Luke Garroway ran his fingers through his brown hair and sighed as he watched his wife pace. His other hand tapped the oak wood table at which he sat as his blue eyes scanned Jocelyn's worried face.

Across from him sat Maryse Lightwood, who only stared at the Institute telephone, as if expecting it to ring the next second. Jocelyn stopped pacing to speak to the other woman.

"Maybe we should-"

"They will call us if they find anything," Luke said firmly. He got up from his seat to stand near his wife, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"And if they don't find anything?" asked Jocelyn, looking between Luke and Maryse. "It's been days since they disappeared! We could have found them with Magnus's help, but no one has seen or heard from him at all! Where is he?"

"The Clave is doing their best to find our children," said Maryse, but not without a trace of uncertainty and worry in her voice. "And for Magnus, he has been off the map for quite a while."

"The Clave has done nothing in attempts to find our children!" yelled Jocelyn, her face turning a shade of red. "Have you spoken to the Inquisitor?"

"Robert's only focus has been on this search," said Maryse in defense of her enstranged husband.

Before Jocelyn could reply back, the door opened. To their surprise, Magnus Bane appeared with his hair dishevelled and clothes all rumpled. It was obvious that he had rushed to get here and ignored the their looks of surprise.

"Don't speak. Let me. Just calm down and listen."

Everyone from the past watched silently as the portal closed before them. Clary, Henry, and Magnus had spent the whole day perfecting the rune to send Magnus back to the future.

Clary bit her lip, tightly gripping the stele. A warm hand went to take it out of her own, and Clary leaned into the hard chest comfortably.

"It will work," whispered the low voice, "and then we'll be back home."

"I hope so," Clary nearly choked on her words. She turned so that she was encompassed in Jace's reassuring hug, but not before seeing a tall blackhaired boy leave the room.

The stars littered the sky like marbles across the floor. All of London stood before him, and he could see all of its dark corners and its night wanderers. Of course, none of those people could see the black-haired, blue-eyed boy that stood atop the London Institute. That is, except for a slim figure darting from building to building, hoping not to be seen too soon.

The figure finally made it to the institute without being spotted, and quickly and quietly made his way to the top of the building. Alec remained staring out across the many mundane homes and buildings. He flinched as a slender hand touched him on his shoulder, but then grabbed it in a split second. Once he saw who it belonged to, Alec stared but shook his head.

"I thought you were the Magnus from my own," Alec explained awkwardly, going back to face the city.

"I assume that means that myself in the future has arrived to the past."

"Well, he was here, but he went back." Alec involuntarily said the last part with with a tone that sent a shiver through Magnus, though he did not know why.

"Tell me, what did I do in the future to deserve such hatred from you?" asked Magnus, pleadingly. "Since I have met you, you have spoken accordingly, yet not a smile nor any sign or gesture of pleasantness has been sent my way."

"I don't want to-"

"But you must! What did I do to you that was so execrable for you to hate me?"

"I don't hate you!"

"Are you so sure?" asked Magnus. His cat-like eyes showed only misery for a boy he hardly knew, yet he felt as if he could share anything with him. "Then what is the problem?"

"I loved you," whispered Alec, with so much anguish and vulnerability that it broke Magnus's heart into pieces. Through the surprise, he could only wonder how he could possibly inflict so much pain into such a boy.

"I loved you. So much that I did what I believed to be the best for the both of us and only made things worst."

"What? What did you do?"

"I can never tell you," replied Alec. "You'll have to wait to find out and live through it. Live through the Hell brought you."

Author's note: Happy Thanksgiving! (Well, where I live, it is Thursday November 27th!)

I'm really getting very bad at this. It is my junior year in high school, so I've just been focused on all my classes. I know I have gotten less frequent with my updates, but I am not giving up on this story! I will end this and not leave it hanging.

Anyway, thank you for reading!