A/N - I've updated this chapter to my original idea

Chapter 7

"Maria." Georg breathed.

Indiana hadn't taken his eyes off of the gang. "Hey…" He said, his arms starting to rise harmlessly in the air.

Georg should have followed suit, to show he was not a threat, but all he could see was the fear in Maria's eyes. "Let her go."

The leader, sweaty and angry, smirked. "Why, we just found each other."

Something cold and dark settled in Georg's stomach. "Let. Her. Go."

Maria gulped. "I'm sorry, Captain."

The leader held her closer. "Quiet," he snarled and then looked up at Indiana. "Where's my ring, Dr. Jones?"

The American's shoulder nudged at Georg, who finally raised his hands as well, his eyes not leaving Maria's.

"There is no need to hurt anyone." Indiana's voice was calm, and he didn't give any indication he was going to reach for his firearm or that inexplicable bullwhip.

"Then why did you bring anyone along, Dr. Jones?" their leader asked.

"Sightseeing," Indiana replied.

"Bullshit," the man spat. "Where is it?"

Indiana's eyebrows rose. "Where is what?"

The leader waved the gun back and forth. "Are you really going to do that?" He returned the gun next to Maria's head. She released a shaky breath.

"Stop it!" Georg spat, instinctively moving closer. Indiana reached out and held him back before he took another step.

The leader aimed the gun at Georg. "Just tell us where the ring is, and your girlfriend can go free."

"Captain…" she said.

"Captain?" another man, wearing a black hat, asked. He studied Georg. "Where do you find these people, Dr. Jones?"

The leader exhaled. "All we want is the ring," he said.

Indiana shook his head. "We tried looking for it," he said. "Good luck finding a specific religious artifact in a church. We searched up and down. It's not there."

Georg could barely hear the conversation above the roar in his ears. He knew he should be focused on the men in front of him. But the sense of terror was too strong. All he could think of was Maria, and he was powerless to prevent images from popping into his mind, each bleaker than its predecessor. It was inexcusable that he let his guard down for one second! He never should have agreed to this adventure. It had started as chaos and was now spiraling out of control. If anything happened to her, he would -

The leader exchanged a look with the black-hatted man. "Maybe we should all look again. She can be our little guest."

Georg's jaw twitched, and Indiana's hands flickered at the wrists. "It doesn't seem too smart to add kidnapping to your list of charges."

The other man laughed. "What charges?"

The conversation went back and forth, testing the limits of Georg's patience. His heart was hammering in his chest, and he was dangerously close from grabbing Indiana's gun from the holster. He had to force himself to hold back.

Maria swallowed, her gaze not diverting from the Captain. He watched, not sure what was running through her mind.

The leader smiled, his face pressing against hers. Georg's stomach recoiled. "Why don't you and I look again? Just the two of us." He looked at the Captain. "Doesn't that sound like fun?" Not understanding his words, Maria uselessly tried to free herself. The man only held her tighter. Georg's elevated fists clenched in the air.

Desperate to defuse the situation, Indiana gestured around. "Let's just have a talk," Indiana began.

"We're talking… let's start walking," the leader said and shifted his grip on Maria, the gun starting to lower. The others around him likewise turned toward the church.

A new expression was pushing out the fear in Maria's face. Something Georg didn't think he preferred. Next to him, he felt Indiana twitch, eager to reach for the weapons, but they both knew they could do nothing with Maria in such danger. Maria appeared to be aware of that too. And to Georg's horror, she seemed like she was going to do something about it.

He tried locking eyes with her, willing her to not do whatever she was thinking. She wasn't a fighter! She was a postulant who sang like an angel and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. To take action.

To take action…

"No," he whispered.

"She wouldn't…" Indiana returned.

The leader straightened, his patience depleted. He waved his gun at Georg. "Let's go, fancy man… I'm tired of this sh-"

But the leader's threat was never completed. Georg watched, helpless, as Maria moved before anyone realized she'd done anything. It wasn't much, merely a distraction. The leader's threat was silenced as she bent forward, taking him down with her. The gun dropped from his hand. All four men turned, and that was just what Indiana needed. He once again released his bullwhip and snapped it at a man wearing a black hat. He screamed in pain as their leader charged at Indiana.

Taking the gun, Georg only had one objective in the mayhem. He reached for Maria and shoved her behind him as he stood facing the fourth man, who was slightly older who had an unkempt mustache and a sinister glint in his eyes. There was a momentary pause before Georg thrust his arm upward, deflecting the man's gun arm and causing the weapon to shoot into the air. Georg easily blocked the upcoming punch and immediately gave a return blow, sending the gun flying.

Indiana was taking on both the leader and two others. Shots echoed throughout the alley, and in the back of Georg's mind, he prayed that Maria had the common sense to go into the relative safety of the trees or behind the car.

There was a shout of pain, and the Captain looked over to see the leader rolling on the ground in agony as Indiana dealt a knock-out punch to another combatant. The man's black hat flew upward as he crumbled to the ground.

Distracted, the Captain did not dodge his attacker's punch in time, and he stumbled backward. Momentarily dazed, he looked up as the man facing him. He revealed a knife, and was about to deliver a definitive blow. Georg jumped quickly to his right, reaching for the gun he'd dropped in his tumble. The other man realized his goal at the same moment, and he, too, leapt for the weapon.

Reaching it simultaneously, Georg's shoulder seared with white hot pain as the man's blade ripped through his jacket. Ignoring the fiery ache, Georg lunged forward to claim the pistol with his uninjured arm. His opponent grabbed his wrist, and the two struggled, nearly matched in strength. They shuffled over the pavement, and Georg pivoted to slam the man into the car. "You like scaring young women?" he growled and shoved the man again. The action allowed him to feel a release of pent-up tension and anger.

Gasping for breath, the man sagged against the frame, and Georg took advantage by pushing him toward the ground. Fully grasping the gun with his good hand, he held it steady over the thief, who wisely chose to stop fighting. In the distance, Georg heard a police siren's wail.

"Get over to the wall," the Captain said, wiping the sweat from his brow. He noticed blood seeping through his sleeve, and with the adrenalin fading, his shoulder started to throb. He looked around to see Dr. Jones standing over his three assailants and clutching his side. Georg had barely managed to detain one man; how his friend had subdued three was a mystery. Perhaps there was something to having a bullwhip on hand.

"Are you all right?" Georg asked.

Indiana nodded. "Luckily their aim is bad, and their reflexes even worse," he explained and gestured to the leader, whose face was contorted in pain. "This one was shot in the leg."

Nodding, the Captain handed the gun over; Indiana held it steadily over the thieves.

The siren was piercingly close. They looked up at the same moment to see Maria running towards them, followed closely by a half-dozen local policemen. She met the Captain's gaze, relief causing her entire countenance to shine. He smiled at her, the sight of her unharmed making him feel dizzy. Or perhaps that was the ache in his shoulder.

Guns drawn, the police surveyed the scene.

"What happened here?"

"It's a long story, officer," Indiana began. At the sound of his accent, their eyes narrowed.

Georg stepped forward. "These men are grave robbers, and they also chased us from Salzburg." He waved at Maria, the memory making him shudder. "And threatened the Fräulein's life."

"And who are you, sir?"

"Baron Georg von Trapp."

The men straightened and lowered their guns. Indiana glanced quickly over at his friends. "Baron?" he asked.

Georg shrugged, the motion making him wince. He grasped his shoulder, surprised at the sharp pain causing his vision to temporarily blur.

"Captain!" Maria exclaimed, holding him steady.

A/N - I apologize for the lack of explanation/logic for how the villains kept coming up. I'm sure they have their ways.