Chapter 66

Caught In The Act

Artemis's POV:

We were out so late last night that Holly and I were having problems getting ready today. She was still inside of her room, and I had discovered that there was some sort of a problem with Holly's running water.

For the third time that morning, I knocked on her door. "Holly!"

She mumbled something before saying "Come in!" I pushed it open to reveal Holly, crouching over her bed. My face immediately reddened.

There Holly was standing wearing nothing but a pair of black, lacey underwear and a matching bra. Her brown skin glistening beautifully, her hair tousled messily, and her face held an expression of shock. This was all things that I should not have seen. Why was I still standing here? With that thought I slammed the door and retreated into my bedroom.

Holly's POV:

"Holly!" Artemis called for about the third time. Obviously he wanted something. Something that he considered very important.

"Ugh," I groaned, begging for just another moment. "Coming."

And with that, the door knob turned and it was pushed open. My first thought: Oh, I should have locked that.

Artemis stood there, mouth wide open, both of us frozen in shock. His eyes were riveted on my scantily clad body, and mine focused on his face… All of a sudden, the spell was broken. He slammed the door and retreated as quickly as he possibly could.

I sat down heavily on the edge of my bed. Okay. So my best friend had just seen my almost naked body. But on the positive side, I had been wearing a bra and a pair of panties. It was just like one of those human lingerie ads…except this was reality starring my best friend and I. But other than that…

Ugh, this was going to be so awkward. Honestly, our relationship balanced on the point of a knife anyway. And now, I'm sure that it's finally fallen off of one end. The negative end that will bite me in the butt.

A chill ran down my span as I pulled my clothes on quickly. Oh, why couldn't he have walked in now? That would have made both of our lives so much more convenient. I sighed to myself. I need to take care this. I am an adult, and as an adult, I have to handle my problems. Arty and I would be fine. We just need to talk about it.

Beating around the bush has never been my style. I knew Arty would ignore my knocking, so I just flung the door open. Big mistake.

This time, I was the one to turn red as I watched Arty standing there in only a pair of black, Armani boxers.

"Sorry," I squeaked out as I shut the door and ran into my room.

My face was still bright red as I slid to the floor. Ugh, whenever I closed my eyes, I could still see him. The pale taut chest. The arms that were actually ringed with muscles. The legs, strangely hairless and so muscular. Not to mention the calves and the long, beautiful feet. Okay, so I'd be lying to say that his body is not amazing. It is, but I should not have seen it. He was my friend for Frond's sake. I shouldn't even be thinking about this. Ugh, why does life have to be so complicated?

I sighed and slowly picked myself up off of the floor. I do not give up. I just need to confront this, so that we can move forward as friends. And that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Or at least that was my plan until I got to the living room and saw him sitting at one end of my couch. I plopped down on the other, but found it impossible to make eye contact. My first thought, his body. My second shame.

Every time I tried to open my mouth, I would think of how he looked in those boxers and shut it immediately.

Of course, it ended up being Arty who spoke first. Who tried to relieve the tension. "This is ridiculous," he muttered, turning to me. "I apologize for walking into your room. I was sure that I had heard you say 'come in'."

And there it was. He hadn't just barged in. Thank Frond. "It's fine. I was mumbling." I paused. "I'm sorry for walking in on you."

"As you said, 'it's fine'. Accidents do occur." I could hear the smile in his voice. To him, this was nothing. Or maybe he was pretending that it was nothing. Either way, I wish that I could do the same. I wish that I could remain calm no matter what. Goodness knows that would come in handy at times like this.

Somehow I was able to look up into his eyes. There was an emotion there that I couldn't read. An emotion that was so important that I needed to know what it was. "So, what do we do now?"

He chuckled. "You always look to me for these answers."

"Of course. You're my genius and my best friend."

"Your genius?"

I blushed. I hadn't meant to sound so…possessive. "You know what I mean."

And if anyone did, then it was Arty. He knew everything about me. He could tell exactly how I was feeling and he knew just the right thing to say at just the right time. "Of course."

"So, what should we do?" I repeated, knowing that he would have an answer.

"Shall we chalk this up to something else that we should never talk about again?"

"I guess so." I wasn't so sure. It just seems like we have more and more of those secret things every day. And I'm not sure if I like it or not. Maybe it would actually be better to talk about these things. Hmm. Note to self: think about that later.

"So…" Arty chuckled. "I take it that my physique was at least somewhat pleasing?"

I looked at him in disbelief. He had just asked me how his body looked. No way. I had to have imagined that, right? "Are you serious? You want to know how your body looks?"

The genius just stared at me as I chuckled. I couldn't believe him. Yes, he is a man but physical vanity had never been his cardinal sin. Well actually, his vanity is probably one of the reasons that he always wears suits. "I'm pleading the fifth."

"Holly," he said, his voice teasing and light. Ugh, I knew that he was just going to keep begging until he wore me down, so I had to answer. The only question was: should I tell the truth or not?

"I like your muscles," I admitted. I gently squeezed the firm bicep. "You're not that scrawny kid anymore." And he most definitely was not. He was definitely not a body builder, but he had managed to fill out quite nicely. If he ever got a girlfriend, then she would be quite happy with the physical aspect.

"Or at least not the 'kid part anyway," he chuckled.

"Trust me. You're not scrawny either." Both of us blushed scarlet. Ugh, why did I just say that? I have to be crazy. What could you say to that? No, I hadn't meant to make it awkward, but I had still succeeded in doing so. Just ugh.

"Thank you."

Only slightly awkward. If only I could share… Suddenly an idea occurred to me. "So… you haven't said anything about me yet…"

"Pardon me?" he asked, his brows scrunched in confusion.

"Well, we're talking about your body. Why don't we talk about mine?" My voice sounded a lot braver than I actually felt. But as I'd learned, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"I thought that it would be rude," he shrugged. Ugh, always the perfect gentleman. That could really hold him up later in his life. If he can't say what he thinks at least sometimes. Note to self: work on that.

"Well, all is fair. We can talk about anything. You know that, right?"

"Of course." Anything. Except for the swear toads incident and this one too. Well, I could talk about that, but I'm sure that I would rather not.

"Well then tell me."

At this point, his cheeks were redder than I had ever seen them before. "Holly, you have a beautiful body. You are lithe and flexible in a very exotic way." Exotic. Had anyone else said it, the word would have sounded like an insult. But from Arty's lips, it sounded like a compliment. Like a caress. Like maybe being exotic wouldn't be so bad after all.

"You really have a way of making people happy," I acknowledged. "Now, why don't you have a girlfriend?"

The genius chuckled. "I believe we've been over this before. I have not quite met a girl that has met my qualifications."

"What qualifications? You still haven't told me what your type is." Ugh, and he probably wouldn't. Arty was too good at deflecting me. Especially about this subject.

"As everyone says. Ladies first."

Of course. Ladies first. "Well then, have at it, Arty."

"Cute. Very cute."

"I know I am. Thank you so very much for realizing it."

"Of course. How could I not?" His witty comments. I would miss him when he was gone.

I sighed as I thought of what today was. "Today is day nine. Tomorrow you have to leave." And it didn't seem real. I didn't want him to leave. He was my best friend and having him leave would make the house so quiet and so empty. Living alone had never bother me, but having these two weeks was something that I really didn't want to give up.

"I'll miss you," he said, his mismatched eyes staring into mine.

"Not as much as I'll miss you."

"You are utterly ridiculous, Holly Short."

"And so are you, Artemis Fowl."

"Yes, it is my best quality. Or so I'm told."

"If you weren't my best friend…"

"Then our lives would be severely lacking," he added before changing the subject. "What are we going to do today?"

"Well, Foaly, Caballine and the others are coming over after work for a sort of 'go-away' party."

"So, we have roughly two and a half hours until then?"

"Yes, give or take a little." I could tell that this was going somewhere. Though, I did not know where. "What? Do you want to do something in particular?"

"I want to see this 'cavern' that you were talking about last night."

I looked at him. Had he not been listening last night? Hadn't I told him that it was a place of magic that only lovers went to? "What? No."

"Holly," he said placatingly. "Am I right in assuming that this is a place of ultimate magic?"

"Yes." I nodded. "It is."

"And am I also correct in assuming that you have been there?"

I blushed. How did he know that? Though in my defense, I had visited alone just to see what it was like, and I had never actually entered the cavern. "I want to experience as much magic as possible while I'm here."

"No Artemis. I have no idea what to expect while we're there. It wouldn't be smart to go into the unknown."

"Please Holly. I'll go as Avian, but revert back to myself to regain control. Trust me." Yes, it sounded like it should work, but what if it didn't? Frond only knows what could happen in that situation.

I sighed loudly. "Fine, but if either of us start to feel weird then we're leaving."

"I promise."

We left the house, walking out of the city. We walked for thirty minutes before coming to a dirt road that wound up a hill.

At the top of the hill was the entrance to the cavern. It was simple like any other cave mouth, but there was a certain feeling to it. "Right in. Right out," I warned him.

"Now Holly, I do have to look around. Just a bit." Just a bit. Of course, he had to have his way or no way.

I shook my head, but what could I do? We were here now. The entrance was dark with the only light coming from behind us. As we walked forward into a larger area, I was blown away.

The cave floor was made of some sort of deep, blue stone that shined and shimmered. The ceiling was so high and decadent that it almost seemed like a ballroom. Light filtered down through plate-sized holes that almost seemed to be unnaturally perfect.. "It's beautiful," I muttered.

As I had never had a lover, I had never actually come inside of this place. I could definitely see why it was such a hotspot. Anyone could fall in love here, but it seemed that the lore of magic had been greatly exaggerated. So far, I felt nothing. "It is," he muttered.

But then, things turned…abnormal. Arty turned and made eye contact. All of a sudden, the air was full of golden energy. Energy like I had never seen or felt before.

I couldn't move. All that I could see were Arty's warm eyes. Suddenly, my lips were burning and I knew that the only relief would come from his. My body was on fire and he was my cool, blue oasis that would deliver me to new heights. Apparently, he felt the same because he began to lean down at the same time that I started lifting myself onto my toes.

We were so close now. One little movement and our lips would connect. My brain was fighting itself. A portion was fighting to pull my body away, but it was losing. The other part of me was begging to close the distance and take those shapely pink lips in mine.

Those eyes seemed to be waiting on me. They were full and dilated with pure lust. It was too late, I needed him just as much as he needed me. I could feel the fire in my veins and I was ready to let him put it out.

His lips met mine and his hand was in my hair. But still we weren't close enough. I needed him so badly. I needed him to touch me. To hold me closer. I needed these clothes to come off of him. His hands strayed up under my shirt and to my bra.

Just as I was tugging at his shirt, I heard something. It was the sound of foot steps. That sound allowed me to come back to myself. I jerked away, pulling out of his arms. The golden glow faded, leaving us standing in the cavern.

From the footsteps, I could tell that someone else was in here. We needed to get out. "Let's go!" I yelled at Artemis. "We need to go!" He complied without a word. The two of us ran out, thankfully without being seen by anyone.

As soon as we were out, I turned on him. "See! I told you we shouldn't go in there! But nooo. You don't listen." I was angry. We had just kissed. Again. When I had promised that it would never happen again. In fact, that wasn't even a kiss. That was a hot and heavy make out session. So hot that my bra had almost been unhooked.

"I'm sorry, Holly. I was curious but now I see that I was wrong." Of course he was so polite. Honestly, I think he just does that so that I won't be as angry at him, but that was not going to work today. Right now, nothing can soothe my anger.

"Sorry's not enough. You need to learn that you're not unstoppable. Magic is a force that's stronger than reason."

The genius nodded. I had never seen him look quite so… shaken. "I most definitely understand that now."

His eyes were saying that he did understand that, but I wasn't sure. Arty is convinced that he is unstoppable, and it will take more than that for him to realize that the opposite is true. "Do you really, Artemis? Do you really?"

"I do."

We continued walking in silence. "I really am sorry," he repeated.

I sighed. "I know. It's just that magic does things to people; you have to know that by now."

"I do. Just please understand that I was not in control of my actions. It was not my intention to attack you like that." Ugh. We were going to have to discuss this soon, but I really don't want to. What can you say to the best friend that you just passionately kissed or rather assaulted in a cave? 'Sorry. For a second there you were just really hot, and I wanted to jump your bones.' No, I think not.

"Neither was I."

"I do not wish for our friendship to suffer because of my idiocy." Artemis using the word 'idiocy' to describe himself was surprising. And surprisingly, I didn't like it. He had made a mistake, but we all do. If anything, I should have been upset with myself. As a fairy, I should have known better. I should have put my foot down and refused to come. Then there would have been no problem.

"It won't," I promised. "As far as we know, this never happened."

He nodded, though I could tell that he was thinking about something. And for once, I was one hundred percent sure that I did not want to know.

We walked in silence as far apart as possible towards my house. Finally, we arrived back at home. It seemed like it had been a two hour walk instead of a thirty minute one. But I suppose it is always like that when things are awkward between people.

Surprisingly when I opened the door, I found that my living room was full. Foaly, Mulch, Caballine, Lili, Doodah, and No 1. They were all here. According to the clock on the wall, it was six and they had all been off of work for an hour. Great. I was late for the party that I had helped to plan.

"How did you get in?" I asked.

"You really should lock your door," Artemis shook his head. "What if they had been burglars?" He was always so concerned for me. Even when there was no need to do so.

"Hey Mud boy. I run security for this house. Trust me, a normal burglar would find it hard to get inside," the centaur grinned. I couldn't help but smile as I thought of the nasty surprise that any idiot who tried to break into my house would receive.

"Where were you guys anyway?" Lili asked, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder.

"We just went for a walk. Since it's his last day, I wanted to show him some more of the sites." The lie rolled off of my tongue so easily. And best of all, no one but Arty knew that it wasn't the truth. Apparently, I was getting better at the lying thing. I didn't know whether to be proud or disappointed in myself. Perhaps it's best not to think at all.

"Aww, a romantic walk with your boooyfriend," Mulch teased.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't make me punch you."

"Do it please," Doodah begged. "I've been wanting to hit him all day."

"Awww you're just mad because I'm handsome," the dwarf winked. Honestly, you'd actually think that he believed what he was saying.

"In your dreams," the pixie rolled his eyes. "Not even there."

"So," I interrupted before they could get started in earnest. "What did you want us to see so badly?" Foaly had left me a message that raved about something that he really wanted all of us to see.

"It's brand new. So new that there aren't even previews out yet," Foaly grinned. Obviously he was using his hacking skills for good at the moment. Color me surprised. Hopefully this movie would be worth the time.

"Play it then."

The people on my couch scooted over allowing Artemis and I the honor of sitting in the middle of the couch. Together. Gee, thanks for that.

A screen with the words 'Caught in the Act' in bright gold letters filled the screen. The centaur pressed play, and the movie began with a flash across the artificial weather park. Next came a video of Arty and my day in the park. A day that no one should have seen.

We sat there talking and laughing with each of our private moments brought to the light. There was particular attention paid to the ear squeezing scene. All the while, I could feel my face heating. Surely, this couldn't get any worse. Or at least, that's what I thought.

The next clip was of a cage in a zoo. The cage that I automatically recognized as the gorilla cage at Rathdown Park. Uh-oh, I thought as the camera panned to a gorilla attacking a boy. Then a sound ripped through the air, causing him to drop the youth to the ground.

An auburn haired elf ran to his side, looking at his pale skin and his blood matted hair. "Mother," he sighed on a breath.

The elf sat, and you could see the indecision in her face. To save him or not to save him, that was the question. Finally, after what's seemed like an eternity she came to a decision. "Heal," she whispered, almost sobbing. The boy balked and turned, his hair frizzing out in an electric halo. His body writhing and venting a steam of impurities.

"Come on Artemis, wake up." For several terrifying seconds, he did not move and it was easy to see the despair that was etched on her face. Finally, the mismatched eyes flew open and he began moving around.

"Holly, you saved me again," he smiled, his voice full of raw passion.

I was laughing and crying at the same time, holding onto his chest. "Of course, I saved you. I couldn't do without you." And I leaned down and kissed Artemis, magic sparking around us like fireworks.

The kiss scene replayed, this time in slow motion. Then the video ended. "This had been a Foaltech Production, and I hope you enjoyed watching it as much as I enjoyed making it," the centaur's voice said.

I've been angry with Foaly before, and I've been embarrassed before. But this took it all beyond that. Right now, I couldn't speak. I was so angry and so humiliated…

"Whoa, you two kissed…" Mulch grinned. "I'm not surprised."

"About time," Lili chuckled. In her mind, this probably meant that we were in love. Because people don't just kiss. Because she never just kissed a guy because she was happy that he was actually alive.

"Foaly. If you value your life then you'd better start talking now. How did you get this?" I gritted out from between my teeth.

He unconsciously scooted closer to his wife, but she moved away from him."Ooooh no. You made your bed, now you have to lie in it."

He sighed. "Well, I simply went back into the camera feed for the zoo and look at what I found. It's amazing what your friends conveniently forget to tell you."

"How did you get this past my virus? It should have read the words 'Artemis and Holly' and sent out the e-mails." Artemis was angry. Even angrier than I felt. Though I couldn't tell if it was because of his technology or because of the video itself. Probably a lot of both.

"I had this done before you detonated your virus. I was just saving it for the right moment."

"You mean you were saving it to get even with me for something that I may or may not do?"

"Well…yes. But if you didn't want me to find it, then you would have gotten rid of it yourself."

Artemis glared at him. A glare that made me want to shrink against the wall from its ferocity. "Revenge on me is one thing, but did you really have to bring Holly into this?"

"Yes. She's your Achille's heel, mud boy." His Achille's heel? We all have our weaknesses, but I doubt that I am Arty's. Honestly, that wouldn't make much sense. His mother, his father, his brothers yes. Me, no.

"So, let me get this straight," Mulch interrupted. "You two. Artemis and Holly. You kissed?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. I was happy he was alive and flushed with magic. I kissed him." There it was. Everyone finally knew the truth. We kissed. It happened. Now maybe we could finally move past this. Not likely.

"I knew it," Lili squealed. "So…"

"So what?" Artemis demanded.

"How long have you two been together?" Caballine asked.

"Together?"

"Together, going out, hooking up, in love." No 1. Defined.

"I know what they meant," I sighed. "We're not together, nor will we ever be, right Arty?"

"Of course. We are just friends after all." He was somewhat listening, but his mind was somewhere else entirely. Just where, I don't want to know.

For the next hour questions flew around hot and fast about the two of us. And to our credit, we answered them all honestly and kindly. As kindly as possibly, anyway. But finally, it was time for them to go. "Well, you don't have to go home, but you do have to get out of here."

"We understand," Caballine said, shooting a glare at her husband. "I'll call you later."

Everyone filed out of the door, making their good-byes. I had been so ready to get rid of them, that I hadn't even considered the fact that we'd now be alone together. And when I did stop to think, the thought almost sent me running outside to bring my guests back.

But I'm not one to let things get to me. I sighed and returned to the couch. "I'm honestly surprised that it took that long for him to find out."

"Me too," I admitted. Honestly, I had been sure that Foaly knew from the beginning. He had just been waiting. "I just hate the way that they make us seem."

"I agree."

"Artemis," I called out of the blue. "If you had any feelings for me, you'd tell me, right?"

"Of course," he promised. "And you'd do the same?"

"I would," I promised, knowing that I was telling the truth.

"Then that's all we need to know, isn't it?" he hedged.

"Yes it is. Now it's your last day, why don't we just enjoy each other's company?"

He smiled at me kindly. "There's nothing that I'd rather do."

A/N:

One more chapter down. I know the length is annoying for some people, and I totally get that but I'm asking that you just stick with it. The end is really not that far from here. Well…. Not relatively far. (I mean who can really quantify time?)

So, I also just want to tell you guys how much I appreciate the reviews and favorites that you've added. I love you guys so much. Thanks again. The next chapter should be coming up soon. In the mean time, you guys should check out my other stories. I think they're pretty good.

Keep reading and I'll keep writing. Oh and to review. Flames are welcome. They're what keep me warm and toasty at night. ;)

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Yours truly, madly, and deeply,

Einstinette