So, people like the kiss last chapter. I culdn't leave it simply though, 'cus let's face, Arty has too much bad karma. Guess who's watching...
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Devlin.
Foaly closed the communicator with a snap, smiling. It wasn't often the LEP got deliver good news to distressed families. Of course, it usually fell to the Commander to make these sorts of calls, but with Trouble in the IC unit and Holly in Italy, he'd taken it upon himself to contact the Bard family. At first he'd attempted to make the call via the Ops Booth, but the Bard's didn't have a vidphone. Honestly, this day in age who used a normal mobile phone, like a Mud Man? Even Holly had a communicator with a video linkage. Talking about Holly, he should probably check on her. Ensure that she hadn't killed the over-talkative Devlin from sheer frustration. That would be a tough one to explain after the phone call he'd just made.
He trotted over to the nearest computer and opened the link to Holly's communicator, pulling the feed up onto the large plasma screen. It was so much more enjoyable to gloat when you could see the person's reactions in minute detail. For several seconds, the screen stayed black. He could just imagine Holly grumbling as she pulled the communicator from her belt. Finally, the device was answered, showing a view of the shuttle interior to the horrified centaur. What had Holly done to the vehicle? It looked like a bomb had gone off in there.
Butler's head appeared in the view screen, blocking the shuttle from view.
"Yes, Foaly?" he asked, seeing the centaur on the tiny com screen in his hand. In the background, Foaly could hear Devlin talking about LEP technology. Apparently, even Butler's immense stature couldn't shut the elf up for long.
"Where is Holly?" Foaly demanded. She'd told him that Opal had blasted the shuttle, but he hadn't imagined this much of a mess. He was going to complain loudly and for a long period of time. Butler shot Devlin a look to stop him commenting on the wonders of video conferencing.
"She's outside, hold on."
Telling Devlin sharply to 'stay there', Butler stepped from the shuttle and proceeded in the direction of Artemis and Holly's voices. Foaly had a view of the clear turquoise Italian sky before Butler pointed the unit's camera at the woods. Foaly highly doubted that the human had done this on purpose, because what Foaly was seeing was incredible. It drove all thought of the state of the shuttle from his head. Artemis wouldn't like the centaur to see this. Actually, neither would Holly.
Artemis had leaned forward and kissed the elfin Commander lightly on the lips. For a second she stiffened, then she relaxed into it and put one hand on the boy's neck, pulling him closer. After he'd gotten over the initial shock, Foaly felt a wide grin spread over his face. 'He's not my boyfriend'. Ha, yeah right Holls.
Chix Verbil was passing the Ops Booth, when he heard Foaly sniggering inside. The door was partially open, so he decided to sneak a peek at what the centaur was finding so amusing. What he saw made his eyes open wide.
"Is that...?" the sprite asked Foaly, wanting to ensure that yesterday's bar hop with his brother wasn't making him hallucinate.
"Yep" answered Foaly, not even able to be irritated that Chix had walked in uninvited. "That's Holly and Artemis."
"Nice one Fowl!" whistled Chix, grin threatening to actually touch his ears. Holly was never going to live this down, Commander or not.
For quite possibly the first time in his life, Artemis acted spontaneously. He hadn't planned this, and he had no idea how Holly would react. Was this how normal people operated?
He didn't touch Holly, other than with his lips. If she was going to punch him, he wanted to be able to withdraw quickly. He felt her tense, and pulled back to get more space between his arm and her fists. She raised her hand to keep him in place, and kissed him back. He hadn't really been expecting this reaction, if he was completely honest. Not after the conversation he'd overheard, and all the awkwardness there had been between them. Still, he wasn't going to argue with it.
His hand made contact with her waist. She didn't protest the touch, so he allowed his fingers to trail up her side. She shivered and pulled out of the kiss.
"That tickles" she said. Artemis smiled. So, she was ticklish. He stored that away for future reference. Her hand was still on his shoulder. He covered it with his own and looked into her eyes from inches away.
Butler coughed, bringing the two back to Earth. Holly pulled her arm back to her side, a blush starting up on her cheeks. It grew more pronounced when he told her who was on the communicator. She stalked over and grabbed it, face red. Butler sent Artemis a knowing grin. The boy smiled back self-consciously. Foaly was never going to let them forget this.
Holly glared at the centaur through the video link. Foaly was having hysterics over the workbench. And was that Chix she could see in the background? She groaned. This was going to be the worst-kept secret in LEP history. IA would be all over her. There were no rules against human/fairy relationships so long as the human was – quoting the Book – 'the People's friend'. Artemis definitely fit into that category, but that wouldn't stop IA investigating her. Again.
"Hi Commander" Foaly chuckled, once he'd gotten his merriment under control.
"What did you want?" she snapped. Foaly just grinned at her.
"So, not your boyfriend, huh?"
Holly moved away from Artemis. This was awkward enough without him listening in.
"I already told you, centaur. My love life is none of your concern. Now, just tell me why you called. And Verbil, get out of there and do some work."
Chix saluted and left the room, still chuckling. Holly sighed. The LEP sprites would have a field day with this. By the time she got back to Haven, there would probably be pink hearts strewn all over her office.
"I just wanted to tell you that I contacted Devlin's parents, and they're coming to Police Plaza in three hours to pick him up. Will that give you enough time? I can always call them back if you and Artemis want some more alone time..."
Holly gritted her teeth and resolved to kick Foaly somewhere painful when she got back. Or maybe she'd take a leaf out of Trouble's book and start slapping the sprites who cheeked her upside the head.
"Three hours will be fine, provided Captain Vein gets back here within the next hour."
"Good. I don't want to interrupt you if you're busy..."
"I swear Foaly, one more word and I'll..."
"My lips are sealed, Commander. I'll send Vein straight back up as soon as he's dropped Opal off. Should I warn him to knock, or..."
Holly snapped the communicator shut, but resisted the urge to throw it. She'd just have to search for it again. Damn that centaur and his timing! She swore under her breath and closed her eyes, trying to get her temper back under control.
Artemis's hand on her shoulder made her jump. She span around and nearly elbowed him in the stomach.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!"
Artemis raised one eyebrow. Apparently, Foaly's habit of driving the Commander crazy wasn't limited to Root. Holly took a breath and realised that she'd snapped.
"Sorry, Artemis. That D'Arvitting centaur..."
She trailed off, cursing under her breath in gnomish too fast for the boy to make out what she was saying.
Artemis smiled at her softly, feeling lighter than he had in a long time. Holly liked him. Everything else they could work out later, the important bit was out in the open.
"What are you grinning at, Fowl? The entire LEP is going to know about this within the next hour. I'm going to be hearing about in non-stop for the next century, and you're not going to fare any better. Remember, Foaly can hack your system."
That wiped the smile off the boy's face. He removed his hand from Holly's shoulder, vowing silently to increase his security exponentially. He didn't like mockery, unless he was the one doing the mocking. Holly shook her head, finally back in control of her temper, and lead the way back to the shuttle. If Vein was coming back soon, then there were things she needed to sort out – like the tow cord, for example. It was in the shuttle somewhere, though where was anybody's guess.
Devlin gaped at the pair as they entered the vehicle. Despite Butler's warning, he had ventured outside and had witnessed the event. Holly muted her groan as he started talking loudly about it.
"...and then you kissed her!" he said, turning to the unfortunate Artemis, who was closest to him. Holly utilised this distraction to escape into the cockpit. Artemis watched her go. Devlin noticed the look on the human's face, and stopped talking midsentence.
"You really like her don't you?"
Artemis wasn't sure what surprised him more, the young elf's observation skills or the shortness of the question. He nodded slightly and picked his careful way over to the cockpit door, shutting it behind him. As it turned out, it wasn't soundproof – he could still hear Devlin on the other side, talking at them through the partition. Holly was sitting in the pilot's chair, shaking her head.
"If he doesn't shut up, I'm going to gag him. Or stun him, whichever's easier."
Artemis settled into the co-pilot's seat, smiling at her. It was a genuine smile for once. Artemis couldn't remember ever smiling like this before he'd met Holly. It was usually his trademark vampire smirk. Talking of vampires...
"How's your arm?" he asked softly. Holly met his gaze.
"How did you get to that from me threatening Devlin?" she wondered aloud. Artemis didn't go for the distraction. He leaned in and touched her arm gently where he knew the mark was. Holly pulled back from him and lifted her sleeve to expose the bruise. It was red now, as opposed to purple, but it still looked angry and sore.
"It's better than it was" she answered him. "and I haven't fainted today."
She pulled her sleeve back down and knelt to see under the dashboard. Artemis watched her rummage for a few seconds, then asked what she was looking for.
"Tow rope" she grunted without emerging. "It's supposed to be in here somewhere, but I can't see it. Frond only knows where it's got to."
She crawled out backwards and sat up, shaking her head. Artemis shrugged.
"Perhaps it's in the back?"
"Maybe" was Holly's vague response. Artemis got the impression that she wasn't actually thinking about the rope.
"What's on your mind?" he inquired, drawing Holly's complete attention. She sighed.
"Nothing really. Just, you know. What happened out there."
"The kiss" Artemis said. Holly nodded and stood, running a hand through her hair.
"Yeah, that. It's just... How can this work?" she finished lamely, unsure how to voice her concerns. Artemis knew what she was getting at.
"You mean the human/elf thing." He comprehended, warranting another nod from Holly. She shrugged. "I don't think it will be an issue."
"How can it not be an issue? We're different species!"
"Not exactly. Holly, you're fighting the virus because you have one of my eyes. That makes you part human, as my having your eye makes me part elfin. Our DNA is mixed anyway – we're the same."
Okay, so that was a bit of a stretch. A lot of a stretch actually, but the principle was there. Neither of them was entirely one species. Holly bit her lip as she thought about this.
"There's still the issue of age, and height, and..."
Artemis interrupted, comfortably back in lecture mode.
"We don't know how the mix of genes will affect us. It might lengthen my life, or it might make you grow. Even if it doesn't, other people manage to cope with their differences."
"No other couple in history has had to cope with this many differences" muttered Holly, but there was no bite in it. Artemis was right. The boy smiled thinly and stood.
"Perhaps the rope is in the passenger area?" he suggested, opening the door and walking out. Holly sighed and followed him, opening various cupboards and eventually finding the tow rope in the very top overhead locker. She stood on the table to reach it. It was heavier than she'd thought it would be, and she lost her balance as she dragged it out. It hit the floor with a thump, and would have been followed by Holly if Artemis hadn't caught her at the last second.
"Smooth" came a voice from the doorway. Captain Vein stood there, grinning at them. Artemis let go of Holly's waist, and she bent to pick the rope up.
"Thanks Arty" she said, smiling at the boy, then turned and almost threw the rope at Vein. It hit him in the stomach and winded him slightly. Holly steered him out of the shuttle and helped him to secure the damaged shuttle to the one he'd come in. The rope was made of similar thread to the piton cords, but was considerably thicker to prevent the towed vehicle from swinging too much. They stretched it tightly between the shuttles and attached it using a pair of magnetic clamps which Vein provided. The ropes were going nowhere until one of the elves removed them by hand.
Butler returned to the clearing, arms full of decommissioned traps, and barely avoided walking into the rope. Only Holly's sharp warning prevented injury – if he'd fallen on the traps he'd have done some serious damage. Artemis emerged from the damaged shuttle at her exclamation, followed closely by Devlin, who was – once again – talking incessantly about how Artemis had kissed Holly in the woods. Captain Vein's face wore on odd expression as he listened to the young elf's monologue; it looked as though he was trying not to grin. Holly noticed this, and scowled.
"Devlin, shut up and get into the new shuttle. Captain, likewise. Get her ready to fly."
The two elves fell silent at the look on her face, and did as she said. Devlin had heard tales of Holly's aim, and Vein had first-hand experience with her fists. Neither wanted to be in the firing line. Holly glared at them until they were on board, then took some of the traps from Butler and helped him to stow them in the damaged shuttle.
"We're all flying in the new shuttle" she explained as she shoved a particularly large trap into an empty cupboard. "This one will swing about too much. Even if we had working gyroscopes, it would make you ill. Still, let's put these somewhere safe. I don't want to give Foaly any more reason to moan."
She locked the hatch and hopped on board Vein's shuttle. The Captain was hovering near the cockpit. He seemed nervous.
"Are you going to fly her, Commander?"
That explained it, thought Artemis. Holly certainly had a taste for acrobatics. That would make any sane person nervous.
Holly shook her head and sat in the last free chair. It was, of course, next to Artemis. She strongly suspected that the others had left it empty on purpose.
"You do it, Captain."
Vein obviously hadn't expected this, because he faltered before replying.
"Yes ma'am."
He disappeared into the cockpit, shutting the door behind him. Artemis immediately turned to face Holly.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You're rubbing your arm" he pointed out. Holly looked down, and sure enough the boy was right. She moved her hands to lie on her lap.
"I'm fine" she said firmly. Artemis noticed Devlin watching with interest, so he kept his questions vague. The young elf was too curious for his own good.
"Is it happening again?"
"No. I'm a little dizzy, but that's all."
The shuttle rocked a little as they took off, straining with the weight of the towed vehicle. Butler sat back in his seat, gripping the armrests. Holly was surprised they'd found a chair big enough for the gigantic human. She leaned back and closed her eyes, suddenly tired. They had an hour long flight ahead of them; she may as well sleep on the journey.
Devlin watched the pair opposite him as the shuttle took off. Artemis was worried about Holly, that much was obvious from the way the boy kept looking at her out of the corner of his eye. She was resting in the chair, eyes closed. She wasn't actually asleep, because she kept twitching and adjusting to the movements of the vehicle, but that didn't stop Artemis from checking on her. The young elf wondered what was wrong with her.
Holly gradually stopped moving and fell asleep. Artemis followed soon after. Devlin opened his mouth, to talk about what he wasn't entirely certain, but Butler growled before he could make a sound. The elf squeaked and closed his mouth again. A friend to the People the human may be, but that didn't make him any less terrifying.
So, Foaly knows. Actually, everyone knows. No sneaking around, no denials, but plenty of problems.
Skullduck: She can't give them a break, can she?
Me: *sighs* And here I though we were going to have a chapter without your imput.
Skullduck: It's not the same without me.
Me: No, it's quieter. Anyway, there are two more chapters, then possibly an epilogue, then done! I was thinking of maybe doing some sort of sequel thingie, but it depends how well this turns out. Anyway, let me know what you think!
Love Liris and Skullduck
xxx
