A/N: I have no idea if the wherever you like this story or not- no new reviews, that doesn't make author's life easier;) But nevertheless, here's next chapter. And I can already say that in the next one you'll find out what is between Arthur and Ariadne.
Please, review if you read, don't hesitate if you don't like it!
When Ariadne reaches finally hotel, she feels like somebody wringed her.
And there's Oliver, standing outside the hotel, the mix of anxiousness and anger on his face.
"You're back.", he says warily. Ariadne sigh in answer and leans on street lamp.
"What was that?", Oliver asks angrily. "You left me in the middle of street and just went with some guy! Who is he?", he demands.
"He's…", Ariadne hesitates. Who is Eames for her? She doesn't know, not really. "He's nobody.", she finally finishes lamely and tries to pass by Oliver, but he grabs her arm.
"So you left me for nobody?", he demands.
The anger in Oliver's eyes, the whole meeting with Eames force Ariadne to something she almost never do; to cry.
She starts sobbing despairingly confusing Oliver, who embraces her gently. His anger vanishes the minute Ariadne starts crying.
"Shhh,", he murmurs softly. "Easy, Ari, easy. Come on, we'll get inside.", he gently places his hand on small of her back and guides her toward door.
As soon as they get in their room, Oliver decisively seats her on the bed. He places himself in front her, determination shining in his eyes.
"And now tell me about this job.", he says firmly.
And Ariadne obeys.
First words are hard to express, they're choking her. But then they go more smoothly, faster and faster, like uncontrolled waterfall.
Somewhere in the middle of the story she starts crying again, feeling the bitterness of her own tears on her lips.
Oliver just sits still, not saying anything at all. It's somehow easier this way, like he isn't the real person, like the promise she made, which that obliged her not to tell anybody anything, doesn't include Oliver.
When she finally finishes, she raises her head to look at him and immediately regret it.
There's an utter shock in his eyes, mixed with something indefinable. Maybe disgust?
Ariadne isn't sure.
They're looking at each other for a couple of minutes, when Ariadne eventually decides she won't stand it any longer.
"Say something!", she demands, her voice sounds weakly and hoarsely after crying. Nevertheless, it wakes up Oliver, who stands up, not taking his eyes of her.
"You…", he's looking for words, but nothing comes to his mind. "How…", he starts again and this time he finally forces his mind to express his feeling. "You, all this team", he hisses. "You changed completely this man life! You might ruined it! Ariadne, how could you join such things? How could you enter somebody's mind and messed it?"
Ariadne feels very small and vulnerable in this moment. She knows that Oliver is right; they all committed a crime, maybe the worst person can do: the forced human being to threw away everything he knew and fell into an utter lie.
She shivers, feeling suddenly hatred toward herself. Oliver is right, how she could do such things?
And the answer immediately appears in her mind.
Because is nothing quite like this.
Ariadne looks up and meets the unbelieving look of Oliver's blue eyes.
"I…", she starts, but suddenly Oliver pulls her into tight hug.
"We'll fix it.", he whispers fervently. "Everything."
The feel of his warm body around her makes her become aware of fact how exhausted she is. So she doesn't ask him what he wants to fix, just simply sinks into this warm safety.
Arthur looks around. Nothing seems too suspicious, but it doesn't make him feel safe. Which way choose?
Left.
The exact moment he starts walking, black van arrives.
Fuck. It's definitely not my lucky day.
Arthur quickens his pace, but he already knows that he's doomed.
There's no way he could possibly escape car. He hears a roar of engine just behind him and jumps aside, the bonnet lightly hit him and sends on his knees.
"Mr. Arthur. How rude to escape before main guests have came.", he hears and stands up. His hands are bleeding after hard contact with ground, but well… He has more urgent things right now, than that.
"Trying to knock down one of the guest isn't polite either.", he observes calmly.
Man chuckles shortly. "Get in to the car.", he commands. Arthur knows very well that he has to obey.
"We had an agreement.", says the man, when they're sitting in car. "And then, all of sudden, you decided to shoot two our men and ran away. Any particular reason for such behavior?"
Despite the gravity of situation Arthur wants to laugh.
"If I says that's all because of woman?", he half-ask, half-states.
Man next to him dangerously narrows his eyes. "Enough of that. You broke our agreement, but we'll let you live. Yet, you'll give us Cobb."
Arthur stays silent, feeling the knot inside him tighten.
"You'll give us Cobb and extract information we need from Saito.", continues man.
Arthur arches his eyebrow, fighting to hold his composure. "That's exactly the same order we got from you before."
"But this time you won't lose and bring information we requited."
"Impossible.", Arthur reacts immediately. "Saito knows about us, he's never let us close to him."
Man leans to Arthur, close enough to makes him feel his breath on face. "So you'll find some kind of solution for that."
"Why us?", Arthur asks.
"You're the best.", man observes lazily. "No sense in hiring any other team. But that shouldn't bother you right now. Now we need you to tell us where Cobb is."
Arthur fells that something suspiciously similar to panic raises in his chest. "Cobb is free man, I can't say where he's right now.", he forces himself to say coolly.
'Oh, really? So, maybe a little help would come in hand. Three weeks ago Cobb left airport in LAX and headed to his home. As far as we know he had got there, but the next day he was absent, as well his kids. Where is he now?"
Arthur narrows his eyes. "I don't know.", he says firmly. Man shakes his head in irritation.
"Your stubbornness will kill you some day.", he observes.
Arthur shrugs in answer. "Everybody has to die some day."
"Fine.", man gestures his bodyguard toward Arthur.
The blow is sudden and hard, it leaves Arthur gasping for air.
"I'll ask once again: Where's Cobb?"
"I don't know.", Arthur hisses behind clenched teeth.
"You really don't leave my any other option.", man says with sigh.
This time Arthur is prepared for stroke.
Next days of summer pass like in fever. Nothing is exactly clear and nothing can catch her focus.
Ariadne stays with Oliver, sometimes feeling ridiculous. He treats her strangely, the mix of love and disappointment. She is very aware of fact if he could he'd never let her join the team. And she almost agree with him; after all, almost nothing good happened because of that.
Almost.
She still remembers the disbelief and happiness in Cobb's eyes, she saw in the airport. She still remember creating. She still remember oh so rare Arthur's full smile.
And can't help but feel the hint of satisfaction when she reads about Fisher dissolving his father's empire.
Yet, in the same time, she feels incomplete, like something broke inside her and disappeared with Dreams.
That's way she stays with Oliver. He's trying so hard to fill her, make her alive again…
It's not his fault he can't wake her up.
Awakening comes from somebody different.
The knock in the door is hard and urgent. Ariadne looks disapprovingly toward it, like it could help in anything. Oliver went shopping and Ariadne simply lays on her bed, letting her mind flying through fantasies.
She drags herself from bed and opens the door without checking whose behind it.
And freezes.
It's Eames.
"You…", she stammers and that's everything she's able to say before he pulls her into bear hug.
"You're still here. God, you're here.", she hears him murmuring. She breaks away from his arms and looks at him with frown.
"Fisher took Cobb.", he says before Ariadne has a chance to ask. She feels her mouth drops open and for moment isn't sure whatever she hears properly.
"He found out about inception, I don't know why and now he's trying every single of us.", Eames shakes his head, closing his bleary eyes for moment. "Not sure what he wants from us."
"And… the rest?", Ariadne asks quietly, fear in her voice.
"Yusuf's fine. Saito has his own army, so don't be afraid.", Eames answers immediately. "I was afraid of you, you didn't answer my calls…", he glances at her suspiciously.
Ariadne is aware that she neglected herself lastly, but that's not important right one.
The question comes from her almost unwillingly. "And Arthur?"
Eames is silent for moment and panic raises in Ariadne's chest.
"I don't know.", Eames admits finally with difficulty. "He hasn't been captured by Fisher, I'm sure of that. Still he disappeared somewhere. Don't worry, thought.", he says catching the look of fear in her eyes. "He's Arthur, he'll be ok. now we need to take care of you."
"Wait.", Ariadne stops him. "What you mean by that?"
"Darling, you can't stay here alone.", Eames shrugs.
"I'm not alone.", Ariadne says defensively.
"You're still with this asshole?", Eames goggles. "Amazing, didn't know you're so patient.", he teases her but his eyes are serious. "Listen, Ariadne. We don't know what Fisher wants, but it can't be anything good. We need to disappear and I have wonderful place to hide us."
Ariadne looks at him silently. Thoughts rush in her head with speed of light. She knows Eames is right; she can't stay here, it's too dangerous. Still the thought of leaving her flat, Oliver, her life with him makes her rebellious.
"Ariadne, please.", Eames actually pleads, determination and fear in his eyes.
Ariadne nods hesitantly. "I need to… I need to take some things with me."
"Fine.", Eames relaxes slightly. "But be hurry."
Ariadne takes her travel bag and bungs into it everything which can come in handy. She has no idea what she should take with her and the whole situation resembles her trashy action movie.
The last things she does before leaving is writing a brief note to Oliver.
Dear Oliver, it says, I needed wanted to leave. Don't look after me. I hope you'll forgive me someday. Ariadne.
She puts it on kitchen's table and Eames grabs her hand. "It's time to leave.", he says firmly.
She doesn't allowed herself to cry until they get into the car.
Eames doesn't make any attempt in comforting her; he's very well aware that's impossible right now and Ariadne is grateful for that.
She's not sure when cry turns into heavy sleep.
"Ariadne, sweetheart, wake up.", Eames gently touches her shoulder. Ariadne opens her eyes to find out it's already dark outside. She sees empty street, lighten only by few street lamps. The car is parked in front of old tenement house with falling off plaster.
"Where are we?", she demands.
"In my home-country.", Eames answers. "Well, in the less representative part of it.", he adds like on second though.
"I'd slept all the way from Paris to England?", Ariadne asks with disbelief.
Eames chuckles. "Astonishingly, yes. I've never seen anybody sleeping so peaceful during the escape. Come on, I'll show you our apartment."
He grabs her bag and Ariadne follows him obediently.
She can't exactly define her feelings right now; she feels confused, nothing is as she expected today's morning. She should be in her flat right now, with Oliver. Yet, she's here, the whole life of her left behind.
It should breaks her, but it doesn't.
For the first time since long time Ariadne feels alive and ready to live. Of course, she's scared and the thought of everything she left is painful, but adrenaline bumping in her veins doesn't let her sink into sorrow. With surprise she finds out that all this things make her excited.
"I'm crazy", she mutters to herself. Eames glances at her over his shoulder. Their eyes meet and he smiles.
"Like everybody in this business.", he says gently.
It makes Ariadne stop in the middle of corridor. She knows it ridiculous to feel so happy in such circumstances, but she can't help it.
It's like with this short sentence all her dreams come true; since inception she wanted so badly to come back to Dreams, to be a part of team achieving impossibilities again.
No matter how insane it is.
The feeling of excitement is overwhelming that she almost want to kiss Eames and start dancing.
The only thing stopping her is anxiety of rest of the team.
Cob is taken, she reminds herself. She doesn't want to remember that Arthur disappeared somewhere, it's too much to bear right now.
Eames stops her in front of wasted door.
"Here it is.", he says with roguish smile and opens the door.
Ariadne gasps. She's never expect anything like that in such house.
The apartment in front her eyes is nothing like her own tiny flat in Paris.
First of all is huge, with winding stairs that probably leads into second floor.
Secondly it's exactly in Arthur's taste; modern and somewhat cold, with low-key colour scheme and expensive furniture.
"It's…", Ariadne turns to Eames with question in her eyes.
"Yeah, it's Arthur's.", he admits.
"And he gave you address and keys?", Ariadne asks suspiciously.
"Well… Not exactly.", Eames says shamelessly. "But it makes impression, doesn't it?"
"Yes, is does.", Ariadne admits absently. She sits on the couch, fingering lightly the its head rest.
Is that where Arthur leans his head, while working on his laptop?
Ariadne closes her eyes, the feel of excitement slowly falters from her, leaving her weak and vulnerable. She can say that Eames observes her intently.
"Don't think about past.", she hears him saying.
"That's how it works?", she asks opening her eyes. "Just leave everything behind you and go further?"
From the first time Ariadne met Eames she sees sadness in his eyes. "That's price we pay, darling. Dreams are a gift and they come with a price."
Ariadne slowly nods her head in acknowledgment.
After all, she wants to pay this price.
