Epilogue - New York City, 1956

The lobby was becoming less stuffy as the patrons continued to depart. The dim lighting and softly playing Chopin over the speakers created a calming atmosphere, and the scent of liquor and candy still sweetened the air. The theater had been small, but the performance was intimate and heartfelt. It was not something any of the remaining visitors would have put on their list of preferred activities for an evening.

"Well, that was just as boring as I thought it was going to be."

Dr. Indiana Jones turned to the young man with the slicked pompadour and leather jacket. Mutt Williams' version of dressing up was to wear a clean t-shirt and shave. It was enough that Indiana could persuade his son to even attend the event with him.

His son… something he hadn't even considered until the moment the woman latched onto Indiana's arm had changed his world just a few months previous.

"Oh it's not so bad, Mutt," Marion said in a tone that sounded forced, even for her.

Indiana shrugged. "Okay, I know Austrian folk songs aren't high on anyone's list of things to like, but this was important to me."

Marion grinned up at him. "Because you had an adventure with the family twenty years ago?"

"Well, yeah," Indiana said, wondering if they would remember him.

A door opened behind them, and, instead of a crowd, just three people emerged. They were no longer dressed in traditional Austrian regalia but in contemporary garb. It was oddly disconcerting to see them in 1950s New York City; they felt locked in Indiana's memory. The whole episode about a nun's ring was almost idyllic in his mind; the beauty of the Austrian countryside, the distinctly European architecture, and the lovely formality and barely concealed attraction between his two companions for that day. Even the not-uncommon scuffle of car chases and gun fights seemed nostalgic to him.

But, even donned in the latest fashion, there was no mistaking the two older people approaching.

"Dr. Jones!" Maria von Trapp exclaimed. Still with the sparkling eyes and the wide smile, she was less like a regal Baroness and more in line with a breezy wisp of mountain air..

Indiana knew a foolish grin had spread over his own face. "Hello, Fraulein, er…" His faux pas had been cut off by a very strong hug.

"Oh please!" Maria exclaimed and drew back.

His head dipped. "Baroness," he corrected himself and then saw the figure to Maria's side. He extended his hand. "Captain."

Grayer and thinner, Captain von Trapp's enthusiasm was just as plain as his wife's, even if not as exuberantly displayed. "How good it is to see you, Dr. Jones."

"Indiana, please." He gestured to his family. "This is my wife Marion and our son...Henry."

The young man scowled. "You can call me Mutt," he said and flashed a smile to the young woman who, upon a closer look, was very much like the Maria Indiana had met twenty years earlier, yet with the Captain's refined air. She smiled shyly at Mutt's attention.

"This is Edeline," Maria said.

Indiana privately noted the girl was too young to have been one of the seven children who'd been enthralled with his adventures two decades ago. She looked to be Mutt's age.

"Eddie, you remember the story of when your mother and I went on an adventure with an American archeologist?" the Captain asked.

The young woman nodded. "Oh, yes, all about the Ring of Saint Erentrude," she answered, grinning. "The perils increase with each re-telling."

Mutt's reaction was perhaps a bit too strong, but he wasn't as suave as he'd presented himself to be. Indiana gave his son a knowing look before turning to his old friends. "When you were a postulant," he said to Maria, who beamed at the Captain.

"Whatever happened to the ring?" Marion asked.

The Captain folded his hands behind his back. "I believe it's in a safe now, well protected."

"And did you ever find that other artifact those thieves had also taken?" Maria asked.

Indiana was impressed she'd remembered. "Yes, not too long after we parted ways. I guess you can say you brought me luck."

Maria scoffed. "The Lord guided you," she corrected.

Marion gave Indiana a shove with her elbow, and he cleared his throat. "You're all famous now," he said to his friends.

Georg took his wife's hand. "After a few uncertain years, we found our footing in America."

"If I'd known you were here, I would have helped," Indiana said.

"We didn't know where to find you," Maria said.

"Tell me about it," Marion threw in.

A member of the theater's staff walked over to the group. "Excuse me, Captain von Trapp, but your reservation is ready."

"Yes, the others are waiting for us," Maria said and then turned to her friends. "Oh, do come with us to dinner."

"We'd love to!" Marion exclaimed. Mutt, who was trying his hardest to be very cool for Edeline, nodded in a disinterested way.

"Excellent! We have lots to catch up on," Georg said and glanced over at his daughter. "Edeline..."

The young lady offered another smile to Mutt befor going to her father, leaving a suddenly much more enthusiastic Mutt staring after her. The group started to head out the door.

Maria stepped next to Indiana. "I sense you found your peace, Dr. Jones?"

A smile tugged on Indiana's mouth as he watched Marion walk ahead of him. "Yeah, I did," he said and turned to her. "And you too." He was rather curious to learn how Maria decided to forego living at Nonnberg Abbey to become Baroness von Trapp. Indiana hadn't needed a doctorate to observe how they felt about each other, and he was rather pleased at how things worked out. For all of them.

A knowing smile fell over the Baroness. "God is good," she declared as the group made their way into the bright New York sunshine.

End

A/N - Edeline is from my Christmas story, Heavenly Peace.

I'm so flattered that people enjoyed this story. It was a challenge to write with the action and the history, etc. Combined with the fact that it was originally written on an archaic 2005 laptop, it was a struggle to be motivated to finish it. But the idea tickled me and one good thing came out of this surreal time in 2020 is that I finally focused and completed it.

Disclaimers: The Sound of Music belongs to 20th Century Fox (and now Disney) Indiana Jones belongs to Lucasfilm...also now Disney. So Mickey, please don't get all miffed. This story is pure nonsense and no money was made.