I woke up dreaming

La Rochell, France. Two Years Later.

Ariadne had drifted off to sleep on that lazy sunny day. The warm sea air had caused her to doze on her front porch. Music from Einaudi's "Reverie" were playing over her stereo inside the open windows of her little house. She played Arthur's favorite music as if in memory. In memory of someone she lost. She feared was lost forever.

She dreamed.

~ She dreamed about a young man calling her. Asking her if it was alright to come home.

'Of course it's alright to come home.' She had told him over the phone. 'It's always alright to come home.'

'Will she still be there? Waiting for me?' The young man had asked.

'I'm sure she will be.' She and answered.

~ Ariadne heard the children yelling. The sounds of their play working into her dreams. She had told the young man to come home, and woke up. The memory of the dream still on her mind. She left her comfortable spot on the porch to see what the children were yelling about.

James and Phillipa were engaged in their favorite board game. One they had made up and involved rules and rituals known only to them.

"Why don't you guys go outside and play?" she told them. "It's to pretty a day to be indoors."

"Alright." Phillipa said standing up. Clear case of sour grapes at losing their game. James, a less then gracious winner, tormenting his older sister on their way out.

"You know, I think they are starting to warm up to this place." Miles said. Ariadne looked at her old teacher relaxing in his favorite reading chair.

After his wife had passed away the summer before, Ariadne had told Miles of Arthur's wishes. The old gentleman was glad that his grandchildren had someone to care for them. She had invited him to live with them in her small cottage by the sea as well. It didn't seem right to leave him alone in the world. The 'family' was getting on very well.

She nodded and looked at the silver and gold ring she still wore. After all this time, she still almost never took it off. It deterred potential suitors and that was how she liked her life to be. Her heart still belonged to Arthur. Was still with him.

Ariadne had returned to her life after the disastrous Inception and subsequent run form the law. She had finished school with honors and taken a lucrative job in France. One that allowed her a casual life style in La Rochelle. Miles found her work interesting and enjoyed the talks they would have over architecture and art. They never spoke of dream extractions.
James and Phillipa had taken the loss of their Grandmother hard. It had been on top of the loss of their Parents. Ariadne had worked diligently to give them a sense of stability. That she wasn't going anywhere. Under the Architect's easy care, the children seemed to come back. Seemed to flourish.

"Ariadne?" Came Phillipa's voice. The former Architect turned to see the young girl standing on the porch.

"What is it?" She asked. James had joined his sister on the porch. Both children looking nervous.

"There's a man coming up the drive." Phillipa said pointing.

"Couldn't be Mr. Eames could it?" Miles said standing up.

"Eames is coming down next week. Besides, he would have called." Ariadne said leaving the cottage and joining the children on the porch. Her suspicion was aroused. For a long time after returning to France she was always looking over her shoulder. Afraid of nameless, faceless projections coming after her.

She squinted at the bright sunlight as she left the covered porch. Phillipa was right. She could see a man,walking down their privet drive.

"Kids, go inside." She ordered.

Phillipa, taking her brother's hand and pulling him indoors. Ariadne watched the intruder come closer and closer to the house. Wondering what he wanted. There was something about him that stuck her as familiar. Something about his walk. Graceful, steady.

"Arthur." She whispered. Almost afraid that if she spoke his name, it would break the spell. The Point Man looked radically different. His face was thinner. Haunted. His clothing was no longer immaculate, but showed he was a random tourist, back packing through Europe. But it was defiantly Arthur.

"Arthur!" She shouted her mind finally connecting the pieces of the puzzle. The intruder looked up at her as she ran up the drive to meet him.

Unafraid to be in his arms after so long, she embraced him. His arms encircling her waist.

"Ariadne..." he breathed.

"You came back!" She cried. "They let you go?" She pulled away from him to examine his face. His eyes were sunken and dark. His skin pale.

"Yes, they let me go." Arthur said softly looking at her face. Not able to look away. "I... I've missed you." He breathed before his kiss was on her. Tasting and ravishing her. As if he had been starving for two years and she was food. Her warm healthy body connecting to his. His hands were holding her close to him. On his left ring finger, contrasting sharply with his pale skin shown a silver and gold wedding band. Perfectly matching hers

"It's alright." She said. "Your home now. It's alright." She found she was crying tears of joy as James and Phillipa watched the strange events unfold from a nearby window. Their grandfather watching with them. A secretive smile on his face.

"Children, let's get dinner started." He said. "We have a guest."

~ Later, there would be time to feed the former Point Man a good meal. Let him sleep all day. Let him relax under the warm sunlight. Let his body and mind heal.

Later, there was time for him to tell Ariadne everything he had to do to get back to her. That he had to go into the minds of evil men and fight off their projections. That he had held onto the hope of seeing her face again everyday, for two years.

Later, there was time for Arthur to look like his old self. For his sleep walking to stop. For his nightmares to end. There was time now for the two of them to make love all day and laugh over how they had each kept the phoney wedding bands. She would tell him how Eames had skirted the law using his myriad of connections and came to check on her and the children often.

There was time now for a small wedding in a little chapel. Time enough now, to stop running.

~ End ~

~I decided not to make Ariadne pregnant after the erotica chapter. I did that in the last story "Worth a Shot". I know it would have been all romantic, but way too cheesy.

~The dream I gave Ariadne was an actual dream I had while listening to "Reverie" But in mine it was a boy calling a random woman and asking if it was safe to come home to his mother. I remember thinking that I had "woke up dreaming" always a cool thing to do.

~I was kinda sad my A&A lovin' chapter only got 1 review. Where is the love people? I choose to believe that it got everyone so hot and bothered they couldn't waste time writing a review. They had to rush out, find a man or woman (or both) and scratch that itch. LOL.

~Thank you, to all my new readers for following my story and your kind reviews. I have written another story for the book "The Thirteenth Tale" called "The Meeting" that has gotten no love at all. I think it's very good and I hope if you have time you might give it a read, don't worry you don't have to read the book to get it. It's just a thing I couldn't get out of my head.

This wont be the last thing I write for A&A. However, I have other story ideas for other movies, books and T.V. Shows. Check back with me real soon to see what I do.