Originally posted July 2014.

Final Update August 2016.

At the risk of sounding cliched, I really don't own Artemis Fowl. Enjoy!

••/

Holly found herself trying to relax for the second time in less than twenty four hours. The previous night had been spent for the most part conversing with Foaly and her human counterpart, and just when she'd heaved a sigh of relief that that was over, she'd been quite literally dragged to the library by a pair of miniature mud boys on the premise of reading them a past-bedtime story. And what was she doing up at this time tonight, anyway? Frond knew she deserved a good eight hours of sleep after the restless past few weeks. And she would be asleep on the table now, truly; theirs was a private table, there was no food in front of her yet therefore plenty of space, and the high-nosed socialites occupying the other tables would see none of it– but this time it was a string of thought that threatened her peace of mind. A string that an infuriating centaur had so tightly woven into her mood.

And remember, he'd said over the phone two hours ago. You owe me two cartons of beetle juice if he's booked a private table in the sky lounge over the pretty lights.

Now just where the hell was she going to find the time to buy those cartons?

The restaurant's interior, Holly had to admit, was a thing of the simplest beauty. On the way in they had passed elegantly crafted bronze memorabilia and wallpaper of a dull, appealing golden colour. The stairs were framed with steel railings, poised to sharply contrast the soft velvet floor padding– but that was about all she'd got to see before Artemis had protested against taking the stairs and they'd entered the mirrored elevator instead.

As for where they were now, it was neigh impossible to look in three of the four directions without one's breath being taken away. The so-called Sky Lounge offered a 180-degree view of Haven City below and was as promising as Foaly had insisted. Well, it was a worthwhile price to pay for the beetle juice. She was going to tell him.

Artemis Fowl sat across from her, and Butler stood guard at the door even though it looked an unnecessary precaution as all their enemies were above ground. He had his back to them. Holly mused that it looked rather like a punishment handed out to first-graders, facing the wall like that.

Artemis caught her observation and chuckled. "There is a porthole on the door, Captain."

"Ah," Holly put her eyebrow down. "I see."

Their window offered no source of illumination save for the plentiful city lights and two pale glo-strips that ran along Butler's wall. The dim but sufficient lighting created an almost magical effect within the glass box.

"So...what blueprints do you have?"

The question came out as though forced, and it did not sound businesslike as she had intended.

Artemis indulged in a prolonged sigh.

"Frankly, Captain? Nothing more than the skeleton of an idea, and even that isn't all in place. But what I can offer you is some rather...valuable...and in hindsight, futile intel that we have received from our mystery source."

"Our mystery source," snorted Holly. "Artemis, in all honesty, how do we know we can trust this person? They haven't turned up for any of our appointments. They've never replied to a message. This might be the Mud Men trying to dance with us."

Artemis pursed his lips in thought, as if her concern hadn't occurred to him multiple times. "It's highly likely, Holly. It's made even likelier by the absolute futility of our most recent warning. Something devastating that we cannot do much to prevent as no further details were supplied. In perception, the warning sounds more like a boast."

Holly accepted the folded sheet of paper.

"Battalion plans to attack nuclear generators and power plants. Bid to remove fairies from the surface. Believe damage can be fixed afterward. PM if received," she read out loud. Then, raising an eyebrow a second time, observed, "This is too vague to be considered information at all. Is that why you didn't send it Foaly directly?"

Artemis nodded once. "Like I said, it's of absolutely no use, but it's not a threat that can be ignored. The damage such an attack will cause is...insurmountable. It will destroy the planet. It cannot be undone. And..."

"Radiation is poison to fairies, so this is poised to keep the People away for centuries to come," said Holly, catching on with a frown. "But...Arty, surely they can't be this thick? Ambushes, assasinations, shootouts are one thing, but this? What can they possibly hope to achieve that they can't by means of another scare? Other than burning this planet to the ground? They've already got nuclear bio-bombs, and as if that isn't enough–"

"Dinner's here," called Butler from his position at the door, in almost hushed tones. The elf got the message that their waiter probably had no clue who they really were, and it was best it stayed that way.

Once the sprite had left, Holly did indeed forget the progress they were making in their discussion and choose instead to dig at the food with her eyes alone, realizing just how starved she felt. It was a mouth-watering spread to say the least. Fully vegetarian, and she had never known before that so many varieties of leaves existed. She cast an almost-discreet glance up at her human friend.

"I'll admit I'm famished," relented the Mud Boy with a roll of his eyes. "Dig in, Captain."

Holly grinned and complied. The flavours were tantalizing, even if she gobbled them down too fast to fully appreciate them. Frond, Foaly was right. On all counts. It was starting to look like he deserved that beetle juice, and more.

On all counts? Holly stopped herself. Except one, obviously. Apparently Artemis Fowl would take someone to a seven-star diner for an ordinary business meeting.

They discussed while they ate. The Mud Boy barely touched his food, but it was probably due to his extreme focus while delivering new strategies, ideas for ventures, resolutions and...

"Give it a break, Mud Boy," Holly put her fork down exasperatedly and resolved to meeting his eyes in a chastising stare.

Artemis sighed. "We do have a purpose of being here–"

Smaller dark-skinned hands reached out and took his own. "Mud Boy. Artemis. Arty. Your salad wants to be eaten. We have plenty of time for this later."

"...and that is not it," completed Fowl, looking a little deflated. The elf looked at him quizzically as he shot a glance in Butler's direction and thought she saw the bodyguard nod reassuringly, once. Soon Artemis was facing her again with his usual impassive expression, but he allowed the tiniest hint of emotion to seep through. It was something like...worry? Hope?

"Are you done?"

The elf blinked down at her food. "Uh...mostly, yeah. Why? Gotta leave?"

"There's something I would like to show you," he was looking distinctly at a spot behind her shoulder. Holly felt a sudden jab of nervousness that stuck and didn't go away. She couldn't assume a single reason as to why it was there; but it was there all the same, and it made her wish she could get home quickly. "Artemis?"

The human stood out of his chair slowly, allowing her plenty of time to react. Holly nearly jumped in her haste, when she realized she should follow suite. She followed him uncertainly over to one of the glass walls. Her friend was staring impassively out at the twinkling city lights below them, and the elf wondered for the umpteenth time that day why she had never noticed just how beautiful the underground civilization could be, pale as it was in comparison to the surface.

Somehow the architecture, designed in accordance with the natural environment, appeared strangely sentient. Residential structures emerged among clusters of stalactites, blending in apart from their steely gleam, and commercial complexes arose above and below natural caverns, opting to avoid them rather than bring them down. Glo-strips made up the non-existent sky and playful lights danced about the horizon.

"The surface is the warzone," came Artemis's voice, a voice that failed to reveal the slightest bit of what its speaker felt. "Every element of the war so far is located above ground. The LEP's special base, our weapons storage, theirs. The attacks, the advances, the ambushes."

"While Haven City is as it has always been," Holly sighed, leaning against the thin steel rail before the glass. "This war is destroying the surface. It's ironic, really."

The light illuminating her friend's face made it appear paler, but the extent to which it revealed the detail was shocking. She could make out her reflection in his blue lenses, she could see with absolute clarity the calm, eloquent nature of his face, the expression of total certainty that made him appear far older than his years. Artemis Fowl always knew what he was talking about and always knew where things were headed.

"I am on your side, Holly," the reminder was unnecessary, which was exactly why it drew her attention. "But I am human," he continued. "And unlike the allies, I choose to contribute as directly as I can, as if I am one of your own."

Holly was silent for what felt the longest time, before she closed her eyes and acknowledged quietly, "Putting your life in danger everyday."

Artemis once again faced the city. "Because this is more where I belong."

Holly looked at him with an expression of surprise. "In Frond's name, Fowl, did you just say something sentimental?"

He did not reply.

"Hey, I'm trying to lighten the mood," she punched his arm playfully, like she had done many times in the past. "Of course you belong with the People, Arty. I'm here."

Artemis did not meet her eyes, but this time it was probably because of the slight colour that touched his cheeks. It wasn't all that hard to notice in the light.

"You were saying?" started Holly hurriedly, now remotely aware of the change in her own complexion.

"Everything I do for the People continues to put my family in immense danger," his tone was as it had always been; neutral, unrevealing. "And it won't be long before some independent human-allied group decides to use this weakness to their advantage. I can't stop fighting for the People, but I can't leave my parents and the twins in the way of danger either. I need a solution, Holly."

Holly shook her head slowly. "You want them to move to Haven."

"Precisely."

"Alright," she gazed over at the landscape once more. "I don't see why not. Considering the times, the Council will not permit any human to enter the city for whatever reason, much less take up residence, but given all you have done it should be a relatively simple case. What's more, I'll take it to them myself."

Artemis smiled, and for the first time, it wasn't a smile leaden with smugness or sarcasm. "I'm indebted to you, Captain Short. Truly."

Holly laughed. "And I don't owe you this, and so much more? You're being unfair, Mud Boy. You deserve a civilian honour or something. We would've lost the war several times over if you hadn't negotiated with the allies and secured funding in the first place."

"Most flattering."

Holly turned to face him and lifted a playful eyebrow. "Is that modesty I hear? Did you just let go of an opportunity to brag about your skills?"

"I'm a changed person, Captain," Artemis couldn't resist a grin. "I'm past those childish fetishes now."

Holly snorted. "Not in front of Foaly, you aren't."

"I'm not trying to impress Foaly."

"Really? And you're trying to impress me?"

Artemis shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Does it look that way to you?"

The elf smirked. "Oh, let me start ticking them off. Seven star restaurant. Sky lounge. Pretty city lights. Check, check and check. You really are losing your touch."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "I half expected that interpretation from the centaur."

"And it means nothing to you?"

"Not...as such," he'd evaded her gaze a third time. "In all the years we've known each other, it's always taken a crisis to, as you would say, hang out. I'm not an expert on the subject, but I'm pretty certain that isn't how normal friendships work."

"Artemis," the elf sighed. "Normal people hang out at Starbucks."

"I said I wasn't an expert in the matter."

Holly snickered. "You," she took his arm. "Are a terrible liar, Fowl."

They now faced each other fully, and if Holly was being perfectly honest with herself, she would later recall that this was the instant that everything else in the environment faded into a faraway background, the lights, the buildings, the distant hum of slow traffic. Except for, really, the pale light illuminating the human's face, exposing the fine detail of his features.

"This is another time," said Holly softly, placing a hand on his cheek. "This is another fight we're leading, a new enemy, and a new strain. A second Taillite, Artemis. We can win this war...or lose very, very badly. And I can't even...think of the consequences."

"We'll find a way," a pale hand encased hers. "You have a genius on your side."

Holly laughed. "Unbelievable."

The moment stretched on, but it didn't last nearly as long as she would've liked. She would've liked another eternity to observe the faint glow over his features, or the rare vulnerability that touched his eyes now. To feel the hand on hers. Unfortunately it could be no one's fault but her own that she suddenly remembered the other presence in the room, and it forced a violent snap out of her reverie.

"Butler," she said, somewhat sheepishly, looking in the other direction. "I'm sorry, I forgot–"

"About time," grunted the manservant, but the humour in his tone was unmistakeable. "I was half hoping for an assassin to come knocking."

The elf rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't."

"Holly," came Artemis's voice, as collected as it was always. She looked back at him.

"Are you heading to HQ?"

Holly nodded, sober once again after having been reminded of her rank and the tasks that awaited her soon enough. "I thought I'd spend the night in Haven, but if you're taking a shuttle headed that way–"

"I can book a shuttle for tomorrow morning," Artemis shook his head. "You'll get a better night's rest here than during the journey. Will it be my apartment?"

The elf raised an eyebrow at him, knowing that he knew full well that there was no alternative. She had quarters in close proximity to the LEP center above ground, now, and had moved out of her original flat a couple of months previously and ceased to pay the rent. During those occasional visits to Haven she would normally bunk in either LEP quarters, at Foaly's vacant place or at his, bearing a key of her own to each.

"The last time I was there, your alarm went off at some ungodly hour and the guest room heard it well."

Artemis failed to look impressed. "Multiple times, Captain, I've warned you about that alarm."

"Let's just head back," Holly didn't have to feign a yawn. It came all on its own. "I'm aching for those deluxe pillows."