Disclaimer: I do not own anything owned by Eoin Colfer or anything to do with the Artemis Fowl books or anything like that. I only own what I own/made up/created/ thought of. Got it?

A/N: Whoopsies, this update is a day late. My bad. The updates will still be on Friday nights though. Sorry. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. And for anyone wondering where the surface weddings have got to they are coming.

Review Replies:

-anon-anon-anon- - Foaly isn't really featuring that much in this fic. And I said that I hated AH and that this wasn't HT, so it seemed obvious to me. But anyway, it was changed in the little summary thingy, and it is HollyRoot.

­­Sgarecool321 - This is an update. Yes half-sibling.

Stiggy - hehe, I like that word, yay. Thanks.

hidden and forgotten - it isn't HollyFoaly, that pairing scares me - they are different species.

Lutefa - Umm I meant Kiwi as in someone from New Zealand, named after the endangered cute fluffy flightless bird that lives only in New Zealand, not kiwi as in kiwifruit, which was originally from China. I'm too lazy to climb mountains myself. I am continuing.

Tryptophan - Thanks. The title does have some significance, I just haven't got to the weddings yet. You never know… it could be true. Thanks.

sergeantstan - All of the chapters are 3 pages in word. Thanks, I'm glad you are happy.

potter-Dork - yay. Holly doesn't go home with Root because ummm I didn't feel lie making her… I dunno I can't remember why but there was a reason.

Nia - Thanks.

Chapter Six

Having watched that 20 minutes of quality programming (they were not forced to sit through the endless adverts) Holly stood up.

'I'm going to bed now. Night Trouble.'

'Night Hols.'

Holly was then suddenly compelled to do what neither of them would have expected. She stepped up to Trouble and game him a hug. Trouble simply stared at her, shocked. He had never seen her display so much emotion.

'I haven't had a family member for so long,' she explained, going red, 'Goodnight Trouble.'

On that slightly shocking and embarrassing note Holly stepped out of the door, across the hall, and into her own apartment. As soon as she shut the door behind her she began to grin. She had a family again.

With her grin firmly in place she tumbled into bed. It had been a very eventful day.

………………………………………………..

The next morning Holly got up and woke Trouble up half an hour earlier than either of them ever got up. They went into work together. Both were extremely happy.

When they signed in with Root they both noticed that he seemed extremely pale, but neither said anything. It wasn't a very good idea on the best of days to tell your boss that he was very pale. There was an office pool running on how long it would take until his heart exploded. No one really knew how old he was, most people guessed that he was about five hundred, so he probably still had a good millennium or two left in him.

'I've got work to do, see you Holly.'

'I've gotta go see Foaly, see what work he has for me to do. I'm sure he'll find something,' grinned Holly.

Holly made her solitary way down to the Ops. Booth. Foaly was very pleased to see her once she got there. He too was feeling like a loner.

They spent about and hour talking about Foaly's latest invention, or rather, Foaly talked and Holly listened to avoid doing paperwork.

'So Holly, what did you come down here for?' asked Foaly.

'Just, ummm, just to tell you that I had no paperwork left to do.'

'Shouldn't you have told Julius this Holly?'

'But I knew that Root would just give me more and that I could get out of some by coming to see you.'

'Typical Holly, get going now and tell Root.'

Commander Root chose that exact moment to walk into the room.

'Tell me what, exactly?'

'Well, umm….'

Holly never got any further than that because Commander Root chose that exact moment to collapse into a heap on the floor. He was still breathing, still conscious, but obviously in a lot of pain.

'Julius,' shrieked Holly as she ran towards him.

'I need a medic down here, Ops. Booth, now!' said Foaly into one of his beloved intercoms.

Holly was already on the floor by Commander Root as a medic rushed into the room. The medic lay Root on his back, placed his hands on Root's chest and muttered 'Heal.'

Blue sparks played around Root's stomach, his breathing slowed and he seemed to be in less pain.

'This shouldn't happen to him Foaly, sir, not if he has had his pent-annual medical examination that all LEP personnel are meant to have.'

'I know that, but, Julius being Julius, he probably hasn't.'

As people seemed to be choosing that day to randomly walk into the Ops. Booth the chairman of the Council himself decided to walk into the room as well.

'Julius probably hasn't what?' he asked upon hearing Foaly's comment.

'Had his pent-annual medical examination, sir,' muttered Foaly, knowing Root would dock his budget.

'Oh Frond, Root,' he said upon spotting Julius lying on the floor with Holly and the medic kneeling beside him.

'Hang on,' chimed in Holly, 'PENT-annual? Then why does Root make me go once a year?'

'Probably because you're a girl,' replied the chairman. Then he held up his hand as Holly opened her mouth to protest, 'Not now Short. You and the medic can escort Julius to the Police Hospital. Get him checked out, find out what it is that is wrong with him. Then contact Major Kelp and tell him that he will be in charge for however long it takes to fix whatever Root has plus a week. No arguments,' he said again as Commander Root this time opened his mouth to protest, 'Oh, and how long has it been since you had a medical examination?'

'About 50 years I think.'

'ROOT, you will be having the pent-annual examinations pent-annually, got it? Short get him to the hospital.'

'Yes, sir,' said Holly. She grabbed Commander Root's arm and hoisted it over her shoulder so he could lean on her as they walked to the hospital on the other side of the building.

They walked in silence, but once they reached the hospital Root took a breath, and said, amazingly managing not to look or sound like he was swallowing his pride, 'Thanks Holly.'

'No problem sir.' Holly grinned. Maybe Julius didn't hate her so much after all.

Julius was up on could nine. Admittedly Holly had been ordered to bring him, and he was in a lot of pain, but she didn't seem to mind that she had had to bring him to the hospital. He could feel her delicate frame under his arm, slim yet strong. He began to lapse into a day dream where Holly didn't think he hated her, but was brought out of it by Holly snapping her fingers under his nose and saying, 'Sir, they want you to sit down here, is that O.K. sir?'

'Fine,' muttered Julius.

'Great,' said Holly as she lowered him gently onto a bed. Julius was amazed by how gentle she was. Almost like she actually cared, but he managed to convince himself this wasn't true, that she didn't care for him.