Author's notes

Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see i.e. any perspectives or just little things. Maybe you want to see Alec gain an unusual habit or attitude. I can't promise everything will be implemented but I would like to hear your suggestions. I am honestly terrible at keeping to a good deadline so I'm very sorry I haven't posted yet lately but I've had a mountain of tests come up and been busy with DofE. I've considered the idea of making them shorter but posting every other day? I'm sorry if I got the months and temperatures wrong with spain. Some of the conversations are in Italics meaning they are speaking in spanish. I didn't want to use google translate as I realise that it can be a bit off sometimes.

Disclaimer

I don't own the mortal instruments I may have thrown in some of my own characters and the plotline is mine but otherwise it's Cassandra Clare.

Chapter 2: An old friend

I sometimes regret leaving Alec in that abandoned subway. They say that your eyes are like a window into your soul and looking into Alec' eyes was like looking into a storm. Battling between what I don't know but I could recognise the despair on his face as I had once seen it on my own, which just so happened to be caused by the same woman who manipulated the situation now. Is it so wrong to want to keep my past hidden away because I can assure you it's not a pretty one.

Today was just like any other day except for the fact that I'm still sat in bed pondering the what if's. He keeps sending me fire messages about how much he loves me and wishes that we can just talk. I sighed, so now he wants to talk. I know I shouldn't of but I sent one back the other day regretfully, and he hasn't sent one since. What I put in the letter was a little harsh but it did it's intended purpose.

Dear Alexander

I understand your sorry but that's just not enough. You broke my trust, went behind my back and that's not a battle wound that can be healed so easily by magic or a stelle. You went to Camille the one person I specifically told you not to speak to or meet. I understand she probably manipulated you however you went to her as opposed to what, speaking with your boyfriend. The one person your supposed to be honest and truthful with. I love you but this is not something that is up for debate, go find another person to cling to maybe marry a respected clave member that'll make your oh so loving parents proud and keep your family away from me I am not yours or their warlock.

Goodbye

Again harsh and I got a little carried away there at the end but all can not be forgiven. I got up from the comfort of my lovely satin bedding and looked outside the balcony, Spain is wonderful to go to if you want to escape the bitter cold of winter. I decided getting away from Brooklyn would be a good way to leave not only the heartbreak but also the responsibilities of high warlock for a while. It can get very repetitive going day by day in the same rhythm for eternity. With that in mind goodbye frostbite and hello sun tans.

I own a fabulous Spanish villa that has cream walls and smooth marble everywhere. The roof's tiles are an aesthetic maroon with hot tubs and pools everywhere, I plan to make good use of those hot tubs and pools for laid back parities. Maybe I should invite Netty over soon if I remember correctly she should still live very close by. Netty is a young warlock woman I helped a good couple centuries back, who was only just coming into her powers and her parents didn't know what was going on so I could only sympathise with her situation. She has lovely fair hair with light brown skin however I suspect her hair will have changed colour seen as she liked to change it up a lot when she finally grasped hold of her powers. I once remember having a tanning contest with her and I swear she had gotten a hold of some kind of potion that gave her the ability to tan so well, even kim kardashian would be as green with envy as that wicked witch of the west..

I went down the perfect marble steps into the lavish living room that had red circular patterns coated everywhere and ceramic ornaments on nearly every surface you could find. There was so many plants you could almost class the room as an indoor jungle however the modern pots gave away their decorative purpose. From the otherside of the room in one of the many archways I could see Chairman prowling towards me probably in the hopes of getting fed.

"Aw is my baby hungry", I cooed to him however he just dismissed it and walked of into the kitchen, "Fine fine come here then". I went into the fridge and got out some of his beef. He looked at me in disgust and I glared back at him. "Hey I know it's not the normal stuff that your fed but you used to like this before Alec started feeding you fish". It appears I'm not the only one missing Alec; he gave me what looked like an eye roll as if reading my thoughts,"That is not okay young man, you can't sass me, who do you think you are Alec" I ranted, whilst glaring at him dead in the eyes, and he looked at me as if to say 'are you going insane?'. I put my hand to my head and still glaring at him murmured "I think your right, I should ask Netty about this". He seemed to lighten up at the name. "Oh my god your such a traitor you seem to love or miss everybody besides me right now, just don't forget who puts food in that greedy belly of yours", I warned whilst sliding his food bowl over to him.

I decided I should probably go make myself look presentable as I don't think meeting Netty in a silk robe would go down well, even though I am the high walock of Brooklyn and could probably turn up in anything I desire. Now this is a serious process that takes delicate handwork and well thought out, matching outfits so after about 45 minutes of straight pamper, bathing in a homemade sandalwood soap I got dressed into a black dress shirt with white polka dots everywhere. I ended up matching the top with some black trousers and a thin bit of leather to hold them up, these were one my favourites and that's rare since most of my favourite trousers are leather. After throwing on some jewelry I started on the makeup, hiding away any signs of imperfection under even what I must say an unhealthy amount of the stuff. My eyes were covered in a coal black eyeshadow and eyeliner, foundation was layered all over my face and I spiked my hair up with a generous amount of gel and glitter as well as dying the tips a bright white.

When I finally came to the mirror the only thing I could say was "Oh Lilith did I forget about somebody's funeral maybe Alec's terrible fashion choice is haunting me", which were both things I do not want to deal with. To fix this I tried to open up my shirt by undoing some buttons hopefully giving more of a laid back impression, I think Simon Cowell would be impressed by the amount of buttons I'd undone so feeling satisfied I headed out.

It was very quiet in the surrounding area since it was a bit far from the nearest city and a lot of people owned private property around here. You had the odd kid or two running around but there weren't many cars that went past nor buses. The sun was scolding hot and I folded my sleeves up in an attempt to cool down however the use of magic was too tempting and I gave in. Alec would always tease me that I used my magic way too often for little things and that if I didn't have it I'd be sat withering away in my own apartment lounging about with packets and mess everywhere, which I guess would be true so I try and do more chores and things by hand. Since being with Alec I've also realised how lost in time I've become, by stealing things and not speaking to my friends, it puts the label immortal to shame. When Ragnor Fell died I came to the realization that yes we are immortal and yes we can live for a very long time however we don't live forever and especially, what with the threat of war looming over our heads I decided it was time to go meet some of my old friends.

I came up to another villa that looked a lot like mine however there was more vines and plants creeping around everywhere. I can see she's focused her powers on plants on herbs. Maybe she's got into brewery magic that stuff is always fun. I came up to the big oak door and knocked with the heavy, metal knocker. I could hear the loud thuds echo down the halls and then some scuffling from the other side of the door as the person, presumably Netty, fumbled about with the lock.

To my surprise however it was not Netty but a young child probably around the ripe old age of 11. She was wearing some comfy cotton grey shorts with a beige pink tank top that hung low on her thin limbs. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail and it was a golden blonde, she seemed to have a relaxed aura about her. She had a warm smile but she seemed a bit anxious by my presence.

"Uh hello how may I help you?" she asked timidly and started shifting her weight from one leg to the next.

"Oh I thought an old friend of mine lived here but I guess she doesn't anymore" I replied disappointed and started to walk away when I heard a familiar voice call me from the hallway.

"Magnus?" She chirped with a hint of curiosity and I turned round to stare at a wonderfully aged young woman and as I'd guessed earlier she'd changed her hair to a strawberry brown and cut it shorter. It was still wavy though like the oceans that were around this place.

"Netty!" I exclaimed; she came over and brought me into a hug.

She pulled back and studied my face then decided to interrogate me, "hold on your not here for business or because you need something right?".

I pouted feeling a sadness go through me knowing my own selfishness was the cause of her mistrust. I tried to mockingly look heart broken at the accusation, pretending to wipe away a stray tear, "I'm ashamed you think so low of me" after a brief moment of theatrics I added "but no i've just felt like visiting some old friends lately, mid life crisis you might say."

"Well I'm glad and excuse you I am not old just because you've lived through the dark ages", she teased whilst laughing.

Her laugh was so smooth and elegant and we stayed like that for a while until a quiet voice came from behind Netty,"mom who is that?" Spending time with Netty in Spain before aloud me to pick up some of the language.

I looked over at the little girl that was supposedly Netty's daughter? Deciding it was probably still best to be polite in the child's home I nealt down and held my hand out introducing myself, "My name is Magnus Bane, I'm a friend of your mothers who are you?". She seemed surprised that I could speak Spanish and I guessed that, that was probably because I was speaking English earlier.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment; staring at Netty secretly asking for reassurance, "go on he doesn't bite, he may get glitter on you though so I'd be careful last time I saw him the glitter clung to my clothes like little parasites for weeks" she encouraged and I saw a small grin brighten her face.

"My name is Mariana", she replied and shook my fingers were so delicate and dainty but she pulled away fast and turned to Netty. "Can me and Al go in the pool?" She asked and when she got the reply she was hoping for sprinted of down the hallway probably to go tell whoever Al is.

I stood up and Netty asked if I wanted to go sit on the patio so we made our way through the labyrinth of hallways and finally ended up at a glass door. We stepped out onto an oak decking with patio sofas in the centre of it. The woven parts were a honey colour whilst the softer areas of the sofa were a creamy yellow.

Not to long after we'd gotten settled on the sofas, Martin's in hand Mariana and a young boy came running out. Well she was more or less dragging him along and both jumped into the pool. The young boy had similar features to Mariana so I'm guessing they're siblings. As they were running into the pool I noticed there scales glimmering as they caught the sunlight. They reminded me a bit of what Alec and Isabelle must have been like in there youthful years. I often heard stories of Isabelle dragging Alec around to places I chuckled to myself silently whilst a twinge of sadness washed over me.

"Are you going to explain how these munchkins found you then." I questioned whilst taking a sip of my drink.

After staring out at them for a while she finally turned to me and replied,"I was in a relationship with another warlock not too many years ago and like you he was the son of a prince of hell. He was very powerful and created a potion that was supposed to be for a client, with the intent of giving them fertility. It was supposed to be just a normal potion but what they didn't realise was it had the ability to give me fertility as well and me being my stupid self didn't realise it was a potion and drank it. I can remember that day still so vividly. That's how these little ones came to be, there names are Mariana as you already found out and Alfonse. They are my world; I couldn't think of living a life without them."

I began to feel that longing feeling again but I quickly shoved it down with the knowledge that it was never going to happen."Your very lucky they seem like sweet kids and I'm sure you are a wonderful mother. What happened to the father?" I queried. The kids were now splashing each other in the pool and giggling hysterically.

"There father was the warlock that created the potion in the first place, he passed away a couple of years ago", I noticed a stray tear fall down her face before she wiped it away smiling,"it was years ago now, he was so excited to be having children" she paused "but what about you? how have you been over the years...I'm glad to see that witch Camille is not at your side". I felt anger pass over me at hearing her name whether it was anger at Camille or in a defensive manner I don't know.

"No she left me a while ago and I'm glad otherwise and I'm ashamed to say I'd still probably be chasing after her like a lost puppy. No but I did meet someone recently his name was Alec" I sighed deeply.

"'Was', what happened?" she coaxed me on and I elaborated. It hurt explaining everything and I took a long sip of my drink letting the burn singe my throat. "He sounds like an ass, trying to shorten your life why did he try to do it?" she inquired gazing at me from her spot on the sofa.

I paused for a second realising I didn't actually know why? "I don't really know, to be honest I didn't stick around long enough to let him explain but I'm guessing he just couldn't deal with the fact that he'd grow old and die whilst I'd live on. ". She seemed a bit surprised by this. I sighed again and took another sip, "I thought he was the one but I guess we wouldn't of worked out I mean a shadowhunter and a warlock."

"You really cared about him didn't you... I think if you cared this deeply about him then you should have talked to each other but your heartbreak is understandable."

A few drinks and I was back home basking in the warmth and gentle caresses of water surrounding me in my hot tub. Under only the cover of darkness and the twinkling stars was I able to hide my nudity, though the lights from the patio did not help as the water jets soothed my muscles. I was so relaxed I started to think back to my conversation with Netty. Maybe I should have let him explain. What could there have possibly been that would have made any significant difference though? ugh this is all so frustrating I groaned and so I sat there for the rest of the evening pondering.

Me and Jace was sat in the library trying to figure out how to help our older brother. We'd never seen him like this before so we don't have the experience to deal with this kind of situation. Usually it's Alec that picks us up when we feel low but all we could do was feel sympathy for him not even Jace could understand through the bond. He'd said it felt cloudy like trying to walk through fog though you didn't need a bond to realise that there was something seriously wrong with Alec.

I walked in on him throwing up once in his bathroom but he'd said it was just food poisoning and at the time I believed him however lately my mind has begun to wonder and me and Jace have both noticed subtle differences in Alec. For instance he's become tireder and doesn't train for as long, I wouldn't normally mind letting him sleep in but it's everyday now and he has to keep up somewhat of a reputation if he wants to remain head of the institute. This however is only one of many symptoms going on. Whenever we are in meetings with clave members or just general ones he seems to lose concentration and focus it's lucky I'm the only one that seems to pick this up but also worrying at the same time. It was rare he'd come out with us to Takis or other places as it was but now he never comes out with us. His healthy eating habits have been thrown out the window too he either eats not enough or just junk food. I realize that Magnus ment a great deal to Alec and honestly he did to me too but he needs to move on otherwise I'm afraid things will only get worse. Me and Jace have both exchanged these concerns but really nothing can be done. Jace tried to speak to Magnus after a few missed calls but he's left town for awhile on a roadtrip of sorts and that he'd left the title of High warlock to a trusted friend of his named Miss Catarina Loss. Losing Jace had been devastating for him and I hope that even with the heavenly fire in his veins Alec confides in Jace if not for him then maybe for my own sanity and peace of mind.

I didn't realize tears had began making their way down my cheeks till Jace had wrapped his arms around me tightly and we sat there for a while until a fire message had flown in and surprised us. We read it silently and once finished stared at each other with worried glances.

Dear Alec Lightwood

We shall be returning to the Institute soon and once we are there you and a few others shall be tested to make sure everybody is prepared for possible attacks or war from Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern. Not only this but since the battle at the Seventh Sacred Site at the Burren in Ireland demonic activity has increased everywhere and have come to make sure your keeping this in check.

Sincerely Maryse Lightwood…