Author's Note: So I thought about posting this tomorrow just to see how many reviews I could get for my comeback chapter, but decided that wasn't really fair. So here ya go :)

If you all will go to my profile and vote on where you want this story to go, I can start writing the next couple of chapters. Until people start voting, though, I can't really do much. So once you read through this new chapter, please go to my profile and vote! I aim to please!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inception, or Arthur in his sexiness. Boo :(

Without further ado…

Chapter Seven

"Chicago?" Eames voice rang out in disbelief over the phone. "Are you sure?"

"That's the last plane that took off. You and I know she wouldn't stick around the airport and take the risk of me finding her," Arthur said as he leaned back in his chair, the quiet chatter of the café momentarily distracting him.

"True. Any idea where she's planning on going from there?"

"She might go to Cobb since he's over there in the States, but I'm not sure. I'm in the airport security system to see if she bought a ticket for a connecting flight," Arthur stated, his fingers moving at a swift pace across the keyboard.

Eames snorted. "You've got to be kidding. There is no way she paid with a credit card. She knew that even if she managed to get on the plane without you catching her, you would hack her credit card summary to see where she was going."

Arthur let out a frustrated sigh, knowing Eames was right when nothing came onto the computer screen to say otherwise.

Rubbing his hand over his eyes, Arthur knew he needed to get some sleep since it was now three in the morning, but knowing that he would be unable to rest easily until he found Ariadne.

Letting another sigh escape him, Arthur said good-bye to Eames and dialed Cobb's number.

"Hello?" Cobb answered.

Arthur immediately noticed a difference in him. Gone was the guilt and pain that had once laced his voice. Now, in its place, there was a lightness to it.

"I need to talk to you," Arthur stated.

"Clearly," Cobb answered, amused. "What is it?"

"It's Ariadne."

There was a minute of silence. "What about her?" he finally asked.

"Have you talked to her lately? Maybe her mentioning coming out your way for a while?" Arthur asked, not being able to keep the jealous tone completely out of his voice.

"What? Cobb asked, sounding shocked. "Why would you think that?"

"She bought an airline ticket for Chicago, and I thought she might be heading your way," Arthur explained.

"Why would she be coming to me?" Cobb asked.

"You tell me," Arthur snapped.

There was more silence on Cobb's end before Arthur heard a small chuckle.

"You really are the jealous type. I thought Eames was kidding," Cobb exclaimed, chuckling again.

Arthur felt his temper rise, but bit his tongue. It was these types of emotional outbursts that caused the smallest of problems in this field of work. Cobb was a prime example of that.

Cobb began speaking again. "I haven't heard anything from her since the Fischer job, except for the occasional email. And that was weeks ago."

Another wave of fatigue pulsed through Arthur, but he promptly ignored it.

"Get some sleep, Arthur. You sound like you need it," said Cobb softly.

"Time spent sleeping is more time that Ariadne could be getting further and further away," Arthur snapped, losing his patience.

"You can't help her if you're dead on your feet. Besides, you don't have any leads," Cobb stated calmly. "The best thing you can do is get some sleep and be fully rested for you and her."

Arthur said nothing, knowing his colleague was right.

"I'll let you know if I hear anything," Cobb added.

As his fatigue grew stronger, Arthur finally caved.

"Thanks," he told Cobb, snapping his phone shut.

Gathering his things together, Arthur walked out to his car and drove home, a pensive expression never leaving his face.

AxA AxA AxA AxA AxA

Toledo was a beautiful city, nestled in the heart of Spain. The city was known for its intricate weaving of gold into jewelry, though with the tight budget she was on, Ariadne knew she didn't have any money to spare.

She liked it here, she decided. A quiet life wasn't quite what she had imagined as a young girl, but it was only temporary, and there were a million and one places for her to sketch to her heart's desire.

While her money wasn't rapidly depleting, Ariadne knew she would have to withdraw some money soon. She was comfortable for the next few days, she reasoned with herself. There was no need to worry about it right now.

What was worrying her was a different matter entirely. Him. Though she had tried day in and day out for the past two weeks to get him out of her mind, nothing seemed to work. Not sketching, not reading, nothing. It's like he had taken up permanent resident in the back of her thoughts, and nothing was going to get him out.

Men were insufferable.

Ariadne was amazed he hadn't managed to find her yet. Keeping undetected was harder work than she originally thought. She couldn't use her credit card. She had had left her cell phone at home, choosing instead to buy a disposable one that she used only to check in with her parents every couple days. She even avoided going into stores, deciding to buy from vendors off the street instead. The less she was seen and heard, the better.

Still, while she was happy he hadn't come to drag her back home, Ariadne was a bit annoyed. Didn't he at least care enough about her, even as a friend, to worry about where she was?

Apparently not.

Little did she know that this was the calm before the storm.

AxA AxA AxA AxA AxA

"Two weeks. Two fucking weeks. How have I not found her yet?" Arthur shouted, raking his hands through his hair.

Eames' amused look turned into one of shock at Arthur's uncharacteristic display of anger.

"She hasn't used her cell phone, so I can't track the signal. She hasn't used her credit card for anything, so I can't hack her credit card summary. And though I've scanned her picture into the security camera system for any recognition, nothing has come up. It's like she's fallen off the face of the planet!" Arthur ranted, pacing around the room.

"She's either left her phone here or turned it off wherever she went. Either way, you can't track it. So there's no use worrying about that aspect. There is the fact, however, that she will have to use her credit card sooner or later. She can't have had that much cash on hand," Eames reassured.

"You don't know that," Arthur snapped.

"Yes, actually, I do," Eames said. "She once told me that she only keeps a few thousand on hand for emergencies."

"Ok, Mr. Smartass. Explain how I haven't caught a glimpse of her on any camera once since this all started," Arthur said sharply.

Eames gave him a look of annoyance. "Please. Like you haven't already thought of this. But I'll explain it to you so you can feel better that you came up with it first."

Arthur glared at him.

"There are three scenarios. One: Ariadne went to a very secluded area that isn't technologically advanced, therefore, no camera would be able to see her simply because there aren't any," Eames stated.

"Please," Arthur interrupted, rolling his eyes. "She would be bored to tears."

"She wasn't thinking ahead, Arthur," Eames snapped. "All she could think about was getting away from you."

Arthur snapped his mouth shut, his eyes shooting daggers.

"Second," Eames continued, "She's been wearing a disguise. Yes, I know you think you would have spotted her," Eames, said, holding his hand up to silence Arthur, "but it's not that difficult to buy a hat and a pair of sunglasses."

Eames looked at him expectantly, waiting for Arthur to respond. Arthur said nothing.

"Third: You're looking in the wrong spot," Eames said.

"The last plane that took off was to Chicago. She has to be in Chicago, or somewhere near there," Arthur said, his tone a little desperate.

"Not necessarily. She arrived at the airport a good ten minutes ahead of you. Did you check to see if any other flights left right before the Chicago flight?" Eames asked.

Arthur shot off to his computer, giving Eames the answer he needed.

For the next fifteen minutes, the warehouse was quiet, save the fast paced clicking of the keyboard.

"Shit," Arthur breathed.

"Where?" Eames asked, knowing he had been right.

"Toledo, Spain," Arthur replied, already getting ready.

A/N: Like it? I hope so. In case you were wondering, the part about the gold-woven jewelry is true. I have a bracelet that I got from Toledo when I went there with my school a couple summers ago.

Please, please go to my profile and vote on the poll. Where do you want me to go from here?