Since this is an A/H story and there isn't much A/H, besides implied, I put a little moment in this. Little as in miniscule, as in you don't really see Holly's reaction until the dream sequence of the next chapter.

Unwanted Confirmations

It's so easy to let go, she thinks. Tells herself.

It's so easy to use slip away…

'When are you going to realize what's wrong?' she voices aloud.

When are you going to wake me up?

Artemis threw open the doors of the library and sprinted to the computer area, not pausing to think.

'What the hell is going on,' hissed Mulch, catching up.

'Wait,' Artemis breathed, impatiently waiting for the computer's internet browser to load. He glanced at Mulch expectantly. 'Well, sit down then.'

Mulch half-heartedly took a seat in the chair beside Artemis, craning to see the screen. 'Artemis, what the hell are you doing?'

'I said wait,' Artemis muttered vaguely, opening a search engine and quickly making a search. He found the results and read them sadly, regretting having to confirm it.

Mulch stared at the screen with growing horror.

'Artemis…you don't mean…'

Artemis didn't reply, staring blankly at the pages that he was quickly printing. He shut the window and waited for the rest of the information to print.

'Yes, Mulch, I do.'

The answer echoed around the silent library.

She hears a door slamming and hears a yell.

'ARSENIC.'

The silence then, the cold, understanding, accepting, silence.

'What?'

'Arsenic poisoning. From a painting. A very old painting.' The sentences are short, thrust into the air.

No one's there to catch the sentences. To understand.

'Mr. Fowl, I highly doubt…'

'Paris Green. Otherwise known as Emerald Green. A painting figment once often sued in Impressionist paintings, valued for its incredible colour. But very, very toxic.'

'Once again, I really…'

'LISTEN.'

The silence.

'That's what it is. I'm sure of it.'

'But Mr. Fowl, how could Ms. Short come into contact with such a painting…or be around it long enough for the poison to affect her?'

'Holly and Mulch are private investigators. I help them sometimes, due to my connections in the art world, to retrieve painting and give them back to museums above ground. One of the paintings we encountered needed a frame fixed. Holly did the work, which took ages, about a month, because it was a valuable painting and needed to be preserved as such.

When Holly began to take slightly sick—which I didn't mention to you before because I assumed it was nothing, a common cold—I did some research on the painting. I found out Emerald Green was used as a figment, but didn't think much of it. Now, some colours I saw reminded me of the painting and I remembered reading about Emerald Green before…all I remembered was that it may have been toxic. I then, just now, went to the library and looked it up on the computers…and I'm afraid my worst fears were confirmed. See for yourself.'

A rustle of papers.

'…Are you sure…?'

'Yes, for the last time, I am sure.' Artemis' brief, impatient voice would've made Holly smirk at imaging in the doctor's reaction, but it hurt too much to smile, to move at all seemed to only aggravate the pain.

She let out a cry as new pain hit her, and she found it difficult to breath.

The liquid slid down her face, tears of pain.

'SOMEONE,' she screamed, finding strength, strength only to let it out, to scream.

'SOMEONE HELP.'

Holly's agonized yells broke through her silence, and Artemis, Mulch, and the sprite turned worriedly to face her.

Holly's eyes fluttered open for a moment, but she didn't seem to take in anything around her. Her gaze drifted to the printed out pages lying on the bedside table, and suddenly she smiled, closing her eyes again.

'In this case we need blood transfusions if the arsenic is a serve case,' the doctor began, 'but other than that there isn't much we can do…'

Holly's eyes opened again, and Artemis and Mulch made their way to her bedside.

'You okay?' Mulch asked quietly. Holly nodded briefly.

'It's kinda hard to breathe,' she managed to say, 'and I keep getting really awful pains.'

'Listen, Holly,' Artemis cut in, 'you know the painting?'

'I heard,' Holly mumbled.

'They'll be able to do blood transfusions…and you don't seem to be critical…'

'That's good, huh?' Holly said with a small half-smile.

'Yep. You'll be okay,' Mulch told her.

Holly smiled again, closing her eyes.

Impulsively, Artemis leaned down and quickly kissed her forehead, before getting up and walking out of the room, ignoring Mulch's stare.

Meh. Not too sure about that there.

Reviews still welcome

-Tigeress10