Artemis walked the streets of Dublin alone, a dangerous move for one who was the target of so many corporations and assassins across and under the world. Right now, though, he would have welcomed an assassination.

He had finally plucked up the courage to spill his guts to Holly, and she had listened calmly to his innermost feelings and his declarations of love, and then had quite calmly sat there and shattered his heart into a million pieces like a gnome crushing a peanut between his molars.

I know how you feel, but we can never be together. I have a duty to the people. We’ll always be friends, but that’s the way it has to stay. I feel the same way, but we’ve got to block these feelings. Come on, Artemis, you of all people know how to do that! she had said jokingly, but every word she had spoken was like a punch in the face to him. It felt like she had shattered his heart and was now stamping on the pieces. He knew she was joking when she had said about blocking emotions, but he had felt nothing but sorrow.

And now he was here, in the rain, wandering aimlessly around Dublin, mulling over their adventures in his head. He was so engrossed that he didn’t notice Holly crouching on a gargoyle above his head. He didn’t notice when she shielded and dropped to head height with her wings. He was so engrossed, in fact, that he didn’t even notice the ten-ton articulated lorry bearing down on him, the driver distracted by a mobile phone.

Holly screamed as she saw the wall of petrol-powered steel smash into Artemis’s frail body. He, meanwhile, didn’t even let out so much as a yelp. He was so depressed that he barely noticed when the truck, out of control, smashed against a brick wall at an angle, throwing him off the front and under the wheels.

Holly was the first to the site, closely followed by Butler, whom she had called moments ago when she saw Artemis walking alone down the streets in Downtown Dublin.

She knelt beside his body, not even caring that she was unshielded, and wept openly for her mistakes. She sobbed as she pumped magic into his body, trying to heal the fatal injuries he had sustained. His eyes cracked open, and he focused on Holly’s face.

“You came back…” he whispered, so quietly that she almost didn’t hear.

“Artemis! Don’t leave me! Don’t you dare die, mud boy!”

Artemis laughed, an action which brought up blood and mucus from his throat.

“Listen for a moment, Holly,” he said. “I’m gone. My sixth and seventh ribs have broken, liercing my lung. My shins are shattered, and my spine is fractured at the 14th vertebrae. I have excessive blood loss - all the magic in Haven couldn’t help me now.”

“Artemis, NO! Stay with me! Do’t you dare die, don’t you DARE!” she said, tears streaming down her nut-brown cheeks. “I… I love you”

Artemis’s face lit up, and for a moment he had his victory expression on.

“Knew it.”

Holly did what she could, and Butler just managed to get him into a freezer drawer in a nearby restaurant. He had maybe a minute to live unfrozen, and an hour frozen. Holly called Foaly, but was choked by tears, so Butler was forced to make the call. Within twenty minutes a timestop was in place, the police had been dismissed and Number One was working on Artemis. Holly sat on the bumper of Butler’s parked Bentley, her head in her hands. Now she knew how Artemis had felt…

A little while later, Number One emerged from the restaurant, slick with sweat and with a grim expression on his face.

“I did all I could” he said.

“You mean…” Holly’s lip quivered.

“He’s got maybe twenty minutes tops” said the small warlock. Holly ran into the building and saw him, barely standing. His face was far from the pale one she had once known - a scar ran down his face from forehead to mouth, one of his eyes was bandaged over and his hair was greasy and matted. His suit was torn and bloodstained, and every breath he took caused a fit of coughing which brought up mucus and blood. Holly ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Oh gods, I’m sorry, Artemis,” she said. “This is all my fault!”

“On the contrary, captain. If you hadn’t been shadowing me, I would have died on the scene. Instead I will leave this world in the company of my dearest friends.”

She stared him in the eyes, and kissed him. One kiss, short but it felt to the two of them like it lasted an eternity. When Holly broke away, Artemis collapsed. She knelt by him, cradling his head in her lap, choking back sobs. Her speech was periodically interrupted by short, gasping breaths.

“Holly, I am not long for this world. As I walk through the shadow of the valley of death i shall fear no evil… for i am the baddest bitch in that whole goddamn valley. Remember, I love you, elf. I don’t care what anyone thinks. I love you.”

Holly choked back tears.

“Love you back” she whispered into his ear.

And so, Artemis Fowl II died…

Some other stories by LEP-recon124:

• Open war
• Power of the Ancients
• Alliance
• LEP-centurion001 part two
• Pariah (a dreams and nightmares spin-off)