A/N – I just realized I've forgotten to do this in the previous chapters, but I don't own Inception, or Ariadne, or –sigh- Arthur. Sad day. But on the bright side, all of you guys reading are amazing, and I'm loving the reviews I've been getting! Sorry I haven't updated, my friend has been in the hospital, but he's out now, and here's chapter 3!
The first thing Arthur saw when he woke up the next morning was both beautiful and terrifying. Beautiful because it was Ariadne, lying on her side, her body unconsciously curled towards his. Terrifying for the same reason. What had he done, staying with her last night? All they had done was sleep, but still, it was very unprofessional, and that was not a characteristic Arthur had much experience with. Sighing inwardly, so as not to wake her, he contemplated his companion. She looked so at peace when she slept; it was something he had first noticed back in the warehouse in Paris. Her hair was fanned out around her head in amber waves, reflecting the small fragments of light that had managed to fight through the curtains. Her lips, those wonderful lips, were curved at the corners in a small smile. Arthur was glad. The Fischer case had been more of a nightmare than a dream, and she deserved happiness. She deserved everything in the world. It was the reason that his staying last night was so foolish.
He wasn't blind. Ariadne's behavior definitely indicated that she was, at the very least, interested in the idea of him as more than a coworker. He would be lying to himself if he said that after getting to know her (and after that kiss) he wasn't interested as well. The problem was that it just wasn't an option. She had good things going for her, and he… well, let's face it, he was a criminal, and a bit of a mess.
How had he let this happen? For years Arthur had maintained his distance from coworkers. It was a survival skill as much as anything. Nash hadn't been the first person he'd worked with who had met an unfortunate end, and if Arthur had been close to him, seeing the old architect dragged away from that helicopter would've killed him. The world of extraction was a dangerous one, and having personal attachments was unwise. If any of his enemies even remotely suspected that they could use Ariadne to get back at him, and followed through… if anything happened to her because of him, he would never be able to forgive himself. Yes, it had been Dom who introduced her to dream sharing, but then she'd been given to Arthur to mentor and train. To protect.
If he left her, there was the chance she'd get hurt. No, Ariadne wasn't the innocent girl she'd been before meeting Dom in Paris, but she wasn't as hardened as the rest of them were. His job wasn't over yet. The point man was responsible for all aspects of the team, including their well-being. If anything happened to Ariadne, that was on him. She was the best architect he'd ever seen, even better than Dom. Not only that, she had also saved the entire job he'd heard. If Arthur allowed anything to happen to her, and she was unavailable for future jobs (though the chances of future jobs were slim to none) Dom would be livid. He believed his boss had also grown fond of her, and would care on a personal level. Hell, the whole team would. During their time in Paris, she had bonded with the other members of the team. She had been Dom's therapist, Yusuf's late night company and sounding board, and Eames' audience during his Browning impersonation practice. She had become everyone's little sister, everyone's but his. Not that that factored into his decision. He'd already justified it to himself. Staying with Ariadne would be like protecting an investment, a wise business decision. Just part of the job.
As he thought this, the 'investment' lying beside him started to wake, and he realized that opening her eyes to find him staring at her might be a little disconcerting. Sitting up slowly, he turned his head to see her looking at him confusedly.
"Arthur?" she asked, in a rather disbelieving manner. Fair enough. He had been slightly confused at the first sight to meet his eyes as well.
"Good morning," he replied, clearing his throat. Now to do some damage control, and make this situation less awkward than it had the potential for being.
"Wha-"
"Ariadne, some things have come up, and I have matters to discuss with you. But first I am going to head back to my room to shower and change, and I'm sure you would like to do the same… In here, that is, in your room. Anyways, if you're agreeable, I'll meet you back here in an hour?" Seeing her nod in understanding, Arthur hurriedly grabbed his jacket from where he'd placed it last night and walked out of the room. Could he have messed that up anymore? Good going, really smooth. Ugh, he just hoped that she had still been in the process of waking up and hadn't noticed.
Reaching his door, he inserted the key in a much-practiced motion and moved inside, stripping off his layers and stepping into the shower right away. As the hot water hit him, he let his mind wander away from work. Running his hands through his wet, slicked back hair, he thought about how good it would feel if it was Ariadne- He froze. Why was he doing this to himself? Nothing could happen.
Nothing would happen.
As he dried off and got dressed, Arthur glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost time to meet Ariadne. Feeling as though this was very similar to last night, he told himself that it wouldn't end up like that. He would be professional. Still, when she opened the door to his knock minutes later, dressed in a simple green sundress and smiling at him expectantly, he couldn't stop the feeling of delight from welling up. He experienced this rarely – satisfaction better described the usual 'positive emotion' that he felt when jobs went his way and the like. But with her standing in front of him like this… Well, when he smiled in greeting, it wasn't simply a courteous, let's do business kind of smile. Despite that, the fact remained that there was still business to be dealt with. However, that didn't necessitate staying in one of their rooms, or even within the hotel.
"Would you like to get some breakfast?" he asked nonchalantly, though internally he didn't feel the coolness he portrayed.
"Sounds good to me," she agreed, and a feeling of relief washed over him. This was definitely shaping up to be an interesting day, and Arthur could only imagine how she would react when he proposed his plan to her.