Disclaimer: I'm sure most of you have read at least one of these, but I'm required to do it anyway
Disclaimer: I'm sure most of you have read at least one of these, but I'm required to do it anyway. I do not own Indiana Jones, Marion Ravenwood, or anything associated with them. I am not making any profit from this story, and it is purely for fun.
Author's notes: I may not own Indy, but I do have the characters I created, and if I see them elsewhere I will report it.
The following story picks up where Raiders of the Lost Ark left off; Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood standing on the front steps to a Washington D.C.'s City hall in late-1936.
The two of them stood on the steps up to the city hall in Washington D.C. She looked at him, her clear blue eyes pleading. "C'mon, I'll buy you a drink," she said, tipping up the well worn fedora, "You know, a drink?" He turned to glance one more time at the fools inside, then back at her. She was thin, but graceful. Her long, dark hair was pulled back daintily under a wide brimmed hat that matched her tan suit. He felt out of place, and only slightly unworthy of her, wearing his dirty, mismatched hat with his good suit. He knew she didn't mind, and that was all that mattered. Then he offered her his arm. She took it willingly, and without another word they made their way to the bottom step, then to a nearby cafe.
"So, now what?" he asked, sitting at a table near a window.
"How am I suppose to know?" she retorted playfully, sitting in front of him. He gazed outside, not looking at anything in particular, simply looking. "Indy, I know everything will work out for the best. Soon you'll be back at the university, teaching again." She instinctively took his hand in hers. It felt so natural, how neatly their fingers laced together. She had no idea how anything would turn out, she only hoped for the best, and to lift his spirits. He pulled back.
"I don't know, Marion, I just don't know." He sat back roughly, then turned to her again. He examined every detail, the thin face, several freckles starting to appear from their last escapade, the one loose tendril of hair hanging over her left eye. He reached over and brushed it behind her ear, then leaned closer and gave her a soft kiss. "Let's go. I've got some things to take care of back at my place."
The cab ride was fairly uneventful. They sat in silence all the way to his house. Inside the little house Indiana's bags waited on his bed; he had yet to unpack. He popped open the suitcase on the end of the bed, found nothing of interest, then closed it and put it on the floor. Marion sat down in the now unoccupied space. He opened the second bag, and found his bullwhip. He'd had that thing for as long as he could remember. It had gotten him out of many a fix, and was his constant companion; strapped to his belt. Under it laid his beat-up leather jacket. He pulled it out, and set it neatly beside Marion. He quickly shrugged off his suit jacket, and eagerly put on his leather one. The smell of sweat and dirt radiated from it, and he liked it that way. It fit well, falling comfortably over well-muscled form. It squeaked slightly, as all leather does. It was music to his ears. He sighed, closed his eyes, and smiled. Leaving the rest of the unpacking until the next day, he placed the bags in the corner by the closet.
He flopped onto the bed beside Marion, and she giggled with the sudden movement of the bouncing mattress beneath her. He laughed, too, glad for the distraction. "Wait here, I've got something I've been saving for a rainy day," he rose, and walked into the kitchen. The sound of bustling through the pantry was heard, then he returned a few moments later with a bottle of wine and two glasses. "Nothing special. Just something I picked up before I left to go to Nepal. I was saving it for a celebration"
"This is no celebration," Marion pointed out.
"Who says?" Indy grinned "We survived. That deserves a celebration! We actually lived through retrieving the Lost Ark of the Covenant, being attacked by Nazis, Belloq's rotten schemes, and who knows what else!" He flopped down beside her again, and handed her a glass.
"The snakes, don't forget the snakes." She said, smiling.
"I hate snakes." Indy replied bluntly. With that he poured them each a cup, and they drank. When they were through, he set both glasses on a night stand. "Look, Marion, I want to apologize for all you've had to go through over the past few weeks, I don't--"
"You don't have to apologize for anything. I loved every minute of it. I wouldn't trade it for the world." That being said, she pressed her lips to his before he could protest.
Several weeks passed, and the two stood in silence at the station, waiting for Marion's train to come in. The weather was just beginning to clear up after a good night's rainstorm. The sun was gleaming through the windows, and beginning to warm the air inside. Despite the crisp, beautiful day ahead, it was a solemn morning.
"You don't have to leave," Indy said, without even looking at her.
"What?" She looked at him.
"You don't have to leave," he said again, this time though, he looked her in the eye.
"Marion raised an eyebrow. "What do I have here?"
"Me."
Marion stared. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Her heart soared, but the reality of it was, it couldn't happen. She couldn't tell him why. She couldn't tie him to one place; hold him back from what he loved most. As much as she wanted to stay; to wake up to his face every morning, she didn't want to hurt him. She wouldn't; she couldn't. All she could do was cry. She fell into his chest, sobbing hopelessly. He held her close, rubbing her back and whispering to her. He lightly kissed the top of her head, then her forehead, her nose, and finally her lips.
"Indy I can't, I just…can't." She sobbed more, melting into him one last time, as her train pulled up to the platform. She grabbed her purse and suitcase, and hurried onto the passenger car, not daring to look back, for fear that she might stay. She slumped into her seat, and wept. Then, slowly, she straightened up, and only gazed back when the train was well away from the station, and Indiana Jones. She touched her stomach, smiling faintly, and thought about the new life awaiting her.
Indy watched her leave, uncertain and crestfallen. The love of his life, whom he was unsure whether he would ever see again, was gone. "I LOVE YOU MARION RAVENWOOD! AND I ALWAYS WILL!" he shouted after the train, then laughed, not caring who heard. He laughed all the way home, where he drowned himself in archeology books.