Thanks to everyone who is reviewing and/or reading.

All Alec could remember was pain. The pain of his skull cracking on the sidewalk, the sharp prick of the demon's spine like teeth tearing into his skin, the horrid burning of poison coursing throughout his body. However, what he felt was quite different, he felt cool and calm as if he were floating. In that moment, Alec swore by the Angel he was dead, you don't go from being poisoned by a demon to floating on clouds unless you are dead. That had to be it he, Alexander Gideon Lightwood, was dead. There had been so much he wanted to do before this, so much he wanted to say, he wanted to apologize to Isabelle and his family, make things right with them, also apologize to Jasper, no one deserves to be dragged along and used the way Alec was using him, and most of all, he wanted an explanation from Magnus. Why did he fall out of love with him? What did he do that was so wrong they couldn't work it out, the way Alec practically begged?

Just like that, all those thoughts seemed to weigh Alec down, and he now felt as if he were falling, falling from the clouds he was floating on and there was no landing in sight. He jerked awake, a bright light hurting his eyes, and he squinted to see the tan skinned, angelic face of none other than Magnus Bane.

Yes, he had to be dead; maybe burning in hell and Magnus's face was his eternal punishment. He had never really believed in all the hell fire brimstone stories. Like Jace he didn't think much of it either way, but now that he was here, he was sure there was no worse hell than seeing that face again and not being able to touch it, kiss it, and hold it like he so desperately wanted to.

Alec snorted, "Ha, even in death I dream about you. How pathetic am I?"

Instead of some witty retort like Alec had expected, the cat eyes just darkened a bit with sadness. A hand, not adorned with glitter which was a rarity, brushed against his face and it felt cool and gentle. The way Alec remembered so vividly, almost like the way it felt when Magnus first saved his life. Magnus had saved him in so many ways since that time though, and destroyed him in similar ones.

Alec closed his eyes, leaning into the touch, he had been three years without it and he was dead anyway? What harm could it do?

"You're not dead, Alec, a little sore maybe and you should probably lie in bed the rest of the day, but you'll be fine."

Alec's eyes snapped open, and he jerked away from the touch. Magnus's hand dropped to his side, and he looked sadly disappointed. It reminded Alec of a time before, when he refused to come out, and any time Magnus tried to so much as touch him in public he would move away, giving Magnus that same expression.

He quickly sat up and realizing he was shirtless, probably due to the wounds Magnus healed, he pulled a thin blanket against himself. Alec was pressed against the wall and felt a dull throb in his head from sitting up too fast, but he managed to send the warlock an unsteady glare.

"You healed me?" Alec asked, though it sounded more like an accusation than a question.

Magnus nodded, "That I did, and I also cleared up a few marks on your stomach. They, however, didn't look like they were made by a demon of any sort, at least none that I have run into."

Alec glanced down at his stomach, confused as to what Magnus was talking about. Sure enough, a few hickeys that had been there were now completely gone, red marks faded into pale skin.

Alec glanced back up to Magnus who was watching him steadily.

"Thanks for healing me." Alec said awkwardly, not sure where to go from there.

Magnus shrugged, leaning down and straightening the end of the blanket. Alec thought this was odd, as Magnus rarely cared about things like that, it was more a nervous habit, and Magnus was rarely nervous.

"So where did those marks come from, if you don't mind my asking? Seeing as two of the three available men in this institute are taken, by women I might add, that leaves only one candidate of which I am aware. That would leave Jake? Jeremiah?"

"Jasper," Alec snapped fiercely, more out of annoyance with Magnus than in defense of Jasper. "And that's none of your business."

Magnus glanced up from what he was doing, looking slightly hurt.

"Alec, I was just trying to start a conversation-"

"Start a conversation about my new relationship? Because that's not suspicious at all! You don't get to do that Magnus. You don't get to do this to me, Magnus not after what you've already done."

Alec expected an angry response or something equally Magnus-like, but he was once again surprised by the warlock. Which, to be honest was a bit Magnus-like in that Magnus never failed surprise Alec in some way.

"Alec, I didn't mean to upset you, I just don't know what to say."

"That's certainly a first," Alec thought bitterly, but he wasn't going to interrupt.

"I want to speak with you, to explain everything and I have no idea quite where to start."

"Three years ago would be nice," Alec suggested, trying and failing to hide the bitterness in his voice. "Or maybe it was a longer time ago than that, because I really don't know what happened at all. All I know is one day you loved me and the next you broke up with me Magnus and" Alec sucked in a breath and clutched his side a shooting pain went through it. He leaned back, eyes screwed shut and he made a small hissing sound and clenched his first.

He willed himself to continue, but the pain was too much.

"Alec!" Magnus called, his voice wrought with concern. Alec felt Magnus's hands on him, gripping him tightly, checking for whatever was causing the pain.

"There's still a bit of poison I much have missed," Magnus explained, trying his best to look Alec in the eyes but the Shadowhunter was squirming in pain.

"I'm going to have to put you under," Magnus managed to steady the boy, each one's eyes boring into the other's, "but when you wake up I promise I will explain everything, and I hope you can find it in you to forgive me."

Alec just hunched over in pain, not able to respond, and Magnus, who was unable to bear the sight of Alec in any sort of pain, promptly snapped him into unconsciousness. Magnus took the chance to admire the boy, as his face was no longer contorted in pain. He traced the sharp outlines of his strong jaw, his cheeks softer than nearly anything he had ever touched, the hair a messy disarray of raven locks that just somehow worked, and the well-muscled chest now rising and falling peacefully and also no longer adorned with the hickeys that had made Magnus feel the sharpest ping of jealousy.

"I truly do hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me darling," Magnus whispered, placing a light kiss on the Shadowhunter's forehead before getting to work on him.

**Note: The next chapter is going to be this same scene, but in Magnus's POV, it will explain a lot!