Third chapter! Just a short one, this time. I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed and put this story on their favourites! It's great to know that people are enjoying the story so far!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Dom was in the middle of tinkering with the PASIV device when Arthur returned to the hotel. When he let the point man into the room, he was smiling like he was still eternally amused by the whole notion of sending him to school. However, the pale, unnerved appearance of the younger man had wiped all of that away in an instant. Arthur was not very easily moved; his two main expressions were neutral and annoyed. So it was never taken lightly when the young man looked even the slightest bit shaken.

"Was your day that bad?" This was asked with a bit of concern as the point man was let inside. Silence followed, as Arthur stepped into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, where pieces of the device were scattered, waiting to be cleaned and reassembled. Dark eyes clanging around the room, Arthur fidgeted with the strap of his bag, which now lay at his feet.

"Is Mal here?" he asked before looking to Cobb, who was returning to his work yet still watching him carefully. Despite his best efforts, his voice was low and almost nervous. His shoulders relaxed a little as the other shook his head.

"She just went out to get dinner. Why?"

The whole bus ride home, Arthur had tried to decide how he would deal with the information that had been set before him. He ran through the possibilities of telling the others, how he would word the news, and even the notion of just ignoring the problem altogether. But that was not how he did things. He never just hoped things would blow over. Idly playing with the bag's strap, still, Arthur thought through his next words carefully.

"You didn't hire anyone else, did you?" he asked, forcing himself to avoid averting his gaze from Cobb. Arthur didn't want to let his nerves show through. Not right now. A quizzical glance was thrown his way, as Dom carefully replaced the sedative canisters.

"It's just us and Mal, like usual." came the reply, heavy with a million questions although none followed. Dom understood Arthur, and knew that he didn't react to pressure. Everything he had to say would come out in time. It was a relief to not be barraged with questions. The young point man sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Then you're not going to like this." Arthur admitted dryly. Ever calm, the older man waited with a watchful, curious eye as he worked on the PASIV. It took a moment for the words to make it up to Arthur's drying mouth. "I ran into someone today. Somebody we've worked with before. And he's got some business with the school or someone in it."

This, understandably, concerned Cobb. He focused all of his attention on Arthur, now, and set the piece in his hand down on the bed. Something was clicking in his head, bringing the possibilities forward, none of which could bode well for the job. "And who would that be?" he asked, the low tone in his voice suggesting that he expected the worst. Arthur was now wringing his hands together slowly as he looked away, suddenly greatly interested in the disassembled PASIV.

"Eames. He's working there has a teacher, but he's doing something else." It took a moment for the truth to push its way out. In the corner of his vision, he could see Dom's expression turn nearly grim. Arthur heaved a sigh and ran his hands over his face briefly. "I don't know what he's doing. But he was greatly interested in my own business, there." Something in his tone pleaded slightly, imploring Cobb to not let this anger him. Luckily, his colleague was a reasonable man. His wife, however, would be throwing a fit by now. After last time, it was a wonder that Eames even lived to make another appearance in their lives.

"Arthur-"

"I tried to find out, but he's impossible to read." He cut the other man off suddenly, unable to hide the defensiveness that crept up on him. "Whether it has to do with us or not, I have no idea."

"I'm hardly worried about that." Cobb's voice was low and stiff, and Arthur felt his jaw clench at the implication. He looked up at the other, to see him standing with arms crossed and watching. They stared each other down for a moment, and Arthur suddenly felt like a berated child. Not the best feeling in the world.

"Not you, too." The point man was the first to break, surprisingly enough. Maybe the bad day had left his willpower somewhat brittle. He wrinkled his nose and looked away. But the other's eyes still bore into him.

"Listen." Dom sighed, moving to sit beside his friend on the edge of the bed. "I know you're a grown man, Arthur. But I'm allowed to be concerned, after how that job ended." The reasonable tone in his voice was a little calming, and Arthur felt like he couldn't be angry.

"He wasn't the one throwing punches." No, he couldn't be angry. He could, however, be frigid. He heard the other take another deep breath. "I'm not going to let this distract me. I just… You needed to know that we had other people lurking around the campus. In case it works against us." He pressed, staring at the floor.

"I trust you, Arthur. But if he is working against is, he might try to use your past relat-"

"Don't call it that."

Dom pinched the bridge of his nose and was quiet for a few seconds. "Fine - your history – as a means of making you lose sight of your goal." He was obviously trying very hard to be patient and reasonable. Arthur appreciated it. They sat in silence for a moment, during which Arthur picked at his already spotless fingernails.

"Please don't tell Mal." He finally said quietly. It was the last thing he needed. He had lied when he assured Eames that Mrs. Cobb no longer cared about that little incident. She would be livid if she knew that the forger was there, and had the gall to approach Arthur and invite him out for drinks. Even after having two kids, Arthur was still very much her 'baby'. Thankfully, Dom understood her overprotective nature as a bit of a thorn in the young man's side. Arthur felt a hand pat him on the back and then squeeze his shoulder.

"I won't. Just please be careful, because I don't think we can hide a lot from her." He said, offering a reassuring smile. "We'll be fine. We've worked against good people before."

But Eames wasn't just good. He was the best at what he did, and made a living out of deceiving others. Arthur was a little more at ease after getting most of the weight off his chest, but he was still very worried. He could only hope that this was a coincidence; that he would have minimal contact with the forger and their jobs would have nothing to do with each other. Because he wasn't sure if he could deal with that mess again. The talk came to a halt as Mal flitted through the door was bags of take-out in her arms, grinning to the two men in her life with all the adoration in the world.

"You don't look like you had a good day, Arthur." she almost cooed as she stepped over and handed him one of the bags, her hand brushing over his pale cheek. "Eat. And tell me all about it."

He didn't. He hated to lie to Mal, but he couldn't give her the whole story. And Dom obviously had a similar conflict as Arthur spoke about his stressful day, consciously leaving out the chance encounter. But it was for the best; it was for the sake of the job.