"So," she doesn't look up when he takes the seat beside her. Again. A check from her peripherals notes that everyone else is asleep and she absentmindedly hopes they have good dreams. There should be a flicker of hope somewhere in their lives, however faint, and at least in their dreams, they can all fly, with smiles on their faces and laughter at their fingertips in cotton candy wonderlands. "I'm a bloody fool."

She feels herself raise an eyebrow, but she doesn't comment, proceeding to turn a page in Olivia's diary instead. He probably (definitely) already knows she's listening and not really focusing on her ancestor's words like she should be.

The stress of the last twenty-four hours hangs on her neck like a two-ton weight and her fingers reach back to touch her weary muscles. If Aunt Beatrice were here, the woman would never let her hear the end of it for slouching like she did. Sitting hunched over a computer or an old book or a manuscript for hours was finally starting to take its toll on her body.

She glances up to find him staring at her, then gets the message and sighs as she closes the diary. "Why?"

"Because," Ian mutters rather petulantly, even slightly pouting as he says it and Amy feels a giggle almost bubble out of her lips because the sight is just so weird. "I let myself be distracted. Almost risked this whole operation because of a girl."

She rolls her eyes mostly because she knows him well enough to recognize that it's not out of guilt (basically putting all their lives in danger, etc) that he came to her, but more that he's a stupid Lucian with pride issues and all that, and a boy at that. A boy whose ego got walked on (or actually run over) by a pretty face.

Ian Kabra - pity party of one.

"So you almost got us all killed because you were tricked by a harmless looking girl." Amy replies, then shrugs. "It's not like any of us has never made that mistake before."

The Lucian eyes her, a frown twisting at his lips and huffs. "You people are subpar, at best and that is a demonstration of my generosity." He holds up a hand at Amy's attempt to argue and lifts an eyebrow. "Please, let's not delude ourselves. I was trained for this from the moment of my birth, thank you very much. By the time you were in primary school, I could stage a successful coup d'etat and install my own puppet government."

Amy crosses her arms and stares at him unimpressed. "The point is I should not have been so easy a target," he scowls, head turning away.

"Well, what did she look like?" She finally asks, suddenly curious when an uncharacteristic color smooths over Ian's dark features. It was hard to see under the airplane's dim cabin light, but the blush was unmistakable. After all, she had a lot of experience with those.

He rubs his face, before resting his hand over his eyes, his head tilted down. "What?" Amy leans closer, after hearing something leave his mouth, but she couldn't decipher what the words were. "Ian, I can't understand you."

Ian's lips stretch into a thin line. "Red hair, green eyes, pale skin, exceptionally attractive, and a charming blush."

Amy's forehead crinkles as she processes the description - but that, that was crazy. The girl who had tricked Ian Kabra sounded like, or rather, had looked like her? She swallows the thick lump in her throat, her eyes flying to his and spots him avoiding her eyes, a rigid tension in his form that had not been there before. "But-"

"Sounds like someone we know, hm?" Ian picks up her train of thought and pinches at his cheeks, trying to will away the heat. Apparently he hadn't realized the same conclusion until two seconds after he said it aloud.

Count on the brilliant Lucian to be a tactical genius and master manipulator, but when it came to girls, he was completely thick. At least she knew he was normal.

"You said she was attractive though," she pauses abruptly to find her footing, "and I'm not-"

He cuts her off again with a look, silently challenging her, before speaking again. "Actually, I've found you've grown lovelier with age and-"

"Okay," she clears her throat, also trying not to let her own flush rise to the surface. God, she hasn't felt this way in so long. She'd just finally got over the stutter and the uncontrollable blushing and now... Stupid Kabra. "I guess that's how they knew they could get you."

Ian's eyes immediately narrow. Things between them (if there had even been anything) had pretty much evaporated after the hunt and over the course of their fight against the Vespers, but it was no secret that she'd been interested in him when they were younger and he might've carried a little thing for her too (but that part she wasn't really sure about). "Pierce must know about..."

And she knows why he had trailed off awkwardly. What were they? There had been a kiss and something else, but nothing concrete. There had never been a 'them' to begin with, but it didn't mean that the possibility never lingered in the far, far back of her mind. She had had Evan, then Jake. But really, now that her thoughts had led her there, Amy wondered if that was where she went wrong from the beginning.

After so many innocent lives lost because of them, the Cahills, she was determined to not let any more people sacrifice themselves again. No more. Not after the hunt, not after the Vespers, and never again with Pierce. And maybe that was her mistake - what Dan was going through. Thinking that she could have normalcy outside the Cahill life.

Evan had been sucked in and died for it (her). Jake was far too gone and he had a little brother depending on him. Neither of them had ever and would never fully understand.

"She made me laugh." That instantly catches her attention and she saw him watching her intently, before he shrugs, pretending to pick at a loose thread, which she knew was a diversion tactic because the word 'flaw' did not exist in Ian Kabra's dictionary so he certainly wouldn't wear things with any. "The girl knew exactly how to ensnare her prey."

Amy tilts her head. "Smart girl."

He glances at her questioningly. "Like you said, you're a Lucian. They knew they couldn't come at you directly, so they found a pretty obvious weakness." At his blank look, she felt an amused smile uncoil. "You're a teenage boy, Ian. She played with your hormones."

What goes unsaid is heard loud and clear anyway. The fact that Ian has a type makes certain things return to life that she hasn't felt in a long time and she not only doesn't have the time, but is absolutely not ready to facewhat that means (just yet?).

"Turns out you can seduce Ian Kabra." Which makes him grimace - though she doesn't know if it's because of what she said or if it's admitting weakness.

"It's embarrassing enough that it happened once and now a second time?" Ian lets his head sink back into the plush leather seat and closes his eyes, his index finger and thumb massaging his forehead. "Shame on me."

She opens her mouth and he must've sensed her confusion because he shakes his head. "Once upon a time, I was distracted by a lovely girl with jade eyes and auburn hair and we saw how that turned out." He gives her a wry smile, before stretching his arms upward.

Amy wonders what he means. Was that a compliment that she changed him (for the better), pulling him away from his mother's poisonous influence? Or was he referring to some super top secret, by way of unspoken feelings? Did he regret not coming to Boston? Perhaps if he had, she wouldn't have gone after Evan and things would've been different for everyone.

The argument with Jake from earlier was odd considering he'd never shown any interest in their relationship before. But then again, throughout the Vespers incident, they'd rarely seen each other and Jake had been there. If anything, he'd seen her then-boyfriend Evan more than she had.

He stands up to leave, but before he can move far, her hand shoots out to grab his wrist and his gaze falls to her, neither of them acknowledging the way her fingers slip down and thread into his. "I have a feeling we're gonna see her again." To which he nods in agreement. "I'll kick her ass for you then."

Ian lets out a chuckle and echoes her smile. "That would be a dream come true, love."

After his sly meaning becomes clear, Amy throws him a mock glare and swings a pillow at him, but he ducks away, laughing.

A/N: Let's be real. A guy (ie. Ian) would love two girls fighting over him. Funny how he remembers the exact color of her eyes and hair, huh? And she made him laugh. And also, back to normalcy with this book - thank you lord.