Hours had passed with Anastasia and Melinda taking photos of the small market street that had begun in the evening; it was quite the surprise. Everyone was rushing to get their hands on the small jewels, great food and trinkets to take back home. Stall had been lined up along the closed street which carried the fragrance of the starry night, jasmine and lavender flowers and cinnamon. The lanterns that hung around the stalls almost felt like they had fallen out of the night sky, they glimmered and winked from every direction. The breeze was perfect since they have been strolling through a thick crowd, but no one minded since light jazz music kept everyone cozy.

"Your sister reminds me of you," she said but Maddox wasn't where he was glued all day, which was conveniently right next to her side. "Maddox?" Her eyes scanned the busy markets but his tall figure was nowhere to be seen. She was just about to call out to his sister and her cousin when she spotted him near a stall talking to the cashier. She almost burst out laughing when he walked away with a bag.

"You acted like you weren't interested," she said.

"I wasn't," he replied as he put his wallet back in his pocket. That was when she got a glimpse of the wristwatch again. It was the one she had chosen for Melinda's brother, who knew that it would circle around and end up with him. She really started to believe that maybe there was a connection between them.

"So, what'd you get?" she asked.

"It's a model of the 1957 Harley-Davidson Sportster," he answered.

Blair was bemused. "I didn't know you were into motorcycles," she said.

"Just a little bit," he said. "My dad owned one, but it crashed. He was devastated when that happened."

"Couldn't he just buy another one?" she asked. Maddox looked at her like she had a raccoon on her head. "Did I say something weird?"

"No," he chuckled. "He could never replace that bike. After it crashed he just kept the parts and wanted to rebuild it," Maddox's voice died away and he froze, "he just never got down to it."

"Do you still have it?" she asked him. "The bike, I mean?"

"Yeah. It's at my old place though," he said. "I didn't have the heart to sell the parts or throw it out."

"Why not build it yourself?"

Maddox contemplated. "I never really thought about it, but maybe, one day," he said simply.

"Well, I think it'll be super cool if you built a bike," she said with smile.

Maddox tilted his head to the side and gazed at her. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing," she merely shrugged and looked away.

Maddox laughed. "No, that meant something," he guessed right.

But, of course, she didn't know how to admit it to him that she found it extremely hot that a man knew how to fix a motorcycle. But not just any man, she imagined Maddox fixing a bike. And instead of wearing a suit, he had dirty jeans and a flannel on. Now, that would be a sight to behold. "We should get back with the others," she tried to divert his attention.

His grinned. "Mmm," he mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't quite catch, but she didn't stick around to find out.

Blair called out for her cousin and they stopped between their scavenger for antiques. "We should head home," she told Anastasia.

"I still have so much to see though," she rebuked with a pout.

"Maybe tomorrow," said Blair.

"I think Blair's right," said Melinda. "My feet are starting kill in these shoes. Maybe tomorrow we can get together again with proper sneakers on?"

"That sounds great," said Anastasia with a smile.

"You showed me a great night, Blair and Anastasia," said Melinda. "I couldn't be more thankful."

Maddox stood next to her again and Blair slightly trembled, but she hid it well. "We had a lot fun with you too," said Blair. "I'm glad your brother brought you right to us."

Melinda laughed with them. "Should we head back, Maddox?" she asked her brother.

Maddox nodded and handed her the keys. "Wait in the car for me," he told her and she sauntered off after patting his shoulder. "Would you like to come with me, Blair?"

Blair gaped at his forwardness. "Er- what..." she stumbled over her words.

"I mean you have to show me the office, right?" he asked, but his smirk knew that he teased her and it worked.

"Oh," she swallowed the tightness in her throat and looked at her cousin bashfully. "I'm going to go home and refresh first," she told him. "I'll meet you in an hour."

Maddox nodded. "Can't wait," he grinned and strolled away towards his car.

Anastasia laid a hand on Blair's shoulder. "You're screwed, honey," she remarked.

Blair groaned. "I even imagine him in my dreams," she accidentally admitted and regretted it.

Anastasia put her arm around Blair's shoulders as they marched back to her shop. "I hope those dreams leave you hot and bothered."

"What is wrong with you?" She gaped at her cousin.

Anastasia laughed. "I'm just saying," she said with her hands held up, "he's a hot piece of-"

"If you say 'meat'," scolded Blair, "I'm going to put a hex on you."

"Let's just go home, grumpy gremlin," chuckled Anastasia.

Blair and Anastasia strode into the shop and locked the door behind them. They made sure no one saw them enter as they used the portal to go back home. The door under the stairs in Blair's house opened and the two witches went straight up to Blair's bedroom.

"So, what are you going to wear?" asked Anastasia as she spread herself across Blair's bed like a cat.

"I don't know," said Blair. "I can't be too simple or too glamorous, then it'll feel like I'm trying too hard."

"I think you should wear the sexiest thing you got and show the man whose boss," said Anastasia with a smirk.

"Uh, no, I'm not going to do that," said Blair.

She strode into the bathroom to take a quick shower. In a few quick moments, she strode out with her body wrapped in a towel and her hair brushed free from any tangles.

She noticed that her cousin had grown quiet and lost in her thoughts. "What's wrong?"

"Did you see his aura?" she asked suddenly.

"You saw it too," Blair stated instead of asking.

"It was gold," she said with a confused face. "It was faint but it was definitely there."

Blair nodded. "I know," she said. "I had the same expression when I saw it."

"What could this mean?" asked Anastasia.

"I can only guess that his father has something to do with it," said Blair.

"Divine protection from ancestral magic is not something a spirit can give," said Anastasia.

Blair grew stiff. "What are you trying to say?" she asked her cousin. "You think that he's hiding something?"

"No. He's seems like an honest man," said Anastasia. "But, I'm just warning you to be careful."

"You know I always am," said Blair. "Now, stop worrying and help me pick out a dress."

Blair knocked on Maddox's door and waited for it to answered by him. She was a bundle of nerves and she didn't know why. This was just a regular night where she would show Maddox his office, warn him about Alexander Ainsley, shake hands and then she'd be on her way back home. Nothing special or out of the ordinary, expect she was the most peculiar thing tonight.

At the last second, she fixed the simple white dress she chose to wear and then moved her hair over her shoulder but then pushed it back again. She had been doing that the whole ride here, and it was definitely a long ride. She almost felt compelled to put a portal in his house too, however she was leaving after this day so what was the point.

The door opened and standing behind it was, Maddox who was as calm and composed as the night outside.

"Hi," he said with a smile.

Blair lost her voice. He was standing close to the door, a pair of dark pants hung on his lean waist and a dark shirt replaced the one he had on earlier, but the watch was still secured around his thick wrist. She was so glad she wasn't the only that had gone out their way to dress up for the occasion. "Hi," she managed to greet him back, but her stomach did a flip when he raked his hair and welcomed her inside to the same apartment she's always been to, but today it felt completely different, almost intimate. "Oh god," she groaned when his dark cologne washed over her, her magic licked up his intense aura and danced with red and golden light surrounding him.

"Did you say something?" he asked.

"Er- will Melinda be joining us as well?" she quickly covered her blushing panic.

"No," he answered. "She has her own suite in the hotel. So, we're all alone here."

"Oh," was all she managed with her erratic heartbeat that wouldn't settle no matter how much magic she threw at it. She placed her purse on the kitchen counter and turned towards him. "So, what are we waiting for?" she asked. "Let me show you your new office."

Maddox smile broadened. "Lead the way," he moved to the side and let her walk past him first. "You seem nervous?"

"Me?" she gaped at him. Was it that easy to figure out? She quickly covered it with a confident smile. "In your dreams, buddy."

"I was beginning to think that you lost your game," he remarked. "We don't want you getting scared and run away from our bet."

Blair propped her hand on her waist. "I won't lose," she said. "I may be nervous, but that doesn't mean I stopped being awesome."

Maddox chuckled behind her as she opened the double doors for the final reveal, that she knew would blow him away because that's what she did. She understood people more than they did themselves, and she was really good at it. Maddox's plain white office that was so empty it had an echo, was now reformed to come alive with magic that only a Lightwood could conjure.

The white walls had been painted with a dark wine red that complemented the dark wood moulding. She had the stairs rebuilt with dark oak, she loved the leather seating she added in front of the fire place, and on top, laid a portrait of Maddox's family. The side wall had been transformed, those insidious white shelves were ripped out, she felt really happy when she got rid of those. Tony had brought all of Maddox's books from his old house and she had organized his library to match any reader's world.

"This is..." Maddox was speechless as he gaped at the completely transformed room. "Perfect."

Blair smiled at herself, she had done it and she was damn proud. "I know," she said smugly. "Didn't I tell you not to make a bet with me. I rarely lose."

Maddox touched the leather chair that were symmetrically facing each other. "Leather is always a good choice," he said. "And you did curtains." His dark amber eyes lifted to the portrait. "Where did you find this?"

"I found that picture on the upper level," she said. "I knew the moment I saw it that I had to put it up in this room."

Maddox's jaw tightened, she saw the shift in him. "That photo has a lot of memories attached to it."

"I know," she said and looked at Maddox dead in the eyes. "I know what memories that photo hold for you. That night what you lost."

Maddox was searching her eyes for answers. "What are you saying?" he asked.

"I know about the Christmas party," she said. "And how you lost your father."

"If this is some type of joke Blair, it's not funny," he said sternly.

"Your father, Roman Steele died in a car accident whilst you were driving," she said.

Maddox gaped at her. "It was all over the news," it sounded like he was saying that to himself, so he could understand what Blair was about to disclose.

"Was it also on the news that you didn't run out of the car, but your father pushed you out?" Blair still asked but she knew the answer to that. Maddox didn't tell anyone that Roman had pushed his son out of the car.

"No one knows about that," said Maddox. "How the hell are you doing this, Blair?"

Blair stilled at the sharpness in his voice. "I already told you," she said. "I'm a witch, Maddox."

Maddox slumped against the chair and sat like his legs gave out from under him. "This is impossible."

Blair sat across him and gave him a few moments before she spoke. "I had a few visions of that night you lost him."

"Visions," he repeated that incredible but unbelievable word. "What did you see?"

"Enough to know that you love your family," she said. "You were all happy together, until your father passed away. It hurt your family-"

"It didn't just hurt us, Blair," he interrupted her. "It broke us."

Blair felt a chill crawl down her skin. "It might have," she said. "But you were able to grow from it, Maddox."

"Only because I locked it all down," he said.

"Don't do that anymore," she said. "Your father doesn't want that for you or your sister."

"How would you know?" he asked, she knew he didn't really ask for an answer because it wasn't possible.

"Because I met him, your father," she revealed and he froze.

"You...met....my...dad?" he paled.

"Which is a topic for another day," she said calmly. "Tonight, you need to know two things. First, your father is safe and at peace. Second, his last wish was to stay away from Alexander Ainsley."

Maddox was baffled. "Ainsley?" he repeated. "My father's spirit rose from the dead and the first thing he wanted to talk about was Alexander?"

Blair laid her hand on his and asked for his undivided attention, which he gave. "If not for me, for him, cancel whatever deal you have with Alexander."

Maddox nodded. "Fine," he said. "But first, you have a lot of explaining to do."

Blair couldn't help but laugh. "I'll help you with anything. I promise."