Two years since he had died, one and a half since he came back, and still they were putting their lives in danger for the good of the world. Holly sighed, relaxing onto the ground after their latest escapade. Covered in dirt after narrowly escaping being covered in sewage was not really considered a normal day for most people, but when your best friend was Artemis Fowl 'normal' was not exactly the norm.

Speak of the Devil. Thought Holly as Artemis collapsed next to her. His usually immaculate suit was torn in several places and stained beyond repair, his hair was in disarray and he had numerous dubiously coloured substances streaked across his cheeks.

"Butler will not be happy." He groaned as he assessed his suit. He went to run his hand through his hair but stopped, grimacing.

"Your suit? Really Artemis, we've just crawled through a two hundred year old sewage pipe to escape an exploding warehouse and you're worried about your suit?" Holly rolled her eyes. Trust Artemis. They save the world and he laments the loss of his suit. She rolled her eyes again, smiling lightly.

They lay on the ground in silence for a moment taking in their surroundings. The pipe they had climbed emerged on the side of a small, grassy hill and they could see Dublin in distance. The sun was setting behind them and they lay watching the distant clouds turning slowly from pale orange to deep blue. Both Holly and Artemis were too exhausted to move, despite to encroaching cold. Eventually Holly rolled onto her side.

"We should get going, Arty. They'll be getting worried about us soon." She said.

"Surely they shan't begrudge us a moment of peace Holly." Murmured Artemis with his eyes still closed. "Frond knows we deserve it."

Holly contemplated her friend. He was right, as usual. They never seemed to have a spare moment of quiet. 'Visiting Artemis' had almost become synonymous with 'saving-the-world-again'. She watched the quiet rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. It was rare to see him so relaxed. Quiet was hard to come by in a friendship such as theirs.

"Holly."

Her eyes snapped to his face. Blue eyes. She was still not used to seeing two blue eyes. "Sorry, I zoned out a bit there." She chuckled.

He sat up slowly, raising a slim eyebrow in response. His smug expression worked surprisingly well covered in dirt.

"You're right. We really should get back to the Manor. I'm sure Commander Trouble will be on a rampage if we are much longer." He said, moving to stand.

Holly grabbed his wrist before he could go any further.

"I nearly lost you again today. I think we can have a few more minutes to ourselves." She said, pulling him down again.

They sat for a moment, staring at each other.

"Yes, I nearly lost you." Holly muttered, more to herself than to Artemis. She leaned towards him and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

She pulled back slightly and watched as a small smile spread across Artemis's face.

"We really should get going." She murmured, standing slowly.

She wandered down the hill, heading towards Fowl Manor. Holly was not sure what Artemis would do, but her fears were banished as she felt a soft hand entwine with hers. They did not talk, but walked silently, enjoying a rare moment of peace between friends before they plunged into the unknown. They braced themselves for the questions that they would have to face in the near future but were content to find the answers in themselves before they asked them of eachother.