Sorry about the time it took for me to publish this chapter!

FOWL MANOR, DUBLIN, IRELAND

The sparks faded as Holly and Artemis's lips finally broke contact. Holly felt so calm in Artemis's arms, and for once she didn't mind not being in control. She had spent so much time being the adult it felt good to let someone else look after her for a change. Ever since her parents had died she had tried to hide any emotions beneath her tough exterior, but now she could be herself. She didn't have to hide anything now.

Holly rested her head on his shoulder, liking the way the material of his jacket felt against her cheek. They both stared out into the garden, which was so tranquil, with a tiny waterfall trickling in a corner and a wooden Japanese-style seat sitting in the lightest part of the garden. Artemis took her hand and led her over to it. They sat down.

'Did you make this?' she asked quietly.

'Not quite,' he admitted. 'It was actually already half done - Angeline had it made years ago. But I cleared it out and added the bridge and lighting'

'It's fairy-sized,' Holly laughed. She turned off the hover on her shoes and walked onto the bridge, running her fingers across the intricately carved handrail. 'Did you do the carving on this too?'

'Yes,' he said, pulling his hand out of his pocket and holding it up. A band-aid stretched across his palm. 'Another thing I learned is that you have to keep the chisel away from your hand'

Holly laughed then gazed at Artemis, her eyes shining in the flickering candlelight. He looked so different to her now – less like an annoying mud boy and more of an adult. His eyes now held a certain softness instead of the cold harshness that used to reside there. After a short moment Artemis broke the silence.

'We have to go inside soon,' he said apologetically. 'But just before we go I wanted to give you something.' He reached behind a bush and picked up a small box and walked over to her.

'Merry Christmas,' he smiled, handing her the box. She took it but didn't open it.

'Do you mind if I open it later?' she asked. He shook his head.

'You can open it whenever you like' he replied, frowning as a shocked expression crossed Holly's face. 'What's wrong?'

'I thought I had forgotten something! I never got you a Christmas present!'

Artemis walked up to her and put his hand round her shoulders. 'You kissed me, and that is the best present I could ever receive'

* * *

Minerva Paradizo glanced casually from the doorway for any sign of Artemis, trying not to show any worry on her face. She liked the Irish boy, and his disappearance puzzled her. She found herself being jostled by a pot bellied man as she walked back into the ballroom.

'Did you see that?' The man slurred, obviously already drunk. She was surprised to see tears in his eyes.

'What happened?' she asked cautiously, deducting it was best to not irritate the man.

'It was beautiful,' he said, swaying slightly. 'Fowl boy. Fire girl. Dancing'

She cursed herself. She had slipped away to go to the ladies room for five minutes, and had obviously missed whatever the drunk man was talking about. Fowl boy obviously meant Artemis, and the last word was obvious too, but 'Fire girl'? She mulled over the mysterious names for a brief moment before slowly guiding the man towards a waiter.

'Can you help...Uh, what is your name?'

'Professor Enzo,' the drunk man replied, almost tottering into a group of gossiping women. Minerva sighed inwardly – she had much better things to do than sort out a drunken professor – before turning back to the waiter.

'Can you please sort out Professor Enzo?' she asked sweetly, but not without authority.

'Of course,' the waiter replied, leading the man out of the room.

Minerva continued her search for Artemis before joining the crowd of people filtering into the dining room. Dinner was about to start.

* * *

Artemis and Holly came into the dining room glowing. Not literally, of course, but many people felt an energy coming from them as they made their way to their seats.

Both he and Holly were seated at one end of the main table, along with Angeline, Artemis Senior, Myles and Beckett - Holly had been his friend for so long she deserved her place with the rest of the family – while other close friends filled up the rest of the table. Any other people ate at tables set out in the ballroom.

It is fair to say the dining room was never used much – it was large and empty when not filled with people, so the Fowls preferred to eat at a much smaller table near the kitchen. But on an occasion like this it was perfect.

Artemis and Holly sat down on their seats, and Holly stared around the room in wonder. The banquet table held about sixty people in total, who were all chatting to each other excitedly.

'How did they get everyone sitting in the right places?' she asked. But before Artemis had answered she knew how. In front of every person was a chocolate heart on a delicate wire stand, each with a name on it.

'You just have to...' Artemis began

'...follow your heart,' Holly finished. Angeline looked at them, obviously having heard their conversation. She shook her head, smiling.

'You two are even finishing each other's sentences now. What next?'

Artemis rolled his eyes, feeling slightly self-conscious. But he was happy, and that was all that mattered.

Wasn't it?

ATLANTIS MAXIMUM-SECURITY PRISON

Opal Koboi was enjoying herself. To a normal person, trying to break out of the most secure prison on Earth is possibly as far from fun as you can get, but Opal thought it was surprisingly like those mud man spy movies with the dodgy special effects.

The only thing that made this whole expedition possible in the first place was Opal's mountainous amount of money. She had managed to bribe some workers at the prison to help her break herself out, giving her a huge advantage. But it would still be one of the most difficult feats she had ever had to perform.

Opal carefully folded up the newspaper on her lap, before glancing at it one last time. It read:

OPAL KOBOI IMPRISONED – FINALLY
By Heather Coombs

We have all heard of the antics of Opal Koboi and her pixie sidekicks, but this time it seems she has been locked up for good. Yesterday, mud man Artemis Fowl and his bodyguard Butler were two of the main components in an unwarranted reconnaissance and retrieval mission to find the pixie, along with criminal Mulch Diggums. Another addition to the mission was Captain Holly Short, a newly resigned member of LEP Recon after she was falsely accused of murdering Commander Julius Root. By luck and teamwork, the unlikely group captured Opal Koboi, who is now being detained in the Atlantis Prison, the most secure prison on the planet. Journalists here at The Haven Daily tried to get an interview with the heroes but –

The rest of the article had been torn off – Opal didn't want to hear about their triumph over her. All she needed to know from the article was that the future version of herself was locked up in the very prison in front of her.

She checked her moonometer impatiently, waiting for the telltale knock on the door. It was a few minutes before she could hear a light tapping. She pulled a remote out from under her chair and pressed a button, opening newly added toughened glass airlock connected to the door.

The fairies who stepped in were almost polar opposites. One was a large and muscly elf with a big lower lip and a jutting out jaw, while the other was a light-figured sprite. It was clear they were built for the sea – both had fine gills at the sides of their necks and slightly webbed feet.

The airlock whirred as it was drained of water, before opening with a pneumatic hiss. The two fairies stepped through, and to Opals surprise, were followed by a third fairy.

Opal narrowed her eyes. 'Who is this? I asked for two people only'

The third fairy stepped forward and held out a hand. 'My name is Spikkle. I've heard a lot about you, Miss Koboi'

* * *

Dinner at Fowl Manor went perfectly to plan, besides a minor mishap concerning a white dress, red wine, and a rather apologetic waiter. Holly and Artemis spent almost the entire time talking, and it was easy to forget they were different species.

Artemis looked down at his now-empty plate which had once held Christmas pudding and custard. Everyone in the room looked completely full, including Holly sitting next to him. Holly slid her chair back and stood up.

'Can I meet you back in the ballroom after?' She whispered.

Artemis shrugged. 'Sure, see you then'. He watched as she exited the dining room. She's probably gone to bathroom, he thought.

He stood up and walked into the foyer, which was empty - everyone was either eating or in the ballroom. But someone was following him – he could hear footsteps behind him. Artemis spun around, expecting to see Holly, even though her hover-shoes made no sound.

Instead he turned to find Minerva. But something was wrong – he could feel the hairs at the back of his neck prickle ominously. He had learnt the hard way that human instinct was often right.

'Uh...Hi,' he greeted her awkwardly.

'Hi,' she replied, sounding slightly nervous. 'Enjoying the party?'

'Yes, it's going well. You?'

'Same,' Minerva agreed. 'Look, Artemis...'

'What?' He asked too quickly. Minerva sighed, then carried on talking.

'Artemis, I don't know if you realise this, but I've liked you for a long time. Ever since Hybras...'

Artemis nodded, deep down he always knew that. But he was still suddenly aware of how cold and empty the foyer seemed, compared to the bright lights of the ballroom and dining room.

'...anyway, Hybras changed my view on you. At first you were competition, like a rival, because of your intelligence. After that, I began to see you for who you are, not how high your IQ was'

Artemis didn't know what to say – he felt like he was locked into place. But still she continued.

'I started waiting every day for you to send me an email, a letter, anything during those three years. So when I got the party invite, I was excited. Yet when you greeted me when I arrived, I didn't want to give anything away. I wanted to see how you would react if I told you. When I heard about this 'fire-girl' person, I realised you were already taken, your heart must belong to someone else'

'Wait a minute,' Artemis interrupted. 'Fire girl?'

Minerva ignored him, and continued talking. 'This may be the last time we ever meet as friends, and I know I can let you go. But I was always told that if you don't do something in life, you could live to regret it. So before I leave this party, I just wanted to do this.'

She leant forward and kissed Artemis.

A thousand thoughts were running through Artemis's head, but for once he couldn't organise them. He stayed rooted to the spot, feeling strangely helpless. He didn't like Minerva, he liked Holly...

'Artemis?'

Suddenly Minerva pulled away.

Holly was standing in the doorway, her eyes blazing.

'I thought you had changed,' Holly hissed. 'Thrown away all of those childhood fantasies. You couldn't be happy just with me, could you?'

'Holly...' Artemis started.

'Shut up, mud boy. I gave my heart to you. I trusted you.'

'Holly, let me explain...'

'There is nothing to explain. You blew it, mud boy.'

'Holly, please,' Artemis walked towards her desperately. 'You don't understand...'

'Of course I understand, mud boy.' She strode towards the front door. Artemis tried to grab her arm.

In a flash, he found himself stumbling backwards, smashing into an old wooden cabinet near the front door. Holly had pushed him. As his mind tumbled into darkness he thought he saw a fleeting glimpse of Holly running out the door, crystalline tears falling from her cheeks.

'Holly!' Artemis called feebly. 'Holly...'

Authors note:

I would like to give big apologies for smashing up Holly and Artemis's relationship for now, but it isn't quite over yet...Anyway, the story was getting boring and needed a shock. Also, I promise everyone that I will end this story properly, without one of those endings that make you feel like there was no point reading the story in the first place. But there's still heaps more of the story to go, so please review!

Also, once again, apologies for my slowness, it is inexcusable :(

Now, REVIEW!