I do not own Inception, just a rice cooker.

Ariadne was very lucky.

She didn't need to wait around the apartment all day for the next call from Arthur, or the appropriate time to call him back.

He had set that up craftily too. She couldn't call him; she didn't know which hotel he was staying at…he was the invisible man.

But either way, Ariadne was still lucky not to be in the apartment all day. She was finalizing her last assignment for her course. After that, she would have completed the course, and only had to wait for the graduation ceremony.

And then what? Extraction? Architecture in reality of the dream world? She had no idea. And that was daunting and exciting.

Arthur was lucky. He fought the urge to call her all day, giving in at around seven.

"Hello?"

"Ariadne."

"Arthur?"

She sounded pleased. And how did she know it was him after one word?

"Ariadne."

"Arthur." She had a laugh hidden in her voice now. They could have easily kept repeating each other's names, but Arthur was better than that.

"How was your day?" He made a face. Why couldn't he come up with a better question?

"Just hold on a moment, I'm about to feed Shire. Sit. Siiiit. Good boy."

A hollow metal sound rang out as she presumably put the bowl down.

She exhaled. "Alright. Well, I finished my course work today."

"Wow. That's great." Arthur tried to sound more enthusiastic, but an uneasy feeling was gathering in his stomach. He hadn't expected her to finish so soon. She was going to want to jump into the Extraction business. He knew it was an irrational thought, and he was being slightly hypocritical, but the reason why their business was embodied majorly by men was because it was a brutal, dangerous industry. He knew she might be strong enough for the mentality of it all, but the whole 'kill or be killed' lifestyle might be too much for her.

And then there was the part that he was more concerned about, putting her in the face of danger. He didn't want to do that to her. This career choice had turned them all into different men. And they were always hunted down. He couldn't go back to some countries now, simply because he'd pissed off the wrong people. She deserved a normal life. But even he couldn't give her that now; he didn't lead a normal life. But he couldn't stay away.

"Hello? Have I lost you?"

Ariadne's voice brought him back form his thoughts.

"Sorry, I was musing."

"Musing about…what?"

He heard the blatant curiosity in her voice and smiled.

"Nothing in particular."

Her silence told him he was being given a look.

"Well, nothing I could explain over the phone." He took a breath. "You busy tomorrow?"

"From about five-thirty onwards I'm free."

"Then how about I come over at six-thirty. Or perhaps leave it for another day." Ever the gentleman, he was trying not to impose.

Ariadne chuckled. "Come over at six. Please."

He had a feeling she was playing the same tricks on him that he had been pulling on her. Something about the words six and please put together. The plea was slightly suggestive. Not that he was complaining.

"If you insist."

"Yes."

"Well then I will see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Ariadne."

"Night, Arthur."

He was there promptly at six. Of course. Thankfully, she was ready.

She opened the door to his typical suit again, and smiled.

"Hello."

"Hi there. Come in."

Ariadne let him pass, ignoring the sudden want to reach out and have some sort of physical contact with him. She sat down at the kitchen bench, while Arthur was greeted by Shire.

He looked good.

She couldn't help but reflect on the last time they had seen each other, and the same feelings of desire and anticipation were creeping up again…She tried to stomp them out. Distraction. Something nice and simple.

"How are you?"

"Good. Nothing new."

In her Arthur-dictionary, that meant work.

"No new extraction jobs, huh?"

He glanced at her sharply. "No…"

Ariadne could sense that she'd touched another nerve. Was this what he had been musing about yesterday? She tried to move past it.

"Tea? I still owe you."

Arthur gave a faint smile. "Thank you."

"And stay on that side of the counter, or I wont be able to think."

She flitted around the kitchen, grabbing the mugs herself this time.

"So…what I was going to say yesterday…" Arthur exhaled, uncertain. "Ariadne."

She placed the kettle down to boil and looked at him.

"What are you planning on doing now? After your degree."

She thought his words and her own through before responding.

"I don't know."

She knew what he was worried about, and he knew she knew what he was worried about, and she knew he knew she knew what he was worried about.

"I don't think you should do any extractions."

"Okay."

Arthur looked her straight in the eye, knowing she'd already found the loophole in his words.

"That also means planning and building in any extractions."

"Perhaps I won't."

He looked a little more dangerous now. "Why perhaps?"

Ariadne didn't think the words through.

"Well, you did say you don't think I should…but I still can – "

"Ariadne…"

His tone should have warned her.

"Well, really, what's so bad about it? You do it, Eames does it, Cobb did – "

"And look where that got him. And Mal as well. You know – "

"You don't think I'm strong enough, is that it? Do you really think – "

"It's too dangerous. You – "

"I what? Can't protect myself? I – "

"I can't protect you, and I'm not strong enough."

Arthur's confession brought silence.

They stared each other down, leaning against either side of the counter. Ariadne's eyes prompted Arthur to continue.

"It has nothing to do with your strength. This s a dangerous world you're getting yourself into, Ariadne. It's hard enough for me to imagine protecting you. What would happen if you were in real danger? You're someone I care about. I'm not strong enough to keep you safe."

Ariadne knew that at least a small part of her should be mindful about the fact that he thought she couldn't protect herself. However, she really didn't care too much about that. He was trying to protect her. He cared about her. It was more than anyone else had offered her.

"You don't have to be strong enough by yourself, Arthur." She said gently. "We can work together. And I don't know if I should or shouldn't join the extraction world. I technically haven't even graduated yet. And when I decide, I'll factor everything in. But to work, to do something we both love, and see you every day…"

The kettle whistled. She sighed, and went to move it.

Arthur took a deep breath and sat down. He could have dealt with that better.

Ariadne prepared the tea and mugs and set one down in front of Arthur, keeping the other for herself.

The sight of it made him smile. Of course she would remember how he drank his tea or coffee at work, black with one sugar. He looked up to catch her eye, but she was modestly looking at her shoes, the frayed cuffs of her jeans, the swirl of steam rising from her mug.

"Thank you." He murmured, taking a sip. "You were right – this is good."

"I am right, sometimes." She smiled with one corner of her mouth, tracing the rim of the mug with her fingers.

"You're almost always right." He paused, catching her gaze before continuing. "Almost."

They shared a smile.

"So what did you want to do tonight?" Ariadne mentally winced after the words left her mouth. She prayed he would only think of the dinner part and not any other possible references there.

She took one look at his eyes and knew what he was thinking, and that he knew she knew what he was thinking. A sly smirk appeared on his face, and she could feel her cheeks warm slightly.

She took a sip of her tea and licked her lips, waiting for him to respond.

"If you have any other plans, I can leave now." Arthur offered purposefully misinterpreting her words.

"Likewise for you. I was just going to make stir-fry."

"Sounds delicious." He said that word too well.

"Well if you don't have any other plans, you might as well help me." She grinned, hopping off her chair and turning the television onto the news, low volume for background noise. Shire knocked his head against the tops of her knees.

"Ah. But first the prince must be fed."

"Sorry?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Shire. He's so pampered and spoilt, I'm his maid." She flourished a curtsey to the indignant, smiling dog, and Arthur laughed, properly.

Ariadne prepared and set down Shire's dinner, and was washing her hands in the sink when her ears caught a familiar name.

"Arthur, can you turn up…" She went round the wall and counter to find Arthur predicting her request already.

Sure enough, there was Robert Fischer, in a pre-filmed press conference. They couldn't hear his voice, but the reporter was stating clearly that the Fischer-Morrow Empire was being dissolved respectfully.

Browning appeared on the screen, not looking too pleased despite the reporters claim that he had received a reasonable profit from the fall out.

To cap off the short report, Saito appeared next. The reporter asked him what he thought about his main competitors unpredicted move. He bowed his head respectfully and wished good fortune and a good future for Robert Fischer, and he seemed sincere. Limbo would do strange things to a mans mind.

The news moved on to a report about the weather for the next week, and Arthur and Ariadne stood silent.

"It worked." Ariadne said, dumbfounded.

"It did." He agreed.

Silence fell, and Ariadne opened her mouth to speak, but the sound of a ringing phone cut her off. Arthur pulled out his phone apologetically.

"It's Cobb."

She nodded for him to take the call, and Arthur pressed the receive button on the phone and the power off for the television simultaneously.

"Yes. I know. We were just watching."

Ariadne watched his face turn stony and professional in response to something Cobb said.

"Of course. What else do you think –?"

He paused, glancing at Ariadne, apologetic. He went towards the front door to take the call outside.

She nodded, turning back to the kitchen. If she didn't talk to Cobb next week, she'd make a fuss then. Arthur was talking to him about a personal matter. She kept prying when she didn't intend to with Arthur, and she wanted to back off in that area.

She turned the radio onto a station playing some soft café music. She sliced up the vegetables and put rice in the rice cooker her mother had insisted she have since it meant she had no excuse not to have a meal. She had just finished the ginger soy sauce she'd mixed to cook with when she sensed Arthur lean against the counter to her right.

"Looks good."

"Only cause you left all the work up to me." Ariadne teased, glancing over to him.

Oh dear.

He'd taken off his suit jacket. He didn't have a vest today. Or a sweater. Only a shirt and tie.

She didn't stand a chance.

He smirked, backing her into the bench again. "I can make it up to you."

Fire. Dark brown-eyed fire.

If he came any closer, she would burst into flames. If he stayed where he was, she would be frustrated. If he stepped back, she would be furious.

She closed her eyes, more than slightly overwhelmed. Surely he could see this as an invitation.

The moment didn't pass; it lengthened and tripled in intensity.

Ariadne opened her eyes and saw Arthur, just an inch away like he had been before, watching her through hungry eyes with a smirk on his lips.

"I swear, Arthur, if you don't kiss me now – "

She didn't finish her threat; they both leaned that fraction forward and met in the middle.

Ariadne knew they had waited too long. They were too consumed. In a matter of moments, Arthur had hoisted her onto the counter, clearing it slightly haphazardly with a sweep of his arm. Nothing had dropped to the floor – yet. Not that either of them would have noticed or cared.

Ariadne knew they should stop when she realized just how tightly her legs were wrapped around Arthur's hips.

"We should stop."

"We should stop."

Somehow, neither of them sounded convinced, but they pulled their heads back to look at each other properly and share a small smile.

"You took your time."

"I always take my time. I take a long time." Arthurs smile turned into a grin.

"We'll test that out sometime."

The rice cooker flicked from cook to warm in the corner.

"Are you going to let me down to make dinner?"

Arthur exhaled, lifting her easily from the counter and waiting for her to uncoil her legs before setting her down so they were still against each other. They shared a long look. The fire wasn't extinguished. It had doubled, reflected in both their eyes now.

They somehow both cooked the meal without losing any fingers, and curled up informally on either end of the couch. It was the most relaxed Ariadne had ever seen Arthur, even after their trip to the Parc de la Villette.

Their feet tangled together as they talked about the most innocent topics, until Shire came and jealously sat on their feet, in between the pair.

Ariadne reached for a brush on the end table and groomed Shire's lovely hair as they continued to talk.

Arthur was struck by the domesticity of the scene. He was even more surprised by his response to it. He liked it, he longed for it. He caught Ariadne's soft look towards him and knew that his response was mainly because of her.

Much later, he checked his watch and realized it was quarter past midnight.

"I've kept you up." He apologized, attempting to extract his feet gently from under a sleeping Shire.

"I was hoping you would." Ariadne replied, groggy but still cheeky.

She tilted her head back over the sofa arm and watched upside-down as he put the dishes in the sink and collected his jacket.

"Stay the night." She suggested.

Arthur came over to look at her.

"As tempting as that offer is, I shouldn't. What will the neighbors think? I have to uphold your reputation."

"The neighbors will be happy that I've met a very nice man."

"Perhaps another night, Ri. I'll come over tomorrow."

"Later today, you mean."

"Don't be smart."

"I was being logical."

He leaned down to kiss her goodnight, but it took longer than he expected.

"Goodnight."

"Night." She replied, a little breathlessly.

"Sweet dreams." He whispered, brushing one last kiss upon her lips before making his exit.

Hey!

Personally, I like the end much more than the beginning. It seems to flow better when they're together. :)
Comments, queries, concerns, happy things? If you have anything to say, please write a review :)

Thanks,
Light-and-Smoke