Fall Apart Today
Chapter 2
Dominic Cobb pushed the back door open feeling the warm air sweep into the house. He smiled hearing the laughter of his children and his eyes quickly found Phillipa dancing out of James' reach who was chasing after his sister, arms outstretched. Both of them laughing.
His smile faltered as he moved across the deck and sat down next to the other man who sat on the edge. Arthur nodded his thanks as Cobb passed him a beer. The retired extractor/architect watched Arthur's eyes dart upwards as James' laughter rang out filling the air.
"I'm sor-"
"Don't be" Arthur interrupted and Cobb only nodded lowering his body to sit beside his friend.
"How is she going?" he asked and Arthur shrugged,
"No change really" he said quietly. Dom nodded and allowed the silence to settle over them. Silence of course that was short lived with his two energetic children around,
"UNCLE ARTHUR, UNCLE ARTHUR" Dom watched a smile grow on Arthur's lips yet he could see that it wasn't close to reaching his eyes. Yet Uncle Arthur set his drink down on the deck before letting Philipa pull him from his seat and into the garden. He watched the point man point his daughter in one direction while he rounded the other corner and moments later reappear with an upside down James screaming with laughter. The tears rolled down James' flushed cheeks as Arthurs nimble fingers found every ticklish spot. Laughter from behind him startled Dom a moment later when Arthur swept the giggling Philippa into his arms only to give her the same treatment.
Eames sat down beside him a moment later and Dom nodded his greeting,
"How was England?"
"Cold, how's Arthur been?" he knew that the man of their conversation would kill them if he could hear them but he could only shrug,
"Okay" there wasn't much to tell. He still visited the hospital every night. He still was a different man than the friend that he'd spent many years beside.
"I stopped in to visit Ari, the kids been in then?" Eames asked a fondness in his voice and Dom nodded,
"We went in with Arthur yesterday. They hadn't been in a while, Pippa re-wallpapered the walls as you saw I'm sure" Eames grinned thinking about the child's drawings that left barely an inch square of the white wall in Ariadne's hospital room.
"She'll love it when she wakes up" Eames said. He didn't say how a voice somewhere in the back of his mind made him ask if she would wake up. He ignored the voice, not entertaining the thought for longer than he had to.
"I don't know how he can be here" Dom voiced quietly looking out on the backyard. The sentiment had been shared between them before and Eames nodded.
It was after dinner that night, after Arthur had informed Eames of the job that he was taking in a couple days.
"Come on Arthur I just got back. Can't we wait for after the weekend at least" he complained pulling a crayon from under the couch cushion.
"They don't particularly need a forger Eames" Arthur responded simply. And yet they would have one. It was common knowledge now that if someone wanted Arthur Maitland on a job, they would have William Eames as well. The point man had put up a fight at first and was quickly confronted with Eames at his most annoying and most infuriating,
"ARTHUR YOU ARE NOT GOING TO RUSSIA" the forger yelled. They were in Eames' newly purchased apartment and Arthur was moving around the spare room packing a bag.
"For two days, in and out job"
"You're going to get yourself killed" Eames stated, standing tall in the door frame with the intent of not moving until Arthur had let his latest idea go,
"I can take care of myself thank you Mr. Eames" his tone was stoic and words were laced with anger,
"Arthur will you listen to yourself you can't-"
"EAMES WILL YOU BACK THE FUCK OFF" it was rare Arthur lost his cool and for a moment he stopped, startled with the anger brewing. But there was no way he was about to let the younger man out the door. And so he hit back with just as much force.
"And what about Ariadne?" his words were quiet yet they'd had a much larger effect than the words Arthur had roared out in anger,
"What happens when she wakes up and you're not here, you said you wouldn't go anywh-" but once again he was cut off,
"Wakes up, wakes up IT'S BEEN FIVE MONTHS EAMES. I am going I don't need you to tell me where I can go and who I can trust"
"WHO YOU CAN TRUST ARTHUR YOU CAN'T TRUST ANYONE. YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD, YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE OUT AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED, LOOK WHAT HAPPENED ARTHUR"
In the end Eames had ended up tailing him, politely ignoring the throbbing of his jaw – a result of refusing to move out of an angry point mans way. Arthur, had of course known. Hell he'd known since he watched Eames' car following his own to the airport. He'd then followed him through the airport, and much to Arthur's surprise had followed him, a few passengers away, onto the plane.
And like the first job Arthur had worked in over three years, everyone he had worked since had been alongside Eames, whether he'd wanted to or so that night Eames had simply thrown an irritated glare towards Arthur who sat calmly, feathers unruffled, before he stalked into the kitchen to get another beer.
"At least it's not Russia this time"
Hey guys sorry it's been so long. I'm hoping to get another chapter up tonight but if you could throw me a quick review with some feedback that would be really handy as I'm wondering how this is coming across?
Thanks !