Submission: Eternity
Author: SnowChaser
Pairing: Ja-kal/Nefer-Tina
Rating: G
Summary: Nef has had a rough night...
Disclaimer: I don't own Mummies! Alive. And the song "Eternity" is credited to Big and Rich.
Notes: This is meant to be a standalone, however, if you guys like it, I do have two more chapters (and possibly a third). But, yeah. I don't want to put them up if people don't like it. Also... the word 'bast' refers to Naf's patron goddess, Bastet.
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"Doing all I can to make things better
And everything I can to get things right.
Baby, when you're with me,
It's a little more like heaven here in my mind..."
--
He was sitting in the corner when she walked in, wearing yet another one of her black cocktail dresses, her hair in wild disarray around her small, heart-shaped face. It was the kind of face that made men turn their heads and stare at her, yet she seemed completely oblivious when it came to her looks. She was stunning without makeup; yet, on nights like this, she had taken to using stage makeup, giving herself the appearance of any normal young woman.
Normal.
She had always wanted normalcy. He supposed that even in Egypt, she'd wanted some sense of being normal. She was too raw, too untamed, however, for anything to truly be normal about her.
Still, it was five in the morning, and he hadn't gone to rest, knowing that he had to stay awake. Because he had to see that flash in her eyes, that contemptuous look on her face when he went on yet another rant, those perfectly-shaped lips spitting back with more fire than he offered. He had to watch her storm off again. Just one more time, even though he knew he would gladly kill to see it every night for the rest of his existence.
"Ja-kal? What're you still doing up?" Oh, god, it was her voice again. Not angry, just curious. Accompanying the words was favorite expression number five; her mockingly shocked look. Ignoring the fact that, had his heart still been beating it would have begun to pound, he stood, fixing her with his best expression of sternness. And, for a fleeting moment, he almost felt sorry, because for a fraction of an instant, her frame wilted under that gaze. And then she stood straight and proud, glaring at him.
"Where were you?" He asked, though the words might as well have been 'who were you with'.
"I went out." She didn't spit back this time, and he noticed the almost sad expression in her eyes. Sitting down, he patted the spot beside him on the couch. Four years after coming to this new existence, the culture shock had eventually worn even the stiffest habit down, and, as such, it was perfectly acceptable. She was his... friend. Yes, that was it. His friend. Possibly his best friend, as their prince loved to point out (though this wasn't normally what their young prince would say; he simply didn't want to go there right now).
"Come," he spoke softly, no anger in his tone, and the slim woman crossed the floor to sit beside him, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to comfort. Her leg brushed against his, and he tried to contain a shudder from coursing through him. Being this close to her was something he'd only dreamt of that first time he saw her as a woman. She shivered, and, in reflex, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. She let out a suffocated whimper and buried her face in his chest.
One hand drifted down to her back, while the other stroked her hair soothingly, as he had to his own wife. His... wife. Ra, he was still married! But she was a... friend. Yes, a friend. He would keep telling himself that, and maybe after a million times, convince himself that the words were valid. Still, her presence wasn't unwelcome. Even sobbing, the comfort holding her brought him was enough to convince him that he'd finally made it to the Afterlife. After a bit, she calmed down enough to draw away, sniffling and wiping her eyes uselessly.
"S-sorry, Ja-kal." She reached across him for a tissue, dabbing at her eyes. Makeup was streaking off, revealing hints of a deathly pallor beneath, and she turned those startlingly blue iris' on his face.
"It's alright, Nefer-Tina," he whispered. One hand, rebelling against his efforts to keep the contact between them casual, reached up and carefully brushed away a tear. "What happened?" His voice was pitched to be concerned and soothing, if there was such a thing. "Did you get into a fight?" Her head shook, sending her died-black tresses in a wave to obscure her face. "Did someone make lewd comments about you?" Again, a negative shake. "Nefer-Tina..."
"It.. it was Missy," she began. He nodded. Missy was one of her new friends, and, from what Nef said, the pair was very close.
"What happened to Missy?" He asked, mentally deciding right then and there that, whoever had harmed this Missy would be found, and he would personally make sure they never hurt Missy again.
"B-Bobby asked her to marry him. And she said yes, and they were all over each other! T-then Missy asked if I was going to bring a d-date to the wedding. And then she remembered I d-don't have a boyfriend, and said s-she'd set me up. B-but then I look desperate." She finished, her hair obscuring her face as she nodded miserably.
He was taken aback, and tried not to laugh. This beautiful, intelligent girl thought she'd have a problem getting a date? Not only was she lovely, she had a temperament that most men would find horribly alluring, and she could run circles around the other women. Plus, she had her choice of three men she roomed with to ask.
"Desperate? Nefer-Tina, I would hardly call you desperate. Besides," here, he grinned at her openly, a dimple appearing on the left, "you could just ask one of us. I am sure Armon would accompany you to this wedding."
She rolled her eyes, before getting up.
"Men! None of you EVER understand! Bast, I don't know WHY I ever talked to you..." she muttered as she stormed out of the room, leaving him to look at her retreating backside. The smile on his face began to fade, as did his level of happiness as he returned to earth from the heavenly place he'd been with her beside him. Once he heard the soft 'click' of a closing sarcophagus, he stood, stretching, as he turned his steps towards his own place of rest. Shoving aside the heavy lid with one swift, practiced move, he settled himself in before closing fore-mentioned lid.
It was a long time before he truly found any rest that night, as his mind filled with visions of the woman who slept in the coffin beside his.
