This is the fifth time I had to write this! My internet is screwing with me for some reason I cannot fathom. So…a lot of people said that I write short chapters and my response? I swear on a stack of Stephanie Meyer books that this will be the last short I write…for a while…I mean, Mid Winter Break is here and so I'll have a lot of time on my hands to write. I'll have even more time if I cancel my trip to the D.C. area. Half of me wants to go, half doesn't…I'll figure things out eventually. The best Valentine's gift you can give me right now is a review. So review people! Oh, and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

"Um…"

Quinn stared at the furious face glaring at her on the other side of her window. She was no longer frightened of the boy, just curious. It was obvious that if push came to shove, despite the difference in age, Quinn would win in a fight. Since he wasn't a threat, she felt perfectly secure in staring at him as he was soaked in the heavy downpour.

It occurred to her that the boy could catch pneumonia standing out there in the cold and wet but Quinn didn't really care. If the boy wanted to stand out there glaring at her for no good reason then who was she to stop him? She shoveled another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth and gave the boy a little half smile. The boy glowered.

It was Saturday and Quinn's mother still hadn't come back from her 'dinner'. Quinn withdrew from the window, closed the curtain (to her amusement, the boy's eyes narrowed and she could hear his muffled scolding through the glass) and went to the kitchen to make a call. She dialed Robert's number, put the phone on speaker and thrummed her fingers on the kitchen counter as she waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?"

Quinn winced at her mother's croaky voice. "Mother?"

"Oh, honey! Hi! How's everything going?"

Quinn sighed. "Just fine mother. I just called to check up on you. I thought you just went out for dinner?"

"Well…um…"

"Never mind then." Quinn contemplated whether or not she should tell her mother about the boy outside the house but decided against it. Her mother would probably throw a fit and call the police, the FBI, the Armed Forces and the Navy if she could find their number.

"Quinn?"

"Yes?"

"How much money did I leave on the counter?"

"About thirty. I assume you're going to be staying at Robert's for a while?"

"Is that okay with you?"

"When will you be back?" It was not missed how Quinn had sidestepped answering the previous question.

There was a pause before Ms. Davidson answered. "Maybe Sunday? Is that okay with you honey?"

"Just fine. I'll see you Sunday then. Bye."

"Quinn?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"Mm-hm. Bye." Click. Quinn could almost see the hurt in her mother's face. Once again, Quinn didn't care.

"A tad bit harsh, wouldn't you say?"

Quinn jumped several feet in the air and landed clutching her chest. All the lights were off and there wasn't much sunlight filtering in through the windows so most of the room was full of inky blackness. She whirled on the shadowy corner she heard the voice come from. She gasped as the boy she had been watching from behind the safety of her window got up from his seat. He was still wet and his black hair was plastered to his pale skin with rain making his frosty blue/fierce hazel brown eyes look more menacing as he moved forward.

"We need to talk," he said through gritted teeth. "Sit down. Now."

All thoughts of fighting fled from Quinn's mind like pigeons before a mean-spirited five year old. She threw herself into a seat far away from the fuming sixteen year old and feigned attentiveness.

"Now that I have your attention, let's start from the top then…"

"…truculent little monster," finished Artemis. He swept the wet sheet of hair out of his eyes and glared at the dark window. He couldn't believe that the girl had actually pulled the curtains on him. First she hit him in the head with a bunch of unhealthy junk, then she forced him to run several blocks so that he didn't lose sight of her and now this. His dignity laid trampled on the floor, thoroughly beaten and in tears. He turned away from the window and slumped down to the ground.

"Need a bit of…help?" Gabriel was suddenly sitting on a white bench in front of Artemis. The rain evaporated inches above his head and the bench but fell in large, heavy droplets everywhere else. He was wearing his white suit and white hat and looked as serene as ever. He smiled up at Artemis who just glared in response.

"I can't work with that…that…thing if she doesn't trust me. If I try to get any closer to her, she'll be sure to call 911 and have the officials arrest me for stalking. Frankly, I'm beginning to question God's authority…"

"Shh!" hushed Gabriel sharply. "Never doubt God's divine power. Are you suicidal? Do you want to get struck by lightning? Look, we're going to provide you with some holy intervention. Take this."

Gabriel held out a silver bracelet with a small silver cross on it to Artemis. Artemis looked at it doubtfully.

"What's that supposed to do for me?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "It'll provide you with a temporary amount of extra magic. And you can use it to call me in an emergency. But be warned Fowl. The magic will only last till the end of the year which is seven months from now. Is that understood?"

"That's all great and everything," began Artemis, "but how am I supposed to use it?"

Artemis blinked and Gabriel was gone. Without ever feeling it being placed in his hand, Artemis had a note nestled in his palm. You'll figure it out. Artemis somehow had the bracelet on his wrist. He glared up at the sky.

"I hate when you do that."

Artemis looked at the house and then back at the bracelet. All he knew was that he needed to get inside the house…

"Just fine. I'll see you Sunday then. Bye."

"Quinn?"

Pause."Yes?"

"I love you."

Pause. "Mm-hm. Bye." Click.

Artemis grinned sadistically. He pulled up the magic he had gotten from Qwan and put it into his voice before saying, "A tad bit harsh, wouldn't you say?"

What do you think? Since it worked last time and I jumped from six reviews to fifteen by doing this…READ & REVIEW PLEASE! And now in italic AND bold: READ & REVIEW PLEASE! Happy Valentine's Day!