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.

Grief P.O.V.

All I heard the other homunculi talk about was how they needed Artemis and several other alchemists for their "last attempt at victory". I was scared; I didn't want anything to happen to her because I loved her, but I also didn't want them to know about her. I wished that I could just keep her hidden from them all, keep her safe. 'You can't even cover your own ass, what makes you think you'll be able to take care of that girl, too?' Guilt sneered. I wanted to hurt him; I often wished that he didn't exist. "Shut your mouth, Guilt," I murmured as I neared the small, abandoned house where I always met Artemis. 'No, I mean seriously. How do you expect to keep her safe when you can barely keep yourself out of their sights? You're going to draw attention,' he said, sounding more sensible than spiteful. "You're...right. Crap, you're right," I sighed. "I need to make sure she stays safe." I walked in the door and she was sitting cross-legged in front of me, an excited grin on her face.

"Artemis, I--" She held up her hand to stop me as she pulled herself off the ground and bound over to me, wrapping me in a tight hug. "I have a surprise," she whispered. "A surprise?" I mumbled, staring at her warily. "Yes, a surprise. C'mon!" she squealed as she drug me out of the back door and into the bright fall afternoon. She pulled me away from the fields that stretched behind the old cottage, further and further out of town. We stopped in a wide open meadow, with miles and miles of open plains before us. There were wildflowers everywhere, and at the top of a hill lay a large blue blanket and a basket underneath a willow tree. Luna stood next to the basket, trying to lift the lid. "Artemis, wh-what is this?" I asked turning to face her. She looked timid, embarrased even. "A date?" she giggled. She picked a couple flowers, absentmindedly rolling them around in her hand. "I, I know you don't eat, but the idea of a picnic out here just seemed so...romantic!" she threw her arms out wide, tossing several petals into the air. I smiled, pulling her close to me. I could make out every flawless detail of her face, and I kissed every part of it. "It's very romantic. Thank you," I muttered into the crook of her neck.

"I'm glad you like it," she mumbled, blushing bright pink. "Of course I like it," I smiled. "I like anything that you do for me. You're a sweetheart." She blushed even brighter, dropping her gaze to the ground. I placed a hand under her chin, tilting her head up and making her look at me. "Why are you getting all bashful on me now, oh mighty Archer Alchemist?" I teased. She smacked my hand away playfully and flashed me a broad grin. "Who's bashful? Not me!" she exclaimed. "I'm the toughest, bravest woman on the face of this earth...aside from maybe my Grandma Riza." I chuckled, pulling her toward the picnic blanket. We lay out under the bright afternoon sky, enjoying our small meal of sandwiches and pasta salad. I glanced up to see her staring at me. "I love you," she murmured. I smiled at her, trying to hide my face behind my hair. "Who's the bashful one now?" she smirked.

Artemis P.O.V.

I was in and out of Central and on missions for the next six months. I spent whatever free time I had with Grief; I was hardly ever home. "You need to be careful. You're already in enough danger as is. Your relationship with Grief compromises your safety even more. You need to watch your back," Dad's gruff voice came through the receiver. I glared at the telephone in my hands. He was right, I knew he was right...but I didn't care. "Dad," I sighed, "I know that being with him is dangerous. I know. But I love him. I love him and nothing is going to stop me from being with him. If I get hurt, it's my own fault. I promise I'll be careful though. Send everyone my love." There was a long silence on the other end and I thought he hung up. "Alright, Artemis. I-I love you." I smiled into the receiver. "I love you too Dad. Bye." I hung up and walked from the train station toward town. I was checked into a hotel and ready to sleep within an hour. I was so damn tired.

I woke up and I couldn't move. Two strong arms were wrapped tightly around me. "Hello," a familiar voice whispered. "Good morning," I smiled, rolling over to face Grief. "How did you know I was here?" His breath fanned out on my face as he let out a soft chuckle. "I always know where you are," he replied. I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see me in the darkened room. "Yeah, that's not creepy at all," I snorted. He pulled me closer and silenced me with a kiss. "Creepy or not, it's true," he said as he began playing with my hair. "It's like a magnet pulling me toward you, leading me to wherever you are." I stared in open-mouthed shock at my boyfriend. I had never known a connection like the one I had with him. It was incredible. "So, are you just gonna stalk me every night that I'm gone?" I joked. He shrugged and replied, "Pretty much." I just shook my head at the homunculus beside me and laid my head on his shoulder. I was asleep again soon.

"Grief, is it safe for us to be out here together?" I whispered as he drug me to the roof of the inn the next night. "I'm on a mission and that mission involves me hunting down your siblings. What if one of them sees us?" He smiled at me, and all my doubt ebbed away. "I know you're scared, but don't be. I'm here to protect you no matter what. I promise." he replied. Even in the dark, I could see the glimmer in his almost-black grey eyes. I nodded, trying hard to believe him. I wanted to believe him, so badly did I want to believe, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. "Look," he grinned, pointing to the sky. Everything was so bright and clear up here; it was amazing. "The stars! Is it just me or do they look brighter? And the moon! Oh, it's so beautiful," I sighed reverently, spinning in circles under the midnight sky. "Sometimes I wish I could fly," Grief muttered. I turned to him, still smiling. "Why?" I asked. He bit his lip and shook his head, looking embarrassed. "N-no," he stammered. "Y-you'll think it's stupid." I smacked his arm much harder than I meant to, but it wasn't like I could really hurt him. "I'll think no such thing!" I exclaimed. "Tell me, please?" He sighed and looked back at the sky, his dark eyes wide with wonder.

"It's all so different up there. So beautiful, so open. It seems like the higher I climb, the closer I get, the more beautiful it becomes. I just-- I don't know, if I could fly, I would be right up there, able to reach the sky. And maybe then I'd see how beautiful it truly is...maybe I'd see what it's like to really be free," he sighed. "But it's a stupid dream, I know." I grabbed his hand and pulled him to me, wrapping my arms tightly around him. "It's not a stupid dream. I think it's wonderful," I whispered into the crook of his shoulder. He held me to his chest, holding my head over where there should've been a heartbeat; I would have loved to hear that soft thrumming sound, just once. He squeezed me even tighter, like he was holding on for dear life. "Thank you, Missy. Thank you so much," he whispered. "For?" I asked, my voice muffled against his chest. He chuckled lightly and let me go. "For seeing the good. For believing in me," he whispered. He was crying, something I didn't even know he was capable of. I kissed away every tear, my lips eventually meeting his. We stayed like that for a while, just wrapped in each other's arms.

Finally he let me go and I smiled at him. "I'm always going to believe in you. I love you, Grief," I said. "I love you too, Missy," he whispered. I dropped my arms and turned away from him, rolling my eyes. "Ugh, that nickname," I groaned. He kissed the back of my neck; I could feel the smile on his lips against my skin as he slipped his arms around my waist. "But it's cute," he pouted playfully. "It's silly!" I complained. "Like you," he chimed. I glanced over my shoulder at him and stuck my tongue out. He just laughed as he smacked a hand against the side of my hip and ushered me toward the stairs. "It's late. Let's get you back inside," he mumbled.