Trick...or Threat? - @Rather_Be_A_Unicorn

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"You seriously expect me to wear this?" Alec came out of his and Magnus's bedroom holding a fuzzy costume with a massive tail and a T-Rex mask in his hand.

Magnus turned around, dressed in a purple robe and a matching wizard's hat. A long, grey beard covered a large part of his face. "Max wanted one of us to be a dinosaur, sunshine."

Alec gave him a disbelieving look. "Well, why isn't that someone you? At least you're old enough to qualify as a dinosaur."

Magnus burst out laughing. "Max also wanted one of us to be a Harry Potter-character and I seriously couldn't picture you in Dumbledore's robes, Alexander." He gave Alec a quick kiss. "Now can you get dressed, please? Izzy will be here any minute."

"Whatever," Alec muttered. "I could've just gone as Sirius Black, you know? Would've been so much easier."

There was a knock on the door and little Max shot out of his bedroom like a lightning bolt. "That's Raven! Finally!" He looked adorable dressed up like Papa Smurf, which was an excellent choice considering Max's blue warlock skin.

"Who is Raven?" Alec enquired. It wasn't a name he had heard before.

"Raven is my new friend, Dad," Max said. "She just moved here and she's a blue warlock, just like me! Papa said it was okay for her to come trick-or-treating with us."

Alec smiled, touched by his son's enthusiasm. "Sure, why not? The more the merrier." He walked to the door and opened it.

Izzy stood there, dressed in a very revealing witch-outfit that was bound to win Max and his new friend a lot of candy should the man of the house answer the doorbell. Next to Izzy stood a little blonde-haired girl in a white dress. To Alec's surprise, her blue skin was indeed an exact match to Max's.

"Hey, sis." Alec gave Izzy a quick hug and dropped to his knee so he was at the same height as Max's new friend. "Hi, I'm Alec, Max's Daddy. And you must be Smurfette."

Raven gave him a shy smile. "Smurfette? No, I'm Raven."

"Raven. That's a beautiful name."

Izzy cleared her throat. "Alec, who the hell _"

Max burst through and hugged his friend, nearly knocking Alec over. "Raven!" He bounced up and down like an overenthusiastic puppy. "Can we go now? Please?" he asked, pulling Alec's sleeve.

Alec grinned. "Papa insists I wear this for the night." He held up his costume and mask. "I'll get changed and then we can go, okay?"

"Okay! Hurry up, Dad." Max grabbed Raven's hand and pulled her along. "Let's go to my room. I got this really cool chemistry set for my birthday and Papa has taught me how to make potions..."

Alec sighed, looking at the costume in his hand. "Time to descend into Jurassic Hell, I guess."

Twenty minutes later they were ready to go.

Alec had gotten into his dinosaur costume and already he was sweating as if he was fighting a horde of dragons in the sweltering heat of the desert.

Unfortunately Raven had forgotten to bring a bag to put her candy in, but Max quickly resolved the situation by grabbing another bag from his room and pushing it into Izzy's hand. "Can you carry Raven's bag for her, auntie Izzy?" he asked with a pleading look in his big blue eyes. "Because poor Raven hurt her arm when we were playing outside this afternoon."

"I don't know..." Izzy gave Magnus an uncertain look.

"It's alright," Magnus said, giving Izzy a knowing glance. "I'm sure aunt Izzy will get Raven a ton of candy, Max."

"Yeah, in that dress she's bound to get a whole lot of sugar from the daddies that come to the door," Alec muttered under his breath.

Outside the street was busy with people dressed up like vampires, werewolves and terrifying clowns. "What's the deal with Raven?" Alec asked Magnus when Izzy and the kids rang the bell from yet another house.

"I'm sorry, sunshine," Magnus answered. "Were you saying something? I can barely hear you from behind your mask."

Alec sighed. "Never mind." It could wait until they got home. But Raven's sudden appearance send his Shadowhunter's instincts into overdrive. Sure, he was happy Max made a friend, but a warlock girl with blue skin that matched Max's to a T, moving into their apartment building? That was just too much of a coincidence. Raven looked innocent enough, clinging to Max's hand like she didn't ever want to let go of him. Still, Alec knew from experience that the real monsters out there usually didn't look like one...

The evening seemed to pass agonizingly slow. The dinosaur costume was so hot that sweat was gushing down his spine like a waterfall and his throat felt parched because that stupid mask made it impossible for him to eat or drink anything. Worst of all, everyone seemed to think that it was just hilarious to step on his dinosaur-tail... Again Alec felt someone pulling at his costume and he was about to give the offending person an expletive-filled piece of his mind, when he looked down and saw Raven gazing up at him, her little face contorted with pain.

"My feet hurt," she said in a small voice.

"My feet are hurting too, Daddy," Max said. "Can you carry us home?"

"Sure," Alec said, relieved that they could finally go home. He lifted them from the ground and groaned. "By the Angel, how much did you eat tonight, Max?" Raven, on the other hand, was light as a feather. She looked ill all of a sudden... God, she wasn't about to be sick, was she? It was strange though... Unlike Max, Alec hadn't seen Raven indulge into her candy treasure.

By the time they were back at the apartment Max was nearly asleep.

"Bedtime story, auntie Izzy," Max whispered.

Alec put Max and Raven on the floor and pulled his mask down. "Fresh air, hallelujah!"

"There better be some chocolate left when I come back, bro," Izzy said, scooping Max up from the floor and carrying him into his bedroom.

"Don't worry, I'll bring Raven home first," Alec said. He felt a tug on his sleeve and he turned around. It was Raven. Her hand was now so cold that he could feel the chill through the fabric of his costume.

"Tell Max goodbye for me." Her voice was barely audible and tears were streaming down her blue face, that now had a sickening green hue.

Alec immediately dropped to his knees. "Sweetheart, what's wrong ­–"

Alec nearly jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, it was Magnus, a smile tugging on his lips. "Alexander, Max can't hear us anymore. It was sweet of you to play along, but you can drop the act now.'

"Act? What act?" With each passing second, Alec felt more confused.

"With Raven," Magnus answered. "You know, Max's imaginary friend."

"His what?" Alec looked next to him, to the side where a moment ago Raven had clutched to his hand like it was her lifeline.

But he saw nothing.

Raven was gone.


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