Note; I do not own any of the characters in this story, or the Artemis Fowl books, though I envy the person who does!

"You look fine. Now can we go?" Mulch sat on Holly's bedspread, Watching as the fairy played with her hair, adding clips and taking them out again. Holly wasn't normally worried about appearances, but today was a special day. It was the annual fairy ball just outside of the Police Plaza. Not the most romantic location, but, hey. When you live under fake solar strips, nothing is very romantic.

"Hoping Artemis will be there?" Mulch smirked, loosening his tie. It was choking him.

"Don't even joke." Said Holly from inside the closet, where she was searching for her dress. But in reality she was hoping the mud boy would be there.. Holly turned around quickly when she heard a noise that sounded like a cat hacking up a hair ball. A piece of red fabric flew across the room and Mulch quickly tucked his ripped tie into his suit jacket.

"You don't want to know." He said.

Holly grimaced when she saw warm saliva trickling down her wall.

"I'm sure I don't." She said.

……………………………………………………………………

Holly and Mulch made their way to the faerie ball by the full moon. Mulch spent most of the journey trying not to let off some air. He knew he shouldn't have gone tunneling earlier! This suit was tighter then he had expected.

Holly, on the other hand, looked ravishing in an emerald green ball gown that reached the ground they were walking on. Her hair was actually neat for once, and she had almost put makeup on. Almost. Not quite.

The dance floor was unusually crowded that night. With the passing of former LEP commander Julius Root, fairies of all kinds had come to pay there respects.

Mulch nudged Holly gently.

"There he is. Go say hi, why don't you, while I go laugh my head off." Holly ignored the dwarf and walked over to where Artemis was standing. The only mud boy in the area.

"I thought you said you didn't dance." Holly teased. "So why are you here?"

Artemis nodded in the direction of Root's grave.

"That." He said. "And one more thing."

"And what might that be?" Asked Holly.

Artemis led her out to the dance floor and put his hands on her waist.

"This." He said. Holly wrapped her arms around the mud boy and smiled at the astounded dwarf on the sidelines.

Artemis whispered one thing. Holly couldn't hear it, but it sounded like;

"I love you."

I love you, too. She thought. And closed her eyes.