Haunted 7: Shadow Of The Sun
Title: Shadow Of The Sun
Series: #7 of Haunted
(#1 - Lost In Your Embrace, #2 - Conquer And Devour, #3 - Cry Out For More, #4 - Not Meant For Me, #5 - Marked, #6 - Mistress)
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: NC-17. Eventually. :)
Pairing: Ariadne/Arthur, Ariadne/Arthur/Eames
Disclaimer: Everyone here belongs to Christopher Nolan and not to me. His toys are fun to play with!
Spoilers/Warnings: Post-movie. For two prompts from inception_kink meme. The prompt in round 12: Ariadne always seemed to have decent self esteem. But her self worth disappears whenever she's around her mother. When Arthur and Ariadne visit the family, Arthur sees this and becomes frustrated with the treatment of his girlfriend. Finally, he defends Ari to her mom and then promptly has tender, loving sex with her in Ari's childhood bed. The prompt in round 13: "I've got two jobs. I've discovered that you have to work twice as hard when it's honest."
Summary: Eames had always seen Ariadne as strong and self composed. Arthur had seen her when she wasn't, and he loved all the different sides of her. Eames was about to find out exactly why she was able to understand him as well as she did.
Eames was still sprawled across the bed when Arthur came back with the mail. Ariadne was in the shower and had plans to spend the day with Sandrine and Elisande, two of her friends from architecture school. Delphine was in Geneva at a conference, so she couldn't join them on their little girl's day out. The four of them had been very close at school, and Eames had joked that it was because all their names ended with E. She had simply laughed and rolled her eyes at him. Eames had picked out her outfit the day before as one of his duties while collared, and she had laughed out loud at the sight of it. There were the knee high lace up boots he loved so much, as well as a denim dress with buttons down the front, a red and yellow patterned scarf and her red cardigan. "You know me way too well," she had laughed, and kissed him breathless.
The leather collar and cuffs were lying on the bedside table now, looking fairly innocuous. Eames had a half smile at the sight of it. That had been probably the best idea ever, as far as he was concerned. They had been doing this off and on for a few weeks, and it was becoming easier and easier to slip into that state of mind where he let everything go. Some of that peace was creeping into the rest of his life, too. He was much less likely to make biting comments to others on the job, and Arthur had mentioned that it was nice not to be the butt of all his jokes anymore. Just for that, Eames had lobbed a few snarky comments in his direction for old times' sake.
"Anything good?" he asked Arthur.
The point man sat down next to Eames, clad only in jeans and a loose T shirt. He had gone to the lobby barefoot to retrieve the mail, which Eames would never have believed if he hadn't seen it for himself. He tickled the sole of Arthur's foot, just to get a rise out of him, and laughed when he yelped. Letters and junk mail flew out of his hands, and Eames laughed even harder. "Dammit, Eames," Arthur grumbled, collecting everything back up.
He grasped one elegantly labeled envelope. "Huh. Addressed to you and Ariadne," he said, holding it up. He flipped it to the back and saw the label. "It's from Ariston Maras."
"That's Ariadne's brother," Arthur said, sitting back down on the bed. He slid one hand along Eames' naked spine. "That must be the formal invitation to the engagement party."
"So I'm not invited?" Eames asked, eyebrow raised.
"More like he doesn't know about you yet," Arthur replied dryly. "He's been pretty busy over the last three months, so he hasn't called as often as he usually does." He kept his hand in place as Eames rolled over onto his back, so his hand fell to Eames' chest. "You are of course going with us, right?"
"You sure about this?"
"Ariston and Nikolas will be fine. It's Georgia that's the problem." Arthur's expression darkened and Eames was only confused. "Georgia's a bitch. There really is no other way to describe her, and there's no point in sugar coating it. Ariadne and I tend to spend Thanksgiving stateside with my mother in DC, and we tried visiting her family for Christmas the first year we were together. That was an unmitigated disaster."
Eames hadn't considered holidays and the like before. He never had reason to. "How so?"
"She wouldn't shut up." Arthur frowned. "I know it sounds petty, but it's hard to explain. Nikolas is fairly laid back, but did the whole 'if you hurt my daughter' speech anyway." Eames snorted. "I wasn't about to tell them we're international criminals, you know. They think she's working as an architect full time."
"So what do they think you do?"
"I'm a security expert," Arthur said with a smile. Eames laughed out loud. "It's only stretching the truth a little bit. They don't need the details."
"No, that's your job," Eames snarked.
Arthur swatted the back of his head and took the invitation. He opened it and pulled out the embossed card. "This is Georgia's doing. Ariston isn't interested in anything fancy like this, so it has to be Georgia. For someone so interested in appearances, her kids turned out be fairly level headed."
Eames plucked the card from Arthur's hands as the water in the bathroom shut off. "So we're all going to this? Seems like a fancy dress party."
"It's at their home," Arthur said with a shrug. "Georgia likes to think of herself as the perfect 1950's housewife."
"With a string of pearls on and high heels?" Eames asked, trying to think back to what he knew of television stereotypes of the period.
"Got it in one," Arthur agreed, opening other letters. "We'll call Ariston and tell him we'll be there for his sake. Just watch out for her. She looks a lot more innocent than she actually is."
"Rather like our Ariadne," Eames commented, making Arthur nod and smile. He looked up as Ariadne got out of the bathroom, a soft smile on his face. "You sure you have to go out with the girls, love?"
"Yes," she said with a grin. "There's only so much testosterone I can take, you know." Fully aware that both men were watching her fish around for underwear, Ariadne's cheeks were a little flushed. "Not that it's a bad thing, but sometimes I could use a little girl talk."
"Hey, I like your friends," Arthur replied, sorting the mail into piles for junk, bills, paper to be recycled and magazines to read later.
"Well, good. I was thinking of inviting Sandrine and Elisande over at some point to meet Eames," Ariadne said. "Now that we're in between jobs, we don't have to worry about canceling anything last minute." She sat on the bed between them to put on her tights. "I'm not entirely sure Delphine would take this well. She's very old fashioned about some things, and was very upset when Arthur and I moved in together. I don't exactly keep contact with any of my old high school friends, so that's out."
"And we have Ariston's official invite," Arthur said, handing it over to Ariadne when she shimmied into the top of her tights.
She took it and frowned. "That's so Mom's doing. He would just move in with Becky and be done with it." She handed the invitation back and moved to get the dress Eames had laid out for her. "Are you up to meeting our families?" she asked Eames seriously. "Because you don't have to if you don't want to."
"Are you ashamed of me?" he asked mildly, knowing what her answer would be.
"Hell no," she said, looking at him as if he had just offered to cut out his own heart to present to her.
"Then we're going, all three of us."
Ariadne and Arthur both smiled. "Still, I'm glad we don't celebrate holidays. I get to keep you both all to myself and not deal with family too much." She came back to his side, the dress in hand, and gave him a kiss on his forehead.
"Arthur said you visit his Mum for hols," Eames remarked, sliding his fingers along her hip.
"Well, that's just Thanksgiving, really. Hannukah usually starts soon after, but we haven't celebrated that since I was a little kid," Arthur said with a shrug, finishing his mail sorting.
"I haven't bothered with Christmas since junior high," Ariadne said from somewhere inside the dress, which was still over her head. "Unless you want to do it this year?" she asked, popping her head through the top of the dress.
"That has buttons, darling," Eames drawled, moving to a seated position.
"Yes, but this is faster," she told him with an impish grin, making both men laugh. She sat down to lace up the boots, grinning at Eames' lusty glances in her direction. "Be nice. I'll be back sometime this afternoon. We'll have dinner together."
"Not doing dinner with the girls this time?" Arthur asked, leaning against her shoulder to kiss her neck.
"Elisande can't, and Sandrine has to go to bed early. She's doing something with her cousin tomorrow, so we figured we'd just meet up for dinner later." She turned her head and kissed Arthur full on the mouth. "Do you think you can figure out something to do with your afternoon without me?"
Arthur smiled. "I can take care of myself, you know."
Ariadne grinned and kissed him again. "Of course you can." Her cell phone trilled, and Eames handed it over from the bedside table. "That's Elisande," she said, reading the text. "They're about ready to head out to the museum, so I should leave soon, too." She leaned forward and kissed Eames. "Be good, both of you."
"Of course," Arthur replied with a smile.
"As if I was ever anything else," Eames scoffed playfully.
Laughing, Ariadne went to finish getting ready to go out for the day. Arthur looked up at Eames. "Any plans?"
"Other than shagging you rotten?"
Arthur chuckled. "Other than that."
"Not particularly."
Pulling Eames close, Arthur kissed him. "Good."
***
"Columbus, Ohio," Eames murmured as the plane touched down at the Port Columbus airport. "Somehow that seems so..."
Ariadne rolled her eyes and leaned back into the cushions. "Don't even say it, Ben."
"Paris is more your style, I think," he amended, earning himself a nod from Arthur on Ariadne's other side and a weary smile from Ariadne. "Do you really hate it here, darling?"
She patted his thigh. "No. More like dreading what will happen next, more like. Ariston and Becky are going to be picking us up at the airport and will drive up to Mom and Dad's."
"Taking 270?" Arthur asked.
"It's the shortest route," Ariadne said, giving him an odd look.
"Maybe we can ask him to take 62 to I-71? It would be a bit longer..." His voice trailed off meaningfully and Ariadne smiled. "Just a thought."
"Is it that horrible being back?" Eames asked.
"Yes and no," Ariadne said with a sigh. "I love my family. I do. But... You know how you can love someone and hate them at the same time?"
"Yeah."
"That's precisely what it's like sometimes." She patted his thigh again, but it seemed to be more for her comfort than his. "I'll be all right. It's just for the party, anyway. We'll be in town for a few days, and then everything goes back to normal."
It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, but Eames wouldn't complain. It wasn't as if he was planning to introduce either of them to meet his family. Other than Spencer, the rest of them could go rot in hell for that he cared. Really, there was no one to meet.
***
Ariston Maras was taller than Ariadne, about five foot eight, with the same dark hair that had a slight wave to it at the ends. His eyes were the same caramel color and were just as expressive. He was dressed in jeans and an Ohio State sweatshirt underneath a denim jacket with a UNC decal stitched on one front pocket. Beside him was a brunette with curly hair and striking green eyes that was just about his height as well. She had a broader frame and was solidly built. Eames wouldn't have called her fat or chunky, or any of those unattractive kind of words. She was a woman with meat on her bones, the kind that looked as though she could physically pin people to the ground if she put her mind to it. She smiled easily and seemed to be good natured; it seemed that Ariadne and Ariston were drawn to similar characteristics in their lovers.
"Ariadne! Arthur!" Ariston said, waving at them. The brunette was obviously Rebecca, and she grinned at them.
Neither of them questioned things in the introductions. Eames was introduced as Eames, and they simply nodded and were glad to meet him. It made him wonder what exactly Ariadne had told her family about what she did and who he was supposed to be. She was an architect, Arthur was a security specialist. Who was he supposed to be? He was a forger and con man in and out of dreams. It didn't exactly translate to a family-friendly resume.
"So, Eames," Ariston began as he pulled out of the parking lot. Eames hadn't thought Arthur talked with him, but he seemed to be heading to Route 62. "Ariadne mentioned you were a coworker of theirs from time to time."
"Right," Eames began, feeling one of his professional masks slip into place. It had been two months since he had to use one, and he had almost forgotten what it was like to be somebody else for a while. "I'm a freelance consultant in the mergers and acquisitions field." He pointedly ignored Arthur's knowing smile and Ariadne's snort of laughter.
"Oh, business stuff," Rebecca said, turning around slightly in the front passenger seat. She smiled at the three of them in the back bench. "Sounds like it would be dead boring."
"I rather like it," Eames replied with a soft smile. "You never know the sorts of folk you'll meet or the things you'd have to acquire. Never a dull moment, really."
"It takes all kinds, I suppose," Ariston said, shrugging. "I'd take academia any day."
"Any closer to tenure?" Ariadne piped up.
Ariston snorted. "Not on Greenblatt's watch. That asshole hates me."
Rebecca rubbed his arm soothingly. "He'll retire soon enough. Everyone else in the department loves you."
He turned and flashed her a brilliant smile, a goofy and heartbreakingly beautiful one. It reminded Eames of Ariadne's glances at him or Arthur. "Thanks, Becky." He caught Eames' glance of confusion at Ariadne. Before she could explain, he said "I'm a Classics professor at UNC Chapel Hill."
"Not something you see every day," he said politely.
Ariston laughed, a deep belly laugh that told Eames he was genuinely amused. Eames could feel himself warming to Ariston already, and not just because he was Ariadne's older brother. "With a name like Ariston Maras, what else could I be? So I teach Greek and Latin and slog through publications about texts that have been interpreted a thousand times before."
"It's academia," Rebecca said, with the air of someone who had said pretty much the same thing a thousand times herself. "It could use a thousand and one."
"So what do you do, Rebecca?" Eames asked politely.
"Romantic languages," she replied with a grin. "We're both language geeks."
"Which ones do you favor?" Eames asked, feeling almost interested in spite of himself.
"Romanian, Portuguese and French. You'd think my Spanish and Italian would be better, but I haven't lived in those places long enough to really get a feel for the languages as well."
"Polyglots are wonderful things," Eames replied with a smile.
Rebecca laughed. "Oh, I like you!" She turned and faced forward in her seat. "I think we all have rooms in the same hotel."
"You aren't staying with the Maras family?" Eames asked in surprise.
"No offense, honey," Rebecca began, vehemently shaking her head, "but I'd rather not be anywhere near that house if I can help it."
"None taken," Ariston replied easily. "That's why we're taking the long way."
"Thank you," Ariadne piped up from her seat in the back. She was wedged against the door behind Rebecca, Eames in the middle. Arthur was staring out of the other window, watching the scenery as it passed. He clearly wasn't a fan of Mrs. Maras either, but no one was really talking about it.
"I'm just glad you're here, Ariadne," Ariston replied, eyes still on the road. "I can't even begin to tell you what it means to me."
Rebecca turned around again and grinned at them. "I'm so glad you're here, too. Really. Thank you."
Ariadne reached forward and clasped her future sister-in-law's hand. "I wouldn't have missed this for anything."
"Even because of Georgia?"
"Especially because of Mom."
When Rebecca turned around, Eames patted Ariadne's knee gently. "I'm sure everything will be fine, Ariadne."
She smiled at him, and it seemed as though all of her tension bled away at his touch. "Of course. I'm worrying for nothing." She leaned back and seemed more content.
Ariadne's family was so very supportive, and it wasn't at all what Eames' family had been like. He kept his hand on her knee and gave it a gentle squeeze.
***
Dinner at the Maras household was something of a strained affair. Conversation was stilted, and neither Nikolas nor Georgia knew what to make of Eames. Ariadne had simply said to them "You remember Arthur. This is Eames." Just like that, she expected them to take it in stride and accept it without question. Then again, Ariston and Rebecca did.
"It's terribly rude not to call first," Georgia said to Ariadne. She was just two inches taller and looked like an older version of her. The slight wave in her hair was the same, as were the golden eyes. There were lines on either side of her mouth, creating a perpetual pinched expression that Ariadne didn't have, however. "I would have assumed you would have some common courtesy to let us know someone else was coming tonight."
Ariadne's back was rigid. "Is there a problem, Mom? You didn't make a fuss when I brought Arthur for Christmas two years ago."
"And you didn't come last year. Just a card and a call saying you were busy with work. What kind of work keeps you busy over the holidays?" Her tone was biting, as if she didn't believe Ariadne's words at all. She crossed her arms over her chest. "So what is he to you? This Eames. Is that even a name?"
"It's his name, Mom," Ariadne said, bristling. "I sent you an e-mail a week ago about our flight and I told you on the phone a while ago about Eames."
Eames hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he had been on his way back from the bathroom, and the main hall passed right by the dining room. He had paused, listening to them speak. He hadn't known that Ariadne had talked about him, though Ariston had admitted that Ariadne had mentioned him before.
"Did you? I know I told you that you should leave Paris. It's a dirty, nasty city. Look at you. You've gotten all of their bad habits and rudeness. You've forgotten how to even set the table correctly." Georgia made a noise of disapproval. "It's a good thing it's just us tonight. It would be shameful for anyone else to see this."
"I'm setting the table the way you taught me, Mom," Ariadne replied stiffly, sounding as if she had to keep her jaw tight in order to respond respectfully.
"You're changing before dinner, of course," Georgia continued as if Ariadne hadn't spoken. "That's an awful color on you. It makes you look pale and sallow. Your clothes are still upstairs, of course. I'm sure you'd still fit into one of your dresses."
"I'm dressed properly for the occasion, Mom. This dinner is for Ariston and Rebecca."
Georgia made a disapproving sound. "You'd think she would be more properly attired," she sighed. "Well, she couldn't possibly know any better, I suppose. I've met her mother and sister. Common, ordinary people. Not at all like you should be."
Eames was glad that Georgia left the dining room at that point, leaving Ariadne to her task of setting the table. If those were Georgia's comments to her daughter and future daughter-in-law, he didn't blame them for living far away from Westerville, Ohio.
Arthur, Ariston and Rebecca were talking about academia, which surprised Eames. He supposed he had never really thought about Arthur's background. He was excellent as a point man, and Eames had always assumed it was his army background. He had never thought that Arthur might have had other skills. Eames found it easy enough to enter the conversation; cocktail party conversation was his forte, and there was no verbal fencing involved. As Arthur and Ariadne thought, it had been Georgia's idea for a formal engagement party, mostly so that she could invite neighbors and various family friends to show off that her son the professor was engaged. Some of Ariston's old friends from high school and college would be in attendance, but Rebecca's family and friends were all still in Pennsylvania, where she was from. Their families would descend upon Chapel Hill in about a year's time for the wedding, but Rebecca hadn't insisted on them coming to Ohio.
Dinner itself was just as strained as the conversation Eames had overheard between Georgia and Ariadne. Ariadne stressed her consultant capacity in an architecture firm, and Arthur was still a security consultant. Eames reaffirmed that he was a freelance consultant in the mergers and acquisitions field, which Nikolas found fascinating. He was the business manager at a local hospital, and the two of them started talking about unions and labor laws in different areas. Georgia's lips had thinned during the conversation. "Consultants. Doesn't that mean there's no steady work? That you're the first laid off?"
"Mom," Ariadne began in a warning tone.
"It means we can charge whatever rates we want and there are companies willing to pay it. It means we get to choose the jobs we take, not the other way around," Arthur replied coolly, eyes on Georgia's face. "Our lives are comfortable, if that's what your worry is."
She turned away from Arthur and looked at Ariadne. "Take your elbows off of the table, Ariadne. You know better than that."
Ariadne hastily removed her elbows and drank the milk in her glass to keep from saying anything. Eames recognized that mutinous look, and did his best to steer the conversation toward the party plans, which Georgia happily took over. She dominated the conversation, and Eames noted Nikolas' doting expression. The man was still besotted with his wife after all these years, and he probably was so laid back that it never occurred to him that Georgia shouldn't march over everyone the way that she did.
Eames managed to wait until they were in Ariston's car and he was driving them to the hotel. "Good God, Ariadne. Your mother is a cow of a woman. I'm so sorry."
Rebecca made a choking sound as Ariadne and Ariston both sighed. Arthur simply rubbed Ariadne's back gently in support. "Let's change topic, how about that?" Rebecca offered.
"Right. Like how I'm oh so glad that the bride's side plans everything for the wedding," Ariston offered with a grin. Rebecca gave him a playful smack on his thigh. "We're doing blue and green as colors for the wedding, just so you know."
"Oh, good." Ariadne seemed to brighten. "I look great in either color."
"Yes, but what if I pick an awful shade?" Rebecca teased. "You'd be stuck in lime green or neon blue."
Ariadne giggled. "You'd be stuck looking at those pictures for the rest of your life. You'd never."
"We can always color correct the photos if she does," Arthur said, grinning.
The five of them discussed wedding ideas until they got to the hotel, and they all brought their luggage inside. Ariadne checked in and got three room keys, making Ariston's eyebrow lift a bit in surprise. "So it's really like that, is it?" he asked, no judgment in his tone. Rebecca simply looked confused.
"It is," she agreed with a soft smile. "For about three months now." Her chin jutted upward a fraction, a silent challenge if he didn't like the idea.
Ariston shrugged. "Whatever. I don't want to know the details about that. Just thinking about my sister that way is gross."
Ariadne laughed at the face he pulled, and everyone went upstairs. Their rooms were across the hall from each other, and once they dropped off their bags, Ariston and Rebecca crossed the hall to join the threesome. "Ooh. How did you manage to swing the fancy room?" Rebecca asked.
"We all do consulting," Ariadne began, shrugging. "And hey, your room is nice, too."
"Yours is bigger and probably way more expensive," Rebecca began, poking her head into the bathroom. It occurred to her after a moment. "Oh. The three of you are sharing the room. That's probably what does it."
"Probably does what?" Arthur asked, putting his clothes into one of the dresser drawers. Eames didn't much see the point, and only unzipped his suitcase, leaving it open on the floor far away from the door so no one would trip over it.
"The three of you are chipping in, so you can afford it," Rebecca said, looking around. "Though, you should've been given a cot, right?"
Ariston looked to Ariadne, then back at Rebecca. Ariadne rolled her eyes at him, then sat Rebecca down. "Becky, Eames is our lover. The three of us are sharing the bed. We've all been living together for a little while now."
Eames managed not to laugh at Rebecca's widened eyes. "Oh." She looked between all parties of the threesome. "I didn't mean to be rude."
"Quite all right, love. Not very conventional of us," Eames said, flashing her a sincere smile.
"Glad you're not cringing away or calling us disgusting," Arthur remarked, coming to sit down on the other side of Ariadne.
"People do that?" Rebecca blurted, then winced once she was aware of how naive she sounded.
"Well... People say all sorts of things when it's outside the norm." Arthur smiled, glad that she seemed to be taking it well.
"You're all happy with how it's working out?" Rebecca asked, looking between the three of them uncertainly. "I mean, getting along with one other person is hard sometimes..."
"Hey!" Ariston said, a playful smile on his face. Rebecca looked at him and then burst out laughing.
Ariadne blinked when Rebecca slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "What's that for?"
"Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me. You haven't told your parents yet, have you?"
"Sort of. Alluded to, really. Mom was oblivious and I think I confused the hell out of Dad," Ariadne admitted. Arthur laughed and Eames snickered.
Rebecca was the first to get tired as they talked about the upcoming wedding, their jobs at the university and what it was like living in Paris. "Would you mind it terribly if I went to bed first?"
Ariston gave her a soft kiss on the mouth. "Do you mind if I hang out for a bit? We haven't talked in a while."
"Not a problem, hon. I get the rest of your life, after all," she said with a happy grin. She playfully groped his ass to grab one of the key cards to their room from his back pocket and bid everyone a good night.
Ariston waited until Rebecca was out of the room and likely safely ensconced in their own room across the hall. "So. I know what you three really do," he said, leveling serious looks at them. "How bad has it gotten? Usually Ariadne writes or calls me more."
"Don't worry about it, Ariston!" Ariadne said hastily. "I don't really go into the field that much, so I'm not the one that gets hunted down or shot at." She poked Arthur in the side and mock glared at Eames.
"So why keep at it? Why not just work the other job?"
Ariadne sighed. "I've got two jobs. I've discovered that you have to work twice as hard when it's honest." Ariadne shrugged, a somewhat flippant smile on her face. "I like the life we have. Maybe it's justification for breaking the law..."
"Maybe?" Ariston asked, eyebrow arched.
"Okay. So I'm justifying it."
He threw up his hands. "And what am I supposed to say when you get killed? When someone puts two and two together and comes after us? Or if you have to kill someone?"
"I still have a legal job, you know. I really am an architect," Ariadne said, a touch defensively. "I haven't hurt or killed anyone."
"I think you're being a little hard on her," Arthur said quietly.
"What? You two find it so easy to kill someone?" Ariston challenged.
"When needs must," Eames replied with a nod. He smiled at Ariston's dismayed expression. "It very rarely happens, Ariston. I promise. We're very good at what we do, so it doesn't usually end up with anyone getting hurt. But if it comes down to us or them, hands down it's going to be them.
"In all fairness, I was in the army," Arthur interjected. He shrugged at Ariston's blink of surprise. "It was a completely different situation. Dream share used to be army training technology. They're the ones that contracted it out for different purposes. Sooner or later everything gets corrupted and turned into an illicit business."
"What about Ariadne?" Ariston said quietly, looking at the three of them, concern clear in his expression. "We didn't grow up knowing what to do with things like that, you know." He ran a hand through his loose hair and blew out a pained breath. "How am I supposed to protect us from this if I don't even know what you might be running from?"
"We'd never do anything to endanger our families," Arthur said quietly. "We make absolutely sure of that, Ariston. You've got to believe us."
"I'm a college professor," Ariston continued. "How am I supposed to help you? How am I going to do anything other that sit down and hope to God I get a phone call from you? Or an e-mail? Something to even let me know you're alive?"
Ariadne winced. "There's been some interpersonal stuff..."
"You could've picked up the phone, Ariadne," he said, hurt coloring his tone. "We've always been close. You've pulled away in the past few months." He shook his head. "Or is it because something happened that you can't tell me for my own safety?"
"I was almost killed," Arthur offered, taking some of the hurt away from Ariadne. "We were lying low."
Ariston looked at him with a pained expression. "And what would happen to Ariadne if you'd died? If the three of you are really an item, what would that do to Eames? God, do you even think about what it means? Being on the run, worrying about someone killing you, invading someone's mind? Do you think of that stuff?"
"All the time," Arthur replied, somewhat stiffly. "I'm aware of what I do."
Eames was nodding, as was Ariadne. "Sometimes this can be the lesser of several evils," Eames offered. "Most people are willing to do just about anything for secrets. What we do is thievery, but it allows people to live. Otherwise, there would be a lot more dead bodies where industrial espionage is concerned."
Leaning on the hotel dresser, Ariston bowed his head. "I worry, Ariadne. I worry about all of you. I don't even know how to begin to help you if something goes wrong..."
Ariadne got up and gathered him up in her arms. "Oh, Ariston. I know. I'm sorry, I really am. But this is what I want to do. This is what makes me happy."
"Then I'll accept it, like I have over the past year. Just... Call me more often, will you?"
She promised him, and he bid them good night before returning to his own room. Ariadne sat heavily on the bed beside Arthur and let out a pained sigh.
"Well, then. Here's hoping this weekend isn't completely fucked," Eames remarked, looking over at the other two. "At this rate, I'd hate to meet your Mum, Arthur."
He groaned and flopped backward on the bed. "Shut it, Eames," he intoned. "That reminds me. I haven't called her in months."
Ariadne patted his stomach in a gentle motion. "She hasn't called either. She probably has a new boyfriend."
Eames settled himself on the bed beside them. "Think he's trustworthy?" he asked, changing topic.
"Absolutely," Ariadne said confidently, looking between the two of them from his sprawled position on the bed. Arthur nodded as well. "Family means a lot to him. He won't tell Rebecca or your parents."
"I hope not," Eames said. He didn't want to think of the lengths some people went to keep their dream share secrets safe.
***
Rebecca was somewhat awkward around the three of them at first, but seemed to unwind after a bit. "You're taking this awfully well," Ariadne said with some sympathy in her voice.
"Well, it's out of the blue, you know. I thought you were all coworkers. I never knew of anyone in a threesome as a permanent thing, you know."
"We are," Eames pointed out, a half smile on his face. "It's a matter of all of us just being careful about things. And that we all love each other."
"Very true," Rebecca agreed. "But don't take it personally if I feel weird sometimes and don't know what to call you."
"I have two boyfriends," Ariadne said helpfully. "Works for me."
Eames laughed and put his arms around her. "I do like that we share one of those boyfriends," Eames quipped.
Rebecca had very large eyes at that comment. "Oh. I mean, you two..." She pointed between the two of them. "You both..."
"He's hot. Why wouldn't we?" Eames asked sweetly. He smiled at her blush. "See? Picturing it, aren't you?"
"Oh, be nice, Ben," Ariadne said with a laugh, leaning into his embrace. She turned and gave him a soft kiss on the underside of his jaw. "It works. It just does."
"I'm happy for you then. And will try really, really hard not to embarrass you all with questions."
They laughed, and Ariadne went off to mingle when Eames insisted he didn't need or want her to babysit him through the family party. Rebecca looked over at Eames as Ariston wandered back over toward them, drinks in hand for himself and Rebecca. "Um... We have a question to ask you," she said, pulling on Ariston's arm. Ariston gave him a one shoulder shrug, indicating that he wasn't entirely sure what Rebecca was about to say. "We talked it over last night, and we have an uneven number in our bridal party."
Eames blinked. He wasn't sure he liked where this was going. Telling Ariadne's brother and sister-in-law about their triad relationship was one thing. Assuming it would still be in place in another year and broadcasting it for the extended family was another. "Rebecca..."
"My best friend Elinore is my maid of honor, of course," Rebecca continued, an earnest expression on her face. "Then there's my sisters Pamela and Denise, and Ariadne. Ariston has his best friends Richard and Gerald, and we have Arthur to partner with Ariadne, but then one of my sisters would be the odd one out. Would you join the party? Please? It would even out everyone, and you're practically family anyway, right? We can't have Arthur in the bridal party and not you."
"I'd love to," Eames found himself saying without really thinking about it. He couldn't even really regret it, given Rebecca's sunny smile at him.
"The maid of honor will be wearing blue, and Richard will have a blue vest. Everyone else will wear green," Ariston said. "So you'd all match anyway."
"You're being awfully good about all of this, given the shocks you got last night," Eames murmured at Rebecca.
She flushed a little. "We talked a bit last night. I mean, I can't help but feel weird. I didn't know about the three of you together. I don't want you left out of anything."
Rebecca's face was so earnest and hopeful that Eames couldn't bear to tell her that sometimes he was worried that Ariadne and Arthur would wake up and realize that they didn't need or want him in their lives. He didn't believe it was true, but it was his greatest fear. He patted her arm gently and affectionately, then smiled at the both of them. "You're both so very understanding. I really appreciate that."
"Ariadne's right. We're all family, so we have to stick together," Rebecca said.
Ariston looked down at her with a proud expression, then up at Eames. "Hey, I know my sister. If you do something stupid, she'd probably beat you up."
"As short as she is?" Eames teased.
"That only means she fights dirty," Ariston declared with a grin.
Eames couldn't help but laugh. "Too right. She is a fierce one most of the time." He looked around the house to seek her out. Arthur was still talking with Nikolas, probably something work related. Apparently the man was a workaholic and really didn't do much with his free time but read spy thrillers and crime novels. That explained Ariadne's unhealthy obsession with the subject, as well as why Nikolas didn't seem to mind Georgia being such a harpy. She ran things and left him to his work and his reading.
The smile on his face died when he saw Ariadne standing near Georgia in the doorway to the kitchen. Georgia's face was bland, but Ariadne's shoulders were curling in on themselves. "Excuse me," he murmured, and started to push his way toward them. Ariston and Rebecca followed closely in his wake, which meant that he really shouldn't do physical damage to Georgia. It was rather bad form to kill his mother-in-law just because she was a bitch.
"...no better than a whore," Georgia was saying to Ariadne as Eames entered earshot. "Didn't even leave one man cold and you're already flaunting the next." Her tone was scathing, and Ariadne looked as though she wanted the floor to swallow her up.
Arthur had noticed the look on Eames' face and excused himself from Nikolas' side, but Eames got there first.
"Can we talk about this later?" Ariadne began in a pleading tone of voice. "It's Ariston and Rebecca's day today..."
Georgia snorted. "Their day is next year. It's not as if they would have had a proper party if I didn't step in. I don't have much faith in what that's going to be like. You've seen her sisters and her friend. Can you imagine the pictures? You're going to be the only skinny girl there, and with you slouching like that, you're going to ruin all of the photos." If anything, that seemed to make Ariadne cringe even more. Rebecca made a strangled noise behind Eames, and he found himself stopping short so that the woman wouldn't claw out Georgia's eyes. If it was bad form for him to attack her, it had to be doubly so for Rebecca.
"I don't know what they see in you," Georgia continued in a lofty tone, "letting you string them along like this. You're slouching and you're not even showing yourself off enough." She made a disappointed sound at her. "Not that there's much to show anyway. I'm surprised Rebecca even wanted you in the wedding party, Ariadne. I'm sure she has another large friend or two to put in..."
"You need to stop. Now," Arthur snarled.
Georgia looked up at Arthur in surprise, having been so occupied by Ariadne. "What are you talking about?" she asked, genuinely puzzled.
Eames pushed forward and gently tugged Ariadne away from her mother. "Take her upstairs, Arthur," Eames said, voice firm and strangely calm. Arthur eyed him with a speculative gleam in his eye and nodded briskly. He put an arm around Ariadne's shoulders and led her away from the party. Several heads were swiveled in their direction, though few had heard Georgia's scathing comments.
"It's quite a shame you don't see your daughter in a more positive light," Eames said, eyes flashing though he had a smile pasted on his face. "You have such a low opinion of consultants, but she has consulted with some of the most prestigious architecture firms in Europe. I know for a fact that the CEO of Proclus Global personally commissioned her to redesign his office building in the heart of Tokyo. Several other international firms have asked after her expertise. In some circles, she's a legend." Now his expression toward her was scathing. "Parents are supposed to be proud of their children and their accomplishments. They're supposed to value their contributions, not pick at them with petty, insignificant comments."
"She's having an affair with you and cheating on Arthur, of course you're going to say that," Georgia huffed.
Eames laughed. He couldn't help it. "Of course she isn't. The three of us are in a relationship with each other. It isn't cheating if we're all in bed together," he told her sweetly. It probably wasn't a good sign that he felt satisfied by her puce flush of horror, but he had a petty streak as well. This woman hurt Ariadne, and it was only fair to hurt her back.
"What's all this?" Nikolas asked, coming over to see what the spectacle was about. Georgia could only shake her head and sputter.
"You owe your daughter, your son and your future daughter-in-law sincere apologies," Eames continued, steel beneath his voice as he stared at her. It was the same stare he had given dozens of mafiosos and thugs in backroom dealings, and Georgia cringed beneath its weight. "I'm waiting," he intoned when she made no move to speak.
"I... I... I'm sorry," she squeaked as Eames' expression tightened.
"I don't think that was sincere," Ariston said quietly.
"I definitely don't think that was sincere," Rebecca agreed.
"You should try that again," Eames said, quiet menace in his tone.
"You're bullying me!" Georgia said, stamping her foot in outrage. "How dare you threaten me in my own home! Nikolas!"
"Mr. Eames has been a perfect gentleman all evening, Georgia," Nikolas admonished, reaching her side and patting her arm. "I'm sure you just had a misunderstanding of some kind. Just make your apologies to everyone and we can all move on."
Outmaneuvered, Georgia glared at Eames, who merely smiled benignly back. She let out a clipped apology that Nikolas declared settled the matter. He whisked her away and had her take care of things in the kitchen. Rebecca was seething, and Ariston had an arm around her shoulders, trying to calm her down. Nikolas approached them with a sad expression, and took off his glasses to wipe them absently on his shirt. "Whatever she said, I'm terribly sorry, all of you. She's... I'm sure whatever it was, she didn't mean it. She has a way of saying things that sound awful, but she doesn't mean it that way."
"You do realize she took every opportunity she got to belittle both your children?" Eames asked in an arch tone. "I realize she's your wife and you love her, but you do have responsibilities by your children."
"Now see here, Mr. Eames," Nikolas began, an uncomfortable note in his voice. "There's no need to say things like that."
"I love Ariadne," Eames replied coolly. "Of course there's a need. Arthur and I will both protect her from whoever hurts her, even if it's her own mother. Especially if it's her own mother. She deserves better than that."
Nikolas sputtered a bit, then looked at Ariston's and Rebecca's expressions. "What didn't I hear?" he asked quietly. He wasn't quite defeated, but he clearly still didn't believe that Georgia had stepped over any lines.
"Basically she called Ariadne a whore, disrespected Rebecca and her sisters, and generally made nasty comments about everyone's appearance. And that's just what I was able to hear," Eames said quietly.
"I don't understand," Nikolas said, looking at their calm faces. Ariston and Rebecca agreed with Eames, that much was clear. "Why in the world would she call Ariadne that? She's a good girl, and she would never be like that."
"Because she's with me and Arthur at the same time," Eames explained patiently.
"You mean Ariadne's dating you both?"
"At the same time," Ariston added helpfully as Eames nodded.
"They're all wonderful together," Rebecca said as Nikolas sputtered a bit, trying to wrap his mind around the concept. Eames gave Rebecca a faint smile, and she turned that same friendly grin to him that she'd had most of the day before. It was a bit disconcerting to realize that she still liked him, for all of their uncomfortable revelations, and she truly did consider him family as much as Ariadne and Arthur.
It was wonderful and terrifying and gratifying all at once. He was starting to realize that belonging to Arthur and Ariadne meant that their families were his, too.
Now he was really hoping that Arthur's mother wasn't a harpy as well.
"I need to go sit down," Nikolas said faintly. "The guests..."
"Will be fine," Ariston said, coming forward to talk to Nikolas. "How about we go check and see if we need to get more wine?"
That seemed to help Nikolas rally. "We mustn't be bad hosts. That's exactly right." He turned toward Eames. "You and I will be talking later about my baby girl, Mr. Eames."
Eames nodded, managing to hide his smile until Nikolas went off into the crowds of people gathered in the Maras home. "I just can't think of him as threatening," Rebecca mused at his side. Eames let out the laugh he had been smothering, and she joined in.
"You know, I'm really enjoying this family thing."
Rebecca looked at him with a shrewd expression on her face. "You say that like yours sucks."
"Oh, that's because it does," Eames admitted. "I wouldn't wish them on even my worst enemy," he said solemnly.
"Worse than Georgia?" Rebecca asked with a sympathetic wince.
"You have no idea," he said sagely, and she nodded in false understanding.
"Hey, why don't you go see what's keeping Ariadne and Arthur? I feel bad. You're all having a horrible time and you only came here because of me and Ariston."
"Price of being family, isn't it?" Eames offered. "You take the good and the bad, the shadows and the sunshine? You don't get to pick and choose only the good bits."
Impulsively, Rebecca caught Eames in an enthusiastic hug. "Ariston and Ariadne were right. You really are a sweetheart. I'm so glad you're family, then. You know, to balance out her," she added, her voice dropping down into a conspiratorial whisper.
Eames couldn't help but laugh and pat her shoulder affectionately. "I like you, too, Rebecca. I'd be proud to stand up and share your wedding day."
She beamed as he went off in search of Ariadne and Arthur.
***
Ariadne had managed to contain her tears until she was upstairs and out of sight of all of the guests. Arthur remembered where she had once said her childhood bedroom had been, and brought her there. Locking the door behind him, he looked around the room. It had more or less remained the same since she had moved out of the house, and he tried to imagine a teenage Ariadne on her own and dealing with those kinds of scathing remarks on a daily basis. He cupped her face in his hands and brushed her tears away with his thumbs. "Ariadne," he said softly, gently. "Look at me. Don't listen to what she said."
"What if I'm as horrible as she thinks I am? What if it wasn't a good idea to make Ben fall in love with us?" More tears slipped out of her eyes as she looked up at him with a miserable expression. "Who does this?" she nearly wailed, shaking her head in his hands. "Why did you let me talk you into this?"
"Because we love him," Arthur said quietly, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "Because we know that he loves us back, that he needs us. You're not horrible, Ariadne. Never that." He pulled her down to sit beside him on her old bed. It still had sheets and a comforter, as if her mother expected her to be back at any moment. There were still books on the shelves and posters on the wall, and her old dresser still had its mirror on top of it. "You're not a terrible person, Ariadne."
"I'm a criminal. I break the law. I break into people's minds and I steal things," she sobbed. "Or I help you do it. And I joke about it, like it's not a big deal. I make fun of it, and you almost died in Alexandria. Ben had to deal with all of his awful memories and I can't believe I thought all of this would be okay." She leaned into Arthur's embrace and let go of her tears, all of her old insecurities fresh and raw in her mind. "I'm so stupid," she cried against his chest. "I thought I could do this. I should've known better..."
"You are the strongest and most confident woman I know," Arthur said. "You are not stupid, not by a long shot. You're selfless and absolutely fierce in defending everyone around you that you don't even notice half the time the sacrifices you make for everyone else." He stroked her back as her sobs slowed. "You're beautiful, Ariadne. I know I probably shouldn't mention that, but it's true. That's why I kept trying to get you alone to work with when we first met. That's why I had to sneak that kiss on the Fischer job." She pulled back and looked up at him, tears still swimming in her eyes. "I can't deny the criminal part, since that's what we are. But the rest of it? You're beautiful and talented and so fucking smart it's scary sometimes. You're perfect, Ariadne." He cupped her face in his hands again. "Do you think maybe she's jealous of you? That you succeeded where she couldn't? That you're everything she wished she could be but isn't?"
Ariadne sniffled. "But what if she's right?" she whispered. She carried the air of someone who had believed just that for far too long and had simply been pretending to be confident.
"And what if she's wrong?" Arthur asked pointedly. "I know she's wrong. I know she's hateful, and I know you're torn because she's your mother. But that's okay. I'll hate her for you. And Eames will hate her for you."
She gave a soft, bitter laugh. "I shouldn't hate my mother."
"Well, you don't have to like her, either," Arthur murmured.
With a sigh, Ariadne nodded. He leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth, soft and slow and sweet. "I love you," he whispered against her mouth. "I love you so much."
"Arthur," she whispered, clinging to him. She returned his kiss as he tipped her backward on the bed, one of his hands moving to cup her breast through her blouse. He rubbed it just hard enough that she could feel it through the blouse and the fabric of her bra, making her gasp against his mouth. Arthur propped himself up on one elbow on the bed, languorously kissing her as if there wasn't a house full of guests downstairs. Ariadne arched up into the touch of his hand over her breast, her hands restlessly moving over his back and shoulders. Her kisses were fast and growing desperate, her tongue in his mouth and soft mewling sounds deep in her throat. He let his other hand drag down her side, and then he pulled at the fabric of her skirt. "There are people downstairs," she protested feebly as he pulled her skirt up over her waist.
"And?" he asked, lips curling into a sensuous smile as he picked his head up from hers. "That just means you have to be quiet."
Ariadne smiled and kicked off her shoes. "This is so wrong," she whispered, not protesting when he pulled her tights and panties down from her waist.
"I've had fantasies of this, you know," Arthur whispered, kissing the inside of her thigh. "You, on your childhood bed, or mine, really, and I get to make you come." He kissed his way up, smelling her arousal. He gave a test lick of her clit and grinned wide enough to get his dimples showing when she gasped. "Shall we play?"
"Arthur..." she whispered, clutching at the bedspread.
He made a humming sound and gave little soft licks around her folds. He was slow and teasing, his hands stroking the soft skin of her thighs. Ariadne whimpered and undulated beneath his mouth, then shoved a fist against her mouth to keep from making too much noise. Arthur was patient and slow, teasing her clit and then dipping his tongue inside her. He moved back and forth over her, breathing her in, tasting her. She let out a strangled moan when he slid his fingers into her slicked sheath as he sucked on her clit, and Arthur curled his fingers to find that spot she liked so much. Ariadne whimpered softly and moved restlessly beneath his mouth and hand before finally gasping as she came.
Arthur lifted his mouth and moved so that he could watch her expression as he continued to pump his fingers in and out of her. He brought her to orgasm again, then reached into his back pocket for his wallet. She let out a startled bark of disbelieving laughter when she saw him pull a foil wrapper out of it. Her eyes darkened with desire as he licked his fingers clean, then undid his slacks. She made a soft mewling sound as he pushed into her, using long, slow strokes to build the tension within her. He could feel her flutter around him, could hear her soft sighs of pleasure. He couldn't quite speak anymore, but knew that she could read his glances at her as I love you and I need you and Oh my God, you're perfect. What did I ever do to deserve you?
He came, biting on his lip to keep from crying out. He curled up over her, careful not to press his weight down into her too much. He kissed her cheeks and the bridge of her nose before coming around to kissing her mouth. He slid his tongue gently between her lips, feeling the aftershocks rolling through him. Her body was still tight around his, her arms around his shoulders keeping him in place.
"How was that compared to your fantasy?" she asked, tucking her forehead against his cheek as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Perfect. Just like you."
She let out a soft laugh and stroked his back gently. At least she wasn't protesting it anymore. "I love you, Arthur."
"I love you, Ariadne," he murmured softly. He shifted his weight so that he could stroke her face. "I hate seeing you cry like that. You're better than the shadow she tries to make you into. You're wonderful. You're the most amazing woman I know." He leaned down and kissed her again, soft and tender.
"I never do feel like that when we're here."
"Then we're not coming back, that's all." He brushed his knuckles against her cheek. "Your dad isn't that bad, but we're not dealing with your mother's bullshit ever again, got it?" He gave her a pointed stare until she sighed and nodded. "It'll be easier to ignore her if it's just phone calls. And you'll have us. Use us as an excuse if you have to. You're not alone in dealing with her, Ariadne."
They disentangled themselves and started to rearrange their clothing. "I know that. I do," Ariadne said softly. "It's just... Sometimes I think if I just said the right thing, or did the right thing, for once she would see me for me. For once she would believe I'm a grown up. For once she would be proud of me."
Arthur cupped her face in his hands and looked at her intently. "I'm proud of you. Eames is proud of you. Ariston and Becky and your father are proud of you. My mother is proud of you. My entire family is proud of you, and you know my Aunt Lori is hard to please. Your friends think you're amazing. We all love you."
"Then why can't she?" Ariadne asked, a plaintive note in her voice.
"I don't know. She's got her own issues. But if everyone else is saying the exact opposite of her, who are you going to listen to?"
Ariadne's lips quirked into a reluctant smile. "I hate it when you use logic on me."
He laughed and pulled her into a tight embrace. "We can leave, if you want. We know where Ariston and Becky are staying, after all." He laughed along with her and rocked her softly. "We'll be okay, Ariadne. You know we will."
A knock at the door cut off what she was going to say. "Who is it?" she called out, lifting her head from Arthur's chest.
"It's Eames," he said through the door.
Arthur opened the door. "Hey."
"Private cuddle time?" Eames asked with a soft smile on his face.
"I'm feeling better," Ariadne said quickly, pushing a smile onto her face. "Really."
Eames pulled her into a hug anyway. "I told that cow what for," he said, stroking her back. "And Ariston rallied to the challenge. Very protective, you know." She nodded against his chest. "Hey, you know I'm going to be in the wedding, too? Rebecca asked a little while ago. So the lot of us will have excuses to get dolled up and dance around in fancy clothes."
Arthur placed a hand on Eames' arm and rubbed it a bit, a half smile on his face. "You in a tux. Always a good sight."
Ariadne gave a happy little sigh and snuggled against his chest a bit. "Mmm. Definitely yummy."
Stroking her hair, Eames grinned. "Shall we head back into the lion's den? I don't promise she's without teeth, but I definitely gave her a talking to. I don't think she'll cause a scene at this point. Or we can leave early, if you like."
Pulling back, Ariadne took a deep breath and then shook her head. "I'm ready. I'll just deal with it. I can deal with it."
Arthur gave her an approving smile and headed downstairs first. Eames lingered a fraction longer. "Really okay, Ariadne?"
"I will be, Ben," she said softly, a sad smile on her face. "Now you know why I don't visit much."
Eames took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Mistress, I would never question you," he said, each syllable carefully enunciated. He smiled and looked at her through his eyelashes, seeing a slight blush rise to her cheeks. "I will do what you wish of me," he murmured, lips curling into a smile across her fingers.
"We're not playing that game now..."
"Who said I was playing at anything?" Eames asked, raising his head and smirking. Her tone was firmer and her shoulders were tilted back now. Her spine was straight and there was that familiar set to her jaw. There. That was exactly what he wanted. He extended his arm. "The crowd awaits your return."
"Silly," she chuckled, taking his arm. He led her downstairs, and she was definitely more calm and collected than before.
She was a master architect, gifted artist, cherished lover and friend and confident Mistress. She just needed to be reminded of that.
The End
Series: #7 of Haunted
(#1 - Lost In Your Embrace, #2 - Conquer And Devour, #3 - Cry Out For More, #4 - Not Meant For Me, #5 - Marked, #6 - Mistress)
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: NC-17. Eventually. :)
Pairing: Ariadne/Arthur, Ariadne/Arthur/Eames
Disclaimer: Everyone here belongs to Christopher Nolan and not to me. His toys are fun to play with!
Spoilers/Warnings: Post-movie. For two prompts from inception_kink meme. The prompt in round 12: Ariadne always seemed to have decent self esteem. But her self worth disappears whenever she's around her mother. When Arthur and Ariadne visit the family, Arthur sees this and becomes frustrated with the treatment of his girlfriend. Finally, he defends Ari to her mom and then promptly has tender, loving sex with her in Ari's childhood bed. The prompt in round 13: "I've got two jobs. I've discovered that you have to work twice as hard when it's honest."
Summary: Eames had always seen Ariadne as strong and self composed. Arthur had seen her when she wasn't, and he loved all the different sides of her. Eames was about to find out exactly why she was able to understand him as well as she did.
Eames was still sprawled across the bed when Arthur came back with the mail. Ariadne was in the shower and had plans to spend the day with Sandrine and Elisande, two of her friends from architecture school. Delphine was in Geneva at a conference, so she couldn't join them on their little girl's day out. The four of them had been very close at school, and Eames had joked that it was because all their names ended with E. She had simply laughed and rolled her eyes at him. Eames had picked out her outfit the day before as one of his duties while collared, and she had laughed out loud at the sight of it. There were the knee high lace up boots he loved so much, as well as a denim dress with buttons down the front, a red and yellow patterned scarf and her red cardigan. "You know me way too well," she had laughed, and kissed him breathless.
The leather collar and cuffs were lying on the bedside table now, looking fairly innocuous. Eames had a half smile at the sight of it. That had been probably the best idea ever, as far as he was concerned. They had been doing this off and on for a few weeks, and it was becoming easier and easier to slip into that state of mind where he let everything go. Some of that peace was creeping into the rest of his life, too. He was much less likely to make biting comments to others on the job, and Arthur had mentioned that it was nice not to be the butt of all his jokes anymore. Just for that, Eames had lobbed a few snarky comments in his direction for old times' sake.
"Anything good?" he asked Arthur.
The point man sat down next to Eames, clad only in jeans and a loose T shirt. He had gone to the lobby barefoot to retrieve the mail, which Eames would never have believed if he hadn't seen it for himself. He tickled the sole of Arthur's foot, just to get a rise out of him, and laughed when he yelped. Letters and junk mail flew out of his hands, and Eames laughed even harder. "Dammit, Eames," Arthur grumbled, collecting everything back up.
He grasped one elegantly labeled envelope. "Huh. Addressed to you and Ariadne," he said, holding it up. He flipped it to the back and saw the label. "It's from Ariston Maras."
"That's Ariadne's brother," Arthur said, sitting back down on the bed. He slid one hand along Eames' naked spine. "That must be the formal invitation to the engagement party."
"So I'm not invited?" Eames asked, eyebrow raised.
"More like he doesn't know about you yet," Arthur replied dryly. "He's been pretty busy over the last three months, so he hasn't called as often as he usually does." He kept his hand in place as Eames rolled over onto his back, so his hand fell to Eames' chest. "You are of course going with us, right?"
"You sure about this?"
"Ariston and Nikolas will be fine. It's Georgia that's the problem." Arthur's expression darkened and Eames was only confused. "Georgia's a bitch. There really is no other way to describe her, and there's no point in sugar coating it. Ariadne and I tend to spend Thanksgiving stateside with my mother in DC, and we tried visiting her family for Christmas the first year we were together. That was an unmitigated disaster."
Eames hadn't considered holidays and the like before. He never had reason to. "How so?"
"She wouldn't shut up." Arthur frowned. "I know it sounds petty, but it's hard to explain. Nikolas is fairly laid back, but did the whole 'if you hurt my daughter' speech anyway." Eames snorted. "I wasn't about to tell them we're international criminals, you know. They think she's working as an architect full time."
"So what do they think you do?"
"I'm a security expert," Arthur said with a smile. Eames laughed out loud. "It's only stretching the truth a little bit. They don't need the details."
"No, that's your job," Eames snarked.
Arthur swatted the back of his head and took the invitation. He opened it and pulled out the embossed card. "This is Georgia's doing. Ariston isn't interested in anything fancy like this, so it has to be Georgia. For someone so interested in appearances, her kids turned out be fairly level headed."
Eames plucked the card from Arthur's hands as the water in the bathroom shut off. "So we're all going to this? Seems like a fancy dress party."
"It's at their home," Arthur said with a shrug. "Georgia likes to think of herself as the perfect 1950's housewife."
"With a string of pearls on and high heels?" Eames asked, trying to think back to what he knew of television stereotypes of the period.
"Got it in one," Arthur agreed, opening other letters. "We'll call Ariston and tell him we'll be there for his sake. Just watch out for her. She looks a lot more innocent than she actually is."
"Rather like our Ariadne," Eames commented, making Arthur nod and smile. He looked up as Ariadne got out of the bathroom, a soft smile on his face. "You sure you have to go out with the girls, love?"
"Yes," she said with a grin. "There's only so much testosterone I can take, you know." Fully aware that both men were watching her fish around for underwear, Ariadne's cheeks were a little flushed. "Not that it's a bad thing, but sometimes I could use a little girl talk."
"Hey, I like your friends," Arthur replied, sorting the mail into piles for junk, bills, paper to be recycled and magazines to read later.
"Well, good. I was thinking of inviting Sandrine and Elisande over at some point to meet Eames," Ariadne said. "Now that we're in between jobs, we don't have to worry about canceling anything last minute." She sat on the bed between them to put on her tights. "I'm not entirely sure Delphine would take this well. She's very old fashioned about some things, and was very upset when Arthur and I moved in together. I don't exactly keep contact with any of my old high school friends, so that's out."
"And we have Ariston's official invite," Arthur said, handing it over to Ariadne when she shimmied into the top of her tights.
She took it and frowned. "That's so Mom's doing. He would just move in with Becky and be done with it." She handed the invitation back and moved to get the dress Eames had laid out for her. "Are you up to meeting our families?" she asked Eames seriously. "Because you don't have to if you don't want to."
"Are you ashamed of me?" he asked mildly, knowing what her answer would be.
"Hell no," she said, looking at him as if he had just offered to cut out his own heart to present to her.
"Then we're going, all three of us."
Ariadne and Arthur both smiled. "Still, I'm glad we don't celebrate holidays. I get to keep you both all to myself and not deal with family too much." She came back to his side, the dress in hand, and gave him a kiss on his forehead.
"Arthur said you visit his Mum for hols," Eames remarked, sliding his fingers along her hip.
"Well, that's just Thanksgiving, really. Hannukah usually starts soon after, but we haven't celebrated that since I was a little kid," Arthur said with a shrug, finishing his mail sorting.
"I haven't bothered with Christmas since junior high," Ariadne said from somewhere inside the dress, which was still over her head. "Unless you want to do it this year?" she asked, popping her head through the top of the dress.
"That has buttons, darling," Eames drawled, moving to a seated position.
"Yes, but this is faster," she told him with an impish grin, making both men laugh. She sat down to lace up the boots, grinning at Eames' lusty glances in her direction. "Be nice. I'll be back sometime this afternoon. We'll have dinner together."
"Not doing dinner with the girls this time?" Arthur asked, leaning against her shoulder to kiss her neck.
"Elisande can't, and Sandrine has to go to bed early. She's doing something with her cousin tomorrow, so we figured we'd just meet up for dinner later." She turned her head and kissed Arthur full on the mouth. "Do you think you can figure out something to do with your afternoon without me?"
Arthur smiled. "I can take care of myself, you know."
Ariadne grinned and kissed him again. "Of course you can." Her cell phone trilled, and Eames handed it over from the bedside table. "That's Elisande," she said, reading the text. "They're about ready to head out to the museum, so I should leave soon, too." She leaned forward and kissed Eames. "Be good, both of you."
"Of course," Arthur replied with a smile.
"As if I was ever anything else," Eames scoffed playfully.
Laughing, Ariadne went to finish getting ready to go out for the day. Arthur looked up at Eames. "Any plans?"
"Other than shagging you rotten?"
Arthur chuckled. "Other than that."
"Not particularly."
Pulling Eames close, Arthur kissed him. "Good."
***
"Columbus, Ohio," Eames murmured as the plane touched down at the Port Columbus airport. "Somehow that seems so..."
Ariadne rolled her eyes and leaned back into the cushions. "Don't even say it, Ben."
"Paris is more your style, I think," he amended, earning himself a nod from Arthur on Ariadne's other side and a weary smile from Ariadne. "Do you really hate it here, darling?"
She patted his thigh. "No. More like dreading what will happen next, more like. Ariston and Becky are going to be picking us up at the airport and will drive up to Mom and Dad's."
"Taking 270?" Arthur asked.
"It's the shortest route," Ariadne said, giving him an odd look.
"Maybe we can ask him to take 62 to I-71? It would be a bit longer..." His voice trailed off meaningfully and Ariadne smiled. "Just a thought."
"Is it that horrible being back?" Eames asked.
"Yes and no," Ariadne said with a sigh. "I love my family. I do. But... You know how you can love someone and hate them at the same time?"
"Yeah."
"That's precisely what it's like sometimes." She patted his thigh again, but it seemed to be more for her comfort than his. "I'll be all right. It's just for the party, anyway. We'll be in town for a few days, and then everything goes back to normal."
It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, but Eames wouldn't complain. It wasn't as if he was planning to introduce either of them to meet his family. Other than Spencer, the rest of them could go rot in hell for that he cared. Really, there was no one to meet.
***
Ariston Maras was taller than Ariadne, about five foot eight, with the same dark hair that had a slight wave to it at the ends. His eyes were the same caramel color and were just as expressive. He was dressed in jeans and an Ohio State sweatshirt underneath a denim jacket with a UNC decal stitched on one front pocket. Beside him was a brunette with curly hair and striking green eyes that was just about his height as well. She had a broader frame and was solidly built. Eames wouldn't have called her fat or chunky, or any of those unattractive kind of words. She was a woman with meat on her bones, the kind that looked as though she could physically pin people to the ground if she put her mind to it. She smiled easily and seemed to be good natured; it seemed that Ariadne and Ariston were drawn to similar characteristics in their lovers.
"Ariadne! Arthur!" Ariston said, waving at them. The brunette was obviously Rebecca, and she grinned at them.
Neither of them questioned things in the introductions. Eames was introduced as Eames, and they simply nodded and were glad to meet him. It made him wonder what exactly Ariadne had told her family about what she did and who he was supposed to be. She was an architect, Arthur was a security specialist. Who was he supposed to be? He was a forger and con man in and out of dreams. It didn't exactly translate to a family-friendly resume.
"So, Eames," Ariston began as he pulled out of the parking lot. Eames hadn't thought Arthur talked with him, but he seemed to be heading to Route 62. "Ariadne mentioned you were a coworker of theirs from time to time."
"Right," Eames began, feeling one of his professional masks slip into place. It had been two months since he had to use one, and he had almost forgotten what it was like to be somebody else for a while. "I'm a freelance consultant in the mergers and acquisitions field." He pointedly ignored Arthur's knowing smile and Ariadne's snort of laughter.
"Oh, business stuff," Rebecca said, turning around slightly in the front passenger seat. She smiled at the three of them in the back bench. "Sounds like it would be dead boring."
"I rather like it," Eames replied with a soft smile. "You never know the sorts of folk you'll meet or the things you'd have to acquire. Never a dull moment, really."
"It takes all kinds, I suppose," Ariston said, shrugging. "I'd take academia any day."
"Any closer to tenure?" Ariadne piped up.
Ariston snorted. "Not on Greenblatt's watch. That asshole hates me."
Rebecca rubbed his arm soothingly. "He'll retire soon enough. Everyone else in the department loves you."
He turned and flashed her a brilliant smile, a goofy and heartbreakingly beautiful one. It reminded Eames of Ariadne's glances at him or Arthur. "Thanks, Becky." He caught Eames' glance of confusion at Ariadne. Before she could explain, he said "I'm a Classics professor at UNC Chapel Hill."
"Not something you see every day," he said politely.
Ariston laughed, a deep belly laugh that told Eames he was genuinely amused. Eames could feel himself warming to Ariston already, and not just because he was Ariadne's older brother. "With a name like Ariston Maras, what else could I be? So I teach Greek and Latin and slog through publications about texts that have been interpreted a thousand times before."
"It's academia," Rebecca said, with the air of someone who had said pretty much the same thing a thousand times herself. "It could use a thousand and one."
"So what do you do, Rebecca?" Eames asked politely.
"Romantic languages," she replied with a grin. "We're both language geeks."
"Which ones do you favor?" Eames asked, feeling almost interested in spite of himself.
"Romanian, Portuguese and French. You'd think my Spanish and Italian would be better, but I haven't lived in those places long enough to really get a feel for the languages as well."
"Polyglots are wonderful things," Eames replied with a smile.
Rebecca laughed. "Oh, I like you!" She turned and faced forward in her seat. "I think we all have rooms in the same hotel."
"You aren't staying with the Maras family?" Eames asked in surprise.
"No offense, honey," Rebecca began, vehemently shaking her head, "but I'd rather not be anywhere near that house if I can help it."
"None taken," Ariston replied easily. "That's why we're taking the long way."
"Thank you," Ariadne piped up from her seat in the back. She was wedged against the door behind Rebecca, Eames in the middle. Arthur was staring out of the other window, watching the scenery as it passed. He clearly wasn't a fan of Mrs. Maras either, but no one was really talking about it.
"I'm just glad you're here, Ariadne," Ariston replied, eyes still on the road. "I can't even begin to tell you what it means to me."
Rebecca turned around again and grinned at them. "I'm so glad you're here, too. Really. Thank you."
Ariadne reached forward and clasped her future sister-in-law's hand. "I wouldn't have missed this for anything."
"Even because of Georgia?"
"Especially because of Mom."
When Rebecca turned around, Eames patted Ariadne's knee gently. "I'm sure everything will be fine, Ariadne."
She smiled at him, and it seemed as though all of her tension bled away at his touch. "Of course. I'm worrying for nothing." She leaned back and seemed more content.
Ariadne's family was so very supportive, and it wasn't at all what Eames' family had been like. He kept his hand on her knee and gave it a gentle squeeze.
***
Dinner at the Maras household was something of a strained affair. Conversation was stilted, and neither Nikolas nor Georgia knew what to make of Eames. Ariadne had simply said to them "You remember Arthur. This is Eames." Just like that, she expected them to take it in stride and accept it without question. Then again, Ariston and Rebecca did.
"It's terribly rude not to call first," Georgia said to Ariadne. She was just two inches taller and looked like an older version of her. The slight wave in her hair was the same, as were the golden eyes. There were lines on either side of her mouth, creating a perpetual pinched expression that Ariadne didn't have, however. "I would have assumed you would have some common courtesy to let us know someone else was coming tonight."
Ariadne's back was rigid. "Is there a problem, Mom? You didn't make a fuss when I brought Arthur for Christmas two years ago."
"And you didn't come last year. Just a card and a call saying you were busy with work. What kind of work keeps you busy over the holidays?" Her tone was biting, as if she didn't believe Ariadne's words at all. She crossed her arms over her chest. "So what is he to you? This Eames. Is that even a name?"
"It's his name, Mom," Ariadne said, bristling. "I sent you an e-mail a week ago about our flight and I told you on the phone a while ago about Eames."
Eames hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he had been on his way back from the bathroom, and the main hall passed right by the dining room. He had paused, listening to them speak. He hadn't known that Ariadne had talked about him, though Ariston had admitted that Ariadne had mentioned him before.
"Did you? I know I told you that you should leave Paris. It's a dirty, nasty city. Look at you. You've gotten all of their bad habits and rudeness. You've forgotten how to even set the table correctly." Georgia made a noise of disapproval. "It's a good thing it's just us tonight. It would be shameful for anyone else to see this."
"I'm setting the table the way you taught me, Mom," Ariadne replied stiffly, sounding as if she had to keep her jaw tight in order to respond respectfully.
"You're changing before dinner, of course," Georgia continued as if Ariadne hadn't spoken. "That's an awful color on you. It makes you look pale and sallow. Your clothes are still upstairs, of course. I'm sure you'd still fit into one of your dresses."
"I'm dressed properly for the occasion, Mom. This dinner is for Ariston and Rebecca."
Georgia made a disapproving sound. "You'd think she would be more properly attired," she sighed. "Well, she couldn't possibly know any better, I suppose. I've met her mother and sister. Common, ordinary people. Not at all like you should be."
Eames was glad that Georgia left the dining room at that point, leaving Ariadne to her task of setting the table. If those were Georgia's comments to her daughter and future daughter-in-law, he didn't blame them for living far away from Westerville, Ohio.
Arthur, Ariston and Rebecca were talking about academia, which surprised Eames. He supposed he had never really thought about Arthur's background. He was excellent as a point man, and Eames had always assumed it was his army background. He had never thought that Arthur might have had other skills. Eames found it easy enough to enter the conversation; cocktail party conversation was his forte, and there was no verbal fencing involved. As Arthur and Ariadne thought, it had been Georgia's idea for a formal engagement party, mostly so that she could invite neighbors and various family friends to show off that her son the professor was engaged. Some of Ariston's old friends from high school and college would be in attendance, but Rebecca's family and friends were all still in Pennsylvania, where she was from. Their families would descend upon Chapel Hill in about a year's time for the wedding, but Rebecca hadn't insisted on them coming to Ohio.
Dinner itself was just as strained as the conversation Eames had overheard between Georgia and Ariadne. Ariadne stressed her consultant capacity in an architecture firm, and Arthur was still a security consultant. Eames reaffirmed that he was a freelance consultant in the mergers and acquisitions field, which Nikolas found fascinating. He was the business manager at a local hospital, and the two of them started talking about unions and labor laws in different areas. Georgia's lips had thinned during the conversation. "Consultants. Doesn't that mean there's no steady work? That you're the first laid off?"
"Mom," Ariadne began in a warning tone.
"It means we can charge whatever rates we want and there are companies willing to pay it. It means we get to choose the jobs we take, not the other way around," Arthur replied coolly, eyes on Georgia's face. "Our lives are comfortable, if that's what your worry is."
She turned away from Arthur and looked at Ariadne. "Take your elbows off of the table, Ariadne. You know better than that."
Ariadne hastily removed her elbows and drank the milk in her glass to keep from saying anything. Eames recognized that mutinous look, and did his best to steer the conversation toward the party plans, which Georgia happily took over. She dominated the conversation, and Eames noted Nikolas' doting expression. The man was still besotted with his wife after all these years, and he probably was so laid back that it never occurred to him that Georgia shouldn't march over everyone the way that she did.
Eames managed to wait until they were in Ariston's car and he was driving them to the hotel. "Good God, Ariadne. Your mother is a cow of a woman. I'm so sorry."
Rebecca made a choking sound as Ariadne and Ariston both sighed. Arthur simply rubbed Ariadne's back gently in support. "Let's change topic, how about that?" Rebecca offered.
"Right. Like how I'm oh so glad that the bride's side plans everything for the wedding," Ariston offered with a grin. Rebecca gave him a playful smack on his thigh. "We're doing blue and green as colors for the wedding, just so you know."
"Oh, good." Ariadne seemed to brighten. "I look great in either color."
"Yes, but what if I pick an awful shade?" Rebecca teased. "You'd be stuck in lime green or neon blue."
Ariadne giggled. "You'd be stuck looking at those pictures for the rest of your life. You'd never."
"We can always color correct the photos if she does," Arthur said, grinning.
The five of them discussed wedding ideas until they got to the hotel, and they all brought their luggage inside. Ariadne checked in and got three room keys, making Ariston's eyebrow lift a bit in surprise. "So it's really like that, is it?" he asked, no judgment in his tone. Rebecca simply looked confused.
"It is," she agreed with a soft smile. "For about three months now." Her chin jutted upward a fraction, a silent challenge if he didn't like the idea.
Ariston shrugged. "Whatever. I don't want to know the details about that. Just thinking about my sister that way is gross."
Ariadne laughed at the face he pulled, and everyone went upstairs. Their rooms were across the hall from each other, and once they dropped off their bags, Ariston and Rebecca crossed the hall to join the threesome. "Ooh. How did you manage to swing the fancy room?" Rebecca asked.
"We all do consulting," Ariadne began, shrugging. "And hey, your room is nice, too."
"Yours is bigger and probably way more expensive," Rebecca began, poking her head into the bathroom. It occurred to her after a moment. "Oh. The three of you are sharing the room. That's probably what does it."
"Probably does what?" Arthur asked, putting his clothes into one of the dresser drawers. Eames didn't much see the point, and only unzipped his suitcase, leaving it open on the floor far away from the door so no one would trip over it.
"The three of you are chipping in, so you can afford it," Rebecca said, looking around. "Though, you should've been given a cot, right?"
Ariston looked to Ariadne, then back at Rebecca. Ariadne rolled her eyes at him, then sat Rebecca down. "Becky, Eames is our lover. The three of us are sharing the bed. We've all been living together for a little while now."
Eames managed not to laugh at Rebecca's widened eyes. "Oh." She looked between all parties of the threesome. "I didn't mean to be rude."
"Quite all right, love. Not very conventional of us," Eames said, flashing her a sincere smile.
"Glad you're not cringing away or calling us disgusting," Arthur remarked, coming to sit down on the other side of Ariadne.
"People do that?" Rebecca blurted, then winced once she was aware of how naive she sounded.
"Well... People say all sorts of things when it's outside the norm." Arthur smiled, glad that she seemed to be taking it well.
"You're all happy with how it's working out?" Rebecca asked, looking between the three of them uncertainly. "I mean, getting along with one other person is hard sometimes..."
"Hey!" Ariston said, a playful smile on his face. Rebecca looked at him and then burst out laughing.
Ariadne blinked when Rebecca slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "What's that for?"
"Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me. You haven't told your parents yet, have you?"
"Sort of. Alluded to, really. Mom was oblivious and I think I confused the hell out of Dad," Ariadne admitted. Arthur laughed and Eames snickered.
Rebecca was the first to get tired as they talked about the upcoming wedding, their jobs at the university and what it was like living in Paris. "Would you mind it terribly if I went to bed first?"
Ariston gave her a soft kiss on the mouth. "Do you mind if I hang out for a bit? We haven't talked in a while."
"Not a problem, hon. I get the rest of your life, after all," she said with a happy grin. She playfully groped his ass to grab one of the key cards to their room from his back pocket and bid everyone a good night.
Ariston waited until Rebecca was out of the room and likely safely ensconced in their own room across the hall. "So. I know what you three really do," he said, leveling serious looks at them. "How bad has it gotten? Usually Ariadne writes or calls me more."
"Don't worry about it, Ariston!" Ariadne said hastily. "I don't really go into the field that much, so I'm not the one that gets hunted down or shot at." She poked Arthur in the side and mock glared at Eames.
"So why keep at it? Why not just work the other job?"
Ariadne sighed. "I've got two jobs. I've discovered that you have to work twice as hard when it's honest." Ariadne shrugged, a somewhat flippant smile on her face. "I like the life we have. Maybe it's justification for breaking the law..."
"Maybe?" Ariston asked, eyebrow arched.
"Okay. So I'm justifying it."
He threw up his hands. "And what am I supposed to say when you get killed? When someone puts two and two together and comes after us? Or if you have to kill someone?"
"I still have a legal job, you know. I really am an architect," Ariadne said, a touch defensively. "I haven't hurt or killed anyone."
"I think you're being a little hard on her," Arthur said quietly.
"What? You two find it so easy to kill someone?" Ariston challenged.
"When needs must," Eames replied with a nod. He smiled at Ariston's dismayed expression. "It very rarely happens, Ariston. I promise. We're very good at what we do, so it doesn't usually end up with anyone getting hurt. But if it comes down to us or them, hands down it's going to be them.
"In all fairness, I was in the army," Arthur interjected. He shrugged at Ariston's blink of surprise. "It was a completely different situation. Dream share used to be army training technology. They're the ones that contracted it out for different purposes. Sooner or later everything gets corrupted and turned into an illicit business."
"What about Ariadne?" Ariston said quietly, looking at the three of them, concern clear in his expression. "We didn't grow up knowing what to do with things like that, you know." He ran a hand through his loose hair and blew out a pained breath. "How am I supposed to protect us from this if I don't even know what you might be running from?"
"We'd never do anything to endanger our families," Arthur said quietly. "We make absolutely sure of that, Ariston. You've got to believe us."
"I'm a college professor," Ariston continued. "How am I supposed to help you? How am I going to do anything other that sit down and hope to God I get a phone call from you? Or an e-mail? Something to even let me know you're alive?"
Ariadne winced. "There's been some interpersonal stuff..."
"You could've picked up the phone, Ariadne," he said, hurt coloring his tone. "We've always been close. You've pulled away in the past few months." He shook his head. "Or is it because something happened that you can't tell me for my own safety?"
"I was almost killed," Arthur offered, taking some of the hurt away from Ariadne. "We were lying low."
Ariston looked at him with a pained expression. "And what would happen to Ariadne if you'd died? If the three of you are really an item, what would that do to Eames? God, do you even think about what it means? Being on the run, worrying about someone killing you, invading someone's mind? Do you think of that stuff?"
"All the time," Arthur replied, somewhat stiffly. "I'm aware of what I do."
Eames was nodding, as was Ariadne. "Sometimes this can be the lesser of several evils," Eames offered. "Most people are willing to do just about anything for secrets. What we do is thievery, but it allows people to live. Otherwise, there would be a lot more dead bodies where industrial espionage is concerned."
Leaning on the hotel dresser, Ariston bowed his head. "I worry, Ariadne. I worry about all of you. I don't even know how to begin to help you if something goes wrong..."
Ariadne got up and gathered him up in her arms. "Oh, Ariston. I know. I'm sorry, I really am. But this is what I want to do. This is what makes me happy."
"Then I'll accept it, like I have over the past year. Just... Call me more often, will you?"
She promised him, and he bid them good night before returning to his own room. Ariadne sat heavily on the bed beside Arthur and let out a pained sigh.
"Well, then. Here's hoping this weekend isn't completely fucked," Eames remarked, looking over at the other two. "At this rate, I'd hate to meet your Mum, Arthur."
He groaned and flopped backward on the bed. "Shut it, Eames," he intoned. "That reminds me. I haven't called her in months."
Ariadne patted his stomach in a gentle motion. "She hasn't called either. She probably has a new boyfriend."
Eames settled himself on the bed beside them. "Think he's trustworthy?" he asked, changing topic.
"Absolutely," Ariadne said confidently, looking between the two of them from his sprawled position on the bed. Arthur nodded as well. "Family means a lot to him. He won't tell Rebecca or your parents."
"I hope not," Eames said. He didn't want to think of the lengths some people went to keep their dream share secrets safe.
***
Rebecca was somewhat awkward around the three of them at first, but seemed to unwind after a bit. "You're taking this awfully well," Ariadne said with some sympathy in her voice.
"Well, it's out of the blue, you know. I thought you were all coworkers. I never knew of anyone in a threesome as a permanent thing, you know."
"We are," Eames pointed out, a half smile on his face. "It's a matter of all of us just being careful about things. And that we all love each other."
"Very true," Rebecca agreed. "But don't take it personally if I feel weird sometimes and don't know what to call you."
"I have two boyfriends," Ariadne said helpfully. "Works for me."
Eames laughed and put his arms around her. "I do like that we share one of those boyfriends," Eames quipped.
Rebecca had very large eyes at that comment. "Oh. I mean, you two..." She pointed between the two of them. "You both..."
"He's hot. Why wouldn't we?" Eames asked sweetly. He smiled at her blush. "See? Picturing it, aren't you?"
"Oh, be nice, Ben," Ariadne said with a laugh, leaning into his embrace. She turned and gave him a soft kiss on the underside of his jaw. "It works. It just does."
"I'm happy for you then. And will try really, really hard not to embarrass you all with questions."
They laughed, and Ariadne went off to mingle when Eames insisted he didn't need or want her to babysit him through the family party. Rebecca looked over at Eames as Ariston wandered back over toward them, drinks in hand for himself and Rebecca. "Um... We have a question to ask you," she said, pulling on Ariston's arm. Ariston gave him a one shoulder shrug, indicating that he wasn't entirely sure what Rebecca was about to say. "We talked it over last night, and we have an uneven number in our bridal party."
Eames blinked. He wasn't sure he liked where this was going. Telling Ariadne's brother and sister-in-law about their triad relationship was one thing. Assuming it would still be in place in another year and broadcasting it for the extended family was another. "Rebecca..."
"My best friend Elinore is my maid of honor, of course," Rebecca continued, an earnest expression on her face. "Then there's my sisters Pamela and Denise, and Ariadne. Ariston has his best friends Richard and Gerald, and we have Arthur to partner with Ariadne, but then one of my sisters would be the odd one out. Would you join the party? Please? It would even out everyone, and you're practically family anyway, right? We can't have Arthur in the bridal party and not you."
"I'd love to," Eames found himself saying without really thinking about it. He couldn't even really regret it, given Rebecca's sunny smile at him.
"The maid of honor will be wearing blue, and Richard will have a blue vest. Everyone else will wear green," Ariston said. "So you'd all match anyway."
"You're being awfully good about all of this, given the shocks you got last night," Eames murmured at Rebecca.
She flushed a little. "We talked a bit last night. I mean, I can't help but feel weird. I didn't know about the three of you together. I don't want you left out of anything."
Rebecca's face was so earnest and hopeful that Eames couldn't bear to tell her that sometimes he was worried that Ariadne and Arthur would wake up and realize that they didn't need or want him in their lives. He didn't believe it was true, but it was his greatest fear. He patted her arm gently and affectionately, then smiled at the both of them. "You're both so very understanding. I really appreciate that."
"Ariadne's right. We're all family, so we have to stick together," Rebecca said.
Ariston looked down at her with a proud expression, then up at Eames. "Hey, I know my sister. If you do something stupid, she'd probably beat you up."
"As short as she is?" Eames teased.
"That only means she fights dirty," Ariston declared with a grin.
Eames couldn't help but laugh. "Too right. She is a fierce one most of the time." He looked around the house to seek her out. Arthur was still talking with Nikolas, probably something work related. Apparently the man was a workaholic and really didn't do much with his free time but read spy thrillers and crime novels. That explained Ariadne's unhealthy obsession with the subject, as well as why Nikolas didn't seem to mind Georgia being such a harpy. She ran things and left him to his work and his reading.
The smile on his face died when he saw Ariadne standing near Georgia in the doorway to the kitchen. Georgia's face was bland, but Ariadne's shoulders were curling in on themselves. "Excuse me," he murmured, and started to push his way toward them. Ariston and Rebecca followed closely in his wake, which meant that he really shouldn't do physical damage to Georgia. It was rather bad form to kill his mother-in-law just because she was a bitch.
"...no better than a whore," Georgia was saying to Ariadne as Eames entered earshot. "Didn't even leave one man cold and you're already flaunting the next." Her tone was scathing, and Ariadne looked as though she wanted the floor to swallow her up.
Arthur had noticed the look on Eames' face and excused himself from Nikolas' side, but Eames got there first.
"Can we talk about this later?" Ariadne began in a pleading tone of voice. "It's Ariston and Rebecca's day today..."
Georgia snorted. "Their day is next year. It's not as if they would have had a proper party if I didn't step in. I don't have much faith in what that's going to be like. You've seen her sisters and her friend. Can you imagine the pictures? You're going to be the only skinny girl there, and with you slouching like that, you're going to ruin all of the photos." If anything, that seemed to make Ariadne cringe even more. Rebecca made a strangled noise behind Eames, and he found himself stopping short so that the woman wouldn't claw out Georgia's eyes. If it was bad form for him to attack her, it had to be doubly so for Rebecca.
"I don't know what they see in you," Georgia continued in a lofty tone, "letting you string them along like this. You're slouching and you're not even showing yourself off enough." She made a disappointed sound at her. "Not that there's much to show anyway. I'm surprised Rebecca even wanted you in the wedding party, Ariadne. I'm sure she has another large friend or two to put in..."
"You need to stop. Now," Arthur snarled.
Georgia looked up at Arthur in surprise, having been so occupied by Ariadne. "What are you talking about?" she asked, genuinely puzzled.
Eames pushed forward and gently tugged Ariadne away from her mother. "Take her upstairs, Arthur," Eames said, voice firm and strangely calm. Arthur eyed him with a speculative gleam in his eye and nodded briskly. He put an arm around Ariadne's shoulders and led her away from the party. Several heads were swiveled in their direction, though few had heard Georgia's scathing comments.
"It's quite a shame you don't see your daughter in a more positive light," Eames said, eyes flashing though he had a smile pasted on his face. "You have such a low opinion of consultants, but she has consulted with some of the most prestigious architecture firms in Europe. I know for a fact that the CEO of Proclus Global personally commissioned her to redesign his office building in the heart of Tokyo. Several other international firms have asked after her expertise. In some circles, she's a legend." Now his expression toward her was scathing. "Parents are supposed to be proud of their children and their accomplishments. They're supposed to value their contributions, not pick at them with petty, insignificant comments."
"She's having an affair with you and cheating on Arthur, of course you're going to say that," Georgia huffed.
Eames laughed. He couldn't help it. "Of course she isn't. The three of us are in a relationship with each other. It isn't cheating if we're all in bed together," he told her sweetly. It probably wasn't a good sign that he felt satisfied by her puce flush of horror, but he had a petty streak as well. This woman hurt Ariadne, and it was only fair to hurt her back.
"What's all this?" Nikolas asked, coming over to see what the spectacle was about. Georgia could only shake her head and sputter.
"You owe your daughter, your son and your future daughter-in-law sincere apologies," Eames continued, steel beneath his voice as he stared at her. It was the same stare he had given dozens of mafiosos and thugs in backroom dealings, and Georgia cringed beneath its weight. "I'm waiting," he intoned when she made no move to speak.
"I... I... I'm sorry," she squeaked as Eames' expression tightened.
"I don't think that was sincere," Ariston said quietly.
"I definitely don't think that was sincere," Rebecca agreed.
"You should try that again," Eames said, quiet menace in his tone.
"You're bullying me!" Georgia said, stamping her foot in outrage. "How dare you threaten me in my own home! Nikolas!"
"Mr. Eames has been a perfect gentleman all evening, Georgia," Nikolas admonished, reaching her side and patting her arm. "I'm sure you just had a misunderstanding of some kind. Just make your apologies to everyone and we can all move on."
Outmaneuvered, Georgia glared at Eames, who merely smiled benignly back. She let out a clipped apology that Nikolas declared settled the matter. He whisked her away and had her take care of things in the kitchen. Rebecca was seething, and Ariston had an arm around her shoulders, trying to calm her down. Nikolas approached them with a sad expression, and took off his glasses to wipe them absently on his shirt. "Whatever she said, I'm terribly sorry, all of you. She's... I'm sure whatever it was, she didn't mean it. She has a way of saying things that sound awful, but she doesn't mean it that way."
"You do realize she took every opportunity she got to belittle both your children?" Eames asked in an arch tone. "I realize she's your wife and you love her, but you do have responsibilities by your children."
"Now see here, Mr. Eames," Nikolas began, an uncomfortable note in his voice. "There's no need to say things like that."
"I love Ariadne," Eames replied coolly. "Of course there's a need. Arthur and I will both protect her from whoever hurts her, even if it's her own mother. Especially if it's her own mother. She deserves better than that."
Nikolas sputtered a bit, then looked at Ariston's and Rebecca's expressions. "What didn't I hear?" he asked quietly. He wasn't quite defeated, but he clearly still didn't believe that Georgia had stepped over any lines.
"Basically she called Ariadne a whore, disrespected Rebecca and her sisters, and generally made nasty comments about everyone's appearance. And that's just what I was able to hear," Eames said quietly.
"I don't understand," Nikolas said, looking at their calm faces. Ariston and Rebecca agreed with Eames, that much was clear. "Why in the world would she call Ariadne that? She's a good girl, and she would never be like that."
"Because she's with me and Arthur at the same time," Eames explained patiently.
"You mean Ariadne's dating you both?"
"At the same time," Ariston added helpfully as Eames nodded.
"They're all wonderful together," Rebecca said as Nikolas sputtered a bit, trying to wrap his mind around the concept. Eames gave Rebecca a faint smile, and she turned that same friendly grin to him that she'd had most of the day before. It was a bit disconcerting to realize that she still liked him, for all of their uncomfortable revelations, and she truly did consider him family as much as Ariadne and Arthur.
It was wonderful and terrifying and gratifying all at once. He was starting to realize that belonging to Arthur and Ariadne meant that their families were his, too.
Now he was really hoping that Arthur's mother wasn't a harpy as well.
"I need to go sit down," Nikolas said faintly. "The guests..."
"Will be fine," Ariston said, coming forward to talk to Nikolas. "How about we go check and see if we need to get more wine?"
That seemed to help Nikolas rally. "We mustn't be bad hosts. That's exactly right." He turned toward Eames. "You and I will be talking later about my baby girl, Mr. Eames."
Eames nodded, managing to hide his smile until Nikolas went off into the crowds of people gathered in the Maras home. "I just can't think of him as threatening," Rebecca mused at his side. Eames let out the laugh he had been smothering, and she joined in.
"You know, I'm really enjoying this family thing."
Rebecca looked at him with a shrewd expression on her face. "You say that like yours sucks."
"Oh, that's because it does," Eames admitted. "I wouldn't wish them on even my worst enemy," he said solemnly.
"Worse than Georgia?" Rebecca asked with a sympathetic wince.
"You have no idea," he said sagely, and she nodded in false understanding.
"Hey, why don't you go see what's keeping Ariadne and Arthur? I feel bad. You're all having a horrible time and you only came here because of me and Ariston."
"Price of being family, isn't it?" Eames offered. "You take the good and the bad, the shadows and the sunshine? You don't get to pick and choose only the good bits."
Impulsively, Rebecca caught Eames in an enthusiastic hug. "Ariston and Ariadne were right. You really are a sweetheart. I'm so glad you're family, then. You know, to balance out her," she added, her voice dropping down into a conspiratorial whisper.
Eames couldn't help but laugh and pat her shoulder affectionately. "I like you, too, Rebecca. I'd be proud to stand up and share your wedding day."
She beamed as he went off in search of Ariadne and Arthur.
***
Ariadne had managed to contain her tears until she was upstairs and out of sight of all of the guests. Arthur remembered where she had once said her childhood bedroom had been, and brought her there. Locking the door behind him, he looked around the room. It had more or less remained the same since she had moved out of the house, and he tried to imagine a teenage Ariadne on her own and dealing with those kinds of scathing remarks on a daily basis. He cupped her face in his hands and brushed her tears away with his thumbs. "Ariadne," he said softly, gently. "Look at me. Don't listen to what she said."
"What if I'm as horrible as she thinks I am? What if it wasn't a good idea to make Ben fall in love with us?" More tears slipped out of her eyes as she looked up at him with a miserable expression. "Who does this?" she nearly wailed, shaking her head in his hands. "Why did you let me talk you into this?"
"Because we love him," Arthur said quietly, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "Because we know that he loves us back, that he needs us. You're not horrible, Ariadne. Never that." He pulled her down to sit beside him on her old bed. It still had sheets and a comforter, as if her mother expected her to be back at any moment. There were still books on the shelves and posters on the wall, and her old dresser still had its mirror on top of it. "You're not a terrible person, Ariadne."
"I'm a criminal. I break the law. I break into people's minds and I steal things," she sobbed. "Or I help you do it. And I joke about it, like it's not a big deal. I make fun of it, and you almost died in Alexandria. Ben had to deal with all of his awful memories and I can't believe I thought all of this would be okay." She leaned into Arthur's embrace and let go of her tears, all of her old insecurities fresh and raw in her mind. "I'm so stupid," she cried against his chest. "I thought I could do this. I should've known better..."
"You are the strongest and most confident woman I know," Arthur said. "You are not stupid, not by a long shot. You're selfless and absolutely fierce in defending everyone around you that you don't even notice half the time the sacrifices you make for everyone else." He stroked her back as her sobs slowed. "You're beautiful, Ariadne. I know I probably shouldn't mention that, but it's true. That's why I kept trying to get you alone to work with when we first met. That's why I had to sneak that kiss on the Fischer job." She pulled back and looked up at him, tears still swimming in her eyes. "I can't deny the criminal part, since that's what we are. But the rest of it? You're beautiful and talented and so fucking smart it's scary sometimes. You're perfect, Ariadne." He cupped her face in his hands again. "Do you think maybe she's jealous of you? That you succeeded where she couldn't? That you're everything she wished she could be but isn't?"
Ariadne sniffled. "But what if she's right?" she whispered. She carried the air of someone who had believed just that for far too long and had simply been pretending to be confident.
"And what if she's wrong?" Arthur asked pointedly. "I know she's wrong. I know she's hateful, and I know you're torn because she's your mother. But that's okay. I'll hate her for you. And Eames will hate her for you."
She gave a soft, bitter laugh. "I shouldn't hate my mother."
"Well, you don't have to like her, either," Arthur murmured.
With a sigh, Ariadne nodded. He leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth, soft and slow and sweet. "I love you," he whispered against her mouth. "I love you so much."
"Arthur," she whispered, clinging to him. She returned his kiss as he tipped her backward on the bed, one of his hands moving to cup her breast through her blouse. He rubbed it just hard enough that she could feel it through the blouse and the fabric of her bra, making her gasp against his mouth. Arthur propped himself up on one elbow on the bed, languorously kissing her as if there wasn't a house full of guests downstairs. Ariadne arched up into the touch of his hand over her breast, her hands restlessly moving over his back and shoulders. Her kisses were fast and growing desperate, her tongue in his mouth and soft mewling sounds deep in her throat. He let his other hand drag down her side, and then he pulled at the fabric of her skirt. "There are people downstairs," she protested feebly as he pulled her skirt up over her waist.
"And?" he asked, lips curling into a sensuous smile as he picked his head up from hers. "That just means you have to be quiet."
Ariadne smiled and kicked off her shoes. "This is so wrong," she whispered, not protesting when he pulled her tights and panties down from her waist.
"I've had fantasies of this, you know," Arthur whispered, kissing the inside of her thigh. "You, on your childhood bed, or mine, really, and I get to make you come." He kissed his way up, smelling her arousal. He gave a test lick of her clit and grinned wide enough to get his dimples showing when she gasped. "Shall we play?"
"Arthur..." she whispered, clutching at the bedspread.
He made a humming sound and gave little soft licks around her folds. He was slow and teasing, his hands stroking the soft skin of her thighs. Ariadne whimpered and undulated beneath his mouth, then shoved a fist against her mouth to keep from making too much noise. Arthur was patient and slow, teasing her clit and then dipping his tongue inside her. He moved back and forth over her, breathing her in, tasting her. She let out a strangled moan when he slid his fingers into her slicked sheath as he sucked on her clit, and Arthur curled his fingers to find that spot she liked so much. Ariadne whimpered softly and moved restlessly beneath his mouth and hand before finally gasping as she came.
Arthur lifted his mouth and moved so that he could watch her expression as he continued to pump his fingers in and out of her. He brought her to orgasm again, then reached into his back pocket for his wallet. She let out a startled bark of disbelieving laughter when she saw him pull a foil wrapper out of it. Her eyes darkened with desire as he licked his fingers clean, then undid his slacks. She made a soft mewling sound as he pushed into her, using long, slow strokes to build the tension within her. He could feel her flutter around him, could hear her soft sighs of pleasure. He couldn't quite speak anymore, but knew that she could read his glances at her as I love you and I need you and Oh my God, you're perfect. What did I ever do to deserve you?
He came, biting on his lip to keep from crying out. He curled up over her, careful not to press his weight down into her too much. He kissed her cheeks and the bridge of her nose before coming around to kissing her mouth. He slid his tongue gently between her lips, feeling the aftershocks rolling through him. Her body was still tight around his, her arms around his shoulders keeping him in place.
"How was that compared to your fantasy?" she asked, tucking her forehead against his cheek as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Perfect. Just like you."
She let out a soft laugh and stroked his back gently. At least she wasn't protesting it anymore. "I love you, Arthur."
"I love you, Ariadne," he murmured softly. He shifted his weight so that he could stroke her face. "I hate seeing you cry like that. You're better than the shadow she tries to make you into. You're wonderful. You're the most amazing woman I know." He leaned down and kissed her again, soft and tender.
"I never do feel like that when we're here."
"Then we're not coming back, that's all." He brushed his knuckles against her cheek. "Your dad isn't that bad, but we're not dealing with your mother's bullshit ever again, got it?" He gave her a pointed stare until she sighed and nodded. "It'll be easier to ignore her if it's just phone calls. And you'll have us. Use us as an excuse if you have to. You're not alone in dealing with her, Ariadne."
They disentangled themselves and started to rearrange their clothing. "I know that. I do," Ariadne said softly. "It's just... Sometimes I think if I just said the right thing, or did the right thing, for once she would see me for me. For once she would believe I'm a grown up. For once she would be proud of me."
Arthur cupped her face in his hands and looked at her intently. "I'm proud of you. Eames is proud of you. Ariston and Becky and your father are proud of you. My mother is proud of you. My entire family is proud of you, and you know my Aunt Lori is hard to please. Your friends think you're amazing. We all love you."
"Then why can't she?" Ariadne asked, a plaintive note in her voice.
"I don't know. She's got her own issues. But if everyone else is saying the exact opposite of her, who are you going to listen to?"
Ariadne's lips quirked into a reluctant smile. "I hate it when you use logic on me."
He laughed and pulled her into a tight embrace. "We can leave, if you want. We know where Ariston and Becky are staying, after all." He laughed along with her and rocked her softly. "We'll be okay, Ariadne. You know we will."
A knock at the door cut off what she was going to say. "Who is it?" she called out, lifting her head from Arthur's chest.
"It's Eames," he said through the door.
Arthur opened the door. "Hey."
"Private cuddle time?" Eames asked with a soft smile on his face.
"I'm feeling better," Ariadne said quickly, pushing a smile onto her face. "Really."
Eames pulled her into a hug anyway. "I told that cow what for," he said, stroking her back. "And Ariston rallied to the challenge. Very protective, you know." She nodded against his chest. "Hey, you know I'm going to be in the wedding, too? Rebecca asked a little while ago. So the lot of us will have excuses to get dolled up and dance around in fancy clothes."
Arthur placed a hand on Eames' arm and rubbed it a bit, a half smile on his face. "You in a tux. Always a good sight."
Ariadne gave a happy little sigh and snuggled against his chest a bit. "Mmm. Definitely yummy."
Stroking her hair, Eames grinned. "Shall we head back into the lion's den? I don't promise she's without teeth, but I definitely gave her a talking to. I don't think she'll cause a scene at this point. Or we can leave early, if you like."
Pulling back, Ariadne took a deep breath and then shook her head. "I'm ready. I'll just deal with it. I can deal with it."
Arthur gave her an approving smile and headed downstairs first. Eames lingered a fraction longer. "Really okay, Ariadne?"
"I will be, Ben," she said softly, a sad smile on her face. "Now you know why I don't visit much."
Eames took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Mistress, I would never question you," he said, each syllable carefully enunciated. He smiled and looked at her through his eyelashes, seeing a slight blush rise to her cheeks. "I will do what you wish of me," he murmured, lips curling into a smile across her fingers.
"We're not playing that game now..."
"Who said I was playing at anything?" Eames asked, raising his head and smirking. Her tone was firmer and her shoulders were tilted back now. Her spine was straight and there was that familiar set to her jaw. There. That was exactly what he wanted. He extended his arm. "The crowd awaits your return."
"Silly," she chuckled, taking his arm. He led her downstairs, and she was definitely more calm and collected than before.
She was a master architect, gifted artist, cherished lover and friend and confident Mistress. She just needed to be reminded of that.
The End