occupied mouth.

Rath began to mutter furiously and stalked over to the couch where Armon was sitting. He plopped down next to him and sat with folded arms, looking absolutely annoyed.

Armon offered him a bite of whatever was in his bowl and Rath slid as far away from him as the couch allowed.

Nefer-Tina laughed softly. Some things never changed.

While others only get better, she added as Ja-Kal put his hands on her shoulders.

"Come on," he said.

She smiled and stood up, only to immediately be taken back into his arms.

"Amanda, whenever you're ready," Ja-Kal called.

The only response was the sound of the RV's engine starting.

He hugged her to him and started guiding her somewhere. She soon found herself in his lap as they sat together in one of the comfortable easy chairs.

"Is this safe?" Nefer-Tina teasingly questioned him.

"We'll find out soon enough," he answered, kissing her.

"Hold on, everyone," Amanda called. "I'm heading out of here."

The RV shuddered as it began to move and Ja-Kal tightened his hold on Nefer-Tina.

"My hero," she playfully kissed him.

"I love you," he told her, pulling her as close to him as he could.

"I love you too," she replied. "My husband."

"My wife," he added.

And then he kissed her, deeply and passionately.

What the future would bring for all of them she did not know, but there was one thing she could be certain of and that was the love of this man. The love of her life. Her husband.

As long as they were together, nothing else mattered.

Nothing.