Alec carefully placed the bouquet of pink roses into a glass vase, lit the two candles standing next to it and then took a step back to admire his work. He had lugged in a small round table into his small bedroom at the institute and set down dinnerplates and glasses. It was the only way to keep a private dinner private, even if it meant them having to sleep with the smell of home cooked lasagna – oh shit the lasagna!

He ran out to the kitchen and ripped the smoking container out of the oven. He blew frantically at it until enough smoke had vanished for him to be able to inspect the damage. Luckily only the top layer of cheese seemed to have been burnt. Magnus wasn't known for his punctuality, which gave Alec enough time to remove the damage and add a new layer of cheese and shove the dish back in the oven for a few minutes.

"Smells great, what is it?" A familiar voice rang from behind Alec. Isabelle went straight for the cupboard to grab herself a plate.

"It's not for you." Alec insisted as he for the second time that day took the lasagna out of the oven. He checked his phone, where no new messages awaited him even though it was half past seven. Fashionably late couldn't mean more than half an hour, right?

"You cook a whole lasagna and then don't even share it with your favourite sister?"

"It's for someone else."

"Who?" Isabelle pushed smirking.

"I… It's a friend."

She perked an eyebrow.

"You never cook. I mean, never. My cooking sucks, but at least I try, but you… No. Who is it for?"

"Izzy…"

She gasped as his cheeks turned red.

"You have a date!" She yelled, her voice carrying all the way through the corridor.

"Izzy, please…" Alec shushed her, trying to stop her from letting the whole institute know. "It's nothing, okay? Please, just don't say anything."

"Oh, but you have to tell me who it is!" She whispered, seeming to almost burst from excitement.

"No, no I really don't, please let me just have this night on my own, it's important to me." He begged her.

A moment of quiet followed, Izzy's excited gaze meeting Alec's pleading one.

"Okay, fine! But this will be so good for you, Alec! I mean with Jace, and your whole situation…"

"Okay, I'm leaving." Alec said as he turned on the spot and brought the lasagna into his room, Isabelle's voice following him:

"I'm just saying, it's great that you're moving on!"

Alec put his back against his door and sighed. Maybe it had been a horrible idea for him to invite Magnus over for a homecooked meal at the institute. They were always at Magnus' place. Alec just wanted to fix him something and be the host for once.

He checked his phone again – twenty to eight, and no new messages. Shouldn't he at least have written something if he was going to be this late? Or maybe there was some unspoken rule that Alec had no clue about. Sighing he ripped himself from the door and poured himself a small glass of wine.

Ten past eight. No new messages. Was there something wrong with his phone? He paced the room watching the wisps of steam leaving the lasagna get fewer in number.

At twenty past he found the name 'Magnus' among his contacts and called. Straight to voice mail. There should've at least been a dialling tone, right? What if something had happened? Maybe he should hurry over to Magnus' apartment and check that everything was okay. But then again, what if everything was okay, and Magnus just didn't feel like meeting Alec tonight? Fear of that humiliation put Alec at the edge of his bed, biting his nails to calm his nerves.

Twenty to nine. Still nothing. Okay, that's it. Alec stood up and ripped the door open only to run straight into Jace, both fumbling before finding their balance.

"Hey, watch…" But Jace interrupted himself as he saw his brother's face. "What's wrong?"

"You can't laugh." Alec warned him and as he saw Jace's confirmation he explained the situation in a hurried fashion, leaving himself out of breath at the end. Jace seemed to deliberate for a moment before answering.

"I mean, there's probably a perfectly reasonable explanation, but if you want to make sure we can head over together, just check it out, and if he's there and everything's fine I'll just… leave you to it." He grinned as the panic in Alec's eyes left only to be replaced by embarrassment for the situation.

They left the institute geared up, just in case, even though Jace made him pack up the roses and bring them too, since 'everything's fine, it's just a misunderstanding, it'll be romantic!'. Alec wasn't sure he agreed that it was romantic for a grown man to be escorted to a date by his brother, but he also couldn't face the worry alone.

On the train over Alec broke the silence.

"I'm sorry." He looked awkwardly at his parabatai.

Jace met his eyes and made no attempt at making this process any easier for him.

"I know I was reckless. When I got hurt. I was trying to think fast but seeing you in danger made my brain not work a…"

"Does it ever?" Jace interrupted with a smirk. Alec rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean."

"I do. But me being in danger is no excuse to not be careful. We're always in danger, it's our job!" Alec shrugged, knowing that he had a point. "I'm just saying, be careful, and get your priorities straight. Clary needed help much more than I did."

"Yes, but you're my parabatai." Alec countered.

"Touché." A moment of silence passed. "I think what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry too. For being an ass. To you." Jace finished awkwardly. Alec looked at him suspiciously.

"Did Clary put you up to this?" Jace groaned.

"Just accept the apology!" Alec laughed.

"Fine! Okay! It's fine. I mean, you ruined one of my best shirts stabbing me in the shoulder, but other than you owing me a new one we're good." He punched Jace's arm lightly and they both laughed.

Getting off the train Alec felt a lot more relaxed. In his mind he pictured the surprised warlock gleaming with happiness as he received the roses, explaining that he had lost his phone and forgotten the time. He and Jace laughed as they walked the street, Alec having to tell him a bit about his newfound crush.

"Well, he's… Sparkling." Jace squirmed when asked what he thought about Magnus.

"Yeah… He is…" Alec said dreamily.

"Okay, okay, get down from the clouds, lover boy, we're here."

After trying the buzzer without any luck, they rang a neighbour and managed to convince her to buzz them in (okay, Jace managed to, with Alec wondering if Clary would've approved of the method).

Alec led the way up the stone steps and reaching the top floor... He stopped dead. Jace knocked into him from behind.

"Hey, will you…"

"Jace." Alec dropped the flowers and pointed to the handle of Magnus' door, standing ajar. It was covered in blood.