Chapter 4

Disclaimer…I don't yet own the characters but I'm working on it.

Old, New, Borrowed, Blue

Alec was in his own personal heaven, not that he'd ever admit it. His siblings had always teased him about the amount of time he spent in the library; Jace in particular was convinced he had a secret girlfriend hidden amongst the bookshelves. Alec had even caught him once, hiding in the cookery section and had refused to believe his tale about wanting to learn how to make lasagne.

But the main reason he loved the Institute's immense library was that it was the only place he felt truly at home in. He loved everything about it from the musty smell of the worn books to the warm silence that enveloped the room, making Alec feel as if he was in his own little world.

He stared down at the dusty book in his hand and ran the pad of his thumb across the page, marvelling in its rough texture. A carefully inked picture of a man stared back at him the caption reading "the effects of a Fay's curse". Alec shivered, in the picture the man was hunched on the ground, his hands clenched into the grass. His bloodshot eyes were wide and awash with an intense terror. On closer inspection Alec noticed that the man's lips were stained with red and in the corner of the picture lay the discarded bodies of a small child.

His breath hitched and he slammed the hardback shut, massaging his throbbing head. He and Magnus had spent the last two hours hunched over the round mahogany table, gradually making their way through a stack of books dedicated to curses and fairy magic. Looking at his watch Alec saw that it was 3:15am. He groaned, now he'd have the difficult task of sneaking Magnus back out of the institute without anyone hearing. Talking of Magnus….he glanced over to where the warlock had been sitting and smiled at what he saw.

The man was fast asleep, his head resting on the open book that lay on the table in front of him. His hair fell messily over his head, brushing his cheek and moving gently with every breath. Although black was smudged under his eyes and he had a red mark where he'd lent upon his hand, Alec thought he'd never seen anyone so beautiful.

He sat back, eyes still fixed on the sleeping warlock. He still was unsure about his feelings for Magnus. He'd known he was gay since he was 12 and had a massive crush on Isabelle's boyfriend fornearly a whole year (he got over the boy after he cruelly dumped his sister), but he'd never actually worked up the guts to come out of the closet.

He knew it was stupid, and he hated what a coward he was, but he was too scared of rejection. A strand of Magnus's hair fell forward, into the gap between his parted lips. Without conscience thought Alec reached across and brushed the strand behind the man's ear.

Catlike eyes opened and regarded him sleepily. "Watching me while I sleep Alexander," Magnus murmured, a small smile playing around his lips. "That's bordering on an Edwin Cullen level of creepy." Alec jerked his hand back his face warm. "I wasn't watching you sleep, you had hair in your mouth, not that I was looking at your mouth either and I hate vampires." Magnus raised his eyebrows at the torrent of nonsense Alec was spouting, "Darling I'm just teasing you, I don't mind at all. In fact it makes up for the many times I've watched you sleep."

"WHAT" Alec spluttered. Magnus snorted at the boy's naivety, making Alec blush again, the warlock would be the death of him. He stood up making his way towards the door. "I think we should call it a night," he said suppressing a yawn.

A soft hand grabbed him, preventing him from reaching his destination. "Give me a second, I'm still waking up," the warlock slurred his eyes shut. Alec rolled his eyes, Magnus could never be a shadowhunter.

He waited patiently as the warlock yawned and stretched, still hyper aware of their entwined hands. "Thank you, by the way," he murmured, not wanting to wake up his parents. "I really appreciate what you're doing for me and I'm glad I came to you for help." Magnus smiled at him. "The pleasures all mine darling," he purred. "I too greatly enjoy spending time with you."

Alec shivered, he'd never heard anyone sound as seductive and alluring as Magnus. He felt his heart speed up and his breath quicken as the warlock leaned slowly closer.

When they were barley a cm apart Magnus paused, giving Alec time to pull away but instead the younger boy closed the gap and pressed his lips tentatively to the warlocks.

Magnus's lips were soft and warm and he tasted like caramel. Alec inhaled his unique sent and sighed happily. He felt hand wrap around his waist pulling him closer as Magnus moved his mouth gently over Alec's. His hands knotted tightly into silky hair and felt fingers caress the bare skin at his midriff.

Liquid pleasure rushed through his veins, setting his nerves on fire. A groan slipped out as the kiss grew and Alec's back pressed against the table. "Alec-oh gosh," a voice came from the doorway causing Alec to pull back so abruptly he knocked over a pile of dusty books. The figure grinned as her shock faded and she gazed at Magnus. "Isabelle," Alec chocked, "what are you doing here….this isn't what you think-"

Isabelle rolled her eyes, "save it Alec I'm not stupid." She pushed past her shell shocked brother and made her way over to Magnus. "Hey there," She smirked looking him up and down. "I'm Isabelle, Alec's gorgeous younger sister, I'm stunned that my brother hasn't introduced you to me sooner."

Magnus smiled back, "shocking isn't it. I'm Magnus Bane High Warlock of Brooklyn and hopefully you'll be seeing a lot more of me." He winked.

Recovering from his traumatised state, Alec marched over and grabbed Isabelle by the arm. "As lovely as this little gathering is, I'd like to talk to Izzy in private. Magnus you can show yourself out."His voice came out sharper then he meant it to and he noticed the hurt look on Magnus's face as he left the room.

Alec massaged his temple and turned to glare at his sister, but she spoke first. "Alec why didn't you tell me" the hurt and betrayal in her voice threw him. "What do you mean," he whispered, not sure which particular secret she was talking about. "Don't be stupid," she snapped. "You never thought to tell me you were gay, I mean I guessed, but it would have been nice of you to let me know yourself!" Alec looked down in shame.

"I wanted to, but I was so scared you'd hate me." Isabelle scowled, her eyes intense. "How could you think that Alec! Do you even know me? I would never hate you for something like that, you're my brother and I love you no matter what."

Alec blinked rapidly his eyes moist. He felt a warm glow rise up in his chest, he was so lucky to have such a great sister. "Do you think anyone else knows?" he asked, just because Isabelle accepted him didn't mean the rest of his family would.

Isabelle smiled at him. "I don't know Alec, but they love you so much and we all accept you. You should tell them." Silence fell as Alec mulled it over.

"Maybe your right Iz, it's about time I came out of the damn closet." He smiled at her tentatively. After hugging him tightly, Isabelle made her way towards the door, "oh and Alec," she added, standing in the doorway. "You better apologise to Magnus, that's not the way to treat your boyfriend."

She left leaving a spluttering Alec behind.

Boyfriend. Was that what Magnus was to him. They didn't even know each other that well and Alec wasn't sure he was ready to be in a committed relationship, plus there was the fact that Magnus was way out of his league...but he had to admit that the idea sounded pretty good. He just hoped Magnus felt the same way.

A/N

Hi guys, sorry for the late update again. This time of year is absolutely manic. Thanks for reading and HAPPY CHRISTMAS, lots of love and virtual kisses ;) Amy xxx