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     ISAAC PARKER HAD HID THE BODY OF THE SHADOWHUNTER A BLOCK OR TWO AWAY FROM WHERE HE LIVED, OF COURSE AFTER DRAINING HIM OF THE REST OF HIS BLOOD. He knew that he shouldn't have drained the blood of the Shadowhunter, but the blood was too good to be wasted. That and the fact that the blood was spilling all over his apartment floor. However, anxiety seemed to somewhat fuel the old man, he feared that maybe he would get caught with what he had done. He knew that what he did was wrong, which is why it worries him so much. In the back of his mind, there was just a small part of him which feared that the Clave would throw him in the Gard where he wouldn't be able to continue his life afterwards.

     Isaac tried to shake the thought of it all, but he couldn't no matter how much he tried. It was this fear which seemed to plague his mind about what could potentially happen to him, and it was this fear of which seemed to make him unaware that dawn had approached. What had brought him out of his thoughts was the stinging and burning sensation of which seemed to flow throughout the side of his body. Isaac seemed to hiss before he then rushed into the shadows, he hated that he could never go out into the sun for it would kill him. The burns on the side of his body healed quite quickly once he had gotten into the shadows.

     Isaac had been so lost in his thoughts that he had forgotten to realise what the time was. If it weren't for the continued thought of him technically breaking the accords and the potential threat of the Clave taking him to the Gard or wherever then maybe he would be able to focus. He shouldn't have drained the Shadowhunter of his blood, he knows that, but no matter how much control that he had over his thirst, the taste of angle blood was too sweet to stop. Isaac had then shaken his head, trying to rid his mind of these thoughts. He let out a small sigh, maybe if he slept then it might put his mind at ease in away. He hoped that by sleeping his thoughts off that it might do him some good.

     And that's what he tried to do, he tried to get some form of sleep no matter if it was a five-minute nap or longer. However, that wasn't his case, no matter how much he tried to force himself asleep, he couldn't. He tried and tried but his thoughts had prevented him from doing so. It had annoyed Isaac to the point where he let out a groan, there was just a small part of him which grew tired and another part of him which was filled with some form of anxiety. The continued fear of the Clave coming after him for the death of their own kind.

     It was then that a thought struck him, what if the Clave realised that the Shadowhunter he drained the blood of was part of the Circle and Uprising, and maybe then the Clave would let him off. To him, it seemed like a good thought, but he quickly shook it off for, after all, he still killed a Shadowhunter. He hated this, he hated how his brain would come up with what would seem like a great idea but would easily be demolished by the reality called the law, but it was the law, and the law was hard. No matter what kind of excuse he tried to think of, he knew that either way the Clave wouldn't take any notice that Valentine is back.

     Isaac had then let out a groan as he then shot up from his bed. His room wasn't as big as some would assume; it was just the right size to move around in. The walls of his bedroom were a dark grey-blue tone which somewhat made him think of the night sky in away. His bed wasn't as grand and great as anything else in his apartment, mainly due to the fact that he barely slept in it.

     The vampire shook his head slightly as he then grabbed his phone, dialling the one number of a person who wouldn't hesitate to help him no matter what the situation was. The warlock he was calling had always been there for him, even if they were ex's, they'd always gotten along the best. However, just by seeing the name of Magnus made Isaac somewhat hesitant to call him, Isaac didn't want to pressure the warlock with keeping such a thing a secret from the Clave and from the Shadowhunters; but he needed to say something to someone, even if it was Magnus.

     After a few rings, Magnus had answered the phone. Without a simple hello, Isaac was greeted with: "why are you calling me at 6 in the morning?"

     Isaac seemed to somewhat roll his eyes at the greeting, though he shrugged it off. "I know it's early, and I'm sorry for that, but I might be in a lot of shit and is in need of a friend to talk to."

     Magnus seemed to not say anything for a moment, and there was just a small part of Isaac which assumed that the warlock fell back to sleep, which honestly wouldn't have surprised him. After a moment, Magnus let out a sigh. "Give me thirty minutes, I'll be there soon. It better not be something stupid."

     Isaac shook his head slightly. "I promise it isn't anything stupid but thank you."

     Magnus didn't say anything as the line went dead indicating that the call was over. Isaac had let out a small sigh as he then walked out of his room, trying to think of something other than the events of which took place not that long ago. Isaac stood within the hallway between where his room was and the rest of the apartment, his eyes seemed to be fixed on the small patch of sunlight which poured into the living room. There was just a small part of him which was overrun by guilt that he wanted to hurt himself just so that it could lift the guilty consciences that he had, but he knew that he shouldn't. He shouldn't be thinking like this, it wasn't him – well it was, but nonetheless, he thought that those thoughts were long gone, a fragment of his past.

     To him, it didn't make sense as to why he felt the way that he did. Yeah, he had killed previously for blood, but none of those times had made him feel as guilty as he did now. Maybe it was the thought of it being a Shadowhunter, he wasn't sure. Whatever had made him feel the way of which he did had slightly annoyed the vampire, it annoyed him because he wasn't known to feel any kind of remorse when killing, no matter who it was. Isaac was never one to overthink a situation to the point where it would wined him up, making him regret the thing of which he did. It was stupid, really, he shouldn't try and over-complicate a situation where it was self-defence. But was it really self-defence?

     "Isaac, what is it?" Magnus asked. Isaac hadn't heard the warlock come in – or portal in for that matter. The vampire looked up towards the warlock, despite their history with either one, Isaac would definitely admit that Magnus was attractive. Magnus was dressed in his usual suit and his cat-eyes seemed to stand out against the black eyeliner around his eyes; his hair – like normal – was spiked up into a quiff. "Isaac?"

     Said vampire seemed to hum slightly in question as he then snapped out of his thoughts. In all honesty, the vampire seemed to have forgotten what words were, for his mind hadn't allowed a single word to utter from his lips. It seemed as if he had forgotten how to speak or even what words were – which was somewhat unusual for Isaac considering that most of the time, he had something to say. His mind was buzzing around as not a single word seemed to form a sentence, no matter how many words he knew none seemed to come out, it was like being a child trying to speak all over again.

     Magnus seemed to give Isaac a slightly concerned look, there had only been one time that he saw Isaac as quiet and lost for words, and that time was when his family had died. However, whatever had caused Isaac to be the way of which he was at the moment, really concerned Magnus – after all Isaac had built up high walls and had kept what he felt to himself, not allowing himself to show what he really felt. With what was going on, it had made Magnus think that Isaac's highly built walls weren't strong enough to hold back the emotions of which were going through the vampire's mind – no matter what the cause of it was.

     "Isaac, what's gotten into you?" Magnus asked concern was clear within his voice as the warlock stared at the man in front of him.

     After a moment of silence between the two, it was then that Isaac managed to form a sentence. "I might have done something really bad like thrown into the Gard kinda bad."

     There was something that seemed to click within Magnus' expressions, if he wasn't already worried then concerned was definitely something of which stood out on the warlocks' features. "What? What happened?"

     Isaac had shaken his head slightly before letting out a sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair before looking towards the warlock. "I killed someone, someone who I wasn't meant to. I — I couldn't help myself; I'm telling myself that it was self-defence, but I know that it's not. The Clave, they — they're going to come after me, and I don't know what the hell I'm going to do—"

     Magnus had taken Isaac's wrists – considering that they were flapping around while he spoke – and had tried to lower them to the vampire's side. "Calm down, okay? Tell me what happened slowly and in detail. I'm not going to be able to help or advise you if you're panicking."

     The vampire nodded as he then sucked in a breath. How the hell was he even going to explain that Valentine – the man who wanted (and still does) to destroy all of which held demon blood - was alive and paid the elder vampire a visit? Isaac shook his head slightly. "Valentine — is — alive."

     Some sort of unwritten fear was clear on Magnus' face, one of which wasn't readable yet at the same time was. There was just that small part of him which feared the end of demon-blooded people along with the war which would be born out of this. "Valentine is alive? How do you know?"

     Isaac seemed to give Magnus a look, one of which was just that bit pained. "He was here, last night." Magnus seemed somewhat shocked, though he allowed Isaac to continue. "He wanted me to join him, saying how I'll be useful, though I don't buy it at all. He wanted me to help him track Jocelyn - and though I'm not sure if he knows about Clary, but I assume he's after the child as well. He also wants the cup. I refused to help because of what he attempted to do; I don't want to be involved in any sort of way with him. When I refused and commented about what drove Jocelyn away, he was going to attempt to take my blood — and you know what I'm like for needles—"

     Magnus cut Isaac off, already knowing as to what he was going to say. "You attacked either Valentine or others who were with him, didn't you?"

     Isaac nodded, and it was that response of which Magnus somewhat feared it to be. Magnus knew that the Clave wouldn't believe that Valentine was alive unless the supposed dead Shadowhunter made an appearance in front of those high up in ranks.

     "I killed a Shadowhunter, Mags," Isaac muttered as his voice cracked. "I drained the blood of one of Valentine's followers."

     The words seemed to somewhat hit Magnus in the chest like a ton of bricks, though he wasn't sure why. He knew those words were coming, but to hear them being spoken out loud made everything real. He trusted Isaac's words, he knew that Isaac would never lie, but there was just a part of him which didn't want to believe that it was true. He didn't want Valentine Morgenstern to be alive. He had to warn Jocelyn, he had to warn her that Valentine is alive and is after both her and the Mortal Cup.

     The following words came out of Magnus' mouth clear and filled with worry. "What did you do about the body? Did you tell him anything about Jocelyn?"

     Isaac shook his head. "I hid the body a few blocks away from here, but I know that the Shadowhunters will find it and come after me. And no, I refused to say anything about Jocelyn — one thing that I always do to keep secrets especially if mass murderers are asking, is to lie and be a sarcastic bastard about it. You always said to me to use my sarcasm to an advantage when it came to lying."

     Magnus had nodded slightly. He was silent for a moment, just to think of a way to help aid Isaac. If there was one thing of which the High Warlock wasn't expecting was having to help a friend with basically somewhat breaking the Accords. It was then that Magnus had thought of something but quickly discarded the thought, in a way it was difficult to aid a friend with something like this.

     Isaac seemed to draw his attention back to the patch of sun which crawled its way back into his apartment. If maybe he could put his hand into the – no – he shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the thoughts, he had to stop beating himself of what happened; however it still bothered him and he knew that it would play on his mind for months. Isaac had then thought that maybe this was planned by Valentine, knowing that he would retaliate the way he did, leaving the possibility that the Clave would do something to him so that Valentine wouldn't have to deal with him. It seemed like a good plan, something Isaac would probably–

     "—Isaac, are you listening?" Magnus asked, snapping his fingers. Isaac seemed somewhat startled by the action. Magnus seemed to give the vampire a look before slightly rolling his eyes. "As I was saying, what I suggest is if the Shadowhunters do find out that it was you, or there's talk about a killed Circle member, then confess. The Shadowhunters may be cruel, but they might go easy on you if you confess."

     "I hate Shadowhunters," Isaac muttered. "Okay. If there is word about how a vampire drained the blood of a Circle member, then I'll confess."

     Magnus seemed to notice the bitterness and distance in his voice as he spoke, causing the warlock to be concerned – well more concerned. He placed a hand on the vampire's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. I know that this is a bad situation, but you'll get through it. I know you, more than anyone, you'll be able to push through it. If it comes down to it, then I'll join you with it all."

     Isaac nodded, though it was barely noticeable. "Thank you, Magnus. I'm sorry for waking you up, but I had to tell someone; plus, I knew that you wouldn't mind."

     "I'll always be here for you, Isaac," Magnus said as he then pulled the vampire into a hug. The warlock hated seeing him in this sort of state, even if it was rare, because after all, Isaac always seemed to be the most sarcastic person he met. That and the fact that Isaac always seemed to put a smile on his face.

     "I know you are." Isaac mumbled. It felt nice to know that no matter their history, Magnus always welcomed him with open arms as friends, after all Magnus was the only person who was close to him like family.

     ****

     Magnus had left Isaac due to him having clients to see and parties to plan, though the High Warlock was somewhat hesitant to leave considering the vampires distance till Isaac assured him that he'd be okay; that there was nothing to worry about. Isaac had then spent the rest of the long day either trying to sleep or read; either way he had hoped to waste the day the best he could. In the process Isaac had tried to clear his mind of the previous night in hopes that it'll help him in some way.

     Time seemed to slip past him quite quickly as the vampire managed to fall asleep on the couch with a book placed over his stomach. It was most days that Isaac Parker would find himself laying on the couch with a book on him, and it was those kind of days that most of his thoughts would slip his mind – however this was partly one of those moments mainly due to the fact that what had originally troubled his mind had almost been forgotten.

     When the vampire had woken up, sunset had fallen, the golden pink shone and filled the skies above New York City which had always calmed Isaac, knowing that his night under the moon was to come. As the sun set, he knew that it was time for Isaac's menace upon New York to happen, but tonight wasn't one of those nights, for it was going to be the night where he'd stay indoors.

     The golden pink of the sky had slowly faded to the blackness of the night, Isaac had managed to catch the last little glimpse of the sun setting which had somewhat brightened up his mood, drawing him away from his thoughts. Though he could never walk under the rays of the sun, he always enjoyed watching the sun set while darkness roamed the streets. In a way, it made him feel calm, like there was no problem in the world and only that moment in time.

     What had drawn the vampire away from his somewhat peaceful mind was the sound of someone knocking at his apartment door. Confusion had somewhat swept across Isaac, he barely got any visitors for he barely had any friends, he barely spoke to those that were his kind due to most not liking him. Isaac had broken away from the window and had went to open the door before another knock – this time more violent – came more bounding at the door.

     Isaac had opened the door as he rolled his eyes. "One knock, that's all that you could do. I heard you knocking the first time, there's no need for the second, but you still done it." He had then let out a sigh before he then looked properly at who it was.

     Stood outside the apartment were two Shadowhunter, covered in runes and in their gear. One was brunette – maybe black – while the other had blond hair, one was female while the other was male. A shiver would have went down Isaac's spine if it could, just to have another visit from Shadowhunters who - this time - potentially could drag him straight to the Gard where who-knows-what happens there to people like him.

     "Isaac Parker, vampire. Correct?" the man with the blond hair asked. Isaac had noticed how the blond's eyes differed from each other, which would have made Isaac smile but given what the demon hunters are here for, then he refused to even smile.

     "Vampire, yes, but the name Isaac Parker doesn't ring a bell, I'm sorry I can't help you." Isaac began slowly before he then rushed his speech. "Thank you ever so much for visiting, though I can assure you your travels shall not be forgotten."

     Before Isaac even had the chance to close the door, the blond male had stopped the door from closing, which had made him cuss under his breath. Oh, how he was done; done with this, done with being what he was, just completely and utterly done.

     "Isaac Parker, by the order of the Clave, we ask you to come with us for questioning against the murder of a former member of the Circle and Shadowhunter," the woman informed.

     Isaac had then hit his head against the door. "Great. Let me just grab my shoes."

     Maybe burning himself alive would be less painful than what he'd have to experience for the next few hours. Why did he have to be stupid?

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