So, a bit less fluffy-feels and more angsty-feels... a lot of feels, period. I know that after how the first part ended some wanted/expected the series to focus on what Alec might do to sweep Magnus off his feet. I'm afraid that was never really in the cards. While I will certainly try to include at least a couple of such scenes in one of the future installments, I had something else planned for this one. Hope you'll enjoy it anyway.
Magnus
All the shine of a thousand spotlights
All the stars we steal from the nightsky
Will never be enough
Never be enough
Towers of gold are still too little
These hands could hold the world but it'll
Never be enough
Never be enough
For me
"Never Enough" Cover by Boyce Avenue
Magnus just knows Alexander's gonna kill him one of these days. And while he's never been one to mind a 'little death' every so often… that hasn't even been an option thus far!
From the moment he first laid eyes on the shadowhunter he knew there was something about him, he isn't like any other of his kind that he's ever met. And it isn't just because they met while he was fighting like hell, trying to keep his people safe from the Circle members who somehow managed to find their safe-house… Seeing a nephilim fighting to protect him and his people, warlocks… never before had Magnus seen (or even imagined) something like that! And then to learn he's a Lightwood! Maryse Lightwood's son even! That the eldest son of the woman who tried so hard, who came so close to killing him would then save his life…
He was sad to see Alexander walk away that night, but knew they both had duties to see to. In his case, he had to set up a new safe-house and ensure his people would be safe… and then find out how the Circle managed to find them in the first place! On the latter, he hated finding out they were betrayed by one of their own. What was Elias thinking?! Did he truly believe that Valentine would destroy the rest of the Downworld yet spare him?! The warlock might have been young, but Magnus never imagined him to be stupid, yet what else can be surmised when the idiot sold all his brothers and sisters out to a murderer and expected to live to tell the tale?!
When Magnus first heard about the Shadowhunters' initiative of creating a Council, an alliance between representatives of all the factions, the warlock thought whoever was behind it had to be incredibly naive if they truly believed it'd work. Either that or there was some kind of dark agenda in the works. He has to look after his people, it's why he chose to go to that first meeting himself. He's also quite sure that Tessa insisted on accompanying him to balance him out, she's always had a… soft spot, for shadowhunters. Unsurprising, all things considered.
The last thing he expected was to find both Alexander and his sister Isabelle in that meeting, and then to learn he was the one behind the creation of the Shadow Council, and the Head of the New York Institute to boot!
"So… Head of the New York Institute…" Magnus doesn't even think about it before he speaks, tone flirty, even as he gives the tall, dark-haired, hazel-eyed shadowhunter a once-over. "You must be more than just a pretty face then…"
The nephilim doesn't reply, not in actual words at least, yet he blushes so prettily.
"I thought Maryse and Robert Lightwood were the Heads of the New York Institute." They certainly were the last time Magnus was hired to do maintenance in the wards.
"They used to be," The shadowhunter nods. "Things have changed. Many cases of old, known members of the Circle were revised. Most found themselves de-runed and either sentenced to house-arrest for the remainder of their lives, or exiled entirely. I became the official Head of the New York Institute in the aftermath of that."
Magnus doesn't know how to reply to that. The Clave truly punished Valentine's followers? Finally? He can hardly believe it. It sounds almost too good to be true. Even if it happened almost twenty years late, better late than never, right?
"How long have you been Head, if it can be told?" Magnus asks next, curious.
"A couple of weeks," The nephilim runs a hand through his hair looking somewhat shy "Actually, the night of the attack, when we met… my siblings and I were celebrating my appointment."
Magnus eyes widen, a part of him wondering at the fact that the Lightwood siblings consider fighting as 'celebrating', while the rest of his head is stationed on the fact that the first thing Alexander did after being made Head was protect Downworlders…
"Well, congratulations then Alexander…" Magnus waves a hand, a drink appearing on each of their hands. "Cheers!"
The nephilim looks at the drink in his hand in such a way that Magnus actually wonders if he's managed to offend him somehow… but no, the young man doesn't seem angry, rather he looks… sad. Magnus doesn't understand! He hates not knowing things.
xXx
That's just the start though, in the next days and weeks, that's when Magnus comes to believe that Alexander Lightwood will be the end of him one day. The way the boy sometimes looks at him, like he's seeing straight into Magnus soul, or perhaps even beyond. The way he speaks, so good, so sincere, so full of authority yet humility at the same time. The boy wears his heart on his sleeve and yet he seems so unafraid… Magnus cannot help but think it might end up destroying him one day. And yet at the same time it just doesn't seem possible. For anything to be stronger than Alexander… It's so strange, to have known the shadowhunter for such a short time, and still feel like he 'knows' him, truly.
And then there's the flirting. It's like… half of the time, when Alexander speaks to him, it seems like he's flirting, but he does it in such a way that Magnus is never sure if it's intentional or not, if perhaps the young man might not even realize he's doing it. Sometimes he'll fluster so easily, for the most innocuous reasons, yet other times he can be so blunt, saying things how they are with no hesitation and no regrets. Magnus doesn't understand!
He wants so much to ask Alexander out. To share a drink with him, not in the middle of the otherwise empty meeting room after a Shadow Council session, but in his flat, in private, where the two of them might be able to be truly alone, to talk and perhaps… more. Yet every time he thinks about actually doing it, asking Alexander out, a voice in the back of his head stops him. Because he still doesn't know if the flirting is intentional, if it means anything, does Alexander even know he's doing it?
And even if he does mean it, Magnus is absolutely shameless. He knows who he is, what he likes, what he wants and it's been a very long time since he bothered feeling ashamed about any of it. But that doesn't mean Alexander will feel the same. Also, the two of them being downworlder and shadowhunter would be bad enough, but they're not 'just' anything, he's the High Warlock of Brooklyn, while Alexander is the Head of the New York Institute (the youngest person appointed to such a position in over a century!). And with everything they're trying to achieve… Can Magnus risk it, risk them both, their reputations?
Of course, all those thoughts go by the wayside when Alexander calls him one day:
"Hello?" Magnus answers, not quite knowing what to think about the young shadowhunter actually calling him when their communications usually happen through fire-messages. "Alec…? Is everything alright?"
"I…" There seems to be some hesitation. "Yes, everything's just fine. I was just wondering, I…"
"Alexander…?" Magnus has no idea what's going on, is there something wrong? And then, the last thing he ever expected:
"Would you like to go for a drink some time?"
Magnus blinks, a part of him wondering if he truly heard what he thinks he did… even then, he's response is automatic:
"Oh Alexander…" His voice turns husky without him even deciding on it. "I'd love to."
"I… ah… great! That's great!" The boy sounds so flustered, Magnus has no doubt he must be blushing so prettily! "Tomorrow night alright with you?"
"Sounds perfect." The warlock purrs. "Have a good night Alexander… the sweetest dreams…"
And oh, will his own dreams be sweet…
The date ends up being a bit more… awkward than he imagined it being. There's a curious duality in his shadowhunter, with the way he goes from strong, authoritative man, to slightly insecure, bashful boy at the drop of a hat. And as confusing as the shift might be, neither version of him looks or feels fake.
"It's… I…" Alec clears his throat slightly as he clearly has trouble finding the right words when Magnus finally says something about it. "I'm not exactly In the closet, per say, but neither am I out of it. I… Jace, Izzy and Max know. That I'm gay, Izzy certainly knows of my interest in you. My parents… if they ever realized it, before… before, they never said. Though I suspect that if my mother had known she'd have made arrangements to have me married to a 'good and proper shadowhunter girl' before anyone could suspect the truth about my preferences." He shakes his head. "Anyway. I'm not trying very hard to keep it a secret, but neither am I announcing it."
"Why?" Magnus asks, after pondering on it for a few seconds.
"It's… complicated." Alec swallows. "I don't know how much you, or anyone really, knows about traditions and protocols of us shadowhunters… not like I'd know about those of warlocks, or any other downworlder really. The point is, the position of Institute Head, while it's officially one position, it's usually shared. Traditionally by a married couple. In fact, most Institute Heads inherit their position, much like mundane royal lines. The Whitelaws were the last Vested Heads of the New York Institute. My parents, while technically in the position, were never fully granted the position. That was their punishment. They had the responsibility, but the power, the authority, wasn't truly theirs. Still, it was the two of them, always."
"You're alone."
"I am… and I'm not. I'm not married, and I've no intention of marrying. But officially, Jace is my second. This is possible because he's my parabatai, and that's a bond that can be just as, sometimes even deeper, than a marriage, with us nephilim. We literally share a part of each other's soul. It's entirely platonic of course, but still. It's not common, for Institute Heads to stand alone. And even what we're doing, Jace and I, I've no doubt that the Clave expects one of us will marry in the next couple of years and take over completely."
"Is that not what you'd want?"
"Jace has already refused. His grandmother actually tried making him Head rather than me, but he refused. He just… he's not interested in it. So even if he someday finds someone, marries, settles down, he'll never want to be Head. And me… I'm not sure the Clave will ever be willing to accept my own choice of partner."
"Oh…" Magnus looks honestly taken aback by the implications. "Alexander, are you sure, well, that This is what you want?"
Alec can tell what Magnus isn't saying, the question he's trying so carefully to sidestep: 'Are you sure I am who you want?'
"I'm sure."
Alec doesn't give him time to think, or rather worry, about it. As he pulls Magnus towards him, quieting his words, and his worries, with a kiss.
xXx
Despite the odd quirks his young shadowhunter has (and even if they've only gone on a single date thus far, Magnus feels no compunction about referring to Alexander as his… at least in his own head), the warlock is feeling quite hopeful about the possibility of a second date. Perhaps even soon (he wants so much to kiss those lips again…). When the call comes he cannot help but smile wide as he answers.
"Alexander, I was just thinking about you!" He says brightly, voice dripping with implications.
"Magnus… as delighted as I'm about that, I'm afraid this is not a social call." Alec admits, and Magnus can hear the true regret in his voice.
"Has something happened?" Magnus is all business instantly. "Are you alright?"
"I'm alright, but something's definitely happened, happening now, still." Alec answers, somewhat hesitant. "I… I need help."
"You know you can tell me anything," The warlock does his best to reassure him. "I'll do my very best to help you."
"I know." The shadowhunter really doesn't doubt that.
Alec could kick himself. Truly, he can hardly believe he's been so stupid. For him to forget something so huge… One of the first things he did after getting his memories from the other timeline (after taking a night or so to actually get his thoughts in order, to process, and yes, even to freak out a little over it all), was sit down and make a list of the most important things: both people and events, that he would try and change. And it wasn't even just that. Alec's always been the kind to think things over, carefully, to consider all possibilities and implications of every single choice and course of action. He contemplated all the ways things could go, the possible domino effects. He knew from the start that changing anything would have consequences, the butterfly effect in its purest form. So he had to decide what the most important thing for him to change was. Prioritize. If he changed one thing and that shifted things so much as to make it impossible for him to accurately predict anything else, that one change had to be worth it. It was how he decided to focus on getting rid of as many Circle members as he could. After all, the least supporters Valentine had when he finally made his move, the better. That strategy gave him the New York Institute (which he might have been hopeful for, but wasn't fully counting on), it also got his parents sentenced (that one he didn't see coming).
Clary keeping her distance means that a lot of what went on during these days the first time around isn't happening. Simon isn't getting kidnapped (in fact, as far as Alec knows, Clary's chosen to keep her friend out of things entirely this time around, which he knows probably hurts, but Alec cannot help but think it's the best decision she could have made), he's not getting in trouble with the Clave (or he is, but it's different because this time it's entirely his choice, and not due to him trying to cover up for his reckless siblings), hasn't caused a huge mess with the vampires, and whatever thing went down with both them and the werewolves wasn't on him, at all. He has the Cup safely hidden in a place only he knows, and the fact that only he (and Clary) knows he has it at all helps too. Surprisingly enough there was still a marriage proposal, and one that involved Lydia too, only this time it wasn't his idea, and he was quite honest when he turned down the offer.
The Institute is his, which means he doesn't have to worry about his parents blocking any and all ideas and initiatives he might propose; Aldertree's not making trouble in his Institute (last he heard the man was under investigation himself, back in Idris due to an assistant finding something suspicious in his experiments). Valentine still hasn't made an appearance, Jace isn't having some kind of existential crisis, and things with Magnus are finally moving forward.
Through it all Alec somehow's managed to forget that even though a lot of the insanity that went down the first time around might not be happening this time, that doesn't mean that some of the problems aren't already there (even if they aren't smacking him straight in the face): one such problem being Iris Rouse and her project to breed warlocks…
"There's a situation… one I really need your help with, we really need your help with." Alec does his best to explain himself. "And with your I mean more than just you specifically."
"Sounds like it's something big." Magnus quips, trying to understand why his boyfriend (one actual date, and a hell of a late of flirting isn't too soon to call someone 'boyfriend', is it?) seems to have so much trouble asking for help.
"It is." Alec agrees. "I have a… source. Someone not in the New York Institute, not from any Institute actually, or Idris or… I cannot fully explain things."
"Just tell me what the problem is Alexander, I promise I'll do all I can to help."
"How familiar are you with Iris Rouse?"
"She's a warlock." Magnus starts with the obvious. "I think she's actually living here in New York right now. She tends towards healing, much like a friend of mine, Catarina…"
"I… I'm sorry Magnus, but we have a big problem, and reason to believe Iris Rouse is behind it."
"What kind of problem?" Just the tone of voice of his boyfriend's is enough to make him pretty certain that whatever it is, he's not going to like it.
"She's breeding warlocks."
There's no more 'we think' or 'we believe'. It's a statement, and Magnus knows him well enough not to doubt him.
They spend the next few minutes making a plan of action. Calculating how many people they're really gonna need, who'd be the best ones to call in (from both their groups), how soon they can be ready, and what time would be best to handle the mission. If Magnus notices that Alec has stopped talking about 'possibilities' and 'theories' and begun using specific numbers, he makes no mention of it. He trusts that if the other man is keeping things to himself there must be a reason. And he's certainly making sure it doesn't interfere with all of them getting their job done, protecting mundanes, and their own people.
They go into action three days later. Just long enough for Magnus to be able to call in Catarina, Ragnor and Lorenzo to help, the first two he trusts completely, as they're dear friends, the third is a last minute stand in, when Tessa is unable to make it. Alec takes that same time too ensure he and Jace can both leave the Institute at the same time. The mission is sensitive enough he wants to make sure he trusts his team entirely.
Cat and Ragnor are absolutely horrified when Magnus tells them what's going on and what they're going to do. They don't even question Magnus or his possible sources, know him well enough to trust him. Lorenzo is a different case entirely.
"Why are we involving shadowhunters in this?" The Spaniard demands.
Magnus eyes narrow and it looks like he's about to lash out at the younger warlock, Alec stops him before he can, by placing a hand on his boyfriend's arm.
"On the contrary Warlock Rey, we're the ones who chose to bring you in on this." Alec states, he doesn't raise his voice at all, and yet the power and authority in it is undeniable. "And make no mistake. This is our turf. Iris Rouse is using mundane women to breed warlocks. It is our holy duty to protect the innocent. We brought you in because as horrifying and downright loathsome as he find Rouse's actions, whatever warlock children that might be at her place are as innocent as the mundane women she's using and deserve to be protected. I, at least, thought you'd want to be involve with that."
"We don't even know if she's truly doing as you claim." Rey hisses, trying to not show how much Alec's quiet power rattles him.
Lorenzo Rey has always hated that, the way others seem to just be able to walk all over him. He's a warlock, he has power, and money, has made a name for himself… yet most don't really see him as much. His sire is a nobody demon, who's never been interested in Lorenzo, nothing compared to Magnus's own Greater Demon of a father, or Ragnor's. And now to find a mortal, a shadowhunter with such a commanding presence, enough that Lorenzo could barely keep himself from stepping back. The warlock hates what he perceives as his own weakness. Hates it, yet doesn't know how to change it…
Alec says nothing to him, just shakes his head and turns towards Magnus, dismissing Lorenzo entirely (which only adds insult to injury, as far as the Spanish warlock is concerned).
"Izzy and I will go in first." Alec reminds them all of the plan. "We'll canvas the place, try and find out just how many people we're dealing with. At our signal you'll come in. If there's a demon inside, which is likely, Jace and Izzy will deal with it."
"We'll raise a special ward, ensuring Iris, and whoever else might be inside cannot escape by magical means." Cat agrees. "Then we'll see to the children and the women."
"I will go with whoever needs me more." Alec adds for good measure. "Andrew is handling perimeter, along with a team of shadowhunters. They'll keep watch and ensure there are no surprises coming, at least not from the outside."
Everyone nods in agreement with the plan, and then Izzy and Alec are off.
It's not the first time Izzy has to play distraction. It's actually pretty common, and something she tends to enjoy. She's always liked being the center of attention… Alec on the other hand would rather not have people paying much attention to him (unless that person is Magnus… though that's another thing entirely), but there's no way he'll let his sister walk into that house alone, not knowing what he knows about Iris Rouse and her latest 'project'…
'No plan survives contact with the enemy', it's one of those phrases Alec's heard time and again in his life. Mostly from Hodge while he trained him and his siblings as they were growing up. According to Hodge, despite the fact that the man to say those words originally was a mundane, he knew what he was talking about. It certainly applies to what happens that day…
Things go wrong faster and in a rather more spectacular manner than Alec would have expected. Isabelle's laying it on thick, spinning a story about a possible pregnancy, from a Downworlder, how her parents are liable to kill her if they find out (she's not wrong about that), and something about a supposed suitor who'll go back on their arranged union if he finds out. It's a very scandalous and, in Alec's personal opinion, rather ridiculous tale. But Rouse seems to be eating it up. Either that or the woman's just focusing on how she might be able to use Izzy… When they get to the part about payment Izzy fakes feeling self-conscious as she reveals she doesn't have much. Alec, playing the dutiful brother seeking to ensure his sister isn't disgraced, asks how he can help. And then Rouse mentions getting a 'favor' from her.
A mundane woman enters the room with the paperwork, it's the same one from last time… from the other time. She gives the papers to Izzy, who drops them in an attack of nervousness that is only half-fake. Truth be told Alec expected them to be able to go further inside the house before doing anything, they still don't know how many people might be in there (he never knew, not even in the other time), but there's no way he'll let Izzy sign anything.
An alarm rings right then, loud and sharp enough that all three women jump, Alec's own hands going to his weapons. Perhaps the only good thing in their situation, they're still pretty much in the lobby, so Alec hasn't had to decide whether to risk disarming himself or risk Rouse's response if he insists on keeping them. It all becomes moot though as the alarm rings. The warlock seems to realize they must be involved somehow, as she attacks them in an instant.
Izzy's response is automatic as she drops to the floor to avoid the rush of magic while Alec does the same, tackling the mundane on the way down to protect her as much as he can.
Babies can be heard crying upstairs. Then there's another loud sound, like some kind of gong, and Alec can feel the house almost… shudder somehow. He has the sudden certainty that someone just tried, tried and failed, to portal in. He curses to himself, they should have expect Rouse to have some sort of security measures in place. She's a warlock after all, and she's not stupid, if she's managed to get away with things for… however long she's been at it.
"Nana!"
The child's voice distracts Alec enough that he doesn't see Rouse's next attack coming and finds himself being thrown several feet down a hallway. He raises his head just in time to see Madzie rush into the room, she looks terrified and Alec feels bad about it, wishing he could have spared her from feeling like that. Madzie's just a child, she's innocent.
"Time to go, little one." Rouse announces as she extends one hand to Madzie, even as she keeps moving the other.
It takes a couple of seconds for Alec to realize Rouse is trying to summon a portal, trying and failing. Which means that whatever else might have gone wrong, at least Rouse won't be getting away, not this time.
Izzy chooses that exact moment to attack, only noticing Madzie when she's already in motion. The realization makes her jerk back, pulling her whip away from both warlocks. It also leaves her open to attack, and a second later a hole opens up beneath her feet and she falls through. A portal. It'd seem that while Rouse cannot portal outside the house, the inside is fair game…
"Izzy!" Alec yells, desperate.
He hasn't forgotten there's a demon in the premises, and while Clary might have been able to defeat it herself the first time around, despite being a newbie, she also had an unfair advantage, with her pure-angel blood and her special runes.
"Where's my sister?!" He demands on Rouse.
"You should focus more on yourself shadowhunter." Rouse points out. "Because while I might find your sister useful, you? You're just a bother."
The nurse wakes up right then, the woman is looking completely frazzled and more than a little off. She gets on her feet, seemingly without looking at any of them, but then her eyes lay on Alec, half-crouched, seraph-blade in hand, then Rouse, her own hand raised and magic crackling at her fingertips, and then Madzie, who's standing by a door several feet away from everyone else and just staring at everyone with wide-eyes. The mundane woman starts shrieking then.
It doesn't last long, Rouse twists her hand in a very particular way and the shriek cuts off at the same time the woman drops to the floor, dead. Alec's horrified.
"Nana?!" Madzie asks, clearly scared. "Nana what's going on?"
There's a loud boom, then another, followed by the crackling of wood, which calls everyone's attention to the front door. Alec realizes what's going to happen a fraction of a second before it does: he drops his seraph blade and dashes down the hallway, towards Madzie, dropping to his knees and taking advantage of his own momentum to slide down the last few feet, reaching Madzie and pretty much picking up the girl and curling up protectively around her, twisting his body just enough that when his slide finishes, with him slamming against a wall at the end of the hallway, it's hit back hitting it, Madzie safe in his arms.
At the same time he does that the house's front door doesn't just break, it's effectively blasted into pieces. Magnus is the first to step through, deflecting Rouse's initial attack, before it can hit him or Jace, who's right behind him, closely followed by Cat and Ragnor.
"Jace! Izzy needs you. She's probably in the basement!" Alec yells at his parabatai. "Ragnor, Cat, you need to go upstairs!" Though he doubts they need any order whatsoever, they can all hear the babies still crying upstairs.
The three follow orders without hesitation, leaving Magnus (and Alec) to handle Rouse.
Alec observes his boyfriend carefully for several seconds, before he's convinced that Magnus most definitely can handle Rouse on his own. Then he turns his attention to the little girl who's looking more than a little spooked in his arms, even if she's clearly doing her best to hide it.
"Hey," He twists enough so he can sit up on the floor, Madzie in his lap. "You okay?"
"Mhm…" She answers, distracted.
She moves her head just right, for Alec to see her warlock mark.
"Cool gills," He comments, doing his best to smile at her.
This time there's no baby cry interrupting them. Then again, the babies (or maybe some are infants, or kids, he doesn't actually know) started crying from the moment the alarms rang. And in fact, Alec realizes just then that the crying has quieted a lot, not stopped entirely, but still, it's not as bad as before. He has no doubt that Ragnor and Cat are responsible. Hopefully they'll be able to handle however many kids and women are on the upper floors on their own.
"I'm Alec," He tells the girl in his arms gently. "What's your name?"
"Madzie," She answers, though she only looks at him briefly, her attention mostly on Rouse and Magnus. "Why are you attacking Nana? Are you bad people?"
"No, we're the good guys." Alec tries to reassure her, though he has no idea how or why she'd even believe him. "You must know Madzie, your Nana has done some pretty bad things. She's hurt people. Innocent people."
Madzie says nothing and Alec cannot help but wonder if she understands. If she realizes that as good as Rouse might be to her, she's not a good person… it's not easy, Alec knows, to deal with the fact that people have masks, that the way they act towards someone might be entirely different to how they act towards someone else. It's something Alec was forced to deal with every day, from a very young age. He didn't always understand it. For the longest time he thought it was his fault, that his parents acted so nicely to Jace and so terribly to him because Jace was good and Alec himself was bad… finding himself attracted to boys, when such things just weren't seen among shadowhunters (though, as he'd eventually learn, it did happen, most just liked the pretend it didn't, that such people didn't exist) didn't help matters any.
One of the hardest things for Alec to deal with in this timeline, has been in relation to his parents' sentences. Particularly his mother. While her sentence was exactly the same, in the other time a lot had happened already by then. She'd become more open-minded in some ways, more willing to accept her children not being the kind of 'good shadowhunters' she always wanted them to be. She was brave, making a new life for herself among the mundanes, with Luke… She'd even begun to accept Magnus… Not this time. This time around she knew so little about them when it all went down, and she doesn't seem to care to find out. Hasn't even tried getting in touch with them. And yeah, it might be part of her sentence that she cannot get involved with shadowhunter business. But she has to know Alec wouldn't turn her away if she wanted to visit, would answer if she called. She has to, right? Truth be told, Alec hasn't even the faintest idea of where she is exactly. Nothing at all since she left the Institute the day after her de-runing. And while a part of Alec wants to care, does still care, does worry about her… he knows now that he and his mother will never see eye to eye in a lot of things. Not the things that really count. Without certain experiences, it's unlikely she'll ever change. Though, did she really? Change, in the other time? She was more accepting of him, of his choices, Magnus being the main one. But shouldn't that have been a given from the start? And regardless, that didn't change, didn't undo all she said and did in the past, all the wrongs committed, all the crimes… for which, far as Alec knew, she never repented, never apologized, never so much as expressed true, honest regret…
So he might still care for his mother, might worry about what's become of her, but that doesn't mean he's blind to her faults, her crimes. It was a hard lesson to learn, but learn it he did. Still, it pains him to know Madzie will have to as well.
The fight doesn't last long. No more than a few minutes really, and Alec has a feeling that the only reason it even lasts that long is because Magnus is making sure that any stray attack or energy doesn't end up hurting anyone else. Eventually he manages to get Rouse on her knees, an injury on her right leg keeping her from standing, much less running.
"Alexander," Magnus calls once he's fairly certain he's won. "Are you alright?"
"We're fine Magnus." Alec assures him as he gets on his feet, helping Madzie do the same.
Rouse turns to look at him over her shoulder, then back at Magnus, her face twisting. Alec wonders what she's seeing exactly. iIs it about them working together? Can she somehow tell he and Magnus are together? Which of those things is horrifying her so much she either cannot or just doesn't care to hide it?
"Am I bad too?" Madzie asked, quietly, almost hesitantly.
Magnus's eyes widen in horror but Alec barely even notices, as he goes down on one knee in front of the young warlock.
"No!" He denies strongly. "Of course not princess. Whatever Rouse, or anyone else might have done, that's not on you."
"Stay away from her!" Rouse snarls angrily at Alec. "What do you angel-blooded know about us warlocks?! Nothing at all! We could be kings, could be gods and instead you'd have us be outcasts, begging for even the most meager scraps! Stay away from my goddaughter! She's a goddess. She deserves the world, and I will give it to her."
"She's a little girl, and deserves to make her own choices, to live a life without the stain of your own darkness." Alec retorts angrily, an arm protectively on Madzie. "And I say that not because of your magic, but because of what you chose to do with it! All the innocent women you use like they're nothing, all the children you bring into the world without caring for the kind of lives they might be forced to live!"
Rouse lets out a non-verbal cry, furious.
Their little tableau is unexpectedly interrupted as Ragnor abruptly dashes downstairs:
"Magnus, we could really use your help…"
They never get to find out what Ragnor needs Magnus's help with exactly, as Rouse takes the momentary distraction the sudden arrival of the older warlock causes to free herself from Magnus's restraints, throwing a rush of really dark magic all around violently.
Magnus reacts automatically, his own magical attack cutting through hers and straight to the warlock herself, who falls dead a moment later. The damage is done by then.
Alec's own instincts mean he tries to protect the little girl, painfully aware that he won't be fast enough this time. The attack being too sudden, too strong, too fast. His only hope being that Madzie's own magic might protect her… The girl shrieks, loudly, her own magic almost exploding around her. Only it doesn't hurt Alec, instead it envelops him, envelops them both, in a protective cocoon that shields them from Rouse's final attack.
Alec lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding as Rouse's magic dissipates.
"Thank you," He tells Madzie, giving her his best smile.
He doesn't get the chance to relax though, as he hears Magnus's voice right then.
"Ragnor…? Cabbage answer me!" Magnus's worry skyrockets. "Ragnor!"
Alec scrambles to his feet automatically, rushing to where Magnus is kneeling beside a badly wounded Ragnor, trying hard to staunch the older warlock's heavy bleeding.
"Can you heal him?" The shadowhunter asks, horrified.
Magnus doesn't answer, and he doesn't need to. The hopeless expression on his face says everything. Alec cannot help the flashback from another time, another life… he hadn't known at first, the cause of Magnus's sadness, his near despondency, and then he explained, that day, it'd have been Ragnor's birthday, his 500th…
"CATARINA!" Magnus screams, his voice breaking in his despair.
There's no response, and Alec can only imagine how busy she must be with however many mundane women and babies are upstairs. If Ragnor was coming to get Magnus to help them… It's right then that the shadowhunter also realizes his siblings haven't returned either, though thankfully, before he actually starts to worry about them, he sees them, standing at the door leading to the basement. Izzy looks a little worse for wear, blood and ichor all over her slightly torn clothes, but still, nothing that a shower and some sleep won't cure. It's clear she and Jace already handled the iratzes. Jace for his part looks better.
"Go get Cat!" Izzy orders the blonde, who rushes as fast as his runes can take him.
Magnus for his part has begun trying to work healing magic, though it's clear that whatever he did there at the end against Rouse (pure magic, with no direction, no specific purpose), it's left him too drained… Alec doesn't even stop to think about it, he doesn't have to, he just extends a hand, placing it right over Magnus's own arm.
There's a flash of blue magic, then white, and suddenly Magnus's healing spell isn't just working, but doing so much faster than any of them could have ever expected. Alec can feel the pull, the drain on his own energies, but he doesn't care, he doesn't let go until Magnus practically yells at him to do so, and by then Ragnor's looking much better, color has returned to his cheeks, and of the wound that would have taken his life not even a scar remains, nothing but the blood still staining his skin, and Magnus's own.
xXx
"That was incredibly risky, terribly insane, monumentally stupid…" Magnus is ranting several hours later, once they're finally done with the aftermath of the mission.
Rouse is dead, the mundane women are at several hospitals, after having been 'found' by the NYPD while investigating a possible human-trafficking ring. Wolves working in different precincts of the NYPD helped make it believable for the mundanes, after Lorenzo and Cat handled the mundane women's memories so they'd remember nothing of the Shadow World. They couldn't take away all the memories of their ordeal, as that wouldn't have helped them recover, but still did all they could to make it better. The children on the other hand have been taken to various warlocks who agreed to take them in; all but Madzie, who refuses to leave Alec.
As they found out during the debriefing, it was Lorenzo who accidentally activated Rouse's alarms, not having been as careful as he probably should have while standing guard. He truly didn't believe one of their own to be capable of something like what the nephilim claimed she did. Not until he marched into the house (with Magnus heavily drained and Ragnor recovering from his near death, they needed the help) and actually saw the half-dozen women either in various stages of pregnancy or who'd recently given birth, on the second floor, as well as the four children, from babies to toddlers, still in the house.
Alec says nothing, just letting Magnus get it off of his chest. The warlock eventually seems to run out of things to say, mostly different ways of calling Alec stupid, reckless, or a mix of those; he seems particularly inclined towards the term 'stupid nephilim' as he uses it repeatedly. Still, when he finally seems to have run out of insults Alec just smiles at him:
"You're welcome." The shadowhunter tells him with a small smile.
"You…" Magnus knows he's standing there, mouth open, eyes wide, and he doesn't care. "You don't realize what it is you did, do you?"
"I shared energy with you." Alec says with a shrug. "I gave you the energy you needed to save your best friend. What's the problem with that?"
"The problem, Alexander, is that you weren't as careful as you should be when doing something as risky as sharing a part of yourself with someone else."
"You'd never hurt me."
"That's not the point!" How can the stupid nephilim not understand that Magnus is just trying to protect him?! He's gonna get himself killed, and if that happens it'll crush Magnus.
"That's exactly the point!" Alec retorts. "Because that… what I did, it wasn't just for anybody Magnus. It was for you. I knew you'd never hurt me. Knew that you'd only take as much as you needed, and certainly not so much that you might truly harm me."
Magnus opens his mouth to tear into him yet again, perhaps curse his stupid, gorgeous, self-sacrificing shadowhunter… when his mind catches up with what Alexander just said, exactly, and its implications: He didn't do it just for anybody… Which means that Alec knew exactly what he was doing… A part of Magnus suspected as much. What the nephilim did… he didn't just offer his energy for Magnus to draw from, he essentially push it, pushed his own self, to Magnus, for him to use. That's not something just anyone would know how to do, especially not someone who isn't even a warlock in the first place! Though he's quite sure that Alexander is neither a warlock, nor did he have any particular contact with one before Magnus. The rumors would have run rampant throughout the Shadow World, just how they did from the beginning of their own acquaintance, so then how…?
"Don't ask me…" Alec's sudden request, so very quiet, bordering on hesitant, breaks through Magnus's thoughts like nothing else can.
"Don't ask you what?" The warlock asks, eyes narrowed just a tiny bit.
"The questions we both know are running through your head right now." Alec answers honestly, though still looking more than a little nervous. "I know… I know you deserve answers, but I just, I cannot give them to you. I won't lie to you, you deserve better than that. But I cannot give you the answers that you seek. Not right now, I… please…"
His angel's practically begging, and there's something so wrong with that, Magnus hates it, hates that it's him that has pushed Alexander to the point of begging… hates it even more than not getting the answers to the questions he has… Though, does he really, need to ask them? Alec says he 'knows' and truth is, he does, he knows Magnus, a lot better than should have been possible, knows a lot more things than he should be able to. Things, a number of details, suddenly come to Magnus's mind: like Alec's complete lack of reaction at his mention of them being warlocks that first night… his expression when certain individuals of the Shadow Council were introduced during that first meeting… he knew Lorenzo's name before Magnus had the chance to introduce them, that Catarina was a healer, and that Ragnor was his best friend even though those things were never mentioned before… he knew about Iris Rouse's operation even though it's clear the warlock had been doing it for a while, and been incredible careful about how she did it too, so as not to be caught… So many secrets his Alexander has, or maybe, maybe just one…
"Alright," he decides. "Alright, I won't ask."
"I… thank you…" Clearly the nephilim doesn't know what else to say.
"I hope one day you'll be able to tell me, but until then, I'll leave it alone." Magnus states. "Truth is, I trust you. I don't know why, but I do."
Alec's face does something the warlock cannot describe; there's something in Magnus's words that makes him react, but how or why the older male cannot fathom. Of course, there's no way for Magnus to know about time-travel, about how shocking Alec finds it to hear his own words turned on him. It's not the first time, but usually when one of them did it they both knew.
It's one thing Alec never before stopped to consider in relation to the whole time-travel (does it still count as time-travel when he wasn't the one who went back?). He was so excited about doing things right, about facing Magnus, their love, without all the doubts and fear and insecurities he had the first time around; he never stopped to think about the other side of all that. The fact that he knows Magnus, but the warlock doesn't know him. That's it's unlikely they'll ever be on the same level, because Alec will always have those memories, those experiences, they're a part of him, one he wouldn't give up for the world. It's probably unfair, him having such an advantage, and for nothing he did… but he doesn't care. If Magnus doesn't know him, then Alec will work to make sure he does. He Will Make Things Right. With the Angel as his witness, he will.
"I love you," The words cross his lips before he can even think about stopping them.
It's too soon for such declarations, he knows that. He know that most people would believe it to be impossible, or mock him for them. He also knows Magnus won't. And more than that, he knows that while they might not have been dating long yet, Magnus knows him enough to realize Alec isn't lying. That as insane as it might seem, Alec loves him. And that's important. This at least is one truth he can give him…
"Oh Alexander…" Magnus murmurs, pulling the nephilim to him, sealing their mouths in a kiss.
He doesn't return the sentiment, but that's alright. Alec isn't expecting him to. He knows it's too soon for Magnus. He can wait.
So... what do you think?
I have to say I've written a number of time-travel fix-its before. It's my favorite trope, regardless of fandom. I'm still amazed how I keep finding new things to explore. Like Alec's angst on this one, caused by the realization that he knows Magnus in a way the warlock doesn't know him, and how that might not be fair... Alec is such a very particular character, he brings different things to the story than any other I've written before. Thus far I like how things are going. Hope you do too. And that you'll enjoy what's yet to come.
Next week, the next part of this series. We'll give our boys a break and take a peek at what exactly's going on with Clary right now. We'll also be setting things up for the climax of "Butterflies and Hurricanes".
Hope to see you around!