Hi everyone. Sorry it took so long for me to get this updated. Things have been kind of hectic here. I was finally able to sit down and chip away at this chapter over the last several days and get it finished tonight. I only hope I can get the next one done sooner rather than later. Hope all is well for you!

*****

Artemis was up earlier than he anticipated the morning of Christmas Eve. It was the first time in recent memory that he was awake before the sun had risen over the horizon. Artemis would be lying if he said he wasn't tired, yet here he was- wide awake, dressed, and ready to take on the day. Whatever that involved, he still hadn't figured out. It had been a little strange since the party, and he honestly didn't know what to expect anymore.

So he left the comfort of his room, slowly making his way down the hall leading to the staircase. The manor was eerily quiet in comparison to how it was the other night at the party. The only sound was some giggling coming from what sounded like the kitchen. Artemis assumed his parents were likely awake, feeding the twins breakfast. That was at least normal.

He paused as he passed Vanessa's room. As far as he could tell, she was still getting some rest. The door was shut, something she only did while she was sleeping, in part because most of the time she spent awake they were together. Even now in this awkward stage, they had still spent most of the last few days in each other's company. Things were the same, yet different all at the same time. Artemis wished there wasn't this uncertainty; he wished that she had decided to kick Malfoy to the curb without hesitation. But since that wasn't what happened, he was just going to have to play the waiting game and try his best to not think about it.

He shook the thoughts from his mind as he pressed on, heading downstairs. After a few moments, he was standing in the archway leading into the kitchen. Sure enough, his younger brothers were in their booster seats at the table, each eating their breakfasts. Beckett had made quite a mess and was wearing his bowl as a hat, while Myles was in pristine condition and was giving his slightly younger brother a dirty look as some of Beckett's mess began to expand beyond his own placemat.

Artemis glanced past them to see his mother standing at the stove, her back to him. It had been some time since he had seen her cook. Normally it was something Butler did; Angeline only cooked on rare occasions. She turned, frying pan in hand, as she slid two eggs onto a plate. She glanced up to look at the twins and that's when she noticed her eldest son standing there.

"Well you're up early, Arty," she greeted, a warm smile on her face.

"I could say the same for you," he responded, moving into the room.

Angeline shrugged. "Beckett insisted on breakfast, so here I am. I didn't think it was fair to wake Butler to make breakfast this early. He deserves a nice break."

Artemis couldn't disagree with that. He was sure his bodyguard was working double time in his absence, keeping an eye on the twins and his parents. With everything going on in the wizarding world, and likely the Muggle world too, he was sure the man was stressed about his job protecting the Fowls. He did not envy Butler during normal circumstances, but especially not in these times.

He nodded lightly. "I suppose father must be still asleep too, then."

His mother nodded too. "He was up late last night. His leg was bothering him again. He's stressed out about something, and you know how badly his stress levels and anxiety can mess with it."

Artemis frowned. His father rarely showed his stress about anything. He had always been like that. Senior didn't like to share burdens or hardships, so Artemis wasn't shocked to hear he was keeping silent on the matter now. But to hear that something was troubling him made Artemis feel uneasy. Whatever it was couldn't be good.

Perhaps all Fowls are just balls of nerves, he thought.

He heard the pop of the toaster, and it shook him from his thoughts. He blinked a few times, watching as his mother plated the toast next to the eggs she had placed moments ago. She sat it down at a spot on the table and then looked to Artemis.

"Sit down and eat," she said, nodding at the plate.

Artemis knew that was likely a plate she had made for herself, and instantly felt guilty. "But, mother-"

"-but nothing," she cut him off. "I can make more for myself. Please sit down and eat. You look unwell and need to get some nourishment."

Unwell? That was the first he had heard that. He sat hesitantly at the table, raising an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean? I feel fine."

Angeline placed a cup of hot tea in front of him. "You have huge dark circles under your eyes, for one, so you haven't been sleeping well. Secondly, you're looking a little thin compared to normal. Have you been skipping meals to study?"

"Well, no, but I guess I haven't been eating as much as usual," he replied, starting to poke at the eggs with a fork. "My mind has been a bit preoccupied as of late."

"So I have noticed," Angeline said matter-of-factly. "What's going on? And don't you even think about lying to me."

And that's when he realized he walked right into a trap. How the hell was he going to get out of this one? His mother definitely knew something was up. If he was lucky enough, perhaps he could blame his classes without having to get into the real reason he wasn't quite himself.

"I've just been swamped with classwork," he answered. It wasn't technically a lie. He had more homework than ever, and while he was staying on top of it, it was at times overwhelming. His own fault, he supposed, for taking as many classes as he possibly could. "There hasn't been much time for anything else."

He took a bite of his food, studying the expression on Angeline's face. She obviously didn't buy that answer. An eyebrow was raised, and her arms were crossed- all signs she was skeptical.

"So what's going on with Vanessa?" she inquired.

Damn. Artemis didn't know what his mother knew. He certainly hadn't told anyone else what had happened between the two of them- not even Butler. There was no way she could have possibly known about them sleeping together. All she could know was that Vanessa was seeing Malfoy and having issues, based on the conversation they had a few days ago when they got here.

"She and Malfoy have been having some issues," Artemis muttered, keeping his attention on the food in front of him. "Well, some would be putting it mildly."

"I gathered that much," Angeline retorted, turning away from the sizzling pan on the stove to look at him again. When did she put more eggs on? "What kind of issues?"

Artemis hoped he could wiggle his way out of giving a straight answer, because honestly most of Vanessa and Malfoy's problems at the moment were his fault. "Well, I don't think it's necessarily my place to say," he said. He paused to take another bite of food. After swallowing, he continued. "He's... he's verbally abusive, at the absolute least, and incredibly insecure and manipulative."

Angeline frowned. "I believe that, but my intuition says there's more than that. You've both been acting weird."

She definitely sensed something was different, but Artemis didn't want to have that conversation right now. He knew if his mother found out about what happened between him and Vanessa at Slughorn's party, she would push the issue- why weren't they together, why had he brought that firewhisky to school to begin with, why did he interfere in a relationship... It was a huge lecture waiting to happen, and Artemis didn't have the time or energy for it. But he knew if he lied and she found out about that, the consequences would be dire, especially since he told them he swore it off.

So instead, he finished a bite of food and sighed. "There is, but I really don't want to talk about it right now," he admitted quietly. "Not until I can sort it out."

Angeline seemed to be okay with that answer. She sighed as she put her attention back on cooking. "Alright, Arty," she said. She sounded sincere, but Artemis knew she was only backing off because he wasn't budging. "We'll be here to listen to you whenever you're ready. Just... just be careful."

Artemis was admittedly not sure what he should be careful about, but he nodded anyway. Before he put his focus back on his breakfast, he replied, "I will be."

    Or as careful as I can be destroying Malfoy the way he so desperately deserves...

*****

Some things didn't change no matter where Vanessa was for Christmas. She always had a hard time sleeping on Christmas Eve. All the excitement of the next day made it impossible for her to get a good night's rest. Which is why despite it being nearly three in the morning, she was lying on her back at the foot of Artemis' bed, looking up at the ceiling while her friend was lying on his stomach as he quietly read a book beside her. There was plenty of room on his bed for the two of them to spread out, and yet their sides were touching down the entire length of their bodies. Vanessa thought about moving a few times but she found being this close to him comforting. Not to mention it was also keeping her warm.

She glanced over at Artemis for what seemed like the billionth time. His brow was furrowed as he read in the dim lighting. Vanessa wasn't sure if it was because the text was difficult or if he was just really into it. Knowing Artemis, it was very likely both.

Without even looking away from the book, Artemis broke the silence between them. "Your staring is incredibly distracting, you know that?"

Vanessa smiled sweetly. "Oh? I never would've guessed that. Especially since you just kept on reading."

Artemis shook his head and shut the book, setting it on the bed to his right. He never even marked the page he left off on. "I'm fairly good at multitasking, so I have noticed your glances," he answered. "But you have my full attention now."

"Good," Vanessa replied. "Now pay attention to me."

Artemis huffed, turning slightly to look over at her. "You're incredibly needy sometimes. At any rate, shouldn't you be in bed?"

Vanessa shrugged. "You know me. I never sleep well on Christmas Eve. I'm too excited. And I slept in this morning, so that isn't helping either," she explained. "And shouldn't you be trying to sleep too?"

"Touché," Artemis muttered. "I suppose I can't sleep either, for... whatever reason. I thought reading would perhaps allow me to get drowsy enough to sleep, but I was wrong."

"A first," Vanessa replied, smirking up at her friend.

Artemis couldn't resist a smile. "Not quite. I've been wrong before."

"Artemis Fowl wrong? Unheard of," Vanessa insisted.

He shook his head, sighing lightly. "No, I've definitely been wrong," he assured. His eyes were cast downwards and away from her. "Believe me."

Vanessa didn't mean to make him feel badly, so she decided to quickly change back to the initial topic. "Well, why aren't you sleepy?"

Artemis didn't say anything for a few moments, seemingly thinking his answer over carefully. "I just... I can't stop thinking about you," he responded quietly.

Vanessa shifted, propping herself up on her elbows as she continued to look at her friend. "You really gotta stop doing that."

Artemis looked down at her, confusion all too prevalent on his features. "Doing what? Thinking about you?"

"No, saying things that make me want to kiss you," Vanessa replied. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was finding it hard to ignore how breathtaking he looked in the warm glow of the lamplight. Coupling that with what he just said only made it much worse.

Even in the dim lighting, she could see his pale face turn pink. "I only speak the truth," Artemis answered. "And... as horrible as it sounds, I wouldn't stop you."

Vanessa fought the urge to do it, right then and there. By all means, it would still be cheating since she hadn't broken up with Draco- and she didn't even know if she wanted to do that yet in the first place. Yet at the same time, Vanessa knew if she desperately needed to figure out what her feelings for Artemis exactly were. She knew there was something, but what? Kissing him while sober could definitely start to point her in the right direction. And there couldn't be a more perfect time; they were alone, and the only ones awake in the whole manor.

"I'm very glad to hear that," Vanessa said, trying her best to build up the courage to do what she needed to. "Because now might be the best time to test my theory."

That piqued Artemis' interest. "And what's your theory?"

"That sober me likes you too," Vanessa answered boldly.

Artemis knew immediately what she was getting at, and a smirk formed on his face. "Well, by all means, test your theory."

That was all the permission Vanessa needed. She pushed herself up on one elbow, closing the distance between them. The hand not being used for support rested on the back of his neck, gently pulling him closer to her. Her lips met his for the first time since the night of Slughorn's party, and somehow it felt as if this was the first time ever. Vanessa didn't remember feeling anything in particular during the party kiss- mostly just intoxicated and desperate for affection. But now, she felt as if there was electricity coursing through her as their lips moved in near perfect unison. Her body felt weak, and she was grateful they weren't standing. His lips were soft, warm, inviting... she had missed them more than she thought she did.

Vanessa's hand slid up into his hair, tangling her fingers in it as she deepened the kiss. She tugged his hair, causing him to gasp into her mouth. That pushed her over the edge, and the arm that had been propping her up was no longer important. Vanessa's hand went for the collar of Artemis' silk pajamas as she fell backwards a few inches onto the bed, effectively taking him with her. She kept her lips locked to his as she started to fiddle with the buttons on his shirt, knowing fully well where this was going to go.

A momentary feeling of guilt flashed over her, but it was over as soon as it happened. She'd deal with the morality of this decision later. Right now, her mind was preoccupied. Vanessa finally had an answer- one she had been denying from the start, one she silently promised herself to reveal later.

Artemis began to trail kisses down her jawbone and neck and it snapped Vanessa back to reality, if only for a moment. Things were just getting more complicated, but for now that would all have to wait. This time with Artemis was far more important.

Vanessa couldn't think of a better way to start Christmas morning.