ten
.
September 16th continued
Christen is in the house, using an HDMI cord and attaching it from her computer to Tobin’s TV so the photos will display on the flat screen. She’s mentally reviewing how she wants to approach this, carefully thinking about how to gently introduce things to her soulmate without overwhelming her needlessly. She grabs her notebook and then a legal pad and joins Tobin on the deck.
She sits down and gives her a smile, “I just need a few minutes,” she says, setting the legal pad on her lap and opening her notebook on the sofa cushion.
“That’s cool,” Tobin say agreeably, slouched comfortably on the couch and looking out at the ocean. It sounds peaceful out here with the waves crashing on the shoreline and sun beginning to lower in the sky. She’s holding a lit joint with the smoke lazily circling upwards. It’s only about four o’clock and Christen feels they have plenty of time to get through all of the information.
Christen is nearly finished with her quick outline, feeling she now knows exactly how to present this to her. She glances over as Tobin takes a deep inhale and exhales, blowing smoke upwards. Christen catches the scent and looks over with surprise.
“That smells like baked cookies!” She exclaims, leaning over to smell the whiffs of smoke.
Tobin lazily lets her head roll over to look at her, giving her a bean shaped smile, “It’s called Lava Cake,” she explains slowly, “tastes like it too,” she drawls and offers it to her, “It’s a 70/30 indica mix so it won’t put you sleep or anything, just a nice relaxing buzz. You wanna chill out a little?”
Christen decides she could use a dose of relaxation to free herself from the anxiety that’s been building in her since morning and takes the joint, inhaling deeply and exhaling, licking her lips with a smile, “It really does taste sweet,”
Tobin nods, her eyes growing glassy and bloodshot and her pupils tiny. “It’s nice and smooth,” she comments, watching as Christen takes another hit and passes it back to her. “You ready to do this?” she asks.
“I am,” Christen replies, “just after I feed the dogs,”
“Oh, sure,” Tobin says casually as she extinguishes the joint, “I have a mat on the floor for them in the kitchen and there’s bowls under the sink,”
“Aw,” Christen gushes, feeling that warmth in her chest, “you’re so sweet,” she says and leans in and kisses. They linger kissing for a few minutes until Christen remembers what they should be doing and pulls herself away.
“I’ll see you in there,” Tobin says, admiring the view of Christen’s backside as she enters the house. She smirks to herself and slowly gets up, stretching her arms above her head, feeling nice and buzzed and relaxed and at peace with the world. She’s looking forward to hearing what Christen has to say and hopes she gets the answers she’s looking for. She’s actually embracing the idea of possibly living a previous life and hopes that learning more about it might settle that weird split personality feeling she gets when she experiences what she can only describe as flashbacks. Maybe if they talk about it, she can put it to rest and get some peace and move on. Hopefully, it won’t bother her as much anymore. She ambles into the house, pausing to pet Morena who comes up to her and licks her hand. She looks over and sees Christen on the couch, leaning forward to where her laptop sits on the coffee table, navigating the open screen. She notices there a few things scattered on the table but is thirsty and gets distracted.
“Would you like a water or something?” Tobin asks moving to the kitchen.
“Sure, thanks,” Christen replies without turning to look. When Tobin sits down next to her and she accepts the bottle, Christen looks at her carefully. “Are you ready to this?”
Tobin nods, “Hit me,” she says, taking a deep breath, “I’m ready.”
Christen nods solemnly and then giggles as she attempts to light the incense she brought. She keeps flicking the lighter, but her laughing is extinguishing the flame. She gets it on the fourth try and shakes her head and turns to Tobin, “I think I’m more high than I thought,” she chuckles, grabbing her laptop and flopping back on the couch.
“We can wait a bit,” Tobin offers casually, “we can just hang out if you want.” She takes a healthy swallow of the bourbon she poured for herself, thinking she needs just a little alcohol to put her in the right place for this to work.
Christen shakes her head, “No, we need to do this, honey,” she says seriously, “for you own mental health,”
“Aight,” Tobin nods, “how do you wanna start?”
“With this,” Christen says as she clicks on the first photo, “this is the display of Hatshepsut’s sarcophagus.”
Tobin looks at the photo intently, staring at the ancient wooden coffin. She listens silently as Christen explains the imagery on the outer shell depicting her rise to power. As the slides change and the items shown become more personal to Hatshepsut, Christen can feel the hairs on the back of her neck rising and goosebumps appearing on her arms. She sees Tobin growing restless beside her. When the TV shows the ivory comb, she hears Tobin gasp. She swivels suddenly to see Tobin is leaning forward on the couch, staring at the TV.
“What are you feeling?” Christen breaks the silence.
”I would brush her hair,” Tobin states softly, speaking in Coptic with ease, “on the days when she was ill.”
”How often was she ill?” Christen has recognized the comb and when Tobin had stated she would brush Hatshepsut’s hair, she had a visual flashback of the act. She feels as if each image shown on the screen is eliciting a deeper reaction from her.
”It progressed with her age. It was a steady decline.” Tobin answers, letting out a soft sigh. I read that the lotion she was using had poison in it and possibly accelerated her death,”
Christen is quiet and doesn’t know what to say expect for the truth. ”Yes, that is correct, she states softly, ”But there was no way you would have known that at the time, my love.” She looks over to see tears on Tobin’s face and places her hand on her thigh, giving her a reassuring squeeze, ”You did nothing wrong. There was not anything you could do to prevent her death.”
Tobin nods and wipes at her eyes, ”I understand,” she nods and sniffs, ”but I still feel a bit sad.”
”I am certain she knew you did everything you could to help her,” Christen states, not wanting Tobin to feel guilty for something that wasn’t her fault. She gives her a smile when Tobin nods and gives her a half smile.
Every time Tobin explains a photo, Christen continues to feel the emotions associated with it. She is feeling a deep familiarity with the items, just like Tobin had explained to her in a panic a few nights ago at her presentation in the theater. At first she thought it was because she’s handled many of the items or had seen similar ones in other tombs, but now she’s growing to think that there’s a much deeper reason she’s feeling like this. Something that only Tobin can unlock for her.
The feelings grow for Christen as she clicks on the photos, the remnants of a board game, the mental flashes of playing it with Tobin and laughing when she won. The images shift and move to photos of KV60 where the sarcophagus of Sitre In rested. Tobin looks grieved to see it, frowning at the image.
”It was strange,” Tobin states, her tone unaffected, “when I plunged the knife in my neck, I felt nothing. There was no pain. I knew in my heart I was doing this because I loved her. I wanted her to make it to the Field of Reeds. I knew she would need my help.” she lets out a bitter laugh, “And when I got to the Underground, she was nowhere to be found. I asked everyone I encountered as to where she could be and nobody could give me answer. Yet, I travelled on, pushing my way through the hoards of people, searching in every building, climbing every hill in an attempt to find her. I walked on the scorching sand from the banks of the Nile to highest point of the mountains in vain. In my darkest hour I felt led to follow the brightest star in the east and when the sun arose, I was at the entrance of the Field of Reeds.” She gives her a wistful smile, ”I should have known she needed to choose Thutmose the Second, it was the proper choice for her. Her royal blood demanded it. There would have been much discord if she chose me.”
”I am sorry you had to experience this. I wish it were different.” Christen states heartfully, feeling a surge of emotions running through her. She’s shocked that she’s feeling some sort of regret even though there is nothing she can do about it now. A thought enters her mind.
”Let us try something,” Christen suggests, ”I am going to show you another image. You tell me what it is.”
Tobin nods at her, ”Sure,”
Slide after slide, Tobin correctly answers each other items found in Hatshepsut’s newly discovered chamber within her tomb. Christen mixed in a few images from KV60 as well which Tobin identified properly from the cache of Sitre In’s possessions. She even mixed in items that didn’t come from those tombs, pulling up intentionally incorrect ones and Tobin would identify the object for what it is, yet express it didn’t belong to anyone she knew. It was uncanny.
As they progress through the images, it dawns on Christen why Tobin is doing this.
After another hour of looking at images, Christen pauses and looks at Tobin. ”Did the Gods tell you to help me find the chamber and tell Hatshepsut’s story because I am Hatshepsut?”
Tobin bites her lower lip and drops her eyes. ”Yes.” she states quietly, unable to look at her due to the uncertainty she’s suddenly feeling.
Christen slides the laptop off her legs and sets the device on the coffee table. She scoots closer to Tobin and swivels to face her. Tobin smiles and offers her hand to her and Christen grips it tightly. Slowly Christen reaches for the sketchbook and hands it to Tobin. “Will you explain your drawings to me?” she asks quietly.
Tobin silently nods and uses a hand to turn the pages of the book on her lap. ”This was my family home,” She flips the page, ”Those are my eyes,” Christen states and Tobin nods and flips another page. ”And that’s me in my tent,” she states looking at the picture of her on her bed. Tobin nods again and turns to the last page.
“That is me,” Christen comments, once again caught up in how incredibly lifelike the drawing is of the female in royal clothing.
“That is Hatshepsut,” Tobin corrects, looking at her again and suddenly it hits Christen full force. It comes in a series of flashbacks, moving in the speed of light, images of her as a royal child, her schooling with Tobin, their growing friendship that turned to love, being conflicted to marry Thutmose but knowing it was what she must do. Her entire life as a Queen and then King came flooding back to her.
“That is me?” Christen needs confirmation and smiles when Tobin nods. They stare at each other, both smiling dopily and begin to laugh. Christen suddenly flips the sketchbook shut and lightly tosses it on the coffee table, quickly moving into Tobin’s space and wrapping her arms around her.
”You found me!” she sings out, laughing. When she doesn’t hear Tobin say anything, she looks closely at her, seeing how her eyes are smoldering and she’s biting her lower lip as she stares at her. Christen presses forward and kisses her hard.
She immediately feels Tobin’s hands pulling her closer, helping her straddle Tobin’s lap, feeling her own sense of déjà vu at the action. Christen prods her tongue along Tobin’s plump lips, seeking entrance, needing to taste her. Tobin obliges and when they meet, they both flinch as if struck with electricity. They push through it, both moaning at the overwhelming passion they’re feeling. When they break for air, both are breathing heavily, foreheads touching, sharing the hot breaths of their exhales.
“Take me to bed,” Christen urges breathily, “I need you to touch me,” she moves her legs and shakily stands up, gripping Tobin’s wrist and pulling her to stand next to her. They move close again, arms encircled around each other, continuing to kiss as Tobin slowly guides her through the living as if they are dancing to the song of passion.
They let out chuckles when they bounce off the hallway wall, then kiss again, this time it’s light and sweet. “You’re speaking English,” Tobin observes.
Christen arches an eyebrow at her, flashing a look of sassiness, ”Would you rather we speak in Coptic, my love?” unsure if Tobin would understand her.
”You could speak Greek and it would ignite my passion for you, my love,” Tobin replies with a smirk.
Christen smiles widely at her, questions for the woman shouting out in her mind yet tamped down to silence when Tobin’s hands begin to slide along her torso and settle on her hips, moving her closer to the bedroom. Christen feels a stirring in her loins, stronger than she’s ever felt before and also in her chest. Her heart is beating wildly and when she lightly sucks on the scar on Tobin’s neck, she can feel Tobin’s heartbeat throbbing as well.
Clothes are shed in between kisses, they move slowly to the bed, first kneeling as they kiss and caress each other. This feels different to them, each touch is gentle, each kiss builds to wanting more. It’s as if this is a holy union of the two, the need, the want and the desire so strong. Neither has ever felt it with another partner before. They fall together easily, a leg naturally settling in between hips, heads moving with an unknown instinct as they kiss. They move as if they’ve done this before, innately knowing the touches to excite and thrill one another, knowing the just perfect amount of pressure to apply, knowing how to pull moans of ecstasy from another.
Their heavy breathing fills the air, mingling with soft words of encouragement, “Yes, like that,” and “Right there,” before turning to ones more urgent. The orgasms are earth shattering, provoking gasps and groans and panted praise. Their eyes are wet with joy and love throughout their passion, both feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for finding the other.
They make each other rise and fall multiple times, their passion for another unending. Kissing, tasting, sucking, thrusting into one another, hearing the cries that excite them and spur them on to making their partner rise again. A few times they rise and fall together, rutting against one another, Tobin guiding Christen’s hips so her core touches her own, her strong arms powering them through orgasm after orgasm until they are completely spent with exhaustion.
Christen falls on the mattress at Tobin’s side, winded by her exertions, slick with sweat and feeling satisfied in a way she’s never felt before. Tonight, their union was not just physical, but it was an emotional and mental connection to her, as if they were two wires completing an electrical circuit and lighting their world.
She curls into Tobin’s side, her leg naturally covering Tobin’s, her head on Tobin’s shoulder. She feels Tobin move her arm and soon her hand is on her back, lightly tracing soothing random patterns. They fall asleep, waking shortly when their sweat has dried and they’ve grown chilled. Slowly they move to the shower, the hot water warming their skin and passion once more. It’s late when they emerge from the bathroom, toweling their hair and Tobin offering Christen sweatpants and a sweatshirt. She chooses a pair of shorts and a long sleeved shirt, stating she’s still warm and usually runs hot. They saunter to the kitchen, both wide awake and hungry for food instead of each other.
Tobin makes them BLT’s, adding a handful of chips on each plate.
“Okay, I’ve got to say something,” Tobin declares before she takes her first bite of the sandwich, seeing Christen looking at her, “that was some of the most amazing sex I’ve ever had in my life,” she grins at her.
Christen smiles big, not just because she feels the same way, but also with pride that Tobin feels that way, “Me too,” she agrees, taking a big bite and moaning as she chews. “This is so good,” she says with half a full mouth.
Tobin nods, her eyes sparkling. Morena is at her side, begging for some food and Tobin stands up and moves to a cabinet in the kitchen. She returns to the table with a couple of foil packages, looking a little sheepish. “I got some dog treats,” she explains, smiling cutely, “would any of these be okay for them?”
“Aw,” Christen squeals, feeling a rush of emotions for how thoughtful Tobin is to think of her dogs. She looks over the packages, noting all of them are organic, “any of them would be fine, sweetheart,” she nods approvingly.
Tobin just looks at her with a dopey smile on her face.
“What?” Christen questions, tilting her head to look at her, wondering what would bring on her smiling at her like this.
“You,” Tobin’s smile grows wider, “you called me sweetheart,” she says and voice cracks with emotion.
Christen’s eyes immediately water, mimicking Tobin’s which now has a happy tear spilling out and rolling down her cheek. “Well,” she sighs happily, “that’s because you’re my sweetie,” she smiles at her.
Tobin blushes and nods at her, “Okay,” she says happily, taking another bite of her sandwich, “but you’re my babe,”
Christen gives her best attempt at a wink, making Tobin grin again, “Always, sweetheart,” she giggles.
They’ve eaten and cleaned up the kitchen and both of them are still buzzing and wide awake. It’s almost four in the morning and both are full of energy.
“I have an idea,” Tobin offers, “wanna go outside?”
Christen considers, “I think I would want some socks,” she states, “and maybe a hoodie.”
Tobin nods quickly, “My stuff is yours,” she says casually, “help yourself to whatever you want.” She leads her to her bedroom again, opening the closet and showing her which drawers holds her socks.
“Would you grab a couple of blankets in the hall closet and then meet me outside?” she questions.
“Sure,” Christen agrees and kisses her gently. Tobin smiles, “I’ll be right outside in the sand,”
“What it this?” Christen questions as she approaches Tobin. Tobin looks up quickly in the darkness, one of her hands stroking Morena’s back, “This is my sunrise spot,” she states. She stands up and takes a blanket from Christen’s hands. Christen watches as Tobin spreads it over a mound of sand, smoothing it out along the front of it.
“Have a seat,” she invites, extending her hand to guide Christen around what appears to be a firepit in the sand. She sits down, realizing the mound of sand serves as a very comfortable backrest. She spreads the second blanket over her legs.
“Can I help you with anything?” she asks, as the tired dogs lay at her sides.
“I’ve got it, babe,” Tobin says, making a small bundle of kindling and igniting it. She tends to patiently, adding small sticks and letting them catch before placing a few logs on it. Satisfied it will burn without her care, she crawls back to join Christen on the blanket, Morena moving and then settling near Tobin’s shins. Tobin leans back and brings her arm around Christen who moves closer and lets her head rest on her shoulder.
“This is nice,” she murmurs, appreciating the effort Tobin put in to this.
“Yeah,” Tobin agrees, “I come out here on nights I can’t sleep,” she states, “or evenings when I want to just chill,”
“This is a nice place to do that,” Christen comments, “do you have trouble sleeping often?”
Tobin lets her head move softly against the top of Christen’s that’s resting on her shoulder. “When I first moved here,” she sighs, “it was kind of hard. A new place, I only knew Ali and Ash and I didn’t want to be over at their place all the time, so I was on my own for the first time. I had a good first job, I was your basic physical therapist, but I was already looking for a place that specialized. I volunteered with a wheelchair race group that Ash joined, learning about how they trained for races and what I could contribute. It was a cool time, but I was lonely. This was a nice place to come and just be and forget about stuff.”
“When did it change?” Christen questions quietly.
“When I joined a rec soccer league,” Tobin smiles against her head, “I met Lauren and Amy and we’ve become really good friends, I made friends at the place I’m at now, I’ve got friends I train with. I can’t for you to meet them Lauren and Amy, though.”
“Let’s make that happen soon,” Christen smiles, feeling completely calm at the idea of meeting Tobin’s friends.
“Yeah, we will,” Tobin replies and then chuckles, “they’ve been asking me since I told them about you.”
“Look at the stars,” Christen raises her arm, “I’ve never seen so many here,”
“Here,” Tobin starts to move down, earning groans from the dogs who have to stand up and resituate themselves as they lay with their heads looking up. They are quiet, holding each other as they look at the stars.
“I think I know what happened,” Tobin says suddenly.
“What do you mean?” Christen isn’t following her.
“What happened to me,” Tobin clarifies.
Christen sits up to look at her, “What do you think?”
Tobin reaches for her and gently pulls her down and Christen is practically lying on her now with her leg slotted between Tobin’s spread ones.
“I think the Gods used my accident to catch me up to you,” Tobin explains, “I think they made a mistake long ago, when we were Sitre In and Hatshepsut, for some reason Thutmose and my marks were the same and they didn’t know it was wrong until I got through the Underground and told them what happened.”
Christen hums, she’s been thinking of the situation for while as well, tossing around theories in her head as well. “I’ve thought of that too,” she agrees, “I think me coming to Egypt to look for Hatshepsut’s belongings tossed things around for the Gods and that’s why they sent you.”
“Yeah, like it gave them the chance to make it right,” Tobin agrees, “and they put things in motion.”
“It’s wild how they manipulated time though,” Christen says quietly, “but I think it worked out perfectly for us to have these life experiences and meet now,”
“My time in the Field of Reeds passed in the blink of an eye,” Tobin recalls, “I never felt like I lingered there just waiting, there was always something going on.”
“Why do you think being high allowed you to remember?” Christen asks, curious if Tobin has thought about it.
“I think the stroke was partly responsible for it for me,” she explains, “but since you remembered too, I think maybe the THC or something else in the marijuana allowed for some part of the brain to open up and release those memories.”
Christen hums, thinking it sounded like a plausible explanation.
Tobin is quiet for a moment as she thinks. “Do you think Alex would have lived if I hadn’t been with her?”
Christen’s heart hurts from the sound of Tobin’s regret in her voice. “I think her destiny was planned for her in this life,” she says quietly, “just how mine was back in Egypt.”
“There’s a part of me that will always grieve for her,” Tobin says quietly, “not just because we were together,” she clarifies, “but more because she was my best friend first.”
Christen nods slowly, “I understand,” she says quietly, “I haven’t suffered the loss of someone close to me like that,” she says, measuring her words, “and I don’t know how you heal from that happening. But if there’s anything I can do to help ease that, I will,”
“You would have liked her,” Tobin replies, “you two would have had the best conversations about humanity and how to learn from history. She liked to read about politics from the past,” she chuckles softly, “I could just picture the two of you at a college kegger talking about the Roman Empire,”
Christen chuckles with her, “That would have nice,” she thinks with a smile.
“You know,” Tobin says so quietly, Christen isn’t sure she heard her, “I thought she taught me about love,” Tobin shifts underneath her to roll on her side and look at her, “but what I had with her isn’t anything like being with you,” she says and leans in to kiss her deeply, “not even close,” she says, her breath mingling with Christen’s from their closeness. They make out for while under the stars, not advancing things more than gentle kisses. Afterwards, they get back in their previous position with Christen lying on her and Tobin is quiet again and she moves her hand to slowly scratch at Christen’s scalp, making her shiver at the sensation before relaxing and enjoying it. “I wish…” she says slowly, “I wish that I had been able to help you more back there,”
“Tobin, you did everything you could with the knowledge you had,” Christen states emphatically.
“I know,” she replies, “but I read about how the tincture I used ended up being a factor in spreading the cancer and it makes me sick to my stomach.”
Christen lifts herself to look at her, “Sweetheart,” she says tenderly, “it was only painful at the end. You gave me comfort over time. I would take that any day of the week. Please don’t feel responsible for it now, it’s in the past.” She says softly and kisses her gently. "I wish I had been strong enough to chose you in the Underground. We could have been together sooner."
Tobin shakes her head, "But who would be now?" she questions. "We had to have these experiences for this lifetime in order to be together. To be the people we are today. I shudder to think who I might have become if it wasn't for the accident. I would probably be some washed up jock, living the past or something."
Christen considers her words and nods. “Let’s live in the present,” she smiles at her.
Tobin nods and Christen settles back on her chest.
“You mentioned you brought back some stuff from KV60,” Tobin says, speaking on the tomb in which she had been interned in so many years ago.
“We did,” Christen replies slowly, wondering where this would lead.
“Did you find two metal boxes?”
“We did,” Christen looks up at her again, “What’s in them?” She’s thinking of the metal box her and Becky are working on right now, trying to determine a safe way to open it without damaging the possible contents.
Tobin licks her lips and clears her throat, “If they stood the test of time,” she says in her low voice, “it will be a pretty huge find.”
“Will you tell me what’s inside them?” Christen asks curiously.
Tobin pauses. “I don’t think I should,” she states after some consideration, “for one,” she says before Christen can interject, “I don’t want to cloud your judgement. And you’ll have to be above reproach when you open each one. Or have someone else do it. Film it or something, have your team with you.”
“Okay, I will,” Christen easily agrees, turning over again to face her. “I trust you,” she kisses her, “and whatever the items in there may reveal, we’ll handle it together, okay?”
Tobin smiles, “Okay,” she says and puckers her lips for another kiss.
“You are aware that there is a pretty good chance of us being revealed, right?” Christen asks her, looking at her closely. The sky is beginning to lighten with the sun not quite ready to poke up along the horizon. “If I’m writing and presenting and the documentary comes out…”
Tobin lifts her head, her left hand tenderly caressing Christen’s jaw before she kisses her tenderly, “We’ll handle it together,” she smiles at her.
The media likes to swarm couples that are soul bonded since it is rare and when they have been reunited when it’s usually become known to the public. Especially if one of them was of some prominence in their past life, be it positive or negative. The news cycle usually lasts for a few weeks until the media moves on to something else. The last big one Christen is aware of happened when she in grade school and the story came out about a widow and a man who ran a dude ranch in Texas and they discovered they were actually King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. It was quite spectacular in Christen’s memory and she makes a note to look up the articles later to get a feel of what the widow and rancher endured.
“Sun’s coming up,” Tobin announces and they push themselves back, Khaleesi and Morena once again groaning and standing up. The two dogs wander off to the side, mindful to stay close, sniffing around the sand.
“This is beautiful,” Christen sighs happily, moving to hold Tobin in her arms, letting her chin rest on Tobin’s shoulder.
“Yeah, it is,” Tobin agrees as they watch the colors change in the sky.
XXXX
September 18th
“How was your weekend?” Ali asks with a bright smile before she takes a bite of her sandwich. It’s lunch time and the group is sitting in their break room.
“It was really good,” Christen smiles, “how about yours?”
“Good,” Ali replies after she swallows, “Ash and I painted the living room and she fixed a few things around the house,” she says, “it was good to knock it out before she starts training with the hockey team.”
“Did you and Tobin get together?” Sydney inquires, giving her a once over and then smiles, “You two got together didn’t you,” she accuses her, “you’re glowing!”
Christen immediately blushes, looking down at her salad. The salad Tobin made her yesterday evening. “I spent the weekend there,” she admits, nodding at them.
“I didn’t recognize that shirt,” Becky pipes up, giving Christen a wink.
“It’s my shirt,” Christen states, “I had to go home and drop off the dogs,”
“So, things are going good?” Sydney persists, smiling widely at her.
“Yes,” Christen beams, she can’t help herself. She’s been smiling since morning. “We talked about everything,” she shares with them, “we’re on the same page. We both agree that her accident probably triggered her memories of being Sitre In.”
“Ash and I have suspected that since what happened at your lecture,” Ali states. “And before you ask, Ashlyn doesn’t think Tobin’s fate affected her own. She doesn’t blame her or anything. She told me she feels more alive in the chair than she did when she could walk.”
Christen blinks at her for a moment, “Wow,” is all she can say.
“I’m sure she’ll talk to Tobin about it,” Ali continues, “she knows Tobin might feel guilty.”
Christen nods, “She asked me if I thought Alex would have lived if she hadn’t been with her,” she frowns.
“Surely her fate was already destined for her,” Alyssa states a little assertively.
Christen nods, “That’s what I told her and she agreed,”
“It’s more of a testament of how sensitive Tobin is,” Ali gently explains to her and Becky and Syd, “I’ve never met someone more thoughtful than Tobin. She spent her time grieving Alex and I’m sure a part of her always will. Alex was a pretty amazing woman. Whoever is her soulmate is a very lucky person.”
Christen looks around the table, making eye contact with them all, “This doesn’t leave this table,” she warns, giving them all stern looks until each of them nod in agreement. “Tobin remembers that she was Sitre In now,” she announces, nodding at them. “And I was Hatshepsut. She confirmed it.”
“Girl!” Sydney bursts, “You better keep quiet about that!”
Christen nods and then frowns, “I’m afraid that isn’t going to be possible,” she states, “it will come out eventually.”
“Will this affect your work here?” Alyssa asks prudently, keenly looking at her.
“No,” Christen shakes her head, “but I want us to take some safeguards,” she states and outlines how she wants to partner up on any instances of opening jars or containers and she wants to send off any Coptic writings that she transcribes back to Egypt for Ari to sign off on the definitive interpretation.
“I’ll have to tell him,” she confesses, “but only if we find artifacts that undisputedly puts us together.”
The four others agree with her and state their willingness to abide by her wishes.
“So,” Becky looks at her slyly, “how was she?”
Christen can’t help but beam at them, “A-maz-ing!” she gushes.
XXXX
October 1st
Christen is at her desk typing her notes into the system when she hears a flutter and a soft thud land on her desk. She looks up and sees Ali grinning at her and then looks at her desk and sees an envelope.
“What’s this?” she questions, reaching for the black square, she flips it over and smiles when she sees her and Tobin’s name on it.
“Halloween Party,” Ali announces, “and I warn you, it’s not a big party, it’s a huge party. Tobin knows, just ask her. It’s like a block party and it gets pretty nuts. Luckily, there’s like four cops that live there so it doesn’t get completely out of control. But it’s super fun!”
Christen is wide eyed as she listens, “That sounds pretty wild,” she agrees, “costumes?”
Ali laughs, “Yes, of course! That’s the only way. There’s prizes,” she wiggles her eyebrows at her, grinning wildly, “singles and couples,” she smiles and points at the envelop, “it’s all in there, but Tobin will explain if you have any questions,”
“So…you like, really get into this?”
Ali nods, “Big time,” she grins and holds up a few more envelops, “I gotta pass these out, see you later,” she says and spins out of her office with a whoosh.
Christen blinks at the black envelop, letting her fingers trace over her and Tobin’s name. She smiles softly, thinking how she’ll never be alone for these types of events anymore. Then she starts to panic as to what they’ll dress up as.
XXXX
Later that night…
“It’s pretty obvious, Chris,” Tobin smiles at her, lovingly running her hand through her hair. They’re lying in bed and Christen is still trying to get feeling in her legs after a serious bout of lovemaking with Tobin.
“What is, honey?” she asks, rolling on her side, letting her hand cup Tobin’s breast.
“Nefertiti and Akhenaten,” Tobin gives her a satisfied smile, as if she’s solved one of life’s mysteries.
“Nerfer- Tobin what do you mean?” she’s confused.
“Our Halloween costumes,” Tobin chuckles at her, now running her hand up and down her back.
“Oh,” she furrows her brows as she thinks. “Do you think we should?” she asks cautiously. “I mean, what if this spurs something with us? Like, the public finding out?”
Tobin shrugs, “Then we’ll deal with it,” she says confidently and she rolls over to face her and suddenly looks serious. “I was thinking about this whole thing,” she says, her words coming slower, which Christen has discovered Tobin speaks slower when she’s serious, “Why would we have to wait for someone to discover us? Like, we know, so what? Why don’t we control it,” she suggests, “like, just when someone comes up to us and asks, we just say yeah, like it’s not a big deal and get on with our lives?”
Christen hums, considering that scenario. “You know,” she says slowly, “I have been thinking about too,” she sys quietly, “and I like the idea that we control it, too. I imagine the press will bother us for a couple of weeks and then it’s on to the next story. I went to school with Megan Rapinoe,” she says, giving Tobin a sly smile, “I was thinking we give her the story,”
“Megan Rapinoe?” Tobin repeats, her eyes wide, “Like, gay rights icon Megan Rapinoe? Like, Megan ‘I told the President to fuck off’ Rapinoe?” The pink haired lesbian is a noted award winning journalist, author and documentarian. Her articles were seen in a wide range of magazines, from People to the Wall Street Journal. She had a heavy online presence of features she did of interesting people and their stories. This would be right up her alley. Their news would be a big story for some time.
Christen is smiling at her, amused by her reaction, “Yes, honey,”
“Fuck yeah, totally!” she agrees, “She would handle so well,” she grins at her, “that’s awesome, babe!”
Christen nods, “We’ll need to talk about when we want to call her,” she says, “figure out the timing. I also will need to talk to my boss and Ari and let them know.”
Tobin nods, “I should talk to my boss, too,” she agrees, “and my family.”
“Oh yeah, me too,” Christen slides her arm under Tobin and draws her in to kiss her, “Do I get to be Nefertiti?” she asks coyly and Tobin laughs.
“Only if you promise I can take care of the other details,” she snickers.
“Other details?” Christen questions and Tobin’s answer is to only wiggle her eyebrows back at her.
“Sure,” Christen easily agrees, feeling carefree and trusting her soulmate, “why not?”
XXXX