Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Why are we here, Magnus?” Ragnor Fell complained as he followed Magnus Lightwood-Bane up the stairs to the owner’s office in his gay club, Kebebasan, Freedom.

“Because it’s New Year’s Eve, and this place is going to be hopping as we get closer to midnight.”

“It’s pretty busy right now,” Ragnor said, looking down at the fifty or so people on the crystal and weakly lit dance floor.

“Yes. But it’s only seven o’clock. It’ll get much busier. I just want to look into something quickly, then I’ll head home for our New Year’s Eve party.”

“You left Alec in charge until you get there?” Ragnor asked. “That was a mistake.”

“No. He can handle it. He’s very good at commanding the troops.”

“Or the boys are doing all the work and he’s trying not to shoot anyone.”

“That or Isabelle and Clary are there,” Magnus agreed, typing in the lock code so that he could enter the owner’s office. Moving into the office, Magnus opened the computer, and put in his password in order to take a look at some of the accounts for the bar. 

“So why are we really here?”

“The bar is going through a lot of liquor. I want to make sure someone isn’t stealing it or selling it under the table.”

Ragnor nodded. “I’ll let Caterina know she’ll need to meet me at your house.”

“So you’re still dating the doctor for the dead, huh?”

“She’s amazing,” Ragnor sighed, his eyes going soft. “You have no idea. It’s getting a little serious.”

One dark eyebrow rose as Magnus looked at his friend who turned practically green when he thought about how serious things with Doctor Caterina Loss were actually getting. “Really? Are you thinking of leaving a toothbrush at her apartment, or giving her a key to yours?”

“Both,” Ragnor answered.

Magnus grinned and pulled up security footage of the bar and transferred it to the screens on the south wall of the room. “Congratulations, Ragnor. I’m glad you’ve found someone who makes you feel so good.”

“She doesn’t just make me feel good, Magnus. She makes me feel. . .”

“Whole,” Magnus supplied. “She makes you feel complete. As if you’ll never be alone as long as she’s with you.”

“Yes,” Ragnor agreed. 

“I know that feeling.”

“Yeah,” Ragnor said. “You do.”

Magnus looked over the bar’s records while Ragnor answered some emails. “They’re ordering thirty more bottles of hard liquor each week than they were two months ago, but they aren’t matching those sales. I think someone is stealing from the bar.”

“What’s going on there?” Ragnor asked, pointing at one of the security screens.

Magnus looked at the screen that showed the entrance of the club where two young men entered and stopped in the door way, as if they weren’t sure they wanted to be there.

“Maybe they’ve wondered into the wrong bar,” Magnus said.

Ragnor nodded. “Looking for a hot place to pick up women, and realized that this is the wrong place for that.”

Magnus snickered. “That’s true. We get closeted guys in here all the time. It’s possible they’ll stay,” Magnus said, watching the two men enter the club. 

Magnus returned his attention to the records, taking notes on the types of liquor that sold the best, and the types that were over ordered.

Then all hell broke loose.

Hearing screams from downstairs, Magnus’s head shot up to look at the security screens. The two men who’d hesitated at the door held assault rifles and were firing recklessly into the crowd. 

“What the fuck!” Ragnor exclaimed standing and running to the door.

“Ragnor!” Magnus shouted, vaulting up and rushing to stop his friend from leaving the office. “We can’t help them if we go down there. We’ll just end up dead, too. Stay here and call 911.”

As Magnus watched the two men gun down the patrons of his club, he tugged his phone from his pocket and called his husband.

“Hey, baby,” Alec answered.

“Alec. .  .” Magnus panted, his adrenaline pumping and causing him to feel a bit lightheaded. 

“Mags? What’s wrong.”

“I’m at Kebebasan. There are two men. Guns.”

“Hold on, baby. Do they know where you are?”

Magnus’s phone beeped as it died. Before he could tell Alec that, no, the shooters didn’t know where he was, or that he wasn’t even in the club itself. 

He is gonna be pissed.

***

“Magnus?!” Alec shouted when his phone disconnected from Magnus. “Baby?” 

“What is it?” Isabelle asked, setting down the vase she was carrying.

“Magnus. He’s at one of his clubs. They’re. . . someone just came in with guns. I’ve gotta go, Iz.”

“Go. Jace!” she shouted. “Roll out.”

Jace met Alec at the door and handed him his coat. “What’s up? We’re not on the roll today because you’re still on medical.”

“Magnus’s club is being attacked. He’s there.”

Getting the coat on with the stupid sling was exceedingly difficult for Alec. 

Five weeks earlier, Alec had been stabbed in the shoulder protecting Magnus from a crazy mother fucker intent on killing people of wealth. Now, Alec was on medical leave until after the new year because his range of motion was not back to where it needed to be. He’d be damned, however, if he wasn’t going to be on scene when Magnus could be in danger. 

During the crazed drive to Manhattan, Alec tried dozens of times to call Magnus, but his phone went straight to voicemail. “C’mon, Magnus,” Alec found himself praying. Please be okay.

So I can punish you.

Yeah. He still owed Magnus for all the shit he went through during the last investigation. Alec would just pile this on top of that.

If he had the chance. He had to have the chance.

Alec didn’t want to think about what could be happening to Magnus. What could have already happened to him. Alec prayed that he could be in time to save Magnus again. He needed to be there when Magnus needed him. He couldn’t be alone again. Magnus was a deep seeded part of his life, and Alec could never be without him again.

Magnus was too important to Alec.

It only took forty minutes to get to the club, but Alec felt as if it had taken hours.

S.W.A.T beat them there.

Seeing Aaron Warwick, the head of S.W.A.T., Alec sighed in relief. Aaron met them at the barrier. “Let us in,” Alec ordered.

Aaron nodded to the uniform who was preventing them from entering the perimeter. 

“I just found out who owned this joint, and I was worried about having to call you.”

“He’s here,” Jace spouted.

“What?” Aaron said. “Not again.”

“Sir!” Someone shouted. “We’ve got an officer inside. He’s subdued the suspects.”

“We’ll clear it,” Aaron said.

“I need to be inside,” Alec said.

“No,” Aaron replied. “You’re still hurt.”

“That’s my husband, Aaron.”

“I know,” Aaron said. “I understand. That’s why I’m letting your partner come in with us to clear it. After it’s cleared, and we’re sure we’ve got the all of the gunmen subdued, I’ll let you in. Until then, you can stay here. You don’t have to go back behind the barrier, but I need your word you’ll stay here.”

Rolling his eyes, Alec said. “I’ll stay, but you let me in the fucking minute it’s cleared.”

“Promise, killer,” Aaron said, handing Jace riot gear. “Let’s go, Herondale.”

“Take care of him, Jace,” Alec ordered.

“Will do, buddy.”

Alec just stood back and watched Jace go in with the S.W.A.T. team. He stood beside the officer manning the radio, listening to the team as they cleared and described the club. The bodies. The blood. The broken glass. He could still hear the music blaring out of the speakers from outside, and couldn’t imagine the awesome din that they were entering. 

Alec felt sick.He needed to be in the club with them. He needed to make sure his husband wasn’t one of the dozens of bodies that had been reported.

“What’s going on?” Alec asked the radioman. 

“They’re not reporting,” he answered, then asked, “Report?”

The radio crackled and Aaron’s voice came over the radio, “Clear. Two suspects apprehended. Let the EMTs in. About twenty wounded. More dead.”

“Can I send Detective Lightwood-Bane in? He’s really antsy. I think he’ll choke me if I don’t.”

Aaron laughed. “Send ‘im in. His husband isn’t on the floor. Herondale went upstairs with a couple of men to check the owner’s office for him.”

Alec didn’t need to hear anything else. He rushed into the building and stopped in the doorway. The club, which he’d visited multiple times with Magnus, was a bloodbath. Men and women lay strewn on the crystal dance floor, the red carpeted stairs, the velvet cushions of the furniture. Aaron was hauling one of two young men who were handcuffed. 

What was even more surprising was seeing Officer Tiberius Blackthorn handing off a second handcuffed man to a S.W.A.T. officer. 

“Ty?” Alec asked.

“Detective,” he said, nodding to Alec. 

He didn’t have time to ask Ty what he was doing at the club in his street clothes because he had to find Magnus, even though he was curious. Moving behind the D.J. stand, Alec shut down the music and then took the mahogany stairs, surrounded by carvings of peacocks, two at a time. 

“Jace?” Alec called out once he was on the second floor.

“In here,” Jace yelled from the owner’s office. “He’s fine.”

Alec ran into the office anyway. Magnus, upon seeing him, stood and threw his arms around Alec. Alec buried his face in Magnus’s throat. “Are you okay?” he demanded, running his one good hand over Magnus’s body, checking for wounds. 

“I’m fine. We were in here the entire time.”

“We?” Alec asked, pulling back and looking at Magnus. 

“Yes. We.” For the first time, Alec noticed Ragnor sitting one one of the chairs in the office. 

“You weren’t downstairs at all?”

“Not when it happened. We were in here.”

“Jace,” Alec said. 

“We’re about to interview them, aren’t we?”

Alec nodded. “I’m technically on light duty. As long as I don’t do too much, I can work as primary for now. I’ll tell Luke what happened at the party tonight.”

Jace nodded. “Hey, Aaron,” he called as Aaron entered the office. “You got a couple of recorders?”

Aaron nodded. “In my field kit. You guys taking over the investigation?”

“For now,” Alec said. “I couldn’t be in on the clearing, so I’m taking over the investigation process. Jace, get the recorders and then call Cat. See if she wants in.”

Jace nodded and followed Aaron out of the office. Alec sighed and sat on the leather couch. “Magnus,” he said as Magnus joined him on the couch, rubbing his good shoulder. “I called dozens of times. Why didn’t you answer? What happened? Everything went right to voicemail.”

Magnus’s gold-green eyes widened. “Well. . . I forgot to charge my phone and it died.”

“It died?”

“Darling-“

“You are going to get it as soon as I can move my arm properly.”

“Eww,” Ragnor groaned. “I don’t want to hear about your gross sex.”

“Then get out,” Magnus growled. “Alexander, this isn’t my fault.”

“Isn’t it?” Alec asked. “You didn’t charge your phone. Then it died and you could have been hurt or dying and I couldn’t do anything to help you. I also didn’t know if you were dead. Do you have any idea how terrified I was?”

“Yes,” Magnus answered easily. “I feel that same terror every time you get called to investigate a case.”

“Then you know how I felt knowing that you could have been gone before I could have done anything to help you. You could have been gone.”

Magnus pulled Alec against him. “I’m not, darling. I’m here. I was as safe as I could be. All of my offices have the doors that your cousin installed. Bomb and bulletproof. I was fine. Scared. But fine.”

When Jace returned, Alec pulled away from Magnus. “We’ll discuss all that later. Jace, do me a favor and interview Magnus. If I do it, there’ll be a cock-up.”

“I understand,” Magnus said as Alec stood to talk to Ragnor. 

***

Alec left Ragnor and Magnus in the owner’s office because he didn’t want them to come upon the crime scene. He never wanted to expose Magnus to what had happened downstairs. “Jace, can you call holding and put the suspects on suicide watch. We won’t get to them tonight.”

“Sure. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Alec nodded and moved down the stairs, passing the body of a young woman stretched out upon them as if she were running up the stairs.

“Alec?” Caterina asked. “Is Ragnor up there?”

“He’s fine. Go see him before you get started.”

“Thank you,” she said gratefully.

“You’d do the same for me.”

“I would. I’ll just go see to my man, then I’ll get to work.”

“Thanks, Cat.”

Caterina nodded and passed to move up the stairs to look in on Ragnor.

Seeing Tiberius Blackthorn just outside the building, Alec moved to him. 

“Ty,” he called. Tiberius looked up at Alec.

“Yes, sir?”

“You arrested?”

“I put the cuffs on, sir.”

“Did you read them their rights?”

“Yes, sir.”

“So that makes you the arresting officer. I’ll make sure that’s on the record. Can you give me a report?”

“Of course, sir. I was here with a. . . friend when the shooting started.”

“Friend?”

“Date. Our third.”

“You’re spending New Year’s Eve with someone? That’s serious, Ty.”

Tiberius gave a rare smile. “Yes, sir. It’s looking as if we may be heading that direction.”

Alec grinned. “Go on. What happened.”

“My companion and I were sitting at one of the tables on the second floor when we heard the gun shots. My companion thought that it was fireworks, but I recognized it. Assault rifle fire. I pulled him away from the stairs and hid him in a broom closet. Shoved him in, really. He’s not very happy about that.”

“I imagine not. Finish it out.”

“I had my service weapon, so I took it out. I carefully moved downstairs and took one by surprise. I knocked him unconscious and cuffed him. The second I had to threaten. I had my weapon against his back, which surprised him and caused him to drop his gun. I was able to cuff the second suspect and read him his rights first. When the second suspect awoke, I read him his rights as well. 

“S.W.A.T. entered mere moments after I’d finished cuffing the second suspect. I helped S.W.A.T. clear the building and then you came in.”

Alec nodded. “Great, Ty. Thanks. Do you want to accompany me to talk to your companion?”

“I’d like that, actually, sir.” 

“C’mon. There’s a privacy room upstairs where we can talk so he doesn’t have to stand in this death.”

“I’ll get him, sir.”

Alec looked around at the people who’d lost their lives in the club. It was a waste. These people had been killed and for what? Magnus’s club was a place of death and destruction because of two men whose motives needed to be uncovered. Alec had to know why they’d ruined the club and had taken so many people’s lives. 

“Hey,” Aaron said, handing him a to-go cup of coffee. “You’ll need this.”

“I will.”

“They’ve numbered the dead.”

“Last count?” Alec asked, sipping the coffee.

“Eighteen dead here. Three more died enroute or at the hospital.”

Alec sighed. “Twenty-one.”

Aaron nodded. “Ever worked a case this big?”

Alec shook his head. “No. No I don’t know if I’m ready for something this big.”

“I guess it’s a good thing you’ve got friends in the FBI.”

“True story,” Alec said as Tiberius arrived with his “companion.”

“I’ll send you a report, Alec,” Aaron said as Alec moved away.

“Sounds good, man. Thanks for taking care of what's mine,” Alec said, truly thankful that someone was there to take care of Magnus. Turning to Tiberius and the blond man who'd arrived with him, he ordered, “C’mon, I’ll show you up.”

The men followed Alec upstairs, passing bodies being looked over and bagged by the morgue team, and into a private sitting room that could be booked for private get togethers at the club. Alec sat and indicated for both men to sit across from him. “May I have your name for the record?” Alec asked Tiberius’s friend.

“Kit Rook,” he replied.

Alec nodded and set the record on his borrowed recorder. “Detective Lightwood-Bane in interview with Mr. Kit Rook in regards to the events taking place at Kebeban. Mr. Rook, do you have any questions for me?”

Kit shook his head. “No. Well. . . When can we leave?” 

“You’re free to go as soon as I finish asking you some questions.”

“Good. I feel the need to have a few moments alone with Officer Blackthorn.”

Alec sat back. “It’s common to want to affirm that you’re alive with sex.”

“I was thinking that I need to show him how alive I am.”

Tiberius blushed and looked away from Alec and Kit. 

“Will you tell me about what time you got here?” Alec asked, changing the subject.

“Sure. I got here first. I was here at like six-forty. Ty is obnoxiously on time, and I hate to be late, so I made sure I was here twenty minutes before we’d decided to meet because I knew he’d be here fifteen minutes early. I just wanted to keep him on his toes.”

Ty smiled shyly.

“Do you remember seeing the two gentlemen who began shooting coming in?”

“No. I was just thinking about kissing Ty. I didn’t notice anyone else.”

“What did you do when the shooting began?”

“I didn’t do anything. I just sat there. I thought it was fireworks or those snapping things that kids throw at people’s feet. Ty grabbed me and tugged me out of there, though. He told me that someone was firing guns, and he shoved me into a broom closet. He kissed me, way too quickly, I might add, and left me there,” Kit said with a sidelong glance at Tiberius.

“When did you get out of the closet?”

Kit gave a quick laugh. “That’s a loaded question. But, if you’re asking about the broom closet, I was there about five or ten minutes after Ty left me. He came back for me.”

“Did you see or hear anything else?”

Kit took a moment as if to try to think about it. “No. I just sat there in the dark, trying not to think about Ty getting shot.”

“I was fine,” Tiberius argued.

“You single-handedly went after two armed gunmen, Ty. That isn’t all right. And you’re going to pay for it.”

Alec shut off his recorder. He’d end the recording in a more formal manner later since the current conversation didn’t need to be on the record. “Alec’s husband was here, and you don’t see him acting like you are,” Tiberius said. 

That's the wrong argument to make.

“Ty, the only reason I don’t have Magnus over my knee is because my shoulder hurts,” Alec interrupted.  “Accept it. Kit, it was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for all of your help. I’ll be in touch if I need anything.”

“I’m happy to help. May we leave?”

“Of course. Please. If you need anything, feel free to call.”

“I will. Thank you, Detective,” Kit said, taking Tiberius’s hand. 

“Ty,” he said as they stood. “I’d like a formal report in the morning.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Take Kit out the back. You don’t need to go back through that chaos.”

Alec followed the two men out of the room and was met by Magnus on the landing. “The New Year’s Eve party is underway. Isabelle is enjoying her chance to finally get to run it.”

“I’m sure she is,” Alec said.

“I just have a few more things I need to do here. Tomorrow is soon enough to interview the other witnesses. Cat’s going to be really busy in the next few days. We don’t have many identifications, let alone notifications. I’m having Jace talk to the media tonight because I’m not technically on duty yet. I will be after I talk to Luke tonight, but as of this moment, I’m not technically on the roll.”

“Luke will give you anything you want.”

“I just want to get you home and safe,” Alec said. “How did this happen? Why did this happen? Those men weren’t very old. Twenty-one, twenty-two maybe. Why would they do this?”

“We never know why people do things.”

“I have this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that this is bigger than two young men who just wanted to shoot up a bar. Magnus, I feel like this is going to be huge.”

Magnus cupped his face in his hands. “In my experience, your gut is usually right. So, get to the bottom of this and find out what you need to know to give these people justice. You find justice for these poor men and women who just wanted to go out on New Year’s Eve.”

Alec nodded. “I won’t let them get away with it. I’ll figure it out. Not just for the victims. But for you.”

“Me? I wasn’t hurt?”

“Weren’t you? You loved this club. Are you going to keep it? Are you even going to open it again?”

Magnus sighed. “I’m not sure yet.”

“Those two ruined this place for you. You were here and, if you had just been arriving, or if you’d been leaving, you could be dead. So, yes. I’ll get justice for them, but I’ll also get it for you.”

Magnus kissed him gently. “Hurry. We’ve got a party to get to.”

“I’m on it, baby,” Alec replied, returning the kiss.

Chapter Text

Magnus followed Alec and Jace to their police issue vehicle. Alec was busy typing on his phone, taking his notes and writing a report so that he could give a proper report to Luke, which meant that he could possibly stay on the case in spite of his being on medical leave. 

Opening the door for Alec, Magnus stepped away from the car.

Alec looked up. “I’ll sit in the back.”

“The hell you will,” Magnus argued. “Your legs are longer, and I can sit in the back.”

Jace rolled his eyes. “We get it. You’re both nice. Someone get in the back or I’m leaving you both.”

Magnus narrowed his gold-green eyes. “Do you need more pictures?”

Jace and Magnus had a tumultuous relationship. Jace was uncomfortable with the knowledge that Alec had sex. Often. Magnus loved the fact that Alec had sex. Often. The two clashed over that fact and Magnus usually won out when it came to their “discussions.” Magnus’s most outrageous act so far was to send Jace pictures and gifs of gay porn. 

But. . . Jace had had that one coming.

He’d called Alec a “rich guy’s trophy,” so Magnus had just showed Jace what trophies did. 

Alec snickered and slipped into the front seat.

“No, dude. I don’t ever want pictures from you. I had to get a new phone because that shit you sent me gave it a virus.”

“Are you sure it was what I sent you? Because you can’t say you’ve never gotten porn on your phone before. Maybe you were curious.”

“Shut up and get in.”

Alec laughed aloud as his husband got into the back seat and closed the door behind him. 

“Am I stuck back here now?” Magnus asked.

“One of us has to let you out, yes,” Alec replied. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll let you out.”

“So you say. You’re still angry at me,” Magnus complained as Jace started the car.

“I’m not angry at you,” Alec disagreed.

“He’s angry at the circumstances,” Jace said, putting the sedan in gear. “I mean, if you’d charged your phone, you would have been talking to him during the trip to the club and he wouldn’t have been so anxious. He would have known you were safe.”

Magnus glared at Jace. “You’re getting bondage porn for the next twenty-four hours.”

“Dammit!” Jace hissed. He’d known better than to say anything to Magnus when he was upset, but he just couldn’t keep his big mouth shut. He just had to say something!

“Magnus, don’t send Jace any bondage porn.”

“Fine,” Magnus replied. “Expect something, though, Jace.”

Jace rolled his eyes and moved into traffic, heading to the Lightwood-Bane house in Brooklyn for a New Year’s Eve party, where Alec would try to keep his hands in the investigation into the murders that took place that evening at Magnus’s club, Kebebasan. Alec wasn't sure if he’d be allowed to stay on and investigate the case, which should be closed by morning given that the two gunmen were in custody already, because he was on light duty. 

As they pulled up to the house, Alec took a deep breath. 

“It’ll be okay, man,” Jace said gripping Alec’s good shoulder. “He’s going to understand your need to do this. Besides, the killers are already in jail. You can interview them. That’s okay while you’re on light duty.”

Alec nodded and opened the door. “We’ll see.” 

Getting out, Alec opened the back door for Magnus. Sliding out of the back of the car, Magnus touched Alec’s cheek and whispered, “Don’t stress out about this, darling. I’ve just gifted your department with a thousand sets of my redesigned gear, so Luke owes me.”

“I don’t want you to clear the path for me, Mags.”

“I know that, darling,” Magnus said. “What I’m saying is that you should use it. You’re married to the man who designed the new gear, and you’re also the one who found the flaw in the previous design. The department owes you. I think that allowing you to remain as primary on this is an easy repayment.”

Alec smiled and took Magnus’s hand to guide him into the house. “You’ve got a devious mind, Magnus Lightwood-Bane.”

“Yes I do. And that wasn’t even me trying hard, my love. Let’s go inside. We need to change before we go to the party.”

Alec nodded and opened the front door for Magnus.

“Daddy!” Max, their three year old son, called from the entrance hall. He rushed to Magnus and hugged his knees hard. 

“Hey, blueberry. What’s wrong?” Magnus asked, lifting the boy into his arms.

Max buried his face in Magnus’s shoulder. “Are you okay, Daddy?”

“I’m fine. Why?”

“Aunt Izzy told us that you were in danger again. I don’t like you being in danger. Can you not do that anymore?”

Alec snickered and moved to the stairs. “Go tell Aunt Izzy that we’re here, Max. Daddy and I will be down in a few minutes. We just need to change our clothes.”

Max nodded as Magnus put him down. “Okay, Papa.”

Max bounded away into the other rooms, where their guests were enjoying the get together. Alec moved up the stairs, followed by his husband. Their trek up the stairs was quiet but not awkward.

In their bedroom, Magnus helped Alec remove his coat. “I’ll help you take off your sling and we can get your shirt on before you put it back on.”

“I don’t want to wear it.”

“Alec-“

“Baby, if I’m wearing it when I talk to Luke, he’s going to see it as a weakness. If I’m not wearing it, I’ll look stronger. I need him to see me as strong.”

“You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known, Alexander.”

Alec touched Magnus’s dark hair. “I know, baby. But my superiors don’t see that. In fact, I may be in a bit of trouble for taking over tonight.”

“Then we’ll deal with it. If your superiors can’t see what an amazing addition to the department you are, then they don’t deserve you.”

“You don’t have to be so defensive, baby,” Alec admonished.  “The department knows I’m a good cop. They’re going to take care of me. Luke will take care of me. He won’t let anyone use me as some sort of scapegoat. Besides. . . I’ve got an ace up my sleeve.”

“What’s that?”

“You,” Alec said as Magnus buttoned his silk shirt. “I don’t want to use you to clear the way, but if I need to, I’ll remind them who I married. The department respects you a great deal. They know how amazing you are, and you’ve given so much to the force. They aren’t going to say ‘no’ to you.”

Magnus shook his head with a smile and unbuttoned Alec’s jeans. “And to think you didn’t want to you use my wealth or name a year ago.”

“No,” Alec said as they got his pants off. “Just your body.”

Barking out a laugh, Magnus picked up the dark blue slacks he was putting Alec in. “Ah, yes. You did use my body.”

“Still do.”

Magnus helped Alec into his slacks. “Yes. When you’re not hurt, you use my body to the best of its abilities.”

Smiling, Alec watched Magnus fasten Alec’s pants. “You have a lot of abilities, baby. And I thank the angel for you everyday.”

Magnus’s gold-green eyes rose to meet Alec’s dark blue ones. “Now, you went from playful dirty talk to sap,” Magnus scolded. “You’re so beautiful, Alec. How can I ever deserve you?”

With a wince, Alec cupped Magnus’s face in both hands. “You’ve never had to do anything but be you. I love you so much it scares me, Magnus. I can never love anyone as much as I love you. You’re the most amazing person I know, and you’ll never know how thankful I am that I have you.”

“I think I do know that,” Magnus argued, shaking out Alec’s blue jacket.. “I’m just as thankful for you, darling.”

Alec smiled and slipped painfully into the jacket that matched the slacks. “Maybe later, after I’m not sore anymore,” Alec said, turning to Magnus. “I can show you how much.”

Magnus gently brushed off Alec’s shoulders and unbuttoned the second button on his silk shirt to expose a little more of his chest. “Perhaps. Let’s see how your shoulder feels.”

“I can just lay there and let you do all the work, baby. Remember Christmas?”

“You’ve been doing that for a while, darling. I think you like not having to exert yourself.”

Grinning, Alec kissed Magnus. “I like not having to do a lot of work.”

Magnus swatted Alec’s appealing bottom. “Go down and distract people while I get ready. I was going to wear red, but. . . now, I don't think I’d like to wear that color tonight.”

Alec pulled Magnus into his arms, and he rested his cheek on Magnus’s dark head. Closing his eyes, Alec said, “I’m so sorry, baby.”

Burying his face against Alec’s collarbone, Magnus let the events hit him. He’d been so strong all evening, but now he knew that Alec would sooth him, would hold him while he grieved.

Tears fell from his eyes onto Alec’s blue jacket. When Alec’s arms tightened around him, Magnus closed his eyes and let go as his husband held him safe against his chest. 

When at last his tears were abated, Magnus sniffled, “I didn’t know I needed that.”

Cupping his face in his good hand, Alec replied, “I did. You feel so much, so deeply. Of course you’d feel for the people who were killed in your club. You’re going to have to make a statement to the press.”

Magnus nodded. “Let me know when you have your press conference, and I’ll be there. It’ll look better if we put on a united front.”

“Ugh,” Alec groaned. “I hate press conferences.”

“Yes. I know, darling,” Magnus said, picking up a tissue from the bedside table and wiping his cheeks delicately. “It’s a necessary evil. I’m fine, love. I’ll be down in a few minutes. I just need to pull myself together.”

Kissing Magnus’s cheek, Alec said, “You’re going to be the only thing people see, just like you’re the only thing I see when you enter a room.”

It was true. Alec thought that, after so long together, his feelings for Magnus would mellow out, but they hadn’t. Alec still loved Magnus just as much as he always had. Every time he saw Magnus, his heart pounded and his stomach fluttered. He felt himself fall more and more in love with Magnus all the time. He was at a point that his life would be forever changed because of Magnus.

“You’re such a sap.” Magnus said with a watery smile. “Go downstairs. Get Luke’s permission to work the case.”

“I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Removing his shirt, Magnus said, “Yes. Now, go away.”

Alec left their bedroom and made his way into the living room.

“Everything okay?” Isabelle asked, clipping to him on high, silver heels that matched the knee length maternity dress which showed off her very pregnant belly. Isabelle was six months pregnant now, and Alec really looked forward to meeting his niece.

Alec shook his head. “They arrested the gunmen, but. . .”

“How many?”

“Are you sure you can handle this, Iz?”

Isabelle’s dark eyes narrowed at him. “I can handle anything, big brother.”

“You’re very pregnant, little sister.”

“Yeah,” Isabelle said. “But I still wanna know.”

Alec sighed, “Twenty-one dead, about twenty wounded. It’s gonna be a hard interview.”

“So, you’re going to work the case?” Isabelle asked, already knowing the answer.

Alec nodded. “As long as Luke lets me.”

Isabelle’s dark eyes flitted behind Alec and said, “Here’s your chance.”

As Isabelle moved away, Alec turned to find Luke moving toward him.

“Sir,” Alec greeted.

“So formal,” Luke said. “You’re up to something.”

“I am,” Alec agreed. “I need you to approve my being primary on a case.”

Luke nodded. “The club shooting?”

“Yes, sir.” 

“Why?” 

Alec took a deep breath. “It’s personal.”

“This is like pulling teeth, Alec. How? Just tell me everything.”

“Two gunmen entered Magnus’s gay club, Kebebasan, at approximately seven o’clock this evening. They shot and killed eighteen on scene and three more died later. More than twenty were wounded. Sir. . . Magnus was at the club.”

Luke jolted. “Is he all right?”

“He’s shaken up and he’s very upset, but he’s not physically hurt.”

“Physically?”

Alec nodded. “He’s very upset that this happened in his place. Magnus has a great love for the club and he just wants to make this right and keep his patrons safe.”

“Do you know who the gunmen are?”

“I don’t have names yet, but they’re already in custody. Officer Tiberius Blackthorn made the arrest.”

“So you want to investigate them and their motives and interview them?” 

Alec nodded. “My gut’s telling me this is bigger than it appears.”

“Okay. Nothing too strenuous, Alec. You’re still hurt. You need to take care of yourself. I know you’re probably angry about Magnus being there, but you need to approach this case just as objectively as you would any other.”

“I’m nothing if not professional.”

Luke nodded. “Start your investigation in the morning. Have fun for tonight. I want daily reports given to me in person. I’ll set up a press conference.”

“If it’s alright, I’d like Magnus there. Not only as the owner of the club, but also as a witness to the crimes.”

Nodding, Luke said, “That’s a good idea. You’re on a short leash, Alec.”

“I understand.”

“Let me know when you decide to interview the suspects. I’d like to observe.”

“Yes, sir.”

Luke smiled. “Now that the business is concluded, how are you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Your husband was in a building attacked by gunmen. You’re not fine.”

Alec took a deep breath. “I was terrified. I couldn’t get ahold of Magnus and I kept seeing him dead or hurt.”

Luke gave him a small smile. “Go enjoy your party with your husband. Tomorrow is soon enough to deal with this.”

Before leaving, Luke gripped Alec’s good shoulder. “You’re an excellent cop, Alec. I trust you and I trust your gut. Just get to the bottom of this,” Luke said. “I know you can.”

Luke moved past Alec and greeted Magnus. “I hope you’re all right, Magnus.”

Nodding, Magnus shook Luke’s hand. “I feel much better now that I’m home. I assume you know everything.”

Alec moved to stand beside Magnus, who now wore a charcoal grey, thigh length jacket over a pair of black slacks, saddle back shoes and a midnight blue silk shirt, and wrapped an arm around his waist. 

“I do. You’ll be open with Alec and his team, won’t you?”

“As I wouldn’t be for any other cop.”

Grinning, Luke said, “Then it’s a good thing I’ve agreed to his request to make Alec primary on this particular case.” 

Magnus smiled. “I always thought you were bright.”

“Thanks, Magnus. I’ll leave you two alone and go find my wife. I’d like to kiss her at midnight, and we’re getting closer.”

Luke left them and Magnus turned to kiss Alec’s jaw. “I told you he would let you run the case.”

“That’s because you’ve got a lot of faith in me.”

“I’ve never been wrong.”

Alec leaned forward and caught Magnus’s lips in a light kiss. “I love you so much,” he whispered against Magnus’s mouth. The tip of his tongue flickered against Magnus’s lips, his teeth closing gently on the curve of his bottom lip. Magnus opened to him and Alec possessed his mouth with slow, seeking kisses, his arms wrapped around Magnus to hold his husband tightly against him.

“Feel free to stop that at any time,” Jace said from beside them.

Magnus pulled away from Alec’s kisses. “Bondage porn.”

“C’mon, man!” 

Alec laughed and stepped forward, his good arm still around Magnus’s waist. “You two could try to get along.”

“This is them getting along,” Clary giggled. “It’s good to see that you’re all right, Magnus.”

“I’m doing well, biscuit, just shaken and. . . angry that they hurt and killed people in my place.”

Clary nodded. “You’re safe and you can help the people affected by this. If anyone can bring out a positive in this situation.”

“Why do you say that?” Magnus asked.

“Because people respect you. People listen to you,” Clary replied simply. 

Magnus was dumbfounded. He had no idea what to say to that. He’d never heard anyone talk to or about him as if he’d ever made any real difference.

“Did Luke approve your request to act as primary?” Jace asked.

“He did. I’d like to interview in the morning. Any idea who they are?”

Jace shook his head. “No. They’re not talking. They’re being held under the names John Doe A and John Doe B. They refuse to even give their names.”

“Have they asked for lawyers?”

“Nope. Not a word from either of them. We’re going to have a problem.”

Alec nodded.

“C’mon, Jace,” Clary said. “It’s almost midnight. I want to be outside to see the fireworks.”

Jace nodded. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow, man.”

Alec agreed. “See you in a bit.”

Magnus turned to Alec. “Where do you want to be when the new year begins?”

Alec’s blue eyes met his and he replied, “With you, baby. I always wanna be with you.”

Glancing up, Alec saw a face that made him smile. “C’mon, baby,” he said. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Magnus followed Alec through the crowd to stand with a young girl of about sixteen with long brown hair and dark amber eyes. When she saw Magnus those eyes widened. 

“Magnus,” Alec said with a smile. “This is Sophia Wood.”

Holding out a hand, Magnus greeted, “It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Miss Wood. I’ve heard so much about you. You impressed the detective a great deal.”

“I. . .” Sophia said. She swallowed, took a deep breath, and shook Magnus’s hand. “It’s such an honor to meet you, Mr. Lightwood-Bane.”

“Call me ‘Magnus,’ please,” Magnus said. “I hope you’re having fun.”

“I am, Mr. . . Magnus. I was really surprised to get your invitation.”

“Well,” Magnus began with a smile. “The detective piqued my interest in you. He told me how smart you are, how calm and cool you were in a terrible situation, so I had to meet the girl who’d made Alexander Lightwood-Bane sit up and take notice.”

“I’m not important,” Sophia began.

“I beg to differ, my dear,” Magnus argued. “You’re articulate and well put together. You’re quite impressive. I’ve been contemplating beginning a high school internship program at my office, and I was wondering if you’d be interested in working with me at Bane Enterprises. What do you say, Miss Wood? Is that something you’d be interested in?”

Sophia’s dark eyes widened. “Are you joking?”

Magnus grinned at her. “Not at all.”

“I. . . I don’t know what to say.”

“You’ll need permission from your mother.”

“I- I’ll go ask her now. Oh!” Sophia exclaimed and, forgetting herself, hugged Magnus. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Then she was off to talk to her mother.

“You just made her year,” Alec said, handing him a glass of champagne.

“I hope to make her life. You made me look at her, but with her grades and extracurriculars, I want her in Bane Enterprises. She’s going to be an amazing addition to my office.”

“You’re such a softie, Alec said, setting his glass on a table beside them. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”

Setting his own glass on the table beside Alec’s, Magnus replied, “I like to keep you on your toes.”

And as the countdown began, Magnus pulled Alec into his arms, sinking his fingers into his husband’s dark hair. 

“I never expected you, Alexander.”

“I know,” Alec replied.

“I can never be sorry that I have you. No matter what happens. I’ll always thank every angel and god there is that you’re mine.”

“I can understand that,” Alec said. 

“Daddy!” Max shouted running to them. “Do we all have to kiss someone at midnight?”

Alec laughed, “No, buddy. But I’m kissing your daddy.”

“Eww,” Rafael said beside them.

Three.

Two.

One.

Alec took Magnus’s lips in a sweet, gentle kiss. One that expressed all of the love and desire he felt. He showed Magnus what he meant to him, and how pleased he was to end another year with this man and to start a new one with him. 

“Happy New Year.”

Chapter Text

Alec awoke early the next morning, groaning when his shoulder reminded him that he still wasn’t at one hundred percent, and probably should have done his range of motion exercises before going to bed. 

“Are you all right?” Magnus asked, sitting up.

“Shoulder hurts a little,” Alec replied.

“You should have done your exercises,” Magnus said.

“Yeah, yeah. You told me last night and you were right. Blah blah.”

“Don’t ‘blah, blah’ me, Alexander Lightwood-Bane. You’re hurting and it’s your own fault because you didn’t listen to me. I was right and you were wrong. Now, do your range of motion before you take your shower. You’ve got a big day ahead of you.”

“Shut up,” Alec said mildly, kissing Magnus’s forehead. 

As he left the bedroom, and moved into the kitchen to make coffee, Alec worked on his shoulder exercises, holding his arm out and rolling his shoulder. He didn’t want Magnus to see, so he didn’t draw attention to it. He didn’t want Magnus to be right. 

Again.

Once the coffee was ready, Alec moved into the bathroom.

“Does your shoulder feel better?” Magnus asked as he passed through the bedroom.

“Shut up,” Alec said.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” Magnus snickered.

Closing the door, Alec shook his head and started the shower. He couldn’t wait for his shoulder to be back to one hundred percent. Magnus needed to be put in his place.

After he’d finished his shower, Alec brushed his teeth and ran a comb through his hair. With a towel wrapped around his waist, Alec entered his bedroom to find that Magnus had already set out an outfit for him. 

“You’re not letting me pick my own clothes?” Alec asked.

your first upon returning from medical leave, and you’ll be seen by the press. You need to look as good as you can. I can see that you look amazing.”

Alec rolled his eyes and whipped the towel from around his waist. 

“Now, if you went out like that. . .”

“You’re such a perv. You don’t want to share my body with anyone else.”

“They get to look, darling,” Magnus said, running a hand over his bare chest. “I’m the only one who gets to touch you.”

Alec kissed Magnus deeply. 

And had an idea.

“You’re not getting anything,” Alec told him against his lips.

“What?” Magnus asked, looking up at him. “Anything?”

“I’m not having sex with you right now. And I’m really not going to give you the blow job I was just thinking about.”

Magnus groaned. “I think I’ve earned at least that.”

“You haven’t. Your punishment has begun.”

Alec stepped away and slipped into his boxers.

“What?” Magnus demanded. “When you punish me, you tie me down. You give me rough sex. You never deny me.”

Alec grinned. “I know. Now I am.”

Magnus growled. “You know I don’t like to wait.”

“You will.”

Sitting on the bed, Magnus pouted. 

“Don’t worry, baby. You’ll get the hard, rough fuck you want, but you’ll wait until I see fit. For now, though, you’re. . . grounded? Is that the word?”

Magnus flopped back onto the bed. “I hate you.”

Alec crawled into his lap, gripped his hair with his good hand, and forced Magnus to look at him. “You love me. Admit it.”

Magnus was  silent.

Alec tightened his grip and tugged Magnus’s hair. “Admit it, baby.”

Rolling his golden-green eyes, Magnus said, “Fine. I do love you.”

“I know you do,” Alec said, leaning down to kiss him. “Just think how good it’s going to be when you actually do receive the final leg of your punishment.”

“Yeah,” Magnus sulked. “It had better be worth it.”

“Has it ever been bad?” Alec asked.

“No,” Magnus admitted. “No, it’s always been wonderful with you.”

Alec kissed Magnus gently, nipping at his bottom lip and flicked his hips over Magnus’s until he felt Magnus harden against him. 

“You’re evil. You’re going to leave me like this, aren’t you?”

“You know I am.”

“You’re a tease,” Magnus accused.

“I am. For now, anyway,” Alec agreed. “Don’t worry. You’ll have everything you want in a few days. My shoulder is already feeling better, baby.”

Magnus threw his head back to fall on the bed. “I’m going to die before then.”

Alec slipped off of Magnus and adjusted his own erection. Magnus was being punished, but so too was Alec. “I think you can survive some blue balls, baby. You’re going to be fine.”

“Am I?” Magnus asked. “I’m not so sure about that.”

Alec laughed as he pulled on the maroon button down shirt and began to slip the buttons into the holes. “You’ve survived worse, Mags.”

Sitting up, Magnus watched Alec button the shirt. “Leave the top one unbuttoned. No tie,” he said. “I’m going to pout about this, you know that, don’t you?”

“I know,” Alec replied, leaving the top button undone as Magnus ordered. 

He pulled on the light brown pants and buttoned them. “Am I tucking the shirt in?”

“Yes. You’re wearing a vest that matches the pants.”

“A vest? I don’t wear vests.”

“You are today, darling. You’re going to look great. Trust me.”

“Ugh. I hate the way you dress me.”

“But you always look amazing. Here’s my punishment.”

Shaking his head, Alec finished dressing. He wasn’t as comfortable as he would be in his worn sweater and jeans, but Magnus was right. The outfit did look good.

Magnus got off of the bed and left their bedroom for the kitchen.

Once Alec had the shoes that Magnus had left out on his feet, he left the room to find Magnus with a thermos of coffee ready for him.

“You’re mad at me, aren’t you?”

“I’m not mad. I’m frustrated, but that’s something that only you can fix for me.”

“Not today, baby,” Alec said, taking the coffee. “Soon.”

Magnus sighed. “I know. You’ll cave at some point because you want me just as much as I want you.”

“You know it, baby,” Alec said, kissing Magnus again. “Kiss the boys for me. Are you going in today?”

“No. I won’t reopen my office until tomorrow. I’m going to spend the day here with the boys. We’ll have dinner when you get home.”

Alec couldn’t help wanting to kiss Magnus again, so he gave in to it. “I love you,” he whispered against Magnus’s mouth. “It gets stronger everyday.”

Magnus smiled and kissed him again. “I love you, too, darling. Now go to work so I can work on getting you inside of me when you get home.”

“We’ll see about that,” Alec laughed.

“Text me when you know what time you’re holding the press conference,” Magnus ordered as Alec shrugged stiffly into his coat.

“Will do, baby,” Alec replied.

“Take a few minutes to do your range of motion exercises today, darling.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alec said, walking out the door. “I love you.”

“I know,” Magnus replied. “Be careful!”

***

Jace had beaten Alec to the bullpen because Alec had stopped at a street cart for coffee. Jace sat at his desk, reading something on his computer with golden eyebrows knit in confusion.

Setting a coffee cup in front of Jace, Alec asked, “What is it?”

“Our suspects still won’t give their names,” Jace replied.

“They haven’t said anything to anyone?” Alec asked, taking a seat at his desk.

Sipping his coffee, Jace said, “No. And nothing from their fingerprints. Never arrested.”

“So, what makes two young men who’ve never been in trouble before shooting up a bar?” Alec wondered.

“Not just a bar, dude,” Jace argued. “A clue where people of ‘alternative lifestyles’ hang out.”

“You think they chose the club because of its patrons? Because of their sexuality?”

Jace nodded. “What if this is a religious thing?”

Alec sat back. “So a couple of religious fanatics hit a queer bar owned by a rich bisexual who’s married to a gay cop. . . I can see it.”

“I can see it too clearly, dude, and i don’t like it. Magnus is a pain, but he doesn’t deserve this.”

Sniffing, Alec sipped his coffee. “Call down to Holding. I’m going to put a team together. I don’t think my gut is wrong here.”

Jace’s gold eyes met his. “Me either, dude. I think we’re in for something big. Bigger than we’ve ever dealt with before.”

Alec made a note to text Helen and Mark with a heads up.

“Set up the interview,” Alec ordered.

Luke entered the bullpen and, seeing Alec, moved to him. “The press conference is set for two o’clock this afternoon, Detective. Let your husband know, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

Luke looked at Jace. “Are you setting up your interview?”

“Yes, sir.”

Nodding, Luke replied, “Give me about ten minutes and I’ll observe. Has the ME’s office had a chance to look at any of the victims yet?”

“Not yet, sir. We’ll hopefully have all of the victims identified today.”

“How many do you have IDed now?”

Glancing at the uniform and Medical Examiner’s reports, Alec replied, “All but one. He didn’t have identification on him. So the ME’s office sent fingerprints and dental records out to try and get his ID.”

“Who goes to a bar without ID?” Luke asked.

Alec shrugged. “Kebebasan serves food, sir. It’s a club with an Indonesian restaurant. The victim may not have been their for a drink.”

“Didn’t the bouncer card him?”

“The bouncer doesn’t start work until nine, when the restaurant closes.”

Luke sighed. “So there was no one between the suspects and the victims. They had to know the workings of the club.”

“I agree. They had to. They had to hit at a time when there would be a lot of people. Maybe people on a New Year’s Eve date,” Alec said, thinking of Tiberius and Kit. “They couldn’t do this if the bouncer saw them because their guns would’ve raised suspicions and they never would’ve made it inside. Tiny is a formidable guy.”

“Get something,” Luke ordered. “I think my gut is beginning to align with yours, Alec and I don’t like it.”

“Nor do I, sir.”

Luke left as Alec made notes for the people he wanted on his team.

It was very Blackthorn heavy.

“Suspects are headed to Interviews C and F,” Jace told him.

“F?” Alec asked. “Isn’t the heater still broken in there?”

“Yeah,” Jace snickered. “I’m having them put the one Ty knocked out, John Doe B, in there. He’s the weaker of the two, and I think he’ll crack.”

“Good idea,” Alec replied. “Get Ty here. I’d like him there when we get to John Doe A. He’s the one who stopped the fucker, and I think we need to rub that in his face.”

“Get a couple of cops of ‘alternative lifestyles’ in the room and raise his heckles,” Jace said. “I like how devious your mind is, Alexander Lightwood-Bane. You’re learning from your husband.”

“Magnus teaches me a lot about how to get under people’s skin. Speaking of which. . .” Picking up his phone, Alec pulled up Magnus’s messages to text him.

Hey, baby. Press conference is at 2. —AL 0828

OK. I’ll see you then.—MB 0829

What are you going to do with the boys?—AL 0830

Isabelle is taking them. She wants to bake cookies with them. —MB 0831

That seems like a really bad idea. She’s a horrible cook.—AL 0832

She is that. So, are you wasting time talking to me because your suspects are stewing?— MB 0833

I am.—AL 0834

Then you should make it worth my while and talk dirty to me.—MB 0835

I should, should I? —AL 0836

Yes. It’s been a week. I need something. —MB 0838

You’ve been longer without sex.—AL 0838

Yes, but I feel like a need. . . something. —MB 0839

And you’ll get it when I’m ready to give it to you. Not before. —AL 0840

You’re not very nice. —MB 0841

No, but you already knew that. —AL 0842

Yes , and I love you anyway. In fact, it only makes me want you more. —MB 0844

That’s my goal, baby. Make you want me—AL 0845

You don’t even have to try, darling. I always want you—MB 0847

Just like I want you. —AL 0848

So you’ll take care of the erection I’ve had all week? —MB 0849

We’ll see how I feel after the press conference. —AL 0850

So I have to make sure I leave you happy this afternoon. —MB 0851  

You usually do —AL 0852

You’re killing me, Alexander. —MB 0853

Then you’re almost where I want you.—AL 0854

Almost? —MB 0856

Yeah, baby. Almost. —AL 0856

I’m literally going to die of frustration. —MB 0857

Well, I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll see you this afternoon. I should really get to work. They don’t pay me to sit around and flirt with you all day. —AL 0859

I’d pay you to sit around and flirt with me all day. —MB 0900

Yeah, baby. I know. —AL 0901 

Alec pocketed his phone. “Let’s get to work.”

“Of course, boss,” Jace said, pulling on his leather jacket. “By the way. I like the vest,” he said with a snicker.

Shaking his head, Alec walked with Jace toward the Interview room. Then pulled out his phone again to text Magnus.

He made fun of my vest. Bondage porn.—AL 0904

Of course, darling. I’ll begin now. —MB 0905

***

Alec sat across from the young man in Interview F. He was very young. Twenty at most. Alec thought he had to be under age, and was probably closer to seventeen. Why would he do this? He had so much to live for.

He was handsome with green eyes and light brown hair with a loose curl. His milky skin had a dusting of freckles. He sat in his chair, shivering in the orange jumpsuit. 

Alec set his voice recorder on the chilly metal table between him and the boy in the jumpsuit. “Detectives Alexander Lightwood-Bane and Jace Herondale in interview with . . . John Doe B. In the matter of Case numbers H-63174964 through H-63174985. Please state your name for the record.”

The boy sat in stoney silence. 

Alec glanced at Jace, then back at the boy. 

And sat there. In silence. No one spoke. 

Jace’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. 

Magnus. Alec thought with a smug grin. 

Jace’s eyebrows knit as he opened the text from Magnus, then his eyes went wide and he closed them and the text. 

Magnus always came through. 

“Are you just going to sit there?” The boy asked suddenly.

“Please state your name for the record,” Alec repeated.

The boy stared at him silently.

Alec stayed quiet. He could sit there all day and be just as stubborn as this boy. Just ask my husband.

“Jack Sternes,” the boy said quietly, shivering in the cold interview room.

Alec nodded to Jace who stood and left the chilly room to do a run on the name and get as much as he could on the boy. 

“And who is your accomplice?” Alec asked. 

Jack was quiet. 

Alec stared at him. “I can wait all day, buddy. I’ve got two kids.”

The boys green eyes went hot. “You took two kids from a normal couple.”

Crossing his arms over his broad chest, Alec sat back in the metal chair with a knowing smirk. “Who is your accomplice?”

He knew better than to give in to the bait. The boy was obviously a homophobe, which confused the shit out of Alec. He wasn’t afraid of homosexuals, so why were people like that called a homophobes? Alec really thought that there was a better word for people like that. . . douchebags. 

The boy’s golden brown eyebrows were knit when he replied, “I’m not giving his name.”

Alec continued to sit back, with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at Jack. 

Jack swallowed and shivered, not completely from the cold. 

Fear. 

The boy was a cold, but he was also scared of Alec. 

He should’ve been. He should’ve been afraid of the gay cop whose husband had been in the club that this boy had shot up. Alec knew that he needed to remain stern. He needed to show this boy that he was right to be afraid of the cop in front of him. 

“Who is your accomplice?” Alec repeated.

The boy sighed. “He’ll kill me.”

“Name,” Alec demanded, his voice and eyes hard.

Jace was right that this boy was the weaker of the two. Alec had hardly questioned him and he was already getting what he wanted. “His name is Kayden Elliot.”

Alec knew that Jace had moved to observation and would do the run necessary. Even if Jace wasn’t behind the two-way glass, Luke was there and would do what was needed. He may have been a captain, but he was always a cop. You were always a cop.

Alec nodded. “Why did you go to Kebebasan last night?” 

Wetting his lips, Jack replied, “To stop the disgusting things that were happening there.”

“What disgusting things?”

“The queers getting together.”

Alec didn’t react to the derogatory use of the word “queer.” He wanted to punch the little shit in the throat, but he didn’t do anything. Alec had excellent impulse control.

“What do you mean by ‘getting together?’” Alec asked as if the boy hadn’t just let his bigotry shine.

“They’re getting together there and fucking.”

Yeah. That’s how gay clubs work. Alec was disgusted. He hated dicks like that. 

“Is that why you shot the patrons?”

The boy’s eyes blazed. “We killed them,” he snarled.

“Not all of them,” Alec taunted. “About half of the people in the club survived.”

The boy gritted his teeth. So, they’d wanted to kill everyone. Did they know that Magnus had been inside?

“Whose idea was it?” Alec asked.

“We agreed on it.”

“Did you?” Alec asked, not believing a word of it.

“Yes,” Jack bragged. “We wanted to kill the fags there, and we did.”

Alec sat up, his stomach burning with fury, but the boy couldn’t tell. He couldn’t see that he wanted to rip out Jack’s eyes and feed them to him. “Why?”

“Because they’re abominations! You’re abominations!”

“Me?” Alec asked innocently. “What did I do?”

“You’re one of them.”

“Gay?” Alec asked, getting exactly what he needed from this little bastard.

“Yes,” he snarled. “You’re worse. You married another of your kind. You didn’t even try to be normal.”

Alec shook his head with a mocking grin. “Birds of a feather,” he said, glad to taunt and bait the boy. “Why did you chose Kebebasan?”

“Because it’s the one that didn’t have the bouncer,” Jack answered easily. “There wasn’t a bouncer, and that. . . that. . .  freak Magnus Bane owns it.”

“Magnus Lightwood-Bane,” Alec corrected. “If you’re going to call him by his full name, you may as well do it right. Though, you’d probably need his middle name, but. . . he doesn’t have one. Didn’t choose one for himself when he got here.”

Alec may have enjoyed that too much.

The boy looked horrified. “He’s an abomination, just like the rest. I’m just sorry he wasn’t inside.”

Alec’s blue eyes cooled and he looked at the boy. “Oh. . . he was, Jack. Magnus Lightwood-Bane was in the club when you went on your rampage. He was upstairs in his office. That’s why I’m here. That’s why you’re dealing with me and not someone a little nicer. We thought you’d be more. . . happy to deal with one of the queers you’d be glad to kill. Now, tell me, why did you and Kayden decide to shoot up the club?”

“We had to kill the abominations.”

“Who says they’re abominations?” Alec asked quickly.

“The bible,” Jack answered, scared of the quick succession of Alec’s questions.

“Where?”

“What?” Jack asked, confusion in his green eyes.

“Where in the bible does it say that?”

“Uh. . .”

“You killed twenty-one people, Jack. You killed twenty-one innocent people for this part of the bible. Where does it say that homosexuals are abominations?”

Jack’s mouth opened and closed like that of a fish out of water.  “I don’t know.”

“Who’s in charge of your organization?” Alec demanded suddenly, taking a chance.

“I don’t know!” Jack shouted. “I was just told where to go. They just told me to go to the club and open fire, so I did. I killed them because I was told to.”

Jack began to cry, but Alec found it very difficult to feel sorry for him. “What’s the name of your organization?”

“Righteous Fury,” Jack answered easily tears running down his cheeks while he shivered in the chilly room. “We just want to make the world a better. We have to get rid of all of the amorality in the city. That club was a den of sin. We had to destroy it.”

“Does this group have another target in mind.”

Jack met his eyes as Alec stood. “I don’t know. I’m not high enough in the organization. I don’t know what’s planned.”

“Does your partner?” Alec demanded. “Does Kayden know where they’re going to hit next?”

“I don’t know,” Jack sobbed. “I don’t know.”

Sure that he had everything he could get from the boy, Alec said. “Interview end.”

He turned off the recorder and left the interview room without another word for the young boy who cried piteously in the chilly interview room. 

Chapter Text

“I don’t think you’ve ever ben quite that. . . intense,” Luke said as Alec closed the door to Interview F behind him.

“I have more motivation than usual,” Alec replied.

“I understand it’s hard to not think of this as personal.”

Alec met Luke’s gaze. “Yeah. . . I’m. . . They would’ve killed everyone in that club. They would have killed Magnus.”

“Yes,” Luke said quickly. “They would have, but Magnus was lucky. He wasn’t in there. He wasn’t hurt. Now, you’re in charge of getting justice for those who were.”

Alec turned away. He needed time to calm down. he hand’t realized that he’d been so upset. Alec hadn’t realized that he’d been so angry about all of this.

“I know you’re upset, Alec.”

Alec nodded. “Yes. I’m upset. I’m pissed.”

“I see that,” Luke said, gripping Alec’s good shoulder. “Use it. Us it to get to the bottom of this. Find the leader of this Righteous Fury. This isn’t the end of this, and we need to stop it. Have you contacted Helen and Mark yet?”

“I’ve sent them texts. I’ll check for answers.”

Luke nodded. “I’m sure they’ll help.”

“So am I, sir,” Alec replied.

Jace entered the observation room with Helen, Mark, each in a grey pant suit, and Tiberius Blackthorn, in his crisp uniform. 

“Looks like you won’t have to check for an answer after all,” Luke said with a smile for the federal agents.

“I’ve got an idea,” Jace said.

Alec’s dark eyebrows rose. “You do?”

“I always do,” Jace replied, then grimaced when his phone vibrated.

Mark saw it. “What did you do this time?”

Jace glanced at Luke. “I’m not really sure. I think I made him mad by saying something stupid when we were on our way home yesterday.”

Mark snickered as Helen asked Jace, “What’s your idea?”

“I sit this one out.”

“Excuse me?” Alec asked.

“Hear me out,” Jace ordered.

“I’m listening, Jace. Talk quickly,” Alec said.

“Okay, so, why did they shoot up Kebebasan?”

“Because they’re douchbags,” Alec replied.

Luke laughed, “They are, but what he’s trying to get at is that you’re all in same sex relationships. Jace isn’t. He wants to sit the interview with Kayden Elliott out because your subject will be uncomfortable.”

“Put ‘im on the defensive right away,” Helen nodded. “I like it.”

“Nice job, Jace,” Mark said.

Alec looked at his partner. “It’s a good idea, but I don’t like doing this without you.”

“You’re not,” Jace argued. “I’m going to be in observation with Luke. I can text you guys when I see something.”

Alec nodded. “I understand.”

“So get in there and figure out where the next target is. I’ll be where I’m needed.”

Alec would always need Jace. Jace was Alec’s best friend. He’d always been there and always would. “Still don’t like it,” Alec said, leaving the observation room.

“What did he mean we’re all in same sex relationships?” Mark asked, looking at Tiberius. “You don’t date.”

His face heating, Tiberius looked at the floor.

Helen grinned at her little brother. “What’s his name? she asked gently.

“Kit,” Tiberius answered, not meeting his sister’s eyes.

“Do you like him?”

Tiberius nodded again, not looking at his siblings.

Helen cupped her younger brother’s cheek and forced him to look at her. “I’m happy for you, Ty. If he makes you happy, then you’re doing the right thing.”

“He does,” Tiberius whispered.

Nodding, Helen said, “Then let’s go grill the fucker who put your Kit in danger.”

Alec let the Blackthorns enter the interview room before he did because he wanted to be the last one in the room. Kayden Elliott would recognize Tiberius as the one who got the drop on him. He would, of course, recognize Alec because he knew who Magnus was.

Jace’s idea to stack the room with the four of them was a good one.

He wouldn’t admit it.

Kayden showed no emotion as Helen and Mark entered the interview room. He scowled when he saw Tiberius and he practically growled when Alec entered the room and closed the door.

“I won’t be questioned by your kind.”

Without a word, Alec placed his recorder on the table beside Helen’s and read in all of the salient data, reciting the date, case numbers, the four officers in the room, and the subject’s name.

“What do you mean ‘your kind’?” Mark asked.

Kayden Elliott looked at Mark and replied, “Fags. I won’t be questioned by a couple of abominations.”

“How about four?” Helen asked pleasantly.

“Huh?” Kayden asked. 

“My girlfriend wouldn’t really appreciate you calling me an abomination.”

“And my boyfriend may take offense to you talking to our brother that way.”

Kayden’s eyes darted to each of the officers in the room. “No,” he snarled. “I’m not talking to you.”

Glancing at Helen and Mark, Alec sat. “State your name for the record.”

Kayden’s grey eyes met Alec’s blue ones. In them, Alec saw the desire to murder. If he’d been given the chance, he would have gladly killed Alec and everyone else in that room. 

“I’m not talking to you,” Kayden sneered.

Alec sat back. “You don’t really have much of a choice, now do you? You either talk to one of the queers or we can sit here and do nothing.”

Kayden mirrored Alec’s position, crossing his arms over his chest, his mouth closed.

Alec’s phone pinged with a text message.

He’s fidgety, but still defiant. Make him uncomfortable. —JH 1028

Pocketing his phone, Alec asked, “So, Mark, how is Kieran?”

He figured that hearing about two men would make Kayden more uncomfortable than hearing about two women, which, according to Jace, some men thought was hot.

Alec didn’t get it.

“He’s good,” Mark replied, not missing a beat. “I’m trying to convince him to move in together. He’s afraid that it’ll ruin our relationship.”

“You’ve been together for like. . . six months, right?” Helen asked.

“Yes. He’s afraid that it’s too quick.”

“We all love Kieran,” Helen said. “You love Kieran.”

“You do?” Alec asked. “You’ve said the ‘L’ word?”

Mark looked at Kayden. “I did.”

Kayden shivered, his face twisted in disgust.

“I’m actually thinking about asking him to marry me.”

“Careful, Mark,” Helen snickered, very aware of the effect their conversation was having on Kayden. “You may end up like Alec.”

Alec’s eyebrows knit. “What’s wrong with me?”

“You’re married and very happy with Magnus,” Helen answered. “Mark thrives on drama. He’s never thought about settling before.”

“Ah. . .” Alec began. “What changed your mind?”

“The love of a good man,” Mark replied, and, after a moment, continued. “That. . . and the sex.”

Alec snickered as Kayden shifted uncomfortably and paled.

“That good?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah.” Mark said with a grin. “Like there’s this thing he does with his tongue-“

“Enough! Kayden shouted. 

Alec looked at him. “State your name for the record,” he ordered.

Kayden closed his lips and continued to glare, remaining silent.

“You know,” Alec said thoughtfully, continuing to look at Kayden. “Magnus doesn’t have a gag reflex, so he can really go to town when he goes down on me.”

Kayden gagged.

“Mmm,” Mark replied. He turned to his little brother. “Are you gonna tell us about Kit?”

“No,” Tiberius replied. “My sex life is no one’s business but mine.”

“So you have had sex,” Helen said.

“I didn’t say that.”

“But you have,” Mark prompted, wanting to make Kayden as uncomfortable as they could.

Tiberius sighed and played his part. “We haven’t had intercourse yet, but. . . After we got back to his apartment last night, after I made the arrests, we. . . well, let’s just say. . .” Tiberius was uncomfortable discussing his sex life, but he was a real trooper about this situation. “Kit found out how good I am with my tongue.”

Mark snorted a laugh. “Ty, you ho.”

Tiberius looked at the floor. Alec wanted to reassure him that he was doing well, that he was acting exactly as they wanted. It would have undermined the interview strategy, but Alec was really proud of the young cop.

“Alec,” Helen said. “How do you and Magnus still manage to have adult alone time with your kids?”

“Those aren’t your kids!”

“State your name for the record,” Alec demanded stubbornly.

Kayden shook his head.

Let’s see how long you can hold out.

“To answer your question, Helen, we use every moment alone that we can. We usually have to be quick. We keep lube close by. Sometimes we have to use-“

“Kayden Elliott!” Kayden shouted suddenly. “My name is Kayden Elliott.”

Leaning back in his uncomfortable metal chair, Alec asked, “Why did you go into Kebebasan, Mr Elliott?”

Kayden swallowed. “I went to kill as many of the abominations in there as I could.”

“Why?” Alec demanded.

“Those were my orders,” Kayden answered as if he’d been told to pick something up, not murder innocent people.

“Who gave you your orders?” Helen asked.

“I don’t know his name.”

“What do you know?”

Kayden sighed. “My orders came from someone who called himself Mike. I could tell that wasn’t his real name.”

“Where did you meet him?”

“I never met him. He left his orders in a specific place.”

“Where?” Mark asked.

“A trash can on Lex,” Kayden replied.

He’s enjoying this. He’s proud of what he’s done.

Alec closed his eyes.

“How did you know you had a message?” Alec asked.

“He’d leave a chalk mark on a mailbox on Avenue A. I had to be there before trash pick-up at ten.”

“That’s convoluted,” Mark commented.

“They’re terrorists,” Alec said, glaring at Kayden. “What did you expect?”

“We’re retribution!” Kayden shouted. “We’re saving this city from its excesses, from its sins!”

“What sins?” Alec asked.

“The lust! The greed! The sloth! The pride! The-“

“Blah blah blah,” Alec said. “So you and your little buddy shot up my husband’s club because of sin?”

“The sinners must be punished,” Kayden growled. “Your husband is a sinner.”

Grinning, Alec replied, “Yeah he is.”

Mark snickered.

Kayden stood and snarled, “You’ll all be punished for your amorality. You will all burn for your disgusting lust and we are going to send you there. Righteous Fury has arrived and we are the sword of God. We are going to punish the sinners and bring purity back to this godless city.”

Helen scoffed, “As if there’s ever been any purity in this city.”

“How’re you gonna do that? Bring purity into the city?” Mark asked.

“We’re going to exterminate you. You’ll bleed. You’ll burn.”

Burn.

“Where’s your next target?”

Kayden’s grey eyes turned to Alec and he said smugly, “I don’t know.”

He was telling the truth.

“Who would know?” Alec asked.

Kayden sneered, unapologetically, “Mike.”

***

Alec entered the bullpen, where Jace and Luke waited.

“That was awful, dude.”

Alec grinned. “It was your idea.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed it.”

Luke snickered. “You’re such a prude, Jace. Good work, guys.”

“We didn’t get anything,” Alec argued as Julian and Emma entered the bullpen. 

“You got as much as they had. Helen, Mark. Please get what you can on this group, Righteous Fury.”

Helen nodded and, seeing Julian, flinched.

Rushing to Tiberius, Julian touched his younger brother’s arms, face, hair. “Are you okay?”

Tiberius’s sea foam green eyes fell away from his brother’s to the floor. “I’m fine.”

“What were you doing there?” Julian demanded, shaking Tiberius.

“Jules,” Emma soothed.

Julian shook his head, glaring at his brother.

“Julian, he’s fine,” Mark said.

“Ty,” Julian said, his eyes full of the terror he’d felt since he’d heard about the shooting and the fact that his little brother had been there. “Why were you at that club?”

“I. . . I had a date.”

“A date?” Julian demanded. “You don’t date.”

“Julian,” Jace said. “Let him go.”

With a sigh, Julian released him. “Why are you suddenly dating?”

“I. . .” Tiberius began. “We were friends. We’ve been friends a long time.”

“So. . .” Emma said. “You started dating.” 

Tiberius continued to look at the floor and nodded.

“That’s sweet,” Emma said.

“Is he okay?” Julian asked.

Tiberius didn’t look at Julian when he nodded. “I shoved him into a closet.”

Julian’s fear melted away and he laughed. “You’re a hopeless romantic, Ty.”

Grinning, Alec sat at his desk and he began to write his report.

***

Magnus arrived at Central about twenty minutes before the press conference was set to begin. He sat on the corner of Alec’s desk and held out a go cup of coffee and a granola bar. 

“I know you didn’t have lunch, my love. Eat this.”

Alec took the bar and coffee. “Is this you trying to butter me up to plough you later tonight?”

At his desk, Jace closed his eyes. 

“You know it,” Magnus smiled.

Sipping the coffee, Alec replied. “We’ll see. I’m waiting on a package.”

“A package?” Magnus asked. “You ordered something?”

Alec opened the granola bar. “Yeah. I ordered something. . .  punishing.”

Jace stood. “I can’t, guys. I just. . . can’t.”

After he’d gone into the break room, Alec and Magnus laughed.

“He’s so easy to get riled up.”

“You love doing it,” Alec said.

“I do,” Magnus replied. “Now, tell, me, darling. How did your interviews go?”

Alec told Magnus everything, leaving nothing out.

After Alec had finished telling him about everything, Magnus shook his head. “So they shot up my place because they’re working for a religious group.”

Alec nodded. “We think they’ll attack somewhere else. We just need to figure out where that is.”

Magnus watched as Alec deflated. He looked. . . distraught. “What is it, darling?”

“I don’t think i’ll be able to figure out the next target before they hit. More people are going to die and I can’t stop it.”

Magnus gripped Alec’s hand. “Even if you can’t, my darling, you’ll do your best. You’ll work as hard as you have to. You will find whoever is doing this. You’ll get justice for those who’ve already died and those who may yet.”

Luke entered the bullpen from his office. “To the media room, Alec,” he ordered.

Taking a deep breath, Alec stood. “Yes, sir.”

Magnus ran a hand through Alec’s hair. “I’ll be with you the entire time.”

“I’ve given press conferences before.”

“I know, darling,” Magnus said. “But you’re giving one with me now.”

“Which is going to make it more of a circus.”

Sitting between Luke and Magnus, Alec tried to calm his nerves. Luke told the media that he had all the faith in the world in his officers, that they would find those who were killing innocent people in the city, that the team was made up of detectives, uniformed officers, FBI agents, and civilian consultants. He let the media know that the team was already working tirelessly and that two had already been arrested, and that they would work until they had everyone responsible for these murders. 

Then he introduced Alec as the primary investigator and leader of the team.

“At approximately 1930, two men, one a minor of seventeen, went into the night club, Kebebasan, owned by Magnus Lightwood-Bane, with the intention of killing as many people as possible. These two men opened fire,” Alec continued, not looking at Magnus. “They killed twenty-one and injured twenty.

“Through interview with the two subject who were arrested by Officer Tiberius Blackthorn shortly after entering the club, the investigation team discovered that the male subjects attacked Kebebasan as part of a terrorist organization calling itself ‘Righteous Fury.’”

The media’s shouts were nearly deafening.

“Detective!”

“What do you know about the organization?!”

“What are their motivations?!” 

Magnus squeezed Alec’s thigh under the table.

“We know very little,” Alec said, not raising his voice. “We don’t know much about Righteous Fury, but we do understand their motivations. They seem to be a religious based group who want to get rid of what they think of as ‘sin’ in the city.”

“Is that why they targeted a gay club?”

“Yes,” Alec replied simply.

“Will there be other targets?”

“We believe so, yes,” Alec replied.

“Was your husband a target?”

Alec glanced at Magnus, just a flick of his eyes. “The group chose a convenient location,” he said. “But. . . yes. They chose the club because it is owned by Magnus.”

Mayhem.

“Magnus!”

“How does it feel to be a target again!”

“Are you afraid they’ll come for you!”

“Do you think this will lead to monetary loss?”

“What about your children? Are you worried about these religious fanatics targeting one or both of them?!”

Magnus held up a hand.

“I am not answering questions,” he said, his coal lined gold-green eyes hard as he looked at members of the media. “I am giving you a statement, so don’t bother.”

Alec wanted to smile. Magnus could make people do what he wanted with very little effort. He wasn’t going to give the media what they wanted. He was going to make a statement for the families and survivors of the shooting.

The media wanted a good, juicy story. Magnus wanted to give everyone comfort.

Alec took his hand under the table.

“Twenty-one people died in my club last night,” he began. “I was in the club when it happened.” Alec’s grip tightened.

More reporters began shouting. Magnus sat quietly, waiting for the media to quiet down. When, at long last they did, Magnus continued.

“While my assistant, Ragnor Fell, called the police, I contacted my husband, who is an amazing cop. It would seem that many amazing cops work in the city as, with in forty-five minutes, the NYPD had the situation handled and under control. The two shooters were in handcuffs within minutes and SWAT entered and cleared the building.”

Magnus looked down at his and Alec’s interlocked fingers.

“I’m. . . I’m very sorry about all of the people who were lost in Kebebasan. I opened the club because I wanted a place where people could be themselves, be free. I never thought this would happen, but I’m going to be more careful in the future. People in the city rely on me, and Bane Enterprises is going to endeavor to make my properties safer for the people who use them, no matter what they’re for.”

“Magnus!”

“Do you think it was smart to call Detective Lightwood-Bane, even though he was still wounded after saving your life?!”

Magnus held up a hand to call for silence.

“You’re asking if it was smart for me to call my husband?” Magnus asked, his voice hard. “Do you want to know why I called him?”

“Yes,” the man who’d rudely shouted the question answered.

Magnus nodded, his mouth set in a hard line. “I called Detective Lightwood-Bane because I thought I was going to die.”

Alec looked down and whispered, “Don’t, baby.”

He knew that it was probably picked up by the microphones, but that didn’t matter. He didn’t want Magnus to have to deal with this in front of the media.

Magnus squeezed Alec’s hand. 

“I thought I was going to die and I wanted Alexander to know what was happening. I wanted to hear his voice. I’d just watched a dozen people shot and I wanted the comfort of hearing the man I love. One. Last. Time.”

Chapter Text

Alec said nothing about the case or the press conference while they ate dinner with the boys. Or while they cuddled with their sons on the couch. Or while they got the boys tucked into bed. Or while they kissed each of them goodnight.

But afterword. . .

Magnus moved to the bar they had in the living room and poured a glass of wine. “Do you want some wine, darling?” he asked.

Striding into the living room, Alec said, “No. And yours can wait.”

Alec gripped Magnus’s upper arm and dragged him into their bedroom. Closing the door, Alec ordered, “Take off your clothes.”

Alec’s tone brokered no argument. Magnus unbuttoned his cream colored silk shirt and removed it from his glittering black pants. Magnus assumed that it was finally time for his “punishment.” He certainly hoped so. He’d waited long enough.

After removing his clothes, Magnus folded them and placed them on a plush, midnight colored arm chair. He turned toward Alec, who had set out a set of black straps with fur on the insides, supposedly to make them more comfortable. There were four, one for each limb. There were loops and would attach to something, keeping Magnus in place.

“Put these on,” Alec ordered and moved into the closet.

Magnus did as he was ordered. Alec had seen to his comfort, at least.

“On your knees, your arms between your legs,” Alec demanded. “I’m going to strap your arms to your legs. We’ll use the color system, as usual, baby. Understand?”

“Yes,” Magnus said. 

“Color?”

“Green,” Magnus replied, obeying Alec’s order, his stomach jumping with excitement and lust.

Alec said nothing as he latched each of the straps onto a leather strap, holding Magnus’s arms and legs in place. 

“Are you okay?” Alec asked.

Magnus smiled. Alec tried so hard, but he was still so gracious, so thoughtful. No wonder Alec was always the good cop. 

He was a big, sexy softy. 

Alec said nothing as he picked up a metal cock cage and one long-fingered hand stroked Magnus, sliding the cage over the hard flesh, locking it closed. 

Magnus groaned. 

Alec stroked a hand over his tan back, gently, lovingly.

“This is to remind you that you need to communicate with me. You can’t lie to me, Magnus. You can’t hit me from behind on this one. Which you did. You blindsided me when you went to Luke with your idea to use yourself as bait. You need to learn not to go behind my back for anything.”

“Darling. . .”

“Just listen, Magnus,” Alec admonished with a slap to Magnus’s rear. “Don’t ever go behind my back again. You have an idea, you come to me.”

He didn’t ask if Magnus understood. He wasn’t asking for anything. He was telling Magnus everything.

Maybe Alec could be hard.

Alec’s hand lashed out, swatting Magnus’s hard bottom, leaving a red, handprint shaped mark on the flesh. Magnus yelped, leaning away, but was unable to move with his arms strapped to his widely spread legs. Alec struck again, his pal flat against the rounded swell of Magnus’s ass. 

Alec rubbed over each globe and Magnus strained, his hips twitching up toward Alec’s hand. 

Magnus whimpered and shuddered. 

He couldn’t remember ever being this hard. He needed something, some type of friction. 

Reaching over onto the bedside table, Alec picked up a bottle of lube. He coated two fingers with the slick and probed Magnus’s puckered hole. Magnus moaned, a guttural sound that had Alec’s cock straining to be freed and bury itself into Magnus. It was a sound of submission. 

Alec said nothing, pumping his fingers in then out as Magnus trembled under his ministrations. 

“Please, darling.”

Alec added a third finger, stretching Magnus more as he worked in the digit. The sensation of the fingers inside him made Magnus cry out, and submit even more to Alec’s touch. Alec picked up the toy he’d set on the bed and pulled his fingers from Magnus. He coated the velvety surface of the vibrating and beaded anal toy. 

He pressed it against Magnus, who moaned as Alec pressed the toy inside, first one ball, then the second. 

Inch by torturous inch, Alec slid the toy into Magnus. Soon, the toy was hilted inside of Magus, and Alec pressed the button to turn it on. He pressed it twice more to turn it on to its full power. 

Then he stood, put on a robe, and left the bedroom.

Alec moved into the kitchen and took a deep breath.

He was punishing Magnus, but he found that he was also punishing himself. He was in pain. He needed to bury himself into Magnus, needed to feel his husband close around him.

But this wasn’t about him. It was about sending a message. Magnus was going to involve Alec in his plans. He wasn’t going to put himself in danger without first discussing it with Alec.

Magnus had to figure that out.

After he’d drunk an entire glass of water and answered his emails, Alec moved back into the bedroom.

Magnus was a mess.

He lay, bound upon the bed, his ass high, his shoulders and head flat on it. His eyes were squeezed shut as he moaned and tried to rock his hips to get friction. Any friction. His cock was read and painfully hard in the cage, precum dripping in one long string of moisture.

“You look beautiful, baby, Alec said from the doorway.

“Please. . .” Magnus begged.

Shrugging out of his robe, Alec slid onto the bed and slid a hand over Magnus’s smooth, caramel back. “What have you learned from this, baby?”

“Tell. .  . you. . .” Magnus gasped.

Alec took that as “actively communicate with you and never go behind your back again.”

“That’s right,” he said, slowly, slowly pulling the plug from Magnus’s body.

Carrying the toy, Alec moved into the bathroom and set it on the sink to be cleaned and started running a bath. 

When he returned to the bedroom, Alec picked up the second device he was going to use to “torture” Magnus. It was a vibrating wand that he set to its lowest setting and placed against the cage that enclosed his cock, causing the vibrations to rattle the metal against Magnus’s skin. 

“Fuck!” Magnus shouted.

Alec smiled to himself. “What should you do next time you have an idea that may help my case or put you in danger?”

Magnus, at that point, however, was beyond speech. He stumbled through what Alec thought was, “Talk to you.”

“That’s right, baby. That’s right.”

Holding the wand on the cage, Alec moved behind Magnus. 

Alec coated himself with a little lube, then pulled Magnus closer.

Magnus groaned and lifted as best as he could Alec positioned the head of his cock to tease Magnus’s puckered hole. Magnus wiggled his hips with a pleading little moan. He hissed as the thick head of Alec’s cock slid into him. Alec was gentle during this first breaching, as Magnus was very sensitive from his extended time with the plug. Alec kept the wand on Magnus’s cage, allowing the vibrations to give him the sensations that he needed to gain his satisfaction.

Magnus moaned and buried his face in the gold comforter, his hips twitching as if to entice Alec deeper, to get more friction. 

Alec took that bait. With a growl, he drove into Magnus until he was fully seated inside his husband. 

Alec thrust hard and fast, Magnus groaning at the pace, his muscles straining against the straps.. Alec gripped Magnus’s slender hip in one hand, the other holding the wand against the cage still enclosed around his cock. 

Alec’s thrusts became more shallow as he chased his release. Magnus came with a cry, hot spurts of come spattering on the comforter beneath him. Alec moaned and gave a few final, shallow thrusts before he filled Magnus’s spasming channel.

When Alec had Magnus out of the cage and the straps he picked his dozing and sated husband up and carried him into the bathroom. With Magnus still in his arms, he stepped into the filled tub and sat with Magnus against his chest. 

He rubbed Magnus’s arms, kissed the back of his neck, and held him tightly against him. 

“Are you all right?” Alec asked.

Magnus nodded and rubbed one of Alec’s arms, which was around his waist. “I think I’ve learned my lesson.”

Alec grinned against Magnus’s dark hair. “I hope so, baby. But. . . if you forget, I can always reteach.”

Magnus leaned further against him, settling into Alec’s arms. “I’m sure you can.”

***

The next morning, Alec was up before the rest of the family. He was making coffee when Rafael came out of his room.

“Papa?” the six year old said.

“Yeah, buddy?”

Rafael sat at the bar and watched his father take a package of bacon out of the refrigerator. “Do you ever. . . think about about the future?” 

Alec turned to look at his son. The boy seemed too young to think about the future. He was only in kindergarten. But. . . Alec knew better. Rafael had lived for a few years on the streets. When he was about three years old, his parents had been murdered and he had been forced to live on the streets. Alec had found him at another murder site, the sole witness to the murder of a police officer.

Magnus and Alec had taken him in on a temporary basis, but he’d become a part of their family, he’d become theirs, and they couldn’t let him go. 

“I usually do,” Alec replied. “Do you?”

Rafael nodded. “My class is doing a project. We have to decide what we want to be when we grow up. We’re going to have a parade next week, and show the other classes what we want to be.”

Alec smiled and put the bacon in the pan to sizzle. 

“Well. . .” Alec began. “Do you know what you want to be?”

Rafael’s lips pursed. “I don’t know.”

Alec leaned on the counter to look into Rafael’s dark eyes. “You know that you don’t have to make this decision and keep to it for the rest of your life, right?”

Rafael looked at his father. “I don’t think I can even make a decision now.”

Alec ruffled his hair. “Think of it as a costume. You can be anything.”

Rafael looked down at his hands, which were bunched in his lap. “I. . . don’t want to make you or Daddy feel like I don’t love you.”

It was said quietly, as if it were ripped from his throat without Rafael’s permission. 

“Why would you think that?” Alec asked, his eyebrows knit.

“Because if I don’t want to be a business man, Daddy will be hurt. If I don’t choose to be a cop, you’ll be hurt.”

Alec touched the little boy’s cheek. “Rafe, neither of us will be hurt if you don’t want to be what we are. If you don’t want to work in the business world, and I can’t blame you, Daddy won’t care. If you don’t want to be a cop, I won’t care either. You can be a firefighter. Or an astronaut. Or a nurse. Or a computer programmer. Or a teacher. Rafe, buddy. You can be anything you want. Daddy and I are proud of you. No matter what you want to be.”

Rafe’s shoulders seemed to lose all tension at that. 

“Really?” Rafael asked.

“Of course,” Alec replied. “We want you to be happy. We don’t care what you chose, as long as it pleases you.”

“Even if I wanna be a trash man?” Rafael asked.

Alec grinned. “Even if you wanna be a trash man.”

Magnus shuffled into the kitchen and poured himself a large cup of coffee. “You wanna be a trash man?” he asked Rafael.

Rafael laughed. “No, Daddy. I was just using that as an example.”

Alec grinned as Magnus moved to stand next to him and kiss his cheek. “So what do you want to do for the career parade?”

“Can I dress up like a. . . soldier?”

Alec looked at Magnus, who smiled. “Of course. Is that what you want to be?”

Rafael nodded. 

Magnus stood up straight. “Okay. I’ll take care of your outfit. Am I allowed to make some. . . adjustments?”

Rafael laughed aloud. “No glitter. And no rhinestones.”

“But, those uniforms are so. . . dreadful.”

“Daddy,” Rafael said, seemingly exasperated. “Just the regular uniform.”

Alec kissed Magnus’s lips and moved to stir the bacon. “You heard the boy, Mags. Just the regular uniform.”

Magnus sighed. “Why is Max always asleep? You two always gang up on me when it comes to fashion.”

“Daddy. We’re just more s. . .sut. . . what’s the word, Papa?”

“Subtle. We are.”

“Yes, you are,” Magnus said taking a deep gulp of his coffee and meeting Alec’s laughing blue eyes. “And I love you both to distraction.”

Alec grinned. “I guess that’s a good thing. Since we all adore you.”

Chapter Text

At his desk in the bullpen, Alec read the autopsy report on each of the victims form Kebebasan. Three stood out.

They’d gotten an identity on the man, boy actually, who was without identification on his person. His name was Garrick Bisset. He was sixteen. Fucking sixteen. 

His parents had been found next to him, on of his mothers draped over him as if she’d been trying to protect him, the other a few feet away, faced toward the door, as if she’d been shielding both of them.

Sitting back, Alec fought the anger and grief that area inside him.

“Hey,” Jace said, seeing Alec’s face. “You okay?”

Taking a deep breath, Alec told him about the Bisset, not even trying to hide his disgust and anger. Jace sat on the corner of Alec’s desk and listened to his partner, hearing the bone crushing sadness that he did try to hide. Jace sighed, reaching out to grip Alec’s shoulder.

“You okay?”

Alec nodded, then closed his eyes. “They were out for dinner, Jace. A family eating really great Indonesian restaurant, now they’re all dead. Sixteen. He was only sixteen.”

Jace nodded. “Yes, he was. And one of the assholes who took his life is just a year older. We’ll make these two pay for killing that boy and twenty others. But we need to work to find the rest, because until we do, there will be more.”

“I know,” Alec said softly. “I know.”

“Some victims just hit you harder than others.”

Alec nodded and looked at his hands. “Yeah. I just. . . I don’t understand why religion makes people judge others.”

“‘Judge not, lest ye be judged,’” Jace quoted. “C’mon, man. You know this isn’t about religion. It’s about power. These fuckers feel powerful since they’ve got the city on alert and in a state of terror. You flash that family on the screen. You use that family as the face of the murders. That terror will turn to anger, and these fuckers will suffer if anyone finds them.”

Nodding again, Alec replied, “We’ve got to stop these people. They can’t be allowed to hurt any one else.”

“Be realistic, Alec,” Jace said sharply. “What are the odds of us finding everyone in this Righteous Fury before they kill again?”

Closing his eyes, Alec said, “Slim to none. But I’m going to try.”

“I know you will, buddy.”

Helen and Mark Blackthorn entered the bullpen followed by two of their brothers, Tiberius and Julian, and Emma. Seeing Alec, Emma moved to him and said quietly, “We’ve got a problem.”

She motion for him to follow her to the break room, which he did. 

“What is it?” Alec asked when she closed the door behind them.

“You know my weasel, Rook?” she asked.

Alec did remember the man. He’d given them the information that had told Alec that Rafael was in danger, that whoever had killed Detective Jordan Kyle from Illegals knew that he’d been seen. 

He nodded. “Why?”

“Ty’s boyfriend. . . His last name is Rook. I ran a make on him. He’s my weasel’s son.”

Alec’s dark eyebrows knit. “What do you wanna do?”

Emma pulled a file folder out of her file bag. “I started a file on him.”

“And?” 

“He’s clean. He’s a freelance writer. Journalism, advice columns, short stories. You name it. He’s never had so much as a parking ticket. He’s. . . he’s nothing like his dad.”

“Have you asked him about it?”

“Not yet. And I haven’t said anything to Ty.”

“Do you think he knows his boyfriend’s father is known as ‘The Crook?’”

Emma shrugged. “We’ll need to find out. If Rook knows anything about this, he may give it up for free considering his son was in the building.”

“Get to him. Find out.”

Emma nodded and opened the break room door. “Jules!” she called. “Let’s roll out!”

Alec watched her go, his stomach dropping when he looked at Tiberius Blackthorn. He had to cover all of the bases, and investigate Kit Rook.”

Handing the file to Jace, Alec said, “Get me everything.” 

Jace looked into the the file and his head snapped up to look into Alec’s eyes. “What?” 

Alec just nodded. “Ty, can we talk?”

Tiberius looked at him and he nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“What do you know about Kit?”

Tiberius’s golden brown eyebrows knit. “I’ve been friends with him since we were fourteen. I know everything about him.”

“What about his family?” Jace asked. 

Tiberius looked from one to the other, then realization entered his sea foam green eyes. “Is this about his father?”

“You know who his father is?” Alec asked.

“We’ve been friends since we were fourteen,” Tiberius said. “Yeah. I know about his father. Kit didn’t like what Rook was up to in their apartment. He lit out when he was seventeen. He worked his way through college at a bookstore and overnight stocking. Kit’s not like his father.”

“No on is saying he is,” Mark soothed, seeing Tiberius’s rising anger. “We’ll still need to clear Kit.”

Tiberius’s eyes went hot. “You’re not going to interrogate him.”

“Of course we aren’t,” Helen said. “We’re just going to ask a few questions.”

Tiberius’s golden brown eyebrows knit in anger. “He didn’t do anything.”

“We don’t think he did,” Alec said. “You know how the job is, Ty. You know we have to cover everything.”

“But I know he isn’t part of this.”

“We know he isn’t, Ty,” Helen said, her voice soft and soothing. “We’re just doing our job.”

“I’m going with you,” Tiberius said. “You’re not going to interview him without me there.”

Alec nodded. “I’d want the same if it were Magnus.”

“Well,” Tiberius said, anger pouring off of him. “Kit is my Magnus.”

That was saying something.

***

Kit’s apartment was in a fourth floor loft in SoHo, a walk up in SoHo.

Jace and Mark commiserated and complained as they followed Tiberius up the stairs much to Helen and Alec’s delight and eye rolls.

“If you’d exercise more, you wouldn’t be so tired after only four flights of stairs,” Alec said.

“And your asses wouldn’t be so flabby,” Helen remarked. 

“That’s what happens when you become content with a significant other. . . and you’re lazy.” Mark argued.

Tiberius opened the door on the fourth floor. He hadn’t spoken since they had left the station. Alec didn’t know Tiberius well, but he could tell that the young man was beyond angry. Trying to put himself in Tiberius’s position, Alec stopped him outside of Kit’s apartment. 

“I know how you’re feeling right now, Ty,” Alec began.

Cheeks flushed, Tiberius replied, “You can’t know how I feel.”

Irked, Alec asked, “I can’t? The man I love has been interviewed by the police, by me, more times than I can count. He was interviewed on this. He was in that club, Ty. I couldn’t protect him like you could protect Kit. So. . . yes. I do know how you feel.”

Tiberius’s anger melted away like ice cream on a sidewalk in July. His shoulders slumped and his eyes met Alec’s. “I just want to protect him. I just. . . I want to take care of him.”

Alec softened. “I know. We’ll make sure he’s taken care of.”

Tiberius nodded.

“I know you’re trusting me with someone precious. I’ll treat him right.”

“He’s not weak,” Tiberius defended.

“No one thinks that. But he’s yours.”

“He is,” Tiberius whispered.

“Let’s get this over with,” Mark said, knocking on the door.

Moments later, Kit opened the door, a glazed donut in his hand, a huge chunk chomped out of it and his mouth full. Swallowing, Kit greeted them, “Hey.” Looking at Tiberius, “What’s going on, babe?”

“They have a few questions about your father,” Tiberius replied. 

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll be here the whole time.”

Stepping back, Kit nodded. “I should have expected this.”

“No, you shouldn’t,” Tiberius replied with a hard look at his brother and sister.

Kit cupped his face. “They’re just doing their job. I knew they’d ask about me at some point. I can handle it.”

“I’m not leaving,” Tiberius said, as if he were getting ahead of Kit’s reluctance to have him there while he was questioned by the cops.

“I hope not, babe,” Kit said. “I may need you.”

In a move none of them had ever seen from him, Tiberius took Kit’s hand and guided him to the couch. 

Alec closed the door after everyone was inside. Helen sat in a chair across from Kit and Tiberius and set her recorder on the coffee table between them. Tiberius’s sea foam green eyes followed the movement. “This is a waste of time,” he said.

Kit gripped his hand. “Don’t. Let’s just get it out of the way so you can move to another leg of investigation.”

“How do you know so much about cop work?” Tiberius asked, not letting go of his hand.

“I’m a writer. I know a lot about a lot of things. I researched all of this crap when you decided to go to the academy. I had a crush on you, so I needed to know what you were doing.”

Tiberius looked at the hardwood floor to hide the pink that burned his cheeks. “Wish I’d known about the crush a long time ago,” he replied quietly.

Kit kissed his cheek. “I got what I’ve always wanted in the end.”

Helen asked, “Mr. Rook, is it okay if we record this interview?”

“Yes,” Kit replied, still holding Tiberius’s hand. 

Helen pressed the button to begin the recording and entered the salient data into the record, the names of those present, the date, and the case numbers. 

Then she read Kit his rights. 

Tiberius stiffened and Kit ran a hand through his hair, which seemed to calm him marginally.

“Do you understand your rights?” Helen asked.

“Yes,” Kit replied simply, both hands still on Tiberius.

“You were present during the shooting at Kebebasan on New Year’s Eve,” Helen stated.

“I was.”

“Why?” she asked.

“I was there on a date. My boyfriend and I were having a drink and discussing staying for the Indonesian food. I’d been there a few times, and I really loved the ikon bakar, it’s this amazing grilled fish that’s to die for. Anyway, Ty’s never had Indonesian before, and I was going to try to talk him into it. He’s a little reluctant to try new things.”

Helen smiled. “He’s doing something a little different with you.”

“Oh, boy is he.”

“What happened next?” Helen asked.

“I heard. . . what I thought were fireworks. Then Ty grabbed me and pulled me away from the edge of the balcony. He shoved me into a closet and . . . well, he kissed me and left me there.”

“What did you do next?”

“I waited there. I waited. . . It felt like forever. Then, he was there. He was there and he was safe.”

Now Kit needed to clutch Tiberius for himself. 

“You were scared?” Mark asked.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Of course I was scared. I’ve been in love with Ty for years, and he was out there with people who were shooting everyone they saw. For all I knew, he could have been killed.”

“Your father is. . . a less than reputable business man in the city.”

“He’s scum,” Kit said. “My father was always scum.”

“Why do you say that?”

“He. . . he was always looking for the next big score, willing to sell anything to get money.”

Helen’s blue eyes narrowed. “Did he ever try to sell you?”

“He would have if it had come to him to do it. He was always too drunk or high to notice I was around.”

Tiberius slipped an arm around Kit’s shoulders, remaining silent.

“Would your father be party to what happened at Kebebasan?” Mark asked.

Kit shrugged. “I don’t think so. He’s never done anything this bad. He’s small time, has always been small time. If you found a drug dealer with his throat slit in an ally, and everything, including his shoes, was missing, then, yeah. I’d say it was him. But. . . a mass shooting. I don’t think that’s like him. But. . . I haven’t seen him in several years. Not since I graduated.”

Helen nodded. “Do you know where we could find him?”

Alec looked at Kit. He didn’t seem to know that his father was a weasel for Emma, or that she was, as they spoke, talking to him. 

Kit shook his head. “I don’t know where he is. And I don’t care.”

Helen stopped the recording. “Thank you, Kit.”

“You were going soft,” Kit said. “You weren’t really trying to break me or anything.”

“There’s no need for that,” Helen said. “We know you had nothing to do with this, and even if your father did, which we don’t believe he did, you don’t know anything about it.”

“No, I didn’t. Now, go and find the real killers, please. I’d like to actually go out at some point.”

“What do you mean?” Alec asked.

Kit looked at Tiberius. “Someone won’t let me go out after dark anymore.”

Picking up her recorder, Helen said, “He’s not wrong. We don’t think they’re done here. Thank you for your time, Kit.”

“It’s nothing. I was just taking a break from my dead gay ghost.”

“Huh?” Mark asked, eyeballing the donuts on the counter.

“Oh,” Kit snickered. “My short story, the one I’m working on right now. My main character is a ghost, Seth, who’s been murdered. He has to watch his loved ones, sexy back boyfriend included, mourn and try to deal with his death.”

“Sounds depressing,” Jace said.

“Yeah. He’s a snarky one, though.”

Alec smiled as he noticed that Tiberius hadn’t released Kit, even thought they’d both risen from the couch.

“We should get back to work,” Alec said. 

Kit walked them to the door. “Will I see you later?” he asked Tiberius quietly.

Tiberius turned and looked at him, then surprised everyone when he leaned in and gently kissed Kit. “Yeah. I’m staying here tonight.”

Kit smiled at him. “That’ll be nice.”

“I think so. And. . . just so you know, I love you, too.”

Alec slipped down the stairs as he heard Kit gasp.

Chapter Text

Exhausted after a day of following fruitless leads, much like their questioning of Kit Rook, Alec entered the brownstone he shared with his family to the sound of high pitched giggles. He found Magnus in the den with the boys, rolling on the floor, tickling each of them.

Max escaped Magnus’s hold and attempted to sidestep his father’s swiping hand, but Magnus was too fast for him and recaptured the boy as he attempted to duck out of Magnus’s way. Squealing in delight, Max attempted to pull out of Magnus’s grasp to no avail.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Alec watched Magnus pin Max to the floor and below raspberries on his bare stomach. Max howled with laughter as Rafael pounced onto Magnus’s back with a war cry. Magnus grunted and rolled, pulling Rafael over him and holding him up high above his head.

“You thought you could sneak up on me?” Magnus growled playfully.

Rafael giggled and tried to reach his father’s face unsuccessfully.

Magnus trapped Max with his legs and held him between them as the little boy struggled.

Grinning, Alec leaned against the door jam and watched his family romp on the floor. 

Rafael noticed him first. “Papa!” he cried. “Help!” 

“Oh, no,” Alec replied. “You brought this on yourself.”

“He started it,” Rafael said, pointing at Magnus as Max grunted and tried free himself.

“And, from the looks of it, he finished it, too.”

Rafael slumped in Magnus’s hold just as Max gave up.

“What do you say?” Magnus asked.

Rafael sighed dramatically. “Please, oh mighty Daddy. Let us go and we’ll never question your power again.”

“And?” Magnus demanded, looking at his legs, where Max was still trapped.

“And. . . you’re the most handsome and well-dressed of fathers, which we’ll defend to the death.”

Magnus pressed a kiss to Rafael’s cheek and released him. When he’d kissed Max’s forehead and sat up, he ordered, “Go wash your hands for dinner.”

Each of the boys hugged Alec and raced up the marble stairs to their bathroom.

Alec watched Magnus as he remained seated, his forearms resting on his knees.

“You okay?” Alec asked.

Magnus sighed. “I’m getting old.”

Laughing, Alec moved to him and took his hand to help him up. “You’re thirty-three, baby.”

“Yeah, and I’m getting my ass kicked by a pair of rowdy boys.”

Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus and pulled him into a light, sweet kiss. “And what an ass,” he whispered against Magnus’s lips.

Magnus’s lips turned up in a satisfied smile. “And don’t you forget it.”

Pulling back, Alec said, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Come, darling. I’m sure you haven’t eaten today. Come have dinner.”

“For your information, I had a bag of potato chips today.”

“Healthy,” Magnus deadpanned.

“What kind of take out did you get?” Alec asked in retaliation.

Magnus swatted Alec’s rear. “Shut up.”

***

That night, Alec held the boys a little tighter than normal. When he kissed them goodnight, he hugged them a little longer and told them that he loved them more often.

After closing the door to Max’s room, he padded into the living room. Magnus held a beer out to him. “You look like you could use this.”

Gratefully, Alec took the beer. “I could.”

Guiding Alec to the couch, Magnus sat, holding him against him. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

With a sigh, Alec said, “We IDed all of the victims today. One of them was a sixteen year old boy who was killed with his mothers.”

“Oh, darling,” Magnus said, pulling Alec to the couch and sinking into it. 

Feeling Magnus against him, Alec told him about Garrick Bisset and his mothers, Julie and Erin. As Alec talked about the way the mothers were found protecting their son, Magnus ran a hand over his hair. 

When Alec finished, Magnus touched his cheek. “Come to bed, darling.”

Alec went with him without complaint or argument. When they’d finished eating, Alec had changed into a plain black teeshirt and a pair of grey lounge pants. Magnus easily and quickly removed these and lay him back onto the enormous bed. 

Removing his own robe, Magnus moved over Alec, slipping his fingers into his husband’s hair and taking his lips. Alec moaned, spreading his legs, creating a cradle for Magnus to rest his hips and wrapped his arms around Magnus’s waist.

Magnus’s kiss turned fierce, possessive, as if he meant to devour Alec, who became weak under the onslaught. Alec clung to him, enjoying the sensations Magnus was eliciting.

“I want to be inside you, love.”

Alec melted at those words, his arms tightening around Magnus. 

Reaching over, Magnus picked up the lube off of the bedside table, without releasing Alec’s lips. Magnus coated two of his fingers in the slick and sat up to access Alec’s hot recesses that rested between his thighs.

Slowly, Magnus slipped his fingers inside of him with ease. Alec was hot with want, with need. 

“Mags, baby. . .” he gasped when Magnus added a second finger to the first to a dizzying pleasure that didn’t fail to captivate Alec and toss him into a tailspin of desire.

“You’ll get what you want soon enough, sayangku,” Magnus whispered as he tickled the bunch of nerves where Alec’s pleasure was centered deep inside of him.

Magnus added a third finger and slowly thrust in and out of Alec, accelerating every few moments, faster and faster, until Alec thought he would scream with the pleasure of it. 

Then it was gone.

Alec’s groan of displeasure when Magnus removed his fingers from him went straight to Magnus’s groin. 

“Don’t worry, darling. You’ll get more of me.”

“I want all of you. I want all of you now.”

Magnus grinned and looked down at Alec’s hard and leaking flesh.

Bending, he took Alec’s erection into his mouth and suckled it gently, too gently to cause enough friction for Alec. He slowly took Alec deeper, but Alec was having non of that. He gripped his hair and pulled him off of his erection, tugging him up to lay atop Alec.

“Now, Magnus or I’ll roll you over and take you myself.”

Magnus grinned and lined himself up with Alec’s body. When he plunged inside, Alec moaned with pleasure and relief. 

Magnus’s hands slid back into Alec’s hair as Alec’s formed a vice around his waist. The feeling was incredible, building quickly. Alec momentarily forgot everything else as he was blinded by the unimaginable pleasure of Magnus deep inside of him, thrusting slowly and surely, hitting his prostate perfectly each time, his flesh caught between them, getting the perfect amount of friction. 

Alec burned for release.

“Shh, darling. It will come. Just let go,” Magnus soothed against his mouth.

Alec felt the pleasure come more strongly, focusing on it, over taken by it.

Magnus bowed his head to Alec’s neck, nibbling on his satiny flesh. Alec tightened his arms around Magnus, rocking his body in sync with his hot, wet thrusts. 

Magnus sped up his movements, his thrust becoming rushed and no longer level as he chased both his climax and Alec’s. 

Alec felt pre-cum leaking from him as Magnus took him higher and higher as he met each thrust as quickly as humanly possible, unable to stop himself, unable to stop the moans of pleasure and desire. He was desperate for release, desperate to feel Magnus fill him. 

Magnus released Alec’s hair to hold his hips and drive his hips as fast and as hard as he could, no longer needing to make love to his husband. He just needed both of them to come. He pounded rapidly and Alec’s moans and cries echoed in his ears. 

“Come for me, tercinta.”

Alec screamed as he came between them, his cum pooling on each of their stomachs. Magnus arched his back as he continued to bury himself in Alec until finally, the dam broke and he flooded Alec with a satisfying grunt.

It took about ten minutes for them to catch their breath and get up to shower. Alec held Magnus against his chest as they panted together, trying to come down from the high they’d just given each other.

“You’re my very breath,” Alec whispered to Magnus.

Magnus’s head rose and he looked down at Alec. “You’re my heart. You’re my soul, Alexander. You’re everything. I love you more than my own life.”

Alec brushed a hand over Magnus’s hair. “I’ll never stop loving you, baby. I’ll go to my grave, and your face will be the last thing I see. Your name, my final words.”

Magnus kissed him long and hard, needing to feel his husband, his soulmate against him. He’d never let this man go. Not for anything, not for anyone. 

That was a vow he intended to keep.

Chapter Text

Alec yawned and took a sip of coffee as he sat at the conference table in the conference room at Central. Jace nudged him from his seat beside Alec. 

“Stop that, dude. You’re gonna get me going, and it ain’t pretty.”

“Sorry,” Alec said. “I’ve been told to tell you that my husband wore me out last night.”

“Ugh!” Jace exclaimed. “How did he know I was gonna say anything about your yawning?” 

“Magnus knows a lot, Jace. He knows you.”

Luke entered the conference room followed by Charlotte Branwell, the commander.

“Coffee and donuts on the cabinet,” Alec said, indicating them. “Provided by Bane Enterprises.”

“Is this a bribe?” Charlotte asked with a smile.

“He knows how to get into a cops. . . heart.”

Jace gagged beside him.

“I can see that,” Charlotte replied, her snicker easily heard beneath the words as she watched Jace’s discomfort.

Helen stood. “Are we ready to begin?”

As everyone sat, Helen and Mark moved to stand at the head of the table.

“We’re going to present our findings of our background check of Righteous Fury,” Helen said. “There isn’t much info about the group available. They’re a new religious fanatical group relatively speaking.”

“They first cropped up about the years ago,” Mark continued. “They’ve had some violence in the city. Just individual scuffles. They claimed responsibility for the murder of Tad Donovan, a wealthy businessman. They also claimed responsibility for destroying a liberal party’s campaign headquarters when no one was inside. There were no injuries.”

“They used explosives?” Alec asked, concerned.

“Yes. They claimed to anyway.” Mark replied.

Alec made not of it. If Righteous Fury had used explosives before, they’d do it again. This time, though, they wouldn’t settle on property damage and no victims. They wanted blood. They wanted death. They wanted fear. This wasn’t about religion. This was about power.

“They also claimed to have tampered with birth control pills that were bought at a pharmacy in midtown. An investigation into the alleged tampering indicated that no such act had taken place,” Mark said.

“What was their reasoning for the tampering?” Jace asked, making notes of the act.

Helen read the statement from the organization from a notecard on the conference table. “‘Women are meant to procreate. They have no right to keep a man’s seed from taking root. They have no right to say what to do with their own bodies. They belong to men. They have no rights.”

Charlotte swore.

Alec turned quickly to look at her, his eyes wide. It was like hearing his grandmother swear. A woman, who he’d never heard say a naughty word, just dropped an F-bomb in a team meeting. 

Alec’s ears were literally ringing.

Jace asked, “Where does that leave you, Helen?”

“I’m not actively keeping a man’s seed from taking root,” Helen answered, her voice full of mirth. “I just prefer the vessel this organization thinks is meant to hold the seed.”

Jace snickered and looked at a uniformed officer who was confused.

“She’s a lesbian,” Jace told him.

“Oh!” The uniform exclaimed. “Thank goodness. I was thinking about a garden and I was very  confused.

Alec snorted out a laugh.

“Do they claim responsibility for anything else?” Luke asked.

“No. Compared to other religious cults, Righteous Fury is pretty mild.”

“That is until they sent two men into Kebebasan to shoot at fifty people inside,” Alec said.

“Until then,” Helen agreed.

“Do we have a file on Tad Donovan?”

Mark set a box on the table in front of Alec. “We figured you’d want him, so we pulled a few strings.”

“Thanks,” Alec said. “I’d like to talk to the bomb squad about the explosives used on the liberal HQ. If they’ve used explosives before, they’re likely to rely on them again. They’re likely to use them on a larger scale.”

“I agree,” Charlotte said. “I’ll arrange it. Anything you need, Alec. You’ll have it.”

“Thank you, Ma’am,” Alec replied.

Emma entered the conference room. “They’ve contacted the media,” she said.

Simon moved quickly, switching the television on.

The reporter sat at the news desk behind a red banner stating: “Breaking News.” He looked at the screen, his grey eyes serious.

“The group known as Righteous Fury which claims responsibility for the attack on Kebebasan, the night club and Indonesian restaurant owned by entrepreneur Magnus Bane, has sent a video to us here at KNW New York. We ask that anyone viewing this do so with caution because some of it may be disturbing to viewers.”

The video changed to show a man in a black mask with a white skull painted on it. When he spoke, his voice was changed with a synthesizer, making it impossible to figure out his voice by the video alone.

“Simon, if you get the video, can you clean it up and hear his voice?” Alec asked.

Simon nodded. “I need the original.”

Alec looked at Emma. “Get the original video. If I need to put in a call to my dad, I will.”

“You got it.”

“Righteous Fury will no longer stand for the amorality that is rife throughout this city,” the leader was saying. “We have already begun to end the surge of lust, of the amoral gay agenda.”

“Agenda? I don’t have an agenda.” Mark said. “Do you have an agenda?” he asked his sister.

“Get up. Shower. Go to work. Solve crimes. Go home. Have dinner. Break up a normal, happy heterosexual relationship. Go home. Make love to my lady. Go to bed. Repeat,” Helen deadpanned. “I can’t believe people still believe this shit.”

“Believe it,” Alec said. 

The leader continued, “Our attack on Kebebasan was justified. The so called ‘victims’ deserved what they got. Those people were a blight on society and were leading others to sin. We’ll not apologize for the loss of life, nor will we apologize for what we must do next. The men who have been arrested by the socialist pigs that are the police are actually heroes to this city, and will see justice served. If not in this life, then the next.”

“Hopefully both,” Jace said, scowling at the screen.

“Change your ways, New York. We will show no mercy to those who cannot be bothered to show remorse.”

The screen went black and the reporter returned to the screen.

“They’re going to attack again,” Alec said, urgency pooling in his belly.

“There was no indication as to where,” Jace said. “No clues. We’re going in blind, Alec. We don’t know anything.”

Alec met Jace’s gold gaze. “There’s nothing we can do to stop it, is there?”

Jace shook his head. “No. All we can do is wait.”

As it turned out, they didn’t have to wait long.

At 1323, a Planned Parenthood in Midtown, about six blocks from Magnus’s office building, exploded, killing everyone inside.

***

At the site, Alec crouched and looked down at a tiny, bloody shoe.

A little thing of leather and cloth that spoke of tragedy and fear. Of death. Of destruction. Of young life cut violently and quickly (hopefully painlessly) short.

As Alec stared down at the shoe, Jace reached down and touched his back.

“Why did they choose this one?” Alec asked, unable to hide the grief in his voice.

“No protesters,” Jace replied. “Helen thinks they wanted to avoid hurting people who agree with them.”

Standing, Alec replied, “There aren’t any protesters here because they don’t perform abortions here. This clinic helps people with unplanned pregnancies discuss their options. They work to place adoptions. They have rape clinics and counseling. They have health check ups. The have a pediatrician on staff, Jace.”

Jace looked down at the shoe and swore. He knew where his partner was going to go with this. “Alec-“

“I wasn’t quick enough. I moved too slow, and more people died.”

“This isn’t your fault, Alec,” Jace argued.

“I may not have pressed the button, but I killed these people just the same. I was focused on Magnus, on the boys, and these fuckers struck again. I let them kill kids, Jace. I let this happen. How do I live with that?”

“You didn’t-“

“I did!” Alec shouted, his eyes filling. “I didn’t work hard enough and people died.”

“We’re a team, Alec. You’re not alone.”

Alec blinked and, as he looked down at the scorched and bloody shoe that had been worn by a boy no more than three, a tear slipped from beneath his lashes and slid down his pale cheek.

“Let’s get back to work,” Alec ordered.

Jace watched his best friend walk away toward the wreckage of the building. Tugging his phone out of his coat pocket, Jace sent a text and followed his partner.

***

Magnus sat on the couch with Ragnor in the matching leather armchair watching the news, his hand over his mouth, his breath caught in his throat.

“This is horrifying,” Ragnor whispered, echoing Magnus’s thoughts.

He saw Alec onsite and listened to the reporter discuss the damage. He watched as Caterina and the morgue team entered the demolished site.

“According to sources,” the reporter was saying, the cameras following the officers’ every move. Magnus caught glimpses of Alec giving orders. “The group calling themselves Righteous Fury has claimed responsibility.”

“Diancuk,” Magnus whispered.

“The religious group has released a statement,” the reporter continued, her voice objective even though she was talking about a terrorist organization that had attacked a Planned Parenthood.

The screen changed from a view of the cops working on the site to a screen of red and black with white lettering, the statement that Righteous Fury had sent to the media. The reporter read the statement as it appeared on screen.

“Righteous Fury is in the right. We have destroyed a building that is the home of evil. These people killed the unborn and deserve every moment of pain they suffered on this world and the burning and horrors they will suffer in Hell.”

Magnus glared at the TV as the reporter said, “We’re being told that Detective Lightwood-Bane, the head of the investigative team into the crimes committed by Righteous Fury, is going to make a statement. We’re taking you live to the site of the Planned Parenthood bombing.”

The camera showed Alec alone, in from of the rubble that was left of the building that had held God knew how many people.

“Detective!” Someone shouted before Alec even had a chance to speak.

Alec looked at whoever had shouted at him.

“What do you have to say to Righteous Fury’s statement.” The member of the press proceeded then to read the statement to Alec. 

Magnus watched Alec’s eyes. There was anger. Anger and rage. But Magnus could also see the grief. The bone crushing sadness.

When the man was finished speaking, Alec took a breath. “The New York Police Department in no way condones the actions of the religious fanatic organization calling themselves Righteous Fury. We will use all of our sources to find those responsible and bring them to justice for the dozens of people who’ve been killed in these attacks.”

“You didn’t answer the question!” Someone shouted.

“What do you think?”

Alec looked at something at his feet. Magnus wondered what was there. Whatever it was put a haunted look into Alec’s blue eyes.

“Shit,” Magnus whispered.

“Personally?” Alec began. “I’m disgusted by the attacks. I’m disgusted by Righteous Fury and their agenda. They’ve killed innocent people and they’ve justified it by saying the people were amoral so they didn’t deserve to live. This cult knows nothing of amorality if they think that a clinic that was holding its weekly pediatric visit is amoral. What did the children in this clinic do that was so amoral?” Alec demanded.

“He’s got the bit between his teeth now, doesn’t he?” Ragnor said.

“He does,” Magnus said. “Isn’t he magnificent?”

“The organization known as Righteous Fury has murdered toddlers today. They killed babies. How is that right? How can they justify the killing of children when they claim to be destroying a building that supposedly ‘killed the unborn’? How is the life of a fetus more important than that of a child who never really got a chance because someone decided to plant a bomb and kill them? So you want to know how I feel?” Alec asked. “I’m infuriated. I feel a little righteous fury myself, and I can guarantee that I won’t rest until I have every single member of this cult in a cage. I’ll lock the doors myself. Mark my words.”

With that, Alec turned away from the press and moved back to the crime scene.

Stirred with Alec’s intensity, Magnus stood and moved to his phone to text him a few pictures. He had a text and when he opened it, his stomach dropped. It was from Jace and it changed all of his plans for the evening.

Meet us at Central. He cried. He needs you.—JL 1419

Chapter Text

Magnus glanced at Sophia as she entered his office. 

“I'm sorry, my dear,” Magnus told her. “I have to go.”

“Is everything okay?” Sophia asked, setting the file he'd sent her to retrieve on his desk. 

“Alec needs me.”

Sophia nodded. “Go. We'll handle things here.”

Magnus smiled. He was released get to keep this girl. She was so efficient and seemed so adult for her age. “Ragnor, if I'm not back by four, I'd like you and Sophia to take Max home. I'll call Andrew and he'll meet you with Rafe.”

“Of course. Go take care of your husband,” Ragnor ordered, turning off the TV. “I'll cancel your appointments this afternoon and close the office. We can take Max for ice cream.”

Magnus kissed Sophia’s head. You're lifesavers.”

“We know,” Sophia said, picking up Magnus’s coat and holding it out so she could shrug into it. “Go. I want ice cream and then enjoy your youngest son.”

Grinning, Magnus exited the office ad got onto the elevator. The ride was thankfully uninterrupted by anyone in he building trying to go down and Magnus got off of the elevator in the garage about three minutes later.

As he got off, however, he ran into a man in a grungy flannel shirt, torn jeans, and a jean jacket that was about two sizes too big. He looked like he just stepped out of a Nirvana concert.

“Excuse me,” Magnus said politely, restraining hi,self from wiping his black pea coat, just in case this man had gotten something on him.

The grungy man didn't say anything, just swept past Magnus and into the elevator. 

Shaking it off, Magnus moved through the underground garage to his black sedan.

The drive to Central was annoying as always, but Magnus powered through it and eventually parked in the visitor’s parking lot. After he'd checked in and gotten his visitor’s badge, Magnus made his way up to Homicide.

Entering the bullpen, Magnus made two observations. One: Alec was not in the bullpen and, two: Jace was pacing.

“What has you so worried?” Magnus asked, trying to calm himself and lighten the mood.

“Magnus,” Jace abreast he'd, his shoulders literally relaxing when he saw his partner’s husband.

“It's bad, isn't it?” Magnus asked.

“The only time I've seen him this upset was when we found out Max died,” Jace replied.

“He's blaming himself, isn't he?” Magnus asked.

“You know he is,” Jace said, sitting at his desk. “He takes things so harsh. He blames himself so much. I. . . I don't get it. I can't help him.”

Magnus's sat on the corner of Jace’s desk. “Alec tries to be everyone’s ideal. He tries so hard to be what everyone wants, tries to make everyone happy. He feels it more keenly thank most when he fails.”

“He didn't fail,”Jace snarled.

“No,” Magnus said. “But he thinks he did.”

“I hate seeing him like this,” Jace complained.

“Then tell me where he is and I'll turn things around.”

“Not the way you usually do,” Jace argued. “Please. We have to work here.”

“You texted me, Goldilocks. You knew what would happen.”

“He has a point, sir,” one of the uniforms, Sean Nightraven, commented. He wasn't Magnus’s idea of a cop, considering he had a blue streak through his hair, but Luke, who ran a tight ship, was also pretty lax when it came to the dress code and, considering Emma and Julian, infatuations between officers. 

Then there was the number of times Magnus had gotten laid in Central. . .

“Quiet, you,” Jace ordered.

Nightraven just grinned. “I'm just acting as a sounding board, sir. Magnus’s methods for taking care of Detective Lightwood-Bane’s moods are not orthodox, but they are effective. So, if getting a blowjob in the locker room knocks him out of that funk, I'm good with it.”

Jace closed his eyes as Magnus laughed. “So he's in the locker room?”

“Yes,” Jace groaned. “Please don't tell me any of the details.”

“I promise nothing,” Magnus replied, standing and moving out of the bullpen. “You know it's how we keep our relationship going.”

“Dammit,” Jace whispered as Magnus sauntered out to take care of his husband.

Magnus found Alec sitting on the bench in front of his locker. His dark hair was still damp from his shower and he'd changed his clothes. He wore a pair of worn jeans and held an ugly black sweater in his lap.

Magnus had missed that one.

“If I'd known you'd be naked at some point, I would've come quicker.”

Alec’s ravaged blue eyes rose to meet his but he remained silent.

Taking the sweater from his lap, Magnus set it aside and slid into its place, his arms sliding around Alec’s neck. “Let it out, love. Come sayang, I've got you now. You're safe.”

Alec's arms wound tightly wound around Magnus and he buried his face against Magnus’s shoulder. Magnus stroked his hair and didn't flinch when Alec’s blunt fingers dug into his shoulder blades. 

Soothing Alec, Magnus thanked all of the gods, all of the Angels, that he found Alexander Lightwood. This man, even at his lowest, was the best Magnus had ever known, he’d never trade Alec.

“I've got you, darling.”

“It's my fault,” Alec said, his voice muffled against Magnus’s shoulder. I let this happen.”

“How?” Magnus asked, pulling back to look down at him. Alec’s eyes were wet and red, and so full of grief that Magnus couldn’t help the desire to bundle his detective up and take him home where he could be cared for and loved.

“You haven’t even had this case a week, Alexander.”

“And if I’d been quicker,” Alec began, his eyes filling again, which killed Magnus. “If I’d been smarter-“

“No,” Magnus said, firmly, gripping Alec’s raven hair and tugging it sharply. “Don’t ever say that.”

Alec’s intelligence was a soft spot. Having barely graduated high school, Alec felt as if he were stupid. Magnus hated that he thought that about himself, that other people thought it about him.

Magnus smoothed his hand over Alec’s hair. “You’re the smartest person I know. You’re amazing and beautiful. I love you more than I can ever say. The victims and their families are lucky to have you.”

“There were children, Mags. There were children in the building.”

Magnus held Alec against him tighter. “It’s okay, my darling,” he soothed. “You’ll get justice for them.”

Alec buried his face in Magnus’s chest. “What if I can’t?”

Magnus tugged his hair again and forced Alec to look up into his blue eyes. “You listen to me, Alexander Lightwood-Bane. You can do anything. You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I fell in love with you because your determined and, cintaku, you care about the victims. You try so hard to take care of everyone, but you cant be perfect. You can give your best, my Alec, and it’s enough. You’re enough.”

Sensing that Alec needed more than words, Magnus pressed his lips gently against Alec’s.

Unable to help himself, Alec wrapped his arms tightly around Magnus, deepening the kiss. Magnus smoothed his hands over Alec’s bare back, placidly accepting the brutal, needy kisses from him.

When Alec shoved a Magnus’s slacks, Magnus helped him remove the offending clothes. When he was naked from the waist down, Magnus returned to Alec’s lap. Alec’s hands were on Magnus’s bare bottom, cupping each globe and pressing Magnus’s body tighter against him. Magnus kissed his lips, his tongue invading, taking Alec to new heights with just his mouth.

“I don’t have anything,” Alec panted desperately against his lips.

“Shh, darling. You don’t need anything.”

Magnus slid from Alec’s lap to kneel at his feet and took Alec’s hard flesh into his mouth, deep and fast.

“Fuck, Mags,” Alec groaned, needing more.

Magnus gave it to him.

Magnus sucked Alec deep into his throat, groaning around the flesh, giving him more and more pleasure with every pass.

Alec whimpered, saying Magnus’s name, begging for him, desperate for the comfort that he offered, that only Magnus could give.

Pulling off of Alec, Magnus crawled back into his lap. Magnus stroked Alec’s erection a few times until pre-cum pooled on the head of his flesh, then he circled the wet head around his own entrance, wetting it enough to was Alec’s way.

Sinking back, Magnus took Alec into his body, the pre-cum and saliva lubricating him just enough.

Then he began to move.

Magnus set a brutal pace, taking Alec into him over and over, hard, giving pleasure, giving comfort, until it all became too much and Alec snapped with a cry of Magnus name and desperate words of love and adoration.

Alec lay his forehead against Magnus’s shoulder, his arms wound tightly around his husband, panting. Magnus held him, not speaking, just there, a solid reminder that Alec was loved.

That someone was there who would always love him and take care of him.

Alec broke the silence.

“I’m sorry, baby.”

“Why?” Magnus asked, pressing a kiss to Alec’s dark head.

“I didn’t. . . I didn’t take care of you.”

“This wasn’t about me,” Magnus replied.

Alec shoved Magnus’s coat off. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

When Alec had Magnus undressed, he removed his own pants and shoes without removing Magnus from his lap. Lifting Magnus into his arms, Alec carried Magnus into the showers. While the warm spray engulfed them, Alec used his mouth on his husband until he’d sucked Magnus to completion.

Holding a spent Magnus, Alec said, “I love you, baby. I’ll never stop needing you.”

Magnus curled an arm around him, whispering, “You’re my very heart, Alexander.”

Alec held him tighter. “You’ll never know what you do for me.”

“I do,” Magnus argued, kissing the column of his throat. “Because you do the same for me.”

Looking into Magnus’s green-gold eyes, Alec believed him.

He was enough.

Even if he fell and forgot that sometimes.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Alec sat at the table with Magnus, the news on so he could see if he’d be dealing with a public that condoned or condemned Righteous Fury. Either way, he needed to be prepared.

Luke had released the number of dead to the media.

Eighteen.

Five of them were children.

Children.

Magnus took Alec’s hand, a solid force for him to cling to as he watched a recent poll KNW New York had done.

“As you can see, Karen,” the newscaster, Tom, was saying as a graph cam onscreen. “After the shooting at Kebebasan, a number of New Yorkers supported Righteous Fury’s message of a war on amorality. About thirty-eight percent of those polled in all five boroughs believed that they’re right. After yesterday’s attack on the Planned Parenthood Clinic, where five children aged eight to three months were killed, however, that number has dropped significantly. Only twelve percent of those polled agree with Righteous Fury’s message.”

“That’s right, Tom,” Karen said as the camera returned to the pair. “Last night Manhattan erupted in public outcry against the religious group whose doctrine seems to borrow from both extremist Christianity and Islam. No less than eighty different protests occurred in Manhattan alone. In the studio with us is Dr. Givi Revas of New York University’s theology department to help us understand a little bit about Righteous Fury’s message. Good morning, Doctor.”

“Good morning,” the man replied. He was dark of hair and eyes, his accent Eastern European. 

“You’ve looked at both messages from Righteous Fury. What do you make of them?” 

“I feel as if it’s just a group of men who want to cause fear. True religious groups do not borrow from so many different doctrines. This group refuses to acknowledge any specific religion, which is not normal for cults, as this seems to be. In fact, I’d say that this is actually a terrorist organization rather than a religious one.”

“What’s the difference?” 

“A religious group choses one religious affiliation and are generally non-violent, though some extremists do exist and believe in violence as a means for pushing their message. A terrorist organization has no issue with murdering to push their message. In this case, everyone who is not them is a target. They claim to be targeting sinners. In the case of Kebebasan, they targeted those who suffered from the sin of lust, namely homosexuals. In the case of the Planned Parenthood, they targeted murderers, however misguided they were in their own murder of women and children at a clinic that did not perform the abortions they so idiotically wanted to stop.”

Alec sighed. “I’m gonna have to put a protection detail on that guy.”

“He’s just saying what we all think.”

“Yes, but he’s dealing with terrorists, Mags. He’s gonna need protection now.”

Magnus sipped his coffee and nodded. “I like him.”

“I’ll probably meet him to get some insight on these fuckers.”

“Of course you will, darling.”

Dr. Revas continued. “Righteous Fury is also like a terrorist organization in that they preach what is wrong. Religious groups do this, but they also give followers a way to do things right. To reach their Nirvana. Religions tell us how to be righteous, what is expected of us. They do instill fear, but they do not do so with physical harm, they do it with harm to the soul.”

“In a social media release, Righteous Fury quoted Leviticus. Do you see this as any specific doctrine that they may be following?”

“I do not. They seem to follow Christianity, Islam, Judaism. These monotheistic religions are all branches in the same tree so to speak. They are using the Bible and the Quran to  preach their sense of truth and, as many do, they are interpreting these texts incorrectly. I am not surprised that they are quoting Leviticus, a Hebrew book of laws found in the Old Testament.  This particular law: ‘If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.’ This has automatically been thought to mean that two men having sexual intercourse is wrong. This can be interpreted in two ways, first, the notion of ‘mankind’ can be seen as multiple lovers within the bed of his wife and it could be condemning adultery. However, the section of laws in which this passage is found deals with property laws. Women in biblical times were seen as property. The scripture may also be translated to mean that if a man treats another free man as he would a woman, namely property, he shall be put to death.

“Of course, all of this comes from the same book that states we can’t eat pork or shellfish, and I love bacon wrapped shrimp.”

Karen and Tom laughed as Magnus shut off the TV. 

“Looks like the public is on your side, darling.”

“Looks like,” Alec agreed, sipping his coffee. “That means we may actually get some work done today.”

“You will, love. You’ll get it figured out.”

Alec hoped so, but he didn’t continue the conversation as Rafael shuffled downstairs.

Setting his coffee aside, Alec opened his arms to the boy. Rafael didn’t hesitate. He crawled into Alec’s lap for morning cuddles. Alec lay his cheek on the boy’s head and closed his eyes.

How could anyone think of his family as a sin?

How could they say that the way he loved Magnus was wrong? It didn’t feel wrong. Nothing in Alec’s life had ever felt more right. His feelings for Magnus were the best thing to happen before they got the boys. Alec refused to believe that, if there was a God, he or she would punish the beings he or she had created for love. 

That just seemed vindictive and wrong.

Even if his loving Magnus was wrong, Alec didn’t care.

He’d gladly spend eternity in Hell for Magnus.

But that could wait for after he died. Right now, he had to get breakfast together for the boys.

Real life was much sweeter than the one some people thought you should have.

***

After kissing Magnus and the boys, Alec met Jace at the lab.

“Hey,” Jace said, holding a go cup of coffee out to him. “How was your morning?”

“The usual. Had coffee with Magnus. Got the kids breakfast. Quizzed Rafe. He has spelling test today.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’s a genius.”

“Yeah, he is.” Alec replied proudly. “Those kids are so amazing.”

“You’re doing right by them, Alec. You’re raising them to be amazing. Do you think Rafe would be as respectful and quick-witted as he is if you hadn’t found him?” Jace asked. “Do you think Max would be as happy and delightful as he is if you and Magnus hadn’t taken him in when Simon found him on the doorstep? You’re a wonderful father, Alec. And you’re doing great things for your boys.”

“You’re very sentimental this morning, Jace.”

Sighing, Jace replied, “I just. . . I’m thinking of asking Clary to marry me.”

Alec’s face broke into a wide smile. “Really?”

“Yes,” Jace replied. “I. . . I don’t know what to do. How to do it.”

“You’re asking me?” Alec asked incredulously.

“Hell no! You asked Magnus at breakfast. You don’t have any romance, dude. I was going to ask Magnus.”

Alec released his breath. “Thank all that’s holy. He’s exactly who you need to go to.”

“So. . . if she says ‘yes,’ will you be my best man?”

Gripping Jace’s shoulder, Alec replied, “You know I will.”

Jace took Alec into a tight embrace. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. I love you, Alec.”

Chuckling, Alec said, “I love you, too, ya giant sap. Talk to Magnus about how to propose since i’m so unromantic.”

“You proposed at breakfast.”

“It worked for us.”

Jace grinned. “Yeah it did.”

Alec secretly wondered if his proposal (which had been planned for their date night, but had been sidetracked because Magnus hadn’t been receptive. . . also, Alec got called in to work) was enough. Magnus had never complained about it, but Jace was right. He wasn’t romantic. He was just about as unromantic as they came.

Taking a breath, Alec reminded himself that he was enough, that Magnus loved him.

He was still working on it. Insecurities didn’t go away overnight.

In the lab, they found Henry Branwell easily, his brilliant crimson hair a beacon for them to follow.

“Ah!” Henry exclaimed, seeing them. “I was just emailing you.”

Alec looked at the screen. Henry was still using the email address that had been hacked four years ago.

Jace grinned. “Henry, can I do something for you?”

“Of course, Detective,” Henry replied, his grin gentle, as was the man.

Jace changed Alec’s email address on Henry’s computer.

“What’ve you got, Henry?” Alec asked.

“I found a partial print on a bomb fragment.”

“A partial print?” Alec asked, amazed and excited for a break.

“Yes,” Henry replied. “I’ve sent it to be matched. You’ll know the moment I have a name.”

“Now you will at any rate,” Jace said to Alec under his breath.

Alec could kiss the man. “Henry, I think I love you.”

“Don’t let your husband hear you say that. More importantly, don’t let my wife.”

Alec snickered. “I wouldn’t dream of it. What else did you find?”

“Well, I can say, with absolute honest, that whoever created these bombs is a genius.”

“Really?” Jace asked.

“Oh, yes. The bomb was created using car parts and household cleaning liquids that would not flag when he or she purchased them. Your bomb maker knows chemistry.”

“Liquids?” Alec asked.

“Yes,” Henry replied excitedly, then wheeled his chair forward and pulled up a schematic on his computer. “I created this after I got the fragments.”

“You recreated a bomb after it exploded? From just the fragments?” Jace asked. “And you called the bomber a genius?

“Yes, well,” Henry began, embarrassed. “As you can see I’ve come to the conclusion that two chambers were set to go off at a certain time. They combined and the chemical reaction caused an isolated explosion. Due to the diminutive size of these bombs, your bomber needed several. They are small, but considerably powerful given their size.”

“How many would you say he needed?” Alec asked.

“About twelve. Perhaps up to seventeen.”

“How big are these?”

“About the size of a twelve ounce cup. They’d weigh about a pound, just over. They’re very light. They could easily fit in a pocket, and would not explode until the liquids were combined, so they could be carried by anyone.”

“So they could literally be anywhere?” Jace asked.

“Yes, Detective,” Henry answered. “They could.”

***

Needing to know more about the bomber and Righteous Fury, Alec and Jace headed to Central to visit Jem Carstairs, the psychologist on staff.

On the way, Alec made an appointment and texted Magnus.

Why, hello, darling. I was just thinking about you. —MB 1028

Then you must be in a meeting.—AL 1029

I am. But I often think of you. Do you need a distraction?—MB 1030

A little bit. —AL 1031

I can send you pics. You know, like I do Jace. —MB 1032

I’ll pass on that. How’s your day going? —AL 1033

Well. . .  Max was broken this morning, so that took some out of me. —MB 1034

Alec laughed. Magnus and Alec had a code when it came to their children. When one of them had a bad morning (whining, uncooperative, cranky), they said that the kid was broken. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, it could be stressful, so they dealt with it with humor. 

As they did most things, which made everything easier.

I’m sorry to hear that. Did Rafe help you? —AL 1037

He did. We’re lucky they haven’t both been broken on the same day.—MB 1039

Yet. —AL 1040

Thanks for that —MB 1041

I’m sorry, darling. I really must get back to this. They’re glaring at me because I’m not paying attention. It’s almost as if I don’t own the company. —MB 1042

Have fun. Love you—AL 1043

Love you, too—MB 1044

At Central, Alec took the elevator to Jem’s level while Jace returned to the bullpen to give a report to Luke.

Jem’s receptionist let him in immediately.  “He’s waiting for you, Detective.”

“Thank you,” Alec said, moving to the door.

“Hello, Alec,” Jem said, seeing him in the doorway.

“I had a few questions,” Alec said. “I won’t take up much of your time.”

“I thought you might. And don’t worry about my time,” Jem said, standing. He moved to his coffee pot. “I’m going to pour you some coffee. You look exhausted. Are the dreams bothering you?”

Sighing, Alec asked, “How did you know I was having dreams.”

“Your eyes are red from lack of sleep. You’re tired. Tell me about the dreams.”

Unable to meet Jem’s eyes, Alec said, “I see the victims. I see children. I see a sixteen year old kid and his moms.”

Jem set a cup of coffee in front of Alec. “You’re blaming yourself.”

It was a statement.

Alec nodded, staring down at the coffee.

“How is this your fault?”

Shoving to his feet, Alec snarled, “Because I wasn’t quick enough to stop it. I wasn’t smart enough.”

Jem sat back, his eerily silver eyes suddenly hot. “That is the only stupid thing you’ve ever said to me, Alec.”

It was said quietly, but it felt like a whip. Jem had never spoken to him like that before. 

“Don’t ever say you’re not smart enough for this. You’ve overcome a great deal to get to where you are now. You’ve taken care of everyone around you and you need to cut yourself a little slack. You need to stop trying to be more than you can be.”

“I-“

“Yes. For just a moment, think about what you want. Not what others want.”

“I want to find these guys! I want to stop them before they kill anyone else. I want to protect the people I love. I want to protect people I’ve never even met.”

Jem nodded. “What else?”

“I want to make Magnus and the boys happy.”

Jem smiled. “Why?”

“Because that’s all I’ve ever wanted. It’s all I’ll ever need to. . . be happy.”

Professional desires were one thing. This personal desire was something else entirely. Both dealt with Alec’s need to take care of others, but Alec’s personal desire centered around ensuring his family’s happiness while his professional needs saw to everyone’s physical safety.

“What do you need to see to those wants, Alec?”

“I don’t know!” Alec said, his frustration clear for all to see.

“Be you,” Jem answered, his voice as calm as always. “All you’ve ever had to do was be you.”

“That’s not why I’m here, Jem.”

Smiling softly, Jem replied. “Yes. I know. But it’s what you needed. Now,” he sat back at his desk. “As your questions.”

“We need to know more about the bomber.”

Jem nodded. “Of course. I’ve sent a report to you about the psyche of a bomber already, but I can discuss it with you now.”

Alec nodded.

Jem took a sip of his coffee.

“It’s very likely that you’re dealing with a white man in his thirties to fifties who does not necessarily agree with the group as a whole. His goal is to create the bomb and destroy. He doesn’t think about the people being killed. He just sees his creation and needs it to do its work. For this reason, he’s unlikely to make a threat. He doesn’t want to draw attention to himself or his creations. He wants, in some cases, even needs the bombs to explode.”

“So the Planned Parenthood didn’t stand a chance.”

“None. He’s likely chosen a bigger, more splashy target for the next one. One that, when and if it blows, will cause even more publicity, likely more outcry. The Planned Parenthood was practice in comparison to the location that is likely to be his opus.”

“What kid of location are we talkin’ about here?” Alec asked.

“You’re going to be looking for a place that represents Righteous Fury’s sins, but also represents the bomber’s need for an important target.”

Alec swore. “So, literally anywhere.”

“Yes,” Jem agreed. “Quite literally anywhere.”

Sighing, Alec stood and looked down at the coffee he hadn’t realized he’d drunk.

“I’m sorry I don’t have more to offer you, Alec.”

Alec nodded. “I know. Thank you for what you were able to give me.”

“As soon as you find him, I’ll be able to give you more.”

“Thanks, Jem. Really. For. . . everything.”

As Alec headed down to the Homicide division, his need to find these people surged. 

Especially when his phone rang upon entering his bullpen.

The display showed Alec that it was Magnus calling. Magnus texted. He never called.

“Mags? Baby? What’s wrong?”

Hearing the urgency in Alec’s voice, Jace moved to his partner, his gold eyes full of question and concern.

“Hello, darling. Would you come to the midtown building?” Magnus asked, his voice calm and collected. “We’ve had a bit of a problem.”

“Problem?” Alec demanded as his desk phone rang and Jace strode to it to answer it.

“Yes,” Magnus replied.

“It’s dispatch,” Jace told Alec.

“Magnus. Tell me what happened,” Alec commanded. “Now.”

Alec’s tone brokered no argument.

“We’ve been targeted, darling. They put bombs all over my building.”

Chapter Text

Max Lightwood-Bane was broken. He’d awoken on the wrong side of the bed that morning and had gone on the three year old rampage that was causing Magnus to lose his well-fought for temper.

Rafael, thank the angel for Rafe, stepped in when he’d seen that Magnus was close to the breaking point.

Dressed in his uniform for his school (black blazer, khakis, crisp white shirt, and black tie), Rafael crouched to look at his little brother, who lay face down on the carpet in the den.

“What’s wrong, Maxie?” he asked softly.

Max grunted.

“Do you want me to help you pick out your clothes for today?”

Max grunted again. This one sounded more affirmative than the first, though. 

Rafael seemed to understand the unintelligible cave language that Max was speaking because he stood.

“C’mon, then. You can wear your Deadpool shirt.”

Rafael held out his hand.

To Magnus’s shock, Max took it and stood, going with Rafael as if he were a lamb and his older brother were a Shepard.

Kids were hard.

With a sigh, Magnus went into the bedroom he shared with Alec. He had a meeting that morning with The Spiral Labyrinth, the research and development leg of Bane Enterprises, so he had to look (somewhat) professional. 

After smoking his eyes and lining them in black, Magnus slid into his silver button down shirt and black slacks. His red silk tie was on, and his jacket was in his hand before the boys came down from Max’s room.

He met them in the living room.

Max was wearing his Deadpool shirt under a blue and grey blazer and jeans.

“He wanted to wear a uniform, too.”

Smiling, Magnus picked up the boys’ coats. “You’ll be in the same one soon enough, Blueberry, and you’ll hate it.”

When the boys were bundled up, Magnus shuffled them out to the garage and into the car.

Even though they lived in Brooklyn, the entire Lightwood-Bane family worked in Manhattan, so Rafael attended school there.

Magnus hated the traffic that he had to fight every morning to get to work, but he loved Brooklyn so much. It was his kind of place and his kind of people. Alec seemed to love living there, and the boys were happy, so Alec and Magnus had never seen any reason to move to Manhattan. 

He still hated the traffic.

Alec, who’d only recently learned to drive, having lived his entire life in New York City, rarely did so, preferring instead to take the subway. Magnus didn’t like to not see the sky.

He assumed that was thanks to his childhood experiences. Having almost drowned when his step-father tried to kill him in a creek on their farm in Indonesia, he tended to avoid dark places, the underground, and water deeper than his bathtub when possible.

After an hour in traffic, Magnus finally arrived at Rafael’s prodigious primary school, where Andrew, the boys’ bodyguard, waited.

“Good Morning, Andrew,” Magnus greeted as he let Rafael out of the car.

“Mornin’,” Andrew replied. “I hope everything was all right at home.”

“Things were fine. Max was broken.”

Grinning, Andrew looked through the window at Max who kicked his feet in his carseat and sang loudly now that he was alone in the vehicle. “Looks like he’s fixed now.”

“Yeah. Rafes a regular Max mechanic.”

Andrew laughed and looked down at Rafael. “You ready, buddy?”

Rafael nodded and hugged Magnus. “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you, too. Good luck with your spelling test today. Be good.”

Rafael gave him a shy smile and bounded off with Andrew.

Watching him go, Magnus smiled. It wasn’t very long ago that Magnus and Alec had taken in a scared little boy who’d lurked in doorways and refused to speak.

Magnus slid behind the wheel and made his way back into the godforsaken traffic to get to his office.

It would’ve been quicker to walk.

After thirty more minutes (it was only eight blocks), Magnus parked in his spot in the underground parking lot and hurried to the elevator to drop Max off at the daycare located two floors below his.

Once he had kissed Max goodbye, Magnus arrived in the anteroom to his office, where Sophia sat at her desk, a laptop out and Ragnor talked on the phone, Magnus’s appointment book out, and he scribbled something that Magnus probably wouldn’t understand. 

“Hey,” Sophia greeted. 

“Good morning. Are you ever going to go to school?”

“It’s all online, Magnus,” Sophia reminded him. He knew he’d heard that before but had just forgotten it somehow.

“You’re homeschooling now,” Magnus said, pretty sure that was right (though he wasn’t one hundred percent sure).

“Yes. Since my dad. . .”

Magnus ran a hand over Sophia’s dark head. “Don’t think about it, sweetheart. Let’s get to work before Ragnor actually finds something for us to do.”

Sophia grinned and stood. “Yes, sir.”

***

Trying to suppress a yawn, Magnus sat at the head of the conference table beside Tessa Gray, one of his dearest friends and the only one at The Spiral Labyrinth that he truly trusted, doodling while pretending to take notes on a notepad.

Usually, he was interested in meetings with the men and women from the Spiral Labyrinth, but in this case he wasn’t. Because it was his center for research and development, they usually talked about the innovations they were making, progress in some of his projects, and all of the new gadgetry, they were coming up with. This was not one of those meetings. This was a budget meeting. A boring budget meeting. 

Magnus hated boring meetings. Even more, he hated boring budget meetings. 

So it was a welcome distraction when Alec texted him.

Understanding that Alec needed a distraction from his end of the day (namely the fact that children had been killed in a bombing the day before), Magnus neglected the discussion of projected profits and probable loss (due to the new gear for the NYPD) and talked to his husband about nothing. 

That was, unfortunately, short-lived.

“Mr. Bane,” one of the stuffy accountants said. Magnus called them all Herbert. “Are we boring you?”

“Yes,” Magnus began.

Tessa snorted beside him.

“I mean. . . this was important.”

“So important that you didn’t want to hear about the 2.5 million dollars Bane Enterprises is going to lose due to your ‘project’ with this protective gear you’re giving to the police department.”

Yes. 

But he didn’t say what he was thinking. 

“Look, Herbert-“

“My name is Marcus.”

“Okay,” Magnus said, sending a quick ‘I love you, too’ to Alec. “Marcus. You seemed to have forgotten who runs this company. I do not have a board of directors to pleas. Nor do you.” 

Magnus stood and took the time to button his black jacket.

“I wanted that equipment to be the best out there, the best available. You’re department cut corners to cut costs because of your cost/loss analysis, which I don’t give two shits about. What I do care about is that when the gear was put into the field it failed.”

“Mr. Bane,” Magnus began.

But Magnus had the bit between his teeth. “No Marcus. Your department cut costs on a project that I specifically ordered to spare no expense. Your anal need to save money very nearly cost me something more precious than this company. Your cost cutting nearly killed my husband!”

“Magnus,” Tessa said, standing. “Calm down, honey. I’ve done the work on the new equipment myself and it’s excellent. No expense was spared for this new equipment and it is already in use in the department. We’ve done exactly what needed to happen for this to work, and, while nothing it ever perfect, this equipment nearly is. It’s what you wanted.”

This did nothing to satisfy Magnus, however.

“This budget meeting is more for your benefit, Marcus.” Magnus said, refusing to return to his seat. “Did you think I would feel ashamed? Did you think I’d feel bad that I ‘threw away’ money on this project as you say?” he wasn’t backing down. He refused when this man and his greed had very nearly caused Alec to die. Magnus had almost lost the love of his life because of money. “That equipment was created to protect the single most precious thing in my life. Po project at The Spiral Labyrinth is more important to me. While we’re on the topic of money and the equipment that I wanted created, Tessa, you say the equipment is in the field?”

“It is. It was implemented last week. The tactical team that responded at Kebebasan was the first to wear it. It’s very nearly impenetrable. The NYPD is the first to receive it.”

“Thank you. Do me a favor,” Magnus said. “Tell Herbert here what our projected sales are for this new equipment.”

“Of course.”

Tessa picked up a clicker and a screen changed form its screen saver of rotating colorful spikes to a graph. “As you can see from this image, sales are going to raise exponentially. When the NYPD’s experiences with the equipment get out, we believe that the equipment will eventually pay for itself. Marcus,” she said, clipping her way around the table. “By my calculations, Ban Enterprises can continue to supply the NYPD with protective gear for free for the next twenty years and still expect a gross profit of over twenty-eight million dollars every quarter in vest sales in the American market alone.”

Marcus sputtered.

“I wanted to protect my husband, Marcus, that’s true. I wanted, needed to keep Alexander safe. But I’m a business man. I was also thinking of the potential market of such an endeavor.”

Magnus moved back to his seat. “I own this company, Marcus. I’m going to look after it, look after my employees. But I love my husband beyond anything. Don’t ever question me when it comes to the future of either.”

Thankfully, Ragnor chose that moment to enter the conference room. He moved to Magnus at the head of the table with quick steps. Crouching, he whispered, “We’ve got a problem.”

Magnus looked at the others at the table. “Please excuse me,” he said, standing and following Ragnor into the anteroom.

Sophia stood there, ringing her hands.

“What’s wrong?” Magnus asked, touching her shoulder. “What’s happened?”

“Sophia found what we think is a bomb in your office.”

“What?” Magnus demanded.

“I dropped a pen and it rolled under your desk. There was a. . . thing stuck on it.”

“We’ve called security. They’ve begun the evacuation of the building and called the police.”

“We have to leave,” Sophia said, shivering a little.

“Go, Sophia. Get downstairs and call your mother to let her know you’re alright.” Magnus ordered. He looked at Ragnor. “Max?”

“He and the other children from the daycare were the first evacuated. He’s downstairs already.”

Magnus nodded, fighting to remain calm. “Go downstairs. Make sure my blueberry is safe. Can you let Andrew know what’s going on? He needs to make sure Rafe is safe as well.”

Ragnor nodded. “Don’t linger, Magnus. Get outta here and call your husband.”

“Of course,” Magnus replied, returning to the conference room. “I’m sorry to have to say this,” Magnus said to the people at the table. “But there has been an emergency and we must evacuate the building.”

“What sort of emergency?” one of the executives asked.

Magnus had to take a deep breath to calm himself. “We’ll explain it to you after the building has been emptied. Calmly and quickly exit the building.”

“Sir,” a Angela Devereux, the head of the security team greeted him. “This is the final floor to be evacuated.”

“Is my son okay?”

“He is,” Devereux replied. “I saw to the daycare myself and they’re already out. He was a little afraid and confused, but that’s to be expected.”

Nodding, Magnus moved past her. “Get out ASAP. Don’t stick around in here.”

Once Magnus was on the ground floor, he called Alec and was gestured out of the building toward a perimeter that had been set up to keep people from the building safe. Sophia stood at the front of the crowd, with Max, who was crying, on her hip. When Max saw Magnus he cried out for his father and Magnus moved to take him into his arms as Alec answered his phone.

“Mags?” He sounded strained, afraid. Magnus rarely called, so it was to be expected. “Baby? What’s wrong?”

Magnus took a deep breath. “Hello, darling. Can you come to the Midtown building? We’ve had a bit of a problem.”

“Problem?” Alec demanded.

“Yes.”

Magnus heard Jace say, “It’s dispatch.”

So Alec had gotten the call about the possible bombs. 

“Magnus. Tell me what happened. Now.”

Knowing that he would lie to his husband about something this important, Magnus replied. “We’ve been targeted, darling. They put bombs all over my building.”

“Jace!” Alec called. “We’re moving out. Nightraven, Ty, Let’s go!”

“You’re so authoritative, love.”

“Are you okay?” Alec asked. “Is Max okay?”

“We’re both fine, darling. The building has been evacuated and the security team is making the final sweeps. Andrew has been informed, so he knows to take care of Rafe.”

Through the speaker on his phone, Magnus heard car doors slam shut and an engine start. 

“You’re really out of the building. Swear it now.”

“I’m on the street with Sophia and Max. I swear.”

Alec sighed. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“It’s fine. You’re worried. I understand. I’ll be right here when you arrive.”

“I’ll find you,” Alec promised. They hung up.

Alec always kept his promises.

Magnus held Max on his hip when Jace’s police issue vehicle screeched to a stop. Alec shoved his way out of the gunmetal grey sedan, his blue eyes hot as they found Magnus and moved across the pavement in ground eating strides.

“Don’t close your door or anything,” Jace complained, shutting Alec’s door.

Alec flipped him off over his shoulder, continuing his trek to Magnus.

“Alexander, I-“

Magnus didn’t get to finish. Alec didn’t let him. He tugged Magnus and Max into his arms and buried his face in the crook of Magnus’s neck. 

“Thank God,” he breathed. “Thank God you’re both safe.”

Max kissed Alec’s cheek. “We’re okay, Papa.”

Alec raised his head and cupped the boy’s cheek. “I see that, buddy.” He looked at Magnus, running his other hand into Magnus’s hair. Magnus watched a tear slip down his husband’s cheek. 

“We’re okay, darling. We’re right here.”

Alec nodded and took a breath. “I know. . . I know.”

Unable to help himself, Alec kissed Magnus in a long, received kiss, uncaring about the media, the crowd, or the cops watching them. 

Magnus was safe. Max was safe. Alec could, for the moment, breath again.

Chapter Text

Alec held Magnus and Max against him, needing their weight,  needing to feel them. Alec held Magnus and Max against him, needing their weight,  needing to feel them. 

His terror had propelled him here and forced Jace to move at a breakneck pace,  bullying his way through traffic until they'd arrived. That same terror had leaked out of him as soon as he'd taken his way through traffic until they'd arrived. That same terror had leaked out of him as soon as he'd taken his husband and soon into his arms. 

Even though he'd known Magnus was safe, that he and Max were not in the building,  Alec couldn't stop the horrifying panic at the realization that Righteous Fury had targeted his family.  

"Darling, " Magnus said.  "We're okay.  Go do you job. "

Alec kissed Magnus forehead.  "I love you. " 

"I love you, too. I'm going to check on Rafael."

"Thanks,  baby."

"Of course,  sayang. "

Reluctantly,  Alec left Magnus and Max to meet the team Jace, was waiting for him at the door.  As Alec entered, Jace handed him a vest,  a new one that Magnus had designed and donated to the department.  This was stronger than the previous model. It had come very quickly after Alec had been stabbed,  so Magnus must've gone on the warpath.  

Shrugging into it, Alec asked,  "Bomb squad?"

"Inside.  Nightraven and Ty are overseeing the uniforms and they're working on the preliminary questioning."

"They'll have to question Magnus, Ragnor,  and Sophia."

"They'll take care of your family, " Jace said as Helen and Mark arrived. 

Alec just nodded. 

Helen took a vest from Jace.  "Do we have a number yet?"

"Not yet.  We're headed in, " Jace replied. 

"Is Magnus okay?" Mark asked.  "Maxie?"

"They're behind the barrier. They're shaken up, but they're okay."

Alec entered the building, the one he'd entered hundreds of times and immediately locked eyes with the bomb squad's team leader,  Lieutenant Amaranda Simms.  Her long blond hair was pulled back in a long tail that swung behind her as she stride to them.

"Herondale.  Lightwood."

"Hey, Amaranda," Alex greeted.  

"So.  Your husband's building.  . ."

"Yeah.  He was here.  So was my son."

Amarada nodded.  "Well, we've located about about eighty-"

"Eighty?! " Alec demanded. 

"Yes.  Your religious group was looking to demolish this building and kill everyone inside.  My men are all over defusing.  Henry's work has really helped us out.  He made a schematic that has made this process much easier."

"Any idea when they'll blow?"

Amaranda shook her head. "No timer. It could be now,  it could be next week."

"Probably closer to the first."

Alec's phone rang so he pulled it out of his pocket. Seeing that it was Jem,  he answered immediately. 

"Lightwood."

"Alec? Are you  at the Bane Enterprise building?"

Alec had never heard Jem sound like this before. 

Scared. 

"Yeah.  I'm here.  Why?"

"Tessa.  . ."

Then Alex understood.  Tessa must've been inside somewhere and Jem couldn't get ahold of her.

 "Don't worry.  She's not in the building.  She's outside.  Safe.  I'll make sure she calls you.”

"Thank you,  Alec.  I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"I was in your position about twenty minutes ago. It's fine."

"I'll let you get back to work."

Alec hung up,  realizing that Jem was in love with Tessa. 

Tell Tessa to call Jem.  He's worried.  --AL 1153

Will do,  darling.  --MB 1154 

"So we're continuing our floor-by-floor sweep.  They're working on the top floor now.  We've been at long enough now that we've got most of them."

"You worked quickly," Jace commented. 

"We did.  We're not letting these fuckers get another one."

Alec's smile slipped as the lobby door opened and Magnus entered. 

"What the he'll do you think you're doing?" Alec hissed as he moved to Magnus. "Get back out there."

"No," Magnus replied, shrugging out of his cost and into one of the vests. 

"Excuse me?" Alex demanded.  "You can't be in here."

"I own the building,  love.  I think you'll find I can."

"I'll arrest you if I have to,  Magnus," Alec snarled.  "Now get your ass back out there with our son."

"Fine ass," Magnus corrected.  

"Magnus!"

"Hey,  guys," Jace interrupted.  "This isn't the place."

Alec had never been so angry in his entire life. "Why are you here?"

He tried to calm himself,  but was having trouble.  Magnus had to know that having him in a building that may or may not explode was killing Alec. 

"You act we if you're not happy to see me."

"Baby, I can't have you in here."

Magnus moved to him and cupped his cheek.  "Neither can I."

Alec sighed.

"Mags," Alec pleaded. 

"Don't ask me to leave you."

"You're paying for this later.  You know that,  right?"

"Of course, darling."

"Seriously.  I'm not going to be gentle."

"Gross," Jace whispered. 

Alec's radio cracked with a voice of a member of the bomb squad who was upstairs. 

"The chemicals are mixing!" He shouted. 

"Get outta there!" Amaranda ordered. 

"Are all of the bombs down here defused?" Alec demanded. 

Amaranda nodded. "We just had a few upstairs. 

Alec grabbed Magnus's upper arm and tugged him past the elevator toward the door.  

Then all hell broke loose. 

The bomb squad had apparently missed a bomb that had been placed in the elevator shaft.  The explosion was deafening , throwing dust,  debris,  and cement into the air,  leaving gravity to do the rest. 

Alec moved quickly, fear and the need to protect propelling him forward.  Grabbing Magnus,  Alec pressed his husband against his body, tackling him to the ground.  They landed in a heap upon the marble entrance.  Alex used his body to shield Magnus from the falling debris keeping his head protected as rock and twisted metal rained down on them,  a few bits hitting Alec's back.

When all was settled, Alec looked down at Magnus,  checking him for injuries.  Magnus shoved against Alec's chest.  With a groan,  Alec rolled off of Magnus,  blood gushing wound gained from a bit of flying metal.  

Pulling out a handkerchief, Magnus staunched the bleeding.  "Why did you do that,  you brave idiot?"

Breathing hard, Alec asked, “Are we supposed to pretend that I wouldn't protect you from an explosion?"

"You know I don't expect that from you."

"I know. I expect it from myself," Alec replied,  clutching Magnus's jaw.  "Are you all right, baby?"

Starting at the blood soaking the handkerchief, Magnus replied,  "You're asking if I'm okay?  Dammit,  Alec."

"Enough,  Mags," Alec admonished.  "Jace, is anyone hurt?"

"Just a knock on the head upstairs," Jace replied.  "You're office is a total loss,  Magnus.  The bomb was under the couch."

"How did they get inside?" Magnus asked.  "I can't imagine anyone I know actually doing this."

"Don't worry, baby.  We're gonna get to the bottom of it."

***

When Alec finally got Magnus and Max home,  he just wanted to relax and hold his family close. 

Rafael meet them at the door and hugged Alec and Magnus.  He took Max into his arm, hugging his little brother tightly.  

"Are you OK, Maxie?" he asked. 

Max nodded against Rafael.  "We 'bacuated and Dady and Papa went in.  They isn't blow up."

Rafael touched Max's hair.  "Did you watch over them?"

"Yeah," Max answered.  "They would've been lost without me."

Rafael grinned.  "I'm sure."

Ruffling Max's hair,  Rafael said,  "Let's eat."

As Magnus left with the boys,  Andrew moved to Alec.  "I can stay a little longer is you want."

Alec smiled at him.  "We're okay.  I'll handle this. Thank you, Andrew.  Thank you for taking care of my family."

"I adore your boys.  I'd die for them."

"You very nearly did once."

Andrew had been shoot one night while protecting the boys from a man who would have killed them. A man who Alec had,  in fact,  killed.  

Andrew nodded.  "And I'd do it again."

“We’re so lucky we found you," Alec said.  

Andrew shrugged into his coat. With a laugh, Andrew said,  "I'll tell Will you said so.  Maybe he'll give me a raise."

Snickering, Alec replied, "You've earned it for everything we've put you through.”

“Yeah,” Andrew replied. “I do.”

Alec shook the man’s hand. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Nodding, Andrew stepped to the door. “Take care of them, Alec. They’re so precious.”

He spoke like a man with experience.

“I know they are, Andrew.”

“You’re a good man, Alec. You’ll take care of them.”

With that vote of confidence, Andrew left the townhouse.

Alec made his way through the townhouse and into the kitchen, where Magnus was spooning out their dinner.

“Did Andrew get off all right?”

Alec nodded and took the plates that Magnus had filled for the boys. He remained silent as he set the plates on the table. Rafael seemed to understand Alec’s need for reassurance. He touched Alec’s hand, a warm, loving presence.

“You’re quiet, darling. Are you still angry with me?”

Sighing, Alec said, “I’m furious with you, Magnus. I don’t want to discuss this in front of the boys.”

“I’m not going to apologize for coming into that building with you.”

“I know you won’t. I’m not going to yell at you. I’m not going to rage or. . . I dunno, attack you for it. You did exactly what I would’ve done. I would’ve gone in for you, too.”

“Yes, love. You would’ve.”

“So, yes. I’m pissed, but I’m not going to take it out on you. I will, however, say, if you ever pull shit like this again,” Alec warned, one finger pointed at Magnus, “I will arrest you. I’ll put you in a cell so fast, it’ll make your head spin.”

Magnus decided it would be stupid to argue so he replied, “Of course, Alexander.”

Alec nodded, accepting Magnus’s response.

Knowing his husband, Alec knew that Magnus was lying. He knew that Magnus was, at some point, going to put himself in danger again and Alec was going to protect him.

He’d always take care of what he loved.

“Darling,” Magnus said. “Why don’t you come sit and have dinner?”

Magnus set a plate next to his on the table across from the boys. Alec took his seat across from Rafael and ate the lasagna that Magnus had picked up at the Italian place down the block. 

To keep everyone’s mind off of the events of the day, Alec discussed what Rafael had been up to, what he’d learned that day. Rafael was more than happy to discuss school.

Alec was happy to hear about it.

After dinner, the family cuddled on the couch while they watched some mindless children show with lots of colors and singing.

Alec held Max tightly, smelling his hair, reveling in the feel of his son, beautifully and gloriously alive.

Someone had tried to take his husband and son. A terrorist group had targeted them. They’d tried to kill everyone in a forty story building.

Pulling Magnus and Rafael tighter against his side, Alec vowed to find these people, every one of them. When he found them, he’d make sure they never saw the light of day again. 

***

After Alec put the boys to bed that night, he met Magnus in the living room, where he was drinking a glass of wine, standing in the middle of the room, and watching TV.

“Detective Lightwood-Bane could not be reached for comment, but sources report that there were upwards of eighty bombs placed around the Midtown office of Bane Enterprises. The NYPD bomb squad was able to defuse all but two of these bombs,” the anchorman at the news desk was saying as images of Magnus’s building flipped across the screen.

“We’re happy to report that there were no fatalities in this explosion and only minor injuries. One of the officers hurt was Detective Lightwood-Bane.”

Alec turned off the TV. “Someone on my team was pretty chatty with the press.”

Magnus sipped his wine. “So it would seem.”

Watching Magnus set his glass on the coffee table, Alec took his chance. 

He crowded Magnus, gripping the black shirt that he’d changed into when they’d finished dinner. Alec half guided, half shoved Magnus into the bedroom.

Magnus looked up at him, pliantly going where Alec wanted. When Alec pressed his lips against his, Magnus returned it with savage enthusiasm, his arms encircling him.

Alec realized, as he kissed Magnus, that Magnus had been just as afraid as Alec had.

Alec, who was no stranger to taking Magnus roughly, had never felt this raw urgency before. He shoved Magnus onto the bed and quickly joined him there, kissing him again. Alec ran his fingers through Magnus’s dark hair as he ravaged Magnus’s mouth.

Sitting up, Alec shoved his sweater off, working to strip Magnus, tugging his husband’s slacks and boxers off. When Magnus was naked, he returned to kissing Magnus. 

“Pleas, darling,” Magnus moaned.

Alec ran a hand over Magnus’s smooth thigh. “In time, baby,” Alec said, wanting to love and please this man.

Alec took Magnus in hand and stroked him slowly, lingering at the dripping tip. Magnus’s eyes fluttered and he moaned. 

Alec didn’t spend a long time on Magnus’s erection. After he tore Magnus’s shirt off, Alec revealed Magnus’s body. Flipping Magnus onto his stomach, Alec manhandled Magnus until he was on all fours.

“I love it when you get demanding, darling.”

“Then you’re gonna love this.”

Magnus cried out when he felt Alec’s tongue bury inside of him. He gasped and shuddered with yearning, his erection painfully hard and leaking.

Leaning forward, his cheek on the pillow, Magnus reached back and held himself open for Alec, who granted and doubled his efforts to make Magnus squirm.

It worked. Magnus pushed back against Alec, begging for more. Alec, not removing his mouth form his husband, was able to get the lube from where it was perched on the bedside table after its use that morning. Again, without removing his mouth, Alec squeezed a dollop of it onto the head of his straining erection.

When he did finally move away from Magnus, Magnus whimpered at the loss. 

“Calm down, baby.” Alec soothed, loving when Magnus got to this point, this needy. 

“Please, Alec. My Alec.”

Bending, Alec pressed a kiss to Magnus’s spine. He adored this man and everything about him.

Even his need to push into Alec’s work.

Wasting no time, Alec entered Magnus in one rough thrust.

Crying out, Magnus pushed back against Alec, taking more of him in, pressing closer to Alec, forcing him to hit the bundle of nerves deep inside with each thrust. 

Alec grabbed Magnus’s waist and, withdrawing, slammed back into Magnus.

Magnus nearly screamed with delight and lust, holding on to the pillow for dear life as Alec took him as hard as he wanted. The feeling was incredible, building quickly and he loved every minute of it.

Alec’s fingers dug into Magnus’s ribs as he ordered, “Touch yourself. Come with me.”

Magnus did as he was told.

Alec slid one hand under Magnus’s chest and forced him to raise up, his back against Alec’s chest. “I wanna see you come for me,” he whispered in Magnus’s ear.

Alec nibbled on Magnus’s neck, reveling in the feel of Magnus against him, around him.

The snapping of Alec’s hips had grown more frantic, less measured, and Magnus realized he was close. 

And he couldn’t wait to feel Alec’s climax.

Magnus came hard with a hoarse cry of Alec’s name as Alec flooded him.

They fell to their sides, unable to move for a few moments. 

When Alec’s heartbeat finally slowed down, he asked, “Wanna take a bath?”

“Can’t,” Magnus replied. “I’m dead.”

“If you’re dead, I can't bang you again,” Alec said.

“Ah. . .” Magnus said, with a deep breath. “Then I guess I’ll just have to take a bath so we can do this again.”

Alec smiled and kissed Magnus’s cheek. “Oh, we’re gonna do this again.”

Magnus’s eyes met Alec’s. “I love you, Alexander. I always will.”

“No more than I love you, baby,” Alec said and kissed him again. “I’ll never stop.”

Chapter Text

Jace was already at his desk when Alec entered the bullpen. Setting the coffee he’d picked up in front of Jace, Alec took his seat at his own desk and pulled up a report from the lab.

“How are you?” Emma asked, leaning against Alec’s desk.

“I’m fine,” Alec replied.

“Did you and Magnus hash things out?” she continued as if unaware of how Alec was actually doing in this moment. “Helen told me that things seemed pretty tense between the two of you.”

“We worked things out,” Alec told her.

“Eww,” Jace said with a shudder. “I know how you usually work things out.”

“And last night was no different,” Alec replied. “I’m sure Magnus would be more than willing to give you a play-by-play.”

“No thanks!”

Snickering, Alec returned to the lab report. Reading through it, Alec sat up. “Get your coat, Jace. We’ve got a name.”

“A name?” Jace demanded. “Already?”

“Henry worked overtime after he heard about Magnus’s building,” Alec replied. “He’s got a name. And so do we. Emma. Julian. I need you to conduct follow-up interviews with the people Nightraven and Ty flagged. I’m sending you their reports.” 

Standing, Alec shrugged back into his coat. “Go by the house and talk to Magnus. He needs to be interviewed. . . He didn’t get questioned last night.”

“Of course,” Julian said. “We’ll take care of it.”

Nodding, Alec stepped out of the bullpen and onto the elevator that Jace held for him.

“Name?” Jace asked.

“Ramsey Stringer,” Alec replied.

Jace immediately began a run while Alec called Robert Lightwood.

“Alexander,” Robert answered. “It’s not even eight-thirty. Is there a reason you’re calling me so early?”

“Yes. We’ve got an ID on the partial print found on the bomb fragments from the Planned Parenthood attack.

“Name?” Robert asked.

“Ramsey Stringer,” Alec replied.

“Do you have an address?”

Jace seemed to know what Alec needed and showed him an address. Alec gave his father the address.

“Okay. I’ll have a warrant for you soon. Are you putting an op together?”

“Not right now. We need to talk to him quickly and quietly so he can give us the rest of Righteous Fury. We have to get him before Righteous Fury finds out about this.”

“Will he do that?” Robert asked.

“If he knows what’s good for him.”

Robert was silent for a moment. “I have no doubt you can do it without reverting to threats. But.  . . this man tried to kill my grandson and your husband. Do what you must to get a confession and more names. I want to put all of them down.”

“Count on it, Dad,” Alec said, hanging up.

As they each got into Jace’s police issue vehicle, Alec asked, “So what did you learn.”

Jace handed his phone to Alec. “I haven’t read it all. Let me know what we’re dealing with here.”

“Of course you want me to read to you. I’m not your bitch, you know.”

“You’re not,” Jace agreed. “But I hear you are Magnus’s.”

“Then Magnus hasn’t been telling you the whole truth because just last night-“

“Enough! Nope. Nope. I don’t wanna know!” 

Snickering, Alec looked down at the phone and read the data to Jace.

“Thirty-eight. One thirty one. Five feet, eleven inches. Brown and Brown. A couple of pops for drunk and disorderly and vandalism. No current outstanding warrants.”

“Yet,” Jace said.

Alec nodded. “No violence.”

Jace replied, “Most bombers don’t actively participate in violence. They prefer to do so remotely.”

Alec understood. That didn’t mean that Alec didn’t want to punch the fucker in the face for threatening his family.

“You okay?” Jace asked.

“Yeah,” Alec replied. “Just ready to take this guy down. He tried to kill Max and Magnus.”

“He did. He threatened your family. You have to stay calm. You can’t let anything get in the way of you finding justice for the dead. You can’t let this bother you, as far as this guy is concerned. However, you can quietly imagine throat punching him when you see him.”

Alec swallowed. When I get him, I’ll need you to handle the arrest.”

Jace nodded. “You’re too close to this?”

“Yes,” Alec replied, his fury bubbling just beneath the surface. “I can’t. . . My son was in that building, Jace. What if those bombs hadn’t been found? Where would I be now? What would I do?”

“You’d get through, just like you do everything. You do everything you need to for your family. Don’t think about what could have happened. Think about what did. Magnus and Max are safe at home. They’re fine. They’re alive and well. You’ve found the person who created the bombs. You’re going arrest him now. You’re going to find the rest of the people in this group. You’re going to get them all and you’re going to end this.”

Alec wished he had Jace’s faith. “I can’t do it alone.”

“You’re not going to. You never will be alone. You’ll always have me. Whither thou goest, so too do I. Remember?”

Alec smiled. “I remember. Thanks.”

“No problem,” Jace replied. “We’ll take care of this. These guys aren’t going to take another life. Their reign of terror is over.”

As they pulled into a street parking spot about a block from Stringer’s apartment, Alec took a deep breath. He had to take a moment before getting out of the car, needing to calm himself.

His phone rang as his heals hit the sidewalk. 

“Yeah, Dad?”

“Your warrant is in.”

“Thanks,” Alec said. “Arrest or search?” 

“Search,” Robert replied. “Judge Mickes didn’t feel that a partial print on a fragment of a bomb is enough to arrest him. If you find something to prove that he is involved, You’re welcome to arrest him. But at this point, you need proof to act upon your desires, Alec.”

“Understood. Is it on its way?”

“It is,” Robert replied. “The address isn’t far. It’s on its way by carrier.”

“Okay. I’ll wait for it before we move on this. Thanks, Dad.”

“Of course. Let me know if you need anything else. I’m taking the morning off to go see your husband and my grandsons.”

“Magnus is home. He’s keeping Rafe out of school for the rest of the week. His first day back to school after break and our family is threatened. The school apparently completely understood our decision to keep him home.”

“I’m glad I’ll get to see both of them. Good luck, Alexander.”

“Thanks, Dad. Enjoy your time with the boys.”

***

Magnus opened the door to Julian and Emma when he saw that his visitors were police officers. He hadn’t dressed for the day as he and the boys were just going to hang out in the house. He, of course, could never be seen in his pajamas, so he wore a pair of black jeans and a black cowl sweater, a silver necklace with a pendant hanging from his neck. His eyes were lined in black and he wore charcoal shadow. 

He may not have been at work, but he wasn’t a heathen.  

“Emma. Julian. How are you?” Magnus greeted. 

“We’re well,” Emma replied. “May we come in?”

“Of course you may.” Magnus stepped back and allowed them access. When they entered, Magnus closed the door. “What is this?”

Emma was the one who answered. “You weren’t interviewed yesterday.”

“No.”

“You have to be. We have to cover our bases.”

A horrible thought entered Magnus’s mind. “Am I a suspect?”

Not again.

“No!” Emma shouted. “No one anywhere thinks that! We just have to interview you.”

“It’s procedure. Alec ordered us especially to talk to you.”

Magnus nodded as Max and Rafael entered the living room. “Boys. Go play in your play room. I’ll let you know when you can come out.”

Rafael took Max’s hand. “Are you okay, Daddy?”

“I’m fine. Emma and Julian just need to talk to me about what happened yesterday.”

“Why don’t I come with you and you can show me your toys?” Julian said.

“You should!” Max exclaimed. “You can see my new stuff!”

Max released Rafael’s hand and took Julian’s, guiding him to the marble stairs. “Daddy got me a. . .” 

Magnus listened to his son’s voice trail off as he led Julian out of the room and up into the playroom.

Rafael’s dark eyes watched Magnus. “Can I stay here with you?”

It was asked with such need that Magnus couldn’t force himself to deny his son. He looked at Emma. “Is it alright if he stays with me?”

Emma looked at Rafael, who seemed to have shrunk in on himself, trying to hide from her. 

“Of course you can stay. You’re welcome to sit with your daddy while I ask him a few questions.”

“Can I get you anything, Emma. Coffee? Tea?”

“I’d love some coffee. Alec sent us out pretty quickly.”

Magnus poured a cup for her. “Now,” he said, handing it to him. “Are you going to tell me what all of this is really about?”

“Exactly what I said,” Emma replied, accepting the coffee and the saucer. “Alec wanted you questioned by Julian and me.”

“He could easily have sent a couple of uniforms.”

“As if Alec would ever do that,” Emma scoffed, sipping her coffee. “He wouldn’t trust anyone he didn’t know. He could have sent Ty or Nightraven, or both since they’re getting pretty close, but he’s already got them out at the building running the uniform leg of this operation. They’re questioning people in the area, trying to find witnesses. Alec wanted us to talk to you.”

Sighing, Magnus said, “What do you need to know.”

“We’re trying to figure out how the bombs were set. Someone put eighty explosives in your building and they were set to go off at noon, when you would be in your office with Max.”

Magnus shuddered and Rafael sat on his lap, touching his shoulder to calm him.

“Yes. I have lunch with Max in my office everyday. You can bet that I won’t continue to do that.”

Emma nodded. “But we have to find out how and when the bombs were placed.”

Magnus sucked in a breath. “What do you need to know?”

Emma looked at her handheld. “What did you do that day? Start from the beginning.”

“I woke up here. Alexander was in bed with me. Before we woke the boys for school and daycare, we. . .” Magnus looked down at Rafael, then continued, “Had. . . adult alone time.”

Emma grinned and nodded. “Continue.”

“When we got up, we had coffee together. Alexander goes to work early most mornings when he has a hot case. Yesterday morning was no different. He left before seven. I got Max and Rafael up for breakfast at around seven, maybe a little after. Max was broken.”

“Broken?” Emma asked.

“He was cranky. He didn’t want to get up,” Rafael provided.

Emma smiled. “Go on.”

“After I had the boys and myself dressed, I took the boys to their destinations. Rafe went to school with Andrew Cardamum, their bodyguard. Max came with me to the daycare that is in my building.”

“What did you do next?”

“I worked in my office until about ten o’clock. I had to answer some emails and put out a few fires.”

“What happened at ten o’clock?” Emma asked.

“I had a budget meeting with The Spiral Labyrinth, my research and development company. It was boring. Sophia and Ragnor got me out of the meeting to tell me that I hated being in. I had to deal with the fact that Sophia, a sixteen year old girl who works for me found it.”

“Then what?”

“We evacuated the building and I waited for Alexander, who I called.”

Emma nodded. “Did anything stand out to you?”

“No. It was a normal day.”

“How about the day before?”

Magnus thought about it for a moment. “Nothing.”

“The day before that? The day of the Planned Parenthood bombing?”

Magnus looked down at Rafael. “I left early that day to see to Alexander.”

Knowing how Magnus had seen to Alec, Emma remained silent. “Did anything odd happen that day?”

Thinking about it, Magnus replied. “Actually, yes. As I was leaving, I ran into a weird guy.”

Interested, Emma asked, “Can you describe him?”

Magnus did so, down to the man’s grungy outfit. Emma pulled out her phone, and pulled up a picture. “Is this the man?”

Magnus looked at a brunet man in a mugshot. “Yes. That’s the man.”

Emma nodded. “This is the man who Alec and Jace have gone to arrest. His fingerprints have been found on bombs. He’s the bomber. I mean, we think so. We don’t have much proof yet,  but Alec will get it.”

Magnus sighed. “He was in my building. I let him pass.”

“You couldn’t know.”

“It doesn’t matter. My son was in that building and he could’ve-“

“He didn’t,” Emma soothed. “Max is fine. Rafe is fine. You’re fine. Alec is gonna arrest this guy and we’re gonna find the rest.”

Emma’s phone rang.

“Carstairs?” she answered.

She looked at Magnus then said, “Is he alright?”

Magnus set Rafael on the floor. “Go into your room with Max.”

“But-“

“Rafael, please. Don’t argue with me.”

Rafael’s dark eyes shot to Emma. “Okay. Don’t lie to me when you find out.”

“I’ve never lied to you. I never will.”

Nodding, Rafael moved up the marble stairs. Magnus returned his gaze to Emma who hung up her phone.

“Say it.”

“Alec is at the hospital with our suspect.”

“What happened?”

“The guy fought Alec. Alec’s nose was bloody, but he was fine. Pissed mostly. Jace thinks that Alec took advantage of the guy and let him throw the first punch. When he got hit, Alec took the guy down, hurt him. Jace thinks Alec broke the guy’s wrist.”

“Alexander has a bit of a temper.”

“Yeah. Well, I’d say he earned it.”

Magnus agreed. “Do you need anything else from me?” 

“No. I’m done with you now. I’ll have Alec call you.”

“Of course. Tell him, in front of Jace, that the violence he’s displayed has made me positively frothy.”

Laughing, Emma put her phone in the pocket of her leather jacket. “I’ll do that.”

Magnus saw the detectives out and closed the door behind them, glad to have this mostly over. They had the bomber in custody. They were going to end this. Alec was going to get the justice he needed to find for the victims. 

When Alec was happy, Magnus was happy.

They just needed to finish this. 

Chapter Text

Alec yawned as he took a drink of horrifying hospital coffee. Jace sat beside him in the waiting room while a doctor and a nurse set Stringer’s wrist. Alec held an ice pack against his nose. It stung like a bitch, but it was worth it to hear that fucker scream. 

“You could’ve taken him down without breaking his arm,” Jace said.

“No I couldn’t,” Alec replied easily. “He hit me first.”

“Yeah,” Jace agreed. “But you could’ve done it without allowing that.”

Alec and Jace had received the warrant by carrier just as Robert had promised. Alec had signed for it and purposefully strode to Stringer’s apartment building. He’d pressed the button to let Stringer know that someone was there to “visit.” The security on this building was pretty shitty, but it was still something that Jace and Alec needed to get through.

“C’mon up,” a gruff voicehad  said through the crackling speaker. 

The door had buzzed as Stringer bypassed security and Alec lunged to open the door before the idiot realized that he’d opened it to a pair of cops. 

Jace had entered after Alec and shook his head. “So he’s expecting someone.”

Alec had nodded, his face set in an angry, purposeful line.

“Do you think he’ was expecting someone from Righteous Fury?”

“No,” Alec had said. “He’s probably expecting pizza or Chinese. He’s not a member of the group. They don’t come here.”

“So he’s not good enough for them?”

“Nope. He’s so far below them that he doesn’t rate any notice. They’d kill him right now if they didn’t need him. That’s the way groups like this work.”

“Agreed,” Jace had said, seeing that the elevator was broken. “Stairs,” he groaned.

Alec allowed a smile and opened the door to the stairwell. 

Ramsey Stringer lived on the sixth floor and, by the time they got up there, Jace had been panting.

“Are you okay?” Alec asked. “You sound like my vacuum when it picks up a penny.”

“Shut up, bitch,” Jace groaned.

Alec had snickered and opened the door to the sixth floor. “Do I need to remind you that I’m not your bitch?”

“God. Please don’t.”

When Jace and Alec had reached Stringer’s door, Alec had knocked, not pounded as he wanted. The door opened and the over powering scent of beer and weed had wafted out of the open door. 

Holding up his badge, Alec had asked, “Mr. Stringer? Ramsey Stringer?”

Stringer had looked from Alec’s badge to Jace’s, his eyes, which had been unfocused and blood shot, darting between the two. He’d moved quickly, trying to slam the door.

But Jace and Alec were better than that.

Jace had inserted his foot between the door and Alec had shoved it open.

“We have a search and seize warrant, Mr. Stringer,” Alec had reported calmly as the door slammed open and he entered the apartment. “If you try to stop us, we will arrest you for obstruction of justice.”

“I’m callin’ my lawyer!” Stringer had shouted.

“You’re free to do s,” Alec had replied cooly while his blue eyes had blazed hot. 

Jace had moved into the apartment to begin the search. “Mr. Stringer,” Alec had begun. “Please tell us where you were on January third.”

“What time?” Stringer had asked.

“All day,” Alec had replied. They’d concluded that the bombs had been placed the day before the bombing and Jem had concluded that the bomber would need to be involved in placing the explosives himself.

“I. . . uh. . .” Stringer looked over at Jace. “Hey! Don’t touch that!”

“Mr. Stringer,” Alec had said. “Please clam down. He’s just doing his job. Your whereabouts?”

Stringer had continued to watch Jace. “I was workin’.”

“Where?” Alec had demanded.

Stringer’s blood shot eyes had turned back to Alec. “Places. Now, can I call my lawyer?”

“Of course,” Alec had replied pleasantly. “Tell your lawyer that you’re going to be at Central as I’m arresting you for obstruction of justice.”

As Alec had pulled out his handcuffs, Stringer had argued, “I ain’t obstructin’ nothin’!”

“You’re refusing to answer my questions, you’ll need to call that lawyer.”

“No!” Stringer had shouted and swung.

Alec didn’t think Stringer had expected his fist to connect because he’d stopped trying to run and had stared at Alec, his eyes wide.

“That was a mistake,” Jace had said, a whistle under his breath.

Wiping blood from his face, Alec had said, “Ramsey Stringer, you’re under arrest for obstruction of justice and assaulting an officer.”

Stringer, after having successfully struck Alec, had attempted to do so again. Alec had been too quick for him.

Gripping Stringer’s wrist, Alec had given one sharp thrust upward, hearing the sickening crack as it broke. When Stringer screamed, Alec had dropped him and handcuffed him, reading the dick his rights. 

Jace had called in an ambulance and a sweeper team to complete the search. 

After they’d arrived at the hospital, Stringer had been taken back to the triage room while Alec had been seen to in the waiting room. Now, he sat beside Jace, waiting until the doctor was done with their prisoner. 

“I know I didn’t need to do it,” Alec said, answering Jace. “But it was satisfying.”

“He’s gonna sue,” Jace said.

“Let him,” Alec replied, still holding the ice pack to his nose. 

“Said the guy married to a billionaire,” Jace scoffed.

“Yeah,” Alec grinned. “I am. But I’m not sorry.”

“About snapping Stringer’s wrist or marrying Magnus?”

“Technically, I’m not sorry about either.”

Jace grinned. “Glad to hear it. Don’t worry, man. I got your back.”

“I know,” Alec replied. “You always do.”

The Aline Penhallow, Helen Blackthorn’s girlfriend, and a friend of Jace’s and Alec’s, exited Triage 8 and moved to sit beside Alec. She moved the ice pack and looked over his nose. “It’s not broken,” she told him.

“That’s a relief.”

“You did a number on him,” Aline said. “He’s pretty hurt.”

“When can he leave?”

“He’s ready now. The doctor just signed his release papers. He’s all yours, Detective.”

Alec kissed her cheek. “You’re awesome.”

“I know. Tell that to my girlfriend. Maybe she’ll come see me tonight.”

“Ask her to move in,” Alec ordered. “You know you wanna live with her.”

“I do. She’s not ready for that, Alec. She’s an amazing woman and I love her with everything I have, but she’s not ready to move to that place yet.”

“You realize that Mark and Kieran have moved in together.”

“I do. But Helen isn’t there yet. She’s getting there, but it’s gonna take a bit. I can wait.”

“She’s not the only good woman here,” Jace said. “We’ll just take our prisoner and go.”

***

Back at Central, Alec wrote up his report then gave it to Luke. 

“You broke his wrist?” Luke asked, his dark eyebrows raised on his cocoa colored face.

“I did,” Alec admitted unapologetically. 

Luke nodded. “Was force necessary?”

“Strictly?” Alec began. “No. No it wasn’t strictly necessary.”

“Was it satisfying?” Luke asked.

“It was, sir.”

Smiling, Luke said. “Very well. I’m sure you’ve bull shitted this in such a way that it looks necessary. I’ll take care of you if anyone makes a stink about this.”

“Thanks, Luke.”

“Anytime. Are you going to interview him today?”

“Yes. He’s waiting in an interview room.”

“Sweating?” Luke asked.

“I’ll say. His pain pills are probably wearing off pretty well.”

Luke grinned. “Get names, Alec.”

“Will do, sir.”

Leaving Luke’s office, Alec made to call for Jace, but was surprised to find Magnus sitting at his desk, looking at his phone’s screen. 

“Hey. I thought you were staying home today.”

“I stayed home until about twenty minutes ago, when I asked Andrew and Sophia and Ragnor to stay with the boys so I could come here.”

“Why?” Alec asked.

“Because you need me.”

“I’m okay,” Alec argued as Magnus stood and touched Alec’s swollen nose. 

“Mhmm,” Magnus said as Alec flinched. “I see that.”

“Hey, I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse.”

“Yes, darling. I know that. But this isn’t good. You’ve hurt him a great deal?”

Alec nodded. 

“And it’s my understanding that you could have arrested him without breaking his wrist.”

“I could have,” Alec agreed, unapologetic about his actions.

Magnus smiled. “I adore you. Don’t worry about any repercussions from this man.”

“I wasn’t worried about it,” Alec replied. 

Magnus kissed Alec’s forehead. “It’s so hard not to take you right now against your desk.”

“Gross, guys!” Jace exclaimed. “I’m right here.”

“Yes, Goldilocks. I see you,” Magnus said. “Do you need more pictures?”

Jace groaned. “No. I’m good.”

“C’mon, Jace. I think he’s stewed long enough.”

Jace stood. 

“We go hard. Both of us. No good cop,” Alec said as Jace and Magnus followed him to the interview room. At the door to the observation room, Alec kissed Magnus quickly. 

“I’ll be right here,” Magnus told him. “I’m going to be right here, darling.”

“I’m gonna need you,” Alec told him. “Baby. . .”

“I know, love,” Magnus interrupted. “I know. I’m here.”

Nodding, Alec opened the door. Jace entered first and Alec’s blue eyes once again met Magnus’s green-gold ones.

With a sigh, Alec entered the interview room and set a voice recorder on the table. After setting the record and rereading Ramsey Stringer his rights, asked, “Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?”

Stringer’s attorney sat beside him and replied for him. “He understands.”

“We need to hear that from him,” Jace said harshly.

“I understand,” Stringer said.

Alec nodded.

“Why did you make the bombs that blew up the Planned Parenthood?” Alec asked.

Stringer crossed his arms and kept his mouth closed. “My client doesn’t admit to creating the bombs that destroyed the Planned Parenthood.”

“Of course he doesn’t. That doesn’t change the fact that the items necessary to create those bombs and a blueprint for them. Perhaps you can explain that.”

“It isn’t illegal to have chemicals and car parts,” the lawyer, a young, eager man replied.

“No. But the blueprint looks pretty bad,” Jace said.

“That wasn’t for no bomb,” Stringer said.

“We know it was,” Jace replied. “Our lab techs backwardly formatted it. They recreated your blueprint and it matches exactly. We know you created the bombs.”

“Why did you place them in the Bane Enterprises building?” Alec asked.

“I didn’t.”

“Then why were you there on January third?” Alec demanded.

“I wasn’t.”

“You were seen,” Jace said. “You were seen there. You were caught on camera entering Magnus Lightwood-Bane’s office after his receptionist and assistant had left. Your fingerprints are on several of the bombs placed around the building. Now why were you there.”

“My client doesn’t have to answer that,” The lawyer said.

“Oh yes he does. If you decide not to answer these questions,” Alec said. “You’ll be offered no deal. You’ll spend the rest of your life in general population at a maximum security prison. And they’re gonna love you. A pretty little man like you.”

“Then there’s the fact that you murdered children. You’re gonna get hurt. . . bad.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Nodding, Alec stood. “Jace. Have Officers Nightraven and Blackthorn take the prisoner back to the tombs. I’m going to call the PA and let him know that he’s been uncooperative. All we wanted was names of the people in Righteous Fury, Stringer. We already know you’re a murderer. That you killed children and innocent people in the Planned Parenthood. That you would have killed more children and innocent people in the Bane Enterprises building.”

“Is that why you hurt my client?” the lawyer asked. “Because he threatened your meal ticket.”

“I hurt your client because he fought being arrested. The fact that he tried to kill my husband and son had nothing to do with the fact that I broke his wrist. That was part of the job.”

“You should know,” the lawyer said. “That we’ve already started proceedings to sue you for undue force.”

Alec shrugged. “Whatever. Stringer. Give me a name.”

Stringer shook his head.

“Jace. Get the officers.”

“No! I won’t go back there! I’m hurtin’. Give me some pain pills.”

“That’s not up to us,” Alec said. “You’ve got to wait for the nurse practitioner from the infirmary to get it for you. But she’s on her lunch break.”

“She’s gone for the day. He daughter went to the daycare in the Bane Enterprises building,” Jace said, looking at Stringer. “Good luck getting any pain meds from her or anyone who works for her.”

“You can’t do that.”

“We aren’t doing anything. We can put in a good word. . . if you give us names,” Alec said. 

Stringer began to shake. “You don’t know what these people are like, man. They’re weird.”

“You helped them.”

“They payed really good.”

“Names. Where are they?”

“I don’t know where they are right now. But I know where they’re going to be. All of them. Tonight.”

  Alec felt energy and purpose shoot through his body. “Where?” He demanded, sitting across from Stringer.

Chapter Text

After more than an hour of interrogation, Alec left the interview room. He had dragged everything Stringer had to give out of him. Purposefully, Alec strode through the hall, past the observation room, where Magnus and Luke stood.

“You’re a beast, dude,” Jace said as they entered the bullpen.

“I like to think so,” Magnus commented, entering the bullpen behind them.

“Eww,” Jace groaned. “You just had to take it there, didn’t you?” 

“You know how our relationship works, Goldilocks. You know what this is.”

Alec ignored both of them. “Julian, Emma, Nightraven, Ty. We’ve got an op. Briefing in the conference room in fifteen.”

“I love it when you get all authoritative,” Magnus said with a grin. “It makes me tingle.”

“Ugh,” Jace said with an audible swallow. “You’re so easy.”

“You know that’s true,” Magnus replied.

“I repeat. Eww.”

“Stop it, you two,” Alec ordered. “You can argue after we’ve got these fuckers in cells.”

Magnus snickered. “So you’re going to allow me to be part of your operation?”

Alec turned on Magnus, glaring at him. “If I say ‘no’, you’ll just talk your way in and make me accept you, so I may as well let you sit in the van with Simon.”

“I do part of the building you’re going into.”

“You do?” Alec asked.

“I do.”

“See. I knew I kept you around for something.”

“Yes. It’s because when I use my tongue on your-“

“Stop it! Oh, dear God in heaven!” Jace exclaimed.

Emma sat on Jace’s desk. “I could stand to hear some more.”

Julian shook his head and picked up a file. “Meeting, guys.”

“I’ll call Simon,” Jace said, moving to his desk and shoving Emma. “You suck.”

“You’re just jealous that you can’t be this fabulous.”

“Yeah. Because I like to hear about my partner in the sack.”

“What?” Emma asked. “You know I love to hear about my partner in the sack.”

“That’s because you’re there with him.”

Emma snickered. “I am. And it’s . . . majestic.”

“You don’t have sex. You do not have sex.”

“Says you,” Julian scoffed leaving them.

Magnus snickered as Luke shook his head and turned away from the men and their talk of sex. “Is there anything you need me to carry for you, darling?”

Nodding, Alec picked up a box. “Would you mind getting the other one?” he asked.

“Of course, my love,” Magnus answered, lifting the second box. 

“You’re after something, aren’t you?” 

“I’m not. Would I use sweetness to get you to do something for me?” Magnus asked, following Alec into the conference room.

“Hell yes you would. You’re more likely to use sex, but you do what you need to get what you want. Now, what do you want?”

Magnus sighed. “Now I want sex.”

“That goes without saying, baby. What is it?”

“I’d like to move my business.”

Alone in the conference room with Magnus, Alec set the box on the conference table. “You want to move?”

“No. I want to stay in our house, but I do want to move my business.”

“How long have you been thinking about this?”

Magnus placed the box on the table beside the one Alec had set down. “About two days now.”

“Since the bombing?”

“Yes.”

Alec nodded. “I was going to ask you to never leave the house again.”

“You were not.”

“Oh, yes I was. I would have given you as many blow jobs as you wanted in order to get that to happen.”

Magnus grinned. “Hmm. That would be a lot of blow jobs.”

“And it would’ve been worth it.”

With a chuckle Magnus slid his arms around Alec’s waist. “You don’t have to offer me blow jobs in exchange for that, darling. I own a small building about eight blocks from our house. I’m going to move my leg of Bane Enterprises into it.”

“How small are we talkin’ here?”

“About five stories.”

Alec nodded. “I’d like you in a smaller place with more security. Don’t let this happen again, baby. I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t. . . I can’t  lose you, Mags. Please-“

Magnus pressed his lips against Alec’s in order to silence him. After a few moments, long enough for Alec to calm himself, Magnus stepped back.

“I won’t let anything happen to me. I know how important I am to you because that’s what you mean to me. You’re vital to me, darling. I’d never let anything hurt you. Even if that means I have to protect myself.”

Alec kissed Magnus again. “Promise?”

“Of course. I’ll take care of everything. I’m going to get the building set up for my offices. It’ll be night to be back in Brooklyn at all times. I hate traveling to Manhattan. It’s time for the High Warlock of Brooklyn to be back in Brooklyn.”

***

In the conference hall that Magnus owned, and had been booked by Righteous Fury, Alec crouched beside Jace, trying to decide the best time to act.

Magnus had gotten them a blue print for the building, and they’d planned the operation. Magnus was in the surveillance van, the HQ for the operation while Alec, Jace, Nightraven, Ty, and Emma were in the antechamber to one of the meeting rooms, a large meeting hall that was usually used for conferences and workshops. Julian and his siblings, Helen, Mark, Livia, and Dru were at the exits with others to stop any of the members present from escaping. 

The plan was simple. 

Alec and the Team One would storm the conference hall while Team Two would guard the exits, and stop anyone from leaving. Magnus and Simon would watch the exits and surveil everything that was happening. They’d let Alec know if any calls were made from the building. They were tapped into the surveillance footage (it was a good thing to be married to the owner as he had some serious connections), and would let Alec know if anything changed inside. 

Stringer had given them names. Including a prominent entrepreneur who did business with Magnus, cops, lawyers, film people, people from the churches, even judges. This group was insane and they were dangerous. 

They were more dangerous because the group was full of people who actually thought they were driving out immorality, instead of having a platform for men in power to kill. 

Stringer had told Alec that their religious leader was a man named Wesley Thorpe. He was the leader of an evangelical church. One of those guys who preached hellfire and the bible on TV. Alec just thought those guys yelled and sweated a lot. He didn’t really see them as church people. Just. . . well, assholes. 

And he was right. 

The interview with Stringer had also given Alec the name of Parker Beckett. Robert Lightwood had been particularly pissed about that one because Beckett was the Prosecuting Attorney before he was. He was one of the men who helped chose the sites. A man who Alec’s father had respected, a man who had had dinner at Alec’s house when he was a child, had chosen Magnus’s club, the Planned Parenthood, and the building where his husband and child had been. A man who had known Alec as a boy had endangered his family. 

There were three cops who were going to be arrested. Officer Clinton Pierce, Sargent Lamar Waterman, and Lieutenant Erik Bird, all out of different houses,  were all going to be put in handcuffs and put in the tombs at Central because they broke the law. They broke their oaths. 

The other officers going into this situation were the most pissed about that. 

What Alec was the most pissed about were the people who had been taken in by this. The people who actually believed that this was a good idea and that killing people would stamp out immorality in the city.

It was too bad the people they’d killed hadn’t been immoral at all. These fuckers had killed kids.

They’d tried to kill his kid. His husband.

So. . . yes. It was personal.

Simon’s voice broke through Alec’s thoughts.

“They’re starting the meeting,” He told Alec through his earpiece. “It’s like it’s a regular thing. They’re going over decisions made during the last one.”

“What are they saying?” Jace asked.

“They’re talking about the successful attacks on Kebebasan and the Planned Parenthood. I think it’s Beckett, Alec.”

Closing his eyes, Alec took a deep breath. “What else?”

“He’s still going on about the shit from those two attacks. Apparently they’ve whipped out over fifty. According to this guy. Fifty sinners are in Hell because of them. That’s a quote.”

“Forty-eight,” Alec said. “The body count is at forty-eight. Six of them were children.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Darling,” Magnus’s voice came through his ear. “They’ve moved on to discussing the Midtown Building.”

It was said gently, as if Alec had needed that to calm down. After a long moment to bring himself under control, Alec asked, “What are they saying?”

Simon took over, his deep voice soothing. “They’re saying that it was an unsuccessful attempt, but they want to try again. They’ve put a pin in the destruction of pride and greed.”

Simon stopped dead. 

Something was wrong.

Bracing himself, Alec asked, “What else?”

“Someone just asked if the children in the daycare were meant to be there, if they were supposed to die,” Magnus answered.

“And?” Jace demanded.

“The leader of the session just told them that: yes. They were intentionally killing the children. One of the kids is the adopted abomination of a greedy queer and a. . .” Magnus paused. “I don’t want to repeat what that man just called you, darling.”

“It doesn’t matter. Keep going,” Alec said. He’d watch the recording later. He’d find out, but he doubted it would be the worst thing he’d ever been called.

“He means to destroy all of us because we’re a symbol of the amoral agenda of the city.”

“Us?” Jace asked, his amber eyes meeting Alec’s blue ones.

“The Lightwood-Banes,” Simon answered. “It’s like this fucker’s got a personal vendetta against you guys.”

“Magnus, call Andrew and check on the boys,” Alec ordered.

“Of course, love.”

Alec looked at Jace. “You ready?”

Jace slid his weapon out of his holster and nodded. “Let’s do this.”

Reaching over, Alec turned the nob to the door to the conference hall where Righteous Fury met, where a man who his father had once worked for and with, threatened his family. Alec was actively keeping his own fury under the surface, but it was on a low boil, a simmer that threatened to erupt. 

Pulling out his own weapon, Alec nodded once to Jace, then looked over at Nightraven and Ty, who stood poised at the second door into the room, and gave them the nod to go. 

Both doors swung open and they burst into the room.

“NYPD,” Alec shouted over the startled gasps and cries of surprise. “Everyone on your knees with your hands up. Now!”

Some complied immediately. Others took more coxing. Or threats.

At least they thought Alec was threatening them. He wasn’t. He would gladly knee cap any one of these douch nozzles.

When the entire group, about twenty-five, maybe thirty, was on the ground, Alec moved to the man behind the podium. 

Parker Beckett was older than he was the last time Alec had seen him. Of course, Alec had been sixteen the last time he’d seen this man. He was on his knees, glaring up at Alec, malice and hatred in his grey eyes. 

“Do you think you’ve won?” Beckett asked.

Alec slapped one wrist with his handcuffs then roughly pulled it behind Beckett’s back. As he completed the cuffing process, he read Beckett his rights.

“You haven’t won, faggot. You haven’t won. There will be others who finish this work. You’ll die. Your chink lover will die. Your unwanted bastards will die. I’ll laugh when it happens. I hope you’re the last to go so you’ll know that I won. I made it happen. I started this so that abominations like you couldn’t rape our city and get away with it.”

With his dark eyebrows knit, Alec lifted Beckett to his feet and steered him out of the conference hall and out to the van that SWAT had brought for them to haul all of the prisoners in. 

More cops had come in to help with all of the arrests.

“Don’t forget to Mirandize all of them. Not a single one of these nut bags gets off on a technicality because one of you didn’t do your job right,” Alec called.

He was met with a chorus of “Yes, sir!” and everyone continued to do their job.

Without a word to Beckett, Alec shoved him into the black van, where a uniformed officer took over. Nightraven and Ty brought more prisoners out and loaded them. 

“You doin’ okay, boss?” Nightraven asked. 

Alec nodded.

“Hey, don’t feel bad, sir,” he said. “This is a good thing. These people are corrupt. They’re wrong, and they’re stupid. You’re doing the right thing by arresting them. They all deserve to be in prison for what they’ve done.”

Alec nodded again.

“If you need a face to look at, sir, just think of the kids they killed.”

Alec met Nightraven’s gaze. “I do. Everyday. I also think of my kids, who were just threatened. My husband who has also been threatened. And I know that I’ll see every one of these assholes in a cage. I swear to every angel there is. That I will.”

“Good to know, sir.”

Alec smiled. “Let’s get back to work.”

They arrested thirty-two people that night. Some there for religious reasons. Some there just to be involved in murder. They finally arrived back at Central after two AM, and Alec had called it a night. He’d write his reports the next day. He’d interview the prisoners the next day. He’d handle everything the next day.

As he rode home with Magnus, he reached over and took his husband’s hand. 

Magnus held it in his and glanced over at Alec, whose head leaned against the seat tiredly. 

“Thank you for being there for me today.”

“I’m always going to be there for you, darling.”

“I know. That’s why it’s such a surprise.”

“It’s surprising that someone is there for you?”

Alec smiled. “It is. It’s surprising that someone as amazing and wonderful as you is there for me. It’s surprising that you’ve stuck around given how often I’ve put you in danger. It’s surprising that I can love anyone as much as I love you.”

Holding Alec’s hand, Magnus lifted it to his lips and pressed a tender kiss against the knuckles. “That shouldn’t be a surprise. I’m very lovable.”

“You are. I just never thought I was. So. . . I’m surprised that you could love me.”

“Never let that surprise you, darling. You’re the most amazing and fascinating man I’ve ever met. And I wouldn’t trade you or our life for anything in this or the next world. I absolutely adore you.”

“I know you do, Mags.”

Magnus pressed another kiss against Alec’s hand and drove them home through the nearly non-existent traffic. 

Home. 

That sounded so nice to Alec.

Home.

Where he was loved and those he loved were safe. 

Home.

Where his heart was. Where his heart was protected and warm. Where his family could thrive. Where he wanted to be. 

Chapter Text

Three days after the operation that successfully ended Righteous Fury’s reign, Alec awoke to a hard body and warmth surrounding him, to comfort, and absolute happiness. 

Alec had spent the last three days interviewing the members of Righteous Fury and taking down those who were left. He’d found more. They’d arrested a total of forty-four people and were now bringing them to justice one by one. Not all of them would spend a lifetime in prison for being involved, but all of them would be punished. And . . . Alec would personally keep an eye on those fuckers. Every one who was involved in trying to hurt the people Alec loved would be on his list until the day he died.

Alec, after booking the last person in the group, had come home late and exhausted. He had fallen into bed beside Magnus, who had already been asleep. Instead of shying away from Alec’s chilly body, Magnus had wrapped himself around Alec, using his own naked body to warm him. Alec had fallen asleep to the sound of Magnus’s heartbeat and soft snores.

As he woke in the comfort of Magnus’s arms, Alec sighed, wishing for sleep to take him again. His exhaustion was still very present, and he could use some more sleep. . . or coffee.

Mmmm. Coffee.

“Why are you awake?” Magnus grumbled, pulling him closer.

“I dunno,” Alec replied. “Just woke up.”

“So, go back to sleep,” Magnus ordered, burying his face in Alec’s shoulder.

“Need coffee,” Alec rolled over and wrapped his arm around Magnus.

“So get it, you lazy asshole.”

Snickering, Alec rolled Magnus onto his back. “I’ll show you a lazy asshole.”

Alec took Magnus’s lips with his own, showing him exactly how much Magnus meant to him. Using his lips, tongue, and teeth, Alec worshipped Magnus.

His lips.

His face.

His throat.

His chest.

His abdomen.

His manhood.

Alec spent a great deal of time worshipping that particular part of Magnus.

When he had reduced Magnus into a writhing, panting mess, Alec reached over to the bedside table and retrieved the lube form the drawer. 

Squeezing some into his hand, Alec stroked Magnus’s engorged flesh until it was wet, a bead of precut slipping from the tip.

As Alec sank over him, Magnus gasped.

“Alec, you didn’t. . .”

“I don’t need to. I wanna feel all of you,” Alec said, gradually moving over Magnus’s length until he was fully inside.

When Alec had Magnus completely seated, he groaned, leaning down to kiss Magnus.

“You feel so good, baby. So perfect in my.”

Sighing, Magnus took ahold of Alec’s hips. “Not as good as you feel around me, darling.”

Alec gasped as Magnus’s grip tightened and he brought Alec down hard over him, thrusting deeply. 

Alec worked to meet each thrust, taking himself and Magnus to new heights.

“Mags,” Alec groaned as he gyrated his hips. “Baby. Yes.”

Magnus was quick to flip Alec over onto his back and take his lips as he thrust hard, the blunt end of his erection slamming into Alec’s prostate.

Alec cried out and wrapped his legs around Magnus’s waist, giving him a better angle to milk this moment.

Magnus gripped Alec’s hair in both hands and tugged until blue eyes met gold green. Magnus’s hips lost all finesse. Kissing Alec, he slid in and out, gasping as his head caught on Alec’s rim.

“Mags. Mags, I’m gonna come.”

“Yes, darling. Come for me.”

Alec did with a cry of Magnus’s name.

Still holding the ebony strands, Magnus pounded into Alec through his orgasm, moaning as Alec’s channel tightened around him.

“You’re so beautiful, Alexander, my darling. I love you so much.”

“Love you,” Alec gasped, clutching Magnus’s sweat dampened shoulders. “Come in my. I love you. I need you. Please.”

With his face buried against the long column of Alec’s throat, Magnus complied, flooding Alec’s spasming channel with a satisfied gasp and a bone deep shudder.

Collapsing against Alec, Magnus moaned. 

Alec smoothed a hand over Magnus’s back as he held him tightly.

“You’re the best part of me,” Magnus whispered against Alec’s ear.

“Then we’re on the same page,” Alec replied, kissing Magnus’s throat. “I love you so much that I’ll never recover from it. Never, baby. You’ve ruined me for the rest of my life. No one and nothing will ever compare to you.”

“Stop sweet talking me,” Magnus said, looking down at him. “You may never get out of this bed if you don’t.”

“No dice, baby. We’ve gotta get up. Jace’s thing is today.”

“Shit,” Magnus groaned. “I just had to plan it for today.”

“It’ll be beautiful,” Alec argued. “You’ll make it perfect for them.”

Magnus’s eyebrows knit. “What’s wrong?”

Sighing, Alec said, “I’m sorry I’m not more romantic.”

Magnus pressed a kiss to Alec’s forehead. “You’re not, but I wouldn’t want you any other way. You’re wonderful, Alec. I would never trade you. Not for anything.”

“I proposed at breakfast,” Alec argued.

“Yes you did,” Magnus said with a grin. “And that’s exactly what I needed. I got what I wanted and needed when you proposed, Alexander. Your proposal was perfect.”

Alec scoffed.

“You asked me to marry you. You asked me to spend my entire life with you. You cooked a meal for me. You asked me with our sons there. You made us a real family, darling. So, yes. It may not have been romantic, but it was perfect.”

“I just,” Alec began. “I want you to have everything you want. Everything you need.”

Kissing Alec, Magnus replied, “As long as I have you, I already do.”

***

“So,” Clary began. “Why are we in the park in the cold?” 

“Would you just enjoy the day that Magnus has planned for us?” Jocelyn nagged. 

“But. . .” Clary began looking at Magnus and each of the boys. “Why are we celebrating you adoption day today? Didn’t you get Max in the fall?”

“Yes,” Magnus replied. “But our family was complete when we got Rafael. That was in the winter.”

“So we’re celebrating with a scavenger hunt in the cold?” Clary asked.

“C’mon Aunt Clary!” Max shouted, grabbing her hand. “We’ve got the next clue.

“Turtle Pond,” Rafael said. “We’ve gotta go to Turtle Pond!”

“Biscuit, stop complaining and complete the hunt so we can go back to the townhouse and have the lunch and cake we’ve got.”

Clary shook her head and took Max’s and Rafael’s hands, going with them to Turtle Pond. 

“Things are going well,” Jocelyn said, taking Magnus’s arm. 

“Yes. They’d be better if your daughter was a little less suspicious.”

“Yeah,” Jocelyn agreed. “If she were more trusting we could get this done. I really want some of that cake.”

Magnus snickered and led her to Turtle Pond.

As they arrived, Max and Rafael separated from Alec and rushed to Alec, who sat on one of the benches beside the pond. “Hey, boys,” he said with a smile as they reached him and hugged each of them. 

“Papa,” Max said. “We’re doin’ a scavager hunt.”

“A scavager hunt?” Alec asked. “You don’t say.”

Magnus grinned as he reached his husband. 

“Well,” Alec said. “Since you’re on a scavenger hunt, you may as well have this,” he held out an envelope. 

“Yay!” Max shouted and took it.

“Why don’t you give it to Aunt Clary?” Alec asked. “She can help you figure it out.”

“Okay!” Max said with a grin and ran to Clary. Rafael followed his little brother as Magnus joined Alec.

Taking Magnus’s hands in his, Alec rubbed them between his gloved hands in the attempt to warm them. “How’s it going?”

“She’s complaining and cold.”

“Isn’t that what you were looking for?”

“It’s exactly what we wanted. She’s miserable.”

“This is romantic?” Alec asked. “Suddenly, I’m happy that I was the one who asked you to marry me.”

“I wouldn’t have done this for you, darling,” Magnus said. “I would have done something very like you did. It would have been intimate and simple. You did perfect.”

“It seemed pretty simple.”

“It was, darling. It was exactly what I needed. It was exactly what we needed.”

Alec held out his hand for Magnus to take. “This is the last leg, right?”

Magnus nodded taking it and interlacing their fingers. “He’s waiting at the end of this.”

“Daddy! Papa!” Max yelled. “Aunt Clary figured it out! We’ve gotta go to the Alice statue!”

Alec laughed. “That’s her favorite.”

Magnus nodded. “That’s what Jace said, so that’s where we end it. That’s where he’ll do it.”

They followed Clary through the park, Magnus leaned over and kissed his husband. “Are you feeling a little better, darling?”

“If you think my proposal, well the second one I planned, was good enough, then it was. You love me. You knew what you were getting when you decided to shack up and settle with me, so you don’t get to take any of it back.”

“I don’t want to ever take it back. I absolutely adore you and would never want you to feel as if I don’t want what we have. Why would you think that?”

“I don’t, baby. I just. . . sometimes I wonder because you. . . well. . . you’re so glamorous, Mags. Everyone knows it. I know there are a lot of people who think that we’re too different. That I’m. . . below you somehow.”

Magnus tugged him to a stop. “No one who knows you could ever say that about you, Alexander. You’ve done so much for me, for my sons. You’ve nearly died for use. No one who loves you, no one who knows us would think that I’m too good for you. Especially me. I could never think that. I know the truth.”

“I never thought that you did.”

“A little part of you thought it, darling. A little part of you thinks that one day, I’ll wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn’t married you. If I hadn’t settled down with you,” Magnus said. “I’ll tell you exactly what my life would be like. I would still be in my loft. I wouldn’t have danger around every corner all the time. I wouldn’t be dealing with cops every day of my life”

“Sounds like your life would be good,” Alec deadpanned.

“Yes. It does. But do you know what else I wouldn’t have?”

“What?”

Magnus indicated Max and Rafael who guided Clary to the statue. “I wouldn’t have two beautiful and happy boys. I wouldn’t have a family. I wouldn’t. . . I wouldn’t have love. I had friends, Alexander. I didn’t have what I have now. I have a family who means everything to me. I have you. I have my boys. My life is perfect. Despite the danger.”

Alec pulled him to a stop. “You’re perfect.”

“I hope so,” Magnus replied, kissing him. “Because you’re not getting away from me. I love you too much to let you go.”

“I wouldn’t leave anyway.”

They found Clary and Jace beside the statue of the Mad Hatter’s tea party. “Please tell me you’re the last clue. I’m freezing.”

Jace grinned at her. “Yeah. I’m the end of the line.”

Clary smiled at him. “Where’s our clue?” she asked.

Jace’s hand slid into his coat pocket. Instead of an envelope, however, he pulled out a ring box and knelt before Clary.

“Jace?”

“Clary,” Jace began. “When I met you, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life loving you. I knew that I wanted to be everything to you. I wanted you. I wanted to make you happy, to be strong for you, to protect you, and to love you. Now, after more than a decade together, I think it’s time we took things to the next level. We haven’t really talked about marriage, but I know what I want. I want you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I want to make a life with you. I want to have children with you. I want to. . . file joint tax returns with you.”

Alec snickered.

“Clary, I love you. Will you marry me?”

Tears streamed down her cheeks as Clary looked down at the ring in the box. Overcome, unable to talk, Clary nodded, a sob caught in her throat. 

Jace stood and pulled her into his arms, kissing her soundly to the cheers of everyone there. Alec slid an arm around Magnus’s waist as they watched the newly engaged couple kiss in the cold. 

Magnus’s hand slipped over Alec’s back. “Let’s get these guys home. I have cake.”

Alec kissed his cheek. “See, baby. You’re absolutely perfect.”

“Not perfect, darling. Just perfect for you.”

Alec grinned. “See. Perfect.”

Magnus took Alec’s hand and, holding it in one of his took Max’s as Alec held Rafael’s. With the others following, They went home to celebrate the beginning of Jace and Clary’s life together. 

To new beginnings.