Against Us

Part Thirteen

Arthur was not sure how long they stood there in silence. He was not even sure what to do because they were supposed to be strangers meeting for the first time but considering their history it did not seem like something that they would fake easily. Instead the point man mentally kicked himself so they could get going because it would be easier to interact with Cobb and Mal there as well.

"Shall we?" Arthur said clearing his throat.

"We shall," Eames replied. The other man tossed his bag in the backseat and they drove off from the airport. Logically Arthur knew he should not have been this awkward because they were both professionals and that was what they had to do. He stole a quick glance at the forger and noticed that Eames looked just as uncomfortable as he felt and it was ironically comforting to know what he was not the only one having trouble processing this information. After ten minutes of dead silence Arthur could not take it anymore; he turned off the road and pulled into a parking lot.

"We need to figure this out," he said. "A blind person could see that we know each other and that this is uncomfortable."

"Agreed but what are we supposed to do?" Eames asked.

"Let me think about this for a second," the point man replied and he sat back in the driver's seat. He was trying to clear his head but could feel Eames' eyes on him.

"You're really worried about this, aren't you? Do you know these people?" Eames asked.

"I've done research for him before and I don't want to have more blood on my hands," Arthur replied and he risked a glance at Eames who was looking at him fondly; for some reason it eased some of the tension in the car. "What are you smiling about?"

"Just you, Arthur, you're completely different and still exactly the same," Eames replied. Their eyes locked and while Arthur was not the best at reading between the lines or understanding subtext for some reason he knew exactly what Eames was saying: 'I miss you.'

"You too, Eames," Arthur said and he hoped that Eames heard the 'I miss you too' that was implied. He was not sure if Eames caught it or not but Arthur did not have time to think about it too much before his phone rang. It was Cobb, predictably. "Arthur here."

"Hey, were you able to find the forger?" Cobb asked.

"Yes, just hit some traffic, we're on our way," Arthur replied.

"See you soon," and they hung up. Arthur started the car and drove to the meet up ignoring the fact that Eames was snickering the entire way there. As each mile passed more and more of the tension in the car faded. Arthur decided that it was going to be strange working with Eames again, even being around him was going to be odd, but there was no one else in the world that he worked better with. Cobb and Mal both walked outside when the car pulled up and Eames charmed both of them with a flash of a smile. The three of them went over to a table to show Eames who he would be forging while Arthur settled down on at his own desk. As Cobb and Mal were talking the forger looked up and flashed Arthur the smallest smile before focusing on the task at hand.

Arthur was not expecting it to be a problem but that did not make it any less surprising when they fell into a routine of working together like nothing had ever changed. Arthur knew that they were getting along swimmingly but to the rest of the world it looked like they did nothing but bicker. The reason they worked so well together was because they had always pushed each other further. Eames would harp on Arthur to find more details about his forges and Arthur would yell at Eames to make sure that he had all of his bases covered. Cobb was too preoccupied by his level and Mal to notice that they always fought like that but Arthur caught Mal shaking her head at them like they were children. At the same time he sometimes thought that he saw her looking at them with that thoughtful expression that Arthur could not understand.

"Do you want to come to dinner?" Mal asked one night five weeks into the job. Arthur looked up from his notes and blinked.

"Oh, no, I'm fine," he replied flashing a smile.

"Get some sleep tonight, Arthur," Cobb said taking Mal's hand and the two of them walked out of the apartment together. The point man stared at the door for a moment before turning his focus back to his notes. The work place was silent for several hours until the sound of the door opening made Arthur look up again. He was not surprised it was Eames but that did not make him any less thrilled about being alone with the forger. Since their meet up five weeks ago Arthur had made it a point to not be alone with Eames. Just being around him again made the point man realize just how much he missed having a friend in this business.

"If I ask you to dream with me would you believe I don't have ulterior motives?" Eames asked with a grin.

"Probably not but you wouldn't ask me if you didn't need my help," Arthur said smiling. Arthur stood and set up the PASIV device as Eames set up the chairs. The point man reasoned that they should probably have a real conversation and the dream was probably the safest place they could have one. Arthur set the timer for five minutes and they went under.

Arthur was a little surprised to find himself in a blank dream. He had been expecting something else from Eames but they were standing in an empty room, just the two of them. There was a single mirror and from where he was standing Arthur could see the other man watching him in the reflection. Neither of them said a word as Eames shifted into the body of the therapist. This was a business dream, that was obvious, but it was also the closest they had been to being 'alone' in two years. Alone with the person with whom he had had the most intense physical relationship of his entire life.

"How does it look?" Eames asked in the voice of the therapist.

"Looks good. Do you think you can get Edwards to trust you?" Arthur replied.

"You know I can," Eames said with a smirk that was very much his own.

"I do know," Arthur said honestly and he watched that smirk fade. He watched the forge fade and he did nothing when Eames turned and walked into his space. Their bodies were flush against each other and Arthur was not sure when he put a vise like grip on the other man's arms. "This is a bad idea."

"Terrible idea," Eames agreed.

"Can't have connections in this business," Arthur said and he was not sure who he was trying to convince anymore.

"Better to stay co-workers," Eames said but their lips brushed when they talked. "Co-workers can fuck though."

"We're not just any co-workers and you know it," the point man said but they kissed anyway. It was like no time had passed, like they had never stopped doing this, they still pushed and pulled and fought to dominate the other with tongues and teeth. Arthur wanted Eames more than anything at that moment, wanted to form a bed in the dream and throw the other man onto it, but a big part of his brain kept reminding him what a big mistake this was and Eames must have felt it too because they both pulled away breathing hard.

"We're not just co-workers," Eames said and Arthur did not flinch when the forger put a gun to his head and kicked him back to the real world.

They were in the final planning stages and Arthur felt like he really had come to terms with the fact that he was never going to have a friend like Eames again. It was something that made getting through the workday almost easier because he was not pining for something he wanted anymore because it was something he could not have. That was okay because it was for the best. He knew that, Eames knew that, and like most things between them it was understood without words. They did not talk about the dream.

He was in the middle of drawing up a plan to kidnap Edwards when Mal walked over to join him. She looked over his shoulder and tilted her head at his notes.

"A break and enter, Arthur?" she asked.

"I know it goes against your moral code but Eames and I can do the actual breaking and entering part if you'd like," Arthur said. "We just have to hope he sleeps through the break in until I can sedate him."

"And if he wakes up?" she asked.

"That's where military training comes in handy," the point man replied and he noticed her staring at Cobb with a loving look in her eye. The two of them working together did not make any sense to him, it was a puzzle that he could not put together and he did not understand why she was willing to put so much at risk. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"You can certainly try," Mal replied with a smile that could melt ice.

"Aren't you worried about your relationship with Cobb getting used against you?" he asked.

"You mean like blackmail?"

"Just things like that in general. The risks of having your feelings for someone used against you, doesn't that scare you?" Arthur said.

"It does," Mal admitted looking a little sad. "At the same time we are in a business where all inhibitions are thrown to the wind. We are never more vulnerable than when we are dreaming. You need someone you can trust in this world, Arthur, you need someone you can depend on. Yes, Dom and I know the risks of being together in this business, but we also know that having someone we can trust completely with us at all times is much better. You were in the army, Arthur, you know that having someone watching your back is the greatest comfort of all." She touched his cheek fondly and smiled. "It's very easy to get lost in the dreams, you know that, and having someone you can depend on to help pull you out is invaluable. Don't forget that." Mal kissed his cheek and walked over to Cobb. Arthur blinked a few times, as if to clear his vision, and met Eames' eyes from across the room but said nothing.

Eames easily picked the lock to Edwards' apartment. The man had stayed up for several days in a row and had finally fallen asleep for the first time. Arthur knelt in front of the PASIV device and adjusted the levels for everyone. Cobb had insisted that he come down with them and that the intern in the other room would monitor the system. He was determined not to let Mal go into Edwards' mind alone despite how much she protested. They were holding hands as they all lay down to go into the dream. The point man noticed that Cobb was armed, which was not entirely surprising, but he wished they had discussed that beforehand. There was no time now. Arthur locked eyes with Eames, the forger nodded, and he pushed the button sending them all into the mind of a sociopath.