Alright, I've been MIA for a while now. But I've been completely busy and I love it! I just wish I had more time to write. And since I've been on break I decided to go ahead a crank out a few oneshots for you all. I want to brush up before I update Little Wonders, which I will finish! I promise! :D So here is another oneshot. It definitely took a turn than what I had originally planned...but I hope you enjoy it! Leave a review please!
Inception isn't mine..sadly.
Being on the move constantly put a damper on a young man's personal life. Never settling down in once place and always having to look over your shoulder tended to keep you from getting close to anyone, especially someone outside the extracting business. It's not something he had intended to get involved with, but after meeting Dom Cobb and learning about all he could do in the dream space as well as put his good talents to use, he jumped right in.
Now as Arthur sat in the nice hotel room in New York with a view overlooking the city, he wished he had someone to talk to, someone to share his life with. Even as a teenager in high school he knew that he wanted to settle down with someone someday. He sighed and rubbed his tired face, hoping to take his mind elsewhere.
He turned to the bed and eyed it. Sighing he snatched up the remote and turned the TV on. As he flipped through the channels he grunted. It seemed that every channel had some kind of romance movie on, and he really didn't want to watch the news or sports right now.
He clicked the TV off and threw the remote on the table, not even flinching as it clacked against the table. He laid down and closed his eyes, wanting sleep to take him. He didn't want to feel lonely and he certainly didn't want to think of a certain short brunette back in Paris. However, his mind had other ideas and he began to wonder how she was doing and what she was doing right now.
They had kept a strict no contact rule for three months after the Fischer job, not knowing if the danger was going to be higher due to the Inception. So they all stayed away. A month had already passed the three month mark and Arthur couldn't bring himself to check up on the others, especially Ariadne. He didn't want her to be dragged into extraction. If anything he wanted to keep her away from it. It wasn't a life she deserved or wanted for her.
He sighed and sat up. Sleep was eluding him and his mind was spinning with thoughts of the Architect. He walked to the balcony and opened the sliding door. Sitting outside was the only thing he knew that would calm his nerves, but as he sat looking down on the busy city, his mind wandered back to Ariadne.
Ariadne was sitting in her room. The lights off and the TV on silent. Tears were streaming down her face, not because of what was on the TV, but because of the events of the past week.
She hadn't taken parting from the team well. She wasn't overly hurt about it, but not having people who understood her or who she could relate to was hard for her. She wanted to talk about dream sharing, building worlds out of nothing, the pure creation of it all, but she couldn't. No one would listen or understand. It's not that she could talk about it, it was highly unknown and kept secret.
The loneliness and lack of inspiration put a wedge between her pre-inception friends. She distanced herself from them and they didn't bother to try to fix anything between them, so eventually she just kept to herself and did things alone.
Finally she couldn't take it anymore and had to find someone she could be around and enjoy herself with. Going against Cobb and Miles' wishes, she researched and looked for some extractors around the area, hoping someone would need an architect.
It didn't take her too long to find a team in need of an experiences architect, she had observed the team, particularly Arthur, enough to pick up a few tips on. She didn't bother to look into the team, too excited to get back into the dream world to care.
The team wasn't anything like the Dream Team. They were rude, relentless men who only worked for the money. They'd do anything to get the job done. Ariadne tried to escape the team, but they refused to let her go.
"Sorry little lady, but you're working for us now." The Extractor, Ryan, told her, watching as she tried to leave.
"Go anywhere and we'll put a price on your head." Johnny, The Forger, threatened.
Ariadne frowned and sat back down at her work station, knowing they'd make true on their threats. She wished there was something she could do to get out of this. She had no contact information from the team, not even thinking about it until after they went their separate ways.
After the day ended Ariadne decided to pay Miles a visit. She needed help, and she knew the only way out of this was to find help through Miles. She knew the only person who she wanted to come help her was Arthur.
Ariadne knocked on Miles' door, hoping he was home. The lights inside flicked on and the door opened slowly, revealing a tired looking Miles.
"Hi." Ariadne greeted, embarrassed.
"Ariadne? What are you doing here at this late hour?" Miles asked, "Is something wrong?" He took in her ragged appearance.
"Yes. I…no." Ariadne whispered, her lips trembling. Miles ushered her in, looking around before shutting the door.
He led her to the living room, turned on the fireplace, and made her a cup of tea. He watched her for a few moments before speaking the unspoken.
"Now my dear, what's the matter?"
Ariadne fiddled with her mug, avoiding her mentor's eyes. She sniffled before setting her mug down and turning to the older man.
"I've gotten myself into some trouble." She started, "I couldn't stay away from it, and I was feeling so alone. No one has contacted me, not even to check up on me. So I decided to just look into some extraction jobs. Turns out my research skills aren't great. These guys I'm working with threatened me, they don't want me to leave."
She looked down and brought her knees up to her chest. Miles sighed and stood up. He grabbed the phone and sat down.
"I'll call Dom and see what we can do."
"No! Don't call him. I couldn't do that to him. Take him away from his children." Ariadne quietly said.
"We'll get a hold of Arthur or Eames then. Dom will know how to contact them." Miles said, dialing a familiar number. Ariadne opened her mouth to protest, but Miles shook his head.
She sighed and watched as Miles greeted his son-in-law. He said a few words, briefly explaining the situation. He held the phone out to Ariadne and she gingerly took it.
"Hello?"
"Ariadne, what the hell is going on?" Cobb's voice echoed through the room and Ariadne flinched. Miles gave her a sympathetic look and left the room.
She sighed. "I did something stupid. I know I shouldn't have gone looking for a job, but I was lonely Cobb! I was left alone! I needed someone who understood!" Ariadne's voice raised in pitch as she explained.
She heard Cobb sigh. "I'm sorry. I should have sent someone to check up on you."
"That's not the point. The point is no one even bothered to check up on me. You expect me to go through an Inception and not need someone to talk to."
"Have there been nightmares?" Cobb asked. Ariadne's silence told him enough.
"Why didn't you go to Miles? You could have called me too."
"I couldn't do that to you Cobb." Ariadne replied.
"And Miles?"
"I didn't want to bother him."
"Ariadne, you're safety and wellbeing is just as important as mine or any of the other's." Cobb sighed. "I'll give Arthur a call. Have him check out these guys. I'll send him your way soon."
"You don't have to."
"Yes I do." Cobb replied. "Be careful. Call if you need anything."
"Ok."
"Goodbye Ariadne."
"Bye Cobb." Ariadne hung up and let the phone dangle. She looked up and Miles was standing in the doorway.
"Everything ok?"
Ariadne nodded. "I hope so."
"You can stay here tonight if you want." Miles offered.
"No, I think I'll head home. But thank you Miles."
"Any time dear. Take care of yourself." Miles smiled and pulled her into a hug.
"I will."
Arthur woke to his phone ringing. He grunted and rolled over, grabbing his phone and holding it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Arthur."
Arthur sat up and looked at the clock. He frowned.
"Cobb? Everything ok?"
"No, we have a situation."
"What?" Arthur asked, throwing his feet over the side of the bed and blinking to gain focus.
"Ariadne's got herself in a bit of a scrape." Dom sighed.
"What? How?" Arthur asked, immediately on his feet and pulling on some clothes, fumbling with the phone.
"She decided to try to get into an extraction team, didn't find a good one. They threatened her, said if she left they'd put a price on her head."
"Shit." Arthur quickly stuffed everything into his bags and closed them.
"I need you to check up on them and head over to Paris. She needs someone there."
"Already on it." Arthur replied, barely listening now.
"Call me when you get there." Cobb quickly said, knowing Arthur's mind was already way ahead of himself and that he wouldn't be paying attention.
"Will do." Arthur said before hanging up and grabbing his things. He used his phone to quickly book a flight to Paris and rushed out of the room. He checked out of the hotel and hailed a taxi, becoming more and more impatient as time went by.
When he arrived at the airport he threw cash at the driver and rushed into the airport, knowing he'd be going through security. His flight was in twenty minutes and luckily for him security wasn't too busy. He rushed to his gate and arrived as they started boarding the plane.
As he took his seat in first class he tapped his fingers, wanting to be able to get som research done on these men Ariadne had gotten involved with.
Ariadne briskly walked to her house. She was a couple blocks away when she felt herself being thrown against a wall in a small alley. She gasped and let out a shriek, but a hand clamped over her mouth.
"You think you can just go run to your old man and get out of this? Not going to work. You're with us permanently. No one cares about you. The only thing you're good for is extraction and creating levels for us. That's the only reason any one would ever want you. You're nothing. Nothing to anyone. I bet you your parents don't even call and check up on you." Ryan growled.
Ariadne's struggles eventually slowed as the words Ryan was speaking started to hit her. She slumped and felt Ryan's grip loosen on her. She crumpled to the floor and didn't look at the man that had nearly choked her.
"Now, be a smart little lady, go home, and don't even think about leaving. We need the new level by tomorrow night. If not there will be consequences." Ryan said, walking away.
Ariadne waited until Ryan was far enough away before she let out a cough and tears started streaming down her face. She hadn't been told anything so harsh since high school. Almost those exact words.
Her parents never really cared for her. She was just there. It did help her become independent, but she had wished her parents would have shown her love. And the words that her classmates had told her when she was going through high school, they never really left.
Things like she's worthless. She doesn't mean anything to anyone. She won't ever mean anything to anyone. She wasn't pretty enough to get a guy. She wasn't pretty. She wasn't talented. The list went on. Hearing Ryan say the things that hit close to home really hurt.
She stood up quickly and practically ran to her apartment. She shakily took out her keys and unlocked her door. The door slammed behind her and she dropped her bag on the floor, running to her room.
She was in a lot of trouble. She had gotten into something she wasn't prepared for. Ariadne quickly stripped of her clothes and climbed into bed, letting her tears fall freely now. She sobbed into her pillow, ignoring her ringing cell phone.
Arthur cursed and shut his phone. She wasn't picking up and he was starting to get worried. His plan had just landed and he wanted to get in touch with her right away.
"Come on Ariadne. Pick up." Arthur muttered as he dialed again. It kept ringing and he hung up angrily. He grabbed his things and quickly hailed a cab, heading to her place.
As the cab pulled up he looked up to her apartment, not seeing any lights on. He decided to go ahead and try to head up and get to her, even if he had to break in. He paid the cab driver and climbed up the stairs. He knocked loudly, hoping that if she were sleeping she'd hear him. After a few minutes and no answer he decided to pick the lock and break in.
The place was dark, but he saw her things scattered on the floor. He could her a muffled noise coming from one of the rooms and followed it. Ariadne's form appeared and he rushed to her.
"Ariadne!" He let out a sigh of relief and sat on the bed.
She turned from lying on her stomach and looked up. She frowned and rubbed her eyes. When she looked up again, confusion took over her face. She grabbed her totem and knocked it over.
"Arthur?"
"Thank God! You're all right! Why weren't you answering your phone?"
"I didn't hear it." She whispered, wiping away the tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" He asked, finally noticing her glossy eyes.
"Nothing. I'm fine." Her voice cracked and her lips trembled. A few more tears fell and Arthur scooted closer.
"You're not fine. Tell me what happened. They didn't do anything to you did they?" Arthur asked.
Ariadne looked down and nodded, she unconsciously reached for her throat, which was starting to bruise. Arthur watched the movement and pushed her hand aside.
"Shit! They did that to you?" Arthur asked, examining the darkening bruise.
Ariadne nodded and looked away.
"I'm so sorry Ariadne. I should have come and checked up on you. Called or something." Arthur sighed.
Ariadne shook her head, more tears falling. "It's ok. I'm used to it."
"Used to what?"
"Being ignored."
"Ariadne, we weren't ignoring you. It was for all our safety." Arthur explained.
"But the time was up. No one called."
"Ariadne, look at me. What's the real problem here?"
"Arthur, I'm stuck in an extraction team that has threatened my life. I think that's the problem!" Ariadne shouted, feeling frustrated and hurt.
Arthur blinked and quickly returned to his stoic expression.
"I'll fix that. I'm researching them now." He stood up and walked out of the room, coming back. He paused when he turned on the light, taking in Ariadne's appearance for the first time.
"Uh, Ariadne."
"Hmm?" She asked, sitting up. Arthur motioned to her and she looked down and gasped, pulling the covers up.
"Get out! Let me get dressed!"
Arthur quickly left the room, and both of them were a little flustered. He came back in when he heard her call for him.
"Alright, let's check these guys out." Arthur said, typing quickly and opening up a few files on the two men that hired Ariadne. Ariadne watched Arthur intently, trying to read his facial expressions, but he remained stoic.
He cursed under his breath and shut his laptop. Ariadne watched him anxiously.
"Ariadne, these guys work for Cobol."
"Cobol?"
"They're a ruthless business. They hire extractors all the time to get their dirty work done, but once you're contracted with them, it's hard to get out. They don't accept failure."
Arthur rubbed his face and suddenly looked very tired to Ariadne. She hesitated about suggesting sleep to him, but her curiosity got the best of her.
"You've worked with them before, haven't you?"
Arthur looked up and nodded. "Yes. We were hired to extract from Saito. Failed. But turns out Saito wanted to hire us. Cleared our charges with them, but I'm sure they're still bitter with us. Which makes getting you out of this mess is going to be more difficult."
Ariadne nodded slowly, her thoughts swirling around in her head. She looked back at Arthur and again noticed the tired look on his face. There were dark circles under his eyes and they were slightly red.
"Arthur you should sleep." She finaly said.
"I'll be fine. I need to figure out what we're going to do." He shook his head and opened his laptop, typing furiously.
"You're not going to do any good if you're too tired to think. You need sleep. Here, I'll let you take my bed and I'll go take the couch." Ariadne quickly stood up and gathered a few things, but Arthur stopped her.
"I'll take the couch, you don't have to leave the comfort of your room for me." Arthur replied, taking his laptop and turning.
"Leave that here. If you take it with you, I know you'll be all night." Ariadne crossed her arms as she sat on the bed.
Arthur sighed and set his laptop on the dresser. He turned to leave, but was stopped by Ariadne calling out.
"And your phone too."
Arthur shut his eyes and turned around. "I need to call Cobb, let him know that I got here and you're fine."
"Send him a text, turn the phone off, and leave it here." Ariadne replied. The two stared each other down, neither wanted to give up, but Arthur was too tired to put up a fight and nodded. He pulled out his phone and quickly sent out a text and turned it off, handing it to Ariadne.
"Good, come with me." Ariadne stood up and waited for Arthur to follow her. They walked into the living room and she set up the couch for Arthur, grabbing some pillows and blankets and handing them to him.
"Get some rest." She said as she walked out of the room.
"You too." Arthur called after her. She smiled and nodded, closing her bedroom door behind her.
A couple weeks had gone by and Arthur was certain he'd be able to get Ariadne out of this mess. He had stayed with her practically 24/7, except when she had to go work. Although he'd keep an eye on her even then.
"I think they suspect something." Ariadne said as she entered her apartment and dropped her bag by the door. Arthur looked up from his laptop.
"Did something happen?"
"No, but they're keeping a better eye on me. I hope they didn't follow me." Ariadne said, quickly walking to her window and looking out. Arthur followed her and looked over her.
"They did!" She exclaimed, panicking.
"Alright, calm down. Act normal. I'll hide in the other room. If they try anything, scream. I'll be right out to help you."
Ariadne nodded nervously, wringing her hands. Arthur placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her head up.
"You'll be fine. I'm right here." He whispered, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. When he pulled back he nearly chuckled at the shocked look on her face. "Right here."
She nodded and smiled, waiting for the knock that she knew would be coming. On cue loud pounding on her door made her jump. Arthur nodded and quickly walked into the other room. She inhaled and rushed to the door and opened it slowly.
"Yes?" She asked, peeking out.
Ryan and Johnny were sneering. "Where is he?"
"Who?" Ariadne asked innocently.
"The man that's been with you. Arthur isn't it?" Ryan shoved the door open and Ariadne stumbled back.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ariadne crossed her arms. "Get out of my house."
"Not until we find him." Johnny growled, grabbing her and pulled her against him.
Ariadne shrieked and pushed him, but his grip on her tightened.
"I thought we told you. You're worthless. You're only good for your work. You think he actually cares about you? He's probably just protecting his investments. You mean nothing." Johnny sneered.
"That's not true." Ariadne whispered, letting her shoulders droop. Her body becoming limp.
Arthur was becoming worried as Ariadne's voice became quieter. He listened for her, ready to attack if needed.
"See, while no one cares for you, we could use you. In more ways than one." Johnny told her, leaning down and pressing his lips against hers. She screamed and pushed him away.
"Get off me!" She shouted as she fell to the floor and Johnny quickly joined her. That was all Arthur needed to hear and he was out. His fist collided with Ryan, who was turning towards him. Ryan cursed and crumbled to the floor, holding his nose.
Johnny heard Ryan's cry and looked up, noticing Arthur her grinned and leant down again, trying to get his lips back on the Architect.
Arthur angrily rushed towards Johnny, ripping him off of Ariadne. Johnny grunted as he hit the wall and Arthur doesn't miss a beat and punches him.
Arthur dragged both men next to each other against a wall, leaving them and hurrying to Ariadne's side. He gently lifts her head and rests it on his lap.
"Ariadne. Open your eyes, look at me." Arthur pleaded, gently brushing her cheek with his fingers. "Ari, please."
Ariadne blinked a few times and focused on Arthur. He let out a sigh of relief and continued to caress her face.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
Ariadne nodded slowly and tilted her head to the unconscious men against the wall.
"I'll get them out of here, leave them with a warning. I'm going to give Eames a call, give him information on these guys and he'll pull some strings to make sure they don't bother you again. If Cobol comes looking for you, I'll sort things out." Arthur quickly told her.
She shook her head. "You can't. They'll take you."
"As long as it's not you." Arthur replied, brushing her hair back and glancing at Ryan and Johnny. Ariadne blushed and avoided Arthur's gaze.
"I better get these guys out of here. Keep everything locked and have your phone with you. I'll give you one of my guns, use it if you need to. I'll knock three times so you know it's me." He told her as he stood up, pulling her up with him. He examined her quickly, happy to see that there didn't seem to be any injuries.
"I'll be back soon." He said, kissing her forehead.
She nodded, and clutched the gun he handed to her. She watched as he pulled out the two men and locked the door as soon as he was out.
Ariadne was pacing her bedroom, anxiously waiting for Arthur's arrival. She was worried. She trusted him, but she knew that things could easily go wrong. Three knocks broke her out of her thoughts and she dropped the gun on her bed and ran to the door.
She opened it, revealing a tattered looking Arthur. She gasped and pulled him in, careful not to hurt him.
"I'm fine. It looks worse than it is."
"You shouldn't have done that alone." She cut him off, examining his wounds. He winced when she touched a cut on his forehead.
"We need to clean these up." She said, pulling him to her room and gently pushing him on her bed.
He chuckled. "I thought I was here to take care of you?"
"Well you did, now let me take care of you." She called from the bathroom. Arthur sighed and waited. She rushed in with a first aid kit.
"Alright, let's get these cleaned up." She quickly got to work, scoffing when Arthur hissed or winced.
She cleaned up the mess and walked back into her room, crawling onto the bed next to him. She watched him shyly and he smiled at her when he caught her staring. He carefully laid back and rolled to his side, staring at her.
"You know, what he said isn't true. You do matter. We all care about you Ari." Arthur told her, placing his palm on her cheek. She looked away and Arthur felt a tear on his finger.
"Some things aren't easily forgotten."
"What you do mean?"
"Just because something was told to you when you were in high school doesn't mean it doesn't stick with you. I still remember all those awful things I was told." Ariadne replied, sniffling.
"Well they aren't true."
"How do you know?" She asked, looking up at him.
"Because I do."
"You don't even know what they told me." She stubbornly said.
"Tell me." Arthur urged, linking her fingers with his.
"I don't have to. Johnny pretty much repeated what they told me. Maybe not exactly, but close enough."
"Well you do mean something. To me. To Miles. To Cobb. You mean a lot to all of us. Heck even Eames cares about you!" Arthur laughed, hoping to make her smile. She did, but he quickly turned serious.
"My parents didn't want me. They took care of me if they had to, but they'd always find someone else to do it. I was always told I shouldn't have been born. I was never important to them. Or anyone." Ariadne whispered.
"You were born because you're going to be important to someone someday." Arthur whispered back. Ariadne's head snapped up and she stared at Arthur curiously.
"To me." He leaned in and gently kissed her. Ariadne felt herself crying, but she didn't want to break contact with Arthur. Instead she pulled him closer to her and kissed him back. The moment perfect for her. For both of them. It was then that she realized that she was meant for someone. She was meant for Arthur. And he was right. She was born because she was going to be important to someone, and it's Arthur.
So what did you think? Sorry I made Ariadne so vulnerable and insecure, it could have been me venting my feelings...I never was told anything as intense as her, but I was told that I wasn't pretty enough, and it has stuck with me and made me a little less confident than I could be, but things do stick and they effect a person...so I thought hey, Ariadne was thrown into something, taken out of it, and hadn't heard from anyone, of course those insecurities are going to kick in. Plus I figured the quote "You were born because you're going to be important to someone someday." which is a prompt on LJ, would go well with the storyline. Thanks for reading! Please review!