Carefully, Larry picked Ahkmenrah up and maneuvered him so his head fell against his shoulder. The child slept on. Looking down at the sarcophagus, he realized he was going to have a hard time getting the lid and the stone back in place one handed. Reluctantly he roused the child and set him on the floor.

"Just a minute, Ahkmenrah,' Larry felt weird. It was such a big name for such a small child. Ahkmenrah made a fussy noise and rubbed his eye sleepily, but allowed himself to be set down. Quickly Larry put the lid and stone cover back in place.

Ahkmenrah did not protest when Larry picked him up again, but slumped against his shoulder. He was asleep again before Larry made it out of the exhibit.

Larry took the child back to his office and settled him back on the couch, trying desperately to think. He couldn't leave Ahkmenrah here, couldn't take him with him...could he? He wished he had taken the time to figure out exactly how the tablet worked. Was it the sun that turned the exhibits to ash, or just going outside? Would it even work the same way with Ahkmenrah? Would he turn to ash or would he simply die? If he did die, would he come back the following night or stay dead? What if he just covered Ahkmenrah up with a blanket and smuggled him home? Would that even work?

Larry did not know, but he was sure it was not worth the risk.

First things first. If Ahkmenrah was going to be stuck as a child, he needed clothes. He couldn't go running around in nothing but a blanket. Larry looked down at Ahkmenrah and wondered if he could leave him here long enough to steal some clothes from the lost and found.

He was going to have to take that chance. Larry sneaked across the office and opened the door as quietly as possible. Leaving the room, he hoped he wasn't making a mistake and pulled the door closed behind him. He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding when it clicked shut.

He was pillaging the lost and found box when Rebecca found him.

"Larry?" He whirled around as if he had been caught breaking into a bank vault instead of stealing clothes. She looked at him, then at the box. "What are you doing?"

Larry licked his lips nervously, trying to come up with an answer. Finally he decided to just go with the truth.

"A piece of the tablet was out of place when I got in last night, so I fixed it." He told her, going back to trying to find another shoe. They weren't going to match no matter what he did. "I woke up and everything was alive and the way it was supposed to be, except Ahkmenrah. He's a kid now."

Rebecca stared at him.

"A little kid. Tiny. And he doesn't speak English. And he didn't turn back into whatever he turns into when the sun rises. He's still a little kid, and he's asleep in my office." Looking at the clothes he had managed to grab, he added, "And he's naked."

Rebecca was still staring. Larry huffed. "Just-come on. I'll show you."

Rebecca stared at the sleeping Egyptian child curled up on the couch. "You weren't kidding," she finally managed.

"No." Larry agreed, moving forward to slip a t-shirt over Ahkmenrah's head. The boy didn't so much as stir.

"He's really a kid."

Larry shook his head. Pants, socks (that also didn't match), and shoes. "I don't know what to do." He admitted.

Rebecca frowned. "I could look at the tablet." She offered. "I'm not an expert, but..."

Larry looked at the now dressed child. "Can't hurt." he grunted. Half expecting Ahkmenrah to protest at the constant manhandling, he picked him up again.

"This should be reversed." Rebecca said, flipping the piece around. Larry's breath caught as she did so, but whatever he expected, nothing happened. Ahkmenrah was still asleep on his chest. She frowned. "Maybe it has to wait for nightfall."

It made sense. Larry sighed. "What am I supposed to do with him in the meantime? I can't risk taking him out of the museum. What happens if he wakes up? What do I do then?"

Rebecca looked at him helplessly. "I don't know," she admitted, "none of our training covered anything like this."

Larry frowned at the child still slumbering away in his arm and tried to calm down. It wasn't like he had never taken care of a child before. And it wasn't like Ahkmenrah had presented much of a challenge so far in spite of the language difference. He could manage for a day, couldn't he?

And if things weren't put right when the sun set this evening?

Larry decided he would have plenty of time to panic about that later.

He took Ahkmenrah back to his office and settled him back down on the pullout bed. Remembering Nicky's toddler days, he lay down beside him. Ahkmenrah was going to wake up at some point, and when he did, Larry was going to need to be awake and alert.

Larry woke up disoriented, and with the feeling he was being watched. The previous night (and morning) coming back to him, he looked over to find himself being watched by a pair of large, dark eyes. Blinking stupidly at the child in front of him, Larry tried to think of something to say.

Ahkmenrah giggled.

Larry smiled at the sound. Pure. Free. Happy. Free from all the pain and sorrow the Ahkmenrah Larry knew had gone through. Ahkmenrah touched a hand to Larry's face and smiled back.

(Hungry) Larry knew this one, and again found himself wondering exactly how much this child could eat, and as a result how much the adult Ahkmenrah had been ignoring his body's needs.

"Cafeteria it is." Larry sat up and swung his feet off the bed. "Come on, then."

Ahkmenrah followed him willingly out of the office and down the hall, though he quickly became distracted by the first exhibit they came across. Pointing, he began chattering excitedly at Larry in what must have been his native tongue.

That answered the question of what to do with the rest of the day. Larry could just take him around the museum after he ate. Easy enough, he supposed.

(Hungry?) He tried reminding the child. Ahkmenrah spared him a tolerant glance and came back to stand beside him.

They reached the cafeteria eventually. It took much longer than Larry would have expected because Ahkmenrah kept getting distracted in spite of himself. Unfortunately, he also grew fussier as they went along, dragging his feet as they left each exhibit even though he kept insisting he was hungry. By the time they reached the cafeteria, Larry was braced for a meltdown.

He loaded a tray desperately, hoping that Ahkmenrah was not as picky as Nicky had been at that age. Just in case, he tried to make sure there was a variety to choose from in the hopes that the boy would eat something.

Settling Ahkmenrah at the table, he set the tray before him. The boy squinted at the tray, and Larry just knew there was going to be a meltdown of epic proportions-but instead Ahkmenrah simply picked up a nugget and nibbled daintily, his eyes widening in delight before he devoured the rest of it.

He made short work of the chicken nuggets, then repeated his tasting ritual with a french fry before discovering that he liked those too. The fries were quickly followed by a roll-Larry had tried to avoid anything Ahkmenrah could not simply eat with his fingers. It wasn't the healthiest meal ever, but if this was only for one day, he would be fine.

Larry hoped he was not going to have to make other accommodations.

Ahkmenrah discovered the chocolate milk next. Larry had to open it for him, but the look on the boy's face when he tasted it was priceless. Smiling from ear to ear, Ahkmenrah babbled excitedly up at Larry, no longer seeming to care whether he understood or not.

Finished eating, Ahkmenrah pointed back toward the exhibits, and Larry obliged, thinking to himself that surviving the day might be easier than he thought.

Sunlight came in through the window, falling on Ahkmenrah, and Larry flinched. The child never noticed, but continued staring at the dinosaur exhibit. Maybe he's safe as long as he's inside the museum? Larry followed him as he circled around the dinosaur, chattering excitedly.

Abruptly the child stopped moving, and his shoulders drooped. Turning, his eyes scanned the crowd as he searched for Larry. Finding the security guard, he came to stand in front of him, a question in those large, dark eyes.

(Mother?) Larry knelt down to be closer to the boy's level. It was not the first time he had made the request.

"I'm sorry, buddy. I still don't know what you want." He murmured softly, and the meaning seemed to get across to the child, somehow, because Ahkmenrah bit his lip and looked around as if trying to find the answer.

His eyes lit up, and he surged forward, pointing. Larry looked, and his heart sank. Ahkmenrah was pointing at a woman.

The woman had a small child balanced on her hip.

Larry looked back at the boy who was now staring up at him, the same question burning in his eyes. "You want your mom," He sighed heavily.

Tears filled those impossibly wide eyes, and Ahkmenrah sniffled. Shoulders tight and blinking furiously, he looked down at the ground as if he thought that by looking away he could keep the security guard from seeing him cry. Larry watched that tiny body begin to shake with suppressed sobs and did not know what else to do.

He scooped the child up and pulled him into a hug. The boy froze, then struggled for all of two seconds before giving in and shoving his face into Larry's chest and losing all control. Ahkmenrah sobbed silently as Larry stood and readjusted his weight.

He made his way back to his office and settled back on the pull-out bed, past experience telling him that Ahkmenrah would most likely cry himself to sleep.

Disclaimer: Obviously nothing in the Night at the Museum universe belongs to me.