Alec POV

"Catarina, thank God for you. We didn't know what we were going to do if you weren't here today", I gasp in the hospital hallway. She puts a comforting hand on my arm.

"It's okay, Alec, you got her here in time, but she seems to be...slowly getting worse. Her heartbeat is getting slower. This isn't stress or injury. Has she done anything different recently?", she asks.

"Yes, she lost her powers."

Catarina's jaw falls open. "Magda Deus lost her powers? That's...unbelievable."

"Not lost, stolen, by her father. And she borrowed magic from Lorenzo Rey", I tell her.

"Now it makes more sense. She was presenting as a person who had been given the wrong blood type in a transfusion. His magic isn't compatible with her body", she says.

"What can we do?"

"Get him to remove it. I can't do myself because I didn't give it to her. Get him here fast, Alec", she pleads and I'm running before she's finished speaking.

An hour later I'm standing in her loft with a smirking Rey standing in front of me. "No. No, Mr. Lightwood. I gave her my magic at her request."

"Her father won't..."

"Tut, tut, Mr. Lightwood, you only get to use the "angry daddy" threat once. You're overplaying your hand. I did my best, if it didn't work out, I could hardly have known", he says.

"Have you ever been in love?", I ask him, trying to force the tears at the back of my eyes to dry up. They spill anyway.

"Many times. I'm 500 years old, Mr. Lightwood", he laughs.

"Well for me, there's only one. Please help her, please", I beg.

He nods thinly. "There was no charge for giving her magic. There will be one for taking it away."

We rush into her room at the hospital, and I can't stop praying. "Magda?" She's awake.

"Magda!" I cry, "You're awake. You have to let Lorenzo remove his magic. It's killing you."

"Killing me, Alec? A little strong don't you think? I just didn't have breakfast, it was all tea and coffee, and I told you that big, long story about my life. It was stressful. I'm sorry I scared you, it won't happen again."

"Catarina says it wasn't stress", I insist.

"Did you tell her you were FORCING me to tell you my life history under duress?", she yells.

"M...Magda, I didn't force you to do anything. You're not acting like yourself, maybe when his magic is out of you..."

"I'll be NOBODY AGAIN!", she screams. Lorenzo and I both jump. They definitely heard her all down the hall.

"You're not a nobody, you're my world!", I insist.

"You can't love this." She gestures to herself. "Without magic, I'm just...and you're... I can't do it, Alexander."

"Are you willing to die for magic, because it may come down to that", I say, fiercely.

"Yes", she whispers, shocking the hell out of me. I inhale sharply. "It's who I am. What if I asked you to be someone you're not?"

"You'd leave me?! Willingly? Magda...I can't lose you..." I pull her into my arms. "I won't. Magda, please. I love you, adore you exactly as you are. You're gorgeous, you don't need the makeup and the dresses and... you don't need it. You're a force to be reckoned with, without a drop of magic you've always had power. You always let me know exactly how you feel, and exactly how I screw something up", he sniffs, smiling, a tear running down his cheek. "Please baby, don't make me live without you."

Numbly, she nods her head. I motion to Lorenzo, who comes in the room, and shoots his bright yellow magic at her again. This time he sucks every drop of it out. Wisely, he turns and leaves without being an asshole.

"I love you", I whisper, kissing her cheek, her lips, her hair, "I love you."

"I love you too", she confirms, and hugs me back.

The next day, I'm having lunch with my mother.

"This was an unexpected call", she says, "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. I uh...I need the Lightwood ring." 18k yellow gold with flames made of yellow and pink sapphires, peach padparadscha sapphires, rubies, and cognac diamonds. I've only seen it once in my life. I know she has it.

"Isn't this a little sudden?", she asks.

"Magda feels unwanted. Not beautiful. I think there's no better time to prove to her that my interest goes beyond her magic than to propose when she doesn't have any. Please, Mother."

She sees I'm serious. "I have to find it...", she starts.

"As if you don't know exactly where something that valuable is", I say, raising an eyebrow at her, "It's been in the family for centuries."

"Fine, smart mouth. I'll give it to Isabelle tomorrow, good enough?", she asks.

I wink. "Good enough."