Wow so thank you to everyone who has read, followed, favourited (is that a word? it is now) and reviewed. It means so much and is really appreciated. Sooo for all of you who want an answer to the cliff hanger you're going to have to wait because we are going back to the beginning. To how it all started. HOPE YOU LIKE IT :D and sorry for any errors :P

Around 2 months earlier

"What are we doing here Magnus?" Alec asked looking around him at the contents of the strange shop he now found himself in.

"I need to get some ingredients for some spells. With all time I spend helping you pesky Shadowhunters I haven't had time to go shopping recently."

Alec hung his head feeling ashamed. He knew that they had come to rely on Magnus to help them a lot. Now days he didn't even charge them and everyone knew why that was. Mumbling an apology Alec felt a warm finger beneath his chin forcing him to lift his gaze back to Magnus's now disapproving expression.

"Hey don't start that again. You know I don't mind helping you and your little nephlim friends and it's not like I need the money anyway."

"I know, but I feel like we're always calling on you to come and bail us out."

"That's because you know I will always come. For you." Magnus pressed a chaste kiss to Alec's lips immediately cutting off his attempt to respond. He had meant for the kiss to be brief but Alec had other ideas.

Magnus's full lips were soft and silky against his own and the dizzying scent that was 'pure Magnus' entered his nose making his head spin. Placing his arms around the warlock's rail thin waist Alec drew him closer as he deepened the kiss.

They both revelled in the feeling of each other's lips and bodies pressed against each other until they finally parted, each breathing significantly harder than they had been before. Looking down into his boyfriend's bright blue eyes Magnus felt warmth simmer up inside of him-he hadn't felt so content in a long time.

Pulling back from Alec Magnus said seriously: "I'm going to talk to the owner about my ingredients and it may take a while. Feel free to have a look around but please don't mess with anything; there's some very nasty stuff in here."

"I'm not a kid." Alec pouted.

"Sure thing sweetie," Magnus teased and with that he sauntered away.

Alec wandered aimlessly around the shop, stopping at various points to admire a statue or ornament briefly before moving on.

The shop was relatively small in size and was made to feel even small due to the huge amounts of items that cluttered the mantelpiece and shelves. Dozens of paintings lined the four walls and in the corners sat piles and piles of dusty old books which appeared to be on the brink of falling apart and would do so if anyone so much as touched them.

Alec wondered, as he passed what he was recognised as a shrunken human skull in a jar, what sort of people usually came in here and why on earth would they want any of this stuff? He continued making his way around the store with only the silence to accompany him. The silence felt eerie and unusual and for some reason made Alec want to creep around the shop rather than walk.

But after a few more minutes of wandering around the shop Alec suddenly realised why it felt so strange. It was completely silent except for their breathing and occasional repositioning of feet. They were the only ones there. Surely at 6 o'clock in the afternoon would be a peak time and this shop should be filled with customers but instead it was just them.

Turning back to Magnus, who was waiting patiently at the large, mahogany desk and inspecting his nails, Alec asked:

"Hey Magnus, how come no-one else is here? Is this shop not doing very well?"

Looking over his shoulder at the dark haired Shadowhunter Magnus replied: "Actually this is one of the best and most popular shops for spell ingredients."

"Then why-"

"However," Magnus continued, "I managed to convince the owner to stay behind after hours so I could get what I need, he owes me a favour. Plus I can't stand the hustle and bustle in here when it's busy-it's like a herd of wildebeest normally."

Magnus laughed as he viewed Alec's puzzled expression.

"So, the shop's not technically open yet?"

"Nope," Magnus grinned, "Not for another…3 hours or so."

"Oh." Still smiling Magnus turned back towards the desk and rapped on it three times with his knuckles, leaving Alec to continue his exploration of the shop.

Alec turned again when he heard a strange voice behind him saying something in a language he couldn't understand which was quickly answered, in the same dialect, by Magnus. But where the creature's- presumably the shop-owner- voice was harsh and grating Magnus's tone was smooth and melodic. Alec could have listened to him speak with that voice for hours.

Alec studied the figure standing opposite Magnus carefully. He had dark red skin, similar to the colour of dried blood, and he stood a number of inches shorter than the warlock- but Alec still put him at about 6ft. His hair, what little he had of it, was black and stringy and lay flat across the top of his large head. His body was thick with muscle and a single pair of dark brown cargo trousers was the only thing he wore.

But that wasn't what disturbed Alec the most. This was: The creature's face looked as if it was on upside down. He had no nose and in the middle of what Alec assumed was its forehead, sat a large, gaping mouth filled with rows of pointed yellow teeth. But that wasn't all. Where his mouth should have been sat his large, moss coloured eyes…three of them. He had three eyes which curved into a U shape at the bottom of his face and the creepiest thing was that, while two of them were looking at Magnus, the middle one was staring right at him.

Now Alec had seen a whole number of demons and weird creatures before but never one that looked like this. He wasn't blinking and his intense gaze was making Alec feel uncomfortable but Alec wasn't one to back down either. After a few moments of intense staring the shop's owner finally turned his third eye back to Magnus-who had remained typically oblivious to the situation.

Unable to follow their rapid conversation Alec returned his attention to the strange ornament in front of him: A small wooden box made from some dark wood, possibly teak.

It appeared harmless enough, especially compared to the shrunken skull, and the carvings etched all over the fine wood were inoffensive but Alec felt drawn to it for some strange reason.

Alec studied the strange patterns and symbols carved into the dark, wood interestedly. He didn't think he had ever come across them before, at least not in any of his rune and symbol books. They looked somewhat Celtic although these were a lot more swirly and circular than the traditional Celtic symbols he knew of.

As he moved closer he noticed a series of faint words etched into the rim of the box. He peered at them, full of concentration as he tried to make out what they said. Alec was pretty sure the words were in Latin but he couldn't be sure-they were so faded and distorted there was no way he could read what they said.

The longer he stared at the box the more he felt drawn to it. It was like it had its own magnetic field and he was being pulled in.

Then, suddenly, Alec felt compelled to see what was inside. Like if he didn't look he would forever be haunted by the thought of what might have been in there.

Ever so slowly Alec reached up and stroked the smooth, wooden lid once before grasping the edge and lifting ever so slightly revealing the blackness inside along with…

SLAM

From behind him a large hand was thrust out, covering Alec's fingers and slamming the lid shut roughly.

"What did I tell you about not touching things?" Magnus's voice was stern but he did seem all that angry.

"S-sorry," Alec stammered, "I-I just…" Alec looked warily about him and happened to meet the gaze of the shop owner who was still standing behind the desk, wearing a disapproving expression. He said something in that language Alec couldn't understand and looking up at Magnus he became even more confused as the warlock smiled slightly, still not having let go of Alec's hand.

"What did he say?" Alec asked regaining some of his composure as he slipped his fingers out from under Magnus's and turned to face him.

"He said that he's not surprised you were drawn in by the power inside the box." He chuckled at Alec's expression, "the power that has been trapped in there tries to lure great fighters into opening the box."

"What would have happened if I had?"

"It would have killed us all and escaped this shop to cause destruction and chaos in the world."

"Oh." Was all Alec could think to say.

"It's a good job I stopped you then, isn't it?" Magnus said brightly.

The shop keeper said something else in his strange language to which Magnus replied in the same dialect before turning back to Alec.

"Now can I trust you to keep looking and not touch anything while I go and pay the nice shop owner for my things?"

But they never found out whether Alec could be trusted because as soon as he opened his mouth something small and scaly crashed through the window and landed heavily on the floor-teeth bared and claws out.

A demon. And behind the first were many more just like it.

They swarmed through the window hissing and spitting; their razor sharp teeth and long pointed claws clearly on display. They were relatively small for a demon, standing at around 6ft, and vaguely resembled velociraptors, with their scaly skin, small heads and muscular back legs. But these were a lot more dangerous; Alec would rather fight a crowd of velociraptors any day.

Cursing himself for not having had the sense to apply any runes before coming here Alec grabbed the nearest weapon he could find, which luckily happened to be a two foot long sword that had been standing in the corner, and moved to block Magnus with his own body as best he could. Getting his balance he sank into a fighting stance, holding the sword confidently in front of him.

A shower of blue sparks shot over his head hitting one of the creatures as it landed through the smashed window causing it to shriek loudly before keeling over dead, but leaving the faint smell of cooked flesh behind.

Its comrades didn't even pause to consider their fate as they continued moving forwards.

"Magnus!" he yelled, as both a warning and a plea to be careful, without looking behind him as the first wave of the enemy came charging towards him.

The next five or so minutes compressed into nothing but a blur of noise, colours and pain.

Alec slashed furiously at the demons, often fending off multiple attackers at once, attempting to land a vital hit while dodging out of the way of their sharp claws and acidic blood. A few drops splattered his jacket and hit his hands but that was unavoidable.

He fought with the accurate precision and heartlessness of a machine as his sword cut through flesh, bone and sinew. China and ornaments clattered to the ground and proceeded to be trampled under their feet and a lucky throw of a copper plate by Alec sliced into the neck of a demon that had been about to take off Magnus's hand. But the warlock didn't even have time to say thanks before another demon was upon him; this battle definitely wasn't one-sided.

Suddenly Alec found himself backed up against a wall, facing off against two of the creatures at the same time. They used their claws more than their teeth, trying to catch the long points on any part of Alec they could reach.

Before he had been able to block the attacks with the sword but now Alec was growing tired-sweat was dripping into his eyes and his breathing was laboured- and this time he was just too slow.

While one of the creatures attacked head on the other had snuck around to his side. Alec bit back a yell as the creatures sharp claws raked his side under his open jacket, tearing through his shirt and ripping through flesh. He gasped as red hot pain shot through his body making him want to double over and throw up.

But Alec couldn't afford to do that right now. If he did he would die.

So-doing his best to ignore his wound- he carried on, striking down yet another opponent.

Flicking his hair out of his eyes Alec spun around, ready to face his next opponent, but none came. As his vision began refocusing slightly, expanding to take in his surroundings, he realised that no more adversaries would come-they were all dead. Their small, scaly bodies lay scattered around the floor leaving pools of sticky, acidic blood staining the wood.

Not moving Alec focused on calming his rapid breathing, discreetly applying pressure to his wound over his jacket and feeling glad that it wasn't bleeding as much as he had feared it would, as he examined the state of his boyfriend from across the room. Magnus's hair stuck in all directions and his eyeliner had smudged dramatically but apart from that and a small tear in his shirt he appeared unharmed and Alec sent a quick mental prayer to the angel, thanking him for keeping Magnus safe. Although you wouldn't know it by the way he was acting.

"Oh no! How could they? My shirt! This is Armani you know, Armani!" Magnus looked around wildly as if the culprits of his ruined shirt would stand up and apologise if he yelled at them loud enough. "Honestly do demons have no regard for fashion these days?"

"Magnus!" Alec had to shout to be heard over Magnus's complaining, "Are you okay?"

"Okay? OK? Have you seen my…"

"Apart from the shirt?" Alec interrupted abruptly. It was Magnus's own fault for wearing so many designer brands all the time anyway.

"Apart from the shirt…yes I'm fine. Not even a scratch."

"Good."

"What about you?" Magnus's voice softened even as his gaze grew serious. His cat eyes roved up and down Alec's body searching for any sign of injury and seeming satisfied when he found no obvious trace of one.

"I'm fine." Alec replied dismissively while subtly drawing his jacket closer around himself to hide the slowly bleeding wound.

"Well it seems even without runes your fighting is top notch. Good job." Magnus said almost cheerfully but his voice still held a gentle note of concern.

Alec didn't reply and instead picked his way over a number of dead bodies to inspect a shattered ornamental vase on the floor which for some reason caught his eye.

Before he reached it however Alec jumped as the door to the shop crashed open violently and he shivered as a rush of cold air surrounded him. Huddling deeper into the confines of his jacket he stalked over and closed the door with a slam.

It wasn't unusual for Alec to feel cold, in fact he was used to it, but this was a different sort of cold. The kind that invaded your body until you felt that your very heart had turned to ice; the kind that radiated out from inside you making you shake right from your very core; the kind that was so harsh, so chilling you almost started to forget what being warm felt like…

"Alec?"

He jerked in surprise as Magnus's large, warm hand landed on his shoulder and suddenly whatever spell had overcome him was broken. "You ok?"

"Yeah, fine." Alec replied, shaking his head a little to rid himself of any lingering discomfort as he zipped up his jacket.

"Good." Magnus echoed Alec's earlier use of the word. Removing his hand from Alec's shoulder he instead traced the backs of his long fingers gently down Alec's cheek making him shiver again-but this time not from the lack of heat.

"Christ you're cold." Magnus said wrapping his arms around Alec tightly infusing him with the warmth that he always naturally radiated. Alec, unable to resist, leant closer into Magnus's comforting and familiar body, soaking up the heat as he wound his own arms around the warlock's waist. Magnus sighed contentedly as he rested his chin atop his boyfriends head.

It wasn't the most romantic location-a trashed shop full of dead demons-but being held in Magnus's arms the way he was and breathing in the warlock's unique and dizzying scent he wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

They stood like that-locked together-for a few moments until Alec finally, reluctantly, pulled away.

"Better?" Magnus asked.

Alec nodded in answer. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Magnus replied in a seductive tone, winking at Alec as he turned away. "Anytime at all." Trust Magnus to try and lighten the serious situation with provocative suggestions.

With the slight blush that crept up his cheeks warming him further Alec resumed his examination of the scene. He was trying to gauge if anything dangerous or extremely important had been damaged.

"Did any get away?" Magnus called after a few moments of silence where both of them were studying the floor intently although Alec knew that the shattered bits of pottery and wood made more sense to Magnus than they did to him.

"No. At least not from me."

"Me neither." Magnus's voice was suddenly serious which surprised Alec. He had been expecting Magnus to make a joke about his fighting skill or something.

"Ok. Then they're all dead. What about the owner?" Alec asked after a moment's thought.

Magnus looked around him briefly before spotting the crumpled figure of the shop owner on the floor and striding over to him without another word.

Alec made to follow Magnus but stopped when he heard something crunch and break beneath his foot. Looking down he saw the shattered remains of the very pretty, ornamental vase that he had been admiring earlier. It had clearly fallen during the fighting and its contents had spilled across the floor.

Bending down Alec traced his fingers through the grey coloured granules and discovered it was…sand? Sand. Weird, grey coloured sand.

Alec regarded the striking floral and ethnic pattern on the broken shards of the vase for a few moments, thinking it was a shame that such a beautiful piece of pottery such as this should be destroyed in such an ugly and unfortunate way. Looking at the pattern a sense of peacefulness began to settle over him.

It was soon disrupted however when Alec suddenly remembered the carved wooden box he had come so close to opening earlier. He prayed it had not been destroyed or overturned during the battle and he scanned the room frantically, filled with panic, hoping to see unharmed.

Alec sighed in relief as he spotted it still sitting, apparently harmlessly, in the same place on the mantelpiece. At least that was one problem they didn't have to worry about.

"So?" Alec asked turning back to Magnus having still not received an answer regarding the state of the owner.

"He's definitely dead." Magnus said solemnly rising from his crouched position and moving away from the now visible pool of dark green blood that was spreading around the body-coming to stand in front of Alec.

"I'd better let the others know what's happened." Alec said.

Magnus nodded but at the same time moved closer to him allowing the smell of Alec and sweat to ensnare him. Grabbing his phone from out of his jeans pocket Alec stepped swiftly away from Magnus's oh-so-enticing body, refusing to be distracted, and started writing.

Izzy, there's been a situation with us and a dozen…it looks like Aknos demons.

Alec sent the text and began preparing another one to Jace but was interrupted by another text. Isabelle's reply was instantaneous.

Are you ok?

We're both fine Alec typed, glancing swiftly over to Magnus who, sensing Alec's gaze on him looked round and nodded slightly, shooting Alec a small, reassuring smile. We're heading back to the Institute now and I'll fill you all in when we get there. You may need to inform the Clave. One Downworlder was killed by the demons and there's quite a lot of damage that will have to be cleared up if they want to stop this getting around.

What about the demons? Isabelle was wondering whether, after grabbing Jace, they needed to leave the Institute and give chase. But she needn't have worried.

All dead. Alec replied.

Okay. Be safe.

Pocketing his phone Alec surveyed the destruction around him again. He brooded silently trying to work out what to do.

"What now?" Magnus asked, voicing the same question he had just been pondering.

Alec answered after a few moments, having made up his mind.

"We go back to the Institute; there's nothing more we can do here."

With that the warlock and the Shadowhunter left the ruined remains of the shop and headed back to the Institute together.