It had been a year and seven months since the Fischer job. A year and seven months since Eames had heard from any member of the team he had worked with. Hey, it wasn't as if he was sore about it. It was common in high profile jobs to lose contact for a good while after, so no one could trace them to one another if something went wrong. A few months was the standard. Not a few years. But fuck it if he was going to be the first to send out a greeting card. He knew where everyone was, anyway.

Saito was still head of his company, raking in millions. Yusuf had gone back to Mombasa and his grateful dreamers. Cobb had returned to his family and was only taking on small, no risk jobs once in a while to keep monotony at bay. Ariadne was close to finishing school, keeping her nose clean and either waiting until after graduating to go back into the dream world or keeping under even his radar. And Arthur… Arthur was living in New York, but it beat him if he would actually find him there. Like himself, the point man was known to travel, taking different jobs in different countries now that Cobb was semi-retired.

The point man was who he really thought about during those long months of lost contact. To be honest, he hadn't expected anything from him. For some reason he still wasn't entirely sure of, Arthur still seemed to detest him, even when he did his best to put on his best behavior on that last job they'd both been a part of. It grated on him to admit that he had tried to get the man to warm up to him, to maybe even like him a little bit, but there was no use denying it. The silly crushes he'd had before were simply nothing compared to how he felt when he just managed to get a glimpse of the man.

Ever since the forger and the point man had met five years before, Eames had been smitten. Everything about the 24-year-old, the suits he wore, the measured way he talked, the stern look in his dark eyes. All new to Eames, but equally challenging and exciting. Of course, he had still been coping with his own sexuality at the time as well, so, not sure of what to do, he played it off that first time.

His attraction remained a low, steady heat in his stomach every time they worked together over the years, slowly growing each time he saw him despite the other man's indifference. When they were teamed up again for the Fischer job, he was more sure of himself and what he would want from Arthur. He'd had plenty of affairs before, trysts with young men that didn't amount to anything. Now, at thirty-two, he was tired of keeping it casual. He wanted someone he could spend his time with, wake up next to every morning. He knew he could hardly expect anything like that from the straight-laced man, but he figured as long as there was a scrap of a chance, he would pursue it.

Of course, now that the realization had dawned on him, he had no idea what to do. Calling Arthur up seemed like a bad idea. He could already hear the suspicion in the point man's voice. After all, they weren't even considered friends. Just great, the Brit thought dismally, he had to go and fall for the only man who had openly declared his dislike for him. Maybe he should just let it go. Find someone else who might fit the bill, at least until he maybe got to work with the point man again.

He got his chance sooner than he had expected when a few months later, Cobb called him up.

"We have a job. Nothing big, just a routine extraction. We need a forger, though, if you're inclined."

Eames clutched the phone, a small smile playing on his lips. Trying not to get his hopes up too quickly, he cleared his throat, doing his best to sound nonchalant instead of droolingly eager.

"Really now? Who's making up the rest of the team?"

"Just Arthur and Ariadne this time."

"Ah, the kid hadn't gotten enough last time, eh?" Eames chuckled, referring to Ariadne, wanting to leave as much emphasis off of Arthur as possible.

"They seldom do. If you go in once, there's no going back to a dreamless way of life, for most of us. So what do you think? We're in New York, you know the place. You in?"

Eames pretended to think it over as he checked outgoing flights and started throwing random clothing items into an overnight duffel he kept on hand. "I suppose so. Business is rather slow over here. I'll see you in eleven hours."

He snapped his phone shut, purchasing tickets to New York for the next flight out, and was out the door within ten minutes.

He did his best not to psych himself out, but eleven hours on a plane gives one a lot of thinking time. And his mind was only prepared to focus on one subject. The point man. Arthur Callahan. Black and white, crisp clean lines. That cold, calculating stare. Long fingers, pale skin, slender but fit. Dark brown eyes that always seemed to hold only disdain for him, but sometimes amusement or even grudging respect. The looks Eames lived for on those jobs. If only there were some other certain emotions held in those unreadable recesses. Like the ones Eames knew showed in his own when he wasn't careful.

Many days during their last job together, he had spent his down time fantasizing about what Arthur was hiding under those expensive three piece suits. But then he didn't think he would ever know, so he might as well come up with his own fantasies, right?

This time, however, was going to be different. He wasn't going to go out of his way to be off-putting as he usually did. His usual courting rituals just would not work on this man, so he was going to have to revise his style a little bit. But he was more than willing to do that if only for a chance. Please, God, he thought as he looked out of the window at the clouds, please let me have a chance. Just a chance.