Hello all. Welcome back!

I hope you are enjoying the frequent updates, because once the fourth chapter gets out well…they won't happen as much ::sweat drop:: Inspiration must strike before a suitable chapter is written, and sometimes inspiration is more random than this story.

First off, some thanks to the people who reviewed. No, not some thanks. A lot of thanks! Hugs to all! You all make this fun for me! ::cheesy smile::

Secondly, some apologies. I've had a few people tell me--and very politely mind you--that Holly and Arty are OOC. ::bows deeply:: I am very sorry for that. I find that I need at least a few good chapters to really get into a character's personality and mind. How very unprofessional of me, I know. I will work harder to make them more believable. In my defense, though, I think Artemis would indeed be nicer than he was in the first book. After all, he does have all his memories back, memories that made him a good person. And in Eternity Code, I think his spark of decency had grown quite a bit, don't you? I will admit that Holly is OOC, but she is dealing with feelings and emotions she hasn't dealt with before. Cut the girl some slack!

Lastly, a few warnings. For those of you who thought Holly's portrayal in the last couple of chapters was unbelievable, then you aren't going to like her much now. Trust me, you'll see what I mean. The same goes for Artemis too, I imagine. Just a fair warning. I hope this doesn't discourage anyone from reading (and reviewing, even if you don't like it!). I need feedback to tell me where to go with it. I aim to please you all!

Oh yes, and there is a massive amount of bishie torturing in this chapter. ::shifty eyes:: Um, nothing too bad…oh all right! I'm sorry, I couldn't help it! Artemis is just too cute! ::millions of Arty fan girls converge on her:: Don't kill me!! EEP!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing…except maybe the expressions "What in the name of the Book?" and "He can suck air from a dwarf's behind." But I don't own Eoin Colfer's amazing mind…sadly.

Arc: SS

Chapter Three: It can only get worse before it gets better…

As it turned out, Holly did not return to Fowl Manor the following day, or the next. In fact, it took her three days just to clear her desk of paperwork. Being a LEP, she had more duties to attend to underground than she cared to think about, especially during a time of crisis. Patrols, guard duty, transportation, shift changes, all sorts of tedious, time consuming jobs. And there wasn't anything Root could do to help her, since they weren't technically supposed to be seeking human help in the first place. Finally, four days after her initial meeting with Artemis, Holly was free to go. She had the Commander's permission to bring Artemis down into Haven again for further talks, since no fairy liked being above ground during daylight hours for too long. It was slow going this time, though, since there were no hotshots available to ride. She was forced to ride a commercial shuttle to the surface, but because of the lockdown it was not overcrowded with tourists.

As a matter of fact, the timing worked out perfectly. With the shuttle as slow going as it was, Holly was able to emerge from the port just as the sun sank below the western horizon. It was now dark enough that most humans wouldn't notice her as she flew by, so Holly opted not to shield. Root would have her badge if he found out, but she didn't have that far to fly. Fowl Manor was within twenty clicks from her emergence point, and with her newest set of wings it took her less than thirty minutes to reach her destination. She didn't think it would be wise to enter through the front door again, since Butler was doubtless still trying to figure out what happened to the poor lost girl, so she headed for Artemis's window.

The drapes were pulled shut tightly. Holly thought this was a bit odd, seeing as how twilight had already descended and the need for shade had diminished. She cautiously swung the window inwards, wondering if she should call out. It had been days since she'd been here last; Artemis was probably not expecting her. Worse yet, she could not go in. If she had returned the day she'd promised she would have technically had permission to enter, since he'd told her he was looking forward to seeing her. That was stretching it, though, and there was no way the invitation would extend for today. Feeling slightly apprehensive about the complete silence within the room, Holly called out softly, "Hello?"

"Captain Short. Please come in."

That was not Artemis's voice. It was Butler's.

Now invited, Holly brushed past the curtains and dropped inside. Butler's seven foot tall figure blocked her path, obscuring her sight of the rest of the room. "Butler, what--"

"A little quieter, Holly," hushed the manservant in a whisper. "Artemis has just fallen asleep."

He stepped aside, allowing her to see Artemis's figure lying motionless on the bed. Part of Holly, the old part, wanted to demand why she should extend such a courtesy to a human, but that part of her was so small now she barely took notice. Instead she became worried. Pulling off her LEP helmet and setting it aside, she took a step closer to the bed. In the dim light, she could just make out Artemis's white face, his dark brows drawn together into a look of pain. "What's wrong with him?"

Butler looked years older, his eyes empty and dull. "He has pneumonia. The doctor's say his cold escalated to something worse because of his tendency to wear himself thin."

Holly felt a cold knot tighten in her stomach. "Will he be all right?"

Butler sighed, rubbing his face tiredly. "Yes, the doctors say that all he needs is rest." The manservant paused, searching for words. "And that's why I have to ask you to leave."

"What do you mean?" demanded Holly, shell shocked. "Leave? How do you even know who I am, anyway?"

"Artemis told me. Said he had a sudden change of heart." He sank heavily into a nearby armchair. "Listen, Holly. It's nothing personal, telling you to leave. But Artemis told me all about his plans to help you discover the nature of this reporter leaking information on the People and I don't think it would be a good idea for him to get involved right now. He needs time to rest or he'll only get worse. He's made it his mission to help you, regardless of his health. If you're here, it will only distract him. Do you understand?"

Holly floundered for words. "Of course I understand. I mean, I see your point. But Butler, we need his help. He's the only one we can trust to help us sort out this mess."

Butler blinked. "You trust him?"

Holly blinked. She did? She trusted Artemis? It surprised her to acknowledge the truth. "Yes. Yes, I trust him."

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then believe me when I tell you that if you get him involved in this, it could kill him."

Holly swallowed hard. Words forming in her mouth suddenly died, leaving her gaping like a fish out of water.

Luckily for her, the telephone rang at that moment. Butler rose to his feet. "I need to get that. Try not to wake him."

When he headed for the hallway, Holly followed him. She wasn't sure why, but she felt it had something to do with how she didn't want to be alone with a near comatose Artemis. It was depressing and more than a little spooky, seeing him so quiet and still. So she hid quietly in the shadows while Butler picked up the receiver.

"Fowl residence. Butler speaking."

There was a lengthy pause in which every word the person on the other end spoke caused Butler's face to pale a shade. Holly tried to listen closer, but the speaker could not be understood from so far away.

But she could hear Butler, even if he made little sense. "Is she all right?"

Another pause. "You need me to come down there?" Pause. "I can't leave now. I have business to take of care of here…" A longer stretch of silence. Butler sighed, long and heavy. "Yes, yes I understand. I'll be there shortly. Yes, thank you for calling. Good-bye." He hung up the phone and rested his forehead against the wall.

Holly carefully approached him. "Is something wrong?"

Butler peeled himself away from the wall, rubbing the bridge of his nose to ease away a headache. "Juliet's been in an accident on assignment for a friend of mine. He says that she's asking for me. I need to go down there..."

"What about Artemis?"

Butler looked ready to cry. "I know, I know, but there's no way around it. Juliet's my sister and right now she needs me." The man took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. Then he ventured to speak. "Holly, I hate to ask you this, but I don't see any other way. I'll be gone for a few days, a week at most. Will you watch Artemis while I'm away?"

Holly opened her mouth to reply, then shut it. Then opened it. Then shut it. What could she say? She wanted to agree; she was all too glad to help a friend in need. But what would Root say? She wasn't supposed to take any longer than necessary. But how could she refuse? That would make her as bas a human. "Sure, Butler. I'll stay."

"Thanks, Holly," he said with obvious relief. "I can trust you to make sure that he gets better, can't I?" His eyes were so serious; it was clear to Holly that Butler couldn't love and care for Artemis more than if the boy had been his own son.

Faced with this, she just nodded weakly. "You can count on me."

"Great. I need to get going immediately. These things can take quite a while sometimes." He started down the hallway, talking over his shoulder, "The Fowls are on holiday so you won't have to worry about being seen. Make sure Artemis takes his medication twice a day; the container is on the kitchen counter. He's due for his second pill right about now. I'll leave a phone number where you can reach me in an emergency. I know that technically I just met you a few days ago but...I trust you, Holly."

"No worries," said Holly as he vanished around the corner. Then she allowed herself to slump against the wall. She couldn't wait to tell Root about her newest assignment. No worries, all right.

"Butler?"

Holly jumped at the sound of Artemis's voice. She hurried back into his room and pulled herself into a chair beside the youth's bed. He was awake, staring wide eyed at the ceiling. "Do you need something?" she asked softly.

"Holly? Where's Butler?"

"He had some business to attend to. Juliet was in accident."

He struggled to sit upright. "Is she all right?"

Holly chewed her lower lip. "Well, he didn't say. But if I know Juliet, she'll be up and kicking within a week no matter what happened to her. Don't worry, Butler said he should be back within the week, so it couldn't have been anything too serious."

Artemis nodded. "Good. Listen, Holly, I'm glad you're here. I did some research on the reporter, Flannigan. There wasn't much, but there are some things that you'll probably want to see. I can bring them up in the study and we can review them..."

Holly remembered Butler's warning. If you get him involved in this, it could kill him. Gently she grabbed Artemis's shoulders and forced him to lie down. "Not now, Artemis. You should rest a bit first."

He struggled weakly. "I'm perfectly all right. Butler just worries too much, you know. He compensates for my father when he is away by being extremely overprotective."

Holly did not relent. "Just humor me, Mud Boy. Butler would never forgive me if he came home to find you dead." Perish the thought...

Artemis reluctantly settled back into his covers, though he did manage to fix her with a reproachful stare. "Please, Holly. A little cold never killed anyone."

"Neither did a little rest," she countered. "Now go to sleep."

It was only after he did so that Holly wondered where, exactly, she was going to sleep. Certainly there was enough room on Artemis's bed--there was actually room enough for several humans and at least a dozen fairies--but she'd as soon volunteer for a mediating position between goblins and dwarves before sleeping there. So she settled on the chair she was sitting in.

She thoroughly regretted her choice the next morning when every limb and muscle violently protested movement. Grimacing, she managed to stretch out, cracking quite possibly every joint in her body. She glanced at the bed to make sure she hadn't woken Artemis, then did a double take. Artemis was gone.

Holly jumped to her feet, stumbling on feet afflicted with pins and needles in her haste to reach the door. Leave it to Artemis to make sure that whatever job she happen to partake in would not be easy. She found him soon enough though, near the main staircase, though there were two very big differences in the youth since last night. One being that he looked, if possible, paler than before. The other difference caused Holly's heart to skip a few beats. He wasn't wearing a shirt. Why this would make her so uncomfortable was a mystery, and a horrifying one at that. It wasn't as if she had never seen a male shirtless before; many LEP officers chose to work shirtless during hot spells, and she'd seen countless Mud Men in similar states of undress.

Perhaps it was the way that Artemis's skin had a lunar like shine to it, or how he was so perfectly trim and lithe, or the alluring narrowness of his hips...

Holly physically slapped herself. A sight to see, indeed, but she felt it necessary. There was no way she could be thinking such things. No way. She must have not gotten much sleep. Or maybe Artemis's sickness was afflicting her with delirium. How could she think he was attractive? The boy was skeletally thin and an unhealthy shade of white, for goodness sake. Besides, he wasn't even a fairy! Holly gave herself one last good shake to dislodge any lingering thoughts and took a deep breath. "Artemis, what are you doing up?"

He turned toward her and blinked several times, as if trying to clarify her image. "I was...thirsty. Yes, thirsty."

The way he said it make it seem like he wasn't quite sure himself. His eyes were abnormally bright and there were spots of scarlet color high on his cheekbones. Holly swallowed a lump in her throat, forcing down her alarm. "I think you should go back to bed, Artemis."

"Yes, of course. But Holly? Would you please stop spinning? It's making me dizzy."

"What? Spinning? I'm not spinning...oh no..." Holly trailed off, seeing him sway unsteadily on his feet. She jumped forward just as Artemis crashed onto his knees and managed to grab him before his face could become better acquainted with the carpet. With his upper body pressed against her own, she could feel all too well the heat radiating from his skin. This was definitely not what she signed up for.

"Artemis," she gasped, trying to keep them both upright, "Artemis, I can't carry you back to your room. You're going to have to stand. Can you do that?"

He mumbled something unintelligible. Unintelligible because his face was nestled against her neck. Much to her dismay, Holly blushed to the roots of her hair, but Artemis was in no condition to notice. With much coaxing, she managed to get him standing again, though the trip back to the bedroom was dangerously wobbly.

When he was once again lying safely on the bed, Holly grabbed the thermometer from the night stand and stuck it under his tongue. He mumbled his protests, but Holly was resolute. Sufficient time passed and she removed the thermometer and studied it carefully. The reading seemed abnormally high to her, but fairies had a lower body temperature than humans to begin with. She did know that humans had a normal temperature of thirty-six point nine degrees Celsius. The thermometer, however, read thirty-nine point four. Fatal for a fairy, borderline dangerous for a Mud Boy. Assuredly not healthy. "Stay here," she said firmly. "I'll be right back."

There was a shallow bowl near Artemis's bed containing a small amount of tepid water. Holly took this up and went in search of the nearest bathroom. It wasn't a particularly challenging quest since the Fowl manor had a bathroom every five feet. The elf filled the bowl with fresh, cool water from the sink and borrowed a clean cloth from the towel rack.

She returned to her charge's bedside, thankful to see that Artemis had heeded her command to stay put, and dipped the cloth in the water. She dabbed lightly at the youth's forehead, earning a shudder and a groan from him. "Shhh," she rebuked him, though without animosity. "I've got to get your fever down somehow, haven't I?"

No reply this time. Holly continued to sponge his forehead, neck and chest until he had succumbed to his exhaustion. While he slept, Holly wondered what it was like to be ill. She herself had been the image of perfect health for almost all of her life, having had a run in with trolic fever as an infant. But she could scarcely remember that. Obviously the whole ordeal was not pleasant, judging from Artemis's condition. But then again, Artemis wasn't the toughest Mud Boy around. Holly had a private chuckle at all the times she had taken him by surprise and socked him right between the eyes. His expression (and the bruises) had been priceless.

A soft noise tickled her ears. It was a voice, tinny and warbled, as if coming from far away. Holly listened hard, but could not discern where the sound was coming from. She was beginning to think she had begun hearing voices when she saw her LEP helmet lying on the floor beside the chair. The intercom light was blinking. Someone was trying to get a hold of her. Holly grimaced. She had a pretty good idea who that someone was.

Scooping up the helmet and placing it delicately around her head, Holly winced as Commander Root's shouting assaulted her hearing.

"Captain Short! Do you read me? I know you're listening, so talk to me or I'll have your stripes!"

"No need to shout, Commander. I'm here," said Holly.

It was wishful thinking to assume that Root would settle on a dull a roar now that he had his officer's attention. "Short!" he bellowed, "What in the name of the Book are you doing? Didn't I tell you to return with Fowl within the hour? Or have your listening mechanisms malfunctioned?"

Holly was tempted, at least for a fraction of a second, to tell her commander that her ears were working just fine up until the point when she engaged in conversation with him. Instead she said, "The situation has changed a bit, sir."

A screen flickered to life through the visor. Root's purple mug glared murderously at her. "A bit? What, pray tell, classifies as a bit?"

Holly proceeded to tell him about her newest mission.

She thought the screen was going to combust. "I didn't send you up there to play nurse to a Mud Boy, Captain! It's not your responsibility to take care of that pale little whelp. However, it is your responsibility to make sure that the People aren't wiped off the face the planet. The lockdown's been placed on temporary reprieve since no one can find out any more about this Flannigan man. Every fairy in Haven is taking the first shuttle up to the surface as if it's their last chance to see the moon, which in all actuality it probably is! We need all the officers we can get. Now get down here, pronto!"

Holly glanced at Artemis. The boy hadn't moved a muscle. "Negative, Commander. Fowl is in no condition to travel."

"That's not my concern, Holly. We'll just have to do without his help until his primitive immune system can right itself. Return to Haven. That's an order."

At any other time, in any other situation, Holly would have hung up her hat. Folded her hand. She had been in LEP long enough to recognize what that tone of voice meant. But this was something she couldn't wave off. She had a duty here. When Captain Holly Short promised something, she would fulfill her end. So she took a deep breath and said, "I can't just leave him here, sir. He's helpless. Butler's away on business, and his parents are on holiday. I promised to watch him, at least until someone returns."

Root uttered a few choice words, all of which cannot be printed here without severe censorship.

"It's only for a few days," Holly added, seeing a break in his resolve. "A week, at most."

"Why do you do this to me, Holly?" The Root asked in a long suffering tone. With an act of supreme will, he nodded. "All right, have it your way. But a week only. I can't spare one of my best officers for longer than that. Do you read me, Short? One week."

"Thank you, sir," said Holly, both for his permission and the compliment. "One week it is."

But by then Root had already cut the link, and the screen winked out. This left Holly in a room with next to no sound, save for the slow, pronounced breathing of Artemis. This sort of an environment was a bit too eerie for the LEP officer to stand, so she fled to the kitchen for something to eat.

This actually proved most to be most difficult. As was true for most wealthy families in Europe, the Fowls had quite a large stock of caviar, escargot, and other things Holly could barely pronounce, let alone eat. But nothing simple. No protein bars or anything of the like that she would normally eat on assignment. She finally settled on a bowl of cereal, if one could call the lumps of taste-lacking protein and fiber flakes cereal. She was hungry enough to choke down the stuff, though, and it did abate her hunger if nothing else.

It was when she was cleaning out her bowl when she noticed the plastic cylinder sitting on the counter. There were about a dozen light blue capsules in the container and a half empty glass of water next to it. Artemis's medicine. Holly remembered Butler's instructions and fished out one of the pills, holding it gingerly between thumb and forefinger. It amazed her how behind Mud Men really were, hoping to sure diseases with powder filled capsules. In Haven, when a fairy became sick, the only things required to be cured were a small injection and a lollipop from the medical warlock. Typical humans, making things harder than they had to be.

Holly refilled the glass with fresh water and palmed the pill, gingerly though, because she was afraid it might rupture. Upon returning to Artemis's room, she found her charge to be asleep still, something she regretted. Now she was going to have to wake him up. Holly set the medicine down and climbed up on her chair to better survey her patient. She blanched. From her higher vantage point, she could see that the youth's customary white pallor had been replaced by an ashen gray hue and a fine sheen of sweat had beaded across his brow. Her minimal medical training took note of his labored breathing and the congested rattle whenever he inhaled. Though by no means certified in medicine, Holly knew all these symptoms spelled trouble for Artemis. She could just hope that Mud Men prescriptions could remedy that trouble.

Very gently, Holly shook Artemis by the shoulder. "Artemis. Artemis, wake up." He came around little by little, groggily focusing his sight in Holly's general area. Jolting coughs overtook his efforts to speak, so Holly offered him the pill in explanation. "It's time for your medicine."

It became apparent when no motion was made that Artemis lacked the strength to reach up and take the offered item, something that Holly found profoundly alarming. She had only been gone a few minutes and his condition had worsened this much? Seeing no other option, she carefully pulled herself up onto the bed. It took some maneuvering, but she managed to seat herself behind Artemis, propping his head up on her shoulder. And though she was feeling more awkward than she had ever felt before in her life, she placed the pill in Artemis's open mouth and held the water glass to his lips.

To her annoyance, Artemis turned away, sealing his mouth into a tight white line. Holly narrowed her eyes, feeling exasperation creeping up on her. "Come on, Fowl. Just swallow the pill. I don't like this any more than you do, so don't make me force you."

His lips parted again, allowing Holly to pour a little water into his mouth. "Now swallow," she said firmly, and he did. Satisfied, she started to shift her way out from under him, but stopped. Artemis had grabbed her wrist weakly, slender fingers catching and holding her own in a sweat slicked grip. Holly was so startled she could barely find her voice to ask, "What?"

"Please stay with me," he rasped, eyelids fluttering shut again, though his hold on her hand did not slacken.

Holly melted. Not literally, of course, but any nasty feelings she had been harboring for Artemis Fowl dissipated faster than Mulch's gold reserves. Her old flight commander had always told her that she possessed an extraordinarily soft heart for a police officer, and when she had first been accepted into LEP, Root constantly harped on her silly female emotions. She supposed they were both right, but when one hears Artemis Fowl ask for company and use the word please in the same sentence, one does not retain a cool and aloof exterior. Or at least Holly didn't. Especially when no one was around to see her. "I'm not going anywhere, Artemis," she promised quietly, though she did reposition him so that his head rested in her lap instead of on her chest. There was only so much embarrassment one LEP officer could take in one night.

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The next few days passed without incident for Holly. Artemis grew steadily stronger, progressing far enough to stand for short periods. However, at night his sickness always grew worse, leaving him bed ridden once more. It was during these times that he insisted on lying in Holly's lap, something which the LEP officer found more than a little mortifying, but not altogether unpleasant.

It was Holly's third night with Artemis and still no sign of Butler. On the bright side though, Artemis retained lucid thought, making conversation a possibility. This was a nice change for Holly, who had spent plenty of days and nights in silence. They were lying together on the bed, Artemis resting comfortably in Holly's lap, when he asked softly, "I've been wondering. Why don't you use your magic to heal me?"

Holly was shaken out of a light doze. "Hmm? Do what?"

"Use your magic. Cure my pneumonia."

"Because," Holly said around an immense yawn, "because fairy magic generally isn't used to cure illness."

"Why ever not?"

"Well, if I used magic to cure the slightest cough or runny nose, then I would never build up any immunity," explained Holly. "And then when a particularly bad sickness struck me, I would be defenseless. You see?"

Artemis nodded slowly. "Mmmm. That's very true. So you're saying that if you used magic to cure my pneumonia, there would be a good chance I could be more susceptible to the virus in the future."

"Exactly," said Holly. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Sorry."

He waved her off. "Think nothing of it. In any case, I'm getting better by natural means, aren't I?"

"If you define swallowing white powder every morning and night as natural means," said Holly with a smirk, "then yes, I'd say you are indeed. Good thing to, because I've had about as much of you as I can take."

Artemis coughed harshly, which probably meant he had tried to laugh. "Commander Root must be furious with you, eh Holly?"

Holly sniffed. "Probably. But he can suck air from a dwarf's behind for all I care. I'm staying here."

"Now that makes me wonder," said Artemis with no lack of amusement in his voice. "Would you say something so atrocious if you truly felt that you could no longer tolerate my presence?"

Holly felt her face warm and she spluttered a few incoherent denials. Artemis chuckled, which turned immediately into a fit of coughing so severe Holly had to steady him to make sure he didn't fall off the bed. When he could breath again and when she could form complete sentences, Holly said flatly, "Go to sleep, Mud Boy. The way you talk makes my brain hurt."

"You mean the fact that I am speaking English or that my vocabulary is too advanced for your limited fairy comprehension?" Artemis asked innocently.

"No, I mean I can't take any more of your nonsensical blabbering," retorted Holly, though a smile graced her face as she said it.

They both realized at roughly the same time that they were actually teasing each other without hostility, and cleared their throats simultaneously. Artemis found the opposite wall to be absolutely captivating, and Holly stared resolutely at the door.

Finally Artemis muttered something along the lines of a good night, which Holly returned, and discussion declined rapidly after that.

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When Holly next awoke, it was her first impression that she had fallen asleep with her infantile cousin Hazel in her lap, what with all the squirming and wriggling. Then she opened her eyes, squinting against the pale morning sunlight filtering in through the blinds. That alone would have told her that she was no where near her cousin, but in the same glance she also so the reason that she was awakened.

Artemis was thrashing wildly in his sleep, crying out inaudible words and fighting invisible enemies. Holly knew a nightmare when she saw one; working in law enforcement left many of her coworkers with less than pleasant memories. She also knew, by the same reasoning, that it was a bad idea to startle someone out of a nightmare; it was always better to ease a person back into reality gradually.

Holly grasped Artemis's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It's all right. I'm here," she said soothingly.

But to her surprise, the maternal approach did not lessen the severity of Artemis's struggles. The youth shuddered and gasped, his face a mask of suffering. Bits and pieces of words spewed from his mouth through ragged breaths. "No...no. Don't hurt her. Stop...please...I'll do anything...No, Holly..."

A jolt of surprise tingled through Holly's spine, hearing Artemis cry out her name. What could he be dreaming about? She brushed a damp lock of hair out of his face, still holding tightly to his hand. "Artemis, it's all right. I'm here."

Artemis let out a dry sob, his back arching from the bed. "Holly, don't go! Don't...don't leave me..."

Holly was at a loss. "Artemis, it's me, Holly," she said, desperate to break the nightmare's hold on the boy. "I'm here, I haven't left you."

"Holly," he groaned, voice hoarse from screaming. "Holly! NO!"

The cry wrenched from his throat, Artemis finally jerked awake. Holly saw his eyes dilate rapidly, even in the sunlight, the blue orbs wide but unseeing. With every wheezing breath he took his chest heaved, quickly replacing what little air he was receiving with the next halting inhale. Holly knew the symptoms of shock. She'd been on assignment once, helping the medical warlocks after an earthquake hit Haven a few years back. A young elf had been badly injured but conscious, suffering from trauma. The medics couldn't risk using a sedative on a fairy so young, so they'd been forced to calm him the manual way. It was an old LEP trick. Holly had heard of it before. She only hoped she could perform the procedure as well as a medic.

Since she was already sitting behind Artemis, all she had to do was pull him up a bit so that his back rested against her front. She placed a hand on Artemis's chest, feeling his racing heartbeat drum against her skin, and forced herself to take in large, slow breaths. "Artemis," she said between inhales, "it's all right. Calm down. I need you to breath with me. Feel the rhythm. In and out. Breath with me." Artemis dissolved into a fit of coughing, his whole frame shaking. Holly squeezed his hand a little tighter and pulled him closer to her. "In and out. In and out. You're all right. Just breathe. With me, now. You can do it. In and out."

It took a few heart-stopping moments for the boy to find the rhythm, but at last he began to breathe in tandem with Holly. Under her palm she could feel his pulse settle back into a normal cadence of beats, his breath becoming steadier and stronger. But Holly didn't dare release him just yet. Feeling extremely and inexplicably protective of him, she wrapped her free arm, the one not attached to the hand holding Artemis's, around him in a comforting embrace. "I'm here," she breathed into his ear. "I'm here and I'm not leaving."

"H-Holly..."

Her arm tightened. "I'm not leaving you, Artemis Fowl. I won't."

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Things went downhill for nurse Holly after that frightening wake-up call. It seemed the respite that had been granted to Artemis was only temporary, leaving him no better, worse even, then the day she had arrived. It was so bad that Holly couldn't leave Artemis's side for more than ten minutes or he would relapse into shock. The boy didn't regain full consciousness, even at Holly's gentle prompting, though he was prone to fall into fits of wild struggling and thrashing. Worse yet, the fever that Holly had managed to break was back at thirty nine and still climbing.

It was just after eight o'clock that evening, about the time she had finally wrestled the second pill down his throat, when Holly questioned all of her medicinal knowledge and finally asked herself aloud to an otherwise silent room, "Is this normal?" Indeed, it didn't seem like any simple case of pneumonia. Granted, she was by no means an expert on Mud Men sickness, but this could not be right. Even Artemis should be recovering by now, for heaven's sake. Holly sighed, resting her head on the edge of the bed. Foaly would know. Foaly knew everything, even the everything that pertained to humans.

Wait a nanosecond... "Foaly!" Holly exclaimed loudly, then, softer when Artemis stirred fitfully, "That's it. Why didn't I think of it before?" She grabbed her LEP helmet from the floor and jammed it on her head. "Foaly? Foaly, are you there?"

It took a minute, but then, "Holly? That you? Hold on, let me adjust the frequency..." A blast of static went through her ear piece, then the centaur's voice came back crystal clear. "I can't believe you're making contact with Ops. Root's ready to kill you. That or make sure you never work for the Lower Element's police again. What are you doing in there? Setting up permanent residence?"

"I may have to if Artemis never recovers from this so called pneumonia," Holly said, watching the aforementioned boy out of the corner of her eye, just in case.

"So called pneumonia? Is there something wrong?"

Holly would have snorted had anything about the situation been even remotely funny. "Yes, as a matter of fact. Artemis has had this stupid sickness for over a week now and he's no better. He's worse, even. Does that sound normal to you?"

"Now, Holly," said Foaly reproachfully. She could just imagine his know-it-all smirk. "You should know that Mud Men don't have the immune systems of fairies. This could take weeks to clear up completely. No need worry your pretty little head."

Holly was done playing. "He went into shock, Foaly," she said flatly. "I had to use the old LEP calming technique just to get him to breath again. Should I worry my pretty little head about that?"

That seemed do get his attention. He was probably doing his calculating face now, brows all scrunched up and his mouth quirked. "Yes, that you should probably worry about. What are you suggesting?"

"I don't know. But I know that if this keeps up, he....Oh, Foaly. I promised I would take care of him..." Holly tried to keep the tremor out of her voice, but her vocal chords couldn't quite pull it off.

"No need to get upset, Holly," Foaly said gently. "Can you get me a blood sample? If there's something wrong with Artemis other than a puny human virus, I'll know what it is and most likely how to cure it."

Holly was about to reply that she couldn't leave Artemis home alone when a voice called her name from the doorway. She told Foaly to hang tight and wrenched off the helmet. Butler stood at the threshold, looking travel beaten and wary. Holly jumped to her feet. "Butler, I'm so glad you're home. Is Juliet all right?"

Butler brushed past her with a nod and a muttered, "She's upstairs sleeping," and moved swiftly to his former Principal's bedside. Holly could almost see the hope vanish from his face when he swept the boy's bangs aside and rested his palm on his forehead, undoubtedly feeling the fever's heat. "So he's no better, then," he said, his voice pinched with worry.

Holly shook her head sadly. "No, I'm afraid not. But listen, Butler. I don't think this is any normal case of pneumonia. Foaly says he might be able to find out what's really wrong with Artemis, but he needs a blood sample. Now that you're back, I can take one to him..."

Realizing that she was asking his permission, Butler nodded curtly. They both spun around sharply when Artemis groaned, seizing up in the grip of another coughing fit. Butler was at his side faster than Holly had time to blink, though she herself was not far behind. They gripped his pale arms tightly when he threatened to roll right off the bed, but the fit, while harsh, passed quickly. Artemis whimpered again, his head lolling slightly to one side. It was then that the two saw the bright red liquid gathered at the corners of his mouth, a small trickle already making its way down his cheek.

"D'Arvit," Holly swore, and Butler followed her lead with a comment of his own. The manservant hung his head, and his voice came up sounding hollow and beaten. "Hurry and get that blood sample to Foaly. He doesn't have much time."

Holly nodded shakily and pulled a hypothermic needle out of her LEP issue med pack. "Hold him still," she said to Butler, and inserted the tip into the faintly blue vein in Artemis's arm. Of course, being ill for so long had made Artemis hyper sensitive to pain, and he did not take well to the sharp implement being jabbed into his skin (who does?). However, Butler easily held him in place while Holly withdrew a sufficient amount and retracted the needle. Putting the sample into her bag carefully, Holly rested a hand on Butler's massive arm. "I'll be back as soon as I know the results."

"Hurry," he said.

Holly did not have to be told. As she ran down the corridor and into the main hall where her wings were resting on the hat rack, she slipped on her LEP helmet. "Foaly? Get me a private shuttle down to Ops. I don't care what Root will say, just do it. Tell him he can dock it from my next check for all I care. I've got to get down there and fast."

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::nervous glances:: Eh heh heh…romance. What can I say? ….It does things to people. Makes 'em act weird and such….::falls to knees:: I'm sorry! Was it OOC? I can't help it, they just come out that way! It's the romance, I tell you! THE ROMANCE!! But I do have an excuse for Arty: he was sick. Delirious! Come on now, that would make anyone act strangely! And Holly! She's a good person....fairy....right? No way she could be cold and uncaring in this situation....right? ::hopeless romantic::

Some of you may be upset that I tortured Arty so much in the chappie…::pokes the cage of snarling fan girls with a ten foot pole and giggle:: What can I say, I'm just a certified bishie torturer. Don't worry! He'll get better! ::koffeventuallykoff:: Hee hee…. Oh and yes, I was inspired by the move Signs to write a portion of this chappie. You all probably noticed that, though. ::grin::

Read and review! Fourth chappie written and ready for ya!