Sorry for the delay. I had been on break from school and took some time to see old friends, and I'm slowly getting used to this sight. If there is something that you'd eventually like to see, message me, I'll see what I could do. Or if this isn't what ya'll like, i'll work harder. Promise. Thanks

Chapter 2

Neither Calli nor Arthur could sleep that night. Arthur more in part because he was trying to find out any information he could about Ariadne's sister. Was she a liability? Was she really all that Ariadne thought of her? Was she telling the truth? Calli couldn't sleep because well, she was sharing a room with a man she barley trusted. It didn't matter that Ariadne trusted him; he was still strange to Calli. She was spending most of the night crying anyway. She had every intention of trying to fall asleep again after landing, but the tears were hitting again and she couldn't help it. She tried being as quiet as possible so Arthur could perhaps get some sleep, but when she went to the bathroom to take her contacts out, she saw that he was still awake at the computer.

If you try to get to know him, maybe it won't be so terrible. She thought to herself. In all honesty, she didn't think he was necessarily a bad guy. Sure he and her sister did something bad, but one bad deed doesn't define a person. Calli went into the bathroom to change into pajama pants and a tee shirt and take her contacts out. Wash her face and make herself look more relaxed than she was. She pulled her hair back and took a deep breath.

Nothing could hide the fact that her eyes were still blood shot, and her cheeks were still tear stained. If anything, her glasses made it more prominent, and her bangs were pointing to the stains on her cheeks. She couldn't put the contacts back in without the possibility of them falling out, and she opted to wash her face once again to get rid of the red trails. When she deemed herself a little more appearance worthy, she went back out to see Arthur in the same position at the computer.

"Hey." She said quietly, afraid to seriously disturb him.

"Hi." He said surprised she was approaching him. She had been quiet and Arthur thought she might have fallen asleep. It was then that he noticed that she was wearing her glasses, a Breaking Benjamin tee shirt and flannel pants. "I'm sorry, I thought you were asleep. I didn't wake you did I?" He asked worried about the light on the computer, or the noise on the television. He had been watching the news to see if anything had popped up that would lead them into danger. He closed the top of the computer so she wouldn't see that he was doing research on her.

"No, no. I couldn't sleep." She said sitting on the opposite side of the couch. She curled her legs so she was sitting on one and the other was against her chest. She rested her chin on her knee comfortably, and Arthur could see how tiny she was when she was in less than professional clothing. He all of a sudden felt over dressed, and awkward. "Didn't you say you needed me to do something?" She asked remembering what he said on the plane.

"You don't have to do that right now if you'd rather not." He said kindly. She shrugged her shoulders and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"If I'm up, I'm up. What else am I going to do?" She gave him a nervous smile and lowered her eyes. She wasn't exactly sure what this drawing would tell him, but she wasn't going to be able to sleep very soon, and she could use some company. If he would give it to her.

"Okay." He said surprised at her eagerness. He understood the inability to sleep, and if he were in her position, he'd probably be watching mindless television to numb his mind; instead she wanted to expand it a bit. "What I need you to do is take one minute to make a maze that takes me two minutes to solve."

"Okay." She said confused. He handed her a tablet and a pen and she drew a circle and some lines and when he told her to stop, she handed the tablet back. He took a look at it and tried to solve it. Calli was keeping watch on the clock in the kitchen and when two minutes was up, she turned to him and laughed. He had his glasses on and was still not even half way through the maze.

"What does that mean?" She asked to let him know time was up.

"That you are perfect for this job."

"What job? Ariadne's job?" She was seriously confused at this point. Were they trying to replace Ariadne with Callista?

"Well, yes. But you have to understand, it's not exactly everything Ariadne must have told you. She went in to far and that was how she was found. You don't have to go in that deeply at all."

"Why did she then?"

"Because at the time, our boss, Cobb couldn't control a projection of his wife. He lost her about a year before we met your sister and she was somehow able to control Mal when she was in the dream."

"I remember that. Ariadne said that she had to keep reminding her boss that his wife wasn't real anymore."

"And that's why she was recognized. Her name was unique enough to be remembered from a dream, and she was connected to Miles Reed, her teacher at University, who was connected to Cobb."

"So, what's stopping you and Cobb from being caught?"

"Nothing is in our real names. So, technically, this room is under a man named Arthur, just not the Arthur I am."

"So you have false identities."

"Yes."

"And you couldn't tell Ariadne to create one?"

"We didn't expect all the turbulence."

"I'm not okay with this." Calli said pushing her bangs back as a headache was coming on quickly. The idea of running from the law, for something that she wasn't even a part of, was sickening to her. Sure, she had been in trouble as a teenager, but that was for juvenile things. Playing a concert in a park without permission, protesting the use of cosmetics on animals, and of course the multiple detentions that she had through high school were just a few of the types of trouble she was used to.

"I'm sorry, but if they found anything in Ariadne's apartment that pointed to you, you're in as much danger as she was."

"Why would I be in danger? I had nothing to do with this."

"Because she could have let slip that she told you about things, or she wrote it in a diary. You're the closest person to Ariadne. You'd be in trouble whether you met up with us or not."

"This is great." She said rolling her eyes. Arthur stayed stationary looking at her and wondering if she was going to eventually come around to being a part of the team and being used to the lifestyle that they all lived.

"Where did you grow up?" Arthur asked trying to get away from the topic of running from death for the rest of the night.

"Is this part of an interview to see if there's anyone else in danger?"

"No. Just getting to know you a little better." Arthur said slightly hiding behind his glasses. He felt the weight in the couch shift, and he saw her body become less stiff. She shyly smiled and became comfortable in the seat again.

"Scranton Pennsylvania. How bout you?"

"Knox, Maine."

"I think it's safe to say I've never been there." She joked. They continued the night talking comfortably about their past and their present. Arthur learned that she went to Cornell as an undergraduate and to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts for graduate school. She spoke French and Italian and she is highly successful in her field. They eventually fell asleep on separate ends of the couch and it was peaceful for the rest of the night.

It was about nine am when Arthur's phone began to ring. It jolted him, and he saw that Calli was still asleep on the other end of the couch. She was curled into a ball and she had her head resting on the arm of the couch. Her glasses were still on her face, but they were askew due to her sleeping movements. Arthur smiled and moved to look for his phone. When he found it, the caller id read Cobb.

"Hello?" He answered politely.

"Hey Arthur. I was just wondering if you were on your way yet." Arthur could tell he was creasing his forehead and pushing his hair back on his head.

"No, not yet. But I'll call you when we're nearby."

"Okay. I'll see you later then." They hung up and Arthur looked back to Calli. She let out a small snore and he gave a little laugh. He didn't want to disrupt her, but they really did need to get moving. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently shook her.

"Calli? Calli? Come on, we need to get going." Calli sat up disorientated and saw Arthur above her.

"Oh, hey." She said pulling her bangs off her face. She fixed her glasses and Arthur stood back up.

"We have to get going. Cobb already called to see where we were." Arthur explained putting his hands inside his pockets.

"Oh, okay. I'll be ready in twenty minutes." She said standing up and getting ready.

She went to the bedroom where her bags were and she got changed. She put on a pair of jeans, a blouse and a pair of flats. She brushed through her hair and pulled it into a low pony tail and fixed her makeup.

Arthur took a quick shower and jelled his hair back again and was also ready by the time Calli was ready. He was shocked at how he's only seen her in three outfits and he thinks she's amazingly beautiful. The way her blouse fit on her torso so securely, it accented her curves so well. And the way her hair curled around in the pony tail to sit on her shoulder. He took a deep breath to calm himself and made an excuse to go back into the bathroom.

Calli noticed this and smiled and kept her eyes low. Maybe this won't be THAT bad. She decided to keep her observations to herself. Arthur was out of the bathroom about ten minutes later and they checked out of the hotel. They got inside the rental car and they began to make the trip down to Cobb's house. It was almost a two hour drive and Arthur and Calli spent time talking and Arthur let her play with the radio. Usually, Arthur was a little anal about what kind of music was being played in the car, but he let her play what she wanted. She played some rock and roll, and even some sixties and seventies music, which is what he grew up on. His parents being anti war movement people.

Calli laughed at how unnatural he looked while listening to the music she was playing. He tried bobbing his head at the harder guitar shreds, but Calli smiled and turned it down to talk with him.

Once they pulled into the Cobb's driveway, Arthur saw Miles's car, and he must be caring for the children at the moment. Cobb was more than likely inside his office trying to figure something out.

"I was hoping that the kids wouldn't be here." Arthur said to Calli as they grabbed their bags.

"There are kids here?" She asked shocked. "Why would he have his kids with him? Wouldn't it make more sense to leave them with the grand parents or something?"

"Miles is Cobb's mentor though, so he might be helping."

"I don't like this."

"Me either." Arthur knocked on the door and moments later, an older gentleman came to the door with one child in his arm and the other at his side.

"UNCLE ARTHUR!" the children shouted. And he smiled widely. The girl, who was behind Miles, tackled Arthur and the young boy in the old man's arms cheered. Callie smiled as he hugged the two children at his disposal.

"We missed you!" the children cheered. Callie smiled as she watched the man she knew to be all business, get down and greet these two children that weren't even his.

"I missed you too kiddo's. But ya know what? I have to talk to your dad. Is that okay?"

"Will you play with us later?"

"Yes."

"Who's she?" The young girl asked of Callie.

"Hi. I'm Callie." She said kneeling down to say hello to the little girl.

"I like that name." The young boy said.

"Is she your girlfriend?" The little girl asked keeping her eyes at her.

"No. She's just my friend." Arthur laughed almost nervously.

"What's your names?"

"I'm James." He said incredibly energetic.

"I'm Philippa." She said equally happy.

"It's nice to meet you." Callie smiled.

"Now children, let Uncle Arthur and Ms. Callie go speak with your father."

"Thank you Miles." Arthur said as they walked past him as Callie nodded her thanks and found Cobb's office. They opened the door and Cobb was looking at papers on his desk. He lifted his head to see who was disrupting him, and saw that it was Arthur.

"Arthur. It's good that you're here." Cobb stood to greet his old friend, and he noticed the young girl behind him.

"Dominic Cobb, this is Callista Willows, Ariadne's sister."

"It's very nice to meet you. I'm very sorry for your loss." Cobb said shaking her hand.

"Thank you. it's also nice to meet you. Ari spoke highly of you."

"Again, I'm very sorry."

"Thank you."

"Please, sit down." Cobb said motioning towards a few chairs he had there. Arthur and Callie came in and sat down in the chairs as Cobb went behind his desk.

"Callista, I had gotten hold of Eames, he and the police had notified your parents and you can call them any time today to speak with them about arrangements."

Callie nodded, trying to keep her tears back, and focus on the situation at hand. Callie held it back as they all began to speak about what had happened. Arthur told Cobb about how they had found Ariadne and how they traveled for the last night, and how Callie did the maze perfectly the first time.

"Callista, would you be interested in working with us?" Cobb asked looking her in the eye almost desperately.

"What do you mean work with you? Like take Ariadne's job?"

"Technically yes. But if you work with us, you'll have less chance of being found by the people who killed your sister."

"If they killed her because they're trying to get to you, why would I be safer here than on my own?"

"Because I messed up. I never told her that changing her name would be the best idea for her. It is my own fault that she is gone, but I can protect you."

"That's not exactly going to help. I mean, I don't even know what you do, or did to get her killed."

"Don't you want revenge?" Cobb asked. "Don't you want to find out who did this."

"You just said that you're responsible for her death. Why should I get myself mixed up in this, and cause my family more heart ache?"

"Can I just ask you to do one exercise and then decide?" Callie already knew that she wasn't exactly friendly with this Cobb character. But she had a gut feeling that Arthur wouldn't lie to her. She looked over to him to see if he would give her any guidance, and he nodded.

"What do I have to do?"

"Just sleep and design the area."

"What do you mean design the area?"

"Don't worry. It'll come to you inside." Arthur said standing and leading her to the couch that is inside Cobb's office. Cobb got the brief case and as Callie lied down, and Arthur stood with her.

"What do you mean it will come to me inside?"

"What's going to happen, is your mind is going to design an area that you and Cobb can go into. He will enter your dream to see what you can do, and his projections will populate it."

"What's going to happen if projections attack?"

"If they attack, and kill you, you wake up. You're not in any danger. I promise." Callie nodded and lied back as Arthur pulled out the sedative. He injected her and watched as she peacefully went to sleep.

"Are you okay Arthur?" Cobb asked as he pulled Arthur out of his thoughts.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You're kidding right?" Arthur smirked. "You're right. She kinda looks like Ariadne, but most defiantly your type."

"I have a type?"

"You do if you keep looking at her like you are." Cobb said before injecting himself. Again, Arthur smirked and put five minutes on the timer.

Callie was sitting in a café when Cobb found her. She was dressed in an orange sundress and she wore a large hat as well. Cobb tried to avoid her for a few moments as he perused the area. She had designed the café, a small produce stand, the brick roads of Italy, and the romantic setting that she lived in. He made a note to remind her to not recreate places from memory. To make new places. Eventually, when Cobb was satisfied with the surrounding, he decided to find Callie again.

"Hello Callista." He said finding her back at the café. She turned to him and smiled.

"Hi." She seemed happy in her dream.

"May I sit?"

"Of course Mr. Cobb." Cobb sat down, smiling at the name she called him.

"You know, you could call me Cobb."

"And you could call me Callie." She joked back.

"I'll remember that."

"So, how am I doing?" She asked looking around. The projections were looking at her, but she knew that she was dreaming, and she would have plenty of time to ask questions about the projections when she woke up.

"Is this a real place?"

"No."

"You're doing excellent." Cobb took a sip of the coffee a projection placed next to him. He could taste the Hazelnut flavor in the coffee, and the extra shot of expresso. Usually in dreams, he would pretend to eat when training an architect. But everything seemed so much more real when a designer did it.

"Callie, I know you're not a huge fan of ours right now, but I can guarantee that you will be in better hands. I will teach you EVERYTHING that I know, so that you are safer. You'll be financially set for life. You're the best I've ever seen, and I used to do this job, and be the best. Believe me when I say that we need you." Callie was not afraid to look into his eyes to dig the truth out of him, and after a moment of staring him down, she took a deep breath.

"Fine." Suddenly, Cobb disappeared and everything was beginning to fade. Callie was being pulled out of the dream.