A/N: I AM SO VERY SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN FOREVER! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I AM NOT GIVING UP ON THIS STORY! I've had little access to a computer and I've been very busy with my family along with MAJOR writers block. Updates should be coming sooner because I got my own laptop for Christmas and I had word put on it today. I'm so very sorry for any spelling/grammar errors! Words in bold are guitar names and makes!

I OWN NOTHING!

Chapter 7: Guitars, the Carnival and a Vial

Sunday October 24, 4:30pm.

Artemis found himself making his way down the familiar path to Rose's dorm for the second time today inwardly hoping that he wouldn't be waking her up again if she were napping. After hours of working nonstop and a quick field test Artemis was sure the solution to stopping Rose's nightmares was contained in the inside pocket of his jacket.

As he approached her dorm he was greeted by the sound of music again signaling that Rose was indeed awake. Upon reaching the door he immediately recognized that only the sound of a guitar was spilling from the open windows. Over the past few years Artemis had added guitar to the list of instruments he played and took a moment to listen, it wasn't very loud but he had to bang on the door to make sure he was heard over the din. Suddenly the guitar stopped and movement was heard from inside. Moments later the door opened with Rose behind it. She didn't look as tired as she had at breakfast, but she still looked like she needed a good night's sleep.

"Hey Arty." She said with a smile as she opened the door wider allowing him to step inside.

"Hello Rose." He responded. "You look better. Did you have a nice nap?" She shrugged.

"Not really, but I had a five hour energy shot a little while ago." She shut the door behind Artemis and leaned against it crossing her arms over her chest speaking with a smirk.

"So what brings you hear? Forget something again?" She teased. "Or are you going to tell me the real reason you decided to come over at four thirty in the morning last night?"

"I told you, I left my jacket here and I wanted to retrieve it." He said in a voice that made it clear he would say no more on the subject. His back was to her as he surveyed the room again. This time he noticed two guitars on stands and an amp in a corner of the room. One guitar was an electric the other an acoustic. So that's where the music came from. He thought.

"You play guitar?" He asked walking over to the instruments and inspecting them. The electric was a deep blue almost black color and was a Squire Bullet by Fender, as was the amp next to it. The acoustic was a DR100 by Epiphone with a vintage starburst design.

"I play a bit." She said walking over to him. "I taught myself the basics a few years back and I've been learning songs as I go. I'm not that good though. Do you play?" She asked.

I've also taught myself how to play. May I?" he asked gesturing to the acoustic.

"Of course." Rose said. Artemis then picked up the guitar and examined it. It was beautifully crafted and had the western look that he knew Rose liked. When he placed it back on its stand he noticed a piece of paper on the ground by the amp. He picked it up and recognized it as guitar tablature. "All the Small Things by Blink-182?" He asked holding out the paper to Rose.

"Oh yeah," she said taking the paper. "I printed that out last week and have been working on it in my spare time."

"Can you play all of it yet?" he asked.

"Yes. Why?" she questioned in return.

"I was wondering if you would be willing to play it for me." He said with a smile. She thought about it for a moment before responding.

"I'll play it for you if you play something for me afterwards. Deal?" she asked. Artemis nodded. Rose then took the electric guitar and amp over to her armchair, slid the strap over her shoulder and adjusted a few of the setting on the amp while Artemis grabbed the acoustic and slid the chair from her desk over to the armchair. Rose looked at Artemis who nodded and she then began to play. As she played Artemis noted that she played the song fairly well but he noticed that she was making numerous mistakes. Her fingering on the fret board being off and occasionally strumming the wrong strings were the most common errors she made, but other than that she played decently. When she finished she looked at Artemis.

"Alright Arty, your turn." Artemis thought for a moment what to play then decided to play a song he had written over the summer. He played with flawless precision and every note, every chord, every strum was perfect. When he finished the song he looked up to see a look of pure astonishment on Rose's face.

"That was amazing Artemis! Much better than anything I know!" she said.

"Thank you. Though I feel it was slightly unfair because I wrote my song and have been playing it all summer, you however have only been playing your song for a week. Why don't we both play a song we know better?" He suggested.

"Alright. Do you want to go first?" She asked.

"Ladies first." He responded. "I insist." He added after Rose opened her mouth to protest.

"Fine." She thought for a moment before leaning down to adjust the settings on the amp, and moving her fingers on the fret board to form a different chord. "This is In Too Deep by Sum 41."

"I know that song." Artemis said. At her surprised look he added. "I listen to alternative quite a bit." She nodded and began to play. While she was considerably better at this song than the last she still made many small mistakes and the sound was a bit sloppy. When she finished she looked up.

"Your turn Arty." She said with a smile.

"The song I would like to play uses an electric guitar. May I?" He asked nodding to the guitar in her hand.

"Of course." Rose said handing him the electric while he gave her the acoustic. He then bent down and adjusted the settings on the amp slightly. He gave an experimental strum and nodded pleased with the sound.

"This is Crazy Train by Ozzy Osborne" He said. "Do you know him?" He asked with mock innocence. Rose let out a small chuckle.

"The Prince of darkness? No I don't think I've ever heard of him before." She said her voice dripping with sarcasm. Artemis smiled and then began to play the songs intro. As the song progressed the only mistake he made was a misplaced pinkie on the solo. When he finished he looked up at Rose who was smiling at him.

"And once again Arty, you blow me out of the water. Very well played." Artemis inspected her for a moment, something was definitely off. She almost seemed pleased she had lost. But before he could investigate further she had taken the guitars and the amp and put them back in their places. When she went over to put the guitar tablature on her desk he heard her mutter "oh Right" Under her breath. When she came back over to him she had a light blue flyer in her hand.

"Someone tacked this to my door this morning, I was wondering if you could tell me what it's all about." She said handing it to him. Upon inspection he saw it had "DUBLIN ANUAL SPOOK-TACULAR!" written across the front and small pictures of witches, ghosts and jack-o-lanterns were decorating the page.

"Ah, yes. There is a carnival held in town every year to raise money for the children's hospital. It starts tomorrow on Monday and ends Sunday on Halloween."

"Do you ever go?" she asked as he handed the paper back to her.

"Yes. The Fowls always make an appearance together for a half hour or so, then Juliet will take the twins off to ride rides and play games, my moth-my mum and dad, well I never know exactly what they do, and Butler and I walk around observing mainly." Suddenly Artemis got an idea. "Do you think you'll go Rose?" she shrugged.

"It seems like fun, so I guess I might."

"But wouldn't going by yourself be a bit lonely?" he asked.

"I suppose." She answered cautiously, clearly seeing that he was up to something. "But I think I would enjoy it none the less."

"Why don't you come with me?" He offered. "I could show you around the fair, and this way neither of us would be bored or lonely." Rose thought for a moment before looking up at him with a smile.

"That sounds like fun, I would love to."

"Excellent. Is Saturday alright with you? Around 5:00pm? She nodded.

"Saturday at five it is." Artemis was about to leave when he remembered the reason he came over here.

"Oh Rose I have something for you. I believe I have found the solutions to you nightmares."

"Oh really?" Rose asked her face lighting up. "What?" He reached into his inside coat pocket and withdrew a small skinny vial about the size of his palm that was filled with a dark blue liquid.

"This is a solution I made with some new technology I invented. When consumed the ingredients will zone in on the fear receptors in the brain that trigger the nightmares and neutralizes their ability to produce them. Of course you still will have the occasional nightmare like everyone else, but they will be far less frequent." He then handed the vial to Rose who held it up to the light.

"Will I have to take nightly doses?" She asked. He could tell she was apprehensive about the mystery liquid, yet excited that nightmares would no longer be plaguing her.

"No." He responded. "One vial before you go to sleep tonight and your problem will be fixed." She still looked slightly apprehensive. "It's completely safe. I've already tested it on the boy in the dorm next to mine; he was prone to nightmares and is now sleeping peacefully on a couch in the common room." Rose nodded.

"I trust your judgment Arty." She then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for going through all this trouble, you have no idea what this means to me." She said quietly, her voice shaking slightly. His arms immediately came around her and he rested his head on top of hers.

"It was no trouble at all Rose. I'm just happy I could be of assistance." He said a small smile gracing his lips. But he actually did have an idea of what it meant to her as he remembered his own nightmare from the night before. Going thought that every night for four nights must have been torture. And as he recalled his nightmare he silently vowed he would do everything in his power to make sure it never became a reality. They stood there holding each other a bit longer until the moment passed and the teens then quickly let go of each other.

"Well I should be going now." Artemis said as he walked toward the door. "I'll see you at dinner." He said as he walked out.

"See you at dinner Arty." Rose responded shutting the door. As always Artemis waited until her heard the door lock before he made his way to his dorm.

A/N: So there's chapter seven. And again I am SOOOOO sorry for such a long wait. The next chapter will take place on the following Friday and will have a fist fight! But who do you guys think it will be between? REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW!