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kmomof4 · 5 days ago

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X Never Ever Marks the Spot - A New Fic by @kmomof4 for @zaharadessert Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @zaharadessert !!!!!!!

So when I asked the discord last fall which fic I should work on next, you were the first to answer and I have to admit, I was a little surprised at your answer - Indiana Jones, for my birthday - since the other choices were Bridgerton inspired fics. But as they say... Your wish is my command! I hope you have a fabulous day, babe and that this fic helps you celebrate!!

The fic is inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark and is complete with a prologue and then seven chapters. The chapters are rather short compared to what I usually post in a MC, so I'll be updating Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next three weeks.

And now thanks to whom it is due! To @snowbellewells for her outstanding beta services and constant encouragement, not to mention the FABULOUS and GORGEOUS artwork she made to accompany the fic!! You can find it under the cut. To @hollyethecurious for coming up with the title and for grammar help as I wrote. Thank you so so much ladies!!

Rating: M for smut and scary moments

Words: 2300 of approximately 24k

Tags: Inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark, Birthday Fic for Zahara

On ao3

Tagging the usuals. Please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed.

@jrob64 @winterbaby89 @hollyethecurious @the-darkdragonfly @jennjenn615

@donteattheappleshook @undercaffinatednightmare @pirateherokillian @cocohook38 @qualitycoffeethings

@booksteaandtoomuchtv @superchocovian @motherkatereloyshipper @snowbellewells @djlbg

@lfh1226-linda @xarandomdreamx @tiganasummertree @bluewildcatfanatic @anmylica

@laianely @resident-of-storybrooke @exhaustedpirate @gingerchangeling @caught-in-the-filter

@ultraluckycatnd @stahlop @darkshadow7 @fleurdepetite @captainswan-kellie

@soniccat @beckettj @teamhook @whimsicallyenchantedrose @jonesfandomfanatic

@elfiola @zaharadessert @ilovemesomekillianjones @mie779 @kymbersmith-90

@suwya @veryverynotgoodwrites @myfearless-love

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

Prologue

The jungle dripped with humidity as the tall man who was undoubtedly the leader pushed through the next tangle of vines and branches on the way to an ancient temple that held the object of his desire.

Two men followed him - one plainly nervous, betrayed by the way his gaze darted around the jungle and the small flinches whenever the cries of animals concealed within the greenery reached them. The other was a native, and when the first man stopped for a moment, mopping his sweat-covered brow, he approached with a chuckle.

“Not used to the heat and humidity of Columbia, eh, Dr. Jones? Aren’t you glad you brought me along…” The smug smirk on his face made Dr. Killian Jones roll his eyes in response.

“I’m fine,” he deadpanned, “I can assure you. I’ve been in jungles much darker and far more dangerous than this. You just stay close.” He pushed forward again, stepping over the discarded skin of a very large snake with a visible shudder - not sure if it was a boa or anaconda. Spider monkeys and tamarins screamed from the treetops as they emerged into the clearing before the concealed entrance to the temple.

Killian turned to his companions.

“This is it,” he told them. “Just up that hill. You’re with me,” he said, pointing to the native. He turned to the other and pulled the gun he kept in the back of his waistband out and handed it to him. Killian rolled his eyes as the man took the weapon with trembling hands. He was as likely to shoot himself in the foot as anything he might try to aim at.

“Nobody has come out of there alive, señor,” the native warned him as they climbed the hill toward the temple.

Killian stopped and pinned the man with a hard stare. “I will.”

A few moments later, they entered. The native lifted the torch they’d just lit high so they could see into the forbidding darkness. They walked slowly and carefully, fully mindful that there were probably several booby traps between the entrance and the idol they sought. Killian reached out and swept aside the gossamer webs that blocked the way forward.

A gasp from the native made Killian turn around toward him. His eyes were wide and unblinking, his mouth a slack O of horror as he made a vague gesture with the torch toward Killian. Killian looked over his shoulder and could just see the hairy legs of a tarantula. Reaching over with his other hand, he used his looped up whip to brush off all the creepy crawlies he’d picked up so far. Looking again at his companion, he could see that he’d picked up a lot more than he had. He motioned for him to turn around and he brushed off twenty or more that covered the man’s back before they continued on.

A bright light shone on the wall ahead of them and Killian held out his hand to the side, communicating to the other man to stop. Killian knelt down, and crawled, keeping himself from blocking the light in any way. Once he was on the other side, he spoke.

“Stay out of the light.”

The man got as close to where the light was shining as he possibly could, while staying completely out of it. Once he stopped moving, Killian stood and thrust his hand into the light. The moment he did, several large spikes emerged from both walls on either side of them, with a partially decomposed corpse impaled on one side. It stopped less than a foot from the native’s face whose screams were muffled into the flesh of his arm.

Killian turned away, his eyes landing on nothing. He squinted for a moment until his companion made it to his side, holding the torch high again. There was no floor in front of them. The emptiness spread from wall to wall and was probably about twelve feet across. Even with a running jump, Killian wasn’t likely to make it. He looked up and saw a thick tree branch crossing the chasm. He flicked his whip, the end of it wrapping securely around the branch several times and then swung to the other side. Turning back, he swung the whip back over the trench where the other man waited. Once he’d joined him, Killian rested the handle of the whip on exposed roots attached to the walls before they continued on.

They turned a corner and could finally see the golden idol they sought. It sat on a pedestal about four feet high and at the sight of it, Killian’s companion almost jumped in delight.

“We must get it,” he exulted. “There is nothing to fear here.” He took a couple of steps toward it when Killian stopped him, his arm across his chest and pinning him to the wall.

“Oh, yes, there is,” he assured the foolhardy man through gritted teeth. He released him and moved back to the center of the corridor. Killian knelt down and looked closely at the grooves in between the laid stones between them and the idol. He looked to the walls and saw multiple faces carved into the stones of the walls, their eyes and mouths empty. He took the torch from the other man and examined the stones in front of them again. Spying a likely suspect, Killian placed the handle of the torch on a stone that was just slightly lower than the stones around it. The moment he did, a poisoned dart shot out from the wall and hit the torch, just above where Killian still held it.

Killian swallowed hard and looked at his companion. “Stay here,” he ordered him.

The man nodded, his eyes wide with fear. “Si, señor.”

Very carefully, Killian crossed the space between him and the idol. His gaze never left the floor in front of him, scanning back and forth, looking for the stones that wouldn’t trigger the poisoned arrows hidden in the walls.

Finally, he reached it.

It was solid gold and a light from up above shone down on it, making it sparkle even more, until his vision was nearly dazzled. He reached down to his waistband and pulled out a small but heavy sack. According to his research, something of equal size and weight needed to be left behind in place of the idol. If he didn’t want to trigger the mother of all booby traps, sealing his fate in the process. He held out the sack as close to the idol as he could and, quick as lightning, grabbed the idol, leaving the sack in its place.

When nothing happened, Killian released the breath he didn’t even know he was holding, stood up, and started back. A grinding sound behind him made him turn back to the pedestal, to see it slowly sinking into the ground. Killian’s frightened gaze jumped around the room, realizing he had to get out of there quickly. Too quickly to try and avoid the deadly traps between where he now stood and the entrance to the temple. He could only hope he could run fast enough.

So that’s exactly what he did.

He took a flying leap from the dias where the idol had sat for God knew how long and landed on a solid stone, nearly losing his balance in the process. His next step was the wrong one, however, and the high pitched whistle from the walls told him the poisoned darts were being activated. Killian ran for his life, his hired man just in front of him. His companion grabbed the end of the whip and swung across, landing on his butt when the whip released from the branch overhead.

“Throw me the whip,” Killian called.

“Toss me the idol,” he replied, turning toward the entrance. They could both see a stone wall slowly lowering just a few feet from where the other man stood. “There’s no time to argue,” he said, turning back to Killian. “Throw me the idol, I’ll throw you the whip.”

Killian threw the idol over to him. “Throw me the whip,” he cried urgently.

The man smirked and dropped the whip to the ground on the other side of the chasm from where Killian stood.

“Adiós, señor.”

With those words, the man ran. Killian grimaced and bared his teeth in fury. There was nothing for it. The descending wall was going to seal him in in about a minute, unless he somehow got over there. He ran back the other way and then got a running start before leaping as high and as far as he could. He didn’t quite make it, but caught himself on the edge of the chasm. He pulled himself up as quickly as he could and rolled himself under the wall, grabbing his whip at the last possible moment, the wall meeting the floor a split second after.

Killian stood to his feet, wrapping the whip back up, and took a deep breath before turning toward the entrance of the temple. He was met with the gruesome sight of his betrayer’s skewered body by the large spikes that the man had obviously forgotten about. Killian picked up the idol from the ground and continued on his way.

He’d only taken a few steps more when another grinding sound made him turn around. He looked up to see a huge boulder, taller than him, breaking free from whatever had held it back. It began to slowly roll toward Killian as he turned and ran for his life.

Killian could only move so fast, but gravity and Newton’s First Law of Motion was quite clearly in play as it got steadily closer and closer. Killian reached the entrance and leaped to the side and began rolling down the hill, as the boulder demolished the opening and rolled off in a different direction. When Killian finally came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, he looked up to see his other hired man as still as death.

“You alright there, mate?” Killian asked.

At his words, the man fell forward, his back pierced with many poisoned arrows. As soon as he hit the ground, half-naked men armed with bows and arrows and blow darts emerged from the foliage that surrounded them. Their faces and bodies were covered with paint and Killian knew that he was in trouble.

The men parted suddenly and Neal fucking Cassidy stepped into Killian’s sight line. He clenched his teeth, feeling the muscle in his jaw jump.

“Tsk, tsk Killian,” Neal gloated, kneeling in front of him. “I see that muscle twitching in your jaw. You know, you really shouldn’t grind your teeth like that. Makes you more likely to lose them.” The smirk disappeared from his face and he held out his hand expectantly. “The idol, please.”

Killian had no choice but to comply. Neal obviously had the loyalty of the tribe surrounding them and could have him killed with a single word. He glared daggers at his professional nemesis and slammed the idol down into Neal’s outstretched hand. He got only a paltry sense of satisfaction when Neal hissed in pain and shook the limb as he stood up, clenching and extending his fingers several times to make sure nothing was injured.

“Thank you, Dr. Jones,” he tossed over his shoulder. “I’ll see you around. You and I are not the only interested parties in this priceless artifact, you know.”

As soon as Neal passed through the circle of men surrounding them, Killian jumped to his feet and ran in the opposite direction. He only got about a thirty second head start when he heard the whoops and hollers of the tribe as they began to pursue him through the jungle.

Arrows and poisoned darts whizzed by him, but miraculously missed their mark as he ran for the tree line. As soon as he emerged, he started waving his arms and screaming madly for his pilot to start the plane that floated on the Amazon in front of him.

“Smeeeeeeeee,” he cried, running as fast as he could toward the river. William Smee, an old friend, sat on the floats of the plane with a fishing pole in the water. Hearing his name, he looked up to see his friend running toward him with about fifty natives chasing him at the same time as a fish took his bait. Smee stood to his feet, trying to reel in the fish before Killian made it to the plane, but when Killian hit the water and started swimming, Smee knew he had to let his pole go and get them in the air. Killian scrambled on the floats and into the front seat just as the propellers got revved up and lifted them into the air.

Killian felt something funny underneath him and looked down into his lap once they were airborne. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a snake slithering across his lap.

“Smee!” he screamed. “There’s a snake in the plane!”

“Oh, don’t worry about him! That’s just my pet snake, Jolly,” Smee informed him.

“I hate snakes, Smee!” Killian shouted. “I hate ‘em!”

Smee laughed from his seat behind him. “Oh, come on, Killian! You’re not afraid of a little snake, are you? Show a little backbone!”

It was all Killian could do to grab the snake with both hands and hurl it behind him. The plane wobbled alarmingly for a moment as Smee hopefully caught his pet, but Killian was too terrified to turn around and look. As long as it was no longer in the seat with him, he was just fine.

~*~*~

Thank you for reading and sharing!! I'd love to hear what you think! Next chapter will be up on Wednesday morning!!

#x never ever marks the spot #krystal writes #bday fic for zahara #art by marta #inspired by raiders of the lost ark

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