AN: Short and bittersweet. Crossover between the musical Elisabeth and Artemis Fowl. Written for Criminality's April-May 2006 Challenge. Golden Acorn and Orion Awards Nominee.

ASN: Not that we're hyping ourselves or anything. But seriously, for a really excellent selection of AF fics, check out the Orion Awards. http://www.orionawards. Just a reminder, Artemis Fowl belongs to Eoin Colfer. Elisabeth belongs to Michael Kunze. We are neither.

Der Letzte Tanz (The Last Dance)

"The last dance, the last dance will belong to me
Don't you know you're mine in the end?
I'm your destiny" Death, Elisabeth (translated (badly) from German)

As the quartet approached the warehouse, Holly turned to face her companions. "All right, everyone. You should know the drill by now—we've done this enough."

Mulch made a face. "You'd think the goblins would have learned by now. I mean, how many times do you have to be captured to know to just give up?"

"And how many times have you been caught, Mulch?" Butler said, unable to keep all the sarcasm out of his tone. Artemis chuckled.

Having let them have their laugh, Holly got down to business. "Now, this group is in there waiting for their contacts. Since we've taken care of them already, we shouldn't be interrupted. Still, Artemis, I want you to find the closest safe place to the door and keep watch."

"I know, Captain," Artemis said calmly. "We've been doing this for two years…one would assume I would know what my job description entailed."

"Now, Mulch, you stay behind Butler and I as backup, all right?" Holly continued, brushing off Artemis's comments without responding.

"Yeah, yeah," Mulch said flippantly.

"And Butler, you break down the door. I can't quite manage that," she said with a smile. The bodyguard nodded. "We're set? On the count of three—one…two…three!"

The next few minutes passed in a haze. Artemis had obediently hid behind the first pile of boxes he had seen, disappearing into the shadows without a sound. Should anything happen in which Holly, Mulch and Butler lost (unlikely, but one should be prepared), his last duty would be to set the explosives and run. Because of that, his presence needed to be kept secret.

But he truly despised sitting and doing nothing. Being a last precaution meant waiting for an event that likely was not going to happen. It was a waste of time. And Artemis Fowl the Second did not approve of wasting time.

Still, as the fight raged, he stayed hidden, well out of sight where he was safe.

Unfortunately, there seemed to be more goblins than previous information had suggested—by Artemis's count, there were at least twelve against three. From his viewpoint, all he could see was Mulch being backed against a wall by two irritated goblins. Perhaps it would be wiser to consider setting off the explosives and making a run for it. He stood up, scanning the room in order to determine exactly how badly they were losing.

From his new point of view, he could actually see more than Mulch pinned in a corner. Butler sent three goblins flying into a wall with one swing of a giant hand. They hit hard and landed in a groaning pile. Holly, meanwhile, was just finishing tying up one goblin with two or three more unconscious bodies scattered around her.

On second thought, they probably were fine.

Movement flickered out of the corner of Artemis's eye. He turned.

One goblin that had been hiding in the shadows was standing with a throwing knife. He had his arm cocked and aimed at Holly's back. She was busy trying to get her prisoner under control, and didn't see it.

"Holly!" Artemis shouted, darting out from behind the boxes and heading toward her. "Behind you!"

She spun instinctively, dragging her prisoner in front of her as a shield. The knife hit the unfortunate goblin in the shoulder instead of her. The knife thrower growled and pulled another weapon from his sash.

However, much to everyone's surprise, this one he threw in Artemis's direction.

The knife connected solidly in Artemis's upper chest with a dull thuck. Pain screamed through his body as Holly's cry of anger rang in his ears. He felt his legs buckle. Then the floor was rushing up to meet him, and all was black.

Artemis awoke to the feel of damp earth on his cheek. He sat up slowly, seeing nothing around him but a white mist. Obviously, he was no longer in the warehouse.

The teen stood and looked around to study the barren landscape. It was still dark; however, as his eyes readjusted, he began to realize that it was merely twilight here—wherever here was. The land stretched blankly on all sides, unbroken by any sign of life. The air was chill, and the vague fog swirled in the light wind.

He glanced down. There was no knife sticking out of him. In fact, there was no sign of the wound at all, not even a rip in his jacket.

Having determined his state of body, he glanced up at the sky. The stars were bright, even through the misty fog surrounding his general area hindered his view of everything else nearby. But…he had never seen any of these constellations on a star map before. And Artemis prided himself on his skills on astronomy.

What was this place?

"Hallo, Artemis." A smooth tenor spoke from behind him. "Wir treffen schließlich."

Artemis turned swiftly. A moment ago, there had been nothing as far as the eye could see. Now, less than a foot from him, a person stood patiently, waiting to be acknowledged.

The speaker was classically handsome and fairly tall; Artemis would only reach his chin. The person was willowy, with shoulder-length blond hair and dressed in an elegant black suit, complete with a sweeping coat. He seemed to be male, though Artemis wasn't completely positive.

"And you would be…?" he asked calmly.

The man held out a hand. "A friend. Now, come with me. Our last dance awaits."

Recognition flashed in Artemis's eyes. From a German musical, long ago…

"Death." His voice was flat. "The scythe is missing."

A smile spread across the beautiful face. "For you, yes. I take on the form of what each individual imagines me to be. This is what you think you should see." He twirled, and the coat tails flew in a graceful arc. "Not bad."

Skeptical, Artemis raised an eyebrow. "In other words…my mental image of Death is the character from the musical Elisabeth?"

"That's correct. You're quite an educated young man, Artemis." Death held out a hand to him. "I've been waiting for you."

Artemis looked at the hand coolly. Then he took a step backward, placing himself just out of reach. "You are going to have to wait a little longer. I plan on dying much later in my life, thank you."

The man shook his head, still smiling as he took a step closer to his target. "Sadly, your plans and mine seem to be at odds. Today is my day."

"No." Artemis took another step back, preferring to give ground rather than stand within arm reach of this disturbing man. "I'm not ready to die. Besides, Holly won't let me go without a fight."

"You don't know how long you have been here. Perhaps the fight has already occurred and been lost," Death suggested. "You cannot triumph here, Artemis. I will always win. It is time to finish this, our last dance."

Artemis was not cowed by his words. "You always get to finish the last dance, perhaps. But doesn't that require us to have been dancing in the first place?"

Death laughed delightedly and took another step forward. Gently, he laid his hand on Artemis's upper arm. "Don't you see?" he whispered in his captive's ear. "We already are."

With that, he swung Artemis around, pulling him into his arms and moving in a slow waltz. Artemis tried to break free, but the grip was surprisingly strong. As they danced to silent music, Death continued to speak.

"'Do you still remember? You were a young boy when I promised that I will always be near you…' Such beautiful lyrics those were. And they fit our situation so very well.

"Artemis…our meeting was destined. As soon as you stepped into your path as criminal mastermind, I was right beside you the entire time—waiting."

The scent from the white rose Death wore as a boutonnière was overpowering, dizzying this close. Artemis tried to pull away, but Death held him tight as they continued to dance.

"When your father disappeared and you were daunted by the task of running the family, I was there. I waited and watched as you struggled with the meaning of your father's disappearance…and I wished that you would turn to me for comfort.

"As your mother became more and more ill and your desperation grew, I was there. I stood next to her bed as you worried over how to handle the situation, holding out my hand to you.

"Right before the fairies tried their blue rinse years ago, I was there. After the others had fallen asleep, I stayed on the couch next to you, hoping you would discard that drugged wine and come to me instead.

"In the Artic, as you clung onto the side of that train, I was there. I crouched next to you inside the carriage, watching as you fainted, and yearning for you to dream of me."

"Let go…" Artemis whispered hoarsely.

"Of course, I wasn't always there for you," Death continued mercilessly. "Do you remember Butler's confrontation with that troll? I do quite clearly. For a moment, I thought he was going to join me…but I did not win that day.

"And, of course, you cannot forget that day in the restaurant. I had him that day, Artemis. Our last dance." His blue eyes grew distant for a moment. "And then you cut in between us. And that was when I decided once and for all…I needed you."

He spun Artemis around, and the youth took advantage of the lessened grip to break away. He stood, gasping slightly, glaring at his captor. Death simply smiled.

"You never realized it, but we have been dancing for years. You always managed to escape me, though. In Haven with the trolls, I thought I had you that time. You're a very difficult person to catch, Artemis."

Artemis was slowly getting his composure back, though his eyes still were snapping fire. "My life has always depended on not getting caught."

"I succeeded today, however," Death said with just a hint of pride. He pulled the rose from his lapel and began to twirl it between his fingers. "It was a rather lucky shot. I honestly didn't expect to seize you…I was waiting for Holly."

Artemis clenched a fist. "Why?"

"Everyone has their time, Artemis," Death told him, almost chidingly. The rose in his fingers turned black and crumbled, and the man brushed the dust from his hands. "Life is brief, ephemeral. After a while, it withers like a flower. It was time to offer Holly a chance to leave. You don't know—she may have taken it. After all," a look of satisfaction crossed his face, "you are tempted."

Artemis's eyes narrowed. "No."

"'You turn away from me, but you only pretend,'" Death sang in a tenor voice smoother than silk.

"I am not Elisabeth. Those lyrics do not apply to me."

"You're wrong, Artemis. They apply to you more than anyone else."

"I'm afraid you are mistaken."

"And you're simply afraid," Death retorted.

"Afraid of you?"

"Just afraid. Everyone lives their lives in varying states of fear." Death paused, and then continued with a dry smile. "Even the great Artemis Fowl."

Artemis frowned. "I am not—"

"Not what? Not the great Artemis Fowl or not afraid?"

The teen took a deep breath, his carefully cultivated self-control beginning to shred away. "I do not live my life in fear. I do not fear the unknown, nor do I fear you."

Death smiled. "I don't want you to fear me. Besides, I wasn't talking about the unknown." The corner of his mouth lifted in a wry smile, "You are too much of an intellectual to fear the unknown."

"Then what do I fear?" Artemis asked sarcastically.

Death moved forward, uncomfortably close. "You fear failure," he stated softly. "You are a truly remarkable person, Artemis. A genius, but with all of the problems and responsibilities that come with such power."

"You know nothing about me," Artemis stated flatly, deliberately turning his back to Death. He began to study the landscape, looking for a sign of anything familiar, and attempted to ignore the disconcerting man.

Death chuckled softly, disturbing the teen's thoughts and scattering them irretrievably. "You can lie to yourself, but you can never lie to me. I know you better than you know yourself.

"You are under a great deal of pressure. Pressure to continue the family heritage, to be the best, to succeed beyond everyone's expectations."

The teen twitched in surprise when Death came up behind him and slid an arm around his shoulders, forcing the boy to face him. "Look at your life, your accomplishments. You're a boy genius…a famous criminal mastermind…the first human to outwit the fairies. You've done amazing things! But—where will you go from there?"

Artemis stepped back, retreating from the verbal attack, but Death continued to advance relentlessly. "You have been so successful for so long, but that makes for a long way to fall, Artemis. Even you can't be perfect forever."

"Enough," Artemis said shortly, lips white.

"That is what you fear. Failing. Letting the family down. Letting your friends down." Death paused, and his voice softened to something approaching pity. "People generally treat you like an adult, with adult responsibilities. What will happen when you fail? And you will fail. In fact, you briefly experienced the bitter taste of failure…"

Butler, lying lifeless on the floor of a little restaurant with a bullet in his chest…

"Enough!" Artemis shouted, falling to his knees on the damp ground, hands clenched to his head.

There was a slight rustle as Death knelt beside him. "Artemis…I can make it stop. All it takes is one kiss, and you will never have to worry about the world again."

The teen glanced up at him, emotions hidden behind a blank mask.

"Butler was almost mine," Death said softly. "You scraped through that time, but… Wouldn't it be easier to come with me?"

There was silence from the teen as thoughts spun and tumbled wildly in his mind.

"Artemis, I am the one who knows you, fully, faults and all. I can shelter you from the world. I'm the only one who can give you freedom."

Death stood, brushing off his coat. He held out a hand to the teen invitingly. "Come, Artemis, the shadows are growing longer. Let it end."

Artemis studied Death. The exhausting weight of his responsibilities and the expectations of others were almost palpable here in this un-world. The offer was appealing; so very, very appealing.

And yet…

Artemis slowly made his way to his feet, pointedly ignoring Death's outstretched hand. He squarely faced Death.

"I will admit, your offer is tempting," he said slowly. "However, temptation implies choice. That means that you can not take me unless I agree to go with you."

Death sighed, and then grinned slightly, shaking his head in reluctant admiration. "Clever boy."

For the first time, Artemis heard a noise other than the wind. It was a faint voice, calling as though from very far away.

"Artemis!"

A wry smile graced Death's face. "You have very determined friends."

"I do indeed." Artemis confronted his adversary. "And I am going to return to them. I am not ready to accept your offer."

Death sighed theatrically. "I didn't really think you would. But you will."

"Perhaps," Artemis allowed.

Death smiled. "You're mine in the end, Artemis. I am your destiny. One day, you will choose to come with me. And we will finish our dance." He approached, but this time, Artemis stood his ground.

The man reached out, and placed his hand on Artemis's shoulders. "Go back to your friends. Grow. Live without fear. I can wait."

His smile deepened, showing a hint of something more. He drew the boy closer into his arms and tilted Artemis's chin upward with a slender finger.

Artemis was unable to move as Death leaned down until they were face to face.

"For you, I can wait," he breathed into the boy's ear. He drew back a little without releasing him, and grinned. "Besides, you'll be taller then."

His lips brushed Artemis's forehead, and the teen shuddered as a jolt coursed through him. Death smiled in satisfaction, and stepped back, into the suddenly growing darkness.

"Until we meet again…Artemis..."

Artemis's eyes flew open as Holly's healing magic jolted him. The worry on the face of the elf hovering over him melted away as he began to respond.

His breath came in gasps as the residual magic washed the effects of the wound away, and Butler suddenly appeared. He helped Artemis sit up, and supported him for a moment. As the walls of the warehouse stopped their slight spin, Artemis could make out Mulch pulling unconscious goblins into a pile.

"You really had us worried, Artemis," Butler said simply, but his eyes reflected a tremendous and grateful relief.

The teen smiled slightly, putting his hand to his chest where a jagged hole marred his jacket. "I admit, I was also concerned for a bit, my old friend, but Holly came through once again."

Holly appeared next to him, elbowing the bodyguard out of the way. "I wouldn't have had to do anything if you had just stayed behind the boxes liked you were supposed to. What under earth did you think you were doing?!"

Artemis sighed. For a moment, he could have sworn he heard a faint tenor laugh. He leaned back against a box and closed his eyes. "Dancing."

Note: Wir treffen schließlich. We meet at last.