"See? I told you to have some faith! We are getting somewhere!"

"Yeah," Hodge admitted. "I'll share your enthusiasm when they actually make it."

"You're just grumpy because Magnus's plan is much better than yours was," Luke deadpanned, rolling his eyes.

Hodge didn't reply but muttered something that sounded a lot like "bigheaded asshole".

.

Magnus Bane had not acquired his reputation of a world-class thief by resting on proverbial laurels. He had experience, work and a clever mind to thank for that. In the line of work he had chosen for himself very early, the body was a weapon as powerful as the mind and it was something he had to take care of like any other of them. Ragnor had often made fun of the hours he spent meditating or doing yoga until he had seen him crawl his way out of a museum by the miniscule space that an iron gate had left between him and his freedom. Yoga was perfect because it didn't only train the body but the mind too. It was relaxing and it gave all the room to his brain to concoct flawless plans. Catarina had never made fun of him for it and when he was in New York, she actually joined him quite often.

He had always liked it better on his own, though, when he could focus entirely on the environment that surrounded him and his own breathing. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was doing wonders for his concentration. He had always loved the sea for this simple reason. It soothed his mind like nothing else could.

He tried to ignore the sound of approaching footsteps behind his back and urged his body not to react like it was a threat, taking a deep breath to stay focus on his meditation. He had no such luck, though, because the footsteps were definitely coming his way. It was a soft pace, light as a feather and he stilled, balling his fists, preparing for a potential danger mechanically.

"So, that's where the great Magnus Bane disappears for two hours a day," he heard a soft voice say.

He opened one eye but didn't turn around. There was no judgment or mockery in the tone, only kindness and polite curiosity.

"Meditation relaxes the mind," he answered matter-of-factly, closing back his eyes. "It helps me stay focused."

"Can you teach me?"

He hesitated for a moment. He hadn't planned on this but he quite liked Clary. There was a vulnerability in her, something in her eyes that told him of the pain she had had to endure in her life and that he was unaware of. But there was something else. In her eyes and in the way she held herself, chin up in defiance and shoulders straight, she showed the strength of people who know what they want and how to get it. There was a fire burning in her, waiting to go out and sweep away everything in its path.

"Sure, biscuit," he said. "Sit down. Cross your legs. Try to find a comfortable position."

She obliged. "What now?"

"The method I use is mostly based on breathing. If you can control your breathing, you start to be more aware of your body. If you control your body, you control your mind."

He heard shifting next to him and deduced that she had nodded, not that he could see her.

"Close your eyes," he instructed gently. "Slow your breathing and focus on the sensation. Feel the air coming out of your body. Focus on nothing but that."

He gave her a few minutes to do that and couldn't hold back a smile. He knew how hard it was the first time, to push back the thoughts and ideas that came to your mind when you were desperately trying to think of nothing.

"I can't," she finally blurted out and she sounded exasperated. "I can't think of nothing."

"You can. Let's try something else. Focus on the sound of the waves and nothing else."

"Okay," Clary whispered, mostly to herself.

They stayed like that for at least half an hour until Magnus finally opened his eyes. He glanced to his side. Clary still had hers closed and a light frown of concentration on her forehead, showing that she was definitely trying too hard.

"Alright, biscuit. That's enough for today," he uttered.

She immediately opened her eyes, let out a relieved breath and stretched her legs, copying his own movements.

"I don't know how you do it," she said in both admiration and exasperation with herself. "I just can't empty my mind."

"Clary, it took me months," Magnus answered kindly. "It was your first time and you did a great job. My first time was awful. I couldn't stop laughing."

Clary smiled and nodded thoughtfully.

"That was a very weird sentence," chimed a voice behind them. "I don't want to ask what you were talking about."

"Sex, Simon," Clary replied cheekily. "We were telling each other about our first time because that's totally a normal thing to do with people you've known for a week."

"Do you want to share your own experience?" Magnus added with a playful smirk.

"You know, I'm very talkative so I wouldn't mind but you might because it's not a nice story," Simon retorted.

Magnus snorted.

"He's right, it's not a nice story," Clary put in with a laugh. "What are you doing here?"

"The rest of the team is training. Isabelle asked me to join but I think she just wants to hand me over my ass," Simon explained, pointing a bit further down the beach.

Magnus squinted his eyes a little but he was able to distinguish Luke, Hodge and the Lightwoods. Alec and Isabelle were both sitting on the sand, Luke standing behind them with his arms crossed, watching as Jace and Hodge were circling each other in fighting postures.

Simon was already walking but he turned around, continuing his way toward the group backwards. "You coming?"

Clary twisted her head to look at Magnus, smiling. "It could be fun."

He shrugged and followed her lead as she rose to her feet and started going after her best friend.

When they got there, Jace had Hodge on the floor, a proud grin breaking his handsome features. Magnus had to urge himself not to smirk at the sight of Hodge being beaten by his own pupil. He gazed up at them.

"Look who's joining the party," Hodge uttered as he got back to his feet. "Done meditating? How's your chakra today?"

He sounded far too confident for someone who had just been smashed on the ground.

"Probably better than yours," Magnus replied, "but that's just old news."

Hodge huffed, shaking his head. Sweat made his blond hair stick to his forehead and he was breathing heavily. The rest of the team looked no better. Magnus had to compel himself not to let his eyes wander to Alec for too long because the sweaty look was definitely a good one on him.

Magnus started making his way to sit next to Isabelle but Jace's voice stopped him.

"Bane? Want to give it a try?"

Magnus halted promptly, turning to face Jace with a raised eyebrow.

"Pardon?"

Jace smiled, a genuinely excited, almost childish smile that made him look even more handsome than he really was. He pointed a finger at Magnus, gesturing for him to come over. Magnus didn't budge.

"We're training in case we have to fight some guards," he said. "Everyone should join in."

"Simon and Clary are not."

"Because they won't go in. You will, though," Jace countered.

"I don't need training," Magnus argued with an indignant huff.

"So if we're attacked, you're going to retaliate with yoga poses?" the blonde responded with a mocking smirk. "Come on."

"No, thank you."

"Jace, leave him alone," Isabelle chimed in. Alec nodded in agreement next to her.

Alec and Magnus had spent some more nights talking since their first nocturne encounter in the kitchen. They were both insomniacs and early risers, so they ended up chatting quietly together quite frequently, when everyone else was sleeping. Magnus still flirted shamelessly and Alec did a good job at ignoring it. However, most of the time, their conversations drifted to anything and everything. Alec was intelligent and educated enough to have a discussion about anything, from music to politics to history. Magnus had been surprised to realize that he genuinely enjoyed his company, and not only for the good looks (but that was clearly a bonus).

The night before, they had actually wandered to the patio instead of the kitchen and Alec had opened up a little about his family. Magnus didn't know the story behind their parents, or how they had ended up stealing for a living but Alec had talked at length about Jace and Isabelle. He didn't think he realized how incredibly fond he sounded when he did. There was a spark in his stunning eyes, something between love and fierce protectiveness that fit his role as the eldest brother perfectly. He had told him about Isabelle, how intense she was in everything she set her mind on doing and how scared he was for her sometimes because she just wouldn't listen to anyone. He had told him about Jace being the reckless, stubborn hothead of the family. He had asked about Magnus's family but hadn't pried any further when Magnus had told him there was nothing interesting to say, nodding respectfully.

"Fine," Jace mumbled, raising both his hands defensively and Magnus finally closed the few steps that separated him from Isabelle. "I didn't know the Great Magnus Bane would back away from a challenge so easily."

And really, Magnus was only human. He stopped dead in his tracks and took a deep breath, clenching his fists. It wasn't anger - it took more than an immature provocation to make him lose his temper - just a primitive need to put that arrogant kid where he belonged. Right now, he belonged on the ground.

He twisted around to face Jace, rolling up his sleeves in a slow, deliberated movement.

"Just remember that you asked for this, Blondie," he said, narrowing his eyes.

Jace smirked devilishly and Magnus stepped forward to position himself right in front of him.

"I'll go easy on you," Jace told him, winking.

"Whoever trained you to fight didn't do a very good job at teaching you the first rule," Magnus retorted.

He felt his whole body tense, like it always did when he was getting ready for a fight.

"Enlighten us, Bane, what is the first rule?"

Jace had his fists up and he was shifting from one foot to another. His blond hair was glistening in the sun, surrounding his face like a halo and he looked like a falling angel, his striking eyes shining with mischief and excitement. Magnus didn't move and took that time to study him silently. It was obvious, in his posture, that he had been well trained, even though he had just claimed the opposite. His feet and shoulders were positioned at the perfect angle for a strong blow, although Magnus knew the point was not to hurt one another. Physically, at least. A little blow to the ego could only do him good.

Jace launched himself at him and Magnus was taken aback by his speed, barely managing to counter the attack he aimed straight at his ribs. His other arm was already moving, targeting his head and Magnus ducked and kicked at his assailant's legs. He heard the surprised gasp Jace let out but he quickly recovered, regaining his balance in a swift motion. He wasn't fast enough, however. Magnus grabbed his arm and twisted, finding the perfect point to hurt but not to break and Jace let out a cry that was probably as much shock as it was pain. He pushed forward and ducked again to avoid the defensive blow his opponent tried to inflict him.

Jace was a good fighter because he was spontaneous, fast and much cleverer than Magnus would have thought. However, he was holding back and that was a grave mistake. It was harder than he had expected it to be, longer too. It took a while but eventually, Jace was on the floor, falling hard on his back, eyes wide open in shock and breathing heavily.

"Never underestimate your opponent, darling," Magnus smirked, his weight holding the blonde down.

He had expected anger, maybe some sort of childish tantrum that fit the character he had seen in the past week but instead, Jace's face broke into a huge grin, his eyes prickling with thrill and adrenaline.

"Holy fucking shit!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "That was brilliant!"

He twisted his head on the sand to glance at his siblings. Magnus followed his movement, only to find them gaping at them, eyes widened in shock.

"Did you see that thing he did with his elbow?" Jace uttered excitedly before gazing back at Magnus. "You have to teach me that move!"

Magnus was, probably for the first time in his life, rendered speechless.

"Did you hit your head too hard?" Simon chimed in and Magnus could only agree.

"Thank you for your concern but I'm quite alright," the blonde snapped harshly before looking back at Magnus. "Would you mind?"

Magnus shook his head, coming back down to earth. He stood up and held his hand out to Jace to help him get back on his feet. He still looked like a kid on Christmas morning and Magnus was beginning to get worried about him.

He turned to Isabelle and Alec in bewilderment. "Is this normal?" he asked, pointing a finger at Jace.

"Yes," Isabelle answered with an almost fond smile.

Magnus darted his eyes to Alec who was staring at him with dark eyes, flexing his jaw. He wondered for a second if he was going to jump at his throat for hurting his brother even though he had clearly been asking for it and seemed unscathed apart from the lunatic grin on his face. Alec quickly darted his eyes away, fixing them on his brother.

"Are you hurt?" he asked stiffly.

"Don't go mother hen on me, Alec," Jace scoffed, rolling his eyes fondly. "I'm good."

The eldest nodded tightly and visibly relaxed, his shoulders slouching a little.

Isabelle rose to her feet. "Come on, Simon, your turn."

"I won't even go in!" the poor man protested. "I don't need to know how to fight anything but reluctant IP addresses."

"You never know what could happen," Isabelle retorted, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips.

Simon groaned but stood up, casting an I-told-you-so glance at Clary and Magnus.

"I don't want to hit a woman," he said softly, posting himself in front of Isabelle.

She laughed, loud and confident. She had him on his ass thirty seconds later.

.

The first step was simple.

Luke and Clary, in their daily surveillance, had found out that Joffrey Rosenberg was going away for the weekend and it was the perfect opportunity for them to break in and test the viability of their plan. Simon had promised he had figured out a way to get control over the cameras without triggering the alarm and they had no other choice than to trust him.

Hodge had rented a van and Alec had never felt more like a criminal cliché than when he settled in the back with his siblings, Hodge and Magnus, fully dressed in black gear, and Simon, who had two laptops open in front of him.

"This is so exciting," Simon murmured as they drove. "I feel like I'm in a gangster movie."

Jace rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Chill out, Harry Potter. It would be problematic if you faint of excitement."

"Harry Potter?" Simon deadpanned. "The glasses, really? That's the best you can do?"

"Shut up," Alec blurted out before they could start arguing.

Simon deflated visibly but didn't reply. Instead, he opened his backpack and got out earpieces. He held them one each.

"Press the button before you put them on so we can all hear each other," he explained firmly.

They nodded and did as instructed.

"Do we have to go over the plan one more time?" Hodge asked.

He had his arms crossed. It was obvious he wasn't thrilled about the idea of staying behind.

"No," Magnus replied sternly. "We all know the damn plan. We designed it, Hodge."

Luke's voice pierced through the tension, strong and unyielding. "We're there."

Alec rolled up his sleeves and put his gloves on as Simon started typing on one of the laptops, his eyes moving over the screen in a rhythm so fast it was almost scary. The silence that followed was excruciatingly long.

Finally, Simon pressed one key stronger than the others and the second laptop flashed blue for a second and then a few windows opened, showing what was without a doubt the garden and the inside of the house in front of which they were currently parked.

"I'm in," he whispered enthusiastically.

He typed again for a few seconds. "Go!"

Jace opened the door of the van and Alec followed him outside, Isabelle and Magnus on toe. They observed their surroundings quietly for a second, keeping watch for a living soul but the street was empty at that time of the night. They made their way to the house silently.

"Can you hear us?" Simon's voice blurted out.

Alec almost stopped dead on his tracks at the sound. It was a weird feeling.

"Yes," Jace hissed back, climbing the front gate. "Next time, try not to shout."

Alec, Isabelle and Magnus followed swiftly, landing in the garden.

"I didn't shout, your Highness," Simon argued. "I'm sorry it was too loud for your oversensitive ears."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Magnus groaned. "Just have sex already. The tension is too much."

They heard Clary giggle in their ears but she quickly recovered. "That's it, guys, we can see you in the surveillance cameras."

"Do I look as magnificent on the screen as I do in real life?" Magnus asked playfully, waving at one of the cameras hidden in a tree.

"Even better," she replied.

"Kids, stop fooling around," Luke said sternly. "Split up. Alec, Jace, to your left, you'll see the wall you have to climb to get to the attic. Magnus, Izzy, to your right, the back door. It's where the –"

"The alarm system is situated," Isabelle cut in. "We know, Luke."

They were already moving, and Alec and Jace quickly found themselves climbing the front wall. It wasn't easy, because the wall was smooth without much to hold on to, but nothing they hadn't done before. They quickly arrived to the attic window.

"Ah!" Jace exclaimed victoriously. "That idiot left the window open. Now he's just making it easy for us."

"Who's shouting now?" Simon chimed in.

"Don't start again or I swear I'll punch you both," Alec groaned.

"I second that," Magnus's voice put in, quickly followed by Isabelle's. "Me too."

"We're in," Alec whispered as soon as his feet hit the ground. "We're going in the corridor. Simon, guide me."

He heard some shuffling for a second before his voice came through the earpiece. "The captors are downstairs. Nothing upstairs. The stairs are on your left when you get out of the attic."

Alec nodded before he remembered Simon couldn't see him. Jace was already opening the door, making his way to the corridor.

"Magnus, Izzy, what's your situation?" Hodge asked.

"I currently have a great view of Magnus's ass. The door to the room with the alarm system is reinforced. We couldn't force it open so we're crawling through the air duct to get there."

"Are you okay?" Jace murmured.

"Yeah," Isabelle replied but her voice sounded a bit strained. "It's a pretty nice ass."

Alec mentally chastised her for giving him very unnecessary mental images.

Magnus chuckled. "Thank you, sweetheart."

There was a loud noise that resonated both in his earpiece and in the otherwise quiet house.

"We're in," Magnus said a second later.

"Yeah, we heard," Jace mumbled. "You could have been more discreet."

"The house is empty," Isabelle retorted.

There was a pause before her voice resonated in their ears again. "Fuck."

"What?" Alec blurted out instantly, just at the same time as Simon and Hodge.

"I'm taking pictures, you'll see," she replied. "That alarm system is impressive. Simon, I just send them to you. How do I switch off the captors?"

"We're in front of the living room," Jace said. He put a hand up and Alec stopped dead on his tracks.

He ignored Simon's voice in his ears that was carefully guiding his sister through the deactivation. There were red and blue laser lights dancing around the room threateningly. Alec knew that the slightest slip-up could be fatal.

There was a click and suddenly, the lasers disappeared.

"It should be good," Magnus said but there was a slight apprehension in his voice.

Jace and Alec shared a glance, hesitating. The absence of lights didn't mean the alarm wouldn't set off as soon as they stepped in the room. It was the big unknown data of their whole plan.

They took a deep breath and stepped forward. Nothing happened.

"It worked," Alec stated and he ignored the obvious sound of Magnus and Isabelle high-fiving in his ears.

"Brilliant," Luke chimed in. "You can come back now."

Alec had always been one for following plans to the letter. They had talked about the plan over and over again. It was simple. They were supposed to go in, deactivate the captors and see if it worked. They weren't supposed to actually steal anything. It would draw unnecessary attention to the flaws in the system and if the company realized that, they might warn their customers and upgrade it. It was a good, solid plan. And yet, as he took a look at his surroundings, he froze and couldn't find the strength to move.

"Holy shit," he whispered.

Jace turned to him, surprised, and followed his gaze. "Is that –"

He cut himself off, as astonished as Alec himself, his mouth falling open.

"What's going on?" Luke said and he sounded tense, like he was on the edge of going out of the van to barge in.

Alec didn't answer because he was too focused on the beauty in front of him, his eyes scanning the painting in awe. He didn't even react at the sound of footsteps coming in the living room to join them. Isabelle and Magnus were breathing hard, like they had run to join them but he couldn't find it in himself to care. He wanted nothing more but to reach out and let his fingers wander over the canvas, to feel the smother and the flaws time could have created, although he wasn't sure it could have held any flaws, not even after all these years.

"Alec, we have to go," Jace said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Give me a minute," he replied softly.

"What's going on?" Luke repeated impatiently.

"We lost Alec," Jace answered in a joking tone. "The man owns a Van Gogh and he's staring at it. I think he's going to start making out with it pretty soon."

"Alec, you can't take it!" Hodge chimed in. "You know that."

"That man doesn't deserve to own a fucking Van Gogh," Alec retorted stubbornly.

He couldn't believe he was the one suggesting they change the plan.

"Alec is right," Magnus put in behind his back. "It's a beauty."

"I don't care," Hodge groaned. "You can't take it. It's going to be quite obvious if the man comes back from his weekend in Hawaii to find an empty space where his Van Gogh should be. You know what could happen."

Alec sighed, defeated. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Get out of there," Luke put in firmly. "We don't know how long we have for the captors."

Isabelle and Jace were the first to move, taking the stairs up to the attic. Alec couldn't stir one inch, completely entranced. It wasn't the first time he was in front of a Van Gogh painting. He had seen some before in museums. Seeing one from so close was something else. There was sheer beauty in that painting and so many other things: power, strength, pain. It was spectacular.

He couldn't even move when he felt fingers softly touching his, grabbing his hand.

"Alec, darling, we have to go," Magnus said gently, like he understood perfectly what he was feeling in that moment.

Somehow, he doubted he could. Alec himself didn't know what was going on in his head.

He nodded and let Magnus drag him out of the room. He froze at the bottom of the stairs for a moment and turned around to get a last glimpse at the painting. He had barely turned around when the lasers reactivated, dancing over the Van Gogh like it wasn't even there.

"The captors just switched back on," Magnus said. "How long were they off?"

"Four minutes and thirty-seven seconds," Simon answered.

It had seemed like an eternity to Alec.

"Come on," Magnus whispered to him, tugging on his hand again.

Alec followed sheepishly, letting Magnus guide him through the house and back to the attic. He only released his hand when they had to climb out of the window. Jace and Isabelle were waiting for them in front of the gate.

"Did you snap out of it?" Jace asked cheekily, but there was fondness in his voice.

"Shut up," Alec groaned, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

He couldn't believe he had completely blanked out like that. He was supposed to be the professional one, the one who kept them all in line, but in there, he had behaved like an amateur, letting himself get distracted by a painting.

"I'm sorry," he added under his breath but there was no way they couldn't hear him through the earpieces.

"No one is blaming you for anything," Isabelle replied, her voice slightly exerted as she climbed over the gate, swiftly landing on the other side.

"If I had stood there any longer –"

"But you didn't," Magnus interrupted. "You have nothing to be sorry for. The plan was a success."

Alec turned to look at him and there was so much conviction, so much faith in Magnus's eyes that he found himself nodding.

.

It was late when they got back to the villa. The night was dark and quiet but none of them could think about sleep, still buzzing with adrenaline.

They stumbled into the house and gathered in the living room, big smiles on their faces. Luke made his way to the kitchen and came back a few minutes later with two bottles of champagne. Hodge chuckled, rolling his eyes fondly but went to get glasses anyway.

The pop of the cork was welcomed by cheers and happy laughs and Alec finally let himself relax, crashing on one of the couches next to Isabelle, glass in hand. She put her head on his shoulder and he dropped a kiss on her forehead absentmindedly.

"To you," Luke said cheerfully with a proud smile, gesturing to everyone in the room with his own glass.

"To Valentine," Magnus added with a smirk, taking a sip of his champagne.

Alec had never realized how powerful it was, to share success with someone who weren't his siblings. It was exhilarating. They were all chatting, laughing happily and it was crazy that he was so comfortable, so at ease around people he had barely known for two weeks, but it was also... nice.

He watched, almost captivated, as Magnus made his way outside. The black gear was a weird look on him, so different from his usually colorful outfits, but he managed to pull it off anyway. Alec was pretty sure Magnus would have looked good in anything.

He rose to his feet, lightly pecking Isabelle's cheek at her interrogating gaze and followed the path Magnus had taken to join him outside.

He was standing by the pool, his glass of champagne in his hand, and he seemed to be glimmering under both the moonlight and the villa's lights.

"Hey."

"Hey there," Magnus replied with a small smile, turning around at the sound of his voice. He clinked their glasses together.

"I-I just wanted to say thank you," Alec said softly. Magnus looked genuinely surprised, so he felt the need to justify, dropping his voice confidentially. "For earlier, when you pulled me out. I'm not sure what happened to me, why I zoned out like that but well… thank you."

"It was nothing," Magnus uttered with assurance. "It happened to me before."

"Really?" Alec asked, stunned.

He had trouble imagining Magnus earning his well-known reputation with anything but professionalism.

"Of course," he scoffed, almost like it should have been obvious. "I like beautiful things," he added with a light smirk, staring straight into Alec's eyes. He had to fight back a blush.

"I remember one time, many years ago," Magnus continued and he didn't tear his eyes away and Alec didn't dare to be the one to look away first. "I think I was eighteen, I had already been doing this for a few years but nothing really big. It was my first big job. It was a Monet painting in a museum in the South of France. Everything was going great until I finally found myself in front of the painting. It was a small one, nothing like the huge Water Lilies you can see in the Musée de l'Orangerie. But it was so beautiful, so full of life and light and hope that I just stared at it for what seemed to be forever."

"What did you do?" Alec inquired gently.

"I left it there," Magnus eluded with a smirk, finally looking away to focus on the water of the pool. He seemed miles away now. "Some pieces should never be hidden. Everyone should be able to enjoy them."

Alec nodded in agreement and they settled in a comfortable silence for a while, sipping champagne and just taking pleasure in the quiet of the dark night.

Magnus shifted slightly on his feet and Alec darted his eyes back on him, only to find the man already glancing at him. Magnus smiled a small, soft smile and Alec couldn't help but smile back.

"You know," Alec whispered, aiming for a playful tone that was somehow faded by his breathlessness, "you're not doing a very good job at convincing me you're a terrible person."

Magnus's smile slowly turned into a smirk and he stepped forward, straight into Alec's personal space. "Well, I am a world-class criminal", he muttered, his eyes wandering over Alec's face.

"That would make me a terrible person too," he retorted lightheartedly.

"I think it has been established that you're the best of us all", Magnus joked.

"And I told you, I'm not that good," Alec responded.

"And you still haven't told me what's so bad about you so forgive me if I don't take your word for it."

"You're stubborn," he chuckled, shaking his head in fond exasperation.

"My list of flaws is endless," Magnus smirked. "It's a good thing I have all that gorgeousness to compensate."

Alec snorted. "And that modesty, too."

Magnus was about to answer when the front door bell resonated all the way to where they were still standing by the pool. Alec frowned and took a look at his watch.

"Who the hell is ringing the bell at six in the morning?"

Magnus's brow furrowed in confusion and they made their way back inside just as Simon was coming back to the living room, a stern-looking man on toe. He was dressed formally, a strict black jacket over a grey shirt that fit his dark hair and even darker eyes. His skin was pale, clashing tremendously with his outfit. He looked like a cop.

His concerns were confirmed when a wide-eyed Simon caught their gaze in panic and mouthed silently, "FBI."

Alec froze.

Well, shit.


Hello lovelies,

Hey, look at that cliffhanger! *insert evil laugh*

What did you think of the chapter?

I should have probably told you sooner but I'm not a criminal myself so there might be some (a lot of) inaccuracies in the story. Sorry about that! :)

Now that the season is over, I'm not sure what to do to wait until season 2... probably rewatch the first one all over again (especially one episode *cough* Malec *cough*). Or I might catch up on Leverage since a few of you have highly recommend it (although I'm a little scared that it could influence my writing too much, what do you guys think?).

Next chapter will be posted as planned on Monday!

Here's your cookie:

"You told the FBI where to find us?" Alec breathed out through clenched teeth, fists balled at his sides.

That's a pretty mean cookie, I know, but well, I warned you I was evil... :)

Thank you all for the amazing support. You are the loveliest of them all 3

Many thanks, again, to my extraordinary beta (pynchie on tumblr).

And you can still find me on my tumblr (onceuponasourwolf).

All the love,

L.