Archaeologist AU
This is obviously extremely historically inaccurate.
Mike brushed a hand across his forehead and blinked away the sweat from his eyes. Wiping his hand on his pants, he grimaced as sand got caught on the back of it. Though it wasn't a surprise; there was sand everywhere. There was no escaping it when excavating in the Valley of the Kings.
"Man, why the hell are we digging here?" Miller groaned.
"We're making history, Miller." Mike growled.
"Well you're definitely setting the record for most sand in a beard." Miller muttered. Mike shot him a glare before walking out of the excavation pit. The main tent was about 30 feet from the edge of the pit. He could see her bent over the table, conversing with her research assistant, Cara. He crossed his arms and watched. Dr. Ginny Baker, wunderkind Archaeologist, genius, scholar and current pain in Mike's ass. And speaking of asses...he shook himself, looking away from her. Heat stroke, he thought to himself. He could always blame it on heatstroke.
"Dr. Baker." He called out as he approached. "Please tell me you've found something so Miller can shut his smug face?"
Ginny turned, shutting her notes and glaring at him. "We're close." She tilted her head. "And Miller never shuts his face." She grumbled.
Mike took a step back with his hands up. It was unlike her to show when she was upset. Ginny exhaled, her shoulders slumping.
"Sorry, I'm a bit..." She shrugged. Mike nodded; they were all on edge, being in the desert made tempers run high and that combined with not having found anything made for an explosive combination. Ginny looked out towards the excavation pit.
"She's here." Cara murmured. "I can feel it."
"...Riiiight." Mike said, frowning at Cara. For the most part, Ginny's research assistant was cool, but every once in a while she'd say something weird that unsettled him and she'd only gotten weirder the more they dug.
Ginny nodded, "I've gone over every detail, every reference to her there is. I know most people think I'm crazy..." she trailed off. Mike shifted, scratching at his beard. Ginny smirked, following the motion of his fingers. "If you shaved, the sand wouldn't bother you so much."
Mike let out a grunt. "So I should tell Miller to shut his face hole unless he wants to end up in the river?" Ginny shook her head.
"I'm not okaying you drowning members of my team, Lawson." She couldn't help the smile that broke over her features. It was the first time her dimples had made an appearance for a long time. In fact, he was pretty sure he hadn't seen her smile since they'd gotten here. Now if he could just get her to laugh...
"Drowning?" Mike continued. "Who said anything about drowning? Consider it me sending him back up river, without any need for fancy accommodations like a 'boat'." He made air quotes. The joke was lame, but it had the desired affect: Ginny let out her signature horsey laugh.
"Dr. Baker." Amelia Slater walked over. She was on her phone and looked annoyed, though it might also be her resting face or the fact that Mike was there. She was sure he'd only signed on to this expedition to try and take some of the glory away from Ginny's discovery for himself. Something she made sure to remind him on a regular basis. "I've got Oscar on the phone, and he wants an update on his investment."
Cara and Ginny shared a look. "We found some potsherds?" Cara's full tooth smile and slight shrug weren't reassuring. Amelia didn't even blink.
"I'll field him off." She turned and walked back towards her tent. Cara dropped her shoulders and pouted.
"How is it that some women can be in the center of the damn desert and still look like that?" She pulled the hat over her head. "If I even look at the sand, I'll get burned." She tilted her head. "I'm stealing her sunscreen."
Ginny nudged her before turning back to Mike. "Lawson, go back to the dig site. I'll be over there in a minute."
Mike shook his head. "Yes boss." If someone had told him he'd been taking orders from a newbie archaeologist not even 25, fresh after her dissertation, he'd have laughed them out of his office. For one, he'd all but given up on going into the field, but that was before he'd met Ginny Baker.
"Dr. Lawson?" Mike looked up from the paper he was grading. The young women in front of him was tall and thin with bronze curls held back into a ponytail. She didn't seem familiar, but it was hard to keep all the 200 faces in his lecture class straight.
"Office hours are over. If you've got a question, read the syllabus." He said, looking back at the papers. He was distracted by her sitting in the chair across from his desk. He sighed, putting his pen down, fixing her with a glare. "Look..." He paused, trying to figure out if he could remember her name. She smirked.
"Ginny." She replied.
"Ginny." He repeated, unsure why she was so calm. "I'm going to say this as politely as possible. Come back during regular office hours or expect your grade to drop." This is why he hated dealing with 101 students. Grade obsessed, too young to realize they didn't know everything and crazy enough to not respect boundaries. Teaching them was the bane of his existence. And why the hell was she still smirking at him?
"Dr. Ginny Baker." She said, pointing to the door that connected his office to the empty one next door. "I'm going to be moving in there and I came to apologize in advance for any noise." She stood, smoothing her shirt. "But feel free to lower my grade." She gave him a dazzling smile as she turned and walked out of his office. He blinked at the chair she'd vacated, unsure what the hell had just happened. He knew the department had hired a new adjunct and that the circumstances around them were so hush hush that even he hadn't been privy to the details. But he hadn't expected her to be so...young. What the hell was Oscar thinking? He jumped to his feet, going to the door. The other office's previous occupant had been an asshole and Mike had shoved a bookcase in front of it to avoid any fraternization. Pushing it aside, he ignored as some of the books crashed to the ground. Opening the door, he took a breath, trying to look nonchalant. Dr. Ginny Baker put a box down on her desk and smirked. "I'm sorry, I haven't set up office hours just yet." She quipped.
"You're the new adjunct?" He asked, noting that she flinched at the harsh tone of disbelief.
"To answer what I'm sure is your next question." She stood aside and offered him a chair. "I'm 23." Mike felt queasy, lurching forward, he took the seat in front of her desk and sat down heavily. "To answer what your next questions will be after you process the shock," she went to the coffee machine in the corner, which was the only thing in the office that had been set up. Riffling through the box, she pulled out a Padres mug. "No, I did not get my PhD online. No I didn't blackmail any of my professors or sleep with them." She poured some coffee in the mug and handed it to him. Mike took it and swallowed a big gulp, the caffeine sharpening his focus. Ginny sat across from him, amused. "I don't know why you're so shocked, you defended your dissertation at 26."
"Yeah, but..." Mike waved his arm, dismissively. "How?"
Her eyes turned stormy. "My dad was...Bill Baker." Mike noted her use of the past tense. Bill Baker had been an up and coming archaeologist before getting injured in a cave during an excavation. He'd dropped off the map. Mike hadn't known he had a daughter. Yet, here she was.
"Ginny Baker in the flesh." He murmured, sipping his coffee. "The entire department's been buzzing about the new secret adjunct with their super secret research project." He noted that a muscle jumped in her neck as she met his gaze full on. She was probably waiting for him to dismiss her, but he was impressed. "Can't wait to see what you dig up." He stood. "I'd stay longer, but then you'd probably ask me to help with your boxes." He was halfway back into his office when he paused, leaning his hand on the door frame, turning back to look at her, he asked. "How did you know how old I was when I defended my dissertation?"
Ginny's look of self assurance faltered as she ducked her head. She was blushing. Mike turned, looking at her with renewed interest. "I've read almost every paper you've written." She admitted. "I-"
"Stop." Mike said. "It makes me feel old." He turned and was almost out of the door.
"Ahmose Ipwet." She said. Mike froze, turning back. Surely she couldn't be that crazy...and surely the university wasn't following her down the rabbit hole. She stood, holding out a binder. "My dissertation and super secret research project." She said. "It's Ahmose Ipwet."
"She doesn't exist." Mike frowned, even as he walked forward, taking the binder from her.
"She does."
Mike snorted at her stubbornness. "Baker, she's a fairytale told to trick people into getting people to choose Archaeology as their major."
Ginny tapped the binder. "I think you'll change your mind."
So here he was, getting sand in places he should not have sand. All to chase down a legendary female pharaoh that Ginny was certain was buried here.
"I'm regretting not skipping out on this to go to the Caribbean." He muttered. "beaches, breezes, water that hasn't been sitting out in the desert all day, booze." He climbed back down into the excavation pit. A few minutes later, Ginny followed him down. She was about to say something when Cara tripped and slammed into her. They tumbled down, Mike tried to grab Ginny but she was just out of his reach.
"Ow." Cara groaned, pushing up her self up. Ginny rolled over and clutched her shoulder. A red spot was spreading. Mike didn't even think before he jumped, landing next to them. Ginny was hurt, nothing else mattered, not even the twinge of pain that shot through his knees as his feet hit the sand.
"We need a medic." Mike shouted as he knelt next to her. Ginny waved off his offer of help, sitting up alone. She looked down at the ground, gently brushing off the sand where she hit her shoulder. Mike's jaw dropped as the corner of a brick revealed itself.
"No fucking way." Miller whispered from behind him. Ginny's eyes were as wide as saucers.
"I..." She swallowed, rising to her feet, swaying slightly. "I'm going to..." A smile broke over her face as she turned to Cara. The other woman squealed and clapped her hands, pulling her into a hug. Ginny gripped her. "We're going to need tools." She said, pointing to the slightly exposed brick. Pulling away from Cara she grabbed Mike's arm, hauling him up to his feet before slamming him into a hug. Mike was too stunned to do anything but wrap his arms around her. "We found it." She whispered.
"You found a brick." Mike murmured, his brain going fuzzy as he felt her press against him. She pulled back to glare at him. "I mean." He added quickly. "You need to get that shoulder looked at. Let the others dig around and see what else we find." He knew she was stubborn, but he'd been doing this a lot longer and he knew full well the dangers of early celebration. Of thinking you'd found something only for it to be a rock or a fragment. He didn't want that for her; she deserved her moment in full, not the disappointment of an accident.
She looked like she was going to protest further, but a quick glance at her arm revealed blood trickling down her arm. Blood loss under the desert sun was dangerous. Biting her lip, she nodded, letting him led her off to the side.
Mike led her to a tarp, sitting her down and forcing her to drink something while her arm was being cleaned and bandaged. She was practically vibrating with excitement, he could tell she was counting down the seconds before she could go back.
"Is it bad?" He asked the medic. He knew it was useless, but he was hoping for a medical excuse for her to sit still for 2 damn seconds. She glared at him, clearly reading his mind.
"As long as she keeps it clean, it should be fine." The medic replied. Mike nodded stiffly as Ginny stuck out her tongue.
"Oh very dignified, Dr. Baker." He muttered, running a hand through his beard.
She giggled, getting to her feet. "I'm about to make the greatest discovery in archaeological history, I can be as undignified as I want." Her eyes widened and she swayed slightly. Mike steadied her, fear gripping his gut. She put her hand on his arm, squeezing slightly. Her eyes meeting his. The air left his lungs and for a second he wasn't sure who was steadying who.
"It's a roof." Sonny Evers shouted. Ginny pulled away from him, going to the edge of the excavation pit. Mike followed her, ready to grab her if she fell. She was trembling with excitement. "The brick you fell on was loose; it's part of a tomb." He pointed to the section of the roof they'd cleared.
Ginny covered her mouth, looking over at Mike to confirm that she'd really heard him correctly. "We found her?" She whispered.
Mike nodded. "You did it, Baker." He grinned as she whooped, jumping into his arms.
"Baker, your shoulder." He protested, but held her close, feeling the excitement thrum through her body. She pulled away first. Running towards the roof, shouting out orders. Mike watched her, bemused.
"Ahmose Ipwet," Mike opened the door and walked into Ginny's office. She frowned. He was holding the copy of her dissertation.
"That door is made for knocking." She said. Mike ignored her.
"Though her rule gave Egypt great prosperity, most of her subjects lived in fear of her and it was rumored that she was a powerful sorceress."
"That," Ginny mumbled. "Was probably sexist slandering. Powerful woman, has to be a witch."
Mike glanced up. "I've read the three pages where you explain that." He sat across from her. "And I was almost convinced, yet..." He put his feet up on her desk. "This next part kinda undermines your point." He cleared his throat and continued. "Feeling that she wouldn't be content with living on as a soul in the field of reeds, Ahmose Ipwet decided she wanted to rule in the afterlife." He paused, looking over the paper. "This is my favorite part because it goes full goosebumps."
Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed his feet off the desk. He laughed, turning his attention back to the paper.
"To that aim, she created a ritual that would take the life force of others. Assembling a group of her strongest palace servants, she prepared to drain them. Unbeknownst to her, her high priests had devised a countermeasure. When she tried to begin her ritual, they killed her and trapped her soul, hiding her soul in a remote valley. Death incantations blah blah blah." He lowered the paper. "And this is who you want to dig up?"
Ginny sighed. "There were tons of tales about curses and magic." She waved her hand dismissively. "The Egyptians believed it was part of their everyday life. In all likelihood she lost her mind and was murdered or the male priests got tired of taking orders from a woman and spread this rumor as a means of justifying them removing her."
Mike frowned back at the paper. "And they buried her in an unknown valley...that you believe later became the Valley of the Kings..." He looked at her, amused. Ginny smiled.
"She was an Old Kingdom ruler. The Valley of the Kings wasn't used as a burial site until the New Kingdom. Time moves on, sand shifts...people forget." She tapped her fingers on the desk. "At the time, above ground burials were preferred for pharaohs. So burying her underground was a form of disrespect." She smirked. "Come on, you remember how it was."
"Ha ha." Mike still looked uncomfortable. Ginny laughed.
"Come on, Lawson." She shook her head, grabbing the paper from his hands. "Don't tell me you're afraid of an old ghost story."
It took three days to find the door and another 3 days before negotiations with the Egyptian government allowed them open it. Ginny stood in front of the door of the tomb, raking her eyes over the hieroglyphics. She'd done it. After all the hard work and pushing from her father and fighting the doubt of everyone around her...She'd done it.
There was a whistling noise from behind her. She rolled her eyes. "You couldn't let me have my moment, Lawson?" She said over her shoulder.
Mike came up behind her, squinting at the door. "He who dares open these doors..." He murmured. "Will...eat fruit?"
Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Wait..." He squinted at the carvings. "That could also mean suffer horribly." He sighed dramatically, glancing back at her. "Guess we'll never know."
"Well you are the expert, seeing as you were there when it was carved." She said.
Mike looked down at her. "One more joke, I dare you."
Cara materialized next to her. "So. We going to open it or what?"
Ginny looked at the door. "One more second." She whispered, pressing her hand to the door. "I want to remember this."
Cara opened her mouth to protest, but Mike shot her a glare. "This is your moment, Baker." He said. "Take as long as you need."
Ginny swallowed, nodding. We're here, dad. She thought to herself. Stepping back, she cleared her throat, motioning to the door. "Open the tomb."