I don't own Night at the Museum.

Italics are past events, and regular and present events.

Enjoy!

"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself," he said as he held out his hand towards the red haired woman before him. "Larry. Larry Daley."

A smile formed upon the young woman's lips as she took a gentle hold of his hand and gave it a shake. "Tess. Tess Williams."

One Year Later

It was amazing how quickly time flew by and the outcomes that came along with it, whether they were positive or negative. For Larry Daley, he felt that he had found the luck that he had been searching for. A year ago he had met a great woman in the American Museum of Natural History and when he had escorted her to the Hall of Miniatures, he had asked her if she wanted to go out for a cup of coffee with him. Before, Larry didn't know if he would even have the courage to ask a woman that, not after the failed marriage that he had with Erica and not even furthering his relationship with Rebecca. Larry didn't know whether it was the night that he spent in the Smithsonian or that he had met Amelia Earhart where he found his, as she had said it, his 'moxie.'

Larry never told Tess this, but she truly resembled Amelia Earhart it a way. It was one of the many reasons as to why he found an attraction to her in the first place and he felt ashamed of it at first. How would a woman feel if she was told that 'I liked you because you resembled someone that I know?' It was just...weird, but ever since that night, Larry had never forgotten about Amelia. His only hope was that he wouldn't call Tess 'Amelia' when they were together, and so far, he hadn't made that mistake. Though he knew that he was guilty of giving Tess various facts about her and what he had researched. What he had found out, her many accomplishments, how she was as a person, it was enough for Larry to conclude that she was one of a kind, and she had helped him find his way during that night when they met.

When Larry had spoken to Tess about Amelia, she had nodded her head and smiled and he could tell by they same brightness in her eyes, that she was interested in what he had to say.

"I can't believe I said that she flew across the Pacific," Tess had laughed when she remembered the first conversation that she had with Larry during her first night in the museum. "I may not know much about 20th century figures, but I do enjoy 20th century literature. Like the Great Gatsby for example."

Larry's eyebrows show up when she said those two simple words. Great. Gatsby. He watched as Tess fished out the book from her purse and held it in front of his. "F. Scott Fitzgerald is amazing."

"Hmm," Larry hummed out as he took the book in his hand and looked at it. "Is it bad that I haven't read it?"

A gasp escaped Tess's lips as she clutched onto her mug of coffee and looked at Larry in shock. "Then that will be your homework until we have another date," Tess said to him with a slight smile upon her lips. "I want you to read that book front and back and we will have a discussion about the characters, symbolism, and the message that the book is trying to convey...and don't you dare watch the movie."

Larry looked from the book and over at Tess. She had a knack of humor, especially when it came to things that Larry had not watched nor read. "Or what?" Larry smirked. "You're gonna give me an F?"

"No mister, you're going to fail the class," Tess giggled as she hid her smile behind her mug of coffee before taking a sip. "I recommend it. You're not going to be left disappointed after reading it."

Larry flipped the pages of the book, all two hundred eighteen of them. "Why not?" he said as he leaned back in his chair, "I can do a little light reading when the museum is not too busy."

Tess raised a brow at his words. "Not too busy?" she asked him, "I don't think it's that difficult to guard wax figures Larry."

Larry had almost chocked on his coffee when she said that. Even after that event was held in the museum, she did not believe the magic that the Ancient Tablet had. "You don't think-you're not-really?" he stuttered around his words.

"I don't think what?" Tess asked him with a quizzical look upon her eyes.

It took all of Larry's urge not to blurt out that what she had seen in the museum was in fact real but at the same time, he didn't want to make himself look like a total nutcase. As he was going to speak, she beat him to it. "You think that all those things that we saw there were actually alive?"

There was that little giggle again.

"I appreciate how engaging the museum was for all and the people that you got who researched their history and dressed up like them, it was definitely a fun night. I mean, I had a lot of fun," she smiled, "and I met a wonderful guy."

Larry couldn't help but smile at that last bit. He felt that this was going to need a lot of work for to believe into the magic of the tablet, but he was going to do slowly. The last time he had said about the tablet's magic, it had almost ruined his working relationship with Rebecca. "And I met a wonderful girl," Larry said as he bought his hand forward and placed it on top of Tess's. "And if you want another night like that, I can make that happen."

Tess lowered her eyes to the table and smiled. "I will try to make some time, but those essays are not going to grade themselves."

A sudden ring from his cellphone interrupted Larry from his past rendezvous with Tess. "Hello?" Larry said into the cell phone.

"Mr. Daley," a prim British voice said to the other line, "we require some assistance in the museum."

Larry checked his watched and saw that he had only three hours to head for his night shift, but there was no way that he was going to contradict Dr. McPhee. "I'll be right down, is everything okay?"

Please don't let it be the fire extinguisher he desperately begged, due to the events from last night when the cavemen had decided to play with it once more.

"Nothing of the sort," Dr. McPhee said, "we do need some help moving exhibitions."

"Moving?" Larry frowned at the word, "you mean in different places?"

"What sort of game is this? Twenty questions?" Dr. McPhee impatiently asked him, "no! The Smithsonian as requested some of our exhibitions for a couple of nights."

"Wait, what?" Larry asked before McPhee's groan made it's way through the line. "The Smithsonian again?"

"I signed a contract with the Smithsonian where we would feature some of their exhibitions to our museum and ours to theirs. It means more business for us and them," McPhee said, "now if you would please be so kind, we need you here to help get everything in order and to do your shift."

Larry took a deep breath through his nose. After his encounter with some exhibitions at the Smithsonian, he only hoped that it wouldn't be a deja vu, but the evilest of them all had been defeated and into the Underworld. What could go wrong?

"I'm on my way."

With that, he snapped his cell phone shut and headed over to the museum.