Panic
Despite her objections, Arthur and Eames would not allow the Architect to go into the field for this new job. They kept the information limited. She knew only that they were to extract information from a business man in New York. She had no problem designing mazes for them, even with the limited information they were willing to give her.
"Cobb, was right about you being really good." Arthur praised her on the 3D models she showed them in the basement of the laundry room.
"Did you ever have any doubt?" She teased.
"No. Never." Arthur told her honestly.
~ "I hate the idea of Eames in my bed." Arthur said moving his long body around Ariadne.
The house was too small for a third bedroom. There was no sofa in the living room for the Forger to sleep on. Eames had been given Arthur's room for the night and the Point Man and Architect stayed in her room. Hers was the one bed in the house that large enough for two people.
"Well, if you want, Eames can sleep in here with me." Ariadne offered. Arthur chucked and pulled her closer to him. His nose buried in her freshly washed hair. She giggled at the feel of his breath on the back of her neck.
"Or, you and Eames can stay in here, and I can take your room." She laughed.
"I don't think so." Arthur whispered in her ear. Enjoying the moment between them.
The couple had not shared a bed since they landed in the small house. They were both reluctant to admit how much they missed each others company.
Ariadne's room was nice. Comfortable. Her bed was a small full seized, which made Arthur have to curl in close to her. Eames had said nothing to the couple about them sharing a room. The Forger seemed glad to get some much needed sleep.
Ariadne loved the feel of Arthur's hands around her body. How easy and natural it was. She loved the way he smelled next to her. Never overpowering, always subtle and clean.
"I'm glad we have a reason for you to stay with me tonight." She said softly. She wasn't sure why she had even said it. Only that it was the truth.
"I don't need a reason." He replied gently kissing her neck. His kiss was almost ticklish and she tried to suppress a smile.
"This is nice." She said softly.
"Aren't you glad you didn't stay with Eames?" He teased as his hand went to her breast.
"Oh! We need to get Eames in here!" She laughed trying to sit up. Arthur showed one of his playful grins as he pulled her back down.
"I don't think so." He said rolling over her. She was smiling as he kissed her sweetly on the lips and neck. His breath was warm and sweet. The feel of his lean body over hers was comforting. Reassuring.
"I thought you said you couldn't protect me like this." She said before getting too lost in the moment.
Arthur's head snapped back up. A some what put off look on his face. As if he had been unwillingly pulled away from something.
"Well, it's true right?" She asked. Her voice sounding indifferent.
He sighed.
"Ariadne..." He searched for the right words.
"No sense in starting something you wont finish." She said biting her lip.
She wanted him to make love to her. She loved the feeling of his body on hers. Loved sharing a bed with him. Loved sharing a home with him. She had not suffered much from their time on the run. All because of him.
"It might compromise..." He started to say. She nodded her head. Fighting back tears.
"I understand." She said with a forced shrug. His body was still over hers. He was looking at her intently.
"I'm sorry." he said softly.
Neither one of them slept well that night.
~ Arthur would not let Ariadne accompany him and Eames to the job. She was forced to stay at home and wait for them to return.
"We've already put you in harms way enough." Arthur argued. This would not suit the Architect.
"I'm already wanted, how much more trouble can I get in?" She asked
Eames and Arthur exchanged dark looks.
"I think I've proven myself in the field." Ariadne had argued.
"Yes you have." Eames agreed. "But the client and mark are less then savory, and we don't expose the Ladies in our care to the bad people we have to work with." Eames explained.
For some reason, this argument quieted the Architect. She, who was always fiercely independent, had accepted that Eames and Arthur were not attempting to insult her by leaving her out. Just protecting her. Chivalry wasn't dead with them.
She knew that Arthur and Eames would not make it back to her until very late, possibly until the morning.
She had decided to work on more mazes. It was therapeutic for her. Her ever present MP3 player played one of Arthur's favorite songs "Primavera" as she drew intricate lines and angels of the maze. She was sitting in her room sketching when she heard someone downstairs. The music was intense enough, she almost didn't hear it. She left the music on as she went to greet Arthur and Eames and ask why they were home so soon.
On the landing she saw shadows and heard whispered voices. Someone was in the house. Someone other then Arthur and Eames.
~ "We got paid and that's the important thing. Slow down Arthur." Eames said as the Point Man's careful driving cut across the dark highway. "I'm sure everything is fine." Eames added as Arthur ignored him.
The extraction had gone very well. Arthur and Eames had always worked well together and Ariadne's mazes were what made the extraction go smoothly. Arthur could not shake the nagging feeling in his head something was wrong. Ariadne was not answering her phone.
~ They pulled up to the little house to see every light was on. Something Ariadne knew never to do with them being in hiding.
"Something's wrong." Arthur said. His voice sounding small. The Point Man and Forger secured weapons before carefully searching the perimeter of the house.
"Back door's been forced." Eames hissed as the two men silently entered the house.
Everything was a mess. Furniture was broken. Dishes cast out of cupboards. Broken glass everywhere. The bedrooms ransacked. Drawers pulled out. The house was empty.
Piano music echoed eerily throughout the deserted, broken rooms. Arthur and Eames silently searched all the rooms and found themselves in Ariadne's bedroom. The piano music was coming from her MP3 player and when Arthur shut it off. A terrible silence fell on them.
"She's not here." Eames said as Arthur searched closets and under beds.
Arthur shook his head. His heart was racing in his chest. Pure emotion, naked and raw. She couldn't be gone. How had they found them? Why weren't they still here? Waiting for the men to come home?
"Ariadne!" He shouted.
"Arthur?" A far off voice came back to him. Like that of a ghost. It was Ariadne's voice but they couldn't tell where it was coming from.
"Ariadne? Where are you?" He shouted.
"I'm here!" came her voice again. It sounded like it was from above them. The men followed the sound of her voice. The creaking of someone moving from a unseen vantage point. Out of her closet, an almost invisible trap door appeared in the ceiling. A small foot emerged, and the Architect slowly descended from the attic.
"Thank God." Arthur breathed, embracing her and helping her down. He pulled her to his body. Waves of cold relief crashing into his body. He realized he was burring his face into her hair as she wrapped her arms around him.
"What the hell happened?" Eames asked her as Arthur was holding her close.
"Men... they broke into the house. I don't know who they were. I hid up in the attic." Her voice unsteady. Trying to be brave. "I guess they didn't know the trap door was there." She said as Arthur finally let her go. "I'm sorry, I didn't grab my cell phone. I didn't have time. I was afraid they were still in the house."
Her eyes welled up slightly at the memory of the intrusion. The sudden feeling of safety that Arthur and Eames brought with them.
"I'm sorry, Arthur." Ariadne said turning to the Point Man. "When I realized that it wasn't you and Eames, I just hid. I was worried they were police at first but-" Arthur shook his head and held her close to him. Breaking off her apology.
"It's alright." Arthur assured her. His voice soft. "You did the right thing." To both of them he said. "Pack up. It's time for us to leave."
~ They abandoned the little house that very night. Leaving it exactly the way it was. Packing only what they had come with. Telling no one that they were leaving.
Finally feeling safe, Ariadne had fallen asleep in the Blazer as Arthur drove. It was at a gas station that the Point Man and Forger finally stopped. Ariadne was in and out of sleep as she overheard the two men talking. Their conversation weaving into her dreams.
"How the hell did they find us?" Arthur hissed as he was filling the Blazer up with gas.
"It must have been a burglary." Eames was telling Arthur. "If it had been a more professional hit, they wouldn't have overlooked the attic." Arthur sighed.
"We need those ID's and passports right now." The Point Man growled.
"Sure, we can get them now." Eames said simply. "But we have to secure a safe sight to cross and time. You know better then anyone what going off without a proper plan will do." the Forger spoke rationally to the Point Man.
"Ariadne was almost taken!" Arthur almost shouted. Eames put a finger to his lips and cast a fretful look at the sleeping Architect.
"I know that, Mate." Eames said once he was sure she was asleep. "We can't afford to start getting sloppy now."
Arthur sighed and looked annoyed.
"We can't stay here any more. It's to dangerous. Get the passports." He said. "Make the crossing, and set us up with a good check point. We need to leave the county in a few days."
I want to thank all my new readers for following my work and listing me as a favorite author. That's awesome. I love seeing new profiles of the people reading my work.
I know I keep killing Yuseff. Truthfully, I just don't know what to do with him. LOL.
There WILL be erotica in the next chapter. I know I promised you guys some A&A lovin' and you'll get your damn hot sexy time. Don't worry. If this is the first of my stories you have read, please check out my other work. It's all A&A and has the sexy time in all of them.
I got a review from a lady named Karen who felt that Ariadne should have been the Ludovico Einaudi fan. Good point. Ariadne is a fan now, because who wouldn't be?
I have to say, that's cool there is another fan of this beautiful man and his passionate work. I highly recommend that if you don't know our man Einaudi, go to uTube and you can listen to all his songs for free. I wrote it this way because I started playing his music at work and people there, who only listen to pop music or rap or country, have really taken to loving him as much as I do. How cool is that?