The night sky is covered with flickering stars.

The warm, desert air slowly turns into a gentle, cool breeze as the temperature of the coast goes down.

A little girl sits patiently on the floor, her elbows resting on the brown coffee table with a half played through chess board in front of her.

She sighs and decides to get up.

She leaves the living room and enters the study.

She opens the door and sees her parents trying to piece something together.

Perhaps its a new mystery they've taken on.

Perhaps they have a new theory on a historical inaccuracy.

" Umm? (Mom?)"

Nothing.

" Baba? (Dad?)"

Nothing.

" Mama," She says, the volume of her voice increasing.

Without turning their heads, both of her parents speak, almost in sync.

" Not now, Cleopatra!"

Her eyes flicker away, the voices of her parents ringing through her ears as she tries to flush it out.

Cleo's body and mind agree on one thing. Neither want her to get out of bed. They speak to her, inviting her to stay in its warm embrace, but in spite of it, she gets up.

She drags her body into the kitchen. She gives Ana a few pets and sets down some food for her. She makes herself a cup of coffee in the large copper pot on the stove. She goes into the living room, wanting to just sit in her chair and gaze out the window, but a phone call draws her attention elsewhere. She enters the bedroom and grabs her phone, seeing that she's receiving a call from the museum.

" Hello?"

" Miss Hassan?"

" Yes."

" I'm from museum security. It appears that you left something in your office."

Cleo pauses, her mind rakes over every possibility, but she's certain she didn't leave anything behind.

" What is it?"

" An amulet, ma'am."

An amulet.

It all clicks inside her mind as a gush of oxygen enters her lungs.

" I'll come by to pick it up."

As she hangs up the phone, she can't help but chuckle, for she's convinced her little game payed off.

Cleo gets ready fairly quickly and rushes over to the museum. She enters the large building, noticing that once again, the security guard is watching otter videos on his phone. She approaches him a with a smile, but something in the corner of her eye draws her away. She sees a man carrying a rather large box in his hands, clearly struggling to get it up onto the counter. She senses that it's going to fall, so she rushes over to his side before it can and sets it onto the counter for him.

" Oh my-- I am so sorry, miss," The man stumbles for words," I-I mean, uh... thanks. Thank you."

" It's not trouble," Cleo responds with a smile.

Steven looks up at the person who probably just saved his ass from Donna, and his eyes go wide. Never did he expect a beautiful woman to save him from such embarrassment. Never did he think that anyone would save him. His eyes stay on hers, perhaps remaining silent for a little too long. Cleo feels her cheeks burn up from the prolonged eye contact, and once her head drops to look at the ground, he catches himself and clears his throat.

" Sorry, sorry... I don't know what's wrong with me today," He stutters.

" No, no... it's okay," Cleo says as she brings her eyes up to meet his once more, " Did you need any help?"

" Me?" Steven asks as he points a finger to his chest.

Cleo nods.

" Oh! Um... I, uh..." He finds himself unable to gather his racing thoughts, " I-I think I've got a handle on it. Can't exactly have you doing my job for me," his eyes widen as the words leave his mouth, " N-Not that I don't want your help, I mean... bloody hell I could use some... it's just my boss..."

" Isn't exactly the nicest person?" She suggests after seeing him struggle to find the right words.

" Y-Yeah," Steven says, smiling at the fact that somebody is able to understand.

" I understand," Cleo says, once more reaffirming his belief," But, you know, if you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask..." her eyes flicker down to his name tag, and then back up to his, " Steven."

Steven. Hearing his own name brings him such an odd sense of happiness. Almost as if that simple act shows that he's not truly invisible.

Cleo offers him one last smile before she departs to the back of the museum, leaving Steven with dazed eyes and a never fleeting smile.

Cleo enters her office, finding it unsettling. She's spent so much time in these small four walls, and it's not a guarantee that she'll be granted to come back. Her eyes glance down at the desk and find the amulet security had called her about. Her fingers gently trace over the pure gold, the coolness of the metal springing upon her fingertips.

What was once lost to her, now here, just within her grasp.

Her fingers begin to curl around the edges of the amulet until it rests within the palm of her hand.

She feels a chill run up through her fingers all the way down to her spine. It makes her head twitch as she looks down at the gold she holds.

" Cleopatra."

The whisper makes her jump, causing her to drop the amulet back down onto the desk with a loud thud. Her eyes go wide as her heart rate picks up.

Cleo takes a minute before she's able to close her eyes and let out a sigh as the familiar feeling returns to her body. She grabs a piece of paper from the desk and uses it as a glove to grab the amulet so it does not touch her skin. She shoves the gold into her back pocket and turns around to exit the office. She makes her way out into the museum, but finds it strange to see that there's nobody around. As her pace slows, the lights overhead switch off, leaving a dark and empty feeling in her bones. And as she passes the gift shop, she sees a friendly face taking off his name tag.

" Steven," Cleo says as she walks over to him.

Slightly startled, Steven looks up at her with eyes widen like a deer in the headlights, but his demenour soon softens once he sees who it is.

" Oh," He sighs with a smile," Hello," and a wave, " What are you doing here so late?"

" I..." Cleo starts, " I, um... was packing up my office."

" Aw, that's a shame. I'm sorry," Steven says with a frown, " I heard about the contract... N-Not that I was eavesdropping or anything, I would never do that, it's just---"

" It's alright, Steven," She says, not wanting him to overthink his words, " I, um... well, I should probably be heading home now."

" All by yourself?" He asks, stepping forward as she steps towards the door.

And she nods.

" I'll be alright."

" Well I can't take that chance... can I?" Steven asks, his heart nearly bursting out of his chest as he prepares his next words, " I-I could walk you home... i-if you like?"

The kind gesture from the kind stranger sends a smile to her lips.

" I would like that."

Steven can't help but smile as well. They make their way out of the museum together and begin to walk down the darkened streets of London. He would never admit it, but walking the streets by himself scares Steven shitless.

For the first few minutes, the silence is evident and invasive, that is until one breaks the silence.

" How long have you been working at the gift shop?" Cleo asks, her voice gentle and ever so soothing.

" Me?" Steven asks, " Oh, bugger... for ages, I suppose."

" I would imagine a promotion would be given," She says.

" Yeah, well, you met Donna. It would be easier for Thoth to stop writing than for her to give me a promotion," Steven says, truly hoping she'll understand his analogy.

" Or Ptah to stop thinking?" Cleo suggests, her words making Steven grin.

" You're a fan of Egyptology?" He asks, then realizes his blunder, "Oh, bloody hell, course you are. You worked at the museum."

" I am," She says, reaffirming his words, " I guess I have Indiana Jones to thank for that," his lets out a chuckle, " I was a fan of the films growing up... and I guess I took it a bit to literal."

" There's no shame in that," Steven says, " I-I mean, it led you to to incredible things... yeah?"

" Yeah," Cleo repeats, " You're certainly not wrong."

As they continue to walk, Steven pays no minds to his surroundings. He's too enchanted by their conversation. He doesn't even realize they're standing in front of their own building until she speaks up.

" Well... this is me," Cleo says as she stands in front of the door with a buzzer.

Steven finally takes in his surroundings. All too familiar. He looks at the building they're standing in front of and almost cannot believe his eyes.

" Here? You live here?" He asks as he points to the building, and she nods, " This is, uh... I-I mean it's an awfully big coincidence because... well... I-I live here too."

Even through the stutters, the message is loud and clear. Cleo tilts her head as a gentle smile paints itself on her lips.

" Well, how bout that."

Cleo uses her key to unlock the door, and only upon passes through the threshold does Steven see the buzzer that dawns her name. They walk into the elevator and stand side by side. Steven presses the button for the 5th floor, and they both wait patiently for the lift to take them to their floor. And much to his surprise, Cleo exits the lift with him.

" You live on this floor, too?" He asks, the smile never leaving his face.

" Not exactly," Cleo says, " I live on the 6th floor."

And with that, the thoughts that have been poking around his head come front and center. They flood his mind as the pieces of the puzzle almost fit together.

" There's a 6th floor?" Steven asks.

She nods.

" I hope to see you around... neighbor," Cleo says with a smile, then turns around to walk towards the stair case.

Steven wants to believe it, he really does, but a sliver of doubt remains embedded within his mind.

" Cleo," He calls out down the hall before she can disappear within the stairs, " Just out of curiosity... h-how many people are up there?"

And with her next words, it all finally clicks.

" It's just me, Steven."

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