Hiding

Thirty-three

"That's a death threat!" A skinny guy with glasses steps out from his room behind Alec's father. "it's illegal, so I recommend that you leave this instant, or I will call the cops!"

For a second, Robert seems to be startled. No one has ever really stood up to him like that. Definitely not some stranger.

"How dare you!" Robert's voice roars. "Don't you know who I am?!"

"No, actually." The guy puts his hands on his hips. "I don't. And I really don't care. Not even if you were the goddamn pope!"

"No one speaks to me like that!" Robert takes a threatening step closer to the guy, but he doesn't even flinch.

"Yeah? Then why the hell do you think it is okay to talk to someone else like that. Even if he is your son or whatever that entire fight was about." The guy gestures towards Alec who is just as much in shock as everyone else. "Besides, I'm like 99 percent sure that this has been filmed by bystanders and the security cameras, and since I'm a lawyer, I will drag your ass to court if you lay a hand on anybody."

"I will speak to my son as I damn well pleases!" Robert shouts and steps closer once more, now completely up in the guy's personal space. Another young man with long dark hair steps out into the hallway behind the guy with glasses, holding his phone up, making it obvious he is filming everything.

"And I will make sure he sues you for it." The glasses-guy says casually as if he wasn't just getting spit in the face by an angry man shouting.

Robert's mouth opens and closes a few times, his eyes darting to the cellphone recording. Alec can tell he is calculating if he can get away with breaking it, but then he sees some other guests stepping out of their rooms with their phone recording and Robert seems to be deciding that he has lost this battle. He pushes the guy with glasses and then turns around, storming past Alec and Magnus.

"Don't think for a second that this is over." He growls at Alec before disappearing into the elevator.

Alec finally takes a breath of relief then hurries over to the guy who was nearly knocked over.

"Are you okay?" He asks, but the longhaired guy already has a steadying arm around his waist.

"Sure. I'm fine."

"Thank you so much for that... it was incredible." Magnus interferes.

"No problem. Couldn't just stand by and do nothing. The name is Simon, by the way. And this is my boyfriend, Jordan Kyle."

"Nice to meet you." Alec says and takes his hand, while trying not to think about how he would have recoiled from them and simultaneously envied them not so long ago. He glances towards Magnus that now is shaking their hands. Alec knows how much he owes him. If it hadn't been for him, he would never have found peace within himself. He would have turned into his father.

"Are you okay, darling?" Magnus suddenly asks, looking up at him with very concerned eyes. "You are pale."

"I'm..." Alec had every intention of saying the word fine, but instead his legs gave in underneath him and as the room started spinning, he heard voices calling for him, then everything turned black.

*****

"... horrible." A voice says a few feet away. Alec tries to blink his eyes into focus. "Are you absolutely sure that..."

"Wait," A familiar voice sounds and Alec smiles instinctively, "I think he is waking up." Gentle hands caressing his cheek. "Alexander?"

"Mag..." Alec's throat dries up and he can't finish the name. A glass of water is put against his lips while hands on his back is helping him up to a seating position. Greedily, he gulps down the water.

"Slow down. No need to rush." A different voice says. And suddenly Alec realizes that there are too many hands. One holding a glass, one caressing his cheeks and two more on his back. Two that belongs to the voice that he doesn't recognize. Instantly, Alec turns around in his seat, glaring at the person behind him. Then everything gets hazy again and starts to spin. "What did I just say?" the voice whispers, but not to Alec. To someone else behind him. "I clearly said..."

"I know, babe." Another voice cuts him of. "But he is probably disorientated."

"Alexander." Magnus gains his attention. "Please, no sudden movements. Just take it easy for a moment." Alec nods in agreement, but he is still tense. Which Magnus obviously picks up on. "Could you come over here so he can see you? He isn't always completely trusting, and I think you might be freaking him out."

"Oh... sure." A longhaired guy and a guy with glasses appear and they do seem very familiar.

"This is Simon and Jordan. We met them in the hallway before you fainted."

"I fainted?" Alec can't recall that at all.

"Yes." Glasses-guy says. "You just got really pale and then you leaned forward, stumbling a bit and then wham!" he says and smacks his hands together. "Down you went." He smiles over at the longhaired guy. "Thankfully my boyfriend has insane reflexes. He caught you before you hit your head."

"One of the other guests is a nurse and she checked you over and said it wasn't anything too serious. She believed it was the stress of the situation that made the blood rush too fast and made you lightheaded. But she told us to go to a doctor and get checked up on once you would wake up."

"Oh..." Alec has no memory at all. Only barely of his father shouting. "Alright then." He glances towards the two young men that are whispering together at a table they have retreated to. "What were you talking about before?"

Mangus looks over at the two men then back to Alex. "Your father." He says. "Simon is a lawyer and Jordan a cop. They think they can help us."

"You told them everything?" Alec's mouth suddenly dries up again and his head starts pounding.

"Just the outline of it. We need help, Alec. We can't do this on our own. And with the way he just threatened you... we are running out of time."

Alec nods slowly. He isn't a fan of telling strangers, but he gets the reasoning behind it.

"So, maybe I should tell them everything." Alec says.

"I think it is our best shot. And with the incriminating videos they already have of Robert threatening, Simon believes we have a case. And Jordan is going to bring the evidence to his captain."