After the excitement died down a bit, Cobb got on his knees and hugged James tightly. "How's it been, buddy?" he said tenderly.
"Daddy," was all James murmured in reply, turning to kiss his father on the cheek. After a moment Cobb pulled away and turned to embrace his older daughter. She wrapped her thin arms around his neck and whispered into his ear.
"I missed you."
Her hair tickled his face, and Cobb breathed in the sweet, youthful scent of it.
"I missed you too," he said, voice thick with emotion. The feelings billowing within him brought tears close to the surface, but his eyes remained dry. After a moment he glanced up at his father, who was watching with a smile on his face.
"I'm so glad you could make it happen," the man said in his slightly gruff voice. "I know how long you've been dreaming of this day."
Cobb's head jerked up. "Ye-eah, I know," he said shakily, slowly rising to his feet. His father's eyes darkened.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, not at all," Cobb said, walking towards the kitchen table with false casualness. He stopped and stared at his totem as it spun in place.
"No," he said in a strangled voice, leaning his elbows on the table and gripping his head. The weight of his past came rushing back and engulfed him in a gray cloud of desperation.
"Daddy? Are you okay?" Phillipa said, coming to her father's side. Cobb ignored her. "It's all just a dream. It's all just a dream. It's always just a dream," he muttered wretchedly, gazing at the totem.
"Dom," his father said, coming towards him. "I can assure you-"
"Don't you see!" Cobb cried. "You're not real. They're not real." He gestured to his children, who stared at him wide-eyed. "None of this is real. None of it ever will be." His voice broke on the last word. I can't take this anymore, he thought. This is the last straw.
As Cobb teetered on the edge of his breaking point, the totem wobbled, and his heart wobbled with it.
It tipped...and fell.
There were a crash and as Cobb knelt on the floor with a gasp, he realized the token had broken into two pieces. A second later he felt a hand burn on his shoulder.
"I told you, Dom," his father said, pulling Cobb to his feet. "You're not dreaming anymore. Those days are over. You're free."
The tears finally came.