17.
~ Ariadne awoke with the warm sun streaming in on her. She had fallen asleep curled in the nest of Arthur's bed and breathed in the pleasing smell of his cologne left on his pillow. It took her several seconds to realize it was already last morning and her bed was empty. Never, never in all her time in this house, had she woken up alone when she was with one of her lovers.
She slowly sat up and looked around. Arthur's bedroom, so tastefully decorated, was still and empty. No noise came from the bathroom or anywhere in the hallway outside.
"Arthur?" She called out. Her hand going to the large swell of her babies. An nameless worry creeping into her as she wondered where he had gone. Vanished like the wind.
The Point Man never let her wake up alone. Never did anything less then kiss her awake and beg her to stay. She looked over to his spartan desk. His laptop and her sonogram photo were gone. She roused herself out of bed and pulled on her robe. Her instincts telling her he was not in the house at all. That he was gone. She went to his closet and peered over the neat, always neat, line of suits, slacks and dress shirts. His traveling clothes and suitcase were gone.
~ She dressed in her old room and went downstairs. It was still summer break and the kids were playing happily in the yard. Cobb was in their shared work room going over some city work plans.
"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" She asked numbly looking at the Extractor.
He straitened up at seeing her.
"They really don't need me today." Cobb said. His hands going to his pockets and avoiding her eyes. "There is nothing that I can't do from home right now." He explained.
"Oh." She said numbly. "I was thinking of going into town. Maybe getting a few maternity clothes. Look at another crib for the nursery."
Cobb nodded.
"That sounds fun." He said. "Would you like me to go with you?"
"Yes. We can take James and Phillipa to the movies and go shopping. Make it a nice family day." She said. Trying to sound happy but failing miserably.
"That sounds like it would be nice." Cobb said with a comforting smile.
"Arthur's gone isn't he?" Ariadne asked. Fighting back tears.
"Yes." Cobb said gravely. "He left just before dawn."
She nodded her head and didn't ask why. Didn't ask why her other lover abandoned her and without saying goodbye.
~ It was a perfect summer day. Cobb drove the four of them to a small cozy theater which held a festival of kids movies all summer long. The Extractor and Architect comfortable in the back row with the other parents as they watched the kids running around the theater. Only occasionally glancing up at the screen of a cartoon cat and dog.
Ariadne felt slightly better as Cobb's strong arm was wrapped over her shoulders. They looked for all the world like a happily married couple enjoying the day out with their kids.
After the movie, Cobb treated the family to burgers and fries. James hooting with delight at old fashioned American cuisine.
"So much for broadening their pallets." Ariadne laughed as they watched the kids play in the built in play ground.
"Oh, don't be so hard on them." Cobb laughed. "I never appreciated a home cooked meal until I had to start cooking for myself." He said. His hand searching and finding hers as James threw off his shoes and jumped in the ball pit. Even Phillipa was shouting with the other kids on the maze of tubes.
"Ariadne? Mr. Cobb?" Came a voice.
The Architect and Extractor looked up from their seats to see the Art Teacher from Phillipa and James' school.
"Oh, Miss...?" Cobb said trying to remember her name.
"Bliss." Ariadne whispered to him trying to move her body out of the noisy teacher's view. The last person in the world she wanted to see just now, sitting in a fast food restaurant, heavily pregnant in ill fitting clothes and children running around like savaged on the play ground, was this woman.
Ariadne, who before had been so confident and proud of her life around this woman now felt like she had been caught.
"Miss Bliss." Cobb said with his charming smile as he stood to shake her hand.
"I was hoping you would come back to see us at school. We haven't seen much of you since the Christmas play." Miss Bliss said trying to act flirty.
"Oh, well I have work and then home life." Cobb said nodding to Ariadne.
The Architect was suddenly envious of the Art Teacher. Her slim figure made Ariadne seethe with jealousy as she tried to readjust her too tight shirt.
"My, Ariadne!" Miss Bliss said with mock surprise. "You look... so different."
"Yes. I expect I do." Ariadne said with a forced smile. She suddenly wished Eames was there. The Forger would destroy this woman with some catty remark and make Ariadne feel better.
Instead, she was stuck with Cobb, who couldn't physically be rude to a woman. No matter how well deserved.
"I had heard you were expecting but I didn't believe it till now." Miss Bliss said.
"Yes, the children and I are very excited. I spent all summer getting the nursery ready." Cobb boasted taking Ariadne's hand.
"Oh." Miss Bliss said. Her face falling slightly. Her dreams of being with Cobb dashed before her eyes. "I thought you and... Oh." Miss Bliss said again as James ran to Ariadne and asked her to tie his shoes.
"Of course, Sweetheart." Ariadne said kissing the little boy on the top of the head.
"We decided to take the kids out on a family day. Movies, and out to eat. Then we have to go shopping for Mommy here." Cobb said proudly. "Not too much longer and we won't be able to have time for that."
"No, we won't." Ariadne said feeling a real smile come over her face. She never loved Cobb more then she did at that moment.
"Oh. Well..." Miss Bliss said looking uncomfortable. "Well, it was really nice to see you both again and congratulations." She said hurrying away to join her overweight mother in line for food.
"Thank you, Cobb." She breathed once the horrid woman was out of ear shot.
"That's the woman you said liked me?" Cobb said leaning over their table. A conspiratorial smile on his face as he kissed her hand. James snuggling deep into her body as Phillipa rushed back to the table to drink more soda.
To an outsider, they looked like a happy family.
~ Cobb looked after the kids as Ariadne picked out more maternity clothes for herself. The Extractor looking over a new crib. The one he had gotten for the nursery was not going to be enough.
"What about this one?" He asked hefting James up as he looked over a painfully stunning blond wood crib. "It will convert to a toddler bed and then a full sized bed."
"Cobb, it's too expensive!" Ariadne said looking over the price.
"No." Cobb said looking over the exquisite piece and it's matching changing table that doubled as a chest of drawers. All of which could be used until the child was grown. "No, it's just right."
The Extractor waived to the shop lady and told her to send the whole set to their home.
"Cobb." Ariadne hissed as the sales lady seemed very happy. "It's too much."
"No, it's perfect for the girl. We have to think about her." The Extractor explained. He walked a short distance to an dark wood crib that was the opposite of the blond wood. "That's perfect for the boy." He said with a happy nod. "We'll take this one to." he called to the shop lady.
Ariadne was shocked at the money Cobb laid out on the babies. He not only bought their cribs, stating he never cared for the simple crib he had bought for her when she thought she was only having one.
"We can use it for the downstairs crib." He told her. "Trust me, we will use it." He laughed as he picked out lavender colored bedding for the girl and fiddler green bedding for the boy. All of it perfectly complimenting the nursery back home.
~ The next few days was a mess of the Extractor assembling cribs and the Architect decorating. James and Phillipa seemed to grow more excited by the prospect of the new babies. It was easy to push Arthur and Eames out of her mind as she pretended her family was with Cobb and the children.
~ At night, Cobb made love to her in that gentle, kind way of his. His lips kissing her ripening belly just before he took her. He never let her wake up alone.
Yet, at night, she still dreamed of someone else.