Alright! So, here is the next chapter of the Christmas special. Coming early! Hope you enjoy it.

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MORE GRAPHIC CONTENT, BUT IN MY OPINION DOES NOT CROSS THE TV-14 SECTION. SO, I WILL NOT BE SWITCHING THE RATING. IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE, OR ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 13, I SUGGEST YOU DO NOT READ THE END OF THIS CHAPTER. THANK YOU.

And also, a big thank you to Ru Dorogan for the very end of this chapter. We worked together on it a very long time ago, and you might be seeing a longer version of the end of this chapter very soon either on my other account or hers.

"Whoa… This is huge!" Holly looked around the large shopping mall they were in. Angeline had talked everyone into going shopping with her except the boys and Artemis Senior, but was unusually on her phone every time Holly saw her or had a chance to talk to her. Strange… she thought, but Juliet was enough to distract her from that situation.

"Shopping!" the blonde squealed next to her. Of course Juliet would be even more excited than Angeline for this. It was her favorite activity, outside of wrestling. "Oh, I can't wait for Christmas!"

Holly scoffed, and felt Artemis' finger run across the side of her hand as they walked down the halls of the mall. She looked up and Artemis raised an eyebrow, silently asking. Holly smirked softly, taking his hand casually in hers. Different stores lined them left and right, but Holly was too scared to go into one. She had never shopped in a human store before.

"Don't you have stores where you live?" Juliet asked, knowing where Haven was and that she lived there, but was being wary since Angeline was right beside them, still talking into the phone.

The elf rolled her eyes. "Everything is on...the internet, right now." She had to go back in her human history class days to remember that. The People hadn't used Internet for millennia. "Very new age."

Juliet nodded sarcastically when she knew that Angeline wasn't looking at them. "Oh yeah, sure," she murmured over to Holly.

Holly shook her head, not acknowledging Juliet and her childish antics.

She looked up at Artemis, who was staring at his phone, obviously bored out of his mind. His idea of an afternoon included him in front of a computer all day, not walking around to strange stores and wasting time. She turned to him, opening her mouth to say something, anything, to get his mind off of work or whatever the hell was bothering him, but Juliet tugged her away before she could.

"Come on!" The blonde absolutely insisted, dragging Holly in the direction of a series of stores on the other side of the walkway. "We'll meet back up with you two later!"

Thus was the beginning of a grueling hour-and-a-half that Holly spent with Juliet, looking through hundreds of clothing items and grimacing when Juliet started to treat her like a dress-up doll.

"You know I'm not going to stay this size forever, right, Juliet?" She asked when Juliet came up to her with another handful of plastic hangers with shirts and pants attached to them.

"Oh, I know." Juliet gave a bubbly laugh, pushing her hair off her shoulder. "But you're my size, and I want to see how cute these are!"

Holly sighed, rolling her eyes. "Juliet. I have to find something for Artemis. That's what I'm here for."

Now Juliet rolled her blue eyes, putting back the clothes. "Fine," she mumbled, taking Holly's arm and dragging her out of the store.

Holly trudged through the mall, already extremely tired from all the clothes and electronics. It was fun to think about how old new human technology was for The People. They still had headsets that you had to put over your eyes to enter Virtual Reality! The last time she had seen a headset like that was in a museum as a child.

"So, when was the last time you got a gift for someone?" Juliet asked warily, looking over at Holly. She knew it had been quite some time.

"For Christmas?" Holly asked, and Juliet nodded her head. She bit her lip, having to think about that. Gods, it had been a while. "Not since my dad died," she said numbly. "I hated Christmas after that…and I didn't have anyone to celebrate it with."

Juliet looked over at her, and thought the blonde was going to cry for a second. "Holly, I'm sorry— "

"Don't worry about it," she assured the girl, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder as they kept walking. "It's been a while, Juliet. Remember, you probably weren't even thought about when it happened."

Juliet scoffed silently, shaking her head a little. "Wow… It's hard to grasp that."

Holly chuckled, looking around the mall. Artemis and Angeline weren't in sight, and it was making Holly slightly nervous. It was a big mall, but she found that being away from Artemis this long was making her anxious. Holly wasn't used to living in this world, and felt as though Artemis was her protection against it. She found that he could always make her feel safer.

The elf still was looking around for a glimpse of Artemis when Juliet squealed and grabbed Holly's arm again. "Oh, I know what you can get Artemis!" she exclaimed, and off they were again.

Juliet smirked as she looked back at Holly, who was clearly uninterested with whatever it was Juliet had planned. Perhaps this would gain her attention.

"Juliet…" Holly drawled out, looking around and blinking constantly, as if trying to register what she was seeing. She hadn't even realized that the entire store was a nasty shade of pale pink that Holly could only see Lili Frond liking until they already were halfway inside. "This is—"

"Lingerie?" The blonde nodded, practically twirling around giddily to face Holly. "Yep! I figured since you're marrying Artemis—"

Holly's face turned a deep pink, and she found herself staring at the d'arvitting floor. "Juliet!" she hissed, cutting her off. "You do realize that the entire proposal was fake, right?"

Juliet cocked her head at her, an amused smile on her face. "Oh, come on, Holly! Why are you being like this? For a tomboy like yourself, it's practically just fancy underwear."

"Right?" Holly repeated persistently, looking up to glare at the woman in front of her.

"Gods, you're such a downer, Short," Juliet sighed, waving her off. "Right. I get it. You and Artemis aren't happening." She turned toward a rack, looking through it and mumbling softly. "Even though you two are immensely cute together." Not to mention totally falling for each other. But she didn't dare say the last part out loud.

Holly rolled her eyes, throwing her hands up. "I'm out. Meet you at the—"

"Oh, Holly!" Angeline came in the entrance, completely unabashed by where they were. "I was just across the hall and I saw you."

"Mrs. Fowl…" Holly's blush deepened, and she glared back at Juliet, who just smirked at her. "I was only in here because of Juliet."

"Please." Angeline waved Holly's train of thought away. "Don't be embarrassed. Either way, I came over because there is a photography studio across from here and I would really love for you to have some pictures taken with Artemis."

Holly looked around her to see Artemis and Butler. Artemis was looking down at his device, talking to Butler and being extremely bored while Butler surveyed everyone around them, looking back at Angeline from time to time to make sure she was alright.

"Oh...umm, alright?" Holly made a face, not wanting to take a picture, but definitely wanting to get away from Juliet before she forced her to buy...Gods, she didn't even know what to call that thing hanging in the corner.

The elf stuck out her tongue at Juliet as she walked out of the store and Juliet rolled her eyes. She knew she had been saved from Juliet probably smothering her in lace.

Artemis looked up from his phone when the two of them walked over to him. "Oh." He raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised. "You found her."

Holly chuckled at his expression, knowing he didn't want to be taking pictures anymore than her. Angeline smiled at them before disappearing into the professional photography studio.

"Do you really want to do this?" Holly teased Artemis, smirking at his face.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I believe we both know I do not." He sighed, dreading the fact they would have to follow his mother in there sooner or later. "Pictures are not my forte, usually. Even when accepting awards."

"Oh, really?" Holly continued her jest. "Is it because The Artemis Fowl has skin so pale, it looks translucent in the bright lights?"

Artemis gave her an annoyed look, knowing she was trying to get on his last nerve and that she was enjoying every minute of it. He sighed again, this time more deeply, before turning and walking into the small center after Angeline.

Holly smiled smugly and glanced at Butler before jogging after Artemis to catch up.

An hour later, Artemis and Holly walked out of the studio, completely exhausted. Honestly, who knew it was so tiring to stand in one place?

What was more energy-consuming was Angeline telling them how to stand, Artemis' arms around Holly or looking into each other's eyes, they both were trying extremely hard to stop their emotions from overwhelming them.

Holly took a deep breath when she got out of the store, closing her eyes. Juliet pranced over, not a care in the world. "So? Wasn't that fun?"

Holly glared at the blonde, rolling her eyes. The elf couldn't deny it — sometimes Juliet could irk her to no end. "Where have you been?"

"I found the perfect present for you to give Artemis," she boasted gleefully, and Holly rolled her eyes again.

But Holly couldn't protest anything after that, because Angeline came out and smiled at her and Artemis. "Well, I suppose I've had enough of this for one day. Does anyone else need to get anything before we leave?"

"Nope!" Juliet quipped, holding up the many, many bags she held in her arms. "Finished everyone's list."

"Well, we should be on our way, then."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"There is a reason why we've invited you here tonight," Artemis Sr. started, wiping his mouth with the cloth napkin gently and laying it on the table next to his plate.

He and Angeline had suggested that they take Artemis and Holly out to dinner and, after a worried glance to one another, they reluctantly agreed.

Now they were in one of the nicest restaurants in Ireland, sitting opposite each other. Soft music could be heard from the other room, and people chatted in hushed voices all around them in the dim light.

"And that reason would be…?" Artemis trailed off, trying to push the conversation after a few moments of his parents being silent.

Angeline took in a big breath and exhaled just as much. She smiled at her husband. "We want to have the wedding...in two days. On Christmas Eve."

Time almost literally froze for Artemis and Holly. They both were trying to process what just had come out of Angeline's mouth, but even Artemis — the supposed genius of the two — was having problems.

It was Holly who was able to speak first. "What?" she was able to sputter out.

"Oh, isn't that sweet?" Angeline cooed, holding onto Artemis Sr.'s arm next to her. "They're speechless!"

"How can you manage to accomplish this, mother?" Artemis tried to reason.

"I have been on the phone all day, and everything is set up."

"Mother, this is absurd!" Artemis argued, frantically trying to calm himself and think of a solution to this new problem. Another problem added onto the dozen or so they already had. "Why now? It would be much better if we waited a year."

Angeline sighed. "I know the last thing you both want to think about is planning a wedding. It would be a nice, small ceremony at the Manor." She smiled warmly at Holly. "I want you to wake up Christmas day with a real family."

Holly's breath got caught in her throat and she looked down. That was too much. She shook her head, not able to talk or look at them without feeling guilty.

"You don't have to say yes or no at the moment," Angeline explained, standing up with Artemis Sr. "We'll go dance, and you two can sit here and talk about this."

Artemis watched his parents leave and, when they were gone, he sighed and shook his head in exasperation. "I'm so sorry, Holly," he told his friend, glancing over to her.

"I don't know why," Holly started, her voice almost close to breaking. "But I want to tell them yes, Artemis."

Artemis ran a hand through his hair, sitting back in the chair. "I know. But it's absolutely ridiculous…" He trailed off, scoffing. "Now we both don't wish to disappoint my mother."

Holly nodded. "You're the genius. What should we do?"

Artemis pursed his lips, glancing down next to the other side of him. "I think I should give you this." He handed her a box, smirking softly at her.

She glanced at the box before looking back up at Artemis, slowly taking the wrapped package from his hands. "What is this?"

"Why don't you open it and find out?" Artemis folded his hands in front of him to stop his fingers from fidgeting nervously.

That almost made Holly nervous herself, but she undid the bow and peeled off the colorful wrapping carefully. It was as though she thought that, if she mishandled it, Artemis would be insulted.

"I figured that, if you were to leave soon — especially if we accept my mother's insane proposal — I wouldn't get to give you this in a few days," Artemis explained as she opened it.

When Holly finally unwrapped it, she looked up at Artemis, confused as she opened another brown box underneath it to pull out a rather large silver frame. "Oh, Artemis..." she sighed, grinning up at him.

It was a picture, one that they had taken hours before. But this one wasn't like the ones Holly remembered taking. Most of the ones she remembered were Artemis' arms wrapped around her waist or the two looking "deep into each other's eyes."

Holly didn't even remember standing like she was in the picture — next to Artemis with her arm on his shoulder. They were both looking in the camera instead of each other, and it looked...nice. A picture of two friends, not two people who had cooked up some relationship scheme.

"I love it," Holly grinned. "Thank you."

Artemis smiled back, reaching over and taking her hand. "Holly, no matter what you want to do, a fake marriage in two days or not, I always will consider you as one of my closest friends."

Holly bit her lip, nodding. Her decision was made. "Let's...appease your mother as long as we can."

Artemis nodded, fixing his tie as he stood up. "Would you like to dance?" He offered his hand to her.

"I'm not very good at ballroom dancing, Fowl." Holly shook her head, fighting back the blush as she remembered her dream from a few nights before. "I'm more of a 'dance like a maniac in my room where no one can see me' kind of dancer."

"That may be so." Artemis took her hand, pulling her up. "But, over time, I've come to the conclusion that a pair of dancers are only as good as the lead." He smirked, leaning forward to whisper in her ear. "So, for once, Short, let me take the lead."

Another flash to her dream and Holly had to stop herself from practically swooning and falling into Artemis then and there. She cleared her throat. "Fine."

Artemis didn't let go of her hand as he lead Holly to the next room. The music grew louder, and other couples danced elegantly across the smooth, polished floor beneath them, including Artemis' parents. Artemis glanced at them warily for a brief moment before turning back to Holly, sharing a small smile.

Holly gave him a worried look, not familiar with human dancing. She supposed it was similar to elegant dancing in Haven, but it wasn't as though she had ever done that before either. "This was a bad idea," she murmured.

"We aren't even dancing yet," Artemis protested. "Now, just do what I tell you to do and you will be fine."

Holly narrowed her eyes. "I've never been good at taking orders, Fowl. You know that."

He sighed. "Unless you want to make a complete fool of yourself…" Artemis pulled her flush against him putting an arm around her waist. "I suggest you stop talking and take it."

Holly stared up at him, eyes wide. She took deep breaths to stop her heart from hammering in her chest and instinctively put her hand on his shoulder. "Artemis—"

"Not to be rude," he cut her off. "But shut up, Short." Artemis raised an eyebrow and smirked when Holly frowned at him. "Now, just follow me." He stepped back and around, pulling Holly gently with him, but Holly couldn't tell and the heel of her shoe stepped right into the middle of his foot. Artemis grunted in pain softly and Holly jumped back.

"I'm sorry," Holly sighed, shaking her head. Dancing was not for her to begin with, and now she hurt Artemis.

"Don't apologize." Artemis pulled her back toward him. "Try again."

"Artemis…"

Artemis was extremely close to rolling his eyes. "Let's try again," he persisted. "Don't look down," Artemis noted, when Holly glanced at her feet to know where Artemis was moving. "Look up at me. Feel my body and where my hand is pushing you."

Holly sighed, not looking at her feet but looking away from Artemis. She didn't say a word.

"I said look at me." Artemis let go over her hand to grip her chin lightly and tilted it up to him. She finally met his ice blue eyes and Artemis raised an eyebrow, daring her to look away.

Holly gulped silently, not looking down as he took hold of her hand again and stepped back and around for the second time. Holly was able to follow him this time without stepping on his foot, and she sighed in relief.

"It's all about connection," Artemis murmured, trying to think about something other than the fact that his hand fit perfectly against her hip. Her eyes looked up at him with the normal defiance they usually held, but also something a bit more...vulnerable. Something he had never seen so much of from her.

She didn't break their eye contact, nodding as she moved with him instead of against him. He pushed her lightly, spinning her around slowly so she could get a feel for it. Holly came around a bit too fast and yelped quietly as she crashed into him. However, Artemis expected it and stood his ground, catching her before she fell to the floor. "I won't let you fall," He murmured, looking into her wide, hazel eyes.

Holly nodded slowly and found her footing, looking back at him. His arms were wrapped around her hips, holding her, and he went to move back into a dancing position but she stopped him. "Don't." She whispered, shaking her head and resting it against his shoulder slowly.

Artemis, a bit shocked, didn't move. He held her, watching Holly close her eyes and sigh soft against him as they rocked to the music. Surprisingly, he was calm with her body against his. Usually when Holly was this close, his heart would hammer in his chest to the point where it would almost physically hurt. But this was different. It was as though they were the only two in the room. Holly was all he cared about at the moment. "Hol-"

"Oh, there you two are!" Angeline interrupted gleefully, smiling at them. Holly's eyes opened quickly and she pulled away. Artemis nearly groaned, his heart agonizing with pain suddenly.

He turned to his mother, smiling as well. "Yes, mother?"

Angeline clapped her hands together, smiling still. "The car is ready. Are you two ready to depart?"

Holly looked up at Artemis quickly and then back at Angeline, nodding. "Yes, we are."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"So, have you two talked over what we discussed at dinner?" Artemis Sr. asked, holding his wife's hand.

Artemis took a deep breath, looking at his father in the back of the car. He glanced back at Holly quickly before nodded. "Yes. We would love to have the wedding on Christmas Eve."

Holly winced at Angeline's shrill almost scream, smiling gently. Once they arrived back at the Manor, Angeline discussing the wedding the entire way back, the two waited for Artemis' parents to go in first before Artemis escorted her inside. "So, any plans to get out of this hole?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

The genius nodded, running a hand through his ebony hair. "You could always just run the day of the wedding." He suggested.

She nodded. It made sense. They could blame it on the pressure of the wedding being too soon, and she was sure Angeline would understand. Holly sighed, looking around. The Manor seemed empty without the boys running around. It was surely past their bedtime. "You know…" She started. "We could write our own vows."

"Hm?" Artemis asked.

"You know. You write down on a card what you would want me to say to you, and I would write what I would want you to say to me." She shrugged. "It's not as though we'll be reading them anyway, and I'm sure your mother will make us write something on a card."

Artemis nodded this time in agreement. "Okay. We will write each other's vows."

Holly smiled, "Well, I'm glad we found a way for everything to work out in the end."

They were heading down the hall to Artemis' room when he heard a creak in the quiet hallway. Suddenly, a lightbulb came alive in his head. He glanced over at Holly before murmuring, "Here's your warning."

Holly didn't even have time to ask what he meant or give him a strange look before the genius pushed her against the wall in the hallway, right next to his door. "A-Artemis!" She tried her best to struggle against him — which is what she knew was the right thing to do. But oh...how she just wanted to stop thinking and relish in the feel of his lips moving across the skin of her neck. How she wanted to pull him closer.

But no, that would be wrong. In fact, what he was doing right now was wrong. So, why was he doing it?

"Holly," Artemis whispered steadily and quickly into her ear. He nipped at her earlobe once, causing the elf to gasp and push herself toward him, bringing him closer to her ear so he could talk even quieter and make it look more intimate. "Don't look. There is someone down the hall. If it was one of my brothers, they would have run off screaming. If it was Juliet or Butler, they would have stopped us. My parents have had doubts between us, so follow my directions exactly."

He looked down and closed his eyes, transferring his hands from her sides to her waist and pulling her even closer to him. "I am going to keep going. You are going to throw your head back and moan — don't fight with me on that, okay? With your hands, start unbuttoning my shirt."

Holly nodded and started following his directions. Could she say she followed them happily? Well, it was a relief to not fight back the exceptionally loud groan that escaped her lips as Artemis sucked at her pulse. It was so much better in reality than it was in her dreams. And it felt good to run her hands across his chest, finding the first button and snapping it from its hole.

But, just as it started, Artemis ended their little scene before he got carried away. Her skin tasted so exquisite. At the thought of tasting her lips, he had to let her waist go and find the doorknob, pushing them into the room before things went too far.

A loud boom sounded through the manor as Artemis' bedroom door slammed shut with the weight of Artemis and Holly falling back into it. Artemis forced himself to push away from her, turning his back to Holly as he rubbed his face.

Surely, he hadn't had to go into the extreme theatrics in the previous moment. However, the lust building up from the days before with Holly had reached the breaking point. He had to calm himself before he lost control again.

Holly still had her back pressed against the closed door, her breathing erratic. "Artemis…" She whispered breathlessly. The elf didn't know what to say. That she wanted more? Gods, Holly wanted to beg for a minute more of that. Just one more minute of him being that close.

Artemis heard her, but refused to answer on account that he was thinking. Most likely over-thinking this whole situation. To him, it needed to be over-thought. But what was going through his mind right now? It wasn't about his parents, or the fact that they were beginning to think the entire engagement was a scam. It was about calming himself. And even that failed.

He ran his hands through his hair in a silent moment. "To hell with this…" he muttered and turned around, grabbing Holly's wrists and pinning them against the door next to her head.

Holly barely had time to register his movements before she found herself pinned between the door and the solid length of Artemis' body. She gasped, but the sound was caught by Artemis as his mouth descended over hers, locking their lips in what was possibly the most passionate kiss Holly ever had experienced.

Artemis didn't allow himself to think about what he was doing — he knew he would ruin his chances if he did. Instead he just acted on instinct, pressing his body against Holly's and moving his mouth against hers with unrestrained need while he silently prayed to whatever gods existed that she didn't reject his actions.

It took Holly a few moments to work out what exactly was happening, but once she did, she didn't have to think about what to do. She responded to the kiss with a ferocity that neither of them had expected.

Artemis groaned with relief when he felt her begin to respond to him. He savored her taste, storing the memory of it away, knowing full-well that the moment could end at any second.

'What the hell is happening to me?' Holly briefly wondered, before the swipe of Artemis' tongue against her lips drove all thought from her head. She eagerly parted her lips, welcoming the sweep of his tongue in her mouth.

Artemis, on the other hand, couldn't control the flow of half-formed thoughts racing through his head. 'Good, so good—tastes amazing—Gods, have to have more—NOW…'

He found she tasted of cinnamon. That, combined with the feel of her soft body and heady grass and citrus scent, drove him insane with need.

When she pushed closer to him, he growled and pushed back, more effectively restraining her movements.

A fleeting 'Mine,' flashed through Artemis' mind, barely noticed.

Artemis slid a knee between Holly's legs and forced her to spread them, allowing him to slip between and grind his pelvis against hers, drawing gasps from both of them.

Holly would have protested to his dominance if it wasn't such a turn-on. As it was, she nipped his lower lip in retaliation and simply enjoyed the feel of his body against hers. The pressure of his surprisingly firm chest pressed against her suddenly aching breasts was just too good to ignore.

When Artemis broke away from her lips, Holly whimpered at the loss. The sound quickly transformed into an appreciative moan as he trailed his lips across her cheek to latch onto the pounding pulse in her neck.

Artemis scraped his teeth against her neck, no doubt leaving a hickey behind, before he returned to his earlier actions of trailing kisses up and down her neck. He continued his attentions as he enjoyed the melodious sounds escaping from the woman he held.

On a pass up her neck, Artemis felt her ear brush his cheek and he couldn't help but latch onto it.

When he began to suck and nip at her earlobe, Holly's legs nearly gave out. Apparently, being in human form didn't affect the sensitivity of her ears. If the man in front of her hadn't had her so effectively pinned, she had no doubt she would have fallen.

Her cries increased in volume, his name slipping from between her lips, and Artemis spent several delicious seconds playing with her ear while she writhed against him.

When he finally released her ear with a slight 'pop,' they were both breathing erratically.

He leaned against her, being careful to put as much of his weight on the door as possible so as not to crush her. "Gods, Holly," he panted next to her ear. "I want you so bad."

As soon as he realized what he had said, Artemis froze. He felt Holly go completely still and he had to force himself to not pull away from her and run as panic spread throughout his being.

It took a few moments for Holly's frazzled brain to piece together what she had just heard and then several more for it to actually register.

As soon as she did, she went to move her hands, only to find them restrained. She began to struggle against Artemis' hold on her, yanking her wrists down, shocked when her strength didn't find her immediate release.

When he felt her struggling increase, Artemis' heart sank to the floor. Why did he have to mess this up by saying that? 'Of course she doesn't feel the same way, you dolt!' he thought to himself.

Still, it took every ounce of his being to tear away from her. The warm, inviting heat between them dimmed as he forced himself to take three large steps back.

Holly leaned against the door, gasping. She glared at Artemis, who stood a few feet in front of her looking completely aghast.

"Holly, I...I'm sorry," he said through his heavy breathing. Artemis shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. He briefly wondered if that habit was going to become permanent. "I didn't mean to—I'm sorry, I—"

"You stopped," Holly growled.

Artemis blinked rapidly. "Yes. Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to go that far, I just…" He trailed off, not sure what to say that could possibly fix the situation.

Holly growled again. "Why?"

He hung his head, the picture-perfect example of a shamed man. "Like I said, I didn't mean for it to go that far. I'm truly sorry, Holly. I didn't mean—"

"No. Why did you stop?" Holly practically snarled the words, her glare becoming even more intense.

Artemis' head shot up and he blinked again, then stared at her blankly. "Why did I…" He trailed off, at a loss for words.

"Well?" Holly demanded harshly.

Artemis squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his face. "I get it, okay. I get it. You don't want this. You don't want me. Not like that. I pushed for something you don't want and I'm sorry. I know that's not enough, but—"

Holly interrupted him. "I don't want you."

Artemis flinched at her words. "I know. I know and I swear to you, nothing like this will ever happen again." His voice became desperate. "It never happened. I swear it Holly. I swear—"

She interrupted him again. "Artemis. Shut up." She glared at him and she could have sworn he shrunk under the heat of her gaze. "Who the hell are you to tell me what I want?"

Artemis blinked, completely taken aback. This whole situation was already completely out of control, and therefore completely out of his depth, but what she was saying made no sense to him. He said nothing — had no idea what to say.

Holly made a frustrated noise and straightened. Still breathing heavily, she looked him square in the eyes and took a step forward.

She could tell that he was fighting the urge to take a step back but, luckily for him, he didn't. Before he had the chance to run, Holly surged forward, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him down for another kiss.

When he felt her soft lips mold against his once more, Artemis was sure she had knocked him out and he now was dreaming.

Eventually she pulled away, meeting his eyes again, but this time her gaze wasn't angry, it was hungry and demanding more. Holly still held his shirt collar, refusing to allow him to back away.

Artemis sucked in air and stared at the amazing woman before him. His eyes traveled over her face, memorizing her expression. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen and slightly parted, still shining with the wetness of their kiss.

When he met her eyes, he was floored. The way she was looking at him…he almost whimpered. His arms ached to wrap around her, to pull her closer to him and never let go, but he forced them to stay at his side. If this wasn't a dream, Holly had to be the one to make the next move.

'Please, don't let this be a dream,' he mentally begged.

Seeing his panic, Holly's expression softened slightly. "What I want Artemis," she said in a throaty whisper, "is this." And, in one fluid movement, she moved her hands down his chest and ripped his shirt open.

Artemis jolted and watched in shock as a lone button bounced across his bedroom floor. He looked back to Holly with wide eyes and found her staring at his chest. When she licked her lips he had to bite back a groan.

Holly stared at the smooth skin in front of her. She didn't bother hiding her desire and when the temptation became too much, she ran her hands over Artemis' torso, enjoying the way his muscles jumped under her touch.

When he did groan, Holly felt the vibrations of the sound in his chest and she let out a small sound of desire herself. Suddenly her wrists were once again trapped in Artemis' firm grip and Holly frowned. She tried to continue exploring his chest, but his grip prevented her.

Forcing her eyes away from his chest and back to his face, Holly sought his gaze and promptly lost her breath. His eyes were dark, so dark, and full of desire along with some other emotion Holly felt she should know, but couldn't quite identify.

She swallowed thickly and forced herself to speak, silently hoping her voice didn't quiver when she spoke.

"What I want," she said softly, her voice somehow remaining steady, "is my hands on you." Holly made sure to maintain eye contact. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "What I want, Artemis, is your hands on me."

Artemis stared at her intensely, searching her face for any signs of a lie. When he found none, he met her gaze again.

"Holly…" he said, uncertainty coloring his desire. "Are you sure about this? I mean, you don't have to—"

"I'm sure Artemis," she said, sounding much more certain than she felt.

When he didn't look completely convinced, Holly slowly raised her hands, wrists still enclosed in his grip, and cupped his head. She pulled him down for another kiss, this one slow and soft — steady. It lasted only a few seconds, but that was enough. When she pulled back to look at him, all sense of hesitancy was gone from him.

Before she had time to realize what was happening, Artemis had released her wrists and taken hold of her hips instead. Holly gasped when he swooped down to claim her lips in another passionate kiss.

Artemis growled possessively into her mouth and Holly wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him as he pulled her flush against him and spun them around. Artemis fed her kiss after kiss, distracting her from their movements, so when he broke apart from her and pulled her arms away from him, Holly had no idea what he was doing.

Holly glared and he smirked at her. She opened her mouth to demand he continue when he gripped her hips tightly, lifted her up and tossed her slight frame onto the mattress directly behind her. The elf yelped in surprise as she bounced once before settling on the bed.

Artemis shed his ruined shirt as he watched her bounce. He saw her move to sit up, but before she had the chance, he crawled on top of her, melding their mouths together once more.

He settled himself over her petite form, enjoying the way she went soft beneath him. Quite frankly, a part of him was shocked that she was allowing him as much control as she was. They both had extremely dominant personalities and often it caused fights between the two. Artemis half-expected her to flip him over at any moment, but, to his surprise, she never did.

At the feel of his weight, Holly relaxed, welcoming his attentions. They continued to kiss, and soon, hands began to wander.

Artemis' hands found the hem of her shirt and slipped beneath it.

Holly squirmed slightly as his soft fingertips caressed her sensitive skin. She never would admit it, but she was extremely ticklish on her sides.

That didn't seem to matter to Artemis and, when she felt him smirk into their kiss, she knew what was coming. That didn't mean he gave her any time to brace herself.

She wrenched her mouth away from his, throwing her head back and shrieking with laughter as he ran his fingers up and down her sides. She struggled, desperately trying to dislodge his fingers, but it was useless.

Artemis bit back a grin as she writhed beneath him, her peals of laughter music to his ears. When her hips rubbed against his he groaned and grabbed her waist tightly, holding her still. He leaned down and buried his face in her neck.

The feel of Holly's hot breath against his ear made him groan into her neck. "That was mean," she panted.

He chuckled darkly and kissed the hollow behind her ear.

Holly tried to pout, but it was hard with the feel of his lips pressed against her skin. "Gods..." She breathed, closing her eyes.

So, what did you think? Leave me a review pleeeeease!