2.

~ Although Darcy complained loudly that she wanted to go home, she enjoyed having her parents all to herself for a few hours a day. Ariadne had elected to stay in the hospital for two days after Drew was born. To be closer to Darcy and bond with the baby.

This arrangement left Arthur alone with his two rambunctious boys.

"Sir." Mrs. Mills said the morning he was going to bring Ariadne and the baby home.

"Mrs. Mills. Yes." Arthur said. He was pleased the nursery was finally completed for his new daughter. He was distracted and anxious to go to the hospital, see Darcy, pick up his wife and daughter and bring them back.
"I'm afraid I must turn in my resignation." The older woman said.

"What?" Arthur startled.
"Don't worry, this is a two weeks notice and I will try to find someone to replace me." The older woman said.

"Mrs. Mills, no we need you right now." Arthur said pleadingly. James and Phillipa were scheduled to come and live with them for a few weeks and the boys were into everything lately.

"I know you do. But my arthritis is acting up. I can't keep up with the children any more. I've already contacted an agency and they are sending in a lovely woman to be the live in nanny. I've spoke with her and she had worked with children for years. She is younger and can keep up. Especially with the new baby. I'll still be in the city, but only for emergencies. It's time to retire from this work." Mrs. Mills told him.
Arthur sighed and took in the nanny's wrinkled brow and small body. She was in her 70's at the least. It was no wonder she was having difficulties.

"Mrs. Mills, I wish you could stay. But I understand. We're going to miss you." Arthur said softly.

"I will miss this family as well. You and the missus are a very lovely couple. I know the two of you have had difficulties lately." She said. A crack in her normally pristine facade coming out. "But I know that the two of you are worth saving. If it's not too forward to say so."

~ "I can't believe Mrs. Mills is leaving us." Ariadne looked fit to cry as she rode in the back seat with Drew. The Point Man stealing glaces at her in the rear view mirror as he drove. Her face was so lovely as she watched their daughter sleeping through her first car ride.
"I need to tell you also that... James and Phillipa are going to be staying with us for a few weeks." Arthur said when traffic slowed down.

Ariadne's head snapped up.

"What?" She asked.

"Cobb's going to the states. He is going to try and talk to Sarah. Work things out so she and the baby will come back." Arthur explained.

"Arthur. You just drop this on me now?" She breathed. "You tell me we're going to have six kids, one of them a new born and the other very sick and your telling me this at the same time we have no nanny?"

"We will have a nanny. Mrs. Mills is finding her own replacement as we speak. She has one in mind right now. We get to meet her today in fact." Arthur assured her.

"Arthur how could you do this?" Ariadne sighed. She looked tired.

"Cobb needs our help. How many times has he been there for us? Miles has gotten too old now to look after the kids. We're the only ones who can be there for them." Arthur told her.

"I don't want to talk about it right now." Ariadne breathed. She looked angry.

"We are going to have to talk about this. We're going to have to talk about a lot of things." Arthur told her sternly.

~ It felt good to be home again. The boys were still at school and Mrs. Mills was picking them up and bringing her new replacement. But, for now, it was just the three of them.

"I wanted to show you something." Arthur whispered as Ariadne carefully lifted the baby out of her car seat.

He guided his wife to the nursery that had been a disastrous work in progresses for months now. The Architect hating everything she designed for her new baby.

"You finished it?" Ariadne asked as she saw the pink bow on the door.

Arthur nodded.
"Best decorator in Paris." he whispered and didn't mention how much it had cost. The Point Man still angry about the final price tag of the rush job.

Ariadne held Drew in one arm and opened the door. The decorator, had been worth every penny. Drew's nursery didn't look like a nursery at all, but a room fit for royalty. Nothing too garishly bright pink. Instead, a soft pink, almost white, dressed the delicately carved crib. Rosettes were sewn onto the blankets and the rug matched the bedding perfectly. The walls were a lovely sky blue with tree branches blooming out of the corners. As if the baby's room were really in the out doors. The leaves and birds looked extremely realistic as the animals stared back with large, expressive eyes.

There was even a chandelier in the center of the room and the coordinating furnishings were stunningly beautiful with old world craftsmanship.

"I had the artist do a little mural." Arthur whispered as Ariadne looked around the nursery in amazement.

He pointed to the wall behind the crib where a mural of three little children were playing. All three of them having fairy wings and holding a baby who was laughing.

"See? It's Darcy and the boys." Arthur pointed out. Although the images could be of no one else. Darcy's fairy self was unmistakable with her wild blond curls and bright mischievous face. The two boys were holding the fairy baby up as fairy Darcy was coaxing her to try and fly.

"Oh, Arthur." Ariadne whispered and looked ready to cry. "This is so beautiful."

Arthur was nodding as his wife finally looked at him.

She quickly looked away and back at the baby.

"Drew?" She said as the newborn chirped awake. "Look what your daddy did for you. He loves you so much."

Arthur moved closer to his wife. He longed to hold her. Longed to be her husband again.

She didn't move away from him as he stood closer to her. His hands going to her hip as they looked over their new daughter.

"She looks so much like you." Arthur whispered.

Ariadne laughed.

"I know. I noticed that to." She said as he ran a finger over Drew's jaw.

The baby fussed a little and Arthur's hands were there to comfort her.

~ Mrs. Mills came back to the house a few hours later with the Dominic and Daniel.

"Oh no, those horrible boys are home." Ariadne laughed and almost ran to greet them.

"Mama!" Dominic screamed as soon as he caught sight of her.

Arthur was still in Drew's nursery looking over the baby sleeping as he heard his 'horrible boys' shout with happiness over seeing their mother again. Ariadne happy to see them again to as she asked them all about their day.

"When is Darcy coming home?" Dominic demanded as Arthur left his sleeping daughter and turned the baby monitor on. He kept his ear close to the one way radio and listened to the nothing sounds of Drew sleeping.

"Soon, honey. She misses you two." Ariadne said. "Arthur?"

"I'm coming." Arthur said returning to the living room. His eyes on his wife as she was holding Daniel in her arms and Dominic was pulling on her leg.

"I think she's going to stay down for awhile." He told his wife.

"That's good. Arthur, Mrs. Mills has brought the lady she wants us to interview as her replacement." Ariadne said looking exhausted already by the boys.

Arthur turned and saw Mrs. Mills. Next to her was a very pretty, slender woman with dark hair and bright, shinning teeth.

"Corrine?" Arthur breathed in shock.