Thank you all for reviewing! Yes, oh yes, there is a reason for the Council's decision in this chapter. You will see its purpose promptly in chapter 22, and I think you'll all like what it is...

By the time Artemis's sedation finally began to wear off, Holly was alone with him. Butler had left to call the boy's parents to keep them updated and Foaly had gone home to his wife. Caballine was still rather irritated, understandably, and so, with the promise of returning later, Foaly had left to try and appease her.

So Holly was left alone with Artemis when he began to stir, shifting in the too-small hospital bed and groaning softly. She smiled and sat up straighter, leaning forward to grasp his pale hand. "Hey," she called softly, gently tugging on his arm. "You awake there?"

Artemis sighed in response to her question, his head falling to the side as his eyelids fluttered. Holly waited anxiously for a few moments before his steel blue eyes flashed open to stare right at her. He remained still for a moment as he reoriented himself before kicking his dry lips before he shifted slightly and spoke, his voice hoarse. "Well. I'm alive. That's good."

Holly shook her head and rolled her eyes. "How observant of you. What, did you expect something different?"

He shrugged. "Magical surgery is a first for me. I had no idea what to expect." He groggily pushed himself upright and looked around the small hospital room, rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Butler?"

"On the phone with your parents."

"Foaly?"

"Home with his wife. Be back later."

"Ah." Artemis nodded and rubbed his eyes again before examining himself curiously. "What's the diagnosis, then? Still set to die in three weeks?"

Holly frowned at him. "No. You're all cured. And don't even joke about that, Arty, not after…" She cleared her throat uncomfortably and averted her gaze before forcefully continuing. "But, yes. You're fine."

He nodded again and stilted a yawn. "You fairies do impressive work. Take me from death's door to hale and hearty and I hardly feel a thing."

"Yes, well, magic does wonders humans can only dream of. Well, most humans can only dream of. You've experienced its benefits quite a lot in recent years."

"So I've heard." Artemis sat up straighter and ran a hand through his messy hair, smoothing it down. He rubbed his eyes sleepily again and looked at her. "What time is it?"

Holly checked her watch and grimaced at the ungodly hour. "Five in the morning. See, I really love you, Artemis- nothing gets me out of my bed this early. And you haven't even been good company."

Artemis smiled slightly and dipped his head. "Thank you for staying, then." He held back a yawn, and Holly squeezed his hand sympathetically.

"Artemis, you're still exhausted… why don't you go back to sleep?"

But he shook his head. "No, no. This is the best I've felt in… well, two days. I have no intention to waste my time asleep, anyway. A genius's work is never done, especially when said genius has a lifetime's worth of memories to regain." He tilted his head to the side and averted his eyes for a moment, then smiled grimly. "Do you mind answering a question for me? I've actually been wondering about something since this afternoon."

"Go ahead."

"Tell me, Holly. What promise was it that you were fulfilling when you kissed me this afternoon?" At her surprised expression, he chuckled dryly and shrugged. "I supposed you would prefer that I didn't ask this in Foaly's company, lest it end up on his blog."

Holly raised an eyebrow. "You remember horsesense?"

"No, I heard you complaining about it to Foaly in the shuttle on our way underground. And don't change the subject."

She sighed and bit her lip. She didn't want to confess that she had promised his ghost a kiss in return for him coming back to life; the words sounded stupid enough in her own head, for gods' sakes, and there was no telling how Artemis would take it. After telling him they weren't ever romantically involved, he discovers she had not only kissed him, an alternate personality of his was deeply in love with her, and she had promised to kiss him if he came back? What a way to confuse him.

This is Artemis you're thinking about, here, she reminded herself. He won't ever be confused by something as simple as this. Besides, if she refused to tell him, that would probably make him think the secret was more than it was. And she was certain that if she didn't answer him, he would find out some other way- and then, it most likely would end up broadcasted to the entire Lower Elements on horsesense.

"Okay, Artemis. I'll tell you. But you… have to promise not to laugh." He looked shocked, so she exclaimed defensively, "It sounds silly, Artemis! I … okay. Six months ago, after I found out about your clone, I was on the surface to talk with Butler. I saw the Berserker Gate, where you died, and really couldn't help but wonder if your spirit was actually aware of everything that was going on." At the look on his face, she protested, "You have to understand, Artemis, I was desperate… you had just died and Foaly just kept saying how unlikely it was that your plan would work. And it's not like the first thing I said was a promise to kiss you… I didn't plan on it; it just happened. I found myself promising to kiss you again if you came back, all right? Go ahead and laugh. I know it's stupid; I know that you could never be enticed to do anything with a kiss."

But Artemis didn't laugh. He looked at her oddly for several long moments, his dark eyes unreadable… she almost thought she saw a hint of anger in them.

No wonder Fire was the clearest voice to me, Artemis thought. Butler and his parents hadn't known he was still alive; Holly had. Holly had actually been speaking to him and trying to get him to hang on; it was no wonder her pain affected him the most. And, yes, he couldn't help but be slightly angry at her for that. He knew that it wasn't her fault but that didn't seem to matter. She had, intentionally or not, tortured him.

"I'm not going to laugh," he said quietly. "That may have been one request that-" Fire screams and burns and tortures "-helped anchor me. Not the request itself, but the fact that you even spoke to me at all." Wailing and crying and sobbing and it hurts- "Thank you, Holly."

He shrugs slightly and deliberately tries to lighten the mood, simply because the memories this conversation has brought are not at all pleasant. "Besides, it's something you may brag about. Your promises of kisses are so tempting that it can raise the dead."

Holly glared at him. "Arty… please, don't joke about that. You only just came back and-"

"I do believe it was my death, Holly, not yours. Besides, it wasn't death, not truly. I imagine that would be less pain…ful." Artemis trailed off as he realized his mistake and winced at the look on her face. "Forgive me," he said with a nervous smile. "Whatever medication I was given still seems to be in affect; I'm not quite yet in control of my-"

"Spare me the line, Artemis, you're always in complete control of yourself. What do you mean, you imagined death would be less painful? …Oh, gods. What exactly happened after you died? You said you remembered-"

"My dear Holly, I thought you agreed to not question me about this. I already told you everything I remember about that."

Holly glared at him. "Artemis, you're lying. You're lying to me and I don't like it. What happened, Artemis? What really happened when you died?"

He sighed, clearly aggravated. "You vex me. Firstly, as I already told you, I am still rather intoxicated and nothing I say should be taken for its full value. Secondly, again, as I already told you, I have answered your questions about that as truthfully and as well as I am able."

Holly groaned and threw her hands up in exasperation. "No, you haven't, Artemis! And, while I'd pay good money to see you intoxicated, you aren't now. Oh, my Gods." She got up and started to pace around the bed before turning to gaze at him in alarm. "Tell me what happened."

"No. Holly…" he trailed off, his voice pained. "You don't need to know that. Please, don't ask again."

"Arty-"

Holly was interrupted by Butler reentering the room, and she did not miss the intense relief that overtook Artemis's expression at the sight of him. "Saved by the bodyguard," she muttered under her breath before forcing herself to smile at him, but not before shooting a glare in Artemis's direction.

"Artemis. You're awake."

"So it would seem."

Butler shrugged apologetically and shut the door behind him, casting an annoyed glance at the low ceiling and the chair that would probably splinter under his weight. "Sorry. It's just that Foaly said you would probably be asleep for the rest of the night…"

Artemis shrugged, deliberately avoiding looking at Holly, who didn't appear very pleased with Butler's arrival. "Well, from what I've heard, Foaly's estimates are often wrong." He leaned forward to pat his sixth toe to illustrate his point before shaking his head vigorously, as if to clear it. "But, onto business. I'd like to get back above ground as soon as possible."

Holly bit her lip and Butler crossed his arms, shaking his head. "Actually, Artemis, that's going to have to wait. We're under orders from LEP to remain underground until the fairy Council finishes its discussion. Commander Kelp wasn't very pleased when he learned you were alive."

Artemis frowned. "Commander Kelp… if I remember correctly, he's the one who never quite got over the fact that I was human?"

"Yes. Well, that, and the kidnapping. You humiliated him and he's never liked you since. But he does have a point, Artemis; hardly anyone on the surface knows you were dead, but the same can't be said for the Lower Elements. You're considered a fairy hero, and people will recognize you, and they all know you died. You can't just be seen walking out in public, and we can't tell them the truth; Foaly and you would practically be crucified, after the destruction Opal wreaked with Nopal."

He grimaced. "I suppose simply returning to the surface unseen isn't an option?"

"No. There'd be no way to guarantee a fairy wouldn't eventually spot you and spread the word." Holly sighed and shook her head. "I don't know what the Council will decide, but I think this will put you permanently on their bad side."

Artemis gave a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumped in exhaustion. "I see," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes again. "I'll be sure to be wary of them in the… future."

Holly and Butler exchanged worried looks before Butler spoke up. "Artemis, it's the middle of the night and, by the looks it, you're still being affected by the sedative. You should get some sleep."

Artemis shook his head, repeating his earlier lie of how he had work to do. While it was certainly true, he was no fool; he knew the medication would wear off much faster if he went back to sleep. But he couldn't, not while Holly was here.

Or, as he still thought of her, Fire.

Whether Butler was here or not, he couldn't remain calm as long as he was with Holly, not after what he remembered. And, while he could finally trust Butler again, trust him wholly and implicitly, that didn't mean anything in regards to Holly. She had still tortured him. She was still responsible for his pain and, like it or not, Artemis couldn't trust her. He could not let his guard down around her and sleep, not after what she had put him through.

He didn't have any options. It's not as if he could ask her to leave, not without providing an explanation- and he had no intention of revealing what his time in Limbo had been consumed by. Now that he remembered Butler, his resolve to keep what happened a secret was even stronger; he knew Butler had blamed himself for his death, and there was no reason to add to his guilt. It would be simpler for everyone if he simply kept quiet and suffered through the irrational fear until he could remember everything. As already proven, his memories were the solution to the fear. If he could just keep quiet until his memory came back, then everything would be fine.

It was a full day and a half before the Council finished deliberating and Trouble finally returned to the hospital. Artemis had long since grown sick of the entire affair and had passed the time by reading through essays and articles Foaly told him he himself had posted to the underground websites- under numerous pseudonyms, of course- but was still practically bored to tears. So, needless to say, he was actually relieved, for once, to see Trouble.

"Commander Kelp, I presume?" Artemis asked, taking note of the shiny acorn on his lapel as he stepped into the room. He swung his legs out over the edge of the bed and stood, nodding politely. "Please, tell me you're here to release me."

"You know full well who I am, Fowl," Trouble growled. "And, yes, it is against my personal judgement, but I am here to release you. Although I did point out that this was the prime opportunity to mind wipe you…"

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Thank you for the vote of confidence, Commander. After all these years, I'm sure it's still a possibility that I might reveal your existence to the world."

"I don't care what you do, Fowl, I don't trust you. But I'm here to deliver a message, not my personal feelings towards you. It took us this long to get over our disgust at your existence and formulate a plan to reveal it to the People. I don't really care if you like it, because, honestly? You've caused enough trouble already. It's about time we got some payback."

Artemis narrowed his eyes in suspicion while Holly bit her lip. She could tell, just by Trouble's tone, that whatever plan the Council had worked up was going to be ghastly to behold. "Trouble, what are you talking about? What did the Council decide?"

Trouble grimaced, apparently no more thrilled about this plan than he was by Artemis's presence in the Lower Elements. "I didn't come up with this. I also said no when we put it to a vote. But we've decided to reveal that he has been in a coma for six months, not dead, though we will say that he is lucky to not have died. As to when we'll say this, it was decided he'll remain hidden until that godforsaken move 'Mud Man's Redemption' premieres next week. Half of Haven will be there and he'll make a dammed good impression; the gossip magazines will go crazy."

Foaly frowned for a moment until he understood what the Coucnil was trying to do; then, he stared at him incredulously. "Are you serious, Trouble? Are you actually serious? You're trying to take advantage of the fact that so many rumors will spring up, it won't be long before nobody knows what to believe!"

"Well, it's no more ridiculous than a cloned human running around spreading havoc, whether intentional or not, wherever he goes! But I wasn't finished yet. Holly… there's one more thing…"

Holly watched as Trouble looked apologetically at her and gestured at Artemis. It took her a second to understand, but once she did, she gasped in horror. "Oh, no. I'm not… you're joking, right? The Council doesn't hate me that much, surely!"

"Apparently, they do. You're to go with him. It'll create buzz about you and him being 'romantically involved'." Trouble almost looked like he was going to gag at the last two words and shook his head distastefully. "The more we can distract the public, the better. We don't want people to realize that he actually was dead. This way, with all the drek in magazines will be focused on the martyr's triumphant return with the LEP hero. With any luck, they'll be talking about Hartemis or whatever it is they do with celebrity couple names nowadays and no one will question until later LEP's official statement of him being in a coma instead of dead."

"Because, otherwise, people would start pressuring us to grow clones for all their dead loved ones." Foaly shook his head, rolled his eyes, and scoffed. "It's a peculiar plan. It's also a stupid plan. It's also one of the dumbest plans I've ever heard. It's-"

"You think of something better, then I'm all ears!" Trouble exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "But you didn't exactly leave us with many options here! Just what are supposed to do, announce that we resurrected Mud Boy here using something that's been outlawed for centuries?! Surely, not even you can be so blind to the public's reaction to that!"

"And surely- wait, do I have to go to the premiere?"

Trouble shook his head in exhaustion and groaned. "I don't know why I put up with you. I swear, I don't know. I don't get anything out of it. But, no, Foaly, you don't. Unless people are interested in in a horse human couple- or, as I'd like to call it, an abomination- no, you don't have to go."

Foaly paused, then turned to Holly, pointing at her and laughing. "Ha! This'll just be D'Arviting perfect! Just you and Artemis? The dysfunctional boy who's out of place at something as social as a gala and the woman who'd rather stay at home and watch sports than go put on a dress? Oh, my gods, this is brilliant! Trouble, if you wanted to get me the perfect birthday present, a better budget would have sufficed- but this! This'll make me happy for the next century!"

Holly and Artemis both turned to glare at him while Butler snickered in the corner, picturing the two being forced to go to something like a premiere together. Holly and Artemis spoke simultaneously, both furious.

"I do not like sports, you deranged centaur-"

"I am not agreeing to this ridiculous excuse for a plan-"

"By Frond, I don't care! Both of you are going along with this stupid idea and I'm sure we'll all get our fair share of laughs watching Holly stumble in high heels and Mud Boy being strangled by screaming fans- I don't care whatever your objections are! Little Mud Man and Big Man Man, you're both coming with me to an LEP safe house until the premiere in a week. I already spoke with the doctor you got to perform his procedure- and where in Frond's name did you find him, he's loopier than a box of fruit loops- and he says Fowl is fine to leave the hospital-"

"As I have been since last night. And I never agreed to going to a safe house. I also never agreed to subjecting myself to what is sure to be the torture of-"

"You say torture, I say hilarious," Foaly cut in. "You're going, Artemis. You can't dangle an opportunity like this out there, then snatch it back. Ooh, my wife is going to have a field day getting the two of you dressed for this!"

"Look, Mud Boy, the car is waiting outside. I don't like to be kept waiting. And if you would willingly subject yourself to the full might of the LEP when you kidnapped Holly eight years ago, then you can live through what is sure to be that snoozefest masquerading as a movie."

Artemis sighed and tiredly ran a hand through his hair. It took a long moment for him to groan and admit defeat. "Fine. Fine, I surrender. But you just moved to the top of my revenge list, Commander." He accepted the large jacket handed to him by Trouble and pulled the hood up over his head as he was led outside, still dragging his left foot slightly while he walked.

It was Trouble who questioned him on his rolling gait, as the others already knew the reason behind it. "What's wrong with your leg, Fowl? You look like-"

"Nothing's wrong with him!" Foaly exclaimed hurriedly. "Nothing at all! The clone just isn't used to walking and-"

"And Foaly made a mistake and gave me a sixth toe. That, added to the fact that this clone actually has quite poor muscle tone and-"

"Okay, I really wasn't that interested," Trouble grumbled. "But good to know. I won't ask Foaly to grow anymore clones unless I want a mutant."

Foaly muttered angrily under his breath while Artemis smirked at him, and Holly and Butler chuckled. Artemis made it a point to drag his foot behind him, which only aggravated Foaly more. "You ungrateful little…"