Disclaimer: I don't own Inception but I have borrowed some lines from the movie. Main title comes from lyrics in Ellie Goulding's song: I'll Hold My Breath.

Chapter14 rating: PG

Chapter 14: Necessary Measures

The bright fluorescent lights flooding the main space of the warehouse cast a harsh glow over the two tense figures in the corner.

Ariadne and Cobb look over and see Saito and Arthur approach. The two men inform them that Maurice Fischer just died and they need to leave for Sydney as soon as possible.

Instinctively, Ariadne knows that she needs to go with them.

But Cobb shakes his head. "I promised Miles. No."

He doesn't sound or look completely against it, which gives her hope. "The team needs someone who understands what you're struggling with."

When Cobb remains reluctant to agree, she gives him an alternative. "It doesn't have to be me, but then you have to show Arthur what I just saw."

Cobb glances up at Arthur but doesn't consent to that suggestion either. Instead, he looks back at her, quickly weighing a decision in his mind. When he finally answers he raises his voice to be heard by the others.

"Get us another seat on the plane."

Though she was hoping for them, the words sound like an ominous final verdict echoing in the quiet warehouse. Ariadne watches him move away from her to join Saito and Arthur. She leaves the three men to their conference on the other side of the room and tries to sort through what she just witnessed.

She hadn't planned on joining Cobb in one of his nightly 'experiments', but tonight her curiosity got the best of her. Despite not knowing what exactly to expect, encountering regret laden memories involving his dead wife didn't come as a complete surprise. Ever since their earlier dream share experience she had suspected that Mal was the reason behind the quiet desperation lying just beneath his surface.

And she was right. Mal is the reason why Cobb spends his nights hooking up to a machine. He was revisiting memories, he had told her—moments he regrets.

But he had also told her never to use memories in dreams, that doing so is the surest way to lose track of what's real and what isn't.

After what she observed tonight, it's clear that something had happened that made him chose to forget his own advice. Whatever it is drives him to keep Mal alive night after night, trapped in a prison of memories; he believes that by revisiting these past moments in dreams he can atone for his mistakes and absolve himself of whatever regrets haunt him.

It's not a bad idea, confronting the past to overcome the present. Only in Cobb's case it isn't working because he wants to change the past, and no one can do that, even in dreams. Instead of coming to terms with whatever happened, what he's really been doing is torturing himself. And the sad thing is, at some level, Cobb knows this. His subconscious warns him time and again in the form of a pained and angry wife whose frustration mirrors his own.

With these thoughts in mind Ariadne seeks out the extractor on the other side of the room. He's quietly talking with Arthur and Saito, the gravity of what they're discussing apparent in their expressions. But Cobb, she thinks, looks more worried than the others. His mouth is set in a grim line, his eyes are intense, and his stance is rigid. A lot is riding on the success of this job: his children, his happiness, and probably even his sanity. The least she can do is help him keep focused enough to reach those goals.

Deciding she should join the conversation, she gets out of her chair and walks towards them. Cobb says something to Arthur, who's writing things down in his notebook. Arthur nods and agrees with Cobb without looking up.

"Saito and I are going to make some arrangements," he tells her when she reaches the trio. "Arthur will get you up to speed." Without further acknowledgement he and Saito head out of the warehouse together.

She watches the two men exit before turning her attention to Arthur, who continues to write in his notebook. She notices that he's changed his clothes and shaved since leaving several hours ago. Despite what his clothing might suggest however, she's pretty sure he hasn't gotten any sleep since he left.

"I didn't know you wanted to come along." Arthur doesn't look up from his book when he says this.

She hadn't wanted to, initially, and the team had always been under the impression that she wouldn't be joining them. Cobb never made any promises to that effect when he told her what would be expected of her as architect, and she strangely enough didn't have an overwhelming curiosity to see the rest of the team put forth their plan in action. For her, it's always been about limitless creation and expanding the boundaries of imagination.

But without Cobb she never would have been introduced to those concepts. He's the reason she's here and ultimately, why she's joining them now.

Except, he apparently didn't want anyone to know she was coming along to keep an eye on him. This secrecy puts her in a tricky spot because she doesn't want to lie to Arthur, but she also can't tell him the truth outright.

When she doesn't answer right away, Arthur looks up at her with an expression she would describe as carefully neutral. With his eyes focused on her now, she can clearly see the fatigue in them. Seeing him this…vulnerable, her heart instinctively goes out to him. They've only known each other for a short while, but already she's come to care about him more than just as a friend. The thing building between them isn't finished, and if he leaves for Los Angeles without her…well, what happens to them then? Not that she knows what would happen between them if she does go with them, but at least they'd be together for a while longer…

Perhaps Cobb isn't the only reason she's coming along after all.

But that's not what she tells him.

"I didn't know myself. But now that the opportunity is here, I realize that...I'd like to see my creations in action, so to speak." She isn't lying in that. It would be interesting to see if her designs were good enough to fool Fischer. "And who knows," she smiles up at him, "if all goes well and I really am as good as you've all said I am, I might consider making a name for myself in the dream share world."

Her confession seems to surprise him. "Is that what you want, to work in dreams?"

There's more in his eyes than just curiosity; there's an intensity there as well. For some reason, it makes her heart beat a little faster. "Uh, well, I'm not sure, actually. I…it's just a thought." And one that is not totally unappealing. "I'm still planning on finishing my degree. I'm almost done. But I can't deny that there's something really thrilling about knowing that the only thing that limits me in dreams is my own imagination. And I like seeing something I've created come to life in an instant. Real world architecture doesn't offer that same satisfaction."

When Arthur doesn't say anything, she continues. "And I thought, well, since you said—Cobb said I could be really good at it that maybe it could be an option for me."

Arthur nods, stepping closer to her. "I believe it can be an option for you, if you think that's what you want."

She moves in closer as well and looks up at him. His face, even when weary, is still breathtakingly handsome. She reaches out to finger the opening of his coat, and with her heart in her eyes, says, "It's what I want."

He visibly swallows once before he takes hold of her hand on his coat, his expression turning serious. "If you think this is something you want to do in the future then I think you need to understand something." He looks down at their joined hands for a moment, seeming to contemplate the right words to say. "What you're going to see when we're down there in the dreams, it's all just part of the job. We're going to be different people while we're working; we have to be, sometimes. We have to do what's necessary to get the job done."

"I know Arthur. And I understand that kidnapping and undermining powerful corporations isn't something you do on a daily basis. I don't think any less of you because you have to do those things in a dream."

He doesn't smile at her teasing tone, but instead continues in a serious one of his own. "You also need to understand that things could get dangerous, especially since we're going down so deep. If it's necessary, I—we may have to…wake you up."

At this, Ariadne frowns. She can't let that happen. She's supposed to keep Cobb out of trouble.

Shaking her head, she simply tells him, "No."

Arthur is obviously surprised by her calm, outright defiance and is silent for a beat before he says, "That wasn't a suggestion."

She takes a moment to gather her own thoughts, turning serious eyes on him. She doesn't want to come off sounding like a petulant child, but neither can she let him think that he can just dictate her presence in the dream. "I don't need you to spare me just because you think I won't be able to handle what I see down there. I can take care of myself—." He starts to protest but she squeezes his hand and cuts him off. "Really, Arthur, I can. And I promise I won't get in the way." He looks to relent, but she continues. "Besides, according to the plans you guys have in place, you're going to have your hands full. You don't need to add worrying about me to your duties, especially when you already have so many things to oversee."

Instead of arguing with her as she had anticipated, he reaches out with his free hand to tenderly brush a lock of her hair away, much like he had earlier in her dream. He lets his hand stay there by her ear for just a moment before his fingertips come down, grazing her cheek.

"That's the thing. I don't think I'll be able to stop worrying about you."

Her intake of breath is as involuntary as her leaning into his touch is not.

"I'll be—."

"I'm not trying to convince you not to come," he interrupts her this time, "that's not up to me. But you can't tell me not to worry about you. That's my decision."

"Arthur…"

He continues, his voice gentle. "Dying in dreams isn't fun, you know that already. But suffering in them is worse and if Fischer starts to suspect anything his projections will get hostile, or violent. I'm sure you can take care of yourself, and if I can prevent them from getting to you, I will. It's just that…anything can happen down there and I'd hate to see you get hurt, even if it is just a dream."

She's swallows, ridiculously glad they're not in an elevator dreaming because it probably would have exploded given how much her heart swelled just now. She isn't foolish enough to think that he's exaggerating the potential dangers of the dreams, but his genuine concern for her safety is touching all the same.

"Do you always worry so much before a job?" She asks softly, a gentle smile on her lips. "It's not good for your health."

"Not usually, no. But this job is different." His hand reaches out to take her other one so now they're holding on to both hands. "And if you're so worried about my health then promise me you'll stay close to me or Cobb while we're under."

Deciding not to put up further resistance for something she's planning on doing anyway, she obliges him. "I promise. And just so you know, I've got your back too. I don't want to see you get hurt either."

"I know. You designed that amazing level for me." She smiles as he gives her hands a brief squeeze before letting them go.

He didn't know the half of it.

She's disappointed at the loss of contact, but she can tell he has a lot on his mind. He goes into full point man mode, pulling out his notebook and listing off things that need to be taken care of before they leave for Sydney.

"We still have a lot of stuff to do. Eames and Yusuf should be here any minute to help us out though. We have to clear this place out, make it look like we were never here." He gestures to their boards tacked with strategies. "That means we have to get rid of all these notes and Yusuf will have to pack up all his equipment." He pauses to look at her, almost sympathetically. "We also have to dispose of your models."

"Oh." She takes a look at the tables filled with her designs and feels some measure of sadness that they were going to have to be destroyed. But when she thinks about it further she knows she'll be seeing them again soon, come to life in dreams.

She shrugs. "We have to do what we have to do, right?"

He smiles down at her. "These paper and foam models will be nothing compared to the worlds we'll create in the dream, worlds that only an architect as talented as you can help us pull off."

She beams from ear to ear and reaches out to finger the opening of his coat again. "How is it possible you can still look so damn handsome and know all the right things to say when you've got to be dead tired?"

Covering her hand with his again, he leans down to seductively whisper, "It's like a told you earlier, I can rally. You should have believed me when I said so."

She shivers, thoughts of what could have been infiltrating her mind.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A little play time before game time?"

Eames and Yusuf enter the warehouse, completing Ariadne's sense of déjà vu.

Just like earlier today, at Eames' teasing she moves to take a step away from Arthur; only this time she's held in place by his hand still clasped to hers. She looks up, surprise crossing her face when Arthur gives her a wink—a wink in front of Eames and Yusuf!—before releasing her hand. Her shock eventually turns into a wide grin that remains on her face even when she hears the clearing of a throat from the direction of the forger and the chemist. Turning to them, she graces them with her beaming smile.

"Uh, right then. So…Arthur, you did call us here because Fischer Senior passed away, yeah?" Yusuf asks, awkwardly embarrassed and confused with her and Arthur's display.

As if he didn't just wink at her, Arthur goes back into full point man mode, referencing his notebook. "Yes, like I told you on the phone, he passed away this morning in Sydney. Saito's making our flight arrangements now. He'll get back to us to let us know when we'll be able to fly out."

"What's the time table on this thing?" Eames asks, noticeably refraining from commenting on Arthur's wink.

Arthur winked at her, in front of Eames and Yusuf, no less! She still can't believe it.

"Maurice Fischer's funeral is set for next Thursday in Los Angeles. Robert Fischer will accompany his father's body no later than Tuesday, possibly sooner."

"Doesn't give us a lot of time. What do we need to do?" There's an efficiency and seriousness in Eames' tone she's never heard before.

Arthur checks his notebook again. "We need to sweep this place. Yusuf, you've got to pack everything up. We dispose of Ariadne's models and designs, as well as all the other evidence of our plans. This place has to look like we've never been here. I'll take care of the PASIV and its transportation onto the plane. And we'll all need to make arrangements for Sydney and Los Angeles. It would be best if we all weren't staying in the same hotels."

"Who's watching Robert Fischer in Sydney?"

"Saito has a mole at his house."

"Of course he does." Eames shakes his head. "Communication?"

"Cobb is taking care of the disposable cell phones."

Eames nods. "Is there anything else?"

"Yeah, I need you to get Ariadne a fake passport." Turning to her, he adds, "I'm going to set you up with an untraceable account. You'll use that for any expenses you need to make, including booking your hotels."

"Is that really necessary?" she asks.

They have a lot more experience in procuring fake passports and setting up untraceable accounts then she does, but she's almost certain that doing these things are not that simple and require a lot more time and effort than Arthur is letting on.

She looks to all three men for confirmation. Yusuf just shrugs while Arthur nods, making more notations in his notebook. Eames, she notices, is frowning at Arthur.

"I'm glad you're coming along with us." Yusuf says.

She watches Eames pull Arthur aside for a private conference.

"Uh, yeah. I decided I couldn't let you boys have all the fun."

"Now there'll be someone in the field with less experience than me." Yusuf smiles, teasing her.

"I'm glad I can be there to soothe your fragile ego," she says distractedly, as she observes Eames shake his head at something Arthur says. The two men part shortly after, with Eames heading to Yusuf's workstation and Arthur walking towards them.

"We better get to work." Arthur says. Yusuf nods and joins Eames.

"Is everything okay?" She reaches out to touch his arm, sensing a tension in him that she suspects has something to do with his conversation with Eames.

After a few seconds however, the tension is gone and he smiles, like her concern is all for nothing.

"Yeah, it is. Now, come on. We have a lot of work to do."