It had been easy to reactivate her number, he only had to say the right things to the correct person and presto! Piece of cake. Now the real problem was to hack into the Parisian police surveillance. He had told Eames it was easy for him, which it was, but Arthur suspected it wouldn't be that simple in this occasion. The last time he hacked into the system was to plant a bug so he could copy the transmission of the cameras surrounding the warehouse during the Inception job. Now he feared that they had caught his little trick and doubled the security.

The point man tapped his right index on top of the desk as he caressed his chin with his left thumb, thinking thoroughly how to approach this predicament. He couldn't jeopardize to be caught and blocked from the mainframe, not in a moment like this. This time he couldn't afford to retreat and come back later, the clock was ticking and any mistakes could mean the difference between success and utter failure.

Arthur sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. The migraine from earlier threatened to overpower the painkillers he swallowed before he landed. Stretching his back on the chair he opened his eyes slowly, gazing the ceiling. Trying not to think about anything, but failing miserably. His mind started to wonder about the situation at hand.

The why was already clear, they wanted Cobb badly. But the how was still a puzzle to him. How could they have linked her to them? He had been so careful to erase their tracks and remove any possible way of communication with her. It was almost as they had never ever met her, never existed in her life. So how could they have known she had worked for them? Was there something that leaked out? Who was capable enough to overpass his skills and hunt her down?

Of course they had gone after her, after all she was nothing but a common college student. No training, no sense of self-preservation, hell not even physical condition to outrun her pursuers. No, she didn't even have the faintest clue of what kind of vermin plagued this type of business. Her innocence couldn't possible picture the kind of wicked people that existed and what they were capable of. She was just an innocent girl, and that's exactly why he had refused to accept her on the team.

It had been on Sydney, the night before they boarded the plane to L.A. He had requested her to pay him a visit once she was over with her training with Cobb on the adjacent room. She walked in with her cheery smile and her innocent doe eyes, wondering why could possibly the Point Man wanted from her. After asking her to make herself comfortable, she sat on the border of his bed, swinging her legs due to the height of the mattress. He resisted the impulse to chuckle at this childish behavior. Remembering why he had called her, he cleared his throat and began to talk.

He still remembered how furious she was when he explained her why her job had been a one time only. She had jumped out of the bed and do exaggerated hand gestures. Trying to convince him over and over that she was up for the job, that she didn't care what could happen to her and she was more than willing to take the risks that came along with it. As long as she kept on building dreams and have the mighty power of the pure creation.

He had expected this reaction, so he remained stoic and refused her in the end firmly. She fumed and glared him with such intensity that Arthur swore his eyes were about to catch on fire. She clenched her fists and stormed out of his hotel room, almost smashing the door behind her. Also he had expected her to ignore him the following morning, she didn't spare him a glance, not even when Cobb reviewed the schemes for the last time. Even if he had anticipated this, that didn't ease the sense of guilt on the pitch of his stomach. So it was natural she continued to ignore him, even on the plane. But of course that was part of the plan so that didn't bug him that much.

When the job started, and everything had gone downhill, he wasn't concerned about her anger anymore. The survival of him and his team was the only think he could think about. He felt anger bubbling inside, he was angry at himself for failing to find that tiny but really important detail about Fisher's trained mind. He even had taken out on her. She fought back of course, but he was so pissed to even care. Everything was going wrong in so many ways, out of control, that he felt unbalanced and somehow scared that they couldn't make it alive.

So when they made it safely to the second level, and his mind was clearer, he remembered how bitter she really was. Instead of the familiar teasing and the cheeky smiles, she was asking him about Mr. Charles in such a serious tone that could had made Cobb proud. He started to explain about the purpose of the gambit when he heard a clear opening to ease things with her when she told him about Cobb not following his own advice. He had succeeded in making her snort. It wasn't much but at least her defenses were a little lower.

Everything was going smoothly, there were no projections pointing guns around them, not sight of any possible threat. That was until the earth started to shake. He sensed her body to stiffen as she gazed around, seeing how menacing the stares from the projections were. Her fear was alerting them, driving more attention to him than was necessary. He needed her to remain calm and collected, she was no use if she couldn't keep composed. He tried to explain her what exactly was happening in an attempt to calm her down. It had been futile. Resisting the impulse to roll his eyes, he opted for the easiest way to reboot her mind and keep her steady. He had tricked her into a kiss.

He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it, but it had been so brief, a mere brush of lips, so it was almost impossible to even remember how it had felt like. After that he sensed she was calmer and a little less angry with him, even after they woke up at the plane and they took their luggage on the airport. She even half smiled at him before taking her suitcase and disappearing into the crowd. He presumed her brain finally grasped the dangers of the job and took his advice. And that was probably why she didn't try to look for them after that, not even having Miles so close by. This gave Arthur some reassurance; he had succeeded into protecting her. Keeping her away from all the threats and hazards from the underworld.

And yet… in the end, it had gotten her.

The Point Man cursed, knitting his brows. He had done exactly what he was supposed to, he had protected her by keeping her away from the fire, rejecting probably the best architect he had worked with. And after he went through all the trouble for what? So she would get in danger anyway? 'Nice going' he thought bitterly.

He felt something vibrating on his jacket pocket, well knowing what it was, he pulled out his cellphone and checked the screen. Waiting no longer he pressed the green button and placed the device on his ear.

"What you got?" Arthur asked as he drummed his fingers on the desk.

"What we need" a cheery voice responded on the other side.

A/N: No, I haven't forgotten about this story either. Just needed to check my notes and sit on the bloody chair in front of the computer, and voila!

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