Murder Me Not

Love Is Crazy

Magnus strutted into the studio, Emma leaning over the vanity to organize the various makeup pallets. Christina, a women with sleek black hair and golden brown skin, was preparing the cameras, adjusting the lighting and such.

Izzy had given him a sympathetic look when he exited the elevator; Magnus wasn't having it. He didn't want sympathy, he wanted to forget that it had happened. Magnus fidgeted with the soft blue scarf around his neck.

"Morning, Magnus," Emma greeted cheerily, sweeping her pale blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Ready to look hot?" Christina joked, her voice thick with a Spanish accent.

Magnus struck a pose, a fist on his hip, his head tilted down, eyes smoldering. "I'm always hot." His voice was husky and he prayed they believed it was for show, not because it hurt to talk.

The laughter of the girls released the small bit of tension growing in his chest. He was exhausted. He was unable to sleep after the... after Alec... Magnus shook his head to clear it, pushing aside the memory of Alec's blank eyes, the hazel without its light.

He coughed slightly as Emma grabbed his bicep, pulling him towards the stool. She sat him down, her lips pinching as she eyed the pallets. "I'm thinking gold," she said. "We're trying to highlight the goodness of all peoples in this issue," she explained, tapping her cheek. "What's gooder than gold?"

Christina snorted. "Gooder isn't a word."

Emma rolled her eyes, flitting a hand through the air. "Whatever, you know what I mean." She picked up one of her brushes. "Highlighted cheeks, golden eye shadow; I think lipstick would be overkill, but pinkish gloss should do it. Let's get this out of the way," she said, pulling at Magnus's scarf.

It was gone before Magnus could stop her. She gasped, the scarf dropping. Her lower lip quivered and Magnus cringed, his eyes catching on the mirror.

Long fingers were pressed into his skin, purple and streaks of black, red around the edges. The grotesque colors caused his stomach to clench, bile burning the back of his throat. Tears streamed down his face and he dipped his head, angrily wiping them away with his hand.

"Magnus..." Emma started softly, her voice filled with horror.

"Emma? What is it?" Christina asked, her heels clicking against the tiled floor as she grew closer. "Dios," she hissed.

A gentle hand landed on his shoulder, massaging the tension away. "What happened?" Emma asked.

He waved a hand. "It's nothing, a misunderstanding. It won't happen again."

"If someone is hurting you, you have to tell us," Christina said, her voice firm and unwavering. Magnus lifted his head, staring at her in the mirror.

"It won't happen again," Magnus repeated, willing it to be true. Alec wouldn't. He left because he didn't want to hurt Magnus.

Magnus had once been so convinced that Alec would never hurt him and he hadn't, not that night all that time ago when he held Alec in his arms as they slept... when they were startled out of their piece by Ragnor's intrusion. Alec didn't hurt him, not his Alexander. Some strange monster had taken over his body, a nightmare in human form.

Magnus knew Alec hadn't wanted to hurt him and that wasn't Alec.

"Oh my god," Emma breathed, her bright eyes widening. "It was him, wasn't it?"

"His boyfriend?" Christian asked, startled.

"Oh Magnus," Emma sighed, wrapping her arms around him, her face pressing against his shoulder. "I remember what it was like."