This chapter is pretty long compared to what I usually write, holy crap. Thank you guys for reviewing!

The song Alec sings is Counting Stars by OneRepublic


It had been two days since Lex Light had popped into Magnus' business. That in itself wasn't odd; what was odd was that Lex's absence made a difference. Magnus found himself looking into every alley he passed, hoping to see a deal. Not to arrest Lex, just to see him.

It was ironic that the yell of, "Fuck you!" came from the one alley Magnus had forgotten to look down.

Magnus was on his way home from work, so it was late. Darkness hung in the air like a blanket, which Alec and other's like him used to their advantage. But no amount of camouflage could cover up the sound of this guy's cursing.

"Whaddaya mean it's gone up?" the guy growled. Magnus stopped dead in his tracks and listened.

"It's gone up, that's what I mean." That was definitely his criminal. "It's life. Pay up to turn up. If you can't pay, boo fucking hoo."

For once, Magnus made an intelligent decision. He pulled out his cellphone and pressed record.

The buyer grumbled a little, but by the ruffling sounds of a hand digging for cash, he was agreeing to Lex's demand.

Magnus peeked into the mouth of the alley and poked his phone in. There was just enough light to watch Lex hand cover a baggie of white powder and pocket the wad of cash handed to him.

The buyer pivoted to walk away, but he caught sight of Magnus. "Hey!" The guy shouted, pointing at Magnus.

Alec followed the man's finger and scowled when he saw the cop. But while Alec just looked mildly annoyed, the buyer was pissed.

"What the fuck?!" Magnus could hardly take a step back before he was pinned against the wall. "Tryna get me in trouble? Huh, asshole?"

Magnus' phone was snatched from his hands and shattered onto the ground.

"Hey, pal, why don't you calm down a little?" That was Lex, trying to calm down the man that had Magnus pinned. Magnus struggled and brought one knee up, catching the guy's balls. His face turned red and one hand grabbed at his crotch, while the other lashed out and caught Magnus' temple.

Magnus saw a flash of wide blue eyes before he hit the ground.


Magnus came to in an unfamiliar apartment. Once upon a time, back in college, this wouldn't be weird. But now? He hardly had time for sleeping around.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty."

That voice caused a burst of different emotions in Magnus' chest; everything from adoration to fear. "Morning?" He'd been coming home from work, that much Magnus remembered. He glanced around, noting that he was still in his uniform, but his gun was gone. "Are you going to continue to steal my weapons?"

"I have to," the criminal shrugged, "because if I don't, you'll hurt me. And then I can't give it back, that would be even worse than if I took it. Your forensic scientist friend Caterina would be all over my ass if she found fingerprints."

Part of Magnus felt bad that Lex thought he would shoot him if given the opportunity, but he supposed it was just a precaution. Still, it ticked him off. "I wouldn't just shoot you for no good reason," Magnus said, irked. "I have morals, believe it or not."

Lex actually laughed. "I've given you plenty of good reason. But that's not what matters right now. How's your head?"

It was only a few days ago that the same man asked him that question, in a mocking reference to his hangover. Now, he seemed concerned. Magnus pressed a hand to his head and slowly sat upright on the unfamiliar couch. "It's not bad. Is this your apartment?"
Lex glanced around, looking at the place. It was a small studio apartment, pretty bare-boned; no personal items, no food in the pantry that was hanging open, and the single bed pressed against the wall that was already made. The only thing that gave away that anyone lived there was the acoustic guitar in the corner of the room. "One of them."

Magnus raised an eyebrow, but he simply got a smirk in return. Not that he was expecting much of an explanation anyway. If Lex was good at anything, besides breaking the law, it was withholding personal information. Giving up on using Lex for information, Magnus turned his eyes away from Alec and went back to studying the sad apartment.

"Let me guess. You stay away from this apartment, but you put the address on official documents, so the police can't track you."

Alec laughed, surprised that Magnus guessed almost correctly. But he didn't let on. "What, I'm not allowed to have a simple apartment for the enjoyment of having a simple apartment?"

"You run a drug cartel, or at least are high up on the food chain of one. You have enough money to buy something a little bigger."

Alec shrugged philosophically. "That's the problem with today's age. It's always bigger, not better. What's the good of a bigger apartment, when this small one right here does everything I need it to?" He was good at this little tirades. He got the skill from Jace.

Magnus didn't miss the fact that he didn't deny being part of a drug cartel.

Magnus was not amused. He stared at Lex with a deadpan expression. "I don't know, maybe house the rest of your family? Sometimes bigger is better, especially when you're supporting a sister and two brothers."

"I'm not supporting all of them," Alec said, partly to steer the conversation away from where it was going. Once upon a time, he was never able to manipulate a conversation or use words to his favor, but he had to learn. "Jace pulls his weight just fine and Izzy works at Macy's."

Magnus made mental note of that. As of now, the 'Lights' or 'Waylands' or whatever their last name was, were disconnected from society. There was nothing grounding them to the area. But Izzy worked at Macy's and that was good enough grounding. It meant coworkers to interrogate and a boss to share the credentials of Izzy Light. (AKA Izzy Wayland, AKA Izzy Who Knows?) Besides, he liked to shop at Macy's and Izzy was good company. Maybe he could strike up a conversation with the girl the next time he went.

Alec sat down on the couch and continued to watch the gears turn in Magnus Bane's head. "You don't have to think about it so much," Alec chimed, just to be a dick, "I could be lying to you."

That made Magnus' expression sour. "Whatever."

They were quiet for a minute, which Magnus didn't like. He liked to fill silence with conversation and he also liked the sound of the criminal's voice, whether or not he was being a pain in the ass. "Where have you been?" Magnus asked Lex.

He shrugged. "Around."

"Thanks a lot. Helpful, really."

"Oh, my bad. Silly me for not answering your question. Lemme just tell the cop who's hunting me down where my exact location has been. And while I'm at it, I can just put the cuffs on myself! And walk straight into prison! Sounds like a plan, Stan."

"You're actually a pain in the ass," Magnus snapped.

Lex went deathly silent, something mischievous appearing in his eyes because of Magnus' comment.

Magnus stared at him.

Lex cracked a smile.

"Shut up!"

Lex burst out laughing. "Wow, fuzzy boy. I knew you were cock hard for me, but I didn't think it would escalate this quickly. I mean, we've only just met. You haven't even taken me on a date yet, or bought me a drink."

Magnus wanted to punch him, but he decided not to. He was too confused. "Fuzzy boy?"

"Because of the fuzz. Like, the police. Get it?"

"That's stupid."

Lex pouted. It was way too cute to be on the face of a criminal. Magnus remembered their kiss and how good it was; then he banished the thought.

Getting up off the couch, Magnus strode into the portion of the apartment that was a kitchen. There was a small counter, with a fridge and a tiny stove. Magnus stared longingly at the handle of the fridge. It probably had so many fingerprints. So much evidence.

"What are you doing?" Alec asked. He then noticed Magnus staring at his refrigerator. "Are you hungry? I can get you food."

Deciding that it was best not to eat the food from a man who dealt with drugs, Magnus politely declined. Alec shrugged and opened the fridge up. Magnus wasn't the slightest bit surprised that the only thing in the fridge was a small bag of clementines. Alec pulled one out and started peeling it.

Magnus' eyes drifted around the apartment. He kept meaning to look for something that could possibly help him-a phone to contact Ragnor, a potential weapon, some sort of incriminating evidence-but his eyes kept drifting to the guitar. It stuck out like a sore thumb in the bare apartment.

Finally, he couldn't help it. "Why's that here?"

The other man followed his pointed finger and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that makes music."

Magnus glared. He really was losing patience for Lex Light's dry sense of humor. "Do you play?"

He shrugged, which was a yes. Magnus started at big, bad and evil Lex Light; he tried to picture the man's delicate fingers pulling beautiful music from the instrument, face serene and not evil. It was easier to picture than it should've been. Magnus felt a tug in his heart.

"Play something for me," he demanded.

Lex stared at him for a while, that usual smirk absent. "No."

Magnus couldn't help but feel a little jipped. He wanted to know what Lex was like when he played; Did he lose himself in his music, closing his eyes and swaying slowly? Did he put his soul into it, getting choked up whenever he got to a line that hit close to home? Did he write his own songs or did he sing covers? Or maybe he was into music without lyrics, allowing his listeners to make the story themselves.

Lex scowled. "Don't look so hurt."

"Why won't you?" Magnus asked. "It's not like I'm going to hurt you, I'm obviously not a threat. You have my gun."

Alec stared at the cop. Magnus didn't understand. He wasn't worried that Magnus was going to cuff him while his hands were occupied. He was worried that Magnus was going to capture a part of him in a completely different way.

Alec didn't know how to sing any happy songs and he certainly didn't want Magnus to listen to the song and try to figure out what made him tick.

They were quiet for a few more seconds, then Alec sighed. "Sure."

There must be something he could sing; something that wasn't brutally sad.

He smirked and picked up the guitar, a song popping into his head. It wasn't his normal style, but he learned it a few years ago because it was Max's favorite song.

Magnus had plopped back down on the couch and Alec sat down a few feet away. He crossed his legs criss-cross-applesauce and faced Magnus. The guitar was a steady part of his life; a part that hadn't changed when the rest of his life had. He'd been playing it since the beginning.

Magnus stared at him eagerly, eyes shining. Alec resisted the urge to smile a grim smile. The cop thought he was about to get a look into Alec's soul.

Alec started off stroking gently, playing a few chords to give Magnus a chance to recognize the song. He seemed to recognize it instantly and seemed surprised about Alec's choice. Alec grinned. "Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep / Dreamin' about the things that we could be... And baby, I've been, I've been prayin' hard / Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars."

Magnu frowned a little. Obviously he was expecting something a little more heart wrenching. To Magnus, Counting Stars was a generic pop song. Something so boring and predictable that he hadn't seen it coming. But Alec liked this song. He liked the idea of counting blessings before dollars. He liked the idea of not worrying about money.

He struck the chords and made sure he kept his eyes on his guitar. He didn't let emotion come to the surface. That was too much for Magnus to know.

And, of course, the added bonus that made Magnus roll his eyes a little:

"And I feel something so right, by doing the wrong thing / And I feel something so wrong, by doing the right thing… I could lie, could lie, could lie, but everything that kills me makes me feel alive."

"Oh, so funny," Magnus interrupted. Alec broke off and stared at him. "Of all the things to sing about, you sing an anthem defending why you do illegal things. Great, thanks."

Alec shrugged. "I played for you."

"Yeah, but you were supposed to do something interesting," Magnus pouted.

Just like a few days ago, when Magnus had kissed him, Alec felt a cold uncertainty creep into his heart. "Right." He picked his words carefully and made sure they sounded cold. "You want me to play something heartfelt; something that will explain why I do bad things for no reason. You want to understand how I can dish out hundreds of thousands of kilos of cocaine a year, not caring about the consequences. Not caring about the children in unstable households, because of their crack addict parents. Not caring about the people who walk home high only to find themselves raped or kidnapped. Not caring about the deaths. You want a good reason behind my bad deeds. You want to turn me into some modern-day Robin Hood." He smiled. "What if I told you that it was for the money? It always is."

Magnus swallowed, looking at Alec like he was a rabid dog that could attack at any minute. "Look, I'm sorry." His voice was shaky; Alec felt a twinge of guilt. "I only wanted to hear you play. I'm not manipulating you or whatever. I'm sorry."

Alec felt his heart stop racing. Magnus looked like he regretted even bringing up the guitar at all. Actually, when Alec really looked at him, he saw well-disguised, but still there, fear.

And why wouldn't he be scared? He was weaponless and Alec had kidnapped him, even if he had done it to be kind. He didn't like the idea of Magnus being abandoned in a dark alleyway. Someone as bright as Magnus was shouldn't be so close to darkness.

Alec looked at his feet. "Sorry. I didn't mean to blow up on you." Though it wasn't like he'd yelled. He'd just ranted.

The fear ebbed. "It's okay. I get it. I'm kind of working to get you sent to prison. I don't really blame you for being sketched out." He was trying for humor, but his smile dropped when he realized that Alec wasn't quite ready to laugh it off. "Um, thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving me. I mean, you brought me here when I was hurt. That was really kind."

Alec snorted. "Please, you saved yourself. Do you remember that nutshot you got in? Ouch."

Magnus laughed. He was pretty when he laughed. His eyes would squint, showing off the light gold dusting of eye shadow he had on, and his bright smile was wide. It was cute how sometimes he'd lean forward a little and clap every so often.

"I remember." Magnus' smile was wide. "That asshole deserved it."

And then Alec found himself laughing and he felt that heavy tension again. He looked at Magnus and drank in those pretty green eyes and that beautiful smile. Ever since Magnus had taken his first kiss, he'd been obsessed with the man. He'd needed to stay away, in fear of jumping the guy at first sight. He wondered what it would be like if he could let himself love Magnus.

Magnus leaned in a little and he was all Alec could see. He was all Alec wanted to see. Alec's lips ached; he wanted Magnus' on him. Without a conscious effort, he leaned in-and right when his lips brushed Magnus', his phone went off.

"The phone, the phone is riiiiinging! The phone-we'll be right there! The phone, the phone is ringing! There's an animal in-"

Alec couldn't have jumped away from Magnus and picked the phone up fast enough. "Light," he answered, voice hard.

"Hello, Lex Light."

"Who's this?"

"My name is Camille Belcourt."

"What do you want?"

"How characteristically blunt of you." Her voice was like bells, except more evil. Yep. Evil bells. Alec wondered how she knew what was characteristic of him. "I've got a job for you, Lex. I work for-"

Alec couldn't take about this; not in front of Magnus. "We'll talk about it later. Now isn't a good time. I'll call you back when I have time for you."

He hung up.

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Wonder Pets?"

"Shut up."

Magnus grinned, taking in the adorable embarrassed look on Lex's face. It was precious, really. He was about to continue the conversation with Lex, maybe by commenting on the lack of food in the pantry, maybe by bringing up their kiss from a few days ago, but the door swung open and a handsome young man, about Alec's age, with blonde hair and pretty golden eyes stepped inside.

It was actually hilarious; the change in the man's demeanor within seconds. He had practically floated into the apartment, relaxed and confident, but the second he took notice of Magnus he was tense and angry. "Who the hell is this?" the man asked Lex.

For a horrifying moment, Magnus wondered if they were lovers. He was beginning to relax, though, when he didn't spot any guilt on Lex's face. But then the man stood up from the couch and slowly started nibbling on his bottom lip, a nervous tick. "It's not what you think," Lex said.

Magnus' stomach dropped. Did Lex have a boyfriend?