Alex never was able to get over the fact that she'd kissed him. And she was pretty sure that he'd kissed back. The old, worn out work life vs. love life argument rolled around over and over in her mind. Mixing the two never ended well. If things didn't work out she'd still have to see him every day at work. That would get awkward, and painful for both of them. Then she'd have to quit her job. A job which she absolutely loved.
Over time, as she'd gotten to know him, things like mummy, six foot whatever, and seventeen had faded into the background in the face of who he was. All she saw now was just Ahkmenrah himself, so she couldn't use the age thing as a valid argument anymore. In truth she was running out of excuses. This scared her, because she knew it wouldn't work. When she was old and gray, he'd be exactly the same. It was like something out of a vampire novel. Even if that wasn't an issue, he couldn't risk leaving the museum. If they stayed out too long, he would turn to dust. Which meant they couldn't even go on any real dates. Then there was the fact that she did want kids someday. Even if he could father children, they would never be able to see him except after dark. For him there would be no teaching his son to play catch, or scaring off his daughter's suitors. She would virtually be a single parent.
Okay, maybe she wasn't out of excuses. Or she'd just become really good at making more. This wasn't a story where she could just throw everything away for the sake of love and everything would work out. Where the characters didn't care about the hardships that lay ahead, only about being together. This was real life. Her life. Love really didn't conquer all, and no matter how badly she wished for it, there was no way for them to actually be together. But then she would think about losing him again, this time, maybe, forever. And she wasn't sure she could cope with something like that. She couldn't move forward with her feelings, but she couldn't go back either.
After kissing him, she'd stayed away almost for the entirety of what was left of her sick leave. Apparently Ahk had been worried sick. When she came back he'd been visibly relieved, followed by hurt and a little angry.
She'd apologized to him for losing control in the heat of the moment. And explained that she'd stayed away so she could sort out her own feelings. She'd been lying through her teeth when she told him she didn't want it to happen again. He was her best friend and she didn't want anything to change that. That had been, at least partly, a lie too, but it was the right thing to do. Or so she thought until his responce had been to excuse himself back to his crypt only shortly after he'd just woken from it. The look on his face, like she'd betrayed him, even though it only showed for split second, almost made her wish she could take it all back.
In the two years since the Dexter had stolen the tablet, she'd done everything in her power to get over him. It didn't help when he invaded her dreams every time she closed eyes in sleep. She'd even tried to start dating again. That wasn't working out too well. Not only was she having trouble finding time between shifts, but she'd also discovered her subconscious was comparing them all to Ahkmenrah. None of them made her feel the spark that happened everytime their hands would accidently brush. None of them were tall enough, or tan enough, or kind enough. None of them had an accent. More than anything, none of them could tell what was going on in her mind, even before she did. Eventually she realized, even though she couldn't be with him, she couldn't be with anyone else either. She couldn't be honest with anyone. If she told them about the museum and what she really did for a living, they'd write her off as crazy. Probably even get her carted off in a straight jacket. But if she refused to tell them, they would think she was having an affair or something, with all the time she spent at work.
She'd actually managed to keep the dating a secret from all her museum friends. At least until Larry had a slip up in front of Ahk. To this day she thought he'd done it on purpose. Ahkmenrah had been angry when he found out and had actually forbidden her from going on any more dates, which, of course, made her scream at him, telling him that he wasn't her father and she could do whatever she wanted. She never told anyone, but as soon as she'd gotten home that morning she shut down her profile and gave up the dating game. Maybe it was for the best, since she was more or less married to her job anyway. Maybe she was just one of those people who didn't get a happy, sappy ending.
She walked up the steps and let herself into the house. Larry had bought it shortly after his business took off, before he came back to the museum. As soon as he saw her, he shoved two boxes into her arms. One was large and flat, the other was obviously a shoe box. He pushed her into the bathroom. "You're going with me. End of story."
"But-" He slammed the door in her face.
"You're not coming out until you change."
"But I thought you liked me the way I am," she said as she began undressing. The long skirt of the sparkling, deep blue evening gown caused her to trip three times. All she was doing was walking out of the bathroom. The matching high-heeled shoes weren't helping either. Though she did appreciate the split in the side of the skirt that went almost to her hip. At least one leg could move freely, she was just glad she had shaved her legs earlier. "Do I really have to wear this?" She tried to adjust the top, it was just a little too low cut for her comfort.
"Yes," he said, fiddling with his bow tie. "If i have to wear a tux, you have to wear that. Besides, you know how big tonight is."
"I don't care," she growled. "How 'bout I wear the tux, and you wear the dress?"
"You look fabulous, darling," he said, holding his hand flat in mid-air. He was a little too good at that voice. He grew serious again. "Please? For me," he asked, taking her hands as he gave her the puppy dog eyes, combined with a pout. She glared at him. He was her mentor, and, over the last four years had become the occasionally over protective, older brother she'd never had.
She sighed in defeat and held a finger in his face. "Just this once."
"Thank you." He escorted her to the car.
"Just don't yell at me if I lose the shoes," she mumbled. He laughed and ruffled her hair.
She'd just gotten a hair cut the day before. Really short. So there really was no way to style it. As an act of rebellion, she used the mousse still in her hair from earlier that day to ruffle it up a little more "Nice." Larry said as they pulled into the parking garage. She just glared at him as he reached over to smooth it all back down. After looking around a bit he wiped his hands on the fabric seats of his car. She shrugged, it was an old piece of crap anyway. And she was pretty sure the seats had seen a lot worse than hair mousse.
Sacagawea met them at the door, giving Larry a run through of the preparations for the show. Members of the staff were running around everywhere, trying to get in some final touches before the show. And the hum of a multitude of conversations could be heard even from here. Alex clutched her hands in front of her and intentionally regulated her breathing. She didn't really do very well with large crowds.
As Sacagawea finished, Ahkmenrah found them. "Larry," he called out. "There is..." He stopped short and stared unabashedly at the sight before him. "Alex?" He once again found himself thankful of his sash.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up while you can. It ain't happening again," she growled.
"Why would I laugh? You look absolutely stunning. N-not that you weren't beautiful before." He was flustered. That was unusual for him
She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah." The sarcasm was thick. There was a reason she didn't wear dresses. She knew she couldn't pull off the girly girl look.
He couldn't stop himself from reaching towards her and tucking an imaginary stray lock of hair back behind her ear. "No. Truly. You are." His voice was earnest, begging her to believe him. And she kind of did.
Her scowl vanished, her nerves forgotten. "Really?"
"Cross my heart." It was something she had taught him to say when people were doubting his words.
She gave him a shy half smile. "Thanks."
Then he noticed. "Your hair," was all he could get out. He looked like he was actually mourning the loss of it.
"Yeah. It got so long that it kept getting in the way of everything. So I decided to try something different."
He seemed troubled by it, but ran a knuckle down her left cheek. "It's beautiful," he said. And she could swear she heard his voice crack.
"What did you need, Ahk?" Larry asked, interupting their moment, much to Alex's relief.
Ahk's hand dropped back to his side. "There is something you both should see." He led them to his crypt. They stood on either side of him as he showed them the tablet, which appeared to be corroding.
"Has it ever done this before?" Larry asked.
"No, never."
Alex felt a chill run down her spine as she watched a little more of it corrode. Ahk seemed to faint. Larry and Alex supported him as he regained his footing. "You okay?" they asked in unison.
He gave them a weak chuckle. "Yes. I'm fine."
"What's going on with it?" Larry asked.
"To be honest, I have no idea. It was my father who knew all the secrets of the tablet. Unfortunately he took them to his grave."
"Ok," Larry said, patting Ahk on the back. "We'll figure it out tomorrow. You have fifteen minutes, take it easy out there." He took off, on a mission to make tonight go smoothly.
"You really okay?" Alex asked, her hand still resting on his arm.
"Yes. Don't worry about me. Just go enjoy the show."
"Okay." She gave a last glance to the tablet and to Ahkmenrah before following Larry. Having reached the end of her usefulness, at least for this project, she went in and found an out of the way seat. She wanted to kill Larry for dragging her here and then ditching her. It was very awkward to be sitting alone. Like wearing a dress and being in a crowd weren't bad enough. She kept getting sympathetic glances from the guests and other staff. All she wanted to do was walk right back out and go home. But seeing as she was already here, she may as well stay and support her friends. Besides, who was she to turn down free food and drinks?
As the show began, she was glad she had stayed. Everyone had been working on this far longer then she'd realized. It was amazing. The constellations danced around the room, enchanting everyone. She made a mental note to get a special treat for Dexter for such a marvelous gymnastics performance. She clapped louder than anybody. Then Teddy began his speech, she was just as enrapt as the guests. A sudden chill ran down her spine, and she held her breath as all the exhibits went crazy. Her minor phobia forgotten, she leapt to her feet and began escorting the guests out as quickly as she could. Most of them ignored her and simply ran for their lives. Larry tried his best to talk sense into the museum's inhabitants, but nothing could get through. It was a couple of hours before everyone was themselves again.
While Larry had a talk with everyone else, Ahk and Alex were in the crypt. Larry had excused them since they hadn't been part of the ruckus. They were side by side, leaning against the back of the glass case and staring at the tablet. "It's getting worse," she said.
"I know," he said solemnly.
"What are we going to do?"
He was quiet for a moment. "If you can find my father, we can take the tablet to him and perhaps he will tell us why this is happening."
This feeling of dread and helplessness was too much like two years ago. She felt like she was losing him again. If the tablet corroded completely he really would never wake up again. This time, she swore to herself, she wasn't going to stand by wait. "We'll fix it," she promised. They heard Larry calling for her. "That's my ride."
Ahk grabbed her hand before she could leave. "I'll see you tomorrow night, Alex." Just like two years ago, he placed a kiss on it.
Instead of snatching it back as he expected her to, she squeezed his hand. "Promise?" In spite of fighting her feelings for him, she knew she couldn't handle losing him.
"I swear on my own grave, we will see each other again tomorrow night."
"We'd better," she said, giving his hand one last squeeze before hesitantly pulling away and leaving.
Larry and Alex had a disagreement about which method of research would be better. So they decided to each do their own research. He would do the footwork, going to the research library at the museum to dig up everything he could about the tablet. She would search around online trying to find out all she could about the location of Ahk's parents. He called her at noon. "Alex, I found out where Ahk's parents are. They're at-"
"The British Museum," she finished for him. "Figured that one out hours ago."
"Okay, Smarty pants, did you know that it was Cecil's dad who found Ahk and the tablet fifty years ago?"
"What, seriously? Cecil the old night guard who tried to frame you for stealing the tablet?"
"Yep. It was a joint operation, so some of the artifacts that were dug up stayed in Egypt while the rest were divided between the American and the British museums."
"Okay, lets just call this one a tie. Mine may have been way faster, but yours was a lot more thorough. Though, technically, all we really needed was their location. So what's the plan?"
"First we need to get Ahkmenrah and the tablet to England. I'll fill you in on the rest after I talk to Dr. McPhee. And start packing, 'cause we're going overseas."
That night they'd filled Ahk in on the plan. In order to get there quickly, Ahk had agreed to go into the Sarcophogus before the sun set so they could prep him and his tablet for delivery themselves. By the next day they were in England. This was Alex's first overseas trip. They'd had just enough time to visit Big Ben and get back to the British museum before sunset. Normally she would have enjoyed it, but her heart just wasn't in it.
In the delivery van they sat at the security window waiting for Tilly, the British museum's rather chatty night guard, to confirm the delivery. Alex fidgeted in her seat, it felt really weird to be sitting on the left side of the vehicle and not be driving. She let Larry do the talking while she zoned out. Until she heard, "So, awh you two a couple?"
She and Larry looked at each other, then back to Tilly. "Eww. No," They said in unison.
"That would be like dating my sister," Larry added.
Tilly laughed a bit. "Yeah, right. Wha'eva. Yoh secret's safe wif me." She failed a wink and buzzed them in. "Go on then." Alex and Larry looked at each other again and both shuddered.
"No offense, Larry. But you're just not my type," Alex said, when they were moving again.
He chuckled. "So what is your type? Tall, young, exotic kings with British accents?"
"Shut up." She punched him in the shoulder. "It's not like that."
"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," he teased and received an even harder punch.
They dropped Ahk off at the loading dock, letting Tilly help them drag the heavy cargo into the building. Then they pulled out, hid the van and snuck back in on foot. Ahk was able to unlock the door from the inside, ushering them into the building. Loyal as always, their other friends appeared, popping out of the crate one by one. How everyone could fit in that crate, around Ahk's sarcophogus was beyond her. Atilla and Dexter, Teddy and Sacagawea, Jed and Octavius. Even Larry's caveman doppelganger, Lah, had stowed away, much to Larry's dismay. "He really wanted to come," Ahk explained.
Larry convinced Lah to guard the door, while everyone else took off to find Ahk's parents. The first room had Alex clinging to Ahk's arm and half hiding her face against his shoulder. Maimed statues wriggled around the floor. "They're like a cross between zombies and the crying angels. It's seriously creeping me out," she said, and he completely agreed. He pulled his arm out of her clutch so he could wrap it around her shoulders comfortingly. The villains from Dr. What were some of the most disturbing things he'd ever encountered. And these moving statues did indeed greatly resemble them. The second they were out Ahk and Alex both gave a sigh of relief and she pulled away from him.
They continued on until they came to a hall of stuffed animal heads, now alive on the walls. "You know, maybe we should have studied a floor plan of this place," Alex said. It's not like they hadn't had time.
"Shh. Do you hear that?" Larry asked. They all froze. Aside from the sounds of the awakening exhibits, there was a growing thunder. Around the corner came a galloping Triceratops skeleton. It skidded to a stop when it saw them.
"It's an herbivore, so it won't chase us, right? Because I'm pretty sure Tai Chi doesn't work on a dinosaur," Alex said. She had grabbed Ahk's sleave and was already inching them toward the other end of the hall.
"Relax," Larry said. "I know how to handle this." Alex stopped to watch as he grabbed a tusk off the wall and attempted to initiate a game of fetch. Unfortunately, this wasn't Rexy.
"Might I suggest another course of action?" Teddy asked, as the dinosaur stared at them.
"Like what?" Larry replied.
"Run." Springing into action, the entire group booked it back down the hall, the dinosaur hot on their tails.
Soon they came upon large round room full of medieval artifacts. Luckily it had a door, which they quickly barred shut. Their relief only lasted for a few scant seconds before the thick wooden door shattered like glass. The triceratops went straight for Larry, pinning him against a suit of armor that was against the wall.
From around the dinosaur, Alex could the armor start moving. In surprise, the creature stepped back, before the real fight ensued. Everyone scattered. The dinosaur spun wildly as it fought off its attacker. Its tail caught Atilla, knocking him over. Larry raced to the downed Hun, easily dodging the flailing appendage. Alex pulled Ahk out of the way as the tail swung back towards them, but she wasn't quite fast enough and the very tip, apparently chipped, caught her left cheek, and gashed it open. Ahk was wide eyed as he tried to wipe some of the blood from her dripping wound. "It's just a scratch," she reassured him, shrugging it off, and wiping at it with her sleave.
He kept fussing at it, trying to make it go away. "No, no, no," he muttered repeatedly.
Finally she pinned his arms to his sides. "I'm fine," she said forcefully, breaking him out of his stupor. He nodded and they returned their attention to the fight.
With a final mighty blow, the suit of armor defeated the rampaging beast and sent it packing. The man inside the armor, as it turned out, was Sir Lancelot of the Roundtable. Or at least a wax rendition of him. To Alex's amusement he compared Larry to the court's jester. Then he carried on about Camelot and Guinevere and she had to wonder if everyone in England was this chatty. He insisted on joining the quest, which hit another road block when Atilla discovered that Jed and Ocatavius, who had been riding in his hat, were missing.
They had to back track, but were only able to find Octavius's cape caught in a floor vent. "They won't last long in those heating vents," Teddy said.
Ahk looked slightly forlornly down into the vent and added, "At their size they'll bake like scarabs in the Sinai." Everyone stared at him. "Too dark?"
"Little bit," Alex replied shaking her head.
Larry quickly found the control panel for air ducts and turned them all off. "Alex, gimme your phone."
"Why?" she asked, handing it over.
"For Dex." The monkey had found his way to her shoulder and perked up, chittering at the sound of his name. "He's the only one of us who can fit."
"I don't understand a single thing that is going on," Lancelot said.
"Me neither," said Alex, shooting a glare at Larry. "What's going on?"
Larry started fiddling with some thin rope. Where did he find that? Alex wasn't so sure she wanted to know. Finally, he answered, "I'm, uhh, sort of set up to track your phone."
"Say what?"
"Nicky's too."
"You track my phone?"
"I'm just trying to look out for you. You're the one that decided to go on dates with complete strangers you met online."
"More like stalking me. And I haven't done that in ages. What the heck is wrong with you?" She was trying very hard not raise her voice but that only made it sound more like a growl.
"Fine. You're right. I'm sorry. I'll take it off later. But right now we need it to track Dexter." With much mumbling and a few choice words on the part of Alex, they followed the tracker.
Their course led them to a humongous room filled with a wide variety of now living exhibits and artifacts. Alex's anger flew out the window, replaced with awe at the beauty of it all. She had to hold on to Ahk's sleeve or be left behind in her gawking. Larry and Lancelot took the lead as they discussed the tablet. Then Lancelot fell back to let Ahk catch up with him. "Is it true that this tablet possesses magic?" he asked.
"Yes, it is." Ahk always took great pride in explaining the tablet. Alex could only barely pay attention to the conversation as he gestured to the artifact in his hand. "Everything you see around you has come to life for the very first time, all because of this tablet."
"Amazing. And none of them realize they're not real," Lancelot replied, not grasping the concept that he was one of them. "They must be very stupid." Alex's attention had finally been captured as she shared a look with Ahk and Teddy.
"Guys," Larry called. "I think we're going to have to cut through Asia." Alex finally released Ahk's sleeve to catch up with Larry. They passed through a hall filled with asian paintings. All of the painting were now moving. Atilla nodded his approval at a few of them, even pointing some out to Alex, who had to agree, that they were beautiful.
Before they could make it to the next section, a little golden statue dashed in front of them and danced around. Each of its steps tinkled on the marble floor. It looked like a cross between a monkey and a parrot, only rounder. "It's a garuda from Tibet," Teddy said. Though how he knew that was anyone's guess.
The creature seemed determined to stop them from entering the next room. There was only a short delay in their unguided tour, really all they had to do was step over the desparate creature. But then they saw why the garuda had been trying to stop them. A giant, multi-headed snake statue lay sleeping in the middle of the room they needed to pass through.
The group quickly split to either side of the door, in an attempt to hide. Larry read the information plaque. Kneeling down to the garuda's level, Alex quietly thanked it, and explained why they had to keep going anyway. She could feel Ahk's eyes on her back, but chose to ignore him for the moment. Standing back up, Alex watched half amused as Larry and Lancelot argued about what they should do.
"It's a xianglu," Larry read. "It's a mythical snake demon."
"Well it looks like a dragon. I say we kill it," Lancelot said.
"We can't kill it, it's asleep," Larry argued. Alex sided with Larry on this one. Killing it now would be just plain rude.
"You're right that's not very sporting," the knight agreed. "How about we wake it up and then kill it. I shall go first and I shall take the boy with me." Alex looked down at herself. Sure the uniform wasn't very flattering, and it hid her rather small curves, and her hair was short enough now to be a boy's cut, but seriously?
"What? No. You're not gonna take the boy."
"Why not?"
Alex answered for herself, her voice coming out as a growl. "Because she's not a boy."
"Truly? So you're only pretending to be a boy? You certainly have the walk down." She would have attacked him had Ahk not placed his hands firmly on her shoulders to hold her in place. The garuda sympathetically patted her on the ankle.
"It's not worth it," Ahk whispered in her ear. She took a breath and calmed almost instantly. This guy was really working nerves.
"Okay, you know what?" Larry said, showing some of his own annoyance. "We're going to go around it and we're going to do it now, before I lose the signal."
They quietly filed into the room, sticking close to the wall as they started to work their way around. Not even half way through, Alex felt a familiar chill. As if on cue Teddy began loudly spouting some of his famous lines. Sacagawea turned completely to wax. Atilla began panicking and screaming. Ahk fell back, mouth open in silent pain.
Alex caught him before he could land and lowered them both to the floor. She supported him keeping him in a sitting position. He was gasping and clinging to her arms around his shoulders. Her heart was hammering in her chest. He was dying all over again and all she could do was hold him. Atilla was soon next to her, too frightened to do anything but cower against her back. She watched as Larry and Lancelot fought the creature. Her fists wouldn't work against metal, and she wasn't about to leave Ahkmenrah like this. "It'll be ok. Everything will be all right," she whispered to Ahk and Atilla as her thumbs stroked Ahk's shoulders in what she hoped was a comforting manner. She only wished she could believe it.
Ahk managed to lift a hand to her uninjured cheek. "Th-Thank you," he breathed. She shook her head and bit her lips together, fighting off tears, and held his hand in place when he lost the strength to keep it up himself. One of the snake heads flew towards them and she dropped his hand to shield him as much as she could with her tiny body. Larry intercepted it before it could hit.
Lancelot continued to beat back the heads as Larry ran for the...defribillator? He charged it up and leapt at the xianglu, which soon lay unmoving on the floor. "These things really do save lives," Larry said. Alex felt like she was missing something, but let it drop.
Just as quickly as it had come, the side effects of the corroding tablet eased, and everyone was back to normal. Or at least mostly normal. Teddy's hand remained wax. Larry found his dropped phone, now completely broken. Ahk, back on his feet asked, "How will we find them now?"
Larry was quiet for a short moment. He looked at Alex who was not so subtly fussing over Ahkmenrah, while the young king tried to convince her that he was fine. He came to a difficult decision. "Change of plans. If we don't get to Egypt soon, we won't be saving anybody."
It wasn't long until they finally reached the room that held the Egyptian exhibits. Lancelot said his overly lengthy goodbye before leaving them. Ahk was getting visibly excited the deeper in they went. "I haven't seen these walls in many a moon," he said, voice trembling only slightly as they entered the crypt. He looked like he was finally coming home. Alex ignored the pang in her chest. What if he decided to stay here when this was all over? Did she even have the right to ask if he'd return to New York with her?
"Ahkmen?" A woman called out, as she quickly and gracefully glided towards him.
"Mother." He left Alex's side to greet the woman with a hug. There was a man who soon followed her. "Father," Ahk said, a look of disbelief crossing his face as he left his mother to embrace the man. Alex smiled softly, touched by the scene. Ahk pulled away to make introductions. "Father, these are my friends."
The man stood proud. "I am Merenkahre, pharaoh of the Nile and father to the son of the sun."
The woman stood tall beside him. "And I am Shepseheret, the glittering jewel of the nine kingdoms."
Very modest people, Alex noted sarcastically. "I am Larry," said Larry.
Ahk added, "Guardian of Brooklyn."
"I'm Alex," she said.
Ahk threw her an impish smile. "Sparkling treasure of New York City," he added. Alex raised an eyebrow at him, while his parents shot him a confused look.
Larry continued. "We would be honored if you would take a look at the tablet. There's something wrong with it and we don't know what it is or how to fix it."
Ahkmenrah handed the tablet to his father, who examined it. "It's losing its power," he explained.
"Do you think you can fix it?" Alex asked.
"To do that I would have to divulge the secrets of the tablet."
"I promise we won't tell anyone," Larry said.
"No."
Alex, patience snapping got in his face. Or at least as close as she could given the difference in height. "If you don't neither you nor your son will ever wake up again."
"I will not be threatened by a child. Even one who comes from the heavens." Alex blinked. What the heck was that supposed to mean? Then her anger returned even stronger. If he was hitting on her, so help her, she was going to...
"Father," Ahk interupted pulling her back by the shoulders then stepping between them to shield them from each other's wrath. "Why do you insist on keeping this to yourself."
Merenkahre looked at his son. "The secret of the tablet was to be passed on to you at the proper time." Really? Alex wondered if the elder pharaoh's stupidity was a result of the tablet's decay. Because becoming a full on pharaoh seemed like way past the proper time.
"It has been three thousand years," Ahk reasoned. "Now seems like a good time."
Merenkahre placed a hand on his son's cheek, then for the first time since its creation gave up the secrets of the tablet. He spoke of why and how he'd had it made, and what powered it. He'd explained that their shared tomb was made especially so that the rays of their moon god would shine through every night to power the tablet. He ended his spiel with, "It's been away from Khonsu's light too long."
Again Alex felt the corrosion before she saw the effects. Ahk fought to stand as the pain of death returned. "My son," Shepsehret exclaimed. "What is happening to you?"
Ahk's father quickly stepped towards Larry, passing him the tablet. Seeing the proof of Alex's words first hand finally swayed him. "It needs moonlight. Otherwise we shall all be dead by sunrise." Ahk finally collapsed, his mother catching his head in her lap. He reached weakly towards Alex who was instantly at his side, grasping his hand tightly. "Hurry! If the tablet dies nothing can bring it back."
Larry took off at a dead run, Sacagawea right at his side. Alex once again remained with Ahk, not willing to leave him as he was. If she let him out of her sight it might be the last time she saw him alive. Sacagawea soon returned, explaining that Lancelot had stole the tablet and Larry had gone after him. Teddy quickly leapt into action, taking off directly towards where Lancelot would most likely be headed. Alex bit her lip to keep from screaming. She'd known the guy was bad news, she should have beaten him when she had the chance instead of letting Ahk talk her out of it.
A few tears escaped from Alex's eyes as she held Ahk's hand to her heart. Her other hand was caressing his cheek before she could stop it. His mother kindly rubbed her back in a comforting motion. His father looked on. Slowly the pain passed and Ahk tucked an imaginary loose strand of hair back behind Alex's ear. The three of them helped each other up and they, along with Merenkahre left to find Larry and Teddy. Shepseheret remained beside Ahk, holding his hand as they all rushed through the museum. Alex respectfully gave them space, but kept a worried eye on Ahk in case he relapsed. Squashing the pain of rejection, she understood that he needed his mother now more than he needed her. Besides, this kind of losing him didn't hurt as bad as losing him to the dying tablet.
She was finally starting to comprehend why the characters in all of those vampire romance stories were able to ignore every potential obstacle to be with their lovers. Because time was short, and he was worth it. And having him gone forever would hurt far worse than any of the pain she had been cowering from for the last four years.
There was a crossroads in the museum where both groups met up with each other, Dexter, Jed and Octavius were also there, surprisingly. "I don't understand," Teddy said, both hands now useless wax. "Why does Lancelot remain strong, while the rest of us get weaker?"
Merenkahre answered, "Because he's newborn, newborns are stronger. But it matters not, unless we succeed. He too will be dead by sunrise."
Alex pocketed her phone and untied the rope from the monkey's waist. Larry sent Merenkahre and Shepseheret back to Egypt, and split the others up among all the exits. He took special care to keep Ahk and Alex together. Ahk grabbed her hand and she didn't pull it away as they sped down their assigned corridor.
After rounding two corners and making sure Larry wasn't following them, Ahk pulled her to a stop. She looked up at him questioningly as he ran a knuckle down her left cheek carefully avoiding the wound there. "Time is short now," he said quietly.
"We're going to fix it." There was no way she was going to lose him now. She'd fix the tablet even if it killed her. She took his face in both of her hands, and looked directly into his eyes. Eye contact with him was something she usually avoided at all costs, which, she hoped, made her next statement all the more believable. "You're going to make it." Her voice cracked as her eyes leaked.
He used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "I don't think I can let you go."
"Then don't." She kissed him then. Throwing all the pent up emotions of the last four years into it. He responded in kind. Her heart was soaring. She'd never really understood what that even meant until now. It was only the need to breathe that pulled them apart. She grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers as she pulled the dazed pharaoh the rest of the way down their assigned path.
Eventually everyone met up outside, not far from the main entrance. Atilla had managed to secure the night guard in her booth, without ripping her limbs off. Alex was proud of him. Even Lah had rejoined them, but Larry sent him guard the door to the security room. Things were not looking good. From the elbow down, Teddy could no longer move his arms. Larry was trying to calm Atilla down, since the Hun was having a panic attack. And Lancelot had escaped.
Alex wondered, "There's like eight million people in this city, how are we going to find him?"
"We'll find him," Larry said, looking at Ahk's and Alex's still joined hands. "We have to."
Sacagawea, somehow, was able to track the knight even across asphalt and concrete. The girl was good. Just when they thought the trail was gone, they heard screams as statues came to life in the wake of the passing tablet. "I'm guessing that way," Alex said. When they got there, she again had to suppress the urge to scream her frustation. Lions. Of course, it would be lions. Because puppies would be too easy. "Now what?"
"Hey, Gigantor. Use your flashlight," Jed suggested. After a moment of hesitation, Larry shined his light on the ground in front of the living statues and moved it around erratically. All four of the big cats tried to catch the light. It took only a moment for them to begin fighting amongst themselves, and he group was able to skirt around them.
Once again they found themselves at the end of the trail. A bus pulled to its stop. Both Larry and Alex saw the bus's advertisement for the Camelot musical. Where else would a knight of the round table go? Alex finally let loose of Ahk's hand to take the lead with Larry. "C'mon," they said simultaneously.
It was a bit anticlimactic, but the bus really was the fastest way to theater. It was surprisingly packed. They were only one seat short and Alex offered to stay standing, but Ahk pulled her sideways onto his lap. His arms were wrapped securely around her waist to keep her in place, and her arms were loosely wrapped around his neck. Her feet ended up on Larry's lap.
Much of the mummy was starting to show on Ahk's face, and Alex had to close her eyes against it. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. They were supposed to be together now. She couldn't lose him, especially not like this.
The click of a camera made her jump. Alex finally noticed the children staring at them. Larry asked for a copy of the picture, only to be rewarded with Alex's foot in his side.
Sometime in the middle of the ride, it had begun to rain. The sound of it against the windows lulled her into a light doze, until they came to stop in front of the theatre.
They'd had to force their way into the audience. Lancelot was on stage badgering the actors. Alex heaved a sigh of relief. Finally their luck was improving. She cursed at him, loudly. As if on cue the audience parted, giving them a trail to the stage.
Lancelot grabbed a burning torch prop and fled backstage. What was the torch for? Didn't he know there'd still be lights? Eventually, they cornered him on the roof. Alex remained by Ahk's side as they stopped on the platform that the roof door had opened up onto. Larry and the others all went down to the main part of the roof where Lancelot was trapped. By now the fire from the torch had melted the tip of his nose and he threw it away from himself, finally realizing that he wasn't really Lancelot.
Teddy tried to reason with him, but it fell on deaf ears. Finally, Alex explained, "If you don't give us the tablet, you'll die too."
"If there is no Camelot, if there is no Guinevere or Lancelot, then there is no point in living. I'm just a lump of misshapen wax." He broke off into a rant about everyone looking at his dripping nose. Wasting precious time. When he was finished he admitted that he had forgotten what they were talking about. It was only Ahk's hand on her shoulder that kept her from literally tearing the knight apart.
Alex felt the chill again, this one was worse than the last. There wasn't much of the tablet left by now. Not enough of it to survive another bout of corrosion.
Atilla fell down, most of his body becoming stiff and lifeless once again. Teddy fell back onto a skylight, his entire body turning back into wax. Sacagawea raced to his side but then she also turned back into a mannequin. Jed and Octavius had collapsed somewhere but Alex couldn't see them from where she was.
Ahk fell to his knees. "We've run out of time," he said, his eyes filming over with death. Alex supported him as he fell and helped him to lie down, propping his head on her lap. She could feel the stiffening and sinking of his skin through his clothes as he began returning to his mummified form. Her tears were falling freely now, mingling with the rain until two were indistinguishable. She ignored the stinging on her cheek as the slightly acidic rain trickled into the cut. Again she caught his hand and held it to her heart.
"Just turn the piece," Larry pleaded with him. "Turn the piece or they'll all die. You'll die too."
"A world without Camelot, isn't a world worth living in."
"What about Guinevere?" Alex asked. "What would she think seeing you like this?"
"Guinevere doesn't exist."
"Please." Alex begged, her voice shaking badly, both from her fear and from the cold as her clothes became soaked through. "She might not exist for you. But he," She gestured to Ahk. "He's my Guinevere. Please don't make me lose him."
Lancelot waivered before regaining his determination. "The deceptions of a cross-dressing hussy are of no concern to me," he spat.
Alex could only scream in response, finally letting out her aggravation, her fear, and her desperation. She looked down at Ahk, who was struggling with his free hand, trying to stroke her cheek. It should have grossed her out to be this close to a rotting corpse. But she didn't see the rot and decay, all she saw was Ahkmenrah. And she was losing him for good this time.
Everything else faded from his perception and it was just the two of them on the roof now. She gently laid his head on the ground and shifted so they were facing eachother. She leaned over him and whispered in his ear. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It took too long for me to tell you. I love you, Ahk." The words he'd longed to hear for the last three thousand years. Then she started sobbing into his chest.
"Augh," he tried to respond, his stiff hands clawing at the back of her uniform's jacket, trying to hold her. The first syllable had destroyed his already decaying voice box. Faintly he could hear Larry calling Dexter's name and Lancelot responding, but he paid no attention.
Vaguely, he realized the rain had stopped, and the moonlight shone on her tears. She picked her head up and gently placed her hands on either side of his face. She tenderly kissed his disintegrating lips. Almost instantly, he was whole again, wrapping his arms around her, and returning the kiss with much fervor. Without breaking the kiss he sat them up. Eventually they separated, smiling at eachother, the rest of the world forgotten. He lovingly wiped the tears from her eyes, then rested his forehead against hers. "I'll love you forever," he said, finally getting the words out. Words he'd been holding back for four years. Never had he been so grateful for the ability to speak.
The moment was interrupted when Larry cleared his throat. "If you two are done," he said and chuckled. Alex was blushing brightly as they helped each other to stand up.
"I do declare," Teddy said. "It's about time." He had no idea. Thunder crashed nearby as though agreeing with him. And the rain picked up again. Ahk laughed as Alex's blush deepened.
"Alex, go long," Larry said.
He gently tossed the restored tablet towards her. She stepped away from Ahk, quickly covering the distance to catch it. Ahk's smile vanished and his eyes went wide. "No," he shouted, reaching out for her, but too late. A bolt of lightning struck the tablet just as she caught it. The flash of white blinded them all and when everyone could see again, Alex was gone, and the tablet was laying unharmed on the ground where she had been. Ahk rushed to it, falling to his knees and picking it up, half hoping she'd appear out from under it.
Larry charged at Ahk, punching him in the face. "You knew," he shouted. Ahk let Larry poke and push him. "Just before it happened you tried to stop her. You knew." The others, including Lancelot, were far too shocked to pick a side. Larry grabbed the pharaoh's collar and got in his face. "Where is she?" Larry ground out.
"She," Ahk paused nearly choking on the words, tears unseen through the pouring rain. "She's in the past. Three thousand years ago, I'm about to meet her for the first time."
"You knew this whole time and you let it happen?"
Ahk shook his head. "It wasn't like that." He choked back a sob. "I tried to stop her. You saw it. I wanted to stop her, but I never knew how she got there. She never knew either." He fell to his knees when Larry let go of him. "Until four years ago, I dindn't even know where she was from. She tried to tell me, but I didn't believe her." He paused to collect himself. "She told me she was from the future and I never believed her. Not until I saw her in the museum." He closed his eyes tight against the pain. "Three thousand years ago, I saw her die. At least I thought she died." He knew he was rambling but he didn't care. He had to sort it out as much as Larry did. "She was holding up the tablet and lightning struck, then she was just...gone. When she went to catch the tablet, that's when I realized. But, I...hesitated. I knew that if she didn't go back into the past, then everything that I remembered would have never happened. I didn't even realize until tonight, how badly I wanted to keep her here." He paused to draw another shaky breath. "But I've known since her first night at the museum that she would be taken from me. I just didn't know how long I had, until..." He trailed off.
"Until what, dear boy?" Teddy asked kindly, realizing how hard this was for the young king.
"When she was injured by the triceratops, I knew it would be tonight." He gave them a sad smile, through his tears. "The scar won't affect her beauty."
Seeing him like this made Larry feel guilty for going off on him. "Does she ever make it back?" Larry asked.
"I-I'm not sure. I think...Maybe. After the tablet got struck, she just vanished, just like she did tonight." Ahk looked at the tablet in his hand. Sometimes it seemed like the thing was just as alive as the beings affected by its magic. He wanted to break it for taking her from him. But it had to stay whole for her to have any chance of returning to him for a second time.
"How long was she ... will she be there for?"
"Almost three years."
Larry went quiet for a moment. Ahk could see the emotions swirling around on his face. Betrayal, anger, loss, worry, sadness. Finally it settled on a rigid combination. "Let's go back to the museum," he said, then put a finger in Ahk's face. "As soon as we get there you're going to tell us the whole story. Don't leave anything out." Ahk could only nod. The young king had to force himself back to his feet, as he dragged his unwilling body after the others.
