This is were we start to move into the action/adventure genre a little more. Yes, that's right, I'm writing something with actual plot. Stolen, but hey! Baby steps. Err, probably should have mentioned this before but, minor swearing!!

PS. the page break button seems to have quit on me, so... imagine.

Chapter Four: Eos, The Third Wheel

Artemis is, however, a curious boy. Well, man, now. Butler's warnings don't go unheard and, like Minerva's bitter whispers, they coil in his subconscious, building on his curiosity, his frustration. He recognises the shape of her body, the taste of her mouth, but he just can't quite place them. And it is driving him up the wall.

She's so small, almost like... but let's not be ridiculous. After all, he's had many tiny lovers since She vanished, it could be any number of people. Artemis frowns to himself, thinking that it really is high time he got over his absurd attraction to diminutive redheads, diminutive East Indians, diminutive girls with heterochromia or hooked noses. It has passed through merely predictable and is moving swiftly into absolutely pathetic.

Finally, one morning, he is lying with this familiar stranger in his arms and he thinks, well, why shouldn't I know? This isn't a myth, after all.

He rises and moves to the window. The clocks glows the early hour and he knows that outside dawn is only just breaking. Taking a breath, he pushes back the curtains. She is instantly awake.

He standing there, stark naked, his skin warmed to gold by the rising sun. This may be the only light in which he doesn't look like corpse. Her eyes are wide with horror and betrayal but she can't help loving the sight of him.

'Holly,' his voice cracks like it hasn't done in years. 'Holly,' he feels like he could stand here forever just saying her name, eternally reassuring himself that it really is her.

'Shut up Artemis,' the familiarity of her response catches him off guard and he smiles. It's almost as though this were any other day of their long and bizarre relationship. 'They'll hear. They'll see. Oh for - it's too late, anyway. D'arvit, Artemis,' she grits his name out, one word encompassing at once all possible remonstrations and all possible endearments.

She's out of the bed now, reaching for her clothes, but has to pause, arms around her stomach, as the sun makes her nauseous. She can feel a blush rising in her cheeks as he watches her, of all the times to get embarrassed! But, then again, he's never seen her before.

'Close the d'arvitting curtains, Artemis, or I'm going to throw up,' she goes for her clothes again, swaying like a landsick sailor.

Obediently, he does. She can hear him come towards her in the dark, and she hurries into her shimmer suit, fingers slipping desperately at the straps of her wings. Oh no, he's got her by the hands now, oh no, Artemis, she has to go, oh no...

'You never called.'

'Neither did you,' she squirms in his grip, decidedly stronger now that he is older.

'I suppose not.'

They are silent for a moment, wounded pride and so many insecurities gaping between them like a knife wound to the stomach. Holly forgets her desperation to leave, wanting only to take this hurt and kiss its pain away, to cover it in reassurances like band-aids so that the world can't get in and fester. She is suddenly glad that his grip on her wrists will keep her from shedding her clothes all over again.

'I missed you,' she says, by way of apology, excuse, explanation. Her voice breaks on the words.

'Were you really sent to kill me?'

And with that, all her fear and frustration comes rushing back. 'Yes. You're were getting too smart for them, that new thing, that C Cube follow up you made with our technology... they were scared and resentful and,' she breaks free of him, 'now they'll know what I've be doing and where you are, Foaly'll have to tell them when he sees this. Artemis you idiot, why, why, couldn't you have just listened for once? I only wanted to keep you safe,' she's at the window now, steeling herself to fly out into the dawn. Quietly she finishes, 'What did I ever do but love you?'

'Holly-'

'Forget it Artemis. I've got to go. And so do you, before they send someone else.'

Then she's gone.

Artemis stands in his room, the curtains askew, the new sun throwing shadows on the floor, and realises he has just let the love of his life fly away, into the day that will sicken and expose her.

'Hell!'

He throws on his clothes, shoes put on without socks, top button of his shirt not even done up, and runs out into the house.

''

Butler is doing his early morning rounds when he finds her. Wings buzzing ineffectually, she is on all fours, gasping for breath beneath the apple trees.

'Holly! What on earth-' Butler pauses, thinking, slowly realising, 'Oh no. It was you.'

She looks up at him, her face stricken.

He picks her up gently, avoiding her wings, like you do when you cup butterflies in your hands. Her body heaves and she sobs, clutching at his shirt as he carries her down into a darkened garage.

'What will I do, Butler? I couldn't kill him. I couldn't. It doesn't matter how bad he is. Frond, what the d'arvit am I going to do? He opened the curtains! They know now, I'm sure they know. They'll throw me out. But Butler, I couldn't, I – I love him,' her words come out in a rush, tripping over themselves. 'Oh d'arvit. D'arvit, d'arvit, d'arvit, Frond,' but with each cuss she calms down, gasps evening out, heart rate slowing, until at last she is still in his arms. 'Ah Butler,' he can hear her wry smile at her own hysteria, 'I've really done it now, haven't I?'

With his big thumbs he smoothes her sweaty hair back from her forehead, 'You've 'really done it' who knows who many times. Artemis'll work it out. For now let's just get you somewhere safe. And then you can tell me the whole story, from the beginning, how about that?'

Strength sapped from sunlight and emotional seesawing, she nods quietly, letting herself be put into the back of a car, its windows blacked out. Butler slips into the driver's seat, and backs them out into the drive.

'There's a faery fort not far from here, up on the hill, I can stay there until I get over the sunsickness,' she tells him, lying down along the plush seat.

'Alright.'

Good old Butler, she thinks, always saving my ass.

Shit, thinks Butler, I've really dropped her in it now, haven't I?

''

He searches through the house. He searches all over the grounds. She is nowhere. So, he does it all again. He is peering into the rhododendrons by the front door when Butler returns.

'What on earth are you doing, Artemis?'

'Butler!' he jumps, startled, and blurts out the only thing in his mind, 'Holly! Have you seen Holly?'

'Yes,' replies his manservant evenly, 'I just dropped her off at some faery bunker up that hill over there,' he gestures with the car keys. Artemis follows their movement with his eyes.

'Did you? That's wonderful,' he grabs the keys from Butler's unsuspecting hand and races for the car.

'Ar-' Butler sighs and lets his sentence go unfinished. Unless it was 'Holly' Artemis wasn't going to hear a single word he said.