So, here it is! Sorry for the long wait, if you thought it was wrong. I wanted to make it perfect so I took my time with writing it and all that. Hopefully I did a good job at writing them all older, I just thought it would be better if some time has passed.
I hope you all like the ending, I really enjoyed writing it. Hopefully I summed up everything and it all makes sense.
I don't own Inception, Chris Nolan does.
Epilogue
5 Years Later:
Arthur walked up to the church and made his way down the hallways to the small room that was reserved for Dom and his groomsmen, in Dom's case, it was just Arthur.
It was weird being back here. He hadn't been home in a long time. Usually his parents came and visited him in New York. But the wedding was being held here since this was where they had met.
Arthur walked into the room and found Dom sitting in a chair, reading a book. Arthur gave a small chuckle and Dom looked up.
"Arthur!" He said as he stood up. Arthur smiled and walked all the way in and closed the door.
"I see you are quite relaxed."
"This is just a mask. I am really shaking and screaming on the inside." Dom said with a small laugh.
"Well, you might want to start getting dressed then. Mal would kill you if you walked down the aisle in sweatpants." Arthur said as he turned and started getting Dom's tux ready.
Yes, today was the day that Dom and Mal were finally getting married. They have been engaged for two years now but they had waited until Mal finished school and got a job. Dom was still in school, but he wanted to be an architect, so he would be in school for a while. And Mal didn't want to wait that long.
But Mal finished school and got a job as an elementary school teacher. And she was happy. Mal loved kids, so getting to work with them every day made her so much happier.
After Dom was dressed, the pastor walked in and started talking to Dom about all the minor details with the wedding and what exactly was going to happen and all that. There may have even been a prayer in there somewhere. Arthur didn't really pay much attention to them; instead he took that time to get himself ready.
As he looked at himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but notice how much he had grown since high school. He was taller and had more muscle now. He was tired of being the lanky kid all the time, so once in college, he worked out a lot and got his body in shape. Of course, he didn't overdo it, but it was obvious that he was bigger now.
He wore his contacts all the time but he always had his glasses just in case. He really only wore them when he was having a bad day, or finals week back in school.
His hair was now all short and it suited him perfectly. He put some gel in it today but usually he let it do whatever it wanted to do. Sometimes he would get this weird curl but there was really nothing he could do about it. His hair had a mind of its own.
It was so weird being an adult now. It just felt different. Dom was on his way to being an architect, as was Ariadne. Mal was a teacher. Yusuf was off getting his doctorate in chemistry and was probably going to invent some cool chemical that would change the world forever. Robert worked for his father's company and would soon he inheriting it since his father was quite ill. And Saito, well, he was back in Tokyo working for a company that was growing bigger by the second. There were even rumors that Saito was trying to take over the company.
As for Arthur, well, he was just a journalist trying to make it big in New York. Typical dreams but it was enough for Arthur. He had graduated with his bachelor's degree at the top of his class and went on to get his masters, also top of his class. Right after graduation, he got the job working for a magazine. It was all Arthur could really hope for.
He got to write, which he loved, and the best part was that he got to write about anything he wanted to. He usually wrote about dreams. He wrote about the research being done and the technology involved with it. He even sometimes wrote about his own experiences. And people loved his articles. It was all Arthur could ever hope for.
Arthur was even in the process of writing a book. He had been writing it all throughout college and he was still writing it. But it was going to be long. It was all about Eames, but not directly. He would write about his experiences but write it in a way that would get people's attention and in a way that would make it sell.
But he wanted it to be perfect, which was why it has taken him so long to get it done. But he was getting close. The ending was the problem. Arthur didn't know how he wanted it to end. Did he want to keep it real or make it the fairy tale ending that he never got?
"You ready?" Dom asked, bringing him from his thoughts. Arthur smiled and nodded.
"Yes. Are you?" Arthur asked. Dom just laughed.
"Yeah. I am marrying the woman I love. It can't get much better than that." Arthur just nodded and walked with him towards the altar. The pastor was leading the way. "By the way, sorry about Alan." Dom whispered. Arthur just nodded.
"It is quite alright. It just wasn't meant to be. I'm not heartbroken about it." Arthur had been in quite a serious relationship with a history teacher, Alan Matthews. They met through Mal and Arthur fell head over heels for this man. He was tall with black hair and bright blue eyes. He was nice and had a great sense of humor. They had been together for almost two years.
And then, things went to shit. Alan became jealous of something that wasn't even happening, in other words, Eames. Arthur never mentioned him besides with his book. Alan knew that his book was based on a real person and Arthur was sure that he knew about Arthur's feelings towards him. But Alan never said anything about it.
Alan did want things to be more serious with the possibility of getting married and perhaps even the possibility of adopting, something Arthur didn't want.
Well, that was wrong. Arthur did want it, just not with Alan. There was only one person he would want that with and they were gone. So they got in fights all the time until Arthur finally called things off and kicked Alan out of his apartment.
As Arthur stood next to Dom, he looked around at all of the guests. He spotted Ariadne sitting next to Robert and Yusuf. She gave him a small wave. Arthur just smiled at her. He spotted Saito sitting in the back with some woman. Arthur didn't want assume that they were together or anything. Knowing Saito, you never quite know who it could end up being. Arthur thought he heard that Saito was married, but he wouldn't put it past him to have mistresses.
Arthur thought he even spotted Nash in the pews. Arthur thought that was weird, but he and Dom were somewhat friends in high school and could have been friends still. Arthur thought he remembered Dom saying something about Nash going into architecture too.
Arthur straightened up when he heard the music begin. The wedding party just consisted of Dom, Mal, Arthur, and Mal's sister, Marie. Speaking of which, she started to make her walk down the aisle.
Marie was very beautiful, but not as beautiful as Mal. Marie was younger but she did share some of the same features of Mal. She had long brown hair and the bright brown eyes. Her hair was all pulled up with a couple strands surrounding her face. She smiled at the people in the pews and Arthur could definitely tell that she and Mal were related. She had that grace that Mal had that made them look so flawless.
Marie was wearing a floor length strapless coral dress with a simple bouquet of white roses. She walked up to the altar and smiled at Dom and Arthur before taking her spot on the other side of the altar. Arthur looked over as the doors opened up again. He smiled as he saw Mal begin her walk down the aisle, escorted by her father.
Arthur was never too fond of Mal's dad. He just looked mean but Dom said he was alright. He taught at a school in Paris and taught Dom a little bit about architecture. Arthur had met Mal's father, Miles, a few times and he really had no desire to meet him much more.
Mal looked amazing. She was in a lace gown that hugged her body in all the right places but still held a little bit of modesty. Her hair was down and in loose curls that cupped her face. She looked beautiful.
Mal was beaming as she looked at Dom. Arthur glanced over and saw Dom smiling at Mal like he was luckiest man in the world. And Arthur knew that really, Dom was. Mal was an amazing woman, any man would be jealous of Dom right now. Arthur had to admit that he was a little envious, not exactly of marrying Mal per se, but if he had been interested in women, he would have wanted to marry a woman as wonderful as Mal.
Miles gave Mal a small kiss before letting her walk up to the altar to meet Dom.
Arthur just smiled as he watched two of his best friends enjoy what would probably be one of the happiest days of their lives.
Arthur sat down at the wedding party table next to Dom. He would occasionally look around and Ariadne would smile at him and try and make him feel better but it didn't really work. Arthur was just tired and wanted to go home.
But he was going to be here till the end of the whole reception. He had to be here for Dom and Mal.
So, when it came time to give his speech, he grabbed his cup of champagne and stood up.
"Hey everyone." He said, getting everyone's attention. "My name is Arthur and I have been friends with Dom for almost six years now, maybe seven. It seems the years all mold together so I am not sure at the moment." The guests gave a little laugh which made Arthur feel a tad bit better. "I first met Dom when I moved here my senior year in high school. And I was so lost and lonely. I was the new kid, afraid to make new friends. Dom was the first person to actually talk to me. We had a project to do for English class. And when I met Dom, I of course met Mal. And I knew, right then, that these two were meant to be together. They were perfect for each other then and they are perfect for each other now. I cannot think of two people who deserve each other more than Dom and Mal. So, here is to wishing you both a wonderful marriage full of many years of happiness and joy." Arthur toasted his cup and took a sip as the guests did the same. Dom stood up and pulled Arthur into a big hug. Mal was crying as she pulled Arthur into a hug and kissed him on the cheek.
After that, Arthur was allowed to wander around and do what he wanted. He grabbed himself a beer and walked around a bit as Dom and Mal shared their first dance as a married couple.
"Hey Arthur!" He tensed up at the familiar voice. After so many years it still frightens him. He turned around slowly and saw Nash walking towards him. He still looked as greasy as ever.
"Hey Nash." Arthur said quietly.
"Hey, look. I know you have every reason to hate me, but, I just wanted to say how sorry I am for how I treated you. It was wrong. I mean, you could have been so depressed and killed yourself and then I would have felt really bad and I just wanted to say how sorry I am for making your life miserable." Arthur was just staring at him, dumfounded. What caused this change of heart?
"Oh, um, well, thanks, Nash. That means a lot to me." Nash gave him a small smile before he backed away and went to the other side of the room. Arthur just shrugged and walked over to the table that Robert and Yusuf were sitting at. Ariadne had gone to get drinks. Arthur had seen her leave so he knew she would be back. "Hey guys." He said as he sat down.
"Arthur!" Yusuf said with a smile. Arthur just smiled as he took a drink.
"Arthur, glad you decided to come over." Ariadne said as she sat down, handing out drinks to everyone.
"You took a while." Robert said as he took his drink.
"Yeah, I met the most charming British man at the bar." Arthur looked over at her before glancing back at the dance floor.
"And he stole your affections?" Yusuf asked.
"Well, he was pretty charming, but I don't think he was for me." Arthur glanced over and saw that Ariadne was now staring at him.
"What is that look for?" Arthur asked.
"Well, Mr. newly single, you should go chat him up."
"Chat him up?" Arthur said with a little laugh. "Um, I haven't been single for that long. I am not desperate."
"Arthur, this man is entirely your type. You should at least give it a try."
"Really now?" Arthur said with another laugh. "What if this man is straight?" Ariadne just gave him a look.
"You will never know unless you try."
"No." Arthur said, taking another drink of beer. "If he deems me attractive enough, he will come to me. I am tired to being so upfront all the time." Ariadne let out a small sigh and turned back to Robert who just shrugged.
Arthur just leaned back and glanced over at the dance floor. Mal and Miles were now dancing to the father daughter dance. He could feel Ariadne's eyes on him but he just ignored it and took another drink.
It was a wedding after all, might as well enjoy it and get drunk. It had been ages since the last time he had been drunk.
Arthur was sitting at the table when another slow song came on. It was like high school all over again with Arthur having no one to dance with.
He jumped when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw Mal standing there with her hand stretched out. He smiled and stood up and took it. She led him out to the dance floor. He pulled her close and slowly started dancing to the music with her. She just smiled at him.
"You are smiling like you know a secret." Arthur said.
"Maybe I do." She said with a big smile. Arthur just shook his head as they swayed to the music.
"So, how does it feel to be Mrs. Cobb?" He asked.
"It feels pretty damn good." Arthur let out a little chuckle as he glanced around the room. His eyes then found the shape of a familiar person. He stopped moving immediately as he stared at the figure.
It was Eames.
He had aged. Arthur could see that. He had filled out quite a bit. He had a bit more muscle on him and he was tanner. His hair was gelled back in the way that Arthur hated. But he was wearing a nice pair of slacks and a light blue button up shirt that had the first few buttons unbuttoned.
Arthur just stood there, staring at Eames. He even closed his eyes and looked back to see if he was hallucinating. But Eames was still there. He lifted his glass in a toast.
"Do you see him?" Mal whispered. Arthur looked down and saw her smiling at him.
"You know who Eames is?" Arthur asked.
"I met him in Paris this past summer. I saw him and recognized him from your drawing. And he seemed to know me as well because he came and talked with me first. We talked about you and about his life and how he knew you." Arthur was just silent. "So, I invited him here so he could be reunited with you."
"Mal…" Arthur choked out. He was so close to crying that it took all of his strength to keep himself in check.
"Go Arthur." She said as she pulled away. "Go to him." Arthur didn't have to be told again. He slowly walked over to where Eames was standing. Eames just smiled at him throughout his whole walk over there. He didn't want to look away, fearing that Eames would somehow disappear on him.
Arthur stopped a few feet in front of Eames. Eames was still standing there, smiling at him. Arthur wanted to go and tackle him to the ground, but there was a small part of Arthur that felt like if he did do that, Eames would disappear and Arthur would have made a big ass of himself by running straight into the wall.
"Arthur." Eames said and Arthur actually felt his knees buckle. He gripped a chair to hold himself up. It has been so long since he had heard Eames' voice. He had tried to remember it, but after so long, your mind can only do so much.
And his voice was just as perfect as it was back then.
"Are you real?" Arthur whispered out.
"Of course I am real, darling." Eames took a step forward and placed his hand on the side of Arthur's face. Arthur immediately reached up and placed his hand on top of Eames'. It was perfect and it felt just like it did before.
Arthur closed his eyes and he felt a stray tear roll down his cheek.
"Why are you crying?" Eames asked as he stepped even closer to Arthur. Arthur could feel Eames' body touching his. He could feel Eames breathing on him and could even smell the cologne that Eames was wearing.
"This doesn't seem real." Arthur opened his eyes. "How are you here?" Eames smiled and grabbed his hand.
"Let's take a walk and I shall explain everything to you." Arthur just nodded and followed Eames outside in a daze.
They walked in silence for a few moments. Eames had led them towards the small garden that was behind the banquet hall that the reception was being held at. It was small, but beautiful none the less.
Arthur walked over and sat down on a little bench that was in front a small fountain. Eames slowly walked over and sat down next to him.
"So, what happened after you left?" Arthur asked. He tried to keep his voice steady, but it came out as a whisper.
"Well, when I left you, I got assigned another child."
"Assigned?"
"Yeah, I mean, we pick the child, but we officially get assigned to them later. We have to be approved for them. So, I was with a boy named Greg. And Greg was nice. He was eleven and his parents had just gotten divorced so he had to move away to a different town and all that." Arthur just looked at him. "It was almost like your story."
"And then what?"
"Well, I was with Greg for a few years, up until he turned about sixteen. I think that is right. I was in transition for a long time. The years all blend together. I didn't want another child but I had to. If I didn't pick one, I would have one picked for me." Eames was silent for a bit, letting this all soak in.
"Did you watch me at all, like you said you would?" Arthur whispered. He wanted to know that. Arthur had strived on the idea that Eames was always checking on him, making sure he was alright.
"Of course. I watched you in school and I even saw you visit my grave. That was very nice of you. Mostly though, when Greg was asleep, I would go and visit with you, just to watch you sleep. It kept me at peace with myself and gave me hope that someday we would be together." Arthur gave him a small smile.
"So, Greg got too old and then you got assigned a new child?" Arthur asked.
"Not exactly. I said my goodbyes to Greg and left. But things were different. I can't really explain it. I left but I didn't go back to where I stayed. One moment I was in Greg's room and the next I was in this white empty room. And it felt like I had been asleep for a long time and finally woke up. I realized that I was real. That I was alive."
"So, just like that? You were alive?"
"Pretty much. I don't remember much. I remember this man coming to speak with me, telling me that I had done my job and paid back my debt and now I was back on earth, as a human. He wouldn't tell me where I was or even if I was still myself."
"Still yourself?"
"Yeah. I could have been sent back to earth as someone new. Hell, I could have been reborn again for all I knew."
"What happened next?" Arthur asked, scooting closer to Eames.
"I walked through the big door and found myself walking into my bedroom. Well, my old bedroom in my old house in London. I had been in the bathroom. Where I died was where I came back at. The house was abandoned, so I didn't have to deal with the awkward lies on why I was in the bathroom. But I did look at myself in the mirror and found that I had aged a bit and was still myself. So that was nifty."
"Where did you go then? If my math is correct, that gives you almost about a year before today."
"Yeah, it does." Eames said quietly as he looked up at the night sky, avoiding Arthur's gaze.
"Why didn't you come find me? Why wait till now? You wanted us to be together, you should have come and found me. Let me know that you were alive." Eames let out a small sigh.
"I did find you Arthur. I got on the first plane I could get and I went to New York to find you."
"But….I never saw you." Eames looked over at him and smiled.
"I went to New York and I asked around to find you. Took me bloody forever, but I found your work which led me to your apartment. I was about to go there when I saw you. I can't even begin to explain the feeling that came over me. I was about to shout for you when I saw your boyfriend, Alan." Arthur's face fell. Oh. "You two were holding hands and walking down the street, smiling and laughing. You looked so happy Arthur. I hadn't seen you that happy since who knows when. Who was I to come between that?"
"You should have still told me you were back. Alan and I broke up because of you. I have always loved you. No one had even come close to how I felt about you. I dated Michael just to see what that was like and it was so boring and awkward that I ended it after a few months."
"But what about Alan? Mal said that you two were in love. I could see the love in your eyes, Arthur."
"I thought I was. But then he wanted to get married and adopt and it just hit me that I could never do any of that with anyone. The only man I have ever wanted that with was you and you were gone. I told Alan that I didn't want that and he said he was okay with it, but he still pushed the problem so I called it off."
"Oh." Eames said quietly. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both of them just absorbing all the information.
"How did you meet Mal anyways?" Arthur asked after a few moments.
"After I saw you in New York, I decided to visit all of the places I never got to. It seemed like the thing to do."
"Oh."
"Yeah, I went to Italy, China, Japan, France." Eames said with a smile. "I met Mal in Paris. I was walking down the street and I saw her. I knew it was her so I went up to her. I was just going to come up with some lie on how I knew you, but she figured it out. She didn't really say it, but I knew she knew. I think she mentioned something about a drawing." Arthur just laughed. "I want to see that drawing sometime." Arthur just nodded.
"Alright. Someday." Eames just smiled.
"So I ended up telling her my story and she told me about her wedding, which you were a part of and invited me to come. And now, here we are." Arthur just stared at Eames for the longest time.
This all just seems too good to be true.
"Are you actually speechless, darling?" Eames asked, laughing lightly.
"Yeah. I mean, this all seems too good to be true. I feel like I am going to wake up any moment and realize that this was all just a dream." Eames reached out and cupped Arthur's face.
"I assure you Arthur that we are definitely not dreaming." He then leaned forward and pressed his lips to Arthur's in a gentle kiss. Arthur turned and placed his hand on top of Eames' and kissed back.
After a few moments, Arthur pulled away and let out a small laugh as he rested his forehead against Eames', catching his breath.
"So what happens now?" Arthur asked.
"Well, I assume this is where we ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after." Arthur laughed and shoved him in the arm.
"I am being serious, Fredrick." Eames took a deep breath.
"Honestly, I don't know Arthur. As long as I am with you, I am happy. I guess I will have to go to school and get a job. I have to get a lot of things actually, like a new birth certificate, social security card, and driver's license. But besides all of that, I want to be with you. To me, that is all that matters. I want to make you happy." Arthur smiled at him.
"As long as I am with you, I will be happy. We will make this work." Eames smiled and pulled him into another kiss before standing up so abruptly Arthur almost fell off the bench.
"Come. I think we are overdue for a dance. I have wanted to dance with you since prom." Arthur laughed and grabbed his hand and walked with him back into the reception.
Eames led Arthur to the dance floor and pulled him close. Arthur just smiled as he grabbed one of Eames' hands and rested the other on his waist.
Arthur felt people staring at them, but he didn't care, all he cared about was that Eames was smiling at him, dancing with him and just being Eames. The Eames he loved.
Arthur knew it wasn't going to be easy, this new life with Eames. But it was all going to be worth it in end. He knew it. As long as Eames was with him, and as long as he existed, everything was going to be just fine.
Okay, so, this is it. I just wanted to say thanks for reading this and to everyone who followed along with the story. It means a lot to me that you guys liked it. Please review and let me know what you thought of the story as a whole. I really enjoy the feedback.
I was also thinking about doing a sort of one shot sequel to this. So, if you guys are interested in that, let me know.
Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it and hopefully I will have another story out soon. =)