"We're being called in by the Institute," Shu sighed. "Well, you are, anyway."
"Are you really so against going there?"
"Shadowhunters and I stay out of each other's way. Some of them are real bitches. Actually 99% of them are real bitches, and that 1% are good people but with only half of a brain. Well, sometimes. On rare occasions they actually make good decisions, but I digress. You're being brought in for an autopsy on some creature that attacked Lucian - Luke's - pack. They say it looks like a Forsaken, but it seemed to have a goal, and it was a lot stronger, taking five wolves to kill it. Definitely Valentine's work, and they need the High Warlock to go in and check for any magical adaptations made to it."
"Sounds fun," He said sarcastically. "Dead body autopsies are what I look forward to in this line of work."
"Alexander might be there."
"Why do I have to go if you don't have to? Why can't you just go in my place?"
"First reason: I'm older. Second reason: Shadowhunters don't like me, I don't like Shadowhunters. Third reason: you're technically the High Warlock of Brooklyn, and I'm just the girl standing next to him, so you are the only one obligated to go, not me."
"Who knows? The Shadowhunters we've currently been acquainted with seem different from the normal ones."
"That's because they're teenagers and bending the rules is still okay for them. The adults, not so much. Sticklers for rules, and they are not nice when it comes to making themselves look good in front of their superiors. They'd do anything if it made sure that their honor was intact, especially the Lightwoods, and especially Maryse - who I hear is currently back at the Institute because of Alec, Jace, and Isabelle breaking a few rules for Clary's sake. Not to mention hanging around in Downworlder affairs. Scandalous."
"Well, perhaps I will go, but I can't promise I won't do anything rash."
"You're really playing that card? Mags, you're a powerful big, bad Warlock, but I know you well enough that you wouldn't go causing trouble with the Clave for no reason."
"They're calling a purebred Warlock in, me of all people. They know that it's me, and are calling me in even with my reputation. It's not like they're going to arrest you for having demonic blood if they're willingly calling me in."
"I still don't like it there, Magnus. Feels like any moment they'll lock me up for being a heathen or monster. They'd say 'Something like you should never exist,' 'It's a risk to the world,' 'It's for the best that we kill you.' I know Shadowhunters, I know the Clave. That's what they'd do."
"Not this time. You're my assistant, under my protection, and you can always portal your way out if anything goes wrong. Besides, if you don't like coming to parties, you might as well get your Vitamin D somehow."
"First off, the sun doesn't give you Vitamin D, it just begins a synthesis in the body that allows it to make it's own Vitamin D. Secondly, we've got windows here. Third, you try and take me to nighttime raves, so there isn't any sunlight anyway."
He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Am I really not going to convince you?"
She took a deep breath. "I'll go this one time, Magnus, and that's only because you have a point. They know that you're coming, and you've got a reputation. And I'll portal away the moment things go wrong."
"See? I'll get you out of your shell eventually."
"Don't get cocky."
"You almost done?" Izzy asked.
"Patience is a virtue, my dear," Magnus said, he and Shu waving their magic across the Forsaken's body.
"Come on. I wanna get my hands on that thing."
"Speaking of which, how is Alexander? I was hoping I might hear from him."
"Putrefaction," Izzy said, examining the corpse with a disgusted look on her face as she took a whiff. "It's decomposing."
"Yes, I believe that was clear enough," Shu said.
"It's just so hard to tell if Alexander's even interested," Magnus continued. "I mean, I can't fathom why he wouldn't be."
"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but my brother is not exactly warm and fuzzy," Izzy said.
"Hmm, I suppose. With Clary's arrival…"
"And Valentine's return."
"Running the Institute…" Shu added.
"The envoy from the Clave…"
"Oh, who I hear is very impressive," Magnus added before sighing. "What else? Oh. Babysitting Jace."
"And dealing with our parents who are trying to find him a wife."
"Politically arranged marriage in which Alec gets barely any say?" Shu asked.
"On the mark."
"Honestly. Things haven't changed for millennia."
Izzy looked and saw Magnus's mood had instantly decreased. "Sorry," She said.
"It's quite all right," Magnus managed. "I suppose Alec is just following his duty."
"Not everyone gets the luxury of following their heart."
"I'd say if you love them elope, but only if you have a plan," Shu said. "Obviously it went so well with Romeo and Juliet, but in their defense it was Shakespeare as well as the times that made them so idiotic. But honestly, when you guys are stuck having to maintain some kind of reputation in return for your heart? Your free will? And you look down upon us Downworlders and mundanes."
Magnus sighed. "I'm gonna go deliver the preliminary findings. It seems like you have everything under control here. Shu?"
She nodded and followed Magnus out as Izzy began to cut open the corpse.
"I'm sure Alec's not one for getting married just for his reputation," Shu said. "Maybe he might've been, but I think he's changed since meeting Clary. Since meeting you. Things have been hectic for him, but maybe that's made him open his eyes."
"Maybe."
"You really like him, don't you? I haven't seen you this upset since, well…I don't know. Imasu maybe."
"I don't want another Imasu."
"Yet here we are. The point is, I think you're more in love than I've ever seen you. And you haven't even begun a relationship yet."
They found Alec in the training area.
They had to walk around the Shadowhunter Institute with many Shadowhunters around them, and the entire time, Shu felt like there were eyes on her, someone who knew what she was and was planning on stabbing her in the back because of it.
They made it without incident, and as Alec was the only one in the training area, she took a deep breath of relief.
Magnus walked around so that Alec could see him, and he stopped his workout when he did. "Magnus."
Magnus stared for a moment, obviously dazed at the fact that Alec was training without a shirt on. Shu noticed Magnus wasn't saying anything and whacked him on the arm. "Mags."
He jolted out of his daze, trying to recompose himself. "Okay, I'm back."
Alec walked past, still panting from his workout, and grabbed his shirt.
"Oh, you don't have to get dressed up for me," Magnus said. He sighed. "Fine. But I like what I saw…"
"We have the preliminary autopsy findings," Shu said, handing him the folder.
"Why are you giving this to me? This should go to the head of the Institute."
"And it is," Magnus said.
"I'm not. And I never will be."
Shu elbowed Magnus when she saw he was staring at his still-exposed chest, since Alec hadn't buttoned it up yet. He snapped back to attention, forcing himself to look at Alec's eyes and keep a straight face.
"Magnus, it's like…it's like my whole life has been a lie. Everything I've ever known is…"
"It's not what you thought," He finished, having his own experience to sympathize with.
Alec sighed. "I've done everything for my parents. For the Clave, and…it's-it's-I've done everything that they've asked."
"Maybe you should start living for yourself. Do what's in your heart."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you're right."
Magnus smiled, managing to keep his composure.
"We should probably go," Shu said. "We, uh, have more autopsy stuff to deal with. Mags?"
"Right," He nodded. "Gotta go, but, I'll…see ya around."
Alec nodded. "Yeah. Yeah…"
"Great."
Magnus turned and walked away awkwardly, while trying to keep his composure. It was only once he and Shu had walked around the corner that he let out the breath he'd been holding.
"You think he did that on purpose?" He asked. "He must've known I was coming, right? So he just decides to train shirtless? He was taunting me! Do you think so?"
"I have no idea, bro. But hey, that might be the case."
"What do you think he's going to do?"
"Who knows? If he's gonna ignore the obligations and expectations of the Clave and his parents, that might help him open up about things. And help him get out of the closet. I swear, he's searching vigorously for Narnia in there. In any case, I'm rooting for you two."
"Thanks."
He paused.
"Do we really have more autopsy stuff to do?"
"We could go check on Isabelle, but not really. It was either say that or let you two stare at each other awkwardly for a few minutes before someone finally said they had to go. I may be all for you two but the awkwardness grows with each encounter."
"There's been an attack on the Institute."
"Are we really surprised at this point?"
"It was a Forsaken that had the ability to break past the wards on the place meant for Downworlders. According to Izzy, it had Seelie blood and with angel properties. It went after Hodge and Alec. They're banged up but they'll live. They want us to return and beef up the wards."
"You volunteering?"
"I'm not one to favor the Shadowhunters, but might as well give it our best effort if we want to keep that Mortal Cup out of Valentine's hands. Powering up the wards on the place can't hurt, and if they're still okay with having you, a little magic from me couldn't hurt. And the same rules still apply. Portal out if things get dangerous. They're on high alert, as Izzy found traces of angelic blood in both of the Forsaken she autopsied. Best I get in and out quick, but my magic will help. Let's head back."
Magnus and Shu went to work messing with the wards. They held up a magic screen in front of then and played around with some of the symbols, upgrading the defenses.
"Are the wards solid now?" Alec's father asked. "Nothing will get through?"
Magnus snapped the final instalments in place at that area and and Shu waved her hand to dismiss the magic. They walked over to the next area and began once more.
"Even my magic has limits," Magnus admitted.
"The wards won't be able to hold of the Forsaken attack," Shu explained. "But our protections will slow them down, give you more time to react to it so you aren't ambushed like Hodge. All I can recommend beyond that is to keep in mind that nothing is perfect. The expectation that the wards are solid makes you let your guard down too far. Always be ready, in the back of your mind, for something to attack. Combine the new wards with that mindset, and you should have plenty of time to react to another Forsaken."
"Extra time is priceless," Alec's father muttered.
"No…say that after you get my bill," Magnus said.
Shu rolled her eyes and elbowed him.
"Lydia will take care of that," He said before walking off.
Shu waved her hand and dismissed the magic screen before moving to the next. Magnus, however, took interest in Alec standing there.
"A Forsaken wound often needs a little Warlock TLC," He said. "May I? Uh, free of charge."
He reached for the bandaged wound on Alek's upper arm, but Alec pulled away quickly. "It's okay," He said with a hint of salt. "I'm fine."
"If anything were to happen to you-"
"Magnus…I'm good. All right? I gotta-"
"Go? Of course. You're a busy man. And I should find this Lydia person. Payment upfront is just smart business. Where might I find her?"
"I haven't seen her. But if I do, I'll send her your way."
He walked off, and Shu dismissed the ward screen.
"What's up with him?" She asked.
"I don't know, but it has me worried."
"You're not the only one. It's like he's possessed, or something. It feels like a Valentine all over again."
"I doubt he'd go that far."
"I'm not saying he'd do what Valentine did. He's going in the opposite direction, but it seems like he's going just as far."
"Let me get this straight," Magnus said. "You need Alec's stele to open the safe and you want me to steal it from him?"
"I prefer the word 'borrow,'" Jace clarified.
"Without his knowledge," Izzy added.
Magnus put a finger up. "No. No can do. Not happening."
He began to walk off before Shu grabbed his arm. "Mags, wait."
"Ever since Alec found out our parents were in the Circle, he's been…messed up," Jace explained.
"He's right, Magnus. There is seriously something wrong with him. He can't see the big picture. He's becoming like the Clave superiors."
"If the Clave is willing to subject Meliom to the Silent Brothers, if they're willing to go this far…what do you think will happen if they get the cup?" Izzy asked. "This affects everyone."
"Help us get into that safe," Jace begged. "Help us stop this."
Magnus hesitated.
"Magnus Bane, if you do not help fix whatever's happened to Alec, I will no longer approve of him, and you know what happens when you and I disagree on things," Shu said firmly, crossing her arms.
Magnus looked between her, Jace, and Izzy.
He sighed. "You're both going to owe me. I'm talking 14th century. Gold, rubies, definitely diamonds." Shu rolled her eyes. "And Alec can never know."
"That's a given," Jace agreed.
"If we're going to do this, there's no turning back," He warned.
Jace and Izzy shared a glance. Their minds were made up.
Magnus walked to the room where Alec was tending to the wound on his arm. He waved his hand and made a window into the room in some of his magic, waiting until Alec wasn't looking before snapping. His stele disappeared from his jacket, appearing in Shu's hand.
She quickly drew the symbol with the stele and opened the safe, and Jace grabbed Clary's necklace as well as the card with the cup. Shu closed the safe again and then transported the stele back to Magnus, who waiting for the opportune moment to snap it back into Alec's jacket pocket.
Magnus quickly closed the magic looking glass once more just before Alec walked out of the room.
"All done for today," Magnus quickly said. "Place is secure. Not bad for a day's work. I thought I'd see how you were doing."
Alec hesitated. "I meant to thank you for your advice. The whole "Follow your heart," thing…"
"Oh, well, what can I say? I have a deep understanding of the human psyche. It's mostly Shu's fault, really. A bit overdramatic at times, but I learned from her whether I liked it or not."
"Thanks a lot, bro," Shu muttered.
"What?" Jace asked.
"Nothing."
"At least that's what Freud always said," Magnus continued.
"Oh, look, someone you're actually old enough to have met," She muttered.
"Are you okay?" Jace asked.
"Quiet, honey, I'm eavesdropping on something important."
"I'm getting married," Alec admitted.
"He's what?!"
"Okay, it's time to go," Jace said, pulling her off.
"Whoa," Magnus muttered, trying to hide his fear that Alec wasn't joking. "That's a tad sudden, isn't it? I mean, we should at least go to dinner first-"
"No, Magnus. Look, family is everything to me. You have to know that."
He shook his head, trying to keep down his feelings and play it off. "I get it. You're part of a "Don't ask, don't tell" culture. I'm fine with it. You're a traditional guy."
"Yeah, I am. That's why I proposed to Lydia."
"That bitch I've been seeing around the Institute?" Shu hissed.
"Would you please calm the hell down?" Izzy requested.
Magnus was having trouble keeping things down, and he could barely speak. "That's…interesting."
"I-It makes sense," Alec said. "It's a solid partnership. For both of us."
"Solid partnership," Magnus repeated before laughing out his anger. "That's…hot!" He took a deep breath. "Well, okay then. Congratulations. Marriage is a wonderful institution. Not that I would know."
He took a sharp inhale as he fought now to not keep down his rising fear, but to keep down his burning rage. "Goodbye, Alexander."
And with that, Magnus walked away before he could punch something.
"You might wanna pick up the pace," Jace requested.
"You do not wanna be on my bad side right now," Izzy warned.
"Are you gonna be okay?"
"The whole world is turning upside down. Simon turned into a vampire. Now Meliom might die because of some-"
"It's not anything you did. They just put a bunch of unrelated facts together and came up with a big lie."
"I wish that made me feel better."
"I gotta go," Shu said. "Just to warn you, Izzy, I may or may not kill Alec depending on what Magnus has to say about that marriage thing."
"Believe me, I might just beat you to it."
And with that, Shu jumped through a portal to Magnus.
"You can't just give up on him, Mags. I saw something inside him when he saw your face."
"You were eavesdropping?"
"Of course I was, Magnus. This is me we're talking about. Anyway, I know there's still a good guy in there. I think you can snap him out of this. He thinks this is following his heart, but in the end, he's doing the exact opposite, walking down the path everyone expects him to. I'd rather have you do everything you can to try and get him back than let him walk off a cliff like this."
"Why do I get the feeling you're more freaked out about this than I am?"
"Because you are bottling everything up, and therefore I am letting everything out. Yin and yang, Mag. You know how this works. Everything that I'm doing is something that you would be too if I weren't taking all the heat. Jace is working on a way to snap Alec out of this anti-rule-flouter mode, but I don't think he's gonna be able to stop him that easily. He's walking into a dangerous area, afraid of doing something wrong, of becoming like Valentine if he breaks the rules to do what he thinks is right, but he can't see that he's no better than Valentine. He's just got the Clave and their madness behind him instead."
She shook her head. "We can snap him out of this. We can work on this. Totally."
And in truth, Shu was right. Magnus felt inside just as confused and panicked as Shu did on the outside, except Shu was handling both of their feelings all at once. It wasn't really that Magnus wasn't able to handle it on his own, but Shu was taking it willingly to try and spare him the emotions that would be surging through him.
"Shu, thank you, but…I'll be fine on my own."
"Are…are you sure? Mags, I can feel-"
"I can handle things on my own. And I have the right to feel my own feelings about what's happened."
She swallowed and sighed. "Okay. Fine. I'm sorry, I just…I worry about you."
"I know. And…I'm not denying the offer of comfort. Just…let there be something to comfort, right?"
"That is flawless logic," She muttered. "But okay. I trust you can handle your emotions, and you have a right to them. But if you ever need…a break…"
"I know you'll be there for me," He said sincerely.
"Okay."
And then Magnus felt the heavy weight of pain swirl within his chest once more.