N/A: I just want to thank you all for the reviews, tear-stained or otherwise! :) And yes there most certainly will be breakup Malec interaction. After all just because one is the High Warlock of Brooklyn doesn't mean you don't unexpectedly run into your exes, right?

Because life is fair and brutally cruel like that. But we'll leave that for another chapter soon to come. Magnus and Izzy get this one.

And just cause I remember this being the best breakup album ever…

I don't believe, I think I'm falling asleep
Is this beginning or ending? Am I stuck in a dream?
I don't wanna know what I think, I suppose
Out of the light into this timely demise
And there's a cross on the hill, the holy image of lies
I've opened my mind, but this dream is still real

~ Sum 41

Holy image of lies

Large green eyes stared despondently at the ceiling, his mind a million miles away from the Brooklyn loft and the canary-yellow sheets that lay tangled beneath him. Even the sheer exhaustion of healing oneself didn't tire Magnus enough to allow for sleep or the welcomed oblivion that came with it. The ache had spread beyond just his chest, as if telling him that this wasn't something he would be able to simply fix with a clever spell. But maybe if he did try he might be able to simply pass out from the energy drain it would take.

But there was no spell against feeling like this. Nothing safe or permanent – not unless one was willing to risk going mad, which he wasn't, even though he was beginning to feel like this was some kind of insanity.

Time seemed to stand still though the warlock was faintly aware of the glow of sunrises that lit up the edges of the curtains and the softening hum of life as his neighbours retired from their busy days. The only thing he had continued doing since coming home that night was to open the cans of cat food for the Chairman before retreating once again to his bedroom. Since then he had tried, unsuccessfully, not to think of Alec or of anything else in particular – but it turned out that he couldn't help where his mind lead him. Painful, dark places in the depths of the city where beautiful boys with blue eyes begged for forgiveness.

The betrayal burned like an ice cold shard of glass through his heart that had been ruptured into a million pieces. There was no hope of removing the splinters, he thought darkly. Not this time. He had known better than to involve himself with the Shadowhunters and still he had – and not just that – he let himself fall in love with one of them. Because it was true. He loved Alec.

He loved Alec.

His knuckles turned white as fingers dug themselves into the pillow he was holding to his face.

God, how he loved Alec…

Since he had gotten home that night he had told himself he wouldn't cry. He wouldn't. He had made a promise to the Chairman, to himself, he thought wretchedly as he felt yet another tear fall into the soggy pillow.

So much for that.

In some ways he was glad that Alec never did come by to return his keys. He didn't think he would be able to face him, nor was there anywhere Magnus could go looking and feeling the way he did. The healing enchantments he had placed on himself had already left him weak, his magic spent.

Curling up on top of the sheets, he closed his eyes and once more prayed for sleep, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he could somehow trick his mind into believing it was asleep if he tried hard enough.

A second later there was a sudden flash of green light and Magnus managed a low groan as a small piece of paper materialised and fluttered down from apparently nowhere, landing next to his stomach. The ink that was scrawled onto it was vivid green against the white and smelled distinctly of smoke.

With slitted eyes and a noise that was more animal than human, he crushed it into a ball before throwing it against the wall where it bounced and joined five others of its kind.

The Clave seriously needed to stop sending him their stupid messages. Maryce should know better than to be requesting his help now. Even mutilated angel wings were not getting Magnus out of bed. Not this time. Not ever.

He refused to care. He was their pet warlock no longer. Finding Sebastian was not his problem anymore. From now on the entire Clave could crawl up some giant, angelic sphincter as far as he was concerned.

Then the doorbell rang.

"There is no justice in this world," Magnus muttered, suppressing another groan as he gingerly pushed himself off the bed. The knife wound still felt raw when he moved, though it did not eclipse the ache that he felt upon realizing that it was probably a certain Nephiliam coming back to claim his stuff.

The doorbell rang again.

"I'm coming already!" He snapped, cursing his depleted magic and crossing his living room, physically throwing the door wide open before realizing that Alec would have had the key.

"Really? Of all people the Clave sends, they sent you?"

Cynical bitterness punctuated his tone; his green vertically-pupiled eyes had widened and narrowed in a nanosecond when he had finally realized who she was. 'Annoyed' did not even begin to cover the look on his face.

Of course she had known that showing up at the warlock's loft might not have been the best idea in the world, but with her father now home and everyone freaking out about the angel and Sebastian's threat – not to mention everything else that had happened in the last few days – she didn't really feel like she had a choice. Alec's sudden silence and sullenness had taken everyone by surprise and she had eventually had to tell the rest of them the entire wretched tale of what had happened between Magnus and her brother.

If she was being perfectly honest it was more as a favour to him than anything else. There was no real way to keep it a secret – not with just about everybody coming up shocked, and suggesting they call Magnus like he was the only person in the entire world who could be counted on to help them find Sebastian.

She knew her mother had been sending the fire-messages and she also knew that Magnus would never respond to them now.

"Nobody sent me," Isabelle admitted, biting her lip with uncharacteristic nervousness as Magnus' hawk-like face eyed her from behind the door with a level of contempt one normally reserved for Ravener demons. She was a little bit glad to see that breaking up with her brother had not left him unmarked. Gone were the leather pants and incandescent spikes. Instead he was in loose flannel pants with ducks on them. His hair now hung loosely to his shoulders. His skin was unusually pale, dark shadows hanging beneath his slightly puffy, red-rimmed eyes.

"Well then send yourself away again," he muttered, waving her away dismissively. "I don't want you here."

She felt herself sigh as sadness washed over her, meeting his green eyes with her own. "Magnus–"

"Isabelle are you trying to be tiresome?" His tone was curt, his face totally closed to her. "I was having a perfectly Lightwood-free day."

"No you weren't. You miss him."

Magnus groaned wearily. "I don't want to talk about this. Not right now. Not with you."

He stepped back to close the door again but her booted foot found its way into the crack of the door. "Alec told me what happened."

"Then you already know you're no longer welcomed here. Go home Isabelle."

She had expected resistance but this wasn't the same guy who wore glitter and made snide comments about their misadventures. A sadness as old as history seemed to burn in his eyes, hinting to the many lifetimes he'd lead. This was a very different Magnus and suddenly Isabelle felt rather out of depth. It was easier to stick to the facts.

"He loves you. He loves you so hard and so much."

"He went behind my back and tried to shorten my life." His expression was lost and empty as if the toll of his words had taken all the life from him. "Besides I can't help you even if I wanted to, which I don't. I almost died for the Shadowhunters once so if this is about finding Sebastian–"

"I don't care about Sebastian!" Sudden tears of frustration were threatening to fall down but she fought to hold them back. Finally saying them out loud, Isabelle knew the words were true. Maybe she had originally come to beg for his help in finding Clary's psychopathic murderer of a brother, but seeing the state Magnus was in only brought Alec into sharper focus. My brother is broken, so don't talk to me about Sebastian.

Magnus sighed and shifted his weight against the door, allowing his fringe to fall into his eyes as he glanced at her foot in the threshold. "Then I don't know why you insist upon standing here. Look, perhaps it's easier to think of it as how would you feel if Sherman – Simon – betrayed your trust and Turned you."

"I know what he did was unforgivable but–"

"Then how do you expect me to forgive him?" The demand held a plea that burned through his eyes as he searched hers. It said, I'd do anything to forgive him if I only knew how.

"The thing about being young is that you believe that everything will be forgiven. The young never believe in consequences – not lasting ones anyway. All actions are reversible to you over time. Every mistake can be corrected. Amends can be made… But what happens when you make a mistake that is just too big, too lasting, too irreparable? There are some mistakes in life that you cannot walk away from. Some actions change your life. Some things you don't get to undo."

His slitted eyes were a million miles away, looking back to a past she would never know. It occurred to her that she had never once thought of him as vulnerable before that moment. Never once thought of him as anything less than magical and immortal. Not even when he had been stabbed and bleeding. A world without Magnus was impossible to fathom and the thought made her realize just how much she had expected him to be a part of their lives forever – she, Isabelle – who would have scoffed at the idea of truly loving a Downworlder a year ago.

Pain strained his voice when he finally broke the silence and she was surprized to find herself no longer wedged into the threshold of his door. "When you leave today you won't be able to find this place again. You might know the address, but the children of the Nephiliam will not find me again."

Apology etched itself onto his face and he watched her as if half expecting her to fly into a rage. But there was nothing. Nothing left in Isabelle except a desolate emptiness as she reeled in ill-concealed shock. She could feel her heart pounded rapidly in her chest. He was going to set up wards to keep them away.

Somehow the knowledge cut deep and confusion flickered over her face for a moment as she stood there, trying to make sense of the sense of loss she was feeling.

And then there was a soft click as he finally closed the door.

A soft drizzle had started by the time Isabelle trudged back downstairs to head to the subway station. Once downstairs she had walked to the top of the street before looking back at the row of warehouses, half expecting not to see Magnus' building any longer. But it was still there, standing where it had always been.

Her pocket buzzed and Isabelle reached into it to fish out her tortured pink phone, Alec's name flashed on the front screen. She was about to let it ring before deciding against it. A second later Alec's voice deadpanned into her ear.

"Dad wants to know where you are."

"I'm at Simon's." She sighed dramatically in annoyance. "Tell him to keep his hair on. I'll be home soon."

And with that she hung up.

We lie to everyone we love, she thought darkly as she descended into the station. Love made us liars. Each and every one of us. And "forever" was the greatest lie of all.


A/N: -wipes sweat-
I know this is supposed to be a Malec but things don't happen in isolation. I really hope you don't mind me exploring this a little. I promise you the cogs are turning and things will happen.

I love reviews like Jace loves his mirror.