He Has No Idea

by Chloes-Cheese

After the movie, the team works on a job with a new extractor, Delilah, who is head over heels for Arthur, who has no idea. Eames is the only one who sees her and understands her plight and tries to help in his own way. Meanwhile, their new mark has more dangerous secrets in his head than the ones they are trying to steal. see inside for full summary.

1. The Set Up

Title – He Has No Idea- The Set Up- Part 1/5

Rating – PG 13 (T)
Pairings and characters – Arthur/OC/Eames (not traditional, onesided on one end), Arthur/Ariadne, and Yusuf. Cobb, Saito, and Robert Fischer Jr. all mentioned.
Warnings – spoilers for movie. Rated for tons of angst, dark themes, implied adult content, and language.
Disclaimers – Christopher Nolan owns the awesomeness that is Inception and all its characters and dream like concepts. I own the plot, Delilah Gordon, Gabriel Scott, and Alexander King.

Summary – Set after the movie and Fischer job. Cobb has retired and Arthur leads the team in an extraction of a paranoid suspected weapons smuggler. Delilah Gordon, the team's new extractor is head over heels for Arthur, he just doesn't know it. Eames doesn't approve. Can they pull off the job or will a secret about the mark dismantle the operation and cost them their sanity in the process?

Notes- This started out as just an idea in my head and progressed from there. Nothing has turned out quite like I expected. Hope you enjoy it.

I heard Arthur enter the workshop behind me, and began my usual battle with myself to not turn and stare at him. I instead focused my eyes into the model I was overlooking as I heard him conversing with Gabriel Scott, the team's muscle man. I was intensely aware of Arthur moving toward me but made my eyes follow the individual roads and twists of a large scale city model instead.

"How's it looking Delilah?" I heard his deep voice ask from beside me.

"Pretty good." I responded before finally indulging myself and looking at him, fighting hard to not let my feelings flood my face as I added, "Ariadne has really outdone herself this time."

"I can see that." Arthur responded appreciatively, holding up the smaller model the architect had made of the complex city layout and asking, "Where is she now? We need to go over the model for the second level."

"She has a class now but she talked me through the Desert Base level." I explained, understanding Ariadne's determination to keep up with her studies while remaining a part of the world of dreams.

Arthur nodded, having accepting this as a part of Ariadne's terms when he hired her for the job, "I see. Then the two of us will go over the plans this afternoon. I need to make a call but I will find you when I'm done. Could you find Eames and tell him I need him to pick up Yusuf at the airport tonight?"

All-business; that was Arthur all right. Everything about him screamed professional from his button-up shirt with rolled up sleeves to his business slacks and tie. Even his slicked dark brown hair and pronounced brow told the team that Arthur wanted things done right and specific. But I loved that about him. Though I could never properly explain why, something about the sight of Arthur's rolled up sleeves just did something to me that made it almost impossible to focus.

When I saw him look up from the model I realized he was waiting for a reply, I struggled to remember what he had said before responding hurriedly, "Right will do." Then proceeded to actually absorb what it was he had said and asked, "Wait, Yusuf's coming? I thought he was sending the compounds."

"He was," Arthur answered, replacing the model on Ariadne's work table, "But now he says these new compounds are too unstable to be shipped and he's afraid they might set off some red flags so he's bringing them himself."

"If he's worried about red flags, how's he getting them through airport security?" I questioned, failing to see how the solution helped.

"Private plane," Arthur said then upon seeing my incredulous face, elaborated, "A gift from Saito. It appears that the Fischer Job is yielding better results than Saito had anticipated."

"Well that's good." I responded; glad to have that complication dealt with. I had not been a part of the reportedly impossible inception job but it had become a legend of the business. All of my current team members, besides Gabriel who was joining us for only the second time, were in fact a part of that infamous operation, so I knew all about it: how they overcame the many obstacles and unforeseen circumstances the highly risky op had thrown at them.

And after all of the crappy teams I had been a part of in this line of work I could tell that this team was amazing. Everyone did their jobs. Everyone knew what they were doing. Every single member of the team isn't afraid of new challenges and can tackle them head on and succeed.

I was pulled out of my reverie by Arthur glancing at his watch, "I've got to make that call but I should be back in half an hour to go over these plans with you."

Arthur patted my arm as he headed to his office and I tried not to smile like an idiot at the contact.

I must've failed for just as Arthur's office door shut, Eames appeared at my elbow, as was his annoying habit, grinning at my expense, "You know, if you don't stop mooning over Arthur like that I will start having to lug a bucket around to collect all of your drool."

I rolled my eyes at his latest taunt and grabbed my bag, heading for my makeshift office in the corner of the San Franciscan warehouse.

"No seriously, Lilah, I'd like some warning if you are to start full-on swooning at the sight of him." Eames continued, undaunted, leaning against the temporary screen I had erected in front of my desk for privacy as I made my way around my desk, "Because we could add some mattresses around so you don't hit your pretty head on the ground when you faint."

I sat down with a tired sigh, "Did you actually want something or are you just here to torment me?"

Eames straightened up and came to sit on the edge of my desk. I picked up some folders on my desk and proceeded to ignore him.

"Aw, do I really need an excuse to talk to my favorite extractor?" Eames asked in his most taunting tone as he reached forward to play with a strand of my light brown hair.

"Yes," I replied briskly as I swatted his hand away, while keeping my eyes locked on the folder in my hands. The cocky Brit seemed to think he could charm any woman breathing into doing whatever he wanted; I was tired of the games. He was attractive enough but too much of a serial ladies man.

"Very well then," Eames responded leaning away, recognizing my cut-the-crap tone, "I'm here because you need to teach me the level with the base."

"Why would I need to? That's Ariadne's level." I asked, surprised into looking up at him.

"Evidently not. She just phoned me; said something about a grandparent dying. She'll be back in Paris the week of the job for the funeral." Eames explained, picking up the London snow globe I keep on my desk as a paperweight.

"Oh that's horrible." I responded, putting down the folder. I knew how close Ariadne had been with her grandparents when she lived with them while attending school there.

"Downright tragic with less than a week to go 'til showtime." Eames responded callously, swirling the desk ornament around in his hands. "So will you teach me the level or not?"

"Fine." I answered, brushing aside his disconcerting straight forwardness, "When did you want to go over it?"

"How about now?" the British man asked me as he set down the paperweight and locked eyes with me.

"I'm supposed to go over the plans with Arthur soon." I told him, not succeeding at keeping the wistfulness from my voice or the way my eyes fixed on the door to Arthur's office across the way as I said it. Eames sighed as he followed my gaze.

"I'm afraid your lover-boy is busy at the moment." Eames replied with just the barest hint of resentment in his voice as he stood up, towering over me, "And I expect with how long his business tends to take he will be quite awhile; giving you plenty of time to teach me the level so I can do my job."

"All right." I replied, hating how Eames seemed capable of bullying me into almost anything by the sheer weight of my embarrassment. I stood and closed the folder on my desk. "By the way, Arthur says you need to pick Yusuf up from Saito's airfield tonight."

"Yes, yes. Fine." Eames said as if he didn't care before waving me in front of him, saying in his most patronizing manner, "There now, that's not so hard."

"Watch it." I added as I leveled a light glare at him as I passed him and made my way out into the main, empty area of the warehouse.

Eames chuckled at me, shaking his head, "Whatever you say, darling."

-O-

"Okay, to help confuse the mark, Alexander King, Ariadne added in street signs and lampposts from Seattle, the city he spends the most time in. The buildings here are pretty generic, the type you could find anywhere. This should help prevent the mark from being able to figure out he's dreaming for awhile. The street names are common enough too. The Bank is on Main Street and the tunnel by the apartment complex should cut down the journey to the bank." I recited from memory what the architect had told me.

"Good." Arthur remarked, regarding the entire level with approval, the sunlight making his skin seem tanner and therefore more irresistible to me. "Did she make a connection from the police station to the bank?"

"She did." I answered with a nod, "His office building also has distortion tunnels to all three locations nearby, just in case."

Gabriel whistled in an admiring manner, "This is the biggest level I've ever worked on."

Eames chuckled at the muscle man that was still so new to the business, and began, "You want big, you should see-"

"Eames!" I chided, never entirely sure when to censor Eames's potty mouth.

Eames shot me a look, "I was going to say 'the city she built for the Fischer job' Miss Gutter Mind."

I wanted to retort back but Arthur interrupted with business, "Right and the basement of the bank-

"Is a fully fortified chamber perfect for further dream submersion." I finished for him skating past the interaction with Eames. This was the third time this hour Arthur had asked.

Arthur shot me a rare smile, making my heart beat a little faster, "Excellent. You two did a really good job."

I beamed back at him, but replied modestly, "Thanks. It was mostly Ariadne though, I never would have thought of the distortion tunnels."

"You've done well." Arthur insisted.

And for a moment that was all I could think of but then I saw Eames making swooning faces at me from behind Arthur's back. Yusuf tried very hard not to laugh and Gabriel looked at him in a confused manner, being the only one of the team, it seemed, besides Arthur who did not know my feelings for him.

When Arthur walked past me to get a better look at the bank's façade, I ran my finger along my neck to imply to the incorrigible Brit that he was in fact, a dead man. Eames responded by making a kissy face at me. I very nearly marched over and slapped him but Eames stopped as I felt Arthur touch my shoulder. I turned toward his contact instinctively.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Arthur asked quietly, concern flooding his voice as I heard in the background, Yusuf starting up an awkward conversation with Gabriel and Eames to discourage the Brit's eavesdropping.

"Of course I am." I responded, touched by the point man's concern.

"It's just, you've never tried to extract from a mark with a trained subconscious before." Arthur explained his anxiety.

"No," I answered, "But Cobb taught me how. It should be fine."

"I hope so." Arthur murmured, his brow becoming furrowed in signature Arthur style as he turned from me to face the others, "Does everyone understand their parts?"

Gabriel nodded and Eames assured confidently, "Should be a piece of cake."

"Pretend to be a rich man's chauffer, lock you guys in a vault and try not to die." Yusuf responded listing his duties, a hint of amusement in his voice as he added, "Mum will be so proud."

I giggled at the surprisingly witty chemist, glad he was joining us on this operation.

"Very well. The job's in two days. We'll meet back tomorrow to do another dry run of the job." Arthur said to us before leveling a look at Eames, "Try not to be late."

Eames scoffed at him but didn't reply.

Arthur looked at his watch and told me, "See you topside."

I raised my hand in goodbye as Arthur disappeared, waking up. Gabriel disappeared a moment later with a sardonic salute in my direction leaving me by the steps in front of the bank Ariadne had built with the chemist and forger.

"Are you sure you'll be able to concentrate on the job with Arthur running around with you?" Eames drawled about a good ten feet away.

Yusuf looked between me and Eames before I asked him quietly, "Could you give us a minute?"

Yusuf nodded understandingly before walking down the sidewalk in the direction of the apartment.

"What is your problem?" I asked Eames, as I turned to face him.

"My problem is that I'm worried your school girl crush could distract you from the job. That because you are too busy mooning at your boy-toy, you will slip up and get us all killed." Eames stated defensively as he closed the distance between us.

Stung at the accusation, I shot back, "You should know that after four jobs together I don't let my personal feelings get to me on the job. How dare you accuse me otherwise after the number of times I have saved your ass!"

"But this is the first mark you're attempting to extract from who's been trained." Eames reminded me, getting closer, "You have no idea what it's like to have the projections naturally suspect you, to have them hunt you down and in a job like this. With the sedatives we'll be under, none of us can afford to be killed or in case you forgot, we won't wake up the same. Our brains will be scrambled."

I would never admit it to him, but he was right. I had no experience with this but I would do my job. I knew the stakes better than anyone else, but Eames must have forgotten that. I screamed at him, losing whatever cool I had had, "Don't you think I know that? God! I lost my father to this work! Do you think I would ever let that happen to anyone else after watching my father deteriorate for years with his mind lost in limbo? Do you think I could ever live with myself if I let anyone else go through that?"

Eames faltered, the expression on his face telling it all. In that moment I looked in his eyes, I knew he had no idea. I told Arthur when I joined the team a year ago but I never knew if he told anyone; I had just assumed he had. But I had my answer now: Eames hadn't known. He couldn't have known that my father took part in one of the first three tiered dreams, got shot two levels in and never woke up the same. He no longer had any grasp on reality. No clue who he was and I was forced to watch as it tore my family apart.

I felt instantly ashamed for shouting at Eames, he hadn't known; he was just looking out for his team. Before he could say anything or mumble any apologies I rushed out, "Please. Please don't say anything. I thought you knew. There's- there's nothing you have to say."

Eames closed his mouth and appraised me in a new light, shock still prominent on his face.

I took a deep steadying breath, "Just trust me. I won't let you down."

I began to walk off, determined to spend the remaining time I had in Yusuf's dream on my own to calm myself down. I had reached the top of the steps to the bank when I heard Eames say just loud enough for me to hear, "He has no idea."

"What?" I asked, stopping and turning, trying to understand what he meant, confusion evident on my face. I saw Eames still standing at the edge of the street, fixing me with his hard and determined blue stare.

"He has no idea just how exceptional you are." Eames clarified.

I opened my mouth to ask what he meant when I woke up, his face fading and his words ringing in my ears.

TADA!

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