Archive of Our Own ^beta

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Magnus said when he sat down in front of Alec at their usual table. "Luke is a great boss, but he is too careful for his own good."

"How many times did he made you review your notes for tomorrow’s hearing?"

"You know us too well. Four times, four! When I'm the one who put this case together and wrote those."

"Well this is the last step before potentially taking Valentine Morgenstern to court. I guess he doesn't want to take any chances."

Magnus pouted.

"You're supposed to be on my side you know."

Alec laughed a little and put his hand over Magnus's.

"Always."

Their moment was interrupted by the waitress. They ordered without a look at the menu – they had had their first date here seven month ago, and they'd been meeting there for lunch at least once a week ever since. It was close to both their work places, nice and with reasonable prices. What more to ask for?

"What about you, how was your morning?"

"Slow. There is only so many people who can afford to spend one hour and fifty bucks on breakfast in the middle of the week."

"I will never understand why a high class restaurant like this bothers with staying open 24/7."

"Me neither"

It was a recurring joke between them, because Alec was a manager in a high-class establishment, but they were both from very modest background, and they laughed a lot about this world that seemed foreign to them. They kept an ongoing conversation throughout lunch, about Alec's uptight clients and Magnus's legal nightmare of a case. He had been working on taking down the all-powerful Lightwood family and their empire of organized crime for more than a year now. That was the sole purpose of Luke Garroway's team, an ex-detective of the NYPD who had resigned to dedicate his time and effort to fight crimes in the city, without the internal political struggles and corruption of the police department.

"You still didn't run into any superheroes lately?" Alec asked with a playful smile when they were finishing dessert. Magnus rolled his eyes.

"No, Alec, not anymore than the last time you asked, which was when, yesterday?"

"Maybe this morning."

"Right."

Rumor had it that Luke and his team were acquainted with the Downworlders, the vigilante group who fought the criminal world in the nights of New York City. Alec was quite fond of them, Magnus thought they were a bit too chaotic.

"I have to run," Magnus apologized when they went out of the restaurant. "I'm sorry I’m rushing it, but the case..."

"It's fine, you know it is. I'll see you tonight."

"Okay. Wait, what's tonight?"

Alec chuckled softly.

"Dinner at Taki's at 8?"

"Right, of course, sorry. I'm really out of it, this case is a nightmare, but it'll be over soon, I promise. I'll make it up to you."

"Magnus please, don't. I know how stressed you are by all this, it's fine. What you're doing is amazing and I really wouldn't want you to think otherwise."

"You're too good for me."

"There's no such a thing. Come on, go save the world. I'll be there when it's done."

"I love you."

They both froze. They'd been going out for months, but it was unclear exactly how serious they were and where it was going. One thing was sure, they had never talked about their feelings before.

Alec felt very cold suddenly, but he was a perfect actor, so he didn't miss a beat.

"I love you too."

Magnus seemed to relax, glad his slip had been well received. He smiled a beautiful, happy smile, and kissed Alec lightly.

"See you later," he added before turning and walking away. Alec stayed still just because he knew... there it was. Magnus turned back once, just a little, to flash him one last smile before going about his day. He always did that. Alec shouldn't have known. He shouldn't have noticed that. He shouldn’t have said I love you back. Or well, that was fine. But he shouldn't have meant it.

And yet, he did. Angels help him, he did. He turned and started walking in the other direction, plagued with dark thoughts.

(Number of lies: 12)

Magnus entered the shitty building where Luke had his office. It wasn't that far from the rich neighbourhood of Alec's restaurant, but the contrast was pretty shocking: in a couple of blocks the buildings went more and more dirty, grey and decaying, the apotheosis being their very own HQ which looked like it was probably hosting drug addicts and a prostitution network.

Fortunately, it was only a facade. The entry hall was in the same fashion, but as soon as the first doors were securely closed behind him, it was another story entirely.

"Hey Magnus. How's Alec?" Clary asked with a devious grin when she saw him enter the high tech computer lab of the second floor.

"Good, although it is none of your business. How are you doing with those encrypted files?"

"Magnus Bane, I may talk with computers, but I'm not their boss. I can't order them around. You know this kind of thing takes time."

"I know, I know, but we need those as soon as possible. Do you know where Raphael is?"

"Probably training with Simon, for a change. Those two never stop."

"Perks of regeneration."

"Catarina can regenerate, and still you don't see her going around punching walls and jumping in front of moving cars. I swear they do it on purpose."

"There was a dog in the middle of the street!" Simon exclaimed as he entered the room. "I wasn't going to let him get hit by a car!"

"The dog for your life. It's Man of Steel all over again."

"Nobody died in rescuing that dog."

"The driver almost died of fright."

"Almost. And Magnus took care of it!"

Magnus raised an eyebrow at the mention of his name but didn't comment on it. Their banter was common enough.

"Magnus wasn't granted telepathic powers to make people forget you destroyed their car to save a dog."

"How do you know? Maybe that's exactly why."

"Guys, please. I need to talk to Raphael."

"I'm here," Raphael said in Simon's back. "What is it,” he asked with this habit he had of deadpanning everything, including questions.

"I need someone to take my shift tonight."

Raphael rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"Why."

"I have a date with Alec. I know what you're going to say, but it's important."

"And why, do tell, is it any different from the hundreds of dates you two have gone to before."

It was supposed to be sarcastic but all Magnus heard was all the incredible times he had gone out with Alec.

"I want to tell him," was all he said as an answer, but it was enough to cause an uproar. Simon and Clary cheered, delighted. Raphael just let out a long-suffering sigh.

"Why do you do that to me," he complained. "Why are you cheering you idiot," he scolded Simon. "I'll have to run a background check on him this afternoon. That means no date for us you moron."

That calmed the other boy down instantly.

"Sorry," Magnus said with a sheepish smile.

"Nah, it's fine. It's in the name of love!" Simon said cheerfully, recovering rapidly from his disappointment. "Don't worry, I'll keep you company," he added to Raphael, who had trouble concealing a pleased smile.

Idiots, the whole lot of them.

"I'll patrol a little this afternoon as an apology. Call me when you have the results," he told Raphael before leaving the room to go put on his uniform. He actually liked to patrol well enough, but spending time with Alec trumped anything by far.

(Number of lies: 4)

Maryse wanted to see him, which never meant anything good. Even when she just had a mission to give, even when she wanted to congratulate him – it happened – he felt the same mix of dread, anger and hatred toward her than he had as a child, and their meetings always left them both bitter and furious. He'd been seconding her for years and he ran his own circles of their business – they didn't meet that often anymore.

He reached the family manor and went straight to her office. He wanted to get this over with soon, but he passed his father on the way, and, as always, Alec hoped that the man wouldn't stop him, and as always, he did.

"Hello Alec."

If Alec and his mother hated each other, it was at least more consequent than the link he had with his father, which was non-existent. Robert was a weak man, living in the shadow of his wife and for the sole purpose of pleasing her. Strangely, Alec believed there was love between them, but Robert didn't have feelings for anyone else, not even his children.

"Hello father."

"Your mother is waiting for you."

"I know."

He waited for the man to add something else, but he didn't seem to know what to say. Alec nodded politely and walked away. He had no interest in his father.

He knocked on the office door and let himself in without waiting for an answer. If he waited for her to call him in, he would sleep in front of the door all night. Maryse didn't bother herself with that sort of things.

"Hello mother," he said to the woman sitting behind the massive desk set in the middle of the room. The contrast was stark between the ways he greeted both his parents. To his father it was a polite indifference. To his mother, it was quiet, simmering rage, always.

"Alec. I wanted to talk to you about Magnus Bane."

Here it was. He knew it.

"I didn’t tell you everything all those months ago when I ordered you to engage in a relationship with him. You've done well and brought much information back, but now is the time to fulfill the actual purpose of this mission."

Alec knew to show no emotion to his mother. They were walls, both of them, dolls. Nothing got through their mask, no feelings nor thought. They were there, storming inside, but they wouldn't show.

"And what is it?"

"Magnus Bane isn't just a person of interest because of his business. He is part of the Downworlders. As the Warlock."

They were always playing this game. The game of who would break first, whose face would betray their emotions. He said nothing but he knew she could see the tightening of his jaw, the fury in his eyes. It would be invisible to anyone, he would look calm and collected as always, but he knew she knew. She had taught him all.

"I wish I had known sooner," he said, instead of “you bitch, just you wait, I will kill you.” “I could have worked on this side too,” he said, instead of “it won't be long now before I drive a knife through your throat, you have no idea how much I'll enjoy it."

"It was for the sake of authenticity, and secrecy. Not that I didn't trust you to be able to handle this."

No, of course not.

"And what am I to do with this information now?"

"The hearing of Valentine is tomorrow and we know the Warlock rescued the piece of evidence our people were sent to retrieve. Which mean Magnus will win, and it can't happen."

He didn't tighten his fist, didn't flinch. He willed his body to relax, his face to remain impassible.

"I want you to find this evidence, and then to kill him."

She was the one losing this time, for he could see distinctly the triumph in her eyes, the pleasure she was drawing out of this. She must have planned it to end this way since the beginning. She had no way to know if he would grow attached to Magnus for good or not, but it was a terrible, cruel thing either way.

“It won’t be a problem right?”

"Of course not. Is there specific requirements to meet while conducting this mission?" he asked and he saw her disappointment, that it was all she could get out of him. She was growing old. Emotional. Petty.

“Do it at his home if you can, we will send a cleaning team after you. And avenge your little brother, Alec.”

She won this time, for his eyes widened and he couldn’t help the murderous gaze he sent her way. How dare she invoked Max’s memory into this, when his death sparked a bloody war in the streets of New York, when she had used it to justify battling territories and breaking alliances, advancing her political moves. They were as responsible as the Downworlders for Max’s death. She was more responsible than any of them.

“I will.”

“You’re dismissed. Report to me tomorrow, and keep this to yourself until it’s done.”

He gave a curt nod and left without another word. Alec had never disobeyed an order.

Never. Not a single one. Contrary to his siblings, who were reckless and rebellious and had endured many punishments from their mother, in the woman's book Alec was spotless. He had never done anything to go against her will.

He still endured her anger, of course. Maryse Lightwood was a hard woman to please, with high expectations and easily disappointed. But Alec never stopped doing his very best, working tirelessly and without ever complaining, for he wanted to take her place as the head of the family one day, and he made sure never to do anything that would make her doubt he was the best choice of a successor.

It was a test, he realized. Either a test, or just a bit of torture. If he disobeyed, if he didn't go through with it, it would ruin everything he had worked for. It would undermine him in the eyes of the others, as someone who couldn't follow orders and put his personal feelings aside, who was weak in front of love. It would give her a reason to evict him from his position. And if he did anyway, she would still have had her fun with him. Maryse was a clever woman, she had to know her days as a leader were numbered. Alec's generation was slowly joining their ranks and they were loyal to him, not to her. And he was the one who established strong bonds with the other criminal families of the city, who was friends with Lily Chen and Maia Roberts and their respective clan, something she had always considered below them. This was a way of assessing the control she still had over him.

"Alec? Is everything alright?"

He snapped out of this thought to see Isabelle looking at him with a concerned expression.

"Yes. Everything is fine."

"What did she want?"

Alec loved his sister dearly, really, he did, but he couldn't afford to trust her. Maybe one day soon when Maryse was out of the picture, they could find again what had bound them as children, when it was them against the world. But for now he faced the world alone. Nothing would prevent him from taking the lead of the family, not his love for his sister, not his love for Magnus, nothing.

"It's nothing. I'll take care of it."

It hurt her, but she understood. This was their life, they had to deal with it.

"I'm going out, I won't be home until late tonight. But I want everyone to be in the vicinity, and on alert."

She looked surprised at that, and he saw her fight against a bloodthirsty smile.

"Has the time come?" she whispered, barely loud enough to be heard.

"Maybe. We'll see," he answered in kind.

(Number of lies: 7)

It was the end of the afternoon when Magnus went back to the HQ. He had run into minor trouble, just petty thieves and dealers, no bigger fish. It had been a while since their latest showdown with one of the crime lords and their clan who plagued the city. To be honest, Magnus didn't have a moral compass and sense of justice as strong as some of the others, Luke especially. He was more like Raphael – he could have gone either way, good or bad. But he had been friends with Ragnor and Catarina forever, and they were far more inclined on contributing to a better world than he was. And he could never turn his back on that, now that Ragnor was...

"Do you have news for me?" he asked cheerfully when he reached Raphael's lair in the heart of the HQ. Honestly, this background check was just a formality. They had agreed that not all their relationships needed a thorough interrogation, seeing that they may not stick around for long. That's why they had established some sort of respect of privacy for the people in their life, as long as they were unaware of their secret identities. It was just a formality, he thought, up until he saw Raphael's expression.

"Something tells me I won't like what you found,” he said, trying to sound light. Raphael looked more sorry than angry or annoyed, which was a really bad sign.

"Okay. Is it as bad as Clary discovering her parents were both criminal masterminds?"

"Worse."

"Now you're freaking me out. What did you find?"

"Nothing, Magnus. I didn't have to look for anything because I know perfectly well who your boyfriend is. Recognized him as soon as I saw him. Dios, if you weren't so elusive, so set on keeping your personal life away from all this, none of it would have happened. And really, couldn't you be more in tune with what is happening in the city? I know you never do runs with the big bosses, but really..."

"Raphael, for fuck's sake, shut the fuck up and tell me!"

The young man was going to reply but he thought better of it and just put up a file on his computer.

"There is no Alec Trueblood to be found anywhere, but maybe you'll recognize Alexander Lightwood, heir to the Lightwood crime empire, the most powerful of this side of the city."

Magnus stopped breathing. On the screen was Alec as he had never seen him before: with a perfectly tailored dark suit, hair tamed and expression serious, standing just behind Maryse Lightwood, shaking hands with fucking Valentine Morgenstern himself.

"What the hell. What the hell, what the... Shit. I think I'm going to be sick."

Magnus fell back into a chair. He was shaking slightly.

"That's impossible."

"I'm afraid it's not."

"Not but, you don't understand, that's not possible... Alec is... He cries when he sees a dead animal on the side of the road! He makes paper cranes with every bit of paper he gets his hand on, including sweets wrappers and checks. That's not... He apologizes when people are rude."

"Magnus."

Raphael had stood up and put both hands on Magnus’s shoulders to snap him out of his building panic. To pull him back in promptly by stating in a deadpanned voice-

"It was all a lie."

Magnus was staring at him with wide, pleading eyes. Please tell me it's a joke, he wanted to ask, please tell me it's not true. But Raphael was unrelenting.

"What did I do to deserve this? Why does this keep happening to me? Wasn't Camille bad enough? Fuck..."

"Magnus, you have to consider that... he approached you on purpose. Just like she did. It comes with what we do."

"Is that why you only dated people from our team?"

"Partly yes, I guess."

Magnus hung his head, defeated. He was looking forward to letting Alec into this world, to be truly honest with him and give a new meaning to their relationship. It was all over now.

Simon poked his head inside of the room, followed by Clary, then Luke. The girl put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked and immediately winced at the stupid question. Of course he wasn't, but what else could she say? The terrible moment was cut through by the beeping of his phone, signifying a new message.

"Can you read it?" he asked Clary. It was most certainly Alec, and he couldn't deal with it. She fetched the phone from his jacket pocket. Both the lock screen and the menu were pictures of Alec and him.

"I had one hell of a day, do you mind if we move this to your apartment tonight? I'll cook," she read aloud and oh, how painful it was. Magnus whimpered, Raphael growled.

"I'm going to tear him a new one," he said angrily.

"You'll do no such thing," Luke tempered, ever the reasonable one. "This needs to be handled carefully. We don't know what were, or are, his motivations and plans, and we need to know what he knows."

"So let's bring him in. Rough him up a bit and then drag his sorry ass down here."

"Raphael, shut the fuck up."

They all turned toward Magnus. He got up, unsure on his feet but with a hardened expression on his face.

"I'll go. I'll meet him."

He snatched his phone back from Clary's grasp and fired a quick text of agreement.

"Magnus, you don't have to do this, it's too dangerous!"

"I can handle myself. I have to talk to him. I have to know."

He met Luke's gaze and they communicated silently by eyebrows and looks alone, as they were known to do, before Luke sighed dejectedly.

"We'll monitor the meeting, and we'll barge in if we have to. And keep him under your control at all times. He's not powered is he?"

"No."

"So having a hold on his mind shouldn't be too hard. Good luck."

There were still some time before he had to meet Alec, but he couldn't bear to stay here. He refused everyone's proposal to keep him company or walk him back to his flat. He wanted nothing more than to be alone with his misery and betrayal, and to wait in the dark for his lover to come to him and deal him the final blow.

(Number of lies: 7)

They knew, they both knew, but when Alec arrived at Magnus's place with a loaded gun hidden in his jacket, and Magnus greeted him just after washing the traces of tears off his face, still they shared a long kiss and started a retelling of their respective day. But now, for the first time, they were perfectly aware that the other was feeding them lies, and it could only hold for so long.

Magnus watched Alec make to go to the kitchen to start on dinner, and he couldn't do it anymore. He knew he wouldn't be able to eat anything, and watching Alec all domestic and mundane in his kitchen, it was just too cruel.

"Alec, wait."

The young man stopped dead in his tracks. He had his back to Magnus, shoulders tense, and here it was.

"What is it?"

"Stop it please."

Alec turned slowly to face him, and in front of him was a man Magnus had never seen, a man he didn't know. All his hopes that this was a practical joke or a terrible misunderstanding vanished.

"Did you always know?" he asked in spite of himself. Alec had no reason to answer him, but he did anyway. He looked so serious, determined.

"No, but I had an interest in approaching you all the same."

"For my position as a lawyer I guess?"

"You know Valentine Morgenstern is one of us."

"I also know he will find his death if he's ever released back to your rank."

"We deal with our own."

Magnus studied with a morbid fascination the second in command of a powerful mob family with the face, body and voice of his sweet lover. It was incredibly painful.

"So what happens now?" Magnus asked, like he didn't know. Alec drew the gun out of his inner pocket, with practiced ease, smooth, no hesitation. He aimed at  Magnus.

"I hope you have back up Magnus, because you won't be able to use your telepathy on me. You should have tried it sooner you know. I guess you have something of a moral code against entering people's minds against their will."

That gave the hero a pause. Alec was right for the second part, and after a quick extending of his mind, he realized he was right for the first too.

"You... You have powers."

"I do. Enhanced senses make me a hell of a shoot. Nothing that fancy, but still handy against other powered.”

"Was there anything you told me that was true?" Magnus accused. Alec needed a moment to think about it, but he answered with a strange smile:

"There was at least one."

Magnus moved to the bar to fix himself a drink. The gun pointed to his head made him nervous, but nothing he couldn't handle or hadn’t experienced before - he was a vigilante after all. Alec was following his every move, tensed and focused like the trained killer he was, but he wasn't going to shoot just yet.

"Go on then,” Magnus said, cocktail in hand, with as much fake confidence as he could muster. “Do it."

"You don't think I will?" Alec asked with anger in his voice. Magnus wondered if he was used to being underestimated.

"Oh no, I think you will, and I'd like it to be over soon."

"Aren’t you going to try and defend yourself?"

Alec sounded incredulous and angry. Magnus let out a joyless laugh.

"How? You're immune to my charms, and I don't have any weapons on me."

"I know you can fight. I've seen you in action."

"Have you now?"

"I was at the showdown at Magical Bay two years ago," he said. Magnus clenched his jaw.

"Ah, yeah. When you ambushed us and proceeded to massacre a group of unarmed and off guard people who were minding their own business."

"Oh, don't act all innocent. That was retaliation, and you deserved it."

"Oh yeah?"

"You were the ones who blew up this car on the docks. Did you think it was a transaction, a smuggling, or transporting a dead body? Your info was shit."

"Was it your favorite car darling?"

"My little brother was in that car!" exclaimed Alec, suddenly enraged. "He was ten years old!"

His eyes were ablaze with fury and pain.

"You said you were an excellent shooter,” Magnus whispered. “Would the bow be your weapon of choice by any chance?"

"Sorry I didn’t bring it, it would have been impractical today."

"Three of us died with an arrow in the chest that day at Magic Bay, including my best friend."

They looked at each other, both thinking back just hours before, when they had laughed and talked at lunch. How carefree it was, how peaceful. How deceiving.

"Well I'm glad I didn't know all that before," Magnus said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He had often wondered what he would do if he faced Ragnor's murderer. Of course, he had never envisioned the possibility of him being someone so close to him, someone he cared about.

"So yeah, I killed your friends. Why don't you at least try? Do something!" Alec demanded and there was a hint of desperation in his voice, of frustration. Magnus sat up straighter, facing Alec fully.

"No."

"Why not?"

"First of all because I won't make it easy for you. I won't have you react to defend yourself. If you kill me, you'll have to do it in cold blood."

Alec cast him a murderous look, a small victory.

"And secondly..."

Magnus wondered why he felt the urge to say it. He didn't have to. It would make Alec suffer, probably, but that wasn't his point either. He just wanted it to be out there in the open, to be known.

"I don't want to. Because I meant what I said when we parted. Maybe I didn't tell you many truths either, but this one was. And I have so much hatred for you now, and I wish I wanted to kill you. But I don't. Because I..."

"Don't say it" Alec cut aggressively. "Don't say it," he warned again when Magnus opened his mouth.

"I do love you still," Magnus said anyway. Alec closed his eyes briefly, his breath hitching just barely, which was satisfying in a terrible, twisted way. Let us both suffer, Magnus thought. Let us regret this greatly.

(Number of lies: 7)

Alec had a gun drawn to his lover's head, and he was going to pull the trigger.

Wasn’t he?

Damn Maryse, she had played well on this round.

He had known, for so long he had known he was getting dangerously attached to Magnus. It was a liability in his line of work, and something he had always rejected. He had his goal, to take Maryse's place, and until Magnus, there had never been anything else. It was all on him, it was his mistake. He had to set it right, he had to. He couldn't ruin everything now. He was too close.

"Do you tell me in hopes it will sway my hand?" he asked, even if deep down he knew it wasn't like that. Magnus shook his head.

"No. I don't care to die, really, I made peace with it a long time ago. But as I say, I don't want to make it easy for you. And I... I want you to know. I want my lover to know that I loved him, even if it's too late for us, even if everything is ruined."

And truly, everything was.

But the thing was, no one but Maryse knew of Alec's affair. She had insisted on it, officially for better couverture, when in truth she just wanted to make it more difficult for him, for he would have to keep secrets from his people, get away from them. She had wanted him out of his game, and he had cursed her for it, but now he saw a way out, a benefice she didn't foresee. No one else knew about Alec and Magnus. They didn't know they were a couple, and most importantly, they didn't know what he had been ordered to do. Maybe she had already told the clean-up team, but she would want to announce it publicly to the rest of the clan.

He was thinking fast. He had wanted to wait a little more. He didn't know if they were ready, if they could pull it off. But would he ever? His allies were growing restless. Maybe it was the final push he needed. He couldn't deny, at least in the privacy of his thought, that he was still afraid of Maryse. That's why he wanted her dead so much.

Everyone was ready. They would come if he called. It could all go down tonight.

All for this man, Alec thought. How ironic.

"So what is it gonna be, Alec?" Magnus asked with a bored tone, but Alec could tell he was anxious, set on edge by the wait. He wanted this to be over.

"Well..."

Alec stopped abruptly. There was movement outside. People running into the building, advancing towards them. Military walk, furtive, but not enough, not for him.

"I'm afraid we're about to be interrupted."

"A shame. Maybe we should reschedule."

"I don't think so."

Alec couldn’t help a small smile. He had made his decision.

He aimed carefully, and fired.

(Number of lies: zero)

Alec had decided a long time ago that he wouldn't let her talk. He wouldn't drag this out, he wouldn't fret, wouldn't make a mistake of vanity. So when he stormed into his mother's office without knocking on the door, he didn't pause to appreciate her surprised expression, he didn't stop to explain to her what was happening. He walked straight to her, Isabelle and Jace on his heels, and plunged his knife into her stomach while his siblings took care of her two bodyguards.

So he hadn't gone for the throat. It would be the only pleasure he granted himself. To have her die slowly, so that she could take the full measure of what was going on. They could hear the rumor of a fight from outside the office, but it was already fading. They had come numbered, and well prepared. Lily and Maia had even lent him some of their own, as he had done for them when they had taken down the head of their respective family. Maryse might have been waiting for something like this, but not this way, and probably not so soon.

"You shouldn't have sent me against him,” he murmured in her ear as she struggled for breath, her beautiful face contorted by pain and fury.

"Traitor," she whispered.

"You should all have loved your children more," he answered. "Blood can only grant you so much loyalty."

“You good for nothing scum, I never loved you!”

“Neither did I, mother.”

He was still half supporting her, knife deep inside of her body, hand soaking in her blood. He heard and felt the shift in the air but wasn't fast enough - his father had come behind him and tried to stab him in the back. He only succeeded in cutting through his cheek before Isabelle stuck her own blade through his neck. He died without having uttered a single word.

"Are you alright?" Isabelle asked, hovering a tender hand above the deep cut on the right side of his face, while he had just killed their mother, and she had just killed their father.

"I am," he answered with a small, private smile. He turned back to Maryse - she had slid to the floor, no longer able to stand, and the pool of blood beneath her was growing rapidly. Her eyes were unfocused, cursing and condemning, and he felt nothing but disgust at her life and relief at her death.

"I hope to be worthy of your succession," he said in a mock rendition of their tradition of passing the power.

"We know you will," Isabelle answered in place of Maryse, who could no longer talk. They stayed silent for a few minutes, watching her die, before getting back to work on their renewed clan.

(Number of lies: 3)

The thing was, they had been having lunch together at the same place, at the same time almost every week for several months, and Magnus, against his better judgment, was back there one week later. He saw Alec enter the restaurant only a few minutes after the regular hour and honestly, he would have been more surprised if he hadn't shown. Alec sat in front of him, all careful restraint and quiet force. He looked every bit the new mobster boss he now was, and though Magnus knew his wound was perfectly healed, he still felt it tug at this chest, just below the skin.

"I'm glad you're still alive, I wasn’t sure," Alec said in lieu of a greeting while taking the seat opposite to Magnus.

"Let's not play games. You're a perfect shot. You did it on purpose."

"Of course I did. If I had wanted to kill you, you'd be dead, rescue team or not."

"Why?"

Magnus wanted nothing more than to get under that perfect composure, that practiced indifference Alec affected. He almost succeeded, he saw Alec soften minutely, just for a moment, before it was gone, when he said,

"For love, obviously."

Strangely enough, Alec seemed sincere, if incredibly bothered by the declaration.

"The restaurant you worked in..."

"That was true, partly. I manage the place. We conduct important meetings there, transactions too. It's a hot spot."

"Aren't you afraid to tell me this? You know I'm the enemy."

"Magnus, it's not a secret. Everyone knows about it.”

They stayed silent for a moment.

“Our first meeting truly was accidental, if it’s any consolation,” Alec said absentmindedly.

“That’s one thing that was true I guess,” Magnus answered with a dark tone, not meeting Alec’s gaze.

“But speaking of which, you lied to me too. You did meet some superheroes."

Alec was so laidback, almost amused with the situation. Magnus couldn't bear it.

"Don't let me fool you, Magnus, I'm a very good actor, you must have noticed," he said. The vigilante studied him, tried to find something, anything, that could clue him in on what Alec really felt. But he was too good of an actor indeed. He let nothing show, unless he wanted to.

"I guess I have to thank you," he added.

"You do?" Magnus asked, skeptical.

"I needed the push. It could have been a while until I dared to make my move against my mother. You acted as a catalyst. So, ha, thank you."

"You... Did you always plan on taking her place?"

"Of course. Been preparing this for months too."

"I don't understand. You... How could you want this?"

"You don't know me at all Magnus. You don't know who I am. Alec, that wasn't me. It was a lie. I was raised into this world, this is my life. I'm a criminal, as much as you are a hero. And I hated that bitch."

Magnus saw brief anger on his face before it smoothed over once again.

"I apologize," Alec said with a very business-like tone. "You don't know that part of me, it must be very strange. I won't stay much longer. I just wanted to tell you that, under these circumstances, I think it's best that we break up."

Magnus choked on his water.

"What?"

"Does that seem unreasonable to you?"

"Quite the opposite actually. I figured things were over when you shot me in the chest."

Alec looked genuinely surprised at that, before taking a thoughtful expression.

"Yeah, I can see your point."

Magnus hated him for being so detached, so indifferent. It might all have been a lie, but still Magnus had admitted to loving him enough to let himself be killed, and Alec in return had overthrown his commandment to spare his life. Did it amount to nothing now, one week after the fact? He really didn’t know him at all right?

"So I guess we'll never see each other again apart from coming face to face in a fight."

"I won't be fighting much anymore. I don't know if you heard, but I got promoted."

"Hell, Alec, could you be any more insensitive?"

Alec didn't lose his commercial smile but his gaze wavered.

He got up, throwing a handful of bills on the table.

"Believe me, I could. I..."

Magnus saw him struggle to decide if he would reveal something personal or not, if he would expose himself, just a little.

"You know, you're the only one to ever call me Alec. I prefer Alexander," he said with an amused look like it was a great joke. Maybe it was.

"I loved the person I got to be with you," he went on, finally looking Magnus in the eyes. "And that person loved you very much. I wish he could have stayed with you, really, I do, but he is no more. I'm sorry. Goodbye Magnus."

Magnus stayed rooted in place when he wanted so badly to reach out. It was absurd, how much he wanted to run after him, to shake him, scream to his face that it was broken beyond repair and that his heart was torn in pieces, to punch him in his expressionless face, to kiss him senseless. But he didn't do anything. He didn't even get up. He watched Alec go, leave the restaurant and disappear in the street. He hadn't turned back once.

Magnus felt very empty.

(Number of lies: 4)

Here is the truth.

Raphael was right to be astonished that Magnus hadn't figured out sooner who Alec was. Really, did his friends believed him to be this dense? That hurt.

"Well, mission accomplished," Luke said to Magnus in the privacy of his office. Everyone had gone home or out to patrol.

"I guess, yeah."

"What is it?" Luke asked, always perceptive.

"I think we made a mistake,” he answered. “When I suggested we work to put Alec in place of Maryse, it was because I believed him to be weaker and softer than his mother. I thought it would work out for us."

"And now?"

Magnus looked at the fake landscape behind the window. They were deep in the building, where no natural light would possibly reach.

"And now I think we just advanced his own plan. I didn't... didn't think he was so eager to rule in her place. It was all he wanted from the beginning."

"You misjudged him."

Magnus closed his eyes. Had he, really? He hadn't misjudged the man he had met and dated. That man was soft and kind and funny and sweet. The man he had met the previous week and that day at lunch was ruthless, cold and dead set in his ways. Was it possible to play along so well and for so long? The first one, was he really a creation, or just a side of the man who had never had the occasion to exist before? Who was he really, was there two of them? In other circumstances, in another world, would he have been able to keep by his side his sweet Alec, shy and adorable and perfect? He would never know.

(Number of lies: 0)

"Did you love him?" Luke asked kindly, and Magnus tightened his fist, anger filling him. How could he ask that?

"No. Of course not."

(Number of lies: 1)