Chapter Nine

"Ariadne you're shaking", Arthur was quick to put him arms around her but Ariadne shook him off just as quickly.

She closed her eyes pushing her hands to ears as if hoping to block him out. "You're not real", Ariadne said. "I'm not really here I need something-"

Her eyes darted around the room for something sharp, anything would do really.

Arthur watched her in a mad panic. "Ariadne what are you doing?" he asked. She didn't answer him. She didn't want to validate him any further. He wasn't the real Arthur, she should have known that. The real Arthur wouldn't have suddenly kissed her like that. No, unless she had dropped her totem and picked up something that looked like it (which was she was sure she'd something she would never do) she was in someone else's dream. So Arthur was a projection.

A very enticing projection.

Ariadne shook her head trying to focus back on her task. She needed to find something sharp. Something that would kill her and wake her up back into the real world. She was starting to doubt whether she had met with Cobb at all, that she had ever been kidnapped by Eames, or warned by Arthur. No, it was all one big long dream. That was all that made sense!

Opening up her desk drawers she found a compass. Whoever the architect of this dream was had definitely done their homework. Not a detail was missed.

"Ariadne!" Arthur said grabbing onto her. "What are you doing?"

"I just need to wake up", Ariadne said rolling back her sleeve and finding a suitable vein.

"That's going to hurt", Arthur warned.

"Only for a little while" Ariande said preparing her arm so that she could do it right in just one strike of her arm.

"No for a long while, you're not dreaming Ariadne and neither am I" Arthur tried to tell her but she wasn't prepared to listen. She didn't want to get into an argument with a projection all she wanted was to get home.

"If this is a dream", Arthur spoke again, his voice softer this time. "How long do you think it's been going on for?"

Ariadne paused struck by the question.

"Do you think Cobb put you under back in the warehouse, because if you do, you've probably been in a dream state for a few hours".

"I'm not listening" Ariadne said still not looking at him.

"And if it's Cobb whose put you under and entered your mind without letting you know then you can be assured then there isn't just a quick trip. You're here for awhile Ariadne" Arthur said and Ariadne dropped the compass and stared at him.

"That is if you really believe you're dreaming" Arthur added and Ariadne frowned. At a complete loss.

"So what do I just sit around and wait?" she asked exasperated. "Why would they be hacking into my mind anyway?"

Arthur shrugged. "You're assuming that they are and this isn't reality", he looked concerned. "I really think you should get some rest, I'll wait with you, if it makes you feel any better".

Ariadne's mind was in a swirl of doubt. She never thought that loosing one tiny chess piece could send her through so much doubt. Madness close to sweeping her mind suddenly she was unsure of anything anymore. She was half tempted by Arthur's offer of rest but scared by it as well. She had to keep focused.

"I don't understand", she was close to tears now and Arthur let her fall into his arms. He pressed her head against his chest and stroked her hair. Ariadne was glad for the comfort even if it maybe wasn't real.

"Please rest Ariadne, I can't stand seeing you like this" Arthur whispered into her hair. The offer was gradually growing more tempting. If this a dream then she would have to wait for it to pass anyway. And if Arthur was there beside her then it needn't be such a bad dream.

Slowly she nodded and Arthur smiled. He pressed his lips softly against his forehead and Ariadne shivered. That was a kiss that was more like him. Almost uncannily so. What if she wasn't dreaming. What if she had to get her reading done for tomorrow's tutorial and woke up unprepared. She doubted that her tutor would accept her excuse of pretending the homework was all part of a dream.

Arthur saw that she was growing flustered and tried to settle her.

"Hey it's okay, I'll be here, I promise, I can go back to Cobb in the morning when you've gone back to class".

Ariadne couldn't help that this felt like she was being tricked somehow but she let Arthur pull back her sheets and lay her on her bed. Not in the way that she would have liked of course but his touch still felt unbelievably good even if he was only a projection. But it didn't stop the feelings of dread following through her. Professor Cobb had been right. She should have never gotten mixed up in this. She should have returned to her studies like she had originally planned then she would have never got into any of this trouble.

Laying back in her bed she felt incredibly tired as though she had been running for a very long time. Her heart was still racing but her mind could no longer put itself through further turmoil by over analyzing everything.

She was surprised when Arthur took off his shoes and lay down beside her reaching out for her hand. "In the morning this will all be over and you can go to your class and back to see Cobb if you want to" he muttered.

Ariadne nodded. She was suddenly feeling almost eerily calm. It was an odd feeling but she didn't mind it. Arthur was right. Even Yusef didn't have a drug that could keep her unconscious that long. If she fell asleep in the dream now it should be over by the morning. And if she woke up as normal in the morning then she would just go on with her life as normal. Smiling to herself she gripped Arthur's hand back. Conveniently forgetting about the Seekers if only for a moment.