GAPS

[sidestepdestiny]

My shift is nearly up at Semele's when I get a text from Simon: On my way home. do you want Chinese? I text him back with a yes please and my order, and don't receive a reply. I don't think much of it, but when I get to our flat an hour later and there's no sign of Simon or our dinner, that raises a few flags. He should have been home well before me. The Chinese place loves him because our order is always gigantic, they wouldn't make him wait this long.

I call Simon a few times to no avail. I try not to worry, I really do, but peril and Simon are old friends and I've yet to successfully come between them.

The logical thing to do, I decide, is to take the usual route to the Chinese place and ask if they've seen him, look for anything fishy. I take the path Simon should have taken, and I question the staff. Intensively. They haven't seen him, there was never an order placed. I go back the same way, thinking, what now?, when my luck takes a turn. I see his phone off the sidewalk, laying inconspicuously under a bush, like it's been tossed carelessly away. Simon loves his phone, he would never do this. I grab it up and look it over, but it tells me nothing. No calls or texts besides the one he sent me and my answer.

For a long, terrible moment, I don't know what to do. I don't know who would hurt him. No, that's wrong. I do know who would hurt him, if they had reason to suspect me.

I walk briskly toward the warehouse, and call the hospital to make sure Simon isn't a patient. He isn't. When I get to the warehouse, Roger greets me with a look of baffled amusement. "You're early," he says, and I have to resist shoving him against the wall and demanding answers. I pretend like nothing's wrong, and here...nothing is. Everyone is acting normally. The regulars are here. No one is accusing me of being with the police, no one's acting shifty.

I cut out early without explanation. Well, technically I wasn't due there yet anyway.

Again, I'm lost. Then, of course. Katherine.

It's a long shot. I'm not sure what reason she'd have to take Simon again, except maybe to fuck with me, but it's the only lead I've got. I call her and demand she releases Simon.

"I haven't seen your farmboy." She sounds bored.

"So you say."

"Oh, please."

"...You're not in love with me again, right?"

She hangs up.

I realize the call was a last ditch, desperate attempt. Who, then? What? The Humdrum? I need help, someone more powerful than my nose and my paltry finding spells. I go to High Gate Terrace and knock on Magnus' door, hoping to find him and Alec at once.

Comments

[deflectere]

There was still nothing. No trace of Magnus, no trace of Luke, nothing. Despite the visit to Marcus' with Reid, Alec didn't feel any closer to figuring this out than he had when he'd initially realized something was off. He wondered, not for the first time, if this had something to do with the Mortal Sword but he couldn't figure out why someone would take Magnus if that were the case.

He just didn't know.

The apartment was dark save for the one light Alec had on in living room and he was pacing around with Olivia in his arms (she'd been under his feet and he hadn't wanted to step on her) when someone knocked on the door.

For a second, hope flared but extinguished quickly. This was Magnus' house and even if he'd lost his key, he could get in here. He stalked to the door and pulled it open, finding Baz there on the doorstep.

"Baz."

[sidestepdestiny]

"Alec."

I walk past him as though my name had been invitation enough to come inside. The room is filled with shadows and it feels as ominously empty as it looks. I turn to Alec with an eyebrow raised.

"Is Magnus home? I have a problem, and I was hoping you two could help me."

[deflectere]

"Magnus isn't here," Alec said tightly, trying to keep quiet the torrent of emotions that that statement produced. Olivia purred loudly in his arms, white fur shedding against his black sweater.

"He's not going to be able to help you," Ale told him, shutting the door and crossing the room until he was in front of Baz again. "I don't know where he is."

His voice didn't shake when he said the words. The cold knot in his stomach grew though and he felt nauseous.

[sidestepdestiny]

Alec is usually stoic, but I know him well enough now that I can tell this isn't his normal brand of aloofness. He's trying too hard to appear unaffected, and part of me wants to throttle him for it, like I can't let my own panic known if he keeps his so buried.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" I ask, wondering how in the world the same thing is happening to him. "What happened?"

[deflectere]

"Is there really anything else I could mean when I say I don't know, Baz?" Alec asked, unable to keep the anger out of his tone this time. He didn't know what was going on but all he could think about was another repeat of that other Darrow.

"I don't know what happened to him, I don't know anything," Alec told him, tone steely. "We were supposed to meet last night and he didn't show up. He's not here. He's not answering his phone. I don't know what's going on."

And he hated that.

[sidestepdestiny]

Alec's anger only serves to spark mine, like a shot of gasoline into an already burning fire. I haven't done anything to him, it's not my fault Magnus is gone. "That's what I meant. When did he go missing, how did you know? That sort of thing."

Which he did just answer, though it doesn't actually answer anything.

I bite my tongue against suggesting he's gone-gone, because I'm sure he's already considered that, and that means it's also a possibility for Simon, and I won't accept that.

"Simon's gone, too. That's why I came here."

[deflectere]

The first thing that came out of Alec's mouth is, "What do you want me to do about that?" He regretted it immediately but his emotions were stuttering all over the place and he felt helpless and untethered.

"I knew because he didn't show up for our date," Alec said, shaking his head. "And I'd like to think it's not because he's gotten tired of me already so I'm going with another option. Something's wrong. Maybe it's the same wrong thing that's happened to Simon."

[sidestepdestiny]

"I came to you for help because I thought you were a fucking Shadowhunter," I snap back, bristling. I don't say that even more because he's my friend. I'm already regretting the decision. I don't need this, I don't need him. I'm a vampire and a mage, for Crowley's sake.

"Forget it, I can find him on my own," I add, not even listening to the rest of what he has to say before I'm turning to the door. "Good luck to you!"

[deflectere]

"I am a fucking Shadowhunter," Alec said, crouching down to let Olivia go before standing up and stalking towards Baz. He didn't need for Magnus to come back (because he was coming back) and ask why his cat was scared of Alec.

"You haven't found him yet, have you?" Alec snapped after him, reaching out to shove his shoulder. This wasn't what he should be doing but he couldn't stop himself. The anger and fear was flowing through him. "Nice job, Baz."

[sidestepdestiny]

"I just discovered it like a fucking hour ago," I snarl, stumbling back a step from the shove. I smack his hand away out of pure instinct, then shove him bodily at the wall simply because he's pissed me off. If he really wants to pick a fight, he's picked a bad fucking time.

"I wouldn't have wasted my time coming all the way to High Gate if I'd known you were useless."

[seveninches]

There's been whispers around town that people have started to go missing, and for the most part Isabelle has chalked it up to Darrow. People vanish from the city all the time, and as long as it's not her or any of the people she cares about, she tries to stay out of it. She'd been in the park, training out in broad daylight just in case, as a warning. If there was anything bad going on, Isabelle was going to make sure that everyone in the city knew the many ways she could make them regret it.

And then she'd gotten Alec's message.

He's been spending a lot of time at Magnus's lately so she's not surprised to learn that that's where she is, but his request for help could mean many things. If they were back in New York she would have been there in an instant, armed and in her gear and ready to fight by his side. In Darrow things are generally quieter, and she expects that Magnus is already trying to help him out of whatever jam he's in. Or rather, is the cause of said jam. She's expecting to find them in some kind of ridiculous couples fight where she's being called to be the mediator.

What she doesn't expect when she arrived at Magnus's apartment is to find the door open and a large indent in the wall, her brother inside it, looking murderous. The only thing that could get the upper hand on him like that is a demon or a strong Downworlder, so she immediately looks over and her unspoken question is answered when she sees Baz.

"If I got called over here to witness a pissing contest, so help me Angel..."

[deflectere]

Alec's first thought is that he's going to have to fix the damn wall. He didn't think there were any paintings large enough to cover an indent the size of his body so he'd have to...maybe drape a sheet over it or something.

He'd been getting back to his feet, ready to lunge at Baz when Isabelle showed up. He'd almost forgotten he'd called her in his red haze Baz's arrival had caused.

"Get out of the way, Izzy," Alec told her, glaring in her direction and starting towards Baz.

[sidestepdestiny]

I'm so worked up over Alec, I don't smell or notice Isabelle walking into the room until she speaks. I glance over at her, but Alec's already getting up, and my jaw clenches at the look on his face.

"Oh, you want to keep going?" I taunt, haughty from the sight of his anger, moving to meet him halfway. "Because I held back. I could send you into the neighbor's living room if that's what you'd like."

[seveninches]

It only takes her a second to slip between the two of them, hands on her hips to stare them down. She doesn't know what's causing them to fight, but she doesn't care for it. Baz had been one of Alec's first friends here and she has no intentions of letting them beat at each other until that's no longer true. Besides, if something is going on, this is not the way to fix it.

"No," she tells Alec firmly. He won't forcibly move her, she knows that, so for now she's not budging. "What do you two think you're doing?"

She can't imagine any reason that they'd fight. It's happened once before, but that was under the influence on magic, and while this might be Magnus Bane's apartment, she doesn't see any evidence of it. No masks, no drinks, no Magnus himself.

[deflectere]

"You'd have a dagger in your chest before you even put your hands on me," Alec told him darkly. He didn't move past Isabelle though, not so angry that he'd shove his own sister out of the way.

She'd put her heel in his eye if he tried, he knew.

"Magnus is gone," Alec told her, using his anger as a shield against the way his stomach wanted to roil. "So is Simon."

And...that's why they were fighting. When Alec stopped to think about it, this really didn't make sense.

[sidestepdestiny]

I let Isabelle stop me, but only because Alec stops, too. At his threat my fangs pop and I can feel the back of my eyes burn, and I know they've gone black. "Fucking try it," I say back, upper lip curling.

Alec mentions Simon, and I glare past Isabelle at him, wanting to tear the whole fucking building apart like it would bring Simon back. But it won't. I feel my eyes go back to normal, but my body's still tense, poised to fight.

[seveninches]

Isabelle would slap them both if she thought it would solve anything, but she doesn't. She does have her whip on her though, and she's not above using it. Alec is seething with anger that she doesn't understand but has seen before, and Baz is changing before her eyes. She hasn't seen a vampire here yet, and it's a little different to the Downworlders back home. His eyes go black and Isabelle watches his fangs become apparent, and she knows she has to stop this before they both regret it.

She doesn't aim for either of them, just lets her whip untangle from her wrist and crack against the floor. Just enough to know she means business.

"Stop it," she tells them, turning to each of them in turn. Magnus and Simon are missing. So these two are fighting. It makes literally no sense, and if their friends are in trouble then this is not going to get them anywhere. "Can you two stop trying to tear each other apart for five seconds so that we can fix this?"

[deflectere]

"He started it."

That was going to go down at the dumbest, absolute stupidest thing Alec had ever said in his life. He instantly wished he'd just kept his damn mouth shut.

He shook his head angrily and gave Isabelle a look before he glanced down at her whip. He knew she was perfectly in control but that didn't mean he wanted it anywhere near his limbs.

"I don't know what to do," Alec admitted, voice strained. He hated not knowing what to do. "Last time people disappeared, they ended up in another city and all you could do was wait. I don't wait well."

[sidestepdestiny]

"You shoved me," I hiss, but Isabelle's whip has snapped a bit of sense into me, so I suppose I won't disembowel Alec after all. My fangs retract, leaving me sullen and agitated, amped up to make someone pay for fucking with Simon.

"Another city?" I ask instead, eyes narrowed. I look from Alec to Isabelle and back. "What are you talking about? I thought we couldn't leave Darrow."

[seveninches]

It's unlike Alec to get this worked up and ridiculous about something, but it's Magnus, so maybe she gets it. She's just used to him being the responsible, level-headed one, and right now he's anything but. Isabelle hadn't been around when the other city had happened, but she's heard enough vague detail from Alec to know that it wasn't pleasant. She hopes that's not what's happening now.

"We can't," Isabelle says quickly. Better not to get anyone's hopes up. "It sounded like another dimension. I wasn't here but it... didn't sound pleasant." She casts a quick glance at Alec before intentionally hurrying the conversation past. She doesn't want Alec to have to relive it all over again.

"Has anyone looked around the apartment? Any clues?"

There is, of course, the other possibility. Sometimes people vanish from Darrow, go home, and nobody ever sees them again. In a way it must be a relief for some people to go back to the lives they've been torn from, or so Isabelle assumes, but for the people left behind, it must hurt. It seems coincidental that Magnus and Simon would both disappear at the same time though, and she doesn't want to have to be the one to voice that thought.

[deflectere]

"I've looked," Alec said, tone flinty. There was nothing here out of place, nothing here that he'd overlooked. He hadn't gone as far as pounding holes into walls looking for secret rooms but he was fairly confident there was nothing here that was out of place.

"I don't know what happened to Simon," Alec said because he and Baz hadn't gotten that far in their conversation, "but Magnus wouldn't just not show up when we'd made plans. He's not forgetful and he's not --"

Alec shook his head. "There's nothing, Izzy. Nothing. If they'd been attacked, something would have lingered."

[sidestepdestiny]

I don't know what she means by another dimension, but Alec doesn't seem convinced that that's it, so I leave it for now.

"Simon texted me saying he was on his way home and did I want Chinese? I texted back yes, and got home myself about an hour later. He wasn't there, and when I questioned the staff of the Chinese place we frequent, even with threats of disembowelment, they swore they hadn't seen him," I start explaining, not wanting them to think I've flipped my lid over nothing at all. "As I was re-tracing the steps he would have taken, I found his phone." I take it from my pocket, holding it out. "Simon never would have just left his phone lying in the grass. He's never had one before, he covets the damn thing."

"No one I've questioned has seen him," I add, not going into specifics with the warehouse or Katherine.

[seveninches]

They're both adding up to the same kind of story, and it makes Isabelle's stomach twist into knots. Still, Alec and Baz are only just this side of calm, and it's up to Isabelle to both keep the peace and try and keep their heads level. So, she listens patiently while each of them explains what's happened. They're both right; she can't imagine Magnus flaking on a date with Alec, and she can't imagine Simon abandoning food, so something is up.

"We might have to entertain the possibility," she says slowly, evenly, careful not to say anything too quickly lest they turn their anger on her next. "That maybe they've been sent home." It happens in Darrow, often, from what Isabelle has seen. People up and vanish, sometimes with their belongings, sometimes without a trace and everything left behind. She wouldn't be a very good Shadowhunter if she ignored the most obvious answer, so she forces herself to say it, even while she knows they'll both hate it.

[deflectere]

Alec stiffened at her words, fingers curling into his palms hard enough to leave indentations. He kept pressing his blunt nails into the skin, using that as a anchor, a way not to completely lose his mind at her words.

"I don't want to entertain that possibility," Alec told her, tone low. There wasn't anger in his voice but that was only because he was carefully controlling it, locking it down tight to prevent his emotions from running over. "It's not true."

[sidestepdestiny]

"No," I say sharply. I glance at Alec, because he must feel exactly as I do. I regret losing my temper with him, but anger in others always makes my own rise, and I'm honestly beside myself with what could have happened to Simon. I thought dating the Chosen One would eliminate me having to worry about him getting hurt, but of course he isn't immortal.

"If he was gone, I'd be gone, too. And don't tell me anything is possible. We came together, if we leave, it's together," I tell her, faux calmly over his nerves. "Besides, why would his phone be left behind? His clothes came from Darrow, too. Wouldn't they be left there in a pile?"

[seveninches]

They have no idea how people going home works, not really. She's not convinced that Simon's phone staying behind makes any difference, nor the fact that he's taken something from Darrow with him. Still, it's clearly something that's upsetting both of them, and she doesn't want to push it.

"Okay, what's next then?" she looks between them. "Where do we start?"

They really have nothing to go on, that's the problem. She's heard whisperings though, strange things on the street that keep happening, bodies that are turning up. "Maybe we ask Reid." He's a mundane, but he's also law enforcement, and she knows he must be involved in the current investigation. If nothing else, he can put eyes on the street for them.

[deflectere]

The question of where to start was one that Alec didn't have the answer to and it was going to eat him alive. He knew what he wanted to do (kill things) but that wasn't going to solve anything unless he got incredibly lucky and the demon held all the knowledge as to what was going on.

Alec knew his luck was not that good.

"Might be worth a shot," Alec said but his voice sounded hollow. "If I have to, I'll just search this whole city. Every single building, every single alley."

It wasn't an exaggeration either. He was more than willing to tear this place apart.

[sidestepdestiny]

What's next?

It's a good question, and one I don't have the answer to, either. Telling other people is good, but no one is going to be as committed to finding Simon as I am. He doesn't mean as much to anyone else as he does to me.

"I'll help you," I say immediately to Alec. I look between the both of them. "We can all look. I have a keep sense of smell, and I know finding spells. They only work for a certain distance, but I can keep casting until I reach the end of my magic. Do you have any Shadowhunter finding runes, or something?"

[seveninches]

Nothing so concrete as what he might be expecting, but she does have something up her sleeve. Impatiently, Isabelle holds out her hand to Baz, digging her stele out of her pocket with her other hand.

"Give me Simon's phone." She doesn't know if the phone is personal enough, but it's all she has right now, so it will have to do. She can always ask Baz to go home and find some clothing or something if this doesn't work. "I can use a tracking rune - it's not perfect, but if I can get a proper connection, it will show me what Simon sees." She shrugs, starting to draw the rune on her hand and speaking through gritted teeth. "It'll be a start, at least."

She nods her head to Alec. "Get something of Magnus's." Alec is both better at drawing runes and has a closer connection with Magnus, so she expects him to want to draw the rune on himself, too.

[deflectere]

Tracking rune. He hadn't even thought of a tracking rune and shame washes through him. He'd been so caught up in his emotions, worry and anger and helplessness that he'd let himself forget what he could do. He should have done a tracking rune long ago and now they'd just wasted precious time.

He said nothing as he disappeared into the bedroom, coming back with one of Magnus' many rings. He yanked his stele out of his belt and started tracking the rune on his forearm, watching the elegant black lines sink into his skin.

"Do you want me to draw yours?" he asked Isabelle, clenching the ring in his hand tightly and hoping that this would work, that he'd see something.

[sidestepdestiny]

I hand Isabelle his phone without question, recognizing this as something my magic cannot do. Or, at least, I've never heard of a spell to do something like this, and there isn't time to create one.

His eyes narrow, and he winces, just a little, as he watches Isabelle burn a ruin into her hand. The scent is revolting, and he can't believe how little pain she shows. It must be excruciating. Alec does the same, and he shakes his head a little.

"Thank you," he says, because they may act unaffected, but she just burned her own skin to help Simon. "He always has his phone, but if it doesn't work I can go get one of his shirts."

[seveninches]

She shakes her head at Alec, already halfway through the rune. Alec might draw better than she does, but she's not bad at it by any means, and time is the important factor, here. She takes Simon's phone and shrugs off the thank you. This is what they do, and in all honesty she's almost glad that they're finally being given some kind of purpose. The reason for it is awful and she'll never admit it aloud, but at least she can be a Shadowhunter again for once.

"Just be quiet a moment," she tells him, her tone gentler than it might have been if it were anyone else. She grips the phone in her Marked hand and closes her eyes. For a moment there's nothing, just the darkness of the backs of her eyelids, and then she sees a flicker.

It's out of focus and almost like Simon isn't thinking straight, like he's drugged or fuzzy himself, but she can make out the walls of a cell, of bars. She grips the phone a little tighter and frowns but there's nothing else, nothing solid that can lead them to him. Frustrated, she opens her eyes and hands back the phone. It's both worse than she wanted to see and not enough to help them find him.

"He's in a cell," she says bluntly, because there's no other way of putting it.

[deflectere]

Rune drawn, Alec had waited until Isabelle had tried with Simon's phone to see if this would actually work. When she seemed to get something from the phone, Alec glanced down at the ring and tried not to feel sick.

He didn't know if he wanted to see Magnus in a cell. He didn't know if he could take it. He didn't want to not see though so he closed his hand over the ring and concentrated. It was hard, dark and fuzzy. He could -- he could see Magnus there, flat on his back and he's alive. He's alive.

That's all Alec can think about despite how bad he looks, how small and weak and vulnerable he seems.

Alec pulled out and away, looking momentarily stricken before he pushed that all down and covered it up. "That's all I saw too."

He stalked away suddenly, disappearing back into the bedroom to put Magnus' ring in its proper spot and to give himself a moment to breathe.

[sidestepdestiny]

I take the phone, but I barely register the weight of it in my hand. "A cell?" I echo, the words tinged with disbelief. "Like he's been arrested?"

I turn when Alec announces the same, and that sinking, horrible feeling grows stronger.

"Who could possibly hold Simon and Magnus? They're too powerful," I add, looking to Isabelle as Alec leaves the room. I just can't imagine Simon trapped in a cell. He must be bound there by magic, though I've never thought there was magic stronger than his. Something that could prevent him going off.

[seveninches]

"I don't know," she says, because she doesn't, and Isabelle doesn't sugar coat. Her mind wanders unbidden to the Mortal Sword, hidden away where only Luke and Alec know where to find it. If someone is locking up people with magic... She shivers, hoping the sword stays hidden.

"We need to know more. I'm going to call Reid, see if he's heard of any arrests." She doesn't expect it to be the mundane police, far from it, but they have to start somewhere. Her eyes flick to the bedroom Alec disappeared into for a moment as she digs out her phone and dials the number, but she trusts that her brother will get it together. This is what they do.

[deflectere]

Alec didn't stay hidden away in the bedroom for too long. He couldn't afford to just ignore everything that was going on. Instead, he took a few breaths, pushed everything down and walked back out into the living room.

He took a look at Isabelle and then asked Baz, "Who's she calling?"

[sidestepdestiny]

There's no possible way it's a Normal, or even a group of Normals who have Simon. It has to be someone, or someones, incredibly powerful. Sure, you could catch Simon and Magnus unaware, but Simon doesn't even need a wand for his magic. And fuck, Magnus can transport me places with a snap of his fingers.

I look to Alec at his sudden reappearance, bewildered, and shake my head. "Spencer. To find out if the police know anything," I add. "This must be powerful magic."