AN: Thanks for the tons who are reading:) And the few who continuously review:) As always, I'd love reviews and please, enjoy.


Magnus didn't sleep for a moment for the next twenty-four hours. He paced the Informatory floor and thought of Alec every second. Every smile, every laugh, every blush that had coated his beautiful cheeks. The perfect shade of blue that were his eyes and the endearing way he used to secretly watch Magnus when Alec thought he wasn't aware. Everything about Alec was so beautiful and in over eight hundred years, Magnus had never found a person who made him feel the way he felt when he was near Alec. Magnus knew love and he knew lust, but this feeling was beyond that.

There were no words to describe Alexander.

It was beyond comprehension. Unfathomable. Unexplainable.

And the thing that sorrowed Magnus the most was that he knew before he ever let Alec go. He knew that he would be forced to forever lose a piece of himself when he sent his young Shadow-hunter away. And the rumors of Alec that were flying about the shadow world were enough to confirm Magnus's subconscious fears he had harbored inside from the moment Alec left.

He sighed and restlessly halted his pacing. Magnus bent his body over the medical bed and tenderly began to draw patterns across Alec's bare chest. His skin was cool to the touch, but his skin was just as amazingly soft as Magnus remembered it. His fingertips sparkled with blue electricity and he murmured soft words of health until Alec began to whimper.

With a frown on his forehead, Magnus slowly pulled his hand from Alec's chest. He watched attentively as Alec's chest began to heave and his face tightened to the point of pain. His body struggled violently and Magnus instantly began to draw deeply on his power to aid Alec into a peaceful slumber when Alec whimpered his name like a lost prayer from a dying man.

"Magnus…" A sob caught in his throat, "Magnus…please…"

Magnus's hands fell to his sides and his scarred heart quite simply shattered and dropped to the bottom of his stomach. The thought had been lingering and nagging at his mind since the moment he left Alec, but now there was no way for him to deny. He knew he was a fool for denying it in the first place.

He was- and always would be- in love with Alexander.

The boy was the very breath Magnus breathed. He knew he had to fix what he had wronged. He knew they couldn't live like this any longer- he would do whatever it took to have Alec by his side once again. He wasn't ignorant by any means- Magnus knew Alec was in a dark place. He knew that Alec was dappling in magic and that Alec was on a hell-bent killing spree with the vampires. He was also sure that was Alec's form of revenge to get to Camille, which caused unease in Magnus's stomach. Camille was a cold-hearted, merciless woman and he knew that she would eventually become impatient with Alec's behavior. Thankfully; however, Magnus knew Camille only found Alec's antics amusing as of now.

But Magnus needed to stop Alec before Camille set her sights on him. If that was to happen, Magnus would have a war on his hands. Magnus spent some time mentally arguing with himself over how to approach Alec. Finally- by the time he was severely irritated- Isabelle and Jace came strolling into the Informatory. Magnus sighed when Jace asked, "How is he doing?"

"He's fine," Magnus replied tersely, "I'm not the High Warlock of Brooklyn for nothing, you know. I'm quite capable of taking care of Alec."

"What crawled up your ass?" Jace bristled sarcastically.

Magnus sighed and rolled his eyes, "I've got plenty on my mind."

Jace and Isabelle raised their eyebrows. Jace asked, "Care to share?"

Magnus snorted and said, "Yes, I want to pour my heart out to the both of you. In fact, I would like to tell you all of my deepest concern and desires."

Jace sighed dramatically and said, "Look, I'm going to just ask you. I don't really give a damn if you act like a dick or not, but are planning on making up with Alec?"

Magnus stared at the brother and sister duo before saying, "I'm going to try like hell."

The tone of his voice left no room for argument, so silence engulfed them all. Jace stayed long enough to see for himself that Alec was no longer close to the brink of death before he stalked out of the Informatory, leaving Izzy behind.

Alec slept without incident or stirring while Magnus preformed another healing session. Isabelle stood at the foot of the bed and watched Magnus. He worked vigorously and today he didn't have his dark hood on, so Isabelle could see his facial expressions. She could tell how worried he was by the way he moved. It was as if he couldn't move fast enough. Magnus stirred potions together, chanted in dead languages, weaved magical patterns with his hands, and never stopped. He didn't bother taking a break even after using every ounce of energy he had the night before to save Alec's life.

Isabelle eventually left the Informatory to gather more herbal supplies for Magnus. It had been nearly thirty-six hours since Magnus showed up on the Institute's front lawn, yet he hadn't slept. Or eaten. And Isabelle was fairly concerned. She knew that Alec was going to be okay because Magnus was here. He was the best damned warlock in the country- maybe even the world. And she knew that Magnus loved her brother. And she also knew that if Magnus passed out from exhaustion and Alec woke to find him, Alec would have a heart attack. So, yes, she had reasons to feel concerned.

She returned with the armful of supplies and leaned against the cold, brick wall as Magnus began to crush, grind, and mix the awful smelling ingredients in a small bowl. Isabelle wrinkled her nose and remarked, "Holy Angels, that smells like crap."

Magnus glanced up from his hunched over position and blinked owlishly, as if he had just noticed Isabelle was there. He continued to mix before saying, "The stench is horrendous, I know. Every time I make this damn potion, it reminds me of my grandfather's dirty laundry."

Her eyes widened and she said, "Uh…ew."

He snorted and said, "Yeah, tell me about it."

It took several minutes of watching Magnus as he carefully stroked Alec's throat into swallowing the nasty liquid before Alec drank it all. Magnus snapped his fingers and the small bowl- along with all of the soiled cloth and ingredients- disappeared. He sighed softly and turned to face Isabelle.

"I've had him in a dream-like trance this entire time, so his body can heal. I've cured every physical wound that he had and now this potion will wake him in a few hours. He'll be as healthy as before."

"Are you leaving?" Izzy quickly asked, shocked.

Magnus nodded and slipped his dark hood back over his head. As he turned to leave, Isabelle felt the anger and desperation hit her. She demanded, "What happened to you trying like hell to make up with Alec?"

She sprinted across the room as he continued down the darkened corridor. She angrily said, "How can you do this? He's going to wake up and know that you've been here. Magnus, he'll know you were the one that saved him."

Magnus whirled around so swiftly that Isabelle nearly ran smack into his chest. She backed up hastily and glared at him. She could tell how angry he was by the way his inhuman eyes flashed a bright yellow. He demanded, "Don't you think I know that? I know he's hurting and I know he will wake up and realize I healed him. But what do you think me being here will solve? It will only cause him further pain and confusion."

Izzy whispered, "What happened between the two of you?"

Magnus used his ancient control to rein in his emotions before stating, "He betrayed me, Isabelle. And it isn't something I can forgive lightly. I love your brother more than I ever wanted, but I don't know how to fix what cannot be undone."

Izzy watched the sorrow filter across the warlock's face before she said, "I've watched my oldest brother suffer every single minute of every day for the last six months. To you that might not seem like a long time, but it is. He's changed. He's not how he was before and I know that it has to do with you, Magnus. And I know that he must love you more than anything in this entire world."

Magnus shut his eyes and swallowed the lump forming in his throat before hoarsely asking, "How do you know?"

"I know because," Isabelle hesitated before continuing, "…because he's walked away from everyone. He hasn't answered a single phone call from our parents. He won't see me or Jace. He won't speak to us unless we force him to. He left his home, Magnus. The only home he has ever known and he willingly walked away from it without a backward glance. But I'm willing to bet that he will talk to you. He'll do anything for you."

Magnus's heart was crumbling in his chest once again as he quietly said, "Okay. I'll stay and talk to him."


AN: ...so, what do you think? Please, leave a review:) They make me super excited! By the way, the next chapter is...interesting;)