Is it really right, to drag my niece into all this? Tony thought, as he waited at Gate 29. Amor said that once you're involved in the business, it is nearly impossible to stop. Like an... addiction. Once you've shared in the dream, there's no coming back to reality. No return.

His thoughts were interrupted as Amor and Apollo, breakfast in hand, rushed into the gate. "No need to rush," he told them.

"Yes, if I want to keep my breakfast down." Amor replied, taking a large bite out of the cinnamon roll. Apollo removed the lid from his yogurt and began taking spoonfuls, nodding his agreement.

"Don't you people fly on planes regularly?"

"Yes, but Amor still isn't fond of them." Apollo said, looking at his redheaded friend.

They sat in silence at the gate for a while, the only three there that early. Finally Amor spoke.

"So Tony, tell me more about your niece." she said.

Tony leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his neck. "You know, it seemed like a good idea at first, but now I'm starting to have second thoughts. What if she can't stop?"

Amor leaned forward. "It's not the same for everyone. I know a man who just uses this as a profession. I know another, a Point Man, in fact, who loved the dream world so much that he simply couldn't pull away. I know that he has tried many times to stop, but he couldn't. It isn't to the point that the dream has become his reality, but he is so attracted to the creation aspect of the dream. And, of course, there are people in between. Don't worry, if she doesn't want to, we won't make her."

Tony shifted uncomfortably, wondering if he was letting his quest for revenge get out of hand. "Alright, then. Stacy is a good, studious girl. She is never afraid to do anything, and she is very good in leadership. She is skilled in research as well, which is why I immediately thought of her when you needed a Point Man. Or Woman, as I should say."

"Is she good at impersonations, by any chance?" Apollo asked.

Amor glared at him. "Apollo! I know you wanted to be on point, but Forging is much harder to teach. You'll have to stick with Forger for this one."

Tony smiled. "No, unfortunately, she isn't. Sorry, Apollo."

"Would you call her... imaginative?" Amor asked.

Tony scratched his head. "Um, not... really. I mean, she's always been by the book, you know?"

Amor smiled. "Perfect. Those are the best kind."

-x-

Suddenly Amor felt added weight on her right shoulder. She looked over to find that Apollo had fallen asleep there. Amor smiled, almost laughing at how easily her best friend had given in to fatigue. She smoothed the hair off of his face, and then returned to gazing at the passing clouds.

They had been in the air for five hours, give or take. Amor knew because she found that she couldn't stop glancing at her watch. The watch was a staple item for Extractors. Time was always of the essence. Time was money. The more time spent on a job, the less pay. And pay was very, very important. So it was only instinct that forced Amor to keep her eyes glued on her watch. Because this was going to be a very time-consuming flight.

Across the aisle, Tony had his eyes closed and his arms folded across his chest. Amor looked at him, while being careful not to let her gaze linger on him for too long- she couldn't let authorities, or anyone else for that matter, realize that they had a connection with the powerful businessman. She knew he wasn't sleeping, though; nor was he trying to fool anybody. He was thinking, contemplating. He was wondering if involving his niece in Extraction was the right decision. She had seen this stance before in guilty men. One guilty man, in particular...

-x-

It was the flight before that last Extraction with him.

He was slouched in his seat, his eyes closed and his lean, elegant arms folded across his lean, elegant chest. Her head was on his chest, her eyes wide open. She knew that he wasn't asleep- his breathing was just a bit too rapid. He was thinking, contemplating.

"What's wrong?" she finally asked.

"Who said there was anything wrong?"

"You can't lie to me."

"It's nothing."

"Do you think that you can lie to me when I'm lying on your chest like this? I can feel your heart speed up whenever you lie. And you've always been a terrible liar."

"Why can't you just believe me when I say that it's nothing?"

"I don't believe you, but I'm tired of fighting."

He didn't respond, instead choosing to enjoy the moment- what could possibly be his last moment with her, because he knew what he would have to do...

-x-

Amor cringed at the memory and looked away from Tony. Instead she looked down at her sleeping friend. No lies there. Apollo had always stood by her, even when things had seemed impossibly difficult. When HE abandoned her, Apollo was always there to comfort her. But what had she given him in return?

Thank you, friend.

-x-

Amor spotted Tony out of the corner of her eye. He nodded, barely noticeably, and then turned and walked in the other direction as if the encounter had never happened. While she waited for Apollo to find her, she pulled out the directions that Tony had already given her from her trenchcoat pocket. She rubbed the heart-shaped pendant for good luck and glanced down at the metal briefcase in her left hand. Trail, tech, totem.

Once her blue-haired friend had fought his way out of the airport crowd, they walked out into the salty Venice air. Everywhere, people milled about, the locals running their errands, the tourists gazing in wonder at the sights, busy snapping as many pictures as they could of the passing gondolas.

"Ah, Venice." Amor whispered to herself, so softly that no one else could hear. "Another magical city."