It had been a week.
One week without Alexander.
One week and everyone, everything was falling apart.
A tragedy, not meant to happen.
A life not meant to be lost. Not this soon.
Not him. Not as young as he was.
The pain was unbearable.
He had been the glue, the one thing holding everything together.
He kept the peace between the shadowhunters and downworlders.
The man no one knew, except those he invited in. Judged by all, better than all.
The strongest shadowhunter.
Remembered by most as the tall man with the sleek, jet black hair and bright blue eyes.
Remembered by loved ones as the man with the biggest heart, the man with the azure eyes who's sparkle never died, the man who spent most, if not all of his time thinking of others, neglecting his own needs, set on keeping the happiness of those he loved.
The protecter.
His mother, father, brother, sister, parabatai, friends and lover. His family.
They broke the most.
He was the second to die in his family.
The pain of his death was worse.
His mother cursed whatever high being was in charge for the death of her eldest, her first son, when the news was broken to her.
His father cried, his broken family crumbling even further, blaming himself for the injustice, for the way he'd treated his son.
His sister broke, having lost not only her brother but her best friend, her partner in crime. She was by his side as he breathed his last breath.
His parabatai, his brother not by blood but by a sacred bond, collapsed, feeling the pain of his death burning through him like the heavenly fire that had previously scorched in his veins.
His closest friends, on their knees beside him, tears falling in droplets onto the hands they gripped, memories flashing through their minds of the man who had saved them.
His lover, cradling his body, trying, fighting to find a way to cure him, destroying the one at fault. It was only once he got home that his lover let his tears fall. His lover knew he would die but not this early, not before they were able to live their lives out to the fullest.
Maryse, Robert, Isabelle, Jace, Clary, Simon, Magnus. His family.
All mourning for him.
The day Alexander, Alec, died was beautiful.
The sun shone bright, the sky broken by fields of white clouds moving slowly across the expanse of blue.
Alec, his partner, Magnus, his sister, Isabelle, his parabatai, Jace, and his best friends, Clary and Simon, sat side by side on a hill overlooking the Brooklyn bridge.
Clary and Jace were in their own little world, knocking into each other and teasing.
Isabelle and Simon sat beside them, Simon explaining something to Isabelle, Isabelle completely enraptured in what he was saying.
Alec and Magnus sat a little behind them, Alec leaning into Magnus' side, Magnus playing with Alec's hair, twisting it around his fingers. They watched as the sun slowly set, leaving a pink glow in its wake.
Alec felt Magnus lean forward, felt the kiss he pressed to the top of his head, and smiled.
He tilted his head back, his blue eyes meeting magnus gold-green one's.
Magnus grinned at him, and lightly kissed his forehead.
Alec laughed softly, sitting up, turning his head to look at Magnus.
He studied those gold-green cats eyes he loved so much, the spiked black hair with its red highlights and glitter, the perfectly done makeup resting on his elegant, strong face.
Alec lifted a hand and placed it on Magnus' cheek, softly brushing his thumb along his high cheekbones.
Magnus smiled, soft and loving, and brought a hand up, resting it on Alec's hand, on his cheek.
Alec leaned in and kissed Magnus lightly, his lips saying what words couldn't.
"I love you," he whispered as he pulled away.
Magnus' eyes shone. "I love you, too."
He turned his face into Alec's hand and kissed his palm, mimicking the way Alec had done it on their first date.
They didn't notice the others watching them, fond smiles on their faces. Alec was finally happy. That was all that mattered to them.
Jace could feel his parabatai's happiness through their rune. He never knew Alec held this much love inside him. It was gratifying being able to see it, see how much Alec changed when he was... In love.
He remembered when they were in the hell dimension, and Alec explained to him how he felt. About the breakup, the kidnap, everything. How he'd asked Jace how he would feel if it was Clary that had been taken. Jace had said he would be 'in pieces'. Alec has gestured to himself, taken a shuddering breath and said, "this. This is me in pieces."
The breakup had been bad enough. Alec didn't eat or sleep, didn't take care of himself. When Sebastian kidnapped the downworlder council members, when he kidnapped Magnus, Alec's entire attitude changed. He became determined, cold. He had gone from a man who wouldn't kill anything to the man who would make the first move in a massacre if it meant he could save Magnus. Seeing him knock that arrow, step out from behind the cairn and fire the arrow into the endarkened woman's throat... Nothing had surprised Jace more.
Magnus and Alec had sorted things out. Magnus had seen what was wrong after Alec pointed it out. He thought about it, long and hard. Of course it would have been easier just to stay broken up but... Magnus loved him. He wrote out the events he thought shaped him in a notebook, addressed to Alec.
And he gave the notebook to him as they sat side by side on the roof of the New York institute. He gave Alec a choice.
Accept the notebook and try again or move on.
Alec still remembered what Magnus said to him that night as he tapped the cover of the notebook with one perfectly painted nail.
"Consider this a first instalment of everything I want to tell you. I wasn't sure, but I hoped- if you wanted to be with me, as I want to be with you, you might take this as evidence. Evidence that I am willing to give you something I have never given anyone: my past, the truth of myself. I want to share my life with you, and that means today, and the future, and all of my past, if you want it. If you want me."
Alec hardly had to make a choice at all. It was either Magnus, the strange poetry of him, his brilliance and anger, his sulks and joys, the extraordinary abilities of his magic and the no less breathtaking magic of the extraordinary way he loved or someone else, some shadowhunter to share the kinship of predictable days and nights with, the daily poetry of an ordinary life.
Both of them remember the breath Alec took. Both remember the words he spoke, that step he took into nothingness with two simple words.
"All right."
And the way Magnus' eyes glimmered in the those last dregs of light as evening fell, Alec would never forget. The way he perked up, a centuries old warlock, excited like a love sick teenager.
"really?" he had asked, giving Alec all the power. "really." Alec had answered, twining his fingers with Magnus', smiling at the childish expression on his face.
Hope and love burning bright, an eternal flame.
Love.
That's all Magnus and Alec feel right now, as Magnus lies back on the grass, pulling Alec with him.
As Alec uses Magnus' stomach as a pillow and sighs, a smile gracing his face as he feels Magnus' fingers running smoothly through his hair.
Love.
They fall asleep like this, peaceful, happy, oblivious to all as night falls round them, stars and the moon the only givers of light left from above, the lights of the city a backdrop to a dream...
Unknown dangers pass, never to be known.
Until one ruins the tranquillity they've all fallen into.
A demon, one of Lilith's children, one of her immortal soldiers.
A dream ruined by the pressure of a clawed hand against Alec's chest.
A repeat of Clary's mothers death, different only in the way that no one is possessed.
The demon presses it's claws deep into Alec's chest, in a circle around his heart.
Blood wells up around the fingers and Alec and Jace wake in unison, screaming, both feeling the pain.
The others wake when they hear the screams but it's too late. The demon's claws have become a constricting vice around Alec's heart.
The demon pulls his claws out, leaving puncture marks in his heart, and disappears.
Everyone looks down at Alec and time seems to slow down, counting each heartbeat.
Isabelle, Jace, Clary and Simon all fall to their knees beside Alec.
Magnus, holds him up, hands fumbling around, blue light webbing around his fingers as he tries to find a way to heal his love.
Alec's reached the realisation already; he's going to die, no matter what anyone does.
Jace pulls his shirt to the side and looks down at his parabatai rune. It's fading, fast.
Tears run down everyone's faces. They're all yelling, fighting to find a cure that doesn't exist.
In a rage, Magnus' magic flares out, killing the demon but the deed is done.
Alec weakly reaches up and clasps Magnus' arm.
Magnus looks down at him, tears shining silver as they tumbled from his gold-green eyes.
He leans forward and presses a kiss to his forehead his eyes saying everything he doesn't have time to say aloud.
Simon and Clary hold one of Alec's hands, Isabelle the other. Jace kneels down beside Magnus and Alec and brushes Alec's dark hair back from his shining blue eyes.
"Alec," he says, voice breaking. "My parabatai, my brother. Please don't leave me. Please." he chokes on his tears as he stares into Alec's dimming eyes.
"I'm sorry," Alec whispers as he looks from one face to another. "take care of one another. Go on with life as if I'm still there."
He looks at Simon and Clary. "Take care of Jace, okay?" he rasped and they both nodded, squeezing his hand.
He looks at Isabelle. "Izzy, my litter sister, stay strong for me. I love you." she shook her head, refusing to accept what was happening, tears streaming down her face. Alec give her a weak smile before turning to Jace. "My Parabatai. Jace. I know it Hurts. I'm sorry." Jace scoffed and looked his brother in the eye.
"Don't apologise, Alec. You've done nothing wrong."
Alec attempted to shrug and winced. He held out a hand to his parabatai, who gripped it, firm but careful.
"Entreat me not to leave thee, or return from following after thee. For wither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried. The angel do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me." Alec whispered, watching the trail his brothers tears made as he mouthed the words of the oath they both made, wondering if Jace's tears felt the same as his own.
He let go of Jace's hand and trailed his fingers over his brothers rapidly fading parabatai rune.
"Be safe," he whispered.
Alec tilted his head back and looked up at the man who had managed to find his way into his heart. He reached up and ran his thumb along Magnus' cheek. Magnus looked down at him, pain and love in his gold-green eyes. "Magnus. Mags. I..." he paused and took a shuddering breath. "I love you." he said, a small smile pulling up the corners of his mouth. "I love you, so much. Please Magnus. Don't let me drag you down. Live your life, love, be happy. I will always love you. Always. Take care of yourself, and never stop being yourself. Be strong." Magnus sobbed as he bent down and kissed him, whispering "I promise," against his lips.
Im sorry if i broke y'all. Much love,Emza xx