Arthur grimaced at the taste of his coffee. Economy class certainly didn't suit him anymore. Not after being pampered by his multiple rich clients on their private jets, with freshly grind Colombian coffee and imported pastries from Paris to accompany it. But due to circumstances he had to suck it up and take whatever seat was available on the plane.

It was only one hour and a half flight from Zurich to Paris. In that time he had to endure the cheapness of the cuisine, the uncomfortable size of the seat and the snoring neighbor on his right. Thankfully destiny pitied on him and he got the seat by the window. Giving a disapproving glare to the man next to him, he pulled out his briefcase from under his seat. Taking out his laptop and notepad, he unlocked the service table and resumed his work.

After the call was over Arthur phoned Eames, frowning after listening the forger's obnoxious and distasteful message of his answering machine, he left the message. The point man only hoped that Eames would be back soon from whatever dump hole he was and get the message. After that he packed his things and headed straight to the airport. To his misfortune the only flight available was at 7:30am. He cursed mentally but paid reluctantly taking his boarding pass he passed security and headed to the waiting room. Once he was settled he felt the weariness fall upon his shoulders. It was just 3:20am and it didn't help he had only slept two hours.

Rubbing his eyes with his right thumb and middle finger, he sighed and pulled out his laptop. After comparing notes, his mind drifted to the information Cobb passed him. It wasn't much but it was a start. After analyzing the few words the kidnaper said to the extractor, Arthur realized he needed to tie down some loose ends about Ariadne before anything else.

First he needed to cover the true whereabouts of the architect, what they didn't need right now was someone rising the alarm of her disappearance. Thankfully she lived by her own, so he didn't need to elaborate something for a concerned roommate. Now were the school and the family. The school was easy, he'll tell them the same thing they did the last time. As for the family the only way he thought was to hack into her e-mail and write to them about that job offer, that would explain why she wouldn't be reporting to them that frequently. That would definitely do.

Now, to wrap the whole thing nicely, he needed to inform her closest friends about where she would be for the next couple of weeks. He felt a sour taste in his mouth at the thought of Ariadne been kept for that long. Images of the things those bastards could be doing to her at the moment were devouring him on the inside slowly. 'Don't go there Arthur' shaking his head, he needed to remain focused. They will find her, he will make sure they will.

He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. Once his nerves were calm again, he continued his previous thoughts. The best way to explain her friends why Ariadne was out reach without rising any suspicion was to broadcast the same lie told to the school and the family. Eames would pass as the employer who hired Ariadne the last time, commenting she was back on the firm but since the project was too big he required the assistance from another student. Well knowing how it was like to be a senior student, Arthur predicted that most of her classmates, including her friends, would be so thrilled to get the position that it will keep their minds busy to inquire any further about her whereabouts.

Arthur was so focused on constructing the perfect façade for her kidnapping that he lost track of time. It wasn't long before all the passengers were called to board. Packing all his belongings, the point man walked to the front desk like any other passenger handing the boarding pass and taking his seat.

Now here he was, staring at the screen of his laptop, trying to trace the next step. However his mind neglected to give him any answers. Arthur frowned and rubbed his temples. His eyes started to sting, feeling the pressure right behind them. He massaged them gently with his fingers but the pressure kept on growing. Frustrated he closed the laptop and placed it back into his briefcase. It was impossible to think when the menace of a mild headache was approaching. He locked the service table and adjusted his seat as comfortable as it allowed to, even if that meant bending only 10º to the back.

There was no use if his mind wasn't cooperating instead he decided to give it a break for the remaining time of the flight. Hoping it would clear his head and help him concentrate later.

-.-.-.-.-.-

The fastest way of course was by plane, but since the last job Eames was resentful to airplanes. Nothing against them, just the reminder of the Inception job was enough to make him twist his mouth in disgust. True, things had worked at the end but still today he couldn't flight comfortably without having flashbacks. And let's not talk about white vans.

As the taxi pulled over the Heathrow Airport, Eames paid the driver generously as he took out of the trunk his suitcase. The driver wished him luck and drove away. The forger checked on his watch, 5:20am. With boarding pass in hand he went straight ahead to the gates. On the way he decided to indulge a bagel with cream cheese and latte. Taking a seat next to one of the many wide windows of the airport, he sipped his coffee as he waited for the announcement on the speaker.

He took out his cellphone and tried once more to reach Arthur, it went straight to voice mail again. Of course, the ever so efficient Arthur right now must be on a plane from whatever part of the world he was heading to the city of lights. So any chance of getting more information from him was out of the question. He would have to wait.

Giving a bite to the bagel, Eames lie back on his seat and started to replay the message in his head. It didn't say nothing but the absolutely essential. Eames smirked. It had been like this since he met Arthur 5 years ago. Always taking care of all the things the rest of the team didn't bother to even acknowledge. That was his job and hell he was good at it. The most boring job according to the forger, but someone had to do it. Nevertheless he would not risk his neck in a big job if Arthur wasn't the point man, he only trusted in the wits of the neatly dressed American.

Taking the last sip of his coffee he tossed it to the garbage can in front of him, in a really childish way. The paper cup landed inside in a clean shot Eames grinned '2 points for me' He received a couple of stares from his neighbors, that included a brunette with curly hair and big brown eyes. The resemblance to the young architect brought back some questions, instead of proceeding like he would normally do, he decided just smile at her and return to his thoughts.

Eames wondered who else would be involved in this case. Did Arthur call everyone? Or like him, someone else informed the point man? Maybe Cobb raised the alarm to his trustworthy right hand and let him take care of the rest. If that was the case, the forger pitied the extractor. Why was he always the bearer of the bad news? Perhaps the kidnappers just wanted Cobb so they were using the petite girl as bait. That wouldn't be shocking at all, in fact it was too predictable for the taste of the Englishman.

What was with the bad guys and their lack of imagination? It was always revenge or power. He wouldn't even be surprised if the mastermind behind this operation was a man with a black coat, sitting on a black leather chair with an eye patch and a cat on his lap. Laughing maniacally as he patted his furry friend. Ok, he had seen too much espionage movies recently. However someday he hoped to meet a decent criminal to loathe and claim revenge on.

Nevertheless with bad guy with eye patch or not he was going. Not only because she was his former coworker and held information that could jeopardize the team and himself, also because she had been nice to him without needing to be. Besides he always toyed with the idea of playing the English gentleman card and help a damsel in distress. He chuckled at the thought of wearing a black tuxedo with a martini on his left hand and a Cougar Magnum on the right. Now he really needed to stop watching those movies altogether.

A/N: Can you tell I have a lot of fun writing about Eames? Sorry can't help it, for me he seems capable enough to think those things even in moments like that. Anyhow thanks for reading and the reviews, they do mean the world to me.