A/N: Ok, so this isn't the dream chapter you were hoping for, I'm sorry for that. But that chapter actually comes after this one, so you won't have to wait for too long. ;) Just read on, because this one is pretty important too and let me know what you think!

Chapter 13- Do You Believe In Magic

Isabelle, Jace, Clary and Luke were summoned downstairs where Alec had had his bachelor party. The girls and Jace were sitting on the bench and Luke straddled a chair casually as they all turned their attention to Alec, who had his fists together from the tension that was pulsing through his body. Isabelle had crossed her legs like a schoolchild to get comfortable while Clary and Jace's bodies tensed up from the unexpected appearance.

"So, umm…" Alec began his speech rather gawkily, which made him start walking from one side of the room to another nervously. "Thanks for coming. I wanted to… I called you here to just…"

Gosh, what was he thinking? Why did he have to make such a big deal out of this? He should have just told them what he wanted to say individually without making himself sweat in front of them. Alec realized this was a stupid idea, but it was too late to call it off now. He stopped and faced his friends.

"I just want to apologize to you. I know I haven't been very… friendly these last couple of days…" Alec felt himself get interrupted by the dubious looks he was receiving from Clary and Jace, as if they thought his choice of the words 'not very friendly' wasn't accurate enough. And Alec knew they had a right to question him – he had barely talked to them lately and when he did, he'd been so rude he was surprised they even came. He had to make this right. He stood up straight and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Look, I'm sorry," Alec pleaded, his eyes flicking from person to person. "I haven't been myself lately. I've been feeling so lost… but I know that's not an excuse for being a jerk. I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me," he finished, avoiding their eyes in embarrassment.

"Alec," Isabelle said softly and he looked up with hope in his eyes. "It's okay. Of course we forgive you," She said with a reassuring smile. The others nodded in agreement and Alec let out a relieved sigh.

"Okay, good." Alec allowed himself a tentative smile and felt his body relax a little. "I was wondering… would it be okay with you guys if I joined you on your missions?" He asked and felt the tension creep up on him again.

"Alec, you don't have to do that," Jace said in a soothing voice. "You made yourself pretty clear the other day and we respect your decision."

"I know I don't have to. But I want to help. I know you guys could use an extra hand or two in a fight," Alec offered. It was completely against his nature to just stand by and watch his friends come home sore or injured battle after battle. "Besides… Magnus wouldn't want me to just… sit here and do nothing." The one thing Alec was sure of was that Magnus wouldn't want him to be sad to the point where he felt completely lost and alone. "And I don't feel comfortable doing that either. So what do you say, can I go back to training?" He focused on Jace now, expecting an answer from him.

"If that's what you really want, Alec, sure. I'd be happy to help you get back in shape." Jace nodded and gave Alec a smile.

Alec smiled back. He didn't realize how eager Izzy had been to jump off that bench until the second she did it.

"Well, if that is all, Clary and I will excuse ourselves," she said cheerfully and grabbed Clary's arm. "We have some urgent business to attend to," Izzy said with a bright smile on her face.

Clary's face, however, indicated that she had no idea what urgent business they had. Izzy dragged her away before she could even say "We do? Okay then," and filled her in the details. Alec watched them leave and had no idea what they chattered about – although he did overhear an excited word or two about shopping from Izzy – until he was distracted by Jace standing right in front of him.

"So, shall we do this then?" Alec asked Jace, pointing upstairs.

"Yeah, let's do this." Jace nodded and they were about to head back up when Luke stepped forward.

"Alec, can I talk to you for a second?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, sure," Alec replied, too surprised to say no.

"Meet me upstairs, okay?" Jace asked. Alec gave him a nod and Jace patted Alec on the shoulder before leaving.

"Hey, what's up?" Alec turned to Luke intrigued.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry we couldn't help Magnus that day. I wish things hadn't gone the way they did," Luke said with a sad look in his eyes.

"I know you tried. This isn't your fight, anyway." Alec meant every word. He was grateful for having Luke on his side and didn't want him to feel like he owed him or anything.

"Yeah, but still. I wish there was something I could do. I owe it to you and Magnus, you both helped me be reunited with Jocelyn." Luke seemed even sadder after that statement. He hated being so helpless.

"It's okay. You did everything you could. Magnus knows this too," Alec reassured him.

"Look, I know you're probably sick of hearing this, but… You really shouldn't give your hopes up. Magnus is tougher than he lets on," Luke said awkwardly.

Alec was caught off guard by Luke's sudden change of topic and looked at him surprised.

"You really believe he has a chance to escape?" He asked, biting his lips anxiously.

"Yes, of course. I think Valentine's the one who should be scared, he's messing with the wrong warlock. Knowing Magnus, he definitely has a trick or two up his sleeve already. You just be patient and you'll see," Luke said that with such contagious confidence that Alec felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He felt lighter and hope radiated from his heart through his whole body.

But then he remembered what Magnus being back would also implicate and some of that hope escaped him like a mouse running from a cat.

"Him being away is not the only issue, to be honest. Even if he was here…" Alec stopped himself as he suddenly realized what he was talking about. He crossed his arms and looked up at Luke uncertainly, wondering if he should say any more. Luke was looking at him waiting for the rest and something about the way he stood there, confident and all ears for Alec told him that he could trust him.

"I haven't talked to anyone about this," Alec admitted and looked away. He wasn't sure he could go through with it, so he took a deep breath and let it out once and for all. "He's immortal and I'm not. He'll never age a day, but I will. I'm going to die one day and he's just…" Alec didn't know how to word his fears anymore. He did his best, but he felt so powerless like saying them out loud would actually make them come true. But what Luke had to say next took him completely by surprise.

"Alec, don't you think it's a bit early to worry about this?" Luke crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes on Alec like a worried parent would look at their child.

Alec just stood there, blinking at Luke, not entirely sure he heard that right.

"What do you mean?" He asked after a while and tried to sound not too puzzled by Luke's question.

"Well, you just met Magnus. You barely even know each other," Luke stated the obvious.

"So?" Alec didn't know how this was relevant.

"So… This doesn't have to be bigger than it is for now. It's not like you two are getting married, is it?" Luke raised an eyebrow at Alec.

"Well, no, but..." Alec had no idea where Luke was going with all this. "It's still a problem and…"

"There's always going to be a problem, Alec," Luke interrupted him with firm words. "Especially in a relationship. But you can't let that scare you off. If you're always going to worry about everything that could go wrong and when it's going to happen, you'll never get to live your life," Luke said and shook his head to stress his last words. "Trust me, I've been there."

"So…What are you saying?" Alec was afraid to hear anything as an answer at this point.

"I'm saying that maybe you should take one baby step at a time and see where things go. It won't be easy," Luke reasoned with him. "I mean, it's definitely a miracle that Jocelyn and I are together today." Luke shook his head disbelieving about this fact.

"But at least you're both mortal," Alec argued.

"It doesn't matter what the problem is, Alec. Jocelyn and I had to face a lot of our fears and Valentine was only one of them. But it was all worth it, because we have each other now. Basically, all you have to decide is whether that person is worth going through the pain for or not." Luke was not giving up on this. He wanted Alec to know he had options.

"I just wanna protect him. I don't want to cause him any pain in the future. Whenever that is. He deserves better," Alec sad sadly and led his eyes back on the floor.

In that moment, Luke felt the urge to hug Alec. Seeing him so hopeless was such a burden for him; he had really grown close to the boy in the last couple of weeks. It saddened him that Alec couldn't see all the qualities and all the good deeds he had already given to the world. All he ever cared about was giving more, being better, as if what he had to offer wasn't enough.

Luke wished Alec saw how inaccurate his thinking was, how much the people around him valued him, but on the other hand, he didn't want to come off as too pushy. He imagined that Alec opening up to him like this was a first and he didn't want to throw away his trust.

"There's only so much you can protect people from, Alec," Luke said softly. "And Magnus is his own person, he can decide what he wants for himself. I'm sure he knows about the consequences of dating someone mortal. I'm sure he's done it before, and look at him now, he's fine."

You mean, aside from being Valentine's prisoner for ten days already, yes, he is. But I don't want to be just a chapter of his life, that thought had been haunting Alec ever since Magnus's immortality had become an issue. It was like a very cloudy and gray sky promising a storm upon a flooded city.

Luke sighed as he read by Alec's facial expression that his approach wasn't working.

"Look, why don't you just try to not overthink it?" He asked smoothly. "And who knows? Maybe one day, when you're least expecting it, the Universe will hand you a solution," Luke said and held out his arms as in to point to the solution lying right in front of Alec.

"That's highly unlikely, isn't it?" Alec sounded very doubtful.

"Well, you never know. Believing it won't do any harm," Luke replied with a light shrug.

Alec nodded while getting lost in his thoughts. Right. That word again. Everyone wanted him to believe. Like it was that easy. Alec was a much rational person, believing didn't come naturally to him. Luke could be really convincing, though. And maybe it was worth a shot since everybody he cared about had suggested the same thing? It's not like he had anything else to do about his fears for now. Although, he imagined it would be so much easier to face them together with Magnus.

So that night when he went to bed after an especially exhaustive training session with Jace, he decided to let go of the torturing thoughts and focus on one idea only: Magnus will come back. He didn't know when or how, but he was determined to believe that Magnus would return to him. It was the only positive thought he allowed himself, but he held onto it with everything he had. And that night he had the first good sleep since Magnus had been taken away.

A/N: Please review. There's no preview (lol that rhymes) for the next chapter, but PREPARE YOUR MALEC HEARTS, that's all I'm saying. ;)