A/N: Thanks for the reviews, and thanks to MicroGirl1225 for the chapter pre-read.
It's unbeta'd, so if you spot anything you feel needs correcting, drop me a PM.
Their final day in Egypt includes an optional trip to Abu Sim. Only Zondra and Carina go, so they spend some time together, while the others remain on board the cruise ship.
Chuck vs Egypt
Chapter 18
Zondra was feeling exhausted as she climbed the steps into the small bus they would be taking to Abu Simbel. She'd had so little sleep before having to get up.
She was surprised at how empty the bus was. Obviously there were others like Chuck, Sarah and Set that had chosen not to do this optional excursion. She couldn't imagine coming all this way and missing out on the amazing Abu Simbel.
She sat down in one of the empty seats. She closed her eyes to rest them before they set off.
She felt the seat beside her lower as someone sat down. She opened one eye and saw Carina grinning at her. "Late night with Seti-boy?" the redhead asked.
"Yeah," she answered immediately, not caring how that sounded. It was true, just not what her friend thought.
"So, an ache at your core and tired eyes," Carina continued.
Zondra knew she wouldn't stop, so said, "We just talked and drank in the bar."
Carina raised an eyebrow. "No, rumpy-pumpy?"
"No, Red."
"I'm disappointed in you," Carina said as she sat straight.
"We don't all screw our way through the night," Zondra muttered.
Carina chuckled. "Well, I didn't this time because I had to get up so early."
"Are none of your boys coming?" Zondra asked.
"I think I've tired them all out," Carina replied. She quickly looked up and down the bus. "So, no Blondie, Chuckles or Seth?"
"Nah. Just you and me this morning."
"And all those sexy gods at the temple," Carina said. "Shame they're not real."
Zondra had to hide her smile. There was one of the beings that the gods were based on with them on the tour, but she wasn't going to let Carina know.
She looked away. "Well, I plan to get some shut eye while we travel there. Maybe enjoy the scenery on the way back."
Surprisingly, Carina kept quiet and Zondra dozed off.
Sarah woke up again. Chuck was still storing softly beside her. She twisted onto her side to look at him. She remembered doing this before. Thousands of years ago! That thought almost made her chuckle, but she managed to keep it in.
Chuck was lying on his back with his mouth slightly open. It ought to look less attractive than it did.
How had she gotten so lucky?
Finding someone when on vacation was what happened in those Hallmark movies that she had watched when she was young, while her dad was out on one of his many cons. Apparently, it happened in real life, too.
Of course, what had happened to her after she kissed him for the first time, back in Luxor Temple, was not Hallmark material!
Their relationship would not have reached the point it had, if they hadn't had more time together. Or would it?
They wouldn't have had so much sex, that was for sure. However, she had felt stronger feelings for him than she had for other guys even then, as she pulled him aside to kiss him in that temple. Maybe they would be going back to Los Angeles as a couple anyway.
She had been in deep thought and missed the change in his breathing.
"Good morning, Beautiful."
Chuck now had his head turned toward her with a smile on his face.
She smiled back. "Good morning, Handsome."
He shifted and faced her. "Waking up and seeing your face is a joy."
"Corny," she replied, but she loved hearing him say that, so she added, "But I was just enjoying looking at you, too."
"I feel like I'm the luckiest man in the world," he said softly.
She grinned and joked, "Well, in Egypt."
"In Egypt in two time periods, but here, in the whole world. I love you, Sarah Lisa Walker, my beautiful girlfriend."
She leaned forward and gave him a quick, closed mouth kiss. "I love you too, Charles Irving Bartowski. I was just thinking what would've happened if we hadn't been pulled back in time." His raised brow showed that he wanted to hear her thoughts. "Whether we would've been going back to the States as boyfriend and girlfriend or not."
"I'd like to think so," he replied after a few moments. "We both wanted to get together before that, didn't we?"
"Noo!" she teased. "I grab people and kiss them in darkened places all the time. It didn't mean anything."
He leaned forward and pulled her to him. "Then, I guess I was just lucky to be standing beside you at the right time."
The kiss stayed closed-mouthed, because they hadn't brushed their teeth, but it was still wonderful. She loved his lips and hated that they had to part for air.
"I think your kisses would've swept me off of my feet even if we hadn't gone back for longer together," she softly said.
He grinned. "I've only received them on my forearm when practicing."
She laughed. "Well, that practice paid off. The best kisses I have ever had."
He stopped grinning and honestly replied, "They're the best I've ever had, too. Your lips are the best in the world."
"I love that you think that," she said, feeling the warmth in her chest. However, she couldn't resist the tease. "But how d'you know? Have you kissed all those other lips?"
He didn't even smile. "I never want to kiss any others. Yours are perfect. The only ones I ever want to kiss."
Oh, to hell with morning breath, she thought as she crashed her lips down onto his and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss.
Set was wondering whether he should knock on the door to the next cabin after he had his shower. Should they go down to breakfast together?
Then, he heard the bed next door bumping again and a woman's cries. Chuck and Sarah would not be going down for breakfast for a while.
He went into the bathroom. He'd shower and then go down on his own.
As the jets of water fell on him, he thought about what had happened the night before.
He'd had a long chat with Zondra. Talked about his time in the past. The time with Sobek and their friendship that had lasted for a long, long time. It had helped him finally say goodbye to his friend. He would still miss him, but making new friends here would help with that.
Friends like Chuck and Sarah, the kind couple who had helped him from the start. He didn't begrudge their passion. They were broken people who had found like souls in each other. They deserved each other. He was happy for them.
He also saw Zondra as a friend. She was even more like him than those two. Still broken and he could see she was also rather angry with it. That was what caused all his problems. She managed to contain it better than him, though. Maybe he could learn that from her.
He liked Zondra more than he should. Others would think that crazy, but he'd loved Nephthys, his wonderful wife, for nearly a thousand years. Humans would never comprehend that. Even though she'd left him, and then he'd completely left her, he still loved her and thought of her as his wife. Liking another woman felt like cheating on her, even though she must have been dead for hundreds of years.
He finished his shower and dried himself. He heard the shower come on in Chuck's cabin, but he knew both of them would need that before they were ready.
He dressed and headed down to the restaurant. When he got there, he saw two couples from the tour at one of the tables allocated to them. One of the women waved him over. "Seth, isn't it?" she asked.
"It is. Sorry I don't know your names," he replied.
"Well, we haven't spoken since you joined the tour," she said. "I'm Shirley, this is Paul, my husband." She pointed at the man sitting beside her.
"Hi, Seth," he said.
The other couple introduced themselves, Jan and Steve.
"Please join us when you have your breakfast," Shirley said.
"I will," he replied and headed to the buffet to collect what took his fancy.
As he sat beside them, the waiter arrived, offering coffee which Set accepted.
"So, you didn't go to Abu Simbel, then?" Paul commented.
Set thought that stating the obvious was pointless. "No," Set replied.
"Shirley and I have been there before and we didn't fancy the early start," Paul stated.
"I've not been there, but the start time put me off," Set replied.
"An even earlier start tomorrow," Jan said.
"Far too early," Steve added.
These people seemed pleasant. There was nothing in their heads that concerned Set.
"Where do you come from?" Paul asked.
"Los Angeles," Set replied.
"Ooh. Longer journey than us, then," Shirley commented. "We're all from England, so just the flight to Heathrow and then taxis to our homes."
Set nodded, not really knowing any of the geography concerned.
"Hopefully we'll all get some sleep on one of the legs of the journey home," Jan said. "You joined us late."
"I got here as soon as I could," Set replied.
"You're friends with Chuck, aren't you?" Shirley asked.
"I am," he replied. He decided to add more. "And now with his girlfriend and her friend."
Shirley smiled. "We watched that romance blossom. It was so sweet."
Set looked at her and saw that she meant it. "Chuck feels very lucky to have met her on this tour."
"They look so in love," Jan said with a dreamy smile.
Set just nodded and continued with his breakfast.
"Are you coming this afternoon?" Shirley asked.
"Probably not," he replied. He had had his fill of monuments and certainly wasn't interested in seeing the Aswan High Dam.
"The dam is supposed to be very impressive," Paul commented.
Set thought about the Nile being dammed. He had read why that had been done, but it still seemed like simple engineering compared to what the Ennead could do. "Doesn't interest me," he commented.
"Not into that sort of engineering?" Paul asked.
Set put down his spoon. "The engineering of the ancients, building all those monuments with the tooling they had available, was far more impressive." He thought that as well.
Paul nodded. "It was." Then he grinned. "Maybe the gods helped them."
Set could see he half believed that. "Maybe they did," he replied.
"Can we join you?" They all looked up at Sarah who stood by them, tray in hand.
"Sure," Shirley answered. "Sit by me."
Sarah put her tray down in the space next to her. "We're a bit late."
Set said nothing, knowing exactly why.
"Hi guys," Chuck said as he arrived and sat next to Sarah.
They all said hello.
"Not sleeping on that bus, then," Chuck asked. They all chuckled.
"I love that you Americans call coaches buses," Steve said, smiling.
"Another reminder of the different words used in the two countries sharing the same language," Chuck replied.
"Back to LA tomorrow then?" Shirley asked.
Chuck groaned. "Eventually. After three flights. I hate flying."
"But you'll have a beautiful blonde beside you on the return," Pat said.
Sarah smiled. "He will. I'll hold his hand all the way, poor dear."
Pat turned to Set. "I bet you thought you might sit beside him on the way back."
Set looked at her. "I'm not getting between those two."
Pat grinned. "Maybe sit with her friend Zondra then?"
"Maybe," he replied. He'd like that.
The conversation shifted to what they all thought of what they'd seen on the tour. Set zoned out, thinking about Zondra and sitting with her on the flights to Los Angeles.
Zondra slept for an hour-and-a-half before she awoke. By her reckoning, they must be about halfway to Abu Simbel.
Carina was fast asleep beside her with her head back against the seat.
Zondra's stomach reminded her that she'd not eaten yet, so she quietly opened the breakfast box on her lap. She quickly ate the yogurt she found there and what she discovered was Madeira cake before taking a drink of the boxed orange juice.
As she ate, she briefly wondered what the others were doing back in Aswan.
Chuck and Sarah had probably decided to stay in bed. Each day had been a relatively early start to get to the various attractions before they got too busy. Today, with none of that urgency, the couple would have slept longer. Mind you, they may have taken the opportunity to continue their physical relationship before returning to the States, but she didn't want to think about that.
She wondered how Set was getting on. Would he wake with a blinding headache from the hangover he must have? Did the Ennead even suffer from those? Would he still be full of sorrow over the loss of his friend… and his wife?
She still couldn't get her head around a relationship that lasted hundreds of years! Living that long was almost impossible to believe, but loving someone that long was totally unbelievable. Most of her relationships had lasted less than a month! Only her last, with Philip Lattimer, had lasted longer. She'd thought he was the one, so his cheating on her had hit hard. Others had done that, but she'd had lower expectations, so they hadn't been as painful.
She sometimes wondered if it was her bringing her work home with her, mentally rather than physically, that spoiled the relationships. Anger was corrosive. Obviously, Seth suffered from that too, but it took a long, long time before it drove a wedge between him and his wife.
Maybe she could learn how to control anger better from Set.
She looked at what was left in her box. She didn't want the bread, but the apple looked good. She wanted to eat that as well, but thought the crunching might wake Carina, so would hold that until they arrived at their destination.
She reclosed the box and looked out of the window at the passing landscape.
She saw sand. Lots and lots of sand. Looking to the other side of the bus, there was more sand. The road was very straight and obviously cut through the desert.
She decided that she probably hadn't missed anything by sleeping and probably wouldn't if she slept again until they reached their destination.
She rested her head back and closed her eyes and soon nodded off again.
Sarah spent time with Chuck sorting out his case. He still had a lot of clean clothes and, as she already knew, had brought far too many with him. She showed him how to fold his dirty clothes to minimize the space taken. He was embarrassed as she did that but she ignored it.
He kept out what he was going to wear for the journey home and she knew it would take very little time when they came to bed to pack what he was wearing today. He'd obviously need no clothes overnight.
She thought about that for a second or two. This was going to be their last night here in Egypt. The country where their lives had changed completely.
They would need to rise before 2:00am to complete their packing and put their cases out for collection at that time. Then, they'd collect some sort of breakfast sandwich box to eat on the coach ride to the airport before getting on that coach and starting their very long journey back to Los Angeles.
Getting up that early meant they'd have very little time to sleep unless they went to bed early… and slept.
The thought of not making love again in this bed, saddened her. She knew they'd get together as often as they could when back in LA, but that was a long way off. She chuckled softly to herself. A long distance and very long time.
She groaned at the thought of that journey. She was used to flying from her days in the CIA, but all the same, this was a lot. Their first flight would leave Aswan at 6:00am and they wouldn't arrive at LAX until 7:35pm the following day. The time zone changes played a part in that, but they would still be in the air for about eighteen hours and then there were the two stop-overs, waiting for their next flight.
She hoped that she could get some sleep during the flights, but that would mean less time awake with the man she loved. Gah!
Maybe they should miss the excursion this afternoon and just spend time in bed together.
Zondra slept all the way to Abu Simbel after eating her breakfast, only waking when Carina elbowed her arm. "We're there," the redhead said.
Zondra looked out of the window. Their bus was parked next to another small bus, so she couldn't see anything. Looking the other way, there was another bus that way, too.
She wasn't worried. There wouldn't be many people there. Their bus only had twelve of them on it and she could see the other buses were of similar numbers.
Their tour guide had not come with them, but Ahmed, the Egyptologist, had. That made sense because there was a much smaller number of them and he was the one with knowledge of the temple. He called to them to get off the bus into the parking lot.
Once out, Zondra could see Lake Nasser off to one side, but they headed in the opposite direction, toward some small buildings.
They walked past a food stand that smelled great, along with a sitting area and bathrooms. Then, ahead, was the Visitor Center and the ticket booth. Ahmed bought their tickets and handed them out. They went through the usual security screening and then followed the path to the temples.
As they walked down the hill, they saw the Great Temple first, coming from the left of it. They all stopped and stared. Most also gasped. "Oh god! It's amazing!" Zondra said.
"Isn't it?" Carina replied. "It was worth waking up in the middle of the night for this."
Zondra immediately grabbed her phone and took a photo. Even at this angle it looked stunning, but as they walked down the slope and faced it, the true enormity of the statues nearly overwhelmed her.
The four massive statues of Ramesses II seemed to stare down at them. Between the legs were smaller statues of his family.
Zondra remembered the "Death on the Nile" movie where the boat had moored up close by. She shivered as that memory continued to where two of the cast climbed up and peered down from beside the heads of the statues. She was not going to do that, even if it was allowed!
Their group, led by Ahmed, moved forward. The closer you got, the more impressive the statues were.
She didn't listen to what Ahmed was saying. She already knew the details.
Construction of the Aswan High Dam meant the rising water levels threatened to flood the temples of Abu Simbel, so in the 1960's, the entire complex had been dismantled, moved and completely reconstructed. It took five years. Hard to imagine that happening now. It still sat on the bank of Lake Nasser, but on higher ground. And it still looked as it had when built by Ramesses II over three thousand years ago.
She'd read that the Great Temple was dedicated to the gods Amon-Ra, Ra-Harakhti, and Ptah, plus Rameses II himself. The Small Temple, off to the right, was dedicated to Queen Nefertari, his favorite wife. Construction of the two temples took twenty years and was completed in 1244 BC.
They walked inside the Great Temple and in the first chamber saw eight statues of Osiris, supposedly with the facial features of Ramesses II, although Zondra had no idea if that was right.
After a talk and a number of photos, they walked through to the back of the temple and to the sanctuary, a small room containing the statues of deified Ramesses II, Ptah, Amon-Ra, and Ra-Harakhti. They obviously weren't as impressive as the massive statues outside.
They would be allowed to explore the other chambers later on their own, but first Ahmed led them back out of this temple to move to the next one.
The Small Temple was dedicated to the goddess Hathor, but was actually for Nefertari. Outside were more statues, smaller than those in front of the Great Temple, but still massive. These were of Hathor, but represented Nefertari. Each had the horns of a cow, a solar disc, and two plumes.
Ahmed led them inside where they found pillars with the heads of Hathor, but also hieroglyphics that told the story of the Rameses II and Nefertari.
Ahmed led them back out and told them they had an hour to explore on their own before they needed to return to the bus. He told them where to meet near the Small Temple to go together, as the return path was different. He also pointed to a small covered terrace near to where they were standing from which they could get the best photos of the two temples together.
Zondra and Carina headed straight to the terrace. Each took photos of the panoramic view and then an additional one capturing a portrait in front of it. They swapped phones for those. So, Zondra on her own phone and Carina on hers.
They spent the rest of the time in one or other of the temples.
Zondra enjoyed walking around with her friend. In the absence of men, Carina was actually fascinated in what she saw and a like-minded companion.
They rejoined the group and followed the path away. After ten minutes, they were back at the parking lot.
Of course, the souvenir shops were then explored, and the bathrooms used, before they set off on their return journey to Aswan.
Sarah and Chuck had spent some time discussing what to do that afternoon.
The engineer in Chuck did admire the work that'd been done to build the Aswan Dam, but he'd seen the Hoover Dam, so wasn't bothered about seeing another.
He was acutely aware of the horrendous journey they were about to undertake. Having Sarah beside him would make it better, but it would also remind him about them parting when back home.
He wasn't going to push her about moving in with him. She had her own demons to overcome before that could happen, and she had made him feel that it was only a matter of time, but they'd still have nights apart.
He'd come to relish just sleeping with her and knew he'd miss her terribly. He also loved their love life. Sex with Sarah was so fantastic. He'd obviously miss that. too. So, when she suggested they stay on board when the afternoon excursion started, and told him what they could be doing, it was a no-brainer.
They'd also get to eat at the buffet rather than be given a lunch box. That would mean they chose what to eat rather than the catering team choosing things that could be taken and eaten from the box.
Chuck knew that getting back to normal food, and making it himself was going to be a challenge. He enjoyed having it presented to him.
So, no hasty preparation to be ready to go out and, even better, Sarah would go with him up on the sundeck and sunbathe when they weren't actually naked in bed together.
After packing most of his clothes in his case, with the amazing help Sarah had given him, he put on some clothes and went in search of their tour guide to update him on their plans.
Zondra was frustrated when they finally arrived back at the boat. The return journey had been delayed by traffic as they reached Aswan, so it was nearly 12:45pm as the bus came to a halt.
They were due to leave for the afternoon's excursions by 1pm so there was a mad scramble for toilets and the collection of lunch boxes before that. Both Zondra and Carina had dozed on the way back, so felt that they could face going out again.
Zondra, like others, rushed to relieve herself. She'd foolishly not done so back at Abu Simbel.
Once she was back in the reception area, she spotted Sarah and was going to grab her, but then saw what she was wearing.
Sarah's legs were bare and Zondra guessed she had a bikini on under the t-shirt she was wearing. A t-shirt that clearly belonged to Chuck, being as baggy on her as it was. "You're not coming with us this afternoon." She didn't say it as a question, just a statement.
Sarah blushed slightly. "No. Chuck and I are staying here and will be relaxing on the sun deck."
"After some exercise in his cabin," Carina said as she stood behind Zondra.
Sarah blushed a deeper red, but didn't deny it.
"Some of the excursions will be good," Zondra said. "The Temple of Philae, for instance."
Carina chuckled. "I think Blondie and Chuckles have other exploration in mind."
Sarah's chest and neck color now matched that of her cheeks.
Zondra placed a hand on Sarah's arm. "You relax, Sarah. It'll be a long journey tomorrow."
Sarah nodded her thanks. "Chuck is booking our seats for the flights. I've given him our details."
"Don't book mine," Carina hastily said. "I'm sitting with Jake."
Sarah smiled at her. "No. Just his own, Seth's, Zee's and mine."
Zondra looked around. "Where is Seth?"
"He's in his cabin. He's not coming either."
Zondra got worried. "Is he alright?"
Sarah nodded. "He's just not feeling like the excursion." She smiled at her friend. "We'll keep an eye on him."
Carina snorted. "When you surface."
Sarah had obviously had enough of Carina's digs. "Oh, we'll not be swimming."
Ahmed then started to call for everyone to grab their lunchboxes and head out.
Zondra quickly said goodbye to her friend and did so.
It wasn't until nearly 4pm that Chuck and Sarah finally walked out onto the sundeck.
Chuck was still in a bit of a daze. His girlfriend was far more athletic than he was, and she'd really put him through his paces in their love making. It was a good job they were only going to be relaxing on sunbeds. He didn't think he had energy left for anything else.
He spotted Seth on one of the sunbeds and pointed him out to Sarah. "Let's talk to him as well as sunbathe," she said and headed in that direction.
Set looked up when the two of them walked up.
"Mind if we sit with you?" Sarah asked.
"Please," Set replied. "I always enjoy talking to the two of you." He chuckled. "Well, since we got here."
"How are you?" she asked.
"I can't say I'm happy, because that wouldn't be true, but, what's the phrase? Coming to terms with it."
She frowned. "And here's Chuck and I, together, probably making it worse."
"No, I am pleased you found each other. It does remind me of when I first met Nephthys. So in love with each other." He smiled at them both. "Although, I think we were quieter."
She looked shocked. "You can hear us?"
He smirked at her. "The walls are quite thin and you are vocal."
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!"
He waved it off. "I wouldn't want you to worry about me. I have ear plugs."
She looked at Chuck, who was bright red. "Not again until we're back in Los Angeles."
Set laughed. "How thick are the walls between apartments? Chuck got me the one next door to his."
Still focused on Chuck, Sarah said, "They better be good enough, otherwise I won't be staying at yours."
He grinned. "They'll be fine. I used to share an apartment with my sister and her then boyfriend. The internal walls weren't enough, but between apartments, it'll be good enough." She raised an eyebrow and he qualified. "Ellie's not quiet, either."
Set changed the subject. "I am not looking forward to the flights."
Sarah nodded. "I'm not going to lie. The seats aren't as comfortable as those on your flyers."
"We'll be sitting by you and you're sitting next to Zondra," Chuck said. "Talk to us if it gets to you."
"Thank you. I don't think I'll be panicking, just uncomfortable sitting for so long."
"Tell me about it," Chuck said. "I wish I'd upgraded to first-class."
"So expensive," Sarah said.
"Have you thought about what you're going to do, going forward?" Chuck asked.
Set shrugged. "I don't know. What I did in the past isn't relevant here."
"Your ability to read minds would be of use in criminal justice," Sarah said. "The only problem is lack of qualifications."
"I could manufacture those," Chuck quietly offered.
She turned to him. "You could, but people who had been to the institutions you specify would soon see that Set hadn't been there, and references wouldn't be possible."
"Maybe helping as a consultant?" Chuck suggested.
"Consultants still need qualifications and references," she pointed out. This didn't seem to be getting them anywhere. "Let me talk to my boss when we get back," Sarah said. "He might have some ideas."
"He can't know the truth," Chuck said. She gave him a flat look and he quickly said, "But of course you know that."
"I don't want to think about any of that today. Just relax prior to the long journey," Set said.
"Okay," both responded.
Chuck and Sarah took off their t-shirts and lay down to catch some rays.
The excursion was tiring after the early start in the morning. It seemed that even with the sleep Zondra had between Aswan and Abu Simbel, she still felt exhausted.
She'd been on her own throughout the afternoon and evening, apart from when they spent time at the dam. Carina had been with the three guys, but didn't get off the bus at the dam and came and sat with Zondra while they admired it on foot.
The rest of the time, Zondra just enjoyed the scenery, the boat ride to the Temple of Philae, and the temple itself.
She would've enjoyed it more if someone had been with her, but that wasn't to be.
While on the bus, she found herself thinking about Set. Was it crazy to like an alien that was so very old?
She wasn't thinking of a physical relationship, but maybe having a close male friend wouldn't be such a bad thing. But an ancient alien?
She also thought about his mind reading ability. Would he see things in her head that she wanted to keep hidden? Did it work like that?
She was sure that that ability would be useful in her job within the FBI, but how could she tap into that?
All in all, quite a puzzle.
They arrived back in Aswan, but the bus didn't take them directly to the boat. She didn't know how far away they were, but they had to leave the bus and clamber onto a Felucca which, very slowly, took them along the river to the cruise ship. As the sky darkened, the lights came on along the river and it was an attractive sight.
They arrived back after 9pm and headed straight to the restaurant to eat.
It didn't surprise Zondra that Chuck, Sarah and Set weren't there. They'd probably eaten earlier.
Once she'd finished eating, she had to go back to her cabin to pack her case. She decided to shower before finally lying down to sleep. There would be no time for that before leaving.
It would be a long journey home, but she was very glad that she'd come. Their tour of Egypt had been tiring, but she wouldn't have missed it for the world.
Chuck and Sarah lay in the bed in his cabin for the final time.
Chuck had come to Egypt to see all the amazing ancient sites, knowing it would be amazing. What he'd experienced had indeed been amazing, but so very different to anything he could have possibly imagined.
He'd been back in time, lived with the aliens that were known as the Egyptian gods, and… AND found the love of his life!
"Penny for your thoughts," Sarah said.
He looked at her. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was looking back at him. The look of love in her eyes just made her more beautiful.
He shared his thoughts and her smile lit up her face. "I was thinking the same."
She closed the distance between them and kissed him.
They needed their sleep and after the discussion with Set in the afternoon felt inhibited anyway, so no love making.
"Love you," he said after their lips parted.
"Love you, too," she replied. "Best try to get some sleep."
They both did drift off after a while, but knew his alarm would wake them for the early start.
A/N: My wife and I didn't go to Abu Simbel as the day was going to be too long the day before the crazy start to return home the next day. Next chapter will be that journey back to LA. Set's first flight in our time.
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