Chapter Text
Chapter 1- Later
It wasn’t until everyone had retired to their own rooms, deep in their own thoughts and sorrows that Alec noticed Simon sitting alone in the conference room, slowly sipping a mug of blood that Izzy had taken from the Institute’s medical station for him.
Simon didn’t seem to notice Alec watching him. He was too deep in his own thoughts to pay attention to anything else.
“You okay?” Alec asked, slowly stepping into the room. He knew the question was ridiculous. Of course Simon wasn’t okay. He had just betrayed his clan leader. He lost his home, his new family…and for what? Did Simon even realize the consequences of his actions? The sacrifice Simon made was not lost of Alec, and the taller brunette found a deeper level of respect for the former mundane. The kid never wanted this life…or unlife. He was living in an oblivious mundane world, going to school, and being an obnoxious college student; like he should be. But all that went to hell when Clary dragged him into this world. Now Simon was a Downworlder…a vampire. A new life that Simon struggled to embrace and continued to cling to his best friend…a Shadowhunter.
Simon glances up at Alec, a small smile on his face, “Yeah, sure…I’m fine…” he clears his throat, “Of course.”
Taking another step into the room, Alec casually picks up some papers before putting them back down, pretending to needing to be there for anything other than the vampire sitting there. Keeping his back to Simon, Alex comments casually, “That was…pretty brave, you know, what you did earlier….helping us get the Book of White.”
Alec hopes Simon appreciates the compliment. The Shadowhunter rarely gave them unless they were incredibly well deserved.
Simon mutters a ‘thanks’ inside his mug before setting it down. “Um,” he begins, “Are you okay? I mean, with…Jace being gone…”
Alec turns around to face him and smiles softly, “He’ll be back.” And Alec knows he has to believe that in order to stay sane. Of course Jace will be back. He isn’t like Valentine at all. Jace had a plan…he always had a plan. Alec just needed to wait.
Simon nods his head, returning to his drink, and Alec wonders if he is drinking it so slow because he wants to spread the time out farther until the sun comes up.
Sighing, Alec sits down across from him, “Since we’re both up, we might as well talk.”
Simon laughs, and the sound surprises Alec for a moment. The kid was a walking contradiction: one moment he was morose, and the next he was smiling. Alec wondered if there was ever an in-between emotion with the vampire.
“Sure, I guess…I mean, if you want.”
Alec shrugs, “Why not.” And really, why not? The kid wasn’t that bad to be around…when he wasn’t talking a mile a minute and causing Alec’s head to spin. “So, Clary said that Jocelyn was like a second mother to you?”
Simon nods, smiling wistfully, “She was…especially after my dad died. Jocelyn really helped out. My mom took it really hard, and wasn’t really there much for me and Becca…Jocelyn was awesome.”
Alec nods, leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms up high towards the ceiling. The stretch felt good against his back. “Was he sick?” Alec asks, trying to remember if Clary had ever said anything about her mundane life with Simon. He really never listened much to what she had to say as most of it were things against the Clave and made him want to scream.
Shaking his head, Simon takes another sip of his drink before answering. “Robbery. My dad did a lot of tzedakah with the temple…um, charity work,” he clarifies when Alec gives him a funny look. The Shadowhunter nods and Simon continues, “Anyways, he often collected food or books or clothing, and would donate it to others.”
“That was really nice of him,” Alec comments, thinking about the mundane world and how most mundanes were too selfish to think of others. He appreciated knowing that there were still a few good people in the world who chose to put others ahead of themselves.
Simon nods his head again, then shrugs, “But then one evening he was robbed and killed. They took everything.” He looks down at his hands, then shrugs again. “My mom had a really hard time with it.”
“How old were you?"
“Eight…Clary had just moved next door two weeks earlier… I was glad to have a friend like her. And Jocelyn really helped out a lot. She was amazing.”
Simon is quiet for a moment, deep in thought, before adding softly, “I was there…when he was murdered.” He avoids looking at Alec, instead tracing his fingertip against the mug on the table. “I don’t remember much. Just that there were two people…and my Dad pushed me out of the way…we were in a parking lot, and I hit the back of my head on one of the cars…they think I had passed out. One moment I was walking with my Dad, helping him push a cart full of stuff to the van, and the next I was lying on the ground between two cars.”
Alec is quiet for a moment, absorbing what Simon said. It seemed…off. He couldn’t put his finger on it. “So, he died two weeks after you met Jocelyn and Clary?”
Simon nodded again, his back tense and Alec can tell that this isn’t a conversation he is comfortable having.
“That must have been tough..losing your dad,” Alec thinks about his own father. Regardless of how angry he still is over Robert’s deceit with his relationship in the Circle, he can’t fathom him being murdered.
Simon forces a smile, “My dad could make anyone laugh…and no matter how busy he was, and believe me, he was always busy, he would always stop and make time for my sister and me. When Jocelyn moved in next door with Clary, we would be over there every day. My dad wanted to help them unpack and would run errands with Jocelyn sometimes…they were like best friends…like Clary and I.”
Alec is about to comment, when Simon continues, “They even had us do these meditation drills…” he chuckles at the memory, and Alec stares at him with confusion. Simon elaborates, “It wasn’t like sitting there with our eyes closed going ‘Ummmm,’ but more like visualizing stuff, and moving as one…it was weird, but my dad used to joke that Clary and I were like spinning tops and doing this helped calm us down. I mean, you should’ve seen me as a kid, I was constantly moving.”
Alec wants to comment that Simon still constantly moves, but decides to just listen instead.
“Sometimes Dot would sit there with us while Jocelyn and my Dad had coffee in the other room. I didn’t know Dot was a warlock…was she really a warlock? That’s so weird. I think maybe she would do stuff to keep us still. Sometimes I would feel things on my palms or on the back of my neck…but my eyes had to stay closed. It was weird, but oddly calming.”
“Did your mom know?” Alec asks, “about the meditation?”
He nods, “I think she liked it because she was always scared I was going to hurt myself when I was running around the house. I think she liked the idea of me having some quiet time,” he laughs at the end of that. Shrugging, he continues, “After my dad died, my mom was a mess…Jocelyn had me over every day. Sometimes I even spent the night. It was like that after he died. She was like a second mom to me.” He smiles softly at the memory.
“And the meditations?” Alec asks, still trying to figure out if the strange feeling he had deep in his gut was warranted.
Simon laughs, “Well, we did a lot of that before school, but after school we did other stuff…more movement stuff. Jocelyn would tell my mom that it was to help us focus better. She was always into that new age stuff. I remember Clary and I would sometimes have to walk across planks with our eyes closed, trying to hand off stuff to one another. It was hilarious because we used to fall and bump into each other in the beginning, but then…it was like we knew where the other was and what the other was about to do. It was pretty cool.” He shrugs. “I mean, we were best friends…we did everything together.”
Alec nods his head. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was all coincidence. "You said Dot would be there sometimes?"
Simon nods, "Sometimes."
Alec needs to ask, "And Dot was the one who gave the Book of White to Camille?"
The vampire nods again. "It's weird...how small the world is. I mean, with Dot actually knowing Camille. It's kinda creepy. Dot was nice, and Camille...well, she's not." he gives a nervous laugh, "and now she's out running around the city...while Dot is dead. Someone must have a bad sense of humor."
Alec leans forward, "I doubt Camille is anywhere near the city..not if she knows what's good for her."
Simon gives a nervous laugh, "She said she would see me soon...seriously, Alec, she freaks me out. I mean, what does she want with me?"
Alec sighs. He didn't really understand vampires. "I don't know. But we'll keep an eye out for her."
Simon doesn't say anything, and Alec can tell that the vampire is tired. "Simon," he asks, standing up, "Did Izzy show you the guest room?" He walks around the table, and Simon takes the cue to stand up as well.
"Yeah, it is kinda late...I'm sorry I kept you up," Simon says with an embarrased smile.
Alec smiles back, "You didn't. Come on, let's go." He gives Simon a friendly pat on the back and walks him down the hallway towards the bedrooms.
"Um, thanks..Um, for letting me stay the night..." Simon starts awkwardly.
Alec nods his head, "Sure." Opening the door to the guest room, he smiles, "I'll see you tomorrow."
Simon nods his head, watching as Alec closes the door in front of him. Sighing, the vampire turns back into the room, glancing at the large bed in front of him. He suddenly missed the close comfort of his coffin, which was weird because he used to miss sleeping in a bed.
Meanwhile, Alec hurries back to the conference room and turns on the computer screen. He hopes he is wrong. He hopes it was all just a crazy coincidence.
Soon however, Alec realizes that his hunch was right. Not only that, but it looked as though there was even more going on than he thought.
Printing off copies, Alec quickly shuts down the computer. He had to get a second opinion. This was huge, and if he was wrong, this information would be deleted. But if it was right, then Camille turning Simon was not out of impulse or greed, and hell was about to break loose: literally.
Chapter 2 coming soon