19.

~ "Owe! Watch it, harpie woman." Arthur snarled as Jordan pinned the collar of his shirt down. Her long, talon like finger nails scratching him a little.

"You know, for a big hero who got shot and all, you sure do complain a lot." Jordan chastised as she smoothed out the new black jacket and well made shirt.

"I won't comment on that." Arthur winced as he felt the pain medication he had finally taken start to wear off.

"Well, take a look." Jordan said at last and made him face a mirror.

She moved aside and let the Point Man see her handy work.

Even though his arm was still tightly wrapped and was bulky and odd looking, Arthur had to admit, he looked good.

"Armani suits you. You could be on the cover of GQ." she added.

Arthur hated to agree, but when she was right...

"What was wrong with my old clothes?" he grumbled as he clumsily tried to straiten his tie.

"Stop picking at it!" Jordan snapped and swatted him away. "What was wrong with them, was that they didn't work for your body type. You're thin and lean and you don't need to wear things that try and hide that. You don't need shoulder pads in your jacket, that went out in the 80's. You don't want to wear stripped ties with primary colors unless your being ironic. And no more monochromatic suits." she scolded and fixed his clothing as if he were a barbie doll.

"Why are you doing this?" Arthur asked.

"I like you." Jordan said simply.

He looked at her.

"Not like that." Jordan told him and rolled her eyes. "We can both do better. No, I think you're good for Ariadne. I think after all this, you're the one man she can trust. I think she cares about you and believe me, it's not easy to get that girl to care about a man. I've known her for too long and she has a lot of issues with trust."

"She has every reason to. The person she trusted to watch over her was helping some crazed stalker. Her father and boyfriend were killed." Arthur sighed.

"Exactly. But she truest you. I mean, she took you to West Egg Village right?" Jordan asked.

"You know about that place?" he asked.

She nodded.

"I think you can go to her." Jordan said.

"Go to her." Arthur huffed and shook his head. "Big climatic romantic moment? The bad guy's defeated, our hero comes for his lady and they have a long passionate embrace and kiss?"

He meant it to be mocking but Jordan only smiled.

"Preferably with an ocean view and sunset in the background. Play some Mumford and Sons to."

"Jordan, I'm not that guy. I'm... I'm not good at this."

"I know, that's why I'm helping you. You need all the help you can get."

"Jordan, I can't be her body guard anymore, I'll fail... I'll..." he looked at his broken arm. "I got too close. I compromised things."

"I don't know what that means other than you slept with her and think it was a mistake. Which it wasn't trust me, Ariadne isn't loose in bed. She likes you." Jordan said as she started apply lipstick. The society girl in love with her reflection.

"Did she say that?" Arthur asked curiously.

"She didn't have to." Jordan smiled.

~ It was a three hour drive to Willie's old family home. Arthur knew where the house was. Another old home, buried out in the country.

It was hard to drive with only one arm free, but he figured Ariadne could drive back.

~ She was in the back garden. Her clothing obviously borrowed from one of Willie's relatives and she looked so unlike herself, it was absolutely flattering.

Dirt was on her face, her hair was in a messy bun and she was slightly sun burnt.

"Been out there all day since the news reported her father was found dead." Willie said sadly. "She started tending to my late wife's rose garden, then went to work on the vegetable garden. She works out there all day and never says hello."

Arthur watched her hunched over in the dirt from the back porch. The young woman with the well made clothing and expensive jewelry was a far cry from this shattered girl right now.

"Then the news was about her fiancé and how that stalker was found dead. How her father's head of security was involved. It's all that's on the TV right now." Willie added worriedly.

"I've come to take her back home." Arthur admitted. "I've arranged for her her sister to stay with us. Out of the public eye. Have any reporters come around?"

"You know better." Willie laughed.

Arthur nodded. Willie had kept Ariadne perfectly hidden here.

"You clean up real good, Arthur. Thought you were a movie star for a second there." the older man teased.

Arthur let his friend's laughter roll off him as he went outside.

~ She was replanting tomatoes and he thought she didn't see him.

"I've been here a week and no word from you." she said without turning around.

"I know. I had to give a statement about the shooting." Arthur said.

"My dad's dead." she said dryly and went to work digging.

"Yes."

"Bill to."

"Yes."

She let out a sigh and stopped her labor.

"It's all over the news."

"That's why I had to wait so long." he admitted. "Couldn't have reporters come and find you here."

"Cobb." she said darkly.

"He was behind all of it. He set the cameras up. He encouraged Eames to stalk you. He feed Eames information about our movements together." Arthur explained.

She nodded and started digging again.

"The news is saying my father didn't do it. Now that he's dead, they were able to investigate. Forensic accounting proved he never took bribes." she sighed. "So why did Cobb say he did?"

"I'm not sure." Arthur admitted sadly.

She plunged her trow in the dirt and stood.

With the dirty gardening clothes, her slightly sun burnt face and messy hair, she looked more lovely than she could ever look in expensive trappings.

"You look nice." she nodded.

"Jordan dressed me." he explained.

"She must like you."

"She said he did." he shrugged.

"How's the arm?"

"Painful."

"So, what happens now?"

"Now, you drive us to another location. Elizabeth is waiting for us there already. You'll eventually have to give a statement to police, but it won't be a big deal." he said.

"I would have thought... after all this, you won't want to be my body guard any more." she said sadly.

"I'm not your body guard." he corrected sourly. "I can't exactly protect you with this arm anyway."

He looked at his arm, encased and useless in the cast.

"Then what-"

"Jordan put it in my head I need to come and sweep you off your feet." he grumbled.

He saw her smile briefly and the compose herself again.

"With one arm?" she said.

"I told her it was ridiculous, but she dressed me up and told me to come get you." he said feeling like a fool.

He was sure that moment she would laugh at him. Laugh and declare a girl like her, a rich, well bred lady, could never be with him. That he was a diversion and his job to her was over.

"Well, Jordan always had good taste. Better than me." she said.

He wasn't sure what that meant but was slightly hopeful it was something good.

"What else did she say?" Ariadne asked.

"That you have a lot of trust issues and that you trusted me." he admitted.

She looked angry for a second. That wall coming back up.

"I do have trust issues." she said darkly. "But I trust you. You tell me the truth even when I don't want to hear it."

"And I always will." he snapped back.

"Alright."

Alright... what?"

"Alright, I'll let you sweep me off my feet." she sighed as if begrudgingly agreeing with him.

"Very well. Like I said... you're driving." he said as she hid a smile under her dirty hands.

~ Election Night ~

~ 2 Years Later ~

~ Arthur could scarcely recognize the lake house these days. After all the work that he wanted done, Ariadne had come in and remolded everything her own way. She had carelessly thrown out the southwest style decor that he had thought would never go out of style, and redecorated. He had to admit, she did a wonderful job.

He had been worried the the decor would be some shabby chic nonsense, but it turned out alright. She had bought furniture for a man, and dressed it as if a woman lived there to. Eventually, without any agreement being met, she had taken up residence in the cabin with him.

"Ariadne, it's on!" he called as the special news report flashed on the screen.

She was running out of the kitchen. Dinner was cooking and her face was pink for the heat of the stove.

"Do you think the'll play the footage from my shelter again?" she asked hopefully.

"Marks has based her whole campaign around women's rights and your story, the shelter was front and center." Arthur teased as he rubbed the pain in his arm that suddenly flared up again.

Ariadne moved over on the couch and started to rub his shoulders. His arm never truly healed right after Eames' attack, and he had retired from his work as a Point Man.

"It was such an honor to go with her on the campaign trail." Ariadne added.

"It brought much needed publicity to your batter women's shelter. That's all I care about." Arthur said as the old mutt, which they never named, curled up on his lap.

"It did bring in a lot of donations." Ariadne agreed. "If I have to be famous, I'm glad I can use what happened to me to help other women."

Arthur had to agree.

Ariadne couldn't avoid the media. After she came out of hiding, she wisely gave a very gripping interview on TV about all she had endured from her stalker, Cobb and the loss of her father. She used that publicity to open a battered women and children's shelter. A place that didn't just give women a place to go, but taught them job skills, finished school and provided day care while they were working. Even helping them find a new place to live. She had taken a terrible thing and turned it into something very positive. She used her money to help those who never could help themselves.

Arthur was proud of her. She wasn't the angry closed off girl anymore, but she was stronger and more capable. They had started living together right after he came to get her from Willie's and didn't feel the need to go their separate ways.

It was odd for him to go from her protector to a more domestic situation, but he was comfortable with it.

Life was peaceful and easy these days. They watched TV together at the election results came in. That night, they would make love. In the morning, they would drive out to have lunch with her sister and visit a few friends.

"Here come the results." the former Point Man teased as she curled beside him. Her body tense with happy anticipation.

~ END ~

Sorry it's been taking so long to update. Been busy last few days. Cleaning my house and getting rid of a bunch off stuff. It's exhausting work!

BTW, today was my 12 year wedding anniversary! My husband took me to see "Peter Pan" at the Houston Ballet. This WILL feature into my little family update that I've now started working on.

Won't say anymore, but I really think you'll love it.