A/N This is really just a filler chapter that begins to set up all the romance. Have any of you guessed what the pairings are?
Disclaimer: I own the plot, Alexa, Jazz and Willie. Everything else is Eoin Colfer's.
Gossip, and Rumors of a Date
Trouble sighed and leaned back in his chair. "We can't do anything about that. Willie, I'm giving you a copy of the debriefing for your project. Holly I want you to go with Artemis and complete the Ritual tonight. I'm sending Alexa with you. She'll transport both of you back."
Who would have thought riding in a limo could be so uncomfortable? Alexa thought. It was a couple hours after the debriefing and she, Artemis, and Holly were in the back of the Fowl Limo. Suddenly, the phone rang.
"Hello Mother," Artemis answered formally.
"Some things have come up in the village so I shall remain here for a few days. I'll come back to Fowl Manor on Thursday. I have a date with Minerva on Wednesday." He paused as Mrs. Fowl talked some more.
"Yes, it is the same Minerva Paradizo. We were becoming friends before I disappeared. Actually, she was the reason I was in Taiwan to start with. We got into an argument about Time Paradoxes and we decided to resolve it over dinner." Another pause.
"Yes, Butler will be accompanying us. I have no doubt Minerva will also have a bodyguard. There is no need for chaperones." When Holly and Alexa realized what was going on, they burst into silent laughter. The great Artemis Fowl was going on a date! As Artemis glared at them, the girls hid their laughter behind their hands.
Willie and Jazz were talking to N01, Qwan, and Hadley Shrivelington Basset.
"What do Demons usually eat?" Jazz asked, hands poised over a keyboard.
"Rabbits!" Basset said at the same time as Qwan said, "Fish!"
Willie frowned. "Both of which are illegal in Haven. Voles are allowed, that's pretty much it. I suppose we could petition the Counsel to allow us humans to buy several rabbits topside and start a breeding program. It might take a while, until then you'd have to eat vole. Do we still have access to that mice farm, Jazz? You know, the one over in San Antonio?"
"I think so. There's no reason not to. We agreed not to turn them in for finances if they allowed us to use the facilities at any time. I suppose we could get a couple thousand of their Albinos. Last I heard, they were beginning to euthanize them. It'll help both us and the farm. There's not much we can say about fish, even humans have restrictions on that. We'd have to break into a hatchery, and we agreed not to do anything more illegal activities." Jazz frowned. "I think we have food covered. Qwan, we're going to have to introduce Demons back to the old ways slowly. So Basset and N01 should answer. At the moment, Both Haven and Atlantis are getting overcrowded. How many demons are there?"
N01 thought, "About six hundred." He looked at Jazz and Willie as their mouths popped open. "What?"
"So where do you live when you're not in Haven?" Holly asked as she and Alexa waited for nightfall.
"All three of us live in LA. You probably knew that, considering Jazz fell down E 116. We attend Venice Senior High School as Seniors. We skipped quite a few grades before Willie and I gained the "druggie" reputation. As it is, we're completing several courses on line. Jazz is just an outcast. It's well known her electives are college engineering courses." Alexa smirked.
"How did you manage to get a druggie reputation?" Holly asked, concerned.
"Not that hard. Everyone knows I live with my mom, and that she isn't the most aware person in the bunch. That, and my sister being a pothead set up an environment for addiction. Then, a teacher both Willie and I are close to was discovered to be a drug dealer. What is unknown to anyone is that Willie and I were the ones who turned them in. It became a cycle. We'd get close to someone, and then they'd be arrested for drug dealing. People began to make up reasons for why that happened. The reputation helps though. We can disappear for a week or more and people will assume we had to get more drugs or had accidentally ODed on something."
"Do you have any other friends?"
Alexa shrugged. "Not really. I don't trust people easily. I trust you because I trust the LEP, and Trouble trusts you."
"How long have you known Jazz and Willie?"
Alexa laughed. "What is this, the Inquisition? I've known Jazz my entire life, when my dad was around he and Mr. Murot were golf buddies. I met Willie five years ago, when he became an exchange student. His parents live on Wall street." She rolled her eyes, "Businessmen. Anyway, He was living with my sister's second boyfriend." She scowled. Yeah, one of the ones that tried to rape me. Thanks to Willie he didn't succeed. "I'd rather not talk about my family right now."
Holly was puzzled by Alexa's behavior. She was so vivacious and fun most of the time, but if you strayed into her past, she gained a pained expression. What had happened that hurt her so much?
"What did you think of Artemis, Jazz?" Willie asked as he leaned against a wall in the Ops Booth. Jazz was typing furiously into a computer.
"Hmm? Oh, I thought he was a jerk. I think he's jealous that we can come down to Haven whenever we feel like and he can't. He's also being rude to Alexa." Jazz answered distractedly.
"What did I tell you about multi-tasking?" Willie walked over and pulled out her Bluetooth. "I understand that you're naturally protective of Alexa when she's with a boy, we all are, but Holly's with her. I highly doubt anything will happen."
Jazz sighed, "I know, but can we really trust Holly? She's been gone for three years."
"The LEP does, so I guess we should. It'll take a while before we lose our doubts, but I think we should still trust her. Artemis is another story. The LEP doesn't trust him, and he is a criminal mastermind."
"Weren't we?"
"Yes, but we only broke the law to get others arrested, correctly. What exactly about Artemis don't you like?"
Jazz groaned. "He's so arrogant because he's considered a genius. I have higher IQ scores than him, but do I act like that? No. He has bodyguard, and he doesn't know how to defend himself. I intensely dislike physical activity, but I can use weapons and know self-defense. According to Foaly, he's changed a lot since he kidnapped Holly. Yet he still thinks he can boss others around. Did you notice his face when he asked why we were at the debriefing? He was livid. And that doesn't begin to cover the worst part. Did you notice how he kept looking at Alexa like a piece of art for purchase? He's seriously giving me the creeps."
Willie frowned, "No, I didn't notice. I'll keep an eye on it. Except I don't think I'll need to burst through doors with a frying pan again. Besides, you might not have been paying attention to her throat mic, but he's got a date with a Minerva Paradizo tomorrow."
Jazz's jaw dropped. "You're kidding!"
"No, I'm not. They got into an argument about the Time Paradox and he just asked her."
"Well, maybe we can teach him a bit of humility." Jazz grinned wickedly.
A/N Guessed the Pairings? This chapter is kind of misleading. Pay attention to Alexa's thoughts. I changed it from a full blown flashback which was decidedly too graphic to this.