Disclaimer: I do not own the Artemis Fowl universe, or any of it's characters. They all belong to the genius of Eoin Colfer.

LEPrecon HQ Tech Booth

"Okay Holly, you should be good. There shouldn't be any recon missions going on, so there isn't much chance that you'll run into anyone. There are a few spotters looking for some rebel camps around Virginia, but nothing you can't handle. Just stay out of sight."

"Okay. So they're heading toward the port of Ireland still?"

"Yeah. You should get there in time to grab their boat. If not, it'll still be a quick flight to catch up."

"So easy. Are you sure this is Butler that we're talking about?" Holly inquired.

"I know. It's weird, but let's just go with it. Keep an eye open though, 'kay?"

"Rodger that," Holly said briskly. It was time to fly.

It only took a few minutes to make it to the chute that would take her up to the surface. Another minute to beat all the current records for the longest free fall before shooting up. A few more seconds to break from the earth. A few minutes time to speed to the Irish port to America. The excess time was spent patrolling the area for a sign of the Butlers.

During this, all of her thoughts were directly related to the immediate task at hand. Never once did they stray to Artemis. Holly was real good at staying focused.

And there they were.

Butler had changed into inconspicuous clothes, while Juliet had that part down. They were just a girl and her father. With his extra years, the bodyguard even looked the part o fa middle-aged man. Albeit a huge one. But Ireland was used to the odd sort, so they barely got a second glance.

But how to alert them to her without alarming them? They were obviously strung tight as a bowstring, even if they recognized her, they would probably shoot before their brains registered it. What I need is a way to give them a sign. What would do?

Well, Butler knew bits of Gnomish, so a little message wouldn't do much harm. Especially when it was holographic and would disappear with a press of a button.

The coin floated a millimeter off the ground. Butler noticed it immediately. Reason one; it seemed to be pure gold. Reason two; it was imperfect in a very familiar way.

There was a hole blown through the center.

The giant man used his arm to stop his sister from proceeding any further, since, for all they knew, it could be wired, and he needed time to think. That was a replica of the coin Holly gave to Artemis, who had carried it around on a chain ever since. And Butler knew for a fact that he was in possession of the real copy. The whole incident wasn't reported at all, so the only fairy with the technology to create this was either Holly, or assuming that he was in the loop, Foaly. Both had the potential to be friends. But he mustn't jump to that conclusion yet, he reminded himself. Best to guess the worst.

Juliet looked at her brother worriedly. "Is it safe?" she wondered aloud.

"Maybe, maybe not," he replied.

Carefully the giant approached the coin. With a casual flick, he snapped a long rifle out of his coat, planning to prod the item.

Where does he keep all these weapons?, Juliet mused. She hadn't seen a single bulge in his jacket before now. It was almost as if he procured these things from thin air.

Back with the proceedings, Butler was extending his gun toward the coin. And passed right through it. A hologram!

Butler hid a grin. The plot thickens. Even more so as an identical coin appeared five feet ahead into what looked like an old inn. With his hand curled around a pistol, the giant man gestured to his sister and continued cautiously into the building.

He spotted her immediately. She was sitting in a back booth, taller, but still the same fairy.

"Hello Holly."

The red haired girl twisted violently around in her seat. "Butler! Juliet! Oh my gosh, thank Frond!"

But Butler retained a cold expression, and Juliet mimicked it. "Is this a trick, Holly? Where is Artemis?"

Holly's eyes grew wide. "You think I did this? No way, I just found out yesterday! I was looking for you so we could find him together!"

Butler gave the inn a cursory inspection. Reasonably full, lots of drunks. Good, there was less chance of being overheard. Better yet, no one gave them a second glance.

So they sat.

"Alright, Holly, fill us in."

The fairy grinned profusely at this. "Great, let's start at the beginning. Yesterday Foaly told me the news that the council had redeemed Artemis as an unnecessary connection to our enemies. Then Trouble confirmed it. Me and Foaly have been trying to locate Arty from then on. I found out that they relocated him to North Carolina."

Butler frowned, deep furrows running themselves between his eyebrows. "How did you get that information?"

"It's amazing what you can accomplish when you know just what to threaten," Holly said with a wicked smile.

"So why did you come find us? Couldn't you do this by yourselves?" Juliet asked.

"Well, we thought that you guys would want to help," the fairy said hesitantly.

"We do," Butler interjected. "We were just wondering if this was a trick, and you're really here to bring us in to be wiped. Like Artemis." The huge man nearly broke down inside at his own comment. It was his job to protect the boy, and now he was gone. Some bodyguard. Some friend. Butler really was glad that Holly had included them.

"I won't. I promise on whatever you want."

And Butler believed her.

"How do you look like a human?" he asked.

"Foaly's pills. Freaking hurts to be stretched out so much, so it's a good thing they wear off in hours," she grumbled. "So what were your plans anyway?"

"We were just gonna hitch a ride on a boat or something, just to get outta Ireland," Juliet put in. "But now we have another reason! Let's get a boat to America!"

Holly was very glad she had the option of flying instead of floating. She got horribly seasick. Plus flying was way more fun than just standing around a measly boat.

She was really glad that the Butlers had trusted her. If she had to do this alone, she was sure that she would crack. She needed all the help she could get.

What she tried not to ask herself was what to do when they did find Arty. He had lost all of his memories, for Frond's sake! What foundation was there to build on? What if the Arty they knew was well and truly gone?

While in the air, she could indulge in these thoughts. When she touched ground, they and all their evidence was to disappear.

"Do you really think we'll find him, Dom?"

Butler didn't even try to tell her not to use his real name. "I don't know. I hope so, but I just don't know."

"That's not what I wanted to hear."

"I'm sorry."

Silence ensued for awhile after, each in their own thoughts. Juliet finally broke the silence again. "Remember when Arty was five, and we looked away for one second, and when we got back, he was gone? We search the manor for hours, and then we found him in the grounds, up in a tree. Mr. Fowl was furious. I think that was the last time little Arty tried to be adventurous."

Butler reminisced with a smile. "And the one time when he was finger painting? The whole living room was ruined!"

"You nearly got your pay docked for that one."

"Good thing I didn't."

Now Juliet was on a roll. "Oh, and that time when Mrs. Fowl tried to give him a haircut herself!"

Butler chuckled outright. "And when we played hide and seek? Every time, he was the champion."

"When we tried to talk him out of staying up all night on his mother's coffee."

Suddenly Butler was sober. "When he came home from first grade covered in bruises."

Juliet tried to intervene. "Dom, let's not talk about the bad things-"

But her brother was undeterred. "When his father screamed at him. When his mother wasn't home for a week because she was drinking and partying her marriage problems away. When his father introduced him to the family business. When that same father disappeared in the Arctic. His mother went insane. The family fortune depended on him. And what could we do? Watch him fall."

Juliet walked across the cabin to sit next to her brother. "Arty got better. There was a dark period there, but we're all over it."

Butler blinked away his unshed tears. She was right. "But there's another period now. And it's my fault it's here."

"No it's not-"

"Yes it is. Don't deny it. It's my job to protect him, and where are we now? Traipsing around the globe trying to find him again."

Juliet became firm. "Dom, if it weren't for you, Arty would've been dead a long time ago. If he had a man half as good as you, he'd be long gone. Arty still needs you, and it's our job to be there for him."

Butler nodded absently, pushing his concerns to the back of his mind. Now was not the time. Not when they were already approaching America.

Sorry for the long wait again. But I have a feeling things will more a lot more faster now. Please review!