2.

~ "You've gotten better at driving." Eames said as he enjoyed a relaxing soak in her bath tub.

Ariadne gave him another rare, but welcomed smile.
"I've been driving a lot lately. No one around to tell me not to." she told him as she washed his hair.

"How's Olivia? Is she talking yet?" he asked.
"Oh yes. She talks. She tells me 'no' all the time and she's really into her 'mine' phase. She won't let Harold play with her at all. It's so strange how much she's like Arthur." she admitted as she scrubbed his back.

"I'm sure Arthur would have loved that." Eames said sadly.

Ariadne did not want to think about Arthur just now.
"They told me you stepped on a land mine?" she asked instead.
"Yeah." he laughed as she rinsed the soap from his head. Careful not to get any in his eyes. "I'm normally very good about missing them, but I was acting stupid."

"What were you doing?" she asked him.

"I'm not going to tell you about that. It's a long story and I come off badly in it." Eames said casually.
"What, worse then getting blown up?" she teased and wrapped her arms around his shoulders suddenly.

She could sense his hands come up out of the bath water to hug her back.
"I'm really glad you're home." she whispered. "I hated being mad at you and I don't want to fight with you ever again."

"We won't." he promised effortlessly. "At least not like that."

She pulled away from him and felt a small seed of happiness start to grow in her heart.
"We can think of new things to fight about." he told her.
"Who says we have to fight at all?" she asked with a laugh.

"All couples need to fight, so long as it's about nothing serious." he told her.
"We're not a couple." she told him as she went to get him a clean towel.
"Oh, so we're going to do this again?" he asked sarcastically.

"We're not doing anything, Eames." she told him as she realized she was in her bathroom with a naked man who wasn't her husband.

"Fredrick-" she started to say.
"Is on his deathbed, you said so yourself." Eames interrupted.

She stepped away from him as they dueled with their eyes again. That same old argument rising up between them.

"I don't want to fight about this." Ariadne whispered.
"Fine." Eames said and suddenly stood out of the bath water, unashamed at his nakedness in front of her.

Quickly, enough he lost his balance on his still wounded leg and she had to rush to keep him from falling.

"Careful!" she snapped as he clung to her to keep himself steady.

Eames almost fell again as she had to help him out of the bath tub to dry off.

"I'm sorry you have to take care of me like this." he said bitterly.

"You're not as bad as some. Fredrick has to have his wounds drained. It's nothing compared to the fact that he's blind and the pain medicine isn't effective because of the gas." she whispered as she helped him to sit down on her bed.

"I'm sorry, Ariadne." he sighed.
"He doesn't want Harold to see him." she said as she dried his wet hair. "Doesn't want the child to remember his father like that."

"I don't blame him." Eames said. "It's nice that you've taken care of the boy like you have."

"It's my job, it's why he married me." Ariadne said without thinking.

Eames didn't respond. Only let her dry his thin body off.

"Don't bother with any night clothes, I always sleep naked." he told her.
"Nice try." she said as, even in his exhausted state, he was the same old Eames. "You can sleep in the dressing room. We have a little bed in there, and I'll get you a night gown and something to eat." she said and left the room.

~ As always, as soon as she was among the family, they were pulling her in five directions at once.

"Ariadne, I was hoping you could drive to the village later this week with me." Juniper said.

"Missus, Olivia has a bit of an ear ache. Don't worry none, only she's not the most agreeable child just now." Maura told her as the cranky infant didn't want to be held, only wanted to cry and pout.
"Ariadne, I must insist that new arrangements be made for these girls. The war will be done in a few months and this is a private home!" Lady Percy said.

"We can go to the village next week. Maura, would you mind looking after Olivia and Harold tonight? I'm not feeling well myself. Aunt Percy, the war will end when it ends and Blue Rivers must do it's part. It's what Eames would have wanted and we get a stipend from the government to pay for their room and board." Ariadne called back as she raced to the kitchen.

~ It was nothing new for the cook and the kitchen maid to prepare her a take away basket of food. Often times, this was how she and Eames would eat in the conservatory when they wanted to be left alone. It raise no suspicious at all when Ariadne announced she wanted a basket of food ready for herself. That she wasn't feeling well and planed to rest for the day.

~ Back in her rooms once more, with her excuses for an extended absence made and many hours free from interruption settled, she was at liberty to see her friend.

Eames was snoring in her bed. He hadn't bothered to wait on the night shirt she brought him, or for food. His low snore coming from the bedding as he was curled, naked, in her bed. Ignoring, as usual, her instructions to sleep on the little bed in the dressing room.

"Eames?" she whispered as she wondered if she should wake him. He was so thin, his ribs showing and all she could think about was feeding him.

But another loud snore came from her friend and she realized he wasn't about to wake up anytime soon.

She decided to go to bed herself. It was early, but the day had exhausted her.

The responsibilities she had for children, old women and Fredrick were too much to bare at times and for a moment, she feared the door would burst open with some problem.

But Lady Percy and Maggie were looking after Fredrick. Maura was more a nanny than a ladies maid, and she was at liberty.

She changed out of her useful slacks and put on her night dress.

It was early, but she could sleep, even if Eames was in the bed with her. It was nothing, she had slept in the same bad as him before.

She turned down all the lights and climbed into the bed next to him. Her friend's snoring peaceful and hypnotic.

She felt a giddy wave of happiness wash over her at having Eames back in her life again. She had felt like a shell of her former self after he left. Like a ghost who was haunting Blue Rivers with no direction, nothing to keep her from floating away.

She wanted him awake suddenly; wanted to talk to him about the war, about what they would do now that they had they had their lives back.

"Eames?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

His eyes fluttered briefly as she ran a hand over his face.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he grabbed her wrist, bending it backwards till she cried out in pain.

He was on her so quickly, she didn't have time to cry out. His hand on her throat as he started to choke her.