(Oh my goodness so sorry. I promised an update a long time ago. I have the whole story I was just not able to get to a computer for a longgggg time, so sorry about that. Enjoy.)

Ariadne woke to rays of sun piercing through the bedroom window. She yawned and stretched a little. It took a second for her to recall where she was, and when she did, she was almost startled.
She was in Arthur's arms.
Suprisingly, as they occupied the room for a longer period of time, their imaginations began to work and soon the place appeared new. The window was intact now, and all the furniture was free of dust.
She remembered that Arthur had found a rocking chair in the corner, and they'd cried a little in it, him holding her in his arms. Arthur cried like no person she'd ever seen; he was silent, and stoic, without a single change in facial expression or sob from his throat.
She had told him that it was okay to cry all-out and that he didn't have to retain the expression, and he replied by saying that was just the way he cried. But when she leaned on his chest and he put his head in her hair, she felt soft reverberations from his body, and realized that he was indeed sobbing, but quietly, and he refused to do so where she could see.
That was just part of who Arthur was, she realized. He refused to show much weakness, for fear he would break. And that was okay. So long as he let out at least a little.
Ariadne realized that she'd fallen asleep in his arms, and that now it was morning. She felt much better after the night's events; she'd finally found a person who understood her pain, and best of all, that person was Arthur.
She'd learned more about his past and problems and felt that she could support him as well in his time of need. They understood each other's pain because they'd both experienced it.
So now, as the light shined warmly through the window panes, Ariadne couldn't help but smile at her luck, and at Arthur's handsome face. He looked so peaceful asleep, his face relaxed.
She became very conscious of him and his body. His stomach and chest were quite firm, and she suspected that he was a man very much in shape. Her fingers were laced around his tie, a Donald Trump tie at that, and his clothes felt genuinely expensive. He just had a certain sense of class that was very attractive.
Ariadne looked over his face lovingly, thanking God for this rare opportunity to observe him.
Yes, how good that felt, to be in love. After all these years, she was finally falling in love again.
She tucked her chin into his chest, snuggling against the fabric of his oxford shirt, when his eyes slowly opened. Arthur, unlike Ariadne, quickly assessed the situation with his analytical mind. He stiffened a little and stretched ever so slightly, then put his arms loosely on Ariadne's waist.
"Good morning," he muttered.
"Good morning," she replied, trying to hide the joy in her voice. She may have been in love, but she couldn't tell him that. And even if she did, there was probably no way Arthur loved her back.
She felt like a schoolgirl again with a crush on an unattainable guy.
Arthur noted how tiny she was, and enjoyed having her lie there. He'd stayed awake long after Ariadne had fallen asleep the previous night, and had admired her curly hair, her beautiful face, and her cute little snores.
It felt wonderful to let out all that pent up emotion, but he kept it on a short leash. Somehow Katherine had faded into a beautiful thing of the past, a person he cherished but no longer felt anything for.
He felt an old emotion rise when he stared at Ariadne, but he would not be hasty, nor would he let his feelings run rampant. He would keep that cool composure he'd always had, but be a bit more lenient.
He decided that they'd better find Cobb quickly before his feelings aroused his subconscious. He suspected Ariadne was interested in him, but he couldn't be sure. Better to wait and work things out in reality.
He pondered how to ask Ariadne to get up so that they could work before his mind got carried away, but before he could say anything, she got up by herself. She was a lot like him in a way; she got down to business and downplayed distraction.
Arthur felt, unwillingly, even more admiration for her rising up inside of him.
She fixed her hair in the mirror and fumbled with her scarf while speaking.
"So what's our next move?"
Arthur straightened his tie and imagined up some gel, and a comb. Both items instantly appeared.
"Find Cobb, get out," he replied. "Where do you think he'll be?"
Ariadne thought about this for a moment.
"He'll be where his kids are, so I assume his house on the beach where they live now."
"What about his apartment?" asked Arthur. She shook her head.
"I already checked there. Cobb combined his house with his apartment because he and Mal loved both types of homes...I think his subconscious would recreate a place similar to the home his kids have in real life right now, but somewhere else, away from Mal. Do you know what the outside looks like? I've only been inside."
Arthur nodded.
"Been there several times on holiday. Brought the kids stuff. It would make sense that it's on the shore, so we should check the beach."
Ariadne nodded hesitantly, but something troubled her.
"Arthur...the longer these memories are here, the harder it is for Cobb to grasp what's real and what isn't. Maybe...maybe we should destroy all of these buildings."
Arthur thought about it for a moment.
"Maybe. But we can't have Cobb die, and he may be in one of them."
"Why not? He'd awake in reality."
Arthur shook his head.
"But he wouldn't know it. We need to show him that this isn't real, so that when he wakes up he won't be confused. If his mind isn't already lost."
There was a pause, and Arthur looked to the safe.
"What about the totem?" he asked. "Do you think he needs it?"
Ariadne shook her head.
"Leave it. It's Mal's, and he needs one for himself."
Arthur narrowed his gaze, something he always did when he was unsure of something.
"Maybe..." he muttered. "This is a safe, so it must be a secure place in his mind...maybe if we just set the totem spinning..." he said, reaching for the lock.
"Don't!" shouted Ariadne, leaping from the seat she'd taken on the bed. Arthur put his hands up.
"What?" he asked.
She sighed with relief.
"I told you Cobb planted the idea that Mal's world wasn't real in her head, and if we do that-"
"Oohhh..." he said, understanding. She nodded, confirming his suspicions.
They straigtened up a little more, and then headed out onto the recreated street.

It took them four hours to find it.
First they'd had to walk across a street in Paris. When they arrived at Cobb's favorite pastry shop, Ariadne beckoned Arthur to the side of the street.
"There's a backdoor in the shop. We can take a shortcut through it."
He nodded.
"You've been here before?" he asked.
"Yeah. Best discount bakery and pizzeria in Paris...It's Italian."
Arthur shook his head and smiled faintly at her.
When they walked in, the bakery was full of customers, chatting. The baker, who was tossing a pizza crust up in the air, called out to them in a friendly tone.
"Ciao Bella, my friends, come in, have a seat!"
They were startled to see projections. The streets of limbo had been completely empty until now, except for the projections of Austin and Katy, as well as Arthur's and Ariadne's counterpart projections.
The chef laughed loudly and added, "Sit down! Valentine's Special today, dinner for two at a discount!"
Ariadne's heart nearly stopped.
"Valentines..." she murmured. It was nowhere near February.
Arthur's eyes scanned the room, and his analysis made him nervous.
The room was full of couples, and all the tables were for two. They all had smiles on their faces, laughing, wining and dining, kissing, embracing...
Ariadne hadn't failed to notice them either. She gulped nervously and grabbed Arthur's hand.
"Come on, let's go...the backdoor is just over there."
They both were glad to be heading out. Ariadne was afraid her subconscious was putting the projections there, and Arthur was worried that it was his subconscious. It occurred to neither of them that the projections could belong to the other.
Ariadne didn't want Arthur to find out.
Arthur didn't want to be distracted by his feelings, but that was becoming increasingly difficult.
When they reached the backdoor, the chef stepped in front of it and folded his arms.
"Shortcut, eh? Do you not see the sign? For customers only!"
The man was large, and fat, with cutlery in his hands. Ariadne's mind raced for an excuse but Arthur said cooly,
"Okay. We'll have a drink."
He quickly led her to the barstools nearest to the door, and the chef smiled and returned to the kitchen.
The shop was much different the bar of Ariadne's dream. The atmosphere was light and airy, and there were pastries in the glass in front of the bar counter instead of liquors. The tinkling of wine glasses felt vaguely cheery.
"What are you doing, Arthur?" she whispered.
"We can't afford to die now. We're not in anybody's mind in particular, so they probably won't attack, but you can't be too certain," he replied, scanning the projections and keeping an eye on them.
Ariadne was glad for another opportunity to be with him, but became nervous quickly when all the sounds stopped. Every projection began to stare, and she had a strong feeling of
Deja Vu.
Arthur turned to her quickly.
"Kiss me," he said, with no rise or fall in his voice.
"What?" she said, flustered. She was about to protest with, 'That didn't work last time' but decided against it. This might be her only opportunity to kiss him without any pretenses.
Arthur kissed exactly the way she expected him to. She hadn't really been able to notice the first time because she had been distracted by the situation.
He kissed cooly, but not coldly. There was warmth in it, but no exceding passion. Composed, as always. But not poor or boring.
The projections all turned around, back to their dinners and wines, and the staff continued to work. Arthur drew back a few inches and turned his head to watch them. She watched his eyes roll over the entire crowd, and finally rest when they met her own. He paused for a moment, and then caught her completely off guard when he came back for a second.
The kiss was nearly the same, but a bit warmer and he placed a hand on her cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She felt her heart jump in both surprise and excitement. What was he doing?
On his third attempt she nearly melted and gave in. Now he was more insistent, more passionate, pressing a bit deeper, and she decided that maybe he loved her too, and that this was his way of telling her. But before she could respond with her body language, he drew away, and sat upright in his stool. He ordered a drink from the chef, and she could do nothing but sit, flustered.
"Damn my emotions," thought Arthur. The first and second exchanges had been fine, but the third one had gone too far.
He couldn't get distracted with Cobb's life on the line. Or with Ariadne's...these projections probably wouldn't have shown up had he not been thinking of her. They needed to move quickly.
Ariadne had been calm on the first, shocked on the second, and had had no time to react on the third, so he wasn't sure if she was interested, though his suspicion was increasing.
He leaned toward her and whispered in her ear softly,
"That was what they wanted."
He left it as his line for later, a smooth way of telling her he was interested. That his subconscious wanted romance.
But she took it the opposite way. She thought these were her projections, and that now he knew her secret.
For once she resented his stoic face.
His expressionless expressions had always been enticing to her, charming and secretive; but now she had no idea if he was glad or upset about her love for him. That made her nervous.
He'd played with her a little on the kisses, but she couldn't be sure...She tried not to wring her hands and hoped that Cobb would show up soon.

After a quick drink, they proceeded out the back door. Ariadne blushed and murmured,
"Sorry. It would have been faster to go the long way."
Arthur waved a hand.
"No problem. It was...interesting," he said, curving his voice just a little and smiling at her.
"Damn you, Arthur," he thought grumpily. "Can't you wait to flirt until you're awake?"
Keeping his emotions completely suppressed had had its advantages before. He felt like Spock, torn between logic and stupid, insistent, emotion.
When they finally came to the beach, it took them nearly three hours to scour the shoreline before they reached success.
Up on a sandy hill was the house Cobb lived in with his children, and on the beach were unfinished, primitive sandcastles.
Arthur nodded. "This is it," he said, and Ariadne admired the architecture of the house. Cobb...and Mal...had good taste. She would have liked to live there herself.
When they went in through the backdoor, Ariadne was suprised to find nothing on the inside but a simple pine floor, and an elevator box. She raised an eyebrow.
"What's with the inside?" she murmured.
Arthur examined the elevator and stepped inside. He looked over the buttons and beckoned for her to join him.
"Is this the elevator you went in with Cobb?" he asked.
She nodded, but stared confuzedly at the buttons.
Arthur was very good at reading emotions as well as hiding them, and saw her expression.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
She shook her head slightly and muttered,
"Nothing...It's just that there are only three buttons."
"Is there something strange about that?"
She paused a moment.
"I don't know...it's just that there were more before. At least five or six levels and the basement.
Arthur pondered this a moment, then shrugged.
"One way to find out."
He pressed the number one.

The elevator descended slowly, and Ariadne hated the suspense. What were they going to find on these levels? More of Cobb's painful memories?
When finally arrived on the first floor, which appeared to be a condominium, she stepped into the appartment hesitantly, but Arthur stayed back.
She turned to look at him.
"You coming?" she asked.
He looked around the room silently, and for the first time, she thought she detected nervousness in his gaze. He didn't look any different; she just had a dim feeling she was beginning to understand him well enough to know what he was thinking. Approximately.
He moved slowly out of the elevator and said softly,
"Let's not. I doubt Cobb will be here..."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Arthur, we haven't even searched the apartment yet. We can't just go."
He wanted to protest, but he knew he couldn't. Not without giving something away. Ariadne began to search the room.
Arthur moved slowly through the master bedroom, and opened the dresser drawers. He found his favorite hair gel, several ties, and preferred books. The bathroom contained both men and women's toiletries.
Crap.
He quickly searched the place for projections, bumping past Ariadne through the kitchen and into a small living room. Finding none, he sighed in relief; Ariadne would never suspect anything. He heard her call out,
"Where is this place?"
Arthur thought, 'Seattle,' but said, "Not sure."
"Oh wait, never mind...we must be in Washington," she called from the kitchen. The kitchen had a huge bay window that overlooked the city, and she could see the space needle.
It really was the most beautiful room in the house. Oddly, there were mirrors on all the cabinets, and she could see herself from every angle. She observed her reflection and watched another figure step into the frame. Arthur had his jacket slung over one shoulder.
"He's not here. Let's go," he said.
"There's no way to search the other floors?"
"No. The elevator is where the apartment door should be."
Thank God, thought Arthur.
"Alright," she murmured, unsatisfied. What was this place? And more importantly, what was this place to Cobb?
Arthur headed out to the bedroom and she trailed behind, when she thought she heard something. Laughter? What was it?
She turned around sharply and stared at the kitchen. It was empty, but something caught her eye...
The mirrors.
She saw the back of a black vest and a head of dark, gelled hair. There was no mistaking who it was. He approached the coffee pot and took a cup. How strange; the room was empty, but she was seeing the reflection of something that wasn't there.
The reflection traveled to the table, where a woman in a bathrobe sat in a chair, reading a newspaper. He handed her the coffee and wrapped his arms around her neck, burying his face in her hair and kissing her cheek.
Ariadne's heart became stone cold, as only one thought entered her head; Katherine.
She turned painfully to the mirror on the opposite wall, so she could see their faces. She'd been observing their backsides before.
The woman's head was bent, for she was doubling over in laughter at something Arthur had whispered in her ear. And when she lifted it, to meet his gaze, Ariadne was astounded to be staring at her own reflection.
"Ariadne?" she heard a voice from behind her say.
She jumped and turned to face the real Arthur.
"What's going on?" he asked.
She just blinked a moment, shocked at what she had just seen.
"N-Nothing," she mumbled.
He didn't seem convinced.
"You alright?"
"Yeah."
"You sure?"
She nodded shakily and followed him to the elevator. When he got inside, she paused just outside of the box and asked softly,
"Arthur, what is this place?"
He paused.
"An apartment."
"No, what's it to you?"
He didn't answer.
"This place was created from your subconscious. Is it a place of the past?"
He paused again, then shook his head.
"How did you know?"
"I have my ways."
He just shook his head again and mumbled, "You really are amazing." Her heart jumped a little. He'd said the words exactly the same way as the Arthur of her bar dream.
He looked into her eyes and said,
"Always wanted to live in Seattle. When I became an extractor, I realized that I could never live in one place. So I decided I wanted a condo here."
"Does it really exist?" she asked.
"No,"he lied.
He didn't tell her he dreamed of a home he could share here since he was young, and that he'd found this apartment, but refused to buy it until he found a wife. The suite was too lonely and large for just one. When Katherine had died, he'd forever given up hope on buying it; yet here it was.
He didn't mention these things because he was worried; if Ariadne had found a picture of Katherine or...herself, she would understand the purpose of this place. But his efforts were in vain; she understood perfectly well.
Arthur wanted to share his life with her. They understood each other.
As the elevator dropped to level two, Ariadne felt her heart sink as well. She couldn't hurt Arthur like she had her father...surely with her selfishness, if he asked her to be with him, she would hurt him. Biting her lips, she ran her mind over a tough decision.

Ariadne almost screamed when she saw the second level.
It was a bar.
She could feel her face turn bright crimson, and she was surprised to see Arthur kneel to the ground and not get out.
"Do a reality check," he commanded, and rolled his die on the ground.
She didn't move. When he finished, he looked at her and asked,
"Well?"
She shook her head.
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"I...I lost my totem."
He squinted.
"How?"
She was about to answer when her eyes widened in horror. He turned around to see what she was looking at and was met with the nasty grin of Austin McHalain.
"Hello, Ariadne."
"Get away from me!"
"Remember this?" he asked cruelly, extending his hand, which held the broken pieces of her totem.
Arthur got his gun ready but was careful to observe the projection first. Ariadne shrank behind him.
"He's your knight in shining armor?" Austin laughed. "Well don't forget what you did to the last one," he said, throwing the pieces on the floor.
He looked Arthur straight in the eye. Never had Arthur seen eyes so cold, so hard, so real, in a projection. The evil blonde haired figure said straight to his face, boldly and clearly,
"If you try to make her half your whole, and you be her knight, she'll tear you to shreds."
The words were barely out of his mouth when Arthur said, "Wrong," put the pistol to his head, and shot him.
As the figure crumpled on the floor, Arthur leaned down, picked up the fragmented totem, and whispered in his ear, "She didn't do this to it. You did."
He then stood up, kicked the body out of the elevator, and shut the door.
After his customary pause, he turned to face the bewildered Ariadne.
"Cobb won't be here, will he?"
She shook her head, still breathing heavily. He looked into space for a moment.
"A knight, Ariadne? What happened to the bishop?"
She thought about her answer carefully.
"I'm a believer in true love."
The answer would have thrown most people off, but she had a feeling, as he stared into her eyes, that he understood.
He pressed the Basement level button.
Having regained some of her senses, Ariadne whispered,
"How'd you know he broke it, and not me?"
He looked at her and smiled almost mischeviously.
"I have my ways."
The elevator hit the bottom, but he held the door closed.
"Tell me. Why didn't you kill him? You told me you shot him."
She shivered with the memory. "I did, but it did nothing. It just...went through him, I guess."
He pulled the pistol from her belt and examined it.
"Somebody forgot to load this thing."
There was silence for a moment.
And then hysterical laughter. They laughed together at her folly, as the doors rolled open to gentle sunshine through large glass windows.
They had arrived at Cobb's home, where his children lived.
After a quick search, they realized that nobody was home and that Cobb must have been on the beach.
Ariadne headed toward the veranda, but Arthur held her back and beckoned her towards a couch. A bit confused, she took a seat beside him.
"What is it?" she asked. He paused for a moment, as always, and replied,
"I think we need to talk some things out."
"Like what?"
He thought about his answer carefully.
"Ariadne...whenever we enter a place as vulnerable as this, with our subconscious completely exposed...we can put each other in danger. Going to limbo is always a risk."
Ariadne looked at her hands.
"Look, I'm sorry about Austin-"
"Don't be. All I'm saying is that our feelings can endanger each other...So...let's talk about them."
"Didn't we already?" asked Ariadne, thinking he was speaking of their pasts and projections.
Arthur paused again, for longer than usual, and said softly,
"No...no, I don't think we did. We both held something back."
The words fell loosely around her ears, and Ariadne slowly looked up to meet his gaze. So he knew. So...he felt...
The conversation lasted hours. He confessed pretty straightly. All his life, he'd been searching for a partner, a full time partner. One who possessed certain qualities, but most importantly; one who shared his dream.
And she was it.
"I noticed you the first time we really talked," he said softly. She waited for his words with bated breath. Never had she really heard Arthur talk like this.
"You get so involved with your mazes...and you know how to solve them. Even mazes that aren't your own."
As he placed his hand on hers gently, she felt a tug from the back of her memory...something, something, a truth she'd once known...
"You're like the Ariadne of myth," he said, but she already knew the words that would come, and she finished them for him.
"-the mortal who lead heroes through the labyrinth with a piece of twine."
He stared, amazed. Perhaps she knew the myth very well; or perhaps she was being incredibly perceptive yet again.
That was the thing Arthur admired most in a person; perception. For he was terrible at revealing emotion, and it took a person with a lot of understanding to comprehend him.
She told him of her bar dream, unwillingly. And of her fear, fear that she would hurt him...
"Why are you so afraid of that?" he asked, with true questioning in his voice. He did not understand her obsession.
She looked away, biting her lip. Could he ever really understand?
"The first thing I ever heard Mal say to me was, 'Do you know what's it's like to be a lover? To be one half a whole?'"
"What'd you say?"
"No. Arthur...I'm so selfish. I've always been... It's what killed my dad..."
"Ariadne, you did not kill your father. Austin McHalain did."
"But if I hadn't gone-"
"But if I hadn't been driving the car 50 instead of 25, we wouldn't have fallen under the car."
"But that's different..."
"Do you think I meant to kill Katherine?"
"No-"
"Did you mean to kill your father?"
"No!"
"Then it wasn't your fault."
"Arthur...I don't want to hurt you..."
"I'm willing to take the risk."
It was those final words that sent them into their first kiss. Their first real kiss.
It was short and sweet, for Ariadne smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair and said,
"I think we forgot something."
"What?" he asked.
She stood up and looked out the window.
"A memory; something we locked away inside ourselves because the memories around it were difficult."
He stood up and she turned to face him, with love and understanding flowing between their eyes.
"A truth we once knew but chose to forget."
He paused, as always.
"And what may that be?" he finally asked, drawing near to her.
Her next sentence would remain with him until the day he died.
"A vision of true love."

(Why don't y'all chew on that. Those words were very carefully selected and there's a lot of symbolism, especially in the final dialogue. Did you catch any of it? Leave me a review and let me know! I'm subtle, but if nobody understood it I don't want to be too subtle. Anyways, enjoy. I hope you liked my usage of the lines in the movie. Sorry it was so cheesy/)