Yes, I said I wouldn't be able to write. But I stayed up late working on this, just so I could update. That A/N still applies (and btw, I did mention that I might write a little).

This chapter is set one month after the last (6 months after the first chapter)

Amy's P.O.V

"Thank you for flying Air Wizard! Love me, and maybe I'll take you home!" Jonah's cocky voice drifted throughout the jet as we fastened our seatbelts. The landing was always my least favourite part of the flight. When you take off, it feels just like the start of a roller coaster ride; slightly nerve racking, but exhilarating at the same time. But after a long ride with bumpy turbulence, my stomach is never in the best shape. Especially when we start falling from the sky.

I gripped the armrests tightly, my knuckles turning white, and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep my breathing even. It was working for a few seconds, until a jolt went through the plane and I had to force down the contents of my stomach.

"Are you okay?" Sinead said beside me.

I shook my head, my eyes still closed.

"What's wrong, Love?" Ian asked. He sat in the seat in front of me, turned to face the table between us.

I couldn't answer without throwing up, so I carefully opened my eyes. At the sight of him being tossed sideways, my face turned a shade of green, and my hand quickly flew to my mouth.

His worried, amber eyes locked with mine, and I tried to hold his gaze. But with another jolt, my eyes snapped shut again.

I heard the CLICK of a seatbelt, then someone sat down in the spare seat beside me. Ian held my wrist in his soft hands, and pressed down on a spot right below my hand.

The results were almost instant. Like a blanket of fog had been lifted, I suddenly felt better.

"How did you do that?" I asked, eyebrow cocked.

Ian smiled. "Acupressure," he said. "Works every time."

I sighed and leant back on the headrest. "Thank you," I whispered.

I don't know how long the descent lasted. I woke up what felt like hours later, my head resting on Ian's shoulder, sitting in the motionless plane. Ian was still pressing down on my wrist.

"Hello, Love," he said as I stirred.

I rubbed my eyes. "How long has the plane been sitting here?"

"About an hour. Everyone else is asleep on the reclining seats. Apart from Dan, of course. He's been glaring at me for a while now."

I laughed, looking up. From where Ian had originally been seated, my brother scowled at my head, which was still on Ian's shoulder.

"Hey, Dan," I said cheerfully. "Sleep well?"

He mumbled something about stupid cobras and idiotic sisters, staring pointedly at me. "Why are you sleeping on Ian?"

I shrugged, standing up. "I don't know. My head must've fallen. I'm going to stretch my legs. Coming Ian?"

He nodded. As we made our way down the isle, I turned back. "Dan? Are you coming or not?"

"No!" Dan snapped. I had to hold in my laughter.

"I don't think he likes me," Ian observed.

"Don't be ridiculous. He just doesn't like the idea of me being with you," I said, rolling my eyes.

"He doesn't know, though, does he?"

I shook my head.

As soon as we stepped off the jet, a sweet, warm breeze tickled my nose. It smelled of pine trees, with a faint trace of salt. The air was fresher, cleaner, than I thought it would be.

"Welcome to Australia," Ian murmured, observing his surroundings. We'd landed in Jandakot Airport, a more privet landing area for Jonah's jet, and it was nowhere near how I thought it would be. I'd expected crowded skyscrapers, buildings, or at least a suburban area. Instead, I was greeted by fenced-off lots of yellow sands, bush land, and small, cement buildings that could've been sheds for small planes.

"Well… I guess they call it 'bush land' for a reason," I said carefully.

Ian snorted. "Love, this is a privet airport. It's about a fifteen minutes drive from the city."

I gave him a questioning look. "How would you know?"

"I googled it."

I rolled my eyes. Trust Ian to know everything in advance.

Dan's P.O.V

Everyone had started to stir shortly after Amy and Ian left for their walk. As soon as they were out of sight, I ran into the next room and peered out the window, watching them like a hawk.

"What're you doing?" Jonah asked, joining me at the window.

"Watching them," I grumbled.

"Okay, cool..." After a pause, he asked, "Why?"

I growled. "Because I don't trust that cobra with my sister."

Jonah nodded. "I can appreciate that. But I wouldn't worry. Have you seen the way he looks at her? I mean, there's nothing going on between them or anything. But seriously. He's like a lovesick puppy."

This only made me angrier. It wasn't that I didn't like Ian. Sure, he wasn't the best person to hang around with, and he could sometimes be a little stuck-up. But he was a different person to who he'd been during the Clue Hunt. He was less vicious, and I most certainly wasn't worried that he would slip poison into my toothpaste or something. But after all this time, I still hadn't forgiven him for breaking Amy's heart. I was okay with the fact that he's tried to kill us on countless occasions. It had all been part of the competition, and his evil, demonic mother, Isabel, had ordered him to do it. But toying with someone? Making them fall in love with you, then tearing their heart to shreds? It was inexcusable. And I didn't want it to happen again.

I'd always been aware of Amy's crush on Ian, and it was obvious Ian had feelings for Amy, too. I just didn't want to see her hurt again. Ian betrayed her, then Evan cheated on her. Call me overprotective, but I couldn't let that happen again. She was one of the only family members I had left, after all.

"Sorry, dude, but that didn't help at all," I told Jonah. He sighed and patted me on the back.

"Just don't mess things up for her, okay? Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He ruffled my hair, and I ducked out the way.

"What d'you mean?" I asked, confused. There was nothing to mess up… right?

Jonah shrugged. "Don't muck up her life. If she's happy, let her be happy."

I narrowed my eyes. "Since when were you 'Mr Wise Gangster'?"

He laughed and walked away, not bothering to answer my question.

Fine, I thought. I'll give it a try. Just don't expect me to sit back and watch him use her again. If he tries anything…

Amy's P.O.V

By the time we arrived at our hotel, it was five in the morning. But despite the early hour, and the lack of sleep the previous night, I was wide-awake.

There was no chance at all that Nellie would get me to go to bed. And she tried, and failed miserably. I was too hyped up to sleep. Either that, or I was overtired. Sure, I'd been to Australia before. But at the time, we were in a completely different State, and too focused on the clue hunt to truly admire the country. It'd been the same for every place we'd been while searching for the clues.

So now that I had the chance to travel freely, without any obligations, I wanted to make the most of it.

Wandering the streets of Perth city in the morning, I watched as the lights began to turn off and the sun peeked over the tall buildings and skyscrapers. I passed few people, and heard only the distant sounds of cars honking their horns. Unlike Boston, it seemed this city actually slept at night. Or at least parts of it did.

I'd only been walking for twenty minutes when I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I spun around, ready to strike, but stopped when I saw who it was.

"Hello, Love," Ian smiled down at me.

"Ian? Have you been following me?" I asked.

He laughed and shook his head. "I tried to catch up to you. It took a while."

I rolled my eyes and kept walking, Ian falling into step beside me. There was a comfortable silence between us for a moment, but I couldn't stand the quiet and was grateful when Ian spoke.

"You're 18 now," he commented.

I nodded. "So are you."

"I've been 18 for a while now, Love. You, on the other hand, turned 18 this morning."

"Your point?" I asked, eyebrow cocked.

He shrugged. "I don't have one. Other then-,"he spun me around so my back was to him, "-happy birthday." His hands brushed against my skin as he lifted my hair. Something cold rested on my chest, and I looked down as he clasped it behind my neck.

"It's a necklace," I said, lifting the pendant gently in my hand. It was a light silver metal, molded into the shape of a heart. There were no inscriptions, no engravings on the surface. As I ran my finger along the smooth metal, I felt a faint crack on the side. Using my nails, I pried it open and gasped. On one half, the inlay was a soft green felt, which bordered the tiny image that sat inside the frame.

"Where did you get this?" I asked in awe.

Ian smiled. "I have my ways."

The picture was of Ian and me kissing. It was just from our shoulders up, and in the background was the willow tree from my favourite park in Boston. It was perfect.

On the other half of the heart, two simple words had been etched into the silver.

Love,

Always

I looked up at Ian, a tear tracing down my cheek. "It's beautiful," I whispered. "Thank you."

He gave me a small smile. "Always."

I kissed him.

On the way back to our hotel, Ian's arm was around my waist, and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"You know, a necklace is usually a common gift," I pointed out. "But not this one. This is special."

I fingered the locket around my neck. It had been designed to look like just an ordinary pendant. You couldn't tell that it opened unless you gave it a close inspection.

Ian chuckled. "I wasn't going to get you jewelry, for that very reason."

"It's perfect. I love it."

"I'm glad. And before I forget..." he grinned and whispered in my ear. "You're a genius."

I laughed. "Thank you. It took you a while to admit it."

"I was thinking of putting it in the locket," he said.

I looked up at him. "Then why didn't you?"

"Because, Love. See what I did there? Love, always. It's your name - Love - but also the word."

I snorted. "Now who's the genius?"

"Hey, lovebirds!" Jonah called from across the street. He was standing outside the hotel, gesturing for us to move away from each other. I quickly let go of Ian and ran across the empty road.

"What's up, Jonah?" I asked.

He pointed up the stair that led out of the hotel. "People coming. Places to see. And Nellie insists we go out for breakfast. We were about to come looking for you two. Dan's being paranoid."

I rolled my eyes. "Dan's only paranoid when he doesn't need to be. Never for the important things, like death threats."

Ian came up behind me. "Where's Nellie going for breakfast?" He asked.

"Just a cafe on the corner," Nellie called out, jogging down the stairs. "Where'd you two go?"

"For a walk," I answered nonchalantly.

She nodded, but eyed us suspiciously. "Okay. Lets go then."

She started walking away, the rest of the family trailing behind her, but I froze, seeing the perfect opportunity to spend more time alone with a certain someone.

"Actually," I started slowly, "I think I'll stay behind. I still feel a little woozy."

Nellie frowned. "You sure, Kiddo?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Is everyone going?" As I said this, I stared at Ian. His brow furrowed, his lips an adorable pout, confusion clear as day. Then he grinned devilishly, sending a sly wink in my direction.

"Yeah," Nellie said. "Everyone's coming."

"I'll stay," Ian offered. "I already ate."

Dan's glare nearly singed the hair on Ian's head. It was obvious he had issues with Ian, even though there was no need. "Of course you did," he muttered, not bothering to hide the contempt in his voice.

I sighed. "Daniel."

His gaze shifted to me, but I met it steadily. Even Ian admitted that my glare could make even the strongest man cower. And that included the Kabra himself. So it wasn't hard to imitate the anger and annoyance in Dan's eyes, tripling the intensity of our stare-off.

Dan grumbled something incoherently and spun around, stomping away.

Natalie raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "What's his problem?"

Hamilton nudged her shoulder. "You're his girlfriend. You find out."

"I'm not his girlfriend!"

I rolled my eyes and turned my back on them, climbing the stairs. "See you later," I called over my shoulder. Ian followed me inside and into the elevator. I punched the button to our floor and gripped his hand tightly.

"Little brothers are frustrating," I stated matter-of-factly.

Ian chuckled. "As are sisters."

I scoffed, watching the numbers change as the lift crawled higher and higher through the core if the hotel. I knew Ian would understand to some extent – after all, he had a younger sibling, too. But unlike Natalie, Dan was protective over me. He watched every place I visited, every person I spoke to, every thing that I touched. He didn't want to see me hurt again. He didn't like to see me cry. In a way, I was flattered that he cared that much. But what Dan didn't understand was that I needed to make mistakes, I needed to be hurt. Experience was the best teacher. I had learned that the hard way. Everything that's happened in my life has prepared me for the future. Everything from the death of my parents and Grace, the betrayal, danger, and death during the hunt for the 39 Clues, the fear and confusion, the feeling of being helpless when the Vespers had kidnapped the people I care for and turned us into criminals in their near-successful attempt to destroy the world. All of these horrible things that had happened… in the end, it's what will help me move forward and pass every obstacle in my path. Even when Evan cheated on me, I knew somewhere, deep down, that I needed that experience. I needed to know what it felt like.

This, Dan didn't understand, and neither did Ian. They probably never would.

"Amy?" Ian's voice broke through my thoughts like a slap on my bare cheek. He was waving his hand in front of my face, concern etched into his forehead.

I looked around me in a daze, not quite knowing what was going on. It was like I was only half awake, and I wasn't quite seeing what was in front of me. The elevator had stopped, the metal doors held open by an Armani loafer. I stared at the shoe.

"Amy? Are you alright?"

My eyes followed the leg attached to the enclosed foot, drifting over a pressed polo shirt that fit snugly around Ian's body, the lines of Ian's firm chest clear through the thin material. For a moment, my eyes lingered there, a yearning churning in my stomach, before my gaze caught his worried stare.

"Love." Ian barked, the sound clearing my head.

I ran a hand over my face. "Sorry. I was just… thinking."

He looked at me like I was crazy, his eyes slightly narrowed with a careful expression, scrutinizing me.

"Come on," he said finally, leading me to his room. He sat me down on his bed and poured me a glass of water. I took a careful sip, tasting the cool liquid, before downing the rest of the glass in a single gulp.

"What's the matter?" Ian asked softly, placing a reassuring arm around my shoulders.

I shook my head. "Nothing. I guess I just got too caught up in my thoughts."

"You looked… well, out of it," he admitted, pushing the hair off my face and stroking my cheek.

I closed my eyes, leaning into his hand. It still felt like I was sleep walking. My eyes were slightly clouded, and my brain was fuzzy. And I had no idea why.

"We need to talk more," I said abruptly. Ian nodded slowly, and once again looked at me as though I was insane. "We do," I continued. "I mean, do you even know what I want to study when I leave school? Whether I'll go to collage or university? I don't know what you want to do."

Ian shrugged. "I guess not…" He sat on the floor, leaning against the foot of the bed, and pulled me down onto his lap. "Why don't you tell me?"

I smiled, and the fuzzy feeling completely vanished.

For the next hour, we talked about everything, and nothing. We spoke of our dreams for the future, where we saw ourselves in five years time. I told him about the places I wanted to go, places that we hadn't visited in the clue hunt. I told him everything. And yet we didn't talk about anything Cahill related. Business, family feuds, all the things we usually brought up in conversation, we never once mentioned. And it was, in a way, the most relaxing thing I'd ever done.

"It was the worst rumour! I never once hooked up with him, but it went all around the school!" I laughed. "You should've seen his face when he had to stand, in front of everyone in the cafeteria, and confess that he'd made it all up to begin with. The best part was, his girlfriend was there at the time. She knew it was just a rumour, but no one expected Mr. Popularity to be the one who made it. God, it was a mess."

Ian chuckled. "He must've been desperate. Although I must admit, I'm glad you didn't kiss him."

I grinned. "Why? Would Ian Kabra be jealous?"

"Yes. Yes I would." He said this with a completely straight face, his tone serious. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips.

"Of course you would. You're probably jealous that the rumour wasn't about you!"

He laughed, putting his hands up. "Guilty."

There was a knock on the door, and without waiting for an answer, Sinead flew in.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "We've been looking for you everywhere!" She stuck her head out the door and called, "Found them!"

I quickly climbed off Ian's lap, sitting next to him, as Dan, Natalie, Nellie, Hamilton, and Jonah poured in.

"What on earth have you been doing?" Natalie demanded, hands on her hips.

"Talking," Ian answered casually. "Why?"

"Why?" Natalie fumed. "Because for half an hour, we've been running around this hotel searching for you!"

I snorted. "We were here the whole time. Did you bother checking the rooms?"

"I told you to!" Dan exclaimed. "But no one listens to Ninja Dan!"

I rolled my eyes and stood, offering Ian my hand. He hesitated for a moment before griping it tightly and allowing me to help him up. After a moment's silence and awkward stares, I cleared my throat.

"You going to let us out?" I asked, gesturing for them to move aside. Nobody moved.

I sighed and sat down on the bed. "Fine." I watched the group, eyebrows raised, with an incredulous expression. "Are you just going to stand there all day?" I asked, mocking. Someone shut the door, and everyone sat in a circle in front of me. "So… what're we doing tonight?"

Hamilton grinned. "Hasn't anyone told you?"

I shook my head.

"We're going to this club around the corner. I heard some guys talking about it. They said they played some sick beats."

My eyes widened. "What? I'm not going clubbing! And besides, Dan's too young."

Natalie smirked. "Yes you are. Dan, Reagan, Madison, and myself are staying here with Nellie."

"It's all sorted," Jonah nodded, "And there's no way you're getting out of it."

Beside me, Ian sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Whose idea was this?" He asked, trying his best to hide the bitterness in his tone.

"Hamilton and Jonah," Ted said.

"Ted and I aren't coming, though," Ned added.

I scoffed. "Why do I have to go, then?"

"Because. I'm blind," Ted stated, waving a hand in front of his eyes to prove the point.

Ned nodded. "And I have to stay with Ted."

I groaned, holding my head in my hands.

"It's okay, Kiddo," Nellie said cheerfully. "It'll be fun! You just better not get drunk."

I am once again splitting this part into two chapters, maybe even three or four. We'll see. The story's about half done, so I'll try to get these up as fast as I can.

Did this seem bi-polar to you? Some parts are descriptive, others are slightly rushed. I swear, my writing style changes everyday. It's really irritating!

Okay… anyways…

Question: Which pairings would you like to see more of?

Tell me what you think!

~ bluester07