Magnus tucked a stray lock of Isabelle's hair behind her ear.

"That was driving me crazy. So, how do you want this to go down?"

Simon stood up and paced back and forth, treading a trail in Magnus' rug. Scratching his chin, and piercing his lip with his fang, he thought.

"Okay," he said finally. "That conversation never happened."

"What one?"

"The one about the cloud and Hell and….." Simon started, but Magnus rolled his eyes and interjected.

"You truly are dense, aren't you?"

Simon was about to argue, but decided it wasn't the time.

"We will steer clear of anything in relation to any future happenings, but I will ask you about my little….problem."

"Your inability to express yourself clearly?"

"My cloud!"

Magnus rolled his eyes again and stamped his foot. Simon hissed, and the lamp that sat on the table beside him exploded in a wave of sparks and fireworks.

Simon jumped back and Magnus tsked, and waggled his finger. "Don't get pissy with me. I may not be able to hurt you, but I can give you something to worry about, Capische? Do you understand?"

Simon pursed his lips. "All except Capische. Are you ready to do this?"

"Are you kidding?" Magnus laughed heartily and gave Simon a sly grin. "I was born for the theatre!"

Simon snorted at Magnus' attempt at a theatrical British accent. "Do your Wizard thing?"

"Warlock, thank you very much." Magnus took and exaggerated step back and snapped his finger, and Isabelle sprang to life. She tumbled forward, and began to fall, before righting herself in a mid-air leap and landing in a position that could only be achieved after years of training, and lots of flexibility.

Simon tried not to think about her flexibility.

"What did you….Simon?" her head shot up as she saw him, and he gave her a simple, lopsided smile, and a short wave that he immediately regretted. She shook her head, and stood up, before quickly pulling him into her arms in an embrace. Isabelle rested her head on Simon's shoulder and he took in her scent. She looked into his eyes for a brief moment, before smacking him in the arm. She then winced and shucked off her jacket, revealing a large red welt in the place where she had just hit Simon.

"Son of a Were!"

Simon laughed, and she glared at him. "It's your own fault. I warned you. Besides, you've had worse."

"Besides," Magnus chimed in. "It does make things pretty kinky."

Isabelle snapped her whip out of her belt as warning, but did not use it. She didn't blush, but she didn't meet Simon's eyes either.

"What happened?"

"I passed out." Simon decided the simpler the answer, the less likely he would be to get in trouble.

"And why did you pass out?"

"Because," he sighed dramatically, "I didn't feed when I was supposed to, like a good little vampire, and I had to suffer the repercussions. Side-effects of not feeding may include fainting, nausea and a mass murder in the mall."

"Thanks for the infomercial!" She snorted, but Simon knew he wasn't out of the woods yet.

"So," Magnus said, elongating the syllable for dramatic effect. "Let's get down to business, before this one," he jerked his thumb at Simon. "Decides to take another daytrip."

Simon shot him a warning look and Magnus licked his lips mischievously before conjuring up another bag of blood. "For the hunger pains." he quipped, before seating himself on the chair he had vacated only minutes before.

Simon gulped down the blood eagerly, feeling the warmth spread through his chest and every cell in his body seemed to scream in delight.

"So, I have this ominous, dark cloud stalking me. Ever since I got this." he swept his fringe back. Isabelle sprang lithely across the floor and seated herself directly beside him. Her knee brushed against his and her hand twitched in her lap. Simon was sure she was about to reach out to grab his, and swallowed his impending smile.

"It may be, for want of a better term, a side effect of the Mark."

"You think?" Isabelle snapped, clearly peeved. "I think that's pretty obvious, don't you?"

"Wow, she is pretty when she's pissed, Huh Simon?" he chuckled, watching her expression change from anger, to shock, to amusement, to flirtatious, and back to anger.

"Shut up." she murmured.

"Whoa, great comeback!"

"Watch it Magnus," she hissed, her dark eyes glowing maliciously, "or else."

"Or else what?" he sniggered.

"I think you know….." she winked, and his expression grew dark. He snapped his mouth shut.

"So," Simon said, clearly uncomfortable. "A side effect, you say?"

"Well," Magnus cleared his throat. "There isn't much documented on the Mark of Cain. Since most of its wearers are doomed to a life of eternal wandering and loneliness."

Isabelle glanced at Simon. "I didn't know that?" Simon shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly to hide his discomfort.

"It's not something I have to deal with yet." he muttered inanely.

"Didn't you read you textbooks, Isabelle?"

"No, Magnus, I was too busy learning how to kick your ass. Now shut up and get back to business."

"Oooh, Feisty one you are!"

"Magnus," she warned and he raised his eyebrows to the ceiling.

"All I can tell you is that it's got to do with the mark, and unless it's giving you trouble, like Oh, I don't know, Hypothetically, Blowing up streets, sending you to hell, making you hear voices and letting you see the future, I'm pretty sure you have nothing to worry about!"

Simon's mouth went dry and his back grew tense. Magnus' lips were curved in a cocky knowing smile, but he said nothing. Isabelle seemed pretty relieved.

"Well, that's okay then." she flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and stood up, looking around the apartment.

"Hey, where's my jacket?"

"Oh, that." Magnus laughed. "I got sick of cleaning up after myself, so I rigged my apartment to clean up after me instead. Everything that hit's the floor gets put away. Your jacket should be in the coat closet in my bedroom."

"That's clever." she smiled and brushed his shoulder as she passed. "I'll grab it and then we can go, Psycho!"

"Psycho?" Simon said.

"Yeah, that doesn't fit either." she mused, nonplussed. "Let me keep thinking about it."

"All right."

She entered the bedroom and Magnus moved to stand beside Simon, a smile playing across his face.

"Psycho? It seems perfect to me!"