Title: Even Angels Fall

Disclaimer: I do not own The Mummy, Nef, Immy, Anck, or Seti. This is just for fun!!

Chapter One: Imhotep to the rescue

Never before has the air seemed so thick with fear, Imhotep thought to himself as he hurried into the palace. The Pharaoh had sent for him most urgently but had not revealed what the matter was that was so distressing. His legs carried him into the throne room, he immediately bowed as was custom. Seti leaped off the golden chair and down the steps of the dais, motioning for the Med-jai to close the heavy doors behind them on their way out.

When they were finally alone, Seti bade Imhotep to stand.

"Imhotep, great disaster has fallen upon this house. My daughter is gone, and no one knows where she is." The old man's voice was weak with worry, his brow uncharacteristically bent in exasperation.

Imhotep himself was now concerned. There was no question which princess it was, only the Princess Nefertiri was so beloved by the Pharaoh. Her absence was baffling, the High Priest was compelled to ask questions first before proceeding further.

"How long has Her Highness been gone?"

Seti raised his hand to his forehead, covering his eyes with fatigue.

"She did not appear at dinner, so I must assume she was gone before then."

Imhotep felt an inward lurch of dismay. It was now past midnight and with such an enormous time frame, the princess could be anywhere for all they knew. Seti seemed to be thinking the same thoughts as he, neither man looked pleased at the prospect of turning over every rock in Egypt to find her.

"Where are her ladies-in-waiting? Maybe one of them knows something about the princess' whereabouts." Imhotep suggested carefully. Seti's eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. The younger man knew he should tread carefully where Nefertiri was concerned.

"I shall summon them at once." With that, the Pharaoh commanded his two Med-jai to bring him all of his daughter's servants at once. They left the room with quickened steps. As Imhotep watched their retreating backs, an idea occurred to him.

"Your Majesty, I shall consult Osiris on this troubling matter."

Seti nodded silently while Imhotep bowed once again. He too left the throne room, his mind racing with all the possibilities of what might come to pass.

"I humbly beg Your Majesty's forgiveness," Ashayt, Head lady in waiting, lay prostrate on the floor before the Pharaoh. Her shoulders shook, but the words of confession came tumbling unstoppably out of her mouth.

"There was a great ruckus outside her balcony, we all saw it down in the distance there was something going on in the market… The princess convinced us into helping her-"

"Silence!" Seti roared formidably, "You say my daughter is alone in the city?!"

This seemed to make the poor lady tremble even more violently. "Yes, Your Majesty. But she is in disguise, no one knows who she is. Even the Med-jai did not recognize her when she left the palace."

"Why in the god's name did she do this?" cried the Pharaoh, his arms thrown up angrily.

No one dared answer when he was in such a ferocious mood. Luckily, Imhotep returned precisely at that moment and the Pharaoh's attention was diverted.

"Your Majesty, I believe I know where Princess Nefertiri is."

The night was dark and cool, almost welcoming compared to the uncomfortable atmosphere of the throne room back in the palace. Imhotep had made it rather quickly to the city, taking a chariot with two strong stallions. He had insisted on going alone since there was no need for him to be accompanied. Though he did not say it, the Pharaoh had more or less implied that he did not want a spectacle to be made of his daughter's disobedience and apparent wanderlust.

Imhotep understood, so here he was, searching for the missing princess in the middle of Thebes. The open air market was nearly empty, all of the booths closed save for one or two merchants who were enjoying the cool evening. There were camels here and there, but that was not the only source of noise.

Osiris had given him a vision back at the temple, he was fortunate enough for that. Frustration was beginning to build in him when he remembered there was a well nearby where the princess was located.

Imhotep's ears picked up a great commotion, coming from behind a few of the closed tents. There were several men dressed in plain linen, whom he supposed were traders who traveled to Thebes via caravan. He remained ensconced in the shadows, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

"Oh, the little lady knows how to put up quite a fight!" One boisterous voice proclaimed in delight. There was a scuffle and a scream that sliced through him. He believed it to be Nefertiri. Imhotep studied the area and wondered which way would be the best approach. He was beginning to regret not bringing any Med-jai with him.

"Hold her down, boys…" The same voice growled unpleasantly.

"No! Please, please! I am the Princess Nefertiri, I am the Pharaoh's daughter! Let me go!" He watched, half petrified with fear for her life, and he knew if he did not intervene soon, these men would rape her.

"A princess, eh? Where are your bodyguards, then?" Another cruel voice jeered, followed by a round of hearty laughter.

"Believe me, Your Highness," One of the men said mockingly, "By the time we're done with you, you'll be begging us to keep going!"

Imhotep was thoroughly enraged.

"I believe you have spoken too soon," He said firmly as he revealed himself to Nefertiri's attackers. They stopped short and momentarily forgot about their prey, who was sobbing quietly on the ground behind them. They were surprised by Imhotep's presence, caught off guard at the possibility of truth behind the girl's words.

"I am Imhotep, High Priest of Osiris. I have been sent by His Majesty Seti I to search for his daughter Nefertiri. I see you have saved me that trouble." He drawled in his most threatening tone. These illiterate idiots looked more and more scared with every step he took toward them.

"Oh really? How do we know you're telling the truth?" The pudgiest one dared to ask.

A menacing grin flitted across his face as he placed the palms of his hands together and raised them to the sky.

"Osiris, I summon you! Smite these insolent rats where they stand, they offend the daughter of a god, they offend you! Mighty and great god, I ask that you sweep upon the Earth and rid these men from your presence-" Imhotep was really getting into his act when a very strong wind picked up and rushed past the bewildered attackers.

"Oh it's true, it's true! He's the high priest! He'll kill us! Osiris have mercy on us!" They were sent into a flurry of panic, they all dashed away and mounted their horses, galloping away and not sparing a single glance back.

He smirked in satisfaction, silently thanking whatever deity sent that wind right on cue. He rushed to fallen Nefertiri and immediately helped her up.

He noticed that she was dressed in a plain garment with no jewels, and that her hair was loose. She looked nothing like a stunning girl she usually was, no wonder she was able to slip away unnoticed.

"Hello." She said simply.

He couldn't help chuckling affectionately at her greeting. The familiarity between them was something they had never lost throughout the years.

"We must return to the palace immediately, princess. Pharaoh is quite worried about you."

Realization sunk in, he could see the physical transformation in her face. She looked sullen and disappointed.

"He knows?"

Imhotep nodded gravely, "Your maid Ashayt confessed where you had gone, and good thing too, or I may not have reached you in time to prevent this."

"Stupid cow. And I could have handled myself just fine, thanks." She grumbled.

He laughed again as he helped her stand. It was a lucky thing that he kept an arm around her waist to steady her, for as soon as she stood, her knees buckled.

"I do not feel well, Imhotep…" Was the last thing she murmured before she passed out , sagging against his body. It did not look like anything was amiss before, besides her being quite shaken, but she seemed strong.

He scooped her up into his strong arms and carried her back to the chariot, fear renewed in his gut. His horses thundered back from whence he came, he trusted them to bring him back since he was occupied carrying the princess. He did not want to go to the palace just yet, he knew she would not want to face her father like this.

First, he brought her to his private chambers within the temple and placed the sleeping princess down on his bed. Imhotep looked her over once more, noting the way her brows were knitted together as if she were smelling something unpleasant. He hurried to the palace and into the throne room where Seti waited impatiently.

"Your Majesty, I have retrieved your daughter. She is safe, but as I attempted to bring her back, she experienced some sort of pain that was enough to cause her to fall unconscious. "

Alarm spread across the old man's face.

"I request that you examine her, Imhotep. You are my most trusted physician."

As predicted Imhotep was charged with caring for the princess. He bowed and retreated, his mind already pondering the girl's condition.

When Imhotep returned to the temple of Osiris, he decided he would try to understand what it was that ailed Nefertiri. He entered his chambers quietly, not wanting to disturb the princess in case she was still asleep.

"Where have you been?"

He was startled when her voice rang out in the darkness. Imhotep could vaguely make out her silhouette in his bed. He approached slowly, not wanting to stumble and embarrass himself in front of her.

"Speaking with your father."

"And what did you tell him?"

"That you are now my responsibility for the time being."

She slid off the bed and took a few steps toward him. His eyes were guarded and wary, her mysterious behavior was quite suspicious. Her hands rose and came to rest on his forearms, but she did not come any closer.

"Those men forced me to drink something," Dread began to fill him at the sound of genuine fear in her voice, "I mean, I went to their booth and asked if they had anything to drink and they presented me with some kind of potion. Then they grabbed me and it all went wrong from there…"

"Princess, do you know what it was?" He knew exactly what those street merchants sold, highly potent and effective drugs that were capable of terrible things, he could only guess which one she took. Oh why did she have to be so foolish?

"The man told me that it was harmless, just a game really… I did not know they would do such a despicable thing."

"You drank all of it?"

"Yes. I was so thirsty, you see."

"How do you feel?"

The princess bit her lip. If she told the truth, he would be disgusted with her.

"I don't know," She lied flatly.

They were silent for a moment and then she moved back to lie on the bed again. Reluctantly, Imhotep sat beside her and took her wrist in his hand. She looked at him, something akin to terror in her expression, but he did not see for he was busy checking her pulse.

"You are frightened." He said quietly. Her pulse was racing, but she was fighting to keep calm.

"Of course I am frightened. I cannot remember the name of the potion, but I'm sure I heard them talking about it at one point during the night."

"Perhaps it was a forgetfulness potion?" He joked.

Nefertiri glared at him and he grew serious once more.

"Then I will ask you again, Princess, how do you feel? And I expect honesty this time."

She drew in a shuddering breath but said nothing. He could feel himself losing patience. If there was nothing wrong with her, then she was wasting his time when he could be getting a good night's sleep. As if she sensed his growing displeasure, she spoke, but her words were extremely quiet.

"I feel desire."

His eyes widened in dawning comprehension. "A lust potion then."

If it wasn't so dark, Imhotep might have seen her blush.

"I… I suppose. But it is…it-"

"Yes, princess?"

"It is growing in intensity, Imhotep. It is making me dizzy with want."

He knew this must be painfully embarrassing for her to admit. After all, she was only a young woman who had not lived enough to know these wanton feelings. He wondered what kind of a mess he had gotten himself into.

"You should sleep." said Imhotep dismissively. He clearly did not want to be here when she was in such a state. She would have let him go, only if the mere thought of his departure did not rattle her to the bone. She grabbed hold his of his hand.

"Please stay with me. I feel better when you touch me."

Quickly, the High Priest weighed his options in his mind. He could vacate the premises and leave the princess in suffering, or he could stay, and alleviate her discomfort by simply holding her hand. He decided the latter was not too dangerous, so he lowered himself back onto the bed again and Nefertiri leaned into the cushions with relief.

"Thank you, Imhotep." She meant every syllable, already her head was not spinning so hard.

"Your welcome princess. Now please, try to sleep."

It took only a couple of moments for her to drift off. Imhotep did not even realize he had been stroking the back of her hand, but it must have been soothing to her, so he carried on even when she slept.

He took this opportunity to study her fully, to discover all of the little changes that had developed when he had not been paying attention. Nefertiri was always a slender, flower-like child, he remembered the giggling, silly girl that always jumped into his arms at every chance she got. In her adolescence, her body had matured nicely into that of a beautiful woman's.

Still, her face retained some of that child-like innocence, and he could see the child she had been . But she is no child, he thought contradictorily. She would be married soon, most likely. When Imhotep considered how fast time elapsed, he suddenly felt very old.

Shaking his head at himself in wry amusement, he thought once more of the situation at hand. She had admitted to taking a lust potion, though he knew not which variation she consumed. Street merchants could alter their products to whatever intensity they wished, so the effects were impossible to tell until time had run its course.

Nefertiri was a relatively sheltered girl as far as he knew, so it would have been only too easy to dazzle such a girl into taking samples of goods such as amazing concoctions. All could be forgiven as soon as she was on her feet and back to her old self again.

Hours passed slowly. Imhotep's eyes began to droop, he could hardly sleep in a sitting position. He figured that she was sound asleep, and it was his bed after all so there would be no harm in sleeping beside her. The bed was wide enough for them to have ample space between their bodies. He shrugged off his black robe and settled his head on a pillow.

Imhotep's eyes flew open when he felt a pair of soft lips trailing over his abdomen. He shot up faster than lightning and yanked Nefertiri off of him. He tried not to pay attention to the hurt look in her eyes, or that his own body had responded to her seduction.

"What are you doing?"

She said nothing. Tears sprang to her eyes as she recoiled from him, she raised her knuckles to her mouth and bit on them to stifle her cry of outrage.

"Nefertiri, you must not give in to the potion's calling. The only way to be rid of its grasp is to wait until it has run its course." He kept his tone gentle as he recovered from his initial shock.

She removed her knuckles from her mouth, tears spilling onto her cheeks.

"It hurts, Imhotep. Everything in my body is screaming at me to touch you."

Well, damn, he thought simply. How was one supposed to get past this?

"Maybe…Maybe if I held your hand again." He did so and lightly massaged her fingers, soothing the angry red marks her teeth had left in her skin.

"It isn't enough anymore." Nefertiri groaned unwillingly. She was doing everything she could to compartmentalize the burning agony that tore through her, but she was failing and there seemed to be no end in sight.

Throwing caution to the wind, Imhotep took her face in his hands and caressed her cheeks, hoping it did some good. She closed her eyes, sighing a bit, but then she leaned forward and kissed him without any warning. He stiffened, his mind warning him of proceeding in this manner, but if this was what she wanted then who was he to keep on refusing her?

Her tongue had gently entered his mouth, rubbing against his own, she was experimenting with what she liked. Her hands, the little devils, were wandering up and down his chest, barely missing his nipples. Her legs were planted on either side of his hips, he was ashamed to feel his growing arousal pressed into her thigh.

She pulled back, sweat gathering on her forehead.

"If you touch me, I am sure that it will make things more bearable for the both of us."

He nodded dazedly and carefully placed his hands on the tops of her fair, slim thighs. The skirt of her dress had ridden up quite high, baring her lovely legs to him… Wait, he thought, Lovely? This girl is just a child! Self disgust had made him frown, how could he even consider deflowering the Pharaoh's daughter? He suddenly remembered Anck-su-Namun and their turbulent relationship, it was already hanging by a thread as it was.

"No, Nefertiri I cannot do this." He tried to push her off but she clung to him tightly.

"I need this, Imhotep. Or are you too repulsed by me to even consider doing me a favor?"

He was suddenly irritated. "Do not make this about your vanity. It is your fault you ingested that vile potion to begin with."

He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. She rolled off of him, stung by his rebuke, and she straightened out her dress with shaking hands.

"Good night, Imhotep."

She stole away from him hastily, but he could still make out the sound of her sobs from the corridor. Unfortunately, she did not make it past there, her head throbbed and her body simply could not move. Nefertiri collapsed onto the floor, convulsing uncontrollably. Imhotep ran to her and tried to steady her but the more he tried to calm her down, the more she flailed about.

Her eyes were glazed with pain, they seemed to cry out to him. This was the strongest lust potion he ever saw, the dosage of aphrodisiac was clearly very high if she was reacting so violently to his denial. He took the only course of action that was plausible, he bent down and kissed her.

After a few seconds, the convulsions slowed and eventually stopped. He could feel the change in her, she was no longer out of control. Her arms snaked around his waist tightly, pressing him down into her body. She was not a bad kisser, but she had a lot to learn.

With a strength that belied his unease, he lifted both of them off the floor and helped her back into the bedroom. He kicked the door shut and watched as she fell back onto the bed, relief that he had given in displayed on her features. He hoped the Pharaoh and Anck-su-Namun would forgive him for what he was about to do.

Imhotep moved to the bed and climbed into it, positioning himself over her on his hands and knees.

"I am sorry, Imhotep. I know about you and Anck-su-Namun." She whispered sadly.

He felt a jolt when he saw understanding and sorrow in her blue eyes. He did not want to think about Anck right now, not when he was about to betray her. So he ran his thumb over her cheek, wiping a tear away.

"It's alright, Your Highness. Everything will be alright."

She wanted desperately to believe him as he moved down her body, licking, caressing, easing her unnaturally enhanced appetite. As she screamed his name in ecstasy, she almost did.

TBC…

A/N: Please review!