The chapters I have written for this are too long to post as one (for some reason it keeps capping me at about 3k, but each chapter is 6) so I'm going to divide them and try to post. If you want to read them properly, check out AO3. ENJOY!

Alec's pulse beat quickly in his throat as he lay in the bed. The sheets were wrapped around his bed partner, the blankets curling on themselves and pooling on the floor wherever they wanted. The space between Alec and the boy next to him was cool, and Alec couldn't believe what he was about to do.

Carefully, Alec extracted himself from the mussed bed. His breath was shallow with apprehension as he made his way to his backpack on the floor, but his footfalls still sounded too loud to his own ears. Surely, Jonathan would hear him, and then…

And then, what? He asked himself. It Jonathan couldn't do anything to him, not when Alec sustained him like he did. Alec wasn't sure exactly what would happen if he were caught, though he knew it wouldn't be good. His siblings would be in danger, and Jonathan's father would be unforgiving.

Alec shuddered, his though of Valentine.

Finally, Alec crouched to reach his bag. He opened it slowly, cursing the heavy zipper every inch of the way, the muffled ripping noise doing his discretion no favors. Once it was open, Alec closed his eyes and tried to fight off the nerves buzzing inside him. He was convinced that this was the right thing to do, that there was no other way. That this would keep his siblings safe. He was sure it was true.

He rummaged through his bag before he found his switchblade and pulled it out. He took a moment to collect himself—a deep breath, like Jonathan himself had taught Alec, and stood up. The only lighting in the room was from the moon—Jonathan never closed the curtains to his dorm room—and it glinted off the six-inch blade as Alec slid it open.

Silently, Alec crept back to the bed. It dipped under him as he crawled back into it, the dip revealing more of Jonathan's back to him. He took a moment to stare at the smooth skin of the pale expanse of his boyfriend's freckled back, to remember how Jonathan used to be. How kind he was before his mind had started to collapse under his second chance at life. Alec didn't dare close his eyes, not even to fight the tears that tumbled down his cheeks.

Taking a ragged breath, Alec lifted his arm and jerked it down towards the sleeping body next to him. But instead of colliding with flesh—instead of squirting the blood Alec was familiar seeing Jonathan painted in, the knife connected with the bed, ripping through the school-issued linens and imbedding into the box spring.

Almost before he could comprehend what had happened, Alec felt a familiar hand on his throat and saw a manic glint in his boyfriend's cool eyes.

Jonathan was standing above him, a snarl on his face. With a growl, Jonathan threw him by the neck against the far wall. Alec's head banged into the chest of drawers, and he felt his vision go black for a second. It felt like the world as he knew it was ending, the panic and adrenaline rushing through him like a comet meant to wipe out life. When he looked up again, Jonathan was standing over him, his face a picture of rage.

How dare you, his every feature seemed to spit. Alec had never seen him so livid.

Jonathan raised his right hand and slowly made a claw with his fingers. As Jonathan's fingers turned to form the claw, Alec felt all of the oxygen leave the air around him. The fight was over for Alec. He thrashed, trying to breathe, clawing into the wallpaper behind him. He couldn't regain his breath as his vision starting blurring black, as his heart's violent pace started to slow.

Jonathan didn't say anything as Alec's blood was deprived of new O2. He just watched, his eyes fiery. It was always funny to Alec how he burned so bright, but with a wave of his hand, could take away the only element that allowed fire to flourish. Jonathan had a knack for manipulating the fire in his personality, of being charming then suddenly snapping into anger, and Alec didn't know if that was because he'd been dead or if he'd always been like that.

As Alec lost consciousness, he wondered if Jonathan would burn him up. It seemed likely.

0000

When Alec came to, crumpled on the floor of Jonathan's dorm room, he was alone. The room felt stilted and cold, as if it had been vacated hours ago. The sun shone through the curtain-less window, creating an orange haze that made the air look thick and potent, creating an illusion of warmth where there was none.

As Alec remembered the events of the previous night, a wave of terror washed through him. He'd been caught. Oh, he was in so much trouble. Jonathan couldn't kill him, Alec already knew, but… Isabelle. Max. He'd put their lives in danger.

Adrenaline spurted into Alec's veins. Throwing on the uniform pants he'd left on the floor the night before, and his white shirt, Alec flew out of Jonathan's room and into the adjoined hallway.

Alec's feet pounded against the carpet as he ran to the room he shared with his siblings. He'd done longer runs in gym class with Hodge trying to build up everyone's endurance, but the run down the hall still felt more difficult than the ten-mile marathons Hodge was fond of. He felt like he was going to choke with every breath, and images of his siblings kept flashing in front of his eyes. He'd seen enough violence with Valentine's violent attacks against anti-mutant groups. He didn't want to see any more, especially not against what little family he had left.

Alec catapulted down the empty staircase. Classes must have been in session, because it was empty, and he moved down it faster than he would have been if he'd fallen. He launched himself down the corridor, not stopping until he reached the third door on the right that read "Lightwood, A I M" on the placard.

Throwing open the door, Alec stopped in his tracks. For a moment, he couldn't breathe. Again, it had everything to do with Jonathan.

Before him lay a scene almost exactly as he'd feared.

Isabelle was face down on the floor, a dried pool of blood leaking from her head. Next to her was a blood-soaked book on mutant history, and his eyes soaked in the scene with an acute sense of horror. He'd done this. His eyes migrated from Isabelle's crushed face to his brother.

In the bottom of the bunk bed he shared with Alec, Maxwell Lightwood lay in a blanket of his own blood. His eyes were half-open, like he'd been waking up when he'd been killed. The switchblade Alec had tried to kill Jonathan with was sticking out of his nine-year-old chest. It stood as a sign not to cross Jonathan again; that his deranged (ex) boyfriend was capable of anything.

Alec felt like his world was exploding. His family was torn to pieces in front of him, and they were all he'd wanted to preserve. He fell to his knees, knocked down by the shock of it all. These were his siblings, and they were dead.

Tears started to form in his eyes, but he did not cry. Instead, he crawled over to Isabelle. He reached for her, but as soon as his fingers touched her dark hair, her image blinked out of existence like a bad dream. In the chair by her desk, a slightly less injured and much more alive version of Isabelle sat. Her eyes were unfocused, her head lolling back. Even with a concussion, she could pull off elaborate visual illusions. They had undoubtedly kept her from being massacred like Max had been.

"Alec," she said. "I'm glad you got here. I couldn't hold it much longer…"

Alec rushed to his sister. "Isabelle. I am so, so sorry. I never meant for this to happen." He was sobbing. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

Her hand slowly lifted to his cheek. "I know. You had to try and stop him. You were in the best position to…"

"I'm so sorry you got hurt in all this," Alec said, wiping his eyes. He turned his attention to his brother "Max…"

"It's too late for him, Alec." Isabelle said, her eyes shining with tears. "There's nothing you can do."

Alec shuddered, but knew instinctively that she was right. His baby brother was dead, and he was not coming back to life. But his sister was still alive, and he had to make sure it stayed that way. Even if it meant leaving the job undone, or leaving the few friends he had.

"We've got to go." Isabelle said, her eyes focusing as she climbed out of her chair.

Alec nodded. Their eyes locked, and Alec knew that they were done with Morning Star Academy for Exceptional Affinities. The only way they would ever return would be in chains.