I would like to thank IamGingerButtons. You were my only reviewer for chapter 3. You made chapter 4 happen. Literally. This chapter wasn't going up until I got at least one review for chapter 3 and you reviewed, so thank you. :)

I do not own The Mortal Instruments or The Infernal Devices. But I do own Vicky and Ryan.

Chapter 4

Too Late

Isabelle sauntered into the weapon's room. Jace was sitting at one of the tables in there, sharpening a seraph blade. He looked up as she entered. Isabelle looked around the room and frowned. "Where's Alec?" she asked.

"I saw him earlier. He went off with some werewolf guy," he answered.

"A guy?"

"Yeah. Kind of tall, blond with pink streaks, totally checking Alec out."

Isabelle looked at him in surprise. Alec went off with a guy? That couldn't be right. There had to be more to the story. "Tell me all that you know, Jace," said Isabelle as she sat down at the table with him.

Jace set the blade down and shrugged. "I don't know much. I just saw them in the halls walking out together. Maybe we should just give up on the fantasy of Magnus ever coming back. It's been two weeks and we haven't heard a peep from him. He's probably found someone else by now. I think he might have been playing us this whole time," he sighed.

Isabelle bolted upright, knocking over her stool in the process in her anger. "You don't know that! I know you were never particularly fond of Magnus, but just because we haven't seen him doesn't mean he's forgotten about us. Alec loved Magnus. He still does. Alec's probably forcing himself to see this guy. I need to talk to him. It's too soon for him to see someone else. He'll just hurt himself," she yelled.

Jace frowned. "You break up with people and date again in a matter of days. Two weeks should be plenty of time to you."

"But Alec isn't me and Magnus wasn't some guy. It's too soon. Do you think you could date someone else in two weeks after you broke up with Clary?"

"No. I would try to get back together with her."

"Exactly."

Jace sighed at Isabelle's determined stare. "Izzy, what are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to talk to Magnus."

"But you told me to give him space just two weeks ago." Jace looked rather annoyed at Isabelle for contradicting herself.

"I know, but that was because we could handle Vicky. I don't know about another man moving in on Alec."

Jace shook his head. "We don't know that yet. Alec might take care of this himself or maybe it's for the better. I mean, this guy is a werewolf. Already we got rid of the original problem between him and Magnus; immortality. Maybe he might find someone else. How about we give it a week? If it doesn't seem to be helping, we'll go to Magnus?"

Isabelle sighed and looked at Jace sadly. "I really don't think Alec can love anyone else like he loved Magnus, but I'll give it a week just in case it takes care of itself. Maybe Alec will beat him up, too."

"Hopefully he will punch him instead of me this time."

"Don't you know you aren't suppose to get in between a cat fight? You'll get hurt doing that."

"To tell you the truth, I really don't know much about what was happening between Alec and Ryan. I would see them together all the time and when I would ask Alec, he would glare and get angry at me. I think he was forcing himself to be with Ryan and that he was past his breaking point. He was just full of anger and hatred. I should have come here sooner. Maybe then what happened to Alec could have been avoided," explained Isabelle while she rubbed at her eyes, tears still on the verge. It looked like she had already cried before she had gotten to Magnus's, but was out of tears.

"It isn't your fault. You couldn't have known," soothed Tessa.

Magnus clenched his fists. He couldn't help but feel that Ryan had hurt Alec. He wished Isabelle knew more, but he would be sure to get that information out of Ryan as soon as he met him.

"Isabelle. Did you bring me anything of Alec's so I can track him?" Magnus requested.

Isabelle nodded and pulled out a silver chain necklace. Magnus ignored the pang he felt in his chest since he knew it was the necklace he got him in France with a tag on it that said "aeternum amare" which was Latin for "forever love". "I grabbed the first thing I saw in his room. I didn't like being in there."

Magnus gingerly took the necklace from her as if he was afraid it would shatter into a million pieces like his heart. He got up from his chair and went to the many bookshelves in the room. Tessa had cleaned up his flat while she was there as she had nothing better to do with her time while Magnus moped around. He grabbed his needed book.

Tracking spells were not complicated. He took some chalk and drew a large circle on his wooden floor. Isabelle and Tessa gathered around him and stared at it. The circle was where Alec would appear in. Magnus opened the book and quickly flipped through the pages until he was at the correct page. He began to recite the Latin spell words while holding out the necklace above the circle. The chalk began to glow a light blue, but then it randomly blasted a harsh red color. Magnus was knocked backwards and the necklace flew from his hand as he landed on the ground. Normally that wouldn't happen and the person he was tracking would be appearing in the circle now.

Magnus slowly rose in confusion and looked down at the circle. Instead of Alec in the circle, the symbol of the Devil lay in its place. Letters of the same harsh red color began to write themselves on the symbol. His eyes widened at what they wrote. It couldn't be. "You shouldn't leave such pretty things alone, my son," it read. It was even dotted with a heart at the end.

"Magnus, what's happening?" asked Isabelle, fear leaking into her voice.

"I think my father has Alec," Magnus whispered.

"What do you mean Lucifer has Alec?" Tessa gasped.

Dun dun dunnnnnn! The next chapter will explain more about what happened with Alec and Ryan. I wanted to keep it a mystery until after Magnus tracked Alec. But oh gosh! Magnus and Tessa's father is Lucifer and he has Alec! Now you know the drill. I need at least one review for chapter 5 to go up. I don't think that's too much to ask for. I just want to know how you think it's going. :)

~Camille Cayden