Thanks for all of the reviews! They make me smile! :)
Remember, I don't own Inception. But I do own Daphne...
"Were you all sitting out on the roof last night? Arthur Livingston you know how I feel about that." His mother fussed at him.
"Yes Mother. I know." "Busted!" He wanted to roll his eyes, but thought better of it.
"One of these days someone is going to fall and get killed!" Her voice got higher with each word. She was spazzing.
"Calm down Mother. Please?" He placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Just promise me you won't go out on the roof anymore. I can't bear to see you hurt again." Her face was laced with worry. "You're my baby and I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I'll try." He smiled and kissed her cheek.
She seemed satisfied with his answer. "I'll see you later Arthur." She picked up her Prada bag.
"Bye Mother." He rolled his eyes as she walked out the door.
"Again?" Ariadne asked as she walked up to him. Her feet were freezing on the tile floor.
"Yeah, I used to crawl out the window all of the time. One night I fell asleep and fell off the roof. Dad found me in the yard the next morning when he walked out to get the paper." He shook his head. His parents shrieking echoed in his head.
"Oh gosh Arthur! Did you break anything?" Her reaction reminded him of his mother.
"I got a concussion. I broke my right ankle and arm. Hurt like the dickens." He winced remembering the pain.
"How old where you?" She chuckled.
"Sixteen I think." He poured two cups of coffee, and handed the 'frilly' looking one to Ariadne.
"No, you were fifteen." Daphne walked in. "It happened my senior year." She picked up the almost empty coffee pot. "Really Arthur?" She flicked his ear.
"Ow!" He rubbed his ear glaring at her.
"Ari he was the biggest baby." She giggled and snorted.
Arthur blushed.
"And it didn't help that Mom and Dad waited on him hand and foot." She opened the cabinet looking for the coffee. "Ah ha!" She pulled the can out and started another pot. "I could do nothing right, but Arthur on the other could do nothing wrong." She half tossed the can of coffee into the cabinet. It tipped over and spilling coffee grounds all over the counter. She swore under her breath grabbing a towel to scoop up the grounds.
"Daph." Arthur wrapped his arms around her. "Sissy I love you." He kissed her forehead. "You know I wasn't always the favorite. They blamed me for what happened to you. If you had not woken up or if you had died…" His voice cracked. The thought of possibly losing Daphne was overwhelming. Tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't keep you safe."
Ariadne felt extremely out of place. It seemed like a conversation that needed to be had between siblings – a conversation that she should not be a part of. She backed slowly out of the kitchen. She stepped from the cold tile floor onto the warm hardwood floor. She shivered.
"Are you alright Love?" Eames was sitting on the leather sofa with his feet propped up on the coffee table.
She nodded.
"Where are Daphne and Arthur?" He was turning his phone over in his hands.
"In the kitchen talking." She sank into the sofa beside him.
"So not a conversation you wanted to be a part of?"
"I didn't need to be a part of it." Her eyes were sad.
"Their relationship has always been perfect on the outside, but on the inside… Yikes." He made a face.
"I think it just bubbled over." She let out a deep breath.
"Well then we'd best stay out of the way." He stretched his arms.
Ariadne smiled when she saw Daphne walk out of the kitchen. Nick didn't see her sneak up behind him. Daphne motioned for her to join Arthur in the kitchen.
"Stay out of the way of what?" Daphne leaned over the sofa and whispered in his ear. Her dark hair floated around her face.
"You and Arthur." He tilted his head back so he could look at her. "Darling you are upside down." He batted his eyes at her. He thought she looked just as beautiful upside down as she did right side up.
"You are not supposed to prop your feet up on the coffee table." She leaned over a little more so she could kiss him. Her nose brushed against the stubble on his chin. She giggled.
He felt like he was flying. Butterflies filled his stomach. He was in love. Nicholas Eames did not fall in love. More importantly he did not fall in love with coworker's sisters. And yet, here he was – sitting on her sofa, cradled in her arms. Not only had he fallen for her, but she had fallen for him. He wondered if she would still love him if she knew everything about him.
"Nick? What's wrong?"She ruffled his hair. He didn't like it when she did, but he was a better sport than Arthur.
"Nothing is wrong Darling." He craned his neck so he could look at her face. He knew she didn't buy that answer.
"Oh really? You are as tense as if you were expecting someone to come bursting through the front door waving a gun."
"Darling you are being overdramatic. Nothing is wrong."
"You are only this tense when something is bothering you. Please tell me." She pouted and kissed him softly.
He melted. "Promise you'll never perform extraction on me?"
She laughed. "Are you afraid of what I might find?"
"Precisely Love."
"Darling. You have to remember that Arthur is never going to let me anywhere near the PASIV again. Your secrets are safe from me." She giggled, but wondered what his secrets were and if she really wanted to know them.
"Ah yes, I forgot about that. That's probably for the best anyway. Your subconscious can do crazy things after you've been in limbo." He relaxed a little in her arms.
"So I've heard." She was tired of people telling her what her subconscious would do. She wanted to find out for herself. "Maybe I will ignore Arthur and go in the next chance I get."
He sat up and turned to face her. "Darling please don't." He was scared that she would.
"Are you scared that I will discover your secrets?"
"I'm scared that I might lose you again. I can't bear to lose you, and of course Arthur would kill me."
"I want to find out for myself if my subconscious will act up. If I don't, I'll wonder for the rest of my life." She blinked back tears. This wasn't fair. She was being treated like a porcelain doll.
"Please don't be stubborn like Arthur." He pleaded with her.
"You know I am."
"Hey. Are you alright?" Ariadne shivered as she stepped onto the tile floor. She really needed to wear shoes in the house.
"I am actually." His eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were still damp from the tears.
"You don't look alright." She cupped his cheek in her hand.
"Ari. I am alright. I promise. I know I don't look it, but I am. I feel a lot better after talking to Daphne." He sobbed and sucked in a breath. "I guess it's better to talk it out. She told me she is going back in the first chance she gets. She wants to see for herself how her subconscious will react. My guess is she is telling Nick now."
"She's stubborn like you are."
"I am not stubborn." He protested.
"Yes you are." She kissed him.
He smirked and wrapped his arms around her. He was about to deepen the kiss when Daphne walked in.
"Arthur Livingston. I swear the two of you are just alike."
"Excuse me?" He turned to look at her, but kept his arms around Ariadne.
"You and Nick are just alike." She knew that would get under his skin. "You are both treating me like I'm some porcelain doll or something. Stop it."
"There is something you should see." Arthur walked out of the kitchen. He went to his room looking for the disc. Yusuf had recorded Daphne right after Cobb pulled her out of limbo. He finally found it and walked downstairs. He knew she needed to see it, but he wasn't sure he was ready to see it again.
"What is it I need to see Arthur?" She was concerned, sitting on the sofa with her arms and legs crossed.
"This." He put the disc in her laptop and handed it to her. Eames shot him a look and he nodded. "Just click play." He sat down beside her. Ariadne curled up beside him. Eames sighed and sat next to Daphne putting his arm around her.
She clicked the mouse and started the video.
Daphne shot up in her chair screaming and clawing at the needle in her arm.
"You're awake!" Arthur hugged her.
"Arthur, give her time." Cobb's voice was cautious.
"Where am I?"Daphne looked scared. "I don't know where I am." She started crying.
Cobb's eyes got wide. "This isn't good." He muttered.
"What happened to me? Why. Why was I alone for so long?" She pulled her knees up to her chest rocking back and forth in her seat.
Cobb sat beside her. "You were in a dream and you died." He explained cautiously. "You fell into limbo. Do you remember how long you were there?"
"No. I just know it was a long time. It felt like forever."
"But you are awake now. You are going to be alright."
"Am I? This feels like a dream. Where is it?" She felt her pockets and pulled a piece of paper out. "It's not blank." She looked confused.
Daphne pulled her totem out of her pocket. The hot pink piece of paper had an intricate maze drawn on it. "It wasn't blank." She whispered.
"Is it supposed to be blank?" Eames asked her.
"I don't know. Why don't I know?"
"Eventually you will remember everything." Arthur said.
"Don't lie to me." She looked serious.
"I'm not." He had tears in his eyes.
"I'm sorry. I just don't remember anything and I can't imagine having my memory back." She stood up and lost her balance.
Arthur didn't catch her in time and she collapsed in a heap on the floor. "Take it easy. You've been asleep for a while." He carefully helped her up.
She nodded. "I don't want to go back in there ever again, and if I change my mind please stop me. Please? Promise me."
"I promise." Arthur hugged her.
The video ended. Ariadne was crying. Arthur kissed her cheek.
"I don't remember any of that." Daphne was crying also.
"We didn't think you would. Yusuf wanted to film it for research, or something." Arthur hugged her.
"I still want to go back. Even though I said I didn't."
"You told us to stop you Darling." Eames kissed her head.
"I know I did, but…" She shook her head. "I. I want to see Dom."
"He is going to agree with us." Arthur said.
"I know, but I still want to see him."
Arthur walked out onto the deck where Ariadne had been on the phone. "Who were you talking to?" He hugged her and looked out at the sunset.
"My aunt in Sacramento. I meant to call her when I was in L.A. but I forgot. I haven't seen her since before I moved to Paris."
"That's a long time. Do you talk to her often?"
"I haven't in a few months. Before that we talked at least once a month. Sometimes more. I really miss her." She tried to smile, but it hurt. Her aunt was the only family she had left and Arthur didn't know it. She didn't know how to tell him.
"Fly to Sacramento and see her. And if you don't I'll put you on a plane myself and make sure you fly there." His smile gave her butterflies.
She launched herself into his arms. He picked her up and spun her around. "I love you." She ran her fingers through his hair.
"I love you too." He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. He couldn't help but pull her lips to his and kiss her.
She pulled away blushing. "Is Daphne alright?"
"I think so. She and Nick are sitting on the roof so I am sure they are both fine." He laughed and kissed her.
So let me know what you thought. :) And I guess they are going to see Cobb at some point soon. Any other idea or suggestions? Thanks for reading! :)