Authors Note:

Thank you so much for the feedback! I am so happy you all are supporting my new story idea. It makes me a very happy camper :P

I got a few messages saying that there are no projections in Limbo. But to make it clear, yes there are. In the beginning and in the last scene with Saito and Dom, Saito's body guards are projections from his mind. So yes, there are projections in Limbo. Cobb is going to explain the rest in this chapter and future chapters LOL

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Please Review!

Chapter 3

Ariadne's eyes fluttered open slowly, her senses hesitantly taking in a deep scent. What was that smell? It didn't small bad, it smelt refreshingly good and distinctively familiar. It was cologne. Cobb's cologne.

She moved her head slightly and looked to her right for a moment. She gasped in shock as she saw Cobb sitting beside her, his eyes closed shut. She wanted to reach over to him, to wake him up, but her hand was not letting her. She looked down, her fingers draping over the cool steel that was on her wrists. Oh shit. She was handcuffed.

She turned her attention to Cobb once again, her hand moving upwards as she realized that she was handcuffed to his right hand. She peered over him, her eyes immediately averting to the pole that his left hand was cuffed to. "Shit." Ariadne cursed, her right, and only free hand, pulled on his jacket.

"Cobb?" She asked softly, taking a quick look around the room. It was an empty room. Perhaps this Vito man had had intruding visitors often, or maybe he buit it once he had heard about their recent visit to the clothing shop.

"Cobb!" Ariadne's voice spoke his name harsher. He had to wake up and now. She didn't know how to create things yet here and they needed a key to these handcuffs.

"Please, Cobb. Wake up." How ironic to say, Ariadne couldn't help but realize. But she shook the thought away and placed her right hand on his face. She hoped that her warm temperature would cause him to wake up or at least respond to her cries.

Dom's eyes opened abruptly, the back of his head was still hurting tremendously.

"Thank god." He heard Ariadne mutter as she removed her hand from his face and continued "Are you alright?"

Cobb just nodded once and replied "Well, it could be worse." He suddenly felt the cold metal around both of his wrists and grunted. Never mind, he took it back. It couldn't be worse.

He took a look around at the room, it was painted in a dark green and it was completely empty. He sighed and looked over to Ariadne who had her free hand tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Where are we?" Ariadne asked, her voice low as if she was in deep thought.

"I am assuming we are in Vito's headquarters." Cobb replied, biting on his tongue. Fuck. This was a completely unnecessary interruption that should have been avoided. But no. Now they were stuck.

"So I am assuming that this is not Saito's location, right?" Ariadne questioned lowly. She wondered if there was anyone outside the door, listening to their conversation.

"Right." Cobb replied as he examined the room, nothing in his view to free them. Nothing. It was the perfect trap. Like 'Saw'. God, how he hated Arthur for making him watch those films.

"Well, hurry up and imagine a key or something to get us out. Saito needs us." Ariadne spoke the words quickly, turning her head to Cobb.

"There's something I haven't told you about this place, Ariande." Dom's voice was quiet and serious. He looked right into her eyes and continued "We can only create on our own land."

"What?" Ariadne asked, confused and angry. What did he mean by that exactly?

By the look on her face, Cobb decided that he should explain himself "This Vito man, he probably has been here for a very long time. Years, probably. He has built this entire empire and whatever he has built, he has complete control over."

Ariadne took a deep breath in and asked frantically "So, we're stuck here?"

"Yes, for now. At least."

Ariadne shook her head and sighed "What should we do?"

Dom looked over to his right and looked at Ariadne while replying "Wait. It's the only thing we can do."

Ariadne bit down on her bottom lip and stared at Dom for a moment, who was looking back at her. There was a slight silence and Cobb looked away from her, stretching his handcuffed hand on the pole to his left.

There was more silence and Ariadne knew that with silence, came boredom and with boredom, time did not pass as fast as they wanted it to.

"So, do you have any favorite bands?" Ariadne asked, a small smile on her face.

Dom couldn't help but chuckle at the random question. He turned to face her and replied "Yes, but you wouldn't know them."

Ariadne's eyebrows shot up at the accusation. "Try me." She spoke the words lightly. She knew all types of music and if she had to guess, Cobb was into the jazz type.

"I like 'The Beatles'." Dom spoke the words with a smile.

"You thought that I wouldn't know 'The Beatles'? Ariadne asked through a laugh.

Cobb shrugged his shoulders and replied "Well, I really didn't think your generation listens to that kind of genre."

"Well, I am not into the whole 'Jonas Brothers' scene, thank you very much." Ariadne giggled and continued in a more flat tone "No, I like 'The Beatles'. I really like that song, the- 'Don't Let Me Down'- one. It's my favorite."

Wow. Dom couldn't help but smile. That was his favorite too. How strange was that? It was one of those songs that had a timeless blues feel. It was great and he had to admit, he was surprised that Ariadne appreciated that type of art. "I am impressed."

Ariadne eyed him for a moment and asked in a defensive tone "Really, Cobb? Why?"

He knitted his eyebrows together while replying "It's not everyday that someone your age would rather talk about classic rock than hip hop."

Ariadne shrugged her shoulders once and whispered "Well, I'm not like other people my age." Dom stared at her for a moment, taking in her statement. She was right. She wasn't, at all. She licked her lips and asked, changing the subject "What's your favorite movie?"

Cobb thought for a moment. He honestly didn't know. "There are too many to choose from."

"I like 'Vertigo'." Ariadne casually cut in.

Dom's eyes went wide. He had heard of it, it was by Alfred Hitchcock. But, he had never seen it. "I've never seen it. I've heard it is pretty good."

Ariadne smiled and said in a happy tenor "Oh, its great. It's about this cop who falls in love with the woman he is supposed to be following around because she has been acting extremely strange. I think, if I remember correctly, she thinks that she is a dead woman from the 1800's-"

Dom's eyes widen as she continues "-Well, that doesn't matter. What matters is that the cop falls in love with her but then she dies. And a few months later, he finds this woman that looks like her and begs her to change her entire appearance so that he can be with the other woman, in a way."

Cobb's eyes narrow at Ariadne and then he says in a sad tone "That's depressing."

Ariadne shrugs her shoulders and says "Yes, well. In the end, she actually ends up dressing up like his ex because she falls in love with him too." She breathes out for a moment and continues "Never mind. Your right. It is depressing."

Cobb chuckles at her conclusion and looks over to her to see her laughing as well. He had to be honest, even though he was stuck in this room, handcuffed to a pole. He was actually enjoying himself.

"What's one of your favorites?" Ariadne asked, her head leaning against the wall. Cobb rearranged himself as well, so that he was completely facing her. His left hand stretching out as far he could.

Dom breathed out while replying "Well, I have two. One is 'Memento' and the other is 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." He watched her expression go blank. He snickered at her and said through a small laugh "You haven't heard of either of them, have you?"

Ariadne shook her head, her cheeks going red as his eyes locked on hers. Wow. She had never really noticed it before but his eyes were a shade of blue that she had never seen before.

Abruptly, the door swung open to reveal the two same large men from the clothing shop. They both had a gun each on their belts. Cobb and Ariadne turned their bodies and heads to the two men who were completely silent.

And suddenly a tall and semi-good looking man with green eyes and wide small walked in. He must of been in his early 40's and it showed. "Buona Sera." He smiled at two prisoners.

Cobb's eyes raised slightly at the greeting. It was a strange way to greet the two people you had your projections lock in a room together. No water and no food.

"I hope Pablo and Francesco did not hit-ah your head too hard. Yes?" The accent was so thick, neither Ariadne or Cobb understood the sentence fully. So, they both remained silent.

Vito walked slowly closer to the two, eyeing Ariadne for a moment. "Bella Ragazza," he winked at her and then turned to his bodyguards while saying "Hey! Please remove the handcuffs from the lady. She looks ugh- very hurt."

And one of the body guards nodded and took out the key from his pocket. Cobb's eyes widened at the object. He took in the measurements and color in his mind, registering it wholly.

The handcuff that was holding Cobb and Ariadne together opened and Ariadne pulled her hand out and started to massage her wrist.

"Mia ragazza povera." He tisked at her and bent down to her level, taking her wrist in his hand, wanting to massage it. But she pulled her hand away from him. She was not going to let this man touch her.

Vito smirked, clearly unsatisfied from her gesture. He tilted his head to the side and whispered at her "That is not very nice, Arianna."

Ariadne stood up to his level and replied in a firm tone "My name is Ariadne."

"Che?" Vito asked, clearly confused at the pronunciation of the name.

"Ariande" Cobb interjected, his face tense. He did not like where this was going.

"Oh, Domenico. I almost forget that you ah-still here." Vito laughed loudly, the body guards copying his action.

Cobb narrowed his eyes and looked up at the man while he spoke "Well, Domenico. Could you please ugh- tell me what you are doing in my city?" He whisked a hand on Ariadne, her shuttering at his grasp on her.

"We got lost." Cobb lied.

"Lost?" Vito asked, his expression curious. "Well, you told Sig. Paolo that you were invited to my dinner this evening."

Cobb suddenly took in the man's clothing. He was wearing a shiny silver suit with a black tie. He was definitely living up to the Italian man stereotype. Dom bit down on his bottom lip and nodded. There was no need to lie anymore.

"Well, both of you need ah- new clothes. But you are invited, of course." Ariadne's eyes locked on Cobb, smiling. This was their chance to escape.

"But you, Domenico. You will serve, yes?" Vito asked happily.

"Serve what exactly?" Dom asked, his eyes wide.

"The ah- food and the wine." Vito began to list the entire menu.

"You want us to be servers?" Ariadne asked, gulping. She had really thought that this was there chance to escape.

"No, bella. Him not ugh- you." Vito smiled, running a finger down her arm while continuing "You will be my guest of honor, yes?" His eyes were gleaming down at her. Guest of honor? What did that exactly entail?

"I would much rather serve." Ariadne spoke the sentence in a blunt tone. Her eyes glaring up at the man's face.

"No, I could not allow it." Vito smiled at her and then shouted loudly "Maria!" Maria? That was the woman from the shop, wasn't it?

She walked in holding a red dress in her hands while saying "Si, Vito?" Vito went up to her and whispered something in her ear. And she just nodded, her mouth forming a tiny small.

Ariadne watched as Maria walked up to her, holding the dress between her hands. They weren't going to force her to wear that, were they? "Yes, you will look molto bella Arianna." Vito exclaimed clapping his hands together. And then his grin fell straight off his face and he snapped.

The two body guards grabbed Ariadne by her arms and she tried to push them off her, struggling from their grasps. But their bodies overpowered her small frame and she was beginning to be dragged out the door. "Cobb!" She shouted as his blue eyes watched her.

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Cobb's voice was loud and bitter, once the two men and Maria had taken Ariadne out of the room.

Vito bent down to his level and let out a playful grin. "Domenico, Domenico, Domenico." He giggled and continued "I promise not to lay a hurting finger on Arianna."

Cobb watched him carefully as he continued "You, on the other hand-" and then he slapped Cobb across the mouth, his fingernails smacking his lips. Tiny trickles of blood fell from his mouth as he held in the pain.

"We do not mean any harm. We are just looking for someone." Dom's voice was rough and tight. He could taste the blood on his lips as he spoke.

"We'll, I'm sorry but your quest ends ah-here." Vito stood up and then said in a falsetto tone "You will help serve tonight, Domenico. And when you are finished, you will come back into this room until I find another use for you." Vito started to walk away, his hands on his hips.

"And Ariadne?" Cobb asked, looking up and whipping his mouth with his free hand.

Vito stopped dead in his tracks and turned around while saying "Arianna? Well, I plan some very nice things for her. You know, its not everyday that ugh- a real woman visits me, here." And then he left the room, slamming the door shut.

But there was something about the way Vito said that sentence that made Dom realize three things. 1. Vito knew that he was Limbo 2. He didn't care and 3. Ariadne was in big trouble.

xxx

(Real Time: Present: Aircraft)

Arthur's eyes were glued to Saito. He knew that if Saito would wake up, so would Cobb and Ariadne. But they were still fast asleep on the aircraft and they only had one hour and fifty five minutes until landing.

He looked over at Eames who was drinking out of a bottle of tequila and rolled his eyes. He seemed not to care or to primarily believe that everyone was going to wake up from this. But Arthur was not too sure.

Time went extremely slow in Limbo and fast in the real world. It had only been five minutes since they had awakened but in Limbo that meant... he took a moment to make the calculations.

If twenty years in Limbo went an hour in the read world, than Cobb and Ariadne had been in Limbo for... 1.6 years already. Fuck. What the hell had happened in the last year? Or more importantly, did they still know that their world wasn't real?

xxx

(Limbo Time: Flash forward 1.6 Years: Cobb's Land)

Ariadne eyes opened to the sound of the shower running. She groaned and stretched out her arms. 'Damn Dom and his early morning showers', she cursed. Her hands draped across the white silk sheets and she peered around the room.

Her eyes immediately went to the bathroom and she resisted to destroy the walls around the shower so that she could see him again. She smiled and lifted herself up on her feet, her black night gown falling down her legs as she moved towards the bathroom door.

She opened it slowly, trying to keep her noise to a minimum. She wanted to finally get her revenge for waking her every morning with his loud early bird showers.

The entire mirror was filled with steam and she held in the chuckle that was tickling her throat. Dom always loved his showers extremely hot. Well, she could change that.

Her eyes glued to his naked shadow, hiding behind the white curtain. Her lips curled into a small smirk as she focused her attention on the shower head pouring out the hot water. And suddenly Cobb let out a scream, the water becoming agonizingly cold.

He closed the shower tap, opening the curtain to a laughing Ariadne. His eyes wide with shock as he watched her continue to laugh. She took a few steps towards him and said through a laugh "Ah, sweet revenge."

Cobb shook his head and laughed, turning the water back on with his mind. This time it was hot, just how he liked it. And then he turned back to Ariadne who was still laughing "It's not that funny."

But she just continued laughing. She finally got him back from waking her up every morning for the past few months, before even the sun rise.

He bit down on his bottom lip and turned his body to face her while saying through a laugh "Well, I guess there's only thing left for me to do-" and suddenly he leaped out of the shower and pulled Ariadne in with him. He held her to the wall, the hot water pouring over her night gown.

"Dom!" She shouted as his hands gripped her arms tightly, pushing her against the shower walls. His blue eyes fell down to her brown ones as his his hands lifted the soaking wet night gown over her head.

"You know that I hate morning showers." She whispered as she wrapped her arms around his back. He was such a beautiful man that she couldn't help but smile at him.

"Well-" Cobb's voice was low as he rubbed his hands down her bare backside "I think I could change that." And then he kissed her, his tongue devouring her mouth.

xxx

(Limbo Time: Present: Vito's Land)

"Red or white?" Cobb asked his voice sounding just as irritated as he presently was. He was holding two bottles in his hands, one of red wine and the other of white. He felt extremely annoyed with himself. He was asking projections what they wanted to drink, as if they really cared.

He had already examined the room fully. Their was a guard with a gun at each exit and entrance. Ariadne had not arrived at the party yet. And he was glad, when she did, he hoped to already have an escape plan.

"Blanco." A short and fat projection of a man declared. And Dom graciously or in actuality, sarcastically poured the man some white wine in his black coloured glass.

"You are doing a very fine job, Domenico." He heard Vito's voice from behind him and he turned around and thanked him with a faux smile.

Vito looked around his gold coloured ball room and asked "You like it?" Cobb didn't say anything to him and so Vito continued speaking "It is the color of Kings. It fits me molto bene, yes?"

And then he looked over to the entrance of the room and whispered "Mamma mia..."

Cobb's eyebrows shot up in confusion as he turned to the entrance as well to see Ariadne dressed in a bright red dress.

"Bella..." was all that Vito said as he walked towards her.

Cobb's eyes mimicked Ariadne's movement as he watched her. She looked... different. Too different, in fact.

Vito bent over to kiss Ariadne on the cheek and it was only then that Dom realized that she had been crying.

Authors Note:

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please Review!

Thank you!