My Darling Readers,

I know that it is disappointing to some that this story is not being updating as regularly or as frequently as my first, but in order to balance things out, the chapters will, by in large, be longer. That being said, I would like to present to you the longest chapter that I have ever written. Ever. I have been writing furiously for entire days at a time (as I am still without full-time employment), struggling to make certain all was as it should be, and now I've ended with what could have been two chapters except there was no place to divide it!

On another note, today is my birthday! I am one of those people that treat their birthday as they would a national holiday (an important one that includes fireworks!), and I always wish others to enjoy it as much as I do! To that end, for my birthday I have given you all the present of two weeks of writing! If you feel the desire to get me something, I would like to point out the little button at the bottom of the page that says "Review." I always have regarded getting reviews as being very much like getting presents, and I do like the idea of waking up on my birthday morning to an inbox full of story reviews! However, whether or not you do review, I do hope you enjoy the story.

All my love,

Ballerina Terminator, birthday girl

Chapter 2 – Outside Looking In

Ariadne and Marie-Claude awoke late the next morning. The Saturday morning was cold and overcast venturing outside was not exactly appealing to either of the girls. Unfortunately, an examination of the contents of their refrigerator did not offer up much hope for the prospect of a meal.

"We're out of eggs," Ariadne said, "and the crescents have gotten too old."

"Cereal then," Marie-Claude suggested.

"No milk."

"What happened to it? We got the milk two days ago."

"Andre finished last night at the party," Ariadne explained.

"Who drinks milk at a party?"

"Andre," Ariadne said. "He's not allowed alcohol because of a stomach ulcer."

Marie-Claude cringed. "Ah, I see," she said. "Well then, what should we do for breakfast?"

"Let's go down to the café, and after breakfast we can buy some groceries," Ariadne suggested.

"But it is so cold outside," Marie-Claude complained, "and it looks as though it will rain. Besides, on a Saturday morning, it will be quite crowded."

"Oh, don't be a baby," Ariadne said, taking her arm and steering her towards the bedrooms so that they could change out of their pajamas and into something warm. "It is only three blocks away, and it is only a bit gloomy. The alternative is for us to sit here and go hungry."

Marie-Claude, seeing no alternative, grudgingly submitted to the suggestion, although in the end she was right on all accounts.

Twenty minutes later, they were on their way to the establishment that they favored well enough that they referred to it only as "the café" as though it was the only one in the city, and they were barely passed the halfway point on their route when the sleet began. Ducking their heads and pulling their coats more tightly around them, they quickened their pace more and more as the precipitation became heavier. By the time they reached the café, they nearly sprinted through the door.

The warm, brightly-lit café was even more populated than Marie-Claude had supposed, filled not only with customers, but also with those who were trying to escape the weather, however, most were huddled over near the fireplace, leaving most of the tables nearer the large front window open. Ariadne and Marie-Claude shed their coats, gloves, and scarves at one of the open tables and joined the masses huddling around the ancient fireplace to warm themselves before braving the line at the counter. They spent several minutes spent coxing feeling back into numb fingers and toes before the smells of coffee, chocolate, and baked goods tempted them away from the crackling fire, and they joined the line of people eyeing the treats in the long glass bake-case while waiting to make their order.

Once they returned to the small table they had claimed earlier with newly acquired drinks and sweet pastries in hand, they relaxed and took their first sips of the warming liquid. After a few moments of contented silence, Ariadne couldn't stand it any longer.

"So, are you going to tell me what you think?" she asked anxiously.

Marie-Claude was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She took another sip of her hot cocoa before she answered.

"Well," she replied, hesitating a moment before continuing. "It is certainly not what I expected."

Ariadne's eyebrows knit together. "What were you expecting?"

"I do not know," Marie-Claude confessed, "but whatever it was, it was not… that."

"And you aren't sure if you approve?" Ariadne asked, warming her hands on her piping cup of cappuccino.

"Truly, Ariadne, we both know that you do not need my approval, but if that is what is bothering you, then I can tell you that I don't mind nearly as much as I thought I would," Marie-Claude said with more than a hint of exasperation. "I do appreciate that you all are taking some pains to find some moral high-ground and to stay on the right side of the law whenever possible. That gives me a great deal of comfort. However, I will not stop being worried about you when you enthusiastically throw yourself into dangerous situations."

Ariadne did have the grace to look somewhat contrite.

"However," Marie-Claude continued, "I have to admit that a little part of me was not surprised."

"What do you mean?" Ariadne asked suspiciously.

"Oh, mon ami, of all the people that I know, you would be the one to find yourself unwittingly caught up in wild adventures!"

"I am not sure if that is a compliment," Ariadne said carefully, "but I think I shall take it as such."

"Oh, please do," Marie-Claude said with a laugh. "You always keep me entertained!"

While the girls had been talking, the weather outside had become increasingly harsh. They could see through the window the wind pick up and precipitation increase. Occasionally, the door would open to admit some damp and frozen pedestrian an escape from the elements, letting in a gust of icy wind into the café, causing the patrons to shiver. Each time, Ariadne and Marie-Claude would cringe at the burst of cold air.

"I am not going back outside until it has either stopped coming down outside or the café is closed," Marie-Claude declared after another entrance. "They have my favorite soup today, and if you do not want to stay, I am perfectly happy to take my book out and read."

"No, I don't want to go back out in that any more than you," Ariadne said. "I just wish that the door would stop opening!"

Seemingly in complete contradiction to this last statement, Ariadne exclaimed brightly when she saw the next person to duck into the café, and Marie-Claude turned in her chair to see who Ariadne had spotted. He was hunched over his leather briefcase, trying to protect it from the elements, and when he straightened, she could see that it was Geoffrey.

Ariadne waved to him, and when he caught sight of her and Marie-Claude, he seemed to cheer up considerably and made his way over to their table.

"Bonjour, ladies, how are you doing on this fine morning," he asked them, in an accent that was an exaggeration of the Irish brogue he had picked up from his father.

"You did not seem to think it was so fine when you came in," Marie-Claude teased.

"Ah, my little granny in Ireland would call this a mere drizzle," he said dismissively, taking off his coat.

"Well, then your grandmother should be the one walking down the street, and you should have stayed inside," said Marie-Claude. "You look as though you nearly drowned!"

"All to have the pleasure of your company," he insisted, "and with such lovely faces before me, things are looking less gloomy."

"Are you going to continue to stand there and be silly, or are you going to sit and join us?" Ariadne asked.

"I shall join you if I am not interrupting," he replied, setting down his briefcase and draping his dripping coat over a free chair. "I shall return as soon as I have procured warm drink."

When he did return, he pulled up a chair not taken by drying outerwear, and took a careful sip of his hot drink.

"So what are you doing out on a day like this?" Ariadne asked.

"Going to the office," he said. "I am all alone for the next few days. Ellie is taking her mother back home, and she's taken the Celeste down to spend a few days with Ellie's grandparents."

"You couldn't go too?"

"No, work has claimed me, and the girls won't be back until Friday," he said gloomily.

Ariadne gave him an understanding smile. "Well, why don't you come over and eat with us for at least a couple of nights this week," she offered. "After all, there's no point in eating all alone, is there?"

"Certainement," Marie-Claude agreed. "We would be glad to have you."

"That is very thoughtful," he said, obviously warming to the idea. "However, I do have an office party for the legal department on Tuesday. One of my co-workers is getting a promotion, and there will be a bit of a celebration. You two could come with me if you'd like; I do hate going alone to these things. I must admit, they usually aren't terribly interesting, but the food is always delicious."

Ariadne and Marie-Claude glanced at each other to see what the other thought about this plan.

"Please," Geoffrey implored them, "I really don't want to go alone."

Through very slight shrugs and nods, each girl managed to indicate to the other that she was not opposed to the idea, and they agreed to go.

Geoffrey looked pleased. "Good, we'll have fun. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to get going as soon as the weather looks like it is going to ease up. I suppose that it is too much to hope that I might find an open cab. I already have plans for tonight, but I'd be glad to come over for dinner on Sunday."

"Wonderful," Marie-Claude said. "We'll make something good!"

It was another half-hour before Geoffrey was able to make his escape, but when he left, the girls also left, travelling with him as far as their paths coincided.

Geoffrey did join them for dinner the following evening, and, upon invitation, also joined them for Monday, when he offered to pick them up the next evening.

"So, who's getting promoted?" Ariadne asked when Geoffrey stopped by the apartment a little before eight to pick up the girls on Tuesday evening. Ariadne and Marie-Claude had dressed up for the occasion. Ariadne, again in the dress that Marie-Claude had given her for Christmas, was fiddling with the clasp of her grandmother's pearl necklace, while Marie-Claude finished buckling the strap on her left shoe.

"Charlotte Picard," Geoffrey replied as he passed Ariadne her coat. "She was my boss up until now. She deserves it, of course, but I'm not sure about her replacement."

"Oh?" Marie-Claude asked as she shrugged on her own coat.

"Charlotte has always been really nice and works really hard to make things work smoothly. Marc is okay, but he's sort of stand-offish." Girls ready, they walked out the front door.

"What do you mean by 'stand-offish,' Geoffrey?" Ariadne asked, as she locked the door behind him.

"No apparent personality to speak of," he said unhappily.

"Oh, dear," Ariadne said sympathetically.

"And where is the party we are going to?" Marie-Claude asked.

"The party tonight is being held at the apartment of Monsieur Renard, the head of the legal department."

Geoffrey drove them to the apartment where the party was being held. The building itself was beautiful, with white stone and black wrought-iron detailing, and inside, the rooms were spacious and well decorated. They entered from the hallway into a living room area where they were greeted by Madame Renard, a tall woman with grey curls pinned up in an old-fashioned style.

"Oh, Geoffrey, how good it is to see you again. Is your lovely wife not joining us this evening?"

"No, Madame, I am afraid not. Ellie has gone to visit her parents for a few days with the little one," Geoffrey replied. "However, I would like to introduce our good friends, Mlle. Ariadne Gray and Mlle. Marie-Claude Dubois. They have been thoughtful enough to ensure that I did not have to eat my own cooking while Ellie was away."

"Mlle. Grey, Mlle. Dubois, we are very glad to have you," Mme. Renard said warmly, taking each of their hands in turn. "So you know your way around, in here we have the living room, and just in here to the right we have the library. We have the drinks in there." A glance to the right showed a pair of French doors had been opened up to make the living room and library into one large area for the party to take place.

"The door just ahead," continued Mme. Renard, "goes into the dining room where we have some food laid out, and you can get to the kitchen by going through the door to your right as you enter the dining room or through the door on your left as you enter the library. The restroom is down this hallway here" – she gestured to their left – "first door on the right. If you need anything, please feel free to help yourselves, and if there's anything I can do for you

Geoffrey and the girls thanked her and moved on as more guests entered, and Mme. Renard gave them another friendly smile before turning to the new arrivals.

The small group wandered toward into the library, where Geoffrey introduced Ariadne and Marie Claude to M. Renard, a heavy-set man in his late fifties or early sixties with salt and pepper hair, who was just as polite and welcoming as his wife, if somewhat more formal. He offered them drinks, and, when Marie-Claude accepted, he moved promptly to the bar and poured her a generous glass of wine.

After Marie-Claude had thanked M. Renard for the drink, Geoffrey again steered the girls away for yet another introduction, this time, with the guest of honor.

Charlotte Picard was about forty with petite frame, a pointed nose, bright eyes with laugh lines at the corners, and light-red hair that was cut short, giving her the over-all appearance that put one in mind of a pixie or sprite. She was speaking to a tall young woman with dark hair carefully pulled back, sharp eyes of dark blue, and a carefully-tailored dress that showed modern taste and attention to detail, much the opposite of the fay-like Charlotte.

The taller woman excused herself as Geoffrey and the girls approached, leaving them free to speak to Charlotte Picard alone. Charlotte was as amiable as Geoffrey had claimed, and she was free with her praise of him, which, to Ariadne's surprise, made him blush. They were only able to speak to her for a few minutes, before another guest claimed her attention, and they took the opportunity to head into the dining room to lay claim to some of the treats laid out on the dining room table.

The table took up most of the dining room, with seating for ten, however, this evening a buffet of fresh fruits and vegetables, a variety of meats and cheeses, and a basket of breads filled most of the table. One fourth of the table was devoted to tarts, chocolates, and other desserts. They each took a plate from the side-board, and helped themselves, taking their full plates back into the living room where they claimed seats and joined the general conversation while they ate.

After they had both cleaned their plates, Geoffrey, pointing out a chess board set on a small table next to the wall opposite the library, asked Marie-Claude if she would be interested in playing a game.

With a mischievous smile, Marie-Claude replied, "I would be happy to play a game with you if you do not mind being embarrassed in front of your co-workers."

"I don't mind, and who knows," he said, offering her a hand up, "I may win this time."

Marie-Claude didn't respond to this. She just smiled and took his hand, and, when he had helped her to her feet, they moved around the room to take a seat at the small stools that stood on either side of the round marble table that held the chess set.

Ariadne, uninterested in watching the chess game, also stood and headed to the library for a glass of wine. Unfortunately, before she was able to procure her drink, she caught sight of the latest arrival, and panic gripped her. He was not a tall man, maybe five foot eight, with short, wiry black hair and pale blue eyes, and a pale, round face, and he was the last person in the world Ariadne wanted to see. At the moment, he was also the last person in the world that she wanted to be seen by. She slipped behind another guest who was standing between her and the man who had just entered the apartment, giving her a minute to plan her escape.

Of all the people that should show up at this party, she thought in frustration, why, oh, why did it have to be him?

She glanced around her human barrier to make sure he was facing away from her before she made her move. Ariadne tried to duck through the swing door that led to the kitchen from the library, but knocked into someone just on the other side of the door. She began to apologize, but her good manners were forgotten when she looked up and was surprised to see a young man that she recognized.

"I know you!" she exclaimed. "You came to the birthday party for Geoffrey as Robert's date, didn't you? Wait, no, that's not quite right. You came together, but you had your own invitation. It's Etienne, isn't it? You work with Geoffrey."

The young man, a broad-shouldered young man with dark, glossy curls and creamy-coffee skin, smiled broadly. "Full marks! Geoffrey introduced me to Robert a couple of weeks ago, and I asked him to go with me."

"Good date, was it?" she asked.

"Oh, yes, I think it went well. Robert is a really nice guy, and you put on an excellent party."

"Oh, I'm glad you liked it," she said quickly, glancing behind her as the door swung shut. "Hey, do me a favor, and I'll put in a really good word for you with Robert," she said hopefully.

Etienne's eyebrows rose, but the look of good humor didn't leave his face. "What can I do for you?" he asked as though he were going to start laughing.

"Well, there's this guy that I'm trying to avoid," she said.

"Ah, say no more, chérie," he said with an expressive wink. "You need someone to run interference."

"If it becomes necessary," she said plaintively.

"Your gentleman caller isn't here to fend off advances?"

Ariadne blinked in confusion before she remembered Arthur's unplanned entrance into her own party. "Oh, no, I'm afraid Arthur's not in a position to help me with this one. He's been in Kyoto for a few days visiting a business associate."

"That is a bit out of the way," Etienne agreed. "Well, can I ask who it is that we are avoiding?"

"Durant Tessier," she admitted. "We dated for a few months a few years back."

A look of distaste flickered across Etienne's face. "Oh, well, I see why we are hiding. What a shame you don't have your new paramour with you. What better hindrance is there to an old beau than a new one?"

"Especially when the new one is so much better looking," Ariadne agreed, unable to suppress a satisfied smile, "and so much nicer."

"Worth showing off, yes?"

Ariadne just grinned wider.

"So, I guess it is safe to assume that it did not end well?"

Ariadne rolled her eyes and pushed the door out ever-so slightly and peered out into the library. "Unless he has changed greatly since I went out with him, I imagine that relationships never do end well with him. Oh, Lord, who is that poor girl he has with him? His latest victim?"

"What does she look like?" he asked, trying to get a look through the crack.

"Caramel-colored hair, not much taller than me… I can't see her face, no wait, now I can see."

"Big, sad eyes and a pointy nose?" he asked.

"Heavens, yes."

"That 'poor girl' would be the current girlfriend. I believe her name is Astrid. I think they've been together for nearly a year now, but I'm not sure. I only joined the company last February, and he's technically part of the accounting department, so I haven't worked with him personally all that often, but I get the impression that he has a very sensitive ego."

"Very perceptive of you," Ariadne said, letting the door swing shut, and turning back to Etienne. "What is he doing here anyway? I thought this was a party for someone in the legal department."

"He's been working with legal for a while now, an internal thing. I'm not surprised he's here."

"I may never speak to Geoffrey again for getting me into this."

Etienne gave a sympathetic smile and gestured for her to join him in taking a seat.

"This is a good place to hide," he assured her. "People don't come into the kitchen very often."

The kitchen was divided into a cooking area and a sitting area by a bar that ran diagonally through the center of the room. On the far side of the diagonal there was the cooking range, the sink, and a fridge, but most of the counter space was provided by the island in the middle. A set of French doors supposedly opened out onto a balcony, but curtains over the windows in the door blocked the outside view. On the near side, there were bar stools along the edge of the bar and a breakfast table filled with some bottles of wine, mixers, liquors, and other assorted drink ingredients.

"You look stressed. Can I make you a drink?"

"Well, I was going to get a glass of wine before I had to make a quick escape."

"White or red?" he asked as he walked over to the table.

"Red," she answered after a moment's thought.

"And do you prefer something sweet or dry?" he inquired while he perused the selection of wine.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "Surprise me."

As he selected a Merlot from the group, the kitchen door opened again, and two heads whipped around to see the newcomer.

"Vivian!" Etienne cried jovially. "Won't you join us for a glass of wine?"

"Certainly, I will. Let me take a couple of bottles out to the party, and I'll be right back."

"Wonderful," he said cheerfully. "Bring us some wine glasses when you return, or we will be drinking out of whatever cups I can find in the cabinet."

Vivian took two of the bottles, and returned a moment later with three wine glasses.

"So, what are we doing tucked away in here?" she asked conspiratorially.

"Hiding from Durant Tessier. Mlle. Gray and he have some unfortunate history together, and she would prefer to avoid him," he said gesturing toward Ariadne. "Vivian, this is Ariadne Gray. She is here as the guest of Geoffrey. Ariadne, this is Vivian da Silva, M. Renard's personal assistant. She is the person who keeps everything running smoothly."

Vivian turned to Ariadne with a surprised look.

"Oh! That would mean that you were…" Vivian cut off with a flush of embarrassment.

"I was what?" Ariadne asked with apprehension.

"No, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I don't want to bring it up if it is a sensitive subject."

"It really isn't," Ariadne assured her. "I don't mind"

"And now I am curious!" Etienne exclaimed. "So go on!"

"Well, know of you because of the 'other woman' involved," Vivian confessed in an apologetic voice.

"Is that so?" Etienne asked, his voice filled with anticipation. "Who was it?"

"You know, you are the worst gossip," Vivian scolded him.

"I know, chérie" he said dismissively, handing her a glass of wine.

"No, really, go on," Ariadne insisted, taking her own glass from Etienne. "I knew that there was someone else, but I never found out who it was. That was why I ended it in the end. I mean, it wasn't the only reason, but it was the straw that broke the camel's back, if you could imagine a straw with the weight of a boulder."

Vivian hesitated for a minute before she began

"It was one of our interns in the legal department. She wasn't an unkind person or uncaring, but she was kind of dim, if you know what I mean. Isabella is the kind of person who will ask everyone for advice and still manages to make the worst possible choices. She'd insist that he had promised to break it off with his girlfriend and that he was only waiting for the right time, and no one could tell her different. He really had her wrapped around her little finger."

"She must have been thrilled when I broke it off with him," Ariadne surmised.

"Oh, she was, to begin with," Vivian said regretfully. "But then she found out what he was really like. He was really awful to her and blamed her for ruining his relationship with you. She ended up leaving the company."

"What an upstanding guy," Etienne said sarcastically.

"Typical," Ariadne muttered acidly. "As far as he's concerned, nothing is ever his fault. It's because of his massive inferiority complex which, ironically, is coupled with the idea that world somehow owes him everything he wants."

"So Isabella knew about being the 'other woman' and didn't mind?" Etienne asked.

"She didn't think about it like that," Vivian explained. "The way she saw it, the way he explained it to her, was that a man with a horrible, unfeeling girlfriend had fallen in love with her, and she was going to make him happy the way the mean girlfriend couldn't. Sorry, I'm not saying you're like that, of course" – this she insisted to Ariadne – "but that was the fairy tale that had been cooked up for her."

"No, I understand," Ariadne assured her. "I just feel bad that she had to take the fallout when I showed him the door."

"I'm really beginning to feel sorry for Mlle. Astrid," Etienne said, and Ariadne nodded her emphatic agreement.

Vivian started to say something, but she stopped at the sound of shouts coming from the living room. They all exchanged quick glances before jumping up from their seats and heading over to the door. Etienne pushed it open just enough to see through into the living room where the shouts had already begun to die down. Ariadne crouched down to peer through the door without obstructing the view for Etienne and Vivian.

"- not fair, and it is not true!" a middle-aged man was insisting to M. Renard. The man was red-faced and somewhat disheveled, and Ariadne did not think she had seen him amongst the guests earlier in the party.

M. Renard had rushed over to the man and had started speaking to him in low calming tones, and he was shortly joined in his efforts to pacify the obviously distraught man by another, younger man bringing a glass and proffering it to the shouter. Together, they led him into the dining room, and for a minute or two, everyone in the living room and library were silent before hushed murmurs began to fill the room.

Etienne let the door fall shut again and helped Ariadne back up from her kneeling position.

"I hope that was water in the glass that Jean-Louis was giving him," Etienne said. "I think the poor man has already imbibed enough this evening."

"What on earth was that all about?" Ariadne asked.

"That was Henri Noel, and I believe that he was suspended yesterday under suspicion of embezzlement," Etienne said.

"You aren't supposed to know that," Vivian said reproachfully. "It was supposed to be kept private."

Etienne shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. He moved to the door that led into the dining room, and putting his finger to his lips to indicate that he wanted silence, he put his hand to the door and added just a little pressure. The door between the kitchen and dining room was also a swing door, and the little pressure that he added opened it almost imperceptibly. However, the voices coming from the room next to them suddenly became more distinct, and Ariadne could hear fragments of the conversation.

"-something wrong with the findings," one voice, the Henri Noel, was saying.

"If there was a mistake, then we will find the error," M. Renard insisted. "Until then, you are suspended, but if you have done nothing wrong, then you have nothing to worry about."

"I'm not sure that it was just a mistake!" Henri said adamantly. "I think that-"

A voice Ariadne didn't recognize, one she assumed was the man that Etienne called Jean-Louis cut him off. "Do not worry, we will go over all of Tessier's findings again. I am sure that we will be able to find if there has been some kind of oversight!"

"I want to be allowed to see them!" Henri Noel insisted.

"Of course you will be allowed to go over the audit yourself," M. Renard reassured him. "You don't have to worry about that! Come, M. Noel, why don't you relax, and enjoy the party. I can assure that no final decision will be made without- "

The end of the statement was cut off from Ariadne's hearing when Etienne slowly removed his hand from the door, letting it fall closed.

Vivian was looking peeved. "I don't like eavesdropping in on other people's conversations," she said irritably. "I certainly hope you don't do that kind of thing at the office!"

"It's difficult not to hear when people insist on having their conversations while speaking as loud as possible," Etienne said innocently. "I'm not putting a glass up to walls and placing my ear on it, if that's what you're asking."

Vivian didn't exactly look pleased, but she did relax a bit.

"What does Durant have to do with this?" Ariadne asked.

"You remember when I said he was working with the legal department on an internal matter?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Well, apparently, someone has been dipping into company funds, and he and Jean-Louis Morel have been working on finding out who is responsible."

"And they think that M. Noel was involved?" Ariadne asked.

"I suppose so," Etienne said.

Further conversation was put to an end when the door from the library opened, and Mme. Renard stuck her head in.

"Oh, there you are, Vivian. I am sorry to interrupt your chat, but René is looking for you. I believe he is about to make a quick speech about Charlotte's promotion."

"I'll be there right away," Vivian assured her with a smile.

"Merci," Mme. Renard said. "He's in the living room." She disappeared back around the door, and Vivian stood up.

"I've got to go," she said, standing up. "Please, let's not talk about this anymore, and please don't tell anyone else about it. You're not supposed to know about it, and I really don't want it to get out.

"Don't worry," Etienne said candidly. "None of this leaves the kitchen."

"Good," Vivian said, sounding genuinely relieved.

After Vivian disappeared out into the party, Etienne stood and stretched.

"I suppose as this is Charlotte's party, good manners would dictate that we listen to the speech being made in her honor."

"Yes, it does," Ariadne agreed, standing up. "In fact, I believe it will probably start soon, as things have suddenly gotten very quiet out there."

Etienne and Ariadne stepped out into the library and were a little surprised at the number of people. It had not seemed so crowded when she had first gone into the kitchen, but now people had to shuffle around to make room for them.

She looked through into the library where M. Renard was standing on a small stool and entreating Charlotte to stand and be recognized which she did with a slight blush and an amused smile. Then M. Renard began to speak about her dedication and the hard work she had done for the company.

Ariadne stopped listening to the speech after a minute and began to glance around for Marie-Claude and Geoffrey. She quickly found them still sitting at the chess table, turned to watch the speaker. She tried to see how the game was going, but gave up at trying to discern the pieces at that distance.

She was surprised when Etienne hooked her arm around his and leaned in to whisper to her.

"Don't look now, but you've been spotted."

Ariadne had the presence of mind to keep her eyes focused on M. Renard as he continued to speak.

"Have I?"

"Yes," Etienne murmured under his breath, "and it looks like he's trying to stare you down. In fact, he looks a bit silly."

Ariadne suppressed a giggle. "Well, he can keep on staring, and I shall continue to pretend that he isn't there."

When the speech was over, the crowd began to break up, and Etienne glanced around to look for Durant Tessier.

"I've lost sight of him," he said. "It has gotten awfully crowded in here." Etienne checked his watch and sighed.

"What's up?" Ariadne asked.

"It's getting a bit late for me," he admitted.

Ariadne picked her phone off the counter and checked the time before glancing back at him with amusement.

"Nine-thirty is late for you?"

"Well, not usually, but Robert asked me if I wanted to go for a run with him tomorrow morning," he explained.

"Oh, second date?" she teased.

"Sort of," he said with a grin. "Normally, I don't car for early morning runs, but we're going to get breakfast after the run."

"And you were going to get to bed early tonight," she finished for him.

"It's fine. I can stick around if you'd like," he insisted. "I can make sure Tessier doesn't bother you.

"That is very chivalrous of you, but it will be all right. It's hard enough to move in this press of people much less see people, so he may not find me again. I will keep my head down, and I can deal with him if I need to. It will be good for me to not be such a coward."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "It is very nice of you to worry, but I want you to have a good time tomorrow. Give Robert my love when you see him."

"If you're sure," he said. "We must hang out again soon."

Etienne said his farewells to his hosts and a couple of friends, and after giving Ariadne a ritual cheek-to-cheek peck and a wish for good luck, he headed out.

Ariadne wandered through the crowd into the living room, toying with a cocktail napkin and glanced at the clock, willing it to go faster. It didn't seem to have an effect. The sooner the evening came to a close, the happier she would be. Now that Etienne had left for the evening, for Ariadne all interest for the party had withered and died. She was relieved to been able to find a chance to duck out of Durant's range, but she wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to avoid him. This, by itself, would not be so bad if she could just be allowed to ignore him, but for some reason unfathomable to Ariadne, Durant always behaved as if they were on speaking terms.

She glanced over to the table where Marie-Claude and Geoffrey were playing and was not terribly surprised to find that they had attracted a group of watchers. Marie-Claude was an exceedingly good player. In her head, all of the patterns and gambits laid themselves out simply and clearly, and her opponents fell before her in droves. Ariadne had enjoyed playing chess with her grandmother who loved the game very much, but it had been some time since playing against Marie-Claude had lost all charm. Geoffrey, however, never one to be deterred, continued to play her at every opportunity, and was thoroughly thrashed for his trouble. Without even taking the trouble to look at their progress, she knew how the game would end. Ariadne watched the players for a while a few paces back from the table, not really taking in the game. She slid her hand into her tiny pocket that she had sewn into the seam of her dress and let her fingers brush the totem resting there. The little brass bishop had come from her grandmothers set, and, as always, she found its presence a comfort.

Suddenly, Ariadne tensed, aware that someone was standing at her shoulder, and she didn't even need to turn around to know that it was Durant. The smell of cologne too heavily applied warned her of his presence before he even spoke, but even then, it was too late.

"Bonsoir, Ariadne. You are looking very lovely as always."

Ariadne closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath, aggravated that she had let herself become distracting. Repressing her irritation with some effort and, not even turning to look at the man standing just behind her she said to very simple words.

"Go away."

"And how have you been?" he continued, as though she had greeted him warmly.

"Obviously better that you have been doing as you seem to have lost the ability to understand simple statements such as 'I never want to speak to you again' or the even simpler 'Go away!' Did someone finally hit you over the head with a tire iron?" she said hopefully.

"Surely you don't really expect me to believe that you don't miss me even just a little bit?" he asked with the kind of self-assurance that made Ariadne believe that he truly couldn't comprehend the idea that she was doing anything but suffering from the lack of him.

"Monsieur, I couldn't care less about what you would like to believe, but what I expect for you to do is leave me alone as I have requested." Ariadne proceeded to move away, but Durant stepped in front of her, forcing her to face him for the first time in the conversation.

"Still as uptight as always," he said derisively.

Ariadne glared at him. "Only if you think the expectation of fidelity and respect is 'uptight,'" she snapped at him.

"Not so loud," he hissed. "You're making a scene."

Ariadne glanced around. Two or three people were gazing in their direction, but most were ignoring them.

"Oh, a 'scene.' Well, good gracious, we couldn't have that. You're absolutely right. You'd probably best be on your way, and I must be on mine."

Once again, Ariadne made to move away, but Durant grabbed her wrist and gripped hard, keeping her at that spot.

"I don't think you understand what a mistake you've made," he growled. "Do you really think you could do better-"

He had intended on continuing, but Ariadne interrupted.

"You are the one here who has failed to understand the situation," Ariadne said in a quiet, controlled voice, as she started to pry his fingers from her arm. "I already have found someone else, someone so much better than you that the difference is breathtaking. However, even if I had not found someone else, I would still be happier alone than I would if I spent any more time with you, so let go of me, and get lost."

She punctuated the end of her statement by giving his fingers a final twist in a very unnatural direction, and she smiled in satisfaction when she heard Durant give a grunt of pain. While he was still caught off guard by the movement, she did an abrupt about-face, and ducked through the nearby door into the dining room.

In the unpopulated dining room, the hors d'oeuvres and pastries that had been spread out on the dining room table had been greatly picked over, leaving little left to interest anyone. Instead of going through the door immediately to the right which led into the kitchen, she moved straight to the opposite side of the room where a pair of French doors opened out onto a balcony. She reached around the edge of a curtain, opened one of the doors, slipped outside, and pulled it shut behind her, as quickly and quietly as possible.

She turned and peered through the very small gap in the curtain. Just a moment later, she saw Durant open the door to the dining room and glance around, a look on his face that Ariadne would have described as 'petulant.' She stepped back from her view through the curtains, turned around, and her breath caught. Ariadne had been living in Paris for several years and was used to her vistas, but even she had to admit that this view was something special. She could see the Eiffel Tower, all lit up in a golden glow, looking much closer than she had expected, and closer still was the Seine, reflecting the orbs of light that came from the street lamps that lined the bridge that crossed the river. So beautiful was it that it wasn't until a sharp, icy wind blew through the fabric of her inadequate clothing that she realized that it was also quite cold, and she realized that the wonderfully warm and heavy coat that she had worn to the party was still in the coat closet on the other side of the apartment, and with Durant between her and the closet, that is where it would stay. She shivered and began to rub her hands together to create some warmth before shoving her hands into her pockets as deeply as they would go.

Ariadne began to look around to take in her more immediate surroundings. The balcony was surrounded with old-fashioned wrought-iron railing with ornate curls at each corner of the platform. The balcony was narrow, only stretching about four or five feet out from the dining room doors, but it was much longer than she had expected, running far enough along the side of the building that the French doors in the kitchen also led out onto the same space.

Despite the cold, she stayed outside, sitting down facing the railing and sliding her legs between the bars so that her legs could dangle off the ledge and so she could lean forward, supported by the rails as she took in the view.

She wasn't sure how long she had been outside, but it couldn't have been longer than a few minutes when her phone began to vibrate insistently. She pulled it from her pocket and felt absolutely blissful when she saw Arthur's picture and number lighting up the screen.

"Good evening," she said cheerfully as she answered the phone. "Am I glad to get a call from you!"

"Good morning," Arthur replied in bleary tones that were punctuated with a yawn. "It is nice to be so appreciated. Is everything okay?"

"Better, now that I'm talking to you," she assured him. "You sound quite tired. What time is it for you now?"

"Oh, about a quarter to six in the morning," he said. "I haven't quite gotten my coffee yet."

Ariadne replied with affectionate sympathy. "Why are you up so early?" she asked.

"Plane leaves in a little more than an hour, and we are on our way to the airport."

"Poor darling," she teased. "At least you will be able to sleep on the plane, right?"

"I'm sure. It will be a very long flight. So, how is your evening going?"

Ariadne groaned. "I wish I had gone with you," she said regretfully. "At least I wouldn't be stuck out on this balcony in the cold if I had." Once again, the biting wind had risen up, and she covered her right ear, the one not occupied by a phone call, with her free hand, in order to shield it.

"What balcony?" he asked confused, "and why are you stuck?"

"The balcony is attached to an apartment where a party is being held, and I am currently stuck because at the moment I am trying to avoid someone who is both exceedingly unpleasant and unwilling to leave me alone."

"What party is it?"

"Marie-Claude and I agreed to go with Geoffrey being given in honor of one of his co-workers because Eloise is out of town, and he didn't want to go alone, the big baby."

"And where are Marie-Claude and Geoffrey now?"

"Not only have they abandoned me, but they abandoned me for a game of chess."

"Well, at least that won't last too long."

"You only think that because you have never seen Geoffrey make an effort at beating Marie-Claude in a game of chess. He could plan his strategy out for a month, and she would still win."

She went on to describe the mechanics of a Geoffrey/Marie-Claude chess game, how every time it was Geoffrey's turn, he would study the board laboriously, his fingers resting on piece after piece as he considered the possibilities of each play. After a while, he would finally pick up a piece, move it to a new square, and, after an excruciatingly long pause, he would remove his hand from the piece he had just played. Then, Marie-Claude's hand would dart out, and she would be done with her chosen move before Geoffrey had even put his hand down. Then, the entire process would begin again.

"Really," he laughed, it can't be that bad."

"But it is!" she insisted. "And that's not the worst of it. Sometimes, Marie-Claude will get up and get something to drink or make herself something to eat, just to mess with him! Once, it got on his nerves so badly that he stole one of her pieces right off the board. When she came back, instead of complaining or even mentioning it, she just went ahead and beat him without the piece. The look of dejection on his face would have been heartbreaking if it hadn't been so funny!"

Ariadne enjoyed the sound of Arthur laughing as she talked to him, and she wished she could stay on the phone for the rest of the evening rather than rejoin the party, but it was only a few minutes later when Arthur confessed that they had arrived at the airport in Tokyo, and it was time for them to hang up.

"I'll see you tomorrow, right?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, you will," Arthur promised. "I should be there in time for lunch, assuming no flight delays."

"Good. I miss you."

"I miss you, too," he said.

"Tell Eames that I said to stop snickering," she said. "I can hear him."

After a second, she heard a scuffle and an indignant cry from Eames.

"All taken care of," Arthur declared.

"What did you do?" she cried in a mixture of laughter and alarm.

"Oh, he's fine, I just jabbed him in the arm. Unfortunately, he'll survive."

Ariadne giggled despite herself. "Have a good flight, Arthur. I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll see you in a few hours."

When the call ended, Ariadne was still enjoying the warm feeling that had risen up when he told her he loved her, for a few minutes she completely forgot about the cold, but it was not to be ignored for long. Ariadne sat out on the balcony for a few more minutes, rubbing her arms with her hands, trying to avoid returning to the party. She tried to distract herself from the cold by looking over the view from the balcony. It really was quite breathtaking, and she waited for a couple of minutes when the lights of the Eiffel Tower began to flash making the whole structure glitter. Ariadne had seen the hourly light show many times before, but she watched it anyway, stubbornly trying to delay going back inside. However, by the time the light show ended, she had begun to shiver violently, and her teeth were chattering so hard her jaw had begun to ache.

Giving up, she stood and turned back to open the door back into the dining room. She grabbed the latch, twisted, and pulled, but neither the knob nor the door budged even slightly. Her brows knit in confusion, and she tried again to open the door, but nothing gave. She tried to peek into the dining room through the curtains, but she couldn't see anyone in the room. After rattling the knob for a few more seconds, she gave up and glanced around to the balcony when she caught sight of the other pair of doors that led into the kitchen.

Feeling a little dim, she headed over to the other pair of doors, and she was filled with a growing dread that she was about to be a known as the woman at the party who got herself locked outside and had to get someone's attention to let her back in and, with her luck, Durant Tessier would be there to see it. Suddenly, hypothermia seemed more appealing.

Ariadne felt a wave of relief when the right knob turned easily, and she pushed open the door, enjoying the warmth as she stepped inside. She pushed the door closed behind her and turned to move around the island when she suddenly felt her feet catch under her, and she threw her hands out in front of her to catch herself. Instead of hitting the hard tile as she expected, fell onto something at once soft and angular which jabbed in her stomach, knocking the wind from her and she felt her hands slip on an unexpected dampness that seemed to cover the floor. She gasped and coughed, trying to catch her breath and push her hair out of her face before clumsily trying to push herself up off of whatever she had landed on. It was more difficult to do so than she expected, but she had finally managed to hoist herself up.

She looked down and was confused when she discovered that she had landed on a pair of feet sticking up in a pair of mahogany loafers, surrounded by a pool of crimson. She let her gaze run up the legs attached to the feet to see the rest of the man, slumped against the side of the island with an expression of shock frozen on his pale face and the worn wooden handle of a large kitchen knife sticking out of his belly.

Ariadne, finding herself covered in blood, scrambled to push herself as far away from the body of Durant Tessier as she could before she hit the cabinets behind her, and she began to scream.