A/N: Okay! Chapter 2 is up! It probably doesn't have all the action people were hoping for in it, but I'm saving that for next week once I finally recover from A Dance With Dragons... Anyway, thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter! I really do appreciate it :)
Three years. Three long years since Arthur had last seen the petite architect. Despite the passing of time, she looked exactly as she had then. Dressed in a pair of dark jeans, loose red t-shirt, and sneakers, she could have passed for the same architecture student Arthur had met in a Parisian warehouse over half a dozen years ago, and she was still the most beautiful woman the point man had ever seen.
The only minor discrepancy was her scarf. There was a time when Arthur could name every one of her flimsy accessories, but this black scrap of silk with gold stars was completely new to him. He watched as she flashed a grin at Cobb and a wink at Eames before her smile dropped as she stood face to face with him.
"Coward."
Abruptly Arthur saw Ariadne's face flash before him, although this time it was covered in tears, the slow moving, gut-wrenching tears that signified total hear break. He had watched her beg him to stay, something he had never expected from the strong and independent Ariadne. For a split second, he was tempted to drop everything and stay. Her pleading had been both completely unexpected and stomach turning. She should never have to beg; she was too proud and too determined to ever lower herself to that. It was one of the many reasons why he loved her so much.
But he had still walked out. 'I really am a bastard,' thought the point man. Arthur was sure that if he had still been able to dream, the architect's tears would only appear in his nightmares.
There was a whoop of joy before a streak of color, also known as Eames, broke past Arthur and swung the small girl up his arms laughing. Although she tried to put another smile on her face, a hiss of pain escaped her lips, prompting Eames to immediately place her gently back on her feet. "Alright there?" questioned Eames.
Ariadne gave him a half smile. "Yes, I just took a tumble down a flight of stairs is all. My ribs seem to still be a bit sensitive."
"And did someone help you down this flight of stairs," inquired McAllister with an eyebrow raised. Instead of replying, Ariadne raised one of her own eyebrows and met his stare levelly. A short nonverbal conversation occurred between the two before McAllister rolled his eyes, turned to the shaken Deacon, and began to prod him toward the nearest archway.
"Come on in," invited Ariadne as she moved past the group and followed McAllister. "You guys look like hell."
As the group began to migrate toward the archway, Cobb made a move toward Arthur, but Arthur shook his head before following the rest of the group. He needed some time to think. The unexpected meeting and proximity to his former lover was both heartening and disconcerting. Arthur was sure his poker face had held up upon her appearance, but her lack of emotion at seeing him was completely out of character. Apparently the architect had changed from the one he had left in Paris.
They wandered through the archway and down a short passageway tastefully lit by two series of wall sconces to a set of oaken double doors. With a gentle push from Ariadne, the doors swung open to reveal a large room dominated by a staircase leading up to a second floor, a massive landing branching out in two directions. A large chandelier lit the room in addition to sets of floor lamps laid out strategically along the walls. A few uncomfortable looking sofas could be seen in the depths of the cavernous room.
As the group approached the stairs, Phillipa and James chattering quietly to their father, Tim moved off toward a small door set to the left of the staircase.
"Is there still dinner around here somewhere?" asked McAllister.
"Most of it should still be laid out on the sideboard. I think the twins were still in there last I checked, but I'm sure you can find something else in the icebox," answered Ariadne. McAllister nodded and moved off in the same direction as Tim.
"This way," called Ariadne and headed up the stairs, taking a right at the landing and moving down the long carpeted hallway toward a series of rooms. Arthur saw a barely noticeable wince of pain cross her face, and he itched to take a look at her injuries. Old habits died hard.
She walked down a few doors, passing a few Impressionist paintings to halt beside an unmarked door. "Eames, this would be you," she said and opened the door, revealing a large bedroom decorated in creams, reds and golds. Directly across from the entrance was a set of crimson drapes that framed a set of glass double doors leading to a small balcony, which Arthur was sure had a fantastic view of the valley.
A four-poster bed, reminiscent of the one in the room they had escaped from earlier that day, sat back on the far left wall. On the right was a large writing desk, a flatscreen TV suspended above it. Two other doors on the left flanking the bed presumably led to a bathroom and closet.
"Por moi?" asked Eames in an atrocious French accent as he strolled in. Ariadne grimaced briefly before laughing quietly.
"Yes. Henry's been kind enough to provide housing for everyone. We're still waiting on one more team to show up, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the next day or so," she answered. "In the meantime, please feel free to make yourselves at home. The grounds are gorgeous, but knowing you Eames, I feel as if you'll be more interested in the pool or the home theater. I'm sure James here will be more than happy to give you a full tour of the place. After a few days here, I think he knows it better than I do," she laughed with a smile at James.
"You saw Tim and Saul head into the kitchens downstairs, so help yourselves—"
"Good lord, Ariadne! You really expect me to wear this?" called Eames. He had wandered into the closet during Ariadne's speech and came back out into the room carrying a pink silk paisley shirt on a hanger.
Ariadne grinned, "Well considering your absolutely impeccable taste, I figured it would be a welcome addition" and pointedly eyed the rather garish mustard colored silk shirt Eames was currently wearing. At that, Arthur had to hold back a small grin. He had claimed burning eyes at seeing the shirt this morning before the team had left for the spa.
Eames snorted and then turned back to the closet, "All this for me?"
"Yeah well, Nikki does go a bit overboard..."
"Nikki?" spoke up Arthur. Ariadne glanced quickly over at him, but before she could say anything, a tall olive-skinned woman with black hair pushed past the group into the room. Clad in sensible black trousers and a light green button up blouse, her ensemble paired with gold rings, bracelets, and earrings screamed money.
"Ariadne, you should have waited for me," she chided gently. Ariadne shrugged and allowed the woman to continue. "My name is Nicole di Rossi, but please call me Nikki." Her Bostonian accent played a stark contrast to her Mediterranean complexion.
"You're Henry's wife?" asked Cobb.
"Yes," she said turning to him with a smile. "Which also makes me the housekeeper and hostess until my husband decides to reappear." She turned to give a querying look to Ariadne, who shook her head. Nikki sighed, "Well in any case, Ariadne was perfectly accurate. Please make yourselves at home. Ariadne was kind enough to help me stock your rooms with anything you might need, but if you find yourself requiring anything, please do not hesitate to ask. Mr. Eames, I think we should leave you to it." With a nod of thanks from Eames, the two women stepped out of the room and back out to the hallway to join the others.
"I'm not sure I understand what's going on," started Cobb. "I mean, I'm grateful more than you could ever know, Ariadne, for returning my kids to me, but why are we staying here?"
"I think that's a question best left for Henry considering we're even in the dark," said Ariadne. "But I can tell you that what we're about to do here may just be the craziest job in the history of shared dreaming, and in order to pull this off, we're going to need the best."
"I got out of the business years ago, Ariadne. You know that," replied Cobb.
"Yes, I do. But I also know you still take the occasional job."
"Which didn't go so well this morning."
"So you won't even listen to the pitch?"
Cobb paused for a split second, pursing his lips together, clearly in disapproval. "Not really looking forward to another job that may put my kids in danger."
"Not even if it gets Cobol off our backs? Permanently?" At that Cobb paused once more, this time looking down at his kids and then at Arthur. Arthur nodded.
"Okay. We'll hear di Rossi out," Cobb answered slowly. The shorter architect favored him with a small smile, one that didn't make it to Arthur. He felt his jaw clench just slightly. She had told him to leave and to never come back, but the emotionless expression she favored him with hurt more than any of her anger ever could.
"Excellent!" interrupted Nikki. "Now, shall we continue?"
Deacon had just been placed in his room adjacent to Eames' room, when a male voice called "Ari!" from the opposite end of the hallway. A handsome, brown-haired man dressed in a grey suit and white button down shirt was struggling with an undone straight tie. "Can you give me a hand here please?" Ariadne clucked her tongue in disapproval and walked toward him.
"You would think it would be engrained in all men to know how to do this…" she started.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the man muttered and pulled his chin up to allow Ariadne access to his neck. She straightened the ends of the tie a bit before starting the opening creases of a full Windsor knot. As she did so, the man noticed the group in the hallway and nodded before turning his attention back to Ariadne. "Are you ever going to tell me where you learned to do this?" he asked her.
"Nope," answered Ariadne.
Arthur watched the exchange with interest, although he tried to not let it show on his face. The architect and nameless man were standing too close together for the point man's comfort.
The scenery around him warped.
Twisted sheets and clothes lay strewn about the once immaculate hotel room.
The slowly rising sun began to send fingerlings of delicate sunlight across the floor, illuminating a tousle-headed brunette exiting the bathroom in a long sleeved men's Oxford shirt, the hem of which barely reached the tops of her thighs.
"I think I might like you wearing my shirt better than anything else you have," came a quiet voice from the bed. The brunette kneeled on the side of the bed and smiled impishly. "Well, I could always switch to men's button downs… I'm sure Eames would appreciate it." Her bedmate growled and in a quick motion had grabbed the brunette and swiftly pinned her to the mattress.
"Arthur!" she shrieked but quieted as he captured her lips in a searing kiss, running a hand up one smooth leg and up the shirt. Her moan of approval was all he needed to move his lips from her mouth to her chin and then slowly down the side of her neck, stopping only to taste that sensitive spot below her ear that made her shiver.
"Eames," Arthur said as he continued his way down her neck, "may appreciate this, but I'll be damned if he ever gets the chance." She laughed quietly. Arthur's fingers began to undo the buttons at the top of her shirt, laying kisses on the newly revealed skin.
A sudden buzzing interrupted the lovers, followed by a long groan from the woman. "Don't answer it," she ordered.
"Could be your Englishman," Arthur said with a smirk and planted a quick kiss on her lips before rolling off the bed to retrieve his phone from the nightstand. A short conversation later, he turned to the bed, only to find that she had moved to a wall mirror, this time with his tie looped around her delicate neck. He watched for several long moments as she attempted to properly tie the thing. Arthur could feel a smile spread slowly across his face and let a small chuckle pass his lips before approaching her.
"How the hell do you do this?" she asked curiously while tugging on the piece of silk.
"Here, let me," Arthur offered. He stood behind her, his arms draped easily over her petite shoulders, and took hold of the fabric in her hands. She stared into the mirror with interest, watching his elegant fingers effortlessly begin to form a precise full Windsor knot. She hummed in approval. "Do all men know how to do this? I mean, is it just something you instinctively know how to do?"
"Only the real men," he answered and she laughed. A beat of silence passed.
"What did Eames want?" she inquired quietly.
"How do you know it was Eames?" Arthur answered, putting the finishing touches on the knot.
"The only time you ever have that tone is when Eames is involved," she grinned and modeled the wrinkled shirt with perfect tie in the mirror. "How do I look?"
"Stunning," he answered, kissing the side of her neck. "His flight landed an hour early. We're meeting him at nine."
The woman sighed and said, "I guess we had better start getting ready." She moved out of the circle of his arms and started sashaying toward the bathroom again.
"Ariadne."
The brunette turned back to look at Arthur. "Hm?"
"… We can be a little late."
Feminine shrieks of laughter mixed with a man's low masculine chuckle permeated through the room.
"... And this would be your room Mr. Cobb," intruded a voice into Arthur's memory. He shook his head and realized that the group had moved further down the hallway. The suited man from before was no longer in the hallway, but Ariadne still stood behind with Arthur, giving him a strange look before continuing on down the hallway after the group.
Arthur shook his head once more to try and clear the sudden jolt into nostalgia and then followed Ariadne. She had caught up to Cobb and was saying something about the kids. "… my old studio—just up the tower stairs on the end."
"It's so cool, Daddy!" exclaimed Phillipa. "It's like being a real princess!" Cobb chuckled and assured her that he would see it later.
"Why don't you two keep your father company and then give him a tour before bed?" suggested Nikki. The children readily agreed, and each grabbing one of Cobb's hands, fairly dragged him into his room. Cobb had time to shoot one more quick look at the point man before he disappeared into his room.
"And last but not least!" announced Nikki, moving on to the next room. Arthur followed along behind her, and an uncomfortable silence began to grow over the trio.
"Umm… I'm just going to see if Henry is back. I needed to ask him something about about… logistics," came Ariadne's voice from behind Nikki and Arthur.
"Ariadne—" started Nikki.
"I'll catch up with you later," the architect answered and fairly bolted from the hallway.
Nikki laughed quietly, "She always was a terrible liar." Arthur had to smirk at that. Ariadne's poker face may have received a passing grade, but lying was still apparently her greatest deficiency. He could always tell when she was lying, but the smirk dropped quickly once he realized that she most probably left to avoid any period alone with him.
"Here we are," said Nikki, gesturing at the last door. Upon opening it, Arthur could see that it was designed much like Eames' room, although the drapes and bedcovers were all a dark blue, almost black, instead of crimson. The point man took a few steps into the room and opened the balcony door to let in the cool Tuscan breeze. Below the balcony, he could see a large swimming pool set into a paved patio and beyond that lay the Italian valley, rustic yet wild. Turning away from the balcony, he moved on to the closet, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Rows of three-piece suits and coordinating shirts greeted him, along with a small rack containing an assortment of ties in various colors. Below the rack of suits, Arthur could see several pairs of leather shoes, and he was nearly certain that in the small wooden chest located on a top shelf, he would find a few sets of cufflinks. If Arthur hadn't known any better, he would have thought that he had walked into his own closet.
"Arthur, if anything at all is to come out of the next few days, perhaps you can teach my husband how to dress properly," sighed Nikki. "Your taste is impeccable." Arthur nodded in acknowledgement as he drew one of the suits off the rack. At the label 'Tom Ford,' Arthur raised an eyebrow, throwing a quick glance at Nikki. She smiled and shrugged, "This is all Ariadne's work, so you'll have to thank her. She mentioned you were very particular."
At Arthur's silence, Nikki continued quietly, "I'll leave you to it" and retreated from the room. Arthur spent a long moment staring at the suit in his hands. It was impeccably cut, and he was sure it was tailored to fit him exactly. Ariadne knew him too well. Selecting a matching shirt and tie, Arthur left the closet, laying the items neatly out on the bed. With one long last stare at the handpicked outfit, Arthur turned to the bathroom. Maybe a long shower and a fresh change of clothes would help him bring things into focus, but just in case, he removed his totem from his dusty pants and rolled the red die across the desk.
Six white dots glared back in response.
A/N: That's it for this week! Please read and review!