Hey everyone. Sorry for the month delay. I've been swamped with school work. Plus I just started working in the financial aid office again as well, so that has been taking up a lot of my free time. Not to mention wedding planning. The good news is that I think I've figured out times I can actually write, so I hope I'll be able to write more and upload in a more reasonable timetable. Anyways, everyone thank yarncat for the inspiration for this chapter! Hope you all enjoy! :)

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            Diana sat uncomfortably in the study. Dinner had been over for a while now, and Artemis had just finished giving her a tour of his uncle's manor. The couple had just taken a seat, and Diana was still feeling uneasy after the conversation at dinner. She had never been interrogated by a boyfriend's parents before, let alone openly compared to another girl. Although Artemis' mother hadn't said she preferred Minerva to her, the girl could tell she did. It was all too obvious. Diana silently wondered if Angeline wasn't the only one who felt that way.

            "I do hope that my family has not frightened you," Artemis broke her thoughts. "They can be a bit intimidating at times."

            Diana shrugged. "They're weren't too bad. I've just never been questioned like that before."

            Artemis set down the cup of tea he had been drinking on a nearby end table. "You mustn't take it too hard. They're just not entirely sure about our relationship," he assured. "In time, they will grow fond of you, as I have."

            For some reason, Diana was not so sure about it. Try as he must, Artemis wasn't going to ease her mind so easily this time. There were still a few things troubling her. "If Minerva was never anything more to you than a friend, why does your mother seem to favor her so?" she bravely inquired.

            Artemis sighed. "When I was trapped in Limbo, Minerva had grown close to Butler, and they spent a lot of time together, so I can presume she saw my parents on a regular basis. I'm not exactly sure what transpired in my absence, but whatever it was, it made my mother biased towards her." He took a deep breath. "Minerva and I are far too alike to be romantically involved, which is something I wish my mother would learn. You don't need to worry about that."

            Diana nodded, acknowledging his statement. She stared blankly at her feet, wondering if he was being honest about it. She had no reason to doubt Artemis- he hadn't given her a reason to- but at the same time, she was so used to being lied to by guys she couldn't quite shake the feeling. Diana really wanted to believe him, but her mind was too busy living in the past, reminding her of everything that could go wrong.

            The girl felt a hand gently lift her chin, and within a few moments, she was staring directly into Artemis' eyes. "I mean it," he asserted. "Do you honestly think I would have asked you to be my companion if I wanted her? What would that accomplish?"

            Diana pondered that for a moment. Artemis had made a fair point. "Nothing," she said back quietly.

            "Exactly," Artemis replied. "So try not to let that bother you. My mother... is just difficult. She'll come around in due time."

            "I sure hope so," Diana sighed. She leaned back slightly in her chair, moving away from Artemis, just in time to see a certain blonde girl standing in the archway. Artemis also took notice, and stood, picking up his cup in the process.

            "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Minerva asked unsurely.

            "Not at all," Artemis insisted. "Would you mind keeping Diana company for a moment? I'm going to run this cup downstairs. I'll be right back."

            "Of course not," Minerva answered. Artemis pushed past her, leaving the girls there alone. Diana wondered what he was up to, but shrugged it off as the blonde girl had a seat next to her. "So... you're from here?"

            "Been here my whole life," Diana replied, really not sure what was going on. The girl decided to play along, trying to figure out what exactly Minerva was up to.

            "Not really the best of places, huh?" Minerva inquired, a smile lingering on her face.

            "Flint? Worst place I can think of," Diana retorted. "Not a day goes by something stupid doesn't happen. I'm honestly surprised the government hasn't bulldozed it to the ground and started over yet."

            "From what I've seen, I will have to agree with you there," Minerva sighed. "It's not too... pleasant around here."

            "Tell me about it," Diana muttered. "At least you get to go back to Europe here soon..." The girl's voice trailed off, remembering that here soon, Artemis too would be leaving to go back to Ireland, leaving her here to fight her senior year alone.

            Minerva stared at the ceiling for a few moments, debating what she was going to say next. After a few seconds, the French girl looked back at Diana. "I have a question for you," she stated.

            Diana raised an eyebrow, curious to know what it was. "Yes?"

            "What do you like about Artemis? I mean... no girl has really shown interest in him before, so I guess I'm just a bit... confused," Minerva inquired.

            That was a question Diana was not expecting. Why did she like Artemis? Perhaps a better question would've been what didn't she like. There were many things Diana liked about him. How to word it, however, was tripping her up.

            "Artemis is genuinely a nice guy; he's a gentleman, polite... around here, men aren't like that," Diana began. "Artemis is one of the few guys I've met that actually treats me like a human being." She paused for a moment, trying to figure out what else to add to that. "Plus he's extremely intelligent, and let's just be honest... intelligence is sexy."

            "Indeed it is," Minerva agreed. She thought quietly for a moment before speaking again. "So did you know who he was before you started talking to him?"

            Diana shook her head. "No idea. I just saw a cute, lonely guy and got lucky I suppose."

            "I'm not sure if I'd call it luck, but to each his own," Minerva mused. "Hard to believe you had never heard of Artemis Fowl until now."

            "Well, when your mother is too cheap to have real internet, and you stay busy with school, a lot slips by unnoticed," Diana admitted. "Between classwork, soccer and volleyball games, and volunteer work, I honestly don't know how I function. Summers are my only downtime, if you could call it that."

            "Fair enough," Minerva understood. "But I'm sure Artemis has told you enough about his life for you to know that things aren't going to be easy being with him. You have to be prepared for anything, and surely you have to know you can't speak of a lot he's been through with the general public."

            "Obviously," Diana stated. "The People have already threatened me with a mind wipe... I don't want to risk that. Besides... most people would just think I'm insane." She paused, realizing how absurd that last statement was, and decided to correct it. "Well... more insane than I already am."

            Minerva chuckled slightly at Diana's remark. "They say the line between genius and insanity is a thin one," she added. "A few of us just cross it frequently."

            Diana nodded. It was a true point. As much as she didn't want to admit it, perhaps Minerva wasn't that bad of a person. However, the girl was still a bit wary of her. Diana tried to shake the feeling; she was wary of all new people, and eventually she was going to have to try to get over her primal instincts. There was no point in disliking someone without a valid reason- something Diana wished so many people she attended school with would learn- and she too was going to have to remember she had no reason to dislike Minerva.

            "I know you probably don't care too much for me, but I just want to let you know that I do wish you and Artemis all the luck," Minerva broke her thoughts. "And I promise you I don't want Artemis; he's too much like a brother to me."

            Diana smiled slightly, genuinely glad that Minerva was wishing them well. That was something she had really only suspected out of her friends, not someone she had just met. "Thank you," she replied. "It means a lot to me, and I'm sure to Artemis as well."

            "No problem," Minerva said, smiling back at her. "Now... tell me about these stories of yours."

            Diana blushed at the mere thought of speaking about her stories to someone who wasn't inside her small group of friends. As she began to explain one of them, she noticed Artemis peering around the archway, quietly watching the situation before him. Diana smirked slightly, and realized exactly what Artemis was up to. He had wanted them to be friends, and Diana was fairly sure he had succeeded.