Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“Faith, my son. Faith that is your own, is quite rare these days,” Alec’s mother had told him when he was small. He remembers looking up at her, big curious, hazel eyes blinking up at his hero while she smiled down at him. Her lips had curved in a way that had been nothing but calming amidst his confusion, long raven tresses pinned up in a sophisticated bun that never seemed to come all the way down. Whether it be a striking ponytail, or a half-up half-down pin, his mother’s hair was always carefully assessed. Much like everything else she did.

That’s where he went now, inside of his mind – which was normally calm – was now flooded with the rushing endorphins of this battle. To his mother who was waiting back at the Cathedral, assuredly expecting her children to return with good news and the heads of the undead on wooden pikes handcrafted with their victory over them.

Instead, it was a challenge. This battle breaking open.

Alec jumped to the side, his chest heaving heavily, shaking as he tried to pull a struggling breath inside of him and desperately fill his burning lungs. His back hit something solid, the arms holding down on his silver sword swinging wide and striking the demon closest to him, were throbbing. Slicing its skin open with their Society Blade. His elbow hurt with the force of the thrust, his body cranking into overdrive on the need to survive.

“-Right? Alec!”

He heard someone shout behind him, the voice so distorted when trapped between all the noise of battle, steel hitting steel and screams of pain and bloodcurdling agony echoing off of the brick in an almost unnatural way. Though distorted, it was also familiar, and maybe that was because of the distance between him and the detached voice: or the lack thereof. He craned his head hastily, his neck muscles clenching in protest at the sudden action. He’d bumped into Jace, not a wall like he’d assumed. They were back to back, leather to leather.

“What?” Alec called back, hazel full of questions, his body taut and guarded as he whipped his head back around, sensing the approach of another devil spawn. His brother seemed to be distracted once again as well, seeing as he didn’t respond right away.

The vampire bared its hideous, beastly fangs at him, its face brown and deformed. There were so many bones sticking from its skin, twisting like horns under its skin. Alec’s face was a grimace, disturbed and disgusted beyond belief. That thing must have gone through a car compactor or wood chipper- how else would its body stretch in such a way? Completely void of all humanity was its eyes, deep black and hypnotizing almost in the way that it horrified him. Left him frozen for just a bated breath of a moment before he moved with his quick reflexes. Alec’s leg lifted, his pants stretching with the motion, and planted his foot on the vampire’s chest. He used all his force to kick it back, using the moment’s respite of it falling backwards onto the ground to thrust his blade, his whole body tilted downwards to slash the creatures head clean off in one fell swoop. His entire arms were beginning to strain; never had they had to be responsible for killing so many at once. It wasn’t supposed to go down like this, this wasn’t the plan.

“Alec,” his mother had begun, striding confidently through the halls of the Cathedral, her heels clacking nosily against the grey limestone floor tiles. The two of them passed many people while walking down the aisles, roman pillars standing tall and wide all the way up to the grandeur arch of the ceiling; a kaleidoscope of colors bleeding through the arches from the stained glass windows that depicted the stories of their Society’s ancestors. “You know I love Jace and Isabelle, but this is not the time to be advocating for their accountability.”

He sighed almost microscopically, bringing his hands securely behind his back as they continued on, one hand wrapped around his opposite wrist in a comfortable hold. “I know, and I know what you expect of me tonight.”

“Good.” She’d sounded content with this response, not exactly pleased, but he didn’t really remember the last time she sounded pleased with anything.

They broke away from the constructed aisles, a few other hunters had been sitting at the pews, and the extended bright white of the wood under a body with their hands clasped in faith was pure. A holy and admirable image. Limestone quickly shifted to plush, red carpet under the soles of their shoes with their purposeful strides through the only place everyone under this clerestory could call home. The carpet directed them down a flight of heavy, cement steps. The hallway was dark, only several flickering wall lanterns lit the way to the crypt. Alec remembered the same thing every time he walked down this hallway, Max’s voice ringing in his ears, saying that the stone walls felt cold. He always shook it away, the memory of his little brother bone-chilling…

“This Cathedral, the Society, they will be yours one day. I know I don’t have to keep telling you, but I know that you can accomplish great things here, Alec. I know that your father would be proud to take over, to stand where I do right now, and where he stood before me.” Her words had been slightly encouraging.

“Thanks mom,” he answered sincerely. It was always words like that, ones that guaranteed the happiness of his father’s memory, that he liked to hear the most. He just wanted to make them both proud.

The hallway was narrowing, the shadows of light flickering off of their skin and against the terracotta color of the stone. Once they reached the entrance to the crypt, the hallway ending, nothing in front of them now but a seemingly dead end. Alec slid the secret entrance open, the wall sliding to the left with the force he put into prying the slot aside, the stone making a scraping sound against the floor.

“But it will still take hard work and tireless effort, so I want your leadership skills to blossom tonight. I want you to take charge this pursuit,” She told him, walking past the now open entrance, that stone appearance disappeared altogether once on the other side of the hall. The crypt was well lit, heavy gothic chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, each bulb a sharp point like the blades of their swords.

The walls were not only lined with a plethora of weapons, but Christian paraphernalia. Holy items such as crosses and expansive murals of the victories of the Society. Dead vampires, sunlight pouring down on them while tied in rope and incapacitated with the wooden stake plunged into them and keeping them immobile. There were long, wooden tables made of strong and sturdy oak. Groups of hunters stood around nearly all of the dozen of them in this wide underground sanctuary; studying weapons, maps, and lists of one kind or another.

Alec had seen Jace sat on top of one in the near back of the room, his body leaned forwards, his elbows on his legs as he stared ahead at his approaching brother and mother. Isabelle was sat beside him, one leg down on the bench below the table, and the other curled up on the oak, outstretched behind Jace’s body, her head against his shoulder. Maryse looked over at Alec, dark brown eyes swirling with something powerful like she was urging him to speak. So speak he did.

“Scouts!” Alec called, his tone was strong and loud. It bounced off of the furniture and came for everyone’s ears like a personal vendetta. “Tell me, is the location secure for us to attack the vampires?” He asked, walking up to his siblings table with his mother no longer by his side, but standing far behind him, her arms crossed across her chest like she was here to do nothing more than observe.

Jace and Isabelle straightened their backs; while rowdy and not particularly as focused as many of the other hunters inside of the Society was, they were respectful of who was in charge of any and all operations. The blonde had stood shortly after Alec spoke, his body moving into parade rest as he addressed his brother. “Yes, many of our men have just gotten back from clearing out a path in the sewers below the alleyway we are going to come through. They made sure all of the rooftops were empty, we don’t want to blocked in when the passage is narrow.”

“We’ll keep some men behind when the rest of us head inside to flush the vampires out, to make sure none of them slip away to catch us off guard during our exit back into the sewers,” Alec announced to them, his siblings and the other hunters surrounding the table now. “Volunteers?” He asked, his jaw setting as he swept his eyes across the group.

Isabelle seemed to perk up at that, the opportunity to make her elder brother happy with a show of dedication, but there was a cough behind them, this thick clearing of the throat. Alec’s brow quirked, and he spun around for a moment to look back at his mother.

“Isabelle, could you come back upstairs with me for a moment? I have some things here that need to be taken care of… would you?” The way she asked, tone shifting upwards, it was like she hadn’t really been asking, but in fact telling.

When he heard that, he turned back to the group, a pang of pity banging through him when he’d seen his sisters face crumble, and then harden again like she was severely disappointed, but too old to show it now. She nodded, hair gravity defying and lively with the action. “Of course,” the girl answered responsibly, as she walked away from everyone else and followed their mother back out of the crypt.

Alec sighed, brows tugged together as he thought of that display. Isabelle had been on plenty of pursuits before this, maybe not one so fleshed out as this, so large and full-scale, but neither had he nor Jace. She was just as capable was she not? “So, volunteers?” He asked again, awaiting a different hand or voice to raise.

“Sir.” A man, Raj, had called in the back, his head raising as a silent confirmation of volunteering. Three more hunters followed suit and Alec nodded in acceptance of this.

“You four will stay behind the rest of us as we make our way through the sewers then, and while we break away for the fight you will stay behind. Two of you down in the sewers still, make sure we aren’t followed, and two above the grate.” Alec had thought about this pursuit every night before bed for the past two weeks. Every scouting mission had put him further and further into the investment, and all he had seen right then was perfect clarity. He had known how he wanted it to go.

“Raj and Lydia should still be at the sewers right?” Jace called again, his body rocking back into Alec’s from what had to be the aftershock of a powerful attack; whether it was from or at him, Alec was unsure from his position. “We just have to break away! Clear our way and cut our losses!” There was a shake in his voice, like he was screaming while panting- which was likely entirely the case, Alec was sure.

Run? Would dad want me to run? What would dad do? Would he stay? Would he kill the beasts before anything else?

His thoughts raced, his eyes dragging over every detail of the corroded, crumbling walls of the abandoned brewery. Its walls lined with tattered fabric covering every busted window and keeping every inch of light out. Both street and sun. He caught blurry, wide-eyed glimpses of a set of likely treacherous stairs leading up to some old offices. Alec’s mind was full of jumbled thoughts, all of them trying to prove themselves of being useful in this time sensitive moment, but he thought he could find a window to escape back out into the alleyway from up there. Maybe. Hopefully.

We’re worse off than I thought if I’m relying on hope.

“If they’re not dead,” Alec finally answered him.

“Not dead, come on!” Jace shouted, Alec’s body going rigid when he felt his hand grip his forearm tight and tug him in his direction.

The elder brother stumbled for a second, tripping over his feet with the sudden change of scenery, spun all the way around, but caught himself almost immediately. His body was filled to the brim with bubbling adrenaline, it burned everything else inside of him away. There was no fear really, only sheer power of will to survive. They sprinted off towards the steps to the office, Alec doing his fair share of yanking his brother along by leading him in that direction: that was the difference between them. Jace ran and ran fast, but he didn’t always know where to go, because he didn’t stop to plan it out all of the way. The amount of times he’s made it out of somewhere alive and breathing that was based on luck, and luck alone, was too many times for anyone else to feel comfortable with. But no, not Jace.

Their combat boots hit the cement at an incredible pace, Alec’s ears filling with pumping blood, his heartbeat prominent like it was trying to drown out the sound of his Society crying, his hunters, his family. He was in charge now, would have so much more free reign commanding the scouts, and this was how his first run would go? Likely many deaths on his hands when his mother was expecting nothing less than perfection? He wonders what would be scarier, the wrath or the disappointment of Maryse Lightwood? Which stare would burn a bigger hole in Alec’s head?

They knock into so many people it doesn’t register at first, he doesn’t pay enough attention to who was attacking who, but a body flies in front of him, knocks into Jace and Alec has no choice but to act quickly. “Get off him,” he demanded with a shout, swinging his blade threateningly at the beast, attempting to quickly calculate where exactly to slice the creature in order to cut through it, but not go through and cut Jace open accidentally.

But when the beast reared it fangs, a thick, intimidating hiss coming from it’s throat, it wasn’t to Alec. It turned back towards the being who flung it in the first place; another vampire. One just as hideous, one as monstrously deformed as the first. It launched itself at the offending vampire, off of Jace and across the brewery compared to where they stood.

“They’re attacking each other?” Alec asked, a crease splitting his forehead in half as he reached down to pick Jace up off of the dusty ground, his brother’s black leather jacket now covered in a thick layer of grey mites.

The younger grunted, looking just as confused once he was on his feet again. “Who knows, stole his blood bag?” He guesses, but his tone was entirely joking, even under the layer of wear and tear.

They start off again, Alec seeing no need to respond when he didn’t know either. When they make it to the stairs they take two at a time, the metal bending and creaking underneath each footstep like they were going to fall out from underneath them, and it was a miracle they didn’t. The door leading into the offices was right at the top of the steps, the frame looking industrial. Jace pushes Alec aside lightly into the metal rail by the stairs, and before he even attempted to open it with his hand he took a boot to the handle and kicked it off with pure force. It clattered to the floor so the two of them could shove the useless door open without any effort now.

“Filthy Tremere! So effective, yet so stupid!” A female vampire shouted, her body lanky, looming over all of them in the room at what must have been more than Alec’s six feet, three inches. Not many people towered over him, but a lot of these creatures did. Her bones seemed to be visible under her alabaster skin- this vampire seemed to be what the humans thought them to look like. Pale and sickly, its voice nothing like what the other ones sound like. Not gravelly, not this rumble of power, but melodically. A sinister thing.

It was spitting its insult at another devil spawn, this one male. The kind that they’ve seen many times before, unlike those twisted brown and green ones down there on the first floor of the supposed-to-be abandoned brewery. It was able to look human. Its hair was pitch black, save for this burst of red at the tips, like a flame slicing through its hair. It was decked out in clothes too fancy for a battle and for this day and age. A thick purple vest over a long sleeved button down, all of it covered in an overcoat. It was wearing jewelry too, rings upon rings, and bracelets up and down his wrists. It was strange, they didn’t need to look that human, why was it dressed like that? Why was it trying so hard?

“Jealousy is such an unflattering look,” the decorative creature responded, arrogance coating it’s voice like a film, its hands out in front of it like prepared to catch a ball thrown its way or something of the like.

Like the flip of a switch, the vampires shifted, pivoting both away from one another and towards Jace and Alec, but still able to see the other creature across the room- as if they didn’t know how to guard themselves. Before anyone could say anything Jace reacted, lifting his blade and throwing himself at the male, a battle-cry leaving his lips.

“You idiotic hunters,” the female sneered, lunging for Alec, its body gliding as if the shadows seemed to be carrying it along. Disappearing in and out of them, Alec never quite able to look it head-on. “So weak,” it cackled, its voice never here nor there. Alec was still slashing at nothing, his body turning around in circles over and over, it was toying with him.

“Show yourself!” He demanded, stabbing at a particularly thick looking shadow, but his body locked, the creature coiling around him lick a snake, Alec grunting as his right arm was sieged. “You’re a coward,” he taunted, groaning in pain as it begun prying his fingers from the blade.

“Not a coward- a winner, kine,” it spat.

The vampire got a hold of his blade, and went to work right away, slashing at Alec’s arm with his own weapon like it was kicking him while he was down. He knew the vampire could do as it pleased with its… ‘powers’, but it used his own weapon. Sick thing.

His skin sliced open easily, the muscle tearing violently and leaving a horrible burning behind. “Fuck!” He screamed, clutching his wound, a thick, hot trail of blood sliding past his fingers and down his entire arm. It seeped through his clothes, his eyes narrowed in pain as he looked at the tear in his leather jacket. The vampire gripped him tight, an arm around Alec’s neck as it spun them around and made him face his brother and the male vampire. “Jace,” Alec called, worried when he saw the vampire pinning him against the wall without any use of his hands, his brother crying out in pain like his very insides were being torn apart. “Jace!”

“Two birds…” The vampire with the tight hold on Alec murmured lowly in his ear, her long, sharp nails digging into the skin on his neck, making him hiss in pain.

The female threw Alec’s sword like a throwing knife, a small weightless dagger, into the other vampires back, just above its tailbone. The blade sank into its body with a sickening crunch, and the vampire cried out in pain, its knees almost buckling but it remained upwards until the female then tossed Alec like he was nothing; his body flying into the recently injured vampire as if he were a ragdoll.

Alec’s mind went blank, body numb as he heard the sound of glass shattering, his eyes screwed shut in fear like he was waiting for the entire building to collapse down on top of him. He wheezed, his body ceasing all breathing, the wind knocked out of him completely and he was unable to gather another lungful. His eyes shot open only to see nothing but the night sky staring down on him, the lights from the city making him unable to see the stars, but he didn’t need to, they were in his head. His eyes blinking blearily up at nothing, and the edge of his vision was bright white, the pain wanting to blind him. His breaths were gasping, and after a few seconds (that felt like eons) he realized he wasn’t lying on the ground.

“Get off of me,” a voice grumbled, two hands gripping his shoulders and shoving him aside.

Alec made another struggling gasp as he was shoved onto the pavement. He rolled over onto his side, his stomach lurching like it was welcoming this position because it wanted him to puke his damn brains out.

“You’re welcome for breaking your fall, hunter,” That same voice spoke up- as if this was exactly the best time to argue with Alec.

He scrambled up to his feet, his head spinning and his body as tight as a spring ready to uncoil. He knew then it was the other vampire, and he couldn’t just very well lay down and die. If that happened his mother would not only be angry and disappointed, but sad as well. “Why are you all fighting each other?” Alec’s voice boomed, this part of the alleyway seemingly empty. “Why did it do that, why did it throw us both?” He was yelling, a hand still covering the wound on his arm. Which reminds him…

He hurriedly ripped off the bottom cloth of his shirt, a thick piece of fabric, and tore his jacket off of him so he could tie the makeshift tourniquet above his wound to decrease the blood flow from being so heavy.

“She’s a stuck-up Sabbat bitch, that’s why,” the vampire responded dryly while reaching into its own stomach, picking out pieces of Alec’s seemingly crushed blade. “I’ll kill you when I’m done digging steel out of my back.”

“You can try,” Alec shot back, his back straightening like he was prepared for the thing to charge him.

“You deserve it. I got stabbed with your sword, and fell out of the window because you hit me, and you landed on me after a two story drop. I think it’s only fair.” Its voice was dry, as if it would sound lively had it not been injured.

Alec wearily glanced around this dead-end of an alley, trying to find any possible escape route that would allow him to move quicker than this undead, but he saw nothing. Nothing that he was capable of while in this physical state. “…It threw me at you. I didn’t hit you.”

“You hit me,” it insisted, meeting Alec’s eyes fiercely. “Now my hair is definitely ruined and probably has dirt in it,” it made this sound like such an act was unforgiveable, and not the situation where Alec’s sword went through his back.

“-If you’re going to try to kill me, just do it.”

“…Sword. In my back. Keep up, kine.” It hissed at a particularly large piece of steel being pulled from its back. The vampire threw it to the ground, tossing it near Alec’s feet like it was his garbage he needed to pick up.

“Don’t call me that, devil.” Alec was hostile, not comfortable being so close to this creature.

“Oh? But “devil” is acceptable? I have a name.”

“So do I, but you don’t need to know it.”

“Well next time, call me Magnus, Magnificent, Gorgeous, or nothing at all.”

“I pick nothing.” Alec faced away from the vampire now, deeming it more annoying than harmful. The hunter swept his eyes over the entire building, irritated that the only windows on this side were the ones on the second story.

Was luck on Jace’s side again this time or was it finally sick of saving his ass?

His heart raced in agony at just the thought of him lying there lifeless… maybe the vampire sucked all his blood out. Jace deserved to die with glory, with respect. With his family. Not lying on the floor of a filthy, abandoned building.

“Can you fight?” The vampire asked, getting Alec’s attention again.

He turned abruptly, stepping back away from the sound of a voice. He said nothing for a second… and then he decided to just say nothing at all.

The vampire... Magnus, sighed.

Alec couldn’t help but wonder, why do they keep those names? They’re no longer alive, they don’t have a soul or a heart. Why would they possibly care about a name? It didn’t make any sense to him. He was taught that they turned beastly after death, cared about nothing but their thirst for human blood, this one must not be all that powerful or old if so foolish to think it still has the right to a name.

“I want out of here, you want out of here, we could make it through if we work together. The Sabbat won this whole area, the whole outside of the building, none of your people are out here, and neither are mine. They cut us off from any exits besides fighting straight through, or back into the building. You’re injured. You may be kine, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you’re not a complete moron… even though the pretty ones usually are.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” He asks, tone guarded, offended that the thing was commenting on his looks of all things. But more importantly, his intelligence. Though, to be fair, he didn’t exactly understand what he meant by that word, Sabbat, and how they weren’t his people when they were clearly vampires. Though now wasn’t exactly the time to interrogate a vampire.

“Make your choice, pretty boy. Come with me or go alone. This is no alliance, this is just momentary survival.”

Alec stared and stared at… Magnus. He could see how the ordinary humans fell for it. The façade of humanity that these creatures possessed. A mask to shield them from the eyes of the living, made them see what they wanted them to see. A bloodsucking creature calling him pretty was unsettling, this chill crawling up his back, but he had no choice. He had nothing but his hand to hand expertise, and one of his hands was sort of out of commission. To save any of his people still left alive, he needed to go get backup, he couldn’t do it on his own. And to do that, he needed to survive long enough to get out of here.

“Fine.”