Hey everyone! This is something that's been stirring in my mind for a while now. Ever since Moviemaniac12 posted the story These Little Adventures I had wanted to do something similar. So after some though and asking permission, I decided to start this series of oneshots. I will be jumping around in the timeline and I'll probably include All The Small Things in this story at some point. So here is the first chapter, it's definitely different, I don't know where it came from, but I wanted to write it this way. Let me know what you think!
Inception isn't mine...I could only dream ;)
Ariadne always dreaded visiting Arthur's family. He did too, but she dreaded it more than he did. They were always judgmental and condescending to her and she hated it. Arthur knew they did this too, and he tried talking to them about it but they refused to listen, denied it, or changed the subject.
Ariadne had begged Arthur to not make her go. They could tell his family about the baby over phone or something, but Arthur felt that it wouldn't be right to do that. They deserved to hear it from them in person. So reluctantly Ariadne agreed. It had already been four and a half months and they hadn't told his family. They both decided it was time for them to find out.
"I'm going to wear a loose fitting shirt and pack loose fitting clothes. I won't wear anything that shows my stomach, I don't want them touching my stomach." Ariadne grumpily said as she packed.
Arthur sighed and nodded. "Alright, but we'll tell them when the time is right." Arthur replied.
"Fine." Ariadne whispered, suddenly worried. It wasn't that she hated his family. It was obvious they loved Arthur. They loved him so much that when he brought Ariadne to meet his family when they got engaged that they pulled him aside and asked him if he was sure this was what he wanted. They had always hoped he would marry someone who was also well off. Which always led to the conversation of his ex-girlfriend Cassie.
Both Ariadne and Arthur would get irritated by the sudden talk of Cassie that they would walk out of the room, scowling. She was wondering what they'd do now that they realized that Arthur was settling down and happy with a family on the way.
Arthur noticed her facial expressions and sat down next to the suitcase. He grabbed her hand gently and kissed it.
"What's wrong? Talk to me." Arthur whispered, watching Ariadne's face.
She brushed some hair out of her face and looked at him. "What are they going to say now? They'll probably still be convinced that you're secretly in love with Cassie. I'm just not ready to hear that again."
"I know. They don't understand that I'm my own man and can make my own decisions. It's part of the reason why I left you know that."
Ariadne nodded and smiled. "I love you."
"I love you. Both of you." Arthur said, placing his hand on her stomach and kissing her softly. "We'll get through this together. I promise."
They arrived at his parents' house late in the afternoon, feeling tired and dirty. His parents rushed out and greeted him, pulling him into a hug and kissing his cheeks. Arthur struggled to get out of his mother's grip and held out his hand for Ariadne.
His mom frowned and looked her over. "You're still with her?"
"Mom!" Arthur hissed. "She's my wife. I love her. Of course I'm still with her." He held back his anger and squeezed Ariadne's hand in assurance.
"Very well then. Let's get you settled into the room. Cassie's here. She'll be happy to see you." Arthur's mom cheekily said, ignoring Ariadne.
Arthur sighed when he felt Ariadne stiffen next to him. He squeezed her hand again and wrapped his arm around her waist, hoping to comfort her. He looked at his dad, who was shooting them apologetic looks.
Thankfully for her, Arthur's dad was quite fond of her and felt that she was perfect for him. He just didn't speak up much because Arthur's mom would fight until she was right.
"We're actually going to clean up first. It's been a long trip, and Ari hasn't been feeling too well." Arthur spoke up when his mom told them to set their bags in the room and head to the living room to say hi to Cassie.
"Yes, let them clean up, Jen. Poor Ariadne here looks exhausted." Arthur's dad spoke up, much to his and Ariadne's relief.
"Fine. Do whatever. You know better than to keep guests waiting." Jen dramatically said.
"Mom, we're guests here." Arthur reminded her. Jen waved her hand and stalked off.
"Sorry about that. It's great to see you two again." Arthur's dad smiled kindly at Ariadne, giving Arthur a knowing look. "So when are you going to break it to her?" He asked suddenly, causing Arthur and Ariadne to shoot him shocked looks.
"Break what to her?" Ariadne tried to cover up, but failed miserably.
"That you're pregnant. Congratulations by the way." Arthur's dad grinned.
"How did you know?" Arthur asked quietly.
"All the signs are there. Ariadne here looks exhausted, she usually handles trips well, and you can't keep your eyes off of her. You watch her every move and once in a while your gaze lingers on her stomach. I know what that's like." Arthur's dad smirked.
"We're still trying to figure out when we're going to announce it." Arthur replied, both he and Ariadne blushing.
"Well make sure I'm there." Arthur's dad grinned and patted Arthur on the back. He turned to Ariadne and hugged her. He then left the couple to settle in and clean up.
"Well that was weird." Ariadne huffed and sat down, staring at Arthur expectantly.
"I had to get my observation skills from someone right?" He smirked and leaned down to kiss her. She grinned and kissed him back.
"So, Cassie's here. What now?" Ariadne asked.
"There's nothing to do. Just treat her how you'd treat anyone." Arthur replied and noticed Ariadne's scowl. "I mean it Ari."
"Fine, but if she does anything to piss me off, I can't guarantee she'll come out in one piece. I am a raging hormonal pregnant woman after all." She smirked and headed to the bathroom. Arthur followed her and leaned against the doorframe. He watched as Ariadne lifted up her shirt and turned sideways, looking at herself in the mirror.
It was strange for both of them. Knowing that a baby, their baby, was growing inside her. It was something new and exciting to them. Arthur stood up and walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her.
"I never get tired of seeing you do that." Arthur whispered into her hair. She grunted and grabbed his hands, placing them on her stomach.
"It's so weird to me." She said.
"Good weird though." Arthur added as a loud bang on the door caused them to jump apart and Ariadne pulled down her shirt.
"Arthur! Arthur! We're waiting! Cassie wants to see you!" Jen called from outside the door, banging on it.
Arthur sighed and followed an irritated looking Ariadne to the door. He opened it slowly, giving Ariadne enough time to gain her composure. Instead of seeing his mom, Cassie was standing there, a wide grin on her face.
"Artie!" She squealed and flung her arms around him. Arthur scowled at the nickname and pried her off of him.
"Cassie." He nodded at her and reached for Ariadne's hand.
"She's still with you?" Cassie sneered, causing Ariadne to narrow her eyes at her.
"We're married. Of course I'm still with him." Ariadne snapped.
Cassie rolled her eyes at her and turned her attention back to Arthur. "So how long are you staying for this time?"
Arthur paused and thought about blurting out that Ariadne's pregnant, but decided to wait. "A few days."
"Just a few day? Oh come on Artie, stay longer. We never get to see each other anymore." Cassie whined, throwing her short blonde hair over her shoulder. Ariadne took this moment to look over Cassie. She hadn't changed much since the last time they were here.
She was at least five six, a whole five inches taller than her. Her eyes were emerald green and her blonde hair looked fake. Ariadne let out a disgusted sigh and stepped out of the room, letting go of Arthur's hand.
Arthur quickly reached for her, missing her hand. He shut the door and quickly moved into step with Ariadne, leaving Cassie behind them.
"I'm sorry." Arthur apologized.
Ariadne just shook her head, not wanting to talk about it. "I'm going to take a walk. I need some air."
"You want me to come with you?" Arthur asked, knowing that she was angry.
"No. Go spend time with your family." Ariadne curtly said. Arthur flinched, he knew this would be her response, and he didn't blame her.
He sighed and nodded. "Just call if you need anything." Arthur said. Stopping her and pulling her to him. She hugged him back and buried her face in his chest, not wanting to let the angry tears fall. He pulled back and kissed her gently, rubbing her stomach before letting her go outside.
Ariadne sighed and walked in the garden outside. She loved it. It was beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing. It was a great place to think and get away from the tense atmosphere she always felt when she was here. She was so consumed in thoughts that she didn't hear the soft footsteps following her.
A hand reached out and grabbed her arm and Ariadne let out a loud scream, turning around and swinging at the person. Cassie gasped as she jumped back. Ariadne rolled her eyes, wishing that she would've hit her.
"What do you want?" Ariadne hissed.
Cassie grinned. "I want you to leave Arthur. He's mine. He's always been mine. We were supposed to get married. It was a planned marriage since we were little."
"Well that's not going to happen, so get over it." Ariadne snapped and turned to walk away, but Cassie pulled Ariadne's hair and threw her down. Ariadne looked up at Cassie shocked.
Cassie was scowling at her and Ariadne thought about what she should do next. She could just walk away and be the better person, but once she saw that Cassie was ready to kick her, she rolled and stood up, ready to fight.
Cassie threw a punch and Ariadne dodged it. She grabbed Cassie's hair and pulled hard, grimacing when she started to squeal. A punch to the stomach caused Ariadne to gasp and pull away. She fell down, clutching her stomach and felt dizzy. At this point Cassie started shouting at Ariadne, but the dizziness was taking over and she couldn't hear what she was saying.
Arthur heard some shouting and looked around. Cassie was missing and he knew Ariadne was outside. He instantly became worried, his parents noticed his agitated look.
"What's wrong son?" His dad asked.
"Where's Ariadne? And Cassie?" Arthur asked, standing up. He moved to the window and looked outside, he watched as Cassie pulled Ariadne's hair and threw her down. He took off immediately, his parents following close behind.
When he reached the two women, Ariadne was on the ground clutching her stomach and Cassie was shouting at her. Arthur pushed Cassie aside and moved to Ariadne, gently grabbing her shoulder.
"Ari. Ari, look at me. Are you ok?" He asked, worried.
Ariadne looked up at him, tears flowing down her face. Her lips were trembling and Arthur looked to her stomach.
"See, you can't even marry a woman who can fight." Cassie said triumphantly.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Arthur stood up and yelled. Cassie looked taken aback and stared at him, her mouth open.
"She's pregnant and you fight her! What's your problem? What are both of your problems?" Arthur turned to his mom, who looked just as shocked as Cassie. Arthur's dad frowned and bent down, to check out Ariadne. She shrunk away from him and closed her eyes tightly. Arthur sighed and knelt down, picking her up carefully.
"She's my wife. The mother of your grandchild. If you ever want to see this baby or any other children we may have, you better get it through your head that I love her, I'm not leaving her, and we're starting a family." Arthur coldly told his mother before storming off with Ariadne in his arms.
When he reached the room he set Ariadne down on the bed and sighed, rubbing his face.
"I'm sorry. We shouldn't have come. You were right, this was a bad idea." He turned to look at her. "Do we need to go to the hospital?"
Ariadne bit her lip, unsure of what to do, but Arthur decided for her. "We're going, I don't want to take any chances." He picked her up again and grabbed his keys and wallet before rushing to the car.
His parents and Cassie were waiting for him, but he ignored them all and set Ariadne in the passenger seat and helped her buckle up before shutting the door and running to the driver's side. He got in, started the car, and ignored his family.
It was a silent drive to the hospital, filled with worry and anger. Arthur couldn't believe his family and Cassie. She shouldn't have been bugging Ariadne in the first place and now he felt guilty for dragging Ariadne into this again. He carried her inside and asked to see an obstetrician. Arthur then explained the situation and they lead him into a waiting room.
It seemed like hours before the nurse finally came to get them. They were led into a small room with an ultra sound machine in it and soon the doctor arrived to check out Ariadne. She hummed as she searched the screen and found their baby.
"Ah, there's the little one. Looks happy in there. Doesn't seem to have any problems." The doctor smiled.
"Oh good." Arthur sighed and looked at Ariadne, who had a similar look of relief on her face.
"Do you want to know the sex of your baby?" The doctor asked.
"You can tell that already?" Ariadne asked. The doctor nodded.
Ariadne looked at Arthur, silently asking him if he wanted to know. He looked nervous, but finally nodded.
"Yes. We do." He replied.
"Alright, well it looks like you have a happy little guy in there."
"A boy?" Arthur asked, getting excited.
"Yep. A healthy, active little baby boy." The doctor chuckled as the baby moved and kicked. "Pretty soon you'll be able to feel the movements a lot more."
"Thank you." Ariadne happily said.
"No problem. Let's get you cleaned up and you'll be free to go." The doctor smiled at them, wiping off the cool gel on Ariadne's belly.
After getting the gel off and helping Ariadne up, the doctor left. Arthur turned to Ariadne and frowned.
"I'm so sorry Ari. We'll leave as soon as we get back. I promise."
"Arthur…it wasn't your fault."
Arthur shook his head. "It was. You didn't want to come. I made you and this is what happens. I should have listened to you. My family won't change, and I don't have any desire to talk to them right now."
"But your father has always been kind to us." Ariadne protested.
"Yes, and I'll keep in contact with him, but right now I can't deal with them."
Ariadne nodded and smiled sadly at him. "So we're going to have a son."
Arthur grinned, pulling her closer to him. He rubbed her stomach and looked in her eyes. "I know."
"Are you excited?" Ariadne asked cautiously.
"Of course!" Arthur grinned and leaned in to kiss her.
"Now let's go."
They drove nervously back to his parents house, knowing that they would be swarmed. The plan was to go in, get their things, and leave. As they pulled into the driveway, they saw Arthur's dad sitting on the steps. Arthur sighed, knowing his dad was going to talk to them.
They got out of the car and Arthur's dad stood up and walked towards them. He cleared his throat and stopped in front of Arthur who was frowning.
"Is everything ok?" His dad asked.
Arthur nodded. "Yes, thankfully."
"How are you?" His dad turned towards Ariadne. She shrugged.
"I've been better."
"You're leaving." Arthur's dad stated and Arthur nodded.
"It was a bad idea coming here."
"Will you at least keep me in the loop. I'd like to meet my grandchild."
"Of course dad." Arthur smiled. "Ariadne, stay here. I'll go get our bags."
Ariadne opened her mouth to protest, but noticed Arthur's stern gaze. She nodded and glanced at his dad. He was watching her carefully.
"I'll stay with her." Arthur's dad said.
"Thank you." Arthur said before walking off quickly.
"I really am sorry about all this." Arthur's dad apologized.
Ariadne shook her head. "It's alright. I'd rather just forget about all of this and go home." She sighed and climbed back into the car, closing her eyes.
"Right." Arthur's dad mumbled. They silently remained in each other's presence, not knowing what else to say and not wanting to bring it up.
Arthur came rushing out of the house with the bags, his mother and Cassie following close behind him, trying to convince him to stay. Arthur just ignored them, threw the bags in the trunk, and jumped in the car, slamming the door. Ariadne watched him turn on the car and pull out angrily.
She chose not to say anything to him yet. He needed time to cool down and think, so she closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off. She woke up violently, looking around her. Arthur chuckled.
"You're awake. How'd you sleep?"
"Fine." She replied tiredly, looking around. They were at least another hour away from their house.
"Look, Ari…"
"Arthur, don't. You don't need to apologize again. Let's just remember today as the day we found out we're having a son." She smiled widely at him and Arthur grinned, reaching for her hand and lacing his fingers with hers.
It may have been rough for them, but today was actually one of the best days of their life and they would always remember it.
Honestly, I thought about this while I was running. I started thinking about what it would be like it Arthur's mom didn't like Ariadne and wanted to set him up with his ex-girlfriend. And this is what came out...plus I don't think anyone has really written Arthur's family this way. It's definitely a different twist and I'm slightly nervous about the take I decided to go with...so I hope you enjoy it, and don't worry, other chapters will be much happier. Leave a review please! And if you have any ideas, let me know!