A/N: Ok, so we've established that planes are death….. I'm running out of witty chapter names. I'll have to think harder.
Thank you so much to my devoted readers and reviewers. You won't believe how much it helps to hear what you all have to say.
I know, it's EXTREMELY tacky, but my writing style is going nuts on me right now. One second I want to write in first person, the next in third. So, if I switch randomly in the middle, that's why. For right now, I'm going to stick to third. I hope.
In, out. In, out. In, out. The first thing that Amy realized as she pulled herself out of unconsciousness, was that breathing was extremely hard. The second thing, was that there was someone next to her. The third? She felt like someone had just mistaken her for a grape and squeezed her through the juicer.
She groaned, and opened her eyes. Sitting next to her was Ian, who was watching her, and looked worried. Now what would make the infamous Ian Kabra worried?
" Good Morning Love" He said, seemingly jovial . Amy gave a weak smile, and winced as pain erupted in the form of a headache.
" It's not exactly the best morning I've had." She whispered, which was all that she was capable of. He gave a small chuckle, and took a deep breath. Ian could tell how much pain she was in, Amy knew.
" I'm not dead" She said, half ecstatic, and half confused. Ian smiled, a genuine smile, which for a Kabra, was about the equivalent of a proclamation of undying love.
" No, despite your fifteen tries at it, you're not dead." Amy looked up into his twinkling amber eyes, and saw that he was half joking.
" I really tried to die fifteen times?" Amy asked, trying hard not to freak out.
" Unfortunately, the concoction my mother thought up is not going to give you up that easily. I've had to medically bring you back to life a good five times, all within the space of five hours." Just then Amy realized how tired he looked. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his shoulders, usually held in impeccably straight posture, were drooping in a hunch, something Isabel would have shot him for.
Then Amy stopped to ponder his words. Medically revive her. Where were they that he had that kind of equipment? She looked around and saw that she was lying in a very lavishly furnished room, and had medical equipment surrounding her. She found an IV in her arm, and an oxygen piece attached to her nose.
For a second, panic took her over. She was in a strange place, with plenty of deadly looking chemicals sitting next to her, with Ian Kabra! Now, he might have just saved her life, but what if that was just a front to get her to trust him? Cause it's not like he hadn't done that before.
Then she tried to sit up.
"Amy, don-" Ian's warning was much too late. Amy felt like someone had lit her on fire. She held back a scream, and the result was a whimper. A sad, pained whimper.
" Amy" Ian said, his voice slightly scolding, but mostly worried, helped her lay back down. Well, more like he stopped her from completely falling back into the pillows, which would have resulted in more pain. And Amy thought that if she was in any more pain, she would just possibly implode.
" Note to self: no more moving" Amy groaned, trying not to invoke any more pain than she was already going through. Ian gave a tiny smile, but it wasn't enough to convince Amy that he wasn't worried.
" How did you get away from Isabel?" Amy croaked, trying to distract Ian from the imminent, looming, fact that she might die any minute now. Ian's face darkened.
" She… Well, she went hysterical after she pushed you. Started laughing like a maniac. I knew I had to jump within the next ten seconds if I was going to catch you in time, so I did something….. Less than conventional." Amy listened with rapt attention, urging him to go on.
" I took Natalie's dart gun and….. and…. I shot her. She fell, and I jumped. But I think…. I think she might have fallen the wrong way. Without a parachute or anything. I think she….. she might be dead."
Amy hadn't been expecting it, but Ian fell apart. He let whatever posture he had been holding fall, and looked entirely dejected. Amy knew what he was going through. Losing a parent, even a terrible one like Isabel, was hard.
" I'm so sorry Ian" Amy said, feeling genuine sorrow. She wasn't sad about Isabel dying, which they weren't even sure she had. No, Amy was sorry for the two children that she would have left behind.
Ian looked back up and regained his composure.
" Don't be" He said quickly. " She was a horrible person, and a horrible mother. In a way I'm glad she's gone." There are times when peoples eyes tell the real truth. This was not one of them. Amy couldn't see what was going on in his mind, but knew he wasn't as tough as he was letting on.
" Where are we? And where are Dan and Nellie?" Amy said, half genuinely curious, and half just wanting to distract him. Ian looked at her, and seemed to give in to some internal struggle.
" We are in England, in one of my old colleagues houses. And Dan and Nellie have disappeared."