It was late into the night when Catarina Loss heard her phone ring. A name flashed across the screen: Alec Lightwood. Ragnor had instructed her to add it to her contacts. She answered it quickly.

"Alec?"

A beat of silence followed. The Shadowhunter likely was startled upon hearing his name.

"Ragnor gave me your number. That's how I know who you are. Is something wrong with Magnus?"

"Um, yeah- yes. Ragnor said you're a friend that could help… I-I don't know how bad it is."

Within a single minute, Catarina wrapped herself in a sweater, grabbed a bag of supplies, and portaled to Pandemonium, knowing the exact hallway Alec had just described to her.

As soon as she arrived, she saw the young Shadowhunter sitting on the floor, cradling her unmoving friend in his arms.

Alec looked up at her with concerned eyes as she noticed muffled shouts coming from the club behind the door.

"What's going on out there?" she asked before kneeling to get a better look at Magnus.

"Ravener demons."

"You think they're here for Magnus?"

"I don't know. There's a Shadowhunter team here, though. They're handling it. Can you take us back to Bane's loft?"

Alec's voice was controlled like Shadowhunters are trained to be. Though, she picked up on an unnatural a tautness to it.

Catarina nodded and moved to action. Soft sparks spun around her outstretched arm until they swirled into the familiar mirror shape of a portal. She turned to see Alec had already stood up and was waiting behind her. Magnus hung limply over the Shadowhunter's shoulder; Alec's arms wrapped firmly around his knees to hold him securely as he carried him.

Catarina and Alec stepped into the portal, moving from one hallway into another; instantly, they were standing outside the penthouse loft. Alec immediately walked up to the door, which opened obediently at his presence. Catarina knew Ragnor had likely programed the wards to recognize him, but it still unsettled her to see the doors to a warlock's loft fall open for a Shadowhunter. Alec must truly be different, she surmised, if he truly could bring Magnus back to them; Ragnor trusted he could at least.

With a sigh, she pulled her bag further up on her shoulder and followed to the bedroom.

She watched Alec intently, stunned by the tenderness in which he attended to Magnus. He carefully deposited the unconscious warlock onto the bed, as if unloading the most precious of cargo. He hovered over him for several moments before Catarina made an attention-catching cough.

Alec snapped out of whatever trance he had fallen into and quickly stepped back, allowing Catarina space to examine him.

"Tell me what happened tonight," Catarina instructed Alec as her arms stretched above her friend's still form. Magic streamed from her fingertips forming blue tendrils of sparkling smoke.

"Bane needed to make an appearance at Pandemonium tonight. Everything was fine. A couple Seelies came to sit with him and offered him a drink. We think maybe they slipped him something. My brother and sister had also shown up on patrol, tracking those ravener demons."

Alec instinctively pulled his phone out to check for messages, but neither Izzy nor Jace had texted. A worried pit settled in his stomach.

"There's no trace of Seelie magic," Catarina said.

"Are you sure?"

Catarina scoffed. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Then what happened to him?"

"It appears something was in that drink or something else he ingested while he was there. But, it's not comprised of any Seelie properties. Whoever gave it to him wasn't trying to kill him with it either. It seems to be a weakening potion."

"To weaken his magic?"

"Yes. It works to deplete energy in all forms. That's why he's asleep now."

"So, it's not poison?"

Catarina turned to face Alec and shook her head. She hid her surprise at the relieved expression his features softened into at such news. Did this Shadowhunter have invested interest in Magnus?

Alec's eyes lit up in revelation. "Could what he was given tonight be responsible for his ongoing magic depletion? Maybe someone has been doing this for the last two weeks."

"Perhaps. I can't be sure. I wouldn't really know because I didn't know that was happening."

Alec blanched at her harsh tone. "Bane didn't tell you?"

"No. I learned what's going on from Ragnor."

Alec was not an overly social being, especially when it came to outside of his own family and the New York Shadowhunters. Even so, he easily recognized the unspoken hurt darting across Catarina's face.

"No matter," she said, brushing the sensation of betrayal away like it was a pesky fly. "I appreciate what you're doing for Magnus."

"You don't call him Bane, I noticed."

Catarina raised her head high, defiantly. "Absolutely not. Ragnor might play along, but I refuse to. Perhaps that's why we haven't been as close these past few decades."

Alec didn't know how to respond. He absent-mindedly shifted his weight from one side to side and folded his arms across his chest.

"I need to leave, but I brought some things that will help him."

"You're leaving? Will he be okay?"

"Yes, I'm leaving. And yes, he will be okay. I told you. He is merely asleep." Catarina picked her bag up from the end of the bed and walked over to the vanity table. Immediately she began pulling bottle after bottle from the bag as Alec watched.

"I assume he will know what to do with all this?" Alec asked as he waved his hand over the growing collection of small vials and various-sized bottles.

"For the most part, yes. Magnus may be one of the most powerful warlocks, but he is not as good a healer as I am. These are my best creations."

Alec caught a tone of pride in her voice. She briefly explained the potions to him. Without detailing the ingredients, she described the contents in a professional manner that was easy to understand for someone who knew nothing about magic – as if a doctor might explain a complicated diagnosis to a patient.

He quickly got the gist of each bottle's purpose. The blue ones were healing agents to various degrees. The green vials were magic recovery aids. The purple ones were sleeping potions. There was a black tin that contained a balm to speed the healing of flesh wounds. Without Bane's magic functioning fully, Alec felt relieved to have the potions on hand. They were a comfort. "Thank you, Catarina."

Catarina nodded as a soft smile formed on her lips from the Shadowhunter's sincere tone.

Alec spent the rest of the evening pacing around the loft by himself. Catarina had left hours ago. Izzy's text earlier assured him that she and Jace were fine after the demon fight at Pandemonium. Calmness from his parabatai rune further eased his mind. Tomorrow, he would ask Jace to investigate Kaelie. Even if Catarina confirmed Seelie magic wasn't used, he needed to find out where that drink came from, and if it was the source of Bane's collapse in the club.

With nothing else to do, he fell asleep on the couch for a few hours but woke up well before sunrise. The loft was still silent, and so was its owner; Alec felt drawn to check on him. The temperature in the bedroom seemed cooler than earlier. Shining moonlight spilled onto the floor through the windows. Magnus lay in the middle of the bed, unmoving.

Alec wanted to call out and alert the warlock to his presence but stumbled over which name to use, deciding against using one at all. He edged closer and spoke quietly in the dimness. "I just came in to check on you. Do you need anything?"

Magnus remained motionless. Alec heard the warlock's heavy, rhythmic breathing and promptly determined he was still asleep.

Alec didn't want to wake him, but he didn't want to leave either. The internal pull that he felt to stay close unnerved him, but he chose not to fight it. Instead, he settled into the armchair in front of the bedroom window.

Another hour passed before Alec heard the other man stir in the bed. Alec tensed as the sheets rustled, wondering if it was Magnus or Bane who was groaning their way back to wakefulness.

"It's too dark," the warlock mumbled hoarsely. Alec strode over to the nightstand and clicked on a lamp. He looked down to see bright cat eyes piercing through fuzzy grogginess. Those eyes softened, and when Alec saw lips curl fondly at him, he knew. It was Magnus there in front of him.

"Alexander." The pained wince Magnus gave after speaking made snap Alec into action.

"If it's okay, let me help you up so you can drink some water." He tentatively grasped at Magnus' shoulders, lifting him up and throwing a pillow behind his back to rest on for a more upright position.

Magnus did not shy away from his touch, in fact, he seemed to melt into it, becoming almost boneless in Alec's grasp. When Magnus grasped Alec's forearms to help steady himself, Alec sucked in a startled gulp of air. The innocent touch felt strange like getting shocked, but in a way that made Alec's body sing. He shook the quickly forming confusion away, though, focusing instead on getting Magnus to drink the water, which turned out to be quite easy. The warlock gulped it down so eagerly that he drained the entire glass in less than a moment and ended up panting to catch his breath.

"A man could get used to this type of treatment," Magnus said as Alec took the empty glass and placed it back on the nightstand.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I have slept a hundred years but am still exhausted." His words were serious, but Magnus kept the tone surprisingly light. "But you, pretty boy, are surely a sight for my sore eyes."

Before he could stop it, a genuinely pleased smile sprung onto Alec's face. He allowed himself to stare, memorized by the weary warlock who batted sleepy eyes up at him. Just for a moment. Or, maybe it was more than a moment. Time suddenly became trivial to him.

He watched Magnus' smile widen. Something about the sweetness it exuded made Alec's resolve crumble. The way Magnus stared at him was dangerous. It was something he feared he could become addicted to. Before his soul could catch on fire any further, Alec shook his head to free his thoughts and break eye contact.

"You've been asleep most of the night. Catarina said the drink didn't have Seelie magic. And it wasn't meant to kill you. What do you think about that?"

"Drink?"

"Yeah, last night at Pandemonium?"

Magnus stared blankly.

"What do you remember?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. We were in a hallway."

"Right," Alec said, mostly to himself. "It wasn't you."

Magnus cringed, obligated to at least try explaining. Though, it was something he barely understood himself. "It was me. I mean, it's me, but I don't know what happens when I'm….." His mouth opened and closed, forming the beginning of words, but nothing felt right.

"When you're Bane?" Alec offered simply. Magnus nodded.

"Yes. When I'm Bane," Magnus said, using air quotes as he spoke his surname.

"Wait. Then how did you know who I was that first night we met on the balcony?"

"I don't know that either. When I first saw you, I just … knew you."

"You knew me?" Alec asked. Magnus nodded. Alec didn't understand it; he had an even harder time believing it. Still, he could relate to the feeling on some level.

The more time he spent with the warlock, the more drawn to him Alec became. Whether Bane or Magnus stood before him, every minute had felt to Alec much more like remembering someone than learning about a stranger. Even if it made absolutely no sense.

The sun was starting to rise. Magnus yawned in the early dawning light. Alec reached for a green vial and shook it. "Catarina instructed me to give you this when you woke up."

Magnus took the vial in his hand, creasing his forehead in confusion. "What's it for?"

"To help you replenish your magic at an accelerated rate."

Magnus only seemed to grow more uncertain. He set the vial down on the sheet that covered his lap. "There's something wrong with my magic?" When he waved his hands, only spluttered flicks of faded blue sparks fell, dying out in the air before they could reach anywhere. "Oh," he said in the smallest voice Alec had ever heard.

Alec bit his lip, disturbed by the disheartened expression now shaping the warlock's features. He quickly took the vial and put it back in Magnus' hands, wrapping his fingers around the tube of green liquid. "This will help," he encouraged as he uncapped the potion.

Magnus nodded and drank it down in a cheerless swallow. An awkward silence followed. Magnus was still so new to Alec, but Alec still recognized that he was beginning to close himself off. The thought panicked him.

"Catarina misses you," Alec blurted out, not knowing what else to talk about but desperate to steer them from silence; he knew better than to ask the serious questions, the ones he wanted desperately to know.

Magnus stopped frowning, but he didn't manage to muster a full smile either. "And I miss her. Please thank her for me, darling."

"Why can't you thank her yourself? She'll be back."

"I'm not sure I can be here when she comes back."

Panic came crashing into Alec's chest out of nowhere. Magnus couldn't leave. The mere thought dismayed him more than it should. "Magnus, I don't understand."

"I don't either." Magnus regarded him with empathetic eyes.

"How do I help you stay here? Tell me what to do."

"I don't know, Alexander. I thought you might."

Alec stared open-mouthed at such an assumption. He was utterly certain that a solution to the centuries-old warlock's fractured psyche would not come from him, a young Shadowhunter with literally no experience in relationships.

Magnus yawned heavily, leaning his head back. "I'm tired… I apologize I'm not more helpful."

Alec dismissed the apology with a wave of his hand as he shifted pillows around to help Magnus settle back into the bed.

"It's okay. Rest for now."

When Alec's fingers absently brushed over his shoulders, Magnus made a purring sound that warmed Alec from the inside out. He smiled as the warlock seemed to drift off.

A few moments later, Magnus whispered. "There's a candle, I think. I need to find it."

"Are you dreaming?"

"No, it's the key."

"Are we talking about a key or a candle?" Alec asked, scratching his head as he stood over Magnus.

Magnus smirked; his eyes remained closed. "The candle is the key, silly Shadowhunter."

"Oh, because that makes so much more sense," Alec said after a short laugh. "I think you're getting a little loopy from Catarina's potion."

"I am not loopy. Everything's just really foggy." Magnus peeled his glowing eyes open and glared teasingly, which caused Alec to laugh further.

"You're beautiful when you laugh." Magnus' eyes had grown large with affection.

Alec's mouth snapped closed like a clam, abruptly cutting off his laughter. His cheeks began to burn from the compliment; he knew his skin had turned deep red.

Magnus smiled dreamily at the sight, which Alec saw, turning his blush even deeper. Undeterred, Magnus reached his hand out, his fingers itching to touch Alec's face, but the Shadowhunter's stance put him too far away. "Reminds me of cherries," he mumbled dopily.

That was enough. Alec tilted away from the bed before he melted into the floor from embarrassment. No one had looked at him like that before. He felt … naked.

Magnus seemed to understand and fell quiet. Alec told him to rest before turning to leave the room.

"Please don't go," Magnus called after him. His tired voice was strengthened by a force of longing.

Alec looked over his shoulder to see Magnus patting the bed beside him. "I know we don't exactly know each other in a traditional sense, Alec. But I can't bear to be away from you, and I can't explain why."

Alec didn't need to consider his reaction. His body moved on its own accord, Magnus' words echoing through him as if they had come from his own mouth. He slid onto the bed and laid down on top of the sheets, facing the warlock. Magnus turned on his side to look at him.

They smiled deeply at each other in the silence. After a few moments, Magnus cautiously reached for Alec's hand. Alec flinched in surprise when he felt fingers lace through his own.

"Is this okay?" Magnus asked in a faltering whisper.

Alec's smile grew brighter as he tightened his grasp on Magnus' hand.

Both the metal rings and the fingers he wore them on were cold, so Alec wrapped his other hand around the warlock's fingers. He rubbed at Magnus' skin to warm him, and he was pleased with himself when Magnus made that delicious purring sound again.

They continued in silence, their hands the only parts of their bodies that touched. If Alec had not been so enamored, he considered he might have been panicking. He didn't know what was happening or why it was happening so quickly. The feelings he now felt for Magnus hit him like a freight train.

It wasn't like the ever-cautious Alec Lightwood not to care or think things through. But these moments with Magnus were different. As perplexing a situation as Magnus was in, the feelings Alec felt for him were rocksteady. Such certainty was all Alec needed to stay in that bed next to this touch-starved warlock who wanted him close.

He was startled out of his thoughts when Magnus spoke, his voice muffled by the pillow half his face was pressed into. He was too exhausted to lift his head.

"I want to talk more about that candle."

"I'm listening."

"I lit it a century ago, but I don't know where I put it."

"Is it a special candle?" Alec mused, watching Magnus fight to keep his eyes open.

"Very special. The flame never goes out… But it needs to be extinguished."

"How can it be extinguished if the flame never goes out?"

"I'm not sure. I think I kept that part from myself."

Alec wondered if Magnus was confusing some old riddle in his fleeting cognizance.

"Magnus?"

"Hmm?" Magnus pried his eyes open at the sound of his name.

"I know you need to sleep now. But, will you … will you come back?"

"I will try my best," Magnus answered before his eyes slipped shut and his grip fell loose in Alec's hands.

"Please come back," Alec whispered and held onto the other's hand tighter.