*-*-*-*-*-*-*- MagnusBane:PsychicDetective*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Chapter4-
One Of These Days
(Tim McGraw)
Title is another Song that makes me tear up…
I am sensing a theme here
(I swear this story won't be ALL angst… I'll make up for it later)
Magnus goes to Simons to try to explain
(I really love this scene, in spite of how emotional it is I actually had it nearly fully in my outline, it was one of the first things I had done for this story)
***Just FYI, the next story is going to be WAY lighter, a lot of humor, and fluff, I promise***
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*Magnus pulls up in front of Simon's place; it was a nice if rather small, house. This was actually his first time here; usually Simon was over at their place. Generally if he and Raphael were here they wanted time for just the two of them, which he respected.
He knocked softly on the door, it was silent. Simon's car is there, so he must be home, and Magnus was determined he won't leave until the other man at least hears him out.
He knocks again,
"Go away, Magnus, I don't want to talk to either of you" Simon calls through the door
Magnus sighs a bit, he rather expected something like that, but he was hoping it would be easier.
"Simon please, just let me explain… this is really all my fault-"
"I don't care! I don't care what excuse you come up with, it doesn't change anything. Just go away, it's none of your business, anyway."
"Sweetheart, I'm not leaving until you at least hear me out. Please just open the door?"
Simon gives a humorless laugh,
"Well, then, you're gonna be standing there a while, cause it's not happening. I'm not opening the door; and I don't care what you have to say. Sit out there all day, it doesn't matter, and stop with the endearments, it's really obnoxious right now."
He heard the TV turn on at near full volume,
Magnus sighed, slightly; he was really hoping he could do this the easier way. But he did have a backup plan…
Magnus slips a lock pick from the small pouch he had put in his pocket just in case. With a flick of his wrist and a slight twist the lock clicks and he lets himself in.
He slips in, pulling the door closed…
"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Simon snaps, aghast
Magnus turns, facing him
"Now Dar-"
"Are you freaking kidding me? Bad enough you laugh at me behind my back, lie to me, and pretend to be my friend, now you're actually breaking into my house?"
Magnus shook his head quickly,
"Simon, I wasn't pretending, I am your frie-"
Simon scoffs, glaring at him,
"No you're not! You lied to me, used me, manipulated me into helping you defraud the entire station, MY station, a friend wouldn't do that."
Simon shook his head
"God, I am SO stupid. I can't believe I fell for it."
He froze eyes widening,
"I-Is that why Raphael was even going out with me in the first place? Trying to, what, distract me, keep me oblivious to everything? Was he just working me like he does everyone else?"
Magnus vehemently shook his head, eyes wide.
"No, no, Simon, sweetheart; nothing like that! He would never do that, not to you-"
"Why should I believe you? You, BOTH of you, have been lying to me from the moment we met. How can I believe anything you say? How can I believe anything HE'S said?"
Simon shook his head, crossing his arms.
"You know, despite what you probably think, I'm not actually a complete idiot. I DO see the way he can work people, the way he can manipulate them. I know what I see of him isn't all there is to the guy."
He rolled his eyes, rubbing his temple slightly, and giving a rather harsh laugh
"Hell, maybe I am a complete Idiot… I have SEEN him do it, so many times, completely effortlessly. The way he can just lie, twist the truth, flirt and get people completely wrapped around his finger… I SAW it so many times… It just never even occurred to me that he was doing the same damn thing to me. I really thought he genuinely cared…
That I actually mattered to him…"
"Simon, he does, you d-"
Simon cuts him off, mid sentence
"Magnus, just stop, okay? Your game, whatever it was, is up. I don't really care what you have to say, because I can't believe it anyways, you may as well just save your breath. Since I am apparently incapable of keeping you out of my home, I'm moving into my room, I really just can't stand to look at you anymore…please, don't follow me in there, too."
He turned and went towards his bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him
Magnus just stood for a moment, trying to get a hold of himself. He couldn't believe that this had got so bad, so fast. Seeing Simon so unhappy, it hurt, just as much as seeing Raphael like that had.
He felt just as protective of Simon as he was of Raphael.
That rather brought Magnus up short.
Raphael was family, had been for years. He was, easily, one of the most important people in Magnus's life. He and his dad had their ups and downs, and, yeah, he had lots of other very close friends, but Raphael was… Raphael.
He'd always been closer to him than anyone else; always felt that he had to look out for him, protect him, make sure he was okay. Even when he was older and more than capable of that himself (more so than Magnus, though he would never actually admit it). Always wanting to help him find what would make him happy, make him smile, that was always what he wanted for Raphael.
For him to just be happy.
Simon did that, had from pretty much the moment Raphael had met him.
He couldn't be the reason that they were apart, couldn't be the reason their relationship ended. He moved over to the door to Simon's room, knocking, lightly.
"Simon? I'm not coming in, okay? But I can't just leave without at least trying to explain. Everything just started as a big misunderstanding. I got called in on the case at the museum and everything just sort of snowballed. Alec and Dax thought I was a criminal, Dax was threatening my business, Alec just wouldn't believe the truth, no matter how hard I tried, and I just panicked.
Well, okay…first I got fed up with Dax and had to put him in his place, but after that, I just didn't know where else to go. Alec still didn't believe me and I was really starting to worry that they were going to arrest me for a crime that I had no part in. When you said I was psychic, I panicked, it seemed like the only way I'd be able to not end up in jail, my only way out, so I took it.
I know I should have just let it go at that, and nothing would have come of it; but then Luke told me about how the department could hire psychics to help on cases and…it was a chance at something I'd wanted my whole life, at something I'd long since given up on. I-I couldn't turn it down… but that doesn't really matter right now…"
He sighed deeply, leaning back against the wall
"Sweetheart, everything between you and Raphael has been real, I swear. He loves you, he really does; I have known him since he was nine years old, I have never seen him as happy as he is with you. You really do bring out the best in him. I have never seen him smile as much as he does with you, or heard him laugh as much. He hasn't had a lot of really good things in his life… He's had a lot of hard times, a really rough go of it… You are right about his skills with people… and yes… that is a big part of who he is.
He does it without a second thought most of the time, but it is not a skill set that he just 'had', it is something that he has developed and honed out of necessity. His life hasn't really been very pleasant, and, as such, he has adapted as best he could... He knows people; he can read them nearly as easily as I can…
Better, at times, as I tend to try to focus on the positives in someone, while he…well…doesn't. Constantly seeing the games people play, the deceit, manipulativeness, their fears, prejudices, disgust, hatred, being able to instantly read exactly what someone thinks; of situations, of other people, of YOU… It is tiring, and frustrating… can make someone jaded, cynical, even at times callous…
He has his faults, but he is one of the best people I have ever met, he is my family, and I hate to see him hurting… All I've ever wanted for him was to be happy… To see more than just the bad in people, but I never knew if he could… Then he met you."
Magnus gave a bit of a sad laugh, shaking his head faintly,
"He really had no choice but to see the good in you; that is really all you are. You are such a sweet, kind, open person… He had absolutely no cluewhat to do with you. Completely threw him off balance… When we were driving home from the station, that first night? He mentioned you, and he smiled, and he has hardly stopped since… The next day, he just kept spacing out, I was worried that something was wrong with him, but he just couldn't stop thinking about you…"
He laughed again, shaking his head somewhat
"Simon all of this is my fault. He wanted to tell you, he wanted to tell you within the first week… I should of let him then… there were so many other times when he asked, but I...I was stubborn, but, darling, it has nothing to do with trying to 'play' you, no one was laughing at you.
Raphael would ask me every week if we could tell you… And I did want to…I really did…But telling you would mean that you were a participant in the lie. I didn't think you would be able to keep the secret…
If you tell, in all likelihood both Raphael and I will end up arrested for fraud… I may be able to convince people that he truly believed that I was psychic as well… But I rather doubt it. I made him promise not to tell you, and he is if anything loyal to a fault… He nearly told you a few times, I know, but couldn't bring himself to betray me…Even to you.
Though now I really wish he had… I think he may have, had that it not meant dragging you into the deception as well. He did not want to put that kind of pressure on you…Didn't want to make you have to do something you would be uncomfortable with.
I know what we did was wrong, and I understand that you don't trust me…And you DO have ample reason not to… But, Simon, none of it was done with malice…If there was any way for me to prove it to you I would…"
He sighed again, wiping his eyes a bit, stepping away from the wall, moving towards the door
"J-just, please… Think about what I said? Please? I can't stand seeing you two unhappy…You are the most perfect couple I have ever seen, and I hate that I damaged that… If I could, I'd take it back in a heartbeat… I'd give up my chance… On being a detective, on proving myself to my dad, or to myself, on Alec… everything…I am SO sorry, Simon"
With that he moved quietly across the room and out the door.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Simon-Simon-Simon-Simon-Simon *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*"Damn it!"
Simon cursed slightly as he knocked over a cup of pens and pencils on his desk, sending them scattering. He shook his head angrily as he quickly gathered them up.
It had been a really lousy night.
He hadn't slept at all thinking about what Magnus had said. He wanted so badly to believe it, wanted to more than anything, but he just couldn't. Just could not get past the initial hurt. He had really trusted Raphael, he loved him; Simon would never have believed that Raphael would lie to him, much less for their entire relationship. It felt like he just didn't even know the man anymore,
Like he was a stranger.
What Magnus had said really did seem to make sense, but it didn't mean that he believed all of it. He really wanted to, but just couldn't.
How could he believe anything they said?
They were liars, fakes, frauds, they were conning the entire SBPD, and laughing about it…
Part of him wanted to go to the chief, tell him what's going on, he thought about it, but wondered how this would affect the cases Magnus had worked. If it got out, every one of those convictions could be overturned…
He couldn't risk that…
Another part of him wanted to tell Alec, ask him about it, thinking the man may be in a fairly similar situation with Magnus and might be able to help him figure out what to do from here on out.
Although…
Alec had never believed the psychic thing… Had, in fact made a point to say Magnus wasn't a psychic nearly every chance he got… Well, he did… at first. Up till the Orison Case… their first case together. What changed?
He had assumed that it had to do with Alec really seeing Magnus in action, being impressed with his work, maybe even in his developing feelings for the psychic (fraud)…But, was it something else?
Did Magnus tell him then?
Was he really the only one in the dark on this thing? He decides he was going to ask Alec about it… as soon as he gets back. He had to go to another station to pick up some files on what may be another robbery in their case, but the detectives working the case didn't really want to hand it over, so Alec was going in person to get a copy.
He'll just ask him...
Then Alec actually shows up…
Umm…o-okay, maybe he won't ask…
He looks down, kind of rough too, like he slept about as much as Simon.
"Hey, Alec" he ventures, cautiously
"Hey" he says quietly
Okay, yeah, that isn't normal.
It's not like Alec is super energetic or boisterous typically…or really anytime, but he never sounds like that.
"Is something wrong, man?" he asks concerned
Alec just shakes his head slightly
"No, it's fine, how are you doing… have a good day off?"
Simon shook his head
"No, I really didn't, it was actually horrible. "
Alec froze, looking back at him
"What happened?"
Simon sighed a bit
"Me and Raphael had a fight, a really bad one."
Alec looks shocked. He shook his head a bit, but gave Simon a bit of a reassuring smile,
"Man, I'm sorry, it'll be okay though. You two can make it through anything, best couple I've ever seen. I'm sure it'll be fine…"
Simon tries to return the smile, but he really can't. He doesn't think it will be okay. Doesn't know if they'll come back from this.
"Umm, so, what did they have on the other robbery?"
He seemed thrown by the topic change, but opened the file sliding it over so Simon could see.
"It looks like the same pattern… No obvious entrance, no prints, cameras disabled, all of it… which, basically means that there's just as little information here as with the other cases…" he finished, rolling his eyes, slightly
Simon glances through the file, looking through the pictures of the scene. All the cameras in the stores had been disabled, they always were, knocked out by some kind of interference, it always lasted for 15 minutes, nearly exactly, every time…
So they were quick, and efficient…
Something in one of the photos catches his eye though.
"Hey, Alec? This might be a kinda long shot, but right across from the jewelry store is a Bank… well the ATMs kind of face the side of the jewelry store, maybe we could get something from their footage… Couldn't hurt, right?"
Simon glances up at him, then freezes. The guy looks even more down than before…
"That's a really great idea Simon, good thinking, we'll call over and see when we can pick up the footage"
Man, he sounds horrible, so disappointed, almost miserable…
Simon is really worried now…
He remembers hearing Magnus saying about finding Alec in a bar, that the other man was really down and saying things to the effect that he shouldn't even BE a detective anymore…
God, he hoped that's not the case
He forgotten about that part until just now, blinded by the anger at their deceit.
"Hey, well… umm… I think in the meantime I'm gonna make a lunch run…"
Alec gave a slight nod,
"Alright"
"D-do you want anything specific?" Simon asked hopefully
"Hmm…No, anything is fine" Alec murmurs
Yeah that is not the Alec he knows at all, he needs help with this, and there are only two people that he can think of to turn too…
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* _End Of Chapter Notes_ *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*Okay, so it is like, really late where I live (or really early, it's 1am right now) and I am really tired, but I have to get the first part of the next chapter up before I go to bed, because I like these two WAY too much and I can't just leave them like this
I have the first half of the next chapter worked out almost completely, so I'll get it up then add the rest after I get some sleep, kay?
O19O
*-*-*-*-*-*-*- MagnusBane:PsychicDetective*-*-*-*-*-*-*-