I could gush about anything and everthing here, but I'm not. I think.

Disclaimer: See previous chapter. They were big, salty tears, guys.

Chapter Two of three, for "Nothing Is Ever Simple". I hope you like it! - Slania x

Nothing Is Ever Simple

Chapter Two: Why Does Everything Always Go Tits Up?

Holly's battle training took over, and she leaped from her chair, rolling away from the broken glass and threats. She was sure that the introduction to My Apocalypse was playing somewhere. Unfortunately, while Holly was pushing Arch Enemy's dulcet tones out of her head, Artemis took the opportunity to sprint forward, fists raised in a fighting stance. "Artemis!" With surprising confidence, he blocked the first man's strike to his face and followed it with a vertical fist punch to the groin and a ridgehand to the throat. While he collapsed, Artemis turned – only to have one of the others backhand him across the cheek. He crumpled without a sound.

D'Arvit. Although Holly wanted to rush over to the young man and cradle his head in her hands, she knew that she had bigger problems. This was confirmed by one of the thugs advancing on her: "Be quiet, girl, or you'll get it worse than your boyfriend –" His last notion as Holly stood was wow you're short; then her fist found his temple and he thought no more.

GUNS! she thought, flicking her wrists; from then it was a more simple matter to take out the two last thugs, as well as Artemis' unlucky victim, who had just stood back up. He'd only just hit the floor – again – when Butler sprinted in. Barely out of breath, he tapped his watch, complete with Fowl security system alerts: "intruders have breached the perimeter – oh."

Ignoring Butler, Holly knelt beside Artemis. There was a slight bruise forming on his high cheekbone, but he was breathing fine and didn't seem to have any other injuries. After mastering the controls for putting away these blasted Neutrinos, Holly gazed at his face; familiar, yet not so familiar. Older, kinder and – at least in this state – more open, more trustworthy than it had been three years ago. A high, elegant brow half hidden by hair – the only part of Artemis' appearance that could be described as "messy". Dark eyebrows that weren't being raised in ridicule or sarcasm, atop eyes now hidden; eyes that, Holly knew, were a reflection of her own. A straight, strong nose, above his expressive mouth; his cheeks not as gaunt as they had once been.

In fact, this adult Artemis could almost be considered…attractive. Holly's lips began to form a smile of their own accord; until Butler's deep tones cut through her rapidly spiralling thoughts. "Is he alright?"

Holly snapped herself out of her odd trance to respond, "Yes; just knocked unconscious from a backhand. He got one of them though; look."

"Well, it seems I did teach him something!" And with that, Butler started lifting the comatose burglars. "I'll have to get in touch with the Garda; you'll be on your own while I sort this mess out."

Holly was barely listening as she laid a hand gently over Artemis' cheek; the pale skin was soft and warm, and she enjoyed its texture beneath her palm. Orange sparks lazily danced around the bruising, and Holly watched quietly as it faded before her eyes. She felt its recovery but even after, a few sparks were drawn from her body into his. Once it stopped completely, Artemis stirred: "But – urgh – Holly, I…five, ten…" she listened, fascinated, as Artemis slowly returned to the land of the not knocked out by Irish hooligans. He'd said her name…

His eyes flickered open; looking up, Artemis saw Holly, her slim hand resting on his cheek, a far away expression on her face. She looked otherworldly; otherworldly and beautiful. His flesh tingled where it touched her smooth skin. Artemis didn't want to disturb the scene. He was very happy where he was, thank you very much. After a few seconds, he gingerly laid his hand over hers. "Holly…I'm alright now."

She started and scrambled back about five feet, before remembering her manners and returning to help him up. As he took her hand and stood, Artemis realised that Holly was far taller than she should have been; taller than most fairies in fact. There must have been only a foot or so between them. "You're taller."

It was a statement, and Holly was thrown on how to answer. "Yes," she said eventually. "Was that taekwondo?" she blurted. How intelligent. Shut up, Short, you retard…

Artemis nodded once. He said no more on the subject; he, like Butler, sensed that she didn't want to talk about her height. "Well, I feel that I must offer you my apologies, Holly."

"Wha – sorry?" Holly was thinking about the way Artemis spoke her name.

"It is a terrible coincidence that the evening you choose to visit is the evening a gang of thieves attempt to raid the Manor."

Holly couldn't suppress her smile. "Arty, if I hadn't been here, you and the Manor would have been a hell of a lot worse off."

"True…"She'd called him Arty… "And so I owe you my gratitude too." He smiled softly.

He was being unusually formal to her – even for him. Holly looked away and suddenly realised she was still holding his hand. She dropped it as though it had burned her; and barely saw the hurt and shock flash across her friend's face.

"Sit down, Holly." Feeling that she had little choice, Holly did so. The easy friendship they'd once had was gone – it had been slipping out of her grasp, Holly understood, since their kiss four – or was it ten? – years ago. Instead, she felt an energy, an expectation, almost crackling in the library's still, dry air. The incident with the thieves already seemed like an age ago.

Police Plaza, Haven

"Well, that was easy," Trouble Kelp murmured, peering over Foaly's head at the feed from Holly's helmet. She'd taken it off and put it on the corner table – and it had given a perfect view of the fight with the burglars that Kelp had set up. "None of them even noticed they were mesmerised."

"Fowl put up a fight, Trouble, don't you think?" Under his breath Foaly added, "Put Holly in the equation and the Mud Kid grows a spine."

"I'm impressed. And Holly tested your invention, centaur. All in all, it's been pretty damned good. Now he should be getting the guilt trip." The commander spoke with no small satisfaction.

Foaly hesitated. "Sir, I really don't think that this was the best way to –"

"D'Arvit, Foaly, you know as well as I do that it takes life and death to get Fowl to open up; even to Holly." Trouble's expression darkened; why did it have to be his girlfriend? "Besides, they're both fine, he'll talk soon if he's doing anything he shouldn't, Butler's out of the way, and you got to see your guns in action, dammit! Did you come up with a better idea?"

"No, sir," the centaur sighed. At least he could tease Holly later. How's that for un moment passionné?

Fowl Manor, Dublin

Artemis stood with his back to Holly, his hands resting on the glass covered windowsill behind Holly's previous seat. She shifted uncomfortably in Artemis' chair. "Yes, very unfortunate that we are attacked on the first time in three years you've bothered to visit."

She sensed danger in the smoothness of his voice…Now's not the time to think how gorgeous he sounds like this, Short! She imagined Julius Root's harsh tone cutting into her daydream; but allowed herself a moment to be relieved that she never had been in a situation to hear him say that. "Artemis, I –"

"Shove your best friend in a sanatorium, tell him about your perfect relationship with your perfect commander, bring him out as soon as he's past the screeching melodramas, and dump him in his old life and leave?" Still he didn't turn around.

Holly stood. "Artemis, I thought that you were past this."

"This what, Holly?"

"I don't know – childish jealousy!"

He let out a harsh laugh. "I, Artemis Fowl the Second, jealous of you being…taken…by Trouble Kelp, the LEP's greatest Cro-Magnon? Your life is your own, Holly, and I couldn't care if you got married to Mulch."

Holly stood in shock; she felt tears pricking her eyes.

"In fact, I think it is you that is the problem – you admit under duress that you have dated Kelp; you then promptly avoid me for three years. The man you kissed; the man who travelled through time and reality with you. In fact, you are only here because your lover has sent you to spy on me!"

Holly wished it was the paranoia speaking. She really did. Unfortunately, there was no avoiding the truth that Artemis was right. That was why she was here. Over the years she had avoided him, everything about him; his appearance, the sound of his voice, the fresh smell of his suit and cologne. Because she'd thought it was better that way. Why, she didn't know; wouldn't know.

She responded the only way she could. "How dare you. How dare you, Artemis Fowl. You may sit here with nothing to do but wallow in your, your narcissistic dreams, but I do have a life to lead!" She was close to shouting now, and she was walking towards him. "And it's a life that doesn't revolve around you! Because, believe it or not, I have better things to do than pander to the needs of spoiled children who grow up taking what they want –"

As she stepped right behind him, Artemis spun and caught her raised hand. Wow; his reactions have improved, Holly thought numbly. He was closer than he'd ever been now. Stop fluttering, traitorous heart! Her height certainly made dealing with Artemis easier, she had to admit – now he could just lean down to kiss her –

Which was precisely what he did, faster than Holly could have imagined. Before she could think of a reaction, Artemis' lips were firmly pressed on hers. D'Arvit d'Arvit d'Arvit d'Arvit – Then Holly realised that she rather liked the feel of his soft mouth.

When she finally returned to her senses, Holly realised that she was sat on the windowsill, her arms around the standing Artemis' neck. His own slender, strong arms had circled her waist, and he was stood between her thighs. "You are right about that, Holly; I certainly do take what I want." His mouth still rested on hers, and she could feel his smile as he murmured the words; it sent a pleasant shiver around her body that she hadn't ever felt so strongly in her life. "Exactly what I want."

Then the battle, the battle that had raged within and between the volatile couple since that fateful first kiss, was lost. Holly couldn't fight anymore. She desperately reached for his lips, and the rest was half remembered touch and sensation and feeling. She barely noticed when Artemis picked her up by her thighs and carried her to his bedroom.

The last thing on her incoherent mind was her helmet, with its camera merrily recording and displaying the entire scene from its little corner of Artemis' library to the underground city of Haven.

Police Plaza, Haven

Stunned silence reigned in Foaly's Ops booth. The astonished (and now slightly scarred, he claimed) centaur risked a glance at his commander.

Trouble stood stock still, staring intently and without emotion at the plasma screen, showing the now empty library. Foaly heard the edge of the desk that the elf was gripping crack like a gunshot.

Glad that the glass surrounding his office was one-way and his aides weren't staring avidly at the scene that had just unfolded, Foaly muttered only one sentence: "Why does everything I do always go tits up?"

One more chapter, folks! Please review, all constructive criticism is welcome, I promise.

Thanks for reviewing, if you have on chapter One. I don't know; I've typed this before any have been published. How's that for organised?

Feel free to look up the song if you want: My Apocalypse, by Arch Enemy. I thought its intro suited the attack :)

Thanks again to my bro, who became very immature near the end of this chapter. Sigh.

Slania.