An Artemis Fowl Fic

By KindaLykDiffy

A Different Time

Under the sequined sky…

It was a beautiful night. Under an old oak tree, a boy genius and a young fairy sat under the stars, enjoying the moonlight. It was Christmas Eve above ground and coincidentally for Holly; she had just finished a mission and was a little short on magic. Of course, Commander Kelp wasn't the least bit pleased when she requested a few extra hours above ground and did his twenty questions before permitting her to do so.

He thought she would've taken at least two more hours rounding up the goblins, not that he doubted her capabilities. Still, why would she want to go visit the mud boy anyway? It was Christmas Eve, after all. Wouldn't she have preferred to come back below ground to celebrate? Hell, he had even invited her over and yet she had opted instead to spend that day with the People's unusual ally.

Yes, of course he knew she would need to get her magic back and it was a full moon tonight but- Oh, he was probably being judge mental and over analyzing things. Yet for some absurd reason he felt oddly furious when Holly had requested to stay with the young genius and had blasted off several- if not rather threatening- questions before finally granting her a pass.

Probably paranoia again. Bah! Trouble grumbled to himself. Guess he wouldn't be seeing his favorite officer for Christmas, after all. Slightly angry with himself for even caring that much, Commander Trouble Kelp trudged out of the Plaza. So what if Holly had wanted to spend the night with that mud boy? He had no business prying.

Why in Frond's name was he even feeling angry in the first place again?
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Meanwhile, under the warm glow of the moon, a fifteen year old genius stretched his legs under a shady tree, feeling oddly content at simply staring at the stars and sitting by one of his best friends in the world.

Best friend.

A sort of blooming, warm feeling spreaded in his chest, reaching out into every part of his body, making his senses tingle. If someone had told him at the age of ten that he would one day be sitting with a girl he trusted with his life three years later, Artemis would've undoubtly questioned the man's sanity. Yet here he was now, leaning against the rough bark of a tree with Holly Short- the fairy he'd kidnapped when he was ten, the fairy who had forgiven him even after all the trecherous things he had done to her- the unforgivable tragedies and life-threatening situations he had put her through.

The fairy who had managed to see past his cold demeanor to see the young boy who'd just wanted his parents back. To see his family together again. And maybe even a part of him that had always yearned for a friend to simply talk to besides his giant bodyguard.

Holly Short- a vital person that he couldn't possibly imagine his life without. Someone as important as his parents, Butler, his brothers. A life without Holly, Mulch, Foaly and my other fairy friends?- Thought Artemis, his expression almost one of incredulity. –Wouldn't be much of a life, then.

He was shaken out of his thoughts as Holly yawned and shivered, despite their closeness- of which they both hadn't apparently noticed.

"Cold?" Artemis questioned.

Holly shrugged a little. "Guess so. Fairies aren't exactly used to the climates above ground. And since this mission didn't specify a Shimmer suit, I'm bare." She said dryly, shifting her helmet on the grass.

"Here." Holly looked at the dark Armani jacket pushed into her hands in surprise. She glanced at Artemis, who had apparently seemed to find the moon incredibly interesting right about now. Sensing his slight discomfort at this act of generosity, she took his jacket gratefully while murmuring a soft "Thanks."

"No problem." Artemis said lightly. Holly tucked her- technically his- jacket labels closer to her neck as they lapsed into a comfortable silence once again.
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"Now isn't that just sweet?!" Angeline Fowl exclaimed happily, looking out of the window and almost directly towards the two people- or fairy- sitting under the old oak tree. Of course, the two couldn't see the tempered glass window, though it did provide an excellent view of them.

Butler raised his eyebrows and looked over Angeline's Fowl head to the window. He was about to question her for both his charge and friend was doing nothing but sitting there when he noticed Artemis no longer wearing his jacket. Oh. Butler thought, a little surprised.

"Never knew Arty was such a charmer." Angeline continued, obviously delighted with that one small gesture. "It was so sweet of him, don't you think?" She said to Butler.

Butler felt a little uncomfortable with his charge jacketless. "It's cold out there, ma'am. I should go get him another jacket."

"What?" Angeline broke out of her happy reverie. "No. No, Butler. We can't just go disturb them like this."

"But what if he gets pneumonia?"

"Then Holly will heal him or something. She can do that, right?"

Butler sighed and started to move towards the door when Angeline Fowl appeared in front of him- with speed he never knew she posessed. "No, Butler." She said firmly. "We will be going back into the hall before Timmy suspects something and we will leave those two alone."

Butler was a little taken aback by her firmness. Of all the things to speak up about, she chooses this one."Fine then, ." He sighed, still reluctant to leave Artemis in the cold like that.

"Good." Angeline Fowl smiled. "I think we should at least give them some privacy now. You know, with the way they're acting now I can't seem to actually imagine why they would even fight."

Butler shrugged indifferently, obviously not wanting to go there. Artemis had not told him anything about what happened during the three days he and Holly spent in the past, though he of course knew about the lie. A lot of Holly's trust had been lost, and he still knew it haunted his charge late at night when he'd toss and turn in his bed.

"But you won't tell me, will you Butler?" Angeline said grimly, noticing his lack of response.

Butler could only offer a slight smile. "No, I won't ma'am."

Angeline nodded. "Well then Butler, I think we'd better go back to the living room or my husband would surely come down here."

Butler moved to open the door and as Angeline stepped out, he glanced at the window once again and wondered.

What did happen back in time?
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"Aren't you cold?" Holly asked concernedly, landing her gaze on his thin cotton shirt.

Artemis laughed. "Don't worry, I'm quite used to the weather change here. Winter isn't as bad as most people make it out to be."

"But it's so cold." She protested, shuffling her arms off the jacket. She was just about to get it off when Artemis laid his hand against it and pulled it back against her gently. "I'm fine." He insisted firmly. "You worry too much. I'm much stronger than you think."

"Ri-ght." Holly drawled, a disbelieving look written across her face. "And I'm sure it has nothing to do with your over-sized ego threatening to burst any second now."

"Yes. I'm quite sure about that." Artemis replied cheerfully, ignoring the sarcasm lacing her words.

Holly shook her head before realizing his hand was still lying on her arm. Her gaze froze on it almost immediately. She could feel the warmth radiating from it, and as much as she wanted to ask him to take it off her, she wanted it there too.

Oh, what was she saying?

Artemis looked at her curiously by her shocked still expression, following her gaze to her forearm to the pale smooth hand her wrist. He retracted it at once and bit his lip. "Sorry." He murmured as his hand slid back into his pockets. How could he not have noticed that?!

For a moment everything was still, then Holly shrugged lightly and smiled. "No problem."

And yet it was, because now icy cold replaced his warm hand. And she wanted it back. Get a hold of yourself, Short. She told herself sternly. The stress is getting to you.
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"They look so happy together, don't you think?" Artemis Senior smiled, looking out yet another window in the mansion. Though this window didn't give a particularly good view of the two, he could just make out the outline of the two. "Though the girl does seem to be quite small." He mused.

Angeline Fowl turned. "What? Oh yes, Holly. Said she used to have some sort of disease when she was younger-" She quickly lied. "-But turned out she was okay a few years back."

"I see. Holly, huh?" He said, wrapping an arm around his wife. Angeline laughed and smacked his arm lightly.

"Myles and Becky's waiting for us downstairs." She reminded him. "But yes, her name is Holly Short. Lovely girl, really. So brave and strong…Ah, she'd make the perfect girl for Arty. Do you know she calls him that? And that he doesn't even seem to mind in the least."

Artemis Senior's eyes shot up. "Really?"

Angeline nodded eagerly. And look-" She said, pointing to the window. "He even offered his jacket to the girl in the cold."

Her husband nodded slowly, smiling to himself. "Now that is definitely something you don't see everyday."

"Try haven't seen in a lifetime." Angeline replied, then sighed contentedly in her husband's arms. "Never thought I'd see the day." She mumbled happily.

"Me neither."
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Outside, the pair was relapsing once again into a silence. Before this, the silence read comfortable. Now, it only seemed to say "Say something!"

And Artemis did want to say something. But hell, what was there to say?

Listen to yourself. He thought disgustedly. The world's greatest mind and you can't evem think of a way to start up a conversation.

The thought was broken when Holly shifted in the grass and said: "You should be getting back into the manor. You don't have to accompany me, you know. It's cold here, besides. And don't you pull that I'm-not-cold poop on me. Your lips are turning blue."

"Holly-" Artemis started, exasperated.

"I'll put the jacket in your room once I've finished the ritual. It's only an hour away."

"I can't just leave you here."

Holly smiled. A slow, spreading, bright and happy smile that she couldn't hide. "I'll be fine, Artemis." She assured him.

"How about we go a guest room instead then?"

"Your parents will see me."

"They already do."

"What?"

"There's a window on the- nevermind. It's alright, Holly. The view's blurry anyway. They can only make out the shapes."

"Oh." Holly wiped a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead, despite the fact that they were out in the snow.

Artemis- instinctively- took her hand and pulled her up, without really realizing what he was doing. "Come on, Holly." He urged. "It is getting cold out here."

Ignoring her triumphant smirk and surprised stare, he managed to drag her through an unused door leading into the house.
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A/N: On hiatus while I finish up with some other works. Doesn't make sense, I know. I love reviews though. I don't care if it just writes "cute story. Like it". It's that you actually had the decency to give the writers a little incentive for their works that count.