Author's Note: I've had this idea for a while, and I am FINALLY getting it posted. Is it a one-shot or a multi-chapter story? Guess you'll have to read and see ;).

Chapter One:

Eames knew they thought they were being discreet, but honestly, he was a forger. It was his job to know people, and he was the best at what he did. If they thought they were fooling him, they were sadly mistaken.

And frankly, if they really wanted to hide it, they would try-no, could keep it that way. But Eames knew they were both growing wearing of this on-going game of cat and mouse. Now they just had to see who would make the first move. Unfortunately, Eames knew, with these two, they would take something akin to a grandmother walking a marathon; too slow, in his opinion. And he'll be damned if he doesn't speed up the process just a bit.

The team (minus Cobb) was in the middle of another project. The Mark: Cecille Barton. Her husband, owner of one of the world's largest oil companies, suspected that she was being unfaithful and was paying top dollar to find out the truth. The plan was simple: a two-layer dream with a safe on the second level containing Cecille's most hidden secrets. If she was having an affair, the information would definitely be in the safe.

The plan was so simple, in fact, that there was no reason for Ariadne to go under. Her job was to build the layout, teach the designs to the team, and make sure nothing happened to their bodies. Eames couldn't help but notice the look of relief Arthur had when he realized this.

Currently, Arthur was taking notes, his pen gliding smoothly across the paper, eyes never leaving the open file on his desk. As predicted, though, Arthur's eyes slyly glanced at Ariadne. When he found Eames looking at him, he cleared his throat and glued his eyes back to the file, looking flustered at the fact that Eames had caught him.

The forger grinned, focusing once more on his own work.

The day passed rather quickly with little more than a few words spoken between any team members. Arthur, usually the last one to leave, had packed up by 7 PM.

"Arthur, did you finally find something other to do than work? Maybe you found a lady friend?" Eames joked.

Eames saw Ariadne stiffen at his words, and immediately regretted them. Arthur shot him a dirty look and held it a few seconds before rolling his eyes and replying:

"As much as I hate to disappoint you," he said sarcastically, "I'm only leaving early because I have a late appointment with the client."

"And here I thought you had found someone more boring than you," Eames pouted.

Arthur just shook his head, walking towards the warehouse door. He stopped at Ariadne's desk, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't work yourself too hard," he said quietly.

She gave him a small smile. "No promises."

He gave her a gentle smile in return, his hand lingering on her shoulder longer than it normally did. He turned around and walked out the door. The smile on Ariadne's face was long gone; a quiet ache of sadness clouded her features. Before Eames could discern any more of the emotions on her face, her back was to him and she began placing the final touches on her models.

Silence blanketed the warehouse once more. They only noise was the tinkering of Yusuf and his beakers. He too left, and before they knew it, Eames and Ariadne were the only ones there.

"Well, I don't know about you, darling, but I am absolutely spent," Eames said, stretching his arms above his head. "I think it's time to call it a day."

"I just need to finish a few more things up," Ariadne said. When she saw his look of disbelief, she held up her hands in defeat. "I promise, just a few quick details, and then I'll leave."

He gave her a suspicious look, but nodded in consent. He left her to her work, and walked the four blocks to his car. It was only when he started the car that he realized he had forgotten his cell phone on his desk.

"Damn it!" he growled.

He trudged his way back to the warehouse and through the door, glancing around when he realized Ariadne wasn't at her work station.

"Ariadne?" he called, his voice ringing throughout the empty room.

He walked over to his desk and picked up his cell phone. It wasn't until he turned around that he noticed the door that lead to the back room was ajar. He quietly stepped over to the door, peeking through the crack. Ariadne was laying on one of the lawn chairs, a needle in her wrist connecting to the PASIV machine. Her breathing was slow, and Eames realized that she had waited until everyone had left to go to sleep- and Eames had a feeling she wasn't working on the design layout for the job.

An idea slowly started to form in Eames' mind as he watched the architect sleep. An idea that, if worked, would finally give Ariadne and Arthur the push they needed. If it failed, though…Eames suppressed a shudder. Ariadne might be small, but she was 110 pounds of fury when she needed to be. Was he willing to take the risk?

Eames grinned, now determined, and knew what he had to do. He made his way over to another lawn chair, grabbing a needle and pushing it into his wrist. It wasn't long before he felt the sedative kick in, and before he knew it, his eyes were fluttering closed.

A/N: No, I wouldn't be that cruel. This is a multi-chapter fic! I have almost all the chapters written, I just have to tweak a few things here. The more you review, the quicker I post the next chapter.. :)