SIZZYsizzles: You didn't come back? I do hope you have come to control your feels by now. Sorry that I messed them up.
ICraveYou: Now, why would I want to do that? That would take all the fun out of it lol
Guest: Thanks! And aww I know... it's painful for me, too.
ilyreid: Sorry, I'm afraid it is true =/ And thanks! Glad you enjoyed it :)
RonaldGarcia91: Will they? I don't know.
mina: Well, the Tears of an Angel restore the natural order of things. And unfortunately there is nothing unnatural about death =/ Thank you, though!
musicrules1923: Glad to be of help :D And that you're better again! That's right. Bad Jace... I actually considered naming the chapter "Jace did a bad bad thing" but decided it would give away too much lool Aww thank you about Izzy! Well, since Sebastian controls Jace this bond is stronger than the one he has with Alec =/
TheLittleRoguex: Well, I didn't... it was Jace... technically.
allthatdemigodishness: Thank yoouu!

Wow, that was so much less hate than I expected after the last Chapter... because it was like zero. You are truly amazing readers!
Anyways, here's chapter 13. And as you'll see in the end, the title does not only refer to Magnus and Alec. Oh and Simon has a very cool scene. But I should simply let you read it and stop fangirling over my own fanfic, it's getting embarrassing lol

CITY OF CRYING ANGELS
chapter thirteen: Separated

Alec dropped down on his knees. He tried to say Magnus' name one more time but no sound came out. Tears ran down his cheek but he couldn't take his eyes off of Magnus' body. And all this blood...

He barely recognized Jace, as he approached him again. "If I free you, do you promise to behave?" he asked.

Still not taking is eyes off of Magnus Alec managed to reply: "I promise to cut you into pieces." There was so much hatred in his voice it surprised even himself. And he meant it. Every word. Jace was his Parabatai, his best friend, but right now if he could kill him – he would. Of course there was more keeping him from being able to kill Jace than only these chains. Compared to how skilled Jace was, Alec would probably be the one to end up dead, if he went up against him. But he didn't even care. Right now dying would be the only thing to stop the pain inside his whole body.

"You wouldn't do that." Jace sounded overall confident, but there was just the slightest trace of insecurity in his voice.

He looked at him with steady eyes and his teeth clenched. Jace had just killed the love of his life, Alec wasn't in control over what he did or said. "Try me."

After a moment Jace frowned as if he really couldn't see why Alec acted the way he did. "Look, I need you to understand something here... You can't blame me, really. Magnus brought his on himself. We wouldn't have needed him out of the way if he hadn't been your fairy godmother. He always came up with ways to save the day. as you put it. but Sebastian isn't a threat. No one needs to be saved from him."

When Alec didn't reply Jace continued: "You'll understand it one day. And when you're ready to apologize for your behaviour, I will forgive you, because that's what a good Parabatai does."

The way Jace stood behind every single one of his words was even more painful than the actual words. Suddenly Jace' expression turned into surprised when someone held a sharp axe against the side of his neck.

"I'm not an expert." It was Simon. Apparently he had made his way back to them and picked up a friend along the way. A very sharp friend, which was now threatening to cut off Jace' head. "But I really don't think Parabatai's – best friends - aren't supposed to kill each other's boyfriends. That's really the only reason you're still alive right now. Because I would never do that to Clary."

"Correct me if I'm wrong but in that case it's rather pointless to point an axe against my neck, isn't it?" Jace asked.

Simon shrugged his shoulders. "The axe is really just to proof a point. I'm not going to kill you – but I could have." Alec couldn't help but to think that he was right. Jace had been too distracted, if Simon would have just swung the axe he could have easily chopped off his head.

Apparently the same thought hit Jace in this moment, because he swallowed hard and started to look pissed off.

"You might want to give that message to Sebastian. Magnus' death won't do him any good. If anything it made things worse."

Jace slowly turned around to face Simon. "Big words for such a small person. I could easily kill you too, you know."

"Does the phrase Mark of Cain ring any bell?" Simon asked. "But even if you could kill me – which you can't... it would hurt Clary like hell and I doubt even the you, you are now, is willing to do that."

"I'm not so sure she cares about you any more. Which reminds me... I have to go check on her."

Simon was obviously holding back tons of questions but his desire to want Jace gone seemed to be stronger than keeping him here by asking them. Jace threw a key at Simon, who didn't catch it and by the time it hit the floor Jace had already walked out the door.

After a moment of looking after him Simon let the axe fall on the floor, picked up the key and used it to unchain Alec. He failed to thank him as he rushed towards Magnus (he failed to apologize for knocking Simon over, too) and fell to his knees.

Very carefully, he was trying not to hurt him, he turned Magnus around and quickly closed his eyes, when he saw that they were wide open. Another rush of disappointment hit him, when he realized that Magnus was truly gone. A part of him had hoped that he was just faked it, to make Jace go away...

With a deep sadness hovering over him he grabbed Magnus' hands, tears were still running over his face. "Take it." he whispered. "It's yours..." When nothing happened he tightened his grab around Magnus' hands. "Come on... you can have it. All of my strength..." Breathing hard, he lowered his head until it rested on Magnus' chest. "Just come back to me. Please."

But there was no denying it. Magnus had left him.

: : : : : :

Damn it, Clary... if you wouldn't love him so much I could have killed him an end this nightmare once and for all.

Simon had never approved with every decision Clary had made but since she met Jace he disagreed with her more often than ever. What he'd said to Jace had been true – if it weren't for Clary he would have done it. Killing someone – and Magnus of all people – definitely got you a ticked straight to hell. Of course Simon didn't know if he had actually been able to kill him. Jace would have probably gotten away in the last second and killed him instead, but at least Simon would have died trying. Of course he could always use the Mark of Cain as a reason not to kill him, but it was just a matter of time before Sebastian and Jace found out he didn't have it any more. And then he'd be dead faster than he could say Clary.

Seeing Alec like this hurt him as well, but he was also sad about Magnus' death. On a subconscious level they had been good friends and in a way Simon had been able to rely on the fact that in 100 years, when every one of his friends would be gone – Magnus would still be there. It hurt even more, that he had woken up just in time but hadn't been able to save him anyway. And Isabelle, who had risked everything to warn him about this... she'd be so disappointed in him. He had failed.

Suddenly Magnus' voice rushed back into his head. "Let us know when you're depression is over, will you?" Yeah. That was probably what he would say right now...

Simon didn't say anything for a long time before he finally brought himself to say. "I'm sorry. I should have... been more useful." He wasn't sure if Alec blamed him.

After a view moments Alec looked up. "There was nothing either of us could have done." A moment of silence. Then: "Give me a moment alone with him, will you?"

Simon nodded and started to walk away as his gaze fell on the portal, Magnus had come through, which was still open. "Shouldn't we like... close this?"

Alec's gaze had fallen back on Magnus, he didn't even pay any attention at the portal as he said: "I'll take care of it."

"Okay." Simon said and opened the door. "I'll go get Luke's car and wait outside."

And he did. It didn't take him long to find the keys and the car. It took longer to wait for Alec. Much... much longer. By the time Alec finally got out of the house dawn had already come. But Simon didn't say anything about that. Alec deserved as much time to say goodbye as he needed. But he wasn't exactly able not to say anything either, as Alec got in the passenger seat.

"Aren't we, uhm... going to take him with us?"

Alec took that long to answer, Simon had already considered to ask the question again. "Just drive."

While he wanted to point out that some of Luke's friends might come here and find Magnus' body... there had been a terrifying sound in Alec's voice, he didn't dare to say anything else. Simon had never really been afraid of Alec, but right now it felt like it didn't take more than one wrong word and he would crack. Alec was barely holding himself together right now, a blind person could see that.

Therefore he simply started the car and none of them said another word almost the entire ride. Simon didn't even try to cover the silence up with the radio. Not because he wouldn't have welcomed some distraction but because he knew the radio in Luke's car had been broken for years. For some reason he had never cared to get it fixed.

Unfortunately it got to a point where he needed to break the silence by asking: "Where do you want to go?"

"Magnus' place."

"Are you sure? I mean, we could go to my mom's house, if its-"

"It'll be fine. I need to be there."

Simon nodded and turned left. "Okay."

Two turns later he blurred out: "I talked to Isabelle." He had been wanting to tell Alec this ever since it happened, but he felt bad about it... Alec had just lost his boyfriend and Simon got to talk to his obsessed somehow-girlfriend? Yeah, that's fair.

When Alec turned to him with a frown, Simon was glad that Alec could still show emotions. He hadn't, ever since he got in the car. "You what?"

"I talked to her. When I was asleep."

Alec sighted. "That's called a dream, Simon"

"It was her! She somehow found a way to tap into Lilith's powers and talk to me, but it only works when I'm asleep. She... warned me Jace would come and kill Magnus. Would she have done that, if it was just a dream?"

Alec looked away and thought for a moment. "Don't be naïve, Simon. That wasn't Isabelle."

"But-"

"NO BUT!" Alec yelled but pulled himself together again, taking a deep breath. "No one can tap into the demons powers who has possessed them, especially not when that demon is Lilith. No one's that good, not even Isabelle." Simon was about to say something but Alec cut him off before he could. "She told you about Magnus because she knew there was nothing you could have done anyway. But she also knew that it would make you trust her and make you believe she's the real Isabelle... which obviously worked."

Simon bit his lip. "No... you didn't see her. I mean, I could always tell when there was something off about Isabelle. But there wasn't this time... it was all her. Our Izzy." My Izzy.

Alec shook his head and took another deep breath. "You cannot trust her, not matter how much you want to. There is no way to be sure it's her and not Lilith. She might just be getting better in pretending to be Izzy."

They arrived in that exact moment and after Simon parked the car and killed the engine Alec added: "You can't talk to her again. Don't tell her anything that might interest Lilith."

Simon remembered something. "Uhm..."

Alec got that look, people used to get very often with him. "You told her something already, haven't you?"

"Sort of..."

"What was it?"

Instead of saying anything Simon simply lifted the hair above his forehead to show Alec... well, nothing, technically. But that nothing told Alec all he needed to know.

"But... when did that happen?"

"The Angel took it away." He let his hair down again. "It was one of those Never call upon me again, or the next time I will kill you kind of things."

"Well... there goes that option."

They got out of the car and walked up the stairs to Magnus' apartment, again, in silence. It was becoming their thing. Come to think of it, it had always been their thing. They never have gotten along very well and now they were the only ones who were left... kind of ironic. Of course Simon could always call Jordan and Maia but to be honest, things have gotten that messed up, he didn't want to drag them more into it than they already were.

Alec unlocked the door to Magnus' apartment and when they were both inside Simon said: "I don't think I can do it. Not trust Izzy, I mean... I'm sorry. It's just, you didn't see her... if you would have you'd know she's not a threat. She said she could see and hear anything that goes on with Lilith, she knows what her plans are... if she tells us-"

"She could lead us into a trap and kill us as well!"

"So? What CHOICE do we have? I don't like to say this but I think we should face the fact that without Magnus we are screwed! We don't have a plan, we have nothing! Isabelle is our only hope to get some kind of advantage in this situation."

Alec looked down to the floor. "I'll figure something out."

"Right, because you've been so good at it, lately..." Simon regretted his words in the very moment he said them and stared at Alec in shock. A look, which Alec returned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

Again, though, Alec cut him off. "Yes. You did."

Silence.

Suddenly Alec turned around and walked towards Magnus' bedroom, saying: "I'm going to bed."

While Simon knew that Alec wasn't really going to bed (he was just going to continue to lose himself over his lost of Magnus and of course continue to dislike Simon) he couldn't just let him leave. "Don't you think that we should tell someone what happened? I mean, there must be someone who can help..."

"By the Angel", Alec swirled furiously around. "HOW many times do I have to say this? We still have ME, I CAN HELP!" After realizing that he had yelled again he lowered his voice. "Not that you would believe me, because I'm just a big failure, who can't get anything right."

"I'm not saying you're failure. But we have to face facts here..."

"Okay. Fact: I ordered Isabelle to stay behind, when the rest of us went to the burning Institute. Ergo, what happened to Izzy is all my fault. Fact: I was the one who suggested to have you talk to the Angel. Ergo, what happened to Magnus is all my fault."

Did he really think that? Simon tried to clarify. "No, wait, that's not what I was trying to say..."

But Alec ignored him. "Fact: Believe it or not, I have a plan. I'm just going to need some time to figure out the details."

"What plan?"

Alec looked at him for a while before he shook his head. "If I tell you, can you promise you won't tell Isabelle, if you see her again?"

Simon didn't reply.

In this moment a deep canyon formed between them, Simon could almost see how much it separated him from Alec. That was not good. The two of them were like the only ones left who knew what was going on, they should be working together... instead they just kept fighting one fight after another. Of course Simon knew that he should cut Alec some slack. He had lost the man he loved, lost him in a different way than Simon had lost Izzy. There was still hope that they could save Izzy, but Magnus was gone for good. Still, he couldn't agree with Alec just in order not to upset him... he needed to stay true to himself.

Without another word Alec continued his way to Magnus' bedroom and closed the door, leaving Simon alone in the living room. Alone with his thoughts, doubts and hopes... did Alec really have a plan? If so, was it going to work? Might it have really been Lilith he'd met in his dream? Before Alec had brought it up, Simon hadn't doubted that it had been Izzy. He'd simply known it was her.

Now, he wasn't so sure any more. He sat down on the couch and rested his eyes for just a moment.

He knew that he needed to be sure about Izzy when he fell asleep the next time. If anything, Alec was right about one thing: Trusting her could be dangerous. If she really was Lilith. Luckily Simon could buy himself some time to think about this, by simply not falling asl-

"Hey." Isabelle's voice pulled him out of his thoughts and right into his bedroom, where she was standing by the window. Simon lay on his bed and sat up, looking rather confused.

Yeah.

So much for not falling asleep.

Okay, so no major drama in this one. But sadness and doubt... What do you say? Can we trust Izzy?
And I know - still no Clary. Maybe in the next Chapter^^