A/N: Hello, all. This is my first Inception 'fic, so please, leave a review. I'm not trying to be that arrogant author asking for reviews, but I'd just love to hear some feedback. :) Thanks.

Note: This is the somewhat updated version, but it is unbetaed so if there are any mistakes, feel free to point them out.


Seeing Double: Second Kiss

Ariadne's eyes shot open as the roar of pounding water flooded into the van, and her chest tightened as she fought not to gasp at the frigidity of the liquid. She shut her eyes adamantly as the water submerged her neck and head. After the drama of the deeper dream sharing, the shock of the icy water hitting her skin was actually quite welcome. The restricting nylon of her seatbelt was the only thing preventing her petite body from floating into the swirling currents caused by the sinking vehicle, and she bobbed against its restraint, the strap cutting into her chest. She opened her eyes against the sting of the water for a moment, lips clamped shut to preserve the little breath of oxygen she still had. Out of the corner of her eye, Ariadne could see movement as the occupants of the backseat started to struggle against the sacks over their heads.

Her eyes fluttered closed again, lungs aching, begging for the sweet air she knew that was swiftly dwindling farther away as they sank, but unwilling to move until she knew it was safe to surface. A firm, calloused grip wrapped round her elbow, and Ariadne cracked open her eyelids warily in case it was Fischer. Between the disorienting whorls of water, Ariadne could make out the reassuringly familiar face of Arthur.

Unclasping her seatbelt, Ariadne treaded water, a dull ache pounding behind her eyes as her need for oxygen increased. Arthur held out the mouthpiece of the black oxygen tank that had been stored under his seat with a pointed glance, and with a grateful expression, she depressed the button, taking in the rush of tinned air. Arthur flashed her the universal 'are you okay?' sign, and Ariadne nodded in affirmation, handing him back the mouthpiece, her hair floating in tendrils around her face.

Arthur took a breath from the oxygen tank, his jaw clenching as he locked his lips around the mouthpiece. He swam over to Cobb, whose eyes were still closed, little streams of silver bubbles exiting his mouth with his continuous exhale. Ariadne couldn't tell him that Cobb had stayed behind. All she could do in that situation was give him a sympathetic glance and a pat on the back as she kicked up toward the surface, mirroring Yusuf, who was heading up about six meters to her right.

Gasping, she clambered up the shallow gravel shore and sat on a flat rock, clenching her hands so they wouldn't shake from cold, her muscles throbbing. Her hair hung in tangled snarls around her face, and she turned her head as Arthur surfaced beside her, climbing onto a parallel rock, the water lapping at their toes.

"What happened?" He asked breathlessly, looking at her, his demeanor rumpled by the hasty exit of the van. His impeccably gelled hair was mussed, and his complexion paled by the cold. Ariadne guessed that she looked the same, and looked Arthur in the eye.

"Cobb stayed." She replied in a shaky drawl, a tremor coating her voice with both the cold and the confusion of the multiple kicks up the levels. It was her first job after all. Her hand ghosted over the pocket that held her golden bishop, but regretfully enough, her jeans were too soaked for her to pull it out. She refocused on Arthur, mentally tracing out the contours of his face, reading into the lines of his features as the frustration clenched into his posture. The sheer exasperation rolling off the Point Man was proof that he was human. That he wasn't a machinelike droid. That he cared. For his best friend, for the team- yes, perhaps even Eames- and... her? She could see the subtle tensing in his shoulder muscles, the slight clench of the fingertips on the rock.

"With Mal?" The question was quietly uttered, as Arthur regained control of himself and looked up as he met Ariadne's eyes. "No, to find Saito." Arthur sighed and looked away, over the silvery gray expanse of water. "He'll be lost."

Ariadne's mind flashed back to the moment that she'd hung on to the house, wind whipping sharp droplets of rain into her eyes. "Find Saito, and bring him back!" She'd screamed at Cobb, her fingers aching as they searched for purchase on the wooden support pillar. "I will!" Cobb had promised. He'd promised. And he'd come back. She was sure of it.

"No, he'll be okay." Ariadne replied with certainty, looking back up to meet Arthur's dark eyes. She almost missed the almost imperceptible question that exited his mouth a moment later. "And you?" Ariadne gazed at him and asked the most stupid question she'd ever said. "Me?"

"Are you okay? I mean, this being your first official dream sharing experience and all." Arthur repeated, his eyes searching her face, reading the tiniest reactions of her features. He noticed the small tremors along her arms, and peeled off his suit jacket, draping it along her shoulders. He almost smiled at the blush that lit her pallid cheeks, and his heart melted as Ariadne raised her warm golden flecked gaze to meet his. "I'll be okay."

Arthur scooted over, snaking an arm around her shoulders. Ari gazed up at him in surprise, then a smile curved itself along her lips. The lips he'd stolen a chaste kiss from in the second level. "Alright, Arthur, maybe I'm more than alright." Arthur allowed himself to relax, and he allowed a smile to grace his features after a moment.

"Quick, give me a kiss." Ariadne joked lightly, re-enacting the moment from the second level. It seemed forever ago, yet so recent at the same time. Her eyes widened as Arthur complied, pressing her lips to his with a hand on the nape of her neck, her own hands coming round to clasp around the small of his back. It was a perfect moment. Their moment. One she wouldn't forget. But then, every little magical moment she caught him looking at her was firmly imprinted in her memory.

"How do you feel now?" Arthur asked playfully, pulling back for breath. "Definitely better than okay." Ariadne replied, her large eyes lit and sparkling. She leaned back against the comfort of Arthur's side, their gazes over the waters, and their comrades before flitting back to Fischer and Eames, sitting to the left. Eames gave the two a knowing look and a nod, and that was the last thing Ariadne saw before she felt the jolt of the kick, summoning them back to reality.

As Ari went through customs and immigration, she watched Cobb. And as she picked up her luggage, she discreetly watched Eames and Yusuf, the tiniest of polite smiles on her lips as they nodded their au revoirs. As she left the building, she nodded at Saito, who nodded back as he slid into his shiny black limousine.

But as her gaze at last settled on Arthur, he'd already opened the cab door for her under the pretenses that he was only being a gentleman for a stranger. She knew better as he gave her a knowing glance, closing the door behind her. As Ari headed to The Hilton to settle for a night before she returned to Paris, her fingers came up to touch her lips.

She could still taste the flavour of Arthur's kiss. And she somehow knew that the team would meet again, and who knew what would happen when she and Arthur rendezvoused? Her smile widened, and she settled for the ride, not knowing that in the black Solstice Pontiac behind her cab, a familiar Point Man was keeping an eye on his young protege... and potential girlfriend...?


Thanks for reading, reviews would be really appreciated. More chapters coming sometime soon. No guarantees, but I'll try my best. :)

~ Snappers