Avery's Note: Holly is not one of my favorite characters, I will admit that. I may also not be an AFxHS fan, but that doesn't mean much either. I don't have anything against her, but I need an antagonist for my story. She happens to fill the roll nicely. And for all of you Holly Short fans, I am very sorry because she is quite OOC as well. Also, thank you all for reading and especially to those who review!
Summary: Butler is an enigma. Butler's past is even more secretive than the man himself. When a young woman shows up claiming to be his illegitimate daughter, his world is turned upside down and inside out. Must he now choose between having the family he always wanted or his young master, Artemis?
The story thus so far: Avery Lefleur is warmly welcomed to the Fowl family. With the exception for Myles, it is obvious that the entire family has taken well to Butler's daughter. Artemis has, as well, found a special fondness for his guest.
Just Tell Me You Love Me
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Chapter 5: D2: The Whirlwind of a Beginning
As the sun's morning rays splayed across Ireland and the birds began their symphony of sound, Avery Lefleur performed a few yoga exercises. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply as she lifted her arms above her head in the exalted warrior pose. Minutes later, she transposed into the second phase of the exalted warrior pose.
Avery thoroughly enjoyed early morning yoga. It helped her to have a stronger control over her mind and over her emotions. She knew that without performing yoga every once in a while, the white canvass that was her mind would be a hideous splay of dissident colors. The physical advantages were just side benefits to the psychological ones that she gained.
"Sun warrior," an amused voice commented next to her, "how about doing some real fighting?"
Avery opened both eyes and slowly stood up. She rolled her shoulders, loosening the muscles. Butler stood watching her, two wooden practice swords in his hands. He casually tossed one to her and she caught it just as easily.
"Anything for you, father."
Father and daughter exchanged blows and parries. They took turn playing the offensive and defensive rolls; however Avery had a propensity to take the offense. At the end of the one hour warm-up session, Butler and Avery began having informal matches.
No matter what Avery tried, she was unable to disarm her adversary. Butler was unequal in physical and mental fortification on the battlefield. It was only a matter of how long Avery could handle Butler's overwhelming patience. He danced around her, watching for the slightest muscle twitch that gave away Avery's movements.
Avery panted heavily, sweat covering her brow. Her loose fitting tunic was soaked with perspiration as well. She leaned on her wooden practice sword, trying to keep her balance with tired muscles. Although she exercised regularly, keeping up with her father proved to be quite the challenge. From the corner of her eye, she watched as her father did the same. His disadvantage was that he was getting old.
"You have a lot of fight in you," Butler said straightening up. "You could have been very successful in Madame Ko's Academy."
"It means a lot coming from you, Father." She bolted erect at the compliment. Anything that made her father proud of her made her beam with ecstasy. Avery smiled widely, as if she reverted back to being a little girl, seeking the approval of everyone so that she could prove to herself how wonderful she was.
"Are you up for another round?" Butler swung his sword up before him in a defensive positive with a half crescent motion. He flipped it into the air with his left hand and caught it with equal grace with his right hand. "Or are you going to accept defeat?" he joked lightly.
Avery laughed at Butler's ostentatious display of skill. Without any fancy display of aptitude, Avery brought her sword before her torso in a neutral position. "I shall never, in all of eternity, accept defeat."
"That's my girl," Butler said smiling.
The simple comment of familial ties broke Avery's concentration like twenty thousand kilograms of dynamite. Avery was once again so thrilled with having her father's approval that she dropped her defense and grinned from ear to ear. Giddy with delight, she had to muster as much self control as she could to stop from performing a corny victory dance.
A small smirk came onto Butler's lips. Before she could process another thought, the wooden weapon flew out of her hands and landed with a rough thud on the ground a few feet away. Avery's eyes widened as her father tapped her gently on the shoulder with the butt of his practice sword.
"Alright, alright," Avery playfully surrendered waving her hands up in the air. "I quit."
Butler ruffled her disorganized hair matted with sweat. "Don't feel bad, daughter. You're not supposed to be able to defeat me. Not today, not tomorrow, not-" Butler sidestepped Avery's uppercut punch. He grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back. With a yelp, Avery fell to her knees and struggled against her father's one-handed tight grip.
"-ever," Butler finished, releasing his daughter. "Did you think I would miss something as obvious as that?"
"I hoped."
Avery smiled. Butler smiled back and laughed at the spunk in Avery. No matter what she did, he always found her to be an eclectic mix of both his and Delilah's personality. She had a vivacious spirit that could transform either to master assassin or high class lady. But what fascinated him most of all was how she hid her juvenile mentality and desire for a father from everyone beneath a rough facade.
Avery hugged her father briefly and disappeared into the Fowl manor. She raced up the steps and turned down the hall to her room. She stopped in her tracks for a moment for the door to the guest room was slightly ajar. Avery recalled having closed it completely before leaving to the practice grounds that morning.
Like the expert mercenary that she sometimes was, Avery pressed her back to the wall on the opposite side of the open angle of the door. She reached down to her left thigh and pulled a well kept SIG-Sauer from its holster. Silently, she clicked off the safety lock of the gun.
Avery waited for a few more minutes, getting an approximation of the intruder's location. There was the shuffling of papers; he or she was at the desk next to the window on the same side of the room as she was. Avery took a breath to calm down. Although nothing irked her more than strangers going through her work, she was not going to risk judgment error due to irritation. She also knew that it would take a professional to sneak past the Fowl's security system.
The lithe silhouette of a woman reaching about one and a half meters stood at the desk, flipping intently through Avery's black book. She wore a shimmering, skintight jumpsuit unlike anything Avery's every seen. The woman's helmet was on the desk, revealing pointy ears protruding from the crew cut auburn hair. However, she was very beautiful.
For a moment, Avery forgot about her work and was lost in the curiosity of who this individual was. And the person was definitely not human, which was even more fascinating. Avery pushed the thoughts of intrigue away and refocused herself on the task that needed accomplishing.
Her shoes made no sound as she entered and crossed the wooden floor of the room. Avery stood an arm's length away from the woman. She released a shot that grazed past the woman's pointed ear. In a split second, the other flipped around and swung a punch. Avery was far enough away that the short arms missed her by just a few millimeters. Using the shock of the individual to her advantage, Avery ran in close and slammed the small body into the desk.
With one hand, Avery held the creature's hands behind her back. With the other, she pressed her SIG-Sauer into the woman's temple. The woman struggled against Avery's hold, but Avery wasn't going to let the intruder go anytime soon. Despite Avery's inherent interest in this non-human being, Avery was ready to kill her if it meant protecting her separate identity.
The captured and pinned person gave up struggling when she finally felt the cool metal pressed against her pale skin. There was nothing that could help her situation now except for a grand stroke of luck. She closed her eyes and concentrated on slowing her breathing. The best option was to have a clear head.
"Who are you?" demanded Avery, applying a little more pressure with her gun on the small woman's temple. As proved previously with her encounter with Butler, patience was a lesser of one of Avery's virtues.
"Are you related to Butler, by chance?"
"Who are you?" Avery demanded once more.
"Answer my question first."
"You are in no position to ask questions."
Avery twisted her wrist a few degrees away and shot another bullet straight into the polished wood of the refined desk. "Theodore Roosevelt had the political philosophy of 'speaking softly and carrying a big stick.' But sometimes, there are some who are too stupid to understand the metaphor until the stick starts beating," Avery whispered softly.
"D'Arvit," The woman cursed under her breath. "You do know that killing me won't accomplish anything?"
"It doesn't mean I won't."
The other female winced at the aggression of her captor. The oppressor, Avery, reminded her of Artemis when he first encountered the fairies. He was reckless and willing to do whatever it took to achieve his ends. Apparently whatever information the black book held, it was strictly confidential.
The woman didn't say anything in response. Avery, growing frustrated, pressed the woman harder into the desk, pushing the air out of her lungs.
"Who are you?" Avery stipulated.
"Holly!" Artemis shouted from the doorway. Holly swiveled her head to look at her friend, relief flooding her face. She doubted she had ever been so excited to see him, which was something considering how much Holly had warmed up the boy. His mouth was agape at the sight before him.
"Avery, what are you doing?"
"I am sorry, but I do not appreciate strange persons going through my files." Avery tucked her gun back into the holster on her left thigh in a smooth motion and released Holly. "And I did not know she was a friend of yours." In a half-hearted gesture, Avery offered her hand to Holly it attempts to help her.
Holly, knowing that the act was not sincere, ignored it.
Artemis was not sure whether to laugh or cry. The irony of the situation made him want to roll of the floor guffawing hysterically, but he was very relieved that Avery had not killed his friend. It took him a few moments to recover from his paroxysms of laughter.
"You understand that this is partly your fault."
Holly sighed, realizing the significance of Artemis jumping to the black opal eyed woman's defense. "Yeah, I know," she said waving her hand as if being apprehended by other young women was a normal occurrence. "Next time I should be more careful."
Avery snapped her fan open to cover her rude smile and laughed at the comment. After she regained her composure, she closed the fan and presented her free hand to Holly. This time, it was an honest movement.
"Avery Lefleur."
"Holly Short."
Holly accepted the offered hand and shook it firmly. They locked eyes and neither of them wanted to back down. Artemis, not wanting the situation turning into another hostile situation, cleared his throat self-consciously. Both the females turned to look at him with eyebrows raised. Artemis averted his eyes from the harsh glares from Holly and Avery.
"Wait… Do you mean Lefleur as in THE LEFLEURS?" Holly asked incredulously, turning her attention back to Avery.
Avery brought out the fan again and opened it with an annoyed snap. Somehow, she was not able to conjure much patience for the other woman. She was also confused by Holly's sudden attention in her family. "Yes. How do you know my family?"
Holly turned to Artemis. "Do you understand the power position you are in right now? You have the heir to the second most powerful black market family standing in your home!"
Artemis shrugged. "My family and I only have qualms with Janelle. Avery is clean, not to mention Butler would not be a very happy man if we killed her."
"Same question from before: are you related to Butler, Avery?" Holly asked.
"I am his daughter."
"I figured as much." Avery glared at the woman, demanding answers without saying anything. Holly rolled her eyes and continued, "You carry a SIG-Sauer and although you don't have the same eyes as Butler, you can wield them the same way."
"Thank you. But that still doesn't answer my question."
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To be continued…