AN: I think the summary and the characters involved spoiled some of the mystery, haha. I'll let you guys guess if you still haven't gotten the premise of the story. Enjoy, and please leave a review! I decided to update fast since the first part was super short.

Disclaimer: All unoriginal content, characters, and plots taken from the authors of The 39 Clues. Everything else is my own creative content, and copying is not permitted.

THE ROOFTOP RESTAURANT
2: the email(s)

March 2021

Amy loved her job.

She could spend hours upon hours in the archives, cataloguing artifacts and writing articles about them. The Boston Museum of Natural History was practically her second home... literally - she'd been woken up by a security guard afterhours several times, her head resting between the remains of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh and European jewelry from the Middle Ages. She got to travel the world for free and bounced between archaeological sites and international galleries. It also made her feel closer to her mother. She had followed Hope Cahill's footsteps with careful precision: she studied archaeology and history at Harvard, worked at a South American excavation site for a year, and returned to take several traveling jobs as a seasoned anthropologist. She loved what she did just as her mother had, too, and absorbed everything she learned with eagerness.

It was her other job she had a tough time with.

She had cut hours at the museum so she could serve as the Madrigal leader. The decrease in pay didn't bother her because she had several inheritances to lean on, but the decrease in her quality of life did. Keeping the Cahills in check was exhausting and she was in awe of her late grandmother for trying. While the family had called for peace after the fight against the Vespers, they still weren't completely united. Fights constantly broke out, everyone was trying to betray one another, and each of the branches made it blatantly clear that they didn't like her acting as the policeman for their people.

She was the only one authorized to go through changes in active branch membership and assign Madrigals to investigate. Being a Cahill wasn't exactly a choice - she knew that all too well - so when a member dropped in and out of the scene, it was a cause for concern. She sat in her extravagant Attleboro office and scrolled through the thousands of names, sending them off to subsidiary Madrigal branches around the world to be probed. Her brain had gone numb from all the mindless clicking and typing when her eyes fell on a very familiar name.

Ian Kabra.

Her breath caught. The man had fallen off the grid a little less than ten years ago, when they had been sixteen. He'd ceded any chances at Lucian leadership and busied himself in building up the Kabra name. He was the last one in his family and other than popping up in the news a few times about a new business deal, his private life, old family gossip, or skepticism about his return to celebrity status, it was radio silence. He had effectively removed himself from the Cahill world - save for his Ekaterina wife - and his return was shocking.

Her mind buzzed with the possibilities. Was he trying to make a powerplay for Lucian leadership? Was this just another way for him to further his business? Why now, after a decade? Was his wife forcing him back into the Cahill fold? There had been a few phone calls and meet ups between them after the Vesper scandal, but that was until they went off to college. By that time, he'd removed himself from all family functions, too.

As she searched through his profile, she only found basic information. His family, friends, address, contact numbers, and email. Nothing else. There was a bunch of pointless articles about his fame and wealth, but nothing that explained his reactivated membership. She didn't know if there was anyone she could trust that would be shrewd enough to scavenge through the complexities of Ian's life.

She stared at the contact information. A few phone numbers, and his email. She knew that calling him out of the blue would be incredibly unprofessional and would come under scrutiny if anyone found out she was trying to rekindle a very old friendship. Instead, she clicked on his email and studied the blank page with a frown.

Here she was, twenty-six years old and the head of one of the five most powerful organizations in the world, yet her first impulse was to email a man she'd lost contact with and now had to assign an investigator too. She knew she'd be questioned if she took on the investigation herself, and she'd be able to surpass the questions. However, directly messaging him was risky.

Despite herself, she began typing.

Ian,

Wow. It's been a while. Imagine my surprise when you popped up on the Cahill databases again.

How are you? I haven't heard a word about you for ten years, or even seen you for eight of those outside of newspapers and tabloids. You know exactly what we do at the Madrigal strongholds, and I know you've heard that I'm the leader now. This is not me trying to coax information out of you. I wanted to reach out, for old time's sake.

I hope everything is well. I'd love to hear from you again. Send my regards to Cara.

Sincerely,
Amy Cahill

Amy waited for a reply. She hated herself for checking her email so often, refreshing her inbox twice a day. She pretended she was waiting for important work inquiries, while in reality, she was just waiting on Ian's response. She wouldn't have been surprised if he never replied to her. After all, she'd contacted him after a decade of no-contact and he was well-aware what her responsibilities as Madrigal leader were. No one replied to a woman that was going to assign them an investigator. It would be the smart thing to do, and she was well aware that Ian was probably one of the most strategic men alive.

She'd just walked into her apartment when her cellphone beeped with a notification. She sighed, frustrated. Her mind immediately jumped to work or Cahill business, and she wanted to ignore the message. She flopped onto the couch and restrained herself for a moment, before she caved. The last thing she wanted was to miss out on a new artifact at the museum or an emergency at the stronghold.

When she clicked the message, she gasped.

"Oh my God. Oh my God," Amy muttered to herself. After sixteen days, he had sent her an email. She hated how long it took him and wondered if the logical thing to do was to let it sit in her inbox for a few days, but the curiosity won out yet again.

Amy,

I knew walking back into the Lucian world was going to raise questions, but I never expected an email from the great Amelia Cahill. I'm glad you contacted me... we never kept in touch after I left and it is one of my greatest regrets.

I am doing well, as is Cara. I assume to heard about our marriage in the paper, and I apologize for that. We're living in a flat in Manhattan. It's close to the Kabra businesses, and a central location for Cara. She's opened a law firm since her father's was beyond repair and has taken up cases in New York.

How is your brother? I realize that I know nothing about your current whereabouts, though I imagine it must be stressful managing the Madrigals. I wish you the best, though I am confident you give nothing but your utmost to your people.

I completely agree that we must reconnect. I will be waiting for your reply.

Regards,
Ian Kabra

She read it over one, twice, five times before the message sunk in completely. It was lengthy and kind, and didn't contain any of the residual arrogance she had previously associated with Ian. She was still gaping at her phone when Jake entered the apartment and set down his backpack. He walked into the living room and laughed at her expression, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"What has you looking like that, babe?" He settled next to her on the couch and pulled her in for a smile despite how tired he was.

Amy quickly snapped out of it and shut her phone. She tossed it off to the side and kissed him. "Nothing," she said. "Just some garbage brewing with the Madrigals."

She didn't know why she didn't just tell him. Jake had never liked Ian, and he still scoffed at his name whenever it popped up on television when they were watching the news. Getting back in touch with him wasn't a big deal, and for all she knew, it would die off after another email or two. Besides, Ian's return was confidential information and as the Madrigal leader, she wasn't allowed to share it with anyone except for his case manager - if she decided to assign him one. She wouldn't tell Jake unless he absolutely needed to know, and she didn't anticipate that happening anytime soon.

"I stopped by the stronghold before coming home. I didn't realize you left early."

"That's probably the last time I'll ever get to come home at this time. Dan gave me an earful for not sleeping enough and the work was low-risk enough for me to trust him to do it the right way." She snuggled into his side. "How did Dr. Lucas treat you today?"

Jake frowned, and Amy noticed the exhaustion in his brown eyes. "Awful. I'm starting to regret this whole PhD thing. The man walked into one of my classes and nagged at me about catching up on my research in front of all my students."

Her eyebrows pinched together. Jake had gone back to Harvard for his doctorate in physics, convincing a genius researcher to be his supervisor. She remembered how excited he had been when the process had started three years ago, starry eyed and eager. Reality had set in fast, though, and she struggled to keep his hopes up when he had to deal with the stress of teaching along with the pressures of doing research under a man as intense as Dr. Lucas. She was in awe of his determination, especially since he always came back home with a smile and offered to help out at the stronghold.

"Is he even allowed to do that?" she asked.

"He's a prestigious professor at Harvard. I'd be surprised if he wasn't."

She pulled away so she could look at him, and tried to comfort him with a kiss. His dark hair was disheveled and stuck up in odd angles, and she knew it was from running his fingers through out of anxiety. "Two more years. You're almost there, honey."

Jake sighed and took her left hand, pressing his lips on the delicate diamond ring on her finger. "And two more years until we can finally put this thing to use and get married. This is the only reason I haven't dropped out of this goddamn program."

She rolled her eyes and grinned at his statement, pulling him to his feet and coaxing him to the kitchen for dinner.

April 2021

Amy hated how calculated she was - she'd counted exactly seven days before she sent Ian a reply. She hesitated to give him the minute details of her life, but regardless of her apprehension, she ended up writing more than she intended. She stared at the screen and tried to cut information. She quickly gave up, pressed the send button, and decided she had better things to do than overthinking a message to someone she hadn't spoken to or seen in person for a decade. Besides, the Janus and Ekaterina were fighting again and she had to do damage control - fast. She didn't need another Greek coup over simple things such as a petty argument or sports and the arts.

Ian,

To be completely honest, I didn't expect you to reply. You two must be extremely busy with all those businesses of yours. Madrigal life is awful and I've aged twenty years because of it, but I'm always thankful I'm not negotiating on Wall Street like you are. That's a kind of pressure I don't ever want.

Dan is... well, Dan. He's grown out of a lot of his mischievousness, but I think he forgets that he's twenty-four and not fourteen. He's been living at Grace's estate and taking good care of it. If it gives you any sort of context to how much more responsible he's gotten, he's only recently been entrusted with Saladin Jr. and the cat is now living with him full time since I'm too busy to take care of it.

As for my whereabouts, I'm jumping between the Attleboro stronghold and the Boston Museum of Natural History. The Madrigals were a little angry I made the Attleboro location the main base, but it's convenient for me. When I'm not there, I'm an archaeological anthropologist at the museum. Sometimes I get lucky and travel around the world to survey artifacts and write historical records. It reminds me of the clue hunt, but much less violent and a lot more creative. It's tough, especially since Jake is stuck in Boston for his doctorate, but I love what I do.

What about you? There is only so much I can learn about your investments from the news. I've heard rumblings about your companies moving back to the UK, but you're a better source than The Wall Street Journal.

Cara is a force of nature and I'm sure she's doing fantastic. I wish her the best of luck.

Sincerely,
Amy Cahill

Amy didn't have to wait long. His reply hit her inbox the next morning and she spent breakfast with a giddy little smile on her face. She always replied to him after work at the Madrigal stronghold, and he always sent his message at the crack of dawn. It made her look forward to going to her Attleboro office, a feeling she hadn't experienced ever since she first took her oath to her branch.

Jake was giving her an odd look over the small dining table and she didn't notice until he cleared his throat.

"Are you okay? You're acting weird."

She bit her lip to suppress her grin. "It's just some good news from the Madrigals. I haven't gotten that in a while," she said. She told herself it wasn't a lie - after all, this was Cahill business... right?

"Top secret?" he asked her. The question was slightly dejected. While he had passed the test to join her branch with flying colors several years ago, he would never be able to reach her level of clearance. There was a bit of strain in their relationship due to the secrecy, but it was never too bad. She shared every aspect of her work at the museum with him and he listened to her eagerly, as she did when he told her about his doctorate progress.

She shrugged at his question and stood up to put her dishes in the sink. Instead, she focused her attention to his untouched breakfast. "I overcooked the eggs, didn't I?" she sighed.

Jake gave her a charming smile, the same one that made her fall in love with him ten years ago. He stood up to join her in the kitchen and placed his plate on the counter. "Almost there. They're better than yesterday, babe." His eyes were kind but his tone was teasing.

She swatted him with a dishtowel but he caught her arm and pulled her into him. His arms went around her and he backed her into the counter, the smooth granite digging into her back.

"You better learn quick. I'm not eating those eggs for the rest of my life."

Amy scoffed, indignant. "Hey, at least I'm better at dinner. You'd kill me if you came home to something like those eggs."

He laughed in agreement, kissing her softly. "From now on, I'll take breakfast and you take dinner. We'll figure out lunch on days we're both off."

"I like that solution. It only took eleven years of dating and four years of living together to figure out, huh?"

"I'm a little slow, if you couldn't tell."

Amy pressed her lips against his jawline, and again against his neck. "I like slow. It's cute."

He chuckled and rolled his eyes, and moved to do the dishes. "Go to work Amy."

She grinned, smoothed the wrinkles in her blouse and grabbed her things.

When she finished her five hour shift at the museum, she quickly changed into a pantsuit in the bathroom and went on her way to the stronghold. She'd resisted the urge to open his email for several hours, and didn't let herself read it until she'd settled at her desk. She even came thirty minutes early so she could have the time to herself before the chaos began and she lost track of the hours.

Amy,

You have no faith in me. I'm known for my punctuality, unless, of course, the email is utter rubbish.

I suppose Wall Street and the Cahills work at similar speeds, but in different ways. I haven't had to deal with any intercontinental rows between Prime Ministers of different branches or a spat between Hollywood and Bollywood, so I'd say my life is a little less interesting than yours.

Saladin Jr. Very creative. I'm very glad to hear the progeny of that cat still lives. I hope he (or she?) is not as bad as their God awful father. I still have the scars, you know. I hope Dan is doing well with his new companion. Out of curiosity, though... do you not live with your brother at the estate?

I remember hearing about you talking about your hopes and aspirations when you were younger. I am very glad to hear you followed through with them. You must be very proud and I am extremely impressed with you, Amy Cahill - though I am not surprised. You always seemed like you would go on to do great things.

Send my regards to Jake. He's a brilliant man, and I wish him the best with his doctorate.

Contrary to the papers, I am staying here in Manhattan. I'm sure the businesses in the area will be disappointed when they find out their competition isn't going anywhere. I've only been back to England a few times, and it's either for business deals or upkeep in the Kabra Mansion. It doesn't seem like home anymore, and I'd much rather spend a majority of my time in the states.

Shocking, I know. But it's taking a lot of work to rebuild my name and I don't want to be away from Cara.

Tell me about your adventures. Where have you been for work? What museums have you seen? Have you done any archaeology in the field? I must say, if you have, that is incredibly brave of you. I can't imagine spending time with all that dust.

Regards,
Ian Kabra

Amy's eyebrows rose higher and higher up her forehead the longer she read. It was an incredibly lengthy message and she appreciated that he took time out of his day to reply to her. She was still skeptical that this would last, but she was glad he had the courtesy to keep up. He had even taken the effort to send well wishes to Jake. She didn't know if she'd tell her fiancé yet, but she appreciated the fact that he'd gotten over their previously rocky relationship. While the man had changed, he hadn't changed much - she laughed quietly at his comments about Saladin and dirt.

Ian Kabra had always been an enigma. They were older, mature, and changed significantly. Despite the looming question of his mysterious return, Amy gladly welcomed the newfound friendship.

Ian,

"Utter rubbish," huh? How very British of you.

Saladin had a daughter, so it is definitely a she. We couldn't come up with any better name and wanted to honor her father, so Saladin Jr. it was. She's a spunky ball of white fur, even more than the original. It's comforting to hear you're still a big baby when it comes to animals, Ian.

I moved in with Jake a year after college, and he proposed last Spring. Dan is taking over the estate since I've made a permanent move to Jake's apartment. I make it a point to visit as much as I can, but I know Dan enjoys the privacy and loves being able to spend time taking care of our family home without stressing me out too much.

You flatter me. I've always wanted to follow my mother's footsteps, and I've been lucky enough to have the opportunity to honor her through my career.

That's sensible. I'm impressed by everything you've done - I can't seem to switch on the television without hearing about your booming business. When we turn on the radio at the museum, I have to hide my pride from my coworkers.

Oh God. Those are some loaded questions. Where haven't I been? The museum has sent me off to exhibitions in England, Prague, Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Spain, Greece, and all over South America. I spent a year at an excavation site - the year between college and moving in with Jake - and studied ancient cultures in the area. It was amazing. I was smeared head to toe with dirt and sweat by the end of the day, but I never felt more alive. It's mundane work, but the history and culture behind every piece is thrilling.

I hope to hear from you, especially about your new life in Manhattan. Do you miss home?

Sincerely,
Amy

l l l

Amy,

I may live in the States, but I will always be an Englishman at heart.

Congratulations are in order for you and Jake. Forgive me for prodding, but when are the wedding plans? I wish you two a successful future. Also, I am glad to hear Dan is doing well. I still remember the times when he'd call me "Cobra."

It's been a load of hard work, but I've finally made the world forget about Isabel and Vikram Kabra's erroneous ways. I suppose we've both done pretty well. It's been a journey since the clue hunt and the Vespers, but we've come far. How have the others been? The Holts? Starlings? I know for a fact Jonah is doing well. I can't seem to get Cara to turn off his music.

You sound incredibly passionate about your work and I am glad to hear you are enjoying it. Those are some wonderful places and it is impressive that you have traveled so far while being so young. Tell me, have you been to the Natural History Museum in London? It was one of my favorite places as a child. Exploring the exhibits was always such an adventure.

Do I miss England? Absolutely. Do I miss home, in the literal sense? No. My heart will always ache for the life I had when I was younger, back when Natalie was alive. I miss her dearly and think about her everyday. However, I do not miss the mansion. Without her, it is incredibly empty and does not feel the same. I take comfort in my businesses in New York and my home with Cara, and it eases the harsh reality of starting a new life.

Best,
Ian

l l l

Ian Cobra,

(Yes, Dan still calls you that.)

Jake has two more years before he ends his doctorate, so we'll probably start wedding planning around then. Don't worry, you'll get an invitation - I'm glad we got in touch when we did so I can see you again.

We have. The Holt sisters are Olympic athletes on Team USA, while their brother runs the Tomas fulltime. That branch is a handful, as you can imagine, especially in light of their recent arguments with the Janus. Ned is in medical school with aspirations to find a cure for his migraines, and Ted has created a research facility that accommodates his blindness. Sinead runs the Ekaterinas and last I heard, she had gone on a few dates with Hamilton Holt. Jonah has been too busy to get in touch and he's been doing really well. I keep seeing him on the news at different award ceremonies.

I love the Natural History Museum. It reminds me of a castle and I can wander inside for hours. I see why you loved it.

I'm sorry. I understand how even time wouldn't make the loss easier. I'm glad you could find a home in the States, even if your home back in England doesn't give you the same comfort.

Sincerely,
Amy

l l l

Amy,

Your sense of humor never fails to amuse me.

I look forward to that invitation. It really has been too long since we've seen each other.

Interesting. The old crew seems to be doing very well for themselves. Especially Ned and Ted... as much as they bugged me as teenagers, they are an inspiration. But Hamilton and Sinead? That is a match I would have never seen coming.

Now that you've gotten your fair share of information from me...tell me, will the Madrigals be showing up at my doorstep anytime soon?

Best,
Ian

l l l

Ian,

I'm glad to provide you with entertainment in that boring Manhattan office of yours.

Ned and Ted have a determination I have never seen before. And I agree, I was shocked when Sinead told me about Hamilton on the phone.

Hm... I don't know. Do you have any sketchy inside dealings you want to tell me about?

Yours,
Amy

l l l

Amy,

As much as I enjoy writing to you, I would much rather hear your voice for a half hour instead of sitting at the computer for that amount of time and waiting for a reply. My number is 303-123-7300.

I promise to tell you all about my "sketchy inside dealings."

I eagerly await your call.

Yours faithfully,
Ian Kabra