Arthur is nervous and pacing back in forth in front of the van parked in the Warehouse. His whole demeanor is tense, and I briefly look at him and mutter something the earliness of the hour and lay my head back on the table. It's four in the morning, the day of the job and train leaves at seven thirty from Penn Station.

I am not sure why we had to be up so early, but Arthur knocked on my door and insisted I be awake. I think he just wanted someone to be nervous with. "Are you alright?"

He stops pacing to look at me, and then begins again as he talks. "No, I am not alright." His voice is a rushed whisper, and he's flailing his hands about. "I don't know how to do this, how to be the leader. The last job we did was a complete disaster, we barely got out with our lives. Eames of all people had to save us, and I have not stopped hearing about it since it happened."

"What did happen?"

"The mark figured us out in the second layer and then shot Ariadne. Luckily, the timer ran out before she died, but it was too close of a call. Way too close."

I get up and walk over to him, grabbing his upper arm to make him stop pacing. He's only two inches taller then me, so I can look him straight in the eye. "Stop freaking out. You are capable of this, Arthur. If anyone is capable of taking Dom's spot, it's you. He was your teacher and mentor and everything he knows, you know- so use it."

He doesn't say anything, just stares down at my hand grasping his firm bicep. My heart quickens when he looks up and catches my eyes and for a flickering second, just one, I think he might kiss me. I pull away quickly, like I stuck my hand in a fire, and walk towards the coffee machine. It's nearly five now and the blue hue of the morning is starting to peek through the large windows of the warehouse.

It's eerie, to be truthful.

The suit I'm wearing his white, so I make a point not too spill any coffee on it. I can feel Arthur's eyes on me, watching me like a hawk. When I look behind me, I mirror his stare, dark brown eyes and all. His have always been much darker then mine, the color of a mocha. My eyes are much a much lighter, chocolate brown. When I was younger, I used to wish they were darker so that I could look more mysterious.

Arthur does look mysterious, he has a brooding sort of beauty about him, like a greek statue. He always looks so sad, so serious and when he does smile, it lights up a whole room.

"Good morning, puppets. Ready for the show?"

Arthur glares and begins pacing again. "Don't call me a puppet."

"Right, marionette then?"

"Eames, don't." I say, shaking my head and widening my eyes. He gives me a look and I just shake my head again.

Ariadne shows up soon after Eames comes downstairs and Eduardo is with her. They are all about nervous glances and shifty eyes. I know those looks. They slept together. Wow, this girl is having a tidal wave of boy issues. I swear that if I was in any place to give advice, I would.

"Good morning," Eddy says, reaching for a cup of coffee. Arthur claps his hands together and smooths down his hair, we all look and he falters for a moment and is completely silent. Eames sends him a sideways glance and looks back at all of us.

"So, everyone ready?" The englishmen asks.

We all nod a yes and he slides open the door of the van. "Eames, it's barely five thirty, the train doesn't leave for another two hours." Ariadne has a point.

"Well, we can sit in au bon pain or something, get in the damn van, please."

Arthur slides into the passenger seat and I take a bucket seat in the middle, the opposite side of Arthur. Ariadne crawls into the back and Eames takes the other bucket seat. Arthur is pale, and he looks very young, younger then I have probably ever seen him. I suddenly get a mental image of him naked, singing 'New kid in town' by the Eagles. It was in a hotel in Denmark, I was crying and homesick and he just hopped out of bed, stark naked, and started singing the Eagles.

I chuckle to myself, and Eames looks at me but I just shake my head.

That is a private memory, and one I won't share for Arthur's reputation if nothing else.

Penn station is crowded and there are christmas decorations everywhere I look. Eames hightails it to the bathroom, and Ariadne is drawn into one of those silly travel shops with the rag magazines and the chips everywhere. Eduardo goes with her, and I see them talking quietly. Arthur is still pale and I hook my arm around his, and he looks susprised, but I just smile.

"You hungry? I'm hungry. Let's get some soup."

He doesn't protest, just let's me lead him to Au bon pain. I don't remember much about the place other then the bread is good and so is the peach iced tea. I'm a sucker for anything peach flavored. He gets a croissant and I think that sounds good, so I get one and I make them toast it and then I slather it in jam and butter.

When I look up across the table he's smiling at me. "You still eat things the same way."

"Yeah, I like what I like. France has changed my tastes a bit, but they're still rooted in the same thing- slather everything with butter and jam." This is nice, I think. And for a second I think we can be friends, maybe all that history is just that- history.

And then he looks up at me with warm eyes, the black fading the way it used to when he looked at me and a ran hand through my hair, brushing it behind my ear. He doesn't touch me, but I can feel him anyway and I we sare at each other. For the first time since I arrived we just look at each other and I smile and he smiles back and if we were twenty four again I would probably drag him to the bathroom for a quickie. He would tell me no, we shouldn't but I would make him do it anyway.

But we aren't twenty four anymore, we're adults now and there is no college buffer, there's just us.

There is just this job, and the team that Arthur has to lead and all of my mixed up feelings. It feels like someone put my feelings for him in a blender and hit chop, and now I can't help but act like a-

"You didn't sleep with Eames, right?" He asks, interrupting my thoughts.

"That depends, would you be jealous if I did?"

He doesn't hesistate. "Yes."

"No, I didn't, you know me better then that. I don't mix business with pleasure, and he is strictly business."

"I do remember us mixing those two quite often, Lil."

"Yeah, and look what happened."

He's quiet after that, and just eats and drinks his black coffee. "How's your brother?" He throws me off guard with that question.

"Still estranged, we don't really talk. He had a baby two years ago, I think they might have sent me a christmas card last year, but I tossed it." He shrugs and wipes his mouth with a napkin, which causes me to focus on his lips. I imagine myself just lunging across the table and taking him right here on the cold, dirty linoleum floor.

"Lily, you okay?"

I feel the blood rush to my face, but I shake it off. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, sorry. Hey, it's almost six thirty, we should probably round everyone up, go find Cassandra."

He nods in agreement and grabs my garbage to throw away, I nod thanks and try to clear my head. The images floating through my mind are not appropriate for the hour, the company or the current activity. The last thing I need is the enter the dream world thinking about ravishing Arthur on a linoleum floor.

Bad, bad choices.

We find Eames at burger king, he talks about french toast sticks for a whole five minutes until we find Ariadne. She looks distraught and Eduardo is no where to be found. She insists he will meet us on the platform and we take her word for it. I wonder what happened between them, but can't bring myself to ask.

I tell them to wait for me while I go to the ladies room and as soon as I exit the filthy stall, I see a familiar reflection. Bad fake tan, blonde hair- I duck back into the stall. She reeks of expensive perfume, and I cough a little. I wait for the click of her heels to fade before I hurry from the bethroom.

"Did you see her?"

"Who?"

"Cassandra. Let's go." We split up, Arthur and Ariadne go seperate ways and and I grab Eames' hand and put on my best english accent, which I dare say, is quite convincing. He nods with approval and we walk the rat maze that is Penn station until we hit the section for Amtrak. It's circular and there are a lot of people, but I do see Eduardo, he's talking to the teller, laying on the charm. Arthur is leaning against a wall reading a newpaper, scanning the crowd. Ariadne is standing to our left, arms crossed, looking impatient.

Cassandra bumps into her and Ariadne says something and smiles, and Cassandra doesn't smile, just keeps walking. Well, she's going to be pleasant.

"She looks a bit like a swamp hag, don't you think?"

Eames smiles and nods. "A bit yes, Darling. Do you think if I pinch your bum that Arthur would blow our cover to hit me?"

I pull my hand from his and slap his wrist away. "No, but I will hit you. A loud, resounding slap that will echo off the walls, you dunce."

"Keepin' my hand to myself then, don't worry. You two are getting awfully cuddly, you know."

"Cuddly? I have not been cuddled once since I arrived, you should be more worried about sweet Ari and your chemist. They're all full of awkward tension and sideways glances."

"You don't think they- oh, naughty kids."

"Naughty kids is right."

"You know dear, I love you in an english accent. It suits you so perfectly, very posh, stuck up."

"Don't make me hit you."

"Bring it on, barbie."

Arthur snaps his head to attention when the smack echoes and Eames yells 'bollocks' into the distance. "I know we're not supposed to draw attention to ourselves, but I couldn't resist."