A/N: Hamunaptra is not real at least not in ancient Egypt. So I put it to the south of Bubastis, which was real, so my story makes sense. I'm sorry if that doesn't jive with the movie continuity I did look at maps of Ancient egypt as well as the map from the movie so I did try. Here ya go so sorry it took forever (Also -()- means flashback in this fic).

Chapter 4: Aziza

-()-

The O'Connell siblings lounged on Cassandra's bed in the inn as they waited for the woman claiming to be Bastet. Alex still was not completely convinced. Cassandra however, mostly was. Growing up an O'Connell, and knowing reincarnation is a real thing because of her parents, her suspense of disbelief was leveled up to eleven.

They were laughing at Alex's antics from when he went on a dig in South America two years ago, she'd been invited, but had been too wrapped up in Annabell to go. They were still laughing when a gust of wind blew the window opened, and there in furious glory was Bastet. The two siblings stopped their laughter as they looked at the seething anger in the woman's eyes, "What have you ingrates done to my Egypt," she snarled reaching out as if to pounce upon them.

"Hey I thought you knew about our parents."

"I'm not talking about those ingrates, I'm talking about the English carving a country like they have a right to it," She hissed, again fighting the urge to lunge at the boy.

"Oh," Cassandra said looking down at her hands, then she looked back up at the enraged goddess, "when were you here last?" Cassandra asked.

"One hundred years ago, you're last reincarnation was a christian missionary, I took great pleasure seducing you that lifetime," She said her anger simmering and a wicked grin made its way to her face. Cassandra's face burned as she cast a sideways glance at her brother who was trying and failing not to laugh. Cassandra turned and glared at him as he guffawed.

"You were a missionary oh my god, please tell me she was a nun too."

"No she hadn't taken her orders yet. Her brother had brought her boy did he hate me. Now back to my question."

"We can't stop the English any more than we can stop the tides," Alex said.

"I should have put a bastard on the French throne when I had the chance," she muttered mostly to herself, but Cassandra's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?"

"You were once the whore of a French king my darling," The answer was succints, and then she continues, again mostly to herself, "but no of course I couldn't do that it would have violated my deal with Anubis."

"Oi I resent being called a whore."

"Well in your defence it wasn't you really it was your soul in another body. All of your personalities have been different."

"Can you explain to me the rules of this bond or whatever it is we're supposed to have," Cassandra said becoming annoyed with only getting the story in pieces.

"I...suppose, but I want you alone," she said with a pointed glare to Alex, who rolled his eyes at the goddess.

"Fine."

"What no, not fine," Alex huffed looking at his sister in surprise..

"Alex, I can take care of myself please trust me."

The eldest O'Connell looked between his sister and this woman for a moment, then sighed, and said, "Fine, but I want the details later," before kissing her forehead and swiftly leaving with one more pointed glare at Bastet.

"FInally alone at last," Bastet said, and Cassandra saw how the woman in front of her became less tense as she sat down on the bed, her back resting against the footboard. Her hand hovered over Cassandra's leg, but then placed it in her lap. The room descended into an awkward silence.

"So are you going to explain, or are you going to stare at me all night?" Cassandra groused.

"Well my darling it's easier to explain with the images you get from touching you," she reached out again, but Cassandra moved her leg away and shook her head with a small smile.

"Nice try, let's try words this time around," her head was clearer than it had been earlier, but the constant itch that buzzed beneath her skin quieted when she arrived, and she was fighting the urge to let Bastet touch her.

"Very well dearest. The first life images you saw was during the reign of Seti I, when all that went down with Imhotep and the pharaoh."

"Why is it always Seti I I mean did nothing else happen in Egypt," Cassandra said with a mirthful smile.

"It does seem that way doesn't it. However your soul belonged to Egypt a few times, and Rome, and Greeks, and to me, always," Her smile was soft and a little sad.

Cassandra's stomach lurched, and her heart yearned to kiss the sad smile away, she ignored it, and motioned for her to continue, "Your name had been Aziza, It means respected. You were my priestess. You had been the youngest sibling of a poor family in Bubastis, Somehow you were friends with Nefertiri, who was a fan of mine. She thought you'd be better off in the care of the temple. Your parents agreed. We met when you were sixteen, I was...ancient," She had gotten lost in her memories of her; brown skin and wide eyes.

-()-

Nefertiri led the young woman by the hand into the grand temple of the Goddess Bastet, "I wish you could stay at the palace, with me but with Imhotep and Anck-Su Namun, I fear for your safety. Truth be told I wish I was staying with you, but I shall not abandon my father," she said looking at her friend with worried eyes. Aziza squeezed her friend's hand and smiled a small reassuring one of her own. Then they met with the head priestess of the temple, and began Aziza's induction. Aziza looked at the woman in a gold robe, and a Wadjet eye around her neck. With high cheekbones and a mischievous smile.

"Nefertiri I see you've brought the newest priestess."

"Oh yes Bastet, I didn't think you'd be here, this is Aziza my dear friend."

-()-

"Why were you there?" Cassandra asked looking once again at the goddess.

"I always look after the new recruits of course, but something about your soul stuck with me. So I stuck around."

"You still have that necklace," Cassandra noticed.

Bastet's fingers grazed the the metal and stone around her neck, "Yes it's for protection."

They lapsed once again into a small vaguely uncomfortable silence, until: "What happened."

"We fell in love I'd never fallen in love with a mortal before. I'd had dalliances with other gods, but never a mortal. My pantheon has more...discretion than other pantheons," She sniffed at the thoughts of other pantheons specifically the Greek and then later Roman pantheons in particular,, "We were together for about five years through all that mess with Seti and Imhotep, both fools really, Nefritiri would visit, she did not approve of our affair, and it ultimately led to your doom..."

-()-

"Nef calm down Bastet means me no harm I am probably the most protected being in Egypt."

"Az please after everything with my father you're the only thing I have that's close to family let me please place a Med-jai guard at the temple."

Aziza heaved a sigh and stared at her friend with affection, "Let me speak with Bastet first let her know who the guard is so she doesn't accidently smite them," she said with a chuckle.

"Thank you Az," the now pharaoh said pulling her friend into a tight hug. Then Bastet poofed into the chamber.

"Nefertiri, what a pleasant surprise."

"Bastet," She said with a nod Aziza rolled her eyes at the two of them, They'd been together three years and Nefritri had not budged an inch when it came to her relationship with the cat goddess, "I was telling Az that i should post a Med-jai guard here for her protection."

"Do you think I can not protect my love from an attack by a mortal?" Bastet asked placing the hand at the small of Aziza's back, the gesture was possessive and all three women knew it.

"I mean no offense Bastet but you are not with her everyday, I'd feel better if there was one more layer between her and the tip of a sword."

Bastet saw the logic behind the decision, but she still did not like it having someone else be that close to her Aziza day in and out was irritating to say the least, however, "What do you think my love?"

"Well," she glanced at her lover, and then threw a glance at her best friend, and pharaoh; both gods in their own rights, Aziza gave in to Nefertiri's pleading eyes, "Only one Nef."

"Thank you Aziza, I must return to my throne, I have a meeting with a general I shall send your guard immediately," with that she left.

Aziza turned to look at Bastet, her lips had thinned, and her brow furrowed, "Oh don't pout my goddess it was just to appease Nef, besides it would be nice to have a new friend outside of the pharaoh and the Bastet protector of the dead."

"Very well my darling not like I could have stopped Nefertiri's meddling anyway, and she does care for you, come to bed though I have missed the feeling of you in my arms," Aziza grinned at the goddess and followed her to the bed chambers of the temple.

Hours later when Aziza was sated and exhausted, Bastet, who'd been watching her lover sleep, felt someone enter the temple. She left the bed, and made sure Aziza was well covered, she got cold. She trailed her way through the winding hallway to the entrance of the temple is kept open for worshippers during all times of day, but the energy of this person seemed more...urgent. She finally reached the entrance it was a Med-jai. "You must be Nefertiri's spy?"

"I am not a spy your holiness. I am here for Aziza."

His phrasing was wrong, and Bastet's hackles rose immediately as she bit back a hiss, "What's your name mortal?"

"Yakbim ma'am."

"I see well Yakbim you shall restrict yourself to the entrance and hallway, in no way shall you disturb our bed chambers agreed."

"Yes your holiness," He nodded his head, and nodding more to herself than to him she returned to bed, to Aziza.

-()-

"He was with us for two years," Cassandra noticed that the languidness with which Bastet rested on the bed had stopped. She'd tensed in her shoulders, and her hands were clenched into fists, and Cassandra knew the next bits of the story were not going to be fun.

Cassandra looked at the woman sitting tensely against the footboard. She'd so clearly loved someone, and lost them, similarly, yet so differently, than Cassandra had Annabell. She raised her hand until it hovered over Bastet's leg; at the goddess' whisper of: "please," Cassandra lowered her hand onto the shin and gasped. It was more than just flashes this time. This time it was Aziza's whole life unfurling rapidly as her eyes fell shut. She learned everything about her soul's first life. Her personality, what made her laugh, and seethe. Cassandra saw, heard and felt everything in those final moment, and then she felt the love.

-()-

Love slammed into Cassandra so hard it stole the breath from her lungs, and her heart felt like it dropped to her stomach. Aziza had been shorter than Cassandra. As she felt the soft cotton of the sheets beneath her and all around her. She was waiting for Bastet to return from Anubis. Then she heard the door open, and sat up pulling the sheet with her as Yakbim and not her love entered the room.

"Yakbim what is the meaning of this," She demanded pulling the sheet closer to herself, she'd been wearing a long shirt, but he wasn't supposed to be in here, Bastet would be displeased, Aziza was displeased.

"I have been patient my love, waiting for you to realize there is no future with the goddess. But with me there could be a future there could be children."

Now fear curled itself into the Egyptian woman's stomach it was cold and prickly, and she reached for the dagger that she kept beneath her pillow kept it out of sight, "Yakbim I'm asking you to leave Bastet will hear of this, so shall Nefertiri, please return to the palace," she said with more courage than she felt, as betrayal began to worm its way through the surprise and fear, he'd been her friend, "Yakbim I do not wish to have children with you, if at all. Now please leave I will not ask again."

"How could you not want children, they are a blessing, you could give me strong sons that Ra would approve of."

"Ra would want you to leave me alone I belong to Bastet alone as she belongs to me."

"No you are mine," he said simply as he was talking he'd been inching towards her on the bed. Aziza had taken notice and scooted back taking the dagger with her, and considered summoning Bastet, she always said she could hear Aziza no matter where she was, especially when Yakbim reached for his sword, but kept it in it's sheath.

She rolled off the bed, and Yakbim saw her dagger, and immediately pulled his sword out, "Anubis will be unkind to you if you harm me, Bastet loves me, and Anubis is Bastet's dear friend please don't make me summon her Yakbim you were my friend for so long." The bed was in between them, and that made Aziza feel a little safer, until he started to round the bed.

"I do not care what Anubis does to me if you fear for your safety I will keep you safe from her."

"From who? Bastet? Yakbim I do not fear Bastet I fear you please stop this and leave."

"Fear me? Why? I love you."

Aziza had had enough she looked upward and yelled, "Baste-" schlink Yakbim shoved his sword through Aziza's abdomen.

-()-

Cassandra yanked her hand off Bastet's leg choking on air as she felt the burn of the sword in her guts and the coppery tang of blood in her mouth. Bastet looked at her a moment not wanting to touch and cause more trauma, but aching to comfort her, as her heart ached for Cassandra, and Aziza. Soon her breathing returned to normal, and Cassandra settled back down on the pillows. Her voice was raspy and weary as she said, "what happened after that pissant stabbed me?"

"I assume you stabbed him because when I got there, too late, he was dead… as were you... with a stab wound to his chest and you're dagger covered in blood in your hand. Good riddance, four thousand some odd years and I still have hatred for that man," her cheeks were wet with tears, as she gazed out the window. The moonlight shone on her face. Her voice was thick with grief, "Then I went to Anubis. I demanded he give you back to me. Well you have Aziza's memories now you can imagine how well that went."

"He probably laughed in your face."

A snort came from Bastet, "That is exactly what he did, but he did say I owed him one, so we made a deal. He went to a god in the Hindi pantheon, and agreed to have you reincarnate every one hundred years. If and only if I" did not make too much of an impact on humanity, it had to take its natural course. Second I could never make you immortal, and I can't save you from certain death. He would make sure your soul made it to me every one hundred years, and you have, and here we are," She was looking at Cassandra now smiling faintly, "Thank you for taking the worst of it, I can touch you now without flashes. After our first meeting there is always a buildup of our memories, usually you're easier to convince. Considering your parentage I thought you'd believe immediately."

"My mom gave me a healthy dose of skepticism. As for the touching no...I will be your friend, but anything else...I had a lover her name was Annabell, she got married, to a man, and I can't do this right now."

Bastet looked at her for a moment, takes in the woman laying against the headboard. SHe looked tired, and had an air of sadness surrounding her, probably concerning this Annabell. She felt a flash of anger at this woman who had hurt Cassandra so. However Cassandra was right she was different than all her reincarnations so she took a deep breath, "Alright dearie friends we shall be I'm going to let you sleep thank you for letting me explain," she then helped Cassandra get under the covers, and as she closed her eyes and murmured a thank you a memory drifted into her mind from Aziza. It was simply her being held by Bastet and contented happiness blanketed her as well, and she felt a similar pang of longing that had not been familiar yesterday.

-()-

A/N: I know its been forever and I'm so sorry, but my mental health has been all over the place lately, and my job is draining. I hope you enjoy and please comment.