Chapter Eighteen

"Aunt Iz is in the bathroom," Rafael said as he talked to Simon over her phone,

"I'll wait then, just wanted to see if she's okay," Simon replied with the sound of cars in the background,

"She's always okay, as long as I don't play the violin around her; it makes her cry,"

"Yeah, that's why she doesn't like you playing it," Simon said with a sarcastic voice,

"I may be young, but I'm Magnus's child; I understand sarcasm,"

"Sorry, little man."

Isabelle poked her head through the doorway of the bathroom with her sea of black curls cascading down and a smile on her face. Rafael was in awe of her beauty; she reminded him of the gorgeous paintings of unnamed women that graced the institute, her skin was the smoothest porcelain and there wasn't any expression she made that tainted her angelic good looks.

"Be nice, boys," Izzy grinned as she got out her makeup bag,

"I'm trying," Rafael said as he handed her the phone.

He ended up sitting on the bed, listening to their conversation and watching Izzy put on her makeup and sort out her outfit. The way they spoke was much more lovey-dovey than Magnus and Alec; there were so many more pet names and they seemed to laugh with each other rather than at each other. As he listened to their conversation, Rafael's left side began to grow cold, he felt boredom he hadn't felt before and sadness crept up on him slowly. Since Max hugged him two days after they had met, the two had been inseparable. When Rafael practiced piano, Max would sit and watch while clapping after every tune, when Max practiced magic, Rafael would happily be the guinea pig for him as it meant they were together. Family was something that had never mattered more to Rafe since he lost his first one and not being able to turn around and see Max giggling like a hyper jack-in-the-box made his heart break. There was no joke he could make by himself that wouldn't be better with his best blue friend next to him, there was no one that could replace him and nothing was the same without him. Uncontrollable tears began to fall down his cheeks as he thought about Max being in a cage all by himself.

"Is Rafael crying?" Simon asked.

As he shook his head, Isabelle cradled him in her arms and stroked his head in the soothing way that she did whenever he had a nightmare.

"Max will be fine, little man, I promise," Simon said softly,

"He's right. Max is a strong boy," Isabelle assured as she hung up on Simon,

"I don't want to lose him too," Rafael cried.

He started having flashbacks of hiding while his family and friends were being murdered. When he closed his eyes, he saw his mother with a seraph blade in her hand and screaming for him and his friends to hide, he saw the light that came through the slight gap between the wardrobe doors, he saw a tall man with platinum blonde hair and black eyes slaughter those that were meant to be training him and he saw the lifeless bodies that he scrambled across just to end up starving on the streets. This couldn't be happening again. His nightmares and his past couldn't be replayed like a cruel trick served to him by the hands of the devil. He grabbed onto Izzy's clothes as he cried and prayed for the angel to spare his family and if he had to, to take him instead. Max was too innocent for all of this.

"What if Max dies?" were the words he managed to say through his tears,

"He won't. I won't let that happen; no one hurts my nephews," she said as she kissed his forehead.

The door opened and through his blurred eyes, Rafael saw a figure of comfort sit next to Izzy on the bed and lift him into his arms.

"Dad," Rafael cried,

"What's wrong, mi amigo?" Alec asked,

"I want Max."

Warmth spread through him as his father held him close as if he was afraid of letting him go. A fraction of the fear that lingered inside of Rafael drifted away as Alec stroked his back and kissed his head. He hadn't been comforted like this since he was a baby; his mother would rock him back to sleep when he had had a nightmare and sing lullabies to him in Spanish. In an attempt to stop him from crying, Alec rocked him gently side to side, kept Rafael close to his body and began to sing the only Spanish lullaby he knew. Though he was still distressed, a smile grew on Rafael's face as Alec stumbled on some of the words and even Izzy giggled at his valiant effort.

"Max will be fine," Alec said softly, "we're going to go get him and then we'll go home,"

"Do you promise?" Rafael looked up at him

"Cross my heart."

Rafael stood on Alec's lap and put his arms around his neck. The ability to have someone to call 'father' was something Rafael was once certain that he wouldn't ever have again. It wasn't until Alec and Magnus tickled him when he woke up scared, cuddled him in their arms and then fell asleep with him that he realized that maybe he could have another family- even if it wasn't the most conventional one.

"Can I go get him with you?" he asked as he sat in between his father and Izzy,

"That's out of the question," Izzy immediately said,

"She's right, it's too dangerous and I'm not going to risk losing you too, buddy," Alec agreed,

"But-"

"No, Rafael."

He knew he couldn't go on a mission with them, he didn't know how to throw a dagger perfectly straight yet, but that only made him more determined to save Max. Maybe he could prove to his parents that adopting him was the right thing to do and that he was a true Shadowhunter, even if a downworlder was bringing him up.

"So, who will stay with me?" he sighed,

"There are two Shadowhunters called…erm…some names…and they'll stay with you here until we get back," Alec explained,

"Have you warned them?" Izzy joked,

"About what? I'm a pleasant young man," Rafael laughed.