I'm grounded.

Punished.

Without any rights besides eating, sleeping and breathing.

And also...you know, getting the occasional visit from Indiana Jones when everyone else is asleep.

I'm still waiting for that to happen, however. Forgive me for hoping and wishing.

I've been in my tent for God-knows-how-many hours. I've had several moments where I've considered going on a killing rampage, because let me tell you that being stuck in a tent does things to your mind. I'm bored, tired, dirty, and so confused.

It's sometime past midnight, meaning I've been in here for about twenty four hours or so, and I'm sprawled out on the dirt floor, counting grains of individual sand. I'm kicking my legs back and forth and trying to keep the homicidal urges away.

I'm just about to scream in frustration when a voice snaps me out of my internal ravings.

"Marion? Are you awake?" Indy walks into my tent hesitantly.

Like a cat, I leap and pounce, nearly strangling the poor guy in the process. That wasn't my intentional goal originally, but its a nice way to release my pent up energy.

"What is going on? Why am I stuck in here? Who was that French guy? And why was Patches here?" The gazillions of questions come pouring out of my mouth like vomit. "Is Abner mad at me? Why were you holding a pistol? Who were--mph!"

I'm completely silenced as Indy reaches down, pulls my face to his and kisses me. I can't say that I didn't miss those lips on mine in the last day or so, because in all honesty, they were one of the only things I could think about while trapped in here. I don't care about my unanswered questions right now.

And besides, who am I to say no to such a generous gift?

In the midst of all this luscious lip action, I somehow end up sitting on my chest of drawers, making Jones and I the same height. My fingers are knotted in his hair, his arms are completely around me, covering the expanse of my back. I'm hardly registering anything other than the fact that we are kissing. He is everywhere as of right now, his hands, his lips, his eyes, I'm completely unable to stop myself and (as sad is this is to say about my slaggish ways) I probably will never find the courage to stop.

In the end, he's the one who pulls away from me, grinning like an idiot. I suppose his expression is quite the opposite of mine, me looking confused and on quite a high buzz from the recent snog.

"You're brilliant." He says continuing to smile at me. "You know that, right? You. Are. Brilliant."

"What did I even do?" My voice sounds weak as if I just ran ten miles. Might as well have.

"You lied. You lied and saved all our asses from getting killed." He cups my cheek and presses a kiss to my nose. "I'd never been so scared shit-less in my life until you came tumbling through the side of the bloody tent." He kisses me again, and it takes a full second to get my concentration back. "And then, when other girls would have been screaming to get out of there, you lied your way out. You lied us right of the situation!"

This, as ultimately flattering as it is to hear, does not explain any of my questions whatsoever. But I can't bring myself to mention anything more as he kisses me yet again.

It's pathetic how easily I can become a puddle in this guy's hands.

Several minutes later, I'm sporting mussed hair, swollen lips and gulp-like breaths. Indy is still in front of me, still smiling like the bloody sun. I place my head on his shoulder and try to steady myself, though its possible I might fall over any second. He laughs quietly and kisses my hair.

"W-who were those people?' I ask, once I've regained my breath. I need to stop him from kissing me, because as much as I crave those lips, I'm sure that if my heart rate does not slow down that I'm going to die of a heart attack.

I can feel him stiffen beneath me and start to pull away, but I latch my hands around his neck and glare. I may need him to stop kissing me, but I certainly never said anything about not touching me.

He's avoiding my gaze, looking at the floor rather than me. After a short silence, he grunts, "They were looking for the Headpiece."

I already know this, but a twist of fear still trickles into my body. "How did they know about it?"

A smile tugs at his lips as he looks amusingly at me. "Patches."

"He was spying on us in the market place." The realization comes spilling out and Indy nods.

"Who was the French guy?"

He doesn't answer, and the look on his face keeps me from asking again. I bring up another question.

"If I'm as 'brilliant' as you say, for saving the day and all, then why am I confined to the tent of madness forever?"

"The tent of madness?" I can make out his smirk in the dark.

"Yes, because I am going mad in here."

"More mad than usual?"

I pause, mulling it over. "Yes."

He laughs and then says, "Abner is terrified to admit that you breaking the rules saved his sorry ass." He grins at me. "How much did you hear when you were eavesdropping?"

I explain what I heard, ignoring the feeling that Indy will probably tell Abner all of this. Jones proved to be a rather fantastic and also rather distracting audience, yet I somehow managed to finish my tale.

He watches me warily, looking really worried.

"What?" I ask, kissing him once on the lips.

"Abner is putting up a night watch." He says quietly, "He thinks they're going to come back."

"They might, they might not." I answer cheerily.

"You don't get it, Marion," He says, shaking his head, "Our entire dig is in danger. If they find the Headpiece, well, that's an entire life's-worth of work that your father loses."

I don't reply, simply biting my lips and staring at him.

"Now, Abner is going to free you tomorrow morning. I'm supposed to be asleep, but I needed to talk to you. When you become ungrounded, you are not to leave my sight, alright? I don't care if you enjoy privacy, because as of now, you have none."

Spending 24/7 with Indiana Jones? What the hell is there to complain about?

YES!!!!!!

I resist the urge to do my victory dance and instead sigh. "If I must."

"I need to go." He says after a few seconds. "Promise to stay within my line of vision?"

I roll my eyes, "Promise."

And with that said, we share one more kiss, rather long and yummy when you think about it.

He whispers in my ear, "Have fun in the tent of madness, and do try not to kill yourself."

He walks out, muttering happily about 'mad women' under his breath.

The only reason I'm able to post this is because I'm home sick with a fever and truly hating it. Do me a favor and review/check for typos? And if you're wondering how I'm doing, check out my profile.