Nightshade

Chapter 33 - Origins

**Third**

       Penelope sat on Magnus's couch, hands fiddled restlessly in her lap. Alec sat in a chair next to the couch, his elbows resting on his knees.  He was there mostly for support but also because he didn't want to take his eyes off her, not after the attack. Magnus stood near his mini bar and poured himself a drink...all of them were quiet. "Tell me the truth. Enough with the lies and the secrets, I'm tired of people trying to protect me." Penny finally spoke, Magnus froze, his back still facing her. He knew this day would come, he just wished he wouldn't have to be the one to tell her....to shatter the world she knew and reveal to her the one she lived in. "Magnus, please." she whispered. Magnus swallowed before turning to the girl, looking her over with somber eyes. A smile crossed his face as he walked towards her "Penny, you are so much like your mother. Fierce, caring to all walks of life, a fighter through and through." he sipped his drink "Stronger than you think, much stronger...though you had a little help." Penny's brows pinched as she looked up at Magnus "Stop being cryptic and just tell me, why do I remember my father being so angry, so violent. Tell me why Valentine told me my father was a monster....why do I remember him being one...." Magnus sighed and sat in the other chair, crossing his legs and resting his elbow on the arm of the chair. "The memory blocks have finally crumbled." he mumbled, more to himself, into his hand as he rubbed his chin in thought.

     "Tell me what you remember." Magnus said, wanting to know what she did remember and how much she knew. "I remember walking into the infirmary and the doctor saying something about mood swings and anger. I remember yelling and then walking out of my room to see dad standing over a bloody mangled body. I remember training with dad, he lost control, he broke my nose and he would have done worse if mom didn't intervene. I remember other times when he hurt me, broken arms, bruises, a broken leg. He hit mom, he screamed..." Magnus stared at the ground in thought before looking to Penelope's confused and worried stare. "Your father was sick, your mother tried to keep him from you, to hide how bad it was and she did an amazing job considering he was our favorite person." Magnus smiled a bit "Valentine, he said he experimented on my father....and that it was passed down to me..." at this Alec looked to Magnus with worried eyes, of course upon hearing the abuse Penny suffered from her father he was worried but at hearing she may be one of Valentine's experiment his worry doubled. "Yes, Valentine used your father a a guinea pig, a test subject to create a sort of super soldier. A Shadowhunter that had every ability the runes gave you without having to use them." Alec furrowed his brows "That's not possible." Magnus shrugged "You also thought angels weren't real and yet she's met one." Magnus said nodding towards Penny. "Your father was stronger, more powerful, and a lot better than any Shadowhunter the Clave has seen, however the power came at a price." Magnus downed the rest of is drink and didn't meet their eyes. This is where he knew Penny's world would crumble. 

     "Your father was not a nice man, Penelope. When your mother found out she was pregnant with you she convinced Steffan to leave the circle and they sought refuge with the clave. They imprisoned them to the New York institute much like Hodge and the Lightwoods." Alec looked to the ground, he knew his parents were a part of the circle but hearing Magnus use the word imprisoned just made it all the more real. "At first it didn't seem like an issue, they just thought it would take him time to adjust to being a teacher and not a warrior. His harsh fighting would slowly go away. The longer he stayed, the more they realized something was wrong. They let him go on missions with a group of Shadowhunters to watch him and make sure he wouldn't run. What they found instead was that your father was a ruthless killer. At the very sight of a downworlder it was like a switch was flipped and he turned back into the soldier Valentine made him. The clave brought him in, did extensive tests after your mother convinced them to to throw him jail. They realized that the injections Valentine was giving him had side effects." Magnus looked to his empty glass deep in thought, remembering the night he was called in to calm Steffan down. He acted much like Penny had when she was infected by the demon. "Yes, all the happy memories you have with him are real, he tried his best to contain himself around you. He loved you, you were is anchor. Honestly, if it weren't for you I think your father would have lost all sanity." Penny shook her head and looked to her hands. 

      "I just can't believe it, it can't be true. He was so kind, so caring. He was allies with the wolves, he taught children, he-" Magnus cut her off "Yes, after we formed a sedative to try and counteract the effects of the experiment. And your father's relationship with the wolves is complicated, but that's a story for another time." Penny tightened her ponytail and took a deep breath. She wasn't sure how to feel about this, she thought her parents were happy, she loved her father unconditionally. And now, now she knows, he was abusive, he was rageful, he was sick. She suddenly grew angry, angry at Valentine, even more so than before. "The night you remember, the night you saw the dead body....it was gift from Valentine. He sent a Vampire to trigger the rage inside of your father. He felt that everyone needed to see that Stefan wasn't cured, that he was still the killer Valentine made him. The clave brought him in, that's why you were there....the night your father died." Magnus looked at Penny with sympathy. Alec remained silent and took everything in, he wanted to hold Penny, comfort her...but he knew she needed space to absorb everything. "That's why mom ran....because she knew. She knew that whatever Valentine did to dad might have been passed on to me." Penny said, putting the pieces together....her life finally made sense, or at least now it felt like it did. She no longer felt like something was missing, and all the memory fragments were finally pieced together. "Yes, she knew it was a possibility. When she came to me she asked if you would get the same...side effects...as your father did. I had no way to tell however. She was relieved when you showed no signs, but she never stopped worrying." 

       Penny felt a shift in her, love towards her father but admiration towards her mother. She joined the circle for her cousin, left for her daughter, stayed with a man that hurt people including her and her daughter because she knew he was sick. She was loyal, and patient, brave, and kind. She was stronger than Penny even realized. "I know it's a lot to take in....and I probably should have come from your mother but-" Alec looked from Magnus to Penny who just sat shocked and frozen on the couch, staring at the ground in thought. "My mother took her to Idris after the party, hopefully she will be back soon." Penny swallowed and looked up at Magnus "Thank you." Magnus looked her over "You're welcome." Penny then looked to Alec "I need to see her..." Alec pressed his lips together "She's in Idris, I don't know when she'll be back....if she-" Penny cut him off. "Alec, I need to see her." she strained. Alec saw the burning need in her eyes and nodded "Ok." 

      Magnus looked between the two, eyes still locked on each other. "You can't possibly be thinking of going to Idris. News of the wedding is bound to still be floating around, the unsanctioned missions, everything that's happened in the last few months." Alec continued to stare into Penny's eyes "That's exactly where we're going." Penny's face lit up and a smile crossed her lips. "Thank you." she said and reached out her right hand to take his. Alec looked down at her hand and smiled as he noticed the ring he gave her sitting on her ring finger. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles before leaning over and kissing her head.

(Short but I like it, comment if you have any questions. :D)

(1469 Words)