"WAKE ME UP!" she screamed, struggling against Cobb's projections. "WAKE ME UP!"

She saw a women hurrying toward her, and her Cobb yelling at her.

"Mal, NO!"

Her eyes widened as the women's arm move to stab her.

She never knew how painful dying could be.

She woke up, gasping, grabbing her side to see if she was still whole.

"Easy, it's ok. It's ok, it was just a dream."

He was right by her side, holding her arms as she shuddered.

"She needs a totem," Cobb said, yanking the needle out of his arm. He practically ran out of the room.

"What?"

"A totem is…" he started to explain, but she was yelling after Cobb.

"That's some subconscious you got Cobb! She's a real charmer!"

"Oh, I see you've met Mrs. Cobb."

"She's his wife?"

"Yes, now see, a totem is a small object that helps you keep track of reality."

"Like a coin?"

"No, it's got to be more unique then that. Like," he pulled out his totem, a red die. "This is a loaded die, my totem."

She reached out to touch it, but he pulled back, looking apologetic.

"Ah, you can't touch it, that would defeat the purpose. Only I know the exact weight and size of this particular die."

"I don't know if you know what Cobb is hiding down there," she said in a rush, looking wild. "But I'm not about to start to share dreams with him."

She got up, slipping on her jacket and rushing out of the warehouse, barely giving a look back.

"She'll be back. I've never seen someone pick it up that quickly."

Arthur glanced at Cobb, who seemed to have calmed down now. He looked back to where Ariadne had just disappeared through the doors.

He hoped Cobb was right. She was different, younger than most people in this line of work. Also, a women, which was even rarer since not many came into this line of work.

She was also different because she seemed real then most things. For him, reality would not compare sometimes, not feel real. But she, with her interesting scarf and worn red jacket, messy hair, she was truly real.

What made her real was her obvious imperfections. She asked to many questions, got overly excited, and just was her.

She was real. And he wanted this part, his part, of reality back.

AUTHORS NOTE: I am waiting to buy Inception right now, so no ideas are coming up since I had to return the Inception DVD I rented. So, I'll just pull things from memory, or rent it again so I can go off and watch it six times in one day. Oh the joys of being obsessed.