So Long And Goodnight

Nickname / Pet Name

2.1

            Arthur was on a job when he got a call from Eames. The conversation was short because the forger was complaining about being bored and how he needed something to do. It was enough to make Arthur groan and roll his eyes but he was powerless to resist Eames. They had seen each other on and off for years and they were currently in another one of their 'on' periods. He was not sure why they kept going back to each other because every time they broke it off it ended so poorly. They had almost nothing in common and all they did was argue with each other when they were together. Maybe that was the appeal; Eames was the only person who would call Arthur out on his bullshit and force him out of his comfort zone. The forger would drag him halfway across the world just to see something stupid. He was the first person in years to not only get the point man out of a suit but into a t-shirt and shorts to see some secret beach. Through all of the romance somewhere along the line it always went wrong and it ended with one of them storming out.

            “Come on Arthur tell me where you are,” Eames said.

            “I'm on a job, that's where I am,” Arthur retorted and rubbed his temples.

            “So tell me where that is and I'll come help,” he said.

            “We don't need a forger,” the point man said.

            “So I'll watch the bloody PASIV. Just tell me where you are Arthur or I'm going to start asking around until I get my answer,” Eames threatened.

            “Fine,” Arthur said giving up. “I'm in Moscow and the job is set to happen in a week so you better get here fast.”

            “I'll jump on the next plane for you, darling,” Eames said and he hung up. Arthur had long since given up arguing with Eames about the pet names because it was just irritating to try and counter them. Eames made it out to the city the next morning and seemed to ignore the jet lag. For the next week they put the finishing touches on the job and the forger stayed behind to watch the PASIV. He saluted the point man with a tap to the temple and the world faded away. After about twenty minutes, the entire dream started to collapse. The extractor and architect both fell and suddenly Arthur was alone with the projections. He turned the gun on himself and his eyes snapped open.

            There was blood on the ground all around him and the first thing he saw were the bodies of his architect and extractor with bullets in their heads. Panic settled in and he saw an armed bodyguard dead on the ground and Eames next to him clutching at a bullet hole in his stomach. Arthur ripped the IV from his arm and rushed to Eames' side but the forger was already fading. He tried to keep pressure on the wound but Eames just smiled up at him. Arthur had no words, he could not find them, and he stayed with the forger until he died.

            The hardest part was that he had to leave Eames' body behind. The rest of the guards were on the way and Arthur could not move a body and get out on his own. He barely had time to pack the PASIV and get out the building before someone shot him too. He got back to the warehouse and saw the blood on his hands, on his shirt, everywhere, Eames' blood, and nearly cracked. Arthur washed his hands and threw away the shirt before he fled the country. Only once he was sure he was as far away as he could get without killing himself with jet lag and lack of sleep did he stop in a hotel. He stayed there for a week in shock before he went back to Moscow, tracked down the mark and his guards that had gotten Eames killed, and executed them all without remorse. Now he was alone nearly a month later before he decided to go into a dream if only to escape reality.

            The first thing he realized was that he was in a casino. Arthur rarely dreamed about casinos anymore but he could not hide his surprise when he saw Eames sitting at a table. The forger gestured for Arthur to join him and the point man sat at the table.

            “Just likes old times. I do the gambling and you count the cards so we both win big,” Eames said. “Why are you looking at me like that? Did you really expect me not to show up in your dreams?”

            “No, I did, I guess I had just convinced myself otherwise,” Arthur replied and he felt like his shoulders were going to break under pressure. “I should have researched better, I should have seen that coming, I got you killed.”

            “Yes, you did,” Eames replied and the point man looked up, his eyes wide. “I did insist I come along though. You'd be dead right now if it wasn't for me.”

            “It should have been me,” Arthur whispered and Eames hit him upside the head.

            “Don't be stupid,” the forger said. “You can stay here and everything will be fine. You can make it up to me by helping me win forever.”

            “I can't stay, you know that, this isn't real,” Arthur said and Eames stared at him. “You're my projection but you're not the real thing.”

            “Only you would say that,” the forger said and then he shot Arthur between the eyes. Arthur woke with a start and put a hand over his chest to try and slow his heart. He did not dare to dream for nearly a month before he decided to go under again. This time he was in Eames' apartment and the forger was at the kitchen table. “I was wondering when you'd show up again. I'd ask if you thought about what we talked about but I know you haven't. That's just how you are, Arthur.”

            “I know it's how I am,” Arthur replied and he sat down at the table. “I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that I got you killed and I'm even more sorry that I couldn't tell you how much you meant to me at the end.”

            “Don't worry about it; I knew,” Eames replied and Arthur looked up at him with wide eyes. “And you know that this isn't just a projection talking because you know it too. So stop beating yourself up. You missed the security and I insisted that I needed to tag along; neither of us is responsible and you know it. I just think you should stay here because we can make up for all of that lost time between our fights.” Arthur leaned in and kissed Eames and put as much behind it as he could. When he pulled away the forger was staring at him. “What was that?”

            “It's not the same but I never kissed you like that up there. Feels like I should have and now I can't. I could compose sonnets about you down here and it wouldn't matter because when I wake up you'll still be gone; I'll still have this hole in my chest and I'll never be able to shake off the fact that it doesn't mean anything if I tell you those things now.” The point man sighed heavily. “I really messed up in the real world and what I do down here won't fix that. You'll still be gone and I'll still be alone.”

            “You did that whole 'avenge me' thing, didn't you?” Eames asked but he did not wait for answer. “I figured. You're such an idiot, did you really think that would fix things?”

            “No, and it didn't help either, but it's what happened.” Arthur looked up at the forger. “I miss you, I always will, but I'm going to walk away now.” The point man stood up but a strong hand took his arm.

            “Don't you walk out on me again; you always do that when something goes wrong,” Eames said in a dark voice.

            “I'm not walking out on you; I'm just moving on.” Arthur held a gun tight in his hands and put the barrel to his head. “I'm sorry,” he said and he pulled the trigger.

            Twice a year Arthur would go to that casino from the dream and count cards to win; once on the day they met and again on the day Eames died. He never turned in the winnings.