A Very Personal Letter

Sorry this last chapter took so long, I had a few ideas how this would end and finally came up with this. A thanks goes out to Decki as well, their review gave me the prod I needed to finish it off. Apologies once again (because i'm British).

Enjoy!

Monday, 6th September, Ariadne remembers the date well. She'd woken to find a letter on her bedside table. She didn't quite know how it got there but she knew exactly who it was from. She had a feeling that nothing good would come from this letter so Ariadne left it sitting there as she started her daily chores.

About three in the afternoon she tried to call Eames' mobile but it went straight through to answer phone, she frowned but continued working away with her sketches to put it to the back of her mind. She tried again two hours later and irritatingly received the same result. Admitting defeat she knew it was time to find out what the letter said, so with shaky hands she opened it and began to read:

My Dearest Ariadne,

Sorry for the short notice darling but I've had to love you and leave you. I bet you've left this letter till late evening and are more than likely pissed off with me because my phone is switched off, no doubt you've tried it a couple of times already. I'm telling you now, don't attempt it again; it's residing at the bottom of a lake.

If you hadn't guessed by now I'm on the run again, it would seem someone managed to find me; obviously I have been far too conspicuous, which is absurd don't you think? I'm the epitome of discreet! But don't worry, you're safe, they know nothing about you.

Now, I'm not a mind reader but I'm guessing right now that you were more worried about my last piece of information than the fact that somebody could be after you, and before you start to feel guilty about this fact, remember we did agree that it would be five things and we both know I'm not entirely sure when it would be safe to see you again, so it is only fair that I give the last one up now.

My full name is Thomas Connor Eames; I was born in Central London on 15th September 1977. Sorry you're going to miss my birthday, although I probably wouldn't have told you if we were under different circumstances. My mother's name was Annie Shepherd and my father's is Thomas Sr. I have a half sister whom you already know about, apart from her, I have no other siblings that I'm aware of.

I'm sure most would find these details boring but you know by now that these are my most coveted secrets so I hope you see it as a sign that I trust you implicitly, which I never do with people. I suppose since I've started you should know the rest...

Cobb would probably tell you this if you ask, but I met him in Las Vegas a couple of years back. I was losing at Black Jack miserably (for argument sake I say it was on purpose). I was studying the croupier for an extraction job for my then employers; they were only small time, extracting information that gave them access to the safe and money etc. Cobb was the big time, even then. He'd heard about me through other connections, and been told I'd shown promising potential, so he came and poached me that evening. I didn't join him easily; it involved a lot of persuasion on his part, mainly more whiskey in my tumbler and a much more satisfying wage packet. Then the next morning before I had time to banish my hangover we were off to Dubai to extract some valuable information from a Sultan. It's not exactly flash or overly exciting but that's mine and Cobb's relationship for you.

How I met Yusuf is much more interesting. Once again, I was gambling, but in New Delhi this time and Yusuf had pissed off the bar owner by giving him sleeping tablets instead of Viagra. The gentleman's mistress couldn't wake him up for ten hours, and his wife nearly cottoned on to the affair so far as I could make out. After the first punch was thrown I jumped in and helped Yusuf out; he was curled up on the floor apologising like it was going out of fashion as the guy went to kick him and I hate witnessing an unfair fight. I won the fight and we were both barred but we've been friends ever since. Then when Yusuf started his experiments with sedatives in Mombasa I thought it rude not to join him; then Inception started up, and you know the rest.

I won't go into too much into mine and Arthur's history but he's disliked me ever since I dream shared with him once and impersonated a girl that he was seeing at the time, but that's all I'm telling you. However, if you want to try and coax it out of him you have my blessing.

On a more serious note, sorry but I have to put it in...You'll need to know that if I die I would like to be cremated and my ashes spread back home. Don't give me that look; I know you'll be pulling it right now. It's a 'just in case' thing, this doesn't mean that I've gone to my death, how silly would that be? I wouldn't get to see you again.

And on an even more serious note, when I next appear I will be expecting steak and chips on the table with a can of Fosters and a raspberry trifle to follow.

I hope you find this information sufficient enough and I will try and get in touch when things ease off a bit. I really didn't want to go if that helps, I've had a lot of fun over the past couple of months. I apologise, I'm rubbish at goodbyes, even in letters.

Please stay safe Ari.

Missing you terribly already,

Eames

P.S. You look very sweet while you sleep, especially when you snore.

Ariadne finished reading and held the paper close to her chest for a while. He'd gone and left her, just waltzing as quickly out of her life as he had into it.

There was a knock on her door and she froze, if Eames was playing a joke it wasn't funny in the slightest. She hid his letter in the cookie jar she never used and tried to compose herself as she answered it.

"I thought you might want some company." Arthur said as he pulled her into a hug.

"You always show up at the right time don't you Arthur." She smiled.

"Eames called it in as a favour, but I did it more for you than him."

"Thanks. You two are too good to me."

"We try." Arthur shrugged his blazer off and hung it on the rack. "So how did you know he'd gone? I was expecting to have to break the news to you."

"He left a quick scribble saying how bad at goodbyes he is."

"That definitely sounds like him."

"Yeah, just like Eames." Ariadne smiled cryptically as her eyes hovered over to the cookie jar. Oh how little Arthur knew.

The ending kinda sucks but it's now complete yay!

Reviews = love!