Chapter 2: Come on, just once

"Ariadne" Cobb's voice still lingered in her mind. Ever since that dream, she couldn't shake the memory out of her head but she couldn't. After her talk with Miles, she decided to walk back to her apartment building for some much needed rest. She went up the elevator and took out her key, walking to her door and unlocking it. The room was filled with darkness but she could make out the silhouette lying in her bed. His shaggy hair and his muscular figure made Ariadne smile. It was her fiancé Alexandre Neville.

Alexandre, 26, was a laywer in Paris in which Ariadne was introduced by Mile's since he was a friend of his parents. The two hit it off quickly after Ariadne came back from performing Inception. After a year of dating, Alexandre finally proposed to Ariadne on top of the Eiffel Tower in which Ariadne said yes.

Ariadne slowly and silently closed the door but a slight creek made Alexandre wake up.

"Where were you babe?" asked Alexandre in his thick, French accent.

"After class, I was having a few drinks with Mile's to celebrate his anniversary" Ariadne replied.

"You could have called me" Alexandre said tiredly. Ariadne shook her head.

"I know" She went over to the bed and gave him a kiss "I'm sorry babe" Alexandre smiled and brought her down on the bed, wrapping her in his arms.

"Alexandre, I need to take a shower" Ariadne laughed.

"No you don't" Alexandre replied, lifting up some of Ariadne's soft, brown hair "Your hair smells wonderful" Ariadne giggled and closed her eyes, drifting off into sleep…into the dream world.

Ariadne was sitting at a table outside a Paris Café. She recognized the place, remembering the buildings around her and the streets that led to places she never knew.

"Do you remember this place" said Cobb, causing Ariadne to jump in her chair, not noticing he was there until then.

"Yeah, this is where you first taught me about the dream world and shared dreaming" replied. She looked down at her coffee mug. It was the exact same one like the last time, filled exactly the same, with a little but dripping down the back of the cup. She took a sip before Cobb started talking.

"What did you guys do with my body?" he asked out of nowhere, causing Ariadne to cough on her coffee a bit.

"I don't think I should tell you" she said "I don't think you'd like it"

"Then show me. It's your dream. You have the ability to make anything whatever you want. Show me where I am" Cobb replied with a small but questioning smile.

"But you told me never to use memories. I mean look what happened with you and Ma-" Cobb lifted his hand before she finished her sentence.

"Don't mention that name. You taught me to move on and mentioning her will just bring her back" Ariadne nodded "Come on, just once" Ariadne contemplated it but, even though she didn't want to, considered it.

"Follow me" she said, getting up from the table and walking across the road. Cobb followed closely behind her. She made it to an abandon building. Using her mind to replicate the inside, she opened the door, motioning Cobb to go in first. He did so and immediately recognized the hallway. It was the same hallway that was in his house with family photos and paintings lined up against the wall. he walked into the room where the kitchen table was and the backyard outside where his kids would usually be playing. He turned to look at the door which led to him and Mal's room, hearing voices inside it. He looked at Ariadne, giving her a look like asking if it was the room, in which Ariadne nodded. He opened the door to see where he has been kept for the past year.

He was laying on his bed, with the PASIV device still connected to him. He was still in the same clothing he was in when he entered the plane the day they performed Inception on Robert Fischer. Also, there, around his bed, stood Miles and his children, James and Phillipa. Tears started to form in Cobb's eyes. The way he saw his children, wanting, waiting, and craving for their daddy to wake up all this time without him even making a movement. Miles was standing right behind them, with his hands on their shoulders.

"Grandpa, will daddy ever wake up?" asked James, holding on to his dad's hand.

"Of course he will James, it's just that when someone is really sick, they sleep for a long time" replied Miles.

"Dad's never going to wake up James, this is just his way of leaving us again" said Phillipa. Cobb broke inside hearing that.

"Phillipa, that's a terrible thing to say!" said Miles "He is going to wake up James, don't worry" James had tears in his eyes.

"I-I don't want to see anymore" said Cobb, shaky. Ariadne agreed and led him out the door, closing it and headed out of the house. Cobb was pacing around, anger spread all over his face.

"WHAT WERE YOU GUYS THINKING! BRINGING ME BACK TO MY HOUSE LIKE THAT FOR MY KIDS TO SEE!" yelled Cobb, causing Ariadne to flinch frightened.

"W-we thought that it would be wh-what you wanted" Ariadne said, almost in a whisper, feeling very small right now compared to Cobb.

"How was I allowed in the states anyway? I was forbidden" he said.

"Saito still honored his and your agreement. He allowed you in the states" Cobb nodded. The two were silently for a few moments before they heard a noise. It was faint at first but it gradually felt closer and louder.

"What is that?" asked Ariadne. Cobb managed to pull of a smile.

"It's your phone. Goodbye Ariadne" said Cobb. Ariadne put her hand out to stop him but suddenly, she awoke in her bed in Alexandre's arms. She smiled, happy to be back in his bed but she turned to her cell phone and picked it up. The ID was private but there was a number. She recognized it but couldn't remember who it was but she picked it up anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ariadne, it's Arthur"