Ancient Warlock

@itsybitsyspiderboy

His wife always accused him of adopting kids way too fast. Well, he couldn’t disagree. Not with this kid, actually. He saw right through him. He had a mother figure, one he was scared to hold. He had someone to look up to, but he was distant. The warlock pushed himself off the wall from where he quietly watched the kid, who seemed to get along just find with one of Jakes adoptive kids.

“Fair warning: I ain’t that interesting.”

He intrigued her though. Had he heard of her family? Or had he heard of the racing crew she used to be a part of before they all split up and went their seperate ways? She resolved to ask him about that after she got him a cup of tea.

Rohini made a cup of tea for him and one for herself too and after she got back from the kitchen, she placed his cup down on the table and sat down on the couch, using her own to warm her hands as she so often did.

“You want to get to know me, huh? There’s a joke to be made here but I’ll spare you. I figured that this was not a social call and that you were here on business. Are your wife and kids doing okay?” Worry tinged her voice. “—I think I know where this is going, Jake. Have you gotten into contact with Magnus?”  

Many had heard of him and his tendencies to avoid involvement most of the time. He avoided his own kind most of the time - except for his family, naturally. He wanted the mundane life, mostly. A happy little - well large - family, a place to live, a wife to love and perhaps the odd pet to spoil. In all truth dogs were perhaps the most amazing thing in the world.

“My family is doing okay. The toddler is stirring things up a bit, but that’s natural. So much energy in those young ones, I have no idea where they store it.” But it was there and he had learned how to handle it. Easiest was sometimes to just pluck them up and hold them. Most kids - or at least most of theirs - melted into a loving touch and ended up being very content that way.

Her shattered heart, which she had begun to piece together as the months and years passed, finally felt like it was whole again, only the cracks remaining. In one fell swoop, she thought she had lost her husband and two of their wards, her children gone. She can’t bring herself to ask about Mara. It felt like too much to hope, that the other vampire was still alive. She had gone to Mara’s after they didn’t return, saw the ashes and the ruins.

“I thought I would never see you again.“ It had been worse than the first time. She’d thought, perhaps, that after a year or so, he would return to her. But, that year had passed along with many others. “It’s okay, Jake, love you’re here. Oh goodness, I love you.” Her heart pounded against her chest, beating with more energy, more life, than it had since he’d left. If it weren’t for the children, their beautiful bundle of adopted downworlders, she might have faded away without him. 

Instantly, Eli wrapped both hands around his offered once, lifting his fingers to her lips where she pressed soft kisses to each digit. She was aware of Alfred standing up on shaky legs, ready to leave his parents to reunite alone, and she turned to look at him. “I don’t want either of you out of my sight, you stay here.”

‘It’s fine,” he said, quietly, “I’ll only be out there with Magnus.” He didn’t hesitate, using what was left of his energy to race out of the door before either could argue. 

The caress of his magic set hers into a frenzy, practically vibrating with joy and relief, she had missed the presence of his magic. She freed the hand that was curled around Alf’s shoulder, magic sparking off her hands, healing spell that came so easily to help with any physical pain. The emotional toil, she could only offer her company. 

“You came back to me.” She whispered, leaning over him till she could press a kiss to his forehead. 

For a brief moment there was absolute panic in the moment his son got up to leave the room. Whenever one was dragged out of the cell, they were subjected to experiments and torture - at least in his case, he still hoped Alf was spared that one. And yet he knew there was torture involved. They haven’t given his son sustenance most of the time meaning Jake served as his sons meal while they gave Jake this horrible potion that seemed to effect him in ways he couldn’t name yet. 

Jake looked up at his beloved wife. She was here. And Alfred was safe. He was just going out with Magnus. Magnus would keep him safe. He could trust his younger brother and so he could turn into his wifes touch.

He hated himself. But he knew he’d have hated himself for leaving Jake alone even more. His father’s hands, bound though they may be, on his cheeks calmed Alf, and he managed a small smile in return. 

He knew, realistically that Jake was right about Eli, Jake would be the same too. They had opened their homes to a quite frankly almost feral fledgling vampire, and brought him into their family. He could not be more grateful to them. But, he’d seen how they were around each other, watched how much they cared, and he can’t shake the idea that if he had someone he loved that much, that he would blame the person that returned if they didn’t. “Do you really think she wouldn’t have looked at me and just seen the vampire who couldn’t move fast enough to get us both back.” He had enhanced speed, and still hadn’t been able to react in time. 

“I want Mom.” He whispered, the confession making him feel like the child he hadn’t been for decades. “We’re gonna get out of this,” he wasn’t sure he believed it, but he had to say it. If he said it enough, he’d begin to believe it.

“Of course I am sure.” He said with full conviction. He knew his wife, for centuries he knew her now. And she knew him. He knew there would not be a second of hesitation in which she did not know he asked his son to leave him there to get to safety, to inform her. Eli would just know. Mainly because she knew him. She had seen him lose control when they accused his wife of witchcraft. He had been hanged for it, while she lived due to her pregnancy. Well, she knew he could overreact if it was to protect loved ones.  

And then his kid revealed his true feelings. He wanted his mom. He wanted the mother figure he saw in Eli or his mother, he was probably not really picky. He just wanted a mother to hold him. He couldn’t give him his Mom right now. But his dad. So he just wrapped his arms around Alf and pulled him towards him so he could basically cuddle into him.

His hands shook, when they grabbed him, hanging uselessly by his side. He should be kicking and screaming. His brain screamed at him, shooting off messages to his frozen limbs, yelling out to fight. He quelled the urge. Jake still had a blade to his neck, and now so did he. A horrible stand off of threats. The blade inches from him, seemed to radiate cold, as cold as his ever icy skin. It was a cold heat that filled him with agonising dread. He’d died once, he remembered how much it had hurt. The second time, he wouldn’t be crawling out of his grave. 

He’d just be dead. 

Why didn’t they kill him? Jake, he understood, not many a warlock could claim to have lived so many years, and those years brought power. Alf supposed the Shadowhunters now saw him, the lowly vampire, as leverage and insurance to keep the Warlock in check. He stumbled rather than walked through the portal. Travelling via portal had long since made him uneasy, but there was a queasy feeling in his stomach, like the time he’d tried eating pizza again and found that mundie food and him no longer got along. 

The slam of the cell door, for his enhanced hearing was decibels off blowing his ear drums. They were really trapped. These weren’t the same Shadowhunters he had run into sparsely over the years, they understood, had stopped to listen and realised that Alf hadn’t broken the accords. 

He hated seeing his father so despondent. Jake was right, he should have run. But, it hadn’t seemed that simple. “I couldn’t, what if they’d killed you.” It could very well have been an empty threat, but he wasn’t about to risk that. He thought of his biological father, the man he’d only ever seen in grainy images, his sire who’d disappeared after turning him and to lose Jake too, would have killed Alf. 

“Look what they did to Mara’s home-” to Mara, remained unspoken, he wasn’t sure (was still praying to any deity that would listen) that Mara was actually gone. “Mom would have hated me for abandoning you. I couldn’t abandon you.” He would have hated himself too, for that matter.

He was surprised at his sons words. Yeah, he had expected that kind of loyalty. He had years of raising kids, knew them in so many ways. And he had known when Alfred had let them in and from that moment onward he had developed loyalty to his warlock parents, to him and Eli and every single one of his siblings. He had taken to Mara naturally as she was a vampire like him. She understood the unique position they held, she could teach him a thing or two about their condition that Jake never could. He knew he did not want him to die. He knew he didn’t want to lose him. But the fear he expressed about Eli... no, Jake could not let that stand.

Suffering

"Who are you...?"

"I'm sorry, who are you again?"

"This isn't my house..."

"Why would you bring me here? I don't remember this place at all.."

"Who are all these people in the [photos/videos]?"

"I don't think I can remember.. I'm sorry.."

"We aren't [dating/engaged/married]! I don't even KNOW you!"

"Well.. well, what if I don't WANT to remember any of this?"

"I just wanted to start over.."

"Would you just quit trying? I'm a lost cause at this point, don't you think?"

"This isn't my child.. I never even HAD a kid.."

Responses

"Come on, you have to remember your [insert relation here]!"

"Okay, knock it off. Quit trying to gain attention, you're being self-centered!"

"Okay, so what about this person/place/thing? That has to jog your memory.."

"Don't you remember? We've been [dating/engaged/married] for [insert number here] weeks/months/years!"

"You really don't remember me, do you?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to help you remember.. maybe this is for the best.."

"Don't worry.. we can start all over. I'm by your side, no matter what."

"I can't deal with you not remembering me.. us..."

As Magnus spoke down the phone, giving Eli the news she had waited years to hear, her vision clouded and she clasped a hand over her mouth. Utter relief flooded through her, knocking her legs from beneath her. He was safe, Magnus had him and Alfred was with him. She was in the process of telling Magnus she’d be right there when one of their adoptive children came to find Eli, and she had a hard time explaining, caught between heart stopping worry and relieved tears. 

Conjuring a portal just yard from Magnus’, Eli practically ran to his loft, and rapped knuckles against the wood. By the time Magnus opened the door, she was bouncing on her heels she was so close to seeing both her missing son and husband again that the wait was agonising. A teary smile on her face, Eli asked, “where’s my husband? where’s Alfred?” Magnus walked just a step in front of her, leading her towards the two people she’s been longing to see for years.

Seeing them, finally, brought new tears to her eyes and Eli felt breathless. Words could not describe the rage that coursed through her veins, and if she wasn’t needed here, she would be out searching out the Circle members till they suffered the tortures they had put her boys through. She heard Alfred say, ‘I can hear her heartbeat, Dad. She smells the same,’ and as she entered, she saw the frail smile on his lips. 

She fell to her knees, a hand on Jake’s cheek as the other found Alf’s shoulder. “My darling, my darling. You’re here, you’re alive. You’re both alive. I missed you, I missed you so much,” babbled Eli, focusing for now on the fact that they had survived. She was so glad for Lucille’s help, their first adopted child had been a god send the past years. “We all have, but you’re home now, you’re home.” She whispered, turning her head only to wipe the tear tracks against her shoulder. 

She was here. After all these years, after all the pain, she was here. She was like a golden shining light in what seemed to be a never-ending darkness. His magic flared up a little, as if trying to reach out for its partner. They had been united for hundres of years, they and their magic partnered for so long, that it was instinct now, that his magic reached out for hers. Even in its weak flickering it reached out for hers, like he himself was almost too weak to do.

“You...you made me survive....” He whispered. Alfred was what tethered him to this world. He fought for him, had purpose to serve his son and keep him alive, but the idea of seeing Eli again, it drove them both to fight harder. They wanted to see her again. “I... missed you. We missed you...”

It was so bright when they arrived, the orange flicker lighting up the air in front of them, that for a minute Alfred thought it was sunrise already. But he knew that it couldn’t be, his adoptive father would never have risked him turning to ash like that. He loved and trusted both warlocks, implicitly. Ash and smoke rose, clouding the air and it felt thick even for the boy who no longer needed to breathe.

He was close to Mara, both bonding over their un-dead immortal status in a house full of Warlocks and the trip to see her had been one he’d been excited about despite the circumstances. He could only hope that Mara had fled, pray she wasn’t inside. Alf could feel the heat from there, it licked at his cool skin, and he flinched. He was a second behind Jake, a second long enough to see the Shadowhunters. By the time he could open his mouth to warn his father, it was too late, they were already fighting. He could swear he felt his heart pace in his chest, though it was very still, his utter terror evident in his chestnut hues.

“Dad,” he whimpered. He watched the scene in front of him, shaking, his fangs sliding down as he snarled at the Shadowhunters. 

(It had taken him a while to take to calling Jake, dad and even longer to call Eli, mum. But with the other downworld children around him, it had eventually become second nature.)

“Don’t hurt him.” He said, his muscles locked in place, fearful that even the slightest twitch would cause the Shadowhunter to move the blade. As much as he wanted to fight, he wouldn’t risk his adoptive father’s life. Jake was the only father figure he’d had, he couldn’t lose him. Alf feared the rune so stark on the man’s neck, and he feared mostly what they would try to do. Experiments? What were they going to do?

His instinct changed instantly. He wanted him to run. he needed him to run and yet Alfred had stayed, probably afraid that they would kill him. But Jake wanted him to be safe, to go back to Eli and tell her what happened and at least assure her that he was safe and... have them start searching for Mara. Oh Mara, his sweet girl. If what he saw was right he was on his knees in front of his daughters pyre, having lost her forever. 

And alf, his boy, was right there, in danger. They killed these vampires, what was to stop them from throwing Alf into the burning building?

“Don’t hurt him.” Jake almost mirrored his sons plea. He knew it gave away that the two cared deeply about each other. It revealed that having one gave them power over the other and almost immediately they grabbed the vampire and threateened him in an equal fashion, with blades turned to the kid as well.

“Open a portal.” They ordered the warlock. While they didn’t utter a threat against Alfred, he knew circle members red ruthless. They would kill Alfred if he didn’t behave and that was the one thing he didn’t want to see, so Jake opened a portal. As soon as that was done, the circle members grabbed his arms ad tied his hands painfully and so tightly they he could no longer move them, let alone use them for magic. he was virtually powerless as they dragged him through the portal.

It was Katerina’s night off from demon hunting but that didn’t stop her from looking the part of a shadowhunter complete with all black clothing and her weapons belt strung around her hips. She was at the hunters moon to meet with a vampire that she once saved, that had information on what hunted her still. She hoped that as soon as she became a shadowhunter it would lose interest, but it only seemed to become more obsessive with her, of what she was capable of doing.

Hearing a voice talking to her, she turned scanning the person very carefully, a habit she’s picked up from before she was even a shadowhunter. She determined that he is a downworlder, a warlock to be precise. Hearing his question confused her, was it that obvious that she was searching for something. When not even her fellow shadow hunters noticed as long as she was killing demons for the sake of mundanes and downworlders alike.

“I can protect myself in times like this” she replied to his first comment before looking around the hunters moon noticing her contact hadn’t come yet. ‘Were they just running late or did something happen to them’ she wondered, a real possibility in their world. “You could say that” she replied to his question scanning her surroundings slightly tense. Something that she hadn’t even told the shadowhunters about, both of what’s after her and her abilities, something told her that they wouldn’t like either one.

“Your kind usually can.” He pointed out. He had been around long enough to know how proud shadowhunters were of their god given task and abilities. They were trained from a young age and that was a good source for their pride. He knew they were raised to be proud of it and he couldn’t blame them. Being basically human with a few genetic upgrades, their abilities were good reason to be proud.

Ok. He was definitely tired. It was the only way to explain his stupidity tonight. As if demons were capable of things like making jokes… it was a human thing, and Jake explanation was good enough to convince him.

“I like Magnus the way he is, indeed.” Alec smiled, knowing he wouldn’t change his warlock, not even for all the gold in the world. Magnus was his gold, and here he was, being a romantic idiot in his mind again. “But I’m certain there’s something insane about it, and that’s what makes him unique.”

Cocky prick? Well, they were talking about a demon, a Prince of Hell in fact… was it so surprising?

“Then, it’s good to know you’re not like him.”

“That comes with the age.” Jake said softly. “Trust me, once you have seen as much as we have seen, a little bit of it is hard to stop from happening. But trust me, he could be worse. Apparently one warlock once tried to ‘go home’ and basically blew up a hotel in this town. I dare say neither Magnus, nor I would be crazy enough to want to go to hell or even attempt it.” he pointed out. No they were both sane for warlocks. Just a little bit cocky.

Being alone with the infant, scares her more than anything. The child is so tiny, so fragile, and swamped in her arms. But, the fear came from concern. Concern that she’d accidentally hurt them. She knew, she would do everything in her power to keep them safe, as she would for Jake. 

The bundle in her arms had already wormed their way into her heart with the sleepy stretches and wide eyed glances around itself. How anyone could not love a child so cute was beyond her, but then mortals didn’t appreciate the unusual. She swayed her arms, a soft hum sounding from her lips as she looked at them. 

John returned, and Eli could let out the breath she’d been holding. Standing slowly, and careful not to jostle the child, Eli adjusted her hold making sure to keep the baby’s neck supported. That was the thing to do, right? 

“Perfect, thank you Jake,” for saving the child, for bringing it back home to be theirs, for making preparations, the list of things she could thank him for was endless. Making sure that the child was safely cradled in one arm, she took his hand and followed him to the cart.

Once inside the cart, he smiled at his wife - one day they would have to actually get married. He was glad they were here, that they had the option to travel this comfortably. For the beginning he wanted her to ride in the back with their new child. One would have to steer and guide the horses. Maybe he would managed to keep it up until the evening, then they could both retire to the bed they had in their cart - well all three, as the baby would have to sleep somewhere, too. 

There was still one more question to be had. America was growing, it felt. The question was, where would they go. which new place did they want to discover, did they want to live in, did they want to raise their child in? They could pick from almost all of America. Except for the surroundings of Salem, because people might be slightly spooked by him, considering they thought he was dead and some might actually still remember his face.

“Oh thank goodness,” Rohini breathed as she welcomed him inside. “Shoes off, if you please. You can put ‘em right over there, next to my high heeled boots.” 

There were certain things that she’d do different now that she lived alone but there were also certain things that would always stay the same, such as the fact that shoes needed to be left in the hallway and that she’d eat at six pm sharp. 

“Riddle me this: how long have you known me? I always worry.” A goodnatured chuckle slopped past her lips, mirroring his own. Then Jake mentioned ‘the shit that’s currently going down’ and Rohini’s smile vanished. “Sit,” said she, “and then we’ll talk. D’you want something to eat? Or maybe something to drink? I’ve got tea, coffee, lemonade…?”

Jake did as she asked. Taking his shoes off he placed them dutifully by the door and followed her on - thankfully freshly washed socks. He smiled at the clean interior. It looked homely, something he rarely felt in apartments of warlocks. In some, he felt like it was a home. This was one of them. Another was the home of another warlock, who adopted warlock children. With the young warlock girl in her care it looked like Toys’R’Us had opened a new store right in her apartment, a feeling he had whenever he entered his own, given that they had a new warlock toddler and more money than they needed to make thousands of kids happy.

“I have heard about your group a while ago. Of you personally even less. The floating mention in the community, to be honest. I don’t usually meddle in it. I have my wife and my kids, I only interfere when stuff gets dangerous for too many of us. And that is the case.” He said softly.

“A tea is always a good option.” he said. 

After they found and rescued them, they brought him and Alfred to Magnus, his younger brother. Neither was really up to anyones touch but to the others. They had been through years and years of constant torture of Valentine himself. They had been made to figuratively go through hell, basically. Alfred wasn’t given food, so Jake constantly made him drink from him, leaving state in an almost constant state of anemia. On top of that they very carefully fed Jake only with a potion, that subdued him, basically drugged him and, sadly hooked him to the stuff brutally, so that leaving him without food became pure agony to him. So the days since Valentine fell - at least that was what he understood when they were brought out of their cage - had been the horror for him. On multiple occasions he ran so low on energy that only the now instinctual use of his magic kept him alive - and his sons whispers.