Ariadne dropped the keys on the coffee table and lounged herself on the sofa. Her feet were propped up on it. She didn't want to turn on the television. There wasn't anything she wanted to see right now. The exhaustion was spreading to her sleepy eyes. She had worked very hard today on a school project. It had felt rather mundane and meaningless. She had tried to put sense into it. Making everything meaningful took time and effort. She had failed at that, but she had delivered a good project at the end of the day. Only, she had felt rather empty. So yes, she didn't want to see anything right now.

Well, maybe she would have wanted to see something.

Dom's children.

Whenever she had joined Dom in his memories, she had never seen their faces, because he couldn't.

So now, it was her wish as well to see his children.

To her, they held the key. It seemed to her they held the key to something important for her.

She didn't know what it was exactly. She only knew she wanted to see them. She would have liked to.

Was she going to fall asleep tonight? She had classes in the morning.

She would better do it. But then she would dream. Well, she hadn't dreamt anything since the job, but who knew when it was going to begin again.

She went into her bedroom and opened the door to the balcony.

She checked if her clothes were dry. Not yet.

Her phone beeped. Someone had sent her a message. She went to check.

Hey, it's Arthur. Meet me some time soon? Don't be a stranger.

She smiled and sat down on the bed. It was too soon after the job to start seeing them again. She needed a moment to readjust to the life in Paris.

Of course nothing could compare to the dream, nothing could, not even this beautiful city, but she had to try to get her life back on track. She had to finish her MA and get a job soon, a real one unfortunately.

She suddenly heard a strange song from afar. It was the TV.

'Huh, thought I had shut it off,' she said walking back to the living room. When she walked out of the room she realized she had never turned it on to begin with.

The television was on. Someone was watching. Someone was sitting on her couch.

'There is nothing worth watching these days,' the woman spoke, smiling sadly.

Ariadne froze in her place and tried opening her mouth. It wouldn't work. Her breathing was cut off.

Totem, totem, where is it?

Mal seemed to have read her thoughts. She lifted a small, golden object between her fingers.

'Looking for this? It's a good one. Much better than mine. Can I keep it?'

She was wearing a low cut white dress and she had a scarf around her neck, a blue one. Ariadne felt, for some reason, that she had seen the outfit before somewhere.

Wake up, wake up, Ariadne told herself. You're actually…dreaming.

'Why are you here?' she asked, her voice shaking. 'You aren't supposed to be here.'

'Oh, where am I supposed to be?' she asked, frowning.

'In D…Cobb's mind,' Ariadne replied quickly. 'Not mine. You have no place in mine.'

'Well…here I am,' Mal replied, shrugging her shoulders. 'For some reason…'

'Mal, you are gone,' Ariadne began trying to move.

'Right, gone, yes. I remember someone else saying that. Oh, yes, the traitor. My dear husband who killed me.'

'He didn't kill you! You know well what happened…You know you don't exist,' Ariadne said.

'I used to exist, I used to be very much alive, but he ended it all for me. He wouldn't even let me be a simple, beautiful idea in his mind. He had to pull me out of there too.'

'You can't kill an idea,' Ariadne replied calmly. 'It will remain there and you never know when it will resurface.'

'Yes, you know a thing or two, don't you? But in his case, he has replaced the idea of me with the idea of our children. It appears to be enough for him.'

'Mal, he's happy. He deserves to be happy,' Ariadne said, sighing. 'Don't you love him? Don't you want him to be the father of your children? Don't you want your children to be happy?'

'That man is not my husband. The husband I had wouldn't have abandoned me. He wouldn't have abandoned our children for a dream. He could have had me and the children as well.'

'But he picked reality,' Ariadne retorted, getting irritated. 'Why are you not telling this to him?'

'Because he threw me out. And I have just found a new home,' she said spreading her hands on the sofa and smiling.

Ariadne's eyes widened.

'What do you mean a new home?'

'Dom might have replaced me, but you have nothing to replace me with. I am your first.'

'My first what?'

'Your first 'other woman.' Dom is in between us. You want him. I want him. You have never been through this before. You have never fought for someone. Never had a real opponent.'

Ariadne was now approaching her slowly, all the time keeping her eyes on her totem.

'Other woman? What are you...'

'You know better than me what I am talking about.'

'I don't have these thoughts, these are not my thoughts,' she said, trying to keep her voice steady. 'I don't want Dom, never have wanted him! I just want him to be happy, I…you're not…Jesus, you're not the other woman!'

'That's right. You think you're the only woman. Can't you see you're trying to explain yourself? Why would you do that?' Mal asked, smirking.

'You are not a projection of my subconscious!'

Mal got up and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

'You don't know how I'd wish to tear you into pieces. But I can't. You're stopping me.'

Ariadne pulled the totem out of her hand.

'You should call that Arthur boy. Meet with him. He likes you. He is your only hope,' Mal added with a tinge of sadness.

After which she smiled sweetly and she pushed Ariadne into the television set.

She woke up with a halt. She was on her couch. The television was off. Her totem was sitting obediently on a top shelf.

She was breathing heavily. Her mind was reeling.

Mal, she was…she was here. She was in her mind.

Why?

It wasn't because she had feelings for Cobb. She could never…think that.

Why was she here?

What did she want?

She remembered last seeing her in Saito's limbo. She was beautiful and sad, like broken porcelain. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears.

She had felt betrayed and unloved. Ariadne had sympathized with her for a brief moment.

In those moments, while she had called for Cobb to find Saito, she was at the same time, yelling at Mal. To let herself go.

She pitied her.

Before she had taken the leap, Mal had looked at her. She didn't know if she had looked at her with hate or not, but those eyes were now stuck in her own eyes.

She had yelled at Mal to let Cobb leave and live.

She had taken him away from her.

Was she back now to punish her?

Her phone beeped. She almost jumped out of her skin.

Hey, it's Arthur. Meet me some time soon? Don't be a stranger.