Hey guys! Sorry I was gone so long. I was working on a Malec Christmas one-shot for a writing contest, and I was also busy with school. But I'm back, and with a new chapter! Also, that Christmas one-shot, its going to be an alternate ending to the Yule Ball scene, and I mean a completely different ending. So, I'm making that my little gift to you guys, and I will post it some time before Christmas, so look forward to that :)

Anyways, on with the story!

Magnus POV

It was like something out of a horror film. Time slowed down as Magnus watched, suddenly seized with terror. How was it, that but one second ago, he had be celebrating with his fellow class mates? How could everything go wrong within the space of a second?

It was when he turned his face forward again when he saw it. Its large body crept up behind Alec, moving fairly quickly on its eight long, hairy legs, all eight of its black beady eyes focused on the prey in front of him. Magnus watched, frozen, speechless, as Alec stopped where he was, only to be pierced in his shoulder with one of the Acromantula's pincers. His face screwed up in agony. Magnus could barely focus on anything but the heart-wrenching sight in front of him. He barely registered Jace's shout, but he did notice the spell he cast, Flipendo, the Knockback Jinx, forcing the creature off Alec. It scuttled away, but the damage was done.

Alec feel to his knees, and as he crashed to the ground, that was when Magnus finally gained control over his body.

"ALEC!" he shouted over the commotion. He started to move forward, desperate to reach him, but there were too many people in the way. When he finally reached the ground, they wouldn't let him run to Alec.

Magnus watched, helpless, as they carried Alec's body to the castle.

They had to get rid of the venom coursing through his veins. No one was to be let in until they did so.

That's what they had told Magnus when he arrived at the hospital wing. That's what they told Isabelle, Simon, Clary, and Tessa when they arrived a minute later. That's what they repeated to Jace after the Second Task was over, when they finally let him leave.

Magnus paced impatiently back and forth in the corridor outside the infirmary, as did Isabelle and Jace. Clary and Simon sat against the walls, across the corridor from each other. No one said a word, the steady beat of their pacing feet creating the only sound to be heard.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the doors opened, and they let them enter the room. Luckily, there were exactly six of them, so they were all allowed in. Magnus walked inside without a second thought.

Alec lay in one of the infirmary beds, his chest rising and falling slightly, his eyes shut. Magnus rushed over to him, and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. His skin was paler than usual, and it was deathly cold. It broke his heart to see Alec like this. He brought Alec's hand to his lips and placed a small kiss on the back of it.

"You can stop acting like you care so much."

Magnus snapped his head up and turned in the direction of the voice, his eyes taking in the people around him as he did. He forgot they were all there. Isabelle had moved to the other side of Alec, and she was holding his other hand, while Simon tried to comfort her. Tessa was standing beside Magnus, and Clary was on his other side. And beside her was the one who spoke, glaring at Magnus.

Jace.

"Excuse me?" Magnus said.

"We all know you don't really care for him…"

"Jace!" Izzy interrupted, shocked.

"… and right now, he doesn't need false sympathy. Especially not from you..."

"Jace…" Clary began.

"So why don't you just go? Stop wasting your time."

Magnus dropped Alec's hand, gently, and crossed his arms over his chest, meeting Jace's glare with his own.

"I'll have you know, Alexander means the damn world to me," Magnus countered.

"Could have fooled me."

"You got a problem, Goldilocks?"

"Well, now that you're asking, yeah, I do," he responded. "Just the little fact that you broke my best friend's heart as if it were nothing, and still he chooses to spend time around you. Do you even know how broken he was? I doubt you even care. So, yes, I think I have every right to have a problem with you."

"Look," Magnus began. "I had no intention of breaking Alexander's heart. He's the best thing that ever happened to me, and it's been torture since that night."

"Yeah, well, you should have thought of that before you kissed Camille," Jace spat out.

"Jace!" Izzy and Clary exclaimed simultaneously.

"Camille kissed me!" Magnus defended.

"And you kissed her back!" Jace countered. "Do you deny it?" When Magnus didn't say anything, he continued. "You should just go. I doubt he even wants to see you." He turned his back to Magnus and started to walk to the other side of the room.

Anger built up in Magnus's body. He clenched and unclenched his fists. How dare he say he didn't care? There was nothing and no one Magnus had ever cared for more, or even close to how he felt for Alec.

All of his bottled up emotions from the past month turned to anger, bubbling up inside of him, and he didn't even think through what he said next. The words were out before he could stop them.

"At least I'm not the reason Alec's in here," he spat out, glaring daggers at Jace's back.

"Magnus…" Tessa said cautiously.

Jace turned around slowly. "Did you say something, Bane?" He started to walk towards Magnus. "Because, I could have sworn, you were suggesting that it was my fault that Alec was attacked by that Acromantula."

"Magnus!" Tessa said again, placing a hand on his arm.

"What? It was his job to make sure Alec got out safely! He should have protected him!" Magnus said, raising his voice.

"You don't think I know that? Do you know how hard it was to watch him like that?"

"Well, considering that I was watching, helpless from the stands and all, I think I do. And what I saw was Alec get hurt because you weren't quick enough.

"I did everything I could!"

"Clearly, that wasn't enough," Magnus replied. "He wouldn't have even been in the games if it wasn't for you."

"What do you want me to say, Bane? That I'm sorry that the judges noticed how much I cared for Alec? That I would do anything for him? That I care for him more than most everyone, including you?"

"You don't know me," Magnus growled. "You have no idea what I would do for him." They were inches away from each other, each with a hand on their wand.

"Oh, is kissing your ex right in front of him on that list?"

"GUYS!"

Simon was in between the two of them, pushing them apart. Clary and Isabelle got a hold of Jace, and Tessa was doing her best with Magnus. Jace pulled out of Isabelle and Clary's grasp and walked out of the room with one last glare at Magnus.

"He deserves better than you," Jace said before he left.

After a moment of silence, Clary spoke up, "I should probably go check on him. You know-make sure he's alright and…" She trailed off as she turned around, starting to jog to catch up with Jace.

"And you," Tessa began, speaking to Magnus from behind. He turned around to face her. "You should probably go get some air and calm down."

"I'm fine right where I am,' Magnus insisted. "I don't care what he says; I'm staying here with Alec. You should go back to bed; we did wake up early for this task. You should make up for the lost hours."

She seemed hesitant at first, but after a moment she got up, gave her goodbyes, and left.

"You'll stay with him until he wakes up?" Izzy asked him slowly.

Magnus looked up at her. "Of course."

Izzy breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I'm not sure if Clary alone will be able to calm Jace down. But, look… I still don't fully trust you. So if you do anything, anything at all, to even remotely hurt Alec again, I will personally track you down and tear you apart, limb by limb," she said seriously. "But I trust you know better than that, so we shouldn't have a problem." She looked over at Simon. "Come on, Simon, let's go." The two of them walked out of the hospital wing, leaving Magnus alone with only his thoughts and the sleeping form of Alec for company.

Magnus looked over at Alec, grabbing his hand again. His thoughts kept straying back to everything Jace had said. It was all like a slap in the face. But the worst part was that some of those things were things Magnus thought to himself all the time, and how true it all was. Jace had every right to think that way, to hate him so much. He hated himself for everything he did that December night. The guilt tore him up from the inside out. He would have done most anything to go back and change it. Why did he kiss Camille? What demon possessed him to do so? He hated how he had broken Alec, and he cursed himself for it. He had never wanted to be the cause of his pain.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so, so sorry, Alec."

And what was with him blaming Jace for Alec's current state? He knew it wasn't his fault. But as he sat there, thinking it through, he knew that was exactly what was going through his mind as he watched Alec fall. He knew that, deep down inside of him, there was a small part of him that blamed Jace, that hated him, for it. How could Jace have let that happen to him? He knew it was irrational, he knew how ridiculous the thought was. But Jace should have done something. He shouldn't have let Alec slow down when they were so close to the end. He should have forced him to keep going. Even if it could be considered to be Alec's own mistake, Jace should have done something, anything, to save him.

Magnus let his head drop. Look at me, he thought to himself. I'm an emotional wreck. How could one person be the cause of all of this? How had one person managed to turn his world upside down a twist his thoughts so that person was always in the front of his mind? Before Alec, Magnus never had such a serious relationship, the closest one being his and Camille's, and even that was unstable and temporary. Magnus didn't even think it was possible to feel this strongly towards another individual. But then Alec walked in and stole his heart. Now, he was the cause of his strongest emotions; worry, fear, sadness, joy…

Love.

Everything led back to him. How did Alec even manage to get Magnus so wrapped up in him? What had he done to become his world?

But Magnus knew the answer to that question. Alec was just being Alec. He wasn't even trying. He was just being himself; sweet, smart, loyal, funny, handsome, perfect Alec. And that was all Magnus needed from him, just to be who he was, and Magnus would do anything for him.

But he had pushed him away. Even if he did say he loved him, how could Alec possibly still want to be around Magnus after what he did? How could he love him? Jace's words stung because they were his own constant doubts.

He looked down at Alec, whom he swore to stay by till he awoke. He wasn't even sure if Alec would want him there when he woke up. Was Magnus doing any good by being there?

Magnus let out a sigh and turned his head to the ceiling. Suddenly he felt his eyes begin to drop. What he had said to Tessa had been true; they woke them up in the middle of the night for the Second Task. He only had an hour or two of sleep in. Add to that the stressfulness of the morning, and Magnus was surprised he even made it that far. He felt himself drift into and dreamless sleep, the thought of piercing blue eyes being the last thing on his mind before he slipped away.

Little did he know Alec had awoken just then, watching as Magnus feel asleep, momentarily confused as to where he was…

…Until the memory kicked in.

If you guys get this chapter to 15 reviews, I will post the next chapter right away!