Two: The Day After

"Arty, you're in high spirits today!" the voice of Artemis Fowl senior wafted down the hallway to Butler's ears. Butler continued to sauté the porcini mushrooms for Artemis's lunch (the family cook had the day off until dinner) with the seriousness with which he'd have dispatched a petty thug trying to pick his pocket. But he was smiling inside. Oh how he was smiling.

Butler had known Artemis for all of his eighteen years but in that time he didn't think he'd ever seen him so... happy. Not even when he'd forged his first Monet. Artemis was smiling. Grinning even. It was positively unnatural.

Or at least Butler would have thought so if he hadn't been aware of precisely why Artemis was so pleased. As it was, he did know why and was satisfied that such unusual good humour was not unexpected under the circumstances. After all, spending the night with a beautiful woman for the first time was bound to have that effect on an eighteen-year-old, even one of Artemis's intellectual prowess.

"Father," Artemis replied, quite calmly. "I'm glad you're all well. How was your trip?"

"Marvellous, Arty," replied Angeline. "I wish you could have come. How are you today? Is your migraine gone?"

"Yes, I'm entirely recovered."

More than recovered, Butler thought. The sight of those two coming down to breakfast together this morning was something he would never forget. Holly, decked out in her Shimmer Suit as always, had looked abashed while Artemis had put on a good show of composure... composure that had melted away into a smile whenever he'd turned to glance at her.

"We saw dinosaurs!" Beckett announced.

"The brachiosaurus model was extremely disappointing," Myles noted. "Its neck was positioned at an untenable angle."

"That's very common in older exhibits," Artemis noted. "It likely won't be corrected until the museum renovates. Though there's still a great deal of debate over the issue of sauropod neck posture."

Attention focussed on the skillet, Butler stirred in several cloves of chopped garlic with the browned mushrooms. He let the mixture cook for another thirty seconds and then pulled the skilled off the heat and set it aside, turning his attention to the fettuccine.

In the other room, Angeline continued to remark on how much better Artemis was looking. If only they knew...

It wasn't that it had been particularly unexpected. For some time now, Artemis had been conducting "research," as he called it; he'd been making a study of love, scouring psychological and literary texts on the matter. And since Artemis only had two female acquaintances – Minerva Paradizo and Holly Short – it was not terribly difficult to figure out the aim of his research. Beautifully convenient as it would have been for Artemis to take an interest in Minerva, Butler did not have to be a genius to realize that it was not the young French girl who had captured his charge's attention. After all, Artemis had been reading – and making Butler listen to – a wide assortment of tales focussed on men with fey lovers, everything from Keats's "La Belle Dame Sans Merci," to the story of Sigurd and Brynhild in the Volsung Saga. Artemis's calculated obliviousness did not fool Butler, nor did Butler really believe it was meant to. Rather, he supposed it was Artemis's sideways manner of letting him in on his secret.

And when Butler had pointed out that most of these stories did not end happily, Artemis had shrugged and suggested that there was always The Lord of the Rings.

"Did anything happen, Arty?" Angeline asked, but her voiced faded as they moved into another room.

Butler drained the fettuccine and poured it into the skillet along with the mushrooms. He stirred in black pepper, pecorino cheese, a touch of lemon, and dash more olive oil.

And Holly? No, that did not much surprise him either. After all those two had been through together over the years, the lengths she had gone to for Artemis, what else could that be but love? That it had grown from something innocent to something more seemed only natural. Even her apparent forwardness was hardly unexpected when he considered it; she was always wont to act on her feelings. It seemed to be an elfish trait, quite the opposite of Artemis.

Butler had just finished adding the garnishes to the plate when Artemis entered the kitchen, having finally disentangled himself from his family. He watched as Artemis forked the pasta into his mouth, without taking much note of it, judging by the distant expression on his face. He looked as if he were replaying something in his thoughts and Butler could well imagine what.

When Artemis paused, fork frozen in midair, Butler could keep silent no longer. "When should I expect Holly to drop by again?"

Artemis hurriedly placed his forgotten fork down on his plate and straightened. "I don't know yet. With the time difference and her shift I don't expect she'll call until morning."

"I see. I'll brush up on my vegetarian cooking."

"Best make it vegan to be safe," Artemis said, though it was clear to Butler from the slight curve of his lips that Artemis had other things on his mind than food.

Butler shook his head. "What exactly did you tell your family you were so happy about, Artemis? I heard them asking."

Artemis smiled his vampire smile. "I simply told them I'd proven Goldbach's Conjecture."

Butler had to check Wikipedia to be sure Artemis was joking.

ooo

Artemis had a smaller version of the fairy communicator, the one he wore as an elaborate ring, but when Holly's call came in, he made a point of answering on the one she had slipped him all those years ago. It had a screen.

Her image sprang to life on the tiny screen and no sooner had he answered than a smile appeared on her face. "Artemis," she said warmly. "I waited to call. I didn't want to wake you."

"You didn't," he answered. He couldn't help himself: he was grinning. And so was she.

Completely besotted – the both of us.

After a few moments of this, Holly laughed. "I feel like an adolescent again."

"I seem to have that effect on you."

"Try not to sound so pleased about it."

He gave her one of his vampire smiles. He couldn't deny it: it did please him. That after all this time he could distract her as much as she did him and that she wanted him as he did her. It pleased him very much indeed.

"So how are things up there?" she asked.

"Fine. My family is back and they were pleased to find me in such high spirits. To Butler's great amusement, I might add." Butler knew exactly why Artemis was in such a fine mood, the natural effect of a surge of post-coital endorphins.

"I got an earful from Foaly myself. He had a good laugh at my expense."

"So you spoke him today."

"Yes. Don't worry about the cam feed. He shut it off before things got too... interesting."

Artemis allowed himself a moment to feel relief washing over him. He had not cared for the thought that the centaur might have had the misfortune of eavesdropping on an intimate moment.

"And you?" he asked finally. "How did you fare with the Council?"

Holly rolled her eyes. "They're satisfied you're not up to anything too dastardly. In fact they seem to think I've got you in the palm of my hand." A derisive snort.

"And so you do. Or at least you did yesterday," he said archly.

Holly's lips quirked. "I doubt that's quite what the Council had in mind."

"I should hope not. I would be very disappointed in the Council if they'd sent you to..." He cleared his throat. "Deflower me."

Holly rolled her eyes. "That sounds like something from one of your romance novels."

"You'd prefer 'ravish' perhaps? Or 'despoil'?"

"How about 'shag'? Though I don't think that quite covers it."

"No," he said, looking through the viewscreen into her eyes. "I don't believe it does."

Her smile was wistful as she spoke again. "This isn't going to be easy. It's only been a day... And I miss you."

"I miss you as well," he admitted. It came out more stiffly than he'd have liked, but she smiled. She knew; she understood. "When do you think you'll next be able to visit?"

"Not for a month at least."

"A month."

A groan rolled out of him then and Holly winced. "Don't do that. It makes it worse."

"You object to my groaning?"

"Yes. When you do it like that. And you're over there and I'm over here. In that case I object very much."

He smiled, revealing an incisor. "Ah, Captain Short, and all this time I thought you were immune to my charms."

"Liar. You haven't thought that in years." Her expression sobered. "Tell me, Artemis... How much of last night– yesterday– was planned?"

"Very little."

Her brow furrowed. "Are you sure? Because it worked out to your advantage on two counts. You got a cure for your magically-induced migraines. And... me."

"The former was only a matter of chance. I couldn't have predicted you would arrive when you did. That was fortuitous, I admit. There was a plan, Holly, but nothing so elaborate. I'm sure you've noticed I've given my criminal tendencies an outlet you can't object to?" And then, before she could correct him, "Or that you can hardly object to in any case."

"That was for my benefit?"

"Largely yes, though admittedly it was a path my father started me on when he returned to us. That it might help my cause where you were concerned was an extra incentive. Would you fault me for plotting the most effective way of gaining your esteem?"

She smiled and shook her head. "You're a born schemer, Artemis. But the funny thing is, I love you anyway." It was embarrassing, really, how much hearing those words affected him, leaving him grinning like a fool.

After a few more moments of foolish grinning on both their parts, Holly gave herself a shake. "I'm going to bankrupt myself with these calls."

"I could–"

"I don't want your charity, Artemis," she snapped.

He raised an eyebrow, utterly unconvinced. "I hardly think that a man offering to help pay for long distance calls so he can spend more time talking to his lover constitutes charity."

"Lover," she repeated shaking her head.

He allowed himself a hint of one of his vampire smiles. "I wasn't certain if you preferred 'girlfriend.' It seemed a touch prosaic for our situation."

Holly ran a hand over her eyes, taking in a deep breath. She was still smiling, though. "I need to get used to this. It's strange still."

"Perhaps, but strangely pleasant as well."

Her smile widened. "Yes. I should go though. It's late here."

He nodded. "The time difference, yes..." He'd just gotten up and she would be going to bed. "Well... Goodnight then, Holly."

"Goodnight, Artemis."