After about ten minutes, the door into Max' room opened and Magnus stepped out. He immediately looked over at Alec, yet again pacing around his family. Alec looked over as the door opened and walked over there, keeping eye contact with Magnus. He put his hands into his pants pockets. "So?"

Magnus bit his lip and hesitated, but kept the eye contact. The blood drained from Alec's face and he pushed past Magnus and into the room. Magnus let his head drop and he closed his eyes momentarily before walking back in and closing the door behind him. Alec stood by the foot of the bed, looking at Max. His face had visibly paled as if there was no blood left. "Alec…"

"His heart is still beating," Alec said, nodding towards the heart monitor beeping on one side of the bed. It wasn't as high as it should be, not at all, but it was still beating. "When is he going to wake up?"

Catarina stepped out from the en suite bathroom and looked at him. Her eyes were sad. "That's the thing. We don't know if he will. He's in a coma, Alexander. He might survive this, but he's in a coma. Even if you want to continue the treatment and he wakes up, it will be expensive. This here is free, but I can't keep doing this for free. It's an expensive treatment, and I'll be more than happy to perform it if he wakes up and you want to continue it."

Alec was frozen. He just stood there looking at Max, not showing any emotion, but his face pale. Magnus walked over next to him and put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer. "Maybe he'll be okay, Alexander. Maybe he'll make it."

A few tears ran down Alec's face before he broke completely down. He pulled away from Magnus and sank down into the nearest chair and started sobbing and crying. He hid his face in his hands and tried controlling his shaking shoulders, but his body wouldn't give him a tiny bit of control.

It wasn't long before he felt Magnus' hands on both his shoulders, and he looked out from between his hands to see Magnus kneeling in front of him. Magnus' eyes were teary as well. "It'll be okay, baby, it's going to be okay."

Alec shook his head and hid his face again. "It's all my fault," he sobbed barely audibly, but Magnus heard him just fine.

"No, it's not. Alec, sweetheart, this is not your fault, are you listening to me? You just wanted to save your brother; you have every right to want that."

"And then I brought her here! Before I could at least talk to him! Now he's even farther gone than ever," he sobbed, and Magnus glanced backwards to look at Catarina, but she had already left the room. He looked at Alec again.

"Alec, I want you to listen to me. You gave it a shot. You gave him a chance. He didn't have that before. Before, it was certain that he wasn't going to make it, but now he might have a chance. And yes, that's your fault. And it was a good decision, and I'm proud of you for taking the risk. It's going to be okay, now, darling."

Alec was silent for a short time and then he took his hands away and looked Magnus in the eyes. His eyes were red and swollen from crying, his cheeks wet and his mouth hanging slightly open. "Get me out of here."

Magnus nodded and grabbed his arms, pulling him up and then resting an arm around his waist. They didn't even talk to Alec's family, or any of the others; they just left because Alec needed to get out of there right away.

"Alec, I can't believe you just left."

Alec sighed. He was sitting in the bed in their hotel room and he was wrapped up in the duvet with his back against the wall. Magnus was sitting in the other end of the bed, looking at him and holding his hand. Alec looked at him.

"I know, but I just… I can't be there right now. It's my fault this happened. How is he?"

Isabelle sighed too, in the other end of the line. "He's getting worse. His heartbeat is lowering and he's been put on life support. He can't breathe on his own. I think this is it, Alec. You need to be here."

He closed his eyes and looked down, tears burning behind his eyes. Magnus squeezed his hand. "I… I can't, Izzy. I can't be there."

"Give the phone to Magnus," she said, and Alec sighed again and handed it to Magnus. "She wants to talk to you." Magnus took the phone, let go of Alec's hand and got up. He walked outside on the terrace before speaking to her. He closed the door behind him, so Alec couldn't hear what they were talking about.

When he came back, he pulled Alec up and forced him to go with him. He wasn't letting him stay in this hotel room while his brother was dying.

By the time they got there, Max was almost gone. It didn't take more than half an hour for his heart to stop. The doctors tried saving him, but when they walked out into the waited room to the family, they had to deliver the news that their youngest son and brother was dead. And they weren't getting him back.

Alec couldn't stop crying, and he just wanted to sit down and scream. He'd killed his brother. His little 9 year old brother was dead, and it was all his fault. Magnus didn't leave his side for one second that night.

They returned to the hotel after a few hours of saying goodbye to Max. Alec didn't have any energy left, he had cried it all away. So he went to bed.

The next day he slept until 3pm. He'd slept for more than 13 hours. He'd never slept for that long before. But that's the pattern he kept. He'd go to bed early and sleep for much longer than he'd been awake.

Magnus was worried, but he didn't want to pick on Alec for it. His brother had just died, he didn't need this. Instead he tried giving him what he needed, getting them food they could eat there, but he barely ate anymore. He tried bringing him his favorite foods, but he didn't want any of it.

He slept and didn't eat and he barely drank anything anymore, either. He stayed in the room day in and day out, and he didn't answer his phone when anyone called and he wouldn't let them in if anyone knocked on their door.

He was isolating himself, beating himself up about Max' death until the point where he hit rock bottom. And everyone, especially Magnus, Jace and Isabelle was scared what he might to do himself if they left him alone, so Magnus stayed there with him every moment he could. He refused to leave him alone if he had any chance of staying. He wanted to help his boyfriend so bad, but Alec wouldn't let him.

AN: Hey guys. So that was pretty intense. Sorry about feels.

But well, that's a chapter closer to the end of this, huh?

I don't really have a lot to say about this. I hope you enjoyed it, and review if you feel like it.

Lea