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Chapter4- In Death's Dream Kingdom

Sundays. Their lazy days. After a whole week of jobs and marks and stress, the weekends were always savored. Saturdays he would take her anywhere she wanted to go. They would go out to eat. They would do the special romantic outings they did when they first started courting. Then on Sundays, they would lay around in bed. They would lounge around, talk, watch tv, he'd read while she'd draw, they'd cook together. And at dusk begin their Sunday ritual. She'd pick a movie and he'd go find takeout. Always different, always a surprise. He'd also bring home special desserts…Sometimes it'd be a pint of her favorite ice cream, sometimes fresh éclairs, sometimes slices of their own cake from his preferred patisserie down the street.

Today was no different. Other than the fact that he'd scoured the internet all day and found a place that would make fresh, all natural, no red dye included strawberry shortcake for them and she'd been pregnantly obsessed with strawberries lately. The actual fruit, strawberry cereal, strawberry pancakes, strawberry syrup in her milk, strawberry ice cream, strawberry jam, strawberry yogurt…you name it. Lord knows, he's had the most difficult time fulfilling that craving free of red dye but he'd managed. She'd be overjoyed at the treat he'd been able to find. In the other bag, were a couple of wedge salads, bowtie pasta and sweet potatoes.

Arthur loved pregnant Ariadne. Not that he loved normal Ariadne any less or any more. Then again, the raging hormones hadn't fully set in yet, so that could change. Nothing made him prouder than knowing she was carrying his baby. He'd secretly wanted a little girl…but was getting used to the idea of a little boy. Seeing as Ariadne wanted one so much. She said she could see a little boy in a sweater vest and tie, polished shoes, and curly black hair running around. Arthur agreed but only if the little boy had her eyes. Ariadne wanted the boy to have his daddy's dimples. Arthur wanted him to have her nose. And for the sake of their son Ariadne joked he would need Arthur's height. He stated he wanted him to have her imagination and she said he'd better be as chivalrous as his dad. They cooed and fantasized over little dinosaur pajamas and train sets and little league softball games, she'd insisted he have an art easel from an early age, Arthur never objecting. They were caught between two names: Xavier and Theodore. Ariadne loved Theodore just because she could call the baby her Teddy Bear.

Arthur was lost in happy thoughts while he travelled the walkway to their shared flat. He mused that he would buy her whatever house she wanted or better, he'd pay for her to design and build a house once the baby was a toddler and needed more space. He didn't feel the room they pegged to turn into a nursery big enough for his child to be able to roam around and express himself or herself creatively once he or she had grown. If they got Ariadne's curiosity, by the time they could crawl they'd be everywhere and all over everything...Arthur couldn't wait. He unlocked the front door and threw his keys on the ring. He called out to his baby's mother, sitting on the couch, "Hey, Ariadne, could you help me with this?"

When she turned, he tensed. His heart exploded. Her brown eyes held apology and duct tape sealed her mouth. He dropped the food on the floor. Forgetting about the delicacies. The Point Man acted quickly, reached in his holster for his gun and rushed towards her.

He halted mid-step when a familiar face popped up from behind the couch and held a gun to the Architect's head, "Uh-uh-uh. Not so fast."

Arthur held his hands up cooperatively and set the gun down silently on the table. The game began. Arthur's face turned stony and cool, "Who are you?"

Robert Fischer clicked his tongue and folded his arms, "Let's not waste time and pretend you don't know exactly who I am. And who you are. You helped Dominic Cobb trespass my thoughts."

"I did not." He answered, almost bored. "You must have me confused. I don't know who this Don… whatever his name is, is. I'm a private accountant." Nice move.

"And she-?" The intruder prodded.

Arthur never missed a beat, "Teaches art classes from here. She's my cousin's best friend. Just moved to Paris, my cousin asked if I'd help her out until she got on her feet." Check.

Ariadne kept her eyes straight forward and avoided looking at Arthur. They'd talked about what they'd do if something like this happened. They couldn't show any attachment other than humanly concern. She knew he'd break his façade if she looked at him and vice versa.

"Cousin's best friend?"

Arthur nodded seeming put out by this misunderstanding. Fischer broke into laughter, "There's one bedroom in this place… And a freaking ring on her finger! Either you're lying or she's a two-timing whore…" Checkmate.

Arthur held himself without falter, he only allowed his nostrils to flare unnoticeably at the insult to Ariadne. He stared impassively at Fischer…and finally the opponent rolled his eyes and muttered, "Ok."

The duct tape was ripped off her mouth, "Ariadne here has already given you guys away and messing with you just gets increasingly annoying."

With a snap of his fingers two men emerged and went for him from behind. Being agile, he ducked and punched one in the face, he moved to kick the other and heard the sickening slap of skin. He saw Ariadne's head turned and Robert's hand outstretched and stopped. Let them hold his arms.

"I'm calling upon you today because I need a little help punishing the Cobbs for Dom's asinine choices."

"No." The sound of Ariadne's firm protest surprised everyone in the room.

Robert grabbed her chin and roughly turned her face to his, "Unfortunately, I wasn't talking to you, Sweetheart. You're just here for motivation." Ariadne forced her head out of his grasp with a scowl on her face. She met Arthur's warning gaze and tried to regain her composure.

"Now Dom is a pitiful man…I worry he won't even make it until I get you there. And his kids…Philpotts and Joe…"

Ariadne corrected, "Phillppa and James."

Arthur turned his head and sent disapproving eyes her way. Thankfully, the former mark hadn't been affected by her and waved his hand dismissively as he continued, "With their mother dead and their emotionally unstable father never around…it'll be easy to break them."

Now Arthur has had practice in this for as long as his dream sharing career had been in motion. He knew how to bottle his emotions and let what pursuers say go through one ear and out the other. The victim had the upper hand when the offender believed he was impenetrable. Arthur could make himself look, act and embody indifference. He blinked at Fischer's words. Despite being restrained, his aura was superior. His disillusioning boredom screamed at Fischer and told him, he wouldn't and didn't have to do anything he said.

Ariadne on the other hand had not been in this business as long. Ariadne had not been in this situation. Ariadne was born a more passionate and stubborn person. She was the kind of soul who would get up in your face and refuse your threats persistently. On top of her natural character, her pregnancy hormones were raging and her temper was not to be tried with. "Arthur would never help you do that."

He snickered, "I can make him."

"Over my dead body." She gritted.

"Ariadne." Arthur called.

Robert ignored The Point Man and caressed the girl's cheek, "That's doable."

In a fit of feminism, rebellion and hatred, she grabbed the wrist by her face and dug her nails into his flesh. At first, Fischer just winced and tried to act amused. She dug harder. "Let go," Robert grimaced.

"Get your hand off of my face." She challenged, glaring darts.

He wouldn't move. Would not cower to this girl. "Let. Go." He raised his other hand, pulled the hammer of his gun back and placed it on her temple.

"Ariadne." The Point Man warned.

The Architect pressed her fingernails harder.

"Three." Fischer grunted.

Harder.

"Two."

Harder.

"Ariadne!" Arthur insisted.

Reluctantly, she opened her claws and released him. Ariadne's eyes still hatefully boring into his.

xxxxxx

"Arthur! Please! Shoot me." Ariadne cried, no longer struggling against her captors.

The blonde pushed her little brother behind her, "Uncle Arthur, please don't!"

"Unca Arfur, what are you doing?" James' terrified eyes peeked out from behind his sister.

Ariadne begged, "Arthur, please, not the kids!"

One of the henchman kept her in headlock and the other kicked her in the side of her stomach, raising the needle threateningly. " No, wait!" Arthur reamed at the two men and focused on her, shaking the gun in the air and accidentally letting it go off. The sound of the bullet ricocheted through the room, "What do you expect me to do?"

"Arthur, you're scaring me! You're scaring James and Phillippa!" The two kids were holding on to each other for dear life and bawling.

"They've had a chance to live; our baby hasn't!" He reasoned.

"This isn't you! I want the real Arthur back! You don't have to do this."

Her henchman slammed the back of her head into the wall. Her grunt turned Arthur's rage higher and his grip on the gun tightened, causing it to fire again, just missing the kids and striking by their feet. Their high pitched screams pierced his conscious.

"Arthur. Give me up. I want you to. Please. " She forced through the pain.

"No! Ariadne, please. Just. Stop. Talking. "

Robert Fischer, getting more impatient and un-amused by the second warned, "Arthur, someone is dying in the next sixty seconds, whether you're the one who chooses who or not." He pulled out his own gun again and pulled back the hammer.

Phillippa and James tensed their hold on each other and huddled. Their faces were nothing but wet, red, swollen messes. Arthur swallowed and aimed at Ariadne's head…his face contorted, his eyes beginning to overflow, he couldn't do it….he couldn't do it. Ariadne squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself.

Bang.

She was still breathing. Her eyes darted open, fearing what he'd just done and seeing his stance changed and poised towards the children, "Arthur!"

But she heard Phillippa's voice, "Uncle Eames!"

It was all a blur. Eames, several familiar faces and an army of Asians barged into the room. Gunfire was everywhere. Ariadne felt the two men holding her back release their grip and slump to the ground. She ducked and covered her head, yelled at the kids across the room to do the same. She made eye contact with the little girl and the little girl nodded at her. Ariadne watched in slow motion as Phillippa pushed a distracted James down to cover himself and then jolted…And fell limply to the ground. The architect's eyes widened and she searched for the perpetrator. There in the corner, Fischer's right hand man…Browning…smiling satisfactorily at his evil accomplishment of gunning down a little girl.

Something overtook Ariadne and she bolted and dodged across the room and jumped the old man before he could fix his aim on James. He hadn't been expecting her. She'd knocked him to the ground and amidst the gunshot and chaos started beating him with her fists and yelling profanities at him with everything she had. Browning may be old…but he was still a man. And men are stronger than women. Especially women in Ariadne's condition. He caught her wrists and rolled over on top of her legs, nearly crushing them. Browning grabbed a fallen pipe lying in the vicinity and raised it to finish this bitch.

He fell back lifeless before he could do so. Arthur having shot him multiple times for touching a hair on Ariadne's head. Arthur ran to her, pushed Browning off her legs and pulled her up. He put her arm around his neck and tried to help her out as quickly as possible. The forger's voice echoed across the room, "Arthur! Get her and the baby out of here!" She heard shouts and shots and bodies falling to the ground, nearly all of Fischer's men being overtaken by Saito's generous help and Eames. The Point Man diligently dodged the bullets and made for the door.

"Arthur, James! You have to get James!"

"Let me get you safe and I promise I'll go back for him."

James was panicking. His sister wouldn't move no matter how many times his little hands shook her and screamed her name in her ear. He noticed the same pool of ketchup-looking liquid had surrounded her like it had surrounded daddy. He whimpered and looked around for Auntie Ari; the little boy started to tremble at the absence of her, wondering if she was lying in ketchup too. There, halfway across the room heading for the opening, Uncle Arthur was carrying her off. They were abandoning him.

"Auntie Ari!" She heard the little boy call for her and whipped her head to meet his eyes. "Auntie Ari! Don't leave me!" He stood and wailed for her, arms reaching out. Men dropping like flies all around the warehouse.

She tried to turn around, tried to will the feeling back into her legs so she could stand on her own. So she could run to the boy and scoop him in her arms. "Arthur, go back!"

"I've got to get you out! I will I promise."

"Arthur, please!" She struggled to fight against him, the more movement she made the more the feeling returned to her legs. She was no longer cooperating and moving in the direction Arthur was pushing her. "We've already lost Philippa!" She'd switched arms and turned all the way around, peering over Arthur's shoulder and reaching to the little boy. Arthur hadn't known the little girl had been shot. The pace of his gait faltered and his face darkened but he shook it and put it away for later. Right now he needed to get his baby out of range.

James stood there looking after her, crying. Covering his face with his little hands. Then he saw her reach to him. Auntie Ari didn't want to leave him. She wanted him with her. He stopped crying and confusedly took a step forward.

Ariadne could see the wheels turning in his head. He was going to be a kid and do something stupid. "James, don't!"

Eames heard Ariadne's request and turned his attention from his opponent to the blonde, "James, love, sit down!"

The blonde wouldn't listen. He wanted his comforting, gentle Ariadne to hold him and kiss his forehead and tell him Daddy and Phillippa would be ok. They just needed bandaids…right? All other thoughts fled his body and he was consumed with fright. The only thing that could quell him and keep the monsters from chasing him was his dear Auntie Ari and her smile. James broke into a run across the room as fast as his chubby four year old legs would carry him, "Auntie Ari, don't leave me!"

Eames yelled, "James, stop!"

At the same time Ariadne beat her fist against Arthur's chest, "Arthur! STOP!"

Arthur paused for the briefest of seconds and looked at Ariadne. Her eyes had never asked him for anything more fervently. He considered turning around and sprinting for the boy. Bang. Eames' shout. His eyes went wide and he turned over his shoulder, the little boy lay crumpled on the ground. Eames was laying it into the man that had killed the boy. Ariadne's blood-curdling heartache ripped through Arthur as she screamed for James and pushed herself away from Arthur. She ran, pushing herself towards the little boy despite her limp. More gunshots were firing, aiming at her. The Point Man grabbed her around the waist and hauled her out of the building as fast as human mortality allowed. Shielding her from bullets with his body, while he pried her hands off of the frame of the opening and pulled her away. Her protests stabbed his heart the entire way.

Kicking, Pulling, Thrashing, Scratching, Squirming, Yelling, "James!"

xxxxxx

Fischer rubbed his wrist. His blood boiled as he registered the marks she had indented in him, a couple of them nearly bleeding. "One." He snapped his fingers on his working hand and two more men emerged picking her up and hauling her off.

Arthur tried elbowing the men holding him, "Ariadne!"

Kicking, Pulling, Thrashing, Scratching, Squirming, Yelling, "Arthur!"

The sticky strawberry syrup trailed along…forgotten and wandering on the tile.

xxxxxx