Surrey, England. 1946

Sometime after breakfast, Amelia and Emerson made their way into the library. As had become their custom over the past years, they spent the majority of their time there, reading, corresponding, listening to the wireless, criticizing the general state of the world, and entertaining their very large family.

They had once thought that they had lived through the war to end all wars, but they had been wrong. The most recent events had taken more from them than they could have possibly imagined. When war became an increasingly possibility back in 1939, Emerson and Amelia had decamped with their progeny back to Surrey. Throughout the war, they had hosted children sent out of London, and played host to their extended family, including Evelyn and Walter and their brood. Alas, Emerson's younger brother and his wife had been in London, giving a lecture at the British museum, when they had both been killed instantly in the Blitz. Sethos had disappeared, but they had received a missive some months previously that stated a certain party left them his best regards. Nefret had worked as a doctor in the city, and Ramses had worked as a high-ranking intelligence officer based there with his wife. They were now planning on returning to Egypt to make sure Nefret's clinics were still in working order, and to finally put the finishing touches on the Peabody-Emerson Institute of Archaeology.

"Now, Peabody, see here," began Emerson. While the past years had turned his hair white and thinned out his frame somewhat, the pre-eminent archeologist of this or any other age was still tall and stalwart.

His wife had fared equally well, though after the Blitz she had given up on coloring her hair. Now it was a pure silver, and pinned into a neat bun. She closed her eyes, nodding and smiling at her beloved spouse.

"We really need to start planning for our excursion to Egypt. Those damn fools have probably made a mess of the entire country, and now it will be up to us to rectify the situation, as usual. Ramses has sent a letter, outlining the last of the plans for the Institute. Not bad, really, not bad at all. See here, my dear," he turned. Going over to her, he took her hand, and saw that she no longer slept.

I reached the summit of the hills without the abominable wheezing that had accompanied me in the past few years. The tall, stalwart form of our beloved reis, Abdullah, who had long since passed over to the next world, was waiting for me. I couldn't say I was surprised to see him, since over the years he had visited me in the dream world and warned me against the various villains that had had nefarious designs on my person. He also had the habit of being decidedly recalcitrant.

"Sitt Hakim!" he turned towards me, his face unlined with the passing of years. "It is good to see you here at last."

"I'm sorry I kept you so long, Abdullah, but a war does have a way of distracting one." He nodded sadly, acknowledging the massive loss of life that he must have been aware of.

"Indeed, but now you home." And for the first time since he had been among the living, he embraced me like a daughter. I was shocked, since in all our moments together since then he had been careful not to touch me. I knew then what it meant.

"I'm not sad, Abdullah," I sniffled.

"Nor should you be, Sitt. Your children and our families shall be fine. Your courage and compassion secured their spirits."

"Thank you. I just worry about Emerson. You know how he gets if things aren't done just so."

"You have no need to worry about the Effendi, Sitt. Look," he turned me around, and pointed.

Emerson strode towards us. Not the Emerson I had last saw that morning in our marital bed, across the breakfast table, or by the library window only moments before. This was the Emerson I had first met all those years ago at the foothills of Amarna, black hair unkempt and sapphire eyes blazing.

"There you are, Peabody! I've been looking everywhere for you! Abdullah, good to see you at last!" They embraced, social pressures finally lifted from their shoulders.

"You see, Emerson! You never believed me when I said I spoke with Abdullah, yet here he is!"

"If you mean to say that every time you 'spoke with Abdullah' you crossed over to the other side, I can't say I'm surprised! With all the chances you took and all the dangers you put yourself in the way of, it's a miracle you didn't take up permanent residence here!"

"Me! You are a great one to talk, when I spent most of my time cleaning shirts stained with your blood!"

I noticed then that Abdullah had begun to chuckle as he turned away from us, leaving us to our perennial bickering. As we both made to follow him, I added,

"You followed rather quickly, Emerson."

"Couldn't stand the place without you, Amelia. Ten minutes and it felt cold and lifeless without you." I couldn't resist his strong embrace, nor had I any desire to.

"Where are you leading us, Abdullah?" I cried out after him.

"To the great expedition, Sitt Hakim. And, inshallah, I do think you will enjoy it greatly."

Hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, Emerson and I followed, smiling, to the great expedition beyond.