Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or the Mortal Instruments series for that matter. The pleasure instead belongs to Cassandra Clare.

Their bodies slammed on to the cold, solid pavement. A thick layer of snow broke their fall but only marginally.

Immediately alert, Jace leapt to his feet and took in his surroundings. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting provided by an old gas lit street lamp. Alec, meanwhile, merely sat up in the snow clutching his head in pain. He watched wearily as Jace tensed up, poised in case of attack. After a few minutes Jace managed to convince himself that all was safe and for the first time since arriving on the grimy streets of Victorian London he noticed his adopted brother sitting dazedly in the snow.

"Alec, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I came after you, didn't I? You'd get into trouble otherwise," Alec grimaced. " By the Angel my head hurts."

Jace moved closer and bent down in the snow before him. He grabbed hold of the black haired youth's face and stared into his eyes.

"Don't blink," the blonde demanded. Alec blushed; having Jace stare intently into his eyes was uncomfortable for him at the best of times, let alone when his mind was disorientated by time travel not to mention a heavy fall.

Jace sighed and Alec couldn't work out if it was out of annoyance or worry. Jace let go of Alec's face and swiftly broke eye contact. "You must have hit your head. I think you have concussion."

He stood up and held his hands out to Alec who hesitantly accepted the offer and was soon standing on his feet. As he stood a wave of nausea flushed through him and he stumbled. Jace quickly caught hold of him and tried to support his body weight.

"Typical. We're stuck in some random place in a random country, in a random time and you decide to get concussion."

"Sorry," whispered Alec softly. He shivered. All he had was a thin black t-shirt, covered in snow that was already melting on his skin. I really shouldn't have taken my coat off at Magnus's place.

He noticed his arms trembling beneath Jace's firm grip.

Jace's expression softened. "Don't be sorry. I'm just a bit stressed, ok? Let's find somewhere warm then I'll see about giving you a healing rune."

They made a funny pair staggering down the street, one supporting the other. "I'm glad you came. Alec," Jace muttered under his breath. Every exhale caused a poof of steam to emerge from his lips.

Alec blushed again and smiled weakly. "Thanks."

"You better be 'cause that's the only compliment you're going to get for the rest of our time travel trip. I'm all out of positivity as of right now."

That's when they heard a crunch of snow behind them. They both stopped dead. Someone was there...But no matter how much they strained their ears they couldn't hear anything else.
"Must have been a bird," muttered Jace. As soon as he said it he knew he was wrong. Paranoia rife in their minds the boys trudged on, not sure where on earth they were headed but convinced that as long as they kept moving they would find somewhere inviting like a public house or hotel to go inside.

There was another crunch behind them and Jace's head whipped around to catch the culprit but before he knew it a strong arm was gripping his chest and the biting cold of metal was digging at his throat. Alec fell to the ground and found a thin young man with unusually silver eyes and hair to match. The man was holding a long seraph blade pointed at Alec's heart that when combined with his dramatic hair and eyes gave him the look of an avenging angel preparing to pass judgement on the purity of Alec's heart.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here," sung out Jace's captor in a tone of excited over-confidence. Jace could feel the heat of his breath flowing down his neck and could see the steam rising over his left shoulder from the man's moth as the heat attacked the chill of the air.
"Let go of me," Jace growled.

"Rather demanding, aren't you?" replied the mysterious man.

Jace spun around, his right fist crashing into the man's face as his left hand grabbed the end of the knife that just moments ago had been digging further into the skin of his neck and pushed it violently aside before pulling out his own blade.

"When I tell you to let go, I mean it," spat Jace through gritted teeth.

He quickly adopted a crouched down position, ready to pounce on his attacker like a cat on a mouse. His opponent did the same and they circled each other as if in a heated dance of wills.

"Will. They are Shadowhunters, this one has marks." Jace looked away from his attacker for a moment to glance at the slender, pale boy who had now lowered his blade from Alec's chest. But Will saw his momentary distraction and took advantage and before Jace knew it he was lying with his back in the snow, looking up at the starry night sky.

"Will!"

"The boy was being annoying. You cannot expect me to just let him get away with mocking me without some form of retribution, Jem."

Jace pulled his head up and looked at the one named Will properly. He noticed that the boy had deep blue eyes that reminded him of Alec, even their hair was the same colour. Only this guy is totally arrogant and if anyone's annoying it's him.

Alec could barely feel his fingers any more as they grew numb in the cold. He was so tired. No longer able to focus on the scene around him Alec let himself go, mind and body, in to the darkness that had been creeping around th edges of his conciousness and fainted.

"Why are you here anyway?" exclaimed Magnus.

Simon looked thoughtful for a moment. "That's a good question. I think I just needed some company. You know, with the girls away shopping in Paris."

"So you thought you would choose Jace as a substitute?"

"Hey, I never said it was a good plan."

Magnus shook his head in exasperation. He didn't feel like he could cope with much of anything right now. He collapsed down into an armchair and stared dully out of the window.

"At least the lights came back on."

"At least," replied Magnus quietly.

Simon sat down near to him. "Come on, your Magnus Bane for goodness sake; don't get all depressed on me."

Magnus didn't take his eyes away from the window. "My boyfriend has run off to save his adopted brother who he had a crush on for years and, may I add, a crush he hasn't entirely dissolved yet. He's gone after him, ignoring my advice completely and now he'll probably go looking for me in the past." He sighed.

"Well, that's a good thing right?"

"How, in the world, is any of this good?" Magnus sat up straighter and glared at Simon.

"Because it means that despite the fact Alec has gone back in time, he's gone to see you not have a themed holiday with Jace."

"No, you don't get it; I can't let him see me!" said Magnus, head in his hands.

"Why not? No, hang on a minute, will it muck up the space time continuum?"

"Simon, it's much worse than that," Magnus sighed again, more heavily than before. "He'll meet my girlfriend."