I guess this is just something I thought of one night when I was imagining random conversations between Arthur and Ariadne. Sorry, but I don't remember the exact dialouge from the movie...if you can't tell, it takes place right after the two of them swim to shore from the van that was underwater:) Thanks! Reviews are always appreciated ;P
Also, I don't know if this should be a oneshot or not...let me know what you think! :) PS- Don't kill me, but I didn't use spell check! :X
"Where's Cobb?" Arhur asked her when they flopped, sopping wet, onto the shore.
"He stayed behind," Ariadne replied simply, her mind and body exausted from everything that had occured in a time span that was most likely only a few minutes in reality.
"To be with Mal?" Arhur asked with a hint of worry in his tone.
"No, to find Saito." Ariadne tried to reassure him and gave him a small smile.
"Oh...he'll be lost," Arthur said bluntly, staring out at the water, listening to the waves crash again the shore, trying to shield the pain in his eyes from her.
"No, he'll be alright," Ariadne confidently stated, imagining how simple it would be for Dom to escape Limbo because he had already done it. He knew what to do.
Arhur turned to face her and half smiled, which looked more like a grimace to Ariadne. "What makes you so sure?"
She pointedly stared Arthur directly into his DARK DROWN eyes. "He knows that the sooner he does it, the sooner he'll be reunited with his kids. I know that will keep him motivated."
Arthur nodded curtly, and sunk back into silence. Ariadne admired how he could be quiet, lost in his thoughts, for long periods of time. She also admired when he did talk, informing her of the details of the inception, for long periods of time. Ariadne flat out admired him, was intrigued by him, and felt safe when she was with him. The fact that their time together within these dreams- the kiss, in particular- wasn't real...that's what unnerved her. It made her worry about what would happen once they had returned to reality.
"What will happen once we get back on the plane?" She asked in a quiet, small voice, worries and doubts clouding her mind. Worry lines creased Arthur's forhead; perhaps he had never considered what would happen after the inception...perhaps he hadn't thought of all the details. "Did you and Cobb ever... discuss it?"
He'll never admit it, Ariadne thought sarcastically. A point man can never forget anything, neglect any option, or encounter a problem he can't solve.
"No we didn't." He said sadly, then fleetingly contemplating what Ariadne had implied when she said 'we'. Did she mean it as in everyone or as in... just him and her? He almost choked at the thought. Then the sad truth returned. "But I will look for a new extractor." He said it simeltaneoulsy with a loud exhale of breath, accepting that his partner for the many years since Mal had died would not be continuing on with him.
"So, you'll still be the point man?" Ariadne proded further, afraid that if she stopped asking personal questions now, the time to ask them would never pass her again. He looked at her, saddness evident in his eyes as well as pity.
He faultered, feeling horrible as it finally dawned on him that they - Dom, him, Eames- they had dragged this beautiful woman with such a bright future ahead of her, down with them. Arthur could tell that she was spiraling, spiraling into the depths of addiction. Ariadne's future had been permanently tainted becuase of him. And he felt even more terrible because he didn't regret it.
"Yes. There's nothing else for me to do with myself. This is the only thing I believe in anymore. This job is my life. My addiction. There's no escape for me," he said sadly.
Ariadne felt like bursting into tears as she saw the first pained look on Arthur's face - he looked years older, not like the smooth-talking point man she knew. Ariadne felt his pain, and knew that it too would become her pain, if she let it. But she was already addicted, to him and to dreaming, and there was no turning back now. Whenever he went...she would follow.
"Alright..." Ariadne started, adopting a lighter tone, hoping to turn Arthur's thoughts into positive ones. Positive trumps negative every time, she heard Cobb state matter-of-factly in her head. "So once we get back to reality we just have to find a new extractor, right? Won't Eames and Yusuf stay on the team?"
Arthut hadn't really comprehended what she had asked him, he just got the sense that she actually thought he would let her continue on as an architect. She was willing to throw her life away, and what would come of it? An empty life, filled with sleepless nights and countless doubts of what was real and what wasn't... no. Even though it was Ariadne... especially since it was Ariadne, he would stop her.
"No," he said simply, listening to the far-away traffic, breathing deeply, and attempting to control his racing thoughts. "No, you're no longer on the team."
"Excuse me?" Ariadne asked him, rather rudely, but she had reason to - he was trying to contorl her and she didn't let anyone do that, except herself.
It killed him to do so, but he looked her dead in the eye and said flatly "You heard me: you are no longer needed."
"The hell I'm not!" She yelled, surprising him with her sudden outburst. He had never seen her swear or lose her temper before. "You need me, and you know it."
"I can find a replacement," he quickly retorted, looking back out into the water, keeping his thoughts away from how much he wanted her to stay. Reason over emotion. Reason over emotion. He repeated the mantra to himself silently.
"Oh really?" Ariadne's eyes were becoming wet as she was betrayed by the one man she trusted more than all the others on her team. The one that had spent countless weeks teaching her how to dream... showing her the pure creation she addicted.
"Yes." He avoided her eye contact yet again, hating himself more and more with each passing breath.
"Arthur, look at me." He did. His eyes froze the words she was about to utter, and she had to swallow a few times to begin functioning once more. "Are you saying you don't need me...or don't want me?" She said this line with as much dignity as she could muster, with the straightest face she could, attempting to copy Arthur's skill at remaining completely emotionless... even though what she said pretty much gave her away. But she didn't care.
His face softened, realizing that he had hurt her. Maybe she does care about you, more than she's letting on, Arthur tried to convince himself. Tell her the truth, tell her what you feel. You owe her that, at least.
He remained silent for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to phrase something in a situation this delicate. "I don't want you to leave the team," he looked at her meaningfully "but I'm trying to think of what's best for you. You're throwing away your future and exposing yourself to a lifetime of -"
"I've already been exposed," she said monotonously. "And there's no turning back, you said so yourself." She leaned closer to him, desperate for him to aknowledge something other than what he thought she should do with her life. "I am your architect, and I will be until I decide I'm through. No one else can decide for me - not even you. Understand?"
He was shocked, once more, yet glad that she was taking control. He didn't want her to go, which made him feel guilty that he wasn't as concerned for her safety as he should be. He felt obliged to play the caring gentleman, but suddenly reason was forgotten and his emotion took over. All he ever did was work, he was never selfish. Now...he wanted Ariadne to stay with him, and he wouldn't stop her.
"Yes, I understand," he said quickly, wanting to leave this topic behing before reason took the wheel again. "But this is irrelevant right now. We have to find the others and get out of here." The cogs in his brain started rapidly spinning again, thinking of a way back to reality.
"No, that can wait," Ariadne stated just as surely as Arthur could, insistent on asking him one last thing. Her confidence had suddenly came back to her when Arthur agreed to her terms. This was a dream after all - she could warp it any way she wanted to.
He gave her a quizical look, his eyebrows travelling up his forehead. "What makes you say that?"
"There's no time here... hypothetically, we have a week before we wake up... and since Fisher's projections will no longer be attacking us... I say we have time."
"Fine," Arthur responded rapidly, afraid of the direction that this conversation was going.
Ariadne took a deep breath, telling herself it was now or never. But his gaze was so intense, she was beginning to blush before she asked her question. She decided to stare at her fingernails and talk to them, instead. "Why did you kiss me?"
God dammit... Arthur swore in his head as she asked the one question he did not wish to answer. But hadn't he just told himself that he owed her the truth? Did he suddenly... not owe her anymore? No, he was a man of his word, and she deserved to know. Perhaps something good would come of that spur-of-the-moment decision he had made in the fiction hotel...
"I kissed you because you're amazing, Ariadne. The most intriguing, talented, and imaginitive woman I've ever seen." Dammit Arhur - too intense! Lighten up! "And like I said: it was worth a shot."
He smiled jokingly, which was strange for her to see, but it was also pleasant. She smiled back and felt like the happiness she felt was radiating off of her. "Do you think it would be worth a shot right now?" She asked through her broad smile.
Arthur felt his entire body lighten at her response, because now he was sure that whatever happened when they returned, it would be better, for Ariadne would anchor him to reality. "It definetly would be." He leaned in to kiss her, the gleaming smiles never leaving their faces.