A/N: If you don't wish to re-read the same thing start where you see the bold stars and note ;) I think this ending is better, but less believable... I do hope you can get past that one little oddity that shouldn't have happened... I kinda needed it to. So for the sake of a better ending please, go along with it! Oh and P.S. This one DOES have more ArtyXHolly in it!!!

Artemis Fowl: The Sacrifice

Chapter 12.5, Or Is It?

A shack just outside of Tara

Artemis and Holly crouched behind a large boulder, few feet away from their target. Holly peered carefully around the rock, wishing she had Foaly in her ears right now; it would be a nice change from boy-prodigy. The shack where Opal probably was hiding was constructed of rotting wooden boards and thin sheet metal that most likely made a horrible "ping-ping" noise in the rain. She held her Neutrino ready just in case Opal spotted them.

After a few moments of careful study Holly concluded that the best entrance was the cellar. They would climb from the cellar up to where Opal would be and give her a nice surprise.

"Alright, into the cellar" Holly whispered to Artemis. He was fiddling with the silver gun.

"After you Captain." Artemis replied. He looked much too casual to be busting Koboi. Holly dashed quickly into the near-by cellar door. To her great relief it was already open, that would mean no chance of Opal hearing them. She walked down the wet stairs into a tiny room with wooden floor boards. It smelled like the earthy underside of a stone, if cold and damp had a smell, this was it. Artemis followed her, making slightly more noise on the steps. He went left, while she went right.

"Holly, be careful, some of the floorboards are very weak." He whispered so low Holly could barely hear from the other side of the cellar.

"You're the one that should be careful Mud Boy" Artemis glared at her smugly. He warily stepped forward, he had spotted their entry way.

"Over here" He beckoned to the elf who was exploring the walls of the cellar. She quickly abandoned her project and stepped lightly to Artemis. She looked up to see the door that undoubtedly led to the floor of the cabin. They both took one step closer, the sodden wood board creaked and snapped, with a surprised intake of breath Holly and Artemis both fell through to a hard concrete floor beneath. Splintered pieces of wood fell on top of the pair. They had fallen almost ten feet and were in a high ceiling, underground building.

Holly landed on top of Artemis, with a low moan sparks floated to her back where it had cracked. She rolled off of Artemis and onto her knees. With horror she realized that when she fell on top of him she had landed with one elbow digging into the boy's chest, she saw now the damage she had done. He groaned as she touched the blooming flower of blood on his chest. She had cracked at least one of his rib bones. Holly began to tell her magic to heal him when a strong, yet tiny hand grabbed her forearm and yanked her away.

Holly was shocked for a moment, until she saw what she had expected to find above them. Opal Koboi's dark hair lay in matted knots; leaves, bright yellow pollen, and burrs stuck out of the mess that surrounded her dirt-stained face. Her once silvery, polished looking suit had been ripped away at the bottom and was coated in grime. Her eyes where bright and knowing, yet crazed. Holly grabbed her Neutrino and pointed it at the pixie.

"You're under arrest by the LEP Opal. Either surrender now and come back with me to Haven, or I'll use force." Holly covered her anxiety over Artemis's still body with these well spoken and commanding lines. Opal simply smiled.

"Alright Short. Shoot me!" She laughed manically and Holly's rage got the better of her. She made sure the Neutrino was as high as it got and shot right at Koboi's head. The gun wouldn't shoot though. She tried again, getting nervous, it was as useless as a toy.

"What have you done Koboi?" She asked, not letting an ounce of authority give, and still holding up the useless weapon. Opal jabbed a long-nailed hand at a black box on the ground. It seemed to have a thin silver antenna at the top.

"That!" She yelled "destroys every pulse of Foaly's gadget. It has the same frequency of the Neutrino, therefore, diminishes its power." Her smugness was the last thing Holly wanted to see. What Holly did want to see was what was on top of the black box. A plethora of truffles. It wouldn't do much, but it was Opal's major weakness. With a quick movement Holly tossed her gun at the chocolates, knocking each one to the floor.

"You evil little hooligan!" She rushed over to her precious truffles and collected each one shouting enraged Gnomish curses at Holly. She took her chance and rushed back to Artemis. He was still lying in the same passion she had left him. She reach out a hand and sent blue diamonds into the wound, it healed in seconds and Artemis took in a grateful breath, blinking away the sparks that surrounded his head where he had bruised it on the concrete. Holly stood and offered a hand to Artemis. When he touched her hand an electric shock ran through both of them, up to the eyes that previously belonged to the other, causing their eyes to water and blink rapidly.

"What the?" Holly wondered. Artemis shook it off as he saw Opal he stood quickly and reached for the gun, training it on her back.

"Thanks, again." He said gratefully. Opal spun around to hear his voice.

***Keep in mind, I can change the rules... things that worked in ending one may not work in ending two!***

"Oh!" She sounded like a pressure cooker "look it's the boy genius and his elfin friend. Whop-di-do. The terrible two!" She sneered. "You destroyed half of my bon-bons, not to mention my WHOLE LIFE'S WORK!" She grabbed the box and leaned back with it in both arms, once she had enough momentum she chucked it at Holly, it threw her back against the wall, but she caught it with both hands. Opal got her own gun out and aimed it first at Artemis, then Holly. Artemis's fired his gun straight at her, but because of the blocker it was useless as well. The only person who held a working weapon in that room was Opal. She almost trilled with delight as her devilish mind came up with an idea.

"Arty dear!" She squealed, hearing his pet-name out of her mouth make Artemis twist inside. "I'll let you decide. Either you die or she dies. Let's see if you're still a brat deep-down." She winked "I know you are" Her eyes were wild and she was enraged with power. Holly shot a glance over to Artemis

"Choose me, I can heal myself!" But Artemis saw past her lie, she had used up her last bit of magic on him, he recognized the feeling of the last bits of magic.

"No Holly, you can't you're out of magic."

How does he know that? Holly thought desperately, she knew very well she couldn't heal herself. But she wouldn't want to see her best friend die either, she had lived a longer life already.

"Artemis please!" She begged, but Artemis refused to let Opal get the best of him. He remembered back to his thoughts on the flight, perhaps he could now, finally do something of worth for his friend. Of course, Opal would most likely shoot both of them anyway. He looked over towards Holly, she was bending to pick up her Neutrino, and he got an idea. The black box was only feet away. If he could throw the gun at it at just the right angle it would hopefully shatter the antennae. He aimed, and with determination on his face said.

"Shoot me Opal" at that moment he threw the gun as hard as he could and waited for the shot to penetrate him. He sunk to the ground and watched as Holly shot a blast into Opal, killing her quickly. Artemis smiled to see that he had without a doubt saved his best friends life. It was worth the sacrifice.

Holly couldn't believe what had just happened. She rushed over to Artemis, throwing aside her Neutrino. He was still breathing, sitting on his haunches and doubled over his arms. Although she now got the chance to say goodbye, she was almost sad that Opal couldn't have done it quickly, she had to let the torture continue even after her death. Artemis's side was bleeding, no matter how hard she tried, Artemis had been right. Every ounce of magic was gone.

"Artemis, you know I love you" She said to him. He looked up, the hazel and blue eyes filled with pain.

"I love you" He said, then kissed Holly on the lips. No fear this time, no regret. They couldn't waste time on regret. The elf was shaking with rage, there was no way it would end like this. She needed more time to argue with Artemis, more time to call him Arty, more time to punch his shoulder, more time to just… talk. She pulled off the stained t-shirt revealing his thin, yet slightly toned chest and stomach. In seconds she had ripped up a piece of the shirt and wrapped it around him, attempting to stop the bleeding. She tried frantically to get it to work, but she was unfamiliar with human cures. Then she remembered the black box. It held energy, which, she was sure; she could get some magic out of. She grabbed it greedily and touched one of the exposed wires. A spark coiled up her finger, followed by a few more, then a couple more and one or two stragglers. She knew that was all she would get from something so tiny, but maybe it would be enough. She placed a hand over the make-shift bandage, not daring to remove it, and said

"Heal!" the magic she had just collected sparked out of her fingertips. It was a little less fluid then regular magic, and she noticed that it some how felt more polluted, but it healed him none the less.

"Holly, how did you do that?" Artemis asked, unwrapping the now clean shirt from himself. He was smiling so brightly it made Holly laugh.

"Electricity!" She said, pointing to the black box which was slightly smoking from over-use. "You don't have to be the hero after all Arty." She remembered that he initiated the last kiss, then that he had saved her life and destroyed Koboi all at the expense of his own life, knowing that Holly could not save him. "But I still think you are,"