Holly's Only Competition
This is just a cutesy one-shot that I've come up with just now. So enjoy!
Summary: Holly is sent to Arty's house to guard him after Opal escapes in TTP. She is surprised to find that she may not be the only female competing for his attention and his heart. Arty/Holly
It was Mulch who came up with the solution to the problem that the LEP had been having concerning Opal Koboi.
The psychotic female in question had been lying low ever since she had escaped the rocky prison that Artemis Fowl the Second had buried her in. But a frantic call had come in to LEP Headquarters at 2 am, not a month after the time-travel incident, from the Atlantic Prison, saying that there had been a breach in their systems and prisoner Opal Koboi (from their time) was almost successful in breaking out. There was no doubt in anyone's mind who could have helped her. Fortunately, present-Opal had been caught. Unfortunately, past-Opal had gotten away.
Holly Short had been called in immediately. At 4 am there was a meeting of all Captains, Majors, Councilmembers, Commander Kelp, and Foaly. Nothing had really been accomplished considering the fact that they were all running on coffee alone. They had to come up with a plan of action soon or they could loose her trail.
After the meeting, Holly had called her friend Mulch Diggums. He was quite agitated that she had woken him up at 6 o'clock in the morning, but he was instantly alert when she told him what had happened. She asked him if there was anything he could possibly think of that they wouldn't already have thought of. The LEP were desperate.
His solution was so simple, yet so ingenious, that she wondered why they hadn't already considered it.
"You should go to Fowl Manor." He told her.
"What?" she asked, not understanding the logic in that statement. "Why?"
Mulch let out an exasperated sigh, making it sound like static over the phone.
"Opal's above ground isn't she? Has it ever occurred to you that the easiest target for her to get to on her revenge list is Artemis?"
In that moment, Holly felt like the dumbest person in the world.
"Of course," she said quietly, almost to herself. "And she'll feel even more pressure to rush into her attack now that she's failed to break herself out of prison!"
"It's a possibility that she'll try to kill Artemis again very soon. So maybe you guys should have a few officers in Fowl Manor at all times until she's caught. You know, to protect him and his family and to catch her if she ever does show up." Mulch explained.
"Thanks Mulch! So much!" Holly said, beaming into the phone.
"Pleasure," he grumbled before hanging up the phone.
Holly ran to Commander Kelp's office to tell him of Mulch's idea. Trouble always recognized that Mulch was always helpful to them, and wouldn't toss the idea aside just because Mulch was an ex-con.
Holly explained the idea to him and was happy to find that he seemed all for it.
"There's just one little problem," Kelp said cryptically. Holly inwardly groaned but kept all respect in her voice.
"What is that, Commander?" she asked.
"We need as many officers as we can get to help track and corner Opal," he told her. "This may have to be a one-man job. And I think we both know who that 'one man' will be." He smiled slightly at her.
This time, Holly really did groan. "Let me guess. Captain Holly Short?" she said in an obvious fake-annoyed voice.
"Correct," he said, nodding his head. "Now, go pack your bags, Captain. Take enough clothing and whatever else you need to last you a week. If Opal hasn't been caught by then, well, we may just have to bring him down here. Chances are, Fowl will be able to help us track her down anyway."
Holly saluted, exited the room, and went to her apartment.
'Who knows, maybe this won't be so bad,' Holly thought as she packed her bags. 'It might even be like a vacation. And I do always complain about how Artemis and I never get to hang out.'
During the flight to Fowl Manor, Holly thought about everything that her, Artemis, and/or Butler could do for the whole week. Most likely, Artemis would try to lock himself in his room all day, but Holly wouldn't let him. There was also a chance that she could see that twins. Holly didn't know what they looked like.
Her musings came to an abrupt halt when Fowl Manor came into view. Memories of her last encounter with Artemis played in her mind, bringing forth feelings that she thought she had repressed. Sadness, hurt, and betrayal were some big ones, but there was something else there as well. It had nothing to do with the fact that he had lied to her. In fact, it was an emotion that was completely opposite of those associated with the lie. It was affection, and she wasn't going to deny that.
She thought of Artemis as he lay dying in the gorilla cage at Rathdown Park, and she knew that the pain she felt from his lie is nothing compared to what she would have felt if he hadn't made it. Perhaps this feeling ran deeper than affection? Maybe it was an infatuation.
She knew she shouldn't feel that way about him. Not only had he played her for a fool more than once, but he wasn't even the same species as her. Yet, she still harbored these feelings for him. Whatever, she wouldn't think about that for now.
She descended onto the front lawn of Fowl Manor, shielded of course, and patched a number through to Butler's personal cell phone number. He answered immediately.
"Hello?" came Butler gruff voice. "Who is this?"
"Hey Butler! It's Holly." She said into her helmet.
"Hello Holly. Why are you calling?" he asked curiously.
"Well, I'm at the front door and I was wondering if you could let me in," she replied sweetly.
"Oh!" There was a 15-second pause before the door opened and revealed Butler. He pocketed his phone as she stepped inside. She unshielded and took off her helmet before unclipping her suitcase from her moonbelt. He eyed the suitcase.
"So, where is everyone?" she asked the manservant.
"Mr Fowl is on a business trip in Venice, Mrs. Fowl is at her Wednesday morning Pilate class and will be out for a good remainder of the day, and the twins are with her." Holly's face fell, knowing she wouldn't be able to see the twins right away. "Speaking of morning, what exactly are you doing here at 8 o'clock in the morning?"
Holly quickly explained what was going on and Butler told her that Artemis would more than likely not have a problem with her staying at the Manor.
"Where is the genius anyway?" she asked with a smile.
"He's still asleep."
"At this hour?" Holly had always thought that Artemis would be an early bird.
"Lately he's been sleeping in a lot more. Puberty, hormones, that kind of thing." Butler explained. Holly nodded and laughed.
"Well, how bout we wake him up?" she suggested.
Butler led her up the staircase and to the hallway that Artemis' room was located in.
"Here, you wait in the hall," Butler instructed her as they stopped at Artemis' room. "He might not be dressed." She nodded and shielded, sat down on the floor, and watched as Butler turned the doorknob. She was going to at least attempt to scare Artemis.
"Don't tell him I'm here," she requested.
Inside Arty's room, moments earlier
Artemis Fowl Junior lay sleeping soundly in his Queen sized bed. Although this was not an unusual occurrence, the fact that he was currently sharing his bed with a golden-haired female was. Well, it had been a nightly occurrence for the past few weeks, but it was still pretty knew to him.
The female in question woke up before Artemis did. She yawned and stretched her limbs, ridding herself of the stiffness of sleep. From the end of the bed, she made her way to Artemis' still sleeping form and laid down next to him, snuggling into his arms. He rubbed her back a few times in his sleep, an unconscious act of affection towards her, and she knew it. She returned this affection by licking his cheek once.
His eyebrows furrowed at this and he whipped the wetness off with his pillow. She smacked at him playfully, and left scratches on his bare shoulder from her nails.
Artemis groaned, waking slightly. "Not now, Hun. Let me sleep," he murmured. He turned away from her. She huffed and looked at the closed door. She hopped off the bed and curled up a few feet from the door, watching it intently. She would wait there patiently – at least, for now – until someone opened it.
'I am so hungry!' she thought to herself.
It wasn't long before she heard voices in the hall. She jumped up immediately and waited right at the crack of the door. She heard the doorknob turn and excitement rippled through her body. Her fifth limb wagged wildly from side to side.
'Oh boy!'
The door opened, and she bolted out as soon as there was enough space for her to fit through.
'FREEDOM!'
She darted past Butler's legs and avoided him when he went to grab her. She thought she was home free until she tripped over a pair of invisible legs.
Thanks to Holly's gift of tongues, she was able to hear the high-pitched whimpering that is dog language and translate what was being shouted as a small puppy ran from Artemis' room as soon as Butler had opened the door.
She wondered why on Earth there would be a puppy in Artemis' room, but she figured she wouldn't have to wait long to find out.
The small pup's cry of 'Freedom!' almost made her laugh out loud. Her laughter was short-lived, however, when the puppy tripped over her still invisible legs.
'What?' asked the confused dog to itself. The puppy looked at where it had tripped and Holly unshielded. The pup was instantly terrified, and put its tail between its legs.
'Oh my goodness!' came its terrified cry and even Butler could hear her whimpering now. 'That female was invisible!' She growled suddenly at Holly.
"Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you." Holly cooed at her, though it didn't help.
'I must protect my Daddy!' The animal growled at Holly once more. Holly looked confused at the puppy's use of the word Daddy, and the small dog took off back into Artemis'room.
Holly and Butler followed quickly and watched as the small, Golden Retriever puppy leapt onto Artemis' bed and scrambled on top of him. She turned around, placing her front paws on Artemis side and attempting to make herself as big and menacing as possible. She growled as Holly approached.
Holly, as insane as it sounded, tried to reason with it.
"It's okay little one. I'm a friend," she said softly, not wanting to spook it. Artemis grumbled in his sleep.
Holly got closer still and the puppy dove under the covers of the bed, barking. All sense of bravery had left her and she hoped her Daddy could save her.
'Daddy, wake up! Help me, Daddy!' she barked and cried at Artemis. Holly had to admit that it was adorable.
"Was goin on?" Artemis demanded groggily as he sat up in alarm. Artemis lifted the covers that his puppy was hiding under and calmed her. Upon seeing that Artemis was awake, Butler exited the room, excusing himself to go make breakfast.
"Hey, sweetie, what's wrong? Why are you so upset? Shush," he cooed at her, picking her up and lifting her onto his lap. The puppy responded to him instantly and she forgot all about her fears.
'Oh, my Daddy is the best!' Holly heard the small animal exclaim. Holly smiled. The puppy licked Artemis' face excitedly. 'He feeds me and cleans me and walks me and plays with me and loves me!' Holly fought to contain her laughter. This dog was a hyper one. 'And I love him! I know he loves me because he takes care of me and likes me the best. Especially more than HER!' The pup turned to look at Holly and it growled in her direction. Holly's eyes widened.
Artemis stopped chuckling at the puppy when it growled and frowned. He looked up and saw Holly. He had seen her briefly before, but had soon been preoccupied.
"Holly, how have you been?" he asked her casually.
"I'll be better when that dog over there stops hating me and saying mean things about me," she said jokingly, nodding at the pup.
"Oh, that's right! You can understand her, can't you?" he stated.
"Yup," she agreed. "She really loves you." He smiled at that.
He set the dog down beside him and stood, intending to greet Holly properly with a hug. The puppy started yipping instantly, not wanting to share Artemis' attention. He laughed at his pet. He approached Holly and put an arm around her shoulders, and the both of them faced the bed where the dog was. Artemis moved Holly closer to the bed, all the while saying calmly to the puppy, "It's okay. Holly's our friend. She won't hurt anybody." Holly turned her face away from Artemis, using her hair to hide it so that he wouldn't see her face turning red from blushing. Artemis was only wearing boxers.
They stopped before her and the puppy looked hesitant, but the noise had stopped. Artemis leaned towards her with his hands on his knees and smiled. Her tail wagged.
"Hey there," was all he said, but the tone in his voice sounded like he was excited about something. The wagging stopped and she cocked her head to the side. "You okay?" The wagging started again.
'I don't know what he is saying but I like it!' Holly giggled at how the dog seemed happy with everything that Artemis did.
Artemis sat on the bed and grabbed Holly's hand, pulling her closer. He pat her hand and assured the puppy again that Holly was a friend.
"Why are you patting my hand?" she asked him.
"Dogs see it as a sign of affection. She responds positively whenever someone pets her, so I figured it might help to get her to trust you," he explained. "I got her about three and a half weeks ago. Right after Opal escaped. You're the first stranger she's met. That must be what has her so rattled."
"Or it could be the fact that she saw me appear out of thin air," Holly suggested apologetically.
"It's fine," he assured her, accepting the apology. "Here, why don't you let her sniff your hand. She may lick you."
Holly balled her hand into a loose fist and held her knuckles out to the small puppy. The dog sniffed her and bit her hand suddenly. Holly yanked her hand away.
"Ow!" she exclaimed, examining the wound before healing it.
Artemis grabbed hold of the puppy's bottom jaw. Not roughly, but firmly. He turned her head to look at him and made eye contact.
"No ma'am, Coral, we do not bite! You understand?" Artemis scolded her in a firm voice. The puppy appeared sorry and he let her go.
Holly had frozen in place. She stared at Artemis in bewilderment and her breath caught, a quiet gasp escaping her unintentionally.
Artemis glanced at her face and she saw a flash of an emotion that she couldn't quite figure out before he looked back down at his dog. He kissed the top of the dog's head.
"You wanna go outside?" he said in a high, excited voice. The dog's back straightened and she cocked her head once more. "Go on!" Artemis insisted. The dog bolted out of the room. 'Outside' was one of the few words that the dog actually understood.
Once the dog was gone, Artemis looked at Holly again. He saw her still staring at him incredulously and looked away, almost shyly. Almost.
"What?" he asked, a small smile on his face. Holly found her voice again.
"What did you say her name was again?" she asked him in a whisper.
"Oh, that," he said, he rubbed the back of his neck, and looked up at her. He met her eyes. "I, uh… I named her Coral," he said, and he shrugged his shoulders. He scooted back on his bed until his back hit the wall and brought his knees up. He looked at his hands and bit his lip. He know that Holly would find out eventually, but was still nervous about telling her.
"My mother - " she whispered breathlessly.
"I know. I named her after your mother," he confessed, hoping to get a good reaction instead of a punch in the nose. "It's to show you that I, you know, regret what I did and that I… care."
Holly was silent for a moment, staring at him with a weird expression on her face. Confusion? Suspicion? Admiration? The smile that broke across her face informed Artemis that it was the last one, or some other form of positive emotion. Artemis noticed the tears in her eyes and frowned.
"I didn't mean to upset you again," he said hurriedly.
"No, Artemis, these are happy tears," she told him, and one fell down her cheek. "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, other than save my life."
Artemis shrugged again. "It's not that big of a deal." He smiled at her.
"It is. At least, it is for me," she said, climbing on the bed and crawling over to him. As soon as she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder and holding her close, but not too close as to cross any boundaries. They knew they should probably pull away from each other, but neither of them wanted to end the embrace, so they stayed like that for a long moment.
Holly removed her arms from around his neck, running the palms of her hands from his shoulders to his chest. She wrapped her arms underneath his arms and continued the hug that way, laying her head near his shoulder. He almost went light-headed.
He stroked small circles on her waist lightly with his thumbs. She did the same thing on his back. After a few seconds, he placed one hand palm-down and ran it back and forth across the width of her petite waist. The light touches turned heavier. She moved closer to him. They both felt breathless and heated.
Holly was suddenly quite aware that Artemis was wearing only his boxers again. She had forgotten in such little time. Why did she find it so natural to see him like this? She blushed.
A hand ran up her back all the way to the back of her neck and into her hair. She tilted her head back at his touch. She looked at his face smiling down at her and his eyes telling her everything. She couldn't help but smile back and tell him everything with her eyes too.
"Holly," he whispered.
"Yes Arty?" she whispered back. Her arms went back around his neck.
"I - ," he cut himself off, not being able to put what he was thinking into words for the first time in his life.
So, he leaned in. He stopped just two inches from her face, waiting for her. She smiled and leaned in as well, but stopped just short of his lips.
He didn't hesitate this time. He crashed his lips to hers, and conveyed his thoughts and feelings through a highly passionate kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair, and let him push her down on her back and lean over top of her. He made sure not go too far by smothering her with his body. She felt his tongue on her lips and granted him entrance. She wondered how he could taste so good after he had just woken up. Their tongues danced together inside her mouth, and she let out a shaky moan.
She brought a hand to his hips and forced his body down to hers, and wrapped her legs around him so that he couldn't protest. She didn't think he would though. She could feel that he was getting stiff through the fabric of his boxers.
"God, Holly," he moaned as his stiffening groin pressed against her.
He broke the kiss suddenly, and they gasped for air. The sound of metal rattling furiously was heard, and they both looked to the door.
Coral sat there scratching her neck with her hind leg. The sound was coming from the tags on her collar moving around.
"Dammit dog," Artemis muttered.
Coral looked at them expectantly. She had no idea what was going on.
"Ugh," Artemis groaned. He rolled his eyes and turned back to Holly. Her kissed her lips once and sat up, immediately hiding his lap under a blanket. Holly sat up too and pressed the front of her body against his side. She kissed his shoulder.
"I'll let you shower and get dressed," she told him and got off of the bed. He grumbled frustratedly.
"Stupid dog interrupted us," she heard him mumble. He was disappointed. She giggled and picked up the puppy, who licked her face.
'If Daddy likes you then so do I!' Coral exclaimed.
Holly figured that she should talk to the dog using its own language.
'Why thank you, little one,' Holly said. 'How about we go see Butler?' Holly walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
'You can understand me? And I can understand you?!'
'That's right. Did you know that Coral was my mother's name?'
'Oh my goodness, really?! I want a mother. Will you be her? My Daddy seems to like you, and he has a Daddy and a Mommy! I really wish I had a Mommy! Please?!' The term 'puppy dog eyes' were the only thing that could be used to describe the look that Coral gave her at this plea.
Holly smiled dreamily at the thought of her being the mommy and Artemis being the daddy. What a fine family they could have together. Artemis, her, Coral, and maybe even a little Artemis the Third.
She shook her head at these thoughts. They made out once and already she wanted to marry him and have his babies. If a romantic relationship between them was to even happen, they would have to wait a few years to get married. And if they had about three years worth of waiting to do, they would have to take this relationship pretty slow. He was only fifteen, having had his birthday a only couple weeks ago. It dawned on her that Coral had probably been given to him for his birthday.
Holly looked down at the puppy that was patiently awaiting her answer.
'It could happen, Coral. Maybe not for a few years, but it's quite possible.'
So, that was pretty long. I've just been having some difficulties with my story, Attacked!, and had to get this silly idea out of my head. I hope you enjoyed it! I like reviews cuz they make me really happy!
I don't know if I'm going to keep this as a one-shot or continue it or write a sequel. Help me decide? That'd be great, k thanks!
Love, Rose