Chapter 1

"Now, I don't speak Spanish, Japanese or French,"

"But the way that body that body's talking definitely made sense."

"It's her body, her body, her body language."

"It's her body, her body, her body language."

"The way she moves around when she grinds to the beat,"

"Breaking it down articulately."

"It's her body, her body, her body language,"

It's her body, her body, her body language,"

–Jesse McCartney, Body Language

When someone asked Magnus Bane, the Warlock of Brooklyn about his past, he usually changed the topic smoothly until the person would forget the topic entirely; when they kept pestering him about it he made sure to let them know it was none of their business. He didn't talk about his past, not to Clary, not to Jocelyn, not to anyone. His past was his story.

However when the black haired, blue eyed Alec Lightwood wormed his way into his heart he was shocked beyond compare. The boy's sights were obviously on the yummy looking blond haired Jace Herondale so he believed it was safe to watch and admire from afar. However even he could tell the blond beauty was in love with Clarissa Morgenstern, he almost screamed at the lover boy when he finally found out Alec was in love with him. When the battle on the boat came he was finally sick of seeing Alec following Jace like a puppy in love and finally admitted his feelings.

The rough spat after that nearly made him give up but then he remembered agreeing to be Alec's partner and waiting for him to complete the binding rune, only to be blind sighted by Alec's dominating kiss the next instant.

He smiled and stood up from his chair, bringing himself back to the present. Looking around his room he realized Alec himself was coming over in a few minutes. Hurriedly he checked over himself in the mirror; he was still his fine self. He grinned and threaded his fingers through his hair just as there was a knock on the door.

Pulling on his composure and fighting not to run through the door he steadily walked to it and opened it –to be smushed up against his closed door by a body that had grown amazingly tall over the past year since they destroyed Valentine. Before he could ask Alec why the play his mouth was dominated.

"Eww!" came a characteristically bored sounding voice; it was followed by a young giggle. When Alec finally let him breath he gasped for air, and Alec grinned with satisfaction.

"Are you both done with your welcome ritual?" Jace asked with a grin Magnus could hear in his voice. Clary giggled again and Magnus heard Jace's "Ow!" as Clary punched him in the arm. He looked up into Alec's face and had to fight a smile.

Alec rounded and opened the door, stepping inside; Jace and Clary followed him in. Before Magnus could follow he saw a shadow out the corner of his eye. "Hmm…" he said as he turned and saw nothing. "What was that?" he mumbled. He could sense something in the area then, something different. He turned to check it out–

"Magnus?" Alec asked from the doorway. Magnus turned to him, and opened his mouth to tell him that everything was okay when the psychic something in the area totally disappeared. With wide eyes he tried to search for it again and found a faint trace of something other; again he turned to it but then he heard footsteps and saw that now Clary, Jace and Alec were all looking at him with worry in their eyes as well as curiosity and confusion.

"I thought I– " Again the something disappeared. He clenched his jaw in frustration; whatever this thing was, it was playing with him. He didn't like being played with. He sent a psychic warning out to warn them not to play with him and started up the stairs. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't going to get the best of him.

He watched as Magnus entered the cabin talking to the young male and the young female all standing in the doorway. This was going to be harder than he thought, but no matter; he never liked easy prey anyway. Magnus was game, he knew he was, and maybe so where his little friends.

He nearly had him to but then those young shadowhunters had to be walking up just then, laughing and walking like they had no care in the world. Stupid children. He nearly growled out loud when one of they were laughing and talking about Magnus as if he was their friend and not one of the most powerful warlocks in the world.

Then there was when the black haired one had knocked on Magnus' door and then trapped him and forcefully kissed him as if he had all the rights in the world to do so. Then when kept on kissing him even though Magnus seemed shocked out of his mind he nearly broke the branch he was sitting in.

A smile flirted to his lips as Magnus sensed him, he pulled his aura back somewhat just as the young dark haired boy in the door way got Magnus' attention, and the delight of seeing Magnus' beautiful eyes widen somewhat when he returned to looking for his psychic aura. He allowed small filaments of it to drift out then nearly laughed as he pulled them back just the young shadowhunters in the doorway regained Magnus' attention.

The warning psychic wave surprised him somewhat; he wasn't used to seeing Magnus angry or mad before. It angered him that these baby shadowhunters could make Magnus react with such emotion; nothing would come out of it. He'd make sure to warn Magnus about that –when he had him right where he wanted him.

Right now though, it was time to watch and wait. Patience was its own reward, and he'd get what he wanted soon enough, even if he had to kill the hunters to get to it.

Satisfied that all was well he leaned back on his tree branch and let his delicious visions of the future and what it would give him take over his mind. Things were going to go his way or things wouldn't happen at all –it was how the world worked. His prey might've escaped him before but he wasn't getting away this time. Nope.

Alec watched as Magnus slept on the couch beside his own couch silently, warmth spreading through him. He'd almost lost this but he wasn't losing it now, or ever. He'd make sure of it.

Hairs on his neck stood up suddenly as Magnus started shaking in his sleep; Magnus wasn't the kind to have nightmares. He lowered the book he was reading to the ground. "Magnus?" he whispered to the panting warlock who was lost to everything but the horror of his dream. "Magnus!" he yelled louder. Magnus seemed to shake more and more until Alec was forced to hold him tightly to keep him from falling of the bed. "Magnus!" he yelled. The warlock seemed to freeze suddenly. Alec worried more as Magnus stopped breathing for several seconds –then his breath returned in a shuddering breath and his body slowly calmed.

Alec once again wondered about Magnus' past. What could've happened to the warlock over the centuries of his existence? Over so many of his lifetimes, things he probably couldn't even imagine. Returning to his coach in Magnus' warm living room he laid his head back on the rim of it and closed his eyes.

It might've been minutes or hours later but he heard footsteps coming down the stairs –Jace and Clary– they seemed to freeze as they reached him. He heard Clary's "Aww," and nearly grinned. He didn't even bother to tell them that he was awake he just sat there with his eyes closed and ignored them. They would go away soon, or maybe go upstairs and do who knows what, another grin threatened. Seconds later the footsteps retreated back upstairs and he was left alone with Magnus again. He smiled and sat up.

–And suddenly had the feeling that he was being watched, standing, he turned to the window that was right above the couch where Magnus was currently sleeping and looked out at the old tree that glinted in the darkness outside. He thought he saw something in the trees—

Suddenly a hand clapped on his shoulder. With a squeal that was totally unexpected he jumped seven feet in air. He whirled to find Jace with a grin that obviously had grown with his un—male like squeal. Before he could say anything Jace was on the floor roaring with laughter.

Magnus made a deep noise and sat up with a dazed, sleepy look that was so adorable it momentarily made him forget about Jace laughing at his expense.

Then suddenly Jace pulled him down to the floor with him. Seconds later the boys were wrestling on the floor. Clary sighed and crossed arms as she rolled her eyes.

"Alright, you two," Clary said. "Knock it off!" Both boys glowered at each other and stopped fighting –but then Jace mumbled something and then suddenly Alec tackled Jace down back to the ground and started wrestling with him again. Jace growled and wrestled back against him. Clary sighed and Magnus smiled.

This was what family truly was.