A/N: Cannon-bending.

10: Mar

The second time they wake up together is more or lesslike the first, with the exception of no maiming threat overhead. Alec wakes up later than he usually does, warmer than he usually feels, in a bed that's not his own with Magnus staring intently at him. There's a foreign- though not malignant- presence at the back of Alec's head. Mentally, Alec tries to poke at it.

"Morning, beautiful," Magnus greets him with a wide grin and pokes him in the stomach as if in retaliation. Alec ducks his head under Magnus' chin, and murmurs g'mornin into his collarbone, retreating from the alien presence in his head. Magnus tightens his grip on him with a satisfied sigh. Alec realized with some surprise that he's got his own arms around Magnus as well. "I thought you'd waked up later."

"I usually wake at dawn," Alec says, voice muffled.

Magnus tries to shrug. Alec's weigh and his position on the bed prevent him from moving. "Mens eats up a lot of energy. You're supposed to be unconscious for at least four more hours."

"Old habits die hard."

"Think we can make a new habit out of this?" Magnus rakes his hands along Alec's sides, drawing a slow, compulsory shiver. Alec digs his fingers into Magnus' stomach in revenge. Magnus doesn't seem to care. He laughs- in a wheezy sort of way, because Alec's pressing his knuckles just under his lungs- and shifts his weigh, throwing Alec over one hip, straddling him easily. "I think I'm heavier," Magnus tells Alec thoughtfully, staring down with triumph clear in his eyes.

Alec grins. As if that's an advantage when you're facing a Shadowhunter, he thinks, and grabs the front of Magnus' shirt. He pulls on the fabric sharply, simultaneously breaking Magnus' hold on the mattress with his elbow- hikes up a leg and twists to the left. Magnus falls with him, surprise all over his face. Alec smirks, quickly reversing their positions. "I think I'm faster," Alec tells him.

"I think you're being smug," Magnus replies, both eyebrows raised.

"Smug suits me," Alec quips. Magnus' expression shifts from surprise to satisfaction, like a fox in a barred henhouse.

"It does," Magnus purrs. He tries to move but Alec puts more of his weigh down and leans forward to entrap Magnus' wrists. He hasn't thought of trapping his fingers though, so when Magnus snaps them and Alec's back suddenly hits the bed- he's more than just a little startled. "Hey!"

"What?" Magnus' grin widens. "You should know better than to date a warlock." He leans close to whisper in Alec's ear, "We can do magic, baby."

Alec laughs.

x

They decide to preform Corpus the same afternoon. The oils Magnus spreads on Alec's skin and his own forearms smell strongly of linden and rue. Alec sits on the floor at the center of a circle, Enochian symbols drawn out all across its diameter to create a neat pentagram. There's a small ceramic bowl of herbs at each vertex, smoking lightly. There are more herbs- chiefly Harmal- and coal inside.

"Take your shirt off and lie on your back," Magnus orders without a glance. He opens the living room window slightly as Alec strips. The cold winter air summons goosebumps all over Alec's arms. The floor itself is even colder with the soft, plush rug removed for the ritual.

Alec can hear Magnus fiddling with something in the kitchen. There's a muffled puff. "It might itch a bit," Magnus tells him as soon as he's out of the kitchen. Alec stares at the soles of his orange slippers and nods. "Some find the Calendula in the ointment irritating."

Magnus falls to his knees by Alec's side. He holds another bowl in his hands, and his sleeves are pulled up to the elbow. He dips his fingers in the bowl and starts inscribing sigils into his own forearms first with thick, black ink that smells strongly of charred earth.

It's Enochian; the language of the angles leaves burn marks on Magnus' skin.

"Can't you use something else?" Alec asks, reaching out for Magnus' rapidly reddening arm.

Magnus shakes his head and pulls his arm out of reach. "You're Nephilim. You can't be bound by anything else."

He does the marks on his left next, this time going all the way from his index finger to the crook of his elbow in a perfectly straight line. He turns to Alec when he's done, a strange glint in his eyes.

Alec's is taken by surprise as Magnus' next move is to straddle his hips. "Don't move," he tells him, dipping his fingers in the ink bowl. One of Magnus' hands comes to rest on the right side of Alec's chest, holding him down- though not forcefully- like a sheet of paper he's afraid might move and screw his design. Alec tries to remain as still as he can, but Magnus' warm hands make it extremely hard not to squirm under his touch.

Magnus' thumb traces the line of Alec's eighth rib- just below the breast- leaving a wide smear of black behind. Lines continue to form all along Alec's ribcage as Magnus' fingers move, some twisting halfway- an intricate design of butterfly touches, barely there. It forms slowly all across his skin, knots and dots and curling lines dark and thick.

Magnus is a heavy, immobile weigh against Alec's torso, pressing down just short of uncomfortable. Alec can feel the heat radiating off Magnus' body through layers of denim and flesh, warming Alec's chilled skin. The ointment does itch as the ink dries, quicker than Alec would have thought possible with how cold the room feels. He ignores the feeling- focusing on Magnus' eyes and hands all over him.

He figures he ought be at least mildly ashamed he's arching into the touch, savoring the feeling of Magnus' fingers mapping a road all across his skin- his father would certainly think so. Alec can imagine his face, dark eyes narrowed, nostrils flared- something about honor and legacy and appearances, boy spewing out his mouth.

Magnus' eyes shine brighter with each complete stroke. Alec figures he doesn't care what his father would- certainly- think. He doesn't care at all.

When Magnus leans back and his hand stills somewhere near Alec's waistband- the Corpus, and the whole ritual, finally done- Alec barely notices. His skin's burning something terrible and his head feels as light as if full of helium. His arms reach out to wrap around Magnus' neck, changing their positions abruptly. Magnus seems startled for a second before a slow, cautious smile spreads on his lips.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, voice choked for no apparent reason.

"Light-headed," Alec whispers into his neck, voice hoarse. He can feel something building between them- thick but incorporeal- a ghost of feeling and need amplified by proximity and something that must be magic.

Alec feels himself pressing closer until Magnus' heart hammers against his own chest, until he can feel Magnus' every breath as if he's the one taking it. He can feel the design on his torso burning, can feel something pulling him, driving him closer, flesh to flesh.

He doesn't think it's the magic. He thinks it has something to do with the look on Magnus' face and the feel of his hands.

Magnus' shirt is in the way. Alec tugs at it. Magnus' eyes widen slightly, suddenly boring into his, searching. Alec tugs again. Magnus' hands cup the back of Alec's head and pull him in until they crush lips and teeth, too close to be prefect or nice or sane.

It's messy, urgent, a battlefield that's entirely theirs. It's them being pulled together so hard they meld into one, it's the maddening heat and insane desire and ridiculous need that's taking them raw and pushing and tearing at nonexistent seams with magic and something much stronger they don't want to resist. It's the subtle strength in Magnus' arms around him, the angle of his crooked smile, the shade of his eyes and the intoxicating taste of his lips. It's everything they are and hope to be, want to be, will hold onto.

It's forever.

x

Magnus sucks onto the tendon between Alec's neck and shoulder- gently enough, no teeth. He laps at the spot, kissing the tender flesh all around the bruise. If there had been a wall behind Alec's head- he would've hit it hard enough to see stars. As it is, his movement only bares his throat. Magnus takes full advantage of that. Alec makes a noise at the back of his throat he can tell drives Magnus mad. He can feel it through the bond inked on his skin and the presence in his mind, but mostly by the look on his face.

Alec's fingers knead in Magnus shirt, brushing along the lines of his ribs, traveling down his forearms to the Enochian burn marks. Magnus lets out a slow, drawn hiss and tugs at Alec's hair. Alec lets go, hands moving away, seeking.

Magnus leaves Alec's neck in favor of his mouth. The kiss is no less urgent than the first, though slower. Alec thinks it's never gonna be enough, that there's never gonna be enough of this.

"We have forever of this," Magnus breathes against his lips. Alec smiles.

"Not nearly enough," Alec tells him. He locks his arms around Magnus' shoulders and pulls him down to the cold floor, to the center of a pentagram that's no longer needed.

x

The wind blows through the open window, knocking the glass against the wall in rhythm with their racing hearts. Neither is aware of the noise. Alec knows his back's going to be a bitch to deal with in the morning, but with Magnus over him- he doesn't care nearly enough to move to the bedroom. Magnus has other ideas. He grabs a fistful of Alec's rumpled shirt, pulling him up. Alec doesn't care so much for the tug as he does for the lips eluding him. They stumble, trying to stay up close and personal despite the required movement. It doesn't work as well as either would have hoped but they make it to the bedroom quickly enough, pulled together as soon as they reach their target.

Alec's knocked back onto the soft mattress. Magnus falls right next to him and Alec doesn't waste much time before he's kissing him again, pulling his shirt, exploring skin. There's a wild angle to Magnus' grin that makes Alec's skin tingle. His breath is cold against Alec's heated skin, and he absolutely loves it.

x

The magic at the tips of Magnus' fingertips sends sparks up Alec's spine- like a low current electric shock. Magnus keeps murmuring a litany Alec barely pays attention to through the rush of blood and sensations, the feel of lips and hands. It takes him a long while to realize it's not spells or enchantments or part of the ritual- it's Indonesian pouring out of Magnus' mouth, and the words are all about Alec.

x

Magnus' hands are as gentle as they were when he performed the marking ritual, but the touch is different as is the situation. Alec shivers although the room's fairly warm, shivers because he's more anxious over how much he wants this than how he's never done this before. Magnus' expression shifts, and Alec can feel him at the back of his mind- a mixture of hesitation and desperation echoing from the new bond and reflected through the slight narrowing of his eyes. Alec gives Magnus a bright smile and whispers, "Let's do this,"- like it's a battle- before nipping on the skin below Magnus' ear.

x

It takes Magnus thirteen knocks to open the damn door, by which time Jace is just about ready to kick it open with a ferocious battle roar. Magnus gives him a baffled look from the opposite side of the threshold. Jace stares at Magnus' ungelled, tousled hair, his array of hickeys and bare chest before he grumbles, "Please put some pants on," without bothering to look further south.

Here's one trauma he doesn't need.

"Prude," Magnus mutters- not quite under his breath- but snaps his fingers anyway. Jace risks a glance and sighs with relief at the familiar pair of leather pants.

Jace turns back to stare squarely into Magnus' eyes and demands softly, "What happened to Alec?". His heart doubles its pace in the few moments it takes Magnus to frown and say 'nothing', as if he has no idea why Jace looks so stricken. "Is he here?" Jace inquires, already pushing past Magnus' form and into the apartment- heading for Alec's room. "Is he alright?"

"Yes," Magnus' tone is carefully neutral; cautious. Jace wonders if he really doesn't know why he came all the way to Brooklyn or is it somehow more convenient to pretend. "He's not in there, though," Magnus continues, nodding towards the doorknob Jace is about to turn.

"Where is he?" A new note of panic appears in Jace tone despite Magnus' calm demeanor.

"My room." And Jace should've anticipated it- he knows he should've- yet he didn't. Somehow, even though Magnus has hickeys and bed-hair and no clothes- Jace hasn't made the connection- hasn't thought of Alec. Hasn't thought- despite the looks and the words and the touches- that Alec would do it; that he'd trust Magnus enough to, like him enough to.

It takes Jace a moment to process this particular epiphany even after Magnus leads him to his bedroom, opens the door and reveals Alec curled up in fluffy, orange blankets. Jace stares, partially relieved that his brother is in one piece and alive, but far more anxious and uncomfortable with this new upgraded version of Alec, who can lie amongst horrendous mountains of furry orange while Jace has the anxiety attack of a lifetime.

Jace stares at his brother for a good long while, uninterrupted. He notes how Alec's curled to the left- like the way he always sleeps back home, his back to Jace, face to the wall- how he is clutching Magnus' pillow to his chest, how he looks so pale and vulnerable among the blankets and without his marks.

Marks.

His marks.

There are only three left- the oldest ones, both drawn by Maryse. There's Sight on the left side of Alec's neck, the Angel's mark on his palm and Protection right between his shoulder blades. The one on his collar is gone without a trace, replaced by a tally of small, purple bite-marks.

Jace growls and whirls around to face Magnus with accusation burning in his eyes. "What the fuck did you do to my brother?" he barks, each word emphasized by a short pause.

Magnus regards him with dark amusement. "Do you want details?"

Jace steps closer, squares his shoulders and murmurs, "Get out." He practically shoves Magnus out of his own bedroom.

As soon as they're far enough for Alec not to wake from the noise, Jace cocks his fist just right and throws a punch so hard Magnus is thrown against the opposite wall with a loud smack.

Jace's muscles freeze before he can initiate another attack, before he can break Magnus' jaw with a vicious uppercut and kick him when he's down. Magnus gets up slowly, one hand supporting his weigh against the wall. He licks the blood from his split lip, tongue brushing slowly against the small cut. There's an unfamiliar cruel twist to his lips- like the snarl of a viper about to pounce- and fury so bright in his eyes Jace can feel the demon beyond the human flesh.

"The only reason I didn't freeze your cardiac muscles," Magnus starts conversationally, magic sparks bright about his fingers, "is because my boyfriend is strangely fond of you. Don't think I will hesitate to kill you if you touch me again, Alec or no Alec."

Jace looks into Magnus' yellow eyes and believes him- believes every word and doesn't give a flying fuck. "It'll cost you his-" Jace starts- shouts, almost- but stops because he doesn't know what to say next: friendship? relationship? love?

Magnus cuts Jace off before he can make up his mind. "Yes," Magnus' eyes narrow to slits. "That's why you're still alive." He snaps his fingers and the numbness recedes sharply from Jace's muscles. When Jace doesn't lunge immediately Magnus allows his arm to come down and the sparks to fade.

"Wanna tell me what this is about, Jace?" Magnus asks. Jace glares.

"The parabatai rune," Jace manages to growl through clenched teeth. He pulls the collar of his tee down and jabs a finger against the dark rune on his collarbone, mentioning with his head towards the door of the bedroom. "It's gone." Magnus' eyes widen slightly and his posture shifts from offence to neutral. Jace's fists clench so tight he can feel the flesh tearing beneath his fingernails. He really wants to punch the bastard again. "You made it disappear," Jace spits, "what the fuck did you do?"

Magnus doesn't answer, just murmurs "I didn't," but Jace doesn't believe him. "I never meant-" Magnus takes a deep breath and whispers, "I didn't know."

"Fucking liar, of course you knew!"

Magnus leans back against the wall, his eyes distant. "I didn't," he repeats. "But I should have."

Jace takes a step forwards but doesn't try to back Magnus against the wall. He's too tall and too dangerous for it to be effective or threatening. "How the hell did you manage to break the rune?" Jace demands instead. "It's supposed to be permanent."

"Permanent is a strong word that's not necessarily suitable in this case," Magnus replies. His voice echoes in the empty hall. "I knew a pair of parabatai once- they were so badly entangled with one another, so intertwined that it was hard to call them two separate beings. Needless to say- it ended badly for them both." Magnus lifts his eyes to level his gaze with Jace's glare. "It's not the case with you two, not even close."

Jace opens his mouth to protest and lifts his fist. Magnus doesn't freeze him with his magic- but with his eyes. He looks at Jace with pity and an apology that's sincere but not rueful; Jace can tell that if Magnus had to, he'd do it all over again, erase the rune over and over because he thinks it was the right choice.

Fuck that, Jace thinks, and cuts Magnus' air supply with both hands pressed hard against his throat. A few moments pass, but Magnus doesn't fling him against a wall. Jace feels justified to press harder. Magnus lets him, and Jace has a creeping suspicion he does it out of some misguided sense of altruism; that he thinks he's doing Jace a favor by letting him take off a little steam. Jace stares into Magnus' eyes and sees that pity again- plain and uncovered- pity and acceptance, like the look one gives a wounded animal too afraid and used to biting off the hand which feeds it.

Jace snarls. "What did you do to Alec?" he asks Magnus again, voice low and scathing.

"Broke the curse," Magnus whispers hoarsely, eyes unwavering.

"You broke something else too," Jace sneers at him, pressing further still, testing Magnus' patience. Magnus' face slowly loses its color. Jace doesn't care enough to stop, doesn't care at all. "You think that because we're not like those two love doves you knew- it's alright to break us apart? It's alright to mess with the rune?"

Magnus snaps his fingers before his face turns completely blue. Jace's grip slackens involuntarily. Magnus slaps Jace's arm away, sidestepping him. Jace remains frozen with one arm outstretched, face stuck mid growl. Magnus gives him a cold look. There's a bruise already forming in a ringlet around the base of his throat. Jace takes comfort in it. "We performed a ritual-" a cough, "-it was our last choice-" Magnus murmurs, voice rough and rasping, "-I haven't even considered your connection to him. My intent was to free his soul from Eirlys' grip by taking a hold of it myself." Magnus snaps his fingers again and Jace's muscles unwind so suddenly he crumbles to the floor. "Your parabatai bond, essentially at least, challenged the bond I formed. That's why the rune was broken and erased- my magic eliminated the competition."

Jace doesn't turn his head around. "Let me Mark him again," he says, trying to keep his voice steady. He makes sure it sounds nothing like a request. "If the curse is off, I can apply the rune again. He can have his runes back. All of them."

There's a pause before Magnus answers him. Jace knows it means nothing good. "It won't last," Magnus says finally. "The bond won't allow someone else to seize control- not you and not the Queen. We'll battle it out and you'll lose because the Magia I used is much stronger than your rune."

"It's the Angel's mark, nothing is stronger than-"

Magnus lets out a small, unamused chuckle. "You'd be surprised," he says.

Magnus' voice lacks malice, but his words hurt like a clip of bullets to the chest. Jace gets the feeling that even if the rune can be applied without being repelled- Magnus won't tell him. It's not just Magnus' magic that's been eliminating competition.

Magnus doesn't want him around. Not when he can sever everything Jace has managed to build with Alec ever since they first met and replace with ties of his own. Now when he can be what Jace can't- and will never be- to Alec.

Jace slowly turns around; he doesn't bother getting up, though, just remains seated by the wall, head tilted up at a weird, broken angle. "He never said anything."

Magnus nods. "I didn't think he would-" Magnus shows him his wrists and the insides of his arms. There are Enochian characters singed into his flesh up to his elbow. Jace can recognize the word 'eternity'. "He was too adamant to give anyone a chance to convince him not to go through with it. Once the ritual is done- a connection is formed. It should be strong enough to stabilize the Angel in Alec while keeping him out of reach for Eirlys."

"How?"

Magnus slides to the floor across from Jace at a diplomatic safe distance, his long legs crossed at the ankle an inch from the wall. He seems stiff and uncomfortable, his expression ridden with exhaustion and centuries of questions asked and answers given.

"Since Eirlys originally claimed Alec's soul in order to morph it with a Fey Mark- I did the same in order to keep her away from him. A curse is most usually a specific Black Magia spell tied to one's physical form. In rare cases the curse is applied to one's essence- to the soul- through a direct magical link between the caster and the victim; that kind of curse takes greater power and experience to cast- thus it's far more difficult to take off, almost impossible at certain stages. Disintegrating a curse so delicate often times takes too long to prevent its effects. You can kill the victim of the curse by messing with the parts of his soul the curse hasn't touched." Magnus casts a forlorn look at the door of his bedroom, as if he sees something there, but continues evenly, "I tried everything I could think of to repel a curse of the physical type. Nothing worked. It made no sense for her to curse Alec with something that's so hard to maintain, something as fickle-when she could have just killed him back in her court." Jace doesn't say anything, although the stretching silence following the last statement requires it. He doesn't know what to say, doesn't know if admitting to his own privet wonders- if to say, why didn't she?- is appropriate. If that's something Magnus has been wondering about as well, or if it's a question he has the answer to. "When nothing worked, nothing that should've worked worked, I consulted fellow warlocks. It was apparent the curse was applied to the soul. The only way to break it was to perform the ritual. The only way that was remotely safe."

"The only way you could think of or the only way you found convenient?"

"It's hardly convenient." Magnus doesn't even look at him, still staring at the door. "It might not solve anything at all. Alec might still get kicked off the Clave for being tied to a warlock, for being immortal- and I'm going to lose my rank and drain a quarter of my power maintaining this link throughout my whole life." Slowly, Magnus turns his head slightly towards Jace. "It's hardly convenient," he repeats, some venom seeping in.

It really isn't. If the Clave were to find out they might do worse than just strip Alec off of his marks, worse because of the mark and the immortality, but mostly because it's Magnus and they're The Clave and there's an order they've worked too hard to sustain to make exceptions.

"Then why did you do it?"

Magnus sighs and turns his head away again. His profile remains cool and collected, but his mouth is pulled too taut, his eyes are too narrow. Jace finds sadistic pleasure in seeing him so distraught. "Because I couldn't think about anything else. Because it might give him a chance. Because he wanted to try."

"And because you'll get him tied to you forever," Jace adds maliciously.

"I'm not selfless," Magnus tells him simply. "I won't lie to you and say I don't want him to be by my side for as long as I can get, for as long as he'll have me. But this was his call and his decision." Magnus' voice acquires a mellow note as he says, "I fought him on this and he asked me why. I told him exactly that- that the Tethering might not help him at all, that I can't be for it because I want this too much to be objective." Jace is hit with how sincere his voice seems. "Do you know what he said?"

Jace shakes his head 'no'. He can guess though.

"He said he wants to take a chance." And just then, at the corner of his mouth, Jace can see a smile blooming.

x

Alec comes to the kitchen for a cup of tea only to face the most bizarre of scenarios- Magnus and Jace, sitting across from his other with empty cups and companionable silence. Alec shakes his head a bit- still groggy. "Did something happen?" he asks, words slurring together, anxiety already building.

Jace lifts his head and give him a sharp, calculating look. "Depends on what your definition of 'something' is."

"Go look in the mirror," Magnus murmurs without lifting his head. Alec does just that, but throws "If I've changed species, one of you dies," over his shoulder.

The mirror doesn't reveal anything he hasn't seen already- just a few purpling bite-marks and a chaff low on his shoulder, close to where one of his three remaining runes is located. He has come to terms with how white his skin looks without the marks- how different he seems without the runes decorating every free squared inch of his flesh. He's been avoiding the mirror for the past weeks precisely because of the sight, though other than that- he seems normal. No wings or snout or scales to account for. He returns to the kitchen with renewed dread.

"I don't get what your 'something' is," he tells Jace as soon as he enters his vision.

"The parabatai rune," Magnus answers in his stead.

Alec's eyes darken with comprehension.

"It's gone," Jace mumbles into his cup.

Alec busies himself with the preparation of tea so he won't have to look Jace in the eye as he talks. The only sound in the kitchen is that of opening cabinets.

"You don't seem surprised," Jace observes. His voice quickly sharpens when he asks, "Why?"

Alec doesn't answer right away and doesn't look. He can still feel the anger radiating off Jace's form in waves.

"It started fading almost two weeks ago," Alec informs him briskly after a prolonged silence. He starts searching in the kitchen drawers for tea bags, needing something to do with his hands so he won't fidget. Magnus snaps his fingers and one appears in Alec's cup. Alec gives him a slight smile Magnus doesn't return. "It started sort of, I dunno, cracking- after the battle with Valentine. I guess that's why I didn't feel you on the ship during the battle." Alec ignores the urge to cast a guilty, semi-apologetic glance towards Jace. He doesn't want to see the look on his face. Jace won't like the fact he's been hiding things. "It started chipping off seriously about a week ago." Alec pours water into his mug, adds some sugar and turns around- slowly- to lean against the counter. "I figured it'll disappear whether I do the Tethering or not."

Jace's eyes narrow. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Alec sighs. "What good would it have done?" he asks, stirring his tea. "There was nothing you- or I, for that matter- could do."

"And you just figured it'd be best if I didn't know?" Jace demands. His fists shake on top of the table.

Alec takes a sip from his tea and decides it's way too hot. He turns around to pour more water into his cup. "I figured you'd be distracted and upset over it."

"Didn't it occur to you I'd find out eventually and be angry as well?"

Alec turns around again, eyes boring into Jace's furious stare. "It was best for you not to know."

"Who are you to decide what's best for me?" Jace knocks his chair back in his haste to get up. "Who do you think you are, Alec? You're not my da-"

Alec's eyes narrow. "Thank the Angel I'm nothing like your dad."

Jace is obviously fighting the urge to break Alec's jaw with an uppercut. Alec figures he's not fast enough to dodge it if Jace gives in to the violent impulse. "Yet you appear to be the same self-righteous prick that he was," Jace growls out.

Alec isn't sure who throws the first punch after that- the only thing he's certain about is that it hurts like a bitch and that Jace is so dead they're going to find pieces of him in Uganda. It isn't until he hears Magnus screech "If you break Alec's face I swear on Merlin's beard I'll turn you into a toad!" that he realizes he's on the floor with Jace on top of him, his fists coming down methodically.

They end up each pressed into a wall with magic preventing them from moving more than an inch away. "Children," Magnus huffs, settling back on his chair and crossing his legs, pointedly folding his hands. He looks like an exhausted kindergarten teacher after a twelve hour marathon of tag with a horde of six year olds.

He turns to Jace just as he opens his mouth, cutting him off with a stern, "Say 'he started it' and I'll turn you into a toad." He wiggles his fingers for emphasize.

Jace seethes in silence. Magnus turns on Alec. "What you said was uncalled for," he tells him, slowly, as if to make sure Alec understands. "Apologize."

Alec snorts. "No."

Magnus throws his hands in the air. "What are you, twelve?"

"I'm right," Alec snaps. "I don't have to apologize."

"How exactly were you right?" Jace demands, voice shaking with anger. "You can't possibly think that not telling me was a good idea."

"What would you have done if I told you the rune's fading?" Alec shoots back. "What, found another potion to turn me blue or a faerie to send us away as soon as we got to her porch?"

"I was trying to help!"

"I know!" Alec practically shouts. He takes a deep breath and repeats, voice somewhat broken, "I know. I know, and that's why I didn't tell you- because you'd exhaust yourself looking for a cure that wasn't there. Because you'd search everywhere and find nothing and blame yourself over it, then blame Magnus, and then the Queen and-" he stops. "You wouldn't be able to do anything," Alec says again, quietly, "and I didn't want you to worry over it, so I didn't tell you it got worse or that time was running out."

It's not an apology, at least not a proper one, yet Jace drops his eyes to the floor. Magnus dispels their bindings. Jace clears his throat and mumbles, "I still think you should've told me."

Alec shakes his head and doesn't say a word. Magnus sighs loudly. "Children," he huffs again.

A/N: I am oddly fond of the Jace/Magnus confrontation concept. I think that if they ever fought for real- it'd be almost as epic as Magnus' weaseling abilities.

On an entirely different note, I might not be able to update for a while (I give it two weeks at most, though I might end up updating sooner) because life happens and life includes a three-day long field trip and way too many tests. We're really close to the finish line for this fic- so please bear with me.

Excerpt from the next chapter: Alec's hands curl into fists at her words. "No one's a monster because they were born one way or another," he growls, low and menacing. His mother's eyes widen incredulously at his behavior. "Jace is not a monster because Valentine's his father and Magnus is not a demon just because his father was one."