Disclaimer: I own nothing except the story
When the doorbell rang, Artemis Fowl the Second nearly jumped out of his chair. He had been working and fiddling with the new prototype of The Project. Even though he was mostly cured of his Atlantis Complex, the drive to fix the world still spurred him on. He suspected that it had something to do with his newfound goodness. Within the past six years, Artemis Fowl the Criminal Mastermind had died away, leaving an Artemis that still had the same cockiness, smugness, and overall jackassed-ness that everyone had known, with a sensitivity factor one could not ignore.
Artemis had just finished cursing the person who had rung the doorbell, when the uninvited guest let himself in. "Artemis!" a voice called, and Artemis realized that he had been wrong about his assumption. She had let herself in. And the voice of the person was none other than Captain Holly Short herself. Artemis found himself suddenly clammy with sweat. And by the gods, he did not know why. Ponder later, fool, his brain chided. Answer now. "Oh, um, hello, Captain Short," he stuttered nervously. Artemis Fowl stuttering? His brain voice said. That is most strange. He decided to gracefully introduce himself by dramatically bowing on the staircase. Holly raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
Seeing that his melodramatic entrance did nothing but raise the ire of his friend, he cleared his throat and spoke." Well, hallo Holly. What brings you to my Manor this fine evening?" Holly spoke then, using her firm, captian-esce voice" I've come to inquire about your illness, Artemis. I trust all is well?" Artemis felt himself suddenly beginning to sweat again. "Yes Holly, my 'illness,' as you have portrayed so accurately, is fine. The idiot that now resides in my head, Orion, is safely locked away. I am very well." To prove his point he used four words in the last sentence. Holly looked relieved. She took out a sleek, silver laptop, placed it on the living room couch, and sat down. She looked tired and worn out, like she had lost a fight with herself.
She stared blankly ahead as she turned on the television and started flicking through the channels, not considering each one. "You may want to know why I really came here, Artemis. I think you should know." Despite her monotone voice, Artemis caught a tone of worry in her voice. "Yes, Holly. I would. What is it?" Holly straightened her back and said "It has to do with several of Orion's… words." Artemis suddenly had horrible flashbacks of what had spewed from his mouth in those terrible days. Holly seemed to notice, and said "Artemis. Are you listening to me?" Artemis was returned from his daymares. He looked at her with mismatched eyes. "Of course, Holly. Just… lost in thought, is all." As he said this he reached for his suddenly throbbing temples. Why was she here? Orion had not revealed anything about his schemes and past, of course. But… Artemis suddenly paled. She could not be here for that. Surely… he put his other hand on his temple. Holly noticed this behavior, and told him to sit on the couch. He did as she advised, feeling dizzy as he did so.
She turned to him, her gaze fixed firmly on his eyes. "Tell me Artemis. Is what Orion said true? About… how you love me? Orion said that he had all of your passion, but none of your dryness. Is this true?" Artemis's mouth became dry. Lying was imperative at this point. But a thought nagged at him. Why not tell the truth? What good could you possibly do by lying to her? His brain quickly pounced on this ridiculous notion. Because it would ruin your already tedious friendship with the captain. Being reassured by this thought, Artemis delivered the lie with smooth accuracy, almost convincing himself. "No, Holly. I'm afraid that the Fool amplified to the extreme an almost non-existent notion. And if I did, then what would come of it, eh? Nothing but sorrow and heartbreak." Artemis was surprised at the last sentence. He had never planned it. Nevertheless, it seemed to have cemented his point nicely. Holly packed up her things, turned off the television, and turned to him. "I'm glad, Artemis. Make sure you get over the illness. I would hate to see Orion talk in my ear again." She shuddered once with disgust. Then she left in a great hurry. Artemis looked at the door, wanting to cry but not being able to summon the tear ducts to do it. He did not cry, which was just as well, because the house exploded two minutes later
When Captain Short had left Artemis that night, she had not expected to be in the greatest coming adventure of her life. She was busy with her own thoughts, though, which mostly involved a crushing weight of helplessness. She had known Artemis long enough to see the conflict in his mind, and had known when he had been lying. She had just been about to point that out when he said "Even if I did, what would come of it, eh? Nothing but sorrow and heartbreak. She had stopped cold, then, and left in what she had hoped not looked like a hurry. She had feelings for Artemis, but she and he had to tell each other a double lie, neither wanting to hurt the other. It was comical, in a way, but she had other things to think about. One thing for example, was jumping to avoid the fiery beam that had come out from nowhere. She watched the house collapse, and in her thoughts one image was burned into her brain, a person she might never see again. Artemis. Holly ran into the collapsing house