It started on a Tuesday. Eames sat, silent in his work chair, staring blankly out the window. His silent demeanor startled the team into silence and within minutes, no one was making a noise. Arthur kept a wary eye on the forger, positive something was wrong. Arthur thought of their date last night. Arthur had mentioned the question of Christmas presents and Eames lit up happily. So it couldn't be that, and if Arthur had done anything to upset the man, Eames would've said something. He knew the forger would never open up in front of other people so Arthur was forced to wait until after work to find out.

The rest of the day was boring to the extend Arthur himself was about to go crazy. Cobb had left early to help James rehearse for his school play and Arthur had hoped he would take Ariadne with him but she was going to stay and finish up the building layouts.

As it neared 9 o'clock Arthur packed up his things, locking his laptop and putting it, along with his papers, in his brief case. The trio of dreamers walked to the closet together. Arthur and Eames both leaned in to get their jackets, Arthurs a black pea coat, Eames' a bright red snow coat, when Ariadne's voice finally broke the silence.

"Well, would you look at that," both men turned to look at her then followed her eye site above them. Mistletoe was hanging in the door jam above them. Arthur smirked and leaned in, lips pursed dramatically for Ariadne's amusement. Eames pushed on Arthur's chest gently and ducked away. Arthurs face fell at the rejection and one look at Ariadne proved she was just as shocked at the reaction.

"What was that for?" Arthur asked softly but the room was silent again so he knew Eames could hear him.

"It's nothing, I just don't want to right now." Eames replied just as softly and stopped at the warehouse door.

"Don't want to?" Arthur repeated, louder this time because he was getting angry.

"You always want to kiss me." Did something happen? Did Eames meet someone else?

"Just lay off it, Arthur. If I don't bloody want to I don't bloody have too,"

Eames growled. Arthur saw Ariadne glance nervously between the two and he sighed.

"Okay, you're right." Arthur walked over to Eames as Ariadne zipped on her own jacket. Arthur locked the doors and they walked Ariadne to her car before starting their walk home.

The chilly air nipped at Arthurs exposed fingers so he reached down and grabbed Eames hand. The forger looked down at their hands interlaced and a smile game to his lips. Arthur had a similar smile until Eames blushed then shook his hand out of Arthurs.

Arthur could have pretended it didn't hurt. Could have pretended not to care, but it did and he did so turned to face his boyfriend.

"What, don't want to hold hands either?" Arthur demanded angrily. Some emotion floated to Eames' grey eyes but it was gone before Arthur could identify it.

"I-I think I should stay at the warehouse tonight."

Hurt and pain flickered on Arthurs face.

"If that's what you think," Arthur handed over the warehouse keys. Eames took them then turned away. Despair gripped Arthur and he turned and marched off. What if… what if Eames was cheating on him?

He couldn't handle that. He'd given Eames everything. A betrayal like that would destroy Arthur.

Arthur had worked himself into a panic by the time he got to his hotel. He debate on whether he should call Cobb. They were best friends and he'd surely have some advice. He picked up the phone and dialed Cobb's number.

"Hello," Phillipa's soft voice floated through the telephone.

"Hey Phillipa, its Uncle Arthur. Can I speak to your dad?" he heard Phillipa shout for her dad and then Cobb's voice was on the phone.

"Hello?" Cobb asked cautiously.

"Cobb, I've got a problem." he could practically hear Cobb tense up. "It's not anything important it's just…" Arthur heard James in the background, calling for Cobb. "Never mind, I-I'll take care of it." Arthur was about to hang up when Cobb's voice exited the receiver.

"Wait, Arthur! What's wrong?"

"Never mind, it's foolish now that I think about it."

"You sure?" Cobb asked and Arthur was holding the phone so tight against his head he was surprised he hadn't broken his skull.

"Yeah," his voice was soft.

"Alright…" Cobb was hesitant. "If you need anything, just call."

"I will," Arthur said before hanging up the phone. He stood, staring at it until he got the courage to look away. With a hard look in his eye he headed for the door, checking to make sure his gun was loaded, and walked out of the hotel.

As he walked to the warehouse he was trying to come up with plan. If he really didn't make Eames happy, could he shoot whoever was making him happy? Arthur knew he couldn't but that didn't mean he couldn't shoot something.

When he got to the warehouse, he didn't expect the doors to be unlocked.

Carefully he eased it open and stood there. He expected to hear moans of passion, what he didn't expect to hear were the soft hissing of the PASIV.

Eames was lying in the middle of the room, needle imbedded into his wrist.

Arthur curiously walked over and stared at the sleeping forger. Of course he wasn't cheating on him. It was foolish of Arthur to think so. But this… this didn't explain how Eames was acting. Lying down next to his partner, Arthur hooked himself and closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes he was in a shopping mall. Arthur let his eyes explore and watch the projections bustle away happily. A sign above the doors caught Arthur's eyes.

YOU'LL NEVER REGRET SHOPPING WITH THESE DEALS!

Arthur blinked. He's been here before. How could Eames be so stupid as to recreate this mall? Arthur looked around. Where was he supposed to find Eames?

He decided to risk talking to the projections.

"Excuse me, do you know where Eames is?" he asked a passing projection.

"Oh yes, he's in that store causing a whole lot of trouble. Personally I don't care either way…" but Arthur wasn't listening anymore, he'd started sprinting to the store before the woman even mentioned trouble.

A crowd of projections had formed a circle around Eames and a worker. Eames was staring dejectedly at a tie he held in his hands while the man was saying something that made the crowd laugh. Arthurs gut twisted painfully at the hopelessly sad expression on the forgers face and pushed his way through until he could hear what the man was saying.

"You're a stupid fag buying a stupid present for you gay boyfriend." the crowd laughed again. "You really disgust me, it's unnatural. Wrong. Men were made for women! Not other men." Eames was worrying the tie, playing with it so he didn't have to look up. "Are there any lovely women out there who are willing to save this man?" the worker said turning to the crowd. Arthur had enough and pulled out his gun and shot the worker between the eyes. The crowd screamed and Eames head snapped up. Arthur saw tears brimming in his eyes and rushed forward.

"Eames!" Arthur shouted out over the crowds screaming. The forgers eyes widened in surprise as Arthur embraced him in a hug.

"Eames what was that all about?" Arthur demanded.

"Arthur, what are you doing here?" Eames asked, worry and pain lacing his voice.

"I was worried about you. Now why are you here?"

"I don't wanna talk about it." Eames tried to turn away but Arthur caught his arm.

"Eames, please. I want to know why you were thinking those things." Eames looked down at the tie in his hands.

"I was going to get you something, you know, for Christmas. I asked a little ol' lady if she- if she thought my partner would like this. I said you were a business man and I wanted to get you something you'd be able to use and think of me. This chap over heard and began talking…" Eames trailed off and Arthur felt anger rise in his chest. He opened his mouth to speak when the building began to shake.

When Arthur opened his eyes he was staring at the dark ceiling of the warehouse.

He turned to Eames, who was already looking at Arthur.

"Eames, you let what this man said hurt you this much?" Eames looked away. "What was his name?"

"What?" Eames asked in surprise.

"His name, Eames. What is his name?"

"I don't remember."

"Yes you do. The projection had a name tag." Eames sighed.

"Bryce." Arthur nodded and they lay together on the concrete floor until shivers took control of their bodies. Arthur stood and held a hand down that Eames took. Arthur hauled Eames up but didn't let go of his hand.

"Eames, I love you." Arthur said softly after they locked the warehouse doors for the second time that night.

"I love you too," the Brit replied just as softly. As they walked home Arthur clenched Eames' hand tightly but the forger wouldn't look at the point man. Eames was still unnaturally quiet as they crawled into their hotel bed and Arthur nuzzled his neck, anxious to get his loving boyfriend back.

"I love you Eames," Arthur said again, trailing kisses along the forgers jaw line.

"I love you too," Eames muttered. Arthur pulled back and looked into his grey eyes.

"Kiss me damnit," Arthur demanded, which brought a grin to Eames' face. He leaned up and kissed the lean American with vigor. And for the rest of the night he seemed back to normal.

In the morning, Arthur rolled out of bed at 6 sharp and took his shower while Eames slept until the sunlight finally woke up. Today he woke at 8:30. In the two and a half hours Arthur had to himself, he used all his knowledge of hacking to get information about Bryce; who he was, when he worked, where he lived.

When Arthur was satisfied with his findings, he made sure the forger was still asleep before silently sneaking out of the room. Arthur stalked down the street toward the familiar mall. When he got into the store, cautious brown eyes scanned the room before he walked to the front desk.

"Hello, how can I help you?" a cheerful girl asked.

"I was wondering if you could tell me where Bryce is?" The girl gave him a cautious once-over.

"I'm not really allowed to do that," the girl said uneasily. Arthur smiled at her.

"Oh, I understand, but he texted me, asked if I could meet him up here but now he's not responding." Arthurs lie came out smoothly. Maybe he should start telling the truth, just to spice things up, he thought idly while the girl debated.

"Well, I suppose if he asked you to come... He's in men's clothing today."

Arthur's smile widened and he was sure his dimples were showing because she blushed and looked away from his face.

"Thank you," his voice was silk as he turned to walk away. He heard the girl answer but he continued to walk towards the sign labeling the men's department.

Arthur was the only customer in the department, with it being a work day not many people are out Christmas shopping. Arthur looked around and spotted the rack full of ties. He walked over and picked up a standard black one and let the smooth silk slide between his fingers. This was where Eames stood, being ridiculed and mocked. The tie was caught in Arthur's clenched fist. With another quick look around, Arthur spotted an employee walk into the fitting rooms.

Arthur followed with ease and stood at the opening, blocking the exit. When Bryce turned he jumped but a smile fell onto his face.

"Good morning, sir. Can I help you with anything?"

"Actually, you can. Do you recall yesterday when you made fun of that man for being gay?" Arthur saw Bryce's face drop slightly in confusion.

"I'm not sure what-" Bryce couldn't finish his sentence because Arthur had him pinned against the wall, the thick part of his arm placed solidly against Bryce's neck.

"Well I'm his 'gay boyfriend'" Bryce started to squirm and Arthur lifted his arm slightly before pushing it back down, slamming Bryce's body against the wall.

"Do you have anything to say now? Any words of wisdom to tell me?" Bryce's face was red, bordering purple. He gasped, trying desperately to get air into his burning lungs. "My boyfriend and I will be stopping by here and I expect you to give him an apology." Bryce nodded, weakly clawing at Arthurs arm.

Arthur eased up, allowing air to reach Bryce's lungs but still keeping a firm grip on his neck. Bryce gasped in air gratefully, eyeing Arthur with fear. Arthur pulled out his pocket knife and gently grazed Bryce's face with the blade.

"If I ever hear that you ridicule anyone," the blade was now on Bryce's lips. Arthur turned the knife and forced Bryce's mouth open. Arthur watched the steam from Bryce's shaky breaths cover the shiny blade. He was being a tad bit more dramatic than usual but then again, Eames is dramatic and with this being a tribute of sorts to the British man, Arthur concluded it was okay. "I'll cut out your tongue." Arthur's voice was a deadly whisper.

"Understand?" Bryce nodded his head, eyes wide. Arthur smiled, teeth gleaming like a monster.

"Well, thank you for your time. Have a nice day." Arthur walked out; satisfied the ignorant boy wouldn't cause any more trouble.

When Arthur got back to the hotel the first thing he noticed was that Eames hadn't moved from his spot on the bed. Arthur walked to the bed and leaned over the bulky man.

"Mr. Eames, it's time to wake up." Arthur placed a kiss on Eames' ear. The forger woke, smiling lazily. "Get dressed; I want to show you something." Arthur turned to get his things ready for the day while Eames stretched, arching his back like a cat before rolling out of bed. Eames threw a shirt on, a dark forest green that didn't make Arthur want to vomit, and the pants from the previous day. After he quickly brushed his teeth, he sat next to Arthur on the couch, a sheepish look on his face.

"Arthur," he said, clearing his throat. Arthur looked up from the newspaper and gave his partner a smile. "I'm sorry about last night. I love you more than anything in the world. I-I just wanted you to know." Arthur blushed and looked down.

"Are you ready?"

As they were walking in the store, Arthur felt Eames get more nervous by the second. Arthur reached down and laced his fingers through Eames'. Eames forced himself not to jerk away. Arthur led them to the men's section and Eames gripped Arthur's hand tightly as they neared where Bryce was shakily restocking.

"Arthur, what are you doing?" Eames asked nervously but Arthur ignored him with a soft smile on his lips. Bryce turned around and paled when he saw Arthur.

"G-good morning, s-sirs," Bryce stuttered out. Arthur cocked an eyebrow and Bryce turned to Eames. "I'm sorry I was rude to you and called you names. It was unprofessional and I hope you except this apology."

Eames glanced at Arthur. "Thank you," he answered, whether to Bryce or Arthur that was anyone's guess. Arthur nodded a dismissal to the young worker all the while Eames was staring at him.

"Darling, you threatened him… over me?"

"Yes, well, no one's allowed to upset you. And I know you would've done the same for me." Eames leaned in and kissed Arthur softly on the lips.

"Come on, there's some mistletoe still waiting for some action at the office," Eames said, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Arthur smiled as he allowed Eames to pull him out of the door. Watch out world, Eames is back…

So, there it is:) Had this plot bunny stored in my head until it exploded out of me this weekend:) Review! Also, check out my 3rd rock from the sun/Inception fic called Choices:) Thanks for reading!