Title: Spinning In Circles

Summary: One-shot! The draddle kept on spinning; never stopped. Dom stared at it intently, as if willing it to stop, to fall so he would be certain that this was real, that it wasn't fake. DomxAriadne

Genre: Angst, Romance

Rating: T

Spinning In Circles

Oneshot

Inception, written and directed by Christopher Nolan, was a brilliant story and an exceptional movie. The plot was wonderful and moving; the twists and turns were unexpected; the audience were moved by yet another masterpiece by Nolan. But there was one catch that left the audience puzzled and dazed and confused: the ending.

What happened at the end? Was Dom Cobb truly dreaming, the whole life he was so happily living made up? Or was it real, was he truly out of the nightmare that had ruined his peaceful life?

Nobody knows, and perhaps no one shall ever find out, but we can all make assumptions. We shall always make assumptions.

And so, without further ado...here is mine...

Dom stretched his arms tiredly over his head, eyes half-lidded as he did. There was a fog that was settled over his mind; one that just wouldn't lift as Dom continued to blink, rubbing his eyes and sitting up in bed. Covering his mouth as he yawned, he swung both legs over his bed, the fog finally lifting, allowing his mind to finally process what was in front of him. At first he thought that it was time for him to go to "work;" to find yet another person who was willing to pay a suitable amount for him to enter someone else's mind, that he was stuck in this limbo.

Though he then realized he wasn't. He was finally, truly home, with his children Phillipa and James, with his parents, and...with Ariadne.

He had been surprised when Ariadne showed up on his footstep after one week of true bliss. It was weird, yet somehow refreshing to see an old face from one of his team members, but then he remembered that she wasn't one of his team members anymore. They all had gone their separate ways, they had silently vowed to stay strangers and nothing more, so what was she doing there, at his doorstep?

There was a smile tugged on her face, and her luggage was behind her. Her hair was neatly kept, falling in curls around her like waves and waves of dark chocolate, her brown eyes staring into his blue ones, and for a short while the two had just stood there, staring at one another. Not a word was said, not one move made.

Dom inwardly thanked his father for taking Phillipa and James to his and mother's house, for he wasn't so sure if he wanted Ariadne around them, for who knows what those two might've heard them speaking about? They sure were curious children, and when their curiosity had been spiked, they had to uncover what was going on. In so many ways they reminded him of...of...of Mal. It sometimes was hard staring at them, for they were huge reminders of what he had once had. But then he would remember that Mal would want him happy, she would want him to live happily with their children, and that moment would then pass. It was like air had rushed into his mouth when that happened, and he could breathe again - like how it always was when waking up from other's dreams, for no longer could he have one himself.

Licking his lips, Dom stared behind her, as if the others would then come up and ask to come in, but that moment never happened. It was just Ariadne and her luggage, her polite smile and her kind eyes, her lithe form and her dark chocolate hair.

"Dom," His name came out from her lips like a sigh, a breath of fresh air, which surprised him dearly, "It's so nice to see you again. Time sure does pass by quick." There was a twinkle in her eye as she said that, and Dom couldn't stop that small smile from littering across his lips as he understood the irony in that comment. It seemed that Ariadne was quite the joker when she wanted to be.

"Yeah. It does," His voice was the complete opposite of his face; cold, bitter, "What is it that you want?" It was short, clipped, and he immediately felt bad when that smile was completely wiped off of her lips. Though, of course, he didn't say anything, didn't console her or apologize for his behavior. He had already done the damage, a few kind words wouldn't make it any different or any better; that, he knew very well.

"I...well, I just wanted..." She let loose a small laugh as she shook her head, "Truthfully, I have no idea what I'm doing here. One minute I'm staying at a hotel and the next I'm leaving with my luggage and asking Arthur where it is that you live. I didn't know you told him, but I considered to give it a shot."

He sighed. "There are many things that I've told him and not told you, and there are many things I've told you and not told him." It came out rather rudely, and he wondered why he was feeling such anger seeping out of him. Did he truly not like Ariadne? Was he angry that she pursued him? Or was he just angry at himself at cracking and telling Arthur where he lived for no apparent reason at all? Dom wasn't sure.

Ariadne rubbed her eyes. "Gosh, this was such a bad idea. I-...I'm sorry for coming here. I'm just...gonna go back now. Thanks for your time." She grabbed her luggage and turned, right when Dom - surprising both her and himself - reached out quickly and gripped her shoulder. Her posture stiffened slightly, and she turned to look at him. Shock was etched on every part of her face, but he kept his face straight, even though he felt the same amount of shock - if not greater - than she did.

"No. You don't have to leave so quickly. Why don't you...ah...come in?"

And she did. She came in and they had a conversation. A civil one for once. They talked about the random of things, and overall had a great time. Dom realized that there was so much more to Ariadne than he had known, and was glad that he had gotten the chance to know her better than he had before. Before he knew it, it was time for Phillipa and James to come back and she was about to leave right when he stopped her once more, and asked if she wanted to stay with him, at his house.

There was a few minutes when they stared at each other; Dom's face expressionless even though he had no idea what he was doing and Ariadne's full of shock for she was confused about what his problem was, no doubt.

But she accepted. Took her bags into a guest room. Came downstairs just in time to see Philipa and James. That was when Dom first realized that Ariadne was great with children, no matter how nervous she may seem at first.

A few days passed until Dom finally felt the attraction he had for her. Didn't act on it; wasn't sure if she felt the same, wasn't sure if he would truly be able to move on from Mal and what happened with them, wasn't sure if he would be what she needed, wasn't sure if she'd grow tired or not. So he kept quiet, kept to himself most of the time like he always does - except for around his children, of course - until Ariadne finally cracked.

"Seriously Dom - what's wrong with you?" She asked him one day out of the blue as they watched Phillipa and James playing outside. He didn't notice that, strangely, they always wore the same clothes and always were doing the same thing whenever they went out. They even went outside at the same time and came back in at the same time.

"Me? Nothing's wrong with me." Over the years he had mastered the art of lying and was skillful that him, but for some strange reason he felt that resolve he always kept when lying cracking all of a sudden. He struggled to hold onto it, to keep his face cool and expressionless. Dom knew when to change it to suit something that would make the lie seem real, like it was the truth. Right then wasn't the time, for he waited patiently.

"Yes, there is! You're...you're acting so strange around me recently. What's wrong?" Ariadne asked him, worry etched on her face. He almost looked away, he almost broke. But almost was the keyword.

Instead, he morphed his face into surprise. "What? What're you talking about, Ari?" It was his special nickname for her; one that the children first started using and soon grew onto him as well. Dom could very well see that it affected her then, for her anger seemed to fade slightly, her face showing hesitation before she continued speaking once more.

She swallowed, looking away from him. "It's just that - well...I - uh, uhm..." Ariadne trailed off before her eyes quickly dashed up to meet his once more, "Dom, do you not want me to stay here with you and the children?" That easily made his lie come to a screeching halt.

"Wait - what? I - want you...what?" He was speechless.

Ariadne sighed, licking her lips. "Well, you're always so...drawn in all the time. The only time you're carefree is with the kids, and so it just seems like you're not too keen on the fact that I'm here with you. I can leave if you want to, you know that, right? Just...let me know and I'll go without a fight." Was her answer. Her voice cracked a few times and he could see tears threatening to fall, which made him freak out even more. There was only one thing he couldn't handle with women: their hormones. They turned hot and cold so quick that it left his brain spinning 'round and 'round.

"No. No, no, no, no! Ari, of course I want you to stay. It's just that...I just..." Could he say it? Could he tell her about the attraction he felt all the time, about his doubts about her, about the possibility of them burning and crashing? "...I..." And then he couldn't say anything else. The great Dom Cobb had been struck out of the game just like that. Next batter, please.

She ran a tired hand through her hair, staring at the kids before connecting eyes with him once more. "Dom...do you...do you feel what I feel when you're close? The...the...attraction?" Her cheeks turned red as she said that last word, "Do you...do you feel it, Dom? I-Is that what's...making you so strange? That you don't to be with me because...you...you have...d-doubts?" Immediately, as if his head had a mind of his own, he nodded.

Even though that went on, his mind was jumping about in his head, shocked and surprised and confused. How was it that she knew him so well? He had no idea how. If he didn't know any better, she must've rooted around in his head when he was asleep. Perhaps Arthur had lent her one of the -

His mind went to mush when she leaned over, smiling, and kissed him, wrapping her arms around him as if wanting to make sure he wouldn't pull away. But how could he? His brain was mush, his train of thought shot to Hell and back. Dom was limp as she kissed him, until finally - finally - his lips began to push back softly.

To happy cries broke them up, and they pulled away, breathing heavily. Dom and Ariadne both turned towards the screen door they had previously been watching Phillipa and James from and saw the two running towards them - right on the time they would come back inside - happy, gleeful smiles on their faces. Phillipa launched herself at Dom, hugging him from around the legs tightly while James hurled himself towards Ariadne, who had reached down to catch him and hugged him back. As Phillipa and James shouted loudly at the top of their lungs, laughing between shouts, Dom and Ariadne locked eyes and cracked smiles.

And all the doubts that had once littered Dom's thoughts simply vanished, for he was certain - he believed - that Ariadne and him were meant to be together.

Life after that had been great, Dom decided as he got up from bed. It had been a year and a few months since that day, and his love for Ariadne was pumping strong. Their children were growing up, and with a few happy, family moments, life seemed to be right on track. Sometimes Arthur would visit, sending regards from the others. Those were the times when Dom actually remembered the time when he used to be a great deceiver, one that could hack into people's dreams and find out their inner thoughts and secrets. It was like waking up from someone's dream, when you took in a fresh breath and the haze lifted away.

But then, after a day or two, the haze would cloud over his eyes again. He'd forget about that life, and things with Ariadne and the kids was perfect, like some fairy tale pulled out of a Disney book or cartoon or something.

Dom wasn't really sure what he felt as he remembered each and every moment from memory, smiling as he walked towards the bathroom to freshen up, the smell of the pancakes Ariadne making downstairs wafting into his nostrils and making his mouth water. Right when he reached it, he stepped on something small, and he immediately jerked back, cursing lightly under his breath. His brows furrowed when he saw what it was.

A draddle, one that looked like a Hersey's kisses, but as if two of them aligned bottom to bottom.

Brows still furrowed, he crouched down and picked it up, the draddle feeling just...right in his the palm of his hand, as if it belonged there. Dom felt the weight of it and was shocked when he could recall exactly what it was made out of and what the weight was. Like knowing everything about this little trinket was a long-lost ability he didn't know he had until he finally was met face to face with it.

Feeling compelled to do so, he walked over to the bedside table and he rolled the draddle, watching it swirl 'round and 'round. Dom waiting for it to stop spinning and finally fall, but that didn't happen. It continued to spin and spin and not stop.

Suddenly, it was like a hidden past was slowly enfolding into his brain.

"...don't lose yourself!"

"I was once an architect, too."

"But how…how can you just leave it? Like it meant nothing?"

"I was an architect, but you're better than me; you're the best."

"We need a kick."

"...a leap of faith..."

"You'll need a totem."

He gasped, opening his eyes. Dom didn't even know when he had closed them. Immediately, his eyes went back to his totem.

The draddle kept on spinning; never stopped. Dom stared at it intently, as if willing it to stop, to fall so he would be certain that this was real, that it wasn't fake.

He felt like bursting into tears, running downstairs and soundly kissing Ariadne - no, she was a projection - like he always did. Talking happily to his children - no, they were projections - though he knew he wouldn't be able to do that without remembering that he was in a dream, a dream that was so...perfect. But he always knew that in the back of his mind that there was something not right about this place, that there was something wrong - terribly wrong.

Everything turned weird; like he was drunk or there was something obscuring his view on everything. Placing his totem in his pocket, he stumbled around the room as if in a daze.

"I need a kick...a kick...something to wake me up." He whispered to himself, and then he saw it. The window that was right next to the bed. Crawling over the bed hastily, he stumbled over to it, eyes glancing at everything. His eyes stopped at the picture frame on the other bedside table. It was a picture of him, Ariadne, Phillipa and James - the projections of them, anyway. Swallowing, he turned towards the window and, with some difficulty, opened it until he could feel the cool breeze against his face.

But...could he really leave this place? Could he leave Ariadne? And Phillipa and James? The perfect life that he wanted? He almost walked back towards the bathroom, but then he stopped and took out his totem, rolling the draddle on the window pane. It continued to spin wildly, flattering here and there but continued to spin. Breathing through his nose, he grabbed it and pocketed it once more, sitting on the window pane and staring at the sea that lapped against the side of the house. Mal always liked water...

"Dom? Hey, Dom, are you -? ...Dom? What are you doing?" He turned to see a horrified-looking Ariadne there, who started walking towards him.

"Ari...I-...I'm so sorry. I have to do this. Please. I love you and the children, but you're just projections." He said to her, as if she would actually take his word for it. She'd probably try and get him to believe that what he was saying was ridiculous, and he couldn't bear that - he couldn't bear the fact that, to Ariadne, he was the Mal in the situation. So he closed his eyes and let himself fall off of the ledge, his heart breaking as he heard her loud scream.

It rang in his eardrums as he fell into the ocean.

"Dom? ...Dom?" He opened his eyes to see that he was in an airplane. A sigh was then heard from above him. Dom looked up to see the beautiful face of Ariadne.

He looked out the window and saw that it was nighttime. Turning towards Ariadne, he saw Arthur from behind her, clicking closed the silver case and passing it to the flight attendant, who took it from him with a small smile and drew back the curtain, disappearing from view.

Dom turned towards Ariadne fully now.

"Is Saito here?" He asked her, his gut twisting over and over.

She gave him a smile and nodded. "Yeah; he's alright. He woke up before you and we were all worried that you wouldn't wake up. But here you are, all okay." A smile graced her features, and Dom found himself smiling back at her.

It was a small, tentative smile, but a smile no less.

Assumptions were all made after the end of Inception, and this one...was mine.

I hope that this oneshot was one that will stay with you every time you think about the end of Inception and were as confused and as dazzed and as puzzled as the rest of us.