Hey! So, this is my first one-shot, and i'm really excited! It's an Amian tragedy, and really bittersweet! I hope you like it!
~iheartamianplusnatan
Epilogue:
"Arthur! ARTHUR!" she screamed desperately. Her voice was hoarse. "ARTHUR! I'M HERE! ARTHUR!" She sobbed, choking in the dust. Where was he? He had to be here, he just had to be.
Finally, she fell to the floor, limp. The flames grew ominously higher, towering over her until they engulfed her. Her last though was, "at least the children are safe. The children have each other. And I am going to be with Arthur. With Arthur. Arthur." And that was how Hope Cahill died, muttering her husband's name over and over again, as the world around her faded into red and black.
The firemen arrived too late. The house was burned to rubble. There were no survivors except two little children, clutching to each other. The older one was about four, and had reddish hair. The younger one, about two, was clutching to his sister's leg and sucking on his thumb. The first thing the fireman noticed was their big intelligent green eyes.
The children were sent to their Aunt's house to live. They went through a number of babysitters, and when they were 13 and 11, they went on an adventure. The fate of the world lay in their hands. Again, when they were 15 and 13, they went on yet another fatal adventure, to save their friends from ruthless kidnappers, and the world from a shadowy group descended from Lord Vesper. Finally, when they were twenty-five and twenty-three, they left their neighborhood and went off into the world to work for their family.
Their names were Amy and Dan.
Chapter 1:
Amy was on her cell phone. "Oh, all right. Fine. But I've got to get home to my husband, you know how he is."
She nodded as the person on the other line spoke. "Got it. I'll meet you back at base headquarters soon, OK?"
She ended her call and surveyed her surroundings. She was in London, England, about to meet with a delegate from the Lucian branch at a small corner coffee shop called Lila's. Amy say down at an outside table, and a waitress rushed over and offered her a menu. Amy ordered a latte and a scone, since she still had about fifteen minutes to wait. She pushed her sunglasses down farther over her eyes and glanced around nervously. One downside to being a Madrigal Agent was that you were probably wanted by the Interpol. He brother Dan was a famous criminal, although all the heists he had done were purely for the sake of his job. As a Madrigal Agent, he chose to become a Vesper Hunter, Amy, however, went into Inter-Branch Relations.
A man standing by the fountain in the middle of the square walked over. He came and sat down in front of Amy and muttered, "Agent Cahill. Are you well?"
Amy looked up, startled. This is who they had sent? Blonde haired, blue eyed, 26 year old Brandon Mills was seated in front of her, un-smiling. She inclined her head coldly. "Agent Mills. It's always an honor." She tried to put as much sarcasm as she could into that sentence.
A smile tugged at the edge of Brandon's face, but it wasn't a pleasant one. No, his smile always sent chills down Amy's back. She tried not to show it, but Brandon Mills scared the heck out of her.
"Agent Cahill, the Lucians have sent me to discuss our Kenyan stronghold with you. As you know, it has been functioning perfectly for years now, and suddenly, at its peak, it shut down. We believe that some intruders somehow snuck in to the database and shut it down. The regular Kenyans who we hired to guard the place assure us that it was just a break-in by some local gangs, but we have an idea about who these people might be."
Amy was terrified of the answer, but she asked, "And who do you think broke in?"
Brandon leaned forward. "You know who, Amy. The Vespers. Who else could it be?"
Amy cleared her throat. "Please address me as Agent Cahill."
Was that a blush she saw on Brandon's cheeks? But no, it couldn't have been. His face was now rigid still, slightly handsome, but marred with many knife cuts. He pressed his lips together and stared down Amy, but she held his gaze coolly, her trepidation never showing on her face.
Brandon leaned forward once more. "We need to go to the Kenyan stronghold now and take a look. If the Vespers got hold of our valuable information, it could be disaster. You know that as well as I do, Agent Cahill."
Amy weighed her choices. If she went with Brandon, her husband would undoubtedly be annoyed. He didn't like the "Cahill business" as he called it, and through his annoyance, Amy could see fear. He was afraid that she would never come back. He travelled a lot, too, but his voyages were never life-threatening, they were just scientific and historical. Sometimes he was accompanied by his 17 year-old brother, sometimes his father, although his father was becoming very old and had arthritis.
On the other hand, Amy travelled all over the world on semi-dangerous missions that involved guns, thievery, and much more. Her travel partners were usually trained assassins from other branches. Even Dan, who tried never to kill unless there was no other way, was dangerous in his own way.
She sighed. "Alright Agent Mills. I will travel to you to Kenya, but I'll only be able to stay for a day, no more. I have other business to attend to."
Brnadon nodded curtly. "Fair enough. We will go out tomorrow. Meet me at the Disney shop in the London airport tomorrow at 9:00 AM, and I will have our tickets." And with that, he stalked off towards the Napolitano Bank and headed inside, without looking back. Once he was out of sight, Amy took a deep breath. She hated when the Lucians sent Brandon Mills. Almost every other Agent found him satisfactory, and while not exactly charming, not frightening either. Amy shook her head. "Get a grip on yourself," she muttered.
She fished her phone out of her purse and called her boss and Great-uncle, Fiske.
"Hello? How did the meeting go?" asked Fiske nervously.
"Fine. They sent Brandon Mills." Fiske knew how she felt about him. "He wants me to go with him to the Lucian stronghold in Kenya which, apparently, was broken into. The Lucians suspect the Vespers, but probably only a small group, one of those trying to bring back the Vespers "former glory"." Amy rolled her eyes. "In any case, I agreed to go with him for a day to look for clues, evidence, etc. I'm not really sure who got into the stronghold, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a Vesper. The Lucian's are probably just exaggerating. However, if I don't agree to go ith them, they'll never shut up. And besides, this could be important!"
Fiske sighed wearily. "Fine, you may go. Just be careful. Take all precautions. Be safe."
Amy laughed a little at her uncle's protectiveness. "Honestly, Fiske, I'll be fine. When Dan get's back, tell him I'll be out for a few days. And…." Amy felt stupid saying this, but it was a necessity. "And tell Dan that if I'm not back in three days, then he should come looking for me. Even if he's gotten a call or text or whatever from me. You never know."
"I'll be sure to tell him—he worries about you a lot, you know. So does your husband, for that matter. Speaking of which, have you talked to him yet?"
Amy winced. "No. I'll call him later, though."
Fiske chuckled. "Of course you will. He won't take it well, though."
"No, he probably won't. I'll send you an update as soon as I get to Kenya. Bye!"
Amy hung up and took a deep breath. She had to do this sooner or later. Best to get it over with now.
She dialed a number, and on the other end, a male voice breathed in relief. "Honey! You're alive!"
Amy smiled. "Yes, I didn't run into terrorist and get myself killed. Nice to talk to you too."
The man groaned. "Amy, it's nothing to joke about. I would never be able to live if you had been killed!"
"Aaaww, thanks. Um, okay, I have some bad news."
The voice on the other end became wary. "What sort of bad news?"
"The bad news that might possibly contain me and a Lucian Agent flying out to Kenya for two days."
"Amy!" Her husband sounded exasperated. "Really? You know I don't like those Lucians! Well, if you have to. But text me every five minutes. Promise? Promise!"
Amy laughed. "I'll try my best. Hey, I'm sorry. I really don't want to. I'll miss you, sweetie."
Her husband sighed. "I'll miss you too. I always miss you."
"Bye."
"Bye, Amy. But text me! Every five minutes! Or else!"
"Love you." Amy hung up and shoved the phone in her pocket. Now she had to figure out a place to stay.
The nearest Madrigal stronghold was about five miles from where Amy was, but she decided to walk. Less attention. As she was strolling down a busy street, she saw a car pull over to the side of the road. A girl about 20 years old stepped out. She had olive skin and long sleek black hair. She had sunglasses and a gold sequin-y skirt and expensive black shirt on. Amy knew who it was even before the lady pulled her glasses down.
"Natalie!" she cried.
"That's Agent Kabra for you," reprimanded Natalie, smiling slightly. She motioned for Amy to get into the car. As soon as they were in, the car pulled back onto the busy road.
"So," Natalie sipped from a glass of wine that was in front of her. "why are you here in London?"
Amy rolled her eyes. "Ling story. Madrigal business. I have to go on a trip with that awful Lucian Agent Mills to Kenya. Didn't you hear about the massive break-in at the Lucian stronghold in Kenya?"
Natalie made a vague motion with her hand, sending her jewelry jingling. "Oh, I don't keep up with all that Lucian nonsense anymore. Dose nothing for my wrinkles. Maybe you should, too. It would help with your complexion, dear. Do what I did! Forget about all that Cahill business and open you own fashion line!"
Amy laughed. Natalie Kabra would always be the same. "I don't really know. My husband wants me to settle down and forget about the Madrigals, but I can't! It's my life!"
Natalie made a pffting sound. "You sound just like my silly brother, talking about honesty and respect and dignity and all sorts of rubbish. I mean, honestly!"
Amy cocked her head. "Oh, yeah. How is Ian?"
Natalie smiled deviously. "I thought you were married, sweetie!"
Amy rolled her eyes. "Of course I am! I'm just wondering how he's adapting to his new position, that's all."
Natalie sighed in disappointment. "You know, Amy, there were a few years there where we all thought that you and Ian would grow up and get married!"
Amy shrugged. "Things change. I have an amazing husband and a beautiful house up in Maryland. What more could you ask for?"
Natalie avoided answering that question. "Well, when must you leave for Kenya?"
"Tomorrow at 9:00 at the London Airport."
"Well, isn't that just lovely? You can stay with us this evening! Ian gets home around 7:00 tonight, and we can have Mirandie cook us an amazing meal!"
Amy blushed. "Oh, no, I could never intrude on your house like that! I don't want to be any trouble."
"Nonsense!" Natalie scoffed. "You are going to be our evening guest tonight, and that is final!"
Despite Amy's protests, Natalie told the chauffer to bring them to the Town Estate.
A few minutes late, the car peeled into an enormous driveway, and above them stood a huge spacious manor. Amy stood and gapped at it. "Wow, this is amazing!"
Natalie dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "Oh, this this just the town one. We have a bigger home out of town a ways."
Once inside, Amy could see the Lucian crest everywhere. Tapestries, tables, furniture, and walls were decorated with the green snake's emblem. Natalie gently grabbed her hand and led her to the West Wing. "This is the family bedroom wing, where our rooms are. The lounge is down that way, and your room is right here!" She flung open a door, and Amy got a glimpse of a huge room with a mini library, couches, a TV, a kichen, and three doors at the end. Amy started stuttering. "wow, oh wow, this is better than I could even hope for!"
Natalie nodded smugly. "I know. Tell you what, let me show you around! This place can get pretty confusing."
Amy nodded, resigned, and Natalie quickly whisked her off. Almost every room was different and beautiful; Amy was enthralled by it all. Natalie, on the other hand, barely glanced at it, like she was bored of it and saw this stuff every day. Actually, she did. But Amy was sure that if she lived here, she would never tire of the beautiful dining rooms, the lovely carpeted hallways, and, best of all, the cozy library. It wasn't as big as some of the other rooms, but it was by far Amy's favorite.
Once Natalie had finished the extensive tour and gone off to her work room, Amy made a beeline straight for the library. She settled down on a comfy pouf and opened a book. It was Pride and Prejudice. Amy smiled when she saw the title of one of her favorite books, and she opened it. She instantly became lost in the world of Elizabeth Bennet, whom Amy had always admired, Mr. Darcy, and the ridiculous Mr. Collins, which was probably why she didn't hear someone entering the room and sitting down next to her.
"Hello, Amy."
"Aaah!" She spun around, then relaxed. "Ian! It's so great to see you again!" She gave him a brief hug, and then put her head into her hands. "So, how's life bee.? I haven't heard from you in years!"
Ian shrugged. "I've been busy with many things."
"Oh yeah, I heard about your promotion! Congratulations!"
Ian gave a small blush, and Amy wondered why. Oh well, no time to dwell on it.
"So, are you still living with that horrid AuPair and your deranged younger brother?"
"Oh no!" Amy gave a light laugh. "No, Nellie's now opened up her own bakery in Paris and she has three kids. Dan is a field agent for the Madrigals, a spy, sort of. I'm living up in Maryland with my husband."
Ian's face suddenly grew surprised. His eyes opened wide, and his mouth parted slightly. To Amy, It was as if the temperature in the room had suddenly gone down about 10 degrees.
"You're married?" Ian asked softly.
"Yes, didn't you hear? The marriage was last year in October. My husband is Jake Rosenbloom."
-END OF PART 1-
Now, I know that all you Amian fans out there are cursing me and screaming your phone/kindle/laptop at the wall in anger and heartbreak, but that's why this is an Amian TRAGEDY! Anyway, Part two's coming up, so check to make sure your phone/kindle/laptop's OK, and keep on reading!
-PART 2-
Ian stared out his bedroom window. London was so beautiful at night. So lovely, so delicate, so breathtaking. He needed some consolation that something was right in his world.
Amy was married. How had he not known this? Why had no one ever bothered to tell him? Was he just the bad-guy Ian, the unlovable one?
Yet he knew that it was partly his fault. During the clue hunt, he had behaved abominably to Amy and Dan, and if he hadn't, then maybe he could have been the one up on the alter with Amy, instead of that slimeball Rosenbloom.
Ian gripped his hair and yelled in frustration. So this is what it was like to feel heartbreak. He had denied his love for Amy since the first, but now he was realizing that he had just been playing with himself the whole time. He loved Amy more than any other creature on the earth, he wanted her more than anything, and he would become poor, would become homeless, would die, for her.
And now she was gone.
He was kidding himself. Amy was more beautiful than the London skyline at night, more lovely than any sight in the world, gentler than a butterfly. He loved her.
But she could never be his.
Ian wondered why he still loved her, then, if she was off-limits. It was infuriating, love, it was more complicating than Ian could ever try and reason out. But even though he could never have Amy Cahill, he would still protect her. Even with his life.
When had she said she was leaving for Kenya? About 9:00 at the London Airport? Ian picked up his cell phone on the bedside table and punched in a number. "Hello, may I please speak to Crayton?"
The reply was almost immediate. "Hello, I'd like to get a ticket to Kenya on the 9:00 London Airport flight." "Yes, I know it'll be hard, but I don't care how you get them, just get them to me fast." "Yes, first class, as always." "Thanks you Crayton, you've been a marvelous help." Ian hung up. As soon as he did so, he grabbed a rolling bag out of his closet and started throwing clothes in it. He also retrieved a rather large bag with many compartments. From his closet he selected three dart guns, five poison vials, two guns, and a selection of bombs. Yes, he was going to do everything in his power to keep Amy safe.
Amy POV
It was bright and early when Amy left for Kenya.
She exchanged goodbyes with Natalie first, who gave her a huge rolling bag full of very expensive designer clothes and told her that she would soon be receiving her very first addition of the magazine Natalie Now, Natalie's first fashion magazine. Then, Amy said goodbye to Ian, who seemed to be acting strange. Finally, her taxi arrived, and it drove off down the road, until the Kabra townhouse was just a blot far in the distance.
She never noticed the Kabra Limo following her taxi.
She finally got to the London Airport, and after paying the driver, she hurried to the main courtyard. There, among other shops, was the Disney shop, brightly lit and crowded. Amy hurried to stand right outside of it, and she stopped to wait. A few passerbyers gave her odd looks, but she mostly stood in the shadows so as not to attract much attention. A few minutes later, a hand tapped her on the shoulder. It was Brandon Mills.
"We're ready. Follow me." He headed for the terminals, and once they got to the right one, the plane was just about to take off. Brandon handed her a ticket and instructed her to follow him. They hurried onto the plane and took their seats. Brandon calmly took out a book and started reading. Amy did the same, although she found that she couldn't concentrate with Brandon so close to her. Eventually, though, the um of the train lulled her into a deep sleep.
Suddenly, the plane slowed down and stopped. A voice over the intercom spoke in an annoyingly cheerful voice, "We will be arriving in Kenya momentarily. Please turn off all electronics and fasten your seat belts for the descent." Amy glanced sideways at Brandon, who smoothly clipped in his seat belt. When the plane finally landed, Brandon hurried out. Amy had to trot to keep up. Finally, they were outside in Africa. Amy hardly had time to take in her surroundings before Brandon hurried her into his car and they sped off. "It will be a couple of hours before we reach the stronghold," he informed her. Amy stretched back in her seat and tried to relax, but there was a suspicious feeling in the back of her mind, nagging her, but she couldn't say exactly what it was.
A few hours later, they reached the stronghold. Brandon hopped out of the car and went to go greet a perky blonde woman who had come to greet them. "Hi, I'm agent Jules Piper," she introduced herself. Again, Amy felt that nagging suspicion in the back of her mind, but she ignored it and shook the woman's outstretched hand, saying, "Nice to meet you. Amy Cahill, Madrigal. Shall we have a look around then?"
Brandon and Jules agreed, and soon, they were prowling around the interior of the base. It was clearly new and well-guarded, so how an intruder could get in, Amy didn't see. But she searched until evening, finding nothing.
As the party was about to leave, Amy looked down and spotted a small coin. She picked it up and flipped it over; it was a microphone. "Hey, come look what I've found! A recording device!" Brandon and Jules exchanged cautious looks, but came over to see it. "It looks like it has a little "V" engraved on it!"
Brandon looked at Jules. "How could you be so sloppy?!"
Jules fumed. "Well, it's not my fault, Mr. Smartness. Anyway, there's only one thing to do now." She turned to Amy. "Get her Casper."
It all hit Amy like a tsumani, she stumbled backwards from the advancing man, but he overpowered her. He grabbed her by the arm, and pressed a needle into it. "I won't envy the headache that you'll get when you wake up, Cahill," he muttered. And the last thing that Amy saw was the grinning, evil face of Casper Wyoming, alias Brandon Mills.
So that's why she didn't like his eyes.
Ian POV
Ian got there just in time to see Brandon Mills and Jules Piper drag an unconscious Amy into their car and zoom away.
His heart started beating fast, and he gunned the engine as quickly as he could. Following Amy's captors was no easy feat however; they kept twisting and turning, but finally, they stopped in front of a stainless steel building, right next to the famous Delanago Gorge. Ian barely had time to wonder why they had put their building so close to such a steep drop, because the two "Agents" were pulling Amy out of their car and carrying her inside. They talked briefly to the guard, who opened the doors for them. The doors slammed shut again, and the guard resumed his position.
Ian carefully exited his car and walked up to the guard. "ID please," the guard grunted.
Ian made a quick decision. He pointed his dart gun at the guard, and the guard instantly dropped to the floor, unconscious. Ian neatly stepped over the threshold and hurried into the next door to the left.
Inside was a control panel. The man at the station didn't even have time to utter a cry of surprise before Ian planted a dart in his back. The man fell to the ground, and Ian sat down at the screen. "No, no, no…..nothing here!" he exclaimed. "Wait, here it is!" He triumphantly clicked on the video camers icon, and about a million little screens pooped up. After a minute of searching, he found the two Agents carrying Amy going into a room marked "Holding Cell 17B". After a quick consult of the stronghold map, he hurried out of the room and onto the landing of Floor Two. Pausing, he heard shouts of alarm coming from the entryway. They had figured out about the unconscious guard. Ian would have to move quickly.
He stole through a small corridor, and then ran up another flight of stairs until he was right in front of the Holding Cells. He ran to level B, and burst his way into room 17. The sight of Amy lying on the ground was enough to make his heart flutter, but this certainly wasn't the time. He bent down and softly slapped her cheeks. "Amy, Amy, wake up!"
Amy bolted upright. "Ian?! How are you here!" Her eyes widened. "Ian, Brandon Mills and Jules Piper are Casper and Cheyenne Wyoming! They're Vespers! This is the Vesper stronghold! We need to get out of here!"
Ian cursed. "Vespers! We should have realized sooner. Here, I know how we're going to escape. Just follow me." They hurried out of the Holding Cell and down the narrow and darkly lit hallway. When they emerged into the main area, some guards spotted them and started screaming into their walkie-talkies in a foreign language. Ian pulled Amy into a room and shattered the window with a well-placed punch. "Amy," he said, "Don't wait for me. Just go. Get to my car and go. Leave. I'll be fine."
Amy looked at Ian desperately. "But how will I know I'll ever see you again?"
Ian looked down. "You have a life. A husband. I have nothing."
Amy grabbed on to his hand. "Promise me you'll be safe."
Ian smiled at this. "I promise. And whatever you do, know that you are braver than them. Even in your weakest, you are amazing. Now go."
Amy gave Ian a long look, but finally jumped from the window. Her built-in parachute fluttered out, and she touched the ground running. She jumped into the car and turned on te ignition.
Ian looked behind him and saw the two gaurds running at him. He jumped out the window, too, and ran towards the entrance, but before he got there, he felt the cold sting of a knofe pressed against his throat. He looked into the evil, ice-blue eyes of Casper Wyoming.
"Thought you could save your princess and ride off into the sunset, did you?" sneered Casper. "Well, you thought wrong. We Vespers aren't as stupid as you think."
Ian breathed in. "Well, maybe you underestimated the Lucians. He ducked his head under and kicked Casper in the shin. He tried making a run for it, but Casper was right behind him, cursing and wielding his knife. Finally, Casper caught up to him. Ian started stepping backwards, while Casper advanced forward. "This is the end for all of you stupid little Cahills," hissed Casper. "Vespers will rule."
"Not on my watch." Ian sneered. Casper reached his knife forward and Ian took another step back, and was horrified to find that he was on the very edge of the Delanago Gorge. One wrong step and he would go tumbling over the edge, sending him to his death.
Ian thought of Amy, and Natalie, and all the thing in his life that really mattered. He wanted to keep them all safe. How was the best way? To kill Casper. And in that second, Ian knew what he had to do.
"For you, Amy," he muttered.
He grabbed Casper around the waist, and freefell backwards into the Gorge.
Casper's scream never reached his ears. He was tumbling towards the rocky bottom at an alarming rate. The ground was rushing up to meet him.
At least I saved Amy. She will never be mine, but I will always love her. She will never be mine, but she's safe.
And then the world faded into a dazzling while.
2 years later-
Amy and Jake held up the newest addition to their family- a baby boy. Jake beamed at Amy. "What should we call him?"
Amy smiled. "How about…..Ian?" Jake nodded. "I like that name." He turned to the baby boy. "Aren't you our strong little boy, Ian?"
Somewhere, Ian Kabra was smiling.
Natalie sat bolt upright in her bed. She had just had the weirdest dream…
She pulled on her satin robe and hurried downstairs. Her brother, Ian, was dressed for work and was just pouring himself a cup of coffe.
Natalie sat down at the table. "I just had a preposterous dream! And you were in it!"
"Was I?" Ian took a sip of coffe, uninterested.
"Yeah, you died."
Ian did a spit take, spewing water all over the table. "WHAT?!1"
Natalie nodded. "And I was a fashion designer, and we were extremely rich again, and…"
Ian took another sip of coffee.
"—and Amy was married to Jake, and-"
Ian did a second spit take, this time all over his spotless white shirt. He looked back at Natalie with annoyance plain on his face. "Anthing else you need to tell me before I go upstairs and change my shirt?"
Natalie pondered this for a minute. "Well, Amy and Jake have a kid named Ian."
Ian shook his head in exasperation. "Honestly, Natalie, I don't know how you come up with this stuff!"
And he went upstairs to get a new shirt.
Aaaaw, so sweet! And Ian doesn't actually die! Yay! Amian lives! :)