A loud rap on Artemis's window jarred him from his otherwise peaceful sleep. He struggled out from under his mink blankets, padded across his carpet and placed a hand on the latch of his window. He considered calling out for Butler, when a small hand wiped away the layer of fog over the glass.

'Holly!' Hurriedly, Artemis yanked the window open, allowing her to tumble into his room. She giggled, her hand curled around the neck of a bottle of fruity champagne. Noticing his gaze, she thrust it towards him.

'I want to get drunk!' she informed him, but it appeared to Artemis she may already be. She took a gulp from the bottle and wrinkled her nose. 'It's like raspberries. Try.' She pushed it into his chest and Artemis's hands closed over it involuntarily.

'Holly, humans and fairies can't share alco-'

'Pah!' she exclaimed freely, but her hands twisted compulsively. 'Don't have to worry 'bout that, Arty.'

Artemis did not respond to this use of his diminutive. 'Why?'

She giggled again, uncharacteristically. 'Look,' she said, pulling him close to her chest. He blinked for a moment, before registering what it was she wanted him to see. Her necklace, without the Booke attached.

'You were exiled?'

'Yup,' she agreed, bobbing her head up and down. 'D'you wanna know why? Well, I'm not gunna tell ya.' She started him down with a surprising amount of sobriety. ''Cuz I don't want to.'

She tapped the base of the wine bottle. 'But I do wanna get drunk, with you.'

'Why me?' Artemis asked, almost to himself.

'You're my friend,' she said, as if talking to a small child. 'Drink!'

Mostly to appease her, Artemis took a small sip. Quite fizzy.

'Holly, you're very drunk.'

She snatched the bottle away, taking a long draught. 'And, and I should be.' She groaned. 'D'arvit, Ar'mis, my head hurts.'

'Come here,' he lead her slowly over to his bed and lay her down, hoping she would pass out. She declined his wish. Instead, she peered up at him, smiling vaguely.

'If I cut myself on the glass, there'd be no sparks,' she ruminated, looking at the bottle held loosely at the neck in his left hand, her smile falling to the wayside. 'But you could heal me,' she added, grabbing hold of his hand. 'But gently, Artemis. Gently.'

Then, gently as she said, she kissed the palm of his hand. A tremor ran from his stomach to his chest. He took his hand away from hers, only to place it onto the curve of her jaw.

'Artemis, Artemis, Ar'mis,' she made a face. 'Arty. Your name is hard to say.'

'Is it now?' he sat down on the bed beside her, stroking her cheek. 'Artemis Fowl. Hm, not so hard.'

'Artemis Fowl,' she repeated, smiling again. A rush of tenderness made Artemis take a sharp breath. The whole situation radiated surrealism.

'You're pretty.'

'Not quite a masculine compliment,' he replied.

'Beautiful, cute,' she stroked his shirt underneath his shirt jacket, then his skin under his shirt, with a wicked smile that made his chest tighten unreasonably.

'Careful, Holly. You're drunk and lonely, and you want someone to hold you.'

'You,' she repeated. A pause. 'Yes, I want you to hold me.'

'Holly,' he tried to lacquer a warning into his tone.

'Holly, Holly, Holly! No, do the crime, do the time. If I do it I might as well have done it.' She tilted her head back. 'Kiss me, Artemis.'

He reeled a little, stunned by her words, and more than that, their implication … 'They exiled you because they thought … Oh Holly …'

A tear slipped from her eyelashes. 'They're right, I do. But, I never would have … but now they've …'

'Shh,' he whispered into hair, kissing on her ear softly, quietly. 'It will be okay.'

'Damn right it will,' she sobbed, clutching at his hands. 'Tell me how it will.'

'It will,' Artemis repeated, 'if you trust me, believe what I'm saying. Holly, look at me, do you trust me?' She inclined her head. 'It will be okay, Holly.'

He kissed her – tried to show her how it might be.

'Artemis…' she breathed slowly, shaping her lips carefully around each syllable. 'I think I'm drunk.'

Well, this might be it for a while, since my inspiration has dried up a bit for these fics. Motivation is greatly appreciated!