11.

~ Things happened very quickly for Arthur after the liberation of the P.O.W camp. Within days, the 3rd marched into Paris with almost no resistance. They had found through intelligence reports at the guard house, where the enemy would be and were able to cut off their retreat.

Arthur was amazed at how efficiently the Army moved to intersect the Nazi retreat and he was pleased to hear several key leaders of the 3rd rich had been captured or killed.

"I guess Colonel Burch isn't going to drum you out of the army." Dax said as the read over the latest news of the allies advancement.

Arthur tried not to smile.
Major Cobb had told him yesterday that Colonel Burch had recommended him for a promotion and the distinguished service cross.

~ Ariadne hadn't remembered Paris like this before the war. It looked so odd. So strangely drained of color and hope. The people seemed worn down and sad even as the Red Cross trucks rolled down the streets.

American and British forces were already there. Soldiers were everywhere as they secured a hospital. The local nurses looking at Ariadne to tell them what to do. She was the only senior nurse there and she felt funny about giving orders. Surprised that the nurses there did as they were told without question.

She held herself a little taller as the junior nurses looked to her to see how to act.

The Red Cross trucks brought medical supplies, food and wounded with them. Soon, the large wards of the Paris hospital were filled with the P. that had been freed a few days before.

A few had died in those days, but Doctor Kikie was pleased so many had lived.

"It was that Captain, Nurse." One man said as she encouraged him to drink more of the water mixed with salt and sugar.

"That Captain?" She asked. She and the Red Cross trucks had been following the Army, and for days she had heard of nothing but whispers of a Captain.

"Yes, he and his men got us out." The man said. His health returning to him everyday.
"Well, lucky for you he did." Ariadne said softly.

~ Arthur didn't recognize anything about the Paris he remembered. The city had lost it's grandeur from four years of occupation.

Now, her streets were busy with tanks and jeeps. Children chasing the tanks and shouting. Woman too happy to see the American soldiers. More then once in the past hour, Arthur had to fight off the cat like advancement of some of the local girls. Young women who wanted to take him to some secluded place and do dirty things to him.

"No, thank you." he said prying off the love starved women as he tried to walk back to his barracks.

His mind going back to that girl in the blue dress. The way she stepped onto the city bus and vanished before he could catch her.

He had left her back in London. He hadn't even spoke to her or found out her name.

~ "Ariadne?" Came a familiar voice.

Ariadne had been attempting to find out about mail service in Paris when Eames surprised her.

"Eames!" She almost cried out in joy. The handsome British officer pulled her into a hug as the post master glared at them for taking up his time.

"I didn't know you were in Paris." Eames said to his old friend.
"I didn't know you were." She said repining her nurses hat.

"They couldn't keep me away." Eames said with a laugh. The Lieutenant looked her over and frowned.

"You look like a Matron." He said at last.

"I do not!" Ariadne said in a shocked voice. Matrons were old maids who badgered junior and senior nurses all day.

"Yes, you do." Eames laughed.

"Matron's wear black!" She said defensively. She showed him her dark gray dress.

Eames didn't look like he understood the difference.
"I got a promotion. I'm a Senior Nurse now." She told him proudly showing him her pin and arm badge.

"Excellent. I didn't even know that was a thing." He said.

She laughed as they left the post office and walked down the street.

"Eames, I never got a chance to tell you, thank you. For getting me off that beach. You didn't have to." She said looking as her feet and not at the Lieutenant.

"Yes, I did." Eames said. "I saw you sitting there. Your feet bleeding. You looked so worn down. Like you had just given up."

"I had. I thought for a moment I had died and was in some kind of Limbo." She admitted sadly.

"You werern't the only one." Eames said.

Suddenly the Lieutenant's face brightened.
"Hey, come with me!" He said pulling her with him.

"Where are we going?" She asked as he started to run.
"An American I met after Normandy, he didn't believe me when I told him I was at Dunkirk!" He said as they ran to a busy street.

Ariadne pulled Eames to a stop. American soldiers were spilling out of the small pub. All of them looked drunk and dangerous. Cheap looking women were hanging onto the soldiers and laughing as they to looked inebriated.

"Eames, I can't go in there." She hissed at him. She remembered all too well her training and feared what would be thought if she went about men like this.
"Don't worry." Eames said pulling her with him.

Like facing the lion's den, Ariadne stayed close to the Lieutenant. She didn't like being around men who drank. Their rough manners became much worse when they were like this.

She pulled her back a little straighter as she followed Eames up the steps.
"Cheer up doll face!" A loud soldier shouted. "We got Hitler on the ropes!"

With a loud and painful swat, he struck Ariadne on the butt. It hurt, but not as much as her pride with the other drunken men started laughing and cheering.

She barely registered Eames attacking the soldier as the pub became a firestorm of men shouting with unrestrained joy.

Eames had the soldier who hit her on the floor and was punching him soundly in the face.

Suddenly, Ariadne realize her only exit was blocked by a group of rowdy, drunken men. Her friend Eames fighting one of them, and winning.

"Stand down!" Came a harsh and deep voice from the back.

Ariadne jumped and almost fell over a chair as the pub fell quite and still. All the men turned to see a man emerging from the back area of the pub. He was an Army officer and in his dress uniform. Shinny Captain's bars sat on his shoulders as his footsteps were the only sound that was heard in the pub.

Ariadne almost gasped at him. She would know him anywhere.

'Arthur.'

She wanted to call to him, but what to say? Her voice froze in her throat as she sank back in the shadows of the pub. All the men looking to Arthur, a Captain now, to see what he would do next.

"Lieutenant, please let the Corporal up." Arthur said casually.

Eames shrugged in that indifferent way of his and allowed the now bloodied Corporal to stand.

"What happened?" Arthur asked Eames.
"Well, I brought a lady friend of mine in here and he thought he would play at hitting her on the bum." Eames explained as he fixed his uniform. Not a scratch on the Lieutenant from the fight.

Arthur looked at one of the lose women at the bar. All of them smiling at the handsome and composed Captain.

"Corporal, apologize to the lady." Arthur said.

"Yes, Captain." The bloodied Corporal said.

Ariadne wished the Corporal had just ignored her. Instead, the young soldier made a bee line for her and as she cowardly stepped away.

She didn't want Arthur to see her. Remember her or know that she was even here. What was he doing in Paris? Was he apart of the Allied advancement?

"I'm very sorry Ma'am." The Corporal said sincerely. "That's not how I normally act or what my Captain expects of me."

Ariadne shook slightly as all eyes were on her. The cheap women at the bar laughing at her.

"It's alright." She said meekly.

The Corporal nodded and stepped away. She had hoped that would be the end of it. That she could flee the pub and go back to the hospital.

She made the mistake of looking towards Arthur. Her strange soldier from that night so many months ago now. He was looking at her as if he had seen a ghost.