Raphael is not happy.
Magnus is a master in the art of diversion. Alec doesn't complain (much).
Oh, you poor, poor sweet summer child, Simon.
Magnus has a plan. The team doesn't approve.

"This is a stupid idea and I don't like it."

"You never like any of my ideas," Magnus deadpanned.

"This might very well be your stupidest idea ever," Raphael snapped back and he sounded genuinely angry, which should have been worrying to Magnus but he was too focused on trying to put his plan together in his head to really pay much attention to Raphael's gloominess. "And that's saying a lot because I've known you for fifteen years and witnessed many of your stupid ideas."

"Raphael, honestly, you know I love you but you can't talk me out of this."

"Magnus, this is too dangerous," Raphael argued, voice wavering slightly in what sounded a lot like panic. "Don't do it."

"I have to," he sighed. "That's the best way to get this plan going."

"Fuck your stupid plan," Raphael groaned. "If you get yourself killed, I'll murder you."

"Of course you will," Magnus replied with a fond smile. "If there's really someone in that room, we need to act fast."

"I'll talk to my boss and I'll be on the next plane," Raphael said, cold and resolute. Magnus was about to argue but he didn't have a chance to. "Shut up," his friend blurted out harshly. "I'll be there as soon as possible. If I can't talk you out of this on the phone, I'll talk you out of it face to face."

"Raphael, you should know that I'm quite obstinate by now," Magnus put in halfheartedly.

He really wanted to joke about the whole situation but Raphael's worry was starting to make his will crumble slowly. He knew his idea was dangerous but it was also the best idea they had (not that the rest of the team was aware of it yet). They couldn't wait for Valentine to go away for a weekend, not anymore.

"Stop joking around," Raphael snapped. "This is not funny, Magnus!"

He tried, he really tried, but Magnus couldn't help but feel the guilt twist his stomach. He couldn't remember a time he had heard so much worry in Raphael's voice. In fifteen years, he had seen the full palette of his emotions. He had seen him angry and furious, often enough that he could make the difference between the two. He had seen him concerned, of course he had, because Raphael was always worrying about his safety, even though he tried to hide it behind snarky remarks most of the time. The tone he was using now was a mixture of fury and fear and it should have been familiar territories to Magnus but he was taken aback by the vigor of Raphael's distress.

"You're all I have, okay?" he blurted out with heat and Magnus knew it was partly because Raphael hated how vulnerable it made him sound. "After Ragnor, I…" He cut himself off and took a deep breath and Magnus felt guilt prickle even stronger down his stomach at the knowledge that he was the one bringing such anguish to his friend. "I can't lose you too," he finished lowly, his voice barely a whisper.

"This is our best shot if we want to act quickly," he simply replied and he knew it wasn't the answer Raphael wanted to hear but it was the truth. "I'll be fine."

"We'll talk face to face," Raphael repeated severely. "We'll find another way."

He had hung up before Magnus could argue any further. He heaved out a deep breath and slumped on his bed, staring at the ceiling. However hard he twisted his brain to find another plan, he kept going back to the same idea. It was risky, he knew it was, but it also seemed inevitable somehow.

There was a knock on his bedroom door and he didn't bother answering it because whoever was behind it would come in anyway. The people in this house had absolutely no regard whatsoever when it came to privacy, not that Magnus was any better himself.

He didn't mind it the slightest, though, when the door opened slowly to reveal Alec, looking at him warily. Magnus smiled at him, holding out his arms to beckon him closer. He was pretty sure the only way he would have appeared more like a petulant child would have been if he had started whining. Alec scoffed, unable to hide an endeared smile, and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He climbed onto the bed and right into Magnus' waiting arms.

It was a bit awkward because he was so tall but they somehow made it work, Alec burying his face in Magnus' neck, gently closing his arms around his waist.

"What did Raphael say?" he asked softly, his warm breath sending a wave of shivers down Magnus' spine.

"That I'm an idiot," Magnus replied with a roll of his eyes, "and that he's hopping on the next plane."

Alec's head popped up from its hiding spot, looking at Magnus with a frown. "Why?"

"He wants to talk some sense into me," Magnus responded with a bored voice.

"Why?" Alec asked again. "What did you do?"

"Nothing yet," he sighed. "Can we talk about it tonight when Lydia is here? I really don't want to fight with you right now."

"Why would we fight?" Alec persisted, a weary edge to his voice.

"Tonight, Alexander," Magnus pleaded with a beseeching gaze.

"I don't like it when you don't talk to me," Alec grunted.

Magnus smirked and pushed him onto his back, immediately moving to position himself on top of him. Alec's hands went to his hips automatically.

"Talking is the second best thing I can do with my mouth," Magnus teased, leaning in to bite on Alec's bottom lip.

He groaned, chasing after Magnus's mouth and Magnus was ready to give him anything he wanted but Alec pulled back, his head falling back on the mattress.

"Are you trying to distract me with sex?" he asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Magnus faked an affronted gasp. "Alexander!" he exclaimed exaggeratedly. "I am deeply offended that you would deem me capable of such promiscuity."

Alec gave him a pointed stare, quirking an eyebrow. "Really?" he deadpanned. "Really, Magnus?"

"Yes," Magnus went on, never dropping the act. "I am pure and innocent."

Alec chuckled, his hands sliding under Magnus's t-shirt to stroke the skin of his lower back. "You're about as pure and innocent as the devil himself."

Magnus's mischievous smirk did nothing to contradict his words. He leaned forward again, his lips brushing teasingly against Alec's mouth before he abruptly drifted lower, sucking on his neck. Alec tried to stifle a moan but stretched his head to allow Magnus further access, his hands tightening their hold on Magnus's hips.

"You're not playing fair," he huffed, already out of breath.

"You love it," Magnus whispered against his ear, before lightly biting on the lobe.

Alec growled in the back of his throat, heaving a breath through his nose.

"We do have to talk about whatever we need to talk about," he murmured but his lack of assurance was made obvious by his panting.

"Sure, darling," Magnus chuckled against Alec's neck, teeth nipping on his Adam's apple. "But right now, I have something else at the top of my to do list."

"You're evil," Alec breathed out, although he was clearly smiling.

"I'm fabulous," Magnus retorted smugly. "And you're wearing too many clothes," he added heatedly, rolling his hips deftly.

"Fuck," Alec growled.

"My thoughts exactly."

Alec rolled his eyes, both in pleasure and fond exasperation. His hands moved swiftly, releasing Magnus's hips to grab at his collar, pulling him forward to devour him with a kiss.

Magnus: 1. Alec: 0.

.

Simon was not staring. He was not.

Okay, maybe he was staring a little but it was completely Izzy's fault.

She had dragged him to the pool about an hour ago and he had eventually grown tired of it so he was just sitting on the edge, watching her as she swam lengths relentlessly. She looked like a mermaid, absolutely gorgeous and positively entrancing. So, yeah, maybe he was staring a little. She was his girlfriend so he had the right to stare, right? Well, at least, he thought so.

Isabelle caught his eyes as she turned to start yet another turn and grinned devilishly at him. It occurred to him that he had been nothing close to discreet but she didn't seem to mind, if her smile was anything to go by.

"Don't pretend not to know how beautiful you are," he groaned simply with an unapologetic shrug.

Isabelle laughed and it was such a lovely sound, happy and clear that it made Simon giddy for a moment. She swam her way to him and stopped right next to him, hovering close. She reached out to grab his shoulder, pulling him forward to kiss his lips tenderly. He couldn't help but smile into the kiss and it probably made it awkward but he didn't think Isabelle minded so he didn't either.

"What was that for?" he asked when she pulled back, a goofy grin on his face.

"I wanted to," Isabelle replied softly before she plunged back in the water, her long legs splashing some water on him. He chuckled fondly.

"Stop ogling my sister," boomed a voice behind him.

Simon rolled his eyes and turned around to glare at Jace, who was on the patio with Clary. They were sitting quite close, close enough that from the small distance it looked like they were stuck together. Clary had her sketch book on her lap but Simon didn't think she had actually drawn anything because she had probably been too busy making out with Jace to concentrate on anything else. Jace had an arm over her shoulders but he was gazing straight at Simon, an arrogant smirk playing on his lips.

Simon was always wary around Jace. It was hard to know how to behave around him when his moods were as unpredictable as the weather. Jace drifted from anger to joy to arrogance, to an entire palette of vivid emotions easily. No one but his siblings seemed to be able to foresee what his next mood would be and Simon had quickly understood that it was one of the main reasons why Alec was so protective of him. Although Alec was protective of all his siblings (and anyone he actually liked, really, the guy was just a giant mother hen underneath his tough demeanor), it was even stronger with Jace because Jace was as reckless as he was good-hearted and he needed someone to take care of him, even though it wasn't obvious when you first saw him.

Simon had disliked him profoundly when they had first met. Nevertheless, he had grown to like him and he believed Jace kind of liked him too, which was a surprise to them both. So, he knew that when he made snarky comments about Simon's relationship with Isabelle, he didn't really mean any harm. It was just his way of telling Simon that if he screwed up, he would serve as dinner to the sharks. Simon had no intention of screwing up. He liked Isabelle far too much for that. And he was kind of terrified by what would happen to him if he got on her brothers' bad side so there was that too. He truly hoped Max was less scary.

Isabelle emerged out of the water, going to sit next to him and turned to look at Jace. "Mind your own business," she shouted before sticking her tongue out at him.

"Protecting my little sister is my business," he retorted, sticking his tongue at her too.

"I have enough of that with Alec," Isabelle said, rolling her eyes exasperatedly. "I don't need the extra pain in the ass."

"Ooh," Jace exclaimed with a smirk, rubbing his hands together, "I'm going to tell him you said that!"

Isabelle narrowed her eyes ominously. "Then I'll tell him that you threatened Magnus… twice! And that you beat him up in doing so."

Jace deflated for a second but quickly recovered. "He was fine!" he protested loudly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I didn't really hurt him."

"Alec doesn't need to know that," Isabelle replied, raising a brow in challenge.

Jace almost pouted. "You're evil," he sighed in defeat.

Isabelle beamed like it was the best compliment she had ever heard and Simon realized, almost with a start, that he was completely smitten. "When you have two older brothers, you do what you need to do to survive," she stated gravely, although it was softened by the amused twitch of her lips.

Jace rolled his eyes and turned back to face Clary, clearly admitting his defeat. Simon chuckled fondly but his laugh was cut short when Isabelle focused all her attention back on him, leaning forward to peck his lips, almost chastely.

"Why are you shouting?" Hodge asked abruptly as he stepped outside, brow furrowed in confusion.

"I just had to teach my brother a valuable lesson," Isabelle replied with a proud smirk.

Hodge looked between Jace and Isabelle for a second but didn't question further, shaking his head fondly. Simon wasn't sure what the story was between Hodge and the Lightwoods. He knew he had known them since they were all teenagers and that he was like a mentor to them. Anyone could see that he truly cared about them but he also sometimes kept his distance, like he was scared that if he got too close, he would end up burning himself with how strongly the Lightwoods siblings all shined. Simon could relate to that. They all transpired with a power, a silent energy that could be frightening.

"Lydia just arrived," he informed them, gesturing toward the inside of the villa. "Team meeting in ten minutes. Someone go find Alec and Magnus. I haven't seen them in hours."

He went back inside without another word, mumbling something under his breath that Simon couldn't make out.

He rose back to his feet, grabbing the t-shirt he had discarded on a lounge chair a while ago and put it back on. "I'll go get them," he said.

Simon bent over to peck Isabelle's lips once more and made his way inside. He went to knock on Alec's bedroom door and peaked inside when he heard no response, surprised to find it empty. He thus moved to the end of the corridor, knocking again on Magnus's door. He didn't get any more of an answer so he opened the door, stepping inside carefully and stopped dead on his tracks.

"Oh God," he exclaimed loudly. "I'm so sorry!"

Alec and Magnus froze, both their heads spinning to meet him. There was a sheet above them and Simon was very grateful because he couldn't distinguish much except for their torsos and that was more than enough. Alec was hovering above Magnus, holding himself on his arms and they were very obviously both naked, Alec's pale skin contrasting acutely with Magnus's brown one.

"What do you want?" Alec groaned, not moving an inch.

"Sorry," Simon repeated, finally snapping back to reality and turning around to face away from them.

"Can we help you with something?" Magnus asked and he sounded like he was about to burst into laughter and Simon hated him a little bit, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Uh – Yeah – Well, no… Sorry," he stuttered lamely.

"Simon," Alec snapped impatiently. "What the hell do you want?"

"Lydia is here," he finally answered, clearing his throat awkwardly in a failed attempt to regain some kind of composure. "Team meeting in ten minutes."

"We'll be there," Alec replied strictly.

"Thank you for the warning," Magnus added and even though Simon was facing away from them, he could perfectly picture his devilish smirk.

"You're welcome. Great," Simon stammered again. "I'll just go now. You can… get back to it. Or not. 'Cause we have that meeting in ten minutes. Or whatever. You can do whatever you want. It's a free country and I'm totally okay with whatever you decide to do in your free time and –"

"Simon!" Alec interrupted harshly, his voice rising with irritation. "Out!"

"Yeah," Simon agreed with a quick nod. "See you in ten minutes."

He quickly got out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He just had the time to hear Magnus laugh and Alec groan in annoyance.

.

"Stop laughing," Alec grunted as he buttoned his shirt.

Magnus was standing a few feet away from him, trying to tame his messy hair in the mirror and he was still chuckling quietly to himself, an amused smirk dancing on his lips. His silk shirt was unbuttoned halfway through his chest, doing nothing to hide the red marks on his neck and his collarbone, a clear testimony to how they had spent their afternoon. Alec had to resist the urge to ask him to cover himself up because he knew that the teasing from Jace would be unbearable. It had nothing to do with the fact that the mere sight of Magnus exposing the traces of their previous activities like that made a buried feeling flutter in his chest, a mixture of pride and possessiveness and need that nearly left him breathless. He didn't remember feeling that way before but he didn't really have the time to analyze whatever was going on there because clearly, there were more urgent matters to attend.

Magnus spun on his feet to face him and some of his willpower immediately crumbled away. He was left gaping for a moment. It would have been much easier if he hadn't been so damn gorgeous. Magnus seemed to realize that because he stepped forward, straight into Alec's personal space.

"You're giving me bedroom eyes again," he said with a smirk, reaching out to straighten Alec's shirt. "And you're the one with the best self-control out of the two of us so you should stop before I drag you back to bed."

Alec grinned, leaning down to kiss him. "My reputation is completely overrated."

"Alexander," Magnus growled in warning. "We've already scarred poor Sherwin. Let's not scare the next person who comes in."

"You know it's Simon," Alec retorted with an amused smirk. "He gets all miserable when you pretend not to know his name. He thinks you don't like him."

"Of course I like Samuel."

Alec chuckled, shaking his head fondly. He took Magnus's hand, dragging him out of the bedroom and to the living room with him, where the rest of the team was already gathered. Jace and Isabelle stared at them when they arrived (unlike Simon, who was pointedly looking at anything but them) and Alec had to resist the urge to shift awkwardly on his feet, embarrassed by their obvious scanning. It quickly turned to annoyance when he saw the beginning of a smirk form on his brother's face.

Jace barely had the time to open his mouth. "Not a word," Alec growled threateningly, narrowing his eyes at him. His siblings simply laughed and Alec was left to wonder if he could disown them somehow.

"Hi Lydia," Magnus exclaimed cheerfully, releasing his hand to go to her, kissing both her cheeks in greeting.

"Don't use your magical charm on me," she warned, but she was smiling. "I'm still mad at you for not telling me you were leaving yesterday."

Alec was amazed to realize the dinner at Valentine's had only been the day before. A lot had happened since then. He mentally chastised himself because really, not much had actually happened plan-wise. What had really happened was a lot of very hot, very mind-blowing sex with Magnus. Magnus had been right: he really needed to get his mind out of the gutter.

He urged himself to focus back on the conversation. Magnus was just finishing explaining to Lydia how the situation had degenerated the night before and how it had lead him to punch her boss and she was nodding along, understanding shining in her blue eyes. She was smirking a little and Alec thought that she would probably make a very good thief herself if she put her mind to it.

"Like I told you yesterday," Lydia said when he was done, "he didn't seem that angry. He actually seemed… amused."

"That guy gives me the creeps," Simon butted in, visibly repressing a shudder.

"Tell me about it," Isabelle mumbled, arms crossed protectively over her chest. Alec nearly wanted to drive to the manor right then to punch Valentine himself.

"There is something else," Luke put in cautiously. "Something we need to talk to you about."

Lydia perked up, raising a curious eyebrow.

"Is there someone else living in the manor with Valentine? Have you ever heard of anyone else?" Luke asked.

Lydia frowned, gaze lost in space for a moment. "No. There's no one. He has guests staying for a few days once in a while but no one permanent."

Luke heaved out a deep sigh, passing a hand over his tired features. "I was afraid you would say that."

"Why?" Lydia asked, obviously confused. "What's going on?"

Luke let Hodge do the explaining of the gloomy conclusion they had drawn this morning upon the inspection of the pictures Magnus had taken. Lydia blanched visibly, her mouth falling open in bewilderment. When he was done, she took her head between her hands.

"This is insane," she muttered but the room had fallen utterly silent so they could all hear her clearly.

"It is," Magnus cut in softly, dropping a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Which is why we need to do something quickly."

Lydia nodded in approval, glancing up to Magnus. "I can try to sneak into the East corridor to see what's up but there's an alarm."

"We appreciate it," Magnus replied with a kind smile, "but it's too dangerous. You would risk exposing yourself and we all know what Valentine is capable of. We don't want you to get hurt." He paused for a moment, waiting for something and Alec didn't know why but he had a creeping feeling growing in his stomach, an apprehension he knew came from the expression Magnus was sporting now but couldn't explain. "I have an idea, though, but I need to ask you a few questions first."

Lydia nodded warily, gesturing for him to go on.

"Is there something that could push Valentine to get rid of some of the guards for a while?" Magnus asked. "Or some way to get them away from their posts?" There was no trace of a smirk on his face, on the contrary. He was deadly serious, all business, his brows lightly furrowed.

"Well, obviously, if there's a trespassing, they all move there," Lydia replied after a reflective pause. "Otherwise, not really. Even when he goes away for a few days, there are fewer guards but they're still there."

Magnus nodded, scratching his ear absentmindedly. Alec had learned to know this gesture meant he was thinking too hard about something.

"Does he go in the East corridor a lot?" he inquired and there was something in his voice, a decided edge that did nothing to temper Alec's concern.

"Yes," Lydia stated firmly. "He usually goes there for lunch and then again in the evening when I'm heading out."

"So he probably visits whoever is in there," Magnus replied reflectively.

"Magnus, where are you going with this?" Isabelle asked, voicing Alec's own thoughts out loud.

"I'll get to that", he answered. "Do you think there's a way he'd get rid of some of the guards?" he questioned, turning back to Lydia.

She shrugged. "I don't know. He might, for the right reasons."

"Do you think he'd agree to get rid of some of the guards if I'd ask him to?" Magnus uttered slowly, dragging the words out apprehensively.

"What are you talking about?" Alec cut in with a frown.

Magnus spared him a quick glance, soft and open but Alec was too distressed to appreciate it.

"I have an idea," he said in lieu of an answer. "And none of you is going to like it but it's the best idea we have."

"Magnus, I think I know where you're going with this and I can't let you do that," Hodge put in, a disapproving edge to his voice. "It's too risky."

"It's our best shot," Magnus retorted firmly.

"What exactly is this idea?" Jace asked, glancing between Magnus and Alec, but Alec was as confused as the rest of them and he found himself getting a little bitter at the thought, shrugging at his brother.

"Lydia, I need you to tell Valentine that I want to apologize," Magnus said leisurely, ignoring the rest of the team to focus on her.

"What?" Isabelle exclaimed. "Why would you want to apologize?"

"I don't want to," Magnus replied, "and I am definitely not sorry but he doesn't need to know that. Let me explain and then you'll be free to yell at me."

He cast a glance over the room, his eyes drifting over the familiar faces, but Alec was well aware that he clearly avoided looking his way.

"We need to act fast," Magnus went on when no one else tried to talk. "This is not just a robbery anymore, we all know that. We need to get whoever he's holding prisoner out. We can't just leave them at his mercy. But we won't be able to do that without a good distraction. So I'll be the distraction."

"No," Alec said harshly.

"Yes," Magnus declared with gravity, cutting short any attempt at further argument. "I'll go in on the pretext of apologizing for punching him. I'll keep him occupied while the Lightwoods get in by the attic. Lydia can work with Clary on drawing a map of the manor so you know where you're stepping foot. I'll help with what I've seen from the East corridor. While they go in, the rest of you," he added, gesturing to Luke, Hodge and Clary, "will have to provide a distraction to lure the guards away from the East corridor so that Alec and Jace can break in. Sean, we'll still need you to disable the security cameras so that none of your faces are caught on tape."

"He'll kill you the moment he realizes something is wrong," Alec snapped. He was relieved to notice that the rest of the team nodded in support of his statement.

"Then it's your job to make sure he doesn't," Magnus retorted. "Jace and you can take care of freeing the prisoner and then breaking in the safe if it's in that room. Isabelle will disable the alarm like she did for Rosenberg. She's done it once, she knows how to do it and she'll be able to do it again. This leaves you about four minutes and a half to do all of that. We'll wear the earpiece. As soon as you're out of the room, one of you can call me and provide an excuse for me to leave. Four minutes and a half is not a lot of time but it can work on both sides. It's not a lot for us but it's also not a lot of time for him to notice that something is going on. Hopefully, we'll all be gone by the time he realizes what happened."

"Hopefully?" Alec echoed angrily. He just wanted to reach out to grab his shoulders and shake him to knock some sense into his head. "Hopefully is not good enough, Magnus!" he exclaimed. "This is a terrible idea!"

"It's a solid plan," Magnus replied stubbornly. "You're letting your feelings for me cloud your judgment."

Alec's mouth fell open in bewilderment. He couldn't believe Magnus had just used this to make his point. His eyes darkened.

"I'm not," he responded grimly. "This is too dangerous. What if he doesn't want to hear about your apology? What if he just wants to get back at you for punching him? What if –"

"Alexander, you can go on forever with 'what ifs'. What if everything goes according to plan?" Magnus cut in and his voice sounded oddly distanced, like he was trying to show some reserve towards Alec, like he was trying to be nothing but professional and a little while ago, Alec would have appreciated this kind of behavior. Now, he didn't. They were not just business partners, not anymore, not when Alec's whole body what still sore from their afternoon spent under the sheets.

"Alec is right," Luke butted in, cutting short their staring match. "Magnus, we can't make you run straight into the wolf's mouth."

"You're not making me do anything. This is my choice."

"But –" Isabelle started.

"No," Magnus snapped, standing tall on his feet and in that moment, he almost looked taller than Alec himself, chin up in defiance and eyes held straight in sharp superiority. "It's a good, solid plan and if we want to act fast, it's the best we're going to get. Believe me or not, this is not the most dangerous situation I've found myself in and in the words of Sir Elton John, I'm still standing. I can take care of myself."

"We're a team," Luke countered, just as Hodge sighed, "Magnus is right."

Alec's head snapped to Hodge, his eyes widening in betrayal. "What?"

"Magnus is right," Hodge repeated. "It's a good plan. I don't like it. I wished we had a better, safer idea but let's face it, we don't and we just can't let Valentine hurt whoever he is keeping in there."

"Do you dislike him so much that you're going to let him go on with a suicide mission?" Alec blurted out heatedly, pointing an accusatory finger at Hodge.

"I don't dislike him," the latter answered calmly, rolling his eyes.

"He's jealous of me," Magnus cut in matter-of-factly, like it was obvious. It must have been because Hodge didn't try to contradict him.

"I don't care what this is about," Luke sighed and Alec was grateful to have someone taking over to try to knock some sense into Magnus (and now Hodge too) because he was starting to tremble with nerves. "Alec is right. If Valentine realizes something is wrong, he won't give you time to explain or find an excuse, he'll kill you immediately."

Magnus heaved out a deep breath. "You all seem to think this is up for debate," he stated, crossing his arms over his chest in a conceited manner. "It's not. I've made my decision. It might be dangerous but it's just me. It's one person in danger, versus the rest of you. I'm not leaving you a choice. I am going to do this and we are going to follow my plan because it's the best one we have. Period."

Alec let out a disbelieving, breathless laugh. His mind was running a million miles an hour and he couldn't think straight, couldn't summon an argument that would be powerful enough to make Magnus understand how wrong he was. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in him, he was almost certain Magnus could pull this off, but he recognized the feeling creeping down his stomach, his protective instincts kicking in strongly. He hoped the rest of the team would be more eloquent than him, because his brain was painfully blank.

"Fine," Luke sighed, shattering Alec's hope with a simple word.

He couldn't even find the strength to argue, his mouth falling open in shock.

"Luke, you can't be serious," Clary muttered, sharing a worried glance with Isabelle.

"Magnus is an adult," Luke said strictly, "and he's been doing this for a long time. He knows what he's doing."

"Doing what?" Jace butted in with a frown. "Going after psychopathic murderers? This is not a regular robbery. Now, I'm sure Alec and I can pull this off, this is not a problem. We've done fine at Rosenberg's but the guy was absent and none of us were putting our lives at risk."

"I'll be fine," Magnus repeated inflexibly.

"If anything happens to you, how do you expect us to forgive ourselves?" Alec blurted out in irritation, voice wavering with both cold fury and concern.

He didn't say the words but he could read in Magnus's eyes that he understood exactly what Alec meant. He knew that he was referring to Ragnor, to Magnus's guilt, to the nightmares that scattered his nights, keeping him from sleep. It was a low blow, Alec had to admit, but it was also his last resort.

It seemed to strike a chord in Magnus's because he dropped the determined act after a quick moment and uncrossed his arms, his shoulders slumping slightly. His features softened and it was actually way worse for Alec to witness than when he had been holding the resolute demeanor because the vulnerability Magnus was suddenly displaying made his heart clench in his chest. He had known about Magnus's guilt, he had heard him whimper Ragnor's name in his sleep but nothing had prepared him for the hurt he could read in his eyes.

"Look," Magnus stated softly, "I would have been in danger anyway. We all knew from the start that Valentine was dangerous and that this whole thing was risky. If I had offered this exact plan a few weeks ago, none of you would have protested like you are now. We spent a lot of time together and we obviously grew to like each other. Trust me, I am grateful for your concern but you have to forget about me and think about the bigger picture. This is a good plan."

The silence that followed his statement stretched for a while and Alec knew there was coherence behind his words, knew that Magnus had thought this through and that it wasn't just a passing whim. His brain was aware of all of that but his heart was beating hard in his chest, his wild heartbeat echoing in his temples deafeningly and he had to take a deep breath to force himself to calm down. It didn't work.

"So, Lydia," Magnus said when no one tried to protest again, "can you please talk to Valentine tomorrow and set up a dinner? Tell him I called you because I want to apologize and that I'd rather do that without the full security and the myriad of guards around."

She didn't react immediately, her eyes focused on Alec, who lowered his head to avoid any of their gazes, because she wasn't the only one trying to catch his eyes. He didn't want to let them see how affected he was. His strong reaction was bewildering even to him and he felt utterly vulnerable, utterly exposed.

Alec had always been a protector but he realized now that it was also partly because Jace and Isabelle and Max allowed themselves to be taken care of. They knew he needed it and somehow, they needed it too. They knew how important their safety was to him, how vital it was for him to know them safe. Magnus had never let anyone protect him. Alec was aware of his relationship with Raphael, but he was also aware that no matter how worried Raphael got, it never stopped Magnus from acting on his impulses. Magnus could take care of himself and had no will to see that change, especially not for someone he had known for a couple of months. Alec hated it. He hated how useless it made him feel. How powerless. How absolutely terrified he was to realize he was already in too deep.

"Fine," Lydia answered, giving up on her attempt to reassure Alec with a glance.

"Thank you," Magnus sighed.

An awkward silence settled again and Alec was surprised to realize Simon didn't even try to break it. He glanced up at the hacker and was surprised to meet his eyes immediately. Simon gave him a small smile, like he knew exactly what was going on inside of his head but Alec highly doubted it was true when he had no idea himself.

"Hey!" Lydia blurted out overenthusiastically in an effort to ease down some of the tension. "It just occurred to me… I don't have a code name!"

Alec faked a chuckle, trying to appear composed. Unlike his, the rest of the team's laughter seemed genuine.

"I think I'm going to have to surrender my Maria Hill alias to you," Simon put in with a soft smile. "It suits you."

Lydia grinned at him, then at the rest of the team. "Who are you then?"

"I guess I'll have to be Spiderman," Simon declared theatrically. "It's a burden but someone has to bear it."

"You're ridiculous," Jace grunted with a roll of his eyes. Two seconds later, they were arguing.

Alec ignored them to look back at Magnus who was staring right back at him, a patent apology in his eyes. His skin prickled unpleasantly, his heart panging painfully in his chest.

How he wished he would have never agreed to this in the first place. It was far more demanding than he had imagined in the first place.

And he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong.

Hello lovelies,

What did you think of the chapter?
Poor Simon. He'll be okay, though. I don't think he's scarred for life.

When you leave reviews, Magnus uses his distraction skills on Alec. (no, I'm not making these up!)

Cookies are good for your health:
"Raphael?" Luke blurted out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Murder," he retorted without stopping, almost ripping the fence out of its hinges.
He easily spotted Magnus because he was wearing a bright red shirt and also because he was sitting with his legs crossed next to Clary, whose red hair was pretty recognizable.
He stomped his way down the beach quickly. "Magnus!" he yelled as soon as he was close enough to be heard.

Next: Grumpy Raphael turns into Very Angry Raphael. (with Raphael's POV, yay!)

Come and yell at me on tumblr.

Next chapter on Monday!

All the love,
L.