Summary: It took Larry just under a week to adapt to being the night guard at the Natural History Museum. How long did it take Ahkmenrah to adjust to being free? Plus drabbles and random bits of all of our favorite characters.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, zilch, nada...

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Chapter One

Panic

Xxx Two weeks after NatM

With winter beginning to wane off it meant the nights got a little shorter, meaning Larry had about ten minutes between sunrise and the end of his shift to check the museum over to ensure it was clean and ready to go. This morning was no different as he took a shortcut through the Egyptian exhibit, checking everything over and relocking the glass case that held a set of swords he'd honestly never seen the pharaoh use. Ahkmenrah must have removed them to clean them as they now gleamed even in the dim light.

Exhaustion from a busy night of entertaining Rexy after Jed and Octavius broke the car, and then splitting up a fight between the Huns and the Confederate soldiers had Larry dragging his feet as he went through the motions of readying the museum for visiting hours.

Time to head home and get some sleep.

Xxx

His consciousness went from utterly nothing to all at once wide awake as the radiating warmth of the tablet woke up the museum for another night. His lungs gasped in air as he rubbed at his eyes, yawning a little as life refilled his limbs again.

The instant reaction after waking was to sit up…and smack his head on the lid…

Careful of the limited room he had, he reached up the shove the lid of the sarcophagus open, hands finding the well-worn spots to push against.

It didn't move.

He frowned in the pitch black of the sarcophagus' interior, pushing again and feeling the familiar half an inch shift of the lid as it went from resting on its edge to bumping the pins in the locks on the exterior.

The sarcophagus was locked tight. He froze, breaths coming faster now as he tried to figure out what had happened. The night guard always kept it unlocked, just had the stone slab slid over top so the lid could still swing open freely and then he'd move the slab to get out. He wasn't supposed to be locked up…

Unless…

No…no! Not by Ra or Isis or any other god could he have done something wrong…he'd been extra careful on the nights he actually left the exhibit room and when he interacted with the other exhibits, doing anything and everything to keep from being locked up. He'd been working hard to gain their trust, so many had been taught to fear him that the thought of possibly offending or misconstruing their views made him worry about being locked away again.

Taking a moment to try and focus his thoughts, he shifted how his hands were placed on the lid, taking slow breaths as he pushed again and prayed to Ra for the best…

Yet no amount of shoving was going to open that lid, the locks had held against his banging every night for over four thousand years, he wasn't getting out.

…No…

Maybe it was a mistake?

His throat tightened as he tried to call for help, unable to get more than a croak out as he started to get nervous.

He tapped the lid, hoping the noise would catch someone's attention. When that didn't work he hit it with his palms.

Panic started to take over as the minutes dragged out like hours, and his semblance of composure was crumbling. His fists began to beat against the led, the banging echoing loudly out in the exhibit, the only noise he could hear. The beating was almost deafening inside the sarcophagus, drowning out any rational thoughts while it became harder to breathe.

The pounding in his head grew louder as his actions grew in intensity, hammering as hard as he could on the lid.

He screamed…

Xxx

Larry crept quietly down a hallway, peering around a corner as Teddy paused behind him, both barely breathing as to not make any noise.

Nicky had had the great idea to play hide and seek since the soccer ball had been squished by the mammoth and neither Daley had picked up a new one. And currently Sacajawea teamed up with the only tigress the museum had were the pair dubbed as "it", a deadly combination for those trying to hide.

With a smirk the night guard began to head down the other hallway, going to the Hall of Miniatures and checking in for points.

Until he was knocked down by a rather large cat.

Luna churred softly as she nuzzled Larry's cheek, huffing and licking his uniform as he scratched her neck the way she liked it. The tigress was honestly the only big cat tame enough in the museum to be around.

Teddy was no different, Sacajawea had her arms wrapped around him and was smirking victoriously.

"And now team trackers 3, team president zip…I give up."

Sacajawea merely smiled, leaning against the president as the tiger huffed, giving Larry's shirt one last lick before padding off to find Attila or Nicky next.

"Come now Lawrence, you did rather well; I believe we managed to evade capture by a good ten minutes."

The pure optimism in Teddy's voice made Larry smile as the former president helped him up. He brushed his uniform down, head turning in reflex as some bird let out a call, the noise echoing in the museum.

"Thanks Teddy, still doesn't give me a lot of confidence in ever hoping to beat Sacajawea here."

He earned himself a shrug in response, the president offering his arm to his lady to walk with her to the next target.

Larry glanced around, peeking a head into the terra cotta exhibit to ensure the tapping he was now hearing wasn't the soldiers trying to "modify" their armor again and end cracking off pieces that the night guard would then have to super glue back on.

In fact the tapping wasn't coming from anywhere near him. With a sigh Larry back tracked through the halls, trying to follow the oddly bouncing echoes. As he apparently drew closer the tapping noise grew in volume to actually be banging, but from where?

Nearby chattering made him turn, Dexter was motioning for him to follow and in seeing how quickly the capuchin was moving, Larry didn't argue. The primate led the guard straight to the source of the banging, and Larry froze, dropping his flashlight as he stood outside the Egyptian exhibit.

The sarcophagus was locked…he must have slid the pins shut out of habit during his morning rounds.

"Dexter! Get Teddy! Go on, bring Teddy here now!"

Luckily the capuchin seemed nervous enough with all the racket to actually listen, taking off down the hallway again in search of the president.

Larry grabbed his flashlight as he sprinted inside, barely ducking the massive spears in time as the jackals lunged to protect their king. The stone slab slid the ground with a huge thud, but even that didn't stop the banging as Larry fumbled to pull the lock pins, trying to get them loose with how much the lid was jumping around.

He couldn't just yell for the banging to stop, it was almost impossible to hear in that thing. The pins finally came loose and Larry quickly shoved the lid open, narrowly missing one flailing fist while the other connected his jaw and he stumbled backwards.

A flash of gold made him look up as the pharaoh stumbled out, falling to the ground before scrambling away from the night guard in a panic, stopping only when his back hit the wall as he curled in on himself.

Larry moved slowly, careful not to startle the jackals who were watching him intently, and to avoid making the pharaoh doing anything rash.

He was shaking…

Damn! He knew he should have checked the locks before sundown.

The night guard moved to crouch in front of the pharaoh, slowly reaching a hand out to rest on a jeweled covered shoulder. The reaction was immediate, a hand suddenly grabbed his arm in death grip, the shaking only intensifying when Ahkmenrah finally looked up and met his gaze.

Larry would never forget the look on his face, a rapidly darkening bruise on his forehead, slight cut on his nose, tears running down his cheeks, and breaths coming too hard and fast to be safe…the night guard would be kicking himself for days for causing this.

"Ahkmenrah…I-"

"Please! Please don't lock me up again! I beg you don't!" His voice was hoarse from screaming, only adding to the desperation in his pleading. The pharaoh was bodily shaking, knees tight to his chest as he wrapped his arms around his legs and curled in on himself, sobbing outright at the thought of being locked in once more.

An arm wrapped around his shoulders, rubbing his back as he cried, unable to stop the fear taking over.

While not in his job description, Larry would never trade this in, sighing softly as he wrapped his arms around the young pharaoh, holding him against his chest like he did when Nicky was just as distraught.

A set of running footsteps made Ahkmenrah flinch, huddling against Larry as he kept shaking, softly begging not to be locked up over and over.

Theodore Roosevelt rushed in, stopping himself from saying anything once he took in the scene. Instead he settled for looking around, picking up a dropped lock pin and wincing at the damage, cracked and splintering. The president sighed softly as he sat down across from Larry, leaning against the sarcophagus as his mind reeled, ever since the first night his wax had warmed and he'd begun to life the "night life", the pharaoh had been locked up, never to be let out according to the night guard back then.

What a horrible mistake…that decision made without ever confirming the guesses that the Egyptian was evil and needed to be contained…had turned into something much worse…

The sobbing eventually died down to exhausted sniffling, the pharaoh gripping Larry's shirt tightly as the night guard rubbed his back, not letting go even when he tried to pull away.

Ahkmenrah flinched again, this time trying to wriggled free.

"Easy! Hey…easy Ahkmenrah, it's ok…it's ok…"

After what seemed like an age where the pharaoh was still tense and resisting, he finally relaxed, or at least gave up as he slumped against the night guard, too exhausted to fight anymore. Larry gently eased the gold crown off his head, setting it carefully on the floor next to him so Ahkmenrah's head fit on his shoulder better.

"Listen Ahkmenrah…I'm so sorry…I must have slipped the pins in by accident this morning when I cleaned up, should just get rid of the stupid things…"

A soft sniff followed by a slight cough, "Y-you're n-not…"

"No!"

That didn't help, Ahkmenrah flinched at the loud noise, starting to shake again.

Larry mentally kicked himself again as he wrapped his arms around the pharaoh tighter, rocking slightly to soothe away the tears he just knew would come.

Softer this time, he spoke again, "No…not now or ever again Ahkmenrah, I will never lock you in again I promise you that. It was a horrible mistake I made and I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am.

Ahkmenrah grunted softly, nodding against the night guard's chest as he used a hand to rub at his face, sniffing slightly.

"If you don't mind my intrusion pharaoh…"

They both looked up as Teddy stood, placing the lock pins on the ground in from of him before slamming the heel of his boot down on the cracked pieces, shattering them completely in useless shards.

"There now…can't happen again now can it?"

Ahkmenrah managed another nod, accepting the offered hand hesitantly as he stood up, still looking pretty shaken as he mumbled something in Egyptian to get the two jackals to back off.

Teddy gently placed a hand on the pharaoh's shoulder, making him meet his gaze before speaking, "I know smashing the pins won't make up for the decades I stood idle and left them in the locks myself, I can only beg for your understanding, it was unforgiveable…"

"I…do understand…somewhat…but I do forgive you, all of you who saw the locks shut and didn't open them, a warning to stay away isn't something easily ignored."

The president smiled warmly, "And that my dear pharaoh, is why you are even here at this museum, your kind heart is why you are one of the great kings and are worth remembering."

The pharaoh looked away, whether in embarrassment or something else, neither man knew. Teddy patted his shoulder before departing, intending to ward off anyone else who'd come to check on the banging noise.

Larry gave Ahkmenrah a small smile, hoping it was taken as warm and accepting, "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up a bit."

Xxx

The men's bathroom on the second floor was where they headed instead of the staff bathroom next to the security office. Ahkmenrah had started shaking again at the mention of the smaller room.

Having dealt with people who were upset before, Larry merely snatched a handful of paper towels from the dispenser, folding them up and getting them damp with warm water before handing them to the pharaoh. He washed his hands while the Egyptian washed his face, both of them ignoring the slightly sniffling that broke the silence.

The night guard only stepped in to clean the cut on the pharaoh's nose, wincing in sympathy when Ahkmenrah hissed softly in pain.

"Should put a layer of foam or something on the lid to keep this from happening again."

That earned a small smile and a half-hearted chuckle as the pharaoh turned to set his crown back on his head, careful of the front edge when it rested on the bruise marring the bronze skin.

"I'd rather not add anything to the sarcophagus lid, it's cramped enough as it is in there."

Larry smirked as he tossed the paper towels away, following the pharaoh back out in the halls as they began to just walk around. "Ok then…no foam. But seriously Ahkmenrah, I am truly sorry about tonight, I in no means intended to have you locked in like that."

"It…*sigh* it's alright…accidents happen."

And that's why Cecil had off handedly mentioned that Larry being a father would aid him in this job, he could tell when someone was lying to him.

He grabbed the pharaoh's arm to make him stop, turning to face him. "No, it's not alright, you have every right to be mad at me, heck you have the right to be mad about being locked up period as soon as others knew the tablet brought everythin to life at night."

"And what good would being angry do me? It doesn't change the past Larry." The pharaoh's tone was nothing like Larry was used to, sharp and frustrated.

"No it doesn't, but it might just help how you act around others, I'm the night watchmen Ahkmenrah, I'm not blind. You walk on glass around everyone else, and that's when you're actually out of your exhibit and around others. Nicky had to just about drag you out for the party two weeks ago. I know this is bothering you otherwise you'd relax more. You act as if one wrong move will send you back in your tomb again-"

"Because it's happened before!"

The outright roar from a now rather pissed Egyptian echoed off the walls, the pharaoh stared down the night guard angrily.

"When I was in London at Cambridge, after several months of nightly freedom, I started asking what the outside world was like, just curious as to how things had changed. The man didn't even wait until sunrise, forcing me back in the sarcophagus and locking it shut. I was stuck inside it for years…"

The desperation in his voice only made what happened next all that more shocking, Larry had expected Ahkmenrah to keep yelling as a way to vent his anger.

Not turn around and all out slam a fist into the brick wall.

Ahkmenrah jumped back, cursing in Egyptian as he hissed, clutching the wrist of his injured hand to his chest.

"Not quite what I meant when I said get mad, but whatever works, lemme see."

Larry gently turned the hand over, lightly brushing a fingertip against each finger and knuckle, ignoring Ahkmenrah when he grimaced and moaned softly.

"I don't think anything's broken, but I'm not a doctor, let's get you some ice and someone to take a look at that."

"The tablet heals us during the day. There is no need-"

"Yes there is, even if it doesn't seem that way."

Ahkmenrah didn't argue, following Larry to sit at the main desk as the night guard pulled an ice pack out of the mini fridge the tour guides had under the counter. The sharp groan he let out when the cold pack was applied only proved Larry's point that Ahkmenrah might have done some serious damage. Lucky for them, Teddy was passing through and more than happy to examine the bruising hand.

"Not too serious, deep bruising that's for sure, I wouldn't use it at all for the rest of the night, and even tomorrow be careful, no one's ever really tested just how far the tablet extends when it comes to healing."

The pharaoh nodded in thanks, shifting in the chair to almost be half sprawled on the desk next to him. Larry found him almost asleep like that twenty minutes later after he'd made a circuit of the museum.

"C'mon, the couch in the security office isn't half bad to sleep on."

"But…"

"Ahkmenrah-"

"Ahk. My…family shortened my name when just talking."

"Ahk it is then, there's still several hours until sunrise and you're falling asleep sitting there, move back to somewhere quieter. I'll come get you well before dawn."

With a sigh, Ahkmenrah stood, tugging at a stubborn fold in his cloak before doing as told. A good thing to, Rexy was now running through the lobby like nothing else, definitely too loud to try and sleep.

Nicky was already in the office when Ahk arrived, sound asleep on one side of the pull out couch's bed. The pharaoh almost turned around and left, but Nicky stirred enough to see him and must have seen how tired he was, tugging the blankets over as a gesture to just go ahead.

Ahkmenrah didn't remember falling asleep after he'd laid down, only pulling one blanket over himself as Nicky returned to dream land. He vaguely remembered Larry coming to get him back to his exhibit, being groggy and ready for daylight to return him to a mummy hid the fact that Larry had shut the sarcophagus once he was in comfortably.

The next night would be one of many that he would remember, as he went from the pharaoh of the tablet, to Ahk, their new friend.