(What you've all been waiting for: answers. This is it, folks. This is the chapter. More answers, even more questions at the end. Can't comment much here but I will give a bit more of an explanation as to what's going on with my stor(ies) in the next chapter. This chapter's a little angsty but it's necessary. Please read and review!)

7- Reality

The ride back to reality was not easy. Arthur picked up the dream machine, with all its cables and wires still attached and held it up in the air like a caveman on the verge of dropping a large rock onto his enemy. He was teetering on his feet, inches in front of the open window that oversaw the busy street of London below. Ariadne, still hot and wet faced, beckoned for Arthur to calm down.

He was enraged. There was no calming down for him.

Ariadne cupped her hands over her mouth and pleaded for him to put the machine down. Arthur could've easily let each finger slip aside and he knew it. He also knew, however, it wasn't the machine's fault. It was just a thing.

"Put it down Arthur." Ariadne couldn't have said it better, she thought as she turned around to face Cobb standing at the doorway of the studio. Behind him was Eames who was then joined by a strange young looking man.

"The poor boy's insane," muttered Eames.

"Whatever is it is it's not worth destroying our lives over. You drop that machine and it's curtains for you, me, Eames…even for her." Cobb walked towards Arthur as if he was walking on eggshells.

Arthur wouldn't have it. He held the machine up higher and took a deep breath. He wanted to see the machine hurled out of the window in one piece and across London's Avenue in millions. It was over.

"We can find Thomas," shouted Stewart.

Ariadne gasped. Arthur tossed the machine aside and pointed a finger at the stranger.

"How do you know him? Where is he?" Arthur's voice was unstable, broken almost.

Cobb and Eames glared at him furiously. They both shot him a what have you done look.

Stewart remained cool. "Cobb and Eames told me about the name."

Eames and Cobb were on the verge of throwing Stewart out of the window themselves. But Arthur only looked hurt. "How can you two know?"

Cobb was the one to step forward first. "We know there's something going on with Ariadne. You two dropped the name once or twice before and we could pretty much figure out the rest."

Arthur was astonished at everyone around him and especially at himself.

"If he's a threat to her then he's a threat to everyone. We can find him and make him stop," said Cobb.

"I can do that myself, thank you." Arthur growled at Cobb and walked away. One his way out he gave a quick shove against Stewart's shoulder and exited the studio entirely.

Ariadne collapsed onto the nearest chair and sighed. Cobb and the others rushed forward, for her relief and answers.

"I didn't know it would get this bad," she whispered quietly.

Cobb held her hand. "What happened in there? Weren't you two doing training sessions?"

Eames cut in, "The question is what were you training for?"

"It's not like that alright." Ariadne shook her head. "I'm just so confused."

Cobb looked at Stewart. "Give us a moment, will you?"

Stewart gave an apologetic look towards Ariadne and disappeared.

"Ariadne, you're new here and a lot has happened. What's been going on?" Cobb voice became soft and reassuring. She could tell how someone could almost fall in love at the sound of his voice. She had no choice, she needed to tell them…

"Thomas," she began, "is a part of my past that I've wanted to leave behind. He was my better half, my partner in crime…my lover. Thomas was attending the University of Paris when I first met him. He was brilliant and gorgeous."

"When did you two separate?" Eames asked kindly, something that was shocking even to Cobb.

"Right before I took on this job. He wanted to know more about what I was getting myself into and I refused to tell him."

Cobb suddenly felt a warm, proud feeling inside of him.

"So we went separate ways and I never looked back."

"If you've never looked back then why are you mentioning his name?" Eames questioned. His normal self came back again.

"I'm not, he's coming after me."

"Coming?"

"Well…I just see him all the time. I see him in my dreams and sometimes when I wake. I hear his voice calling out to me and when it's very confusing…I can almost see him looking at me."

Eames wasn't like what he was hearing. Not one bit.

Cobb became still for a moment, wondering. "What were you really doing that night of the crash?"

Ariadne was taken aback. "I told you already-"

"Tell us the truth." Eames' voice became harder.

"I…" she paused, "wanted to see him. I had to take another look."

"Has he ever made a move to contact you or even get back with you since your break-up?" Cobb asked.

"Um…no. Why?"

"Did you leave him on bad terms? " Eames asked immediately after her response.

"No, what does that have to do with anything?"

Cobb leaned in closer. "Does he specialize in any type of Engineering? Psychology?"

Ariadne had enough. "Why are you asking me these things? Are you suspecting that Thomas is trying to get in my head?"

"Not trying…" Eames crossed his arms, "Already has."


It wasn't hard to find Thomas, not for Arthur anyway. Arthur leaned behind a dark tree at the corner of the local university. By the look of the young man in glasses, which was by itself an image burned into his mind, he recognized him as Ariadne's tormenter. He waited as the young man and another younger woman walked away from campus grounds and onto the streets. It was well beyond dusk so Arthur was practically cloaked in darkness. He followed them quietly and relentlessly until they parted ways a few blocks down the road at the front entrance of an apartment. The young man kissed his partner goodbye and watched her leave inside. Then he left the front steps and wandered back onto the streets.

Showtime.

Just when the young man was exiting from within an underpass of darkness, Arthur sped up his walk and stalked him like a lion. He couldn't let him escape into the light. Arthur wrapped his arm around the man's neck and pulled him back into the depths of the tunnel. He cupped his mouth with a gloved hand and tightened his arm's grip.

The man in glasses groaned angrily.

"Shut up." Arthur wanted to pull out the blade that was holstered in his back pocket but thought otherwise. "I know you know who I am."

The young man immediately shook his head.

"Lair!" Arthur tightened his grip even more. "I didn't come here to hear you lie. I want to know why are you stalking Ariadne?"

The young man's eyes lit up.

"See? You know exactly what I'm talking about."

The young man shook his head and tried to pry Arthur's hand away from his mouth with near success.

"I…haven't…seen…her," he choked.

Time for his backup plan, he thought. Arthur wielded a six inch blade and waved it in front of his eyes. "Keep it up with the lies and I'll do some damage."

"Dammit…I'm telling the truth!"

Arthur released his grip and listened.

"Ariadne and I split up a couple of months ago. I haven't seen, spoke or done anything to that girl since then." The young man named Thomas breathed furiously. "It was a hard break up for me, for both of us, what's with you bringing it up?"

Arthur looked at the blade and then at Thomas. "I don't understand."

"She wants me to leave her alone and so I did. She doesn't want me a part of her life and so I'm not going to be. It's done. Why are you digging it up? What's it to you?"

Arthur couldn't even answer that. He shook his head and apologized. "I…I'm sorry."

It only took two seconds for him to disappear back into the darkness of the underpass. Thomas watched him until he left his sight. Within him his stomach wrenched and he was reminded of what was lost to him.

I'm sorry.

(Like I said, more commentary to come in the next chapter. PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what you think!)