I'm sooooo emotional! We're almost there, just one more chapter to go! I really hope you like this chapter! I consider it the closure to the adventure, you'll see why ;) Anyway, please keep in mind what I said a few chapters ago about the ending of this story, okay? I love you all, and see you on Friday for the last chapter! **cries**
Chapter 19
After knocking down Jonathan, Magnus got lost in the moment he was sharing with Alec. The boy was giving him the most beautiful of the smiles, so naturally all Magnus could do was stare like a fool—a fool who was very much in love with the owner of that smile. He had missed him so much. It was amazing how in such a short time Alec had gotten under his skin. In a matter of months the boy had become everything to him; he was his every reason, the helm of his ship, the needle of his compass. And today he had almost lost him twice, first under Valentine's sword and then, a few minutes ago, when Jonathan had tried to kill him.
How could anyone want to kill such a beautiful man? Yes, beautiful. Alec was beautiful. Perhaps it was not a common term to describe a man, but it was the word that in Magnus's eyes best described the boy. Alec was handsome and sexy and overall the most attractive man Magnus had ever laid eyes on, but besides all that he was beautiful, inside and out. He had a beautiful soul and a big, big heart that he poured into everything he did and-
"Thanks for that." Alec said, interrupting Magnus's reverie.
Magnus shook his head slightly to focus again. Alec was pointing at Jonathan's body. "Of course, it was my pleasure, Alexander." He said, smiling and extending a hand to help him up.
Alec took it without any doubt and when their hands touched, Magnus felt chills running all over his body. After all they had been through, Magnus could finally say that the adventure was over. Alec was alive and unharmed and-
"Am I forgiven?" Magnus asked. He knew there was that little, or rather big issue still standing between them.
Alec looked at him with those big bright eyes that Magnus was sure could cure all the diseases in the world.
"What do you think?" The boy asked, pulling Magnus from his lapel and kissing him hard.
Magnus obliged and kissed him back, feeling his own soul returning to his body. He had thought he would never feel those lips again, he had thought he would never be that close to feeling alive again.
They were lost in each other when out of nowhere the cave started to shake as if the earth were moving. As if some powerful force were shaking it from within—like an earthquake.
"What the-" Magnus looked around, confused.
"Oh, crap!" Alec exclaimed. "I forgot!"
"What did you forget?"
"The island is going to sink."
"What!?" Magnus exclaimed alarmed. "How could you forget something like that? Why is it sinking?"
"You distracted me." Alec said in self-defense.
"I distracted you?"
"Yes, you." Alec nodded. "And the island is sinking because I destroyed the instruments." He explained. "The angel said that-"
There was another tremor that made them both hold into each other to keep from falling.
"How long do we have?" Magnus asked. It didn't matter what the Angel had said, it was clear that they had to leave—now.
"I don't know." Alec confessed. "Raziel just said that I would have plenty of time, but I'm not so sure of that anymore." He added.
It was plain obvious that the island was sinking as they spoke. Water had started to fill it again, washing the traces of the last battle.
"Then, let's go!" Magnus said, grabbing a pair of swords and throwing one to Alec. "Grab as many weapons as you can, we don't know how many men of Valentine's crew are still outside."
Alec nodded, picking up a couple of guns and Jonathan's sword. Magnus, on the other hand, ran to Jace's side to help him stand up.
"Can you walk?" He asked, helping the man to stand upright.
"No." Jace said. He was seriously weakened. He had lost a lot of blood and Magnus was sure that all the weight of what he had lived in the past months was finally crushing him.
"I'll help him." Alec said. He was there already putting an arm around Jace and practically carrying him.
Magnus nodded and just handed Jace a loaded gun so that the boy could defend himself in case they ran into Valentine's men outside. Jace just nodded and mouthed a soft thank you.
"Stay behind me, okay?" Magnus told Alec. "Whatever happens try to get to the Danube as fast as you can, I'll take care of any men we find in our way, okay?"
Magnus saw Alec and Jace nodding.
They walked and walked, carefully making their way out of the cave. It wasn't the world's largest cave, but it was large enough for them to take some time to get to the entrance. With the tremors and the rocks falling from the ceiling, getting there turned out to be more difficult than they had first thought.
"Are you okay?" Magnus asked when a particularly large rock made Alec to practically jump with Jace to avoid being hit.
"Yeah." Alec said a bit out of breath. "That was close."
"You're telling me." Magnus said, eying the lethal rock and resuming his walk.
They walked for a few more steps but stopped abruptly when Magnus noticed a man rushing toward them. He automatically drew his sword and made ready to fight.
"Lower your sword, mate. It's me." The man said. It was Ragnor.
"Ragnor!" Magnus exclaimed. He was happy to see him, of course, but not when the island they were currently on was sinking by the minute. "What are you doing here? I asked you to join the crew of the Danube."
"And I did, we did, but I came here to help." Ragnor explained. "The Clave is on the way! We believe that the smoke from the battle alerted them. Besides, this bloody island is sinking! The cliffs are collapsing and there's chaos everywhere, we thought you had something to do with that."
"We didn't do it!" Magnus said. "It was Raziel. How many men are left of Valentine's crew?"
"A few, but they surrendered when they saw they couldn't escape. Raphael is currently looking after the Danube, we thou-"
There was another tremor and part of the cave collapsed.
"We'll catch up later!" Magnus said. "Now we have to get the hell out of here or we're going to die crushed."
"Where's Valentine?" Ragnor asked, looking to the cave as if to find any survivors.
"Dead." Magnus said.
"And the treasure?"
"Destroyed." Alec added.
Ragnor seemed surprised by that, but he had the decency not to ask any further. "Is this the famous brother?" He asked instead.
"Aye, and he's hurt so an extra hand would be useful. I can cover you all." Magnus said.
Ragnor immediately put an arm around Jace's right side, helping Alec to carry him.
Together they walked the few feet that separated them from the entrance, making their way out of the cave.
When they emerged, Magnus was surprised to see that the island was already half destroyed. There was no sign of that paradise that he had seen when they had first arrived. The cliffs that covered almost a quarter of the island had already collapsed to one side, the palm trees and other vegetation were either crushed under large rocks or shaking vigorously, threatening to come down at any second. The island was a living mess.
Magnus rushed, opening a path amidst the rocks and fallen trees, so that they all could get to the shore as quickly as possible, but Alec, Ragnor, and Jace weren't following him anymore; they had stayed a few steps behind.
"What happened?" Magnus asked.
"Clary…" Jace whispered, clearly exhausted by the effort.
"Who's Clary?" Magnus asked confused.
"Valentine's daughter." Alec explained.
"What with her?" Magnus inquired not really following what was happening there.
"We have to save her." Jace said.
"She was on the Danube, Jace. She's fine...I saw her in the cells." Alec said, but Jace was shaking his head and so was Ragnor.
"There was no one in the cells." Ragnor chimed in.
"Valentine…" Jace said, "Valentine took them too. I saw some men taking them somewhere on the island while they dragged us to the cave."
"Them?" Magnus asked. Until now he had thought they were talking about just the Clary girl.
"Yes, them...Clary, her mom, Jocelyn, and Luke...Valentine's former Quartermaster. We have to help them. We can't leave them here to die."
Magnus saw Alec rolling his eyes in exasperation. "I swear, Jace, if we die because of them I'm going to kill you!" He said. "Magnus, can you help him get to the Danube while I go find them?"
"No!" Magnus immediately said. "You and Ragnor take your brother back to the Danube, I'll go get them."
"No!" Alec complained.
Magnus could see the pain and fear in Alec's eyes, and that warmed his heart and fed his soul—Alec was worried about him.
"Take you brother, please." Magnus insisted.
Alec shook his head.
"Alexander, please don't be stubborn, okay? I'm going to be fine. I'm in better condition than you, and we have to act quickly. Could you do what I ask for once?"
"I need you alive." Alec said, almost like a plea.
Magnus smiled and for a moment he wanted to forget where they were and what they had to do, and just take Alec in his arms and kiss him until theirs lips hurt, but he couldn't—they couldn't. They had more important things to do first.
"I'll be fine, I promise." Magnus said, locking eyes with Alec. "Now go, please?"
"I'm not leaving without you." Alec warned him, and Magnus just nodded as he made his way to the opposite direction, the one that led him into the heart of the now destroyed island.
Magnus didn't know where to start looking for Clary and the others, but he hoped that Valentine and his people had left some sort of trail that could lead him to them.
Magnus was walking aimlessly when he heard it—a cry for help. It was the voice of a girl, so he followed it until he found an opening where three people were tied and gagged against some palm trees.
There was a black man and two redheaded women. The younger one had managed to get rid of the piece of cloth that covered her mouth, and she was the one asking for help. The man was badly injured and bleeding profusely, and the other woman, the older one, was watching him with tears in her eyes.
Magnus approached them and had to raise his arms as a sign of peace when he saw the terror in their eyes. "I'm here to help." He promptly said. "I'm Magnus, Magnus Bane. I came here with Alec Lightwood, Jace's brother."
"Is Jace, okay?" The girl, Clary, immediately asked, and Magnus didn't need more to put two and two together. It was obvious in the way Clary had asked about Jace, and the way Jace had practically begged them to rescue her and her family that they were definitely more than friends. Magnus had seen that same fear and uncertainty of losing someone you loved reflected in Alec's eyes not so long ago.
"Yes, biscuit, he's fine." Magnus said, untying the girl. "He's hurt, but he'll live. You'll see him soon, well, if we manage to get out of here, of course."
"What's happening?"
"The island is sinking." Magnus explained. "Here, help me." He added, giving her a knife. "Free your mother, I'm going to help that poor fella."
"His name is Luke." Clary said.
"Yeah, whatever."
o-o-o-o-o
Alec had the Blue Danube ready to sail. The island was falling apart before his eyes and he could see the Clave's vessels getting closer, but there was still no sign of Magnus anywhere. He started to pace around the deck in despair, and after several minutes of waiting, he ran out of patience and asked for a longboat. He hadn't lied when he had said that he wouldn't leave without Magnus. He wasn't going to leave him behind. The fact that the island was sinking was his fault in the first place and he wasn't going to let Magnus die because of that.
"The longboat is ready, captain." One of the men said.
"Thank you."
"We'll go with you." Ragnor and Raphael joined him immediately. They were really loyal men and Alec admired them for that.
"No, I'll go alone. Magnus would want you both safe."
The two pirates gave him a soft smile. They had never been close friends, but they did have something in common: their love for Magnus. And that made them as friends as they could ever be.
"If we don't come back, please help my brother get back to Alicante and take the Danube. Magnus would want that." Alec said, before getting into the longboat.
The crew started to lower him into the water and just when he was halfway through, he saw them. There, trying to escape the wave of destruction that was hitting the island were Magnus and three more people. The pirate and a woman that Alec assumed was Jocelyn, Valentine's ex wife, were carrying a severely wounded man and Clary was walking right behind them.
"Drop me!" Alec instructed his men, and rowed the boat as fast as he could to get to the shore quickly. There were a couple of boats anchored there that Magnus could have used to get to them instead, but Alec wanted to help. He couldn't stay there and wait for the worst to happen.
"What are you doing here!?" Magnus exclaimed as soon as Alec was at a close distance. Alec noticed the tone of exasperation in the pirate's voice. He used it every time Alec didn't follow one of his orders.
"I told you I wasn't leaving without you." Alec said, climbing down from the longboat and rushing to help Magnus with the man. "So don't you dare arguing with me right now."
Carefully, they placed the wounded man on the boat and they all climbed in, trying to leave the island as quickly as possible. They knew they had to leave the shore right away. When the island finally sank, the force could pull them and sink them too. They were not safe until they were miles away from there.
They reached the Danube and the crew immediately helped them up. Alec stepped down from the longboat and helped Jocelyn and Clary. "Jace is on the lower deck." He informed them. "We took him there so he could rest and so that some of our men could heal his wounds. We'll take Luke there too, so you can go there if you want."
Clary and Jocelyn nodded and disappeared from sight immediately.
"Captain!" One of the men said. Alec knew Elias had appointed him in charge of the ship in his and Alec's absence. "Do we have a heading? The Clave is practically here, we have to outrun them!"
"Don't ask me." Alec said, glancing at Magnus who was currently helping Luke to get on his feet. "This is not my ship."
Magnus looked up at him with surprise evident on his face. "Are you sure?" He asked.
"More than sure, captain." Alec said, smiling at him.
Magnus smiled so wide that Alec couldn't help thinking that everything that had happened had been worth it just for that smile—everything. Alec knew what this ship meant for Magnus. The Blue Danube wasn't only an object for the pirate to sail across the seas, it was his ticket to freedom. His most valuable possession.
"These waters are low, the Danube runs faster in shallower waters, veer the bow sixty degrees North and bring me a map." Magnus said.
Alec knew that the pirate knew the Seven Seas like no other, so sooner rather than later they had a very strategic route to get back to Alicante and hopefully escape the Clave.
"We'll get to Alicante in a couple of days." Magnus announced, and Alec just nodded.
In a couple days he would be home. If his old self had heard those news, he would have jumped up and down with joy, but he wasn't the same man as before. He had changed, a lot of things had changed, and now the idea of going home was foreign to him. He didn't even know what home was anymore. How could he call a home a place where not even his father was who he said he was? How could he called a home a place full of rules that were designed to make him miserable?
Alec sighed, walking to the stern of the ship and looking at the clear waters of the Caribbean to think. His head was a mess. He still couldn't believe that after all this time this was really over. It had been months of so many adventures of all kinds that he still couldn't believe that he had lived them all. He felt as if he had experienced the most horrible nightmare and the sweetest dream all at the same time.
"It's really over." Magnus said, approaching him from behind and making him jump.
For Alec it was still surprising to see how the pirate seemed to have a direct line to his thoughts.
"I still find it a bit hard to believe…have we outrun the Clave?"
"Aye...we're safe, Alexander."
Alec took a deep breath. They were safe. That concept was even more foreign than that of a home. After almost dying and risking his neck for weeks, he found it hard to believe that the danger was really over.
"You did the right thing." Magnus added. "With the treasure, I mean."
Alec smiled. With all the running after Raziel had disappeared, he hadn't really had time to think too much about it. "I was tempted, I have to admit it." He confessed. "I could feel all the power the Angel talked about. It was really there, I felt it."
"What was it like?"
"Intoxicating. Like nothing I've ever felt before...it was overwhelming."
They looked at each other and Alec allowed himself to relax for the first time in months.
"May I?" Magnus pointed to Alec's left arm.
Alec nodded. He had been so caught up in getting away from the island and stay ahead of the Clave that he had completely forgotten that he had a long gash on his left arm where he had cut himself to get some of his blood.
Magnus immediately cleaned the wound and healed it. The pirate did it so delicately that it was hard for Alec to imagine that those were the hands of a pirate.
"There." Magnus said, bandaging the wound. "Now it won't get infected."
"Thank you." Alec smiled, looking at the pirate straight in the eyes. There was so much he wanted to say so much he wanted to do, but he didn't know how or where to start, so he just smiled, hoping that his eyes and smile were speaking for him.
"I was so afraid of losing you...again." Magnus confessed, moving a bit closer, just so their eyes were mere inches away.
"I was afraid of losing you too." Alec said back because it was true. He had been so afraid of losing him, of watching the man he loved die that the thought still gave him goosebumps.
"I want to apologize for what I did before with the lies and all." Magnus said, "you never gave me the chance to-"
"And I will never give you the chance." Alec interrupted him, "because it doesn't matter anymore. It hurt when it happened, yes, but believe it or not, I understand why you did it."
"You do?"
Alec nodded. "You didn't know me back then and you just saw in me the chance to get your ship back. I would have done the same thing. In fact, I did. I used you to get my brother back. We both tried to seize the opportunity presented to us and we never thought that what happened between us would happen. But that's life, right? It's unexpected and always manages to surprise us. People say you should never trust people completely, but I trust you. I know what's really inside your heart, Magnus. I know that despite all, despite the life you've lived, you are a good man. You proved that today...you came back for me." He added with a smile. It had been the longest speech he had ever given to anyone.
"I wasn't going to let you die."
Alec just smiled again.
"What you said when...well, when-when, you know?" Magnus tried to ask. Alec smiled. He knew what Magnus wanted to ask. "Was it true?"
Alec rolled his eyes dramatically. "I was about to die and I chose to direct my last words to you, how can you even doubt that what I said was nothing but the truth?"
Magnus laughed nervously. "I don't know, I was just checking, you know? Adrenaline can make you do and say things that you-"
"Captain." One of the men approached, interrupting them.
"Aye?" Magnus said, clearly irritated by the interruption.
"Mr. Fell asked me to inform you that Mr. Santiago will take over the helm while he rests."
"That's it?"
"Aye, captain."
"Tell him that's fine. Now go." Magnus said, rolling his eyes.
The man left as quickly as he had appeared.
"Where were we?" Magnus asked, when they were alone again.
"We were discussing your inability to believe the obvious, but I'm tired of talking." Alec said, pulling Magnus toward him. "Just kiss me, okay?" He said, and Magnus did.
o-o-o-o-o
It took them four days to get to Alicante. During that time Magnus and Alec spent as much time together as possible, taking in all they could from one another and recommitting every kiss, every hug and every touch to their memories before the time to say goodbye arrived. They hadn't talked about what was going to happen between them in the end. There was some sort of silent agreement between them. Magnus knew it, Alec knew it—they couldn't be together.
Alec had a name and a family to protect. Alec had people with whom he had to be, and unfortunately, Magnus couldn't be part of that selected group. He was still a pirate, he was still a fugitive from the Clave, so although they hadn't said anything aloud, they both knew that in a few minutes, when the Danube finally anchored near the coast of Alicante, Alec would go and Magnus would not follow.
Magnus ordered the men to drop the anchor and to distract himself from the pain in his heart, he helped the crew to prepare one of the longboats so that Alec and company could go home.
After thanking for the services rendered, Clary, Luke, Jocelyn and Jace climbed into the longboat. Magnus and Alec just looked at each other. The time to say goodbye had finally arrived. Magnus couldn't follow Alec where he was going, and although he felt like dying on the inside, he smiled and tried to hide as best as he possibly could the pain that was threatening to rip him apart.
"This is goodbye, I guess." Magnus said.
"It is." Alec said with a soft nod.
Magnus could hear the pain in the boy's voice too. This was going to be harder than any of them had anticipated.
"Thank you for everything." Alec said.
Magnus sighed. It was heartbreaking how after everything they had gone through their story would end with a simple thank you, but it was what it was and there was nothing he could do to change it.
"Well, thank you, Alexander. You gave me back my freedom and my ship."
Alec chuckled. "I guess we both got what we wanted in the end."
Magnus nodded in agreement. It was true, they both had gotten what they wanted, but... was it what they needed?
"Goodbye, Magnus." Alec said, extending his hand and offering it to Magnus in a polite way.
"Don't be ridiculous." Magnus said, pulling him in for a kiss.
They kissed hard, putting into that last kiss everything they had left to give and probably more.
"Don't forget about me, okay?" Alec whispered.
Those words broke Magnus's heart even more, but he managed to control himself. "Never." He said, trying to keep the tears from falling. He didn't want to cry, he had seen the unshed tears in Alec's eyes and he knew that if one cried the other would not be able to contain himself. This was painful as it was without adding tears to the mix.
"Magnus…"
"Don't." Magnus said, putting his finger in front of Alec's mouth to stop him from making this even harder. "I understand, okay? It's fine, don't worry about me. I will always want what's best for you...and right now, this is it. Go with your family and have a great life, Alexander."
"You too." Alec said, climbing into the longboat.
They looked at each other and the men lowered the boat. Magnus thought about stopping them, he thought about stopping Alec and ask him to stay, but he couldn't do that. He couldn't put Alec in that dilemma. He knew that sometimes the greatest act of love was to let go.
"Heading?" Ragnor asked, carefully getting closer to Magnus.
Magnus took a deep breath. "As far away from here as possible, my dear Prince."
Ragnor nodded and walked away to set the Danube in motion again. Magnus just stayed there watching the longboat until the latter was nothing more than a tiny dot on the horizon.
"Goodbye, my Alexander." He said, finally letting the tears fall down his face.
