SUMMARY: After eighty years, destiny still isn't finished with them yet.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of THE MUMMY/THE MUMMY RETURNS

RATING: T+

PAIRING: Imhotep/Anck-Su-Namun

REVERSAL OF FATE:

It was just another day. Sun was taking time away from work to come and listen to a guest lecturer speak about ancient Egypt – specifically the era of Pharaoh Seti the I. Her friend, Lyla, accompanied her, but it wasn't history she was interested it. It was the frat boys she liked to flirt with and sometimes the professors, if they were cute enough for her. Until the guest speaker started, Sun was going to sit and read her book.

Ten minutes later, a hush fell over the hall. Sun didn't even glance up. She kept reading even though Lyla started nudging her. "What?" she hissed, glancing at her friend. But a glance was all it took. She saw the man at the front of the hall; tall, bald, and imposing. Most of all, he was familiar to her. His eyes captured her attention and she couldn't look away.

Tom hadn't wanted to come to give yet another lecture on Seti the I. His colleague and friend, Andrew, had wheedled and cajoled him until he had no choice but to agree to one last lecture. Stepping inside to the sound of students chattering away about truly inane things made him bristle and grind his teeth. He set his briefcase down on the table, then stepped up to the podium.

In a few seconds, Tom's glower silenced every single hushed conversation. He scanned most of the young faces until he came to one that he couldn't look away from. Her dark eyes were captivating. As he started to speak, his eyes kept tracking back to her, gaging her reactions to his words. She never looked away from him, nor he from her.

The lecture ended, and everyone got up to leave. Sun was cut off from the guest professor by a sea of students. When she managed to catch a glimpse of him, but he was being carried along on the tide. "Damnit!" Sun snarled.

"What?" Lyla asked, suddenly confused.

"I lost track of him," Sun grumbled.

"Who?" Lyla asked, shrugging, further conveying her confusion.

"The speaker," Sun stated sharply.

"Oh, him. You were staring at him pretty hard. Were you going to ask him out for a drink?" Lyla teased. It was rare for her best friend to have drinks with strangers. For Lyla, drinks often led to one-night stands, and that suited her just fine. Sun wasn't into that sort of thing.

"What…? No!" Sun exclaimed. In all honesty, she didn't know why she was avidly searching for him through the thinning crowd. There was something pulling her towards him, and she wasn't fighting it. Finally, the students all filed out, but the man she sought was gone. "Where is he?"

"Maybe he had another engagement?" Lyla suggested. "He was pretty hot for a bald man," she commented, hoping to get Sun's attention, but she didn't rise to the bait.

Sun's shoulders slumped, feeling her lips turn down in a frown. She crouched down to pick up her bag as she said to her friend, "Let's go."

THE NIGHT:

Tom sat across from Andrew while they were out at a local restaurant. He wasn't too proud to admit that he was brooding. After his lecture, he tried to find the woman, but she had all but disappeared. Who was she? Why had she come to the class? She had been so mesmerizing that he hadn't been able to look away from her for long. She had long black hair, dusky desert skin, and those eyes; black pools he could fall into. He couldn't shake the feeling that they'd met before.

Andrew had been slumped back in his chair for the last twenty minutes watching his friend scowl at the glass of wine that he hadn't touched. In a huff, he kicked Tom under the table, albeit lightly. "Hey, what gives?" he asked

Tom groaned, rubbing at his shin. "What?" he said, scowling.

"We've been sitting in silence for the last twenty minutes. I'm bored," Andrew whined.

"I've got a lot on my mind," Tom replied softly.

"You got a girl on your mind. Don't think I didn't see the one you were looking at all through your lecture." Andrew admittedly had been staring at the other one.

Tom's attention shifted to his friend and colleague. "Do you know who she is?" he asked hopefully.

"Not her name, per se, but I've seen her more than a few times attending my classes. I get the feeling she's got an obsession with ancient Egypt," Andrew casually mentioned. He noticed the server coming towards them with their food.

"Damn…" Tom growled.

"Why is this so important to you?" Andrew asked as he spread his napkin in his lap.

"I don't know…" Tom answered honestly. He couldn't stop thinking about her intense eyes. The way she stared at him, it felt like the most intimate of caresses, as if it was something forbidden. "I just can't get her out of my head, Andrew."

Andrew could see that, and he'd known Tom for more than fifteen years. "Let me make a few calls and see what I can find out about her."

"You would do that for me?" Tom asked almost in pure disbelief.

"You're my oldest – only – friend. If I don't help you, then I'm a schmuck." Andrew laughed just as their food was being set down in front of them.

ONE WEEK LATER:

Sun sat at her desk distracted for the thousandth time by the professor who had captured her attention last week. Whenever she tried to think of him by name, her mind drew a blank. There was another name lingering on the tip of her tongue that was dying to be spoken. Trouble was, she didn't know what it was. It was frustrating to say the least. And Lyla was no help. She kept going on and now about how Dr. Andrew Combs was sexy. Sun just tuned her out.

When Sun wasn't thinking about him, she could swear she was being watched. It was a foolish feeling, but one she couldn't shake. At the oddest times she would see men wearing strange red clothing walking on the same street as her, or in the same café. She had even seen one of "red" men on the subway with her. It had taken everything she had not to go right up to the man following her and punch him in the face. Shaking her head, she pushed away from her desk, and announced, "I need coffee. You want some?"

Lyla looked up at Sun from the opposite desk in the super cubicle they shared. "Sure, if you're buying?" she asked, adding a gentle laugh. It was like working/living with a zombie the last week. Ever since that lecture, her friend hadn't been the same. Dazed, often lost in thought. Lyla couldn't understand it. "Would you also get me a cherry turn over, please?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes in an adorable, overly dramatic manner. It had always made Sun laugh in the past.

"Sure," Sun replied in the same sweet tone, rewarding Lyla with a light giggle. She knew it hadn't been easy for her friend the last week. Her mind wouldn't let go of the man she spent an hour listening to. His voice, even now, whispered in the back of her mind; speaking to her in a lost language that she had been taught when she'd been a child.

Sun headed towards the bank of elevators, trying not to look around for strange men wearing red. If she had had the nerve, she would have called the police, but they probably would have called her crazy. It was best she kept it to herself until the feeling finally abated. This had to be related to the professor, to the strange way she had kept staring at him. She couldn't shake the feeling she knew him.

Outside, at a coffee cart, Tom had been taking an afternoon stroll when some gut feeling had him stopping to get a cup. It had been a week since Andrew had promised to ask around about the mystery woman from his lecture. So far, his friend was failing him. Andrew had been caught up in a heated dalliance with a secretary from the math department, and that left Tom to brood over the weekend. He should have known better than to believe Andrew would follow through on his promise.

Tom had taken over two more classes for his friend, so that Andrew might spend some time getting his wick licked. He had hoped that news of his prolonged stay might have somehow reached his mystery woman, but to no avail. She hadn't shown up. But someone else had. A strange man, garbed in red, wearing a medallion that proclaimed him to be "Red Guard". There was this niggling feeling at the back of Tom's mind. He should know them. Another feeling told him not to trust the man in red. He was going to heed that gut warning.

Sun was half way to the coffee cart outside her temporary workplace when she came up short. Ten feet away was the man she couldn't stop thinking about. He held a cup of coffee halfway to his lips, but the moment their eyes connected, everything around them stopped. Sounds were muted. People slowed. All she could see was the mystery professor. Then, as if there was this extraordinary force pulling them towards each other, her feet began to move. She didn't need to watch where she was going. Her feet were surefooted as they carried her ever closer to the man she didn't know yet knew better than anyone.

Tom set the coffee cup back on the cart. The moment she took her first step, he took his as well. The sound of the traffic couldn't be heard over the thundering of his heart. He stopped seeing the pedestrians passing him by. All he knew was he had to get to her, to be standing so close to her that they were sharing the same breath. The distance between them finally was erased and he was gazing deeply into her impossibly dark eyes. In this moment, he was nearly afraid to speak, lest his voice disrupt this spell weaving between them.

For and unknown reason, Sun lifted her right hand, and caressed the air above his face. "Why am I doing this?" she asked, her voice shaky, barely above a whisper.

Tom lifted her hands, caressing the air above her face. "Probably for the same reason I'm doing this." This gesture was familiar to both of them, born out of secrecy and fear.

Sun's entire body warmed in response to his gestured reply. She took one final step, putting her body against his, and her hands resting on his sides. The deep chasm of loneliness she had inside her vanished the moment they touched. She felt as if the missing half of her soul had come back to her. "Do you feel that?" her voice was just a puff of air.

The moment Tom settled his hands on her upper arm it was as if a circuit connected inside him. He sucked in a sharp breath, the feeling nearly overwhelming him. Lightly, he rested his forehead to hers and focused on breathing in time with the woman against him. "How is this possible?" he wondered, his voice sounding giddy.

Sun leaned back, a smile curving her lips. "I don't even know your name," she said. Then a flash of something caught her eye. A man in red. Before she let him answer her, she stepped back to take his hand and pull him in the direction of the of the curb. She signaled for a coming taxi. Without even thinking, she laced their fingers together and used her free hand to open the yellow door. She pulled him in after her. To the driver, she rattled off her address, telling him to step on it.

Tom looked out the smudged window just in time to see a member of the "Red Guard" immerge from the crowd. They had moved so fast that he hadn't been too sure what was happening until that moment. "I take it they've been following you as well?" he asked sarcastically. These men in red were starting to get on his last nerve.

"You could say that," Sun replied, rolling her eyes. She sat back in the seat, trying not to think just what she was sitting in, as she rested her head on his shoulder. Automatically, his cheek rested against the top of her head. To the casual observer, they would seem very much like a couple, and not complete strangers.

BROWNSTONE:

Tom preceded her out of the taxi while his hand still held hers. "This is where you live?" he asked. He never really had a single place to call home anymore. When he wasn't living in a tent near a dig site, he was traveling to give guest lectures and staying in hotels, or with friends on their couch.

"This place belongs to my dad," Sun said. From inside her pants pocket, she pulled out her keys. Before she led him to her front door, she looked up and down the street for signs of men wearing red. Right now, anyone would be suspicious. When she was relatively sure they weren't being watched, she tugged on his hand, leading him to number ten.

"What does he do?" Tom asked, watching her unlock the first set of double doors.

"This and that," Sun answered cryptically.

Tom chuckled. "That's not shady at all." He followed her inside and was immediately hit with a wall of warmth and welcoming. This was what a home should feel like.

"It's nothing sinister, I promise," Sun replied sweetly while she relocked the inner double doors and set the security panel. She pulled out her phone, shooting off a text to Lyla, letting her know that she wouldn't be back to work and that she would make up for not bringing her coffee with dinner at her favorite place.

Tom was preoccupied with the pictures on the wall. More than a few of them were of his mystery woman in far off places looking very much like an explorer. There were pictures of her in Egypt – Karnak, Luxor, the Island of Philae, and Abu Simbel. All places he'd been too as well. Perhaps they had been there at the same time and just never crossed paths. Then he started seeing a string of older pictures, still from Egypt, but mixed in with family photos from London and Paris. "Your photos tell such a wonderful story," Tom called out.

"Thank you," Sun said, slipping her phone back into her pants pocket. She left the entryway and walked down the short hallway where he was still examining her photos. "By the way, I'm Sun O'Connell." She held out her hand to him in greeting. It was what they should have done on the street.

Tom smiled at her. "Sun, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Tom Hawass." He took her hand, lifting it up so that he might place a gentle kiss to her knuckles. All the while, their eyes never broke contact.

"Egyptian?" Sun asked.

"Yes," Tom acknowledged. He had an Egyptian father and a French mother. "You too?"

"Born in modern day Luxor," Sun answered.

"So was I," Tom replied with a gentle half laugh.

Sun motioned him to follow her down the line of pictures to one taken in 1930. "This is my great- grandpa Rick O'Connell and his wife Evy, with their son, Alex." The photo was of the family standing in front of the great Sphynx at Giza.

"You're practically Archeological Royalty," Tom laughed. Every person in Egyptology knew of the O'Connell family.

"Adopted, but yes, my last name does cause a shiver of recognition throughout the world," Sun answered in a cheeky manner.

"Now that is a story you must tell me," Tom turned to her, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't see a moment of reservation in her eyes. There was this openness between them that he'd never had with anyone else. He could tell her anything about his life, about his dreams, and he would know she felt the same. It should worry him that he knew this in the very core of his soul. Yet, it didn't.

Normally, Sun didn't talk about her past, her dead parents because she barely remembered it. But with him…She knew she could tell him anything and it wouldn't change the way he looked at her. Which didn't make any sense to her because they had only just met. And yet, she felt as if she'd known him her whole life. So, taking a step closer to him, she crossed her arms over her chest and rested leaned against the wall. Her voice was really low as she spoke, "I was orphaned at the age of four. Richard and Laura O'Connell were in Luxor when they witnessed the car crash that killed my parents."

"Oh, Sun…" Tom's face fell. "I'm so sorry…"

Sun shook her head and said, "Don't be. I can't miss two people I barely remember." When she was old enough to ask about her first family, her adoptive parents didn't hide the information from her. They helped her learn all she could about them, to help her make a connection to the country she visited infrequently.

Moved to touch her, Tom unfolded his arms, and drew her in against his chest. His right hand cupped the back of her head and his left arm starched across her back. She exhaled a shuddering breath and then wrapped her arms around him in turn. He only held her, placing light kisses to her forehead. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he'd held her like this, kisses her just as sweetly.

EVENING:

Without much notice, evening was upon them. Sun had heard back from Lyla. She would be staying with a new male conquest of hers and shouldn't be returning the brownstone until the morning. That gave Sun time. But time for what? In the kitchen she and Tom were sitting at the small dinette table holding hands. She realized pretty quickly that she couldn't go too long without his touch, without the warmth of his skin bleeding into hers. Then, out of nowhere, her stomach grumbled. They shared a small laugh. "I have a roasted chicken in the fridge. We can heat it up and then you can tell me all about you," she said as she reluctantly let go of his hand.

Tom watched her but did not stay in his set. Getting up, he went to the oven and set it to the desired temperature. Then, through the frosted glass of the cabinets, he was able to make out plates and glasses. He got two down and carried them back to the table. Without a word, she handed him silverware and napkins. Again, they shared a smile, and warmth spiked through them when their fingers touched. They looked at each other freely. They touched the same way. There was no need to hide what they were feeling. It wasn't forbidden to be falling in love. Like they had on the street, he stood a breath apart and she lifted her hand to his face. He savored the whisper of her body heat licking against his face.

Sun waited for him to return the gesture. The shadow cast by his palms chased away any cold that might have seeped into her skin. She moaned softly, feeling the love from it. The caress just above her face felt like it had been born out of a need to keep something hidden, to keep from betraying themselves. But there was no one around who would care if they touched, or even if they kissed. Sun realized that was what she wanted more than anything. She wanted to kiss him. Cupping his face, she pulled him in close but still their lips didn't touch. They were sharing the same breath. For some reason she whispered, "We're free."

The last chains restraining Tom's composure broke. He pulled her close and kissed her deeply. She arched into him, her arms draping over his shoulders while his hands traveled down to her waist, keeping her against him. His tongue wept into her mouth, tasting her, teasing her, and promising her more. Minutes later, they were breathless, gasping for air with their brows touching. They would have stared at each other for eternity if the timer on the stove hadn't dinged to let them know dinner was ready.

Sun pulled back with a little giggle. She moved to the oven, pulled down the door, and with oven mitts on, she pulled out the baking dish to carry it to the table. He was already sitting, watching her, and his eyes alight with happiness. Today, her heart had never beat with such freedom. She truly felt like herself and it had something to do with Tom Hawass. Even through the elation, she felt a sense of danger swirling just around the edges of their lives. It had to do with another name dying to cross her lips, but she still didn't know what name it was.

"What's on your mind?" Tom asked when she sat down.

"Do you get the urge to call me by another name?" Sun responded to him. She held his gaze, hoping to see the answer she wanted reflected in his eyes.

Tom sighed and nodded. "I do, but when I go to speak it, it vanishes like a breath of hot air in a winter wind."

Content with his answer for now, Sun set about slicing up pieces of chicken. Deeper conversations could wait. Right now, she wanted to know about him, about his life, and where he grew up. "Why become an archeologist?" she asked, leaning back, popping a chunk of roasted chicken in her mouth.

Tom thought about his answer for a moment. Then, he said, "I read a paper in college about the Princess Nefertiri, and as I devoured the words on the page, I had this sense that I knew more than what was contained on the printed pages. When I had a weekend free, I returned home and set out across the desert to Karnak. It was there I got the first impression of living another life, of loving a woman so strongly I would have done anything for her." That, more than anything, the promise of love, had driven him to learn about his past.

Sun understood what he meant. The moment she had set foot in the temple of Karnak, she had been hit with this wave of recognition, as if she had walked through those halls before, accompanied by someone she loved more than life itself. The first time she had been there had been with the rest of her family, with Grandpa Alex regaling them with tales of his youth. She had wandered off from everyone else to explore on her own when she had come across a pool of black water. She found herself transfixed by the sight until her grandfather found her, pulling her back from the edge, and warning her to stay away from it. The fear in his eyes had made her obey more than anything.

"What about you? What do you do?" Tom asked. Her pictures painted her an explorer, but the suit she wore told a different story.

"I'm an adventurer between adventures at the moment," Sun answered. The last time she had been on a journey hadn't turned out so well for her. She was a little shell shocked and her cousin Benjamin was to blame.

"And in the meantime, you work in an office building?" Tom asked, slightly skeptical that her spirit would allow her to remain idle for so long.

"I think my time there is coming to an end," Sun replied lightly. She had taken the job on a whim as a way to heal after the ordeal she narrowly survived. The world would still be there when she was ready to lace up her boots and pick up her ruck sack.

Tom didn't have to say anything, he understood what she meant. The moment they met on the street today, whatever plans they might have otherwise had were now null and void. Tom had the feeling that he wouldn't be seeing Andrew again for quite some time.

A little while later, after the table was cleared, they retired to the second floor where Sun kept a little library. They had glasses of wine and she was showing him some of the various places she'd been to besides Egypt. One picture she was particularly proud of was of her and few others – including Lyla – as they stood in front of chests of Spanish gold that had been brought up from a shipwreck in the Caribbean. One of the last to be discovered.

"You're a Jack of all Trades, aren't you?" Tom chuckled, holding the framed photo. He was seeing her in her diving suit down around her hips, her bikini top, and the goggles atop her wet head. She was smiling and holding a sword aloft. He remembered the story, but he couldn't remember if he looked at the newspaper article or not.

"I don't like to be limited," Sun replied proudly. She took a sip of her ed wine and continued to watch him from her place on the couch while examined all of her treasures.

In a glass case, Tom saw the same sword from the picture. He half chuckled, half sighed. "They let you keep this?"

"Yeah, as a way of saying 'Thank you' for finding all their gold," Sun answered and then got up to go to him. She rested her cheek on his shoulder, and wrapped her free arm around his lower back, her fingers curling into his navy colored dress shirt.

Tom lifted his gaze from the mantle, trailing up to more pictures. They showed him a woman who loved life, who loved travel, and loved going to new places. He could tell she wasn't afraid of a little danger and might actually have tempted death a time or two.

While he was distracted, Sun took the time to take a peek out the window. Below them, the sidewalk was still devoid of life. In the waning light, it was hard to tell if anyone lurked in the shadows, watching them. She would have to trust that they were safe, for tonight at least. Tomorrow she would have to make a few calls to a few family members. There were questions she needed answered.

"Are we being watched?" Tom asked without even turning around.

"No," Sun answered, "not that I can see."

Tom abandoned his inspection of her photographed life to look at her. It was then he inquired, "Do you know who those men are?"

"I know they're 'Red Guard' and so do you," Sun had seen the way his eyes had gone to the cartouche pinned to the man's tie that had followed them to the curb earlier today.

"I do because I can read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs," Tom stated. "What do you know about them?"

"All I know is that they're a specter from the O'Connell family history. My Grandpa Alex told me of when he was a little boy that a contingent of Red Guard kidnapped him and used him to find Ahm Shere. They tried to free the fabled Scorpion King." When Sun had been a child, those stories had fired her imagination. She wanted to hear all of her grandpa's stories. When she had become a teenager, she thought those same stories were fanciful tales cooked up by her eccentric grandfather. Meeting tom made her reassess those beliefs. Just because they were a little farfetched, didn't mean they weren't true.

"The lost oasis?" Tom asked even as a faint memory tugged at the back of his mind.

Before he could ask what happened, Sun said, "Great-Grandpa Rick defeated the Scorpion King and the oasis was reclaimed by Anubis. It's gone…or so my grandpa says."

Tom went to her and took her hand, lacing their fingers together. He could see she wasn't ready to talk about her complicated family with him yet. She would tell him anything about herself that he wanted to know, but her family was best left alone – for now. "What do we do now?" he asked. He hoped she didn't want him to leave. The thought of walking out the front door made his stomach twist in knots.

"I'm kind of tired," Sun answered. She smiled lightly at him and tugged on his hand. Now that she found him, she wasn't about to let him walk out of her life. She was even less inclined to let him out of her sight with the threat of the Red Guard lingering about. "If you're not opposed to it, you should stay."

"I have nothing to sleep in," Tom said softly.

"I can fix that," Sun replied with a smirk. Then she led him to the second set of stairs that would take them to the third floor.

SUN'S BEDROOM:

Tom wore simple dark grey cotton pajama pants with the hem kissing the floor. Normally, he would have thrown on a t-shirt of some kind, but with her, he wanted to feel as much of her against him as he could. He remembered small things; the feel of her hair against his shoulder, the way she snuggled against him, the weight of her arm draped over his abdomen. His skin craved to feel the light whisper of her breath against his chest. Behind him, the door opened, and he turned. The very air fled his lungs at the sight of her. She wore black satin shorts and a simple black cotton camisole. He wasn't entirely sure, but he thought his heart might have stopped beating.

Sun wasn't prone to blushing, but the way Tom was looking at her had her warming all over and she knew a little color was heating her cheeks. It was short lived because she was now looking him up and down. He was modestly well-muscled; a hint of abs, of biceps. She gave in to the desire she had to touch him. There was no one to see them, no would care that they were together. Her left hand touched the back of his right, but not stay there. It traveled over his wrist and up to his forearm. Her fingers caressed his skin as they continued their trek up to feel the bend in his arm, and then to feel the tensing muscle of his upper arm. Finally, her palm came to rest on his shoulder.

Tom drew her in against him, his hands sliding over her sides to rest against the small of her back. "To think I've lived without this for so long…. Honest, deep connection to someone." When he touched her, it was more than his skin on hers. It was as if their souls were merging together. He looked into her eyes, breathing every time she did. This was more than he thought he would ever feel in his life.

"I don't want this to stop," Sun admitted in a rushed whisper.

"It won't," Tom swore to her.

Sun pulled back. Taking his hand again, she led him over to her large four poster bed. Each post was carved with different Egyptian symbols and the tops made to look like a different god; Anubis, Sekhmet, Horus, and Bastet. She tugged back the comforter and exposed the crimson satin sheets before letting go of his hand and slipping into bed. Sun stretched out on her side with her head resting on the pillow. Another moment of familiarity. It was as if this was another night long ago where they were alone and stealing time together, daring to sleep in each other's arms without fear.

Tom followed her without hesitation. He settled himself down on his back, hissing slightly against the cold satin touching is warm skin. And then she was there, her body against his side, her left leg draping over his, her head resting on his chest. This was so familiar, he could feel her touch burning straight through him. With his left hand he cupped the back of her head, holding her against his chest and with his right, he gripped her left arm as it rested across his abdomen. This night was not one to be stolen, it was to be for them.

Sun had never felt the power of real love before, not from a man like Tom. It was true they knew nothing about each other, but in some ways, they knew everything. They didn't need words to convey how they were feeling. Only a single glance would suffice. She knew deep down in her soul that their silent form of communication was born from secrecy and circumstance. The way he was holding her had nothing to do with sex, with the craven need to be seeking pleasure with her. It was simply a need to touch her and to be touched by her.

Tom listened to her breathing; in and out, growing steadily slower. He fought off the need to slip into the darkness of slumber because he didn't want to miss a second with her. From the moment he was old enough to understand what it was like to want, he'd craved to be whole. He knew he was missing something vital and Sun, for whatever reason, was the missing piece of his soul. Every second they were together it solidified their bond to each other. Somewhere deep inside, he had a feeling it would be tested, and this time, they would prevail, being made stronger together. Finally, reluctantly, he succumbed to the deepest sleep of his life, holding the woman he was going to love more than life itself.

MORNING:

Sun woke from an impossibly deep sleep to a strange beeping echoing throughout the brownstone. She fought against opening her eyes for as long as she could. The arms that held her were strong and warm. She didn't want to get up and leave them. Perhaps it was her imagination dreaming up the beeping sound and if she settled back down, she would fall asleep again. However, that was not to be how her morning was to go. The beeping persisted and with a groan, she opened her eyes. Another deeper, manly groan echoed hers. "So much for a good morning," Sun said softly, lightly giggling as she sat up.

"I've had ruder things wake me up," Tom replied. Waking up next to Sun was akin to finding himself in heaven. To him, seeing her sleepy face above him was the sweetest sight in the world. With another groan, he sat up as well. He took a moment to marvel at her as she got out of bed and moved to the open closet where she pulled out two robes. One was black and made out of a sort of gauzy fabric, on the back it had a winged scarab. The other one she pulled out was of the same design, but it was in the color of gold with the stitched image of Sekhmet on the back in between her shoulders.

Sun slipped into her robe that she had made on impulse as well as the one she had handed to him. She had been seventeen and home alone for a solid week with access to a credit card. To her, it seemed like a fine time to make some clothes. "Unfortunately, I think I know who's hanging on the doorbell." With that said, she walked out of the room and down the two flights of stairs. Like she knew, Lyla was pressing the buzzer.

"Sun, let me in!"

Sun sighed and unlocked the front door. Then she stepped into the entryway and unlocked the outer doors. The moment they flew open she said, "What took you so long?"

Lyla huffed indignantly, "I called, but you didn't answer. What time did you go to bed?"

Sun opened her mouth to answer but stopped. "What time is it?" she asked instead.

"Noon," Lyla said in a huff. "I spent the night with a man I picked up at Journey's." She was about to tear into Sun some more when she looked up the stairs to see the man from the lecture last week. "You found hotty professor guy? Is that why you didn't come back with my coffee?"

"Yes, and yes…" Sun answered. Then looking over her shoulder she said to Tom, "This is Lyla Carnahan, my cousin."

TO BE CONTINUED: