People have the right to fly
And will when it gets compromised
Their hearts say "Move along"
Their minds say "Gotcha heart,
Let's move it along."

Artemis was bored. It was hard to be occupied when you were in a boarding school with an overabundance of unintelligent boys. No, he had much rather been preparing his mind for his first exploits. After all, his father said that Gold is Power. Gold. Oh the craving for gold was burning in his heart like the passionate flames of a forest fire. Down the forest would burn and from it, new life and growth –renewal. His heart told him to move towards this resurrection of his father’s empire, the uplifting of the Fowl name once more as a family of criminal masterminds.

His mind agreed. His fingers flipped through pages of text printed from the internet. Fairies. His father would be proud.

And airports see it all the time
When someone's last goodbye
Blends in with someone’s sigh
Cause someone's coming home
In hand a single rose

Angeline was crying and Timmy hated when she cried. This was going to be the last time he made her cry like this –he promised her that. He held her small hands in his larger ones and caressed them with his lips. I love you, Angeline, he told her. And she said it back. And they meant it.

The echo of people around them made Angeline nervous. She crossed herself, saying a silent hail Mary for her dear husband, this dear father, who was leaving for quite a while. She had already lost her smaller boy, and now she was losing her larger one –and this time she would be alone. She prayed that it wasn’t for good. And oh how she prayed. If only God will hear my prayers.

And that's the way this wheel keeps working now
That's the way this wheel keeps working now

As Timmy was on the plane, he thought of his family, Angeline’s family, his son. This time he would have enough gold to last them the rest of their lives and they were going to get it legit. This was a hard task for Timmy to complete –the temptation to export drugs to the Russian mafia instead of going through the government and actually doing trade with them was completely out of Timmy’s mind.

Of course, having a child meant that he had to provide for his family. But, as Angeline pointed out months ago, Artemis didn’t need to become like his father. The wheel would keep rolling, but this time Timmy was going to stop it. His son was not going to become a criminal like he was, like his grandfather was, like his great-grandfather was. Artemis was not going to waste that beautiful mind on planning heists and executing plans in order to get more money.

All the boy’s life he had been drilling Aurum est Postestas into the fragile mind of a genius. It was time to stop. The wheel needed to stop rolling.

And I won't be the last
No I won't be the last,
To love her

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, remembering the first night he slept beside his wife. He remembered promising that he’d never love anyone else, and she promised him this also. But she was wrong, and so was he. There was a love they had for their child that the love for each other could never compare to. No, he was not the last to love her. Her son loved her, too, even though sometimes he didn’t act like it.

Timmy saw the way his son’s eyes glittered when his mother folded him into his arms. Normal. Normal was not a word to describe Artemis, even when looking at the black haired, blue eyed pre-adolescent. But when those motherly arms enveloped him and the smell of the woman who held him in her womb reached his nostrils, he relaxed. Yes, he loved his mother, and now it was time for Timmy to make it worth his son’s while to love his father too.

This is why he had to leave. This is why he had to do what he was doing –he had to make his son, his wife, himself, proud. He had to make a way for themselves that they could be satisfied with. When Arty grew up and found a wife for himself, he didn’t want to have to lie to her parents about what kind of work he does. No more lies, no more tests, no more avoiding raising his son.

You can't build a house of leaves
And live like it’s an evergreen
It's just a season thing
It's just this thing that seasons do

Major placed his hand on the knee of his employer. The plane ride had let him sink into his thoughts, and the look on the man’s face only spelt worry. Discontentment. Dissatisfaction. Disappointment. He said nothing, for the bond between the bodyguard and his employer was much more than what was recommended. Major was Timmy’s friend, and vice versa.

Timmy’s eyes turned to his bodyguard.“It’s time, Major.”

Major nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. Timmy had been planning this venture for quite a while, and if everything went according to plan, then maybe, just maybe, Major would be nearly out of a job. He longed to see that day. The seasons were changing, winter was coming, the leaves were falling. Perhaps it was meant to be that way from the beginning.

“Yes, sir. It is.”

You can find me
If you ever want again
I'll be around the bend
I'll be around the bend
I'll be around

Months had passed. Years, even. Timmy didn’t know how long it had been, and at the moment he didn’t care. He wanted, needed, his family. He needed the love his wife provided. He needed to see his son come home from school. The prospect of going home kept him alive everyday.

He should have known, he had berated himself at first. He should have realized that the Russian mafia would never let him get away with something like this. Going through the government to gain a profit in their country? That was a no-no. But Timmy was so determined that he was going to do it anyway. And look where it had got him now.

The pain had long since left him, and he wondered if he could ever really feel again. His numb fingers did nothing but lift a spoon to his lips when he was allowed to eat. His brain did nothing but recall the pictures of his wife and child in his mind. Artemis. Timmy would have sighed if he had the strength to do so. Who knew what the boy was doing now. But he hoped, he prayed, that his son cared enough about him to search for him.

I’m not that far away, Artemis. And I promise, once you find me, I’ll continue to be around…

And if you never stop when you wave goodbye
You just might find if you give it time you will wave hello again
You just might wave hello again

Artemis thought of Holly for a moment, thanking her silently for the help that she gave him. He hoped that one day he would be able to work with her, and be working towards the same goal. But right now, he was standing there, watching the chest of his father rise and fall steadily. He had been in a coma for a few days now, but Artemis still waited for him to awaken. He wondered how his father would react when he saw his son.

The boy was surely glad for one thing. He didn’t give up. Even though he had almost lost hope, even though everyone told him his father was dead, even though his in his mind it was the most illogical thing he had ever conceived, he didn’t stop waving goodbye.

Evidently, he wasn’t waving goodbye anymore. His father was right before him, sleeping deeply. It was only a matter of days, hours, minutes, before he woke up. And right now, despite the current circumstances, Artemis was smiling. Now that his father was home, everything would be okay again. What was the use of gold when you could do anything useful with it? What was the purpose of having everything if there is no one there to share it with?

Didn’t Adam have everything a man needed? Food, a beautiful home, a purpose in life, perfection with no sickness and no death? And didn’t even he get lonely?

Artemis jumped up out of his seat beside the bed immediately and had the urge to wake his mother. To wake her and to babble like a fool, pointing at his stirring father. The urge to be an excited boy over his recovering father. The need to be normal for just a moment.

Timmy’s eyes fluttered and he groaned. He was in pain and the florescent lights were not helping one bit. When his gaze finally focused, deep blue eyes were gazing down intently at him. Those lips were smiling. Those eyebrows were raised and that expression was gentle.

“Hello, Father. Welcome home.”

I believe that my life's gonna see
The love I give returned to me