A/N: This story is spinning off in all directions, so I'm just going to go with the flow. This might result in a title or summary change. Just to let you know.
Juliet Butler was definitely a little nervous. But then again, a gun pointing at you will have that effect. Even if the wielder of the gun is only about four feet tall.
"Relax, fairy. Just put the weapon down…" Juliet's calm words were belied by her actions. Quick as a viper, her hand darted out, flipping the weapon out of the fairy's hand and into her own. Of course, Juliet remembered that she had fairy friends, but all she could see of this particular specimen was a black suit and a helmet. Best not to take chances. Especially potentially fatal chances.
"D'Arvit," the fairy swore, buzzing up it's Gradually, the reflective surface disappeared to reveal nut brown skin and small pursed lips. A thin nose was next, followed by a keen pair of eyes.
Upon seeing them, Juliet nearly dropped the gun. Those eyes…
"Captain!" Juliet gasped. And indeed it was, the only fairy captain Juliet knew by name. Captain Holly Short of the Lower Elements Police.
The captain gave her a wry smile before holding out a hand.
"My gun, if you don't mind, Mud Girl." Almost without thinking, Juliet handed the weapon over.
"But…" Juliet wondered, still processing what her eyes were seeing. Juliet remembered the captain's eyes as being hazel, but now one was blue. Fowl blue. "Artemis," she whispered.
"Yes well, love to stay and catch up," Holly said, averting her mismatched eyes, "but I'm dodging a ridiculous of red tape to be here at all. Anyway," she said with a wicked grin. "Your brother's got a birthday party to plan.
Domovoi Butler, bodyguard to Artemis Fowl the Second was going against all his training by doing this. Bodyguard protocol clearly stated that you never left the principal. Ever. He had adhered to this unspoken law almost his entire life. And now he was blatantly ignoring it.
He wasn't too far away, of course. But if anything were to happen to Artemis, there wouldn't be a Butler to take a bullet for him. Again.
Butler shifted restlessly, pulling out a pair of field binoculars. From here, he had a clear view of Fowl Manor, illuminated from below by massive floodlights. Suddenly, his vision was blacked out.
"Dom!" a joyful voice sang out. Butler lowered his binoculars in time to be tackled by his younger sister. "Have you seen, Dom! I'm famous!" For a moment, Juliet was a girl searching for her older brother's attention. The moment passed quickly though, and abruptly, she straightened up, pulling the creases out of her clothes.
"And of course, Captain Short brought me," she said, gesturing to a diminutive figure behind her. If Butler found it strange that his sister seemed to have all her fairy memories intact, he made no mention of it.
"Could you both sit down," the aforementioned captain asked. "You're making me feel short."
Butler almost cracked a smile as he lowered himself to his knees.
"Better?" he asked. Holly looked up at him.
"Not really," she grumbled, firing up her wing rig and hovering at about six feet. "But it'll have to do." Juliet joined her brother on the floor, settling into a cross-legged position.
"So Dom, what's up? Captain Short here said something about a birthday party. And as far as I can remember, you've never had one."
"Oh don't worry, this party isn't for me." Butler said gravely. "It's for Master Artemis." Later, he would congratulate himself on keeping a straight face as he said it. It would definitely rank up there, along with his hardest assignments. It was worth it though. The look on Juliet's face was absolutely priceless.
"Ah- what?" Juliet stuttered. Butler rubbed him impressively large palms together in a moment of uncharacteristic levity.
"Let's get started."
Minerva Paradizo was a girl who liked to enjoy life's simple pleasures.
This explained why she was lounging on a custom made deck chair while enjoying imported (and expensive) Belgian chocolates.
She was about to take a sip of her lemonade when a fully armed squadron of police officers appeared. Out of thin air.
The glass of lemonade dropped.
Minerva winced. That was hand blown glass. It had cost, much like the rest of her possessions, a small fortune.
It was then that she noticed how short they all were. Hesitantly, she stood. All the guns were trained on her immediately, but Minerva was processing facts at a mile a minute.
These police weren't just short, they were tiny. Wither Beau, her baby brother was playing tricks, or…
Minerva raised her hands above her head.
"Ok fairies," she said in quiet French, "I'm sure we can work out some kind of compromise."
"I bet, Mud Girl," one of the officers said disbelievingly. "Mud People don't compromise real well." As the fairy spoke, something strange was happening to its comrades. They were flickering, and then, as if they had never been there at all, they disappeared.
"Hologram," Minerva breathed. The flickering out continued until only one fairy remained.
"And I thought you were supposed to be a genius," the fairy sighed. "Now come on. Captain Short, elfin taxi service, reporting for duty."
And this was how Minerva Paradizo found herself flying over France. Since heights didn't bother her unduly, she decided now would be a good time to get some of her questions answered. She tapped on her temporary com piece.
"Captain Short? Can you hear me?"
Behind her reflective visor, Holly frowned. She didn't like this part of the plan.
"Captain Short? I have a few questions for you."
Holly sighed. Child geniuses- genii, she corrected, always have questions.
A/N: This author's note is to serve two purposes. First and foremost, to thank all my lovely reviewers, who I can't take the time to name (as I want to get to the story) but you know who you are.
And secondly, to apologize in advance for any weirdness about my stories (random bolding, repeats, ridiculous spacing) It has something to do with how my computer uploads, and I will do my utmost to fix it.