I'm back! At last. I didn't intend on going this long without any kind of update, but life has been rather hectic lately.
Anyways, here's a oneshot leading up to the third movie and next story in the series!
I hope you like it, let me know what you think!
Just A Little
"Come on, put me down!" the complaint came from the young man suspended in the air, occasionally being moved around. He frowned down at the woman who looked to be in her early twenties at most, whose eyes were swirling silver as she flexed her fingers occasionally. "Beth, seriously, I'm starting to get air sick up here!" he called down to her. The woman, whose long black hair was tied back in a ponytail, rolled her eyes
"You used to love this Nick, when'd you get boring?" Beth asked as she lowered her hand. Nick felt himself being lowered back down as the wind swirled around him, and after a moment, his feet touched back down on solid ground. He let out a breath, and looked over to Beth as her eyes changed colour, turning from a bright silver, to a dark brown.
"I'm not boring, I've just got stuff to do," he retorted, walking back over to his laptop that sat nearby.
"Oh, I know when it was," Beth tapped a finger to her cheek. "When you found girls and it became uncool to fly," she teased him.
"You're hilarious," Nick replied in a bored voice, opening the laptop.
"Which girl is it this time you're talking to?" Beth floated over, landing beside him.
"I'm studying!" he insisted. Beth just snorted. "I've got finals coming up you know. Not all of us can be carefree and not grow up," Nick muttered.
"Oh, someone's in a mood," Beth quirked an eyebrow at him. "Growing up is boring, who wants to do that? You don't have to lose your sense of humour just because you're growing up Nicky," she poked him, and the teenager yelped, jerking away. "It was just a poke, relax," she frowned at him.
"It wasn't that, you shocked me," Nick told her, rubbing his arm.
"I did that to Larry earlier..." Beth frowned. "I guess I'm full of static today," she shrugged. "Well, speaking of your father, I better go and make sure he and the Constellations are playing nice," the Egyptian woman decided. "Have fun with studying," she called over her shoulder as her eyes turned silver and she floated away. Nick glanced back at her, and sighed, before returning his attention to his computer.
As she moved through the museum, Beth thought about what had occurred over the last few years. She and Larry had remained night guards in the museum, helping with the night program that allowed the exhibits to roam free around the museum and interact with guests. A lot had changed since she'd been hired. She had free control over the four elements, which she was finally beginning to master. Even fire was no longer an issue for her, though she was still reluctant to use it before the other three.
"Guys come on, don't-" she was pulled from her thoughts by Larry's voice, which was followed by an alarmed cry and a strange tinkling noise. Tilting her head, Beth landed on the ground easily and walked around the corner, finding Larry suspended in the air by beautiful white-blue lights. "Beth! A little help here!" he called when he spotted her.
"Alright Pegasus, let the man down," Beth laughed as the lights formed a beautiful winged-horse, who snickered. He glided back to the ground, and Larry practically fell off his back, caught by the wind as Beth flicked her hand.
"Apologies, Pegasus got a little excited," they glanced up, with Beth smiling and Larry frowning, at the woman that more of the stars formed together to create. Her hair long and flowing, much like her dress, Virgo was the image of beauty.
"It's fine, not your fault," Larry muttered. Pegasus snorted, trotting over to the pair. Each step made a sparkling sound, and he pressed his face to Beth's outstretched hand. The feeling was odd; warm and tingling, and made Beth giggle.
"Aw, you were only playing, weren't you?" she asked, and he jerked his head as if in a nod.
"Of course he'd get on with you. You're as big a torment as he is," Larry told her as he fixed his jacket.
"That's just rude," Beth pouted at him. "How's the planetarium coming along?" she asked as Pegasus' form shattered into a cluster of stars and flew around Beth before flying back to his home exhibit.
"The remodelling should be finished in less than a month, right on schedule," he told her.
"Indeed, our new home is magnificent," Virgo, whose voice tinkled as she spoke, nodded in agreement. "I look forward to seeing it completed," she told them.
"Not long to go now. Doctor McPhee will be happy, means the grand reopening can happen as he wanted," Beth commented.
"Speaking of...I need to get everyone ready for that," Larry mused.
"Oh, showing off their performance?" Beth smiled, and the man nodded. Ever since the Doctor had announced that there was to be a large reopening celebration once the planetarium's remodelling was completed, Larry had been planning out a performance for the exhibits, even including Dexter showing off. After all, nobody could resist the monkey, at least, until they got to know him better.
"Teddy's been rehearsing for the last few days. They're all getting pumped for it," Larry told her, feeling nervous at the idea but excited at the same time. It was a great opportunity for them to promote how well the museum ran now, to stop what happened a few years back from happening again.
"And we Constellations are looking forward to it as well," Virgo nodded. "Leo has not stopped talking about it. Nor Orion," she smiled.
"You have mentioned it on several occasions as well," more stars gathered beside her, forming a young man with short hair and a gentle smile. Virgo glanced to him, the stars forming her face moving to arch her brow.
"Oh? And you have remained silent about it, Scorpio?" she asked the other Constellation, who laughed.
"I did not say that," he raised his hands. "We are all excited for a chance to show off," Scorpio defended, and Virgo's soft smile returned as he reached out to touch her arm gently. Beth smiled at the gentle exchange.
"I better go and get a little more training in. I'll check in with the miniatures too," she decided, and Larry nodded.
"Sure thing. I'm going to make sure the remodelling isn't damaged by Pegasus or Dipper, the two were pretty excited earlier," Larry decided. Beth nodded, turning and walking away, and Larry headed into the Planetarium. Beth couldn't deny that she was excited as well. The Planetarium had been closed for some time, and the Constellations were new, providing the museum with new family members. It took some getting used to, as they could form and break apart at a moment's notice.
A hand caught Beth's wrist, and pulled her down a side corridor as she walked along, and she blinked as she found herself in the arms of the young Pharaoh whose tablet was responsible for the exhibits night life.
"Skipping training again?" he murmured as she smiled up at him. Her heart raced, and she was sure he could feel it, as he pulled her against him.
"On my way to get some more in, actually," Beth replied. Ahkmenrah made a show of shaking his head in exasperation.
"You are awful for getting distracted," he accused.
"And whose fault is that?" Beth teased him back. When he met her gaze again, she reached up and he leaned in to kiss her, but as their lips touched, he jolted, pulling back. "What's wrong?" she frowned as he put a hand to his mouth.
"A shock, it startled me," he said, his voice slightly muffled by his hand.
"Sorry...I've been doing it all day," Beth sighed, going to pull away. However, he caught her again and pulled her close to kiss her. Beth let out a contented breath, before pulling away and smiling. "Care to join me?" she asked, and he smiled back.
"Are you sure I will not be a distraction for you?" he asked quietly.
"You're always a distraction for me, so it doesn't matter," Beth grinned back at him. "Come on," she laughed, taking his hand and pulling him along.
Rubbing her arms as she shivered, Beth focused her mind on the task at hand. Her fingers twitched, and the water in the cup in front of her shook suddenly, rippling. Taking a deep breath, Beth stared at it as her eyes turned a vibrant blue. The water shook again, and slowly rose from the cup.
"That's great!" Ahkmenrah's praise caused the water the shake, almost falling out of the air as Beth's focus wavered. She bit her lip, and the water continued to rise, and change shape. Forming a perfect circle, Beth looked up, and grinned. Her eyes flicked to Ahkmenrah, and some of the water broke away from the circle and splashed him. "Really?" the Pharaoh wiped the water from his face.
"Couldn't resist..." Beth giggled, and the water shook again. It was a lot harder for her to focus on manipulating the elements without the use of her hands, but Safiya had mastered it, and so Beth wanted to do so.
"It really is fascinating to watch," Virgo spoke from where she floated beside Scorpio, their hands linked in a cluster of stars.
"I do wonder how you are able to do it," Scorpio commented.
"If you figure it out, let me know. I still have no idea," Beth replied with a small laugh, and the water wavered. She twisted it, letting it form other shapes, before hearing a strange noise. She frowned, knowing she recognised the sound.
"Oh Pegasus, stop!" Virgo's call came too late, and Beth gasped as Pegasus' starry form surrounded her suddenly. The cold feeling increased, and the water splashed to the ground.
"Pegasus, really?" Beth sighed as the stars continued to circle her.
"Bet, look," Ahkmenrah's voice was soft, and she followed his gaze. Her eyes widened as she saw that the water had completely frozen over, not all of it hitting the ground, making it form an arch of some description.
"What? How did that..."
"I think you did it," he approached the ice carefully, and Beth did so as well, kneeling beside it.
"It happened when Pegasus startled you," Scorpio told her, tilting his head a little. "Is this a new thing?" he asked. Beth nodded slowly, reaching out and touching the ice.
"Totally new...I've never frozen something..." she murmured, looking at Ahkmenrah. "Do you think that..."
"If Safiya could freeze water, she kept it hidden from me. You'd know better than I, since you have her memories," the young Pharaoh shook his head, watching Beth as she looked down at her hands.
"You practice a great deal Beth, perhaps it is a result of your powers growing?" Virgo suggested as Pegasus formed beside her, snorting.
"I guess?" Beth shrugged.
"Try it again," Ahkmenrah suggested. Beth held out her hand to the ice, willing for it to thaw.
"We're getting nowhere! This is pointless!" an hour passed, and Beth was losing her patience.
"You're getting there, you've been able to manipulate some of it," Virgo soothed her.
"Because it's melting! I'm not doing it...I can't do it! It was some freak thing and I can't do it again!" Beth shook her head, getting to her feet.
"Bet, calm down," Ahkmenrah caught her arms as she went to walk away. "You will get it. Just try and think of how you were feeling when it happened in the first place. That may help," he suggested. Beth's eyes stung from unshed tears. "You can do it. After all, you learned how to control the other elements before," he smiled at her.
"I was a kid. Both times. It just came naturally. This isn't," Beth shook her head hopelessly, turning away. "I can't even get the stupid ice to unfreeze!" she threw up her hands, and yelped as lightning shot from them and hit the ceiling above, scorching it. "Okay, this is getting annoying," Beth huffed, folding her arms.
"Well, that would explain why you were shocking people," Ahkmenrah's words made her glance to him in surprise. "Remember, you run warmer when you use fire as well. Your active element affects you body," he reminded her. Beth nodded, knowing he was right. She felt lighter when she used air, and heavier when using earth, and more agile when using water.
"I got colder, when Pegasus surprised me," Beth realised, and turned to the melting ice. Taking a deep breath, she focused again, and held out her hand. The ice melted instantly, and her smile returned. "It worked!" she cheered, before the ice froze again. "Oops..." she muttered.
"It seems you have a little more to practice than you thought," Virgo chuckled as Beth glared at the offending ice block.
"This really makes no sense to me," Beth commented as she moved her hand, creating a small mist cloud that expanded along the ground and started to rise.
"And the rest does?" Ahkmenrah asked with an amused smile. Beth frowned, and moved her hand. Water splashed him in the face. "You really do not tire of that," he wiped the water from his face, the amusement gone. Beth smirked.
"Never," she confirmed, turning to him. "I don't get where these new powers are coming from. Lightning, Ice...even Mist? This isn't something I expected to happen," Beth shook her head. Waving her hand, the mist disappeared.
"At least you're getting control over them," the Pharaoh tried to look on the bright side as Beth pressed her face to his chest.
"For the most part. Mist and Ice are easier. Lightning, not so much," she complained.
"I believe that's because it's connected to your power over Fire. Your eyes turn the same colour when you use it," Ahkmenrah suggested, a hand running through her hair absent-mindedly. Beth hummed in response. She'd always had issues controlling fire, which required a lot of focus and even more patience. She'd struggled as Safiya, and she still struggled now as Beth.
"The grand reopening is tomorrow night," she said as she straightened up. "Back to work," Beth smiled softly at him. One benefit of the planetarium being remodelled, was the night program being temporarily closed, letting the exhibits relax and giving Beth and Ahkmenrah a lot of time alone.
"Back to work," he repeated, smiling. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, and stepped away. Beth took another breath and the mist returned, this time filling the air around her and causing her to disappear.
"Looking good," it faded as she heard Larry call out, walking into the Egyptian exhibit. "You're getting those new powers down," he nodded.
"Still weirding you out?" Beth grinned as the mist disappeared, revealing her to the other night guard.
"All of your powers 'weird' me out Beth," Larry answered her honestly, and Beth laughed. She didn't blame him in the slightest. Getting used to a magical tablet that brings everything in the museum to life at night was one thing, but a girl with control over the elements who was also a reincarnated sorceress who had once served as the entertainer for Ahkmenrah's father's court was another thing entirely.
"How's preparations going for tomorrow night?" Beth asked him.
"Great, we're almost done. Just some more rehearsing and then the rest can be left to tomorrow," Larry replied. "Speaking of, I was wondering if you'd use your powers. In the background, obviously, but to make it, you know..."
"More impressive?" Beth finished, and he nodded. "Sure, sounds fun," she agreed.
"Will you be ready to use your powers?" Ahkmenrah asked her carefully. He'd not missed her accidentally freezing the water when she got distracted a few days before.
"It'll be fine Ahk. Besides, everyone will be more focused on you guys than me," Beth told her, before rubbing her temples suddenly.
"Headache?" Larry asked, noticing the action.
"Probably just used my powers too much," Beth dismissed it, letting her hands drop to her sides. "A good night's sleep and I'll be fine," she told him, and jumped down from her perch on the sarcophagus. "We better do another run of the museum and make sure everything's in order," she decided. The older man nodded, and Beth waved to Ahkmenrah before following Larry out. "Oh, hey, did you hear that McPhee is getting another Primordial in?" she asked, making him frown, before they heard a crash down the hall.
"We can't even have one quiet night here," he complained.
"Never," Beth agreed with a nod.
I'll do my best to start on the next story soon!
Please review!