I'm sitting here alone up in my room
And thinking about the times that we've been through (oh my love)
I'm looking at a picture in my hand
Trying my best to understand
I really want to know what we did wrong
With a love that felt so strong
If only you were here tonight
I know that we could make it right

Juliet was mentally kicking herself. Oh, why had she been so stupid? She had let Artemis go off to Prague without trying to patch things up first, and now he'd probably spent a whole week angry at her. As soon as he'd left, she'd regretted it. She hadn't even said goodbye.

It hurt to think that, maybe, when he came back, Artemis might not love her any more. She didn't know if she'd be able to stand that. She'd known him for a full seven years now, since he was nine years old. He wasn't just her boyfriend - he was a good friend, and someone she trusted. Most boys didn't look any further than the pretty face and tough-girl attitude; Artemis knew her, inside and out. And he cared about her.

And she cared about him. At first she'd been too stubborn to admit it, back when Artemis had just seemed like a little boy with a crush on her. But Artemis, her precious Arty, wasn't a really little boy at all - he'd taken on the LEP, and come out on top. That was when she'd first begun to think that maybe it was alright to be in love with him.

Of course, he'd only been twelve then, but as the years went on their relationship had progressed, grown, strengthened. And now they were dating. At least, Juliet assumed they still were. The possibility that they weren't terrified her. She couldn't imagine life without Artemis.

But maybe it would happen. Maybe Artemis would come back and say it was over, that everything good that had happened between them over those seven years was cancelled out by one stupid fight.

And it had been stupid. It had been about something so trivial and unimportant that neither of them should ever have worried over it, but somehow it had turned into a full screaming-with-rage-across-the-room-at-each-other fight. Juliet still wasn't quite sure how it had happened, why she'd let it happen, because now she risked losing Artemis forever.

Thinking about that, her eyes welled up with tears. She quickly blinked them back, but one escaped. It rolled down her cheek, leaving behind a trail of wetness, and glitter from her mascara. Juliet wiped it away as it fell. She wished Artemis was here right now, so she could apologise to him and know that he was really hers again. But he wasn't.

She didn't even know when he was coming back. He'd been there a week already, but her brother had said they might have to stay for anything up to three weeks. Three weeks apart, how could she survive? Juliet didn't think she could.

Perhaps she should phone them? Butler had left the number of the hotel where they were staying. But, no, her pride would not let her do that - that was why she had waited this long in agony for him to return.

Besides, saying sorry face to face was always better than saying it down the phone.

Still, maybe she should do it. A further two weeks before Arty and she were alright again was too much. And the longer she waited, the less chance she thought they would have of reconciliation. Yes, she ought to go and phone. The fact that there was a time difference didn't worry her - Artemis still had his strange habit of sleeping at odd hours, so it was really pot luck as to whether he would be awake.

Juliet slipped out of her bedroom, and crept down the landing. It was late in the evening, and Mrs Fowl was already asleep. She didn't want to wake her.

Skipping down the grand main staircase, Juliet paused as she stood nearly at the bottom. Should she really do this? Would it seem too desparate? Maybe, but then she was desparate. But what would happen if Artemis only told her to go away, should she try to get him to-

The sound of keys in the lock interrupted her thoughts. Juliet's heart froze as her brother opened the door and stepped inside. They were home.

"Hey, sis," Butler said and nodded at her, then stepped aside to allow his employer to enter. Artemis followed him over the threshold.

For a moment, their eyes met. Then, Artemis smiled at her; a genuine smile. "Hey," replied Juliet, a smile creeping across her face too. "Welcome back." Everything was going to be alright.