A/N: Alright-- here is the next chapter! I finished this one a lot quicker. But as always, I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope that all of you have a lot of fun reading it as well.

Why. Why Love

Chapter 12

Artemis stewed the whole plane ride back. Not necessarily because he had just been given a mission that seemed slightly impossible to complete; but because, sitting next to Sam, dressed in a new SB uniform, was Killian. The young VAMP agent was whispering something into Sam's ear. The girl erupted in laughter and Artemis glared out the window.

"Something the matter?" Mulch asked, as he ripped through a mountain of packaged peanuts that he had placed in front of him. Artemis looked on in disgust as the dwarf swallowed five unopened packets of nuts and then spit out the soggy remains of the wrappers onto the tray table.

"Butler, remind Holly that she needs to get the plane scoured with cleaning chemicals once we get back," Artemis said.

"Oh, I don't think she will need reminding," Butler called out from the cockpit. Though he was flying the plane, the large man could only imagine the atrocities that Mulch was creating.

"So remind me again why we have a new stiff on the plane," Mulch said, picking a bit of plastic wrapper from in between his large teeth, "and why he is wearing one of your uniforms".

"What an excellent question, Mulch," Artemis answered, looking out the window, "and one that has no logical answer".

"Artemis, Killian explained this a hundred times already!" Sam cried out, "He wants to help us on our mission".

"And as I have stated a hundred times, he would be of more help if he had just stayed where he was supposed to," Artemis retorted, "I don't see why he had to tag along with us. It makes no difference"

"Ross and I have been studying Chairman Lai for around a year now," Killian said, "if anybody is going to be able to help the both of you, it is me. Plus, I always wanted to go on an undercover mission. Test out my skills at being a human."

"I think you are a very convincing human," Sam added in, giving Killian an apprising nod, "and with your looks you will fit right in at SB".

"Really?" Killian asked, grinning at the girl next to him, "I was worried I still looked too much like a faerie".

"Maybe your eyes a little bit," Sam said, leaning closer to the boy to get a good look at his almost yellow eyes. Artemis looked on the scene with an even greater feeling of disgust than he had felt when Mulch had spewed half-digested peanut wrappers all over his plane seat.

"I am going to go talk to Butler," Artemis said, getting up and walking over to the cockpit. He closed the cockpit door behind him and slid into the co-pilot seat. His face seemed as impassive as always, but his eyes told a different story. Butler just sat, continuing to pilot, waiting for Artemis to start the conversation. He had never seen the boy in such a worked up mood since the time he was six and the neighbor's son had broken the mini-power generator that he was building.

"What does that VAMP think he is doing?" Artemis asked, "he knows as well as I do that there is no real reason that he has to come on this mission"

"Maybe his expertise will help you," Butler said, smiling slightly.

"Not in the slightest bit," Artemis said, "Ross already gave me the file containing all the information they have collected on Chairman Lai. There is nothing new he can tell us"

"Well then maybe he just wanted to get out," Butler countered, "you can't blame him for wanting to leave Wakkanai."

"He knows," Artemis said simply. Butler didn't even have to ask what the boy was talking about. He knew the conversation would eventually lead to Sam.

"Holly did say that they were very intuitive," Butler answered simply.

"I don't know what game he is trying to play here; but it is just going to ruin Sam's concentration on the task at hand," Artemis said, leaning back in the chair.

"Is that all you are worried about?" Butler asked, unable to stop himself. The man had a creeping feeling that Artemis might be feeling jealousy for the first time.

"Of course," Artemis answered, "if Sam isn't able to fully deal with out mission, then I am on this alone"

"I thought that was what you wanted in the first place," Butler said, "to be in this mission alone."

Artemis just stared straight in front of him, not bothering to answer Butler's question because they both knew the answer. True, Artemis had wanted to do the mission alone at first, but along the way he had gotten used to having Sam there, and now that someone else that was in the picture, it just didn't feel right; or at least it seemed that way to Artemis.

Sam's bell like laughter filtered into the cockpit and Artemis's frown grew slightly deeper. What was it about Killian that was so hilarious anyway?

"Doesn't she know she is going to give herself away to everybody if she keeps acting like a love sick little girl," Artemis mumbled. Butler just shook his head, a whisper of a smile playing on his lips. Oh, the boy had it bad.

When the plane finally landed back in Ireland, Artemis exited without a word. He waved Mulch goodbye and walked straight to the car, which was waiting in exactly the same area that they had left it.

Sam and Killian walked up behind Artemis, chatting like two old ladies. Artemis stopped, hand on the handle of the front door, and sighed.

"You sit in the front, Killian," Artemis said without turning around, "look around as we drive, familiarize yourself with the surroundings. If you are going to be of any help to us, you should at least know the basic geography of the area".

Killian smiled widely. He had been studying up on Artemis Fowl for the past few years. The boy was quite famous in the fairy world, and all the research he had done on him portrayed him as an aloof boy who cared little about anybody else around him. The Artemis he was seeing now, however, was different. Though Artemis appeared aloof, Killian could see that his blood was boiling.

Slowly, Killian looked down at the small girl beside him, wondering what it was in her that made Artemis Fowl like her so much. She didn't fit any of the descriptions Killian would have thought Artemis would like in a member of the opposite sex. Sam wasn't some sort of child genius, she was very emotional, and her looks—while being that sort of All-American cute—were nothing spectacular, especially since she dressed like a boy everyday.

"Alright then, if you insist," Killian said, sliding into the front seat of the car, "he's a hopeless bugger isn't he?" he said to Butler. The large man just looked ahead, though the corners of his mouth raised a fraction. Hopeless bugger was quite the accurate.

The ride to SB was just as awkward and tense as the ride from Japan to Ireland had been. Killian was blabbing on in the front seat about this and that; Sam was half listening, half thinking about the mission; and Artemis was trying his hardest not to ask Butler to use his glock to shoot Killian in the head so that he wouldn't have to listen to his voice anymore.

"Alright kids, here we are," Butler said after a good thirty minutes. The three of them stepped out of the car and faced the gates of SB.

"An impressive school, no?" Killian asked, looking around.

"I was in shock when I first came here—it's so grand!" Sam answered.

"It's nothing great," Artemis mumbled, grabbing his bag from the back seat and walking through the gates. Killian and Sam followed in suit. They had made it only about three feet inside the gate when they were stopped by a loud yell.

"Sam! Sam!"

The three of them turned around to find Jin. He was standing on top of one of the gate pillars.

"Jin?" Sam asked, in slight shock. There was already a crowd of people starting to form around them, all glancing up in wonder at the boy. Jin's messy, golden hair blew in crazy angles all over his handsome face and his almond eyes were lit up.

"Sam, I broke up with Charlotte!" Jin cried. Sam's gaped up at him. The crowd around them had grown bigger and people were starting to whisper. What had gotten into Jin? The infamous captain of the soccer team? SB's own golden right foot!

"Jin, why?" Sam asked.

Jin looked down at the small boy and took a deep breath. It was now or never. When he had broken up with Charlotte, she had told him that he had to be truthful with himself about his feelings from then on; that in the future if he loved somebody that he had to tell them. And for the rest of the weekend, Jin had been in constant turmoil over the decision. He knew that loving Sam meant that he had to be gay, which would disappoint his father to no end. But on the other hand was love—and for Jin, it was love that was most important thing.

"I broke up with her because… because…" Jin started. Everybody looked up at him. It seemed as though the whole school had gathered in the courtyard.

"because?" Sam asked. Artemis looked up at the boy, his face remaining impassive, wondering what in the world Jin was doing. The boy had been known for his crazy, overemotional antics before.

"I broke up with her because… because I like you!" Jin yelled out. Sam faltered back, gaping. Jin…what?

Artemis groaned slightly, looking away; and Killian let out a loud laugh.

"Wait… Jin is gay?" Mark, the captain of the track team, asked. Jin nodded his head and jumped down from the pillar.

"Yes," he stated loudly, "I, Jin Lai, SB's own golden right foot, am gay"

"Jin…" Sam said weakly, not really knowing what to say to the boy.

"And from this moment on, I am on a quest to win Sam's heart," Jin yelled, pointing straight at Sam.

Sam just stood there in shock, not knowing what to do or say. Suddenly she felt someone grasp her hand. Looking up, she saw Artemis glancing down at her.

"Come on," he whispered, "it is probably best if we get out of here right now"

Sam nodded her head and immediately Artemis started to run, dragging Sam behind him. Killian followed the two, laughing his head off. By the time that the three of them had run far enough away, Killian was still laughing, his face turning a deep shade of red.

"You seem to be quite popular here," he said to Sam, shaking his head. Seriously, what was it with this little girl? It was probably the fact that these kids went to an all boys' school. As soon as somebody even slightly feminine walked in, they all fell for her.

"I am not really that popular," Sam said, clutching her side, trying to regain her breath.

"Sam, a boy just went gay for you," Killian said, "and a rather attractive boy at that…"

"Killian you are not helping the situation," Artemis said, scowling.

"Like you helped! Running away like a couple of cowards! And you still ask why I had to come with you! How can you stand up to Chairman Lai if you can't even stand up to one of your classmates?" Killian said, glaring at Artemis. The two boys were scant inches apart, both looking as though they despised the other.

"Hey, both of you," Sam said, walking up to them, "it isn't a big deal, really. Artemis, you know Jin is always like this. Whenever he has something to say he likes to say it as loudly and to as many people as possible."

"This will be a distraction for us," Artemis said. Killian scoffed and turned towards Artemis.

"Listen, boy, if you like someone just admit it. Making excuses never helps anybody," he said. Sam turned to Killian, scowling.

"Killian, stop talking nonsense!" she cried, "Artemis can't like me! We are both boys, both roommates"

"Well apparently you being a boy didn't stop Jin," Killian said—trying his hardest not to just blurt out the fact that is was completely obvious that she was a girl. The young VAMP agent didn't know how Sam managed to fool a whole school full of boys with her disguise. Must be a bunch of idiots…

"Jin is different," Artemis said coolly, "he doesn't have a rational thought in his head."

Sam nodded her head in agreement before she realized the meaning behind Artemis's words.

"Hey! Are you saying only irrational people could like me?" she asked the boy, slapping his shoulder.

"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying," Artemis answered, moving her hand away from him, "why are you getting so upset? I thought we were both trying to dissuade Killian from thinking nonsensical thoughts"

"Alright you two lovebirds, cut it out," Killian said loudly, "we need to get back on the topic of Jin."

"That topic is over," Artemis said quickly, "Jin can proclaim whatever he wants, but that doesn't mean that we have to sit around and have a circle discussion over it."

"Circle discussions are for American kindergarteners and egotistical Oxford professors," Killian said lightly, "I am talking about something that I believe the two of you missed in Jin's impassioned little speech."

"Missed?" Sam asked, "I wouldn't be surprised. I actually didn't hear most of what Jin said—I was too busy trying not to die out of embarrassment."

"Well, while the both of you were repressing your feeling for each other, I overheard a very important fact," Killian said cattily.

"We already realized you found out something we missed," Artemis said, eyes slitted, "why do you not just tell us what it is and stop spouting drivel"

"Well…" Killian started, before he was interrupted by Patrick, who was lazily walking up to the group.

"Hello," Patrick said, his gait as slow and seductive as always. Though he was a major playboy, Sam still couldn't help but admit that he was a very fine specimen of boy.

"Hello," Killian answered back. The dorm leader glanced over at the boy, giving him a very slow one-over. Killian, for the first time that he had entered SB, looked a bit nervous.

"Definitely Dorm 2 material," Patrick said finally. Killian looked at the group in confusion. Sam quickly started to explain.

"Dorm 1 is the sports dorm; Dorm 3 is the dorm most known for theatre and arts; and Dorm 2…"

"Dorm 2 is known for having the best looking students on campus," Patrick said, cutting in quickly, "and I am the magnanimous dorm leader, Patrick….magnanimous meaning handsome" he added in quickly, obviously not knowing who he was talking to.

"Actually, magnanimous is a synonym for the other the other meaning of handsome, meaning abundant, not attractive," Killian said smoothly, "but I guess I should be pleased that you are an abundant dorm leader"

"Great, we have another Artemis on our hands," Patrick mumbled darkly. Artemis just stood by the group, as impassive as ever.

"And speaking of Artemis, what dorm are Sam and Artemis part of?" Killian asked.

"Artemis fits the physical description of Dorm 2 perfectly," Patrick said leading the three students towards the dining hall, "so we recruited him as soon as he came. Sam, on the other hand, could fit in well with Dorm 1. After all, he is the little star of the track team. But, I thought that his unique, femininely cute looks added something to the over all dorm appearance."

Sam just sighed loudly at the comment, not even bothering to say anything back. If she got upset every time someone called her looks "feminine" or "cute" then she would probably spend a majority of her time angry. Plus, truthfully, she was a girl, so she couldn't help but feel a little happy when people called her cute.

"Ah, both are in Dorm 2, then," Killian said, smiling, "how could I say no to that?"

"Anyway, Killian—you transfer papers said you were from Japan, is that correct?" Patrick asked as they neared the dining hall.

"Yes," Killian answered, "I attended school in Japan after primary school. I was from Ireland before that. Actually, that is how I know Artemis. I was an old primary school acquaintance"

Artemis scoffed slightly. If there was one thing that Killian was good at, besides being embarrassingly brash, was making up stories.

"Ah, okay," Patrick said as they entered the hall. All the boys in Dorm 2 had congregated inside, chatting loudly with one another. Jin spotted Sam and immediately walked over to the group.

Patrick grabbed Killian and stood on top of a table. Everybody became silent as their eyes fell on the new boy.

"Everyone. This is Killian," Patrick said loudly, "he just transferred here from a high school in Tokyo. Him and Artemis were primary school friends,"

"acquaintances" Killian corrected, quickly. Patrick ignored the boy's words and continued on.

"Killian will be joining Dorm 2 in order to continue our reputation for being the best looking dorm on campus," Patrick said, "but we have a slight problem with rooming. Since all of our rooms are filled up, we will need one of you to bunk in another room."

"I will!" Jin cried suddenly, "Killian can have my room! I will stay with Artemis and Sam!"

"After your little revelation today, I don't know how safe that is…" Patrick whispered, glancing at Jin.

"I must protect Sam from the mean and hurtful Artemis!" Jin said, placing an arm protectively around a very scared Sam.

"The only person who he need protection from is you" Artemis said coolly. Killian looked on at the scene, laughing.

"I wouldn't mind this arrangement," Killian said. Patrick shook his head.

"The one that will decide this is Liam! After all he is the one that will have to room with Killian if Jin leaves," Patrick cried, calling Liam up to the stage.

Liam slowly, lethargically climbed up on top of the table with Killian and Patrick. Killian looked over the boy, at his pale skin, long white blonde hair, and large violet eyes.

"The spirits are strong with Killian," Liam said slowly before Patrick shut him up.

"No need to scare the new boy yet," Patrick whispered quickly to Liam.

From down below, Jin was staring daggers at Liam. The boy shivered a little.

"Dorm leader," Liam whispered, "I am afraid that Jin will kill me if I do not agree to this"

"Then you better just accept" Killian said. Liam looked up at the boy.

"You are not a human, are you?" Liam asked. Patrick groaned from the side. Now all chances of Killian staying in Dorm 2 were lost!

Killian just looked at Liam and smiled. It had been a while since he had encountered a human that could see spirits; it was fascinating. Killian could only imagine all the research he could get done living with Liam. Though he was here on a mission, Killian was still a human-obsessed researcher at heart.

"Liam decided that he was okay rooming with me," Killian cried out to everybody. Patrick just looked up at him, shocked. Did Liam's line really make Killian want to be his roommate so badly? Maybe I should try it out on my girlfriends, Patrick thought lightly, 'You are not human, are you?'…maybe it is some sort of secret compliment I have not heard of. Rather effective, though…

"Shouldn't we have any say in this?" Artemis called out, "after all, Jin is going to have to be living with us"

"Killian just agreed to stay with Dorm 2," Patrick said, "and Jin seems happy enough about the placement. That settles it then."

"Yes!" Jin cried, kneeling down on the ground before Sam, "now that we are roommates, It will be easier for me to protect you at all times as we make our way down our road of love"

"Road of love?'" Sam asked, weakly, "Jin…"

"I know that you don't have any feelings for me yet. I am okay with that," Jin said, "it took me quite a while to be okay with the fact that I am gay; there is no rush. As long as we can continue to be best friends, that is all I need for right now."

"Of course we can still be best friends, Jin," Sam said. Jin beamed up at her.

"This is making me ill," Artemis said, walking away. Jin followed behind him.

"Come on then, new roommates, let's go back to our home," Jin said., clasping Artemis's shoulder. Artemis shrugged Jin's hand off and continued walking. When they reached the room, they saw that Liam had already placed Jin's things neatly next to Artemis's desk.

"Oh, Liam is always so thoughtful," Jin said, going through his things, "where do I sleep?"

Artemis pointed to the couch underneath the window.

"Jin is too tall for the couch!" Sam said, "He would feel uncomfortable! He can have my bed and I will sleep on the couch."

"No," Artemis and Jin both said at the same time.

"Sam, you must always be comfortable," Jin said, "I will take the couch, it is no problem."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked. Jin nodded. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. All three teens looked over and saw that Killian and popped his head into the room.

"Hey there. Sorry to interrupt the three of you from building your little love nest, but I need to talk to Sam for a quick moment." Killian said. Sam nodded her head and walked over to the boy, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind her.

As soon as she was gone, Artemis turned towards Jin.

"Listen carefully," he said, "I do not care what you feel towards Sam or me—there are certain things you need to know. One, you are a guest in this room. Do not make a mess or try to interfere with anything. Two, I know that you are mentally instable; but if you have any more outburst or revelations that you would like to make, do them outside of this room. And three, if you ever do anything to harm Sam, I will have Butler come here and rearrange your face for you."

Jin glared at Artemis, the tension between the two boys so thick it could be cut with a knife.

"You like him, too, don't you?" Jin asked, "you like Sam and you are afraid that I will take him away from you"

"Don't be insane," Artemis answered. Jin walked up to Artemis slowly.

"Let me tell you something, now, Artemis Fowl. I challenge you right now! I will not give up trying to win over Sam's heart! And if you want to win him, then you better step up your game right now." Jin declared.

Before Artemis had a chance to answer, the door opened and Killian stuck his head in once more.

"Am I interrupting some sort of man-off right now?" Killian asked.

"No," Artemis said quickly, "what do you want, Killian"

"Sam wanted me to call you over as well," the boy said. Artemis looked at Jin, one eyebrow raised and a shadow of a smile on his lips.

"Oh well, then I better go see what Sam wants," Artemis said lightly, leaving Jin in the room by himself.

Outside, in the hallway, Artemis found Sam and Killian standing, looking a little worried.

"What is it?" Artemis asked.

"Killian thinks that Jin's father might be Chairman Lai," Sam whispered quickly.

"What?" Artemis asked.

"Remember when Jin announced his love for Sam? He said his last name—Jin Lai" Killian said.

"Lai is a common last name," Artemis answered.

"Jin is also from Taiwan," Sam said. Artemis shrugged.

"Like I said, Lai is a common name. There is no way that we can prove anything."

"Actually, we know that the Chairman has a son, and that he attended school somewhere in Ireland,' Killian said.

"That wasn't in the file that Ross gave me," Artemis said quickly.

"That is because I didn't tell her," Killian answered, "I have been following Chairman Lai for quite some time now. Though I do not know much, I do know slightly more than what I led on."

"Why didn't you mention this before?" Artemis asked. Killian sighed deeply.

"Because," he answered, "we think that it might have been one of the VAMP agents that leaked out the existence of faeries to Lai. There are only about 6 of us in total, so I couldn't trust anybody else with this information"

"So now what do we have to do exactly," Artemis asked.

"We need to find out if Jin's father really is Chairman Lai," Killian said.

"But how do we do that?" Sam asked. Killian shrugged.

"You two are his roommates. Think of it as a little challenge," Killian said. Artemis groaned and leaned against the side of the door. For somebody who really didn't care much about his classmates, he had been challenged far too many times today…

A/N: Okay, so how was it? I actually grew rather attached to Killian in this chapter. he is so straightforward and full of snark that writing him was a lot of fun. And of course, Jin was always as awesome to write as ever.

Anyways, please comment and tell me your thoughts, you ideas, and anything you think I need to improve. As I always say, your comments help me so much and keep me motivated to write, and I really do mean that!! Gracias y besos!