Minerva forwarded a quick text to Artemis before entering Tinsley's room at Fowl manor, a short two word message she originally sent to Liam second's earlier; go time. Once she entered the room, she acted distressed, packing things away, throwing clothes into the air, back into her Louis Vuitton luggage, working herself into a frenzy.

"This is-I can't breathe." This was a time she could let out her frustration and call it "acting", so she did. She sobbed, the tears soaking the plush purple pillow she always carried with her.

A knock on the door made her jump, as she'd genuinely been absorbed in her performance.

"Come in," she muttered, afraid of what was about to happen. She prayed that when Tinsley saw this video, she would forgive her.

And then Liam entered, disguised perfectly as Artemis Fowl, complete with dark rings underneath his eyes from a sleepless night.

"Minerva-"

"Why didn't you tell her? I came all the way to Ireland to see you, and you haven't even told her what we shared?"

Forgive me, Tinsley, Minerva pleaded.

"That was in the past, Minerva. You should never have gotten tangled up with demon warlocks and The People."

Minerva almost laughed at the statement. At how true it was. She thought back to her younger, arrogant self who didn't care about the consequences of exploiting a new species for the glory of a scientific breakthrough. It all started then. And now look where she was, all because of it.

"But you loved me for it. My intelligence, I mean. I was-I am perfect for you, and now that you started dating this perfectly normal, if even slightly below average, completely ordinary girl-"

"You were reckless."

"I am what you've always needed!"

Liam's mouth twitched, uncomfortable with how realistic Minerva's acting was getting. He furrowed his eyebrows, a perfectly Artemis expression, and adjusted his tie, as he knew Artemis liked to do in times of distress.

"I have Tinsley. She's what I've always needed."

Minerva zipped the suitcase shut. "I'm going to leave. I'm going to leave the college. I'm going to leave Ireland. It hurts me, it kills me to see you with someone so-beneath you. Stop me, Artemis. Make me stay. Give me a reason to."

"Its in the past-"

"It doesn't have to be." Minerva crossed the room, until she stood directly in front of Liam and grabbed his hand. "Choose me. Love me. She's a big girl. She can handle herself, she doesn't need you to keep telling her what to do. And me? I don't need that. I'll never need that. Because we're equals. I can help you just as much as you can help me. But her? She's just dead weight you're carrying around."

Liam couldn't make sense of it all, and he had no idea how Artemis would react, but his reactions were far too expressive because of it. Still Artemis-like in a way, but it looked like he actually cared deeply. Artemis only showed such a meaningful expression around people he loved.

"I love Tinsley."

"You love me too."

A scripted pause, and Liam took the moment to examine Minerva's expression. Her watery eyes, her desperate face. In that moment, he felt like she was begging for him to love her, and he felt like he could.

"I-"

"Make me stay."

"Minerva, the girl love has just been kidnapped, what am I supposed to do? And why are telling me this now?"

"I waited for the right time. I called several times. You never answered. There's never a right time, Artemis, but I'm about to leave because I can't handle watching you tear yourself up over her. I'm jealous of a girl who's been kidnapped, because you are doing everything in your power to find her. You care about someone, and the person is not me. Do you care about me? You do, don't you? If it were me instead of her, you'd look the same, the same worried expression, the same dark rings under your eyes from not being able to sleep. I love you. And we'll find Tinsley, and she'll be okay, she'll be-she'll be okay. This has nothing to do with her. Stop pretending you can handle being the caretaker of a stupid, naïve girl."

Liam bit his lip, suddenly feeling the weight of his role. "I loved her."

"Loved. You said loved."

"I wanted to tell her-for a while now. That my love for her changed to past tense. I didn't want it to. I tried to keep feeling that same spark. It just goes out sometimes in relationships. I thought I'd always love her. I thought I could see past our differences, but lately we've just been-incompatible."

"I know."

Liam dropped his voice to whisper. "You are reckless."

"I'm what you need, Artemis."

Liam paused, leaning in closer to her face, their lips inches apart now. "She'll be fine. I'll do whatever it takes to find her, and then she'll be fine."

Minerva forgot it was Liam completely, she was believing Artemis was in front of her, giving her a chance. Not only that, she wanted it. And not because he was her plan B. Because suddenly she saw a future, and she wanted it. It was as if in this scene she was acting out a completely possible direction her life could take, and it was so welcoming.

"She'll be fine," she whispered desperately, so she didn't feel the guilt. She couldn't go through with the kiss with such a feeling of guilt.

And then their lips met, Artemis closing the small gap that'd been between the two.

"You just kissed me," Minerva mumbled in disbelief, pulling away.

"I'm choosing you. After all this is over, I'm choosing you."

Minerva thought it was just acting. She hoped it was. But when the fake Artemis standing in front of her said that, she was genuinely happy.

*AF*

The mechanical voice chuckled as the live footage from Fowl manor came to an end. "Isn't that just horrid? Even I feel sorry for you. Tragedy can bring out the worst in mud men."

There's a reason some humans claim they don't believe in love. They're scared of it.

Tinsley wanted to wipe the tears away, but the cuffs held her hands fast as always. The salt burned the wound on her cheek. "I-I…"

Love is as strong as hate, as passionate, as powerful. It is as deep and all-consuming. When a person is in love, they lose themselves in it.

"Your expression is priceless," The voice mocked.

People shape their lives around it, change their futures, all in the hope of spending forever with the one they love.

"Artemis-" Tinsley sobbed, until she couldn't see, and she didn't want to see. Didn't want to hear, didn't want to feel anything.

But what happens when that love isn't their anymore? When the love a person shapes themselves around suddenly isn't their anymore, and they have nothing to lean on? Its like death, that earth-shattering, life-altering real. Only it isn't. That person isn't dead, just devastated at the loss of something they came to rely on. That pain can go on forever.

*A/N*

OH MY GOD! This is getting sad, even for me. Okay *breathes*. Forgive the overly romantic/cliché dialogue between Liam/Artemis & Minerva. I tried to make it realistic, but it was a scripted scene they were supposed to act out, so I figured I had a little liberty with making it sound as such.

Anyway, as I've been stating, all comments on this work will be returned with a comment on yours! I'm really, really getting into this series, and I'm debating a third one, because the thought of this one being the end makes me sad. We shall see.