12.
~ The restaurant was a crowded mess. The very type of place that Arthur hated more than anything because he couldn't find any exits, a clear path of escape and he couldn't lock eyes on his target.
The rabbit kept chirping in his pocket as he heard roaring laughter coming from an upstairs VIP lounge.
He looked up to see Bill and his arrogant friends, drunk, and yelling at one another.
"Sir, you can't go up there." an attendant said when Arthur made to climb the staircase. Ariadne was up there and needed him.
"Get out of my way." the Point Man growled at the little man guarding the stairs. He had had enough already. Enough of Bill, enough of Ariadne and her games of pushing him away and then, puling him close. He wasn't in the mood for more.
The attendant seemed to sense this. A frightened look came over his pinched, little face and Arthur knew he must have scared the little man.
He climbed up the stairs, two at a time. His always energetic and limber body able to reach the balcony without effort.
"Bill!" he barked at the group.
The arrogant young man, his gold rolex flashing on his wrist, looked up to see the Point Man.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Where's Ariadne?"
"What?"
"Ariadne. Where is she?" the Point Man growled.
"How would I know?" Bill laughed and stood.
Arthur realized that he was taller, and better built than him, but let that go by. By the look in his eyes, Bill had been drinking and posed no threat at all.
"You don't keep track of your fiancé?" Arthur questioned.
"Why does the driver want to know where she is so badly anyway? You go a thing for my girl?" Bill asked and the group of friends laughed.
"She called me. Wanted to go home. Where is she?" Arthur asked.
"Don't worry about Ariadne." Bill sighed and walked over to Arthur. Placing a meaty hand on his shoulder.
Bill leaned over and whispered in his ear. His breath stinking of too much drink.
"She's being a little bitch tonight, but she's mine and she's not going anywhere with you. So just go on home and let the real men play."
Arthur didn't get mad. He never got mad. He did, however neatly take hold of Bill's hand, twist it till he felt a satisfying popping come from the wrist. As Bill cried out in pain, Arthur grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face into a nearby table.
Breaking, the table and the face of his victim.
"I guess you didn't understand." Arthur said casually as Bill rolled on the floor in pain and his friend only gasped and watched in muted horror.
Arthur quickly pushed Ariadne's fiancé on his back and grabbed hold of his hand again. The young man nearly screamed like a woman as Arthur twisted the already broken wrist.
"I know this hurts." the Point Man said gently. His blood pressure never rising as the sadist in him tortured the young man.
"Now, tell me where she is." Arthur asked again.
"I don't... OWE!" Bill cried like a child. "She- she said she was going to the bathroom... we had a fight!"
"Did you hit her?" Arthur asked.
"She was acting like a little-"
The Point Man left Bill screaming on the floor with freshly broken fingers.
~ He found the ladies room quickly enough. Already he was eager to leave this place and take Ariadne back home.
He barely bothered to knock before letting himself in.
"Miss Richard!" he summoned as several young women looked at this invader to the exclusive world of women in shock.
"Sorry, ladies." Arthur apologized and bowed at them as they gave him a dirty look. "Miss. Richard! It's Arthur!"
"Arthur!" came a cry from one of the stalls. Arthur spotted two legs drop into view and a stall open up.
Ariadne had been crying and she ran to the Point Man. Quick to embrace him out of sheer relief at seeing a friendly face.
"Arthur!" she whispered. "I want to go home."
"Alright." Arthur said. "The stalker... did he find you?"
"No, it was Bill he was acting like... I don't want to talk about it." Ariadne said as she pulled away from him and fixed her makeup.
"What did he do?" Arthur asked.
"I said: I don't want to talk about it!" Ariadne almost shouted.
"Alright." Arthur said soberly.
"I just... just take me home." she whispered. Visibly trying to compose herself.
~ They left the restaurant through the kitchen. The staff barely noticing them with the police and ambulance arriving.
"What happened?" Ariadne asked as Arthur kept her close to his side and escorted her to the black BMW he drove.
"Not sure. I think Bill ran into the wrong person." Arthur mused and drove off.
~ He didn't take her home. Ariadne didn't notice right away that he drove for almost an hour in the wrong direction. The sun was finally setting on a long day.
"Wait, Arthur." she finally realized. "This is the wrong way. Where are we going?"
"We can't go back to the house." he said sagely. "Bill is staying there, remember?"
"Right." Ariadne said soberly and leaned back in her seat. "So, where are we going?"
"You'll see." he offered.
"I don't have a change of clothing." she admitted.
"Yes you do."
"What?"
"I packed you a back the first day I worked with you. In case we needed to escape. An emergency bug out bag is recommended by the department of homeland security you know. I have two changes of clothing, sleep ware, shoes, even a new tooth brush." he told her.
"Wait, how did you get my clothes?"
"From your closet. Where else?"
"You went through my closet?"
"I did." Arthur said casually as he turned into West Egg Village.
"Arthur." she said in surprise.
"We promised your sister we would visit." he sighed and put the car in park.
~ Arthur had never seen Ariadne so happy.
Elizabeth was delighted to see her sister again. The two girls thrilled to be together as they made Arthur come into the house with them.
The three of them ordered pizza, watched a marathon of a horrible reality show, and then played party games. At one point, the Point Man was blind folded and had to find the girls who were trying not to make a sound and be caught.
It was a game Ariadne found too much fun when Arthur seized her after she let out a stifled giggle.
Elizabeth was a high functioning person with downs. She was able to manage her life very well and Arthur wondered why she didn't live on her own instead of in this place. Aside from being a fan of reality shows, she was perfectly normal.
~ It was past midnight when the Point Man made the girls go to bed. Ariadne and Elizabeth giggling and gossiping in the bedroom. The two sister sharing a bed while the Point man was barely fifteen feet away on the couch.
"You girls go to sleep!" he shouted when the laughing got to loud.
There was a title wave of giggles then and Elizabeth and Ariadne both mocked him.
"You girls go to sleep!" she cried and started to laugh again.
~ Arthur wasn't sure how much time had passed before he was shaken awake by Ariadne.
The girl under his care was sitting on the floor right across from the couch he was trying to sleep on.
"What- what's wrong?" Arthur said groggily.
"Nothing." she whispered in the darkness.
"What time is it?" he asked and looked at his watch.
"Late... or early."
"What's wrong, Miss. Richard?" he sighed and rolled over on his side.
"I just wanted to say thank you."
Arthur was surprised.
"That couldn't have waited till the morning?" he asked.
"No, it couldn't. I never get to see my sister, and we had a lot of fun tonight. So... thank you. Not just for getting me out of the restaurant and protecting me, but for everything." she whispered.
Her face was a little sad as she spoke.
"I'm tired." he said.
"I am to." she whispered and stood up, only to come and nestle on the sofa with him.
"Miss. Richard." he said sternly as his body allowed her to curl next to him, despite his better judgement. She was like a willful cat just now. A creature that would have you pet it, whether you wanted to or not.
"I want to stay here tonight." she said softly in the darkness. Her body moving close to his.
"No." he said sternly. His voice like ice.
"What?" she questioned.
"You don't get to play games with me, Miss. Richard. You don't pull me to you, then push me away only to pull me to you again. I'm not your boyfriend or your friend with benefits. I'm here to protect you, nothing more."
She sat up. He could see even in the darkness, her face was livid.
"Bill slapped me. Felt like he even loosened a tooth. That psychopath out there managed to talk to me twice. Yes, you've done such a good job of protecting me already." she growled and slid away from him.
He could head her light feet moving back to her sister's bedroom and shutting the door behind her.
~ In the morning, thing's weren't any better.
Ariadne was barely speaking to him as she slipped into the bathroom to take a shower.
"Will you and sissy be back tonight?" Elizabeth asked hopefully as she got dressed for her job at the grocery store.
"I don't think so, Miss Richard." Arthur said sadly.
"We can watch Teen Mom or Toddlers and Tiaras." she said brightly.
"Sounds fun, but we have to go." he said and nodded to a simple brown package that was on her kitchen table.
"You get your mail early here." he said and noticed the box was wrapped neatly but with no markings.
"Someone left it on the porch." Elizabeth said hurriedly. "I don't know who."
Arthur looked at the box.
"Miss. Richard. Go into your room and shut the door. Tell sissy not to come in here." he said with a cold voice that made the poor girl's eyes go large with fear.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked.
"Go into your room and don't come out till I say." he ordered.
Elizabeth nodded and went into her bedroom. Ariadne still in the bath and oblivious to the situation.
With ever steady hands, Arthur cut open the simple box with his pocket knife. He carefully opened it to reveal it contained nothing more harmful than Ariadne's wooden hair comb.
The same one her stalker had stolen from her in the parking lot.
