Chapter Two: Every Reunion is a Type of Heaven

Charlotte questioned herself the entire flight back to France, then the car ride from the airport to the building where the team had been secured a workroom, and then even on the elevator ride up to the floor the workroom was situated on. Half of her wanted to turn and bolt, more than just a little certain she was making the biggest mistake in the world. The smarter half of her that is, the half that had technically questioned everything for the better part of the two days Cobb had given her to mull things over. It was the other half that was the problem, the weaker half, the half she had fought so hard to stuff down and suppress and even kill within herself. The half that, for the past two days, had filled her head with memories that put her stomach in knots both good and bad. The whole situation was ridiculous and she hated it. There was absolutely nothing that would come out of this that would be good for her, of that much she was certain.

The elevator ride was exceptionally painful to say the least. Trapped in such a confined space didn't make her feel any less like jumping out of her skin than she already did, and the fact that it was quite typically an older building equipped with only one of those very slow, aged, cage like elevators didn't help matters in the slightest. Each floor they went up it felt like there was less and less air around her. Her heart near thumped out of her chest and her palms were bucketing sweat. If there were one thing in the world she could ask for aside from a speedy retreat, it would be an endless supply of water to drown out the way her mouth felt filled with cotton. The rub of it was, everything she was feeling in the elevator was only going to intensify once she stepped into the workroom. Everything would be ramped up the minute she saw Arthur and there wasn't anything she could to prevent it.

"You alright?" Cobb asked quietly as Charlotte closed her eyes and seemed to be intently focused on near entirely holding her breath.

"Mmm-hmm."

"Are you sure? Your clenching your jaw so tight it looks like you're trying to chew through the bottom half of your face."

"Well…" She sighed and flipped her eyes open, fixing them on the floor as if it would help her in some way. "That's probably because I feel like if I don't keep my mouth shut I'll have no control over the fact that I just might projectile vomit all over everyone."

"Ahh…" Cobb raised his eyebrows. "So, you're a little nervous then."

Charlotte squinted slightly and held her thumb and forefinger an inch apart from each other.

"Don't be, it'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen?"

"You know, I'm really trying not to go there Dom…but thanks for that."

He smiled sympathetically. "You know, they say every parting is a form of death and every reunion is a type of heaven."

"Yeah, well nine times out of ten they don't know what the hell they're talking about anyways." She scoffed. "For all I care they can blow it out their ass to be honest."

"You have a point."

Charlotte took another deep breath and closed her eyes again, teeth finding a stray piece of skin at the corner of her lip and gnawing on it anxiously.

"He doesn't really know I'm coming does he?" Her voice hitched slightly.

"Would it make you feel better if I lied?"

"Probably not."

"Then, no." Cobb shrugged sheepishly. "I wanted to keep it on a need to know basis until you agreed to come on board. I thought it would be better, easier…"

"You don't need to explain." Charlotte smirked. "Why stir the pot right? No sense in drumming up any unnecessary residual resentment after all."

"That's not why…"

"It's okay…I get it, I mean I never said anything before I left…not to anyone. I never told said goodbye to Arthur…never told him why…I just cut and run, and that was that."

"I know." It was Cobb's turn to smirk now. "I had to bear the brunt of that for the first few weeks. Thanks, by the way."

She grimaced. "Sorry."

"Consider this a return of a favor."

Charlotte fell silent as the elevator reached its intended destination. No turning back now, more or less anyways. She took an anxious breath and cast Cobb a sideways glance.

"Five years does a lot to heal things Charlie. You have to have faith in that."

"But not completely." She choked slightly, not fully able to hide the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. "I should just turn and run now."

"You could, you know. There's nothing holding you here other than your word to me thus far." Cobb offered, resting a supportive hand on her shoulder and looking her dead in the eye. "As much as I want you with us on this, I'd never hold it against you if you changed your mind; you know I wouldn't."

She nodded weakly.

"Trust me when I tell you it's going to be alright." He continued. "Trust me when I tell you that sometimes it's best to face things head on. You can only avoid for so long, and sweetheart for you…it's been a long time."

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "You're starting to sound like Miles."

"Yeah well…coming from Miles it would be a lot less hypocritical." He quipped, hauling the old rusty doors of the elevator open.

Charlotte tugged at the hem of her tank top, almost as though smoothing it down and pulling it tight across herself was akin to steeling her will. At the very least putting up even just the slightest barrier between her and whatever was waiting for her in that workroom. With a shaky sigh, she stepped out of the elevator, one foot at a time, deliberately, and almost forcedly. No turning back now, indeed. Things as they were, this could have very well been the only chance she would ever get at having a little closure, and that was something she needed whether she could ever bring herself to admit it or not.

The corridor to the workroom though in actuality very short, felt like the longest walk Charlotte had taken in her life. Legs that felt as though they were made of concrete, the familiar cotton mouth phenomenon resurfacing, and now the way her pulse echoed in her ears at impossible volume all made it very hard to think let alone focus on anything other than her nerves. She would have never expected such a commanding sense of anxiety to be stifled in a flat second when she saw him.

There at the entrance, with Cobb at her side, Charlotte's eyes near instantly flew towards Arthur. Arthur, who was so perfectly the same as he was the last time she saw him that it was almost surreal. At the side of a large open area populated by a handful of chairs and few drawing boards chalk full of notes and photos. Dark hair so meticulously slicked back and his familiar penchant for fine Italian suits. Perpetually flawless and put together, even so simply just at that moment reclined in his chair with long legs resting on one of the worktables as he poured over his research. Arthur, who made the rest of the world seem to fade into the background and who also made her feel remarkably underdressed and grubby. Clad in just a simple black tank top and worn matching jeans with bangs she could never manage to keep out of her eyes and strands of hair that never really stayed in the confines of even her slightly sloppy ponytail, she was forever his mirror opposite.

He hadn't seen her yet, thankfully, none of them had. On the opposite side of the room a darker skinned man she didn't recognized was busy going over one of several models with another dark haired young woman, clearly the architect in question that Cobb had intended her to step up and supervise. Both strangers made her feel suddenly all the more self-conscious for some reason that she couldn't quite explain. It was almost being away for so long and coming in to something that was already in full swing made her feel like a bit of an outsider or like she was the new blood, with inexperience written all over her even though it was anything but the truth. Coming back into everything was a little overwhelming to say the least and something she would definitely have to readjust to.

"How's it coming?" Cobb asked, interrupting the work being carried out in the room.

"Slowly," Arthur sighed, not bothering to look up from his papers. "And where the hell have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you for three damn days."

"I know." Cobb half apologized, leading Charlotte into the room a little more. "I had to make a trip, I had some things to take care of."

"Things to take care of?" Arthur snapped, still not raising his eyes. "In the middle of a job like this Cobb? What could be so important?"

"Recruitment." He answered quite simply.

"Recruitment for what?" A familiar voice echoed from around the corner.

Charlotte's eyes widened and she shot a questioning look at Cobb. Arthur was one thing but Eames was an entirely different matter, and one the she had yet to be informed about. Logically speaking, she should have expected as much if she stopped and thought about it enough. Eames was just as much Cobb's go to forger, as Arthur was his point man. That aside, notice of such a surprise would have been nice, to say the very least.

"Well, well…" A sly grin spread across Eames' face. "Look what the cat dragged in."

Curiosity pulled Arthur away from his research long enough to take a glance. His head straightened up slowly in disbelief on second take recognition and his eyes locked on Charlotte. For the first time in a very long time, Arthur hadn't the foggiest how to react.

"Hey, Arthur." She managed to choke out, not all together certain that she wouldn't outright fall to pieces on the spot.

"Charlotte…" He cleared his throat and tried to play off everything that was now flooding through his mind.

Her heart still sank a little as he turned his attention back to his work with little more acknowledgement than what he had already displayed.

"Charlotte is working auxiliary," Cobb broke the awkward silence that hung over the room. "Support for Ariadne so his way our levels won't just be exceptional, they'll be as flawless as they have to be"

"Really?" Arthur feigned interest in Cobb's explanation. "Good to know, I suppose."

"Just back for one more then?" Eames baited her smugly.

"Looks like it." Charlotte nodded, rolling up onto the balls of her feet anxiously.

"Maybe you'll stick around a little longer after it's all said and done hmm?"

"Doubtful." She sighed and flicked her eyes towards Arthur to try and read any reaction. "Last one…for real this time."

"I seem to recall hearing that from you before." Eames cocked a brow shot her another self-assured smirk. "More than once I believe…and it wasn't just about the job either."

Charlotte rolled her eyes with a sneer of her own. "Glad to see you haven't changed at all."

"Of course not. Why would I do such a stupid thing?"

She scoffed and backhanded him in the chest. "Shut up."

If there was one thing Charlotte could take a bit of comfort from it was the fact that no matter what, she knew Eames couldn't care less about what happened in the past, even given their own tangled connection. He was almost the polar opposite of Arthur, out for himself and in general less concerned about everything and almost everyone. He wasn't the type to hold long-standing grudges or boatloads of resentment. Arthur on the other hand could hold a grudge like nobody's business, even if he wasn't especially vocal about it. It was backwards and it had always been that way and always the one thing that perplexed Charlotte the most. After everything that had happened, Eames would always remain something of a friend if nothing else and Arthur, Charlotte was quite certain, wouldn't give her a drink of water even if she were dying of thirst.

"Maybe I we should introduce you to the others." Cobb interrupted the friendly back and forth and extended his arm towards where Yusef and Ariadne were working. "You should see our progression and get a feel for what we've done so far before you get too sidetracked by…other pursuits."

Charlotte gave Cobb a sharp and warning glance completely unaware Arthur had his own to share from across the room.

Feet slapping against the floor with notable resonance as he slipped from his chair, Arthur quickly tapped the pile of papers against the table top, straightening them out before tucking them in his folder. He wasn't going to just sit by and play nice or pretend that everything was as it should or had always been without skipping a beat. While he had always been fairly efficient at holding on to his composure no matter the situation, just takings as they came with a stiff upper lip and a professional demeanor wasn't going to be possible, not at present anyways. Not as long as Charlotte was involved. Things weren't just going to fall back into place that easily, and certainly not in the span of five minutes. The workroom, for the time being, was just a little too close for his liking and if nothing else, Arthur could use a little air. He yanked his jacket from the back of his chair and slung it under his arm as he made his way briskly towards the door, not giving the others so much as two words.

"You're leaving?" Charlotte asked, flash of hurt tainting her features.

"Yep." He replied over his shoulder.

"What? Right now?" Cobb furrowed his brow, perplexed at the sudden need for departure.

Arthur sighed and paused in the doorway, turning towards the rest of the group for little more than a moment. "Something in the intel doesn't check out and it's easier if I get answers in person."

"Need a hand?" Eames offered in earnest.

"From you?"

"No Darling, from the hole in the wall." He sighed. "Of course, from me. You need a little charm for these kinds of things."

Arthur shook his head. "No, thanks…not in the slightest."

Eames shrugged off the reproach and attempted to turn his attention back to Ariadne's progress on the second level. It wasn't quite enough to hold his interest, however and before long his eyes were fixed on Charlotte in silent concern. There was nothing he had to offer that was going to help her, however. The most he could do was as always, be some source of support and be there for her to let it all out, even if she didn't know she needed to. He would have done anything he could to fix it for her of course, but there were some things left better if he attempted to stay uninvolved with. The conundrum that was Charlotte and Arthur, after all of these years, was one of them.

With Arthur storming out, she was left to do little else but stare after him sadly as he strode back down the hallway with Cobb trailing after him. Every fiber of her being longed to follow them both, to chase Arthur down and explain at the very least, and even form some sort of apology good enough for him to accept. Even if she did, however, she wouldn't have the slightest clue of just where to start. There was far too much that she had never gotten the chance to say before she left and far too much to be said in order to clear the air. Charlotte didn't know a good way to break into a conversation with someone she hadn't spoken to in five years let alone someone she had just up and left like a thief in the night. She didn't even know if she had the guts needed in order to make an honest attempt at even doing so. But Arthur's cold indifference, if it was in fact indifference and not hatred, would do nothing but eat her alive if she wasn't able to get everything off of her chest.

She made a move towards the door only to have Eames snatch her solidly around the forearm and hold her to the spot.

"Leave it alone, love." His head dipped down to hers, grazing her cheek as he whispered a little sound advice. "Let him be and he'll come around when he's ready…I promise you that."

"But I…" Her lower lip quivered slightly and her voice, tiny as it was, caught in her throat.

He set his eyes on hers and smoothed his thumb against her wrist reassuringly. "Trust me…it'll work itself out."

Charlotte tried to force a smile, but nothing came. Eames was right more than likely. As usual, he always seemed to be right about most things as far as she could recall. She wished she had faith in what he said would be the case, but just as she had started the day, there was nothing now that coursed through Charlottes head other than doubt.