At first the Friday morning seemed normal. It was the same as it had been all through September - angels, was I looking forward to the end of all this in October - I walked in and headed right to the front desk where Imasu would usually say good morning and direct me towards whoever needed guiding.

Except, today he looked at me like I'd crashed in through the ceiling in a UFO. An odd mixture of utter shock and just a little awe. Unsettling.

His gaze went from me to his computer, then back to me. His face was all scrutiny. I shifted on the spot.

"What is it?" I asked him and looked down at myself. Just in case I was wearing my sweater inside out or something. I wish I could say that hadn't happened before.

"I found something..." Said Imasu. His voice was only half there while he was lost in his own thoughts.

I leant my arms on the desk. If he hadn't sent me to a group right away then there was no rush. It would be one of those days where I'd end up hovering around waiting for questions from the visitors.

"What's that, then?" I kept my tone casual. Doing that made his weirdness seem less off.

Instead of saying anything, Imasu swivelled the computer screen so that I could see it.

I felt my stomach drop.

I hadn't seen the photo in a very long time. Now it was just about every-other picture in a Google search of my name. Of course; there weren't a whole lot of other pictures of me online so it was bound to come up. Me on prom night with a glass to my lips, Magnus holding it there with mischief in the curve of his mouth. Our fingers entwined in the centre of the table.

I lurched forward to turn the screen off but Imasu just turned it back towards him. I had to go around the desk.

Imasu was grinning and didn't seem to grasp that to me, the situation felt dire. He let out a long whistle.

"Magnus Bane, huh?" He smirked. I grabbed for the mouse but he kept it in hand.

"Why would you be looking me up?" It probably would have come out as a pretty un-masculine screech if I wasn't so worried about being overheard. Imasu had no such concern.

"Because of this." He said, and clicked onto a different tab. I knew this website. I spent most of a day scrolling through it once.

This wasn't the article from before, though. This one was new.

There was a picture of Camille and Magnus, separated by a crude, jagged black line which was maybe supposed to look like a rip. I knew what I was looking at before I read the title.

Cammie Breaks It Off

I tried to skim the article but only got as far as 'Made an official announcement via Twitter' before Imasu was scrolling down. There weren't a lot of words; most of it was pictures and screen caps from the social network. Imasu stopped towards the bottom, and read aloud.

"We're expecting to see Cammie slip right back onto the dating scene - was she ever gone? -" I kept my comment about how that was kind of uncalled for to myself. Imasu was too caught up in reading to have noticed if I did say something, anyway. "But can the same be said for her soon-to-be-ex-husband? We haven't seen Magnus step a foot out of line since his affair in April with student Alexander Lightwood."

There was more to be read but Imasu said my name with finality. His point was proven, apparently.

I was still trying to mentally process what was in front of me. Camille had 'officially' announced their divorce? When did Twitter start to qualify as an official source of information? What was Imasu going to do, now?

"If I see the name of somebody I know in a gossip column, I'm going to look it up." He said. He added a 'duh' for emphasis.

My fist actually clenched, not that I had any plan to hit the guy. I looked around to see who was in earshot before I took hold of the mouse and clicked off the net browser altogether.

"I don't like to broadcast." I told him with a firmness I didn't feel.

Last time I got a mention, anybody with internet access was quickly convinced that I was a promiscuous home wrecker with some kind of Father complex. That they could give me a teacher, or a married man, or anybody a few years older and watch me go wild.

Guys like Dr Zachariah being a prime example.

The Doctor wasn't a gossip. In all the time I'd known him I'd never seen him take the slightest interest in pop culture. Not even a passing comment. His head was thoroughly buried in his books. So, I was pretty certain that if the whole Magnus situation was never specifically presented to him, he'd never know. I wouldn't have to risk him being uncomfortable or getting the wrong idea about me.

"Could you keep this between us?" I asked in earnest.

Imasu raised a brow and nodded towards the computer. "It seems pretty public already, Lightwood."

I tried to put the wave of discomfort I felt then out of mind. I was not going to panic. Not yet, anyway. The task at hand was keeping my job.

"I mean from the Doctor." I said.

"You're worried about Zack finding out you have this older-guy fetish?" The desk clerk questioned, his tone dripping with suggestiveness.

If I had anything to choke on, I would have done so.

"No! Well yes, but no." I sighed. "I don't have a fe- a preference. I'm worried he'll think I do."

At last, it seemed to dawn on Imasu where I was coming from. It was like a veil of confusion lifted and left him feeling enlightened. I knew he was bound to ask me more later on - if he was the kind of guy browsing gossip sites Isabelle would use in his free time, who knew? - but for now as long as we had an understanding, it was enough.

"My lips are sealed." He said. "But I don't think you need to be so neurotic about it."

I managed to smile. "I prefer the term 'careful'."

Through the day, I never had any reason to think Dr Zacheriah knew anything about Magnus and I. So I assumed Imasu had been true to his word. Before too long, it was Lunch hour, and I knew I had to call somebody and talk about what had happened that morning before I burst.

But who?

Isabelle? She'd already text me five times saying I should check out Ebony and to ask if I was okay and did I know this was going to happen this way, today? She seemed worried. I didn't want her to be. So, throwing caution to the wind along with my 'total honesty' rule, I told her everything was okay. Now she thought the article was completely expected. No problem.

I thought about dialling for Jace, but he had college stuff and anything I said to him would end up back to Izzy and that just wasn't an option.

My parents were a no-go. That went without saying. And it wasn't like my other sibling was really old enough to hear the ins and outs of all this.

Magnus? I definitely needed to talk to Magnus. But I was going to see him after work, anyway. This was going to be a big deal for us, bigger than phone calls could cover anyway.

At least when I thought about Magnus, I could let it wash over me that he was now officially a single man; as far as any onlookers were concerned. I felt a lot more comfortable with that than I did with the constant worry I was doing something wrong. I wouldn't think about Camille every time we got close anymore.

Camille. I could call Camille. She called me all the time, so I figured I could do the same. What would I say? 'Hey, mon insert-French-endearment-here, a little warning would have been nice.'? Maybe not.

Then it hit me. Magnus should have warned me. In fact I was sure that he would have warned me.

Camille hadn't even told him about this.

Another chapter up! It was re-written over and over, I'm hoping it ended up okay. I just had to get it posted so that I could move forward with the next one. "Photographs" is on the way.