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Chapter 13: A Lull

Venice, Italy

Sunlight streamed into a motel room. In the bed, Indiana Jones rolled off Marion Ravenwood, eliciting a gasp from her. He rested his head on the pillow over her and wrapped an arm around her. Marion kissed his collarbone.

Indy chuckled. 'That was better than I remember it.'

'That a compliment or just a statement, Dr. Jones?' Marion smiled and rolled onto his chest.

Indy smiled and stroked her hair back. 'Whichever you like.'

Marion took the hand that Belloq and the others had broken. 'It looks like you're fully healed.'

'Hm, yeah.' Indy rubbed her back. 'And some pretty girl was smart enough to make me better in more ways than one.'

'Really?' Marion rested her head on his chest. 'And who was that?'

Indy chuckled and slid his forefinger along Marion's cheek. 'How the hell did you get so smart, honey?'

'It's a gift,' Marion said. 'That and I had the right people teaching me.'

'Hmm.' Indy stroked her hair rhythmically. 'The ones that helped you keep away from Abner?'

'Mm hm.' Marion closed her eyes with a contented smile on her face.

'Who are they?'

Marion tutted. 'You'll find out in good time, sweetie.'

'Aw.' Indy groaned in disappointment.

Marion smiled and leaned up. 'Indiana Jones, haven't you ever heard that good things come to those who wait?'

Indy smiled. 'Before we started last time, Nick told me that nothing worth having is ever served with compliments.'

Marion laughed and sat up over him. 'Am I being served to you with compliments?'

Indy sat up, pulling her tight against him. 'The fact that I'm getting any part of you at all is a compliment.'

Marion grinned and they kissed. Indy rolled them over so she was pinned underneath him on the bed.

~NQM~

Marion sat with Indy in the café, looking out over the river streets. Before, she didn't actually know Indy even had a romantic streak in him. But this city was beautiful. Indy, on the other hand, was brooding.

Marion leaned over and slipped her hand into his. Indy looked at her and entwined his fingers with her.

'What's the matter?' Marion asked. 'You look like you're miles away.'

'Not too far, actually,' Indy said. 'I'm just thinking.'

'About?'

Indy sighed heavily. 'My father's poked around this city a fair bit. Apparently there's a stone tablet around here that'll tell him where the Holy Grail is. It's nothing, really.'

Marion smiled in amusement. 'There's only half a tablet, Indy.'

Indy looked at her. 'Come again?'

'Andor Dalen, another one of Adeola's and Elena's friends, he took off with half of that stone tablet.' Marion grinned at him. 'For the same reason Adeola has the headpiece.'

Indy managed to hold it together for a second or so and then he had to stifle laughter. He raised her hand and kissed her knuckles. 'You really are beautiful.'

~NQM~

'I ran into Abner about six years ago.' Indy walked down the street with Marion on his arm. 'In China.' They were heading back to the hotel.

Marion looked at him in concern. 'I wondered where he disappeared off to then. What happened?'

'Not much,' Indy said. 'He yelled at me for the affair. I punched him to the ground. I called him on the fact that all he wanted was to rule France. He had another slip and then he left.'

'Had another slip?' Marion asked. 'What'd he say?'

'Said it was foretold in the Psalms,' Indy said.

Marion scoffed. 'Oh, that! That's just what Abner thinks it meant. There was another prophecy like it. Means something completely different.'

'Prophecy?' Indy opened the door for her. 'So what are these Psalms?'

'I'll show you.' Marion walked in. 'I took off with them when I left.'

'That's my girl.' Indy chuckled. He followed her up and into their room.

Indy leaned on the bench as Marion walked over and dug through a bag she'd left in one of the cupboards. She came back over with a small book and put it on the bench Indy was leaning on. 'That's the Psalms,' she said. 'Actually, it's called the Royal Psalms.'

Indy picked it up and looked at the cover. He was vaguely aware of the fact that Marion's eyebrows raised when he did lift it. On the front was a single word in Latin. 'Nqm? To take vengeance. To restore harmony where there is discord.' He looked up at her. 'So what is it?'

'Do you remember when we were in Libya and the Shiyan attacked me?' Marion asked.

'Yeah.' Indy set the book down and sat in the stool by the bench. He pulled Marion into his lap. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. She'd been glorious. One seventeen year old girl had killed five full grown men in a matter of moments. 'You took that sword, said some odd poem…' That bit was strange. '…that sounded like it was made up of different parts of the Book of Psalms and then you creamed them.'

'That poem was the Psalm of Vengeance,' Marion said.

Indy picked up the book again and looked at her. 'Out of this?'

Marion nodded. 'Yes. Here's a bedtime story you wouldn't have heard. The Royal Psalms concern the future of those of Royal Blood. If someone is able to recite the poems within, they wield a power capable of anything.'

'You're right,' Indy said. 'That's one I haven't heard.'

'I thought so.' Marion grinned for some reason. 'Try opening it.'

Indy had a feeling and, sure enough, the thing wouldn't budge. Marion took it from him and easily opened it. 'The book choses who carries it and who it opens itself up to.'

Ah. That made sense. 'How long's Abner had this?'

'All my life.' Marion closed the book again and kissed Indy. 'I'm gonna put this away and then I'll meet you in the bedroom.'

Indy grinned as she hopped off his lap. She'd given him just about everything he'd ever asked her for now. A day or so ago, she'd pulled out that sword and let him examine it. As he thought, it was about two hundred years old and that crucifix had been welded on over a flame. Marion explained that it was called le Sabre de Beaumont and it had been the sword of D'Eon de Beaumont, the infamous transvestite.

Marion had also told him why the guy cross-dressed. If Indy wasn't so familiar with the supernatural, he wouldn't have believed it. But it did make sense. Poor fellow wasn't sure whether he was himself or his sister.

Indy stood up and walked into the bedroom. He opened the bedroom drawer and reached in. Flicking something else open, Indy smiled to himself. There was just one more thing he wanted to ask of his princess.

~NQM~

Marion lay back in the gondola as Indy rowed it through the streets. She opened her eyes when he stopped though. Indy sat down and set the oar down next to them. Marion sat up and grinned at him.

'You look nervous,' she remarked.

Indy smiled. 'I guess you could say that. I got a question for you.'

'Go ahead,' Marion said.

Indy reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet case. It looked like a jewellery case. When he opened it for her, Marion saw it was a jewellery case. She could barely believe what she was seeing and looked up at Indy's face for confirmation.

'Will you marry me?' Indy asked.

Nestled in the case was a diamond ring. Marion had never heard of anyone giving a diamond ring for a marriage proposal. It was just so Indiana Jones to do something like this. Just when she thought he only brought her here for a reprieve, he proposed to her with a diamond ring. But this was what she'd been waiting for since she met him.

'Yes!' Marion threw herself into his arms.

The gondola rocked but they both laughed. Indy leaned down and kissed her, hugging her tight. Marion knew why he chose this moment to ask though. He knew Abner would catch up to them eventually and he didn't want to risk losing her to some presumptuous asshole that Abner had cherry-picked.