Sorry for the wait guys, real life hit with a resounding thwack.

As always, props to ilex-ferox, beta extraordinaire.

Chapter Six: Unexpected

'I don't understand,' she tells him. 'You people do such wonderful things, make such incredible inventions, and then you let them all go to waste. Or hide them under things horrible past imagining. Why do you do that? It's like... as though you simply can't stand the idea of fulfilling your own potential.'

'You mean the bicycles?' he asks.

'Yes. Well, that's what made me think of it, at least. But there are other examples, obviously. You, yourself, are a perfect one. Actually, you sort of encapsulate your whole species.'

'Our species,' he reminds her, but gently.

'Our species,' she repeats.

'I'm... making forays into decency,' he points out. 'So maybe we all will.' Now that we have you, he nearly adds.

'Now that you have me,' she laughs. Then she sighs. 'Honestly, I feel so small right now. For the first time in my life I feel like I can't change anything. Is this what most humans feel like? No wonder you are all so angry and destructive. It's the only way to make yourself heard. That's... well, that's so sad.'

He doesn't know what to say. He has never felt insignificant on the global scale.

'I suppose you've never felt that way, have you?'

'No,' he admits. He loves it when she reads his mind.

'You're very lucky. Don't squander it,' she gives him a lopsided grin, 'like you have in the past.'

'Maybe that's why you're here - to make a decent person out of me. That would hardly be an insignificant achievement,' he smirks.

She blinks, then blushes, laughing it off. 'So humble,' she says.

'Would you really do that for me?' she asks later, when they are talking about something else entirely.

'Do what?'

'Be good,' she says.

He shrugs, trying to play it casual. 'I've been trying, haven't I?' he points out.

She nods slowly. 'I suppose you have. I just didn't realise... why.'

Because I love you, he wants to say. But, despite everything, that is still too much. He shrugs again, 'You're so violent when I do things you don't approve of.'

Her lips twitch, 'Of course, why else?'

But, looking at him as she rises to leave, she sees the truth and, unintentionally, she beams.

Holly yanks open the front doors, entering with such a look of fury that the front hall's occupants all take an unconscious step back, though they are all of them much larger than she is, and two of them are trained fighters.

She makes a beeline for Artemis. The idea of anyone having so loveless a childhood makes her furious. She feels betrayed on his behalf by his father's lack of trust. For Frond's sake, he has kidnapped me, lied to me, used me in more ways than were possible to count, and I still had complete faith in him, well, nearly. So why doesn't his father? What excuse does he have?

Artemis leans back as she approaches, recognising the oh-so-familiar signs of moral outrage etched across her face.

'Holly,' he begins, raising his hands defensively. Before he can get any farther, she wraps her arms around him and hugs him so tightly he gasps.

'Everyone deserves to be loved as a child,' she speaks into his chest, 'even you, Artemis. I was so furious I nearly broke his nose. Next time, I'm leaving him in the bloody ocean.'

'He's my father, Holly,' Artemis replies simply.

She looks up at him and he looks down at her, their faces inches apart. They have forgotten their audience. Her jaw is set and she shakes her head, clearly upset. He shrugs. She sighs. He gives her a half smile. With a soft laugh, she reaches up, patting his cheek.

'So smart and yet so incredibly dumb,' she says.

His half smile becomes a whole.

'Wow, things really have changed. Since when do you have a girlfriend, Arty? And she's hot too. What did you do? Brainwash her?'

Instantly, Artemis and Holly break apart.

'Juliet?' Holly gapes. Then she realises what she's just said and freezes.

The beauty frowns, flicking her hair over one shoulder. 'How do you know my name?'

Butler steps in to save the day. 'I've gotten a bit soft in my old age, Juliet. Poor Holly's had to listen to goodness only knows how many stories about my little sister.'

'Ri-ight,' Juliet looks less than convinced, but lets it drop. She takes a step closer. 'Holly, is it? You know, now that I get a good look at you, you look pretty familiar. You sure we haven't met before?'

Holly shakes her head vigorously. 'No. I've only ever seen pictures, sorry.'

'Huh,' Juliet shrugs. 'Oh well, serves me right, thinking I was all oh so fantastic with faces.'

'When did you get in?' Holly asks, anxious to change the subject.

'Half an hour ago. I guess Dom must've told you, I wrestle in Mexico.'

'Been there what, five years now? And all of a sudden, she decides to hop on the next flight to Ireland and come back.'

Holly smiles. Juliet may have grown elegant, poised and, if possible, even more drop dead gorgeous, but at least she hadn't lost her exuberance.

'What about you, Holly? How on earth does a girl as pretty as you end up with these two?'

Holly laughs, 'I was abducted by force.'

'I don't doubt it. You must be suffering from some serious Stockholm's to still be around!'

'You have no idea,' Holly deadpans.

Juliet grins, slapping Artemis on the back. 'I like this one. Way better than that what's-her-name, Frenchy- La-French. The one that was visiting when I came back for Christmas last year.'

'Minerva?' Artemis supplies, rolling his eyes.

Juliet snaps her fingers, 'That's the one!'

'I'm sorry to disappoint you Juliet, but Minerva, as with Holly, was never my girlfriend.'

'But she wanted to be,' Juliet waggles her eyebrows.

'You are so juvenile sometimes.'

'Ah, Arty, I've missed you.'

Angeline comes in from the kitchen, arm in arm with her husband. Artemis can feel Holly stiffen beside him.

'Juliet!' Angeline beams, 'What a lovely surprise!'

'Mrs. Fowl! You're looking wonderful!' They kiss each other's cheeks before Juliet wraps her arms around the smaller woman. 'I missed you!'

At length, Angeline settles them all in a drawing room, with tea and cakes a plenty.

'So, tell me Juliet, are you here for long? Why the sudden return?'

Juliet sucks on a grape thoughtfully. 'I'm thinking of finally going to uni. I want to open a, well, school, actually.'

'A school?'

'Yeah... when I was travelling through Mexico there were so many kids... they didn't have anything. And they had no chance of ever, like, getting anywhere because they had no education. So one day, I was thinking about it and thought, well why not start a school in one of the slums? I'd fund it through my wrestling. We could raise good money like that - it's so popular in Mexico and if you make something fashionable and stick a cause behind it, you attract even bigger spenders. If I have enough I want turn to it into a boarding school for the orphans. Especially for girls. Mexico is so macho - these girls have even less of chance than others. It just...it makes me so mad!'

'That's a brilliant idea,' Holly beams. 'You could even train the girls. To fight, I mean.'

'Yeah! Exactly. I mean to. It is sooo important for a girl to know how to defend herself,' Juliet turns to Holly in her excitement.

Artemis, trapped between the two enthusing women, feels decidedly in the way.

'Well, if you need any help, financially speaking,' Artemis Senior offers.

'Thanks Mr. F., but I really want to do this on my own.'

Holly gives Artemis a pointed look which he chooses to ignore.

Juliet laughs, continuing, 'I mean, I'll probably come crawling back after a couple years but, for now, I'm gonna try it my way. Just buy a ticket to my next match.'

'With pleasure,' he replies gallantly.

'Actually,' Butler puts in, 'speaking of fighting, you should take Holly down to the dojo. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.'

'Oh my gosh, you fight?' Juliet's face lights up.

'I'm no Butler,' Holly begins uneasily.

'Artemis,' Juliet interrupts, putting a hand on his shoulder, 'I'm the closest thing you'll ever have to a big sister so, for once, listen to me when I give you advice and marry her. Quick, before she realises what she's getting into.'

Artemis puts his head in his hands.

'Too late for that,' Artemis Senior sighs. 'Apparently she's known him since the tender age of twelve.'

'When he was anything but tender,' Holly rolls her eyes.

'Tell me about. This one time, I'll never forget it - they were so hideous - he had me wear these horrible wraparound sunglasses. Like, hello '90s, and I had to go down to the basement to...' Juliet frowns.

Artemis, Butler, Holly and Angeline hold their breath.

'I... I can't quite remember what for, actually,' she finishes, puzzled.

'What on earth did you make her wear sunglasses in the basement for, son?' asks Artemis Senior.

'I haven't the faintest idea. Are you sure you didn't dream that?' Artemis asks.

Juliet purses her lips. 'Now that you mention it...Well, at any rate, I wouldn't put it past you to have done something so horrendous when you were twelve,' she chuckles.

A collectively held breath is released.

After dinner, Holly sits on her bed, sucking the end of her pen, eyes sliding down the 'for rent' columns of her newspaper.

'Found anything?' Artemis asks from the couch, working hard for neutrality.

'Mm,' she responds, circling something.

He fights the urge to go and peer over her shoulder. He loses. 'But that's a terrible neighbourhood! You can't be serious. Holly-'

One blue eye and one hazel fix on him pointedly.

He goes quietly back to Alcools. But peace is short lived as Artemis indulges his hitherto unknown masochistic streak. 'What are you going to do about employment?'

Holly looks at him over the top of the paper, sees that his face is set, and folds it away. 'I am never letting you read in my room again,' she cautions, before sighing, 'Honestly, I don't know yet. I have to make up a CV, which'll be interesting because I can hardly put LEPrecon on it, Ireland or not.'

Artemis chuckles. 'Very true.'

'I'm thinking about actually becoming an interpreter. Or, I don't know, conservation work would be interesting. Or I could rejoin the police. Though,' she pauses thoughtfully, 'I was also thinking of maybe getting into sports car racing.'

'You're not serious?'

She grins, shaking her head. 'Too many exhaust fumes. Too many people.'

'My father is considering hiring you as a bodyguard.'

'Ah, he told you about that did he?'

'You knew?'

'Butler told me.'

'Well?'

'Well what?'

'What do you mean 'well what'? You know perfectly well "what".'

'You sure you trust me? You never know, one smart remark too many and oops! you're dead in a ditch somewhere. No Butler to save you from me.'

'Holly.'

'I said I needed space and I meant it.'

'It wouldn't be constant, like it was with Butler. Only when I'm away from the Manor.'

'I don't know. Maybe. I don't have Butler's poker face, either.'

'We can work on that,' Artemis presses.

'We'll see. Maybe,' she repeats.

Artemis suppresses a groan of frustration and returns to his poetry.

Holly stares into space for a moment before shaking herself and taking up her newspaper again.

That night, at one in the morning, just before she explodes with curiosity, Juliet sneaks after Holly to the kitchen.

'Hey,' the blonde slides up to sit on the counter as Holly chops up carrot sticks.

'Hi.'

'I was wondering if you'd like to do a bit of sparring with me. I'm bored.'

'...Right now?' Holly blinks, her eyes clicking to the clock.

'If you're up for it,' Juliet grins.

'Just let me put these in some water.'

The two women slip down to the dojo, whispering and giggling, feeling like school girls out of bed past lights out and revelling in it.

They do laps of the gym, stretching and chatting. Holly knows she is out of her depth, but then again, very, very few people wouldn't be.

'I just hope you're not disappointed,' Holly says as they face each other, beginning to circle.

'If Dom thinks you're good, you're good. Obviously, you're not a Butler, but I've been wrestling for so long it'll be a relief just to have a bit of variety.'

Holly smiles; she remembers how fond of Juliet she'd been.

She doesn't let Juliet down. Though the taller woman is unarguably better, Holly is still good enough to make her work. And, thinks Juliet, she's wonderfully unpredictable.

As they are winding down, there comes a discreet 'ahem'. Their heads snap to the outer door.

If calculated by hair mass versus body mass, what is standing in the doorway could, arguably, be the world's hairiest living creature.

Mulch Diggums has always had impeccable timing, after all.

'Mulch,' says Juliet, then frowns, not knowing where the name came from.

'Hey Stinker,' Mulch winks, 'I thought you were supposed to have forgotten all about me.'

'Only in my dreams, unfortunately,' Juliet shoots back. She frowns again. What? Things begin shuffling in her brain, memories realign themselves, thoughts re-emerge.

'Mulch,' she says again. She turns to Holly. 'Holly.'

'That's me.'

'Holy shit,' says Juliet. She sits down abruptly, eyes wide, darting between Holly and Mulch. 'What's going on? I... I know you two. I can see... I ... I don't understand.'

Mulch and Holly eye each other nervously. Way to go, Holly mouths at him. He shrugs. Holly makes a snap decision.

'It's all true, what you're seeing. We wiped your mind to make you forget, but Mulch must have triggered your memory-recall. I didn't realise his smell was quite so potent.' Holly revels in a sudden sense of freedom. Of being truthful. She hates lying and hiding herself, it goes against her nature.

Mulch, meanwhile, looks less than pleased at her reference to himself.

'Oh. My. God,' Juliet says from the floor. 'Holly. Holly! I remember... Jesus! What are you doing here? And why are you so tall?! And Mulch? What is going on? Holy shit, holy shit! I really forgot, didn't I? Oh my God.'

'I just came to talk to Holly,' Mulch shrugs. 'I haven't seen her in over a week.'

'You've been up here a week?' Juliet turns to the other woman, her disbelief evident on her face.

Holly thinks about this. '... Yes, actually.'

'She's one of you now,' Mulch explains, 'joined the dark side.'

'One of...?' Juliet's eyes bug out. 'What did Artemis do to you? What have I missed?'

'It wasn't Artemis,' Holly waves her hands quickly. 'It was Opal. The one... the crazy pixie that tried to take over Haven while we were rescuing Artemis' dad.'

Juliet scrunches up her face, 'No... ohhh... yes. Yep, I remember. But since when does she have whacko species changing powers? Did you piss her off and instead of turning you into a frog she thought it'd be even funnier to change you into a human?'

Holly sighs, 'I'll start from the beginning, shall I?'

'Please,' says Mulch, setting himself down on bench. 'Foaly's a terrible story teller; turns the blood and gutsiest thriller into a total snore-fest. It's a gift, really.'

After spending an appropriate amount of time gaping and repeating 'Oh my God!' Juliet gets down to the nitty-gritty. 'So, you're living here now?'

'Only for the time being. I keep telling Artemis I need to get my own place, but does he listen? No. He never listens,' Holly throws up her hands in disgust, talking to herself now. 'Being a genius does not make you omnisient. He doesn't understand the consequences of my living here. He says one thing now but, who knows, next month he may realise he had it all wrong, and then where will I be?'

Mulch and Juliet glance at each other out of the corner of their eyes and smirk.

'What do you think about...' Juliet pauses, thinking, 'what do you think about us finding ourselves a flat? I have no intention of living at the Manor for the academic year. Besides which, sharing is always cheaper.' She grins suddenly, 'And this way you can have all the weird, hairy guests over you want.'

'Hey!'

Holly blinks, coming out of her Artemis-reverie. 'Us? Share a flat?'

'Uh huh,' Juliet nods. 'What do you think?'

Holly grins, 'That's brilliant.'

'Aw man, that is so not fair.' Mulch points a finger at Juliet, 'You had better keep me up to date on the situation, missy, or you'll have some serious plumbing issues to deal with.'

'Situation, what situation?' Holly frowns, puzzled.

Mulch looks at her pityingly. 'Your situation, idiot. I want to know the minute you and Fowl hook up. If Foaly knows before I do, I'll never hear the end of it.'

Holly gapes. 'What am I? Some kind of afternoon soap opera?'

'Well, you sure beat PPTV,' grins Mulch.

Holly groans, burying her face in her hands. 'I hate you all,' she mutters through her fingers.

'S'ok, we'll grow on you, give us time,' Mulch pats her hip, as high as he can reach.

'Yeah, like a foot fungus, maybe,' Holly shoots back.

Mulch chuckles, 'I'm glad this whole 'Mud Woman' thing hasn't put a damper on your zinging wit. Now that would have been tragic.'

'You're too kind,' Holly glares.

'Hey,' Mulch shrugs, 'at least I love you for your mind, not just your body!'

Holly groans again.

Several hours and countless kilometres down Memory Lane later, Mulch gives Holly a tight squeeze around the middle. 'Keep your chin up, Holly. Don't give her the satisfaction of being miserable.'

'I'm trying,' Holly says, as she and Juliet walk Mulch to the door.

'That's my girl,' Mulch gives her a thumbs up. 'Well, I will see you two ladies later. Don't cry for me, I'll be back soon enough. I know how hard it is for you to go without.'

'How considerate,' Holly monotones.

'Really, don't worry about us,' Juliet assures the dwarf, 'we'll be just fine.'

'Take your time,' adds Holly.

'As much as you need,' agrees Juliet.

Mulch cackles. 'Ah, I've missed you two. Oh! Before I go - Holly, don't be too hard on the kid. You're his much better half and if you leave him he's just plain done for. If nothing else, consider it a favour to the rest of the world.'

He's a kilometre underground before Holly can formulate a proper reply.

The next day dawns as bright and sunny as all the previous ones. Holly swears the world is trying to give her a complex. Since when is it sunny in Ireland?

Dragging herself out of bed at noon, she wanders out into the grounds to join the family. Sitting down beside Artemis, she watches Myles pedal some weird red contraption up and down the drive.

'What's that?' Holly asks, pointing to Beckett tottering around on his tricycle.

'Beckett on a tricycle,' replies Artemis, not looking up from the Financial Times. 'Good morning, by the way.'

'Same to you. What's a tricycle?'

'A bicycle with three wheels, as I'm sure you can see.'

'Bicycle?'

'A bicy-' Artemis does look up then. 'You don't know what a bicycle is?'

'Would I be asking if I did?'

'Sorry, it's simply... well... they're very common.'

'Chemical toilets are common above ground too, doesn't mean we have them below.'

Artemis concedes the point and explains.

Holly watches Myles a moment longer. 'How do you... would you teach me?' she asks.

'To ride a bicycle?' Artemis queries, unenthused.

'Yeah. Well, I mean, first you'd have to show me what exactly one is. But it looks kinda fun. And it's the only way you savages know to get around without spewing chemicals.'

'Yes, please, by all means, flatter my species. I'm sure that will make me more inclined to do you a favour.'

'Oh come on, Arty. Sometimes you dislike our fellow man even more than I do.'

Once again, she has a point.

'Alright. Come with me. There are bicycles in one of the garages. But,' he holds up a finger, 'I want you to know that I am making an incredible sacrifice here. I don't, as a general rule, exercise,' he lets his upper lip curl dramatically on the word.

Don't worry,' she pats his arm, 'it shows.'

'Excuse me,' Artemis frowns, 'but not all of us can be violent, testosterone-driven thugs.'

'Oh, is that what I am? I hadn't realised.' She sticks her tongue out and marches ahead.

'Yes, well, we all know the brain isn't the law's preferred muscle.'

'Oooh, now that hurts.'

Artemis knows this banter is a little beneath them both, but she's laughing. She's nearly herself. And that's good enough for him.

'Alright, now pay attention, I hate repeating myself,' Artemis perches himself uneasily atop one of the several bicycles they have found tucked behind a Porsche.

Holly rolls her eyes.

'You sit here, on the seat –'

'Good Frond, really? I thought I was supposed to sit on the handlebars.' Holly cocks her head to the side and puts her hands on her hips.

'Oh, stop that,' Artemis replies testily. He hates bicycles - all that balance, exertion, sweat. He also hates making a fool of himself in front of Holly; something which currently seems, from his perch on the bike seat, to be an inescapable and probably physically painful event. He sighs and resigns himself to ignominy. 'Put your hands on the bars and your feet on the pedals. You have to keep pedalling or you fall over. That's all there is to it really.'

'Hmm,' Holly purses her lips, eyes glinting maliciously, 'I think I might need a demonstration.'

Artemis says something uncharacteristically vulgar in Gnommish, involving, at best, impressive contortion and, at worst, a very questionable knowledge of anatomy.

Holly raises an eyebrow. 'Where'd you pick that up? Been hanging out in some LEP locker rooms, Arty?'

'Goodness, no. From Mulch.'

Holly laughs, 'It figures.' She swings a leg over her bike and squirms into a comfortable position.

'You need to push back the kick stand as well,' Artemis points out.

'The what?'

'That little metal bit there, push it back, off the ground.'

'Oh.' Holly does as she's told, the places a tentative foot on the pedal and pushes. 'Ooh!' her face breaks into a grin.

'Keep pedalling!'Artemis calls as both the bike and her grin begin to wobble.

'Right!' she brings the other foot down and, after a few more wobbles, manages a relatively smooth figure of eight. Grinning a challenge, she begins pedalling back down the drive towards Myles, utterly nonchalant.

Artemis sighs. And now, if he doesn't bike back as well, she will mock him until next Easter. With much less grace, Artemis follows Holly back the way they came.

Butler raises an eyebrow as they come into view. 'I can't remember the last time I even saw you look at a bike, Artemis.'

Artemis just looks peeved.

'These things are awesome!' Holly enthuses, oblivious to Artemis' sulk. 'What a brilliant way to get around. Why don't all of you people use them?'

'You mean you've never seen a bicycle before?' interjects Artemis Senior. 'Where on earth did you spend your childhood?'

Holly rolls her eyes, 'Oh, you know, here and there.'

'My, oh my, you really have lived in some very remote places!' Artemis Senior raises his eyebrows in affable inquisition.

'Very remote,' agrees Artemis, in a tone his father recognises as the one he himself used to use when cauterising particularly undesirable veins of inquiry.

Holly's eyes flick from father to son and back again, before smiling brightly at nothing at all and turning back to Butler. 'So, anyway, explain to me why these aren't absolutely everywhere?'

Butler shrugs. 'You know us humans, lazy little buggers. Why bike when we can drive?'

Holly's shoulders slump a little.

'Though, in most cities, bicycles are very common,' Artemis adds quickly.

'Not as common as cars though,' Holly shoots back.

Artemis grimaces.

'Okay,' Juliet flops down beside Holly, entering her room without knocking. 'I've been looking through the papers and here's our list. What are you doing tomorrow? I think we should take a car and go look at some of these, what do you say? Holly? Ho-olly?' She waves her fingers in front of Holly's serene, smiling face.

'Huh? What? Sorry Juliet, what were you saying? I totally blanked out there,' Holly snaps out of her daydream.

'Riiiight,' Juliet smirks, imagining just what exactly Holly has been thinking of. She isn't far off the mark. 'I was talking about flats. Do you want to go out tomorrow and check some of them out?'

'Yeah, I guess we should,' Holly wrinkles her nose at the thought of more people.

'Don't get too excited about it there, girl.'

'Sorry. I just... all those people.'

'Well, it's that or this, your choice,' Juliet puts it bluntly.

'True,' Holly nods decisively. 'Let's do this.'

'That's the spirit,' Juliet grins. 'Also, Mrs. Fowl wants me to grab you for dinner. Don't worry, Butler talked to Pierre, it's all vegetarian,' she says seeing Holly's horrified face. 'Poor Mr. F's gonna have a heart attack.'

Holly snickers. 'Yet another reason to get out of here.'

'Exactly. And I do a mean tofu lasagne.'

'Is there anything you Butlers can't do?'

Juliet frowns, thinking hard. 'Nothing comes to mind.'

Holly giggles, following Juliet to the table.

Foaly scrolls through his results. On one monitor is Holly's new blood work, on another, the chemical makeup of Opal's serum. Trouble brought him the two darts left in her gun and Vinyáya stepped in during the enquiry, ensuring that Foaly got first crack at everything found in her lab – where he finds another canister of the muddy red serum, just waiting to transform unsuspecting fairies. Needless to say, he handles it with the utmost care.

'What've you found?' Vinyáya leans over his shoulder, eyeing the information on the screens, unable to make head nor tail of it.

'Nothing good,' Foaly mutters. 'From what I can tell, she's mixed together human blood, fairy magic and several chemical compounds I've never seen before, but which seem to be some kind of mutagenic. Is it the magic that caused the change? Is it a chemical reaction? D'Arvitted, if I know.'

'What about Holly's blood? Is it showing any signs of reverting?'

'Nope.' Foaly pulls a carrot from a nearby drawer and uses it as a pointer. 'Her DNA isn't perfectly human, there's still the odd quirk, but it's on the same scale as, say, the mutation that causes freckles. Everyone's got genetic quirks, after all.'

'So, this means...?'

'This means: I hope Artemis has some brilliant idea, because nothing's coming to me. But, hey, it's early days, right?'

'Though,' Vinyáya tucks a stray strand of hair behind one pointed ear, 'correct me if I'm wrong, but if there's magic involved, won't that make it irreversible? Like a healing?'

Foaly sighs, putting his chin in his hand. 'I was hoping you wouldn't bring that up. I'm trying not to think about it.'

'Sorry, my mistake,' Vinyáya rolls her eyes. She pats Foaly's shoulder. 'Well, good luck, cowboy,' she winks.

Foaly snorts. The levity of some people.

In the hall outside the Ops Booth, Vinyáya finds Trouble Kelp pacing back and forth, hounded by his younger brother.

'But Trouble, Mummy said –'

'Grub! I don't care what Mum said!' For the first time in nearly a decade, Vinyáya watches as Trouble Kelp loses his temper. 'You are doing traffic duty and that is final. You're not fit for anything else. Now get out of my sight before you're working sewage!'

Grub, in a rare show of bravery, or perhaps, and more believably, just plain stupidity, raises his chin defiantly, 'But Mu-'

'I think your Commander has made himself clear, Corporal Kelp,' Vinyáya interrupts before she has the LEP's first case of fratricide on her hands. 'I'd get going, if I were you.'

Talking back to his brother is one thing, but talking back to the patently terrifying Wing Commander is quite another. He gets going.

Trouble runs his hands through his hair. 'Thanks, Vinyáya.'

'Don't worry about it. If he was my... well, let's just say he's lucky he's got such a caring brother.'

Trouble snorts, 'I don't feel very caring right now.'

'Good,' Vinyáya smiles wickedly, 'because now we have to go bully the Councillors into keeping Holly on as an officer. Consequently, I need you feeling anything but caring. Though there has been a handy rise in aboveground smuggling this last month. Perfect timing, don't you think?'

'You're horrible,' Trouble grins.

'Well, what's a girl to do? It was either frighten them or sleep with them; this way just think of all the money I've saved on birth control.'

Trouble snickers.