A/N: Hi all This is my first attempt at writing a fan-fic (or fiction of any kind for that matter) so please read and review! I grew up reading the AF books and this fic represents an idea that I've been developing for a while but which is very much still in development. The story picks up about a year after the events of the TLG (I can't find the precise time of year that TLG takes place so I'm going to assume that it was late summer) and as far as possible I will try to stay in character and within canon (although I warn you in advance that Artemis will be keeping his elvin eye, everything else should be fairly canon). There will definitely be significant A/H although there is a lot of other stuff too and there will almost certainly be fluff later and possibly some more adult stuff if I have the guts to attempt to write it...Let me know what you think, hope you all enjoy it and please review! ** = direct quote

P.S. Updates will probably be dependent on the response from readers and I can't promise that they will be regular if at all until after my uni exams which finish mid-June.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own Artemis Fowl and all characters/settings/content are the property of their original creator (with the exception of my original characters). This work is not intended for commercial gain.

Murder Most Fowl

Unknown location – somewhere dark and generally unpleasant

As he hunched over the plasma screen, putting the final touches on a plan several decades in the making, he allowed himself the slightest of grins; a rare indulgence indeed during the last half century.

No matter now, the time for retribution is near and the LEP will pay for every second that I have suffered in ignominy! Starting with Captain Holly Short, she will soon come to regret the day that she crossed me.

She may have nine lives but Captain Short will soon realise just how mortal she is. I won't repeat the mistakes of that egotistical fool Koboi; this time her pet Mud Boy won't be there to save the day….

Concealed within the shadows of the room stood a vast cage which appeared almost absurdly out of proportion with the fairy sized furniture. From within an unseen creature emitted a low growl of frustration, eager to be free once more amongst the world of men.

"Not long now my dear; soon you shall have all the blood that you desire...Not long at all"

xxx

Fowl Manor, near Dublin

** 'What if I'm stuck like this? That wouldn't be so bad, would it?'

The question hung in the air between them, a question heavy with insecurity and hope. **

Artemis smiled self-consciously before answering.

'No Holly, I don't believe that would be bad at all'

Then in a moment of boldness totally out of keeping with his character he took Holly's hand in his own and gently pulled her towards him, savouring the touch of her skin against his own as their lips pressed against each other. The kiss was tentative at first, full of innocence and uncertainty but as Holly reciprocated the kiss became more passionate and Artemis found his hands acting almost without his control, one tangled within her hair, the other on her waist. A few errant blue sparks flickered across Holly's lips and onto Artemis but strangely these sparks seemed to sting far more than Artemis could remember, almost like being electrocuted….

As Artemis Fowl returned somewhat reluctantly to consciousness three words lingered in his mind:

'In another time'.

Just a dream...Only a dream. Despite having been awake for less than ten seconds Artemis Fowl the Second immediately made two equally surprising observations.

The first was that in the 17 years that he had been alive this was the first time he had ever remembered a dream; the second was that the electric shocks he had felt were in fact real and appeared to be being generated by Myles who was at this moment in the process of removing a series of electrodes from Artemis's head. There would be time to consider the implications of his dream later; genius though his younger brother undoubtedly was Artemis had no desire to risk even insubstantial damage to his considerable intellect due to a misplaced electric charge.

"Let me guess Myles...You are attempting to accelerate my recall by administering small electric shocks to my brain during sleep? Whilst plausible in theory I think we should probably consider less violent therapy first – and my memory is returning very well on its own thank you."

Myles Fowl, not yet six years old and already a child genius in the making shot his older brother his trademark evil grin before extricating himself from the room, trailing electrodes in his wake. Artemis quickly identified the cause of his younger brother's retreat as from downstairs Angeline Fowl could be heard attempting to get Myles and Becket ready for the weekend trip to Scotland which she had been planning for some time.

Artemis had been invited but had declined on the grounds that he was in the crucial stage of development for his latest project and couldn't possibly afford the time away from his lab. The real reason was of course that since his 'resurrection' Artemis had found it difficult to feel at ease around his family. His mother Angeline had practically refused to allow him out of her sight for weeks afterwards and try as he might his new found conscience would not allow him to escape the guilt that he felt for causing them such grief.

His logical brain readily accepted that if not for his sacrifice then he would still have died and billions of others would have shared his fate, but his parents could not have known that and their grief at his death had been absolute.

I cannot escape the consequences that my actions have on those that I hold dearest; my parents have grieved because of me, Butler died because of me and Holly...Perhaps it is time to leave all of the cloak and dagger exploits behind...Butler would certainly appreciate an early retirement.

Artemis waited until he heard the distinctive rumble of the Bentley pulling out of the driveway before he ventured downstairs. As he wandered past the dojo he paused to listen to the unmistakable sound of Butler relieving his stress on the assortment of punch bags and training dummies. The massive Eurasian bodyguard justifiably ranked among the most feared human beings on (or under) the planet but despite his terrifying appearance and reputation Butler cared far more deeply about Artemis than would be usually be expected between a typical bodyguard and principal.

Although as the first human in history to have successfully stolen gold from the fairy People, prevented a goblin uprising, travelled in time and returned from the dead (despite not technically being an adult for another three days) Artemis Fowl II could hardly be considered to be a typical anything. If possible Artemis's death had been even harder for Butler to come to terms with than for his parents and Artemis knew that despite any protest to the contrary Butler would always believe that he had failed in his duty to protect the boy from harm – that somehow he could have prevented his death at the hands of the fairy magic.

There was nothing anyone could have done old friend, not even you. One day I hope you will be able to accept that.

Not wishing to disturb Butler Artemis continued past the dojo and downstairs to the drawing room. Decorated as it was with priceless Persian rugs and furniture that would not have looked out of place on the Titanic the drawing room of Fowl Manor exuded an atmosphere of timeless sophistication. The room held an appeal for Artemis that ran far deeper than aesthetics however.

Artemis Fowl II had few fond childhood memories but before his father's abduction and Angeline Fowl's subsequent illness this room had been the scene for many of those that he did have. Today however his family were absent and Artemis Fowl was preoccupied. Seating himself in the original 18th century mahogany Canapé, Artemis propped his laptop open upon his laptop and waited for it to start up and connect to the internet. In the few seconds that it took for this to happen he took the opportunity to appreciate the view from the drawing room window. It was a rarely sunny day for Ireland and the late August sun reflected off the gentle ripples of the lake like so many miniature diamonds; in the distance the willows swayed gently in the light breeze and a famliy of swans relaxed in the shade of the boughs. Holly would love the view he mused.

No murderous crickets, dwarf riding trolls or megalomaniacal pixies today; everything is tranquil and as it should be.

The current tranquility was a far cry from the events of almost a year ago when the power-crazed pixie Opal Koboi had attempted to destroy humanity by opening the Berserker Gate, forcing Artemis to sacrifice himself. Only Artemis's quick thinking and Foaly's illegal cloning technology had enabled the teenage genius to return to life – and not without consequences, his memory foremost among them.

Holly had managed to secure a week's leave immediately after his resurrection (Commander Trouble Kelp could hardly argue as it was the first she had taken in over two years) and had spent the time helping Artemis to regain his memories of the last few years. Most of his memories had returned in time but significant blank patches still persisted and Artemis felt certain that his personality had undergone some degree of change – ironically dying seemed to have given him a greater appreciation of life, in addition to the six toes on his left foot and an extra year or two of biological age.

Six toes and a fairy eye, I'm a veritable chimera Artemis thought wryly.

Nor were the consequences of Opal's attempt at world domination limited to Artemis Fowl. Beneath the Earth the People had managed to largely recover from the damage that had occurred following the destruction of all Koboi technology (thanks in no small part to the technical genius of a certain centaur) but above ground human society was taking longer to get back to normal with many nations struggling to rebuild the damage to their infrastructure.

Not back to normal, we have an opportunity here to be better than we were before; to build a fairer, more sustainable civilisation.

Artemis smiled slightly despite himself. A few years previously such thoughts would never have occurred to him, driven as he was by self-interest and greed.

Meeting The People really has changed me. Of course I still have no intention of living within the law, human or otherwise (where would be the challenge in that?), but I will certainly have to be more selective in who I steal from or manipulate in the future.

Meeting The People or meeting one person in particular?

Severing that particular train of thought before it could lead him into potentially dangerous territory Artemis returned his attention to his laptop. The site he had opened contained a news article detailing a recent scientific expedition to the antarctic. The stated aim of the expedition was to assess the impact of global warming on antarctic ice coverage but Artemis had good reason to suspect that there was more to this particular operation than was being publicly acknowledged.

Further investigation was however prevented by the dramatic entry of Butler, Sig Sauer in hand. Before Artemis had a chance to react to the sudden entry of his bodyguard, Butler had grabbed him by the arm and shoved him roughly against the wall and out of view of the windows.

"Proximity alarms, we've got company. About sixteen of them as far as I can tell and all shielded."

Butler looked grim and Butler looking grim had a tendency to result in other people looking pained and remorseful, typically followed by general loss of control over bodily functions and loss of consciousness shortly thereafter. For their sake Artemis hoped that the LEP had a very good reason for interrupting his bodyguard's workout...

XXX

Fowl Manor Grounds, Near Dublin

Major Brior Darkleaf of LEP Retrieval was not an elf to be easily intimidated. That being said the sight of the giant Mud Man through the window of Fowl Manor would have been sufficient to intimidate a small troll.

Until today the major had been readily dismissive of the stories concerning the Fowl boy and his bodyguard (as if one Mud Man could face down an entire Retrieval team or singlehandedly take on a troll in close combat!) but even the gung-ho Major had to admit that storming this particular manor was not a prospect that he was looking forward to.

Corporal Grub Kelp, as the only member of the squad to recall the last unsuccessful attempt to carry out precisely such an operation, was if possible even less enthusiastic. The word 'mummy' had been mentioned so many times since their arrival that the Major had been forced to isolate Grubb's radio for the sake of morale and his own sanity. Someone had to take control of this operation and it certainly wasn't going to be the corporal.

"Right, enough nonsense, we have our orders. Let's bring Fowl in. Bravo team spread out and establish a perimeter, no one goes in or out of this estate without my say so. Alpha team you're with me, we're going to advance up the driveway in open order. With any luck Fowl will agree to come quietly but let's take no chances. All clear?"

There was a general chorus of "Yes Sir!" interspersed with what sounded suspiciously like a whimper from Corporal Kelp.

"Good, then fall out and remember, Fowl may be a cold blooded killer but we are not, so fingers off triggers until I say otherwise."

At the major's signal half of the retrieval fairies spread out to form a rough perimeter from which they could cover the advance of the assault party, led (with more than a little reluctance) by Darkleaf.

XXX

Butler peered through his sunglasses at the retrieval team as they began their advance on the manor. The sunglasses had been extensively modified by Artemis, using stolen fairy technology to incorporate infrared, anti-shield and zoom functions certainly not found in your typical Ray-Bans. Butler was not reassured by what he could see.

"Two teams, one providing cover while the other LEP are certainly taking us seriously this time - I won't be able to catch this lot off guard Artemis. But why are they here in the first place?"

"Why Indeed? The fact that they would risk coming here at all in broad daylight, even shielded, suggests that whatever reason they may have is serious and I doubt they will be willing to accept any delay." Artemis mused.

"There is of course an easy way to shed some light on the entire situation..." To a casual observer Artemis would appear calm but in truth he had been caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the LEP, but already his mind was processing the information, computing all possible logical explanations and possible responses. .

I suppose I should really be used to this, after all this is hardly the first time that there have been fairy commandos in my garden. Artemis thought sardonically.

"I know what you're thinking Artemis and it's a bad idea, those fairies out there aren't Holly...We have no idea what the situation is below ground right now, there could have been a coup for all we know. Going out there is too dangerous."

"Really Butler, I hardly think something so dramatic could occur without my knowledge. I am not without sources in Haven after all. Nonetheless I concede that there is merit to your argument but you are supposed to be enjoying your retirement now that I'm legally dead; I can hardly ask you to fight a small army of exceptionally well armed fairies on my behalf."

"I've faced worse on your behalf Artemis, and I would do so again without hesitation. You know I would give my life for you if necessary."

I know old friend and that is why I must surrender myself, my conscience could not stand to lose you for a second time.

"I am touched Butler, truly, but if I am right then there is no need for anyone to die today. If The People wished me dead, which I should add would be most out of character for them, then I am inclined to believe that they would be more subtle than to send in the troops in broad daylight when a lone assassin would almost certainly have a greater likelihood of success."

"Very well but if you're going out there then I'm coming with you."

"I don't think that would be wise. If you are right and this is a trap then it is surely better that I spring it alone than the LEP succeed in incapacitating both of us."

It went completely against Butler's ingrained protective instincts to allow Artemis to approach potentially aggressive hostiles without him but he knew the boy well enough to recognise when his mind would not be changed and the pragmatist within him conceded the truth of Artemis's statement. There were few men alive more dangerous than Butler but even he could not take on two fully armed Retrieval sections with only his Sig Sauer and without the element of surprise.

XXX

To the immense relief of Major Darkleaf, Alpha section had advanced less than half the distance between their shuttle (completely shielded of course) and Fowl Manor when the main doors were opened and Artemis Fowl himself stepped outside with his hands held casually, almost mockingly, in the air. The big Mud Man was nowhere to be seen. Darkleaf was undecided on whether he should feel relieved or not at that fact.

"Alright Fowl, glad to see you're choosing the sensible option. Keep walking this way, nice and slow, and keep those hands where I can see them if you want to stay conscious"

"Really major, I am correct in assuming you are a major? Good. Really major, is all this melodrama necessary? I am certain that I do not require an armed escort to Haven. It would have been more than sufficient to simply send Holly to..."

"How dare you, how dare you even mention her name. You're lucky my orders are so clear on the use of force Mud Boy." Darkleaf was sorely tempted to just sink a few charges into the arrogant Mud Boy there and then, and he could tell that most if not all of his officers felt the same way. After all, the Captain had been popular, not to mention the civilians...

Artemis looked slightly perplexed, he certainly hadn't been expecting that reaction and he was suddenly regretting his decision to leave Butler inside.

"Very well, perhaps you would be so kind as to explain precisely why you have been ordered here then? I assume that you haven't travelled all this way simply to threaten me."

It was taking all of the major's control not to shoot Fowl and the anger was clear in his voice.

"No, Mud Boy, we're not here to threaten you. We're here to arrest you for the murder of Captain Holly Short of the LEP and the five civilians that are still waiting to be identified. You have the right to remain silent but somehow I don't think we need to worry about that." And with that the major finally lost the battle with his self control and shot Artemis in the centre of his chest, stunning him instantly.

In the seconds before he lost consciousness Artemis's brain was only able to register one all-consuming fact – Holly is dead.

XXX

City Centre, Haven (two hours earlier)

Located within the central park and directly opposite Haven's spectacular waterfall the eponymously named Frond Falls Cafe was generally regarded to be the best place to enjoy a cup of sim coffee under the Earth. As she sipped her latte and laughed at Caballine's imitation of Foaly in the morning (Holly could empathise, she certainly wasn't a morning fairy herself) Holly decided that the boast was probably fair.

The scenery certainly made a pleasant change from the cramped, run-down goblin ghettos that she seemed to have spent most of her time in recently whilst chasing down one suspect or another. Bustling with tourists and children the park had an undeniably pleasant atmosphere and to add to the authenticity it even included a strictly controlled population of woodland animals. If you allowed yourself to be absorbed by the scent of pine and the sound of birdsong it was almost possible to lose yourself entirely and believe you were above ground.

Almost.

In truth Captain Holly Short would have preferred to be above ground with a pair of wings strapped to her back, the wind in her face (well, on her visor at any rate, not that she ever opened her visor above ground in total violation of LEP guidelines...) and a criminal to chase.

This was in fact the first time that she had technically been on leave since Artemis Fowl had returned to the world of the living and she had only agreed on the insistence of her Commander Trouble Kelp. Trouble's order could hardly be misinterpreted:

"Holly you're the best fairy on the force, but you look like you haven't slept properly in weeks and if you don't take a break then sooner or later you're going to snap and put someone in ICU or worse, and frankly I don't need that kind of paperwork."

You had to hand it to Trouble, there weren't many officers that could hope to step into Root or Vinyaya's boots and lead the LEP through the reconstruction of Haven...Holly certainly didn't envy him. The LEP had been trying to promote her to a desk job for years and she had absolutely no intention of agreeing to it. She would have agreed to it for her old commander Julius Root but since he had been murdered by Opal Koboi, no one else had come close to persuading her.

I shouldn't be here, I should be topside with Artemis. I've hardly seen him since he came back...Since he cheated death against all the odds - typical Fowl. I miss him. Frond, where did that come from?! Not to mention the dream last night...

The six months after Artemis had died had been some of the hardest of Holly's life, to her surprise her grief at losing Artemis had almost equaled that of losing her parents so many years previously. The only thing that had prevented a total breakdown had been her utter determination to bring him back, no matter the odds. No one else had truly believed that it could be done. Butler and Foaly had certainly hoped but she could tell that neither of them truly believed it was possible. Holly was different, she had never doubted that Artemis could come back, he had to. The alternative was unthinkable.

When did I start to care so much?!

They had broken every law under the Earth to resurrect Artemis Fowl and Holly knew she would do it again in a heartbeat.

So why haven't I seen him in months?

"...and then I told him that he can find his own carrots from now on! Holly? What's wrong, you look like you're away with the Mud Men and I'm sure you haven't heard anything I've said for the last two minutes?!"

Holly was prevented from further introspection by Cabbaline's frustrated whinnie. Apparently, disliking being ignored was not a trait specific to Foaly.

Away with the Mud Men? Not far off the mark Holly.

"Sorry Caballine, you're right, I was miles away...There is something actually, I haven't mentioned it to anyone else and Foaly absolutely cannot know?"

Death would almost certainly be preferable.

"I knew something was bothering you, what's wrong Holly? And don't worry about that silly horse Foaly. After what his latest experiment did to the kitchen he's lucky I'm talking to him at all."

Despite the feigned outrage Holly could see the faint smile that flitted across the centaur's face every time she spoke about her husband. You didn't need to be descended from Cupid to realise how much those two loved each other. In spite of the best efforts of more than a few particularly macho sprites (or at least as macho as it is possible for a sprite to be) during college, Holly had never had much time for love herself.

Until him...

"Thanks Caballine, I don't really know how to say this...It's just that since-"

It was at that precise moment that all hell decided to break lose within the previously serene park. Less than fifty metres from the cafe in which Holly and Cabbaline were sitting the ground literally exploded as four dwarves burst simultaneously from their concealed tunnel.

A small group of dwarves tunneling through the only national park in Haven would have been shocking enough in itself, but these four were armed to the teeth with illegal softnose rifles and outfitted in matching black body armour. These dwarves were clearly professional mercenaries.

Even as Holly's mind registered this the dwarves in question began firing indiscriminately into the crowd, with devastating effect. As the civilians noticed the first casualties go down the inevitable panic started. The mercenaries advanced through the panic stricken crowd, continuing to fire sporadically at anyone in their way and moving towards the cafe with a singularity of purpose.

"D'Arvit!" Holly swore and instinctively went for her gun, which of course wasn't there because she had to pick the one day that homicidal dwarves decided to shoot up central Haven to be off duty and totally unarmed. Holly swore again as she grabbed Caballine and pulled her to the ground next to her, before flipping the presumably extremely expensive real oak table they had been sitting at on its side in front of them.

Poor cover but it's better than nothing!

Holly's suspicions concerning the effectiveness of their cover were confirmed seconds later when the first softnose bolt smashed into the table inches above her head. The table held but it was a close thing.

"Caballine we have to move! For whatever reason, those dwarves seem to be heading straight for us and this table has less than a minute left."

To her credit the centaur was remarkably calm considering the circumstances; then again Holly reasoned that Caballine had faced worse odds when her house was overrun by crazed goblins last year.

Concentrate Holly! Back-up is at least five minutes away, this table is going to be so many useless splinters long before that point. Relocate and reassess.

Tentatively, Holly chanced a peak round the side of the table to assess the situation. What she saw was far from reassuring. At least five civilians were down and did not appear to be moving, the mercenaries were advancing in pairs whilst covering each other and were now less than twenty metres from her position.

A softnose blast came close enough to singe the tip of her ear and forced Holly to pull her head back as her healing magic kicked in to effect.

D'Arvit! Definitely professionals. What I wouldn't give to have Mulch here right now; as unpleasant as following him down a tunnel is it certainly beats being dead!

Unfortunately Mulch was not on hand to perform another of his impossibly well-timed and thoroughly unappreciated rescues, which left Holly with seconds to decide on a course of action. Retreating into the cafe was not an option; the owner had barricaded the door and even if they could get in, she had no desire to be cornered and unarmed. That left the wood, fifteen metres to their right, as their best hope for salvation.

Get into cover and keep moving towards Police Plaza.

"Right, Caballine, on three we sprint for those trees and don't stop for anything. Ok? One, two...three!"

To Holly's credit, it was a valiant attempt. Caballine, being faster and not the focus of the mercenaries attention, made it to the cover of the forest unscathed but Holly was not so fortunate. At full sprint she covered easily half of the distance and dared to believe that she might make it to safety too when the first charge clipped her thigh and the ground rushed up to meet her.

Swearing loudly and gripping her leg to stem the bleeding, Holly struggled to raise herself off the ground and saw Caballine preparing to come back for her even as her assailant reached her. Holly only had time to shake her head before the dwarf placed his boot firmly on her chest and forced her back to the ground.

Run Caballine!

As she looked up, defiance etched into every contour of her face, the mercenary stared back at her without a trace of emotion and leveled his gun at the centre of her chest.

"Artemis Fowl sends his regards." The dwarf shouldered the softnose laser in a single fluid motion and shot her once in the chest. Holly experienced a second of excruciating pain and then total darkness.

Thanks for reading! Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and if you want more then let me know what you thought – what you liked and what I can improve on. If you've read this far then please review, it really is appreciated.

Apologies for the cliffhanger but it really had to be done...(evil laugh).