11.

~ She had made an appointment with her doctor. It had to be a mistake. Had to be a fluke. She had taken a second pregnancy test with the same results. She still had another 10 weeks left on her shot.

Her Doctor quickly explained that, although rare, it's not unheard of to ovulate and produce an egg at the last stage of the shot's effectiveness.

'Now he tells me.' She thought bitterly. She was waiting for Arthur to bring James and Phillipa home. Her irritation and temperament worn thin. What was taking so damn long? She needed to talk to Arthur and Cobb.

But what would she say? Could she really give them a line from an after school special?

'Oh hi guys! I know we all agreed I would be on the shot but guess what?'

She laughed at herself. She was an intelligent girl. She had seen the world. How had she let this happen? She was smarter then this. She should have been more careful. She should have...

Ariadne shook her head. Her breathing picking up as the sound of Arthur's car coming up the drive. James and Phillipa were shouting as they stormed into the house. They were excited about the prospect of summer almost being here. The Extractor already preparing a summer schedule for his children. Phillipa was looking forward to ballet camp and James was going to stay with his grandparents for a few weeks.

As much as the Team loved the young ones, it would be good to have the house to themselves. The three of them had talked seriously of going back to the way things were. They had spoken tentatively about it. Always a 'what if?' kind of thing. Cobb and Arthur both telling her she could come back to them when ever she wanted.

Ariadne had been missing the both of them. Her body hurting from the painful memory of what it was like to be loved. She missed the feel of their skin, sleeping with a warm body next to hers.

Ariadne stood up as Arthur entered the kitchen. The Point Man immediately seeing the worried look on her face.

"Ariadne, what is it?" He asked.

~ "How?" Cobb was lost for words. It was late in the evening. The children were long since in bed and the adults were up. The consequences of being adults upon them. "How... I mean... I thought..." Cobb fumbled. His face was a deep scowl.
"Relax Cobb, I'm going to take care of this." Ariadne whispered. Her meaning clear.

"What?" Arthur's head jerked up in shock. "No, your not."

"Arthur." She sighed. She was worried he might react like this. "I'm not ready to be a single mother. Not even mentioning I have no idea who the father is. It's like something out of a really bad daytime TV talk show." She said.

"There is a one in three chance this baby is mine and I'm not letting you kill it." Arthur said. His voice hard and angry.

"Excuse me?" Ariadne shot back. Her eyes flashing with that same bravery she had not shown them since Eames left. "This not your decision, Arthur."

"The hell it's not! We don't know who the father is! Your not taking into account that Cobb and I might want this baby." Arthur spat back.

"And Eames? You want me to try and find him and see if he wants a vote? You want me to undergo a amniocentesis?" Her words were becoming broken now as she started to cry. "You want them to put a large needle in my belly and hurt me, possibly make me miscarry all to satisfy your need to know?" Her voice faltering as tears ran down her cheeks. Her face distorted into a frown. "You think you can force me to have a baby I don't want?" She cried. "Why? So you can keep me with you forever?"
The Point Man's face looked murderous. His breathing hard as he glared daggers at his lover.

"Let's all calm down." Cobb said standing between Arthur and Ariadne.

Ariadne's hands were shaking as she tried to remember to breath.
"This is my decision." She told them.

"Yes, it is." Cobb said rationally. "But lets all give ourselves a few days to think about this. We just found out and were all... stunned." He finished lamely. The Extractor was trying to pull the Architect closer to him. She pushed him away.

"Well, I don't think it's yours, Cobb." She said hotly. "You never could stand to come in me."

With that, she left them.

~ "Cobb, what is she thinking? An abortion?" Arthur scoffed. The Point Man was pacing anxiously as they heard the Architect retreat into her room.

The Extractor wore a scowl that he hadn't had to put on since before the Fischer inception. Arthur's face looked dark and foreboding. His long, lean body pacing the floor. Like a tiger ready to pounce.

Cobb knew his job now was to try and keep the Point Man away from the Architect.

"She's 24 years old, she's pregnant and unmarried. She doesn't know who the father of her baby is. She's terrified." Cobb said.

His tone nice and steady. Hiding the fact his own heart was hurting by what Ariadne had said before. She didn't think the baby was his. An assurance that would have relived any other man, but upset the Extractor.

He cared very deeply for Ariadne. The idea of her carrying his child, of him being a father again, was not upsetting to him. He could see it. See them as a family. She was already a mother to his children, it was only natural that he could see that life with her.

"No, she can't. She can't do this." Arthur said hotly. The Point Man was feeling his blood race in his veins. "I mean... there is no reason for her not to have the baby. Doesn't matter who the father is. We will take care of her. Of them both."

"And if it's Eames?" Cobb said playing devil's advocate. "Will you take care of them if it's his baby?"

Arthur stopped his pacing and threw a look at Cobb.

"I don't think it is." He told her. "I mean, Ariadne and I... we were very... active." He admitted. Trying to find a tactful and discreet way to say it.

"I know that." Cobb admitted. "It's also true what she said. About me... not... um..." Words failed the Extractor. "But what if it does belong to Eames? Will you be able to stand that? I mean you and he have never seen eye to eye."

"I... I love her, Cobb." Arthur said slowly. His mind working things out. "I... I will stand it."