Avery's Note: The plot continues to thicken… Enjoying reading and please 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: After accidently destroying Beckett's stuffed owl, Avery has the task of repairing him. At the same time, Avery learns a little more about her mysterious father. Butler also is also aware of Artemis' attraction to Avery, and warns against it.
Just Tell Me You Love Me
Chapter 7: D4: The Enemy Within
It was a very rare occurrence for Artemis to experience a deep mood of sentimentality. But as he watched Butler train with his daughter, he couldn't help but feel a bittersweet combination of emotion. It was without a doubt that Butler was at his happiest when he could just be a father. Yet, Artemis did not want to lose his best friend and bodyguard.
Artemis sipped his espresso, his thoughts wandering. He unconsciously drummed his fingers on the ceramic tiling of the table.
Holly joined him shortly later, sipping her own cup of espresso. She was not particularly fond of the drink, but she drank it only out of human social custom. She dropped down into the other patio seat and let out a sigh as she ensconced herself in the foam cushions.
"She's clean, "Holly said to Artemis without looking at him after a few moments of silence.
"Pun intended?" Artemis quipped. He had a growing talent for producing dry witticisms and double entendres. Under normal circumstances, he would have been embarrassed by his inability to make solid humorous jokes; however, Artemis felt comfortable enough around Holly as to not care to what she thought of him personally.
"Cleaner than me," an oily voice replied from the other side of Artemis. Artemis turned to his left and was greeted by the smiling face of Mulch Diggums.
Artemis cracked a small smile and took another sip of his coffee. "Even at their dirtiest, everyone is cleaner than you."
Mulch shook some loose dirt from his clothes before pulling a small disc from his pocket. The device whirled softly for a moment before creating a three dimensional holographic screen. The figure of a centaur typing furiously on his keyboard, his ringers flying across the keys, appeared.
"Well, Foaly, what did you expect to find about Avery in your databases?" Artemis asked after clearing his throat politely.
"The usual criminal records," he replied. "The Fowls have one the size of a small library and you might have missed something."
Artemis was slightly taken back by the indirect insult, but let it go. "She's not a Fowl."
"She could be."
Another unexpected reaction was elicited from the young man. There were several different ways that simple comment could be interpreted and he wasn't sure which one he was supposed to accept. Luckily, he did not need to make a comment back as Avery jumped in the conversation.
"I'm a Lefleur. I shall always be one," Avery shouted from her position a few feet away.
With Butler following, she walked over to the small gathering. She examined Foaly's high definition holographic image. Her face was completely expressionless; one could not tell if she was even intrigued or disgusted.
"You must be Mister Foaly, Miss Short's partner."
The creature snorted loudly and pounded his fist on the table. Holly brought her hands to her mouth to hide a crude snicker. The two found the comment to be insanely hilarious. Avery, not appreciating the response, turned to Artemis for an explanation.
"They're not really partners," Mulch clarified for Artemis. "They just work together in the police force and are good friends. I honestly believe that they fight each other more than they get along sometimes."
Avery nodded to herself, attaching the image with the mental note she already had of the centaur. Then she turned her attention to the dwarf, who she had selectively chosen to ignore due to him being the source of the cacophonous assault on her nose. "And you must be Mulch Diggums."
"Mulch Diggums at your service, always." Mulch took a grandiose bow, allowing more dirt to escape from his clothes and spill all over the patio.
"I will make sure to use it to my advantage."
"I'm sure you will," Holly muttered sarcastically under her breath. Avery shot her a quick death glare, but decided to hold off her ire for later.
"Well, it was pleasure meeting all of you," Avery said with a flat tone, excusing herself. "I look forward to our future interactions." The cold expression on her face was a stark contrast to the words she said. Without a pause, she turned on her heels and headed into the manor.
"Avery will warm up to you," Butler said, trying to defend his daughter's rude behavior. "It just takes a little time."
Everyone smiled weakly at Butler, trying to make him feel better. They all knew and understood Avery carried a bitter disposition and that there was nothing they could do to change her.
Holly stood up and patted Butler on the arm. "Let me talk to her. We had a bad start and maybe I can do something to remedy the situation a little."
The elf took her leave from her friends, thinking of what to say to Avery when she saw her. Holly did not really want to become friends with the other girl, but she knew she would feel guilty if she did not try because Butler secretly wanted her to.
With an inward sigh, Holly lifted her fist to knock on Avery's door. She suddenly stopped in mid-motion, hearing Avery's cellular phone vibrate noisily on the desk. In a few seconds, the call was answered.
"Avery."
Holly, wanting to listen in on the conversation, pushed the door open just a small crack. She peeked through the small opening.
The afternoon light crept through the cracks of the window, illuminating the grand room with a pale sheen. Avery spoke softly into the receiver of her phone. She paced absentmindedly back and forth across her room. The atmosphere of the room gave Avery an almost sadistic appearance.
"Already given."
"Alex."
Holly waited through another pause in the conversation. She hoped that Foaly was recording the conversation because she wanted to know what exactly this plan of Avery's was.
"Eventually you will, Alex. After I'm done here, you and I will be spending a lot more time in each others' company."
"Alex, I am aware that you're new to fraternity and are still full of uncertainty. But you must have more faith in me. I know how to run my company, which means I do not need you to reiterate basic concepts to me as if I am merely a child."
"Having substantial power is not my ultimate priority. Everything I have done in my lifetime is for my father."
Holly was rather surprised that someone of her gentle demeanor could have such a vicious bite when annoyed. There was a pause as Avery listened to the voice on the other end. It wasn't the first time, though, that Holly had evidence to prove that Avery was not as sweet as she would like to seem.
"Get it done." Avery ended the conversation and sighed as she massaged her temples. She tossed the phone down lightly on the desk and sat down in the swivel chair at the desk. Avery opened her black portfolio, flipped through a few pages, and scribbled notes.
Holly banged loudly on the door before poking her entire head through the doorway. Avery looked up from her work at her, but didn't say anything. Her hand continued to write whatever it was she was writing.
"Incompetent subordinates?" Holly asked, pushing open the door wider.
"How long had you been listening?" The fan that continuously annoyed Holly was snapped open and used to cover Avery's expression.
"I just heard you say, 'Get it done.'" Holly lied although had heard all of the one-sided telephone call.
Avery did not comment back.
"Avery, I just came by to say after what happened earlier, it is clear that we aren't friends. I want to do something about this because it is slowly killing Butler."
"Thank you for your concern about my father."
Holly interpreted Avery's comment as a dismissive one and withdrew from her room. "D'Arvit," Holly cursed to herself as she stormed down the hallway. She rolled her eyes as she reflected on how she even wanted to make peace with Avery.
"Foaly, did you tap the conversation?" she asked as she placed her LEP helmet on.
"Do I like to eat carrots?"
"No," Holly replied stoically.
Foaly rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "It was a rhetorical question. Of course I did, Holly."
"Good. I don't care what it takes. I just about hate her as much as I hate Koboi."
"That's a big charge to make, Holly."
"I know, but it's true." Holly pressed a fist into the palm of her other hand. "Just play me the recording."
"Avery."
"May I have the permission to speak freely?" The voice was a beautiful male tenor, it was evident his vocal chords were also well trained to adapt a variety of different languages and dialects. The speaker also lacked any emotional intonation to the question; he was completely professional.
"Already given," Avery replied just as empty.
"Avery." There was now gentleness to the voice on the other line. It was almost tender, full of an unconditional affection and a lover's concern.
"Alex." The same affection was returned in the tone Avery used.
"I will never get used to it. You're the only one who calls me by that name." He laughed.
"Eventually you will, Alex. After I'm done here, you and I will be spending a lot more time in each others' company."
"When do you intend on finishing this particular project? As you are most likely aware of, building nuclear facilities is something that raises the suspicion of other agents. It is important that you make a public appearance clearing up this situation. I don't think we need this to be added to the motley crew of enemies we already have."
"Alex, I am aware that you're new to fraternity and are still full of uncertainty. But you must have more faith in me. I know how to run my company, which means I do not need you to reiterate basic concepts to me as if I am merely a child."
"Avery… Is getting back your father really worth all of this work?"
Anger swelled in Avery's chest. She put her all efforts to claim back Butler. Had Alex been physically present, she would have slapped him across the face. "Having substantial power is not my ultimate priority. Everything I have done in my lifetime is for my father."
A mischievous smile spread across Holly's lips as she listened and absorbed all the information she could. Although not keen on literally throwing Avery's reputation to the ground, Holly wanted to know what incriminating evidence could be used to do so. "What can you tell me about our friend?"
Foaly sent an image to Holly on her LEP helmet.
The first thing Holly noticed was the piercing gaze of the young man's dark grey eyes, which contrasted the silver light of his short hair. It was evident that he knew he had both unsurpassed physical and mental strength, and he was well aware of what he is capable of doing. There was a maliciously suggestive smile on his lips and his posture radiated an atmosphere of business. In fact, everything about him signified someone who took everything seriously. He dressed in a solid black suit, white collared shirt, red sweater vest, black tie, black dress shoes, black belt, and black gloves.
"Alexander Ulyanov, personal assistant of our very dear friend Avery Lefleur," Foaly said with as much of a straight face as he could. It was difficult for Holly gave a slight snort at the "our very dear friend" clause Foaly intentionally added.
"Alex and Avery are very close friends. She met him around the time of her mother's death," Foaly continued.
"The Ulyanovs are to the Lefleurs as the Butlers are to the Fowls," Foaly continued, all jokes aside. "But instead of learning martial arts and such, they are political specialists. The Lefleurs are the black-handed puppet masters of the world because the Ulyanovs are their dark strings that pull the puppet of the governments."
Fingers flew across the keyboard as the files concerning the criminals were pulled on screen. "The surname Ulyanov is not something used lightly. Each family member is not related genetically, but rather you are invited to join. After being accepted into the ranks of these specialists, one swears ultimate allegiance to the leader of the Lefleurs."
An image of Delilah Lefleur appeared on Holly's screen. She was a lovely woman with a charismatic aura, sparkling eyes, and a brilliant smile. Holly noticed the similarities in Avery and Delilah's beauty.
"Now, the title of Lefleur is transferred through the mother. If Delilah Lefleur was still alive, then she would be in charge. However, she is not, thus the responsibility falls upon Avery."
"I thought that Janelle was the woman at the head of the family."
"Yes, you're right. I expect that your reaction to Avery being a Lefleur was of surprise, right? She's the supposed heir to the second most powerful black market family. You wouldn't expect her to walk right into the home of the Fowls, would you?"
"I'm mystified why the Fowls haven't found this out for themselves…" Holly mused.
"Holly, if you look at the compilation of all the information in the universe, you not find anything incriminating against Avery. She's just your beautiful genius born into a wealthy family. If the any police force came after her, there is no basis for arresting except relation by family name. But cross-reference her profile with Janelle's, and you find that there are distinct, but not immediately obvious, similarities."
"It is not possible for both Artemis and Butler could have missed these links…"
"Janelle is just a fake identity. It's a title used when she doesn't want any personal business going on. And here's one more interesting detail, the Fowls do not take fondly to Janelle. She bought out the nuclear power facilities all across the globe before Artemis could."
Holly nodded, absorbing all the information presented to her in the past few minutes. Her intelligent mind was already beginning to plan a variety of ways to use it to her advantage. With a shrug to herself, Holly began to lift the helmet from her head.
"And Holly," Foaly continued, this time with a more personal curiosity in his tone of voice, "I understand that we both deeply respect Fowl and wish the best for him. But what I can't understand are the motives you have for turning the girl into an enemy."
"She is already my enemy."
"Excuse me?"
Holly set the helmet down. "I simply have my reasons."
To be continued…