Author's Note: Okay, so I believe an update is due, but first, this chapter sucks. It really does. I hate it…but at the same time, I love it. It's, in my opinion, the saddest chapter of this yet. It's so short…but I just can't seem to change it…
Also: For those of you wanting to know what the heck happened to Alec, you should know by the end of this chapter. If not, you'll see soon enough.
Disclaimer: I'm nearly epic enough of a writer to write TMI or "Terrible Things."
"Slow, so slow, I fell to the ground,
On my knees..."
-"Terrible Things," Mayday Parade.
"Your father saw me too…"
"I think it shocked him, a bit, to find that he really did care about me in that way and to that extent. His face was almost comical at that moment." Magnus stood up and walked to the kitchen area of his apartment. He continued talking as he reached for two glasses, one he filled with water, the other…something a little stronger.
"He'd palled considerably, actually. His jaw had literally dropped." Magnus rejoined his son on the couch, sinking into the couch and leaning his head back. He let his eyes trace patterns on the ceiling. "I can't believe Jace doesn't have a picture of that face…"
"Though I was excited that Alec had seen me, it didn't last terribly long. Max, your father's brother had been killed. Everything was spiraling downward. I—" Magnus paused as his daughter, Tabithia, walked into the room, her almond eyes half open, a ragged baby blanket held loosely in her hand, her dark hair standing on end at the sides; she was so innocent. "Hey, Tabs, aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"
The little girl said nothing, wordlessly crossing the room, and crawled into her father's lap. She looked up at him curiously. "Daddy, why are you and Max crying?"
Magnus swallowed. "No reason honey. Now, why don't you go on back to bed?"
Tabithia shook her head. "I…can't. I'm scared, Daddy. I had a bad dream." She cuddled closer into her father's embrace. "Where's Daddy-Alec? He always sings to me when I'm scared."
Magnus bit his lip as his son's eyes widened in his direction, but he did not look at Max. Instead, he pulled his daughter closer and drew in a long breath for his unusually colorless lips. "Tabby, honey…we've been through this. Daddy's gone."
"Where'd he go?" The girl's tiny eyebrows crinkled and her lower lip jutted out.
There was a pause momentarily as the girl's father struggled with what to say; words would not come to him. "Tabs, do you remember how Daddy got really sick?"
The little girl nodded, her eyes now squinting in confusion. "Yeah…and he had to go see the doctor a lot…and he went to the hospital a lot. And then he got so sick he lost all of his hair. He looked funny bald." She frowned. "Did Daddy-Alec get really sick and have to stay at the hospital even longer?"
The centuries-old warlock sighed and squeezed his eyes shut tightly before opening them and forcing a smile at his daughter. "Alec—he…he's dead, honey." A sob escaped Max's throat and Magnus reached over to place an arm around his shoulder. The little girl said nothing.
When was this going to get easier? Magnus looked at his children. What had they ever done to deserve this? Growing up with gay parents was hard enough—but to lose one at such young ages? What kind of cruel joke was this world playing on them?
The broken family was silent for a moment, before Tabithia's small, high-pitched voice whispered, "I miss Daddy…"
Author's Note: Alright, Tabithia was not supposed to make another appearance until the end of the story. I have no idea why she decided to show up now. Sorry the update's so short; it just felt like a good place to stop this chapter.
Peace, Love, Mark, and Iggy.
Kierstin.
