Condemned

Chapter 5

Grief P.O.V.

Artemis was grounded indefinitely, but she snuck away whenever she could. I became really worried when she didn't come see me for an entire week. Guilt wasn't helping with my worrying either. 'She probably doesn't want to see you. One week? Yeah, she's definitely avoiding you. Maybe her parents packed up and moved her far away from you,' he would whisper, planting seeds of doubt in my head. So, I decided to go over there and find out. There wasn't a single sound coming from the Elric house, and that alone set off warning bells in my head. You could always be sure to hear arguing, laughter, and music, but not today. I climbed up the wall, my hair pulling me right to Artemis' window. It was dark inside, but I could make out a body curled up in the covers and Luna perched at the bottom of the bed. I eased the window open and slid inside. I heard a loud, terrible whining sound and I froze. Artemis rolled to face me and she looked awful. Her hair was a tangled mess atop her head; her eyes and nose were running; she had dried up drool along her cheek. It was a pitiful sight that tore at my heart. "Missy?" I whispered, carefully sitting next to her. "Griiieeef!" she wailed. I jumped, startled, and placed an arm around her. "What is it, Missy? What's wrong?" I asked softly.

"I'm sick," she whimpered. I pulled her into my lap, rocking her gently. "W-well, where is everyone?" I stammered, brushing her hair out of her face. She sniffled, burying her head inthe blanket. "Uncle Al's. They'll be home tomorrow," she groaned. "Do you need anything?" I fretted, unsure of what to do. "Take care of meeeeeee!" she whined, wrapping her arms around me in a death grip. "Okay, okay, okay," I sighed. "I don't know what to do. What do you want me to do?" She looked up at me with a weak smile. "Can you make me some soup? Pretty please?" she sniffled. I smiled softly, petting her hair before shuffling downstairs.

Artemis P.O.V.

I curled up in Grief's lap with my little bowl of soup, Luna laying across my feet. I felt like crap, but just having Grief with me made me feel better. "Thank you," I mumbled. He glanced down at me, strands of his hair tickling my cheek. "For?" he asked. I rubbed my nose against the sleeve of my sweater and whimpered a bit. "For taking care of me, silly. I don't feel good, and you're willing to sit here with me while I'm all sick and pitiful and disgusting. You're so sweet," I said, snuggling closer to him. He laid his chin on top of my head and started clicking his tongue, making a disapproving sound. "You're not disgusting. You're beautiful," he muttered softly. He started humming softly in my ear. Luna nudged me and began to yowl. The noise made my head hurt. "I'll feed her," Grief sighed as he slid out of bed. I lay back and stared at him for a long time. He smiled, tilting his head to the side. "Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked, looking puzzled. I yawned, stretching across the bed and rolling onto my stomach. Luna crawled up my back, still pawing me. "Because I'm happy," I whispered. "I'm blessed to have you." He bent down to pick up Luna and he kissed my forehead. "I'm the one who's blessed," he replied before leaving the room.

He came back carrying Luna in his pocket and sat down beside me. Luna shimmied her way out of his jacket and settled herself at the small of my back. Grief played with my hair and I just stared at him, my head resting on my arms. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" he asked, taking me by surprise. I shrugged, shifting my gaze from him to the floor. "I-I mean, you c-can," I stuttered, "if y-you wa-want to." He tugged my hair gently and smiled. "Of course I want to," he chuckled. "But do you want me to?" I rolled over, laying my head in his lap. I took his hand and began tracing small patterns in it. "That would be nice. I would like that a lot," I finally said. He kissed me gently, pulling me down to lie beside him. "Okay then. I'll be right here all night to take care of you," he whispered, giving me a small smile. I burrowed deeper into the covers as his arms wrapped around me. Luna crawled up the bed, settling in the small space between us. "Silly kitty," I muttered as I scratched at her ears. I was asleep within a few moments.