Author's Note: Thank you again to all of you have reviewed. Also, please forgive any errors you may come across. I've done my best to edit it and I have had someone else edit it as well.
Cybergurl: I'm sorry, I know that there's a lot of people who don't like Artemis and Holly fics, so I don't have to much of it in here, just sort of parts thrown in occasionally and then at the end. Hopefully the rest of the story makes up for it.
I should be Studying: Thank you for the review. They'll end up getting together later on.
misticjadewolf: Thanks for reviewing. I try to update once a week, so it's not to soon but hopefully not to long.
R.C.C.: Thank you for reviewing, I really love your story, and I'm glad you decided to read this one.
athleticsrulz: Yes, it will be an AH fic. Not a major one, but it willhave it's moments.
shadowcat15: Thanks
absolute power: I know it doesn't sound a whole lot like him, and that's the only part where he'll be like that. My friend had been watching me write it and he wanted me to throw that in there for fun. So don't worry, that's as dirty as he gets.
Thank you for the reviews, and keep reviewing please.
Chapter Five: An Appointment With A Shrink
Fowl Manor
Butler quickly moved in front of Holly, blocking her from view and hissed only loud enough for her to hear, "Shield!" Holly quickly shielded, silently cursing Artemis and also herself for not acting quicker. Once he knew Holly couldn't be seen, Butler moved to help the Fowl's carry their luggage.
"Good day Mister and Mrs. Fowl. Welcome back."
"Hullo Butler." Artemis the First replied cheerfully.
"Hey big bro." Juliet called while carrying three of Mrs. Fowl's bags. Angeline looked around.
"Where's my little Arty? Up on his computer again I suppose." She sighed.
"I'm right here Mother." Artemis Junior appeared on the landing on top of the staircase. He quickly made his way down. Angeline hurried over to her son. "I'm sorry your trip was cut short. Hopefully next time will be more enjoyable." Artemis continued. He no longer spoke in his icy tone, but in a softer one Holly hadn't seen before.
"Yes, it's a shame. Christine, you remember her don't you? Oh well. Her sister fell and broke her ankle, so they had to fly out to help her out. But at least now we'll be able to spend more time with you. Did you miss us?" Angeline asked and Artemis nodded and smiled.
"Of course. Although I'm afraid I'll be leaving shortly. A few friends of mine have invited me to visit for a week or two. I'm to help them with a few of their affairs."
"Really?" Artemis' father looked over in mild surprise. From the look on the Fowl's faces, Artemis having a friend was new to them. Holly watched as Angeline and Artemis Senior shared a pleased look.
"That's wonderful Arty. I'm so proud of you. You have fun now." Angeline then instructed Juliet to help her take her bags upstairs. Juliet shot Artemis and Butler a curious and doubtful look before heading upstairs. Butler then took Mr. Fowl's bags and took them upstairs as well. Artemis Fowl the First walked over to his son.
"So who's your friends son?"
"Well, I met them quite a few years ago, but I hadn't talked to them for awhile, until last night."
"That's great. Where do they live?"
"London. I'll be staying there for perhaps a week or two. Butler will accompany me." The last part went without saying. Artemis didn't go anywhere outside the Manor without Butler. It seemed like Artemis Senior believed his son and was quite happy. Holly had to give the Mud Boy credit. Technically, the only thing he lied about was where he was going. The rest of it was the truth and he told it in a way that didn't reveal anything about the People. Seeing Artemis talk to his parents revealed another side of him that she hadn't seen before. It was clear he loved and respected them. So why did he continue to deceive them about going legitimate?
His father nodded and turned and headed to the kitchen it looked like, so Holly walked over to Artemis, still invisible, and hit him in the arm.
"Ow! What was that for?" He complained, rubbing the sore spot on his arm now.
"That was for not telling me about your parents! They almost saw me." She hissed at him. Artemis had a strange look on his face. He looked as though he was trying to use his icy composure but amusement danced in his eyes. The two conflicted until amusement won. He grinned at her and then chuckled. Holly stood there, wondering about what she had just seen. He had been mad and hurt at her a half hour before, and now here he was grinning after she had hit him. This Mud Boy was confusing.
"So, you're not mad at me anymore?" She asked, confused.
"Who said I was ever mad?"
"Artemis..." Holly growled. He gave her an innocent look. "Then what were those glares you were giving me in there?"
"I think mad is the wrong word."
"Oh, and what other word would you use?"
Artemis paused and the humor left from his face. "Hurt." He said bluntly.
Holly cringed. She was still invisible, so he couldn't see her but she could see him. He did indeed look hurt. She figured she knew why he felt that way too. If he had really changed, then experiencing emotions was new to him. So that only made things worse. "Artemis..." She started but was interrupted when she heard footsteps coming downstairs. They both looked up to see Juliet coming down.
"Who were you talking to?"
"Excuse me?"
"Don't play innocent Artemis. I know you better than that." Juliet said.
Holly snorted quietly, so only Artemis could here her. "I know better too. Artemis Fowl and innocent don't go together." Artemis glared down at her and Holly chuckled softly. Juliet still waited for an answer.
"I was on my cell phone if you must know." He pulled out his cell phone from his pocket to show her. Juliet looked at him doubtfully.
"Who would you be talking to on the phone besides Butler? I know it couldn't have been him, since I saw him just two seconds ago. Is Mulch still here? And where are you and Butler really going?"
Artemis frowned at her. "You ask far to many questions." He sighed. "Alright, yes Mulch is still here, but we'll be leaving in just a few minutes."
"To go where? It can't be a normal job or else you would only be gone for a day or two."
"Juliet!" He snapped. "Lower your voice!"
Juliet flinched and looked around. "Sorry." She said softer. "So where are you going?"
Artemis rolled his eyes. "Holly, would you be so kind as to show yourself?" But Holly remained invisible. "Holly!" Artemis hissed. She was trying to make him look like a fool and by the look on Juliet's face, it was working. Was she even still in here? Yes, he saw a slight shimmer near him. He was just about whack her on the head when realization dawned on Juliet's face.
"Holly? She's here? Where?"
Holly giggled and speckled into view. "Hi Juliet."
"Hey Holly! What are you doing here? What did Artemis do this time?"
Artemis narrowed his eyes at her. "For your information, I did nothing wrong concerning the People. But they require Mulch, Butler, and my services, so we will be accompanying them back to Haven."
Juliet's eyes widened in excitement. "Sounds like fun. When are we leaving?"
"We are leaving in about ten minutes. You are to remain here."
Juliet pouted. "Please Arty? I don't have anything else to do." Juliet was one of the very few people who were allowed to call Artemis 'Arty,' including Artemis' mother. Actually, Artemis had always told Juliet to not use that pet name, but she had never listened. They had grown up together, so he didn't mind to terribly. Mulch also called him by that name, no matter how much Artemis told him he detested it. Nobody else, besides those three, dared to call him that.
"Yeah, Arty, why can't she come?" Holly said teasingly. Correction, only Holly dared to.
"Because she must remain here. My parents may suspect something if she comes along. Besides, she's supposed to be guarding my mother." He pointed out.
"Don't worry, I'll tell them that Butler wants to use this as an opportunity to teach me a few things." Juliet said. Artemis glared at both of them. He really didn't feel like arguing but he wasn't ready to give up just yet.
"What will the Commander think?" He asked pointedly to Holly. She thought a minute.
"I'm sure he'll be okay with it. The more help the better."
"It'll be harder to hide three humans compared to two. Are you sure you have enough camouflage foil?"
Holly frowned again. She only had enough for Artemis and Butler. Artemis was right. Just then, Mulch and Bough hurried downstairs. Mulch stopped in front of Artemis.
"We waited until Butler came and got us just like you said. Oh, hey Stinker." Mulch greeted Juliet and then turned back to Artemis.
"Good. You have all your stuff then?" Artemis asked and the two nodded. Holly turned to Artemis.
"Let me get this straight. You warned them but not me?"
Artemis shrugged. "Must have slipped my mind." He turned back to Mulch and Bough. Juliet looked over at Bough too.
"Who are you?" She asked. He was about to answer but Artemis interrupted.
"That's Corporal Bough, and they need to get into the Limousine right now before they're seen."
"But if he's another one of those fairy police, won't he have foil too?" Juliet pointed out. Artemis was quickly loosing his patience. These people could not follow simple instructions.
"Juliet, go and pack a few things and then tell my parents you'll be accompanying Butler and myself. Be back down here in no more than ten minutes."
Juliet grinned and nodded before taking off upstairs. Butler arrived back down carrying the bags and he led Mulch and Bough out to the car. Artemis sat down in a chair and Holly looked over at him.
"What's the matter?"
"I'm getting a headache." Artemis replied and Holly smiled.
"You need to learn to lighten up some."
Artemis looked over to her. "So I'm supposed to start taking advice from you now?"
Holly shrugged. "Hey, do I care if you listen? But did you ever stop to think that if you don't expect so much of everybody else, than more people will like you? Not everybody is a genius like you, you know."
"Yes, I realize that, but that is no excuse-" He started but stopped at the look Holly had on her face.
"Maybe you haven't changed all that much after all." She said sadly. Artemis opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. Shocked, he closed his mouth and sat there. Holly watched him and then turned and left in the direction Butler had taken the others.
Artemis still sat there stunned. He didn't know what to think or feel now. Of course he had changed! As much as he hated to admit it, he had. Ever since getting his memories back he had been experiencing more emotions, like feeling guilty for deceiving his parents. Holly had no right to say that. What did she know? Wasn't he going to help the People? His first instinct had been to stay out of their affairs. But after he considered it more, he had leaned towards helping them. He had changed, he thought stubbornly. The old Artemis would have helped but for a larger price. Going soft was what Mulch had said. But then another voice spoke in his head, asking why he cared so much. Why should he care what everyone else thinks of him? Why should he be upset at the fact that Holly didn't think he had changed? Why should he care about whither she trusts him or not? All of those thoughts were running through his mind and he didn't even notice when Juliet walked up and was standing right in front of him. It was only when she called his name, did he realize that she was there. She gave him a concerned look.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"Do you think I've changed?" The question was out before he could stop it. Juliet looked surprised at first, but then smiled.
"Changed as in attitude change?" Artemis nodded, feeling embarrassed and regretting that he had asked Juliet. She would more than likely make some smart remark or laugh. He was surprised when she did neither. "Yes, I've noticed a big change in the last few months mostly, but even before that. You haven't completely changed. You can still be stuck up and snappy sometimes." She lowered her voice for the next part, not wanting anyone else to hear. "Butler told me about why you wanted me to teach you to cook. You never told me, just demanded that I teach you. He's grateful that you would do that and I don't think the Artemis from a couple years ago would have been that generous. He also told me when we were upstairs that you and Holly have been getting along pretty well." She smiled wider and Artemis looked up in alarm and then glared at her. She chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"There's nothing to tell. We're just friends." He snapped. Then added quieter, "At least I thought so." Juliet sat down in the chair next to him.
"Alright, what happened?"
Artemis looked at her amused. "You realize that I do not do well with psychologists. There has only ever been one that I have not sent to a mental institution."
"Do I look like your average shrink? Besides, I'm used to your little mind games and sarcastic comments. So let me give it a shot."
Artemis thought about it and then shrugged. "I believe the usual time limit is an hour, but I'm afraid we only have precisely five minutes." He said and brought up his wrist to reveal his watch. He looked at it and then said, "You may begin your questioning now."
Juliet fought back a grin. "So would you like to start off by telling me when Holly and that other Bough guy got here and why they need our help?"
Artemis frowned. "If we start from there it will take a lot more than five minutes. We need to be to Tara by noon."
"So that still leaves us with an hour to get there. Don't worry, if I drive we'll get there in record timing."
"I think I'll let Butler keep driving. You drove me once and that was enough." Juliet laughed as Artemis' pale face went even paler, as he thought back to that event.
"That was three years ago and it wasn't my fault that the other car wanted to race."
"Juliet, it was trying to turn off the highway and you were blocking it."
Juliet ignored him. "So, are you going to start?"
Artemis sighed. "Very well." He then proceeded to tell her about the previous night and why they were they heading to Tara. He finished a few minutes later and Juliet was silent while contemplating everything.
Finally, she said, "Okay from what I've seen there are at least two things bothering you, and I know what one is. But I need to know what you and Holly did this morning."
Artemis frowned. "That's none of your business."
Juliet raised an eyebrow. "You can tell me, unless you have something to hide...?"
"No, I don't. But I don't see why I can't just tell you what the problem is."
"Now where's the fun in that? I want the whole story."
Artemis glared at her. "Juliet..."
Juliet glared back, fighting the urge to laugh. "Artemis."
He chuckled. "This is getting us nowhere you know."
Juliet grinned. "I know. So you better tell me." She said perkily. Artemis sighed, defeated. Normally, he would never let anyone tell him what to do or talk back to him, but annoying though she was, Juliet had always been sort of like a sister or a friend to him. Albeit one that did as he told and was also his bodyguard. So he told her about cooking breakfast, talking/arguing with Holly, then Holly teaching him to use the dishwasher (Juliet had known about this part from Butler, but didn't tell Artemis that. She had laughed quite hard at first too), and then lastly told her about when Holly came into his study.
"So, you don't think she trusts you, and that hurt you because you considered her a friend." Artemis nodded hesitantly. Juliet continued. "What is also bothering you is that you realize you care about whither or not she trusts you." Artemis nodded again. Juliet was figuring out all this on her own. He had only told her about his question to Holly and her lack of answer. "Congratulations Arty." He looked at her in surprise.
"For what?"
"For finally becoming a human." She grinned. "You're no longer the cold, evil Artemis who cares nothing about others except himself and his greed. Which brings us to your other problem. Whither or not you've changed. I think we just proved it."
Artemis thought about it. "It was a lot easier being that cold Artemis that didn't experience emotions."
"Because for once you're confused and don't know what to do." Artemis' shoulders sagged and he nodded once. "Don't worry, you now know what everyone else goes through. You may never truly understand your emotions, but just come to me if you need help. I'm a girl, I'm pretty in tune with emotions. But anyway, back to your first problem, about trust. You think Holly doesn't trust you." Artemis didn't say anything so she continued. "If you want my opinion, she does trust you. At least some."
"What do you mean?"
"She stayed here didn't she? She's willing to accept your help and take you underground."
"Perhaps." Artemis said thoughtfully. Butler walked in and they both looked up at him.
"Artemis? We should be going now." Butler said and Artemis nodded and got up. Juliet followed, saying, "You can settle the bill with my secretary here." She gestured to Butler, who gave them both a confused look. Juliet laughed and Butler, seeing that they weren't going to explain, turned and led the way out to the car.
"You know, you may actually make a good psychologist." Artemis commented to Juliet.
"Maybe, but I could never sit around all day, listening to a bunch of losers whine about how their dad never loved them."
Artemis chuckled. "I agree. I don't think I would have the patience for that." They stepped outside and found the Limo parked, ready to go. Butler opened the back door and Artemis got in. Mulch, Holly, and Bough were already sitting back there. Mulch had helped himself to a bottle of Irish Spring Water and was leaning back comfortably. Bough had never been in a Mud Man vehicle before and was acting slightly nervous but also curious. He was examining every little thing on the inside. Holly was just sitting there calmly. Juliet sat up front next to Butler in the passenger seat.
They were just about to pull away when Angeline Fowl appeared at the front door. She waved for them to stop and began to move towards the car. Holly and Bough turned invisible right away but Mulch was stuck visible. So Artemis quickly got out to speak to his mother. Mulch sighed, relieved.
"That was close." He admitted. Holly's voice came from seemingly nowhere.
"It's your own problem for forfeiting your magic."
Mulch shrugged. "Hey, I'd do it again too. It was to boring for me in the mines."
"So you decided to take up a life of crime instead." Holly said, a tiny bit of disgust creeping into her voice.
"It's a lot more interesting and it pays more. Besides, thanks to my skills and experience, I've saved your hides on more than one occasion."
Holly chose not to answer and turned her attention to outside the car. Artemis hugged his mother and Holly realized that she had never seen Artemis actually hug anybody before. Whenever he was around his parents, especially his mother, Artemis seemed to be a whole different person.
"You know, he doesn't seem to be so evil." Bough said from somewhere nearby. Holly didn't answer right away but Mulch did.
"Nah, he's not. You LEP guys-excuse me, officers," He corrected with a glance over at where he figured Holly to be. "only make him out to be evil because of that thing with Holly six years ago. He's really not that bad. Right Holly?"
Holly hesitated before saying, "No, he's not evil, but he's still annoying."
Mulch smirked. "For an annoying Mud Boy, you two seemed to be getting along pretty well."
Holly turned red, glad that no one could see her. She pulled out her buzz baton and zapped Mulch. He yelped and jumped a foot, narrowly missing hitting his head on the roof. Artemis entered the car again to hear Holly and Bough giggling and Mulch was rubbing his arm with a pained expression. Artemis raised an eyebrow after the car door was closed.
"It seems as if I can't leave you three alone for just a few minutes." He said. Holly and Bough became visible and Mulch slowly backed away from Holly, scooting along the seat. Artemis pressed the button and the glass divider slid down, revealing the two front seats.
"Butler, we can go now. We now have about forty-five minutes get there." Butler nodded and began pulling out of the long driveway. Juliet turned on the radio loud, causing Artemis to moan. He rolled the soundproof divider back up just as Butler began lecturing his sister on why a bodyguard should not play loud music while escorting the principal. Artemis sat back and grabbed a water bottle for himself. He then looked at Holly and Bough. "Please, help yourself to something to drink. I see Mulch already has." He ended dryly, glancing at the dwarf who grinned at him. Holly nodded and reached for two bottles and tossed one to Bough.
Mulch started rummaging through his bag for something and eventually found what he was looking for. He pulled out a bottle of sun block and opened it up to smear it on himself but cursed instead. "D'Arvit!" He began shaking the bottle but nothing came out.
"What's the matter?" Holly asked.
"I'm all out." He pouted.
"So? It's not like you'll be out in the sun much. Just long enough to get on the shuttle."
"But I have a three minute burn time. Dwarves have very sensitive skin you know." He pointed out.
"Don't worry, we'll have you wait in the car until the shuttle's ready." Holly said and Artemis nodded. They reached Tara a little while later and Holly guided Butler in the right direction to get to the hidden entrance.
"Butler, you may want to park a ways away, that way we don't draw attention to that area." Artemis said and Butler nodded.
"Hey! How am I supposed to get there without getting burned then?" Mulch protested. Holly grinned and Mulch was extremely surprised to find how much her grin resembled Artemis' vampire smile.
"Well, I guess you'll have to run then, won't you?" She said.
"You know, don't take this personally or anything, but you can be pretty scary." Mulch said and Holly grinned again.
"I'll take that as a compliment." She said and Artemis chuckled. Butler parked the car about a mile from the shuttle entrance and everybody gathered their things up. Holly and Bough turned invisible again after putting on their helmets and wings. Mulch had to use a coat to cover his head the best he could. Butler and Juliet were carrying most of the bags but even Artemis helped out a little and carried one of the lighter bags. They started across the field, Holly and Bough flying above them.
The group looked quite odd. A mammoth man carrying luggage, a blonde young lady also carrying bags, a pale eighteen year old in a fancy suit, and what looked to be a very short man with a coat over his head. Artemis secretly hoped no cars passed by.
"You know, why can't I just meet you guys down there?" Mulch asked.
"You mean dig? No, the Commander said I need to keep an eye on you." Holly said.
"But I'm not going to run, I swear. And we don't have to tell Julius."
"No way. Sorry, Mulch, but I've defied enough orders already. We're almost there, and if you try one wrong move, I have my baton ready." She threatened.
Mulch pouted and picked up the pace. "I can already feel my skin burning." He muttered quietly, but not so quiet that Holly wouldn't hear.
They finally reached the hidden shuttle entrance. They passed by a holographic cow that 'mooed' at them. Artemis glanced at it when he walked by. "Holographic, there's even sound and smell." He said, not in the least bit surprised. The People had far more fascinating inventions than just the cow. By now, Artemis was sweating. It was a warm day and he had just walked a mile in the sun. It was better than walking through radiation and snow and freezing wind in the Arctic so Artemis was doing his best not to complain. He still couldn't stop himself from making grouchy expressions. They had arrived a few minutes early, so Artemis plopped down onto a large rock to rest, for once not caring about dirtying his clothes. Holly saw him and grinned.
"What's the matter Artemis? You can't be tired already, can you?" Artemis turned and glared at the faint blurry area near him. Holly laughed. "It wasn't that long of a walk." Artemis still glared at her.
"Easy for you to say Fairy, you have wings." He snapped. Holly took off her pack and went through it. She pulled out her bottle of water from the car and tossed it to Artemis, who miraculously caught it.
"We wouldn't want you to pass out on us." Holly said, almost sarcastically. Artemis opened the bottle to take a sip but eyed her carefully. "Don't worry, I didn't poison it." She assured him and then added, "Don't you trust me?" Artemis looked at her carefully before drinking. When half of it was gone, he held it out for her to take back. She put it back into her bag and sat down, un-shielding. Artemis glanced around to make sure nobody was around to see her and then looked at her curiously. "The sun drains my magic, so it's easier to un-shield so I'm preserving it." She answered to the unasked question. Artemis nodded. They only had to wait another minute before noon. Holly and Bough covered the three humans in cam foil and then led them and a beat red Mulch to the large mound where the entrance was.