Butler made it back to the manor around four PM. Victoria answered the knock on the large oak doors since she was the closest, having spent the last few hours working on the mural. Thinking it was a bit suspicious for a guest to appear during a snowstorm, Victoria brought up a stool to look through the Butler-eye-level peep hole.
"Oh dang," she whispered, jumping off of the stool and throwing open the doors. Butler- and about three feet of snow- tumbled inside. He dropped the six grocery bags he held and helped her close the doors on the avalanche of snow. Butler looked like death; his black flannel cap, leather gloves, and dark overcoat were white with snow, and his loafers did little to protect his feet against the cold wetness. His face was beat red except for the dark bags under his icy blue eyes, and his body shook with heavy breathing.
"Golly gee, Butler." Victoria fretted, looping one arm around the bodyguard, though she couldn't quite make it around his broad shoulders. "Come on, let's get you to the fire. Artemis! Butler's back!"
"Really, old friend," Artemis handed Butler a cup of tea as Victoria built up the fire again, "You are the best breed of bodyguard, but even I did not expect you to walk back here through the snow. I highly doubt assassins would risk prowling in such weather, and leaving behind the Bentley was just sloppy." Butler chuckled. "Come now, Artemis," he said in his deep bass, "you know I knew you couldn't survive two days without electricity and a decent meal."
"True," Artemis allowed, fully aware of his spoiled nature. "I have a newfound sympathy for cavemen. Thank the gods for technology and Cordon bleu!"
"But Butler," Victoria interrupted, "how did you get in the estate? You weren't able to buzz, and we have no control over the gates with the electricity out." Butler took a sip of his tea.
"I climbed the fence." The American opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. There were no words. Artemis smiled, not surprised. Victoria wondered if anything fazed him.
"Would you like some more tea?" After another half hour of small talk (mostly Victoria asking Butler questions and Artemis answering them), Artemis set Butler to fixing the electricity.
"I simply cannot continue without my servers!" he declared. "My research is far too important to wait for a 'professional' serviceman."
"Artemis, he just got back!" Victoria protested. She poked the bodyguard's shoulder. "See? He's still thawing."
"And hard work will warm me faster." Butler said in a subject-settled tone. He stood. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Bering, but this is the privileged work of a Fowl butler." Victoria pursed her lips, then shrugged. Perhaps there was more of a cultural difference between Americans and the Irish than she thought. Butler fixed the electricity and cell service in less than an hour, and Victoria was more grateful than she thought she would be. After the Internet came back on, she spent the next couple of hours replying to messages and returning anxious calls from family members and friends who wondered if she was all right and why she wasn't answering the phone.
"Well it's about fudgin' time!" Charlie practically screamed into the receiver. "Do you know how worried your family has been?"
"Yeah, I got messages too." Victoria rolled her eyes.
"Well, what happened?"
"Umm..." Victoria wondered where to begin. "Well, we had this freak snowstorm, and-" she recounted the whole situation to Charlie, from the time the family left to when Butler returned home.
"So you were alone in that mansion for a whole night," Charlie reiterated, her tone disbelieving and disappointed, "and he didn't make a move on you the entire time?"
"There is such a thing called 'self control.'" The artist reminded her friend. "I know it's a foreign concept to you, but at least understand that some people have it." Victoria drew back a window curtain and looked down at the blanket of bluish snow covering the front lawn. "Besides, he's my boss's son. I'm sure he isn't interested in me that way." She grinned. "But we both know if he had tried anything, I would've decked him."
"So you don't like him?" Charlie asked. Victoria felt a blush building up in her cheeks. She pressed her face to the cold glass of the window to cool her head.
"The jury's still out on that one."
"Tell the jury to hurry up." Charlie demanded. "I want to hear a verdict."
"Order in the court!" Victoria said half-jokingly, then was distracted by a loud whirring coming from the front of the manor. "Wait what-?"
"What is it?" Charlie ordered. Victoria blinked to be sure she saw correctly.
"A- snow plow just pulled up to the front gate."
"What?" A man in dark clothes leaned out of the plow and waved at the manor, and the gate opened.
"Victoria!" Artemis's voice echoed down the vaulted hallways. "Come to the foyer, please."
"I gotta go, Charles," Victoria apologized.
"Yeah yeah," Victoria could hear Charlie's smirk in her ear. "Go to your prince." Victoria hung up.
"Victoria!" Angeline exclaimed, pulling the unsuspecting youth into a tight hug. "It's so good to see you in good health!"
What? Victoria wondered, but was quickly distracted by the twins, who had unceremoniously attached themselves to Artemis's legs.
"How was your night?" Juliet whispered into her ear as Angeline and Artemis attempted to extract the two sleepy, brother-deprived children.
"Uneventful, I guess," Victoria shrugged.
"Oh."
"So this is the infamous artist from America I've been hearing so much about!" A tall, dark-haired man greeted her jovially. His eyes were the same color as Artemis's, Victoria noticed when the man shook her hand, but they were kinder, wiser. "Artemis Fowl Sr., at your service. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I apologize for not being able to introduce myself sooner, but I was away on business."
"No," Victoria reassured him, a bit dazed by his charm, "I understand, it's all good."
"Father," Artemis sighed, situating Beckett on his shoulder. "Was the snowplow really necessary?" Fowl Sr. turned, his air turning more formal, but also a bit playful, as he addressed his junior.
"Personally, I wouldn't haven't have minded spending another night in town," he admitted in a businesslike manner, "But your mother was adamant that we get home in time for Christmas." Then he dropped his CEO demeanor and grinned. "Hello, son." Artemis smiled too, and it was the gentlest smile Victoria had ever seen him wear.
"Welcome home, father."
Artemis closed his cellular phone with a soft snap and turned his desk chair around to prop his feet on the window sill and look out at the night sky. He'd had to call in a favor, but he succeeded in procuring top-of-the-line chemotherapy equipment and medication, to be delivered to one of the many Fowl warehouses that night and taken to Tara by Butler tomorrow.
"That should placate the captain for a while," he sighed, turning back to the spreadsheets of data on his desktop and computer. According to the results, his nanobots theory was correct, but unfortunately the tiny machines left just enough trace to confirm his suspicions. He would need a living blood sample from someone with the disease to even have a hope of examining the nanobots themselves. This had complications as well. The tests had to be conducted in grave secrecy so the perpetrator wouldn't realize that they were on his trail.
And even if I do devise a cure from this, he could be altering the formula this very moment, Artemis groaned inwardly, running a hand through his already mussed hair. I deplore this. I deplore being one step behind. We need to find the criminal behind the virus, or we will always be on the defensive. He looked down at his nuclear powered watch. 10 pm. The twins had been in bed for an hour and he hadn't seen Victoria since dinner. The genius's sigh caught the attention of his bodyguard, who was watching the security cameras.
"What is it, Artemis?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing." Artemis shook his head slightly. He had been thinking of what excuse to give Victoria when he went to visit her. But he didn't have time for such trivial matters! Butler watched his ward turn back to his notes, muttering distractedly to himself and slumping down in his chair as he dejectedly leafed through his notes again. Regardless of what he said, the boy needed a break.
"You know," Butler said off-handedly, looking back at the screens, "I happened to pass by the mural hallway earlier and saw Miss Bering's progress. She does brilliant work, for an amateur. I especially liked the troll in the foreground."
"What? A troll?" Artemis frowned, his notes drooping a bit as he listened.
"Yes," the bodyguard nodded. "I thought it was oddly placed at first, but then Miss Bering explained to me that not everything in life is beautiful, and the same is true for paintings." Artemis grunted. She said the exact thing to him when they fought on the nature of art.
"That's not the point!" he muttered, clenching his fists. "This is my home, and it is no place for her standpoint on art ethics. Butler, hold the fort. I'll be right back."
Victoria wiped her brow and stepped back from the painting.
"Centaur 1, finished!" She sighed, wiping her shining brow with her free arm. She had been working on the mural non-stop since dinner, partly to earn a day off for Christmas, but also to get a certain conversation off her mind. 'So you don't like him?' Charlie's question nagged at the corners of her thoughts.
"I- I don't know," she mumbled, swirling her brush a cup of murky water until the liquid turned a new shade of brown. Did she like Artemis? It wouldn't be the first time she fell for someone off-limits. However, her previous crush, though she still greatly admired him, was one of her deepest heartbreaks.
What happens if I do like him, anyway? Victoria asked herself. It would be just like Nathan; I'll get all awkward and ruin a good friendship before it begins. She frowned at her palette as she mixed up a turquoise green color. I don't think I can handle that kind of regret again. So the obvious answer is to suppress it... but how do I do that? The artist approached the mural again, painting on autopilot as her brain processed her problem. Find a new guy to like? I've never been able to pick and choose who I like, but there are a lot of guys in Ireland... She frowned. Wait a sec. I thinking as if I do like the guy.
The face of Artemis Fowl II came, unbidden, to Victoria's mind. His pale skin glowed, and his onyx hair swept carelessly to one side, even though it must have been meticulously styled to stay that way. His midnight blue eyes were cold and meticulous, but grew warm when he played with his brothers, and sometimes, when he laughed, his smile reached them. At first Victoria had thought of him as a self-centered, egotistical rich boy, but now, after only a few days of living in the manor, she saw that he was a complex, multifaceted individual, capable of malice and avarice, but also nobility and compassion. Oh crap, Victoria bit her lower lip, a blush invading her cheeks and ears. It's true. I- I have a crush on Artemis Fowl. She shook her head sharply, annoyed with herself. Well, it doesn't really matter anyway, does it? I'll be done and gone in a few weeks and never see him again. Besides, he has no interest in me, so what's the-
"Hmmm."
"Gyah!" Victoria jumped, succeeding in getting paint all down the front of her shirt. Of course, she groaned internally. He does have perfect timing, doesn't he, to show up right after I realize... geez. Aloud, she said,
"Golly gee, you've got to stop that!" Artemis, who stood a couple of feet to the right, grinned over at her.
"Ruined your favorite shirt, have I? "She glanced down at the torn, grey, paint-splattered shirt and rolled her eyes. "Then no harm done." He turned his attention back to the mural. "I see you kept the troll where I told you to."
"Of course," Victoria replied with a slight frown. "It's your commission, so I'll paint it to your specifications. Within reason, of course." Artemis closed his eyes for a moment, chuckled, then opened them again.
"I see." Victoria shuffled her feet for a moment, wondering what to say, then decided to just speak her mind.
"So, did you come down here to make sure the troll was in the right place?" Artemis blanched, then considered the question.
"I guess not," he supposed with a small shrug. "I simply needed a respite from my work, and here is as good a place to relax as any." Victoria blushed.
"Really? For some reason, I doubt that." She grinned, but her palette shook slightly in her hands as she tried to still her frantic heartbeat.
"Really." Artemis replied, then reconsidered, "though I was told the troll was in the wrong place." Artemis tried not to wince when she hit him in the shoulder.
"Don't make me hug you," she threatened, motioning to the still wet streak of green on her shirt. The heir blinked. Victoria usually avoided prolonged physical contact with anyone except her twin friends. She even shied from his overly-affectionate mother, so Artemis found it suspicious that she volunteered to such an intimate act. Victoria noticed the strangeness in her actions as well and blushed profusely.
"Sorry, I- didn't mean that." she murmured, rubbing her tired eyes with the heel of one hand as a voice in her head screamed Stupid! Stupid!. "I can say weird things when I'm tired." Artemis nodded, but noted that she hadn't said anything so strange the night before.
"Understandable." Victoria remained silent, her attentions recaptured by the new stain on her shirt. She scrubbed at the paint with her back to him, hoping Artemis would get bored and leave her to be embarrassed in peace. Artemis sighed, irritated. He had hoped to be distracted a little while longer.
"Look," he began, "I'm going to attempt to make some waffles. Would you like to take up the endeavor with me?" Victoria smiled to herself then looked over at him, one eyebrow arched in thoughtful hesitation.
"Will there be peanut butter?"Artemis grinned. "Of course."
"Victoria?"
"No, I told you I din't!"
"Victoria!"
"Artemis, if you blame me for one more of your mishaps-"
"Victoria!"
"What?" Victoria's eyes snapped open as her body rolled across the bed and fell to the ground with a thud!
"Man, you are a pain to get up in the morning. I tried everything short of flipping the bed!" Juliet said, her foot still planted on the mattress where she had kicked it.
"So you flipped the mattress instead?" Victoria grumbled, standing and rubbing her sore backside. Juliet shrugged.
"I brought you breakfast in bed!" She gestured to a tray of blueberry crepes and sausage links on the bedside table.
"Oh..." Victoria sat on the bed again. "What time is it?"
"About eight forty-five. Everyone else is having breakfast in their rooms as well." Victoria gave the blonde a quizzical frown. Juliet grinned. "Mr. and Mrs. Fowl use this time to switch out Christmas presents. Ever since Artemis turned four, Mr. and Mrs. Fowl started using decoy presents so the boys wouldn't guess what they were getting." The groggy artist smiled, bringing the tray on her lap.
"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."
"Christmas! It's Christmas!" At nine o' clock sharp, Myles and Beckett raided Victoria's room, tugging her out of bed and down the stairs. She could feel their eager pulls stressing the seems of her pajama top as they dragged her toward the living area.
"You know, you could have gone ahead without me," she grunted, speeding up to spare her shirt. The twins just ran harder.
"Mum said you had to be there before we could open the presents!" Beckett chirped.
"Tho come on!" Myles insisted, pulling on her wrist. She winced as her elbow popped from the stress.
"OK, OK! Just slow the heck down!"
"Don't you look marvelous this morning," Artemis commented when she and the twins barrelled into the room. The genius donned his usual sharp and professional appearance, though he seemed a bit disgruntled. Victoria put her shirt back in order, stuck out her tongue at him, and sat by Juliet on the opposite side of the room. Artemis opened his mouth for another clever quip, but was interrupted by the excited squealings of his brothers, who were already tearing through the gift wrap on their presents.
"Hey, wait up, wait up!" Fowl Sr. protested, frantically trying to get the camera into position to capture his sons' ecstatic faces. Beckett and Myles got twin mini sedans to drive in, as well as many other toys, such as bug catching kits and tools for science experiments. The parents had wisely gotten both boys the same toys, varying only in color, to keep them from fighting. Juliet received a diamond necklace from the Fowls and a new set of boxing gloves from her brother. Butler was given a pet praying mantis by the twins and a new black tie from Juliet. Victoria assumed Artemis had gotten him something as well, but it was probably too dangerous to have in public. Possibly illegal, too.
Angeline received a joint present from all of her boys: a huge donation to a philanthropic enterprise in Haiti. Angeline gave Artemis Sr. a European cruise for two, and Artemis gave his father a deed to a new company he had acquired. The twins gave their daddy a puppy; how they had come by it, Angeline had no idea. Artemis received a new suit from his mother, a set of petri dishes from Juliet, and a yacht from his father.
"A yacht, really?" Artemis asked when Fowl Sr. tossed him the keys.
"You're a young man, Arty!" he chuckled, "you should be getting out on the town, having fun, meeting girls-" (Victoria's cheeks stung at this one) "- being a youth!"
"I have more important matters to attend to, Father," Artemis replied haughtily, but slipped the keys into his pocket. Victoria received a couple of finger-painted masterpieces from the twins, a dress from Angeline, and a bottle of blue hair-dye from Juliet, which Artemis showed immediate disapproval of. Victoria also gave out her presents at this time: matching tiny lab coats for the twins, a watercolor landscape for Mr. and Mrs. Fowl, glitter make-up for Juliet, and sunglasses for Butler. Butler even tried them on, to humor her.
"Very Matrix," she approved. Noticing that Artemis had not given her a gift, Victoria suddenly felt extremely embarrassed and indignant. She had thought that they had more give and take in their limited relationship, but she knew now she was foolish for expecting so much.
As Artemis's punishment (and to save face), she tried to sneak his gift bag back to her room. Unfortunately, Artemis wasn't going to let her leave him out.
"Where is my present?" Artemis's voice stopped her in the hallway to the foyer. Victoria sighed, more annoyed than usual by his all-knowing demeanor. She futilely hid his bag behind her back and asked,
"What present?" Artemis rolled his eyes.
"Look, even though I did not buy you anything I can tangibly give to you, there is no point in you withholding a present you've already paid for and wrapped up so nicely. So, why don't you just hand it over?" With a sigh, she surrendered the genius's ill-deserved gift. Even though Victoria was peeved that Artemis held such a double standard, she couldn't help smiling at the gleam in the genius's eyes as he opened his present. The gleam dimmed into a vengeful spark as Artemis removed the contents.
After her excursion in the arcade, Victoria had chosen a pair of hot pink sunglasses, a perpetual motion desk toy, and the book 1001 Obscure and Useless Facts.
"You really do enjoy provoking me, don't you?" his voice edged with a threat. Victoria frowned.
"Yes, but I put a lot of thought into those presents." She pushed past him to re-enter the living room. "At least I bought you one."
Holly sighed as she turned her cruiser onto Walnut Boulevard for the fourth time that evening. Even though it was Christmas on the surface, it was business as usual in Haven, and as Commander Root used to say,
"Crime never hibernates." Holly had hit a dead end in her investigation, so, instead of sitting at home staring blankly at her notes, she decided to get out and do her rounds. She frowned as she noticed a gnome coughing through his medical mask at a street corner. Flu season would be in full swing in about a month; the ideal time for a deadly virus to spread.
Speaking of which, Holly thought as she braked at an intersection. The culprit couldn't have handled the virus without some sort of protection, so how did he get it into the water supply, or wherever he dumped it? I suppose he wouldn't have to use biohazard gear if the virus were in a capsule of some kind, but that would be too obvious, especially with how high-tech the assembly lines are these days. So it would have to be added in some invisible, possibly liquid form- she rubbed her eyebrows- which would again require the protective equipment. How could someone get away with looking so ridiculous for such a prolonged amount of time? Unless- Holly's sat back in her pilot's chair as the revelation struck her in the chest. Unless the job already requires their employees to wear protective gear!
The LEP captain immediately employed an illegal U-turn and sped toward the TARA plant. She wondered if she should pick up Mulch, but reconsidered when she thought of all the coercing it took to get him to come with her in the first place. She didn't have time to argue with a self-centered dwarf, especially when she was only one question away from learning the source of the virus's distribution.
An hour later, Holly stood in front of the Koboi Environmental Plastics factory, wondering if she shouldn't have brought Mulch after all. Even though the past Opal had been put back in her decade and the present Koboi had been successfully and permanently incapacitated, going into any facility with the Koboi name attached to it made the hair on the back of the captain's neck stand on end. After the arrest of Opal, the Koboi Industries took a big dip in stocks and the companies struggled to keep up with Foaly's constant technological advances. However, they made enough money through more luxurious items such as tupperware and personal water purification devices that they were able to stay afloat. Koboi Plastics was one of these crucial markets. All of the ecologically safe and disposable plastics were manufactured there and sent to the other companies who used the plastics to package their products. One of these small companies was TARA spring water.
Flashing her badge at the front entrance's scanner, the doors to the facility opened and a desk employee greeted the esteemed guest.
"Captain Short," the nervous attendant chirruped, "how may we be of service? I assure you all our factories are up to code-"
"At ease, pixie," Holly said with a short wave of her hand. "I need access to the shipment level as part of an investigation unrelated to the ethics of this facility." She spotted the surveillance camera on the wall and looked at it pointedly as she said, "I assure you, on record, that I am not here to discredit or undermine the Koboi industries that provide such a service to the people of Haven." The pixie sighed in relief and, reaching over the front desk, pulled out a map and an all-access pass.
"This pass will expire in two hours. If you have not left by then, security will come escort you out. Is this reasonable, Captain?"
"More than," Holly nodded, taking the proffered items and half wishing security would escort her out now. Instead, the security guard on duty escorted her to the elevator. The bottle processing line she wanted to look into where plastic was melted down, formed, and dried, was in the basement. This was the only level where the employees needed protective gear to seal out the toxic fumes. Holly strapped on her helmet with its built-in air filter and pulled on some hazmat gloves before the elevator doors opened.
When Holly entered the basement level, she almost didn't believe she was underground- or, to put it accurately- more underground. Personally, she had never understood the need for basements in Haven homes, but she supposed when you live below the Earth's surface, a highrise can only go "up" so far. Holly walked over to the cooling and packing section of the assembly line. Here, freshly molded water bottles, tupperware, and other durable eco-plasticwares were blown dry by seven stories of blinking machines, then hand-packaged by fairies. Even though putting the fresh products in huge bins was not hazardous, the fumes from further down the line were still present. Apparently, the Koboi CEOs did not see fit to spend money on further safety precautions.
Which suited our perp just fine, Holly thought, her hand moving to where her Neutrino would be. Augh, that's right, she almost growled. They made me leave my Neutrino at the the front desk. Now all I've got is my buzz baton. The captain took her buzz baton out of its sheath and crept along the cat walks suspended between the huge plastic-making machines. Holly looked over the edge. Three floors below, employees scurried about like ants, and above her, too, were more levels of workers.
"Gods," Holly whispered. "It's like they want this place to be a huge health hazard." She recovered from the initial shock as her detective side kicked in. "Now, I see the packaging line, but how to get there..."
"E-excuse me?" a small, muffled voice asked. It was a pixie employee, wearily eyeing Holly's buzz baton. "I-I'm the manager of this area, is there any thing I can help you with- officer?"
"Yes, I'm doing a bit of independent investigating, and wondered if you could show me where exactly the bottles are packaged?"
"S-sure. I mean, of course. This way." The fairy led her to a small lift, which, with a swipe of his access card, took them up about two meters to another platform. The assembly line they arrived at was nearly deserted.
"Where are all the workers?" Holly asked. "Oh, we've been testing out new automated equipment all week," the pixie informed her, a bit more comfortable now.
"The employees have been given some vacation time- without pay, I might add- until management verifies if the machines are more cost effective."
D'Arvit! Holly thought. Then the culprit is long gone by now. He was definitely here, though. This was the perfect set up for his purposes. She snatched a bottle from one of the robots to inspect it. There's a unique code imprinted on the bottom of each bottle. If the perp was using our victims as experiments, he could track his test subjects with these.
"I'm going to need a list of employees who used to work here," Holly ordered, replacing the bottle on the line. "And if you could tag any who kept to themselves or had suspicious behaviors, that would help a lot."
"Oh, I don't even need a list!" the manager replied with a wave of his hand, like he and Holly were old friends. "There was this one guy who always carried this little purse with him- had a conniption if I even tried touching it! A few weeks ago I caught him doing something funny with the bottles. They seemed untainted, so I let it go. This is a low-profile job, so we get a lot of weirdos in here, ya know?"
"And what was this 'weirdo's name?" Holly asked, excited and impatient.
"Oh, it was- hey!" The manager called to someone behind Holly. "You don't have-" All of a sudden, the manager was lying on the floor with a huge hole in his chest. Holly didn't even have time to turn around before the culprit attached something to her helmet, causing it to spark and press heavily in on her temples. Then, everything went black.
"Should I?" Victoria sat in front of her laptop computer, staring at the Skype icon at the bottom of the screen. "I mean, I'll have to eventually. They're expecting me to call." But, being the sensitive artist that she was, she thought her family was disappointed with her about the whole Christmas debacle. "It's a sad day when a Christian can't flippin remember when Christmas is," she grumbled. Suddenly, Skype notified her of a call from her family.
Wow, what timing, she thought, then braced herself as she clicked the "accept" button.
"Did we get the right time-?" A mass of faces crowded the small screen, all talking at once.
"Ohmigosh, Vicky, we love the presents you sent us!" her sister, Eden, squealed.
"Yeah! I've been wanting this video game for a while now." one of her brothers yelled.
"I'm not even sure what mine is..." Angelique, the other sister, grumbled.
"Children!" their father admonished over the chaos. "Didn't you have something else you wanted to say?"
"Oh yeah-" "Merry Christmas, Victoria!" her whole family chorused, their faces filling her entire window.
"Merry- Christmas..." she replied, utterly confused. Her mother noticed the look and smiled.
"I was a bit confused myself, before your friend called," she said.
"F-friend?" Her mother nodded.
"We actually received the presents yesterday, but he told us not to tell you about it until Christmas morning. It- it is morning there, right?"
"Uhh- It's afternoon, but close enough." Victoria's brows furrowed and a blush climbed her cheeks. "But I'm still not sure I understand. Just to clarify, we are talking about Artemis Fowl, right?"
"But of course." The answer came from the doorway, where the person in question lounged against the doorjamb. "Who else has the resources- and the kindness of heart- to coordinate such a feat?"
Two days ago you would have be my last guess, Victoria thought, but she just gave him a flat-browed glance. Artemis read the look and opened his mouth to retort, but Victoria's mother got to the reprimand first.
"Victoria! Be more polite! This young man did us a great kindness!" She ran a hand through her dark brown hair and sighed. "You really haven't grown much, have you? Still, I'm relieved such a kind man is watching out for you." The artist twitched.
"Please, Mom. Don't judge my situation so quickly." Now he'll be even more of a pain to live with.
"Yes, Mrs. Bering. I'm afraid you don't have the most honest impression of me." Artemis cut in, surprising Victoria with his boldness and nonchalant manner. "Your daughter is very adept, and has held her own well in our hectic household."
"Yes, well, she's had a lot of practice." Mr. Bering said, giving up on controlling the chaos ensuing behind them. "Honey, we should probably go now; we've got guests coming over later, so we should start cleaning." Mrs. Bering looked back at the living room, which was littered with wrapping paper and other trash, and sighed.
"I guess you're right." The resigned look on the mother's face softened as she turned back to the screen. "Call us more often, OK Victoria? We miss you like crazy."
"Uh, yeah, I will," her daughter stuttered. "I miss you guys, too." Victoria slowly closed the laptop, rebellious tears stinging her eyes.
"So that was your family." Artemis mused. "Charming, for Americans. Though I'm curious, how do you manage five younger siblings?"
"How do you manage being so sneaky?" Victoria said, and a few tears escaped, leaving hot trails down her face. Embarrassed, she immediately wiped them away, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes to keep any more from falling. Artemis's heart panged again and he froze, not sure whether to step forward to comfort her or retreat.
"Ms. Bering, why-"
"Thank you." She interrupted, her hands still over her eyes. "Thanks so much, Artemis. I didn't know I would be this relieved about some silly Christmas presents, but I am. You really helped me out here, and I don't even want to begin to think about how much this cost you." Artemis shrugged, looking over his shoulder in an attempt to control his speeding heart.
"It was my pleasure. After all, what kind of host would I be if I neglected to give my guest a Christmas gift?" Victoria chuckled, withdrawing her hands.
"A rude host indeed." She sighed, then smiled at him. "Funny, who thought a Grinch like you would save Christmas?" Artemis's mouth quirked upward as well as he replied,
"Bah Humbug."