Part 2: The Stairs Creak As You Sleep, It's Keeping Me Awake

Alec stared, unwilling to believe what was in front of him.

"It will burn, all that you love will burn."

The voice came to him, taunting him, and it was right. Before him was the Institute, those he loved trapped inside it and on fire. His home, his family, all of them screaming, agony on their faces as they tried to break down windows. All of them dying and begging for his help and he could to nothing to save them.

"It will come swiftly, and my wrath will engulf them all."

Alec watched as the building collapsed in on itself, into flame, smoke and rubble. He had failed and now all he loved was paying for his failure. What kind of Shadowhunter was he? He shook himself free of the immobilizing grief and ran. He turned from it and ran as hard as his legs would carry him. He kept running on and on until the world turned to darkness and he was suddenly alone in the haze and ashes that was now his world. He turned around, panic begining to engulf him, to find himself face to face with beautiful cat eyes slightly obscured by lose dark hair. Those eyes were so full of joy and love at the sight of him that Alec almost felt his heart break. Those were the eyes he wanted to remember, the eyes he had been so desperate to imagine. "Alec," he whispered holding his arms out. The Shadowhunter let himself collapse into them, letting the feel and smell of the Warlock wrap around him. "Quiet now my love, you are safe." Magnus lifted Alec's face to his, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"I will destroy you."

Flames burst around them, catching the Warlock's clothes, burning him. For a moment his face looked angelic, peaceful, the last moment of his love for the Shadowhunter lingering on his features, and then it was gone and he let out one final scram that shook Alec to the very core of his being.

Magnus tossed and turned in his bed, trying desperatly to get some sort of sleep. They had been searching for Alec for three days now and still they had nothing. The more they found nothing, the less Magnus slept. How could he sleep when Alec was missing, possibly dead? No, don't think that. He isn't dead. You can think he is dead if we find a body, not until then. His thoughts gave him chills and he rolled over again. He was now facing Alec's side of the bed. His hand ran across the sheets there, desperate for some kind of closeness to the Shadowhunter. The pillows didn't even hold Alec's scent anymore, nothing did. Not the pillows, not the couch, not even the sweater he was sleeping in which he had managed to con Izzy into bringing him from Alec's room at the Institute. There was nothing here of his beloved Nephilim. He choked back a sob and sprawled out on his back, trying to take up as much space as possible so the bed felt less empty. It wasn't working.

With a sigh and another choked back sob Magnus pulled himself from the bed and made his way to the study. The Shadowhunters were soundly sleeping in his living room. They'd fallen asleep there a few hours earlier after their nightly patrol through the downworld searching for signs of Alec. Jace had come in first and landed on the armchair, pulling Clary with him. They were asleep there now, Clary curled into Jace, her head resting on his shoulder as he held her tighter than could possibly be comfortable. Izzy and Simon had managed to find the couch.

When Magnus had gone to bed they'd still been awake, Izzy sobbing quietly into Simon's chest, as was her nightly ritual by now. She always waited for Jace to be asleep, a false show of strength. Now they were layed out on the couch, Izzy tucked safely into Simon's tall frame, sleeping fitfully. Simon however was awake, softly stroking her hair, ever vigilant and prepared for the nightmares that woke her.

Simon nodded in Magnus's direction as he passed and Magnus gave him a small tilt of his head. He'd decided he liked Simon recently. Of all of them Simon had been most concerned about Magnus's welfare in the wake of Alec's disappearance. He was constantly forcing the Warlock to stop and take a break, pushing food into his hands, feeding the Chairman, making sure Magnus had what he needed while the others took care of themselves. Yes, Simon was someone he liked.

He entered his study silently, making sure the door made no noise as it shut. Even this place was covered in memories of Alec, but there were fewer here. He let himself sink into the leather chair behind his desk with a sigh and felt his eyelids instantly droop some. Even if sleeping at the desk wasn't ideal Magnus was willing to take it. Sleep was sleep at this point. He was just on the verge of drifting off when a noise startled him awake. He looked up to find himself facing Maureen.