Three - A Decision

Still nothing from the Temple - she was rigorously checking, of course. Only more lost stories. And still no Dr. Jones.

If the archaeology community had been abuzz before, it certainly was now.

Josephine didn't know what to think, didn't know what to do. Her uncle's words from their phone conversation repeated themselves in her head:

"Though I'm sure Indy will find a way, he always does."

But what if this time he really needed help?

As well as their conversation, her own thoughts afterwards repeated themselves in her mind as well:

I wish there was something I could do...

I wish there was something I could do...

But what could she do, really? She wasn't officially an archaeologist, not by the community's terms and standards anyways, and all she knew about the case of the Temple specifically was what she had heard and gathered from the newsreels and papers and her own research.

A thought popped into her head then, and as soon as it did, she laughed out loud at herself.

I could go, I could help.

How silly of her! What was she thinking? She was just being silly - all of her interest in and research of the Temple and the recent discoveries around it had made her feel involved in the search, even as removed as she was. She wasn't really involved, not at all, just another interested outsider captivated by the alluring tales and who couldn't wait to hear the latest news and receive any sort of update there may be.

So what on Earth was she thinking?

I mean really. How could you? She chastised herself, still laughing at her silliness -she would even go as far as say stupidity. What could you possibly do? And how? Again, she was so far removed from it all.

But she was passionate, there was that much, and she always felt this was one of her assets and strong suits in the job and beyond.

I could go, I could help...

Ha! There it was again! Ha! She would be going into it armed with only her passion for archaeology and determination.

But maybe that was all she needed...

"Bloody hell..." Was she really thinking what she thought she was thinking?

Yes, yes she was.

Oh yes.

In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she pondered it, the more ridiculous it seemed, but also, at the same time, the less ridiculous it seemed as well, if that even made any sense...

She wasn't really making all that much sense, even to herself, at the moment.

But now that she'd had the thought, she couldn't possibly get it out of her head.

It was trapped - and she was trapped with it.

"What the bloody hell am I doing?" What the hell had she been thinking more like?

How could she even possibly consider, even possibly entertain the idea of herself going - alone - all the way to India and to the site of the Temple?

It was absolutely wild, her thoughts. How could she possibly pull something like that off? All she would be doing was chasing a fantasy...

Chasing her lifelong dream.

Was it really herself talking, she realized, shutting down this idea as quickly as it had come into her head? Or was that her doubts taking over? The words of her male colleagues controlling her thoughts again.

"Oh, you're so cute, Josephine, wanting to be an archaeologist."

"You'll never make it into the field."

"You really think anyone would let you get that far? You belong in the library, that's your job."

Diminishing her, as well as her dreams, as if she and them were nothing.

I'm good at my job, I know what I'm doing. There she was, those were her own thoughts, strong and free of any doubts, so she settled on those.

I know what I'm doing, I can do anything I put my mind to. I'm good at this, I've done my research. I would make a brilliant archaeologist, thank you very much!

There we are, that's the spirit! If she kept that up, then one day she really could be Dr. Josephine Scarlett, Doctor of Archaeology. An archaeologist, her dream.

Her confidence steadily boosting now, she decided to run with it and dialed the phone. She called into the library, reaching Mrs. Barnham, the head librarian.

"Hello Josephine, Love, how can I help you?"

"Hello Mrs. Barnham. I'm just calling because something's come up - a family thing..." Not a total lie... Her uncle was involved...

"Oh! Nothing bad I hope?"

"Not terribly... But I will need some time off."

"Of course dear. Take all the time you need, we'll manage - but we'll miss you though." Thankfully for her, her boss was very understanding and reasonable, and a sweetheart.

"You're a saint, Mrs. Barnham, thank you."

All right, that call was made and done - one down, and one to go. Now onto the next one - her fingers were trembling with excitement as she dialed the next number: that of the airport. "Hello, I would like to book a flight please."

"Destination?"

"To India."

Yay, soon we will reach the Temple! ;) Also, I need some of Josephine's confidence - you go girl!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)