Hey guys! I'm so so sorry for making you guys wait. I wanted to upload as soon as possible but things got out of hand. I've been trying to focus on promoting my book so I got busy doing that. But it's been very stressful and a lot of things was happening at home and my personal life that I didn't have time to sit down and write. Due to the stress I've been having a major writers block. Been literally working on this chapter for a couple of days now and there was a lot of deleting and rewriting. It's been a mess. I was trying to make this into a long chapter because of the long wait.

The only good thing that has happened is the fact that 6 publishers are interested in my book. Six! So I'm really happy about that. But that also has added a lot of stress. I have to decide who I want to work with but they are a bit expensive. So I started a gofundme to see who is willing to help me out. I will Give you the link if you're interested. But anyways thank you so much for your patience, you guys are awesome. I hope you enjoy this chapter, let me know what you think. :)

CHAPTER 7

Alec was home, sitting on the couch, thinking about last night when his phone starts ringing.

"Hello," Alec says, picking up the phone without checking who it is.

"Hey big bro!" Isabelle says on the other line.

"Oh, Izzy. Hey," Alec says as his eyes widen.

"Are you okay?" Isabelle says catching on quickly

"Uh, yeah. Yeah. I'm good. Sorry, I was a bit distracted," Alec says laughing nervously. But Alec knowing that Izzy wasn't going to drop it decides to change the subject, "So, how are you? How is everything?"

"I'm great. Everything is good. Simon is over here fangirling over some star wars merchandise we found," Isabelle says, making Alec chuckle.

"Sounds like Simon. I'm glad you guys are having a good time."

"We are! Next time we should all go together on a family trip," Isabelle says hoping that Alec agrees.

"I can't Iz. I have work."

Isabelle sighs, "You work too much. You need a vacation. I'm sure dad can give you some time off."

"Maybe. But not right now sis."

"Is it because of your new mission? Or the guy you're seeing?"

Alec freezes. How did Izzy know? Alec knows for the fact that his dad wouldn't have told Izzy about the mission and he definitely doesn't know his feelings for Magnus. So that leaves out one person…

In that moment Jace bursts inside the apartment, looking frantic. Jace notices that Alec is already talking on the phone and mouths sorry to Alec. Alec rolls his eyes and shakes his head, letting Jace know that it's too late.

"Iz, I have to go."

"No! Alec wait. Sorry, I just worry about you. I'm glad that you're seeing someone. It's about time. I'll wait until you want to tell me about him. But can I know one thing?" Isabelle asks.

Alec hesitates, worried about what Isabelle wants to ask him, "What is it?"

"Does he make you happy?"

Alec eyes widened. He thinks about Magnus and all of their times together as a soft smile begins to form on his face, "Yeah, he does."

Izzy screeches in happiness, "Okay, okay. Good. I'm so happy for you. Maybe one day I can meet him."

Alec frowns, knowing that Izzy and Magnus meeting will be impossible.

"Maybe. Well, I need to go. Thanks for calling. I'm glad that you're having fun. Say hi to Simon for me."

"Okay, bye big bro. Take care of yourself. Love you."

"I love you too," Alec says and hangs up.

"Man, I'm sorry. It just slipped know how Izzy is," Jace says the moment Alec put his phone away.

Alec sighs, "It's fine Jace. As long she doesn't know the details about the mission, it's okay."

Jace sighs, still feeling bad. "Yeah, but it's Izzy. She's going to find a way to find out."

"Well let's hope that doesn't happen, okay. I have too much on my mind as it is. If izzy finds out, that's going to add more fuel to the fire," Alec says as he goes to the kitchen and serves himself a glass of water.

"What happened?" Jace asks as he serves himself a glass of water as well.

"Well I met Magnus' friends yesterday."

Jace eyes widen, "How did that go?"

"One of his friends is a cop," Alec replies, making Jace freeze for a moment.

"Shit," Jace says looking at Alec worriedly.

"I know, I know. I just need to be careful," Alec says looking at the look in Jace's eyes. After they finished their water, Alec went back to the living room and sits down, Jace following behind him.

"Did he suspect anything?" Jace asks as he sits next to Alec.

"No. But he definitely kept his eyes on me the entire night, trying to figure me out. I did get his approval according to Magnus. But…"

"You still need to be careful," Jace says finishing Alec's sentence.

"Exactly," Alec says.

"That complicates things," Jace says after a moment of silence.

"Yeah like things aren't complicated enough," Alec sighs and closes his eyes.

"Fair point. So what now?"

"Magnus is starting to ask questions," Alec says with his eyes still closed and a frown on his face.

"About?" Jace asks, curious but worried. This can not be good.

"About why I haven't shown him my place. He started to realize that I always make us go to his place instead of mine. Next thing you know he's going to start asking about mom and dad and if I have any friends. Shit…"

Alec puts his head on his hands.

"Alec…"

"I know what you're going to say Jace. This has gotten too far. But I love him Jace. I love him," Alec says, finally saying those words out loud. Jace wasn't surprised by Alec's response. He knows his brother well and Jace knew that Alec has fallen for Magnus a long time ago. He saw it coming. But now it's a bigger issue.

"Have you told him?" Jace asks.

"No."

Jace lets out a sigh of relief and says, "Good. It's better that way."

Alec frustrated says,"Don't you think I know that? The moment I say those words. That's it. There's no going back and the fact that our relationship started off by lies, doesn't make it any better."

"Okay, let's take a moment to think about this," Jace says trying to calm Alec down.

"Jace…"

"Alec. Hear me out. First thing first, you need to get another place."

Alec nods, "Which means I need to talk to dad about it."

"Not necessarily," Jace replies.

Alec raises an eyebrow.

"Remember that mission I did two years ago?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well dad hooked me up with another place for that mission and I may have kept it."

Alec eyes widen and looks at Jace as if he was crazy. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. So you can just use that apartment to show Magnus."

Alec smiles in relief and pulls Jace into a side hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much. That makes things easier."

"Anytime. Anything for you. I'll have it set up for you and let you know when it's ready. But you really need to find evidence that Magnus is innocent and not working with his father."

"I'm trying Jace. I'm trying."

"Try harder. I'm tired of seeing you like this."

A few weeks passed by as Jace made sure to clean up his place and make it look presentable. Alec told him about the excuse he made to Magnus about his place going through renovations. So Jace made sure to make his place look brand new. Throughout the years, Jace has used the apartment for personal reasons, especially when Jace and Clary wanted to get away or when Clary would get mad at him. Jace has personal pictures surrounding the apartment. Mainly about his family and friends, so he made sure to put those away. If Magnus sees them, there is no way Alec can keep up with the pretense. When Jace finally fixed the apartment and made sure that everything was good, he contacted Alec and gave him the go.

Now it's time for Alec to get the courage to tell Magnus. Which is why Alec is at the moment pacing back and forth in front of Magnus' door.

Okay, you can do this, Alec thinks and knocks on the door.

"Alexander? What a pleasant surprise," Magnus says as he opens the door.

"Hey, Mags," Alec says as he gives Magnus a kiss on the lips and enters his loft.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what made you pass by?" Magnus asked, curious but happy that Alec showed up.

"Sorry for not calling. But I just had to see you," Alec says with a nervous smile.

Magnus raised an eyebrow, amused. "What is it?"

"Um, remember how you wanted to see where I live?"

Magnus eyes widen and his smile got bigger, "I'm guessing the renovations are done?"

Alec chuckles at Magnus' reaction, "Yeah. It's why I'm here. Came to pick you up. If you're not busy of course," Alec says looking around, realizing that he showed up unannounced not knowing if Magnus had plans or not.

"I'm not. I'm glad you came. Let me get ready," Magnus says as he caresses Alec's cheek and heads towards his bedroom.

Alec watches him walk away with a small smile on his face that suddenly turns into a frown. What is he doing? To him, to Magnus. How long can he keep up with this. He can't even tell Magnus that the apartment they are going is not even his. What is he supposed to say to him? Oh by the way, this is my brother's place not mine. Because everything you know about me is complete fake.

Alec knows he can't say that. But damn it. It hurts. It really hurts. Alec just wants to be honest with Magnus for once. Not just about his name. About everything. Even if it means losing Magnus. But he can't and it sucks. He can't even tell Magnus he loves him for goodness sake!

Alec frustrated clenches his hands into fists as a tear falls down his face.

"Okay, I'm ready," Magnus says as Alec quickly wipes his tear away and faces Magnus with a smile on his face.

"Alright. Let's go," Alec says as he reaches out for Magnus's hand and they interlock their fingers together.

When they arrived at the apartment, Alec was in a bundle of nerves. He hasn't checked the apartment himself after Jace finished working on it. But since he trusts Jace and the fact that they are both agents, Alec knew that there shouldn't be any problems. But that doesn't mean that Alec doesn't have any doubts.

Magnus noticed that Alec was nervous and puts his hand on Alec's arm. "Hey, is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Sorry. Um you're the first person I ever brought here," Alec says, technically telling the truth but not really.

"Really?" Magnus asks with a smile.

"Uh, yeah," Alec says, laughing nervously as he opens the door to the apartment.

Alec steps in first and looks around, he lets out a sigh of relief when he sees that the apartment looks decent. He looks at Magnus with a smile and says, "You can come in."

Magnus steps in and looks around the place. He notices how clean and tidy the place is. There was a blue sofa in the living room, a coffee table and a flat screen TV. The walls were white and Magnus notices some frames on the wall. Magnus gets closer to look at them. Meanwhile Alec was behind him, watching him.

Magnus looks back at Alec in wonder , "Are those…," Magnus says pointing at the frames, while Alec nods sheepishly. Well, trying to look sheepish because the moment Magnus looked back at the frames, Alec looked down, frowning.

"Wow," Magnus mumbles, looking at the frames. Inside the frames were awards given to Alec for being a great personal trainer. Which Jace and Alec got through connections. There were at least five awards hanged up on the walls and Magnus looked at them with a proud smile on his face. Not knowing that Alec is clenching and unclenching his fists with tears in his eyes.

I can't watch this, Alec thinks.

"Do you want anything to drink? I have wine," Alec says, really needing a drink right about now.

"That sounds perfect," Magnus says, not looking at Alec. He was busy looking at an article of one of "Alec's clients" talking about how much Alec has helped him. Alec sighs and heads towards the kitchen, luckily it was next to the living room.

Once Alec entered the kitchen, he leans against the wall and closes his eyes. This was a terrible idea. This apartment is filled with lies and Magnus is just taking it in like nothing. He doesn't deserve this. Alec doesn't deserve Magnus. Not like this. God, Alec just wants to go out there and spill out the truth. He wants to take those frames out of the wall and break them. He just wants this mission to be over. But he's nowhere near to knowing where Asmodeous is doing his dirty work. Alec knows he needs to speed things up a bit without being suspicious. But how?

Alec sighs and looks for the glasses and wine that Jace left for them. When he found them, Alec grabbed them and walked towards the living room. He found Magnu in front of some pictures, which are also fabricated, of Alec holding some awards. But he also noticed that Magnus was holding a picture in his hands, with a small frown on his face. Alec steps closer, curious.

"Alexander?" Magnus says, still looking at the picture.

"Yes?" Alec replies.

"Who is this?" Magnus asks as he shows the picture to Alec.

Oh shit.

Alec had to hold on to the wine bottle tighter, almost dropping it. It was a picture of Alec and Jace. They had their arms around each other with a big smile on their faces. Alec remembers exactly when they took that picture. It was one of their family outings and they all went hiking. Jace and Alec ended up racing each other and Izzy took a picture of them at the finish line.

Damn it, Jace, Alec thinks. Jace told him everything was good. Shit, what is he going to say to Magnus. Alec knew he should have double checked before bringing Magnus over.

Alec is freaking out on what to say to Magnus, forgetting that Magnus is still waiting for his reply. "Oh, that's one of my clients," Alec says hoping that Magnus accepts his answer. But of course, Magnus was still looking at Alec as if he didn't believe him.

Magnus looks down at the photo again, frowning. "He looks more than a client."

Alec eyes widen at Magnus' comment. Oh no, this is not good. Magnus is not stupid. Really? Client. Just looking at the picture, you can tell that Jace and Alec are close. He needs to think of something to say quickly or Magnus is going to start doubting him and Alec can't have that.

Sorry Jace, have to do this, Alec thinks.

"He is also my best friend. We've known each other since kids," Alec says, not far from the truth.

"Aah, I can see that. I was starting to think you didn't have friends," Magnus winks at Alec, teasing him. Magnus puts the picture frame back where he found it and turns to face Alec with a smile.

"Maybe one day I can meet him. What's his name?" Magnus asks. Alec hesitates, he was hoping Magnus didn't ask that. But Alec was tired of lies for the day and says, "Jonathan." Jace is going to kill him. "I'll make sure to let him know," Alec continues.

"So, you talk about me, huh?" Magnus asks with a glint on his eyes, remembering how Alec asked the same question before he met Magnus' friends.

"You have no idea," Alec replies with a small smile.

The rest of the day they spent it in each other's presence. Magnus asked about Jace and the awards and Alec tried to answer them, especially with the cover story he's made up. At one point they got hungry and went out to get some take out. They returned back to the apartment and spent the rest of the time talking and laughing. But Alec wasn't really there. If anything Alec just kept on thinking about everything that went wrong today and how much he wanted to be alone because he couldn't stand being around Magnus right now, especially in this apartment. Alec is so disappointed and angry at himself, that he's afraid he's going to make things worse.

That's why he was relieved when Magnus said that he had to leave early because he had some business at his club. Before leaving Magnus turns around and caresses Alec's cheek.

"Thank you for today," Magnus says.

"Anytime," Alec says, trying so hard not to show Magnus how he is actually feeling. Full of regret and guilt.

Magnus leans up and kisses Alec. Alec returns the kiss, holding Magnus' face gently. Alec breaks the kiss and pulls Magnus into a tight hug, surprising him.

Magnus chuckles, "Someone doesn't want me to leave."

Alec hugs Magnus tighter while thinking, I'm so sorry.

Magnus and Alec said their goodbyes and the moment Magnus left, Alec rushed inside the apartment, took out his phone and dialed a number. Alec starts pacing back and forth waiting for the person to pick up. When they did, Alec says,

"Jace, we have another problem."

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed. You can check out my book Friendship, Love, And Disaster on Amazon.

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