A/N: This chapter - much like the last chapter - is rather dark, and there are mentions of abusive relationships. Please do not read of you don't feel comfortable doing so.

Also, sorry this took quite so long. I am mostly to blame for this, and I understand if you hate me.

Massive thanks to my beta, Arianna Koz, for doing such a wonderful job, and for helping me with motivation and improving my writing. I literally cannot thank her enough, and she's just lovely.

In case you don't know, I unfortunately do not own The Mortal Instruments or any of its characters (Mimi is mine, however).

Okay, I'll shut up now and let you read this chapter!

"Who is he?" Alec hissed.

He and Magnus were in the toilet. It was really too small to fit them both -especially with Magnus' crutches-and Magnus was half in the shower, but Alec didn't care. There was some guy in Magnus' hospital room accusing them of having some huge affair, accusing Magnus of being a liar. Alec didn't even care what Magnus was lying about, he just didn't appreciate being yelled at, especially by some guy he didn't even know.

"He's, um..." Magnus began, not meeting Alec's eye.

How could Magnus explain it, explain who Jonathan was without telling Alec too much? If he told too much, Jonathan would go after Alec too, and everything Magnus had done since he had been in London had been to keep Alec safe; would be for nothing.* He couldn't put Alec in danger, not now, not ever. He had done too much to give up now.

"He's my boyfriend." Magnus lied, "From before I moved to California. "

"Yeah?" Alec asked, raising his eyebrows. "He also the guy who made you look like a paint palette?"

Magnus looked away, and Alec knew he was right. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this."

Alec frowned. Dragged into what? As far as Alec was aware, Magnus' ex-boyfriend was just a little bit rude, and possibly unhinged. But, looking at Magnus' bruised face, Alec knew that there was more to it than that. And now he was involved in it, and he didn't even know what 'it' was. It didn't look good, whatever it happened to be.

"Dragged me into what?" Alec whispered, stepping towards Magnus. "What's going to happen to me?"

Magnus continued looking down at his feet. This, this had been the exact opposite of what he wanted to happen. He had done everything he could to stop Alec from even meeting Jonathan, and now Alec was in his firing line. Magnus dreaded to think what Jonathan was plotting in the next room. Mostly because he wasn't even sure why Jonathan had tracked him down after so long; surely he'd found someone new to use?

Maybe there was something else, though. Something Magnus didn't know about. Was there something going on with the Rebels? But even if that was true, it didn't have anything to do with Magnus anymore. Jonathan didn't have anything to do with Magnus anymore. But here he was, locked in a bathroom with Alec, wondering how on earth he was going to stop Jonathan from killing them.

"Look, Alec, you should go back to Florida, okay?" Magnus said quietly, "Because that's the only way he's not going to hurt you."

"And you?" Alec countered-why did he have to be so damn stubborn all the time-cupping Magnus' jaw as gently as he could. "You're just going to stay here and end up in hospital every few days?"

"There are things you don't know about me, Alec. Bad things." Magnus explained, playing with Alec's hands.

They were in Magnus' room after a long day at the beach, and Alec was staying the night. They were both sat on Magnus' bed, and Magnus had finally got enough courage to say what had been on his mind since he had woken up that morning.

"Things that you'd never look at me the same for. Dangerous things, and I don't want to put you in danger." Magnus whispered, staring at his and Alec's entwined fingers.

"Hey," Alec whispered, shifting on the bed to sit closer to Magnus. "I'm a big boy, Magnus, I can look after myself. I don't care what bad things happened in your past, I'm more concerned about our future."

Magnus leaned forward and pressed his lips onto Alec's. Alec grinned into the kiss, and wrapped his arms around Magnus' waist, pulling him impossibly closer. Magnus pulled away, and pressed his face into the crook of Alec's neck.

"Thank you." Magnus breathed.

"Yes, Alec, I am. This is my problem, not yours, okay?" Magnus pressed, pulling away from Alec's touch. "Just go, please."

"Since I first met you, I knew I liked you, and then I made the mistake of falling for you." Alec explained, his voice full of anger. "And when you broke up with me, I cried for days, because I would've done anything for you. Hell, I came, didn't I? When the hospital called? I would've died for you, but you don't get it do you, love? I loved you Magnus, and I still care."

"I'm doing this for you!" Magnus whispered back furiously, "You have no idea how much it killed me leaving you time after time, but I had to, every single time. For you. All of it for you, always. But he can't know that, ever. You have to be just another ex, okay? Because then he'll let you go!"

Alec huffed and shook his head; he'd heard enough. "Fine." He breathed deeply, "That's fine. I'll just go and wait until the next time I get a call from the hospital, shall I?"

With that, Alec stormed out of the bathroom. Jonathan was glaring at him as he left, but Alec didn't care-he was angry, and adrenaline was coursing through him. He was angry at Magnus for treating him like a child, and because Magnus was acting like his life didn't even matter, but God-damn it did! Alec felt like he could barely breathe as he left the hospital; all he wanted to do was run back inside and tell Magnus he still loved him, but he remembered the pleading look in Magnus' eye, so thought better of the idea.

"Why are you here, Jonathan?" Magnus croaked as Jonathan read through his medical records.

"I'm sorry baby, but you weren't doing as you were told. I got a bit carried away." Jonathan hummed, blatantly ignoring Magnus' question.

"Please, Jonathan, just answer me." Magnus sighed, his patience worn too thin to put up with any games.

"Fine." Jonathan huffed, "You have a little debt to pay off, don't think I forgot. So we're going to keep repeating the same process we went through the other night, and you might learn to behave, or you might not. It doesn't matter. We're going to keep doing this until I think your debt's been paid off, okay baby?"