The Waking World
"We loved with a love that was more then love."
Edgar Allen Poe
They awoke back in Arthur and Ariadne's bedroom. Yori was attending to the Architect. She applied a light chloroformed rag under Ariadne's nose.
"She was waking up." the Doctor explained as Arthur and the rest of the Team sat up. "It will only last a few more minuets. I didn't want to explain why we were all in her room." Yori said with a shrug.
"Did it work?" Saito asked Sybil. The Control nodded.
"I think so." She said
"We'll know when she wakes up." Isis said rubbing her head. "If she's worried about her children, her real ones, then it may have worked."
"She's not dreaming anymore." Yori said returning to her portable MRI. "Patterns are normal." the Doctor sighed.
"Let's get out of here." Eames said helping Isis to her feet.
The Team quickly left the room, Arthur turned off the lights and climbed back in bed next to his wife. He waited anxiously as the minuets ticked by.
She awoke slowly. Her body moving, her breathing labored.
"Arthur?" she whispered softly. The moonlight flooded their little room. He was able to see her lovely face from it's brightness.
"What is it?" he asked. Pretending to have woken from a deep sleep. Ariadne sat up. She looked around the room. Her face worried.
"Where's Audrey?" She asked.
"In her room. What's wrong?" Arthur asked trying to sound innocent. His wife left their bed and quickly went across the hall to Audrey's perfectly lavender room.
The Point Man followed the Architect to see her lifting their newborn out of her handsome white crib. Barely waking the infant.
"What's wrong?" He asked again. She rubbed the baby's back. Soothing her.
"I don't know." She admitted. Her face troubled. As if she was trying to remember something. "I... I guess I just had some bad thoughts."
"It's alright." He whispered. A cool wash of relief flowing over him. She wanted to check on Alexander before Arthur was able to convince her to go back to bed.
"I was just so worried about them." She told him as he covered her back up. She folded neatly into his arms. "You to." She admitted.
"Why were you worried about me?" He asked. Hoping, hoping it would take.
"I don't know. I thought... you and the kids... I don't know." She said finally.
"Shh.. it's alright." He told her. He kissed her forehead as she relaxed in his arms.
"Were all safe. Were not going anywhere. Don't think about it anymore." He told her.
She nodded against his chest. She felt his warm breath on her hair. She knew he was breathing in the smell of her shampoo. The smell of her.
She felt so safe with him. She had always felt safe with him. Even before he was her husband, before he was her lover. Ever since she met him in fact. When he taught her the rules of the dreams. He looked after her, protected her.
She had no fear of going into the Fischer inception because she knew he would keep her and the Team safe.
She knew, she belong here. With him and their children. This was their home.
She fell asleep, she dreamed of nothing.
A few weeks past. Yori and Saito went home to Japan. Yori had told the Team in privet that Ariadne's inception had appeared to have worked.
"Arthur," Isis reminded him. "She can never be told what we did." The Point Man looked up.
"We have to lie to her for the rest of her life?" He asked.
"About this, yes." The Pleasant Lady told him sadly. "If she were to know anything about it, her subconscious would try and remember it. It would undo everything we did in the dream. Next time we might not be able to get her back."
Wherever Isis had come from, she never went back there. Although the Architect had no idea who she really was, the Pleasant Lady took wonderful care of the children. The Point Man easily convinced his wife to hire Isis as a live in nanny and cook.
The reality was that Arthur, Cobb and Sybil all felt her talents were valuable to the Team on future extractions. Eames was less convinced.
"I need to clear something up." Eames asked the Pleasant Lady a few days after Ariadne's inception. The two of them were back on the swing set outside the Large Country House.
"Did Circe choose to stay in the dream, or did you and your people take her into the dream and leave her there?" Isis sighed.
"It was both. Mr. Eames." She admitted. "We tried to preform inception on Circe. We took her into the dream. Her subconscious was to strong. She... destroyed us. We lost two of our own people trying to get her out." Isis looked lost in memory. "We lost them to Limbo, when they cam out, they were... gone. After that, we had no choice. We had to leave her."
"But you still kept in contact with her." Eames said.
"Only because she gained followers. Students. They were parasites. Hecate and Morpheus were just a few. She trained them to do her will. We had not choice but to hide. Her students found us anyway. Circe would have killed us rather than let us go." Isis finished.
"How long was she in the coma?" He asked. For a long time, Isis didn't answer.
"My sister was lost in her own dreams for 30 years, Mr. Eames." Isis told him. Tears running down her face.
Fall came with a terrific force across the English countryside. Stiff, cold winds and rain found there way into open doors and windows. The fireplace, in the large parlor was happily lit. Cozy evenings were spent in front of it.
Cerberus was allowed inside the house. The large dog was fierce when it came to strangers and helicopters, but was no match for the cold wet weather. He quickly found a cozy spot in front of the fire and staked it out as his place in the family room.
It was a lazy Monday morning. Phillipa and James were in school. Isis was with the Alexander and the baby. The Pleasant Lady seemed to relish her time with the younger children. As if they nourished her soul just as much as she nourished them.
Eames and Cobb were in Ireland for the week, interviewing and potential chemist.
Sybil was in Town, enjoying her first few weeks of at the University.
Arthur and Ariadne were enjoying a peaceful quite house. It was to cold to go outside. To cold to do anything but stay under the covers. Ariadne was giggling.
"I still can't believe you never saw 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'." She gently scolded him. "What's wrong with you?" Arthur laughed.
"I just never saw it." A rare smile was on his face as he and his wife were totally hidden under their covers. Their faces were pressed close together. "I told you what my father was like." He said softly.
"I'm glad you not like your Dad." She said running a free hand over his bare arm. "I'm glad your so affectionate with the kids."
"Well, it was hard for the old man." Arthur said softly. "My mother had been the love of his life. When she died, lets just say he didn't take it well."
"If something happened to me would you ignore the kids?" She asked.
"No, of course not." He said kissing her forehead. The chase kissing turning into something more as his lips burned down her face and to her lips.
"Your not going anywhere." He said softly. She grinned from under his lips. Their feet intertwining. He broke free from her kiss.
"You sure your healed?" He whispered. His desire for her becoming clear. She nodded and blushed.
"Still a little swollen from the feeding, but... yes." She said feeling mischievous. He gave her a nervous smile before pulling her towards him.
It was a late Friday afternoon. Eames, Ariadne and Sybil were sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen. The low light of evening was barely able to cut into the house.
"So, the Chemist didn't work out?" Ariadne asked Eames. The Forger shook his head.
"I guess we don't have to have one." he mused. "But they sure do come in handy."
"Well, I can give it a go." Sybil told him. "Circe taught me all her tricks." She pointed to her head and made a spinning motion with her finger. "Who knows what all is rattling around in there?"
"Whatever Circe taught you could be dangerous." Eames told the Control.
"From what Arthur said, everything Circe did was dangerous." Ariadne added.
"Your just jealous." Sybil teased. "I can forge better then Eames and build better then you now."
Ariadne didn't take the bait.
"Well, at least I'm getting some." She said casually. Sybil looked angry. She was still annoyed at Nolan. Eames choked on his tea at the sudden change of topic.
"Oh big deal with Arthur!" Sybil cried out. "I wouldn't go bragging about it."
Eames made no attempt to hide his laughter as The Architect gave him and the control a hard pinch.
Sybil let her eyes rest on Ariadne. She felt it then. Saw it
It was in this house.
Another perfect fall day.
A little boy, dark hair.
In the driveway of the house.
Arthur was teaching his son to ride a bike.
"Don't let go!" Alexander called.
"I'm not!" Arthur shouted as he tentatively let go of the two wheeler.
The little boy was riding on his own.
"Your doing it!" Arthur was shouting.
Leaves were falling.
Bright fall colors.
"Your doing it!" Arthur shouted.
The little boy rode unsteadily over the driveway.
"Look Mommy!" Alexander cried.
Ariadne was sitting on the porch.
She smiled at them.
"I see you!" She called
"Your doing wonderful!"
Audrey was playing on the porch.
Beside her mother.
The little girl was dressed in a colorful tutu.
Mixed matched tights.
Rhinestone sneakers.
Audrey's taste.
The little girl looked up.
She had been dressing up a large mutt in funny costumes.
Cerberus.
Her messy hair tied with with multiple hair ribbons in every color.
Ariadne looked down, smiling at her daughter.
Sybil came back then. With a smile. Ariadne would be alright.
Sybil almost didn't hear her cell phone go off over the laughter and teasing of Eames and Ariadne. She jumped when she recognized Nolan's ring tone.
"Percy?" She said happily. "We just talked last night, what's going on?" Ariadne and Eames were fighting and teasing each other on who was the best looking man in the house.
"First me, Darling. Then Cobb, and last is Arthur." The Forger was laughing.
"Sybil." Nolan said gravely. "Were in the air right now. We need your help."
"Whats happened?" Sybil asked. Her tone growing serious.
In response to her change in attitude, Eames and Ariadne stopped their bickering and listened.
"There's been... an occurrence. Our Architect was killed." Nolan said
High in the air, Nolan was talking on the airplane's secure line. It had been a grueling past 12 hours. He looked at his bedraggled Team. He couldn't tell Sybil everything over the phone. It was to dangerous right now.
"Just met us at the Cafe you and I first had coffee in, five hours." He finally said before hanging up.
Nolan looked at the young man. A boy really. Valuable property of his own government. Stolen by Nolan and his Team.
~Thank you all so much for your feedback and reviews. I love it! As you can see, still can't let them be happy. I'm not ready to let them go.
I'm going to post a one shot Erotica in a few days. To make up for the fact there was not very much A&A lovin' in this story. I'll pick up this story again soon. I promise.
I write this story for all of you and it makes me so happy that you enjoy it. ~