I do not own Inception, but I'm so thankful for all the lovely support I have here.

Two weeks later, Ariadne greeted Arthur with the same flying embrace. Eames, for once, modestly gave them a moment by checking his phone.

"Hello."

"Hi there,"

She laced her fingers with his for a moment, comfortable in his warmth.

"Now…I just need to get Shire ready to visit his Auntie Vie."

Shire, always conscious of ending special moments, poked his cold nose between their hands, overjoyed to see Arthur-and-visitor, Eames.

"I can take the little tramp to Genevieve's." Eames offered. Ariadne looked at him knowingly. "You know, so you two can do lovely couple stuff together like darn socks and clean."

"You can only take Shire if you never call him a 'little tramp' again." Ariadne consented, clipping on Shire's leash and handing him over to Eames.

Address in hand, trying not to be towed away by an excited spaniel, Eames saluted them and Ariadne was left alone with Arthur for the first time in three weeks.

After he had returned from the USA, Arthur and Eames had decided that for the teams safety, they would all split up. They would both look for suitable jobs. Ariadne would sit and look for an even more suitable job: legalized work. She would be graduating in six weeks time.

Ariadne felt absolutely useless, and it only solidified her argument for joining the extraction world. But she wouldn't tell anyone about her forming decision till she was absolutely certain. She would simply enjoy her time with Arthur. Especially since they were heading over to visit Cobb and his children the next day.

But so many things were different now. She couldn't help but wonder whether Arthur was thinking the same thing as her: the last time they had spent the night together. They hadn't seen each other in weeks. But they hadn't talked to each other in weeks either.

Ariadne noticed that they had been gazing at each other quietly for a while, and she flushed.

"I'm going to boil some water. You want tea?"

"Thank you."

He got the mugs out for her like last time, but kept his distance. Ariadne didn't know what that meant, but she tried not to overanalyze it.

Once the tea was served and they sat down comfortably, Ariadne sighed. She looked at Arthur across the counter, feeling like she was back at square one, and realized that she didn't know him. She liked him…she wouldn't think about just how much that bordered on another l word…but she didn't really know him. That scared her more than anything had had happened to her since the dream world.

"Arthur…"

He looked up and met her eyes, and she smiled, not knowing where to begin.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes?" He smiled.

"What are your dreams?"

"As in, related to extraction, or…"

"The or option."

"Ah." He was quiet for a moment. "You know, I haven't had a dream in about two years."

"Really?"

"Yes. I worked with Dom for three years, and in that third year, I stopped dreaming. Cobb hasn't dreamt for almost as long as I've been in extraction, about five years."

"What were you doing before extraction?"

"Well, I went to Uni for a law degree, which I completed, but then didn't actually use. Instead, I joined the military for a year, before I met Dom at a talk about shared dreaming for soldiers."

"You were part of the first group?"

"Yeah. It was…different."

Ariadne noticed the hesitation. "How was the first trial?"

"Frightening, actually. They didn't come up with the idea of totems till later, through Dom and Mal's experimentation. So soldiers would come out of one warzone into another, since we were at the front lines in Iraq. One of my friends always knew, though. He was colour blind and saw the colour green as the colour yellow. He could see green in the dream world, though. When he woke up, he'd take one look at our uniforms and know exactly where he was."

He looked at her, coming back from his memories. "Reality is easy to keep track of if you have something real to anchor you."

He meant her.

They were on the bed later, talking like they had for the past few hours. The only question Arthur evaded was why he had initially chosen extraction. The only question Ariadne had avoided was her views on her parents relationship. Arthur knew it was better not to press.

"Would you ever get a tattoo?" Ariadne asked.

Arthur smiled at her impish expression. "Never. But if I did, it would probably be something in Latin. Nothing too tacky."

"Sounds just like you. An ancient, incomprehensible language."

Ariadne laughed when he poked her in the ribs in a very un-Arthur-like manner.

"What about you?"

"A symbol. I'm not sure whether it would be Chinese or something else. I haven't given it that much thought, though. The thought of a needle repeatitively putting ink under a layer of your skin…" She shuddered.

"One of your fears?"

"No. I don't know what my exact fears are." She admitted, closing her eyes. Arthur knew it was only to think of an answer, so he waited patiently, one hand on her arm just to keep some sort of contact with her.

"Probably being left. Or lied to by someone I completely trust." She kept her eyes closed, and Arthur gently traced his fingers across her arm to let her know it was okay. She'd been burnt by someone, he'd guessed as much by now, and he didn't want her to relive those feelings.

Ariadne sighed, and opened her eyes to look at him. It brought her back from anything bad.

"And you?"

"I fear causing any suffering to those who don't deserve any, and blindness. And goats."

"Goats?"

He smiled despite the seriousness of the topic; her face was simply priceless.

"Yes, goats. I was chased up a tree by one when I was six."

"You? Chased up a tree? By a goat?"

Arthur didn't mind too much. Her incredulity made him feel like she believed he could do everything and face anything. If only she knew.

"Anyway, we never got around to the question you asked before. What are your dreams?"

"You go first."

Arthur couldn't honestly remember. "My last dream…probably running from something in the dark and falling into nothing, not ever hitting the ground. I had a reoccurring dream like that after joining extractions. You don't need to be an analyst to figure out why."

"Mine haven't been like that, at least not yet. In mine, I'm always trying to find something, but then my surroundings collapse. Sometimes I wake up, sometimes I just find myself in another dream where it happens again. Sometimes a city will tumble to pieces to reveal a beautiful meadow, sometimes the house around me collapses and then rebuilds itself into something else." She laughed at herself. "I have architects dreams, don't I?"

"I haven't discussed personal dreams with an architect before." His voice was soft, just for her, all for her. "I haven't discussed personal anything's with many people, at all."

"Me either." She murmured, tracing light patterns with her fingers in his open palm.

They lay for a moment like that, till Ariadne moved her feet to connect with Arthur's.

"You weren't kidding about the cold legs, huh?"

The corner of her mouth curved up in a smile. "Yeah."

Arthur looked at her for a few seconds longer than necessary before leaning over and settling a blanket over them. Warm and cozy, they didn't need to say much else.

Just as Ariadne was dozing off, Arthur murmured her name.

"Ri?"

"Mmm?" She focused on him sleepily.

He gazed at her and smiled. "Never mind. Sweet dreams."

They fell asleep with their fingers intertwined.

The trio of team members drove up the gravel driveway to Cobb's house in LA the next day. Ariadne was anxious to see what Cobb would be like. The last time she had heard from him was two weeks ago while she was stuck in the hotel being babysat by Eames. He had sounded different, just as proud of his kids as Arthur had told her, but free as well. At least she hoped so.

She couldn't wait to see James and Phillipa's faces. She had spent too long in Cobb's dreams, she didn't know anything but the back of their heads. They rang the doorbell and listened to the sound of two sets of feet sprinting for the door.

"Can we open the door, Dad? Pleeeease?" Two breathy, angelic voices pleaded.

A set of larger footsteps approached. "Alright, Pip. Just this once."

A small blonde girl opened the door slowly, while her younger brother peeked around her to see who the visitors were.

"Arthur!" James latched himself onto the Point Man's legs in a hug.

Phillipa smiled shyly, at the age of 7 far too old to make sure public displays of affection, but uncertain still with what was appropriate.

"Hey, James. Hi Pip." Arthur patted James on the back, reaching down to hug the 4-year-old before detaching him so he could walk in and introduce the others.

Cobb beat him to it. "Arthur! Ariadne! Eames!"

The voice took Ariadne by surprise. It was much less weighted and held more life than before. Cobb stood in the hallway, beaming at the sight of his colleagues, his friends.

"Dom," Ariadne smiled, hopping forward to catch him in a bear hug. "It's so good to see you."

"It's great to see you too."

"You're looking well."

"As are you."

"But nowhere near as good as me." Eames grinned, clapping Cobb on the shoulder.

"Eames! How are you, you dog?"

"Alright and dandy. Though I've had to deal with these two…"

Arthur made a warning sign to him over Cobbs shoulder for Eames to shut up. Eames caught on quickly.

"…complaining. The whole trip. All the time, even. They both call me up just to complain. Seperately. From separate phones. At separate apartments. Yes."

Cobb glanced at him, then Ariadne, then Arthur, before returning to Eames.

"Oh, look, Toblerone!" Eames pointed to Ariadne, who remembered the giant duty-free chocolate she held.

"Oh, of course, for everyone to share." She smiled, waving it slightly before handing it to Phillipa and James, who stared at it wide eyed.

"You gonna introduce us, Cobb?"

"Of course. Phillipa, James, this is Ariadne and Eames. They're my…friends. I suppose."

Eames made a big show of being hurt at that comment. "Really, Cobb, after all we've shared."

"Don't remind me." He sighed. "Lunch is on the table."

"We've brought the salad, as you asked." Arthur said.

Eames went to play the part of carrier boy, retrieving the salad from the car. Phillipa and James led Ariadne by the hand to the kitchen-living area, talking of drawings and the backyard and their cubby house that really needed an upstairs, according to them. While she was distracted, Cobb intercepted Arthur.

"If what I think is happening is actually happening, it better not be."

Arthur opened his mouth to say something, to stand up to Dom and tell him it was actually happening and he was damn happy, to tell him that it might not go wrong, even to tell him that Dom had stolen that line from a children's movie, but he thought the better of it and shut his mouth again.

They all sat down and made easy conversation, despite the uneasy fact that they were all related to a business that they couldn't even mention in front of Cobbs bright children.

When Ariadne excused herself to go fetch something from the car, Cobb watched Arthur as his eyes followed Ariadne out of the room. When Cobb caught Arthur's gaze again, he raised his eyebrows. Arthur narrowed his eyes and looked away.

As Ariadne entered the house again, she heard something shift in the open dining room leading off the hallway. Knowing that no one was absent from the table apart from her, she stepped into the room.. Nothing seemed out of place till she passed by the window, which was ajar. She walked around to the other side of the table to see if anything lay beyond the long tablecloth, and froze.

A man with brown, buzz cut hair pointed a gun at her. Ariadne opened her mouth to say something, thinking the better of it. It wouldn't be smart to call to the others.

"Don't say anything." He murmured.

She watched, wide eyed, as he stood up from where he had been hiding.

"Just stay very quiet."

Ariadne couldn't stop her legs from shaking.

The man noticed, and smiled cruelly. "If you stay very quiet and don't make a sound, I might let you live. Browning only sent me to kill the men, after all. You don't seem the type who'd do anything rash to save them, hmm?"

Her hands were shaking now too, and she nodded her head.

"Good. So just stay here, nice and quiet."

"Ariadne?" Arthur called. "Have you got it yet?"

She heard the chair scrape as he stood to go see her. The man raised a finger to his lips and she nodded again.

Once his attention and gun were pointed elsewhere, Ariadne launched himself at him.

Her shaking was from the onslaught of adrenaline as she thought through everything. She hadn't wasted two weeks just looking for work. Vie had taught her how to fight.

Ariadne forced her knee into his gut, before knocking the gun from his hand. But the man had been trained well, and he tripped her up and sent her sprawling onto the table. She punched him in the jaw repetitively, hoping at least one would daze him a bit.

Arthur walked in and found her. As the man spun Ariadne into a chair, sending it clattering to the floor, Arthur marched in, quickly grabbing the man's knee and dislocating it with a sickening pop.

"Was that a crash?" Cobb asked from the kitchen.

Arthur flattened the intruder on the floor with one hand trapped behind his back. He found the same nerve in his neck as he had done weeks ago with the last attacker, and sent the man off into his subconscious.

As the sounds of the others approach echoed down the hall, Arthur made sure the man was hidden behind the tablecloth again, and moved to help Ariadne.

"I always seem to bruise myself for you," She muttered, sitting up to evaluate the damage. "And I started fighting this time and everything. I want to knock out the bad guy for a change!"

Arthur kissed her shakily on the forehead.

"What happened?" Cobb couldn't quite understand what he was seeing.

"Ariadne just stumbled into a chair, that's all." Arthur lied smoothly.

"Clumsy as always." Ariadne grinned, not wanting Phillipa and James to know the real reason and the attacker lying unconscious only a few feet away. She caught Eames' eye and he nodded.

"Alright, why don't we go get dessert prepared. I think ice cream always does the trick for a bruise, right Pip? Jamesy?"

"Of course!"

"With sprinkles and topping too!"

"Well, how about you two teach Eames how its done?"

"Yeah."

"C'mon!"

They raced off down the hallway, leaving Cobb to find out the truth.

"Here, Dom," Arthur nodded to the man behind the tablecloth. "He was attacking Ariadne when I cut in."

"Hey, I was still punching him." Ariadne protested in her defense, before continuing. "He said Browning sent him. And unless you can think of any other Browning's, then I think they know about our last job."

The two men morphed into the men she knew from work.

"How?" Cobb felt dread in the pit of his stomach. He could be taken from his kids again.

"I don't know. But this guy's going to be unconscious for a few more minutes. We could find out."

Cobb looked at Arthur, evaluating his idea.

"Ok. We'll knock him out and put him in the shed for now. I'll call Miles. He's on holiday here till his class graduates in Paris. I'll see if Marie can watch over the kids. Then we'll make a plan from there."

Arthur nodded, and Cobb went to check on Eame and call his father-in-law.

Ariadne helped Arthur administer chloroform to the attacker and lug him into the 'shed', which was really an office space that was perfectly set up for using a PASIV device. Arthur bound the man to a chair, just in case.

They went back to the dining room to clean up anything they had missed.

"I'm sorry, Ariadne." Arthur sighed.

She didn't like the heavy tone in his voice. "What on Earth are you sorry for?"

"Leading you into danger. And when I couldn't do that, leading danger to you."

"You didn't know that."

"I should have, though."

She understood he wasn't just trying to be the dramatic hero. A Point Man's job is to know all. He should have somehow seen this coming, it was his job. And he had failed, twice.

But then he did the most obvious and unthinkable thing.

"We shouldn't see each other."

Ariadne's breath caught in her throat.

"You don't really mean that, do you?"

"I do."

"Why?"

"Because – "

"Because you're worried about a small danger? Or Cobb?"

"No, because – "

"Is it because you're worried about professionalism?"

"Of course not, it's – "

"Because you say you care, when really we've just been playing this game for a long time and you always knew you would leave, and – "

"Because I care too much. Because I can't lose you. Because I don't care what anyone else thinks. I love you."

Arthur even seemed surprised that confession had slipped out. He had thought about saying it on so many occasions. Why did he have to choose the most inconvenient and unromantic time?

Ariadne walked slowly over to stand before him.

"Then why the hell would you leave when I love you too?"

Arthur kissed her tenderly. Neither noticed anything but the burning warmth generating between them till Cobb announced his presence with a dry cough.

"Phillipa and James made dessert."

A hint for them to break away from doing whatever-it-was-that-Cobb-just-didn't-want-to-know.

Hello,

Thank you, guys. You gave me a bit more faith in myself.
About the title, I have a feeling that everyone knows it, but I'd love to explain it anyway.
If you mouth the phrase 'Elephant Stew' to someone, it looks like 'I love you'. But I always thought it was 'Elephant Dew', because I thought it seemed much nicer than elephant stew. :P

Reviews are always welcome.
Thanks,

Light-and-Smoke