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part nine

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"The Downworlder General, Magnus Bane of the Fourth District, will be executed."

Isabelle had never been so silent. She sat beside Jace on the sofa, still in her sweat-stained training clothes, dark eyes fixed on the wall across from them. She was hugging her legs to her chest, chin rested on her knees, as though trying to make herself as small as possible. He had never seen her like this, and he had little to no idea on how to act now.

Comfort had never been part of Jace's repertoire but they were alone in the room. The adults, so miraculously returned, had hurried off to call yet another of those meetings they were all so fond of. Sebastian was amongst them, the only available witness. Aline had excused herself as soon as it seemed she politely could. Jace envied that, sharing her sentiment of feeling as though they were intruding.

But he wasn't. This was as much his grief as it was Isabelle's. When he had heard what happened to Max, he had felt a nausea that no amount of battlefields and gore had ever been able to inspire in him.

He lay a tentative hand over Isabelle's. It was no engulfing hug or shared tears, but for the boy who had always been so distant, its meaning wasn't lost on her. She turned her hand in his hold and entwined their fingers, grasping him tightly.

No words passed between them for a while. There didn't seem to be words in the world for what was happening, what they had lost in the space of a morning, and neither felt the compulsion to try and find them. After a while, Isabelle uncurled herself, setting her feet on the floor and finally dragging her eyes away from the wall. When they met Jace's, empty was the last word that could be attributed to them.

"Magnus didn't do this," she stated, in the same way one would say the sky is blue and Bert and Ernie were gay. Jace raised an eyebrow.

"On a first name basis, are we?" Isabelle opened her mouth to reply but Jace cut her off, "Stop it, now. We both know something isn't right here. Even if I could trust a word out of that snake's mouth, I still think that something in Sebastian's story doesn't add up. It's all a little too convenient. So I'm more than willing to believe that the Warlock didn't do it. But you need to start telling me why you think so, and you can fill me in on what you and Alec have been keeping to yourselves all year, because I'm pretty tired of being left out the loop."

He said it all in a very matter of fact way but Isabelle didn't miss the sting in his tone. Turning to face him fully, she held his hand tighter.

"I'm sorry, Jace. We should have told you. In our defense, it didn't seem so life-or-death at the time. Alec got a boyfriend. It hardly affected the world... but now it does. It affects our world, and you should know just as much as we do," she took a deep breath, and began, "His name is Magnus Bane."

Skulking down the twisting halls, they came across no other person, adult or otherwise. No one was even guarding the door but, Jace supposed, it was hardly as though the inhabitant was going anywhere.

"Give me a sec," he muttered to a clearly impatient Isabelle, trying to tweak the lock open while she vibrated with energy beside him. No door stayed locked long when Jace put his mind to it and in less than a minute it swung open, the two slipping into the infirmary.

Alec was a sight. So pale his skin had taken on a sickly yellow hue, face glistening with sweat, eyes dull and staring sightlessly at the ceiling. Thin silver wire was twined around his body, slack now but there were narrow red trails along his arms and neck that made it obvious they had been dangerously tight before. They could hear the wire humming from over by the door and Isabelle couldn't contain her flinch – she had never been on the receiving end of it and was glad, that wire an emergency tactic for when an opponent was too close to winning. Once the wire made contact with a person, it sent a charge to the nerve endings and rendered them immobile, then when they were paralysed it began to leech the energy from them. It was barbaric, and they had done it to her brother. Her parents had stood by and let them do this to their son.

Jace's hand slipped back into hers, giving a firm and warning squeeze. It was only as her jaw ached that she realised her anger was clear on her face and she quickly composed herself before they approached the bed.

Alec was immobile but not unconscious, his eyes following them as they moved to his side.

"Alec, are you alright?" Isabelle asked, knowing it was a stupid question but unable to help herself. Jace was silent, looking Alec over with an intent eye, nimble fingers tracing over the nasty welts on his arms. Blood beaded on the angry red marks and, although his face remained as carefully passive as usual, a tick started to form in his cheek.

Obviously Alec couldn't answer, hardly able to blink, nevermind talk. Isabelle hadn't really expected an answer and busied herself with brushing the sweat-soaked hair away from Alec's face, more than preoccupied with forcing herself to keep calm and not go storming into that meeting to give the Adults a piece of her mind. She faltered in her movements when she saw Jace grasp Alec's hand in her own. It was not the comforting gesture that it had been intended for her, a calculating look on the blond's face. He leaned over, looming over Alec until he was surely all Alec could see.

"I know you can't talk but if you can understand clearly what I'm saying, try and squeeze my hand."

Isabelle looked to their joined hands, watching anxiously for the merest twitch. It took a few tense minutes but then there was the faintest tremor in Alec's fingers, and Jace grinned.

"Right. Izzy's filled me in on the basics – congratulations, by the way, we'll make an honest woman of you yet – so let's get right into the saving the day part of the agenda. Always my favourite part. Number one on the to-do list is springing your magician, since we've got something of a deadline there. But first thing's first, I'm going to need some guidance here, because something seems a bit off to me; you came back from the Verlac estate, but you were coming across the courtyard when you always, and I mean always, cut around the back to go through the gardens. Makes me think you were in a rush, even before you came across Max. Am I right?"

There was something about the effortless confidence Jace exuded that was putting Isabelle right at ease. It was so familiar, even though everything else about that day was completely wrong. As Jace rattled on in his breezy way, Isabelle could feel herself relax, her mind clearing.

At Jace's question, Alec gave a tight squeeze of his fingers.

Jace nodded, "Were you looking for me? Was it about what we talked about in the stable?"

Another squeeze of Jace's hand, but this one was sharper, shorter.

"No?" Jace guessed, frowning, "Something else then. Did – was something off at the Verlac place?"

Alec gave what Jace had interpreted as a yes squeeze. This continued for a while. Jace would ask increasingly off the mark questions, trying to decipher meaning from Alec, who was obviously getting all the more frustrated when communication was failing. There was only so much you could glean from a hand, and it was not enough to give Jace and Isabelle the warnings Alec was desperate to share.

Frustration mounted, Isabelle joining in with the questioning but not having any more luck than Jace, who had taken to pacing the room like a caged animal.

"What – wait, Jace, come here," Isabelle said after a long pause, brow furrowed. She had dropped Alec's hand and was watching it avidly. Jace came to her side, following her gaze. The most movement they had managed to get from their brother had been the minimal twitches of his fingers but now, the strain of the effort obvious as his muscles pulled taut, Alec was exerting the very last of his energy to force his hand upwards. He hardly moved far but even that small distance took several minutes, tension coiling around all three of them, until his fingers were brushing against the base of his throat. Jace frowned, unable to understand the significance of the movement, but Isabelle's eyes widened as realisation dawned.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, grabbing onto Jace's arm. She swooped down to leave a quick kiss on Alec's forehead before she was pulling Jace out of the room with a chirpy, "Leave it to us!"

"Hold on! What did I miss?" Jace managed not to stumble over his own feet as Isabelle dragged him along in her wake, running as though the hounds of hell themselves were at her heels. Their bare feet padded along the stone floors a bit too loud for his comfort. It wouldn't do to be darting around like this when they were supposed to be in mourning, the Adults would know they were up to something.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Isabelle was muttering, Jace was sure to herself since he'd been nothing but clever all day, "Where will he have left it?"

Their destination was Alec's bedroom apparently, and Jace was more confused than ever. Confusion was certainly not a feeling he liked.

"What are we looking for?" he bit out, impatience overcoming tact now as Isabelle flitted about the room, peering around Alec's sparse belongings.

"A necklace," she replied distractedly, dropping to her knees to glance under the bed, "God knows where he'd leave it. I had to tell him he couldn't just shove it in his pocket about five times."

Jace frowned but moved to help look, "A necklace? Have you checked his jewellery box?"

"Ha ha," she said deadpan, "Shut up and check the bathroom."

He did as he was told, striding into the ensuite. The search didn't prevail, nothing but a toothbrush and razor blade cluttering the sink. He didn't even know what the necklace looked like, though he assumed it would be the first one he found. Somehow he doubted Alec had an entire selection of the things. Then again, just yesterday he hadn't even known Alec had a boyfriend. He was going to have to be careful what assumptions he made about his friend in the future.

He gave up in the bathroom when he heard Isabelle give a triumphant cry. She was grasping a simple silver chain with a sapphire blue pendant. They perched on the edge of Alec's bed and looked at it hesitantly.

"Not that it isn't lovely but I'm still not sure why-"

"Ssh, I'm thinking," Isabelle cut him off, frowning down at the necklace as though it had done her a personal insult. She ran her fingers gingerly across the stone, even lifting it up to her ear, screwing her eyes shut tightly and listening.

"Far be it from me to interrupt your process," Jace said sarcastically, "But I was under the impression that you're supposed to wear them, not listen to them like a seashell."

She opened her mouth to snap back a retort but then looked contemplative, "I guess, how long will it take though." Obviously not looking for an answer, she dragged Jace closer to her side so that their shoulders and legs were pressed tightly together, then brought their heads together so she could fit the necklace around the both of them. It was a tight squeeze, the chain not designed for more than one person to wear it, but since Isabelle was practically sitting in his lap by the point, they managed it. Before Jace could demand to know what she was doing, they both slumped into unconsciousness.

When their eyes next opened, there was very little to see. If the situation had been different, Isabelle would have been disappointed, having expected something much grander than the stark white landscape spread out as far as she could see.

The Warlock looked in as bad a shape as Alec, no doubt looking worse where he lay in the prisoner cubes below the manor. Dark hair hung lankly around his pallid and weary face, unnervingly sharp eyes shadowed and sunken, even though they were in a dream his legs still shook under the weight of his body. However, as they stood and approached him, Magnus straightened, holding himself with a strength he clearly didn't possess.

"I can't sustain this for long so we'll have to make it quick," he said in lieu of greeting, giving them both a quick eyeing up, "Isabelle and Jace, I take it?"

"And you must be Bane. Charmed," Jace tossed on a grin, "We can do the awkward meeting the family bit later. There's no time – we know you didn't kill Max. It certainly wasn't Alec so that leaves the one contender. Yes or no, did Sebastian kill him?"

Magnus gave what may have been an attempt at a smirk but that came out just as a grimace, "No, Sebastian didn't."

Isabelle shifted impatiently, "Then who?"

"Alec figured it out, I don't – it's not Sebastian, his name is Jonathan Morgenstern – he has demon blood," Magnus' eyes flickered shut momentarily, swaying where he stood. He hadn't been exaggerating when he said that he couldn't sustain the meeting for long and seemed to be trying to share as much information as he could, making very little sense in the process.

Isabelle held up a hand, "Slow down! Sebastian's not... Sebastian? What do you mean?"

Jace seemed to be following more closely than Isabelle, tawny eyes glinting dangerously, "It doesn't matter, Izzy. Demon blood, that's all we need to know," he stepped closer to Magnus, grabbing on to the Warlock's shoulders to keep him from keeling over, "Pull it together, you're not done yet. We need proof. Evidence. If this is what Alec was rushing back from the Verlac estate to tell me... oh – Izzy, he found something. Alec found something!"

Isabelle was fighting down a grin of her own now, "So we just need to find what he found. And then, then we can tell Mum and Dad."

Magnus jolted back, eyes suddenly much more lucid, "No Instruments, there aren't any, it's all just to see who is stronger. What are they planning, what are your leaders planning now?"

Jace scowled, trying to keep up with Magnus' frantic mumbling. It was Isabelle who answered now, in a placating voice, "It's... fine. We'll get the evidence, whatever it was that Alec found, and you'll be fine."

Magnus spluttered into laughter, an unhinged edge to it that had Isabelle and Jace exchanging wary glances.

"They're going to execute me, right? Of course. Oh, he planned it all. Downworlder General invades the Nephilim capital and murders an innocent child. What other choice do they have, they have to execute me. And that's all the incentive my fellow Generals will need after the District Nine fiasco. The final fight, full on guerilla warfare, exactly what Valentine's after."

Jace looked over at Isabelle uncertainly, "I think he's hysterical. Should I slap him?"

Isabelle ignored him, coming to stand in front of the Warlock and grasping his chin to force him to meet her eyes. "Forget about the war and your other Generals, alright? It doesn't matter right now. See, thing is, you've made Alec pretty damn happy this past year. That's no mean feat, trust me, I've busted my ass trying. So I'm not about to let anyone kill you – the only time someone can do that is if you fuck things up with my brother, and I'll be more than happy to do the honours then. So just sit tight, try not to get framed for any more murders and me and Jace are going to take care of it."

Magnus gave an exhausted little smile before slipping to the ground, the dream blinking into darkness instantly.

They left immediately, both riding the one horse so it would be less obvious that the stables had been used. Isabelle's arms were wound tightly around Jace's waist as he spurred the horse on as fast as it would go. It didn't take long to reach the Verlac estate, and they scoured the grounds carefully, looking for something, anything that would have incited suspicion in Alec.

Their search was in vain. The skeleton they were looking for that Alec had found that morning was long since removed.

Their evidence was gone.

"The Downworlder General, Magnus Bane of the Fourth District, will be executed."

By the day after Max's murder, there was not a soul in Alicante who had not heard the announcement. It was on the lips of every soldier, written hastily on slips of paper jammed in envelopes, whispered in meetings and corridors. One would have thought that a dead Downworlder was not cause for such commotion – after all, it was in the job description – but the significance of it being an execution of such a high up figure was not lost on even the most clueless of Shadowhunters.

It was to be a public execution, slated to occur on the following Saturday. It would happen in the courtyard outside the Town Hall, and everybody was invited. The more people who came for the show, the better. The decision for it to be a public execution was to make an example of this Downworlder, who had infiltrated their stronghold and taken the life of an innocent.

The only reason the execution was not to be carried out immediately was because the Shadowhunters needed time to prepare. Not for the execution itself, but for the inevitable backlash. As soon as the Warlock's heart stopped, the Downworlders would have all the invitation they needed to attack Alicante directly, and they were just waiting for that signal.

Alec had been freed that day, the Adults deeming the threat passed and any spell that had been cast on him definitely expired. He had barely left the infirmary before the announcement met his ears and it had been all he could do to keep himself composed and his anxiety contained.

Isabelle and Jace had been at his side instantly, filling him in on their failed expedition. He, in turn, told them everything he had seen and heard. There was no doubt in any of their minds now that Jonathan Morgenstern was the one who had killed their brother and who should have been reaping the consequences, but there was not a shred of evidence they could produce to prove it.

All day, the three of them struggled to form a plan, desperation eventually leading them to the Lightwoods. Pleading with their parents was the absolute last resort, and it amounted to nothing but deep concern that Alec was still under the influence of a spell. He couldn't explain how he knew Magnus was innocent without risking them knowing about his relationship with the Warlock, and fraternizing with the enemy was a sure-fire way to have your Marks stripped away. Alec accepted defeat completely when Robert started to tear up and said, "We're all having a hard time coping with what's happened, Alexander. I know it's a lot to take in but stop talking like that. I've lost Max – I won't risk you."

After that, a sense of helplessness descended on the three – well, Alec and Isabelle, at least. Jace had never really understood the concept of being helpless. Even as Alec's head swam with exhaustion and Isabelle dozed off on the couch, Jace was still pacing around, restless as though ready to burst free from his own skin. He eventually drew to a halt with his eyes assessing Alec's face, and he didn't like what he saw.

"We're going to find a way to do this – and it won't be that," he stated resolutely, leaving no room for argument. The thought was only just forming in Alec's mind yet Jace could already see it. Sometimes Alec forgot how perceptive his friend could be, through the layers of indifference and distance.

"Jace... we may be able to find a way to prove Magnus was innocent, what a sham this entire war is, maybe even make them see that we're being played like Valentine's toys... but we're not going to be able to pull it off before Saturday," Alec replied. Jace had expected resignation, but surprisingly, that was not the tone in which Alec spoke. There was a determination in him that he only ever saw when he and Isabelle were in danger, that deeply ingrained instinct to protect them always giving Alec so much more life. It was born from the most bone-deep kind of love, and this was the first time Jace had ever seen it directed at someone who wasn't him or another Lightwood.

"By the Angel, you love him, don't you?" Jace asked, stricken. It felt like the rug had been pulled out from beneath his feet. They were friends – no, brothers, by bond even if not blood, and how could it have been possible for someone to have made their way into his heart without Jace even noticing? And as Alec gave a tight-lipped nod, he felt the situation so much more keenly. Felt the pressure of the deadline they were facing, the risk of Alec, so newly vulnerable, being broken down, and it knocked him a bit sick.

"I have to save him, Jace," Alec said, and it was spoken as a concrete fact, "If there's even a single way that I am capable of keeping him alive, I have to do it, because I couldn't live with myself if I didn't."

Jace came to stand before him, jaw tight, "What do you need?"

There had been many times in Alec's life where he marvelled at having Jace – talented, otherworldly, brilliant Jace – as a friend, but none so much as that very moment. He felt himself smile for the first time in days.

"A diversion."

Alec stood in his bathroom, staring at the mirror, his breath fogging up the glass. It was Thursday now, two days before Magnus' execution, and his final day in Alicante. Carefully, his hands steady, he dragged the tip of his Stele over the curve of his shoulder, adding the final line to the intricate rune. It glinted darkly against his pale skin and Alec found himself staring at the black mark longer than it really deserved.

The Stele clattered to the floor as he lunged towards the toilet, throwing up the lid just in time to retch, stomach convulsing emptily. He panted, laying his forehead against the cool porcelain, and looked back over at the blade. It was beautiful, really. He'd never given the fact much thought – it was a weapon, after all, so long as it killed what it looked like didn't matter – but it suddenly struck him just how beautiful the ivory blade was.

He left the bathroom without picking it up.

Alec froze as he entered his bedroom. Isabelle was sitting on his bed, leafing absently through the small backpack on the mattress. She didn't look up as he entered, though her hands stilled, and she said softly, "If I asked you not to go, would you even consider it?"

Alec heaved a sigh, that spike of guilt he'd been careful to quash down now returning with a vengeance, "You know the answer to that." He made his way over to her, going to sit beside her but then second-thinking it as she tensed, instead leaving a large gap between them.

"It's funny," Isabelle murmured, more to herself than to him, "You always looked more at home with a book than with a knife."

Alec frowned, unsure what to make of that. A part of him had hoped a confrontation with Isabelle wouldn't happen. It was all hard enough, stripping away his familiar life piece by piece, without the added guilt. He feared it, really, having to see Isabelle, knowing that she could shatter his resolve with the right word or look.

"I won't ask, Alec. I want to, but I won't. But please," her voice thickened and it was a good thing her head was bowed because if Alec had seen the tears he'd have been undone, "don't hate me for not helping you. I already lost one brother, Alec, I can't take an active part in losing another."

He couldn't bear to see her face, as cowardly as it seemed to him, as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest. Burying his face in the back of her neck, he held as tightly as he could, probably hurting her, but it still wasn't tight enough. His own eyes burned and he let slip a few treacherous tears, knowing Isabelle could feel them dampening her shoulder. His voice was painfully tight when he choked out, "I never could, Izzy. I love you."

He left the room as fast as he could after that, knowing that if he stayed any longer, he'd be staying for good. If there was any small mercies in the entire situation, it was that he'd already said his goodbyes to Jace, and they'd been deliberately tear-free on both sides.

Alec had only the vaguest idea what the diversion was going to be, so was more than a little alarmed, though not at all surprised, when silence-shattering explosions rocked the ground. Judging from sound alone, they were coming from near the East wall – it didn't even matter what the explosions really were. The assumption the Adults would make was that the Downworlders were attacking early. Alec briefly hoped nobody was hurt, Jace could get a bit carried away with the theatrics, but then all his focus was on getting down to the basements, where Magnus was being held.

Alec met no obstructions along the way, the guards confident that Magnus was too weak to escape and eager to find out what the explosions had been about. The door wasn't even barricaded, the assumption being that nobody would be trying to go in regardless, and Magnus unable to even stand, let alone try and leave. Alec would have thought it all too easy if he didn't know the real risk he was taking.

Magnus was in much the same state as Alec had been days before. Strapped down to an infirmary cot, ensnared in that damn wire, as white as a sheet. Alec couldn't give himself a chance to fret, hastily unfastening the buckles holding the Warlock down. Once that was done, he slipped free the ordinary knife from his belt and, oh-so-careful not to touch the wire himself, cut Magnus free. It took longer than he liked but he didn't want to accidentally cut Magnus too, the man laced with enough fine but deep gashes as it was.

Free of the wire's drain, Magnus began to come round, a raw-throated groan gasping past his cracked lips. Alec dropped a hand to cover his mouth, looming over his partner so he was sure to be seen before Magnus panicked.

"There's no time to explain now. We're getting out of here. There's a rogue I've heard of, Lucian Graymark. He deserted years ago. Disagreed with the war so much he just up and left. He might help us out, at least let us stay with him for a few days. Can you stand?"

It soon became clear that Magnus couldn't stand, barely enough energy in him to keep his eyelids open, so Alec ended up essentially carrying him out of the room. Magnus may have been taller than Alec, but he was actually very light, barely any weight on him anyway, and Alec had carried heavier. Soon, they were outside – manoeuvring the stairs hadn't been fun – and the horse was waiting for them, just as Jace had said. Alec realised with a pang that it was the same one Jace had been grooming that day, the one he'd always sort of considered his own.

No. No time for sentimentalities. Gritting his teeth, Alec managed to get Magnus up onto the horse then hopped on behind him. Steadying the slumped Warlock against his chest, one arm around his waist and the other gripping the harness, they set off.

He did not look back at Alicante as they rode away, smothering the overwhelming urge to do just that, instead focusing on the heat of Magnus against his chest and the soft brush of hair against his cheek.

Magnus' eyes flickered open, the steady sway of the horse beneath them that had lulled him back to sleep now gone, replaced by a pair of hands shaking him roughly awake. He wasn't as empty as before, his body working to heal itself as soon as the wire had been cut away, and he could even sit up without support now.

They were on the edge of a forest, having cleared the trees, and a stretch of barren land lay before them. The air was cooling as evening drew in, though it held a thickness that suggested it had been quite hot before, and Magnus' clothes were a little damp. His mouth was parched too. Before he could even ask, Alec was pressing the mouth of a bottle to his lips and he gulped back the water greedily.

As soon as the bottle pulled away, Alec was pushing his mouth against Magnus', gripping the back of his neck tightly. There was something undeniably urgent about the kiss, chaste but a little desperate. Magnus responded immediately, hands scrabbling at Alec's shoulders to pull him closer, swiping his tongue across the Shadowhunter's lower lip. Alec moaned, but it was far from being one of pleasure.

Breaking away, Magnus rambled, "I'm sorry, about Max, I tried-"

Alec yanked him back in, shutting him up with another firm, closed lipped kiss. Pulling back again, he pressed their foreheads together, holding Magnus to him as though trying to get them as close together as possible. Sweat was soaking Alec's skin, more than the heat really demanded, and the breaths blowing out across Magnus' face were decidedly laboured.

"Alec, what's wrong?"

Alec's gaze wavered as he drew away. The first bit of space put between them seemed difficult but after that he scurried back faster, raising his hand in warning when Magnus attempted to follow. The Warlock could see now that something was definitely wrong, Alec shaking with violent tremors and his face crumpled in pain.

"They know what I've done. By now, they'll be... they'll be striking my name from the Clave Records. I can feel it starting. Listen, this if very important; very soon, I'm going to be stripped of my Marks. There's nothing you can do to stop it so don't try. Keep away until it's over," he enunciated these words very carefully, they rang like an order, "You'll know when it's over. Then you have to get me to Graymark's place as fast as you can. If you keep riding that way, you'll find it. Jace said he sent a message ahead, so it may have reached him. N-No matter what it looks like, I'm gonna be fine, alright?" Alec's eyes were shining as he spoke, the bluest Magnus had ever seen them, but not a single tear fell. There was a strength to his words even when his voice quivered with the rest of his body, nothing betraying the agonizing fear he felt.

When it happened, no amount of strength and reassurances from Alec could have prepared Magnus for the pure brutality of the process. As he watched, Alec bit back a scream, teeth tearing into the skin of his bottom lip with the effort to restrain himself. His entire body convulsed, the runes all over him blazing white, before black flames appeared from thin air and engulfed him. It was physically painful for Magnus to not help him, not even the knowledge that there wasn't a thing he could do enough to make it less horrifying to just sit by and watch.

And then it got worse. The smell of singing hair and melting flesh reached Magnus and his stomach turned, teeth gritting as he forced himself to abort the automatic movement he'd made towards Alec. A crackle sparked from his fingertips, spells running through his mind, trying to have the best one ready for when the flames disappeared and he could finally help. A cooling spell? A healing spell? One that would dull if not kill the pain?

The flames expanded, a surge of heat flinging Magnus back, before they disappeared completely. Alec collapsed to the ground with a single heart-wrenching sob, shaking uncontrollably. Magnus was at his side instantly, tentatively picking him up and cradling him to his chest. Where any rune had been, there was a horrendous burn, the skin blackened and tender. There was little blood but that was a small consolation. The spell screaming in his mind, Magnus let the blaze surging at his fingertips free, its healing power cloaking Alec.

Magnus rode, and no amount of Downworlders or Shadowhunters would stop him from reaching his destination.

Epilogue:

Three Months Later

"He's been using my grapefruit body wash again. I can actually smell him coming a mile off," Clary fumed as she entered the living room, dropping onto the worn couch beside Alec, "Have words, will you?"

Alec gave a slight snicker, not looking away from the fuzzy television screen. There was some reality show on, though he wasn't giving it too much attention, looking through it rather than at it. "I'd have several if they'd do any good. I'd just take the defeat, if I were you."

She gave a sigh, picking up the remote and switching it over to the news. There was little of value to get from it, the entire world at something of a stalemate. It was the same news every day; negotiations were being made, the Morgensterns were being searched for, a Council of some sort being formed between the Downworlders and the Shadowhunters. Until Valentine or his son were found, nothing could really be proved either way, despite increasing efforts from certain unnamed individuals. Alec's lip curled in a grin as they replayed old footage from about two months ago, one unnamed individual in particular being displayed, his golden eyes particularly vivid on camera.

It wasn't that bad at Luke's – he didn't like being called Lucian, apparently. The man hadn't even asked for an explanation when Magnus burst into his house, fingers blazing and a threat on his lips. He had just taken one look at Alec, slipping from Magnus' hands, and got to work. He was quite gruff but there was a hesitant kindness to the man, and he had made it clear that Magnus and Alec were welcome under his roof as long as they wanted to stay.

Luke didn't live alone, as Alec had expected of a rogue. Clarissa, who also didn't like being called by her actual name apparently, with hair as red as flames and eyes of emerald. She bore no resemblance to Luke, but there was no denying he was her Father, whether they shared blood or not. She had a spirit as vibrant as her features, though could turn suddenly taciturn without warning, and they'd learned to leave her to her own devices when such a mood struck. More often than not, however, she was keen for their company, very rarely having met anyone her own age. Alec liked her, if only because watching her spar with Magnus could be very entertaining.

That day, however, there was a heavy lethargy to his limbs. It happened sometimes, not in any kind of pattern that he could predict, but often enough to be expected. There were days when being around people just left him completely drained and he needed to escape to solitude, to recharge. Today was one of those days, his fingers beginning to tremble despite his efforts to keep them still, and he excused himself before Clary noticed.

When Magnus eventually came into their bedroom himself, the episode had fully hit Alec. He was curled in on himself, face tight and eyes scrunched shut in pain, his entire body shaking. Shutting the door over behind him, Magnus slipped off his shoes and climbed onto the bed, sliding down and curling himself around Alec's prone form.

They didn't speak. They never did when the phantom pains made an appearance, rendering Alec immobile and agonized. At first, Magnus had done nothing but talk, trying to distract Alec from the ghostly scorching of his skin, but he soon ran out of words and just took to holding him, making sure Alec knew he was there while the younger man rode out the pain. It happened when he was thinking too hard, when he wondered how Isabelle was doing or how Jace was coping as the face of peace he had become. In a way, Alec brought it upon himself, but he just couldn't help it. He had to think about them because it was the only way he could be close to them any more.

And so Magnus held him and stayed silent, knew better than to try and bring up the subject of Alec's pining, until the tension drained from his partner's limbs and Alec turned around in his hold to bring their bodies closer together.

Sometimes, on nights like these, Magnus wondered if Alec ever regretted it – them, loving him, losing everything he was to save him – and it was then that Alec became the comforter, as though able to sense the uncertainty. It would surprise most who knew them to find that it was mostly Alec who initiated anything more than a cuddle, and it was always when Magnus most needed that closeness. To be certain of Alec's love for him, to be reassured that Alec felt no resentment even though Magnus thought himself to blame, to feel the reality of Alec in his arms.

Things were far from perfect. The war may have reached a stalemate but it could be triggered by the smallest of things. There was a void in Alec that Magnus could not fill, no matter how hard he tried, unable to mask the loss of his family. Magnus' guilt could not be entirely dismissed, despite Alec's reassurances and earnest declarations of love. And yet, they were happy, despite it all. They were together in a way that could not be matched by dreams and battles, a united front against all that would destroy them, their ow makeshift family in the shape of Luke and Clary.

It was far from perfect, but their story had never been a fairytale, and this was as close to a Happily Ever After as they could hope for.

۞

.end.

۞

AN: Phew! To think this was meant to be a oneshot. It's ended up at fifty two pages. Early update since I won't be able to get online tomorrow or Tuesday (effing deadlines /grumble). I typed up a lot of this fic on my phone and predictive text kept changing nephilim to necrophiliac. I only realised about 10K words in. It could have been a very different kind of story.

A huge thanks to Kiyori-chan, looktothesky711, Echoing Dreams, ByeByeMissAmericanPie, DisturbingEmily, Cadence of my dying Breath, yomoe13, WhySoCuriousGeorge, Miss Regina Star, GO NATURE, GixieChic, Humanized Serenity and ItsFunnierInEnochian for reviewing!

And a thank you to all the readers. I hope you've enjoyed the story!