DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INCEPTION.
Hello everyone! Sorry, this story hasn't been updated in a while. Please review and let me know if you enjoyed! As always, ideas are always welcome!
This is really more of an Eames chapter. I just felt like writing about the wonderful Forger.
"Ok, Eames, this is where we keep the kid's pajama's and- Eames! Are you listening to me!"
Eames looked at the Point Man, his face blank. "...Not really."
Arthur sighed in annoyance and glared at the Forger. "Eames. This is important."
"I've babysat before, Arthur! I'm not completely unreliable."
Arthur was silent for a few seconds before walking right up to Eames, staring into his eyes with a dark glare. Eames blinked.
"...Now look, Eames," Arthur said in a deep voice. "My wife and I are staying away for the night. You are going to stay here and watch my kids. Not to watch the TV, not to stand outside and smoke, but to watch my children." He frowned. "My children mean more to me than anything, and if something goes even the slightest bit wrong...then let's just say you won't be getting your jolly's from a lady anytime soon. Got it?"
"...Affirmative," Eames replied quietly, somewhat unnerved.
Arthur pulled back and smiled wryly. "Perfect."
"You seem a little on edge, Arthur. Could this possibly be related to why you and Ariadne are going away for the night in the first place?" Eames asked, with a smirk.
Arthur ran a palm over his face. "...Maybe."
"Mate, not being crude or anything, but when was the last time you got some p-"
"Eames, when you have two kids, it's hard to find the time to..." Arthur paused. "...Satisfy certain needs."
"How long?" Eames asked bluntly.
"...Long enough." Arthur brought his arm up and checked his watch. "Ok, we should get going." He eyed the Forger, his eyes suspicious. "Are you sure you'll be able to handle this?"
Eames rolled his eyes and patted Arthur affectionately on the shoulder. "Arthur, you upset me! I love those children dearly...almost as much as you. Trust me."
Arthur shrugged his shoulder, pushing the hand off. "Ok, well...you know my number if you have any questions."
Both the men walked down the stairs and stood at the front door. Ariadne soon appeared and smiled at Eames.
"Thanks for doing this, Eames. We really appreciate it."
Eames smiled. "No problem, darling. Now, you two kids go and put the fire out while I watch the little ones."
As if on cue, the two children ran in. Arthur bent down and picked up Thomas in his arms, who wrapped his arms around his father's neck.
"Thomas, you'll be good for Uncle Eames, yes?"
"Yes Daddy."
Arthur grinned. "Good boy. Love you."
"Love you!" Thomas leaned up and kissed his cheek. Arthur bent down and kissed Samantha's forehead.
"You too, sweetie."
"Ok, Daddy."
Eames watched in fascination as the small family said their goodbyes. He honestly admired Arthur for creating something so perfect. Having a family was something Eames had never personally planned on trying until a bit later, if at all. But he felt some sense of pride at watching Arthur build this for himself. That was one thing he admired about the young Point Man.
"Bye Eames!" Ariadne waved.
"Yeah, bye Eames. Remember what I said."
Eames gave a small salute with his hand before Arthur shut the door. Ariadne crossed her arms.
"What did you say?" She asked, eyebrow quirked.
"Nothing," Arthur said, wrapping his arm around her as they walked to the car. "Just a few words of warning."
Ariadne smiled and leaned closer into him, enjoying the warm embrace. "You should trust him more."
"Ari, I don't trust Eames with a paperclip. Let alone with our children."
Eames turned and bent down. "So kids. What mischief shall we get up to tonight?" As he looked closer, he saw that the small boy's eyes were watering. He looked towards Samantha. "What's up with him?"
Samantha put her arm around her younger brother, pulling him into a hug (which Eames would have found rather cute, if he wasn't silently panicking).
"Sometimes he misses Daddy when he goes away," she explained.
Eames ran a hand through his hair. "Well...what can we do?"
Samantha made a thoughtful face. "Well..." A grin spread across her face. "Ice cream would be a good start."
"You're playing me, right?" Eames asked, his eyes narrowed.
That accusation quickly faded as Thomas let out a small sob. Eames sighed and stood up. "Fine, fine. Ice cream it is."
Soon, all three were tucking into bowls of assorted ice cream flavours. Eames knew that high amounts of sugar probably wouldn't go well in his favour, but screw it. They didn't call him the Fun Uncle for nothing.
"Feeling better, Tom?" he asked.
Thomas nodded, his mouth now covered in ice cream. "Thanks, Uncle Eames."
"No problem."
A small tune echoed through the house as the phone rang. Eames got up and grabbed the phone from the holder and pressing the call button.
"Arthur, stop calling. Everything's fine!"
"This isn't Arthur. Who's this?" A woman's voice asked over the line.
Eames leaned against the counter and cleared his throat. "Um, this is the babysitter. Who's this?"
"What the hell do you mean? Where's Ariadne?"
"The Mr and Mrs are out for the night."
"Where are the kids?"
"I'm watching them."
"Ah. Well, this is Ariadne's sister."
Bingo. Eames blinked. "I didn't know Ariadne had a sister."
"Well I didn't know that she had a British babysitter, but we all learn things." The voice retorted.
"I guess so," Eames smirked. "Well, I'll let her know you called. Nice to know you exist, Mrs..."
"My name's Alice. And it's Miss."
"Well, all the better for me." Time to pull out the big guns. "Listen, my name's Eames, but you can call me anytime."
After a gap of silence, a snort of laughter -Eames found it quite adorable- echoed through the phone.
"You're ridiculous." The mystery woman laughed.
He smiled and turned his back slightly so the children wouldn't hear quite so loudly. "Well that's for you to decide. Over dinner, say...Thursday?"
"...You're asking someone you've just met over the phone to dinner?"
"Yeah, why not?"
"Well...because you don't know me. I could be some...300 pound, bitchy weirdo."
Eames chuckled. "I know you more from this conversation than I knew Arthur after 3 years."
"What do you know?"
"Well...at the beginning of the conversation, you said, "What the hell", instead of "What the heck", showing that you're a little feisty. You then went on to ask about the children, showing that you're more loving than, as you put it, bitchy. You're also a little lacking in self-confidence due to the fact that you introduced yourself as Ariadne's sister. I have a feeling that you may also have had childhood sibling rivalry. I'm guessing that you're in your late twenties." He paused. "Alice, are you still with me?"
A small splutter came from the other line. "That's amazing. What are you, some kind of detective?"
"Not really. I'm just good with people." He grinned. "So, what do you say to dinner?"
"...I say that you're completely and utterly-"
"I'll take that as a yes. I'll get your number from Ariadne."
"Wait, I never said yes!"
"But you were going to," Eames smiled. "Anyway, must be getting back to the children. I'll call you."
The voice sighed. "Very well, Mr Eames. Goodnight."
"Night."
"It's beautiful," Ariadne said, taking in the decor of the room. "We may have to come back here."
"Most certainly," Arthur said, stripping off his jacket before walking over and gently wrapping his arms around the petite woman's waist, pressing his lips against her neck.
"Arthur...I'm sorry," she sighed.
"Sorry for what?"
"I feel like I've been neglecting you the past few weeks. It's just a busy time with the kids, and the new designs..."
He silenced her with a kiss, wrapping his arms around her, covering both their bodies in warpth.
"Ari..." He said, pulling away. "...Don't apologise. I understand. We'll just have to find more time to make little moments like these happen." He shrugged. "...Like right now?"
"Now?" She blinked. "Geez, Arthur...I'm kind of tired..."
Arthur's jaw dropped slightly, his shoulder's falling. "...You're kidding me, right?" he asked, his voice filled with dejection.
A small laugh escaped her lips as she reached for his tie, pulling him into her.
"Of course, stupid. You know I want you."
Arthur sighed in relief as he allowed her to pull him into the bedroom.
"Right kids, these are the family albums, right?" Eames asked, placing down a large armful of books on the table.
Thomas nodded. "Yep."
"What are we doing Uncle Eames?" Samantha asked, her chin in her hand.
Eames handed her a book. "We are playing 'Spot the family member'. I'll say a name, and first person to find them wins a treat."
The excited faces of both children informed him that his plan was working beautifully.
"Ok, let's do a quick practice." Eames shrugged. "Find...Daddy."
Both children flicked open the books and skimmed through the pages at light speed. Thomas raised his hand and held up the book.
"Found him!" he cried.
Eames grinned. "Perfect. Ok, no practice. This is for real." He paused for effect. "...Find me Auntie Alice."
Both books were opened and soon the pages were being shot through. Eames found himself almost jumping in anticipation.
"Found her!" Samantha pushed the album into his hands and pointed at a picture. Eames blinked. It was Christmas, no less than a year before by the look of it. Samantha was photographed by the tree, mid-present opening. Beside her, was a young woman, exactly as Eames had pictured. Long, straight brown hair, just a shade off auburn. She had bright blue eyes, the dead opposite to Ariadne. Full red lips were curved into a smile, and Eames found himself quite shocked to think that she was still a Miss.
"This is Alice?" Eames asked, just above a whisper.
Samantha nodded. " Yes. She's lovely."
"I bet." He slowly placed the picture back in it's hold before shutting the album completely. "Would it bother you if I asked her out to dinner?"
Samantha's eyes widened. "Really? Uncle Eames and Auntie Alice?"
"Well, I'm not your real Uncle, love."
She beamed and clapped her hands together. "That's so cute! Eames and Alice!"
"Ew," Thomas said, his nose wrinkling.
Eames chuckled. "You won't be saying that when you're older, mate. Now, personally, I'm up for building a fort."
"Wow. That was..."
"Amazing? Mind-blowing? Earth-shattering?" Arthur asked, a satisfied smile on his face.
"I was going to say great, but that works too."
Ariadne stretched out across his bare chest, as content as a house-cat. Arthur ran a hand through her curled hair, enjoying the peace.
Just then, the wood of the bedside table vibrated as Arthur's phone went off. He broke the kiss and mumbled something under his breath. Ariadne only caught "privacy" and "pissed".
"Hello?" he asked, his voice heavy with aggrivation.
"Arthur! It's Eames!"
It took Arthur less than 3 seconds to recodnise the panic and nerves in the Forger's voice, causing him to sit up straight, his shoulders rigid.
"Eames? What? What's happened?" he demanded, causing Ariadne to sit up in turn.
"Look, it wasn't my fault! The kids, were fine, everything was fine-"
Arthur was already out of the bed, attempting to dress himself with one hand. "What the hell is happening?" he snapped.
"I don't know, Samantha- She fell, and I just-"
"Is she alright? What's wrong?"
"I have to go. Meet us at the hospital as soon as you can!"
"The hospital? Eames, what-" His knuckles grew white around the phone as the line went dead. "-Eames! Damn it!"