The Seven Swords of Diya: An Indiana Jones Fan Fiction - Part 2

Chapter 245: Flashback, Jones Ranch, Wyoming, 1947

Flashback

Jones Ranch

Wyoming

1947

Marion met him in the kitchen. Indy's eyes were haunted and his shoulders bowed... Marion couldn't tell if it was shame or relief. Two cups of coffee were sitting on the table.

"They're cold," she announced. "I know you never drink them."

Indy sat down. Marion sat beside him. Carefully she leaned over and put her arm in his, her head against his shoulder. "You don't have to say anything," she whispered. "I just want to be with you when you're so far away."

He reached over and caressed her hand. "I love you, Marion. I love you and our girls so much."

"But...?"

Indy swallowed. "Do you remember when I got us out of the Well of the Souls and we ended up in that chamber of mummies?"

She shuddered. "Yes. And they fell on top of me! It was awful!"

"Well... I had to crawl through a pit like that in Nanking. But the bodies were... fresher. And..." he put his arm around her and pulled her into his chest, balancing her on his knee. He wanted her close, but the struggle was how to protect her and yet speak enough truth so that she'd understand and know she was loved and safe. "The things that were done to those women and children... and babies... they... will... not... leave... me...."

"Why were you crawling through mummies in China? I thought that was a war crimes investigation."

Indy swallowed. "It was. And is. Edo is the one who did it and is still on the run. CIA, the new OSS, Mac... claim he's missing. I met Edo in Attu. He was..." He paused giving up.

"Indy?" Marion asked.

He could still hear the fear in her voice. And he hated it. Just as much as he hated explaining the horrors. "The civilians Edo and his men killed in Nanking, were buried in a pit. They call it The Pit of a Thousand Corpses. They were buried together. And when you have that many bodies and you just throw dirt on them... they don't decay." He continued, staring far away. "There were women, children, babies. The autopsies we did showed they were dying from blunt force trauma and torture in the aftermath of assault, Marion. So you'll..." He stared at her, taking her face in his hands. "Please forgive me, Marion, if... your recent attempts at seduction, made me run. I was seeing those women, Marion... in what I know are memories, but they're... right... here... with me... in front of me. I was seeing what hideous things had been done to them."

He pressed Marion against his chest, shielding her, his head bent forward, whispering in her ear. His every word sounded broken. His hand rested against her shoulder and his other hand rested against her hips and thigh.

"Edo's men took sharpened bamboo stakes and tortured people, Marion. Everyone dead. They were left to lie in the streets. Those who resisted or even just tried to run away were tortured... especially the women." Indy paused. "I... kept seeing you among the dead. I kept seeing our baby girls stabbed with bamboo stakes. I kept seeing them attacking you and torturing you, because I knew you'd fight back." He looked at Marion. "Last night, in bed, you grabbed my hand and told me you wanted affection and I couldn't touch you there because that's where they stabbed the women after they were done abusing them."

Marion gasped in soft horror. "Indy... I... had no idea! That was the last thing I wanted to do was bring up those memories!"

"I know, Marion. That's why I wanted to tell you. It's affected me. It's nothing you've done. And unfortunately... it's gonna mean a delay for our number three kid.... At least until I can sort the dead from the living."

She leaned closer. "I still love you, Indy. This helps me understand why you've been so distant." She kissed his cheek. "Your compassion has really been present since you learned about Annie. And then when we had Em... I think you got more compassionate. But this war... this horrible war...!"

He started running his fingers through her hair. "Shhh, Marion. Shhhh... there was no way around this fight. And it shouldn't have been this ugly and it shouldn't have cost so damn much. But my sacrifice is minimal. There are plenty of men who didn't come home." His voice caught as lost friends flickered through his memories.

"Indy?" She touched his face bringing him back to her and the peace in their home.

Indy blinked, focusing on Marion. "There are too many families who have been completely destroyed. There are millions of abandoned children. I have nightmares. That's all, hon. Just silly little nightmares. And a few missing memories... but not the ones I want to lose. You have a husband. Our daughters can grow up with a mother and a father. Which is more than either of us had. And we can hand them a safer better world."

Marion looked at Indy. "What kind of a world is it when people like Edo are still on the run?"

"Mac will get him, Marion. I promise you, hon... Mac will arrest Edo. Mac has teams all around the world hunting war criminals for the government. China may be heading towards chaos, but those women and children don't need to cry out from the ground any longer. They'll get justice." Indy stroked her face. "And by then... maybe you and I can have a third baby girl?"

Marion grinned, sliding closer to his chest. "I'd like a son. Someone who could maybe be half as handsome as you..?"

"Only half?" Indy chuckled and kissed her lips.