Hi all! I hope you enjoy this chapter! We're finally getting into the stuff that I'm really excited about, so please please come let me know your thoughts! If you're loving it, let me know! If there's something you're not feeling, let me know that as well! This story has a long road ahead, and I can't wait to share it with y'all and to hear your thoughts on it!

That being said, I'm nearing the part of my summer that's going to become a jumble of things I have to do one after another, so bear with me if my schedule gets a bit messed up! There will be at least a week or two where I will be taking a break soon, but I will let you know exactly when that is!

Thanks for your support! Enjoy! 3

"Magnus! I need your help!" Alec was screaming, his voice much more urgent that Magnus had ever heard it before. But the only thing that seemed to change was the fact that Magnus's heart rate increased more and more with every passing second. It did not at all change the fact that Magnus could not move whatsoever, no matter how much Alec requested his help. He couldn't even so much as tell Alec this. But he was entirely capable of feeling the fear well up inside of him as demons surrounded Alec. Though Magnus knew that he should relax and let Alec do his job; this wasn't Alec's first fight with a demon. But that would have been fine if Alec was fighting one demon. Everywhere the Shadowhunter turned, a demon looked back at him, and everywhere Magnus could see, there were more demons headed toward Alec. They raced past Magnus as though he was invisible, their sights set on Alec.

Yet no matter how hard Magnus struggled, his feet were firmly planted to the ground and his arms would not move from where they hung at his sides. He was completely and utterly helpless, which would not have scared him so much if he was the one in danger and not Alec. It was very clear that Alec was fighting for his life, two seraph blades shining in his hands, moving at impossible speeds. But Magnus knew that Alec's speeds needed to be beyond impossible when there were this many demons involved. Every few seconds, Magnus could see a new wound appear on Alec, his blood running from the wounds at a sickening rate. A rate that made Magnus come to understand that the demons were playing with Alec. They could have easily killed the Shadowhunter by now, but they were enjoying taking their time with him.

With each and every new wound that appeared on Alec, Magnus would have sworn that he could physically feel it himself. They all tore at him in a way that he'd never before felt, and all he wanted to do was look down at his arms and legs to confirm his suspicions. But Magnus could only blink, his entire body directing him toward Alec and the ever worsening situation. It wasn't long before Magnus realized that Alec didn't have very long left in the fight. There was no way that Alec could continue without assistance, and Magnus slowly began to realize that this seemed to be the end for both of them. The last thing he wanted to do was live a life without Alec, but more than that, he could feel his heart, his very soul, ripping itself into pieces at just the sight of Alec struggling in this way. And then suddenly, Ragnor was standing beside of him saying, "Don't worry, I'll help your Shadowhunter," and then racing off toward Alec before Magnus so much as had time to process what was happening.

The next several moments happened very quickly, Magnus knew that, but in his mind they stretched out for an eternity. The sort of eternity that tore lives to pieces and ripped souls from their bodies. And this was only something that Magnus knew because he was experiencing it at that very moment. One moment, Ragnor was rushing to help Alec, spells flying from his hands at speeds that Magnus couldn't even hope to follow. And at first, this seemed to help, taking down several demons and relieving Alec ever so slightly. Magnus almost wanted to smile at that thought. Of course Ragnor would help them. When had he ever let Magnus down? But then the next moment was ushered in, and Magnus felt his entire world shatter faster than he would have thought humanly, angelically, or demonically possible. Ragnor's eyes met Magnus's just moments before he looked down to see a demon's claws protruding from his chest, and -

Magnus woke more violently than he ever had, gasping for air before checking to make sure that every part of his body would move. Eventually, Magnus worked up the nerve to magic up a small spell that simply illuminated the room, doing this partially to make sure that his magic was intact and partially to check that he was physically fine. Just as Magnus allowed the room to sink back into darkness, Chairman Meow came to curl up next to him as close as he possibly could, clearly concerned by the fact that Magnus was shaking ever so slightly. So Magnus all but buried his face in his cat, taking slow, deep breaths as best he could. He'd seen the clock when he'd first woken, and he knew that he couldn't call Ragnor at this time of night. Even if Ragnor was with Raphael, as he most often was, he was always asleep long before now. So he resorted to reminding himself that he would know if something was wrong with Ragnor. Someone would have alerted him long before now.

But convincing himself that Ragnor was fine was not the biggest problem that Magnus faced. The biggest problem was the very simple fact that Magnus didn't dream often. In fact, he couldn't remember ever having a dream of his own. Which was to say that this was because his father enjoyed continually sending him dreams. Magnus would have thought that he would be used to these dreams after having them for centuries, but he knew deep down that he would never become used to them for one major reason: all of his father's dreams were scarily accurate predictions. Sometimes, Magnus would have to interpret their meaning, and that usually resulted in him not understanding the meaning until after the dream's events had occurred. But other times, like tonight, the dreams left no room for interpretation.

But the key that Magnus knew he couldn't avoid was the fact that these "predictions" were so consistently accurate that he couldn't really get by with calling them predictions without lying to himself. They were prophecies to put it lightly, and Magnus knew this whether he admitted it or not. It had been over four centuries, and Magnus had lost count of the dreams his father had sent him, but the fact of the matter was this his father had yet to send him a dream that had turned out to be false. For one of his father's dreams, Magnus had waited an entire century, but the events had eventually come back from the dead, turning Magnus's life into a living hell when they did so. But Magnus knew that this dream wasn't very far away or his father wouldn't be sending it to him now. If Ragnor and Alec were in the same dream, then Magnus certainly didn't have a century to wait.

Yet amid all of the questions and the fears, there was one thing that Magnus knew without a doubt. This was going to be the first dream of Asmodeus's that would never come true. There was a first time for everything, or so he'd been told, and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that this was it for Asmodeus. Magnus knew full well that Asmodeus liked to use demons as metaphors for various catastrophes, so that was a piece of the puzzle he would have to figure out on his own. But Magnus eventually fell back to sleep after he'd decided that Asmodeus was wrong. More wrong than he had ever been in his eternal life. More wrong than when he fell from heaven and became a Greater Demon. Ragnor was not going to die. And Magnus knew this because he was not going to allow it to happen. He would move heaven and hell and everything in between to keep Ragnor safe. He would worry about what that cost him later.

Getting Isabelle and Simon into the Institute's infirmary was no easy feat. But the biggest problem was that Alec was highly aware of the fact that his fear was beginning to overtake him. All Alec needed to do was glance at Isabelle to see that she was growing dangerously weak. Whether this was from her blood loss or the poison that the demon's blade had been drenched in, Alec couldn't tell. But that didn't matter because Isabelle's breathing was becoming more shallow and ragged by the second, and that was all he needed to know. So he dropped Simon off in the infirmary, leaving him on a cot beside of Isabelle's before running through the Institute at full speed looking for Hodge. Alec knew he had far more than a normal amount of knowledge about healing, but this was the kind of situation that called for an expertise that he simply didn't possess.

As soon as he and Hodge got back to the infirmary, Alec spent the next several minutes helplessly watching his tutor work while attempting to explain exactly why they'd brought Simon and Clary with them. Just as Alec had expected, Hodge was horribly unhappy about this turn of events, but he was so completely involved in helping Izzy that there was nothing he could truly do about the mundane situation at the moment. Alec thanked his lucky stars when Jace got the hint and took Clary to get settled in an empty room, knowing that Hodge would be more manageable without the reminder of the new mundane situation. It took a lot to get Clary out of the room as she refused to leave Simon, but Jace was known for his persuasion, so he eventually made it happen for them. Though Alec knew that they would likely be punished for bringing Simon and Clary later, that was fine with him. As long as Isabelle was healed, he didn't care what happened after that. "Where's Dad?" Alec asked, swallowing his fear as best he could, but knowing all too well that he needed to make Robert aware of the mundane situation as soon as possible. If he waited very long to find his father, Robert would only become exponentially more angry.

It took several moments for Hodge to answer, his mind wholly occupied with Isabelle's wounds. "He should be in his room," Hodge finally replied through his teeth. "He's packing for Idris because he's been called in by the Clave. I assumed he'd told you," Hodge continued, momentarily looking up to meet Alec's eyes, confusion written across his face. Instead of responding, Alec turned and left the infirmary, trying to ignore the fear that was so very close to escaping. Alec knew that this fear was something he was going to have to deal with eventually, but his hope was that he could hold it back until Isabelle was fine and the situation with Clary and Simon was resolved. The absolute last thing he had time to do was break down, so he stopped in the hallway before he reached his parents' room and took several deep breaths, forcibly slowing his heart rate, continually reminding himself of just how skilled Hodge was.

He knocked before entering his parents' room, pointedly ignoring the fact that his hands were shaking much more than he would have ever admitted to absolutely anyone. As if the situation with Isabelle wasn't bad enough, his father being called to Idris never amounted to anything good. Not to mention the fact that Alec was left to wonder exactly why his father had yet to tell him about this. At the very least, Robert would generally text him to let him know what was going on, and the fact that Robert had yet to do so left Alec a bit weary of the entire situation. Despite the fact that Alec was holding on with everything he had, things between him and his father seemed to be changing at an alarming rate, and the worst part was that he knew he was powerless to change that. "I was just about to call you," Robert said as soon as Alec walked through the door. Alec felt himself relax ever so slightly as he saw that his father was holding his phone in his hand, Alec's name clearly pulled up on the screen.

But Alec had to swallow back the doubt as he realized this might have been the first honest thing his father had told him in weeks. Or years, if Alec was really being honest with himself. "Hodge already told me that you're being called to Idris," Alec said, his voice scarily calm. With his mind a whirlwind of fear and anger and doubts, the last thing Alec had expected from himself was to be able to effectively hold a calm conversation with his father. "What's going on? Why are they calling you there on such short notice?" he asked, knowing all too well that the Clave rarely called Robert in without giving him at least a day's notice. It was well past midnight in New York, which meant it was early morning in Idris, and if the Clave wanted Robert there immediately, then it could be nothing other than a true emergency. Alec watched as Robert turned to sit on his bed, running his hands through his hair in a way that very publicly showcased his stress level.

"I'm being called in for questioning," Robert admitted, and Alec could hear just how tired his father was. "On top of the fact that the Clave already thinks I am incompetent when it comes to solving the Downworlder case, it seems that someone has given the Clave a description of a man present at one of the crimes." Alec knew what was coming next, but he forced himself to keep a calm composure, to keep from letting his father know that he was highly aware of the information the Clave had been given. "And apparently that man looked exactly like me," he concluded, resignation flooding his voice. "On top of that," Robert continued, meeting Alec's eyes in a way that revealed his own hurt and suspicion. "It seems that many people have reported seeing you spending more than a fair share of time in Downworld. More time than it would take to conduct an investigation. So I guess it makes sense that the Clave wants to make sure I'm clean and competent and that this Institute isn't out of control."

Alec looked down at his feet then, unable to stand his father's gaze. They had never once doubted and questioned each other in this way, and Alec felt his chest tighten at the thought of it. The thought of losing his father's trust was the last thing he could stand at the moment. "Look son," Robert finally continued, seemingly sensing Alec's discomfort. "I won't pretend to have any idea of what's truly going on here. But let me say this: we have never been at odds like this, and frankly, Alec, I'm not sure how much more of this I can take." Alec felt himself take a deep breath, and then he realized that he'd actually been holding his breath in anticipation of what his father was going to say. "You may have thought that I wouldn't notice, but you're angry with me over something, though I cannot imagine what that may be. And despite your best efforts, I can very clearly see that you are hiding things from me." Robert sighed again, and Alec felt himself begin to relax when he realized that there was very little anger left in his father's voice.

"Just promise me something, Alexander," Robert continued, and Alec looked up to meet his father's eyes once more, the gentleness in Robert's voice catching him slightly off guard. He only ever used Alec's full name when he was either angry or incomprehensibly gentle. "Promise me that when I get back, you'll help me work this out," he said, his voice more of a plea than Alec would have thought possible. But before Alec could respond, before he could reassure his father in any way, Robert seemed to notice the blood on him for the first time. "Are you hurt?" he demanded, immediately coming to Alec's side, stele in hand as though he was going to heal Alec whether he was hurt or not. "What happened?" he asked, causing Alec to smile when he recognized the concern etched into every line of his father's body. But then his heart hit the floor when he remembered that he had yet to tell Robert about Izzy, which was the whole reason he'd come here in the first place.

"It's not my blood, Dad," Alec assured him before launching himself into the quickest possible recap of the night's events. Robert remained silent throughout the entire mini speech of Alec's, and Alec was incredibly thankful for that. As soon as Alec was finished, however, Robert moved past Alec and sprinted down the hallway, leaving Alec to meet him in the infirmary when he'd finally collected himself enough to do so. This time, Alec took his time, taking more deep breaths than before, trying to prepare himself from what he might be walking in on. It was entirely possible that Isabelle was worse than when he'd left. Before reaching to open the infirmary door, Alec stopped and closed his eyes, trying his best to right his world. He thought fleetingly of Magnus and the warlock's endearing smile, but then flashes of fear for Magnus's safety took over, and the peace he'd felt was gone.

But Alec knew that panicking over the fact that all of Downworld was in danger was not going to help Isabelle any. So he walked into the infirmary, all but yelling at his mind to simply be quiet and allow him to help his sister. After that, his thoughts and fears could take over if they wanted to. But not until Isabelle was healed. Yet as Alec's mind focused, he felt the fear begin to take over, and his breathing became much more shallow than he would have liked to admit. Jace was there now, holding Izzy down as she seemed to be writhing in pain, the poison likely taking over her body. Alec immediately went to her side, grabbing a towel in the process so he could clean the sweat off of her face. It took several moments for Alec to realize that Hodge was no longer working, his hands no longer moving with the adept skill they had been earlier. "Why aren't you doing anything?" Alec demanded, his voice reflecting the icy cold fear that was currently freezing over his heart. He already knew what this meant. If Hodge wasn't working and Isabelle was still this sick, then there was only one explanation, no matter how fervently Alec tried to deny it.

Hodge slowly began to shake his head, almost as though he was still turning the situation over in his mind, still analyzing every part of it to see what he had missed. "I don't think there's anything else I can do. This poison is much stronger than any I've ever seen," Hodge said, and Alec finally allowed the fear to completely wash over him. He felt Jace reach out for him as his knees began to give way. That was when Jace started arguing with Hodge about how there had to be something, about how they could call the Silent Brothers in if needed, but everyone in the room knew that Isabelle was deteriorating too quickly for that. By the time one of the Brothers arrived, they would have already lost Isabelle. "If we knew of a warlock who could be here within the next five minutes then maybe -" Hodge continued speaking, but Alec didn't hear the rest of what he had to say. He was already on his feet once more, fishing his phone out of his pocket, ignoring the fact that it was hard for him to walk or dial Magnus's number.

Alec didn't pause to think about the fact that he was able to dial Magnus's phone number from memory because it was faster than looking him up in the contacts. That was something he could dwell on later. "Magnus," he breathed, thankful when Magnus picked up on the second ring. "If I momentarily shut down the wards around the Institute can you portal directly here?" he asked, ignoring his father and Hodge as they stared at him as though he'd suddenly grown a second head. "Isabelle was hurt and now has some sort of demon poison in her bloodstream," Alec explained as he raced off toward the library to shut down the wards long enough for Magnus to get in. "Hodge can't do anything for her," Alec finished before hanging up as Magnus appeared in the middle of the library. "Please, you're her only hope," he pleaded before taking Magnus's hand and leading him back to the infirmary.

Just as they got to the infirmary door, Robert pushed past them, pausing momentarily as though to greet Magnus in the oddest of ways. The confusion was written all over his face, but Alec didn't pause to explain anything. The important part was that Magnus might be able to save Isabelle, and that was all his father needed to know at the moment. So Alec simply ushered Magnus through the door, taking note of the fire message in his father's hands, realizing that the Clave was probably angry that he'd been delayed and was likely requesting his immediate presence in Alicante. But that was something that Alec could worry about later. For now, his little sister needed him, and that was the only thing in the world that mattered. When he finally came to stand beside of Magnus, sparks were already shooting from the warlock's fingers, his expression one of rock solid concentration. If anyone could turn this situation around, Alec knew that Magnus was that person. There was a reason he was the High Warlock of Brooklyn. At least that's what he had to tell himself in order to remain upright.

Magnus swore and then immediately regretted it as he sensed Alec stiffen in fear. Alec was bordering on hysteria, which didn't help the situation at all. Magnus knew that if he so much as missed a beat, that could mean the worst for Isabelle and her mundane soul mate, whatever his name was. As much as Magnus wanted to take the time to comfort Alec, that was the last thing he had the time to do, and Alec's fear only seemed to be worsening. There were moments when Isabelle would feel extra pain, and that was mostly due to the fact that Magnus was having to separate the demon poison from her blood, which was indeed a very painful procedure. But each and every time this happened, Alec only became worse, his fear reaching new heights that Magnus hadn't thought possible.

As Alec unconsciously reached out a hand toward Isabelle, Magnus glanced at Jace, giving him a warning look and nodding when he reached out to stop Alec. Having them there was one thing, but Alec's energies could easily mess with Isabelle's and make it that much harder for Magnus to separate poison from blood. The problem with this poison was that it began multiplying once it entered the bloodstream, like a virus, which was why Hodge hadn't been able to heal Isabelle by Shadowhunter means. Theoretically, a single molecule of the poison could take down any person in the world given enough time to properly multiply. So that meant Magnus had to work faster than the poison to be of any help at all. Which meant that he couldn't afford to be distracted in any way. Even if it was his sweet Alec. "Jace," he said through his teeth, trying to regain his mental footing. "Why don't you take Alec for a walk? You could both use a break."

Magnus prayed that Jace was smart enough to get the hint and keep Alec out of the way until Isabelle was completely healed. It took a lot of effort for Jace to convince Alec to leave, but as soon as they were safely out of the infirmary, Magnus righted himself once more, ignoring Hodge Starkweather as best he could. He was all too familiar with the fact that Hodge generally shared Valentine's sentiments when it came to Downworlders. But at the moment, none of that mattered. Not when healing Isabelle was the only thing in the world that mattered. But Magnus could already feel himself weakening under the strain of the spell. His only hope was that he would be able to hold out until Isabelle was fine. This wasn't a spell that he could halfway do and allow her to heal the rest of the way on her own. She wouldn't be okay until every single molecule of the poison was out of her bloodstream, and that meant that Magnus couldn't rest until that was done.

He thought about requesting that Ragnor be called, but he simply didn't want to lose the footing he'd just regained, and he didn't want to alarm Ragnor. Under normal circumstances, Magnus could have easily handled the healing. But Magnus knew that the fact that he was growing weaker wasn't normal, and he had yet to tell Ragnor about it. So he simply pushed through the weakness and the dizziness, promising himself that he would tell Ragnor when they wouldn't have an emergency on their hands. The last thing he needed was for Ragnor to melt down and make the situation worse. He found himself wondering what would happen between Alec and Robert, as he had clearly seen suspicion in Robert's eyes, but he knew that if he was correct and Robert was indeed off to Alicante that they would have a few days to figure that out. And a few days would likely be just long enough for Alec to either come to terms with confessing to Robert or to find an excuse to use to continue hiding the truth. Whatever was going to happen, Magnus simply couldn't worry about it in that very moment.

As soon as Magnus had finished healing Isabelle and checked over her one last time, he collapsed into the chair beside of her cot. He had meant to check on her mundane soulmate as well, but he could see from there that the boy was breathing, and at the moment, that simply had to be good enough. He only looked up when Jace walked back in, this time without Alec in tow. "He's in the library," Jace explained as he came to sit on the edge of Isabelle's cot. Magnus smiled at the fact that neither of them felt the need to explain who "he" was. Despite himself, Magnus had grown increasingly closer to Jace the few times they'd seen each other recently, and he knew that was due to the fact that they both deeply cared for Alec. "I promised him that one of us would come update him as soon as possible, but I thought it would be much better to leave him in his happy place right now." Magnus couldn't do anything but nod, his energy still dangerously low. It came as no surprise to him that Alec's happy place was the library, and he couldn't help but smile at that thought.

For the first time since he'd finished healing Isabelle, Magnus noticed that Hodge had slipped out of the infirmary at some point, apparently happy with Magnus's performance. And that was something Magnus was extremely thankful for, as he didn't relish the thought of discussing Alec while Starkweather was around. Before long, Magnus realized that someone did need to make Alec aware of the fact that Isabelle was going to make a full recovery, so he pushed himself out of the chair, not bothering to explain to Jace where he was going. They both knew exactly where he was headed. At least, Magnus thought he knew exactly where he was headed until he got lost on the way back to the library and had to request help from Church the cat who had never liked him no matter what he'd tried. To his surprise, however, Church did drop him off at the library, and Magnus was left with the sinking suspicion that the cat had only done so because of Alec. But he was at the library no matter the reason, and he pushed through to see Alec sitting on the couch, staring at the portal that the Clave apparently had yet to close.

As soon as Alec realized that Magnus was there, he was on his feet, putting himself between Magnus and the portal, his questions written in every line of his face. "She'll be fine," Magnus assured him, his voice softening as he saw the relief flood through Alec's entire body. "She just needs a couple of days of rest. If you'd waited just a few minutes longer, I might not have been able to do anything for her," Magnus said, and then he quickly started backtracking as he saw the fear return to Alec's eyes. "But you saved her, Alec; she's absolutely fine now," he finished, smiling as Alec's shoulders finally relaxed. And that was when Magnus realized that this was the first time he'd ever seen Alec in his hunting gear. Which meant it was the first time he'd ever seen Alec in short sleeves. Which meant it was the first time he'd ever gotten a good look at more than one of Alec's runes or scars.

And that was when Magnus felt his knees begin to give way. He'd spent hours studying the runes and scars on his own body, hours outlining them and dreaming of the day that he would find them on someone else. But the last thing he'd ever expected was to find them on Alec's body. Yet there was no denying it. Magnus didn't need to compare their bodies to know that it was true. He would know that pattern of runes no matter the situation. Alec's runes matched the ones that had been etched into his own skin over the years. It took Magnus's mind several minutes to catch up and firmly connect all the dots and finally admit to him that Alec was his soulmate. But before he could say anything at all, Alec was in his arms, and their lips found each other as they often had, and Magnus couldn't get the moment back. In this new moment, the last thing he wanted to do was separate himself from Alec. Though they'd kissed countless times, something was startlingly different about kissing Alec now that he knew the truth. Somehow, this felt more right than it ever had. Somehow, they seemed to fit together better, smoother. The entire world seemed to make sense now.

He wanted to pull away and scream the news at Alec, but something in his held him back. He had an irrational moment of fear in which his mind told him that Alec would be repulsed at the thought of having a warlock for a soulmate. But he knew that Alec wouldn't be kissing him the way he was now - passionately and without apology - if he was repulsed by Magnus's version of humanity. Yet just as Magnus got ready to finally break away from Alec, an act that he knew would take immense levels of self control, Magnus registered the fact that there was someone else in the room who most certainly hadn't been there moments before. He quickly pulled away from Alec, both of their bodies protesting in the process, but Magnus's eyes were already on Robert Lightwood, fear setting in in a way that he had never before known. When Robert met his eyes, Magnus couldn't even begin to understand the emotions that he saw in the other man, but he didn't truly have time to think it over regardless.

Alec looked up at him in confusion before slowly realizing that his eyes were on something, someone tangible. The next several moments as Alec turned to see what the fuss was about happened in slow motion for Magnus. He didn't need to see Alec's expression to recognize the fear and the pain that set in when he realized just what his father had witnessed. It was all too evident in the way Alec held himself. Where he had been relaxed just moments before, he tensed up even more than he had when he'd been afraid for Isabelle's life. "I just, well," Robert began, clearly trying to make up his mind on what to say. "I came back through because I forgot my paperwork," Robert finished in one quick breath. That was when Magnus finally recognized the look in Robert's eyes as love. Love for his son so deep that nothing was going to move it. But it was clear that Alec couldn't see this in the slightest, as he was beginning to shake ever so slightly, his fear crashing over him in waves that Magnus was helpless to stop.

For a moment, Magnus thought about reaching up to place a hand on Alec's arm, but then he became worried that doing so would only make matters worse, so he simply remained at Alec's side, hoping that Robert would soon put Alec's mind at ease. "Alec, look-" Robert began, but he was quickly cut off by Alec shaking his head. Alec's eyes were trained at his feet, and Magnus knew that it was taking all of his self control to remain where he was instead of running out of the library. "Alexander," Robert began again, his voice much firmer this time, as if to tell Alec that he was going to speak whether Alec wanted to hear what he had to say or not. It was then that Magnus felt his own fear resurface. Sure, it was clear that Robert loved Alec, but sometimes that didn't make a difference when it came to situations like this. Not to mention the fact that Magnus wasn't just any male, he was a warlock. "Say the word, son, and I will stay here. I'll call in an emergency or do whatever I have to do, but I will stay here and talk to you, be here for you, if that's what you need. All you need to do is ask me."

Magnus was slightly surprised by the gentleness in Robert's voice, but again, Alec didn't seem to notice it. His fear and his pain and his anxiety was too great at the moment and it was blinding him from his father's love. His absolute worst fear was developing right before his eyes, and Magnus understood that everyone in the room recognized just how powerless they all were to stop it. "Go," Alec finally said, his voice clothed in fear and pain. "Please go," Alec continued, his voice empty in a way that all but destroyed Magnus's heart. At that, Magnus did reach up to place a hand just above Alec's elbow, but for the first time since they'd met, Alec pulled away from him, and Magnus felt his own heart hit the floor. He tried to remind himself that Alec was extremely emotional at this moment, but that didn't seem to do anything to mend his heart. "You're already in trouble with the Clave. Go." With that, Alec turned and walked out of the library, leaving Magnus and Robert simply staring at one another, wondering how they were going to continue. Magnus flinched as the library doors slammed shut, the echo reminding him of how Alec currently felt.

For several moments, Robert simply stood where he was, his eyes still on Magnus. And yet, Magnus in no way felt uncomfortable about this as he normally would have. Robert was clearly trying to connect the dots and find the pieces of the puzzle that he'd lost somewhere along the way. Magnus suddenly felt the desire to run after Alec, irrationally wishing that Alec knew the truth about them. But Magnus knew that that was the last thing Alec needed at the moment, so he remained where he was, not really knowing how to proceed. That was when Robert finally turned back to the portal, apparently remembering that he'd been doing something important just moments ago. He picked up his paperwork off of his desk, then turned to face Magnus once more, one foot in the portal, one foot out. "Take care of him for me," was all that he said and then he was gone.