I Did It All For You

The elevator was moving too fast, its consistent dinging signaling Arthur's demise rather than each rise in floor. He had been rethinking every word he would say, every plea for forgiveness, to make sure he said them right. Arthur looked up at the numbers flashing over the door. 15. His eyes dropped to the opening doors and he slowly walked out, collecting his nerves with each step. No one would know he was nervous if they happened to walk by. His cool demeanor was from years of practice.

Arthur stopped in front of the door entitled 1520 and let out a long breath. His knuckles rapped against the polished wood and he waited.

"Did you really think I'd let you back in?"

Arthur's dark eyes closed for a moment before he turned around to face the body of the voice. She looked just like she did when he left her. Long, golden hair still fell like waves down her slender back and wide eyes shone like sapphires. Eyes that shown the hurt only for a moment before hiding it behind a mask of anger. The diamond he'd given her three years ago still shown from her left finger.

"You changed apartments—"

"That one was too big for one person."

Arthur dropped his head at her short remark. "Carine, I'm sorry—"

"I don't want to hear it, Arthur. You get a call from Dom, leave without a word, and then just assume you can come back here and everything will go back to normal. You left me and I don't hear anything from you for two years."

"Didn't you get my letter?"

"One letter in two years."

Arthur stepped closer to her, but her hand grasped the edge of the door tighter, threatening to close it. She looked over his black three-piece suit and his perfectly slicked back hair. He hadn't changed either.

Arthur sighed at her reaction. "You know what my job entitles. Its over and I'm back now."

"That gave you a reason to not talk to me?" Carine demanded. "What's so important that you left me for that long without a word? Arthur, I thought you were dead."

"You don't understand."

"Then, explain to me!" Tears threatened at the corners of Carine's eyes. Arthur's heart ached.

Carine had never been a person easy to upset, rarely was her face without a smile. To see her clinging to the door frame, using every last ounce of her willpower not to cry in front of him made Arthur see how much his absence had affected her. He wanted to apologize a hundred times, a thousand times if he could, but all that he could say was, "It’s a long story..."

Carine gritted her teeth and slammed the door in his face. Through the wood, Arthur could hear her sobbing. He leaned his forehead against the door. "Carine, please. I have nowhere else to go." His answer was louder sobs. "Carine."

"What's her name?"

Arthur raised his head, face contorted in confusion. "What?"

"Who's kept you away this long? What's her name?"

Ariadne. She wasn't the reason he'd been gone for so long, but guilt still crept in. To Arthur, the kiss between him and her had been next to nothing, but to Ariadne...it'd been more. Arthur still remembered her face when she'd ask where he would go, now that the job was over. He'd told her about Carine and it'd been impossible to ignore the hurt on the girl's face.

"No one," Arthur answered. "It was the job and only that."

His fiancé's sobs had diminished slightly and the door handle turned, the door opening soundlessly. Carine was gripping its edge, allowing him in. Arthur stepped over the threshold carefully, his eyes on her.

Blood-shot eyes still averted and voice hoarse, she spoke, "You can sleep on the couch." She shut the door forcibly and brushed past him into the bedroom, shutting that door just as loudly.

Arthur stood in the middle of the room as the minutes ticked by. It was a spacious, modern apartment with touches of Carine's taste for Victorian decor. It looked cheap enough for an opera singer's paycheck.

Arthur barely noticed any of it. His insides felt empty. He hadn't expected Carine to welcome him back with open arms, but it still stung that she was shunning him. Sighing, he removed his jacket and dropped it carelessly on the arm of the sofa before sitting on the cushions. He ran his hands over his face, through his dark hair, forcing his brain to think on how he was going to make it up to his fiancé.


Carine crept into the living room the next morning. Arthur was awake, sitting with his elbows propped on his knees, slouching in defeat. He hadn't changed his clothes; his tie was loosened and his hair was slightly askew, but that was the only difference.

He looked up at her, but Carine quickly avoided his eyes and went off into the kitchen. The next half-hour passed by without conversation, the only sound coming from Carine's tense actions in the next room. Occasionally, Arthur could hear a sniff or a sharp intake of breath.

Arthur's hands curled into fists and he got up from the couch and stalked into the kitchen. "Carine, we need to talk." Her back was to him and he could see her actions were all in making a breakfast, but nothing looked prepared. When she was upset, she always busied her hands, whether it was for something pointless or not.

"I don't want to talk to you," came her shaky response. Arthur grabbed her arm, but she wretched it away. "Don't touch me!"

Arthur quickly stepped around her and grabbed both her arms before she could whirl away. She fought against him, but Arthur held tight. "Carine, listen to me!" She stopped at the harshness in his voice. Her face was veiled with her disheveled, golden hair, but that didn't hide the pain and the fear from him.

She watched him, her breath moving the hairs in front of her face. Arthur's face softened and he let her arms go only to wrap her in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry," he murmured, his cheek resting against his head. "I never wanted to be gone that long."

He felt her body give and his arms relaxed. Carine suddenly pushed away from him and, before Arthur could react, she backhanded him across the face. "You, son of a bitch!"

Arthur's head jerked to the side, his cheek smarting. His jaw clenched. When he turned quickly to look at her, she jumped. He grabbed hold of her arms again and shoved her against the counter. Carine winced as her tailbone collided with the marble surface. Her mouth was agape at Arthur's sudden aggression; he'd never been that way. The ferocity in his eyes made her shrink against the counter top.

Arthur's lips connected with hers, demanding and harsh. Carine gasped at the suddenness and his tongue slipped past her open lips. Carine's body remained tense, but with passion rather than fear as it pressed up against Arthur's. Her fingers fiddled with the tie around his neck, quickly discarding it; Arthur's hands grabbed her thighs and hoisted her up onto the counter as Carine removed his vest and then went to work on the buttons of his shirt.

"I'm still...mad at you," Carine panted, in between desperate kisses. Her hands trailed down his bare chest.

Arthur lifted the shirt over her head and pressed his forehead against hers. "Of course you are..."


A breeze blew through the open patio door, caressing the sheets that tangled in between their legs. Arthur pressed his face into the waves that fell down Carine's bare back and smiled. The familiar smell of lavender and vanilla still clung to her skin.

Carine turned over and propped her head on her hand. "What did Dom make you do?"

Arthur closed his eyes, hoping she'd forget all about it. When he opened them, she was looking at him expectantly. A sigh passed his lips and he ran a hand down her arm. "I work with dreams."

"I know that, Arthur," she replied exasperatedly. "But how do dreams keep you away for so long?"

"It was illegal. I couldn't come home."

Carine's expectancy turned to confusion. "Illegal?" Arthur was one of the most honest people she'd ever met. How could he break the law?

"It involved some...stealing...corporate espionage..." Arthur trailed off and looked up at Carine's face.

Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes had gone wide. She turned on her back, keeping her eyes locked on the ceiling as she gathered her thoughts. "You were in danger, then."

Arthur shrugged. "I suppose."

Carine looked at him sharply. "You 'suppose'? Arthur!" She sat up, holding the blankets to her chest. "You could have been killed! Why would you put yourself through that? Why would you do any of that?" She glared at him, blue eyes intense with worried fury.

Arthur met her gaze, unflinching. "I did it all for you."

Like wind blowing out a flame, Carine's anger was snuffed out. She settled back against the headboard and slid down it. She tried to form words, but they refused to come right away. Arthur was always professional, always logical. Very few times did he let emotions get the best of him. He was cool and quiet in his mannerisms. But there he was, telling her that he'd risked his life for her.

"Of course, it’s a fascinating job, working with people's dreams," Arthur went on, trying to break the silence. "But we needed support and Dom needed help. I was willing to assist him."

"So you helped him with..hell knows what and you got into trouble and couldn't come home?" Arthur nodded and Carine snarled. "Next time I see that man, I'll kill him."

"It was of my own free will." Arthur touched her cheek. "I agreed to join him so I'm the one that's to blame for not coming home." He looked into her eyes, the dark orbs soft and pleading. "I'm so sorry."

Carine studied his eyes for a silent moment, possibly looking for a lie; then, she laid her hand on top of his and smiled softly. "I forgive you."