The Ties That Bind

In many parts of the world, one of the most bothersome things caused by the loss of satellites during the techno crash, was the inability to get a reliable weather forecast. But on the green isle of Eire the forecast was simple: expect rain.

Artemis glanced out his office window and saw the first drops, lined up on the glass pane like beads on a string, reflecting the light of his desk lamp. And then the forever-looming clouds opened up in a downpour. For a moment he watched the raindrops patter the windowpane, taking pleasure in the sound. After six months spent as a disembodied spirit, he found he'd gained a new appreciation of both the simple and mundane aspects of his life.

And then there were the truly crucial aspects.

He opened one of his desk drawers and withdrew from it a narrow wooden box. The lacquered surface was smooth beneath his fingertips as he carefully drew open the hinged lid and inspected the contents. It had turned out exactly as designed but doubts lingered in his mind.

Artemis snapped the box shut again when his fairy communicator buzzed, a smile creeping onto his face even before he answered it. There was only one person it could be.

"Is it too early to wish you a happy birthday?" Holly said as her image appeared on his screen.

Artemis glanced down at his watch. "Three hours and twenty-three minutes early."

"I could call back later," she said, deadpan.

His lips quirked. "No, I think this is best. Tomorrow may prove somewhat... busy."

"Nothing like your last birthday, I hope. I'd rather not be chasing space probes through the arctic sea this year if it's all the same to you."

She was in civilian dress, he noted, not her uniform. This struck him as odd since normally she would have been on duty at this hour. He'd made a point of memorizing her scheduled shifts for the upcoming months so that he knew when he could call her and be certain to get through. "Given the events of the past year, my mother has insisted on throwing a family birthday party. Beckett informs me that there will be streamers and balloons."

"Will you have to wear a funny hat?"

Artemis shuddered. "Possibly."

"Don't look so glum, birthday boy. I've got a surprise for you–not exactly a present, but some news you might like."

"Oh?"

She winked. "I'll tell you in person."

He brightened instantly at this information. Holly had stayed at the manor for several days as he'd settled into his new body, but he'd not seen her since. That had been in late June and now it was the eve of his September first birthday. After what had passed between them all those weeks ago, he was anxious to be face to face with her again. She had kissed him, there on the meadow where his soul had hovered for six months. She had kissed him, and he had reason to hope that that kiss would be only the first of many.

"I'll be looking forward to it." He licked his lips, which felt suddenly dry and Holly laughed at him.

"I bet you will." Something like a door chime sounded over the channel and Holly glanced behind her. "I have to go. I'll be there in an couple of hours if that's all right."

"That's fine. I shall meet you at the willow."

"Copy that. See you soon, Arty."

And just like that she was gone, leaving Artemis with an uncharacteristic sense of excitement that he grudgingly admitted to himself could only be qualified as "giddiness."

The lacquered box remained on his desk. His hand lingered over it for a moment before placing it in his jacket pocket. Two hours. Just two more hours...

ooo

Artemis's thoughts lingered on his plans for the evening as he left his office, closing the door behind him. He never saw his attacker until it was too late.

The blow came from behind, a weight suddenly pressing against his back, making him stagger into the door. Several milliseconds were spent considering the possibilities–a sleeper agent left by Opal to exact vengeance; one of his former enemies escaped from prison, John Spiro perhaps or Billy Kong; an irate Trouble Kelp–before his ears were assaulted by a high pitch squeal. "Artemis Foal, giddy-up!"

Artemis straightened and did his best to shake off his younger brother who had him in a chokehold. "Beckett, it is past your bed time," Artemis said with all the dignity one can muster with a toddler hooked around one's neck.

"Pony ride!" Beckett shrieked instead, right into his brother's ear. Wincing, Artemis got a firm hold on his brother's limbs and pried the boy free, gently settling him back on the floor.

But he did not let go of Beckett.

Artemis knew that at the tender age of four, Beckett was an accomplished pickpocket. Once, at the end of a family trip to Dublin, they had found him in possession of six candy bars, three packets of chocolate-covered coffee beans, and a police constable's very shiny badge. So when Artemis had felt a bump against his jacket pocket as he set down his brother, he knew he was being hustled.

"Beckett," he said very sternly, "please return what you took from my pocket. You're not to steal things from family members."

Beckett shook his head vigorously. "Myles says you're legly dead and ain't got no rights."

Artemis sighed. "Legally dead. And we're having that rectified." He certainly wouldn't be the first person mistakenly reported as deceased after the tech crash, though he probably was the only to have actually been deceased and lived to tell the tale.

While Myles might have stood there with Artemis and engaged in a debate on the subject, Beckett did what came naturally: he shook off Artemis's hold and ran as fast as his short legs would carry him.

Which, it turned out, was faster than Artemis's.

ooo

It was with aching feet and a resigned expression that Artemis knocked on the door to Butler's quarters a full hour later. "Can I help you with something, Artemis?" Butler said the moment he saw his Principal's expression.

"I need your assistance locating Beckett." He'd scoured the manor, checking all the likely places he might find his brothers. Bed was where they were supposed to be at this hour, but of course they were entirely absent from their suite. The playroom, dojo, and laboratory all proved to be equally empty. He had to check the rooms himself when he discovered that the security system had been running a feedback loop. Naturally, he could have restarted the system but Butler would have been alerted and he'd really preferred not to involve him in the matter. After an hour, his loafered feet ached and he decided that involving Butler would be an expedient even if it required explanation.

"Why?" Butler said very slowly.

Artemis straightened the collar of his blue silk shirt, which had felt rumpled ever since Beckett's pony ride. "He's currently in possession of something that belongs to me."

"Something?"

"A wooden box." He waved away Butler's questions. "I can explain at a more opportune time, but at present Beckett is running wild around the house, Myles is nowhere to be found, and I'm expecting Holly within the hour."

"Holly is visiting? Were you planning on telling me?"

Artemis folded his arms over his chest, brow crinkled. "You're full of questions tonight, old friend."

Butler shook his head. "I always expected retirement to be quieter than this. All right, Artemis, let's see what we can do about your brothers."

ooo

There was nothing like surface air.

As Holly soared over the Irish landscape, she could smell the damp of the earlier rainfall, the scent of wet plant life. The closest to that you could get in the Lower Elements was a musty tunnel with lichen growing in it. She had to admit to herself, however, that the excitement that coursed through veins was only partly due to the fresh air.

She smiled as she caught sight of looming shape of Fowl Manor. It had been weeks since she'd last seen Artemis, but the wait was worth it for the news she had to share with him. She was adjusting the angle of her flight, aiming for the drooping boughs of the willow tree, when her helmet pinged her. A new message from Artemis. Marked as urgent.

Trepidation quickly gave way to irritation as she read it.

Dear Holly,

I'm afraid I have been detained and won't be at our rendezvous as planned. I've sent Juliet to meet you. I shall explain matters in due course. Please forgive the delay. I am indeed anxious to see you.

Yours,

Artemis.

If the message had come in the form of a printed letter she would have crumpled it up and tossed it into the nearest compost bin. Detained?

For several minutes Holly flew in a holding pattern above the manor, fuming. After several circuits, she called up the message on her screen again. It had been written with the typical stiffness she was used to in Artemis's correspondence. In fact the more personal the matter, the more formal his writing got. But after several readings, the closing finally sank in. It wasn't "yours sincerely," which he so often signed as a sideways quip about his past character; it was simply "yours".

Maybe she wouldn't ream him out when she saw him, after all. Maybe.

Shields up, molecules vibrating at a speed that kept her well beyond the visible spectrum, Holly pushed her way through the veil of willow branches and found Juliet there as promised. She touched down and dropped her shields, pulling off her helmet as Juliet approached.

"Hello there, fairy-girl," Juliet said with grin, "I hear you got stood up."

Holly crossed her arms. "I wouldn't put it quite like that."

Still grinning, Juliet shrugged. "Have it your way, but Artemis said I should show you in–since he's all tied up. No idea with what, though." They were halfway across the green when Juliet spoke again. "So... you're here to see Artemis."

"Yes," Holly said slowly, wary of Juliet's tone.

Juliet pushed a loose strand of blond hair behind her ear. "You're here to talk to him. And it had to be in person?"

Holly peered up at the young bodyguard, confused. "Yes?"

"Just talk?"

"No. Yes. I–What are you getting at?" Holly could feel the flush in her cheeks and was thankful that Juliet hadn't glanced down at her. She'd be lying if she said she didn't have more in mind than talking, but she really did need to clear some things with Artemis first.

"So no explosions then? No end of the world or fairy possession? Or–"

At this Holly laughed. Thank Frond! "No, nothing like that." She grinned. "Just a social call."

They entered the manor through a side door and headed directly to a comfortable sitting room. No sooner had they sat down than something shorter than Holly with wild blond curls raced down the adjoining hall. Juliet sprang to her feet. "Sorry, fairy-girl, I need to catch a tiny felon." She started off and called over her shoulder, "You stay here and chill."

Holly crossed her arms and leaned back into the couch cushions. This evening was a far cry from what she'd expected. She'd expected a starlit meeting under the willow's drooping branches, where they could talk without being watched, where she could give Artemis her news–news she'd been so eager to share that she'd barely been able to keep from telling him then and there over the com channel!

"D'arvit," Holly grumbled and slumped further into the cushions.

ooo

"I can't believe the scamp's gotten into the security feed," Butler said. He was working through the images displayed on the stack of monitors in the manor's security control booth. Not one showed the delinquent toddlers.

Artemis's fingers raced over the keyboard. "He's clearly been busy this past week." Myles had managed to do more than just create a feedback loop–a fact they'd discovered after resetting the security system. Artemis was familiar with the normal sweep of the security cameras; he'd immediately noticed that they'd been altered. The feedback loop was no more than a red herring meant to cover the fact that Myles had rewritten the programming for the security cameras, creating "corridors," a string of blind spots in cameras's views that he and Beckett could use to move around the manor unsupervised. "I knew he had a project, but I had no idea it was of this nature. Or that he would create such an elaborate scheme simply to get his hands on something of mine."

Butler turned to look questioningly at Artemis. "About that..." Artemis didn't look away from the string of computer code on his screen and his fingers continued to dash over the keys as if with a mind of their own. "You said you'd explain."

"Very well. It's a present." He cleared his throat. "For Holly."

The chair creaked beneath Butler's mountainous weight as he shifted to lean closer to his charge. "You're giving Holly a gift?"

His fingers froze, hovering over the keys. "Do you think that's inappropriate?"

The question gave Butler pause. "No, just..." His face crinkled slightly. "What is it?'

"A ribbon."

A huff that Artemis was certain was a stifled laugh escaped Butler's throat. "A ribbon. Does it have a bow?"

Artemis bristled. "It's not a hair ribbon and this is a serious matter. It has Gnommish script on it and I'd like to avoid having it fall into the wrong hands."

"And whose hands would be the wrong ones?"

The keyboard's clacking filled the air as Artemis returned to his work with a vengeance. "The staff's of course, but predominantly Myles's." He darted a glance at Butler only to find that the man's lips were twitching. What a pleasure to know that he was providing his bodyguard with such an amusing diversion.

"Is it dangerous? Is there any reason Myles might want it?"

Artemis shook his head. "No. Aside from a bit of gold thread, it has no monetary worth. Its value is entirely symbolic."

For a minute, the clacking of Artemis's furious keyboarding was the only sound in the room. Finally, Butler cleared his throat and, smiling, "So, you got Holly a present?"

Colour crept up Artemis's face. "Could we discuss this at a less inopportune moment?"

ooo

Sitting still was not and never had been one of Holly's strong suits. Oh she could be patient when it was required of her for work, but twiddling her thumbs in a formal sitting room was definitely not her idea of fun. The thought of simply leaving crossed her mind–it would serve Artemis right–but...

But I want to see him.

She wanted to throw her arms around his neck and be absolutely sure that he was really real, really alive. She wanted to be close enough to feel the thrum of his pulse and the heat of his pallid skin. She wanted to be absolutely certain his soul was well and truly tethered to his new body.

As the minutes ticked by and there no sign of anyone at all and no response via com channel or email, she resolved to at least try to figure out what was going on.

After all these years, she'd developed a fair sense of the manor's layout, so it took her only a few moments to get her bearings. Down the corridor, up one flight of stairs, turn right at the medieval tapestry and voila! She was standing atop the grand stairway, peering through the rungs of the oak bannister to the vast foyer below. There was no one in sight, but rapid footfalls echoed off the tiled floor to the vaulted ceiling. And then Beckett Fowl appeared from the door to the left, dashed across the room, and vanished through the door on the right. Juliet followed seconds later, a string of muttered curses tumbling from her lips.

This was Artemis's fault. Holly didn't know precisely how, but it just had to be his fault.

She was about to head down but paused and turned once more to look through the gap between the bannister rungs as she heard footfalls again, slower this time. And then there he was, standing in the foyer in an uncharacteristically rumpled blue shirt, his skin pale beneath his dark hair. Holly's breath caught in her throat.

Artemis started off in the direction Beckett and Juliet had disappeared, and Holly was about to call out to him and demand what was going on–but the sound of padded footfalls on the hallway carpet stopped her. She was ready to shield, in spite of Juliet' assurance that the manor staff had all gone home for the night, when she saw that the approaching figure was Angeline Fowl. And then she seriously considered shielding anyway.

Angeline faltered mid-step when she saw Holly. After a moment's hesitation, she put on a smile and joined her by the bannister just in time to see Artemis disappear into one of the adjoining rooms. Angeline's gaze lingered after him and Holly caught the haunted look on her face, the ghost of loss.

The uncertain smile returned to Angeline's lips. "You must be Holly."

The wings of Holly's suit flitted on for a split second to allow her to dart upward and seat herself on the bannister; she didn't much like craning her neck to talk to people. "That's me."

"I've... heard so much about you," Angeline managed, her voice sounding strained.

"I can imagine."

Angeline fell silent and her eyes turned to the doorway Artemis had gone through. After several seconds of this Holly began to wish she had shielded herself and avoided this entire meeting. She should've stayed outside. At least there would've fresh air and starlight.

"We had a devil of a time getting home after the crash," Angeline said, her gaze distant. "And when we did... I knew the moment I saw Butler's face. I knew." Her voice quavered and she paused to rub at her eyes. "You'd already left of course."

It was like a slap across the face.

Of course she'd left. He had told her to. The Chrysalis. His plan... Holly shook her head. "Artemis left instructions on what to do if–" She took a breath, trying to banish the ache in her chest, the memory of him lying still in Butler's arms, of her own sobs. "I needed to go back. To carry out his plan."

Holly squeezed her eyes shut. Six months he'd been gone and all her hopes had rested on the Chrysalis. Lili Frond has almost stumbled upon it midway through the process. And so had a troll. Trouble had been suspicious too. But there was nothing that would have stopped her from carrying out Artemis's plan. Not trolls or goblins or the LEP itself. She'd have done anything to bring him back. After what he'd done, Artemis had more than earned a second chance.

"I tried to stop him." The words rushed from Holly's lips. "I tried to take his place."

Angeline gripped the bannister, her features drawn. "But he convinced you?"

"No," Holly said flatly. "He outwitted me." She'd charged into his office that morning determined to stop him, to prevent him from throwing away his life. She'd had the tranquillizer pad in her palm, ready for just the right moment. And then he'd turned the tables on her. "I would never just let him..." And there had been nothing she could do to stop him.

Angeline dabbed at her eyes and cleared her throat. "Did you come to see Arty?"

"I did but then he said he'd been 'detained'." She rolled her eyes. "I think he was chasing after Beckett just now."

A frown crinkled Angeline's features. "Beckett? He shouldn't be up–I put the boys to bed myself ages ago." She scanned the foyer below as if expecting the delinquent in question to appear. "Could you excuse me?" she said hurriedly and Holly was all too glad to see her go. Her chest ached; she hated thinking of that day, of what had happened to Artemis. Even knowing that he was safe now didn't make the ache of it go away. She would have thrown herself into that magic field just to try to save him. Instead she'd had to watch him die.

Holly hopped down from the bannister and was about to make her way back the way she'd come when she detected footsteps from below.

Not again. What now?

A boy with neatly trimmed hair crossed the foyer, in the opposite direction the others had taken. Myles. Now what was he up to?

Holly dashed off a quick email to Artemis–she didn't like being strung along like this– and then shielded herself as she followed after youngest Fowl prodigy.

ooo

Phone pressed to his ear, Artemis waited outside the north dining room. "Are you in position?"

Butler's voice boomed over the line. "Yes. The show should start in a minute or so. Now about that present..."

"Butler–" Artemis began sharply, but that was all he got out before a chime notified him that he had a message waiting in his voicebox. He winced when he saw it was from Holly. He winced some more when he listened to it.

"Artemis, what in Frond's name is going on? I came here to see you, not to commune with your entire family."

Even the click at the end of the message sounded irked. Artemis groaned. "This evening is certainly not proceeding as I'd planned."

"Oh?" Butler said over the line. "And what exactly did you have planned?"

Artemis cleared his throat, glad that Butler wasn't there to see the colour rising in his cheeks. "Let's proceed, shall we?"

Of the three dining rooms in Fowl Manor, the north room was the middle sized one, considerably larger than that used for family meals, but smaller than the grand hall. It was a focal point of the ground floor, with entrances on three sides, and a long oak table at the centre of the room. The far wall boasted floor to ceiling windows draped in Italian silk damask curtains.

When Artemis stepped through the east doorway and into the dining room, his mother and Juliet were already there, engaged in a heated discussion about Beckett's whereabouts.

"I'm sure I saw him come into this room,"Angeline was saying. "And why is he even up at this hour?"

Juliet looked pained. "If you'll just let me have a look around, I'm sure–" Juliet broke off as she noticed Artemis step into the doorway, followed by Butler in the opposite one.

"If you wouldn't mind," Butler said, indicating the third door with a jut of his chin. Juliet nodded curtly and took up position without a word.

Angeline look from one bodyguard to the other before turning to frown at her son. "What's going on?"

Artemis shrugged. "We just came to assist with retrieving something." He nodded to Butler.

Butler advanced towards the closest window and with a gentle tug, drew back the curtains. At first there was no reaction because, of course, Angeline's eyes were fixed at ground level. Then she looked up.

Hiding behind curtains might have been the strategy of a normal four year old, but Beckett was, after all, a Fowl; rather than simply use the curtains to conceal himself, he had scaled them like a rope and now dangled by the curtain rod, some ten or eleven feet from the floor. He hadn't yet learned to tie his shoe laces, but scaling curtains presented no challenge at all.

When Beckett realized he'd been discovered, he broke into a grin and, hanging from the rod by his legs, curled his arms at his sides and announced, "I'm an orange-utang!"

Artemis sighed. "Orangutan."

Beckett responded by making monkey-like hooting sounds.

"Beckett Fowl, you come down here at once!" thundered Angeline. The hooting stopped. Beckett latched onto the curtains and flipped back right side up and began climbing back down. As soon as he was within reach, Butler latched on to him and lowered him to a safe height. He did not let go even as the toddler squirmed in his grip like an eel.

Angeline, looking rather pale, raced over to them. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"No sleeping. Myles say so!"

"Kindly turn out his pockets," Artemis said as he approached the group.

Holding Beckett under his arm, Butler used his free hand to check the toddler's pockets. There was no lacquered box–Artemis had expected as much–but they did find a packet of chocolate-covered coffee beans, empty save for two remaining beans.

Angeline looked horrified. "Where did you get these?"

Beckett grinned. "Myles! Myles say we need lots of energy for the party!"

"Indeed," Artemis said. "I assume it's one of the packages Beckett pocketed in Dublin. Myles must have gotten his hands on them before they were disposed of and hung on to them for future use."

Beckett looked from his mother to Juliet with an expression that was obviously meant to tug at their heartstrings. "My in trouble?"

"Yes," Angeline said firmly, "but we'll discuss that tomorrow."

Juliet sighed and turned to her brother. "Give him to me. I'll take him the dojo and try to wear him out. Would you put on some coffee for me, Dom?"

"Will do. As soon as Artemis and I take care of some unfinished business."

Juliet's eyebrows arched but she didn't ask and only led the excited toddler from the room.

Angeline turned to her eldest son. "Arty, what's this all about?"

"A trick of Myles's, I'm afraid. He was interested in a trinket of mine and has gone to some trouble to get it out of my hands. Butler and I will track him down. There's no need to worry."

"A trinket?" Angeline repeated, incredulous.

"Something I've been working on. Nothing dangerous or particularly interesting as I'm certain he'll soon discover."

"You're certain it's not dangerous?"

"Unless he attempts to swallow it, I suppose, which, given his intellect, is unlikely."

Artemis pushed back the weariness that threatened to wash over him as his mother peered at him for a time. The evening was certainly more trying than he'd imagined it a few hours ago. He had planned to meet Holly by the willow, which, while likely damp after all the rain, was a favourite spot of hers. The box would have been in his pocket and he would have presented it to her, likely after she delivered her mysterious news. And then perhaps a kiss–or so he'd hoped. Their chances to meet were so few and far between that he hated to waste their time in this manner, especially now when he so wished to be close to her... and when he had reason to believe she might be similarly inclined.

Finally, Angeline nodded. "All right. I'll leave it to you and Butler then."

Time was pressing and Artemis knew they had to be on their way but he hesitated for a moment and turned back to his mother. "Did you by chance meet Holly earlier?"

"Yes, just now in the foyer."

Hellfire. He'd just missed her. What a debacle. "Was there anything you said that could conceivably have upset her?" Even if he hadn't know her all his life, it would have been obvious from the expression on his mother's face that the answer was "yes," so he carried on before she could make a reply. "I would like Holly to feel welcome here. She has, after all, saved the lives of every member of this household at one time or another."

Angeline's eyes were bright and her voice full of warmth. "Of course she's welcome, Arty. She brought you back to us, didn't she?" Without warning, she enveloped Artemis in a crushing hug, which he'd been unprepared for and endured rather awkwardly.

When she let him go, she was smiling broadly even as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"We'll let you know when we've located Myles," he said.

And then, his silk shirt more rumpled than ever, Artemis made his escape.

ooo

Myles knew he had very little time in which to perform his analysis. Beckett was a useful decoy but would only keep his family busy for so long. He had watched the proceedings on the portable monitor that he'd linked to the manor's security systems. Once Myles was satisfied that Beckett had occupied everyone's attention, he'd been free to proceed with the second phase of his plan.

He had retrieved the box from the drop point where Beckett had left it for him without incident. The necessary items from his laboratory had been moved to a secondary location earlier in the day and now, thanks to Beckett's excellent performance in the dining room, Myles had reached that location without being detected. Things were moving along nicely.

Myles inspected the lacquered box, taking careful note of anything that could indicated it was booby-trapped. There appeared to be no lock on it and nothing around the edges, so finally he opened the hinged lid with the utmost care. His brow crinkled as he looked on the contents. He'd expected something along the lines of an advanced computer chip, or some other form of technology, but what he saw was a strip of blue fabric, two centimetres wide and ten long, with gold stitching.

Carefully, he raised the fabric, checking to see if there was anything beneath it. There wasn't.

He spent several minutes inspecting the box, looking for a false bottom, but discovered nothing. He weighed it and found that the weight was consistent with the quantity and density of the wood it was made of. So the strip of material had to be what was significant, not the box itself.

Perhaps under the microscope the fabric would give up its secrets. It could be an advanced microfibre. Artemis had laboured over this project for weeks and his elder brother was not one to waste time on trinkets. It had to have some form of value.

ooo

As they entered the library's foyer, Butler turned, instantly on his guard, though Artemis didn't realize until she spoke that they had company. "Where have you been?" Holly demanded from her perch on a buffet in the corner of the room.

"Holly." He could not keep the emotion from his voice. But relief and pleasure all but instantly gave way to trepidation as she hopped down and stalked towards him, scowling. "I will explain all of this, I promise," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes.

"You had better, Mud Boy." Her expression softened as she glanced in Butler's direction. "I thought you were supposed to be taking it easy."

Butler smiled. "It's all relative. At least no one's been shooting at us this evening."

"There is that." But her expression remained guarded as she glanced at Artemis.

Artemis's brow furrowed. "If I may ask, Holly, what are you doing here? I believe I asked Juliet to show you to the sitting room on the main floor."

"I caught sight of Myles sneaking about–is sneaking a family trait? You all seem very good at it." And then before he could object, "I figured if followed him I'd eventually run into you."

Artemis nodded. "He is here then, as I thought." He was also certain his brother had had the wherewithal to create a back door into the security system so that he could monitor the security feeds through a portable device. Artemis had made certain to be quite visible when Beckett was apprehended since Myles would surely spot the scene. After that it had just been a matter of slipping into the camera corridors himself and following them until they led to Myles.

Artemis turned his attention squarely on Holly. "I had an elaborate plan to flush Myles out, but your help would considerably expedite matters. If you could shield yourself and get a hold of him we can go on with our original plans."

Holly planted her fists on her hips. "First I want to know what all this about."

"Myles has stolen something of mine."

"What?"

"A small lacquered box whose contents are, as I keep assuring everyone, completely inert."

Arms crossed over he chest, Holly raised an eyebrow and peered up at him. "Inert?"

"Yes. Unlikely to produce explosions, chemical reactions, or conduct electricity. Is there anything else you're concerned about?"

Her brow crinkled. "It's safe?"

"Perfectly."

"All right. What do you want me to do exactly?"

ooo

Myles was truly puzzled. His inspection of the fibres beneath the microscope had yielded nothing of interest. The materials seemed to be regular silk and gold thread and there was nothing unusual about the weave. Surely he must have missed something.

And then there was the question of where Artemis had gotten to. He'd run through all the camera feeds but could not find his brother anywhere in the manor. This led him to believe that Artemis was outdoors, which was rather unusual for Artemis who was not wont to venture outside in such damp weather. The alternative was that he'd wandered into one of the corridors Myles's program had created in the surveillance feed and that Artemis was effectively invisible.

His question was answered when he heard one of the library doors swing open. Footsteps followed and then paused as a booming voice called from the foyer. "Artemis, before you check in there, I think there's something you should see."

"What is it?" Artemis said before his steps grew distant again and he left the library.

Myles knew he didn't have much time to make his escape. He replaced the embroidered silk fabric in the box and, tucking it into his pants pocket, left his nook in the library to make his way to the far door.

He got five steps before an invisible hand grasped his shoulder and held on with a steely grip. For several seconds his mind swirled with thoughts of ghost and poltergeists, the sorts of creatures Beckett would gabble about at length. But then logic reasserted itself and he realized that Artemis's momentary entry into the room had been only a ruse to let someone else in undetected. "Show yourself, fairy!" he yelped.

"Simmer down, Mud Boy," said a familiar voice and then Artemis's fairy friend appeared out of thin air.

He crossed his arms and turned to scowl over his shoulder at her. "You have no right to restrain me."

She circled around to face him and though he tried to squirm out of her grip he met with little success. "You've got something that belongs to Artemis and he'd like you to return it." She held out her free hand, palm up.

"You're not in a position to give me orders," he retorted.

The doors to the library swung open again and Artemis stalked in. "I, however, am. Myles, please return what you've taken from me."

Myles huffed and reached into his pocket. "Fine, Arty. It's just a bit of string anyway."

"String?" Holly said. "All this mess over string?"

That seemed to get his brother's attention for Artemis scowled. "It isn't string," he corrected. "It's a ribbon."

Holly rolled her eyes. "A ribbon. Of course! It all makes sense now."

An expression Myles couldn't quite decipher flashed over his brother's features before Artemis sighed and held his hand out. "Please return it."

"But it's not even valuable," Myles protested as he gave the box over to Artemis.

"It is valuable," Artemis said quietly as he clasped the lacquered box in one hand, the other coming to rest overtop its lid. "But only to the person it was made for. To everyone else it is, as I'm sure you've discovered, only a bit of silk and gold thread."

Myles cast his brother a baleful glance. An elaborate scheme all wasted on a piece of string. He'd never hear the end of it from his mother. He would probably be denied lab access as punishment. Or worse–have to teach Beckett the alphabet!

"Are we done here?" Holly said, hands on her hips.

"Yes," Artemis said, "we're done. Butler, will you see to Myles?"

Butler nodded. "Of course. But where are you off to then?"

"Outside," Holly cut in, snagging Artemis's sleeve and just about dragging him off. "We are going outside before anything else happens." And though Myles had expected Artemis to protest such treatment, he did not.

Which left Myles with an entirely new puzzle to unravel.

ooo

"I apologise about my family," Artemis said as they walked through the wet grass. Holly huffed and continued to stalk across the grounds. "I'll make sure they're more civil in future."

"At least I didn't run into your father."

"He won't be back until tomorrow morning," he said.

Holly's lips twitched. "Right in time for the birthday bash."

Artemis winced. "Yes."

Though the rain had tapered off, clouds hung thick overhead, blocking out both stars and moon, so the only light came from the solar powered globes strewn around the manor grounds. They cast a soft glow on the willow's bowed arms, almost like moonlight as Artemis and Holly neared it. As they approached the bench at the tree's base, a breeze loosed a shower of droplets from its boughs and onto Artemis's clothes. He grimaced but fortunately Holly didn't notice.

Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, Artemis wiped the bench dry and finally took a seat. His loafers were wet and his toes were chilled but Holly hadn't left him any time to switch to more appropriate footwear. When he glanced over at her, he found her lips curled into an amused half smile.

"Your shirt's all crumpled," she said, tugging on one edge of his shirt that, in all the excitement, had worked itself loose from his pants.

He reached down to tuck the offending corner back in and sighed. "It's been an exceedingly trying evening."

She punched him in the shoulder. "It's not a bad look for you. You could do with a little more rumpling, Mud Boy."

"At this juncture, I would like to remind you that I am–" He paused to glance at his watch, "Eight minutes away from being technically sixteen, legally nineteen, and, thanks to Foaly's lapse with the Chrysalis's chronometer, biologically somewhere between the two."

"So I have to call you Mud Man now?" She shook her head. "It just doesn't have the same ring to it."

"No," he said, straightening his shirt collar, "I merely wanted to clarify my status."

The breeze whispered through the willow boughs again but here they were safe from errant raindrops. Holly sat at an angle on the bench, hugging one knee so that she could face him, looking bemused. "Your status, huh?"

"I thought perhaps you might have a vested interest in the matter."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

He shrugged and leaned back against the wooden slats of the bench, nonchalant as ever. "Perhaps I was mistaken. Although, I did hear a report to the effect that you wrestled a troll for me."

And when he glanced questioningly over at her, she was grinning. "It was only a little troll."

"Nothing very exciting then."

Holly laughed in a manner that made it clear that it had been quite exciting enough, but then she stopped and looked at him intently for several seconds, scanning him up and down as if to assure herself that he was truly there and truly himself. Finally she shook her head. "The troll, it was trying to get at the Chysalis." She paused and looked up at him, her mismatched eyes catching his gaze. "I couldn't let that happen. I had to make sure we got you back in here," she said, tapping on his chest. She shifted her fingers slightly and then pressed her palm against his heart for a long moment. His chest rose and fell beneath her hand and he felt his heartbeat speed up in spite of his best efforts to remain calm.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Well? Does everything meet with your approval?"

"You're alive all right," she said, smiling.

Taking a calculated risk, Artemis seized her hand in his, squeezing it once before he released it. "Thanks to you."

Holly shook her head. "Foaly did all the work."

"At your insistence."

"You come up with a plan, I carry it out. That's how we do things," she said, bumping him with her shoulder.

A wave of fondness washed over him such that all he could do was look at her as she sat in the shimmery light of the solar globes, her face full of good humour in spite of the evening's trials. Her elfin features, delicate and lovely, which had unsettled him all those years ago when he had first seen her, were now as familiar to him as his own reflection.

"So are you going explain about that box?"

"I shall, but first... I believe you had some news for me?"

She mulled it over, but even before she spoke Artemis knew he'd get his answer. Whatever her news happened to be, she was so anxious to tell him that it overwhelmed her curiosity about the box and its contents. "All right, Arty," she said, leaning back against the bench railing. "There's been an increase in the number of fairies visiting the surface without visas and they're being a lot less careful about it too."

"I see," he said, nodding. "Increased activity coupled with the LEP's decreased ability to monitor the surface: a very unfortunate combination." There were far fewer satellites orbiting the planet at present and Foaly had relied on them to track rogue fairies as well as human activity.

"Right. We've been sending up a lot of Recon and Retrieval teams to deal with the mess and finally the new Council authorized the creation of several shielded surface forts for quick response teams. I'm the new the liaison for northern Europe, stationed at Tara."

He raised an eyebrow. "A promotion?"

"Hmm. It's the sort of promotion where you get more work and more responsibility without getting higher rank and pay."

"I see."

"But I'll be on the surface more and I won't be tied to a desk like Trouble."

He cast her a sideways glance. "Commander Kelp isn't attempting to rid himself of you in a diplomatic manner, is he?"

A flush crept up Holly's face, discernable even in the dim light. "I believe his exact words were 'If you're going to blow things up, it might as well be on the surface and not in Haven.'" He must have done a poor job of concealing his amusement because Holly shot him a dirty look.

"Your missions do have a tendency to go violently awry," he noted.

"When you're involved they certainly do," she shot back.

He shrugged and didn't bother to deny it. Leaning back, he lazily stretched one arm across the bench's backrest. "So, this has nothing at all to do with your brief yet disastrous dalliance with the commander?"

Holly snorted. "Dalliance my foot. A date. Just a date."

"Three from what I heard."

"Where did you–No, never mind... from a gossipy centaur of course."

Artemis flashed one of his best vampire smiles. "Tell me, how do you get booted from a crunchball match?"

Her cheeks still had that slightly purplish hue and she averted her eyes as she replied. "It started with an argument over a foul and turned into and argument about an entirely different sort of Fowl. But you're pushing your luck now, Arty."

Artemis heaved a dramatic sigh. "I'm afraid Commander Kelp never did much care for me, but if the debacle hasn't negatively affected your position in the LEP then I'm quite satisfied." He paused for a moment to glance at her, brow furrowed. "When you called me earlier, you were already on the surface."

She nodded. "In my new rooms in the Tara complex. I had to go when the movers came to deliver my things. The new position means I'm on call for Recon missions so I need to stay on the surface. I'll have to go to Haven a couple of times a week to check in and to restock–you wouldn't believe how expensive surface delivery charges are–but aside from that..." She drew in a long breath, closing her eyes as she inhaled the surface air, so precious to fairies and so uninteresting to Artemis himself. When she turned to glance at him again, she was smiling. "I can visit more often."

"How much more?"

"We're practically neighbours." He had to admit–at least to himself anyway–that he quite liked the sound of that. "Thing is..." she continued, turning away to fix her eyes on the drooping boughs of the willow as they swayed in the breeze, "I got used to seeing you all the time when you were being treated for the Atlantis Complex. And I... miss you."

He shifted on the bench so that he could turn more fully to face her. "You are welcome here anytime. In fact, I quite look forward to seeing more of you."

"Not on a first date, Artemis," she quipped without missing a beat.

His cheeks turned scarlet in spite of himself and, much to his annoyance, Holly sported a wicked grin. Revenge for the crunchball comment, he supposed.

"Now are you going tell me about this mysterious box of yours or not?"

"If you insist."

"I do insist. I want to know what's so important about a piece of string."

His hand, halfway into his jacket pocket, froze. "A ribbon. And no, not the sort with a bow," he added as she opened her mouth to make a smart reply. Holly gave a guilty shrug but her eyes tracked his movements as he withdrew the box and held it out to her. She raised an eyebrow. "Open it."

Holly took the box from him. Though it had looked tiny his hands, in hers it appeared properly sized. With a curious glance at Artemis, she drew back the lid. Inside was a rectangular length of blue silk, trimmed into an arrow point at the bottom, similar in form to the ribbons used by human military. Its edges were embroidered with gold thread, which had also been used to form winding Gnommish script across its surface. "This is old Gnommish," Holly said after peering at it for some time. "Artemis, what..."

Straightening, he took a deep breath before launching into his explanation. "After my return to the living, I began researching the Berserkers in order to gain insights into their mindset and culture."

Holly huffed. "After meeting a few, I think most of them were the disembowel first, ask questions later sort. Not really your type."

"True, but I shared a similar state of disembodied suspension, one created by the remnants of the same spell, so on some level I became one of them, if only for a short time." Sadness flickered over her features at the mention of those six months, so he pressed on. "I pursued this line of research for several weeks, though the information I found on them was quite spotty."

"And how good are your records from ten thousand years back?"

He waved the comment away. "I discovered that part of the ritual that led to a warrior becoming a Berserker was a pledge ribbon, a sort of military insignia indicating his commitment to the cause and binding him to the magic."

"And that's what this is?" Holly said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Yes," Artemis said, the bench creaking under his weight as he shifted. "As you can see from the text."

It had the singsong-y quality that characterised old Gnommish and, especially older forms of fairy magic.

As I stand upon life's edge,

I bind myself and make this pledge.

Solely to complete this goal,

Unto the earth I tie my soul.

O'er heaven's gate I shall not come,

Until once more that knot's undone.

"That's old Gnommish all right," Holly said, wincing as she peered at the text. "Did you make this?"

Artemis nodded. "My mother went through a sewing phase a number of years ago. I was able to locate one of her sewing machines in storage and write a special program that allowed my computer to interface with it and create a preset design."

Holly moved to return the box to him, but he placed his hand over hers. "No. It's a gift."

"A gift?" she repeated, brow furrowed.

"Yes," he said, his voice low. A breeze rustled through the branches all around them, cooling the beads of sweat that were prickling the back of his neck. His stomach had tied itself into knots. "As I told you before, it was you who kept me tied to this plane when I was little more than a ghost. While the Berserkers were bound to a cause, I am bound to you, Holly. This pledge reflects the genuineness of my affection, and I do not take it lightly."

For a minute she simply stared at him–a minute that seemed rather longer as Artemis felt his palms grow damp and his mouth go dry–and then she reached into the box and took the ribbon, setting the box down next to her. With her other hand, she tugged at the zipper of her shimmer suit, pulling it down several inches, causing Artemis's pulse to jump. Carefully, Holly pulled out her copy of the fairy Book that dangled on a gold chain around her neck. He wasn't certain if the passage she opened it to was at all significant, but she placed the ribbon between the pages. Her Book was only the size of a match booklet and the ribbon exceeding its length, so she folded it over the top of the page to mark a second passage. And then she closed the Book and tucked it back under the neckline of her one-piece.

When she looked up at him again, her air was uncertain, questioning. A faint smile curving his lips, Artemis shrugged. "We have been so many things to one another–enemies, captors, allies, friends; is it unreasonable of me to want more?"

"No." And then, relieving him of his momentary concern over that answer, she added, "It isn't."

Holly stood up on the bench, putting herself at eye level with Artemis. She stepped closer, reaching out to hold his face in her hands, her eyes locked with his for several heartbeats. His breath caught as she leaned in and kissed him.

And for a few minutes, Artemis Fowl II could not form a coherent thought.

ooo

In spite of her smaller lung capacity, Holly caught her breath first. Grinning, she punched him in the shoulder. "Happy birthday, Mud Boy."

He licked his lips. "I do hope we don't have to wait until my next birthday to do that again."

Holly grinned some more. "No, I think we can schedule something before that." She reached out again to trail her fingers down his cheek. "I'll have to go soon, though. There's a lot to get settled with the new post and I just came to give you my news."

"Oh?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "Just to give me your news?"

"Well... I wasn't going to object to a good snog if the mood was right," she said with a wink.

"Perhaps tomorrow in that case," Artemis suggested.

She raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to be a little bit busy? Balloons and streamers and all that?"

Artemis grimaced. "After that."

"I have shift tomorrow but I suppose I could drop by afterward."

"I would like that," he said softly, leaning in closer.

She raised a palm to forestall further comment. "As long as I don't get tied up with anything."

"Naturally."

"All right then." But she was smiling and the knowledge that he would indeed see her and that she wanted to see him, filled him with immense satisfaction and a giddy joy that left him smiling just as widely.

Holly interlaced her fingers with his, something she had never done before. Such a simple gesture, but one that seemed fitting, Artemis thought as he looked down at their digits, tangled together–as their lives had become. When he looked up again, he caught her gaze and held it for a long moment. He could glimpse his future there, like the reflection in beads of dew strung on the filaments of a cobweb: banter and heated debates, lovemaking and perilous adventures. And it was a future towards which he was happy to be bound.

The End