Author's Note: In this chapter I fix a little mistake I made previously. More information at the end.

I hope you enjoy this little chapter!

Set

Chapter Thirteen

Quiet Night

Alex O'Connell stared up at the night sky, counting stars and wishing on each and every one that his brain would shut up and let him sleep. But the events of the long, endless day kept flashing before his eyes. Alice's look of defeat when she tried to come to terms with not marrying the man she loved before he marched quite possibly to his death. The crawling of the mummy with no legs that tried to attack him in the City of the Dead. Imhotep appearing in normal clothing and admitting he was losing his powers. Paige's brief, strange warm expression when she first saw Imhotep. And then her fury at Alex. Imhotep charging Seti with a sword. Paige standing between them, recklessly risking her life the way she did so often. The way Paige looked so beautiful walking down the aisle in the golden dress. Alice and Ardeth's last dance together. The reveal of the Bracelet of Set. The eyes of everyone he loved expressing hopelessness as they tried to form a battle plan. Fiona's horror at seeing her past lives. The Bracelet of Set on Fiona's wrist. The attack on the camp, the pieces of mummy around, the blood on the sand, the roaring faces of the jackals in his face. Fiona's gaping wound. Fiona's face as her leg was cut apart by her allies. Paige's barely concealed heartbreak. The weariness of his parents, two people who have seen the end of the world too many times. Eventually all he could see was the blood, the rivers of blood in Cairo, and the weight of the knowledge that there may very well be nothing that they could do about it crushed him. He felt as though his chest would be flattened at any moment. The stars swirled before his vision, making him feel sick. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

Alex stood with a soft sigh, getting to his feet and stretching his arms above his head. There was no way he was going to be able to sleep anytime soon. He could always sleep on the plane later.

But with everyone around him asleep, there wasn't much he could do. He cleaned his weapons again, and took a few test swings with the axe. He set the axe aside, and scrubbed the sword clean again. He then checked each of his father's guns, unloading them, cleaning them out, loading them, and unloading them again. Ardeth and Kasiya kept their weapons on them, so he couldn't do anything about them. He went to the back of the plane and grabbed a water bottle, and used the water to put out the fire, something they ought to have thought of before, but their exhaustion wiped fire safety from their minds. He snacked on a coffee macaron. He wondered who had the first idea to put coffee in cookies. He wondered why there weren't more coffee-flavored cookies. He wondered why there seemed to be no coffee-scented candles or perfumes.

And then finally, Alex gave into doing what he knew he was going to do all along. First, he carefully reached into his uncle's jacket pocket, and slipped the flask into his own pocket in his jeans. And then he turned around.

Alex walked across the quickly cooling sand, out towards the south, crossing the space between the camp and Imhotep. As he approached he saw Imhotep moving in the dark, and after a moment he realized the Creature was juggling small rocks. He wanted to find it amusing, but in his sleep-deprived mind, he could only think that it made perfect sense. If he could juggle, he would probably be doing it, too. It was something small and physical that could be done to pass the time, and Alex fully understood the need to pass the time.

As he approached, he put his hands up, palms-out, in a gesture of non-violence. "I come in peace," he announced, keeping his voice soft so as to not wake anyone else. "I'm just here because I need something to do. Can I take the next watch?"

Imhotep stopped juggling and turned to watch as Alex walked up from behind him, and then stood next to him. "That is not wise," he said. "I do not need rest as you do. I will not grow tired. I should keep the watch."

"Well, then can I stand awkwardly next to you?" asked Alex, taking out the flask. "I can't sit back there alone anymore. I can't. Trust me, if I could, I wouldn't be here with you." Alex didn't quite mean the insult that was implied, but he also wanted it to be clear that he knew their mutual dislike was still quite present.

Imhotep hesitated a moment, and then said, "Yes. I imagine the need to not be alone must be great indeed in order to come and see if we can tolerate each other's presence."

Alex took a quick drink from the flask, and then paused a moment to cough. "It is. It really, fucking is." Regardless of his distaste for Imhotep, he still offered the flask.

Imhotep shook his head. "Alcohol does nothing for me."

"Of course it doesn't," muttered Alex, before taking a seat on the sand, legs spread and knees bent, his elbows resting on his knees, a stance Rick had taken often when he was Alex's age. He watched the southern horizon as though he could actually see anything in the dark distance. He took another swig, and though he knew the alcohol wouldn't take away his problems or even help him sleep, he tried to believe that it would help him relax.

Neither person had anything to say to the other. Any conversation between the two would only be awkward and shallow, so they felt no need to speak. Imhotep resumed juggling as Alex kept his eye on the darkness, grateful to at least have a job, even if he was useless at it.

"Okay, but why didn't we think to bring any lemonade," Paige complained as she walked up, arms folded across her chest. Alex only noticed then that the temperature was dropping. "Seriously, doesn't lemonade sound awesome? All we have is water and alcohol."

As Paige took a seat beside Alex, he held out the flask. "Speaking of which…"

Paige pushed the flask back towards him. "So not the same. Also, I saw Fiona choke on that stuff earlier, I'm not really interested in experiencing that myself, thank you."

Alex shrugged and capped the flask, putting down between them, in case she changed her mind. "Can't sleep either, huh?"

Paige shook her head. "I don't know how anyone can sleep after today. I mean, I get it was exhausting, but I know as soon as I sleep I'm going to have psychologically scarring nightmares, and I'm not particularly looking forward to that."

Alex nodded in agreement, but his thoughts felt so thick and slow he couldn't come up with a response.

After a moment, Paige finally said, "This is awkward." She turned her head back to look at Imhotep with an effort at a smile. "And I'm trying to pretend it isn't horribly awkward in the hopes the awkward will just go away. But it isn't working. So maybe we should just accept that it's awkward and go from there."

Imhotep had stopped juggling when Paige arrived, and now he let the rocks fall to the ground. It was clear he could think of no response, but after a moment he knelt to the ground. "How do you recommend we go about that?"

Paige shrugged. "No idea. I haven't exactly been in this situation before. Maybe just…talk until the ice melts and the walls come down and – wow, I'm getting my metaphors mixed. Basically, let's just talk for a while until it feels less awkward and more like we're actually, you know, on the same side here. Because I'm sure you're just as used to fighting against us – or the O'Connells, or whomever – as we, or they, are used to fighting against you, and we're not going to make great allies until we can communicate. And also, it would be nice to be a little more comfortable around each other."

After a moment, Imhotep turned to Paige. "I told you, on our last meeting years ago, that I felt a form of love for you. I was not lying, or mistaken. I have not yet spent much time near you, but I do feel a fondness. Perhaps the beginnings of friendship. So it is likely less uncomfortable for me as it is for you. So perhaps you should lead this conversation, in an effort to make you more comfortable."

Paige bit her lip for a moment as she considered his words, and then nodded. "Okay, then," she said, choosing not to look at Alex because she knew his expression would be somewhere between confused and angry. "Let's talk about what's been going on the last three years. I'll start. Alex and I have been going to university. I've been studying theatre, and he's been studying Egyptology, both very predictably. We've been living with Alex's parents-"

"Paige," groaned Alex.

"What, is he going to stalk us?" Paige asked incredulously, trying her best to raise an eyebrow at him, but still not quite able to pull off that trick. She turned back to Imhotep. "But we were looking at getting our own place when all this stuff went down. We've been hanging out with Fiona and her brother Sebastian a lot. Did some hiking. Learned fencing. I took up making candles and collecting crystals. Alex was boring and took up the family business of exploring tombs and writing scholarly-type papers on them. And that about sums it up."

"Except for your weird taste in clothes," added Alex.

"Hey, my fashion sense is amazing," she shot back, running her fingers hair, still looking a little surprised when she came to the ends so quickly now that it had been cut shorter. "And do you not remember my old collection of rainbow jewelry? This is way better."

Alex shrugged. "If you say so."

"Do we need to discuss your pink-framed sunglasses?"

"So, Imhotep," Alex said, turning to the mummy with a forced smile, "That's about it on us, what have you been up to the last three years?"

Imhotep paused for a moment. "The first year I spent trying to find another entrance to the Underworld. I was ready to be judged, to be consumed by Ammut if that was what was destined for me. Yet no matter how I searched, I never found a way to move on from this world. So hid away in the City of the Dead for six months, unsure of what I should do with this new, perhaps eternal life, wishing to avoid interfering with the natural order as much as I could. After a time, I decided that what I ought to do with my power was to eliminate any other threats to this world, any that were like myself. I thought the Scorpion King was long-since defeated, so I never thought to make certain Ahm-Shere was still buried beneath the sands," he added, a small expression guilt crossing his sculpted features. "I went across Egypt first, destroying spells and corpses of those who could eventually threaten the world. I then went to other countries, crossing borders and researching each land's legends so I could eliminate those threats, as well. By then I had begun to realize that my powers had begun to fade, and I began researching the strange occurrence in as many libraries as I could gain access to. When I heard of the Scroll of Thebes on display in Cairo, I returned to Egypt to destroy it, but it had already been stolen. I then returned to Hamunaptra, to search again for the spell I was brought back with in the hopes of discovering what was happening to my powers. It was then that Alex arrived."

Paige frowned. "And it's not there? The spell, I mean? You didn't find it?"

Imhotep slowly shook his head. "No. It seems to have disappeared from the wall."

"But that's not possible," said Alex, his eyes wide. "Is it?"

"None of this has been possible," sighed Paige. "Imhotep shouldn't be possible. The Scorpion King shouldn't be possible. Egyptian gods shouldn't be possible. People coming back from the dead in general shouldn't be possible. I shouldn't have been able to read the stupid spell in the first place. Honestly, I don't know if anything can surprise me anymore."

"Don't say that," sighed Alex, rolling his eyes. "You know what always happens after someone says that."

Paige looked up to the sky. "Bring it on, universe!" she shouted her challenge. Alex groaned.

"The gods do not favor those who challenge them," Imhotep said with a note of warning.

Paige shrugged. "Yeah, well, I don't favor the gods, so they can not favor me all they want," she said, her voice low with a hint of existential exhaustion. "If they're paying that close attention what I'm saying, then where the hell are they? Why can't they just come down and stop the apocalypse themselves for once? It's THEIR country that keeps causing these issues, THEY should deal with it."

Alex opened his mouth to complain about her lack of filter again, but instead chose to pick up the flask and take another drink. This time he didn't choke on the burn, and he wasn't sure if he should feel good about getting better at drinking.

Imhotep, however, spoke. "It is not for them to become personally involved," he explained. "They each have their own duties, and saving man from it's own foolishness is not among any of them. Mankind brought this on mankind, and therefore mankind must fix their own problems. The gods brought together each person that needed to be involved in this mission, and that is all they must do. Now it is up to us to fix mankind's problems."

Paige gave a half-sigh, half growl as she slowly lowered herself onto her back in order to ease the ache. Watching the stars, she said, "I know. I'm sorry. I know you were High Priest so insulting your gods to your face was in pretty poor taste. I'm just frustrated," she said, running her fingers through her bangs a few times, another expression of frustration. "It's just part of why I have trouble with things like faith in a higher power. It seems like it would be so much easier for some omnipotent being to reach down and fix things and make life a little less miserable. And I know, I get it, humanity has to do their own thing in order to learn and grow. It's just hard, when we're in the face of things like this to just…know things could be a lot easier, but some other being has decided it won't be. I don't like not being in control of my own situation, and thanks to these gods I'm now on my way to fight the apocalypse and I don't get much of a say in that. Although, yeah, I know it's not actually thanks to the gods, it's actually thanks to one really stupid person, but it's a lot easier to blame the gods for not helping than it is to accept that they won't."

"Most of the gods won't care if you blame them," said Imhotep softly. "Mankind often blames them for things that are outside their duties. You are not the first to feel such, and you will not be the last. The only danger lies in your determination to blame the gods causing you to believe that you are blameless for your own actions. I do not think you are in danger of such a thing, though I have been, as has Seti."

"Speaking of Seti," started Alex, falling down onto his back so that he could watch the stars, too. "Things are a bit awkward with him around. I'm not sure what to do with him."

"Do nothing," recommended Imhotep with distaste in his voice. "He is not worthy of your attention. And it is clear I do not say that as a friend to you. He is not worthy of anyone's attention."

Paige put her arms behind her head, and then turned to look at Imhotep. "That's some pretty strong dislike there," she said, her voice sounding almost impressed. "Why is it you hate him so much? I mean, other than being arrogant, which I think is natural for a Pharaoh, and trying to make Anck-Su-Namun marry him, what has he done?"

A very sarcastic expression that seemed almost modern crossed Imhotep's face, a hatred for Seti and an almost disbelieving expression that anyone would question it. The expression was brief, and was soon replaced with an earnest look as Imhotep looked to Paige to explain. "Do you know the true reason why Seti gave you – gave Isis – to me? It was not because he wanted to honor me. It was because he saw her hair and knew she was sent by the gods, but he didn't know the purpose. She had arrived as a concubine, so perhaps that was the reason, but her hair was so unique he thought perhaps she was meant to be a priestess in a temple. Uncertain of what to do, he gave her to me, so that, if she were meant to be a priestess and not a concubine, she and I would be the ones to suffer the consequences. As you – as she – lay dying from the snake bite, I did everything I could to save her, and begged Seti for help. He said that her painful death must be Osiris's will, and did nothing." Imhotep paused a moment to fight back a wave of hatred as the memory of Isis screaming in agony over Seti's refusal to help rushed through him. "If that is not enough reason, then there is also the disease he forced me to create and spread across his armies to weed out the weak, the forced marriage, his disrespect of women entirely," he finished, his words coming quicker.

For Paige, it was always a surprise to see Imhotep overcome with any sort of emotion. For Alex, it was even more shocking. "So," he began, "If he was so sexist, how did Nefertiti end up the guardian of the Scorpion King's bracelet?"

"It was an insult," Imhotep said. "Nefertiti was a powerful, skilled fighter, and deserved a leadership role in the military, and she knew it. She asked Seti daily to at least be made a fighting instructor like Anck-Su-Namun was, though she made certain to remind him that what she really wanted was to be a leader in Egypt's army. Seti grew tired of her asking, and assigned her to guard the bracelet instead. She was made to guard a room that already had guards, that there was no way to get inside of, and which no one would wish to enter. It was a nothing assignment, and Seti thought that an appropriate position for his daughter. She would be safe, and in no danger of hurting herself or of her womanly ineptitude destroying anything."

"Wow," breathed Paige. "That is pretty gross."

Imhotep wasn't quite finished. "Nefertiti should have been Pharaoh after Seti, as well, but his will would not allow it, and there was no choice but to follow the will of the Pharaoh, even after he had passed on to the next world. As Seti had no male child old enough to take his place yet and he had only daughters with his Queen, I was forced to serve temporarily, a position I did not want."

This conversation was getting dangerously close to painful memories that didn't even belong to her, but now that Imhotep was speaking freely, Paige didn't want to stop it. "I don't even know how that happened. Why was it you, and not like, the Queen, or the mother of one of his sons, or a brother or something? Isn't that how it usually works?"

Imhotep nodded. "Yes, it is. The Queen had died due to complications from childbirth, so she could not take his place. She had only had daughters, and the courts were nervous to have a female Pharaoh, and it was well known that Seti had not wanted his daughter to take his throne. The people were uneasy – a result of Seti's poor ruling – and did not want a concubine's son to be Pharaoh, though that was the usual way of things. Seti's next eldest brother was not well in the mind, and the next oldest had left Egypt to marry a princess of an eastern country in order to keep the peace between the two countries. Seti had an uncle that was elderly but ready to take the throne when Seti's will was found. He had written that he wanted the High Priest to take the throne until Nefertiti married, should anything happen to him. He wanted someone he knew was as in direct contact with the gods as he felt that he was, and someone that had been his servant and who he believed would continue to carry out his wishes. That was how I was chosen to serve temporarily, while the advisors searched quickly for a decent husband. I do not know if Nefertiti ever took her rightful place."

Paige's eyes narrowed on the sky as she tried to remember what Evy said happened to Nefertiti. "Ramses eventually took the throne. He's actually a pretty famous Pharaoh now. Nefertiti didn't make it much longer than you did," she added slowly, her mind a bit foggy with sleepiness as she tried to recall the details. "She was having night terrors and sleep walking and one night she flung herself from her balcony." Paige decided not to mention the nightmare Nefertiti had been having when she fell. They were just starting to get along, and there was no reason to risk making Imhotep fall into a guilty silence when he heard that Nefertiti had been dreaming of watching Imhotep kill her father and tried to lean over the balcony to call for help and then leaned too far. "So if Nefertiti saw what happened with…uh, with Seti's death," started Paige, settling on those words as the least awkward way to say 'the night you murdered Seti', "How were you not, like, instantly arrested?"

"It was well known that Nefertiti had troubles in her sleep," said Imhotep, the heaviness in his voice telling her that he didn't need to be told what Nefertiti had been dreaming about when she fell to her death. "The advisors and I all convinced her that it had been a nightmare, that she had only seen Anck-Su-Namun, that the Medjai had arrived so quickly that there had been no chance that anyone else could have been there. They were only grateful that her nightmare had caused her to send the Medjai and discover Seti's killer. I do not think she had ever completely believed it, but I had so many others convinced that she eventually stopped saying that I had murdered Seti."

This turn of the conversation only really served to remind Paige that Imhotep was the villain of the story. There were shades of grey, yes. Seti hadn't been a nice guy, Ack-Su-Namun had given him a fatal wound, but in the end, Imhotep was a murderer. Not once, but twice over; Imhotep had murdered her, too.

No, Paige reminded herself, He murdered the previous owner of my soul. That's all. The emotions that flared up around Imhotep, that had a stronghold on her when talking about the past, all reminded her that Isis was a part of her. She had remember that Paige was who she was, and that Isis was a separate girl, someone she was connected to, someone she felt sorry for, but not someone she was herself.

"You know," started Paige, but her statement was interrupted by a yawn as she closed her eyes. "I could really go for a lemon right now. Nice and refreshing. Oh, and with salt. Salt is way better than sugar on a lemon." She knew her words were strange and out of the blue, but she was desperate to come up with some way to change the topic. She waited for Alex to say something smart in return, but when she looked over at him she realized that Alex had fallen asleep with the open flask in his hand. "Damn it, Alex," she half-laughed.

Imhotep leaned forward and took the flask from Alex, who only mumbled something in his sleep in response. Imhotep closed the flask and set it down on the ground. "If you are ready to sleep as well," he said, "You should feel free to. I will continue my watch."

Yawning again, Paige nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, okay. I'm really freaking tired, anyway," she said, and then rolled onto her side and folded her arms over her belly. She knew she ought to feel less comfortable going to sleep with Imhotep quite literally watching over her, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Maybe it was stupid, but she had decided that she trusted Imhotep, and in the dangerous desert, she knew she could depend on him to protect her while she slept. And while that was still a bit of a creepy thought, it didn't disturb her half as much as it once had.

It wasn't long at all before Paige was deeply asleep, as Imhotep continued to watch the horizon throughout the quiet night.

Artificial: When I wrote the first story I didn't realize that Nefertiti was supposed to have died the same night as Seti. Oops? I hope this fixes that plot hole for everyone well enough. If you're reading this, please leave a review! Feedback feeds the muse, and more importantly, helps me grow as a writer. Thank you!