Yay! Chapter 1 is fixed!

These are one-shots of what I like to think of as "deleted scenes" during book 2. Lots of Holly-tormenting. :)

"I have no idea how weird this must be for you, Holly."

The voice was vaguely familiar. Artemis didn't open his eyes.

He had awoken a moment before, and had heard shifting. At least two people were in the room with him. Both fairies, if he were to judge by the shallow breaths.

"Shut up, Foaly," came the mumbled reply.

Foaly, of course. This was the voice he'd heard briefly near the end of the Fowl Siege.

"Get your head up off the table, Captain," snapped Commander Root. "That is hardly a professional stance. What if the Mud Boy wakes up?"

"I pull my head up off the table really fast?"

It suddenly occurred to Artemis that although he had imprisoned this girl in his house and had complete control over her for almost eight hours, he knew next to nothing about her personality.

"You know," interjected Foaly, "I really expected him to be up by now. Holly, are you sure you didn't kill him?"

There was the frenzied scraping of a chair across the floor, the light patter of feet, and then two fingers were pressed against his neck, at his pulse. He heard Holly's sigh of relief, and, to his surprise, she briefly rested his head on his shoulder.

She walked back to her seat. "Gods, you scared me."

"You know, something tells me you don't hate him as much as you pretend."

"I never said I hated him," she snapped back, and Artemis could imagine her scowl. "And even if I don't like him, I don't want him dead."

The centaur snickered. "You made that perfectly clear last year. We lose half a ton of gold to release you, and when you come out, you barely give me a hello before you start begging me not to kill him. A life is a life, Foaly! Please!"

"My gods, does my voice actually sound like that? Please tell me my voice isn't that high."

Artemis was startled by this new information. He would have thought Holly would be happy to see him go.

Foaly sighed, obviously irritated by the exchange. "Whatever. Just shut up."

Her tone was belligerent. "No, I will not just shut up. I don't take orders from people that are half monkey, half llama."

"Hey!"

Artemis was amused despite himself. And somehow, as soon as the emotion hit him, Holly said, "He's awake."

He opened his eyes, blinking through the bright light.

Root leaned toward him. "All right, Fowl," he spat around a cigar. "Start talking."

Sorry it's short. More to come.