Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me.

Adam hurried down the hall, his head starting to spin. Arthur...he couldn't shake the image from his mind. Arthur, with Ariadne. Arthur, dressed immaculately. Arthur, taunting him-

He stopped. He'd reached a door. Trying to calm his breathing, he reached out, and grabbed the door handle. Turning it, it opened, and he practically fell through it. With a sigh of relief, he realised it was his home. His lounge. His couch. Moving towards it, he flopped down on it, trying to relax.

"You've just woken up," he told himself. "That's all it is. You've just woken up." He got up, and walked towards the kitchen, and poured himself a glass of water. "Nothing to worry about. Just go to bed, and-"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Swallowing, he walked towards it. "Kyle," he murmured.

Opening the door, he received a shock. Arthur, his face creased in a self-satisfied smirk, pushed the door open. "Thought you'd take sanctury in here," he stated, walking in without an invitation. "Always like to run away, don't you?"

Adam, stunned, took a step back. This is real, he thought, his heart pounding. Arthur tilted his head, and smiled.

"Oh, water. Nice of you to offer." Reaching over, he grabbed the glass. "Thanks," he said, raising it, and took a swallow.

Adam looked at him. "Please. Leave."

"Oh, you're finally growing a backbone? Listen, it doesn't make any difference." Arthur glared at him, and raised an eyebrow. "You are not enough of a man for Ariadne."

Adam blinked. "And you're not even a man."

"Meaning?" Arthur's voice had dropped to a low.

"You're not even real."

"What do you want me to do?" Adam's mother asked, timidly. She was nervously fiddling with her collar. Arthur concentrated on pulling out an IV.

"I need you, to time this." He looked at her. "I'm going to have to go under for about 30 minutes, to find Adam, and Ariadne, and bring them back. You need to make sure no-one else comes in, no-one else disturbs us. Otherwise-" he stopped, deciding against telling her the truth. That her son's mind could already be trapped down in limbo.

She nodded. "All right." Her voice was barely a whisper.

Arthur looked up, and his heart, and stance, softened. She cared for Adam deeply, he surmised. Smothered him, from snippets he'd overheard from Ariadne. But, her son had an illness, and if he was lost - he shuddered, inwardly. "I'll bring him back," he said, his tone determined.

He laid down, and adjusted the IV. After a few moments, he nodded to her. "OK, press the centre button."

He closed his eyes, and plunged into darkness.

"I'm not real?" Arthur took another sip of water. "That's an assumption!"

"This is a dream," Adam said, calmly. "I know it is. You wouldn't- behave like this."

Arthur shook his head. "No, I would. You've taken the one person I love from me!"

Adam swallowed. "Its a dream." He nodded, vigorously. "Its a dream."

Arthur blinked, and looked around him. The city streets were slowly, perceptibly, becoming filled with more projections. He began to walk, more quickly. As he hurried, he noticed a young woman, brunette, walking further ahead. By her agitated stance, he began to guess who she was. Hurrying, he practically broke into a run, and caught up with her. As he laid a hand on her shoulder, she gasped, and turned, her face relaxing as she saw him.

"Arthur?"

"Ari!" He felt a sigh of relief. "Where...?"

"I've been looking for him," the Architect explained, biting her lip. "Where...?"

"His mother turned up, and pulled out the IV," Arthur said, softly. "He's in limbo."

"What?" her face paled, rapidly. "Arthur..."

"We'll find him," he said, consolingly, noting the angry looks of the projections. "We have to."

"Its a dream?" Arthur tilted his head. "Wake up, Adam. You and Ariadne have been a dream. A dream that someone like her could possibly want someone like you."

"Like me?"

"Someone...weak. Frail. Incapable." A mocking smiled was causing the corners of Arthur's mouth to twitch. "You're too sick to stand up."

"No, I'm not." Adam allowed himself a spurt of anger. "Trust me, I'm not."

"Fine." With a swift motion, Arthur pulled a gun from his holster, and dropped it on the counter. To Adam's shock, he pushed it so it slid over to him. "Prove it."

"Prove it?" Adam repeated.

Arthur's eyes met his. "Kill me."

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