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An Unexpected Turn of Events	By : Kaori_Kisaragi Category: A through F > Artemis Fowl Views: 11369 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Artemis Fowl. No copyright infringement intended. No profits were gained in the creation of this story. By a fan - for the fans.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Artemis and Holly headed back to his bedroom to change. Holly was forcing herself out of her funk. There was no point being down in the dumps on her 'vacation'. She should, and would, enjoy every minute she had with Artemis... every fleeting minute.
Artemis pulled off his soaked Polo shirt and caught Holly eyeing him. He smiled at her, crooking a perfectly shaped eyebrow at her. "Like what you see?" he teased.
Holly ignored this taunt. She was still plotting her revenge, payback for this morning's episode. Slowly, she started taking off her own wet clothes. His eyes were locked on her. She wanted him to suffer, and so, dragged out every titillating movement with an innocent, nubile expression on her face.
One by one, Holly freed the small buttons of her blouse, lingering painfully when she had just exposed her bra. She let the damp shirt carelessly slide down her caramel shoulders as she went. Artemis, seemingly made of stone, was barely breathing. Right where I want you, she mused. She drew her lithe arms from the sticky sleeves and turned away. Unbuttoning her jeans, she let the zipper hum down, just loud enough for Artemis to hear. Looping her thumbs in the belt straps, she prepared to drag the denim down with excruciating slowness. It was then she realized the jeans had become unusually tight, shrunken from all the moisture. She was still tugging at the stubborn waist when she felt the clasp of her bra come undone. Her arm flew to her chest, but not fast enough to keep the garment on. When she spun around, Artemis was right behind her, smirking.
"What? It's wet too. It really should come off, anyway." he nodded in mock innocence.
"Watch it, Fowl." She gave him a playful smack on the arm.
Artemis feigned injury, clutching his arm like it was in pain. "How could you, Short?"
Holly squealed when Artemis suddenly grabbed her around the waist, lifting her with ease. He flung her onto the edge of the bed, and leaned his bare chest over hers. Her arms were sprawled across the warm bedspread, looking up at him with beaming, heterochromatic eyes.
Holly's chest heaved. Greedily, she took in the scent of his moist skin and wet hair as he held himself over her. A playful smile spread across his face. Artemis stood up, and said "Now Holly, what kind of gentleman would I be, if I didn't assist you?" He lifted her legs, gently leaning them vertically against his chest. He made quick work of her socks, but then paused, to tenderly kiss the soles of her tiny feet. Holly was mesmerized by this contrasting, caring touch. He reached for the waist of her tight jeans, and, with considerable effort, managed to peel them from her smooth, bronze legs. He just ran his hands up and down them for a while, massaging her muscles. He knew they'd still be sore from riding. Holly couldn't believe this was the same man she'd 'bathed' with this morning.
He stopped stripping her when he got down to her panties. The thin white bottoms weren't spared from the soaking, and were completely see-through now. He eyed them hungrily, and slipped them off too.
Holly let her clothes come off her in a heady daze. Suddenly, when she realized she was completely naked, she instinctually tried to cover herself with her arms. He chuckled at her reaction.
"Bashful, all of a sudden?" he said, bemused. The wet slacks dropped to his ankles, along with his boxers.
"Artemis! A little greedy, aren't we?" Holly smirked at him.
He crawled over top of her on the bed. He leaned down and spoke softly into her ear. "Come, Holly. You're leaving tomorrow, and then, who knows when we'll be together again."
Holly's stomach flipped. He was right. She had no idea when she'd be able to come back. After tomorrow, she returned to her boring desk job, complete with constant jeers from her supposed friend, awkward tension between her and her boss, and worst of all, an empty apartment- no handsome lover waiting for her.
"You're right" she acquiesced.
"I always am."
He began to kiss her while she backed towards the center of the bed, all while never breaking their kiss. He lowered himself onto her, supporting his weight on his forearms. Artemis was getting bored of these chaste kisses and he ran his tongue along the edge of her closed mouth. Holly granted him access, and he thrust his tongue into her mouth. Holly met his tongue with her own, and began to suck it in the same fashion she had nursed other parts of him, just the previous night.
Artemis moaned into her mouth. He let his left hand drift down to her waiting breast. He palmed it firmly and Holly met his touch by arching her back. He alternated his stimulation, from gently squeezing the little mound, to moving over her taut nipple, rolling it between his thumb and index finger. Holly moaned and writhed beneath him. He explored, with his mouth, along her jaw line, down her neck, then to her collarbone, kissing and nipping at her tawny skin all the way. He then let his mouth follow a path mirroring his hand, to her other firm breast.
When his tongue, along with his hot breath, touched her nipple, Holly began moaning loudly. Artemis lifted his mouth off her breast just enough to talk. "You really need to watch your volume, love." Her hand flew to her mouth, and she felt him smile against her heaving chest. Raising his head just slightly, he licked the long sheen of sweat from between her breasts with great pride. He was making her sweat.
He moved his attention back to her now stiffened nipple. He rolled his tongue around the peak, and Holly had to bite her fist to keep from crying out. She rubbed her thighs together, trying to get some friction, but she was already slick. Artemis caught the hint, and brought his left hand down to touch her. As his fingers found her folds, his breathing hitched. He was momentarily overcome by the amount of moisture already there.
"God, you're so wet, Holly." he rasped.
"Artemis" she moaned, but managed to maintain a low volume. "Please." she wanted him now, like this.
"You won't have to ask twice, love." He wrapped an arm completely around her waist, which was easy to do since it was arched up against his chest. In a single, swift movement, he flipped her over, on to her stomach. Holly gasped at the sudden inversion.
"What? You don't expect me to fuck you on your back, do you? We don't line up. You're too short, Short." he said. He grabbed her hips from behind, lifting her ass up into position.
Is he going to take me from… behind? She was thrilled by the ingenious solution. And Artemis's dirty talk... Holly found that even more erotic, since it was just so wrong coming from his mouth. She was also momentarily happy her mouth was buried in the blankets; it would muffle her now incessant moans.
Pushing gently on the small of her back, he made her curve her rear up, which brought her wet center into view. He laid his now throbbing erection to her folds. Holly felt him sliding along her wetness and let a strangled cry into the sheets. And when Artemis mused how he'd be able to get deeper in this position, he paused, remembering that morning, where his roughness had actually injured her.
Holly steadied herself on her forearms, confused by his hesitation. She figured he was just trying to torment her. "Not nice." She huffed, and pushed herself back onto his cock, taking at least half of him inside just by herself. Artemis hissed at her sudden movement. He was trying to pace himself, so he didn't go at her with reckless abandon. She seemed to have misread his actions as teasing. Once Artemis had regained some composure, he slid his right hand up along the full length of her spine, and wrapped it over her shoulder, almost around her neck. Tightening his grip, he pulled her firmly back towards him, while thrusting into her from behind.
As Artemis sunk home, she screamed in ecstasy against her arm, trying to muffle the sound. He moved in and out, and in again, with a slow, purposeful rhythm, gauging her response. Pleased, Artemis released his left hand from her hip and searched for her breast. He took the handful, and lifted Holly, bringing her arched back up against his chest. With her up on her knees, he released his other hand from her neck and ran his middle finger repeatedly over her swollen clit. Artemis felt her walls tighten around him.
"Ahh...Arty, I can't...I can't be quiet!" Holly was trying hard to keep the scream from escaping as she approached climax.
Artemis moved his left hand from her breast to cover her mouth. His other hand's fingers pressed harder and faster against the tight bundle of nerves that were now dripping wet, while he plunged into her from below, again and again. When she felt his hand over her mouth to silence her cries, she knew she could let herself go. Holly screamed against his palm, while her juices gushed out onto his other hand. With her pussy clenched against him so tightly, he couldn't hold out much longer. He let her fall forward, onto her arms. His hands returned to her hips and he grabbed her roughly, plowing into her full force.
With his hand now away from her mouth, Holly was doing everything in her power to stay quiet. She whimpered and whined, until she heard him trying to muffle his own grunts. He pushed in one final time when his orgasm hit. She felt him empty into her though there wasn't much left, after that morning's escapade. His body shuddered against her. He was panting hard as he slowly uncurled his fingers from her hips. His knuckles had whitened from the strain and he knew he most likely left fingertip shaped bruises in her sides.
He bent over, wrapping his arms around her. They gently turned, with Artemis lying down behind, spooning her small form, their sexes still coupled together. They lay there, until their bodies stilled and breathing became easier. He withdrew his member from her body and Holly could feel all the fluids running down her inner thighs. She momentarily felt guilty for all the extra housework they were giving Butler. The bed was going to need to be stripped. Maybe they could do it themselves. It would save the embarrassment of having Butler find more evidence of what they were up to.
"Thanks for helping me change." She sighed.
"Well..." Artemis huffed out. "You're quite welcome. Anytime, in fact."
Holly snickered. She really wanted, or more like needed, a bath now. She really didn't get a chance to wash herself that morning. Then, out in the cold rain riding a horse, and now this. Holly crawled, on her hands and knees, to the edge of the bed and slid down. She went into the bathroom and drew herself another bath. She didn't bother with salts or jets. She just wanted to get clean. She noticed the bathroom was indeed cleaned up entirely, no doubt by Butler. The towels were restocked, with one kindly left on the vanity, within easy reach for her.
Holly washed herself rather quickly. She half expected Artemis to come barreling in, trying for a repeat of that morning's encounter. Once she finished washing and rinsing her hair, she flipped the drain release valve and climbed out of the tub. The whole time she bathed, Artemis had left her alone. She found this a little curious. Wrapping her body up in the towel, she walked out of the bathroom.
Holly wasn't sure if she should be amused or irritated by what she saw. Artemis was completely passed out, face down on the bed. He wasn't used to this much physical exertion. She pulled herself onto the bed, crawling up right next to him, and slapped him on the ass with all her strength. Artemis shot up, grabbing his cheek, a small pink handprint appearing. He looked at Holly, shocked. She was grinning in return.
"Did I pass out?" he asked, confused.
"Yes. Now go have a shower and get dressed. We should get something to eat." It was already past lunch, maybe even closer to dinner. Holly crawled back off the bed, and went to dig through her bag for her last pair of clean underwear. Bright red. As she pulled them on, her towel came loose and fell to the floor. She heard Artemis sigh. She looked over to him and of course, he was watching her. But he didn't look like he wanted to mount her, like usual. Instead, he looked a little wistful. Holly looked at him with questioning concern.
"Holly, you... you're so beautiful. Do you know that?" He sounded oddly sad.
Holly continued to dress but never took her eyes off of him. She felt uncomfortable suddenly. Where is this going, this relationship? Where can it go? She wondered. She couldn't partner with someone outside her species. Not to mention, the Council's warlocks wouldn't perform the ceremony, even if it were possible. She started becoming depressed again but fought it, promising herself she'd be happy this weekend.
Artemis finally crawled off the bed and headed into the bathroom. He looked at her once more before he closed the door. "What am I going to, after you leave?" he asked rhetorically.
Holly smirked, trying to lighten the mood she answered, "Go back to jacking off," snickering. She laughed even harder at his reply.
From behind the door, he said "That's a given."

Police Plaza
Trouble Kelp was more than slightly disturbed by the satellite images. Not just because it was Holly with someone (That is, someone other than himself), but also because it was Holly with Artemis. It was so wrong. Firstly, a fairy with a Mud Man was disgusting in and of itself. Secondly, of all the Mud Men to get a fairy woman, it should never have been Fowl. And then thirdly, with Holly... He would never forget that it was Artemis that had kidnapped her, and held her hostage, for ransom, and succeeded! He was one of the most dangerous, treacherous humans imaginable.
Then another thought crossed his mind. What if Artemis had tricked her, or worse yet, forced her? Brainwashing, Stockholm syndrome, mind-altering drugs! Trouble's blood began to boil as he fleshed out every possible situation in his head, all proving her the helpless victim of Artemis's mental mind-fucking. He hated that human with every fiber of his being. He managed to save his sorry ass by helping with the Goblin rebellion, and that's the only reason why he wasn't mind-wiped after they got Holly back. But even when he did end up getting wiped, he still managed to somehow regain all his memories! He was a threat to the entirety of The People. If he's done anything to Holly, he thought, he will pay. He'd get wiped so fast and thoroughly he wouldn't even remember his own name. And Holly would be nothing but a fictional dream to him.
Even though Trouble was a Commander, he still needed head of Retrieval, Commander Freiya, to authorize the use of Team 1. He'd have to pitch his case just right so that she'd understand exactly how dangerous this human was, and that Holly needed help.
Commander Freiya was already inundated, by case after case. She hated this part of her job. There was tons of paperwork involved for anyone above a Captain rank. Though, Freiya still loved being in charge. Not for the power, or even the respect. She felt it was necessary to keep good people in the high positions, people who knew how to do their jobs- regardless of the sacrifice it called for. She had been mentored by Wing Commander Vinyaya, and admired her ideals. Freiya had hopes of someday joining her as the next (and only other) female member on the Council. Almost all members of the Council are former LEP officers, and she was confident she'd be considered for the next open position.
Trouble walked into the Retrieval wing of LEP headquarters. He found Commander Freiya, up to her pointed ears in paperwork. He strode right into her office, uninvited.
"Commander" he called out to her. She turned towards him and forced a smile.
"Commander Kelp, what brings you into our neck of the woods?"
Trouble's face hardened. "I wish it was good news, Freiya, but it's Artemis Fowl." That name alone put the fairy people on edge. However, Freiya had actually reviewed his bio file, unlike most of the other officers. He hadn't had any interaction with The People for some time, and his last few interactions had been positive. He helped with the Goblin Rebellion and was instrumental in bringing home Hybras, and therefore demon warlocks back into their society. Frond's spell to restrict fairies from surface buildings would have never been lifted and that was a vital part of Retrieval's operations. So, although most fairies feared Artemis Fowl, Freiya preferred to examine all the facts, rather than make a hasty judgment.
"What about him?" she asked, her voice level.
"Well, it appears there seems to be some sort of... issue between him and Major Short. Again. She was granted a surface pass for the weekend, and happened to see Fowl. She's still there now and well, it appears that he's been... pursuing her." Trouble wasn't exactly sure how a professional could say. Ugh, they were kissing!
"What do you mean, Commander? Holly is with Artemis, at his estate, correct?" she questioned, closing the file she was working on.
"Yes."
"And she has permission to be up there, correct?"
"Yes..." Trouble gave her a quizzical look. Where is she going with this? He wished she'd just get to the point.
"I'm really failing to see the problem, Commander. How about some details?" she said, shaking her head at him.
"Well, I needed to make contact, but she was without a communication device..."
"Naturally," she interjected "Since that would be in her helmet, and she is on approved leave. Continue."
"Right... so I had an Ops officer locate her. He found her with Fowl..." he stopped mid-sentence, to swallow the bile that was coming into his mouth "...k-kissing."
Commander Freiya's eyebrows rose in mild surprise, but her response wasn't nearly what Trouble hoped it would be.
"Commander, was it of vital urgency, that you should contact Major Short, when you decided to spy on her?" She leaned toward him as she asked this.
"I did need assistance, on a case that she was directly involved with," he said, his lame excuse sounding thin under this line of questioning.
"And this couldn't wait, what, a day or two?" she asked, annoyed.
"I felt it was necessary to close the case out as soon as possible." D'Arvit, this isn't going well...
"Who issued Holly this visa?" she shot at him.
"Well, I did, but... I didn't ask where she was going." Trouble recalled about how delighted she was when he issued the pass. She must have been planning all along to go see Mud-boy. His stomach knotted as his heart sank into it.
It was no secret that Kelp had a 'thing' for his only female subordinate. So did a few of her fellow officers. Freiya remembered months ago, Holly jesting at lunch, how all the unwelcome attention was simply because there wasn't any 'variety' in the force.
Freiya brought her fingertips to her temples; to stem the spreading headache Kelp was giving her. "This is how I understand the situation- please, correct me if I'm wrong: You issued Holly a visa, but failed to ask where she was going- which, by the way, is a violation of policy. You then failed to make sure she had a hand-held communicator; in the rare case she should be recalled for active duty due to an emergency. Using her personal time as she saw fit, she willingly went to Fowl. Then, you, getting lonely or lazy at work, decided to disrupt her time off- and when you couldn't reach her, you wasted LEP resources to track her, unnecessarily, only to reveal... she's on a date? And now, you come whining to me because you think I'd actually assist you in physically detaining an officer on approved leave. Am I far off, Commander?"
She was spot on the mark. So much for getting her on my side... He rallied, "But Commander! He's a Mud Man! It's... immoral!" He added inwardly, not to mention, unethical, unnatural and just plain old disgusting!
"To my knowledge, Commander Kelp, there is nothing in the book nor in the Council's laws that forbids a fairy from kissing anyone or anything they damn well please!" she yelled at him.
He fought to maintain his composure. "I take it, then, you are not likely to lend me your forces in a retrieval mission, then?"
"You've got that right. And I expect that you will also act with discretion, Trouble." He knew that in calling him by his first name, she was telling him he was too personally involved.
"Very well, Commander. Good day to you." he saluted her stiffly and spun to walk out. The instant his face was out of her line of sight his expression slipped into a scowl.
Trouble realized he was going to have to take matters into his own hands. Surface visas were unnecessary for Commanders. He had a starter chip to a shuttle. He'd just go himself and at least bring Holly home. He is her superior officer after all.

Meanwhile, in the Ops Booth, Foaly worked feverishly to find the private frequency that Holly and Artemis's communicator's used. That wasn't too hard. Next he had to secure the line. Not that he was really worried about anyone tracking him, but he could never be too sure. The only person who ever gave him a run for his money was Artemis himself. Foaly encoded a self-destruct command to any recording device that may pick up the connection. Now just to open the line...

Fowl Manor
Artemis found another Polo shirt deep in the bottom of his drawer. This one was a pale blue. Holly refused to let him get dressed into any of his Armani suits. He tossed the shirt on the bed while he dug around for another pair of slacks but wasn't finding anything.
"Artemis, don't you own a single pair of jeans?" Holly asked, exasperated.
Artemis scowled. He sulked over to a smaller storage closet in the corner of the room. He opened it, and pulled down what appeared to be a wrapped gift. The box was decorated with a loudly printed design; little cakes with a single candle on them. There was a large blue bow stuck on the lid. Artemis tore off the lid with great distain, and dropped the box on the bed for Holly. Inside, Holly saw a pair of what appeared to be... designer jeans. Holly smiled. Artemis grumbled.
"They were from Juliet for my 19th birthday. Apparently, they are quite popular in New York, like I care." he muttered the last part under his breath.
Holly pulled them out. They were nice jeans. "Oh come on Artemis! I've never seen you wear jeans! Please!"
Artemis grumbled and snatched the jeans from her hands. He drew them on and Holly beamed.
He hiked them up over his boxers and zipped them up. "You should know," he said as he buttoned the fly "the last time I wore jeans was in order to steal a painting. So I must genuinely love you if I'm doing this."
Holly inspected him. He hadn't put his shirt on yet and with only the jeans on, he looked like a model from a magazine. The low cut and slim fitting thighs made his legs appear longer and accentuated his ass. She smiled approvingly. He even mockingly did a catwalk turn for her. She laughed.
"Arty." she said in a suddenly serious tone.
"What." His tone made the word seem as if it wasn't a question but simply the irritated response that it was.
"You look really sexy in those."
"Oh... really...?" Artemis looked away from her, embarrassed.
He had just finishing dressing when his fairy communicator (in its cell phone disguise) began to ring. Puzzled, Artemis looked at Holly. She was equally puzzled. Artemis walked over to his desk and picked up the communicator cautiously. Flipping it open, he answered. "Artemis Fowl speaking."
Foaly's voice crackled through the line. "Good Frond, Artemis. I'm glad I reached you first." He sounded alarmed.
"Foaly? What's wrong?"
"Expect company. Looks like you got a jealous non-boyfriend on his way to snatch your girl."
"Excuse me?" Artemis's voice hitched up and octave.
"You've got Trouble." Foaly laughed. Oh, how he loved a pun on the Commander's stupid choice for a name.
"Can you be more specific, please?" Artemis was already tired of the conversation.
"Okay, so as much as Holly hates to believe it, Trouble Kelp has had the hots for her, ever since she got out of the Academy."
Artemis eyed Holly suspiciously. "Go on."
"Right, so he got an itch for the attention of his favorite officer, when he remembered she wasn't around. So he used an imaging satellite to track her down, and of course, you two just happened to be snogging!"
"I'm sorry?" Artemis asked, worried. He was pretty certain a satellite image wouldn't be able to get anything so... graphic sounding. "What the hell is snogging?"
"You know, sucking face... making out. While you were out riding? Sound familiar? By the way, smooth moves Casanova." he guffawed.
Initially, Artemis was irritated. But as the situation Foaly described became clear, Artemis's heart leapt into this throat. It was one thing if Foaly knew about him and Holly. For her commanding officer to know... now her career was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, in peril.
Holly watched Artemis's expressions intently. And since she only heard Artemis talking, a one-sided conversation, her curiosity and anxiety began to build. She was trying to be patient, left in the dark, but it had to be something serious for Foaly to use the communicator to reach Artemis as opposed to just E-mailing him.
"So what's the situation now?" Artemis asked.
"Trouble took a shuttle up. He's coming to retrieve his prized possession." Foaly explained, very matter-of-fact.
Artemis was steaming. He knew nothing of any romantic dynamic between Holly and her superior officer, whether the interest was one-sided or not. He met Trouble once before and had thought highly of him at the time. Holly spoke of him well. Now, he was informed that this man was not only trying to cut short his time with Holly, but also to give her problems regarding what she chose to do with her personal life. That is, any choice that didn't positively involve Kelp. Artemis grew especially indignant at the phrase "his prized possession."
"Thank you for the notice Foaly. Your services, as always, are appreciated." Artemis's voice was colder than ice. Holly paled when she heard him talk. That was a tone she hadn't heard him use in a long time. It sent a chill down her spine. Artemis' mood had completely morphed back into the one he wore as the 12 year-old boy who scared the shit out of everyone.
Artemis was calculating. He played out different scenarios in his head, weighing the likelihood of each hypothesis. After only seconds, Artemis concluded that Holly most likely did not return Trouble Kelp's affections; otherwise Kelp wouldn't have felt so threatened. In fact, she was probably oblivious to how strong his feelings were. Also, that he knew Trouble would expose Holly and his relationship to the Council if it could somehow succeed in simply breaking them up without her losing her job. Maybe he would pull strings to save her job, making himself look like the hero. Or would he choose to use this as black mail to rein control over her? Maybe he would-
"Artemis?" Holly asked, hesitantly. She broke him from his reverie.
"It would seem... I have competition for your affection, Holly dear." his tone warmed slightly.
"What?" Holly asked, incredulously.
"Trouble Kelp is coming to fetch you. He's on to "us" it seems and he's none too happy about it." Personally, Artemis thought it was it utterly ridiculous, that Kelp would act out of protocol due to a fit of jealousy. However, it still made Artemis inexplicably uneasy. This man was an elf. An elf, like Holly, who lived in the same world, had known her for years and would be able to live out a full and complete life with her. Artemis couldn't stop himself from feeling threatened.
"Kelp knows? D'Arvit! Artemis! Do you know what this means? I'll lose my job! They'll stick me back on Traffic! Oh, I can just see him unleashing Internal Affairs on me..." Holly started her statement with panic but by the time she digested Trouble's intent, she was engulfed with fury.
"I know, Holly. That's what I was so worried about yesterday! Look, I think it's best if you just act professional right now. There's still time to turn this situation around."
"How, Artemis?" she asked contentiously.
"Listen, Holly. You haven't done anything illegal. What case can he make against you?" Artemis reasoned.
"I suppose..." Holly seemed uncertain. "Well what do I do when he gets here? I can't let on that I knew he was coming. Then Foaly would be facing the sharks right along with me."
"No, you're correct. You will need to act surprised by his unexplained visit. In any case, I believe it would be prudent to brief Butler. We should also probably go to a more secluded area of the manor, so that my family isn't involved."
Holly nodded in agreement. She hopped off the bed and Artemis headed for the door. He held it open for her as she walked out. Holly smiled at him but shook her head slightly, exasperated. Always the gentleman. Frankly, after all the... well, she thought they were beyond that.
They met up with Butler in the main foyer. Artemis briefed Butler on the situation. Holly could tell Butler didn't like what he was hearing. He automatically reverted back to his more familiar persona as Artemis's second shadow. They agreed to take the 'chance meeting' outdoors. Trouble would feel less threatened if he didn't have to enter the manor to speak with Holly and if he was at ease, this might be resolved gracefully. The three of them headed for the back terrace.
Holly had seen the terrace before, but only from the air. The night had a beautiful, star laced sky. The rain had completely dissipated and the air was just chilled enough to feel crisp. She took in the sight of the terrace from below. The foundation was made of flag stones arranged in a complex pattern. To the right, there was a large wrought-iron table with a glass top. Around it stood six wrought-iron chairs with cream colored fabric seat padding. To the left were two teak lounge chairs, the kind used for sun bathing. Holly thought of Artemis's extremely pale skin and figured he'd probably never used them a day in his life. She pretended to clear her throat, as she struggled to suppress her laughter.
Artemis approached the table and pulled a chair free while motioning for Holly to come sit. Holly walked towards him and sat down on the chair begrudgingly. Artemis pushed her chair in for her, before having a seat beside her.
"You know you make me uncomfortable with all of that." she glowered at him.
"With what?" he asked, sincerely puzzled.
"The chivalry bit. It makes me uneasy."
"Holly..." Artemis chided, "Despite your best efforts to the contrary... you, are a lady. And as such, I am obliged to treat you like one."
"You'd better!" called a voice from nowhere.
All three pairs of eyes shot to the direction they had heard the voice. Trouble Kelp shimmered into visibility.
"Commander!" Holly didn't need to act surprised. She genuinely was.
"Holl- ...Major Short. I need to speak with you. Privately."
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An Unexpected Turn of Events