"I can be wild," Alec shouted.

Heavy bass thudded with his heart as alcohol raced through his veins.

His sister let out a maniacal laugh, jumping onto the bar, swinging her long legs over the side. Her dress was long and shimmering white tonight and it attracted more attention than her ego needed.

"Please, Alec. You're as wild as that bunch of Shadowhunters over there."

She pointed across the club where two Shadowhunters were leaning against the wall in all back.

Alec wasn't wearing anything much different but the Nephilim wore black like it would never go out of style. Alec wore black because he had failed where Isabelle succeeded in the fashion department.

"What are Nephilim doing here?" Isabelle hissed to her bartender behind her. He was hers because she had been paying salary for about six months and sleeping with him for about three.

He shrugged innocently but Alec knew her red eyes were on fire. His were a pale grey in comparison. She jumped off the bar, striding across the floor. Alec jumped after her, pushing through the crowd of people.

They didn't dare get in Isabelle Lightwood's way. But Alexander was the lesser known of the siblings and much less imposing.

"--doing here?" Isabelle was asking as Alexander put a hand on her shoulder and a smile on his face.

The boys had almost matching eyes-- an unusual golden color. But the one with black hair seemed to be more orange than the blond's yellow. They both seemed to be just barely eighteen.

The orange-eyed kid watched Alexander with a cocky smile.

"We're investigating a series of deaths," the blond said.

"Deaths happen every day," Isabelle said. "Could you be more specific?"

"Can we talk someplace else? Maybe a little quieter?" Blondie asked.

"Isabelle," Alec said, softly. "The office is relatively clean."

Blondie smiled, "Sounds perfect."

Isabelle frowned as a hearing rune suddenly caught both hers and Alec's eyes.

.......

Alec shut the door behind them. Isabelle gestured for the boys to sit in front of the desk. Isabelle sat in the grand mahogany chair behind the desk, as she usually did. Alec paced back and forth behind her.

"So death?" Isabelle asked, folding her hands together, grinning just enough for it to be creepy.

"First," Alec said, jumping in. "What are your names?"

"Magnus." "Jace," they said in unison.

"Jace Wayland," Blondie said, enunciating.

"Magnus--" He hesitated on the last name, "--Wayland."

Jace smiled at his friend. Magnus looked bored.

"And on with murders," Isabelle insisted.

"They've occurred outside your building every night you have a party," Jace said.

"So a serial killer. And his M/O is our parties-- Alec, how exciting!" Isabelle clapped her hands together once. "In case you haven't detected my sarcasm," she continued, now horribly monotone, "I'd like you to stop wasting my time, Nephilim, and get to the point."

"Did anyone stand out as particularly killer-like?" Jace asked.

"Well, some of your kind would say all Downworlders are 'killer-like,'" Isabelle said.

"Isabelle," Alec warned.

Jace was still relaxed.

"Has anyone acted suspiciously?" Magnus pressed.

"No more than usual," Isabelle answered.

Jace rolled his eyes.

"We can always summon you to Idris," Jace said. "You're not being very cooperative."

"And you broke onto my premises," Isabelle said. "I should be reporting this little incident."

"It's a party!" Jace shouted.

"And you weren't invited," Isabelle hissed. "Now please go before you make Alec angry. He's got a horrid temper."

Both of the boys looked up at Alec, Jace with frustration, Magnus with amusement.

The boys stood and walked out.

"Next time get a warrant!" Isabelle shouted after them.

Jace slammed the door shut with a flourishing smile.

Alec sat on the edge of the desk, facing his sister.

"Please stop watching cop shows, Izzy."

.......

The doorbell rang often, but rarely when Isabelle wasn't home. Alec picked himself up off the couch and headed for the stairs.

He and Isabelle had lived in the abandoned factory for going on two decades. They had remodeled the factory floor into a club scene, which was clean at the moment. The upstairs offices had been transformed into their living space.

Alec slid down the banister, landing on the concrete floor.

He was only mildly-shocked to find Magnus standing there in slightly less black than before.

His shirt was a fitted grey v-neck which was incredibly attractive on him.

"Business hours are over," Alec said.

"I'm not here on business," Magnus said. "Well, technically I am, but I'm trying to make it casual."

"You're failing," Alec said, opening the door a little wider. He filled it with his body before Magnus could step into the building.

"It's Jace and I's first official investigation. We're trying not to screw it up," Magnus said.

"Don't demand Downworlders for anything," Alec cautioned. "That's step 1. You've already failed."

"There was another death last night. A young werewolf girl," Magnus said. "Young as in younger than me. Whoever is doing this has to be stopped. Please let me in."

"Fine," Alec said, opening the door up. He turned his back on Magnus and started towards the bar. "Do you drink?"

"No," Magnus said, not far behind. "I'm technically working."

"Technicalities," Alec said, jumping onto the counter top. He reached behind the bar, pulling up a bottle of brandy, pouring himself a shot glass. He poured it but left it on the counter for when he would eventually need it.

Magnus sat on a barstool beside him.

"So why did they send you instead of Jace?" Alec asked.

"Because I'm the gentler approach," Magnus said.

"Fair enough," Alec shrugged. "And what do you want to know?"

"The first death was exactly a month ago. Any particularly new faces that night? Or maybe the night before?"

"A month ago? We've been getting more and more of the fey as of late," Alec said. "No one in particular though. I can ask Isabelle or the bartender. He memorizes faces pretty well."

"We're thinking werewolf. They've been. . . gorey?"

Alec leaned back on his hands, thinking.

"The pack's had problems with fey so they've been coming less."

"Problems as in. . .?"

"A werewolf died in Central Park. Stepped on a piece of stray silver," Alec said. "You don't find stray silver lying around the Park. It was supposedly a trap set by the faeries to keep werewolves out of their dominion."

"That would be a problem," Magnus sighed.

"It's been a series of little attacks. No deaths since the original wolf," Alec said. "And the warlocks remain as well-behaved as ever."

"I'm sure," Magnus said, rolling his eyes. Alec smiled.

Just last week, he and Isabelle had done an illegal summoning.

"Any other questions?" Alec asked.

"It was a werewolf girl killed though," Magnus said.

"The pack would never kill one of their own. But they would frame the wolves."

"Everyone except for the fae have had a death."

"Warlocks--?"

"Yes," Magnus said. "Do you see the problem now?"

"I'll have Isabelle heighten security tonight--"

"Tonight?" Magnus cried.

Alec nodded.

"It's Isabelle's cat's birthday," Alec said. "We can't forget that."

"But we were-- I have to go," Magnus said, standing up abruptly. "Thank you, Alec."

"Anytime," Alec said. Magnus froze.

"You mean that, don't you?" Magnus asked, carefully.

"Cheers," Alec mumbled, raising the brandy. He squeezed his eyes shut and downed the liquid drink.

When he slammed the shot glass back down, Magnus was gone.

.......

Alec was hovering by the front door that night, watching the guests enter and leave through the massive garage door.

He liked watching the party from different angles. The view from the bar was different from the top of the stairs. Watching from the entrance was like watching the beginning of a sporting event. Everyone was riding a pre-event high.

"Hi."

Alec's head snapped to the side where Magnus had appeared.

"Hi, yourself," Alec said. The party hadn't gotten ridiculously loud yet.

"Half the Conclave is patrolling outside. Jace and I will be in here."

"Lovely," Alec said, smiling curtly up at Magnus. He was just shy of an inch higher than Alec and it was unsettling.

"Why aren't you worried?" Magnus asked. "The killer could get any one of us?"

"Because I can handle myself," Alec said.

"Wait," Magnus said. "'Handle'-- He's going after the weak, the young--"

"That doesn't help us find him," Alec said. "In fact, it could be any one now--"

"No but it narrows down the victim," Magnus said. "And he's killed a warlock, a wolf, a vampire, and last night it was a mundane. Which means tonight it's going to be a Sh--"

Magnus dove into the crowd, pushing through.

Alec hesitated for a moment before following him.

"Magnus!" Alec shouted as he made it out of the dance floor.

Magnus was racing towards the back entrance.

Alec teleported himself to the doorway.

Magnus skidded to a halt in front of him.

"It's going to be a Shadowhunter. He's planned it--"

"Got it," Alec said. "Let me help you."

He leaned his back into the door, stepping out into the back alley. Magnus followed behind him as Alec lit a flame from his finger-tips. The fire burned in the palm of his hand as they walked along the back of the factory.

Shattered glass lay everywhere and Alec was glad he took Isabelle's advice to wear combat boots rather than his Converse.

A witchlight glowed in Magnus' hand, making the alley eerier.

Suddenly, the lights went out and they fell back into darkness. The glow of Magnus' seraph blade which he had drawn out of nowhere wasn't even enough for them to find each other.

"Ooh," a voice cooed. "Creepy."

"Show yourself," Magnus demanded. His voice didn't waver or shake and Alec had to give him credit for that.

"Don't worry, Alexander. I've only come for the Nephilim."

There was a horrible gust of wind and a pair of feet knocked into Alec as if they had come flying from above.

Alec fell back, his head connecting with the concrete in a horrible blow.

He blacked out completely, but it was only for a second.

He could hear the seraph blade flying back and forth and Magnus shouting something and his opponent laughing.

It was never a fair fight when someone was laughing.

"Alec!"

"Your friend is out," the attacker giggled.

Alec mustered all the energy he had into a sphere, glowing a horrible green, forcing it in the direction of the voice. It would knock Magnus down but Alec hoped he could get back up a little faster.

He forced himself to a sitting position and tried to summon more energy. But it wouldn't come.

The back door flew open.

"Get him out of the way!" Isabelle shouted. Alec felt a burst of something in him and found Magnus' ever-moving body in the darkness. He pulled Magnus toward him with some invisible rope. Magnus cried out, landing in Alec's arms, as the alley filled with red light.

The attacker, who Alec hadn't seen until then, was bathed in scarlet, frozen in time and in air.

"If I kill him," Isabelle said simply, "will the Clave ask questions?"

"No," Magnus breathed. The red light exploded again, this time disappearing.

Alec hadn't realized his arms were wrapped around Magnus, neither of them hesitating or struggling against it.

He could see Isabelle's outline in the doorway and he could feel her disapproving looks.

They didn't get involved in the Nephilim's problems.

"Are you okay?" Alec asked, quietly.

"My shoulder is ripped open pretty bad," Magnus said, his breathing uneven.

Alec took his arms back.

"Isabelle, party's over," Alec ordered. "Tell the Nephilim to take care of this."

"My cat will be disappointed," she sighed, disappearing.

"And you," Alec said, "get to spend the night with me."

......

Both Isabelle and Alec had a private study attach to their bedrooms. Alec's was the smaller of the two. Isabelle's was used more as a closet and dirty clothes bin and Alec's was wasted space. But there was a couch in there, their only source of a spare bed.

Alec had reasoned with the Nephilim to let Magnus stay the night while Alec healed him. A few eyebrows had been raised but their doubts had been cast aside when Isabelle confessed to killing the vampire with a taste for variety.

Magnus sat on the couch, bought in the late 80's, as Alec pressed his hands against the wound, now covered with bandages.

"That hurts," Magnus breathed.

"Faster than iratzes and it's eliminating the poison," Alec said, concentrating.

"Thank you again."

"You're welcome, again."

"You never said that the first time." Alec looked up at Magnus frowning.

"Sorry," Magnus said. "Keep going. I'll shut up."

"No you won't," Alec laughed.

"You know me far too well."

"For having only met you last night? Yes," Alec agreed. "Far too well."

"You could know me better," Magnus tempted.

"What are we doing?" Alec asked.

"At the moment, you're healing me," Magnus said.

Alec closed his eyes impatiently.

"We could be kissing," Magnus offered.

"I wouldn't complain," Alec said.

"Excellent." Magnus pulled Alec's face up towards his without hesitation and the energy of an 18 year old. He kissed like he was stealing, taking in little bits, with very little break in between each collision of lips.

Alec didn't take long to catch up.

It had been far too long since he had been kissed so recklessly, even if it didn't mean anything by the end of the night. But while Magnus had the smile of a heartbreaker and charisma of a teenage-heartthrob, Alec didn't feel like this one would break his heart.

But then again, he was mortal.

And they always did.