Heya guys! So this is my first ever fanfic (go easy on me please) and I'm pretty nervous!
The whole thing is purely for pleasure, I thought it would be cool to explore Cobb/ Ariadne's relationship develop from the whole teacher/student thing, clearly they had an emotional connection in the movie...
As always any feedback/advice is greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or the incredible thing that is Inception! That would be the product of the very talented Christoper Nolan's genius...
Ariadne stood outside the arrivals terminal as she waited for her taxi; looking at the note Arthur had passed her as he had pretended to help her with her luggage.
'I hope your flight was pleasant and I look forward to potential collaborations with you in the future. Your cab will be waiting outside LAX traffic terminal within the hour, it will be clearly marked as yours.'
She couldn't help but smile at how nondescript and formal the message was, she supposed that was one of Arthur's 'security protocols' in case somebody other than her managed to read it for whatever reason. To be honest she was relieved (if a little embarrassed) that he had gone to the trouble to make arrangements for her after the inception; she honestly hadn't given a second thought to what she would do after the flight with her involvement so last minute and had been beginning to panic a little once her emotional state had stabilised enough to register that she was alone in an unfamiliar city. She knew about the no-contact-with-team-members-for-at-least-48 hours rule: yep Arthur had been VERY clear on that matter when they had made their way to Sydney pre-inception. She giggled to herself at the memory of Arthurs face as Cobb told him he had 16 hours to brief her on every single security measure they undertook during and after a job.
Cobb. She was happy for him, she honestly was. God knows she understood more than anybody else that his dreams and hopes had come true through the reunion with his children; she dreaded to think of how many times he must have checked his totem by now. She could picture his beautiful features as they met his children's and hoped that one say they would understand just how lucky they were to have him back in their lives!
But he had left her behind.
She had caught his eye as he walked through the baggage terminal, just for a second. But there was no way she could convey so many emotions into a single look and it was over far too fast, leaving her wanting more.
She shook her head and whispered to herself angrily.
'Snap out of it Ariadne'
She looked over towards the cars looking for some indication that one might be hers. She knew they were supposed to avoid using their real identities in public for a short time after any job and she was worried she would miss her cab. Finally a shiny, suave looking black cab to the far left of the inlay caught her eye; it bore the inscription 'Bishop Cabs' on its visible side. She watched as a concierge exited the cab and stood by it, lifting a plaque that read 'Miss A Eames'. Deciding that she would be retarded not to make the connection, providing it wasn't just some ridiculous coincidence anyway; she lifted her case and cautiously moved towards the cab. The concierge surveyed her as she approached then pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. Finally he looked up and addressed her directly.
'Am I right in thinking that you are Miss Eames?' he asked her with a dashing smile.
Relieved she gave him a genuine smile. 'Yes I am, sorry it's been a very long flight'.
The concierge relieved her of her luggage and opened the back door for her.
'No need to apologise Miss Eames. Your guardian Mr Arthurs informed us that you would be somewhat fatigued from your journey; I do hope it wasn't too arduous. Please get comfortable and relax. The transfer to the hotel will take a little time depending on traffic'.
Deciding that Arthur was officially a god of some kind, and making a mental note to thank him extensively when she next saw him, she sank gratefully into the leather interior of the black cab and shut her eyes blissfully, picturing a tall, muscular figure with fair hair and azure eyes, only vaguely aware of the concierge loading her luggage into the trunk of the cab and settling into the driver's seat.
'Are there any stops you wish to make on the way to the hotel miss?' he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
'Hmmmm? Oh... erm no thank you, I think I just need to get to my room and unwind...' And come back to reality where short, penniless grad students don't live happily ever after with handsome, intelligent widowers she added mentally, feeling herself drifting into a hazy slumber.
'Right you are Miss, would you like any music on?'
But Ariadne didn't answer: she was fast asleep.
Ariadne was on the beach in Limbo. The waves crashed around her feet and the sun was high in the sky. Turning she saw the derelict buildings from Cobb's imagination crumbling into disrepair. Fear spread through her as she realised she was alone in this timeless entity and she searched for someone, something, ANYTHING of assistance. She round span frantically, looking for some form of life until relief flushed through every nerve as she saw a distant figure standing between two buildings with their back to her. Not hesitating, she ran towards her saviour yelling out to get their attention. As she got closer she realised that her comrade was a woman. The surprise halted her in her steps, sending rocks skidding across the floor. The figure turned and faced her slowly. Ariadne gasped, rendered immobile by sheer terror. Mal. Ariadne's eyes flitted manically around finding no refuge as she found herself fixed to the floor unable to move. Mal nonchalantly strolled towards her with a look of sheer hatred on her face. 'You mere child, do you think that you will ever be half of his whole? He who loves me! He will give his heart to no other!' Ariadne tried to scream but all that came out was another faint gasp as her heart thudded inside her torso. Mal bent down and picked up a shard of flint that was embedded in the sand; 'He knows where to find me' she glared deep into Ariadne's soul as she found the strength to back away 'And you don't matter' Ariadne caught the evil glint in Mal's eye and by instinct turned and fled. Mal screeched and chased after her. Ariadne heard Mal directly behind he, trying in vain to escape. The taller woman caught up, grabbing Ariadne by her neck and twisting her round to face her. Lifting the shard she glared into Ariadne's eyes and whispered menacingly 'because we will be together' then brought down the shard into Ariadne's heart.
Ariadne woke up and sat bolt upright, grasping her arms across her chest. A cold sweat ran over her skin and she was shaking uncontrollably taking in the unfamiliar surroundings of the hotel room and suddenly feeling horrifically claustrophobic. She could hear a strange sound in the room like a person underwater gasping for air; before realising that it was violent sobs escaping from her diaphragm. Willing herself to calm down she pushed away the clammy sheets and moved over towards the window, taking in deep breaths of cool, night air. Angrily wiping away the tears that had run down her cheeks she quickly ran to the dresser and pulled her totem out of the bag on top of it. Taking a deep breath shut her eyes tightly then pushed over the bishop.
Thunk
She opened her eyes to find that it had fallen in its usual reassuring way. This was real: Mal's attack had been a dream.
Tension lifted from her shoulders and the breath she didn't realise she had been holding escaped her lips as her legs gave out from underneath her, she clutched onto the side of the dresser for support and shifted herself into the nearby plush chair.
Shutting her eyes she allowed herself a few moments to gain composure. What had that dream meant? Mal was DEAD! Ariadne had killed her in Limbo. She remembered the lesson Cobb had drilled into her
'Thing's seem real when you are in a dream, you don't notice that there was anything unusual about them until you wake up: it's one way we keep track of reality'
Ariadne smiled as she felt the last shreds of anxiety and doubt leave her conscience. Of course it was all fake, Mal wasn't coming to get her. Also she was now really hungry.
Deciding that she'd had enough sleep for one night Ariadne grabbed her jeans and a pullover. After she'd dressed and slid her shoes on she looked at her phone to find there was a message. Pulling up her inbox she read the instruction Arthur had sent her.
My contacts have informed me you reached your hotel suite with no complications. Please maintain discretion and leave it as little as possible, you never know if somebody suspects anything or is keeping tabs, A.
Ariadne read the message twice and frowned a little. There was no way she could stay in this hotel room right now regardless of 'protocol'. She desperately needed some air to clear her head and nowhere in the hotel was open for food right now! With Arthur's experience with dream sharing surely he would understand? She began a reply to his message.
Arthur. I am just leaving the hotel for a moment. Been having some crazy, freaky dreams and I really need some space from this room. I'll be careful! A.
She proof read it and decided it sounded reasonable so grabbed her coat, pressed send and exited the room.
Ariadne walked along the sidewalk keeping her eye out for a store that a young looking girl in converse and jeans wouldn't look suspicious shopping in (that hotel was pretty intense and luxurious: trust Arthur...). Eventually she found a 24 hour DVD rental store with a teenager who looked even shittier then she did right now at the counter. Just as she was about to enter her phone began to ring. Arthur.
There was no way she was going back to that hotel ALREADY. She could just imagine the ripping he was going to give her for leaving in the middle of the night and decided her poor, tortured emotions couldn't take any more crap that night so she hung up the call and opened the door. Remembering that her suite had a flatscreen and DVD player, and also that she had a few hours to kill until sunrise, she looked over to the store assistant.
'Hey, I don't have a member's card or anything but do you have any DVD's for sale?'
'Sure, right over by that end section' came the monotonous reply.
Giving the guy a hesitant smile she walked over to the rack and bean to browse. After selecting a few choice viewings including her all time favourite 'Romeo + Juliet', even the cover made her swoon: that actor was gorgeous, she picked up a tub of cookie dough ice cream and went to the checkout, her mood lightened by the prospect of being distracted from being murdered by her handsome friend's and mentor's psychotic manifestation of his ex wife...
God I'm weird.
She decided to walk back to the hotel slowly, taking in the sweet air- or as sweet as the air in LA got anyway- and enjoy the first suggestions of dawn that were beginning to light up the neighbourhood. She smiled at the doorman of her hotel- who gave her a politely bewildered look in return- checked she had her card key, got in the lift then took a deep, determined breath and started the walk along the corridor towards her room. Bracing herself for memories of being stabbed and desperately wanting to change those bed sheets she scanned her card key and opened the door, stepping into the room.
Putting the Bag on the dresser she caught a look at her reflection in the mirror.
'Jesus I look like death!'
Dark shadows rested under hers eyes, her hair was tousled and she was pale as a vampire. After this assessment she decided she most definitely needed a shower before movie and ice cream binge. She began to take her coat off then froze as she saw a figure behind her in the mirror, stepping out of the shadows by her wardrobe. Blind panic hit her as the déjà vu of the situation nested in her mind. But no this was reality! She pulled together all her courage and addressed the figure...
'...Mal'?
Then her body gave in, blackness took over.
Duh Duh Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhh!
Cliffhanger much lol?
I did say there would be some drama in this story! Plenty of fluffiness to come though I promise.
As always feel free to comment and feedback, though constructive is always preferred
If anyone has any suggestions also please let me know!
Thank you
xxx
