Super sorry that I've been MIA! Maybe one of these days I'll get my life together enough to actually regularly update once more. But until then, please be patient with me as you all have been and help me get through not being able to write as much as I would really like to.
That being said, I make no promises as to when my next update might be, but please come talk to me about this story! I would really love to hear from some of you on what you think of these characters as I haven't heard a lot from you all on that topic yet! Hope you enjoy...yes...I have plans for them in the next couple of chapters!
The last thing George wanted to do was go to sleep. It had been a terribly long first week with the the new trainees, and George knew he needed to clear his mind before he could ever actually sleep. So George found himself walking around the Institute, automatically finding peace in the fact that the halls were empty and there was no one to bother him. Before the trainees had arrived, their parents had told all of the kids that they would be expected to go through the very same training. Yet it wasn't the training that was a problem to George. After spending his entire life training with the best Shadowhunters of his parents' generation, George was fairly certain that no amount of training would ever properly phase him.
What was truly beginning to bother George, however, was having to deal with all the strain in his family, not to mention attempting to navigate the dynamics of all the new Shadowhunters. None of them had yet to find a routine and get comfortable with their new lives at the Institute, and trying to juggle his own family problems while also trying to make sure that none of the trainees screwed up too majorly had become the only thing George really had time for at the moment. Which was why George was really still awake and walking around, trying to actually take some time for himself and think through the past few days, sorting out his thoughts in the only way that he knew how.
He was still having trouble wrapping his mind around each of the new arrivals, not to mention the way they seemed to be interacting with his family. Serena seemed to be seamlessly fitting into the family, her interactions constantly friendly and easygoing. To George, she seemed be effortlessly adjusting to the rigorous training, and she seemed incredibly eager to learn. But it was very easy to tell that out of all the new arrivals, Rose was certainly the most eager to learn. She was always incredibly receptive whenever anyone tried to teach her absolutely anything at all. The most surprising thing to George, however, was that Mason actually seemed to be very restrained, at least he was restrained considering the circumstances.
What truly told George that Mason was restraining himself was the fact that Sophie's annoyance level seemed to be very low. Sophie seemed to be making far fewer sarcastic comments than she normally did, and George was highly amused by the fact that Mason truly seemed to be trying to be much less obvious about how focused he generally was on Sophie. George had never really thought of Mason as someone to really worry about when it came to either of his little sisters, and that almost made him feel a bit guilty. Sometimes George secretly hoped that Sophie would one day give Mason a change, but he he knew that Sophie's world would likely have to completely flip inside out for that to happen.
Yet the worst part of having the new trainees at the Institute wasn't that George felt he had to worry about Sophie and Mason or that he was actually almost terrified of how amazing of a warrior Rose was. George very hesitantly admitted to himself that the worst part was having to deal with Evan and Marlies. From the moment they'd set foot in the Institute, they were the single most annoying couple George had ever encountered. For as long as he could remember, George had had an almost perfect idea of love. That wasn't to say that his parents or his aunt and uncles were perfect, but they'd always been perfect models for love, even when they were fighting like Uncles Magnus and Alec were at the moment.
So George had this idea of love that was entirely romantic, something so open, honest, and intimate that it could hardly be properly put into words. But when it came to Evan and Marlies, it was more like they wanted everyone to know just how in love they were. It was like every single kiss and every last word they spoke to one another was meant for the benefit of everyone else and not for each other. George had never been the type to be annoyed by couples just because they were in love, but when it came to Evan and Marlies, he simply couldn't get over how public they always seemed to want to be.
Yet the one thing that George simply couldn't shake was how much he seemed to be noticing Evan, even when he truly didn't want to. Despite his best efforts to keep from doing so, the one person George seemed to focusing on was Evan, and that was the last thing he truly wanted to do. So when George noticed that the light was on in the library, he automatically welcomed the distraction from his own thoughts, knowing that whoever was still up was most likely also trying to escape their thoughts as well. Yet George's heart sunk as he entered and realized exactly what was going on.
Uncle Magnus was sitting on the couch with his back to the door, but George could very easily see that there was something wrong with him. His shoulders were visibly hunched in a way that George had so rarely seen from him. Uncle Magnus was so good at hiding how he really felt that the only reason George was seeing it now was because Uncle Magnus didn't really know he was here. So George stepped forward and cleared his throat, trying his hardest to come up with something to say. Thankfully, he didn't have to think too long because Uncle Magnus spoke up instead. "What's bothering you?" he asked, automatically picking up on the reason George was awake in the first place, motioning for George to sit down with him.
"I could ask you the same," George said as he sat down, slightly happy that he earned a very small smile from Uncle Magnus. "Ever had someone so consistently on your mind but you couldn't figure out why?" George asked, trying to keep from giving away too much about what was really going on. "And you don't really want them on your mind but at the same time, you don't want to stop thinking about them so you just keep pushing through?" he finished, trying to ignore the fact that Uncle Magnus now looked very amused with him. He should have easily known that Uncle Magnus would be able to see through what he was trying to cover up.
It took several long seconds for Uncle Magnus to answer, but when he did, his voice was much heavier than George had expected it to be. "You most certainly just described the first couple of months after I met your Uncle Alec," he said, obviously trying to focus on the past instead of focusing on everything that seemed to be weighing them down in the present. George was terribly thankful when Uncle Magnus didn't ask who he was referring to himself, seemingly too caught up in his own thoughts about Uncle Alec to pick up on what George had been saying before. There was the ghost of a smile on Uncle Magnus's face, as though he was much happier to remember the past than he was to think about what was currently going on around him.
At first, George thought of leaving the conversation there, but the more he thought about the pure desperation in his uncle's voice, the more he simply couldn't ignore it. "How are the two of you?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even for his uncle's sake. George hated to admit it, but he couldn't help but study his uncle's every move, trying to pick up on the things that Uncle Magnus wasn't going to tell him. By the way Uncle Magnus ran his hands through his hair while obviously trying to gather his thoughts, George could very easily tell that there was much more going on than Uncle Magnus would ever probably admit to him. Yet George couldn't keep himself from hoping that his uncle would actually lean on him for once, especially when he could see just how much his uncle need it.
Had it been anyone else, George probably wouldn't have been brave enough to even ask about what was going on. But for as long as he could remember, he and Uncle Magnus had been closer than George would have ever really thought possible. He could very clearly remember the time he'd gotten hurt when they'd been ambushed by demons on a normal night out when he was seven. His parents had been in Idris, his father giving a couple of lectures at the Academy that week, and he could remember how Uncle Magnus had stayed with him every second, even after he'd been healed.
From then on, they'd grown increasingly closer, and now George knew nothing would ever change that. Uncle Magnus had been the first person he'd come out to, not really because he was afraid of coming out to anyone else, but simply because he hadn't really known how to at the time. And just as expected, Uncle Magnus had helped him through it in a way that didn't make him feel like he was going insane. He'd known that it was almost crazy to be afraid of coming out in their family, but Uncle Magnus had never once made him feel as though he was wrong to feel that way. After George's coming out, they'd somehow grown even closer, even though George had never thought that would be possible.
So that was part of the reason George couldn't keep himself from trying to talk to Uncle Magnus about everything that had been going on. For several weeks, he'd been able to easily see all the pain and worrying that Uncle Magnus had been bottling up inside himself, and George couldn't help but try to get that out of him in whatever way possible. "We're absolutely fine, George," Uncle Magnus finally said, but the way he put so much emphasis on the word 'fine' told George that they were far from fine. It seemed to George as though his uncle was trying to convince himself of that fact more than he was trying to convince George of it. "Your Uncle Alec and I have been to hell and back, quite literally," Uncle Magnus continued, his voice becoming ever so slightly lighter at the memories. "There is absolutely nothing about this situation with the Clave that your uncle and I can't handle."
George tried to convince himself that what his uncle was saying was true, but with a little over a day until the Clave meeting, he couldn't seem to get past the stress and strain of it all. The last thing he wanted to do, however, was make things worse than they were at the moment, so he simply waited for his uncle to continue speaking, knowing that the silence would prompt him to do so. "If I'm completely honest," Uncle Magnus continued, his voice a little lighter than it had been before. "I'm more worried about the fact that Robert will be here in the morning than anything else." Uncle Magnus's voice trailed off, but George didn't need him to continue to know what he was thinking. Tomorrow, Rafael's grandfather would be overseeing the whole Clave proceedings. As the Inquisitor, he would take the lead on the meeting, and that meant that he had decided to come to the Institute in the morning and spend the entire day with the family.
That wasn't inherently a problem, but the fact that Robert would be there all day meant that tensions would be even higher than normal. But that was certainly not due to any fault of Robert's. As long as George had been alive, Robert had made absolutely every effort possible to be the best father and grandfather he could be. As far as George knew, Robert and Uncle Alec had a functional relationship at the moment, but their relationship wasn't what was concerning Uncle Magnus. George could very clearly remember the day that Rafael had suddenly seemed to hate his grandfather with absolutely no explanation as to why. Rafael had suddenly become very cold with his grandfather, and it had begun to seem as though Rafael could hardly look at Robert any longer.
George had never directly asked Rafael why that was, mostly because he knew that Rafael would likely talk to him about it if he truly wanted to. "Tomorrow, I need you to take care of him for me," Uncle Magnus said. George didn't need him to explain to know that Uncle Magnus was now talking about Rafael and not Robert. "Whether he'd ever admit it or not, Uncle Alec and I have certainly noticed how down he's been lately. No matter what happens tomorrow, just make sure he's taken care of. Can I count on you to do that?" Uncle Magnus finished, the concern weighing his voice down. It almost surprised George that Uncle Magnus would be worried about Rafe when he had so much to worry about for himself and Uncle Alec, but then again, his uncles had always exhibited an utterly selfless love toward everyone in the family.
"He's my parabatai," George said, knowing that would explain absolutely everything that he wanted to say. "You don't need to ask me to take care of him, that's part of my job, Uncle Magnus," he continued, unable to keep himself from smiling when his uncle did so. "I just have one request of you for tomorrow." George paused for a moment, allowing his uncle the time to carefully nod. "No matter what happens tomorrow, just promise me that you and Uncle Alec are going to take care of one another." George relaxed ever so slightly when his uncle gave a low chuckle. The last thing George wanted to do was go to sleep, but he knew he was going to need all the energy possible for the morning, so he bid his uncle goodnight and promised himself that he would do whatever he needed to do to take care of his family in the coming day.
The next morning, George made himself get up half an hour earlier than he truly needed to just so that he could ensure he would be able to make his way to Rafael's room before Rafe actually went anywhere. "I'm not freaking out if that's what you were thinking," Rafael said as soon as George entered his room. "Both Dad and Papa have already popped in to give me what I assume they both thought were 'pep talks,' so I think I'm all pepped up for the day." George refrained from saying anything at all, simply moving to sit down on Rafe's bed. He could very easily hear the anxiety in his parabatai's voice, and he knew that everything Rafe was feeling would only get worse as the day went on. "Honestly, the worst part of today is going to be having Grandfather around literally all day long."
George resisted the urge to ask Rafael why that was, knowing that Rafael would be terribly unlikely to tell him anything at all given the current circumstances. "But at least your dads will finally get closure today, one way or another," George said, trying to make light of what was going on in the only way possible. Rafael merely snorted at that, as though he had absolutely no faith in his grandfather or the Clave. George hated to admit that he had the sinking feeling that none of them should really truly trust the Clave when it came to the matter at hand. But he tried to shove that thought aside, knowing that Rafael needed him to be the optimistic one for the day. "You know that your grandfather is going to do everything he can as Inquisitor to help them out."
In all honesty, George had really thought that that was a harmless comment, but Rafael certainly didn't seem to think so. Suddenly, Rafael had whirled on him, his tone much sharper than George had heard it in a very long time. "That's just it though, he won't," Rafe began, speaking quickly in a way that told George he was truly angry. "My grandfather would never do anything that could tarnish his perfect reputation with the Clave." The way Rafael spit out the word 'perfect' told George that he'd been bottling up a lot more than he would ever care to admit. "Robert Lightwood would never do anything that didn't directly benefit himself. He doesn't care about any of us, and I can assure you that he cares very little about the outcome of today's meeting. As long as whatever happens doesn't embarrass him, he won't care about it. He will do absolutely nothing to help my dads out, and I'd almost dare say that he's very likely to testify against them if he thinks it would help his status in the Clave."
At first, George had no idea of how to respond to his parabatai, but then Rafe came to sit down beside of him, almost as though he was exhausted by his sudden outburst. George waited until Rafe had taken several deep breaths before he began speaking, knowing that the last thing he needed to do was upset Rafe even more than he already was. But George knew this was the time to ask about whatever had happened to cause Rafe to feel this way about his grandfather. "I'm going to need you to explain that right now, and no-" George held up his hand as Rafael opened his mouth to interrupt. "Don't try to change the subject or tell me it was nothing. That was obviously something, and I'm not going to properly be able to help you get through today if I don't know exactly what is going on."
They sat in silence for several agonizingly long moments, but George knew that Rafael simply needed time to figure out exactly what he wanted to say. "It's just that I know the kind of man he is, even if he thinks he's working so wonderfully to hide it from us. He thinks he's gotten away with so much, and maybe he has, but if he has, that's my fault." Rafael paused once more, and George could see just how hard this conversation was on him, just how hard it was for him to admit what had happened. "I think I was eight," Rafael said, seemingly resigning himself to the fact that he was going to have to tell his parabatai the truth no matter what else he really might want to do at the moment. "When I overheard Grandfather talking to some of his friends from the Clave."
George had a sinking feeling that he knew almost exactly what Rafe was going to say next, but he forced himself to remain silent, knowing that it was far from the time to speak up. "I knew that I was going to get in a lot of trouble if anyone found out that I was listening to them, but when I heard what he was saying, I couldn't move a muscle. At first, he was talking about Uncle Raphael. George, I'll never be able to explain what I felt when I very clearly heard him say, 'For the life of me, I still cannot even begin to fathom why Alexander would have ever thought that naming his son after a vampire was a good idea." The problem with what Rafael was saying was that George really didn't have any trouble believing that it had happened.
"At first, I really wasn't able to believe that I had heard it. I mean, if it weren't for Uncle Raphael who knows if even Dad would be here, much less Papa, Max, and me." Rafael took yet another deep breath, as though he was trying his hardest to keep it together in a moment that he least wanted to have to keep it together. "But then he kept talking, saying something like, 'And don't even get me started on Max. I think we all know how much of a disgrace it is to have a warlock named after my Shadowhunter son.'" At that, George reached over to place a hand on Rafael's arm, suddenly realizing just what bottling this in had done to Rafe over the years. "He went on to talk about just how much he hated the fact that Dad had even had the nerve to adopt a warlock baby in the first place. I think I left as soon as he said something about how he could hardly look at Max half of the time."
It was then that George realized the sacrifice that Rafael had been making for half of his life. Rafael didn't need to explain himself for George to understand that he'd kept this a secret because he hadn't wanted to hurt his family. "And I'd rather not talk about what I heard him say about Papa as well before I left." George knew that rather than ruin the now functional relationship that Uncle Alec had with his father, Rafe had kept it bottled up within himself. Rather than ruining Max's love for his grandfather, rather than hurting his Papa, Rafael had opted to let himself have to struggle with everything that he'd heard. "I know what you're thinking," Rafael said, his voice hinting at a bit of a smile. "And no, I still have no desire to tell either of my dads. In the eleven years that I've kept this from them, I have never once been able to find any reason that would justify telling them and hurting this family like that."
George's heart dropped when Rafael finished speaking, but not because of what his parabatai was saying. The last thing he had expected was for the door to begin opening before Rafael had so much as finished his sentence. George repressed a groan as Uncle Alec entered the room. "Don't worry, son," Uncle Alec said, his voice much stronger than George might have expected it to be. "After today, you will never again have to worry about trying to be the least bit civil to your grandfather. If he so much as comes near either you or Max again, he'll have me to answer to, I can assure you of that." At that, Uncle Alec turned to walk out of the room, and all George could do was tighten his grip on Rafael's arm, knowing that the rest of the day was going to be one of the hardest days he'd ever encountered.
