Title: Protecting Investments
Pairing: Cobb/Ariadne
Rating: K+
Summary: Prompt by tita_undomiel: After a stolen kiss, Cobb tells Ariadne that he's not good for her (age difference, maybe). Set on New Year's Eve. Happy New Year everyone!
A/N: This was supposed to be a Santa Exchange fic but I didn't finish it. I'm glad I didn't; I like how this turned out WAY better. Sorry for the sucky title. I'm not clever at that stuff. It's also unbetaed because I'm tired and a little tipsy from the New Year celebrations. Just wanted to post it for everyone and to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Italics are past tense.
Her sob bounced off the walls in the bathroom she'd locked herself in. Ariadne was trying desperately to keep it down in fear of someone hearing her and trying to see what was wrong. Exhaling haggardly, she took a piece of tissue to her eyes to wipe away her tears without smudging her already runny mascara.
She was a grown woman and knew that she shouldn't be so upset. She sniffled again and dug through her purse, pulling out her compact. But how could he do that to her? She stared into the mirror over the sink as she reapplied her make-up. She poured her heart out to him and he…
Taking a long and slow breath she ran her hand through her hair, brushing it out of her face. One last look in the mirror she adjusted her dress and was satisfied. The only remnants she could see of her tears were the redness in her eyes, easily played off as having too much champagne. Stepping out she turned to the left to head back into the party.
Ariadne didn't know what to think when she stepped into the building listed on the invitation. It was stunning. She noticed the high arches with chandeliers hanging, gleaming brightly first. It made the area seem wider and much brighter. The spare round tables were covered in a burgundy cloth that matched well with the golden colored walls. The center of the floor was left open, most likely for whatever dancing may take place later on in the evening. The white floor was spotless.
"It's supposed to be marble but I think he's just pulling our leg."
She turned to grin at Eames. She was impressed at the suit he was wearing. It wasn't traditional black and white but Eames wasn't a traditional person. For some odd reason red pants, a white coat, and a striped red and white shirt matched him well.
"How are you!" She said hugging him tightly without asking.
"Still alive," he winked. "How have you been Miss Architect Extraordinaire?"
"I graduate this spring" She grinned. "I'm thinking about doing my doctorate's State side. Of course, I'm going to take a break from school for at least a year."
"Just so you know, I'm not going to call you doctor anything." Eames looks her over. "I must say you clean up smashingly."
She laughed and glanced down at her dress. It was a one shoulder green dress she bought just for the occasion. It hugged her in all the right places, making her waist look narrow and her less than full hips rounder.
"You're not too bad yourself, Mr. Eames." She smirked.
He chuckled lightly and they talked some more. Soon, others arrived including Arthur who looked sharp as ever in his token three-piece suit, and Saito, the one who invited them all. There were other business men and women Ariadne didn't know but she didn't feel uncomfortable; it was New Year's Eve after all.
"Ariadne!" Arthur called as she reentered the dining hall. "Come dance with me!"
His cheeks were flushed; either from too much champagne or just too much dancing. She forced a smile and let him drag her to the dance floor after sitting her purse down. It was a mild song, neither too fast nor too slow. Arthur twirled her around, grinning. She tried to play along. Her acting must not have been working. He frowned after pulling her closer to just waltz about. He knew something was off.
"What's wrong?" he asked louder than he probably intended.
"Nothing," she smiled.
"You're lying."
"I don't want to talk about it." She replied and laid her head on his chest.
They danced the rest of the song and when it was over he pulled back. He took her chin in his hand and tilted it upward to force her to look at him.
"Go talk to him." He said seriously. "I'm not sure what he said to you, but I don't think he meant it."
Arthur gave her a smile and kissed her on the cheek. Suddenly Eames' voice filled their ears. He must have been a little tipsy; his words were slurred a tad at the end.
"Now where'd Arthur get to? Arthur! Arthur you owe me a drink!"
Ariadne couldn't help but giggle as she watched the Point Man dramatically disappear through the small crowd in the opposite direction. He was out of sight by the time Eames reached her.
"Ariadne, you are absolutely beautiful." He said, stumbling to her.
"Thank you?" She giggled.
"Have you seen Arthur?" His tone was surprisingly worried. "I think he's mad at me."
"He went that way," she pointed to her left. "I don't think he's mad. He's just enjoying the chase."
"Right," Eames gave a toothy grin and went off in that direction.
Shaking her head she sat down at the table she'd left her purse. Her mind went over what Arthur said while she stared off and she wondered if he was right. But why would he say something he didn't mean?
By ten o'clock all of the guests had arrived; all but one. Arthur, Eames, Ariadne were seated at the main table next to Saito and his wife. Yusuf, according to Saito, declined the invitation due to a family matter. Eames quickly filled in the rest saying Yusuf's wife had a baby. Ariadne was shocked; she didn't even know Yusuf had a wife. The other person not present yet had a seat waiting between Saito and Ariadne. She kept looking to the door, waiting.
She hadn't seen him in a year and a half, not since Inception. That didn't stop them from talking on the phone. He told her he'd show tonight. He promised. Fifteen minutes past ten, a sinking filling settled into her stomach. Everyone was eating and chatting; she just pushed her food around. He promised her and he'd broke his promise. Saito noticed her mood first and asked if everything was alright with the food.
"It's wonderful," she smiled as pretty as she could, "I'm just not that hungry."
"Now Ariadne, you're practically a twig; you need to eat something"
Her eyes widened; the voice came from behind her. She knew that voice.
"Dom!" She yelled, jumping out of her seat.
"Whoa, hey." He chuckled as she literally threw herself against him to hug him.
Saito, Arthur, and Eames both chuckled to themselves while everyone else watched them. Ariadne didn't care. She was just happy he made it. He hadn't changed a bit since they got off the plane that long ago. His hair was loose, lacking whatever gel to keep it in place much like Arthur's was that evening. He wore a more traditional suit, the clothes a simple black and white. What really caught her attention were his eyes. They were happier and bluer.
"Well, Mr. Cobb," Saito grinned, "Have a seat. Granted if Ariadne will let you go."
Everyone at the table chuckled at the joke, including Dom. Of course, Ariadne's face heated up despite her lack of embarrassment. The evening passed quickly for her after that. When midnight neared, a slow song was played.
"Come dance with me," Dom said, taking her hand.
"Okay," she smiled. "I warn you of my two left feet in advance."
He chuckled but pulled her to him once they got to the dancing space. Being up close, Ariadne tried to desperately hide what she was thinking. If he noticed, he didn't say. By the time the song was over, Ariadne managed to avoid stepping on Dom's feet. She wanted to make a joke, but the room suddenly filled with the countdown chant for the New Year.
"… Five, four, three, two, one!"
A cheer went up as the clock struck twelve and the DJ played Auld Lang Syne. Ariadne looked over at Dom to tell him Happy New Year. What she got was a kiss.
She scanned the large room, looking for any signs of him. He couldn't have left already, could he? After walking around twice, she squeezed through the tables and people to make her way to Saito, who was sitting, drinking champagne.
"Happy New Year, Ms. Ariadne," he grinned, raising his glass.
"Happy New Year, Saito." She nodded. "Um… have you seen Dom? Did he leave?"
Saito sat his glass on the table and stared straight ahead as if lost in thought.
"I asked him once, if he wanted to end up an old man alone and full of regret. He told me no."
She furrowed her brows and wondered if Saito had too much alcohol. She was even more puzzled when he reached into his right pocket and pulled out a thin piece of a paper. He glanced at it, sighed and looked up at her.
"He left ten minutes ago." Saito said and held out the paper to her. "This is his address. Outside there is an older man waiting with the other valet. Tell him that it is an emergency and I requested him to drive you. Give him the paper; he'll know what to do."
"Saito… I- I," she stuttered trying to find the right words.
He smiled at her as if he remembered an old joke and took another sip of champagne.
"Call it protecting my investment."
That kiss was a paradox. It seemed to last forever when it was really over in a moment. Just a quick brush against her lips; maybe it was the alcohol or maybe she was just brave when she kissed him back. He pulled back first, still close to her face. She looked up to meet his blue eyes.
"Dom," she whispered before he could say a word, "I care about you. I even think I've fallen in love with you."
He gave her a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"I'm sorry Ariadne. You're an amazing and beautiful woman, which is why I can't return your feelings."
"What?" she forced out.
"You deserve someone without the history I have. Someone without the baggage, I'm sorry."
He kissed her again and left her standing there dumbfounded.
She really didn't know how Saito did it. She followed his instructions and now she standing in front of what was Dom's house. Standing in on his driveway she thought about turning back. He had his reasons for what he did. His kids just got their father back, they didn't need a woman intruding claiming she was 'in love' with their father. However, she held her head up and marched to the door.
She was Ariadne; she was not about to back down without a fight. She sure wasn't going to back down without having her say. When she got to the door, she rang the bell twice. After waiting a minute with no sign of movement on the other side, she gave up. He wasn't going to answer the door. Sighing she stepped off the front step and made her way back to the car waiting for her.
"Ariadne?"
It felt her heart stopped. Did she really hear her name? Looking back over her shoulder her heart skipped a beat. Dom was making his way to her. His tie was missing as his coat; he stopped a foot in front of her.
"Ariadne, what-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence. She stepped up to him, grabbed him by the shirt and kissed him. Unlike at midnight, it was not a chaste brush of the lips. Her stomach flopped when he kissed her back. Her arms inched around his shoulder while his inched around her waist, pulling them both closer to the other. She wanted that to last forever, the happy triumph she felt when she parted her lips against his and tongue slipped into her mouth.
She could hardly think straight when he pulled back.
"Ariadne," he said slightly out of breath, "how did you… what are you doing here?"
She looked up at him noticing he hadn't let her go.
"Saito sent me to 'protect his investment'. I'm here because I love you. I don't care about all that baggage and history bullshit. No amount of pushing me away is going to stop me from loving you, Dominic Cobb so you better get used to it."
He let out a scoffing laugh when she mentioned Saito; he smiled broadly at her when she finished her small speech. His smile reflected in his eyes.
"I was hoping you'd say that," and his kissed her again.
"I'm still mad at you." She said between another frantic kiss. "You're so thick headed."
He chuckled and pulled back from her.
"I know; that's why I love you. You make me see what I sometimes don't want to see and sometimes you help see fully what I only wished I glimpsed." He looked over her shoulder and back at her. "Are you going back to the party?"
"I don't think that was Saito's plan. We know how he likes for things to go his way," she smirked.
"Well, I guess I'll have to let you come in. You might want to go tell the driver you're staying."
She nodded and left him to jog back to the car. When she would back on it, she'd remember how the driver had a grin to rival her own when she hastily told him she was staying and that she thanked him very, very much. However, at that moment she was more focused on the man standing by the door of his house smiling at her as he waited for her to join him.