I don't know why I all my characters end up making dramatic exits… it must be a reverse spell of Magnus' dramatic entrances. *Chuckles* So, my apologies for the transitions. from chapter to chapter. I will do better in the future.

Introspection, without a whole lot happening in action terms. But, there is a whole lot happening between everyone. Thank you and as usual, please leave me a comment on your thoughts and what you wished and expect in this or the next chapters.

The idea was brilliant in its simplicity: Magnus wanted to bond with warlock magic together with angel magic to boost his healing powers.

And not just any angelic magic, but the parabatai bond. The emotional and physical link that aided parabatais to fight better, be stronger, last longer, coordinate better, would provide such depth and power to the more active warlock magic… Magnus wondered why nobody else had ever tried anything like it before.

Except, there was an added difficulty - of course. Why would anything be simple with either of them… Jace and Alec lingered at opposite sides of Isabelle's infirmary room while Magnus tried to explain to Brother Zacharia what he was about to do and how he had come to the obvious conclusion that it was a good idea. The silent brother had been pondering the question for a long moment while mustering Magnus, feeling into the possibility of such a foolhardy healing. He had never heard anything like it. It was against protocol, against better judgement, and knowledge and utterly insane. But then again, he wasn't the best argument for proper conduct and best practice himself. No, Zacharia was all for the odd way out or the strange solution. But he projected the risks of such a link and the strain on two minds that already were deeply impacted by the night and its horrors. He ended up balancing the risks against the pain that would affect the institute, the Shadowhunter community as a whole and their impact on the shadow world that would be affected by Isabelle Lightwood's death. In the end, he concluded, if they all failed, nothing would be lost, they would have tried everything. And that thought alone would guarantee that her brothers, her mother, her family would survive the emotional trauma. Brother Zacharia had arrived at the end of his musings and looked pointedly at Magnus who expected an answer. He only nodded, neither speaking, nor projecting his thoughts into Magnus' minds. He added a marked gesture that was somewhere between a nod and a shaking of the head, and Magnus understood too well. The risks were important.

Magnus looked up at Alec who appeared to be sulking in the far off corner, unhappy with himself, incapable of coming closer. As if just being here confirmed the heavy realisation that he was still resisting. He looked pale, paler than was usual even for him. He looks ill. Didn't Jace say that he had been injured…? Why didn't I ask before…? But Magnus wasn't losing concentration now. He would personally watch over Alec's rest once they had saved Isabelle. He extended a hand, signalling his love to come closer.

They both joined Jace who was already standing at the foot end of Isabelle's bed. The monitors had been turned down, and switched off. Clary and Maryse were waiting in the hallway, the door wide open like so many doors in the institute.

Jace's back was rigid and tense. Even Magnus could see that. And yet, he turned around to an approaching Alec who was already pulling up his shirt to expose his parabatai rune. None of them spoke. There was no need. They activated their bond, through their shared rune and an added strength and stamina activation each by the other, and the rest was Magnus' doing. Jace's guardedness wasn't missed by Alec as he guided his stele over Jace's runes. Markings that he knew so well. He'd done it countless times, in so many battles, he couldn't even remember each of them. He looked up at Jace, at the hint of dark circles under his eyes that were a testimony of the night, the blond stubble and then, suddenly his mismatched eyes were on Alec and their parabatai bond was wide open.

Any restraint or block had been removed by the ancient angelic magic of the friendship rune, by laws neither of them understood, but lived by. This bond had defined everything in their lives for such a long time. Had defined their feelings, their goals, their emotional landscape, to a point where it was hard to tell them apart from one another. And to hold on to what made them distinct. The outside world had the deep advantage to see the difference, to be able to tell Alec and Jace apart. In their inner world, at times, they meshed together, became a distinctly new entity. A One. Something that couldn't be defined by the addition of two people. By simply mixing them together. They were something different. It was inexplainable in human words and concepts. And at times Alec wondered if there was even a way to spell it out in Enochian. They communicated through presence, absence of presence, through wordless touch across souls, through a sheared heartbeat. It was so much more than just two people fighting, living or being together. It was transcended love, manifested devotion.

The two Shadowhunters locked eyes, and in a matter of seconds the past anger and hurt that was still present in both their minds and hearts, was dealt with. There was no explanation needed or possible. Jace knew and so, Alec knew. Knew about the hurt, the pain, the fatigue and how it had motivated harsh words and gestures tonight. They knew about how it meant nothing. Because it was just a human modality. Emotions, made to sidetrack, muddle and confuse. They knew because they felt. Felt on a deeper level. Felt each other's pain, felt each other close, felt regret and the courage that came from the immediate presence of the other. It was like human conditioning, the masks and mirrors of the psyche had fallen away, to leave only essence. The essence of the soul. Essence needs no words. Needs not rational explanation. Essence knows. Essence is evident in and through itself.

Without any explanation or word passing between them, they put each a hand on Magnus' shoulders who had taken up Jace's place at the foot of the bed himself, coming to stand between them. They had joined hands behind Magnus, who could feel the strong presence of the joined Shadowhunters behind him. Sending out his magic into Isabelle's body, he started by testing the place and space the two brothers would allow him to take up in their link, first. He pulled on their strength, noting the resistance and give of the energy that was freely offered to him.

And then, he settled into a healing unlike any other he had ever done in the 400 plus years that he had been alive.

Magnus would come as close as anybody before him, to actually experiencing what the famed parabatai bond was. How it defied any rational explanation, how its energy was limitless. As a descendent of a demon lord, he had direct experience of most of the things that went on between heaven and earth. Of magic, impossible and unimaginable. Of love that defied time and space. Of horrors as terrible, not even the human mind could think up.

But never, had he felt the depth of possibility and presence as he did now, plugged directly into this sacred bond. In a passing moment, he thought that this was a close as someone like him might ever get to touching the divine, no matter what immortality still might hold for him.

And then suddenly, there was Isabelle. It almost seemed as if the amplified presence of her brothers had attracted her soul. Magnus could feel her through what seemed to be a fine and translucent veil. She was so beautiful. Ethereal and radiant. Pulling stronger on the soul bond and boosting his energy, he sent a concentrated tendril of his blue tinged healing energy and felt not only bone, blood and human matter mend, join and complete. No, he felt how matter solidified, became tangible, and functional.

Isabelle. Please.

The thought originated in Magnus' mind, and bounced off each one of the parabatais, amplified and obvious, it was impossible to tell whose thought it was in the end. One thought, three minds.

There was a jolt in Isabelle's body, as muscles and tendons tensed in what must have looked like a painful seizure. Hands balled, arms and legs rigid under the light drapes of the infirmary bed, Isabelle Lightwood took her first laboured, but deep breath, as if it was her first on this earth. Life-giving, yet, reality shattering. Her dark and terror-filled eyes flew open, and for a split second lights, monitors flickered as Magnus pulled again hard on his bond with Alec and Jace, pulling for more power and to help and guide her soul back into her body.

Maryse was with her in an instant, pulling her up and into her arms, anchoring her further. A soft smile crossed Magnus' features as he checked once more through his magic that indeed Isabelle's body was healed and well. And that her soul had actually found its way back, anchored and meshed with her physical presence. All was well.

When he turned around, he was surprised to find Alec and Jace, both looking at each other, still locked in what looked like a trance, tears in their eyes. Shared tears of a shared emotion.

Alec was the first to break the lock, by squeezing Jace's hand in his. They hugged. No hurt or pain left between them. And yet… as soon as the connection was severed in the physical world, Alec could feel the fatigue of a thousand lifetimes lower on his shoulders, bone crushingly deep, endless exhaustion. He didn't care.

Isabelle was safe. Isabelle was alive.

There you have it. Izzy is saved. I am glad to have written this. Usually, I don't do the healing part, but skip to the comfort. This time, it was the central part in which I wanted to delve into the parabatai bond and see how with words we could describe such a thing. Mind you, I haven't read the books and I am sure that there are a lot of words involved in describing it in the books. I hope you enjoyed it and bid you farewell, before I come back with the next chapter which will deal with Alec and what happens after he's opened himself up while being injured himself… :-*