Everything That Is Real (Comes Around)

Part Eighteen

            It took some careful maneuvering on his part to drop off the documents about Susana Mitchell to the police without linking it back to any of them. Arthur managed to get the information to someone who would take it seriously and now he was on his way back to his car. The phone was still silent and the countdown was still going on in his head. It was only a matter of time before Walter called, he knew that, but that did not make the time go by any faster. When he rounded the corner and saw Eames leaning against his door Arthur was not surprised. Despite the fact that he had thrown him out the last time they saw each other he knew that Eames was going to stop by before his flight if nothing else. They did not say anything to each other as Arthur settled next to the forger against the car.

            “If you dent this I'm sending you the bill,” Arthur said.

            “If you were the one who dented it you'd probably send me the bill anyway,” Eames replied. “Did the documents make it where they needed to go?”

            “Fischer got what he wanted and the police now have a hint as to where to go to find some evidence against Susana Mitchell. Whether or not the police actually act on it is a completely different issue,” he said before he cracked his neck. “Back to London?”

            “For now,” Eames said. “Yourself?”

            “Depends where the next job takes me,” Arthur replied.

            “Until next time then,” Eames said before he moved from the car and leaned in close to Arthur his hands on either side of Arthur’s body. He made no attempt to move the forger out of the way despite the logical part of his brain telling him to. He also made no attempt to stop Eames when he leaned forward and kissed him. The kiss was soft and chaste, lasting only a second before Eames pulled away. He remained close for only a moment before he moved away and down the street. Arthur watched him go until he flagged a cab down and vanished around a corner. He wanted to tell Eames there would not be a next time for them but he knew that Eames would have stayed around much longer if that was the case. His phone rang and Arthur reached into his pocket and hit the talk button.

            “Well done,” Walter said on the other line and his tone was not mocking. “I was expecting you to get the information out of Susana Mitchell but to extract additional incriminating facts as well is impressive.”

            “You're floored, I'm sure,” Arthur replied as he sat down in his car.

            “We need to have a chat. Why don't you meet me at your office space and we'll go from there?” The spot was secluded and they would not be bothered there. He was not expecting anything less of the other point man.

            “See you in an hour,” he said and hung up the phone. In the glove compartment was the 9MM that Cobb had given him. It was loaded with a full round and he had cleaned it the night before just to be safe. Going in expecting a fight was not smart on his part but it seemed like the most logical thing to do. Arthur pulled out into traffic and started down the streets to the office. He made no attempt to hide his car as he parked directly in front of the building and climbed out. He switched his belt with the holster and hid the gun away but his fingers itched to pull the trigger.. He felt ready. The climb up the stairs to the top was silent and he noted that he did not hear anyone moving around. It made him smile to think that he had beaten Walter here because that meant he had the upper hand.

            Arthur pushed the door open and blinked when he saw a single table sitting in the middle of the room. He had not cleared out the space, not yet, but everything was gone save that one table. It made him uneasy knowing that someone had moved their things but there was really no one it could have been. The door slammed behind him and Arthur turned to draw the pistol but it was knocked from his hands before he could click off the safety. He took a step back and narrowed his eyes at Walter who stood before him.

            “You're early. I'm starting to think it's some sort of compulsion for you,” Walter said. Arthur did not respond because he was in no mood to talk with this man. He took a step forward and punched his fist barely connecting with Walter's jaw. The older man ducked tom avoid the second punch and Arthur had to block a sharp hit to his own kidneys. “Well you're in a hurry I see,” Walter said as he took a step back.

            “Hurry to end this,” Arthur said and he cracked his neck. The gun was off to the side but he honestly had no idea what he was going to do when he got it. Shooting someone in cold blood was really not his style but he also knew that there was no way Walter would let it all go.

            “End this? Oh Arthur I did not want to believe the rumors but it's true; you don't have any imagination,” Walter said and he cracked his knuckles. The amused smile faded into something much more dangerous. The other point man rushed forward and Arthur was suddenly blocking an onslaught of deadly punches. For being older that did not stop Walter from being fast, very fast at that, and his punches were strong enough that Arthur knew that his forearms were going to be littered with dark bruises the next day. He ducked to avoid another punch before he lunged forward and tackled Walter to the ground. He was sure a comment about that 'not being professional' was forthcoming but he not give the other point man time to make it. Instead Arthur cracked a skew of hard punches across Walter's face and felt a little relieved when he saw blood. Maybe if he broke a bone or two Walter would realize that this fight between the two of them was futile and they should both really move on with their lives.

            The thought was enough to distract him just enough that Walter cracked his elbow against Arthur's cheekbone and sent him off to the side. Walter pulled Arthur to his feet and slammed him against the wall of the office space hard enough that it knocked the wind out of him. A knee to the stomach and a sharp punch across the face had the stars of the night dancing in front of Arthur's eyes but there was still that same look in Walter's. He was unforgiving now and he was relentless as he punched and kicked before he threw Arthur to the ground. Another sharp kick to the ribs and Arthur heard a crack. The images of the dream hit him so hard that he wanted nothing more than to the check his totem.

            “That was the preview so now I think it's time for the main event,” Walter said and his voice was dark.

            “And what might that be?” Arthur asked as he split blood onto the other point man's shoes.

            “Sleep tight, Arthur.” The kick to him temple was hard enough that the world went completely black instantly. When his eyes opened the office space was empty and he was alone. It took a few moments for his vision to clear. Arthur used the nearby wall to help get to his feet and was surprised to find that his gun was still on the floor nearby. It made no sense for Walter to knock him out, render him completely vulnerable only to leave him not only alive but armed. He picked up the gun and noticed that something was sitting on the single table in the room. He walked toward it carefully and picked up a single piece of paper that read I have something precious to youwith a large W at the end. Panic clenched Arthur's chest before he had time to think and he raced out of the building. He wasted no time getting to the hotel building and banging on Ariadne's door. When she answered she looked utterly bewildered and he was completely lost.

            “Arthur, what are you doing here? What happened to you?” she asked and he stared.

            “You're okay?” he asked.

            “Of course I am. What is going on? Who did this to you?” Ariadne asked again but he ignored her as he picked up his phone and dialed Eames' number without thinking twice.

            “I'm about to get on a plane so this better be important,” Eames voice said on the other line.

            “You're at the airport? Is anyone else with you?” Arthur asked and he could hear an annoyed sigh on the other end.

            “I just saw Yusuf a moment ago, but yes, I'm literally about to walk onto my flight. Why are you calling now of all times?” Eames asked but Arthur hung up and started to dial another number.

            “Arthur, what is going on? Are you okay?” Ariadne reached forward and touched his cheek finding a deep cut that he did not even know was there. At the moment he really did not care as the phone rang over and over again before the voice mail kicked in, 'You have reached Dom Cobb' and he hung up the phone again without leaving a message. Arthur dialed the home number and it rang and rang before there was the sound of someone picking up.

            “Cobb, where are you?” he asked but the only sound on the other end was the sound of crying, James and Phillipa crying, before the line went dead. “He has the kids.”

            “Wait, Walter has the kids?” Ariadne asked but he ignored her as he raced down the hallway. The sound of a door closing behind him meant that she was following him but he made it back to his car before she could catch up. He was halfway out the parking lot when she emerged, staring at him with wide eyes. Arthur ignored her and made his way through the streets of LA as fast as he could without drawing any attention to himself. There was a new car sitting outside Cobb's house when he pulled up and the front door was open. Arthur pulled the gun out and clenched it tightly as he eased through the open door and nearly tripped over the unconscious body of Miles. He had what looked like a rather nasty hit on the head but his pulse was steady. Arthur walked further into the house and froze when he came to the family room. Cobb lay on the ground near the other point man's feet and he was not moving. From where he was standing he could not see any wound and he just prayed that he was knocked out. Standing in front of Walter, however, with tears streaming down their eyes were James and Phillipa.

            “Arthur, how nice of you to join us. Isn't that right, kids?” Walter asked.

            “Uncle Arthur, what's going on? Why did he hurt daddy?” James asked and Arthur faked his best smile at the kids.

            “You're going to be fine, okay? Right now I want you to close your eyes and cover your ears and keep them like that until I say so. Can you guys do that?” he asked and both of them nodded before they squeezed their eyes shut and clamped their hands over their ears. “Walter, let them go, this has nothing to do with what is going on between us.”

            “You can drop your gun now, Arthur,” Walter said as he cocked the barrel on his own gun. “Sooner rather than later would be good.” Arthur chewed on the inside of his cheek as he knelt down and put the gun on the ground and stood with both of his hands up in surrender.

            “This is between us so let's keep it that way,” he said. He really wished he could get those kids away from this maniac.

            “Actually it is still between us,” Walter said. “This is the key difference between us, Arthur. I have no connections so if someone decides they want to come after me there isn't anyone they can hurt in the process. You, on the other hand, seem to insist on having human connections. It's a fatal weakness.”

            “You're dragging children into this to prove a point?” Arthur asked and he could not hide his anger but that only seemed to amuse the other point man.

            “You just don't seem to understand that it doesn't matter to me if they are kids or senior citizens. I'm an extremely petty man and you hurt my ego. The best way to get revenge against people like you is to hurt those they care about. I have to admit it was entertaining watching you throw away all of the people who care about you in some vain attempt to protect them from me,” Walter shrugged and smiled. “It seems like you are more than willing to die for them so how about I grant that request.” He swung the barrel of his gun away from the kids, pointed it straight at Arthur, and pulled the trigger.

***

            Ariadne was more than thankful that Eames had decided to leave her his rental so she had a way to get to her own flight. She followed closely behind Arthur and arrived mere minutes after he did. She walked past Miles’s unconscious body and into the main room just in time to see Walter fire and Arthur crumble to the floor. Without even thinking about the man that stood in front of her with a gun Ariadne knelt next to Arthur and tried to figure out what to do next. Blood blossomed from the wound in his stomach and his eyes were closed tightly in pain.

            “He took that bullet to keep all of you safe from me,” Walter said as he shoved the kids away and walked toward her.

            “Just because he insulted you? Is your confidence so low that you can't take one insult?” Ariadne spit out as she tried to keep pressure on the wound.

            “Ariadne, don't,” Arthur whispered as Walter laughed loudly.

            “He was competition, my dear. Now I'm the best in the business and there is no one who can argue the fact. Not only did I outsmart the famous Arthur but I managed to get the best of him in every aspect. I have no problems with you, Ariadne. You’ll just have to live with yourself knowing that he died protecting you, protecting all of you. I do hope you'll let the rest of your hunting party know that.” He put his gun away and knelt down next to them and smiled. “As much as I'd love to stay and watch the life drain from your eyes, I have jobs waiting for me. The game was fun, Arthur, but I won so that's the end of it.” Ariadne glared and scrambled to get Arthur's gun with every intent of putting a bullet to this man. Walter was faster and he pinned her against the floor by the neck. He tore the gun from her fingers and narrowed his eyes. “Oh that is not a smart thing to do my dear. It's very insulting.”

            “And why would I care about insulting you?” she spit out and he rolled his eyes before he stood and looked down at her. His expression was deadly seriously.

            “No, you're insulting your friend here who is going to die protecting you. It would be very rude of you to just throw that back in his face,” Walter said and he looked at the two children on the floor next to Cobb. “How would you like it if I put a bullet to one of those little one's, Arthur? How would that knowledge sit with you at the end?”

            “Please, please, don't, leave them alone,” Arthur voice cracked and he sounded broken. Ariadne moved so she sat next to him again and put her hand on his wound. Walter turned looked at Arthur before he grinned and clicked the safety on Arthur's weapon.

            “There's no point in hurting those around you when you're going to die, Arthur. That's unnecessary bloodshed even for me. However, I have jobs waiting for them so I do hope you enjoy these last agonizing moments,” he said and a single gun shot rang out. Walter fell to the floor, a spray of blood and skull from a single shot between his eyes. Ariadne looked up and saw Eames rushing toward them with a gun in hand. He knelt down and touched Arthur's cheek.

            “Gather some bandages. We need to get him to a hospital. We can't let them see Walter's body or I'll end up in jail,” he said as he rushed off. Ariadne put a hand on Arthur’s pale cheek.

            “Hey, you stay with me,” she said as his eyes started to close. “Arthur, don't you dare die on me. Keep those eyes open because we're going to get you to a doctor in just a second so you hang on.” Arthur's eyes closed slowly and Ariadne screamed that he was not allowed to leave.

***

            Arthur felt an intense pain and opened his eyes slowly. He was in a hospital bed and it hurt to breathe from the bandages he felt over his stomach. There was the sound of movement around him and before he could react the entire bed was surrounded by Eames, Cobb, James, Phillipa, Yusuf and Ariadne. They stared at him with wide eyes.

            “About time you decided to come around,” Eames said and his normal snark was in his voice but he did not seem to mean it.

            “How long was I out?” he asked.

            “Nearly a week,” Cobb said. “They weren't sure you were going to wake up at all.”

            “You're…is everyone okay?” Arthur asked and the extractor gave him a warm smile.

            “I have a pretty impressive bump on my head but we're okay. The kids are fine too if a little shaken up,” he said.

            “We were worried about you,” Phillipa said before she took his hand. “You saved us from the bad man.” Arthur gave her a small smile but did not say anything.

            “Let's give him some more time to rest,” Eames suggested and he started to ease everyone out of the room except Ariadne, He gave her a small nod when he closed the door and they were left alone. Arthur noticed that she looked tired and her hair was a mess.

            “You've been here the entire time,” he said and she nodded slowly.

            “You needed someone here and I wanted to be that someone,” Ariadne said and she reached forward to take his hand in hers. “Even if you don't want me to.”

            “I'm sorry for everything that I said to you,” Arthur said and she blinked a few times as if surprised. “Is it really that surprising for me to apologize?”

            “Well, no, I just wasn't expecting it. That's all.” She looked down and chewed on her lip as she so often did when she was trying to come up with something to say. “I'm just glad you seem to be coming through okay.”

            “Ariadne,” he said and she looked up at him, “I'm sorry that I can't be who you want me to be emotionally. I was wrong, I did care about you, but I can't change the way I am. I can't make myself relax and trust someone completely because I just can't. Not now and maybe not ever. That is not an exaggeration or anything like that; it's the truth.”

            “I understand that now, Arthur,” Ariadne replied and she squeezed his hand. “And I know that time does not heal all wounds. I also know that there is no way I could make it in this business alone. I just don't work that way.”

            “I'm sure Eames would be more than willing to work with you if you asked,” Arthur said and she smiled.

            “Yes, he already has, but we need someone to do our research for us as well,” she said.

            “Ariadne, I can't--”

            “Business partners, friends, whatever label makes you comfortable, but we want you to work with us. I have no expectations, I'm not letting that happen again, but what I do want is to work with the best. And maybe someday you'll trust me, maybe not, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Ariadne released his hand before extending her own to him. “I just want a partner and nothing else. I'm not going to sit on my hands and wait but I want you to know that if the timing is right, I'll be here.” She paused. “Besides, Eames will be insufferable if it's just the two of us and I could use some backup.” Arthur laughed and it hurt but he did not let it show. The idea of working with the same people again, the idea that he was going to be with these two people all the time, made him a little nervous. She was openly saying that she accepted him and all his faults. She was saying that Eames did as well and they were both willing to embrace them instead of fix them. Eames opened the door and walked in.

            “Well, what did he say?” he asked.

            “Still waiting for an answer,” Ariadne replied. She did not retract her hand. Arthur could feel both of their eyes on him.

            “You're not going to try and make me be open about anything, will you?” he asked and Eames scoffed.

            “You'd sooner take another bullet and you're no use to anyone in a hospital bed.”

            “I, we, accept you just the way you are and whatever baggage that might entail,” she said and still she did not retract her hand. Every logical bone in his body screamed that this was a terrible idea and that it was all going to go horribly wrong. At the same time he thought about how well he really did work with both of them and how well they both understood when he needed to be left alone and when they needed to nag him. The scenarios he ran through his head were so drastically different that he had no idea which one was most likely to happen. There was no 'definite' and 'certainty' when it came to human interactions, he had come to realize. Arthur looked at Ariadne and then at Eames; both of their expressions were sincere and he knew he was good at reading people. He nodded before he reached forward and took Ariadne's hand in a tight shake. They both smiled at him and he had to smile back. Perhaps the better of the scenarios was going to take place after all. There really was no way of telling for sure.

            And Arthur decided that, just this one time, not knowing was okay.

***

            The heat in Rome in the middle of June was almost too much to bear but Ariadne decided that it was best to ignore it. She was in the middle of St. Peter's Plazza and just could not get enough of the scenery around her. She did not care if she looked like a tourist as she admired every single aspect of the church and everything around it. It had taken a year to come back here and she was more than glad because every inch of the city made the waiting worth it.

            “It's like something out of a dream,” Arthur said from behind her and she grinned.

            “That was a terrible pun,” Eames said and she turned to see the two of them glaring at each other. She had long since given up trying to mediate their bickering when she realized that it was just the way they communicated. Arthur rolled his eyes and pushed past both of them, hands in his pockets as he looked around, his back to them. Ariadne exchanged a glance with Eames and they followed him as he wandered. And not once did Arthur check over his shoulder.