It had been three years since Alec's death, and Magnus still wasn't sure how to cope without him. He'd wake up without Alec by his side, and his world would crumble down around him, reminding him that Alec was gone. He tried his best to be strong when he was around Lewis, but something as simple as cooking could make him break down completely. He hadn't had any contact with his friends, other than the ones he knew through Alec.

Through the last three years, Magnus' life had revolved around Lewis. School had gotten a lot better for him since he started talking to Jade every day, and she had even stayed with them for a weekend every once in a while. She had been with them on their last camping trip during the summer, and it almost seemed like their home were her second home. He was rarely at her house, but Magnus didn't mind. She had been nice to Lewis when the other kids weren't, so he liked her.

Magnus was sitting in the bedroom when he got a call. He had been sitting on the bed, reading Alec's second published book, and he put it down and got his phone from the nightstand, picking up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Is this Magnus Bane?" It was the voice of a young woman on the other end.

"Yes, it is. Who am I speaking to?"

"My name is Sarah Cornett; I'm a doctor at the hospital in Toulouse. I'm calling because one of our coma patients have woken up, and since we haven't had any ways of identifying him before now, we haven't been able to contact anyone. He told us to call you as soon as he woke up, even before he got anything to eat or drink or anything, so I figured I'd call you myself. His name is Alexander Lightwood."

Magnus sighed heavily, looking at the book. "I'd like to believe that it's Alec, but it's not. Alexander Lightwood died in a plane crash three years ago, and he was cremated, and I buried his ashes three years ago."

"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Bane, but could you possibly come and see him? No matter who he is, he seemed desperate to see you."

Magnus sighed, getting out of the bed. "It's a six hour drive at best. I'll be there tomorrow morning; I have to get someone to take care of my son."

"I understand, sir. I'll tell him that you'll be arriving here tomorrow morning. Drive safely."

"Yeah, whatever," Magnus said and hung up. He'd be driving all night, and for what? To see some guy, who thought he was being funny? For once, Lewis was at Jade's house, and maybe, if he was lucky, Jade's mother would agree to having Lewis there for a few days.

About 30 minutes later

Knocking on the front door of the big house, Magnus sighed. He still couldn't believe he was doing this. After a moment, Jade's mother opened the door, smiling at him. "Hello, Magnus. Is something wrong? Lewis said you were picking him up after dinner."

Magnus flashed a smile at her. "No, not at all, Katja. Thing is, I have to drive to Toulouse through the night, so I was wondering if you would mind if Lewis stayed here for a couple of days? I know it's school nights, but-"

"Oh, I don't mind at all, and I'm sure Jade doesn't either. Do you want me to go get him, so you can tell him?"

"That would be great, thanks."

After a few moments, Lewis appeared at the door. He had grown well – he was tall for an 11 year old. He looked up at Magnus with an impatient look in his eyes. "What's up, dad?"

"Hey buddy," Magnus said. "I have to drive to Toulouse through the night, and I don't know when I'm coming back, so you'll be staying here for a few days, alright?"

As expected, Lewis was fine with it. They said their goodbyes, and Magnus got back into the Impala, driving off. He stopped at a gas station, buying a six pack of Red Bulls to keep him going through the night. He thanked God that he had let himself sleep in that day.

7:15 the next morning

Getting out of the car and locking it, Magnus walked up to the hospital. He had been at a motel for about an hour, getting at least a bit of sleep, so that he wasn't a tired mess. The automatic doors opened as he approached, and he walked inside the white building. At the reception he asked, not without cringing a bit, what room Alexander Lightwood was in. As soon as he had been told, he took the elevator to the floor, shortly hesitating at the door to the room. It couldn't be Alec, but he was nervous none-the-less.

Opening the door, he froze. There, in the bed, sat Alexander. His Alexander. Tired blue eyes, pale skin, dirty hair, and a few scratches on his face and arms, but it was really him. Alec looked up at him and smiled gently at him. "Maggie," he said; his voice raspy and dry as if he hadn't spoken for months. But then again, he hadn't, besides a bit the night before.

Magnus held his hand over his mouth, backing up against the wall nearest him. Tears were already running down his face. "How can you be here? How can you be alive? I buried you!"

"Did you see the body?"

Magnus shook his head. He hadn't seen the body, but Isabelle had, and she wouldn't be wrong about this, and no one could look that much as Alec. But Alec's face and body had been smashed up, the eyes the only thing recognizable. Magnus' train of thought was interrupted when Alec spoke again.

"Magnus, Will was on that plane. Have you talked to him since then?"

Again, Magnus shook his head. Was it really possible that Will was the one dead, not Alec? Magnus knew Will and Alec's eyes were incredibly similar, but would Isabelle really mistake them?

Magnus walked slowly over to Alec. He had to touch him, to feel his skin under his fingers, to run his hands through his hair, kiss him – he had to know that this was real and not just some hallucination.

As Magnus touched his cheek, Alec let out a sigh of relief. He needed Magnus' touch to keep from freaking out. He couldn't even imagine what Magnus had been through. "Magnus," he breathed out, letting his eyes slip shut. "Please kiss me."

Magnus obliged, leaning forward, down towards his lips, and he kissed him, gently, trying at first. Then he became greedier; pressing his lips harder against Alec's, demanding more. He had never needed to kiss Alec this much, had never felt like stopping would be like stealing his oxygen. Alec tasted like he had just recently brushed his teeth, even though he still had a bit of a morning breath. After about a minute, he pulled back to catch a breath, but only very slightly. He could still feel the brush of Alec's lips again his own, as they both struggled to catch their breath. Alec's breath tickled a bit, but there was no way he was pulling farther away.

Alec looked at him, into his eyes. "You haven't… Met someone else, have you?"

Magnus pulled back, brows furrowed and he looked at Alec. "No, of course not. You're the only one I ever want to be with."

Alec smiled a bit. "Sorry. I just… It's been three years, so I didn't know- … How's Lewis been?"

Magnus smiled. Of course he would ask about Lewis – even if Magnus had forgotten him for a short time. "He's been… Good. It's been hard without you, of course, but he's been okay. He's got a really good friend named Jade who comes over almost every day."

Alec nodded and his smile got wider. He couldn't wait to see how much Lewis had grown, and just- see him again. Hear about school and this Jade girl. Hear about what he liked to do in his free time. He couldn't wait to get to know his son again, and he couldn't wait to get back to his life with Magnus. Even though it didn't feel like three years to Alec, he knew it had been, and he urged to kiss Magnus, to touch him, to just be around him. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble getting here."

"A six hour drive. It's worth it to get back the love of my life, though."

"Are you staying anywhere around here?"

"A motel not too far away. Why?"

"Well, the doctor ran some tests and she said that I had recovered fine after the crash, and as soon as someone could pick me up, I'd be free to go. So we could go there. I bet you're tired."

Magnus nodded and smiled. Helping Alec out of the bed – he was a bit weak – he helped him put on some proper clothes instead of the thin hospital gown. Afterwards, they went down to the reception.

20 minutes later

Snuggling closer to Magnus, Alec put his arm around his chest. Pulling him as close as he possibly could and breathing in the sandalwood scent, he rested his head on the left side of Magnus' chest. Magnus was almost asleep after Alec had gotten out of the shower, but had woken up when Alec opened the bathroom door. He had smiled lazily and begged Alec to get into bed with him.

Magnus couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy. His left arm wrapped tightly around Alec's shoulders, he felt more content than he had for three years. Alec smelt like motel shampoo and the old sweater he was wearing, but Magnus didn't care. All that he care was that his Alec was back in his arms, something he hadn't believed could ever happen again.

And this time, he wasn't going to let him go. So for now, he'd enjoy the feeling of having Alec close to him, even if just for a few minutes before he fell asleep.

He just hadn't expected Alec to be gone when he woke up.

AN: Alright guys. Here goes the start of the sequel! Hope you like it so far, and I hope you'll stick around for it.

Review and tell me what you thought!

Lea