Hi all! I am so, so, so, so, soooo sorry that it's been so long since I last updated this and anything at all! I've officially finished both training for my job and move-in weekend. I wasn't here at all during the past couple of weeks because my schedule as 8:00am-8:00pm, but even after we finished I still had duties that I did not have time to do during the scheduled part of the day.

That being said, please forgive me for being gone so long! Let me know your thoughts on the story and especially this chapter! I really hope you enjoyed it, and I really hope you're able to get back into it and get ready for it to start up again!

Classes start back tomorrow, so I'm not entirely sure of how often I will be able to update because my schedule is so packed, but I promise it will be back to being at least once a week, most likely more often than that.

Let me know your thoughts, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!


Alec knew he should be sleeping; he knew he would need his rest for the night that was to come. But his mind was a complete whirlwind, and he had no hope of calming it enough to get some rest before their mission. They had finally gotten approval from the Clave for a rescue mission for Ragnor, and they planned to use the cover of darkness that night to storm the building Valentine had told Magnus that he was holding Ragnor in. The problem was that it had already been just over a month since Magnus's meeting with Valentine, so they had no way of knowing if Ragnor was still alive, much less in the place that Valentine had said he would be. But Alec was going to help Magnus figure things out, no matter what it took from them.

But tonight, Alec's mind wasn't on Ragnor or the mission or anything else relating to Valentine. It was on Magnus, the way it often was these days. Their first date at a mundane diner had been just the success Alec had hoped it would be, and Alec couldn't help but smile at the thought of it. It had been awkward and slightly strange, but he loved to think about how things had progressed over the course of the month and a half, how they'd gone from being two people who were barely more than strangers with a past to two people who seemed to be connected more than anyone had ever been.

Alec had begun spending as much time with Magnus as humanly possible without raising suspicion. They'd started brainstorming places to take one another where neither of them would be recognized, which was much more of a challenge than Alec had first thought it would be, and it had become sort of a competition between the two of them. Alec had fallen into an easy routine, and he knew he was hopelessly falling for Magnus, but he also knew that trying to keep himself from doing so would also be hopeless. He was at his happiest when he was with Magnus, and that was something that he didn't want to see change.

Yet the more he thought about it, the more Alec began to wonder how they'd somehow managed to go so long without having any problems or even bumps in the road. The only thing they'd ever so much as even begun to argue about was the situation with Ragnor, and that had only really amounted to minor arguments about what they both thought was the best course of action. Alec truly didn't know how they'd gone so long without any problems, but Alec had the feeling that this mission might just be the beginning of some sort of problem.

After gearing up for the mission, Alec slipped on the jacket that Magnus had given him. Even after Alec had protested almost until he'd turned blue, Magnus had insisted that he take the replacement jacket, saying that the one Alec currently wore on missions was not fit for a prince with its faded color and various holes. Alec couldn't help but smile as he put the jacket on, almost laughing as he remembered his mother asking him if he was okay when he first began wearing it, almost as if she thought he was sick because of the seemingly sudden appearance of a fashion sense. Alec stubbly nodded at Magnus as he entered the library, swallowing the lump in his throat as he finally began to feel the weight of what they were going to be doing that night.


Alec shifted uncomfortably as they waited for the signal to come from his father, the signal to finally enter the building and begin the search for Ragnor. There were three groups going into the building, and Alec had bartered with Jace to end up with Magnus instead of Isabelle. They were currently across the building from Alec's parents, and the fact that they were going in as well did nothing to calm Alec's nerves. Alec knew his father would only do so much for Ragnor before giving up and saving himself, and that was the last thing that Alec wanted for Ragnor, so he held on to the hope that he and Magnus would be the ones to find Ragnor first. "Are you cold?" Alec suddenly asked when he saw how uncomfortable Magnus looked.

Magnus seemingly involuntarily smiled at that. They'd both quickly realized that it was in Alec's nature to take care of others, and it had become a bit of a joke between the two of them. It was now something that Alec had begun to notice, every time he had the urge to take care of someone, he would realize just how often he focused on other people instead of himself. It wasn't as though he truly meant to do so, he just simply continuously wanted to ensure that everyone around him was as happy and content as could be. "A little," Magnus admitted, but quickly shrugging it off. "But I'll be fine as soon as we start moving again. Besides, what would your parents think if they saw me in that jacket of yours?" he asked, the hint of a smile threatening the corners of his lips, his question automatically jumping into what Alec was thinking.

Alec sighed, knowing that Magnus was right, but not wanting to think about it in any way. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure I would really care what they think any longer," Alec replied, smiling at the open surprise on Magnus's face. It wasn't a comment that either of them could take lightly, but Alec knew that he wouldn't have been able to say it at all if he hadn't actually meant it. "What?" he asked in acknowledgement of Magnus's expression. "What's the point in being happy when nobody knows it? What's the point in playing the perfect prince when that's honestly all my father seems to care about?" Magnus's expression seemed to change into something that Alec couldn't read. It almost seemed like he knew more than Alec did about the situation at hand, but before either of them had the chance to say anything at all, Alec received a text from his father, telling them that it was time to enter the building.

The last thing Alec wanted to do was to let Magnus go first, but that had been part of their deal. Magnus wanted to go first, he wanted to be in control of the situation as much as possible, he wanted to be the first to find Ragnor. Alec tried to calm his heart rate as they entered the building, his bow and arrow already loaded and pointed toward the ground, ready to aim and shoot at a moment's notice. As Alec's eyes automatically began scanning the hallway that they entered first, he idly noted the way in which Magnus seemed to be covering him in an almost protective sort of way. He wanted to smile at the thought, but he also wanted Magnus to focus on finding Ragnor instead of taking care of him. If there was one thing Alec felt he could always do, it was fight, and he knew he could do so without needing any extra protection or attention from Magnus. Not that Magnus's protective nature didn't all but melt his heart and make him want to smile.

The first demon they encountered almost caught Magnus off guard, but the demon was already disintegrating before it even really knew they were there, Alec automatically shooting an arrow without a second thought. Magnus gave Alec a look that said he was not at all surprised that Valentine was using demons as a protective measure. Alec knew that only someone as insane as Valentine could justify using demons, the very creatures they'd been sent to eradicate, for his own personal agenda. If the situation were different, Alec would have found Valentine's twisted mind interesting; he would have wanted to learn about the psychology of it, to learn how anyone could reason the way Valentine seemed to. He'd always made it a point to keep from asking too many questions about Valentine in general; Alec prefered to keep from thinking about the man who had taken his brother away from him. But he had to admit that the fascination over Valentine's mental state was very real to him.

They slowly made their way down the hallway, checking each room to make sure that Ragnor was not in it, taking out several demons as they did so. Alec was constantly on the watch for Valentine himself, though everything inside of him told him that they would be very unlikely to encounter Valentine. He was the type to hire people to do his dirty work for him, and that was something that Alec knew first hand. Yet every part of Alec's body, every last instinct he had was telling him to find Valentine and kill him for himself, something he'd been determined to do since Gabriel had been killed. But he also knew that Valentine was not to be underestimated, no matter how apparent his lack of mental stability might be. He was a mastermind for a reason, and Alec knew he needed to be cautious. But the adrenaline running through him from the fighting and searching wasn't doing anything to help him clear his mind.

Finding Ragnor alive was a miracle, and Alec knew it. He was badly injured, he was weak and could hardly so much as sit up on his own, but he was alive, and that was all that mattered. And thankfully, they got to him before anyone else did. Magnus raced to Ragnor's side without so much as glancing around the room to look for anything dangerous, but Alec had been entirely prepared for this as soon as he realized that Ragnor was in the room. So the demon closest to Magnus was taken out before Magnus even really knew it was there. He was on his knees beside of Ragnor almost as soon as Alec had reloaded his bow to take out the second demon headed for Magnus. It was easy for Alec to see that Magnus immediately threw up a protective ward around himself and Ragnor, and that was something that automatically made him relax. As long as Magnus was safe, Alec knew he could deal with whatever else were to come his way.

Alec reluctantly turned his attention from Ragnor and Magnus, satisfied enough with their protection to turn back to the demons that were now swarming into the room. The last thing Alec had expected was for Valentine to enter, his father right behind him. Alec had thought he was prepared for anything at all, but the sudden appearance of Valentine caught him so off guard that he stumbled, falling over his own feet in a way he hadn't since he'd begun training as a child. He tried to catch himself, he tried to compensate for it, but then the only remaining demon was on him, and he couldn't do anything to keep himself from hitting the ground, the demon's claws sinking into his leg far before he had time to register what was really happening.

He tried his hardest to ignore what Valentine was saying to his father and to focus on freeing his leg from the demon, but Valentine's words seemed to be sharper than the demon's claws, and they filled Alec's mind before he could even begin to filter them out. "Looks like my demons are doing my job for me," Valentine said as Alec tried to roll away from the demon's other set of claws. The problem was that his leg was still pinned by the first set of claws, so he couldn't roll far enough away to get completely out of the way. The claws raked down his arm, slicing through him so easily that it was terrifying. Alec could feel the demon's poison entering his body, but he also knew that he would be in far more danger of bleeding out than he was of dying from the poison. But he wouldn't have to worry about either of those things if the demon itself killed him within the next few seconds, which seemed more and more likely by the moment.

Alec could feel the blood soaking what was left of his pants' leg, but he was hopeless to do anything about it at all. He could feel his energy slowly draining with the blood, slowly washing away, he could feel his consciousness slowly ebbing away, and he was suddenly filled with a sort of terror he hadn't felt since Gabriel's death. As the pain of his wounds began to ebb away and became replaced by the darkness that was washing over him, Alec was not at all surprised to find his mind switching from the situation around him, from the demon and Valentine, to thoughts of Magnus. He would have been surprised if Magnus hadn't been the person he began thinking of as soon he realized how close to death he was. What did surprise him, however, was the very sudden lack of the demon's weight on top of him. Alec didn't need to sit up (not the he could have sat up if he'd wanted to) to know that the demon was gone because Magnus had used his magic to get rid of it. Magnus was by his side within seconds, but Alec was already shaking his head, reaching out with his good arm to stop Magnus from coming too close.

He felt his father begin applying healing runes to his skin, and Alec idly wondered what had happened with Valentine, but the terror he was feeling was completely overshadowing any of his curiosity. From that moment on, Alec washed in and out of consciousness so often that he barely had any idea of what was going on. But the one thing he did know was that he kept pushing Magnus away, kept rejecting any of Magnus's efforts to heal him with magic. The part of Alec's mind that was still functioning in some form kept telling him that he was doing so because he was terrified of the magic, even though he knew how irrational he was being. Watching Isabelle be healed with magic was far more painful than the thought of having magic used on himself, but it had been something Alec had stomached because his sister's life was so precious to him. But now that it was his life, the thought of being forced into being healed with magic was almost too much for him to bear.


Alec had idly registered Magnus saying that he would need to get Alec back to his place, that he would need certain supplies in order to help with the healing process. He'd barely registered being moved to Magnus's and being placed in the very room that Gabriel had died in. The first thing he was truly able to focus on after several long minutes that stretched on for what seemed like hours was Magnus's face above his, Magnus's hand on his shoulder, so gentle that it was astonishing. "Alexander, listen to me," Magnus was saying, his voice clearly panicked. "I have to heal you with magic. The runes aren't working anymore. Your blood is probably more poison than blood at this point. You have to let me heal you or you're going to leave me." Alec registered the way Magnus's voice cracked at the end, but that wasn't enough to break him out of his terror.

Turning his head was excruciating, but Alec did so long enough to see that both of his parents were not in the room with them, that Jace and Isabelle were there. Jace's eyes were wider than Alec had ever seen them before, but as soon as Alec turned his head, Jace moved to his side, reaching out to try to hold him still. Alec shook his head once more, trying his best to speak up, the lack of energy making it hard for him to speak clearly. "No magic," he said, his voice heavy with the darkness that was threatening to take him over. "I don't want you to use magic. Please." Alec forced every last word out of his mouth, forcing himself to stay awake despite the force that was pulling on his more and more with every passing second.

He watched as Magnus turned to Jace, obviously searching for help, reaching for anything at all. Alec tried to tell himself that he was being irrational, he tried reminding himself that Magnus had never hurt him before, that Magnus would not hurt him now. But none of that seemed to help in any way, none of that calmed the terror that he was feeling, none of that could erase the past. Magnus took his hand, and Alec tried to pull away, but Magnus tightened his grip enough to keep his hand in place. "What's your favorite thing about Idris?" Magnus suddenly asked, his voice changing so stubbly that Alec couldn't clearly pick up on the changes in his current mental state.

After several prolonged moments, Alec finally answered, his voice much heavier than it had been just moments before. "The night sky," he said, wishing he could smile at the thought of it. The sky in Idris had always made him happy. Both he and Gabriel had always loved just how different the sky looked in Idris, how it was constantly gorgeous no matter the weather or the time of day. It was so startlingly different from the sky in New York that Alec often longed for a picture of it. But the night sky in Idris was always the most beautiful to him, the stars shining in a way they never did in New York. Alec saw Magnus motion toward the ceiling, and he looked up to see a perfect representation of what he would call the night sky in Idris. His mind was very logically telling him that Magnus was using magic to make this, but it was so beautiful that he couldn't seem to find it in himself to be scared of it.

"I want you to keep your eyes right there, Alexander," Magnus said, his voice terribly gentle in a way that Alec hadn't heard it before. "I will not hurt you, of that I swear. You just keep your eyes up there, and don't you dare think of what I'm doing. Find a happy place, Alec. Do whatever you have to do to keep your mind out of this room and on something else. I have to do this for you; I would never forgive myself if I lost you today, no matter how long I lived." Alec closed his eyes for several long seconds, finally opening them to look past Magnus and Jace and to look at the ceiling. It took several more moments for him to reluctantly nod, earning a sigh of relief from Magnus.

The feeling of Magnus's magic washing over him brought on a whole new bought of terror, but Alec shoved that down, trying to do exactly what Magnus had told him to do. The image Magnus had created was more like looking at the real thing than looking at a ceiling painted like the night sky. What Alec was looking at was continually moving, the lights of the stars swirling and shining in a way that almost made him forget about what was happening to him. Yet what truly helped him to forget about the situation enough to relax and stop fighting Magnus was actually Magnus himself. "The next chance we get, we're going to go star-gazing in Idris," Magnus said, his voice low and soft. "We'll stay at Ragnor's house in the country, just the two of us, for a few days. You can forget about everything, forget about your duty to your family and your throne, forget about the past, forget about everything that's holding you down right now. Lose it all in the night sky if that's what it takes, Alexander."

Alec quickly began focusing on the feeling of Magnus's hand in his as Magnus continued talking, Magnus's touch anchoring him in reality, not allowing him to float away in his fear. As Magnus began describing the time they would spend together, Alec felt himself relaxing, almost against his own will. When the pain subsided completely, when the feeling of Magnus's magic stopped washing over him, Alec squeezed Magnus's hand that might tighter, trying to keep Magnus from leaving his side. But Magnus was much stronger than he was at the moment, and Magnus's hand left his despite his efforts, but when his parents entered the room, ALec quickly realized why Magnus had done so. With a start, Alec realized that the ceiling had returned to normal, that the beautiful sky Magnus had created was now just a memory. Alec allowed the darkness to wash over him this time, letting sleep peacefully take him without a second thought, the peace flowing over him more so due to Magnus than to the sleep that was taking him over.