Hello, my lovelies! So. I've recently been reading some really excellent AF one-shot/drabble fics, and I've sort of gotten…sucked in…so this is my own (possibly misguided) attempted to control the overwhelming number of ideas that are constantly attacking and distracting me.

If you're not aware, I am an A/H shipper, so that will probably be a pretty common theme. I will throw in some other characters (maybe pairings too) to mix things up a little. My ideas will probably be quite random and updates will be erratic, but I will keep writing as long as people want me to and as long as I have things to write about.

Also—length of chapters will vary greatly...most won't be this long, and some may even be true drabbles.

Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own these characters. All flaws, however, are mine and mine alone.

A temporary distraction

Artemis was starting to wish Holly would visit less often.

Not that he didn't enjoy her company—quite the opposite, in fact—but he was forced to admit that she was becoming a distraction simply by showing up to visit once in a while.

Of course, he had foreseen this possibility. Supremely overconfident as he was, he had still entertained the thought that it was possible—ludicrously unlikely, but possible—that he did not have quite as much control over his hormones as he liked to pretend. The fact that his best friend was female, attractive, and relatively close by didn't help much. Apparently this was one of those 'natural' human conditions that not even a genius could escape from.

He glared at his computer screen, as if his troubles were the monitor's fault. Admittedly, he felt slightly ashamed classifying this particular tangle of emotions as 'trouble' when it didn't even crack the top ten of dangerous/ridiculous situations he'd been in—most of them with Holly, of course.

His rational side pointed out that the visits were infrequent at best and his brain would undoubtedly outgrow these uncomfortable bouts of teenage normalcy…but that was hardly helpful at the moment. He was a prodigy, for God's sake. A genius, a mastermind. He categorically refused to be bested by something so hopelessly ordinary.

His endocrine system, however, took no notice.

Artemis drummed his fingers irritably on his desk. Holly herself wasn't helping matters, though he grudgingly admitted that it wasn't technically her fault. Every time he managed to convince himself that he had exaggerated her effect on him she turned up again. Out of sight, out of mind clearly did not apply in this case. Just last week she had dropped by on a routine check-in and completely disrupted his entire day.

XXX

She had grinned and punched him in the arm before Butler almost crushed her in a hug. "Please tell me this is just a visit? No rampaging pixies or goblin revolutions?"

Holly smiled. "As close as we're gonna get. Officially, I'm monitoring Artemis to make sure he doesn't have a relapse."

Artemis scowled. "Hardly necessary, Captain. I've been cured for weeks. Your own doctors signed off on it."

She shrugged. "Hey, I don't make the rules. And if it gets me aboveground I don't mind babysitting," she teased.

The boy smiled a little reluctantly. "Of course we are happy to see you, Holly."

It was at that moment that Beckett Fowl came charging around the corner—without pants, naturally. He crashed into Holly, almost knocking her to the floor. "Fairy!" he said brightly.

Holly steadied herself, laughing. "Hello to you, too." Myles followed at a more sedate pace, looking disapproving. "Beckett simple-toon," he commented. Beckett ignored him, dragging Holly behind him and chattering excitedly about what he'd gotten for his last birthday. Myles followed, sighing.

Butler chuckled. "They seem to have adapted pretty well to their new friends, Artemis."

"Yes, I'm pleasantly surprised. At this rate I believe Father is the only one who doesn't know about some of my more…unusual contacts. Though I suppose," he rubbed his forehead, frowning. "I suppose he will have to be told eventually, now that Mother knows."

Butler nodded, but secretly thought that exchange might be a little trickier than a quick conversation.

Artemis had returned to his study, knowing that his brothers would be busy for a while. Now would be a good time to work uninterrupted—perhaps on one of his unfinished symphonies, or the new plans for the theatre he was designing. He had hardly sat down at his desk, however, when Holly had pushed the door open, one hand on her head.

Artemis looked up. "Problems?"

She sighed. "The usual. Beckett got a little excited." She moved her hand and showed him the plastic action figure knotted in her hair.

He guessed immediately what she wanted him to do. "Holly. I am brilliant at many things, but fine motor function is not one of them. Neither is hand-eye coordination."

"Hey, you're not my first choice either. But Butler's in the gym or something and I don't think your brothers can help. And I'd really rather not shave my head, so if you don't mind…?"

He sighed. "Very well. I don't suppose I could make it much worse."

Holly snorted. "Thanks, Mud Boy. That just fills me with confidence." She took his chair (without asking) and tilted the left side of her head toward him. It was certainly an impressive knot.

Artemis shook his head. "How did he manage this? You were gone four minutes."

He heard her laugh. "Your little brothers could give you a run for your money in the 'attracting catastrophes' department, Arty. And in record time, too."

Gingerly, he started trying to unravel the mess. It wasn't easy. Every time he thought he'd managed to untangle part of the toy, he'd come across an even bigger knot. He sighed. This whole situation was hardly helpful for his confusion, Holly-wise. Touching her hair like this felt oddly…intimate, somehow. He had to be careful to avoid accidentally brushing her ears with his fingers. And this close to her, he could smell her, too: sweet and sharp at the same time. Holly, thankfully, was talking, blissfully unaware of his discomfort.

"I knew I shouldn't have grown my hair out. But really, Artemis, a couple of four-year-old humans getting their Transformer-Ranger-thing tangled in it was not on my list of possible downsides!"

"What? Oh. Yes, of course not."

She twisted around in her seat to look at him, ignoring the tugging on her hair. "Artemis, are you even listening? Because I'm pretty sure you just said 'Yes of course not.' And if you did, I will have no choice but to laugh at you."

"Laugh away." He showed her the plastic figure.

Holly's hand went to her hair. "Really? You're done?" She jumped to her feet, pulling on her hair to examine the damage.

"You may have a bit of a headache, but there shouldn't be any need for scissors."

She grinned. "Thanks, Artemis. Maybe next time I play with your brothers I should wear my helmet."

"Hmm? Oh. Yes, perhaps."

Holly studied him. It wasn't like him to be so distracted. "Are you all right?" There wasn't actually a chance of relapse, was there? She didn't think she could take dealing with Orion again. A few months of treatment with that idiot were more than enough for her.

Then Artemis seemed to recover. "Of course, Holly," he said briskly. He led her to the door. "Juliet should be back by now, and I know she was anxious to see you. She won't forgive you if you visit without saying hello to her."

He walked ahead of her downstairs, feeling extremely thankful that fairy empathy did not extend to thoughts.

XXX

Artemis was staring moodily at nothing in particular when his communicator chimed, making him jump. A message from Holly.

Hey Artemis,

Trouble needs me to check out a situation near Tara in a couple of weeks—might need some unofficial consulting help.

Can I drop by in a few days?

No more hairdressing, I promise.

-Holly

Artemis's gaze drifted to the stack of sketches and measurements he should be working on. Here was an opportunity to limit his distractions—all he had to do was invent some excuse, and natural distance would do the rest.

His fingers hesitated over the keypad—

Holly

I believe the family will be out of town for much of this week. I am, of course, willing to communicate via text or phone if the LEP requires my help.

AF

Oh, okay. No problem. Just a heads-up: I probably won't be able to get another surface visa for a while—the B'wa Kell are starting to cause some trouble. Pretty routine stuff but they need all hands on deck, so aboveground travel will be minimal. I know Myles was excited about the science fair, so apologize for me if you get the chance.

Say hi to Butler for me.

-Holly

Artemis's stomach twisted guiltily. A white lie, he told himself. This is hardly the worst thing you've done. She'll be back in a few weeks, and in the meantime I might actually get some work done. He shuffled the drafting papers piled on his desk for another minute, feigning focus, then groaned and reached for his fairy phone.

I think I may be able to alter our travel plans a little. Wednesday should be clear.

The twins would miss her, he reasoned. Besides, this temporary little set-back was just that—a momentary inconvenience. Perhaps seeing her more often would even help…reducing his response by building up a tolerance, so to speak. Psychologists frequently used exposure therapy. Pleased with this analysis, he returned to his schematics with renewed focus.

Beep!

He glanced at the screen—and more specifically the signature—and felt his treacherous heart rate increase slightly.

Damn.

As always, let me know what you think—like, didn't like, drove you crazy, whatever. My writing is still very much a work in progress, so when you review you not only make me happy that someone was paying attention…you also help me write better! And that means better fanfiction, which is good for everybody;)

-Rosy

P.S. Happy Independence Day to my American readers!