A/N: Hey there readers, sorry for the wait. As usual, a combination of procrastination and writers block caused the long release wait. I had to go back and read some of the books and some of my favourite fictions, reacquainting myself with the characters. Lets see what they're up to!

- Abandoned terminal entrance, near the site of Julius Root's "death" -

Holly touched down in the alleyway where, all those years ago, she had pulled a wounded Chix Verbil behind cover from a goblin assault. It was also the site where, two years later, she had unwittingly activated the explosives that, she thought, had incinerated her mentor.

Despite this memory being very vivid in her mind, she was looking down on the unmistakable form of Commander Julius Root, unconscious in the gutter. In her head, she thought she heard a camera shutter. Then she realized what had just happened.

"Dammit Artemis," She snapped into her microphone, "Could you stop collecting blackmail material for five minutes while we figure out how the commander came back from the dead?"

There was no response, which she took as a grudging acknowledgment. Nervously, she went over and pulled her former commander into a sitting position. His helmet was lying next to him, looking far older than the rest of his equipment, as if it had somehow taken the long way to its current state of sitting in a gutter. As she went to pick it up and check its internal moonometer, a hand shot out and closed on her wrist with an iron grip. She felt the barrel of a gun poking into her side as she froze.

"Who in Frond's name . . . Short?" Root relaxed the hand with the neutrino pistol, realizing who it was bent over him. "Did you shoot me?"

This sparked a wave of sorrow in the new major, as she thought about the fateful day, Koboi's taunts still ringing in her ears. "I'm sorry sir," She said, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, "I had to try for the sweet spot."

"What are you talking about?" Root demanded, causing an abrupt stop to the tears, "Someone knocked me out, it felt like a high power neutrino pulse, but kinda . . . different."

This sparked Holly's interest, and she quickly stood, surveying the area. When no attackers came swarming out of the shadows, she crouched and helped Root to his feet. "Come on sir, it's evidently not safe here." She stepped away so the currents of their wings would not interfere, and began to take off. She only managed a few feet when Root again asked a question.

"Short, where the hell is your uniform?"

- Police Plaza, several minutes later -

Back at the plaza, Holly had quickly changed into her Section 8 jumpsuit, it being the only clean uniform she had on hand, as Root was looked over by several warlocks, eventually deemed completely healthy. She appeared in the infirmary, getting a strange look from the elf at the strange, if at least regulation, uniform. She realized there was going to be a lot of explaining when they got to the ops booth for his debriefing.

She was so distracted thinking about what had happened in the last few years, in fact, that she forgot about the ops booth's most recent occupant (Fowl having deigned to take up a job, as even an exorbitant amount of gold will only go so far). She was roused from her reverie when she heard a yell, and the unmistakable sound of a gun being drawn.

Looking up, she saw Root training his weapon on Artemis, a dangerous look on his face.

"Foaly! Short!" he barked, his hand tightening, "Why is there a mud man in my plaza, and why is that mud man Artemis Fowl?" At the end of his life, Root had come to respect the boy, even ordering Holly to save his life, but that didn't mean he liked him.

"Sir! Let me explain!" Holly rushed to stand between her mentor and her lover, spreading her arms to obscure the target further.

She then went into an explanation of what had been going on in the last seven years since his death. Throughout the story, Root alternated between stunned silence and outrage. He started off silent as she told of his death, the silence continuing as he took in more of Koboi's plot. When she got to Artemis and Butler regaining their memories, he started to yell, continuing as she mentioned he was allowed to keep them. He was rapidly regaining his ruddy hue when she told him of Ark Sool's verdicts on her conduct and subsequent takeover of the LEP, and her resignation.

When she told him of her reinstatement into the force, not mentioning her new position in Section 8, he surprised her by guessing it. "It wasn't hard, Short." He said, in a matter-of-fact tone that reminded her a little too much of Artemis, "As commander, I have a high clearance, I know what the black jumpsuit means."

She continued with the debriefing, slightly stunned, and went on to describe the Hybras incident, and the discovery of No. 1. All the red filling his face disappeared as it registered to him what the implications meant.

Now came the hard part. She started into her and Artemis' continued communication, gaining growing disapproving looks from Root, turning into a cold glare directly at Artemis when she got his deception and their jump through time, stopping only when she reached Jayjay, which snapped him into stunned surprise.

Finally, she got to the events of Artemis' madness, finding it hard for her to go over the details in light of her new-found acceptance of her feelings for him. Root seemed more shaken up over the death of Wing Commander Vinyaya. When she got to the reason for her death, Root nearly exploded. It wasn't until she got to Turnball's death that he calmed down. He may have hated his brother, but the loss of his last family member still stung.

At this point, his face began to show more and more disbelief, as Holly described the circumstances involving Koboi and the guardians. When she got to Artemis' death for the sake of the people, it peaked, causing him to stop her.

"If he died," he began, his volume rising, "Then how in Frond's name could he be sitting before me?"

To his credit, Artemis did not betray a single emotion in his response. "I could ask you the same question, commander." he said simply, silencing the Root's protests.

Holly continued, this time getting glares for both her and Foaly at the mention of their illegal resurrection. Holly came to an end just before the events of the last few weeks, not sure how to break Artemis' realization of becoming a magical being to Root. Or their current living situation, for that matter.

Julius had, during the debriefing, sat down on one of Foaly's non-centaurean chairs. He suddenly looked tired, his age showing on his face. Finally, he spoke.

"I think I need to go home, and think about this." he said, before dropping his head and groaning. "I assume my house was sold after my death?"

"Yes," Holly said, "You didn't leave instructions for it in your will, so it was auctioned, the proceeds going towards the academy."

A second later, Holly brightened up. "You can stay at my place, commander!" she pulled out her keyring, cycling to the one for her apartment.

"I've seen your place, Short," Root said, with a confused look, "It's not big enough for one person, let alone two."

"I, um, I'm not . . . currently," Holly was avoiding Julius' face. "I'm not currently living there."

Julius was not unintelligent, and upon hearing this, and seeing the sheepish way Holly was looking at Artemis, put two and two together. He did not like the answer.

"Please, in the name of Frond and his many descendants," He said, facing jumping from calm to beetroot in an instant, "tell me that the mud boy is not living in my city!"

Foaly, silent through all of this, spoke up, taking the key from Holly and guiding the fuming commander out of the ops booth, shooting glares to Holly and Artemis.

"Come on Julius," he said, as he opened the door, "I'll explain on the way, it's a very long story."

The door slid shut. Foaly is very keen on not being interrupted in his work, and thus his booth is nearly soundproof, only allowing enough sound through to prevent him being as cut off as he was during the B'wa Kell rebellion. Thus, when Holly had to cover her sensitive elven ears at Julius' next outburst, take is as no mean feat on his behalf.

"DON'T. CALL. ME. JULIUS!"