The University of Chicago was a fairly old building, recently renovated with more modern constructions, paved roads, gardens, fences to separate it from the public city streets, and electrical infrastructure. Despite all these improvements, the old, stone architecture still reared its head majestically over its grounds.

After coming back from the War, Indiana had spent exactly one year studying there, paying off his loans with a job at a movie set. Now he was back, another cheque from the bank in hand, an alien baby in the other, and an otherwise empty wallet, sitting in the payments office attracting stares from other students waiting with him. He was off like a rocket once his number was called, entering an enclosed office attended to by a clerk.

"Hi, I'm Henry Walton Jones. I have a cheque to pay my tuitions for the year-" Indiana began, only to be cut off as the woman on the other side of the desk shrieked.

"WHAT IS THAT!?" she pointed at Anna as she scrambled backwards, her chair scraping against the floor as she did so.

"Gu-Gah!" Anna responded, suckling on her own hoof as she stared at her.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, he waved the bank note in her face, "Henry Walton Jones. Major in Archaeology. Tuition for the year? Pretty please?"

The accountant's mouth shut, open, then shut again.

Indiana rolled his eyes, walking closer and holding out Anna towards her, "See? Her name's Anna. She's a baby, I'm taking care of her. She's kinda weird, but nothing to be afraid of. Now, write the payment down in your ledger, please?"

"Buhgahgahbah!" Anna babbled as she waggled her hooves towards the woman.

Reaching up and adjusting her glasses, the accountant blinked a few times. Her face went from shock to a disgusted frown as she grabbed the cheque from Indiana and picked up her pen. Eying the animal in his grip, she flipped through her accounting ledger until she found the right page. After several more glances at Indy and Anna, she shook her head as she scribbled onto the pages and closed the book, placing the pen back on the desk shortly after.

"Thank you," Indiana turned on heel towards the door, replacing Anna close to his chest as he walked back out the door.

Walking back out into the main hallway, Indiana adjusted his hat as he walked with purpose towards the faculty areas of the university. Scaling two flights of stairs and heading down a long, obscure hallway, he eventually passed a sign over an arch reading "UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO OFFICE OF ANTIQUITIES."

"Walk like you know what you're doing," Indiana whispered to himself as heads turned and followed him through the hall. Putting on a smile, he waved to the secretary at the front desk of the department as walked up, "Hi. Is Doctor Brody in? It's Indiana Jones."

The secretary's eyes instantly went to Anna, who was busy sucking on Indiana's right hand.

Following her eyes, Indiana faked a casual chuckle, "Oh? Her? Just something I brought back from a trip to Panama. Is he in?"

Blinking, the secretary finally diverted her stare and muttered something to herself. Taking a sip of her tea to stall for time, she eventually smoothed back her hair as she nodded nervously, "Y-Yes. I believe he came in not a few minutes ago..."

"Thanks!" Indiana bowed slightly as he hurried off down the hallway leading to Brody's office. Shifting Anna around in his arms, he kept his right hand free as he approached a door halfway down the hall.

MARCUS BRODY - CHIEF OF ACQUISITIONS

His knuckles rapped on the door as he steadied Anna on his shoulder, "Marcus! It's Jones! I'm back from Panama!"

There was a slight pause as he stepped back from the door. Soon enough, though, the knob turned and the door opened, revealing a middle aged man wearing a grey suit, red bowtie, white undershirt, and thin, right-swept black hair. Upon seeing Indiana, the man's face lit up, "Oh, good gracious, Indy! I thought you'd gone and died down there! I don't know what I'd have told to your father!"

"Nearly did die, Mr. Brody," Indiana said respectfully, "Got malaria. Spent a week in a mission hospital in a coma-"

Marcus's eyes went to Anna, resting between Indiana's arms, and he waggled a finger towards her before Indiana finished his sentence, "W-What is that... strange creature?"

Indiana chuckled nervously, adjusting his hat, "That's uh. She's why I wanted to see you basically straight after I got back.. uh, can I come in?"

Anna gave a side-on glance towards Marcus, squirming around in Indy's grip to get a better look at him. Eventually, she panned her vision back towards Indiana, who simply gave her a nervous grimace as Marcus made way for him to step inside his office.

Brody's office was nothing too special. A bookshelf lined an entire wall, with a few paintings and photographs on the opposite wall. Indiana spotted a picture of his father, Jones Sr., and himself as a young kid hanging on Marcus's wall. There was a desk, littered with papers, a typewriter, an inkwell, and a still-steaming cup of tea. Behind the desk was a window looking out into the college's track and field.

Marcus pushed the door closed behind him with a click, staring at Anna as he turned around, "Is that something you found in Panama?"

Indiana nodded as he leaned back onto Marcus's desk, "Yeah. When I got to Panama, I did more than just research. I found honest-to-God directions to the resting place of the Clock itself."

"The Compass. Clockwork Compass, Indy. It's not a clock," Marcus frowned as he gestured for Indiana to sit down, walking over to his own side of the desk.

Pushing the chair back with his foot, Indiana slid into the seat as Marcus sat down. He continued, "Yeah, whatever. Compass. There were these gangsters, Marcus. They were headed for it... and I had to go get it first. Made outta solid gold, had to be worth thousands."

"Not to mention the archaeological significance if a civilization that ancient had something that mechanically advanced," Marcus reminded, taking a sip of his tea.

"Yeah, sure," Indiana shrugged off, "Tramped around a week into the jungle. Finally found the place. Got in there, herniated my back, and when I got to the antechamber that the cl- er, Compass was in..." he hoisted Anna up slightly, "She was there. Just lying on the floor, crying like there was no tomorrow. And you should hear her cry, Marcus. Exactly like a human baby. It's wild. I couldn't see a mother, no nests, no anything, so I took her... along with the compass. I got intercepted by the gangsters from before, and I had to ditch the compass to get away, but I stole their transport on the way out and escaped the jungle alive. This is all I really have to show for it."

Marcus brow had fully furrowed, and he tapped his fingers on the edge of the desk as Indiana talked. Eventually, he removed his hands from his desk, interlacing them together as he leaned back in his chair, "Most interesting. I'm no zoologist, but I can say for certain it's an undiscovered species. Unguligrade, large brain-to-body ratio, vestigial wings, expressive eyes..."

Anna babbled, placing her forehoof in her mouth as she stared up at Marcus, ears flicking to and fro as the adults talked.

"Everyone I was around when I was coming back to the States kept saying it had to be intelligent. Like... human intelligent," Indiana brushed Anna's hair back, "Is there anybody you know that could, y'know, study her?"

Marcus hummed as he brought both his hands up to his lips. After a while, he spoke, reaching for his fountain pen, "I know a man. Dr. Richter. Studied at Oxford, Zoology. A close friend of my brother's, actually. We share correspondence once in a while, he's working in Philadelphia right now. For something like this, he'd be willing to make the trip," Marcus paused, watching as Indiana adjusted Anna's seating on his lap and continued to passively stroke her mane, "...You seem to have grown quite attached."

Indiana broke out of his reverie, looking up at Marcus. Almost immediately, he put his hand back to his side, letting out a slight cough as he did so, "Erm. She's cute. I just want everything to be taken care of responsibly and make sure she goes to the right people."

"You think it- she might have the needs of a human child?" Marcus quirked an eyebrow.

Indiana sighed, rubbing his chin as he stared down at Anna, "So far, that's exactly what she's had. Eating, sleeping, pooping, and repeating. She's babbling, and hell- I think she even has colic. We're both men of science, Marcus... I just don't know how to explain this scientifically."

Marcus tilted his head, leaning forward and taking a blank page from the left side of his desk, beginning to write, "Oh, me and your father have experienced our fair share of unbelievable happenings. Don't worry, Indiana, I'll make sure to get Dr. Richter up here as soon as possible; priority mail. Should take him a week at most. You think you can keep taking care of her for that long?"

Indiana sighed, "Marcus... school's starting up this week. I don't have a job - not even sure I can make rent this week. I don't got anything to take care of a baby with at home. Hell, I don't even have a full can of formula anymore-"

Marcus looked up from his writing and sighed. Reaching into his pocket with his free hand, he pulled out his wallet, "How much is your rent, Indy?"

Indiana's pride immediately bruised at Marcus fishing bills out of his wallet, "I mean, you don't have to-"

Marcus shook his head and pulled out a fifty dollar bill, "I'm 41, Indy. I have a stable job and a comfortable home. I'm not bailing you out from a mistake or something. Neither am I spoiling you. I'm keeping you alive and sane until you can pull yourself together on your own merits."

"Rent's twenty dollars a week," Indiana admitted.

Marcus added a ten dollar bill on top of the fifty, "There. Sixty dollars. Enough for rent, a babysitter or a daycare, and some supplies for her. No doubt Richter will require a few weeks to study her, and can't do that out of his hotel room. You can use the rest of it for incidentals then. If you really want to keep your pride intact, you can pawn off the goods if you give her up and pay me back, but I don't insist on it."

Indiana sighed, an earnest smile spreading across his face as he took the money, "Thanks, Marcus. You're a lifesaver."

"Bah," Marcus waved a hand, before fixing Indiana with a look, changing the subject as he said, "Mr. Ravenwood's teaching Archaeology this semester. I made sure they had your spot reserved even though your tuition was late. There's a creche on the college grounds, they should take babies. If you do it quick enough you can make it to his class."

Indiana nodded, quickly stuffing the bills into his pocket before he stood up, "Thanks a million, Marcus. You're a massive help!"

Marcus gave a wave as Indiana backed out of his office. With a sigh, he gave a glance over towards the portrait of Michael Brody, his father, hanging on the wall. Tapping his pen against his desk, he looked back down to the letter he was composing with a smile.

That Friday, Indiana slept in. Without classes, and with only a night shift at the restaurant he was working tables at, Indiana kept up with needing to spend the night awake comforting Anna by sleeping most of the morning... unless a class was happening, in which he had to stay awake to attend college. This, unfortunately, meant that Indiana was spending most of his time running on empty in terms of mental resources.

Mr. Ravenwood had already called him out twice in the two classes he'd spent with him since starting to the school year for nearly dozing out at his desk. The only things Indiana felt he did at home anymore was prepare food for himself, take care of Anna, and pass out on his bed. The place already smelled, dishes had piled up by the sink, and his bed was a state.

A knock echoed through the door of his apartment.

Indiana groaned as he was stirred from slumber, and he rolled over. Hopefully, they'd realize he was asleep and leave him alone.

Another knock came from the door, this time accompanied with the shout of, "Indy! It's me, Marcus Brody!"

The sound of Marcus's voice, combined with Anna stirring in her newly-bought crib and making noises finally convinced Indiana to leave the temptress embrace of his bed. Brushing a hand over the top of the crib as he walked past, Indiana got to the door, undoing the bolt and opening the door.

"You look like hell, Indiana," Marcus said almost as soon as the door opened.

Reaching up and rubbing his itchy eyes, Indiana felt the extra skin bagging up underneath his eyes, "Screams all night. Work or classes all day."

Marcus frowned, "Oh, that's not right at all."

"Colic or something. I think I told you already," Indiana shrugged, "The guy who said it said it'd go away in a month or so..."

A dark figure appeared behind Marcus, who stepped aside and gestured to him, "Well. Indiana. Sorry to disturb your sleep, but you should meet Dr. Johan Richter. He simply couldn't wait until next week for you to show up to the college again."

Indiana warily watched as the man approached. He was white, European if Indiana had to guess, around five foot and a half. He had blonde hair, green eyes, and a smile on his face as he approached, "Guten tag, Mr. Jones. Any friend of Brody is a friend of mine."

Indiana stared as the man offered his hand for a shake. Peering over at Marcus, he growled, "You didn't tell me he'd be a German."

Marcus's expression faded as he looked between the Johan and Indiana, "Oh... I... didn't know you were predisposed against..."

Clenching his teeth, Indiana hooked the edge of his foot against the side of his door, "I fought krauts like this guy for two whole years. They killed my friends, shelled my trenches, and nearly gassed me to death. His friends smashed babies' heads in in Belgium. If you'd been there, you'd think the exact same way."

Sleep deprivation coupled with his memories of the war made Indiana nearly slam the door shut right there and then, however the voice of the doctor interrupted him just as a sliver of door was open.

"Herr Jones. I understand your frustration..." he began, "I assure you, I am no soldier. I have a bad leg, and I was avoided during the drafts. I am purely a man of science," he stepped in front of the door, peeking through the gap, "War is a terrible business, I apologize to you for the harm my people caused. However, we should put aside our differences for this discovery you made in Panama, yes?"

Indiana groaned as he remembered why Richter was here to begin with. If he didn't get Anna looked at, he couldn't keep his promise to Rich, couldn't get the chance to get her out of his hair...

He opened the door, "Sure, whatever. Come in. Don't make yourself at home, this place can't handle more than one person trying to be at home at once."

Backing away from the door and sitting down at his bed, Indiana rubbed his eyes again as he watched Marcus and Johan enter his room. The former of them looked around in slight disgust at the state of the place. The latter, however, walked directly over to the crib.

"Curious. You are treating them as a human baby?" Richter asked. Indiana only spared a tired nod towards him.

Anna, annoyed by the sudden wake up call, fussed as the german zoologist crouched next to the crib and looked inside. Adjusting his glasses, Johan gently pulled back the blankets, procuring a notepad and pencil from his pocket with his other hand. Tapping the rubber end of the pencil against his chin, he marvelled, "You were not joking, Brody. This is... extremely fascinating."

Indiana got up as Anna let out a single cry as she fussed about, walking over to the stove to heat some water. Sticking a can opener into the top of one of the cans and lighting the stove, he watched the zoologist carefully with a sidelong stare.

"The vocal range... I could imagine it maybe being the product of a syrinx..." Johan delicately coaxed Anna's mouth open, and she fussed again. Squinting, he shook his head, before using a finger to softly probe her throat, "No... no, vocal cords, I think. Very flexible oral tract, sacrificing muzzle length for more mobility, perhaps to accommodate vocal range."

Johan pulled the blanket back farther, "Wings? Fledgling? Or vestigial? The feather mass..." he felt Anna's wings between his index and thumb, "Very downy. Perhaps they do grow out, maybe they're used for gliding? From what? Trees? Can't be trees, I cannot imagine this creature being a proficient climber, though it would make sense in its natural environment... you said it was found in Panama?"

Indiana switched the stove off before the kettle boiled. Feeling the side of the kettle with quick taps with his knuckles, he waited for it to cool off slightly as he poured more formula into a recently-cleaned baby bottle, "Uh huh. Rainforest."

"Maybe it's meant to be a cliff dweller? Though, the wideness of the hooves..." Anna stared curiously as Johan lifted one of her forehooves, looking into its frog, "More befitted to flat land than rocky cliffsides. I imagine if it were meant to be a climber, it may have cloven hooves like a goat. These flat ones just wouldn't do on rocky terrain. I can't imagine where else they would get any use of wings."

Johan flinched in shock as he raised his finger, Anna's hoof following it upwards as if latched on by an invisible force. Despite Anna's hooves being... well... hooves, she had grasped the finger he had used to examine him and latched on, despite not deforming her hoof in the lightest, applying any suction... Johan's finger almost seemed magnetized to her limb, "...Fascinating..." he breathed.

With only a small amount of force, he pulled his finger away from the infant's magical grip and stood, "I would... love to study her further. Can I take her to the university?"

"No," Indiana almost immediately answered. Johan and Marcus both quirked an eyebrow towards the young man as he stuttered, "Not alone. I want to come too."

"Oh, but of course," Johan chuckled nervously, reaching down to snatch the infant from her crib. She instantly began to cry.

Indiana walked over, holding out his arms in a gesture that was half a request, and half a demand. Johan, fighting against the squirming quadruped, gladly handed the animal over. She calmed down as Indy cradled her, and together they made for the door.

The rest of the day was spent in a laboratory in the university, which had been cleared for the express purpose of the study. Johan took all sorts of measurements, such as measuring lengths of fur, taking all sorts of samples, measuring heart rate, and palpating various parts of the body to get a general idea of the musculature. He also positively identified her as a female mammalian - though Indy could have told him that himself.

Indiana stood back, watching the German carefully poke and prod his charge. Once or twice, the scientist muttered something in surprise - rattling off some technical jargon underneath his breath. The zoologist's fascination seemed to have no limits, satisfying himself with furiously scribbling notes while Indiana took Anna to be fed and changed. Johan's eyebrows shot upwards when Anna began to babble, and he hurried to grab a dictaphone to record the sounds of her babble.

Marcus Brody, with just as equally little experience in zoology as Indiana, simply stood back and watched most of the proceedings. He looked on with a brighter countenance, smiling as he noted to the younger man, "This, Indy, is science in action. Look at him go!"

"Yeah..." Indiana muttered, eyes narrowed. He stood within reach of Anna, both arms crossed as he watched the work.

"Incredibly fascinating... Mr. Jones? Have you kept her around many other human babies?" Johan suddenly piped up, listening to the playback earpiece of the dictaphone as he did so.

Indiana frowned. She'd been near other babies at her time in the children's creche, "Why do you ask?"

"Her babbling, I am wondering if this is a result of mimickry, or some actual attempt at language development," Johan mused, stopping the dictaphone and replacing the wax cartridge inside.

Right on cue, Anna began to speak more nonsense, all while trying her best to swallow her forehoof. This action rushed Johan to load another cylinder and begin another recording of her voice.

"You can't be suggesting, Doctor..." Marcus Brody's brow knitted as he stuttered, "Ph- The- Language development?"

"I would like to examine the brain, to compare it to a human's, but such a surgery would likely kill the subject. I wouldn't advise it until ve have more than one specimen," he responded, gently pulling up one of Anna's lips to examine her gums, "Light pink. Seems healthy."

"Healthy relative to what, mister?" Indiana asked, voice sharper than he intended it to be.

The doctor didn't seem to mind. He noted, "Relative to Equus Caballus. The common horse. It's the closest thing I could think to compare it to. A similarity in appearance seems to be where ze familiarity ends, mystifyingly."

Anna babbled again, stomach gurgling as she digested her most recent meal. Johan once again stuck a finger in her mouth, feeling her gums. He frowned.

"Zat does not feel like a horse's mouth," he said, keeping his finger inside her mouth even as she began to try and spit him out, "Hmm... we already see tooth eruption. Incisors, on ze top and bottom of ze mouth. I can feel molars coming in the back as well... and all the way to ze front."

"She was all gums when I first found her," Indiana noted, for the first time willing himself to stand nearer to the German doctor to take a look at his charge, "I did feel some hardness in her gums around the front."

"Yes, yes," Johan took a flashlight and forced open Anna's jaw, much to her annoyance as she began to fuss. Still, as the light shone into her mouth, they revealed four small, white points along the bottom and top of her gums. Nodding, he said, "See?"

"Yeah. I see. Why's that so odd?" Indiana asked, shifting over as Marcus joined in to look into her mouth.

"I suppose it's only odd when comparing her to similar taxonomies," Johan mumbled, finally retracting his fingers out of her mouth.. She began to screech. Raising his voice to shout over her cries, he continued, "I will need to analyze her tooth growth very carefully! She has a very uncommon dental structure! It seems very ill-equipped for grazing!"

Indiana reached forward to grab his distressed prize, patting her slowly on the back to calm her down as he held her against his shoulder. Looking around her mass at the doctor, he asked, "The teeth are really what mystifies you? What about the damn eyes? How about the voice?"

Johan Richter chuckled weakly, turning his palms skywards in a weak shrug, "I suppose those are all very odd as well. She has binocular vision, like a predator, as opposed to monocular vision like a prey animal. Despite this, she lacks any teeth to process meat properly," he felt her wings again, "...Perhaps a trait adapted for flight? Though, that mystifies me further. She is far too heavy to fly. She already weighs more than most heavy birds. Unless her body is about to stop growing and she is about to gain a lot of wing surface, she seems to be flightless..." he bit his lip and shook his head, "It all makes no sense. She should be extinct, unless I am missing something."

Marcus Brody licked his lips, looking between Indy, Anna, and Johan, "Where do we go from here, doctor?"

Johan scratched his chin, "It is likely I am missing something, indeed. I would like to request a few more months to draft a full report and continue observing her. I vill be trying to keep this all... under wraps. I have insufficient information to make even a preliminary report to my peers at this time. If it's at all possible, I vould like to trouble you to keep this all silent for just a little while longer," a pause, "I would pay any costs incurred by her care."

Before Indiana could consider the offer, Marcus interrupted, "Oh, no, Johan. I know you're not a rich man. I have already been supporting Indy fiscally. I can continue to while you finish your research. You likely have more than enough financial troubles keeping yourself in this city for that long."

"I-" Indiana began, but he was shortly interrupted.

"Oh, no, the profits this paper will make should more than make up for the costs. I insist, Dr Brody," Johan shot back.

"No, I insist!" Brody argued, placing his hands on his hips.

"No, I do!"

"No, I double insist!"

"Bah!" Johan threw his hands into the air, turning to Indiana, "Vhat can I do? He double insisted!"

"Right..." Indiana deadpanned, still patting the softly sniffling Anna on his shoulder.

"It won't be too troublesome to take care of her for another two months, would it Indy?" Marcus asked, lowering one of his hands to lean on a nearby table.

Indiana slowly, regretfully shook his head, "...It'll be just swell."

That night, Indiana sat with his back to the head of his bed.

His eyes were lined with dark, puffy bags from a lack of sleep. His arms limply stroked the crying, wailing creature on his stomach. Rain pattered against his window. The occasional sounds of gunshots and shouting - not uncommon for the section of the city he lived in - were heard from the streets below. An electric space heater was the only thing that fought back the cold, late-winter draft that came in through the gaps in the windowframe.

Anna had decided, once again, to begin crying for no reason in the middle of the night. Indy had very little choice but to stay up with her, willing that the next moment the pain troubling the infant should fade and they might both be allowed to sleep.

Yet, no such relief came.

The young man found himself introspecting as he stared up at his ceiling, slowly stroking the back of the screaming child. Slowly, his hand reached over the side of his bed to an instrument case lying beside it. Clumsily, in the dark, he undid the clasps holding it shut and opened the lid. Inside was a saxophone, which reflected a tiny bit of the light from the window.

Adjusting the position of the infant on his stomach, Indiana raised the saxophone to rest on his knee and gave it an experimental blow. The sound confirmed that the instrument's condition had not degraded in his time away, and he flexed his fingers as he placed them in the correct places and began to play.

Twinkle, Twinkle, LIttle Star. It was practically all he knew how to do. He'd been instructed to learn how to play it forwards and backwards, over and over again, before moving onto more complicated things. He played when he felt sad, when he felt down and out. It was one of the few hobbies he had.

That night, he cared very little about the volume of his noise. Despite the content of his song being simplistic, perhaps even childish, the outlet still brought tears to his eyes. After his third playthrough of the song, he switched it up, experimentally jabbing at something he hadn't practiced yet. Without the music in front of him, the noise he made probably sounded like quite the unearthly racket.

For Indy, though, it still made him feel better. Aside from alcohol, it was one of the few things that kept his mind off of his situation. Off of the money, off of the German, off of school, off of the crying...

Crying...

He looked down the length of his saxophone. There, lying next to his right leg, Anna slept soundly. He paused in temporary amazement as she snored softly, tiny little lungs expelling tiny little puffs of air. He didn't get a chance to continue, though, as a fist slammed into the wall next to his bed.

"CUT IT OUT, BOY! SOME OF US GOT WORK IN THE MORNIN'!"

Indiana's skin tingled as he checked to make sure the noise hadn't woken up Anna. However, the infant was still asleep, likely just as tired as he was. Not wanting to even risk moving her to the crib, he grabbed his pillows and blanket, making his best attempt at creating a railing to prevent her from rolling off the bed, before he promptly passed out on the floor.

Author's Note

There is a very large gap in my drafts between this chapter and other parts of the story. Chapter releases will slow down for a while as these holes are patched, then speed back up by the time I arrive at pre-written stuff again.