Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me. Apologies for the long break.

Ariadne blinked, and opened her eyes. She was sitting in a cafe, in Paris. The air was warm, and fresh. Swallowing, she reached into her shoulder bag, and pulled out a book, and waited.

A waiter approached, relaxed and handsome. "Mademoiselle?"

"Un Cafe, sil vous plait," she said, politely. He nodded, and walked back inside.

She waited. As she turned her head, she marvelled at how crisp, how clear the street was. No small detail had been left to the imagination. She smiled as her coffee was placed in front of her. Picking up her cup, she took a sip. The coffee was finely ground, delicious.

"Good morning."

Looking up, she blinked. A man was approaching her. As he came into focus, she saw it was Cobb. Smiling politely, she watched as he sat down.

"So..." he began, hesitantly. "What are you up to today?"

Ariadne swallowed. In order for this to work, she had to play her role perfectly. She smiled, feigning an air of innocent helplessness. "What do you think we should do?"

Cobb smiled, confidently, and she knew that giving him the lead was the correct tactic. "Follow me."

"So I- I was duped."

Tennison nodded. "I see."

"I'm not a rapist. I would never do that. I was-" Arthur paused, struggling to find the words. "Taken over."

"You claim your best friend did this."

"Yes." Arthur felt his voice catch. "The man I thought was my best friend."

"A betrayal."

"Yes."

There was a pause. Arthur felt that this was agonisingly slow, and serving no purpose. As the pause stretched into silence, Tennison looked down at the notes he'd made. Arthur waited.

"Do you think there is any way you can get him to admit to it?"

Arthur shrugged. "I don't think so." He bit his lip. Cobb had seemed arrogantly confident. He knew, Arthur was sure, that he was going inside.

"What about the young woman?"

Arthur jolted upright. "What?"

"Arthur. This man is dangerous."

"So where are we going?"

Cobb was walking slowly, and she did not have to hurry to catch up with him. As they walked, they turned into a road. She swallowed. The road looked disturbingly familiar.

"Cobb, this is-"

"Is what?" he turned to look at her, and suddenly, she felt her heart begin to sink. This was not a dream - it was a memory. Cobb was yet again crafting dreams out of the fragments of his subconscious, holding onto things - images, thoughts - that long ago had faded.

Yet the emotional wound was still raw, still open. She frowned. He had demanded they go under - go under to banish all thoughts of Arthur. But what if this was more sinister?

As she looked at Cobb, she realised she had never known him. The man was full of secrets, closed doors, emotions he'd locked away. Yet something had penetrated that. The sheer fact that Arthur had been interested enough to make a move, start a tentative relationship had shattered that glass wall. Pulled Cobb's emotions out.

She swallowed. Ever since she had discovered the truth - that Arthur had been incepted - she desperately wanted to believe he was the innocent party. That Cobb had, in a fit of jealousy, been driven to such extreme behaviour.

Finally, they reached a house. Cobb opened it, and pushed the door. As they both entered, Ariadne felt her breath catch.

Voices. She could hear voices. The low rumble of male laughter; the soft, delicate giggle of a woman. And it was coming from the lounge.

Following Cobb, Ariadne walked. As the Extractor pushed open the door, her heart froze in her chest.

Arthur was lying on the floor of the lounge, stark naked. Sprawled across him, tenderly caressing his chest, was Mal. The Point Man's eyes were open, and he was groaning softly. Ariadne felt both pinned and shocked, as she watched Mal straddle him, his eyes closing.

"This - this isn't real!" she finally burst out. Cobb's features were frozen.

"You wonder why I hate him?" he asked, tonelessly. "I came home to find him-" his voice started to choke. "I came home to find him - with her."

Ariadne felt as though she'd been punched. Everything she had believed up until that point now seemed to be reversed. Cobb had been betrayed. It had forced him to-

She shook her head, and looked at the Extractor.

"Cobb. This is only a dream."

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