A/N: Sorry to make you wait nearly three weeks. :/ I kept telling myself I'd update the next day, and kept doing it. xD Anyway, it's longer than the usual chapter, so I hope that makes up for it being three weeks late. Enjoy. xo
Dedicated to impossiblypossible. (:
Adriane had a big enough selection of clothes that she and Arthur didn't have to make an impromptu trip to Paris just yet. Arthur had called Dom and asked him to talk to Miles about letting Ariadne return to classes a little later than usual but he didn't dare say any more than her stay had been extended due to "unforeseen circumstances." She'd stay at Arthur's apartment so Saito could save money by only getting a room for Eames (unless, of course, he had purchased the hotel because he believed it would be "easier" that way.)
The pair ventured out in public together, visiting cafes and restaurants as well as tourist-y areas as it was Ariadne's first time in LA. Whatever time they didn't spend out in public places was spent sequestered in Arthur's apartment. They used the PASIV, mainly so Ariadne could build dream worlds and paradoxical situations, honing her skills.
Arthur's eyes snapped open. Sun spilled in through the window bathing the room in gold. He propped himself up on his elbows and observed his surroundings. He was lying in bed, the sheets crinkled and Ariadne wasn't to be found. At least, she wasn't in the room with him. Lying back down, he let out a heavy sign and closed his eyes.
"Hey, you're up." A tiny voice came from the doorway and when he looked to the door, he was speechless.
Ariadne leaned against the doorframe, clad in an olive green dress shirt, the one that Arthur had worn when they first met. The sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and the shirt hung loosely on her tiny frame. Her hair was messed up from the previous night's sleep. She moved closer to the bed and sat down on the edge.
"Hey…yeah. How long have you been up?" He sat up and Ariadne brought her legs up onto the bed, facing him, her hands in her lap.
"Couple hours? I couldn't sleep. Hope you don't mind I borrowed your shirt." She tugged on the upturned collar of her shirt.
"Well, if it's any consolation, it looks better on you than it ever did on me." He grinned and pulled her away from the edge of the bed, laid down, facing her.
"So what are we going to do today?" Ariadne asked, intertwining her fingers with Arthur's.
"Well. We could go out, get some lunch and go down to the beach or…" Arthur scooted closer to Ariadne, his index finger tracing a line up her exposed arm, goose bumps making an appearance on her skin.
"Or…?" a mischievous, yet somehow innocent, smile presented itself on Ariadne's face.
"Or we could stay inside and…" Arthur trailed off as he nuzzled his face into her neck, her perfume invading his senses once again.
"Hmm, staying inside sounds better. Not much of a beach person." He felt her hands move to work on the buttons of his plaid shirt, the same mischievous smile on her face. In retaliation, or curiosity, he reached to undo the buttons of her shirt – his shirt – revealing her collarbones. He felt like a teenager again, making out with a girl at a party during a game of seven minutes in heaven. He was happy, though. Ariadne didn't recoil every time he touched her. She genuinely seemed to like him, and wasn't pretending just because he'd expressed his feelings for her first.
Abruptly, Ariadne sat up and created space between her and Arthur. He sat up a moment after her, a concerned look on his face. He touched her shoulder delicately. "What's wrong?"
"Your phone's ringing."
Arthur sighed heavily, getting off the bed and heading to the kitchen to answer the phone. The moment was ruined and Arthur was irritated. Whoever was calling had better be dying or need his help.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Arthur. It's Cobb." And then there was Cobb. Try as he might, Arthur couldn't be mad at Cobb.
"Hey Dom. How're the kids?"
"They're great. Happy I'm back."
"That's good."
A moment of silence. "So, listen. I'm having a dinner party and I'd like you to be there. It's just going to be the team and Saito. I haven't been able to get a hold of Ariadne, so could you tell her?"
"Sure, I'll be there. What time?"
"Around 6."
"Alright. See you tonight, bye." Arthur hung up the phone and retraced his steps back into the bedroom. Ariadne sat cross legged at the head of the bed, buttons redone up.
"Who was that?"
"Dom. He's having a dinner party for the team and he wants us to be there."
"Sound's fun. It'll be nice to see everyone again."
xxx
"We can leave right now, y'know." Arthur joked as he and Ariadne stood on Dom's front stoop. She wore a knee length black lace dress with a royal blue lining and a deep v neckline. He, on the other hand, wore a simple black suit, white shirt and a black skinny tie. They'd expect no less from anyone else. They all seemed to dress formally even in casual wear.
Ariadne smacked his arm, playfully. "No. We're going inside. We haven't seen them since Fischer. It'd be nice to catch up." She reached to press the doorbell and after a few moments, Cobb opened the door, a wide smile on his face. They exchanged pleasantries and headed inside. They'd been the last ones to arrive, so they were greeted by Eames, Yusuf and Saito when they entered the dining room.
"Ah, Arthur, darling, long time no see. Ariadne, you look wonderful tonight. How are you both?"
"We're good. Glad to see everyone again." Arthur watched as Eames eyed Ariadne in her surprising attire. She always preferred to wear jeans or slacks, printed or plain button up shirts, gaudy coloured cardigans and worn out motorcycle boots. And while he admired her unique sense of style, the dress she had worn was an accepted, and welcomed, change. Eames seemed to prefer the dress over her normal attire. Maybe too much.
Their conversation was short, as it was announced that dinner was ready to be served. In their short conversation, it was determined that Eames had spent a week in Las Vegas before returning to LA. Surprisingly, he had stayed out of trouble and didn't invade anyone's mind with the projection of an attractive blonde woman.
They ate, while laughing and telling stories of past jobs they had done together or individually. They spoke of various demonstrations they had used to display and explain various techniques. The kicks and the Paradox staircases being mentioned from the Fischer job. They retired to the living room where Cobb announced that they had another job.
"Another job? Don't you think it's too soon?" Eames, being the concerned one, asked.
"Is it another inception?" Ariadne this time.
"No, it's just an extraction. An inception so soon after we did the Fischer job would be difficult and dangerous. We just need to get inside The Mark's mind and steal an idea, some information."
"Where is this job?" Arthur spoke now.
"Here. In LA. I don't want to leave the kids seeing as I just got back."
"When do we do the job?" Yusuf asked, having remained silent for most of the night.
"Two weeks from today. The Mark is a woman named Patricia Batoul. She's the head of a multi-million dollar biotech firm here in LA. Their biggest competitors, through word of mouth, found us and want us to find out what they're creating." Cobb glanced over at Saito, who had a muted grin on his face. Figures he'd be the one who told Batoul's rivals about The Team. "It shouldn't be that hard. Get in, find out what they're creating, and get out."
Ariadne would build the dream world; make it so real to Patricia that she would believe she's not dreaming, that it is, in fact, reality. Arthur would research the woman, find out every little detail about her, and at the same time, make sure Cobb didn't send a freight train through the streets. Again. Yusuf would provide the somnacin to keep them under while they extracted information. Eames would forge identities, become someone close to Patricia. Maybe there was an older sister, or a family member, that she had a weakness for, the one person she would do anything for. Then there was Saito. Saito would play the businessman interested in the company. He was their ticket to getting inside her head, literally.
They discussed the job some more, relaying all details of how it would go down, until they had polished off a bottle or two of wine. Arthur hardly touched his glass, opting for water instead, and watched with a smirk as Eames downed glass after glass. It was time to go, and everyone thanked Cobb for having them over, as well as the good food. Arthur and Ariadne were the only ones left after a few minutes.
"I'll meet you in the car, okay?" Ariadne turned to Cobb, placing a hand on his arm. "It was good to see you again, Cobb." She left, leaving Arthur and Cobb alone.
"Thanks for coming, Arthur."
"You know I would." A moment of silence. "How are things?"
"They're hard, without Mal. James still asks for her. He's too young to understand, you know?"
Arthur nodded. "I should go. Call if you need anything, okay?" He shook Cobb's hand and headed to the car, turning just as Cobb closed the front door. Arthur climbed into the driver's seat and closed the door with a sigh.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah."
They rode in silence back to Arthur's apartment. She was watching him, he could tell, but his eyes never deviated from the road. When they got back, he placed the key into the door and went inside. An awkward air of silence filled the room as Ariadne closed the door with a click. He wasn't mad. In fact, he was far from mad. He felt some sympathy for Cobb, having to deal with two small children and the death of their mother, not being able to explain in a way that they would understand.
Arthur tossed his coat on the couch, along with his tie, and undid the top button on his shirt and the buttons on his cuffs. Besides the dinner party, they had done nothing that required a lot of energy, yet he was still tired. Arthur headed to the bedroom, a long yawn escaping his mouth. He laid down in the dark, alone with his thoughts, until Ariadne had climbed into bed next to him. She put her head on his chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart. They didn't speak and soon, they were both asleep.