Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! Sorry for the wait. Thanks to all that have been favoriting, following, and reviewing! :)
Ariadne lay in bed wide awake that night. Arthur was sleeping silently next to her, instinctively curled towards her body. Cobb and Eames had gone back to their rooms a few hours ago. She stroked the arm that Arthur had draped across her stomach and felt a wetness fill her eyes. She reached up confusedly with one hand and wiped away a few stray tears. Ariadne mentally kicked herself for being so weak and promised herself she'd try and keep her emotions in check.
Ariadne took a deep breath, her sniffles audible and snuggled farther down into the sheets, closer to Arthur's radiating warmth.
"Ariadne, go to sleep."
She jumped slightly, unaware that Arthur was awake and clearly listening to her distress. She turned on to her side, lying face to face with him but his eyes remained shut and his mouth slightly parted.
Arthur could feel Ariadne's eyes boring into his eyelids, prompting him to finally open them. He hated seeing her cry and especially when he knew it was his fault. Her face was just a silhouette against the moonlight but he could still read her expression in the dark.
"This is your last chance, Ari."
"What do you mean?"
"Your last chance to go. Look at you, Ariadne. Even if we escape this—it's never going to end. I hated putting you in danger in the dream world and I cannot stand it anymore in reality. This is what we're going to become—fugitives always on the run." Arthur's voice was soft but trite.
"But how could I just leave—"
"I understand." Arthur leaned forward and closed his eyes as he kissed Ariadne on the lips, a last goodbye. "They'll understand also." he added, referring to Cobb and Eames.
Ariadne was silent as she took Arthur's hands in hers and pressed her lips against them. She was silent as she slipped out of the springy motel bed and began pulling on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. She was silent as she gathered up the little things she had scattered about the cheap motel room. And she remained silent as she opened the rickety metal door.
Taking one last glance back at Arthur's still body, the moonlight shedding just enough light to illuminate the empty expression underneath his closed eyelids, she turned and walked out the door. And as she did, Arthur silently let the tears he was holding in slip down his face.
Arthur blinked his eyes awake, becoming acutely aware of the large man snapping his fingers in front of his face. Sunlight began pouring through the blinds as they were cranked open and a plastic cup of cheap motel coffee was thrust into Arthur's hands.
As Arthur sat up and took a small sip of the hot liquid, letting the caffeine wake his body up, he was able to make out the questions Eames and Cobb were throwing at him.
"Where's Ariadne?" was the main question and the one that Arthur really didn't know the answer to. They hadn't discussed what would become of their relationship. They hadn't even discussed whether they would ever see each other again. She hadn't said where she was going and he never gave her any help where to go whatsoever. She could be anywhere and Arthur didn't have a clue.
"She left." he mumbled behind the lid of his cup. He took another gulp and ran a hand through his bedhead, his hair cooperating poorly.
"Left as in…?" Cobb started.
"Not coming back? She's done?" Eames finished.
Arthur nodded and swung his legs over the side of the bed, his back to his two partners. Setting his coffee down he walked towards the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, leaving no room for any further questions at the time.
Arthur took a long shower, forgetting and frankly not caring, how much of an urgent situation they were in. Once freshly showered and dressed he opened the door back up to the bedroom, where Cobb and Eames still remained. Thankfully his eyes showed no sign of the tears that he had let loose last night.
They both rose from their sitting positions and Cobb took a hesitant step forward. "Arthur, I'm sorry."
Arthur held up hands to the both of them. "I told her that she should go."
"So she did."
Arthur nodded and turned to his suitcase, packing up his things.
"But did you want her to?" asked Eames.
Arthur balled up the shirt he held in his hands, crumpling the expensive fabric, and slammed it down into his suitcase; then he turned to glare at Eames.
"Of course not, Eames." Arthur unclenched his jaw and then softened his expression before adding, "But it's for the best."
Arthur yanked the zipper shut on his duffel bag and slung it over his body, another unusual behavior on his part. He hated carrying bags across his body, complained that it wrinkled his suits. Eames raised an eyebrow at Cobb and Cobb shook his head to ignore it.
"Time to go."
Ariadne's head banged abruptly against the bus window as it drove over a bump, causing her to jolt awake. She rubbed it sorely and blinked dazedly out the window at the greenery passing by in a blur. She decided to travel until she hit Seattle and then would head back over to Paris. She checked her watch: 5:38 p.m.
It had nearly been a full day. Ariadne arched her back and stretched, then collapsed back into her seat, wondering what on earth they were doing now. The 6 o' clock news would be on soon and no doubt with the information about her team's illegal acts at the airport.
Ariadne's bus pulled into a rest area right on the dot and Ariadne hurried into the building for some sort of television. Sure enough she was right. The pilot that Eames assumed the identity of was describing the "brutal fight". Ariadne looked at the cell phone in her hands and debated on whether she should call Arthur. Tapping it once against her palm she chucked it into a trash receptacle after removing the SIM card.
As Ariadne was preparing to head back to the bus a heavily accented voice on the television made her freeze. Ichiro Saito.
Do you remember what happened?
"No, it's all blank. I remember them before, and then after it's all just… A big mess." Saito sounded genuinely muddled as the reporter interviewed him.
Well, Mr. Saito I'm sorry for this inconvenience. Certainly makes you wonder what they were really up to on that plane.
"Indeed it does. But if this Dominic Cobb is out there listening, then I hope that he hears this. If the police do not find you, I'll make it my goal to." Saito said as he stared straight into the camera's lens. And with that, the camera caught a glimpse of who Ichiro Saito really was.
Ariadne felt her stomach drop and pulled her sweatshirt around herself tightly as she headed back out to the bus.
Cobb, Eames, and Arthur decided to drive through the night. After seeing the news report on their current situation they realized it wasn't safe to check into any close hotels. Saito's chilling voice still echoed in Cobb's ears.
If the police do not find you, I'll make it my goal to.
Arthur sat in the passenger seat, fidgeting with his phone in his lap deciding whether he should call Ariadne and warn her or something. Finally in a rush he picked up his phone and pressed Ariadne's speed dial number.
I'm sorry. The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected. Please hang up and try again.
Arthur's mouth went dry. He closed his eyes tight trying not to think of the worst. Ariadne's smart. She probably knew she should ditch it. It was a door to the past and she needed to shut it.
But all he could think was that Ariadne was off on her own alone. With an angry corrupt businessman gunning for all of them.
"Arthur, are you alright?" Cobb asked as he noticed Arthur's disturbed expression from the driver's seat.
Arthur paused and swallowed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let me know when you wanna switch." he lied and rested his head on the window, trying to turn off the thoughts of Ariadne resurfacing to the front of his mind.