I doubt anybody will be surprised as to where Maxine portals to. :D
Enjoy.
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Maxine steps out the portal into the loft and puts Mikey on his feet.
A furnished loft.
She glances at the sofa, coffee table and chairs in their rightful places, as she walks to Max's bedroom. She peeks in and sees everything where it should be, including his laptop on top of his bed. Mikey holds her leg as she stares at the laptop.
"Maxine, what a pleasant surprise."
She turns and sees Magnus1 standing by his office. She stares at him as tears run down her face.
He gently says, "Maxine, talk to me."
With a whimper, she runs into his arms. Mikey follows and stands behind her as Magnus1 hugs her, "Whatever happened, we will fix it."
She holds him tight as she sobs into his shirt, "Woke up in a strange place. Stupid lady's calling me Alberta. The loft is empty. Uncle Jace hates me. Raj is alive, Not Poppa. That nasty man is alive but I don't know where Daddy and Poppa are. I have to be strong for Mikey but I'm scared. Really really scared."
Magnus1 holds her as he glances at a silent Mikey gripping her leg tight and looking at Magnus1 with blank purple eyes. Magnus1 kisses the top of her head, "And Mikey?"
She pulls away from Magnus1 and wipes her eyes, "He hasn't said a word. He was in that awful place as well. I guess the Institute was warded. My magic was blocked but Mikey was able to send Raj flying. If I wasn't so scared, I would have laughed." She sighs and picks Mikey up. She kisses his forehead, "Love you." Mikey rests his head on her shoulder without a word. She sighs.
Magnus1 squeezes her arm, "Max should be home in a few minutes. He's just dropping off a vial for me in Bensonhurst. Have you eaten anything?"
Maxine shakes her head, "No. I'm too upset to eat."
"Okay, how about some tea?"
Maxine shrugs, "I guess."
Magnus1 smiles, "Sit down. Like I said, we will fix this."
"Okay, Not Poppa." She walks over to the kitchen table and sits down with Mikey on her lap. He looks up at her. She kisses his nose, "It's okay, Max will be here soon."
Mikey rests his head on her shoulder.
Maxine sighs, "It bothers me that he isn't talking."
Magnus1 pours hot water in two cups, "Not that it matters, but Max should be able to find out why." He brings their tea to the table.
Maxine nods, "I guess so. Thank you, Not Poppa."
Magnus1 sits down, "You're welcome, darling."
They drink their tea in silence until a portal opens by the sofa and Max walks into the loft. He smiles when he sees their guests, "Maxine, Mikey, what's the occasion?"
Maxine's hand trembles as she puts her cup down, "I don't know where Daddy and Poppa are. Stupid lady called me 'Alberta' and Mikey 'Lionel'. The loft is empty. Uncle Jace hates warlocks. Raj is alive." Tears roll down her face. Magnus1 puts an arm around her as Max runs into his bedroom. She wipes her face, "Sorry Not Poppa."
He kisses her forehead, "Sorry for what?"
"For crying again."
He hugs her, "Nothing to be sorry about."
Max opens his laptop, and powers it on as he puts it on the table. He walks over to Maxine and hugs her, "I got this."
She gives him a weak smile, "I know."
Max kisses her cheek. He sits next to her and pulls the laptop over to him. He glances at Mikey, "How's he doing?" Max starts typing.
Maxine kisses the top of her brother's head, "He's not talking but he tossed Raj across the War Room."
Max sniffs, "Raj needs to stay dead." Maxine nods.
Magnus1 nods, "I think we can all agree on that."
"So you were Alberta?"
Maxine nods, "Yeah."
Max sniffs, "When I woke up in the orphanage, some stupid lady called me 'Albert'. I wonder if it's the same lady."
Maxine shrugs, "Don't care. My name is Maxine."
Magnus1 smiles, "Interesting. Max and Maxine become Albert and Alberta."
Maxine wrinkles her nose, "Yeck, Not Poppa." She looks down at Mikey and weakly smiles, he's running his finger over her tattoo. She kisses the red mark on his scalp, "How do they get Lionel from Mikey?"
Magnus1 shakes his head, "That one I have no explanation for."
Max continues typing, "Daddy still in Idris?"
Magnus1 closes his eyes then opens them with a sigh, "Yes."
"I wonder if you put more magic into the rune, would that allow you to sense him there."
"No idea, Max."
Maxine nods, "Poppa complains about that all the time."
Max glances at their 'brother', "I wonder if Mikey would be able to boost the range of the love rune."
Magnus1 nods, "Now that might be a possibility."
Maxine kisses the top of her brother's head, "Mikey can do anything."
"That he can."
Max's eyes narrow as he looks at the screen, "Aldertree, Raj, Hodge, all of them are still alive."
"Who's the Head?"
Max sniffs, "Aldertree took over from Robert."
Magnus1 nods, "Which would explain the anti-warlock wards."
Maxine kisses her brother's head, "But Mikey was able to do magic."
Magnus1 smiles, "That's because Mikey is a powerful warlock, no matter what."
Max shakes his head, "Damn."
Maxine holds Mikey tight as Magnus1 puts an arm around her, "However bad it is, we can fix it."
Maxine looks at Max, "Tell me."
Max takes a deep breath, "He revoked the order."
Magnus1 raises an eyebrow, "144.45?"
Max nods, "Yes, Poppa."
"Why would Magnus do that?"
Max shakes his head, "Not Magnus. Alec."
"When?"
"A week later, Poppa."
Maxine mutters, "By the angel."
Magnus1 shakes his head, "Why?"
Max shrugs, "It doesn't say. Only that he revoked it and Magnus had to return his dresser to the Institute. Then Magnus cleared out the loft and moved to Florida."
"Florida? I hate Florida."
"I have no idea, Poppa."
Magnus shakes his head, "Whatever. So where is Alec now?"
Max reaches for Maxine's hand as he gently says, "Dead."
Maxine closes her eyes as tears roll down her face. Magnus1 holds her tight, "It's not permanent. We will get him back."
Maxine nods, "I know, Not Poppa."
Magnus1 kisses her forehead, "How, Max?"
Max holds Maxine's hand, "Emil and Rogan. His throat was slashed and his dead body was left in front of the Institute."
Magnus1, Max and Maxine jump when a lamp on the end table explodes.
Magnus1 gently puts a finger under Mikey's chin and lifts his face. Mikey gives him a blank stare then goes back to looking at Maxine's tattoo, his finger running across 'Lightwood'. Magnus1 flicks his hand to restore the lamp, then leans back in the chair, "Why wasn't Mikey there?"
"Because Alec and Uncle Jace were patrolling in the area, when that bastard killed Mikey's mama. They saw it happen and chased Emil away. They handed the baby to the Clave and he was placed in an orphanage."
Magnus1 raises an eyebrow, "So when did Alec cross paths with Emil again?"
"Four years later, Poppa."
Maxine rests her chin on Mikey's head, "When Mikey saved Daddy."
Max nods, "Exactly. Emil and Rogan just happened to be in Brooklyn and saw Alec by himself. Emil recognized him and they grabbed him."
Magnus1 sighs, "That would explain Jace's hostility towards warlocks. They killed his parabatai."
"I guess, Poppa. Emil and Rogan first went after Alec because they wanted to send a message, this time they went after him for payback."
The same lamp explodes.
Magnus1 raises an eyebrow, then restores the lamp with a flick of his wrist. He looks at Mikey, "He obviously has full control over his magic, so why isn't he talking?"
Max shrugs, "No idea, Poppa. His paper work at the orphanage only has the basic info, not much else."
Maxine kisses the top of Mikey's head. He looks at her, as she wipes her eyes, then returns his attention to her tattoo. Maxine whispers, "Why was I in an orphanage?"
Max sits back in his chair, "Magnus was in Florida, so you were left at the Institute, but Alec was on patrol that night. By the time he returned, you had already been handed to the Clave. I guess Mistress Destiny then made sure Mikey was put in the same orphanage as you."
Magnus1 nods, "Yes, she tries her best to make it easy for us to fix these messes. Okay, we need a plan, Maxine, you and Mikey need to go back."
Maxine bites her lip, "To the orphanage?"
Magnus1 shakes his head, "No, to the loft. Put your bed where it belongs and try to get some sleep. When you wake up, I guarantee things will be right again."
"Okay, Not Poppa." She stands holding Mikey. She smiles at him, "We're going home." He silently looks at her. She sighs as she puts him on his feet.
Magnus1 stands and hugs her. He takes her face in his hands and kisses her forehead, "This is just a bad dream that you will wake up from in a few hours."
"I hope so, Not Poppa."
Max stands and hugs her, "I'll make sure of it."
"Thank you, Max." She holds Mikey's hand tight as she opens a portal and they leave the loft.
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Maxine sighs as they walk out the portal into the unfurnished loft. Mikey looks up at her. She takes a deep breath and picks him up, "All a bad dream, Mikey."
She carries him into her bedroom. She flicks her hand and her bed appears. She puts Mikey on the bed and he sits down. She removes his shoes and drops them on the floor.
She sits on the bed and takes off her sneakers. She lays on her side and smiles as Mikey snuggles close to her. She holds him tight and whispers, "Sweet dreams, Mikey."
She lays there listening to his soft breathing as he falls asleep. She closes her eyes and thinks about her Daddy's warm smile and her Poppa's laughter. Soon she falls asleep as well.
-tbc-
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Just a reminder that this takes place a year after most of the Max's Adventures fanfics.