Okay, I know I've put out like four chapters in two days. I'm not going to have this much coming out on a regular basis, but it's the weekend and I'm stuck at home. Please please comment on this, it makes it so much more worthwhile to write if I know what you're thinking. Thanks!

The stars are far brighter here than they are near Dublin, Artemis thought. It is amazing, how beautiful light flooding in from millions of years ago truly is. He was lying on the ground, staring up at the starry sky, lost in thought. The moonlight danced over the gentle waves on the lake, and a soft cool breeze was blowing across the campsite. There should be more places like this, places without human interference. The natural world is beautiful. When I return home, I will contact some of those save-the-earth organizations and see what I can do. He grinned in the moonlight. If I tell Holly, no doubt she'll laugh at me. "Artemis Fowl, criminal genius, has gone tree hugger?" He continued in his thoughts, undisturbed.

* * *

Holly was perched on a log by the dying fire, watching Artemis. He looked the way an eighteen-year old boy was supposed to look: happy. Artemis looked content, an emotion that did not appear on him very often. Holly smiled as he grinned to himself; no doubt he was coming up with some new scheme to occupy him for the extent of their trip. He looked up and saw her watching him, and he motioned for her to come and sit by him. She decided to comply with his wishes, and slid off the log.

"Hey Artemis," she said as she collapsed on the ground next to him. "I would ask what you've been thinking about, but I'm not sure I want to know."

"The sky, the lake, the trees – I'm surprised Butler didn't bring me out here earlier. It's absolutely beautiful."

"Would you have willingly come to Minnesota earlier?" she searched his face, trying to get inside his mind.

Artemis paused. "No, I don't believe that I would have. I don't believe that Butler would have let me, either. But I am not a child anymore, and he realizes that. That is why he told me to do this, an initiation of sorts."

"Initiation into what? Manhood?" Holly snorted.

Artemis shrugged. "Being an adult, taking care of myself, doing things for myself. Call it what you wish. Butler will always be there for me, but I'm no longer dependant on him. We've both realized that."

Holly nodded. "So what are you going to do after this? Now that you're an adult. Get a job?" she smiled at the idea of Artemis working for anyone else.

"Honestly, Holly, I do not know yet. I'm not under any pressure to do something drastic, but I am planning on finding other things to occupy my time."

Holly heard the undertones in that statement, and it piqued her curiosity. "What 'things', Artemis?" Artemis didn't reply. Holly's mind filled with possible things he could have meant: crimes, business opportunities, exploitations, new projects.

"Holly, I was wondering…"

"Yes, Artemis?"

"Did the surveillance tapes from Rathdown Park eight years ago ever get wiped? I was sure that my younger self wiped them, but so many other things changed in the time paradox… I thought you might know if Foaly had seen them or not."

A confused look flashed across Holly's face. "No, I don't believe that they were… but why would it matter if Foaly saw them? He knows everything that went on then."

"Everything, Holly? Everything?" Artemis murmured. It took Holly a second to get what he meant, but then she remembered what he was referring to. Way to ruin a perfect camping trip, Artemis, she thought bitterly to herself. She didn't need a reminder of how she had kissed him, or how she had thought about it every couple days since then.

"Oh. That. No, Foaly hasn't seen…" she cut her reply short when she remembered what Foaly had said to her right before she left to watch over Artemis. "Have fun, Holly, don't forget to behave yourself. And remember that I'm always watching." She'd thought he meant that she shouldn't do what she always did: disobey the rulebook. She hadn't realized that he was referring to her and Artemis being alone together for two weeks. Stupid centaur. One of these days, I'm going to get him.

"So Foaly did see those, then." Artemis sounded confident, not embarrassed.

"I think so," Holly admitted weakly. Foaly would never let her forget about that. Ever.

"Just wondering," Artemis said.

"Artemis?" Holly said quietly.

"I'm here."

"I meant what I said - when I told you that your elf-kissing days were over." She hoped he couldn't feel her cheeks heating up in the cool night air. She wasn't particularly fond of this subject, but she knew that it was bound to come up sometime or other. It was as good a time as it would ever be to address that matter.

"I know, Holly. I never assumed for a moment that you meant otherwise." Artemis replied evenly.

"And I still mean it. Nothing has changed."

"I know, Holly."

"So why did you have to bring all this up, Artemis? If you already know where things stand." Holly said, frustrated.

"I didn't," Artemis smirked. "You did. All I did was ask if the tapes were ever wiped. You took that memory and flew with it. I knew you weren't about to tell me what you thought of that, but I figured that you'd unconciously give your thoughts away if I asked a vaguely related question."

Holly fumed. Of course. Leave it to the evil genius boy to pry at her subconcious while she merely answered the most basic of questions.

"And did it work?" she finally allowed herself to ask.

Artemis stood up smiling. "I think you made your position on things very clear, Holly. Good night." He walked off towards the tent, letting Holly lay there and wonder if she had told him something that she herself didn't know. One of these days, I'm going to get normal friends.

Please please R&R! it's so much more worthwhile to write when I know what you guys are thinking. Thanks!

:) Teya