The crying started soon after we left the city. Imhotep fell to his knees and began to sob. It was the dry, broken sobbing of a man who has lost everything. Feeling very uncomfortable and rather inclined to weep myself, I turned away and let the tears roll down my cheeks as I gazed back at where Hamunaptra had stood only minutes ago.
I had left Rick and my brother to save the life of the man who had just tried to kill us all. Upset and probably in a mild state of shock, I couldn't even begin to sort out the logic of why I had done what I did. Part of it may have been that kiss in the desert. But another part of it was because I saw the look on his face when Anck-su-namun was destroyed. The horror and despair and the heartbroken realization that their love would remain forever unfulfilled.
But why were the tears coming now? Why not when he saw her being killed or when we were running through the tunnels. Adrenaline, the part of my brain still capable of logical thought-process informed me. Delayed reaction.
Without thinking, I put my hand on his shoulder in an awkward gesture of comfort. It was almost a shock to feel his skin warm and alive beneath my fingertips. Before, he had seemed cold, distant, all-powerful. Now he was just human. Vulnerable. Mortal. And I felt the innate feminine need to comfort.
Tentatively, I bent to put my arms around him. I gasped when he pulled me to him, crushing me against his chest. He buried his face in my hair and I could feel the hot wetness of his tears as they fell on my neck. He whispered her name brokenly, over and over. A mantra, repeated with the desperate hope that somehow, if he said it enough, he could bring her back. "Anck-su-namun. Anck-su-namun." I held him as tightly as I could and murmured soothing words, stroking his back and telling him everything would be all right.
I don't know when I started to cry and our roles were reversed, but he clutched me to him and stroked my hair, tangling his fingers in curls that were probably in desperate need of a good washing. He spoke softly in Egyptian and I had no idea what the endearments meant, but they sounded nice. He rocked me in his arms and I had almost fallen asleep when I noted the sun sinking low on the horizon.
I knew that when the sun finished setting the oppressive desert heat would fade quickly into almost chilly night. We needed a place to sleep. I stirred and began to disentangle myself from Imhotep's desperate embrace.
"We needed to find shelter," I said.
He looked at me blankly.
I repeated myself in Egyptian and was rewarded with a nod of understanding. We both looked back towards where Hamunaptra had been. I wasn't giddy at the prospect of spending the night there and I doubted Imhotep would be very keen on the idea either.
"Can you get us back to Cairo?" I asked in Egyptian, remembering the whirlwind that had landed us here only a few hours ago.
"Nai." He shook his head. I blinked in confusion. It had been so easy to get here… Then I remembered. His powers had vanished with his immortality. Hamunaptra it was, then.
A/N: Well, here it is. Short, I know, but it's a start. And this one probably won't be finished quite as quickly as the other because this one is slightly more original than the first and, starting Monday, I have high school. Joy. If you enjoy my story, please PLEASE e-mail/IM me- mastresskat@aol.com or MunchletteBelle@aol.com I really do need at least one person to sort of bounce ideas off of. Otherwise, please read and review! Reviews make me all tingly… ;) *~Kitty~*