Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me. All readers and reviews appreciated, thank you!

"Arthur!" Ariadne wished she could take a step back; his dark brown eyes were boring into hers. She thought, with a shocking jerk, that he almost looked ugly. A mask of hatred appeared to be forming like ice over his features. His fingers were still gripping her upper arms.

"Tell me the truth!" He shouted, pain and fear penetrating through his anger. "Did you help incept me? Did you?"

She swallowed, wanting to kiss him, soothe away his hurt. But his fingers tightened, and she had to stop herself from crying out.

"Yes…" she practically whispered.

Arthur let go of her arms, and took a step backwards, almost staggering. He grabbed a chair to steady himself. Ariadne walked forward. "Arthur, please-"

"Get away from me," he said, hoarsely. He was still gripping the chair, and turned to face her. His eyes were narrowed. She shivered as she looked at his face.

"You incepted me!" He almost screamed. "You – lied to me!"

"Arthur, I didn't mean to-"

"Mean to what?" he snarled. "Make a fool out of me? Make me feel like an idiot? I thought-" his voice quivered – "you loved me. How could you do this to me?"

She felt her own chin quiver. "Arthur, I didn't mean to-" she swallowed. "I love you!"

"I dreamed about you," he said hoarsely, coming closer to her. "I dreamed you saw me naked, and you were repulsed. And now I realise it wasn't a dream. It was real. That's what you really think, isn't it? You see me lying there naked, and you feel repulsion."

She shook her head. "Arthur, its not true. You're the most gorgeous man I've ever seen-"

"I'm the most gorgeous?" he screamed, his voice rising in incredulity. "Then what are the worst looking guys you've been with? Carnival freaks? Stop lying to me, Ariadne, just stop lying!"

"I'm not," she whispered. Her voice sounded strained and frightened. He shook his head.

"You lying…little…"

She closed her eyes.

"I loved you."

Tears began to run down her face. Throwing her a final, scornful look, he turned and walked away from her. After pausing a minute, she followed him. He had gone into the bedroom.

"Arthur, what are you-" she swallowed. He was loading suits and shirts into a black bag. He ignored her.

"Arthur, please-"

The stony silence finally got to her. She grabbed him. "Arthur, please listen to me! Yes, we did incept you…but you were dying of bulimia! It was the only thing we could think of!"

"So you decided to go into my mind!" he spat. "You went into my head, and tried to implant ideas! You know, this just proves that the three of you – you're all really stupid! You know that the incepted can always trace the genesis of an idea! Did you really think that I would never ever realise?"

She swallowed. "Arthur, I knew-"

"You don't know anything." His voice was harsh. "What did you incept in me, Ariadne? Tell me."

She paused, trying to stay calm. "Well, we incepted that you look fine the way you are. And that you're loved – by us. And by your parents."

She stopped. His gaze was withering.

"My parents? You know anything about my parents?" His voice was incredulous. "My parents used to give me a hard time if I got a B! Used to give me a hard time if I wasn't playing sports! You think you can wipe away 18 years of a fractious relationship with an inception? Would it interest you to know that I'm still a disappointment? Because I'm aged 30 and still unmarried with no interest in settling down?"

"But they're still your family!" She shouted. "We are as well!"

He zipped the bag tight, and walked back to the closet, pulling out a fresh shirt. He started to unbutton his shirt, and pulled out a fresh one.

"Try not to throw up," he said, sardonically. She glared at him, and lunged. To his shock, she pushed him down on to the bed.

"Will you listen to me!" She said, angrily. "We did what we had to to save you! You wouldn't go to a clinic, you wouldn't get professional help! We had to incept you to ensure that you lived!"

He struggled. "Ari, get off-"

She leaned down, and kissed him. Deeply. He responded, and pulled her close. She ran her hands down his chest.

"Stop it," he whispered. His eyes were full of tears.

"I love you," she whispered. "Please, Arthur. Believe me."

"I want to," he whispered back, brokenly. "I want to, Ari. But-" he swallowed, and loosened his grip on her. "Ari, I can't stay here with you. I just don't know-" he paused. "If I-"

"If you what?"

He shook his head. "I have to go." Getting up, he grabbed the bag, and headed for the door.