Artemis Fowl was thinking. But he wasn't plotting, or scheming. He wasn't even proving any theorems. Artemis Fowl's mind was on a female.

At that instant, Artemis was lying on his bed, recalling the favorite moment of his young life. Eyes closed, he brought himself back to the correct time and place. Gently, he probed his memory, bringing back first the sounds, then the smells, the sights, the tastes, the aches, and finally, her touch. He heard the rustle of the gorilla's habitat, and the fearsome growls of the beast itself. He smelled its breath, smelled the leaves and the trees and Earth, smelled the odor of a dwarf, and smelled the unmistakable scent of a person with an unmistakably special place in his heart. He saw black beneath his eyelids when they rolled back into his head, and red when he was attacked. He tasted blood, bile. He felt aches and pains everywhere, drenched in a cold sweat. And then – rejuvenation, a shocking awakening. He could breathe in the air again, he could move his body parts, he could speak and comprehend. He felt dreamy. He heard a beautiful voice saying something wonderful. "Of course I saved you, I couldn't do without you." And then – something happened. Something magical, beautiful, something he would never, ever forget. Holly leaned down and her lips touched his own. Sparks flew. Literally. She kissed him and held him in a trance, a dream, and he silently and subconsciously willed her to never stop.

It was a moment that even one lacking a brain like Artemis's could remember in full detail. It was like being sent to heaven, but he had never felt so alive. And beside him was a mesmerizing angel, melting his inhibitions away.

Artemis sighed, and went back to business.

Despite the romantic nature of his thoughts, Artemis was, as always, using a bit of math. If Holly was 80 and most fairies were expected to live about five hundred years, and if Artemis was 17 with a life expectancy of 95, then that meant that each of them had completed about 17% of their lives. They were, in theory, the same age. But with each passing year, Artemis would consume much more of his life force than Holly, and their ages would quickly, very quickly, grow apart. But there was time enough to solve that problem later. At the moment, he just wanted to see her.

Artemis stood, resolving to call Foaly. He couldn't talk to Holly just yet; he was still a bit flustered from the vivid memory. He lifted one of the stolen, outdated LEP helmets that still remained in his possession, and connected to the Operations booth. Moments later, he heard an annoyed whinny.

"Fowl. It's been two days. We already saved the world once this week. Can't you give a centaur a break?"

Artemis smiled. "It's nothing like that, Foaly. I had simply recalled my collection of LEP gear and was wondering if you wanted it back. In the wrong hands, you know, it could spell trouble."

"In the wrong hands? Who would be so stupid as to let stolen fairy technology fall into the wrong hands? Besides, Fowl, since when do you just give away something that could make you rich?"

Artemis almost pouted. "I did give away The Fairy Thief, as you well know. I don't require anything in return. If you could send up a shuttle for me, I would gladly come aboard with all of the fairy technology in my possession."

"Oh, give up the act Mud Boy. You don't fool me. What you REALLY want is a cozy, lengthy, private voyage deep into the underground with the best pilot in the LEP," said Foaly smugly.

Artemis remained silent. It was all of the proof Foaly needed.

"Artemis," he began gently, but then stopped talking. The man and the elf really had something between them. Something that sparked and dazzled them whenever they touched upon it. Something that attracted them, that brought them together and kept them close. He thought about Cabelline and her long, shiny tail, and the angelic sound of her whinny, and how fulfilled he felt whenever one of his jokes made her snort. Poor Artemis, thought Foaly, he rarely even gets to see Holly. "Alright, Mud Boy," said Foaly, "I'll see what I can do."