A big thank you to my beta for helping me out. It's been a while since I picked up the pen and started writing, and...I really need to practice.

Artemis held Holly close to him as he raised an eyebrow coolly, closing the knife and putting it back in his pocket. Holly was limp in his arms, the only tension in her body was her hand holding onto his on top of her wound. He held on to her tightly. "Don't try anything again," Artemis snarled, bringing her back up the stairs.

Foaly and Butler, too shocked to move and find out what else he would do, just looked at each other noiselessly. The memory flute slipped from Foaly's hand and dropped to the floor, shattering against the cold tile.

Butler looked down at the flute pieces once Artemis was out of sight and sighed. "So, it's broken?"

Foaly seemed to be taken out of a trance, blinking rapidly and following Butler's eyes to the floor. "What?" he frowned. "That's what you're worried about right now? He stabbed Holly!"

The bodyguard shook his head, crossing his arms. "It wasn't life-threatening—"

"Oh, it was threatening alright!" Foaly argued.

Butler sighed, reaching down and picking up the pieces of the flute. "I'm willing to bet he has half a brain and half a decade of advanced medical training."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Because if she dies, there goes his leverage and his ally."

Foaly sighed, shaking his head. "I meant, what's all that about advanced medical training?"

Butler turned away, walking to the kitchen to throw away the unsalvageable flute. "I have a feeling it's the same training I had," he muttered just loud enough for Foaly to hear.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Artemis carried Holly up the stairs calmly, keeping a hand pressed against the wound above her hip. He didn't want to run and seem distressed in front of the two downstairs, especially since he could still hear the faint sound of words in that direction.

However, he couldn't make out what they were actually saying. His training should have let him process it, but he was too focused on getting Holly upstairs. He looked down at his hand pressed against her. With the movement, Holly had stopped holding onto his hand and was lying limply in his arms, eyes closed. He felt the warm blood seeping through her shirt and saw it pooling in between his fingers. Eyes flicking up to the hallway, he took a deep breath.

Even as he rounded the corner and knew they were out of their line of sight, Artemis couldn't chance running down the carpeted hallway. There could be cameras they could rewind and look at later.

Besides, even though he could feel the sticky blood against the palm of his hand, Artemis knew she wasn't bleeding a lot. He knew he didn't damage her.

He paused outside the door to the room. Damage. He frowned at the word, then shook his head. No. It wasn't the right word. He didn't seriously hurt her.

Artemis looked down for a second and paused, overwhelmed by his thoughts. Dammit, he thought, opening the door, stepping through and slamming it closed. He locked it immediately, making sure that no one would be able to get in before lying Holly down on the bed.

His mind reeled while he went over to his duffel bag thrown carelessly in the middle of the floor. What's wrong with me? He sighed to himself as he kneeled down in front of the bag and started to unzip it. He'd always use the word damage when describing wounding someone. It's what he was taught to use.

"Distance yourself from your charge." He could hear Hawthorne's gruff, raspy voice inside his head. "They are property. Your property. You don't hurt them, you damage them."

Artemis winced, feeling the ghost of a knife running through his shoulder. He rubbed it away, shaking the memory and looking for the bandages in his bag.

But... He corrected himself with Holly. Why? He didn't damage her. He didn't even seriously harm her. He just hurt her, and that was having a huge affect on him. Artemis sighed again, getting the tape and alcohol swabs out of the bag. This was dangerous, he realized. He felt an attachment to Holly, a softening. And it was the last thing he needed in this unfamiliar situation.

Holly winced when Artemis laid her on the bed. She clutched at the wound on her side and replayed the scene in her head, making sure to keep a watchful eye on Artemis. She could feel the sticky blood on her hand. Holly knew she shouldn't be afraid of Artemis, but who knew what was going through his head or what the Memory Flute did to him.

Nonetheless, it was painful. She remembered how it felt when the cold steel plunged in her side by Artemis' hand. Her mind wandered back. Did he even think about hurting her? Or was it just instinctual. Holly shivered at the thought, then gasped from the pain in her side.

Artemis went back to the bed, carrying his supplies. He looked over her and dropped the bandages on the bed next to Holly. She wasn't bleeding too much, and definitely not enough to die or even pass out from blood loss. Artemis had seen much worse in his lifetime.

He cleaned the wound silently for a moment, making sure he was thorough. Holly winced and groaned at times, but didn't move, her right arm lifted above her head to not be in the way. Her face was turned away from him, staring at the door as she thought.

After he was certain the wound was clean and had started to stop bleeding, he grabbed the bandages. Putting a square cloth over the wound, Artemis started to wrap the bandages around her waist to keep it there.

Holly sighed, sitting up to aid him and grimacing from the fresh pain still there. She kept her eyes down , biting her lip.

Her thoughts were cut off as Artemis let out a soft breath. "I'm sorry," he whispered quietly, almost painfully.

Holly kept her eyes down, wincing from the tight pressure being applied to the wound. "Are you really?"

Artemis paused for a moment, looking at her. Her eyes were still fixed on the comforter, but it didn't hide the tear streak going down her left cheek. He knew it couldn't be from the pain. It hurt, but not enough to make her cry. Her twisted leg before probably hurt worse than this. No… This wasn't from the physical pain she wasn't experiencing, but the emotional toll it was having on her. Being shoved back and forth between him and her friends, being hurt by him.

Artemis took a deep breath and shook his head, shoving down the feeling of hot guilt rising in his throat like bile. He couldn't feel emotions. Not right now. It was too dangerous. But still…

"Yes." He put the adhesive on the bandage and ripped off the unused bandages that were left.

Holly immediately looked up at him after he answered. This time, his eyes were downcast, flipping the roll of bandages in his fingers. Holly took a deep breath, having a good idea of how he was feeling. "Then I forgive you."

Artemis, startled, raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He looked over at her, and their eyes connected.

Holly nodded, shrugging. "I mean… I'm not exactly happy that you decided stabbing me was better than talking it out, but I forgive you."

He was taken aback by her statement, confused. Shaking his head, Artemis responded. "If you're mad at me, am I really forgiven?"

A sense of realization came across Holly as she looked up at him. She sighed, smiling softly. "You don't know what forgiveness is, do you?"

Artemis glanced down at his hands, biting his lip in thought as he came up with his answer for a moment. "They don't really teach that in the bunker we were kept in."

Holly leaned up, catching his eyes again. Silently, she took his hand and tenderly put it over her wound. Artemis could feel the heat from the cut radiating off her body, but he kept it there, looking her in the eyes. "Forgiveness," she started softly after a moment. "Means that I don't want to retaliate against you or see you suffer because of what you did. That the upset will fade, and that I'm still on your side."

She put a hand on his cheek, smiling softly and leaning up to press her lips softly against his. Her form melded into his, and Artemis' hand left her side to wrap around her, pulling her close as he kissed her back softly.

Artemis pulled back after a long moment, softly sighing in partial relief. He closed his eyes. "Thank you."

Leave a comment for me! I have a few chapters banked up.