On the Wings of an Angel (Interlude)
On the Wings of an Angel (Interlude)
Back to Part Two (2)
Disclaimer and author's note, etc., back in the Master Post
On the Wings of an Angel
text by phoenix.writing
illustrations by creepylicious
~ INTERLUDE ~
Ariadne wasn't altogether certain how she felt about Eames showing up on her doorstep. She'd known that the possibility was there, and since she was torn between being annoyed that he'd taken so long and being impressed that he'd come at all, it came to a draw.
He looked much better than he had when he was comatose, but he still didn't look well, or at least didn't look the way that she remembered.
She made him tea and let him rest for a bit since he looked rather ragged; Dom had texted, so she knew it was likely the flight from L.A. that had done Eames in, though he didn't appear to be ready to admit it.
"How am I supposed to find him when he disappears like the bloody Invisible Man-who, for that matter, is easier to find?"
It was perilously close to a full-out whine, and Ariadne sort of wished that she could have recorded it for Arthur the next time she saw him. She wasn't so sure he'd believe her if he couldn't hear it for himself.
"Perhaps if you didn't drive him away by being a complete asshole, you wouldn't have this problem," she pointed out with saccharine sweetness.
Eames stiffened and glared at her. "Don't act like he's an innocent victim in all of this. He actually thought that I'd sold him out."
She made a face. "Yeah, that was remarkably stupid of him. But most people can be remarkably stupid when their emotions are involved."
She doubted that Eames wanted to hear it right now, but honestly, it had made her sure of how much Arthur cared for Eames. It was such a moronic thing to believe, it sort of boggled her mind that the point man had fallen for it.
"He didn't give me a chance based on no evidence," Eames spat bitterly.
Ariadne bit her lip and contemplated her options. She was pretty sure that Arthur was going to be annoyed that she'd said anything-and equally sure that he would probably forgive her if she helped sort out the destruction of his relationship with Eames. That had to be worth betraying a confidence or two, didn't it?
"Look," she admitted, "I wasn't supposed to say anything, but I think that was part of the whole misunderstanding, so I'm going to tell you anyway."
Eames was staring at her intently now, eyes slightly narrowed, and she congratulated herself on getting his attention.
"Arthur deliberately misled you and Collins when he said that he went after the mark."
"He extracted the information."
"Yes, he did," she agreed, "after he went to rescue you."
Eames froze before demanding, "What?"
She nodded. "It's all he cared about, Eames. He tracked you to that warehouse, leapt onto the roof, swung in through the window, and went under to get you. He never told me what happened when he was down there, just came up and told me to cover up the fact that he'd ever been there while he went to get the mark. I gather that whatever happened down there didn't look good?"
It took Eames a moment too long to pass off his next comment as altogether genuine. "I was ambushed by someone who wanted to kill Arthur; what was I supposed to do, say no and get all of us killed?"
She shrugged. "Logically, what you're saying makes perfect sense, but like I said, I don't think Arthur was thinking very logically."
"He's the most logical person I know," Eames pointed out waspishly.
"Still human, though," she argued back pointedly. "And he corrected his mistake as soon as he found out about it. I'm sure he'd take it back if he could, Eames. You should have seen him once he found out. He was frantic."
Eames snorted, his disbelief evident.
"Seriously," she said earnestly, adding with a laugh, "I had bruises from all the yanking he was doing on my wrist."
Eames was a tough crowd today, and Ariadne wanted to hit both of them over the head; she'd tried to talk Arthur out of disappearing this time, but he'd been equally stubborn.
"He spliced the line to get into your coma."
Eames sat up straight as though a poker had been shoved up his spine. "You can't splice a PASIV line. Do you have any idea what it could do to the people involved?"
She nodded. "Yusef and Dom explained at length. Arthur ignored me and did it anyway. He was getting you out no matter what."
Eames's eyes flickered closed for a moment. When he opened them, he looked directly at her with a more serious expression than she had ever seen before.
"Do you know where he is?"
"If you hurt him, I'll make sure you regret it."
Eames looked sort of like he wanted to roll his eyes, but he refrained and actually said, "I don't intend to hurt him."
Under the circumstances, Ariadne supposed that that would have to do. They were doing a pretty good job of making a complete mess together.
"Then I'm going to tell you what he told me. You already know where he is."
"What?"
She didn't like his odds if he was as thrown by the comment as she had been.
"Arthur said that if you came by, I was supposed to tell you that you already know where he is."
"But if I knew where he was, I wouldn't come by."
She shrugged. "That's all I've got."
Eames swore under his breath and rose to his feet.
"All right, then. I'm off on a wild goose chase, apparently. If you see him, could you let him know that I'm looking for him and don't bin my mobile every five minutes like some people, so he can just call me at any time?"
She laughed and showed him to the door, stopping him with a hand on the arm. He looked at her quizzically, and she stood on tiptoe so that she could press a kiss to his cheek.
"Even Arthur is an idiot sometimes. He has faith in you, and you need to have faith in yourself."
He looked as though he considered and discarded several possible responses before he leaned down to brush a kiss across her lips, toss her a wink, and saunter out the door.
This was either going to be the best relationship ever, or one or the other of them was going to wind up in prison for murder.
~*~
On to Part Three
Back to Part Two (2)
Disclaimer and author's note, etc., back in the Master Post
On the Wings of an Angel
text by phoenix.writing
illustrations by creepylicious
~ INTERLUDE ~
Ariadne wasn't altogether certain how she felt about Eames showing up on her doorstep. She'd known that the possibility was there, and since she was torn between being annoyed that he'd taken so long and being impressed that he'd come at all, it came to a draw.
He looked much better than he had when he was comatose, but he still didn't look well, or at least didn't look the way that she remembered.
She made him tea and let him rest for a bit since he looked rather ragged; Dom had texted, so she knew it was likely the flight from L.A. that had done Eames in, though he didn't appear to be ready to admit it.
"How am I supposed to find him when he disappears like the bloody Invisible Man-who, for that matter, is easier to find?"
It was perilously close to a full-out whine, and Ariadne sort of wished that she could have recorded it for Arthur the next time she saw him. She wasn't so sure he'd believe her if he couldn't hear it for himself.
"Perhaps if you didn't drive him away by being a complete asshole, you wouldn't have this problem," she pointed out with saccharine sweetness.
Eames stiffened and glared at her. "Don't act like he's an innocent victim in all of this. He actually thought that I'd sold him out."
She made a face. "Yeah, that was remarkably stupid of him. But most people can be remarkably stupid when their emotions are involved."
She doubted that Eames wanted to hear it right now, but honestly, it had made her sure of how much Arthur cared for Eames. It was such a moronic thing to believe, it sort of boggled her mind that the point man had fallen for it.
"He didn't give me a chance based on no evidence," Eames spat bitterly.
Ariadne bit her lip and contemplated her options. She was pretty sure that Arthur was going to be annoyed that she'd said anything-and equally sure that he would probably forgive her if she helped sort out the destruction of his relationship with Eames. That had to be worth betraying a confidence or two, didn't it?
"Look," she admitted, "I wasn't supposed to say anything, but I think that was part of the whole misunderstanding, so I'm going to tell you anyway."
Eames was staring at her intently now, eyes slightly narrowed, and she congratulated herself on getting his attention.
"Arthur deliberately misled you and Collins when he said that he went after the mark."
"He extracted the information."
"Yes, he did," she agreed, "after he went to rescue you."
Eames froze before demanding, "What?"
She nodded. "It's all he cared about, Eames. He tracked you to that warehouse, leapt onto the roof, swung in through the window, and went under to get you. He never told me what happened when he was down there, just came up and told me to cover up the fact that he'd ever been there while he went to get the mark. I gather that whatever happened down there didn't look good?"
It took Eames a moment too long to pass off his next comment as altogether genuine. "I was ambushed by someone who wanted to kill Arthur; what was I supposed to do, say no and get all of us killed?"
She shrugged. "Logically, what you're saying makes perfect sense, but like I said, I don't think Arthur was thinking very logically."
"He's the most logical person I know," Eames pointed out waspishly.
"Still human, though," she argued back pointedly. "And he corrected his mistake as soon as he found out about it. I'm sure he'd take it back if he could, Eames. You should have seen him once he found out. He was frantic."
Eames snorted, his disbelief evident.
"Seriously," she said earnestly, adding with a laugh, "I had bruises from all the yanking he was doing on my wrist."
Eames was a tough crowd today, and Ariadne wanted to hit both of them over the head; she'd tried to talk Arthur out of disappearing this time, but he'd been equally stubborn.
"He spliced the line to get into your coma."
Eames sat up straight as though a poker had been shoved up his spine. "You can't splice a PASIV line. Do you have any idea what it could do to the people involved?"
She nodded. "Yusef and Dom explained at length. Arthur ignored me and did it anyway. He was getting you out no matter what."
Eames's eyes flickered closed for a moment. When he opened them, he looked directly at her with a more serious expression than she had ever seen before.
"Do you know where he is?"
"If you hurt him, I'll make sure you regret it."
Eames looked sort of like he wanted to roll his eyes, but he refrained and actually said, "I don't intend to hurt him."
Under the circumstances, Ariadne supposed that that would have to do. They were doing a pretty good job of making a complete mess together.
"Then I'm going to tell you what he told me. You already know where he is."
"What?"
She didn't like his odds if he was as thrown by the comment as she had been.
"Arthur said that if you came by, I was supposed to tell you that you already know where he is."
"But if I knew where he was, I wouldn't come by."
She shrugged. "That's all I've got."
Eames swore under his breath and rose to his feet.
"All right, then. I'm off on a wild goose chase, apparently. If you see him, could you let him know that I'm looking for him and don't bin my mobile every five minutes like some people, so he can just call me at any time?"
She laughed and showed him to the door, stopping him with a hand on the arm. He looked at her quizzically, and she stood on tiptoe so that she could press a kiss to his cheek.
"Even Arthur is an idiot sometimes. He has faith in you, and you need to have faith in yourself."
He looked as though he considered and discarded several possible responses before he leaned down to brush a kiss across her lips, toss her a wink, and saunter out the door.
This was either going to be the best relationship ever, or one or the other of them was going to wind up in prison for murder.
~*~
On to Part Three