A/N: Here's a little oneshot I wrote for Christmas. It's okay to read this even if you don't celebrate Christmas. After all, logically I shouldn't celebrate Christmas... But, eh. It's fun. I'm not a A/H shipper, but it just seemed the right pairing for this one.
Disclaimer: blah, blah, I don't own the characters, blah, blah, I wish I did, blah, blah, I don't own anything but the "plot", blah, blah. You know the story. What's the point of disclaimers anyway? We all know you guys don't own Artemis Fowl...Eoin Colfer's the only one smart enough to have invented someone as awesome as Artemis Fowl...
Anyway, on with the story.
The snow fell like angels to earth outside the frosted window. Myles and Beckett had taken the liberty of writing their names in clumsy four year old handwriting on the glass. The dancing light from the hearth flickered across their names, illuminating the snow outside. A Christmas tree bound by lights and round, colorful ornaments stood like a watchful guardian to the side of the hearth.
Artemis Fowl II sat curled on the red couch in his pajamas and slippers. The twins had gone to bed, persuaded by their parents and Artemis himself that Santa Claus wouldn't come unless they were sound asleep. Mr. and Mrs. Fowl had also retired to their bedroom, exhausted after a long day of last minute shopping. It was, after all, Christmas Eve.
Artemis was the last one awake, save Butler, who was tucking the twins into bed. He was accustomed to being the last one awake. His plans usually took him long into the night, pausing only to thank Butler for bringing him his next cup of hot chocolate and for taking the previous one back down to the kitchen.
There were no plans racing around his mind tonight. No schemes, plots, ideas. None of that. There were two things keeping him up this night. One was anticipation. He couldn't wait for tomorrow morning. The presents...Not for himself of course. He had already scanned his own presents with the X-ray feature in his cell phone. He knew his parents had bought him a new laptop, an iPod touch, a collection of Charles Dickens's novels, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy box set, the 1990 movie Lord of the Flies, tickets to the opera, and a new saddle for his bay Arabian gelding horse Zephyros. An amount not quite up to the Fowl parents' standards, but Artemis didn't mind. Years ago he would have, would have minded greatly, but the years had changed him. He was no longer the cold, heartless boy he had been.
In fact, he was quite sure he had a heart. The other thing keeping him up was his feelings. He had spent the past few nights tossing and turning in bed, trying to tame those new feelings. He couldn't help it. He was in love.
The soft tapping on the window shook him from his daydreams. Artemis's head snapped toward the window. Who could be here at this late hour? It was almost morning. And knocking on the third floor window too.
Well, actually, who else could it be?
Artemis rose from the couch, prying open the golden latches and lifting the window. The ice had frozen to the window frame so it took him a while just to get it up an inch. Then the person on the outside curled her fingers around the bottom of the window and helped pull.
The window shot upwards and Artemis fell backwards onto the soft carpet. Holly crawled through the window and collapsed on the carpet.
"Holly," Artemis said. "What are you doing here?"
Holly smiled and touched Artemis's face with her freezing fingers. "It's Christmas Eve, smart one," she said. "What do you think I'm doing here?"
Artemis grinned and sat back down on the couch. Holly joined him. The couch barely dipped under her slight frame. She looked at the flickering fire. Artemis looked at her face. Her brown face that had been so pale and icy cold was now regaining color and the sides of her full red lips tipped upwards in a smile.
"I...I didn't get you a present," Artemis said.
"I know," Holly said.
"You do?"
Holly looked up at him. Even though she was on a higher level on the couch, due to their dramatically different weights, she was still a three feet tall fairy and he was a seventeen-year-old human.
"I hadn't expected you to get me one. You're Artemis Fowl. You're busy. Besides, objects wrapped in colorful paper mean nothing to me. You're making me happy just by sitting there."
She touched Artemis's face again. "You mean something," she said.
Holly kissed him.
"Hey," Artemis said. "I thought you said my elf-kissing days were over."
Holly smirked. "I never said anything about my human-kissing days."
She leaned her head on Artemis's chest and let him stroke her hair. They watched the fire dance in the hearth and the little sparks rise up through the chimney. The snow fell like diamonds outside and lay to rest on the white ground, coating the dark trees and fields, spreading their white-ness until everything was the color of ice.
The two awake by the hearth didn't mind. They warmed each other during that cold, dark night.
Artemis kissed the top of Holly's head. "Merry Christmas, Holly," he whispered.
"Merry Christmas, Mud Boy."
And they closed their eyes and fell asleep as the falling snow painted tomorrow's world outside.
A/N: Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukka, Happy (is that the right adjective?) Kwazaa...Just Happy Holidays in general! And for you atheists like me with nothing to celebrate (unless you celebrate with your families of course), go play in the snow or something...unless you live somewhere with no snow like I do (stupid California...no snow...). Happy Holidays!
-Demented Cookies