Here's chapter 4, everyone! It's a little less detail oriented that I thought I was going for, but I had a hard time figuring out how to put all the details I wanted into words. Some of what I wrote might be confusing, so I hope it wasn't too bad. Hope you guys like it!

The team fixed Cobb and Arthur up in two of the chairs in the living room.

"How much time is left before they wake up?" Avery asked.

"45 minutes." Yusuf responded.

"Ok, give me 30 minutes for Dom, and set up 10 minutes for Arthur. I'm gonna need that 5 minute buffer."

"Alright, is Eames going with you?"

"No, I want Ariadne with me."

Avery and Ariadne hooked up to the dream sharing machine.

"I feel weird doing this. Will he know we're in there with him?" Ariadne asked.

"If he finds us." Avery said. "Think of it as dream creeping."

The two fell asleep and awoke in an elevator. Avery looked at the buttons.

"Now," she questioned. "Do I start at the top, or the bottom?"

Ariadne pushed the basement button. "Probably should get the worst over with first."

The elevator sent them down into the basement. Avery recognized the room.

"This hotel," Avery said as she stepped out of the elevator. "I've been here before. Dom wanted me to help him set up the suite for their anniversary."

Avery saw Mal sitting on the sofa, no yet noticing Avery or Ariadne. She motioned to Ariadne to move as slowly, quickly, and quietly as possible. They had not noticed that Dom had entered the room.

"Avery?" he questioned, noticing her.

"Shit," Avery mouthed to herself. She turned to face Dom and Mal, both of them now staring at her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Seeing how far gone you are. Arthur was right."

"What did he tell you?"

"Enough to concern me. I need to see more, now."

Avery walked quickly to the elevator, closing the door as she got in. She didn't know that Ariadne was in there as well, until she looked behind herself.

"God damn it, Ariadne," she breathed. "You scared me."

"Sorry, where to next?"

Avery and Ariadne spent the remainder of the time in Dom's mind exploring the rest of his subconscious. On each floor lived a different memory. The music of a French woman signaled the dream was headed toward collapsing upon itself.

Avery opened her eyes, and Ariadne awoke seconds later. Avery rubbed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

"Now to Arthur," she said out loud. Ariadne began to hook herself up to the machine, but Avery stopped her.

"This one I need to do myself," she said.

Ariadne nodded and unhooked herself. Eames walked over to Avery. "You sure you will be alright?" he asked.

"As sure as I will every be." She closed her eyes and Yusuf started the machine.

Avery found herself on a street in the pouring rain. She observed her surroundings: tall buildings, taxi cabs, billboards surrounding her.

"I know this place," she said out loud.

She walked a block or so before finding what she had been looking for. She saw her predictions coming true.

Arthur stood on the corner across from her, and the figure next to him was herself. They had been in the middle of a job, and Arthur had stolen her away, the two of them sneaking off. Avery knew exactly the conversation that was coming. She found herself mailbox to hide behind. She knew Retention came in two different forms: dreamers participating in the dreams themselves, or dreamers watching the memories from afar. She had no idea which type Arthur was, and needed to make sure she could observe the entire scene. She began to listen in on the conversation, carefully thinking so she could note which type of Retention this was.

She watched as Arthur kissed her passionately in the rain, his arms locked on the small of her back, her arms around his neck. The kiss was broken, and the two smiled at each other.

"I love you, Avery." Arthur said.

"I love you, Arthur." the projection of Avery said.

"I want grow old with you Avery. I-"

"I feel the same way, Arthur."

"That's not just it though. I want to marry you. I know the whole cliché 'American dream', and I know that for us, it's a little different. I know you won't be the housewife, but you'll be my colleague. But I want the house, and the kids, and the white picket fence. I want it all."

Avery, still sitting behind her mailbox, knew how this conversation went. This conversation had been glued into her brain. Not only because this conversation meant the world to her, but because it was only two weeks before her and Arthur ended their relationship.

Avery knew, from the content of the conversation she had observed, that Arthur was reliving this memory in this subconscious. She knew that meant Arthur himself is watching the whole thing from somewhere in close proximity. Avery began to stand up, not caring if Arthur found her in his dream. She stood on the corner, across from the projections of herself and Arthur. She began to tear up as she knew the next part of the conversation.

The projection of herself smiled at Arthur. In unison, Avery and her projection said,

"Don't forget the stereotypical dog. It wouldn't be the true 'American dream' without it."

"Avery!" She heard Arthur's voice coming from her right. At this time, the projections of her and Arthur had resumed their embrace, kissing once again. Avery turned to her right, the tears streaming down her cheeks, her face forming a scowl. Her brown hair was soaked against her neck.

Arthur looked at her from across the street, pain forming in his face.

"What are you doing here, Ave?" he asked, as he crossed the street to her.

"Figuring out you're a lying bastard." she said.

"How did I lie to you?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe by breaking up with me, and months later living in Retention. You could have had me, Arthur. I was ready to marry you, I was ready to settle down and spend forever with you, and you gave it up. Now you're reliving the past?"

"Avery-"

"No, just stop it. Just stop it! I want out. I want out!"

Arthur continued to try to hold her back, but Avery turned to find a knife sitting on the mailbox. She walked over to the mailbox, took the knife in her hands, and, while Arthur continued to try to talk to her, stabbed herself in the chest.

Avery awoke, gasping for breath as she did. Eames and Yusuf rushed over to her.

"What the hell, Avery? You had a minute and a half left."

"I couldn't take it anymore, I needed out. Now let me go!" She ripped the tube out of her arm, and ran into the kitchen.

She reached the kitchen, digging her totem out of her pocket. She knocked down the shoe, and it knocked over just as it normally did. Out of frustration, Avery, the tears now streaming down her face again, picked up the totem and threw it across the kitchen. She slid down the cabinet behind her and let the tears fall as she sat on the floor.

Ariadne walked into the room, and put her arm around Avery. Avery leaned her head into Ariadne's shoulder as she cried.

Dom and Arthur woke up simultaneously. Arthur looked over to Dom, confused as to why he was asleep.

Dom looked to Arthur. "So you told Avery? About Mal?"

Arthur sighed. "She needed to know."

Arthur stood up from his chair, and went to Eames. "Where's Ave?"

Eames looked at him. "Kitchen, but it's probably not smart to go in there right now."

Arthur ignored Eames' warning and walked to the kitchen. He looked in to see Avery and Ariadne on the floor.

"Avery?" Arthur said, quietly.

Avery looked up, and Arthur was taken aback. He looked into her eyes, noticing the pain behind her brown beauties. Her eyes were red and swollen, obviously from crying quite a bit. But in those eyes, he noticed not only pain, but anger. Anger toward him. Toward what she had just seen in his subconscious.

Arthur took the hint from Ariadne's pleading eyes, and left the room.

R&R. Peace. Love. Lauren.