Inception - Mind over matter

Not Over 'til it's Over

Tiffany woke up to Eames, gently shaking her arm. She sat up in her leather seat on the plane, blinking in disbelief. He smiled at her, a knowing twinkle in his eye, and went back to his own seat. Behind him, a startled-looking Saito picked up his phone. Euphoria spread through Tiffany like the warmth from a hot drink. They'd done it! Dom could go home! She lay back, feeling as if nothing could wipe the smile from her face.

At the luggage carousel, Tiffany tried not to look at her colleagues, knowing that she'd probably burst out laughing if she caught their eye. She could barely stop herself from jumping up and down with glee when Dom got through passport control without question.

"What do you remember?" Eames asked her quietly.

Tiffany held out her hand for his phone, "Most of it," she said, "Some bits are blurry. How did you know I wouldn't be able to remember everything?"

He pressed his iPhone into her palm, "I didn't. There was a possibility that, because we used the briefcase, you'd remember everything. But because the memories were repressed already, your brain probably couldn't cope,"

"Thanks. Wait, what memories?"

He pulled a suitcase from the carousel and nodded in Robert Fischer's direction;

"He knows you. You must have gotten sucked into his dreams before. But he trusted you."

Tiffany frowned.

"Turn that on," Eames pointed to the phone, "Check there are no messages, then turn it straight back off. I'll be two ticks,"

He made for the bathroom. Ariadne winked and left with Arthur. Yusuf quietly went his own way. 

They'd done it. Against all the odds. Now what?

Tiffany wheeled the suitcase over to the seating area out of the way. Her hat itched her head and her sunglasses cut into her ears. She took them off and bent her head forward, so the lip of her hat covered her face. The phone lit up in her lap.

"Excuse me,"

Tiffany jumped at the deep voice, smooth like velvet. Her sunglasses clattered to the floor.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he bent down and picked them up. He sat down next to her.

Tiffany shook herself out of her shock before she looked rude for staring at him;

"Sorry," she smiled, "You just look familiar."

"I'm Robert," he held out his hand.

She unwillingly took it, "Tiffany," she said, instantly horrified at herself. A name was a powerful thing. But he already knew who she was. She wished she could remember.

"I feel like we've met before," he said.

Tiffany swallowed and looked down at the phone. It was showing one message. She clicked it.

Written all in capitals, it said;

BE CAREFUL, SPOTTED IN AUSTRALIA, GET OUT OF U.S. ASAP.

Tiffany leapt up, her heart rocketing around in her ribcage.

"I-I'm late," she stuttered to Robert, "I have to go," she jammed her sunglasses back on.

"Wait, please!" he called after her, "I've dreamed of you for so long,"

She slowly turned back to face him, saddened to hear him speak the words she always dreaded someone saying. Only, usually it was an enemy. She recited the sentence she'd been trained to use in response, 

"If you have seen me in your dreams, then you're in terrible danger."

Eames came out of the bathroom. Tiffany walked over to him as fast as she could. She passed him the phone.

"Dam it," he spat.

He switched it off, took Tiffany's hand and looked for the nearest exit.

"We can't go out the main exit," whispered Tiffany as he hurried them towards it, "Anyone could be waiting there,"

"I know," he said, "We don't have a choice."