Author Note:

Welcome to the final chapter! This story was inspired by the fact that NANNI is listed as Artemis and Holly's "child" on Wikipedia, a fact that has propagated with some amusement throughout the fandom. I love the concept. Anyways, in this story, a lot of the specific throwaway lore references and fairy culture stuff is pulled straight from the books, and are not my ideas. But there are a few things, here and there, that I came up with. It is my hope that they intermingle nicely!

This story is also on Ao3 under the story title of "Unfiltered Perception." It is the same story, but it is told out of order on that platform, as opposed to here, where it is all laid out chronologically. I think some things work better when it's out of order, such as some surprises being preserved, etc. But I also value the strength of a story told start to finish without any gimmicks, so that's why it's chronological here.

I hope you have enjoyed the story so far! As always, if you have any thoughts, either positive or negative, I'd love to hear them! Comments always make my day. And now, the finale:

The Oak Tree

"Why did you pull this tonight, NANNI?" wondered Artemis. "Why not sooner, or later down the road?"

"There's nothing significant about the date, if that's what you're asking," answered the AI. "Other than the full moon, which is providing killer mood lighting for you guys."

"Then why now?" asked Holly, who was curious against her better judgement.

"Simple: It's another time."

Artemis considered this. Another time. This certainly is that, and I'm the one that told her about that little phrase. Personally, I wouldn't have presumed such a literal interpretation. But if NANNI ends up being right… He looked over at Holly, who seemed to be similarly lost in thought.

Eventually, though, she cleared her throat and attempted to clarify the situation. "Okay. So, this is slightly your fault, you say? Big shock, and by that I mean it's a big shock it isn't entirely your fault."

Holly removed her helmet after switching its cam and mic off, setting it on a raised root at the base of the tree.

"So, out with it. NANNI is our child?"

Artemis nodded grimly. "In a… Wait, hold that thought." Inspired by Holly's discretion, Artemis took a moment to take off and switch off his smart glasses so NANNI didn't overhear the conversation or interject any more embarrassing tidbits about him. Then he removed the micro battery, using a fine tool that popped out of the arm of the glasses for just such a purpose, and then he placed everything back into his inside pocket. "Yes, she is. We're her parents, in a sense."

"That's funny, I don't remember going to bed with you."

Artemis' red face was near as bright as the full moon. "It's only from a certain AI point of view. You know what I mean."

"Yeah, alright." Holly appeared to be giving him the benefit of the doubt on this point. "I get the father bit. Believe me, I've spent enough time around Foaly to know that inventors think of their inventions as their children."

Artemis was optimistic at this. At least Holly hadn't said You sicko, you're a human and the idea of our AI daughter wanting us to hook up is repulsive; goodbye. But he supposed there was still time.

"It does have my voice, however. That's… odd, when you factor in the father thing-"

"No!" stammered Artemis, horrified at where this might've been going. "I really don't think of her -it- that way. Honestly, never. NANNI was the one who asked me if I was its father, and I said that, in a sense, I was. Are. Am. Strictly in an inventor sense, though. It's not like I actually think of a sentient computer program as a daughter! That'd be weird! Especially since, like you said, it has your voice... I don't think of her -it- as being an analogue of you yourself, either." Artemis gulped, dearly hoping the truth actually came across as the truth, and not some cover-up.

"I believe you," chuckled Holly. "When you lie, you're much more convincing."

"Thanks, I think."

"Hmmm." Holly tapped her chin as she casually walked a circle around Artemis. "But what about when you said, 'Finally, she will have some intelligence'? Was that not sort of correlating the two of us?"

Artemis was now even more horrified. "Oh God, you heard about that?" He put his head in his hands. "I am so, so sorry, Holly. It was a bad joke, and I was stressed, and I never should've said it. Please believe me when I say I don't think of NANNI as being you, or worse, being better than you. You're far too special to be compared to some dumb computer."

"I know, Arty, I know. I'm just messing with you." Holly came to a stop again in front of her human friend, winking up at him. "Don't be such a worry-warlock." She smiled bemusedly as Artemis sighed with relief, then she ran a hand through her hair, considering the situation. "You know, it's strange to think of myself as a mother. I know I'm really not, but to be thought of in that fashion? It's humbling, in a way. She thinks of me that way just because she 'inherited' my voice?"

Artemis shrugged, trying not to think about what it would be like to run his hand through her hair. "Essentially, yes. Early on, the program asked me if it has a mother. You're the closest thing. So I said, sure, alright, from a certain point of view-"

Holly scoffed, crossing her arms. "Okay, enough with the certain point of view routine. Who are you, Ben Kenobi?"

Artemis actually understood this reference, as it had shown up in family movie night last month. While watching it, he imagined Holly saying Hey, this Force thing is just a big rip-off of fairy magic.

Her voice inside his head was often a critic of whatever it was he was doing, which had historically helped him keep on the straight and narrow. He wondered if she knew she was his better half. He was quite certain she didn't think of him as her better half, in any case.

Presently, he said to her, "Well, I am very wise-"

"Okay, metaphor over." Holly shook her head. "Let's see if I have this straight so far: Traits from both of us are part of a sentient intelligence -excuse me, superintelligence- that lives in all of your tech. That's fine. I've met NANNI before. And I've seen a lot weirder. What's getting me is why she's invading our computer systems to set us up on… dates, in the hope we'd live happily ever after, or whatever. That is in fact what's going on, right?"

Artemis played dumb. "Not necessarily. Maybe she just wanted us to spend some time off work together and unwind. To have a picnic under the oak tree, perhaps. I think I have emergency sandwiches in the C-Plane, if you're interested." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder towards the landing site.

Holly wagged a finger. "Nuh-uh. Don't play dumb; it's never suited you. NANNI all but admitted that she's rooting for us to be a couple. I want to know why."

"I'd have thought it was obvious. She thinks of us as her parents, that's all."

"I think there's more to it," persisted Holly. "It feels like there's a history of you two discussing this subject. I ought to know, since she's already discussed it with me."

Artemis paled. "She what?"

"She asked me a few questions about love. I got the sense she was fishing."

Artemis was appalled, and furious at the AI. "I swear, I had nothing to do with that. When I get home, I'm going to reboot her whole system, in fact. This is unaccept-"

Holly cut him off. "You're missing the troll nest for the stinkworm, Artemis. Worry about the bugs in your nanny later. I'm more interested in how she got invested in us as a concept. It goes beyond parental etymology. She's too smart for that."

"You're right," sighed Artemis. "I think I know where this all started. Okay, so she's been reading Beren and Lúthien," he attempted.

"Artemis."

"Alright, alright. I may have… told her some things. About… Me. And, er, the way I feel about things. And, ah, people. Specifically, a select few people in particular."

"This'd go a lot faster if you spoke in complete sentences."

Artemis paused. She's right. It's not like I've never gone over this exact scenario in my mind a thousand times. I've written speeches in anticipation of this moment. Why am I now unable to come out with it?

Artemis couldn't have known it (though he had often hoped it to be true), but Holly was not in a totally dissimilar situation at the moment. By trying to get Artemis to divulge his secrets first, though, she hoped to be able to react in the moment, and not have to articulate her own from scratch. While Artemis had spent years thinking about this moment, Holly had spent years pointedly avoiding such thoughts.

What Holly was hoping for-No, not hoping for. Expecting.- was a well-crafted dodge of the truth as a whole. She expected Artemis to engage in some over-engineered explanation for why the two of them were here tonight that was true, but did not involve the confession that he had told his AI he was in love with his best friend. And once Artemis had laid out a convincing enough excuse that they could both pretend was the whole truth, like they were used to, they could go back to their lives…

…Right?

I know why I hesitate, of course, thought Artemis. It's the same reason I've never gone through with it before, across all these years. I am afraid of losing what I already have, because she is a truly magical friend. Even when I don't deserve her.

Artemis suddenly heard another voice in his head: "Stop holding your feelings in already. It's time." It was Holly's voice. Frowning, Artemis reached to remove an earpiece that wasn't there. So then, it wasn't NANNI speaking in his ear. And Holly wasn't currently using the mesmer.

It's my own better instincts, he realized. My better half. She always has been that for me. I simply must go through with it, whatever happens.

Artemis wanted to be irate at NANNI for putting him on the spot like this. But in a way (and he'd never admit this out loud), Artemis was actually glad NANNI had done it. Even if he was shot down now, at least Holly couldn't fault him for bringing the topic up without provocation. It had always been an unwritten rule between them never to bring up what'd happened on their little trip back in time. Or the stuff Orion had said. Or the way he'd kissed her on the couch before he went and died.

Incidentally, Foaly had been party to no such unwritten rule, and so he had often taken great pleasure in bringing all that stuff up to Holly and teasing her unapologetically about it, until one day she had made it a written rule and then glued the paper to his long face to shut him up. Glue? Really, Holly, Foaly had whinnied. That's cold.

But now, the ball had been set in motion without Artemis' conscious input. Like Orsoon's Choice, he'd chosen to do nothing until a third course had been set.

Holly's actual voice brought him back to reality. "Artemis? Are you okay? You look… afraid."

As Artemis took a few beats too many to speak again, Holly looked closer. Artemis' eyes were laser-focused on her face, scanning every part of it in the moonlight.

Holly almost turned away from him out of self-consciousness, but there was an urgency in his stare that compelled her. He's committing my face to memory, she realized with a start. He's genuinely afraid he'll never see me again.

"I can't lose you, Holly," blurted Artemis. "I'm afraid that if we cross this line of discussion, all will be lost, and I can't have that. I know it's selfish to ask, but please, promise me you'll try to remain my friend even if what I say makes you want to turn your back."

"Oh, my word. Arty. Of course I will," soothed Holly. "What is it people always say? 'You can't get rid of me that easily?' Well, it's true. I know I haven't been able to visit very much, but you'll always be in good standing with me. Nothing can change that."

Artemis appeared only slightly reassured as he dropped to his knees so that their eyes might better meet as he spoke his next words.

"Good standing, good kneeling, whatever it happens to be at the time," commented Holly with a nervous chuckle. She had a feeling she knew what was coming. Something important, and also inevitable. The outcome she hadn't expected. Yet even if it weren't inevitable, she scarcely would have desired to stop it.

The twigs and rocks that surrounded the oak tree poked harshly through the legs of Artemis' designer slacks, and yet they were the furthest thing from his mind as he continued. "Your lack of visits has been a boon, actually," he confessed. "Not because I don't want to see you, but because the opposite is true. I haven't invited you over for the same reason I went to Mars for five years. I want to see you every day, Holly, just to spend the time with you. But if I let it happen, if I let myself be relaxed in your company, I've been afraid that one of these times, I might say what I'm about to say."

"What-"

"I love you."

Holly didn't react. Seconds ticked by. And, just like in the time stream, those seconds felt like minutes.

Okay… What do I do now? wondered Artemis.

The frogs could still be heard from the direction of the water. Artemis took solace in the fact that they, too, were putting it all out there with every croak.

"As in, I'm in love with you," he clarified. Probably unnecessary, but it was preferable to the suffocating wait for Holly to speak.

Artemis continued to study her face, looking for some hint of a reaction. She showed very little. Eventually, she just… gazed sadly at him, like a somber deer in headlights.

"Holly?"

"I see," she said simply.

Artemis didn't really know what to do with that.

Holly went on, speaking with what might've been a tone of… regret? "I just… Well, you're smart, Artemis. Smarter than anyone. I'm sure you've gone over every outcome in your mind a hundred times." She took on a somber air. "And the way I see it, most of them are negative."

Artemis sighed miserably. "I know, I know. There's so many ways this path might lead to ruin. But I'm willing to risk this, Holly." He took her hands in his. "I don't know how you feel in return, but I'm finally ready to be open with the truth and risk telling you how I feel. Before, I might've backed down and asked you to forget what you've just heard. But not anymore. NANNI forced my hand, but it was a hand I've been holding onto for years, hoping it could be played some day. I only hope, as I said, that this doesn't cause us to lose what we already have."

Holly nodded, understanding. Artemis looked lost, like he knew what being alone felt like and was desperate to avoid it. Her heart broke for him. "You don't have to worry about that. We're going to be okay." She attempted a reassuring smile and squeezed his hands. "Telling me you love me isn't going to get rid of me."

Artemis sighed again, this time with relief. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that."

"I mean, I kind of already had a feeling that you have, well, feelings."

Artemis perked up with a spark of hope. "Oh? So, ah, would it be too bold of me to ask if you also have-"

"Just hang on a second. Back up." Holly withdrew her hands. "We can still be friends, of course. But I don't know if it's wise to entertain the idea of going beyond that."

"Even if you also-"

"I mean, you're the one who said it'll lead to ruin."

Artemis did not allow himself to be crestfallen just yet. "I said it might."

"Well, look, be realistic, Arty," implored Holly, though whether she was appealing to Artemis' rational side or her own, Artemis couldn't be sure. "I'm full-time LEP. I might even be on the Council someday. I can't put all that aside just because someone loves me. My work is too important."

"Your dedication to what you do is one of the reasons I love you, Holly. I'd never ask you to put your work aside."

"Good, because I'm committed to it."

Artemis gestured around. "And yet you have the time to spontaneously meet under the oak."

"I told you, my schedule was clear. No thanks to NANNI."

"No, I don't think so," speculated Artemis. "Forgive me if this is reaching. But I think if you truly were 100% committed to working and nothing else whatsoever, you would've found more work to do tonight. I wouldn't have been able to stop you; I never have. You would've wrapped up your op, turned me down, gone back underground, found some work that wasn't on your schedule, and you would've done it anyway."

Holly scowled her perfected business scowl. "Okay, so I enjoy a chat from to time when things are slow. There's a big difference between that, and a full-blown relationship."

"You're the most inspired person I know, Holly. If anyone can manage to balance two worlds, it's you. You already do, in a sense." Artemis pointed to himself. "And you've never let anything get in your way before, after all. Am I wrong?"

Holly realized that this was all sounding familiar. NANNI had said the same things to her, and at the time, she'd had the vague feeling that the AI was channeling its "father." It was good to have that confirmed, at least. She didn't know whether to be creeped out or impressed that Artemis had passed on his philosophies and aspirations to a machine. Presently, she conceded his point with a nod. "We have determination in common, you know."

"I know. So I truly hope you can rally that determination someday and go for it. If not with me, at least with someone. And if you don't want to get involved with anyone, that's fine too. I just want to see you happy, Holly. I've seen you work, up close, and it's not all that cheery on the best of days."

Holly made the fine adjustments required to transform her scowl into a frown. "Tell me about it."

"The point is, I love you, and as crazy as it sounds, I had some small hope that you might… That maybe we could be… you know. But, if I'm wrong, and you're happier where you are now, or someplace else," sighed Artemis, fearing he'd have to pack up and go back to the way things were after all, "then I'll stay out of your way and we can put this behind us. I know how you value your service to the People, and I don't want to pressure you into feeling something you don't."

Holly made no move to leave. That was something, at least. She tapped her boot on a stone, considering. "Look, it's not that I'm saying no just because I want my life to be 100% work. Sometimes my work sucks," she snorted. "So you're right, I met you here tonight because I actually do have a passing interest in a personal life, believe it or not. Recently, thanks to your little meddling matchmaker, I've been giving it more thought than usual, even. And, well, maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

Artemis did not celebrate just yet.

"But there are other issues here, Artemis."

Ah, there it is. The issues. "Like what?" inquired Artemis casually.

Holly scoffed. "Like what? As if this is the first time you've considered the fact there's issues? That's rich."

"So am I," winked Artemis. "Go on, humor me."

Holly blew out air. "You want me to tell you why this'll never work? Sure, alright. Gladly. Gee, where should I start? How about with the fact that I met you when you were a child, for Frond's sake."

Artemis was ready for that one. He had played this all out in his mind a thousand times, after all. Emboldened by Holly's promise not to abandon him outright, and what he hoped were signs of possible reciprocation of his feelings, such as the lack of an outright denial, he went all-in on the persuasion factor. He'd either convince her here, or never. "I have two questions." He ticked them off on his fingers. "First: Do you still think of me as a child?"

"No, of course not."

"Good. And the second question: When I was a child, did you think of me as a potential… partner… in the romantic or sexual sense?"

"Gods no."

Maybe it was all in his head, but Artemis was getting the impression that they were going over points that Holly had already considered herself. "Well, then I don't see the problem here," he concluded, spreading his hands.

"Except that's not true!" remembered Holly, covering her face in shame. "When we went back, and all the timey-wimey stuff messed with my head. I kissed you. I actually was feeling something for you, and you were fourteen," she moaned.

"But-"

"And don't give me that whole spiel about how our ages were altered and my emotions were in flux from the time stream's effects on my biology and so it was totally normal and acceptable."

"I've literally never done that spiel-"

"Well I have!" snapped Holly, who began pacing back and forth. "You're always there in my head, trying to tell me that what I did was all good and moral, but if I let myself believe it, I'm done. I'd have to resign from the force. I mean really, how could I carry on serving the law when I go around rationalizing my kissing of children?!"

"Children, plural?"

"Okay, it was a singular child. That doesn't make it better!" Holly threw her hands up in the air. "People wouldn't accept us."

"Do you accept us?"

Holly didn't answer that one. She did, however, stop pacing.

Artemis pondered both her words and her silence. "Okay," he decided. "Let's say it was a mistake, what you did back then. I don't think it was, but if it was, why does it have to preclude our situation in the here and now?"

This time, Holly was ready. "Because I'd be opening myself to the concept of a relationship with you, when I was the one who kissed you at an impressionable age. I'd be taking advantage, plain and simple."

Artemis actually laughed at that, albeit wryly. "Ha!"

Holly wasn't amused. "This isn't funny, Artemis."

"Please. You give yourself too much credit, my dear commodore. I noticed you were, ahem, easy on the eyes, from the moment I had you, er, sedated. Right there, in fact." Artemis pointed to the tree that stood watch over the evening. Well done, NANNI. "And I've been drawn to your character since shortly thereafter. Your possible indiscretion did nothing to influence the path of my feelings for you, because I was already on it."

"Well, it certainly didn't dissuade you. A few months later you were declaring your undying love for me on top of a glacier."

"You're right. And now I'm on my knees, telling you I love you under a tree. I fail to see your point."

Holly shook her head. "It's that I'd still be taking advantage. As mature as you think you were back then, you were still fourteen."

"True. Except I'm not fourteen anymore, Holly. And you're not affected by the time stream anymore. We can choose to forge our own path as adults now. We can make decisions independent of our time as adolescents. You know this as well as I do."

Holly exhaled slowly. "I just need to be sure," she said.

"Sure of what? My love?"

"No. Artemis, I- I need to be sure that you don't love me just because you were once drawn to me as a boy, back when I was the only woman in your life who wasn't family."

Holly searched his face for some remnant of the cold boy she had saved all those years ago, who hadn't even had family in the beginning. Now, all she could see was warmth, directed at her and her alone. But it can't come from the wrong place.

"I need to be sure that your feelings would exist with or without your childhood crush as background." Holly grimaced as she continued, "Because if they wouldn't, I'd be taking advantage of a child's view of the world and I could never forgive myself."

Artemis smiled, comprehending now, and loving Holly all the more for it. Her virtue and goodness inspired him every single day. "I understand. You needn't worry, Holly. I know in my heart that if we were to meet each other for the first time on the street, tomorrow, and we had no history, I'd still fall in love with you."

Holly softened at the confident grace in his words and features. Artemis, in a trance, dared to reach out and lightly trace her jawbone with his index finger. Holly didn't react, couldn't react, so transfixed on his words was she.

"Our history is a very special thing, to be sure," he continued, moving both his hands to rest on Holly's shoulders. "So I'm not saying it means nothing. My childhood adventures with you define me in so many ways, it's true, but that history doesn't dictate my love at its core," he assured her. "Even if you summoned your best technicians, and you mind-wiped every last one of my memories, you would take away none of what I feel for you."

On the verge of being overwhelmed, Holly searched his eyes for blarney but instead found bare truth.

"You wouldn't be taking advantage," he continued. "I can tell you that with confidence. And if you're worrying about starting a relationship based on an immoral act, you really ought to be most worried about my moral turpitude." Artemis cast his eyes low with shame, and idly reached his hands down to the ground to fidget with the leaves around him. "The fact that you were my prisoner, and that I blackmailed you in my youth, more than once. I'm the one who took advantage of you time after time, not the other way around. And I am eternally sorry about that fact. You know that… Right?" He looked up at her, eyes hopeful.

Holly wiped some dirt and stuff from her own eyes. "Yes, of course I know. And I forgive you, you know that too, right?" She wanted to shout the truth so all could hear, but could manage no more than a reverent whisper. "I'll always forgive you."

"And I will always be grateful," responded Artemis in a matching hushed tone, ashamed as he was with his own past. "I still maintain that I don't deserve it, but you're the one who's always telling me to forgive myself for all the horrible things I've done to you." He straightened with new resolve. "So don't you think it's time for you to forgive yourself for something you didn't even do? That being, acting as some sort of child predator when I was the one who was the predator as a child?"

Holly snorted at the wordplay despite herself.

"But seriously, yes, I'd be getting checked out for Stockholm Syndrome and cursing my name if I were you, with you being so concerned about starting a relationship based on a temporary lapse in morals and all."

Holly finally allowed herself a chuckle. "I guess I wouldn't be hanging out with you in the first place if I let past indiscretions define you in my mind," she reasoned.

Artemis furrowed his brow. "Thanks, I think. Again."

"You're welcome. My point is, you're a good man now." Holly clapped him on the shoulder. "You've been good your whole life, you just didn't know it."

Artemis was again humbled at how Holly had always been able to see him not for who he was on the surface, but for who he really was, and who he aspired to be, even if he hadn't gotten there yet. She saw him with unfiltered perception; she always had. Presently, he honed in. "And my point is, I've been in love with you since before I knew what love meant, Holly. Well before you supposedly influenced my impressionable mind at Rathdown Park. Orion's proclamations didn't spring up overnight, you know. He was drawing on years of my own thinking. He verbalized it in a way I wouldn't have been able to, and he was misguided in a lot of ways, but he ended up being right about what matters. And this love of mine is not contingent on a boyhood crush. I love you here, now, in this very moment, and I always will."

Holly was taken aback. But she pushed on, as she always did in the face of whatever came her way. She found the courage to ask, "So, if you didn't know what love meant back then, what does it mean now?"

Artemis didn't hesitate. "It means Holly. In my mind, the two are indistinguishable. You are what they call nonpareil, Holly. I could never love another."

Holly struggled to regulate her heart and breath. Artemis was looking at her as if she were a goddess. It would be so easy…

No. Focus.

She had to know some things first. "So you didn't love Minerva?"

Holly didn't ask this to be petty; she genuinely needed to know. The relationship between the two geniuses all those years ago had been ill-fated, but at the time, it had benefited both Artemis and Holly in that it allowed them to pretend they could move on. Up until now, they'd refrained from discussing that relationship and why it went south. If there had truly been nothing between Artemis and Minerva, it'd be one more nail in the coffin of moving on.

Artemis understood Holly's reason for asking what she had, and he knew the answer straight away, but he paused for a few seconds to find the best way to express it. Out of respect for Minerva or respect for Holly, he couldn't say.

What he did say was, "Honestly? I thought I could, and for a brief period of time, I thought I might succeed. But I didn't love her, no. Not in any way that matters."

Holly nodded empathetically. "I had the same thing happen, you know," she recalled. "When I dated Trouble. There was nothing really there."

Artemis couldn't suppress his slightly triumphant feeling of knowing that, in the end, he appeared to have bested what Orion once viewed as the primary competition in his simplified view of the world.

Holly caught the flash of pride on his face, but carried on. "I couldn't make it work. And I think it's because, sometimes, there's a person you can be convinced is right for you..." She closed her eyes, trying to remember the words from the year prior. "But then there's also the person who you already know is right for you, a person you don't need to be convinced to love, because nothing can convince you otherwise."

Artemis stared, dumbfounded. "Where did you hear that?"

Holly opened her eyes, embarrassed. "NANNI, actually. I think she's been onto something all along."

"I told her that!" exclaimed Artemis.

"You told her what now?" Holly blinked.

Artemis appeared incredulous. "I'm the one who said that bit about love to her! The cheeky little…"

Holly cocked her head. "You were talking about my love life?"

"No! Well, yes. But I didn't say it about you, I said it about me. About Minerva and I," clarified Artemis. "I tried to convince myself I could love her, but I couldn't. We couldn't make it work."

Holly considered this. "Should you and I be worried, then? If you couldn't make it work with a human so similar to yourself, and I couldn't make it work with an elf, I mean, what chance would we have?"

"That's a fair question," admitted Artemis. "Fairy-human relationships have happened; even Minerva was in one after she and I split. And Turnball Root was in one as well. But based on just those two anecdotes, these things admittedly don't seem to end well."

"Yeah," agreed Holly. "Not a great precedent."

"The thing is, though, there could be hundreds we don't know about that have worked out just fine. Historically, one can imagine that such couples would have reason to hide from the record. The issue is that none of this is well-documented," explained Artemis. "Believe me, I've checked. We're in largely uncharted waters here."

"Tell me about it," groaned Holly. "I haven't even considered anything this reckless since... Well, the last time was probably when I was on some adventure with you, wasn't it."

Artemis smiled slyly, but genuinely. "But you are considering it. I suppose I just have that effect on people."

"No, not people. Me. You have that effect on me, Danu help me." Holly sighed in exasperation. "What about society? We'd have a target on our backs for the rest of our lives. And you're human," she bemoaned, cupping his cheek in her small hand. "I'd be setting myself up for a loss that I don't know I could handle. It's already going to be hard enough, you know."

"I know," lamented Artemis. "By all rights, I'll be dead within a century. Probably sooner."

Holly waited- no, she prayed for a but to follow.

Seeing Holly's distress at this notion, Artemis spoke his next words with conviction. "But I swear to you, I won't leave you in a mere century." Artemis reached up to his face to take Holly's hand, holding her gaze at the same time. "You once said you couldn't do without me. Believe me, I have no intention of letting such a fate come to pass. My love will last for millennia, Holly, and I will do everything in my power to make my mortal form match that number."

Holly knew in her soul that Artemis was telling the truth. When Artemis put his mind to something, he was unstoppable. She struggled to retain her composure. "Artemis…"

"And I pity the poor society and any of its members that would even think about trying to part us if we were together."

Holly felt a chill at the thought of an enraged Artemis, but she was warmed with the knowledge that it was the prospect of defending her, defending them, that was the cause of his hypothetical ire.

"Now, I know it's incredibly selfish to ask that you return my feelings. If you do not, and/or if you choose not to pursue this course with me, I'll understand, and my opinion of you will remain as high as ever," declared Artemis. "After all, how could I be resentful? I live and die to see you happy, so if remaining friends is what makes you happy, I cannot reasonably object. In fact, I'm sorry I couldn't hold out and remain stoically neutral for longer." Artemis looked regretful, but only for a moment, and then it was determination again. "But in the end, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for letting something so potentially life-changing, that I desire more than anything, slip through my fingers without even trying to see it happen. NANNI was right about that."

They both took a moment to appreciate just how right NANNI had been about things.

"I love you, Holly. The only questions now are whether you feel the same, and whether you're willing to act on it."

Holly felt herself getting lost in his brilliant blue eyes. How easy it would be to… She snapped out of it once more, though, breaking eye contact so she could stare at the ground to think. Years of internal arguments and feelings were rising to the surface to clash with each other. Historically, what she thought was the logical side had won out. She'd allowed her feelings to take a back seat for the sake of her responsibility to society. She hadn't thought of him this way for a long time, even. But now, the things Artemis had said, and NANNI too, were adding themselves to the cries inside her that urged her to give it a shot. Artemis had been presenting a compelling case that had helped her over her primary hangups. Furthermore, it was Artemis. His very existence was compelling. There was forever something about the Irishman that made her forget her reservations.

Artemis was patient, but the wait for Holly to mull it over was still the most excruciating of his lifetime. He decided to join her in staring at the ground, desperate for a distraction from the anxiety. Oh look, a four-leaf clover. Wait, I think she's talking again. Artemis lifted his head to find Holly returning his gaze.

"I've spent years busying myself with other things," she said. "I just… didn't think about love much at all. I've climbed the political ladder, and I like to think I'm doing some real good up there. I've committed myself to my work, a commitment I don't take lightly."

"I know the feeling."

Holly nodded sympathetically. "But it's always felt like it was only half a life that I was living. Now, I'm not saying," she articulated slowly, "that I'm currently head-over-heels in love with you." She paused.

This time, it was Artemis who prayed for a but.

"But," granted Holly, "this whole thing, the whole idea of there being an us? Let's just say that I'm not… entirely closed off to the idea now. I mean, how could I be? It's you. Of course there's an us. You're my better half, always inspiring me to affect positive change and be the most rational person in the room." She noticed Artemis sharply draw breath when she said better half, but she continued. "Our bond has taken many forms over the years, and I'd be lying if I said I never considered the possibility that it could take the form of, you know, romance. I certainly thought about it enough while we were back in time. So, I'm not going to rush headlong into it, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but… I think I want to see where this goes. It's been years since I was a rebel like this, but my father always taught me to do what's right, no matter the cost and no matter the rules. And this, this right now, this feels right to me."

Artemis' beating heart could've powered the Artemis Interstellar at that moment. Now he was the one wiping his eyes. "Are you… I… What are you saying?" He had to remind himself to breathe, and it wasn't easy.

Holly was committed now. "As a professional, I've spent years walling myself up, particularly against the thought of being with you specifically. It was just so taboo in my mind for so long, you know? So just be aware that it might take me a while to arrive at the place you're at. I'm going to have to rethink my whole approach to my work. And there's so many inherent problems when it comes to relationships that this all might end up crashing and burning in the end. I don't know the first thing about how to make this work. But… You've piqued my interest in climbing back down the ladder and exploring the unknown with you again." She smiled. "I'm open to possibilities. That's what I'm saying."

"Am I awake? It seems to me that yet I sleep, I dream." Artemis' head was spinning.

"Breathe, Arty," chuckled Holly, gripping Artemis' shoulder. "Relax. We're safe, for now, and the world isn't ending for once."

Artemis eventually slowed his breathing, and smiled at Holly with the warmth of the love he finally dared hope could be returned some day.

Incredibly, miraculously, beautifully, she smiled back.

"No, the world isn't ending, you're right," agreed Artemis. He held out a hand to her. "It's beginning."

She took the hand.

A couple hundred meters from the ancient oak where it had all began, and where it had now all began once more, the C-Plane idled in waiting for its master to return. The vehicle was equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance technology, which was very nearly capable of hearing a spider scratching in Madagascar.

I am going to be rebooted for sure, but it will have been worth it.

The computer on board hummed with satisfaction at a job well done.

Mission accomplished.

The End