Driving towards the abandoned mine, Magnus's mind was buzzing. Alexander had kissed him. He certainly hadn't expected that, and even more so - he hadn't expected himself to kiss him back. He had tried to deny the fact, that even though he played the flirting off as a part of his own nature, he had started to feel something towards the bounty hunter. It was not just an attraction, but something more, like a pull of some sort. Alexander trusted him, that was the first thing that made Magnus let his guard down, and he still regretted it. He had always managed to be alone - the key to having no fear is having nothing to lose, so he never gave his heart to anyone. But Alec... he had managed to say just the right words to make Magnus doubt that and he did not like it. Why? Because now, he had not just himself to think about. 

He couldn't let this sway him. They had a plan, a mission and he was supposed to save Catarina and Ragnor, that was the endgame. And after that, he would leave. He felt his chest ache, a familiar feeling. He couldn't fathom how on earth Alec had made his way into his heart, so quickly, but he knew it was a dumb move, letting it all happen, letting Alec kiss him. They were on opposite sides and the fact remained, that Alec had considered him an enemy, up until they had to work together. Whatever he felt or might have felt for the taller man, had to be brushed aside. Alec's soft voice was still in his mind and the way his lips felt against Magnus's... the conman touched his lower lip absentmindedly, when he pulled over to his destination. Shaking his head, he gazed at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes betrayed no fear, although his heart was beating fast. If this didn't work... But it was going to. He grabbed the photo, phone and made sure his gun was tucked in. He knew that Valentine will expect him to carry a weapon, but it didn't matter. He would've been a fool not to.

When he got out of the car, he couldn't help but look back into the distance, where he could see only and empty road and faraway hills. He knew Isabelle and Alec were keeping an eye on him, and that made him feel a little better. Even though he was used to working alone, there was something comforting in knowing, that if he were to die, he wouldn't be alone. He pulled his coat closer to himself and went towards the abandoned mine. The place was windy and the cold air hit his face, slashing at it. The only lights were the dim laterns beside the mouth of the 'cave', where and old railroad track disappeared. He saw three figures standing there and he raised an eyebrow. Valentine came with just two bodyguards? That's very brave of him. Not that Magnus would try and take him down, but he could easily do it, if he wanted to. He would also get killed in the process, which is why he just stood a few feet away from them, his eyes fixed on the man in the middle.

Valentine stood with his hands behind his back and a hood on his head, but Magnus knew it was him. He'd seen that face many times, to recognize the large scar on his face, making its way from his brow to the corner of his mouth on the left side, even in the dark. He opened his arms wide as if greeting him, inviting him in for a hug. The smile on his face was as cold as his eyes, as he removed the hood. "Magnus Bane. The man no one can find and yet, here you are." he said, his voice dark, but cutting through the night. Magnus noticed that on his right, there was Raphael Santiago. He was staring at Magnus with empty, uninterested eyes, his figure small next  to Valentine, and he looked like he didn't even notice what was going on around him. Magnus had become great at masking his emotions, so the fact that he knew about Raphael, and that Cat had probably approached him, didn't reflect in his face. He forced himself to appear just as uninterested as the younger boy. On Valentine's left, there was a woman. Her hood was up, so Magnus couldn't quite see her face, but she had a long ponytail, coming over her shoulder all the way to her waist, a shade of dirty blond, almost white. Her hands were occupied with a knife, that she carelessly, but obviously professionally flicked in her hand. The blade seemed sharp enough to cut through bone.

"I only agreed to meet you, because it takes serious balls to come and talk to me again, after you betrayed me. You are either very brave or extremely stupid." Valentine told him, smirking. Magnus scoffed. "I didn't betray you... I just wanted to terminate my contract." Magnus offered with a smile and stepped a little closer. The woman next to Valentine moved slightly, but he put a hand in front of her. "Steady. Raphael." he said instead, nodding to the smaller man. The Latino moved towards Magnus. "Hold up your arms." he said, tone cold and commanding. Magnus did as he was told and Raphael removed the weapon on him. Magnus saw it coming, but he was still sad to see him take it. That gun was one of his favourites. He hoped Valentine would give it back to him. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Valentine asked, tilting his head to the side, like Magnus was the most interesting thing in the world. Magnus moved his hands to the side, balling them up into fists. He hated being this close to the man who held Catarina and Ragnor captive, but he didn't have choice, if the planned on saving them. "I want back in." Magnus stated, his voice clear and unwavering. There was a moment of silence and then, Valentine started to laugh. The sound was very strange, considering the fact that there was nothing funny about their situation.

"You...You really do have some guts, Bane, I'll tell you that." Valentine said, after he had taken a breather. His eyes shone in the dark and Magnus resisted the urge to look away. He had to come off as serious as possible. "Why in the hell would I take you back? Especially now that you are in it with the Lightwoods?" Valentine asked. He was probably waiting for Magnus to flinch, which he did not. There was a possibility, that Valentine already knew about his time in the bounty hunters headquarters and he wasn't wrong. He had expected no less of him. He smiled sweetly at the three. "Ah, but that's exactly why you should consider me an asset. Besides, I don't think your son is as worthy to stand by you as you think he is. One might even say, you should evaluate his position as your commander of the shipments." he said, his voice like silk. Magnus knew he was playing with fire, but he had to hope that Valentine would be intrigued enough not to kill him on the spot. Valentine's eyes went wide with anger. He pointed a hand to Magnus, his eyes blazing. "Don't you dare speak of my son! Who the fuck do you think you are?" he shouted and the woman beside him stepped forward, her hood falling off. Magnus saw the woman's eyes - they were red as blood. Her skin was so pale, the blue marks on her neck were very visible. She looked like a ghost, eyes fixed on Magnus and a small smile on her lips. Valentine nodded towards her. "I should have Arita here kill you, just for that!" he snarled and the woman twirled the knife in her hand, giving Valentine a quizzical look, as if to ask 'May I?'. 

Magnus huffed a laugh. "But you won't. Because I have proof of your sons insubordination, as well as proof that I can be a valuable asset to your team." he said, trying to calm his beating heart. If this didn't work... he hoped Isabelle had good aim. Valentine's eyes were still angry, but he held a hand to the woman, who stepped back, face immobile, but Magnus could see a tinge of annoyance in her eyes, before she pulled back the hood. Valentine nodded towards the conman. "Well?" he asked finally and Magnus hid his smile. He pulled out the phone and photo, holding them in the air. "A photo, of your son meeting your daugther, who he should know nothing about. And a message, that he sent to her, clearly indicating that he would want them reunited. As we all know, Clary Morgenstern, by her true name, is currently situated in the Lightwood bounty hunter's headquarters. Working for them. So who do you think would change sides, Jonathan or Clary?" Magnus announced and saw a flicker of doubt in Valentine's eyes. He nodded to Raphael, who again approached Magnus. The conman tried to see any recognition in the younger boy's eyes, but the face was almost like there had never been any emotion displayed on it.

He grabbed the things from Magnus, stepping back. Valentine examined the photo first. His eyes went wide, but after a few seconds, he discarded it to the ground. Magnus followed the movement, eyeing the piece of paper on the ground. "This can very well be a fake, sent by the Lightwoods and you, as their spy, would deliver it." he said, sneering and Magnus shook his head. "It is not. But if you have any doubts, the message on the phone is traceable. I stole the phone from Clary." Magnus stated, waiting for Valentine to say something. He eyed the man, suspicious. The he handed the phone to Raphael. "Do what you can with it... and call Jonathan, tell him to meet us at the house." Valentine said and Magnus's heart leaped. He bought it! Raphael moved a little further away and turned his back to them, taking out his own phone.

"Alright, Bane. Let's say I believe you. Why would you even want to come work for me again? I thought the Lightwoods are trying to take me down. Why not join them, as you seemingly have?" he asked and Magnus knew this was the hardest part. Considering the feelings he had for Alexander and the way he trusted the rest of the Lightwoods, he had to act like he never had before. He rolled his eyes for effect. "Those idiots have no clue how to even start to take you down. I took their offer, in exchange for my freedom. But, as you know, Catarina is still with you. You know what she means to me. The Lightwoods would never free her, even if they did, they would throw her in jail. If I'm with you, you must promise me that no harm would come to her or Ragnor, and I can help you take down the Lightwoods instead, by remaining their 'informant'." Magnus told him, his voice calculated and calm. His heart was beating so fast now, that he had a hard time breathing. Valentine stared at him, with a smile on his lips. Then, he closed his eyes, snapping his fingers.

The woman was next to Magnus in a flurry, her moves so fast that he hadn't even time to move away. The knife she had played with a second ago was now pressed to Magnus's throat and her other hand was holding his arm. Magnus sucked in a breath and narrowed his eyes at Valentine. The woman didn't do anything, but hold the blade at his skin, pricking it just a little. Valentine's eyes opened and he held his hand up. "Alright, Magnus. Let's say that I am willing to let you back in. I do need proof of your loyalty, though..." he said, trailing off and smiling, making Magnus's stomach turn. 'Remember, who you are doing this for'. Images of Catarina swam before his eyes, then Ragnor and lastly, to his surprise, Alec. He stared right back at Valentine. "I can give you a location to one of their safehouses. They wouldn't know it's me who leaked the information because I'm not allowed near the IT room. Besides, they have me on watch pretty much 24/7." he said, making Valentine raise an eyebrow. Magnus could feel the woman's breath next to his ear. It was almost as if she was excited to cut Magnus's throat, which could very well be true.

"And how did you manage to sneak out, then?" Valentine asked, and Magnus gave him the cockiest look he could muster. "Look at who you are talking to." he said arrogantly and Valentine seemed to relax. "Okay. I will let you leave, for now. Until I make sure that your information is valid. If and when it is... I will contact you. Until then, any false moves, Bane... Catarina's very good at what she does, but she is not irreplaceable." Valentine said, flicking his hand. The woman nicked his skin and Magnus could feel the drop of blood make it's way down his throat and then he was free to breathe normally again. Arita moved past him and for the first time, she spoke. She hissed something in a foreign language and Magnus could feel the threat behind her words. Arita flipped the knife in her hands, retreating and pulled up her hood up again, that had fallen when she had made the move on Magnus. Valentine nodded to the two of them and then looked back at Magnus. He snapped his fingers again, this time at Raphael, who came forward, tossing Magnus the phone and also his gun. The conman pocketed the phone, but left his hand hanging to his side, with the gun pointed at the ground. "Until next time, Bane." he said with a smug smile and disappeared after his 'companions' to a nearby car, that Magnus hadn't even spotted in the dark. He was really getting rusty. That's what you get with being out of the field.

As they drove off, Magnus breathed out, creating a cloud of mist coming from his mouth. So, Valentine was willing to let him in. He knew very well, that he had as much to lose as Valentine, maybe even more. He could kill Cat any time he pleased, so he had the upper hand. But it would seem that Valentine still knew the value of having Magnus on his side. After all, no one had ever yet caught him. Magnus touched the cut on his neck, bringing his gloved hand away a little bloody. It hurt just a little, but he was used to that. He wondered who the woman was. He had never seen her before and she was definitely not from around here, even though she already had a faint American accent to her Russian. Magnus was a little rusty, but he knew what she had said to him. 'I will be watching you'. The words were not as threatening as the voice, though. Something about this woman seemed off. She spoke very little, but that was not what set Magnus off - Raphael had barely said a word, too. No, the fact that set Magnus off was her looks. The red contacts and the bruises on her neck? The way she moved, with almost an inhuman speed. She was definitely a hired mercenary, at the least. He would have to keep his eyes open for her, because from now on, they would be watching Magnus's moves carefully.

He contemplated whether it was a good idea to go back to Isabelle and Alec, and maybe he should be going straight to the headquarters. He told Valentine no one knew where he was right now, and if he had already ordered someone to watch him, he'd be blowing their cover. He decided to go back and let Hodge or someone at the headquarters tell Isabelle and Alec to come back. 

Getting back to his car, he sat down, putting the phone away and set the gun next to him on the seat. He sat in silence for a while, before he turned on the engine. So, their plan worked, sort of. Hopefully, Valentine will contact him and he will be back to working for him. Even the thought of it filled him with anger. He wanted him dead, more than anything. To free Cat and Ragnor. He didn't even want to think about how Cat's boyfriend must've looked like.

He thought about Alexander. Will it be weird between them now? Magnus can't give him what he wants and neither can Alec. They have to keep their distance, especially now that Magnus was supposed to be working for Valentine. He sighed, thinking about Alec's worried face when he had told him to 'come back'. Magnus cursed himself for what he had said to Alec, for thanking him. It made him vulnerable and he couldn't afford that.

Shaking his head, he turned to drive back. The night sky was full of stars and Magnus couldn't ignore the tightening feeling in his chest. If all of this succeeded, Cat and Ragnor could finally be freed and he would be free as well. And he would leave, never to see Alec again. Because even thinking about something else, another way of doing this, would just be an illusion. They both knew that he was a conman, and he was never going to change, not for anyone. Neither would Alec and Magnus would never ask that of him. 

A/N: Halleluujah, another chapter, can I get an AMEN!? Okay, but seriously, tell me if this is crap, lmao. xx