Artemis' jaw was still dropped as Sier greeted their new guest. Artemis still couldn't believe it. It just seemed so impossible. It was so…unexpected. He felt betrayed, lied to; this must've been what it was like for Holly when…
"Artemis Fowl," The newcomer spoke for the first time. His voice sounded different from when Artemis had heard it last.
Despite his disbelief, Artemis had to try to remain dignified. This was not time for a sob fest.
He picked himself up mentally. "Yes?"
The newcomer laughed at Artemis' seemingly calm demeanor. "Does this not come as a surprise to you?"
"Yes, it does; greatly so." Artemis raised an eyebrow in order to prove his point. His act was paying off; he still thought of him as emotionless about his betrayal.
The newcomer shook his head. "Always the same Artemis. Tell me old friend, how does it feel to be blindsided?"
Artemis was ready to yell. Old friend? How dare he call him an old friend?! He was a liar, a cheap excuse for what Artemis had thought of as a friend. "You are no old friend of mine." His voice dripped with venom. "You-"
"Oh, what's wrong Artemis?" He interrupted. "Don't like the taste of your own medicine? Imagine this as how Holly felt, when you lied to her. She still thinks of you as a friend. You think of her as something more…"
"I told you that in confidentiality." Artemis growled.
"And how do you think dear Alexander here knew about your fondness of her? Read my mind did he? No, I told him. I told him everything." He smiled ruthlessly.
"You see Artemis," Sier/Alexander entered the conversation. "This is why trust is a weakness. When you trust someone, you lay your life in their hands; allow them to do with it what they chose."
"You stabbed me in the back. I thought of you as a man with more honor than that." Artemis spoke as if Sier/Alexander hadn't uttered a word. This was between him and his newfound enemy.
"You thought wrong." He answered bluntly.
Artemis shook his head and reserved to looking at the floor.
"Say my name Artemis."
He shook his head again.
"Say my name Artemis." He repeated.
Artemis looked up at him. The picture of a one time friend, companion…and bodyguard flashed into his mind, and compared it with the picture in front of him.
He sighed. "Domovoi Butler."
Butler smiled at his ex-charge's vulnerability.
"Yes, tell me Artemis, how does reality taste?"
Holly woke up, feeling like she was in the middle of a hangover. The light streaming down on her from the ceiling was not helping her headache at all. Regardless, that was not the only reason she didn't want to open her eyes. If she opened her eyes, then it would prove everything was real. She would much rather believe it was just a terrible nightmare, than have to face facts.
And she was ashamed.
Despite the knowledge that she had been drugged, her captor hadn't graced her with a drug that rendered her unconscious of her actions during the effects that they had made on her. She couldn't imagine how much she possibly hurt Artemis.
I love this man.
I don't care about you.
Just leave me; I never want to see you again.
Lies, all lies; induced by a drug which had restored her magic, but at the same time taken over her body and vocal cords. It was as if the words were programmed into the drink that she had been offered by that strange, strange man.
The strange, strange man who had posed as her fiancé, mesmerized her great aunt, captured her in the most inconvenient outfit that she owned, and was quite possibly torturing one of her best friends.
That had made her torture one of her best friends.
She had seen the look on Artemis' face after her words had sunk in. He had been cut deep. She knew that her opinion meant something to him, just not that much. And worst of all, he seemed to believe it. Didn't he believe that she had more respect for him than that?
When Holly had demanded a visa and gone to visit Artemis two years ago, in complete rage, he let her talk to him. She stated that she was going to quit the LEP, because they were all a bunch of 'close-minded, male biased, unethical bastards'. Artemis told her that she was being pathetic. When she looked ready to punch him, he stated that she wasn't thinking and that she was better than most of them anyways. That she shouldn't let them get to her, because quitting would be just what they wanted her to do. When she asked him about why he had said what he did later, he told her that a scientist named Richard Dawkins once said, "I respect you too much to respect your ridiculous idea." He left it at that.
Artemis respected her. He proved it that day. So why wouldn't he believe that she also respected him?
Holly's thoughts were interrupted when she heard footsteps coming towards her. Deciding to act like she was still unconscious, she slowed her breathing and turned slightly so her ears would have a better range.
Someone sat down next to her.
She didn't want to open her eyes in case it was that Sier freak, but when they touched her arm, she couldn't take it.
"Okay, back off. I-"
Artemis raised an eyebrow.
Holly blushed. "Sorry, I thought you were that Sier guy…Oh Frond! Are you okay?"
A cut stretched from just below his hazel eye to half way down his cheek. He raised his hand to it protectively. "Yes, I'm fine. Sier just…wanted to send a warning."
Holly sat up and placed her hand on his cheek. He shivered at contact, and she whipped her hand back. "Did that hurt?"
Artemis cleared his throat. "No, no. Sorry just-never mind."
Holly raised an eyebrow and continued their previous conversation, while healing his wound. "What do you mean by wanted to send a warning?"
"He knew that we switched eyes. So he cut me just under yours so it would look like-"
"You were crying." Holly finished for him.
"Right, but he specifically put it under your eye because he means to cause both of us pain." He sighed as the pain was removed from his cheek by Holly's magic.
Then she gasped. "Artemis, I think you're going to have a scar."
He smirked. "Cruel beings they are."
"Wait, there are two? Who's with him?"
Artemis looked down. "Holly I really don't want to answer that."
Holly narrowed her eyes. "Artemis, tell me."
He looked up at her. The fresh scar on his cheek looked more than ever like a tear track. "Butler.", was all he had to say.
"No. No it can't be." Holly's features were graced with terror.
"Who do you think did this to me?" He asked, pointing to his cheek.
Holly's brow furrowed as she put her hand on his cheek, brushing it across so she could feel the slight rise and fall of the scar. It took all of Artemis' strength to restrain from shivering again.
Sympathy was etched into her face. "This is my fault."
Artemis wanted to lean into Holly's hand so badly. He sighed while closing his eyes. "Don't start that."
"Start what?" She shot back.
"The conversation that starts with you saying 'This is my fault.' and then I say 'No it isn't.' and we get into an argument." He opened his eyes and smiled teasingly. "I'm too tired to fight right now."
Holly smiled. She stopped stroking his face and slapped him lightly. "There, we just skipped to my part."
Artemis rolled his eyes. "I'm going to sleep now."
Holly laughed. "Coward" She stuck her tongue out at him and rolled over.
Despite everything, Artemis had to smile.
Okay, two things about this chapter...
One: Like I said before, from the first time I thought about posting this, I promised myself that it would be A/H. I also promised myself that it would be as original/unique as possible. I think that Butler has major villain potential. So sorry if you like him and think that he should always be a good guy; because I don't.
Two: Artemis (and possibly Holly) was OOC in this chapter...I realize that. So please don't obsessively tell me that he was, because like I said before, I realize that. I think of it as more of a response to his lifetime friend becoming his enemy, because I will not make him cry. That would be too OOC. Then again, like some people say, it's fan fiction. It's supposed to be unrealistic.
That being said, I thank my reviewers! Congrats to those of you who guessed HalF human. (The underlined h there wasn't included in the name, and the capitalized F in half was the beginning letter of the last name.) You receive a brownie point in my books. You might also realize that I upped the rating, purely and solely for language...I don't know how fast I'll be able to update the next chapter...I love soccer but it takes over my life a bit...
"My main reason for adopting literature as a profession was that, as the author is never seen by his clients, he need not dress respectably."
— George Bernard Shaw