Momochan77: Thank you for your comment friend, it warmed my heart. Now to explain this very early update, Normally I give up fanfiction for Lent every year and it arrives early this time round. However, since this story is so close to being done I wanted to try and sneak in extra updates to finish it up instead of keeping you waiting for six weeks or so. Not much goes on here, mainly filler stuff, but there is a cliffhanger that I think makes up for it (and because of my ambitious schedule that cliffhanger should not leave you hanging for long) ;) I hope you enjoy! See you (very) soon.

Chapter 19

The first thing that welcomed them to the Egyptian wing was the stature of Rameses the Great. Beside him on the wall was painted "Egypt – Age of the Pharaohs" above a map of the Nile.

"Perhaps I should accompany you in." Lancelot offered.

"No, I think we got it from here."

"Right, well, friends, Larry, clown faced keeper of the magic tablet. I shall never forget your bravery. Nor your jests."

"Bye." Larry nodded politely and began to walk away.

"I shall not say 'good-bye' -"

"I am." Larry interrupted, at the end of his rope.

"What?"

"I'm gonna say goodbye, I have to go, I'm sorry. I'll see ya." he waved and headed on his way. The others followed, though Anna felt odd doing so with the now strange energy in the room. Nicky thanked the knight again as he brought up the back of their group and caught up to them.

Like the other rooms there were many display cases holding priceless artefacts. But at the end was a room designed much like Ahkmenrah's back in New York. However, Ahk's was made to look dark and underground while this room was bright with lights and glimmering gold meant to show the wealth of the Pharoah.

"I haven't seen these walls for many a moon." Ahkmenrah said with a smile at the familiar. The two sarcophagus in the center were open and empty and at hearing his voice a woman appeared from behind one of the pillars in the back.

"Ahkmen?" she asked and they all stopped.

"Mother."

She raced forward holding up the skirt of her long ivory dress. The shoulders were covered in gold and a golden headdress covered her head and most of her dark shoulder length hair. She sobbed happily as she embraced her son. From behind her a man appeared covered in blue and gold and carrying a staff. He too wore a headdress though his was most certainly a crown. Ahkmenrah wore a very geometric headpiece, and Kahmunrah had worn one in more of a thin dome shape. Their father's was a combination of the two, a blue dome sprouting from a golden band.

"Father."

"Welcome home, my son." He greeted hugging his boy.

When the family had reunited Ahkmenrah turned.

"I want you to meet my friends." Shyly they all stepped forward as the Egyptians introduced themselves.

"I am Merenkahre, Pharaoh of the Nile and Father to the Son of the Sun."

"And I am Shepseheret, the glittering Jewel of the nine kingdoms." She said with her head high. Larry nodded politely before he spoke.

"And I am Larry –"

"Guardian of Brooklyn." Ahkmenrah finished his title.

"Yes. Well I live in Manhattan now."

"It doesn't sound as cool." Ahkmenrah whispered.

"We would be very honored if you could take a look at the tablet. There's something happening with it. We don't understand what it is."

Merenkahre's face didn't shift, "You are speaking with a Pharaoh. Kiss my staff."

Larry blew it a kiss, when that didn't seem enough he kissed his hand then tapped the staff. But Merenkahre still didn't seem pleased. "Is it okay if I don't?"

"You will show respect. I am the descendant of Ra the sun god."

"I understand that and I totally respect you. I just don't pray to Ra, so –"

"The Egyptian Gods are the only true Gods."

"Well, we try to stay a little more openminded. Sacagawea she honors her spiritual ancestors. And you pray to some sort of goat god Attila? Billy grew up with an Irish Catholic mother. I'm half Irish half Jewish –"

That made Merenkahre light up with excitement "You are? I love Jews! We owned forty thousand of them."

"Such lovely people." Shepseheret added just as tickled as her husband. Ahkmenrah on the other hand looked like an embarrassed teenager.

"Here we go." He rolled his eyes.

"They were very happy, always singing with the candles."

Larry reluctantly burst their bubble. "They really weren't happy."

"Really?" Shepseheret questioned with a tilt of her head.

"No, they left. They spent forty years in the desert trying to escape."

"Oh."

"Yeah we have dinner once a year and talk about it, it's a big deal for us. –"

"And Sukkot." Anna added, remembering celebrating the holiday with Nicky on the balcony of their apartment growing up.

"Listen could you take a look at the tablet? There's something wrong with it."

Ahkmenrah passed his father the tablet trading off with his staff. The Pharoah turned it over, turned a few pieces and examined it.

"It's losing its power."

"Do you think you could fix it?" Merenkahre looked up to Larry pausing before he gave a response.

"To do that I would have to divulge the secret of the tablet."

"I promise we won't tell anybody."

"No."

"I'll kiss your staff." Larry offered begrudgingly.

"Too late."

Ahkmenrah faced his father shocked that he wouldn't help. "Father, why do you insist on keeping this to yourself?"

"The secret was to be passed down to you at the proper time."

"It has been four thousand years. Now seems like a good time."

The Pharoah raised his hand and caressed his son's face. His eyes became far away like he was seeing his son through his memories. "You were born at midnight. I was Pharoah and I had seen wonders most men only dream of. But when I first gazed upon you, you were instantly more precious to me than all the wonders of the ancient world."

"Ouch, that had to hurt Kahmunrah." Anna muttered quietly to herself.

"I knew I could never bear to say goodbye, I commanded the High Priest to create a gift to you, my son, using all we had learned of the mysteries of the afterlife. Forged in the temple of Khonsu, god of the moon, and watcher over nighttime travelers, The Tablet of Ahkmenrah. Our tomb was designed to channel Khonsu's rays down to the tablet. Rejuvenating it's powers every night. The moon god bestowed his power upon the tablet, so that as long as it bathed in his light, our family could be together forever and not even death could part us."

The Pharaoh looked down at the corroding tablet in his hands, "It's been away from Khonsu's light too long –"

The tablet glowed green again as the corrosion spread, everyone blinked a few times, shaken Billy rubbed his chest but didn't fall. Ahkmenrah gasped and his face began to decay slightly.

"My son! What's happening to you?" Shepseheret asked rushing to him and cupping his face. The Pharoah rushed to Larry and passed him the tablet, his mind immediately changed at seeing what was becoming of his beloved child.

"It needs moonlight. Otherwise we shall all be dead by sunrise. Hurry!" he pointed to the bust of Rameses and Larry and Nick both took off. Anna looked from him to Billy before deciding Billy needed her more. He swayed a bit on his feet and the others weren't doing so well either.

"If the tablet dies, nothing can bring it back!"

"Sit." Anna urged Billy, propping him up against one of the golden inscribed walls. Billy rested his head back and took deep breaths. Teddy began jibbering again but it was softer and more muttered under his breath. Sacagawea had gone still again and Attila shivered a little like a scared lamb. Merenkahre and Shepseheret were tending to their son, the father holding him up right while his mother, still cupping his face, fought back tears as she asked him if it hurt.

"Talk to me." she implored Billy trying to do anything to take his mind off the pain, "Tell me about your life before. Anything."

He huffed a deep breath clearly in pain as it got worse, "I don't want to die again."

"Something positive." she amended her request.

Billy shook his head still looking weak, "I don't want to die without my pardon. I was promised a pardon. I got cheated." Anna held back a ragged breath as her eyes started to sting, "I held up my end. I earned that pardon. . . Why'd he cheat me?"

It made Anna's heart feel like it was being pulled in two, like a rubber band, stretching painfully until it would snap.

"You'll get your pardon." she promised him, holding his free hand, the one that wasn't gripping his chest and using her other to rest on his shoulder. "You've seen how excited the people get when they come and learn about you. One day enough people will open their eyes, see the right and the wrong and fight to change it. You will get that pardon."

He looked like he didn't believe her and still he had a small smile turning up the corner of his mouth. "The mad dog, evil outlaw kept up his end but the heroic war hero governor didn't."

"I know. It's all backwards. But you'll get your pardon. Even if I have to move to New Mexico and run for governor myself."

That got a laugh out of him and brought some spark back to his cornflower eyes. "Now that's a campaign I'd like to see." She chuckled with him and it seemed the pain was starting to fade.

Anna was so preoccupied with the group she didn't notice the exchange going on at the statue. Lancelot had Nicky hostage with a dagger to his throat and his back pressed against the knight's armor.

"What are you doing?" Larry asked stunned.

"The tablet. Now." Lancelot demanded before he snatched it and tossed Nicky aside.

"Wait, listen to me that thing is dying." Larry begged, "If it doesn't get moonlight, everything ends, like, for real."

But his words fell on deaf ears, "King Arthur spent years searching for the Holy Grail, to think it was a tablet all along."

"Would you just give it to me? You don't know what you're doing!"

"My quest is complete, I ride for Camelot tonight."

"All right just keep it okay? But just put it in the moonlight and turn that center piece!" Larry tried to compromise.

Anna turned as she heard Larry shout and the others began to regain their senses. Together they all ran to help Larry but Lancelot was already taking off.

"Sorry, not my first quest." Then he spun his dagger and took off.

"We can't let him leave the building!" Larry shouted as he raced after the knight. They all followed, even Ahkmenrah's parents. Teddy raced down one hall, Larry took another. Sacagawea and Attila stuck together as they branched down another corridor while Anna and Billy turned at a sign marked 'Middle Ages' and continued in that direction.

"Whoa! Easy there partner! Slow it down!" she heard Jed's voice from up ahead. "I don't know who you are but I'm pretty dang sure that tablet don't belong to you. Now wait a second come back here! This ain't over!"

She turned and saw Dexter at the end of the hall and two small figures at his feet.

"You'll rue the day you mocked us with your huge sword and hypnotic blue eyes!" Octavius shouted with his sword raised. Jed turned to him confused. "What? His eyes are very blue."

"Guys!"

"Anna! Kid!" Jed shouted as she crouched down and picked them up. Billy held out his hand and Dexter jumped up and quickly climbed onto his shoulder.

"Which way did he go?" Anna asked.

"That way!" Jed pointed.

"After the fiend!" Octavius pointed his sword forward.

They followed Octavius' direction and checked a few more rooms until they came to one filled with black and white sketches and saw Lancelot somersault out of one. He had his broadsword drawn and sliced at them making Anna and Billy jump back out of the way. He ran between them and down the hall.

"We just came from there, it wraps around this way!"

"I'll go, you stay on his heels, we'll box him in!" She nodded and they split up. Anna turned the next corner and continued down the hall, catching just the glint of Lancelot's armor as he stayed one bend ahead of her. She sped up and turned at the end of the hall only for Lancelot to be waiting. He smashed a nearby display case with his sword, causing shards of glass to rain over her. Instinctively she raised her hands to shield her face as she backpedaled. But in doing so Jed and Octavius went flying.

Lancelot took the distraction to his advantage and continued running. Anna shook her head and didn't dare open her eyes until she was sure all the glass was off her skin and hair. Then she had the task of retrieving the miniatures from the sea of glass and knocked over display pieces on the ground. Octavius had landed far up and was clinging to a sprinkler head, while on the ground Jedidiah was trapped under a large woven tapestry.

Meanwhile, Lancelot raced down halls with the tablet in hand searching for a way out. He needed a horse and he needed to get back to Camelot. A whinny reached his ears and with a wide grin he turned the next corner knowing his steed was waiting.

But when he turned the bend he skidded to a halt. That poorly dressed stable boy was perched atop his horse, the rope he'd been carrying all night looped over the saddle horn, one foot in the stirrup the other leg bent over the horn. It was that leg he rested his elbow on aiming his weapon at Lancelot. Behind him the monkey Dangly Bells had been searching for sat on the back of the saddle.

"Hola amigo." Billy said sarcastically, "¿Llendo a algún lugar?" (going somewhere?)

The knight raised his blade, "That horse does not belong to you boy."

Billy laughed, "Wouldn't be the first time I stole a horse. You could say I'm an expert at it."

Then he leapt down from the animal and kept his gun aimed at the blonde. "If I remember right, it was quest first, duel later."

Lancelot grinned, "Happy to oblige."