Chapter 1
1938
The Canyon of the Crescent Moon
Sallah and Marcus had run out of the Grail temple and Indy and his father, Henry had followed.
Indy stood, looking at the temple as smoke and debris spilled out from the entrance.
Henry studied his son for a moment.
"Elsa never really believed in the Grail. She thought she'd found a prize."
Indy turned to his father.
"And what did you find, Dad?"
"Me?"
Henry thought a moment.
"Illumination."
Marcus had ridden ahead and Sallah had caught him up, leaving a chance for Indy and Henry to talk together as they never had before.
"Dad…" began Indy.
"Son", said Henry at the same time. They both laughed.
"You go first, Dad."
"Sorry about that back there. I was just…"
Indy held up a hand.
"Ah, I don't care. It doesn't matter anymore what you call me. We came through this adventure together. That's what's important."
Henry smiled, reflecting on the last few days adventures that he had shared with his son.
"Well, if it's all right with you, son, I would like to call you Indiana."
Indy smiled. He was flabbergasted.
"That would be great, Dad."
Henry was silent for a moment.
"Ah, I can't believe that we lost it", he said, his Scottish lilt coming through.
"Tell me about it", said Indy glancing over at Henry.
"I nearly had it, Dad."
"I know son. You were so close but the risk of losing you was just too great."
"I'm pretty sure I could have reached it. I'm sorry I failed."
"Son, you didn't fail. At least we knew that we found the true Grail."
Henry looked at his son.
"So, Indiana. What have you been doing for the past twenty years or so?"
Indy smiled. He didn't know where to begin.
"Well…"
Up ahead, Marcus Brody looked behind him and was thrilled to see Indy and Henry getting on so well.
"Sallah, look!"
The Egyptian turned round in his seat and smiled at what he saw.
"Mr Brody! It is wonderful to see them getting on so well! My heart is leaping with joy!"
"Yes", said Henry. "I did hear abut the Ark of the Covenant. Ah, I'm sorry you lost it, son."
Indy sighed.
"Thanks Dad. Yeah, I'm sorry I lost it, too. So Dad, how have things been with you?"
"Me? Oh you know, son. The usual things. Lecture tours, teaching, that kind of thing. But, never mind that now, Indiana!" He smiled exuberantly, and his eyes shone. "I want to hear all about your adventures!"
Indy was overwhelmed. He never ever expected to hear his father take so much interest in his life.
Ninety minutes later, Henry was still listening with rapt attention.
"And then the Thuggee guards began to fire arrows in my general direction and I remember thinking that I'd like to go home at that point. The British cavalry came to our aid and the rest of the Thuggee surrendered."
"Fascinating", muttered Henry. "And then what happened?"
"Well, we returned the remaining Sankara stone to the village, and of course, the children as well."
"Wonderful!" exclaimed Henry. "I would imagine that adventure left you feeling quite exhausted."
"You got that right. Me and my friends were exhausted by the end of it, physically and emotionally."
"Yes", began Henry. "Marcus mentioned something about a young lady called Willie Scott…"
"Yes," muttered Indy.
"That's right. Apparently, she said that after your adventure, both of you and the young Chinese boy…"
"…Short Round."
"Yes, the three of you returned to the palace where all of the trouble had begun…"
1935, Pankot Palace
Indiana Jones was exhausted but was determined not to stop. Willie and Short Round followed him and behind them, Captain Blumburtt and his cavalry followed. Short Round tried furiously to keep up with his hero, taking three steps to Indy's two.
"You okay Indy?" he huffed.
Indy placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled.
"Yeah, I think so."
He glanced at Willie and smiled.
"You okay, princess?"
She smiled back at him. "Oh yeah. Just great, Dr. Jones"
Just as they reached the path leading up to Pankot Palace, Captain Blumburtt caught up with Indy.
"Captain, thanks for rescuing us back there. We really appreciate it", smiled Indy.
"Oh, that's quite all right, Dr. Jones", smiled the Captain. "You are most welcome", he said, as they neared the palace.
"Now", began the Captain. "Me and my troops will search the palace, just to make sure that there are no more children hiding."
Indy gasped and nodded. Willie took his arm.
"Come on, Indy. Why don't you get some rest?"
Blumburtt agreed. "Miss Scott is right."
"No," began Indy. "I'll just get my stuff and then I want to return the stone to the village."
"Indy," began Willie. "It's gonna take the Captain and his troops a while to find the children. The palace is huge!"
"Miss Scott is correct. It will take some time."
Willie turned to Blumburtt.
"Thank you."
She then turned to Indy and grabbed him by the arm.
"Come on Indy. Time for you to rest."
"But…" he began to protest.
Short Round grabbed his other arm and they both pulled him gently toward the entrance.
As they entered, they noticed that the entrance was very dark. At that moment, a Thuggee guard ran towards them, brandishing a sword above his head and charged, letting out a yell.
The guard stopped dead in his tracks as a bullet that had been fired found its mark, and he fell to the floor, the sword clattering on the marble floor.
Indy sighed.
"Best damn troops I ever had!" exclaimed Blumburtt. "Well, done, Singh."
"Okay", began Indy. "I definitely need a vacation."
The proceeded on and Willie and Short Round took Indy to the guest suite that he had stayed in a few days ago. Short Round hugged Indy.
"Hey, Shortie", said Indy affectionately.
"Dr. Jones", said the boy, looking up at his role model. "You did good, Indy. Get some rest now," he smiled, and walked out of the room and into the opposite room, the room that Willie had stayed in.
"Thanks Short Stuff", Indy called after him.
"Okay, Indy!" the boy called, and shut the door behind him.
Indy glanced at Willie.
"Hey Willie. You okay?"
"Yes. Just tired", she said, walking to the bathroom.
The room was decorated with a marble floor and there were still some towels and a bathrobe. She turned on the taps and began to run a bath. She added some frankincense from a bottle of fragrant bath incense that had been left on the side.
Indy walked over to her, well, more like ambled.
"I'm gonna lie down for a while. Enjoy your bath", he smiled.
"Indy, this is for you."
"For me?"
"Yeah."
He sighed, holding up a hand.
"You win."
As the bath was running, Willie checked in on the room opposite and Short Round was led on the bed, fast asleep. When she returned, to the other room, Indy was taking off his shirt, well, what was left of it, and placed it on the bed.
Willie glanced admiringly at his chest and strong arms and smiled.
Not bad for a college professor, she thought.
She walked over to him, and began to undo his gunbelt.
"Here, let me help."
She undid the belt and with the attached holster, put it with the whip that lay on the nearby dressing table.
"Miss Scott. You're a lady of many talents", smiled Indy.
He looked into her eyes and they kissed. The kiss was wonderful. Wow! This one's even better than the last one! She thought.
She sighed.
She dashed over to the bath and turned off the taps.
"Indy, honey."
The archaeologist smiled.
"Yeah?"
"I'm gonna leave you to it."
"Hey, but what about my help?" he smiled slyly.
"Indiana Jones! What am I gonna do with you?!"
Willie closed the door behind her and returned to her suite, where Shortie was still asleep.
Some time later, there was a knock at Willie's door. It was Blumburtt.
"Oh, hi there Captain," she smiled.
"Hello, Miss Scott."
Blumburtt handed her Indy's leather jacket and some ammo.
"I believe that these belong to Dr. Jones."
"Oh yes. Thanks for returning them."
"Speaking of which. How is he?" asked the Captain.
"Tired and in need of a long vacation."
"I see. We've managed to locate some of the children and they are staying in some of the rooms her in the palace. My troops are still searching for any Thuggee guards that might be in hiding. Rest assured, Miss Scott, that we will finish our inspection tomorrow."
"That's great. I'll let Indy know."
Blumburtt left and Willie placed Indy's jacket and the ammo on the dresser and led down on the bed. She tried to sleep but found it impossible. All she could think about were the horrors of the past few days or so. She was relieved that Indy had come out of the black sleep as for a moment there she thought she had lost him for good.
She thought back to their first kiss. She had been a tease, shamelessly flirting with him and was upset when he abruptly stormed off and wanted nothing more than to go over to his suite and tell him how she was feeling. She had felt instantly attracted to him in the nightclub and although she sometimes found him slightly arrogant at times, she had to admit that Indy was an extremely handsome man who had a great talent for survival.
Indy hadn't meant to storm out of her room quite so abruptly but he was trying to prove a point. Although he didn't want to admit it, he liked Willie from the moment that he first saw her, but there was no way he was going to give in. And then they began to stride around in their respective suites.
"Palace slave", chuckled Indy.
"Nocturnal activities!" growled Willie.
"I'm a conceited ape?! He muttered incredulously.
"I'll tell you in the morning", she fumed.
She was seriously hacked off.
A few moments later, Indy had burst into her room and she was so glad to see him.
"Oh Indy", she had sighed, romantically.
But, Indy had dove for the bed.
Wow! He's certainly forthright!
But Indy was not here for the same reason she thought he was.
Willie had later learned that Indy had been attacked in his room by a Thuggee assassin and he thought that there might be one in her room also. Still, she was more than impressed with his entrance.
She gradually fell asleep with Indy being the last thing she thought of.
Indy, lay back in the warm, soothing bath. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, but images flew through his mind. He vaguely remembered snatches of their recent adventure and he tried to push these images from his mind but found it difficult. Some time later, he stepped out of the bath, dried himself off and wrapped himself in the luxurious white bathrobe. He wandered into the bedroom and sat on the bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He really needed to get in touch with Marcus to let him know what was going on. Indy saw something by the chair. It was Shortie's carpet bag. He went over to it, opened it, rummaged around and found a clean shirt. He dressed in pants and shirt, but on his boots and went to find Willie. Indy entered her room and found her sleeping. She began to toss and turn and muttered something in her sleep.
"No! I cant, I… Go away! No!"
She then yelled. "Indy! Help me!"
Indy bolted over to her and shook her awake.
"Willie! Wake up, honey!"
She opened her eyes and was momentarily disorientated.
"Uh?"
"Willie. Are you okay? You were having a nightmare, baby."
She looked at him.
"Indy. Oh Indy! It was horrible! I could see, see everything!" she wailed.
She sat up and Indy hugged her.
"Ssh", he soothed. "It's okay. It's over now."
She drew back.
"How are you feeling, Indy?"
He smiled wanly.
"Tired", he answered.
Indy looked over at Short Round who was still fast asleep.
"How is he?" he asked.
"Oh, he's just fine. Went out like a light."
Indy smiled.
"Good."
Indy took her hand and led her out of the room.
"Indy, what's going on?"
He turned to her and smiled.
"Trust me."
He led her to his room and closed the door behind him. He then turned to Willie and led her to the bed and he sat down. She followed, sat on the bed, and he kissed her gently at first and then more passionately. As they came up for air, Willie gasped.
"Wow. That was one helluva kiss!"
He smiled.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
He kissed her some more and she nuzzled his neck and kissed him…
Indy woke up.
He was disorientated and it took him some time to realise that he was in his suite at Pankot Palace. For a moment, he wondered if he had dreamt the whole thing, the children in slavery, the Sankara stones, and the fight with the mad priest, Mola Ram on the bridge. Then he remembered. They still had to take the stone to the village. He got up, got dressed in his pants and shirt, put his boots on and then put on his leather jacket. He left the room and went to Willie's suite. Empty. He then returned to his room and then put on his gunbelt and attached the whip to the whip holder. Indy then walked to the Pleasure Pavilion, where they had previously attended the banquet. The long dining table, once finely laid out with plates, cutlery and food was now a mess, covered with broken glass. He heard voices and followed them. There, he found Willie, Short Round and Captain Blumburtt outside in the Pleasure Pavilion gardens.
Short Round smiled when he saw Indy.
"Dr. Jones!" he exclaimed, running over to Indy and throwing his arms around him.
"Indy! How you feel?", he asked, genuinely concerned for his friend.
"I'm okay, Shortie. And you?"
"Oh, he great", beamed the boy.
Short Round let Indy go and the archaeologist turned to Willie and Blumburtt.
"Hey, Indy", she said.
"Hey Willie. Captain. Is everything okay?"
"Absolutely fine, sir," replied Blumburtt. "You look well, Dr. Jones."
"I feel better, that's for sure."
"Well", began Blumburtt. "We are ready as soon as you are."
They left the temple and were escorted to the village by Blumburtt and his troops and left them on the outskirts of the village. The three said their goodbyes to Blumburtt and his troops and continued on walking back to Mayapore village, and stopping as they entered the village, as the children appeared behind them, and ran into the village to their parents, hugging them with joy.
"My God!" muttered Henry. "The three of you were lucky to get out of there alive."
"We were. Marcus was beside himself when I told him what had happened."
Indy and Henry caught up with Sallah and Marcus.
"Is everything alright?" asked Brody.
"Couldn't be better", said Henry, smiling at his son.
"Well, I must say. It's wonderful to see the both of you getting on so well," said Marcus.
"Well," began Henry. "I nearly lost him twice on this adventure, and that was two times to many."
"But it was fun", quipped Indy.
"Fun?" snorted Henry. "You think this was fun?"
He turned to the others.
"My son was telling me about the time in Kazakhstan and the rather irate sultan who…"
Indy shot his father a look.
"Dad!"
Some hours later, they arrived in Iskenderun where Indy, Henry and Marcus said farewell to Sallah.
Sallah pulled Indy into a great bear hug.
"Indy, my friend. It has been wonderful seeing you again. I am so sorry that I have to say goodbye to you once more."
He let Indy go and the archaeologist smiled.
"I'll miss you too, Sallah. Take care, my old friend, and thanks for everything."
Sallah hugged Henry and then Marcus and then turned to Henry.
"Henry, before I go, I must tell you. You are very lucky to have a son like Indy."
Indy smiled.
"You don't have to tell me", said Henry, smiling at Indy. I already know. Indiana can be quite reckless at times."
Indy rolled his eyes. Oh, here we go, he thought.
Henry continued. "He takes risks and he rushes headlong into danger."
Indy was about to say something, when Henry broke into a huge grin.
"But, he is resourceful, brave, stubborn and makes a pretty good opponent in a flight. Ah", he sighed. "I taught him everything he knows."
"Dad", began Indy. "I hate to break it to you, but, yes, my knowledge of languages and ancient cultures is all down to you, but the fighting. Sorry dad, that all mine", he smiled.
Marcus piped up. "Oh and Henry, don't forget.", putting a hand on Indy's shoulder. "Your son turned out to be one of the most popular professors on the campus."
Before Indy could reply, Henry broke in.
"What?" he snorted, playfully. "More popular than me?"
Everyone laughed.
"Thanks for the compliments", said Indy.
Henry smiled.
"You deserve them son. We're just glad that you're alive, Indiana. No-one more than I."
Indy, Henry and Marcus said their last goodbyes to Sallah and headed towards the airport. The three men boarded the plane and Marcus, not used to the adventurous lifestyle that Indy was so accustomed to, instantly fell asleep in his seat. Henry had to admit that he did feel tired but also felt exhilarated after their recent adventure.
As soon as they were settled, Indy wanted more to close his eyes and sleep. He was thrilled that he and his father were talking and getting on so well and it was great that after all this time they could be friends. Indy took off his fedora, rested his head on the back of the seat, put his hat over his face and closed his eyes. He was just about to drift off, when Henry put a hand on his shoulder.
"Indiana."
Indy's eyes opened and he reached his hand up to his fedora, and pushed it up onto his head.
"Dad. What is it?" he asked tiredly.
Henry smiled.
"Son, you never told me."
Indy was confused.
"Told you what?"
"Well, my boy. What happened after you returned the rock to the village?"
"Oh, that. No offence Dad, but it's been a really long adventure and I'm really tired."
"Oh. Of course, son. I'm sorry. I was just curious."
"It's okay. I appreciate the sentiment."
Henry nodded.
"Get some rest, son."
Indy placed the fedora over his face, leant back and closed his eyes.
Some time later, Henry woke up and glanced over at his son who was sat back in his seat, asleep, his fedora covering his eyes. Henry, smiled, grateful that his son was still alive and couldn't believe how close he had come to losing him.
Henry, smiled, closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.