So far, Alec has been very satisfied with his night shift. Outside the building, a heavy storm is sweeping through the streets of New York. Thick raindrops are knocking on the window next to him while he enjoys his short coffee break. Rainy weather always means lots of customers. It seems as if everyone thinks they were made of sugar and would disappear the second a raindrop falls on them.

But honestly, he isn't complaining at all. More customers mean more money. It is as simple as it sounds. So in the end, their stupidity pays his bills, just by driving them safely, and more important dryly to their destinations. And he desperately needs the money; his rent can't be paid with love and air. Well with „love" perhaps, but that is not an option for him. At least in this case and with a landlord as ugly as his.

So here he is, granting himself a small, but deserved break at his favorite local diner, celebrating the successful night. Bright smiling he sits on his usual seat and watches the raindrops flowing down the huge window on his right.

The diner has its charm literally from the 50's, but Alec likes this shabby spot nonetheless. The food is disgusting, the coffee bitter, but since the first day he walked in, he found peace here, a resting spot for his mind.

It is off the busy streets and isn't visited by casual customers what means it is quiet and the waitresses behind the counter are friendly and caring. What else does he need for a break at night?

So he is sitting at his personal safe haven while catching up on some warmth and energy in his break at 2:30 am, between his long and exhausting ten hours shift, and drinks some nasty coffee with no sugar and no milk. Just as pitch black as the cold night outside. In Alec's opinion, coffee should taste like coffee and not like a candy bar, and definitely no fluids from any kind of animal udders should be added. Well, this one actually doesn't taste any better, but he doesn't mind as long as he is left alone in his usual corner and the caffeine kicks some life into him again.

And normally he is left alone. In the last six months since he is doing this job and keeps up his visits to this special diner at the same time every night, there were only two situations he remembers in which someone recognized him and tried to talk to him, or asked him some questions about his former life. But that was okay with him. He could handle the few people by barking at them, telling them that they should piss off; he was done with whatever past he had. Whatever life he had before the accident, it wouldn't come back. No-one looked for him and he stopped his longing search as well. He had to accept it. It was better that way than to keep on wondering where his family was.

Alec sometimes wonders why his costumers never recognize his face, but in the end he really doesn't care. Is it because his clients are mostly drunk? Or perhaps they just don't give a shit about the driver as long as he does his job properly. He quickly noticed that they couldn't care less about the driver. His job was third class. Or was he really a nobody who nobody missed?

No matter why, Alec doesn't complain. He needs this job badly. It is his only chance for a new start in New York again so far. Nobody was willing to offer him a job before. With no past there comes no degree. And well, without anything at hand, Alec couldn't get a proper job. So he took the first job he got without thinking twice. Maybe at some point in the future he would dare to think about a better future.

Well, there was one guy named Jordan who tried to support him after the accident when he woke up with no clue whatsoever. But Alec was never a man who only relied on others. He couldn't stand the thought that he needed help and so he tried to manage to stand on his own feet as soon as he could. Therefore he rejected any help from this guy and told him to back off.

At least that's what he thinks he had been as a person before the accident. Who are you if there is nothing left from you?

His thoughts are interrupted by the soft voice of Maia, a young waitress, who asks Alec if he wanted more coffee. With a small nod he accepts another fix of steamy hot liquid and mouths a silent 'thank you' towards her. With a kind smile, a real one which reaches her eyes, she leaves, giving him the personal space he needs. She is one of the rare human beings who seem to understand him.

Six weeks ago, in a weak moment, in which everything seemed to crash down on him, he told her about the accident and his struggle. Ever since she respected his need of being alone and never asked him about it again. On the contrary. Deep down in his guts he has the feeling that she is watching over him now, waiting to protect him from unknown forces. And that feels good, he must admit. He is almost grateful.

His gaze follows her movements while she walks back behind the counter. She takes her usual seat next to the bar and waits for her next customer who wants their breakfast on the fresh day. Above her, a huge clock tells Alec that his break is almost up and that he has to get back to his cab. His boss isn't one who accepts tardiness.

A cab driver must be on time, punctual like an atomic clock. If the customer arrived too late at the airport and the plane already lifted off, heads would roll.

Therefore he finishes the coffee, packs his few things, puts the newspaper under his arm and gets up. He leaves a ten dollar bill at the table, smiles at Maia and goes to the exit. When he opens the door, the cold November wind blows against his face. The weather is indeed terrible. To avoid freezing to ice he wraps himself into his warm jacket, trying to keep the cozy feeling of the diner as long as possible around him. Under his black umbrella he rushes over the empty parking lot towards his car and quickly gets inside. Immediately he turns the heater to maximum, worried to freeze to death in this car, already missing the warmth of the diner. While his body still is shanking like a leaf, he fastens the seatbelt and switches on the phone, giving his headquarter the signal that he is back online and ready to work.

„Hey, Alec, perfect timing as usual," a female voice comes over the device, cutting through the silence in the car.

„Uhm, hi, Jen…yeah, break's over. So tell me… what do you have for me?" His first question is always for the next client. Time is money they say, and it is true. Of course it saves him from needing to make smalltalk which he really hates.

„A man in front of the club Pandemonium wants a ride. He didn't tell me his destination, so don't be mad if it's only two blocks or whatever. I'll send you the address."

„Be there in ten," Alec confirms.

„Fine. Have a safe ride." The voice dies out.

Alec normally hates the idea of driving to a stranger. Not knowing anything about the person gives him an unpleasant feeling. And on top of that, not knowing where this stranger wants to go is even more scary to him. There are a lot of strange people out there and he doesn't have the urge to meet any of them. But it is his job and he had been willing to give it a try. His boss would give him the choice to decline a customer if his guts told him otherwise. So he would look at the man and then decide what to do. Alec knew the club was huge and well-frequented. He would be safe. Obviously there is nothing to fear.

That in mind Alec starts the engine, turns on the lights, and drives over the parking-lot towards the road which leads directly towards Brooklyn.

In the end he makes it in eight minutes and parks his car directly in front of the club. It is a place Alec normally wouldn't go to. Not because the club is dedicated to goth and dark rave music. He doesn't mind people getting dressed as if they directly came out of a dark fairy tale. No. But he doesn't like the fact that there are just too many people around.

He climbs out of the car, opens his umbrella, so he can lead his customer dryly towards the car, and looks up to the entrance. In front of the club is a long waiting line with people wearing black outfits with lots of leather, buckles, metal, and spikes. Every single one a piece of perfect art by themselves. He admires everyone who can confidently express themselves like this.

Alec gets a little curious, how his client will look like. Does he prefer that look as well? Alec lets his eyes scan the area for the man who looks as if he is waiting under the huge canopy that the club had built up because of the endless rain.

It is always hard to find a person in a crowd without knowing their face. Perhaps the man is waiting inside of the warm club, thinking the cab wouldn't be on time thanks to the weather? Alec starts walking towards the entrance to ask the bouncer for a waiting man inside, but gets interrupted by man with a small velvet red trolley who walks straight up to him.

The man looks somewhat strange, but Alec can't really grab why. It seems as if he doesn't give a damn about the rain or the weather. He just makes his way straight towards Alec as if nothing else mattered. He doesn't have an umbrella or a warm coat and his clothes appear to be very thin, extremely fitted and shining in bright colors. He looks like a blinking advertisement light in front of the black wearing goth crowd. And on top of everything, he exudes an amount of grace which almost dazzled him. The other man is outstandingly beautiful. Someone he could be interested in if his life were different.

Alec wants to walk over and take him under his umbrella, but the man just shakes his head and keeps his slow pace towards the taxi. As the man gets closer, Alec can't miss the amount of make-up the man is wearing or his spiked up, black hair with lots of sparkling glitter. Were there rainbow-colored streaks in it? Somehow he seems to be a bright shining alien between the blackness of the other bodies.

Alec closely watches every single motion of him. It reminds Alec of the elegant movements of a cat. That thought suits the man's eyes as they look like he wore cat-eye contact lenses in a deep yellow-green color.

Okay, Alec doesn't know why, but the man looks familiar and is fascinating him right from the start. Something deep inside of him is awakening, makes his stomach twitch. In all the good ways. Out of the blue he is sure that this man is safe. Alec can't think of him hurting a fly. The decision is made by his instincts. He definitely will give him a ride.

Alec greets the man in front of him with a polite nod, opens the backdoor, and lets the man enter the car. Alec closes the door behind the man, tucks the trolley in the trunk, and gets into the driver's seat.

He turns his body and looks directly at the man. Oh dear, that is a first. Never before did he have such a deep urge to check out a man like this. An invisible drive pulls his gaze towards the other man. Attention, Alec, he reminds himself. He must stay focused. This is work after all.

„So, uhm…. Where should I drive you, sir?"
„Denver"
„Denver? ... Pennsylvania?"
„Denver, Colorado."

The stranger doesn't just look handsome, his voice is also sweeter than sugar. Almost purring. The man seems to take his motto seriously ... The voice does things to him ... But, wait a second...

„Color… what?!" His voice sounds an octave higher than usual. What the hell is he talking about? He can't mean that, right? Right!?

„…ado to finish your word. And yes." The man doesn't even have the decency to look up.
„Uhm, that's … I don't know … about 27 hours of driving…"
„Soooo?"
„So? ... Sir, with all due respect, but are you kidding me? It's a minimum two-day ride, one way, without counting traffic or other stuff."
„What's your point?"

„What my point is? Never heard of a plane?" Alec doesn't know what annoys him the most. The way the stranger spoke to him? With his absolute calm voice as if it was the most normal thing in the world to ask for? Or the fact that he still doesn't look at Alec and instead is typing on his phone? Or is it because whenever Alec looks at him, his world comes to a halt and he stops breathing properly in the presence of this man?

„Well, thank you, darling, I'm not from the Middle Ages," Alec doesn't miss the bitter laugh which escapes from the customer's throat, „but planes are not a safe option right now ..." The man presses his lips together, squeezing all the blood out of them until they are completely white. Surprisingly, Alec doesn't like it. Those lips are too precious to torment them like this, „... so would you now be kind enough and start your engine? We have a long drive ahead."

„And now the guys of 'funny camera pranks' are coming along and everybody is laughing, right?" The situation is just surreal.

„Well, ok, look ... here's the deal. You drive me to Denver, and I'll pay for everything during and after the ride. Will that help you to start driving now? It's pretty urgent!" The other man doesn't wait for the answer, he just focused back on the phone lying on his thighs. For him, the conversation is clearly finished.

Alec blinks twice in confusion. What the hell is wrong with this man!? He's extremely beautiful for sure, but his craziness just predominates.
For a moment, Alec keeps wondering whether this is a joke or not. But in the end he decides to give it a try. That man has definitely a familiar aura and Alec wants to get behind that attractive, shiny halo. And well, now he has two days to get behind all of that. And besides, if this is real and he doesn't make a huge fool out of himself, he could make a lot of money with this road trip. Yep, Alec can only win out of doing this. So why not? And if he is a fool, well, he will have a story to tell Maia the next time he is around.

So the decision is made. Alec fastens his seatbelt, starts the engine and the lights, and heads towards the highway.

Meanwhile in the backseat, the man takes his blinking phone and opens the messenger.

[Magnus - 3:20] step 1 done.
[Jace - 3:22] Good. What now?
[Magnus - 3:23] ...step 2?
[Jace – 3:23] That would be?
[Magnus – 3:24] I've no clue...