(I own nothing!)
I stood at my station staring at the world I had just finished. It was for an extraction on a business partner of Saito's.
I had just finished my PhD. when Arthur called me with the job. It had been a year since the inception and, while I loved being their Architect, I wasn't really in the mood to jump right back in. So I ignored the call. Turns out, Arthur really hates being ignored. He had stormed my apartment with a gun, convinced that there was a more sinister reason for me not answering than my just ignoring his calls. That isn't the sight one wants to wake up to. Needless to say, it worked to some extent since I'm currently looking at a world all my own.
It was also Christmas. Ba-Fucking-humbug.
I hate the holidays. It is just another way to remind me that I have no one. My parents were off only-god-knows where. Dad was probably crawling into a bottle somewhere and Mom was with her eighth soon-to-be-ex-husband. I didn't have any friends in the country outside of work and I didn't want to intrude on their Christmas. Cobb would spend it with his family and as far as I knew Arthur and Eames would be there too. But not me. Nope, I was going to do what I did every year. Drink and read Wuthering Heights the night before and then sleep through the stupid excuse for a holiday.
"Looks good." I turn and smile at my boss. He says he isn't really my boss, but calling him leader sounds like we're a brute squad.
"Thank you." Yep those baby blues get me every time. Did I mention that I'm in love with my boss Dominic Cobb? I am. He is sweet and loving and a good father and completely not into me. I might as well be a mannequin for all the attention I get. The only time he talks to me is to talk about the levels.
He does things with the rest of the team. He plays cards and goes out for drinks with the rest of the team but I just stay behind. I'm not invited to join and never really feel it is my place to ask if I can tag along.
"So…" His voice trails off. He looks around my work space as if it could remind him about what he was going say.
"Yes, Cobb?" I am slightly irritable. I want out of here as soon as possible so I can have this stupid holiday just be over with.
"What are you doing for Christmas?" I stare at him. Why is he asking? Does he want me to join him for Christmas? No, he never asked to do anything with you before, why should he now? I wince at the voice in my head. But it was right, why would he?
"Oh you know I have… plans and stuff…" I didn't want to admit that I was pathetic enough not to have something to do on Christmas.
"Plans…like what?" I stare at him as my mind tries to think of what I am doing for Christmas.
"Why do you care?" I snap, when you can't think of a good lie, turn the question back on them.
"Just curious." He leans against my table and I try not to think about how good he looks doing that.
"Curiosity killed the cat and sticking your nose where it doesn't belong is just plain rude." I realize the irony too late.
"You know that's rich coming from you." He chuckles and I glare at him.
"Well, unlike you I don't need someone to meddle in my life." I reply gluing a piece of cardboard together only to notice that it was glued wrong. I growl at it.
Cobb opens his mouth to reply, but I cut him off.
"Do you need something? Or are you just trying to make sure I don't get any work done?" Suddenly my mind goes blank. "What were we talking about?"
"You were telling me what you are doing for Christmas." He sips MY coffee out of MY mug. I glare at him, wishing that his coffee-stealing person would vanish in a puff of smoke and let me get some work done.
"Actually I don't think I was. But I do remember that you were leaving." I roll my eyes turning back to my work.
"Wait a minute. You don't have anything planned for Christmas, do you? That's why you won't tell me, there's nothing to tell." I stiffen at the tone in his voice. It is a slightly teasing 'Ah ha!' sort of voice and it rubs me exactly the wrong way.
"I do too have plans!" I snap at his smug face.
"Oh like what?"
"I have… a date!" He stares at me with wide eyes and a slightly stunned expression.
"You….have a date?" The disbelief in his voice pisses me off, even though I don't really have one.
"Yes." Cobb's look changes to a suspicious one.
"Alright what's this date's name?"
"Alex." It is the name of the waiter who used to make my coffee every morning at my favorite café back when I lived in Paris. He flirted with me enough that I don't feel bad using his name.
"What's his last name?" Cobb arches an eyebrow his eyes boring into mine.
"Hughes." I reply holding his stare.
"What does he do?" I was rapidly running out of lies.
"What is with the twenty questions?" I ask trying to deter him, while I thought.
"What does he do?"
"He's a contractor at a firm, okay?" I snap. Cobb looks at me and snorts.
"What's so funny?"
"Just he sounds too boring for you." I bristle.
"Well he is a good man. And who the hell are you to judge him?" And why the hell am I defending my non-existent date to my boss?
Cobb raises his hands in defense.
"So when do we get to meet this 'date'?"
"Never! What I do in my spare time is none of your business!" That and you would be meeting thin air.
He's face has a look on it that I can't put a name to.
"Anyway," I turn away from him. "It's just going to be a one-time thing."
"What sort of one-time thing?"
I smirk at him.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Ariadne." His voice is low and while it isn't threatening he sure isn't happy.
"You know I think I hear Arthur calling me." I turn and run. What the hell was that all about?
We wrap up work for the day. I growl. Now for one of my least favorite things to do: walk home through the Christmas cheer. Blech.
The walk home is long and tedious. I am all too happy to walk in the front door of my apartment and flop down on my bed. I groan remembering that I forgot to buy alcohol while I was out and now have none. Well, there goes my holiday plans.
I blink and look at the clock from my spot slumped on the couch. It is morning. I stretch, yawning.
I must have fallen asleep at some point. I glare out the window, but the glare shifts to the door as someone is banging on the other side.
Grumbling and promising bodily harm if it is carolers, I lope to the door and open it.
I am surprised to find Cobb standing on the other side, cheeks and nose rosy from the chill breeze.
"You forgot your scarf." I stare at him in complete confusion until he holds up a scarf.
"Cobb, that's not my scarf, that's Eames' scarf. Couldn't you tell by the fact that it's hot pink?"
"Oh." He looks a little lost so I give in and let him in out of the cold. "Don't you have a date today?"
"No, I don't."
" But you said-"
"I lied; I didn't want to let you know just how pathetic I am. Not having anything to do on Christmas." I look at the floor.
He looks surprised at my announcement. "I would have invited you to join me and everyone else."
"I don't want you to invite me out of pity." I spit at him.
"Why would you think that?"
"You never once asked me to go with you guys before. What else would make you suddenly change your mind?" He didn't answer, but that was answer enough for me.
"If there is nothing else you need of me, I must insist that you leave." I open the door and motion for him to leave.
He sighs and heads out.
It's deathly silent after he leaves. I don't want to be here lost in my thoughts, so grabbing my coat I head out to get some milk. I doubt I need it but it's an excuse to get out of the house.
The trip is boring to say the least. Everything is typical, typical walk to the store, typical milk, typical checkout line, typical walk back.
I open my front door. Typical apartme-
"SURPRISE!"
Not typical apartment.
"What the he- heck are you all doing here?" I quickly change my language noticing that both James and Phillipa are present.
"Daddy said that you were feeling lonely here all by yourself so we came to see you!" The mini-Cobb's wrap their arms around my legs.
"Oh he did, did he?" I look at him. The 'innocent angel' look is not one that suits Cobb. I roll my eyes.
"Why don't you two go help Arthur and Eames in the kitchen, I think I have some pancakes, and knowing your father he forgot to feed you." They nod and Cobb blushes. They run to the kitchen dragging Arthur and Eames behind them. Saito and Yusuf look at each other and then quickly follow to stop any impending disasters.
"We need to talk." I say turning to face Cobb, who is looking for any way out of the conversation.
"You know, I thing I'll go help James and Phillipa in the kitchen." He tries to edge past me but I grab the back part of his shirt collar and pull him back.
It would have worked if he wasn't as big and I as small. What ends up happening is I'm dragged into him and we both slam into the kitchen door frame.
I smile, I now have him pinned, and judging by the look on Cobb's face, he knows it too.
"What part of I want to be alone did you not get? The part where I yelled at you? Or the part where I threw you out?" I snarl.
"I didn't want you to spend Christmas alone. Is that such a horrible thing?" He hisses back.
"When I want to be left alone and you decide to move in" I motion to the decorations. "Yes it is!" He was about to reply when we heard a snicker. But it wasn't just any snicker it was an Eames snicker, and that was never a good thing. We turn to look at him and the huge smile on his face. A chill ran down my spine.
"Look." We look up and there over our head is a small green sprig of mistletoe. I look at Cobb.
"No, Eames, James and Phillipa are standing right there." But any salvation he was looking for from his kids was lost when they reply.
"Come on, Daddy, it's tradition." Cobb opens his mouth to argue some more but he doesn't have a chance. I groan and drag his mouth down to mine. Just a simple peck, that's all, but the second his lips touch mine that's exactly not what it is.
I felt myself melt against him as his hands wrapped around me, crushing me to his chest. His tongue dances with mine and I moan.
Finally we pull away to look at the rest of the group. They stood there slack jawed, Arthur's hands clamped firmly over James' and Phillipa's eyes.
"You know, Cobb?" I turn to look at him. "I don't think I hate Christmas so much any more."