Well, I figured it was time to put up something new, so I am... I have never written a songfic before, but I was listening to Bryan Adams's song: Everything I Do yesterday, and suddenly I had this idea. It's a good song, and you can find it on YouTube, if you care to.
I don't give many details about how they got here, but you should be able to surmise from the story that they were saving the world again. Hope it's not too confusing. I just wanted to snapshot this scene.
Disclaimer: Artemis Fowl and other characters are belong to Eoin Colfer. Words and music to belong to Bryan Adams.
Look into my eyes
You will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart
Search your soul
When you find me there you'll search no more
Look into your heart
You will find
There's nothing there to hide
Take me as I am—take my life
I would give it all
I would sacrifice
Don't tell me it's not worth fighting for
I can't help it
There's nothing I want more
There's no love
Like your love
And no other
Could give more love
There's nowhere
Unless you're there
All the time
All the way
You can't tell me it's not worth trying for
I can't help it
There's nothing I want more
Yeah, I would fight for you
I'd lie for you
Walk the wire for you
Yeah, I'd die for you
You know it's true
Everything I do
I do it for you
Artemis Fowl was dying. He knew, with a terrible certainty, that life was oozing out of the burning hole is his chest with every breathe he took. Strangely enough, the overwhelming pain seemed distant. His mind was more focused and alive than it had ever been.
"Holly."
The tiny elf leaning over him looked up, strands of dirty hair falling in her eyes. Her eyes were wide and blank. Shock. "Artemis—I—"
She had no magic left, he knew. There would be no heroic rescue this time. This time it was the end. "I know." The words came out mangled, with a spattering of blood. It was a clean shot through his right lung, he was certain. Not the fastest of deaths, but in these circumstances it would kill him just the same. "It's alright."
"It's not alright!" An angry dry sob shook her frame. "Tell me what to do." She was nearly screaming now.
Artemis shook his head slightly. "There's nothing we can do. I already thought about it." He lifted a shaking hand to touch her face. "I thought, before, I might be able to manipulate things differently, but this was the only way."
Holly stared at him. He had known all along. Yesterday—when he told her thank you for everything. This morning when she saw him sitting in the back of the shuttle, head in hands. Thinking, he had said. Just thinking about things. His eyes were sad. "You knew!"
He did not deny it.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She shook his shoulders before she realized she was hurting him. A sharp gasp from Artemis made her realize her mistake. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean…"
For a moment he lay there with eyes closed. The pain had broken through his focus, and he felt overwhelmed by it. Holly's tears brought him back. "If I told you, would you have listened to me?"
"No!" she whispered fiercely. She could not meet his eyes.
"I thought not." He sighed slightly. "I'm just one life, Holly. In the scheme of things, I'm not so important." The statement surprised him a little. Years ago, when they first met, he had been so different.
"You are to me." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Why did you jump on him like that?"
He hesitated. Had she really not seen—no, he had been blocking her view. Should he tell her?
"Why?" Her voice was anguished. He winced.
"Because…" He stopped.
"Why!?"
"Because he was shooting at you," said Artemis finally. Everything was becoming more distant. He felt like he was drifting away. The only thing that still mattered was Holly. Was this what death felt like? He wondered—but there would be no more wondering in a few minutes, would there?
Holly stared at him. She felt sick. This was her fault. Artemis was dying because of her.
Artemis touched her cheek, brushing weakly at the tears. "Don't cry, Holly. It's not your fault."
"Not my— Oh gods, Artemis," she choked. "I'm sorry! So, so sorry!" She began to sob again. "I'm sorry."
"Holly—" He pulled her chin up, but she would not look at him. "Look at me."
Finally she did. Her eyes were red, and full of guilt.
"I'm not sorry." A smear of blood trickled out of his mouth, but he ignored it. "I'm not sorry, Holly. I would do it again."
"But—"
"Look at me!" He struggled to keep his focus. "I am telling you the truth."
Holly forced herself to really look. He was so white. If he had not been talking to her, she would have sworn he was already dead. Except—except his eyes. They drilled into hers, that beautiful icy blue, and her own muddy hazel. They were still so alive. She felt sick again. "I killed you."
"Holly!" His voice was frustrated. He could feel himself slipping away. "You did not kill me! It's alright."
She looked away, and said nothing. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she was shaking, but they were silent sobs now. She could not watch him die.
"Holly!"
"Why?" she whispered.
That was the funny thing. This morning—it seemed so far away now—as he sat thinking, he could not understand it. He knew what he must do with deadly assurance. There was no doubt in his mind. No hesitation. His mind had rationalized all sorts of reasons for it, but he knew none of them were the real reason. He had not understood what was compelling him to deliberately throw aside every primal instinct for survival and choose to die.
Perhaps it was a gift that graced the dying, or perhaps his mind had known it all along, but Artemis suddenly understood. "I love you," he said simply. At another time, he would have been shocked to find he had fallen in love with her. Now, however, he did not have time for it. It only mattered that it was true. "I love you."
"You don't—" Holly stopped. She had not seen it either, but he was telling the truth. And it hit her, suddenly, that she loved him too. That she could not bear to see him die, because she loved him, and needed him.
She looked up again. He was watching her with those beautiful mismatched eyes, waiting to see what she said. His lips stood out blood-red against the stark white of his face. "I love you too."
Artemis stared at her, startled. She held his gaze, wanting him to see it was the truth. Finally, he saw what he was looking for, and shut his eyes, with a slight smile. "I'm glad."
Neither of them said anything for a moment. Then Artemis gently pulled her towards him. "Stay with me."
Holly lay next to him on the cold concrete. Artemis's hand rested on her head, gently stroking her hair. The air tasted metallic, stained with blood. Her hands were sticky with it, and her face wet with tears. "Artemis?"
"Hmm?" He sounded tired.
"I'm still sorry." She pressed her head against his side, comforted by the faint sound of his heart, still beating.
There was a moment of silence.
"And I would still do it again," said Artemis finally, with great effort. "Again and again."
"I know."
"I love you, Holly."
"I love you too."
When they found her, she was sitting beside Artemis's body, tears running down her cheeks. Her lips were bloody.
Right, so I wrote this during a flight layover in Memphis today, and I was trying not to cry. XD I know, I know, I know I promised a happy ending story (sorry Agi), and here I am turning out something even more depressing. But I'm working on things, ok? I lost all my writing three years ago, so I'm going from scratch here, and it's difficult. But it's coming. In the mean time, if I possibly think of something more depressing you'll know.
Please review.