AN: So sorry for the late update. Life has been kicking my butt, but I should be more regular. Enjoy, and leave a review with comments, questions, and constructive criticisms!

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
3: the phone call(s)

May 2021

Amy's heart did a nervous dance when she read his last email. She'd smacked her head against her desk in embarrassment when she'd accidentally signed off with a very intimate "yours, Amy." However, Ian didn't seem to think much of it because he'd responded with the same and his phone number. She had left his email unanswered for days - besides, there wasn't much to reply to - and clicked open her browser just so she could contemplate whether or not she should call him. It wasn't in the profile in the Madrigal database, which meant it must have been a very private and secure personal phone.

She knew she was overthinking the entire thing, but she couldn't get her mind off it. Jake must have noticed, too. They'd been together too long for him not to. She had curled into him that night, her eyes glazed over as the movie played on the television. Her fingers fiddled mindlessly with the pendant of her jade necklace. It wasn't often she missed the entirety of Arrival. She loved that movie more than almost anything else.

Jake ran his fingers through her dark hair and called her name.

She blinked, and blankly stared up at his expectant face. He chuckled when he realized she didn't hear a word he had said.

"Wow, you are really out of it. I asked if you were okay. I've never seen you space out like this, especially on a Friday."

She rubbed a hand over her face blearily. "It's nothing. This entire Greek coup attempt is a pain in the ass. The agents I sent can't seem to get it together."

His eyebrows pinched together and she realized she had revealed too much to cover up what was really on her mind. "You mean that's actual Cahills? Causing a government to fall apart?"

She sheepishly grinned. He pouted, removing his arm from around her and staring her down.

"Oh, come on, Amy. It already came out of your mouth. You have to give me more now," he whined. The way his brown hair flopped onto her forehead reminded her of a puppy and she laughed.

She made a motion to seal her lips and throw away the key, but he didn't listen. His fingers prodded her sides until she'd collapsed on the couch completely in a fit of laughter.

"Jake," she wheezed, "you're twenty-six years old! Stop this!"

He grinned at her ruddy cheeks and bright eyes, pinning her hands down and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Please?" he tried again.

"If you don't stop asking me, then I'm going to sneak to your lab and read your dissertation before it's done."

That made him pause. They'd made a deal that Amy would be the first to read his completed paper, no matter how little she understood. But it wouldn't be until the day he finished. She bit back a grin and watched the gears turn in his head.

"You've got me there," he said sourly, though his expression was good natured. He released her hands and leaned down again to kiss her lips. She wound her arms around his neck and sighed at the feeling of his weight against her.

"I want to stay like this forever," she told him. The movie was playing softly in the background, lights dimmed other than the glow of the television. Both of their fingers were slick from the buttery popcorn and his lips tasted like salt. She inhaled the scent of his shampoo mixed with her flowery perfume. The couch was incredibly soft against her back and his arm wrapped around her in a tight, comforting embrace. His other hand rested by her head to hold himself up, brushing the hair out of her eyes.

"I promise you," he told her, leaving open-mouthed kisses against her jawline, "that someday, this is going to be forever."

Amy woke up several hours later, cocooned to him. They'd fallen asleep on the couch, her body practically on top of his as she clung to his side. She felt incredibly cozy: she was in her most comfortable pajamas, and Jake had covered them with a warm blanket. It was light outside - judging by how rested she was, they had slept into the late morning. She propped herself on her elbow and traced her finger along Jake's day old stubble, over his lips and across his cheekbones. She brushed back brown strands from his forehead and smiled when his eyebrows furrowed.

The television was still on and was frozen on the last credit scene. After a few more minutes, she reluctantly removed herself from his embrace and carefully tucked the blanket back around him. She lumbered into the bathroom to wash up, and into the bedroom to grab her phone. She considered the screen for a few moments and stepped out to the porch outside of their bedroom. She didn't want to wake up Jake - he'd had a long week and deserved a rest.

She paused one last time and punched in the numbers. With a bated breath, she waited as it rang one, twice, thrice…

"You've reached the private number of Ian Kabra. If this is a business inquiry, please contact my company phone. All other personal calls, please leave a message and I will get back to you. Thank you."

Amy's breath caught as she listened to that smooth, British accent for the first time in years. His voice was deeper than she remembered. She stood there dumbly as the beep resounded before she collected her thoughts again and realized she had to record a voicemail.

"Oh, hey. This is Amy Cahill. I just… I'm sure you're busy, so shoot me a call whenever you have the chance. Bye."

She quickly hung up before she said anything that made her sound even more unsure and nervous than she already did. She gave her phone a frustrated frown at the anticlimactic ending, and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.

They spent the day catching up on bills and doing mundane housework. By the time she went back to bed, her body was heavy and sluggish. She found comfort in their routine, though, and always valued every moment she had at home. Sometimes it felt like she barely spent anytime with Jake, and standing next to the man, covered head to toe in dust and cleaning liquids, made her feel at home.

The weekend went by blissfully slow. She woke up to a Sunday that was even lazier than usual. As she laid in bed, waiting for Jake to come out of the shower, she scrolled through her phone. She had two new voicemails and four missed calls, and went straight to the messages with a sigh.

"Amy! I've called you like three times. It's almost eleven! How can you be sleeping? Anyway, I thought I lost Saladin Jr. but everything's okay because I found her in the dryer with my laundry. Don't freak out. She's safe and sound but now I have to wash my clothes again. Anywho, go do your thing. Love you, sis."

She snorted at Dan's frenzied message. She couldn't seem to get past a weekend without some sort of incident, however small it may of been. But he was her brother and she loved him for it. She moved onto the next voicemail.

"Amy, it's Ian. I'm sorry I missed your call yesterday. I have been completely swamped. It looks like we'll be playing a game of phone tag for a while. Please call me sometime today."

Without thinking, she'd pressed the "return call" button and waited for the ringer. She wasn't surprised when it jumped straight to voicemail and she sighed.

"It's Amy again. This really is going to be a game of phone tag. Catch me later tonight, I really want to talk to you but it seems like our schedules don't want to let it happen."

Jake emerged from the steaming bathroom a heartbeat later. He raised an eyebrow when he saw her phone pressed against her ear.

"Who is that?" he asked.

She sighed. "Dan called me in a panic because he thought he lost the cat."

Jake snorted. "Your brother hasn't grown much from when I first met him."

She exhaled. The lie had slid from her lips so easily. It was partially true, but she couldn't find herself to discuss Ian with her fiance.

"Trust me," she told him, "I know."

By the time Amy had finished getting ready for the day, Jake had already started on brunch. The television was on and the morning news droned in the background. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and awaited instructions.

Jake was busy whisking a creamy batter and her mouth watered at the thought of fluffy pancakes. He grinned when he caught her staring.

"The vegetables need chopping," he said, pointing at an assortment of bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes."You can toss them into a bowl and start on an omelette."

Amy got into a comfortable rhythm, chopping the ingredients at the kitchen island with Jake working behind her. She could hear the sizzle of the batter hitting a hot griddle, intermixed with the news anchor's speedy report on the state of the country. She heard the words Ian Kabra and the knife slipped from her fingers.

"Ian Kabra starts off our Sunday afternoon with reports of a merger with business giant, Morgan Stanley. Kabra is CEO and founder of Kabra LLC, and his investment firm has taken the weekend to conduct hearings and negotiations with their future associates. Stocks are expected to soar in both companies as one of the most successful partnerships in banking is about to take place."

Jake had turned around at the ruckus and bent down to pick up the knife. He scowled when he spotted the screen and didn't bother teasing her at the mishap.

"I really don't miss that arrogant piece of shit," he grumbled. He looked ridiculous, muttering obscenities under his breath with a spatula in hand and an apron around his waist.

She rolled her eyes and quickly rinsed the blade before returning to her vegetables. She'd always glazed over Ian's name in newspapers. She occasionally flipped through a gossip magazine at the doctor's and read a piece about his wife out of curiosity. Otherwise, she ignored his fame and left him in her past. Her recent correspondence, however, had piqued her interest and she almost forgot she was exchanging messages and cell phone numbers with an incredibly successful multimillionaire.

Her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment against her will and she grabbed another tomato.

Amy was rudely awakened at midnight by the sound of her phone ringing. She cracked her eyes open and glared at the clock. It wasn't even that late, but she had a long day ahead of her. She heard Jake groan over her shoulder. His hand slid over her waist in a silent plead to stop the awful noise and stay in bed.

No one called late unless it was an emergency, and she knew better than to ignore the phone call. There had been too many incidents where she'd missed Dan nearly burning the house down or a Madrigal agent standing in the middle of the President's office after getting caught. She slid out of bed and grabbed the phone, darting out of the bedroom as fast as she could before Jake gave her an earful. She made sure to carefully close the door behind her.

She rubbed her face and answered the call. "Hello?" she asked.

"Shit. I'm five hours before you, aren't I? I'd thought it was five hours behind for some reason. I should know this by now."

The voice was thick with a British accent and her eyes widened, all traces of sleep vanishing. "Ian?"

"The one and only." She could hear the dry humor in his voice. "I'm sorry. I'll let you get back to sleep. I didn't have my morning coffee so I'm not functioning properly."

Amy stared at the time - the microwave read twelve forty-five - and gaped. "Are you in England? It's not even six in the morning there."

He snorted. "So? I've been awake for an hour. I have to beat the Monday market, you know."

She let that sink in. "You haven't changed in the slightest."

A low chuckle came from the other end. "So, how have you been, Amelia?" He paused. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep? I should have been more conscious of the time."

Amy smiled and sat down on the couch, wrapping a blanket around her. "I'm sure. Don't worry about it," she told him. "I'm doing well. A little shocked that we're actually talking right now."

"You're not the only one. I think we have mentioned enough times that it's been ten whole bloody years."

She flushed, a little flustered that she'd been regurgitating their emails. "England, huh? You said you weren't moving your company back there… what's this about, then?"

He laughed, much to Amy's surprise. He was in a surprisingly good mood - extremely well-natured for a person that woke up before dawn for work. "Just a little business trip. I'm trying to build back my parents' European contacts with luncheons and whatnot."

Her eyebrows pinched together. She thought about the soundbite she'd watched while preparing brunch with Jake and decided it was best if she didn't act like she kept up with business dealings. "What is it that you do? I forgot to ask."

"I'm the CEO of Kabra LLC, an investment firm. In other words, I take money from rich businesses and assign people to invest them places to help their firms grow. I had my father's company to build off of - the hard part was winning his clients back and making them trust me."

Amy contemplated that. "Wow. Sounds like a lot of arrogant, wealthy men."

She could hear the grin in his voice as he spoke. "You're speaking to one of them, love."

Her cheeks warmed despite herself at that old, affectionate pet name. She was glad he wasn't there to see the blush, and hated that she was reacting that way. "I almost forgot. You sound a lot different from that ruthless tycoon that never wears anything but suits and sunglasses. They make you seem like a pretty awful guy."

"It's always about keeping up appearances, Amy. You should know that about me," he replied. "What does a day in your life look like?"

She sighed and curled up on the sofa. "No more exciting than yours. On days I'm not travelling, I spent five hours at the museum, take a lunch break, and head to the stronghold for four or five more hours. Dan holds the front in the morning, but it's hard for him since people like calling his shift 'a gross display of nepotism.'"

"You can't seem to please the Cahills, no matter what you do."

She smothered a yawn and nodded to herself in agreement. "You don't know how true that has been lately."

He must have taken note of how bleary her voice had gotten. "You sound bloody exhausted, so I'm going to let you go back to bed. Have a good night, Amy. I enjoyed speaking with you."

She smiled into the phone. "Me too. Don't be a stranger, especially now that you have two ways to talk to me."

Ian chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. You're going to get sick of me."

A few hours later, Jake woke up to find the other half of his bed empty. It was only three in the morning and there was no way Amy had already gone to work. He sat up quickly and walked to the living room, and caught sight of her in the exact spot he'd found her several nights a month. His fiancee was curled under a thin blanket on the couch. Her dark hair was a mess and he spotted a bit of drool in the corner of her mouth.

A grin tugged at his lips. He picked her up, careful not to wake her, and carried her back to their room. He didn't even notice the cell phone that he'd left on the couch.

Amy groaned in frustration and slammed her laptop shut. She rubbed her hands over her face in angry frustration and stared at the growing pile of paperwork on her desk. There was so much to be done - peace treaties to sign, contracts to be filled out, alliances to be made - but she was desperately behind. And it was all because she'd accidentally started a fight between the Lucians and the Madrigals.

The Lucians took pride in their ability to collect information. They didn't appreciate it when other branches interfered in that, especially when it came to their discovery that the head of MI-6 was an undercover Madrigal peacekeeper.

She leaned back in her chair, and despite herself, she kicked up her feet on her desk. She'd scolded Dan for doing the same thing millions of times, especially after finding scuff marks on the expensive mahogany. She scrolled through her phone, taking a much needed break. She gnawed on her bottom lip as she thought of someone that would be very useful for her current predicament, before taking the risk and pressing the button.

"Two phone calls in two weeks? I must say, Amy, I thought you hated me."

Amy rolled her eyes. "I've had a decade to get over it."

Ian chuckled. "How are you? What brings this second call?"

"I need some perspective, actually. I'd been thinking of how I needed a Lucian ally so you popped back into the Cahill world at the right time."

His voice was sly. "And what gives you the impression that I am willing to work with you?"

She felt cheeks warm. "Ian, you wouldn't have picked up or even emailed me back if you thought otherwise."

He sighed. "Guilty. What have my people been up to this time?"

"Well, I've been keeping track of a few controversial Lucians in MI-6. They have a bad track record of abusing agency resources to hunt down Cahills from other branches and torture them for political information. It's incredibly smart, but I don't want them staging uprisings and disrupting any semblance of peace "

"Let me guess," he said dryly. "The MI-6 agents in question are Delilah Richards and Harrison Andrews."

Her eyebrows shot upwards. "You know them?"

"Something like that. Kabras have always been well-connected, even if we haven't been involved lately," he reminded her.

She sighed in exasperation. "Ian."

"I promise it's nothing shady. Just a contact. Besides, they're bloody notorious. As a Lucian, it's hard not to know who they are. They're practically legends."

"Well, I may have caused a bit of a rift when I pulled a few strings and replaced their non-Cahill supervisor with a Madrigal a few years ago. They figured it out last week and are keeping him hostage, even though his only task was to pass on information."

To her surprise, Ian laughed. "You really botched that up, didn't you?"

"I just want advice, Ian. I would like my Madrigal agent back alive and in one piece, and I know they have a reputation for doing the opposite."

He paused, and seemed to consider that. "Give me three days. I'll take care of it."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't want you getting mixed up in this. I promise I can get it done, I just need some perspective on those two."

"Amy," he chided, "don't worry about it. You'll have some good news very soon. Take the favor."

Amy was slightly suspicious. Lucians always had a motive, and Ian Kabra was no different. As much as she wanted the issue resolved, she was hesitant to accept his help. She didn't know if this was his way of buying into her good graces after ten years of radio silence, and honestly, she felt a little embarrassed to have to ask someone for help. Regardless, there was no reason to sit there and contemplate his intentions when he was her only option.

She ceded with a sigh.

He fulfilled his promise in much less time. Forty-seven hours later, she received a text message.

[Ian] Check your email.

Amy excused herself from a meeting and went straight to her laptop. To her surprise, there was a very lengthy message waiting for her from Harrison Andrews himself.

Ms. Amelia Cahill,

Despite the blatant disrespect and distrust exhibited by your branch, Delilah and I have decided to release your agent. You will be pleased to learn that Tom Morrison has been returned to the London base. To our knowledge, he will return to work at MI-6 tomorrow. There are no hard feelings.

However, I recommend you have a little more faith in the Lucians. Delilah and I have helped avoid some very unfortunate political mishaps, and we will continue to do so. I hope you are conscious of this fact, as Tom Morrison has been reassigned by the agency. We will leave you in peace and expect you do the same. We serve the same interests as you: to maintain order in the Cahill world.

Have a wonderful evening.

Sincerely,
Harrison Andrews