Disclaimer: I do not own "The 39 Clues", Dan Cahill, Amy Cahill, or any other characters or things related to the series. But I seriously wish I did :D

Dan Cahill closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and laced his hands behind his neck, making him appear much more mature and much more wise than any normal 21-year-old should be. Not that he was normal. "We have no choice," he said. "Detonate the bomb. Do you hear me? Initiate countdown sequence."

"But Dan," Amy pleaded. "There are seven human beings in there!"

"I know," Dan replied coldly. "But we have no other choice. We can't have the Vespers getting a hold of our formula! That would kill hundreds, Amy. Compared to seven. Do you have a better plan?"

"Please Dan," Amy begged. "This isn't nescesary!"

"I am the Head of the Madrigals, I decide what's nescesary." Dan replied firmly. "You're too weak to understand."

"Dan, what has happened to you? You're this entirely different person! Please, let's just go back to how we were before, okay? Let's just go back to normal."

Dan rose to his full height, towering over Amy. His jade eyes took on a fierce glow. "You don't get it, do you? We have never been normal and we never will be. Our parents were murdered when I was four by our own family. Not to mention the countless times we were almost killed by our lovely relatives. And when we finally managed to do something right and get the clues, these Vespers come along to screw everything up and make our lives a living hell, like they aren't already." He paused before continuing.

"I was 11, Amy. 11. And I had no one. Sure you were there, but you never stood up for me, you just sat there spluttering and flirting with Ian Kabra. You wondered why I was convinced that I was some kind of ninja? That belief was the only thing that gave me the slightest sliver of hope that I wouldn't die the next day, maybe even in the next couple of minutes. I've been on the edge of insanity for years Amy, but you never noticed, did you? Well, you know what? I'm not invincible. You think I wasn't bothered by this? But as long as I'm joking I'm fine, right? Who cares about Dan? Poor Amy, Ian broke her heart. Let's all feel bad for Amy. I would like to see you in charge, watching the people who trust you with their lives die because of mistakes you make."

His voice lowered to a soft tone, and he averted his eyes to the floor. "It's horrible, Amy. Horrible." He sat back down in his chair and closed his eyes.

Amy glanced at Dan, her bottom lip quivering. "I-I'm so sorry Dan, I didn't know. I..."

He stood up again, raising his voice once more. "I..I...I.." he mimicked. "You what? You should've stood up for me, asked how I felt once in a while? You should've paid attention to how I was falling apart? But how could you when your poor little heart was being broken by Ian Kabra?"

He sat down in his chair again before he continued speaking. "You aren't the only one with a broken heart," he murmured.

*Flashback*

London, England, 2 years earlier

Dan couldn't believe he was going to do it. After all these years he would finally tell Natalie how he felt about her. He wasn't one for the touchy-feely moments, but he was tired of just bickering with her everytime they met. Actually, that was a lie, he enjoyed bickering with her, he was just... unfulfilled. And everytime he was a near her he felt complete.

He held his breath and adjusted his suit as he approached her mansion, a dozen red roses in one hand, a box of chocolates in the other. And that's when he noticed a second car in the driveway, and a man on the porch, kissing Natalie.

He felt his heart sink and his mouth go dry. Frantic to leave, he dropped the roses and the chocolates immediately, and ran away in no apparent direction. The only sound he could hear was the blood pounding in his ears and the distant sound of Natalie calling his name.

If only he had realized that Natalie had not been kissing the man back. She only had eyes for Dan.

*End of Flashback*

Dan slammed his fist on the table as the memory of that night rushed into his mind. He briskly got up and walked to the door but paused in the doorway, instead turning around once again to face his sister. His glare softened and his voice dropped to barely more than a whisper. "I'm tired, Amy. I'm tired."

Okay, I know Dan is slightly out of character, but this is presuming he is the leader of the Madrigals, and that much stress and that many hardships would get to anyone. Especially when they had their heart broken :(

This idea just came to me, and I thought it would be interesting to write about, so I did. I hope you enjoyed it, or at least found it interesting ;)

-Dog-lvR-11