Mexico City

Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico

June 30/July 1,1958

Marion had been here before, but she felt decidedly out of place wearing her camp clothes in the opulent lobby with its stained glass ceiling and exquisite Art Nouveau décor.

She brushes at her jacket and walked up to the desk . "We have a reservation"

Marion's smile could thaw even the chilliest of hotel clerks. "Su nombre, Senora?"

"Jones." That is my name, now. "Dr. and Mrs. Henry Jones."

The desk clerk handed Marion a room key, and asked her to sign the register A scrawled signature told her that Indy had already checked in. In spite of her misgivings , her heart quickened, as it had so many times when her Indy was near.

The concierge rang for a bellhop, who hefted her bags and led her to the elevator.

She followed him down the softly carpeted hall. Her eyes widened in surprise as he opened the door. Indy didn't have to get a suite….

Marion tipped the bellhop, and left her bags in the living room.

"Indy, honey?" she called softly, but there was no answer.

She slipped into the bedroom and was greeted by a familiar, and much-loved, snore.

Indy, wearing only his boxers, was fast asleep in the luxurious bed. He lay on his back with an open book on his chest and his glasses halfway down his nose. Gently, she reached over and moved the book. Then she unhooked the glasses from his ears, and placed them on the nightstand.

Oh, Indy. Marion eyes misted as she looked at her man- her husband, now. For a moment, he was that dashing young archaeologist with the cocky grin, again, and she was that lovesick teenage girl. This whole mess wouldn't have started if you weren't so damn adorable when you're sleeping, Jones. Of course, your son wouldn't have survived to near- adulthood if he wasn't so cute when he's asleep so perhaps that's just as well.

Once the glasses were off, Indy rolled over and burrowed into his pillow, mumbling in his sleep. Want something a little friendlier to cuddle, Indy? That could be arranged. But first…

Marion fingered her sweaty,-travel stained clothes and surrendered to the call of the sparkling hotel bathtub. She had a lovely wallow in hot water and bubbles. Then she went to her overnight bag for something filmy and soft that she hoped her Indy would like.

Indy's eyes opened when she snuggled in next to him and kissed his face.

"Happy Birthday, Indy" she whispered.

He shifted his arm and pulled her astride him "Mmmm…" he purred. "A gorgeous woman in a negligee. Just what a big boy wants to unwrap on his birthday." He reached for the straps at her shoulders. "C'mere, you…"

Next morning, a faint shaft of light poked through the curtained windows. Marion's hair was tickling her face, so she lifted her head to get it out of her eyes. That was a mistake, she thought as her stomach attempted a pole vault. She snaked a hand into the nightstand drawer and grabbed a packet of saltines she'd saved from the airline meal.

Eating a cracker flat on your back, that's supposed to help. Marion crunched slowly; trying not to wake the contented man sprawled out beside her. For a moment she thought it was working-but she soon realized that her traitorous stomach had been lulling her into a false sense of security.

Groaning, Marion sat up and grabbed her husband's shirt from the bedpost. Then she lurched into the en-suite bath- and was thoroughly, comprehensively sick. Afterward, she slumped on the tile floor and leaned her head against the wall, waiting for the waves of dizziness to pass. I had a little morning sickness with Mutt, but nothing like this. Could be I'm carrying a girl this time. But we're in a fancy hotel, so my chances of convincing Jones I'm sick from bad water are between slim and none. Maybe I can sneak back to bed before he wakes up? At least I didn't puke on that pretty nightgown he gave me for Christmas...

A shadow fell across the doorway.

Oh, shit. Indy. Ever hear of 'sleeping in,' Jones?

Indy crouched down beside his wife and helped her to her feet.

"Are you all right?"

"What does it look like? I'm fine, never better." Marion's attempts at sarcasm were cut short by a fresh spasm of retching. She tried to wave him back.

" 'M a little busy here, OK? So beat it, Jones"

He never had been good at following directions. Marion found herself supported by a strong arm, while Indy's free hand held her hair out of her face. Just when a woman's at her appealing sexy best, Marion thought wryly. At least it's just the dry heaves, now…

She didn't mean to turn her face into his chest when she'd finished. Really, she didn't. It just happened because the tile floor was so cold and he was so warm, and because her legs were so wobbly and he was so close. Jones didn't have to take it as an invitation to pick her up and carry her back to the bed, damn him.

He tucked the covers over her and began rummaging through his discarded clothes. "You need a doctor."

"No I don't."

"Honey, you're sick. Of course you do."

Marion levered herself to a sitting position, and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

"No I don't-at least not for another few months."

She took a deep breath, and faced the moment of truth. "Indy I am queasy, but it's not because I'm sick- it's because I'm pregnant."

She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and glowered at him. "You knocked me up again, you son of a bitch."

Indy sat down abruptly at the foot of the bed and gave her an incredulous stare.

"Pregnant. Pregnant. You're-you're pregnant?

"That's what I said."

Indy shook his head, but he couldn't hide the grin that was starting to take over his face. "You're –we're-you're-gonna have a baby? Another baby? Are you sure?"

Marion sighed. "It's not that hard, Professor. Yes, I'm sure and a doctor confirmed it. There's a bun in the oven, I'm preggo, the rabbit bought the big one."

"How far along are you?"

"About three months."

"So that would have been…Paris?"

"You bet- a little honeymoon souvenir, just for you. But if you even think about saying 'We'll always have Paris', buddy boy, I'll smack you with something."

Indiana's grin faded as he folded his arms and gave his wife an appraising look.

"You don't seem very happy about this."

Marion snorted. "Got it in one, Jonesy. What- you were expecting me to be thrilled with diaper duty, night feedings, and being the oldest mother in the PTA?"

"Goddammit, Marion. I don't think either one of us thought this would happen but we both knew it was possible. If you wanted us to…take precautions… on our honeymoon you should have said so!"

Marion glared at her husband indignantly. "I should have said so? It takes two to tango, mister- you should have offered!"

Indy folded his arms and glared back. "I should have offered –what the hell? Why? You've never wanted us to use anything as long as I've known you! And as I recall, the only thing you had to say on the subject was 'Please, Indy'!"

Indy's voice was starting to climb. "So now that we're finally married, you decided things are different and it's supposed to just dawn on me? Maybe I am an 'idiot man'- but couldn't you have at least explained it? Besides, I'm not the one who doesn't want this baby!"

'It's not that I don't want the baby. I just don't think it's wise to for me get too attached."

"You 'don't think you should get too attached?' What? You're this child's mother, for God's sake!"

Marion looked at her lap. "Look, Jones, I know some women get a 'surprise' in their forties, and do fine, but I miscarried after Mutt. I don't know if this one will make it to term."

The freckles he'd always loved stood out sharply on her pale, forlorn face. Indy's heart melted. He moved to sit down beside her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry. When did that happen?"

Marion leaned her head against him but her eyes were far away. "January of '41- middle of the Blitz. Col and I wanted another child- a brother or sister for Henry. He was over the moon when I turned up pregnant and just devastated when I lost the baby."

There didn't seem to be anything good to say to this. "I imagine so" Indy managed at last.

"It wasn't the same between us-Col and me- for a while after that. He couldn't get over that the baby you fathered lived, Indy and that his baby died. The fact that I'd had Mutt in peacetime -instead of going into premature labor in an air raid shelter-didn't seem to get through to him. Now, Col being Col, he was very kind to me. But it hurt him so, and he didn't deserve that. He deserved the happy wife and the houseful of kids that he always wanted. And then when we'd finally made our peace with it, started thinking about maybe trying again" -Marion's voice cracked- "he was killed."

Indy was still at a loss for words. So he just drew her head down to his shoulder and held her there.

When he finally spoke, Indy's voice was gentle, but sure.

"Marion, honey, there's a lot of things in this world I don't know-but there's a few that I do. Col fell like a ton of bricks the minute he saw you, and I'm sure he loved you when he drew his last breath."

"Does that bother you?"

"Sometimes. A little. Hey- if I'm gonna be honest, sometimes a lot. Then again- I understand how he felt. But-" Indy paused and licked his lips "there is one thing I want to know."

"What?"

"Did you wait this long to tell him you were pregnant?"

"No."

Indy looked at her questioningly.

She sighed. "It really doesn't have to be this hard, Jones. I waited longer. A woman's most likely to miscarry in the first three months so I waited till four to make sure I was out of the woods."

"And that's how long you were gonna wait before you told me? What if something...happened before then?"

Marion cuddled her head in and didn't answer.

Indy's eyes narrowed. "You weren't gonna tell me if you lost this baby, were you?"

She still didn't answer.

"Were you?"

She shook her head.

Indy knew he should be gentle with her right now, but he was hurt and angry, and the words spilled out before he could stop them.

"Marion. Don't I have a right to know? It's my baby, too. But you'd just shut me out–curl up in a corner and grieve all alone-not even give me a chance? Would you have done that to Col?"

"Maybe not. But then, Col was the kind of man who'd stick around for the parts that weren't fun."

And she said it so matter-of-factly. Indy felt like he'd been stabbed.

"That's great, just great," he spat. "So why the hell are you wasting your time on me, since I'll never measure up to Colin Perfect Williams, nature's nobleman and the best husband and father ever to live! Bet you would have been happy if this one was his. Well, fine!" He stood up, stalked over to the closet, and started looking for his shoes.

Marion felt very cold without her Indy's protecting arm. She wrapped up in the blanket and to her horror, began to cry. First puking, now this-oh goddamn hormones….

She tried to hold back her tears, but they wouldn't stop. So she bit on her knuckles to stifle the sobs as Indy, still with his back turned, finished dressing. Chin up, Ravenwood, she scolded herself. Maybe you'll have to raise another one alone but there's no cryin' in baseball…

Indy kept his eyes on his feet. "So", he said"since nobody needs me here I guess I'll go down and get some breakfast. Gonna pack while I'm gone, sweetheart?" he finished bitterly.

Marion started to answer him, but couldn't make a sound. She took a deep breath, gulped and tried again. "Do you...do you want your shirt back?" she finally croaked.

Indy turned around, irritated "Oh, keep the goddamn shirt", he snarled. "What the hell..."

Then he looked at her. Dark curls fell past her white face, and his shirt outlined those lovely breasts, that were already growing fuller to nourish his child. Silent tears spilled from those beautiful eyes and sheeted down her cheeks. Her set, tragic mouth was still swollen from his kisses.

The world stopped spinning. She thinks I'm going to leave her. Oh, God. What was he thinking? This was Marion, the love of his life. His beautiful wife, who was carrying his baby. And here they were, fighting like the fools they'd been 2O years ago.

The words didn't come easily, and the gesture was harder, but he held out a hand. "Marion," he said softly. "Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just runnin' my big mouth when I shouldn't have been."

He walked over to her slowly and crouched down beside the bed.

She turned her head away.

One finger reached out to brush her wet cheek.

"Don't shut me out. Please."

She sniffled. "Fuck you and the camel you rode in on, Henry Jones."

Indy figured this was all sweet-talking he was gonna get, so he slid back in beside her and replaced his arm. Marion stayed rigid and unyielding, turned away from him. They were quiet together for a long time.

She was still looking at the wall when she said "If it makes you feel any better, Indy, Colin and I had this same conversation, only the shoe was on the other foot. Col-well, Col said he hated knowing that no matter how hard he tried or what he did right, I would never love him as much as I loved you."

Indy couldn't stop a small, pleased smile from turning up the corners of his mouth.

"And of course I'm lots more fun in the sack than he was, right?"

Men. A faint trace of Marion's dimple appeared. "Of course you are."

"Say that to all the boys?"

"Just you. Oh, Indy, how can I make you understand? Colin was good man, and I tried; I tried my best, to be a good wife to him. But as good a man as he, was Col was never the love of my life, the light of my eyes, and the treasure of my heart. That was you. Always was and always will be."

Marion didn't resist when he turned her face toward him and tenderly touched his lips to hers.

Indy tried drawing her in again, and this time she sighed, relaxed, and settled. There's my baby. Both of them. Damn . He rested his cheek on her hair. "Are you as scared as I am?"

She puffed out a laugh. "More than you know. I had a teenage Jones to raise- you have no idea what you're in for, boychik."

"Oh yes I do -I was a teenage Jones. Good God. Now I'm terrified."

"On the other hand," Indy continued thoughtfully," maybe she'll be a teenage Ravenwood. Pretty as a picture, but hell on wheels, and she'll have me wrapped around her little finger. Just like her mama."

"As long as I'm still number one"

"Always. We did get married, Bright Eyes. Remember the part about 'in sickness and in health? I'm supposed to hold your head if you puke. The minister said so. And I'm pretty sure there was something about 'forsaking all others, keeping only unto her' in there, too."

Marion rallied, and gave him a sidelong smile. "Only pretty sure, Jones?"

"Hey, I wanted to kiss you so bad that my attention kept wandering. Can't blame a fella for that, can you? But yeah, I'm pretty sure. And I'm also pretty sure I've got something to do"

"What's that?"

Indy shifted her onto his lap, slipped one hand inside the shirt, and cupped her barely rounding belly protectively.

"I need to introduce myself to someone," he said, looking down. "So, um, hello in there. I guess we should start getting to know each other. My name's Jones-Henry Jones, Junior. Mostly I go by 'Indiana'. When you get bigger I'll tell you all about how I named myself after the dog. Your grandpa-he was 'Henry Jones' as well- called me 'Junior.' I didn't always like that. Your brother, who's another 'Henry Jones', calls me 'Dad', sometimes, or 'Indy'. He's not quite sure about me, even now. But then again I didn't raise him, and you and I aren't going to have that problem."

"Now your mother" he continued, "calls me 'Indy', too, at least some of the time. Sometimes she says 'Indy, honey' and I like that a lot. And sometimes, she puts her arms around my neck, snuggles up tight, and says 'my Indy' all soft and sweet in my ear. I like that the best. And," he patted the tiny swelling affectionately, "that may be how you got started, kid, 'cause I sure want to show her I'm her Indy when she does that."

"Of course" he chuckled, "your old man can't win 'em all. There's other times when it's 'Henry Jones, you fucking idiot.' I'm not so crazy about that. But you-you can call me 'Dad'. I'm your father."

Marion, who had been smiling, misty eyed through this monologue, suddenly drew a sharp breath.

"Marion?' Indy said sharply, "Is something wrong?"

She lifted a radiant face "Nothing's wrong, Indy-something's right, very right. She moved."

She pushed his hand to the right spot. "Here-twelve weeks is early so it's very faint, but try and feel it."

Indy kept still and waited, scarcely breathing, until he felt a tiny flutter against his palm. His face bloomed with wonder.

"Oh" he finally said "Oh my God. It's real-she's real. There's somebody in there."

"Yes, yes there is. And I think that was 'hi, Daddy" Marion turned her face into his neck.

"Indy, who did I think I was kidding? You know I can't bear the thought of losing her."

"I know. But I don't think we will. Our friend at Akator said they wanted to give us a gift, and I think this is it."

"A baby?"

"Not just a baby. Another chance to be a decent man. To be with the woman I love. To raise my own child."

"Happily ever after, Jones?"

He chuckled and squeezed her, gently. "Honey, you and I wouldn't know what to do with happily ever after if it hit us over the head with a rock. And," he drew himself up in mock annoyance, "I'll have you know the camel always spoke highly of you."

Indy swung his feet to the floor and stood. "Well. Since I'm a father again, I guess I'd better get off my sorry ass and start providing for my wife and child."

Marion giggled. "What, now?"

"Sure". He grinned. "If we were off in the back-beyond I expect I'd have to go kill something, but since we're in a hotel, how about I order breakfast from room service?"

"Huevos Rancheros?"

"For you, anything. But since one of us isn't dressed I'll tell them to leave it outside."