A/N: quick widdle one shot that I came up with… Cynthia and I are still going on our story but I just wanted to write this for fun. Hope you like it! Comment, suggest, compliment, critique, love, hate, review and enjoy! :) J

Elevator Love Stories

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Fowl," said the dark haired businessman. He held out his hand, and Artemis shook it firmly.

"And you as well," the boy replied, coolly. He turned and Butler followed him down the hall.

They were on the sixth floor of a Real Estate building; Artemis and the head of the organization had been discussing simple business. No biggie. It happened often.

When they turned the corner, Holly was waiting for them, dressed in a black and white suit and black slacks. There weren't many people in the area at that time, but she still had to pass as human. "Everything all sorted out?" she asked, leaning off the white wall.

"Yes," Artemis replied. "You can go back to Trouble and tell him that there was no… trouble. Just like I thought."

Holly shot him a dirty look. "Hey, this wasn't my decision," she spat. "I only have to keep an eye on you for two weeks. That's not so bad, is it?"

"It's not, now that there's only four days left." Holly opened to mouth to retort but Artemis spoke first. "Butler, didn't you have someone you wanted to meet?"

Butler nodded. "Yes. I'll only take a moment," he said.

"It's alright. Captain Short and I will start going down to the car. Catch up with us when you're done." Artemis turned around, without giving him a chance to object, and headed back to the elevators.

"Artemis, what if-"

"Holly has her gun, don't you?"

"I do," Holly said. She stopped and looked over her shoulder to give Butler a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll protect him."

That seemed to comfort him, and he let them go. Artemis pressed the button to go down, just as Holly was walking up next to him. They stood in front of the closed doors and waited. Just moments later, there was a ding and the doors opened. They walked inside the empty room and Holly pressed the button to go down to the ground floor. The doors closed with a small hum.

"How do you wear these things?" Holly asked, once they felt the elevator start to move. Artemis knew she was referring to her suit. "They're so stiff… and it gets so warm in here."

"Well-"

"No. Wait. I just answered my own question. It's because you're cold blooded, isn't it?"

Artemis scowled. "You set that up, didn't you?" he asked.

Holly chuckled a little. "Actually, no," she replied. "I just thought of it. But relax, okay? I'm just kidding around with you." She playfully punched his shoulder. He swayed to the side but thankfully didn't fall over.

"I understand that."

"Do you not feel comfortable with me?"

"It's not that. It's…" He wasn't sure where he was going with this, but he was saved by something that… just put him in more danger. Suddenly the lights on the ceiling started to blink, and the elevator shook like they were feeling turbulence in a plane.

Holly hung onto the railing, but Artemis didn't get a chance and the shaking took him off his feet. The lights went out. With no natural light, it was completely and utterly dark. And they weren't moving. They weren't shaking, but they weren't going anywhere, up or down. Holly couldn't help but be reminded of various scenes in movies where the main character gets trapped in an elevator. Was that what was happening?

But the second thing that came to her mind she voiced out loud: "Artemis, are you okay?"

She heard a grunting and the shuffling of a body. "Yes, I'm fine," he said.

"The elevator stopped…"

"No way?"

The lights started to flicker back on. She looked down at Artemis and was relieved to see him unharmed and sitting against the wall. Once he could see he stood back up. But they still weren't moving.

"Can you call Butler?" Holly asked.

Artemis took out his phone and unlocked it. After a few moments of typing on the screen he responded, "No. There's no reception. You have contact with the LEP, though, right?"

"Yeah, but…" She looked down, hesitant. "The most likely conclusion is that there was a technological error. We're stuck here, but not for forever. When there's a problem usually a signal alerts the people who can fix it. This isn't not so urgent that we need to contact the LEP."

Artemis considered this for a moment. "Very well," he decided. "But I refuse to stay here and wait."

Holly just shrugged. "If you can find a way to get out, let me know. I'm going to stay here and let the mechanics fix this." And she sat down.

Artemis wandered around the small room where they were trapped. The walls were mostly grey, but the ceiling and ground were white. It gave off a very metallic feeling; even the railings were grey, and so were the doors. Typical for an office elevator. But there was no window, and no way out. And yet, Artemis still had that look on his face that said 'I've got an idea, and I'm going to get us out of here'.

Holly watched him as he walked around. He wasn't doing anything but thinking at first. But, finally, after more than two minutes, he stopped in front of the left wall. Holly anticipated something genius… but instead, he kicked it. Without any power. The wall didn't break down in tears.

That's when the elf realized that that oh-so-confident look he had on… was nothing more than a mask. She suppressed the laugh bubbling up inside her.

Artemis slumped down beside her. "I have an idea, but I've decided to think it through before I act on it."

Holly smiled. She knew he was lying but she didn't push it. "Has this ever happened to you?" she asked.

"No. The Fowl Manor has stairs."

"So I've noticed. Is this why?"

"A big part of it."

Holly said, "Haven has elevators. They're broken down before, but with a guy like Foaly, it's never lasted for long. And I just never happened to be in one." She paused. "I've heard horror stories about this, though."

That caught his interest. "Horror stories?" he echoed.

"Yeah. Mostly made up, mostly by mud men. Like, where the lights don't come back on and there's a demon or something in the corner. Then it eats everyone."

Artemis had a brief vision of No1 appearing in the corner, and then proceeding to eat them. He smirked a little. He knew No1 wasn't the type of demon she was referring to, but still, that was his first thought.

"I see…" he replied. "That's quite comforting, thank you."

"The society you live in loves people getting trapped in elevators. Not only as a plot for horror stories, but also romance."

Artemis's eyes widened a little; not too far for her to notice. "Is that so?"

"Mm, elevator love stories." She continued, "Two people get trapped in an elevator. They get to talking; fall in love…" She paused again. "I'm not hinting anything."

"I know you're not."

"Then why are your cheeks so red?"

Artemis looked to the side at her. He'd felt her gaze on him, but he didn't look back until now. His instincts as an over observant person took over and he took in every detail of her face. Her eyes, one blue, one hazel… darker caramel skin, a few freckles here and there, a round face, pointy chin… he wondered if she knew his face just as well.

He'd almost forgotten about the question she'd asked until she spoke again and asked another. "And, come to think of it, why are you so tense?"

"I'm always on my toes." He remembered that he was sitting down. "Metaphorically," he added.

Holly's face fell. Automatically, his attitude did the same. He hated to see her disappointed. "We're friends. Friends should be comfortable with each other," she said.

"You know it's hard for me to get close to people."

"But you're not pulling away."

They were close. Not inches away, but less than a foot. It was a war. A war inside Artemis. One side of him was pulling away (the brain), but the other wanted to be closer (the heart). Those two always seemed to be fighting. The object that started this war? Holly.

Of course. Holly was the only thing in his life that could change him. That was changing him. Ever since the day he captured her, that was when his life completely flipped. Amazing how just one person could affect him so greatly. Had he changed her as well, he wondered?

While he was pondering these things, his physical body decided to rebel and do something completely unlike him. He said something he thought he'd never say out loud, and that was: "I'm memorizing your face."

Holly was caught off guard. The dark skin on either cheek turned a shade of pink. "What?"

"Your face. I'm memorizing it." He was whispering now. "Are you memorizing mine?"

Artemis saw her gulp. Holly's bottom lip was quivering. She didn't look like she was about to cry, though; he'd never seen her so nervous in this kind of way… It was like she was trying to summon all up the courage inside of her. His ears and heart waited patiently for her to say whatever she was trying so hard to say. Then she said it.

"I already have."

It was just his heart listening now. Artemis had never turned his brain off. Not before now. He didn't think it was possible. But obviously it was… because his brain would have never allowed him to lean in and close that small distance between them. Their lips clicked together like puzzle pieces. The war was over.

And Holly was kissing back. She slid her arm over to him and took hold of his suit sleeve. It didn't pull him in much, since she was holding onto the fabric and not his arm, but it told him that she wanted this just as much as he did.

Time passed like it did time traveling. They could be in the next century and neither one of them would've known. But, whenever it was, they stopped, and pulled away just far enough for their noses to brush together. "Memorized my kissing yet?" Artemis asked.

Holly smiled and shook her head. "No," she whispered. "Maybe you better kiss me more."

They both leaned in and met in the middle, clicking together once more. They didn't want to stop any time soon.

Thank god for elevator love stories.