Alec and Jace have a moment while Magnus is gathering the others. Izzy comes to help her brother.
Alec's Pain.
Chapter Four.
Isabelle Sophia Lightwood is a dramatic woman. She has always been a woman with confidence and ease but her drama is what led men to her feet. Underneath of the drama and the over the top experiences and the extravagant beauty is a smart woman with a good heart. That is what Simon Lewis saw in her that first moment he met her a few years ago. That seems like a lifetime ago now. With their new wedding planning every other minute of the day, Izzy is often distracted with the idea the dress, the decorations, the rituals, all of it. Tonight was one of those nights. Izzy and Simon were enthralled in wedding planning. It didn't have to be anything extravagant but this is Isabelle Lightwood and she is an extravagant, dramatic person. Izzy wants all of the attention on her and her lover that day.
The drama of the color pallet is what they are fiddling over tonight. They have flipped through a hundred mundane magazines and even read through some shadowhunter traditions that they felt were important. That was all before the dramatic Izzy decided it was all too much work and with a large gesture and a loud giggle, she wrapped her body in Simon's, throwing one leg over his waist. She sat on his lap with a long kiss that signified that she was done with whatever it was that they had to do with the wedding. The gesture was grand but what came next was not what either of them were expecting. A phone call. Izzy's phone.
Izzy sits at the edge of their bed now, answering the phone with a strange feeling in her gut.
"Magnus," she says with a smile, trying to be lighthearted as always, though she can tell something is wrong.
"Alec needs you. Get here now," he says in a rushed tone.
"What the hell happened?" she asks.
Izzy gets up quickly, gathering her clothes and attempting to throw on dark leather pants and a leather jacket with one arm. Simon sees her rushing and does the same, puts on his gear with a rush of effort. He grabs a seraph blade and sticks it in his weapons belt while Izzy struggles with her shoes as she listens to Magnus.
"Alec was injured. He was cut by Agramon. He's feeling the fear at this point and we need everyone in his fear hallucination to get here right now," he explains.
"What are you going to do?" Izzy asks as Simon helps her gather her things. He even slips her whip onto her wrist with a hopeful smile and grabs an extra seraph blade, sliding it into her belt for her.
"I'm going to attempt to bind each of you to him. This will allow him to feel your safety and take him away from the fear. This may also allow him to use your energy to heal. But we need to do it quickly. The more time we waste the worse he will get," Magnus assures.
With fear in her own heart for her brother, Izzy ends the call and grabs Simon's hand as she travels down the steps. They run across the pavement and down the first street with their speed and glamour runes activated. Both of them run as fast as they can, Simon holding back just a little for Izzy. On the way there she attempts to explain everything she can to him through long breaths. Before they know it, Izzy and Simon are rushing into the apartment and back toward their bedroom. Izzy gives the kids a smile as she passes them, ignoring their comments and cheers when they arrive. Simon finds Clary playing with the boys, which was to be expected. He assumes Jace is back there with Alec and momentarily wonders if he needs to be a part of this at all.
Izzy rushes back to the bedroom where Magnus is standing outside. He gestures for Izzy to come toward him. She hesitantly moves. She was moving so quickly, so fast and rushed that she feels like she is missing something now. But as she approaches the door, she is hesitant.
"I'm giving Alexander a moment," Magnus says. "He was able to hold himself together until…well Jace…."
It is not like Magnus to lose his ability to speak. She looks at him with concern and reaches out slowly, squeezing his hand. She gives him a reassuring small smile, nothing dramatic about it. This is the kind, quiet Isabelle that just wants to help her family. This the Isabelle that comes out only when she needs to.
"We will help Alec," she assures, though she is not sure if she is assuring herself or Magnus. Perhaps both.
"We need to gather everyone. Is Simon here?" Magnus asks.
She gives him a nod.
"Good. Then we have everyone. I will be connecting us all with a spell and then—"
"Magnus!" Izzy says with shock. She shakes her head quickly. "You can't do that. You'll burn out. Last time you used magic, you were out for hours. What if it gets worse every time? Alec would not want you to hurt yourself to help him. There has to be another way."
Magnus gives a long sigh and a small smile.
"I will do anything for Alexander."
With that Magnus gives a short nod and walks past her back into the living room where his sons have been sitting. Izzy stands outside the room for a few minutes, working up the courage to go in. This is her brother after all and she should not be so freaked out about seeing him. He will be fine. She just has to tell herself that he will be fine and maybe he will be.
Without thinking about anything but her love for her brother, Izzy opens the bedroom door.
Alec is sitting on the bed with Jace holding him to his chest. Alec's fingers are grased tightly around his brother, clenching and unclenching at his shirt. Jace is speaking a hushed tone with soothing words. It's a strange sound to hear, almost intimate. Izzy wonders if she should interfere. But when she hears Alec make a gasping sound, she takes a couple of steps forward. They both notice her at the same time. Sure, they knew she came in the room the moment she did, given that their shadowhunters. But this is the time that they recognize her.
"It's getting bad," Alec manages to push out.
Alec's face is riddled with tears and fear as he reaches out one of his hands for her. His fear overpowers her worry so she closes the space between them and humbly takes her brother's hand.
"It's okay big brother," she says in that sisterly tone that has always soothed Alec with such intensity. "We're all together now."