Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Captured

Alec fought his way back to consciousness. He blinked a few times to try and get the fuzziness out of his vision. His mouth felt dry, his head was pounding and he felt a small residual sting on the side of his neck. With rising panic he became aware of just where he was; a simple room with white empty walls, a large mirror and a door. There was a heavy wooden table before him with nothing on it and an empty chair across the table from him. He wanted to move his hands but found himself unable to. He began to feel a growing sense of alarm when he realized why; he was tied with plastic straps to a metal chair, each wrist tied to the arms of the chair he was sitting in.

Memory rushed back to him. He was still dressed in the black combat clothes he had worn when he had left the Institute. He had gone on a demon hunt with Jace. Everything had gone as planned and they had parted ways outside the Institute, Alec going to Magnus’ loft. He had decided he would surprise his boyfriend with getting some ingredients for a nice meal that evening and had de-glamoured himself to go shopping on the way over. He had just exited a shop, a bag in each hand when he had been tackled to the ground from behind by two men, losing his grip on the shopping bags. He had tried to turn around in their grip to fight them off but a needle had been inserted into the side of his neck and his nose and mouth had been covered with a cloth. The cloth had had a liquid on it which had had a sharp smell that had made his eyes start to water and then slip shut as soon as the smell reached his nostrils. Almost instantly his world had gone blank.

His warrior training served him well as he fought the sense of dread he was feeling when he realized his predicament. Whoever had captured him had patted him down so his glamoured bow and quiver were gone. Maybe they would have missed his steele but he couldn’t tell as it had been in his pants pocket which he couldn’t reach. He carefully scanned the room; there was nothing sharp, nothing that could help him escape. He tried twisting his wrists but only ended up grimacing in pain. Whoever had bound him had done a good job; he could barely move his wrists and the more he tried the tighter the plastic straps felt. He wondered how much time had passed; enough so that Magnus would start looking for him? No one at the Institute would start missing him till the morning.

Giving up his futile attempts at getting free Alec’s eyes settled on the large mirror on the wall. This whole thing seemed oddly familiar…suddenly it hit him. It looked like integration rooms from Mundane movies. Apparently they also looked like this in real life. Did this mean the police had him? He relaxed a little. Well, that wasn’t that bad. He would just ask for Lucian and the whole situation could be resolved. This of course also meant that the mirror wasn’t a mirror at all.

“Hi. Anyone there?” Alec asked loudly, looking at the mirror. His voice was a little hoarse but otherwise strong and sure. Now that he was certain he was at a police station he felt more relaxed. He would be out of here quickly.

The door opened and three men entered. It was clear which one was the leader; he looked straight at Alec, papers in his hands, wearing a suit. The two other men were wearing jeans and t-shirts. Alec mentally assessed them; they had a similar build to Jace and carried themselves with the posture and calm of soldiers. They all carried side arms and from his current angle he could see the leader also had a weapon tied around his ankle, likely shoulder holsters too from the way his suit jacket fitted around his frame. Despite his suit there was no doubt he was a warrior too.

The leader went around the table and leaned against it, staring straight at Alec who looked calmly up into his eyes. He was a white man in his early forties. He might have been called handsome but while his lips had a small smile it never reached his eyes, giving him a cold look. He carried himself with an air of authority and with a calm that belied the danger Alec could read in his body language. The other men positioned themselves at either side of the door, their eyes vigilant and alert. Guards.

Why do they need guards to talk to me? Alec thought puzzled.

“So….you’re awake,” the man’s words were clearly more to start the conversation than anything else. His voice was calm, clear, matter of fact.

“Why am I here?” Alec asked.

Alec maintained eye contact, certain the man had chosen to move this close to him on purpose so he had to look up at him from his forced sitting position instead of sitting across from him in the other chair. It was an old but good integration technique as it ensured power was even more firmly shifted to the interrogator. This told Alec that this man was experienced, something worth keeping in mind as the conversation continued.

The man looked through the papers in his hands before looking at him again, curiosity and something else Alec couldn’t quite catch shining there.

“Why do you think you are here?”

Alec glared at him. He didn’t act like how he would expect police to act from the Mundane movies he had seen. In fact, he had more of a military air and the way he had started his interrogation….it was more than experience; it was almost professional.

“Jaywalking?” Alec suggested sarcastically as he saw an answer was expected. He was not about to give up any information until he had a clearer idea of what was going on.

The man gave a small smile and put the papers on the table. His eyes examined Alec’s whole body carefully, curiously, in a way that was both intrusive and invasive.

“You are military,” the man said matter of fact.

Alec didn’t respond, just held his gaze.

The man nodded to himself, clearly feeling the lack of a reply confirmed his suspicions.

“You can call me Peter,” the man said.

Well, takes one to know one, Alec thought. Peter, whoever he really was, was clearly military himself. Alec fought to remember the things Clary had told him about the Mundane world. Damn, he should have paid more attention to her and Simon when they had talked about that stuff but it had felt so inconsequential and well, Simon just talked all the time and he found Clary annoying as hell. He had come to love her as a baby sister and if anyone even glanced at her wrong he would kill them instantly but she was still annoying as hell. But she had said something about the police….Lucian had said it too. Something, something….Ah. Now he remembered.

“I want a lawyer.” He said the words with flourish, as if it was a victory scream. To his surprise Peter laughed; that was not the response he had been expecting.

“That’s a good one. Who told you that?” Peter asked curiously, as he sobered.

Alec started to feel nervous again. He was certain he had remembered it correctly. He tried another tactic.

“What do you want? Who are you?”

“We want you,” Peter said directly, a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes making it clear that he was happy to see the look of shock and surprise that Alec couldn’t contain at hearing this. “About who we are…Let’s just say we are concerned citizens.”

“Concerned citizens?” Alec repeated, puzzled.

Was that a thing? Would Mundanes know what that meant? Peter seemed to be taking entirely too much fun from his confusion; he had a gleam in his eyes as if he knew something Alec didn’t and that both annoyed and scared him; it was always what you didn’t know that would get you killed while on a mission.

“Well, let’s move this along, shall we?” Peter said as he looked at the nearest guard. “Take off his shirt.”

“What the Hell?!” Alec protested.

Alec would have pulled back from the guard if he could but instead settled with looking at him angrily as the guard took a firm grip on his black t-shirt by the neckline and tore it apart in the front. He pushed it off his shoulders, revealing his chest. Peter drew closer, examining the runes with great interest as if looking at a bug under a microscope. Alec felt his cheeks heat from the embarrassment at being displayed in this fashion.

“Wow…it’s true then. His whole body is covered in them,” the guard who had torn Alec’s shirt said to Peter, surprise and something else…fear? Shock? Echoing in his voice.

“What?” Alec couldn’t believe what he had heard. They knew about runes?! That was disconcerting to say the least.

“Hmm….Interesting,” Peter mumbled, his eyes on Alec’s runes, ignoring his outburst entirely.

“What’s going on here?” Alec asked harshly, annoyed at being looked at like something between a priced possession and a specimen in a lab.

Peter looked him in the eyes.

“You are a Shadowhunter,” Peter said. His voice was certain and even; it wasn’t a question.

Alec fought to hide his surprise. A Mundane who knew about the Shadow World….the lack of surprise on the guards’ faces at the word meant they knew too. What in the world was going on?

“Yes, we know,” Peter confirmed when he noticed Alec’s confused look. “Some things at least”.

Peter took a firm grip on Alec’s chin, forcing him to turn his face left and then right to look at the rune on his neck.

“Let go of me!” Alec said angrily as he forcefully pulled his head back and glared at the man.

Peter allowed him to pull away from his grip and went back to looking at his body. He picked up a paper from the pile on the table and glanced between the papers and Alec's chest.

“This one is new,” he pointed to Alec’s parabatai rune. He looked from the rune to Alec. “What’s it for?”

Alec took a deep breath, fear, panic and rage mixing together. He allowed the rage to win; it was the more productive of the emotions.

“Withstanding stupid questions.”

Peter laughed out loud, almost making Alec jump at the sound. When he sobered he gave Alec an evil smile.

“You’re strong; trained. Not like the others. It will be fun to break you.”

The others? What others? Since he was certain he was the first Shadowhunter they had met he guessed they had had Downworlders here…The very thought worried him and filled him with righteous anger at thinking about what those innocent beings would have had to suffer through. His brain caught up with the last part of the man’s sentence and his heart sank. He certainly didn’t like the sound of being anywhere near someone who would enjoy breaking people…but he buried his fear.

“Try anything and I will break your neck,” he said deadly, menacing, giving Peter a fake smile of his own.

Peter ignored him and instead pulled Alec’s steele from his pocket.

“What?” Alec began but stopped himself from saying anything else as he watched with alarm as Peter tried to run the instrument over his runes, frustrated by the lack of response.

They also knew what a steele was?! But apparently not well. Alec guessed they had never met a Shadowhunter before but somehow they must have heard of them. Shadowhunters had throughout time worked with Mundanes but only people they could trust; Alec certainly wouldn’t put these people in that category.

“Maybe it only works if he is holding it?” The guard suggested and Peter nodded.

“Try it.”

Being this close to the guard Alec now noticed that besides a sidearm the man also had a knife strapped to his hip in a black leather sheath. He pulled it out and Alec fought to sit still and not pull away when he drew near him with it. He was about to cut the strap holding his right wrist tied to the arm of the chair but then paused and looked Alec in the eyes.

“Try anything funny and John here will shoot you in the leg, got it?” The guard nodded towards the man still standing by the door who, on cue, pulled his weapon and pointed it at Alec.

Alec nodded. He had no doubt the man would do just that.

“Which one do you want him to try?” the guard asked of Peter.

“This one,” Peter pointed at a specific rune on the paper he was holding, showing it to the guard. “Apparently it’s for stamina….should keep him awake throughout our…investigation.”

His words made Alec’s eyes widen in alarm both at their knowledge of runes but also at the implications of his words.

The guard nodded at Peter’s words and cut Alec’s right hand free. He forced his hand to close around the steele he had taken from Peter, his own hand covering his in a bruising grip. The guard held on tight to ensure Alec didn’t try to activate any other runes despite the gun pointed straight at his head. The guard found the correct rune on Alec’s body and it light up when the steele passed over it.

“I think that did it,” Peter said satisficed and the guard nodded.

Alec sent them both murderous looks; he felt like a performing animal.

“Tie him again,” Peter said and the guard took out a new plastic strap from his pocket and quickly tied Alec’s wrist to the chair again.

Alec suppressed a pained wince; the straps had started to leave painful red marks on his wrists. When he was tied again John holstered his weapon and returned to standing at attention by the door.

“How do we know if it worked?” The guard asked, looking disbelieving at Alec who glared back defiantly.

“I guess we will just have to wait and see.” Peter looked through his papers again before looking at Alec, an unreadable expression on his face. “Which hand is your dominant hand?”

Alec simply glared his hatred back at him. With a nod from Peter the guard went over and hit him, hard, in the face. The force of the blow made Alec’s head fly to the side. Damn, he knew how to hit; good thing that Alec knew well how to take a hit. Alec tasted blood in his mouth and spit it out; he had bit his lip due to the surprise of the blow.

Alec looked back at Peter.

“You are not police,” he said with certainty in his voice.

Peter shook his head, smiling dangerous. “Never said we were.”

That just left one option. “Government?”

Peter smiled darkly. “Something like that.”

Secret government agency then. Likely off the books. Perfect; that meant all hope of Mundane laws protecting him had gone out the window. Now his only hope was that Magnus would initiate a search for him as quickly as possible. His just had to prolong things until help arrived.

“So…Do you want Michael to hit you again or are you going to answer my question?” Peter’s voice was conversational, almost kind.

He is well-trained, Alec thought, and not just in integration techniques.

“My left hand,” Alec lied smoothly, forcing his voice and expression to stay calm and even. He had a very bad feeling regarding why he had been asked this question and hoped he was wrong.

Peter’s eyes flared with something Alec could only call admiration which baffled him.

“Michael, place his right hand on the table.”

“What?! I said my left hand!” Alec protested, trying not to panic. His right hand was his dominant hand; he needed it to operate his bow.

“I know. That’s why I picked your right,” Peter replied calmly.

Peter took a bruising grip on his chin and this time Alec was unable to pull out of the grip; Peter’s fingers just dug deeper and firmer into his skin. Their eyes locked; strong wills fighting each other as their gaze locked and held.

“I told you it would be fun to break you and we both know…you won’t let me do that easily,” Peter said before he let go of him, leaving clear bruises and marks on Alec’s face.

Alec fought down his panic. He had no doubt Peter enjoyed breaking the people he considered his enemies; this was more than a job for him. This was a righteous calling and there was nothing more dangerous than a fanatic who believed 100% in the morality of his mission.

Michael went to cut the strap he had just tied around his right wrist but stopped to give him a serious look.

“Try anything and…”

“I know…Your boy here will shot me,” Alec said with more bravado than he felt but there was no way he was letting the Mundanes know they were getting to him.

Alec still had to fight down his embarrassment, anger and resentment at having to accept that fact that he had been captured by Mundanes – no matter how well trained or coordinated they might be. As if on cue John had his gun out and pointed at him again. Michael untied his right wrist and laid his hand flat on the wooden table before him, pining it there with a hard grip on his wrist. Alec was starting to fear that he had been justified in his bad feeling, panic starting to rise in him as he looked worriedly at Peter.

“Give me your knife,” Peter commanded of Michael who handed it to him with his free hand.

Alec couldn’t help but follow the blade as Peter pulled the knife close to his hand. Despite the threat of being shot Alec instinctively tried to pull his hand out from Michael’s grip but to no avail. His struggles earned him a hard blow to the side of his head by Peter.

“Keep still or I will have John shoot you,” Peter warned and Alec forced himself to be still.

Alec's ears were ringing and his nose hurt like hell, blood running out of it. He was pretty certain the blow had broken his nose. Damn, Peter hid even harder than Michael.

“Don’t even think about it!” Alec warned angrily, fighting the feeling of panic and fear with rage.

He had a pretty good idea of what Peter was going to do next and he had to fight to stay still, not to give in to his rising sense of alarm and danger. Knowing that if he fisted his hand it would be worse he forced himself to leave his hand flat, his fingers stretched. By the Angel…how had this day ended up going this wrong?!

Peter searched his face.

“You already know what I am going to do,” Peter said. It wasn’t a question, more of a conclusion.

There was a sense of satisfaction in his voice, as if knowing that Alec knew had confirmed something for him. Then, before Alec had time to prepare himself, Peter plunged the knife into Alec’s right hand, right in the middle of it. Alec let out a loud yell of agony as the blade cut clean through his bone and flesh, sending waves and waves of pure agony up through his arm. Even though he had known Peter would do it he had hoped against all hope he had misjudged the man. No such luck.

“By the Angel!” Alec hissed between pained breaths, fighting the dots before his eyes the severe pain had brought on. There was no way Jace wouldn’t have felt that through their bond; he would also be looking for him now. The thought gave him hope.

Peter released his grip on the knife handle and withdrew a little; he had plunged the knife into Alec’s hand with such force it was embedded in the table, pinning Alec’s hand in place. Seeing this Michael released his wrist and stood back but stayed close by Alec’s chair, also drawing his gun and pointing it at Alec’s head.

“Can you draw a rune with your left hand?” Peter asked, completely unfazed by Alec’s pain and the blood from his hand sweeping over the table.

Alec nodded weakly, fighting to breathe, fighting to control the pain.

“I will hand you your steele. Draw the sleep rune on your upper right arm but don’t activate it yet. Do anything else and John will shoot you, you understand?” Peter warned.

Alec nodded, afraid to open his mouth for fear he would scream again as waves and waves of anguish kept rolling over him in an almost pulsing rhythm. He wasn’t going to give Peter that satisfaction at least.

Michael cut his left hand loose one-handed with a small pocket knife from his pants pocket, keeping his gun in the other. Alec briefly considered if he could charge them but both Michael and John had their weapons on him and his right hand was firmly pinned to the table by the knife. Blood was flowing over the table and dripping out over the edge. He didn’t stand a chance.

Alec stood up, easing the strain on his right hand trapped on the table a little by standing closer. As if he could feel Alec giving up his thoughts of resistance Peter handed him the steele. Alec gave him a murderous look through the throbbing waves of pain flooding his body. He wiped the blood from his broken nose before he took the steele and drew the sleep rune on his right forearm, the slight pain so little compared to the pain from his hand he barely felt it as he carved the rune into his flesh. He briefly considered drawing a different rune but it was clear Peter had if not all then several runes and their meanings already printed on his papers. He would have to wait for another chance.

“Do you feel it, when you cut them into your skin?” Peter asked curiously.

He wasn’t going to answer but Peter gave him a warning look so Alec thought it was best to save his fight for something more meaningful.

“Yes but I am used to it,” he got out through the pain.

“Interesting.”

Alec was quickly starting to realize that he didn’t just have to feel like a lab rat; he was a lab rat.

“Let’s try something else. Draw the healing rune next to the wound,” Peter demanded, curiosity in his voice.

Alec wanted nothing more than to strangle that smug bastard. He had an air of self-righteousness mixed with curiosity which made Alec think of the High Inquisitor. Was the man testing him with his request or didn’t he know?

“The wound can’t heal as long as you leave the knife in,” he got out through clashed teeth.

Peter looked at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

“I know. I want to see what happens.”

Alec shook his head in disbelief and shock.

“Well, I don’t!” Alec said crisply. The pain as it was, was already making it hard to focus, hard to breathe.

“We can always test the healing rune on a gun wound instead…with the bullet still inside you of course,” Peter said calmly, darkly, a hint of annoyance at his defiance in his tone. Peter was clearly not a man used to being denied.

From Peter’s tone and expression, Alec had no doubt he would make good on his threat. Alec didn’t think he had ever hated another being more than he hated this man right now. Mutely, angrily, he drew the healing wound on his right wrist. He himself wasn’t sure what would happen but his whole body tensed, bracing himself. Whatever happened he just knew it wouldn’t be good.

He didn’t have to wait long. At first the agony started to fade a little as the edges of the wound drew together. However, quickly flesh and bone tried to mend and was met with the metal of the knife. The feeling grew from a tingle, to stabbing pain to excruciating torture. It made his knees give way under him and he would have fallen to the floor but the knife was still stuck in his hand, preventing him from falling further than to his knees. The movement tore at his hand even more now, forcing him to fight to stay on his knees by the table’s edge to prevent from tearing his hand free while the knife was still stuck in there. The handle on the knife meant he couldn’t pull his hand up and free; either the knife had to be pulled out or he had to pull his hand back, letting the knife tear his hand apart. Despite the agony he was aware enough to know if he did pull back, tearing his hand, then he would never regain full mobility, even with the healing rune. He would never be able to fully regain his skills with the bow. It was a last option he really wanted to avoid.

“Ahhh!!” Alec let out a loud scream of pain and dots appeared before his eyes.

It felt like flesh and bone tried to turn and twist inside his hand, fighting to meet and mend by going around the knife edge. It felt as if every broken piece of flesh and bone was twisting, stretching and bending. It felt like being drawn apart, slowly, painfully, piece by broken piece. The pain was blinding and all he could do was scream and scream to try and ease it a little, beyond caring that he really hadn’t wanted to show any emotions in front of the Mundanes. Alec considered pulling his hand free despite knowing what he would lose should he do it; it would be horribly painful but at least then the pain would end when he had torn free from the knife. As long as the knife remained in his hand the agony would never end. He considering pulling it out himself, ignoring the threats of being shot though he was quite certain Peter would make good of his threat of making him heal over a bullet wound with the bullet stuck inside and he was certain that feeling would be at least as agonizing as this was.

“I think he will pass out soon if we don’t take it out,” someone said, it seemed far away.

Alec could barely hear it over the sound of his own continued screaming. Suddenly the agony subdued to a more manageable level as the knife was removed and the wound started to mend. Alec could finally breathe again, he gasped for air, his screams finally dying. He tried to clear his vision and his brain from the fuzziness the continued pain brought him. Unbeknown to him tears of pain had stained his cheeks, mixing with the blood from his broken nose.

“Deactivate the stamina rune – if there is such a thing - and activate the sleep rune instead,” Peter commanded, pushing the steele back into his left hand. He must have dropped it without even realizing it.

Alec didn’t like the idea of sleep; it would leave him completely vulnerable. However, he had no doubt that Peter would make good on his threat and have him shot and he couldn’t bear the thought of reliving the agony he had just felt. He hated his own weakness but he had to admit that the idea of escaping the agony he was feeling was too tempting. With a lump in his throat and the feverish hope that Magnus and Jace would get to him soon he ran the steele over the sleep rune and instantly fell into nothingness, his whole body going limp. In sleep the lines of agony on his face eased and for a moment he felt no pain.

End of chapter 1

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Alec first registered feeling cold and uncomfortable. Where was his fluffy pillow and Magnus’s warm body? He turned in his sleep but met emptiness. A wave of panic hit his sleepy brain; was Magnus having nightmares again? The Agony rune had made him relive his worse memories and being immortal he had quite a few of those…

Alec blinked and sat up, winching when he used his right hand to ease himself up into a sitting position. Memory returned to him as he remembered what had happened and where he was. Despite his rising panic a wave of calmness reached him; at least Magnus was safe. He studied his surroundings; he was in a new room with a single metal door. Bare walls, a mattress on the floor which he was now sitting on, a mirror which Alec knew wasn’t a mirror at all but a way for his captors to observe him. There was also a metal sink and a toilet. If not for the one-way window it reminded him of the Mundane movies of a jail cell. Apparently those films did get some things right…unfortunately. Seeing the sink he was reminded of his parched throat and he went to it. He briefly considered whether the tap water could be poisoned but decided against it; Peter, whoever he was, seemed to have a clear agenda and it was obviously not to kill him. He examined his right hand; there was a faint scar on both sides of it where the knife had been and when he flexed it, clenching and unclenching a fist, he felt a stab of soreness and mild pain but otherwise it was fine. Something on his arm caught his attention; a small puncture wound on the inside of his right elbow; had they drugged him again? No, there had been no need. The sleep rune would have kept him immobile for a few hours. He saw a small wound near his wrist; his skin had been scrapped off with surgical precision, leaving a small wound the size of a fingernail. The wound didn’t hurt much; he had barely registered it till now. He guessed someone must have applied a cream or something on it. Suddenly realization dawned on him; they had been taking samples. The thought made him feel nauseous and the feeling only worsened when he realized that the person having taken the samples had likely been a medical professional. That would mean this whole operation was likely pretty well funded which would make escape harder and rescue more difficult. A determined look showed in his eyes; difficult yes but not impossible.

He formed a cup with his hands and threw water in his face, washing away the dried blood from his nose and month. He wiped the water away with his sleeve before carefully touching his nose. He winced at the light touch; definitely not healed but hopefully it would be fine in a few days and if not hopefully his captors would use the healing rune on him and speed up the process. He put more water into his hands and drank greedily. Finally feeling better from the water on his face, the sleep – even if it had been unnatural - and having had something to drink made him realize he was hungry. He had had breakfast the day he had been taken but the demon hunt had interrupted any lunch plans and he had been on his way over to Magnus’ loft to make dinner. He hadn’t seen any clocks after he was taken, something he was certain was on purpose to add to his discomfort, but he calculated he had been taken around 1700 hours that evening and it was likely very early morning now. In a few hours the Institute would notice his absence. The thought gave him hope.

With nothing else to do he walked around the small room, examining it, trying to occupy his mind so he wouldn’t register the rising concern and to help him ignore the hunger. Though he knew it would be locked he still shook the handle of the door and as expected it didn’t give an inch. Oh, well…worth a try. Unfortunately Peter seemed quite intelligent so he doubted any details had been left to chance. He had known too much about Shadowhunters for that; this had clearly been planned for some time.

With nothing else to do Alec had sat back down on the mattress he had been sleeping on. He needed to pee but tried to ignore it, not wanting to do that in case someone was observing him. However, after a while he had no other choice than to use the toilet, his cheeks red in embarrassment and his actions quick. He was grateful he didn’t hear or see anything indicating he had been watched though he wasn’t stupid enough to think that meant he wasn’t. after washing his hands he had nothing else to do so he sat back down on the mattress and waited with increasing dearth for whatever might happen.

Alec’s thoughts had drifted as time passed ever so slowly, thoughts of escape, of Magnus, of what he would do to his captors given half a chance. The sudden sound of the door opening had him jump to his feet, instinctively taking up a fighting pose, his heart beating fast in fear and anticipation of what was to come. Peter and three other men entered, all three men pointing guns at him and he just managed to get a glimpse of an empty white hallway before the door closed. There had been no windows in the hallway, no indication of where he was. Alec forced his stance to relax somewhat, knowing he had no chance to do anything, and he raised his hands a little in a surrendering and calming manner, biding his time for a chance, an opening.

“What…” Alec started to ask in as calm a voice as he could manage, hoping to calm the situation down. However, without a word the two men nearest him crossed the short distance to him and took held of each of his arms. Alec instinctively fought them but the third man just pointed his gun straight at Alec’s forehead and he was forced to give up his struggle. The men’s grip on his arms were bruising as his arms were forced behind his back and they kicking his legs away from under him, forcing him to his knees. The force with which his knees slammed into the stone floor made him wince in pain.

“Hold him like that,” Peter ordered, walking around the kneeling Shadowhunter to come to stand in front of him. He took out a mobile phone from his pocket and held it to his ear. “Do you have him?” He asked into the phone. Alec looked up at him, trying to listen to the other end of the conversation without any luck. He had a bad feeling about this.

Peter nodded at something being said at the other end of the phone. “Ok, wait a moment,” Peter said before he held the phone away from his face and moved it to his left hand, giving Alec a look he couldn’t decipher.

“What do you…” Alec started again, his voice like ice, his eyes furious. He never managed to finish the sentence before Peter hit him hard in the face with his right fist, making Alec’s face fly to the side.

“Fuck!” Alec cursed and spit blood. He looked back at Peter with daggers in his eyes; he really was getting tired of this.

“Did that help?” Peter asked into the phone. He seemed displeased with the answer. “I guess it takes more than that then,” his voice was almost conversational, as if speaking of the weather. Alec looked at him in confusion and alarm. More than that to do what? Kill him? Break him? No, that couldn’t be right. He was a good judge of character and Peter was too intelligent to believe Alec could be broken so easily. Sure, he would break, he knew that too, but he would go down kicking and screaming all the way and he knew Peter knew that too. And kill him? No, if they had wanted to do that they could have done it already – would have done it already. No, he was after something else. Cold sweat sprung to his forehead as his brain gave another horrible scenario….of someone else he could be after.

Peter looked down at Alec with a thoughtful expression before drawing his knife. Alec instantly tried to move away from him, trying without luck to hide the fear in his eyes as memory of what Peter had done with that knife earlier came clear to his mind. However, he could barely move an inch as he was held in place by the two men, their grip on his arms hard enough to bruise and make him wince slightly.

“Come near me with that thing again and I will break your neck,” Alec threatened, masking his fear with anger. He began struggling more wildly but the hands holding him down just tightened painfully, hard enough to leave noticeable bruises on his arms and shoulders.

Peter was clearly completely unfazed by Alec’s threat which just made him feel more angry…and more helpless. Without a word Peter swung the knife and dug it into Alec’s left upper thigh, making Alec yell out loud in agony and dots of pain dance before his eyes.

“Fucking bastard!” Alec swore under his breath, trying to get the pain under control. He had felt worse – during training…even during one of the punishments his father had delivered or his mother had ordered when he had failed in some way growing up. Yet despite knowing that…damn, it hurt like a son of a bitch.

“How was that?” Peter asked, ignoring him as he with a quick movement withdrew the knife again, forcing another pained gasp from Alec as the knife slid back out of his flesh. He could feel his leg pulsing, blood running down his legs and coloring the grey stone floor red. This time Peter looked more pleased with what the man on the other end of the phone was saying. “He’s strong,” he said in approval to the person on the phone. “Let’s see if we can’t do something about that…”

Before Alec had time to brace himself Peter stuck the knife violently into his other upper thigh, the pain now burning so hot he was gasping for breath, tears in his eyes.

“Fuck!” Alec swore again. He tried to prepare himself for Peter withdrawing the knife but still yelled out loud in pain when he did just that.

Peter absent-minded wiped the knife on the leg of his pants before sheathing it. He nodded approval at whatever the person on the phone was saying. “Ok, good. Well, I shall look forward to meeting him.” With that he ended the call.

Putting away the phone Peter finally looked down at Alec as if seeing him for the first time, giving him a satisfied smile. “It looks like you will have company soon.”

Alec froze in fear. Magnus? No, it couldn’t be. He couldn’t believe that Mundanes would be able to take down a High Warlock – even army trained men. Though he would also have thought it couldn’t happen to a Shadowhunter but with embarrassment he had had to admit that was what had happened to him. Logically he knew he hadn’t had a chance and even now didn’t; he couldn’t dodge bullets – but the taste of failure was still bitter in his month. But if they weren’t going after Magnus then was only one possibility …His eyes widened in horror as he understood what was happening. By the Angel, no. Don’t let it be him, Alec silently prayed.

Peter nodded in approval as he saw the look of horror spread over Alec’s face. “I see you understand now.” He turned to leave, but then stopped as if he first now was noticing the blood staining his black shoes from Alec’s wounds due to the pool of blood forming on the floor beneath the wounded man. A slight hint of worry covered his face as he noticed the very same pool of blood was growing quickly, staining Alec’s pants and making the floor slippery. He took out Alec’s steele from his pocket and forced it into his right hand, again covering the hand with his one to be able to control what he did with it.

“One for each wound and nothing more,” Peter warned.

The pain, fear and blood loss was making Alec feel lightheaded. In his current condition, the guard still having a gun on him and the two men holding him down…he couldn’t even begin to think of a way out of this. His hand was shaking but Peter steadied it with a bruising grip, making Alec able to draw the healing rune above his left wound and then his right. He breathed deeply and more easily in relief as the pain instantly started to ease.

Peter took back the steele and turned to leave, nodding to the two men who flung Alec towards the mattress as if he was a sack of potatoes. He landed with a pained yell as his right thigh touched the mattress, making flames of agony burn through his body. He quickly scrambled to sit up, leaning against the wall for support so none of the freshly made and still healing wounds were touching the mattress. He watched with a sense of relief as Peter left the room without another word or even another glance at him, followed by the two men. The last to leave was the third man who kept the gun at him till the door closed.

With the men gone Alec felt exhaustion wash over him as his adrenaline levels started to drop. He could acutely feel his wounds healing, the blood starting to stiffen on his legs and pants. He tried to slow his breathing and his heartbeat but both were still in survival mode, fear making it hard for him to find a measure of release as he kept thinking they could return at any moment. He now knew what they had done…why they had done it. There was only one reason why they had done what they had though how they had known to do this he had no clue. But he couldn’t deny it any longer; this was a trap and he was the bait. The price…his parabatai. The strongest and best warrior among the Shadowhunters…now soon in the hands of these merciless Mundanes. The very thought pained Alec worse than any agony he had ever bore before.

Chapter 3 coming soon

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

“Push me again and I will rip your throat out!”

Alec would have recognized that voice anywhere; Jace! He had known it had been him but had still hoped against all hope that he was wrong. He rose from the mattress and faced the door, instinctively taking up a fighting pose even though he knew by now that he wouldn’t be given a chance to do anything.

The door opened and Jace was pushed forward. He was bound on his hands and feet with metal cuffs, a chain connecting them in the fashion Mundanes did with prisoners. There were two guards behind him, guns pointed straight at his head, clearly taking no chances.

“Jace!” Alec cried, instinctively moving closer towards him. He looked closely at Jace to ensure himself he was OK; he looked the same as the last time he’d seen him, but he was out of his combat gear. He wore dark jeans and a white t-shirt. His face had bruises, showing he had been in a fight, his knuckles on his hands looked red too, evidence of a fight too. Other than that he looked unharmed though his eyes seemed unfocused and glazed even though he clearly fought to clear his head. He must have been drugged.

“Alec!” Jace looked happy at seeing him but the joy in his eyes and warm smile quickly turned to concern when he noticed the stained blood on his pants and on the floor, his injured nose and the bruise on his cheek. Jace was about to move closer to Alec but froze in his tracks when one of the guards walked around him and held his gun to Alec’s head, so close the barrel was touching his temple. The other guard stayed behind Jace, his gun pointed at Jace’s head.

“I will take off your restraints now. Make a move and loverboy here gets a bullet through the head. Then we can see if your magical device can heal that!” the guy behind him hissed, spitting out the nickname for Alec with disgust as he moved forward, giving Jace a warning look.

Jace nodded, biting his lip at the insults threatening to come out. He first needed to make sure his parabatai was safe and then…then he could give in to his anger and take his revenge.

The guard undid the cuffs on his feet and hands and stood back up, holding the shackles in one hand, his gun in the other. He again pointed his gun at Jace’s head as he slowly backed towards the door.

“Maybe another time, pretty boy,” The guy who had pointed his gun at Alec’s head said to him with an evil laugh, making Alec suppress a shiver and not from the cold. He couldn’t help but wonder if they knew he was gay or they just used the veiled threat of sexual abuse on all prisoners. Likely the latter; as a military leader he knew well that rape or even the threat of it was a time-used tool to use against prisoners.

Both guards backed out of the cell, their guns pointed at the two Shadowhunters till the last moment when the door closed after them.

Jace wasted no time; as soon as the door closed behind him he all but ran over to Alec and embraced him, holding onto him as if for dear life. Alec happily let himself be encircled in the warm embrace, hugging Jace tightly. Finally, after several minutes, Jace pulled back and examined Alec closely. With rising alarm he saw the amount of dried blood on Alec’s pants and noticed the size of the pool of dried blood on the floor. Anger crossed his face. What had they been doing to his parabatai?

“Are you OK? I felt…” Jace started to ask, frowning, worry clear in his voice.

Alec shook his head. “I know. That’s what they wanted,” he admitted, embarrassment colouring his cheeks. It was his fault Jace was here. If he had just been stronger… The thoughts were there in Alec’s mind, pushing to the surface.

“What did they…” Jace started to ask, looking from the dried blood to Alec’s face and then back again. He remembered the piercing pain which had made him fall first to one knee and then the other. The distraction had been his downfall as suddenly more than ten armed soldiers had surrounded him. He had been shot several times with tranquilizer darts all at once before a cloth with something had covered his nose and mouth, making him pass out.

“They stabbed you, the bastards!” Jace swore hotly when he put two and two together. He would tear them apart! He thought furiously.

Alec gave his arm a reassuring squeeze and Jace instantly calmed a little. They were perfectly matched as parabatai; Alec’s calmness always managed to soothe Jace and make his dark side fade. However, seeing his parabatai hurt…well, that always brought out that darkness.

“I am alright,” Alec reassured him.

“Let me see,” Jace insisted and put a hand on his chin to look at his abused cheek before looking at his thighs, seeing the wounds freshly healing and healing runes next to them which made him relax a little. Alec allowed the inspection, knowing how worried Jace got when he thought he was hiding an injury from him. Well, not that he didn’t have good cause for worry; Alec had often lied about being injured as to not be a bother or not to worry Jace or simply because he had been embarrassed about the injury.

Jace drew a relieved sigh when he saw that Alec was indeed alright.

When Alec had first come out as gay to the Institute, they had gone on a hunt together with some other Shadowhunters. Jace and Alec had had to split up and Jace regretted that decision even today and the consequences of it had made him do anything he could to ensure Alec would never go on a hunt without him nor would he allow himself to be separated from him ever again during a hunt. He had felt it when Alec had been wounded during that hunt; a knife to the gut. However, what had torn at him had been that the Shadowhunters who had been with him had taken a suspiciously long time to reach him; so long that Jace had reached him first. A healing rune had slowed the bleeding but the knife had been poisoned with demon blood so he needed healing the Mundane way. Jace had called Magnus to get a portal to the Institute and had let the Warlock get Alec safely into the infirmary. He had at first been worried about the poor training of the Shadowhunters who had gone with Alec and had said as much that evening when he had had dinner with Clary and Luke only for Luke to explain what had really happened. He had seen this on the police force when cops discovered one of their own were gay. They wouldn’t outright kill the person but they would just make sure that when a call came for backup that they wouldn’t arrive in time or they would request backup from the gay cop in a dangerous area and then leave the person there alone, knowing full well what would happen. Jace had been furious, knowing that that had been precisely what had happened to Alec. The next day he had found the two Shadowhunters and had beaten them both half to death, only stopping when he remembered that if he outright murdered them the Clave would punish him and then who would protect Alec? Since then Jace had intensified his protection of Alec. His parabatai knew well that everything he did was questioned, that people spoke about him behind his back, that everyone was just twitching to tear him down. This was not only because he was gay or because he was in a relationship with a Downworlder but because Alec pushed fiercely and strongly for change; for peace, equality and justice for the Downworld and seeking change was always dangerous. However, Jace did what he could to shield Alec and many did back off – afraid of what he would do to them otherwise. However, there were always the fanatics who couldn’t be threatened into submission.

Jace was brought back to the present when Alec spoke softly, embarrassment making his cheeks heat, “I’m sorry.”

Alec lowered his eyes to the floor and bit his lower lip, a nervous habit he had never grown out off.

Jace looked shocked at him. “Whatever for?”

“For getting you into this mess,” Alec’s voice was filled with uncertainty. He still couldn’t look at him.

In that moment Jace really wished he could go back in time and murder everyone who had ever hurt Alec, who had ever made him this uncertain – everyone from his parents, to his instructors to the Clave itself. He had known since he had been adopted by the Lightwoods that Alec was different – sensitive, smart, warm, caring. How he had managed to stay that way when the whole world had tried to literally beat it out of him Jace had no idea but he knew he would do anything to protect him; even from himself.

“Nonsense!” Jace denied hotly, shaking his head. He tried to catch Alec’s eyes but he was avoiding his gaze. “Hey, look at me.” Alec finally did so. “Whither thou goest, I will go,” Jace recited the passage of the parabatai oath solemnly, honestly.

Alec laughed humorlessly but he finally looked at him fully, his whole body relaxing at the welcoming words. “I don’t think it meant this!”

Jace smiled, wanting to put Alec at ease. “It meant everything, anything.”

Warmth was in Alec’s eyes as he saw the love in Jace’s gaze and felt it through their bond. “Thank you.”
Jace shook his head. “No need. You would have done the same. Have done the same.”

Alec didn’t respond but a small smile was at his lips. Despite the desperate situation they were in he couldn’t ignore the fact that it brought him great comfort that Jace was here with him. While he wished he wasn’t, wished him to be safe…he did feel better, stronger, knowing Jace was by his side. With nowhere else to sit they sat on the mattress, side by side, their backs against the wall. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, simply happy to be together again.

“Please tell me someone knows where you are,” Alec finally said with hope in his voice. Maybe they would soon be out of here…

“Well…” Jace started uncomfortably, not looking at him, running a hand through his hair.

“What?!” Alec turned to look at him in righteous anger. By the Angel…!!! “Don’t tell me you did something reckless!” But of course he had; he was Jace.

“I felt your pain!” Jace said hotly, as if that explained everything. Maybe it did.

“But…someone knows what’s going on, right?” Alec tried again, desperately. Someone had to know, had to find them…right?

“Magnus called asking where you were and when I said you weren’t with me he went looking for you. I told Clary I had a bad feeling about you and went to look for you too,” Jace explained, thinking about what he had actually done that day.

“That’s helpful,” Alec said sarcastically. Just great…

“Hey! It wasn’t like I thought I would get myself kidnapped by an army of Mundane soldiers right outside the Institute! If I had I would have made sure to at least leave a note,” Jace complained.

Alec smirked a little, knowing Jace was deliberately trying to lighten the mood before darkness clouded his expression again. “So…no one knows you’re missing?”

“Of course they do!” At Alec’s disbelieving look he added, “Well, they will…in the morning.”

Alec sighed in frustration. “Great!”

“What?!” Jace asked frustrated. It wasn’t like he had planned this.

Alec took a calming breath. “What were you thinking, leaving the Institute like that?”

Jace crossed his arms over his chest. “I was just going to look for you; not hunt demons. Besides, I can take care of myself!”

“Yes…so you keep saying and see where that brings us….with you always in trouble.” There was no heat in Alec’s voice, just fond overbearing love like a parent would have for a most cherished child who always managed to get into trouble.

Jace took a deep breath, thinking things over. “Look….Last I spoke with Magnus he was going to try contacting a Warlock friend of his to help track you. When he can’t contact me he will realize something is very wrong, right? And I was to meet Clary for breakfast which was in just a few hours…” Jace trailed off, suddenly regretting he had denied her offer to come look for Alec with him; maybe with her by his side they would together have been able to fight off the soldiers. He had had a bad feeling, like something was wrong and he hadn’t been able to ignore it even though he hadn’t been able to locate Alec anywhere. So he had had to act; he had had to go out again, to keep looking. They were parabatai; they were brothers.

“What time were you taken?” Alec asked, trying to piece the puzzle together.

“About 5 in the morning I think. I left you outside the Institute the day before, around 17 or so. Magnus called me the first time around 20 that evening when you hadn’t arrived at his place after the hunt. It was around midnight when he called and said he would contact the other Warlock to get help tracking you.”

“OK…so it must be what? Around 7 or 8 now?” Alec asked, almost to himself, doing the math in his head.

Jace shrugged. He had no idea; the drugs had played tricks with his sense of time. “I guess.”

Alec nodded encouraging. “Good. Then everyone should be aware we are missing and will be looking for us.”

“Yes but…” Jace’s voice trailed off, hesitant to continue.

“But what?” Alec asked more sharply than he had intended. He really didn’t want to hear about any more challenges to their potential rescue.

“There’s just one problem…” Jace admitted evasively, a little embarrassed. He didn’t want to say, he didn’t want Alec to worry but he knew he had to tell him. He needed to know.

“What?”

Jace took a deep breath. “I think we are over water. I couldn’t track you and neither could Magnus. Izzy and Clary tried too; there was something blocking us.”

“Seriously?!” Alec fought to control his voice and the sinking feeling of defeat. They just couldn’t catch a break! This mess just kept getting worse and worse. Had Peter and his people done this on purpose? Did they know that if they were over water they couldn’t be tracked? It seemed a very likely assumption.

“I could sense your pain but seeing your injuries it wasn’t as sharp as it should have been and I couldn’t reach you with the tracking rune,” Jace explained.

“Did you at least see some of where they are holding us?” Alec asked hopefully.

“Not really. I awoke in a cell like this one and was already bound at that point. The two guards came and took me here; the hallways had no windows but I saw several soldiers passing us and there seemed to be constant activity outside the rooms or cells or whatever they are; it seems quite a big operation,” Jace surmised, his voice grim.

“Perfect!” Alec said sarcastically. Well-funded, large operation meant escape would be even more difficult.

Jace gave him a wry smile. “At least we have each other.”

Alec took a deep calming breath, “Yeah.”

That was precisely what Alec was afraid of. He knew Peter well enough by now to be certain he would exploit their connection to each other to get what he wanted and whatever he wanted couldn’t be good.

Both Shadowhunters jumped in surprise when they heard a sound by the door and got to their feet, taking up fighting poses. Jace instinctively positioned himself between Alec and the door, determined to spare him any further injury. Alec laid a hand on his shoulder, a look of both fondness and annoyance at the protectiveness of his parabatai. Alec felt a ping of shame at realizing that he felt better facing the door, facing the unknown, with Jace by his side, when he should be wishing him far away from here, somewhere safe. Though even facing this together wasn’t quite enough to drown his fears; he had by now come to expect that a new visit from their captors could only mean something bad was about to happen. However, neither of them had needed to worry. A small square hole near the floor opened in the door and a bowl of something with two spoons in it was pushed through before it closed. The flap fit so perfectly into the door that Alec hadn’t noticed it before now. Seeing the food Alec was reminded of how hungry he was. As no one entered for another full minute or two Alec moved to get around Jace who gave him a warning look.

“I don’t think the food will bite me, Jace,” Alec calmed him, his hand touching his arm. The physical touch brought Jace a sense of peace and he relaxed too.

Alec picked up the bowl and sat on the mattress, Jace sat down beside him, making sure to sit closest to the door. Alec noticed and gave him a warm look though there was a hint of frustration in the gaze; he could take care of himself.

“I am not sure we should be eating that.” Jace made a face as he smelled the grey porridge-like substance in the bowl. “It smells worse than Izzy’s cooking!”

“It can’t be that bad,” Alec insisted with a smile at their shared joke over how badly Izzy’s cooking was. He had never thought it could be possible to ruin pasta but Izzy had managed.

Alec took a deep sniff at the food and made a face too. “Ok, it can.”

Jace looked suspiciously at the food. “Could be poisoned.”

“I doubt it. They want us for something; they have gone through a lot of trouble to get us here.” Alec took a spoonful of the grey substance. “What?” He asked when he saw Jace’s disgusted face. “I’m starving.”

Jace looked at Alec intensely as he put the food in his mouth and swallowed as if he was expecting him to explore or something.

“It’s not too bad…doesn’t actually taste of much,” Alec told him after having swallowed. “You should have some.”

Jace gave him a look of disgust and disbelief. “No thanks.”

“We don’t know when they will feed us again. You should keep up your strength,” Alec said, always the voice of reason as he took another spoonful in his month and swallowed it. Jace crossed his arms stubbornly.

“Jace….eat something,” Alec repeated, looking intensively at him, his voice somewhere between an order and a plea.

“Fine!” Jace gave up under Alec’s insistence and took the other spoon and quickly took a few spoonful, swallowing quickly without tasting it. “Happy now?” He asked sarcastically.

“Ecstatic,” Alec said with his usual dry wit, making Jace smile a little. Only Alec could do that to Jace; make him lose his anger so quickly, so easily. Despite their horrible predicament both men smiled. In that moment they felt a measure of peace. They were together and for right now, just for right now, that was enough.

Chapter Text

A few hours had passed before guards entered their cell; Alec and Jace were already on their feet and in defensive positions before the door was fully opened. With guns pointed at them they had been forced to walk out of the cell and down several narrow hallways. Alec had tried in his head to remember the way they were walking, trying to find clues to their whereabouts but there were no windows. In the meantime Jace was busy trying to calculate his chances if he tried jumping the guards; not good odds. Even with angelic powers a couple of rounds of bullets would be lethal – at least for Alec. Without his steele he couldn’t activate his runes and Jace was still learning how to control his ability to activate his own runes without using a steele.

They were lead into a big room, the size of a gym hall in a high school. Again, there were no windows and just bare walls. Half of the room held all kind of exercise equipment and medical surveillance machines for measuring heartbeat, blood pressure and much more – some connected to exercise machines and some freely standing. Exercise hoops were hanging from the ceiling as well as climbing ropes, several boxes and planks to jump over or balance on, mats for sparring…there were target boards on one wall of the room for target practice with guns, knives…maybe even also meant for arrows and next to it stood several locked boxes – weapons of different kinds most likely. There were a few tables and chairs on the other side of the room, as if set up to watch the gym/medical performance. The only slightly odd thing about the room, besides the lack of windows and a clock, was that the ceiling was quite low and there were several small metal hooks hanging down from it, similar in style as the hoops used in slaughterhouses for drying meat. Remembering Jace’s suspicions about being near water Alec thought it more and more likely they were on a ship.

Jace had watched with worry but hadn’t otherwise indicated his concern when two guards had forced him to stop just a few meters into the room, by the gym section, with heavy hands on his shoulders while two other guards had forced Alec to move further into the room until he was standing almost in the middle of it, between the gym area and the area with the tables and chairs. Several guards, six Alec had counted, had escorted them to the room. Inside the room stood around 12 guards near the walls, guns pointed straight at them; there was no chance of making an escape attempt now. They would have to wait for a better opportunity. This excessive use of control told Alec that while they might know something about Shadowhunters they clearly feared them and didn’t know everything and had chosen to err on the side of caution.

Two guards gripped Alec’s arms painfully, forcing them behind his back. Alec gave Jace a reassuring smile from across the room though he knew Jace would be able to feel his concern through their bond. Alec’s concern intensified tenfold when Peter entered the room and walked to stand before Jace. He scanned him like one might do an animal you’re considering buying. He nodded satisfied, seemingly pleased with the golden haired wonder standing before him.

“Let’s see what you can do,” Peter said, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Jace shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes and expression closed and determined. “No,” he said strongly.

Peter stared at him with a look of disbelief on his face. “Do as you’re told.”

Jace smirked a bit; Peter was clearly not a man who was used to hearing the word no. Well, too bad because Jace would make sure he got reacquired with it.

“I am not your pet monkey,” Jace spat out.

Peter’s eyes darkened dangerously and he nodded to one of the guards standing by the wall closest to Alec. The man walked over and before Alec could react he had been hit hard in the face, the force of the blow would have made him fall if not for the two men holding his arms.

“Fuck!” Alec cursed, spitting blood and looked murderously at Peter. “Would you stop that?!” His voice was somewhere between annoyance and anger.

“Wait….” Jace instinctively started to say, not wanting to see Alec hurt but knowing he shouldn’t, couldn’t give in to Peter. He forced himself to stop the sentence.

At his words two guards moved over to Jace and forced his arms behind his back, holding him in place. Jace could have used a rune to pull away but with all the guns pointed at him and Alec it would just result in both of their deaths. Better to save his true abilities, his true strength, for the right moment.

Peter looked disappointed when Jace stopped talking. He nodded to the man who had hit Alec. “Hit him again.”

“Wait, stop!” Jace tried to pull away, to come to Alec’s aid but was held firmly back in place. He shot the guards murderous looks.

“I thought you weren’t my….pet monkey?!” Peter asked sweetly, darkly.

Alec tried to reassure Jace by pretending the beating wasn’t bothering him but damn; the guard knew how to hit. However, the pain was manageable and besides some pained grunts he managed not to cry out.

Jace’s eyes shone bright with fury as he thrashed inside the guards’ hold. “I will kill you for this!”

Peter looked unimpressed at Jace’s threat which just enraged him further.

“The longer you delay the more bruised your friend will be. So…what will it be?” Peter asked pointedly, matter of fact.

Jace hesitated. Alec could take a beating, he had no doubt about it. But could he bear to watch it, knowing he had the option to stop it? He looked at Alec who shook his head in stubborn denial before another hit, this time to the side of his face, sent him to the floor as the guards let go of his arms, allowing him to fall. Jace shook his head and glared at Peter, ignoring the burning sensation of shared pain from his parabatai rune.

The beating continued for almost 10 agonizing minutes without either man giving in, Peter and Jace barely breaking eye contact the whole time, a battle of wills in every regard. The only sound was the painful gasps Alec couldn’t help but mumble as the beating went on, his breathing sounding increasingly louder, heavier and more and more rasped.

“Stop!” Peter demanded suddenly.

The men who had picked Alec back up, holding him in place for the guard to continue beating him looked at him for orders and the man who had been hitting him stopped at once, turning towards him as well. Alec’s face was a mess of blood from a broken nose, lip and eyebrow, his torso sore and he had at least bruised some ribs if not worse. However, as soon as the beating stopped he could breathe a little easier and he drew a pained breath, relief at the break from pain clear in the way his body released a fraction, no longer tensing to withstand the next hit.

Jace still only looked at Peter as if his stare alone could kill him. However, through their bond Jace knew Alec was in pain but no longer tensing for another hit.

“You alright?” Jace asked softly, not moving his eyes away from Peter.

Alec nodded but regretted the movement when pain shot through him.

“Sure. Just like every other Sunday back home,” he replied icily, his voice dripping with sarcasm which had just enough truth in it to drive the point home. He both wanted to make it clear to Peter he wasn’t that easily broken and a dark reminder to both Jace and himself that this wasn’t anything he hadn’t bore before.

Jace fought to stay emotionless under Peter’s examining gaze.

“Get him to his feet,” Peter ordered over his shoulder, his eyes still fixed to see Jace’s expression.

Alec grimaced against the pain in his ribs when he was forced to his feet but stayed upright, the men holding his arms behind his back. Peter looked from Jace to Alec, seeming to consider his next move.

“Hang him up,” Peter ordered.

Jace watched with alarm as steel cuffs were locked around his parabatai’s wrists, a long metal chain connecting them. The men forced Alec’s bound hands above his head and hooked the chain into the nearest hook in the ceiling, Alec’s face facing away from Jace, his back towards him, Peter and the guards standing on that side of the room. Alec winced in pain at the strain in his sprained and likely broken ribs as he was forced upright. The chain was long enough that he could stand flat on his feet but just that; he was stretched completely and the strain was making sweat appear on his forehead and had him gasping for air from the pain.

“Let’s try this again with the cat…and bring the water too,” Peter commanded darkly, his eyes still on Jace to evaluate his reaction.

Jace frowned in concern as Alec tried to suppress the painful whimper his forced position was threatening to demand from him.

“Release him!” Jace demanded hotly, his eyes and face a mask of barely controlled fury.

“Or what?” Peter challenged, danger in his tone.

“Or…” Jace started but then stopped as he saw the guns which were still pointed straight at Alec and himself. Even with his runes he might be able to take down some of them but not before Alec would be hit and killed. It was unlikely even with his angelic abilities he would make it out of there alive either as there was zero chance he wouldn’t get shot too.

Peter smirked as he saw Jace was realizing he couldn’t really finish his threat.

“You really should save your strength. You will be busy soon enough,” Peter advised darkly with a knowing smile.

“I won’t do anything for you!” Jace spat furiously.

“You will…it’s just a matter of how long you are willing to let this go on.” Peter’s voice wasn’t condescending, just stating a fact. It made Jace’s blood boil, knowing he could be this calm in the face of his brother’s suffering.

“Begin when you are ready,” Peter said when a man entered from Jace’s left, going to stand behind Alec’s back. He had a whip with 9 leather strips in one hand, small metal balls at the end of it, in his other hand was a bucket of water which he put on the floor next to him.

“What?” Alec demanded into the suddenly quiet and still room, having felt Jace’s sense of unease and growing alarm. He tried unsuccessfully to see what was happening behind him. He could feel from the growing panic, fear and rage from Jace that something very unpleasant was about to happen.

“Alec…” Jace’s voice was soft, pained, almost pleading.

“No, Jace! You don’t do a thing that idiot wants you to!” Alec demanded hotly. Whatever Peter wanted could only be bad; he could endure whatever this was. Jace couldn’t give in. He sent reassuring waves through his bond to Jace and then did his best to close off his end of the bond to spare Jace sharing in whatever was coming.

“Well, at least now I know which of you is the leader,” Peter commented smugly, his voice making it clear he had already figured this out but had wanted confirmation.

“Screw you!” Jace cursed hotly.

Peter gave him a thoughtful expression, as if taking the insult literal. “I would rather not – I don’t make a habit of breaking my prized possessions so carelessly.”

Jace gave him a shocked look. Had he just threatened to…he felt sick. “I am not your possession!”

“…But it’s not off the table for your brother here if you don’t soon reconsider your options,” Peter continued the sentence as if Jace hadn’t spoken, his voice threatening and dark.

The threat of rape made both Shadowhunters feel fear unlike any they had known. By the angel, how had they ended up here?

“Get on with it,” Peter ordered of the guard with the whip and almost instantly the first hit fell.

“Ahhhh!” Alec let out a scream of pain when the whip made contact with his skin. His simple shirt offered no protection; the whip easily tore through it and decorated his back, from his shoulder blade to his hip, in fine bleeding lines of agony.

“What the fuck?!” Jace yelled. He felt the echoing burn on his back and knew they had had to be bad if it felt like this for him as he had felt Alec try to close off his side of the bond as much as possible. However, he managed not to show any emotions hinting he had felt it and how it made him feel inside, not wanting Peter to know how this was effecting him.

“You can stop this at any time,” Peter told him, his voice almost kind, his eyes examining his closely.

Jace shook his head, refusing to say something Peter would twist to use against him.

Peter sighed in annoyance. “Very well. Continue.”

The man lifted the whip again and another blow fell and then another and another in rapid succession. Alec really wanted not to scream but was unable to do anything else but scream every time the whip made contact with his skin. He could feel the blood running from the open wounds in his back and down over his buttocks and down his legs, warm and sticky, making every part of him itch. When finally there was a break Alec tried to take a deep breath but his strained body and bruised ribs made it impossible. Instead he settled for trying to breathe, period. He thought his back couldn’t feel more like it was on fire, a mess of blood and bruises until the next hit fell and it burned and burned like nothing he had ever thought possible and he screamed and screamed and screamed in pure agony. The whip had been dipped in something before it had been used again; something which made all his nerve endings feel like they were on fire and made dots appear before his eyes. What the fuck???

“Saltwater,” Peter supplied helpfully when Alec managed to stop screaming. “It prolongs the pain.”

Jace’s eyes became small lines of murderous fury; he hadn’t thought it was possible to hate anyone more than he hated Peter in that moment. “I will enjoy killing you….slowly, painfully. If you are very lucky I will let you die if and only if my brother requests it.”

“Someone taught you well,” Peter nodded approval.

Jace felt a wave of embarrassment. This was Valentine talking – not him. Not who he wanted to be. But…who he could be, if needs be. And in their current situation…well, that need might arise and he would have no problem killing for Alec…in fact he had no problems killing, maiming or torturing for Alec. The thought was terrifying and a part of Jace was certain that if he had not become Alec’s parabatai and felt the other man’s calm and clarity in battle he would have done that and worse on many an occasion.

Just when Alec thought he wouldn’t be able to take another hit without passing out from the pain, his body a mess of agony, blood and pain, he heard Peter yell stop and was angry at himself for feeling a hint of gratitude towards the very man who had initiated all this.

“Look, let him go. He can barely feel it anymore. I am the one who’s refusing you. Take me instead,” Jace offered, his voice soft now, pained, pleading, desperate.

“Yes, you are the one refusing me….but you are also the one taught to control your emotions and your pain; I see it in your eyes….” Peter said as he looked at him, evaluating him. “…a killer’s eyes. I could do anything to you over and over again and it wouldn’t matter. Your….what’s the word, parabatai,” he got the word out as if feeling its weirdness on his tongue, a hint of fascination and disgust when he said it. “Well, seeing him break like this is another matter.”

Jace looked at him with disgust, horror and shock. “You’re insane.”

Peter shook his head. “No, just convinced this needs to be done.”

“A fanatic…the same thing,” Jace spat out the words with contempt. He had had his fill with manipulative self-righteous fanatics dealing with Valentine.

“Maybe,” Peter replied and gave a dark smile. “Well, if this doesn’t seem to change your mind I think something else will…”

Peter turned to one of the guards. “So…I told you not to touch this one but that’s off now. Use him as you see fit; do whatever you wish with him. With this…instrument…of his, you can basically fuck him to death each night and do it all again the next morning if that’s what you want.”

Jace couldn’t help but shudder and looked at him with something between horror and utter contempt. He wasn’t sure if Peter was lying or not but did he really want to take that chance?

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Jace yelled, his voice twisted from his hate and repulsion at what he had just heard.

“Oh, I would never do something like that to someone but it’s a very efficient tool and I always use all tools at my disposal to get what I want,” Peter said calmly, evenly, explaining this as if explaining what a car is to a very small child.

“You see, my men….well, your brother here isn’t only their most hated enemy, a man they believe threatens the safety of their country, their families…their way of life, but our intel tells us that he’s also gay which basically means it’s a free for all buffet for them. They believe his very existence is against the will of God and only his death will ensure the survival of their country, their way of life and their families. They hate him more than you can imagine and believe me they would all love to make him feel it.” Peter’s voice wasn’t unkind, simply matter of fact.

Jace felt like he might throw up, almost dizzy with the pure venom and hatred Peter was describing. It rivalled the hatred Valentine had held for Downworlders.

“They would…?!”

“What? Rape him? Oh, yeah. Repeatedly, over and over again.” Peter looked at the look of horror on Jace’s face, a smug smile on his lips, knowing he had finally figured out how to break the other man, bend him to his will. “And I will let them….unless you do what I say.”

“Jace…don’t…” Alec rasped weakly, having only heard fragments of what was being said and was comprehending even less, his brain fuzzy from the pain and on the edge of passing out. He wasn’t even fully aware of why he had to stop Jace, why this was important. His body was on fire with agony, his thoughts jumbled and confused. He just knew he had to stop him or something bad would happen to his parabatai and he could never allow that.

“Shut up!” Jace yelled more harshly than he had intended, fighting his fear with anger, just barely managing to keep tears from his eyes. He was done with this; done sacrificing Alec on the altar of righteousness like his parents had done, like the Clave had done, like he meant nothing, like his life didn’t matter, like his suffering didn’t matter. Fuck it all anyway.

“Fine!” Jace got out through clashed teeth, looking Peter in the eyes, his hands forming fists in useless rage.

Peter raised an eyebrow at him, clearly enjoying his victory. “Fine, what?”

Jace gave him an icy stare but then relented, accepting his defeat for now and lowered his gaze to the floor.

“I’ll do whatever it is you want me to do,” Jace’s words were obedient but his voice was strong and hateful, his body tense and ready for a fight.

Peter gave a small smile; he knew Jace would break eventually. “See…that wasn’t so hard, now was it?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Victor Aldertree looked up in surprise when a portal suddenly materialized right in his office – the office of the head of the New York Institute. Three figures emerged from the portal just as Raj led a group of Shadowhunters through the door, having been alerted that the wards had been breached and the location of the breach. The portal closed and Magnus stepped towards the desk, Raphael and Luke remained standing a little behind him. Raphael crossed his arms over his chest and glared hatefully at Victor; the man who had enjoyed torturing him not long ago.

“Victor Aldertree, we need to talk,” Magnus said calmly, placing his palms on his desk, leaning towards him. While his voice was calm his eyes were filled with almost too many emotions to really decipher.

“Sir, are you alright?” Raj asked, looking from him to the three Downworlders. He and the other Shadowhunters had their blades raised but they had all stopped by the entrance to the office, uncertain if they should proceed as none of the Downworlders initiated an attack and they had all recognized them; all members of the Downworlder Council Alexander had just recently formed.

“Yes. You can leave now,” Victor said evenly and waved them out though his eyes never left Magnus.

“Yes, Sir,” Raj acknowledged and they all left, closing the door behind them.

Victor looked from Luke to Raphael to Magnus, giving the appearance as if he didn’t have a care in the world and couldn’t imagine why they were in his office.

“So, pre tell, why is the High Warlock of Brooklyn breaking into the Institute?” Victor raised an eyebrow, questioning. “I could prosecute you for breach of the Accords.”

Magnus’s eyes narrowed and for a moment his cat eyes were visible, making Victor have to fight to conceal a shudder. Then Magnus’s control and thus his glamour was back in place.

“You are not answering my requests for a meeting nor any requests sent to you the last ten days requesting you assemble the Downworld Council,” Magnus reminded him with false kindness. He paused, leaned back and did a hand movement, smirking. “I needed to get your attention somehow.”

Victor’s expression hardened, clearly not amused. “How did you even get in?”

Magnus, however, seemed very amused. “Who do you think put up your wards?”

“I will have to get that looked into,” Victor said darkly.

“Good luck – No Warlock under my protection would work with you and even if that wasn’t the case then you would be hard pressed to find anyone who can match my skills,” Magnus responded matter of fact.

Victor’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Maybe but you still don’t speak for all Warlocks. I am certain you have ruffled the feathers of some in all your time who should be able to at least slow you down.”

“Well, we may have to do something about that,” Magnus said lightly. “The not speaking for all Warlocks bit,” he elaborated when Victor looked puzzled.

Victor sighed in irritation. “Is this going anywhere?”

Magnus’s whole demeanor changed and became hard as steel, his voice cutting and accusing. “Alexander Lightwood and his parabatai have been missing for almost ten days now. What precisely have you been doing to find them?”

Victor leaned back in his chair. “I don’t answer to Warlocks,” he said dismissively.

“I would answer the man, Victor,” Luke warned, speaking up for the first time.

Victor seemed to consider it but then conceded. “Fine, for this once I will.” He paused, his eyes momentarily flicking between the three Downworlders. “I have sent out all available personal to look for them but we have not found any leads.”

“How hard are you looking?” Raphael asked darkly, his eyes shooting daggers at the man, looking like all he really wanted to do was to continue this questioning with the same techniques as Victor had used against him.

Victor gave him a self-righteous and satisfied grin, as if he knew what he had done to Raphael was still troubling the vampire and the idea pleased him. “With all personal we can spare.”

All three Downworlders knew it was a lie; Isabelle and Clary had told them as much the day before. In fact, Victor had allowed a minimum of search parties and made minimum of effort, claiming personal was needed for demon patrols and other duties of more importance to the Institute instead.

“I am sure you do,” Magnus said sarcastically.

Victor gave a dark smile. “Well, we are starting to operate under the assumption they don’t want to be found.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow at him questioning. “Really? Do enlighten us.”

Victor made a hand gesture, his face twisted in disgust as he explained, “Well, we all saw Alexander’s display at his disastrous wedding.”

Magnus looked even more dangerous than before if that was possible. “Do you mean him kissing me?”

Victor didn’t seem to notice the clear danger radiating off the Warlock.

“Yes,” Victor confirmed, the disgust and contempt clear in his voice and expression.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Luke asked puzzled.

Victor looked at him as if he was stupid, though given his general low opinion of Downworlders, of werewolves in particular, it was probably just what he did believe.

“Well, relationships between parabatai pairs are forbidden. Seems likely they took the chance to forgo that rule,” Victor voiced his theory with clear revulsion and disdain. “Of course the Clave would have to brand them traitors for such an action.”

Magnus took a hand to his forehead, looking at Victor with disbelief and shook. In other words if that were to happen no one would be looking for them any longer. In fact, instead a standing order would be given to capture or kill them if they were spotted – the punishment for parabatais to engage in a relationship was de-runeing. That also meant that if the Clave bought the story and such an order were given then Alexander and Jace couldn’t just walk back into the Institute after they found them; either the order against them would have to be lifted or they would never be able to return. No great loss if the latter was the case in Magnus’s opinion.

“Let me get this right…because Alexander is gay you assume he would run away with any man?” Magnus asked disbelieving. “Seems very logical,” he added sarcastically, having absolutely zero doubt Alexander loved him and would never even consider running away with anyone, being it Jace or anyone else.

Victor shrugged. “As mentioned it’s a theory. We are still looking.”

“Very thoroughly, I’m sure,” Luke commented darkly.

Victor’s eyes flashed dangerously and it was clear his patience was at an end.

“If that was all….” Victor said and indicated the door. “Raj!” he called loudly and Raj opened the door and stepped in, letting the door remain open behind him.

“Yes, Sir?” Raj asked.

“Follow these….people, out,” Victor requested, clearly struggling to call the Downwolders something remotely civil.

Magnus gave him a piercing look. “You can ignore me for now, Victor, but if you force me to come back here again with an army you won’t like the result,” he warned.

“You with an army? This is not like the Mundanes’ Christmas parade,” Victor said condescendingly, looking him up and down, clearly thinking that a man with make-up and glitter everywhere couldn’t possibly be an effective war leader.

Magnus gave an evil smile as he went towards the door, Raphael and Luke walking after him. “Two weeks more, Victor, and I will start to take matters into my own hands even if I will have to break into Idris to get some answers.”

Magnus didn’t have to look to know his threat had made Victor pale, his heart beat faster and his breath quicken in fear and knowing this made him smile in victory. He would get his Alexander back, no matter the cost!

The three Downworld leaders walked in silence as Raj showed them the way out of the Institute. Raj seemed visibly relieved when the three Downworlders were outside the Institute and no longer his responsibility. As soon as they were outside Magnus made a portal and they all stepped through, appearing back at Magnus’ loft. Without having agreed on it, none of them had wanted to say anything until they were safe behind Magnus’ wards again.

“You really want to wait two more weeks to see what Victor comes up with?” Raphael asked Magnus as soon as the portal had closed behind them.

Manus went to pour himself a drink, making a glass of whiskey for Luke and Raphael without asking.

“Of course not!” Magnus said hotly as he handed them their drinks. His expression softened a little and pain flashed over his features, “I owe that bastard for what he did to you, darling, and I am certain he is involved with what has happened to Alexander…and Jace,” the latter was added as an afterthought as his main concern was Alexander.

“Why do you think that?” Luke asked before taking a sip of his drink, his expression thoughtful. “I mean I dislike the guy too but…”

“What would you think if this was one of your Mundane police cases?” Magnus asked, interrupting him before taking a sip of his own drink, a Martini cocktail.

“Well, I would look for someone who stood to gain by getting them both out of the way,” Luke admitted.

“And no one seem to have gained more than Victor; now back as head of the Institute after getting rid of the last Herondale and Alexander in one sweep motion,” Magnus said darkly.

Luke nodded, seeing the logic of that.

“The guy who followed us out,” Raphael began after tasting his own drink. With years of practice he had learned to be able to drink alcohol but it didn’t have any effect on him; however, he had come to enjoy the taste.

“Raj,” Magnus supplied the name. “Annoying little man,” he added with a frown, remembering his previous encounters with the Shadowhunter.

Raphael nodded before he continued, “I think he is involved somehow too.”

“Why?” Luke asked when Magnus seemed more than ready to accept he was without Raphael having to explain his reasons.

“His heart was beating too fast and he was sweating,” Raphael explained, having used his vampire abilities to learn as much as possible during their encounter. “More than what the situation warranted.”

Magnus was thoughtful for a moment, thinking about the information they had gotten. He had searched for Alexander since he had gone missing, he had asked everyone he knew for help, had tried to strengthen his tracking by getting other Warlocks to help but to no avail. He had become increasingly suspicious when his requests to discuss the matter with the new head of the New York Institute kept getting rejected. When Isabelle and Clarissa had then told him that the new leader was Victor and that he didn’t really seem to want to find them…and that he seemed to want to twist the story into making it appear like the parabatai pair had ran off together…well, that had been enough for Magnus to decide he needed to pay him a visit and look him in the eyes to see how he would react when confronted outright.

“Ok, so it seems like the Clave, or at least some Shadowhunters, had something to do with Alexander and Jace’s disappearance.” Magnus surmised.

“I can ask Clary to see what she and Isabelle can figure out; see if they can get any intel from Idris. I can ask tonight; Clary is coming for dinner and is bringing Isabelle and Simon,” Luke offered. Since Alexander and Jace had disappeared he had stayed close to Clary and she in return had offered her support to the very devastated sister who had lost two brothers within 24 hours.

Magnus nodded in agreement. “That would be good though remind them to be careful; we don’t know how deep this goes.” He paused before he added. “I have a contact within the Silent Brothers; I will ask if they know anything.”

Raphael looked from his drink to his friend. “How do you want to play this?” the vampire asked.

Magnus was thoughtful for a moment. “I want us to cover all our bases so let’s gather our allies and get what we need for the Clave to no longer be able to ignore us; a united and combined Downworld.”

“Are you trying to rally support for an all-out war with the Clave?” Luke asked, shocked.

Magnus’s expression hardened. “If I need to.” He paused before he added, “I will try and avoid it but the Clave won’t bend to us unless we have strength to match theirs. However, if they won’t do everything possible to try and find them…” Magnus didn’t finish; the threat was obvious.

“War…Isn’t that a little extreme?” Luke got out, not at all comfortable with that idea. Idris had been his home; he didn’t want to see it destroyed nor did he want to have to choose sides.

“To get Alexander back safe and sound?” Magnus questioned. “No. No action would be too extreme for that.” His voice was pained now but strong and certain. Nothing was ever too much if it meant he got Alexander back.

“Cómo te va, padre? [How are you holding up, father]?” Raphael asked softly, worry clear in his voice. He didn’t normally show his concern but he happened to know for a fact that Luke didn’t understand Spanish so he was able to show his concern and vulnerability for a man who was as close to a father as anyone could be.

Magnus smiled at his concern and then gave a sigh, agony in his eyes. Not knowing what was happening to Alexander was nothing short of torture.

“Somewhere between breaking down and wanting to burn the Earth,” Magnus admitted distressed, balancing between breaking down, falling apart and wanting revenge, wanting to destroy anyone and anything who was keeping him from his Alexander.

“Hold on to the second emotion,” Raphael advised, his expression hard and firm though there was kindness in his gaze. At Magnus’s puzzled expression the vampire added, “It’s the more useful of the two.”
Magnus nodded, trying to do that just. If he focused on anything else than his anger and rage he was certain he would fall apart and he couldn’t afford that; Alexander was counting on him!

“They will soon have been gone two weeks. That means they want them alive,” Luke offered as comfort.

“No, it means they prefer them alive,” Magnus corrected him darkly. “There’s a difference.”

Trying to get the conversation back into something useful and productive Raphael voiced a key concern he had out loud, “I will go talk to the clan leaders; most vampires hate the Clave and I do not believe it would be difficult to get support for a worldwide all-out war if needs be.” He paused before he added, “However, the Seelie queen will be our weakness.”

Magnus added, thinking over their options. She would indeed be a problem. She would never support them unless she was certain they would win if it came to a war and no one could promise that. In fact, the Clave had won all previous conflicts so odds would not be in their favor and she would know that.

“Leave her to me,” Magnus said slowly, thinking aloud as he conjured another drink for himself. “I will have a chat with Meliorn and suggest maybe what the Seelie realm really need is a King.”

Raphael looked thoughtful, nodding in support of the idea, while Luke looked shocked at him. “You can’t interfere with their internal affairs!”

Magnus waved a dismissive hand at him.

“I am not interfering. I am merely…suggesting,” Magnus said sweetly, his voice humorous to make the darkness of their plan seem more doable, more acceptable. “Consider me the United States government and the Seelie realm is South America.”

Luke looked suspicious and unconvinced. “Well, that didn’t end well.”

“Well enough for long enough.” Magnus corrected him. He frowned when he noticed Luke’s hesitation. “Lucian, you need to make a decision now whether you can do this or not. You are no longer a Shadowhunter; you are the leader of the werewolves. Act like it or…”

Luke gave him a warning look when his voice died out. “Or what?”

Magnus continued unfazed in the face of Luke’s warning, his voice matter of fact. “I might need to find myself another werewolf leader for this situation. We can’t appear divided before the Clave.”

“Guys…” Raphael tried to calm things down, finding it ironic he was the one trying to do that considering he had been at odds with Luke and his werewolves many times.

Luke and Magnus locked gazes for what felt like an eternity until Luke looked away, taking a deep breath, making his decision. “There will be no division but you have to promise me an all-out war will be your last solution.”

“Certainly,” Magnus agreed, nodding.

“And no soft targets,” Luke added, looking at him suspiciously.

Magnus nodded again. “Agreed.”

“And Isabelle and Clary get out.”

“Obviously,” Magnus said quickly. “And Max too.”

Luke hesitated for another moment before giving in. “Fine then.”

“Great. That’s settled then,” Magnus said with a smile before turning to Raphael.

Raphael just raised an eyebrow at him. “I was with you from the beginning.” He paused before he added in a heartfelt voice in his native Spanish, “Siempre te apoyaré cuando me necesites. Tú lo sabes [I will always stand by you when you need me. You know that].”

Magnus gave him a warm and grateful smile. Then his expression became serious, dangerous. His voice was strong, determined as he spoke, “Ok, then. Let’s start a war or find Alexander and Jace, whichever comes first.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: What happened to Jace and Alec

“Alec! You’re awake,” Jace said relieved, kneeling down beside him on the mattress when Alec made a small pained moan and fought to open his eyes.

Jace had been so worried, the whole ordeal having shook him to his core, and he was only barely holding himself back from hugging the older man; having gone so far as to reach for him till he recalled his injuries would make a hug very painful and instead he settled for touching his hands affectionately.

Alec’s whole body felt weak, used and aching but the worst pain was gone, leaving behind a dulling ache and an itchy feeling on the skin of his back.

“Oh, don’t talk so loud,” Alec complained, putting a hand to his forehead.

He had a horrible headache and his mouth felt parched. They were back in the cell he saw and he was dressed in a new and clean black t-shirt. He feverishly hoped that either a doctor or Jace had been the one to dress him. He couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed at being back here as if by magic while he had been unconscious they would have escaped and he would have awoken somewhere else. Now, wouldn’t that have been nice?

Jace quickly rose and took a glass from the sink.

“Sorry. Here,” Jace said, handing him a glass of water as he sat down beside him again. As Alec took it and quickly emptied it, handing it back to Jace, it didn’t escape Alec’s notice that the glass was made of plastic.

“They left the glass with the tray of food earlier,” Jace explained as he helped Alec sit up.

Alec winced against the pain even this movement brought him, grateful despite himself for Jace’s help. On instinct he was about to lean back against the wall behind him.

“No wait!” Jace warned but Alec had already touched the wall with his back and fire ran through his body.

With a pained start he moved away from the wall, eyeing it as if it had bit him.

“Oh, yeah,” Alec mumbled as he remembered why he shouldn’t be doing that anytime soon.

Jace gave him a sympathetic look as he put the glass back by the sink and came to sit in front of him on the mattress, a worried look in his eyes.

“What happened?” Alec asked, scanning Jace for injuries and was relieved to see he looked fine; just very tired and worried.

“You passed out. They had me draw iratze runes on you before they took you to some Mundie doctor. When they brought you back they had given you a new shirt and when I examined you I could see they must have cleaned your wounds and put some cream on them. I also think they gave you blood and other fluids because there’s needle marks on your hand like they do in hospitals in those Mundie TV shows about hospitals that Clary loves so much,” Jace explained, his voice filled with worry and concern, his expression soft. He paused before he added, “Wait a day or two and your back should be fine.”

Well, not fine. Better; manageable….no longer raw and hurting at the slightest touch. He didn’t say any of that but he knew from Alec’s expression that he knew what he meant.

“Oh,” Alec just said, taking it all in, looking at his hands and quickly seeing the needle mark from where they had given him fluids.

Worry returned to his eyes when he looked at Jace, recalling what had started this whole thing.

“You shouldn’t have agreed to do what he wanted,” Alec said concerned. He paused, suspicious, a look of worry and panic on his face as realization caught up with him. He caught Jace’s wrist almost painfully in worry. “Wait…what did he want?”

Jace gently removed his hand, a look between tenderness and surprise in his eyes that Alec, even now, was asking about him, concerned about him.

“Just some tests…they took a sample of my blood, had me running while they monitored my heartbeat and lungs, sparring with some of his men. Stuff like that.” Jace shrugged. “I guess that’s why they had the small gym in there.”

The training hadn’t been difficult but being monitored and ordered about like a performing animal had been infuriating and humiliating to say the least but he had been so worried thinking about what the Mundane doctor had done to Alec that he hadn’t felt those feelings as strongly as he otherwise would have. Luckily when he himself had been taken back to their cell he had found Alec on the mattress after the doctor had finished with taking care of him. He had checked him very carefully to ensure Alec had indeed been healed and not harmed further. However, that had brought some very concerning thoughts to the surface. Why were they doing this? What did they want that meant they wanted to know these things about him…

“Wait, how long was I out?” Alec asked, apprehensively.

“A few hours.” Jace looked at him with concern and worry; despite the iratze runes and the Mundane doctor he looked weak and drained.

“How are you feeling?” Jace asked, trying to hide just how affected he had been by the whole ordeal.

He could feel Alec’s dulling pain through their bond so he knew he was better but he wanted to reassure himself of this all the same. What he had seen Alec go through…it made him want to hold his brother close and never let him go. He doubted this sense of protectiveness would fade anytime soon but Alec was notoriously difficult to protect as his self-sacrificing streak meant he got into more problems than Jace would ever had thought possible.

“I’m ok,” Alec insisted, smiling reassuringly at him and Jace almost grimaced at that. Alec always said that and it always meant the opposite.

“Yeah…right.” Jace stood up and brought the bowl of the same food as last time over by the mattress to them.

“So, we got a glass and some food. That’s something at least,” Alec said dryly, his voice still feeling abused from screaming.

“Yes, they are real pals,” Jace replied sarcastically. Something caught his attention, “Why is everything here plastic or wood? Are they really that worried about what we can do?” Jace asked, almost to himself as he looked at the wooden spoons in the wooden bowl.

“Yeah….They are very cautious. I don’t think they know what we can do….and what we can’t do,” Alec said thoughtfully, having noticed the same thing.

“They do seem to know more about us than they should. Our abilities…the steele,” Jace said worried.

“Yes, I think they must have captured some Downworlders at some point,” Alec said thoughtfully, wincing at the agony he could imagine those poor people going through until Peter had either broken them beyond repair or simply no longer had any use for them.

“I agree we do seem to be the first Shadowhunters they have ever captured but I am not sure they have gotten their information only from Downworlders,” Jace said darkly.

Alec nodded grimly; he had thought the same. “Yeah….they seem to know you’re special and about us being parabatai. Only a Shadowhunter would know that.”

“I knew I should have taken those threats towards you more serious!” Jace said hotly, angry with himself.

“What? You knew about that?” Alec asked surprised. He hadn’t wanted him to worry.

Jace gave him a piercing look.

“Well, I certainly do now,” Jace said. At Alec’s surprised look he added with a hint of humour, “Hey, not just a pretty face.” He paused before adding, a little insulted, “I’m not stupid.”

“I never thought you were stupid,” Alec protested but then smiled a bit, trying to ease the mood, “Careless, reckless, maybe, but never stupid.”

“Yeah, I am that,” Jace admitted, good-natured. Then he grew serious again. “But if we were sold out by our own…”

Alec nodded before he said, his tone serious, “Yeah…we’re in trouble.” He paused, taking a spoonful of the food, realizing he was hungry, before he added, “I guess they want to figure out what we can do.”

“Like we’re X-men!” Jace realized with a start.

Did they really exist? It was difficult to remember which of the stuff Clary and Simon talked about when it came to Mundane life was real and which was made up. It wasn’t like he had a frame of reference.

“What’s that?” Alec asked curiously, taking another spoonful and indicating with a wave of his hand Jace should eat too.

With a grimace Jace took something on his spoon; sticking out his tongue at his brother before eating. He smirked when his plan worked and Alec’s eyes sparkled with humor and he smiled.

“Clary told me about it; it’s something Simon and her were investigating as teenagers. It’s people with superpowers like moving things with their minds and super strength and such things.”

“I don’t think that exists, Jace,” Alec said with a disbelieving look and laughed at Jace’s disappointed expression at hearing that but regretted it when his ribs complained and the laugh turned into a wince.

“It’s fine,” Alec assured Jace when he saw the worry in his eyes and felt it through their bond.

His legs felt cramped and he needed to stand. With difficultly, a hand against the wall, he got to his feet.

Jace instantly stood as well, leaving the leftover food on the floor for later. He reached out to steady him, a hand under his elbow, a concerned look on his face.

“Easy. Let me help you.”

“Jace, I’m fine,” Alec insisted, not unkindly, just matter of fact as he pulled out of his grip and took a few steps into the room.

Breathing hurt because of his ribs and his back was sore and hurting but he could stand and overall he felt…better. The pain was there, like a constant echo, drumming in his body, but it was slowly lessening.

Jace gave him a look filled with hurt and annoyance.

“No, you’re not. Will you stop being difficult and just let me help you?”

Alec turned back to face him, feeling Jace’s emotions through their bond and silently cursing himself for not realizing just how guilt-ridden his parabatai felt.

“Jace, it wasn’t your fault,” Alec insisted.

Jace avoided his eyes, unable to look at him.

“It wasn’t,” Alec insisted more strongly.

Jace did look at him then, his eyes sad, his expression closed. “Why do you always do that?”

“Do what?” Alec asked confused.

“Pretend like your pain doesn't matter."

Alec shook his head. "I don't do that."

"You always do that," Jace said back, frustration in his voice.

"Hmm." Alec just replied.

He wanted to walk around a bit more, try to regain a feeling of strength but standing was already exhausting him and with annoyance at his own weakness he sat back down on the mattress, breathing a bit easier when he did.

Jace was quiet for a moment, thoughtful as he looked down at Alec.

"I'm sorry," Jace said softly as he sat down beside him again.

Alec sighed and rolled his eyes. "We went through this already."

Jace shook his head, uncharacteristically reflective. "No, I don't mean about what just happened. I mean...about the times I have been a jerk to you."

Alec looked surprised and shocked at him. Where did this come from? He thought astonished.

"You have never been a jerk," he denied, shaking his head in denial.

Jace smiled dryly, self-doubt and guilt in his expression. "Of course I have. I have been arrogant and selfish; I know that."

Alec shook his head again and laid a hand on his arm, confusion coloring his expression. "No, you..."

Jace put his hand over his on his arm but shook his head, interrupting him.

"Alec....you have been punished more times than I care to remember both by your parents and the Clave for me not following orders. Everyone has always been so quick to forgive me; the perfect soldier. You were a convenient scapegoat because you always just took it; you always took responsibility for everything, no matter whose fault it was."

Sorrow and self-loathing was clear in Jace's voice. He didn’t often reflect on the past and for good reason; he didn’t always like what he saw. He knew well that Alec was the light to his darkness, the one tempering his dark impulses.

"When I do something wrong I deserve to be punished," Alec said matter of fact as he withdrew his hand from Jace’s arm.

"But that's just it; you didn't. In fact you rarely do. However, I just skated through life because my abilities allowed it and I didn't think about you. And I haven't gotten much wiser with years. When I first met Clary...” Jace paused and ran a hand through his hair, self-hatred in his voice and expression. “By the Angel, I was such an asshole to you."

"Well....yeah." Alec agreed, remembering but then he smiled, his eyes kind and forgiving as they always were when he looked at his brother. "But I was pretty bad too."

Jace shook his head, frowning.

"I told you that maybe your best wasn't good enough, just like your parents so often have done,” Jace reminded him, the pain in his voice at remembering reflected in Alec’s eyes at being reminded of all those times he had heard those words growing up. “I knew it would hurt you, I felt it through our bond. That's why I said it."

"Oh." Alec said and sank, fighting the hurt he felt. "Well, it was true. I lost her."

His eyes were lowered, his voice filled with anger at his own failure. His brother had asked one thing of him and he had failed. He couldn’t forgive himself for that.

Jace shook his head, angry at himself for ever making Alec feel like this. "She's a grown woman and made a decision. It should never have been on you."

Alec looked him in the eyes, stubborn self-discrimination in his gaze. "I was responsible for her."

Jace sighed and waved a hand dismissively at him. "You feel responsible for anyone."

"Only the ones I am," Alec insisted.

"Which you seem to think are everyone," Jace said, his voice holding annoyance but also warmth and truth. He paused, both relieved but also upset that Alec as always seemed to want to make it so easy for him to not ask forgiveness…too easy for him to forget what he had done and move on. "I am just trying to say I am sorry."

Alec smiled kindly, softly. "It's ok."

Jace knew he was going to say that and shook his head a little, warmth lighting his features and making his eyes seem to glow.

"I know...and I think that's why I keep forgetting and keep doing it. Because I know I am always forgiven," he said honestly, darkly.

Alec looked puzzled at him. This wasn’t a side of Jace he normally saw and it was disconcerting. "Jace, stop being so gloomy. It doesn't suit you."

They sat in silence for a while when Jace noticed Alec was shivering more and more.

“Come here,” Jace said, pulling him towards his shoulder, mindful of his still hurting back, making sure his arm around him was barely touching the very lowest part of his back.

"I'm fine," Alec insisted, quickly pulling away from him, embarrassment coloring his cheeks red.

Jace gave him a piercing look, his voice warm and soft. "Shouldn't we agree to stop lying to each other?"

Unsaid was what Jace wanted to say, please for once let me care for you. He was unsure if he wanted it for Alec’s sake or his own; after what he had witnessed he wanted, needed, to feel like he was doing something for him.

Seeing the turmoil in Jace’s eyes, the need to do something, anything, Alec forced himself to let go of his control a little bit and he nodded softly, considering it.

"I'm just a little cold; it's nothing."

"It can be dangerous in our current predicament. Now come here," Jace opened his arms, indicating Alec should return to lay against him by his shoulder so they could share body heat.

Alec hesitated, he didn’t want to make Jace feel uncomfortable now that he knew he had once had a crush on him and that he was gay. Jace had been supportive of him from the moment he had realized he was gay but Jace was nothing if not the perfect straight male with a long string of lovers to prove it. Thus there were certain boundaries they never broken – Alec talking about his romantic life or embracing like this was certainly on that list.

"Don't be ridiculous; you’re my brother," Jace said warmly, guessing Alec’s thoughts.

Jace kept his arms open and Alec finally gave in and snuggled close to him, feeling embarrassed about doing so. But he did feel better as Jace's arms closed around him and he laid his head by the younger man’s shoulder. He felt…safe, warm. Something he hadn’t felt since this nightmare had started.

"Thank you," Alec said quietly into his chest, meaning the apology, the talk…this. Everything.

"Thank you too," Jace said softly, absently stroking his hair in a calming fashion as one might do with a child. It calmed him and steadied him as he felt through their bond how Alec relaxed more and more.

They dossed off like that, holding each other, safe and warm. At least for now.

Chapter Text

It seems I need to make this more clear; there is an attempted rape scene with an object in this chapter. No rape takes place! However, this chapter is likely the darkest chapter in the novel. Avoid and go to chapter 8 if you don't think you want to read about it! I am not sure how I can make this any more clear! Rape and the threat of rape has been used against prisioners since the dawn of time; it lies in the premise of this story. So go to chapter 8 if you want to avoid it! 

Chapter 7

After a few hours they had awoken and had eaten the last of the food. Having nothing better to do they had both tried to exercise; Jace being able to stick to his normal routine while Alec’s injuries forced him to keep a lower pace than normal, which annoyed him to no end. When Jace had first been brought to the cell and one of them had to use the toilet it had been embarrassing; now they would just say they needed to go and the other would turn away till he heard the flushing. They tried to ‘shower’ as much as possible using the sink in the room. After a few hours another bowl of food arrived through the door, again the same type of porridge as before.

They had just eaten it when four men with machine guns had arrived and had brought them back to the gym, as they had started to call the large hall. Peter was nowhere in sight but there were 12 more soldiers in the room, standing guard against the wall. Both Shadowhunters had done a quick threat assessment; while all soldiers were armed only the four men who had picked them up at their cell had machine guns and they were also the only ones who had their weapons drawn. Alec and Jace had looked at each other in shared understanding when they felt they had been given a unique opportunity; one of the machine gun armed soldiers had told them to train together, using the weapons laid out on a table. There were knives and swords of different types, all Mundane varieties of course, and much to Alec’s surprise, also a bow and quiver.

Needing the men to relax a little before they made their move Alec had suggested they train with swords first; they had chosen some long thin swords, European style from the 18^th century. Still wearing the same clothes he had been captured in except a new t-shirt Alec found that the dried blood on his pants restricted his movements so before they started their training he used one of the smaller knives to cut the legs of his pants from just above the knee and to his ankle in order to get the movement he needed. Both of them had felt better while sparring, feeling more like themselves. They had even ended up smiling, for a second forgetting where they were. They were both sweating and aching but it was a familiar and welcomed type of ache. While still not back to 100% Alec was happy for his renewed strength and power, feeling a sense of calm with it, a feeling of being less helpless though he logically knew strength didn’t matter against guns.

While still watching them the guards had lost full concentration and their eyes were moving away from time to time. Alec nodded to Jace to signal it was almost time. He nodded back. They returned the long swords to the table and Alec picked up the bow and quiver, instantly feeling more like himself when he had the weapon in his hands. Jace picked up a handful of throwing knives. There were targets mounted on two adjusting walls. Alec went to one and gave a faint nod to indicate Jace should move away and over to the other wall. He did so and they threw and reused their ammunition against the targets for 10 minutes or so. Their positions forced the guards to split their attention and by now they had relaxed, their gazes wandering. The four men with machine guns had them lowered, holding the weapons against their lower stomach, the barrel pointing to the floor. Alec didn’t think they would ever get a better chance than this.

“Now!” As Alec yelled the command he turned in a quick movement and his arrow hit the nearest guard with a machine gun in the heart, killing him instantly. He couldn’t use his runes but his training had ensured he was a formidable enemy even without them.

Jace on the other hand managed to use his Angel blood to light up his runes and he threw three knives in rapid succession, killing the remaining machine gun yielding men with ease. With superhuman speed and strength he had reached the fallen men and were picking up the knives to throw them again when gun shots rang out. With the aid of his runes he easily sidestepped them and began throwing knives at the approaching guards, hitting and killing another four when he hit them dead center in the heart. He was starting to feel optimistic, feeling victory was within their grasp, when he felt the echo of a sharp pain in his shoulder when Alec got hit and soon after another flaming pain from his right thigh told him Alec had been shot again. He turned around in a quick and fluent movement, throwing knives ready but the first knife he had lifted above his head never left his hand. The gun wound to Alec’s right thigh had forced him to one knee with a pained gasp and three guards had reached him, making use of his distraction. A kick to the head sent Alec to the floor while a guard forced the bow and quiver away from him. Two guards got him upright on his knees, forcing his hands painfully behind his back as it strained the wound in his shoulder, while a third pointed his gun at his head, so close the barrel was kissing the damp hair on his forehead.

“Drop the knives!” A soldier Jace hadn’t noticed in his worry for Alec ordered from behind him.

They had lost momentum; two more guards now stood and watched the three men already holding Alec, their guns out and ready, while four men had their weapons pointed at Jace. While Jace had managed to kill six of them Alec had killed three and wounded another two before he had been disarmed. A guard who had been only lightly wounded, an arrow to his shoulder, quickly got to his feet and seeing his comrades now had the upper hand he all but ran from the room to get reinforcements.

“Now!” The soldier pressing his gun to Alec’s head said sharply, forcing a small wince from Alec by the force with which he pushed the barrel into the skin of his forehead.

“Fine!” Jace dropped the knives and put up his hands in a surrendering gesture. His eyes still glowed yellow and he was hoping, itching for a chance to regain momentum.

“On the floor and lock your ankles,” one of the guards ordered, having picked up a machine gun from one of the fallen guards and was now pointing it at him.

Jace did so, slowly going to his knees and locking his ankles while maintaining eye contact with Alec, seeing pain from his wounds reflected in his face but a clear strength in there too; he was ready if they got a chance to retake the room.

“Fucking freak!” a guard said with hate and pain as he looked from the dead soldiers to Jace.

Jace glared calmly at him which just seemed to anger him more. He walked over and hit Jace hard in the face with the butt of his pistol, sending his head flying to the side. Jace looked back at him with anger in his eyes, taking a hand down to touch his nose, mindful of the blood running out of it. He winced in pain; the hit had most likely broken his nose. He wiped the blood on the back of his hand before raising it in the air again when the guard made a motion at him to do so.

“That’s all you’ve got?” Jace taunted him, hoping that if the soldiers lost control they could regain control of the room. Alec was wounded but if he got his bow back he could still fight; he could see it in his eyes.

“Arrogant little prick!” The guard spat and hit him again in the face with the butt of his weapon before hitting him hard in the stomach, making Jace wince. However, with his runes activated the pain was barely registering.

“John, stop!” One of the other soldiers yelled, coming over to put a calming hand on his arm.

John glared angrily at the soldier who had stopped him. “Peter doesn’t want this one damaged.”

“Yes…John. Can’t damage the merchandise,” Jace mocked, hoping it would be enough for the soldier to lose his temper.

John looked at him furiously. “He murdered our comrades!”

“Oh….they were your pals, were they? Sorry…” He paused on purpose before smiling coldly. “…sorry I didn’t get them all.”

“Bastard!” John swore and hit him in the face again.

Jace was convinced he had him, that he would lose his temper and give him his shot, his chance to take them, when the same soldier stopped him again. “No, John. Stop! You can’t harm him.”

John stopped and drew back reluctantly, annoyance and hatred glowing hot in his eyes. Then he seemed to think of something and his smile was just as dark as Jace’s had been earlier.

“Maybe but…” John walked over to where Alec was kneeling.

John.looked down at him with hatred and Alec looked back calmly, fighting the pain from the gunshots. He managed to do so rather well but the pain was still etched into his face and in the depths of his eyes.

“As I recall Peter wasn’t as specific with this one,” John added darkly.

Alec hid his growing panic with a mask of calmness and just gave him a cold look. “I am quite certain Peter wouldn’t want you to kill any of us.”

John took Alec’s chin in a bruising grip, looking down into his eyes.

“Who said anything about killing? I had something else in mind.” He paused before adding, his face looking almost demonic; twisted by his hatred and sorrow of his lost friends. “A lesson in humility.”

Before Alec had time to wonder and fear what precisely that meant, John went to the table where the weapons laid and with a sweeping motion he swept them aside, clearing them off the table. They all fell to the floor like loud foreboding thunder.

“Bring him over here,” John ordered to the guards holding Alec before turning his attention to Jace, giving him an evil smirk.

“What are you doing?” Jace couldn’t help asking, rising alarm in his voice.

“Showing you who has the real power here,” John replied coldly. “Put him to the table,” he ordered of the guards who had forced Alec to his feet had half dragged him with them over to stand before John.

Alec fought to stand straighter even though it was painful with the wound in his thigh. He tried not to show emotions as he looked at John but he wasn’t sure if he managed to hide his raising panic.

Not again…I’m not ready. Not ready to face the pain, to endure another beating. Not so soon, was all he could think of. Just a little longer for him to recover…Just a little longer.

The two guards managed to get Alec onto the table. Despite the guns pointed at him Alec fought within their grip but was easily subdued when one guard put his gun barrel against his temple. Jace made a move as if to try and stand, worry for his parabatai forcing his actions despite the guns pointed at his head, but froze in his tracks when he saw the gun against Alec’s head.

One of the guards took out a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket and locked Alec’s right wrist to the right leg of the table. Seeing the idea the other guard did the same with his left wrist. The cuffs left Alec spread out on the table on his back, the strain pulling painfully at the wound in his shoulder. The table was just wide enough for his body, leaving his head and his legs to dangle over the edges in an uncomfortable way. The vulnerability of the pose made Alec fight a blush of embarrassment.

“Let’s see how strong you both are after this,” John mumbled darkly as he took out a knife.

“Hold his legs down,” John ordered at the two guards who had cuffed him, not wanting to risk getting kicked.

The two guards pinned his legs, forcing a painful wince from Alec’s lips when the brutal grip sent lines of fire through his body from the wound in his thigh.

Alec’s eyes widened in fear but before he had time to worry much about what he was going to do John cut his pants at the waistline and down the sides till the cut by the knees Alec had made earlier. John pulled the torn pants aside, leaving Alec’s lower body and legs exposed, wearing only boxers.

“Don’t!” Alec warned, fear making his voice more high pinched than he wanted.

He was starting to get a very bad feeling about what John intended to do and it made him break into a cold sweat, feverishly hoping he was wrong. John simply laughed at Jace’s protests, the sound twisted and cruel, making Alec shiver.

“Bastard!” Jace swore at him alarmed as he saw what he had in mind.

Jace continued to yell insults at him but John just smirked evilly as he quickly cut the boxers on each side and pulled harshly, throwing them on the floor next to the cut pants.

Alec fought the cuffs and the guards holding down his legs to try and turn his body so he could cover himself with his legs or hands, blushing in embarrassment, fear making a knot form in his stomach. A beating didn’t sound so bad after all…He hoped John just wanted to humiliate him, that he had indeed intended to beat him with something. He could survive that…

“John! What are you doing?” Paul protested, doing a negative motion with a hand, shaking his head.

“Stay out of this, Paul!” John yelled, his anger having turned to fury.

“John, I didn’t join the army for this! This is not right! Stop it!” Paul yelled, insisting, horror and disgust in his voice.

“You can leave if you don’t have the stomach for what has to be done,” John offered, almost condescendingly as if finding Paul’s protests a sign of weakness.

Paul realized he was in the minority as he looked around at the other soldiers. A few couldn’t meet his eyes, clearly also not liking where this was going but unwilling to say something.

“Fine!” Paul snapped and gave up.

Paul went to the more severely injured soldier who was still on the floor with an arrow sticking out of his calf and put his arm over his shoulder, helping him to his feet. “I will help Frank to the infirmary.”

“Whatever,” John said and waved him away, clearly annoyed at being interrupted. He turned his full attention back to Alec and an evil grin spread over his lips. “So…where were we?”

Alec had been watching the exchange between the two men, having hoped against all hope that Paul could have convinced John to let him go. Having John’s attention back made him tense up again, bracing himself for whatever would come. He found himself feverishly praying his worst fears weren’t true and John would stick to beating him…maybe even cutting him. He found that idea much more bearable to what he feared most.

“Touch me and I swear I will kill you!” Alec spat out the words darkly, fighting his fear, his embarrassment at being this exposed.

Alec pushed it all to the back of his mind, clinging only to the hate, knowing if he let those other feelings surface he wouldn’t be able to keep it together.

John hit him across the face with an open hand, making Alec’s ears ring from the echo of the blow.

“Let’s see how tough you are when I am done with you!” John spat out, his eyes reflecting his hatred.

“Paul…This isn’t soldiering and you know it,” Jace called after him as Paul passed him with Frank on the way towards the door, desperate to get an ally.

He could take any physical punishment, they could beat him to death a thousand times over but this…he couldn’t take this! He hated himself for feeling a sense of relief that he was not the one on the table. The thought was there, in the back of his mind, making him feel like the worst person in the world.

Despite them being enemies there was a look of shared understanding but Paul quickly repressed it.

“I’m sorry,” Paul mumbled, lowering his eyes to the floor before continuing out of the room with Frank, the progress slowed by Frank’s pained walk.

“Paul! Do something!” Jace yelled after him, desperately hoping he could reach him.

Every time Jace made a move to get up from his kneeling position the guards would aim their weapons even more clearly at his body and, what really made Jace realize he was defenseless, were the amount of guns pointed at Alec. Even with his runes there were no chance he would be able to make it to Alec in time before his parabatai would be shot dead.

“Shut up!” A guard snared at him, hitting him in the face with his fist, sending Jace’s face flying to the side.

Two guards came to force his arms behind his back, their hands on his shoulders, holding him down. The threat of them shooting Alec keeping Jace on his knees more than their grip ever could. Jace had never felt so helpless in his life as he felt at this moment. He could only yell and scream his fury as he saw John proceed with his plan; he pulled a knife and getting the two guards to hold Alec’s legs in the right position he started to made small cuts, not longer than 5-8cm, on Alec’s inner thighs. The smirk on his face clearly showed he was enjoying seeing the embarrassment on Alec’s face; the pain nominal in comparison. However, Alec refused to say anything, his lips a thin line, his eyes firm and aglow with anger as he fought to ignore the growing fear of what John would do next.

John looked Jace straight in the eyes, smirking triumphantly, as he laid down his knife on the edge of the table. “Flip him over.”

“No!” Alec protested hotly, kicking out with his legs even more forcefully, using the momentum, and fighting as best he could but it only earned him laugher from the two guards who easily overpowered him in his weakened state and got him upright before slapping him hard back against the table. His pants and boxers gone, the blood from the small cuts running down his thighs….Alec hadn’t felt more humiliated in his life as he felt now, laying flat out on the table, his ass exposed as his wrists were again tied to the table legs. He began kicking like a mule with his legs against the guards but they easily managed to hold him firmly pressed to the table, their grip leaving painful red marks, their laughing at his predicament making his cheeks heat.

Damn it, damn it, damn it! Alec’s mind was racing, he tried not to be in this moment, he tried to go somewhere else. He wasn’t stupid enough not to know what would happen; Peter had warned about it clearly enough. He didn’t want this to be happening; he didn’t want it to be true.

Jace watched in growing alarm which quickly turned to nausea. They were going to…Fuck, no! No way, no!

“Stop, damn it!” Jace struggled harder, more desperately, against the guards but only managed to have one of the guards who had been pointing his weapon at him to move it so it was touching his temple with the barrel, forcing him to stay still.

John gave Jace an evil grin, enjoying his helplessness almost as much as he enjoyed Alec’s. “You two didn’t seem to stop killing us; I owe you nothing but pain. Since I can’t touch you and I prefer not to kill you unless you force my hand …well, we just have to be creative, don’t we?”

Alec tried not to tense, tried not to think as the two guys who held his legs down forced them to move apart despite Alec ignoring the pain from his gun wound and tensing, trying to force his legs to stay together. He didn’t want to think about Jace seeing this, he didn’t want to think about…about anything. He jerked in shock as he felt the coldness of John’s gun on his ass cheeks, drawing light invisible patterns, almost like a caress. The gun barrel moved closer, further down…

“Don’t you touch him, you sick fuck!” Jace yelled angrily, fighting again to get free only to be pistol-whipped with the butt of the gun from the guard who had had it pointed to his temple a few times in the face, drawing blood, before it was pressed against his temple again, forcing him to freeze.

Jace wanted to do something, anything, but he knew there was no chance he would be able to get them both out of this alive. Peter might want them alive but if he attacked now he had no doubt the guards would shot them both. Maybe death was preferable to this. Yet his survival instinct fought against that idea; they would find a way, somehow, to survive this. He couldn’t make the decision to end them both. Yet when he looked at Alec again he wasn’t sure not making that decision was a mercy to Alec or to himself.

Alec tried desperately to move away from the touch of the gun barrel but was held in place.

This is not happening, this is not happening. He kept repeating it in his head, trying to convince himself. The barrel of the gun was now pressing against his opening and he forced his eyes shut, unaware of tears running down his cheeks. This isn’t happening, it isn’t happening, it isn’t happening…!!!

Jace turned his head away, unable to watch. He wanted to think he turned away for Alec’s sake so he would know that he at least hadn’t witnessed this horrible thing happening to him but in truth he did it more for himself.

“Watch! This is as much your punishment as his!” One of the guards hissed at Jace, taking his head between his hands from behind and forcing it around to look at Alec.

Jace considered closing his eyes.

“Close them and John will keep going till you do open them,” the guard warned, as if guessing his thoughts.

Jace tried to look angrily at him but the way he was holding his head made it impossible. Jace locked eyes with Alec and saw the fear, panic, shock and humiliation in them. He tried to soften his gaze, let go of the anger and instead convey all his love and compassion for his brother in his gaze and through their bond, hoping some of it might reach Alec despite him having closed their connection as much as he could.

“Facilis descensus Averno,” Jace reminded him, giving him the only reassurance he had left; the descent into Hell is easy. Their vow, their promise to each other, that they would never be broken. They wouldn’t allow this to break them either. Somehow…somehow they would overcome.

Alec’s eyes wavered from Jace’s gaze, not wanting to share this with him but then his eyes returned to him and stayed there, taking comfort from the look, trying to drown in his parabatai’s eyes, trying to forget where he was, what was about to happen. He had almost managed to escape to a private headspace no one could touch him in, his eyes now unfocused and dull but they still held Jace’s gaze, when he felt John pull back the gun barrel a little, about to push it inside him, scarring him for life inside and out. It isn’t happening, think of something else. It isn’t happening…

“What is going on here?!” Peter’s voice boomed and echoed off the walls of the room, the anger in his voice clear.

John froze and pulled the gun away from Alec hastily.

The guard holding Jace’s face let go and Jace tore free, shooting dangers with his eyes at him. He then looked at Peter and was annoyed with himself when he realized he was actually grateful to see him. He looked back at Alec; his eyes were still unfocused as if he wasn’t really there and his body was limp and unmoving. It worried Jace immensely but there wasn’t anything he could do about it right now.

“Sir…we were just…” John started, clearly not sure how to complete that sentence.

It was as if all John's rage had vanished and even he was surprised, shocked even, at what he had almost done, what had almost happened.

“Shut up!” Peter snapped at him, his voice like a whiplash.

Peter moved further into the room, surveying the damage.

“Take him back to their cell,” Peter pointed to Jace, “and take that one to the infirmary,” he nodded to Alec.

No one moved, no one barely breathed. It was like the whole room had frozen, the shock of what had almost happened suddenly becoming real for everyone.

“Now!” Peter bellowed angrily.

“But Sir…” John started, clearly wanting to try and justify himself yet even he seemed a bit hesitant now, unsure of what to actually say.

“I said now!” The one word, the gleam in Peter’s eyes made it clear he wasn’t to be questioned a second time.

Jace was forced to his feet and dragged towards the door, all the while looking worriedly towards Alec who still lay motionless on the table, his eyes looking at him but didn’t seem to see him.

“Alec! Alec, you will be alright!” Jace yelled at him but his parabatai’s eyes were still dull, unfocused, still stuck somewhere within himself where he had escaped to in order to be able to survive what had been planned for him.

As two guards pushed Jace further towards the door, guns pointed at him, he came face to face with Peter who gave him a warning look, making the guards pause for a moment.

“Remember this moment for if there ever is a repeat of this I won’t stop them,” Peter said quietly, deadly.

Jace didn’t respond, didn’t know what to say anyway. To Jace escape was now more paramount than ever but they had to have a better plan; he wasn’t sure he could have survived it if he would have had to see the completion of what had almost happened… he was visibly shaking and trying hard not to let his emotions overwhelm him. He had failed Alec in the most horrible way…and that could never ever happen again.

The two guards pushed Jace out the door while he kept casting worried glances over his shoulder at Alec who had now been released from the table and was lying in a heap on the floor in front of John and the two guards, still emotionless and unmoving. Jace lost Alec from his line of vision as he was forced out of the room and towards their cell, three soldiers followed after the two guards taking him away, their guns never wavering for a second, not taking any chances.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

“Alec!”

Jace had never known relief like this when he saw Alec again as he was pushed into their shared cell. He wore clean clothes, black sweatpants and a sweater and warm socks, and from the looks of it he had been allowed to draw iratze for the two gun wounds as he only had the slightest limp to his step as he entered. As soon as the guards closed the door behind him Jace embraced him warmly but drew back in concern when Alec stood stiff in his arms. He drew back and tried to look into his eyes but Alec was avoiding his gaze.

“They gave you new clothes too,” Alec commented when they drew apart, not knowing what else to say.

Jace was wearing the same outfit as himself and he was relieved to see that he didn’t look like he had any injuries. Alec felt so embarrassed about what had happened that he didn’t know how to look at Jace. He must think me so weak, that thought kept echoing in his brain, over and over again.

“Alec….look at me, please.” Alec reluctantly did so, surprised to see only concern and love in Jace’s face; none of the contempt or disappointment he had feared was there. “You are the strongest person I know. What you did….I am very proud of you.”

Alec laughed humorlessly, darkly, pained, self-hatred in his eyes, making his face seem twisted and agonized. “Proud? For almost letting myself be…?”

“Stop!” Jace interrupted him hotly. He wasn’t sure he was sparing Alec or himself from the word ‘rape’ that hung unspoken between them. “You didn’t let yourself be anything. It wasn’t something you could have stopped.” Alec was still avoiding his eyes. “Alec…do you blame me for what happened?”

“Of course not!” Alec denied quickly, hotly, a confused look in his eyes. How could Jace even think that?!

“Why not? If I had been stronger, faster…it wouldn’t have happened.” He paused and took a pained breath. “I blame me.”

“Well, I don’t!” Alec snapped, harsher then he had intended.

He didn’t remember much of what had happened; the guards had taken him to the infirmary where he had been given an injection and had first woken up hours later, his wounds cleaned and bandaged. He had even been allowed to draw iratze for the two gun wounds. Waking up after the injection had also meant waking up and remembering what had happened and that was some of the worst mental anguish he had ever experienced. He had never before felt that helpless, that useless, before. He had never hated himself as much as he did now. The ordeal had also left him with a residual anger which he hung on to as it was more productive than his feelings of shame, humiliation and aguish.

“Then maybe we could make a deal. I will try and forgive myself and you will do the same,” Jace suggested softly, warmth and pain in his voice.

Alec nodded, trying for a smile but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Okay.”

“And…”Jace now avoided his eyes. “Would you reopen our bond on your side?”

“Jace…” Alec sighed, looking down. “I am not in a good place right now.”

“Neither am I but I…I need to feel you.” Jace was almost pleading and didn’t care. He needed to feel, really feel, that his parabatai was truly ok, or at least as ok as he could be.

Alec bit his lower lip nervously but nodded and finally gave up control, opening the bond again. The relief at feeling Jace’s strong presence almost made him smile – Jace did smile when he felt Alec’s warm presence wash over him like waves. However, with the opening of the bond their feelings also became available to each other. Alec had feared sensing something in Jace, some hint of contempt or anger at him but found none. He only found warmth, compassion, worry…and a deep and cutting edge of self-hatred that almost rivalled what Alec was feeling. On Jace’s side he felt Alec’s humiliation, his shame, his self-hatred…and he pushed through it and sent all his love and care for his brother back through the bond.

They shared a meaningful look, filled with shared pain and shared compassion. Nothing was alright, everything was wrong and broken but…but their bond was as true as it always had been.

They went to sit on the mattress, side by side, leaning against the wall, sitting in silence for a moment, trying to get their bearings. Jace needed to feel close to him now, after being separated from him, having to reassure himself Alec was here and safe. He touched his arm lightly and Alec leaned slightly into the touch.

“Did they feed you in that infirmary?”

This wasn’t what they really needed to talk about, what was on their minds but they both needed to just breathe a little…to pretend something was just a bit more normal.

“Yes. It was ok.” Between the lines he was saying, I was ok. He wanted to say it but he knew it was a lie and he didn’t want to lie to Jace, not now, not yet.

“I was worried,” Jace admitted softly, trying not to show just how much.

Alec realized then that Jace was shaking slightly, trying to control it, his right hand making a fist to keep his hand from shaking. These past two days had been hell for his parabatai; not knowing what was happening to Alec, fearing the worst. Alec had for the most part managed to keep his end of their bond closed so he hadn’t shared his emotions during the separation but only when he had gotten stronger; the first day or so Alec had been in too much pain and turmoil to control it.

Their shared rune had let Jace know Alec was alive but for the first few hours of their separation he had also felt pain from Alec’s wounds as the Mundanes had worked on him until the pain had faded and finally had all but disappeared. However, through the bond he had felt the turmoil and chaos, the shame, the fear that Alec had been unable to control. It had manifested inside Jace like a cancer, feeling his own feelings of weakness and anger at having been unable to stop it.

“I’m ok,” Alec said out loud now, looking at Jace before embracing him, holding him close.

“I’m so sorry,” Jace mumbled against Alec’s shoulder, unable to keep back the tears now, hugging Alec so close it was almost painful.

Jace had gone over and over in his head how he had wanted to act, dreamed, imagined himself saving Alec from the ordeal – only to realize it was just daydreaming. He had thought out in detail how he would act when Alec was back in the cell with him; how he would comfort him, how he would be strong for him. Yet all his plans were crumbling, failing him as the dam finally broke.

“Don’t be. Shh. It’s okay,” Alec mumbled comfortingly, stroking his hair, holding him close. It felt good being there for someone else, being the strong one for Jace. It made Alec forget his own pain and just focus on this moment, focus on Jace.

It felt like forever but lasted only minutes. Jace composed himself and pulled out of Alec’s arms, looking sheepishly at him as he wiped the tears away.

“I can’t believe you’re comforting me!”

Alec smiled at him then, a real smile which made Jace smile back despite the turmoil he was feeling inside.

“It’s okay,” Alec assured him. He actually liked doing that; he didn’t want to be treated differently, he didn’t want to be treated as if he was broken….even though he felt like that.

Jace drew him back into a hug, holding him close, his head on his shoulder. They sat like that in silence, taking comfort in each other.

Chapter Text

Please read the tags and author notes for chapter warnings; thanks

Chapter 9

“Good as new I see,” Peter said as way of greeting when four guards escorted Jace and Alec into the room he was in.

It was a small room in the hospital wing Alec had been to before. There were two chairs in the room and a metal medical table with instruments on it. To the far corner was a hospital bed. A doctor in a white coat stood by the side, near the wall, looking nervous. There were six guards in the room, standing by the walls, guns pointed straight at them and this time they all had machine guns, making it clear there was no escape. When two guards came forward to take Alec from his side Jace visibly tensed and fisted his hands. After what they had been through, what had almost happened to Alec…he couldn’t let them take him away again.

“It’s okay,” Alec mumbled reassuringly, sending calming waves through their bond to Jace, putting a hand on his arm.

“Stand down,” Alec added softly.

The words were a command but the softness and care in them made it a plea. Reluctantly, knowing rationally Alec was right, fighting here and now would be pointless, Jace forced himself to move a little away from his parabatai. Jace looked on worriedly as the two guards forced Alec over towards the table and then into the nearest chair and tied him to it with zip ties around his wrists.

The experience was familiar to Alec and brought back memories of the first “talk” he had had with Peter and he felt a wave of fear and panic. Jace cast Alec worried looks, sending waves of assurance through the bond as two guards forced him into a chair opposite Alec, also tying his wrists to the arm of the chair. The two chairs were close to each other but facing away from each other so they couldn’t see what was happening to the other one, making both men feel a wave of worry and concern for the other’s wellbeing.

“What do you want?” Alec asked sharply, looking Peter in the eyes as he saw Jace being strapped to the other chair, fighting his fear with anger.

“I want to know more about you…in particular your friend…Jace I heard you call him,” Peter said calmly, waving a hand to indicate Jace.

“He’s Jace, I’m Alec. There; I told you something,” he snapped, trying to control his temper.

He had found that since the ordeal….he couldn’t even call it 'near rape' in his mind even though he logically knew that was what it had been, he was angry all the time and he had to fight painfully hard to control it. He knew he needed to be levelheaded if they were to think of a way out of here.

“Yes…things you knew I would already know,” Peter said with a cold smile that had a hint of admiration. “But that will soon change.”

Peter waved at the doctor, an older man who seemed very uncomfortable being there. He went to the metal table next to Alec’s right side and filled a syringe. He looked hesitantly at Peter, the syringe in his hand.

“Go ahead,” Peter said to the doctor.

The man still seemed reluctant, concern and fear in his eyes even though both Alec and Jace were bound and had several guards pointing weapons at them. After their escape attempt it seemed security had been increased significantly and the guards were more alert than before.

“We don’t know what this will do given the unique properties in his blood. There are less abnormalities in this specimen than the other but this drug was desired for humans not…whatever he is mixed with,” the doctor warned, indicating Alec.

“What’s going on?” Jace asked worried.

He couldn’t see his brother from the angle he was sitting but didn’t like what he was hearing.

“It’s ok, Jace,” Alec reassured him though he looked suspiciously and a little worried at the syringe being waved in his general direction.

“That’s why we are testing this out – to find out more,” Peter said with forced patience.

When the doctor still didn’t move he added sharply, “Sometime this century, doctor!”

The look of fear that crossed the doctor’s face made it clear that Peter was not a man to be crossed; even his own men feared his anger. He quickly moved to stand next to Alec and tapped on the inside of his elbow for a vein; Alec wearing a t-shirt making the process easier. Having found what he was looking for he inserted and emptied the syringe quickly before withdrawing the needle and hastily stepping back towards the wall; his fear of what Alec and Jace might be able to do or react clear in his rapid retreat.

Alec hissed when the needle entered his arm; having been to the infirmary previously had made him a bit more used to Mundane medicine but not by much. As soon as the syringe was emptied Alec started to feel lightheaded. A few minutes later he felt giggly, almost drunk, his eyes getting glassy and his vision blurry.

Alec must have let out a giggle because Jace asked concerned and confused, “Alec. What’s going on?”

Alec tried to focus but his attention kept shifting and his eyes caught the lights in the ceiling. They looked like sparkling stars. He smiled widely as he looked up at them.

“Oh….pretty lights.”

Peter snapped his fingers impatiently in front of Alec’s face. “Hey! Pay attention.”

Alec tried to focus on Peter’s face but it was dancing before his eyes.

“Tell me about Jace,” Peter demanded.

“He’s my parabatai,” Alec said truthfully.

Something in him told him not to answer but it was like he didn’t care, his brain felt weird and his body felt like it belonged to someone else. A part of him felt relieved; it was the first time he had been able to relax since the incident, as he had termed it in his mind, a few days before. Alec frowned a bit as memories of what had happened threatened to resurface but they were quickly pushed aside, the drugs not letting the worry settle.

“I think he’s quite worried about me,” Alec said in a conspiratorial voice, nodding solemnly like he had just told Peter a great secret.

“What’s a parabatai?” Peter asked curiously.

“We’re brothers….bound together,” Alec explained, using small words because he had decided that the man was clearly unintelligent; everyone knew what parabatai was...

“How?” Peter leaned closer, moving instinctually towards him, clearly fascinated.

“We share our souls,” he said matter of fact in the same tone of voice one would use to talk about the weather.

Peter frowned, clearly confused, thinking it was a metaphor for something.

“Is that why he is such a great fighter?”

“No, of course not,” Alec said in annoyance with a tone of voice that made he clear he felt that question was ridiculous. “That’s because of his pure blood.”

“Pure blood?” Peter asked puzzled but obviously captivated, hanging on every word.

Alec nodded, smiling proudly at the thought of his brother’s skills. “Yep.”

“What does that mean?”

Alec frowned, fighting the odd desire to be truthful. “I don’t think I should tell you.”

“I think you should,” Peter countered, his voice kept soft.

Alec seemed to think for a moment, struggling with himself. Then his eyes found the lights in the ceiling again and when he looked at Peter once more he was smiling, his mind far away on fond memories.

“Magnus can make lights like that, dancing all around, with just a snap of his fingers. So pretty.” He paused, smiling even more, a longing and loving look on his face. “He’s so pretty. He has the most amazing eyes.” He paused, still smiling, lost in internal memories and visions of Magnus. “Have you seen them?”

Peter sighed in frustration; this was not going in the direction he wanted this conversation to go. He looked at the doctor and ordered, “Give him another dose; he’s fighting it.”

The doctor shook his head, frowning in concern at the order. “I already gave him a higher dose than usual. Another and he could have a heart attack.”

Peter raised an eyebrow at him. “Believe me, doctor. These beings aren’t that fragile.”

“Stop this! If you want to experiment on someone use me!” Jace demanded hotly, worried for Alec.

He was feeling some very unusual things through the bond from Alec…a weird kind of fuzziness. Not pain, thankfully, but certainly something odd. Damn, he was so tired of being the ‘special one’!

“Not until I know how your unusual blood reacts to the drugs,” Peter said simply. He turned his attention back to Alec. “Give this one another dose.”

“Fine! But I won’t be held responsible,” the doctor said in a defeated tone and injected Alec again, this time in the neck. Alec didn’t seem to notice, still fascinated by the lights.

“Alec….Alec, focus on my voice,” Peter insisted, snapping his fingers in front of his face, trying to get his unfocused eyes to look at him. “What’s up with Jace’s blood? Your blood? What kind of beings are you?”

Somewhere in the back of Alec’s mind was a voice telling him not to respond but that voice was drowning in the fuzziness of the drugs. Images kept appearing and disappearing in his mind, memories, fears….Peter kept repeating the question but the voice seemed like it came from under water and Alec’s eyes kept wavering, shifting, unable to focus.

“Magnus has the prettiest eyes. Cat eyes…He hides them but he really shouldn’t. They are so beautiful…they are a part of who he is and all of him is beautiful,” Alec explained in a dreamy voice, as if talking to himself. He had a far away look in his eyes.

Annoyed, Peter hit him in the face with an open hand, hoping the pain would bring him around.

“Hey! Focus on me!” Peter insisted. Alec looked at him but his eyes were clouded, still unfocused. “Who’s Magnus?”

Alec smiled warmly, seeing something only he could see in his mind’s eye.

“Magnus is…Magnus. You should see him…he’s so beautiful, inside and out. He doesn’t seem to quite believe it, afraid of his dark side but….he doesn’t have a dark side.” He paused, a thoughtful look on his face but then he smiled secretly. “Well…maybe he has a little bit of a dark side but I enjoy that side of him too.”

“Hmm?” Peter got out, confused again.

Alec nodded, his voice now a low conspiratorial whisper, “He can get quite possessive and dominating towards the people he cares about; he worries a lot but he doesn’t want anyone to know.”

Then he frowned and suddenly his eyes were piercing sharp as they bore into Peter as if he in his drugged state knew a truth he would never speak of otherwise as he added,, “He will kill you for what you have done to me…slowly, torturously slowly and he will enjoy every second of it.”

Peter drew a sharp breath. For some reason of all the threats the two Shadowhunters had made this one actually affected him though he couldn’t say why.

Then Alec smiled, darkness forgotten, again lost in dreamy memories of Magnus.

“But then I think even that side of him…those impulses…well, they are actually kinda hot!”

“Alec…I really don’t think you want to be sharing this with the class,” Jace said with no small amount of amusement and pride at his brother; even drugged Alec was fighting them and wasn’t giving them anything they could use against them. He made sure to send those feelings of pride and admiration for his parabatai through their bond.

“Hey! Back to Jace!” Peter demanded, trying to regain Alec’s attention, slapping him again with an open hand, leaving Alec’s left cheek flaming red after having been assaulted twice.

“He’s hot too but Magnus is hotter!” Alec protested, clearly not seeing why he should be changing topic. He let out a dreamy sigh. “Magnus is perfect.”

Jace smirked at Alec’s words, feeling increasingly light-headed, it was almost as if he was getting drunk. It was a weird sensation but not at all unpleasant as it carried away his worries and fears.

Peter sighed; this was clearly not working.

“What..,” he was about to ask another question when Jace started speaking.

“The lights are dancing…why are the lights dancing?” Jace mumbled, fascinated as he looked at the ceiling.

Peter looked from one to the other and then to the doctor, a curious and half-accusing look on his face as he noticed Jace also had an unfocused and clouded look in his eyes and a dopey smile on his lips.

The doctor shook his head.

“Don’t look at me. I didn’t give him anything. I can only think that somehow the effects on this one is shared with the other specimen,” the doctor said, nodding from one Shadowhunter to another.

“Hmm…interesting,” Peter mumbled, thoughtful.

I will find a way to exploit this connection, somehow, Peter thought.

He looked from Alec who was still going on about how great Magnus was – his boyfriend Peter had guessed by now – to Jace who seemed to be in the ‘lights are so cool and fascinating’ phase.

“This isn’t working on them as we intended though the effects are indeed interesting. Take them back to their cell,” Peter ordered, already considering how he could use this new information about Jace and Alec’s shared feelings.

* * ** * ** * ** * ** * *

Jace recovered quicker than Alec, having only felt the effects through their bond. After making sure Alec seemed to be sleeping peacefully on the mattress he had had some water before he had started exercising. It helped clear his mind of his feeling of guilt that again he had been protected just for being him; it hadn’t been so bad this time but Jace was increasingly starting to realize that they clearly wanted him for something and that something meant he had to be in prime condition.

However, despite knowing that it was what his captors wanted it was impossible by now for either Alec or Jace to forget exercising and practicing; it had been drilled into them since birth. Besides, it was also what Jace wanted; it would give them the best chance of escaping. He knew Alec was frustrated that his continued injuries often meant he either couldn’t train at all or only with limited capacity.

Jace was doing pushups, sweat on his forehead from his continued training, when he heard a small moan from Alec. He instantly stopped and went to knell beside him on the mattress.

“Are you alright?” Jace asked worried, looking at him with concern.

Alec slowly opened his eyes, nodded, still smiling, clearly still affected by the drugs though less so than earlier. He tried to focus his eyes on Jace.

“Why are you in my room?” Alec asked in a drunken voice, trying to focus and failed.

He then tried to sit up but failed at that too when his arms wouldn’t help push himself up.

“Easy,” Jace insisted as he took ahold of Alec under his armpits and pushed him up to sit against the wall on the mattress.

“Thanks,” Alec said with a smile as Jace withdrew, going back to kneeling in front of him, worry in his eyes.

“You’re the best parabatai ever!” Alec suddenly exclaimed and put his arms around Jace’s neck clumsily, pulling him into a hug.

Jace barely managed not to fall on top of him before he hugged him back, a small smile on his face. Alec had always been an emotional drunk.

“Thanks. You too,” Jace said with a smile as they pulled apart.

Alec’s expression grew serious for a moment when he spoke again, his eyes piercing into Jace’s, “Thank you for always saving me. I love you, brother.”

Jace swallowed a lump in his throat, not knowing what to say. He briefly looked away.

“I am not doing such a grand job of that right now,” Jace admitted softly, painfully, guilt and self-doubt in his voice.

Even now he had difficulty saying those words back and he cursed Valentine for the umpteenth time for that. Alec deserved to hear those words as often as possible but he was too much of a coward to be as forthcoming as he should be. When he finally looked at Alec again he noticed he was slowly but surely starting to slip sideways back on the mattress, a smile still on his face. With tender hands Jace helped ease Alec down on the mattress.

“I might sleep now,” Alec mumbled when he was down on the mattress again, his eyes fluttering as he fought to keep them open.

“It’s ok. You sleep. I will keep watch,” Jace promised softly, his voice breaking, tears coming to his eyes.

He eased Alec’s head into his lap and stroked his hair as Alec closed his eyes and slept peacefully, a smile on his lips, blissfully unaware of their situation. Jace sat like that for a long time, wanting, needing, to feel Alec close, wanting to protect him more than he had wanted anything in his life. For now all he did was stroke his hair while forbidden tears stained his cheeks as he couldn’t help but fear he would be unable to truly protect Alec in here.

Chapter Text

Please read the author's notes for warnings for this chapter

Chapter 10

In the days that followed Peter hadn’t given up his desire to know more about Jace’s unique abilities; he was simply going about it in other ways. Having now learned that their bond allowed them to share experiences it hadn’t taken him long to exploit that fact. Not wanting to damage Jace physically he had simply intensified his punishments of Alec. For now, with no means of escape, Alec and Jace had decided to play along as much as possible. This morning when they had arrived at the large room Jace had, again, been put into an exhausting training session but this time Alec wasn’t joining him which he had been required to do the other times. This time Peter had set up a chess game besides the training area on a small table, two stools on opposites sides of it. The position of the table and stools allowed both Alec and Peter a clear view of Jace’s training while focusing on the game. Being forced to sit and focus on the chess game while Jace was pushed beyond even what Valentine would have demanded of him was painful beyond words but Alec fought to hide it; not wanting Peter to have that kind of ammunition against them.

“So…how long can he keep this up?” Peter asked in a conversational voice, referencing Jace’s training, as if asking about the weather and not talking about a human being. But then, to him, Alec figured Jace and he weren’t humans. Not really.

Alec tried to shrug nonchalantly but winced in pain from the movement. Peter had felt they hadn’t really been giving it their all when Jace and Alec had been forced to train together yesterday and as punishment he had had his men work both Shadowhunters over to show if Alec didn’t give it his all Jace would be punished and vice versa. It hadn’t lasted long, thankfully, and they had been allowed to use the healing rune but some pain and strain still remained such a short time after.

“Maybe a few hours,” Alec responded, his head bowed as he looked at the chess board.

He could feel Jace’s exhaustion and strain through their bond and it had only been around two hours or so. The strain from the beating they had both endured yesterday combined with Peter’s harsh training routine was taking its toll; since the drug experiment they had barely been allowed 5-6 hours of rest between training sessions and while Jace could use the stamina rune to keep himself going Alec had only occasionally been allowed to use it when it fitted whatever experiment they were doing. Jace was always put through increasingly more demanding physical exercises and weapons related training. Alec was often there to train with him or for them to compare against but a few times they had him doing other tasks. At first he had found the tasks weird until he realized they were testing other skillsets – his ability to remember layouts, his critical thinking, his reflexes and response times…However, even with angel blood the tests and limited sleep was starting to take its toll on their bodies and minds.

“A few?” Peter raised an eyebrow at him, questioning, demanding.

Alec moved his chess piece and looked him in the eyes. “Five hours.”

A lie but he had his breathing calm, his eyes straight and strong; Peter shouldn’t be able to tell. Jace could endure more but at a high price; he needed time to rest and recover. Five hours was already pushing it but saying a lower number would just make Peter suspicious.

“Seven hours it shall be then,” Peter ordered.

Alec fought not to show his fear and disappointment. Damn it! How had he known it had been a lie? Peter was clearly much better at reading him than Alec had thought. He would make sure not to underestimate him again.

Peter looked back down at the chessboard before he added calmly, not bothering to look at Alec as he spoke. “Oh….and you know the punishment for lying to me.”

“You already punished Jace,” Alec reminded him, trying not to show his fear at the man’s words. He was a Shadowhunter; he would not show fear in front of this Mundane, ever!

“No. I simply did what I would have done if you had been truthful.”

Peter looked him straight in the eyes. The lines in his face hardened and his voice took on a sharp edge. “Stand up and face the wall.”

“Alec…” Jace called out, feeling Alec’s growing anxiety through their bond.

Jace was sweating, panting, fighting to keep up with the instructions yelled at him as he was forced to perform various acrobatics and fighting stances.

“It’s fine, Jace. Just focus on what you’re doing.” Alec yelled at him, keeping his voice calm and soothing, not wanting Jace to get distracted.

Knowing he had no choice but to obey Alec got to his feet with a dark look at Peter before he went to face the nearest wall, his back now to where Peter was sitting and the sparring area Jace was in. He put his hands on the wall for support and positioned his legs a little apart for better leverage. He knew what was to come; this was Peter’s favorite punishment for “milder” offences. He braced himself for the pain, trying his best to block whatever he was feeling from entering the bond so as not to distract Jace.

“Ten lashes only. I was rather enjoying our game and would like to continue,” Peter commanded at the guard who would be carrying out the punishment, still looking down at the chessboard.

Before the guard lifted the whip for the first hit Peter ordered in a calm and even voice, “Oh…and count them.”

Alec’s cheeks flamed in anger and humiliation. Peter always had a way to make any punishment just that extra bitter, giving it just that added twist of humiliation and helplessness. Alec knew why he did it; he wanted to make sure Alec knew who was in control. Peter was, unfortunately, quite a good strategic.

The first hit fell sharply, painfully, taking Alec’s breath away and drawing a bloody line across his back.

“One,” Alec hissed through clashed teeth, fighting to keep his hands on the wall and his feet firmly planted on the floor.

The suddenness of the assault had made Alec lose his hold over their bond and some of his pain and humiliation at the ordeal had swept over to Jace.

“Alec!” Jace yelled in concern and worry.

“It’s ok, Jace. Just….just focus on what you are doing. I will be fine,” Alec got out, fighting down the pain, his breathing ragged.

This time he was more prepared and when the second hit fell he almost succeeded in not sharing it with Jace, almost.

“Two,” Alec got out, unable to keep the pain from his voice.

“Alec! For fuck’s sake!” Jace’s voice ran through the room, filled with pain and fear.

“It’s fine! I mean it! Don’t get distracted!” Alec yelled, his worry for Jace making his voice sharp.

Distraction could be death; they had both been taught that lesson well.

Alec forced his way up to ten, his back felt like it was on fire, his eyes seeing white spots and his breath hard and ragged. Finally done he had to take a deep calming breath, his body shaking. He had managed to keep standing but his arms were straining, shaking. His shirt had been torn to pieces, the wounds on his back were pulsing with pain and blood was slowly running down his back, dropping onto the floor and down his legs. Alec briefly hoped they gave him a new shirt. A weird thing to worry about but he didn’t want to walk around like this for all to see what he had had to endure. It wasn’t like Peter hadn’t had him flogged before in punishment and he was quite certain it would happen again but it didn’t make it easier to bear. Sometimes he would allow him to use the healing rune so the damage was quickly healed and left no scars. Otherwise he didn’t and thus Alec’s body was starting to spot many new scars, all in various stages of healing.

He finally turned around, his eyes locking on Peter still sitting by the chessboard, his head bowed, his eyes down, as if focused on the game, thinking about his next move. He probably was. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the guard who had whipped him return the whip to a table standing up against the wall. Alec had come to hate that table; it almost always had some instrument or another laying on it which Peter would select seemingly at random for punishment. Alec knew well that keeping it in plain sight was a part of breaking them both – letting them know what would happen if they disobeyed. Alec hated to admit that it was quite an effective strategy.

“You can ask me, you know,” Peter said evenly, his voice calm, almost friendly. He still was not looking at him, only down at the chessboard.

Alec hated that Peter knew him so well and hated even more that he purposely wasn’t looking at him, as if his pain was of so little consequence it didn’t even deserve a glance.

“….Can I use the healing rune?” Alec got out.

Peter looked at him then and raised an eyebrow at him and Alec’s cheeks flamed red in embarrassment and anger.

“Please?” Alec added pointedly, the hatred clear in the word.

“Maybe later, when you have had time to think about your punishment and what you did wrong,” Peter replied before he nodded at the stool before him that Alec had just sat on before the punishment.

“Finish this game with me.”

Alec took a depth breath, more annoyed with the power Peter had managed to get over him by having to ask for the iratze and then deny it than for the pain of his wounds.

“We are clearly already playing one,” Alec said sarcastically.

He carefully moved closer, trying to move with strong strokes but every movement was painful, the blood running down his back and legs distracting and starting to itch as it started to clot.

Peter laughed, his eyes cold as they looked at Alec slowly walking closer. “Yes…we are.”

Five hours had passed since they had started the day’s routine and Jace were clearly struggling to keep up with the intense training demanded of him without pause or relief even with him activating some of his runes to aid him. Alec cast him worried looks whenever he thought Peter wasn’t paying attention to him. He was itching to go to him, help him, somehow, but couldn’t. Peter still hadn’t allowed him to use the healing rune and his back and legs were a mess of dried blood and every time he moved it hurt though he tried hard not to show it. Instead they had kept playing chess and Alec was keenly aware that this was more than a way to pass the time; Peter was playing with him, testing him. Alec was just frustrated that he still hadn’t quite figured out how to handle Peter. He unfortunately seemed much more intelligent than the average opponent and Alec had to be honest with himself that he had never before met an opponent with a strategic flair quite like Peter. Twisted, dark and cold but there was no denying that Peter did nothing without reason and wasn’t shy to use any means necessary to get what he wanted.

“You haven’t asked me why I am doing this,” Peter asked of Alec as he looked at the chessboard, moving a piece, almost as if he could read his mind.

“Would you have told me?” Alec asked him directly.

“No,” Peter replied frankly, looking at him with a closed expression.

“That’s why I didn’t ask,” Alec said honestly, trying yet another approach on the man he had come to hate more and more for the pain he was inflicting on Jace and him though also a man he had to admire for his strategic mindset. If only he could get a handle on him, his motives, then he could match him. At the moment Alec annoying felt like Peter was leading the game and he hated that feeling.

Peter laughed a little but it never reached his eyes.

“It’s rare a prisoner has amused me the way you do. Well, for that reason I will tell you.” He gave him a searching look before adding, “Unless you already know?”

Alec moved a piece on the chessboard before looking up at him, calmly, deadly. “You want your warriors to be like Jace and until they are you want Jace to do something for you…likely several somethings. Missions of some sort.”

Peter smiled a little at that but it was cold, cruel. “Have I become that predictable?”

Alec started to shrug but stopped the movement when pain flashed through him from his injured back. He forced the pain back in order to keep his voice and eyes even and calm as he relied.

“It’s what I would want if it was me.”

While Alec’s statement was true it was also true he would never have done what Peter did to get what he wanted but he didn’t mention that.

“And you?” Peter questioned. At Alec’s confused look he added, “Why do you think you are here?”

“To use as leverage against Jace,” Alec replied evenly, having figured that out early on. “And as a control case.”

“Control case?”

“I know you know that Jace is special,” Alec said calmly as he moved another piece.

“You really think those are the only reasons you are here?” Peter questioned.

Something in his tone made Alec frown. Well, till now he had thought that. Clearly there was something else too.

“Not anymore,” he replied, making Peter give him a thin smile.

“Have you played chess before?” Peter asked, surprising Alec by the change in topic.

“A handful of times,” he replied truthfully. He rarely had time for games, even as a child. Training had filled his life as it did for all Shadowhunter children.

“We have played several games already, on time, and you have won each one despite that and the state you are in,” Peter pointed out as he moved a piece of his own, gesturing with his eyes to the blood that had pooled and dried around where Alec was sitting from the wounds in his back.

Alec made a dismissive hand gesture. “It’s just a game.”

“You don’t find it challenging?”

Alec shook his head. “Not really. The rules are simple and easy to memorize and the main thing is thinking and planning ahead. The challenge lies in reading the opponent,” he paused as he gave Peter a searching look, “in this case; you.”

“And I am not a challenging opponent?” Peter asked with some surprise and offence in his tone.

“Depends on how you define challenging,” Alec replied diplomatically, aware he was on dangerous ground and having no desire to go face the wall again.

“You play chess like you rule your men; ruthless, calculated and playing the long game.”

Peter actually smiled at that, a dangerous smile as if he was getting just what he wanted which troubled Alec.

“I have played since I was 12; you should never have been able to beat me even in peak condition and certainly not now.” He paused before he added, “That’s why I want you.”

“To do what?” Alec asked with no small amount of worry in his voice, not sure how his chess skills or the other mental skills they had tested would play into it but it didn’t sound good.

“You’ll see,” Peter said evasively effectively closing the conversation. “Your turn.”

At the sixth hour Jace had been asked to catch a small dagger as it was thrown to him; something he had done many a times. However, exhausted and drained his hands brushed the handle but he lost his grip and it fell to the floor with a loud sound. He looked down at it in horror, dearth and self-hatred in his gaze; he knew well what failure meant. It didn’t matter it had been his only mistake throughout the whole training. He was breathing hard, sweating, forcing himself to keep going beyond what was even normal endurance for him. Even with the aid of his runes and angelic powers he was pushed further than he had ever been pushed before.

“Oh, what a shame; it had been going so well,” Peter said with disappointment.

Peter looked at Jace where he stood as if frozen, looking down on the fallen dagger. The guard who had thrown the dagger went to Jace to pick it up. Peter turned back to look at Alec who had turned stiff and tense as soon as he had heard the sound of the dagger hitting the floor. He was starting to have a conditioned tense reaction to loud noises no matter how much he tried to avoid it; since his capture it seemed like they always meant excruciating pain would follow.

“Oh, well…back to face the wall,” Peter said disappointed and waved a hand at the wall where Alec had stood hours earlier for the lashing he had taken.

“Wait! I failed. Punish me!” Jace demanded hotly, fear in his voice.

However, his protest only managed to get him hit in the face by the guard who used the butt of the dagger to give the hit more power. The blow made Jace stumble and blood flow from his nose. Jace wiped the blood away with the back of his hand while giving the guard a death stare.

“I am punishing you,” Peter said pointedly.

Peter looked at Alec who stubbornly hadn’t moved. The disobedience from both men, one after the other, had Peter growing wary and when he spoke again his voice was low and dangerous, making it clear he was done playing around, his eyes tearing into Alec like fire.

“Move now or I will experiment with whether or not the healing rune can make detached body parts regrow!”

“Fine!” Alec spat out and went back to facing the wall, knowing Peter meant every word.

“Alec…” Jace started to protest, making a move to go to him when the guard blocked his way.

“Make one more move or say one more word on this matter and I will guarantee you that your brother will feel your insubordination tenfold,” Peter snapped harshly at Jace, clearly out of patience.

Jace froze where he was and settled for crossing his arms over his chest, glaring at Peter – he knew better by now than to doubt Peter’s words. Through the bond he felt Alec send reassuring vibes towards him which made him feel even more angry and more guilty; he shouldn’t be worried about him at a time like this. Jace tried to send his own reassurance and support back through the bond but found that Alec had closed him off. Though Jace had asked Alec not to he still closed the bond as best as he could whenever he hurt; wanting to shield Jace from the worst of it.

Alec cast a worried look at Jace before turning back to the wall. He tried to ignore that his hands were shaking as he placed them on the wall and tried to stare firmly at a spot on the wall in front of him. Sweat was already on his forehead, his body tense, awaiting to feel the weight of the whip again. His back was already a mess of blood and bruises, his shirt hanging in pieces. He wanted to be strong but inside him was a voice that just really wanted to beg them not to do this; he wasn’t sure how he would be able to take ten, or more, hits so soon. He fixed his gaze intensively on the wall, setting his jaw in a strong and determined line. He would endure this. He would do his best not to cry out and not to fall down or give away any weakness. He could take it…somehow. He had to. He fought to control his fear, trying to get his body to relax as tensing his muscles hurt even without an additional lashing but couldn’t get his body to respond to him and his arms were still shaking slightly even with his palms on the wall.

Jace watched with growing alarm when a guard went to the table of different instruments they used on them for punishments. Despite being taught the art of torture by Valentine himself even Jace couldn’t recognize all the various instruments and what damage they would be able to inflict. His eyes scanned the table and he winced inwardly when he found himself wishing the guard would pick up a leather riding crop; it seemed like the instrument that would hurt the least. However, instead the guard went to a black pot with what looked like metal spikes sticking out of it, a lid covering it. He opened the lid and vapor escaped; clearly the inside of the pot was extremely hot. He withdrew one of the metal sticks and Jace noticed it ended in a star shape which was almost red from heat. Jace watched with growing alarm as the guard moved towards Alec with the metal stick. What was going on? What was he going to do? He wanted to go to Alec, shield him, fight, but all the guards had their weapons pointed on Alec or him; he would never reach his parabatai in time. He tensed, his hands forming fists, his jaw set so tightly it hurt. He focused on his hatred for Peter and his men as a way to distract himself from his concern for Alec.

Alec was almost ready to beg for them to just start the lashing already, the waiting was driving him crazy when suddenly he felt something completely different than a whip touch his back. A burn, forced into his right shoulder on his back with such power he could smell his own flesh burning and the sweetness of it almost made him vomit. He fell to the floor while letting out a loud yell, barely managing to stay up on one knee, one hand still half touching the wall. Unprepared for the sudden flash of agony he couldn’t control his side of the bond and the pain flooded Jace like a river.

Assaulted by the suddenness and intensity of the pain Jace fell down on one knee, a hand going to his back as phantom agony ran through his body and a yell of agony escaped his lips.

“By Edom!” Alec cursed, blinking away tears of pain.

He reached with a hand for the spot he had been burned with shaking fingers. It was red, swollen and had left a deep scar; a clear burn mark. He carefully traced the burn mark and felt it was laid out in the shape of a star, like one would brand cattle. Looking up he saw a guard disappear with something that looked like an iron prod in his hands. Fighting to draw breath Alec managed to get shakily to his feet, using the wall for support. Casting a worried look at Jace he saw he too had managed to get back up. They shared a look of worry and relief that they were both standing.

Alec then turned his eyes on Peter who looked at him with the same interest one gives a specimen in a zoo, looking from Jace and then back to Alec.

“Well, now we know that fire seem to be a particularly strong conduit through your bond.” Peter sounded pleased, thoughtful, and almost happy that this was the first time he had managed to get such an uncontrolled reaction from Jace due to the phantom pain of their bond.

“Yes, I always wanted to know that,” Alec said sarcastically, his voice hoarse, his hatred the only thing keeping the pain at bay.

“Funny,” Peter replied, without real heat. In fact there was a hint of admiration in his voice. “Well, I think that’s enough for now. Take him back to their cell.”

“And...” Alec hated to ask but had to, fighting to keep the pain out of his voice and not quite managing it.

Peter seemed to consider it but then shook his head, knowing what he wanted. “No. I want to see how long you take to heal normally. You seem to heal faster than normal with the aid of the steele as well as without. I want to see how quickly you will heal after this particular injury when you don’t use the steele.”

Alec gave him a furious look. “I am not a lab rat!”

Peter’s eyes narrowed in anger.

“I still haven’t figured out how to use your steele on my people so until then we will try other methods.” He took a deep breath, “And you are whatever I decide you are and don’t you ever forget that!” Peter reminded him briskly. “But I don’t want your wounds to get infected. I will leave some supplies in the cell for you to use.” He nodded at the nearest guards. “See to it they are there. You can take him away now.”

“Jace…?” Alec started worried as he was forced to move towards the exit leading to their cell by four guards with weapons drawn.

“He will join you when his time is up,” was all Peter said as Alec was forced out of the room and back to their cell.

Alec didn't like the sound of that, not wanting them to be separated, but at least his worry for Jace managed to distract him a little from the agony he was in.

Jace sent reassuring feelings through their bond, relieved Alec was being taken back to their cell. Their cell had become their sanctum; they had convinced themselves that nothing bad could happen to them there. Jace knew Alec would be ok; at least as ok as it was possible to be in their current situation. He ‘just’ had to survive until his time was up and then they would finally be allowed a little peace, a small reprieve, before the next stage in Peter’s plan. For now all Jace had to do was get through the last hour without fucking up. His body was so drained and used he barely registered pain anymore but he was determined not to fail again; not to fail Alec again. He would endure this; he would survive this. Somehow. And then he could take care of Alec’s wounds and make sure he was alright. He just had to survive this last hour. Somehow.

Chapter Text

Please read the author's notes for chapter warnings

Chapter 11

He was laying on something soft. The more his senses returned the more he realized his head was cradled in someone’s lap so his upper body was lifted slightly.

“Magnus?” Alec mumbled softly, hopefully, moving a bit closer, fighting sleep to regain his senses. He almost smiled as he in his drowsy mind imagined Magnus sitting on the sofa in the loft, holding him close, his head in his lap as he had fallen asleep while they had watched a movie together as he sometimes did. He winced as the small movement made fire shoot through him.

“Not quite.”

That voice. Not Magnus. Alec felt like cold water had been thrown at him. He wasn’t at the loft, he wasn’t with Magnus…. He wasn’t safe!

Alec fought to open his eyes and saw Jace’s concerned face hovering over him. “Jace!”

“Shh. It’s OK, Alec. Just relax,” Jace’s voice was soft and anguished, his expression just as pained as his voice, as he stroked some of his hair out of his eyes with a touch so gentle as if he was made of fragile crystal.

Why was he sounding so anguished? Was he in pain? Alec fought to sit up, starting to panic, looking worried at his parabatai.

“No, don’t move,” Jace warned, pushing him gently back down into his lap.

“Are you…you OK?” Alec asked worried as he allowed himself to remain with his head in Jace’s lap and looked up at him with eyes huge from concern.

He wanted to reach up a hand to touch Jace but was too exhausted and even this movement was painful. He let his hand fall back down in his lap.

“Yes,” Jace replied, his voice reassuring but it still held pain which worried Alec.

“What did he do to you?” Alec asked worried, looking intensely at his parabatai's face. There were faint bruises there, healing…what gave him away was when Jace looked away and didn’t meet his eyes.

“They beat you!” Alec concluded, enraged and pained.

Jace did look at him then.

“They let me do iratze’s. It’s ok,” he reassured him.

“What happened?” Alec asked softly, pained, feeling he had failed him. He hadn’t been there for him…

Embarrassment at his own weakness colored Jace’s cheeks when he replied, “They had me do target practice, with a gun, while running. I missed.” He paused and added, angry at himself, "I only had 15 minutes left."

So close to having been allowed to stop, to go take care of Alec. Instead, he had failed and what frustrated Jace the most was that it had meant it had delayed him in reaching Alec. 

“It wasn’t your fault. No one would have been able to do it. You were exhausted,” Alec quickly reassured him, knowing that Valentine had held him to ridiculously high standards and Jace needed someone to assure him that even his bad days were better than most people’s best days.

“Doesn’t matter. I still failed,” Jace said stiffly.

“What did they do to you?” Alec asked worried.

When Jace didn’t answer right away he added, his voice tormented and soft, “Please. I will just imagine the worst so you can just as well tell me.”

Jace sighed and waved a dismissive hand as if what he had endured was nothing because to him it was.

“Peter had four of the guards work me over.”

“Work you over?” Alec asked, his eyes darkening in sympathy.

Jace nodded.

“Nothing too bad," he quickly said. Having grown up with Valentine few things reached the 'too bad' level. "They beat me, kicked me, breaking some ribs, my nose…one stepped on my hand and broke some of my fingers.”

Alec’s eyes widened in concern and he instantly looked at Jace’s hands, inspecting them for injuries and finding none.

“By the Angel!”

“It’s ok. See?” Jace reassured him as he flexed both hands in front of his face, showing him they were indeed healed.

While Alec relaxed at that it didn’t make him any less sad and worried; the beating would have hurt just as much even if the injuries had been instantly healed afterwards.

“I'm sorry I wasn’t there for you,” Alec said softly.

Jace shook his head, his face set in hard lines. “I'm glad you weren’t. If you had then maybe Peter would have let the guards loose on you instead.”

“Well, better me than you,” Alec insisted stubbornly.

“Well, I happen to feel the opposite,” Jace insisted just as stubbornly.

Their eyes locked in a battle of wills for a moment before Alec couldn’t help but laugh a little until pain made him stop and wince instead.

“I can’t believe we are arguing about who gets to get beaten up,” Alec mumbled, pain and a leftover hint of amusement at the absurdity of the situation in his voice.

Though beneath it all was a feeling of warmth and affection. They both seemed to be thinking that as they opened the bond and shared with each other the love, concern and protectiveness they felt.

“Anyway, enough talking. I need to have a look at you now that you are back among the living,” Jace said pragmatically, sympathy in his eyes but a small smile was on his lips as the affection he felt from Alec through the bond washed over him and calmed him, wrapping him up like a blanket.

“A look at…” Alec started to ask, confused for a moment.

An agonizing jab of pain ran through his body when he moved a little and memory flooded back to him. Damn! He had completely forgotten about his own injury in his worry for Jace. He must have fallen asleep when he had returned to the cell. He had only meant to rest his head for a moment, feeling completely drained and hurting.

“Try and stay still. I will have to get rid of this,” Jace explained, indicating the ruined shirt Alec was wearing.

Alec nodded grimly; this was going to hurt. The dried blood and the shirt sticking to his wounds like glue...Great.

Alec clenched his jaw and braced for the pain he knew would come. “Go ahead.”

Jace nodded and tore the shirt from the neckline and all the way down. He carefully helped Alec into a sitting position, his back now facing him.

“Brace yourself,” Jace warned, sympathy in his voice.

Alec tried to take a deep breath but before he had done so Jace had quickly and swiftly torn the shirt from his shoulders and down – the movement quick and thus the pain was quick, making dots of white appear in Alec’s vision.

“Fuck!” Alec cursed, trying to regain his breath. Jace threw the ruined shirt aside.

“It’s…” Jace began, taking a deep breath as he looked at Alec’s abused back.

It already held scars from earlier punishments in various faded stages of healing but was now also decorated with fresh red welts from the whip and the burn mark – it had mixed together with dried blood and everything was swollen and started to color. It looked like a sick painting of agony. Some of the wounds had reopened due to the removal of the shirt, making droplets of red blood form here and there, adding to the gruesome portrait.

“Bad,” Alec finished for him, grimly. The pain in his body gave him plenty of help in imagining how he looked.

“Well…” Jace wanted to deny it, say something nice and calming but felt anything he said, any lie he could make would just belittle Alec’s suffering so he let his voice die out. Instead he reached for the bandages and supplies which were next to him on the floor.

“This will help.” Jace paused, wincing in sympathy as he held a bottle of disinfection liquid in his hand. “Actually this will hurt. Sorry,” he said sheepishly, softly. “But I need to clean the wounds.”

Alec nodded shortly. “Go ahead.”

He bit on his lower lip to keep from voicing his pain when the disinfection liquid hit his back.

“Sorry. It’s over now,” Jace promised when he had poured the last liquid he felt was needed out and put the bottle aside on the floor, pain in his voice at knowing he was inflecting even more agony on his parabatai.

“It’s ok,” Alec assured him but his voice was hoarse, pain-filled. His lower lip was bleeding from where he had bit into it and he tasted his own blood in his mouth.

Jace wished he would stop saying that; he was starting to hate those words from Alec – they always meant he was doing very very poorly. He applied some cream to Alec’s back the guards had left with the supplies before starting to bandage him, remaining silent, his lips a thin line of repressed pain and fear as seeing his brother endure such agony.

“What do you think he wants?” Jace finally asked as he finished with bandaging Alec. He didn’t have to say his name; they both knew of whom he spoke. Jace stood up and got a glass of water and found some pills that had been left with the supplies.

“Here, swallow these. They are strong painkillers, they said,” Jace explained, handing Alec some pills in one hand, holding a glass of water in the other. Alec eagerly took the pills, swallowed them and drank all the water, hoping they would indeed lessen the pain. Jace refilled the glass and offered it to Alec again who again emptied it.

“Thanks,” Alec said with a small but sincere smile.

Jace just nodded before he put the glass back by the sink and got a clean shirt from the pile for Alec. He helped him into the shirt with as much tenderness as possible, ignoring Alec's embarrassed look at his own helplessness and worked swiftly. Having had his wounds taken care of and being having a clean shirt Alec felt a little more like himself again. 

Besides the supplies they had left quite a lot of clean clothes, enough for both of them to last a week, and blankets. While Jace was grateful for the luxury of this it also worried him as it indicated they wanted them captured for a prolonged time; clearly expecting to be washing their clothes and keeping them healthy – or at least as healthy as they needed them to be. Jace took one of the blankets and wrapped it as gently as possible around Alec before he pulled him close to his chest again, positioning himself against the wall, Alec between his legs. Feeling him near helped calm his tumultuous feelings a little, helped reassure him that Alec would be ok.

“You,” Alec said simply as he finally replied to Jace’s question, his voice now not only filled with pain but also worry and drowsiness.

At Jace’s surprised gasp Alec added, “He wants soldiers like you. He wants to know how they can become like you, with powers like yours.”

Jace shook his head, confused. “They can’t.”

“We both know that. He doesn’t. I think all of this…” Alec waved a weak hand around. “It’s experiments…and…”

Jace nodded grimly; they had been down this trail of thought before. “We are his lab rats.”

“Yeah,” Alec said softly. “And until Peter gets what he wants, the impossible…” Alec took a deep pained breath, “he will want you to do whatever it is he wanted those soldiers to do. He will want you to carry out missions for him and I am the insurance he needs to force you to do them and return.”

For Alec knowing his parabatai would be used in any fashion, might suffer in any way…it hurt worse than anything Peter had done to him.

Jace didn’t reply but simply held Alec as tightly as he could while being mindful of his injured back, putting as little pressure on it as possible. He was certain Alec would want him to refuse whatever Peter would demand he did no matter what Peter might do to him in return. Well, they had been down this road before and Jace wouldn’t allow Alec to make such a sacrifice. He didn’t care what Peter might demand he did and he could imagine some pretty awful things, starting with murder and ending with complete and utter bloodshed, but none of those things, nothing he could even think of would be something he would refuse to do if it meant Alec would be left unharmed.

Unfortunately, it seemed Peter was well aware of this too.

Chapter Text

Please read the author's notes for chapter warnings; Magnus is NOT a fluffy little kitten here but a strong Prince of Hell willing to do whatever it takes to get his Alexander back!

Chapter 12

“Lorenzo Rey, come on in,” Magnus said with a flourish when he magically opened the door and beckoned the other Warlock to enter. Magnus was in full Warlock leader mode; his excessive make-up and clothes helped hide his true feelings and his focus was on the task at hand; doing whatever needed to be done to get Alexander back! Alexander and Jace had now been missing for over three months and Magnus had long ago reached the point where he was more than willing to do anything it took to get his boyfriend back.

Lorenzo stepped inside Magnus’ loft, looking around somewhat suspiciously. “I was surprised to get your fire message but you mentioned it would be worth my while.”

“Oh, it will be,” Magnus promised with a smirk as they walked into the living room, confident his plan would work.

Lorenzo looked around; the room was large with a balcony at the end. He saw several people in the room; some sitting on the sofa with papers everywhere. There was a large room with an open French door; he could see large monitors and equipment through it and several people standing and sitting there. He recognized one person in there; Isabelle Lightwood. He had met her when Victor had called him in two weeks ago to fortify the wards around the Institute, clearly fearing a forthcoming Downworlder attack. Lorenzo had made sure Victor paid through the nose for this job and more importantly…he had deliberately left small calculated weaknesses in the fortifications. One never knew when one might need to be able to exploit that and he didn’t trust Shadowhunters nor did he care for them one bit.

“I can see the whole Downworld resistance is here,” Lorenzo said with some amusement as he looked around. “Nice setup,” he added despite himself; though he was jealous of Magnus for his powers and position he had to admire anyone who took on the Clave and Idris itself; if there was one thing that could make him forget his jealousy then it was a common enemy. Coming more into the middle of the room he could see a door leading down a hallway to the left; maybe sleeping quarters for all the people there. In the back of the living room was a large kitchen with a kitchen island. A young red haired Shadowhunter was in there pouring herself a cup of coffee.

“I had to conjure up a few more rooms,” Magnus said nonchalant. “Resistance?” He asked with a raised eyebrow as he offered Lorenzo a cocktail from his drink trolley by waving his hand at it.

“Whiskey on the rocks,” Lorenzo replied to Magnus’s unanswered question. Magnus handed him the drink after conjuring up ice and pouring the whiskey into the glass. Then he made a martini cocktail appear in his own hand as Lorenzo took a sip; this was actually a good whiskey. Well, one never could trust a stingy Warlock.

“That’s what they call you,” Lorenzo explained and shrugged. “By the way, the reward on your head, Magnus, by Idris has increased to one million, US currency.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow at him. “Tempted?”

Lorenzo laughed at that.

“I am not some 100 year old Warlock; I don’t deal with the Clave for pocket change,” he said arrogantly. 

Magnus smiled darkly, satisfied with the reply. “Good.”

“So, why am I here?” Lorenzo asked curiously. Someone caught his attention; a young blond Shadowhunter standing in the operations room, next to the seated Isabelle while discussing something on the monitors. Normally he despised Shadowhunters and had no use for them except to take their money but this one held his attention.

Unknown to Lorenzo Magnus was observing him with a knowing smile. Lorenzo was falling perfectly into his trap. He needed allies and he was willing to do whatever it took to get them. He had had Lorenzo investigated and had quickly concluded that what would sway Lorenzo to join the rebellion instead of staying safely on the sidelines would be someone to fight for and something to fight towards.

“Andrew, could you make some more coffee,” Magnus yelled, making the young man Lorenzo was observing turn towards them. He nodded and quickly walked from the ops room into the living room. Magnus smiled inwardly when he saw the look of interest and appreciation at Andrew’s fit body and graceful movements in Lorenzo’s eyes.

“I can do…” the red haired Shadowhunter who had just left the kitchen was about to offer from where she had taken a seat on the sofa.

“Biscuit, Andrew is doing it,” Magnus said firmly.

She shrugged and went back to looking at the papers in front of her, spread out all over the coffee table, pulling her feet up under her on the sofa. The act made her look more petite and fragile but the strong look in her eyes as she looked at the papers belied that fragility; there was clearly strength in her.

If Lorenzo hadn’t been so intensely observing Andrew he would have known this was a trap but he wasn’t paying attention. Andrew was making his way to the kitchen to obey. Lorenzo caught his eye and smiled seductively at him. To his pleasant surprise the young man blushed and looked down. He looked so beautiful and innocent and fragile. He was exquisite! And Lorenzo really really wanted him!

“I need your help, Lorenzo,” Magnus said, drawing the other Warlock’s attention back to him.

“Hmm?” Lorenzo asked distracted, annoyed at losing Andrew from his line of vision.

“I don’t really do help, Magnus,” he warned.

In fact he only helped himself; that was how he had come this far in life. He relied on himself, trusted himself and only ever considered himself. It was safer that way. He looked back at Andrew who was preparing the coffee machine. He unconsciously licked his lips, following every movement the young Shadowhunter was making.

“But theoretically…what would you want?” Lorenzo asked over his shoulder, not losing Andrew from his line of sight.

Magnus tried not to gloat or smirk; this was almost too easy.

“I want you to support me and I want you to bring over any allies you have,” Magnus said directly.

Now Lorenzo looked at him and gave him a disbelieving look.

“And become a fugitive too?” He shook his head. “You have managed to make Victor an enemy and he seems to have quite some pull with Idris. If he decides I am an enemy too I could lose my mansion, my position…not to mention my life.” He paused before adding pointingly, “Not exactly an interesting proposition.”

Magnus shook his head, not discouraged in the slightest. He was doing this for Alexander, to get Alexander back and there was nothing, absolutely nothing, he wouldn’t do and no tricks he wouldn’t pull to get him back.

“It is useful to have someone on the inside,” Magnus said evenly.

“It’s not like Victor and I are buddies. More like enemies who haven’t yet killed each other,” Lorenzo said frankly. He hated Shadowhunters but Victor had an air of superiority that just rubbed Lorenzo the wrong way and made him despise him more than most.

“That’s ok. We will just circulate that if the Clave needs a Warlock you are the only option left with powers which can rival mine,” Magnus explained.

Lorenzo smiled, smirking arrogantly. “Could work.”

“We will claim…we both know you are no match for me so don’t get any ideas,” Magnus warned, knowing he needed to put Lorenzo in his place now before he got any notions to try to challenge him for his position.

Lorenzo looked annoyed but let it slide, knowing deep down it was true.

“I fail to see what I get out of this,” Lorenzo complained. “If the Clave discovers I am actually working with you guys…”

“Lorenzo, everything is at a breaking point,” Magnus interrupted him, his voice sharp and pointed.

“On Victor’s urging the Clave has declared Alec and Jace traitors and are blaming Downworlder ‘corruption’ – when Clarissa and Isabelle started to probe around Victor started to suspect them too and had planned to have them put on trial, using the Soul Sword to force the truth from them and ultimately wanting them to have been de-runed. We barely managed to get them out of the Institute before they were to be shipped to the Silent Brothers! They now stay here, at my loft, safe within my wards. However, when they go after their own…” Magnus paused for effect. “We are being pressured from all sides and I have very few allies left within Idris I can get intel from. There will soon not be any possibility to stay neutral.”

“You seem to have gotten the vampires on your side,” Lorenzo commented when he saw Raphael enter the room from the hallway he had seen, Simon and a few other vampires following him.

Magnus shrugged. “It is not difficult to win over the Night Children if you promise them Shadowhunter blood. The Night Children easily give into their desires,” Magnus said with the air of the strategist he had become in his battle to unravel this conspiracy and get Alexander back.

“I assume the ones you have here aren’t for snacking on,” Lorenzo said dryly, with some humor in his voice as he nodded towards the Shadowhunters within his line of vision; the red-haired woman, Isabelle and the very delicious Andrew.

Magnus shook his head and when he replied his tone was firm and left no room for argument. “No, they are off limits and under my protection.”

Lorenzo considered Magnus’ words. He was right; the Downworld was on the brink of war. He couldn’t stay neutral much longer. However, he wasn’t a Warlock for nothing – everything had a price.

“Then make me a deal worth considering.”

“Miguel, the current High Warlock of Madrid, is not siding with me which means he is siding against me,” Magnus said darkly. The last few months without Alexander had not been kind on Magnus. Alexander had been his light and he had to counter the gaping hole in his heart, his feelings of depression and loss with something and that something had been anger and a thirst for revenge against anyone involved in Alexander’s disappearance. Searching for Alexander but not finding him…it had left Magnus with no time or mercy for those who stood between him and his pursuit of his lover. “Once I am rid of him his position would be open.”

Now this offer was more like it! It made Lorenzo smile; not in the least surprised or offended by the idea that Magnus would get rid of this enemy of his…somehow. In fact, he expected nothing else from a man who needed to unite the Downworld.

“And his possessions?” Lorenzo asked eagerly. By right they would fall to Magnus if he defeated him, or rather when he defeated him as Miguel was both younger and not of royal blood and thus his powers were no match for Magnus'. However, Lorenzo had always been one to push the envelope.

Magnus’ eyes narrowed dangerously, warning Lorenzo not to push him further. “I will give you half.”

Lorenzo smiled at his victory before he looked over at Andrew who had finished the coffee and was now coming towards them with a coffee pot and a few mugs in the other hand.

“Would you like a cup?” Andrew asked softly, clearly not wanting to interrupt them, looking at Magnus who shook his head.

“How about you?” he asked of Lorenzo, unable to stop his eyes from running up and down the Warlock’s body; enjoying what he saw. 

“What a polite little Shadowhunter you are,” Lorenzo purred, making Andrew blush again, looking down.

“Ah….Thanks,” he mumbled shyly, confused as to why he had been asked to make coffee when no one wanted any but enjoying the attention from Lorenzo and wishing he could say something a little more profound.

“Oh…so pretty,” Lorenzo said lustfully, taking a hold of his chin, delighted when Andrew didn’t draw away. He tipped his head up but Andrew was still looking down.

“Look at me,” Lorenzo ordered but his voice was soft. Andrew did so, still blushing furiously, his eyes large and filled with curiosity and that special type of interest that Lorenzo had been hoping to see. By Lilith, he was beautiful!

“I should…” Andrew stuttered, indicating the kitchen. Lorenzo nodded, releasing him.

“Go ahead,” he said with a generous air and Andrew quickly slipped away, still blushing furiously but with a smile on his lips. Lorenzo looking longingly after him.

“So…do we have a deal?” Magnus asked with a knowing smirk, having observed the interaction with satisfaction.

Lorenzo forced his attention away from watching Andrew’s ass as he walked away to look at Magnus. He smiled predatorily and nodded towards the retreating Andrew.

“Throw in the Shadowhunter and we have a deal.”

Magnus smiled; the trap had closed. Having read up on Lorenzo he had betted on him developing an instant attraction to Andrew; he had planned everything so that Lorenzo could see what he could get.

“Well, he’s not mine to give but join me and come work with us from here and I can guarantee you that you will have him in your bed within a month,” Magnus offered, knowing Lorenzo wouldn’t be able to deny such a tempting challenge.

He had no problems with manipulating the situation and the growing attraction between Lorenzo and Andrew to get what he wanted. If it got him closer to finding Alexander there was nothing he wouldn’t do.

“Two weeks,” Lorenzo countered arrogantly, unaware he had just closed the trap on himself.

Magnus smiled darkly. He had won; he was getting closer and closer. Alexander just had to hold on for a little while longer.

“Then we have a deal?” He asked, offering his hand.

“We do,” Lorenzo agreed, shaking his hand. “Now…how do you propose we go about this? And if I am to join you I also need to know what this is really about.”

Magnus’ eyes darkened. He tired hard to focus on the practicalities surrounding finding Alexander because if he let himself feel the loss, if he let himself think about how he might be suffering…he wasn’t sure he would be able to survive that. He had to focus on his hate, focus on finding him or else he would break down and if he did that he would be no use to Alexander.

“This is about Victor and his allies somehow being involved with the kidnapping of my lover,” Magnus said ominously, his anger and hatred making his cat eyes appear for a moment.

“Hmmm…Alexander Lightwood,” Lorenzo supplied. The kiss between him and Magnus at Alec’s would have been wedding was already legendary. There was no doubt it had to be him; he could imagine no one else that could have the older Warlock willing to break the Accords and risk all out war.

Magnus nodded, a lump in his throat by just hearing his name said aloud. “Yes.”

“Well, we can’t have the Clave thinking it can just take from us Warlocks without consequences, now can we?” Lorenzo said with an evil grin.

“Exactly!” Magnus agreed, knowing the other Warlock would understand. Warlocks were a possessive race; if you touched what was theirs in any way you better be prepared for the consequences! As Magnus was a Prince of Edom there was no doubt the consequences would be equally high to match his status.

“The Seelies?” Lorenzo questioned curiously. “I hear they are engaged in a civil war,” he added with some concern. They needed a united Downworld to even consider matching Idris. Until then they couldn’t go on the offensive.

Magnus nodded and waved a hand dismissively as if it was not important. “One I expect to end within the next few weeks with my guy as winner.”

“You planned it!” Lorenzo realized, shocked. Magnus nodded grimly and Lorenzo smiled sinisterly; if he were not to be the Warlock leader he had to admit he was glad it was Magnus; his devious mind matched his own. “Sneaky!”

“Thank you,” Magnus said graciously and gave a small nod of his head.

“Good, we will need them on our side,” Lorenzo commented with satisfaction.

“We are also starting to believe some Mundanes are involved in this,” Magnus explained as he took another sip of his drink. This was his way of coping – he barely slept as sleep made him dream of Alexander so he drank himself into a slumber and slept for a few hours and otherwise worked and worked, seeking out leads, building alliances and burning enemies. The lack of sleep, the little food he had, the drinking, the stress he was under…it was starting to show but fortunately his make-up covered a multitude of sins.

“Mundanes?” Lorenzo asked disbelieving.

Magnus nodded grimly. “Some Downworlders have gone missing and the disappearances have intensified over the last two years here in New York. However, the Clave connection is thin. It would make sense if there are Mundanes involved.”

“Mundanes? Really?” Lorenzo repeated, skeptical.

“Obviously not the average Mundane,” Magnus said irritated, as if explaining this to a child. “Clarissa was raised a Mundane though she is a Shadowhunter; she is a great help in finding clues,” he pointed towards the red-haired girl on the sofa. “And Luke works for the police so we can get some insights from there too,” he nodded towards a strong black male, clearly a werewolf Alpha from the way he was moving and carrying himself who had just entered the kitchen to get coffee, having been in the back of the ops room before so Lorenzo hadn’t noticed him till now.

“So…what task do you have Andrew on?” Lorenzo tried to ask casually, looking at him in the ops room next to Isabelle, discussing something with her while pointing at the monitor in front of them.

Magnus laughed at that; damn, he was so easy! “Good to see you have a one track mind.”

“Well, I don’t really care about any of this so I will stick with the one thing about all this I really do care about,” Lorenzo said honestly.

Magnus shrugged; he didn’t care why Lorenzo fought with him as long as he did. “Fair enough.” He sipped his drink before continuing. “Andrew is following a Mundane drug dealer tonight whom we think might have some information. I suggest you go with him.”

Lorenzo nodded, eager for the chance to have Andrew for himself. “Easy. I can just…”

“No magic! We need to follow him and see where he leads us,” Magnus warned, interrupting him. “I tried using magic to extract intel a few times from some of his criminal associates; it seems that Mundane brains can’t really withstand it.”

“Oh. What happens?” Lorenzo asked, intrigued. He had never really needed to force intel from Mundanes before so he wasn’t sure. He had normally just manipulated situations to fit his purpose if he needed something from Mundanes.

“According to Isabelle who did an autopsy on one I had tried to use magic on, then their brains explode inside their skulls,” Magnus explained darkly. He had no issue with killing Mundane criminals who had likely aided the men who had kidnapped Alexander. His only concern was that the magic hadn’t worked and he hadn’t gotten the intel he needed. He would gladly kill a million Mundanes if it meant getting to Alexander. In fact, he would gladly burn the whole planet if it meant he got to Alexander. Sacrificing enemies was easy but if he had to he would also sacrifice any friend or ally he had ever had, his very soul if need to, to be reunited with Alexander....including everyone in this room if it came to that. It almost scared him, knowing how far he was willing to go, what he was willing to give up, what and whom he was willing to sacrifice, just to have Alexander back in his arms.

“Ok, no magic. I will take care of him,” Lorenzo promised, looking at Andrew talking to Isabelle in the ops center, unaware that the two Warlocks had ensured he was an integral part of their deal.

“I know. Just get the information too,” Magnus warned, happy to see his trap had worked so well. Lorenzo was already showing possessiveness towards Andrew. Soon he would do anything Magnus wanted to ensure Andrew was safe. Now he just needed to spread the rumor Andrew was working with them so that Victor would be after him too; leaving him with nowhere to go and nowhere to live. Oh, he could stay at the loft like so many others who had been pushed into hiding, everyone knowing nothing could get through Magnus’ wards. However, Magnus would ensure he found a reason to ask Lorenzo to keep Andrew at his mansion and after that…well, he was certain Lorenzo could do the rest.

The pieces were falling into place and soon…soon he would have the information he needed. He would know where Alexander was so he could come get him. He didn’t care what he had to do, who he had to kill or torture or manipulate….getting Alexander back was all that mattered and anyone who had ever thought differently were fools. No one crossed Magnus Bane, son of the demon Prince Asmodeus, the High Warlock of Brooklyn, one of the most powerful Warlocks alive, without severe consequences.

Chapter Text

Please read the author's notes for warnings

Chapter 13

“So…tell me something about Jace,” Peter asked as he came to stand beside Alec, looking at the target on the far wall.

They had been allowed six hours of rest before they had been back in the same room, Jace back at his exercises but this time Alec had been presented with a bow and arrows and a target on the far wall, making Alec now more convinced than ever they had been betrayed from the inside. No one else would have known a bow was his weapon of choice.

Alec placed another arrow on the bow they had given him, aiming at the target by the wall. He missed his own bow but the Mundane one they had given him was still enough to make him feel better, more like himself than he had in a long time, just from having the weapon in his hands.

He had lost sense of time but was certain it had been a few months, he guessed around two or three, since their escape attempt but there were still always at least two guards pointing guns at him at all times, now with machine guns. Jace on the other hand always had six guards pointing machine guns at him. Added to that was that there was always a handful of guards standing around the room, also with machine guns. They didn’t seem to let up or leave anything to chance, making the possibility of escape non-existent if not there was to be a breach somewhere, somehow.

“He would love to cut your heart out…while it’s still beating,” Alec responded darkly, not looking at Peter, looking at the target.

The parabatai bond made him feel all of Jace’s dark emotions and as more and more time passed they had begun to invade him with nothing to hold them back. They fed the darkness and anger that had started to grow inside Alec since he had nearly been raped. A part of him felt like he should want Jace, want himself, to still that darkness but more and more often thoughts of revenge was all that kept them both going.

If Alec had thought his instructors or his parents had punished him for failing he hadn’t seen anything like the type of punishments that Peter came up with. He knew better than to allow himself to get distracted by Peter’s presence or his words. He was still in pain, bandages wrapped tight around his chest but feeling more alive thanks to a change of clothes, some water on his face and body, a little sleep and food and the fact that his wounds were beginning to heal; the cream and painkillers having taken the edge off the pain.

“And you?” Peter asked curiously, clearly unfazed by the threat of Jace’s anger, feeling superior in the knowledge neither Shadowhunter could make any move against him.

“Oh, I wouldn’t kill you,” Alec said in the same conversational tone of voice that Peter was using as he let the arrow fly and it hit the mark flawlessly.

“No?” Peter questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

Alec shook his head.

“No…I would want to keep you alive in exhausting agony for the rest of eternity,” Alec said with a darkness and intensity he had never felt before. He drew a deep breath before added coldly, “In fact my boyfriend would probably love to help me with that – he would not react calmly to what you have done and does come from a long line of… people on his father’s side who have….unique experience with the concept of eternal damnation.”

Peter frowned a little, not understanding the clearly hidden message in Alec’s words. There was something in Alec’s eyes, his tone of voice…the threat should seem ridiculous because obviously it was impossible but somehow…a shiver of something forbidden and barely felt ran over Peter; fear. Without another word Peter turned and left the room while Alec looked after him with a dark smirk before he returned to his target practice.

“I have another test for you,” Peter said as way of greeting when he came back to see him about an hour later.

“My day wouldn’t be complete without it,” Alec replied sarcastically as he let another arrow fly before lowering the bow to his side and looking at him expectantly, doing his best to look neutral and not let his worry regarding the nature of this test show.

Peter laughed, the sound in sharp contrast to the calculated look in his eyes.

“I have never quite met anyone like you before,” Peter said matter of fact with an edge of interest and fascination.

“Good for them,” Alec responded darkly.

The warning gleam in Peter’s eyes let him know to tread carefully now and after so long as his prisoner Alec recoiled from that look, knowing well what it meant. His back was still hurting from the last punishment he had gotten. He sighed in defeat.

“What do you want me to do?” he asked, resigned and sounding more subdued now.

Peter gave a small smile of victory at hearing those words and handed him his steele. “Use the stamina rune.”

Alec put the bow down on the floor by his feet and took off the quiver he had had on his back and laid it down beside the bow. He mutely took the steele and did so, handing it back with an almost angry movement.

“See those buckets of water over there?” Peter said and pointed to where two buckets of water had been placed on the floor and Alec nodded. “Pick them up and keep your arms straight.”

Alec knew this exercise; he had done it before, several times actually, during training. Not with buckets of water but with other objects. Didn’t seem like much of a test. What was the catch? Suspiciously he went over, picked up the buckets and lifted them up and held them out from his body in out stretched arms.

“Good.” Peter walked over and looked at him, observing him, taking mental notes. “I will ask you some questions. If you respond quickly enough nothing happens. If you can’t respond or won’t or you take too long…I will extend Jace’s exercise routine today with 15 minutes for each failure. The same if you drop the buckets.”

Alec gave him a dirty look. His arms were already beginning to strain, sweat appearing on his forehead and the wounds in his back were starting to ache more and more by each passing second, the burn starting to pulse with agony.

“Fine,” Alec said between clenched teeth with a small nod to indicate he understood the rules.

He couldn’t let Jace get more exercise time; the more exhausted he was the greater likelihood that he would fail and he couldn’t let Jace get beaten up again. He wouldn’t allow it. He just had to endure this. How bad could it be?

“What’s 100/30+45-367*123.5/23.45?”

“What the fuck?” Alec asked in shock, looking confused at Peter. He had been expecting questions about Jace or the Downworld; not math questions.

“Jace just got 15 minutes longer, “ Peter warned him, his eyes narrowing in displeasure. “I want to explore further if your intelligence is also enhanced and to what level, in what way and how you will respond to that while using your runes like this, under duress,” Peter elaborated with an annoyed frown at feeling the need to explain himself. “We will start with general intelligence questions – math, remembering words and so on.”

Great; just what he wanted. Peter to have taken a special interest in him. He was keenly aware of Peter observing him, awaiting his answer with increasing impatience.

“-1678, 26,” Alec replied, assuming Peter’s patience like always would be short. Luckily he had always been good with numbers and had next to photographic memory.

The test continued, more math questions followed and then remembrance of words and associations. After 15 minutes he had responded correctly to all questions but were now having great difficulty holding the buckets while keeping his arms in position. He was sweating, breathing hard and his hands were shaking ever so slightly.

Unable to stand any longer if not he was to drop one of the buckets Alec instead bent down on one knee from the strain but the buckets were still outstretched in his arms and not a simple drop had spilled.

Peter looked at him pointedly in displeasure, about to speak when Alec interrupted, aware he was about to say he had failed and thus that he would punish Jace.

“You didn’t…didn’t specify I had to keep standing,” Alec got out through clenched teeth, fighting for breath.

Peter thought for a moment.

“No….I didn’t,” Peter admitted slowly and his words made Alec sigh in relief at knowing Jace would not be punished this time.

Peter seemed oddly pleased at his wit and quick thinking and Alec wasn't sure that was a good thing.

Another few minutes passed in silence with Peter simply observing him while Alec fought to keep the buckets steady while his arms started to shake more and more, his wounds and the burn mark on his back now felt like pure agony and he was certain some of the wounds had started bleeding again. The strain was becoming unbearable, as if fire was running through his veins. Just when Alec thought he couldn’t take anymore Peter spoke.

“You can put them down now,” Peter allowed with a dismissive hand gesture, having gotten the test results he needed - for now.

Alec did so with a deep breath of relief though still put the buckets down carefully, fighting to control his shaking so they didn’t spill, knowing Peter well enough by now to know if he had spilled any, even now, Peter would consider that a failure. Alec’s arms were spasming painfully when he had finally placed the buckets on the floor. He pulled his arms to his chest and the movement hurt like Hell as his muscles protested this mistreatment.

“Fuck,” Alec mumbled under his breath, tears of pain stinging at his eyelids but he refused to let them fall, not wanting Peter to have that satisfaction.

He could feel Jace’s worry for him through their bond; he would have felt the agonizing strain going through his arms and torso. In return Alec could also feel how exhausted Jace was and felt guilty he had added 15 minutes more.

“Oh…Just so you remember not to get smart with me next time,” Peter said and before Alec could respond he had hit him hard in the face with a closed fist. The hit was hard, sudden and brutal and the force of the blow made him sway while a small sound of surprise and pain escaped his lips. He fell onto his right side, hitting his head on the side of the nearest bucket and instantly blackened out.

Chapter Text

Please read the author's notes for chapter warnings

Chapter 14

“Alec! Alec, wake up!” Jace’s voice was sharp, almost panicked, clearly worried. And oh, so very annoyingly loud next to Alec’s ears, tearing into his dreams.

“Go away, Jace,” Alec mumbled.

He was dreaming of Magnus and he wanted to stay in the dream. The real world was painful and bleak; fantasy was better. He was safe there.

“Alec! Open your eyes!” Jace’s voice again, persistent, harsh, loud, worried.

“I don’t want to,” Alec mumbled stubbornly.

Alec’s eyes flew open when he felt the warmth of the slap as Jace hit him across the face. As the dream faded Alec realized with disappointment that they were back at the cell, he was lying on the mattress and Jace was sitting next to him with worried eyes.

“What?!” Alec protested, rubbing a hand against his warm cheek.

“Sorry but you likely have a concussion,” Jace said, apologetic, worry still clear in his eyes.

Jace had with concern seen Alec being taken unconscious to their cell and had wanted nothing more than to go to him, protect him but hadn’t been allowed to; he had still had more time left for his different tests and exercises. Finally done he had been allowed to return to the cell and had almost run back in his worry and eagerness to see Alec. If he hadn’t been so worried about Alec he would have realized something was different…something was brewing. The guards were more alert and ready and he had been told they would be allowed ten hours of rest before they came for either of them; that was an unusually large amount of time for them to leave them both alone.

Once Jace was back in their cell he had found Alec passed out on the mattress, a cut on his forehead. He had quickly concluded that the cut was what had caused him to blank out. He had panicked at seeing the blood from the wound but after washing it, the cut had proven not to be very deep. However, Alec had still not woken up and Jace had become very worried. He had started talking to him and had finally resorted to hitting him in the face to get him to come around. The latter had finally done the trick to Jace’s great relief.

“Not sure hitting people in the face is then considered the best treatment,” Alec complained dryly but there was no heat in his eyes; he could sense and see Jace was simply worried for him.

“You can’t sleep,” Jace insisted, now looking a little embarrassed as he also realized hitting him in the face might not have been good for his concussion concerns.

Jace pulled Alec into a sitting position, ignoring his weak noises of complaint indicating he wanted to move on his own, and went to sit behind him so Alec was between his legs, his chest a support, Jace’s back against the wall of the cell, both of them sitting on the mattress.

Alec almost sighed in defeat and annoyance; they always seemed to find themselves back here, in this cell, in this position. However, despite those feelings he felt safer now, leaning against Jace, calmer. He knew the feeling of safety was an illusion but it was an illusion he was more than happy to indulge in.

“Yes, mum,” Alec said sarcastically but there was affection in his voice.

As the days had went on and on they had become closer than they had ever been before and that said a lot considering they shared their soul through the parabatai bond. There was now nothing they were not comfortable with around each other and they easily slept in each other’s arms, finding comfort and safety in doing so.

“Tell me something,” Jace requested as he put one arm protectively around Alec’s torso, holding him close and safe. He enjoyed this feeling, the illusion that he could keep Alec safe. He knew he couldn’t but he liked to believe he could.

“Like what?” Alec asked confused.

“Tell me about…About Magnus,” Jace requested.

Magnus was after all a topic Alec could in general talk about forever; how great he was and all his amazing deeds and so and so forth.

“Why?” Alec asked surprised. They had never really talked about Magnus before; not like that. It just wasn’t something they did. He had talked with Izzy, sometimes Clary had been there too, about Magnus, mostly when they had asked him questions about his feelings or something. But Jace and him, before all of this…they didn’t really do that - talk about their feelings and relationships - for any prolonged period of time. In general, Alec was a very private person and Jace in turn just rarely talked about his feelings.

“It will keep your mind busy so you don’t fall asleep. I don’t think you are supposed to sleep with a concussion,” Jace said matter of fact. He had heard that somewhere and he wasn’t taken any chances with Alec’s health. He paused, thinking of something to ask before he continued, “So…when did you know you loved him?”

Alec would have shrugged if he had had the strength.

“I don’t know,” Alec said instead, looking down. He felt embarrassed and unsure about what to say; couldn’t they instead talk about training, weapons or something safe like that? Something familiar.

Jace made a face at hearing that even though Alec couldn’t see it; he was 100% certain Alec remembered everything about Magnus, down to the last detail.

“Ah, come on.”

“I thought you didn’t like Magnus all that much,” Alec said a little suspiciously, turning his head so he could look at him. Magnus had told him of the talk Jace had given him after Magnus and he had had sex for the first time; his concern for Alec and whether or not Magnus would treat him right.

“I like him fine…I just didn’t trust him at first. As a Warlock, an ally…sure. But as the man my brother loves...Not so much,” Jace admitted honestly.

“Why not?” Alec asked, surprised at hearing Jace answer so truthfully.

“Well, he had quite the reputation as a party prince and was known for his multiple…relationships,” Jace admitted with a hint of worry in his voice. It was a relief to talk about this now even though he knew he should have voiced these concerns directly to Alec back then.

Alec frowned, disappointment and sadness in his eyes. “I thought you weren’t like that.”

Jace gave him an annoyed look. “I am not like that and you know it but he’s your first relationship and….well, besides his reputation then Warlocks, when they do love their partner, are known for being rather…” Jace paused, trying to find the right word, “possessive and maybe you would want to explore a bit more first before settling down.”

Alec rolled his eyes at him. “Oh, for fuck’s sake! I am not an abused little mouse!” He protested hotly. “Besides, exploring partners and relationships would be a need you have; it is not something I need,” Alec added flippantly, referring to the multiple sexual partners Jace had had before dating Clary.

“I know! OK? I know,” Jace assured him and then sighed and ran a hand through his hair, fighting to explain his feelings. “It’s just…I guess I am a bit curious as our potential rescue rely heavily on Magnus and just what he would do to reach you, us.”

They had talked about this a lot; if anyone had the power and pull to be able to find them, it would be Magnus. They had both realized their own people, at least some of them, had to be involved so they shouldn’t expect help from the Clave. They had talked about ways to try to rescue or at least get a message through to their friends in different scenarios, different things they could try. All of those ideas, however, depended on them no longer being on this boat. However, what they had so far never talked about was what they thought Magnus would be willing to do to reach them.

“I know what it’s like to balance your dark side, your dark impulses. It’s not easy and some of that darkness…” Jace began softly, taking a deep breath. “It will always come out in some way or another.”

Valentine had made him the perfect soldier but that darkness had left a stain. He understood the battle someone like Magnus would surely have to fight every day, between his demonic half and his human half, just as Jace had to balance the darkness Valentine’s torment had left inside him against the light that in particular Alec, Clary and Izzy had given him. However, now was not the time for Magnus to control his darkness; they needed him willing and able to do whatever, literally whatever, was necessary to find them. Would he do that?

Alec gave him a sympathetic look, knowing of Jace’s own struggles but he was still annoyed at the silent accusation against Magnus; as if he would ever seduce him and then leave him! As if he would just like to be able to say he had had sex with a Shadowhunter; another conquest to the collection. Though, rationally, if one didn’t know Magnus, he could understand why the worry would be there. Hell, he had had that worry when Magnus had first started flirting with him, worrying that all he wanted was a quick distraction before moving on. Luckily he had found that to be far from the truth.

“Are you asking me how Magnus’ dark side comes out?” Alec asked, raising a questioning eyebrow at him. “Are you concerned he won’t be able or willing to do what needs to be done to find us?” He added, disbelief clear in his voice. He was 100% certain Magnus would do anything to get to him and that both made him happy and devastated for he didn’t want Magnus to carry such a burden.

“If we are being honest then yes. Magnus is a good man – he helps people; Mundanes, Shadowhunters, Downworlders…he seems to almost be as selfless and self-sacrificing in his love as you are….” Jace paused before he added with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood, “Hell, seems like he has adopted half of the ruling Downworlders younger than him at this point.”

Jace hadn’t meant for their talk to get this serious, this intimate but there was no doubt Alec wouldn’t fall asleep now so at least there was that.

“So you are wondering where that darkness you believe, you hope, is inside him goes since you haven’t see it and if that means he can’t or won’t release it to get to us?” Alec clarified. It was a valid concern – if you didn’t know Magnus like Alec did. He would get to them…the question was just when. He was certain of it. he believed it as much as he believed the sun would rise tomorrow. He had to; otherwise he wasn’t certain he would be able to face yet another day in this place.

Jace nodded stubbornly. If it looked too good to be true; then it always was. “Yes.”

Alec looked at him curiously; there was more to this than worry for Magnus, for him or for them being rescued. In fact, he wasn’t sure this was really about any of that.

“Why?”

“Because…” Jace paused but then admitted softly with an air of pain, “Because if he really has no darkness in him anymore it would mean it is only me who struggles like this and…” His voice died, he couldn’t finish. His eyes were downcast, uncertain.

“And you don’t like that idea,” Alec finished for him, softly, sympathetic. He paused, considering if he should tell the truth. “I never thought I would be telling you this but….Anyway, Magnus can get very jealous and possessive.” He paused before adding, “And he has trouble forgiving. I think that’s as much as a dark side I have seen in him.”

Jace looked alarmed for a moment, his eyes piercing into his. “But…” Jace started to ask, worry and concern in his eyes.

“But nothing,” Alec interrupted him sharply but his tone softened as he went on. “I like that about him; all of it. I have lived most of my life among people who made me feel like I wasn’t good enough, who made me feel like I was invisible. Magnus cares about me…me! I matter; he makes me feel like what I do matters. In fact, he makes me feel like I am all that matters.”

Jace nodded in understanding to that. “I get that,” he admitted with a small smile. He was happy to hear Alec had found someone who made him feel good enough, made him feel treasured as he should be.

“So I have no worries; Magnus won’t give up till he has found us. I am certain of it,” Alec concluded with certainty.

Jace didn’t want to say that he was certain Magnus would need to do a bit more than just be possessive and unforgiving to reach them but he hoped Alec was right and he had it in him to do what had to be done.

“Good. Then I am certain too,” Jace reassured him.

As if he had read his thoughts Alec added, “I believe he would burn the Earth for me if needs be. I am not sure I should like thinking that as much as I do but I honestly love the idea that I have found someone willing and able to be something like that for me...me of all people. It means me feel…loved,” Alec concluded with a level of raw honestly regarding his feelings they had never had between them before.

Jace smiled. “I am happy to hear that. You deserve to be happy, parabatai,” he said heartfelt.

Alec smiled back. “So do you, brother.” He paused before asking curiously, now they were being so honest with each other and before that moment disappeared, “You wouldn’t like it if you knew Clary would do that for you?”

“Well…” Jace was thoughtful. Maybe? He wasn’t sure.

“You would rather be the one who burned the Earth for her?” Alec asked insightfully.

“Of course.” Jace quickly agreed, nodding. He would do anything for Clary, including that.

Alec frowned. “Why do you say of course? She’s fierce…I would certainly think she could do it for you,” Alec said matter of fact, building his argument with strategic precision. Clary hadn’t impressed him when he had first met her but she had turned out to be quite an amazing fighter and Shadowhunter. While he did believe she could do something like that Alec was also 100% certain Clary, being raised as a Mundane, would not be able to do what had to be done. Magnus both could and would.

Jace was thoughtful for a moment, feeling Alec starting to box him in with his arguments. Alec always had been the better strategist and planner of the two of them so this line of argument just screamed trap to him but what the Hell; he took the bait.

“Probably but….” His voice trailed off; he realized he didn’t actually have any arguments; at least not any he wanted to voice.

“But you feel better with you being strong and her supporting you than the other way around,” Alec finished for him, knowing precisely what he left unsaid.

Jace wanted to deny it but he couldn’t. if he was honest with himself this was also part of the reason why he felt so terrible during this whole ordeal. He would suffer less in his heart and mind if Peter would hurt him more and hurt Alec less. He didn’t like others to shield him; he preferred to be the shield. He wasn’t quite sure why but it made him feel…better, stronger, like that.

“I guess,” Jace admitted. Maybe, a dark voice in his head whispered to him, maybe it was also because Valentine had taught him that asking for help, needing help, was weakness. It was hard to break years of conditional teachings like those.

Jace paused before asking in a small voice, “Does that make me a bad boyfriend?”

Alec gave him a soft look as he heard the insecurity in Jace’s voice.

“No, as you might recall when I first met Magnus then I had problems too with letting go and allowing myself to love and be loved in return. To give up control like that to another person, have them have that kind of power over you…it can be frightening,” Alec said honestly with a small smile. “But with Magnus it’s different. I am fine with being…well,” He blushed slightly but still continued, feeling it was important that Jace knew it was ok to sometimes ask for help, to sometimes let others take care of you, “weak maybe if you want to call it that, at times. I trust him.” Seeing the look Jace couldn’t quite hide, the instinctive negative reaction at just the word ‘weak’ Alec looked Jace straight in the eyes with a strong and certain gaze. “I trust him to take care of me when I fall, when I am weak, when I cry and he trust me to do the same,” Alec finished matter of fact, with a naked honestly they had never shared before.

Jace was thoughtful for a while. “I wish I could do that.” There was a hint of longing in his voice.

Alec smiled a little and then to lighten the mood he added, “Besides…I can be rather jealous and possessive too so…” He winked suggestively.

Jace laughed at Alec's attempt at sexual innuendo and waved a hand at him to pretend he wanted to stop him from giving more details though he knew Alec never would. “By the Angel! You two sound like two horny teenagers doing a replaying of 50 Shades!”

Alec looked at him curiously, not understanding the joke. “What’s that?”

Jace shook his head, his laugh slowly dying as he realized what he had said. He was not going to explain 50 Shades to Alec; bad enough that Clary had felt it was a great movie to watch with him…and Simon!

“Never mind.”

Alec was thoughtful for a while before he added softly, almost returning to Jace’s original question that had started this talk, “Btw, that’s why I love Magnus.”

“Why?” Jace asked curiously.

“Because he is everything you said and more. While you hold my soul, Magnus rules my heart – I couldn’t live without either of you,” Alec said honestly, not sure if it was the possible head injury or what it was that made him this honest. However, he knew it was true; if he was ever asked to choose between Jace and Magnus he wouldn’t be able to; he needed them both to live. It would be like someone asking if you would rather have your heart or your lungs cut from your body – you would be dead without either of them, making the choice meaningless.

Jace blushed a little at Alec’s words but didn’t respond to them which Alec was happy for. While he knew how much he meant to Jace he was also certain Jace didn’t have the same problem; if someone forced Jace to choose between Clary or his parabatai Alec believed he would choose Clary, every time. Jace had shown his commitment to her since he had first seen her. Afraid of the answer, to hear his beliefs confirmed, Alec had never asked Jace and never would in the hope the choice would never become a reality.

“Magnus makes me feel like I matter, like what I do matter. I love all aspects of him…also the demonic parts if you will. I love his cat eyes, I love that he loves me enough to want to protect me and be there for me when I need him as I am there for him. I love all of him,” Alec continued explaining, pausing for a moment before he continued. “Actually, I don’t see any of the things I told you about Magnus as being really dark or evidence of his demonic side as you mentioned. They make me feel wanted. I am not sure I would feel comfortable in our relationship if not he for example could get jealous or would be protective towards me.”

Jace nodded; he could understand that. “And you?” At Alec’s confused look he asked, “Why does Magnus love you?”

Alec was thoughtful for a moment. There were obvious answers, things Magnus always said – that he was pretty, they had amazing sex…but he knew that wasn’t why and when Magnus dared to be honest and open up he said that too.

“I think I balance him in a way he hasn’t felt before. I think he feels that all aspects of him, the human and the demonic aspects if you will, can love me and relax around me. Can be him, the complete him. Like with his cat eyes,” Alec explained, reflectively.

Jace nodded in understanding. Alec balanced him too. He had a strength yet a fragility, a stubbornness yet was always willing to bend, he was like ice and water combined. Jace in some ways envied this about Alec; he himself was pure strength, like steel but steel didn’t bend, couldn’t bend.

“Is that how you feel about Clary?” Alec asked him, curiously.

Jace shrugged, unsure how to explain what he felt. He wasn’t used to expressing feelings and much less talking about them. “Not really. You are the one balancing me. Clary…she gives me reason to live for something other than the hunt.”

“I’m sorry.” Alec said softly, heartfelt.

“What for?” Jace asked surprised.

“That at one point you felt that was all you had.”

“I didn’t really. It was just all I enjoyed – the thrill of the hunt, the fight, the kills….and then fucking some unnamed girl into the next century,” Jace said directly and then laughed when Alec made a disgusted face. “Hey, you started this conversation.”

“Well, I am closing it,” Alec said firmly but with a small smile. He became more serious. “I am happy she came into our lives then. I should thank her…thank her for…” His voice was trailing off and he was fighting to keep his focus on the conversation again.

“Hey, stay with me, buddy,” Jace said worried. “Tell me something else about Magnus…” At Alec’s look he added with a grin, “Something not sex related. Does he cook?”

Alec shook his head. “Oh, no. He does conjure up some amazing meals though.”

“He better be enjoying your cooking now that you rarely have time to cook for the rest of us anymore,” Jace complained; he had always enjoyed Alec’s cooking. He wasn’t sulking…well, maybe a bit.

“Clary doesn’t cook?” Alec surmised from Jace’s sulking, smiling at the hidden praise.

Jace shook his head. “Nope. She’s not as bad as Izzy but close.”

Alec grinned at that; their sister’s inability to even boil pasta was a reoccurring joke between them.

“Poor you. Then what…takeaway?” Alec teased.

Jace grinned and nodded. “Pretty much.”

Alec smiled back and then shook his head ruefully. “I can’t believe we are talking about all this.”

“Why?”

“Because…” Alec started to say but then let his voice die out, not sure he wanted to say the rest.

“Because if all this hadn’t happened we probably never would have talked about these things,” Jace concluded for him.

They both knew that was true. They would have been close but always with certain barriers, always playing by the ‘straight guy rules’ – they wouldn’t have had this talk, they would never had been able to feel comfortable sleeping together in each others arms; both having been taught from childhood that boys didn’t do that. And yet, here, in this place, they had been able to open up and despite all the darkness that part of their captivity had turned into a light.

“Then, despite everything, I am happy for that at least,” Alec admitted heartfelt. Despite the honesty and vulnerability they had just been talking about then he was still the only one of the two of them really able to express it with such clarity.

Alec stayed in Jace’s arms, talking about this and that, forgetting about the outside world, just taking comfort from each other. Finally, Jace felt it would be safe for them both to doze off and they did, Jace still holding Alec against his chest, wanting, needing to have him close, just in case…just to know he was ok…that he was breathing, each breath in sleep calm and even which enabled Jace to finally rest as well.

Unknown to Jace, Peter was finally happy with the data on his abilities and confident he knew how to control him. He had therefore set things in motion that meant the next day Jace would be given his first mission. However, what Peter didn't know was that this would also finally give Jace and Alec the chance to set things in motion for Magnus to find them.

Chapter Text

Please read the author's notes for chapter warnings

Chapter 15

To Alec’s dismay Jace had been taken from their cell the next morning and taken somewhere unknown. To distract himself from his worrying Alec had tried to focus on taking stock on his current injuries, what had healed, what he needed to be careful and mindful of when moving. Taking stock like this every morning had become a ritual for Alec and he did it almost mechanically. He had then tried to train as much as he could, mindful of his head. He felt better but he had a horrible headache and didn’t want to make that worse. Catching eye of himself in the mirror he barely recognized what he saw; he had cuts, scars and bruises all over and he had lost considerable muscle mass as he had been unable to keep up with the intense training routine he had been used to. He had a moment of worry and panic, wondering what Magnus would think of him should he see him now…no, when he saw him. He pushed those fears aside; he couldn’t afford to think like that. He had to stay focused.

Finally, after what felt like forever but was likely less than a day, guards came to fetch him. Alec had been expecting to be taken to the usual room and see Jace being put through some experiments or exercises there but was instead taking upstairs; they had never gone up on the upper decks of the ship before; only the same level or levels below. He made sure to take mental notes of everything should he be able to use it at some point for an escape.

He was taken to a new room he hadn’t been in before. It resembled an operations room he had seen in Mundane movies except this one was on a ship; there was a large window in front but Alec had disappointedly concluded he couldn’t see anything through the darkness of night, meaning they were far out at sea. The room had lots of computer screens and several technicians, eight of them to be precise, sitting in front of screens. There was a big table with one large screen on a wall. Alec was standing on the floor right in front of the screen, Peter beside him. Beside Peter was another man Alec hadn’t seen before who had an air of importance around him. The room was heavily guarded, all the guards had machine guns and even the technicians had side arms.

No one, not even the technicians, had done much more than look at him when Alec had been escorted to the room by five guards; this was clearly a professional military operation and everyone were used to only knowing what they were supposed to know. There were five guards focused only on keeping Alec under control. It made Alec's heart feel heavy as he knew escape was even more unlikely now that he saw how professional the operation truly was though frankly it had never been very likely to begin with.

All eyes were fixed on the large screen in front of them, forcing Alec’s eyes to go there too. He had a bad feeling about this; there was too much tension in the room and too much focus on what the screen was showing. Clearly what was happening there was important to Peter and everyone else in the room. Alec’s bad feeling intensified when it became clear that Jace was not in the room with him. With a feeling of dread Alec looked at the large screen as well. It showed a live feed from a moving camera, which seemed positioned at someone’s head so either attached to a helmet or glasses. There was a door to a house; it was night and everything was dark but the handle of the door seemed to shine almost ominously in the moonlight. A hand reached for the door handle but paused there for a second.

“I grow tired of this; you are trying to stall. We have activated your anti-tracking rune and soundless rune; by the time anyone might be able to sense you on land you will be back here on the ship,” Peter warned. “If you keep stalling for time though I will ensure your brother pay for every second. So, what will it be? You either kill him or…I can shot your brother right here and now; I am certain I can heal a few gunshot wounds…we could experiment with it if you prefer. So make a choice now; I am not asking again,” Peter cautioned, his patience clearly at an end, waving a hand and all five guards pointed their weapons straight at Alec. The technicians seemed to tense but clearly made a big effort not to react to the commotion.

So that was why he had been brought here, Alec thought, to drive the point home since apparently Jace had been hesitant to obey orders. He felt so helpless; physically parted from Jace he could see everything Jace was seeing through the camera they had made him wear on the big screen but he couldn't interfere or help in any way.

“Jace, don’t even consider doing it! You’re on land; just run! Don’t worry about me; just come back for me later,” Alec said sharply with something between command and pleading in his voice. His hands formed fists by his side; his gaze was strong. He had no doubt Peter would have him killed if Jace ran but he hoped Jace could be convinced to do so. He would rather see Jace free and alive than as a prisoner here with him, no matter the consequences.

“I have no choice,” Jace said matter of fact, not doubting Peter’s threat for a second, his voice soft.

“Of course you do!” Alec protested hotly, almost desperate.

“No, I don’t,” Jace insisted. He closed his eyes for a moment though no one could see it. “You are my parabatai.”

“I am not worth an innocent life!” Alec complained, almost screaming, unaware tears had formed in his eyes. Tears for Jace, for what he was about to do, about to sacrifice – his very soul for him. He wasn’t worth that – he wasn’t capable of believing that.

“If it matters then the objective is an enemy of the state; hardly an innocent,” Peter said dryly, waiting for Jace’s decision with an air of superiority that made it clear he was certain Jace would obey.

“Hurry up; we have disabled the alarm system and cut the feed to all the security cameras but they will notice in a few minutes. You have till then to get this done or I will consider the mission a failure and act accordingly,” Peter warned. He had made it quite clear to Jace that mission failure also meant he would no longer consider Alec or Jace worth the risk to keep around. If they couldn’t do what he wanted them to they were just a liability to him to keep alive.

Peter’s words and his reminder of what was at stake made Jace spring into action.

“Alec, you are worth a thousand innocents to me!” Jace said firmly with an edge of darkness for it was true; he had just never thought he would be forced to prove it.

Jace took a deep breath and then without another word, without another thought, he activated his runes, including his glamour, and pulled hard at the door, pulling it easily off its hinges. He opened it and moved through it, closing it as best as possible after himself. Inside in the large entrance hall of the house he pulled the knife he had been provided. He easily sneaked up the stairs, his soundless rune making sure no one heard him. On the first floor he quickly located the room he had been told to enter and did so. The bedroom was large, matching the grand style of the rest of the house. In a large bed lay an elderly man, probably in his late 50s. He was still asleep, Jace’s runes ensuring he couldn’t detect he was in the room. Jace went to stand at the side of the bed, looking down at him. Before the man had time to wake, time to feel any fear, Jace had slit his throat with the ruthlessness Valentine had taught him; his lessons coming in handy now. The silence was anticlimactic as Jace made sure to stay focused on the mission and push all thoughts and feelings aside – like a good solider, like Valentine had taught him. It enabled him to get through it emotionally disconnected. The knife shined silver and red as Jace pulled it back.

“Noo!” Alec mumbled in horror, feeling weak, devastated. He sank to his knees on the metal floor, feeling like he needed to vomit. An innocent had died because of him, Jace had blood on his hands…because of him. All because of him, always because of him. He was suddenly gasping for breath, fighting the onslaught of a panic attack.

Jace had heard Alec but had ignored him. It was not an option to let Alec die. Thinking back to the plans and ideas regarding what they could do to escape he had debated with Alec, Jace made full use of this opportunity. He raised his eyes to the bedroom wall, ensuring the camera in the glasses he was wearing was only seeing that. Without looking down he used his right hand to cut the light rune Clary had invented and thus only she and a few trusted people around her would know about, into the man’s right arm with the knife. He wiped the knife on his pants by his thigh and moved away from the bed, careful not to look back at the corpse. Now came the part he knew they would discover but he had to take the chance. Neither Alec nor he could take much more of being Peter’s prisoners if they were to keep some sense of self. He quickly picked up the man’s cell phone from the nightstand and pressed 911; grateful for once that Simon had loved to force Clary and him to watch Mundane cop shows together.

“911. What’s your emergency?”

“A man has been murdered at 91 Falcon Road. Send detective Luke Garroway,” Jace said quickly before putting the mobile on a nearby table, keeping the line open. He had seen the number on the house, well, more like mansion, when he had entered and the street name when he had been escorted here by several heavily armed guards. The limited amount of time from the ship to here and far away landmarks had told Jace he was some distance from New York but should still be close enough that the responding cops would be able to get Luke on the case. Jace personally thought the guards who had escorted him here had been unnecessary; what kept him in line was the threat to Alec and not their presence.

“Hallo? Hallo, Sir, are you there?” The woman on the other end asked as Jace walked away and out of the house.

Peter would make him pay for making that call, Jace knew it. He just hoped Peter would limit his anger to him this time and spare Alec. Well, that was likely too much to hope for but then at least that he would let Jace take the blunt of the punishment for once. Above all though he really hoped Luke would get the message and it would help their friends to find them.

Chapter Text

Please read the author's notes for warnings

Chapter 16

When Jace had returned to the ship, blindfolded and bound, escorted by several well-armed guards, he had been taken to a room he hadn’t been in before. It was below deck; a small office with just enough space for a desk, one chair behind it, two chairs in front of it and some bookshelves along the sides. Jace had been pushed down into one of the chairs in front of the desk and his blindfold had been removed to reveal an eerily calm Peter who hadn’t spoken for minutes but had just looked at him with an intense look. Just when Jace had had enough and snapped, asking him what he wanted Peter had calmly dismissed him with a wave of his hand and told him in a sinister tone that they would talk later.

That didn’t bore well at all. Peter’s anger was always controlled but now it seemed like being inside the eye of a hurricane. Jace was not quite sure what Peter had wanted from him but had an uneasy feeling he had failed by snapping at him; that whatever Peter had searched for in his face he had found. However, he quickly decided he really didn’t care about that right now. All he cared about was getting to Alec and making sure he was alright. He had not been able to see what was going on at the ship while he had been on his mission for Peter but he had heard Alec’s anguished voice and labored breathing. Alec had had panic attacks in the past; getting through one with someone like Peter there would not have been pleasant and knowing Peter, he would try and find a way to use it against them. Jace had tried to reach out and feel Alec through their bond but hadn’t been able to pick anything up. That worried him a lot though he kept telling himself there could be many harmless and logical reasons for that.

Jace had been escorted back to the cell he had started to think of as home. He walked faster as soon as he recognized the hallways of the ship, eager to reach his brother, his concern for him now almost a physical presence. They had not been separated for this many hours since…well, since the incident they didn’t speak about that had sent Alec to the hospital. It made Jace feel very uneasy and reassuring himself that Alec was safe was becoming a need more pressing than breathing.

“Alec!” Jace exclaimed in relief as soon as the cell door opened and he saw him.

As soon as he saw him Jace did what he had gotten used to doing by now whenever he saw Alec again; he scanned him for injuries. He looked alright, physically, but that was also the best he could say. Jace frowned in concern when he noticed the lack of energy and life in him; he had been sitting up against the far wall, his knees up to his chin and his arms over his legs protectively. His head had been hidden in his arms but he looked up with a look between hope and fear as the cell door opened. However, he didn’t move, didn’t get up to greet Jace, embrace him, as he normally would.

Jace was used to the routine of returning to the cell and paid little attention to the guards as they removed the chains from his wrists and ankles before leaving, closing the door behind them.

“Alec?” Jace questioned softly as soon as the cell door closed, looking down at him with concern. Alec held a lost look, anguished. It looked like his lips moved but no words came out. His eyes looked puffy like he had cried. He looked relieved at seeing him yet also…sad and tormented.

Getting increasingly worried for his mental state Jace slowly took a few steps closer to him, stopping at the edge of the mattress Alec was sitting on. While Alec followed him with his eyes, it seemed more like a warrior instinct than anything else. He looked tense and on edge, almost like a frightened deer caught in headlights and feeling afraid to move but also afraid to stay.

 “Alec, parabatai, you can’t avoid me forever. You will have to talk to me eventually,” Jace tried with forced humor in his voice, forcing a smile as he knelt down beside him but didn’t reach for him yet, unsure what was going on inside his head at the moment. Seeing Alec like this made Jace even more convinced they had to escape as soon as possible; else he was starting to fear if Alec would have lost too much of himself to this place to ever fully recover. If one ever could fully recover from what any of them had been through….

“Seriously…this cell is way too small for us not talking,” Jace added with a forced humorous tone, wanting to try and get a smile from Alec.

We survived; we’re back together again. Smile, Alec. We survived this one, Jace thought feverishly, wanting, needing Alec to be ok so they could go back to the closest thing to normalcy they had these days.

“Don’t,” Alec begged in a pained voice, turning his face away from him, his eyes finding a spot on the floor to Jace’s left like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

“By the Angel, Alec!” Jace was losing his temper, his worries and fears for Alec, everything that had happened today… it was all too much. He didn’t need this crap from Alec! He wanted him to just be ok, damn it!

Jace took a firm grip on Alec’s chin and forcefully turned his head around to face him. Alec allowed the movement without fighting him which made Jace frown in concern. He grew even more concerned when Alec kept his gaze to the floor, unable to meet his eyes.

Jace was puzzled, hurt. What had happened? Why was Alec acting like this? It was like he had given up, lost the will to fight. The very thought was breaking Jace’s heart; his own will and ability to fight was reliant on Alec fighting, being that calm voice that guided them through. He tried to reach out through their bond but as preciously he couldn’t feel him; Alec had closed himself off, hiding himself somewhere inside his own mind and soul.

“Are you disgusted by me now?” Jace asked softly, finally thinking he knew why Alec was acting so strange. The very thought of Alec thinking so poorly of him, so little of him, felt like a knife through his heart and no physical pain could be greater. He hadn’t realized till that moment how much of his own self-worth was tied in with Alec’s feelings for him, most importantly Alec’s admiration and respect for him and his skills. Losing that would be like losing a vital part of himself. 

Alec’s eyes shot up at this and he viciously shook his head, a look of pure shock and horror on his face at the very thought.

“Of course not!” Alec denied hotly.

Jace felt a huge wave of relief hit him like a tidal wave at seeing Alec coming somewhat back to him and reassuring him of all things. He smiled a little, unable not to. Seeing how distraught Alec still looked his expression sobered.

“Then what is it?” Jace asked, genuinely puzzled.

Alec bit his lower lip until it bleed, worry and pain in his eyes.

“I did this to you,” Alec mumbled pained, anguished, his eyes dropping to the floor again in agony and embarrassment at what he considered his own weakness.

“No you didn’t!” Jace denied hotly. Seeing his words didn’t reach Alec he shook him by the shoulders. His grip was more forceful than he had intended when a small wince of pain crossed Alec’s face though he made no move to free himself or draw back.

“Do you hear me? Never say that, never even think it! Peter did this. If you want to blame someone then blame him. That man’s death is on Peter’s head – not yours, not mine!” Jace said sharply, trying to force Alec to believe this as he believed it by saying it as forcefully as he could.

Jace suddenly seemed to realize how harshly he was holding on to Alec and released his grip on him with an embarrassed look.

Alec gave him a piercing gaze, his eyes filled with pain and doubt, his voice low when he spoke, “Do you really believe it?”

Jace wouldn’t be an effective soldier if he wasn’t able to compartmentalize and thus he did; pushing any doubts aside and nodded, feeling it more and more with each nod.

“Yes,” Jace confirmed.

Alec briefly closed his eyes, putting a finger to the bridge of his nose. “I am so sorry,” he said softly, aguish in his eyes when he removed his hand and looked at him again.

Jace shook his head. “Don’t…”

Alec interrupted him, worry and guilt in his voice. “If it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t even be here, suffering like this.”

“Parabatai….brother. You are the one suffering,” Jace reminded him ever so gently, concern and sympathy in his voice at remembering all the punishments and pain Alec had had to endure.

Alec waved his hand as if that wasn’t of any consequence and Jace knew Alec well enough to know that Alec seriously felt it wasn’t. Well, it was all that mattered to him!

“No, I…” Alec started to say, his tone dismissive.

“Alec, you are my parabatai, my brother,” Jace interrupted him, his voice sincere and heartfelt. “I will always stand by you and I will never regret doing so.”

Jace’s determined and strong look made something break inside Alec’s heart and the tension left his body like water vaporizing. As he did so the wall he had built in his soul faded and Jace’s worry and love for him slammed into him while his own feelings of guilt and pain washed over Jace. Overshadowing their combined worries and concerns, the bond flooded with their love for each other, giving them both strength.

“Likewise, parabatai….likewise,” Alec admitted and opened his arms. Jace quickly and easily moved forward and enfolded him in a warm embrace, Alec hiding his face by Jace’s shoulder.

“Did you do it? Did you manage to draw Clary’s rune?” Alec whispered in his ear, fear for discovery in his voice yet also hope for the first time in a long time; real hope of escape. Being this close to each other no one watching them would be able to tell what they were talking about.

“Yes. And called Luke but that part they caught,” Jace whispered back, his lips inches from his ear.

“It’s ok, we knew they would. Hopefully something good will come out of this so whatever punishment Peter thinks of will be worth it,” Alec whispered back, hopeful. He clung to that thought; they both did.

When they drew apart, Jace gave Alec a serious look, keeping his arm on his nearest leg to keep contact with him. “This time I want you to promise me that if Peter gives us the option you will let me take this punishment.”

Alec shook his head and gave him a stubborn look. “No.”

“Yes,” Jace insisted just as stubbornly.

“Jace, you already had to….do that,” Alec said in a weak voice, doing a hand gesture as he was unable to say it. “That’s enough. This next one is on me.”

“What? Kill that man?” Jace asked directly.

Alec nodded, pained. “Yes.”

“You worry about me over that?” Jace asked, suddenly realizing what was going on.  

“Yes,” Alec admitted with a pained look, instinctively biting his lower lip again but wincing slightly at the pain of the cut and bleeding lip taking another hit.

“Alec, don’t do that,” Jace said in a strong but kind voice, giving him an intense look.

“Do what?” Alec asked confused.

“Don’t project your feelings onto me and don’t overthink this,” Jace said directly in a firm voice, needing Alec to understand so he would stop this spiraling he seemed to be doing.

“What do you mean?” Alec asked confused.

“Firstly, you keep worrying that man was innocent, right?” Jace guessed and Alec nodded mutely. “Peter said he was an enemy of state. Clary has explained a little of Mundane politics to me. Peter is clearly from the military so their enemy would be an enemy of the Mundane country New York is in; the USA. The guy didn’t seem like a soldier so maybe he was an enemy general or one of these new enemies Clary and Simon has told me about that has become a huge concern for Mundanes…terrorists.” He paused before adding in a serious and disgusted tone, “They kill kids and non-combatants.”

“Yes but….you don’t know he was like that,” Alec protested. For all they knew he had been innocent; as far as he knew there was no Soul Sword in the Mundane world to ensure mistakes were not made.

“No, I don’t but why would I want to think differently? I will likely never know,” Jace said matter of fact.

“Don’t you want to know?” Alec asked. He would want to know; he would need to know. His mind would come up with an endless list of possible scenarios and explanations unless he knew the truth.

Jace shook his head. “I don’t need to. I believe what I did was justified with the information I was given and the situation I was in,” Jace said matter of fact. “I would have preferred to have killed him in combat but war is never pretty and I have long ago learned to live with that fact.”

“I…” Alec hesitated. Even if what Jace said was true, he felt the man should at least have had a trial. Yet it wasn’t like the Clave hadn’t done similar; it wasn’t like public executions by fire or using the Agony rune on prisoners could be considered much better. Idris was a warrior nation where strength was valued above mercy simply because being in a constant state of war had left little choice – till now.

Jace interrupted him, thinking he knew what Alec was thinking.

“Alec, you worry about it because you are a great leader and you seek to make the world a better place. You want a modern Idris, a merciful Idris. What happened here is what a warrior culture does, one built on strength and power and if there was one thing Valentine did teach me growing up it is how to show strength and power,” Jace explained matter of fact.

Jace could live with what he had done; what worried him was that it seemed like Alec had great difficulty living with it on his behalf. That was both sweet in some way, as if Alec wanted to take on his mental burdens, but also very frustrating to put it mildly.

Alec looked embarrassed at hearing Jace’s words, looking down for a moment. “Sorry.”

“What for?” Jace asked surprised.

“For being…weak,” Alec said softly, hating how small his voice sounded and how insecure he felt at the moment. His feelings of inadequacy had been something he had fought his entire life and it was not something easily conquered.

Jace gave him a strong look, his voice certain and firm when he spoke, leaving no room for argument, “Alec, you are never weak. You are merciful, empathic and kind. You are a great leader because of it.”

Alec gave him a small smile, the words making him feel better but still left him feeling lacking. “But not a good soldier,” he said, self-criticism clear in his tone.

“You are a great warrior and overthinking and analyzing and reflecting makes you a great strategist,” Jace said matter of fact, separating a warrior’s skills in combat, of which Alec had plenty, from a soldier’s ability to follow orders without question.

“And a really shitty soldier,” Alec said but his voice had a smile from hearing the praise and support that Jace caught and he smiled back.

“Yes, ok. A shitty soldier,” Jace finally admitted and smiled at him.

Alec had tried so hard to be a good soldier, to obey the Clave without question, but it just wasn’t in him. He was too intelligent and had too clear ideas of his own of what he considered right and wrong. Jace, on the other hand, had by Valentine been raised to be a good soldier and that lesson, painfully learned, stuck with him till this day. While he could be defiant with small things he had never defied any authority in any significant way; not until Alec had done so and he had leant his voice to his.  

At Jace’s words Alec started laughing, the tension of the day and everything that had been going on bobbling over. Seeing and hearing his laugh, feeling it through the bond, made Jace laugh too.

When they both sobered Jace gave him a searching look. “Are you feeling better now?”

Alec nodded, still smiling. “Yes, I am.”

Alec was surprised that he actually meant it. He worried about Peter, knowing they would be punished but for now he was actually ok.

“Did you have a panic attack earlier?” Jace asked worried, knowing how vulnerable they left Alec, emotionally and physically, and how much Alec hated losing control of himself like this, even more so in front of others. It had been years since Alec had last had an attack but Jace wasn’t really surprised they would start up again now, as the stress of their situation mounted. He added this as another reason why they had to escape soon before it all became too much, in particular for Alec who had already suffered so much during their imprisonment.  

Alec considered lying but then nodded. He hated feeling weak and he hated the attacks were back but he felt silly admitting to how much it bothered him that he had had an episode after so long. He had hoped he had overcome it; that it was over, a thing from his childhood, left in his childhood.

Seeing the worry in Jace’s eyes Alec waved a dismissive hand in front of himself. “It was ok.”

“Really?” Jace asked with a raised eyebrow. The attacks normally lasted around half an hour; he really doubted Peter would have had patience for helping him through that.

Alec gave him a rueful smile. “Ok, he had a guard knock me unconscious but when I came to I was here in the cell and the symptoms had all but died out.”

Jace was uncertain how being unconscious during an attack might affect Alec but he felt certain it was not good and felt both worried and relieved that he had gotten through it. Hearing how Peter had responded, Jace took a hand under Alec’s chin and turned his face left and right, looking more closely for injuries. Knowing what to look for he noticed the faint swollen mark on Alec’s right cheek where he had been hit. Alec sat still and let Jace inspect him, knowing he needed to reassure himself he really was ok. Well, as ok as they ever were in this place.

“Satisfied?” Alec asked with a smile as Jace released him.

“Somewhat,” Jace admitted, not liking Alec had been hit but knowing it was a small thing compared to everything else he had endured while they had been captured. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Alec moved to give Jace space on the mattress. When Alec took some blankets, giving one to Jace as he laid down, exhausted, Jace did likewise, both feeling emotionally and physically drained. They turned so they were facing each other; the blankets covering them helping them feel safer even if it was an illusion.

“I meant what I said, Alec. If Peter lets me take the punishment for this please let me,” Jace said seriously, softy, after a few more moments of comfortable silence.

“I can’t and I won’t let you get hurt if I can help it. Please, don’t ask that of me,” Alec said softly, his voice intense.

Jace nodded slowly. He laid his hand next to Alec’s shoulder on the mattress and Alec gave it a reassuring squeeze before letting go.

“I understand. I feel the same,” Jace said honestly.

Alec smiled a little at that. He feared what punishment Peter would come up with but felt too drained to stop his eyes from dropping now that Jace was finally here, having been unable to rest until he had returned.

“Then I hope I can save you from this at least,” Alec mumbled sleepily, his eyes closing, still not able to let go completely of his guilt and pain over what Jace had been forced to do, despite all of Jace’s reassurances.

Jace looked at him fondly, tenderly, with the affection and pride that only a parabatai, the one who shares your soul, can ever feel. He felt a wave of sadness and protectiveness at seeing how fragile Alec looked these days in sleep, having lost considerable muscle mass during their imprisonment and with scars and bruises covering so much of his body Jace no longer registered the old ones, only ever scanning him for new injuries.

Even half-asleep Alec managed to find something he felt he wasn’t doing well enough by adding the ‘at least’ to his sentence. However, Jace felt that Alec had already taken way too many punishments for him. He was determined that this once, this time, it was his turn. He would take this one. If Peter allowed it. If it was possible.

Exhausted Jace finally slept, putting a protective hand over Alec’s nearest arm, even in sleep reinforcing his desire to protect him – his last conscious thought was that just this once, please, he wanted, he needed it to be possible for him to do that and take the punishment for them both.

Chapter Text

Please read the author's notes for chapter warnings - mild consensual sexual context in the beginning of this chapter and also Magnus is a very badass Prince of Hell here; go elsewhere if you want Magnus to be a cute little merciful fluffy kitten because you won't find that here! Search for "Magnus!" if you want to go directly to where Magnus enters and skip the relationship buildup between Lorenzo and Andrew that I have used to set the scene/start the chapter with.

Chapter 17

Andrew entered Lorenzo’s living room, having just gotten the few things he owned set up in the guest room upstairs Lorenzo had told him he could use. He was impressed with the grandeur of the Warlock’s mansion; everything was held in 1800s style with a grandeur and excess never seen in Idris. Everything was golden and shiny and screamed wealth and class.

“I just again wanted to say thank you for letting me stay here,” Andrew said gratefully as he found Lorenzo sitting in an elegant leather chair in the living room.

The living room had two large floor to ceiling windows, large chandeliers, an expensive looking black piano in one corner, a cocktail trolley fully stocked with alcohol, glasses and an ice bucket, a large fireplace and two sitting arrangements, one with chairs and the other with a sofa. There was no TV; Lorenzo was still not convinced that the modern trend called TV would really catch on and preferred books. The shelves around the room held books and glittering objet d'art, many with jewels and made from expensive materials. The paintings around the room were like the paintings in most rooms of Lorenzo throughout the centuries, many of him posing with famous people or pets he had owned.

“You have already thanked me twice but do continue,” Lorenzo said with a seductive smile as he rose, taking his almost finished drink with him.

“Your home is lovely,” Andrew said honestly as he looked around the room in awe. He was still surprised Lorenzo had offered he could stay here after he had found out Aldertree was on to him so he had had to escape the Institute. He had after all only meet the Warlock around two weeks ago and while they had started a flirtatious dance, they had not yet done anything else.

“I know,” Lorenzo said proudly when he reached Andrew, finishing his drink.

Lorenzo had grown up poor and had done literally anything he had to do to accumulate his current quite significant wealth. He was therefore very proud of what he owned.

“Have you seen the Monet in your room? He painted it for me, of my garden in Paris,” Lorenzo asked.

Lorenzo had put Andrew in a guest room close to his own master bedroom in the hope Andrew would soon be in his room instead of his own. Furthermore, most guests were very impressed with that painting.

“It is lovely,” Andrew said truthfully.

Andrew had admired the painting though he didn’t know the painter. He mentally made a note to try and learn more about such things as Lorenzo seemed so knowledgeable and intelligent regarding Mundane matters like art, music and history; he was afraid he would look so stupid in comparison.

“You fit in well here then, among all my other lovely things,” Lorenzo said seductively and smiled widely when Andrew blushed and looked down in embarrassment at seeing the admiration and interest in the Warlock’s eyes.

“Oh….You think I’m… lovely? I…Thank you,” Andrew got out, blushing even more.

This amazingly sophisticated Warlock was interested in him? He found it hard to believe. He wasn’t anyone special; just a normal Shadowhunter. He was not someone people like Lorenzo noticed.

“Very lovely,” Lorenzo repeated warmly, reaching up a hand to stroke his cheek.

“I…You are….” Andrew started to say but then stopped, blushing again. Damn; he was a capable Shadowhunter and yet feeling Lorenzo’s full attention on him and he was completely lost.

“What am I, young Shadowhunter?” Lorenzo prompted with a grin, enjoying he was able to make the young Shadowhunter this flustered.

“Amazing,” Andrew got out, the word like a prayer, his eyes shining with admiration. He couldn’t understand why someone like Lorenzo; so powerful and handsome, so sophisticated and well-travelled, would be interested in someone as plain as him.

“I am that,” Lorenzo agreed with an arrogant grin and a seductive wink. Thinking this conversation would proceed more smoothly if Andrew were just a bit less nervous Lorenzo asked, “Would you like a drink?”

Andrew nodded, thinking maybe he would be able to answer a bit more intelligently if he was less nervous so a drink sounded good.

“Yes, please.”

“So polite. I like that in a man,” Lorenzo said with a wink, grinning widely when Andrew blushed again.

“Oh, I can do it. What do you want?” Andrew offered, already at the cocktail trolley, happy to have something to do, to give back in some way.

Being service-minded was second nature to Andrew and one of the reasons he was so good at his job. Doing something he knew the other person wanted made him feel calmer.

“Whiskey on the rocks,” Lorenzo replied and with a hand wave, he made his empty drink glass disappear, enjoying that someone had offered to take care of him for once.

As a Warlock most people just wanted stuff and he would of course in turn be sure they paid for it. There was just something about Andrew…something so completely opposite to himself. He seemed so pure and innocent and Lorenzo loved that and felt drawn to that more powerfully than he ever had with anything in his life before, precisely because it was completely opposite to himself.

“Where’s the ice?” Andrew asked as he lifted the lit of the ice bucket to find it empty. Lorenzo did a hand wave and ice appeared.

“Handy,” Andrew said with a hint of awe, still intrigued when he saw Lorenzo use magic around him.

“Always,” Lorenzo said with a grin as he accepted his whiskey from Andrew.

“What should we drink to?” Andrew asked as he turned back to face Lorenzo after finishing his own whiskey.

“Us,” Lorenzo said warmly, his tone and the way his eyes were roaming over Andrew’s body making it quite clear where he was hoping this evening would end.

Andrew blushed, looking down for a moment, feeling warm all over. Then he looked back at Lorenzo.

“To us,” Andrew said softly, shyly as Lorenzo touched his glass to his and they both took a sip.

“You seem nervous. Are you afraid to be alone with a Warlock?” Lorenzo asked softly, seductively as he took a small step closer to him.

“No,” Andrew denied, shaking his head, his cheeks flushed, his breath quickening at how near he was standing. Afraid Lorenzo would notice the bulge in his pants, he took a step back.

“Just afraid to be alone with me then?” Lorenzo asked conversationally as he stepped closer to him again, his eyes alight with desire and pleasure at seeing how easily he was able to get a reaction from the young Shadowhunter.

“No. Yes,” Andrew replied confused, his brain getting fuzzy with lust as he kept moving backwards a few more steps.

Andrew’s back bumped against the wall. Lorenzo snapped his fingers and their drinks disappeared. The Warlock put one hand on the wall next to Andrew’s face and leaned in close, so close their lips were almost touching.

“Should I let you go?” Lorenzo asked softly, his eyes on Andrew’s lips.

“Yes…No,” Andrew whispered back, his heart racing as he licked his lips in anticipation, looking down at the floor in the hope Lorenzo wouldn't see how turned on he was.

With his other hand, Lorenzo took a firm grip on Andrew’s chin, turning his face so he was forced to look at him. Andrew did so, his eyes wide and huge, filled with desire, want and nervousness.

“Which is it? Yes or no? Do.You.Want.Me.To.Let.You.Go?” Lorenzo asked pointedly, his breath warm against Andrew’s chin, his voice and eyes filled with seductive promise if he said no and stayed.

Andrew almost couldn’t breathe and felt himself getting almost impossibly hard. He felt himself almost melt under that strong brown gaze.

“No,” Andrew whispered softly.

Lorenzo smirked arrogantly. “I thought not.”

Without another word he claimed Andrew’s lips in a hard, passionate and possessive kiss, leaving no doubt in Andrew’s mind where this might go next. Andrew closed his eyes and opened his lips, moaning into Lorenzo’s mouth, wanting more. He had never felt so desired and wanted in his life.

Andrew was vaguely aware of something, a bright light behind them, but before he had time to react Lorenzo had broken the kiss and sprung around, keeping Andrew behind him with one hand while he had a fire ball ready in the other. He had sensed his wards being breached before he saw the portal opening. Only a handful of Warlocks could breach his wards. Lorenzo relaxed his stance and made his fireball disappear when he recognized the Warlock who exited the portal.

“Magnus!” Lorenzo exclaimed, his tone making his annoyance at the intrusion quite clear.

Lorenzo looked at the man he had agreed to call his leader. He looked strong, his clothes as shiny and fancy as ever, his make-up perfect, his face only showing the emotions he wanted him to see. Yet despite that, Lorenzo could see the exhaustion in his eyes, the ever present pain at being without his beloved Shadowhunter. In the time he had known Magnus he had never seen the Warlock rest or stop in his search for Alec for even a second. He was unsure if the older Warlock was even sleeping at all; with spells Warlocks could go for quite a while without sleep but it would leave a huge drain on the body and was dangerous if it was used continuously.

Lorenzo could see a beginning strain on Magnus, could feel it in the waves of magic he was projecting, as Magnus kept pushing himself further and further. Lorenzo was certain that if not Magnus had had royal blood in his veins then he would have collapsed from the strain by now. He wondered if he should try and get someone to address it; Magnus dead would not help Lorenzo ensure the Clave were suitably dealt with. He of course couldn't bring it up; Magnus would just ignore him. Raphael was clearly closest to him but the vampire would respect Magnus' wishes too much to push the issue. Luke as a werewolf knew better than most that even indicating physical weakness in a leader was disrespectful and could be considered a challenge so he would never bring it up. The best bet was the red-haired Shadowhunter girl whom Magnus seemed friendly towards; she didn't seem to know about Downworlder customs so she would likely address the dangers if Lorenzo made her aware of them. Lorenzo mentally made a note to himself that if Magnus kept appearing more and more drained over the coming weeks then he would mention the matter to the Nephilim girl. Maybe Magnus would slow down if she addressed the issue though he doubted it. Lorenzo was starting to suspect that Magnus didn't care how he suffered, what danger he put himself in. All the Warlock prince seemed to care about was getting Alec back.

Lorenzo could sense the pain, anger and power coming off Magnus in waves. There was a sense of danger and agony in Magnus’ essence that all beings who could sense magic could feel. It said clearer than words that this was the Prince of Hell and everyone had better remember that or suffer the consequences.

Magnus took in Andrew’s flushed face and Lorenzo’s protective and possessive stance before him and smirked knowingly, fighting to project an image of excess, power and control.

“Am I interrupting something?” Magnus asked with fake innocence, happy to see that his manipulation of Lorenzo had worked out precisely as he had planned. Though if he could orchestra a civil war within the Seelie realm to ensure their support he could surely arrange things so he could bring a warlock into line and ensure he would be at his beck and call. He was not his father’s son for nothing.

“Yes, actually. You couldn’t have waited a few hours for this visit?” Lorenzo said directly, making Andrew flush bright red at the clear meaning behind the words.

“No, I can’t. I am doing a truth spell on my loft to find out who betrayed Andrew here to Victor Aldertree,” Magnus explained, nodding towards Andrew, “and while it is in effect I wanted to go over some important matters with the people we all know didn’t do it.”

Magnus’ voice was strong and sure, every bit the leader he had emerged to become since Alexander’s disappearance, leaving no doubt as to his authority.

“Good. If you find him leave him with me so I can have a…chat with him,” Lorenzo said darkly, his expression leaving no doubt that he imagined a lot of pain would be involved for the perpetrator in that chat in retaliation for putting Andrew in danger.

“Of course,” Magnus promised smoothly, knowing full well his search would find nothing.

In reality Magnus had been the one to circulate the rumor that Andrew worked with him so he would have to escape from the Institute. He had of course ensured Andrew was never in any real danger but Lorenzo hadn’t known that. So when Andrew had needed a place to stay Lorenzo had done just as Magnus had planned and had offered to let Andrew stay with him in his mansion. Magnus had now created a situation where he knew that Lorenzo would fight on his side and that was much more useful to him that leave Andrew at the Institute as Aldertree had never fully trusted him due to his known friendship with Alexander. Sure, Lorenzo would be on his side now for Andrew but Magnus was doing this for Alexander so he really couldn’t care less why Lorenzo did it but he needed powerful Warlocks like Lorenzo on his side if he was to win the upcoming battles he was foreseeing with the Clave.

Lorenzo was watching the portal and the people now following after Magnus out of it and into his living room with a growing frown. He recognized them all as belonging to the inner circle of Magnus’ rising rebellion against the Clave, but he frankly hadn’t bothered to remember everyone’s names, not finding it important.

“Just how many people are you planning to bring here?” Lorenzo asked with a frustrated sigh.

“Isabelle, Clarissa, Raphael, Maia and Simon. Luke will come later; he was called out to a murder scene and we need his police connections in case anything regarding Alexander or Jace surfaces through there so I told him to go,” Magnus said matter of fact as Simon exited the portal as the last one and Magnus closed it.

Lorenzo reluctantly moved away from Andrew and conjured up a large table and eight chairs in the middle of his living room, magically making room for it. He moved towards the table, motioning everyone else to do likewise and also conjured up glasses and alcoholic beverages for everyone; let it not be said he wasn’t a gracious host even if he was a reluctant host.

When everyone was seated around the table, Lorenzo making sure to sit beside Andrew, Lorenzo turned his attention to Magnus again after pouring a drink for Magnus and then for himself.

“How’s your little Seelie rebellion going?” Lorenzo asked the Prince of Edom curiously.

It wasn’t that Lorenzo really cared for internal Seelie business but the Seelies were needed in the upcoming battles and Lorenzo wanted to see the Clave destroyed for even considering to threaten Andrew. In fact, he had now taken a keen interest in Magnus’ rebellion and rescue efforts, seeing it now as a way to keep Andrew safe – and with him.

“The Queen passed yesterday. There is a mandatory mourning period of ten days before Meliorn can be crowned king,” Magnus said with a victorious and dark smile.

Magnus had always known he had it in him to be every bit the Prince of Hell he was born to be. Fighting to get his beloved Alexander back had brought that out in him in full force. He had never cared for the Seelie Queen one bit and helping to arrange her assassination so he could get someone on the throne loyal to him was a strategically brilliant move he was certain Alexander would be proud of. Well, he would be as soon as Magnus got him back. Even after all this time Magnus had refused to even entertain the idea Alexander could be dead. It was simply not an option. Should Alexander ever die Magnus would see to it that anyone involved in his death were punished tenfold before he himself would pass; life without Alexander held no interest for him.

“Meliorn....Your man I presume?” Lorenzo asked, regarding the new King.

Magnus nodded. “Indeed.”

“Any news for us on Alec and Jace?” Maia asked matter of fact now they were all caught up on the Seelie side of things.

Maia was mainly here out of loyalty to Luke, her pack leader. However, when it had become clear that whoever had taken Alec and Jace had likely kidnapped Downworlders for years, including Werewolves, she had become much more invested in finding them both so she and her pack mates could take revenge for their lost brothers and sisters.

“I had a…talk with a Warlock dealing in drugs for both Downworlders and Mundanes. Turns out he has a client who is a Mundane in the military. The Mundane had heard rumors about a special military division dealing with what Mundanes consider supernatural elements,” Magnus explained and those who knew him well or simply knew him as the Prince of Hell understood well what he meant by ‘talk’. Justice among Downworlders were generally speaking swift and brutal, leaving no mercy and taking no prisoners.

“The Shadow World?” Simon asked to be sure he understood it correctly; Magnus’ hidden meaning regarding how he had obtained the information having gone completely over his head.

Magnus nodded grimly. “I would imagine so.”

“Did this Warlock know anything else?” Raphael asked.

Raphael had supported Magnus from the beginning and always would; he could not imagine there was anything Magnus could ask of him that he would not do.

“I got the name of the Mundane soldier he supplies,” Magnus replied.

“Is this Warlock still alive to face judgment?” Lorenzo questioned, not liking the idea of a Warlock with a potential grudge, knowing full well what Magnus’ ‘talk’ would have meant in terms of pain and torture. Leaving a Warlock alive after that would be dangerous.

“No,” Magnus said matter of fact and did a hand movement to indicate that that fact was unimportant.

Lorenzo gave him a searching look and then smiled in satisfaction of the answer.

“You have blood on your shirt,” Lorenzo commented, nodding towards his right sleeve where indeed a few drops of blood had stained it.

Lorenzo was satisfied the Warlock Magnus had been dealt with and would not cause trouble. He should have known better than to doubt Magnus’ leadership abilities; of course he would never have been so weak, so…Mundane, as to leave an enemy alive or show mercy. Lorenzo was suddenly glad he had joined forces with the Prince of Hell; he wouldn’t want to stand between him and Alexander. It was clear that anyone or anything that did that would face the Prince’s wrath and be utterly destroyed.

Simon and Clary looked at Magnus with worried eyes as if they were concerned he was injured.

“You ok?” Clary asked concerned and lay a worried hand on his arm.

Her innocence and lack of understanding of how Magnus had gotten blood on him made Lorenzo roll his eyes.

Magnus nodded and smiled warmly at Clary, putting a calming hand over hers on his arm.

“Yes, biscuit. No worries,” Magnus reassured her.

Despite his smile, despite his clear care for Clary, the warm feelings never brought light to his eyes and Magnus’ aura stayed dark and angry. Nothing could soothe him and nothing could made him pause until he had found Alexander.

Magnus snapped his fingers and his shirt was cleaned.

“Andrew, can you go pick up this Mundane?” Magnus ordered after one last reassuring look for Clary who smiled back and let the matter drop.

“Yes, Sir,” Andrew said dutifully, nodding agreement.

“I will go with him,” Lorenzo said quickly. When all eyes turned to him he hastily added, “To ensure he’s ok now that the Clave has him on their radar. I’ve always said you can’t trust those people.”

“Good,” Magnus said, smiling as he nodded approval. Now he even had Lorenzo volunteering to carry out his orders; excellent.

“The Mundane is called Private Brian Johanson. Think you can find him?” Magnus asked of Lorenzo, on purpose baiting him to ensure he would get this done quickly.

“Obviously,” Lorenzo said arrogantly. “I will have him located before nightfall.”

Magnus grinned to himself; damn, the younger Warlock was almost too easy for him to manipulate. He had known Lorenzo would want to look good in front of Andrew.

“That would be acceptable,” Magnus agreed, wanting the Mundane captured as quickly as possible so they could get that step closer to finally finding Alexander.

“Do you just want him captured or…” Lorenzo started to ask in a matter of fact tone of voice, making it clear he didn’t care what Magnus wanted but just needing to know.

“Lorenzo! Te lo dije; no hablamos de esos asuntos frente a Clarissa y Simon [Lorenzo! I told you; we don’t talk about those matters in front of Clarissa and Simon],” Magnus interrupted him quickly, sternly, in Spanish, as he knew the only people present who spoke the language was Raphael, Lorenzo and himself; all of them already knew how this battle was truly won.

“Sí Sí. Las sensibilidades de los antiguos mundanos [Yes, yes. The sensibilities of the former Mundanes],” Lorenzo replied in his native Spanish with an eye roll at what he considered stupidity at keeping them in ignorance and innocence regarding how they truly operated. However, he was not about to fight Magnus on this matter as he really didn’t care enough about it.

“De todos modos, ¿quieres que trabaje en él o prefieres hacerlo tú mismo? [Anyway, want me to work on him or do you prefer to do it yourself]?” Lorenzo asked directly, not really caring either way.

“Puedes empezar; Tengo algunas otras pistas, así que nos pondremos al día mañana antes del almuerzo. [You can begin; I have a few other leads so let’s catch up tomorrow before lunch],” Magnus replied, already thinking of his next move and his other leads.

“¿Antes del almuerzo? ¿Y no puedo usar magia en él? [Before lunch? And I can’t use magic on him?]” Lorenzo asked disbelieving. That didn’t leave him much time to force information out of the guy. If he was military there was a chance he would be able to withstand torture to a certain degree which would prolong things.

“Eres bienvenido a torturarlo mágicamente, pero no te metas con su cerebro; no pueden soportarlo, ¿recuerdas? [You are welcome to torture him magically but no messing with his brain; they can’t take it, remember?]” Magnus warned.

Magnus was not losing ground when he was so close to finding Alexander. Failure was not an option; he would find Alexander and bring him home. No other outcome was acceptable and he didn’t care what he had to do to get it done.

“¡Bueno! Lo lograré. [Fine! I will get it done.],” Lorenzo promised with an annoyed sigh at Magnus’ pushy timeline.

“¿Quieres una mano? [Want a hand?]” Raphael asked, willing to do almost anything for Magnus; the man he had come to care for like a father after all these years. “Podría incantolo; debería facilitar un poco que hable [I could incanto him; should make it a bit easier to get him to speak.]”

Lorenzo nodded, liking that idea. “Okay. Te pondré aquí cuando lo tengamos. [Ok. I will portal you here when we have him.]”

“Could we move this conversation back to English?” Clary asked, annoyed at not understanding what was going on, glaring at Lorenzo before looking at everyone else around the table.

Clary did notice though that the other Downworlders stayed respectfully silent during the exchange, trusting that Magnus as their elected leader in this operation would inform them of any decisions they needed to know about.

“Sorry, biscuit,” Magnus said with a winning smile and a warm squeeze to her arm that easily disarmed her, making her forget that he actually hadn’t told her what they had just discussed nor were he ever going to.

“It’s ok. It’s just I feel we are finally getting close and…” Clary started to say, her voice soft and pained, her constant worry and fear for Jace since his disappearance making it hard for her to keep it together. She had never been in war or combat before she had discovered the Shadow World; she had been raised as a Mundane and not as a warrior. All of this was new to her and she was struggling with it all.

Clary was cut off when a mobile phone started ringing.

Magnus took up his mobile from his pocket and looked at it to see who was calling him.

“It’s Luke,” Magnus said when everyone looked at him questioning. He put the phone on the table and pressed the speaker button. “Luke, you are on speaker.”

“Hi everyone. I am calling because the murder I was called to…. Someone called 911, reported the murder and asked for me by name. Furthermore, the body has the light rune Clary invented carved into his flesh,” Luke said seriously, hope in his voice.

“It’s Jace!” Clary insisted with a gasp, joy and relief flooding her like water. “It has to be.”

“Did you hear the 911 recording? Was it Jace? Maybe it was Alec,” Izzy asked hopefully, unsure which of them she wanted it to be most as she loved both of her brothers dearly.

The last few months with both Alec and Jace missing had been Hell for Izzy. She felt lost without them and had quickly reached a point where she was willing to do anything, give anything, to get her brothers back. Her warrior training had ensured her fear and worry, her pain and concern, had quickly turned to something more productive; a deadly anger and a need for justice and revenge.

“Yes and Clary is right. It is Jace’s voice on the recording,” Luke confirmed.

“He’s alive!” Clary said joyfully, the words like a prayer, tears of relief coming to the corners of her eyes.

“Then hopefully so is Alexander for the alternative is unthinkable,” Magnus said darkly, allowing himself a small smile of victory.

This was the first good news they had had. Proof of life!

“Does the body give any hints to where they might be kept?” Izzy asked, smiling in joy at knowing Jace was alright. As Magnus had said then that gave her hope that Alec was then also alright.

“The victim is an international business man with suspected ties to both the criminal world and perhaps even terrorist elements,” Luke explained.

“Sounds like the military could be behind it,” Simon said thoughtfully. “Black ops, stuff like that.”

“Simon is right. This seems like a likely operation for a black ops unit. Assassinations on American soil on an American citizen is obviously not allowed so it would have to be a unit operating outside of any official oversight,” Luke clarified, assuming that while Clary and Simon would know about Mundane laws like this it was doubtful anyone else would.

“What would be the best way to locate such a unit?” Magnus asked, his voice intense as he tried to control the hope he was feeling bubbling to the surface.

He was close now; closer to finding Alexander than he had been since he had been taken. He just had to keep going a bit longer. He could do that. He could keep fighting. For Alexander. For him he could do anything. Then when he finally found him…then finally Magnus would allow himself some rest. First then; not before.

“Follow the money,” Lorenzo suggested slowly, thinking aloud. When everyone looked at him he shrugged and elaborated, “That’s what I would do if this was about finding something shady going on within one of my own business dealings. Find the discrepancy in the budgets.”

Lorenzo had maintained and grown his wealth through investments so he had experience with precisely such situations where he needed to either find something to blackmail someone with or he needed to find out who was trying to skim from him. It all came down to following the money.

“Could we do that?” Izzy asked eagerly.

She couldn’t believe they might be getting close and she would soon have both of her brothers back. She had already decided as soon as she got them back she wouldn’t let them out of her sight ever again, preferably not even out of the same building she was in if she had any say in the matter!

“Such detailed budgeting for the military is not open to the public,” Clary warned.

“Who would have access to such books, Luke?” Magnus asked of the werewolf leader.

“Someone high up in the military chain of command – and their staff,” Luke elucidated.

“I want some names by the end of the day; in particular of the staff members,” Magnus ordered, his eagerness to find Alec making his voice sharp and his deadline short.

“I will look into it,” Luke promised.

“And then what? We kidnap a member of staff for a general or something?” Maia asked disbelieving, unsure if that would work. Not that she minded the kidnapping bit; someone involved in kidnapping Downworlders had it coming, but she couldn’t imagine they could get away with it.

“Yes,” Magnus said matter of fact, his voice strong and sure.

“Esas personas serían entrenadas para resistir tanto la tortura mental como la física. Incanto haría poco en este caso [Those people would be trained to withstand both mental and physical torture. Incanto would do little in this case],” Raphael warned Magnus in Spanish.

“No serían entrenados para soportar mi tipo de tortura [They would not be trained to withstand my kind of torture],” Magnus said darkly.

Magnus wasn’t about to let such a small matter stop him. He would find Alexander and anyone involved in his capture, Mundane generals included, had better watch themselves. He was a Prince of Hell; he would show no mercy towards anyone who had helped take Alexander away from him!

“Well, I personally have no problem with that,” Izzy said matter of fact in response to the plan of kidnapping a Mundane military staff member to get information on the presumed Black Ops unit who they suspected might be involved in the kidnapping of Alec and Jace.

Raphael, Andrew, Lorenzo and Maia nodding agreement to this with Simon and Clary looking a bit hesitant, not really comfortable with the plan but not seeing any other way.

“Well, as long as we release the staff member afterwards,” Clary insisted. She had grown up as a Mundane, attended Mundane school and high school and still felt loyalty towards the Mundane laws and concepts she had been raised with.

“If they had nothing to do with this then after we get the information on the Black Ops Unit and I have taken the memory of them meeting any of us away then of course,” Magnus readily agreed.

Clary smiled in relief and agreement, missing the fact that Magnus had purposely not said what he would do if the person had indeed known about what had been going on; known about the kidnapped Downworlders.

“Then I say go too,” Clary said with a determined look on her face.

“Ok, we have a plan. Let’s get moving, people. Luke, thanks and call me back as soon as you have those names,” Magnus ordered as he turned off the phone and everyone stood up, springing into action.

Lorenzo was about to join Simon and Andrew who were talking about how they might be able to use electronic hacking to locate the soldier they were looking for when Magnus stopped him with a hand on his arm. Lorenzo looked questioning at him.

“Your two weeks ends today,” Magnus reminded him, reminding Lorenzo of his promise to have bedded Andrew within that timeslot, putting just enough challenge into his voice that he knew he would be able to bait the arrogant younger Warlock.

Magnus didn’t so much care about the relationships of his troops but he did care when Lorenzo’s loyalty was conditioned on him having built up a relationship with Andrew.

Lorenzo looked over at Andrew. Their eyes met and Andrew blushed a little and looked away again when he saw the hunger and interest so clear in Lorenzo’s eyes, afraid Lorenzo would see his own desire and need in his eyes.

“Well, I had plans for tonight but someone decided to bring a small army to my mansion,” Lorenzo said annoyed. Then he smirked. “But don’t you worry. I will ensure we get this character captured for you before nightfall and then I am certain I can.... distract Andrew while we leave him to simmer.”

Magnus gave a smile and nod of approval as he released his hold of him. “I will portal everyone else back to my loft in an hour or two. Now, get on with your mission then.”

Magnus made a hand gesture towards Andrew and Simon and Lorenzo nodded and went over to join them. This time Lorenzo on purpose stood away from Andrew and when Andrew moved so he stood beside him Lorenzo cast Magnus a triumphant grin.

Satisfied he had Lorenzo well under control Magnus conjured some of his papers to him and sat down in one of the chairs in Lorenzo’s living room. He looked at what he had written down so far regarding his thoughts on who was behind all of this, how deep the Clave involvement went and in what way. His eyes were stinging after a few moments of looking at the papers and his thoughts threatened to turn towards all his fears for Alexander; what he might have to endure. Such thoughts were dangerous and unproductive. If first he started down that path, he was unsure he could recover. He used a spell to keep awake and alert, the stinging feeling disappearing and conjured up a drink to help him keep his fears and worries for Alexander at bay and instead focus on how to get him back.

Magnus had pushed himself beyond all levels of endurance and way past them. He was staying awake using spells and alcohol. He was down to running on fumes mentally and physically but he couldn’t stop, wouldn’t rest, wouldn’t give up. Finally, they were getting close. Just a little bit longer. He just had to keep going a little bit longer.

Hang on, Alexander. I am almost there, Magnus silently prayed. Hang on, darling. I am coming to get you!

Chapter Text

Please read the chapter notes above for warnings relating to this chapter

Chapter 18

“So the thing I am left to wonder is why you would call 911. You knew we would hear you, see you,” Peter mused aloud, looking at the two Shadowhunters intensely, trying to decide what to believe regarding Jace’s defiance.

They were back in the integration room Alec had first woken up in so long ago, each tied to a metal chair on opposite sides of the table, facing each other. Peter leaned against the table as he spoke, his hands supporting him on the table surface, looking from one to the other searchingly. The scene was so familiar it brought back memories for Alec of the first integration Peter had conducted of him. Two guards stood by the door to the room with machine guns pointed at them and a guard stood next to Jace’s and Alec’s chairs, ready to punish them with fists or anything else they could think of if they didn’t give the correct answer.

“I told you; I wanted someone to find him,” Jace got out through a mouth filled with blood, his lips and eyes swollen and bleeding from cuts from the beating he had been taking.

They had been at this for almost half an hour but to Jace and Alec it felt agonizingly longer. This time Jace had taken the majority of the beating but whenever Peter felt his answer was annoying him too much he let Alec take a hit instead.

Peter looked to Alec as he said conversationally, stating it as a fact, “I guess he cared more for this unnamed mark than for your health then.”

Alec spat out blood from the hit the guard had given him previously and gave Peter a murderous look though his swollen right eye. The guard who had been hitting him had an excellent right hook and his red and swollen eye ruined the malice in the stare Alec was trying to give Peter, instead giving the Shadowhunter a vulnerable look. He didn’t look any less vulnerable in his generally fragile physical state and the cuts, scars and bruises that seemed to be a constant thing on his body these days.

“Fuck you,” Alec got out, his hatred of the man so hot it would carry him through a blizzard at Mount Everest.

Alec’s hatred was more than hot enough to get him through a simple beating, the punishment almost laughably small compared to what Peter normally dished out. That of course should have been a warning sign of something worse to come but neither Jace nor Alec were willing to look this gift horse in the mouth.

Peter’s expression darkened at Alec’s answer, which made Alec smirk triumphantly at having hit a nerve. The smirk quickly disappeared though when the guard hit him again, hard, in the face. His upper body and face was by now a mess of bruises and blood. Alec winced and rolled with the hit before coming back to glare at the guard.

Jace also took another hit, this time to the stomach. The use of his runes helped him endure the more intense beating he was getting as he instinctively had activated his endurance and strength runes. The use of his runes combined with the fact that he was in a better physical shape than Alec after their months of captivity meant he was better able to bear the beating.

“We should try this when I am not tied up,“ Jace hissed darkly at the guard who had just hit him, hoping to bait him enough to get the focus of Peter and the guards so Alec would be left alone.

“Believe you; then you wouldn’t end up unscarred,” Jace added with dark promise, his eyes promising pain, so much pain, for the guard and Peter if he was given half a chance.

Peter looked from Jace to Alec. While Jace was pure fire in his rage Alec was controlled – even his insults were for the most part more ice than fire. It did indeed indicate Jace had called 911 without thinking of the consequences, as there was no way Peter believed Alec would forget the camera. The actions of the two Shadowhunters during their captivity made it seem possible for Jace to act impulsively, without thinking of the possible consequences. But still…

“Hmm…Maybe you did just call for that reason,” Peter thought aloud, almost conversationally, looking at Jace thoughtfully, considering if he could be telling the truth.

Jace didn’t seem like the planning type. Peter supposed Alec could have planned it but he hadn’t been on the mission and his intel told him that no one had heard them making any such plans. Peter turned it over in his head, looking from Jace to Alec, seeing no hint of deceit. However, it was hard to see much else than their hatred of him and the guards and their protectiveness for each other during these sessions. Peter finally decided that Jace had simply acted on instinct, without a plan. It fitted his worldview to believe that; he had planned this out carefully. He had the upper hand; the Shadowhunters were tools, sharp instruments. Nothing more. Therefore, he had to believe it had been a thoughtless and instinctive act as the alternative, that it had been planned without him knowing about it…that idea didn’t sit well with him. It would be like believing his pet dog at home would be able to outsmart him instead of him giving the commands and the dog obeying him. It was laughable. So, he decided to believe Jace.

However, what Jace had done was still disobedience and as such had to be severely punished. With the level of skill the two Shadowhunters possessed no one could let up their guard for even a second. Peter’s success with this mission, with using the Shadowhunters relied on him being able to control them. Like a wild and aggressive dog on a leash it was vital he made it clear who was holding that leash and that any show of defiance would be brutally punished, discouraging any thoughts of defiance, any show of rebellion.

Peter was well aware that in a fair and even fight, Jace and Alec would have the upper hand and thus he had quickly found that breaking their spirit was the key to controlling them. He was also aware that his power lay in playing the parabatai against each other; if ever one of them were to fall or their connection weakened somehow he would need to put them both down. He was not foolish enough to believe he could control one of them for very long without the other as leverage.

“I understand you have a concept called an agony rune,” Peter said, having known since this integration started where he wanted this to lead if he concluded the focus of this session was punishment for Jace’s disobedience and not deciding what to do with an outright act of rebellion.

Peter had been fascinated by the agony rune since he had first heard of it. He wanted to see what it could do. This act of defiance and disobedience gave him the perfect opportunity.

“No,” Alec said quietly, his stare like ice, deadly and calm, when he looked at Peter. Despite the blood and welts, the bleeding wounds and the sweat covering his forehead there was an authority, a strength to his voice that wasn’t to be reckoned with.

“I haven’t said what I want yet,” Peter said with a deadly smile.

“The answer is still no,” Alec said strongly, fighting to keep the fear of the mere mention of the agony rune out of his voice and eyes.

Of all the runes Peter knew about Alec had hoped and prayed he would not know of this one. The rune could bring physical or mental anguish – or both. The physical pain could become so unbearable that the body would never recover, the mind lost in the remembered agony even after the rune was deactivated. The mental torment of the rune was said to be capable of driving a man insane if used continuously for long enough.

“What a pity. As the self-appointed leader of the two of you I was going to say that you could choose which of you got the mental torture and which of you got the physical torture aspect of this rune but now I will let Jace choose. Or…You can both endure both,” Peter’s voice was forcefully light.

Peter was baiting them and they all knew it but Jace and Alec had little choice.

“Jace, don’t you dare!” Alec protested, not wanting this burden put on him. However, he had barely spoken before his breath was stolen when he took a hit to the side of his head, blood flying from his month and nose.

“Shut up or I will test how well healing runes do on gunshot wounds…with the bullet still inside. As you recall I have wanted to test that for quite a while too. As I recall, you enjoyed my little test of how well a knife wound heals with the knife left inside the wound,” Peter warned darkly, his eyes piercing through Alec, reminding him of one of the first tests he had conducted on Alec when he had first captured him.

Alec paled, fighting not to recall the agony of that memory, the knife stuck in his hand, the healing rune fighting to close the wound….it had been one of the most agonizing experiences of his life and considering what Peter had subjected him to since then that said quite a lot.

Peter smiled sinisterly, seeing from Alec’s expression that he had gotten what he wanted. He turned to address Jace again.

“I can see your brother remembers that using healing runes with the wound obstructed is something I have wanted to look further into for some time so…” Peter’s voice trailed off menacing, looking back at Alec again to see if he was obeying and staying silent.

Alec spit out blood from the force of the hit he had taken and pressed his lips together in a thin line, keeping quiet, making Peter smile in victory before turning back to Jace.

“Fine! Just leave Alec alone,” Jace said hotly, annoyed at himself for taking the bait.

However, Jace also, knew, as did Alec, that if Jace didn’t choose then Peter would instead just continue and subject them both to both the physical and mental torture aspects of the rune. The likelihood of surviving that with some sense of self intact was very limited. Unless, of course, Peter would be able to control himself to a very short punishment period. Which, knowing Peter, seemed unlikely.

Peter smiled triumphantly and turned to give Jace an interested look, giving his answer his full attention. He had originally wanted Alec to choose but he knew how Alec would choose; self-sacrificing and strategically. He found it interesting to see how Jace would choose for them both.

“So…what do you choose?” Peter asked of Jace with a hint of impatience.

Jace weighted his options. Alec was getting weaker by the day, his body showing the clear signs of the punishments he had had to endure all this time.

The agony rune when used for physical torture would inflict physical pain on the body; broken bones, cuts, wounds, burns…Anything you could think of which could be physically broken, torn, left bleeding, cut into or burned would be fair game. Jace didn’t know how long Peter would want to keep up this punishment but with his runes Jace would be able to withstand it much better than Alec, and his body was in the same prime fighting condition as before he had been captured.

Furthermore, he had grown up with Valentine for the first ten years of his life and that had taught him to endure physical pain to a level he was certain would beat any physical punishments Alec’s parents or instructors would have given him. He would much better be able to bear it. While he knew from when they had shared their childhood stories, and from what he himself had witnessed in the Lightwood household, then Alec had suffered more beatings, more frequently, than he had. Valentine had only physically punished him a handful of times as he much preferred to play cruel mind games, but those handful of times had also been unbearable torment worthy of a man of Valentine’s reputation.

It wasn’t that Jace didn’t think Alec could take physical pain, he had proven he could over and over again during their captivity. However, since their capture Alec’s body had been broken and mended with the steele more times than he cared to admit and many times the punishments had been left to heal on their own, resulting in Alec’s body now being decorated in scars and wounds at different stages of healing. Even now he had several half-healed wounds besides the ones added from today’s beating. He was afraid of how much more his body – and his mind – could possibly take.

This time Jace would be able to save Alec from with this pain; he would be able to give him this. That thought pleased him, calmed him. He would finally be able to spare Alec pain after having been forced to witness him punished whenever he made a mistake or failed in some way.

Jace was a bit more unsure what the mental torture would do but he remembered from his teachings regarding the rune that it would make someone relive their worst memories and would make you live through your worst fears, making you live them, feel them, as if they were happening right now. Jace concluded it couldn’t be as bad as the physical torture; it was all just in the mind, right?

Having made up his mind Jace was left with only one decision to make. Should he give his truthful answer? So far lying had only meant Alec got punished and Peter had known the truth anyway. He decided for the truth.

“The mental torture for Alec then,” Jace replied, fighting to keep his voice calm and steady, to not show how affected he was at having to give this verdict, to commit Alec to this suffering. He instinctively tensed, expecting Peter to order just the opposite.

“Jace, no!” Alec protested, his face going pale at the idea of what was about to happen.

Alec feared the depth of the physical pain the agony rune could inflict and didn’t want Jace to endure that. Though he knew Jace could bear it and that calmed him a little; he had no doubt Jace could survive this. Therefore he was mostly left with a fear so strong it was close to terror at the idea of the mental aspect of the rune and what it could do to him. He could take physical pain; he knew physical pain. He had lived it, breathed it, here on this ship, for almost every day for months now.

However, after what he had been through in his childhood and later years, the scorn and torment, the memory of never being good enough, never being loved for being him, pushing himself past any level of endurance just in the hope of getting the smallest sign of love. The memories of how he had physically hurt himself to punish himself for his own failings; his feelings of doubt, self-hatred and inferiority so strong that when no one else would punish him for his mistakes physically any longer, when he had gotten too old for that, he had punished himself with pain. Having Jace as his parabatai had helped but not enough.

Meeting Magnus, loving Magnus, had saved him from a mental downhill spiral of self-doubt and pain. He had worked hard to overcome those fears, to believe in himself, to become the leader he had always had the ability to be. The agony rune could strip him of that hard-earned confidence and security and peek away at his brain, over and over again, showing him all his fears and doubts, all his memories. A constant mental assault of psychological torment that would seemingly go on forever with only one purpose; to keep peeking away at his mental defenses, at his mental strength, until he gave in. Until he broke.

If those thoughts didn’t already have Alec turning white in pain and fear he was aware the rune would also show him all of his fears while he had been a captive with Peter. In particular he was certain the rune would find his worst memory from his ordeal; his near rape… he couldn’t relive that…once had been more than enough. The feelings of inferiority, of fear, of uncertainty…of shame, humiliation and embarrassment. Showing him that memory and worse; making him relive his greatest fear – that Peter had not arrived at the last moment and what had been a near rape would have become rape – he didn’t know how to survive that. He assumed the rune would also show him another great fear he had from his captivity here; losing Jace in some horrible way.

The agony rune would not just show memories; they would be relived as if they were happening now. The rune would not just show fears; it would make that fear a memory, make it real, make it lived. He knew logically it would all be in his mind and he tried to repeat that fact over and over, but his fear didn’t lessen. He was terrified reliving those worst moments of his life and adding memories of all of his worst fears, all playing out in rapid succession, over and over again, without pause or mercy…. He feared that it would break him completely.

Alec forced himself to pull himself together and stop his spiraling thoughts. He couldn’t let that happen. Jace needed him. He would need to endure this. Somehow.

“Alec…it’s OK. It’s better this way,” Jace said quietly, as calmly as he could, thinking Alec was worried for him for taking the physical pain and wanting to reassure him it was alright. He pleaded with his eyes with Alec to accept his decision.

Jace wanted to say he had taken this choice only to spare Alec the agonizing physical pain the rune could produce. In a deep dark part of his mind, a place he didn’t venture or enter, he was unsure if this was the only reason. If not he feared the mental aspects of the rune more than he feared the physical one. He wasn’t sure he would be able to survive reliving the horrors of his childhood. The mind games Valentine had played with him, the lessons, the fear, the pain, the feeling of being alone and having no control…the horrible things Valentine had taught him about love and lack thereof, starting with words and ending with him killing anything Jace expressed love towards.

Alec nodded curtly when he saw the hidden pain in Jace’s eyes, being able to read Jace’s fears better than he could himself and being able to feel it through their bond. Alec knew that Jace had his share of dark memories and he realized he couldn’t ask Jace to relive that. Surviving Valentine once was enough; Jace couldn’t go through that again. Jace had survived that by pushing the memories away, not thinking about it. Alec was the one who thought about things; Jace didn’t. It was better for him not to. It meant he could survive, he could be happy. Jace deserved that. Jace didn’t deserve to fight with himself, fight his own mind, the way Alec had done for years. He couldn’t and wouldn’t ask Jace to take this burden.

Alec’s eyes took on a determined look. He could do this. He had survived his darkest moments then and he would survive them now. If this was what Jace wanted then it was what he wanted too. By now they both knew better than believing there was a third option where none of them got hurt.

Peter took a steele from his pocket and went over to Jace.

“Very well. Draw the rune on Alec and then on yourself,” Peter ordered, handing Jace the steele while cutting the zip ties around his wrists and standing back so he could get up.

Jace sent him a murderous look as he stood up, rubbing his abused wrists and trying to ignore the pain in his midriff and the numbness in his legs. He noticing that all the guards had their guns pointed at him or Alec, leaving no chance for escape. Jace took the offered steele and moved towards Alec, moving slowly and wincing, taking a hand to his ribs as he moved. The guards had done a great job; he was hurting all over and was quite certain some of his ribs were broken. With a guilty, sad and desperate look, he took hold of Alec’s right arm, just next to the zip ties holding it firm to the chair.

“I’m sorry,” Jace whispered softly, pain in his voice when he looked Alec in the eyes, silently asking for permission and for forgiveness.

“It’s ok, it’s not you,” Alec said firmly, clearly, honestly, as he nodded his accept for Jace to continue.

Alec fought to hide the fear from his eyes and face and not push anything through the bond. For the most part he managed it, not wanting Jace to go into whatever he would have to endure with that memory. As he looked up into Jace’s eyes he saw strength and no fear there; ready to face the pain he knew was coming.

He truly is the perfect soldier, Alec thought with admiration of his brother and his thoughts were sent through the bond, making Jace give a small smile at the warmth and love he felt from Alec, sending the same feelings back.

Alec smiled then at his brother, forcing away his fear and his pain, letting his love and affection shine through, wanting Jace to take this memory with him to help him through the coming ordeal, sending his feelings through the bond as well.

Jace gave a strong and warm smile back before he, without warning, drew the agony rune on Alec’s right arm, not wanting to prolong the inevitable and give time for fear to build. Jace then drew the rune on his own forearm.

“Go on. Activate them,” Peter ordered, curiosity and impatience in his voice, making him sound eager.

Looking Alec in the eyes Jace took a hold of his right hand, the hold a bit uncomfortable and strained as Alec were still tied down to the chair. He closed his hand around Alec’s, mostly only able to hold onto his fingers and felt Alec squeeze his hand reassuringly, almost encouraging. With a deep breath, trying to brace himself, Jace activated the agony rune on first Alec’s and then his own arm.

The sensation was almost immediate; Jace was unable to hold onto Alec’s hand any longer and fell to the floor, his legs unable to carry him as bruises from inviable assailants appeared on his body, forcing pained yells from him and he dropped the steele. His nose started to bleed from where it felt like it had been hit and he looked up at Alec through pain-filled eyes, worried for him despite the rising physical pain. Alec was grimacing in pain, fighting to hold back tears and his lower lip bled from where he had bit it to prevent himself from making any noise but he was holding it together so far. Jace tried to send his pride and affection for him through the bond while keeping the physical pain to himself.

Jace desperately wanted not to scream and used his runes to help boost his resilience and pain tolerance but suddenly bloody welts appeared on his back as if he was being whipped while it still felt like invisible assailants were beating him mercilessly. He tried to shift position on the floor; attempting to curl into a ball and cover his head with his hands in a unless attempt to protect himself from the beating before shifting position to try and roll away from the invisible whip that fell harshly and mercilessly on his shoulders and back. No matter what position he laid in then the assault didn’t lessen or change; the rune made it feel like several men were beating and kicking him mercilessly while he was being whipped with such brutal force Jace had never felt anything like it. Even rolling over on his back didn’t prevent the feeling of the whip falling on his back to continue and he had to roll around again as the touch of the bleeding wounds on his back against the cold floor sent even worse flames of agony through his body. The pain grew unbearable and he screamed aloud, curling into a ball on the floor in a useless attempt to make himself a smaller target.

It felt like forever but was likely less than an hour when Peter had Jace deactivate the agony runes. At that point, Jace was in too much pain to do anything, barely conscious but still screaming and screaming and screaming, his voice hoarse and broken from having done so for so long. He had broken ribs, broken fingers, a broken foot and a broken arm. His whole body was covered with burn marks, whip marks, marks from beatings and his left hand was bleeding furiously from what looked as if a knife had been stuck clean through it…. There was no skin left untouched or unscarred on his body.

Unbeknown to anyone but Jace the rune had gotten creative and had added layer and layer of punishment on him; the feeling of being beaten, whipped, burned, stabbed, drowned, crushed…it was all mixing and happening at once, leaving him out of his mind with pure agony as bones broke, flesh tore and blood flooded freely. Peter had to force Jace’s right hand, holding his own over his, to get Jace to deactivate the rune on his skin. As soon as the rune had been deactivated Jace had lost consciousness, only being forced to keep suffering by the power of the rune.

The brutality of the assault seemed to have surprised even Peter who, when he looked down at Jace’s bloody and broken mess of a body had allowed a doctor to inject him with morphine and adrenaline to get him to wake up so he could stop Alec’s agony rune as the steele only worked for the Shadowhunters.

It took almost 30 minutes before Jace woke up again after his own agony rune had been deactivated. During that time the doctor had started giving him blood and done an IV with fluids and painkillers, had started to clean and bandage his wounds and had started to fight with Peter to be allowed to treat the broken bones and take him to the infirmary to check for internal injuries. When Jace woke up he was allowed to draw healing runes as many places as he could and a rune to help prevent blood loss and help heal some of his broken bones. Jace felt better at once when the healing runes started to work, helped along by using his runes of resilience and strength. The healing runes started to heal his broken bones and the internal injuries caused by the brutal beating he had taken, starting with the worst injuries before starting to mend the less serious injuries.

Finally able to stand and hold the steele Jace pulled out the IV drip and went to Alec, his body still weak and drained but before his eyes the knife wound in his left hand closed and his functionality in his hand was restored. His broken arm and fingers mended and healed as his pure Angel blood helped boost the power of all his runes. He felt it as his broken ribs healed and he could finally breathe easily again. Having healed the broken bones and the internal damage the healing runes now started to try and heal the burns, cuts, whip marks and the other injuries left behind.

Jace sighed in relief when he deactivated the agony rune on Alec’s arm but his relief turned to worry and concern when he saw that Alec was simply staring straight ahead, a look of horror and terror frozen on his face, his lips slightly parted in a silent scream but no sound was heard. His eyes were glazed over and unresponsive.

“Alec? Parabatai?” Jace asked softly, worried, afraid, as he laid a hand on his cheek but got no reaction.

Jace had felt how the agony rune had added layer upon layer of physical pain, how it had cleverly proceeded with only one purpose, one aim: To break his body as thoroughly as possible. Jace realized that the mental torture aspect of the rune likely worked the same way. It would add memory upon memory, making Alec relive all of his fears, all of his darkness, all at once, on repeat, again and again and again with the single focus of breaking his mind as thoroughly as the agony rune had attempted to break Jace’s body.

Jace was getting a very bad feeling and a growing realization that he had chosen the wrong punishment for Alec. He suddenly realized that Alec had started to get used to the brutal physical pain but the mental anguish would be new and raw…Even with the agony rune now deactivated Alec’s mind seemed stuck in a horrible nightmare he could not get out off.

On Peter’s orders Alec’s bonds were cut and Jace used his runes for added strength to lift his brother into his arms, bridal style, refusing to let Peter’s men carry him despite the pain the added weight was giving him. For Jace, Alec was no burden; he was his brother and he would carry him through Hell and back if need be.

Jace tried to whisper calming words, as they were lead back to their cell but Alec stayed unresponsive, his body like a ragdoll, his eyes glazed over, his expression still frozen in a terror only he knew about.

Finally back in their cell the guards left after leaving some medical supplies for them.

When they were alone Jace fell on one knee, his body exhausted and weak but he kept Alec safe in his arms, never letting him fall, never letting him slip from his grip. Despite his fatigue and his still bleeding and abused body, Jace managed to half drag and half carry Alec with him onto the mattress. Jace was only semi-conscious by now, fighting not to voice his pain, unable to lay still as any position brought back flames of agony through his body even as the healing runes fought to heal his injuries.

Jace wanted to try and bandage any remaining wounds to speed up the healing process and to check Alec for any physical injuries but his body was starting to betray him even with the use of his runes. Jace managed to drag an arm around his parabatai, trying to protect him even now, before slipping into oblivion, his last conscious thought one of worry and concern as Alec remained still and unresponsive next to him, his eyes open but unseeing, his mouth caught in a wordless scream of horror.

Chapter Text

See chapter notes for chapter warnings

Chapter 19

Jace had only slept for maybe an hour, his worry for Alec so strong it awoke him. He still felt drained, tired, sore and hurt all over from the torture but still felt a lot better than before he had fallen asleep. He instinctively activated his runes again. Relief instantly flooded him as his stamina and endurance runes came into effect. He had at once tried to wake Alec up but he was still unresponsive which Jace was starting to find deeply worrying. Jace had tried to feel Alec through their bond but had to slam it shut; Alec’s side was a whirlpool of darkness, fear, loss and pain. It was threatening to pull Jace into an unending abyss if he didn’t pull away.

Knowing he needed his strength if he was to at least try and protect Alec Jace had used the medical supplies the guards had left to clean and bandage the wounds and cuts the healing runes hadn’t dealt with. Luckily, his pure angel blood and physical strength meant he was healing faster than Alec had done after punishments. 

Determined to get Alec awake he had ignored his still aching body and had pulled Alec with him as he had sat leaning against the back wall on the mattress, Alec between his legs and his arms around him. The whip marks had healed but his back was still tender and sore. He ignored the pain in the hope his nearness might help Alec understand it was safe to come back.

“Do you remember when Robert and Maryse caught us after we went to that club Izzy wanted to get into? Damn! That look! But we managed to get Izzy to her room before they saw she was hammered. Then you were all like…sleep it off, Jace. And I was like…yeah, yeah….and then Robert called you to his office and…” Jace was blabbering, retelling past tales of their misadventures – actually his misadventures and Alec trying to stop him getting into trouble – in yet another attempt to arise Alec.

Jace stopped his tale when he suddenly realized that while Alec had managed to push Izzy and him to bed to sleep off their drunken night Alec had had to go explain to Robert and Maryse what had happened. He hadn’t thought about it before now; he had been pretty drunk that night, but Robert had seemed pissed when he had ordered Alec to follow him and Alec had looked stiff and pale. Thinking about it, Alec had looked really pale the next morning but when Jace had asked if everything was alright he had claimed to just be a bit hungover. But reflecting on it now Alec hadn’t really been drinking. Fuck! Robert had always had a rule that Alec got punished for his siblings’ misadventures as he was meant to keep them in line. Ok, wrong memory to bring up to get Alec to come back to him; getting a beating from his father was probably not a memory that would help Alec believe it was safe to return from whatever corner of his mind he was hiding in.

“Ok, forget that. How about when you first saw Magnus? How about that?” Jace put forced cheer into his voice as he started to stroke Alec’s hair with one hand in a calming manner. “You were so lovestuck at first sight. It was adorable!”

Jace changed position slightly so Alec was leaning against his shoulder so he could see his face. Alec’s body was still limp, his eyes blinked a few times but otherwise there had been no change. Ok, he had tried shaking him and he had tried luring him out with tales of fun past escapades. He needed another plan.

“Alec, you really don’t want to leave me alone. Imagine all the trouble I will get myself into,” Jace insisted seriously, only half joking. Alec had always been his protector; tempering his wildest and darkest impulses. He would be lost without him.

Jace took a deep breath and ran a shaky hand through his hair. He felt lost himself; he was not used to being the one who was supposed to keep it together and be all calm and shit; that was all Alec.

“Alec, don’t you dare leave me alone, do you hear me?! Don’t you dare!” Jace got out, a lump in his throat, fighting to hold back tears.

Jace desperately looked at Alec’s face but still no change. For fuck’s sake! He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t do this without him. He had never really acknowledged before now how much he relied on Alec to keep him balanced; to keep him centered. He tried hard not to imagine the worst; what if Alec never recovered? What if the agony rune had broken him? Would this be his fate? His beautiful soul trapped forever like this; his parabatai dead in everything but body, forever caught in a nightmare of his own mind? No! Jace fought those dark fears and thoughts away. He had to hold it together; he couldn’t lose it. Alec was counting on him!

“Alec, I know you always say you need me and can’t live without me but I….I don’t think I can live without you either,” Jace said emotionally, before adding more truthfully, “Or rather I wouldn’t want to.”

Still no change in Alec’s face and when Jace reached out through their bond he was met with the same whirlpool of pain and torment as before that forced him to retreat. Jace took Alec’s limp hand in his, remembering how he had gotten him back last time, when Alec had been lost searching for him.

“For whither thou goest, I will go,” Jace recited the passage from the parabatai oath but nothing happened. No glow, no change. Sobbing softly Jace pulled Alec close and hid his face by his shoulder. “Parabatai, do not go where I can’t follow.”

He sobbed softly for a few moments, holding Alec almost painfully tight to his body. Then he forced himself to pull back and fought to still his tears as he gave Alec a stern look through his sorrow and pain.

“Now, stop this nonsense and come back to me!” Jace ordered, his distress making his voice sharp.

Still no change and Jace’s heart sank as despair started to seep in. What had the mental torture actually done to him? Some of his own worst memories were of course of Valentine; Valentine breaking his fingers, beating him for not doing well enough, killing his falcon and teaching him about how love destroys by killing everything he loved…. Thinking about it one memory jumped out at him as a memory he would rather take almost any physical punishment over reliving; the memory of how Alec had almost been raped. More than that he was certain he couldn’t relive his own feelings from that time; how helpless he had been, unable to stop it and to his great shame how relieved he had felt that it hadn’t happened to him. He had actually been relieved that his parabatai had suffered like that instead of him. In fact, a part of him was relieved he hadn’t had to relive his own worst memories and fears. That Alec had taken the mental agony instead of him; physical pain he could take and deal with but not this. What kind of parabatai did that make him? What kind of brother? He was disgusted with himself for that.  

But what had Alec seen? What past pain and failings were he reliving? What fears was he stuck in? His parents’ hurtful words and physical punishments? How his fellow Shadowhunters had scorned him after he had come out as gay? His near rape here on the ship? His fear of failing? Fear of losing Magnus? Losing Izzy? Losing him?

Needing to gather his thoughts to come up with a new idea of how to help Alec, Jace carefully eased Alec down onto the mattress as carefully as if he was made of crystal. He went to the toilet and took off his bloodied clothes and washed himself off as well as he could, wincing at the pain at every movement. He touched his ribs; they were pained, bruised but healed. He took some fresh clothes from the pile they had put in a corner of their cell. Weird, how by now Jace at times would almost call their cell their room.

Jace sat down next to Alec and looked down at him on the mattress. He had to wake him up; now. This wasn’t good. The last thing he wanted was to bring Alec pain but out of options and desperate and afraid Jace hit Alec hard in the face. The hit was harder than he had intended as all his desperation and fear went into the hit.

“For the love of the Angel! Alec, snap out of it!” Jace ordered harshly, loudly, his voice filled with fear and pain. Alec rolled with the hit but didn’t otherwise respond and Jace’s moment of hope was brutally crushed.

Why wouldn’t he react? Suddenly Jace thought he knew why. Whatever agony Alec had been seeing, reliving, experiencing, had been so great he had escaped to a special part of his mind, escaped to safety, to a place where he couldn’t feel whatever torture and pain he had been subjected to, whatever was happening.

He would never be able to convince Alec there was no danger by returning to the real world. Alec would know better; he would know there was pain outside; that it wasn’t safe. However, he could do something else. What would make Alec react no matter what? What was the one consistent thing about him? Something Alec could never ignore?

Jace took a deep breath and braced himself as he rose and went over to the wall. He looked at Alec’s still form on the floor.

“I hope I am right about this,” Jace mumbled, giving Alec a fond look.

Then Jace’s expression turned serious and he hit his right shoulder hard against the wall, purposely dislocating it. It sent waves and waves of pain through his body and he willingly, eagerly, sent waves and waves of distressed and pained feelings through the bond to Alec. He let out a loud scream filled with pain, letting it wash over him, drown him, not trying to hold back or fight it but giving in to it.

Jace looked intensely at Alec as he went over to kneel by his side, cradling his dislocated arm to his side as he bit his lips tightly together against the pain, still sending feelings of pain and discomfort through the bond to Alec. His body was not happy with him for adding new pain after he was still mending from the torture but he ignored it all. Jace almost stopped breathing when Alec’s eyes started to fluster slightly and his pained expression seemed to change.

If I get one wish, one glimpse of grace from the Angels, then please let it be that Alec wakes up, Jace’s prayed feverishly.

Alec’s eyes started to blink, his mouth opened and closed and he slowly started to come around.

“Ohh,” Alec mumbled pained and weakened as he waved weakly in Jace’s general direction, his eyes fighting to focus enough to look at him.

Alec’s fear for Jace’s safety had burned like fire through his mind and soul when he had felt Jace’s pain in the bond, forcing its way through the agony he had been caught it. The need to see his parabatai safe had forced Alec back to consciousness. While they had both been tortured the agony rune had been too overwhelming for him to feel much of Jace’s torture but now when it had been deactivated Jace’s pain had washed over him, drowning him. Alec instinctively tried to reach out and touch Jace to check him for injuries, worry and concern clearly reflected in his eyes and face.

“Shh. I’ve got you,” Jace promised huskily, almost unable to speak from emotions, tears running freely down his cheeks in relief when he put a comforting hand an Alec’s shoulder, kneeling beside him.

Alec fought to clear his head, to understand where he was and what was going on. He hadn’t wanted to return to reality. His body hurt from the beating, stinging and bloody, bruised and sore. Added to that were injuries from past days punishments which were still healing. Yet worse than the physical pain was the turmoil and raw feelings left behind by the agony ruin, threatening to ruin his resolve and making him fight tears. He had relived every bad memory he had ever had repeatedly; every punishment given by his instructors or parents, every hurtful word or comment someone had ever said to him. His worst fears had become memories; including his near rape which had turned into his worst nightmare; that John had managed to finish what he had started. The memory even now felt real. He knew it wasn’t but it felt real just like it had done during the torture. He had relived it, seen it, felt it, over and over again. It had mixed in with his other dark memories and fears and he had realized that he had a fear worse than John completing his desired task; even worse than losing Jace or seeing Jace suffer which was another fear he had been shown and had felt again and again. The fear that had broken him though was being shown and feeling losing Magnus. He had felt that pain of loss, that fear of Magnus breaking up with him over and over again, telling him he wasn’t good enough, that he could do better. It had finally broken him to be shown and to feel all of these memories and fear over and over and over again. It had been more than he could bear and he had escaped to a small corner of his mind where nothing could touch him; not good or bad memories but just nothingness. The memories of his ordeal were still there; all of it – all of his fears made memory. It was like a flood waiting to claim him again. Alec fought to hide it all away, lock it away. Jace had always been great at that; he wasn’t. He had to learn now if he was to survive. Otherwise, it would all be too much for him to bear. He had a mental image of creating a wall to hold that flood of memories the agony rune had created. The wall was thin at best, like a plastic sheet, giving a distorted look at the agonized memories. He mentally turned away; he couldn’t think about it. One thought, one fear…and it could all wash over him again and he couldn’t afford that. Alec had recognized what had awoken him; pain. Jace’s pain to be precisely. He had to hold it together for him.

“You…OK?” Alec managed to get out, his voice sounding hoarse, likely from screaming during the torture but his eyes were focused now, worried, as he looked at Jace. 

Jace nodded and smiled in relief, his eyes filled with love and tenderness. “Yeah. Welcome back.”

“I felt your pain,” Alec said worried, tentatively reaching out through the bond to feel Jace. He could feel his pain in his shoulder and his whole body was drained and pained and aching but Jace was….happy, relieved…almost ecstatic.

“I dislocated my shoulder. I had tried everything else to get you back,” Jace explained matter of fact, a huge grin on his face at his relief at finally having Alec back, as if the pain didn’t matter because compared to getting Alec back it didn’t.

“Jace! You shouldn’t have done that!” Alec insisted hoarsely with a hint of scolding. He fought to try and sit up but was too weak.

He now understood that Jace’s feelings of happiness was from having him back and he felt a bit overwhelmed at that. To this day feeling, knowing, that someone, in particular Jace who was said to be the best Shadowhunter of their generation, truly loved him was something he found difficult to accept and understand, as he had always struggled with low self-esteem and thus fundamentally didn’t feel he was worth such affection.   

Jace was about to reach out to help Alec sit up but his injured arm prevented it. He rose and went to the wall, took a deep breath and banged his injured shoulder harshly against it, popping it back into place. The pain was blinding and Jace let out a loud scream that was echoed by Alec as he felt it through the bond.

“Jace!” Alec complained but breathed more easily as soon as the pain started to fade as Jace’s pain faded now that the shoulder was back in place.

“I’m fine,” Jace insisted and almost laughed hysterically at his own words. He was fine?! Alec had basically been comatose for hours! But that was so typical for Alec to worry about everyone else than himself and that was one of the many reasons why he loved his brother.

Jace forced his raging emotions under control and was left puzzled by the lack of emotions in Alec. All he was able to see in his face and eyes were his worry for him and a hint of pain from his healing wounds. Jace reached carefully out through the bond to feel him. He sighed in relief when he felt Alec’s warm presence but it was…subdued somehow. He could feel Alec’s worry for him, his love and concern, but Alec’s own emotions for himself were…faded.

Worried Jace was about to ask where Alec had disappeared off to, what he had endured. He noticed the lines of agony in Alec’s face, the fear hidden deep in his eyes, the hesitation in his gaze, the slight shaking of his hands. Jace decided not to ask; he was suddenly very unsure just how strong Alec’s hold on himself was after this ordeal and he feared it was very thin and fragile, meaning the slightest push would make everything crumble.

Jace suddenly needed to look away, to do something, anything, to try and pretend anything he did could actually make Alec better. Had he chosen wrong? He wanted to say he had chosen what was best for Alec but had he? Or had he chosen what he himself had best been able to endure?

Jace filled the glass by the sink with water and grabbed a handful of the painkillers the guards had left in their cell from a previous punishment before kneeling beside Alec on the floor.

“It’s ok. You’re ok now,” Jace insisted, his voice soft and warm but if Alec had been more together he would have seen the worry and pain on Jace’s face.

They had made their escape plan together, they had both known it would result in punishment but they hadn’t imagined it would have been like this. Yet even if they had known…they had needed to do something, anything. They wouldn’t survive staying here much longer. It had been a catch 22 if ever there had been one.  

“Yes,” Alec agreed after Jace helped him finish the water and swallow the painkillers he had brought, his voice hoarse and weak, his eyes not meeting Jace’s.

They both knew Alec was lying but none of them mentioned it, both wanting to keep the lie, as it was better than reality.

Jace gave him another glass of water, which Alec drank with his help, his hands still too weak to hold on to it. Alec winced because he had bit into his lower lip and it was a bruised mess but still managed to drink it all.

Desperate to fix this and unsure how to, Jace went back to sit on the mattress and tried to gather Alec into his embrace, his chest his support, moving as carefully as he could. Even though the healing runes had worked their magic Jace was still in pain and aching but he ignored it, the calm and relief he felt at having Alec back in his embrace, awake and alert, was more than worth it.

“Are you alright? The agony rune....” Alec mumbled, trying to open his eyes fully but failing. His face was severely swollen from the beating he had taken before the agony rune had been applied, including his eyes.

Jace had wanted to apply healing runes to Alec but Peter hadn’t allowed it as the agony rune hadn’t left physical marks on him.

“I’m alright, parabatai. Peter let me draw iratze. I have some aches but my angel blood is helping speed up the healing,” Jace reassured him, unconsciously stroking Alec’s head with a hand, needing to feel him to reassure himself he was here and he was ok.

“Good,” Alec mumbled, smiling slightly in relief, lying his head back on Jace’s chest, exhausted by even this small movement.

Alec could feel Jace’s worry and concern, the uneasiness still in him. Needing to reassure him Alec tried to move his head to look at Jace to reassure himself he was alright but winced at the pain of it from the beating his face had taken. Jace moved him up so he was leaning against his shoulder and he could see his face.

“Sorry you had to make this choice,” Alec mumbled weakly, worried, as he looked at him.

“Shh, don’t worry about it. I’m fine,” Jace assured him, his voice warm as he sent kind, loving and healing waves through the bond towards him.

Jace wasn’t fine but luckily Alec couldn’t see it. It wasn’t so much that he was still physically healing that plagued Jace, but the fact that he now more than ever had felt Alec so close to breaking. He had gotten him back but at what price? Alec couldn’t keep surviving this.

“Good. I couldn’t live without you,” Alec said seriously, repeating something he had said so many times before.

“Alec, let’s agree from now on that if we go we go together, ok? Entreat me not to leave thee, or return from following after thee. For whither thou goest, I will go,” Jace said seriously, emotions clouding his vision and his voice.

“Jace, you are strong. You can…” Alec started, shaking his head in denial. Jace could survive without him; be happy with Clary if they got out of here. He on the other hand…he was certain he couldn’t live without Magnus or Jace; his heart and his soul, his lover and his brother.

“I wouldn’t want to,” Jace interrupted with a pained breath. “We are parabatai.”

Alec nodded at him and smiled, not fighting him this time, feeling overwhelmed with the emotions of love and tenderness Jace was sending through their bond, prompting him to send similar feelings back. As long as he would never have to take just one breath in a world that didn’t have Magnus and Jace in it he was fine.

“Parabatai,” Alec vowed emotionally for the word, the title, was a vow in and of itself.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Jace asked softly, worry in his voice, “Do you want to talk about it? I can feel this….numbness inside you.”

“For you?” Alec asked with a frown. He surely hoped not; he wanted Jace to feel his affection for him. He knew that it always grounded him, helped him feel better to be able to feel that from him just as it did for him.

Jace shook his head.

“No, not towards me. I feel your feelings for me clearly. It’s regarding your own feelings and memories. As if you are not letting yourself feel them,” Jace said carefully, trying to describe what he felt in the bond.

Alec grimaced but then admitted in a small and pained voice, “I….I can’t deal with it all right now, Jace. If I do…I am not sure I will be able to return this time.”

Jace fought to keep the look of horror away from his face, the feeling of dread.

“Just lock it away then. I do with any memory I don’t like. It works fine,” Jace insisted, his voice sounding desperate even to his own ears.

“Yes. It will work fine,” Alec agreed tonelessly, knowing they were lying, knowing everything had changed somehow. They couldn’t go back from this; they would never be the same. Never had it hit him so hard before than right now.

“I will protect you. I won’t ever let anything happen to you again,” Jace swore emotionally and he knew he was lying, he knew he couldn’t promise that no matter how much he wanted to and it made tears fall from his eyes.

Alec gave his nearest arm a reassuring squeeze.

“I know. I will protect you too,” Alec swore emotionally and while he felt like crying, knowing he should at a moment like this for he knew too that he couldn’t make this promise…no tears fell. He was afraid if he did, he would destroy the wall he had built inside his own mind and everything would come back. Instead, he sent all of his love and care and protectiveness through the bond to Jace.

Jace tightened his hold around him almost desperately and felt it before he saw it when Alec started to lose his hold on consciousness, this time from pure exhaustion.

“Everything will be alright,” Jace said softly, brokenly. He so wanted it to be true.

Alec made a small noise of contentment at hearing those words, so wanting them to be true he let them lull him further into sleep. His body soon went limp in Jace’s embrace, finally falling into a real sleep instead of the comatose like state he had been in before. Despite his battered and swollen face Alec managed to look young and peaceful in sleep; more so than Jace did.

Jace held him tight, his expression grim. He was happy Alec had fallen asleep so he hadn’t questioned him on just how much he had been lying. It wasn’t fine, nothing was fine. Their gamble better pay off or they would have suffered all of this for nothing. Jace wasn’t sure he could survive it if he had chosen this punishment for Alec, chosen this suffering for him that had almost broken him, maybe had broken him, all for nothing.

Chapter Text

Please read the chapter notes for warnings

Chapter 20

Peter had left them alone the day after the agony rune. Jace and Alec had discussed what that might mean. Alec had grimly suggested it could only be bad news; Jace had tried to cheer him up with remarking if they were lucky he had died during the night. They had both laughed harder at the bad joke than it warranted, needing the release.

While the knowledge that Jace had mentioned Luke to the 911 operator gave them both hope then the experience with the agony rune also made them keenly aware that Peter intended to use them as he saw fit; that he intended this to be their fate till they broke or died. However, in the mist of their depressive and despairing thoughts they had found a renewed resolve that they would do anything to not lose each other. There was no need to pretend, no need to hold back. They both knew that the only thing, the only thought, that made life bearable these days was the knowledge that they weren’t going through it alone.

They had had to acknowledge that the only reason they were still alive was because the other one was still alive. If they couldn’t be reunited with their loved ones then their world had collapsed inwards to include only each other. The agony rune had left them both with a feeling of helplessness that brought on a deep seated rage and anger; if they couldn’t be back with Magnus and Clary and their friends….well, then nothing and no one else mattered but each other. There was a coldness, a guardedness to Alec now, his emotions for anything and anyone but Jace carefully controlled to maintain his control of the feelings and memories the agony rune had created. It made Alec able to focus on the ‘safe’ emotions; his hatred and anger for Peter and his people; for the world in general. For the first time since they had become parabatai Alec didn’t even try to temper Jace’s darker impulses but relished in it; needing a safe outlet for his anguish. The world could burn and die – they had each other. It could all burn!

The second day after Peter had used the agony rune guards had taken them back to the same gym as always. Yet as soon as they were there they were both aware that today’s exercise would be different from normal. They were certain they were being trained for something specific; an upcoming mission like the one Jace had been sent on. However, Peter was annoyingly good at not revealing any details so neither Jace nor Alec had figured out what the upcoming mission would entail. They didn’t know if they would go into the field together but they increasingly thought it was likely and had already daydreamed of trying to escape together if that was the case; they would never get a better opportunity than that. With that in mind, they had decided they would try their best to show Peter he could let them out on the mission together; show him that the agony rune had broken them to the point that they wouldn’t try anything again – even out in the field.

As soon as they had entered the large gym two guards had pulled Jace away from Alec and had placed him with his back against a nearby wall, next to where a frightened young woman, gagged and blindfolded, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit with a black number painted on it, stood. There was a table about three meters in front of them where Alec was taken to stand next to Peter. On the table lay a single gun. There were more than 12 guards around the room, all with machine guns pointed at Jace and himself, making Alec’s hope of picking up the gun and using it against Peter futile; he was certain he would be able to shot Peter but the guards would also kill Jace and himself. He didn’t mind about himself but losing Jace was unacceptable. He had a really bad feeling about this but had by now gotten better at not showing that.

After the agony rune Alec had had to force his feelings and emotions further and further away in order to survive. He only let his feelings for Jace show but refused to think of anything else. If he thought about the fears and insecurities, the dark memories, the rune had had him relive over and over again he would go insane. He had had to push everything back in order to stop shaking, in order to stop feeling and breaking. He had managed to now push everything back so it was as if he was under water emotionally when it came to what he did and where he was; he knew the feelings were there but they were dulled, numb, not really registering.

When Peter started to explain his next ‘test’ Alec’s worst fears were confirmed.

“So….As you can see I have a little test for you. There’s one gun, one bullet and as you can see I have had this beautiful young girl brought here. She’s quite innocent I can tell you – 23 years old, her life ahead of her. Now, you…” Peter was explaining, his voice strong and matter of fact.

Peter was betting on Alec and Jace not knowing what a prison jump suit looked like and was just making up details to ensure the test would be as difficult as possible. For what he needed Alec to do for him, it was vital that he could be certain he would carry out his orders; any orders, right away. He did not have time to stop everything and force Alec into submission by threatening Jace and then continuing. He needed his reactions to be quick, spot on, deadly and precise.

Without another word, his eyes empty and cold, Alec pick up the gun and shot the young woman through the head, a closed expression on his face, knowing what Peter wanted of him before he had finished talking. The woman dropped to the floor in a heap, the wall behind her where her head had been now splattered red with blood and brain matter.

The sound of the gunshot echoed through the room, everyone having gone silent in shock. Alec looked at the dead body and the mess it had made with almost clinical curiosity. A part of him knew he was supposed to be shocked and appalled but he just felt empty, nothingness, right now.

“Alec!” Jace yelled in surprise, on instinct having moved away from the young woman when the shot had sounded and yet despite that he still had drops of blood and brain matter stuck in his hair, on his face and on his clothes. He ran a hand through his hair and over his clothes to get the worst out, not noticing his hands were shaking.

Alec turned and looked at Peter with a forced dispassionate look, having pushed all his feelings about what he had done away and out of his mind, leaving only the warrior, the leader, behind.

Peter looked at him with surprise clearly written on his face. Whatever he had expected hadn’t been this and that knowledge made Alec smile in victory.

“I’m sorry. You were going to ask me to choose between her and Jace, weren’t you? Choosing who would live and who would die?” Alec asked as he calmly placed the gun back down on the table, looking Peter straight in the eyes, keeping his expression even and calm.

Alec had never killed someone…no, executed, someone before. He had never used a gun before. It was surprisingly easy. One part of him, the part he had locked away deep inside, felt like crying, fighting…the smell of blood, fear and death making him want to vomit, his own actions, making him ill. But he forced all that down, out of his mind and hidden away.

A smile broke over Peter’s lips and admiration shore bright in his eyes. “Damn! You are even better than I thought!”

Jace had watched what had happened in shock and dismay. The shock was now wearing off a bit and he reached Alec and Peter in a few quick steps before the guards could stop him. Seeing Alec react like this, his innocence stolen, seeing him be more like him…it broke something inside of Jace. He wanted, he needed, Alec to be the better of them. Be pure and noble. Peter had stolen that from him. Blinded by fury Jace reacted instinctively, Alec sensing his mood through their bond and guessing his intention just a few seconds too late to stop him.

“Bastard!” Jace spat at Peter and swung at him, smiling evilly when his fist made contact with his face.

Instantly two guards were over him, pulling him off and down to his knees while weapons were raised and aimed at them. Meanwhile two other guards already had Alec forced to his knees, his arms behind his back. Jace found the calm, almost empty, expression on Alec’s face unnerving and disconcerting to say the least. Alec was supposed to be the one of them in contact with his feelings…well, at least more in contact with them than Jace had been for most of his life.

Peter spat out blood on the floor, wiping a hand over his broken lip as he eyed Jace coldly. “Striking a superior officer. We can’t have that, can we?”

“You’re not superior in any way,” Jace spat out, looking furiously at him.

Then he felt cold sweat covering his body when Peter looked away from him with an evil smirk and at Alec. No! He should focus on him! He had been the one to hit him!

“Don’t you dare touch him!” Jace fought against the guards until another guard, standing by the wall, pointed his weapon straight at Alec’s head, forcing Jace to cease his struggles and remain passive and still on his knees.

“Jace,” Alec plead softly, begging him with his eyes not to react, not to draw any attention to himself.

“Oh, I will but I will give you a choice. For what you did I will have him beaten within an inch of his life but…” Peter said darkly, barely controlled anger in his voice.

“Don’t touch him!” Jace yelled hotly, agonized, barely managing not to fight against the guards holding him down on his knees.

Damn it! Why hadn’t he been able to control his temper? It was always hard for him to do so when it came to the people he loved and even more now, when it came to Alec, but he hadn’t lost control like this before. He looked at Alec and realized why; Alec would always calm him through the bond; he hadn’t even tried this time to calm Jace’s anger and hatred and had only seemed ready to interfere when it was too late.

“Jace!” Alec’s voice was something between a command and a plea.

“But…I have heard you can share pain through your bond so I am offering you to share the pain though not the injury,” Peter continued as if neither Shadowhunter had spoken.

Peter loved that idea; they would both feel the pain but the soldier’s body would remain unharmed. It was the perfect punishment; all of the pain with none of the complications. He smiled and it almost reached his eyes this time, a genuine concern in his face.

“I need my best soldier in prime condition for the upcoming mission,” Peter told Jace, something almost kind in the gaze.

Jace looked murderously at him.

“You’re a fucking psychopath!” Jace spat hatefully.

Peter’s eyes narrowed at the insult. “Maybe.”

“Why did you have him shoot that woman?” Jace demanded to know, letting a hint of confusion go into his voice, mixing with his hatred.

“It was a test of his leadership abilities and his ability to obey. In battle, a leader must think quickly and be willing to sacrifice. Above all; he must obey whatever command I give if he is to lead for me. He proved he could do that,” Peter said matter of fact, satisfaction and maybe even a hint of pride in there too.

“You…want me to lead your troops?” Alec asked in surprise.

“Not quite yet but yes; that was what my tests for you were leaning up to. You are unique; your insight and your mind is sharper and more advanced than any I have seen,” Peter explained, managing to make the praise sound like a death sentence.

“And right now?” Alec wanted to know.

“I want you to review the intelligence material I get and create the plans that among others Jace here will carry out,” Peter explained. “I know that if Jace is out there with my people your plan will be solid.”

Alec wanted to say he would never help do that but he knew by now it was not true, because he would do it to save Jace. Therefore, instead, he pressed his lips together to a thin line and settled for glaring at him. He felt his hope die as he realized that Peter would never let them out on missions together; Alec would be planning them and Jace would be carrying them out but he wasn't stupid enough to ever let them out together. They were leverage for each other; their very presence keeping the other in line.

Peter gave him a satisfied look before turned back to Jace. His expression darkened.

“What do you choose?” Peter asked harshly of Jace.

For Jace there wasn’t any doubt; if somehow, even just mentally, he could take some of the burden from Alec he would gladly do it.

“I will share the bond,” Jace replied, looking Peter straight in the eye as he did so, letting him know he wasn’t afraid of what he was going to do. That was true enough but only for himself; he was very worried for Alec, both his increasingly fragile mental and physical state.

“No!” Alec protested fiercely, not wanting Jace to share in this.

“Yes!” Jace insisted, just as strongly, their eyes locking in a battle of wills.

“You don’t need to share this,” Alec insisted stubbornly.

There was a reason Alec had always shut down the bond between them whenever Peter had punished him; feeling your brother’s pain without being able to do something about it was the worst torture he could imagine.

“Let me do this, please,” Jace pleaded of his brother, his voice softening now.

There were few things in his life Jace regretted as much right now as he regretted hitting Peter, the momentary victory and joy at hurting him lost in the knowledge of what it would cost Alec.

“Very well. I am curious to see how this works,” Peter admitted, an evil smile on his lips as he motioned to two guards to come towards Alec to deliver the punishment he had in mind.

Chapter Text

Please read chapter notes for warnings

Chapter 21

“Alec….what you did….” Jace started to say, softly, after they had been sitting in silence for a while.

They were on the mattress in their cell, Alec mercifully having been allowed to use the healing runes after the punishment. Peter had been compassionate – for him. The punishment had been a brutal beating but nothing more. Alec was still in pain but it was manageable. Jace had sat against the wall of the cell, on the mattress, while Alec had sat down on the mattress next to him. On instinct they made sure their feet were touching; the physical connection giving them both a sense of peace and grounding. Jace really wanted to have Alec in his embrace but he knew that he was in too much discomfort to be touched almost anywhere; his back was still healing from wounds, from whippings, from earlier punishments and his torso was still healing from this recent and other beatings. The healing runes helped but the injuries were many and were applied too quickly after each other for the runes to work efficiently.

“Jace! I don’t want to talk about it,” Alec said sharply, giving him a pointed look with so much ice that lesser men would have backed off. But Jace was of course not a lesser man by any means.

“I think we have to,” Jace insisted softly, sympathy and worry in his voice.

“I don’t see why. I didn’t do anything you haven’t done or wouldn’t have done,” Alec snapped angrily, knowing he was being unfair to Jace but still couldn’t stop himself. He wasn’t sure why he was so angry, why he was being so blunt, almost brutally so with his brother.

He didn’t want to think about it, he didn’t want to feel it. If he started doing that he wasn’t sure he would stop and he was afraid of where those thoughts and feelings would lead him. He couldn’t break down; not here. He couldn’t afford that. They couldn’t afford that. So he forced himself not to think, not to feel. Forced it away and locked it up inside. He knew he would need to deal with this one day but that day wasn’t now; it couldn’t be now.

“True but then…” Jace started to say, trying to calm him down. While Alec’s words hurt he knew why he said them; he was in pain and Jace felt guilty for his part in adding to that pain.

“Alec, you know Peter was lying, right?” Jace asked instead, wanting to ease his guilt and pain. Even if Alec wasn’t ready to talk or ready to feel it Jace knew how sensitive Alec was and sooner or later the dam would break and he would feel it all. He needed to know this; really know it.

“About what?” Alec asked, his voice sounding tired, not physically but more mentally tired.

“The woman. She wasn’t innocent,” Jace insisted and his expression grew pained and closed as he said, “Peter is a lot like Valentine in many ways. He loves to play with our minds to make us break and do what he want.”

Alec gave him a brief sympathetic squeeze on his nearest thigh at the mention of Valentine but then his expression grew confused as his other statement sank in. “How do you know that?”

“Her clothes. I have seen enough Mundane movies with Clary to recognize it as being prison wear,” Jace explained.

“Being a prisoner doesn’t mean her life is forfeit,” Alec said with a pained air, fighting to keep this discussion academic and not feel anything related to it.

He couldn’t think about this. He couldn’t do it. Not now. He didn’t even want to consider his fate; helping a man like Peter achieve his goals, win his battles for him. The very idea made him want to puke but what choice did he have? Better the world suffered and burned than be forced to see Jace harmed. He shouldn’t think like that, it wasn’t the Nephilim way. But their time here had changed all of that. It was easy to believe you would choose the world over your loved one in theory. It was noble and right and just. But when faced with the choice Alec had had to recognize with himself that he would choose family every time.

“The Clave burns their prisoners alive. That is the regime you and I have worked for, fought for. My guess is she was sentenced to death already; how else would he be able to get her here?” Jace reminded him matter of fact, finding it a bit unsettling he was the voice of reason in all of this. That was Alec’s job. Alec was supposed to be the calm and reasonable one.

“I never wanted that. I always wanted to fight for a better Idris…a better way of doing things,” Alec admitted softly, regret and pain in his voice that he fought to hold back.

“It should have been me making that choice. I would have made it easily,” Jace said firmly and with unwavering certainty.

Being captured here with Alec had made Jace realize more than ever before than he would gladly murder any stranger to save Alec; he would set the world on fire himself if it meant saving Alec. And he would not cry one single tear about it. Alec though….Alec was different. He had always been the noble one; the best of them in that regard. 

“Why?” Alec snapped angrily, his eyes clouded and pained, not wanting Jace to have had to do something like that. He had already suffered enough hard choices with Valentine.

“Because you’re you, the great pure blooded warrior God, and I’m just weak and useless?!” Alec spat the words out, his insecurities shining through in his anger. He was unsure why he was so angry all the time but was just feeling all of this pain and anger that had no useful outlet.

“Alec! Don’t talk like that, okay?” Jace’s voice was almost pleading and he placed a hand on his knee; the nearest part of Alec he could reach and a place he felt his touch wouldn’t cause him any discomfort.

Alec’s anger disappeared a little at the touch and he ran a hand through his hair. This place was really messing with his head, throwing him off, making him unbalanced.

“Sorry. It’s just…I am not made of glass, you know?” Alec’s voice was almost kind now.

Jace gave a small and pained smile. Alec looked so fragile these days, so many bruises and cuts, so skinny now, his eyes haunted. He did look like he was made of glass, but Jace would never say that for he knew well that Alec was stronger inside than any man he had ever met.

“Alec…I have seen what you have had to endure while we have been here. What you endured throughout your childhood from your parents, your instructors, the other Shadowhunters after you came out…hell, at times even I gave you a hard time. I couldn’t respect anyone more,” Jace said sincerely, pleading with his eyes to make Alec understand.

Alec had always doubted himself. Jace had never understood why; he was the general while he was just the soldier. People remembered the generals who dared to change the world; the soldiers often ended up as a footnote on the pages of history. Jace would never have challenged the Clave like Alec had done, trying to force it to change its laws. Yes, he was rebellious but on the small scale, for himself, for his own desires. Alec had strategic vision and reach. Jace was not one to follow just anyone blindly despite being a soldier, but he would follow Alec into Hell and back blindfolded and without a plan…and have no regrets and no hesitation about it.

“Then what is it?” Alec asked, clearly puzzled, a hint of anger back in his voice from frustration.

Jace sighed, trying to find the words to explain what he was thinking and feeling.

“Me? I am a simple man. A beautiful woman to love and a fight to fight with my brother by my side. You however…you think about things,” Jace paused, trying to explain. “You wonder, you care, you doubt, you plan. Those are great leadership qualities, but doing what you did…those are not good qualities for that.”

Alec briefly looked away, feeling embarrassed by this unsolicited praise.

“I will be fine,” Alec insisted and anyone who didn’t know him as well as Jace might have believed him.

Jace snorted, having learned a long time ago to be very suspicious whenever Alec mentioned he would ‘be fine’.

“That’s Alec speak for I’m suffering in silence, alone,” Jace said directly with a hint of amusement and sympathy.

“No, it’s not!” Alec protested hotly but couldn’t help but smile just a little.

“It is,” Jace insisted and then sobered, his expression softening, knowing he would get nothing else from Alec tonight.

“Just please….promise me you will talk to me when you need to, when it gets too much?” Jace pleaded, his voice soft and his eyes employing.

“I promise,” Alec said solemnly and gave the hand on his knee a reassuring squeeze.

He wanted to mean it but Alec wasn’t sure if even he knew when it was too much because frankly it had been too much weeks and weeks ago. The only reason it wasn’t too much now was because he wasn’t allowing himself to feel it.

“Good parabatai,” Jace said with humor and warmth, stroking his hair with one hand as he tried to give him a weird half-hug but carefully, not touching his still aching body with more than a feather light touch on the lowest part, mindful of all his healing cuts and bruises.

Alec smiled a little as he drew back, letting the love and care he felt from Jace through their bond lift his spirits, sending his own feelings of love and affection back at him.

“I’m not a dog, you know,” Alec mock protested, enjoying this pretend at normality, smiling a little despite himself. Only Jace and Magnus could do that; make him smile when he actually felt like crying.

The words reminded Jace of a movie Clary had showed him about a brave and selfless dog.

“Good Lassie,” Jace said in a teasing voice with a smirk, wanting to make Alec keep smiling for any price. Alec smiled so little as it was, unless he was with Magnus, and getting a smile from Alec in here, during their captivity.... That was a rare and precious gift.

Alec gave him a puzzled look; he didn’t know what a Lassie was but from Jace’s tone and smirk on his face it wasn’t good.

“I hate you, you know,” Alec said good-natured instead, giving him his best eye roll, but he was sending love and warmth through the bond at his brother.

His words made Jace smile like Alec had hoped.

“I know. Me too,” Jace said fondly, warmly.

Their bond flared warm with love and affection from both sides, embracing them like a warm blanket, making whatever words they used pointless anyway.

“Want to talk about how we are going to kill Peter one day?” Jace asked with an evil smile, wanting to lift Alec's spirits.

It had become a favorite past-time fantasy of theirs; imagining their revenge. After Peter had used the agony rune on them however, Alec’s suggestions had become more brutal and dark but Jace was all there for it.

“I am thinking he always seems to have a special fascination with gun shots and seeing them heal. A shame the steele won’t work on him so we could test it on him,” Alec said with a dark grin, enjoying the fantasy that the threat Peter had used so much could be used against him somehow.

“I'm thinking something a bit more personal. His blood on my hands personal. Edom knows; he has certainly seen enough of ours!” Jace said wickedly, smiling darkly as he envisioned it.

He would love nothing more than to torment Peter slowly for all the pain he has inflicted on his parabatai which Jace had been unable to stop. If he couldn’t prevent Alec from suffering he would sure as hell ensure Peter got as good as he had given.

“I would like to use a knife I think,” Alec said thoughtfully, a dark gleam in his eyes. At Jace’s questioning look Alec added, “He owes me a hand.”

Jace nodded grimly, remembering that Peter had indeed stabbed Alec through his palm and then used the healing rune on it, resulting in pure agony and torment for him as the rune tried to close the wound with the knife still inside.

“I want to cut a piece off him for every pain, every torment, he has ever inflicted upon you,” Jace admitted darkly, a bit afraid of whether Alec felt his thoughts and fantasies had gone too dark. To his relief Alec simply smiled evilly.

“I shall hold him down for you while you do it,” Alec promised. “I want him to suffer for each and every demand he ever put on you,” he added sinisterly, his need for revenging his brother’s torment as clear as Jace’s had been for him.

Jace grinned at that as they continued sharing dark fantasies of escape and revenge, the bond between them pulsing with care and concern for each other, the parabatai rune almost glowing with the shared desire for revenge on behalf of the other.

“

Chapter Text

Read chapter notes for warnings

Chapter 22

“I think I finally got something useful from the latest criminal I talked to,” Magnus said, his voice filled with hope as he exited a portal at his loft in his living room, making everyone gathered there turn to look at him.

The mourning period for the Seelies had ended and Magnus could now count on their support. Meliorn had arrived yesterday so he could get a feeling of where things stood with the Clave, Idris and the search for Alec and Jace. The new King had found himself welcomed warmly by Izzy more than anyone else, giving Meliorn an additional reason for staying. 

“Did the lead pan out?” Luke asked hopefully, looking up from the documents he had been looking at by the dining table with Clary and Simon.

Lorenzo had kidnapped the military aid as they had planned and with help from Raphael they had gotten a lead on the money for the black ops operation. Lorenzo had been a bit too eager though and the aid had died; not a huge loss as far as Magnus had been concerned. While he hadn’t known about Jace or Alec the aid had known the black ops group was meant to use supernatural elements to advance American interests by any means necessary; kidnappings, torture and assassinations were all considered a small price to pay for maintaining a politically world leading position.

Using the details the aid had provided, Simon had been able to hack into and trace the money for the black ops group. Doing so Simon had also found the name of the group leader; Peter Johnson, a CIA operative that some thought had started the practice of using black sites located in countries without human right laws, so it was possible to torture prisoners there, on paper quite legal to conduct the torture there even if it would be illegal in the USA and most of the world. Peter was described in the documents Simon had hacked into as ruthless and cunning, but also a patriarch who was fanatic in his viewpoints. Digging around it became clear the black ops group had existed since the 1950s and had as a core focus to use supernatural elements to further American interests abroad and internally, as well as a way to eliminate any perceived or potential threats to American interests, as the aid had also explained.  

Then the search for Peter and his group had started. Magnus had gotten a lead; a criminal group operating near the docks in New York. The group ran drugs, people, antiquities….you name it and they smuggled and traded it. What interested Magnus was the rumor that the group also supplied military personal with anything they wanted from various drugs and stimuli to specific food items, all traded off the books. He had captured a member of the gang and 'talked' to him and finally he had gotten something useful!

“Do you know where Jace is?” Clary asked worried as she looked up at Magnus hopefully.

“Well, go on then,” Lorenzo encouraged Magnus with an eye roll as he promptly dropped the papers he had been sitting with in the sofa, not wanting to waste more time on it if it was not needed.

“See here,” Magnus said and put his hands on his temples and mumbled a spell.

A picture appeared before him for all in the room to see; they were looking at Magnus’ memories as if it was a TV screen. Magnus’ eyes found Clary and Simon and he added, “Biscuit, you and Simon should leave the room for this.”

“We are staying,” Clary insisted strongly for them both.

“As you wish, biscuit,” Magnus said in a resigned tone of voice. He had nothing to hide and felt his actions were justified; it had only been to cater to Mundane sensibilities anyway….

“Andrew, come here,” Lorenzo beckoned, smiling at Andrew when he came into the living room, coming from the command room with all the screens where he had been tracking military movements and communications to see if anything could point to Alec and Jace. However, the noise from Magnus’ return had made him abandon his post to go see if everything was alright.

Andrew smiled back, a bit shy still at being public about his relationship but still instantly moved to do as asked, leaving no one in doubt they were in a relationship if it hadn’t been obvious before. He went to Lorenzo and as soon as he was close Lorenzo grinned up at him and took a hand around his nearest wrist, pulling him down and into a passionate kiss. When they drew apart Andrew looked slightly dazed but had a happy smile on his lips. Instead of trying to get room on the sofa, Izzy and Meliorn already sitting there to one side, Raphael standing next to the sofa to better look at the memories Magnus was showing, Andrew sat down on the floor next to where Lorenzo was sitting. Lorenzo smiled down at him and stroked his hair while Andrew pressed against his leg, smiling contently and watching intensely as they both watched Magnus’ memories playing as a movie before them.

“Where’s Alexander?” the Magnus of the memories was asking of a Mundane man hanging from chains from the ceiling, looking bloody and battered after what looked like repeated hits to the head and torso. The room he was in was hazy, the memories focusing on the interaction itself.

“I…I don’t know,” the man insisted, fear in his eyes, nodding to emphasize his words.

Magnus in the memories moved close to the man’s face, his cat eyes appearing, making the man visually jerk in fear though the chains didn’t allow him to move away.

“There are 206 bones in the human body. You still have 188 bones in your body I have not broken yet, given the ones I know I broke in your feet, hands, nose and ribs. Are you sure that is your answer?” Magnus asked darkly, his cat eyes glowing dangerously.

“I don’t know!” the man insisted, almost yelling, looking truly frightened.

“Very well,” the Magnus of the memories said dispassionately and did a hand gesture, making one of the man’s few unbroken fingers break and twist into an unnatural angle.

“Ahhh!” the man screamed loudly in agony.

The Magnus of the memories waited impatiently for the screaming to subdue so he could be heard before he spoke again, his voice calm and dark.

 “So…187 bones then. Sure you don’t have anything to tell me?” Magnus’ voice was almost conversational.

“All…all I know is that there is a delivery to be dropped off; day after tomorrow,” the man got out, sweating, his voice pained and his breath coming in gasps.

“Go on,” Magnus in the memory encouraged with a dark air.

“The Eastern docks, Pier 9,” the man told him, his voice pained and weak.

Magnus nodded, thinking. “Is it a ship?”

The man nodded. “Yes… It comes in for supplies around once a month.”

“How’s the manpower?”

The man hesitated but just for a second before admitting, “It’s a military ship.”

“So…cannons?” Magnus in the memory guessed thoughtfully.

The man nodded. “Yes.”

“Soldiers?” Magnus questioned, clearly starting to think of a plan.

“Many.”

“How many?” Magnus pressured, frowning.

“I don’t know; I swear!” the man insisted, frightened.

Magnus scanned his face carefully.

“I believe you,” Magnus said and the man visibly relaxed.

“Guns?” Magnus continued his questioning.

“Machine guns, hand guns…”

“Anything else? Grenades, knives…?” Magnus went on, realizing he would need to read up on the latest military warfare tools as he hadn’t been active in combat for years in a Mundane war.

“All of it I assume. We were never allowed on board,” the man admitted.

“What time were you to meet the ship?”

“An hour before midnight.”

Magnus nodded in satisfaction, having gotten the intel he wanted.

“Would you need to be present personally to drop off this delivery?” Magnus asked darkly.

“No,” the man admitted, so eager to be released from the pain he answered truthfully. As soon as he had said it, he knew it was the wrong answer. “Wait! Don’t kill me!”

Magnus gave a dangerous smile. “Too late for that. I made a vow a long time ago to kill anyone involved in Alexander’s disappearance.”

“Ahhh!” The man screamed as Magnus did a hand movement and magical blue flames of agony started to engulf him.

The memory disappeared when Magnus clapped his hands together, looking around at the gathered people.

“Was that really necessary?” Luke asked disapproving, referring to both the torture and the presumed murder of the criminal happening after the memory ended.

“Yes, it was. He was a willing part of harm coming to Alexander so yes,” Magnus simply said, his voice firm and certain.

“God, that was horrible to watch,” Clary got out, having been unable to watch most of it.

Simon had also been unable to watch it, both having averted their eyes though they had still been able to hear everything.

“Sorry, Biscuit, but it had to be done,” Magnus said, his voice warmer now but still had an edge of steel.

“Well, now we know a time and a place. We are getting somewhere,” Izzy said darkly, hopeful that they were close. “I for one can’t wait to go kill them all and save my brothers!”

“That’s my girl!” Magnus said approvingly, smiling at Izzy.

“At least one here has some balls,” Lorenzo said matter of fact, giving Clary and Simon disapproving looks for what he considered weak positions towards the people responsible for this whole mess.

“We should get some sleep and plan the attack tomorrow,” Meliorn said matter of fact.

“Good idea. Let us do that,” Magnus agreed with the new Seelie King. He turned his attention to Lorenzo. “Will you stay here or…?”

Lorenzo shook his head.

“No. I plan to make my angel be quite verbal tonight so we will go to my mansion,” Lorenzo said with a smirk and suggestive wink at Andrew who blushed furiously at Lorenzo’s directness and looked down. Lorenzo rose and reached out a hand to Andrew, helping him to his feet as well.

“We will be back here tomorrow at 10,” Lorenzo said as he made a portal one-handed, still holding on to Andrew’s hand with the other.

“At 8,” the Seelie King corrected, giving him a disapproving look. Seelies arrive with the dawn to seize the day.

“At 9; anything before then is not befitting a proper Warlock,” Lorenzo said firmly, looking at Magnus for support.

“At 9 here for anyone not staying here,” Magnus ordered.

Lorenzo grinned at his victory and stepped through the portal with a protective and possessive arm around Andrew’s waist, still very vigilant in case there should be any threats against Andrew. As soon as they had stepped through the portal it closed behind them.

Magnus conjured up a drink for himself, his thoughts far away and only half aware of the people running around him to get all possible details and information on what kind of force and weapons they would be facing when they boarded the ship they now believed held Jace and Alec.

Finally, after months of searching…finally, he had found Alexander! He had brought the Shadow World to the brink of war, he had killed, tortured and manipulated his way through enemies and as a way to create new allies. However, it had all been worth it and he would gladly do it again if it meant he would be reunited with Alexander.

Magnus decided that one of the first things he would be doing as soon as he got Alexander home was to ask Alexander to be his forever and let him do the Handfasting ritual he had considered asking Alexander about before he had been kidnapped. He was not risking losing Alexander again. He wanted him to know how loved he was, how cherished he was, he wanted him to know that he was everything to him – now and forever.

Handfasting was a ritual that would bind Alexander’s life-force to his own so Magnus would always know where he was. Furthermore, the magical aura that would be left around Alec would let any being with magical aptitude know Alexander belonged to him and touching him would mean to declare war on Magnus himself. Well, given he was now the de facto leader of the united Downworld then it would mean a war with the Downworld. The ritual would also work in reverse; magical creatures would be able to tell Magnus was bound to the archer. The ritual had never been done between one of demon blood to one of angel blood, but some Warlock Elders theorized the ritual might even let Alec share in Magnus’ immortality through the sharing of their life-forces. Magnus hoped that was true for there was nothing he wanted more than to have Alexander, back, safe….and forever here with him.

And then when he was certain Alexander was alright, when he was safe and sound back in his arms…then he would destroy anyone still left breathing who had had anything to do with Alexander’s disappearance no matter who they were, up to and including the Clave and all of Idris itself!   

Chapter Text

Please read the chapter notes for warnings. Prince of Hell Magnus Bane in this chapter and a lot of bad guys dying very brutally! Read the chapter warnings!

Chapter 23

Heaven or Hell had not seen fury like Magnus Bane, Prince of Hell, having finally found where his lover had been kept from him. It had taken longer than any of them had wanted. It was almost two weeks ago Luke had been called out to a murder scene and had discovered Clary’s light rune on a body. They had had no doubt that only Alec or Jace could have drawn it and hearing Jace’s voice on the 911 call had confirmed it. Thereafter started a long battle to get information. Luke had pressed his sources but kept it clean and legal. Magnus…not so much. He had used any and all connections he had, all his magic…and he hadn’t hesitated to force information out of criminals he had been told might know something. Killing killers….not really something Magnus had ever had a problem with. Might be the demonic element of him or might just be a part of his human nature and the fact that he had spent the majority of his life living in societies where an eye for an eye was a perfectly acceptable thing.

Magnus had tortured and killed his way through New York’s criminal underground, not having any hesitation at doing so if it meant finally being able to rescue Alec. Finally, someone had known something useful; a ship without markings, seemingly filled with military personal and under military protection and heavily guarded. The ship would restock supplies from a local New York pier and luckily for them the gang Magnus had been interrogating was well connected at the pier, hence the information of what time the ship would dock next reached Magnus.

They had read up on the latest US military weaponry and as they were unsure of wardings and other magical traps Magnus had portaled his forces to the docks. With Magnus were Clary, Simon, Raphael, Raphael’s vampires and several other vampires from the city. Izzy, Luke, Maia, Luke’s werewolves and several other werewolves, Meliorn and a whole battalion of Seelie warriors, a group of Warlock warriors including Lorenzo and Catarina and several displaced Shadowhunters, including Andrew. All of them had been armed and ready to do battle.

The Clave had declared that Alec and Jace had died and no further resources would be used to find them. Victor had even circulated a rumor the parabatai had run off together. The small attack party was therefore, after months of searching, the only ones still holding out hope of finding them alive. Even Alec’s parents back in Idris had given up and to save face and the family name had accepted he and Jace were declared dead.

Everyone in Magnus’ attack force were there for different reasons. Lorenzo was there because he still believed Andrew was in danger and that bringing Jace and Alec back would help protect him whereas Andrew wanted to be there out of loyalty to Alec, who he believed was his true leader. Raphael was there for Magnus and secondly for Izzy. Izzy was there for both her brothers, Simon was mainly there for Clary and Izzy. Clary was mainly there for Jace and secondly for Magnus; even though she didn’t want anything bad to happen to Alec they weren’t really close. Luke was there for Clary and for the werewolves that had disappeared. Maia was there for Luke and to find or avenge their missing wolf brother and sisters. Meliorn was there to honor his debt to Magnus as was most of the Warlocks.

As soon as the ship had docked the group had attacked; invading the ship in a full frontal attack. The odds should not have been in their favor but with a furious Prince of Edom at their side it had proven easier than they thought. Once upon a time Magnus would have been shocked and embarrassed to have let anyone see this side of him, something he considered his dark side, his demonic side, but after months of searching for Alec his demon needed revenge, release. Therefore every guard he encountered, every soldier who dared to stand between him and his lover met a bloody, painful and agonizing death.

It seemed like forever but finally a small group consisting of Magnus, Clary, Simon, Izzy, Luke, Lorenzo, Raphael and Andrew managed to get under deck. Meanwhile the Seelies, led by the new Seelie King, the werewolf warriors lead by Maia, the vampire group led by one of Raphael's seconds and the Warlock group led by Catarina, held off the advancing soldiers to give them time. The small group managed to fight their way into the belly of the ship until they reached a hallway with several cells; all of them empty. Finally, they reached a hall, like a gym. The hall held over thirty soldiers; it was the last stance of the ship. Barely visible behind the guards were the two men the group had been searching for all this time.

The first thing Magnus thought when he saw Alec after so long was how different he looked. He wore only loose pants and a loose t-shirt and his arms held scars he hadn’t had before. He looked tired, drained and weak and had lost significant weight. He looked small, young and very fragile. He screamed Magnus’ name as if it was a prayer as soon as he saw him burst through the door or rather as soon as his magic burst the door off its hinges. Jace, dressed similarly, looked better. He had no visible scars and he looked healthy and strong. He still looked drained but physically he looked a lot better than Alec; his body was still muscled like a warrior whereas Alec had almost all muscle tone. Jace seemed almost shocked at seeing Clary, as if he didn’t want to see her in a place like this and likely he didn’t; it had after all been the very place where for months on end the two parabatai had suffered excruciating agony.

All Hell broke loose after that which was a blessing as it meant Peter had no time to use Jace and Alec against his attackers. Suddenly the room was alive with magic, gunshots and the blurry form of Simon and Raphael as they used super-speed to move around the room to attack the guards. The guards fought to hold their ground, making full use of their machine guns. To defeat the guards Lorenzo and Magnus had started throwing fireballs and making protective shields around the group whenever bullets came too close for comfort, Luke firing back using his gun, Clary had used runes, including her light rune as well as a blade while Izzy had used her whip.

Luke would only kill in self-defense while Clary and Simon made sure never to kill anyone at all, only injure and subdue. Raphael did the same. Izzy had no such problems and neither did Lorenzo and Magnus, making them the most efficient warriors. Seeing the enemy were Mundane warriors Andrew also held back, not killing his victims. However, to the surprise of the rescue party not only Jace but also Alec had absolutely no problems with maiming and killing their way through the guards in their effort to cross the room and meet the rescue party.

“Alec! See who Magnus found,” Jace yelled to Alec when they both saw that Magnus had John caught in a red lasso of magic, about to squeeze till the man was choked to death, unaware there was anything special about this guard.

Jace and Alec shared a meaningful look; though Jace wanted nothing more than to tear the bastard to pieces this was Alec’s revenge first and foremost.

“Magnus, wait!” Alec ordered when he reached Magnus and for the first time the two lovers stood side by side. Magnus still held the man on his knees inside the red magical lasso but his expression softened as he saw Alec.

“Alexander!” Magnus got out, his voice filled with emotions and he had tears at the corners of his eyes, fighting not to lose control in the middle of the battle. The way Magnus spoke his name made it clear to all that in that name laid Magnus' whole world, his whole reason for doing anything; his very reason for existing.

Magnus used his free hand, the one he wasn’t using for his magic, to easily catch the running young Shadowhunter and they embraced, holding onto each other so tightly it would likely leave bruises but none of them cared. For a few seconds they just stood like that, grounding themselves in each other, inhaling the scent and feel of each other, taking a moment to try and comprehend that they were finally reunited.

Magnus thought he wasn’t crying but he was. Finally, Alec was here. He was safe! He was alive! Magnus would have given everything, sacrificed everything for this moment. Alec was his life and without him there was no life, no light and no reason for being.

Alec clung to Magnus like a drowning man, tears running down his face but he didn’t care. He couldn’t believe he was finally here. He needed to touch him to make sure it wasn’t a dream for he had indeed dreamt this so many times. Magnus was his whole world; everything he wanted and needed! He was finally here!

None of them wanted to stop, to draw back, to return to reality. They wanted to drown in each other and keep each other safe within this moment. But they couldn't. Magnus reluctantly pulled a bit back out of necessity as the battle was still raging on, and though Jace had taken up a defensive position next to the embracing couple it was dangerous to lose focus like this.

“Why did you ask me to stop?” Magnus asked, worried Alec would have a problem with what he had seen him doing to the guards.

Alec reluctantly left Magnus' embrace and went to look down at the kneeling guard with hate-filled eyes.

“John here deserves a much more prolonged and agonizing death than what you were about to do,” Alec said darkly before he turned to look at the guard on his knees, struggling against the magical lasso around his neck, fighting to breathe.

“By the way, I owe you this, you bastard!” Alec spat the words out as he hit the kneeling and bound man hard in the face before kicking him several times in the stomach, making him yell out in pain.

John would have fallen to the floor if not for Magnus’ magic holding him up. Magnus simply watched Alec hit the bound guard, seeing the pain behind the rage.

“Do you want to tell me what specifically this one did?” Magnus asked softly, worried and fearful of the reply.

For Alec to have developed such rage could only mean he had suffered horribly. Magnus could already tell from Alec’s scars and his overall condition he and Jace had been tortured but Magnus had a bad feeling it was more than just physical torture.

“You deserved everything I did to you and more. I wish I had done it but even without completing the task I know you will never forget me!” John yelled, hate and spite in his voice.

His words left little to the imagination and Magnus could easily guess what he was referring to. Rape…the bastard had tried to…Magnus’ eyes shining an evil red behind the gold.

“Alexander, did he…” Magnus started to ask softly, horrified, his voice agonized and filled with pain and concern, torn between wanting to comfort Alec, hold him close and murder John with his bare hands!

Alec shook his head.

“No, he tried,” he said, his voice hoarse and low as he fought to control his feelings and the memories the words brought with them.

Seeing that Alec was fighting to hold on and knowing how dangerous it was to lose focus during a battle, Magnus forced himself to only focus on getting rid of John in the most painful way possible befitting the crime he had committed againt Alec.

“Alexander, do you want to do the honors?” Magnus asked, barely able to hold back his rage, his voice filled with darkness and hatred.

“You don’t deserve another moment of my thoughts or reflection,” Alec said coldly, looking down at the kneeling man. Then he gave Magnus a look filled with pain, love and a burning need for revenge.

“Magnus, can you make him hold up his hands, flat out, palms facing this way, above his head?” Alec asked in a dark voice.

“Of course, darling,” Magnus said, fighting to control his own emotions, torn between vengeance and only wishing to soothe Alec to remove the look of pain in his eyes.

Magnus forced the man to do as Alec wanted with his magic. Alec picked up the gun John had dropped when Magnus had gotten hold of him, and with pure loathing in his eyes Alec shot him straight through both of his palms, drawing pained screams from John as he did so.

“Now you can kill him as long as you promise to do it excruciatingly painful,” Alexander said darkly to Magnus.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Magnus promised in a voice filled with shared pain and sympathy.

Alec was about to respond when he caught sight of Peter at the same time Jace did.

"I will get him," Jace said darkly to Alec and moved quickly and deadly through the battle to go after Peter.

Magnus saw how Alec's expression changed, his need to go after Peter, his need to join his parabatai in battle, and he knew that like this guard in front of him Peter had done something horrible too.

"I've got this, darling. Go do what you need to do," Magnus reassured him.

Alec smiled, the smile somewhere between sad and loving, belonging and a feeling of loss.

"Thank you," Alec said heartfelt, grateful Magnus seemed to get it without him having to explain.

Magnus nodded, a lump in his throat at the emotions of the moment. "I love you, Alexander. I always have and I always will."

Alec's eyes and expression softened and he put the gun he had picked up in the wristband of his pants so he could put his hands on either side of Magnus’ face.

Alec looked him in the eyes when he said, his voice serious and just as emotional as Magnus felt, "I love you. Thinking of you is what kept me alive."

The kiss was tender and expressive, loving and desperate and lasted but a moment. Then with one last look at Magnus, Alec moved quickly and efficiently through the battle to join Jace in his pursuit of Peter.

Magnus felt a moment of fear when Alec left his side, not wanting to let him out of his sight for a second but knowing he had to deal with this situation first. Magnus turned his full attention back to the struggling Mundane who was hissing in agony, fighting to stay alert.

“An excruciating death….what do to, what to do…” Magnus mumbled aloud, an evil grin on his face as an idea came to him; finally a punishment that was worth the crime he had done against his beloved Alexander!

“Now, I’ve got it! How about being flayed alive while being quartered and drawn? Both rather ingenious Mundane punishments, don’t you think?” Magnus asked him sweetly, his voice dripping with hatred and the flames of Edom itself.

John paled visibly at the very thought. “Please, God no!”

“Oh, I don’t think you want to involve Him in this discussion,” Magnus said menacingly before he proceeded to commence the punishment he had just described, his magic flaring red and angry.

Scream after scream was torn from John for the next 15 minutes as he excruciatingly slowly was being taken apart piece by piece, while being kept conscious using magic way beyond the normal endurance and breaking point of Mundanes or even any other creature for that matter – the same magic which was used to ensure every nerve ending in his body was on fire.

Meanwhile Jace had reached Peter but Izzy had reached him first.

“Izzy!” Jace yelled at her, smiling relieved at seeing her.

She smiled happily and relieved at him before she swung her whip and closed it around Peter’s neck, forcing him to his knees on the floor, making him take his hands to the whip around his throat, fighting for breath.

“Wait! He’s mine,” Jace growled as he finally was so close he could pull Izzy off Peter.

She wasn’t easy to budge, hatred in her eyes, eager to avenge her brothers’ pain but she relented and stopped trying to choke him but still kept the whip around his neck, knowing this revenge belonged to them more than to her. Jace gave her a grateful smile and a one armed embrace that had to be short due to the battle raging all around them.

"Thank the Angel you are ok!" Izzy said thankfully as they pulled apart, reassured to see that he physically at least looked ok.

Jace smiled in response but the smile didn't reach his eyes; ok was not how he would describe himself. He then looked down at Peter, death gleaming in his eyes. In that moment he was every bit Valentine’s son and he didn’t mind at all. What he did mind though was that Peter didn’t look anywhere near as scared as he should be and nowhere near in enough pain for Jace’s taste. He had some bruises and cuts but otherwise he looked annoyingly well. Except for the red mark from the whip which had almost strangled him to death moments before of course.

“I believe I promised to kill you slowly….unless my parabatai said otherwise,” Jace reminded him darkly as Alec reached them.

“Izzy!” Alec yelled relieved and quickly hugged her, smiling happily at seeing her, having almost given up hope he ever would.

When they drew back her smile of relief was quickly replaced by worry when she saw the state he was in.

"Oh, Alec," Izzy said softly, pained and very worried but then stopped as she didn't know what to say. Instead she said, "I am so happy to have you back."

Alec smiled at her, trying to make it reassuring but failed; it ended up sad and pained and it just made her want to hug him forever and never let him go. She wanted to do that with both of her brothers; guard them forever so they could never be harmed ever again.

“I got him, go!” Alec said to Izzy, pointing John’s gun at Peter, waving with the other hand at the battle raging around them.

Izzy nodded and removed her whip from Peter’s neck. She wanted to stay and help but she could see Jace and Alec needed this, wanted this. The best way she could help them was to end this battle quickly. So with one last look at them she ran to continue the battle.

Alec watched her rejoin the battle with both pride and the same hint of worry he had always had whenever his sister was fighting even though she was an amazing fighter. Then he looked down at Peter and the memories of what he had done to them, had the guards do to them, flashed before his eyes. On instinct, Alec touched Jace’s arm to reassure himself he was there and he was ok. It was something they had come to do over their captivity, touching each other in some small way to reassure themselves the other was ok, and now they didn’t even think about it. Jace looked at Alec who simply looked back at him, hatred shining dark in his eyes.

“Go ahead,” Alec said coldly to his parabatai in response to his words that he would kill Peter slowly. “In fact….” He went over to Peter, the gun in his hand still pointed at him, and asked mockingly, “Which one is your dominant hand?”

Peter just looked furiously at him, knowing no matter what he said it wouldn’t matter.

“Let me guess…your right,” Alec answered his own question with a dark smile before he handed Jace the gun who kept it pointed straight at him.

Alec went to Peter and took a brutal hold of said arm. Looking Peter in the eyes, hating him more for the courage he saw there, Alec started to twist it in opposite directions. Peter couldn’t help but let out louder and louder groans of pain as Alec continued the assault.

“Alexander…” Magnus began with a worried look when he reached them, having finished with John – there was nothing left but a bloody mess, literally.

Alec’s darkness worried Magnus; before his capture he would never had done this to a defeated enemy. Beating John a few times was one thing but this was something else. It worried Magnus to think what had happened to make Alec change like this.

Jace physically blocked Magnus’s way to Alec and gave him a warning look.

“Don’t,” Jace simply said but the warning was clear.

Magnus stayed where he was, knowing full well from personal experience that sometimes the only way to get over darkness was to give into it, to get revenge. Sometimes it helped, often not, but it was more often than not a need, a drive which couldn’t be ignored. He knew that well; he understood it and he accepted it.

Magnus therefore stood in front of Peter, Jace and Alec, throwing fireballs whenever soldiers came too close and raised protective shields whenever bullets came their way.

Alec hadn’t heard Magnus, too caught up in his dark memories. With a satisfied smile he twisted Peter’s right arm till the strain became too much. Peter let out a loud yell of agony as his right arm was broken.

Peter’s agonized yell wasn’t enough to tear Alec’s out of his darkness though it did give him a conflicting feeling of dark satisfaction. He released his hold on Peter as if touching him was poison and stepped a little back from him, looking at him dispassionately as he was laying there on the floor, cradling his broken right arm close to his chest.

“Nicely done!” Jace said, gleaming with pride as he looked at his parabatai, having absolutely no regrets or hesitation about hurting the man in the most painful ways.

Jace touched Alec’s shoulder briefly in acknowledgement before he stepped around him and looked down at Peter with a dark look.

“Well, I did say I would only consider granting you mercy if my parabatai wanted it so....Looks like you are out of luck!” Jace threatened darkly as he handed the gun back to Alec who kept it pointed at Peter.

He picked up the large army issue knife Peter had dropped when Izzy had caught him and waved it near his face.

“Let’s see how many pieces we can cut you into and still leave you breathing. How do you like that little experiment?” Jace sneered with an evil grin.

This was going to be so satisfying. After months of pain and humiliation, being forced to watch helplessly as Alec had suffered, his hatred hidden deep inside, growing and festering. Finally, Jace could act on those feelings.

Jace bent on one knee next to Peter who eyed him warily. With pure venom in his eyes, his face twisted with hatred, Jace took a hold of Peter’s broken arm and the man yelled in pain at the movement and the pressure on his broken limb. Peter barely managed to not fall flat on the ground from the pain and aggressiveness of the movement, supporting himself with his uninjured hand. Looking him straight in the eyes Jace took the knife, still holding his broken arm tightly with the other, and cut a piece of skin from the broken limb, around the size of a finger but thinly sliced, like a slice of ham. The agony was so strong Peter was unable to contain a loud scream. Jace discarded the flesh he had cut off on the floor with a somewhat satisfied wave of his hand before reaching for his arm and looking for a new place to cut.

Seeing the parabatai pair were intensely focused on their revenge Magnus maintained his protective stance in front of them, throwing fireballs and making a protective shield whenever needed. At a small reprieve in the battle Magnus looked over his shoulder at Jace and Alec. Jace was intend on his task of carving pieces from Peter, Alec was watching him closely, following every movement but made no attempt at calming the other man….least of all stopping him. In fact, there was a dark and satisficed smile around his lips. This wasn’t the same man he had known all those months ago. Magnus knew well how pain could change a man and he wasn’t one to judge; he had done a lot worse in his darkest moments.

However, while he understood others might not. In particular Simon and Clary. Having grown up as Mundanes, in this century, they would have no frame of reference, nothing with which to understand and accept what was going on. Worried what would happen should either of them see this Magnus went back to watching the battle and located Simon in the far corner and thus dismissed him. However, Clary had finally located Jace and was fighting her way towards them, eager to get to the man she loved. From her current angle, Clary caught only a glance at what was going on, Jace having the knife raised. Magnus quickly colored his force field so no one could see Peter, Jace and Alec but they could see out.

When Clary reached Magnus she had a look of horror, despair and sick fascination on her face; though she hadn’t actually seen Jace or Alec do anything her mind was clearly putting pieces together as to what they could be doing to the man on the floor. Clary tried to pierce through the colored magical shield to no effect and Magnus put a hand on her shoulder to calm and distract her.

“Biscuit, you shouldn’t be seeing this,” Magnus said with a soft tone but with a hint of warning, wanting to shield Alec from any potential fallouts to what was going on.

“I’m fine,” Clary insisted but her words sounded like a child and she couldn’t tear her eyes from the force shield, clearly both fearing and wishing she could see what was going on.

Peter was fighting to free his left arm from Jace’s grip, managing to push Jace back. Enraged by seeing Peter as much as touch his parabatai Alec kicked him hard in the stomach and Peter fell to the floor with a pained grunt.

“You don’t get to touch him, ever again!” Alec said darkly and aimed his gun at Peter before he shot out his left kneecap and then the right, making Peter scream loudly in agony. Alec bent on one knee next to Peter’s face and when his screaming finally died down a bit he waved the gun in his face.

“You know what? These things can actually be quite useful. Thanks for showing me that,” Alec said sinisterly, referring to the woman he had had him kill.

Something in Peter’s eyes – superiority, pride…courage – enraged Alec and he hit in hard in the face. Peter fell to the side but managed to support himself againt the fall with his – so far – uninjured left hand. Seeing this Alec looked down at him with a dark smile. He held his gaze and stepped on his uninjured hand, smiling when he twisted his foot, breaking bones in the hand while holding him down and in place for Jace to cut pieces from his left arm too.

The look of understanding between the two men was both heart-breaking, loving and filled with pain. They had been fighting side by side through hell together; they would take their revenge together as well.

“I want to go to Jace. I want to see him!” Clary insisted but the magical shield was like a wall, keeping her out.

Clary’s worry for Jace was clear in her eyes and face, there was also a hint of hurt that whatever he was doing seemed so important he wouldn’t abandon it to come hug her, hold her, kiss her, reassure her he was alright…reassure her that this nightmare was over and now everything could go back to normal.

While Clary couldn’t see what was going on then Magnus could and glancing back at the scene he noticed that the torture was intensifying. This was definitely not something Clary should be anywhere near.

“I’m sorry about this but you will see him soon,” Magnus said heartfelt, did a motion with one hand, and created a portal.

It was straining him somewhat to keep the portal open while maintaining the shield after having already used so much energy during the battle but with his level of magic a lot more was needed to weaken him.

“What?” Clary got out, surprised. She wasn’t leaving till they were all leaving.

“Don’t worry, biscuit, you will be safe. I am sending you ahead of us to my loft. The battle here is almost over,” Magnus explained.

“I am not a child!” She protested hotly, crossing her arms over her chest. “Besides, shouldn’t we go to a hospital with them?”

“Compared to me you are,” Magnus remained her, a hint of steel in his voice. “And no Mundane hospitals. I don’t trust them.”

“I am not leaving!” Clary protested, refusing to go through the portal.

Magnus looked back at Jace and Alec and was torn between sympathy, surprise and an odd sense of pride which he blamed on a mixture of having lived through many bloody centuries and his demonic side, as he saw Alec’s attention had shifted. He had continued his abuse of Peter’s left hand, now a broken and bloody mess under his foot, as Jace cut another piece of skin from his left arm. The combined agony forced soft mumbled sounds of pain from Peter and even a few pleas for mercy. The parabatai pair were formidable together; also in this.

Feeling his eyes on him Alec looked up at Magnus, a look between love and agony that was breaking Magnus’ heart.

“Magnus, the gunshot wounds in his kneecaps…Can you use magic so it feels like the wounds are trying to heal?” Alec asked darkly, menacing.

“Of course,” Magnus replied and snapped his fingers and did so, Peter now giving a loud yell of agony.

Alec looked darkly at Peter before looking back at Magnus.

“He always wanted to try this on Jace and me,” Alec told him and Magnus was worried that his voice didn’t hold much feelings. He seemed to be in shock.

“Wanted to try what?” Magnus couldn’t help but ask even as death crept over him.

“Wanted to shot us and then use healing runes. He did it once with a knife stuck in my hand,” Alec told him matter of fact and the image his words painted in Magnus’ head made him want to puke.

Getting just this tiny piece of information about the man the parabatai pair were torturing Magnus was starting to wish and hope Alec would ask him to torture him to death like John. He would love to do that so much! He knew this was Alec’s revenge though so in lack of being invited in on said revenge Magnus increased his magic on Peter’s gunshot wounds, smiling wickedly when Peter yelled in pure agony. For good measure he added magic to ensure Peter wouldn’t pass out; he needed to be alive to feel every last bit of pain until Jace and Alec deemed he could die.

Clearly feeling Peter was now suitably weakened, Alec took Jace’s knife from his hands and handed him the gun instead, earning him a questioning look from Jace but no protest. With a dark smile, Alec bent down and quickly cut Peter's throat. The cut wasn’t deep enough to kill him but deep enough to leave a bloody trail, blood pouring out. If left untreated the injury would kill him but he would bleed out excruciatingly slowly. On instinct Peter tried to get his right hand up to hold against the flow of blood as Alec was still stepping on his left but Jace held it back and that, combined with the broken bones in the arm, made the movement impossible. Peter rasped for breath, some blood coming out of the corner of his mouth. Alec stood back up, looking at the bloody knife in his hand with something between curiosity, fascination and surprise; as if unsure it was really there.

Magnus turned his attention back to Clary and the portal she still had not stepped through, giving her an annoyed look at her stubbornness. He was trying to protect her here!

“Go. Now!” Magnus ordered, waving towards the portal before looking at Clary with a strong and commanding gaze, aware she couldn’t see what he had seen happen behind the shield.

“Magnus!” Clary protested.

Magnus sighed, about to lose his patience but then added more softly, pained, “Biscuit….Jace wouldn’t want you here. Not now. Go. We will follow.”

That made her fall silent but she was clearly still agitated. Finding she was moving too slowly for his taste Magnus used magic to quickly push her through the portal and closed it as soon as she was through. She could use her angelic powers to make a new portal back but Magnus prayed she would consider his words and stay put. He maintained the protective force field and fired fireballs at any soldiers within reach, smiling satisfied whenever he hit one and they burned to a crisp in an instance with a pained yell.

Jace and Alec watched Peter bleed out for a few minutes, almost as if in a haze. Then their eyes locked and they both moved away from him. Jace noticed Alec’s hand with the knife was shaking slightly. Without a word he took the bloody knife from him before he pulled him into a warm embrace. Alec hugged him back, the familiar feeling giving him strength. When they drew apart there was steel in both their eyes. Jace handed Alec the gun back so they both had weapons again.

Alec and Jace stepped over the protective barrier of Magnus’ force field together and picked up weapons from the fallen soldiers they encountered; Jace picked up a gun, while Alec picked up a knife so they were both ready for long distance and close fighting. They engaged the nearest soldiers with renewed effort, fighting together effortlessly, beautifully coordinated, deadly and precise. There was no mercy, no hesitation. The soldiers fell one by one.

Magnus looked worried at Alec, not wanting to lose sight of him, afraid he might get hurt, but knew Alec fought best alongside his parabatai; this was after all what the essence of the bond was all about. Magnus made sure to stay right alongside Alec’s left side, Jace to his right and threw fireballs at any nearby soldiers and threw up protective shields around Jace and Alec whenever bullets came their way.

Magnus kept a sharp eye on Izzy but Lorenzo had her and Andrew well protected with force shields of his own whenever bullets came too near. Simon and Raphael didn’t need them; they were too quick for the bullets. Luke was an experienced warrior but at times even he needed Lorenzo’s force field when the rain of bullets was too much.

The battle raged on for what felt like hours but was in fact only about another five minutes; as Magnus had told Clary then the battle had been close to over. Then, finally, the last of the soldiers was either dead, too severely wounded to be a threat or unconscious. All except for Peter who was gasping for air, dying, wounded, bleeding out, but still alive….agonizingly alive. There was blood everywhere from the wound in his neck and he had managed to move his left hand to hold against the flow of blood but all it did was slow the inevitable.

Finally safe Luke, Raphael, Andrew and Lorenzo gave polite and in Andrew’s case respect nods and handshakes to the two parabatai. Alec and Jace looked almost frozen, as if in a dream, clearly in shock, not really all there, nodding and shaking hands as if on autopilot. Magnus noticed the small pull back Alec did when Simon was about to embrace him and quickly managed to pull Simon away, ensuring the well-meaning vampire didn't embrace either of them. Magnus could see how overwhelmed Alec and Jace seemed at the emotions, clearly not sure how to react, what to do. Neither Jace nor Alec let go of their weapons; unable to relax enough to do so while still on the ship.

“Let’s go home,” Magnus said softly, kindly, his eyes on Alec but the words included the whole group.

As Jace and Alec didn't know the plan Magnus elaborated for their benefit, “Maia and the werewolves, Meliorn and his Seelie warriors, Cat and the remaining warlocks and the vampires will finish the rest off, bring any documents left here on the ship back to us so we can get more intel on the operation. Then they will blow the ship out of the water, burning any and all remaining soldiers, hopefully stopping this once and for all.”

The adrenaline started to fade and everyone but in particular Jace and Alec, looked exhausted and pained. Magnus kept only a light hand on Alec’s arm, wanting to give him the breathing space he needed but still wanting, needing, to feel him to ensure himself he was real and he was here, when he created a portal. Alec sent him a loving smile and seemed grateful that Magnus knew without him having to ask that he couldn’t take any more touches right now but that he still needed and wanted Magnus close.

Jace and Alec shared a meaningful look as they looked around the room that had brought them so much torment before looking at the man who had instrumented it all. Jace moved closer to Alec, putting a hand on his shoulder opposite where Magnus was holding him. The others disappeared through the portal until only Jace, Alec and Magnus was left.

Their eyes fell on Peter. Despite the pain, the blood, Peter still managed to look powerful, even lying on the floor, a broken mess. There was something in his eyes as he looked at Magnus that could only be described as regret; he would have loved to have been able to have a Warlock as a prisoner. Seeing the professional set-up on the ship and Peter’s look at him, Magnus made a mental note to investigate whether a handful of Warlock suicides had been instigated by them choosing death over capture by Peter’s group. It was rare that anyone managed to capture a Warlock for that very reason; Warlocks didn’t fare well in captivity and thus if given even the tiniest chance they would choose death first.

Jace let go of Alec and the three men stepped closer to the portal. Peter watched them and with a determined look he let his left hand fall away, the blood now flowing freely, death drawing near yet even now Peter’s eyes were unwavering. Even facing death he felt vindicated, sure of his purpose as all fanatics were until death and beyond.

"Oh, no, you don't," Magnus said darkly and with a hand wave he created a small magical filter over Peter's wound, making the blood escape slowly to prolong his agony.

"You don't get to die quickly nor of your own choosing. You die slow and when you do die I want you to know that your soul will go to Hell. When it does I have left a small magical marker on your soul so my father will know that if he ever want to be in my favor ever again he will give you very special attention," Magnus added grimly, menacing, never more a true Prince of Hell than now.

Seeing the look of panic and terror on Peter’s face for the first time ever at hearing that, at hearing he was facing eternal torment, that was a look Jace and Alec had longed to see. They shared a look of dark satisfaction before nodding with approval at Magnus.

"Thank you," they both said at the same time.

They stayed a few more minutes to watch as Peter slowly died before their eyes. Jace and Alec needed to see it; needed to know he was truly dead to be able to leave, to ever even have the hope, the chance, of being able to relax again.

Jace and Alec locked eyes with Peter in one last battle of wills before the Mundane gave up and collapsed on the floor; his eyes freezing as his life was ending with the blood running to the floor.

Peter’s open and dead eyes as blood kept running out from his neck and other wounds on the floor was the last thing Jace and Alec saw before they stepped through the portal after Magnus and finally…finally, they were free!

As the portal closed Jace and Alec would soon realize that while their bodies were finally freed from captivity they had left a piece of their mind and souls behind on the ship. Now, a new kind of battle would begin – a battle so very different and yet just as painful as what they had managed to leave behind.

However, this time they would have Magnus, Clary and their friends there. This time Alec and Jace would not be fighting alone.

As soon as the three men stepped through the portal and into Magnus's loft, Clary ran into Jace’s embrace with tears down her cheeks, repeating over and over that she loved her, kissing all parts of his face she could reach, her voice almost hysterical with relief at finally having Jace back. Alec melted into Magnus’ embrace as soon as they were through the portal and it closed behind them, tears of liberation on Magnus’ cheeks as well at finally having Alec safe and home in his arms, holding on for dear life.

Safe within the embrace of their lovers the parabatai pair knew that whatever challenges were still to come they would face it together….together with the people they loved. And together…they were invincible!

The End

This story continues in “Shining Through” which you can read here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22525177.

“Shining Through”, the sequel, continues straight from here, meaning just as they step through the portal and into Magnus’ loft.