Crash

"God, if you can hear me,

Crash this Train."

Crash this Train, Joshua James

The congenial little French Detective strolled the massive Fischer estate. Astucieux looked over

the abandoned home. Doors left wide open, lights on. No one was home. Night had fallen fully on the brightly lit house, rimmed with the flashing red lights of police cars. The local police had gladly escorted him to the Fischer home on the remote grounds.

"Miss-Sure?" The Police Chief said in bad French but trying. The Man approached the Detective. "No one's here."

"They must have left here rapidly." the Detective mused. "Lights left on, doors wide open to the elements." He looked at the deep gashes cut on the drive way "They fled most quickly."

The local police were tall and wide. Like something out a myth about Giants. The Little French Detective felt dwarfish compared to the Americans. Still, they were polite enough. Even if he did speak better English then they did.

"No, the people we seek were here." Astucieux reasoned

"Sir!" Came the shout of a deputy. "Incoming chopper!" The young man pointed to the sky. They all craned their necks upward to see the search light from a large helicopter. They heard the characteristic patting and humming grow louder as the circulating wind picked up. The large chopper touched lightly to the ground. It looked like the kind of vehicle that was clearly capable of international flights.

"Who are they?" The Police Chief asked Astucieux

"My guess..." The Detective said casually, "is they are looking for the same people we are." Astucieux smiled and nodded to himself as he saw Arthur, Cobb and Saito exit the large helicopter. They ignored the local police when they saw the French Detective.

"Monsieur Astucieux?" Arthur asked. He was breathing hard. The Team had gone though Fischer's holdings till they found an isolated estate in Oregon that would be perfect for hiding people. They had left for America with in the hour and flown all day. When they finally reached Oregon, Arthur felt his heart leap into chest when he saw a line of lit up police cars. She was here. He knew it.

"Ma Femme?" He asked. His french had gotten batter. He didn't want the local police to understand them. Detective Astucieux seemed to understand.

"Laissez-nous pas de la gossipers*." The Detective said understanding.

Astucieux told the Point man about finding information about Fischer, that the Young Businessman had hired Hecate to bring part of Arthur's Team in to him.
"But, I suspect that you know all of this." The Detective said with a smile. "Information retrieval and all." Arthur said nothing.
"She's not here is she?" The Point Man asked looking at his shoes.

"We think they were moved, and recently." Astucieux told him

"Why did Monsieur Fischer take your family and friend?" The congenial little Detective asked. Arthur did not answer. The Detective sighed.

"I suppose if I were in the business of dream extraction, I would have many enemies as well." Astucieux mused. The Point Man looked up in surprise. The Detective shrugged and put a finger to his nose. Arthur's former doorman, Sam, used to do the same thing. It meant they shared a secret. Arthur felt himself smile.

"Arthur!" Cobb's voice cut over the noise. The Point Man and the Detective turned to see the Extractor. Cobb was holding a cell phone.
"Their at a hospital, in the city." The Extractor shouted.

In a nearby city, the chopper landed gracefully on the hospital roof. They had beaten the police cars who, never able to mind their business, were on their way to them as soon as Cobb got the breif call from Sybil.

"How long have they been here?" Arthur asked. He, Saito, Cobb and Astucieux had all left the roof and were on their way to the ER.

"Sybil didn't say." Cobb explained for the third time. "She just called my phone and said they were here."
"Well, are they hurt?" Arthur barked

"She didn't say, Arthur." Cobb told him. "She hung up before I could ask any questions.
"Where's Hecate?" Arthur asked. Cobb sighed.

"She didn't say." The Extractor told the Point Man. The ER was a maze of nurses, beds and noise. It was packed with people in varied degrees of distress and pain. Arthur had no idea where to start. Many of the beds had drawn curtains. He was so close, he could feel it. He could feel her.

Without warning, he saw Sybil out of the corner of his eye. She was walking, dream like to a small alcove caring a water pitcher. She didn't even look around her or else she would have noticed the Team. Her face was bruised and had a long gash of dark stitches. The Point Man felt his heart race at the sight of her. Arthur and the others did not say a word as they followed the Girl. She opened a crack in a hospital curtain and slipped inside.

The Point Man approached the enclosure and tore it open. Eames was laying on a hospital bed. His right arm lashed securely to a heavy mid-evil looking brace. His face, a horrible mess of swelling, bruising and even more stitches then Sybil. He was sleeping. To his left, the Girl placed the water pitcher on his bedside table. Sitting on his right...

"Ariadne." He breathed. His wife turned around when he had come in. Her face looked untouched by the abuse Eames and Sybil had suffered.

"Arthur." She said simply. He embraced her, his breathing coming fast in relief. She wrapped her arms around him. Her body fitting into his perfectly. She stood on tiptoe so she could rest her chin on his shoulder. "How did you get to the States so fast?" She asked finally.
"We were just at the house, Fischer's house." Arthur explained. His lips suddenly on hers. His hands holding the back of her head. Bringing her close to him. He kissed his wife forcefully. Never wanting to break off his embrace of her. Forgetting the now tiny space was crowded with people.

She didn't ask how he knew Fischer had them. He didn't asked what happened to Hecate or Fischer, or how they had escaped. There would be time for that later.

"Alexander?" Ariadne asked, coming up for air after his kiss. Arthur nodded.

"He's fine. In Japan, with Yori." Arthur assured him.

"Which is where we need to go right now." Cobb broke in. "Local police are on their way." Eames came awake, although drugged, as Cobb and Arthur helped him into a nearby wheel chair. Ariadne took Sybil's hand as Saito rolled the Forger on the elevator to the roof.

"I'll keep them busy." Astucieux told them. The French Detective held the elevator door open and nodded at the Architect. "So lovely to finally meet you, Madam."

The chopper flew them to Los Angeles, in another hours, they were in the air again. Saito had a newly minted privet corporate plane ready.

"In case I had to transport clients." Saito explained when they saw the large aircraft. It was bigger then most privet planes and far more luxurious. Ariadne was sure Arthur would know what kind of plane it was but didn't ask as the men helped the Forger into one of the comfortable leather seats. The engines of the plane were making loud noises that told her they would be taking off soon. Saito closed the cabin door as Sybil strapped in next to Eames. She had not said a word the entire time from the hospital to the airport and didn't look like she would anytime soon. The Girl curled up in her seat. She and the Forger were very quickly asleep. Ariadne sat next to Arthur as the the plane gained altitude.

"Are you sure Alexander is alright?" She asked him quietly.
"Yes," He said running a hand over her face. "I hated leaving him, but I had to find you." She nodded understanding, he kissed her gently as they felt the plane level off.

"What happened to you?" He whispered. She took a deep breath, told him everything. Waking up to see Hecate and Fischer, Sybil being tortured, Eames fighting off the guards, Sybil's escape to the woods.

"What happened to Hecate?" Arthur asked

"Sybil said she lost her in the woods. I honestly don't' know. I just had to get Eames out and to a hospital." She confessed.

"You did the right thing." Arthur said kissing her hands.
"How long were we gone?" She asked. "I don't know how long they had us."

"About a week now." He answered. She nodded.
"When we land, I need to see my son, take a hot shower and eat a big dinner." She confessed with a laugh.
"Well, we have ten hours before we can see him." He told her. "But I can help you with the other two."

The fancy corporate jet had a complete bathroom that impressed the Architect. Her husband ran a hot shower for her and helped her undress.
"What happened here?" He asked feeling the stitches on her head. They had been hidden by her dark hair.
"Hecate." She said simply. She felt embarrassed that Arthur showed no signs of leaving her to shower alone.

"I can shower alone." She assured him trying not to blush.

"Not a chance." Arthur said with a slight smile. She giggled as he shed his own clothes. The need to touch her was to great.

In the shower, the hot water rained down on them. After intense kissing, which left her breathless, Arthur gently washed her hair. He took responsibility to washer the rest of her body as well. It was a job he did slowly and thoroughly. Planting soft kissing on each area of her body after her had cleaned it. His time with Circe and his time away from his true love had left him to excited to not be naked with her. She was a vision. Her body soft and familiar to his touch. The warm water was raining on them both as he leaned her body to rest on the wall. His body did the rest. He lifted her leg around his waist and plunged himself recklessly into her. Ariadne gasped at the sudden penetration. She warped her arms around him as he thrust into her body with an abandonment she had not felt since she had first gotten pregnant. His mouth was all over her body. Moving from her lips to her nipples as if she were a buffet and he was only their to sample her.

"Just.. just stay my wife." She heard him groan as his thrusting increased. "Just stay my wife." he said again. She didn't understand what he meant. Why wouldn't she stay his wife? She pushed the thought out of her mind as he continued to take his pleasure form her.

Arthur felt himself release in her suddenly and his body start to relax. He was breathing hard. The need for her body and skin had been to great. He didn't care if this was real or not. He could no longer resist. Ariadne was kissing his neck with soft lips as he cradled her in his arms. He caught a glimpse of them in the bathroom mirror. It reflected himself and the lovely imaged of Ariadne. Her nude body molded to his own. Seeing them there, in the mirror, he sighed. It was real.

Arthur dressed in the clothes he had worn before and found a set of pajamas that were surely meant for corporate gifts for her to put on. The plane had a small galley where they fixed a small dinner. Saito and Cobb were sleeping in the front of the plane. Ariadne woke Sybil up to offer her something to eat. Eames was still sleeping soundly thanks to the pain killers. The Girl ate silently, took her own shower and changed clothes. She was soon back asleep before the plane reached Japan.

It was still night as the Team reached Tokyo. The sinning of the globe had not caught up with them. They took another chopper to Saito's privet mansion in the country side. It was a magnificent house that rivaled Fischer's. The inside was lit up in expectation as the chopper landed. Eames had been dropped off at a hospital to attend to his figurines. Sybil had wanted to stay with him and Saito had stayed with the both of them. Cobb, Ariadne and Arthur had gone to retrieve their Children. Yori welcomed them into her home. It was quite as she chowed Cobb the pleasant little room James and Phillipa had been sharing. They were both curled up together in a double wide bed. A habit of theirs when their Father was away. The Extractor gazed at their beautiful sleeping faces. One always loves their Children a little more when their asleep. He brushed away a lose stand of hair off Phillipa's face and wondered what they were dreaming of.

Ariadne and Arthur took no such passive approach. Alexander was sharing Shin's nursery. Under the constant protection of a capable nanny. The Baby awoke sleepily as his Mother took him out of his crib. He didn't cry and only allowed the Architect to hold him close to her body.

Ariadne was so grateful to feel his warm little body fold into her own. Her husband stood by her side. He ran on of his large hands over his son's head as he pulled them both into his arms. The feeling of her warm squirming baby, her husbands strong capable body. These were feeling and sensations she knew to well. They were her totem. She knew she was awake.

* "Let us step away from the gossipers."