"I'll let him know we are here." Tinsley smiled as she shut the car door. The gravel of the driveway that led to Fowl manor crunched beneath her feet. She had to admit, she was nervous. Artemis really had something against visitors, and she didn't want to be on his bad side, not when things seemed so rocky as it was.

Tinsley didn't need to let him know of her arrival; he watched with a look of disgust as Minerva stepped out of the car and surveyed the manor. He was on the second floor, looking out the huge window of the study room. His eyes observed Minerva and Tinsley through a thin crack in large maroon curtains

"Butler, we might very well have a problem," Artemis announced through gritted teeth. He watched as Minerva flung her nose in the air, approaching the estate as though a foul odor seeped from it. Her lips were pursed in obvious agitation as she flipped a loose gold curl off her shoulders.

"No, we most certainly have a problem on our hands. No question." Artemis corrected himself, something that didn't happen very often.

Butler, sitting in a chair in the study, didn't know what Artemis was talking about, but he didn't like the sound of it. He cocked his gun, prepping it for use. Artemis, catching the gesture out of his peripheral vision, shook his head.

"Not that kind of crisis. Well, it certainly might require the use of firearms before all is said and done," he said with a forced grin. He had to try and make light of it, after all. At this point, that was all he could do.

Butler looked at him in obvious confusion.

"It was a joke, old friend," Artemis informed him with a slight sigh.

Angeline was the first to greet Tinsley and Minerva. She wore a simple elegant black dress and a big grin, as if her own daughter was coming home for a visit. Considering how graciously she'd accepted Tinsley after her mother's death, that wasn't too off the mark. With open arms she gripped Tinsley in a big hug. A sweet, undoubtedly expensive, perfume bombarded Tinsley's nostrils. She resisted the urge to sneeze, but just barely. It'd been close enough to get her heart beating faster with worry as she subtly pulled herself from Angeline's grasp. What if she had sneezed on Artemis's mom? That wouldn't have ended well; not that Angeline wouldn't have handled it in a civilized manner, but the dry cleaning bill would have been huge, and Angeline probably would have never looked at Tinsley the same way again. She certainly wouldn't be so quick to hug Tinsley anymore.

"It's so very nice to see you, dear!" She said in a light, sing-song voice. Her eyes fell upon Minerva, who stood awkwardly in the open front door with a scowl on her face. Liam was crammed into the back trunk of Tinsley's car, and she was contemplating when would be a good time to change that. Butler and Artemis would have to be distracted, and the time frame didn't seem too flexible. Nevertheless, she could pull it off. She would have to.

"And what is your name, dear?" Angeline inquired with a sweet smile. Minerva shifted uncomfortably, caught off guard. She had been consumed in planning the diversion she would need to temporarily distract Artemis and Butler. As if Angeline's smile was the light bulb, the idea clicked in her mind, and a twisted smile formed across her lips. To Angeline and Tinsley, it looked perfectly pleasant.

"I'm Minerva Paradizo. It is a pleasure meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Angeline said, beaming at Minerva's charm. She had been unsure of the girl at first, having seen a light scowl on her face, but that must have been a trick of the mind. Maybe Minerva's reaction to the new environment had caused the menacing look? In any case, the girl seemed harmless now, quite pleasant actually, and Angeline liked having company over since it was such a rare occurrence. "Any friend of Tinsley's is a friend of mine."

"Is Artemis here?" Tinsley asked.

Angeline rolled her eyes and chuckled slightly. "Yes, but you know how he is. I haven't seen him all day except for breakfast. He should be in his study. Oh! -," she declared with excitement as she pulled a cell-phone out of her pocket, "I will just call him and tell him you're here!"

Before Tinsley could say it was quite alright, she'd go and get him herself, Angeline was dialing the number on the shiny keys of her sleek, black cell-phone. She'd only bought it recently, and so, she was rather quick to use it in even the most unnecessary of circumstances. A few mumbled words later, she snapped it shut with a bit of a forced smile. "He'll be down shortly."

Tinsley smiled and nodded -knowing Artemis, he'd tried to delay coming down to greet the guests. He might have concocted this really brilliant excuse, but Angeline wouldn't buy it. He really didn't like company.

"They're only staying the weekend," Butler, having been informed of Minerva's visit through Angeline's phone call, reminded his charge. Artemis paced the room, deep in thought. The way he saw it, he had two options: avoid Minerva altogether, though that would probably mean avoiding Tinsley as well, since, inevitably, the two would be close together. Tinsley wouldn't allow her personal guest to feel alone or unwelcome here, and he didn't like the idea of Tinsley being here and not talking to her that much

. Or he could force some light talk, which would be incredibly awkward. Putting on a mask of control and calmness wasn't the issue - that he could execute, quite masterfully, in fact. Except the situation wasn't in his control, even if he feigned it. He knew Minerva couldn't be here by coincidence. She had to have a plan of some sort, and he couldn't even fathom what it could possibly be. It was probably some silly attempt at revenge, but he couldn't underestimate her. So no, as much as he'd like to believe he could manage this, as much as he'd like to believe Minerva's hypothetical scheme didn't pose a threat, too many variables hung loosely in the air. He simply didn't hold all the cards in this scenario. Not that he didn't intend to change that.

A/N: Um - please review -please? Even if it is just a one line comment? I love feedback!