WARNING: EXTREME OCCness! Don't flame because I warned you!

Chapter Eleven: The Truth

Artemis's speech, five dances and two bottles of champagne later, Holly and Artemis sat on a love seat with Holly's head on his shoulder, because she couldn't hold it on her own.

"Holly, you are drunk."

"As if you are sober, Arty."

"I am not, but I at least can think straight and my head is telling me to take you home."

"I don't want to go home, I want to stay here."

"I am taking you home, no objections."

"Okay, okay. As if I could object you."

With slight difficulty, Artemis reached their caddy, holding Holly by her waist to keep her steady. They took their places and Artemis told the driver Holly's address.

"We are not going there!" Holly protested.

"Why not?"

"We are going to your place."

"What for?" Artemis asked with bewilderment.

"I want you to do something with me. No, for me," holly corrected herself, but it was too late, the driver heard her. It wasn't difficult to put one and one together, and when Artemis nodded and ordered to return to his apartment… Well, the driver surely knew what he would tell his wife after work.

"So what do you want me to do, Holly?" Artemis asked when they entered his apartment.

"I want you to draw my portrait. Who knows when again I'll put a dress."

"But there will be at least a hundred of photos made tonight. I am sure at least one will suit you."

"I want you to draw my portrait. You know how to picture the real me."

"As you wish. Where do you like to pose?"

"On the brown sofa in your living room. I really like it."

Before Artemis could say a word, Holly was on her way. The whole situation puzzled him. Making Holly's portrait was the last thing on his mind when she asked him to bring her here. Okay, maybe there was only one thought, but that wasn't the case anyway.

Entering the living room with needed equipment, Artemis found Holly already occupying his favorite sofa. The view stopped him on his tracks. Holly looked like a diva. Her half-lying posture was relaxed but at the same time showing how powerful she can be. Her eyes weren't glassy anymore from alcohol - she refreshed herself. Now they were shining that special energy that only Holly Short possessed.

"Why are you standing there? I am ready."

"Um, yes." Artemis positioned the easel and made the first bold strokes with oil paint. He knew that it was impossible to finish the portrait overnight, but it didn't matter. There was something sacred in the moment. Holly let him see her from the inside. Yes, she was drunk, but it didn't matter either. All that really mattered was he was finally painting his muse for real.

Artemis worked for several hours when he finally noticed that Holly had fallen asleep. He was faced with a dilemma: to leave Holly where she was or…'Well, it is big enough' taking her into his arms and bringing her to his bedroom.

……………………

Holly slept wonderfully. She didn't remember when she slept so well. But the sleep left her and she opened her eyes to see a yellow wall. She didn't have any yellow wall in her bedroom. She sat up and looked around, coming to conclusion that she was in Artemis's bedroom and, more importantly, in his bed. Holly swiftly looked down to see that she was in the same attire minus the sapphire necklace that that was lying on the nightstand safe and sound.

Looking to to her right, Holly noticed the black braid above the sheets.

'So he didn't leave me like the previous time we slept together. Holly Short! What are you thinking?! You and you friend Artemis Fowl have never slept together! You just… shared one bed. Two times already.'

She must've been thinking pretty loudly, because Artemis started to stir. He pressed several buttons on his nightstand and sat up still with closed eyes.

"Good morning," Holly said hesitantly, not knowing what his reaction on her presence in his bed will be. She certainly didn't know how she got there.

"Good morning," Artemis greeted in return, opening his eyes and sending a smile to Holly. "Was it as good as you thought?"

"What?" she asked, beginning to become scared of not knowing exactly what she did the night before.

"The bed. You praised it the last time you were here."

"Oh, the bed," she exhaled with relief. "Yeah, the bed is great. How did I actually get here?"

"I brought you here after we - "

"After we what?!" Holly exclaimed with pure panic.

"After you fell asleep while I was doing your portrait. You don't remember anything?"

"Well, I don't remember anything after the portrait. Thank Haven, we didn't do anything."

"Didn't do what?"

"Oh, don't look at me with those laughing eyes! You know what I am talking about!"

"But fairies don't have sex."

His plain and to the point statement shocked Holly to muteness. After a minute of silence she managed to ask, "And how do you know?"

"You said so yourself, 'A new fairy appears every twenty years'."

"Well, you were eleven at that time! It has parents, you know."

"So fairies do have sex."

"But not like that… Do you really want to have this conversation right now?" Holly groaned.

"I agree that having such conversation in bed isn't quite appropriate. We can continue during breakfast. But you must change first." 'Why don't my sentences come the right way lately?'

"I don't have anything else to put on."

"But I do." Artemis left the bed, revealing the fact that he also didn't undress the previous night (to which Holly was really grateful). He rummaged in his wardrobe and gave Holly a white t-shirt and black slacks. "Hopefully, they won't fall off."

"I really hope so too."

After taking showers and dressing, Artemis and Holly found themselves in the kitchen where Betty served them a fabulous breakfast.

"You've never explained your drastic image change, Arty."

"What do you mean?"

"Last night was the first time I saw you wearing a suit. When did you start to dress casually?"

"Oh, that. Well, firstly tell me, how many fine Armani suits were dirted, ripped and damaged beyond repair during our escapades?"

"Many?"

"A lot, I can assure you. Secondly, when I started to work out, I needed sports wear. Then I realized that casual clothes are much comfortable to do different stuff and there was no point in wearing suits at the manor where nobody saw me."

"What do you mean nobody? There must've been somebody to cook for you, do your laundry and stuff."

"I had three Bettys for that purposes, they had different names of course. There other two were Leila and Kate. And certainly my devoted secretary, Lily."

"Devoted secretary?" Holly asked with a frown.

"Someone was needed to fill up my schedule while I was away. Maybe I'll bring her here some day."

"You mean to say she is a robot?"

"Indeed. I couldn't entrust my secrets to a human. That would've been too dangerous. A robot is certainly more productive, works 24/7 and never makes mistakes, its information is always accurate. I understand it sounds strange. How cold must I be to live with only four robots for five years and not complaining about being lonely. Of course I was lonely, especially after Butler died, that's why I started taking climbing lessons."

"To fight loneliness?"

"To fight my fears. Fears not to survive alone. Climbing is a special sport. Usually it is done in groups; each member must wholly trust the others to give them his life, but you also can climb alone. In this case everything depends on you. Nobody will pull you up if you come down. That way I learned to fight alone without hiding behind somebody's back. Climbing also helps me to relax: you, nature and no-one else. It really returns peace to your mind and soul."

Artemis's tale was interrupted by the buzz of his communicator. He pushed the buttons to release the display with Foaly's grim face.

"So it is true then," he uttered with a deep frown; the display size allowed him to see both Artemis and Holly.

"What are you talking about?" Artemis asked, making himself another toast.

"That you two left together after the ball."

"We came together too. We had only one caddy, it was impossible to do otherwise."

"Okay. Have you seen today's headlines?"

"We are having breakfast, Foaly. What do you think? I don't open my computer before breakfast just to read news that doesn't concern me."

"That's the point, boy. That you are having breakfast together and Holly is wearing your clothes!"

"So what's the fuss?" Holly decided to join the conversation.

"It is all over the new! The LEP Commander got drunk and spent the night in her supposed to-be friend's apartment!"

"So?" Artemis asked evenly.

"What do you mean 'so'? It is a catastrophe! Holly's reputation is ruined!"

"I am still here," hHolly protested, but weakly. She knew what outcome of this could be. She will be decommissioned from the post of her dreams, and this won't be the worst of things.

"By that said you mean that the commander can't have private life? Is forbidden to have fun or be united?" Artemis asked in the same even tone. "Or in your high technological society it is frowned upon when a single woman spends the night in man's apartment? If to all my questions you can give negative answers that I ask you again. So?"

"So she is still the LEP Commander and this is a tasty piece of cake for the yellow press."

"Then blame everything on me."

"How is that possible?"

"Holly was drunk, I took advantage of her."

"But I myself suggested to go to your apartment instead of mine," Holly remarked.

"And I agreed. I didn't insist to bring you home. I can be rightfully blamed for the whole situation. You can pass this statement, Foaly, if they are so hungry for some cake."

"Why don't you two just deny the whole thing?" Foaly asked with plead.

"Because there are witnesses. One of them is you, who is seeing this now."

"What a mess," Foaly said with a sigh and broke the connection.

"Why didn't you insist, by the way?" Holly asked Artemis, who was buttering another toast as if nothing happened.

"I was intrigued."

"Intrigued?"

"I was curious about what you wanted with me. Your idea was quite unexpected. Do you want to finish the portrait?"

"Right now?"

"If you don't have anything else to do."

"I have two days off."

"Marvelous."

…………………

The next four months were difficult for Holly and Artemis. They had to deny themselves breakfast together, even in the café, not to mention in Artemis's apartment. Holly wasn't removed from her post, but was suspended for two months. Those events couldn't stop the rumors though. Moreover Caballine's prediction came true – Artemis's popularity among the female population was sky high. Young girls even formed a fan-club and were annoying Holly to no end. First of all, because they were following her all the time, asking everything about Artemis, even things that made her blush. Secondly, and most importantly, they made Holly extremely jealous. She could only calm herself with the idea that she didn't have any claim on him thus he could date whoever he liked. The problem was that Artemis didn't show any preferences. He was deep into teaching, which was turning to be quite a success.

The fan-girls could've remained Holly's biggest problem if one day she hadn't have received a message from Foaly.

"Let me through! Let me through, D'Arvit!" Holly shouted, elbowing her way through the warlocks. "Tell me where he is," she demanded from one of the warlocks, but he just blinked at her. "Tell me or I'll roast you on the spot!" The shaking doctor showed her the direction, tilting his head to the right.

Holly rushed there. She saw him in at the end of the corridor, lying motionlessly on one of the hospital beds. She ran towards him, but was stopped by the glass that served as a wall to Artemis's room. Pictures of the funeral appeared in front of her eyes. The same lifeless body, the same paleness of the skin…

"No, no, no… He can't be dead. He ca-a-a-a-n't…" Holly sobbed, beating her head onto the glass, praying her pain in the head will suppress the pain in her chest, in her heart.

In this devastated state, Foaly found her. "Holly?"

"Huh?"

"Are you alright?"

"How can I be? When he is… Is he dead?"

"He isn't."

"He isn't?!" Two words instantly put Holly onto her feet. "But what happened? Why is Arty like this?"

"Let's go somewhere private," Foaly suggested, leading her to a cabinet he has just left. "You see, Artemis's DNA is on the last stage of changing."

"But he said, it would take at least a year."

"He miscalculated, because being in Haven, around magic, sped up the process considerably. We both followed the change because nobody knew how it would turn out. It is a unique case. Even for such a strong body as Artemis's, it was quite hard, not to say painful."

"But I've never noticed he was in pain."

"You know he can hide he feelings pretty well. Anyway, he called me yesterday, saying I must come immediately, he even managed to switch the security system off."

"So what happened? Tell me already!"

"His body fell into a coma, because it couldn't function properly under the pressure of DNA mutation. You do understand that it is impossible for a Mud Man to become immortal."

"Well yes. But how is it connected?"

"Right now Artemis is trying to do just that – to change his lifespan, so he could live as long as a fairy."

"But what can we do? What are the chances? Will he live?"

"I don't know. We can only wait. We can also stop the process all together and he will age as an ordinary human and die in 50-60 years."

"No way he'll die while I am still alive!"

"Then we can only wait."

And Holly waited. Waited by his bed hardly eating or sleeping. Sometimes she held his hand, sometimes talked to him about things she couldn't say aloud to anyone, about her fear and insecurities, about her confusing feelings towards him. On the fifth night Holly was jerked awake by a bright golden light that came from around Artemis's neck. Holly smiled from ear to ear. She knew what that light meant: the light solidified into a small golden book. The Book that every fairy had. It meant Artemis was now a full fairy, that he was an elf, that he will live! Live as long as she will!

Holly didn't remember when she was so happy in her long life. "He will live, he will live, he will live," she bewailed, rocking back and forth.

"Actually, I am already alive." Any other words Artemis wanted to say remained in his throat, because Holly cut out his air supply by tightly hugging him. Artemis hugged her back, pressing her to him as closely as possible. During those moments, he felt truly happy, but Artemis knew it couldn't be eternal. Yet.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered into her hair.

"Waiting for you," Holly whispered back.

"Let's get out of here."

"Yeah."

That night, luck was on their side and they left the hospital without alarming persons people on duty.

"You know," Holly began, "We must have a party."

"What's the occasion?"

"From this day on, this day will be your birthday."

"This is quite a reason. What should we do then?"

"I don't know. Let's just walk, maybe something will come to mind."

But nothing came, they were quite content just walking around the city. No words were exchanged; they weren't needed. The night ended in Artemis's living room where, for some unknown reason, the pair decided to sleep on the carpet, snuggling to each other.

………………..

Nobody could actually say that there was a change in Artemis and Holly's relationship. They just seemed to not give a damn about what everybody were thinking about them. They resumed the tradition of having breakfast together and just spending time together occasionally. The fan-club followed Holly even more, but this time to express their indignation about her being selfish – she doesn't date him and doesn't let others do it. Irritated to the point of blowing up Holly told Artemis to just choose one already to satisfy all parts of the conflict.

Unbeknownst to Holly, that advice triggered Artemis's call to her several days later.

"Want to check out this new dining place on Rainbow Square?"

"You mean 'Cinzano' restaurant?"

"Exactly."

"Okay. Today I am free - " But then something clicked in Holly's head. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"You won't come if my answer is positive?"

"Well, I don't know… But why all of a sudden?"

"You told me to choose."

"Oh."

"I'll pick you at six then."

"Okay."

The remaining part of the working day went passed Holly. Thoughts were jumping in her head like fireballs. Only two were more or less clear: 'Do I want to go on a date with Artemis?' and 'Do I fell that way about him?' But their clearness didn't give answers.

Artemis was on time as always. His caddy (he received license to drive on his own) was waiting for her exactly at 6 o'clock. For such an unusual occasion, Holly decided to put on a simple dress with flowers that made her look carefree and slightly childish.

The ride to the restaurant was spent in awkward silence. Till the main cause, they shared some small talk mostly about Foaly's latest invention. During dessert Artemis took the word.

"I asked you to come here to tell you something. Something very important. It can shock you or scare you. After this evening you may wish to not speak with me again. But I must tell you the truth."

"You are scaring me, Arty."

"When I told you of my reasoning not to stop my mutation into an elf, I didn't tell you the whole truth. Neither you nor I were ready for it back then.

The reason actually is the very one that had caused all the big changes in my life. By that reason I mean you."

"Huh?"

"You appearing started another leaf of my life. You saved my mother, my father, Butler and you saved me. Saved me from turning into a heartless monster.

You died on Hybras." Holly even jumped from such drastic change of topics. "I managed to save you then, using my brains. You don't remember this episode and it is for the best. When I came back home, I concluded that if I hadn't been that weak, I could've helped you to fight and you wouldn't have died in the first place. I realized that my body was not only a repository for my brain, but it can also be used as a tool in saving lives.

The next day I went to Butler and asked him to train me. He was surprised beyond belief, but didn't ask questions. So I trained to be like you, to be worthy of you. To be someone who not only hides when others fight for him.

When I found out that I was turning into a fairy, I was really happy because it was a chance to be with the people I cared about, to be with you. But then I was blocked out. I was so angry that I broke my laptop.

I thought I would live it over, that I would forget you and the People and would start a new period of my life without you, but I couldn't. I couldn't extinguish the fire that grew from the spark you put in me, Holly. Believe me, I tried.

Fortunately, Fate smiled at me. It gave me a second chance to be with you, and I used it fully. I left everything behind, I left my world to be beside you, Holly. I am not telling you this to make you feel guilty or to pity me, but to understand how serious I am.

I am not thea boy genius who played dangerous games, wanting to be considered an adult, who wanted to prove to everyone that he was the best in everything. That boy turned into a man long ago, when he was seventeen. He realized then that you don't need to be a genius to understand that you… that you deeply care for someone and moreover you can't live without her."

"You are saying…" Holly began in a trembling voice.

"I am saying that I came all the way here to tell you that I love you, Holly."

"I… I... "

"You don't need to say anything, Holly. I will take you home and you'll think everything over. Just remember that I don't need to choose among others, because you are the only one for me. There can't be and won't be anyone else."

A/N: I understand that this totally crazy, but bare with me.

About fairies appearing every twenty years. I don't know where I read this. I have a feeling it was mentioned somewhere in the books. If not, consider it a spoiler that I made up.

And of course thanks everyone for your reviews, the next chapter is the last one, be dears and make it a 100, okay?