Hello lovelies,

I am writing to you from my grave because I died about a thousand times since the episode so I hope you appreciate the fact that I resuscitated just so I could post the chapter for you!

Happy reading, my brave zombies!


Alec had a routine in the mornings that he had established for years.

He was an early bird (which was the politically correct way of saying insomniac) so he had to keep himself occupied until his siblings would rise as well, so he went for a run every morning. If Jace was up, he would come with him. He tried to change his route every day so he didn't get bored with well-known paths but after a while, he had had to acknowledge that even their district wasn't big enough as he ended up pacing the same roads twice or three times. Thus, when he went running the morning after their arrival in California, it was kind of reinvigorating. He didn't know these lanes, wasn't familiar with the feeling of the breeze coming from the sea refreshing his heated skin and had no idea the sound of the waves crashing against the sand would be so relaxing.

It was almost enough to make up for the terrible idea it had been to come here in the first place.

It was very obvious that it had been a mistake. Alec hadn't wanted to go in the first place but Jace and Isabelle had insisted until he had eventually caved, using arguments of free vacations, beaches and mostly a huge amount of money. He hadn't gone for the money, however. He had gone because he couldn't possibly let his brother and sister deal with this on their own. He needed to protect them, like he always had.

His paces lead him far away from the house and he had plenty of time to clear his mind and make some sense of his thoughts. He wondered if Luke and Hodge were, like Magnus had said, insane or just incredibly brilliant for putting them together. He didn't know more about Valentine Morgenstern than what he had found during his research, but that only was that he was apparently extremely wealthy, which in return meant he was also extremely powerful. From what Magnus had said, he was also very dangerous and the thought just added to Alec's previous reluctance. He didn't want to work with a team. He wanted to work with them even less if they were going against some kind of psychopath. He couldn't put his life in the hands of strangers, much less the lives of his brother and sister.

He had talked about it with Jace and Isabelle the night before, but they had refused to listen to him. Jace had claimed to be too tired from the trip and Isabelle had just dismissed his worries with a wave, calling him too prudent. He knew a lost battle when he saw one, so he had just given up and settled with her in her room to watch TV while Jace went to bed in his. Alec had done his best not to worry any more while they watched an episode of Sherlock but really, there was nothing he could do about it, not when his siblings were involved.

Alec was overprotective. Always had been and always would be. Sue him.

He sighed and finally decided to go back to the villa. His steps had taken him much further than expected. He could see the beginnings of a much less private beach and he was in no mood for an encounter with more strangers.

On his way back, his thoughts drifted back to the night before and he sped up his pace, pushing his body further than he normally would when his mind was invaded with thoughts of yellow-green eyes and glittering brown skin. Isabelle had voiced out loud what Alec had to begrudgingly admit to himself: He had not expected the infamous Magnus Bane to look so… appealing. He had expected a white man in his mid-forties, with graying hair and lots of stories to tell. He didn't doubt for a second that Magnus Bane had plenty of stories to tell, his reputation preceding him. Yet somehow, no one had ever thought to mention how devilishly handsome he was. Maybe it was part of the mystery that surrounded him, for as much as he was popular in their business, no one actually knew anything about him.

And now, not only did Alec knew what he looked like (and that was something) but he was going to have to work with him. It was a good thing he had worked on his self control in front of attractive men these past few years.

He was actually more perplexed about working with Clary and Simon or even Luke, who seemed to have no experience whatsoever in their line of work. It was upsetting to say the least, especially if Valentine was as dangerous as Magnus had said he was.

He shook his head as he finally approached the villa. So much for clearing his mind.

He went in by the back door, jumping over the fence. The sun had barely risen and everybody else was probably still sleeping, so he didn't want to wake them with the noise of the front door. They probably wouldn't anyway with the size of the place but he considered himself thoughtful (and he didn't want to risk waking up Jace, because Jace was not a morning person). He stepped on the veranda that lead to the patio, lifting his shirt to wipe his sweaty forehead and couldn't hold back a surprised cry when he was suddenly grabbed and smashed against the nearest wall. Before he could even think of fighting back, there was a blade against his neck.

The threats and curses about to slip his tongue died in his throat when he saw that his assailant was none other than Magnus Bane himself. For a second, there was a terrifying glimpse in his gaze, something that made Alec shiver and not in a good way, but then the man seemed to recognize him as his green eyes widened and he stepped away, the knife still held firmly in his hand.

"What the hell, Bane?" Alec blurted out accusingly.

"I'm sorry," Magnus said at the same time. "I thought everyone was still sleeping and I heard you come in and I thought you were…"

"A thief?" Alec finished for him and he couldn't hold back a chuckle at the irony.

"Something like that," Magnus eluded with an amused smile of his own. "Again, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Alec raised a hand to his neck, stroking the sore skin and pulled it back to get a look at it. He wasn't bleeding.

"I'm good," he replied, clearing his throat. "Do you always walk around with a knife? Where did you come from? I didn't even hear you!"

Magnus smirked and Alec was immediately reminded of the Cheshire cat.

There you go, another childhood cartoon corrupted, he thought bitterly. In his memories, the Cheshire cat was not attractive. It was a creepy cat.

"I wouldn't be a very good thief if you could hear me coming from a mile away, darling," Magnus retorted.

Alec nodded sheepishly, trying not to focus too much on the pet name.

"I'm guessing you went for a run," Magnus added, eyeing him up and down and this time, Alec couldn't hold back a blush, silently hoping it would pass as exertion from the jogging.

He nodded again, mentally chastising himself for losing his tongue.

"I-I'm going to go take a shower," he managed to stammer, clumsily pointing to the stairs that led to his bedroom and one of the bathrooms.

"Too bad," Magnus murmured, almost to himself, and he stepped away from him, raising his arm, to show him the way with the blade of the knife. "Off you go. I'm making breakfast if you're hungry after your shower."

"Y-Yeah", Alec stuttered, already going up the stairs. "I'll be quick."

He forced himself not to look back. He had no reason to.

"Get it together, Lightwood," he whispered to no one as he made his way to the bathroom.

.

Isabelle wasn't intrigued very often but she had to admit that she was indeed wondering about Magnus Bane. There was his reputation, of course, but what piqued her curiosity was mostly that he was nothing like she had imagined. First of all, he was fairly young. Second, he was hot. In a mysterious, almost animalistic way, but hot nonetheless. Third, he had not hesitated before he had called Hodge out on his shit. Isabelle loved honesty in a person, even if they came across as too blunt sometimes. She had so much respect for Hodge that she wouldn't have ever dared to think about talking to him like Magnus had. Then again, he was Magnus Bane, not exactly your random citizen.

And last but not least, he was currently talking to himself, which was probably the most curious thing of it all. He was lying on one of the couches in the patio, a tea cup in one hand and a file open on his lap. She had seen him from afar. She had taken breakfast in the kitchen where she had found still warm bacon and eggs and had decided to go for a swim while she waited for the others to wake up when she had seen him. She couldn't hear him but she could see his lips moving every now and then. There was no one with him, though.

She frowned. She wondered if he was one of the geniuses who were actually completely insane. That would definitely explain the eccentricity of his character. Somehow, she didn't think it was it, though.

She walked toward him and only realized when she arrived on the patio that he had not been talking to himself. It was incredibly reassuring. He had actually been talking to Alec, who had been hidden from Isabelle's sight by the couch because he was sitting on the floor. Leave it to Alec to sit on the floor when there were couches and chairs all around him, Isabelle thought with a fond smile. He was looking at a file too and Isabelle recognized it as the information Luke had given them about Valentine.

"Boys, it's too early to be working already," she chimed in as she finally reached them, dropping on the couch behind her brother and leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek.

"That ruby is not going to steal itself," Alec deadpanned, but he relaxed against her when she started playing absentmindedly with his still wet hair.

"That would be no fun," Isabelle replied with a cheeky smile.

She glanced at Magnus, who was smirking behind his cup of tea. "So, you're Magnus Bane, huh?"

"I am indeed," he replied with an amused smile.

"Did you really steal that Fabergé egg from the Count von Fersen?" she blurted out bluntly.

"Izzy," Alec groaned, glaring at her disapprovingly.

"It's quite alright," Magnus cut in, a pleased spark in his eyes. "I did. The Count was pissed about it but he forgave me eventually."

"He forgave you?" she echoed, raising a questioning eyebrow. "You saw him again?"

"The Count is what you would call a… friend," Magnus eluded with a graceful wave, his long ring-clad fingers moving elegantly.

"Did you give him his egg back?" she asked eagerly.

There was nothing she loved more than stories from other thieves. It was usually much more amusing than you would think when you heard it from an insider perspective.

"What's the point of stealing something if you're going to give it back?" Magnus scorned gently. "I told him I had sold it but I didn't. I still have it. It's too beautiful to see it go to waste with someone who wouldn't appreciate it."

She nodded in agreement.

"What about the Raziel Sword? Did you really steal it too?"

"Izzy, stop pestering him," Alec chimed in. He had his back to her but she could almost see the way he rolled his eyes.

"I did," Magnus answered anyway, sending a reassuring glance to her brother. "I did sell this one, though, to a friend of mine. A collector."

"How did you do it? Is it true you almost got caught?" she asked again.

She was aware she was probably prying slightly too much but she had heard so many stories about him and now that he was actually in front of her, she couldn't help herself. She was like a child on Christmas morning.

"A magician never reveals his secrets," Magnus replied with an enigmatic smirk, "but I did almost get caught that time, yeah. Let's just say it's a good thing I know Venice so well. I was able to get away by the canal. It's a funny story now but it wasn't at the time. I smelt like a swamp for a week afterwards."

She giggled, trying to picture him, perfectly mannered, dressed in the latest fashion, swimming his way out of a tricky situation.

For all his pretend at studying the file (and she knew he was already acquainted with every single detail because he had read it about a hundred times before), Isabelle could see that Alec wasn't focusing on it but actually drinking every word that came out of Magnus's mouth just like she was.

"What about you?" Magnus asked, crossing his long legs to get more comfortable on the couch. "I've heard about a pretty epic burglary in Vegas."

Alec groaned loudly, dropping his head on the couch to glance up at his sister. Isabelle didn't miss the way Magnus's eyes lingered for a moment on his exposed throat and she smirked. That was interesting.

"It wasn't epic," Alec argued. "Jace almost died, I broke my arm and Izzy was so drunk Jace had to carry her back to our hotel room."

"That sounds like a pretty epic story to me," Magnus retorted with a grin, winking at Isabelle.

"It was!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "Alec doesn't like to admit that it was fun because we almost got caught. And I was only drunk because I was distracting our target while my dear brothers were breaking in his room. He was a heavy drinker, I had to follow if I wanted to be credible."

"You were so drunk you threw up on his shoes," Alec deadpanned with a roll of his eyes.

"I call it dedication," Magnus chimed in with a joyful laugh. "Vomit on your shoes is always a superb distraction."

"Finally someone who appreciates my diversion techniques," Isabelle giggled.

Alec snorted, shaking his head but it was too fond to come across as anything but endeared.

Jace chose that moment to join them, dragging his feet tiredly. He yawned loudly and glared at Alec's file on the floor.

"Everyone is up," he informed them with a calculated bored tone that he had spent years working on. Isabelle knew it was his I-am-excited-but-I-don't-want-to-admit-it tone. "Luke and Hodge are waiting for us with the others in the office upstairs. Nerdface talks too much so I said I'd come and get you before I lose my shit and punch him."

"His name is Simon", Isabelle said with an amused smile.

Jace leaned forward to peck her on a cheek. "Whatever."

Alec gathered his file and rose to his feet, Magnus and Isabelle quickly following.

"No punching anyone," he groaned with authority as they entered the villa.

Jace sighed deeply. "You always take the fun off of everything."

"You call it fun, I call it stupidity," Alec deadpanned.

"Your face is stupid," Jace grunted and Isabelle knew it was just him being a lovely person in the morning but she still hit the back of his head for good measure.

"Nice comeback," Alec snorted. "You totally didn't prove my point."

"Why are you being mean to me?" Jace almost whined. "It's too early for you to be so mean."

"I'm not being mean, Jace. You can't use the excuse of not being a morning person to go around punching people."

"I can and I will," Jace replied stubbornly.

"Don't mind them," Isabelle told Magnus confidentially as she hooked her arm with his.

"Do they do that a lot?" he asked with an amused smirk.

Somehow, it made him look like he didn't care, like he was detached from the rest of them in a definite way. It was both intriguing and disturbing.

"All the time," she sighed. "It's their way of showing they actually love each other."

Magnus smiled but didn't reply. She caught him staring at Alec's ass when they walked up the stairs but she didn't comment, smiling knowingly to herself.

.

Luke was waiting for them, like Jace had said, in the office upstairs. He was standing by the window, whispering with Hodge while Clary and Simon were sitting on a leather couch on the other side of the room, giggling about something he was showing her on a tablet. They all glanced at the door in a perfectly synchronized movement when they came in and Magnus almost freaked out for a second.

"Ah, there you are!" Luke exclaimed, a wide grin on his face.

"You act like we're the ones who overslept," Magnus snorted.

"No one overslept," Hodge corrected.

Magnus dismissed his comment with a wave. "Alright, let us hear your plan so I can explain to you what you're doing wrong."

Hodge rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored him, switching on the screen on the wall. A huge picture of Valentine Morgenstern immediately appeared.

"Give us a warning next time," Simon chimed in. "That's serious nightmare material right there."

Magnus was pleasantly surprised to find himself amused. He wasn't the only one if the Lightwoods astounded gazes where anything to go by.

"What?" Simon added when he caught their glances. "I can make jokes too, you know."

Luke cleared his throat, a disapproving frown making him look tougher. "Kids, focus."

There was a paternal quality to his voice that forced them to oblige. Magnus huffed indignantly for good measure. No one had called him a kid since… probably forever.

"This is Valentine Morgenstern," Luke continued and he sounded like a school teacher giving them a history lesson. "He's our target."

"I'm bisexual," Magnus blurted out, "and my eyeliner is on point today."

Luke gaped at him, while the rest of the room turned to look at him in shock.

"Sorry," he eluded with a smirk, "I thought we were playing that game where we all state the obvious."

Isabelle giggled, Alec snorted and Clary actually cackled, quickly hiding it behind her hand.

Hodge wasn't amused. "I had forgotten what a pain in the ass you were to work with."

"How is you being bisexual so obvious?" Simon asked, slightly bewildered but mostly curious.

"It's not. It was just a PSA," Magnus replied cheekily, winking at Alec.

The Lightwood eldest blushed and ducked his head to hide it, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

"Magnus!" Hodge snapped, forcing him to tug his green eyes away from Alec. "Behave."

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall to focus his attention back on the screen.

Luke shook his head, already looking tired, and pressed a button on the remote in his hand. The picture changed. If the villa had been impressive, this was something else entirely. It wasn't a house, it was closer to a castle, huge and imposing, all white columns and high windows.

"This is the Morgenstern manor," Luke said. "It's where the ruby is kept. Valentine is ostentatious so it's probably in evidence somewhere. That doesn't mean it's not well secluded. Like Alec said yesterday, Valentine is closely protected. He has body guards that never leave his side. He's a flashy bastard but he's not an idiot."

"Could have fooled me," Simon mumbled, not loud enough for everyone to hear but Magnus did anyway.

"The garden is protected by the latest technology in security. There are surveillance cameras all around the propriety."

"I can turn them off," Simon chimed in to everyone this time, wiggling his fingers with a proud smirk.

"I know," Luke smiled, "but that won't be enough. The cameras are connected to an IP network that sets the alarm if they are switched off."

"I'm going to need some time to study their surveillance system but I can still take care of that," Simon replied and Magnus was actually impressed by how confident he was all of a sudden. "I don't have to switch them off, just to take temporary control of them."

"I can help," Isabelle put in seriously. "I usually take care of IT stuff on our jobs."

Luke looked at her for a second and nodded, turning back to the screen. "Once we're in, I'm afraid we'll have to climb the East wing to get in by that window here," he was pointing to one of the castle's towers. "It leads to the attic."

Jace was now grinning like a maniac, obviously thrilled at the idea of climbing anything.

"Once in the attic, you'll have to be careful of the captors on the floor," Luke went on. He caught sight of their bewildered gazes and scoffed, a mixture of annoyance and apology. "Valentine is paranoid. It told you it wouldn't be easy."

"Is it really being paranoid, seeing as we're currently plotting to rob him?" Alec deadpanned.

Magnus smirked.

"Fair enough," Luke answered and he actually seemed amused. "Magnus, I was hoping you could use your contacts to see what kind of protection system he has for the ruby itself."

Magnus didn't reply but he nodded thoughtfully, motioning for him to continue.

"That's it," Luke eluded.

"That's it?" Magnus echoed, bewildered.

"Yeah. That's all we know."

He had to hold back a frustrated groan and settled for a sigh instead. "I cannot even begin to tell you how many things are wrong with everything about this plan, if you can call it that," he snarled.

"I like the part where I have to climb a castle," Jace chimed in with a condescending smirk.

"That is if, and only if, you make it to the wall," Magnus flared, his eyes burning with undisguised anger. "Hodge, I expected better from you."

"Enlighten us, Magnus," the latter groaned.

"One, you did your little research about the surveillance system, that's brilliant, but you completely forgot something quite important."

"What?" Luke asked and he seemed genuinely curious, not annoyed like Hodge.

"Guards?" Magnus replied and it only sounded like a question because he couldn't believe how clueless they were. "Do you really think that someone like Valentine would have such a high-tech surveillance system and no men to protect it in case of a bug? I can assure you he will have men patrolling the estate and not just the gardens."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Jace intervened and he pointed at Alec with his thumb. "It wouldn't be the first time we have to fight a few guards."

"It might be the first time you don't come back from it," Magnus snapped exasperatedly. "Valentine is a dangerous man. His men will be armed and ordered to kill. He has enough money and lack of remorse to make a couple of bodies disappear."

"What do you suggest?" Isabelle asked, a single eyebrow curved in inquiry.

"We have to get it from the inside," Magnus eluded.

"We can't get inside," Hodge claimed. "He knows us."

"No," Magnus retorted and his tone left no room for further argument. "He knows you and Luke. From the face she's pulling right now, I'm guessing he knows Clary too. He doesn't know me or Simon or any of the Lightwoods."

He paused for a second, waiting for any disagreement but none came, so he just went on. "Two, your theories about the ruby being out in the open are nice but foolish. Valentine is not stupid. If he has a ruby out, it won't be the real one. It will be a copy."

"I can check with Catarina if one of her contacts was asked for a duplicate," Hodge admitted reluctantly.

"You do that," Magnus nodded. "Three, you obviously have no idea where this ruby is exactly, safe from the fact that it is in the manor. We are going to need the blueprints."

"How are we supposed to get the blueprints?" Simon chimed in. "It's not like Valentine is going to hand us over a plan of his house so we can rob it."

"Valentine is a rich and dangerous man," Magnus retorted. "As any man in his position, he has more enemies than friends and he probably has enemies very close to him that he doesn't know of. These are the people we should identify and target."

"For someone who didn't want to take this job in the first place, you sure put a lot of thinking in it," Hodge uttered, not unkindly.

"You knew I would say yes the moment I'd see Valentine's name," Magnus clarified, all playful demeanor gone. "Don't think I don't know what you did, Hodge. I know you at least as well as you know me."

"Is there anyone in this room that doesn't have a personal history with Valentine except for us?" Alec inquired irritably.

"I don't," Simon replied.

"It was a rhetorical question, dumbass," Jace snapped, glaring at him.

"I'm surprised you know the word," Simon retorted spitefully.

It was a good thing that Alec was sitting next to his brother, Magnus pondered to himself, because he was the only thing that prevented Simon from getting punched. Jace had barely moved an inch to rise from his seat that Alec had already caught his arm, forcefully bringing him back down. His knuckles blanched with how tightly he held his brother back and Jace flexed his jaw in anger but he didn't try to stand again so Alec let him go cautiously.

"So, what do you suggest we do first?" Hodge asked Magnus, ignoring the childish quarrel.

"Unlike you, I've done some research," Magnus responded, pushing himself out of the wall. "Valentine is holding a gala in a few weeks at the Carlton in San Diego. It will be the occasion for us to study the people who surround him and find our potential target for the blueprints."

Luke nodded pensively, his eyes lost on the picture of the Morgenstern manor.

"I can get invites under false names," Hodge chimed in.

"That's not all," Magnus added.

"What else?" Luke asked, turning to face him.

"We can't just design a plan out of the blue and hope for the best," Magnus explained. "We need to do a crash test."

"A crash test?" Isabelle inquired, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"He means we have to train," Alec answered in Magnus' stead, his brow furrowed in reflection. "We have to find something that is pretty much as well guarded as that ruby and break in."

Magnus didn't reply but nodded in agreement.

"Well, it looks like we have a lot on our plate," Clary stated thoughtfully.

No one could argue with that.


So, how do you enjoy being dead? I think it's pretty neat if it means I can rewatch that damn episode over and over again. Being dead is fun. Also, can we talk about Simon being adorkable with the Graduate reference? He's just too pure for this world. And how flawless Lydia is? And THAT DAMN KISS ! I'm still not over it ugh.

In other news, what did you think of the chapter? Let me know!

Next chapter will be posted on Monday.
And here's your cookie:
"Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about my magnificent self, I came to talk about your magnificent you."
Alec frowned, glancing protectively at his sister. "Why do you want to talk about Isabelle?"
Magnus looked taken aback for a moment, his eyes drifting to Alec, observing him like he had just grown a second head.
"I meant the two of you," he clarified and turned to look at Isabelle, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. "Does he really not know?"

Shout out to my amazing beta. Thanks for your awesomeness 3.

My tumblr hasn't changed (although, let me warn you, it's been nothing but me losing my shit over Malec these past few days) ;).

All the love,
L.