Thanks to everyone for all the reviews! I really appreciate hearing from y'all.
Well what started out as a one-shot is slowly turning into a series of snapshots about the lives of our favorite point man and architect. (and I don't know about TV stations in France, so I went with what I knew).
Please enjoy!
xxx
She squinted up into the bright sky, lowering her head to take in the sidewalk on which she stood. Most surely a downtown area, light traffic, tall office buildings. A smile grew on her face as she continued to look around. Arthur's dreams were becoming easy to recognize—the simplistic elegance of every detail gave him away.
"Whoa." The word left her in a low whistle as her eyes settled on the two cars parked directly in front of her. A silver Acura TSX and black BMW M6 sat glistening in the sunlight, both sexy, refined and relatively unassuming. Much like the man behind it all.
She turned over her shoulder, watching the subject of her thoughts exit the office building directly behind her, a mischievous smirk on his face. Instead of the usual three-piece suit, he had a charcoal sweater on over a white button down shirt, red tie loosened at the neck, top button unbuttoned, sleeves rolled one cuff width up.
"I hope I get the BMW." The smirk on his face widened at her comment.
"Only in your dreams." He came to a stop beside her.
"So what's today's lesson then?"
"How are your hot wiring skills?" She turned to him with raised eyebrows.
"Don't know. Never tried."
"Hm, perhaps next time," he reached in his pants pocket, tossing her a key, "I feel like driving today." He brought the other key out from his pocket, pushing a button, the BMW roaring to life.
"So what…you're gonna chase me?"
"Learn how to lose a tail, drive under pressure. Handy skills even in the real world. Benefit to learning here is when you crash, you'll wake up."
"When I crash?"
"Everyone crashes in the beginning."
"Some positive mentor you are." He smiled an innocent little smile before moving for the driver's door. "You seriously expect me to compete with that?" She motioned between the cars.
"You won't get to choose what vehicle your opponents drive. You might have some say over the car you're driving if you're in a vehicle you planned for. If you're on the street and suddenly need a car, you drive whatever the subject's subconscious has placed before you. I tried to be nice."
She glanced back at the silver car, guessing it really wasn't that bad. She might have a chance. She walked to the driver's door, glancing back in time to catch Arthur, now wearing a pair of shades that brought out the sexy angles of his face, slide into the M6. She shook her head unable to believe it—even in dreams, the man had impeccable taste and was sexy as hell. She turned back, resigning herself and dropping into the driver's seat.
"Crap," she laughed out loud to herself, closing the door, "he's gonna kick my ass."
"Now what kind of attitude is that?" She froze, a disbelieving smile coming to her face as she slowly shook her head.
"If you were a real tail, we wouldn't be talking to each other." She wasn't sure where the microphone was or if he could even hear her.
"More fun this way, and I can't really give you pointers if we're not in contact." She reached for the seat-belt, turning the key in the ignition.
"You're getting some kind sick thrill from this aren't you? You sound way too happy. " She gripped the steering wheel, shifting out of park, glancing in the rear view mirror to meet his sunglasses-shielded eyes. "So do I get a head start or something?"
"Maybe I'll give you a minute. More often than not, tails are sloppy and give themselves away, so they'll be right on top of you the minute you leave the curb. Good luck love."
"Good luck yourself." She pulled out from the curb, finding a break in traffic and gunning it to the nearest intersection. An approving smile came to her face as the car accelerated down the road, zipping over into another lane of traffic, gliding to a stop.
"Not bad." She whispered to herself.
"Enjoying yourself?" She glared upwards.
"Stay out until you're needed."
"So you admit you need me?"
"I admit nothing." She turned off on another road, zooming down an alley before right turning, merging in traffic. She wasn't sure exactly where she was going. She wasn't familiar with this cityscape, but she knew he damn well was. Suddenly she remembered to check the rearview mirror—he was supposed to be following her after all. There he was, two cars back. Damn, how did he get so close to her? He was still parked at the cub when she rounded her first corner. The light ahead was red with a green left arrow and she currently was stopped.
Biting her lip, she jerked the wheel to the left turn lane, flooring the gas pedal, gliding through the intersection.
"Bad move." She heard the squeal of tires and the roar of an engine, looking in the mirror in time to see the black car fly around the corner, gaining rapidly even as she accelerated down the nearly empty street, zipping through other cars. "You exposed yourself, leaving an open path behind for your purser to follow you." She barely registered his words. "You make a move like that only when your purser can't follow you." An intersection with a green light and green arrow steadily approached. She could only hope the car wouldn't flip.
She cranked the wheel, slamming on the brakes, back end sliding into the intersection as she pulled a hard, fast u-turn. Anything that might shake him up was better than nothing. She punched the pedal to the floor, back wheels spinning for a fraction of a second as she flew down the same street in the opposite direction.
"Clever." She watched him pull the same turn quicker, easier. "Tall enough median that I couldn't cross lanes to stop you. Forces me to slow down, lets you get ahead of me." He watched her turn right on a side-street. Smirking to himself, he cranked the wheel, the car turning on a dime, accelerating like a knife through hot butter.
She checked the mirror again, surprised to not see the black car. Surely she hadn't lost him, had she? She slowed at an intersection surrounded by tall buildings, straining to see on either side. Suddenly she slammed on the brakes, a startled gasp leaving her. There he was, idling on her right hand side of the intersection. She could almost make out the look on his face.
"Hey Babe." The look of shock was plain on her face."Stopping is the last thing you want to do when I'm this close."
"Where the hell did you come from?"
"You gave me a window to use what I might know of the street layout when I saw you turn so far in front of me. I knew a shortcut and beat you to the same point."
"Your car is faster than mine."
"Not by much." She fixed her eyes on the rear-view mirror, glancing down to the emergency brake. He watched her reach for the gearshift, reverse lights illuminating. "You're not going to try driving in reverse, are you?"
"No, I'm going to attempt one of those reverse turns you always see in action movies." She started rolling. "I'm sure you know how to do one."
"I do. Simple principals, but difficult to master with finesse." He inched the car forward, turning on the street she was currently backing down. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the emergency brake, her other hand cranking the steering wheel with all her might. The tires screeched, the chassis went rigid, her head slamming against the headrest.
Arthur watched the silver car turn on its rear wheels, leaving a faint cloud of smoke and tire skids behind. She shook her head, trying to catch her breath as she floored it, again sinking back in the seat under the force of acceleration.
"Not bad for a beginner. Still needs some work though—it would have been all too easy for me to catch you."
"I did notice you just sat there."
"Well this is for you to learn." He followed her, right on her tail, as she darted around corners.
She glanced back in the mirror just in time to watch him move forward, pulling along her right side.
"Now what?" She asked, chancing a second's glance over at him. He simply smiled. "Arthu—." His name died in her throat as her car jerked violently to the left, and she struggled to recover. Again he turned his car into hers, watching as she fought to keep the steering wheel in her control.
"You've got to fight back if you expect to escape." He eased the side of his car into hers again, jolting it, a tiny yelp of surprise sounding over his speaker. She wasn't even thinking, she just acted, ignoring all instincts as she turned the Acura into the BMW, the car shaking around her at the impact.
"Harder." She turned the wheel more, the two cars scraping together. "Pull back and hit harder…turning into me more at this point won't help you." Numbly she listened to him, too high on adrenaline to think for herself. She pulled back, giving them some space, cranking a hard right to slam into his black car. She caught the jerk of his elbows as he fought to straighten the car, a surprised smile coming to her face.
"Better." He had barely finished speaking when suddenly he rammed the full force of his car against hers, pushing her off the road and onto the sidewalk as she fought to regain control of the steering wheel. Her eyes widened to find the car riding less than an inch from the building, still moving forward, pinned between Arthur's car. She stomped harder on the gas pedal, hoping to outrun him, fighting to keep the car from crashing into the building wall. He matched her every step of the way, her heart pounding as the building wall end grew near.
One final tap from Arthur's car as she careened through the intersection, and the last thing she knew was the approaching brick wall of the building on the next corner, the sound of shattering glass, the crushing weight of the car collapsing around her.
X
Gasping for breath, her eyes bolted open as she flew up off the leather couch. She scrambled to yank the IV out of her arm, struggling to find her breath.
Arthur's eyes opened, immediately removing the IV and moving over to the couch, hating how shaken she looked.
"Damn you Arthur." She ground out, still fighting to calm down.
"You did well, and you didn't panic. Most people aren't that strong." He watched her arm shake as she raised it to her head. He scooted back on the couch, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, kissing her forehead. He relaxed into her as her head rolled to rest on his shoulder.
"But I did…there at the end. I wouldn't have smashed into a building otherwise."
"Unavoidable. Everyone crashes in the beginning." Her eyes sank closed, an annoyed smile coming to her face as she recalled his earlier words.
"I remember you saying that…I was determined to prove you wrong."
"That's why we don't learn in the real world. No one gets hurt." She sighed deeply against him, loving the faint sound of his heartbeat.
"How do you do it?" She asked quietly.
"Do what?"
"The dying. I still can't get used to it."
"That comes with experience. The more you die, the more desensitized you become to it. After a while, it doesn't mean anything."
"After a while…how long did it take you?'
"I lost count somewhere after fifty, and that was three years ago." She shut her eyes turning more into his body, so lean, so warm.
"But that's dangerous—becoming desensitized to dying. There's nothing to prevent it from carrying over in the real world." She considered mentioning Cobb's wife, but thought better of it.
"It's a difficult distinction. Makes the totem that much more important." His mind drifted to the weight of the die in his pocket—an ever comforting source. She sighed against him, attempting to snuggle tighter in his embrace, his lips again drifting across her forehead.
"What was the worst death?" She asked at length. He didn't even have to think.
"Burning alive. A slow, excruciating process."
"How did that happen?"
"I didn't make it out of a building in time," his voice had dropped to a distant tone, lost in memories he'd as soon forget, "it was one of the first jobs I did with Cobb. We got what we needed, but couldn't get out before the mark's projections burned down the building with us inside."
"And that didn't stop you?"
"Not in the slightest. Just another learning experience." He shifted on the couch to lie back against the cushions, bringing her with him to rest together in the stillness of his apartment.
"A learning experience…." Her mind drifted back to what she remembered of their dream car chase, settling against his chest. "How did you get out of the dream so quickly?"
"Followed you into the building wall once you crashed."
"You're pretty lethal, you know—whether with your hands, a gun, car."
"Often times part of the job."
"Did Cobb teach you?"
"No, I took initiative on my own. Only so many times you can stand to get your ass kicked or jeopardize a job."
"So you purposely trained to kill people?"
"Projections of people, for self defense."
"So you could kill in the real world?"
"For self defense? The basic principals would be the same up to the point of knowing that it's not some figure of the subconscious but a person with a soul who won't just wake back up."
"'Person with a soul?'" She repeated his words, a faint smile coming to her face, her fingers lazily tracing circles on his torso. "Didn't have you figured for a religious type."
"Call it a leftover from my childhood."
"Tell me more." She could lay against him forever.
"And bore you to death? No thank you." She felt him shift, reaching out for the TV remote that lay idly on the coffee table.
"Do we have any plans for tonight?" She asked, watching as the TV sparked to life. She knew he had done it for her.
"Not if you don't want us to."
"I don't. I 'd rather stay here with you all night." She felt him laugh soft in his chest.
"I'd like nothing better myself." He stared at the TV curiously, brows furrowing. "Why is the TV on ABC Family?" It had to be her doing.
"Harry Potter was on this morning." She bit her lip, embarrassed, laughing slightly, realizing how being around him made her feel like such a child sometimes. "Sorry."
"You don't have to apologize. It's endearing." He brought his arm down to wrap around her back, holding her tight against him. This was how life should always be.
"Don't change the channel—I love Back to the Future."
"Really?" His eyes left the channel guide, focusing on the movie. "I didn't even know these were still played."
"You have seen them, right?" She craned her neck to look up at him, melting at the almost cute, confused, amused look on his face.
"Not since I was a kid." She lowered her head, snuggling back into his soft sweater, breathing deep the faint scent of his cologne.
"Now I know what we're doing tonight." His eyes closed in mild annoyance. He hadn't planned to spend his evening as a couch potato.
"Only if it means having you close Ariadne." She raised her head, pulling herself up his torso, letting her lips fall against his. The movie soundtrack faded under a series of lingering, solid kisses, a fire sparking to life. It wouldn't take much to lose herself in him. He pulled back, meeting her eyes, contentment in their depths.
"What? You're not going to try and distract me?" She asked coyly, nibbling his chin.
"Maybe later," he turned from her to the tv, "I'd rather watch…I don't remember much of what happens."
Six hours, four cocktails and one pizza later, he tried and succeeded.
xxx
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