The Distraction

I do not own anything except for my ideas for this story : D Enjoy!

Chapter 1: True Surface

It was the longest line Ariadne had ever seen. Customs was going to take forever she thought. She looked around and saw Cobb nervously waiting for his turn and she saw Arthur to her right looked more serious than ever and she could not help but smile thinking of their brief kiss in the dream. She was not stupid though, she knew what he would say, it was just a distraction. Even though she had the feeling he knew it would never work as a distraction. Stop thinking about that she thought, I should be thinking about where I am going to go after I get through customs and this pounding had ache that will not let me go. She placed her hand on her head and felt slightly dizzy and her body shifted to the right as she moved forward. She recomposed herself but not before noticing Arthur looking at her worried and almost reach to catch her as she swayed.

She was finally called and walked over to the desk and looked over at Cobb in happiness as his passport got stamped and hers did as well and she went to pick up her suit case. Arthur was grabbing his suitcase as her looked at Ariadne out of the corner of his eye. He picked up her suitcase with one swift movement and handed it to her.

"Thank you" she told him with a smile that made him look away before he did anything stupid in public. He answered her with a small smile and turned to walk to the taxis.

As expected she told herself and walked outside to get a taxi and get to a hotel as soon as possible because this headache was not going away. She waited patiently for a taxi and one finally picked her up.

"To the Hilton Hotel, please" she told the taxi driver

"Right away Miss" he responded.

The taxi ride was not long but all she could think about was what the team had just done. It was truly incredible but most of all she could not help but think of Arthur and how he maintains his calm in every situation. The closest she had gotten to seeing him angry was when Cobb revealed to them that they would drop to limbo if they died in the dream. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the rear view mirror of the taxi and she looked tired. God she thought I look awful how is it that Arthur stilled looked so good after the dream and 10 hours of flight. I guess practice makes perfect. The taxi came to a jolting stop and it snapped her out of her thinking. She handed the money to the driver and grabbed her luggage.

Ariadne stepped into the hotel and noticed the beauty of the hotel but was too tired to see anything else and she approached the desk and checked in. She got her hotel key and made her way to the elevator and stepped in and as the doors where closing she heard a familiar voice say, "Hold the elevator please" and she placed her foot on the door to hold it open. She looked up to see who was coming into the elevator and to her surprise it was Arthur.

"Arthur" she said thinking she was never going to see him again.

"Hello, Ariadne" he said, more collected that ever, "5th floor please". She hit the button while laughing at the irony of the floor number and that she was on the same floor as him.

"So, how long are you staying?" she said trying to make conversation.

"Not sure yet" he said not looking at her.

"Okay" she said. She was glad the elevator doors opened and they both stepped out together. What am I going say to him she thought goodbye? See you? She reached her door and noticed that he stopped next to her and placed his room key in his door. Great, we are next to each other she said. This is going to be an interesting couple of days. Arthur went in his room without saying a word and shut the door. She did the same.

What did you think was going to happen she though. Did I think he was all of a sudden going to share his feelings with me, that is if he even has feelings for me. Stop being so stupid Ariadne, you are just another girl that he has worked with, you don't even know if he has a girlfriend. I was just a distraction to him.

And as much as she wanted to believe that she hoped with all that she had that she was mistaken.

Arthur dropped his suitcase as soon as he got in the room and fell into the bed. He was completely drained and as much as he wanted to get up and take a shower he was powerless. He took of his tie and vest and unbuttoned his dress shirt as he let out a sigh. Gosh he thought why did I kiss her in the dream, I knew it would not create a distraction. Why did I let my impulses get the better of me? What is it about her that makes me so out of control?

He kept questioning himself when something caught his attention. The door. It joined his room with Ariadne's room. He was surprised she had not said anything yet. He reached for the handle and opened the door completely forgetting that he was almost shirtless. He was surprised it was unlocked and he heard the shower going on the other side and he quickly shut the door. What are you doing Arthur? He thought, what were you doing to say if she was not in the shower? He shook his head and stepped into the bathroom to take a shower.

…..

Arthur was too tired to do anything after his shower so he let his hair do its own thing and just slipped on long pajama pants and a black tee shirt. He lay in bed and tried to get some rest.

Ariadne was exhausted and after her shower she slipped on pajama shorts and a white tee shirt she had in her suitcase. Why is he being so distant? She thought about Arthur, did I do something or is it just that he was worried about Cobb and Saito? She was to tired to think anymore so she got under her covers and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

It was 3:30am and Arthur could not sleep. He was tossing and turning but no sleep came to him. All of a sudden he heard a loud voice from the other room. He stopped turning to listen.

"NO! I want to leave, this is not real. Let me go! Let me go!" he heard Ariadne shouting and he did not know why but he jumped out of bed and flew open the door which joined their rooms. He ran over to her bed and she was still shouting, thrashing in bed. He reached her and sat on her bed and picked her up.

"Ariadne, wake up, wake up" he said as he shook her. Her eyes jolted wake and she stared at him in disbelief and fear. She looked around and picked up her totem by her bed side and let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey" Arthur said, "look at me, you are fine" seeing as she was still lost. Not knowing what she was going to say or do he was looking at her and suddenly she reached and hugged him and did not let go. Surprised and pleased by her reaction, Arthur hugged her small figure and towered over her in the bed. It felt like a decade before she let go of Arthur. When they parted he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine. I am sorry" she said as her voice cracked.

"Bad dream?" he asked her.

"Yeah" she said, not knowing what to say or how to respond to his kindness as compared to his coldness at the beginning of the day. Then she was putting it all together and asked him,

"How did you get in?"

"Oh, we have a door joining our rooms" he said quietly, "I'm sorry if I freaked you out".

"No, really it's fine. Thank you" she said.

"Okay well I will let you get back to bed" he said moving to get up. He was already halfway gone when he heard her.

"Arthur" she called him.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Can you please stay?" she said knowing she was going to regret this in the morning because she looked like a child right now. But as she asked him that is when she noticed he did not look like he normally did. He was not wearing a suite and his hair was not gelled. He looks so attractive she thought. It seemed like forever before he responded and then he said,

"Yeah sure" What? He thought that is not what I should have said but he was already walking over to her.

She moved over in her bed and as soon as he got in she placed her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her small waist. They both immediately fell asleep and it was the best sleep they had both gotten in a long time.

…

Morning broke and Ariadne woke up to find the other half of her bed empty. She looked for her totem and found it in her hand and realized she had not let go of it all night long. She looked over at the clock and it was 8:30 am and she looked around for Arthur but there was no sign of him in her room and then she remembered last night and she smiled thinking of the relax and not always tense and serious Arthur. Ariadne put her head down into the pillow and it smelled of cologne, it smelled of Arthur. She signed and got up and went to the door she had not even noticed before and opened it.

She went into Arthur's room and it was empty. He was not in the bathroom, or the room or the closet and all his clothes were gone. She felt a sudden emptiness around her and she fell to the ground and started to cry in her hands. Pick yourself up, she told herself but there was no movement. What was I thinking? What did I think was going to happen between us? Am I ever going to see him again? I hope not she answered herself but deep down knew that was not true.

She went back into her room and started packing all her stuff. She checked out and booked a flight to Paris. Might as well finish my studies since I have no idea what is going on with the team or if I am ever going to have another job like that. Ariadne got on her flight and sat by the window looking out but always hoping that Arthur would come after her and tell her what she wanted to hear…

One Year Later…

Ariadne walked in the streets of Paris, happier than ever. She had finished school two months earlier and had finally gotten a job as an architect in a top firm in Paris. She went into a boutique and bought a new silver and blue scarf to congratulate herself on her new job. She had just made a contract to create a new house for the President of France. The house would serve as a place for the family to relax and step away from the madness of politics. Even though it was nothing like what she had been doing a year ago, she knew nothing would ever come close to that feeling.

"Ariadne" somebody called, she turned around and smiled at John, her boyfriend of four months was approaching her and she held out her arms to hug him and her picked her up spinning her in the air.

"Hi" she said.

"Well hello beautiful" he said, "I heard you get to work with the president, but of course I knew you would" he finished quickly leaning down to kiss her.

"Thank you" she smiled and returned the kiss getting on her tip toes. As she walked with John he was talking about work at the law firm and the crazy clients he had to meet with today. She was listening and offering a response here and there but all she kept thinking was about why it felt like a part of her life was empty. Maybe it's because I have not seen my parents and family in a long time? Or maybe I miss the team and Cobb? She knew the real reason but she did not want to say it to herself let alone out loud.

"Darling, are you okay?" John broke her thoughts.

"Oh, yeah sorry. A lot on my mind. The President invited me to a party he is hosting tonight and I just don't want to mess up this job" she said.

"Oh, I see but don't worry. You will do great and if you are worried I can come to the party tonight so you can be more relaxed." John suggested.

"Thank would be great." She answered with a small smile.

…

Ariadne arrived to the party after she had spent the whole day getting ready. Getting a dress and getting her hair into tight curls in a half up do. Her red dress swiftly moved with the wind as she stepped out of the car and John followed close behind. He held her hand and smiled at her as they went into the party together.

The mansion was very regal and the design was intricate with grand draperies and bow tied staff walking around. The President approached them.

"Ariadne, welcome and John it is a pleasure to meet you and you should be very proud of your talented girlfriend" he said with a booming voice.

"Yes, pleasure is mine" John responded, "Of course, Ariadne is the best"

"Well thank you, to the both of you" Ariadne said.

"Please enjoy the party" the President said before he excused himself.

"Well that went well, he loves you" John said

"Thanks" she said, "should we get a drink?"

"Yes, of course" he said leading her to the bar area.

They reached the bar and he ordered a dry martini and John ordered a whisky. When she got her drink she turned to John and said,

"I think I am going to go mingle"

"Okay, have fun, sweetie" he responded

Ariadne left and attempted to talk to people but was not really feeling up to it. So she decided to step out into the terrace. The view of the Eiffel Tower and Paris were breath taking from were she was standing.

"Enjoying the view?" a familiar voice asked her.

She turned around to see who was there and her face completely changed.

"Arthur?" she asked, surprised at what was going on.