DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INCEPTION. Please review, and we'll be best friends.

Quick note-

I'm going away for 2 weeks, but I will be back! Hold on my friends- there is so much more to come from this story (angstviolenceromancedrama). I doubt I will be able to update Sweet Dreams or These Little Adventures by the time I leave. Don't worry, I will update as soon as I get back. Haha! Ok, my little sister just walked into the room and said "My water bottle just sneezed." :') good times...anyway, I digress. ON WITH THE STORY!

Arthur quickly bent down beisde the blood-stained body, his eyes scanning for the injury.

"Frank?" he asked, his voice brittle and quiet.

Ignoring the soft groan from Frank's shaking body, Arthur quickly lifted the label of his jacket, hoping to find a simple flesh wound and nothing more. To his dismay, the white of his shirt was quickly staining red with heavy amounts of warm blood. The wound was by his chest, and Arthur silently cursed.

"Frank?" he asked again, this time more controlled. "Listen, I have to get you to a doctor's, can you sit up?"

He placed his hands by Frank's shoulder's pulling him up, but quickly lay him down again when a yelp of pain escaped him.

Arthur ran a hand through his hair, now panicked. "Um...ok...I'll call Eames, he can drive down here and-"

"Arthur...don't," Frank wheezed.

Arthur's breaths were quick and ragged as he frantically ran his eyes over the body. "I don't know what else to do," he sighed.

"You don't have to do anything," Frank sighed, his shaking, red hands gripping the fabric of his shirt.

Arthur shook his head furiously. "No. Frank, you're not gonna' die. It's not that bad-"

"Not that bad? Fucking look at me. Of course it's bad."

"Don't worry," Arthur breathed. "We're gonna get you out of this."

"…Arthur," Frank sighed, in a tone that Arthur had never heard him use before. Like he sounded…calm. Arthur locked eyes with him and suddenly felt a wave of something strange run through him. He knew he wouldn't be able to save him, even if he tried all night.

He let his hands fall as he shifted his weight onto the sidewalk, sitting by the bleeding man next to him.

"…You don't deserve this, Frank," he said. "…You shouldn't be dying here. You should die an old man, in your home. Not lying on the sidewalk next to some…killer."

"We're all…killers," Frank panted, forcing a chuckle. He turned his head towards Arthur. "Get him for me, would you? …Nash, I mean."

After a silence, Arthur nodded. "Sure, I will."

"Can I…ask you to do…one more thing for me?"

"Anything."

He swallowed. "...Please don't leave me. I don't want to die alone."

Arthur was silent for a few moments before nodding. As his breathing started to relax and a sense of calm ran over the both of them, Arthur offered a weak smile to the man laying next to him.

He stayed with him. Arthur stayed with him while he silently stopped shaking, and the blood started to dry on his shirt.

Arthur tried to maintain a calm exterior, but in the inside, he was lost. He'd killed before, but this one wasn't his killing. It was his fault, maybe, but the bullet had come from someone else. He and Frank had never been close, but damn it, Arthur didn't want to see him die. Looking into the eyes of a dying man made him feel uneasy. He remembered his first kill, and the way Cobb was yelling in his ear about commitment and strength. Arthur never agreed to that, he didn't want this. But it was a job, and he was a desperate man, waiting for his chance to run and do something different.

This buisness was all about the kill and the mess after it. Arthur had tried his hardest only to kill when nessesary and try to stay alive. He'd never sat with a dying person before, and he didn't like it. He became so quiet and ashamed, that it was as if he were the one dying.

And eventually, Frank was gone. The lift slipped from his eyes and left nothing behind but the shell of someone he once knew. But Arthur continued to stay with him until the sky clouded over and he began to feel the cold raindrops on his shoulders.

Cold and shaking, Arthur walked through the hallway quickly, still in shock and with a large amount of guilt swimming in him.

He'd came straight to the hotel, knowning that the only person he'd be able to talk to right now was Ariadne. The only person that he'd be able to listen to.

During the past few hours, he'd come even closer to the realisation that he cared deeply for her. She was the first person in years that he'd completely let into his life. But he wasn't met with anxiety or regret like any other, he simply had taken it as a sign that he should let her in...more. The previous events of the evening just reminded him of how his job could effect things..and people. He'd be damned if he was as careless with her as he was with Frank. No, he would let that happen, never.

He moved along the doors until he found himself at the familiar room number. He knocked on the door quickly and stood in silence. When it opened, he was met by the face of Ariadne, who's eyes widened at the appearence of him.

"Arthur!" she exclaimed. "Wha-...Is that blood? Come in-" She grabbed his arm, pulling him inside. "God, are you alright? Are you hurt? Sit down."

He followed her orders robotically as she disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a hand towel. She handed it to him, but he let it slip from his hand and back onto the bed before standing up to face her, only one thing on his mind. He locked his eyes with her's, and reached forward to gently brush her cheek with his thumb.

She blinked. "Arthur, what are you-"

He silenced her by quickly ducking down and pressing his lips against hers. She remained still for a moment, and Arthur's subconcious screamed accusations at him for going too far, but quickly died down as she melted into him, sliding her hands up his arm and gripping the damp fabric of his jacket. He was a criminal, so he didn't feel too out of place stealing something else, especially a kiss from his sweet Ariadne. It was hardly chaste, more forceful and passionate than any other kiss Arthur would share with someone else. He took the chance to take pleasure in memorizing the taste and texure of her lips as they moved against his in complete unison. He pulled her close into his chest, keeping his hands on her back, giving into the urge of simply holding her. Part of him began to think that their bodies were fitting together so perfectly, that they were ment to be kissing right then and there.

Though only a few moments, it seemed like forever until they parted, and even then, he still felt like it wasn't enough.

"...Sorry," he exhaled. "I...That-"

"Took you long enough," Ariadne breathed. She reached forward and pulled him down again, both of them happy at the contact of their lips. His hands found their way into her now mussed hair, his fingers entangling themselves in her brown locks. He felt her hands run along the back of his neck and he found himself completly stimulated under her touch.

She broke away, keeping her face just such a distance that he could still feel her warm breath on his cheek. "You...You need to get...dry," she said in short breaths.

He smiled against her temple. "...Suit yourself."

He let her tend to him, stripping him of his blood covered clothing and helping him dry off. They didn't do anything that night, Arthur knew far too well that she of all people would not want to rush anything with him. No, he didn't want to rush it either, not like anyone else that may have been with her. So they spent the night together, talking and endulging in the occasional kiss. As they grew tired, they fell asleep in each other's arms. It was so perfect, so desired, that Arthur could have sworn that he may as well have been dreaming.

Eek! We all love A/A. So that's it for the next 2 weeks guys, but I'll update as soon as I get back. PLEASE review! -MM12