Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me.

"Well, Arthur?" Robert's icy gaze fixed the other man from across the room. "What have I done?"

Arthur coughed, feeling the need to clear his lungs. Now Robert was here, the words he mentally rehearsed seemed to fall flat. "Well-"

"I think I'll get some coffee," Ariadne said, hastily. "Coming Robert?"

The older man looked surprised. "Well, I- I mean-"

"Come with me," she repeated, firmly, ignoring Arthur's slightly shocked expression. She practically gripped Robert's elbow as they left, not looking back towards Arthur. The Vice Principal slumped in his bed, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Water?"

"Oh, yes please." Eames accepted the glass that Cobb offered, and took a sip. As his throat cleared, he studied the other man. "Shouldn't you be at home? The kids-"

Cobb smiled, tiredly. "Mal has rung and told me to stay here." He took the glass back from Eames. "I need to find out what you and Arthur were doing."

Eames shrugged "Working late."

Cobb looked at him. "Eames, you and I both know that's not going to cut it. Working late? Until 11pm?"

Eames looked at his hands. "Well, in the UK, when Ofsted come, you can end up staying until 2am..."

Cobb coughed, politely. "Eames. Ofsted? Here? Really?"

Feeling slightly defeated, the British man tried to burrow down in his bed. He didn't want to give away the reason why he and Arthur were there - but nor did he want to give the impression that they were complicit in the destruction of the school.

Eames started coughing again, and rasping. Cobb stood up. "I'll go and see if I can get you something." As he walked away, he felt a surge of concern, mixed with worry.

"Very tactful," Robert commented. He stood next to Ariadne as she fed change into the coffee vending machine, waiting for it to spit out plastic cups and fill them with hot liquid. "Very tactful what you did in there."

Ariadne bit her lip. "I did what I needed to do," she replied, carefully. "Arthur's just been through-"

"Oh, yes, I know," Robert interrupted. "He's a good little boy scout, and all that." He smirked. "If he were a superhero, he'd be Robin. The support, not the main act."

Her grip tightened around the plastic cup. Would she be fired, she wondered, if she threw the already congealing coffee down Robert Fischer's silk shirt?

"They were just doing some work," she replied, picking up the cup. "That's all."

"Really?" There was a sneer in Fischer's voice. "At 11pm?"

She looked at him. "What do you know about this, Robert?"

A stunned silence enveloped the corridor, both standing facing each other. Robert swallowed, tendons in his neck coiling. Ariadne waited.

"What do you mean?" he asked, finally.

"Well, the school - its been destroyed." She looked down at the dark swirl of liquid. "They were lucky to get out alive."

Robert nodded. "Must have been very traumatic for them."

"Yes," she said. "Probably as traumatic when Arthur threw ice cream at you." She took a sip at coffee, noting how Robert's expression was changing from ivory to waxy pale. "But, Robert, it doesn't really add up, does it?"

The older man took a step forward, his thin frame towering over hers. "How do you mean?"

"Well, Arthur has been under investigation for your complaint," she said, boldly. "And tonight, he and Eames nearly died in a fire. I'm trying to find out-"

"If I did it?" Robert shook his head. "I'm beginning to wonder why I was ever interested in you, Ariadne. You're so naive, and dare I say it, stupid, its almost funny." He looked at her, and smiled condescendingly. "I'll see you at work-"

"It doesn't exist anymore," she reminded him, his insults causing her to feel slightly shaken. "Remember?"

"Oh." Robert nodded. "Of course." He began to turn away from her. "Well, I think I might book a vacation. Two weeks in the Bahamas." He shrugged. "Funny, a couple of months ago, I would have asked you to come with me."

Ariadne smiled, tightly. He turned, and walked off, his expression and attitude imperious.

"You said what?" Arthur leaned back, shaking his head. "I can't-"

"Well, I didn't ask him outright," she said, slightly defensively. "But I did wonder."

Arthur rubbed his face. "Ari, can it wait until I get out of this bed, and-"

"No!" she interrupted, hotly. "Arthur, you have been persecuted by this man for too long, and its all because of me! I should have told him no when he asked me out. Fischer is a spoiled brat who thinks everyone should serve him, and I went along with that!"

"Eames overheard a conversation," Arthur reminded her. "There is no evidence that-"

"Can I join in?" Both looked up. Cobb was walking in. "Just so you both know," he informed them, "Eames' leg is broken. Clean break, across the fiburi."

Arthur swallowed. "How long is he going to be in hospital for?"

"Another couple of nights," Cobb said, sounding weary. "But after that, Mal has stated he should come and stay with us. He can't live by himself with a leg in plaster."

"And the school?"

"I've just received a call from the Superintendent. There's a possibility we could use part of the city hall for the upper classmen for the next month or so."

Arthur rubbed his forehead. "OK."

"But, I still have one question." Cobb looked at him, his voice faltering. He appeared to have forgotten Ariadne was in the room. "Why were you in the school?"

Arthur swallowed. He could not lie to Cobb - he was a colleague, but also a trusted friend. He took a deep breath.

"We thought- Robert was working with a student, to try and frame me. We went to school to use the database." Arthur swallowed, his voice sounded flat, robotic. "And while we there, we heard someone - then the smoke-"

Cobb's face drained of colour. "Arthur, if someone was there, and they-" he paused. "Do you realise how this looks?"

"Yes," Arthur said dully, causing Ariadne to gasp. "If someone died, who is responsible?"

Cobb shook his head. "Let's hope forensics find the truth." His shoulders sagging, he turned and began to leave the room. Ariadne reached out for Arthur's hand, letting his fingers curl round it.

I love reviews, if you could leave one it would be great, thank you!

I'm going on holiday for a couple of weeks - will pick this up when I return! Thank you to everyone who reads!