A/N: Hey, everybody! So, due to the incredible reviews my Artemis Fowl fics have received (you guys rock!), I decided to post this Christmas themed one-shot! Hope you guys enjoy!
Fowl Manor, Present Day
Holly Short, former captain of the LEP, sighed contentedly as she traversed the magnificent hallways of Fowl Manor.
Christmas hung in the air like the garlands that hung on the walls. Metal stars were suspended from the ceiling; they danced on their strings, shimmering silver.
Holly smiled at the ornaments fondly. Mrs. Fowl sure did a good job decorating. She could still remember the image of Butler on the rickety old stepladder, hanging sprigs of holly where Mrs. Fowl directed him. The thought made her laugh.
The smell of cookies and gingerbread drifted up from the kitchen. Juliet was baking tons of them. They would probably last though January.
Golden baubles distorted the elf's reflection as she passed them. She paused to examine one closer. Mismatched eyes, one deep cold blue and one warm hazel, gazed back at her. She turned her head to the side and sighed, removing a hand from her blue jeans pocket to rub her rounded ear.
Foaly had given her a Humanization pill to disguise her appearance for her journey to the surface. By all rights, she shouldn't be able to see over the desk right next to her, let alone the globe dangling at her shoulder level.
She sighed once more and crossed her arms, which were covered in a forest green turtleneck Juliet had given her for a welcoming present. It would have been several sizes to big for her fairy form. But in her human teenage five foot five inch girl body, it fit like a glove.
She still felt like she was dressed up in a costume for a play. It didn't feel…natural, to walk around in a body that didn't feel like hers.
She especially hated the hair. With the pill, her hair had grown two feet longer than her crew cut. Everyone in Police Plaza had gushed about how beautiful it was. Caballine, Foaly's wife, commented on how it softened her into a girl, not a has-been police officer. Now, her thick auburn tresses hung loose to the middle of her back. Juliet had been overjoyed to see it, and threatened to chain Holly in the living room if she even thought about cutting it.
So now, here she was, spending two weeks of Christmas vacation at Fowl Manor.
She had just arrived that afternoon after phoning Artemis for permission.
"Season's greetings, Mud-Boy," she had chimed.
Artemis' face melted from confusion to happiness at her call. "Happy Christmas to you too, Holly. How are you?"
Her joy was evident on her face. "Great! Guess what?"
He had smiled his true smile. "What?"
"I got two weeks off for vacation, that's what!" Holly did a little jig, plugging the communicator into her computer so Artemis' image appeared on screen. "Isn't that great?"
"Fantastic," he had grinned. "What are you going to do with it?"
She paused mid-step. "Oh. I don't know. Work probably."
He cocked a raven eyebrow. "Work? On vacation?"
Holly sat down on her bed, facing the screen still. "Well, what are you supposed to do on a vacation?"
"Relax, do something you want to do," Artemis shrugged, turning away for an instant to scribble on a paper. Darkness enveloped the study behind him. His pale face glowed silver from his computer.
Holly sat back on her arms. "Really? Huh…"
Artemis stared at her with penetrating eyes. She continued to stare at a corner of her room, lost in thought.
"Would you like to spend Christmas with me?"
She sharply glanced at the monitor. She couldn't have heard him right. "What?"
Did he blush? "I mean spend Christmas here with us? Juliet, Butler, my parents and the twins, and me?"
"You really think I could?" A smile crossed Holly's lips.
Artemis nodded. "Everyone would enjoy the company."
Holly grinned, overjoyed. "A Christmas aboveground! That would be so cool!"
The boy nonchalantly shuffled some papers. "If you can find a shuttle, I'll take care of everything else."
"Artemis, you're the best!"
"I know," he smiled smugly.
"Can I come at…say, on the three thirty?"
"Most certainly." His smile widened. "I'll have a guest room ready for your use."
"Sure it's okay?"
He rolled his eyes. "Do you want to come?"
"More than anything."
"Than it's okay. I need to go, Mother needs me. I'll pick you up from Tara at three forty, alright?"
"Perfect…Artemis?"
"Yes, Holly?"
"Thanks…a ton."
He smiled once more at her—did her heart skip a beat? "Anytime, Holly."
Then he had hung up.
Back in the present, Holly continued to meander down the hall, making her way down to the kitchens. Whatever Mrs. Fowl and Juliet were making, it smelled delicious.
Holly had been a hit with Mrs. Fowl from the first moment they had met. She recalled the conversation with a smile.
"Mother," Artemis had called into the house. He had motioned to take Holly's coat, and when she had shrugged it off herself, he had frowned with disapproval.
Angeline Fowl appeared at the top of the stairs, followed closely by Artemis Fowl senior.
"Artemis, Butler, there you are! Butler, I could use your help hanging some ornaments in the East Wing."
"Certainly, ma'am." The manservant gave a bow, then moved off into another wing of the house, taking Artemis' and Holly's coats with him.
"Hey, son," Artemis Senior smiled lovingly. "And hello there, miss."
Holly had been trying unsuccessfully to blend into the background to keep from being noticed.
But at Artemis the First's greeting, she had to say something.
"Um, hello sir," she mumbled, smiling weakly and stepping out from behind Artemis the Second.
"What a lovely young lady!" Angeline beamed, rushing down the stairs to greet her guest. "You must be Holly."
"Um, yes ma'am," the fairy frowned, and was caught off guard when she was crushed into the woman's embrace.
"You must forgive her, Miss Short," Artemis Senior grinned in his baritone voice. He, too, swooped gracefully down the stairs. "Arty has told us so much about you we feel we know you already."
"Father." Artemis' cheeks flushed crimson.
Angeline pulled back, keeping her thin hands on Holly's shoulders. "My dear, you are very welcome here."
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Fowl." Holly gave her a smile. "It's so kind of you to let me come."
"Beautiful girl," Angeline gushed. She looked so happy, Holly feared she might burst.
"Mrs. Fowl?" Butler had appeared in the room with a box of Christmas ornaments in his massive arms. "Where would you like these?"
"Wait, Butler, I'll come with you." The gorgeous woman gave Holly another warm smile before drifting out of the room. "Make yourself at home, my dear. Don't fear to ask for anything."
She paused in the doorway to the annexing room and turned back to the girl. She had a curious expression on her face, like there was a puzzle she couldn't quite figure out.
"Something wrong, darling?" Artemis Senior asked.
"No, no," Angeline shook her hand reassuringly, but she still frowned. "You just seem so familiar for some reason, Holly."
The fairy girl swallowed, and plastered a shaky smile on her face.
Angeline gave a fleeting smile back, then retreated to follow Butler.
Mr. Fowl grinned at his wife's back, then turned to Holly. "It's just because Artemis has told us so much. Don't worry, Miss Holly. My wife is not this crazy all the time." He strolled out of the room.
Artemis had been standing stock still the entire time. He looked like he had been holding his breath. When his father shut the door behind him, he let it out in a puff of air, deflating his chest.
He glanced apologetically at Holly. "I'm sorry. They're only a little insane."
"Like their son," Holly nodded, smiling at the face he made. "I love your parents."
He cocked an eyebrow disbelievingly. "Really? They don't scare you?"
"Should they?"
"Do I scare you?" He grinned a vampire smile.
She gave an exaggerated shiver. "Your parents are kittens compared to you."
He smirked. "I'm glad you like them."
She gazed at him and smiled. He let that true smile she loved so much slip through, but quickly resumed his impassive façade.
"Come," he murmured quickly, clearing his throat. "I'll show you to your room."
He ascended the stairs, Holly in tow.
Back in the present, Holly continued to meander down the large hallway. These memories had taken her only a few seconds to recall.
Now, where was I? she thought. A fragrance of gingerbread wafting up the hall reminded her. Oh yes, there were cookies that needed sampling.
She made for the kitchen with all haste, but once more she paused.
This was not because of her reflection in a Christmas bauble, or because the decorations reminded her of Mrs. Fowl.
What was that beautiful music?
Fowl Manor, Ten Minutes Earlier
Artemis Fowl roamed down the hallway, hands in his trouser pockets, mismatched eyes gazing around at the decorations.
He smiled. The various wreaths and garlands strewn all over the manor was so typical of his mother. Since she had gotten…well, she had never let a holiday pass without demanding some type of adornment.
Since Holly had cured her…
He would never forget that moment in his front parlor, damaged and torn from the work the troll had done.
"Captain," he had asked, gazing at the ferocious elf in front of him. "How much gold would I have to give to buy a wish?"
He remembered that day as clear as crystal. Holly's eyes, which had been blazing with something bordering hatred, softened. As she heard his request, for a split second in time, her eyes had melted a tiny bit.
And that was the first time he had felt something inside him twang like a stretched rubber band.
And now that something twanged every time she met his eyes.
It was rather annoying.
And confusing.
As he walked down the hallway, he dragged a lazy finger down the hallway table. His eyes observed the various photographs he passed. A family skiing trip. The day that his mother and father had brought the twins home. A family portrait; he was pleased to see that in this one he was smiling. A beach adventure when they had spent the summer in Spain.
In all the pictures, everyone was there. Mother, Father, Myles, Beckett, Butler, Juliet; all bared their smiles up at him from the frames. He himself was scattered through the photos, sometimes with a microscopic quirk to his lips, other times with his usual deadpan frown.
Still, in all these pictures, something was missing.
Holly wasn't in a single one.
He allowed himself a small smile. He was going to have to fix that.
He continued down the hallway. He smelled something like gingerbread. Juliet was probably baking again. He sincerely hoped there was a fire extinguisher where Butler could reach it in time.
Christmas used to be his least favorite time of year. Everyone was always so happy and cheerful. Why should everyone by joyous? It was the end of a year. A new one, probably harder and longer, was just around the corner. It was winter. Everything was dead or dying. The only ones who should be happy at Christmas were the stores, who made a killing off of people buying presents for their loved ones.
But then again, the new year would be full of new chances, new opportunities. If the last one had been full of bad times, than this new one would be a new beginning. And winter was a cleansing of the world, a time to renew it all, start fresh. And people bought gifts for their families and friends as a way of expressing affection, apparently.
Christmas had infected the great Artemis Fowl II as much as it had infected everyone else.
Suddenly, standing there in the hallway, not frowning, but not smiling either, Artemis felt like doing something.
He didn't know what, he just felt like doing something.
Now frowning in confusion, Artemis drifted down the hall. Hardly paying attention to where his loafers were taking him, he wandered into the third door on the left.
The door opened to a white room that Artemis had used to be quite fond of, but had currently been neglecting. All around him, the walls displayed a cornucopia of different musical instruments. Oboes, saxophones, trumpets, violins, cellos, flutes, and too many others to name were scattered around on the walls. They sparkled and shone with constant dusting and cleaning, but their strings were neglected with a lack of use.
In the middle of the room, standing in a pool of late afternoon sunshine from the French doors, stood a black grand piano. The ivory keys seemed to sigh as the Irish boy walked into the room, half in a daze. They begged to be played.
Almost hesitantly, Artemis moseyed across the hardwood floor to the great instrument. Timidly, he sat down on the bench.
He hadn't played in so long. Years, in fact.
He touched a white key experimentally.
The instrument rang with the note, perfectly tuned though it hadn't been played in ages.
And everything flooded back into the boy's fingers like warm water.
With a smile of satisfaction, he trilled the keys in a scale. The piano had always been his instrument of choice. His long pale hands flew over the keys like they had been born to play them.
His parents had loved to hear him play. When his…his father had disappeared, he had stopped playing. He still didn't play, even when Holly—why did his throat always catch on her name—had rescued him. He had often thought about it, but had always decided against it. He was too busy.
So now he was playing.
Feeling in the spirit, he experimentally played the first few notes of his favorite Christmas carol.
It sounded perfect, if he did say so himself.
He continued to play the song. It felt so good. Why on earth had he ever stopped playing?
He got carried away. The notes grew louder and more bold. The chords swelled to make their own melodies. He flowed with the music himself, moving up and down the bench the way his hands carried him over the keys.
He was enjoying himself, smiling and grinning like he hadn't done in a long time.
There was a creak behind him.
So quickly he shocked himself, he whipped around, slamming the cover over the keys with such force they rattled.
A young fairy with flaming red hair stood in the doorway with shining mismatched eyes.
Fowl Manor, Present Day
Holly felt entranced by the music. She drifted forward like she had been hypnotized, being pulled into the room by invisible strings.
A tall, rigidly straight back she couldn't help but recognize sat at the magnificent piano. Instruments surrounded them, almost appearing to bow in homage to the grand music.
The boy's hands flew over the keys like they had been born to be there. The piano sang with unprecedented clarity.
Holly had to smile to herself. Of course. Artemis was a genius, world chess champion, and the son of a millionaire. Knowing how to play the piano was just part of the package.
She stepped forward, right onto a loose board in the hardwood floor.
The beautiful music stopped dead and Holly wanted to cry.
Artemis whirled around, slamming the cover down on the keys so hard they made an awful twanging sound. He kept his hands pressed down on the cover as though he was keeping something in the piano from leaping out.
They stared at each other, not making a sound. Holly was frozen in the spot where she had made the board creak. Artemis' chest panting was the only thing that moved on him.
"You play beautifully," Holly finally whispered.
The Irish boy blinked. "Thank you."
She came forward slowly, hesitating like she might spook the boy.
"Here," she murmured. His mismatched eyes watching her made her feel something strange in her abdomen. The fairy shooed his hands off the cover gently, and raised it equally as soft.
He made room for her on the bench. Holly smiled weakly at him; he swallowed hard.
She placed her right hand on the upper octave and timidly tapped out the beginning of his Christmas carol.
His anxious expression melted away with the notes. He gave the smallest smile possible, and played along. His rich chords eclipsed her clumsy melody with ease.
"Do you play?" he asked. She thought it was amazing how he could carry on a conversation and play at the same time. It took all her concentration to just play a few notes, and he was fairly playing a symphony.
Holly gave a snort of laughter. "Play the piano? Me?"
Artemis shrugged. "I've been surprised before."
She smiled again, and played a poignant lingering note that accompanied his chord. "My parents forced me to take lessons until I was fifteen. They let it go after I complained so much."
"Fifteen years of piano and you don't play?" Artemis was a little shocked. After only two years, he had been able to play Mozart perfectly.
"Well, I can play a little of everything else," Holly retorted, incensed. "It's just this grandiose thing I can't get the hang of." She tapped the piano for emphasis.
He finished the song with a trickling melody, nodding to her last statement politely.
"I've always been a guitar girl myself," the fairy muttered, almost to herself.
He gave her a smile, leaning an elbow against the black wood. "You don't say?"
"That's one of the reasons I begged my parents to let me give up piano. And I've been playing guitar ever since I quit. Why are you looking at me so funny?"
Artemis grinned in a strange manner. "I always thought you would be the type to play a guitar. A versatile, strong instrument. It can be incredibly hard and gritty when you want it to be, but it can also be soft and sweeter than anything you've ever heard before."
Holly snickered, jumping up to sit on the upper portion of the piano. She was sure of the hard gritty part, but the soft sweet part, not so much. "Sure, me in a nutshell. I always knew you would play the piano, though."
"How so?"
The fairy shrugged. The movement tugged ever so gently at the Irish boy's chest. "You're sleek, black, simple, like the piano is. You're a gentleman too, timeless, cultured, classic. And a piano is perfect at anything you want to play. Like you."
Artemis grinned, staring up at Holly. She gave a small hesitating smile back. She had never said anything like that to anyone before. It felt…good.
Suddenly, the boy jumped up from the bench and made a beeline for one of the white walls of the room.
"What're you doing?" Holly asked, confused.
Artemis put a long, pale hand to his chin and examined the many instruments hanging up. "Selecting a guitar."
"Why?" She gave a laugh at a sudden thought. "Wait, you play guitar too?"
He shook his head at the wall. "Heavens no, that's the one instrument that didn't appeal to me. Here…"
The boy plucked a golden yellow bass guitar from the wall and plugged in the cord. He moved back to the piano bench where the fairy sat, and handed the instrument to her.
"Play with me."
Holly was flustered. "Oh, Artemis, I'm really not that good and I—"
"I'm afraid, Holly dear, that you have no choice in the matter." Artemis flexed his fingers and placed them over the keys.
He glanced up at her with a wicked smile. "You can't play with the guitar between your knees, that much I know."
Holly sniffed. "You're impossible. Do you have any sheet music I can follow?"
This stumped him. "Um…no…can you play by ear?"
The elf gave a dramatic sigh. "I suppose. What song is it?"
"It's Mother's favorite…I wrote it through Father's eyes…"
"You wrote…"
"Yes, now stop interrupting and listen."
He began to play, a beautiful introduction. The music brought a cheerful smile to Holly's lips, especially when he began to sing the lyrics.
When he paused for a bridge, Holly had to whisper. "I forgot how beautiful your voice is."
Artemis choked on his heart, but swallowed it down quickly. "Thank you, now here's your part."
Holly plucked the strings in perfect time with the music and even sang along with him.
"When the autumn leaves have gone to gold, and swallows know December's calling, I'll be flying home a thousand times in all my sweetest dreams. I can see the glow in your eyes as we sit by the fire like lovers we knew long ago while we watch our angels in the snow."
When the song was finished, Holly smiled.
"When, may I ask, did you write this?"
Artemis' pale cheeks flushed a slight pink and he muttered, "That's not important."
"C'mon. When?"
"…whenIwasseven…"
"Seven!" Holly couldn't help her chin dropping to the floor. "I was still wearing training wings at seven!"
The boy remained silent, fiddling with the cuff of his shirt. He was a tad embarrassed. Unusual. Normally, he would have jumped at the chance to show off his intelligence.
"You are amazing." The fairy sat back in awe.
Artemis blushed terribly, and he coughed into his elbow to hide it. "You played very well too, Holly."
"Yeah, thanks," she snorted. Then her eyes seemed to light up. "Hey, you wanna hear this song?"
Artemis, delighted that she was finished making him feel so strange, nodded.
Holly leapt up from the piano and scurried to another guitar, acoustic this time.
Tuning it as she walked back to the piano, she gave a quick smile. "This song is pretty popular underground. I think you'll like it."
I know I'll like it. "We'll see."
Holly plucked out a few notes on the strings, smiling as she did so. It felt so right. Her guitar back in her flat was dusty from neglect. She hadn't played since she had started back in the detective field. It was good to know she hadn't lost her touch.
"I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you."
FIN.
A/N: Well, there we go! The end. :) If anybody wants to take this and run with it, please feel free! I don't own AF, "Angels in the Snow" by Kenny Loggins or "Falling in Love at a Coffeeshop" by Landon Pigg. Love!