They were walking on the top deck again late at night when Arthur noticed it.
"Ari, we're being followed."
He whispered slowly.
"Um okay. What do we do?"
"Wait here, I'm gonna take a look around real quick."
He said. Normally, she would have been royally pissed off that he told her to wait but right now, there was real imminent danger so she thought she better not argue. Instead, she nodded. Arthur instinctively reached to his waistband, expecting to find a gun but he didn't find anything.
Damn, I left it in the room.
He thought. He walked away slowly and rounded the corner, nothing. He continued down that small hallway and turned another corner.
I was sure I heard someone.
He thought, confused. But then it dawned on him.
"Ariadne."
He whispered. He ran back to his architect only to find her being held up against her attacker by the waist, her feet hovering over the wooden floor, a gun pressed into her neck so tightly she was sure it would leave a mark. Tears were streaming down her face.
"Please."
She whispered. She sniffled and Arthur breathed harshly.
"I highly suggest you keep your distance, Arthur."
The man said.
"Please let her go, I'm unarmed and I'll go with you willingly. Just please release her, can't you see you're hurting her?"
He pleaded, taking another step forward.
"I said stay away!"
The men screamed and Ariadne gasped at the way he pushed the gun even further into her neck.
"Let her go, we both know you'll be paid more if you take me."
Arthur said, his voice dark and devoid of emotion. He glanced at Ariadne and took another step forward. As the man took a step backwards, Ariadne quickly put her arm in between his arm and his shoulder, she pushed with all she could, she felt the bullet pass through the air right in front of her face and she ripped herself out of his grip, kneeing him and grabbing his gun while running back to Arthur. She had perfectly understood his move: he wanted the guy to move so that he would be vulnerable even if just for a second so that she could attack him then. Ariadne collapsed in Arthur's arms and let the gun fall to the ground. He swiftly picked her up along with the firearm and went to the emergency phone.
"Yes, what is your emergency?"
"There's a man on the top deck who just tried to kill my girlfriend with a gun, he's wearing a dark blue suit with a white shirt and a black tie, he just left in the direction of the back of the boat."
"Okay, we're sending our team right now, stay where you are sir."
Arthur hung up the phone and slid down the wall, settling Ariadne in his lap, her head on his shoulder, her tears wetting his jacket.
"You are never telling me to wait for you ever again, do you understand?"
Ariadne said, her voice shaky and raw.
"Wouldn't dream, of it."
Arthur said, his voice full of regret.
"You were wonderful by the way, couldn't have done it better myself."
Arthur told her regarding her earlier move.
"Thanks."
She chuckled.
"I'm really sorry that I left like that, I should've know something would happen."
"It's okay, we're fine."
Arthur nodded and leaned down to press his lips to hers.
"Sir? Did you call the emergency phone?"
"Yes we did, did you catch the guy?"
"We caught a guy fitting the description, yes, but he had no gun on him."
"That's because my wonderful girlfriend took it from him."
"We would like you to identify the man, would you follow me please?"
The officer asked.
"Of course."
Arthur said and he helped Ariadne up, still keeping an arm around her waist to help her walk in her swaying state. It was then that Arthur saw the small circle printed on the creamy skin of her neck by the barrel of the bastard's gun. Arthur kissed the spot lightly.
"Does it hurt?"
Ariadne shook her head, signalling that it didn't. They followed the officer to an office that had a man standing behind a desk. Arthur didn't need to look twice, his photographic memory had never deceived him.
"That's him."
Arthur confirmed.
"We're gonna need that gun, it's evidence. Do you have proof that she was being held at gunpoint."
"What do you think? That I took a picture?"
Arthur asked, slightly irritated that the officer didn't believe him.
"Yes I have proof, here's the dent that the gun made in my skin."
Ariadne said, ignoring Arthur and putting her hair out of the way to show her the small circle. The officer took out a camera and snapped a picture of it.
"He'll stay in his room until we have proof because we can't keep him here but we'll send an officer to guard your room."
"Thank you."
Ariadne said.
"How long will it take to get proof?"
Arthur pressed.
"We have a portable lad here, we'll have the gun dusted and have the prints ready for tomorrow."
"Okay."
Arthur said and they went back to their room, Arthur still holding Ariadne by the waist.
"Do you think you can sleep?"
Arthur Asked Ariadne once they were both in bed.
"I'll try."
She said simply before pressing her lips to his and turning around so her back was pressed against his chest. She found his hand and dragged it over her body, holding it in hers.
"Arthur..."
He heard her whisper a couple of hours later.
"What?"
He asked tiredly.
"N-No, Arthur, don't go."
"I'm right here, Ari."
But then he looked at her face and understood, she was dreaming. He barely had time to react before she woke up, panting and screaming. Her pyjamas were soaked in sweat as was the sheet under her.
"Ari, it's okay, I'm right here."
Arthur whispered to her as he put his arms around her small frame.
"I don't want to sleep anymore."
She admitted.
"That's okay."
"I'm sorry I woke you."
"I'm fine."
Arthur told her.
"I'm gonna tell you a story okay? It's about you and me, how we would've met if there was no shared dreaming involved."
Ariadne nodded.
"Okay, so after Harvard, I would've become a professor there and after a few years, my relentless requesting for a field trip to Paris would finally be accepted and I would take my class to your school because it's the best there is. And since I don't speak French, they would pair me up with their best and brightest student, you. You would give a quick architecture 101 class in english and then you would take my students so see the Eiffel tower. Then we would meet up every night to discuss the following day's events. The end of the trip would obviously come too quickly and we would have to say goodbye. But I would return that summer for you to teach me some more about Architecture because I'm just so interested in you that I enjoy listening to you talk for hours on end. We would quickly fall in love not because we have so much in common, because of how different we are. And the rest would be history."
Arthur told her. By the end, she had tears in her eyes, being deeply jealous of the Ariadne of the story being able to live her life in peace and be with the man she loved without keeping looking over her shoulder.