Two Months Later...

Alec had changed as soon as he found the suicide note from Magnus. After Jace had found him and took him back to the Institute, he locked himself in his office. And the day after, he had pulled himself into work into changing shadowhunter and downworld relations. He and Lydia started holding weekly downworld cabinet meetings, all in Magnus' honor of course. Alec did everything he could to change how downworlders saw him. He constantly visited downworlders in need, donated his old clothing to downworld donation centers and he even babysat young warlocks and seelies if no one else was around. The downworld seemed to like Alec and his family even more. Alec just wished that it didn't take Magnus' killing himself for their relations to change. Magnus would have been proud of him. Magnus was of loved what Alec was doing. He would have loved it.

Alec sat down on his bed and sighed, tried from a long day of demon hunting. Alec honestly didn't want to do anything that day. Mostly because it's been officially two months since Magnus had committed suicide. Alec laid back down on the pillows and thought back to the two months. They had been horrible for Alec, but he changed his way afterwards. After they successfully defeated and killed Valentine and his son, Johnathan, Alec had the time to officially mourn the warlock and light a candle in his honor. Alec was forced out of his thoughts about Magnus and his feelings for him when the door opened. Lydia, his wife, walked inside and threw her heels at the wall. "Let me guess." Alec said, not bothering to sit up. "The Clave?"

"They still think that members of the Circle might be inside the Institute. And guess who they're blaming?" Lydia said, slamming herself on the bed head first. "Us."

"I honestly can't even care when it comes to them." Alec said honestly. "Let them blame us. You and I both know full well that there are no Circle members in our Institute and there never will be."

Lydia looked up over and Alec. She gave him a small smile. "Hey." she said. "It's the seventh."

Alec sighed. The seventh was the day that Magnus left this world. "Yeah... yeah I know. I was just thinking about him."

"You still blame yourself don't you?"

"How can I not Lyds? I told him that I hated him. I practically told him to leave. If I could go back and do things differently, I would." Lydia gave him a smile and moved forward. She sat Alec up, much to his groaning protest, and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you Lyds."

"No problem." she said back, letting him go and looking up at him. She moved forward and cupped his cheek. "Magnus would have loved you."

Alec sighed and nodded. Before the two could say anything else, there was a buzz from Alec's phone. He pulled it out and checked. It was a message from Jace. "I need to go, you'll be alright for a few hours right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Lydia said. "I'll probably just train with Clary. If it's demon's be safe."

"No promises. See ya later Lyds." Alec got up and grabbed his bow. He gave Lydia a warm smile and walked out of the room. He walked down and made his way towards the ops center, where Jace said he would be waiting. "Jace, what's wrong? Your text said it was urgent."

Jace looked over at his parabatai and walked over. He pulled him close into a hug. "I'm so sorry about Magnus."

Alec sighed and he patted Jace's back in return. "Thank you Jace." Jace let him go and gave him a weak grin. "What is it?"

"I just got a distress call from some warlocks." Jace said, pulling up a photo of a fire message. "You know that it's bad when downworlders call us for help."

"What did the message say?"

"It said that someone attacked the Pandemonium. That club that Magnus used to own. I tried to reach this warlock again, but the message just kept coming back to me."

"Who would attack the Pandemonium? That's not just for downworlders, mundanes go there too. Whoever did this could be thrown in the guard for life."

"The message didn't say much, bu it did say that the leader of the attack had runes."

Alec nodded. "Then it must be a shadowhunter." he said. "We're gone, come one."

Jace grabbed his blades and followed Alec out the door. Alec thought about the club and how Magnus owned it. Alec would often think of what would have happened if he actually opened up to his feelings about Magnus? Would they have gone there as a date? Would Magnus had danced for him? With him? On him? Alec thought about Magnus all too much. Mostly about him and his suicide. How had Magnus done it? How had Magnus killed himself? Alec always prayed that Magnus didn't suffer and die a sad and painful death. That would make it ten times worse for Alec if he had known that Magnus suffered while committing suicide. After a while, Alec and Jace made it to the club, to see the door's slammed shut and tightly locked. "Dammit." Jace cursed.

"It's a rune. Whovever did this is a skilled shadowhunter." Alec said, running his stele over the night-vision rune. "We might have to take the roof. This way."

He followed his brother to the back of the club and climbed up the fire escape to the roof. Alec walked over to the sky light and looked down. Sure enough, there was a line of hostages on the wall. Alec pulled out his stele and pulled it over his hearing rune. He leaned in a bit closer to the glass and listened in. The hostages were silent, the only voice speaking was what seemed to be the shadowhunter that was holding them hostage. Alec recognized the voice immediately just as he walked into the view of the skylight. Johnathan, Valentine's son. He was walking out, holding a crowbar and hitting warlocks in various areas with it. "Who's holding them?" Jace asked, activating his own hearing rune.

"It's Johnathan."

"What? How?"

"I don't know. Quiet." Alec and Jace both leaned it and watched as he threw the crowbar at a warlock's stomach. He yelled out in anger and then kicked a downworlder woman in the face.

"Do you all really want to be here? I know that you disgraces have children... or should I say accidents. Maybe I should go after them instead?" Johnathan asked, making a few of them cry out and scream and shake with fear. "Yeah, that'll get you won't it? Now will you tell me where the High Warlock of Brooklyn is hiding in this place, and maybe I'll let you disgraces live."

Alec and Jace both looked at each other. They knew about how Magnus had given his role as High Warlock to Lorenzo Rey. Even though Alec hated him, he couldn't let Johnathan get to him and possibly kill him for no reason at all. They missed something that was said by a warlock, but they saw Johnathan stab that warlock and let his body fall to the ground. "You lying son of a bitch! See what happens when you lie to me?! That will happen to ever single one of you! Tell me where the High Warlock is!"

"Okay, that's enough." Alec said, slamming his elbow into the glass and shooting an arrow. Johnathan flipped away from the arrows and cursed himself and Jace and Alec dropped down onto the floor. Alec raised his bow and shot another arrow, but Johnathan ran over to them with his demon blooded speed. Alec and Jace both fell to the ground as Johnathan escaped from a back door. Alec and Jace got up and looked around. "Dammit." Alec cursed.

"Is everyone okay?" Jace called over to everyone, closing the eyes of the warlock that was just killed. The warlocks nodded in agreement and stood up. They tried to get up and leave, but Jace held his hands out. "The doors are locked from the outside with runes. Stay here for a moment, Johnathan might have more demons and Circle members outside. Now, can anyone tell us why Johnathan is looking for Lorenzo Rey."

"Lorenzo Rey?" said an older vampire, wiping his knuckles. "Johnathan was not looking for Lorenzo Rey. He has no interest in him."

"What are you talking about?" Alec asked, walking over to him. "That's who the High Warlock of Brooklyn is?"

"We tried to tell him." the vampire added. "But he thought we were lying. That's why Winston is dead. He's looking for Magnus Bane."

Alec growled and he moved forward. Jace pushed him back, to prevent him from doing something that he would regret. "I can see where Johnathan is coming from. Magnus... Magnus Bane is dead. He-"

Alec was cut off my the sound of a portal opening. The wind from it blew the hair of everyone inside the room. Alec froze as soon as they person stepped out of the portal. The man that he thought left this world because of him. The shiny and flamboyant Magnus Bane stepped out, dressed in bright gold and dark green. Jace looked so confused as well. His hand went to Alec's shoulder. Magnus looked just like he did before he left. Beautiful. Golden eyeshadow on his waterline and what seemed to be a highlight on the cheekbone that could cut sharper than any seraph blade. Alec didn't know how to feel. Happy? Sad? Angry? Why hadn't he paid more attention to the note? Why hadn't he investigated further into Magnus leaving? Why hadn't he gone to another warlock? Why hadn't he begged to see if Magnus actually killed himself? Why hadn't he done better? Better for Magnus?

Magnus met eyes with the vampire that Alec and Jace were speaking to and he moved forward to hug with him. "Or dearest Othelo. Have you been hurt?" Magnus asked.

"No. Thank goodness that you got here." Othelo said to him. "The guy who took us hostage killed a few warlocks back on the dance floor. He even killed Winston."

Magnus looked over at the dead body and pushed past Jace and Alec, knowing that they were there but not caring enough to respond or say or do anything to them. Magnus knelt down in front of Winston and ran his magic through his body. "My poor friend." Magnus said with a sigh. "Do us a favor and bury him probably would you nephilim?"

"Magnus I-" Alec tried to speak, but Magnus pushed past him again to get to Othelo. Alec bit his lip and curled his fist and Magnus stepped away from him. Alec just wanted to speak to him. Apologize. Hug him. Kiss him. Magnus opened another portal and he looked out to everyone in the room.

"Everyone! Go through this portal and think of home. I've warded all off your homes, covens and dens. Go now." Magnus said, watching as everyone walked inside of the portal to get to safety. Once everyone was inside the portal, Magnus closed the portal and he looked down at the ground. Jace looked over at Alec, who was already walking towards the warlock.

"Magnus..." Alec called to him, walking over to Magnus. "I-"

Magnus held his hand up to Alec, not even bothering to look at him. "Don't." he said. "Just don't."

"Magnus, wait." Jace called up, walking over to Magnus. "We just want to talk."

Magnus pulled his hand up as soon as Jace was too close and back handed him. His rings made the slap worse and Alec felt the stinging in his cheeks. Jace's face was pushed to the side and Magnus shook his head at him. "I hope your parbatai felt that."

Magnus opened another portal and walked inside of it. It closed behind the two and Alec looked down at the ground in anger. Jace looked over at Alec and frowned. "Alec... I am so-"

Alec shook his head and crossed his arms. "Don't apologize Jace... I deserve this."

"You have to explain this to him." Jace said. "You don't deserve the cold shoulder. You made a mistake Alec!"

"Jace, don't-"

"No Alec! Listen... you deserve to be happy. And you haven't been since Magnus die... left. And I fell your emotions, you're not happy. Magnus could make you happy. You just need to let him know why." Jace walked over to Alec and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "If I know anything about complicated relationships... it's that you hit bumps in the road. This is just one of those bumps. And the only way to get over it is to talk to him. Go Alec."

Alec gave is brother a smile and they embraced each other in a tight hug. Jace patted his back and smiled feeling some hope from his parabatai bond. Alec looked back and activated his speed and glamour rune. "Thank you Jace." he said, before running off into the streets of New York. He ran as fast as he could along with his rune and made his way to Magnus' loft. He ran up the steps and made his way to his front door. Alec looked at his reflection in the dark wood and he adjusted his hair that had fallen out. He inhaled and exhaled quickly and knocked lightly on the door. He wanted to apologize to Magnus. To say sorry and make him feel like the amazing man that he was. Alec smiled when the door opened, but he frowned to see who opened it. It was a middle aged mundane woman, carrying a baby in her hands. She looked at Alec a bit confused. "Hello." she said. "Can I help you with something?"

"Hi... I'm sorry. I'm looking for Magnus Bane." Alec said.

"Oh, Magnus. Such a sweet guy." the woman said with a smile.

"Is he here?"

"No dear. He moved out about two months ago. He gave me this beautiful apartment."

Alec nodded, feeling sadness and disappointment. Of course Magnus left the loft. Alec gave the woman a small smile. "Thank you. I'm sorry for wasting your time."

"No problem dear. Have a nice night." the mundane woman said with a smile, closing the door just as the baby in her arms started gurgling and chuckling.

"You too." Alec said as the door closed. Alec pressed his forehead against the door in sadness that Magnus wasn't here. On the good side, Magnus was alive. On the down side... Magnus didn't want anything to do with Alec.