Magnus could tell that Alec didn't quite believe him when he said that the letter was from Ragnor. He could also tell that Alec was trying to be supportive, so he was hesitant to either agree or disagree. He was slightly appreciative for this, but he was worried that Alec would be right. It was not outside the realm of possibilities that he was sure this was Ragnor's handwriting because he simply missed Ragnor so much.
All day, Magnus was unable to focus on anything, and Alec was taking it very graciously. Alec was constantly asking him if he needed anything and was simply focused on making him comfortable. At about 7:00, Alec sat down with Magnus and asked the question Magnus had been trying to answer all day. "Magnus, darling, do you want me to go with you tonight?"
It seemed to take Magnus forever to answer the question, but he didn't know how he truly felt about it. On the one hand, if the letter had somehow been from Ragnor, he would most likely need Alec for support, but he also wouldn't want Alec to have to deal with that situation if it arose. On the other hand, if it were a trick Alec could back him up. A trick like this, however, would most likely come from his father, and no one could help him get out of that, not even Alec.
Groaning, Magnus dropped his head into his hands, but he smiled slightly when Alec placed a hand on his back. At Alec's touch, Magnus immediately knew that he wanted Alec by his side no matter what happened to him. Not for the first time, it suddenly hit Magnus that Alec was the love of his life and he would always be, no matter how long Magnus's life went on. He suddenly reached over to kiss Alec, and he broke away soon when Alec began smiling and laughing.
"I take that as a yes then?" Alec said through his smile. Seeing Alec smiling so genuinely, Magnus knew that whatever happened that night, everything would be fine as long as he had Alec by his side.
He leaned into Alec's arms. "Yes, Alexander. I'm selfish; I always want you by my side."
Magnus's heart skipped a beat, something he still thought was amazing for Alec to be able to do to him, when Alec responded with, "Well is it selfish for me to always want to be by your side?"
Sighing, Magnus replied, "No, darling, it definitely isn't. But," he added as Alec began to kiss his neck. "Unfortunately we have to go or we'll be late."
Magnus could feel his heart rate picking up as the time neared 8:00. He was standing in the abandoned subway station, Alec's hand was in his, but he knew his grip was slowly tightening on Alec's hand. He had no idea what he wanted to happen, he had no idea how he was going to react to any situation that could possibly arise within the next few minutes.
For years, he had missed Ragnor more than anything else in the world. He had gotten married without Ragnor there to witness it. He had picked up the phone to call Ragnor without realizing he was gone far too many times, each and every one resulting in Magnus crying in Alec's arms. But the thought that Ragnor had been alive for all these years was enough to make Magnus terribly angry.
He knew he should be relived if Ragnor were really alive, but for some reason he couldn't seem to bring himself to be happy over the thought.
That was when he heard footsteps behind him. He didn't turn until he heard a far too familiar voice simply say, "Magnus." The breath was sucked out of Magnus as he turned to face the thought that had made him angry all day long. He turned to face Ragnor, standing before him as though nothing has ever happened.
Magnus was vaguely aware of the fact that Alec was wrapping an arm around him. He was vaguely aware of the fact that Ragnor was most likely expecting a hug or some other emotional reconnection, but all he could feel was a cold numbness washing over him. He was suddenly aware of the fact that he was shaking his head, that his mouth was open but no words were coming out.
He was only angered more when Ragnor began talking again. "Magnus, I'm sorry. I know this can't be easy. I know that you're angry with me, and don't even try to hide it. I can explain everything if you'll just give me the chance to do so. Please." Magnus wanted to tell Ragnor that everything was fine, he wanted to run to Ragnor the way he had used to, but his feet wouldn't move, no words would come out of his mouth.
"Magnus? Please let me explain. It's the one thing I've ever asked of you." At that, Magnus seemed to find his voice, and he tried to restrain himself form immediately yelling at Ragnor.
"You're right. Go ahead. What was I thinking? Being angry at you for faking your death and lying to me for years is simply ridiculous. You must have a very logical explanation, so go ahead and let me know exactly what it is." Magnus could tell his voice was terribly cold. He couldn't remember a time when he had ever spoken to Ragnor in such a way, and it hurt him slightly to do so, but he couldn't seem to control his emotions at the moment.
Ragnor took a deep breath and dropped his eyes to the floor. "I had to do it, Magnus. I've never had such a hard time making any decision, but I had to leave and I need you to understand that. You don't have to accept it, you don't have to forgive me. I just need you to listen."
Magnus was only able to nod his head and lean further into Alec. Without Ragnor, his life had felt empty, but now that he knew part of the truth, he couldn't pinpoint exactly how he felt during this situation. All he knew was that he hadn't felt like this in a very long time.
"I had to do this, Magnus, because the people I love were in danger, and I couldn't let anything happen to them. You, Catarina, Tessa, Raphael. You were all in danger and I was the one who had to do something about it." He paused, and Magnus could tell that he was trying to figure out how to best explain things.
"You see, Asmodeus came to me, Magnus. He told me that he was going to start killing you all one by one unless I joined with him. You and I both know that he's always wanted my powers and yours as well. Who knows what he could have done with my powers, so I couldn't let that happen. Magnus, I had Catarina help me disappear, and no please do not be angry with her."
It was then that Magnus understood exactly what he was feeling. He was feeling betrayed, and that was something he had never felt with Ragnor. He was feeling broken hearted, and the more Ragnor talked, the more Magnus felt as though he couldn't take it any longer.
He surprised even himself, however, when he finally spoke up. "Ragnor, why didn't you come to me, then?" His voice was far too soft, but Ragnor heard him loud and clear in the silence of the subway.
"I couldn't come to you, Magnus because I knew you would miss me too much. I haven't talked to Catarina since we faked my death. I haven't had any more contact with her than I have had with you. Magnus, I didn't want to hurt you any more than I had to, but I had to hurt you and I'm sorry for that."
"Then why," Magnus knew he was talking, but he didn't feel as though he were fully aware of what was going on. "Why, Ragnor are you back now?"
Ragnor gave a soft smile. "I'm back because Asmodeus is trapped in Edom and he's no longer a threat to you or anyone else. Magnus, I came to see you first because I wanted to at least attempt to show you how much I love you. You meant the world to me, Magnus, and I'll understand if you hate me for this."
Instead of responding to what Ragnor had just said, Magnus avoided it and made a statement of his own. "You came back for Raphael, too." At that, Ragnor genuinely smiled, and Magnus wanted to smile as well, but he was so hurt that all he could think of was yelling at Ragnor.
"Yes, Magnus. I came back for Raphael as well. I know you're hurt, and I've never been so sorry for anything in my entire life. I never would have hurt you if there had been anything I could have done differently, but please Magnus, please just give me a second chance. You're my brother whether anyone else thinks so or not, and I love you more than anything."
At that, Magnus finally broke down and he could feel tears streaming down his face. He could feel Alec give him another gentle squeeze. He had momentarily forgotten that Alec was beside him, and he slightly relaxed when he could feel Alec's presence once again.
Ragnor stepped forward toward them, and Magnus surprisingly didn't step backward. "I'm not going to promise you anything at all, Ragnor. But you're right, you're my brother no matter what biology might tell us. So what I can tell you is that we can work through this because no matter what happens I love you."
Magnus had been under the impression that things were going to be just fine as soon as he had finished what he wanted to say to Ragnor. But then they heard another voice behind them.
"That's lovely, really, but you're forgetting one little detail, Ragnor. And don't you think that it's a rather important detail that Magnus would appreciate knowing." Magnus thought he was going to hit the floor when he realized who was speaking behind him. "Go ahead," the voice continued. "Tell him who else faked their own death."
To everyone's surprise, it was Alec who spoke up, but only one word came out of his mouth when he did so. "Camille."