10: Okay, guys. So, for the moment, this is just me, so no funny authors' note/disclaimers from 7 and I today. Sorry. But, anyhow, new story! I dreamt this idea like three times, and then rolled over and went back to sleep everytime almost. It took me weeks to remember it, therefore that's why it took so long to put this story out there to you guys. Fortunately, I did, and now 7 and I are having a field day with it. :D So, without further ado:

(Disclaimer: We don't own Artemis Fowl, just the OC and the plot idea. We may wish we did, that way the series ending would have been a little less of a cliffhanger and a lot more A/H, but unfortunately we don't.)

Fowl Manor, basement cell, 9 years before:

He stared at her for several minutes, watching her closely as she slept. She won't wake up for a while yet, he thought. So if I'm going to do it, now is the time. But he hesitated. She's so small... and not human. The way I developed it was to use in a human. Which means she might have a different reaction to it, if it works at all... and my antidote might not work. Then it could kill her. But, he reasoned, she's probably going to die anyways, so what does it matter?

He had to debate with himself for several more minutes before coming to a decision. In the end, he went and got the syringe, then came back and quietly injected the green liquid into her shoulder.

Holly Short had been unconscious at this time, and had no recollection of the drug being put into her; in fact, she never even found out it happened. Until several years later, that is...

Haven city, present time:

"Scott!" Holly Short yelled. "Corporal! Get up! We're late!" She banged on the sleeping elf's door when she didn't answer. "If you don't open the door this instant, I'll-"

The sentence was cut off as her friend threw open the door at that moment, nearly slamming into Holly as she busted out and started down the steps. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm right here, Captain, no need to get mad."

"Don't start getting smart with me, Corporal," the captain snapped, following her. "I'm already mad. Just go get in the car while I get my gun."

"Yes ma'am," she muttered. "Just don't shoot me, alright? Root would have you fired for that."

"I know this, Mercedes. Just go." And with that, Holly dashed back up the stairs, heading into her own room to get the gun from its post beside her door.

Five minutes later, they were both sitting inside the warm car and driving down the streets of Haven as fast as Holly could go without killing some little fairy on the way to school. Unfortunately, she had to dodge them quite often, and this added an additional ten minutes to their trip, making them almost a half an hour late.

"D'Arvit," Holly muttered, as they stepped out of the vehicle and headed up towards the Plaza's large double doors. "I'm gonna be lucky if Root doesn't have my acorns for being this late..."

Mercedes huffed out a chuckle as they ran inside. "If he takes yours, then I'm definitely loosing mine."

"Yeah. Let's just pray he doesn't."

They both ran into their sections and clocked in. Then they ran in the general direction of their offices, both hoping to get there before it came up on Root's screen that they were in and he missed them...

Of course, their hopes were futile. Just as both of them passed the room and thought they were home free, both heard the door open behind them and Root say, "not so fast. My office. Now."

Both girls turned slowly, shared a glance that clearly said 'uh oh', and then followed their boss into his office.

Root held the door open for them, then closed it as they both turned to face him. Leaning against it and crossing his arms, he ground out, "this is the fourth time this week you are late. Care to explain why?"

Mercedes and Holly exchanged a glance, and the Corporal said, "you're the superior."

Holly sighed as she turned to look at her Commander. "Look, Commander... I'm sorry that we keep continually being late, our alarms still aren't working. I've tried to fix them several times... I even bought a brand new meter and reset it there! It still won't go off!" She shook her head. "I'm beginning to think that the frequencies are screwing with our signals or something."

The commander sighed. "I would like to believe that as much as you would. I would also like you to get here on time, but obviously that isn't going to happen." He paused. "Holly, you are one of my best officers. Under your guidance, Mercedes is shaping up to be one too. But I can't leave you in the position you're in if you continue to be late. I have to have my officers, especially the ones in positions of power or that I trust, here, that way they're here when I need them. I don't exactly want to, but if you keep this schedule up, I'll have to demote you and take your rights to training the corporal away."

Holly frowned. "But I-"

Suddenly, her words cut off as a wave of pain hit her. Clutching her stomach, Holly doubled over and hissed. Fighting to keep her knees from buckling, she grabbed on to the Commander's desk for support.

"Captain. If you are trying to pull something over on me, I'll have your acorns," the commander warned.

In too much pain to form comprehensible thought, let alone words, Holly shook her head.

"I don't think she's acting, Commander," Mercedes said, stepping up beside her friend and laying a hand on her shoulder. "Heal," she murmured.

The magic flew down her fingers. However, it didn't really heal the Captain. It stopped the pain momentarily, but as long as the pain was gone, the sparks kept going. After a moment, they realized what was happening, and Root said it first. "It's not healing her. It's only holding off the pain. The question is, why?"

"I don't know," Holly muttered, breathing hard. "I don't know what's wrong. It's not like I had holy water or anything... and I'm not allergic to anything. Besides, even if I was, neither of us had anything for breakfast before we came to work! I don't know." she repeated.

"Do you have any magic left?"

"No," Mercedes answered, before Holly could say otherwise. "She's drained dry. I can feel it, even if she hadn't told me. With all the late mornings and stuff, neither of us got time to ask for a visa... And I'm pretty low myself," she admitted.

Root scowled. "Alright. Stop healing her, and save the rest of what you have. I suppose we'll have to take her to the clinic."

Holly groaned. "No! I hate that place!"

"Shut up, Captain Short," the commander snapped. "That's an order."

Holly sighed, but nodded. Mercedes pulled her hand away. Instantly, the pain returned, although it was a little less potent. "Fine. But make this quick. I have paperwork to do."

"You and me both," the commander grunted, lifting the elf up and slinging her over his shoulder. Holly held her head high for a moment, then gave up and rested it against the commander's back as the pain got worse again. He could feel her sweating and breathing hard. However, it was several more minutes before the male elf saw the blood running down the front of him. Well, Mercedes pointed it out, and then he saw it. Instead of really reacting, however, he just sped up.

"Call them," Julius ordered without even blinking.

"What?"

"The clinic. Call them and let them know we're coming."

Mercedes nodded, but her hands were shaking. She pulled out her communicator and slowly typed in the emergency number. They picked up instantly, and she slowly started to explain the situation. By the time they got to his vehicle, Root was impatient and he growled as he laid Holly across the backseat. Then he ripped the communicator out the corporal's hand and growled, "this is getting tedious. This is Commander Root of the LEP. I have a hurt officer here, and we're bringing her in. Have a squad ready for us when we get there." Then he cut the connection and tossed the communicator back to it's owner. "There."

Mercedes, a little shell-shocked, nodded and caught it. "Okay then," she murmured, buckling in next to her superior. "Off we go."

Indeed, the clinic made sure they had a whole squad of fairies ready to receive Captain Short when they brought her in. Still unconscious and bleeding from two holes now, one in her knuckle and the other the original one in her stomach, the elf didn't look good.

As several of the fairy doctors and nurses wheeled Holly away, already hooked to a drip and pulling more blood as the work to patch the holes in the elf's body, a few handed Root and Mercedes some paperwork to fill out for her. Root groaned as he sat down to fill it in. "More D'Arvitting paperwork," he growled. "That's exactly what I need."

"It's for Captain Short," the corporal reminded softly. He threw her a glare, and she wilted slightly, muttering, "but if you really don't want to, I will..."

"No, I have it under control, Corporal, really," Root growled, his face slightly red. "I just prefer to have as little to work on as possible."

"You and me both," she muttered, looking away and sliding down a bit in the chair. He smirked, but continued working without a word.

The doctor came back out about an hour after the commander turned the paperwork in. Mercedes spotted him first. "Commander," she said, nudging his shoulder gently. He looked at her, then up at the doctor. "Oh. Doctor Boon. How is she?"

"She's alive, for the moment."

"What do you mean?" Mercedes demanded sharply, sitting up a little straighter. "Why only for the moment?"

"That is personal information which we can only tell you with permission from her or her family," Boon said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

Root frowned. "I'm her boss. She's worked for me for over ten years. Why can't you tell me?"

"Do you have any blood relation to the Captain?"

"No."

"Are you her godfather or anything of the sort?"

"No."

"Then I cannot tell you. I'm sorry."

The commander growled irritably, looking away. His face was red. However, before he could snap at the doctor, Corporal Scott stepped in. "I know her godfather. If we call him, can you tell him?"

"Of course. He'll probably be wanting to know anyways. You may use the office desk phone if you need."

Before Root could answer to that, too, she stopped him. "No. I have a direct line on my communicator to him, but thanks anyways." Then she pulled it out and started dialing. Root frowned at her, and the doctor walked away.

"Who's Holly's godfather?"

"Don't you know?" Mercedes asked, looking up at him with a puzzled expression. "Foaly is."

A half an hour later, the centaur clopped in. Root and Mercedes we're waiting for him.

"How come you never told me you were Holly's godfather?" Root demanded, as soon as he saw him.

"Never came up," Foaly said absently, clopping right past him and over to the desk. "Anyhow, of you really cared, it's in Holly's files."

The commander scowled, but didn't answer as he followed the centaur over to the desk.

Now that Foaly was with them, they had no trouble getting information. That is, after they were taken back to the room where Holly was at and the doctor was called in.

"Mr. Foaly," Boon greeted, shaking his hand on returning.

"Doctor Boon. What is wrong with my goddaughter?"

"Well, see, the the problem is that I cannot answer that question. We went ahead and ran some blood tests on Miss Short, and it seems that everything is normal except one thing."

"Yes?" Foaly said impatiently, shuffling from front hoof to hoof.

"Well, it seems there is something in her blood stream, that's not normal. Likely something injected. It seems to be some kind of poison or something. All of our machines are picking up that it's something unnatural, but none of them seem to be able to identify it. And it's not an allergy, obviously, or we would have figured out what it was."

The group nodded collectively. "What is it doing to her?" Root asked, crossing his arms.

"This is the interesting part. It seems to be opening holes in her insides. They're small holes, granted, perhaps the size of some smaller human bullet sizes, but still, if they open up in the wrong place, it can and likely will kill her. And, as it stands now, there is no way we can treat her." Doctor Boon sighed. "I'm sorry."

Foaly frowned, but nodded. He shook the man's hand and then, making him stop halfway out the door, asked, "when can I take her home, then?"

"Whenever you're ready," the man answered. "You can get her discharged at the front desk. I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do for her here."

This statement only confirmed what he already knew. "Okay. Thank you." The doctor nodded and left.

Root immediately turned to Foaly. "Okay, genius. What do you think?"

"I think we have a Fowl situation."

Any one get the pun? ;) Anyhow... I'm guessing 7 will want this review powered, but in the meantime, until we consult, I'll let it go. But still, please review and tell us what you think! We always appreciate criticism and just being able to hear your thoughts and opinions! If there's any questions, feel free to PM her or I on one of our other accounts, or on this one if its easier! :D