A/N: This was written for as part of my entry for the Shatterproof Countdown challenge on Tumblr - a fic a day until Shatterproof comes out. I'm probably only going to post the ones I like (about 3 or 4) on here, but if you would like to read all of them, please check out the39fics blog.

Day 2: (A)lternate Ending

His fingers clenched around the strap of his bag, digging forcefully into his palms. It should have hurt, but his mind barely registered the pain. His knuckles turned white and it wasn't until he noticed cracking skin that he closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, releasing his death grip.

He glanced down at the only thing he had with him. It was a raggedy duffel bag from his school days and all that was in it were bare necessities. There was hardly enough room in there for a suit so all he had were the clothes on his back.

For the hundredth time in the last few hours, Ian Kabra questioned his sanity. At the last second, he had changed his mind and rushed out the door in the middle of the night to take a trip out of the country.

His sister would be in for a surprise when she woke up and her brother was nowhere to be found. Hopefully she wouldn't cause too much trouble while he was away. Looking down at his ticket, he pursed his lips and fidgeted in his seat. Business class. Once upon a time, he would have scoffed and thrown a fit at the preposterous idea. But times had changed and so had he.

A quiet laugh fluttered into his hearing, pulling him away from his idle thoughts. Turning his head, he spotted a middle aged woman sitting alone across the aisle.

Holding her precious cargo carefully, the woman appeared to be at the peak of exhaustion, but she still continued to smile at the bundle in her arms. Pale bags hung underneath her eyes and her hair was pulled back haphazardly. A large sweater and old jeans covered her body, but she didn't seem to care about her messy appearance. She laughed when tiny fingers reached out to grab her hand, adoration entering her brown eyes.

Ian continued to observe from out of the corner of his eyes and involuntarily thought of his own mother. He wondered if she was happy. Then again, he thought wryly, Isabel Kabra was at her happiest when others were suffering at her hand. But he wondered if she was happier now that they were out of her lives. She didn't have to pretend to care anymore.

Gazing out his window, his mind shifted gears again to avoid sinking into the depressing depths that remembering his estranged mother always brought. The Lucian wondered if he had made the right choice. After agonizing all night, he had all but leapt out of bed, threw some things in a bag, and hopped into his car on the way to the airport. Ian had clearly lost his mind.

He was flying halfway across the world for a girl, after all.

Charm and good looks were his forte. Spontaneity, on the other hand, had never been his thing.

And yet here he was on a red eye to see a girl he had known since they were kids. A girl whom he had called earlier in the day to turn down. And all because he had to tell her that he found her "interesting."

Ian could imagine Natalie rolling her eyes and hand twitching to smack her brother in the head. "If you're going to all this trouble for little orphan Amy, you better have more to say than just 'You're interesting.'" She had told him as much the first time anyway. Except that was when he had made his plans at a reasonable time - not at one in the morning.

Of course, he found her more than interesting.

Though not outstandingly so like the others in the same social circles as he and Natalie, she was pretty in her own fascinating way. She was intelligent with a sharp tongue that never ceased to amuse him and he enjoyed the heated debates they got into. How her brow would crinkle and she would chew on her bottom lip when she was thinking. When she blushed, the splatter of freckles across her ivory cheeks would glow pink and the sight always caused a rush of affection that made him churn for more. More of her lopsided smiles, her soft laughter, even her eye rolls.

With eyes the color of liquid emeralds, Amy was still as lovely as the first time he had realized it. Perhaps even more so now.

There was a low ding overhead and the captain announced that the plane was landing in a few minutes. He shifted in his seat again, mentally cursing at the uncomfortably filthy seats, before leaning back. Even though it was a mostly empty flight, amber eyes automatically sifted through the other rows of seats, skimming over the slowly awakening passengers.

And with thoughts of her fluttering in his head, softening the rough edges of his previous agitation, Ian felt calm as he walked out of the terminal, bag slung over one shoulder. The whole flight had made him a bundle of nerves and anticipation. Doubts had pricked his mind, voicing themselves in his mother's scathing tone. Rationally speaking, the idea had been insane. He had literally run into Heathrow, demanded a ticket between gulps of air, and boarded not too long after.

Stepping into the open waiting area, he dropped his bag on a chair and a frown spread across his face. After a few minutes of standing there by himself, the Lucian thought that maybe going to Boston without a word to anyone hadn't been such a good idea.

"You know, maybe the next time you decide to randomly fly across the pond," The familiar giggle that followed wrapped around his heart, curling into its corners and making Ian inhale sharply. "You should probably let someone know."

He turned around and there she was.

Amy Cahill stood in front of him, head tilted with a knowing grin playing on her lips. She was dressed in an oversized shirt and sweats, hair tied in a messy bun. "Need a ride?" She teased, waving a set of keys in one hand as the other was propped on her hip. Green eyes were twinkling as she stared back at him, smile never faltering as she seemed genuinely happy to see him.

The thought made his insides churn with silly hope and apprehension swarmed every fiber in his being. Before he could stop his mouth or at least reconnect it to his brain, he said the first thing that came to mind. "I thought you had to be 18 to get a license."

Raising an eyebrow, she looked surprised at his reply and Ian smacked himself for not being at all smooth and confident like he usually was. First, he was spontaneous, now he was blurting things out, and on top of it all, he was still poor. Ian Kabra was going downhill.

"I have a permit and Nellie's sleeping in the backseat." The thought of the au pair snoring away made Ian cringe and it must have been obvious because she let out a chuckle, before shaking her head.

"Come on." She murmured, leading them out of the terminal.

There was a comfortable silence as they walked into the crisp Boston night with only the jingling of her keys making any noise. There were still many people milling around, waiting or searching as they passed them. The air was cool and quiet, compared to the low rumblings and stuffy atmosphere inside the airport.

Straying a few steps behind her, his eyes drank her in. It had been a long time since he had seen her. She had grown taller and filled more into her feminine figure. She hadn't even stuttered yet and it made Ian wonder if he was losing his touch.

"How did you know I was here?" He asked, finally giving into the nagging curiosity.

"Natalie called," Amy's voice didn't fail to hide her amusement as they arrived at the car. "She said and I quote, "My idiot brother just got onto a 2 AM flight to Boston. Pick him up and tell him the next time he gets a mad idea in the name of love to take a taxi. Good night." And she just hung up."

Overwhelming heat crawled over the back of his neck and rose up to his face and Ian had never been more thankful for the cover of darkness. He was sure that even with his dark skin, Amy would have noticed how his face currently resembled a tomato. His heart started to speed up, thumping wildly like a pounding drum and there was a buzzing in his ears as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"For what it's worth," Soft lips brushed a chaste kiss on his warm cheek. "I'm glad you came after all."