Kiss Me, I'm Irish {An Artemis Fowl Fan Fiction}

Chapter 7: Another Distraction

Hey guys! I'm sorry it took so long for me to write this chapter. I've been feeling a bit under the weather as of recent, so I haven't gotten much work done on any of my stories. I finally finished this chapter last night, so I hope you all like it. =) Hopefully I'll be able to upload again this week.

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Artemis sat at his desk, once again, unable to concentrate on the task at hand. He rubbed his temples in an attempt to clear his mind. Ever since last night, he was unable to think of anything except that kiss Diana had planted on his cheek. He had hardly slept a wink, and it wasn't just because he didn't get home until well after midnight. The boy's emotions were running amok, causing him all sorts of confusion.

Face it, Artemis, you fancy that girl, a voice in the back of his head told him. Artemis shook his alter ego, Orion, away. It had been a while since his brain had been so boggled that he had to deal with another voice living inside it. Artemis took a deep breath, trying his hardest to relax. Artemis was notorious for ignoring his emotions and yet this girl made them all come spilling out of his subconscious. This could very well be the beginning of something unfamiliar, something that could throw him off of his game. No, he wouldn't admit that, not even to himself. This woman would not turn Artemis Fowl into a bumbling, lovesick buffoon.

He decided he wasn't going to get any work done on his project when he saw his door open abruptly out of the corner of his eye. Artemis took a deep breath before turning to face whoever had entered the room. These interruptions were getting rather tedious. "Haven't you heard of knocking?" Artemis questioned the person, his eyes still not making contact with whoever it was. "I could've been nude."

"I'm your mother; I didn't think I had to knock," a woman's voice answered him, causing Artemis to open his eyes, immediately spotting his mother standing a few feet from him, her arms crossed over her chest. "Besides Artemis, you have a schedule. I know you're not going to be changing in or out of anything for several more hours, which brings me to my next point. Where were you coming home from that late last night?"

Artemis bit his tongue for a moment. He knew it was only a matter of time before his mother interrogated him about his recent activity. Now was he was debating on what he could tell his mother without sending her off the deep end. "I suppose Butler put you up to this?" Artemis sighed, remembering his discussion with his bodyguard the night before.

"No, as a matter of fact, he didn't Arty," Angeline answered her son. "I've been curious to know what has been causing you to act so... unlike you as of recent."

Artemis felt himself tense up. He knew he hadn't been acting like himself either. Something was amiss, and he couldn't quite place his finger on it. But he knew once he let it slip that there was a girl involved his mother was going to flip. "I know mother, but I've never quite had a friend before though, have I?" he inquired.

"I suppose not a human one at any rate," Angeline sighed. "Though I don't see why you snuck back into the house. You're not hiding anything from me are you, Arty?"

"No, Mother," Artemis answered almost too quickly. "I have nothing to hide."

"Then tell me where you went," Angeline sat on the edge of her son's bed, giving him the classical mother-demanding-answers look.

Artemis released a breath of defeat. He knew his mother was one of the most persistent people he had ever met. She was very stubborn, which was probably where he had received the trait from. "Well, Mother, quite frankly I don't think you'll be able to handle what I've been up to without calling the authorities."

"And why would I need to do that, Artemis?"

Artemis swallowed hard, afraid to tell his mother the truth. "I... I met this girl the other day at the museum. We've sort of become friends, and last night she had relationship troubles, so I went over there to calm her down a bit."

Artemis watched as a smirk appeared over his mother's face. He knew that she was about to go into one of her typical rants. "Well, Arty... I'm a little disappointed she won't be joining the family, seeing as she's already joined in a relationship."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "For the love of all things holy, Mother, can we please avoid the topic of marriage? I'm not even eighteen yet. I have a life want to live before I even think about settling down. So if you would be so kind, let's not bring it up." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Now, as I was saying. I went over there because she and her significant other had a falling out, and she was really tore up about it. She needed some support."

Angeline frowned slightly. "Does she have a name?"

"Diana," Artemis answered, though he had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Don't say it; I've already heard all the jokes about our names."

Angeline didn't say anything for a few moments. "Okay, Arty, I won't. So you went to comfort her?"

Artemis nodded. "It's what friends do, correct? She... err... cried on my shoulder for a while." Artemis' thoughts drifted back towards the kiss, even if it was only on the cheek. Artemis felt the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him tingle slightly at the thought, like it did right after it happened last night. He didn't want to even bring that up; it would send his mother spiraling back into a marriage discussion he wanted nothing to do with. "But I think by the time I left, she felt quite a bit better about everything."

Angeline sighed, standing up. "Well, Artemis... I suppose at this point all I can say to you is that I'm glad I raised you with some decency. Just be careful, darling. The world can be a cruel place." Angeline went to exit the room, kissing the top of her son's head as she passed.

Once his mother had left his room, Artemis crossed his arms, resting both them and his head on his desk. The boy was beginning to get a migraine from over-thinking. Artemis didn't know what to think, how to act. It was all very confusing to him. He willed himself to take deep breaths, to relax, to shake these thoughts from his mind. Artemis sat back up, pushing his hair out of his eyes. He wasn't going to allow himself to lose focus on the plan. He needed to stay on task if he wanted to place the C Cube on the market by the end of this trip. Artemis wasn't going to allow a girl to come between him and his goal.

Besides, Artemis, you don't even know if she likes you. Why are you wasting time thinking about it? She just broke up with her boyfriend of two years, what makes you think that she'll go for a guy like you? You're no different than Brent; Diana isn't going to want anything to do with you once she finds out about your past. Just stop it, Artemis. You're Artemis Fowl. You can have whatever you want, and you know it.

Artemis attempted to shake the pessimistic thoughts from his mind. He wasn't going to let them win. Not this time. Same with the raging teenaged hormones fighting for control of his body and mind- they weren't going to win either. Artemis was going to retain control. He had no choice. Without a second thought, Artemis went back to work on the C Cube. So much still had to be done, and he had so little time to do it in. It was first on his list of priorities. Thinking about Diana would have to wait until later.