Edited by BlackOpal

WARNING: This story contains spoilers for the Time Paradox. Do not read it if you haven’t read TTP!

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Never in all my years had I ever witnessed a marvel such as the Mud Boy whose name shall remain long imbedded in my mind as well as the entire fairy race. Artemis Fowl (in less than a decade!) had provoked, befriended, and became a hero to the People of the Lower Elements. His intellect, cleverness, and sheer luck had saved himself and the People countless times. In his abrupt and chance meetings with Captain Holly Short, Mulch Diggums, and I, the noble and brave (and handsome) centaur, Foaly, he had changed from a ruthless criminal into a technological genius/hero. Of all of us, however, I had never seen such a connection between Captain Holly Short and Artemis Fowl…

Chapter One: Dreaming Without Sleeping

Fowl Manor

Artemis Fowl was exhausted. Three days ago, he had went back in time to stop himself from killing an almost extinct race. He also requested for Captain Holly Short to accompany him, although she was not allowed to carry any weaponry or equipment due to the time travel. As a result of time transfiguration, Artemis had aged three years and Holly had dropped down to the age of eighteen. He had only been gone ten seconds in his own time, but he had spent nearly three days battling the younger and exponentially more ruthless version of himself. Unfortunately for Artemis and Holly, they also had to face the younger and more agile Butler, Artemis’ bodyguard and… butler. In a total accumulation of events, they had also faced a group of relgious killers known as the Extinctionists as well as their former adversary, Opal Koboi.

In a total accumulation to the LEP and to Foaly, they had created a time paradox that determined their fates in the past from the future.

What was not included in this total accumulation, however, was the moment that had passed between the human, Artemis Fowl, and the elf, Holly Short. Due to a serious and fatal blow from an enraged gorilla, Holly had used her magic to revive Artemis. After a brief exchange of sincere and humorous words, Holly had kissed him.

In their kiss, blue sparks had erupted around the area in which they made contact: their lips. Duh.

Duh? Goodness, Artemis was losing himself in his thoughts. Three days after this whole adventure, and he was only able to sleep a total accumulation of five hours. Not very healthy for a growing boy. Or a teenager. Whatever he was. In his sleep deprivation, he had also developed a knack for mainstream slang terminology such as the word “Duh.” He was sitting in an oxblood leather armchair, tapping his fingers gently along the armrest, thinking of…

“I’ve prepared a light lunch for you, sir,” said Butler, entering from the doorway with a tray. Upon his entrance, he observed his young master and took note of the dark circles forming under his eyes. “…but you have yet to tell me what’s been keeping you up at night. Perhaps you were also affected by the Spelltrophy?”

“No no, I’m quite alright. Between you and I…” Artemis began.

“Yes?” Butler asked, placing the lunch tray on the table and sitting in the chair closest to Artemis.

“…I’ve been finding myself so deep in thought about something.”

“Something such as…?” Butler persisted.

“I’ll tell you in due time, but… is this what dreaming is like, old friend?”

“Well, I can’t imagine dreaming without sleeping, Artemis.”

“…Was that a joke/suggestion combination?” Artemis asked. It was strange to think that several years ago, he and Butler had been so formal that they barely communicated with one another. They had only said what was necessary. Nowadays, jokes and humerous phrases passed between them like quips between a centaur and a dwarf.

Ha ha. Another funny.

“Perhaps, but you are pursuing this dream, no?” Butler asked.

“Yes I am, Butler. More than anything,” he said adamantally.

“Well perhaps you’ll feel a little more refreshed if you sleep. And in your sleep, you may just find who you’re looking for.” Butler said, laying a hand on Artemis’ shoulder.

“Thank you, Butler.” As Artemis stood up from his chair, his brain had finished processing what Butler had just said to him.

“How did you know I was looking for someone?”

“Love hits all of us at one point, Artemis.” Butler smiled and exited the room.

Artemis decided it was time for some rest. He could sort out all of his emotional problems after a good night’s sleep.

But they aren’t problems, he thought to himself. How could it be a problem if it makes me so… happy?

He slowly tucked himself into bed, and ran a finger over his lips. He felt a phantom tingle where they had kissed.

Lower Elements

“Holly,” Foaly said, hugging his dear friend. He had been testing one of his new LEP gadgets when he saw Holly walk into his laboratory. “You are looking younger every day! You’ve gotta tell me your secret!” Foaly continued, with a big and cheery grin on his face.

Holly, although she tried to smile, could not manage to match his enthusiasm.

“What’s wrong, Holly?” the centaur asked, kneeling down to make eye contact.

Her skin was a healthy chestnut color, and her auburn hair was shining beautifully in the artificial light of the Lower Elements. Still, she looked terribly depressed.

“Speak to me, buddy. I’m here for you.”

At that point, Holly began crying.

Foaly had been a witness to many things in his life, but none could compare to seeing Captain Holly Short cry. It was a rare and emotional sight. Foaly wrapped his arms around her. Her sobs hit him like punches, only they hurt more. He felt like a father, holding his daughter.

“It’s… okay” he tried to say.

“Foaly… Why does this hurt so much?” she managed to blurt out between sobs.

In the past three days after her time traveling adventure, she had never felt more invigorated, young, and healthy than the time she had spent with Artemis during their three day journey in the past to save Mrs. Fowl. Then again, she had become younger on the trip to the past, but she had reverted back to her normal self as soon as she stepped foot in her present. In those short three days, she had felt herself become exponentially more energetic. However, she had realized that, in those three days, only one thought had been burning in her mind: Artemis.

“Why does what hurt so much? Tell me what’s wrong,” Foaly said, wiping tears from her eyes and brushing away her auburn locks.

She sniffed and wiped her nose, looking up at Foaly with a set of teary eyes. She wanted to say what her heart was trying to release, but she couldn’t. She had always been an expert at controlling her emotions, and yet… it was as if her heart was telling her that she shouldn’t control it.

“It’s… I don’t know, Foaly… My heart, my emotions… I’m so confused right now!” she blurted out, breathing sharply and unevenly into Foaly’s arms.

He scooped her up and looked at her. She was beginning to look like her younger self again, fresh out of the Academy.

“Look, I know what’ll cheer you up, or at least clear your mind. I’ll get permission from Commander Kelp to grant you a surface scan. I’ll say you’re testing out new field equipment,” he said, grabbing a bracelet-esque device from his work station. “It’s a branch off of my camfoil, the ‘camband,’” he continued, putting it on Holly’s wrist. “Instead of having to cover yourself with the foil, this baby’ll cover you with a body-forming light barrier. The neat thing is, though, is that you can also camoflauge anyone that you make contact with. Pretty genius, huh?”

Holly could tell that Foaly was just trying to say things to try and get her mind off of what was bothering her, but he was right; a trip to the surface usually cheered her up and cleared her thoughts.

“And… I didn’t suggest it, but you can visit your Mud Boy, too,” he added.

Holly felt a phantom tingle run over her lips.

“Arty?” she blurted excitedly.

“Arty? Is that what you call him now?” Foaly turned around to look at her, but she was already gone.

Chapter Two: Sweet Nothings

Fowl Manor

Artemis awoke from his sleep. He knew he had been dreaming, but the only sequence he could recall was his lips touching Holly’s yet again. And, yet again, he felt the phantom tingle run over his lips.

He undressed from his pajamas and slipped into a pair of black tuxedo pants and a tuxedo shirt. He had done it almost subconciously, putting on a pair of tuxedo shoes, a black bowtie, and a black jacket.

For what? he asked himself.

He stepped out into the Fowl Manor balcony. Ivy and vines crept up and swirled around the railing, growing at opposite ends and twisting until they met one another. The Moon was full and clear. He noticed several of his mother’s flowers had bloomed, their petals collecting water droplets. They reflected the moonlight, giving them the illusion of being precious gems. Artemis walked over and carefully selected one. He picked a full and lush rose, tinted blue at the tips with a swirl of colors leading into the middle. He picked off every thorn and carefully cut the stem and held the flower in his hand.

He looked up into the starry sky, and then into the vast acres of the Fowl Estate.

Do I really think that dressing up will make Holly come? he thought to himself, ridiculing his meaningless actions.

Yeah, I kinda do. And if she does come, I’ll have a flower for her.

Artemis again paused and replayed his thought process. He had used the words “yeah” and “kinda.” Goodness, it was contagious.

“Holly…” he whispered softly.

Coast of Dublin, Ireland

Holly felt the chill night air hit her face. She immediately shielded herself, swooping low to feel the cool aura eminate from the Irish shore.

Artemis.

She felt a sudden giddiness rise in her. She felt like a teenager again, as if…

As if we were in the past all over again.

She continued to move along the coast until she felt her heart tug at her. She lifted up and began to head towards Fowl Manor. She couldn’t help but feel hopeless, almost resenting herself for thinking that he might be awake at this time of night.

No point in turning back now, she thought to herself.

As she glided over the Fowl Estate she searched earnestly, hoping to catch him on a midnight walk in the courtyard. She continued to flutter, keeping her shield on and flying skillfully in the night sky. The stars were beautiful tonight, and the Moon was full and radiant. She landed on a nearby tree branch and unshielded for just a moment. She removed her helmet and felt the breeze weave inbetween the locks of her hair and her pointed ears.

Just then, she heard the soft sound of footsteps. She turned to see her Artemis walking into the balcony, dressed in–

…her Artemis? She shook the thought out of her head.

–dressed in a sharp black and white tuxedo. His hair, however, seemed as though he had just woken up. She took the liberty of giggling softly to herself. She watched as he walked here and there, studying the night sky and looking thoughtfully into the horizon.

Oh Artemis… What might be filling your mind?

She continued to gaze at Artemis as he–

Gaze? Really, Holly… Try to get a grip on yourself.

–as he begin to examine a rose in a nearby bushel. She shielded again and began to glide towards him, eager to say hello. Foaly popped up in her helmet cam.

“Where are you, Holly? You didn’t even bother to check in with me,” he said. “Listen, about your–”

“Not now Foaly, please. Please.”

Foaly was again struck by a rare occasion. Holly had said the word “please” twice in a row.

“And please don’t leave the helmet mic on. This is… private.” Holly stared into Foaly’s video image.

He wondered what exactly was going on, but he decided to let her be. Hopefully she would fill him in later.

“Sure Holly… Just be safe, okay?” he said, smiling into his video feed.

“I will be, Foaly. Go get some rest,” she said, smiling back.

Foaly shut off all visual and audio connections to the LEP helmet. Holly resumed her path to meet with Artemis. She almost gasped when she realized she was only three feet away from him. She hovered in place, looking directly at him without him even knowing. He stared in her direction. She felt like he somehow sensed her.

“Holly…” he whispered softly.

Her eyes widened, and she unshielded.

“How did you know?” she asked quietly, as not to disturb the quiet night.

Artemis’ head jerked up. He assessed the situation before he asked any unnecessary questions.

“I actually didn’t,” he said casually. He held back pouring out all his feelings.

“I’m starting to think that eye of mine can spot me out,” she said, landing on the balcony and trying to mimic casual conversation. During one of their adventures, Holly and Artemis had bothed switched one eye with the other. In a sense, they had a little of each other in each other.

“I was actually just taking a breath of fresh air.” Artemis was, in fact, trying very hard not to take Holly into his arms and hold her forever.

“Likewise, Mud Boy,” she said, removing her helmet. Her beauty radiated with the moonlight shining across her skin. “But I figured I’d drop by just to say hello.”

“I see. A bit strange that we crossed paths at such an odd hour of night.”

“Just a bit,” she said, turning her back to him. “Do you regret it? I can leave now if–”

“No,” Artemis quickly took a gentle but firm hold of her shoulder. He just as quickly let go. “I mean, you don’t have to leave. If you have to, I completely understand. I wouldn’t want to waste your–”

“Shut up Artemis,” she said, smiling. She took several steps closer to him. “You know I wouldn’t waste my time with anything. I just figured I’d check up on you.”

He smiled. Suddenly, every terrible night of sleep deprivation seemed to evaporate now that Holly was here. He remembered he had picked that particular rose and held it up to her.

Holly’s eyes widened slightly. The corners of her mouth turned into a smile. Artemis could not help but smile also.

She reached out for the rose. Her hand made contact with his hand. She closed it tight. They slowly began to move closer to each other.

“So, the great Artemis Fowl suddenly becomes a ladies’ man?” she said, still trying to keep the casual atmosphere.

“I am just being a gentleman, and I’m merely displaying my great admiration of your wondrous beauty,” he replied keeping his stance.

“So you think I’m very beautiful?” she said, almost teasing the young man.

“There is no comparison.”

“Hmm. I’m sure you say that to all the females you meet, Artemis Fowl.”

“No, Holly… It’s not like that at all…” he said, suddenly breaking their light-hearted conversation. He looked down to his shoes. He let go of her hand. Their contact had evaporated.

Holly realized she had just humbled her closest friend. She did not mean to do so, she was only trying to keep their playful banter aloft. She walked closer to him.

“Hey, lighten up Arty, you know I didn’t mean anything by that…” she said, trying to apologize without saying sorry.

He looked up at her (or, rather, tilted his head slightly upwards to look at her) and looked deeply into her eyes. He noticed somethingly alarmingly different about her.

“Holly, you’re… younger?” he asked. His hands were suddenly touching her face.

They had both stopped abruptly, looking at each other in the eyes. One hazel and one blue.

Holly had dropped her helmet and had her free hand (and her hand holding the flower) around Artemis’ waist.

They were both blushing, and yet refused to let go of one another.

Not yet, they both thought.

They heard the slight creak of footsteps approaching them. Holly quickly activated Foaly’s new camband and in an instant, they both were cloaked underneath the light-bending camoflauge.

“Artemis? I thought I heard something–”

Butler had entered the balcony, assuming his young master was leaning on the rail staring thoughtfully into the starry sky. However, Butler was wrong. His principal was nowhere to be found. Butler tried to be worried, but his instincts told him that Artemis was in no mortal danger. Still, he wanted to know where Artemis was, just in case.

As Butler circled the balcony, Artemis and Holly were holding each other close. Artemis felt the warmth rising from Holly’s body. Although they couldn’t see each other, he could still feel her. He could tell she was trying to look at him; he felt her quiet breaths softly hitting his chin. He looked down to try and make some form of eye contact with her. Silly, but this night wasn’t a night meant for calculations and rational reasoning. Artemis had decided to follow his heart.

Butler walked towards the railing to check if Artemis was perhaps taking a midnight walk in the courtyard.

Holly felt Artemis’ hands stroke her face. Although they couldn’t see each other, she was certain that she was making eye contact with him. They held each other tightly. As Artemis caressed her cheeks and face, she felt herself blush. She could feel his heartbeat slowly rising. Her knees buckled, but she tried to stay as still as possible. She leaned more into his chest for support.

Butler could not find his principal. As he turned to exit the balcony, he heard a sharp intake of air. He did not stop walking, but kept his hand on his Sig Sauer. When he turned to glance over the balcony one more time, he noticed an LEP helmet stowed away behind a flower pot. Not far away from it, he could see the breaths coming from two invisible mouths. After all, it was a chilly night. Butler proceeded to leave without saying a word. Artemis was in good hands. Literally.

As Butler exited the balcony, Holly turned off her camband. They both began to appear out of their transparent state, still holding each other. Both of their faces were suddenly soft in the moonlight, and their cheeks were brushed lightly with a shade of red. They carefully loosened each other’s grip on one another, but they did not break contact. Artemis inhaled through his nostrils. Holly’s scent hinted that she had just flown over the shore. She ran her fingers through his bed hair. She giggled softly to herself.

“Well…” she said.

“So…” he said.

They both stopped for a quick moment to ponder their situation; they had both suddenly become so fond of one another that they were saying absolute sweet nothings without the other knowing.

“It’s… nice to see you again, Arty,” she smiled.

“I’m glad you took the time to visit,” he replied, smiling back. “It could be just me, but you truly look like you’re getting younger, Captain.”

“So I’ve heard. I’m not sure what to make of it.”

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing but if this continues, I’d rather not have you turn into an infant. I’ve already got two twin baby brothers to worry about.” Artemis chuckled lightly.

“The time stream…? Maybe we should ask Foaly and Qwan about this when–”

Holly had just realized that Artemis was looking deeply into her eyes. She leaned an inch forward. Their noses touched. She had also just realized that she was standing on her toes.

“Captain…” Artemis began.

“Please, Arty… You can call me–”

“–Holly.” Artemis finished her sentence.

Their lips began to move closer to one another. Slowly. Quietly. Gracefully. Holly closed her eyes. Artemis shut his own.

Their lips touched. Blue sparks began to erupt between them. The flower Artemis had picked had suddenly grown healthier in Holly’s hand. It began to eminate a white glow. His hand slid into the arch of her back. He pulled her a fraction of an inch closer. He kept his other hand cupping her cheek. Holly just let the magic happen. Literally.

Lower Elements

Foaly was just about to pack up for the night when he noticed a spike in Holly’s body-readings. He had designed an LEP suit that scanned its host’s body processes. According to Holly’s, her magic had suddenly hit levels of extreme power. Foaly guessed that she had probably taken the time to do her Ritual.

Still, Foaly thought, I’ve never seen a spike like that in my entire life.

Fowl Manor

Their lips continued touching.

You idiot, your lips aren’t just touching. You’re kissing her, Artemis thought to himself.

I’m kissing him, Holly thought to herself.

Slowly and sweetly they let their kiss seperate. Blue sparks of magic still passed between their lips and bodies.

“Arty… I… I don’t know what to say,” she said, with a smile of uncertainty.

He thought hard about what he should say.

“You don’t need to say anything,” he said looking into her eyes. One blue and one hazel.

Holly tried to think of something to reply with, but she was speechless.

“You should head back. It’s late, and I’m certain your surface scan wasn’t supposed to last this long,” he said, smiling.

“Yeah, you’re right. I should probably head back soon before Kelp starts throwing a hissy fit.”

“Well… Goodnight then, Holly. Sweet dreams.” Artemis said, slowly letting go but holding on to one hand.

Holly tucked her rose into the inside of her LEP uniform. “Goodnight, Arty. Try to get some sleep, okay?” she said, putting on her helmet. She tried to hide her blushing face, and was almost happy to get the helmet on. As she started her wings, she felt Artemis hold her hand once more. She turned to face him.

“It’s a silly question, but… Do you ever dream of the first time we–”

“Yes I do, and I plan on doing so again when I get home,” Holly said, cutting him off.

Artemis smiled. Holly lifted her visor and kissed him on the nose. She shielded herself and Artemis could no longer see her.

He took two careful steps forward and turned around. She would be gone by now. He lifted up his arms and smiled into the open night sky. He jumped for joy in erratic and spontaneous bursts. He was as giddy as Butler recieving a new firearm.

“So, got a girlfriend now, eh?”

Artemis quickly composed himself as Butler stepped onto the balcony.

Speak of the devil, he laughed silently to himself.

Meanwhile, Holly was flying circles, swirls, helixes, and every other shape in the night sky. She laughed loudly and swooped low and swung high, soaking in the night’s glory. She had fulfilled her night, and she was as happy as a dwarf burrowing in fresh clay.

Foaly appeared on her screen.

“Holly, I just wanted to check up on–hey, you’re looking cheery! What happened?” he said, pointing his eye towards the camera. “What were you up to, Holly Short?”

Holly laughed giddily like a young lady. “I’ll tell you when I get back home… Maybe.”

“Oh, you tease too much,” Foaly said, letting out a snort.

Some other stories by Stick:

• Blue Sparks: Part 3
• Blue Sparks: First Fanfilm Pictures!
• Blue Sparks: Part 2
• Blue Sparks Questionairre