Alec slowly opened his eyes. His head hurt and every bone in his body felt as if it would have been crushed and then glued back together again.

"Ouch …", he moaned softly, massaging his head and feeling a bandaid on his forehead.

His hand hurt too, so he stopped again.

He closed his eyes, trying to clear his thoughts, when he suddenly heard a snore beside him.

Confused, Alec looked to his left side. And noticed that someone was sitting in the chair beside his bed. Or better said, lying, as he seemed fast asleep.

Ignoring his headache, Alec tried to focus his eyes. Who was this? He had seen this man before. Even now when his brain was working at lowspeed, he could tell that he knew him.

He noticed the glitter and the colours that seemed to be everywhere on this man. Not to mention his hair.

And then, suddenly, Alec remembered. Two cat eyes, looking at him.

"Will you call me?"

"W … What? …"

The sound of Alec's coarse voice seemed to have awoken Magnus Bane at last.

"Alec?", he asked, leaning softly over his patient.

Alec looked at him, his blue eyes wide open.

Suddenly, everything slowly started to come back.

"Where, where am I?", he asked the first question that came to his mind as he tried to sit up.

"In the hospital wing", Magnus answered, gently pushing him back onto the bed with one hand.

"You're safe", he soothed him.

"What about my sister?", Alec wanted to know.

"Jace? The others?"

Magnus grinned.

"No need to worry, everyone is fine", he assured him.

"They can tell you everything later. You were knocked out for quite a long time."

Now feeling more calm, Alec let his head sink back onto the cushions.

"What happened?", he asked.

Magnus chuckled.

"Well, you almost got mauled by a demon. I have to say, you are tougher than you look."

"That would explain the headache and why I feel as if I would have been hit by a truck", Alec mumbled, making Magnus laugh sympathetically.

Still feeling slightly dazed and confused from all the painkillers he had been given, Alec looked back to Magnus.

"You are Magnus Bane", he said slowly, only now starting to realise who really was before him.

"What are you doing here?"

Magnus rolled his eyes.

"Isn't that obvious?", he replied, smiling.

"I heard that my healing powers were needed here, so I hastened to your side."

Alec didn't notice that Magnus fell quiet now, because his blue eyes were distracting him.

"You saved my life", he realised.

Magnus chuckled again.

"You can thank me later", he told him.

Alec was still looking at him, trying to remember.

"The last time we saw each other was at your party", he said slowly. For some stupid reason he could feel himself blushing.

"You gave me your phone number", Alec went on.

"But I never used it."

Magnus was grinning now.

"Sweetie, a lot of people get my phone number. Some call back, some don't. I'll survive."

Maybe it was the aftereffect of the painkillers he had taken, or the fact that Magnus had just saved his life, but Alec suddenly said:

"I thought about calling you."

Magnus raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"But I didn't because I wasn't sure how … serious your invitation was."

Magnus laughed.

"Wasn't that obvious?", he asked.

"Which part didn't you understand? The "call me" or "back"?"

Now Alec knew that he was blushing.

"I just thought you were annoyed and wanted to make fun of us. And picked me as your victim", he mumbled self-consciously.

Magnus rolled his eyes.

"Now really", he said.

"Have you never had someone flirting with you?"

Alec looked at him blankly.

"To hit on someone, to try to get someone's attention?", Magnus explained.

"Oh."

Feeling awkward, Alec looked at his blanket.

"I'm sorry", he finally said.

Magnus smiled.

"Well, now you know", he replied.

"Yes …"

This felt so unreal .. Maybe Alec was still asleep and this was just a dream?

He closed his eyes.

"Try to get some sleep", he heard Magnus' soothing voice.

"You need your beauty sleep. And a hot bath afterwards, because you smell."

This made Alec laugh, even though it sounded more like a cough.

"Magnus?", he asked sleepily.

"Yes?"

"Thank you for rescueing me."

When he shortly opened his eyes, Alec thought to have seen a smile on Magnus' face.

Maybe it was a dream.

A strange dream.

But also a good one.