One Night - Night at the Museum

Twenty-Five: That's Not the Holy Grail!

"I don't understand," said Teddy when the group gathered together back in Egypt. "Why is Lancelot staying strong while we grow weaker?"

"It's his first night," explained Merenkahre. "Newborns are stronger but it matters not for unless we succeed he too will be dead come the dawn."

"We can't let him leave the building," Larry said. "Sir, can you stay here in Egypt in case he comes through there?"

"Of course."

"Nicky, take Attila and check the loading dock."

"Got it."

"Teddy, go to the South Wing and cover the side doors. Nat and Sac, go back to Asia. I've got the main entrance."

With that, everyone split up.

"YOU!" Larry didn't get very far. He had just caught sight of Lancelot, riding away on horseback. But he skidded to a stop when he saw Tilly the guard holding a hammer in one hand and dragging Laaa with the other. His hands were bound together.

"I knew you smelled a bit off!" Tilly cried.

"Did you not just see that?" cried Larry.

"See what?" demanded the guard.

"The knight on the horse that just rode through."

"Stop trying to distract me with your magical fantasy, cause I found your filthy twin here in the freight room."

"He's not my twin-" Larry watched in dismay as  Lancelot rode out of the museum gates. He swerved around Tilly and began to run after the knight.

"You can run, but if you leave those gates I swear to you your hideous doppelganger will get it!" Tilly threatened, holding the hammer next to Laaa's head.

Poor Laaa looked terrified. "Dada," he murmured shakily.

Larry had no choice but to surrender. 

"Damn it!" Larry cursed, hitting the door in frustration. Tilly had locked them both in the break room.

Laaa went over to the vending machine, hitting it.

"Laaa, if you see me do something dumb, don't imitate me, okay?" He sighed. "That's basically what I keep telling Nick." He began rifling through the drawers, searching for something that might help them pry the door open. "He just doesn't get it, you know? I mean, he's a smart kid, but I just want to give him the tools that I didn't have. Like, get the degree and then take a break." He sat down at the table, fiddling with his flashlight. "I mean I guess it's just parenting, right? And he comes from a divorced family so I'm sure he's got some conflicted feelings about me, and I get it, I wasn't there, a lot of the time – I'm still  not there, a lot of the time." He sighed with the realization. "So I think I might be projecting my own guilt onto him and taking it out on him in ways I'm not even aware of."

Laaa began grunting then, interrupting Larry's pondering aloud. Laaa pointed to the door and then his head.

"Door, head?" Larry didn't understand.

Laaa began making explosion gestures with his hands around his head.

"Open head?" tried Larry. "Open, open – mind, open mind! Yes, you're right. Keep an open mind. I keep looking at him through the lens of how my parents raised me, but he's his own person. And yeah, we share the same DNA, but honestly he's much more evolved than I ever was at his age. And I don't want to let my own ego and childhood mistakes stop him from making the mistakes he needs to make in order to become the person he's meant to be." He sighed. "That's what Nat keeps saying, 'let him live a little'. And she's right too, you know, for someone who doesn't have kids of her own and doesn't know raising kids, she's right. She'd be a good influence on him, but she doesn't think she should have much say cause she's not his mom, but... 

And then that brings everything back to the proposal! I'm ready to take this next step with Nat and I think she's ready too, it's just, I guess I'm a little nervous, you know, cause my last marriage fell apart and everything, so I don't want a repeat of that, but I don't think it will be. And Nicky really likes her too, and that's great, better than him thinking she's an 'evil step-mom' or something-"

He was once again interrupted, this time cut off by a loud crash! and looked to see that Laaa had smashed his head through the window on the door.

"Oh!" It all clicked now. "Open the door with your head. Right. Good job, Laaa." He reached through the now smashed window and unlocked the door, dragging Laaa out with him. That was when he noticed a very startled Nat standing there, a key ring in her hand.

"Nat."

"Larry," she cried. She'd obviously been standing close by when Laaa had smashed through the window. "I-I was just coming to get you out. Nick, Attila, and Dexter locked Tilly in her booth and got the keys but..." Now she saw she was no longer needed to help them escape. Laaa was groaning, staggering from hitting his head.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem." Now what, with these keys in her hand?

"Hey-" He stopped her as she began to walk away. He took her arm and pulled her into a kiss. "Listen," he continued when they pulled away. "What I said back there, I didn't mean it, really, I just, with everything that's been going on, I – I'm sorry, Nat."

She held up her hands to quiet him. "Hey, I know, it's alright. I'm sorry too."

"I guess I have been kind of distant, haven't I?"

"Just a little."

"Love you," he said.

"Love you too." They hugged.

"Now let's go." He took her hand and led her down the hall, turning back to grab a still staggering Laaa by the arm to drag him along with them.

(Haha I love when Nick's introducing them to Tilly and he's like, "Hi, I'm Nick. This is Dexter. Attila the Hun."  Always makes me laugh!

Also love the Hugh Jackman cameo! ;) 

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))