Authors Note:

A new Cobb/Ariadne story idea struck me this morning.

I felt the need to write this.

Please let me know in review if I should continue.

Chapter One

It had been ten days ever since they had awakened from their fifty years in Limbo and he, to his own surprise, had adjusted just fine. But his wife had not. It pained him immensely to see the woman he loves scorn his children, despise life and torture him. It was his entire fault, as well. He had committed an inception on his wife and now, she would never be the same ever again.

It was his inception that caused her to become a woman obsessed with a faux idea. Mal had become a woman trapped in her own distinct dimension; a woman who was an alien to Cobb, for she did not act like the woman he had fallen so deeply in love with.

"These are not my children!" She had yelled at him during the first few days after they had awakened from their deep and brittle sleep.

He had stared at her in puzzlement and in wonder. Why did she still believe that her world was not real? The inception had followed them into their reality and he could tell that it was eating her alive. "Let me prove it to you!" She screamed, their beloved children covering their ears from both pitch and terror.

She had taken James into her hands then and held a knife to him. And he had yelled at her to stop. "These are our children, Mal!" He lunged towards her, his steps long as he shouted "Please, don't hurt him!" He pleaded with her for what seemed like hours and then she finally dropped the weapon, her eyes filled with dark tears.

And that was why he was in Paris on this dark and cold winter night. He needed to help her and there was only one person that could do that; Miles.

As he walked up the University steps, his heart shook within his chest. Mile's wife was looking after Mal, down in the South of Paris. His children were with them as well; he just prayed to God that nothing horrible would happen to either of them. Mal was no longer stable enough to take care of their children and so he had asked for Satine to look after his children and Mal, while he was asking Miles personally more questions and resolutions.

His mouth was sour with desperation. He kept telling himself that 'she was going to get better' and that 'she was still the same Mal.' But she wasn't. The innocent French young woman with whom he had shared countless of romantic evenings with was fading away right before his eyes. She had lost herself in Limbo and he knew that he had to bring her back from that hell. He had no other choice but to try.

As he passed students down the halls, wearing their festive Santa Claus hats, he immediately felt warmer. As if the young men and women's laughter were being transformed into his own happiness. For the temporary momentum, he felt hope fill up both his mind and heart. Maybe coming to Paris for Miles' assistance was not such a bad idea after all?

He turned a large and gray stoned corner, his eyes immediately averting between two rather large corridors. His attention lurked upon the wooden plaque that had the words written, "Right, 415-460; Left, 401-413." He stared at the directions, eternally confused. Where the hell was Room 414? That was where Miles was expecting him.

He inhaled shortly, his blue pupils staring at the Left Corridor. His gut instinct was telling him that it was the correct pathway to choose. He took a few steps towards the left corridor, a young and petite brunette passed by him after leaving a classroom. Well, there was no shame in asking, right?

"Excuse me." He called out to her and she turned around to him, her eyes perking up at him as she waited for him to continue. "Do you know where Room 114 is?"

She smirked at the question, re-adjusting the vibrant red scarf around her neck firmly before she responded, with a bob of her head "Right behind you."

Cobb quickly adjusted himself to the door; it was a rather dark color. He chuckled shortly at his stupid mistake and said "Thank you," to the young girl.

She rolled her eyes for a second and lifted her medium sized black knapsack over her shoulders as she mentioned, "Who ever designed this building is beyond me." She smiled at him and lifted her mp3 player from her jean pocket. She fumbled with the earphones for a few moments before saying "Well, Happy Holidays." She smirked once again, a playful curve of her lips appearing on her mouth before she left the hallway.

"Merry Christmas." He shouted after her before his eyes found the secret door once again. She was right about one thing though; it really was an odd architectural choice of design for a University. Mysterious doors? Grande corridors? What next, Dumbledore's office at the end of the hallway?

He fumbled with the door handle moments later, inhaling and wishing that by the end of this conversation, that Mal would somehow be cured. "Ariadne, you left your-" Miles smiled politely at Domenic, his sentence cutting short by the grown man in hindsight. "Dom, what a pleasant surprise."

"As it always is, Miles." He smiled lightly at the gray haired man and walked down the steps, towards the light auburn desk he was sitting at.

He removed his glasses, his right hand dropping a red marking pen as he asked, "I assume your not here to help me grade papers." Cobb shook his head at the question and listened as Miles continued, "What's on your mind, Dom?"

"Mal." He replied, his bottom teeth biting down on his tongue. "She hasn't been acting like-"

"Domenic-" Miles sighed, his voice tense as he continued, "It is still very fresh. She will wake up one day. I promise you." He nodded his head sincerely, life filling up his light eyes.

Cobb's blue eyes narrowed as he spoke in a soft murmur "She tried to kill James."

Miles sat in his chair dumbfounded, his heart rate quickening at the notion. "When did this happen?"

"Three days after we woke up. I don't know what to do anymore. I am scared for my family, Miles." He held his breath, his eyes glowing with a ghostly fog as he waited patiently for a response from the Professor.

"Come back tomorrow, Dom." He nodded slowly, his knuckles tightening as he spoke in a low but calm tone "I will find the number for a good physiatrist by then-"

"Is that really necessary?" His voice was pained. It was his entire fault that his wife was acting this way. He should be the one seeing a specialist.

Miles closed his eyes as he spoke "She is my daughter, Dom. I want only the best for her."

"Miles, I think I left my sweater-" a young woman's voice cracked through the entrance, as she opened the heavy door. She grinned softly as her cheeks turned a light shade of pink "I'm sorry to interrupt."

She walked down the stairs as she saw Miles point to the front of his desk, her red sweater resting there next to a few Architectural books. She smiled at the familiar man in front of her and she commented, "You found the classroom."

Domenic Cobb nodded, his arms crossing across his chest as she came closer to the two men in the room. "Yes, thank you."

Miles smirked, his hands placing his reading glasses back over his eyes as he stated "Ariadne is my best first year student."

Dom turned his eyes to hers and asked, "You're an architect?"

She nodded, a beaming smile forming upon her lips "Some day, I hope."

Miles nodded and continued his introduction "I think she has great potential." Miles chuckled, his eyes ripping towards his son-in-law "She might become better than you one day."

Ariadne's eyebrows perked upward at the man's occupation. 'You're an architect?"

"Something like that." He replied back honestly. He was still technically an architect; a dream artist. He had always loved the art of extracting; he was very good at it. But Mal was their extractor; his thoughts immediately darkened at the idea of her. She was changing so quickly, it was terrifying.

Ariadne nodded slowly, her brown eyes finding his blue ones as she asked, "I have some blueprints- do you think you could maybe look them over?" She did not want to impose anything, but it was rare to meet a real architect other than Miles.

"Is this for the final examination, Ariadne?" Miles inquired, his soft face glowing with impish excitement. Miss Ariadne was a rare breed of student. She was always one of his favorites to converse with.

She nodded, her eyes lurking back to the younger and more handsome man near her "Yes. I was going to try and contact another architect but if you wouldn't mind-"

Domenic Cobb cut her off with a weak grin "I'll be more than happy to." He was being truthful. He needed some architectural stimulation for his brain. Real blue prints made with real paper and real pencils.

"Would you mind meeting me at the School Café in about an hour then?" She asked, truly happy with his answer. She wanted her final examination to be perfect. And she could sense that she could trust this blue-eyed stranger. After all, he was a friend of her favorite Professor.

He nodded his head to her and uncrossed his arms while extending his hand to her, "I'm Domenic Cobb."

She shook his hand firmly, her eyes sparkling as she answered his handshake "It's nice to meet you, Domenic."

Authors Note:

Did you enjoy it so far? I hope so.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Please Review.

Thank you.