Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 clues.

Amy woke up on the forth of July to the sounds of cheering and the smells of… was that hot dogs?

She grudgingly picked herself off her bed and looked over to the clock. It was seven in the morning and she so badly wanted to go back to bed, but she knew that she had to investigate the noise.

She carried herself into the bathroom and started to shiver in the cold room. Amy looked in the mirror and was disgusted at the sight.

She was wearing a small pink tank top and her short blue running shorts. Her hair was tousled and ratty, and she had dark bags under her eyes that could probably be mistaken with one of Natalie's tiny purses.

She brushed her teeth and ran a finger through her messed up hair. The cold was starting to get to her so she slipped on her dark blue robe and her white, fluffy bunny slippers and made her way downstairs.

The moment Amy's foot hit the floor, she had entered a world of chaos. Dan and Hamilton were sitting at the table stuffing their faces with hot dogs and hamburgers. Ned and Ted were in the corner of the kitchen working a mini grill and running back and forth to give Dan and Hamilton their food. Amy looked over to the other corner to see Natalie and Ian tied together, upside down, gagged, and hanging from the ceiling fan. And Sinead was hanging her head over the trash, puking up what looked suspiciously like meat chucks and bread.

"What's going on in here?" Amy asked. After about twenty seconds of no one answering she took a breath and yelled, "Everyone, stop and shut the hell up!" Lets just say that everyone heard her that time.

"What is going on in here?" she repeated. Everyone looked at each other hesitantly, except Sinead who was still vomiting up her food.

Dan was the first to speak, "Well, what does it look like we're doing, Ames? We are celebrating the fourth of July".

Amy was in shock, "How in the world is this celebrating Independence Day?!"

Dan continued smiling, "We started by celebrating our American history, so we kidnapped Natalie and Ian while they were sleeping and we conquered the British!" he said gesturing to the Kabras hanging upside down. Ian just rolled his eyes and Natalie kept on screaming into the gag. "Then we celebrated the present, by having a hot dog and hamburger contest, which I was about to win by the way, until you came downstairs and ruined it".

Amy stood still and continued staring until Sinead spoke up. "Where am I?"

"What did you do to her?" Amy asked suspiciously. She looked over to the Starling twins who smiled back sheepishly.

"Well we kind of-

"Thought that she would-

"Catch us then go to-

"Wake you up so we-

"Gave her some kale". (A/N if you don't know, kale is a leafy vegetable)

Amy and Sinead glared at them, knowing that Sinead was allergic to kale. It caused her to go a little crazy and gave her the reactions of a drunk.

"Now that everyone has confessed in their issues, will you now release us? My back feels like crap". Everyone turned to Ian who was still hanging upside down, but had somehow taken off both his and his sister's gag.

"Yes, and the moment you get us down, I will take my dart gun and my heels, and I will make sure Daniel will never have the ability to ever produce children", Natalie snarled. Dan backed up and hid behind his sister.

Amy sighed. You could never get any of them to get along. She grabbed the kitchen knife off the counter and aimed for the rope separating the Kabras from the ceiling fan. She threw the knife and a simultaneous gasp ran through the room when the knife cut through the rope, the Kabras fell to the ground, and the knife made a place in the wall next to the Cahill family portrait.

"Thank you, love. But next time you may want to cut us down, try not to make my sister and I fall onto our heads", Ian said. Amy watched as he got off the ground and helped his sister up. "Now that your shenanigans are done, me and Natalie would like to get ready for the day". That's when she noticed he was still in his sleepwear.

Ian was wearing a skin-tight white tank top that showed off his hot six-pack and sexy blue boxer shorts that looked so good on his tan legs. "Why, love there is no need to stare. I already know I look amazing". Amy's face turned an off shade of red as he smirked at her reaction.

As Ian and Natalie walked by her to their bedrooms, Ian stopped and whispered to her, "You don't look half bad either. If you run a brush through your hair, you would look so lovely". He walked away to his room and Amy was left standing there, touching her messy, bed-head hair.


After Amy had taken her shower and cleaned herself up she moved out of the bathroom to her bedroom where Natalie was sitting on Amy's bed and examining her nails.

"Um… what are you doing here?" Amy asked. Natalie looked up at her as if just realizing that Amy walked in. she got up and walked over to her before taking Amy by the arm and dragging her to the bed.

"Amy, Amy, Amy. What am I going to do with you? How are you supposed to get my brother to kiss you if you wear clothing like that?" she asked gesturing to Amy's blue T-shirt and jeans.

Amy was dumbfounded. How is she supposed to respond to that? "Um… you don't?" she said, the statement coming out more like a question.

Completely ignoring her, Natalie walked over to her closet and started to look through her clothes. "See this is you problem! All you have is jeans and T-shirts, and the only dress you have is this boring, little, white sundress! Oh well, it will have to do".

"What are you-

Natalie just kept on ignoring her and lifted up one of her shirts that had the American flag printed over the front, "Do you need this? I hope not". And with that she took a pair of scissors and started to cut the shirt into strips. "Amy, please pass me that sewing kit over there".

Amy knew that she wouldn't get anywhere arguing with Natalie so she did what Natalie said and brought her the sewing kit. Amy looked over Natalie's shoulder to see her messing with her only dress, that Sinead got her for her birthday last year. She took the shirt pieces, which were now just cloth strips of red, white, and blue, and sewed them into rows on the dress.

"I'm done! Put this on while I go look for shoes!" Natalie squealed. Natalie ran out of Amy's room and down the hall to her own, while Amy hesitantly took the dress into the bathroom and slipped it on.

She would admit that the dress now looked much more beautiful than before. It was all white, but starting at the waist fell rows of red, white, and blue strips making it looked frayed. The shoulder straps were cut off, and the top was tightened, making her have to put on a strapless bra. And a thin layer of glitter lined the hem.

When Amy stepped out, Natalie was once again standing there with a pair of shiny red flats. And a box labeled Hair and Makeup. "Sit down in the chair and stay still," Natalie said in a firm voice.

Amy sat down and slipped on the shoes, which compared to many things Natalie owned, were surprisingly comfortable. Amy tried to keep a straight face as Natalie yanked on her hair and blew powder in her face. When Natalie finally said, "Done", Amy went over to the nearest mirror and looked at herself.

She was absolutely beautiful. Her hair was filled with thick curls that hung past her shoulder and was held back by a sparkly blue headband that looked like the statue of liberty's crown. She was now wearing mascara, eyeliner, and dark blue eye shadow. She had light pink blush and bright red lipstick that stood out on her pale skin.

"I look awesome, Natalie, but I still want to know something", Amy said turning to Natalie.

"And what would that be?"

"Why are you doing this in the first place?"

Natalie shook her head in disappointment. "Amy, you make me sound like I'm the only person to notice the way you and my idiot, love-struck brother look at each other. You don't have to be an Ekat to figure out that you have feelings for my brother. I have noticed to for years now. So today I had decided to help", she finished smugly.

"Well if you were so confidant to help me with my 'love life' why haven't you helped before? I see you every month. And you were her for two weeks now".

Natalie's expression never changed. "I only help on the holidays, honey. Even if it is a stupid American holiday, celebrating the bragging rights you earned for winning the biggest war in American history. I honestly don't see why you were so eager to break off from England, we aren't that bad". Natalie stopped herself from continuing to drabble and looked at Amy. "My point is, no matter what happens, you will get a kiss from Ian during that silly American tradition of yours".

"You want me to kiss Ian during the hot dog eating contest?" Amy asked raising an eyebrow.

"No, you peasant! At the fireworks show tonight! Daniel kept on bragging about how you put on one of the most amazing firework shows ever on the fourth and that's when I decided you will kiss. Not before or after, and if you don't… I have my ways", she finished, taking out her dart gun and spinning it around on her pointer finger.

Amy nodded. She had admitted to herself that she liked Ian a long time ago and if she was going to trust anyone with helping her get him, it would be Natalie. No one knew Ian better than her. "So now that I'm dressed and the main plan is done, what do I do now?" she asked.

Natalie smiled her perfect smile and strutted over to the door. "Well, we show off your beautiful dress of course".


Ian was not one to get nervous. But when he was around Amy, he always found a way.

This morning when she threw the knife at the rope, he had not a shred of doubt that it would cut the rope and not their feet. When he fell to the ground he adored her wit and skill. She was beautiful, strong, and talented. That's when he noticed her staring at him. He smiled, knowing that she was distracted by him and used her time distracted to study her right back.

She wore a small tank top and short shorts, covered by a big fluffy robe. He looked down at her bunny slippers and smiled at how much that described Amy. She was absolutely beautiful, but when he looked at her hair, he noticed that it was very ratty and easily deciphered as bed-head hair. She must have gotten out of bed immediately to find out what was wrong. Now that is good dedication he thought.

"Why, love there is no need to stare. I already know I look amazing", he said arrogantly. He knew it would embarrass her, but you can't quit what you were grown up to do. Even if it was taught to you by super villains.

She blushed a bright shade of red and Ian knew he did it right. As he passed her, he stopped at her side, knowing he shouldn't, but doing it anyway. "You don't look half bad either. If you run a brush through your hair, you would look so lovely", he said before walking off with Natalie.

Now he was lying back on his bed thinking about the plan for today. Earlier that morning as soon as they walked off Natalie had stopped him in the hall and scolded him about Amy. She said how it was so obvious and only a fool couldn't see it. He would have fought back, but the thing is… it's true. He really liked Amy. But now he was a bit scared of what Natalie would do to them.

He picked himself off the bed and threw on a clean, button up, white shirt and a red and blue vest on top of it. American or not Ian was always dressed for the occasion. He threw on a pair of khakis and a pair of black dress shoes, before making his way to the door.

Right when he reached for the handle, the door flew open and Amy's little brother Daniel came stomping in. "Who do you think you are?! Don't you dare go around and mess with my sister! If you have something to say, say it to my face! I will not let you go anywhere near Amy without a fight!" Dan screamed at him furiously.

Ian was very confused. "Uh, Daniel, I'm very sorry to stop you loud and annoying rant, but I have no clue what you are talking about", he said. Dan looked at him suspiciously before walking over to the bed. He sat down and gave Ian a motion that said 'come on over, I wont kill you… this time'. Ian walked over to Dan and sat down awkwardly next to him. He could feel Dan's gaze on him and surprisingly, it was intimidating.

Dan looked up to him and said, "I'm no idiot, I can tell you like Amy. Heck, everyone you meet can tell! So now back to business. A little birdie told me that Natalie came to you to give you a plan".

"By little birdie, do you mean you had your ear pressed to the door?"

He ignored him, "Details, details, anyway I am here to tell you if my sister ends up anywhere five feet or less from your room, I will kill you in your sleep and post the video on YouTube".

Ian stared at Dan wide eyed, "I just want a kiss, I don't want to sleep with her!" he yelled.

Dan looked taken aback. "Really? Oh, I thought that that was what she said. I guess I need better ears, I mean birdies. But if that's all you need I will help you win over my sister", he said in a confident voice.

Now it was Ian's turn to be surprised. "Really?" he asked.

"Yeah… I'm sick and tired of her constant sighing, and the weird staring at you, and all the other stupid stuff she does. If you two get together, she may not stop doing those thing, but she will be doing them with you and not me". Ian raised an eyebrow, but didn't argue.

"Okay", Dan started, "first, you have to complement her. When you compliment her, it makes her feel all warm on the inside. Second, you should give her a touch or two on the shoulder. When you even brush your hand over hers to reach for something, it makes that body part numb and tingly", Ian cut him off.

"How exactly do you know all this stuff about her?"

Dan gave him an 'uh duh' look and said, "Her diary, that she hides under her pillow. Anyway, last but not least, when you kiss her make sure it's gentle. It's not in her diary, but if you do anything else, I will find Natalie's dart gun and kill you where you stand".

A bit scared of what Dan would do for Amy, Ian simply nodded his head and walked downstairs.


Amy and Ian made it down the stairs at the exact same time.

Ian was the first to notice, "Wow, Amy you look, wow". Amy knew that that wasn't really a compliment, but blushed anyway.

"Thanks, you don't look half bad yourself", she said. Ian smirked and walked into the living room, where everyone was sitting.

"You guys made it just in time!" Jonah said. Amy wondered what type of damage he would have made if he wasn't at his concert that morning. Everyone was in a seat leaving only one loveseat open in the corner for both Amy and Ian. "To celebrate our American patriotism, we are watching Lincoln, the story of our sixteenth president".

Amy and Ian sat down to watch the movie, with Amy moving around a little squeamishly on her side of the seat. When everyone was settled and the lights were off, Dan pressed play on the remote and the movie started.

Less than half way through the movie Amy started to feel a bit drowsy. This morning Dan and everyone else had woken her up before her normal time around nine. Plus she had seen this move so many times that it actually got boring to her.

She felt her head drop a little every few seconds, forcing her to pick it back up before anyone noticed. Apparently she didn't hide it well enough because Ian looked at her quizzically and asked, "Love, are you tired?" He placed a hand on her shoulder that dent shivers down her spine.

"Only a bit", she answered, but she knew that he could easily see through her lie.

"It is fine if you fall asleep. It's our fault if you're tired. You deserve some rest". He took both her shoulders and pulled her down so her head was laying on his armrest and her feet on her own. Her back lay perfectly sprawled on his lap and she was about to complain, but before she could she was already out like a light.

Amy woke up to the light shining through the window. Her body hurt in different places and she felt like she was getting up from a yearlong sleep. She picked herself up and looked at her surroundings. She was in the living room and the sun was setting. But the thing that stood out most to her was that she was sleeping on Ian.

"Morning, love. Did you have a nice nap?" he asked. She immediately felt her cheeks turn red as she shook her head.

"I feel like crap", she said cracking her back.

He took her shoulders in his hands and started to roll them, massaging her back. "Well that isn't very good is it", he said. It took all of her will power to not just melt into his arms right there, and she still slouched back a little.

"What time is it?" she asked. They started the movie at twelve and the sun was now setting, so it was obvious that she was asleep for a while.

"I think it's about 6:30, love. You have been asleep for quite a long while", he answered.

"Well why didn't you wake me? I'm sure you weren't that comfortable with me laying on you", she said sheepishly.

"On the contrary, love. I wouldn't dare wake you. You looked so peaceful asleep". Amy felt her cheeks light up like a Christmas tree.

"Oh, well I'm going to go help the Starlings with the fireworks. I guess I'll see you tonight. Bye", she said. She quickly got up and headed towards the back porch before he could answer.


That night before the fireworks everyone was setting up their blankets and starting to eat their dinner.

Dan had decided to watch the fireworks with the Holts leaving Amy all alone on her little purple blanket. "Hello, love. Do you mind if I sit here?" a voice asked from behind her. She turned around to see Ian standing there in all of his glory.

"Yes. I mean no. I mean… sit". She smiled sheepishly and looked at her watch to see when the fireworks started, so she could end the awful silence between them.

"Love, I need to tell you something", Ian said. She looked at him to continue. "Well I don't really know how to say this, so I'm just going to go out with it. I like you. No, I love you. I love your confidence, your kindness, and your entire personality. I think you are beautiful and I love the way you don't force yourself upon others to get attention like other girls. And I all together love you". Amy was in shock. She didn't think she was any of these things, but apparently Ian did. "You know what, I'm just going to go", he got up to go, but Amy reached out to stop him.

"No! I-I love you too".

Ian stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"I love you too", she said more confidently.

Before she could do anything Ian grabbed her arms and pulled her up to him. He smashed his lips to hers in one swift motion.

Lets just say. Amy saw fireworks.

A/N: This is in dedication of all of America and of our freedom. Oh, and for the Amian fans too.