Note: This one-shot chapter was originally published on December 25, 2021

Dublin, Ireland, Christmas Eve 2021

By some coincidence (or perhaps not), the moon was full tonight, just as it was exactly 20 years ago. If Artemis gazed at the dark horizon, the landscape unchanged, he could perhaps pretend it was still that same fateful night, and that no time had passed at all. That the past 20 years had all been a dream. Thankfully, this wasn't the case, and the past 20 years had indeed happened.

Artemis Fowl was on a pilgrimage of sorts. The full moon shone his way on the rarely-used backroads in the outskirts of Dublin. The countryside teemed with magic; Artemis could feel it all around him. The eco-Bentley purred, as if itself in tune with the magic. And then, when he crested the next ridge, Artemis had to stop the car, because oh, it had been so long since he'd seen it like this, and his memories had not done it justice.

Fowl Manor loomed atop the next hill, backlit by the stars and the moon. It was now occupied by organic farmers, who had done their best to liven up the property, but no amount of window-dressing could alter that famous silhouette of the castle, which had withstood sieges for hundreds of years. No wonder the fairies had been given pause at the sight! Artemis felt like he was driving towards his death. In a very real sense, he was. His body still lay buried up ahead on the Manor grounds. He hoped the farmers weren't trying to grow anything on it.

Artemis had been driven along this road by Butler hundreds of times back when he was the master of the estate. But after the years of living at Villa Éco (a house which couldn't have been more different), and then living in space, and now living at his new house... the sense-memory of his childhood home had receded somewhat into the back of his mind. But now it was front and center again. Literally. Artemis proceeded slowly up the road, and all the while, the massive structure proceeded to fill more and more of his view out the windshield.

The open gate at the perimeter was a sure sign that this was no longer his home, though. The co-op was evidently a trusting group. Artemis Senior had taken care to ensure that the ancestral home was going to a honest group of people when he donated it, after all. Artemis passed through the thick perimeter wall, and parked the modified electric car along the avenue, a short walk from the front door proper.

Artemis ascended the steps to the front door, noting the site of a bush where an unfortunate Retrieval member had been knocked unconscious 20 years ago. It felt strange to ring his own doorbell- no, not his own doorbell anymore, he reminded himself. He sighed as he pushed the button. Was it good or bad that he could still so naturally think of the house as his own?

After a few moments, just as Artemis considered turning around and leaving, an old man in a bedcap answered the door. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"I apologize for the intrusion, sir," muttered Artemis, suddenly taking an interest in his loafers. "I'm afraid I have a strange request."

"Oh? Are you in some sort of trouble, boy?"

Artemis couldn't help himself; he gazed up sharply at being called boy. He checked himself before delivering a snide comment, though. A still-youthful appearance wasn't something to be sour about, in his situation. "No, I'm not in any trouble, I was just wondering if I could come in for a few minutes. If it's not any trouble. I know it's Christmas Eve..."

The farmer, who Artemis recognized as one of the leaders of the farming co-op that his father had dealt with, motioned to step inside. Artemis did so, and once in the light, he himself was recognized also. "You're Artemis Fowl, aren't you?"

"The Second."

"Of course, of course. Do come in. Can I get you some tea?"

"No, thank you. I'm just here to look around, actually. I grew up here, as you know. I have quite a few memories associated with this time of year."

"A trip down memory lane for the holidays, is it?" chuckled the old man.

"Something like that. I won't be long. I'll be sure not to enter the bedrooms."

"Take all the time you need. Your family's generosity has never been forgotten, you know."

"Thank you, I appreciate that." Artemis really did appreciate it. It was nice to remembered for generosity, and not the other thing.

Artemis left the old man to read tomorrow's newspaper in one of the many sitting rooms, and began his trip down memory lane.

The front door archway and frame was the same one that had been hastily installed in the aftermath of being blown off its hinges by the troll. Artemis supposed the new occupants weren't the type for grand renovations. They had redecorated though. Suits of armor and oil paintings no longer lined the entrance hall. There was a print of American Gothic with the humans swapped for cats, though. It was in decor like this, more than anything, where it was obvious the property had changed hands.

Artemis ascended the grand staircase, and passed a bedroom that used to be his control room, where he'd overseen the siege from. The door still had its reinforced hinges, courtesy of Butler. Artemis moved on, and poked his head in the study, where he had once cracked the language of the fairies. Modern computers and general-interest books now lined the walls. No more archaic tomes, or dial-up tones. In the safe room, a collage of wedding photos now hung over where the safe rested in the wall. Artemis wondered briefly what was in it now.

Artemis passed by and considered the stairs to the attic, where his mother had once been consumed by depression, but decided against revisiting that room. Some things were better left buried.

One room he didn't want to skip, though, was one that was under the house itself. He passed the old man on his way down the stairs. "May I see the cellar?"

"Go right ahead. Nothing but our stores of potatoes down there right now."

Artemis smiled as he descended the steep stairs and saw that there were indeed loads of potatoes lining the brick walls belowground. Then, with purpose, he solemnly cleared the bags and crates away from one section of cellar wall, and removed a small key from his wallet. It took him mere seconds to locate the hidden keyhole in the wall. The brick facade slid away to reveal concrete, and a heavily reinforced door in the center of it, which wasn't locked.

The air in the concrete room still smelled vaguely of time-stop, and of twenty-four karat gold. Artemis sighed as he sat gently on the cot, raising dust from the 20-year-old thin mattress. Then he leaned forward, reaching with his right arm to slide down the leg of the bed, feeling for something... There it was. The patch of dirt was still there. Artemis felt the earth with reverence. Sadly, the utter lack of sunlight had prevented the oak tree from ever growing. Still, Artemis liked knowing that the site of the old acorn, the seed of his losing the tight control he'd maintained in life as a boy, was still here.

Thunk.

The door to the prison cell was now closed. In a split second, several scenarios ran through Artemis' head. Betrayal? An old enemy? Sleeper agent in the farming co-op? Stranger things had happened.

But before he could take these thoughts any further, the air inside the room shimmered, and an LEP officer materialized by the door. "Hey there, mud man. Returning to your roots?"

Artemis grinned, and wiped the dirt off his fingers. "Holly. How did you find me?"

Holly Short removed her helmet, shaking out her fringe of auburn hair. "I guess you wouldn't believe it was a coincidence?"

"With you in the picture? Unlikely."

Holly shrugged. "Fair enough. Truth is, I heard you leave, and I decided to follow you."

Artemis frowned. "Sorry I woke you."

"Don't be. I have half a mind to be offended, actually. Taking this trip without me?"

"I'm sorry. I wasn't sure if you'd want to remember."

Holly shook her head. "Don't start with this again. That night twenty years ago was the most impactful one of my life."

"I'm sorry-"

"I mean that in a good way, Artemis. Look what came out of it."

Artemis had to admit that a lot of good had indeed come out of it. It was a bumpy road, but it had led to home in the end. Somehow, someway, against all common sense and realistic expectations, Artemis and Holly had gone from enemies, to reluctant allies, to friends, to best friends... and then more recently, in a pinch-me-because-I-must-be-dreaming development, they had become something more.

Holly knew that Artemis still felt guilt about that night, though. It didn't surprise her that he'd drive here tonight. She'd been thinking about it recently too, as they did every Christmas. Holly doubted many other people positively associated Christmas with their own kidnapping. But it was undeniably a positive association for her. If given the chance, Holly wouldn't change one thing about the 20-year journey to where they were now.

Artemis wouldn't change anything either, but he still couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt for the whole thing. Holly figured this was better than feeling no remorse at all, but she still didn't like to see him wallowing in it, so she mercifully broke Artemis' train of thought. "I hate to channel Mulch, but I noticed it still smells faintly like gold in here," she remarked.

"Ah, which reminds me," spoke up Artemis, "There was another reason I tried to come alone."

"Oh?"

Artemis got up and walked around the cot, pulling it away from the wall. He knelt down to where the wall met the floor under the cot, and felt along the seam...

Holly frowned. "Don't tell me there was a secret escape hatch the whole time."

"No, there wasn't. I'm afraid you were locked in here tighter than a dwarf's wallet. You're welcome."

"So, what are you-"

"A-ha!" Artemis popped a visually indistinguishable thin sheet of concrete out of the surrounding wall. Holly tried to see what was in the secret cavity, but Artemis' hand wriggling around in the opening obstructed her view. "Here it is," he crowed.

It was a bar of gold. Holly's jaw dropped.

"It's the last one," informed Artemis. He held it out to Holly reverentially. Holly took it with the same care, staring at it. Artemis kept on explaining, because that's what he does best. "The rest went to finance my various projects over the years, or it went to you, in my will. Which I suppose also went to a project of mine in the end anyways, since it's what you used to sponsor the clone. And now the last bar is yours. I had hoped to make it a surprise gift on Christmas tomorrow, but that's alright."

Holly shook her head. "No, this is yours, Artemis. You won it fair and square." She held it out to him.

Artemis didn't take it. "Well, now I'm giving it to you, fair and square. It's nothing, really, seeing as you already have my heart. Merry Christmas, Holly."

Holly faltered, a bit overwhelmed. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want-"

But then Holly figured out what to say.

"I love you too."