Belmont

Dominic's surprised expression was unbeatable as Magnus and I walked past him with big smiles and loud laughter. "Where are you going?" 

 "We need to talk to Theo; you want to come?" 

He nodded at me before shoving his hands into his pockets and trudging after us. I immediately slowed down to walk alongside him and leaned a bit to the side to whisper, "sorry." 

 He glanced up at me and then at Magnus's back. "Did you get your answers?" he asked loudly, and I nodded. "So we can forget all the bullshit and work together?" I nodded again. 

"You can give me a slap first if it helps," I grinned with a shrug. 

 "It'll be enough if you hold my hand when we go into the office," he replied with a crooked smile. 

 "Hell, Nic, do you have a death wish or what?" 

 "No, that's more your style," he said, taking my hand. 

 "Are we really going to poke the bear that's sleeping?" Magnus chuckled and glanced back at us. 

"I'm not poking," Nic insisted. "I'm trying to teach him a little humility." 

 "Oh really," he laughed, his golden curls bouncing. "That might take a while." 

 "It's probably just all the responsibility that has changed him," I said with a heavy heart. "But he's the same person deep inside." 

 "I know," Magnus smiled. "That's why I came along; I know him. He's torn between the rules he wants to follow and what his heart tells him." 

 Nico tightened his grip on my hand a little harder. "That's why we need to remind him what he could lose if he makes the wrong choice." 

 "Honestly, Nic, if he has to choose between me and Lu, then—" I bit my lip and felt a knot in my chest. 

 "Then he'll choose you," he filled in softly. "You may not be a in love anymore, but he's your maker, and that bond is stronger than anything else." 

 "I'm not so sure about that." 

 Dominic shrugged. "But I am." 

 I rolled my eyes at him but couldn't help smiling. It felt so good to have them back; the castle had been so damn empty and desolate without them. 

 We stepped into the office hand in hand and were greeted by Clocksworth, who was sitting and typing on a laptop. He looked up and glanced at the three of us in turn until his gaze landed on me. "Will you give us a moment?" 

 "You had your chance; I was waiting for you in the garden, Theo, but Lumiere and your paperwork were apparently more important," I snapped, feeling Nico's hand tighten around mine. 

 Clock thoughtfully ran his tongue over his lips as he nodded. "We can talk about that later," he said shortly, rising from his chair to walk around and sit in the middle of the desk instead. With his legs dangling over the edge and his hands clasped in his lap, he met Magnus's gaze. "So what's your plan?"

 "We just want to know where we stand with each other, Theodor," he replied calmly with his distinctive Scandinavian accent. 

 "You want to know my plan for Lumiere," he stated. 

 "Yes," Nico muttered, and for the first time, Clocksworth seemed to realize that the three of us felt the same way and that he was indeed standing alone behind his brother. If he was even doing that. 

 My eyes traveled cross his face—his dark, thoughtful eyes, the well-groomed beard, and the furrow of worry on his forehead. If only I could understand how he thought; if only he would tell me more. "He's too dangerous, Theo," I said, meeting his gaze. "He's completely unpredictable."

 "Don't you trust me, Bel?" he asked, offended, letting his eyes sweep over my hand still gathering strength from Nico. 

 "Yeah," I replied with a nod, "but I don't trust him; he manipulated us all. What's to say he won't do it again?" 

 Clock lowered his gaze and took out a cigar from the inner pocket of his jacket, taking his time to turn around and pick up a matchbox from the desk to finally light the cigar. I knew he was weighing his words; this was the moment it would be decided whose side he would stand on. Three puffs later, he met my eyes. 

"I can't kill him," he replied shortly before standing up and walking over to me to stroke his thumb over my jaw. His dark brown eyes looked straight into mine without a hint of doubt, sorrow, or regret, and I felt my heart break as I realized what he was doing. "And I won't allow you to harm him." 

 "Where is he now?" Magnus asked from the chair he had taken. 

 "He's been ordered not to leave his room." 

 "So let's deal with the problem in Paris first? I can accept house arrest." 

 I felt Nico's hand tremble in mine, and I understood exactly how he felt; their nonchalance made me furious. "Sure," I muttered sarcastically, "one problem at a time." 

Then I took a firmer grip on his hand and pulled Dominic out of the room, with tears burning behind my eyes. "Should you or I book the flight tickets?" he laughed dryly beside me. 

 "You decide," I replied with a sigh. "I'm open to suggestions."

Dominic

I hated seeing him so down; something in me wanted to do everything to make him feel better. At any cost. It was a dangerous feeling; it was so easy to lose myself along the way. Just like with Lexie, it was no longer about cheesecake and breakfast in bed. It had always been huge sacrifices. 

Not like with Magnus; he required nothing more than what I had to give at that moment. I brushed a dark strand of hair away from his forehead and studied his sleeping face. This was how it had all begun: tears, anger, and anxiety over what Clock had done, and a trembling body in my comforting arms.

 It was as if someone had rewound time and forced us to relive all the shit again. With a sigh, I slid down beside him, grabbed the blanket, and closed my eyes with his head resting against my shoulder, hoping tomorrow would be better.

"Are you asleep?" The edge of the bed sank down, and the low voice made my heart race. I shook my head and opened my eyes to look into Magnus's face. "Is he okay?"

I glanced down at Belmont, who was tightly pressed against me with one arm around my body, and shrugged. "Hardly."

"They need to talk."

"Probably."

He leaned forward and took my hand. "So do we. Come with me."

"What did you decide?" I asked without moving.

"That we should create a safe zone here around the castle, for everyone."

"So the solution is to give up the capital? Then they get exactly what they want," I hissed quietly.

"But we can create a better place for you here."

"Says who?! Should we leave our homes at the risk of being imprisoned? They're going to make everyone hate us even more, Magnus, and you're just going to accept that?!"

I noticed Bel had woken up, but he still lay still with his forehead pressed against my shirt, eyes closed.

"And what are the alternatives?" Magnus asked calmly.

"Fight back!"

"They're too powerful, Dominic."

"Most powerful of all in the whole damn world? Why didn't they do anything when the monsters came, then? Why was it Clocksworth who had to save you?"

He bit his lip, and for the first time since he had held his claws against Lumiere's neck, I saw anger in his eyes. "Because they're cowards who do everything to avoid getting their hands dirty."

"If they're so damn bad, then why are we letting them do this to us?"

I saw him struggle to calm down before he met my eyes again. "We're buying ourselves time, darling," he replied softly, "time to come up with a better plan."

I let my head fall back against the pillow with a sigh and closed my eyes. "Do you trust Clock?"

"I don't know why he holds onto Lumiere so tightly, but yes, I trust him." The edge of the bed rose again, and I opened my eyes to see him getting up. 

"Do you trust me?"

He turned in the doorway and nodded."Stay with him; he needs you."

As soon as the door closed, he sat up beside me and ran a hand through his hair. "Thanks for staying and listening to all my whining, Nic, but you should go with him."

I shrugged. "He'll be fine," and I settled back in bed and closed my eyes. "I don't want you to be alone."

"Thanks," he whispered and lay back down again. "But how can he be okay with this?"

"We'll come up with a better plan."

"I didn't mean that," he mumbled, but still wrapped his arm around me again.

"Okay," I muttered and turned so the bed swayed. "Listen," I took hold of his chin and lifted his head so he was looking into my eyes. "I'm staying here tonight so you can get a good nights rest, tomorrow you are going to talk to Clock and sort this shit out. Feeling better about me staying now?"

"Sure, much better," he groaned, rolling his eyes. "He won't listen to me."

"Just sleep."

"Sure..."

"Goodnight, Belmont."

"Goodnight."