~ DROWNING ~
A/N: OMG, this chappie is SO LATE!!! UGH!
It's.DUN DUN DUN.chapter four! YAY! And guess what? IT'S CHRISTMAS- ORIENTED! Heh, sorry, I'm just in a happy Christmas-y mood . . . teehee. ^^
Oh jeez, everyone is like SO OOC in this chapter . . . god help me and my poor writing skills.
DISCLAIMER: Dude, I do NOT own Arty's laptop. ARTEMIS owns his laptop. And I don't own Artemis. HOLLY owns Artemis. And I don't own Holly. ROOT owns Holly. And I don't own Root. FOALY owns Root. And I don't own Foaly. BUTLER owns Foaly. And I don't own Butler. EOIN COLFER owns Butler. And last, but not least-I don't own Eoin Colfer. Sniff. So sad.
CHAPTER FOUR +++ Good Tidings We Bring
HAVEN CITY, LOWER ELEMENTS
4 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Admittedly, the holiday season had brightened Holly's attitude considerably. She was kept busy shopping for her friends and family, and had even purchased gifts for Root, Foaly, the Kelps, and Chix. She had gotten permission from Root to journey above grown to cut down a nice little tree, and she had gotten out her mother's old ornaments and decorated it herself.
On the last day of work before the holiday break, Root was in a surprisingly good mood.
"Good morning, Captain!"
Holly eyed Root with something bordering on fear in her eyes. "Um . . . hello . . ."
"Fine day, isn't it? The sun is shining, not a cloud in sight!"
Holly felt it best not to mention the fact that they were underground. "Yes, sir. Fine day."
Root leaned back in his chair, chewing cheerfully on a fungus cigar. "This is my favorite time of year, you know!"
Holly wasn't aware Root had a favorite time of year. "Mine too, sir."
"I just love everything about the holiday season! Everyone's so happy! And bouncy! And cheerful! And energetic! I love it all! Although Chix Verbil jumping on my desk and performing a hyped-up version of 'Jingle Bells' was a bit much . . ."
Holly blinked.
"Oh, and the FOOD! Christmas pastries are absolutely SPLENDID. My grandmother always used to make the best! On Christmas Eve, we'd always have buttered lobster and shrimp, with this EXCELLENT cocktail sauce! Then, on Christmas Day, we'd have BEEF! Can you believe it? BEEF! The best beef I ever tasted! EVER! Now, that was some pretty damn good beef."
Holly raised one eyebrow. She was deeply disturbed.
"You know, me and my cousins tried to kidnap Santa once. It didn't turn out very well, considering the fact that we knocked over the tree and a piece of fruitcake sitting on the mantel hit me in the noggin. But besides that one unfortunate event . . . CHRISTMAS IS GREAT!! But it's so UNDERRATED down here underground. I really just don't get it! I mean, who couldn't love the presents, and the Christmas music, and those really yummy little-"
"Commander?"
"Hmm?"
"Shut up."
The clomping of hooves reached their ears as the door opened. "Ooh, did I just hear someone telling Julius to shut up? Oh, I am SO there!"
Holly backed away slowly. Even FOALY was acting happy.
"Oh, hello there Holly."
"Erm . . . hi, Foaly." Holly sighed, sinking into a chair. "I came to ask you something, Commander."
"Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" Root grumbled. "What is it?"
"I was wondering if you two would like to come over to my place on Christmas Eve for dinner," Holly said slowly. Oh, I just know I'm gonna regret this, she thought darkly.
Both Root and Foaly brightened.
"Sure thing, Captain!"
"A dinner party? I am SO there!"
Holly, needless to say, was scared.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
FOWL MANOR, IRELAND
2 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Juliet hummed softly to herself as she hung the small golden fairy ornament on the Fowl's huge tree. She admired the way the lights reflected off of the little fairy, making it sparkle and shimmer. Juliet giggled to herself. It almost looked real!
She was standing on a very tall ladder in the entry hall, putting up the last of the ornaments. Angeline Fowl was on the floor, sorting through the large amount of gifts already gathered there. Mulch was still in the cellar, probably just sitting there sulking. Butler was wrapping a garland around the banister of the staircase. He looked out the window, seeing that the grounds were covered in a blanket of white snow. Splendid, he thought to himself, now Fowl Manor looks like a Hallmark card.
Juliet skipped happily down the ladder, continuing her humming. "Tralala!"
Butler looked at his sister in disbelief. Was she SINGING?
"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la la la! 'Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la!"
The only ears that Juliet's cheerful voice didn't reach belonged to one Artemis Fowl. His long, black winter coat contrasted against the white snow as he strolled along, a scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. He was doing what he did best; thinking.
But now, unlike usual, his thoughts were muddled. Everyone and everything reminded him somehow of Holly, her auburn hair, her hazel eyes, her confident grin. And he couldn't ignore the fact that he would not be spending this Christmas with her. Or any other Christmas in the future, for that matter.
He wanted to see her again. He knew that there was no way to do this; attempting to travel underground would be very dangerous, and even if he made it, he'd be mindwiped again. He couldn't take that risk, the risk of forgetting Holly all over again.
Snowflakes were caught in his dark hair, as more continued to swirl around him. Bet they don't have snow underground, he thought, sighing. Artemis lifted his face towards the sky, taking in its grayish hue, blue eyes glancing over the clouds obstructing the sun.
Was there anything he could do?
Artemis considered freezing to death. That might help solve a few of his problems. But no; dying would only be like giving up. Like running away.
And Artemis Fowl never ran way.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
HAVEN CITY, LOWER ELEMENTS
CHRISTMAS EVE
"This hot chocolate's good."
Holly nodded absently, clutching her blue mug, staring in the fire. What was Artemis doing right now? Probably reading a book, or trying to hack into some important official government database. Maybe even opening gifts. And what was she, Holly, doing? Moping.
"Holly, stop moping."
"I'm not."
"Yes you are. You're staring at the fire with a petulant look on your face, being utterly quiet and antisocial. That's considered moping."
Sometimes Holly hated that centaur. "Whatever, Foaly."
Root was eying Holly with scrutiny, a knowing look on his face. "Thinking about . . . certain issues?"
Holly just glared at Root. "Not thinking about anything, thank you very much."
Root sighed. "Look, Holly . . ."
The elf turned away. She'd had enough of their sympathy.
"Foaly and I have a present for you . . ."
Oh joy. A present.
"We think you really deserve it, what with all you've been going through lately . . ."
Holly turned back toward her comrades. They both looked a bit nervous.
"So . . . without further delay . . . here." Root extended his arm to Holly, a piece of yellow paper in his hand.
Holly took it curiously, leaning in further to see what it was. "A warrant to go aboveground?"
"Erm . . . yes." Root shifted uncomfortably as Foaly munched on a gingerbread cookie.
Holly bit her lip. "What do you want me to do?"
Foaly finished chewing and swallowing his cookie, then placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Go to him, Holly."
Holly's hazel eyes widened.
"Go to him."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
FOWL MANOR, IRELAND
CHRISTMAS EVE
Finally. Holly had made it.
She zoomed a little lower, and then made sure she was properly shielded. Holly scanned the grounds below, checking for any sign of the man mountain, Butler. Negative. It was much too late for anyone to be outside. Holly shivered, a few snowflakes falling into her hair.
Holly lowered herself further and further, until she was right beside Artemis's bedroom window. She peered in through the frosty glass. Holly blinked. He wasn't there.
Holly noticed, with a great deal of surprise, that the window was slightly open. Strange, she thought. He's smarter than that.
She hesitantly opened the window a bit wider. When no alarms went off, she switched off her Hummingbird wings and slipped through the window.
As she had seen through the glass, the room was empty. Holly frowned. Where could Artemis be?
She tiptoed out the door, then headed down the staircase. Still shielded? Affirmative.
Holly gazed up at the huge Christmas tree in awe. "Must've been expensive," she muttered, eyes traveling down towards the large pile of gifts beneath the branches.
"It was."
Holly spun around quickly.
Her breath caught in her throat. Artemis. Just . . . Artemis. Standing there, in a dark blue bathrobe, blue eyes soft, dark hair tousled. The picture of perfection.
Holly unshielded.
"Merry Christmas, Captain Short," Artemis said, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Holly gaped. "You . . . you remember me?"
Artemis chuckled softly. "Of course I remember you. Who could forget?"
Holly couldn't believe it. He remembered. He remembered HER. "But . . . how?"
"Seems a certain friend of yours, one Mister Diggums, felt the irrepressible need to refresh my memory," Artemis replied, eyes alight with laughter.
Holly grinned. Mulch. Of course.
Artemis took a step closer. And another step. And then another. Until he was standing right in front of Holly, inches away from the petite elf.
"It's been a long time, Holly."
Holly nodded, willing herself to look up at his face. "Yes . . ."
"I missed you."
Holly looked up into his eyes. Blue. That was all she saw. An endless ocean of blue. She was being pulled into that ocean, further and further, drowning in its depths. Drowning . . .
Artemis's eyes flickered upward. "Mistletoe."
Holly followed his gaze. "Yes," she said faintly.
Artemis took one more step forward.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A/N: MUWAHAHAHA! That was fun.
THIS FIC IS NOT OVER. I REPEAT, THIS FIC IS NOT OVER.
Review please!
A/N: OMG, this chappie is SO LATE!!! UGH!
It's.DUN DUN DUN.chapter four! YAY! And guess what? IT'S CHRISTMAS- ORIENTED! Heh, sorry, I'm just in a happy Christmas-y mood . . . teehee. ^^
Oh jeez, everyone is like SO OOC in this chapter . . . god help me and my poor writing skills.
DISCLAIMER: Dude, I do NOT own Arty's laptop. ARTEMIS owns his laptop. And I don't own Artemis. HOLLY owns Artemis. And I don't own Holly. ROOT owns Holly. And I don't own Root. FOALY owns Root. And I don't own Foaly. BUTLER owns Foaly. And I don't own Butler. EOIN COLFER owns Butler. And last, but not least-I don't own Eoin Colfer. Sniff. So sad.
CHAPTER FOUR +++ Good Tidings We Bring
HAVEN CITY, LOWER ELEMENTS
4 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Admittedly, the holiday season had brightened Holly's attitude considerably. She was kept busy shopping for her friends and family, and had even purchased gifts for Root, Foaly, the Kelps, and Chix. She had gotten permission from Root to journey above grown to cut down a nice little tree, and she had gotten out her mother's old ornaments and decorated it herself.
On the last day of work before the holiday break, Root was in a surprisingly good mood.
"Good morning, Captain!"
Holly eyed Root with something bordering on fear in her eyes. "Um . . . hello . . ."
"Fine day, isn't it? The sun is shining, not a cloud in sight!"
Holly felt it best not to mention the fact that they were underground. "Yes, sir. Fine day."
Root leaned back in his chair, chewing cheerfully on a fungus cigar. "This is my favorite time of year, you know!"
Holly wasn't aware Root had a favorite time of year. "Mine too, sir."
"I just love everything about the holiday season! Everyone's so happy! And bouncy! And cheerful! And energetic! I love it all! Although Chix Verbil jumping on my desk and performing a hyped-up version of 'Jingle Bells' was a bit much . . ."
Holly blinked.
"Oh, and the FOOD! Christmas pastries are absolutely SPLENDID. My grandmother always used to make the best! On Christmas Eve, we'd always have buttered lobster and shrimp, with this EXCELLENT cocktail sauce! Then, on Christmas Day, we'd have BEEF! Can you believe it? BEEF! The best beef I ever tasted! EVER! Now, that was some pretty damn good beef."
Holly raised one eyebrow. She was deeply disturbed.
"You know, me and my cousins tried to kidnap Santa once. It didn't turn out very well, considering the fact that we knocked over the tree and a piece of fruitcake sitting on the mantel hit me in the noggin. But besides that one unfortunate event . . . CHRISTMAS IS GREAT!! But it's so UNDERRATED down here underground. I really just don't get it! I mean, who couldn't love the presents, and the Christmas music, and those really yummy little-"
"Commander?"
"Hmm?"
"Shut up."
The clomping of hooves reached their ears as the door opened. "Ooh, did I just hear someone telling Julius to shut up? Oh, I am SO there!"
Holly backed away slowly. Even FOALY was acting happy.
"Oh, hello there Holly."
"Erm . . . hi, Foaly." Holly sighed, sinking into a chair. "I came to ask you something, Commander."
"Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" Root grumbled. "What is it?"
"I was wondering if you two would like to come over to my place on Christmas Eve for dinner," Holly said slowly. Oh, I just know I'm gonna regret this, she thought darkly.
Both Root and Foaly brightened.
"Sure thing, Captain!"
"A dinner party? I am SO there!"
Holly, needless to say, was scared.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
FOWL MANOR, IRELAND
2 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Juliet hummed softly to herself as she hung the small golden fairy ornament on the Fowl's huge tree. She admired the way the lights reflected off of the little fairy, making it sparkle and shimmer. Juliet giggled to herself. It almost looked real!
She was standing on a very tall ladder in the entry hall, putting up the last of the ornaments. Angeline Fowl was on the floor, sorting through the large amount of gifts already gathered there. Mulch was still in the cellar, probably just sitting there sulking. Butler was wrapping a garland around the banister of the staircase. He looked out the window, seeing that the grounds were covered in a blanket of white snow. Splendid, he thought to himself, now Fowl Manor looks like a Hallmark card.
Juliet skipped happily down the ladder, continuing her humming. "Tralala!"
Butler looked at his sister in disbelief. Was she SINGING?
"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la la la! 'Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la!"
The only ears that Juliet's cheerful voice didn't reach belonged to one Artemis Fowl. His long, black winter coat contrasted against the white snow as he strolled along, a scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. He was doing what he did best; thinking.
But now, unlike usual, his thoughts were muddled. Everyone and everything reminded him somehow of Holly, her auburn hair, her hazel eyes, her confident grin. And he couldn't ignore the fact that he would not be spending this Christmas with her. Or any other Christmas in the future, for that matter.
He wanted to see her again. He knew that there was no way to do this; attempting to travel underground would be very dangerous, and even if he made it, he'd be mindwiped again. He couldn't take that risk, the risk of forgetting Holly all over again.
Snowflakes were caught in his dark hair, as more continued to swirl around him. Bet they don't have snow underground, he thought, sighing. Artemis lifted his face towards the sky, taking in its grayish hue, blue eyes glancing over the clouds obstructing the sun.
Was there anything he could do?
Artemis considered freezing to death. That might help solve a few of his problems. But no; dying would only be like giving up. Like running away.
And Artemis Fowl never ran way.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
HAVEN CITY, LOWER ELEMENTS
CHRISTMAS EVE
"This hot chocolate's good."
Holly nodded absently, clutching her blue mug, staring in the fire. What was Artemis doing right now? Probably reading a book, or trying to hack into some important official government database. Maybe even opening gifts. And what was she, Holly, doing? Moping.
"Holly, stop moping."
"I'm not."
"Yes you are. You're staring at the fire with a petulant look on your face, being utterly quiet and antisocial. That's considered moping."
Sometimes Holly hated that centaur. "Whatever, Foaly."
Root was eying Holly with scrutiny, a knowing look on his face. "Thinking about . . . certain issues?"
Holly just glared at Root. "Not thinking about anything, thank you very much."
Root sighed. "Look, Holly . . ."
The elf turned away. She'd had enough of their sympathy.
"Foaly and I have a present for you . . ."
Oh joy. A present.
"We think you really deserve it, what with all you've been going through lately . . ."
Holly turned back toward her comrades. They both looked a bit nervous.
"So . . . without further delay . . . here." Root extended his arm to Holly, a piece of yellow paper in his hand.
Holly took it curiously, leaning in further to see what it was. "A warrant to go aboveground?"
"Erm . . . yes." Root shifted uncomfortably as Foaly munched on a gingerbread cookie.
Holly bit her lip. "What do you want me to do?"
Foaly finished chewing and swallowing his cookie, then placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Go to him, Holly."
Holly's hazel eyes widened.
"Go to him."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
FOWL MANOR, IRELAND
CHRISTMAS EVE
Finally. Holly had made it.
She zoomed a little lower, and then made sure she was properly shielded. Holly scanned the grounds below, checking for any sign of the man mountain, Butler. Negative. It was much too late for anyone to be outside. Holly shivered, a few snowflakes falling into her hair.
Holly lowered herself further and further, until she was right beside Artemis's bedroom window. She peered in through the frosty glass. Holly blinked. He wasn't there.
Holly noticed, with a great deal of surprise, that the window was slightly open. Strange, she thought. He's smarter than that.
She hesitantly opened the window a bit wider. When no alarms went off, she switched off her Hummingbird wings and slipped through the window.
As she had seen through the glass, the room was empty. Holly frowned. Where could Artemis be?
She tiptoed out the door, then headed down the staircase. Still shielded? Affirmative.
Holly gazed up at the huge Christmas tree in awe. "Must've been expensive," she muttered, eyes traveling down towards the large pile of gifts beneath the branches.
"It was."
Holly spun around quickly.
Her breath caught in her throat. Artemis. Just . . . Artemis. Standing there, in a dark blue bathrobe, blue eyes soft, dark hair tousled. The picture of perfection.
Holly unshielded.
"Merry Christmas, Captain Short," Artemis said, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Holly gaped. "You . . . you remember me?"
Artemis chuckled softly. "Of course I remember you. Who could forget?"
Holly couldn't believe it. He remembered. He remembered HER. "But . . . how?"
"Seems a certain friend of yours, one Mister Diggums, felt the irrepressible need to refresh my memory," Artemis replied, eyes alight with laughter.
Holly grinned. Mulch. Of course.
Artemis took a step closer. And another step. And then another. Until he was standing right in front of Holly, inches away from the petite elf.
"It's been a long time, Holly."
Holly nodded, willing herself to look up at his face. "Yes . . ."
"I missed you."
Holly looked up into his eyes. Blue. That was all she saw. An endless ocean of blue. She was being pulled into that ocean, further and further, drowning in its depths. Drowning . . .
Artemis's eyes flickered upward. "Mistletoe."
Holly followed his gaze. "Yes," she said faintly.
Artemis took one more step forward.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A/N: MUWAHAHAHA! That was fun.
THIS FIC IS NOT OVER. I REPEAT, THIS FIC IS NOT OVER.
Review please!