Chapter 2

It was Bill exactly as Lev remembered him. The leather jacket, the black boots (which he swore were made of dragon hide), and faded jeans. Even the white T-shirt was the same. Lev couldn't read the hieroglyphs, but it was supposedly some kind of message from the 18th Dynasty. His ponytail was a bit shorter, and the fang earring looked a little worse for wear, but that only added to his aura. And his presence made Lev's heart ache.

Lev jumped up and hugged Bill tightly. Bill laughed and returned the embrace. As Lev let go, he gave Bill a quick kiss on the cheek, and noticed the scent of alcohol on his clothes. Bill held Lev's hands in his.

"What are you doing here?" Lev asked excitedly.

Bill grinned sheepishly. "Clubbing. I do it here a lot. Egypt has no nightlife, so I come to Tel Aviv whenever I get bored. I was leaving a club when I saw you walk by. Imagine my surprise. What are you doing here? I thought you'd be in some library somewhere in London doing research."

"I needed a vacation," Lev said. "I know this country. I feel safe here."

He removed his hands from Bill's and motioned for them to sit down. He ignored Bill's arm around his shoulder and leaned forward.

There was a pregnant pause; Lev felt like crying. He had felt so lonely, but now that the one person he wanted to be with was actually here, he wanted to be alone again.

"So..." Bill said, desperately trying to start a conversation, "Do you want to go to the clubs with me? I'm a little drunk, so I may need a chaperone."

"Nah," said Lev, "I think I'm heading back to Jerusalem tonight. That's where I'm staying. I never liked Tel Aviv all that much."

"Maybe I can come with you," Bill said, "I've never seen Jerusalem."

"Really? You've never been?"

"I just come to Tel Aviv for the night and apparate back to my apartment in Cairo."

"That's pretty far."

"I've had a lot of practice," said Bill grinning devilishly.

Lev chuckled.

"So what do you say?" asked Bill, "Can I stay with you or not?"

"I don't think it's a good idea..." began Lev.

"Come on, Lev. I've never seen Jerusalem," said Bill, "I'm not for sex, just to crash in your hotel room for a night. Your room has two beds, right?"

Lev was torn. This was not what he wanted. Putting himself and Bill in a small space together just seemed like a bad idea. But Bill looked at him with those soulful eyes that Lev had never been able to refuse.

"Fine," he said. Bill smiled sweetly. Damn! He's still a charmer, thought Lev.

They sat for a while staring at the fountain. Bill remarked on its ugliness. They laughed.

"So what are we doing tomorrow?"

Lev snorted. "Nothing. Tomorrow is Saturday. The entire city is practically shut down until after sunset."

"What were you planning on doing?"

"I was going to read. Then walk around the city. Then read some more. Maybe take a nap. Then read. After dark, find a place to eat and then go back to my room for the night."

"Sounds fun," Bill remarked dryly.

"Now you know why I study ancient British witches instead of ancient Hebrew ones," Lev replied. "The buses aren't running now. We'll have to take a cab back."

"You know what this means, don't you?" said Bill.

"No, what?" said Lev, hoping that Bill changed his mind about going to Jerusalem.

"It means I'll have to stay at least another day."

Lev bit his lip.

"In fact," Bill continued, "I'll take off the entire week and go touring with you."

Lev bit so hard he nearly drew blood but found himself unable to refuse. Suddenly he wished he had gone to Paris, or Rome, or Athens, or a city he had previously deemed too romantic.

"But what about the bank?" Lev asked, "Won't they care if you take a week off?"

"Oh no," said Bill, "I just brought in a load of treasure from the tomb of King Khufufu the Insane, so no one at Gringotts will be complaining. I'll just contact one of the goblins on tomorrow..."

"Quiet!" Lev whispered. An elderly couple passed by. "Be careful here. This isn't like England or America where people hear you and pretend they don't. In this country they'll interrupt you and ask what the hell you're talking about. Just be a bit more discreet, okay."

"Okay," said Bill with a guilty grin, "But no one I've ever met here asked me a thing."

"Tricking doesn't count," said Lev a bit more savagely than he intended. Bill stopped smiling.

Lev felt a tinge of remorse; it was a low blow. He got up and pulled Bill up too. Bill had a bit of trouble maintaining his balance so Lev propped him up and supported him. Like that, they walked away from the fountain to find a cab to take them to Jerusalem.