The Kick

Ariadne felt herself stop breathing. Her grasp on the baby instinctively tightened.

"Eames." She said her voice growing raw with panic. "Eames, don't let this happen! Eames." The Forger turned to the petite Architect and said in a strong, capable voice.

"Take her, go to my bathroom and lock the door. I'll take care of this." Ariadne avoided Arthur's look as she did what Eames said. She quickly rushed up the stairs to the Forger's floor and locked herself and Catherine in the little bathroom.

~ "Arthur, what's this all about?" Eames turned on the Point Man. "You know you can see the baby whenever you want."

"I have to establish my rights to my daughter. Not your daughter Eames, mine." Arthur countered.

"Sir, he has the order. You have to let him in." One of the guards said.

Eames quickly retrieved his military ID from a nearby drawer in the hall. He showed it to the guards, almost lazily. The young Guards were taken aback by the former military operative.

"I'm sorry sir." One of the more senior police man respectfully. All of them looking impressed.

"Be on your way then." Eames scolded.

"No!" Arthur shouted. Stopping them "I don't care who he is. The woman in that house is not a British citizen, she is hear on a temporary work visa. The magistrate ordered immediate visitations and that is what your hear to enforce." Arthur said. His voice hard.

"You boys have a sit down out here." Eames said casually. "We can work it out inside." Glaring at Arthur.

~ "Tell Ariadne to get the baby ready." Arthur said harshly.

"Now, where were you thinking of taking a newborn baby, Arthur?" Eames said mockingly. The Point Man ignored the Forger's question.

"You come in here, tormenting a nursing mother and her newborn? Threatening to take away her child? What's gotten into you, Mate?" Eames said calmly. Casually.

The Forger was leaning across the stairs. Preventing Arthur access to the upper floors.

"I am trying to be a father to my daughter, Eames." Arthur said firmly.

"No, your doing this because she won't move to New York with you." Eames told him bluntly. "Is it because she's living here? With me?" Eames asked. Arthur said nothing.

"Were not like that you know." The Forger said truthfully. Arthur shook his head.

"Tell Ariadne to get the baby ready." Arthur said again. His voice even and toneless.

"And if I go out there, and tell those Guards I saw you hit her? What would you do? By the time you got out of lock up, we would be gone." Eames said, his easy going manners starting to vanish. No longer was he the playful wit he had been on missions.

Arthur didn't fall for it. He stood face to face, eye to eye with his former friend. Neither one of them blinking.

"Step aside Mr. Eames." He said. In a low voice. The Forger didn't flinch under the Point Man's stony stare.

"No." Eames said calmly. "She asked me not to let this happen, I won't let this happen."
"Eames..." Arthur started. A clear rage starting. "You have no idea what I've had to go through." He admitted bitterly. "I was kept in the dark about the pregnancy because of you. I almost missed the birth. I have had absolutely no say in anything about my own flesh and blood. I had to get a court ordered paternity test just to have my name on my daughter's birth certificate."

Arthur took a deep shaky breath.

"If Ariadne... wants to be with you... that's fine. But your not taking my daughter away from me." Arthur finished.

Eames stood in silence as he listened to everything his old friend had to say.

"Arthur." he finally ventured. "I kept trying to get her to tell you. From the day she told me. It was her right to be the one to tell you she was pregnant. If I had it my way... I would have told you as soon as I found out." Eames told him truthfully.

"As for me not understanding what you've been through, I know what it's like to be in a situation like this. To not be considered in any way. To not have a voice about... anything."

Eames remembered Debra. Her cold decision about ending the pregnancy. Ending their pregnancy. He had not been allowed an opinion. He had been rendered completely helpless to any decision Debra made regarding the rest of his life.

"What do you mean you know what it's like to be in a situation like this?" Arthur asked.

~ Upstairs in the little bathroom. Ariadne clutched Catherine to her. She was pacing back and forth trying to lull the infant back to sleep, when their was a knock on the door. Her body froze and she tensed.

"It's me, Darling." Came the Forger's voice. Ariadne was quick to open the door and almost slammed it shut again when she saw Arthur standing beside Eames. The Forger's strong body prevented her from shutting the two men out.
"You are not taking my daughter!" She shouted at Arthur. Catherine seemed to sense her mother was upset and started to cry loudly. Her little face, so much like Arthur's, became red and frightened.

"I won't." Arthur said.

His voice was calm. Gentle. He was like he had been the first few nights they shared as new family. The first few days he trained her in the dream world.

"Ariadne, I'm sorry." He admitted. Eames slowly left them. Backed down to the stairs. Ready to catch the Point Man if he tried to leave with Catherine.

"I... I didn't know what else to do." Arthur said sadly. "It feels like I won't be able to see her again."

"I'm not preventing you from seeing her." Ariadne cried over Catherine's wailing.

"You are by staying in London." Arthur replied rationally. "I will never be able to see our daughter like this. I want to be in her life." his gaze went from Catherine's red face to Ariadne. "I want to be in your life to."

~ "I've gone and made my two girls cry." Arthur said. He was patiently and gently washing Catherine's little face as her mother held her close. The baby, stopped her crying at her father's contact. "I'm sorry." he said avoiding Ariadne's gaze. "I don't' know how to handle any of this." He admitted.

"Well, showing up at my door with a court order is not a good start." Ariadne said with a sigh.

"Things just got messed up." Arthur said in a whisper. "If COBAL had never been involved. You know I would have been the one who would have been by you. Not Eames."

"I know that." She said honestly. "I should have told you right away. I was wrong to keep you in the dark."

Arthur didn't wait for it. He kissed her lips tenderly. Not with the reckless passion of their first time together. Ariadne felt the rush of his kiss. The sheer thrill of his warm lips on hers. His mouth knew just how to make her weak to him. Leave her breathless. She found herself leaning into him as his lips forced her own to part. All the power and passion of that night they shared returning. She had missed it so much. Like a junkie being deprived of a fix. She wanted more. More contact. Still holding the baby, she moved her body into his arms. He sensed her coming closer to his body and took her easily into him.

She had kissed Eames before. Many times after Catherine was born. The Forger's kisses were perfectly nice. Comforting and sweet. But they contained no passion. They never reignited a need for more. Eames could never do to her what Arthur did.

"Please," Arthur was saying as he came up for air. "Please let's work this out. I love her, I want to love you. Please. I want to be with you. I missed you." Ariadne found herself nodding. She didn't want to be without Arthur. She didn't want Catherine to be without him.

~ Arthur sent the police men away. He stayed in the house with his family. Always behind the closed door to Ariadne's little room.

Eames found himself pacing the floor. A terrible dark fear coming over him. He knew Arthur and Ariadne would work things out. Make a compromise. There was to much love there. They would find a way.

He had told Arthur about Debra. About everything that went with it. Trying to show his old friend he could at least sympathize. The two men had talked for a long time. Finally resulting in Eames letting Arthur talk to Ariadne. He was starting to regret that decision.

Now, everything he cared about was slipping away. Again. The lovely woman who inhabited his house. Made it a comfortable warm place to be. The little intruder. Under his care. Under his protection. They would both be gone. His house would be empty. The universe was not giving him back the family he had been robbed of. He felt himself start to panic.

Irrationally, he wanted Arthur out of the picture. His mind racing to his wide range of connections. Call in some favors with a few shady people, the Point Man would just vanish.

That baby was not leaving the house. Arthur would not take her.

He thought of a plan.

Arthur spent the night with Ariadne. As dawn broke, the Point Man left to get them breakfast. Eames had spent the night working on his plan. Packing his bags, booking flights. It was time.

"Ariadne?" He said knocking on the door. The Architect opened it, letting him in. Eames was in a rush. He knew how long it would take Arthur to get back from the corner bakery. He had to pack them both and be gone in less then 30 minuets. Catherine was sleeping easily in her bassinet.

"I need you, to pack a bag. Only essential clothes. Just what you need for the next few days. Only the most basic of things for our intruder. Alright?" He said in a rush. Taking her carry all down from her closet. "We don't have much time."

"Eames what are you talking about?" She asked him. Her morning hair was messed up. Her eyes blurry.

"We can leave." He said hopefully. Giving her a way out. "I've booked us a flight. I can hide us. I have the ability, the connections to keep us hidden. I worked in counter intelligence for years. Arthur, will never find us. But we have to leave now." He hurriedly went back to the nursery and started to pack Catherine's baby bag.

'How could such a tiny thing need so much stuff?' He thought.

"Eames..." Came Ariadne's voice. It made him pause. He turned around to see her. She was standing still. A sad look on her face.

"What are you doing?" He asked. "Start packing." She shook her head.

"We can't hide forever, Eames." She sighed. She looked sad but resolute.

"I've decided to move to New York with Arthur." She finally said. Eames felt his heart being ripped from his chest. He dropped Catherine's cute little clothes back into her drawer.

"Ariadne... we can just leave. We can. I do it all the time. Go to another country. Another city. No one will find us. It will be just the three of us. You don't have to do this." Eames found himself pleading.

"No." She said. Her voice finally strong again. Finally in control. "I'm so sorry, Eames." She took a deep breath. "I want to be with Arthur."

I have never gotten feedback quite so varied as for this story. People were hating Arthur because he was so mean. People were calling Eames the new Braker. Others felt Ariadne was being immature and selfish. Just a very wide spectrum of opinions. And frankly, all of them were right.

This is a very sensitive subject with no real winners. That's why people have to struggle with it. In the real world, these kinds of problems are never truly resolved. But hey! This is fan-fic, we can fix them and make everyone happy.

I just want to say again, I have no agenda about abortion. I am pro-choice. But I can respect a potential father being made helpless to a woman's decision about what she wants to do with her body. I can understand how it must be very frustrating to have no control over such a life changing thing. For men who want to be father's, it must be very difficult.