Hello, everybody! Here's a drabble I've been putting off for almost a year now. This drabble contains one of my OCs, Thalia White, from The Girl Behind The Scenes, my very first long story writing attempt (go read it!). Now, when I was writing it, loads of people wanted Thalia and Artemis to be a couple, but I wasn't prepared for it. Sure, part of me wanted to, but I decided in the end to let them end up as almost siblings.

But finally, I gathered the nerves to write this INCREDIBLY cliched drabble, on that one genre that I like to avoid like the plague: romance. I don't know if it's weird (all romance is weird to me) or good, or way too sappy, or whatever. I just wrote it. I hope that it doesn't make you cringe...

Thalia was sitting in her room, waiting for 8:00 pm. It wasn't for dinner, though. Angeline Fowl had organized one of her extravagant balls tonight, and she was ready for it. Well, almost.

Secretly, she felt completely out of place; she wasn't a Fowl, and she wasn't one for balls. The only one she'd attended was long back, when she had come here with her entire family. Now, she wasn't so sure.

Three sharp knocks echoed through her room.

"Can I come in?" asked a voice. "Yes, you can," said Thalia, and looked up to see Artemis in her room. Thalia shot to her feet. "Uh, I'm not ready yet-", she started. Artemis shook his head. "You have to come down in two hours, Thalia. Mother wants you to look perfect," he said. Thalia looked down. "I don't know, Artemis. I'm not even part of your family, why should I come? What are the guests going to think?" she asked, nervously pulling at her hair.

"Don't be silly, Thalia. You're just as much a part of the family as I am," said Artemis. Thalia did not reply. Artemis walked over to her. Then, he noticed that she was crying. He was surprised. She was not someone who cried for such small things. "Why are you crying?" he asked, a little softer. Thalia looked up, her face a mess. "I-Artemis, I can't come," she said, choking a little. Artemis sighed. "Thalia, it'll be fine. Trust me," said Artemis.

Thalia smiled a little. "Okay," she said, and Artemis smiled, and started to leave. "I'll get Juliet to come help you," he said, as he walked out.

Artemis was waiting for Thalia downstairs. Almost all the guests were here, but there was no sign of Thalia.

Then, she came down the stairs, and he was pleasantly surprised. She wasn't wearing some long, flowing dress; just a simple and elegant gown. Yet, she was shining with some kind of light that drew his eyes to her. Her hair was tied in a simple bun, with a few strands curling down her face. As she reached Artemis, she smiled guiltily. "Sorry, I'm late, I was just busy-" she said. Artemis smiled. "It looks like it was worth it," he said. Thalia smiled gratefully, and walked off to find Angeline.

Artemis watched her go, and then, in a wave of realization, it hit him. All the time he spent with her, he had never thought of them as anything beyond best friends. But now, he felt like he had never felt before. Thalia was just like him; a genius, a musician, a theorist. But he had never stopped to notice that she could just as easily look pretty. She was beautiful. She was amazing.

She had been with him from when they were children; they did experiments together, and researched topics far beyond their years together. Then, she had left for New York, and he got caught up in his family matters, and eventually, the fairy People. But, she had come back, and with a huge role to play in the whole scene. She had suffered more than he could ever imagine, and her mind was damaged quite badly.

Even then, she rose from the ashes, and was now better than ever. She glowed with confidence, and her experiences had only added to her resilience.

She was now everything that a person could be: intelligent, kind, confident, and beautiful. She was almost perfect. Now, she was completely healed, and she looked more enchanting than ever.

And he felt more elated than ever before.

I love her, he realized with a jolt. I've fallen in love?

Thalia came back, and was gesturing for him to come over, but he was deep in his thoughts. She walked over, and waved her hand in front of his face. "Artemis?" she asked. Artemis snapped back to the present, but he was at a mysterious loss for words. "Y-yes?" he answered, with a surprising lack of eloquence.

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "What happened?" she asked. "Nothing," said Artemis, regaining his composure. "What is it?" Thalia looked relieved. "Butler's calling for you. What are you doing standing around here anyway?" she asked, and walked back. Artemis shook his head, and went over to Butler. "Yes, Butler?" he asked.

"Artemis, go show the Richmonds to the garden," said Butler, who was passing around silver platters to the helpers. Then, Butler looked at Artemis. He smiled. "Artemis, you have quite a funny look on your face," he said. "I do?" asked Artemis, drily, covering it up. Butler shook his head. "I know there are many pretty girls around today, Artemis, but now is not the time," said Butler. Artemis scoffed, and went over to the lost couple standing by the fountain.

He showed them to the garden, and after politely wishing them a good time, he came back to see Thalia sitting on a bench on her own. He approached her, but now, his stomach was filled with butterflies, and his heart was thumping quite hard. Curse these stupid hormones, he thought. It'll ruin my relation with Thalia. He sat down, and looked at the girl.

Thalia was busy staring at a boy near the fountain. He had light brown hair, and he was wearing a black suit for the occasion. But, those were not the details her eyes were picking up; she was in her own world of thoughts.

She had been secretly hoping that Artemis would ask her to dance tonight; for she had realized that she loved him quite a while back. He, on the other hand, did not seem like he noticed it at all. She had almost given up on wishful thinking, when Angeline Fowl announced the ball. Suddenly, the future was full of possibilities. Maybe, she thought, Artemis would feel the same way.

Artemis followed Thalia's line of gaze, and saw the boy, who was talking animatedly to a few girls, who were all laughing at a joke he had apparently made. Of course, he thought. Why did I even try to hope for such a futile thing?

He looked back at Thalia, who was now looking at him, straight in the eye. His heart skipped a beat, and against his will, his face was flushed with a tinge of red.

"Artemis, do you like dancing?" she asked, uncertainly.

It was now or never. He knew that she also felt the same way as him, but he hadn't the slightest idea what to do now. "I don't know," said his mouth, automatically.

Thalia's eyes glowed. "Care to try?" she asked, with a mischievous smile. Artemis smiled too, and his head nodded of its own accord. Thalia got up, and looked at him hopefully. Artemis stood up too, and he offered his hand to her with a flourish. "May I have the honor of having a dance, Miss White?" he asked, with a playful smile of his own. Thalia took his hand. "I'd be glad to," she said, and Artemis swept her out to the garden.

Yes, he was terrible at managing his own emotions, but he had excellent manners. His mother had brought him up in such a way, that if it hadn't been for his father's illegal work, he would have been quite the charmer. One of the lessons he had taken was ballroom dancing. And the music which was now flowing out of the white piano that was now being played by a pianist was his own composition.

Thalia was surprised by his ability to dance. She had not expected this. She could see Angeline Fowl's training all over the place. She smirked. "You're quite suave," she said, as she twirled around. Her voice sounded level, but her heart was beating furiously against her chest. "Mother," he said, as though that explained everything.

And then, out of nowhere, he kissed her. She was taken aback; she never thought that he had shared her feelings. Her heart was leaping with joy, and she kissed him back.

Nothing else mattered then. Unsaid words passed between them; and they both realized that they felt the same way. He held her soft, small face in his hands, and drew her closer. Her hands went around him, and his short hair tickled the tips of her fingers.

Thalia could feel Artemis's heart beating madly against his chest. He smelled like fresh mint, and his lips tasted like lemonade.

Thalia was floating up high; everything she'd wanted had come true. She wanted nothing else in the world at that moment. She had him, and that was enough.

Artemis was slightly surprised by his impulsive action, but Thalia didn't seem to mind; on the contrary, she seemed to like it. His heart was racing at a hundred miles per hour. She loves me, he realized. And he was glad she did. Thalia tugged him even closer, and the kiss deepened.

After what felt like an infinite amount of time, they broke apart. Thalia's face was flushed bright red. "I love you, Thalia," said Artemis. Thalia laughed. "I love you too," she said. They looked around. No one seemed to have noticed them amongst the throng that they were in right now. They made their way out, and they walked slowly into the maze that grew away to the side. "You're a good kisser," said Thalia, breathlessly, as they walked into it.

Artemis choked, and then laughed. "I never knew that," he said. Thalia laughed, and they climbed back up the stairs. "You know, you're not bad, either," he said. Thalia's eyes widened. "Wh-what?" she said, and it was Artemis's turn to laugh at her. She laughed too, and it was like tinkling bells. Then, they stopped, for they had reached the center. "Full moon, tonight," said Thalia, looking up at the glowing silver orb in the sky. "You do know that the hypothesis that Earth-Moon system was probably formed by a large impact to the Earth by a massive planet long back is quite wrong, yes?" asked Artemis. Thalia looked into his eyes. "Shut up, Artemis," she said, reaching out and drawing him closer. She looked straight into his clear blue eyes. "Kiss me."

And so he did. Their entwined figures stood there, under the moon, for who knows how long. And then, the most beautiful comet shower lit up the sky. Meteors, with their breathtakingly beautiful tails swept across the sky. All the people at the ball pointed up in excitement, and looked on. But the people who enjoyed that moment the most, were the two lovers at the center of a long, winding maze.

*peeks out of tightly shut eyes* How was it? I don't know a single thing about love, romance, or whatever it is. But, this is what I thought it to be.(Excuse me if it feels a little too much like Cassandra Clare writing; I've been reading the Mortal Instruments, and whatever author's work I'm reading, I tend to kind of unconsciously incorporate their writing style into mine. Sorry!)

So, don't forget to READ, RATE, and REVIEW! (Gods, I hate typing in all caps.)

Bye!

Author1720

P.S Cookies, anyone? (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (: (Whoops, I ate the last one! ;))