To Indiana Jones

Sorry I have to make this letter so short. I don't have a lot of writing material. It relieves me that you decided to keep Anna, and I am flattered by the name choice. I can understand how hard it must be for you right now, and I really admire the fact that you have decided to continue to pursue your education despite the hardships. You're a stronger man than I ever was, Skimpy.

As for meeting up, I will be in New York from the 15th of November to the 25th. The captain has special business in the city, so we're getting some shore leave up there. If it's in your schedule, perhaps you could find time to come see me for a day or two. Bring Anna along if so.

Regards, Richard Simons

The school bell rang.

"Thank you all for attending," Professor Ravenwood said from the front of the lecture hall as chairs scraped and students made for the exits, "For those of you who graduate this year, I wish you luck. As a final reminder, your final papers are due by the 21st! If you require any help, I will have my usual office hours until the 19th, when I depart for Egypt!"

Indiana picked up his textbooks one last time, loading them into his bag as he joined the line of students leaving the lecture hall. That day marked the last day of his classes in his Bachelor of Human Sciences. His grades so far had been promising, setting him up for a pass with distinction if he could keep up with his final assignments.

Just as he moved past the forward exit of the lecture hall, though, a voice called out to him, "Mr Jones!"

Turning, Indiana halted as he laid eyes on Abner Ravenwood, briefcase by his side as he walked from the classroom. Offering a smile, Indy tipped his fedora, "Good afternoon."

"Indiana, come to my office," the professor quickly ordered, cutting across the crowd and gesturing for him to follow.

Walking across campus grounds and into the office and administrative building, the two men climbed a set of stairs until they reached Ravenwood's office. It was far from the first time Indiana had visited the professor's working space, as he had sought help with his assignments several times before that day. Nothing particular had changed about the space, Indiana observed all of Ravenwood's normal possessions and materials in their usual places.

There was a desk in the middle of the room, a set of shaded windows to its left and the door to its right. A photograph of Abner, a woman, and a toddler Marion hung at a crooked angle on the wall. A clock ticked just above it. A shelf hung on one wall, lined with several academic books on biblical lore, reminding Indiana of his own father in a way. Above the bookshelf hung several relics - most of them recreations of African artefacts that Ravenwood had unearthed over the years. Next to them, a good many similarly recreated Egyptian relics hung, all as a status symbol of the archaeologist's storied career.

Ravenwood set himself down at his chair, gesturing for Indiana to sit down across from him. Taking off his fedora, the student gave his professor a queer look, "Am I in trouble or something, Professor?"

"Not at all," Ravenwood shook his head, "This year is your last in the bachelor program, yes?"

Indiana nodded.

"And you are set to graduate?" Ravenwood pressed.

"Well- yeah," Indiana shrugged.

"And you plan on striving for a master's degree?"

That made Indiana wince. Pained, he shrugged and said, "I- I dunno. I'd like to, but I've not gotten much luck with getting a promotion or a raise at work, I dunno if I could really support myself."

"Well! That's where I can help you!" Ravenwood gave a grin that puffed up his cheeks and caused his glasses to reflect the light from the nearby window, "You know of Sorbonne, yes?"

"Yeah..?" Indiana raised an eyebrow, "The one in Paris?"

"That one. They recently announced a scholarship program, which includes post-graduate programs in your field. Furthermore, a highly respected professor from their faculty is joining me on an expedition to Egypt this summer," Ravenwood clasped his hands on his desk, "Your grades were rough on the second year, likely because of your unexpected adoptive relationship, but you picked up enough to get some valuable As in this last year. Come along as my research assistant and put on a good performance, and I think we can pull some strings to get you into the scholarship programs. The move to Paris might be rough, but it'd be a prestigious education and you told me you know French already."

A smile bloomed on Indiana's face, and he eagerly asked, "Really? H-How long?"

"About two months, I think," Ravenwood hummed, "We'll definitely be back by the next school year, no doubt about it. I'm sorry, I can't exactly pay you, but we'd be covering any expenses you incur during travel and your stay."

Indiana's smile faded, mostly at the time, though very slightly at the idea of working for free, "...I don't suppose it'd be a good idea to bring Anna along?"

"I would be bringing Marion along," Ravenwood pointed out.

"Yeah but she's old enough to at least sit in a hotel room and take care of herself," Indiana grimaced, "Anna's still a toddler... at least mentally."

Ravenwood's moustache twitched, "And I suppose her taking care of Anna just wouldn't be practical."

"I assume this'll be a full time thing every day, pretty much. It's already a stretch to trust a little girl with her every other weekday," Indiana rapped his fingers against the top of the desk, before adding, "Not to mention we'll be remote for a while, right?"

"I'd want Marion in my sight at all times anyway," Ravenwood shook his head, "I'm sorry, Mr Jones, I didn't think about it."

Indiana's heart fell along with the professor's as his chance at higher education was, once again, quashed by the burdens of his child. Cracking a mirthless grin, he said, "Joys of single parenthood, yeah?"

"Quite," Ravenwood muttered, adjusting his glasses, "My apologies, once again, I fear I brought your hopes up just to let them fall."

Indiana sighed, getting up from his seat and heading for the door. Stopping and turning, he asked, "Sorry too, Professor. We'll keep in touch, even though we won't be seeing each other in class anymore?"

"Of course," Ravenwood looked away, a mournful frown settling on his face as he looked out towards the track and field, and away from his prize student.

Twenty minutes later, standing on the curbside by a tram station stop, Indiana watched the firey orange leaves blew by on the street from the tops of the shedding trees lined up by the side of the road. Other students crowded around him, waiting for the same trams, heading towards the city's midtown and towards their own families and lives.

Indiana's gaze fell atop the spires and elegant architecture of the University of Chicago. He was no big fan of tedious research and rote routine, but he had to admit - he was saddened to realize that his days in the UoC and academia would likely be coming to an end. There was not much use for a bachelor-level anthropology degree aside from perhaps work assisting greater, more educated people.

Briefly, he wondered what would have happened if he had given Anna away. Perhaps she'd still be happy, waited on every day by professional caretakers. He'd be happy as well, saving up money for his tuition and continuing his studies, either in Chicago or perhaps abroad. He could go with Ravenwood to Egypt, get to experience field work archaeology for the first time since he was a child. Maybe he'd have forgotten about his entire fiasco in Panama by now and moved on with his life. Marcus wouldn't have had to have burdened himself to bail him out, he wouldn't have had to have sacrificed all his sleep, time, and money...

It had all seemed so clear to him a year ago, that it was the right thing to do to keep Anna. Now, though, he remembered Marcus's words of warning about rash decision making. A growing fear stirred in his stomach, mixing with regret and a feeling of entrapment and travelling upwards in his heart. He felt utterly foolish.

A voice shouted at him from across the road as a middle-aged man in a recognizable grey suit and tie ran towards him across the UoC campus grounds, "Indy!" Marcus Brody shouted.

Indiana heaved a sigh, before raising an arm and giving a wave. The old historian continued to run, crossing the road to the tram station, out of breath.

"Indiana, you said you would come and celebrate with me for your last day?" he panted, the other students parting to make room for him at the tram station as he approached Indiana.

Internally cursing himself for his forgetfulness, Indiana scratched the back of his head and said, "Damn. Sorry."

Marcus gestured for Indiana to follow, "Come, now. I have a bottle of wine for you. Been saving it ever since before the Prohibition for a special occasion."

The time that Indiana found to drink had become increasingly scarce, what with Anna taking up his life between classes and work. Still, he'd found that people had found a great many ways to get around the Volstead Act, from becoming priests to just going to the doctor and complaining of a headache. Once or twice, he'd acquired whiskey in the same way, to sate the urge once in a while. Yet, he definitely drank less than before, as the actual price of acquiring alcohol in any form had soared so much to make simply drinking water attractive despite everything.

Thus, this was why when Marcus offered him a bottle of liquor for completely free, Indiana's spirits lifted a bit, "Thanks, Marcus... again."

Walking back across the road together, Indiana looked away from Marcus to see his tram arriving at the station. Marcus simply patted him on the shoulder, "I'll drive you home."

"A lot of people driving me home these days," Indiana muttered.

"You must have good friends, then!" Marcus laughed, "You know, it might not be too crazy for you to get your own automobile too. The new legislation is dropping the prices of cars across America."

"They're also made it illegal for you to cross the road without a crosswalk or a traffic cop," Indiana pointed out as he was lead towards the university's gated parking lot, where the wealthy members of faculty kept their expensive cars.

"At least it'll stop jays from stepping out in front of trucks," Marcus huffed, "Besides, Indy, cars are the future."

Indiana, of course, was no stranger to the automobile. He'd even managed to drive a racing vehicle once in his teenage years, before he went to Mexico, and met Edison. He kept silent, though, as they approached Marcus's Packard, thinking about the next subject to change to.

Climbing into the privacy of the cabin, Marcus Brody reached into the back seat and retrieved a bottle of wine, a red bow wrapped around its center, "Shall we share it at your place, Indy? I would offer you dinner, but you need to be home to relieve the sitter, yes?"

"Yeah," Indiana nodded. It was Ms Scraw, still, as Marion was in school until, assumedly, her father took her out to accompany him to Egypt. He idly wondered how the young girl was going to complete her final tests and get credit for he year.

Starting the engine, Marcus backed out of the parking lot and was let out onto the street by a security guard, "So, Indy, happy to have passed? Might not have been with honors, because of last year, but you still did very admirably under the circumstances!"

Indiana frowned, saying, "Yeah, well, I'll just make sure to explain real well why I got bad grades in '20 to my future employers. They'll think I'm a great character, raising a child without a mother and all."

Marcus remained silent for a moment, before giving an awkward chuckle, "E-Er, yes, well- I'm sure it'll be fine, Indy. Honor grades don't mean that much anyway, it's all about experience."

"Experience that I can't get," Indiana immediately retorted, "I even got an offer from Ravenwood to go with him to Egypt. Would've been perfect, since I'd get a shot at Sorbonne with reduced tuition. Can't, though. Would be a 24/7 job, and can't get Anna a sitter in Egypt, especially not for 12 hours a day, every day of the week."

The grin on Marcus's face, put there by his chuckle, faded quickly, "Oh. That's quite problematic, isn't it?" he eventually surmised.

"Not sure I can pay for post-grad studies anyway. Bank's not going to give me another loan. I could mortgage, but with all the debts I already have it's just not a good idea," Indiana said, "Maybe I should just give up on the doctorate."

"...How long would you be away, Indy?" Marcus quietly, hesitantly asked.

"Two months, at least."

"Oh. Well-" Marcus stuttered for a moment, "W-Well I could take care of Anna for that long."

Somehow, that idea had not occurred to Indiana, not for a single moment. He looked over to the driver's seat, "Don't you have work too?" he asked.

"I might have to travel to Washington around the beginning of December to talk with somebody from the National Museum, but I'd be able to take her along," Marcus shrugged, "Besides, it would be an opportunity to achieve something I missed out on. I never got to have a child with Elizabeth," a chuckle, this one more genuine, "I would get to enjoy the joys of parenthood without it being a lifelong burden!"

Indiana rolled his eyes at that one, but kept his smile, "You're an upright man, Marcus," a pause, "What's up with the National Museum?"

"I might be getting my job back with them," Marcus intoned, tilting his head slightly, "As you know, my appointment to the University of Chicago was temporary. I planned on moving back London as soon as my term here ended, but if Washington makes a good enough offer I might stay on in the US."

Indiana nodded along, having no real comment about the situation he moved on, "Say if I get accepted to Sorbonne, I'd need to buy someplace to live in Paris. Would you be alright with me selling the property here and moving?"

"More than okay, Indiana," Marcus quickly dismissed with a shake of his head, "You know French, yes?"

"Je parle Français," Indiana said without hesitation, "Je l'ai utilisé plusieurs fois pendant la Grande Guerre."

"Your father said you had a great skill for picking up languages when you were little," Marcus chuckled, "Say, you know Arabic too?"

"Known that one ever since I was in Egypt the first time," Indiana nodded, "Might be a bit rusty though."

"I'm not sure if Ravenwood can speak Arabic," he noted, "That may be a great help to him. Your proficiency in language will make you very attractive in the eyes of the faculty."

"You think? I'm not really up on ancient and extinct languages..."

"Hah. I know a few ancient languages myself, but I'd be useless trying to negotiate with a local for directions or asking natives about lore," Marcus Brody chuckled, "Brush up on French and flex your skills in front of the archaeologists. Earn that scholarship, and I'll make sure Anna is safe and sound when you return!"

The next weeks were filled with a crackdown on Indiana's final papers. He'd planned a graduation party with some of his friends he'd met in college, who were mostly study mates, but he had made preparations to cancel it and have his degree mailed to Marcus for safe keeping. Due to the timing of Ravenwood's departure, he had to turn in his essay before the due date, cutting off the few days extra that he would have had otherwise.

With all his final assignments turned in in a state of acceptability, Indiana packed his whip, hat, shirts, and jacket and made his way to the train station on the 17th. He wished to see Richard before joining Ravenwood on the ship that would take them to Africa, and the journey by rail to New York would take a day on its own.

Unfortunately, his old friend would just have to be disappointed in not being able to see Anna, as Indiana handed her off to Marcus at the platform.

Indiana rifled through his wallet as Marcus took Anna, who took a whole minute to begin crying. Taking out a few bills, he said, "Here. Take this to a tailor while I'm gone and get Anna a new set of clothes. The ones she's got are getting too small."

Marcus held up a hand and pushed the bills back, "Keep it and have a good meal on me in New York with your friend, Indy."

Indiana, having gotten over the humiliation of the older man's constant generosity, simply shrugged, "Don't let her burn the house down, Marcus!"

A whistle blew throughout the station as lines of passengers moved towards the entrances to the various cars. It was going to be a crowded trip, and Indy was in coach. A conductor's cry followed shortly after, announcing the final boarding call. Indiana tipped his fedora, before joining the line boarding the train, the doors of which closed shortly after as the engine began to chug.

Marcus bounced Anna a few times in an attempt to console Anna, who was once again trying to escape his grasp to fly to her father. His face eventually reappeared in one of the windows and he gave a wave, Anna redirecting her efforts to fly directly towards him.

Turning to walk back towards the exit, Marcus said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone: "Don't worry, poppit, he'll be back. You get to spend time with your, er- Uncle now!"

She continued to cry, extending a forehoof out in a hand-less reach towards the train as it pulled away from the station.

After an all-day trip by train and an overnight at a hotel, during which he kept waking up in the middle of the night over how quiet and Anna-less his room was, Indiana Jones found himself once again in New York Harbor. As a dot in the distance, he could see Liberty Island and the patina-colored, copper statue atop it. Freight steamers, passenger haulers, liners, and coastal boats moved in and out of what was one of the busiest harbors on the East Coast.

The previous day, when Indiana had boarded the train and watched as Marcus took Anna from the platform, he realized something. This was going to be the first time in nearly two whole years that he was going to be able to act like a normal college kid again, live life at his own pace, and not worry about needing to take care of a helpless ball of trouble twenty-four hours a day.

Grabbing a newspaper from a paper boy and tossing a coin in return, Indiana opened the morning headlines as he strolled to his destination. There were headlines about international naval regulations being discussed, Japan pressing for ships as large as America's, political pressure groups talking about getting submarines and poison gas banned... he quickly flipped through the pages to get past the disquieting political opinions and talk. However, the more he flipped through, the more advertisements for men's suits, handkerchiefs, and even more politics: "Feminists rock the family life boat", "For Police Control of Drug Addicts", "Rail Pay Must Drop - Reds Still A Menace", and "Birth Control - Is It Moral?".

Indiana folded the paper underneath his arm, shaking his head silently to himself as he made his way towards a certain pier. Checking his watch, he found himself only a few minutes late for their assigned meeting, and paused to look around for his contact.

As soon as he paid attention, he found that Richard's large frame stood out amongst the crowd. The man leaned against a lamp post, hands in his pockets and eyes on the passing pedestrians. Happily jogging over, Indiana reached up to tip his hat.

"Hey, Rich!" he called out as he pushed through the crowd.

The other man's eyes instantly lit up, and he extended his hand, "Good to see you again, Skimpy."

"Yeah, good morning," Indiana shook the other man's hand, "Sorry, I couldn't bring Anna. I'm here on business, I left her with a friend back on Chicago," he immediately clarified, a fear of being wrung out by the larger man still lingering.

"...Damn," said Rich after a protracted pause, "What's the business?"

"I'm going to Egypt with my professor. If I impress I might get a tuition to go to France," Indiana explained, placing his hands in his pocket, before leaning and tilting his head back towards the street indicatively, "You hungry? I got some money for lunch on me."

Rich raised his eyebrows, "Must've gotten a good job with all that coal-shovelin' experience," he cackled, following Indiana out onto the street as they made in the opposite direction from the water.

Not feeling up to explaining the entirety of his circumstances and drag down his image in front of his friend, Indiana simply shrugged and lied, "I got lucky and scored work at an upper class restaurant."

"Lucky's right," Rich nodded, unquestioning, "Tell me all about what's been going on with you in the last year."

"I came home to my apartment after seeing you last. My friend, he's a curator, he helped get me in touch with this German zoologist. He studied Anna a bunch, shed some really interesting light on a bunch of stuff. He ended up agreeing to stay silent when I told him I'd like to keep her and give her a shot at a normal life," Indiana summarized as they came up to the window of a pleasant-looking, half-filled cafe.

Just as Indiana went to walk in, Rich's hand caught him on the shoulder and pulled him back. Indiana initially gave a look of confusion, until Rich's finger jabbed towards a sign in the other window:

"NO DOGS - NO COLORED"

With a sigh, Indiana placed his hands back in his pockets and continued to walk down the street by his friend, "I wonder if they do this kinda stuff in France," he mused.

"Better up here than in the South," Rich chuckled, "That steakhouse we ate at was asking for an arson case from the Klan. Safe Travels might be rough, but at least there ain't no segregation in the boiler room," a pause, "I don't wanna talk about that, though. Tell me more about Anna."

"Well she can talk," Indiana said, happy to change the subject as they crossed a street, "I think I mentioned that already. Uh... she can fly too?"

"...Really?" Rich asked, genuinely surprised, "Those wings were tiny."

"Yeah the zoologist is pretty mystified too. I can say the same. Makes it hard to keep her in sight, considering I need to keep all the windows closed so she doesn't fly away in the day," a smile grew on Indiana's face, and he looked over to make eye contact as he added, "But I let her outside sometimes. I tied a rope around her, so she's like a kite, flying around in my backyard."

"Got a backyard, now?"

"Yeah. I upgraded away from my apartment. Just wasn't enough space for her to grow up right in there," Indiana shrugged. Another cafe came into view, and after a cursory viewing of the windows, there was no sign to be found. They entered, with the quaint ring of a bell and were seated shortly after.

A few minutes later, they were served sandwiches, lemonade, and a side of fries. Marcus's money would pay the bill, and the friendly disposition of the waitress despite the mostly-white clientele of the cafe made Indiana consider adding to the tip out of his own pocket.

"Sorbonne?" Richard asked, "What's that going to be like?"

"Well it's a pretty good university," Indiana said, taking a bite of his sandwich, "Biggest hurdle for an American would be learning French, but I already know it. From there, I'd try and go for a doctoral program, maybe at Sorbonne, maybe back in Chicago, maybe London, I dunno."

"Doctor Jones?" Rich probed.

"Doctor Jones," Indiana nodded passively, "I mean, if you want financial security without being a big businessman, nothing beats a tenured professor pulling in three to four grand a year at an ivy league school."

Rich, fry halfway inside his mouth, raised both his eyebrows, "...Damn. That's a lot of money."

"If I got grant money and taught at a good school, that's the sort of paycheck I'd be looking at," Indiana said, a small grin forming on his face, "Though, even with a more pessimistic estimate, I'd probably be pulling somewhere closer to half of that, again with grant money."

"You make a man like me jealous," Rich admitted, leaning back in his seat and dusting the salt off his fingers, "Me? I'm thinking I may need to jump ship and start looking for a different job."

"Why?" Indiana asked.

"Rumor has it the Safe Travels is going to start smuggling alcohol," Rich scowled, "Not that the old business is bad now. Still making just as much money as before. But now alcohol's expensive, and I bet it'll make the skipper more money. Lots of ships are starting to think the same way, especially ones that can mix rum in with their usual cargo."

Indiana gave a shifty look throughout the cafe's patronage. Fortunately, none seemed to hear Rich's casual talk about breaking the law. Indy leaned forward and asked in a low tone, "You afraid you'll get sent back to prison?"

"Sort of," Rich shrugged, before shaking his head, "That's not why I dislike it, anyway..." a wince as he carefully considered his next words, "I always been dry since I turned my life around. I never supported Prohibition, cause I believed we'd just get the same amount of drinking and more crime. Doesn't mean I support being the criminal myself. A dry America would be a good America."

"I'll just be glad to get away from all the politics in the States for a while," Indiana shrugged, "After the War, I didn't think I'd find the prospect of returning to France appealing, but with crime being the way it is in Chicago..."

"You think crime's getting worse?"

"Always is, but it's growing faster nowadays. I've started thinking about saving up to buy a gun to carry with me," Indiana ran a thumb across his cheek, "Thought I'd seen enough guns for a lifetime in the War," a pause, "What would you do if you had to bail from the Safe Travels?"

"No idea. That's the only reason I'm considering not doing it," Rich shook his head, "I've got the pleasure of not being a pauper. I'd rather that not change, but hard for a guy like me to find decent work these days."

"I'd say just keep your head down," Indiana suggested, clasping his hands in front of himself, and his empty plate, "Some morality just isn't worth starving on the side of the road."

"What's the point of good clothes and good food if you don't got nothing to live for, Skimpy?" Rich questioned, tilting his head.

Indiana suppressed a roll of his eyes, "I'd rather be a comfortable thief than a smug beggar."

"A comfortable thief would've sold Anna," Rich, almost immediately, shot back, "And from what you said in your letter, you nearly were a smug beggar."

Indiana's lips twitched, "Jury's still out on if that was the right decision."

"It was," Rich said, in a surprisingly reassuring tone, "Don't ever talk yourself out of that mindset. What you did was the right thing, and you'll look back one day and know I was right."

"I'll be much more sure once I've got a stable salary and no creditors," Indiana said, reaching into his pocket as the waitress came back around with the bill. Taking out Marcus's money, and a generous tip on top of it, he paid both of their dues and returned the waitress's smile.

Soon, they were walking back down the boulevard of New York Harbor, exchanging idle chatter and watching the steamboats pass by. Soon enough, they were back at the berth where the Safe Travels sat, water sloshing at its hull. Richard once again extended his hand in farewell.

"Next time we meet, I want to see Anna and talk to her," he demanded as Indiana took his hand.

"I'll try my best," Indiana nodded.

"Better try better than your best," Rich took his hand back, "Take care of yourself. Bring me back a mummy or something from Egypt."

Indiana Jones gave a laugh as he waved and walked away from the pier. Archaeologists didn't bring back mummies from pyramids - at least not any more - and they DEFINITELY didn't follow maps to buried treasure!

Author's Note

A continuation on the philosophy of canonicity that I used when outlining the plot of this tory. Casual consumers of Indiana Jones probably don't give a single shit about any of this, but this is just a message for my fellow hardcore fans and lore enjoyers:

A lot of lore, especially in this period, is defined by comics and books. Even within those pieces, there is conflicting information and storylines that make very little sense when applied to the greater timeline. While I intend to leverage fully any 'extended canon' that would contribute to the enjoyability of this story, I intend to disregard deep and extended lore that could cause disruptions and other issues. In fact, almost all book and comic lore is going to be completely glossed over.

Anna being in the storyline already interferes with the canon timeline, of course. I'm sorry if any of your favorite events or adventures are glossed over or ignored outright.

I will quickly post a spoilered list of things that are going to be directly covered in the story (as in seen from the perspective of the protagonists and majorly influenced by the presence of Anna):
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Here is another list of major entries that will not be given the same treatment, and why:
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Too late in the timeline.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Way too late in the timeline. Also I hate it.
Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb - Too early in the timeline to be worth the word count.
Most of the videogames aside from ones already mentioned - They exist either too late in the timeline or are abandonware that I can't play.