This was originally the first chapter of an AU that I only had the vaguest plans for. I've reworked it as a missing scene instead, since the AU will probably never be written. I hope you enjoy it!

Title comes from "6 Months" by Hey Monday.

Disclaimer: I don't own TMI.

The battle is over, and both Alec and Magnus are still alive.

This is the first thought that strikes Alec Lightwood as the smoke clears around himself and Magnus Bane, his lover (Partner? Boyfriend? What label can fit all that is Magnus Bane and all that he means to Alec?). There are no more demons running to fight them, no more attacks leaving them scrambling for cover. Alec warily lowers his sword and the blue fire in Magnus's hands slowly fizzles out until all that remains are sparks.

For a moment, Alec and Magnus just look at each other, savoring the fact that yes, the battle is over, and yes, they're both still alive. Then Alec closes the distance between them in one step and kisses Magnus. All of the pent-up worry that both of them had been hiding through the fight is coming out, and Alec and Magnus are gripping each other as if for dear life.

"We're alright," Magnus whispers, running a hand through Alec's hair. "We're alright, love."

"I know," Alec replies, but his hands are still shaking. There was one horrible moment during the fighting when he felt a burst of agony through the parabatai bond and then an awful nothingness, but his connection with Jace is back now. He doesn't know what happened, but whatever it was, it's over. The battle is over. They're safe.

Alec cups Magnus' face with his hands and kisses him again. The moment is perfect until it's ruined by a voice.

"Disgusting."

Alec jumps, looking around, but he has no way of knowing who said it. People are staring, which is what Alec would expect, after the display he and Magnus put on in front of the entire Clave. The cruel remark isn't even that surprising either.

"Traitor," another voice says, and Alec whirls around but he can't pinpoint that voice either. Magnus looks resigned.

"Unnatural," another voice says, and Magnus takes Alec's hand as tightly as he can and marches them away.

"Do you know who it was?" Alec asks. "I can't believe-"

"I can," Magnus interrupts. His voice is very serious. "Alec, do you want to end this?"

"What?" Alec cries. "What the- Why would I want to end this?"

"Because that" - Magnus points angrily at the crowd of Shadowhunters - "is going to be the new normal for you. I don't want to put you through that, Alec."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Alec asks in a very small voice. "Do you not want me?"

"No!" Magnus protests instantly. "God no. I love you, Alec. But if it's what's best for you, I'll let you go."

"You're what's best for me," Alec replies, and Magnus lets out a sound that sounds to be something between a chuckle and a scoff.

"If that's what you believe, I won't argue. I'm selfish, Alec, very much so. I won't fight you, even though I know you'd be happier without me."

Alec yanks Magnus to a stop and looks him in the eyes. "Shut up," he snaps. "Shut up right now. I love you, damn it, and only I get to choose what's best for me. The most important thing to me right now is you. So shut up and kiss me." Magnus does as he's told and kisses Alec softly. Alec pushes for more, is desperate for more, but Magnus stays teasingly gentle.

"Calm down, love," Magnus whispers as Alec again fights for more passion. "We did just fight a war, after all." The sentence serves to remind Alec of just how much his body aches, now that the adrenaline has worn off. He's fairly certain he's got broken ribs and his left shoulder is dislocated. It's nothing he can't fix with an iratze, though. Magnus just seems to be exhausted, but he's also bruised and, judging by his limp, his ankle is either broken or sprained. Alec would guess broken. The battle may have only lasted about ten minutes, but it felt like it went on for much longer.

"Can you help me with my shoulder?" Alec asks. "I want to pop it back in."

"I can do it," Magnus replies. "Should I do the typical 'count of three' thing and then actually pop it in before that, or should I just fix it?" Before Alec has the chance to reply, Magnus quickly pops Alec's shoulder back in the socket. Alec gives him a sour look.

"I'm a Shadowhunter, you know. I don't need you to trick me like that. I can deal with it."

Magnus waves his protest away. "Do you need help healing anything?"

Alec frowns. "Are you sure you could even heal me? You look exhausted."

"Oh, I doubt I could do it." Magnus shrugs. "But I could try, if you need help."

"I'll just use an iratze," Alec replies. "Save your energy for yourself. You don't look too good either."

"I'm fine," Magnus replies dismissively. "I just need to rest for a while." He tries to take a step forward, but he crumples when he realizes his ankle can't hold any of his weight. It's probably broken, and without adrenaline, there's nothing to buffer the pain. Magnus's face pales as it hits him.

"Could you give me a hand?" he asks. Alec wraps an arm around Magnus' waist and supports him as they slowly limp away from the battlefield. Magnus flinches every time he puts even a hint of weight on his broken ankle, and frankly, Alec's surprised he's still able to walk at all.

"Where should we go?" Alec asks. His parents didn't disown him on the spot for kissing Magnus, but he's not sure that they're quite ready for him to bring Magnus home to them.

"We could go to Ragnor Fell's house," Magnus offers wearily. "He's dead, but I can get past his wards."

"Where is it?" Alec asks. He hopes it's close; Magnus seems like he's going to collapse any second.

"It's a while away," Magnus admits. "Right outside the city."

Alec frowns. "I don't think we'll be able to get there if it's that far away," he replies. Magnus doesn't respond. "Can you think of anywhere else?"

"Alec? Magnus?" They both turn to see Luke coming towards them, Jocelyn behind him. "Good to see you! Are you alright?"

Alec shoots Magnus a slightly dubious look before nodding. "We're fine. How are you?"

"We're fine as well," Jocelyn replies. "Are you two sure you're okay? I'm surprised your parents let you fight, Alec. You can't be an adult yet, can you?"

"I'm eighteen," Alec replies. "Mom and Dad didn't like it, but they couldn't stop me."

"What surprised me was that kiss in front of the Clave," Luke adds, grinning widely. "It's about time you two finally told everyone you were dating. I support you two wholeheartedly, just so you know."

"Well, at least someone does," Alec mutters bitterly.

Luke frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Some of the other Shadowhunters aren't as supportive as you," Magnus puts in, his voice hoarse. His usually tanned skin is pale as a sheet and he's obviously in pain. Alec wonders if there's more than just the ankle bothering him. His face has taken on the ashen quality that it always has when he's completely drained his magic.

"Do you want to come with us to my sister's house?" Luke asks, obviously noticing the same thing. "We could get you cleaned up. You can even stay there if you don't have anywhere else to go. I'm sure Amatis can find a place for you."

"Thank you," Alec replies. Magnus feels even more unsteady next to him and Alec doesn't know how much longer he can stay conscious. They start following Luke and Jocelyn back to the city. Magnus is trying his hardest to walk on his own, but Alec is still supporting a lot of his weight.

"Just so you know," Jocelyn tells Alec softly, "if you ever need anything, my door is open. Even though your spell clearly stopped working, Bane."

"I told you," Magnus banters back, and his voice is scarily weak. It makes Alec's heart clench. Jocelyn looks worried too, though she tries to hide it and act normal. "Visits every two years. It's not my fault you missed the latest one."

"I missed… You went to Tanzania! And then I was kidnapped!"

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think Jace plans on ever letting Clary do much fighting," Alec puts in. Jocelyn looks slightly pacified at that, at least.

"I do apologize," Magnus tells Jocelyn sincerely. "But I am here for any of the young Shadowhunters if they need me, your daughter included. Occupational hazard of being Alec's boyfriend. I don't even charge for it."

"I'm sure that's a challenge for you," Jocelyn replies teasingly. Magnus smiles slightly. His next step is a stumble that almost makes both himself and Alec fall. Jocelyn, thankfully, is close enough to be able to swoop in and help Alec support Magnus.

"Magnus, are you alright?" Alec demands.

"Somewhat," Magnus mumbles. His legs give our under him completely and Alec gently brings him to the ground. Jocelyn stands next to them, looking worried. "Perhaps not."

"Magnus! What's wrong?" Magnus is looking at Alec, but it's all wrong; his eyes are unfocused and glassy. Alec's still wondering what to do when Magnus's eyes flutter shut and he slumps to the side. Alec grabs him before he can hit the ground.

"What's wrong with him?" Jocelyn asks. Alec wants to check Magnus over for wounds right there, but he knows he should get him to a clean bed first.

"I don't know," he tells Jocelyn. "He's exhausted and he has a broken ankle, but beyond that, I have no idea."

"Can you carry him or should I?" Luke asks. Alec looks at Magnus for a moment. He wants to be the one to carry him, but his ribs are really starting to hurt. Still, he doesn't want to impose on Luke.

"I can do it," he replies. Luke frowns.

"You look like you're about to pass out as well. Let me. Please. It's no trouble."

"Luke is already healed," Jocelyn explains. "Werewolves heal quickly. But you look like something's bothering you. Do you want me to draw an iratze for you?"

"If it's not too much trouble, some help would be nice," Alec says shyly. Luke smiles softly and scoops Magnus up into his arms. It's strange; unconscious and in Luke's strong arms, Magnus looks very young, but if he's really eight hundred years old as he claims, he was old before Luke's grandparents were even thought of. It's a slightly comforting thought. Magnus has been around for eight hundred years. He won't die now, not like this.

"Where are you hurt, Alec?" Jocelyn asks.

Alec puts his hand to his chest. "Broken ribs. I can do this myself, Mrs. Fray."

"Jocelyn, please. And I don't mind. Could you…" Knowing what she needs, Alec pulls his shirt off as gently as he can. It still hurts. "I'm sorry if it's painful, but it'll be better soon," Jocelyn says softly. She takes out her own stele, though Alec would have been willing to let her use his, and draws an iratze with a feather-light touch. Almost instantly, the pain lessens. "Do you need another one?" Jocelyn asks.

Alec shakes his head. "No, I think I'm good. Thank you." Carefully, he pulls his shirt back on. He and Jocelyn begin walking again, with Luke right behind them.

"Amatis's house is only a minute or so away," Jocelyn tells Alec when he shoots what he thinks is a discreet glance at Luke and Magnus behind them. "Then you can check on Magnus."

"Am I that obvious?" Alec asks ruefully.

Jocelyn smiles. "You saw him before, when Clary did the rune that made people see who they love. I saw you looking from Clary to Magnus." It's not a question. Alec doesn't even think about denying it. "You love him, truly."

"I do," Alec replies. "No matter what."

Jocelyn takes a right turn and goes up to a house. "It doesn't look like Amatis is home yet, Luke," she calls.

"I have a key in my pocket," Luke replies. He looks down at Magnus, then at Alec. "Um, Alec, could you-"

"It's fine," Jocelyn interrupts, sticking her hand in Luke's pocket. Luke's face goes bright red. Undisturbed, Jocelyn pulls out a key and goes over to unlock the door. She lets them in and pulls out a witchlight, illuminating the whole entryway. Jocelyn and Luke stride in confidently, with Jocelyn lighting the house up as she goes.

"I'll bring Magnus upstairs to my bed and you can look him over," Luke tells Alec. "And if he's not well enough to be moved, you can stay there. I'll take the couch."

"Oh, no, we couldn't-" Alec instantly protests, but Luke will have none of it.

"I insist. Come on, follow me." As much as he feels he should protest for the sake of politeness, Alec does want Magnus to have an actual bed to lie in. He follows Luke up to his room on the second floor. It's small, but it's more than enough.

"Thank you," Alec tells Luke emphatically as he gently puts Magnus down on the bed.

Luke smiles. "We weren't going to leave you out there alone."

"Yes, but you had no reason to have to help us," Alec counters. The other Shadowhunters wouldn't have, certainly.

"Alec." Luke takes Alec by the shoulders and forces him to look up at him. "I understand that there's a backlash because of who you are and who you love. But you shouldn't listen to it. What's that saying? 'Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind.'" As inspirational as Luke's being, he doesn't make Alec feel much better. He seems to understand that and sighs. "Look, what I'm saying is, I'll be here for you. And so will Jocelyn, and I'm sure your family will be too." Luke squeezes Alec's shoulder gently, then leaves the room quietly.

Alec keeps Luke's advice in mind, but he isn't really thinking about it as he starts to check over Magnus. His clothes are black, so it's hard to see any blood or wounds. But there's one spot that looks different under the witchlight that Alec holds above it, and shit is that blood?

Alec puts a gentle hand to the spot. Magnus winces and Alec quickly withdraws his hand. He gently takes Magnus' shirt off. The source of the bleeding is quickly revealed and Alec hisses in a sharp breath. There are claw marks along Magnus's side, poisoned by the look of it. They're definitely from a demon. Alec wonders why the hell Magnus didn't say anything about it. There's nothing he can do for them, considering Magnus can't be marked with iratzes. Alec hates feeling this helpless.

Suddenly, a thought comes to Alec. Since he and Magnus still have their Alliance rune, can Alec use magic to heal Magnus? He knows the rune is working; when he and Magnus were fighting, he could feel Magnus's power thrumming somewhere low in his gut. Magnus fought with the strength of a Shadowhunter, using Alec's own skill. It's worth a try, at least.

Carefully, Alec cups Magnus' broken ankle in his hands and tries to concentrate on healing it. The magic Alec releases isn't blue like Magnus's, it's a gold-tinted green. He can feel the magic power slithering beneath the skin, slipping into the crack in the bone and knitting it back together. Alec knows the second Magnus is healed; he feels it before the magic withdraws.

"Wow," he whispers to himself. That was potentially the strangest thing he's ever done, and Alec has done some really weird things. Magnus doesn't stir, which worries Alec, but there's very little more he can do. He doesn't trust himself to heal the claw wounds with magic, so he'll have to deal with them the old fashioned way.

"Do you know where bandages are?" he asks Jocelyn, halfway down the stairs. Luke seems to have gone out, but Jocelyn's there and she grabs some bandages immediately, bringing them over to Alec.

"Are you hurt?" she asks, looking worried. "Or is it Magnus?"

"Magnus," Alec replies shortly. Jocelyn instantly starts going up the stairs. "Mrs. Fray, what are you-"

"Jocelyn, please. And I'm going upstairs to help you with Magnus. I know a bit about how to treat people without using iratzes."

"I can-"

"Alec, please let me help. Magnus has become a friend in the past sixteen years. I want to do what I can for him."

"Thank you," Alec finally says.

Jocelyn smiles. She starts up the stairs. "You're in Luke's bedroom, right?"

"Yes. He was kind enough to let us borrow it for the night."

"And how is Magnus?" Jocelyn asks. "I know his ankle is broken, but what else?"

"Um, his ankle isn't broken anymore," Alec replies shyly. "I sort of used the magic I got from the Alliance rune and healed it."

"You did?" Jocelyn sounds surprised. "That's impressive."

"But I don't know how to heal this," Alec says as they enter the bedroom. Magnus is still lying on the bed, still and pale as a ghost. Jocelyn immediately sees the claw wounds and gasps.

"Do you know what demon did this?" she asks.

Alec shakes his head. "I think they're poisoned," he tells her.

Jocelyn nods. "Looks like it. I don't know how much we can do. When he wakes up, Magnus can probably heal it himself."

"Well, not quite," a hoarse voice contradicts. It's Magnus, who's just opening his eyes weakly. Alec lets out a relieved breath, then Magnus's words hit him.

"What do you mean, 'not quite'?"

Magnus sighs. "I can't heal myself of something this serious," he tells Alec. "I need someone else to do it."

"What? Why?!" Alec demands. "You healed me when I was poisoned by Abbadon! Why can't you heal yourself from this…what kind of poison is this anyway?"

"Cravnek demon, I think," Magnus replies, his voice breathy. "And the spell is far too difficult for anyone to perform on themselves. I need…" Magnus's voice breaks as his hands fly to his side, his face twisting in pain. Alec feels helpless and hates it.

"What do you need?" Jocelyn asks gently.

Magnus regains his composure with obvious effort. "Alec," he gasps. "You need to do it."

"What?" Alec cries, his eyes going wide. "Me? But I…"

"You have my power. I'll tell you how. Please, Alec, I don't-" Magnus is cut off by another bout of pain that leaves him gasping for breath.

"Magnus!" Alec cries out. Jocelyn wrings her hands in worry, but Alec doesn't notice it. "I'll do it," he promises desperately. "I'll do it, just tell me how!"

"You need…" Magnus lets out a noise that sounds like a strangled whimper. Alec bites his lip. "You need to put your hands on the wound." Alec does as he's told. "Now, listen carefully. You need to feel the poison. Feel it traveling through my veins." As much as Alec hates to think about it, he concentrates on what Magnus says. "Now, picture the poison changing direction and going back out through the wound. Can you imagine it?" Alec nods. "Keep thinking of it. Concentrate hard." The first hint of silvery poison oozes out of the wound. Alec lets out a shaky sigh. "Keep concentrating," Magnus tells Alec firmly. Alec does so and more poison slithers out. It burns into nothing when it makes contact with the air. Alec keeps concentrating until the stream narrows to a trickle, and then it ends.

"Is that all?" Alec asks. Magnus nods. He still looks pale and drawn. "Are you alright?"

"I've been giving you my strength and power through the rune connection," Magnus tells Alec. "I'm completely drained. I need to rest."

"You two both need to rest," Jocelyn instructs. "No protests, Alec. You've had a very long day. Go to sleep."

"We will, Mrs. Fray," Magnus says, cutting off Alec's protest it even begins. "Thank you so much for your help."

"You really are a flatterer, aren't you?" Jocelyn asks with a smile. "You're welcome, Magnus. Now go to sleep."

Alec looks at Magnus as Jocelyn slips out. "I should really bandage your side," he says, even though he really wants to sleep.

"If you wish," Magnus replies. Alec quickly wraps the bandages around Magnus's abdomen as well as he can before nuzzling into Magnus's uninjured side.

Magnus puts an arm around him. "We'll be alright," he says softly. Alec nods sleepily. As long as Magnus is by his side, he knows that's true.