A/N: This is a sort of prologue to the story that's been bugging me to be written. Moments throughout the movie between Arthur and Ariadne to help explain the development of their relationship a little more thoroughly. Hope you enjoy it :)
I. Beginnings
How Arthur met Cobb is irrelevant, how Cobb met Mal is even more so. Their love story means nothing, Arthur's history is nothing. It is the here and now, the love story that took everyone by surprise, especially the two main players; they never knew what hit them until they were too far in to turn back. That is the story relevant here.
The Beginnings of this story start with a job; impossible, but if they pull it off, Cobb is able to return to his children for the first time in almost a year. The job brings Arthur the satisfaction of seeing his long time friend at peace, and though in the end he wins a large sum of money, it's inconsequential. He has more than enough to live a long, luxurious life.
But the job brought so much more then that...
a/a
Arthur stood with his impeccable posture, hands in the pockets of his finely pressed slacks, leaning against a pillar in the middle of their warehouse, admiring the arrangement he had managed to whip up in about twenty minutes. The warehouse had six desks available, though as of that moment only three would require use.
The distinct noise of the doors opening just beyond his view made him turn and face the entrance where Cobb and their new architect would show up, if he had even succeeded in finding one. Carefully, he straitened his tie beneath his vest, smoothed back his hair and picked a stray piece of lint from his pants, flicking it casually into the air.
He could hear Cobbs voice, accompanied by one that was distinctly feminine.
"What exactly are we doing here?" He heard the woman ask, her voice echoing off of the walls.
"Test run; you need to get a feel for the field before we decide if you live up to Miles's praise."
They rounded the corner, and Arthur could barely contain his skepticism. A young girl of maybe twenty three walked by his side, eyes wide in wonder as she looked about the warehouse. She carried a messenger bag that looked laden with books, more than likely of the school type. A College student?
Her scanning eyes met his skeptical ones, and he could not help but notice their color brown.
He stared at her for a moment, and then remembered himself. Stepping forward he offered her his hand. "Arthur." was all he said. He rarely gave out his last name; actually, he never did anymore.
She raised an eyebrow, but took his hand never-the-less, "Ariadne."
Ariadne, The name echoed in his mind, and he wondered at where such a distinctive name came from. It suited her though.
He let go of her hand after a second, returning it to his pocket.
"Arthur's our point man."
"Point man?" she asked, watching as Cobb pulled the PASIV out and laid it on the table.
"I do the research," he specified, and she still looked as if she had no idea what he meant. He glanced at Cobb, "How much does she know?"
"Not much, yet." He gestured that Arthur and Ariadne should come over to where he was. The two walked over in companionable silence.
They were quickly under, Arthur setting the timer to five minutes and sitting back to wait for their eyes to open, to help Ariadne through her first experience waking up after dream sharing.
He took the opportunity to really study her this time. Her hair was thin and curved softly, framing her face. A strand lay, stuck to her pink lips, which were slightly parted. He watched the rise and fall of her chest, wondering at the girl's talent that Miles had apparently commended so highly.
Her eyes opened, and she gasped for breath. He was there in an instant, taking the line out of her wrist, resting a consoling hand on her arm, whispering words of comfort.
Her eyes met his, and he smiled to comfort her. That was all, a smile to reassure her. It was nothing else, meant nothing else.
They went under again, waking up before the clock had run out.
"That's some subconscious you've got on you Cobb!" she had cried, as he tried to explain a totem to her. Ah, she had met Mal. Well, in a way. The Mal that haunted Cobb's subconscious was not quite the same women she had been in real life.
There was something in the way she spoke, stood up to Cobb in a way not many would, that made him like her instantly. He smiled appreciatively, even as she stood to walk out of their lives. The red jacket she held in her hand brushed over his shoulder, and he caught a vague pleasant smell that must have been hers.
"She'll be back," Cobb reassured him.
He found himself hoping that she would.
a.a
"Now, there are other ways to fool projections, not just the steps," he told her, as they walked through the glassy office building. She had returned with an eagerness to return to the world of creations, and he had been happy to oblige.
As they explored, he the teacher, she the student, he got to know her just a little better. When she asked a question of him he wasn't comfortable in answering, he explained to her the danger of his history being known.
He noticed she tucked her hair behind her ears, a lot. But she never pulled it back, even though she could. He wondered why.
He noticed that she smirked when she looked at his tie, an innocent enough design. He wondered why.
He saw on the Penrose steps, how her eyes traveled the length of his body, and back up again to meet his eyes, without seeming to know she had. He was flattered, but none the less, he wondered why.
He wondered, and wondered, and as he showed her one of the various ways to make a door out of the most common objects, he wondered at himself as well.
Why did he feel the need to figure out the puzzle this girl, Ariadne, was, feeling like if he didn't, he'd regret it.
a.a
He couldn't remember ever being closer to someone besides Cobb.
Arthur stayed up late at night, just thinking about how unconditionally he trusted Ariadne, and their fast growing companionship.
He thought about her a lot.
And on the increasingly rare nights he dreamt, she was there.
And he always woke up feeling guilty about the extremely unprofessional way his subconscious saw her.
a.a
Unprofessional-ism, that's what it had been.
But as he drove Ariadne home, he couldn't bring himself to regret it.
Ariadne had stayed later then she usually did, so thoroughly immersed in her work that it had not occurred to her that she had a bus to catch, or that if she missed it she had no way home.
He had wandered out of a back room, pulling on a coat and turning off lights as he went. Then he noticed her, sitting at her desk with only her desk light and sketches to accompany her. Her models were scattered along the floor, her hair clipped in a hasty twist on the back of her head, eyebrows furrowed... bottom lip caught between her teeth...
He hadn't realized he was staring at her until she made a sudden movement to stretch. He mentally shook himself and wandered over to her desk.
"Why are you still here so late?" he asked, making her jump.
"What?" She looked around, perhaps noticing for the first time that everyone else had left, that the moon was high in the sky. Her eyes widened. "Oh no, I've missed my bus."
"Did you?" He asked, unaware that she had to rely on public transportation. She could just borrow one of his cars. After all, he had two hidden in long term parking garages on opposite ends of the city. But they would probably be a little too conspicuous for a struggling college student.
Ariadne sighed, putting down her pencil that was looking a little worse for wear. He thought he might even see teeth marks on it. "I guess I could sleep in the chairs," She said, looking apprehensively towards the lawn chairs they used when they went under.
Arthur chuckled lightly, "You'll regret that decision in the morning. Come on, I'll take you home," He told her, picking her fallen coat up from the floor and handing it to her.
She didn't take it right away, "You don't have to." she said dully.
"I insist," he told her, holding the coat a little closer. And she took it with a thankful smile playing on her lips.
As she stood, she swung her coat over to pull her arms through, and it brushed the papers on her desk, sending them to the floor. "Damn," she muttered, and they both went down to pick them up. He started a neat pile, and she handed them to him in a not so neat pile. He stood, placed them on her desk and extended a hand towards her.
Ariadne's hand slipped into his, and it was warm and small, and it felt right. He pulled her up and said nothing. They merely stared at each other for a moment, her hand still in his, eyes holding the others', until the color rising to her cheeks reminded him that this was work. He was a professional. She was Ariadne, he was Arthur. There was no 'and' connecting their names. They were co workers. Friends.
Nothing more.
The car was silent except for her quiet instructions to her home that he already knew, as was dictated by his job position, though he didn't point that out to her. He pulled up to the curb of her apartment complex, as close as he could get to her actual apartment.
Arthur looked over and realized she was asleep, and gently woke her up. It was a losing battle. She mumbled a bit about staircases and coffee, earning a rare genuine, full smile from Arthur. He got out of the car and opened her door, trying once more to wake her.
"Arthur... the steps," she sighed. His name, escaping her lips in that breathy way made him stare at her in wonder.
Friends. Coworkers. He reminded himself.
But she didn't want to wake, and he himself needed to get home, so he chooses the only option available to him. Quietly, he detached her keys from her bag, and lifted her into his arms. Careful not to jostle her too much, he climbed the two flights of stairs required, and delicately unlocked the door to her apartment. She made herself comfortable, grasping onto his vest and pulling herself closer. He held his breath for a moment, and then plunged onward, barley taking in his surroundings as he went for the only closed door in the apartment, hoping it was her bedroom.
It was, and gently, he set her down, taking off her shoes and putting the blanket over her. He put her bag down next to her bed, and went in search of paper and pen.
He left her a note, then quietly disappeared into the night.
Ariadne,
You fell asleep, and stubbornly would not wake up.
I hope you don't mind my invasion of your home. Sleep in tomorrow, I'll let Cobb know you had a late night.
You deserve it,
Arthur
a.a
After weeks of research, of planning, of spending countless hours in the dream space helping Ariadne learn the ropes since no one else could spare the time, it was time. He was fairly confident that they had everything planned as best as they could, but deep inside he was still doubtful they could pull it off.
While he and Saito informed Cobb, he watched as Ariadne whispered urgently, a foreign feeling tightening in his gut as he watched them in each others confidences. When finally, Cobb turned to Saito, and informed him they would need another ticket for the plane.
Arthur glanced at Ariadne, who was watching Cobb with concern evident in her eyes. He felt fear replace the unknown feeling in his gut. She wasn't ready for whatever would be waiting for them three layers deep. She was hardly ready for one layer on a job like this.
He took a deep breath, and walked away. He couldn't care this much, it would jeopardize everything if he was too concerned for her safety and mental well-being. But despite this, he was reorganizing their plans to include Ariadne, and she would stay by his side as much as possible, professionalism be damned.
a.a
He was beyond furious with Cobb. His neglect to tell the whole truth put everyone there in danger of dropping into limbo, potentially driving them all mad. Cobb had been lucky, and everyone who was informed enough knew that Mal had not. The odds were not good. If only half of them would come out of limbo mentally intact...
He looked over at the confused, scared, betrayed looking Ariadne.
His anger towards Cobb flared hotter then it had been before.
a.a
"Cobb is drawing Fischer's attention to the strangeness of the dream, which is making his subconscious look for the dreamer; me." He told her, watching as men and women in business suits walked by, watching them. They needed something to distract them from him, but nothing was likely to work.
He didn't trust the Mr. Charles plan, and he knew they were all in danger of failing. If they failed, Cobb would be arrested when they landed, they would all have to go on the run from Cobol, Fischer's company... there was a very good likelihood that with two major corporations on their tails, most of them would be imprisoned, tortured, or killed. Possibly all three.
He glanced at Ariadne, who looked worried, but she was determined. He didn't want her to look so worried, even though she had every right to be.
The words tumbled out, a distraction, that's all it was.
"Quick, give me a kiss." he said, and without hesitation, she turned to face him, head tilted slightly to her right, and Arthur leaned in, closing the distance. Their lips met, and his chest tightened with the thrill of it, Ariadne's lips touching his. But they were working. They were friends. Coworkers. Nothing more.
He broke it off after a mere second, because he felt his body's urge for more. But he couldn't. he repeated his mantra over and over.
"They're still looking at us," she said.
A smile tugged at his lips. Arthur seemed to smile a lot more often around her. "Yeah, it was worth a shot," he said ironically, hearing the double meaning in his words. He stood. "We should get out of here."
He stood, and looked back to see her smiling as well.
a.a
Her eyes weren't opening.
Eames.
Eames was a prick, and though he would feel bad, Arthur could live with himself if Eames was caught in limbo. For the most part. But he opened his eyes.
Fischer's eyes opened, after a few seconds. Their mark was safe; all that remained to be seen was if their inception had worked. Arthur had no idea what had happened on the third level.
He gripped the railing on the elevator hard, his knuckles turning white.
Saito remained asleep, as did Cobb, and-
A sigh of relief escaped his lips as Ariadne opened her eyes-
Then he was suddenly surrounded by water, being offered oxygen by Yusuf as Fischer helped Browning, aka Eames out of the sinking van to the surface as well.
Saito and Cobb still were not awake, and he was forced to leave them in the sinking van.
Limbo, they were in limbo, Ariadne told him. She had been there too, and he was happy she was safe. But happy she was safe in a friendly coworker sort of way.
His face remained the same as ever as they discussed what had happened. She sounded okay, sure of herself, and of her reality.
He was glad.
When they all woke on the plane, he leaned forward to ask Ariadne if she was okay. With a soft smile she confirmed she was fine. It was another five minutes before Cobb and Saito came around.
a.a
He watched her find her bags on the carousel, and he watched Yusef and Eames leave through different entrances. He wasn't sure Saito had ever left the plane. He watched Cobb make it through immigration to meet his father-in-law, but most of all, he watched her.
She was walking away when he made up his mind to follow her.
"Ariadne," he said quietly when he was just behind her. She jumped, turning to face him with her hand plunged into her pocket, grasping onto what was surely her totem.
She visibly relaxed when she realized it was only him.
"Arthur," she breathed, looking around anxiously, "I thought we were supposed to pretend we didn't know each other-"
"I believe you dropped this on the plane miss," he said pointedly, and a little louder than necessary, handing her a slip of paper he'd had on him for almost a week now.
She caught on, taking the paper with a thank you. Arthur nodded, and held her gaze for a moment longer, and then he walked away from her, hoping more than he cared to admit that he would see her again soon.
The paper had contained his phone number with the words if you ever need anything, don't hesitate.
A/N: So I wanted to write a post-Inception quick fiction, but I wanted to develop their relationship a little more than it had been in the movie first. So the storyline is actually more of a story line starting next chapter. Will Ariadne call Arthur? Will she lose his phone number? Get kidnapped? Die? =D
Reviews are ice cream on a hot day :)