Who am I killing?
Summary: The four times Arthur's daughter came home upset and the one time Arthur came home upset. Father-daughter love.
Author's Note: First Inception fanfic. I'm working on a multi-chapter fanfiction, but a cute little family story that popped into my head. In this story, I imagine that they live somewhere in America probably a small town. Just so happen Eames and his family joined them.
Arthur seems like the type to spoil his daughter. They (Ariadne and Arthur) also have a son, but he's barely there.
"Daddy!" Four year old Alena Hamilton yelled as she and her mother walked into the house from the garage.
"Daddy!" She yelled again as she ran into the office where her father sat reading the newspaper. Arthur looked up and set the newspaper down as she jumped onto his lap.
"Daddy, daddy, daddy." She repeated while tears brim her eyes.
"What's wrong wrong sweetie? Who am I killing?" Her little chest heaved as tears fell down her face. He wiped her tears away thinking about the gun safely hidden in the bottom of the drawer.
"Nicky Eames!" Arthur rolled his eyes as he thought of the Forger. Why he and Ariadne chose to settle down near Eames and his family was beyond him. More tears ran down her face. Arthur rubbed her back to soothe her.
"What happen?" He asked his little girl.
"He said I couldn't play with him and James because I was a girl!"
"Now why would you want to play with him? He's a boy."
"I like boys!" Arthur frowned not ready for his daughter to be attracted to the opposite gender.
"Boys are dumb, and you shouldn't like them." She flashed him an innocent look.
"But daddy's a boy." She said matter-of-a-factly.
"Yes, but daddy's a big boy. Nicky's a little boy. Little boys are irrelevant." She blinks in confusion.
"Uh, I mean, daddy's the only boy that you need."
"What about Uncle Eames and Uncle Dom and Uncle Yusuf?" She asked curiously. His face hardened.
"I am the only boy you need." He repeated.
"Are you feeling better?" She smiled and nodded. He returned the smile.
"Now go on and put a pretty dress and Daddy will take you to the toy store okay?"
"Okay Daddy!" She flashed a toothy grin and ran out of the room. Arthur looked up to see his wife smirking in the doorway holding their newborn son. She walked over and takes a seat on his desk.
"You know, you shouldn't spoil her."
"You're just jealous because she likes me more." He teased. She shook her head and leaned forward. He met her halfway and kissed her.
"Daddy!" Alena screams from her bedroom.
"Ah, my daughter awaits." Arthur broke the kiss and stands up. He followed their daughter out to the garage. Ariadne smiled as she watched Arthur buckle Alena into the backseat.
"Don't buy anything too expensive now!" Ariadne called out as Arthur and Alena drive away.
They return with a Barbie Jeep, a bike, and a box of Pretty Pretty Princess.
"Daddy!" Twelve year old Alena screamed as she ran into her father's office. Arthur looked up from his laptop as his daughter walked into the room. He notices that there are no tears down her face, but she's sporting a look sadness on her sweet face.
"What's wrong sweetie? Who am I killing?" She sniffs as she takes a seat on his desk.
"Nicky Eames." He rolls his eyes wondering why they haven't moved away yet.
"What did he do this time?" he asked. She shrugs before telling him the story.
"We were in math class today, Mrs. Albrieght asked him to solve an equation on the board. But Nicky's stupid and did it completely wrong." Arthur chuckles and thinks about how near the apple fell from the tree. "So I raised my hand to correct him, which I did. I got the answer right of course. I am the smartest person in the class. So then Mrs. Albrieght was praising me on a job well done. Nicky called me a stick-in-the-mud in front of the whole class!" She cross her arms across her chest and pouts. Arthur shakes his head.
"That boy is so much like his father, it's ridculous." He mutters. Her eyes perk up at this.
"But Uncle Eames is so nice! Nicky's just a jerk." Arthur inwardly laughs at how wrong that statement was. Nicky was an angel compared to Eames. He once set in laptop on fire for kicks and giggles.
"Alright sweetie. Do you want me to call Uncle Eames or Aunt Matilda?" She shakes her head.
"No, it's okay." He stands up from his chair and kisses his daughter's forehead. She smiles up at him.
"Come." He walks towards the door. She follows.
"Where are we going?"
"The mall." Her smile widens.
"Okay, just leave he change first!" He nods and walks into the kitchen where his wife is preparing dinner.
"Hello wife." She stops chopping the onions and wipes her brow. He leans down to peck her lips.
"Did she talk to you?" She resumes chopping the rest of the vegetables.
"Yes, remind me to kill Eames." She chuckles and shakes her head.
"No, you can't kill your best friend." His look hardens.
"Eames is not my friend."
"Whatever you say honey."
"Daddy." Both parents turn around and see their daughter dressed in a black overcoat, dark blue skinny jeans, and a plaid scarf.
"We're going to the mall, be back before dinner." Ariadne rolls her eyes.
"Alright have fun." Arthur kissed her again. Alena covered her face and disgust and left the room.
"Alright."
"Don't forget to pick up Landon from soccer practice."
"I won't."
"Don't buy anything too expensive."
"Of course not." He smirked as he followed his daughter to the car.
They returned with a 3.5 thousand dollar Gucci purse and a Macbook Air.
"Dad." Sixteen year old Alena knocked on his office door. Arthur took his glasses off and placed them on the table. He also closed the book he was reading.
"Come in." She walked into the office and took a seat on the leather chair in front of his desk. He knew immediately the stress on her face. She had her hands on her lap and kept taking deep breaths.
"What's wrong? Who am I killing? Is it Nicolas again?" She looked and lock eyes with her father.
"No, it's not Nicky this time. In fact," she laughed lightly. "He might actually deserve an award."
"An award? Are we talking about the same Nicolas?"
"Yeah daddy. Nicky actually saved me today."
"What do you mean saved you?"
"You know that guy I dated? Ronnie?" Arthur nodded slowly trying to place the boy she mention. Tall, blonde, football player, with a 3.2 gpa. Father is an accountant. Mother is a nurse. Four siblings.
"He's been spreading rumors about me. Like bad rumors. And everyone believes him because he's the king of the school, the stupid quarterback." Tears started to run down her face. He got up and sat on the arm of the chair. He pulled his arm around her and she sobbed into his crisp jacket.
"So today, in the caf, I was walking to the table and a bunch of cheerleaders knocked my books, notes, and lunch out of my hands. Then the football team came and stepped all over my stuff. Ronnie lead them and then he started to ridicule me in front of everyone. it was horrible daddy." He rubbed her shoulders.
"So what happened next?" She sniffed rubbing her eyes.
"Nicky and his friends came over to help me out. Nickey was picking up my chem notebook when Ronnie stepped all over it again. Angry, Nicky punched Ronnie."
"Nicky punched him?" He was brute boy like his father.
"Yeah. It was awesome actually. Ronnie's tall, but Nicky's really buff." She flexed her muscle to make her point.
"After three punches, Ronnie was out. Nicky got suspended for a week."
"And Ronnie?"
"Suspended for two days, but he went to the hospital." Arthur nodded.
"What about these rumors?" She sighed.
"Despite Nicky's effort, my reputation can't be fixed so easily." She ran her fingers through her hair. Arthur frowned seeing his daughter upset.
"You passed you license test right?" He asked changing the subject.
"Yeah, last week."
"How'd you do?"
"I passed with no mistakes."
"That's my girl." She beamed with pride.
"Well, show me what you got." He got up. She followed suit and hugged her father. He kissed her forehead.
"My car or mom's?" She thought carefully between her father's red Ferrari 599 GTB and her mother's black C350 sports sedan Mercedes.
"Definitely your's." He smiled as the two filed out of the office. Ariadne and Landon were in the living room watching a movie.
"We're going for a drive. We're taking my car." Arthur informed them from behind the couch. They looked back.
"Okay have fun!" Ariadne called out. Arthur kissed the top of her head and ruffled his sons hair.
"We will." She tugged on his tie.
"Don't buy anything too expensive now." He smirked.
"Who said I was buying anything?" She rolled her eyes and smiled.
"Bye mom! Bye Landon!"
"Bye!" Landon yelled. Arthur handed Alena the keys to his car.
"We'll be back before dinner."
They returned with a silver Mustang V6 convertible.
Ding. Dong. The doorbell rang several times at 3:24 AM.
"Who the hell is that?" Ariadne whispered groggily from her sleep.
"Should I get that or leave it?" Arthur replied getting up on his elbows. The doorbell kept going off.
"Momma, dad." Sixteen year old Landon said opening the bedroom door.
"There's someone," he paused to yawn. "At the door." Ariadne nudged Arthur's rib.
"Okay, okay, I'm getting up." He crawled out of bed clad in only briefs and sweatpants.
"Jesus dad, can't you wear a shirt?" Landon teased. Arthur sleepily glared at his son and ruffled his hair.
"Nope, your mother's wearing it." He smirked. Landon gave him a disgusted face.
"Gross."
"Don't talk to your father like that. You're just as shirtless as him." Ariadne argued.
"Meh." Landon said flushed. He crawled into his parent's bed and fell asleep instantly. Ariadne smirked kissing her son's forehead and falling asleep. Arthur walked down the stairs and looked through the peephole of the front door. He couldn't make out the black figure. The doorbell rang two more times before Arthur finally opened the door.
"Daddy." Twenty two year old Alena ran into her father's arm. Dumbstruck. He hugged her back. They stood there embracing for a while before Alena broke the hug. She grabbed her bag and walked inside. He immediately noticed her tense shoulders.
"Can we go into your office daddy?" She asked quietly. He nodded retreating into the room where he spent most of his day in.
"What's wrong? Am I killing anyone?" He asked as he settled into his leather swirling chair. She sat on top of his desk with her legs criss-crossed. She ran her fingers through her hair and smiled wistfully.
"Maybe Nicky." He took a deep breath.
"What happened now?"
"He... kind of... well... He proposed." He blinked in confusion.
"I'm sorry what?" Alena was attending college in Paris just like her mother while Nicky was in Liverpool.
"He flew to Paris and he just proposed." Arthur scratched his head trying to process what she just said.
"Okay... and what did you say?"
"That's the thing, I didn't say anything. Oh god, why didn't I say anything." Tears ran down her face, stabbing Arthur's heart.
"Walk me through it."
"I was in my Pysch class when he showed up. I skipped the rest of my classes and showed him around Paris. Then he took me out to dinner. We went to this little cafe and afterwards went straight to his hotel. I went to the bathroom to freshen up, and when I returned he was on one knee with a ring in his hands." She rubbed her eyes with the butt of her palms.
"Go on."
"I ran! Once he said 'Will you marry' I ran! I didn't even let him finish his sentence. I just ran straight to the door, into the elevator, through the lobby, into a cab, and straight to the airport. I call Uncle Saito to book me a quick flight and got here as soon as I can. I turned my phone off. Didn't bring my laptop." She sobbed hitting her forehead with her palms. Arthur stood up and grabbed his daughter's hands.
"Sweetie. It's okay."
"No it's not! I love Nicky! How could I just abandon him like that! Daddy."
"Do you want to marry him?"
"We're still so young."
"Do you want to marry him?" He repeated.
"I, I, I don't know." He sighed.
"When your mother was your age, I fell in love with her." She sighed.
"You told me this story." He squeezed her hands in his.
"No, I haven't. This is the real story. Let me finish." She nodded.
"Your mother was just a college student. I was twenty-nine. Your Uncle Dom introduced us. For me, it was love at first sight. The moment she walked into my life, I just knew, I felt it. So during the job, I tricked her into kissing me. Afterwards, we weren't suppose to see each other right away, but I made it so we could. I don't know how long it took for her to love me back. But when I proposed a year later, she said 'no' right off the bat. After that, she ran away too. I wanted to follow her, but Dom suggested I didn't. I wait two months before she came back."
"And what did she say?" He smiled.
"What do you think?"
"Why did she wait so long to answer you?"
"I think It's because she wasn't as sure as I was. I knew that I was madly in love with her, but she was still so young. She didn't know yet."
"So what made her realize that she loved you?"
"I just knew." Arthur and Alena turned to the doorway where Ariadne stood in Arthur's over-sized shirt.
"Geez, can't you guys wear your own clothes." Ariadne smiled walking across the room to the two. She and Alena exchanges kisses and she settled on her husband's lap.
"How much did you hear momma?"
"Enough." Alena leaned back on her hands.
"How did you know?"
"I was sitting in the airport in Texas just watching the baggage claim. Just to past time. To watch people reach their destination or coming home. There was this particular flight filled with soldiers coming home. I saw soldiers reuniting with their families and friends. I saw wives and husbands, mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, sisters and brothers, grandparents and grandchildren, best friends. I thought I saw everything. Then I saw this man. He was very handsome. In fact, he looked just like your father." Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Anyways, I watched as he stood alone. He was just staring and then all of a sudden this girl runs up into his arms and starts crying and kissing him all over his face. And all of a sudden, it hit me. I don't know what it was, but it suddenly clear. I bought the first ticket back to Paris and said yes."
"And you just accepted that? Mom left you for two months." Arthur looked up thoughtful before nodding.
"When she showed up in the apartment and all she said was, 'Yes, I'll marry you.' I didn't really want to believe her because, well you're right, she did leave me." Ariadne kissed his temple as if she was compensating for it. "But then again, I didn't want to push her away. So instead, I took her into my arms and cried."
"Daddy you cried?"
"Like a baby." He admitted running his fingers through Ariadne's hair.
"Do you think Nicky's crying?" She ask quietly.
"Does he love you?" Ariadne countered.
"Of course he does."
"And do you love him?" Arthur asked. Alena inhaled deeply and shook her head.
"Yeah, yeah. Of course I love him."
"Do you want to spend the rest of your life with him?"
"I don't know." She said hitting her head with her fist.
"You already spent twenty-two years with him, what's another sixty-eighty years?" Arthur smiled.
"Yeah. I'll think about." She hopped off the desk.
"You guys don't mind if I spend the night right? I'll take the first flight back to Paris in the morning."
"Not at all dear." Arthur nudged Ariadne to get up. She kindly obliged and helped him up.
"You know what you're going to say?" Arthur asked. Alena flashed a cheeky smile.
"I have an idea. Night parental units!" She bid them as she walked out the room. The married couple smiled before linking hands and returning to their room.
"I'm going to go with her, you know, to Paris." Arthur said.
"I know you are. Just do me a favor?"
"What? Don't buy anything too expensive?" She shook her head.
"Buy the most expensive wedding dress for her." He chuckled before opening the door to their room. They found their youngest sprawled out on their king sized bed.
"He never changes, does he?"
"Nope. Still a baby." They laughed as they slipped into bed, boxing their son in. They both kissed the sleeping boy and bid each other goodnight. The next morning, Alena and Arthur returned to Paris.
Arthur returned four days later with nothing, but Alena had a diamond engagement ring and ten thousand dollar wedding dress in her dorm.
"Daddy, what are you doing in the backyard all by yourself?" Pregnant twenty-six year old Alena asked as she sat down on the porch next to her father. Arthur gave her a fake smile. Alena raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong? Who am I killing?" She smiled. He shook his head and chuckled.
"Nicolas Eames." She bit her lip trying not to laugh.
"Why? What did he do to you daddy?" She rubbed her pregnant belly.
"Well, when my darling daughter was four, he made her cry. When she was twelve, he made her cry again. When she was sixteen, he stole her heart. When she was twenty-two, he took her hand. Now at twenty-six, he knocked her up." He said. He sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Aw, it's okay. You don't need to protect me anymore." He frowned.
"But you're my princess."
"But Nicky's my knight in shining armor."
"Can't I just kill him and buy you a nice castle instead?" She laughed.
"No daddy."
"Okay." He said defeated. She rested her head against his shoulders.
"I love you daddy." He smiled moving his hand up to ruffle her hair.
"I love you too." They sat together for a couple of minutes before Alena's face paled.
"Uh... dad."
"Yes dear?"
"My water broke." His eyes widen as he looked down on her dress. Sure enough, the front was wet.
"Ah shit—" He cursed.
"Daddy!" She chastised him. He quickly got on his feet and helped her up.
"NICKY! EAMES! ARI!" Arthur yelled as he led his panic-stricken daughter into her house.
"What, what, what's going on?" Nicky said as he entered the room wearing yellow gloves. He was washing the dishes.
"Thundercats..." Alena whispered. In flash, Nicky was by her side with a bag of clothes. He rushed her to the car. The four parents looked at each other before following them out to the car and into the hospital.
Two days later, they returned to the house with the newest member of the Hamilton-Eames family, Julian Arthur Eames.