Sands of Time

Past and Present

Name was fast asleep and I worried what could possibly be happeningto her. She had whispered to me it. Her pet name for me, the love inher voice calling to me though the voice was different. Obviouslyremembering like this probably would make her tired, who knew howmuch she was going through. I know that when Nyx-who I will stillgive a secret smile remembering when I was a child and she told me tocall her grandma Nyx. After she had blessed Nerfert and us 'makingher a great-grandma', which she knew before either of us did, how sheknew was beyond us but we didn't question. She had been exhaustedafterwords but was so happy and grateful.

She had been able to focus on Nephthys face but it always gave her aheadache and a feeling of static if she focused on his mama too muchand would often be left shivering after being in close proximity toher for long times with no breaks.

Of course that had never stopped her, my Nerfert was a stubborn oneand she loved my mother. Both that she was the one who had one of thebiggest hands in making me who I was, she also enjoyed knowing mymother for who she was. Nerfert was always curious in her own way andcould listen to what my mother had to say for days on end if shecould stay that long. Stories of my youth, asking about far awaylife, the gods that she spoke to, and just wanting to know about her.

Nephthys never wanted to really admit she cared for someone. She ismy mother and had always been open to me but she had always tried tokeep her distance for others not recalling talking to them, oradmitting to how she cared for them even. My little sisters and evenparents couldn't see her, sometimes they would sense her and believedme as I excitedly talked to about her. It had made me feel special asa child, that she was a parent just for me in a way.

Why they could not, why some priests could sense her and some not,why my darling Nerfert could, I had no idea. I never asked despite mycuriosity. All I was is glad to have so many people I loved with me.

I loved my family, they always were and still are even if they arefar away from my reach. Still being the oldest I watched over them,and as I learned how to be pharaoh, being taught how muchresponsibility I would have. Forever the dutiful son, protectiveolder brother, student, peer and friend, and one day pharaoh. WithNephthys, with my mother-my mama-I was just Kohmus. I didn't have anyresponsibility to her but that of son, there was no one she wanted meto watch over, I was just Kohmus. I had to do nothing but play withher shadows and giggle with her. As I got older I spoke to her,though she was a goddess to me she was just mama, all she ever askedof me was to be nothing but exactly who I am.

I do not know how much of who I am was because of her, because of mymother-the queen-and father, how much by my sisters, my friends, howmuch was just what I was born with. But I had a good life, aphenomenal life, and now I would be with my Nerfert again. Name now,in a lot of ways I loved her as my wife in all but name, the motherof my children, my Iris Blossom, my Nerfert, but at the same time shewas Name. This new life that at the same time I am already in lovewith her and in other ways I was falling in love with Name. Being inlove with someone while falling in love with them all over again.

Setting her down in her bed I pulled the covers up on her. It wasthere that I froze, had this been Nerfert I would have thoughtnothing of climbing into bed and either lie on my side behind her andpull her back to my chest and mold the front of me to the back of me.Or I would lie on my back and pull her to me to lay her head on mychest like a pillow.

However though Name remembered our life and who she once was I didnot know if she would be okay with me doing this so instead I movedto the table and brought the chair back, setting it down beside her Isat down. With a smile I prepare for my silent vigil over myslumbering love.

Some time I must have fallen asleep. The next thing I knew wassomeone calling my name. "Kohmus." It awoke me as I started toblink the sleep away from my bright 'amber' eyes and began lookingup, seeing my Name sitting up, the blanket I had covered her withsitting on her lap. However her eyes...her beautiful (eye color)looking almost watery. Pain. Her eyes were looking with such pain.

"Oh Iris Blossom," I whispered to her and she almost melted atthe familiar nickname letting me know exactly what I had to do forher. What always calmed her and made her relax, she was in my armsand unlike before when she would recoil from me if I surprised her,she instead gripped me closer as if scared I would pull away.

I would never pull away if I had any other choice.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay, you are safe in my arms," Ipromised her, swearing her my protection.

"Oh Kohmus, oh the husband of my heart." She whispered, it wasnot exactly what she had once said. She was not speaking the ancientlanguage that we had spoken, even in Egypt that still endured but thelanguage was very different than what we once spoke. But it was thegeneral translation to (native language), and the fact that shecalled me it, in any language, warmed me. My love, my darling IrisBlossom, was in my arms again; Nerfert, Name, whatever name she wentby didn't change who she was. Not in any way that mattered.

But right now she was whimpering, she needed me.

"It's okay my darling," I promised her rubbing her back as shesobbed into my chest, all of the emotions, the pain, the love, thehappiness, the fear all hitting her right now. A lifetime of it. AndI could do nothing to help her, except be there for her, "myNerfert, my Name. It'll be okay, just relax, you'll be fine."

"I'm so sorryKohmus." She managed to get out when she had calmed and no longerwas crying.

"Sorry? Why are you sorry my darling?" I couldn't imagine a thingshe would have to apologize for.

"That I didn't remember, I didn'tknow."She managed to choke out, she was blaming herself.

"Iris Blossom, no, none of that," I demanded of her, wiping thetears from her glittering (dark/medium/light) eyes. "You didn'tknow, you couldn't be expected to. Everything's okay now." Ipromised her and then not even thinking of what I was about to do andpressed my lips to hers. It was more than I ever dared with Name, butshe did not recoil, didn't push me away, instead she pressed her lipstight against mine, claiming my lips as I claimed hers.

I was honestly worried considering how much of Reader-chan's pointof view for this chapter was so much flashbacks of what happenedseveral thousand years ago but I managed to make this a decent lengthcompared to how long my chapters normally are. I hope you enjoyed it!I think quality is more important than quantity anyway!