Well… Its been a while hasn't it? I'm sorry it took so long to update :/. I was scrolling through my stories folder yesterday and - hey, look at that - there's an entire story I didn't finish here. I completely forgot about it XD. So, sorry about that. Thank you all for being patient. Life just kinda caught up to me there.

Please keep up the reviews. This chapter gets a bit hairy so hang in there.

Finland

The shuttle moved swiftly over the forested land. As dawn approached and grey light filtered in from the east, the shuttle passed over northern Ostrobothnia. Inside the shuttle, Artemis was awake and staring intently at the navigation screen. There were dark rings around his eyes and though the temperature in the shuttle was fairly warm, the occasional shiver would run through his frame.

Holly piloted the shuttle as Artemis led them over a dense forest somewhere within the Syöte National Park. She glanced worriedly at Artemis every now and then. Artemis did not look up, his eyes were glued to the navi-screen. Holly bit her lip and returned her gaze to the landscape of mountainous forest in front of her.

"Turn 20 degrees to the east." Said Artemis in a flat voice.

Holly turned the shuttle to the correct heading and settled back, waiting. She was deeply concerned. Since Artemis had awoken he had become increasingly withdrawn. Now he hardly even acknowledged her presence. It was as though he were in another world, listening and seeing things that only he could sense.

They flew onwards, Artemis occasionally realigning their position until they reached the heart of a dense forest. They were in the valley of two mountains which sat to their left and right. Artemis motioned towards a small clear patch in the sea of green.

"That's where we need to go."

Holly nodded and piloted the shuttle down towards the small clearing. They cleared the line of trees and the shuttle settled on to the ground at the far edge of the large clearing. Holly pulled out the ignition chip and powered down the shuttle.

"We're here." She said simply.

Artemis nodded. His eyes were glazed over again and he looked far away. Holly went past him into the back of the shuttle and opened up some of the equipment lockers.

"Any idea how far this thing is?" she asked.

It took Artemis a few minutes to reply. He shook his head, his eyes still slightly unfocused. He walked back to where holly was standing.

"I don't know." He said truthfully. "I'm going by feeling right now."

"Great." Said Holly sarcastically, hoisting a bulky pack down from one of the racks in front of her. "Better be safe than sorry."

Holly began checking the bag. It was a standard survival pack similar to the ones used by the LEP. It had basic navigation and survival gear. In addition to her helmet, nutrino, and moonbelt it gave her a set of wings, an additional nutrino, a weeks dehydrated food, water purifier, and long range radio amongst other things. She began unpacking the gear, double checking it for defects.

"Artemis get one of these packs and check the equipment."

There was no reply. Holly looked up frowning. Artemis wasn't in the back room.

"Artemis?"

Holly walked back to the front of the shuttle. Artemis was there standing next to the open shuttle door, gazing out at the swaying grass and trees in front of him. He seemed oblivious to the chilly air that was wafting in from the open door. Holly put a hand on Artemis's shoulder.

"Artemis? What are you doing? Come back and help me get the packs ready."

Artemis did not immediately respond but continued to stare out across the grassy clearing.

"Its close." He said.

And then without warning he leapt down the steps and took off across the clearing, heading for the wall of trees to the right of the shuttle.

"Artemis! D'arvit!" Cursed Holly.

She rushed back into the shuttle and grabbed the halfway unpacked survival gear, swinging the strap over her shoulders. She darted out of the shuttle following Artemis Across the clearing.

O-O-O-O

Haven

Foaly was pacing again. There was a well worn track of scuffs in the linoleum - remnants of many a nervous adventure with Holly and Artemis. He paused for a moment in his pacing to look across the room to the screen of the computer. Still empty. He had been unable to get into contact with Holy since she had left in the shuttle. She might have even activated the shuttles signal blocker. At the moment the best he could do was wait and hope.

Damn Artemis and this Foul illness.

A foul illness for a Fowl boy. Thought Foaly ruefully.

He shook his head in agitation. He was tired and his mind was plagued by stupid, frivolous thoughts.

He snorted with frustration. If only he had been able to diagnose this illness from the start then maybe they wouldn't be in this mess right now. It was so familiar too. Like a word right on the tip of his tongue. But for the life of him, he couldn't place it. It couldn't be any of the innumerable mud men diseases that he had come up with: Artemis had already done extensive research into those. It couldn't be any of the magical ones either by the simple reasoning that Artemis would have to have magic to catch one. Of course he could have caught one from Holly, but then Holly would have had to have the same disease (or at the very least be a carrier for it) and the tests showed nothing.

Things would almost be easier if Artemis did have magic, thought Foaly. At least then I wouldn't be stuck in this conundrum. How on earth do you lose your magic anyways?

And then it clicked. Everything fit together, like the doors in Foaly's brain had been thrown open. The question that had been sitting at the edge of his conscious since Artemis had arrived: how do you lose magic? Is it even possible?

No, reasoned Foaly. No, its not. Nobody can "lose" magic, they just run out of it. And what happens when a Fairy runs out of magic? They have to recharge. But, if they don't… If they stay on empty for too long…

Everything fit - Artemis saying that he had expended all of his magic in the failed attempt to heal his mother, Quan finding only echoes of magic in Artemis's system, the pain, his reaction to Holly's magic. Everything was there. It was so obvious that Foaly could not believe that he had overlooked it. Artemis was suffering from a rare and dangerous fairy disease: Magicacareo. The lack of magic. It caused complete havoc on a fairies system; slowly tearing them apart from the inside out. It was a grisly disease and one of the main reasons the council had instituted the required surface trips for all fairies.

Even before that, though, the disease had been uncommon. It required the fairy in question to be absolutely devoid of a spark of magic. Not just dry - empty, gone, nothing. Even in their most barren state, most fairies were never completely devoid of magic. They might not be able to use it, but it was still within them. Being completely empty meant that the fairy had put themselves so completely into the act of magic that they actively forced the essence of magic from themselves. Foaly had to admit that he was impressed that Artemis had accomplished this.

Suddenly, Foaly felt relived. He had figured out what was wrong with Artemis, he was sure of it. And the cure was relatively easy too. In theory, Artemis just had to perform a fairy ritual to renew his magic.

Then, just as quickly as it had come, his elation faded. Artemis and Holly were hundreds of miles away from anyone who could help them right now. How was he supposed to tell them? Given the state of Artemis's condition if something was not done soon it would be too late.

Foaly swiveled around and returned to the computers, attacking the communications with a renewed vigor. This was no longer about simply finding Holly or appeasing Vinyáya and the council. Artemis's life was at stake.

O-O-O-O

Finland

Holly crashed through the low underbrush as she pursued Artemis through the trees.

"Artemis Stop!" Holly gasped.

Artemis did not even acknowledge that he had heard her, but continued to run ahead of her, blind to all else but what was in front of him. Holly sprinted around an outcropping of rock and followed him deeper into the forest. As she ran her foot snagged on something and she tumbled onto the earthy forest floor. Frustrated, she whipped around to see what had caused her to trip. There in the ground, almost obscured by vines, was a small metal pole with an orange band on the top. Looking closer, Holly realized that it was one of the L.E.P.'s disruption poles that had been placed to protect the forest. The vines almost entirely obscured its surface and several had worked their way into the top were the transmitter was located, deactivating it. Holly, was bewildered: to her knowledge nothing like this had ever happened. It was almost as if the forest was fighting against the disrupter on purpose.

She looked back up to discover that Artemis was no longer in sight.

"D'arvit!" cursed Holly. She didn't have time to dwell on the pole. She filed the information away in her head and then sprinted into the trees, following the path of torn branches Artemis had left behind.

Further into the forest, Artemis continued to stumble over the rough terrain as he followed Yggdrasil's pull. All the while the great oaks voice thrummed through his head: "Come. Come. Come…". Artemis knew that he should slow his pace and wait for Holly, but the pull was too strong. It clouded his thinking and made his actions involuntary. All around him the trees stretched higher and higher as he neared his destination. Then Yggdrasil's powerful thoughts entered Artemis's mind.

Wait. He commanded.

Artemis slowed to a stop, his breath coming in short painful bursts.

You have been followed. I did not ask you to bring someone with you. The elf is not welcome here. You must make her leave.

Artemis sat on the ground panting. His whole will was opposed leaving Holly behind. He wanted her with him.

Why? asked Artemis. Why can't Holly come with me? She's my friend.

She is not welcome here. repeated Yggdrasil. This is a journey for you to make alone. I did not condone her presence here. She is an intruder to the forest.

Artemis struggled to collect his scattered thoughts. It was so hard to concentrate.

She's one of your people. Argued Artemis. He could not understand why Yggdrasil had an issue with Holly's presence. Surely you would allow fairies here?

They are not welcome. They have been tampering with the natural order. They are better than humans true, but I will not allow them to interfere with my forest again. You will make the elf leave.

I can't. She will follow me anyways. Artemis knew Holly would follow him no matter what. He clutched his fists tight so that his fingernails left marks in his palms.

You must find a way. She will fall to great harm if she stays here.

Artemis felt his will being drained from him. "No" he said weakly. Surely there was another way. He did not want Holly to leave; he needed her. But he didn't want her to get hurt either. He heard footsteps coming up from behind him. Quickly making a decision, he turned to face Holly as she raced out from behind the trees.

O-O-O-O

Foaly didn't think he had ever typed so quickly in his whole life. He had had to switch from his beloved antique mudman keyboard to a virtual one after breaking one of the keys. It didn't matter though. The only thing that was important right now was finding Holly and Artemis so that he could tell them about what he had learned.

Foaly continued to type furiously, trying to locate the signal from the stolen shuttle. As he worked, the light above the door turned red. He turned and looked at the door cam. Commander Vinyáya was standing at the door, but this time she was flanked by a squad of LEP techies as well as her guard.

What now? Sighed Foaly, flipping the switch for the mike.

"Hello Commander." Said Foaly. "Did you need something? I'm working very hard right now on trying to find Holly."

"I need to speak with you Foaly. So if you would be so kind as to open the door…"

Foaly punched his key code into the number lock beside the door and the door slid open. As soon as the door was open the techies swarmed into the booth, going strait to the computers.

"Wha… Commander! What's going on?" Demanded Foaly agitatedly.

"We're taking over the tech booth Foaly." Replied Vinyáya calmly.

"I don't understand. Why are you doing this? What right do you have to just barge in here like this?"

"Look Foaly, this is out of my hands. The decision just came down from council. Because there has been no contact with Holly she has been named a missing person. You know how the council is - they tend to see in black and white. They believe that Artemis tricked Holly into coming along with him and they are assuming him as her kidnaper."

"That's ridiculous!" Said Foaly in outrage. "How does any of this affect me anyways? Why do you need to liberate my tech booth from me?"

Vinyáya gave Foaly a pained look.

"Because Foaly," she said " You are friends with both Holly and Artemis. The council doesn't want you to be involved right now. They think that its possible that you might be conspiring against the fairy people with Artemis."

Foaly was spewing protests when the commander held up her hand.

"I know it's preposterous Foaly, believe me I know. But I can't do anything about that right now. Listen to me Foaly. I'm not here to bring you in you. You are going to be placed under house arrest. I am to escort you to your home and you are not allowed to leave the premises. However, you can do as you wish while there. Do you understand me?"

Foaly did understand. He had access to his computers and technology at home as well. He would still be able to continue his search for Holly while there. And while he hated the idea of leaving his booth unattended in the hands of those slack-jawed LEP techies, It would be best for everyone if he were to cooperate for the moment.

Foaly nodded, gritting his teeth. "I do."

Commander Vinyáya led him out of the door and towards a waiting car. Foaly looked behind him, letting out an involuntary whimper when he saw one of the squads members accidentally knock his keyboard to the floor.

"I'm sorry about all this Foaly" said Vinyáya sincerely.

"Just make sure the place is still in one piece when your boys are done with it" Said Foaly with a grimace.

O-O-O-O

Artemis turned to face Holly as she emerged from the trees, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what to do.

"Artemis! There you are." Said Holly with relief. "I had to run through half the forest to catch up to you. Why did you just leave like that? I was worried about you."

"Holly, I need you to go back to the shuttle." Said Artemis quietly.

"What?" Holly frowned. "You know I can't do that Artemis. I told you I'd follow you through with this and I'm keeping that promise. Besides," she said grinning, "you need me around to make sure you don't get into trouble."

Artemis's lip twitched into a half smile before his face hardened.

"I need to do this alone Holly. You would only slow me down."

"Artemis, what's wrong?" Asked Holly in concern "I'm not going to leave you alone out here. You crashed into my room last night begging me to go with you and now you want me to leave? You know me better than to ask something like that. Friends look out for each other yeah? Come on, what's bothering you?"

Yggdrasil's voice echoed through Artemis's head. Make the fairy leave. She will be in danger here if she stays.

Artemis didn't have a choice. He had to get Holly out of here. Time was running out.

"Friends… Yes, friends look out for each other, but we are not friends Holly."

Even as he said them, Artemis cringed inwardly at his words. How could he say such things to Holly. Holly, his closest friend in the world.

"What are you talking about Artemis?" asked Holly, looking confused. "Of course we're friends. Look, if you're worried about that whole thing with your mom, don't be. I understand why you did what you did. I probably would have done the same thing. It's over and done with. You're tired Artemis, and you need to rest. Lets go back to the shuttle and…"

"I'm not going back Holly. I'm going on. Alone. You can't come with me."

"I don't understand why you are acting like this!" Said Holly, losing patience. "Is it something I did? What's happening to you? You keep growing more and more distant and now you're trying to push me away."

I can't do this. Thought Artemis miserably. I can't drive her away from me.

But, all the while the voice ran through his head. Make her leave. Make her leave…

Holly waited for Artemis to respond. She saw Artemis groan and sink to the ground, holding his head in his hands. Her expression softened.

"I care about you Artemis." She said, walking up next to him. "I care a lot about you. And I'll always be here to help you, just like I know you will always help me. We'll work through this together just like we did all the other times."

She held out her hand to help Artemis up, but Artemis didn't take it. He remained where he was. Holly could tell something important was bothering him. She just needed him to open up.

"You know," Holly said, blushing slightly at what she was about to say, "you mean more to me than anyone else right now. I've seen you go through so much and you always manage to come out on the other end. You'll get through this too."

She paused, but Artemis did not look up. She knelt down next to him and placed an arm around his shoulder.

"That time you almost died at the zoo…" she said, looking down - why was she bringing this up now? She thought. "I was so afraid that you had died. When I saw that you were alive I… I just felt so happy. Happier than I should have been. I was happy because I didn't have to lose you like I did my mom or Commander Root. I don't think I could stand it if I lost you. If it means anything to you…" she was now blushing hard, "…the kiss I gave you really meant something to me. And you really mean something to me Artemis"

She turned and Smiled at him

Artemis felt like his heart was going to explode in his chest. He didn't know that he meant so much to Holly. A miniature war waged inside of him. He couldn't make her leave. It would not be fair to hurt her again. It would not be human. But…

No. He had to. He had to get her out of here.

Maybe I could find a way to convince Yggdrasil to let her stay. He thought. But deep down he knew that wasn't going to happen.

Artemis groaned. His feverish mind could not make sense of these arguments right now. Only one thought stuck out: He had to. Holly had to be safe. He could not live with himself if something were to happen to her. But, he might be able to bear the guilt and pain of what he was about to say if it ensured Holly's safety.

He had to…

Holly was waiting patiently for Artemis when he turned to her. He looked right through her, speaking in a flat voice.

"The kiss meant nothing."

Holly felt the world come to a halt. Even the windy forest around them seemed to come to a standstill.

"Wha… What do you mean?" She stuttered, taking her arm off of Artemis.

"The kiss. It meant nothing." He said in the same dead voice. "It never meant anything. None of it ever meant anything. We are acquaintances, that's all. There was never anything there."

Holly stood and stepped away from Artemis slowly, tears running down her cheek. It felt as though something in her chest had just shattered.

"But… all those times. All the time we spent together…"

"…Meant nothing. You were just a convenient solution to various problems."

Holly continued to back away from Artemis, trying to escape his words that were cutting into her like knives.

"I don't… I can't…" She said incoherently.

Her brain was frozen. She couldn't think so she latched on to the first stray thought that entered her mind.

"I came and got you!" She choked. "I saved your life! And you've saved mine too. You can't tell me that didn't mean anything!"

"It didn't."

Artemis's words struck her like a blow. All this time! All this time she had been mistaken about Artemis. How could she have ever imagined that there could be something between them; that there could be anything good about him. Deep down he was cold and heartless and only ever used people for his own good. She should have known that! But no, she had managed to convince herself that Artemis cared about her. It was all a lie!

A strangled sob escaped her lips and her knees felt weak. And suddenly she felt furious.

"I hate you!" she screamed at Artemis, tears streaming down her already wet cheeks. "I wish I had never met you!" You are the worst most manipulative person I have ever met! How dare you do this to me after all that we've gone through!"

She glared at him, teeth barred, but Artemis continued to sit with his head down, not even looking at her. Rage built inside her

"I am never helping you again! You can rot in this forest for all I care. I hope I never see you again!"

Artemis's dead voice carried over to her, so quiet that she almost couldn't hear.

"So be it."

Holly chocked back a sob. Her vision blurred with tears. She turned and fled into the forest, not caring which direction she was going. She ran as hard as she could, trying to outrun the pain that threatened to rip her apart - leaving a trail of tears and curses behind her.

Artemis did not move. He sat very still for a long time, Holly's last words ringing in his ears in the still aftermath of the fight. A drop fell onto the earthen ground. Then two. Then more. And as his shoulders began to shake, the sound of Artemis's sobs blended into that of the rain's as it continued to pour.