Hey hey. Don't own. Thank you gracefullyclumsy for reviewing and thanks to the people who don't review but still story alert and favorite. And…still a thanks to my silent readers, at least you find it interesting even if you don't let me know you do. Some real unhappy things are fixing to happen:

Chapter3-Shade Without Color

She was just in the midst of a foggy cityscape. She was alone, the baby was rolling around in her stomach, pushing against her. It looked like an alien was inside her, taking over. Ariadne wandered aimlessly through the deserted streets. Light blue fog fell over the city to a point where she could barely see her hands in front of her face. And if that wasn't eerie enough, buildings were creaking, calling her name. Water ran down her legs she later realized and all of a sudden the baby was coming. At that, she sprinted through the streets searching desperately for a hospital and screaming for Arthur. Every corner she turned led her back to the same place and Arthur was nowhere near. If he was, she'd be able to feel him and his warmth magnetizing her to him. In an instant, Ariadne was falling rapidly. The ground beneath her had crumbled and the city around her fell into an abyss.

Her body convulsed and her eyes shot open. Ariadne's eyes focused on, "Arthur?" Was he really here? She thought she had been dreaming, maybe? Was she still dreaming? No, Arthur was here. He was too warm and soft as he held her for this to be an extension of that strangeness she'd been in. Arthur was removing her bracelet and sliding the lead out of her, "Where's your totem? Check your totem."

The Architect felt in her pants pocket obediently and wrapped her free hand around the small, comforting weight of her bishop. "How are you in here?"

He kissed her forehead, "They let me come find you. I'm not sure why and I'm not sure I want to know. How long have you been under?"

Her eyes grew with realization. She glanced at the PASIV, the bottles of drugs inside and the puncture on her forearm, "Arthur!" Her voice laced with worry and her hands flew to her barely protruding stomach.

The suited man smoothed her hair and pulled her to him, "It's ok. I'm sure once won't hurt the baby. How long have you been under, do you know?"

Ariadne's head shook frantically, "I don't even remember them putting me under."

"Have you been waking up like this, often?"

"Just today. Or—," Ariadne's face scrunched, "I—I don't know. I don't know what day it is. I don't know how long we've been here."

Arthur stood and held his hands out to assist her, "Are you ok to stand?" She nodded and pulled against his weight to stand herself, "Good, I'm getting us out of here."

"What about James and Philippa? I'm not leaving if they're not."

Arthur sighed and laced his fingers with hers, "I'll do all that I can. You know that."

"Where are they?" Ariadne wondered aloud.

Creak of the door. Squeak of his designer shoes. "That's a good question…" Robert Fischer's blue eyes gleamed in the doorway. Arthur slowly guided her behind him. "They've been asking for you Uncle Arthur. And crying for Auntie Ariadne…"

Arthur felt Ariadne squeeze his arm. "You weren't—thinking of abandoning them, were you?" He prodded and then turned to smile at Ariadne mockingly, "Poor innocent Phoebe and whiny little John." He knew how to pick at Ariadne's temper, her loyalties and new nurturing instinct. He picked up on the way she tightened her grip on Arthur's arm, knowing that Arthur would want her to keep quiet. But he could tell, (damn could he tell) she wanted oh so badly to cross the room and slap him; he could feel it radiating off of her. She wanted so bad to spit out the real identities of the children. To Fischer's disappointment, she bit her tongue. So for a reaction, he taunted further. "They really don't need another pair of people who could care less about them. Their mother would rather jump out a window and plunge to her death than have to take care of them…"

Ariadne saw Arthur's shoulders rise, his body had tensed and his fists were curling and uncurling. She could feel his deep breathing and observed that it took all of his self-control to remain in his spot. She shifted her grip to a comforting hold; she began to rub up and down his arm subtly but soothingly.

"And their father…what a coward. It amazes me how weak and pathetic people can be. He just gave up, just like that. He didn't even fight back; he just resigned himself to the fact that he was a goner and gave up on them."

xxxxxx

The gun felt heavier than it was supposed to. It hurt to hold it. Arthur's eyes pricked with water that he tried to blink back as he walked towards Cobb. "I'm so sorry."

The extractor's face didn't harbor fear or anger. No resentment, no pleading. Just understanding. Understanding and acceptance and comfort, oddly enough. Cobb knew all too well how it felt to be Arthur. To have the woman he loved more than life and a baby he'd do anything for threatened. He saw all the makings of him and Mal in Arthur and Ariadne. Cobb could sense their devotion, their desperation for each other and so shook his head solemnly, "Don't be."

Arthur lowered his voice, "I don't know what else to do."

"I'd rather you shoot me than my kids…and I'd never ask you to shoot Ariadne. I know you'll make sure they get back to their grandparents safely." His smile was guarded as he was trying his best to ease Arthur's guilt not burden him further.

Arthur swallowed, "You're my best friend, Cobb. If there were any other way... If I knew I could turn on these guys and get all of us out of here safe and sound, I—"

"Tick. Tock." Fischer jeered.

Cobb looked Arthur in the eye and meaningfully lowered his head, "You would let me do the same were it Mal and an unborn Philippa or James at stake. I don't blame you. I want you to do this." His fatherly tone, his lead extractor tone that gave orders and expected them to be malleably followed gracefully flowed from his mouth. He was giving a look to Arthur that said, 'You be a big boy and do this or so help me God.'

"Come on!" yelled Fischer. Like a heckler at a musical or a fan at a football game.

Cobb's voice snapped him out of his reverie, "Pull back the hammer." Arthur complied hesitantly. "Put the gun to my head." Arthur shook his head frantically. His hands started shaking faster, his eyes watering and burning. He turned to look at Ariadne for strength but found her own terrified look to only weaken his fervor. "Now, Arthur." As Arthur struggled to do so Cobb called lovingly to his kids, "I love you Pippa. I love you James. You two be good for me."

"Arthur…no…" He heard Ariadne plead and he sent her a remorseful glance. He couldn't do this. Not in front of her. Not in front of the kids. But he had to. He had to do this for her. He had to do this for the kids. Cobb's kids and his future kid.

Cobb coaxed, "Just pretend it's another dream gone wrong. Just pretend you're waking me up." No longer could Arthur keep the tears from falling, they escaped and his hand battled with his mind to slowly rise and hold itself to Cobb's head. "Tell the baby about me."

"All the time." Arthur promised.

Cobb took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His furrowed eyebrows relaxed and he seemed already in another world. He was Zen. Knowing Arthur wouldn't do it of his own accord, Cobb ordered, "Pull it."

Bang.

Cobb no longer stood. Fischer grinned.

"I hate you!" Arthur screamed as a loud, sickening popping sound echoed throughout the room.

xxxxxx

Arthur defended his best friend, "He was a brave and noble man. Something you'll never be. He sacrificed his life for his children."

"Sacrifice? If that's what you want to believe, go ahead." Robert chuckled, "But you're the one who pulled the trigger. Sounds more like a murder to me."

Poise left Arthur. "You son of a bitch…" He gaited across the room.

Thud. "Arthur!"

Freeze. The Point Man looked over his shoulder and found her pinned to the wall and an ugly looking weapon pointed at her stomach. "What is that?" He warily inquires.

"A needle. One they frequently use at…abortion clinics I believe." Ariadne pressed herself further against the wall, away from the needle and sucked in her stomach. "But maybe you could do more research on that for me."

Arthur digressed. He held his hands up, voice low and compromising, "Just…get that away from her. Please. And we'll talk."

Satisfaction. "Well, look how quickly that attitude changed…I should have brought that out sooner." His features turned dark, "Come with me or that fetus is soup."

Arthur followed him through the corridors with Ariadne being dragged behind. They were brought into the same open warehouse area where Cobb gave his life. The blood no longer there. Instead, two kids were standing in that spot, their hands duct taped in front of them. As soon as Arthur saw them he asked, "Philippa, James, are you ok?"

They shook their heads but were visibly at ease to see two friendly faces. The moment the guards released Ariadne's wrists, she ran to kneel in front of the children. They both dug their faces into her shoulder. She rubbed James' back and smoothed her hands through Philippa's long blonde hair. "Ari, what's happening?" Philippa's tearstained face pulled away and put its faith into Ariadne's.

Ariadne gripped the little girl's hand lovingly, "I don't know but I promise you we'll be ok."

James then pulled his face from Ariadne's shoulder too and put his hand on her cheek, "Auntie Awi, where's daddy?"

Philippa's voice quivered and she chastised her younger brother, "James, I already told you daddy's gone."

"Gone where?" His innocent eyes questioned the Architect's but she found her mouth dry and no idea how to reply.

"Get the Architect, Damnit! This isn't happy hour." Fischer called and her two guards came strolling towards her. Quickly, Ariadne kissed the top of their heads and Philippa wrapped her arms around Ariadne's waist while James hugged her leg one last time before the children were bound to their spot and Ariadne was dragged back to her previous position. Fischer turned to Arthur and placed the familiar weapon into his hands. "Say bye to Phyllis and Jude and you can say hello to freedom."

Arthur's face hardened and he threw the gun to the ground, "No."

Snap of his fingers. Ariadne's whimper. Her shirt was lifted, and the needle was but a centimeter away from her. "You know, I like to experiment. Don't you wonder what would happen if I didn't just stick that burning liquid into your baby's womb but if I plunged it into your dearest Ariadne's heart instead?" The heir's eyebrow raised.

"I'll kill you. I swear I'll rip your heart out."

Robert rolled his eyes, "Let's not forget who has the control here, Arthur." He gestured to Ariadne helpless against the wall, the needle grazing her skin and then flicked his hand towards the children, bound and gagged, waiting for demise.

The Point Man's defiance fizzled and he turned to bartering, "I'll do anything else. Anything else in the world, Fischer. I'll be your slave. Work for you at your beck and call. I'll beg, cheat, lie, steal…"

The heir shook his head, bored and unexcited, "It's Philippa and James or Ariadne and Baby."

Arthur upped the ante, "Kill me. Let all of them go and kill me however you want. Make it hurt, make it last, whatever your sadistic mind needs to satisfy your revenge. Please."

Fischer picked up the discarded gun, pulled back the hammer and shoved it back into Arthur's grasp, "I don't compromise. This is your choice." He snapped his fingers and Browning stepped into the room, threw him a gun of his own.

"Don't make me choose for you."
xxxxxx

Well my darling couple of readers…you can help choose. Philippa and James or Ariadne and Baby? Who do you think Arthur would save? Maybe I'll save all of them through enough persuasion. If I save Ariadne and a kid, would you rather it be James or Philippa? Give me some feedback you guys. "Don't make me choose for you." Hahaha, thank you for reading. I'll see you when I update! Hopefully soon!