sniffle My reviewers are my life!! Nothing like a beautiful liddle review to give you incentive to write. Special Thanks to JJohnz and Hollyjane for the mad amount of cuteness that went into their opinions. Erm- sorry bout the fluff that goes into this chapter. Teehee- that's a lie. This fluff has been building up ever since I've been wonderin' what it'd be like to 'love' something that wasn't necessarily there. Good Luck, loves-

Special Crimes Unit Office

Haven City, 2:47pm

Artemis readjusted himself in the chair that was obviously not suited to please a man of his size.

Holly entered smiling.

"You're friend took it well."

A gnome busied with removing the unclassifiable filth in his hair had stopped his important task to hassle Holly.

"Who you talkin' to, pretty lady?"

"Myself. Don't you have work to do?"

He winked suggestively. Holly hissed. The gnome picked up his trash and continued his work elsewhere.

"Did you hiss at that poor man?"

"He was bothering me."

"I see." Artemis said realizing he was pursuiting one of the very few attractive women underground. He picked up a pen and doodled a little ghost on what looked like very important paperwork.

"I have good news for you," Holly said suddenly, waking him

Artemis looked up interested.

"Remember when I offed suddenly in the house?"

Artemis cocked his head to a side

"I went to see Qwan."

"Oh?"

Holly squinted, "You share your father's disgusting state of mind, which I'm assuming isn't news to you."

Artemis laughed and continued with his artwork. He had been in the cubicle awhile now and the office was littered with his creations. It had gone from a stick figure to a sheeted character in less than an hour. He was improving, he thought fondly.

"That warlock?"

"That warlock, is going to take your sorry-ass and tie it back to that thing you call a body."

Artemis was extremely excited, but he tried to keep a level head. "I'll never be a hundred percent, huh?"

Holly sighed deeply and looked at him."It has to be better than this, Artemis. If it makes you feel better, you'll still be handsome."

Artemis smiled without looking up from his drawing. "Not to feel sorry for myself, but I never was handsome."

Holly snorted. "I don't feel much sorry for you either." She was fumbling with her communicator, presently; setting an alarm to 3:15pm.

Artemis glanced up and watched her while she was distracted. Holly caught his gaze. "I have to convince Qwan that that body of yours is still in good condition."

"My body looks like shit though…"

"Yes it does. But he doesn't know that. Maybe if he sees you, and I start crying, he'll feel sorry for us and do us the favor."

Holly looked at Artemis, who stared at her hands for a good two minutes. Artemis, realizing he had been caught, scowled a bit and returned to his work. Holly threw the phone into her back pocket and took a seat on the desk directly on top of his scribbles.

"There are other ways of getting my attention, Holly" he pouted trying to salvage the paper from underneath her.

"I'm sorry I've been so rough on you, Mud-creature," she looked at him fumbling underneath her, "its tough love."

Artemis didn't stop what he was doing. "Love nonetheless, Short."

Artemis wasn't intentionally ignoring her…

Well, he was. Had he not busied him with something, he'd allow the opportunity to make an idiot out of himself.

Holly rolled her eyes at the notion, but was smiling all at the same time. "Ignoring me, huh? Can we get our hands out from underneath me?"

Artemis blushed and stopped what he was doing immediately.

"Since we're on the topic of Ignorance, Let me ask you…" Artemis began.

"Shoot," Holly said retrieving the amateur creations from under her.

"About our kiss,"

Holly froze.

"How quickly you forget," he said resting chin to elbow on the desk, grinning because he knew he had the upper hand of the argument to follow.

"I didn't forget, Artemis," she said sincerely. He wasn't sure if he was shocked or disappointed. He wanted an argument. He could win arguments. "I just figured you chose not to remember." Holly finished.

Artemis stood so that the swivel chair he had been sitting in flew backwards. "Honestly. Does this have to do with Minerva?"

Holly bit her lip so that the blood almost dripped to her chin. "Slightly."

Artemis grasped her forearm tightly, a coldness creeping up her that made her numb. She didn't complain though. She placed a hand over his.

Artemis noticed the goose-bumps that appeared suddenly on the arm he had been touching. He withdrew the hand thinking of the discomfort he was causing her. She smirked at his thoughtfulness.

She pinched his cheek playfully, "I love you!" she said admiring his kindness. She stopped and thought about what she said. She fixed her tone and tried again. "I love you, Artemis. I really do. And that means something for me because it takes me a very long time to generally like."



"It takes you a long time to generally like? It takes me a long time to generally be liked." He sighed, "I loved you for a very long time, Holly. A very long time…"

"How long exactly?"

Artemis narrowed his eyes at her, "Ughhh, Hollyyyy-" he groaned with red cheeks belonging to over three-quarters of the Irish population.

"Like- After I saved your ass from a horde of trolls by bathing you with mud?"

He sighed deeply "Try before my mind-wipe. Guess you don't know what you have till it's gone…" he shrugged.

"Try having to watch your best-friend die," She said thrilled that the boy shared her feelings, but angry she could never act on those feelings.

"Excuse me, miss," he said, "but I happen to know what that feels like…"

"Does this mean I regain my privilege to touch you?"

"Why?" he asked, biting his lip, "what did you have in mind?"

"Nothing so explicit," she said rolling her eyes.

Artemis stood up from the chair and leaned into Holly who was still seated on the desk of the poor soul who owned it. Artemis kissed her plump cheek quickly, as not to freeze her to death. Tracing her flawless nut-brown skin, and staring into her now blue-brown eyes, once partially belonging to him. He backed away and she closed her eyes. He noticed how long her lashes were then, being lengthy enough to touch her cheek when she shut her eyes. She pursed her lips, child-like and waited for him.

"How old are you?" he whispered leaning in and poking a cheek that drained in color soon after he touched it. He brought his lips to hers and kissed them softly, feeling for the first time…in a very long time. In more ways than one. Artemis tried to keep the kiss innocent, but was finding this harder and harder to do. Artemis placed a hand against her back, which brought an entirely new meaning to sending shivers down the spine.

Holly brought her hands to his face. It hurt. Badly. Being so cold, so quickly was shocking her system like she couldn't believe. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to pull away.

Artemis only realized the effects he was having on her when had looked at her hands amongst the clutter on the desk and had quite a hard time differentiating her hand from the paper. 

Artemis tried to pull her off him. "Holly," he said breathlessly. She silenced him with another kiss. He bit her lip gently and she pulled off. "Feeling playful?" she asked, teasing him.

Artemis stepped back a bit. Her face was drained of its color; her lips blue. He smiled.

"You don't know how to keep off me…" Artemis said with charm

He looked at her face again, drained of its life. He stilled for a moment; thinking. "Do your best to convince him, Holly," he said sadly playing with her cheek again, "we can't keep up like this…"

"Convince who?" she asked forgetfully.

It was then that her 3:15pm alarm went off.

:Authors Note:

C'mon guys! Let the constructive criticism pour…freaking…in 333

Leena: I'm so sorry to end there. I'm horrible.

Artemis: No, no love. You're perfectly fine.

Leena:-uncontrollably throws self onto Artemis-

/silence/

Leena: ashamedness …so sorry.