Izzy didn't get a wink of sleep that night. As such, neither did Alec. Magnus fell asleep to the the muffled tones of Alec reading the Jane Austen classic to Izzy, and woke up to the same voice now halfway through an Agatha Christie novel he couldn't immediately identify. Names and words drifted over to his bedroom and he found himself basking in the illusory peace of his comfortable bed and the soothing words of Alexander though they were not directed at him.

A sudden stop, broke the peace and some clattering followed by the sound of Isabelle retching brought back the harsh reality of the exact reason why he had been hearing the dulcet tones of the stoic man. Magnus rubbed the sleep from his face and checked the time. Not even seven.

His talk with Alec about his wellbeing had reassured him slightly, but he could see the toll that this situation was taking on Alec. Alec was tense, but his guard was down. Ever since Magnus had met the younger man he had been guarded, even more so than Magnus himself. He wasn't skittish, just careful and deliberate. He didn't talk, he didn't just share his thoughts without Magnus having to pry it out of him. He certainly didn't share his concerns with Magnus where it concerned anything other than Magnus safety.

If Magnus had to guess, and it wasn't much of a guess as he was still excellent at reading people, Alec was being eaten alive by guilt. Looking at it from Magnus perspective, it was rather hard to understand why, but it came from the many secrets the oldest Lightwood held. Alec was willing to sacrifice everything for his siblings, came to their aid without question and all while still juggling his other responsibilities. What could Alec possibly feel this guilty over?

Soft talking from the living room encouraged him to move and see if he could be of any help to the two Lightwoods in his living room. He had foregone his Tai Chi for the past two days and would do so again today, as he could have no peace of mind with what was going on in his living room. Not that he blamed poor Isabelle, who was suffering enough as it was, or, god forbid, Alexander in the slightest for that, it just changed his routine.

In his dress he steered clear of sequins and sparkles, since they might irritate Izzy's senses right now. There was no need to shock anyone in the room today so it was perfectly okay to step it down a notch. Stepping out into the living room the sight he was met with confirmed his previous assertions. Izzy was hanging over Alec's lap, Alec keeping her hair back and holding a plastic bowl up for her. Clearly she had been using it to lose the contents of her pretty much empty stomach in without having to struggle to the bathroom. They both had dark circles under their eyes as a clear sign that neither of the siblings had gotten any sleep that night.

It was going to be another day like that.

Izzy was absolutely miserable and Alec couldn't leave her side because as soon as he was out of her line of sight she had a panic attack. Magnus offered support where he could, but it was clear that Alec felt they were already imposing so much on Magnus that he had some difficulty accepting it. So Magnus left him no choice. He worked in the morning, but afterwards simply sat with the two Lightwoods. If Alec couldn't spare the time away from Izzy to take care of himself, then Magnus would do so. Making sure that Alec ate and fixing them glasses of water, tea and coffee.

In the evening they moved Izzy back to Alec's bedroom in the hope of trying to get her to sleep. Magnus found some lavender incense to light with Alec's consent and after once more losing her stomach contents Izzy drifted off in a restless sleep, allowing Alec for the first time that day to step away. He was slightly hoarse from the amount of reading he had done to Izzy, but still managed to utter his gratitude to Magnus.

'I still need to call Jace today,' Alec said as he turned into the kitchen to wash the basin, Magnus closely following behind him. 'I'll clean up the living room after that.'

'Alexander, how much sleep did you get last night?'

'An hour or two,' Alec answered honestly. There was no use or sense in lying to Magnus as he washed the basin in the sink. 'Maybe less. I'm not sure.'

'You need to take care of yourself as well,' Magnus put a hand on Alec's arm and the sudden realisation hit him that his touching Alec had become a common thing without either of them realising. It was rather… domestic, and it gave a warm feeling of comfort to Magnus.

'I know, it's just… How am I supposed to leave her alone like this? The physical symptoms are enough on their own, if I just leave her during a panic attack, what is she supposed to do?' Alec turned off the tap and grabbed a tea towel to dry of the basin.

'Do you think your other siblings would help?'

Alec turned to look at Magnus at this comment: 'What do you mean?'

'Clearly I can only do so much, your sister has barely met me. But do you think the presence of Jace or Max would help alleviate some of your burden?'

'Magnus…' Alec sighed as he dried off his hands. 'I can't ask that from you. Having Izzy here is already more than you should have to deal with. And as much as I love them, Jace and Max are an entirely different story from her, even when she's like this.'

'Your sister is quite the delight when she's feeling herself, I will fully attest to that,' Magnus said fondly. 'And with the way you've spoken about your brothers, I'm sure I'll like both of them as well. Tell me that it wouldn't be a relief to have them here, and I'll drop it. But I'm quite okay with receiving them.'

'It's a very generous offer,' Alec took a deep breath. 'But it is really fine. She'll see them when she's good enough to leave again. I'll deal with it.'

Magnus let out a sigh: 'At least take my bedroom and sleep for a couple of hours now. We know she's asleep and you need some proper rest in a proper bed. I'll take care of the living room and sit with her for a couple of hours. I'll come and get you if she wakes. You look exhausted.' Alec was about to protest but the insistent look in Magnus eyes stopped him. He was tired and he was going to be no use if he tried to brave through it.

'Fine,' he replied with a nod. 'But only if you're sure.'

'I had planned on staying up for a little while longer to read some files that Theo just sent over anyway. I can do that just as well sitting with your sister. And going by the last two nights, I doubt your sister will sleep for very long. Go get some rest.' A soft fondness fell across Alec's face and did all sorts of things to Magnus emotions, but he didn't say anything as Alec acquiesced. Leaving the bedroom door open Alec didn't even bother taking of any of his clothes and as soon as he laid down on top of the covers he was asleep.

Magnus put away some of the mess that came with caring for someone who was sick and then stood in the doorway of his own bedroom for a moment, watching Alec sleep. He had fallen asleep so fast. Clearly having to do with only a couple of hours of sleep a night was not uncommon for the young man. Even in his sleep he seemed tense and focussed on making sure he got enough sleep to continue doing what he had to do afterwards. It was a miracle that his siblings hadn't found out.

Magnus went into his office to retrieve the papers Theo had sent, but as he left he spotted Alec's phone lying on the coffee table in the living room. Casting a look over at his bedroom he went over what Alec had said. He hadn't denied that it would be a relief to have them, which Alec would have to qualms in saying if it had been true. He had skirted the issue, which led Magnus to believe that it would actually be a relief to have them here.

He picked up the phone. It was quite the archaic device, which worked to Magnus benefit right now, since it meant it had no lock code. It felt a little like he was going behind Alec's back, but really, it was necessary. He moved into his office and closed the door behind him to not wake Alec with his phone call. He was no longer going to facilitate Alexander crushing himself under his burdens.

Izzy woke only three hours later from a long series of nightmares and Magnus didn't even have to go and get Alec as he seemed to automatically respond to the sound of her crying. Magnus had barely made it over to Izzy to try and calm her down by the time Alec burst into the room to wrap Izzy in his arms. Magnus quickly made himself scarce after that, seeing that Alec had it covered. After all, Magnus still had to work tomorrow and needed his mental capacities to be at peak performance if he wanted to do everything he had to in as little time as possible.

In the morning it seemed that Izzy had gotten a couple more hours sleep after Magnus had gone to bed and Alec had slept intermittently by her side, soothing her through nightmare and really only able to take naps in between. While Magnus insisting on Alec taking a rest in the evening had made sure that his exhaustion hadn't gotten worse, but it also hadn't gotten any better. And that was exactly why he had gone to his rather drastic measures.

Izzy was not puking anymore, but was in a lot of pain, sweating and incredibly anxious. Alec was desperately trying to get her to drink enough, but her shaking hands were making it hard. The sudden ring of the apartment phone startled both Alec and Izzy, but Magnus clearly had been expecting it. He instantly moved over.

'Yes, I requested their presence. Send them up.'

This caused Alec to raise an eyebrow at Magnus: 'Did you call Catarina to come?'

Magnus shook his head: 'No, I used your phone last night to ask your brothers to come.'

'You did what?!' Alec suddenly jerked up. 'I told you that wasn't necessary. You don't have to do this Magnus, we can still ask them to leave.'

'What part of me asking them to come did you not understand? You are exhausted and you need help that I nor Catarina can offer. You need help, whether you like it or not.'

'I'm fine, Magnus, really.'

'No, you are not. This is me, as your friend, not your employer, begging you to accept some help because I'm worried about you.' Alec couldn't reply. He couldn't find words. The sincere emotion on Magnus' face hit him hard. His eyes flicked over to Izzy, who despite the pain gave him a nod. Alec felt like crying at the overwhelming feelings, but he didn't. Instead he let out a sigh and his expression softened.

'Only if you promise that the moment it gets too much for you, you will tell me. Jace is not exactly good at respecting boundaries and reading people's emotions.'

'I might inform him to his face first, but I promise,' Magnus joke brought a light smile to Alec's face. At that moment there was a loud knock at the door. Alec carefully maneuvered himself out from under Izzy and went to open it.

'Alec!' Max immediately rushed in and hugged his older brother.

'Hey, buddy,' Alec hugged his baby brother back before looking up at the blond still standing outside. 'Hey Jace.'

'Alec,' as Max stepped aside Jace took over with a brotherly hug. 'How you doin', man?'

Alec simply shrugged: 'Come in.' He closed the door behind them and Magnus now for the first time saw the other two Lightwoods. Alec had talked most about Max. The twelve year old boy was eyeing Magnus curiously, clearly waiting for introductions. He looked different from Alec and Izzy, who might as well be twins, with much lighter hair and broader build, but shared Alec's bright eyes and that same inquisitive look Izzy had given him that first morning over breakfast.

Jace was clearly not related to them. From the blond hair, to the shorter stature, to the broad build he looked absolutely nothing like the others, but he did carry himself in a manner slightly reminiscent of Alec. The wide stance and rigid manner of movement looked different on Jace, however, since where Alec tried to not be noticed, Jace held his head high with pride.

Alec seemed about to make introductions, but Jace moved first: 'Magnus Bane, right? It's about time we met. I'm Jace, Alec's brother.' Magnus could practically see Alec bit his tongue at Jace's audacity and a small smile pulled at Magnus mouth as he shook Jace's hand. This had most definitely been one of his better ideas.

'Indeed about time. Alec has told me quite a lot about all of you.'

'Yeah he tends to ramble when it's about us. This is Max, by the way, our youngest brother.'

'It's a pleasure to meet you,' Max stepped up and held out his hand to Magnus.

'The pleasure is all mine.' Magnus of course instantly noticed the similarity in Alec and Max's manner of speaking. Max spoke with a little bit more confidence, but it was abundantly clear who his role model was. Every last one of Alec's siblings was so much easier to read than the man himself and all contributed to the picture of Alec Lightwood. Magnus simply couldn't tear his eyes away from them as the three brothers gathered around Izzy as she let out a groan of pain.

Jace immediately helped her to the sitting position she had been trying to get to and let her lean against his shoulder. He asked her questions on how she was feeling and she answered fully and straight to the point. Very different from how she had tried to deal with Alec, which had entailed her showing rather than saying how she was feeling and him understanding her.

Max was slightly hesitant at seeing Izzy in this state again, but with a little nudge from Alec he took a seat at Izzy's other side and let her cuddle him. He didn't say much, but answered questions he was asked and occasionally made a comment on something one of the others had said. They all doted on him, but he was clearly a well raised young man. That had to have been Alec's influence.

As soon as his brothers had crowded Izzy, Alec had taken a step back. He got quieter than he had been when it was just him and Izzy. His eyes were continuously watching all three of them and regularly also flicking over to Magnus with a little bit of hesitation until he caught the intrigued and amused look on Magnus' face and seemed settled that Magnus was okay. He was very clearly watching over them, rather than standing side by side with them, but his expression was a very fond one, if very tired.

Alec got to his feet to make drinks for all five of them and Magnus decided to follow him into the kitchen: 'Young Max takes after you.'

Alec didn't look up from the kettle he was filling up with water: 'That's a first.'

'I don't mean in appearance,' Magnus leaned against the counter next to Alec. 'His manner of speech, his behaviour. You raised him well.'

Alec's movements paused for a moment and though Alec was still turned away Magnus caught a glimpse of a smile: 'I tried.'

Magnus turned and put his hand on Alec's arm as Alec turned on the kettle: 'You have a wonderful family.' Alec was clearly at a loss for words. A little flustered he turned to find cups and at the same time start to make coffee until he suddenly stilled and turned to Magnus.

'Thank you. For calling them. I'm glad you got to meet them,' his words were fumbly and a little confused, but very determined. 'I missed them and… It means a lot that you… That you get along with them.'

'Of course,' Magnus replied fondly. Alec stood awkwardly for another few moments, but then gave a sharp nod and turned back to make the drinks. He was pouring tea when Magnus spoke up again.

'I'm going to give you and your siblings some space. If you need me, I'll be in my office.' Without waiting for Alec's reply Magnus took his cup of tea and walked off. As he passed through the living room he found the three Lightwoods whispering to each other. Whispering that immediately stopped as soon as Magnus entered the room, but as they realised it was Magnus they let out a sigh of relief. Clearly they were discussing Alec. With a gentle smile he continued to his office.

He could hear that Izzy had it rough, but the sounds of the siblings were very comforting. He even heard laughter at several points throughout the morning. It was a cheerful noise and Magnus was surprised at how lively his apartment had become. After several hours the noise got significantly quieter until it completely stilled. It took Magnus a few minutes to notice, but when he did he immediately sat up straight. He'd gotten more work done than he'd expected with the distraction in the other room having turned out to be rather soothing.

Now, he put what remained of his work down and got up to see why the Lightwoods had suddenly gotten so quiet. Surely Alec wouldn't just leave without telling Magnus. But as he stepped out of his office he was immediately met with a sight that stopped him in his tracks. Alec had fallen asleep, Izzy cradled on his right side equally asleep, Max wrapped protectively in his left arm reading a translation of Homer's Odyssey.

Jace turned around from one of Magnus' paintings he'd been looking at and pressed a finger to his lips with a serious expression. Seeing the movement from the corner of his eyes Max looked up and now also saw Magnus. Max made a move to wriggle himself free from Alec's grasp, but it elicited a groan from his oldest brother who tightened his grip in his sleep. With some very intent gestures Jace told Max to stay put, and the young boy begrudgingly complied, turning back to his book with a pout. Magnus smiled and indicated to Jace that he was going to the kitchen. Jace clearly took that as a sign to follow Magnus and did so without hesitation.

'Did he not sleep at all last night, or something?' Jace asked as soon as they passed into the kitchen.

'A couple of hours,' Magnus replied. 'But all of this is very taxing on him.'

'Yeah, it's much worse than last time. He worries too much.'

Magnus frowned at the comment: 'It seems entirely justified to worry about your sister's recovery right now.'

'Well, yeah, but Alec isn't just worrying about that,' Jace replied.

'You and your siblings are very important to him.'

'But we're not fragile and he's going to have to get around to that at some point.'

Magnus sighed: 'That is much easier said than done. And forgive me if I'm overstepping here, he has good reason to worry about your health and stress.'

'Alec told you?'

'Bits and pieces only. I know he gave you one of his kidneys when you needed a transplant and that your heart rate cannot get too high.'

Jace nodded: 'That's the gist of it. Basically, my heart rate gets above 150 there's a chance of any of my organs failing. I have the advantage of having a lot of early training and talent so that I don't have to be particularly careful, and I keep up to make sure it stays that way. But this thing gives so much as a beep and Alec's in a tizzy over it.' Jace held up his wrist to show his heart rate monitor.

'Again, reasonably so,' Magnus said with a slightly jesting tone.

'Nowadays, not so much anymore. I got it under control and we're doing okay enough on money where I don't need to get a stressful job.'

'You did that before?'

'Not my proudest moment, but Alec was literally working himself to death to pay off the payday loans along with the other ones. I couldn't stand by and watch that happen,' Jace shrugged.

'Loans?' It would explain a lot of Alec's behaviour around money issues. But if he had been running three jobs even here...

Jace nodded: 'Most of it is paid off now though. With Izzy's scholarship covering part of our living expenses as well, and the pay raise that came from you hiring him.' Magnus kept his doubts to himself. Someday he was really going to have to sit Alexander down and talk about all these things. If it was just money, then Magnus might be able to do something for him.

'Alec mentioned something about you taking classes?'

'Yeah, there's not a whole lot of professions I can get into with my skills and health. I still have to tell Alec, but I signed up last week for some bartending classes so I can get certified.'

'I might have to share some of my own recipes with you then,' Magnus spoke more cheerfully. He was about to continue when the noise from the living room once again drew their attention.

'Duty calls,' Jace said as he hopped down from the stool he had been sitting on.

'I'll make some more tea.' Jace nodded and left Magnus alone in the kitchen. There was so very clearly more going on, and Magnus wanted to help so badly. But really Alec had every right to consider it an imposition if he did. Even just what his siblings had told Magnus might be a breach of privacy. Alec was much more reserved than his siblings were, but it was also very clear that they hadn't been told the entire story. He was going to have to be patient and hope that Alexander would come to him in time.