Top of the World
Written By: Sepharim
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the 39 Clues characters.
From the first day of the Clue Hunt, there was something that I admired in her, a mere commoner. There was something in her that I've never seen in another girl. She was funny, optimistic, shy, and attractive. This lovely angel didn't fall at my feet when I smiled at her, but instead, her smile made me falter in my steps and turned my thoughts into pudding. As the years went by, she only became more lovely, inspiring, clever, and kind, and I felt myself being unmistakingly drawn to her.
Of course, I knew why. A Kabra never hides anything from himself, knows himself inside out, and always gets what he wants. I was no exception nor was I going to be one.
So, I began my plan to court Amy Cahill. (Yes, court. Pursuing is what commoners do, not highly intelligent and resourceful gentlemen.)
It took quite a bit of time, but slowly, I began to make progress while her self-constructed 'protective' wall that had kept me out for so long began to crumble. She forgave me for the dreaded Korean incident, and I started to act more human and less cold in her eyes. Now, at age 25, we were fairly close; however, we just have a few issues that needed to be settled.
"What do you mean you want me to be the leader?" she nearly screeched. We were sitting in Grace's library, going over some Madrigal paperwork when I casually mentioned that she should run to be leader.
I wrapped an arm around her comfortably and rubbed her arm, something I would normally never do. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. "Calm down, Amy. Why are you so worked up? I'm sure you'll make a brilliant leader and just look at what you did during the Clue Hunt!"
Amy bit her lip and blushed when she heard the complement. Also, if I wasn't mistaken, she leaned toward my partial embrace a bit, making my heart flutter. "T-thanks," she mumbled. "But I think you're going over the top with this, and I don't think I'll know what to do."
"Nonsense! Like I said, you'll make a brilliant leader, and I'll help you if you want my advice. Moreover, I'd rather have you leader than some random Madrigal who doesn't have a clue concerning leadership. When you're leader, you can make sure no agent gets left behind, no innocent lives are taken away." I ended my short speech with "I know you're destined for greatness," whispered in her ear and a squeeze on her hand. Luke's pants, I'm turning to a sap. Hopefully though, the idea of being leader after my speech tickled her fancy.
Her blush turned into a deeper shade of pink. "I don't know... What happens if I'm not good enough?"
I brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and let my hand slightly graze against her cheek for a second while by eyes gazed into hers. "Just try. Please, love?" Ah, how I loved that nickname, and I think she was starting to warm up to it too.
Amy smiled her contagious smile and nodded her head. "Ok, if you insist."
"Perfect." As we continued discussing the paperwork, I couldn't help thinking how perfect she was and how relieved I was that she didn't ask me why I wanted her to be leader.
It took a lot of work, but Amy was finally the Madrigal leader. Unsurprisingly, she was extremely popular and won by a landslide. Madrigal agents, active and un-active alike, from around the world came to London, the city where Madeleine lived in her later years, to celebrate the occasion. After the inauguration, we held a party at my mansion for only our closest family members including Sinead, Hamilton, Dan, Natalie, Nellie, Fiske, Jonah, and others.
The small party was actually... fun. We haven't seen some of them for quite a while, and the congratulation party for Amy morphed into a Cahill Reunion, not that she minded much. Like all of the other Cahill Reunions, it ended with whip cream all over the kitchen tables and utter chaos thanks to Dan.
At about three in the morning, all of the guests turned in. I couldn't after all of the ruckus so I decided to slip downstairs for a cup of tea and a book to read to pass the time. In the library, I found the red-headed Madrigal Branch Leader worrying her head off. I walked up to her and lightly tapped her shoulder, at which she jumped in surprise and almost make me spill my tea.
"Oh," she whispered groggily. "I didn't think anyone would be up at this time."
"As did I," I muttered. "What in King George's name are you doing down here at this hour?"
"Just trying to find a good book to read. I couldn't go to sleep."
I stared at her for a moment before letting it go. If I knew human personality - particularly hers - well enough, she'll tell me in due time. Meanwhile, it was best to wait. My hand ghosted over the spines of the banks of books neatly on a shelf nearby and picked out one. Sitting down in a chair near hers, I began to study the pages of the green covered book without actually comprehending a word it said. My mind, instead, began planning. Half-an-hour later at 3:30, my prediction came true.
Amy sigh and closed her book in a very Amy-ish way, if that was possible. She leaned back in her chair and stared at me nervously while she teetered back and forth on two legs of the chair. For a minute, there was an awkward silence though I tried not to show that I had noticed and turned a page.
"Are we really doing the right thing?" Amy asked quietly. From the corner of my eye, I saw that she had dropped her gaze and her hair had cascaded down over her shoulder creating a very natural look for her. Does she always look like this at night?
"I don't know what you're talking about," I stated casually and sent her a quick glance.
"You know, me getting elected, becoming the leader of the Madrigals. I never thought it would actually happen but it did, and now I don't know how to handle it. What if I mess everything up?" She rubbed her temples, and for some odd reason, I felt a tiny, microscopic twinge of guilt for egging her on to this. "You will help me right?"
The famous Kabra smirk graced my features. "Of course, Miss Cahill. I would be delighted to be at your services. Besides, while I'm assisting you with your political duties, you'll help me get excepted into the Madrigals with... more welcoming arms, let's just say. Eh?"
Only she would look adorable blushing and roll her eyes sarcastically at the same time. At least her worries were forgotten for the moment. "Stop it! Can't you take this seriously? I'm still Amy, you know. And all the agents have to do is get used to you. Ian, you do remember that you're Lucian right?"
I waved my hand nonchalantly. "Details, love. Details. Now, go to sleep. It's twenty minutes 'til four and it's no good pulling an 'all-nighter' as you Americans call it. Shoo!"
"Fine, but only if you go to sleep too."
"As you wish, my lady."
At the end of the stairway where we turned in different directions, I suddenly grabbed her hand out of impulse. "I was thinking about you offer for me to assist you with your new duties, and my answer is indubitably. You do know you're an amazing person right? Good night."
The Madrigal leader froze at the spot for a few moments before turning to the direction of her room. All the way to my bedroom, I mentally chided myself. What was I thinking, acting like a over fond buffoon, staying up this late? The next thing I would know, I will have some unattractive dark circles and a heart attack.
The next few years, I managed to coach Amy up the ladder, and she was doing beautifully. Every Madrigal knew her name and respected her one way or another. Surprisingly, she did it without changing herself despite my nagging: she was still Amy Cahill.
About five years after the election, I found myself in a powerful position. On one hand, my wife, Amy, was the leader of the Madrigals, and on the other was Natalie, the leader of the Lucians. Add that to the fact that I was the new owner of the Kabra fortune and that Sinead, the Ekat leader; Mr. Broderick Wizard, the Janus leader; and Mr. Eisenhower Holt, the Tomas leader, were my friends... Well, acquaintances, really. I was the richest and most powerful man in the world and would have traded it for my wife. Everything I've worked for was in play and had succeeded, but now that I was at the top of the world, carrying the weight of the world, why didn't I care?
What happened to me? Years of planning and scheming went out of the window and into the trash bin, and I wouldn't give it a second look. When I'd proposed to Amy, she agreed with enthusiasm. There was a time when she would have sent the whole Madrigal weight on me because everyone would've thought I wouldn't marry her for her. What changed her mind? What changed everyone else's mind? What sort world had I've been placed in?
On May 22, two years after the wedding, I placed back and forth outside our bedroom. Dr. Clarkson, the best doctor in Madrigal history, was attending Amy at the moment and kick me out of the room. My mind was full of anxiety. I didn't remember feeling so helpless in my lifetime, but when I had little Emily in my arm, it was all worth it. And I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. I was the richest and most powerful man in the world, and my wife and daughter had me wrapped around their little finger.
~Sepharim