Malec: A Fanfic Romance

Chapter 27

The building had an old weathered appearance. The brick was crumbling at the sides and as far as he could tell it looked abandoned. Any windows were boarded or barred over, he guessed that there were dark curtains on the inside preventing any activity to be seen. The 3d imager was right, no door on any of the sides of the building, just empty spaces where they should have been. And it was quiet. He wasn't sure what he expected but in comparison to the loudness of the city, the quiet was incredibly apparent as soon as he stepped into the cloaked forcefield.

 Now he was just waiting. He wasn't sure what for exactly but was sure it would come to him within the next minute or two. The sound of a bird crowing loudly whooshed past him and he saw it settle at the top of the building.

"Sorry for the wait, I don't typically expect visitors of your kind"

Alec heard the voice come from behind him but decided not to turn around just yet.

"What do you mean your kind?" He  spoke after a moment.

"The good guys, the heroes, ever loyal and obedient to the clave unless..."

Alec heard the voice coming closer, nearing his body.

"Unless that's changed"

He  felt a hand on his shoulder and the body to the voice came into view. There he was. Looking better than ever. A devilish grin plastered across his face and a scruffy beard that made him look like a madman. Definitely different from the last time they had seen each other. Valentine continued speaking nonchalantly.

"What's been going on, the last time I saw you, you were a lot...bloodier"

"And you were a lot angrier" Alec quipped back, removing valentine's hand from his shoulder.

 They stared each other down. Valentine and Alec both had incredibly strong characters. True to themselves, always. Just like talent recognizes talent, strength recognizes strength. That is where they were the same. Like Alec, Valentine had worked incredibly hard for everything he has today. If you had any idea how difficult it is to get a single Shadowhunter to stray away from their beliefs, the clave, everything they've ever known for a rebel cause, you would probably feel the urge to shake valentines hand. How he managed to gather an entire building full of ex-Shadowhunter followers, the world will never know. But what we do know is that it took a lot of of blood sweat and probably tears. To give up your own family, the people you love the most for something that you believe in and that you've worked for was a hard decision to make. To Alec, it was almost admirable that he was even able to choose. Judging by the way Valentine has pined after Clary for the past few months it was clear that he still and has always loved her. It was just a choice he had to make at the time. Alec figured that Valentine probably hoped one day they would find each other again if the fates allowed, and they would be together. A family. The fates did allow. They found each other. But they are in no way a family. Alec wondered if Valentine had the emotional capacity to feel sad about that. Or does the power overweigh the hurt.

"I'm sorry, I may have been a little rude. I tend to get that way when I don't get what I want. Annoying, I know."

Alec paused for a moment, contemplating before he said what he did next.

"Do you remember what you said to me in the office that day, when I was going in and out of consciousness on the floor and you were...pacing"

Valentine looked almost taken aback.

"I've been thinking about it a lot and I- I just can't help but think that I may have-"

He didn't finish his sentence. Letting Valentine guess the rest. He watched as Valentine's facial expression turned from amused to serious and then to intrigued. It was almost as if his eyes lit up for a moment and then went dark again.

"I know it was stupid of me to come here like this . I just needed to tell you that...I want to hear more"

"More what?"

Valentine said it as less of a question and more of a statement that he couldn't wait for Alec to respond to. Like a test.

"You told me that I could be useful here. I want to know how. I want you to teach me about all this. If I disagree with you at the end of the day you can go ahead and kill me. Stop me from running my mouth to the clave and getting you imprisoned. But if I don't... I want to know my role here"

Valentine took a step toward Alec, as if getting closer would lead him to know whether or not Alec's words were true.

"You're serious," Valentine said in a low tone.

Alec simply nodded in response, he wasn't sure what else to do other than nod robotically.

Valentine's facial expression softened and he smiled that devious smile again.

"Well step into my office"