Hey everyone! Once again, sorry for the huge delay in uploads... I got busy the past few weeks in preparing to go back to class next week. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this, and I hope once class starts up again on September 4th, that I'm able to get a normal schedule again for updating!

***********************************************************************

            Artemis paced the foyer of his uncle's manor. Dinner would be done at any minute and Diana hadn't arrived yet. He was growing anxious; so far nothing was going according to plan. Tonight was the night he was finally going to introduce Diana to his family. Artemis figured that the sooner he could introduce the girl, the better. However, her tardiness was only adding to his nervousness about the ordeal.

            "I'm beginning to wonder if your friend is imaginary, Artemis," a female voice said from behind him.

            The Irish male turned on his heel to find Minerva leaning against the arm of a nearby couch. Admittedly the boy had forgotten she hadn't left to France yet. Artemis resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her remark, and instead said, "Diana isn't imaginary; I assure you."

            Minerva smirked, glad she had gotten under Artemis' skin so easily. "I was just jesting. No need to get defensive."

            Before Artemis had a chance to reply, he noticed a car pull into the driveway out of the corner of his eye. The boy abandoned his friend, immediately stepping outside onto the porch. He waited for a few moments before the girl stepping out of the car arrived on the porch. Diana, the girl in question, had really surprised him; she had dressed up for the occasion.

            Diana smiled slightly before she spoke, "Sorry I'm late. We had a bit of car trouble. The upper radiator hose decided it was going to leak, so my dad had to fix it real quick."

            Artemis nodded, accepting her apology. "You didn't miss anything, so no worries. Dinner should be soon enough."

            The girl's smile grew as Artemis led her into the manor. Diana stood silently glancing around the foyer for a few moments as Artemis shut the door behind them. Artemis was glad to see Minerva was no longer standing there, and turned to face Diana.

            "Are you ready to meet the family?" he asked, taking a deep breath.

            Diana glanced at her feet for a moment before looking back at him. "As ready as I'll ever be."

            Artemis smiled, nervously taking Diana's hand, leading her through the hallways to the dining room. He was hoping he had beaten the rest of the family to the table, but Artemis should've known he wasn't that lucky. Everyone else had been sitting around the table, of course all staring at the two of them as they walked in.

            "So this must be Diana?" Artemis Senior announced from the end of the table.

            "Yes," Artemis answered. He looked to Diana before he introduced her to them all. "This is Diana, my girlfriend." He paused for a moment, letting that fact sink in. "Diana, these are my parents, my younger brothers, Myles and Beckett, obviously you already know Butler, my uncle Finnian, and last, but certainly not least, Minerva."

            Diana waved nervously at everyone, and it was all too obvious to Artemis that she was intimidated. "Pleasure to finally meet all of you," she said quietly. "Artemis has told me a lot about you."

            "That's lovely to hear," Angeline said. "Have a seat, darlings."

            Artemis pulled out the chair next to his younger brother, Beckett, for Diana to sit. The girl gracefully took her place, allowing Artemis to push her chair in before he took his seat next to her. Artemis waited to see what his family was going to do for a moment before they all began filling their plates with the food in the center of the rectangular table. As he and Diana began to follow suit, the questioning began- surprisingly from Angeline.

            "So, Diana, Artemis tells us he met you at the museum?" she inquired.

            Diana nodded. "Yes ma'am. I was out seeing the exhibits with a few friends, and Artemis looked rather... lonely so I introduced myself."

            Artemis watched his parents carefully as he began eating his dinner. The Fowl parents exchanged glances, as if debating their next move. "Now, you're going into your final year of high school, correct?" Artemis Senior asked.

            "Yes sir," Diana answered back before taking a bite of food.

            "So you and Minerva are roughly the same age then," Angeline added, rather randomly.

            Diana raised a questioning eyebrow; Artemis assumed it was due to the fact his mother had added abruptly. Artemis had forgotten that his mother was slightly biased towards the French girl, and needless to say he hadn't warned Diana of that. Over the past few years, Angeline had grown fond of Minerva, a little too much for his liking. He was hoping that seeing him with another girl would change her mind.

            "What are your plans after you finish high school?" Senior pressed on.

            "I plan on attending college, and I really want to go into meteorology. If not that, something in environmental science," Diana explained. "But for now, I will be focusing on getting through my senior year in one piece."

            Senior nodded slowly. Artemis wondered what was coursing through his father's mind. It wasn't often the Fowl patriarch had the opportunity to interrogate girls, after all. "How is school going for you?" Senior questioned.

            "Well," Diana began, "I'm slated to be my class valedictorian. I'm taking honors and advanced placement classes. I'm the captain of the varsity soccer and volleyball teams. Plus I'm on the National Honor Society. So I guess I have a lot going for me."

            At the end of her explanation, Diana smiled confidently. The girl was obviously proud of all she had done, and had every right to be. She was placing everything on the table, trying her hardest to make a good first impression. Artemis was hoping her efforts weren't all for nothing. The boy wondered if he should add anything to the conversation.

            "Not to mention she's a wonderful writer," Artemis added, setting his fork down. Although he had never actually read anything the girl had written outside a text message, the boy was nearly positive that with the way she spoke, her writing couldn't have been terrible.

            "A writer?" Angeline asked.

            Diana blushed at the mere mention of her hobby. "Well, I wouldn't say that... it's just something I do for fun. I don't think I'm any good at it, really. Mediocre, at best."

            "You'll have to let me read some of your work sometime," Angeline offered. "I'm sure it can't be that bad."

            "I could as well," Minerva added, something that Artemis was not expecting.

            "Thanks," Diana replied quietly. "You really don't have to though."

            Minerva shrugged. "It's the least we could do for you."

            Artemis saw a small smile appear on his girlfriend's face, and he knew she had to be feeling a bit more comfortable in his family's presence. If nothing else, that was a step in the right direction. Artemis knew his family could be a bit intimidating at times, and so far he was pretty sure Diana hadn't been scared off. He went to take another bite of food as his father began to speak again.

             "I think that's enough questions for this evening, don't you think?" he decided. "It's a pleasure to finally meet the girl who has kept Artemis out of trouble the past week and a half. I must say, this is probably the happiest I have ever seen my son; so long as you continue to make him happy, I certainly don't have any tribulations here." Senior paused for a brief moment before adding, "Welcome to the family, Diana."

            Diana's small smile spread across her face as she looked down at her plate. "Thanks Mr. Fowl," she said quietly.

            Hearing that made Artemis feel immensely better. At least his father seemed to be accepting of Diana. His mother may be harder to crack, but Artemis was sure in time she too could be won over. After all, his mother did want another girl around the house. Artemis gently nudged Diana with his elbow, causing her to look over at him. He smiled at her, just as he noticed Beckett softly tugging on one of Diana's loose curls. The brunette girl looked over at the small blond boy beside her, wondering what it was he wanted.

            Before she could say anything, Artemis stepped in. "Beckett... what have I told you about pulling hair?" Silently Artemis wondered why those words sounded so parent-like leaving his mouth, but he shook the feeling in time to hear Beckett's answer.

            "I just wanted to tell her she's pretty," he muttered.

            Diana's face flashed a deep red color at the compliment she had received from the young boy. "Why thank you, Beckett," she expressed.

            "Is that why she's your girly-friend?" Beckett inquired, tilting his head to the side- something that made Myles shake his head.

            Artemis chuckled lightly, unable to resist a smile. "I suppose that's one reason," he answered. He placed his hand on top of Diana's, lacing his fingers in with hers slightly. Although this date hadn't started off on the right foot, Artemis was surely glad that he had invited Diana over to meet his family at last. Things honestly couldn't have gone any better.