I'm BAAAAAACK! Hello everyone, I understand that I was gone for a very long time, but my computer crashed taking with it all of my Documents. Downloads, and programs. Luckily I have a computer genius for a Brother-in-law. He fixed it, and I am getting used to new type of writing program. So please bear with me, I promise to try to start cranking out the chapters ASAP. Thanks!
A thanks to R U Doragon for all your help!
And no, I still do not own Artemis Fowl, or any of the characters...But one day...
FOWL MANOR
Artemis stepped out of the car, smugly aware of Holly's discomfort. Waiting in the shadows, her eyes darted back and forth, searching for any danger that would threaten the safety of her son. Giving a tolerant sigh, he calmly waited by the door till she found the coast clear enough to allow Julius free reign. The boy bounced out, sapphire eyes glowing with excitement. Running up beside the mud man, the small child tenderly placed his hand in Artemis', a smile stretching mouth.
"This is the house!" he exclaimed "The one in the picture!"
Mismatched eyes gazed in wonder, his heart melting at the innocence that stood before him, the young man returned the smile.
"Indeed it is." he replied softly "This is the place where I grew up, and it is also the home of a very important person."
"Who?"
"Your Grandmother." Artemis raised his hand, and flipped open a keypad. Punching in an entry number, he continued his explanation "She has been wanting to meet you."
"You TOLD your MOTHER about him?" Holly cried "Why? She doesn't need to know!"
"Maybe in the culture of the fey you keep grandchildren a secret from their grandparents but humans, for the most part, prefer to keep the family unit intact." the mud man turned bitter eyes to rest on the fairy standing in front of him "Which includes Grandparents. Though as someone who keeps the father in the dark concerning his son, I'm sure you have no comprehension of what being a family actually means."
"How dare you!" the elf felt hot anger boil through her veins, but also a deep guilt burn through her stomach "What makes you think you know so much? I am the one who raised Julius! I am the one who held him during his nightmares! I am the one who taught him right from wrong! But I guess I couldn't expect an antisocial former criminal to comprehend any of that!"
Artemis jerked back as if he had been slapped, his eyes swimming with pain and grief. Turning away, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed all the scathing retorts, and hurt emotions. Forcing his face back into it's neutral expression, he pressed enter on the keypad, then opened the door and stepped inside. As he walked he murmured over his shoulder;
"At least I now know how you see me."
Holly clenched her fists, walking through the door she prepared to shout a reply back at the retreating form in front of her, but a small voice stalled her cry.
"They are fighting again." Julius sighed.
"They do that." Butler quipped, glaring at the ginger head in front if him.
The elf spun around, mismatched gaze boring into the large man towering above her.
"He started it!" she growled, acutely aware of how petulant she sounded.
"But Momma," Julius said earnestly "YOU are the one who taught that it is wrong to fight, or hold anger for long periods of time, no matter who started it. But ever since we arrived, you have been very mean to Artemis, and both of you keep hurting each other's feelings. Why can't you follow what you taught me, and just apologize?"
Tears sprang to her eyes. Stumbling back, the elf darted through the door, and sprinted down the hall. Hot trails of moisture dripped down her cheeks as she ran. Why couldn't anyone understand her feelings? Now even her own son has turned against her! Lurching towards a door that led into a darkened room, she flung herself through it, and then slammed the door shut. Her back against the cool wood, she slid down to the floor. Sun shined through the windows of the small study, and the bird singing outside was a stark contrast to the darkness that now threatened to consume her soul. Drawing her knees up to her chin, Holly wrapped her arms around her midsection as sobs wracked her huddled form.
…...
The trio walked down a hallway towards a brightly lit parlor, Julius clutching Butler's large hand, his bottom lip trembling with guilt over his words towards his mother. Sniffling, he tried his best not to give away his misery to the pair he now walked alongside, but was failing with every second that passed. The mud man, whose face he shared, finally came to a pause. Turning around, face awash with repentant grief, Artemis knelt in front of the guilt ridden child, his own eyes soft with hurt. Placing a tender hand on his shoulder, he wiped the tears from his eyes with trembling hands, then the man whispered softly to his son.
"I am so sorry Julius. It is not fair to force you to watch your mother's and my arguments. I am trying to forgive her, and stop all this nonsense that is happening between us, but she hurt me very badly, and I do not believe that I am strong enough just yet. Please forgive me."
Julius regarded his father with serious eyes, his face still streaked with the tears that had dripped down his face. Suddenly, he raised his arms, and wrapped them around the mud man's neck. Burying his face into Artemis' shoulder, Julius sobbed while the young man could only clutch the boy against him. Tears of grief mingled with those of his son's on the expensive material, while Butler looked on. Giving the two some space, the gentle giant approached the door of the parlor, and knocked.
"Come in!"
Slipping inside, the large man inclined his head in silent respect of his employer. Angeline stood, her face radiant with the joy and expectation of seeing her first grandchild. Stepping gracefully across the lush carpet, she grasped one of Butler's hands, a smile ready.
"Is he here? Tell me Butler, is He here?"
"He is in the hall with Artemis." Butler replied, then softened his tone so that the duo outside the door couldn't hear "Things have been... rocky. Holly is convinced that Artemis is being unfair concerning her decision to keep Julius a secret from him."
"And how is Arty doing?"
Butler sighed, taking off his sunglasses, he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I have never seen him take anything so hard." he replied after a brief pause "He is losing his temper at Holly so quickly, and his anger burns so hot, it is making the situation worse. That boy has held himself in a strict reign since he was a child, that he has actually caused himself to not know how to handle situations that involve severe emotional distress. This is not a problem that he can just meditate his feelings away, and face head on. I honestly do not know how to help him Angeline."
The older woman cast her eyes down to the floor, her eyes full of sympathy for her eldest son.
"I have an idea of what he is going through due to what he has already told me. I do not know how to make this better any more than you do, all we can do is be there for him."
Nodding, the Eurasian turned to go back towards the door, and check on his principle, but just as he reach for the knob, he once again addressed Angeline.
"I do have one request."
The woman raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"You who never asks for anything?" she almost laughed "If it is for you, then I will most surely try to grant whatever you ask."
Butler gave another forlorn sigh.
"I am doing everything in my power to make things work on this end, but Holly has yet to realize the damage that she has done towards Artemis. As a fellow woman who has children, and understands the need to protect them, maybe you could talk to Holly. Try to understand her side, but still emphasize the need to reconcile. Her taunts towards Artemis are...cruel at best."
"That is a request easily granted." Angeline said solemnly, then suddenly her attention went directly to the door, or more accurately, the person coming through it.
He was everything that the older woman had ever imagined, ever envisioned, as what any son of Artemis would look like. A perfect miniature of his father, except for the elfin blood that ran through his veins causing him to have the pointed ears of a fairy. He was hiding slightly behind Artemis, his eyes guarded and his face closed with barely concealed anxiety. Kneeling down, the woman held outstretched arms towards the child, smiling through the tears that now streamed down her face. Julius looked up at Artemis, a question in his gaze. Giving the boy a gentle nudge, the young man directed him towards the waiting woman.
"Go ahead." He said softly "She is your Grandmother, and has been waiting to meet you for a while."
Letting go of the hand he had clung to so fiercely, the boy crept across the room, his eyes searching the face of the woman who was his Grandmother. Slowly, he stepped into her waiting arms, and allowed her to hug him tightly. Drawing back, Angeline traced his face with a gentle finger. Cupping his cheek with one hand, she gazed at him, awe written across her features.
"My God, he is beautiful." she breathed.
"I'm not beautiful!" Julius cried, his face as adorable as it was indignant "That term is contrary to my gender! Boys are not beautiful!"
Angeline felt her jaw drop as she processed the child's words. A disbelieving laugh bubbled up her throat, and past her lips.
"There is no doubt as to whom he is." she giggled "You were the same as a child!"
"I'm like him?" Julius' face lightened as hope began blossom behind his eyes, and a small smile stretched his mouth. "Really?"
"Yes." she answered "You are quite a bit like him."
The happy scene was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell, but Angeline was far too taken with the little miracle in front of her to notice.
"Darling, could you please go answer the door." she said absently "I wish to spend more time with my grandson."
Artemis walked towards the door in acknowledgment of her request, a smile lighting his face at the joy he saw in his mother's features. Yes, it was most definitely the right idea to bring Julius with him to Fowl Manor. Walking quickly, the young man opened the front door, and could only gasp in surprise. Acacia, the Greek heiress whom he had been dating, a.k.a. Trouble.
"Acacia, darling." Artemis stammered "What brings you to Fowl Manor?"
The beautiful blond pouted her full lips, green eyes pinning him with a glare.
"I came because you stood me up at the party." she accused with heavily accented English "We agreed that you would propose to me then in front of my parents."
"Indeed, that was the plan, and I apologize for not going through with it." The young man attempted to soothe her rage, by placing his hands on her upper arms in a gesture of affection "I can only beg for your forgiveness."
"That is something that I will not consent to give." she spat. Shrugging off his arms, she strode inside of the Manor, leaving Artemis to panic by the door.
"I told you the way it needed to be!" she cried "And now, I am going to your mother, and telling her that the engagement is off!"
This sentence left the mud man with conflicting emotions. One was relief. He had only dated Acacia because her family fortune would be an asset to the family, and his mother was so desperate for a grandchild, it was actually affecting her health. If Acacia called off the wedding(even though they were never technically engaged) then he would not have to marry her, a woman whom he felt no attachment to whatsoever, and his mother still had Julius! But that still left the other emotion. Panic. Because the Grecian Heiress in question was heading straight for the parlor where his mother now sat with Julius! Scrambling forward his brain worked to devise a way to keep her out of said room. He could not let her see his son. Not for his image, hang his reputation, but it was for the protection of the People.
"Acacia, it seems mother is not feeling well today." He stated "Perhaps your news will only cause her to decline. Why not wait until she is feeling better?"
"Are you trying to salvage our relationship by using your mother as an excuse?" The young woman cocked one hand on a supple hip "I know that you are unreliable, a liar, and eccentric, but I never thought you to be so low."
Artemis stared aghast. How had she come to that conclusion? It didn't even make sense!
"That isn't it at all!" he spluttered "I just do not want to cause her any harm!"
"Please! If you cannot take your responsibilities like a man, then I have no use for you!" flicking aside a strand of long blond hair, she eyed him, one regal eyebrow raised. "The plan was so simple that even an idiot like you could understand it. We get married, we join accounts, both families profit, and I even let you sleep with me in hopes that you get a son to carry on the Fowl name. In return I get as many vacations as I want, no questions asked, and I can sleep with any other man as I wish."
"And what about love, or family?" Artemis asked quietly.
"Love?" Acacia burst into laughter "What on earth would possess me to love you? Be lucky that I even consider you suitable for my needs. If it wasn't for the fact that your house is owner to one of the biggest family fortunes in the world, and you are the only son out of any of them that is near my age, I would have bypassed you from the start."
Something snapped inside Artemis, something that he had been holding in check for a long time. He had always known about her ego, her cruelty, and he had pushed those things away. Justifying it as merely another duty he had to fulfill as the eldest son. But after meeting Julius, learning the truth about what happened to him all those years ago, Artemis had to acknowledge that a definite change had taken place. A sarcastic grin split his face, and the young man who had conducted himself to be so normal, so boring, around this girl finally let his true colors show.
"Fascinating." He chuckled "I was just about to say the same thing about you."
Green eyes widened as her mouth fell open in shock.
"What?"
"You see my dear, I have never considered you more than a familial duty. A pest to be tolerated whilst taking care of my responsibilities. But to be perfectly honest, you have become more of a liability, and I cannot allow a specimen of womanhood as pathetic as you into our family tree. My lineage is too noble and refined for one of your ilk. So please draw our relationship to a close, if anything, I am relieved to be rid of you."
Granting her his most sinister vampire smile, the young man gestured towards the parlor.
"Do you still wish to speak to my ailing mother, or shall I send her your regards?"
Her face still swimming with shock at the sudden change, the woman stumbled away, and out the door. Right before heading out, she paused long enough to shout down the hallway.
"Artemis! You will regret this! You have no hope of ever getting anyone even half as perfect as I am, and do not even think that I will ever answer you if you even try to call me! You will regret everything you ever could have had, but without me, your life ends here!"
As he watched her leave, a slow but genuine smile split his face. No, his life was just beginning. And it looked better all the time.
Please REVIEW! Thanks so much for your patience! See you next chapter when Angeline faces off with Holly!
