University of Cambridge

January 18th, 1936

The department of archaeology and anthropology at Cambridge University was always busy with students shuffling from one class to another but on this particular day, it was especially chaotic as the archaeologists Therkel Mathiassen was giving a lecture in the main hall about his discoveries in northern Canada. Excited chatter filled Cambridge's halls as students pushed and shoved their way towards the lecture room. Professors tried to maintain some order but the eager students were too busy hauling books and checking pens for ink to pay any attention to their superiors.

Elizabeth Fredericks was not one of those students.

She made her way towards the other end of the hall, the heels of her oxfords clicking against the tile floor determinedly. The velvet cap she wore was cocked over one eye coyly and her dress and jacket were smartly matched. Her red lips were pursed and her eyes held a fierce gaze as they flickered over the faces of the students. She walked with purposeful strides, with her shoulders back and her spine straight.

She carried herself in such a way that demanded attention and respect. Even though the halls were packed, the young scholars moved out of her way, pressing themselves into the wall to create a small path for her. Their loud chatter died to a hum as she passed and whispers of the compelling young woman were passed behind gloved hands. She ignored them as she maneuvered through the crowd towards one of the classrooms.

She paused before entering the room, glancing up at the sign on the door that she a read a hundred times before and a hundred times over.

Dr. Stephen Fredericks, Anthropologist. A Comparative Study of Ancient Civilizations. Room 103.

Twisting the handle, Eliza entered to a find a man sitting at his desk. His brow was furrowed in concentration and beneath his salt a pepper mustache he worked a cigarette between his teeth. He stared down at the chess board on his desk, his fingers hovering over the pieces before he moved one. He looked up.

"Eliza, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here? Shouldn't you be at the lecture with the other students?" he asked.

"Stop with the formalities. You know why I am here," Eliza said. She descended the stairs that held the rows of desks until she stood in front of the professor's workspace. The anthropologists didn't look up from his game. "Why did you convince the Archaeological Society to pull my funding for the Merenkahre burial site?"

"Oh, I think you know the answer to that question," the man said lightly, "But if you honestly need an explanation, I'll tell you. But first, your move."

He indicated to the chess game.

Eliza let an irritated sigh escape her lips before pulling a chair up to the desk. She knew better than to try and argue with her uncle when chess was involved and she knew that she wouldn't get her answers unless she played along.

She removed her white wrist gloves and set them aside, moving a pawn.

Her uncle grinned under his moustache. "You always do favor the least valuable pieces, don't you?" he asked as he contemplated his next move.

"Because no one expects them to be able to control the game. Most move the pawns around the board as a distraction but if played right, they become an asset." Eliza replied, looking up at the anthropologist. "Now, how come I don't have money for my excavation Uncle Stephen?"

Dr. Stephen Fredericks looked up at his niece and leaned back in his leather chair, the game momentarily forgotten. She looked at him with a hard gaze that would make anyone cringe but Stephen had been around Eliza since she was a toddler so to him the look only made her seem like a foolish child.

"Stop sulking," he said firmly but Eliza didn't relent. She narrowed her eyes.

"You know I can do this."

"Ha!" Stephen scoffed. "Eliza you are barley twenty four, you've only just finished your studies, you're a woman and you don't have a team together. What makes you think you can lead a dig in Egypt?"

"You know I graduated top of my class," Eliza replied as she watched her uncle make his move across the board. "I'm smarter than half the men you took to Nepal on your last excavation. I've been with you on half your travels! South America, Madagascar, Greenland and Jerusalem."

"Yes, but only as an intern. You've never lead a team."

"Because you haven't given me a bloody chance!"

Stephen raised an eyebrow at his niece's language.

Eliza sighed. "It wasn't right of you to pull my funding. I presented my case to the Archaeological Society, they agreed to back me financially but you swept that out from underneath my feet. How am I supposed to prove myself if you won't let me try?"

Eliza moved another pawn then watched as Stephen moved his bishop.

"You're right," Stephen said, "You're an excellent archaeologist and an incredibly intelligent student, but leading a team is a hard enough challenge as it is and yet you've decided to take on one of the most difficult excavation ever attempted. Where do you get that radical determination?"

"I learned from the best," Eliza replied, "Big risks come with big rewards."

Stephen played his turn and then Eliza took hers. She waited for him to make his next move, watching her uncle tap his cigarette over the ash tray before returning it to his mouth. She traced the lines of his face with her gaze, remembering a younger man who would laugh and tell the most outrageous stories to her. Stephen had been Eliza's best friend growing up and she held him in such high esteem that she ended up following in his footsteps, much to her parents dismay. As a child, the man had been her idol, as a young woman, he was now her tutor.

The years had been kind to Stephen, his handsome face still visible under the winkles and freckles, but as nice as the years were to his face, they were not kind to his demeanor. When he was younger, Stephen could tell a joke with a sharp tongue and quick wink but as he aged, he had become much more serious. Not that Eliza minded. Stephen's firm hand had caused her to grow up quickly and without him she would not have been where she was today.

Still, there were times when she missed her sweet uncle who could cure cries with good belly laugh.

"This is about Robert, isn't it?" Eliza asked after a long, drawn out silence.

"Excuse me?"

"You don't want me to go to Egypt because of what happened to Robert," Eliza said matter of factly. When she looked at her uncle again, she knew that she had hit the mark. Stephen looked at his niece with hurt in his eyes that she had touched on such a sensitive subject.

"This has nothing to do with your brother," Stephen replied firmly.

"It has everything to do with him," Eliza said sharply, "You encouraged Robert to try and find the Merenkahre burial site but his team was lost in a sand storm. The only ones that survived were his son and some of the local diggers. You're scared that I'll make the same mistakes that Robert made."

Robert Fredericks was a skilled archaeologists and had attempted the excavation many years prior. After months of laborious work and nothing to show for it, Robert had expanded the site to cover more ground. His greed and frustration eventually lead to his death when a massive sand storm hit their camp site and Robert had refused to stop digging to take shelter. There were only eight survivors, one of them being Robert's ten year old son, Cecil James Fredericks.

Eliza had only been twenty at the time and had just started at Cambridge. Now an orphan, Cecil had gone to live with his grandparents, Eliza's parents. Eliza didn't see much of her parents or her brother's son, after they moved from Ipswich to New York four years ago; an occasional letter was the only harbinger of her family's activity.

Though he never would admit it, Eliza was sure that her uncle blamed himself for her brother's death. She never harbored hard feeling towards her uncle for suggesting the dig that eventually took Robert's life, but she believed that he was right in assuming that he was responsible for Robert's early passing. If he hadn't gone to Egypt, her brother would be sitting next to them now, trying to convince Stephen that it was high time his little sister lead her own team.

"Admit it Uncle Stephen. Those men died at your hand and now you're frightened that I'll have the same fate," Eliza said when her uncle didn't reply.

Stephen pounded his fist on his desk, rattling the chess pieces on the board. "That's quite enough Elizabeth!" he said sharply.

Eliza knew that she had gone too far. Stephen only ever used her full name when she had crossed the line. Stephen sat back in his chair with a sigh, rubbing his face tiredly. It was a long time before either of them said anything.

"Eliza you have all the odds against you," Stephen said, his voice much softer now. "Many men more experienced than you have tried to find the burial site of the king and his sons but you know just as I do that it's nothing but myths that surround the tombs. You know of the legend of the Gifts of Might? It's nothing but rubbish. No one had been able to find them for centuries and there is no concrete proof that they even exist just like there is no concrete proof of the Merenkahre burial site."

Stephen reached over and moved his queen. Eliza moved her knight.

"Please Uncle Stephen, give me a chance. I know that you're worried that I won't be able to do this but I am telling you that I will not disappoint you. I know that everyone thinks I'm just an eager, young student who's just chasing stories and I know that the odds are against me but if I am anything like the woman you taught me to be, you and I both know that this dig will be victorious."

Another sigh escaped Stephen. He laced his fingers together and leaned over his desk, scrutinizing Eliza over his hands. Eliza held his gaze as she reached over the board and moved her last pawn.

"Check mate," she said.

Stephen gave a breathy chuckle, exhausted from bantering with his stubborn niece. He should have known better than to try and pull the rug out from under her once she had made up her mind. There was no deterring Eliza from her goal now, no matter how Stephen tried. It was just easier to go along with it.

"I'll call the Archaeological Society in the morning and ask them to sponsor you. But in the meantime Eliza, get a team together. You've got a lot of work to do before you leave for Egypt."

Eliza flashed her uncle a triumphant smile. She rose from her chair and slipped her gloves back on her hands before taking the stairs to the doorway of the classroom. Back out in the hall, which was now eerily quiet, Eliza resisted the urge to pump a victorious fist through the air. Now that she had her funding back, it was time to track down the elusive Charles Barsad. If anyone was going to help her find the tombs, it was him.

Authors Note: Well there you have it darlings, the first of many exciting chapters. I hope you enjoyed it.

This idea came to me after watching the last Night at the Museum and this story formed, literally, overnight. I believe it's one of my best story ideas to date and I am so excited to share it with you. That being said, I am nervous for this story. The Night at the Museum does not have a very big fan base and a lot of new stories are popping up so if you enjoyed reading this, please leave a review and let me know.

How do you guys feel about Elizabeth? I'm trying out a new character that I've never used before so we'll see how it goes. There will hopefully be a lot of character development in this story. I also can't wait for you guys to meet Charlie in the next chapter, he's going to be a hoot to write.

Thank you so much you guys. This NatM fanbase is so wonderful, you all rock.