A/N: This story is a four-shot containing four different stories with different pairings. All of these are AU and are not connected together in any way whatsoever. This first one is Evan/Amy/Ian and the words in bold are different lines from poetry that Evan had written. I don't support any particular pairing for Amy, but I'm fine writing for any of them.

Disclaimer: I don't own The 39 Clues

I'll love you till the autumn leaves start to fall...

Evan Tolliver had grown up with the philosophy that "everything happened for a reason." His mother had told him that whenever something went wrong. A lost soccer game, a rejection; anything like that would earn him an "everything happens for a reason" speech. At first he thought it was ridiculous. His mother was practically saying that fate had everything to do with his losses, and Evan didn't believe in fate. But as he grew older, he began to believe in that little saying. It had become comforting in a way, knowing that even after something bad happened, something good would surely come his way.

He had never liked the season of fall.

The leaves would get everywhere, and he would have to spend hours trying to rake all of the multi-colored leaves from his front and backyard. He loved the colors, though. The greens, reds, and oranges of the leaves inspired him. He would spend hours outside sitting on his front porch, his notebook in hand, writing about everything he saw. The leaves, the sky, the smell of autumn; he would write about everything and somehow make a story out of them. His poems were everything to him, and if he were to lose them, he would lose everything. The only thing he vaguely liked about fall was the fact that he could spend hours writing about it.

But that all changed that one autumn day.

He had been taking a stroll through the woods near his house, his notebook in hand, looking up at the leaves and waiting to be inspired, when he felt someone push him forward, knocking the notebook out of his hands. It fell into the small lake next to them, the notebook slowly turning wet and soggy.

"I am so sorry!"

Evan turned around to see a girl behind him. Her hair was reddish-brown, matching the leaves on the trees so perfectly. Her jade green eyes looked up at him with panic and sorrow clearly evident. She wore an old sweater that was a few sizes too big and dirty jeans with mud stains on them. She was like no one he had ever seen. All of the other girls he knew- which weren't many- would have been horrified to look in such a way, but Evan found himself being more captivated by the sight of the girl in those ratty clothes than any other girl he had ever seen.

He almost forgot about his ruined notebook.

and the sun sets for eternity

"Welcome back to school!"

Evan couldn't say he was happy to be back. He loved learning, yes, but being back at school wasn't something he had been looking forward to. The students there had no respect for anything, and the teachers were just as bad. If he had been able to, he would have transferred high schools. But his mother already had a hard time paying the rent for their apartment, and Evan didn't want his mother having to go through the process of putting him in another school.

He slung his backpack over his shoulder and quickly put in the combination for his locker. He was so preoccupied with feeling sorry for himself, that he didn't realize he had hit someone with his locker door until he heard the tell-tale, 'ow!'

He quickly turned around, alarm written across his face. "Oh, geez, I'm so sorry..." Whatever else he had been planning to say faded from his mind. "It's you!"

The girl who had destroyed his notebook stood before him, clutching her nose with her hand, a pained expression on her face. She gave him a wry smile and said, "I guess we're even now, huh?"

I'll catch you every time you fall...

Amy. That was her name. He had learned this after the locker incident, when she had casually told him and pretended as if he hadn't just slammed his locker door in her face. They had almost the exact same class schedule, besides their last class. Their first class was English, and he had offered to walk with her to class. She had gratefully accepted, and the locker incident was readily forgotten.

It was cute, he had to admit, the way she stuttered through her introduction and blushed at the attention. She hadn't acted that way towards him, but perhaps that was because of the fact that they had met before. Either way, he thought the expression on her face was cute. He must have been staring at her, because when she took her seat next to him, her face turned redder and she avoided looking at him for the rest of class.

"Do you need help with any of that, Amy?" he asked after their class had ended.

Amy was carrying several books in her arm, and her backpack was slung over one shoulder. She claimed that her backpack's zipper was broken, and so she couldn't put any of her books in there. She needed several textbooks for her morning classes, and so she had to carry them all in her arms until she got a new one. When he had asked why she still took the backpack with her, she had smiled sheepishly and had told him that her grandmother had bought it for her.

That was explanation enough for him.

"I'm fine," she replied, biting her lip in concentration as she adjusted the books in her arms. She managed to give him a small smile. "Thanks, though."

"You sure- oof!" The wind was knocked out of him as a particularly clumsy student ran into him, causing him to run into Amy. She let out a little squeal as the books fell out of her arms. Evan barely managed to wrap his arms around her waist and catch her before they both fell. Amy looked up at him, a fearful look in her eyes.

"You alright?" he murmured, awkwardly realizing the postion they were in.

She smiled shyly at him and nodded. "Thanks to you."

The fast beating of his heart had nothing to do with the fact that he had almost fallen to the ground.

but let you go when you need me to

They found out quite quickly that they lived just a few blocks away from each other, so everyday Evan walked her home from school and went straight to his house afterwards. The usual street they walked on was blocked that day because of a car accident, and so they had to take the long way home. It was then that they passed by an old playground. It was empty save for them, and moderately big in size.

Amy walked towards it slowly, as if in a trance.

"Amy?" he called, running up to her. "What's wrong?"

Amy stopped in front of the swing set, an almost nostalgic expression on her face. "I used to play here with my brother when I was younger. Our grandmother would take us up here all the time."

They were both silent for a moment, the only sound coming from the whistling of the wind.

"Do you want to go on the swings?" Evan broke the silence, staring at her intently.

Amy looked startled. "What?"

"Do you want to go on the swings?" he repeated. "For old time sake?"

She pursed her lips, glancing at the swinging seats a few feet from her. "...Can we?"

A few minutes later, he was pushing her high into the sky, her reddish-brown hair flowing behind her. The setting sun made her pale face seem brighter, and the peaceful expression on her face just added to the stunning image.

"Let go, Evan."

"What?" Evan looked at her, startled.

She looked down at him, a smile on her face. "I'm going to jump."

"What?"

"I never had the courage to do that when I was younger," she explained. "I would watch my brother do it all the time, but I was always afraid of falling and hurting myself. But I want to do it now."

"Amy..." Evan said hesitantly.

She smiled softly at him. "I'll be fine."

Evan reluctantly gave his approval. "But if anything goes wrong, I'll catch you."

Nothing went wrong.

I'll remember you every time I see the sun...

She was holed up in the library. As usual. It was Sunday, and Amy had been spending her time in the library downtown all day. Evan didn't want to admit it, but he was starting to feel neglected.

"Ames..." He had started to call her that a few months ago when she had told him that the name 'Amy' had started to seem too common and too normal a name. He had given her the nickname 'Ames' and she had fallen in love with it the moment he had said it. "Don't you want to go outside? It's Sunday. You've been cooped up in here all day."

She didn't even glance up from her book. "I'm fine," she replied immediately. "I'm fine right here."

Evan sighed. "Ames, you can't stay in here forever. You haven't gone out in the sun since school got out."

Amy frowned. "I went out in the sun this morning."

"You have plenty of time to read later," Evan said, gently closing the book in her hands. "But right now I'm taking you out. How about some ice cream?"

because you are my sun

She had ordered vanilla. He had ordered chocolate. He had insisted for her to let him pay for it, and had led her to a nearby bench near the ice cream parlor, claiming that eating ice cream outside was the best way to enjoy it.

Amy shot him a sheepish smile. "It's good."

Evan smiled triumphantly at her. "See? I told you this would be good for you."

She chuckled. "I guess you're right. Maybe I was spending too much time inside."

"Maybe?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

She bumped shoulders with him playfully. "Alright, I was spending too much time inside. Are you happy now?"

"Yes," he replied with a smile. "I am very happy that you finally admitted that I was right."

She rolled her eyes and gave him a smile so bright that it could have rivaled the sun.

I'll protect you forever...

"I hate horror movies," Amy mumbled, shielding her eyes from the television screen.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to watch it," Evan reminded her playfully.

"That's because Dan wouldn't shut up about it," she replied, taking a quick peek between her fingers at the screen. "I wanted to see what he was so excited about."

"Well, maybe we should have expected for it to be a horror movie." Evan shifted his position on the couch, subtly scooting closer to her.

Amy unconsciously scooted closer to him, making their shoulders touch. "I don't see anything good about this movie."

Evan tried to hide his smile and nodded sagely. "It does have bad graphics."

Amy sent him a small glare and quickly hid her face in her hands again.

"It's not real, Ames." He gently removed her hands from her face. "Don't worry about it."

Neither of them would have admitted it, but they both felt safer when they held each other's hands.

and love you for even longer

Evan had never liked Valentine's Day, but he dreaded White Day even more. Even though America didn't officially celebrate White Day, many people in their high school celebrated it anyway. If a boy had received something from a girl on Valentine's Day, he would have to repay her and get her something as well on White Day. It was just a reminder to Evan that no one had gotten him anything on Valentine's Day, and White Day just felt like another slap in the face.

He and Amy had agreed to not get anything for each other on Valentine's Day, both of them knowing that that would just be awkward. So they acted as if it was just another day, and pretended not to notice the exchanges of gifts from the other students.

Evan closed his locker door and adjusted his backpack slung over his shoulder. He looked up, only to be surprised with a bouquet of roses being held up to his face. He blinked at the flowers, trying to process that he was really seeing what he was seeing. He glanced over the flowers, only to see Amy awkwardly holding them up to him with the most adorable blush on her cheeks. No words needed to be said, and Evan accepted the flowers silently.

They both knew.

I'll keep you in my heart, locked up tight...

Their first date was casual and normal. He had taken her out to eat at a moderately expensive restaurant, and they had gone out to see a movie afterwards. They had done this several times before as just friends, but seeing as it was an actual date together, it had become a thousand times more awkward. There wasn't much conversation during dinner; just the occasional blush and awkward smile. Evan was starting to think that perhaps this wasn't a good idea after all.

But then they arrived at the movie theater.

The room was dark, and the commercials had already started. They quickly found two seats in the middle of the room and sat down, trying to ignore how close they were together. Evan tried to focus on the movie and not on the green-eyed girl beside him. He felt a pressure on his hand, and looked down to see that Amy had grabbed it. She looked up at him, and even though the room was dark, the blush on her face was clearly visible. He curled his fingers between hers and smiled shyly at her.

Everything would be fine.

and hope that's enough to keep you from flight

Their first kiss was short and sweet. It had happened on their way home from school. They had been holding hands silently, taking their time to get home, when Evan had managed to gather up enough courage to give her a kiss.

It was just on the cheek, but perhaps that was more meaningful than a kiss on the lips.

I'll be your hero, your knight in shining armor...

He had come at the beginning of the school year.

"He's an exchange student," the teacher had said. "from Britain."

He had the accent. He was charming. He was handsome. He was rich. He had everything and was everything Evan could never be, and he easily captivated the whole class.

Except for Evan.

The smirk on his face, the gleaming amber eyes; it made Evan uneasy. Something was wrong with him, but Evan couldn't figure out what. All he knew was that he didn't trust him, and he wasn't as wonderful as everyone seemed to think.

"My name is Ian," the new student had said with a smirk. "Ian Kabra."

He charmed everyone.

And he easily charmed Amy as well.

and protect you from the villain with all his dark, wicked glamour

Amy and Ian had been partnered up for a science project the next day, and Evan wasn't happy in the slightest. Amy seem flustered with the announcement, and she even blushed. Ian just took the announcement in stride and sent her a most handsome smirk, causing her cheeks to turn even redder.

The glare Evan sent him could have turned him into ashes.

"I'm sorry, Evan," Amy had replied apologetically when he had come over to her to walk her home. "I'm going home with Ian today... for the project."

Evan didn't think she looked nearly as upset about that as she should have.

"Tomorrow then?" he asked, trying not to let Amy see how upset he was.

Amy nodded, although she didn't look sure. "Tomorrow."

They didn't walk home the next day. Or the day after that.

She walked home with Ian.

You're the rhyme that always fit...

When had Amy become everything to him? When had she become the center of his whole world? He used to walk her home, call her every night, hug her goodbye, but it seemed that now she only ever wanted to hang out with that Kabra.

It hurt. It stung. It burned.

His heart hurt.

and the song that always sung

Evan looked up at the ceiling of his bedroom, his arms crossed over his chest. He had been doing that for ten minutes; thinking about Amy, Ian, and everything else in his life. The project was due the next day, and then Amy wouldn't have to spend so much time with that Kabra anymore. She would be able to spend time with him again, so Evan should have been happy, right? The aching feeling in his heart should have gone away and been replaced with excitement. He would be able to spend time with his girlfriend, so why wasn't he happy? Why wouldn't the aching feeling in his heart go away?

The radio he had placed on his desk played softly in the backgroud, an old romantic song being played.

Amy had always loved that song.

You're the bird that flew away...

Even after the project was turned in, Amy still spent time with Ian. She claimed it was because he didn't have many friends at school, but Evan knew that that wasn't true. Ian could have as many friends as he wanted, but Amy seemed resolute in her decision to spend time with him.

Evan was quick to share his reluctance. "I don't know, Ames... He just doesn't seem to be..."

"A good guy?" Amy finished.

Evan hesitantly nodded, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"He's not the best guy out there," Amy admitted slowly. "But he's not that bad. Really. Once you get to know him, you'd realize that he's actually a great guy."

Evan pursed his lips, not at all convinced. "I don't know, Ames. I just don't think it's a good idea for you to be friends with him."

Amy was silent for a moment, but then she said, "Are you jealous?" She gave him no time to reply. "We're just friends, Evan, and that's all we're ever going to be. You don't need to worry. You're my boyfriend, not Ian." She gave him a sheepish smile. "I know I haven't been spending much time with you lately, and I'm sorry for that. I'll make sure to spend more time with you."

Evan still wasn't completely satisfied, but he'd take what he could get.

When was it that I started to compete for my girlfriend's attention?

with the snake that could not be tamed

That Kabra was stealing his girlfriend away from him, and he knew it.

The self-satisfied smirk, the triumphant glint in his eyes; Evan knew that the Kabra was trying to steal Amy away from him. It used to be Evan who would walk Amy home from school, but now that Kabra was taking her home. Amy would say goodbye to him on her way out of school and smile apologetically as Ian led her away. He would give her a smile and tell her he would call her, as Ian watched in the background, a smirk on his face. Evan would call her every night before bed.

But she never answered.

I wanted to be the prince who found your glass slipper...

He saw her having dinner with Ian the next weekend.

His cousin had come over to visit them, and so his mother decided to take them all out for dinner at some new French restaurant with a name Evan had no idea how to pronouce. His cousin had insisted on paying for everything, and Evan found himself enjoying himself for the first time in weeks.

Until he saw them.

Amy and Ian were seated just a few tables away from them. Amy's eyes sparkled in the dim lights of the restaurant as she talked excitedly to Ian, who listened and nodded every so often. He seemed to actually be listening to her words, much to Evan's disappointment. They seemed to actually be enjoying each other's company, and it didn't make Evan happy to say the least. It was as if they were on a date.

But Amy would never do that to him.

Right?

But then you fell in love with the big tipper

It happened on a rainy day.

It was quite fitting, Evan often mused whenever he looked back on that day. That it was raining the day Amy broke up with him. It had happened near the end of the school day. She had walked up to him as he stood next to his locker, a torn expression on her face.

"Evan..." she said, biting her lip. "We need to talk."

Evan closed his locker. "That's never good," he tried to joke, a sinking feeling in his gut.

Amy paused for a moment, as if choosing what words to say next. "You know I love you, Evan. You're my best friend."

Evan swallowed, his throat feeling dry. "I love you, too, Ames."

He felt guilty that he felt triumphant when Amy flinched at his words. "You're a great guy, Evan. The best. You've always been there for me when I needed you." She paused for a second, as if to let him prepare for her next words. "And that's why you're my best friend."

Evan suddenly felt weary. "But only you're best friend, right?"

Amy nodded, a guilty look in her eyes. "I'm really sorry, Evan. I really did like you..." She stopped, as if realizing that her words were just going to make things worse.

Evan tried to smile at her. "It's alright, Ames. If you really want this, then it's fine."

"Really?" Amy asked doubtfully. She shuffled her feet on the floor, and Evan suddenly realized how quiet the hallway was.

"Yeah." He gave her a sad smile, not having the energy to make it seem like he was happy for her. "Just... I'm here for you, alright? Whatever happens... I'll always be here for you."

Amy gave him a sad smile. "Right."

They were silent for a moment, just standing awkwardly together, but then Evan said, "I hope you're happy with Ian."

Amy flinched. "Yeah... I am."

Evan nodded slowly. "That's good." He gave her a hesitant smile. "Well, see you later?"

"Do you want to walk home together?" Amy asked hesitantly. "We haven't done that in a while."

He gave her an apologetic smile. "No thanks, Ames. Why don't you hitch a ride with Ian? It's raining. I don't want you to get sick."

Amy looked at him guiltily. "What about you?"

He raised up the umbrella he held limply in his hand. "I've got an umbrella. I'll be fine."

"Right." Amy cleared her throat and held out her hand.

Evan grabbed it in his and held it for a few moments, savoring the feeling of her hand in his. He wanted to remember it forever. "See you later, Ames."

Amy nodded and slid her hand out of his. She walked towards the door and took one look back at him, the eyes he had always loved sparkling apologetically at him. He put his hand up in a wave of goodbye and watched as she walked out the door.

"See you later," he repeated, his words echoing around the empty hallway.

Remember me forever...

Graduation came a few months later.

Evan had completely immersed himself in his studies, trying to ignore the beautiful green-eyed girl he had fallen in love with and the one who had stolen her away from him. They hadn't spoken with each other much since that day in the hallway. Every so often, she would give him a polite good morning and he would give her a quick smile. But that was the farthest their relationship had ever got. They had slowly drifted apart, and it was as if they were complete strangers. Evan tried to ignore the hurt he felt and focused more on his studies. Amy had become the valedictorian, just like he knew she would, and he was happy for her.

"I know I haven't been with you all for a very long time," Amy continued with her speech. "And I don't know much about you all, but I know that we've had a lot of good times together, and I'll treasure them for the rest of my life. We all might have not been the best of friends. We didn't have each other on speed dial, and we didn't constantly go to each other's houses to hang out, but that's okay. We all have our different stories to tell about the time we were here, and we might not have been together for very long... but we all have some good memories here, and I'll treasure them for the rest of my life."

"I can't promise that I'll remember all of you; I don't even know all of your names, but let's all make a promise to each other: To never forget the memories we had here. Let's never forget the good memories, the bad memories, the best friends, the worst of friends; let's remember it all. We are all going on our separate paths to our own futures, but let's never forget the memories we made here in this school. Let's hold on to it, treasure it, and remember them forever. I've gone through a lot the years I've been here, and they hold some of the best memories I've ever had. So let's promise each other that we'll hold on to these memories, and look back at them with a smile. I know that I'll never regret having them."

Evan clapped and cheered along with everyone else as Amy stepped down from the podium, a bright smile on her face. He caught her eye as she walked back to her seat. She gave him a soft smile, making her eyes sparkle.

And he smiled back.

That's all I ask of you...

Evan had decided to move away from home and go to college a few states away. He had heard that Amy and Ian had decided to go study in London, and he had tried to ignore the feeling he had in his heart when he heard the news. As the years went by, things got better. He made friends, dated a few girls, studied hard to become a scientist; he did just what he had always wanted to do.

But he had never managed to forget about the green-eyed girl who had run into him just a few years before on a regular autumn day.

And keep me in your heart...

He saw her again in New York.

He had graduated a year before, and had managed to get a good job in New York City. The city was almost too much for him; he had always only ever been used to small town life. But he was slowly starting to get used to the hustle and bustle of city life.

He never saw her coming.

She had run into him on her way to work, knocking him down onto one of the busy streets in New York.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't even see you! I woke up late today and slept through my alarm clock, and now I'm late for work," she babbled, grabbing his hand and helping him up. "I'm really sorry, sir. Are you hurt?"

Evan looked at her in disbelief. Her hair had gottten longer, and her face had matured, but she was definitely the same Amy he had known those years before. "Amy?"

Amy froze, looking up at Evan in surprise. "How do you-? Wait... Evan?" She squinted her eyes at him, as if trying to distinguish the boy she had known back in high school. "It's really you?"

Evan gave her a smile. "Evan Tolliver."

She studied him for a moment, but then her face relaxed into a smile. "I didn't expect to see you in New York."

"I didn't expect to see you either," Evan replied, trying to find the shy, stuttering girl he had met in the woods all those years before. "I thought you were in London."

Amy smiled shyly, twirling a lock of her hair nervously. "Ian and I graduated a while ago. He got a job offering here in New York, so we decided to move."

"Where's the accent?" Evan asked, a playful smile on his lips.

Amy let out a little laugh. He hadn't realized just how much he missed the sound. "It went away a while ago, I'm afraid." She mimicked his playful smile. "It's a shame, too. I think people took me more seriously with the accent."

They shared a laugh together, and Evan could have pretended that they were their naive teenage selves again, laughing and smiling with each other like they used to do.

"How have you been, Evan?" Amy asked, her posture relaxed and her lips curled into a smile. She looked even more radiant and beautiful now then she did back in high school.

"I've been great," he replied. "What about you, Ames?"

Ames. He hadn't spoken the name in years, and the word had a strange feeling to it. Amy looked surprised that he had remembered it, but didn't comment on it. "Everything's great." She smiled hesitantly. "Ian and I are getting married soon." As if to prove her point, the sun glinted off of the golden ring on her finger, shining brightly for him to see.

"That's great, Ames!" He smiled, trying to feel happy for her when he knew he couldn't feel anything but sorrow. "When's the wedding?"

"About two months from now," she replied, her smile becoming even brighter. "We're planning on going back to London to have it there. All of his family members live there, and I know Dan has always wanted to go there, whether he admits it or not."

"That's great, Ames." He smiled softly at her. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks." She smiled back. "You know, I'd love to have my best friend come to my wedding, too."

Best friend. He nodded, and after she gave him the details, she waved to him and told him she had to go. He watched her walk away from him, her hair gleaming in the sunlight. He looked up at the sun, a soft smile on his face.

Everything happens for a reason.

Perhaps now he could move on.

Just like I will for you

And the photograph of two best friends falls to the ground, fading to black and white.

He believed in love everlasting

She believed in fairytales

He could have been her happy ending

But she decided to run away with the dragon instead

~Fin~

A/N: Like I mentioned above, the bold words are lines from poems that Evan had written. I apologize if I have any mistakes in my writing; this is a pretty long one-shot, and so I probably missed something.

Next up: Sinead/Jonah: Draw my name on your heart, and never, ever forget me.