Monochrome

Amy Cahill was filing away some papers when she heard the relentless knocking of Ian Kabra's secretary.

The hell.

She cursed to herself and dejected proceeded to open the door. The scared face of Roger Mullings greeted her.

"What now?" Amy asked. Over the years, Amy Cahill had become a very strong woman; gone was the stuttering and shy fourteen-year old. Maybe it's because of the Madrigal training she had endured as an adolescent or the pressures she had gone through in order to prove her worth to be a Madrigal Branch Leader. But if you ask her, she will gladly answer to you that it all started when she started working with Ian Kabra.

With all of his incessant complaints and mood swings, who wouldn't? He's had more secretaries quit than anyone else in this firm and she'll be the first to back that up.

"He said that he wants to talk about Carmi-"

"Tell him to go shove it up his ass," she said in a cold manner.

Roger nodded and hastily made his way back to the floor where Ian worked.

Amy Cahill was rarely behaved like this. She only does when Ian's persistent complaints about his coworkers arrived at her door did she act like this. Amy Cahill was usually calm and collected.

That jerk, doesn't he know how to handle his own job? Why did Fiske even think of putting us together in one law firm?

Amy Cahill and Ian Kabra worked in the same law firm. The firm was basically owned by Madrigals, to simplify it all, they worked for the legal part of the Branch. This was where most Madrigals got their lawyers. But aside from working for Madrigals, they also worked for other people aside from the Madrigals as they were the top law firm in the country. Their firm won more cases than any other firm in the country.

Calm Amy, calm.

She went to her desk and sat down on her swiveling chair. She then massaged her forehead and took deep breaths as her yoga master had taught her.

Calm. Calm. Calm.

She repeated the word to herself like a mantra.

As if on cue, Ian Kabra burst in to her office and set himself on one of the chairs facing her.

"You know, I don't care if Carmichael plays hockey or likes to drink wine for breakfast," snapped Amy the moment he turned around to face her.

"I'm not here to talk about Carmichael," Ian said calmly. He went over to the counter at the west side of Amy's office and poured himself a glass of wine.

"Is it a bit too early to get drunk, Ian?"

He made a gesture of looking down at his watch and said, "Oh, I don't think so, it's just about time for lunch."

"Pray tell," Amy said in a mock cheery tone, "how did you pass to be promoted to this high a rank?"

"I have a rather handsome face," said Ian, "you should know that."

"Seriously," she snapped, "why are you here in my office?"

"Do you have plans for tonight?"

"Why thinking of asking me to a date?" Amy spat. "As you well know, I have a husband."

"I'm not blind," Ian said. "And stop thinking that I'm here to seduce you, that little tirade ended when I was departed from Seoul."

Amy stared blankly at him but he knew well to see past her façade.

"Are you still touchy about that particular subject?"

"Not at all," Amy declared professionally.

"Good," he said, "I'm here about Renee."

Amy froze.

"What did my niece do now?" Amy inquired. Last month, it was freeing animals from the local zoo and unleashing it to modern Boston. The results weren't really pretty. She briefly remembered leading a horde of animal control people into a building.

You see, Renee Anne Kabra Cahill was a very playful person, as well as rebellious and intelligent. Of course, how can't she be, having one Daniel Arthur Cahill as her father and one Natalie Elizabeth Kabra as her mother.

She was a very active supporter of animal rights and a very active one at that. Not that Amy protested as she also supported the group but she never really took active action, just stayed behind the curtains and handed in cash whenever she felt like it, which, by the way, is almost every month.

Ian said nothing but handed her an envelope. She unclasped the twine holding it together and looked at a few pictures of Renee in her birthday suit.

"What is this?" Amy asked incredulously. It seemed like a protest about freeing animals. All of them held banners about freedom and rights and whatnot while they were stripped down to their body suit.

"She joined a protest," Ian said grimly. "Natalie called me this morning asking for my help to keep these off the pages of tomorrow's morning paper."

Of course, whenever Renee Cahill decided to display her activist side, a phone call from her parents was sure to follow.

"I'll get Maxis on this today," Amy said. "You know, she can't keep doing this. One day, the media will get tired of just accepting our 'gifts' and will realize that they can't keep shrugging this off because, I know, one day, she will get too much."

"I know," said Ian grimly.

"Please, tell your sister to discipline her," said Amy. "I will inform Dan of the same thing."

"Truth is, I already did last month," said Ian, "I don't know why they have such a soft side for that dandy child, I mean, I put a little discipline with my son and he grew up just fine."

"Yeah unlike you, he's very gentle," Amy teased. It's true; Harley John Kabra was a very kind man, responsible too, unlike his father and cousin.

"Don't push it," Ian warned.

"Okay, by the way," Amy said before Ian exited her office, "why did your assistant kept saying that you wanted to talk about Carmichael?"

"I wanted for you to be the one to come to my office earlier so I wouldn't have to travel the distance between our offices," Ian replied.

"Git," Amy murmured as he exited her office.

-x-

"Dan, what's wrong with putting a little tough side on your daughter?" asked Amy. "You know we can't keep doing this."

"I know, but," Dan trailed off as he looked at the cup of latte he ordered.

"Dan," Amy said in a very gentle tone, prompting him to speak.

"I wouldn't want her to get angrier with her parents," said Dan, "our relationship is strained enough."

"Well, we can't keep doing this," Amy reminded. Yes, Amy was well aware that Dan and Natalie's daughter was estranged and that they are doing everything they can to fix things. But she was also aware that everything has a limit.

"I know," said Dan. "We're trying to fix things."

"By letting her ransack Boston?"

"That's not the point," Dan snapped. He looked at her with the look that said, 'You wouldn't understand, you don't have kids.'

That, in itself, is enough to make her feel bad.

"I'm sorry," Dan apologized a minute later, "I didn't mean it like that."

"This conversation is over," Amy said as she left a couple of dollars on the table to cover for what she ordered.

-x-

Amy went home very late, as usual. Her career always keeps her busy. Ever since she had gotten promoted, her workload had increased since then, so every time she gets home, she isn't the least bit surprised that her husband had already been dozing off.

Usually, she just goes over to the bed and slips herself beside him as she always does and whispers good night to him.

But at times, when she is feeling really stressed out, she will stroke his red hair and hold his hand with practiced grace in order to not rouse him.

Those were one of those times.

"Good night Jake," she whispers and holds his hand while he sleeps.

All the while pondering about what her brother meant.

-x-

"Rough night, sweetheart?" Ian asked cockily.

Amy glared at him and rather snapped, "Why are you here?"

"To greet you good morning," Ian said while he handed her a cup of tea. Amy looked at him dubiously as she took the cup.

"Don't worry, it's not poisoned," Ian said. "By the way, I'm very hurt that you still don't trust me after all the years we worked together."

"Technically, not together, Ian," Amy said while turning on her computer. "You were always the one who asked for my help Ian, so technically, I worked, you whined."

That didn't affect Ian's cheery disposition one bit.

"Surely, I did some work," he chose his wording carefully.

"Some," Amy admitted, "I did most."

"It's still considered working together."

Amy rolled her eyes and started typing up her case report.

"What do you want, Ian?" Amy asked.

"This Carmichael," said Ian, "he's an arrogant twat who thinks he's better than anyone."

"Are you here to just tell me that, Ian?" Amy asked.

"No," Ian declared, "I want him out of his position."

Amy looked up at him. She knew he wouldn't demand to have someone sacked, even if they're too arrogant, if they didn't jeopardize his position. She knew he was setting his sights on becoming Senior Partner.

And maybe Victor Carmichael made the mistake of getting in his way.

"I can't do that Ian," said Amy matter-of-factly, "you know that."

"Really?" Ian asked as he fished around his pocket for a recorder. When he finally got a hold of it, he pressed play and Victor Carmichael's voice filtered through.

"That Ian Kabra," sniped Victor, "he doesn't deserve to be promoted to Senior Partner, ever, and that Amy Cahill…"

She felt blind rage cloud her vision and at this moment, all she wanted to do was slap Victor Carmichael at this moment.

How dare he say that my promotion was all because of Fiske. I worked my damned ass off like all of them did.

"Now you see?" asked Ian. "If you still think this is passable, I could guarantee you that this wasn't the first time he said that."

Amy clamped her teeth down in anger, refusing to let anyone see her frustration. But sadly, Ian did.

"Look," he started, "if you don't want to help me-"

"I'll help you," she said.

Ian smiled.

"Great then," he said, "lunch at Tabotti's?"

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or anything associated with it.