All human AU; Established Malec, Clace, Past Sizzy
**Trigger Warnings** Attempted rape/non-con, Victim Shaming; Homophobic behaviour; Suicide Mention; Injury; Blood; Angst & Hurt/Comfort
When the Music Stops
Izzy danced like this was the last night of freedom that she was ever going to get, which it was – at least for the foreseeable future anyway. Finals were coming up soon, meaning nights of fun and inebriation were soon to be replaced with books and flashcards and highlighters; Pandemonium swapped for the NYU student library.
But it would all be worth it. One more year of college and then she would be on her way to becoming the best forensic pathologist New York had ever seen - proving her mother wrong, once and for all.
The music changed with the DJ's mood; the up tempo beat slowing a little and turning more sensual as the lights lowered. Couples crowded the dance floor to take advantage of the invitation for close contact, and Izzy took that as her cue for a break. Not that she couldn't find a partner if she put her mind to it, but that night it was all about letting loose, not getting caught up in someone else again. With a smile, she left the floor and headed for the bar, passing Jace and Clary on the way. The couple were too distracted by each other to see her wander off, but Izzy didn't mind. It was their night too.
Jace had almost finished his stint at the police academy, only a few exams left before he was told which precinct he would be assigned to as a rookie. He wanted to be a detective but he had a ways to go yet. Clary would soon be graduating from the Brooklyn Academy of Arts, before going full time at her mother's gallery as a curator and featured artist. Izzy was happy for them, even though watching Clary reminded her of the glaringly obvious absence of Simon which was... painful, to say the least.
But that was her own fault. She was the one that had ended it between them, after all.
"Hey, Beautiful," an accented voice purred behind her, the attempted flirty tone lost to the need to shout to be heard over the music. Izzy rolled her eyes as she paid for her drink and turned to face her admirer. A few weeks ago she would have told the guy that she had a boyfriend and moved on, but that wasn't really true any more, now was it? She settled for a polite smile, maybe she'd give the guy a chance. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"
He wasn't bad looking; blonde hair, sharp features, neatly dressed. Even though his pick-up lines needed serious work, he wasn't terrible. She decided to humour him for a while, a little conversation never hurt. It wasn't like she had anyone else to talk to since she had decided to spend the night out as the fifth wheel to two couples. Mentally, she gave him until she finished her drink and then she'd go and see if Clary wanted some girl time.
The volume of the bass pumping around the club meant that the guy had to lean in close to be heard, but Izzy was used to that. She wasn't as protective over her personal space as her older brother. She simply leaned her back against the bar and kept her arm between them, sipping her drink as the guy dropped her suggestive compliments between snippets of his life story that failed to keep her attention. Izzy found her eyes wandering as he talked, finding Jace and Clary still glued together on the dance floor before searching out her other brother.
She knew that Alec wouldn't be dancing – he was the designated driver tonight, and without copious amounts of alcohol even Magnus didn't stand a chance of dragging him to the floor. She spotted them in a booth on the other side of the club, sitting close enough together to be practically one being, Magnus' lips near Alec's ear as he talked over the music.
The lawyer and the model, whoever would have thought it?
Magnus was a friend of Clary's that had joined their group when she had met Jace at some college party years ago. He wanted to be a fashion designer, but until his label got the recognition that it deserved he was wearing other designers' clothes and making friends in the industry. Back when they had first met, Alec had been too focused on appeasing their parents to step out of the mold that they had designed for him, burying himself under their expectations. Magnus had pulled him out of a bad place and showed him that it was okay to be himself, something for which Izzy would be forever grateful. Alec had ended up kissing the man at his engagement party to Lydia Branwell, before quitting his job at their parents' law firm.
He hadn't been allowed home since.
But now he worked for the Branwells, Lightwood&Lightwood's main competitor; his former-fiancé now his partner at the firm. He lived with the man of his dreams and Izzy just knew that they would be together forever. Her brothers were happy, and soon she would be too.
"Let me get you another drink," the guy said loudly, reminding Izzy that he was still there. She looked down at her empty glass, before glancing at the man. She wasn't interested, and she knew that she should just tell him that and go find her family. But Jace and Clary were still dancing and Alec and Magnus were enjoying themselves, it didn't feel right to intrude. Besides, a free drink was a free drink, right?
"Sure," she smiled, calling the bartender over. Another glass appeared and the guy paid, just as some other guy stumbled into the bar and smashed his glass. Izzy jumped and looked over, watching the drunk idiot stumble away as the poor bartender was left to clear up the mess. She grabbed some napkins to help, careful of the shards, before returning to her stool and picking up her drink.
The guy watched her take a few sips. "You really are beautiful."
It was always so hot in clubs, Izzy thought idly as she drank a little more to try and cool down. All those bodies in tight quarters, the heat from the strobe lights as they flashed across the floor. And loud, too. She didn't usually notice – too many years with a fake ID getting her into places that she shouldn't be had built up a tolerance – but now she was starting to feel it thump through her like the beat was a literal force.
Izzy reached for her drink. And missed.
Oh no. She couldn't be that drunk. She had been fine a moment ago. God it was loud. And hot. She didn't want to be there any more.
"Hey, are you okay?" a guy's voice asked, sounding concerned. Izzy tried to look at him, but things were starting to get blurry. It was just so goddamn hot, didn't this place have air con or something? It just seemed dangerous for it to be so warm, someone could get heat stroke or- or- "Hey, lets go get some air, yeah?"
"Alec?" Izzy slurred. Her tongue felt so funny in her mouth. She needed a drink. There was an arm around her shoulders, a hand gripping her elbow a little too tight to be comfortable. The floor was spinning. "Alec, I-I want to go home."
"Sure sweetheart," the voice replied. That didn't sound like Alec. Or Jace. Where were her brothers? She tried to tug her arm free, but the grip just got tighter. She tried to pull away, but the ground was moving too much. She couldn't find the floor. How could she walk if there was no floor?
And then she was outside, blessedly cool air gracing her skin as she seemingly floated along. It wasn't until she finally felt something solid at her back that the first inklings of awareness returned to her. Sharp edges of a brick wall scraped against her bare skin and she dragged her eyes open, not even realising that they had been closed. Sound became muffled, her blood turned to ice and her blurry world snapped into terrifying focus.
There were hands on her wrists, pressing her hands painfully hard against the wall above her head. A body pressed against her side, every point of contact searing her skin but one particular bulge burning where it rutted against her hip. More hands groped at her, one at her chest and another sliding up her thigh. A wet tongue lapped at her throat.
She tried to scream but her voice wouldn't work. She tried to kick out, fight them off – she had been sparring with her brothers since they were kids, she knew how to handle herself, dammit! Tears spilled down her cheeks only to be licked away by the man pinning her in place.
Please no. No.
Magnus tapped his foot to the beat as he leaned against Alec's side, watching the comings and goings of the club-goers around them. From where they sat, comfortably tucked away in a corner booth, they had a perfect view of the whole of Pandemonium; which Magnus was pretty sure was intentional. Beside him, Alec idly played with the rings on Magnus' fingers, gaze flicking from the dance floor to the bar. Or more specifically, his siblings.
He was such an overprotective big brother. "I'm sure they're fine, darling."
Alec blinked, dragging his eyes back to Magnus, and then smiled crookedly. "Sorry, it's hard to switch off," he gave a half-shrug, careful not to jog where Magnus was slumped against his shoulder. "I remember spending most of my college nights picking them up from places like this and trying to sneak their drunk asses home."
"Is that why you don't like clubs?" Magnus ventured. He took a long sip of his drink, knowing that Alec would be watching the way that his adam's apple bobbed and deciding to put on a little show. It was no secret that Alec didn't like the club scene, he only ever came when his siblings begged him to, and Alec could never say no to them. Magnus strove to make the whole experience more enjoyable for his boyfriend – trying to find him a drink that he actually liked, never leaving him on his own to brood in a corner. Even managed to get Alec to dance once or twice. But he knew that Alec never found these evenings 'fun'.
Alec shrugged again, his focus drawn back to his siblings before returning to Magnus and settling on the open neck of his shirt. Magnus grinned and tangled one of his hands in the hair at the back of Alec's neck, letting his boyfriend look all he wanted. He dressed to impress, after all. What was the point if his lover couldn't enjoy the view?
"Y-You can go dance," Alec said quietly after a while. If it weren't for the fact that Magnus was practically settled in Alec's lap he wouldn't have heard him. As it was he threw Alec a confused look. "I know I'm no fun to hang with," he blushed. "You didn't get all dressed up to sit around and drink."
Magnus shook his head fondly and scooted impossibly closer; pressing a innocent kiss to Alec's cheek even as his hand travelled a little higher up his boyfriend's thigh. Even in the darkness of the club, Alec's blush was clear to see. "I'm exactly where I want to be," Magnus murmured, his mouth so close to Alec's ear that his teeth scraped the skin.
Alec flinched suddenly, making Magnus immediately draw back, scared that he had pushed Alec too far. But Alec hadn't pulled out of the close hold that they had settled themselves into, his attention had merely been drawn back to the bar. Izzy was helping the bartender clear up what looked like a broken glass as some drunk guy was coerced towards the exit. Magnus chuckled, wondering how Alec could have possibly heard the glass break over the volume of the music. "You really can't switch it off, can you?"
Alec flushed again, shifting awkwardly in his seat. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Magnus reassured him, sealing the order with a kiss. "It's one of the many, many things I love about you, Alexander."
"Yeah?" Alec grinned. He returned the kiss with intent, his fingers finding the patch of smooth skin exposed by Magnus' half-open shirt. Magnus hummed happily into the kiss, letting his own hands explore; only slightly mindful of the fact that they were in public. Alec didn't seem to mind at all though; too caught up in all things Magnus to pay attention to the crowded club. They were just starting to err on the wrong side of decent when Alec froze under Magnus' touch.
Magnus pulled back a little to catch Alec's eye. "Darling?"
"Something's wrong."
"What? Alexander!" Magnus called as Alec stood and practically fled from the booth without a further word of explanation. Magnus blinked in surprise; mildly offended by his boyfriend's sudden disappearance before concern took over. Alec had already vanished into the crowd, but thankfully his height made him visible for a second before he darted through an emergency exit. Magnus hurried after him, cutting straight across the dance floor without paying the slightest attention to who he shoved out of his way.
"Magnus?" Jace's voice shouted above the music, accompanied by the hand that grabbed Magnus' arm to stop him. Jace frowned as he took in Magnus' anxious expression and missing other half. Clary appeared on his other side looking worried, rubbing at her arm where Magnus had accidentally pushed her. "What is it? Where's Alec?"
"I don't know!" Magnus said, sounding panicked even to his own ears. He pointed at the door he thought that Alec had gone through. "He just said that something was wrong and ran off!"
Jace looked where Magnus was pointing and immediately set off, just missing Clary's apprehensive "Where's Izzy?" before they were all heading towards the exit. It was probably nothing, Magnus tried to tell himself, but it didn't feel convincing. Alec wasn't exactly prone to random bouts of paranoia – not like this anyway – and Magnus' own sixth sense was warning him that something was very not-right.
The emergency exit took them into the side alley of the club; the roar of the music becoming a dull thump though the walls as the temperature dropped several degrees. But Magnus didn't notice any of that as he followed Jace outside.
Isabelle sat slumped against the brick wall; her make-up smudged by the tears that still streamed down her cheeks as she curled her legs as tight to her body as she could. The strap of her dress had fallen from her shoulder, revealing a series of bright red bite marks leading up to her neck. The skirt had been hiked up and ripped, blood clear on her thighs even as she tried to cover herself.
Her underwear lay torn beside her on the ground.
Jace was moving before Magnus could react; his anger directed at the two unknown men further down the alley. One had staggered back, clutching a bloody nose while the other slammed Alec back against the wall in apparent retaliation. The dull thud of Alec's skull hitting brickwork jolted Magnus into action. The man with the bloody nose was heading back towards Isabelle - rage in his eyes and his fly undone – and Magnus let his own temper take over. With a crack he splintered the broken nose even further, the guy dropping to the floor with a groan of pain.
Magnus kicked him in the groin for good measure. Karma, and all that.
Jace had tackled the other guy that had dared to touch Alec; something metallic clanking on the concrete as they both hit the deck. A quick glance reassured Magnus that Alec's date with the wall hadn't been life threatening, and with Jace and Alec taking care of the other guy, Magnus returned his attention to Izzy.
Clary was already beside her, phone pressed to her ear as she called the police. She had draped her jacket over Izzy's legs to give her some dignity, her other hand holding Izzy's tightly in comfort. Magnus crouched down on Izzy's other side, carefully reaching out to tuck a strand of dark hair behind her ear. She flinched at the touch before blinking slowly, dragging her hazy gaze up to settle on him. "Magnus?" she slurred.
"Hello my dear," Magnus smiled warmly, even as he internally worried over her clearly drugged state. He tried not to stare at the bite marks and bruises as he gently petted her hair again. "It's over now."
"That's enough Jace," Alec's voice rang out from behind them. "The Academy."
The sound of fists hitting flesh, that Magnus hadn't even heard, abruptly stopped, leaving a ringing silence in the alleyway. Jace begrudgingly stood up, glaring down at the two men incapacitated on the ground. "They deserved it," he muttered angrily.
"I know," Alec agreed. "Go check on Izzy."
Magnus looked up as Jace knelt down beside him; his knuckles bloody as he reached out and took Izzy's free hand. Up that close, he couldn't miss the damage that had been done to his sister. Rage twisted his face again before he schooled his expression into one of support. "Have you called the cops?" he asked them, voice forcefully calm.
Clary nodded. "On their way. They're sending an ambulance too, but there's been an accident on the freeway. It won't be here for another thirty minutes."
Jace clenched his teeth, trying not to let his anger get the better of him in front of Izzy. As she shivered in the cold, he wrapped his jacket around her shoulders too, letting her lean against him. Magnus brushed his thumbs under her eyes to try and wipe away some of the mascara and then backed off a little to give her some space. More tears fell, but Jace shushed her, rubbing her arm through the jacket. "Won't be long now, Iz. You're safe. It's okay."
Magnus smiled sadly, before realising that something was missing. Standing, he turned, expecting to see Alec making sure that the two men were staying down and away from his siblings. But Alec was leaning against the opposite wall with his eyes closed and head lowered, his arms wrapped around his middle.
"Alexander?"
Alec looked up, blinking rapidly. "Is Izzy okay?"
'Okay' was a relative term considering what she had just been through, but Magnus nodded. The tension drained from Alec's shoulders, though his grip remained tight around his stomach. "The cops will be here soon. And an ambulance."
"Good," Alec said. He stared past Magnus at Jace holding Izzy behind him, before his eyes flicked back up to meet his boyfriend's. "Take care of them?"
Panic immediately gripped Magnus again at the question, demanding that he close the distance between them. He took hold of Alec's arms, feeling a tremor run through him. "Alexander, what is it?"
"Don't let them see," Alec insisted, holding Magnus' gaze a moment before slowly pulling his hand away from his stomach. And revealing the blood beneath. It was hard to tell how much with the low light and Alec's penchant for black clothing, but the thick layer coating Alec's hand was enough to tell Magnus that it was bad. "One of them had a knife," Alec tried to explain. "I didn't see it. I'm so sorry, Mags. I'm sorry."
"Hush," Magnus said firmly, not wanting to hear any more apologies when there were far bigger things to worry about. "Lie down and let me see, darling."
Behind them, Jace called out, wondering what was wrong. Magnus glanced back to flash them a reassuring smile, automatically following Alec's wishes to protect them from seeing the wound, even as he wanted to reach over and help his boyfriend instead. When he turned back, Alec's eyes had widened in panic, making Magnus frown in concern and hold a hand out to offer comfort.
"It's not that bad," Alec tried to backtrack, covering up the wound again almost defensively and flinching back from Magnus' touch. "When the ambulance comes for Izzy I'll tell them. I'm okay. I'm okay, I promise. Go check on Izzy. Please Magnus, just, just go check on Izzy."
Magnus shook his head – Izzy had two people looking after her and didn't need a crowd right now. There was nothing to do beside keep her warm and safe until the ambulance arrived, and Jace and Clary were perfectly capable of that. But Alec was bleeding; his slurring words and inability to decide if he wanted Magnus' help or not making Magnus worry that the hit to the head may not have been as harmless as they thought. "Alexander-"
Alec pushed away from the wall with his free hand, cutting Magnus off as he brushed past and headed for Izzy still curled up against Jace's side. Magnus watched his boyfriend with an odd mix of frustration and admiration as Alec lowered himself down beside his sister without a flicker of the pain that he must be in gracing his features. Clary shuffled back and out of the way as Izzy found herself sandwiched protectively between her two brothers.
Clary stood, glancing apprehensively at the two downed attackers that were groaning in pain, before looking up at Magnus and catching his worried expression. She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it in reassurance. "Izzy's tough. She's gonna be okay."
"Yes, she is," Magnus agreed, meeting Alec's defiant stare as he held his sister. "She's a Lightwood."
Blue flashing lights filled the alley in a macabre imitation of the club's strobe lights; two police cars blocking the entrance and drawing a small crowd of rubberneckers to the scene. Jace glared at the onlookers staring at them through their phones, keeping Izzy's face hidden from their curiosity.
Or trying to.
One of the officers with first responder training was checking Izzy over, a finger hooked under her chin to maker her look up as he shined a little flashlight in her eyes. Jace understood what the officer was doing, and was grateful that someone was helping Izzy. But that didn't mean that he didn't want to break the guy's fingers for daring to touch his sister after what she had just been through.
The officer nodded and finally put the flashlight away; Izzy immediately turning to bury herself against Alec's chest as soon as she was released. "Looks like maybe rohypnol or GBH, but I can't give her anything until the lab confirms it. Responses are good but sluggish and the bleeding is mostly stopped. Physically speaking, she's okay," he concluded. Jace watched Izzy cry silently into Alec's shirt and wondered what the hell definition of 'okay' this guy was using.
A camera phone flashed in the corner of his eye. The only thing stopping Jace getting up and smashing every damn phone (and their owners' noses) was Izzy pressed against his side.
"The ambulance is fifteen minutes out," the officer continued, rocking back on his heels so that he was still level with the three siblings on the floor but politely out of their personal space. "They'll give her a thorough examination at the hospital. A female officer will have to be present to take photos and collect trace evidence."
"What?" Jace asked dumbly. Logically, he understood what the officer was saying. He was training to do the same job after all. He knew the procedure for rape and sexual assault victims. Knew that it was because the crime was so damn hard to prove in court – what with the stigma for blaming said victims – without solid scientific evidence. He knew this.
But Izzy... He had never thought of Izzy as a victim before.
It was all so wrong.
The officer grimaced sympathetically and stood, heading over to help his partner reign in the crowd growing by the second outside of the club. Another officer was taking Clary and Magnus' statements on the opposite side of the alley, while a few more officers arrested the two attackers who were loudly claiming that they had been assaulted without cause. But Jace couldn't focus on any of that; his thoughts racing a mile a minute as what had happened finally caught up with him.
More cameras flashed, immortalising the horror for all to see.
"Alec," he called quietly. He knew that he needed to be strong, for Izzy. And he would be. But it was starting to get hard to breathe and- and- "Alec?"
"HEY!" one of the officers yelled, snapping Jace's attention to the far end of the alley and startling a sudden breath out of him. One of the attackers had thrown the officer off of him before he could be handcuffed and made a dive for something on the ground. "Knife! He's got a knife!"
With the other attacker secured and already frogmarched to the patrol car without Jace even noticing, there were three remaining officers to draw their service weapons, shouting at the attacker to put the weapon down. The crowd was going crazy; camera flashes going off like fireworks as the tense stand-off took place. Eventually, the attacker decided to surrender, dropping the knife and letting himself be handcuffed and taken away.
"Shit," one of the officers hissed as she picked up the knife and bagged it. "Did he get you? Are you okay?"
The officer that had done the initial yelling shrugged; giving himself a cursory examination just in case the adrenaline had covered up an injury. "Nah, I'm fine. Asshole didn't get close enough."
The officer held the bag up, letting the blue lights of the patrol cars catch the blade as she examined it. "Then where did the blood come from?"
A chill ran down Jace's spine.
"Alec?"
Izzy didn't know what was going on.
She remembered going out to... to a club...? Yeah, she went out to a club, with her brothers and their partners. She remembered being hot, so incredibly hot that it felt like her blood was on fire and then... then everything gets hazy for a while. Something bad happened, she thinks. Something that made her cry...? Why else would her brothers hold her? Wait. Her brothers were holding her like, like an Izzy sandwich or something. Like they had when she broke up with Simon.
Simon. Had she seen Simon? Had that made her cry? Angel, how embarrassing. How drunk was she that seeing her ex made her burst into tears? It would explain the headache though. Crying and alcohol were always a bad mix for hangovers. She was never drinking again. It was official.
"Shhh Izzy, it's okay," a familiar voice murmured to her left, but Izzy couldn't find the energy to open her eyes and look at them. She was so, so tired. And her stomach hurt. And her head was thumping like the club music was still pumping between her ears. "It will be over soon."
Well yeah, she figured that. Hangovers didn't last forever. She tried to tell the voice exactly that, but her dry tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. Ugh, she felt gross. As soon as she could move without throwing up she was taking a shower.
"You can't yet, I'm sorry," the voice answered, and it slowly dawned on Izzy that it was Jace talking to her; his hand gently stroking through her hair as if it wasn't her own damn fault for getting so drunk she couldn't remember-
Yelling. There had been yelling. Not the angry kind. Panicked shouts, calls for help- Magnus had sounded so damned scared. And Alec... she was leaning against Alec. When did he get so cold? Why? How?
Where was she?
"A-Alllec?" Izzy slurred, struggling to form the two syllables with a mouth full of cotton. She dragged her eyes open, fighting the stickiness of slept-in mascara only to wince at the brightness of... wherever the hell she was. Jace's face came into focus after a few slow blinks; a bruise forming by his right eye that was swollen half-shut and a small smile marred by a split lip.
"Easy, Iz," Jace whispered. She realised that the hand in her hair felt coarser than it should as reality folded back in around her; the white of a bandage wrapped around Jace's knuckles catching the corner of her eye as he continued to comfort her. "They're almost done."
They? Izzy's breath caught in her throat as she became aware of a hand resting on her thigh and her knees spread slightly apart. The warmth of a body near her hip. The soft murmur of voices. The flash and click of a camera.
She was in an alley, pressed against a brick wall. Pain radiated from her shoulder and neck; the sharp sting of teeth cutting into her skin. Someone's mouth on hers, tongue sliding across her own as bile rose in her throat. Her dress hiked up above her hips and a hand between her thighs. Fingers inside her. Warm blood running down her legs.
"Nonononononono"
"Izzy, breath! Iz!" Jace's voice called, but she couldn't find him. It hurt. It burned. They wouldn't stop touching her no matter how hard she begged. This couldn't be happening. Stop. Stop. Stop!
"It's okay. You're safe. It's over."
Get them off! She could feel them all over her like an infestation. The stickiness of their saliva soaking under her skin. The touch of their fingers tainting her, claiming her...
"Please, that's enough-" Jace was saying, talking over Izzy – stopping the monsters? Please stop them. Please. "Let me help her-"
Warm rain was falling from the sky, but it wasn't night time any more. Everything was white, shiny and far too bright. A soft cloth brushed over her eyes as she closed them, gently scrubbing at her make up. She was sitting on cold tile slowly heated by the water starting to pool around her naked legs; making Izzy abruptly aware of her nudity.
"It's just me, Iz," Jace said quietly, pulling away as soon as she began to panic, not wanting to take away any more of her dignity as she gradually came back to herself. "Do you want me to go? I can ask Clary to help you instead. Magnus has gone to get you some clothes from your place. Izzy?"
"Clary?" Izzy repeated dazedly.
"I'll get Clary," Jace affirmed, dropping the wash cloth in the water before making to stand. "I should've done that in the first place. Sorry. It's just you were- never mind. I'll get Clary."
"No!" Izzy shouted, stunning both of them with the sudden volume. She grabbed hold of Jace's arm, fingers digging into the fabric of his sleeve. "Don't go. Don't leave me, please."
Immediately Jace knelt again by the side of the bath, covering Izzy's desperate grip with his own reassuring one. "Okay, okay. I'll stay. I'm not going anywhere."
"Are they gone?"
"Yeah, Iz, they're gone," Jace said firmly. "They're not going to hurt you ever again."
Her skin still felt as if it were crawling, making her shudder even under the warmth of the shower. "But I can still feel them," she whispered, tears joining the water running down her face. Unconsciously her hands started scratching at her exposed skin, trying to ease the itchiness of the filth ingrained by their touch. "Get them off. Gotta get them off. Get them-"
"Okay!" Jace interrupted, grabbing her hands before her nails could draw blood. He pressed the abandoned wash cloth into her grip, giving her back control over what happened to her body. "Take your time. You're going to be okay."
An hour later, finally feeling somewhat clean and lucid, Izzy lay on a hospital bed with her head against Jace's shoulder. Magnus had come by with her clothes – comfort clothes reserved for break-ups and the days Maryse's words cut just a little too close; a pair of sweats that she would never have admitted to owning and one of Alec's old t-shirts. She thanked him, but Magnus had only smiled sadly and left, exchanging a quiet few words with Jace before disappearing.
"Jace," Izzy muttered, breaking the silence that was trying its best to lull her into sleep. "Where's Alec?"
Jace froze against her for a moment before forcefully releasing the breath that he was holding. Izzy tried to blink her eyes open; but the mixture of comfort and mild sedative had her drifting against her will. "He... He had to talk to the cops. Give his statement. He'll be okay."
Izzy frowned at the wording, but her eyes were too heavy to keep open. "I need him Jace."
Jace hugged her closer, rubbing his thumb against her shoulder as she finally fell asleep. "Me too."
"You are an idiot," Magnus declared vehemently, glaring at his boyfriend with barely restrained frustration. He was sat beside the bed with his arms crossed; hugging the old hoodie of Alec's that he had grabbed from their apartment even as he tried to scold him. "You are a stubborn, reckless, stupid idiot-"
Magnus choked on a sob. "-and it's one of the many, many things I love about you."
Alec lay still and silent; skin pale against the garish hospital gown and eyes firmly shut. Magnus gave up on being angry, letting the tears fall instead. He never could stay mad at Alec. Especially when all he really wanted to do was to hold him close and make sure that he was okay. To protect him for once. Magnus reached out and grasped Alec's hand tightly.
"Please wake up."
"He's not dying."
Magnus jumped, swivelling in his seat to glare at the person who had just appeared in the room. A woman in a business suit, bearing a striking resemblance to Isabelle in twenty-odd years time, stood proudly by the door. Her face twisted into a grimace as she caught sight of Magnus' hand in Alec's. Maryse Lightwood.
"I spoke to his doctor," Maryse continued. "The damage was minimal. Aside from some blood loss and a mild concussion, he's fine. I did wonder where he had gotten his sudden flair from the dramatics from. I should have known that it was your influence."
"Well I'm sorry if seeing my boyfriend unconscious in a hospital bed upsets me," Magnus snapped back, taking satisfaction from Maryse' flinch at the word 'boyfriend'. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, what with your love being conditional on him playing the role of your perfect, straight son."
Maryse bristled. "He was perfect before you came along, filling his head with this filth-"
"Shut up!" Magnus shouted, climbing to his feet but keeping the chair between them so that he didn't do anything rash. Like punch his boyfriend's mother in the face. "Do you even hear yourself? He's your son, and he's just been stabbed. How can you care so little that him being gay is what you're so concerned with right now?"
"As I already said, he's fine-"
"Does he look 'fine' to you?!" Magnus cut her off. "Do you even know what happened? Is Isabelle just 'fine' too? Do you care that your daughter was sexually assaulted last night? Or is your love for her just as conditional?"
Maryse lifted her chin and raised her eyebrows as Magnus' angry stream of questions came to an end. "Are you quite done, Mr Bane?" she asked. It took every ounce of self restraint that Magnus had to not slap the smug smirk off of her face. "Last night's incident is actually why I'm here. I came to get the facts of the case. I have already spoken to Isabelle, who seems unharmed despite all the fuss-"
"Fuss?!"
"-and the doctors tell me that beyond a few bruises and some slight tearing she's medically fine." Maryse continued as if Magnus hadn't spoken. "The defendants have given a statement claiming that it was all consensual, and that Alec attacked them unprovoked. He was stabbed in self defence."
Magnus swallowed down the bile that had risen in his throat. "You don't actually believe that, do you?"
"One of the defendants, Sebastian Morgenstern's father works for my firm," Maryse replied. "He has asked me to represent Sebastian and his friend in this case. He's a good man and his son has never been anything other than a gentleman when we've met. I also know Isabelle, and her... choices. With the way that she dresses and behaves, I hardly find it surprising that she would engage in sexual acts in an alleyway."
Red blinded Magnus' vision, his breath getting shorter as rage overtook him. But then he froze, anger draining to fear as a terrible thought struck him. "Please tell me you didn't say any of this to Isabelle."
Maryse casually straightened her suit jacket. "I call things as I see them. If she could have given me a reason to believe her story-"
"She's your daughter." Magnus stated. "That should be reason enough."
"That won't stand up in court."
Magnus closed the distance between them, using his height to tower over Maryse. Enough was enough. He had watched the effect that Maryse had had on her children for years. He had pulled Alec back from the ledge when she had pressured him into a loveless marriage. He had held Izzy as she broke down when Maryse had made her doubt her own intelligence and abilities. He had witnessed Jace's anger as he was compared to his siblings and used to to bring them down.
"Get. Out. And stay away from my family."
Maryse snarled in contempt, raising a hand as if to slap Magnus, before closing it into a fist and lowering it slowly. "After all the damage that you have done to my children," she said darkly, "you can have them."
"What do you mean, you can't find Isabelle?"
Jace shrugged helplessly at Magnus, barely keeping his temper in check as panic flooded him. "I mean, I can't find her! The cops took our statements, and then Izzy asked for some food, so I went to get it, and when I came back, she was gone!"
The colour drained from Magnus' face. "How long? How long has she been missing?"
"Uh, maybe twenty minutes?" Jace guessed. It had felt like so much longer. He just felt so stupid- and terrified- He hadn't left Izzy for more than two minutes since the alleyway and now she was- "I came back up ten minutes ago. I tried the bathroom and the nurses station and then I thought maybe she had gone to see Alec but I hadn't told her his room number-"
"Maryse was here," Magnus interrupted, and Jace's blood turned to ice. "She came to Alec's room to tell me she was defending those assholes. She said that she had spoken to Isabelle."
"Oh god," Jace breathed. Magnus didn't need to tell him just what Maryse had said, he could already guess. And having seen the state that Izzy was in after all that had happened... she wasn't strong enough to take their mother's verbal abuse right now. "We have to find her. We have to find her now."
Magnus nodded, tugging at his hair as he tried to think. "Where would she go? Outside? Is Clary still here? Would she have gone to find her?"
"I sent Clary home to set up the spare room," Jace explained frantically, finding himself rambling as worst case scenarios ran through his mind. "She's being discharged today and I didn't want her to go home alone. I figured that with Alec still here she would stay with us-"
"Th-the roof?" Magnus suggested, making both of them freeze.
"Sh-she wouldn't," Jace shook his head. Would she? Izzy had always been so strong and independent and confident. Sure, he was scared that she might do something stupid, but she normally seemed so self-assured that the idea that she would... But then again, Jace was an expert at hiding things with an apparent ego, who was he to say that Izzy wasn't too? The only person who really knew his insecurities was "Alec. She would go to Alec."
Magnus looked around them. "But I just came from there and I didn't see her."
"She didn't know where he was," Jace replied, already heading for the stairs with Magnus following close behind. "She would have gone to ask someone, maybe the front desk. She'll have gone to Alec, trust me. We always do."
Magnus didn't argue with that, silently following Jace up the stairs at a jog, retracing his steps back to Alec's room. Someone yelled at them for running, but the orderly went ignored as they slammed through the doors onto Alec's ward and skidded into his room, only pausing for breath when they found Izzy safe and sound.
Jace nearly collapsed from the relief, having to put his hands on his knees to steady himself a moment. Magnus squeezed his shoulder in reassurance before taking the chair that he had practically been living in since Alec came out of surgery. Once his heart had finally stopped pounding and his breathing became marginally normal, Jace perched himself on the edge of the bed beside Alec's knee, grinning when Alec offered him a tired smile. "Hey."
"Hey," Alec croaked, his voice still hoarse from sleep. It was clear that he had not long woken up, but he still frowned in concern at Jace's dishevelled appearance. Like he was one to talk. "You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just had a heart attack. I'm fine," Jace joked. He leaned over Alec's legs to gently touch Izzy's arm, brushing his thumb over the warm fabric of the t-shirt. She was curled up against Alec's side with her head resting on his shoulder; eyes puffy from crying even as she dozed off. "I see you found Izzy."
"She just fell asleep," Alec muttered. Magnus reached across the bed to take Alec's free hand, making Alec smile again and squeeze back. "Was someone shouting earlier?"
Magnus frowned, anger flashing in his eyes. "Your mother was here."
"Oh," Alec blinked, the arm that he had around Izzy instinctively tightening. "That explains a lot."
Jace ducked his head, feeling guilty that he had let Maryse get to Izzy. It was his fault that she had run off, leaving her exposed to Maryse' callous words that would always cut so deeply no matter how hard you tried to protect yourself. He had left her, vulnerable and alone, and all he could think of was that Alec would never have done that.
Alec nudged him with his knee, snapping Jace out of his thoughts as if he were bloody psychic.
"I knew I recognised him," Alec grumbled, eyes slipping closed as he struggled to stay awake. "Morgenstern. I interned with his father Valentine when I worked at the firm. Bastards."
Jace snorted at his brother's cursing. "If that's the blonde one, I'm pretty sure I broke his jaw."
Alec smirked proudly, but then his face dropped. "She's representing them, isn't she?"
Magnus nodded. He held Alec's hand tight enough for his knuckles to turn white, his voice strained as he clearly tried to reign in his temper. "She's twisting everything. They're claiming that it was all consensual, that it was them that were unfairly assaulted, not her. Jesus, the things that she was saying about Isabelle..."
Jace's hands clenched into fists. "What the hell? What about stabbing Alec? How are they explaining that?"
"That, apparently, was self-defence," Magnus growled. "They're saying that Alexander attacked them, unprovoked, and out of fear for their lives they drew a knife to protect themselves. It sounds like they want to bring you up on charges, darling."
"What about me?" Jace asked, holding up his bandaged hand. "I was clearly involved too."
Magnus shrugged. "Maryse didn't mention you."
"Of course not," Jace huffed, pissed off with Maryse' double standards. "Wouldn't want to involve me and tarnish my 'golden' reputation now, would we? She still 'likes' me, after all."
Alec nudged his leg again. He knew how much Jace hated being compared to his siblings, always put on a pedestal that they would never be able to compete with. Jace had never understood how Maryse could seemingly love the son that she had adopted more than the children that she had raised from birth. Sometimes... sometimes he wondered if she hadn't taken him in just to use as a tool to punish her children with.
Jace loved his siblings. For a kid who had had nothing, they had given him everything. He hated being used against them. Hated that sometimes he felt like he existed purely for that purpose.
"I need to call Lydia," Alec said to Magnus. "She'll handle everything, find a way to keep Izzy off the stand and away from Maryse..."
"Already done, darling," Magnus smiled, reaching up to brush Alec's hair back. "You're supposed to be resting."
Alec mumbled something that vaguely sounded like 'I am resting'. Jace poked him between the eyes, forcing a grin. "You've only been awake five minutes. Stop worrying."
"Yeah, that's never gonna happen," Alec replied. "When can we go home?"
"You've got to stay a few more days for observation," Magnus answered.
"And Izzy's being discharged today," Jace added somewhat hesitantly. "I figured that she could stay with me and Clary until you get out, unless you wanted her to stay with Magnus, he would probably be better than me considering how I've done so far—"
Alec nudged him hard enough to actually hurt, making Jace yelp and rub at his leg. Magnus stifled a snort. "You did a good job, Jace," Alec said, cutting Jace off when he opened his mouth to argue. "No one knew that Maryse was coming, so don't you dare blame yourself for that. And considering what Izzy's been through, I'd be more worried if she was acting totally fine. You did good, you stuck by her, and I'm proud of you. Now quit it with the frowny face."
Jace blinked, taken aback by Alec's words and the feeling of warmth that they bought to his chest. He was pretty sure that he was blushing. "I do not have a frowny face."
"You do," Alec retorted like they were kids. "You're gonna get wrinkles at twenty-four."
"Why are you so mean to me?" Jace mock-whined, even as he was unable to stop smiling.
"Big brother privilege," Alec smirked. Magnus had buried his face in the mattress next to Alec's arm, his shoulders shaking as he tried not to laugh at their stupidity. Alec petted his shoulder in a 'there, there' gesture, before turning back to Jace and letting his smile drop a little. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me, Jace."
Jace just shook his head at the ridiculous apology. "You had a pretty good excuse, bro."
Alec woke to the sound of screaming.
Shooting upright in his bed, he accidentally dislodged Magnus from where he had been resting on Alec's chest, waking his boyfriend up in the process. Alec cringed as he glanced at the clock, knowing that Magnus only had a few more hours of sleep before he was due to catch a flight to Paris for Fashion Week. Carefully, he crept out from under the covers, angling his pillow so that Magnus could hug it instead and tucking the sheets back around him. "Sorry," he murmured quietly.
"S'okay," Magnus half-slurred, half-snored. "It's'good practice for'when we have kids."
Alec blinked in surprise, but Magnus had fallen back to sleep again before Alec could question him. Huffing a fond sigh, he brushed his fingers through his boyfriend's hair and then quietly snuck out of the room.
It had been three weeks since the incident in the alleyway, and things were slowly going back to normal. Alec was back to work, the stab wound mostly healed aside from the occasional twinges of pain, the physical repercussions relatively minor. Izzy had chosen to swap Jace's spare room for Alec's a week after he had come home, citing that it was closer to school and the classes that she had insisted she keep taking.
Nothing to do with the nightmares that haunted her whenever she fell asleep.
Wearily, Alec stumbled down the hall, the screams that had woken him quieted to pained sobs that tore at his heart. He opened the door to Izzy's room, blinking to adjust to the light that she kept on, and then settled down on the edge of her bed.
He had learned early on that touching her was a bad idea. It should have been logical, considering, but Alec had been helping Jace and Izzy with their nightmares since they were children and a gentle touch on the shoulder had always been welcome with them. But that first night when Alec had tried to wake her had resulted in a black eye and Izzy feeling guilty on top of everything else, so Alec had adapted. He spoke to her quietly, just reassuring nonsense so that she knew that he was there, waiting for the sobs to dull to ragged breathing.
"Shhh, Izzy, it's just a nightmare," he whispered as she slowly opened her eyes, trying to blink away the tears that were already falling. "You're safe. They're gone. It's going to be okay."
"Alec?" she muttered hoarsely. She reached out for a hug that he gladly gave, rubbing her back soothingly as the hiccups started. "This is so – embarrassing – I should be – stronger – than this."
"No," Alec denied, squeezing her tighter a moment before letting go so that he could meet her eyes. "You have the right to feel however you feel. It doesn't make you weak to be affected by this, Iz. And it wouldn't make your stronger to ignore it."
Izzy tried for a watery smile, but ended up sniffling. Alec already had the tissues ready, gently wiping her eyes as she took care of her nose. "I keep seeing it, over and over – all the things I should have done if I was smarter or stronger. Why couldn't I fight them off? I've been kicking Jace's ass most of my life but I can't fend off a couple of-"
"You were drugged, Iz," Alec reiterated. "They took the fight away from you."
"I shouldn't have let them drug me in the first place!" Izzy snapped, gasping for a breath through a sob. "How many times have you told me to watch my drink? I left it! I figured that it was just for a second – it was so stupid."
"Stop," Alec said firmly, taking Izzy by the shoulders. "You have got to stop thinking like this, Izzy. This was not your fault, in any way. The blame is theirs, and theirs alone."
Izzy scrubbed harshly at her tears, drawing a deep breath to try and calm her hitching chest. "She says it was my fault. She said I was asking for it."
Alec closed his eyes, cursing his mother in every language that he knew for hitting his sister while she was down. "Well she's wrong. She always has been. It took us a long time to learn that, but we did, and we both know it's true."
"But-"
"No," Alec cut her off. "Do you think that she's right about me? That being gay makes me worthless?"
Izzy shook her head almost violently. "Of course not!"
"Then why do you think she's right about you?"
Izzy choked back a reply, realising that she didn't have one. The tears were falling freely, but she paid them no mind as she struggled to bring her emotions back under control. Alec nudged Izzy over a little so that he could take the spot next to her, opening his arms so she could rest against his side. Eventually, the tears began to slow, turning to sniffles as she wiped them away.
When silence finally fell, Izzy rested her hand on Alec's stomach above the healing stab wound. "I'm sorry you got hurt, Alec."
"Don't be."
"And I'm sorry I keep waking you," she continued as if Alec hadn't spoken. "I promise I'll move back out soon, I just... I just can't be alone yet."
Alec shook his head. "Stop apologising. None of this is your fault and I'm going to keep saying that until you believe it. And you can stay here as long as you like, Iz. There's no deadline for getting over this."
Izzy nodded and took a breath, pushing herself upright so that Alec could escape. "You should go back to Magnus. He's going away for a week, you can't waste your last night... well morning together. I promise I won't hear a thing. I'll put my headphones on while you say 'goodbye'."
Alec flushed scarlet, making Izzy genuinely laugh. "You can't say things like that, you're my sister!"
"Go."
Alec rolled his eyes as he stood, letting Izzy tuck herself back in before he dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Try and get some more sleep. Goodnight Iz."
Exhaustion hit Alec as me wandered back to his room, too many interrupted nights catching up to him as he stumbled across the threshold. Magnus wordlessly threw the covers back as Alec shut the door, inviting his boyfriend back to bed. "Hey," Alec whispered, kissing Magnus softly. "I'm sorry for waking you."
"I think Isabelle did that, darling" Magnus replied without heat.
"I'm sorry," Alec immediately apologised. "The nightmares are getting better, she might be able to go home soon. I'll try staying at her place with her while your away-"
Magnus flicked him on the nose, eyes still closed. "That wasn't what I meant and you know it. Isabelle can stay as long as she likes and I won't hear another word about it."
Alec smiled lovingly, unable to resist placing another kiss on Magnus' lips. "How did I get so lucky with you? I know my family isn't what you signed up for..."
"Shhhhh," Magnus hushed, burying his face against Alec's neck as he got comfy again. "I signed up for you, Alexander, and everything that comes with that. You're love for your siblings is just one of the many, many things I love about you."
Alec grinned. "Just one?"
FIN