6.

~ "God, it's like something from a soap opera." Corrine said as she and Arthur shared shots of vodka.

The Point Man made a face at the taste. He wasn't much for drinking and only did it when he was feeling particularly distressed. Now, his normally immaculate suit was wrinkled and his tie was stripped off.

"I know." he laughed at himself. A warm feeling rushing through him. "My girlfriend had an affair with my father, that's how I got Darcy. My mother had an affair with a piano player, that's how we got me. Doesn't anyone stay together anymore? Isn't anyone faithful?" Arthur laughed.

Corrine either wasn't drinking the vodka or had a much higher threshold for alcohol. She seemed more put together as she calmly thought about it.

"I think people still stay together." She told him. Her voice soft and elegant. Her teeth bright. Arthur couldn't help but steal a glance at her enticing cleavage. His reflexes slowed by the drink and Corrine noticed he was looking at her.

"I don't think Ariadne and I will stay together." Arthur mused sadly.

"Why do you say that?" Corrine asked.

Arthur shrugged.

"We went to our first session today. I had no idea what to say to that doctor. I have no idea what they want me to say." He admitted. "I just sat there and listened to my wife tell this doctor, not me, all these things that she's feeling. She used to tell me everything she was feeling. Now, it's like she has this whole other life. It's like she's living a life without me." Arthur admitted.

Corrine poured him another drink.

"What did you tell the doctor and Ariadne?" The nanny asked as Arthur drank the shot.

"I apologized. Apologized and apologized some more. I have no idea what they wanted me to do." Arthur said.

"You can start by telling Ariadne what you told me." Corrine said softly.

Arthur looked at her.

Corrine shrugged.

"How you feel she's not telling you anything. That you feel she's living a life away from you." She said.

"You're very attractive, Corrine." Arthur said with a smile. His speech slurring as he clumsily leaned his head on his hand.

Corrine moved away from him. A tired look on her face.
"You are. You are very pretty. Which is why I can't have you work for me. I can't have a woman living in my home who isn't my wife, who I could potentially have sex with." Arthur told her. His tongue loosened by the drinking.

"I think you've had enough." Corrine said taking the bottle away.

"I have had enough." Arthur agreed. "I love my my wife, I love my kids. I wish sometimes I was a single man. Like old Albert there. Just leave my kids and keep scrapbooks on them. Skip over all the messy parts. That's the way to do things. Just show up on their door when their in their mid thirties and say: 'Hey kids! Remember me?'." Arthur laughed.

Corrine gave him a sad look.

Arthur sighed.

"I'm worried Ariadne is going to leave me." He said sadly.
"I don't think she will." Corrine's voice came to him. "She want's to go to counseling."

"I think she's running out of reason's to stay with me. The new baby, Darcy's illness. They'll keep us together for awhile, but..." The Point Man fought back tears. "It's not going to be enough." He finished.

~ Ariadne looked over the Point Man. Her husband was passed out on their bed. Corrine meeting her at the door and explaining what happened.
"Was it a mistake? To let him drink? I mean, there was that vodka in the house. He's not a recovering alcoholic or anything?" Corrine asked worriedly.

"No, he just never drinks unless he's upset." Ariadne sighed. "Did something happen?"

"An older man was here today when I brought the boys home." Corrine said as the two women looked worriedly at the sleeping Point Man. Arthur was snoring loudly as Ariadne took off his shoes and covered him up.

She suddenly felt very affectionate to her husband. He was showing a crack in the armor that always seemed so strong.
"Arthur said he was his real father. Then he started drinking." Corrine said as Ariadne brushed over Arthur's hair as he slept, oblivious to the world.

"That would do it." Ariadne whispered.

"Well, after I made sure the boys were taken care of, he didn't look so good, so I put him in the bed. I know it's not my place to do that."

"No, it's alright." Ariadne said. "Thank you."

The Architect stood and left the Point Man to sleep it off.

"Did he say anything else?" Ariadne asked as both women left the bedroom.
"Just that he's afraid you'll leave him. Oh, and that I can't work here anymore." Corrine said. Her fingers wringing nervously.

"What?" Ariadne asked in shock.
"Yeah he said I couldn't work here. Listen, I already turned down another job and this is the only job that fits into my class schedule." Corrine said looking almost panicked.

"It's alright." Ariadne sighed. "You're not getting fired."

"Doesn't Arthur control that?" Corrine asked.
"No, I do." Ariadne said curtly. "James and Phillipa are coming over tomorrow and we need you. Arthur is just going through some things."

Corrine nodded and looked relived.

"Let's just forget about it. I'm sure the hang over he'll have in the morning will be punishment enough." Ariadne sighed.

~ Arthur felt his head was too big.

The light hurt his eyes as he tried to hold off on opening them. He was thirsty and he felt his body was sore. Like he had done an intensive workout.
"Morning." Ariadne whispered to him.

Arthur's head hurt too much. He groaned and rolled over.

"Arthur, you need to drink some water." She told him rubbing his back.
"Albert Castus came here." Arthur grumbled as his mouth tasted like cotton.

"I know." Ariadne said as he threw an arm over his eyes, blocking out the light. "I'm sorry." She added.

"I got drunk." Arthur said petulantly.

"I know that to." Ariadne laughed.

Arthur took his arm off his eyes to see his wife. The lovely creature was sitting beside him in their bed.

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked.

"About 12 hours. Corrine put you in the bed after you started staggering around." Ariadne said smoothing out his hair.

Arthur could have died of embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Ariadne." He whispered.

"It's alright. This was my doing." Ariadne told him. "It was wrong of me to call Albert. You should have spoke to him when you were ready."

"You're right. It's all your fault." Arthur groaned and Ariadne laughed.

"Where are the kids?" he asked.

"Corrine took them to the park. James and Phillipa are with them. Cobb will call us when he lands back in the states." Ariadne said moving his hands off his eyes again.
"We can't have Corrine working here." Arthur told her.
"Why not?" Ariadne asked. "We don't exactly have people lining up for this job."

Arthur sighed.
"Arthur?" Ariadne said. Her hands going to his shirt and unbuttoning it.

The Point Man took a deep breath before looking at his wife. She was looking down at him.

"Darling, I'm not sure how to tell you this; but, you smell bad." She said and then tried not to smile.

"Oh really?" Arthur said with a wry grin.

"Yes. It's really terrible." She laughed. "I think we should take a bath." She said as she finished unbuttoning his shirt.

~ Arthur felt much better as he shared a bath with Ariadne. She made him drink some water and take an Aspirin. Then they spent a relaxing morning in the large, claw foot tub. His wife washing his hair as she circled her arms around him. Pampering him as he leaned back against her.

"I'm sorry I didn't know what to say to the therapist yesterday." He said as he kissed her soapy hands.

"It's alright." She told him. "We'll get there."

"I just feel like you haven't told me things about Drew. Like when she was kicking. Or how you felt... about other things. We used to tell each other everything." Arthur said softly as she washed his back.

"I know we did." Ariadne whispered.

"I know we lost something when I went into your mind." Arthur whispered. "I know it will take a long time to fix."

"Arthur." Ariadne sighed. "I'm not going to be mad about that anymore."

"Why not?" He asked. This felt like a trap.
"I know you're sorry." She sighed. "I have things I've kept from you. Things that I should have told you about from the start."

Arthur scowled and turned around to face her.
"Things like what?" He asked. His soap covered hands brushing back her hair so he could see her face better.

Ariadne started to stay something. Her pretty lips forming an 'O' as she seemed to hesitate.

"Arthur, remember that old couple that-" She started to say. Her words cut off by the front door buzzer.

Arthur felt angry.

"I can't take anymore visitors." He growled.

"I'll get it." Ariadne said anxiously.

"No, I'll get it. Tell them to get lost." The Point Man said and nimbly left the tub of warm water.

He wasn't happy to leave this private moment with his wife. Those moments were so few these days.

He threw on a robe and once more didn't look out the peep hole before opening the door.

"About time!" McClain boomed as the fat lawyer let himself in.

"McClain, what are you doing here?" Arthur said in shock.

"Son, I'm here to help you with this mess of a separation." The fat lawyer said.

"McClain, now isn't a good time." Arthur sighed as he shut the front door.

"Arthur, you have not been retuning my calls. We need to address the eventuality that you'll divorce Ariadne. Now, I've drawn up new documents. I've been shuffling your assents and accounts. I've funneled most of them to private accounts offshore. That will hide the money from any lawyer she might hire." McClain said pulling some papers out of his briefcase.

"McClain. Ariadne and I are doing much better." Arthur tried to argue as McClain passed a stack of papers to him.

"You need to listen to me, Son." McClain told him. "If she divorces you, you would be broke. She would get half of everything you have acquired over the past few years. Not even to mention child support on four children." McClain grumbled.

Arthur started to say something, but McClain rambled on.

"We should have had her sign a prenup. For now, I've got your money hidden. It will protect your assets. That way she won't get it all."

Arthur looked up and saw Ariadne coming out of their bedroom. A shocked and saddened look on her face.

Obviously, she had heard everything.