Alec knew it wasn't Magnus, but it was his eyes, and his voice, and it hurt so much.

"Magnus, please. Don't do this, you can fight it!"

The warlock's eyes were cold, and his voice hard, as he came after the love of his life, with balls of magic curling around his palms.

"What if I don't want to? What are you worth to me? A few years? One measly lifetime? You are a blink of an eye; a memory lost among thousands of others. You are nothing to me."

Alec let out another sob as he desperately tried to crawl away from his boyfriend. They'd been spending the day together, and it had been perfect, until Magnus had changed.

His shoulders shook, body curling in on itself as he groaned out a warning.

"Alec. It's a…ugh, it's a demon. I can't stop it. Run."

And then his eyes turned cruel and he'd laughed hysterically. It was so unlike Magnus it had made Alec shiver. His voice was tinged with humour.

"Too late, little shadowhunter."

Alec had tried to stop him, tried to draw a devil's trap on the floor, but the demon was faster, and it had broken Alec's arm before he could make a single mark. That agony, that white hot pain, blurred Alec's mind, and he couldn't think clearly.

And now, the demon stalked its prey, slowly advancing on Alec as he tried to crawl towards the apartment door. Izzy and Jace were trying to get in, but were being kept out by Magnus' wards. Alec wasn't even sure how the demon had gotten past it.

The demon threw another ball of magic, one of many that had already been thrown, among kicks and punches and every ugly insult that the demon could find that would hurt Alec.

The ball of flame struck the Nephilim in the chest as he screamed. The concentrated orbs of magic hit like a bat, slamming the shadowhunter to the ground with a force that made several of his ribs snap. Alec sobbed again, unbroken arm wrapping around his chest as he tried to reason with the body the demon was in.

"Magnus, I know this isn't you. It's okay. You'll be okay, we'll get it out. Just…please try to fight it."

Jace and Isabelle could hear it all, and slammed at the door with renewed vigour, at the desperation in Alec's voice. Jace could feel everything his brother did, and he knew that Alec was hurt. His own hands were bloodied, and still he hit them against the doors, desperate to save his Parabatai.

It was agony, hearing and feeling his best friend being hurt by the man he loved, while being shut out, unable to help.

Isabelle cursed as she tried every rune and resource she knew to break the wards and get through, but none were working.

Again, the demon came closer, as Alec backed himself against a wall. He had nowhere else to go and he couldn't stop him on his own.

Usually, when possessed by a demon, the victim has no control and doesn't remember it happening afterwards. Alec knew that feeling for himself; that strange hollowness, the loss of time. But because Magnus was part demon, he had more say over what his body did. He didn't have much control, but he couldn't bear to hurt Alec anymore.

Using every ounce of strength he had, Magnus forced the demon to the back of his consciousness, and took over his own body, just for a second. But a second was all he needed.

Alec watched Magnus' steps falter, stumbling as he regained control, before he flung out an arm and took down his wards, allowing Jace and Izzy through. His eyes were full of apologies, and he opened his mouth to tell Alec he loved him, only to growl instead.

The demon took back control, angry at being overpowered, and roared, running at Alec with hands lit up with flames.

"You'll pay for that warlock!"

Alec flinched, curling into a ball against the wall, but those flames never came. Jace and Izzy burst through the apartment doors, weapons raised, and the demon was tackled to the floor, slamming against the hardwood.

Jace struggled to hold the warlock's hand's down, but he and his siblings had wrestled enough times that he knew about fifty different ways to pin his opponent beneath him. Finally, he had the demon subdued, hands twisted behind him, useless, as it screamed in rage.

Isabelle raced around the two, quickly drawing a devil's trap on the floor and beginning her chant. It was a prayer, and a spell, one to exercise the demon and trap it back in hell.

The demon struggled, pulling Magnus' face into an expression of pain and hate as it was dragged back to hell. Jace pressed it down harder, while doing his best not to hurt the body it was dwelling in.

"Get out of Magnus!"

The demon's screams grew louder and more desperate as Isabelle came to the end of the exorcism, and finally Magnus' eyes rolled up into his head and he went limp. The demon was gone.

Jace scrambled off him, carefully rolling him over as Izzy knelt beside them. Jace gently shook his shoulder.

"Magnus?"

Nothing happened. Alec whimpered from his place against the wall, as he watched Jace grow more worried. The blonde lifted a hand towards him.

"Stay there, buddy. Don't move." And then he turned to his sister, voice quiet.

"Iz, he's not breathing."

The Lightwood girl let out a small curse and went to start compressions, when finally, the warlock shot straight up and gasped. Jace jumped back in fright before taking the other man's shoulder and leaning down to look into his eyes. They were widened in fright, and Jace kept his voice calm and quiet.

"Magnus? You're okay now; the demons gone. I'm going to check on Alec. Izzy stay with him."

Magnus looked up at the mention of his angel's name, and Jace sprinted over to his brother. Alec was trying to make his way over to the others, but his head pounded and he hurt so bad. His chest was tight, and he couldn't get enough air in, as he stood on shaky legs, only to fall back on his knees, with a grunt of pain, after the first step.

Jace caught the Nephilim before the rest of him could hit the ground, and he cradled him in his lap as he spoke softly to him.

"Alec, just stay still, we'll get you both fixed up, but I can't have you moving. Lay still."

But Alec didn't care about himself, he needed to know how his boyfriend was doing. He struggled to sit up in Jace's arms, whole body shaking as his vision blurred.

"Is he okay? Is Magnus okay?"

Jace nodded, looking briefly over to where Magnus was slumped and ragged but sitting up, as Izzy checked him over. He looked shell shocked, eyes frightened as he looked at Alec.

Jace turned back to his brother, and gently lifted Alec's shirt in order to activate his iratze rune.

"He's fine, he's just worried about you. Let me see that arm."

Magnus may have been free of the demon but he remembered Alec's pleas for mercy, and his screams of agony as he'd attacked him. He could remember the way Alec's bones had sounded when they broke.

Isabelle whispered reassurances to him as she wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, but he heard none of it as he shook on the ground.

Jace did his best to treat Alec without hurting him further, but the broken arm couldn't even be touched without causing pain. Magnus couldn't watch anymore, he couldn't see that arm laying at such an unnatural position, and he couldn't hear Alec whimper any longer. It was his fault, he'd done that to him.

The warlock stood on shaky feet, and ran to the bathroom, throwing up as tears streamed down his cheeks.

Izzy came to his aid, kneeling beside him, and rubbing his back as he tried to catch his breath. He didn't even have to say anything; she'd been in his shoes before and she knew the guilt he felt.

"It wasn't you, Magnus. He knows that."

But the warlock shook his head. "I wasn't strong enough to stop it. It was my hands that hurt him, Isabelle. My voice that said those horrible things. How could he ever forgive me? How could he ever look at me again without seeing that monster?"

He dissolved into sobs, and the shadowhunter took him in her arms. She rubbed a hand over his back, her words coming out with a sigh.

"Because he loves you."

…

"Alec, lay back down or I swear to the angel, I will knock your ass out." Jace was getting impatient with his brother; having to tell him off more than a few times, but the shadowhunter just didn't want to stay in the infirmary.

"I have to talk to him, I need to make sure he's okay!" Jace gently pushed Alec back into the bed and pulled his blankets back over him, before readjusting the Iv on his arm.

"And I need to make sure you're okay. Izzy's with Magnus, he'll be all right, but you seriously need to stay in bed. Just let me look after you."

He was fussing and he knew it but Alec was always a difficult patient; he never liked being kept down for long. Alec sighed in defeat and slumped back in his pillows as Jace carefully placed ice packs all over him.

He hurt all over, his arm still throbbing despite the amount of pain meds in his system, and he had a migraine from the concussion he'd sustained. He watched Jace as he adjusted pillows with his own bandaged hands.

He'd banged on the apartment door so hard and for so long, that he'd ripped the skin over his knuckles and broken a few fingers. Of course, he hadn't complained, but Alec noticed anyway.

"Thanks for saving us."

Jace nodded, not looking up from his work. His voice was causal, as if banishing demons and saving lives was no big deal. "You know I'll always come save you. I'm just glad you're okay. Magnus will be too, and I did my best not to hurt him when I attacked the demon. He might have some bruises though."

Alec took his hand, making it pause from where it had been drawing an iratze on the Lightwood's side.

"I mean it. Thank you. That demon would have killed me if you hadn't stopped it."

Jace looked uncomfortable at the thought, and shrugged, frowning at a bruise and a graze over Alec's jaw.

"You've handled worse before. You could have taken him."

"No, I couldn't." His voice was quiet as he looked up at the ceiling. "I didn't even fight back, Jace. I couldn't hurt Magnus."

The image of Alec laying on the ground, broken and bloodied by Magnus' hands, struck Jace so hard that he shuddered. He gave his hands something to do, to take his mind off the horrible image of his brother being killed by the person he loved most, and carefully cleaned the graze on Alec's face, making him wince.

"Well it's a good thing Izzy and I were there then." He was clearly upset, and Alec let out a soft sigh and took his parabatai's hand.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to… Thanks for taking care of me." Jace gave him a reassuring smile, and squeezed his hand back.

"Anytime."

…

It was a few days until Jace let Alec leave his bed, and in that time, he hadn't managed to get Magnus on the phone.

Izzy said he was fine, just shaken and feeling guilty after the whole awful ordeal, but Alec was worried. He knew exactly what Magnus was going through, he'd buried himself in his guilt when he killed Joycelyn and hadn't let anyone help shoulder the pain. Until Magnus took it from him.

Alec needed to know he was okay, and he needed Magnus to know that there was nothing to be sorry for.

He was still healing, and his arm was in a cast, but he was feeling much better and he finally talked Jace into letting him go so he could talk to his boyfriend.

He headed straight for the apartment, finding the doors tightly shut and the wards back up and stronger than before.

Alec was usually the only person that could enter whenever he liked, because he considered it home too. But this time it was locked, and so, he resorted to knocking.

"Magnus it's me."

The apartment was quiet for a few moments before Alec could hear something like ice clinking in a glass, and then a soft voice from close behind the door.

"Alexander. Are you, all right? How badly did I….?"

Alec leant against the door, hating the distance between him and his warlock.

"I'm fine, Jace fixed me up."

Another pause and then Magnus' sombre voice.

"Then you should go."

"Magnus." The name came with a breath of surprise. Alec pounded on the door again.

"I'm worried about you, please just let me in."

He didn't hear anything for a few moments, and thought that Magnus was ignoring him, until the wards shimmered and fell around the door, as it opened, allowing Alec through.

The shadowhunter found him on the balcony, looking out over the city with a glass in his hand. Alec walked over to him but the warlock didn't turn.

"Magnus, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

He wanted to reach for him, but Magnus was keeping his distance, and hadn't even looked at him yet.

"I'm fine. You're not."

Alec stepped closer. "I'm healing, I'll be okay. Hey, come on, look at me."

The warlocks head lowered and he set his glass down, fingers curling into fists.

"I can't. How can you be here? How can you stand to look at me?" His voice was shaky, and it was evident that he was hurting. Alec came up behind him, reaching for one of his hands.

"It wasn't you, Magnus."

The warlock let out a small trembling breath, tears blurring his vision as Alec's fingers curled around his.

"I hurt you. I said such horrible things."

Alec pulled gently on his hand, turning him around to face him, but Magnus kept his eyes closed and his face ducked low. There were tears trailing down his cheeks, and Alec's breath hitched at the sight of them.

"No, you didn't. That's what the demon did, and it's gone now. It can't hurt us anymore."

Magnus still wouldn't look at him, but Alec was standing so close now, and he lifted Magnus' hand to his mouth, kissing the fingers as the warlock curled them away as if it hurt to be given affection.

"Alexander." The name came as a plea, but Alec wouldn't let him be pushed away. He wouldn't let Magnus hurt on his own.

"That wasn't you. You wouldn't say those things and you would never hurt me."

Using his good hand, Alec guided Magnus' palm to his own cheek, pressing it to his face. His voice was insistent and calm. Magnus couldn't get the image of Alec cowering away from him, out of his head, but Alec wasn't afraid.

"This is you. Here with me. You kiss me every morning, and make tea in your robe, and you like to sing when you think I can't hear you."

Magnus let out a sob, eyes still tightly shut as Alec brushed his hair back with a gentle finger.

"You like to spoil me, even though I tell you every time that all I need is you. I fall asleep with you wrapped around me, and wake up with your hand in mine, and I've never been happier in my life, than when I'm with you. You've given me everything I ever wanted, and never thought I could have. You are Magnus Bane, you are my boyfriend, and you are everything good in this world. That thing that hurt me wasn't any part of you."

Magnus moved his hand from Alec's cheek, down to the Nephilim's chest, where he could grip his shirt and feels his heart thumping beneath his fingers.

Alec spoke again, taking Magnus' other hand and squeezing it in comfort. "Open your eyes. Look at me, baby, come on."

Magnus took a shuddering breath, and slowly opened his eyes, only to step away from the shadowhunter and sob again as he took in the damage to his boyfriend. The bruises over every part of his skin, the cast on his arm, the grazes over his face.

"Oh god, what have I done. Look at you, my poor angel. I'm so sorry."

Alec didn't let the warlock move away, taking his waist, and pulling him back to his chest.

"You didn't do this. You would never do this. Magnus, kiss me."

The immortal shook his head, eyes unable to stray away from the deep black bruises smeared across Alec's collarbone where he'd kicked him.

Alec didn't relent, voice dipping to a breathy whisper as he held Magnus close, noses brushing, their lips only a breath apart.

"Kiss me."

Magnus surged forward, pressing his lips to Alec's perfect mouth with a shaking gasp. He tasted the way he always had; like safety and home, and everything he'd ever wanted.

Alec's heart was thumping under his palm, as the Nephilim buried his fingers in his hair at the back of his head.

Everything else melted away. He wasn't that horrible thing, he wasn't cruel and his hands weren't the fists that had beaten Alec down. His hands were soft where they touched his angel, fingers brushing across Alec's cheek.

He was not the cold, hard, voice that told Alec he meant nothing; he was a man with a heart bursting at the seams with love. That's all they were, in that moment. Two people in love.

He finally broke the kiss, and Alec smiled, seeing the grief and pain gone from his boyfriend's face. "There you are. My beautiful warlock."

Magnus finally relaxed in his hold, and Alec pulled him to his chest for a hug. He was enveloped in safety, and Magnus breathed a sigh of relief.

"I love you, Alexander."

Alec kissed his temple, and squeezed him tight.

"I love you too, Magnus."