Hard Questions

Magnus was so tired. Sleepless nights; the constant anxiety and vigilance of the last few weeks; the weight of guilt and sorrow; the endless preoccupation about things we couldn't control and, sometimes, didn't even know; and that absence that felt like a black hole in the middle of his chest. All of that, and the darn manacles first draining his powers, and now smothering the magic fire within him like a heavy wet blanket on his shoulders. He felt cold, freezing really, as if the warmth in the air couldn't penetrate his skin, as if he was suddenly carrying the coldest of winters inside him.

For the first time in his life, Magnus was painfully aware of the weight of the years on him, as if his three centuries had become a heavy boulder that weighted him down. Even in the darkest of times, he had strived to be vivacious, effervescent, vibrant, the life of the party. Since childhood, he had made it his mission to live to the fullest: to dream, to experience, to try new things, to fall in love. But in the last few weeks he had begun to question whether he had ever truly loved before he met Alec. Did he really ever live a full life before he found happiness in the arms of a Shadowhunter, or was it all just an illusion?

The gloominess that had taken over his thoughts was making it difficult to keep up his commonly sassy and feisty façade. Captivity had never been his thing, and being stuck in a cell was certainly not his idea of a good time, but it was more than that. It felt as if he was carrying captivity within him, as if his usually cheerful self was imprisoned inside, unable to free itself, unable to shine. He had always done sadness and sorrow with flair, style and, certainly, with a much better fashion sense. It had been his way to stick it to fate for, not only, making him immortal, but also, for making him a romantic, a warlock with a soft center, a warlock with an innate desire to belong, yet condemned to live in between worlds.

Perhaps, he thought, he should ask Izzy to come see him. She had a fabulous sense of style and fashion, the kind of sense he had always admired and wished to encourage. She could bring some things from his penthouse, a colorful blanket and certainly a new outfit. Magnus didn't remember the last time he had worn the same clothes for this long. But as soon as the idea occurred, he thought it was trivial and superficial, and that it would make no difference on his state of mind or ease the sadness he felt.

He knew, of course, that delving on depressive thoughts was unproductive, but he couldn't help it. After all, there was nothing else to do in the confines of his cell. As hours and hours went by, he became more and more detached from the world. He had asked the guards to turn down the lights and, except for visits from Jeremy, Jace and her warlock friends, he had been mostly alone. The silence and darkness added to the sensation of being removed from reality and he began to consider whether this feeling of being suspended outside time was what it felt like to fade or petrify. Perhaps, he thought, this is what other immortals experience when they have reached that stage in their endless lives when they no longer feel joy or the desire to live and see new things. Perhaps this would be the beginning of the end for him. Perhaps this is what the weight of guilt –the guilt of outliving everybody, or of the inevitable mistakes that in the case of an immortal added up without end –does to his kind. As his mind meandered aimlessly in the terrain of his own memories, Magnus began to understand the temptation that plagued old warlocks, to live in the past because they cannot longer look towards the future.

He laid on the bed staring up at the ceiling until his eyes closed and he entered a state that was somewhere between sleep and awareness. His mind eventually run out of thoughts and remembering became too painful, not because of the dark memories, but because of the joyful ones, the ones of Alec's smiling face, his unusually long fingers, his black hair flying in the wind, his dreadful and threadbare outfits, his scent, his touch, his playful tongue. Magnus didn't want to lose those memories but he couldn't bear recalling them either; for they made the absence so much more intolerable. So, he decided not to remember and not to think for a while.

Magnus didn't know how long he floated in a place devoid of thoughts. Only one thing seemed to call him back to reality. Occasionally, he felt the touch of a familiar gaze, like a kiss on his skin, like the touch of snowflakes. He would open his eyes and look towards the doorway or the room at the other side the glass that separated his cell from the rest of the cell block, but no one was there, just the lingering sensation, like a ghost of something or someone familiar. He would let his mind linger on the doorway or the other room for a while, imagining the silhouette he wished to see there, but when it didn't materialize, his mind went back to a state of emptiness.

After hours of reading and writing reports, and of catching up on the investigation and on events that had taken place during his absence, Alec decided to take a walk through the Institute. This had been a routine of his since he became Head. Before leaving to go to Magnus' or to his room, he used to walk up and down the corridors and the grounds making sure everything was as it should be, making sure he hadn't forgotten or dismissed anything important. This was his way of quieting down his own insecurity about his role as a leader. Now, after weeks away, he felt once again the need to see with his own eyes that the place hadn't completely fallen apart. The Institute and its inhabitants had, after all, been placed in his care, and he felt he owed it to past generations of Shadowhunters as well as to future ones to be a good keeper of this place.

Repairs were well underway but Alec could still see the impact of the explosion on the historical building that housed the Institute. The front wall was almost fully restored and all the broken windows and doors had been replaced, but even though the new parts were not much different than the old ones, Alec still thought they looked like fresh and not completely healed scars on the face of the old building.

He blamed himself for the attacks, and wondered whether he had missed something: an overlooked detail or an ignored clue that could have allowed him to prevent the tragedy. What was worse, he couldn't help thinking that if he hadn't been so in love, so caught up in the sensation of being happy for the first time, he would have been more alert. Or perhaps, he wondered in an internal voice that didn't quite sound like his own, that had been the plan all along: to blind him, to distract him so he wouldn't anticipate the danger that was lurking just around the corner.

Alec walked aimlessly through the dark corridors, greeting but not really stopping to talk to his fellow Shadowhunters on night duty. He simply walked and thought, and as he did, he let his feet guide him without much attention to where he was going. Perhaps that is why, he found himself over and over in the doorway leading to the cell block, or in the room outside Magnus' cell. A couple of times, he almost reached for the light switch, and sat on the bench facing the glass that separated the cell from the rest of the room. Every time he stopped and, realizing where his feet had taken him, turned and left as quickly as he had come. But before leaving, he flittingly glanced at Magnus' inert figure on the bed; his face expressionless; his familiar long neck with its Adam's apple that moved up and down when Magnus breathed or swallowed; his hands resting on his chest; his usually fashionable outfit, now a little less tidy due to the long hours in the cell.

Magnus wasn't asleep, Alec knew it. He had slept with Magnus so many times that he had learned to recognize the rhythm of his breathing when he was asleep. Magnus was awake, but his eyes were closed, and he looked tired, as if his usual sparkle had dimmed somewhat. The thought tugged at something in Alec's heart, but he didn't allow himself to delve on it too much. He had other things to do, he told himself as he walked out of the cell block for the third or fourth time, more important things to worry about. Yet, as he began to walk again, lost in thought, his feet took over with the same determination to bring him back to that cell and to that man lying inert on that bed.

In the small hours of the morning, when the Institute and the city were at their quietest, Magnus' felt once again the soft touch of eyes on his skin and this time, the sensation didn't go away as fast as it had before. He opened his eyes and turned, as he had previously done, certain that he would find no one there. Yet, he was mistaken; for there, at the other side of the glass, sitting on the bench, his back against the wall, was the familiar figure of Alec Lightwood. It was as if all the available light in the room shone on Alec's silky black hair and in his brown eyes that looked intently at Magnus, like beacons calling to him with an intensity that was almost loud in the silence of the room.

Magnus' heart missed a couple beats and something stirred in that spot in his chest where he carried all his feelings for this tall, young man that now looked at him across the glass with an unfathomable expression. As if Alec had heard the irregular thumping in Magnus' chest, he brought his hand to his own chest and touch something there. Feeling unusually self-conscious and particularly aware of his position as a prisoner, Magnus sat up on the bed and imitating Alec, sat with his back against the wall. He wanted to say something, so many things, in fact. He wanted to apologize, to explain, to ask, to plea, but he couldn't find the words. So, he simply stared back at Alec and waited.

"I have something to ask and I expect you to be truthful in your answer," Alec said after an inordinate amount of time in silence. His voice was serious, steady and completely devoid of the familiarity and affection that Magnus had grown accustomed to. There was no anger in that voice, but there was no warmth either. Magnus suspected that this would not be a conversation between Alexander and Magnus, but between Alec, the Nephilim, and Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn.

"Of course, I will answer any questions you have," Magnus replied, keeping his tone equally unemotional. "But after I do, you need to let me go, or transfer me to a more secured location. My presence here is dangerous."

"Did you ever use magic on me without my knowledge?" Alec asked, ignoring Magnus' request.

"What?" Magnus replied, the question taking him completely by surprise. He had expected Alec to ask him about his involvement in the attacks; about Annaliese and Khuno's plans; or even why he had left him. This question, however, was completely unexpected.

"Tell me, did you ever spellbound me?" Alec asked his eyes piercing and shinning with unusual intensity.

"What are you talking about?"

"Tell me, dam it!" Alex demanded as he stood up and came to stand facing the glass that separated him from Magnus, his arms behind his back in the posture of a soldier, his voice gaining in volume. "Did you ever spell bounded me or cursed me in any way?"

"Cursed you? For what purpose?" Magnus asked, his thoughts in disarray. This conversation was certainly not going as he had expected.

"To be with you; to be this way," Alec replied, and Magnus thought the words sounded like heavy stones falling from Alec's mouth onto the floor.

"Who told you such a thing?" Magnus asked, his tone angry and incredulous. How could Alec imagine that Magnus would do such a despicable thing?

"Just answer me! Did you or did you not use dark magic on me?"

The words, the expression in Alec's face, and his posture provoked a confusion of thoughts and feelings in Magnus: anger mixed with sadness, surprise and disbelief. What was happening with Alec? What was he thinking? But then it downed on Magnus: those were not Alec's questions, at least not the questions that his Alexander would ever ask. Those words sounded like words he had heard before, from other Nephilim, older Nephilim, the kind that scrubbed their hands to erase any hints of Magnus' touch. Magnus felt like an abyss was opening in the pit of his stomach and his soul was being swallowed by it. Someone had gotten to Alec, someone had poisoned his mind. Yet, Alec should know better, an angry voice in his mind interrupted his thoughts. It was unreasonable, Magnus knew, to think that Alec would not doubt him after he left him, but he couldn't help it, he was angry.

He stood up and walked towards the glass and stopped a couple of steps in front of Alec, so close, yet so far at the time. He wanted to touch Alec, reach across the distance and melt the glass that separated them, to put his hand on his shoulder or on the side of his face. But looking at Alec' hard and cold eyes, Magnus understood that even if his powers could make the glass disappear, Alec was just too far out of his reach.

"No, Alec. I have never used magic on you without your knowledge or for any other purpose than to heal you when you were injured," Magnus replied, his voice steady. He struggled to contain the anger, the sadness, the despair he felt raising from his chest and flowing through his body in the way his magic usually did. For a moment, he thought his magic was awakening but when he looked at his hands, he saw no sparks.

"Are you telling me the truth?" Alec asked. His chest releasing a breath that had been caught there since this conversation began.

"I have never used my magic in that way," replied Magnus, indignation evident in his voice.

"Why then does Inquisitor Dearborn think that you cursed me?"

"Dearborn? Well that explains it," Magnus replied, sarcasm clear in his voice. Magnus knew the Inquisitor. Or rather, he had met him when Dearborn was a young Shadowhunter and Magnus was teaching at the Academy in Idris. Magnus had made a joke once, a rather innocent comment, and Dearborn had looked at him as if Magnus was a cockroach he was about to step on. Over the years, Magnus had learned that Dearborn was a bigot, not only when it came to downworlders. He also disliked strong and independent women, people who looked different than him and people who, like Magnus, didn't conform to his ideas of morality. The Inquisitor was dangerous, not just because of his title, but because of his hateful ideas. And, now he had been putting those ideas in Alec's head.

"And you believed him," Magnus said after a pause, not a question but a statement.

"It's not like you were there to set the record straight," Alec stated and Magnus thought he heard a hint of sadness in Alec's voice.

"I had to go. I became a liability to you the moment Annaliese found me. I am a liability to you now, you must understand that." Magnus' voice sounded like a plea, but he still felt anger seething beneath his words.

"Well, if you were trying to protect me and my people, I don't think it worked," Alec said dismissively. "The institute still got attacked and I still ended up by myself, in a strange country and in the Inquisitor's hands. And, I am still under suspicion due to my association with you. If this is your idea of protection, thank you, but not thank you. Now tell me, why was your face projected beside that woman after the explosion? What is your role in this whole mess?"

Magnus had already answered these questions when Jace asked them, but he knew that he owed it to Alec to answer them again. It was, after all, his association with Annaliese that had landed Alec and him in this terrible mess.

"I suspect this is Annaliese and Khuno's revenge for what happened in Berlin," Magnus replied.

"But why attack the institutes? Why make themselves, and you, an enemy of the Nephilim?"

"Annaliese blames Shadowhunters for my refusal to join her. She thinks that in 1945 I chose Joshua Pineshade over her, and that was the reason I interfered with her plans. Now, she thinks that you are the reason. She wants vengeance and to destroy my ties to the Nephilim. Perhaps she thinks I will go back to her and Khuno when I have nothing left."

"And did you choose Joshua over her?" asked Alec, the question pregnant with meaning.

"Joshua was a dear friend. I met him when he was a child. Year later, he helped me destroy Annaliese's camp in Berlin. After that, we remained friends until the day he died ten years ago."

"Why are Annaliese and Khuno so obsessed with you? What is the nature of your relationship to them?" Alec asked and Magnus understood that the conversation was getting to a point in which he would have to answer difficult questions.

"I was close to them once, over two centuries ago," he replied courtly. He hoped to get this part of the questioning over as soon as possible, and without divulging truths that would darken even more Alec's image of him.

"How close?" Alec asked, and the intensity in his stare almost burned Magnus' skin.

"Very close."

"As in sexually involved?" When he walked into the cell that last time and sat on that bench, Alec had told himself that wouldn't ask these questions, that he would keep the conversation centered in the attacks. When he met Magnus, Alec had decided never to ask questions about a past in which he didn't exist; questions which answers might remind him that Magnus had a life before him and would have a life after him. But for some reason he needed to know, he needed to figure out where all this rage, all this anger and all this hate originated, and why he was in the middle of it.

"Yes," was Magnus only answer, his heart beating even more rapidly in his chest. Magnus struggled to keep Alec's gaze, not to look away.

"With which one?" Alec asked.

"With both," Magnus replied. And, right there and then, for the first time since he met him, Magnus saw shame in Alec's eyes. Not even when they first met and Magnus flirted with him had Alec ever looked at him that way. He had given him looks of confusion, curiosity, uncertainty, but never shame. Magnus felt sad, a sadness that momentarily overpowered the anger from a minute ago, and he wished he could be somewhere else, anywhere else, and not with this man he had missed so much.

"And look where that has led us to," stated Alec, his tone one of condemnation. "You should be ashamed of yourself. Look at the result of your poor choices; look at what you brought down on us because of your relationship to them."

The sadness suddenly turned to anger once again and Magnus felt a hint of magic sparkle in his fingertips. He had done all in his power to prevent what was happening, to protect Alec. He had put his own life on the line. Yes, he had made mistakes, a long time ago, but had paid for them dearly and was willing to continue paying for them.

"Excused me?" he asked, his tone challenging and piqued. "I refuse to ever justify who I am," he stated, through clenched teeth. "I refuse to explain why I love who I love, to no one, not to you, and certainly not to Inquisitor Dearborn."

"But that is the problem, isn't it?" Alec said. "How can you call what you feel love? Can you really love if you are immortal? You will not die, and as a result, you cannot love like someone who knows his time is short, that there may never be another chance to love. Can you say that you truly loved Annaliese and/or Khuno? Or were they just one more of the seventeen thousand people you have been with. Were they ever enough to wish to never love anyone else again?"

Magnus felt like Alec had thrown a bucket of freezing water on him, water that doused the anger. Alec's eyes also looked at Magnus with such piercing sharpness that they felt like the arrow that has perforated his lung. The words were a reminder of the note he had left Alec, the note he had written so Alec would believe that Magnus didn't love him, that Alec was not enough, so he wouldn't follow him, so he would be safe. Magnus hated himself, the anger turning inward, making him wish he could take the words back. Despite what he just told Alec, he felt ashamed, not for being who he was, but for having hurt Alec, who was sensitive, vulnerable and trusting.

"Alexad…" Magnus started to say, wanting to explain, to tell Alec that he would rather have one moment with him than a million moments with a million people. But Alec interrupted him.

"Anyway, that issue is not here, nor there, right now. I have a battle to fight and I need to figure out how to fight it."

"Alec, you need to get me out of here," Magnus pleaded once again, part of him glad the conversation was taking a more familiar turn. "Annaliese will come after you because of me. You are not safe near me."

"No, you are not going anywhere," replied Alec, his tone final.

"Be reasonable," Magnus tried to argue. "Your life is in danger."

"You said once that I couldn't get rid of you that easy. Well, you are not getting away that easy now."

"Alec, don't be stubborn."

"Do you still want to protect me? How has that gone for you so far? Because it hasn't gone that great for me," Alec stated, more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I may be young, a boy as some of your people call me, but I am a Shadowhunter, and I have a mission to fulfill. You brought this mess on us, and now you will help me deal with it. I will do whatever I must to protect my people, the Institute and the city. You can do whatever and go wherever you want after the mission is done, but for now you are not going anywhere."

Alec turned and left without as much as another glance in Magnus' direction, his footsteps echoing as they rapidly receded down the corridor and up the stairs. Magnus was left alone, standing on the same spot. He placed his hand on the glass pane, in front of the spot where Alec had just stood, as if he hoped to feel some of the warmth Alec had left behind.

Alec's hands were still shaking and his breathing was fast and shallow when he walked into the situation room. He was angry and upset and couldn't yet understand why he had gone to talk to Magnus. He had wanted to know, to hear an explanation from Magnus' lips; he had wanted some reassurance that he had not been wrong when he had trusted the warlock. After the conversation, however, he was angrier than he had been in his whole life. Not only that; he felt small, insignificant, just a drop of water in the big ocean that was Magnus' existence. The price he had paid, was paying, and will continue to pay for a moment in the warlock's long life was so high, and it would most likely mark Alec's life forever.

Jace was ending a call with Inquisitor Dearborn as Alec entered, and after he clicked the switch on the table that cut off the link, he rubbed his eyes and yawned. Alec approached and rested his fists on the table, as if he needed the support to rein in the turmoil wracking havoc with his usual calm exterior.

"Alec, what's going on?" asked Jace turning to his brother, concern evident on his face.

"Nothing," replied Alec curtly. He didn't want to speak, and he wished he could silence his thoughts for just a moment. "I thought you were still sleeping," he commented, wanting to delay the conversation about Magnus.

"I was, but Inquisitor Dearborn doesn't seem to care for the time difference between Barcelona and New York," replied Jace. "Are you sure you are okay? You seem upset."

"I just came from the cell block," Alec replied, shaking his head as if to dispel the conflicting emotions fighting for control within him.

"Hum, that bad," commented Jace. "Well, let's get a cup of coffee and you can tell me all about it," he added, patting his brother on the back and gesturing for Alec to follow him towards the kitchen.

Alec sighted before following Jace out of the room. His heart still pounded on his chest, and the anger had not yet completely subsided. What's more, the memory of Magnus' pained expression when Alec told him he should be ashamed haunted him.

"The inquisitor told you that Magnus had cursed you to be with him?" Jace asked a few minutes later, a mixture of incredulity and outrage in his voice.

"Yes," replied Alec, his hands wrapped around his coffee mug, as if the cup was a source of support and stability. They had grabbed their drinks and had gone to sit on the same spot on the roof they had met the night before. Alec had told Jace about the Inquisitor's accusation against Magnus. He had not told him though about the Inquisitor's methods. For some reason, he felt ashamed and didn't want anyone to know what he had gone through, that he had not been strong enough to defend himself.

"And he told you he could cure you of the spell?" Jace asked, the outrage wining over the incredulity.

"Yes."

"You know that is a whole lot of crap, don't you?" Jace argued, his own fingers wrapping tightly around his coffee mug.

"Is it though? Wouldn't I be better off if I didn't feel this way anymore?"

"Alec, Magnus didn't do anything of the sort. You must believe that," Jace stated, imbuing as much conviction as he felt into his voice.

"That is what he says, but look at what has happened because of my relationship to him."

"Do you believe Magnus?" Jace asked, looking intently at Alec as if to make sure his brother had not bought into what the Inquisitor had said.

"I don't know, Jace. I think there is a problem with me. It might not be a curse, but something is wrong," he stated, and his words contained such despair that they touched a spot deep inside Jace's heart.

"There is nothing wrong with you," Jace said with unquestionable conviction.

"But you see, the problem is not that Magnus left me; the problem is that despite that, I waited for him," Alec said, deep anguish in his voice. "The problem isn't his absence but that I missed him; or that he might be lying, but that I believe him. What is wrong with me?"

"You love and trust Magnus, despite everything that has happened. Deep down you know he was trying to protect you," Jace replied, not a shred of doubt or judgement in his voice. "You cannot help who you love, take it from me. I loved Clary even when I thought she was my sister. I would have given everything to be with her even if it was a sin, and what you have with Magnus is not a sin. He didn't curse you; he allowed you to be who you really are, the person I have known you to be all along. You were this person before you met him and will continue to be this person even if you are not with Magnus anymore. What Dearborn told you is hateful, and he deserves to pay for making you feel like there was something wrong with you. If there is justice in this world, he will pay."

Alec smiled and Jace wrapped an arm around his brother's back, the gesture one of affection and acceptance.

"Well, there is no time to be worrying about this now," Alec said. "We have a fight ahead of us and we do not even know where the next battler will be."

"And, I think we are running out of time," added Jace. "I suspect that Dearborn will be here any time demanding that we surrender Kat and Catarina, and we still don't know anything about the next target."

At that moment, Kat and Jeremy appeared on the doorway. Kat had a tablet in her hand and Jeremy carried a bunch of papers in his.

"Hey you two," Jace greeted them. "Please tell me you have news."

"We do," replied Kat, "but not as good as you hope. We think the next attack will be in the next twenty-four hours, but no matter what we have tried, we cannot pinpoint the target."

"What do you mean?" asked Alec. "You were pretty exact the last time."

"We have been following the star chart that we think Annaliese is using to guide her movements," explained Jeremy. "Each attack has coincided with a star in a constellation getting into alignment in the night sky, but now there are several possible stars coming into alignment. Without knowing Annaliese's final target or the sequence of the next attacks, we cannot be sure which city will be targeted next."

"Can we not hit each possible target all at once?" asked Jace.

"There are just too many," replied Kat.

"I think I have an idea," Alec said, standing up and turning to Kat. "Magnus says that Annaliese and Khuno can track him through the manacles on his wrists, that the manacles are acting as beacons. Is it possible to reverse the effect and use the manacles to track them?"

"Possibly," replied Kat, rubbing he forehead with the fingers of one hand in an attitude of concentration. "I may be able to work a tracking spell," she said as if speaking to herself. "But as soon as Magnus is out of the cell, they will likely be able to track us too. We might not have the element of surprise on our side, and Magnus will be defenseless. What's worse, they could take control of his powers again."

"We will likely be walking into a trap," Jeremy said following Kat's chain of thoughts to its logical conclusion.

"We will have to move faster than them," said Alec.

"Are you sure the spell is strong enough?" Magnus asked Kat a few hours later, as the whole team gathered in the cell block. He, Catarina and Kat had been discussing the spell for the past couple of hours, debating back and forth about how to word it and about the forces of nature on which to tap to strengthen it. Kat was now performing the spell, blue and purple streaks of magic emanating from her fingers and wrapping themselves around Magnus's wrist in a steady stream.

"You forget that I am older than you, Magnus," the warlock replied and she smiled at his old friend. Kat thought that Magnus looked tired. There was not a trace of make-up on his face and his hair fell down his forehead without its usual glitter. He looked young and no one would imagine that he was the all-powerful High Warlock of Brooklyn.

"When are we leaving?" asked Izzy, who had just arrived in full Shadowhunter gear, whip at the ready and a few blades fasten to her belt.

"I need you and Clary to stay and take charge of the Institute, Izzy," replied Alec, giving his sister a warm smile that he hoped would at last begin to mend the bridges that he had burned in the last few weeks. "We may get a visit from the Inquisitor at any time, and I need you to be here to do damage control and to provide backup in case we need it. Can you do that?"

"But you are going to need us," protested Clary. "You are likely walking into a trap and Magnus has no powers to fight or defend you." Clary looked towards Magnus hoping for some sign of support and Magnus looked back at her and gave her a gentle nod of agreement.

"This is going to be a small party," stated Alec with conviction. "We are going to go small and stealthy, just Jace, myself, Kat and Magnus. We are going to use the manacles as a magnet; they will lead us to the warlocks. We need you to stay behind with Catarina and be ready to come to our aid if we run into trouble."

"I should come too," said Jeremy looking intently at Kat, his eyes full of apprehension. "Kat is not a warrior; she is a scholar; she doesn't have battle experience."

"I will be fine," said Kat and smiled reassuringly at Jeremy.

"I will protect her," Jace added. "I promise I won't let anything happened to her. I expect you to do the same for me and look after Clary," he added even though he knew that Clary was perfectly capable of protecting herself. Jace understood the anxiety of seeing the person you love go into a dangerous situation, and he wanted to make sure Jeremy knew that he would have Kat's back. Looking at Kat though, he saw in the warlock's face a humorous look of disbelief as if she suspected that she would be the one that would end up protecting him.

"You will call if you run into trouble," Izzy told her brothers. "We will be standing by to go lend assistance."

"You have my word," Jace reassured his sister with a smile. "So, where do we begin?" he asked turning to Alec.

"Magnus, can you get us to the villa Annaliese was using in Tuscany?" Alec asked.

"I don't know if that is a good idea," Magnus replied. "I was never outside the house; I could only portal us into the house, and there is a very good chance that she and/or her people will be waiting for us."

"We have to take the chance," said Alec. "We need to start somewhere."

"Are you sure?" asked Magnus, his voice unable to conceal his anxiety. This plan was risky, he thought, and it placed Alec and Jace in terrible danger. Kat could likely face anything waiting at the other end of the portal, but Alec and Jace were just Shadowhunters, with no special power beside their weapons.

"Yes," replied Alec curtly "just take us to an isolated corner of the house."

A few minutes later, and after saying goodbye to Izzy and issuing his last instructions for taking care of the Institute, Alec came to stand beside Magnus by the entrance to the portal that Kat had opened on the Institute's roof. Alec was in full combat gear. In addition to the bow and quiver across his back, he also carried several other weapons fasten to his belt. Magnus wore a long black leather coat over black jeans and a grey shirt. On Alec's instructions and to prevent any attempt on Khuno or Annaliese's part to regain control over Magnus' powers, his hands were restrained in handcuffs made of electrum, the same metal in Izzy's whip. Magnus wondered whether the handcuffs were also intended to prevent any attempts to escape on his part. But he didn't want to think about it too much.

Magnus and Alec looked awkwardly at the two couples who at that moment were engaged in loving goodbyes. Jace embraced Clary and, after kissing her, he took a lock of her hair in between his fingers and brought it to his nose. He inhaled deeply as if he wanted to carry the scent of the woman he loved with him.

"You look after yourself, you hear?" Jeremy told Kat in a low and tender voice, his arms wrapped around the warlock's tiny waist. "I will be waiting for your message, ready to go help you if you need me."

"Take care of yourself Magnus," said Catarina approaching her friend. "Do not take unnecessary risks. Remember that I have no one else to annoy me."

"I will do my best," replied Magnus and smiled warmly. His friend was prickly and not always agreeable, but she was the closest he had to family.

As soon as the embraces, kisses and goodbyes were done, Jace and Kat joined Magnus and Alec by the entrance to the portal. Alec looked towards his sister and smiled one last time. He then turned and nodded at Magnus in a gesture that suggested that the warlock should guide them through the portal. Magnus looked back at Alec and after responding with a nod of his own, took a step across the event horizon, followed by the rest of the team. Clary, Izzy, Catarina and Jeremy waited until each of their loved ones went through and the portal closed, leaving the roof in darkness.