7.

~ The police took Becky away. She looked fragile somehow next to the officers. Like she could never hurt anyone.

Arthur thanked Mrs. Mills. The old lady had earned her pay for the week.

"I was Darcy's age when Hitler started dropping his bombs on London. If they didn't scare me, a crazy ex-lover surely won't." Mrs. Mills said with a chuckle.
"Thank you." Arthur said with his first real smile of the day. "I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn't have come."

"Well, I'm glad your missus is alright." the nanny told him pulling on her coat and taking her large purse in hand. "Your Darcy is a brave trooper to. I nearly passed a brick when I saw her waiting for the lift with the baby in that stroller. She would have made you proud, rescuing her brother like that."

~ Arthur called Cobb and filled the Extractor in. Now that the threat was gone, he and Eames would stay in California and try to salvage their relations with their client.

~ It was growing late as Arthur checked on his sleeping family. Ariadne seemed worn out from the trauma of the day. Her sleep was deep and she didn't even stir when Dominic woke and wanted his bottle.

Arthur fed and bathed his son and left Ariadne and Darcy to sleep in the guest room as he broke into the rarely used bottle of Jack Daniels. He almost never drank. The last time he did, was because of Becky. The knowledge of what she had done to Darcy, that he would have to tell his new bride the ugly secret of his ex and his own father.

He sat in his favorite arm chair and watched the city lights as he wanted to get drunk. Wanted to forget this day.

The Point Man was feeling warm and numb from the alcohol when he noticed a small little girl with tight, curly hair holding a much loved bear.

"Hey." He said in surprise as he sat up straighter in his chair. "What are you doing up?"

Darcy padded over to him and he moved his drink out of sight as she crawled in his lap.

"Had a bad dream." She said as the little girl leaned closer to him.

"It's okay." Arthur said. "Is Mama still sleeping?"

"Yes. She was kicking me." Darcy said petulantly.

Arthur laughed.

"She kicks me to." He admitted.

"Papa?"

"What is it?" Arthur asked with a smile as he kissed the top of her curly blond head.

"Am I going to have to live with my old mommy again?" She asked worriedly.
"No, Baby. No." He sighed and wrapped both his arms around her. "You have to stay with your mama and I, till your a gray haired grandma. You have to take care of us when were old and senile." He laughed at his own joke.

She smiled at him.
"I was scared. I thought she came back to take me with her." Darcy said. Arthur's heart felt heavy.

"I know. I know you were scared. I was scared to. But you never have to see her again." He told her. "She's not coming back."

"She didn't want me." Darcy said. "She wanted Dominic."

Arthur didn't say anything.

"It's because Dominic is your real kid." Darcy concluded. "Like I'm my old mommy's real kid."

"Where did you hear all this? About real kids?" Arthur asked, trying to get his thoughts together. The alcohol not helping.

"Nursery school. A lot of kids talk about their real mom or their real dad. But they don't live with their real mom and real dad." She explained.
"I see." Arthur said.

"She wanted Dominic because he's yours. She didn't want me because I'm not yours. Not really." She said logically.

Arthur said nothing.

"Did you know my real dad?" She asked.

"Darcy, that's very complicated. It's very grown up stuff." He told her.

"I know. I don't look like you and mama." She told him.

He took a deep breath.

"You look... you look like your natural mother. But you have your natural father's eyes." He said slowly. His words carefully chosen. "But you belong with your mama and I. Your never going to have to live with anyone else."

"My old mommy hit me." Darcy told him. "I peed myself like a baby." She added shamefully.

"It's alright." He told her smoothing out her wild curly hair. "Mama and I aren't mad about that." He looked over the bruise on the child's face left by Rebecca. "I'm sorry she hit you. It will never happen again."

Darcy nodded.

"I was worried before that you were going to die. I worry about you and mama dieing all the time." She confessed.

"Oh Darcy. Why do you worry about such a thing?" The Point Man laughed.

"Phillipa's mommy died. Your mommy died when you were little. Mama, her mommy and daddy are both dead." Darcy reasoned.

"Darcy, mama and I are going to be just fine. Were not going anywhere." He said sternly. His voice becoming confident and final. As if he stated an indisputable fact.

"Would I have to live with my old mommy if you died?" She asked.

"No. You and Dominic would live with Uncle Dom." Arthur said kissing the top of her head again.

"Oh." Darcy said somewhat appeased by that.

The pair of them sat in silence for a long time.

"Mrs. Mills told me how brave you were today." Arthur said breaking free of his thoughts. "How you tried to save your little brother. Your a very good big sister. I'm proud of you."

Darcy smiled a crooked smile. So much like Becky, right down to a smattering of freckles on her nose.

"Yeah." She said, pleased with herself.

"Guess what I did today?" He asked playfully.

"What?"

"I got to ride on a really fast plane. Fastest in the world. It was like being in a rocket ship." He told her conspiratorially.

"Really?" She asked excited. "Can I ride it?"

"Well... it's not for kids. When I got off the plane, I almost threw up." He confessed with a laugh which made her giggle.

"What are you two laughing about this late at night?" Came his wife's sweet voice.

Arthur and Darcy looked up to see a sleep wearied Ariadne coming out of the nursery. She smiled at them as Darcy told her about the rocket ship her Papa rode to come home.

"He's going to have to tell me more about that." Ariadne said to the little girl. "I want you to go to bed, Darcy. It's too late for you to be up."

Darcy looked to Arthur who nodded and kissed her goodnight. After hearing the little girl shut her door, the Architect looked at the Point Man.

"I heard you two talking." She said as he held out his arms to her. She climbed in his lap the same way Darcy had. Her white night dress billowing out over his long legs as he held her.

"Oh yeah?" He asked as his fingers laced into her dark tresses. Enjoying the feel of her body so close to his. Her head on his shoulder. He felt like a protector of this beautiful woman and their children.

"She's been worried about you dieing since you left New York." Ariadne told him. "I didn't know how to handle it."

"I think all kids worry about their parents dieing." Arthur mused as he breathed in the smell of his beloved wife.

Ariadne said nothing as her husband's fingers played with her hair. Her head nestled on his chest. Grateful to hear and feel him breathing.

"She tried to kill me Arthur." She said at last. Her tone dead and detached.
"I know." He said gravely. "I'm so sorry, Ariadne."

"She wanted to become me, I think. She wanted to take our son as hers. She thought you would come home and live with her as a family." The Architect said. Her eyes fixed on nothing as she listened to her husband's breathing.
"She's sick. She's not well." Arthur said.

He could handle existential talks with a six year old, but not the delusions of his childhood sweetheart with his wife.

"I know." Ariadne agreed. "She can never get out, right?" She asked.

"After you give a statement, she'll be convicted." Arthur said reassuringly. "It's over."

His wife nodded. And kept her head on his chest. Her small body perched effortlessly on his lap.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here." He whispered. His nose in her hair. "I should sell the company and be done with it. I went to New York on his business. I need to sell it, and stay here with you. Our work is dream extraction. My father is still controlling me from beyond the grave." He added bitterly.

"You've talked about selling the company before." Ariadne said picking her head up and smoothing back a stray lock of his hair. "If it's what you want to do, then I think it's a good idea. You were never interested in it to begin with."

Arthur nodded and said nothing. His mind deep in thought.

His wife leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"So, tell me about this rocket ship you were on." Ariadne said with a smile.

~ END ~

I wanted to bring Becky back into the picture. I first thought about bringing her back wanting custody of Darcy and trying to seduce Arthur. But our man could never be seduced away from Ariadne.

It's just more fun to make her crazy.

I based the whole Darcy "dressing the baby in pink" thing, on something my cousin and I used to do to her baby brother. We were both about 6 years old, and when her mom would take a nap, we would dress him up like a girl, put him in his stroller and walk him around the block. His mom never found out about it. LOL.

Thank you all so much for reading.