Chapter 5! Here we go!

Avery was trying to sleep, but that wasn't coming easily. She continued to toss and turn as the night went on. All she could think about was what she had seen. Dom's constant memories of Mal. And Arthur…Arthur's thoughts and memories of her.

Eventually, enough was enough. Avery grabbed one of her pillows and walked to a room down the hall. She paused before she knocked on the door. She figured out that knocking was the only way any progress was going to get made. She knocked on the door. It took a few seconds, but Avery began to hear movement from behind the door. The door opened, and Arthur's figure appeared in the doorway. From the look of his face, he hadn't been sleeping either.

"I can't sleep." Avery said.

"Me neither. Want to come in?" Arthur opened the door a little extra to let her in. Avery came into the room. It reminded her of the apartment he had in London that she was far too familiar with.

Avery continued into the room and sat on Arthur's bed. She placed her pillow on the right side of the bed. To her surprise, he still slept on the same side of the bed he did when they were together. Arthur took a seat next to her.

"So," Avery started. "Who should talk first?"

"You. You know I'm not as talented with words as you are."

"Alright. So, I just want to know why you ended the relationship and then now you're falling into the same path my brother is on. It scared me, Arthur. I don't want to you to become him. So, if me being here is causing this, I'll pack my things and be on my way. I trust you to deal with Dom's issues."

"Avery, that's not the case. Have I missed you? Yes. Have I been living in Retention? No. That's the first vivid Retention dream I have had. Now let me explain everything to you. You have your own ambitions, some that don't involve this world. I left the relationship because I wanted you to be able to live out your own ambitions, not the ones your brother and I have."

"I never felt like I was being forced into anything, Arthur."

"Look at you. You have your own dance studio; you've done exactly what you wanted to do with your life."

"I could have done this with you."

Arthur knew she was right. He had no way to explain to her that he was scared. That he left their relationship, not because he wanted her to live her dreams. He knew she was "the one". He just wasn't convinced that she felt the same way. He knew she loved him, he just didn't know if it was as strong of a bond as he felt with her.

"Ave, I don't know what else to say-"

Avery picked up her pillow, and began to walk out of the room. "Well, I guess I better get going."

She walked out of the room, closing the door lightly behind her. Arthur ran his hands through his hair, sighing. What was supposed to be one step forward ended up being five steps backwards.

The next morning, Avery woke up after not sleeping more than an hour or so. She stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. There, she found Dom, sitting at the island in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal, reading the latest newspaper. She grabbed a bowl and poured herself the same breakfast.

"How did you sleep?" Avery asked, beginning conversation.

"Fine," Dom said, coldly. He looked at her. "You look like hell."

"Thanks, bro. Means a lot."

"I take it you didn't sleep well."

"What gave it away?"

The two went silent for a few minutes, eating away at their cereal. Dom decided to break the silence.

"Avery, about the Retention-"

Avery interrupted. "You're really far gone, Dom. Further than I had originally thought."

"I can handle this."

"No, you can't. You're going to end up compromising an important job and end up harming one of your colleagues. What about Arthur, Eames, Yusuf?"

"They know the risks of the job."

"What about Ariadne?"

Dom looked up, and looked directly at Avery. She knew she had hit a nerve dropping Ariadne's name. She could tell there was a connection between the two of them, she just didn't know how deep it ran. She figured it out, and decided to use it to her advantage.

"You wouldn't be able to live with yourself if you put her in harm's way. Plus, if you ever want to pursue a romantic relationship with her, how are you going to do that if in your dreams, all you're thinking about is reliving your romance with your dead wife?"

Dom looked at Avery, who was giving him a look of concern. He knew she was right.

"Alright, so let's say I want to get out of this cycle," Dom proposed. "How do you think we can do this?"

"Well, it's going to be a long process. We're going to have to get into your subconscious, probably with a compound Yusuf will make. Then, myself, Eames, Arthur, and Ariadne will go in and begin to kill Mal on the various levels she is on, since your subconscious has the elevator complex. However, with Mal fighting us also comes you fighting us. Your subconscious is going to do everything it can to save her. If one of us dies during the fight, we'll end up waking up. If we kill you though, you'll go into limbo."

"So, you have to kill Mal on each level-"

"Without killing you."

"Is it possible?"

"Yes, it is possible. It will be a long process, and it may take multiple attempts, but we should be able to do it."

"You and Arthur are going to have to work together."

"I know."

"Are you willing to do that?"

"When it comes to your safety and sanity, I'm willing to do almost anything."

"When do you think we'll start?"

"Give me a few days to plan it out, and then we can get started, slowly but surely."

Avery stood up, taking her and Dom's empty bowls and putting them in the sink, and began to head out of the room.

"Ave?" Dom called to her.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think of Ariadne?"

Avery smiled at her brother. "She's fantastic, Dom. She's more compatible for you than Mal ever was."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Avery walked out of the kitchen. Dom looked around the kitchen for a minute, then smiled to himself and went back to reading his paper.

Sorry this has been so delayed! I've been super busy with school and everything, so I'm glad to be writing again. R&R!

XOXO,
Lauren