Wow, thanks to Pallas-Athena, Capt.MaryHarley, cHoCoLaTe-cHiHuAhUa, nomidemoogle, pam halliwell, pokey, iccle fairy, ThinkingLady, Beguile, Lady Allana Solo, BlackRose96, Paul, Kdawg, IndyJonesluvr, Birdhearted, and Mutt's Girl for their reviews. This is the most reviews I've ever got for a story and it means so much!

You guys expressed interest in another little ficlet, so here it is!

--

Marion Jones wiped her brow of the sweat starting to glisten on it. She looked into the family room where she saw her husband and son playing poker. "You know, it might be nice to get a little help in here!" She said.

She opened the oven and viewed the pot roast. She was never good at telling when meat was done. Better leave it in, she thought. Just to be sure. Just as she shut the door to the oven, Mutt walked in with an ill-tempered expression on his face. "Anything I can do, Mum?"

She laughed. "Set the table. And tell your father that he's cleaning up." She winked at her son. Mutt laughed, his bad mood forgotten.

He started to set the table, removing four plates from the cupboard. He glanced at his mother. "Are you nervous about him coming over, Mum?"

Marion threw an exasperated look at Mutt. "Of course not. He's a very pleasant man."

Mutt thought he might have detected a hint of sarcasm, but he decided to ignore it. "But, you haven't seen him in twenty years. And besides, Dad said you didn't like him back then."

Marion let out one of her signature laughs. "Okay, he's a little conventional. When I was your age I thought that was the worst quality in the world. I'm older now. I've changed – and I'm sure he has too." She said the last bit a little uncertainly, something Mutt picked up on.

He decided that he had teased her enough. "I'm sure dinner will go fine, Mum."

"Thanks sweetie." Mutt grimaced at the moniker.

Henry Jones Jr. entered the room, looking bored. "Dinner almost ready?"

"No thanks to you," Marion snapped.

He grinned slyly, reminding Marion of the dashing youth he used to be. "Sorry, Hun." He said apologetically. He walked over to her, grabbed her by the waist, and dipped her into a kiss.

Mutt gagged. Marion smiled then swatted at him with the hand towel. "Don't try to charm me, Indiana Jones."

Just as Mutt was about to jump between the two of them in an act of self preservation, the doorbell rang.

All three froze, their playfulness forgotten. No one moved. The doorbell rang again. "I'll get it." Mutt finally said. He walked slowly out of the room.

Marion at once started fixing her hair, a sure sign of worry. Indy chuckled softly. "It'll be fine. I think he's mellowed out since you last saw him." A lie. A complete and utter lie.

When Henry Sr. finally walked into the kitchen, Marion appeared calm as can be. She walked over to him and gave him a hug. Indy scowled when he noticed that his father hugged her back.

"Professor Jones! It's so good to see you again."

"And you, my dear." He looked at her quizzically, as if he had never quite seen her before. "It's been a while. Junior tells me congratulations are in order."

She blushed politely. "Yes. Forgive us for not inviting you. It was a very hurried wedding."

He just peered at her. "Yes…well. Let's eat shall we?" He turned to sit down at the table. Marion shot her husband a look of worry behind the professor's back. Indy returned it with a shrug of his shoulders.

Henry Sr. sat at one end of the table, with his son occupying the other end. Mutt took a seat on the side, and they waited for Marion to serve the food.

Marion pulled the roast out of the oven and placed it on the table. All the eyes in the room stared at it in silent horror. It had clearly been cooked too long.

Any other woman might have just burst into tears, but Marion remained untroubled. Her pride was too strong to let a burnt pot roast ruin her evening. "I made some side dishes. Eat the meat if you dare." No one touched it.

Instead she served salad, bread, and mashed potatoes, which turned out to be just a fine meal. They all ate quite contentedly, with very little conversation.

But just as Indy feared, it would not remain that way for long. Henry Sr. broke the silence before long. "So, it must have been a nice wedding?"

Marion paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. She didn't like where this was heading. "It was a beautiful wedding—small and very quick. Just the way we wanted it."

"Hmm." Henry Sr. ate a few more forkfuls of mashed potatoes. "You must have had some planning though?"

Of course. It was going to come back to him. "A little, yes," Marion replied.

"And you really couldn't take the time to invite me?" The words were spoken calmly and quietly.

Marion had had enough. "What are you insinuating?" She asked heatedly.

Indy looked at Marion pleadingly. Mutt looked at all of them rather nervously.

Henry Sr. decided to drop the act. He put down his silverware and looked his daughter-in-law straight in the eye. "I always knew you didn't like me. Which is why I can't help but think that you had a quick wedding just to have an excuse not to invite me!"

She scoffed out of indignation. "That's not true at all! The fact of the matter is that we wanted to have a quick wedding and we couldn't get an invitation to you in time! Why do you have to make it any more than that? Oh I know, because you'd rather think that you're the victim than accept the fact that your son has a family now and you don't!

Absolute silence fell on the room. Mutt's jaw was hanging down to the table. Indy was looking as if he had been waiting for years for this to happen. Marion and Henry Sr. were simply staring at each other.

The silence enveloped them all. Finally Mutt turned to his father. "So…I was thinking I would…uh…buy a new motorcycle. To…you know…replace the one I lost?"

It was a sad attempt at escaping the awkward situation, but Indy would take anything he could at this point. "I hope you don't think I'm paying for that..."

--

The meal finished shortly after the disastrous argument. Mutt and Indy held a conversation for the rest of the time, with Henry Sr. and Marion simply focusing on their food. When it came time to clean up, Mutt challenged his grandpa to a game of poker in living room, to which Henry Sr. accepted. Marion and Indy were left washing dishes.

As soon as they were alone, Indy turned to his wife. "What the hell was that?"

"He provoked me!"

"You told him that he's a victimizing old man who has no one left to live for."

"I guess it did come out sounding like that, didn't it?" She sighed.

"You know how he is, Marion. And to be perfectly honest, I don't think it's the wedding he's upset about."

Marion looked surprised at this. "What then?"

Indy grabbed some plates and turned on the hot water. "Mutt."

"Mutt? He's upset that he's got a grandson?"

"No. He's upset that he's losing a son."

Marion laughed out loud. "What is with Jones men and making every situation about them?"

Indy gave her a gentle shove. "I'm serious. Maybe he's mad that I've got a junior." The minute the words came out of his mouth he regretted saying them.

Marion let out a peel of laughter. "You've got a junior? Oh Indy, I love you."

He scowled. "Well maybe you could try loving my father? 'Cause he says he wants to be around more often."

This made Marion stop laughing. "I guess I have to go apologize, don't I?"

"Mhmm."

She made her way to the living room where she was amused to notice that Mutt was getting his butt kicked in poker.

"Oh c'mon gramps. No one gets a full house twice in a row."

"Accept it, my boy. You are playing with a master of cards."

Mutt looked up at his mother as she approached. Marion gave him a nod towards the kitchen and he took it immediately.

The two adversaries were left in the room together. Marion sat on the edge of the couch. She was never good at apologies.

"You know I didn't mean what I said in there. I really wished you could have been at our wedding."

Henry Sr. stared at his cards quietly. "I know. But there's some truth to what you said. Junior and I may have had our differences, but…well there are some things a father looks forward to. Weddings would definitely be one of those things."

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need, my girl."

--

The rest of the evening passed happily. More poker was played, every hand of which Henry Sr. won. By the time the old professor was heading towards the door, all good feelings had been restored.

"Perhaps I'll drop by on Tuesday." Henry Sr. was saying. "I can only be here in the morning, though."

"Sounds great, Dad." It was almost heartfelt.

"I'll have to find a date when I can see Mutt, though."

Mutt, who was standing right there, looked at his grandfather questioningly. "I'm here on Tuesday. Why wouldn't you see me then?"

Indy suddenly wanted his father to leave very badly.

"Well you've got school on Tuesday."

Mutt laughed. "Nah, I'm not in school. Dropped it."

Indy sucked in a breath.

Henry Sr. stood there looking at the young Jones for a moment. But then he did the most curious thing. He turned to Indy. "You're taking care of this, my boy?"

"As best I can, Dad."

Henry Sr. nodded. "Well goodnight, then. See you all on Tuesday."

He walked down the steps, got into his car, and drove off.

The three Jones just stood there in silence.

Marion was the first to turn in. Mutt soon followed her. But Indiana stayed out there, staring at the stretch of road his father had traveled on.

It suddenly hit him. He had a junior.

He had never quite appreciated his father as much as he did just then.

FIN

A/N: I was thinking about writing another little "ficlet" in this series about the late Colin Williams' parents coming to visit. I could definitely do something with that. But I'll only write it if you guys are interested. So please review and tell me what you think!