Chapter 12
Final Goodbyes
Artemis had never been good at good-byes, especially not good-byes for the rest of eternity, or close enough to it. But Artemis had decided it was better for the People, and for Holly, that they never hear from the boy again.
He was about the leave from the Tara terminal, as the Bentley was still parked outside of it. Butler and himself turned to face their crowd of off seers: Mulch Diggums, Foaly, Vinyaya, Trouble Kelp, and Holly Short.
Artemis began, "Well, it has been nice saving the fairy world for you one last time, but..."
At this statement, Holly's glance quickly snapped onto Artemis and became a glare, "What do you mean 'one LAST time?' Surely the infamous Artemis Fowl cannot stand to keep his mud nose out of fairy business forever."
Artemis Fowl shook his head and held out his hands, palms forward, in a sort of pleading way, "It will be difficult Holly, but I believe it's for the best if we act like we've never heard of each other before."
Holly snorted, "Not heard of? What is this nonsense! You're supposed to be a genius! How do you figure we can forget all we've been through! What's gotten into you Artemis?"
"Nevertheless, and regardless of what you feel is possible, it is best for all of our futures not to get so used to this running around. There is no future for us together...ugh!"
Holly had ran over and punched him in the nose. The poor boy landed senseless on the ground with Holly yelling at him, "WE ARE NOT JUST ONE OF YOUR PLANS TO BE CARRIED OUT AND THEN TOSSED ASIDE! WE ARE REAL PEOPLE WITH REAL EMOTIONS! I DON'T WANT YOU TO LEAVE US FOREVER! YOUR PLACE IS HERE WITH US! HOW COULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT OR EVEN HAVE THAT IDEA!"
"See, Holly," explained Artemis with his usual expressionless face, " this is exactly why I have to go. We've grown to fond of each other. A relationship like this can not work. You don't need to have a brain cell to figure that out."
Holly was now in tears. She cried, "But what did all these experiences we've shared amount to? If you leave, they won't even amount to a friendship! Artemis! Don't do this to me! Can't you see that I lo..."
"That's enough Holly!" Artemis cut in. "Don't deceive yourself. There was never anything. There couldn't be. We're different species. So now I say farewell to you all. I hope there is never need for us to meet again. Thank you all for your guidance, especially you Holly."
But Holly was looking anywhere except at the boy. She didn't even respond to his thanks. She just stood there, staring at the ceiling with tears in her eyes.
The boy waited for her response that would never come. Eventually, he gave up and said, "Very well then, You have all been excellent friends."
The boy went around the room hugging all of his friends, Butler did the same. When it came time for Artemis to hug Holly, he was met with a cold shoulder. Then, even before anyone could do anything about it, Holly started the engine to her wings and took off down the chute with not as much as a backwards glance.
Artemis felt guilty. If he had known that they would not see each other for another decade and a half, he would have certainly chased after her. But hindsight is 20/20 and foresight is completely blind. The boy turned his back on the whole affair, set his fairy communicator and other fairy technology on the floor of the terminal, and then went and sat in the back of the Bentley. Butler made a short farewell, then turned and followed the boy. Never did any of them ever come back to that place...except one.
Fifteen Years Later at the Spot the Friends Had Parted:
Holly flew swiftly toward the surface of the Tara terminal. Only three hours of moonlight left. It would have to be a quick visit. She made sure not to disturbed the bundle in her hands.
The night was a cool brisk one of early Autumn. The night air smelled wonderful to Holly. She did not turn on her shield to prevent from shaking her package. She was going to see Artemis again.
Only a few minutes ago, she had decided to finally see the mud boy who should now be a mud man. It suddenly seemed imperative to show him this bundle in her arms. She couldn't even explain it to herself why she felt this way. She held the bundle closer and flew higher into the night sky. Five minutes more till she reached the Fowl mansion.
Finally, she glimpsed it. Lights were still on at nearly five in the morning. How strange. Holly glided lower, her descent landing her precisely in front of the door.
She stared around, almost catlike, for a few moments before ringing the ancient doorbell. Her ears pounded as the bell tolled. She quickly hid behind a nearby bush.
A mountain of a man opened the door. It was Butler. Yet, it was not the Butler she remembered. Gray streaks had claimed his hair and his face was a mass of deep wrinkles. But it was Butler, no doubt.
Holly kept the bundle close to her as she stepped into the light escaping the doorway. "Hello Butler, may I come in?" she asked tentatively.
The Eurasian man seemed delighted to see her. "Yes my forever young friend! Artemis hoped that one day you would return. Come upstairs. He's awake."
Butler led the way to the room she had occupied during her short stay as a guest in the Fowl mansion.
"Awake," she asked. "Why is he awake at this time of night, or morning rather."
"Today is a special day for him. They just brought home his very first child from the hospital. He's upstairs with the baby now. His wife is asleep right now, but Artemis wanted to stay up with baby."
Baby? Wife? Artemis' life, it seemed, had moved along just fine without her.
They rounded the corner and entered the room. Artemis was 30 years old now, yet something about his eyes made him seem as youthful as ever. They were the same cold blue, yet Holly could see laugh lines slowly etching themselves onto his pale skin. He was sitting in a chair rocking a baby to sleep.
He looked up when he heard Butler return. Butler nodded at his employer, then left the room so that Holly and Artemis could talk in private.
"Holly Short. You're as beautiful and young as you were when we first met. I have, however, grown old and continue to do so at an ever increasing speed it seems," said Artemis softly as to not wake the baby.
"I'm Holly Kelp now, Artemis. I married Trouble, literally some say," she said with a soft smile.
Artemis looked up into Holly's eyes, the same warm hazel eyes and asked, " Is that right? Why did you come Holly?"
"Because I felt I needed to come. I don't know why, but...I... I wanted to show you this."
She opened the bundle and a happy elf infant appeared smiling with bright eyes like his mother's.
Holly continued, "I felt that you should know that I've named my first child after you. Meet Artemis Trouble Kelp, Artemis Fowl, Double Trouble is what Foaly's calling him, because of the two people he is named after. And he looks a lot like his father..."
"Except for the eyes. He has your eyes," finished the grown Artemis. They stared into each other's eyes for a long time. Finally, Holly broke the silence.
"I was kind of wondering if naming this child Artemis is okay with you?" asked Holly, a little hesitantly.
"It is wonderful, and not as a strange idea as you may think," answered Artemis with emotion swelling in his features.
"Not strange, how so mud man?" asked Holly staring into Artemis' blue eyes.
"Because," responded Artemis, "I am right now holding my very first child, my daughter, in my arms. I have named her after you Holly. This is Holly Angeline Fowl, Mrs. Kelp. Now, I thank you for coming, but there is precious little moonlight left. You need to get your little one home and I need some sleep. I've been up for three day straight with this little bundle of fussy joy."
Holly understood. There was nothing more to be said. She started out the door, but before she was out of earshot, she heard, "Thank you, Holly...for everything," from within the room. The terror of a mud boy had turned into descent mud man after all.
Holly flew through the night air feeling lighter on her return than on her departure. She made it to the terminal just before sunrise. She stood in the entrance watching the golden ball rise. When it was fully up, she whispered to her baby boy, "Everything is all right now. Let's go back home to your daddy."
Excerpt for Artemis Fowl's Diary (encoded on disc)
I saw Holly Short today for the first time in 25 years. She was as young and beautiful as ever. She did not speak to me, but our eyes met for a whole minute. I had my wife and daughter with me and so Holly did not approach me. However, when I looked into her eyes, I saw a past life, a life full of adventures, hope, and friendship. Yet that past was clouded over. I know why. We were both seeing our dear friend Domovoi Butler laid into the ground. He departed us swiftly and with little warning. But I feel as if he had no regrets. He had lived a full life. He never married, just stayed on as a butler to my family. I encouraged him to find himself a family, but our experiences together made him stay, I think. I miss him already. I hope to see him again some day...not yet, no. But some day.
Excerpt from Holly's Journal:
Today is my 176th birthday. To imagine I started this journal 92 years ago following my kidnapping by Artemis Fowl the Second. The last time the boy and I worked together to save the People from discovery or destruction was when he was 15. Today, he would've been 104 year's old. I saw him today. His funeral was this morning. His life was a long one for a mere mud man, but it pales in comparison to my own. I still have centuries before me to live, but I shall have to live them without my mud boy. Perhaps it's childish to miss a mortal man that I had not seen or heard from for so many years and whom I'm sure never shared my feelings, but he shall forever remain in my heart. At his funeral today, I wore Foaly's holographer to make me appear like a human, it just brought back memories of the old times. Sad memories of dancing with a small boy before heading off to once more save the People. Something interesting happened that I feel worth mentioning. His daughter, Holly approached me after the service. She asked me my name and I replied Holly Short Kelp. She looked relieved to find me. She said she had something her father had left in his Will for me. I was mystified yet nevertheless followed the aging woman to her car. She opened the trunk. I gasped for it was all of the boy's paintings that I had seen that day many year's ago in his private study. Paintings of our adventures and people we both knew. The woman whom I know was named Holly Fowl said her father had left specific instructions that these paintings were to be given to me after the funeral. The mud man had even left a description of my appearance so that his daughter could find me. That Artemis could even be annoyingly all-knowing after death. I had to chuckle. The woman said there was also something else. She went to the glove compartment and pulled out a box of CDs, pathetic human technology as Foaly would say. The woman said that the CDs were under code, and that the password was 'Gold is not Power,' in Latin of course. I thanked Artemis' daughter and accepted the paintings and CDs. The memories behind these brought tears to my eyes and I thought back to a conversation a I had with Foaly when the boy and I were taking on Jon Spiro: "Will you miss him?" Yes, I would! I had to cry after that and so wrapped the paintings in cham foil then attached the foil to my moon belt. I left shortly after that and now I'm here, crying at home. I am going to donate most of the paintings to an art museum nearby that I can visit as often as I would like, but I am keeping one, just one. I thought, when I first saw these paintings, that I would forever keep and cherish the one of commander Root, but that one will go with the rest to the museum. No, I ended up keeping the painting of Artemis and myself in swirling water with are foreheads together, finding comfort in each other's eyes. I still feel comfort in those confident eyes that are now saved forever in that picture on my wall. I will never forget that boy. I found out just a few minutes ago that the boy grew into a man who never forgot me or the lessons he claimed I taught him. I just finished going over the CDs. They had been his personal journals. They expressed all the emotions he had never showed in his waking life. I feel as if I've just met the real Artemis Fowl, the one with a heart. He loved me, his journals never strayed from that fact. The boy had a way for playing with a fairy's emotions, but the man had realized his own. This shall be my last journal, as they remind me too much of Artemis Fowl the Second. Holly out.
The End
A/N: So, what did you think? Good? Bad? Ugly? I thought it was neat twist on what everyone wants to happen. Anyway, Thanks for reading and a review would be nice. I always like reading the readers' input. This story was supposed to include another sub-plot, but I thought it ruined the mood I had been trying to set up. I've decided to type it up as a whole other story. Look for it in about two weeks. Till then, Tiki Rane Gobell out!
