Author's Note: Hardest chapter to write EVER. Seriously, I had the toughest time getting through this. I'm sorry for the wait, and I know this kind of sucks. Everything should be much lighter and cuter after this. Please review!

The next morning, everyone on the team got a very early start. The plan was to go to the mark, Joseph Page's, apartment, and sedate him from there. After he was sedated Arthur, Ariadne, and Eames would travel into his dream. Yusuf was staying out to keep watch.

The dream would be a relatively short one. Ariadne had already explained the motel she'd created in great detail. Everything was running smoothly. For once, everyone was beginning to believe that the job was going to work without any problems.

After having a brief breakfast, the team left for Joseph Page's house. Eames had rented, or stolen, a car for the job. No one was quite sure where he had gotten it, and no one asked. Arthur ran over the plans for what seemed like the hundredth time in the car.

"We're all clear? We sedate and hook up Page. Eames, Ariadne, and I will travel into his dream. Yusuf stays out. Eames will disguise himself as the apparent mistress and find out where the secrets will be. Ariadne and I will wait for further instructions in one of the motel rooms. When Eames calls and tells us where the safe is, we'll head there; a quick in and out. The wife is staying close by. Once we get the information, we deliver it to her. Any questions?" Arthur spoke quickly, in a rehearsed tone.

The rest of the team shook their heads. They could all basically say the plan backwards by now.

Several moments passed before the car rolled to a stop in front of a large, brick apartment complex. "We're here." Eames called from the driver's seat.

The team stepped out of the car. Yusuf and Arthur both had their hands full with supplies for the job. Ariadne stepped forward first. "Alright." She said, taking a deep breath and reaching to grab the door of the complex.

At Page's door, Arthur spoke in a whisper. He gestured at Eames. Eames stepped forward and knocked on the door with his right hand. He held a syringe in his hidden left hand.

Joseph Page opened the door and Eames immediately brought the needle into his neck.

"Perfect." Eames commented on his work with a grin.

Arthur stepped forward and helped Eames carry the man into the room and onto a chair.

"Alright, let's work fast. Yusuf, get him properly sedated." Yusuf stepped forward, stuck Page with several more syringes, and retreated behind Arthur quickly.

While the others were working on Joseph Page, Ariadne was able to get a clear look at him. He was young, mid-twenties, probably. His dark brown hair clashed with his fair skin. He was, the girl thought, very attractive.

Arthur stepped forward and hooked the mark up, blocking Ariadne's view of him. When he was dreaming, the point man hooked Eames into the dream.

Arthur, Ariadne, and Yusuf were now awake. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Arthur asked Ariadne.

She tried not to glare at him. He was only worried because he cared. "I want to do this." She answered with a nod.

Arthur sighed and hooked her up to the dream. He brushed a bit of fallen hair out of her face and sat next to her on the bed. He then hooked himself up and closed his eyes.

Ariadne opened her eyes to the check-in room of the shabby motel. She knew this place. She had designed this dream and it was perfect. It was subtle, yet she knew that it was a difficult maze as well.

She heard a movement behind her and turned to see Arthur straightening his suit. An attractive blonde woman walked in the door. She strolled confidently towards the point man and placed her small hand on his shoulder. She moved her hips closer to him.

"Eames, knock it off. I know it's you." Arthur said, moving away from the girl.

"Damn!" The small girl exclaimed. "Okay. I'm going up to his room."

"Get the safe details. Then call…"

"Stop worrying your pretty little head, Arthur." Eames interrupted. "I know the plan. Now you two go have fun in your room. Alone. For however long you'll be there. Together. All by…"

Arthur cut him off, his face turning a telling red. "Eames go!"

"Arthur, darling, don't forget to wear a…"

"EAMES." Arthur shouted.

The blonde woman that was Eames winked and left in a surprisingly graceful walk.

Arthur mumbled rude things about the man as he walked towards the room they would wait in. Ariadne followed him silently. They each took a seat on the bed of the motel room. Arthur closed the door.

"Sorry about… that." Arthur mumbled.

"Oh, it's only Eames. You know." The girl answered awkwardly.

The man shrugged. "He likes to meddle. He's always been this way. Once, on an old case, he attempted to set me up with a girl we were working for. It was really…"

Ariande interrupted. "Arthur, I, uh, don't need to know about your former, um… lovers."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Attempted to set me up," He emphasized.

The girl forced a smile. "Yeah, of course,"

The door of the room suddenly burst open. A crowd of projections rushed into the room.

"What the…" Arthur started, before being cut off with a gunshot to the head. He fell immediately to the ground.

Ariadne let out a scream and fell to his side. It took only a moment for one of the angry projections to shoot her as well. Their bodies lay side by side on the ground.

The point man shot up quickly. He took a gasping breath and looked around his surroundings. He was back on the outside.

Yusuf rushed to his side. "That wasn't the kick. I mean, there was no kick at all. Why are you awake?" He questioned, fumbling to help Arthur remove the wires from his arm.

"I…we… the projections…" Arthur glanced around. Joseph Page was still sedated in one of the lawn chairs, along with Ariadne and Eames.

"The projections got us." The point man finally answered.

Ariadne suddenly shot up. She scrambled to remove the wires from her arm as well. "What happened?" She asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

"I don't know," Arthur said, beginning to regain composure. "Maybe Eames didn't fool Page. He must have realized he was dreaming and the projections reacted."

"Does that ever happen?" The architect asked, looking at Arthur with a worried expression.

"Rarely," He answered shortly.

Ariadne pulled the wrinkles out of her shirt and straightened it. "Well, what now? We go back, right?"

Arthur stood and pulled Eames' body out of the lawn chair. "We're giving him the kick. Now." The point man dropped the dreamer back out of his chair.

Eames suddenly woke up with a gasp. He scrambled to his feet. In an instant, he was up and hugging Arthur tightly.

The point man jumped back automatically. "Eames! WHOA."

Ariadne giggled to herself.

Eames shook a wavering hand in the air towards him. "You may be a stick in the mud with no imagination at all, but darling, I am thankful for you right now."

Arthur simply stared at the other man in shock. His jaw had already dropped during the hug.

Ariadne finally spoke up. "What happened in there, Eames?"

The forger drew a shaky breath and sat back down. "They tortured me." He answered in response.

"The projections? No, they don't torture. They don't have the mental capacity for that." Arthur spoke confidently.

"Well love, they do now."

Arthur ran a hand through his hair. He began pacing the room. "Cobbs said the projections would be hostile, but this? I have never heard of projections acting so intelligently."

"Oh, they're intelligent all right!" Eames piped up. "They had tricks. They made me want to die. I prayed for the kick. Thanks again." He gestured slightly towards Arthur.

"How… how did he know?" Yusuf asked from the corner of the warehouse room.

Eames gestured at Joseph, who was still asleep on one of the chairs. "He knew. He was prepared. I don't know how, but someone must have tipped him off."

Arthur began packing things around the warehouse up.

Ariadne looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What are you doing?" She asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

He glanced at her, then turned and faced Yusuf. "How long can you keep Page under?"

Yusuf looked down at his supplies and shrugged slightly. "10 minutes tops," He answered, already reaching down to begin further sedating the man.

"Everyone pack up. We're leaving." Arthur spoke defiantly.

Eames and Ariadne glanced doubtfully at each other, before moving to grab their things.

The team was out of the warehouse in 4 minutes.

"Now what?" Eames asked quietly.

Arthur looked out the window. "We run." He answered.