DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ARTEMIS FOWL AND I'M NOT TRYING TO MAKE ANY MONEY OFF THIS !!!! (Author: Eoin Colfer)

(this story takes place after the 5th book and before the 6th - which I am still trying to forget exists)



Chapter 6

Delilah wondered what she was doing.

She stared up at the barred front gates and gulped. Sure, she'd assumed by his power suit and slicked back hair, not to mention his outrageous jerk-all attitude, that Artemis was rich and well positioned, but frankly not to this extent. He'd only handed out his first name – she didn't know he was nobility. How could she have? Shit. She'd made a bargain with frickin' nobility. She'd offended, argued with, and to top it off, made a wager with someone who was powerful enough to have her kicked out the country. Ok, maybe that was a little medieval, but she wouldn't be surprised.

Delilah mustered up all the courage that she could – which was hard since most of it had run away to the far recesses of the security wall that surrounded the manor. She hadn't the energy to fight with herself. She licked her lips and took in a shaky breath. She could just go home. It was that simple. She could just forget about all of it, go back home to America and use some lame excuse like the doctor was a hack. Right.

And then they'd stick her back in that institution. She shuddered again, though this time it had nothing to do with the stature of Artemis' house. Mansion. Monstrosity.

With a fair amount of uncertainty she thumbed the intercom button again.

"Yes?" came a static gruff but recognizable voice.

It belonged to the Giant. She hadn't caught his name, though it had sounded as if Artemis had called him a butler. That man wasn't like any butler she'd ever seen, he was a frightening bolder of a man to behold. Calling him a brick would be like calling a lion a kitten.

The Giant had a low gravely voice, which she found quite fitting for a man of his bulk, with a clipped refined way of speaking. Which was what definitely escaped from the intercom.

"YES?" The Giant repeated.

Delilah cleared her throat. Certainly he could see her. There were camera's covering all areas of the wall, and one that glared out at her from the com itself. Did he not recognize her?

"Uh... yes, I dont you if you remember me, but I'm Delilah, from uh, the day before? It was wet and rainy and your, uh," Delilah racked her brain, what was the word for Artemis? "employer, lost his phone... It was small and square and" She took a deep breath, she was rambling, "anyway I was told to come here?"

She cringed. Just last night she had received a phone call from the high-class-knee-jerk – at somewhere around one o'clock in the morning. Creepy vamp didn't have any concept of other people's time. But then again, what did she expect? He had told her that he wanted to meet with her to formally discuss the components of the wager, and then launched on a diatribe about paper and signage and officiality. She had been so tired most of it came across as a pompous blur. But he had given her a time and an address, and fortunately she'd been cognizant enough to write it down.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat your name?" The Giant instructed.

Delilah cleared her throat again. As she had predicted, the morning after the unfortunate incident with Artemis she'd awoken with chills and a fever. Now, two days later, she had an nasty nose clogging, throat itching, cold.

"Delilah. Delilah Ressen."

Silence.

She kept her thumb on the intercom and leaned in.

"Listen, I was told to come here by Artemis. But, hey, I could just go."

She let go the intercom and waited. She closed her eyes and wished that the Giant didn't open the gates and told her to go home. That way she could just call the whole thing off without looking like a coward. She opened her eyes slowly with a sigh. She didn't ordinarily argue with people, she didn't like confrontation, but oh did Artemis know how to just piss her off. He was so arrogant, so proud, so condescending. And she knew it had more to do with his perceptions of superior intellect than it did with his status. Though the status thing didn't hurt, not one whit. She could tell, though, by the choice of his words, by his formal and biting way of speaking, that he looked down on everyone because he thought he was oh so high up.

And it made her want to drag him down. She could, she knew it. However, it couldn't be in any traditional way. He'd see that coming. She couldn't go fist to cuffs with him, no matter how much she wished, mostly because the Giant would probably crush her with his sheer presence. She'd have to be smart about it. She'd have to challenge him, make it interesting. She'd have to use everything in her arsenal to prove that he was wrong. About everything and everyone.

It took her a moment to realize that while she was musing the gates had been opened. But only a moment.

Delilah made her way up to the front of the house, walking down the long gravel drive and admiring the landscape design. It all reflected the cold calculating power of the manor, with the same precisely trimmed edges and staunch linear sides. She imagined that if Artemis was artistic, this was exactly how he'd express his inner workings.

The front door loomed up, a double door design with ornate lattice work, and in the doorway stood The Giant. He had his arms folded across his chest and he nodded in her direction as she approached.

"Artemis is waiting for you in the study," he informed. "Please follow me."

And so she did.

She had little time to admire the interior design of the place. It looked like it had recently been remodeled, how recent was beyond her, but she'd been in museum houses before and they didn't look like this one. Though maybe that had something to do with being lived in. She was, unfortunately, unable to continue speculating as she was pushed forward at the quick pace of the Giant.

They walked up one set of stairs (so grand that she had to gasp) turned down two hallways, and eventually wound up at the front of a set of mahogany double doors. The Giant knocked firmly and then stood, straight backed and feet apart, with his hands behind his back. Perhaps he was once in the military. He certainly acted like he had been.

"Yes?" Came the agitated reply.

Delilah's blood chilled at the sound of it. She wanted to punch Artemis' face in and he wasn't even in the same room as her! This probably wasn't a bright idea. Maybe if she left the country and they made the agreement by phone or internet – something that didn't require physical confrontation.

"The young woman, Delilah, is here," The Giant boomed through the door.

Almost instantly the door swung open, though Artemis was no where to be seen. The Giant stepped aside. Delilah didn't move. She didn't know what awaited her at the other side, and she didn't know if she had enough control over herself not to make things worse. For all she knew she would end up socking the guy in the jaw – and then would certainly be pummeled by the big man. Or worse yet, she could dig herself a bigger whole by agreeing to another wager.

"Please, come in," Artemis' voice carried out from the room, now dripping with impatience and disdain.

Oh, that was all she needed.

With a baring of teeth and a huff Delilah stormed into the study without second thought.


AN:

I suddenly remembered why I hadn't updated in a year! Ha! ... So I think I'm going to fix chapter 5 at some point... hang in there! (is that to myself??? I dunno...) I guess I mean, bear with me ... I needed to move the plot forward with chapter five ... which is why its a flimsy piece of plot riddled with holes

I promise I'll fix it later!

ONWARDS!

Anyone notice how "bear with me" looks like it's spelt wrong? No? Just me?