Malec Moments

Pandemonium

Alec banged on the bathroom door. "Are you ready yet?" he called, impatiently.

Magnus threw open the door, flashing Alec a brilliant smile. "Almost," he said with a wink. His long fingers, with their glittery opalescent nails, curled around the edge of the door.

Alec's eyes rake over him. Magnus's hair was arranged in neat spikes, each one tipped in silver glitter. His slit-pupilled eyes were surrounded by pearly shading and shined as they gazed at Alec. His lips were ruby-red and sparkling. Numerous diamond stud earrings twinkled on his ear lobes.

Traveling farther down his boyfriend, Alec took in the iridescent long-sleeved shirt that fit Magnus's frame perfectly. Alec knew this was one of Magnus's favorites for clubbing, as it refracted the multitude of lights in a club better than anything else he owned. And Magnus did like to make a show of himself. Alec glanced down and discovered Magnus wasn't wearing any pants. He blushed furiously at the sight.

"There is no need for modesty, Alexander. You have seen me naked," Magnus said seductively and kissed Alec on the nose.

"Just hurry up, will you," Alec said as he shut the door between them. "And don't forget your pants!" he shouted through the door.

He heard Magnus laugh as he made his way into the living room and dropped onto the couch. He had gotten a call from the Institute that morning about a demon presence at the Pandemonium Club. Bat, the werewolf DJ for the club, had found traces of demon essence as he packed up his gear the previous night and had alerted the Conclave immediately. He had not seen anything out of the ordinary and didn't have the impression of a particularly powerful demon, but that was all the information he had.

Jace and Clary were excited about going to the club, especially for demon hunting. This had been a regular part of Alec's, Jace's, and Isabelle's lives for many years, as demons, especially shape-shifting types, liked to use the club and it's an intoxicating environment to lure mundanes into their traps. This would be a first for Clary, though.

A few months had passed since their defeat of Sebastian, and life had returned to normal, whatever that meant for Shadowhunters, for most of them. Jace and Clary were disgustingly happy and rubbing it in everyone's face every chance they got. Alec and Magnus were a little more controlled in public, especially since Alec had made a big deal of straight people being unable to control themselves while they were in the cave in Edom. But Izzy was another story.

Izzy created an excellent façade of indifference. She was always put-together, controlled, unemotional around others, but Alec knew her, and so did Jace. They could tell she was hurting, badly. She missed Simon, though she refused to talk about it. She was more violent and angry during training and especially during demon hunts, as if she were taking out her hatred of Asmodeus, and what he had done to Simon, on every demon she encountered.

Izzy needed this night, and Alec was glad of the opportunity to provide it. This should be a routine expedition; find the demon, destroy the demon, then relax, and have some fun. He just wished Magnus would hurry so they wouldn't be late.

At last, Magnus appeared. Alec was relieved to see had put on pants, skin-tight black pants at that. By the Angel, he's gorgeous, Alec thought as he shrugged on his Shadowhunter gear, tightened his weapon's belt around his waist, and headed out the door.

"It's a pity you have to wear that," Magnus said, meditatively. "You would look so good in-"

"Just go!" Alec interrupted, shoving Magnus out the door.

They arrived at the club a short time later and Alec scanned the crowd for Jace, Clary, and Izzy. He spotted them almost immediately. Saying a quick good-bye to Magnus, he crossed the room to join his party. Jace advised him of the plan. Izzy and Clary were going to set the trap, as most of the demons tended to prey on mundane girls. Alec gave a sideways glance toward Jace, a little surprised he wasn't objecting to Clary being used as bait. Jace caught his eye and shrugged as if to say What can I do?

It was true. Since Clary had discovered the Shadow World, she had put herself in danger more times than Alec could count. Jace seemed content to let her make her own decisions, trusting her to take care of herself, even if he did insist on being there as back-up. Alec was impressed by their relationship, and how much they had grown into a team.

Clary and Izzy had both dressed in long, form-fitting dresses. Izzy's was white, her favorite for demon hunting and Clary's was a deep green color that made her eyes stand out. The girls took to the dance floor in what appeared to be a wild, dancing frenzy, but Alec knew they were observing each patron, looking for signs of demon activity.

Alec and Jace seated themselves at a table in the shadows, waiting for the action to start. Alec glanced at Magnus, who occupied a table on a raised walkway, separated by horizontal metal bars to prevent injury to patrons as they became unstable from the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Alec watched his boyfriend for a few moments, watched as the flashing lights bounced off Magnus's shirt and the glitter in his hair and his gleaming earrings. Magnus caught his gaze and winked at him.

He snapped back to reality when Jace tugged on his sleeve. The girls had spotted someone suspicious lurking in the corner and motioned for Jace and Alec to check him out. They got to their feet, sliding through the crowd easily with their glamours, and stopped behind the potential demon.

There was nothing particularly special about the man. He was young, had wild, curly brown hair and several piercings. Alec supposed he was attractive but was he noticeable enough to catch an unsuspecting mundane's attention? He wasn't sure. Of course, if the mundane was intoxicated, it may not matter what the demon looked like.

And then there was the smell. He didn't smell strongly of rotten garbage like many demons did, but there was an undercurrent. He had gone to great lengths to disguise his true nature.

Jace reached out a hand and tapped the demon-man on the shoulder. The demon turned to face Jace and Jace flashed a brilliant, though slightly evil smile. "Come here often?" he asked, and all hell broke loose.

-----------------

Magnus sat at a cold metal table watching Alec watch him. He winked at his boyfriend and, a moment later, Alec turned away.

"Magnus Bane?" said a silky female voice that he did not recognize.

"That's my name," he replied, still watching Alec. Alec and Jace had moved across the room and were now partly blocked from his view. Reluctantly, he wrenched his gaze away from his boyfriend toward his visitor. "Who's asking?"

The woman was stunning, and a vampire. Her long, dark hair set in neat curls, the pale smoothness of her skin, and the way she held herself told him that much. She had a beautiful heart-shaped face, large dark eyes, and wore a rich, dark business suit.

Magnus was transported, more than a hundred years previously, to London, to parties and formal occasions with Camille, and the rest of the "old crowd." With a slight pang, he pulled himself back to the present.

The vampire lady gave a tinkling, musical laugh. "My name is Hillary Cavenaugh. I'm the new leader of the Brooklyn clan." She held out her hand and Magnus took it, drawing it to his mouth and lightly kissing the back. Her hand was smooth and cold, and again he was reminded of Camille, though the two women looked nothing alike.

"Pleased to meet you," he said, cordially. He could be very charming when he wanted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Hillary laughed again. "You were once very close to a previous leader of our clan. Raphael Santiago, I mean."

Magnus inclined his head to the vampire. "I'm not sure 'close' is the right word. We knew each other. And we were as friendly as one could expect a vampire and a warlock to be, I suppose."

Magnus's gaze drifted across the room to Alec and the others. The fight had erupted, and Magnus found it fascinating to watch the mundanes continue dancing, chatting, and drinking, with no idea what was going on around them.

Isabelle and Clary had left the dance floor and the demon-man was now surrounded by Shadowhunters. Izzy had her electrum whip in her hand, cracking it viciously in the direction of the demon, who jumped out of the way, the whip missing him by mere inches. Three seraph blades blazed to life, and the fear in the demon man's eyes was evident, even from Magnus's vantage point.

"Ah, I had heard you were friendly with Shadowhunters," Hillary said in her silky voice.

"I cannot deny that," Magnus said, as Jace swiped his blade at the demon, who again dodged it. Unfortunately for him, he jumped straight into Clary, who was poised and ready for a killing blow.

Hillary placed her hand on Magnus's and said, "I had hoped we could be on friendly terms as well. I have no wish to be against the High Warlock of Brooklyn. An alliance could benefit us both."

Magnus glanced at her hand, and said, "As long as you stay on the correct side of the Clave, we shall have no problems," before turning his attention back to Alec.

He saw Clary administer the deadly blow with her seraph blade. She looked triumphant, beaming at Jace. Alec glanced in Magnus's direction and saw Hillary's hand on his. Momentarily distracted by jealousy and the other's victory shouts, Alec didn't notice the second demon-man until it was too late.

Magnus watched as Alec turned, startled, and received a massive blow to the head. He crumpled to the ground and was still. Before anyone else had time to react, Jace ran his blade through the demon and it vanished.

Magnus forgot he was having a conversation with the head of the Brooklyn vampire clan, forgot he was in a club surrounded by strangers, forgot that he wasn't glamoured. He rose to his feet, shouted "ALEC!" in a terrible, panicked voice, and leaped over the metal railing in front of him. He hit the floor with a jolt and stumbled toward Alec.

Izzy knelt beside Alec, checking for a pulse.

Oh God, please let him be okay, Magnus thought, and repeated the thought over and over, until Izzy looked up at him and nodded, indicating Alec was still alive.

Magnus looked Alec over. There was a gaping wound to the side of his head, which was bleeding profusely. There was a burn mark and a gash on his arm and chest, wounds that Magnus had not witnessed happen. He looked up at Jace, who was near panic.

"I've got this. You make sure there aren't any more of them," Magnus said. Jace nodded and, taking Clary's hand, disappeared into the throng. Magnus scooped Alec's unconscious form off the floor and carried him to a secluded room in the back, followed closely by Isabelle.

"Isabelle, draw an iratze," Magnus demanded, his voice rougher than he intended.

Izzy's hands were shaking, and she fumbled the stele but managed to draw the rune in the end. Magnus re-examined Alec after the iratze had taken effect. The bleeding had slowed, but not completely stopped. The wounds on his arm and chest were healing. Steles and runes had little effect on demon poison burns, so that was something Magnus would have to contend with. The wound on Alec's head had black ichor embedded in it and the edges were burning. The smell of singed flesh and hair was overpowering, adding to the sickening feeling that worry had already created in Magnus.

Magnus set to work. Blue flames blazed on his fingers as his hands hovered over Alec's wounds. Magnus muttered incomprehensibly, at least to anyone who wasn't a warlock. Several long, lingering moments passed before Magnus felt his magic taking effect on the wounds.

The door flew open and Jace and Clary spilled into the room. "There aren't any more demons," said Jace confidently. He crossed the room and knelt beside Alec. His eyes bored into Magnus, fear, and concern piercing his gaze. "How is he?"

The blue flames from Magnus's hands cast an eerie glow on Magnus's face, striking his glittery hair and iridescent shirt and creating an odd, spooky quality about the warlock. He was concentrating hard on healing Alec and ignored Jace's question. He didn't have an answer for him yet, anyway. It was clear that Alec's head wound was serious, and he simply didn't know how well he would recover. Magnus's magic was powerful, but the workings of the brain were still a mystery, even to a skilled warlock.

Eventually, Magnus realized there was nothing more that he could do. The blue flames flickered, then vanished. He stared at Alec, willing him to wake and be alright.

Alec's eyes fluttered a few times. The whole group lunged forward as his eyes opened and he looked at each of them, bewildered.

"Are you okay?" Magnus asked anxiously. Alec didn't respond, but wriggled, struggling to sit up. Magnus wanted to tell him to lay still, but he knew Alec better than that. He helped him into a sitting position. Magnus cupped Alec's face with his long fingers, studying his blue eyes for signs that his magic hadn't worked properly. "Are you okay?" he repeated.

Alec's eyes were steady as he looked back at Magnus. "Who was that vampire girl you were talking to?"

Magnus let out a sharp sound, a mixture of a laugh and a snort of disbelief. "He's okay," he announced, smiling and shaking his head. Only Alec would say something like that upon recovering from a head injury.

The dissipation of tension, and the relief that followed, was palpable. Alec was still dazed, but Magnus had no doubt he would make a full recovery. He helped Alec to his feet, where he was a little unsteady, and let Alec lean on him as they left their refuge behind.

Magnus had a quick conversation with Jace and the girls, who decided, since Alec was alright, that they would stay at the club, maybe do some dancing and watch for any other demon activity. He then escorted Alec around the dance floor toward the door.

"Wait," Alec said, coming to a halt. "I thought we were going dancing after we killed the demons."

Magnus looked at him incredulously. "How hard did you hit your head? You are in no shape to be dancing right now."

Alec didn't argue further. He let Magnus lead him out of the club and pour him into a cab. Alec leaned against Magnus on the ride back to the apartment, closing his eyes and dozing intermittently. Magnus absently ran his fingers through Alec's dark hair.

The cabbie repeatedly looked in the rearview mirror at the couple. "Too much to drink?" he asked conversationally.

"Something like that," Magnus replied.