A/N: Once again, I give a huge thanks to the wonderful Eleni_pixie for betaing.
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Jack Starbright had not heard from Alex in close to seven months. She was worried, but she kept telling herself that no news was good news. At least he wasn't seriously injured.
"Yeah, Jack," she muttered to herself, "because if something had happened, they'd be sure to immediately call you." She shook her head, more at herself than at the situation. So far, MI6 had refused to give her any information about the boy. Not where he was, how he was doing, or when he was coming home.
She went back to scrubbing the counters. House cleaning had never been her favorite activity, but ever since Alex had gone to MI6 about those dreams, it was something she found herself doing fairly regularly. So much so, that the house could officially be deemed immaculate. There was not one dust bunny, clump of lint, or insect to be found.
She set the rag down and wandered into the kitchen to get some food. She wasn't really hungry, but eating helped pass the time. Cooking, though still not her strong suit, took her mind off of living in an empty house. It took her mind off her dark thoughts off the missing Alex.
The phone rang in the distance, but she ignored it. MI6 wouldn't call and she really wasn't in the mood to talk to friends right now. Let the machine get it, she thought.
"Hello," she heard her voice call out from the living room and she grimaced, thinking her voice sounded far too squeaky. "You've reached Jack and Alex. We're not here right now, but leave your name and we'll get back to you soon." There was the telltale beep that told her the recording had started; followed by the most startling sound she'd heard in a long while –Alex's voice. She was so shocked she dropped the plate she was holding and stood rooted to the spot as the boy she'd been missing started to speak.
"Jack, it's Alex," he sounded hasty. Oh, God, she thought herself, please don't let him be in any trouble, "I'm fine." He knew her all too well. "In fact I'm coming home, tonight. Um," he paused and there was a muffled voice in the back ground. "I'm bringing a friend with me. I hope that's okay, I didn't really have much of a choice . . . Anyway, I'm fine. My flight should get in about 6 tonight and I'll explain everything then. I miss you. See you soon." He disconnected.
Though her feet stayed glued to the floor, her eyes traveled to the small wall clock perched above the sink. It was 4:30 now; if she hurried she might just make it there as his flight arrived.
******
Artemis, it was clear, was not comfortable being in public with only a young spy and an invisible fairy for protection. He stood uneasily as they waited to board the plane, his contact colored eyes darting around the tiny Dublin airport as if waiting for this homicidal maniac to jump out at him.
"This," he muttered to Alex and an invisible Holly – well, invisible to him: Alex, on the other hand, could see her just fine – "was a terrible idea. He will very surely be able to find me. It will just make matters worse if we don't give him what he wants."
Alex rolled his eyes as he took a seat in the waiting area. "First off, it was your idea to use you as bait," he pointed out dryly. "Second, you keep saying you don't know what it is he wants anyway. We're in no more danger than if we'd stayed at the manor."
"We're not," he replied testily, "but your housekeeper is."
Alex had nothing to say to that – it was one of the reasons they'd brought Holly along. Mostly because, after the incidents earlier, it was clear Artemis was not in a good mood and was itching for a verbal fight.
It was very evident that Artemis was not a people person. Indeed, that fact was evident from the very beginning, but Alex had never any idea just how much of a "non-people person" his new friend was. Artemis was accustomed to doing things his own way and having people just deal with it. That didn't happen in a crowded airport, as Artemis found out when he'd been asked to have his things rifled through. It was a random procedure, but Artemis had been the unlucky one to be selected. He'd created a scene, called the guards "mediocre" and told them that they "wouldn't be able to find a dangerous weapon if they were being struck with it." Alex and Holly quickly intervened (luckily, most of the security knew Alex and who he worked for) and they let him go.
What's more, Butler usually accompanied the young prodigy and, as a result, he was always given a wide berth. No one dared rub elbows with him, much less bump into him with the giant around. However, Butler was not here and most of the travelers didn't care about a scrawny teen standing in their way. They had no problem running into him.
"This is ridiculous," he now grumbled, staring at the orange plastic seats next to Alex in utter disgust. "They expect people to sit in these things? They're filthy! They are also horrible for the environment: all plastic. They're entirely too small!"
"Speak for yourself," Holly muttered from Alex's other side.
"There's not even an arm rest! Ugh!" He shook his head. "This simply will not do. No. I say we go back to the Manor and take the Lear Jet to England. It will be faster and much more . . . sanitary."
Holly, invisible to Artemis' eyes, rolled her own and sighed irritably. "Look, this was your idea, mud boy. So stop complaining, sit down, and shut up." The teen glowered at the disembodied voice, but took a seat, daintily. It didn't take a genius to know that when Holly Short called him a "mud boy," that she meant business.
"Jeez!" she exclaimed, reclaiming her own seat. "It's not like you to be so . . . prissy."
Artemis crossed his arms and turned his head away, muttering something that sounded a lot like, "I am not being prissy. I don't get prissy."
******
Jack sat in the waiting room, eagerly awaiting the arrival Alex and his mysterious new friend. A crowd of people was suddenly around her, exiting the gate. She scanned the faces, trying to find the specific one she was looking for. After a few moments, she found what she was looking for.
Alex looked healthy, which shocked her. Usually when he left for long periods of time, he came back looking worse for wear. This time, however, was different.
'Obviously, Jack,'she thought to herself. 'He didn't go into the field this time.'
He was accompanied by an extremely pale, extraordinarily skinny boy. He was just a hair taller than Alex, with wide set, deep blue eyes. His black hair was trimmed smartly, unlike Alex's longer style. There was a set to his mouth that told Jack he was neither comfortable nor pleased with this situation. She began to wonder exactly why Alex had brought him along.
Alex smiled when he saw her. He turned slightly toward his friend and pointed at her. The other boy nodded once and Alex quickened his pace. The moment he was within arm's reach, Jack wrapped the boy in her arms. She pulled back, holding him at arm's length to get a better look at him.
"Are you o.k.? What happened? Who's your friend? Why is he here? I mean, not that I mind – "
Alex chuckled. "I'm fine, Jack, I promise. I've been cured." He neglected the part where he could still see invisible fairies. "My friend is Artemis Fowl. He was my psychiatrist and he . . ." he trailed off, giving her a meaningful look. She felt her heart sink: so this did have something to do with work.
"He needs a place to stay for a while," Alex said slowly. "I thought, after all the help he's given me, it was the least I could do."
She nodded once. "Of course." She turned toward the boy who had just joined the pair. "Hello, I'm Jack Starbright. It's good to meet you."
Artemis extended a hand. "I'm Artemis. It's a pleasure."
"Well," Jack said, smiling, "I suppose you both must be hungry. Come on, let's get your things and then we can go out to lunch. My treat."
