Evening Rituals

"I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death."

Nasir "Nash" Jones

"Circe chose to go into a coma?" Eames asked doubtfully. The Team had given a very brief moment of stunned silence when Isis revealed what caused the Witch to fall into her coma. A coma, that meant the only way she could communicate with others was in the dream world.

Isis nodded.

"It started with hallucinations. We pulled her from missions but we soon realized she had started to dream on her own, without the PASIV. Like your Architect. It became more and more difficult to wake her. We tried everything to bring her out." Isis shrugged.

"Maybe we could repress the dream memories, the ones of these children." Arthur offered. Isis shook her head.

"We tried that as well, they came to the surface very quickly." The Pleasant Lady told him gently. "After that, her subconscious realized what we were up to and defended it's self." Isis gave a sad look. "Circe's subconscious was... formidable."

"Perhaps we could have Sybil take control of the dream, make the children grow up." Yori offered. "That way she could let them go."

"Just because a child is grown a parent stops caring about them?" Isis teased with a smile. "No, that won't work either." Isis sighed. "We have to force her to chose which reality she wants. Her real family," She nodded at Arthur. "Or the dream."

"What... what if she chooses the dream?" Arthur asked tentatively. Isis shook her head.
"Then she'll be lost."

It was evening. The Team had shared dinner with their visitor and prepared one of the upstairs guest rooms for her. Isis had brought with her a certain amount of humor to the home. She was constantly making fun of herself. Causing everyone to laugh so much they barely were able to stop and eat.

A massive dining table to seat 14 was permanently placed in the great room to accommodate the large household as well as any guest come dinner time. Not long ago, Arthur had said they would never be able to fill a that table for 10 back in Japan. Most meals however, were taken in a small breakfast room off of the kitchen.

Isis listened attentively to Phillipa and James talk about how they would be starting a new school soon. She assured them both that they would do well and make friends.

"Who wouldn't want to be friends with you?" Isis exclaimed when Phillipa expressed doubt. "My Dear Pippa! You have lived all over the world. The other children will think the both of you are terribly interesting." Cobb's daughter seemed much more comforted by the Pleasant Lady's refusal to believe that she could never be anything but popular, smart, and wonderful. Everything Isis said seemed like a fact, and who could disagree with facts?

She told Ariadne how lucky Alexander and Audrey were to have such a good mother. Praised Yori and Sybil for the cooking. Listened to Cobb talk about his late wife and told him confidently how research shows a father is very well suited to raise children.

"In fact, daughters who have a good relationship with their fathers do better in school and go further education wise. They also make better choices when it comes to relationships with other men." Isis told the Extractor.

Cobb's only reaction to this was to hide a smile behind his glass as Ariadne caught his eye and gave him a wink.

"I like her." Ariadne admitted as she and Arthur were in the bathroom. Alexander was seated happily in the old fashioned claw footed bath tub. Splashing his his warm bath water and bathed in his parents attention.

The smell of the baby shampoo and gentle soap was like aroma therapy for the child's father. For a few moments, Arthur forgot about his worry over his wife. Content to just enjoy the simple pleasure of this domestic moment. His favorite time of day was putting the little ones to bed. They were tired from the day of hard play. It was true that you loved your children more when they were sleeping.

"It's good Sybil has other people she can rely on." Ariadne added. Arthur nodded.

"You've been awfully quite." The Architect told her husband. Arthur sighed and shook his head.

He had grown weary of always having to lie to his wife. Always thinking of excuses why she couldn't breast feed Audrey. Why he was afraid to leave her alone with the baby or any of the children. He fished his son out of his bath water and toweled him off.
"I'll put him to bed." The Point Man said. "I'll bring back a glass of milk, to help you sleep." He added leaving her alone in the bathroom, wondering what she did wrong.

Out in the back garden, Eames sat on one of the sturdy swings Cobb and Arthur had built for the children. The Forger had been lost in thought over what Isis had said about Circe.

"Penny for your thoughts, Mr Eames." Came Isis's gentle voice. Eames looked over to see the Pleasant Lady approaching from the brightly lit house.

"Just thinking about the mission, Lovely." He told her. Isis sat in the swing next to him.

"Cobb is designing the dreams for us right now." Isis told the Forger. "It's important that she doesn't know the maze. He's a talented Architect."

"Not as good as our girl is." Eames said.

"I'm sure." Isis said. "Sybil told me about Circe's death. She said you were there with her." Eames looked uncomfortable.

"She went quickly." He told her.
"I'm glad you were there for her. She always hated to be alone. She was such a people person." Isis said. Eames nodded.
"I can't believe she wanted that to happen to her. In the real world, her body just wasted away." Eames mused.

"I don't think she wanted that to happen Mr. Eames. We have been there. Sometimes the dream is so much better then reality." Isis told him. "In the dream, things are under our control, were like Gods aren't we?" Isis sighed. "It was to much for her. To seductive."

"Cobb and Arthur said she tried to seduce them." Eames told the Pleasant Lady. Isis laughed.

"Well, that was Circe." She said. "She gave flirting a bad name."

"She never tried to seduce me." Eames admitted.

"Maybe she didn't have to." Isis offered. Eames smiled.

"No, no she didn't." The Forger. "I wish..." He started to say something and stopped. Isis was listening.

The memory of what Circe had said to him while she was dieing, was still sharp in his mind.

"I'm glad you came back Mr. Eames."

She said in almost a gasp. Her breathing labored.

"you have been so...so very... interesting.

I'm... I'm sorry we could not... have more time together."

Something else also came to his memory. Something that contradicted what Isis had told them about Circe.

"I had to keep Sybil safe.

Her abilities are greater then mine.

I can't let others take her into the dream world.

Like I was taken, and left"

Eames wondered if it was Circe telling the truth about being taken into the dream. Or if Isis was telling the truth about Circe wanting to stay. He knew people on their death beds, as Circe was, don't often lie. Eames shook his head. He didn't want to tell Isis to much.

A good gambler never shows his hand.

Back in their bedroom, Ariadne sat in bed. Arthur sat a mug of warm milk down next to her. He didn't meet her in the eye.

"Drink your milk, before it gets cold." He told her.

"Arthur," She said softly. He finally looked at her. Her eyes were large and worried looking.
"Have I done something wrong?" She asked.

He sighed. He wanted to just tell her. But knew that he couldn't. The risk of losing her was to great.

"Whatever I did, I'm sorry." She said looking on the verge of tears.

"Shh." He said kissing her gently. "I'm not mad." He told her. His wife wiped away a few tears. He held her in his arms. Thinking dark thoughts.

'This may be the last time I get to talk to her.' He thought.

"Ariadne?" He ventured.

"What?" Her voice choked her soft crying.

"You know... you know I would never allow anything to happen to you." He wasn't sure what he even wanted to say. "If you were ever... lost... I would find you. I would bring you back. No matter what." He finished finally. Not even able to tell her a tenth of the things he wanted to let her know.

"Arthur, I'm not going anywhere." She told him. A soft smile breaking out on her face. He nodded and let out a long breath.

'This can't be the last time I ever talk to her.' He thought.

"I love you." He said simply. "Drink your milk."