Robert Fischer was sitting at his desk, his hands folded under his chin as he looked over the stock numbers, the input, and his finances for the start of his new company. He wasn't his father, and he wasn't destined to be his father. He had stashed away enough money to last himself a lifetime, and enough to start what he wanted to do, and there went the company he'd known for his entire life. Dissolved into nothingness, much to the dismay of his Uncle Peter.
He knew he was compelled to do this. He knew that he would be a great man on his own, and somewhere, deep inside, he figured he always knew it. Robert stood from his desk and leaned against the glass window from the office building, staring out into the world. Rain was falling heavily, giving the city a dismal, dreary look. A minute smile graced his lips, wondering if the weather was mirroring his mood intentionally or if it was just his good luck.
Turning from the glass, Robert pulled his coat from the rack and headed out the door of his office. Rain or no rain, he needed some fresh air. He took the stairs slowly, and made his way outside, realizing at the last minute that he had forgotten his umbrella. Weighing his options, he decided he didn't much care about the umbrella and more about getting this antsy feeling out of his system. He crossed the street at the signal, his mind whirring with figures and responsibilities that he wished would give him a moment's peace.
Even his sleeping was suffering for it; restless, usually dreamless naps that awoke him at early hours of the morning and wouldn't let him sleep until well into the night. And a face, a pale, round face crept into his thoughts at random times, someone shouting his name, a girl. Her voice tells him he has reason to worry, but what he needs to worry about is beyond him. His dreams never carry that far, though, to see more than a glimpse of her face, her round eyes, the dark hair that frames her worried expression.
But her face is blurry, like an old photograph, long since taken. He pressed a hand to his forehead and stood under the overhand of a restaurant, out of the rain. His hair was sopping wet and he was cold, but it didn't really matter to him. He was doing it again, when he promised to himself that he would not. Robert told himself he wouldn't think about this apparition from his dreams; she wasn't real, she was a figment, probably just a face he'd seen on the street years ago that managed to force its way into his dreams.
Dreams and memories were not the same.
He shook his head to get most of the rain off of his hair, and continued to walk down the sidewalk as close to the building as possible. For a few blissful moments, he found himself calmer, his mind clear and blank. It was a difficult task, but he didn't want to think anymore, didn't want to burden himself with the memories of something that never happened. He stopped at a crosswalk again, suddenly unsure of where he had taken himself. People were bustling around him, going about their lives, living for themselves and those they loved.
A pang of regret hit him, and he wondered why he never had any loved ones. Why he never took the extra effort to make friends; his father and his godfather were all he knew, and now that he father was dead and his uncle was being secretive, well... Robert didn't know what he was going to do. He had always been the rich kid, but he never realized that he had been the typical lonely rich kid.
A small gasp made him turn around, break through his thoughts, and he saw the retreating form of a small figure with long brown hair. The girl glanced back at him, and a shock shot through him like a lightning bolt when he realized that the girl was the one from his dream.
He remembered a hand on his cheek, her words, Are you all right? Why was he remembering this if it wasn't real? If it didn't happen? Knowing this may be his only chance, Robert took off after her, careful to avoid slipping on the wet cement. He was faster than her, and it took very little to catch up to her. He grabbed her arm and the two nearly toppled over into the street, but he righted them, watching her face for a moment.
It was exactly as he remembered it from a dream? A memory? The details were lost on him as she stared back at him, as he remembered those brown eyes, full of emotion. He could tell she was looking for a way to escape, a way to get away from him. But why? She must know him too, if she was this adamant to get away. "Who are you?" he asked, not loosening his grip on her arm. "Why do I know you? Why do I remember you saving me?"
The girl stopped struggling, her expression going from worried to downright afraid. "You don't know me," she said, her voice cracking from what seemed like stress. "We've never met before." Robert shook his head and pulled her out of the rain, pushing his hair out of his face. He knew this was the girl, she had to be; the face, the eyes, the expression. Even her voice, he could pull out of his dreams, something he could hear. She saved him from something, but why couldn't he remember?
"I'm not going crazy," he mumbled, almost to himself, but the girl must have heard as her expression softened. "I'm not crazy. I remember you, I know I do. Don't lie to me, don't make me crazy, please." She placed a hand over his cheek, her face looking torn between two things that she couldn't change, that she had no right to change. Their eyes were locked for what seemed like hours, days, even, and he didn't want that moment to end, he wanted her to tell him the truth. "You saved my life," he added on the end, like it was a fact that he had always known and just didn't remember until that moment.
"Some other lucky girl," she replied hastily, taking a step back and gently moving his hand from her arm. Robert felt so lost at that moment; he had been so sure.
"You don't sound Australian," he said, trying to make conversation and get his mind off falling apart. That threw her for a moment, and she didn't seem to have a response for that. They were silent, the only sound keeping them company was the water pattering against the sidewalk, staring at each other through the downpour. "Can I, uh, buy you a coffee?" The girl looked taken aback and he clarified, "To get out of this rain?"
She didn't know what to say for a moment, before looking around for a second and then nodded. "Sure."
"I'm Robert, by the way," he added as he led her to the nearest café and holding the door open for her.
She smiled at him, and he remembered her, he did. From something that wasn't exactly a dream and wasn't exactly a memory. "Ariadne."
AN: I don't know. Just seems like it needed to be written. Also, I've only read ONE Inception fanfiction, so if this has been done, sorry!