𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄 || j. daniel atlas

𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

"How did you get in here?" Daniel asked her, his brows deeply furrowed.

Alena didn't look up from the page, just waved her fingers in his general direction. "Magic," she smirked.

"That's-that's not how magic works. And you can't do magic," Daniel said, coming to stand opposite her.

Finally, Alena closed the book and gestured to the magician with it before placing it carefully on the coffee table in front of her. "Interesting guy."

Daniel snatched the book up and put it back in its place on the bookshelf. "How did you get in here?" he repeated, teasing each word with his nasal articulation.

"I already told you," Alena huffed and leant back on the cushions. "I bought you flowers." She nodded to the table but Daniel's stare was unyielding. She pulled the spare keys from her pocket, jangling them with a stifled smile.

Daniel scooted around the table. Alena stood and backed away, holding the keys behind her. The magician stepped right up to her, barely an inch between their bodies, and leaned over to her reach for the keys. The small heels of her boots left a greater difference in height than in their previous meetings, so Alena tilted her eyes upwards, capturing his gaze and mockingly pulling the inside of her bottom lip between her teeth. Daniel opened his mouth, but no sound came out, his eyes just moving over her face, then back up to meet hers.

"Don't you want to know where I got them?" Alena teased, at last handing over the keys.

"Er..." Daniel struggled, but seemed to snap out of it once he had the keys in his hand. "Actually, no. I couldn't care less. Can you leave now, please?"

"I don't believe this. J. Daniel Atlas, the man who hears all, sees all, and knows all, doesn't want to know the secret behind my very own magic trick!"

"Fine," Daniel sighed. "If I listen to you explain just how clever you are, will you get out?"

Alena smiled, collapsing back onto the chair. "No."

"Great."

Before Alena could launch into her story of just how clever she had been that day, the apartment door opened again, and then came a voice that, momentarily, took Alena by surprise. And when that moment passed, she wondered that she should have been surprised at all. "Hey Danny, where's the nearest takeout place? I'm starving."

Daniel's eyes widened and he scurried across the living area, raising an arm as if to herd the young man like a sheep.

"Mr Wilder, you're looking very well," Alena smiled as the magician came into view. "Considering you're dead."

Jack scratched the back of his neck, an unabashed grin spreading across his face.

"Miss Warbeck was just leaving," Daniel said.

"No, she wasn't." Alena got up to greet the younger man. "She wants to ask Jack about what heaven looks like," she leant in close to him, "considering she'll probably never get to go there herself."

"Ah, heaven's overrated," Jack laughed. "I'd wait a bit, if I were you."

"Alright, Miss Warbeck. You've learnt our big secret. You can go now," said Daniel, rubbing his hands together. Alena gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes, but didn't grace Daniel with any further response.

Then, over Jack's shoulder, Alena saw Merritt and Henley enter the apartment, chatting with each other. Henley beamed when she saw Alena and gave Merritt a little nudge.

"Alena!" Henley hurried forward to greet Alena was a brief embrace. "I'm so glad you're here. After the last show, I wasn't sure we'd get to see you again and the constant complaining from this guy," she jerked her thumb in Merritt's direction, "that he'd messed things up for good when he heard you'd spoken to Danny on the phone was becoming unbearable."