A shout out to you guys who have reviewed and subscribed! Thank you so much for your support! You know who you are and you are the reason I am updating far faster then I normally would . I'm trying to spend more time on each chapter so that they are slightly longer and more in depth.

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. Particularly let me know how you feel about chapter length? Are long chapters difficult to take in or do they improve my story? Let me know what you guys want (It's my first fanfic so I'm completely winging it!)

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or the incredible thing that is Inception! That would be the product of the very talented Christopher Nolan's genius...

The moment Cobb's lips had met hers Ariadne's resolve shattered. His hand slipped around her waist tentatively, as though testing the water. Ariadne shivered at his touch, moving her lips to his jaw, and softly kissing upwards to the corner or his mouth. At her response he slowly lifted her, never breaking their kiss, until she found herself sitting across his lap. His lips moved to her collarbone, every kiss heightening her senses.

She knew that after this she would be unable to leave him willingly. But what about Paris? University? In an attempt to crush these unwelcome thoughts she ran her hands though his hair and lifted his face so she could once again press her lips against his. As their mouths met a sharp image of a murderous Mal flashed across her vision. Her eyes snapped open and instantly she broke away, breathing heavily. Dom looked at her worriedly.

'Ariadne?' his voice caressed her and she ran her hand through her hair, trying to clear her head. Ignoring the part of her brain that was yelling at her stupidity she stood up and without once looking back, grabbed her bag and left the house.

Cobb's POV

Cobb found himself alone on the sofa in his house unable to understand what had just happened. Eventually the events of the past ten minutes ran through his mind and came to an undeniable conclusion: he had kissed Ariadne! Why had he done that?

Because she said she loves you; the rational part of his brain told him wearily: and more importantly you love her too.

Cobb was momentarily stunned by this revelation. How could he have been so blind! He remembered how he would suddenly find himself staring at her whilst she was working, or standing by her desk when she wasn't there just to achieve a feeling of closeness to her! But Mal had interrupted his every thought and he had just been so determined to get back to his kids... holy shit he was stupid, how had he not realised? He looked desperately towards the door through which Ariadne had just exited.

And now she'd gone. Why hadn't he stopped her? Cobb frowned; he'd thought she'd wanted that kiss as much as she had! He was certain she had responded but then she'd just gotten up and left!

Confusion turned once again into panic as another startlingly obvious fact became clear: she was out in the streets alone again and once again it was all his fault! He jumped up, grabbed his keys and ran to try find her before something happened to her. Questions would have to wait until later. He knew he would never forgive himself if he didn't find Ariadne and fix things.

Ariadne's POV

Ariadne ran across Cobb's neighbourhood, paying no attention to where she was going. Once she was sure the scenery had changed somewhat she stopped and clutched at the stitch in her side. Eventually reason began to enter back into her thoughts. She had no idea where she was. She couldn't face Cobb right now, so going backwards and retracing her steps was out of the question, and she was all alone in a strange city. She couldn't breathe, why had she run away like that? Calming herself down she picked up her phone and called the number of the first person who came into her head. The man on the other end answered after just two rings.

'Ariadne darling'! The badly hidden relief in his voice made her smile.

'Eames'.

She wasn't entirely sure how Eames had found her (her only directions being 'I am by a wall mart and a tree') but he had managed it.

She had been sitting down leaning against the wall of the store contemplating how much Cobb must hate her right now. The next thing she knew a flashy red convertible had sped around the corner and screeched to a halt in front of her. Her heart lifted as soon as she saw the driver: a remarkably familiar, charming Englishman. He lifted his sunglasses and flashed her a huge grin.

'Get in love; you look like a hobo sitting down there'. Ignoring the jibe Ariadne went and sat in the passenger seat. Eames nonchalantly threw his free arm around her shoulders and left her to her thoughts, seemingly realising that she was emotionally drained. He gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze then sped off towards downtown LA.

They arrived at a flashy multi-level condo within ten minutes- though she was pretty sure Eames ignored general formalities such as speed limits. Eames parked the car underground then they took the lift in silence up to the penthouse. Ariadne gasped when the saw the glass wall, taking in the panoramic view of LA. Eames couldn't help but smile, he figured penniless grad students didn't get to see much luxury. Ignoring his obvious amusement she took a breath and curled up on the leather couch. Eames moved to the kitchen, fetching one glass of water and one of Scotch whisky. He sat down next to her and offered her the drinks.

'Which one would you prefer'? She smiled at him and gratefully took the water from his left hand. Eames grinned at her.

'Good girl'. He stretched out across the sofa and let her take a drink. Once she was done he spoke.

'Now, Ariadne. Why don't you explain how you came to be stranded all alone in the middle of LA (not that I don't applaud you for breaking Artie's precious little rules) and why only seconds after your call, I had a call from an equally distressed Cobb informing me that you were missing again and not at your hotel room? Though I will admit he was a little vague on the details of how you came to be missing...' he registered the shock that she knew was plastered on her face and correctly interpreted it.

'Don't worry! I didn't tell him I'd heard from you. I just assured him that I believed you were ok and that there didn't seem to be anybody on our tail from the Fischer job. No I decided that I would rather hear your account of things first darling' he looked thoughtful for a second.

'Though you maaay not want to keep Cobb in suspense for much longer... the poor man sounded positively frantic'! He smiled at the memory and looked at her expectantly.

Ariadne was quiet for a moment. She looked into Eames's open features and felt something inside her snap Before she knew it she was pouring her heart out to him, telling him everything and leaving NOTHING out. She told him about the dream with Mal. How she was afraid to fall asleep. How scared she was when she found Cobb in her room and how whole she felt when they were together. She told him about how she still couldn't believe Cobb felt the same way she did and how much it was killing her that she just knew Mal wouldn't ever let her be with him. She told him about how she adored his children and how terrified she was that Cobb wouldn't forgive her for running away from him. That she felt she could never tell Cobb about Mal because he wouldn't understand and it would only make him reject her.

'And most importantly' She said through her tears 'I left my ice cream at that horrible hotel'! A tissue appeared before her seemingly out of nowhere. Eames hugged her tightly to his chest.

'Well my dear' He chuckled as she wiped her eyes 'You have had an eventful day haven't you? You do know that once a job is over you are supposed to relax? Fortunately I have an instant answer to at least one of those problems'. She looked up at him with wide, confused eyes as he crossed over to the next room. She heard him rummaging around then grinned as she saw the pot of chocomint ice cream and spoon he was bringing over to her. She tucked in straight away

'Better'? He asked settling down next to her.

'Musch, fank yoo'!

'Now let's look at the situation logically and rationally, ok'? Ariadne nodded through her face full of ice cream.

'You love Cobb, no don't bother denying it Ariadne trust me I know what a woman in love looks like, I'm a liar- you can't lie to me' he grinned at the dejected, resigned look on her face then tipped his head back and concentrated.

'Now what we need to figure out is why Mal attacks you every time you dream or get close to Cobb. The obvious answer would be that the only version you've seen of her was a twisted projection that refused to let Cobb move on with his life! Therefore it would make sense that you find yourself at her mercy every time you are emotionally vulnerable or open about your feelings for Cobb.' No response from Ariadne. He continued his assessment.

'Now you have to ask yourself, does Cobb really believe that was the way his wife would have behaved? Or was he just torturing himself with her in response to the guilt he felt in regards to her suicide? Because I knew the real Mal before she... changed and in the event of her death she would have wanted him to move on and live his life as happily as he could, I'm willing to bet Cobb also knew this. I also know that Dominic Cobb is the classic, text book example of self inflicted guilt which Is why, I suspect, he shaped his guilt into form of Mal. Think about it, isn't that just the worst possible punishment he could give himself? To have his beloved wife constantly goading him and reminding him of his mistakes...'

Ariadne thought hard, sucking the ice cream off the spoon. This seemed an entirely plausible explanation: god knows Cobb didn't half torture himself. Of course having his beloved Mal constantly accusing and condemning him was surely the most painful thing he could achieve. Then her heart sank. Dom had loved Mal so much; she would never be able to measure up to the passion and trust that had been present in their marriage. She felt a tear roll down her cheek; she would have dropped everything to be with Cobb but she was sure he would never think about her with the dame devotion he had felt for Mal.

As if guessing her exact thoughts Eames passed her another tissue and continued with the analysis.

'Cobb loved Mal with a passion, nobody can deny that, but something enormous HAPPENED during the inception' She locked her gaze with Eames, desperate for him to help her understand. Eames smiled at her softly.

'Ariadne he had the option to stay with Mal and the children in limbo, but he chose to come back to the real world. It was you down there with him. You who convinced him and, if I'm not very much mistaken, it was his promise to you to not 'lose himself' that kept him sane through all those years he was in limbo, though of course his longing for his real kids must also be acclaimed!' He smiled at the dumbfounded look on her face and placed his carefully took from her hand the tub of ice cream she was unknowingly tipping over the couch.

'Now tell me Ariadne. Was he angry that you killed Mal? No. He was GRATEFUL you silly girl! It was you who opened his eyes and enabled him to confront his guilt once and for all. You are the reason he has moved on and is able to live his life here and clearly he wants to live it with you! You really think he will reject you if you tell him about Mal? I think he will be relieved that you trust him with what is evidently a very personal matter. Now I believe that is me done for the day. I expect when you tell him about your visions of Mal he will tell you exactly what I just have and that's the last you will see of her... Ariadne, breathe!'

Ariadne let out the breath she had been holding for the entirety of Eames' statement. She now knew several things.

She was head over heels in love with Dominic Cobb

She needed to find him and speak to him NOW

Eames was a god

She was a complete moron who didn't deserve to have a friend like Eames or Arthur.

She had tipped ice cream all over Eames' couch...

She shook her head, everything was suddenly so ludicrously clear!

'Eames... how on earth do you, I mean, how did you...'

Eames looked up from wiping the sofa with a wet cloth and winked at her:

'A Masters in Psychology from Cambridge love, how do you think I get inside people's minds (not to mention behind their faces) so well? Anyway my intuition is telling me that you have a phone call to make' Eames tossed Ariadne his cell phone then continued to clean the leather.

'Eames... thank you'

'Mr Cobb is speed dial number 6' he said without looking up.

She walked through to the kitchen, missing Eames' self gratifying, smug little smile. She leaned against a counter and took in a deep, determined lungful of a before dialling Cobb's number.

Cobb's POV

Meanwhile Dominic Cobb had reached breaking point. After scouring Ariadne's hotel from top to bottom and basically ransacking her room he had paced the lobby waiting for her to return until the concierge had politely asked him to refrain. After that he had continuously wandered the streets around the hotel hoping to see her. He had considered calling Arthur but didn't think he could stand the admonishment he was certain he would receive from him. Anyway he knew Arthur was currently occupied and in no location of which he could be of use. Cobb felt entirely helpless. He vented his feelings by aiming his frustration at a bin. Instantly embarrassed with his lack of composure, and genuinely no longer caring, Cobb leant against the wall, willing himself to be calm.

Before long he thought back to the call with Eames, how could that man be so fucking CALM?

'Hello'?

'Eames? Eames! It's Cobb. Look there's been a... misunderstanding and Ariadne is missing again. Please... have you heard from her or do you have any idea where she might be'?

'Sorry old boy can't say I have... But she's a grown up girl and I'm sure she's just fine! There hasn't been a sniff of trouble since the... flight so I wouldn't worry too much. She probably just needed some space; you know how claustrophobic reality can seem after dream sharing. Anyway I have an urgent errand to run...'

'Yes... yes ok. Look if you hear anything from her please call me right away! I really need to speak to her'.

'Right you are Cobb'.

And with that Eames had hung up on him!That had been an hour ago! Surely Eames must be getting worried by now... maybe he should try Saito? If anyone knew about threats to security after the job it would be him!

Cobb's thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing. He whipped it out his pocket and checked the caller ID

Eames!

Instantly he accepted the call and put the phone to his ear

'Eames! Have you heard anything from Ariadne? Is she ok? Please, I'm so worried!' The end of the phone was silent for a moment before a small, feminine voice replied:

'Hi Dom...'

OK I did so NOT plan out that chapter to turn out that way! But hey, there we go lol.

Mild cliffhanger at the end there...

I really liked the thought of Eames being a talented psychologist! It just seemed to fit in nicely with his character (mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm)

As always reviews are always appreciated but never expected. What would you like to see happen next?

xxxxxx