Hello! I know that I should probably be working of Chapter Three of "Three Wishes", but I saw spaghttigrrl's challenge, and I couldn't help myself. This is my first one-shot! This is so exciting!

Breaking the Tie

"What?"

Arthur stuck his finger in his ear, then pulled it back out. "I'm sorry, I must have heard wrong. Could you repeat that?"

"I said," Hope replied calmly, "I know."

Arthur stared at her. He blinked once. Twice.

He was going to do it. Finally, he could be free. Today, he would tell her everything.

"But...how?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm a Cahill, you know," she said with a small smile. "We've been monitoring you."

"I absolutely forbid it!" His father's voice shook with rage. "Your last name may legally be Trent, but you will always be a Vesper!"

"How long...?"

"How long have I known?" Hope finished. "Ever since you told me your name."

"No," he replied, his voice determined. "I was never a true Vesper, and I never will be. I don't belong in a family of murderers."

"I...I had no idea," he said softly.

"Well, that was sort of the point, wasn't it?" she giggled.

Arthur smiled. "I suppose it was."

"The Vespers are the greatest family the world has ever known," his father hissed.

"So...what are you going to do now?" Hope worried.

"What am I going to do now?" he repeated. "Well, for starters, how about marry you?"

"There's no need to lie anymore," he responded coldly. "I believed it when I was growing up, but I know better now."

Hope's eyes shined. "Do...do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do." He pulled her close and kissed her.

"There's nothing you can do," his father smirked. "Nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide."

"But...what about your family?" Hope asked when they finally broke apart.

"They're not my family anymore," Arthur told her.

"I don't need to hide," he answered. "And I will always have a place to go as long as I'm with Hope. I'm a Cahill now."

Her eyes opened wide. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I mean..."

His father narrowed his eyes. "You'll regret this decision forever."

Hope's eyes filled with shock. "You did that...for me?" she whispered.

He nodded once. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I know that they'll try to track me, and I've probably put you in even more danger than ever, but..."

"Never," he declared. "Never will I regret my decision. Never will I regret choosing Hope. I'm breaking my tie to the Vespers. Forever."

"...I love you."

What do you think? It's my first non-Amian 39 Clues fanfic, too, I think. I'm sorry it's so short, though. Anyway, if you were a bit confused, the normal text is what happened in the evening. The italicized text is what happened that morning. So it's, like, a flashback. Was it too confusing? CC is welcome, as always.

Have a nice day~!

~Legend~