TRAINING

Artemis hit the ground with a muffled thump and felt the air whoosh out of his lungs.

"Not bad," Viola commented blithely, perched over him with her hands on his chest and her knees to either side of his waist. She grinned devilishly, "But not quite good enough."

He glared at her. Damn, she wasn't even breathing too hard. "Alright, you win." Again. "Mind letting me up now?"

She laughed and rolled off, then bounced to her feet with that grin still firmly in place. She stood over him with her hands on her hips, eyes glinting merrily. Artemis grumbled as he got to his feet, swiping at the sweat on his brow. "Show off," he told her, glowering.

Viola laughed, grabbing the towel she'd tossed into the corner of the dojo a few bouts ago to dab at the perspiration clinging to her chest and neck. "Hey, you agreed to this," she reminded him cheekily.

He rolled his eyes at her. Yes, after the rather…unfortunate incident several weeks prior wherein he'd struck one of their classmates and broken a knuckle, Butler had declared that his increased defense training was of no use if he didn't have regular sparing practice to accustom him to actual combat. Looking back on it, it was almost disturbing how readily Viola had agreed to the idea.

"Here." He was snapped back to the present by Viola throwing a bottle of water at him. He caught it on reflex, snatching it a moment before it connected with the side of his face. Then he paused, blinking. Well.

Viola raised an eyebrow and gave him a half smirk. "Well your reaction time is improving, if nothing else," she noted.

Artemis took a gulp of water. "If I didn't know any better," he began casually, "I'd say you sounded almost impressed."

Her other eyebrow crept up to join its twin, but he knew he was right. He didn't know if it was his increase in training since his last confrontation with Opal or the regular practice Viola provided or some combination of the two factors, but even he could tell his skill was proving. He felt fairly confident that he could hold his own now in a fight.

Unfortunately, Viola could do much more than that.

"Alright." She took another swig from her own bottle, then tossed it and the towel to the side again. Her lips curved up tauntingly and she slid gracefully into a fighting stance. "Again."

He sighed.

Of the many words that Artemis had before applied to Viola- irritating, klutzy, charming, witty, loud, damaged, selfless, brash, reckless, beautiful, to name a few- he found he had one more to add to the list: merciless.

"Come on, Arty," the girl teased, dancing lithely around him with an infuriating smirk. "You're thinking too much. Focus less on where I'm going to be and more where I am. You aren't a sniper, you're hand fighting. Get in the moment!" Her fist lashed out and caught his ribs. He knew she was holding back, but the blow was still hard enough to bruise. And hurt like a son of a-

"Too slow!"

He whirled around and just barely managed to duck the punch that came at his head, before realizing (a fraction of a second too late) that the strike was a feint used to cause a distraction. Viola's foot snapped out and she hooked his legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor for the umpteenth time that day. Before she could completely immobilize him, however, he rolled to the left and somehow managed to get back to his feet without "clambering".

Viola nodded approvingly, hands up in a guard position. "Not bad."

Artemis didn't waste time responding, instead jabbing forward, under her guard, and forcing her to skitter back- and tangle her foot in the towel she had discarded earlier. Her eyes widened as she realized his trick and he couldn't help smirking, just a little, before stepping firmly onto the cloth and yanking it out from under her.

The girl staggered and dropped, trying to twist to break her fall with her hands and push herself back up but unable to right herself quickly enough. Artemis stood over her, panting, as she lay on the ground looking up at him. He felt absurdly triumphant.

"Not bad," Viola said again, breathing just a little ragged. "But-"

He knew what was going to happen and instant before it did and mentally kicked himself. Of course. Because it's never that easy.

Viola's legs locked around his and brought him down yet again. In an instant she was crouched over him, pinning his wrists above his head and giving him that completely infuriating smirk. She tutted at him, eyes sparkling wickedly. "Never assume your opponent is defeated."

Damn her.

xXx

All in all, Viola found she was feeling rather cocky by the time dinner rolled around. True, it wasn't like she'd gone toe-to-toe with one of the Butler siblings, but Artemis was actually growing into a decent opponent. And she'd still managed to utterly trounce him.

…Okay. Maybe she could stand to be a little less pleased with herself for beating her boyfriend in endless sparring matches.

There is definitely something wrong with me, she thought as she took her usual place between Connor and Liz, across from Artemis. She smiled and chatted as the meal meandered on, a small part of her mind sitting back and wondering at the beautiful simplicity of the whole scene. A few months ago, she would have thought participating in a family dinner was just as likely for her as riding a unicorn into Narnia, whereupon she would undergo a quest to take the One Ring to Hogwarts. Yet, here she was.

It was nice.

After the meal, the members of the household dispersed to pursue their own preferred activities. Sam and Liz wandered off somewhere (she didn't want to think about that- those two acted like they'd been apart for months when in actuality she and her student-aged siblings were at the manor most weekends, now). She, Artemis, and Connor found themselves in one of the smaller parlors- as seemed to be becoming a habit- reading quietly or playing with Beckett when the boy meandered in to demand their attention.

"I swear," Artemis muttered, shaking his head as Juliet came to cart the child away for bedtime, with much protesting and negotiation that eventually culminated in her requiring Connor's assistance. "In a way he can be scarier than Myles."

Viola laughed, leaning against his legs as she closed her book (The Amber Spyglass, tonight). She looked up at the armchair he was lounging in and grinned. "I dunno. Still think you might be scariest, far as the Fowl boys are concerned."

He mock glared at her over his own book. "I don't think I appreciate that, coming from you," he drawled.

She frowned, sitting up a bit straighter, and crossed her arms in a dramatic huff. "I don't think I like what you're insinuating," she said primly, turning her nose up at him. "I am a perfect lady. I am not in the least bit scary."

Artemis snorted.

"Oi!" She slapped lightly at his leg. "You could at least pretend to agree with me."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." He cleared his throat and sat up straight, placing his book to the side. "Do forgive me, my most noble and elegant lady," he said in a clipped, regal tone, laying a hand over his heart. Those sinfully blue eyes glinted down at her merrily.

She nodded sharply and proclaimed. "Much better."

Artemis laughed, then leaned down to press a quick kiss to her lips. She couldn't stop the small sigh of contentment that escaped her, and felt him smile against her mouth. He kissed her again, tilting his head slightly, and her eyes fluttered closed.

After a very enjoyable minute or two, she murmured, "We really should get to bed soon."

"Well, that's rather forward of you. But if you insist-"

Viola broke away, startled laughter bursting from her in a combination of shock and amusement. Usually she was the one making obvious innuendos. Perhaps she was rubbing off on him- it was not an entirely unpleasant thought, albeit maybe a terrifying one. "No, I don't think there's time for that," she said with a smirk and a playful wink. "We've got to be rested for training tomorrow."

Artemis groaned, and she laughed.

"Be aware of your surroundings."

Thud.

"Not that aware- I'm over here, not across the room!"

Thump.

"You're technique is flawless. Worry less about that and more about your actual attacker!"

Thwack.

"Honestly, you just need to get out of your own head. I know the idea is foreign to you-"

Wisssh.

She blinked, actually a bit surprised, then turned to face her opponent, who had somehow managed to dodge around her kick and end up behind her. She smiled. "Much better." Then she darted in and snaked his legs out from under him, sending them both to the floor with a crash!

"But you relaxed too much once it looked like you'd got away," she said, sitting back so she was crouched over his chest, which was rising and falling much more rapidly than usually. If she was being honest, she felt a bit winded herself. That alone was sign of the boy's growing skill. But of courses she'd never actually tell him that. Instead she rolled her eyes heavenward and said with a long-suffering sigh, "How many times do I have to tell you, Arty-"

Before she could finish Artemis suddenly bucked beneath her, throwing her to the side. Before she had time to process what was happening, she was flat on her back with her wrists pinned above her head, staring up into icy eyes.

Artemis smirked, his grip on her wrists firm but not harsh. "Never assume your opponent is defeated," he murmured, breath ghosting across her skin. She shivered, though her body actually felt overheated. Very overheated.

"That's cheating." Her voice came out much more breathy than she intended.

"Mm." He quirked an eyebrow. She knew he could read her reactions like an open book. And the fact that he was pretty much laying on top of her was not helping matters. "I prefer to call it…creative problem solving." His voice dropped a little lower. Her shiver turned into a shudder, and he smirked.

Well. He wasn't the only one who could read reactions. And she had the benefit of being an empath. She could feel his adrenaline as clearly as her own, if she reached for it, could feel the satisfaction and triumph of his victory…and feel his heart beat stutter when she sucked in a breath and her chest brushed against his. If she reached again, not further but deeper, she could feel desire, tightly coiled and held in check, but burning like and inferno in his core. No, her core- damnit, when had it gotten so hot in here?

Eyes of eyes with a fire lit behind them stared down at her and suddenly to needed to be closer. Arching her back she strained up against his hold, but he pulled back just enough to deny her, smirking when she growled in frustration. "I believe first," he said, voice now a rough purr that sent every nerve ending in her body zinging, "a recognition is in order."

She glared at him but he simply smiled back. Damn him and his arrogant little smiles and those positively irritatingly blue eyes and the way his hair was mussed and looking like- oh, to hell with it.

"Fine," she admitted. "You win."

Soooo, yeah...

I'm still alive :) I have not abandoned this project, I'm just busy so updates with probably be about a monthly/ bi-monthly thing...sorry!

Also, you can probably expect some more Arty/Vi moments like this in this particular fic. For those of you who don't like it, I apologize, but these kids are growin' up and things are bound to get a little...ahem...steamy, occasionally. For those of you who do like it- whoo boy are in in for a ride! ;)