12.

~ They had slept for a few hours before hunger roused the Point Man awake.

"We already had a nice dinner." Ariadne said as her husband shifted out of bed.

"Didn't enjoy the food." Arthur said with a little smile as he kissed her before escaping to the kitchen. "I was a little distracted." He seemed happy and boyish all of the sudden. A state she almost never saw him in. She smiled to herself.

~ As her husband vanished to fix himself something to eat, Ariadne left their bed to take a shower. Her body felt oddly loose and limber. Added to that, a certain soreness. She had to blush at that idea. Maybe she had over done it with her poor Arthur. Driven him over the edge with crazed wanting. She could never let him know he had hurt her. She knew him well enough to know he would be upset if he thought he had harmed her.

She relaxed under the hot spray of warm water and washed away the stiff hair spray of the salon and her makeup. Loving how her breasts were still sensitive to the sharp, hot water falling on her.

She changed into a pair of pink pajamas Arthur had bought for her. The kind he always like to see her come to bed in. They weren't sexy, covering her whole body with pink, candy colored stripes and she wondered why he liked her to wear them so much. The air was drying her hair so that it curled in the nice waves she knew he liked as she scrubbed off the last of the make up and sprayed her normal lavender scented body spray over her.

She went back into their room and changed their bedding. Smiling when she saw her engagement ring and bracelet on the night stand. He hadn't acted like her loving husband at all. More like he was fucking her, then making love to her. She slipped on her bracelet and ring as Arthur came into the room, dressed only in pajama bottoms.

"There's my beautiful wife." He said kissing her sweetly. His arms wrapping around her body. "I've missed you."

She smiled as she knew he appreciated her cute, pink pajamas and her face free of makeup.

"Nice to be missed." She giggled as he kissed her wolfishly on the neck before abandoning her for his own shower.

She gasped when she saw it. Long, angry, red scratches on his back. Marring his perfect flesh.

"Arthur!" She cried as she rushed to him. A hand going to inspect the wounds on his back. He was still smiling.
"How bad is it?" He asked with a pleased, self satisfied grin.

"It's awful!" She said. Her eyes welling up with tears as she felt ashamed of herself. "Arthur, I'm so sorry! I didn't know I was doing it!"

"Don't be sorry." He laughed as he stood a little straighter. Proud of himself. "My back is proof I did it right." He said before leaving her open mouthed and blushing hard.

~ "Owe!" Arthur snapped at her as she dabbed the deepest scratch on his back with rubbing alcohol. He was seated at her dressing table as she doctored the gashes she had inflicted on him.

"We have to clean it." She said in her best 'mother-knows-best' voice.

"It stings." He hisses as she cleaned the other scratches.

"I'm sorry." She said again. She felt awful for clawing his back up like she had. To not even remembering it made her feel worse. That smug smile on her husband's face made her press the rubbing alcohol harder into his bleeding skin.
"Ouch!" He laughed and she was annoyed that he was so pleased with himself.

"Arthur, would it ruin the mood if we went and got the kids?" She asked as she put a dressing to the deep scratch. "I know we said no talking about the kids, but I miss them."

"Sure." He said turning to look at her. He kissed her in the simple loving way he always kissed her as they threw on jackets over their night clothes.

"I love it when your a good mother." He whispered.

~ It was almost dawn as Sarah handed little Dominic over to the Architect, and Cobb a still sleeping Darcy to the Point Man. The little girl's blond curls falling over her face as she curled into her Papa's arms and slept as if she hadn't been disturbed.

Cobb and Sarah looked contentedly after the family before going back to bed, together.

~ "I think I want Darcy to wear that necklace you gave me on her wedding day." Ariadne whispered as Arthur secured the sleeping baby in the car set and Ariadne brushed an errant strand of wild, curls from Darcy's face.

Arthur chuckled as they climbed back into the car.
"I think were a long way from that." He said.

"It will happen faster then you think." She whispered as he pulled into the empty streets.

"Did you have a good birthday?" He asked as they drove in silence for a while.

"Yes." She said happily. "I'm glad Sadie talked me into getting the waxing and trashy lingerie."

"Sadie?" Arthur almost growled. He was still mad at the leggy spider woman.

Ariadne smiled.

"She was the one who suggested the panty trick." She told him. Her fingers going to his ear. A favorite move of the seductress.

"Oh." Arthur said. His eyebrows rising as his memory went back to their time in the restaurant. His face turned a slight red as his loathing of the spider woman eased.
"Well, I'm glad you had a nice birthday, but it puts me in a bad situation." He added.

"How so?" She asked as her fingers played over his ear again. Distracting him.

"Well." He said trying to move her hand off his ear. The seductress coming back. "What am I going to get you next year?"

"Oh, I already know what I want." She said with a happy smile.

He turned to his wife in surprise.

"What?" He asked.

"Another baby." She said with a shy smile.

I know, I know. A lot of you were wanting Arthur to confront Sadie about her evil ways, but I went another way. I don't want to lose Sadie and I think she's far to interesting to run off.

I really love this little family and I will write more about them very soon.

Thank you all so much for reading and please send fan requests. It may take a while to do, But I will try.