Author's Note: 21 reviews! Okay so this is the party scene, where Artemis meets Juliet…I've been waiting to write this chapter now for two weeks, and now I can write it! Sorry its so short, but I wanted to stop before I got to Act 2. I know, its 2 short chapters in a row, but at least both are over seven pages in Word…even though I can usually get to nine or ten… OH! And I was planning how this story would end, and it's gonna be around 25 chapters. I'm aiming for at least 50,000 words.

Thanks to Knight of Eternal Darkness, lead paint - tempting but BAD, and Holly, -anon-anon-anon-, Taran, ShadowMagicks, and Zarroc.

Kp: OMG! I love your comment! Thank you! For that wonderful wonderful comment that made my day…I dedicate this chapter to you! Lol

Bibliophile: Holly's hair IS longer. And I quote from chapter 2: "The thing she first noticed was her hair. It was the same color, the reddish brown that was different from most elves' fiery red, but it had grown. No longer was it the crew cut that was part of the job, nor was it the jagged cut she was trying to grow out, but it was almost waist length, wavy and silky to the touch." Hope that helps. Lol

Recap

"Don't call me Julius!" Commander Root roared, storming out of the room while Foaly added, "Well, it is your given name."

"Temper, temper," Foaly tisked. He had to admit though, he was worried about Artemis and Holly. Why didn't he know? Why wasn't the iris cam showing up on his screen? He had tested it before with a bug he had shoved into that machine, and it had worked. Ugh, he hated putting himself down. Time to go get some carrots. And some beetle juice. Make that a couple cartons of carrots, cans of beetle juice, a petition to get a raise, a better budget. He could use this incident to get a better budget. He could say that the lack of money caused this whole thing.

End of Recap…Now on with the story!

Holly, who was forcefully dressed into Juliet's most extravagant dress, grumbled as she strolled down the steps. The Nurse forced her to wear a red dress, which not only clashed horribly with her hair, but an added bonus was that it came with a device that made her unable to breathe. It wasn't a corset, since those didn't come in for about 100 years, but it hurt terribly. The dress was big and puffy, and heavier than she could imagine, at least thirty pounds with all the petticoats and stuff. It didn't show anything, even the sleeves were long enough to cover her hands. I guess some people are worried about their 'staying pure.' Her hair was accessorized in every way back then, but still down and wavy. Her eyes were decorated with primitive cosmetics, and feet in their flats. Since her dress was long enough, it wasn't like anyone would see them anyways, right?

The people at the party were in similar attire. The other women, both young and old, wore dresses in identical cuts, but in different shades and hues. The men wore puffy shirts with matching tight pants. The fashion back then for men was disgusting, Holly thought. With Lady Capulet pushing her into the crowd, soon Holly stepped into the courtyard, lit with many candles and torches, creating a flickering light. The music started, and following her mother's lead, she started moving with the music. After all, Holly Short never danced in front of people.

Artemis followed Mercutio and Benvolio, masked like his fellow kinsmen, into the Capulet estate, mulling over what would happen that night. Of course, he knew, he would meet Juliet, whoever she was, fall in love, and then meet her later at the balcony of her room. Artemis pondered then over the identity of Juliet Capulet. Would she be this beauty, with flowing hair and enchanting eyes? He knew that somehow, this Juliet would stop him in his tracks, for some reason. In the play it would be because of her beauty, but for Artemis it could be otherwise. He still hadn't seen Holly yet, and after more than twelve hours lacking her feisty presence life was getting boring. He hadn't gotten teased, punched, or even received sarcasm in this time period. How could people survive?

As Artemis thought about how boring life was, the music started and people around him started to dance. A young teenager, maybe fourteen, pulled him onto the dance floor and started questioning him.

"Who are you?" the girl asked in a curious tone.

"Someone you don't know," Artemis replied wittily. It wasn't Holly's voice, and it didn't sound like someone flattered by him would say, so he was safe.

"Can I get to know you, sir?"

"What do you mean by get to know?"

"Dance, talk."

"I guess…"

Artemis danced with the girl somewhat clumsily. When his parents had forced him to go to social events, he would always talk with his parents and their friends about politics and the like. Occasionally his parents would force him to dance with another millionaire's daughter, most of whom were fairly educated but not a mental challenge to him. He could read their expressions and dive into their open minds easily. Soon the instruments paused and Artemis whirled around, saying good bye to the girl. He saw someone, though, who caught his eye. She was wearing a red dress, and her auburn waves of hair were cascading down her covered back. It looked like Holly, but it wasn't. The girl was too, too feminine, and Holly, Holly was this girl, this woman who didn't take anything from anyone. She wouldn't wear a dress unless someone paid her a million bucks. And the only person who could pay her a million bucks would be the only human she knew, Artemis. And Artemis wouldn't pay to see Holly in this elegant dress that exaggerated her um, assets, right?

He started muttering his version of the speech that would trigger Tybalt's suspicions that a Montague was at the party, all the while debating whether or not if he should go see if the girl was Holly.

What if it wasn't her? Then the girl would just look at me as if I was some freak and walk away? What if it was the real Juliet Capulet, the girl I was, I mean, am, supposed to fall in love with? But what if it was Holly? Would she be happy to see me, since I am the only person in the entire world right now who knows her real identity, since she wasn't even born yet? The only fairy familiar to her would be Root, whose probably out there somewhere yelling at people. Wait, he wouldn't have been a commander yet! He'ld probably be a private, too. I wonder if Holly wants to see if she can sneak back into the fairy world. I wonder where the hell Holly is! I wonder if Foaly knows that I'm gonna kill him when I get back. Maybe that's why he put me here, cuz he knows Romeo kills himself and since I'm assuming the role of Romeo he wants me dead. That idiot centaur!

The girl who had caught his eye earlier shook him out of his stupor. At that moment, Artemis knew it was Holly. No other girl's grip could ever be so strong.

"Holly? Is that you?" he whispered.

"Artemis?" the girl now known as Holly replied, "Yea, but now I'm Juliet Capulet in this bloody world."

"You're Juliet? Holly, surely you know where we are, and I'm Romeo."

At that moment Holly had a look of confusion on her face. "No, I don't," she admitted, red covering her cheeks.

"You don't?"

"That's what no means, Artemis," she replied sarcastically.

"No, really?" he sighed in return. Well, at least one thing will stay the same about he even if she is in a dress: her fiery personality. "Holly, we're playing the roles of Romeo and Juliet from William Shakespeare's play. Surely you know who they are?"

"I think…" Holly paused before a flash of recognition appeared. "Wait a minute, isn't that…"

"That's the play where two people from rival families fall in love and kill themselves."

Holly paled, which was now not so hard a feat with her pale skin. "So we, we have to fall in love? And kill ourselves?"

"Yes, Holly."

"Well, um…can't we…"

"Can't we…"

"Just kill ourselves so we don't have to 'fall in love'?"

"Always the optimist, aren't you, Miss Short?"

"It's Holly. And, well, I don't know about you, but I can't see us in love, even if we're just acting like it."

"Acting is a whole lot different than actually meaning it."

"Well, what do the people in the play based off of this do tonight?"

Artemis blushed, red showing up on his also very pale cheeks. "Lets see, Holly, they kiss, fall in love, stuff like that." Stuff? Gosh, even more slang.

"Hold on, we have to kiss?"

"Or at least make it look like it."

"What kind of kiss, Mud Boy?"

"I suggest you stop using the term 'Mud Boy' to address me, especially now that you are one of the human race, even though only in appearance, and besides, I never really understood the irony of you, fairies who live underground in the 'mud', calling those who live above it in houses 'Mud People."

"Artemis, anyway," she continued, scared of the thought of having to kiss Artemis of all people, "What type of kiss?"

"What do you mean, what type of kiss? There's different types?"

"Haven't you ever watched a romantic movie, or any television at all?" Holly, trying to suppress a laugh, couldn't believe her ears. The know-it-all Artemis, who knows so much about everything else, knows nothing about love? He has to learn someday though. I, however, hope I don't have to teach him. He's a human, after all, and I'm, I'm a fairy, an elf, as much as I don't look it. And I don't love him as anything except for maybe, maybe as a friend.

"Of course I've watched documentaries and that sort of thing."

"Anyway, there are several different types of kisses. Kiss on the cheek, kiss on the lips, French, peck, you know. Wait, you don't!" Holly blushed while she stated the facts, and looked down, smoothing her dress.

"Thanks for being so blunt."

"Not a problem. When do we have to kiss?"

"You make it sound like you want to be kissed by me."

"Hell, no…I just want to get it over with."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now answer the D'arviting question, Mud Boy!"

"In the next two minutes or so, I think. On the lips, too."

"Oh joy. Now you're making it sound like you want to be kissed by me."

"No. Like you said, I want to get it over with."

"Should we just do it now?"

"I was about to say that."

Holly tossed her hair back, and closed her eyes as Artemis quickly kissed her on the lips. It was nerve wracking, especially since it was with Artemis. Her eye twitched, and Holly remembered the iris cam. Oh, Frond, what if Foaly is recording this? I am sooooo dead. But he's gonna die first. Or is Artemis?

Quickly he pulled back, and stumbled away, embarrassed. It was the first kiss for Artemis, and the first flirtatious or romantic action he had taken with any girl. And it was with his second friend who was a girl, Holly. The other was Juliet, and she would have decked him and rendered him unconscious for a couple hours if he had even suggested it. Holly, on the other hand, as much as she liked to punch him, let it take place. Did she like him? Or did she just want to let things happen and then run away and try to get out of this hell?

"Oh, God," Artemis said as he looked up.

"Artemis, a dog could kiss better than you," Holly replied, teasing to make this situation a bit less serious.

"Well, no dog would want to kiss an old lady like you." Artemis loved to tease back. Holly didn't look old though, quite the contrary. He just remembered her mentioning her father dying when she was sixty, which was over twenty years ago, so she was around eighty. And humans rarely lived past their eighties, so technically, she was really old.

"I'm not old!"

"Isn't eighty old?"

"In this world, but not in the fairies'. Besides, here I'm thirteen."

"Well, um," Artemis thought of a comeback, but someone interrupted the two's teasing.

An elderly woman covered in grey walked over and spoke to Holly. "Madam, your mother needs to talk to you."

Holly waved good bye as she walked away.

"In case you're wondring' sir, her mother is Lady Capulet, married to the one who owns the estate. I nursed her daughter, whom you talked to just now, and the one who can marry her will receive a reward."

"What kind of reward?" Artemis, always looking for opportunities to keep his family one of the richest in Ireland, wondered what treasure he could bring back and sell.

"Money, sir. Gold coins."

Gold coins! Those are probably worth thousands, if not millions, back in the future. The possibilities… "She's a Capulet?" Artemis replied, paraphrasing his lines, "Oh no!"

The nurse left, and Benvolio walked up to Artemis, waving the nurse away. "Be gone!"

Lord Capulet walked around, saying, "Come on, everyone, let's go, there's food in the other room, thank you for coming. When you have finished eating, please allow yourself good byes. It is very late, and I am going to bed."

So much for even thinking without distraction, Artemis grumbled. He had to find Holly.

Holly, groaning after Artemis kissed her, walked back to her room.

Oh my Frond, I can't believe that idiot mud boy put his lips on me! And does he expect me to believe the whole thing with the play? Was it some bull that he made up to distract me? I know it's a real play, but it couldn't be real. It couldn't have happened. But what if it did? But still, did he want to kiss me? I didn't want to kiss him, that's for sure. We're barely friends, nothing more. And it'll always be that way. Does he like me? Why, if he does? Is it cuz I'm something he'll never have?

Holly shook her head, ashamed at her mean comment. Sure, she didn't like Artemis, but he wasn't that bad of a person, not to mention he had the cutest eyes. Those blue eyes made you wanna look at them for hours. Holly had realized that particular bit of information about Artemis when he had shaken her in the Arctic. She had punched him after that, but that was the fun about being around Artemis: he could never fight back if she hit him. She was happy he didn't get mind wiped, though, because he provided adventure the fairies would never have otherwise. The whole thing with the cube was fun, though risky. But what was policing without risk?

The annoyance Juliet called a Nurse walked in. At first she stood there, as if waiting for her to say something, which made Holly wonder.

"Come on, lets go upstairs," she said.

Holly, once again grumbling, followed the nurse through the hallway, up the stairs, and into another room. The room was large, and she realized it was the room she had first found herself in. The canopy bed was still there, as was the large mirror, but the candles were lit this time, saturating the room with a flickering bronze and orange tinted light. She noticed a doorway, and saw through the lacy curtains that it led through to a balcony. How romantic, she thought, then stopped herself. Who would be here to be romantic with? Artemis? Root as a private in the LEP? She stopped her charade of sarcasm. She noticed the Nurse had left, and delighted in the lack of her presence.

But as she smiled and tousled her hair, she noticed someone with black hair climbing over the balcony wall.

Please review! Was everyone in character? Was Holly too mean to Artemis? Was the teasing too much? Should they have kissed? Tell me, concrit me, even flame with substance if you have to. Just please review!