*-*-*-*-*-*SlightlyEvilMagnusUniverse*-*-*-*-*-*
Chapter 7-The Harsh Light Of Day
Chapter Complete!Magnus rejoins Alec and Simon on the case, Magnus meets Izzy.
*~********~*~********~* Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus *~********~*~********~*Well…he must admit, he really didn't see this coming…
Throughout this case he'd been working under the assumption that the human working with the demon was little more than a power-hungry, probably shallow, jackass. Some greedy, materialistic moron who was so desperate for a bit more power, a bit more sway over others that they would resort to actually summoning a demon, sacrificing humans in return for their ill-gotten gains.
This Raj though…
He was nothing like that…he wasn't motivated by greed or materialism or any of that; all he wanted to do was protect his sister. He could feel from the flashes how worried he was for her. She was all he had, he would give anything to protect her- Magnus was hard pressed to really condemn the man for that. He's had a very long life and may not have a great deal of compassion left for most, but even so he can completely understand the willingness to move heaven and earth to protect those that you love- particularly when you have so very few.
There really was nothing he wouldn't do for Raphael, Clary, Declan and Kai,
Nothing he wouldn't do for his family.
Even with that, something just wasn't adding up. He and Raphael had spent most of the evening trying to figure it out. Briefly they thought perhaps the demon offered to cure his sister in return for the sacrifices…but even that just didn't feel right.
The man felt fiercely determined and very protective, but he didn't feel like the type to sacrifice six innocents, not in cold blood- even if it did mean a way to protect his sister. Magnus kept coming back to the angel thought- he'd been trying to contact an Angel…it was possible when the Angel summoning didn't work he, in desperation, reached out to a darker force… but a little niggling thought kept coming back to him.
Simon had said they'd identified the brands as Echocian- the language of the angels. Many of the characteristics of Iaith-wrth do echo Echocian, which had always been a bit of a mystery as they came from totally different realms and yet seem to have developed rather parallel to one another. In truth some of the characters are so similar that just the slightest deviation could change it to the other language.
He really couldn't see this Raj purposefully calling a demon. If he was trying to call an angel it would stand to reason an unusual being appearing in answer to the summoning would be taken as an angel. From what he knew of Hanfod lladrata the demon looks about as far away from an 'Angelic' figure as you can get…however they, like most all Supernaturals, can project a glamour, an outward appearance that hides their true form and allows them to move about the human world without drawing unwanted attention.
More powerful beings have the ability to manipulate these. They can make their glamour look like anything they want. During the summoning spell the demon would hear what the human was asking as well as feel the emotions behind it. It would be nothing for the demon to take on a glamour that would fit with what the human was expecting as far as an 'angel' is concerned.
Once the summoning is complete the demon is linked to the human, that's its only connection to this world and until it gains enough power to cross over entirely it's only means of gaining sacrifices. It would hold a bit of sway over the human, much like the enchantment runes, but not as strong. It cannot force the human to bring the sacrifices, however they can be quite manipulative.
He didn't know how it convinced Raj to bring the sacrifices but he was sure there had to be more to it than him simply agreeing to aid in the deaths of half a dozen people.
And then there was the matter of Divya's situation. He recognized the drawing right off, it was an rhwystro tân; a quite vicious creature similar to a scorpion, though with some getting nearly three feet in length far larger. They're rather rare, tend to stick to abandoned, overgrown places, a type of anifail demon, generally humans can't really see them…though when they are hunting they'll produce a faint iridescent shimmer in order to draw in a food source.
An rhwystro tân's sting is almost always deadly; once it stings the barb at the end of the tail actually detaches from the creature, continuing to pump venom into the victim until either the prey or the creature dies. The sting is usually deadly within about thirty minutes. The barb only detaches after the creatures death. After it's death the creature, as well as the barb, ignites leaving no trace.
It's venom, in just the right dose and under the right circumstances, has been known to cause telekinetic as well as pyrokinetic abilities. In fact he'd actually heard tell of a few reckless, power hungry Supernaturals that were foolhardy enough to actually try to get dosed with it in order to gain the powers…
Though as the only way to get the venom was from a rhwystro tân's sting, rhwystro tân's were fast, armored and ferocious, and the venom was deadly within half an hour, they generally just ended up dead (although in his opinion, if they're so very desperate for power that they'd purposefully get stung by a giant bug then fight it to the death, it wasn't exactly a loss.)
The girl really was lucky she got the situation handled so quickly, he was actually quite curious as to how she did. She was no longer in any danger from the venom…however the abilities would in all likelihood be permanent.
A random human teenager suddenly bestowed with pyrokinetic abilities (And-recalling Raj's thoughts of her seeing things that shouldn't be- the newfound ability to see Supernaturals as she technically was now one) and no clue as to how to handle them was rather concerning. Given time he may be able to come up with a spell to treat it, but in the meantime he really needed to find her before she hurt herself or someone else.
As if a suddenly pyrokinetic teenager and her brothers unwitting efforts to help a vicious demon crossover into the human world wasn't enough there was the added, irksome feeling that there was something he was missing.
The locations forming a hexagram were most definitely purposeful…though what the purpose was is really anyone's guess at this point. Also there was the matter of the victims; they were far too similar for it to be mere coincidence. He'd double checked, there were no qualifications for someone to be a sacrifice- any human would do. There had to be easier targets, closer ones, and it could have been done far faster.
There was far more in play here than a demon trying to cross over, but hell if he knew what it was. He'd tried the spell again but it was no use, once the demon began to cross over all he got was that odd, murky fog like at the scenes. Apparently if he wanted more he had to do it the old fashioned human way.
Well, At least he came to the right place…
He looks over towards the parking structure, surprised to see Alec and Simon seemingly arriving at the same time, both carrying two cups from the coffee shop over on 12th- his favorite place.
Alec glanced up, catching sight of him; he flashed a quick, grateful smile, holding one of the cups out to Magnus, He tried to tramp down the little flip his stomach did at that smile, but it was far more difficult than he thought.
Damnit, stay focused; a demon masquerading as an angel working on some bizarre evil scheme is far more important than a pretty detective with beautiful eyes, a sexy voice and a great smile…
A REALLY great smile…
Stop. Focus.
Magnus shook it off, taking a sip of the coffee, pleasantly surprised to find it's his usual. He paused, tilting his head curiously, quirking his eyebrow,
"Well, well…really showing off those detective skills, hmm?"
Alec chuckled, giving a slight shrug and a kinda sheepish smile that was even more distracting than the last one…
Okay this may be harder than he thought…
"Not really…Like I said it's never a good idea to go into Izzy's lab early in the morning without coffee. You'd mentioned that was your favorite place yesterday…figured they'd remember you, I was right- Josh says hi by the way."
Magnus chuckled, shaking his head slightly, taking another sip of his drink, giving a faint sigh of approval, slipping a bit closer,
"Mmm…generally I am not a morning person, however if I can start them with a perfect coffee delivered by a devastatingly gorgeous detective I may very well become one."
Alec blushed faintly, giving a near playful smile,
"You would like me to bring you a coffee here every morning we work the case?"
Magnus shrugged,
"Well what I'd really like is for you to wake me up with one…but I suppose as we've only known each other for three days that might be a bit forward."
Alec blushed brightly,
"Uh-Hi Magnus, morning." Simon said leaning over with an awkward wave and smile.
Magnus gave an amused smile,
"Good morning darling; Raphael said to say hello. I'm afraid he once again had some things that he can't get out of but he will meet us later this evening."
Simon gave a beaming smile, nodding quickly, rocking on his heels,
"Yeah…he told me yesterday, that's fine, I'm just glad he-er…I mean you guys, are helping out."
"As am I darling." he shifted his gaze between the two detectives.
"Well, as lovely as this is I suppose we really should save the frivolity for after we have this solved. Why don't we get the investigation underway?" he paused glancing back at Alec, giving a slight smirk
"Plus I really cannot wait to meet your sister…though I guess it's a bit early for the whole 'meet the family' dramatics. Still, no since putting it off."
Alec gave a faint huffing laugh, rolling his eyes,
"Well let's see; you're flashy, oddly intimidating, don't back down, and seem to take tremendous joy in finding how many ways you can make me blush…
I have a feeling you two will get along terrifyingly well."
Magnus gave a delighted, surprised laugh, linking his arm with Alec's, squeezing faintly, tugging him towards the door; Simon chuckled at them, falling into step as well.
"No time to waste then, come along gorgeous."
Alec gave a faintly resigned sigh, glancing over at him,
"Is there ANY chance I can convince you not to call me that in front of her? She'll never let me hear the end of it."
Magnus perked up, wagging his eyebrow playfully,
"Oooh…and how exactly are you going to 'convince' me?" he asked eagerly,
Alec blushed brighter, giving a faint chuckle, shaking his head faintly in disbelief.
"You really are incorrigible, aren't you?"
Magnus gave an overly exaggerated gasp,
"Aww! Thank you gorgeous, I think you're incredible too!"
Alec laughed,
"Come on; please Magnus? She really won't let up on it…she'll tease me mercilessly, and she will use it to torment me. It'd be like in high school whenever she'd want to irritate me and she'd call me 'Alexander'."
Magnus's steps faltered, glancing over, raising his eyebrow,
"Alexander?"
He nodded faintly
"Yeah i-wait, no…don't even think about it."
Magnus squeezed his arm, tugging him closer, looking over at his excitedly,
"Oh…but it fits you so perfectly!"
Alec scoffed, shaking his head determinedly,
"No it doesn't; it's long and awkward and stuffy and usually the only time I hear it is when my parents are disappointed in me-"
Magnus smirked,
"Well I will simply have to change that, won't I?"
"No you don't...I-"
Magnus shook his head stubbornly,
"I am sorry darling, but this one is none negotiable…it just fits you far too perfectly."
Alec huffed,
"I really don't like it…it just always seems overly complicated and arrogant…and like I said, I only ever hear it when my parents are disappointed in me, so hearing it always kinda sits me on edge."
Magnus tilted his head, giving a faint nod…
"Hmm…I do understand that…but it does fit you so very well, you simply need to break that association. I think we can do that, don't you…" he leaned in a bit closer, glancing up at him through his lashes, voice going soft and sultry
"Alexander?"
Alec swallowed nervously, eyes widening, cheeks flushing bright. He gave a slight nod, before seemingly catching himself, quickly clearing his throat.
"Umm…yeah…so…I'm sure you and Izzy will get along good. Here…" he said, reaching forward, opening the door to the precinct.
Magnus tilted his head, giving a thankful nod, glancing around the suddenly hushed bullpen,
He bit back an exasperated sigh,
Okay…it was entertaining the first day but these guys really need to get their act together
Simon came to a sudden stop next to them, glancing around the precinct before looking back over at Magnus and Alec in confusion, quirking his eyebrow
"Uh…what's going on?"
Magnus glanced around the precinct, trying to seem just as perplexed, before looking back at the other two, giving an oblivious shrug,
"I am not sure darling…your guess is as good as mine."
Alec scoffed, quirking his eyebrow,
"Yeah…I gotta feeling your guess would probably be a bit better than Simons." He muttered,
Magnus gave a faintly exaggerated gasp, widening his eyes,
"I am sure I have no idea what you're talking about."
Alec scoffed again, shaking his head,
"Sure you don't. Come on, the ME's office is this way." He reached over, lightly resting his hand on Magnus's lower back, pressing lightly, indicating the hallway off to the left of the bullpen.
Magnus's breath caught, magic flickering up out of reflex, tilting his head, glancing over at Alec curiously. Distantly he heard a couple of the officers nervously murmuring,
He just barely fought down an eyeroll,
REAL subtle…
Alec quirked his eyebrow, a slight smirk tugging at his lips,
"Sorry…I'm not trying to rush you…"
Magnus reached forward, hitting the down button on the elevator before leaning a bit closer, glancing up at him through his lashes.
"Mmm…I wasn't exactly complaining gorgeous."
Alec quirked his eyebrow, waiting,
Magnus gave a faint chuckle, holding his hands up placatingly, leaning in a bit more as the elevator dinged, doors sliding open.
"I do apologize…I'll be on my best behavior...Alexander."
"Uhh…s-should I take the stairs?" Simon asked, gesturing over his shoulder, cheeks tinged rosy pink.
Alec shook his head at Simon, waving them both forward into the elevator, simultaneously rolling his eyes at Magnus, cheeks flushed,
"Yeah…thanks…just try…please?" he asked in a faintly pleading tone
Magnus smirked, tilting his head in acknowledgement,
"Of course, darling…anything you want."
Alec rolled his eyes, but couldn't quite hide the little bit of a smile tugging at his lips.
Magnus settled in next to 'Alexander', perhaps a bit closer than was strictly necessary, taking a deep centering breath, trying to turn his attention back to the case and away from the oh so enticing, addicting, detective standing next to him…
He had a lot of challenges to deal with for this case; A demon gaining power through the manipulation of an unwitting accomplice, a newly powered teenager with pyrokinesis, trying to keep two humans from learning the truth of the supernatural elements of the case, trying to keep the Supernaturals at the station from completely tipping the detectives off with their truly abysmal lack of subtlety, and whatever else the demon is working on…
Quite a bit to deal with…
But glancing over once more, he was beginning to think his biggest challenge at this would be simply keeping his focus around the thoroughly intoxicating detective.
*~********~*~********~* Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus *~********~*~********~*Alec glanced over, giving Magnus a slightly apologetic look,
"Just so you know…Izzy is kinda intense."
Magnus gave a slight chuckle, quirking his eyebrow,
"Sweetheart- you're not actually worried your sister is going to scare me off, are you?"
He shook his head faintly,
"Umm, well n-"
Magnus laughed again, giving Alec a brilliant smile, leaning closer, patting his arm in amusement as they rounded the corner to the Coroner's office,
"Oh that is too adorable! No worries gorgeous, she won't-"
"-Now I'm going to stop you right there. I am the Medical Examiner, my job is to examine medical evidence; it's right there in the name. I have extensive training in both the medical and the law enforcement fields."
Magnus paused, brows raising in surprise, totally forgetting what he was saying. The woman was sitting in a swivel chair at a large mahogany desk, turned away from the door, feet kicked up on the edge of the desk. All he could see of her was dark shiny sable hair pulled up into an intricate updo, a bit of a deep Sapphire blue tailored skirt, and long legs clad in black rose patterned nylons and spiky stiletto's in the exact shade of the skirt.
He liked her already…
She tilted her head, holding up one finger,
"No senator, my job is to examine medical evidence and find the truth, not to coddle and placate the public, that would be your job.
You are a career politician; your job is to make your constituency happy so they keep electing you. I do understand that a large part of that is them feeling safe, and that is quite difficult with some madman running around. I understand you want this solved as soon as possible. You want answers to give them so they will once again feel safe.
I don't want them to just 'feel' safe- I want them to actually BE safe. In order for that to happen we have to find all the evidence we can, we need to examine it in every way to be sure we do not miss anything, so that when we DO come to a conclusion, when we do find our suspect, we have it right and there is no way they can get out of it.
Whoever is behind this has murdered six innocent people. Six people who, from everything I've seen, have never done anything to hurt anyone. People who by all accounts were kind, compassionate and purposefully went out of their way to try to help others. They murdered these people in cold blood, branded them and left them posed like some kind of prop.
I do NOT want this bastard to walk on some damn loophole. I want to be sure we have every last scrap of evidence so that when we do find them there is no doubt, that the case is airtight;
So that those responsible will face all the consequences they are owed.
I am doing this the right way;
The right way takes time, that's all there is to it.
The entire BPD is working on this, nearly round the clock, combing the streets, leaving no stone unturned, chasing down every lead, running themselves ragged because of this. They are busting their asses trying to keep the public safe; I am making sure all their efforts are not in vain.
They are doing their job, I am doing mine, maybe you should focus on yours rather than expecting us to do it for you.
You really want me to work faster? Stop wasting my time with these calls. Pestering me will not make it go any faster.
When I have information I will call you with it, Good bye Senator Ramsey." She finished sharply, hanging the phone up with a resonating clack.
Okay, he totally got Simon's initial crush…hell, he hadn't even seen her yet and he was pretty sure he had a bit of one as well…
"Dude you have GOT to teach me that!" Simon exclaimed, moving to her side, quickly holding the other coffee out to her, shaking his head faintly,
She gave a slight chuckle, reaching over grabbing the coffee taking a deep drink before, shaking her head,
"I already told you Simon, some things can't be taught…you're either born with it or you're not." She kicked off the desk, turning the chair to face him and Alec,
She froze, tilting her head curiously,
"Oh…hello?"
Wow…
She was absolutely stunning
Along with the deadly sharp heels, intricate tights and perfectly tailored skirt she had a chic black top that perfectly emphasized a truly stunning figure. Gorgeous features, warm golden skin, deep rich brown eyes, a beautiful smile accentuated with a brilliant red lipstick.
Magnus gave a brilliant smile, stepping forward.
"Hello Doctor Lightwood, it is wonderful to meet you I'm-"
"Magnus Bane, the owner of Pandemonium." She cut in, standing up, stepping forward, extending her hand,
Magnus quirked his eyebrow in surprise, taking her hand,
"Yes…you've been to my club?"
She gave a quick smile,
"Well it is the hottest club in town. So…not that I mind, but why is the owner of the hottest club in town standing in my office during one of the most insane investigations I have ever encountered?"
He nodded
"I suppose it is a bit unexpected. I am opening a private detective agency; this is my first case, during my investigation I ran into your oh so charming brother. I impressed him so much he begged me to assist."
She tilted her head, glancing from him over to Alec and Simon, quirking her eyebrow,
Alec chuckled, shaking his head, rolling his eyes playfully
"Umm, yeah, not exactly how it happened, but he is helping with the case…and so far he has actually been somewhat helpful."
Magnus pouted exaggeratedly,
"Only somewhat? I guess I have to try harder, Alexander…"
Alec flushed brightly, shaking his head,
"What did I tell you about that?"
Magnus quirked his eyebrow, giving an impish smile,
"And what did I tell you about it?"
He huffed out a faint laugh,
"I'm not gonna be able to persuade you to drop that, am I?"
Magnus gave a bit of a shrug, slipping closer,
"I don't know…it depends on how exactly you intend to 'persuade' me…"
"Ahem" Izzy cleared her throat,
Alec seemed to startle, almost as if he forgot she was there, blushing brighter, giving a slightly helpless shrug,
"Uh…a-anyways Magnus has actually been working the case with us. He did find some evidence that we missed; some marks on the walls of the alley's- apparently they're 'Enchantment runes'…also summoning sigils which are apparently totally different and used to summon demons and evil spirits." He held his hand's up at her disbelieving look
"I know it's crazy, but we have six unexplained deaths, weird brandings in a basically unknown language, and the scenes line up to the points on a hexagram over the city- and yes I agree it's bizarre, but quite frankly the person behind this trying to summon some kind of demon or perform an evil spell is probably the most sane explanation there could be…
Sounds more plausible than 'angelic protection allergy' which was our top theory two days ago."
Magnus held his finger up,
"Well to be fair we cannot totally rule out Simon's theory…we still don't know what is killing the victims. An allergic reaction to whatever is used to cause the brandings could quite well prove to be a factor."
She glanced over at Simon, who put his hands up placatingly,
"Hey, it was just an idea…I'm okay with it not panning out so long as we actually find what IS going on here."
Magnus gave the younger detective a kind smile,
"Still it is a good one darling."
"Thanks Magnus." He said in a somewhat awed tone,
Alec gave a faint nod,
"He's right Simon…it's a good theory- so far it's the only thing that even begins to explain the actual deaths." he smiled at his partner before turning back to Izzy,
She gave a low whistle, shaking her head,
"Man- Enchantment Runes, Demon summoning, hexagrams, and angelic protection allergies…as if this case wasn't bizarre enough…
Clearly we need all the help we can get on this. Thank you for whatever assistance you can give Magnus; we really do appreciate it."
He shook his head
"Oh, really it is no problem sweetheart, anything I can do to help."
She gave him a grateful smile, nodding determinedly, dark eyes sparking with curiosity and something else.
"That's wonderful…" she seemed to startle, gasping slightly, looking over at her brother,
"Oh! Alec I forgot to tell you I got a call earlier from Alejandra's, apparently they're going to be closed on Thursday, something about a burst pipe, we'll have to find somewhere else to have Mom and Dad's anniversary dinner."
"What!? But it's the day after tomorrow!"
She nodded, eyes wide,
"I know, we need to get a reservation as quickly as possible but I didn't want to just decide to move it without your input." She paused, glancing over at him and Simon giving them an apologetic look,
"I'm sorry for the delay but would it be okay if we just take, like, ten minutes to get this sorted? I know time is of the essence b-"
Magnus shook his head, waving it off
"No darling of course, take whatever time you need. The case is important to be sure, but you cannot put off every other aspect of your life because of it.
We'll wait out here; it will give me and Simon a chance to get to know each other a bit more. If you have any problems getting a new reservation just let me know…thanks to the club I have quite a bit of pull, I'd be more than happy to help."
She gave a relieved smile, moving forward opening the door for them,
"Thanks so much for the offer, I'm going to try on my own at first- I may not have 'pull' but I can be scary as hell when I want to be… but I'll definitely keep that in mind.
We won't be long, then we can get back to the case with no interruptions." She assured, with a cocky wink,
Magnus chuckled, giving her an impressed smile
"Darling I do believe we will get along famously."
She laughed, nodding
"I think you're right." She offered, giving him one more grateful smile, closing the door behind them.
Magnus chuckled once more, glancing over at Simon, tilting his head,
"So Raph was telling me about your friend Kevin…"
*~********~*~********~* Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec *~********~*~********~*He sighed resignedly, leaning against the wall, rubbing at his eyes, already tired of this conversation and it hadn't even started yet.
Alejandra's was one of the few places his parents didn't complain about…
"So if we can't have the dinner at Alejandra's then may-"
"Alejandra's is fine, we're still good- what the hell are you doing?" Izzy cut him off, eyes sharp, gesturing towards the closed door,
Alec froze, tilting his head in confusion,
"Wha-?"
She huffed
"What are you doing working with Magnus Bane? You need to just step back and take a breath; that guy is dangerous as hell."
Alec blinked in surprise
"H-what…you know about him? What do you know?"
She gave a slight shrug,
"No, not anything substantial- no real, hard, solid facts, but I'm not stupid. Like I said I've been to his club, I've seen him there-how people react to him.
I've seen big, tough, violent criminals cower from him. Saw him break up a fight between huge, scary looking bikers with nothing more than a couple quiet words… saw them literally run out of the club like hellhounds are on their heels.
I don't know what he's into, or what he's capable of, but I do know you need to be VERY careful. This is NOT a guy you want to mess with…no matter how hot you think he is."
Alec shook his head quickly,
"I don't-"
She scoffed, shaking her head, giving him a slightly exasperated look, quirking her eyebrow,
"Oh please; you were practically drooling. You're flirting, and smiling and normally I'd be ecstatic about that, but this guy is dangerous as hell and I really don't want you getting in over your head. I'm not saying you shouldn't work with him on this- hell, he's probably the quickest, most effective way to whoever's behind this- but you need to really think before getting into anything personal with him.
I get that he's smart and sexy and I know the kinda dangerous, walk on the wild side/ bad boy thing is kinda hot…I really do-
But this isn't just a guy with a bit of an edge and a colorful background. This guy is trouble…I just really don't want you to get hurt."
Alec started to shake his head, but stopped, sighing faintly, leaning his head back against the wall.
"I know he is; everything about him sets off alarms for me. I know he's dangerous, I can feel it…and you should have seen when I brought him into the station- you'd of thought I walked in with a tiger or something, and it happened again today when we came in."
She gave a relieved sigh, nodding, relaxing a bit,
"Okay, good at least you know what you're getting into. I was starting to worry all the pretty was throwing off your instincts-
I'm not even into guys but I have to admit he's really hot."
Alec rolled his eyes,
"God, first Simon than you; I'm a level headed, full-grown detective, not some hormone crazed teenager. The guys hot, no question…and yeah, honestly the fact that someone like him is even glancing my way, much less blatantly flirting with me, is thrilling and kinda unbelievable- but that doesn't mean I'm gonna abandon every principle I have just because of a dazzling smile and a distractingly gorgeous body.
I know he's dangerous- I told him as much, a few times."
Izzy froze, blinking in surprise
"You what?"
Alec shrugged, waving his hand slightly,
"Yeah…Well, I found him at the scene the other day. Everything about him set off alarms- especially how he was acting, like everything was a joke and every other thing he said was a come on.
I was sure he had to of just been trying to distract me from the case- I mean, you saw him, guys WAY out of my league- which made me think he must be involved. I brought him in and the weirdness in the bullpen was just totally wild; that jackass Brock was half a step away from hiding under a desk and Officer Phineas was so rattled by him he literally threw a file in his haste to get away from the guy.
I interrogated him for over an hour, until Luke came in all freaked out and ordered me to let him go-"
"Wait…what?! Why the hell would Garroway do that?"
Alec scoffed, throwing his arms up faintly,
"I don't know! Apparently they've been friends- or something, I don't know, he almost seemed scared…but whatever- they've known each other in some way for years.
Anyways he ordered me to let him go and not to bother him again but Magnus just waved him off, said 'I have no problem with the pretty detective keeping me for as long as he likes' a-" Alec mimics,
Izzy's eyes widen, she gives a surprised chuckle, Alec froze, realizing what he'd said, flushing, quickly shaking his head,
"Not the point-he was just trying to get a rise out of me-"
"Sounds like it" she muttered with a mischievous smirk, waggling her eyebrow,
Alec huffed, cheeks flushing more, pointing accusingly at her,
"Okay you and Simon need to stop hanging out so much- he said the same thing…and once again that's not the point.
I know the guy is dangerous; he's on the case because he said he's working as a PI and investigating the case and cause some people thrashed his friends occult shop because of all the crazy 'supernatural' rumors flying around- which that part was true…
We went and saw her to look into the markings we found. And I did get why he wanted to help her, she seemed really sweet. I actually think the only reason he's working with us rather than going after the culprits himself is because she would be upset.
Anyways, yesterday when we all started working the case I wanted to be upfront with him. I told him flat out that I know he's into something probably criminal, I know that he's dangerous."
Izzy shook her head faintly,
"That might not have been a good idea; a cop telling a criminal that you know they're a criminal seems kinda risky."
He shrugged
"I know, but if I'm gonna work with him this is the only way I can. I'm not just gonna pretend I don't notice how odd people act around him, or that certain tone or flicker in his eyes that makes my fight or flight instincts kick in…I'm not gonna tiptoe around and play the fool.
I figure if we're both on the same page there'll be a lot less drama later on. Besides, hopefully if I'm honest with him he will do the same.
I told him I wouldn't ask about whatever he's into, that right now all that matters is solving this case, protecting the public. I think on that we see eye to eye. He said Brooklyn is HIS city and when he said that there was something in his voice that just…" he trailed off, shaking his head faintly
"I really don't know how to describe it, but I kinda get the feeling the killer should probably be more worried about him finding them then us."
Izzy gave a slight laugh, nodding, before something occurs to her, she tilts her hear, quirking her eyebrow,
"Am I the only one who feels like we're joining forces with a supervillian?"
Alec gave a surprised laugh
"No…but please don't say that around Simon…with the occult stuff he's already trying to get me to marathon Buffy and Supernatural to get 'caught up'…I don't want him adding in a bunch of superhero movies too."
She gave a faint nod,
"No problem…though one thing; he's not out of your league. He could partially be trying to distract you or whatever but I think the flirting thing is just cause he thinks you're hot."
Alec blushed faintly, giving a slight shrug,
"It doesn't matter- the guy's dangerous and almost certainly some type of criminal, nothing's gonna happen." He sighed glancing away,
She shrugged back, tilting her head thoughtfully,
"Alec, I'm not saying nothing can happen, I saw the way you were looking at him, I know you're interested and, well…quite frankly that doesn't really happen too often. You're definitely enamored with him- and I can more than see why- I just want you to go into this with open eyes.
He does seem interesting, charming, intelligent, and witty, and the man clearly likes you. he can definitely hold his own and isn't going to be intimidated by the whole cop thing. Plus, I can see how it would be exciting for a buttoned downed, overly serious detective to start up something with a sexy, flashy criminal-
Remember this is me you're talking to, I totally get the appeal of breaking the rules- and honestly, I know what I said, but maybe you shouldn't totally rule it out after all.
Just make sure you don't let the excitement and flash make you miss what's really going on, okay?"
Alec shrugged faintly, giving a slight nod,
"I will."
She gave a mischievous smirk,
Alec fought down a groan
So much for the touching, supportive sibling moment
"Good…now we should probably get back out there…Magnus is probably missing his 'pretty detective'."
Alec groaned loudly, shaking his head,
Man, and here he was worried about her just hearing Magnus call him 'gorgeous'
He turned the doorknob, the two of them slipping out of the office, heading towards the morgue.
"-and so I kinda tripped and Kevin tried to catch me but then we both lost our footing and fell right into the paint!
We left a bright orange trail all the way through the station and he wouldn't talk to me for nearly a week…Oh, hey guys…" Simon trailed off, catching sight of them as they turned the corner into the room.
Magnus looked up at them, the amusement from Simon's story still playing about his eyes,
"Hello darling…did you get everything sorted out?"
Oh wow…that was j-
No. Stop.
Alec took a deep breath, trying to keep his focus; he gave a quick nod,
"Umm, y-yeah, everything's good…thanks…" he trailed off, blushing
Magnus gave a relieved nod, flashing a soft smile before glancing from him over to Izzy,
"Oh wonderful. So are we ready to begin going over your findings Dr. Lightwood?"
Izzy gave a bright smile,
"Absolutely, there really is no time to waste on this case, and I do appreciate the respect, but there's no need to be so formal, we're all working together here, Izzy is fine."
Magnus tilted his head magnanimously,
"Well I always believe in giving credit where credit is due, but that will be far less time consuming, thank you my dear. Let's get started, shall we?"
She quirked her eyebrow, giving a faintly impressed nod, leading the three into the examination room, gesturing over to the table with the body laid out.
The other three filed in, lining up around the table. David Decker was already laid out; sheet draped about his waist, giving a clear view of the brands, the sharp, intricate black and red marks standing out in stark contrast to his pale, ashen skin. Alec glanced over surreptitiously at Magnus, gauging his reaction…
He didn't look alarmed or in any way unsettled by the cadaver setting now a few inches away. He looked curious, sharp gaze fixated on the body, leaning a bit closer in interest, tilting his head, in an odd manner, eyes flickering over the marks, widening faintly in recognition.
Hmm…
Okay…there were the alarm bells again…louder than ever…
Alec tilted his head, glancing over curiously,
"Do you have any idea what it says? We haven't really been able to figure it out…Like Simon said, we identified it as Echocian but no one knows how to really read it."
Magnus shook his head, a flicker of something in his eyes, before they shutter, him giving nearly the same puzzled shrug he gave back in the bullpen.
"I'm afraid I don't darling…they are rather odd, I've never seen anything like them." He lied as easily as breathing
"Oh, okay…so was there anything new you can tell us Iz?"
Alec gave a faint nod, shifting over to Isabelle, pretending to believe it, trying not to react to the sudden chill that creeped down his spine,
Magnus was lying…he recognized the writing, he was reading it- once again he didn't know how the hell he was doing that- but he knows damn good and well what he saw-
He saw the flicker in his eyes, the recognition. He knew exactly what the marks meant…
Moreover, Magnus had no reaction to the body- no nerves, no disgust, no remorse or sadness…nothing…
There's no way this is the first dead body he's seen.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, realizing that Izzy may not have been so far off the mark after all…
All this time he's maintained that he knew Magnus was a criminal- in all likelihood a dangerous one- but there was a big difference between an abstract idea and unequivocal proof.
He settled in, trying to seem like he was concentrating on the case, but all his focus was in actuality on Magnus; though for a totally different reason than yesterday and this morning.
The man was gorgeous and exciting and thoroughly intoxicating…
But for the first time the reality of just who this man actually was began to settle in…
He wasn't just some guy with a colorful, exciting persona,
He was a criminal,
A deadly one.
They needed to work together to solve this case and catch the killer, to keep the city safe, He did believe they were in agreement on that. However the entire point of this partnership was to share information. If he wasn't going to then there really was no need for them to be working together.
He settled back, quietly following along with the case, gauging every tic, every movement, watching for any other indicators of deception.
*~********~*~********~* Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus *~********~*~********~*"Thank you so much for all your help darling, I am sure this will be quite beneficial; we'll get results in no time." He reached forward taking Izzy's hand, lifting it to his lips, pressing a light kiss to the back of her hand.
Izzy beamed, shaking her head
"I hope so…I can only hold the politicians off for so long."
He gave a faint smirk
"From what I gather of your earlier conversation, you have it down; still I will do what I can to get this sorted out quickly. I must say, unfortunate circumstances notwithstanding, it really was lovely meeting you.
Next time you are going to Pandemonium give me a call, It's far better when you're with the owner."
She chuckled, squeezing his arm, giving a quick nod, walking them back to the elevator.
"Oh that would be great…I'll definitely do that. Maybe after we close this case I can come by to celebrate?"
Magnus nodded, reaching over, hitting the button for the elevator before turning back to her with an eager nod
"Absolutely, that will be wonderful…I have your number, I'll text you."
She smiled, nodding happily as the doors opened the three men climbing in.
"Great, I can't wait. Good luck guys." She said giving a slight wave as the doors closed of the elevator closed,
Magnus shook his head, glancing over at Simon,
"Okay, I get what you meant about a crush being unavoidable- she is enchanting…It must be genetic." he teased, shifting his gaze to Alexander, giving a playful wink before pausing, catching sight of his expression.
Alec gave a slight, mirthless breath of a laugh,
"Uh huh." he said flatly, glancing away,
Magnus tilted his head
"Sweetheart, what's wrong? I wasn't flirting…she's lovely b-"
He scoffed, shaking his head
"I don't care if you were flirting- I don't care who you flirt with."
Magnus blinked in surprise, thoroughly confused,
"Well then w-"
"You know what the marks are, you've seen them before, you know what they mean-"
He shook his head quickly
"No I said I-"
"Yeah I know what you said- you lied."
Simon's eyes widened, he put his hands up placatingly, shaking his head
"Okay now, take a breath a-"
"I SAW it Magnus. I saw your face, I saw the recognition. I don't know how you know what it is, or why you're keeping it from us
But I know what I saw."
Magnus sighed, leaning back a bit, giving a faint shrug, a glimpse of hesitation flickering over his expression, before that same mask came up,
The same one as when they were standing next to the body,
"I am sorry darling- I really don't know what you're talking about. I have never seen those marks before; I have no idea what they mean."
Alec scoffed,
"The hell you don't."
Magnus took a deep steadying breath, looking up meeting his eyes, gaze sharp and focused with an almost cold, determined edge,
"I don't know what to tell you; I cannot give you information I don't have."
Alec gave a curt nod,
"And I can't work with someone I can't trust. I think we got everything we can from working together- clearly you're not going to be honest about your information so there's no real need for us to be either.
From here on out we'll work our case, you work yours." With that he turned on heel storming out of the elevator
"Come on Simon." He snapped over his shoulder.
"Oh I umm…" Simon's eyes went wide, glancing from Magnus towards Alec's quickly departing back,
He gave a faint apologetic shrug to Magnus before hurrying after his partner, leaving Magnus standing there in confusion wondering what the hell just happened.
*~********~*~********~* a _End Of Chapter Notes_ *~********~*~********~*rhwystro tân = Stinging Fire bug
Yeah, I know Simon didn't really say much but we gotta figure he knows when to keep his mouth shut…
At least every once in a while…
Oookay so I know it was a bit of a sudden tempo change but we have to have a bit of drama, right?
R-right?
(Oh come on you know it'll work out)
I kinda love Izzy knowing a bit of Magnus's rep and being protective of her big brother.
Actually, I just love Izzy in general- I think she may show up a bit more in this series, she's gonna be a lot of fun to write.
And I know I said it'd have 3 parts but that just didn't fit- we had to see Magnus's view of meeting Izzy - Alec and Izzy had to have their conversation- and it just made sense to switch back to Magnus's POV for the ending
I intended to have the actual examining of the body and what Magnus saw in the markings but this was getting super long and I really wanted to move on. We're going to find out what he found out in the next chapter, promise.
Anyways, what do you guys think so far?
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