Sasha's A/N: 'Ello all! This is a sequel to my fic Loneliness, so you might want to read that first… otherwise I don't think it'll make too much sense. Me and the AMAZING write4evr have co-written it, so just be forewarned… updates. Will. SUCK XD We're pretty much the two worst updaters in the universe, so expect a while between updates. Otherwise… ENJOY! :D

Mack's A/N: *clears throat* HAI LIEBE-Z. (Liebe-z? Liebes? Liebe-s..?) Sasha wrote most of this, so, I dont have much to say EXCEPT, go look at Loneliness (if you havent already...and I know which of you has and haznt...o_O), and then check out-NEERMIND. Spoilers...spoilers...

*clears throat again* Ekay, byez...As per usual, lahv yall :P 3

~Mack

Magnus was still asleep when Alec woke up, but the raven-haired boy didn't mind. He was… oddly content, for some reason. Something from the medication they had given him, or an after-effect of… what he had done last night. He automatically shied away from the thought that popped into his mind after that… that maybe it was something else. Someone else, to be exact… Alec instantly pushed the thought away. He was not getting attached to Magnus. Not at all. Just the thought of loving someone again scared him more than he wanted to admit...

Not that he did love Magnus or anything. No, Alec didn't love...he just didn't. He'd forced himself to stop loving a long time ago, and he wasn't going to let that all change now.

But...the way that Magnus had helped him, held him, listened to him...

What if...

"Morning Alec..."

God his voice was entrancing! It reminded him of crystal or glass, delicate and clear and yet oddly comforting and… nope. Not going there. 'Okay, loopy hospital stuff, time to get the fuck out of my head!'

Obviously, though, he didn't say that out loud. "Good morning…"

"So you're not a serial killer, I'm assuming, since I'm alive and all… ya know, I probably should've thought of that last night. Getting eaten by a random scary dude might throw a bit of a wrench in getting my degree…"

Despite himself, Alec laughed—wow, laughter. It was strange how much he'd taken it for granted back when it'd been a daily thing in his life; now he never laughed. Never.

"Doncha think I should be the one asking you that? You did kidnap me, after all… speaking of which, I should probably be getting home…"

"Nope, you shouldn't. I kidnapped you, remember? Therefore I get to choose when you get to go."

"Creeper!" Alec replied teasingly.

Magnus grinned and poked Alec's arm. "I am a complete creeper...you love it though."

Alec looked down at his hands and grinned. What was with all this grinning? Alec didn't grin...he smirked and glared and frowned, but he didn't grin.

And was he...flirting with Magnus?

That was another thing Alec didn't do. He didn't just flirt...he'd tease anyone without thinking twice about it, and hell, if that came off as flirting than that was fine with him, but...

He hadn't flirted just for the fun of it in a long time...or, well...he hadn't flirted for the innocent fun of it in a long time...

"So...Alec...not to put a downer on things, but...what exactly happened with you and Jace? You told me you don't talk to him anymore, but..." Magnus said, trailing off at the end, hoping he wouldn't make this beautifully unstable boy upset again.

Alec let out a deep breath, wanting to tell Magnus the whole story, but being afraid to do it. He had really messed up...what if Magnus started hating him...

But oddly, he already trusted Magnus. He, for some odd reason, trusted that Magnus would listen, and not just freak out over everything. Magnus was better than that.

Alec took a deep breath and started slowly, by saying,

"Well...it all started with a fight...things just...got out of hand..."

It was… hard for him to talk about Jace. Mainly because he'd loved Jace—both as a brother, and as more- and it was his fault that everything had fallen apart. His own stupid, stupid fault.

"Got out of hand how?" Magnus prompted gently. Alec began talking again, his mind on autopilot. He knew that if he let himself think, he'd fall apart again, so he chose something to focus on—the little cat's eye pendant Magnus wore around his neck. It twinkled like a real eye, the green stone seemingly endless—it was easy to get lost in.

"It was about a year after my parents, the accident, happened. He was in a bad place—his dad had come back looking for him, the one year anniversary of the crash was coming up, he and Clary- his girlfriend- were fighting. He came to me, looking for… a fight, sympathy, something. I still don't know what. I pretty much told him 'Good, now she can move on to someone who'll actually care about her.' "

Alec could see Magnus trying to catch his eye, but he didn't let him. He hadn't talked about the fight since it happened and how that he'd started, he wasn't going to stop. It was so easy to remember…

"I DID care about her, Alec! You were just too fucking IN LOVE WITH ME to see it!"

Those words winded him more effectively than any blow could have. He stuttered out some kind of weak argument, but Jace just kept on talking, plowing right through him.

"You know what? You should be ashamed. I thought that we were BROTHERS! We're supposed to trust each other! But YOU were too much of a coward to tell me because you were ASHAMED of who you are! You never once stopped to think that maybe I wouldn't care, that maybe… I felt the same say!" His eyes were flat discs of gold as he spat out the words… he was shutting down. Deleting all memory of feeling. For once, though, Alec didn't notice.

"Don't look so fucking shocked, Alec! It's not like I ever hid it. You never ASKED. If you had, I would've told you… I never, ever hid it, Allie."

"DON'T. Call me Allie," Alec hissed through clenched teeth. It was a nickname that Jace had used when they were kids but as they'd gotten older, it'd faded away… until now, obviously.

A sarcastic look of smiling confusion spread across Jace's face, making Alec want to hate him. "Oh? What do you want me to call you, dear brother of mine—love? Darling?"

Alec still didn't know what'd come over him as he uttered his next words, words he'd regret for a very long time: "To hell with you, Jace. I don't want you to call me anything. I want you to get away from me and STAY away, brother. I don't want your damn love… just stay away."

"He took off later that day. I haven't talked to him since. When Isabelle, my sister found out, she was… pissed. She told me that he'd been waiting for me; he hadn't wanted to make me come out before I was ready, so he'd just waited for me…"

"Alec…" Magnus began hopelessly, "I'm… sorry."

"Why? You didn't do anything. It's always the people who did nothing who apologize! Why is that?"

Magnus had to stop and think on that for a moment, but when he answered he sounded oddly old and weary.

"It's because… because it's the ones who care who are around for the aftermath, I suppose. They're the ones who're around to say sorry for how everyone else screwed up."

Alec laughed sarcastically. That sounded like a good enough reason for it, but it still made him laugh, because usually, for him at least...there was never anyone around after he messed things up. He faced the aftermath by himself. And maybe that was his own fault. Maybe he didn't open up enough or something...

But now, there was someone here, saying they were sorry for something they played no part in. Someone that Alec had only known for a night was sitting here, listening to him complain, and telling him he was sorry.

Alec looked at Magnus curiously. Why was he bothering? Since when did anyone look out or care about anyone other than themselves?

"Yeah...I guess so," Alec replied simply, not wanting to say anything too doom and gloom in reply to that.

Magnus breathed a humorless laugh and caught Alec's eye as he said, "I know, I know, it sounds stupid and you don't believe it. But really Alec...I mean it. I'm here now to help you through this...I will not ever leave you like Jace did."

Alec looked down at his hands quickly as hot tears suddenly sprung into his eyes. Hearing things like that always made him upset, because, well...whenever they were said, they were usually lies; and while he knew it, he was also always so comforted by them anyway. It left him feeling desperately lost, but at the same time, happy. Just the fact that someone would take the time to feed him such...love-filled lies gave him hope...

"Psh...you know, I can never believe you when you say things like that. It's just...I've spent years telling myself, and having other people tell me, that I am not worth anything. I just have a hard time believing that anyone will ever actually stay with me..."

Magnus grabbed Alec's hand suddenly.

"Now, you listen to me Alec Lightwood. You are worth a lot. You are this amazing boy who came into my life in, honestly, the saddest of ways, and you've really caught my attention. Maybe it was because of the way that I found you, I don't know..I just know that I want to be able to help you. I want you to know that I am always going to be here waiting for you to pick yourself up and realize how very worth it you are. And I'm going to be here helping you do it, too, whether you want me here or not. I know I just met you, but...I think I already love you Alec. Like a friend, a brother... trust me. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Shit, Alec thought as tears started falling rapidly from his dark blue eyes.

"Oh, quit it. You're making me cry...again..." Alec snapped with a half laugh, half sob.

Magnus smiled sadly and pulled the beautiful, broken boy closer to him.

Alec was his now. His to love and protect. His to pamper and take care of.

Magnus was determined to show Alec Lightwood just how very amazing he was, no matter what it took.

A/N: Hey all, Sasha again… didja likey? And what Kenz said in her A/N… UNTRUE :p We both wrote equally! ANYWAYS… y'all BETTER go review! *hugz all of you*