Hi everyone! Enjoy!

The next morning Alec woke at his usual time and started his pre-breakfast workout. He padded over to the matt in the corner of his room and went through some warmups before getting up and starting on the punching bag.

He was in the middle of, well, punching it when the door burst open. "Alec, I had this dream and–"

Alec paused as he heard southern accented voice cut off. He took a step back and turned to face Jonas. Much to his amusement, the man was staring at him with wide, stunned eyes.

"You had this dream?" Alec prompted, and thought it best he put a shirt on. He couldn't help but feel a little smug (and a little abashed) to know he caused Jonas to have this reaction.

"Um…" Jonas stared at him as he pulled a singlet on. "A what?"

"A dream," Alec repeated, and felt a smirk pull at his lips.

Jonas swallowed again and shifted a bit. "Er… Yeah. A dream." He blinked a few times, and finally his gaze lifted from Alec's chest to his face. "It was like… a memory."

Alec made a noise that signalled for Jonas to continue.

"Um. It was Jocelyn, and she mentioned the name Magnus–"

"Magnus Bane?" Alec asked, perking up at the possibility of a lead.

Jonas grinned, clearly relieved. "I'm glad you know what that means. I think he's the one who took my memories away."

Alec nodded slowly. The idea was definitely plausible. "Magnus' magic is so powerful, he can invade even the Silent Brothers. If he's the warlock that took your memories he could be the key to everything."

Jonas took a moment to process his words. "Okay, so who is he?"

"Magnus Bane is the High Warlock of Brooklyn," Alec said.

"So he's kind of a big deal."

Alec's lips twitched in amusement. "Kind of. We should go tell Jace."

He started forward, eager to tell his parabatai the good news.

"Wait," Jonas reached out and grabbed Alec's arm as he passed. "You guys seem to think my memories will have all the answers, but there might not be anything there. I might not remember anything that will lead to the Mortal Cup or to Jocelyn and Clary."

Alec surprised himself when he didn't immediately free himself from the man's grip. Instead he was swept up in Jonas' concerned, bright green gaze. "None of that matters," Alec told him when he finished speaking. "It's the only lead we've got right now, so we'll do what we have to."

Jonas swallowed, and Alec's gaze flickered to watch the bob of the man's Adam's apple before he met the man's peridot gaze again. "If you say so," Jonas said.

He then let go of Alec's arm and headed out of the room.

Alec glanced down at his arm, missing the other man's touch almost instantly.

Jace wasn't in his room when Alec and Jonas checked. "Something's happened," Alec said and turned to hurry down the hall. He heard shouting, and found Simon yelling at his parabatai.

"...You don't get to talk to me, Captain America."

"Considering I'm the guy with the weapons, I pretty much get to say what I want," Jace retorted.

"Okay, come at me, bro!"

"Oh, yeah?" Jace questioned, sounding thoroughly amused.

"Yeah!"

Alec raced forward and hauled Simon back before the two could fight. Jonas hurried forward and stood in front of the mundane. "Calm down," Jonas said, coaxing the boy in front of him.

"Don't tell me to calm down," Simon snapped back. He tore himself from Alec and stormed passed them all leaving the building.

"Oh drat," Jonas said.

Alec quirked a brow at him. "Is that the best you can do?"

Jonas shrugged. "I don't like to curse. It's a personal preference."

"Sure," Alec said.

"So…" Jonas stared at the door. "We're just going to let him go?"

"He made his choice," Jace said. "I gave him plenty of chances. We've got bigger problems to deal with."

Jonas appeared somewhat upset by the idea of giving up on the mundane, but he followed along with Alec, and Jace led them back to their usual table.

Alec, Izzy and Jonas took a seat, whilst Jace went to get Hodge.

When they returned, and Hodge started explaining to them who Magnus was, Alec noticed that Jonas was barely paying attention. He looked a million miles away.

"Hey," Alec whispered to him.

Jonas blinked and looked up at him. "Hmm?"

"Something on your mind?" Alec asked, growing concerned.

Jonas nodded slowly. "I guess you could say that."

"If you're not feeling well, this can wait."

"No," Jonas said quickly. "I'm fine, just... distracted."

"Okay." Alec relented, not wanting to make the situation worse… whatever the situation was. "You'll let me know if you need a break, right?"

"Pardon?"

"You're going to let me know if you need a break," Alec repeated, phrasing it as a statement this time.

Jonas sighed, but said, "Sure."

Alec didn't even remotely believe him.

"...Now, Magnus is one of the most powerful warlocks I've ever known." Hodge was saying. "He has a deep mistrust of Shadowhunters."

"Well, then why did he help Jocelyn remove my memories?" Jonas asked. "Isn't she a Shadowhunter?"

"Yes, one of the best. But 'help' might not be the most accurate word. Now, did Magnus provide a service for Jocelyn? Perhaps. But more than likely, your mother paid Magnus handsomely for his magic."

Again, Jonas tensed as Hodge called Jocelyn his mother. Alec felt his protective instincts flair up for a moment, wanting to reprimand Hodge for his mistake. He held back though, realising that it really wasn't any of his business.

Jace stepped forward and sat down. "Warlocks usually require payment before they help anyone with anything."

"Word from the Clave is that most of the warlocks have gone into hiding since Valentine began hunting them," Alec added.

"Valentine must be searching for the warlock, where did Jocelyn—" Hodge cut off as his rune flared, and he leant over the table to stop himself from falling.

"You alright?" Jonas asked.

Hodge didn't respond, clearly needing a moment.

Jonas turned from him and faced the group. "So how do we find Magnus?"

"We don't. Magnus finds us. We'll set up a meeting," Jace said. "Somewhere protected. Lure him out of hiding."

"And I know exactly where we do it," Izzy said. She got up and pulled a picture up on the display.

"A Downworld rave," Jace said. "Nice, Izzy."

"And where'd you get that?" Alec inquired.

"During my surveillance of the Downworlders. From what I hear, Magnus likes to party."

"He'll never go for it," Alec said. "Not with Valentine trying to kill him."

"Of course he will," Jace argued, glancing at Alec. "He'll blend in. Hide in plain sight."

"If Magnus is coming out of hiding," Izzy said. "He's going to one of the biggest parties of the year."

"Never underestimate Magnus' hedonism. Or his greed," Hodge said with a smirk. Then he turned towards the training room. "Come with me."

Alec got up to join the others on their way to the training room, eyeing Jonas closely as the man got up and followed as well.

Hodge was kneeling in front of a floor safe, and he waved his stele over it to activate it. The safe's lid popped open with a thunk, and Hodge slid the panel of wood off, revealing a necklace. "Is that real?" Izzy asked, impressed, as Hodge grabbed it and stood up.

"A four-karat, unheated Burmese ruby." Hodge dangled it in front of them. "And this necklace has special meaning to Magnus Bane as it was a gift from him to his then lover, Camille Belcourt."

"Who's Camille again?" Jonas asked.

"The vampire that took Simon hostage."

"Ah," Jonas nodded.

"Magnus bought it in eighteen-fifty-seven for the price of his London townhouse. Now," Hodge said with a smirk. "The jewel is enchanted by a spell that alerts the wearer to the presence of demons.

Izzy reached out and held the jewel. "It's so beautiful."

"Magnus has longed to reunite with this necklace," Hodge said. "Offer it to him. He might just take the bait."

"I'll send Magnus a fire message to arrange the meeting," Jace declared and walked off to do just that. "We have to get to Magnus before Valentine does."

Since the meeting was over, Alec decided it was time for some breakfast. He was going to ask Jonas if he was hungry, but the man raced off before Alec could reach him.

"Do you think something's going on with Jonas?" Alec asked his sister.

Izzy considered his question for a moment. "I think he just needs some time to adjust."

"Okay," Alec said, but he felt it was more than that. He didn't say anything else to Izzy, he just went and got himself some food along with an extra meal to give to Jonas. The guy probably didn't know where to get something to eat, so he figured he'd do him a favor and bring him breakfast.

...Not because he was worried about Jonas or anything.

Jonas' door was closed when Alec arrived. He knocked on it, and when he didn't hear a response, opened the door and stepped inside.

The room was dark, but faintly lit by the sunshine streaming through the windows. Alec spotted Jonas curled up on the bed and approached hesitantly. "Jonas?"

"Go away."

Alec frowned. "...I brought you some food."

No response.

Alec began to worry. He set the tray of food down on the side table and drifted to the edge of the bed. "Are you okay?"

Again, no response.

Alec reached out towards the guy, not exactly sure what he was planning to do. It didn't matter anyway, because almost immediately Jonas shot to his feet and backed away. "Get out!" He yelled, sounding panicked. "Get out, get out!"

"Okay," Alec soothed the man, holding out his hands in a placating manner as he backed towards the door. "Alright, I'm gone."

As soon as he reached the door, he stepped outside and shut it behind him.

Alec worried over what to do for a few moments. He decided that he'd give Jonas some space, and he'd check on him again in a bit.

Troubled, Alec forgot about his own meal waiting for him and headed to the training room to take his mind off of things.

Izzy was already there when he arrived.

"Pick a weapon," Alec said. "I suggest your whip."

"What's wrong with you?" Izzy asked.

"Nothing."

Alec reached out and snatched the arrow back that Izzy had grabbed.

Izzy raised a brow at him, studying him closely. "We're going to a Downworlder's rave. You should be a little more excited."

"It's a mission," Alec pointed out. "Not a party."

"Yeah, whatever." Izzy walked over and grabbed a seraph blade. "Before Jonas got here, every day was the same. Go on a mission, kill demons. Go on a mission, kill demons. At least now things are interesting."

"'Interesting'," Alec repeated. "Valentine is alive and actively seeking the Cup. He threatens our entire world. And we're helping his son. Who has basically no experience with our world and is probably going to get himself killed. On top of that, we're gonna end up overpaying some warlock who may or may not have information we need. So, no, Izzy I don't find it interesting."

"Whoa," Izzy said and scoffed. "Feel better now?"

"No, I don't." Alec's denial was met with a smirk from Izzy. Alec felt his own lips shift into a smile. "Okay, maybe a little."

"You can't keep bottling things up, Alec. It's only a matter of time before they explode. And not the fun kind of explode."

"What's this about exploding?"

Alec looked up to see Jonas walking towards them. He breathed an internal sigh of relief, glad he wouldn't have to go and check up on the man. Alec had like, no idea how to deal with that kinda situation. He was bad enough with his own feelings, let alone with someone else's.

You care about him, a tiny voice said, that definitely sounded like Izzy (which was ridiculous because she was standing right there.) You'll have to figure it out at some point, the voice concluded.

Shut up, Alec replied.

...To himself.

Yeah, he was an idiot.

"No one is going to explode." Alec put down his arrow and walked over to Jonas, glad to see a lack of reaction to his approaching presence. "Did you eat?"

"Eat?" Jonas asked.

"I brought you food earlier…" Alec tried to prompt.

Jonas shook his head. "Well, I uh… No. No I didn't eat."

Alec sighed. "C'mon then, let's get you some food."

"Sounds good to me," Jonas replied.

Alec led the man down the steps, ignoring the feeling of Izzy's stare on his back.

Belatedly, he realised that Jonas was talking with a southern accent again. Alec wondered if he would ever find out why the man's accent kept switching. He figured that if his curiosity ever got the best of him, he'd just ask.

That night, the group arrived at the Downworlder rave. The plan was that Jace would take Jonas inside, whilst Alec and Izzy secured the perimeter. Before they split off, Alec took Jace to the side to talk to him.

"Keep an eye on Jonas," he said. "He's been zoning in and out all day."

Jace nodded. "I noticed that too."

Alec, relieved to know his parabatai was on his side, left and joined Izzy. They took their time making sure the rave was safe, and Alec triple checked everything. He was probably going a little overboard, but he really was worried about Jonas.

(Not that he'd ever admit that to himself.)

"All clear," Alec declared as he reunited with Jace and Jonas. Jonas appeared startled to see Alec there, and flinched away from him before he composed himself a moment later.

Alec tried not to worry about it.

(He was definitely worried about it.)

"Do you think red's my color?" Izzy asked to no one in particular.

When Jonas appeared uninterested, Alec said, "Yes."

"Thanks, brother." Izzy pressed her hands over the jewel sitting on her chest. "Damn, I make this necklace look so good."

"Will you take it off?" Alec asked. "I'm certain Magnus Bane doesn't want drool on his ruby when we make the exchange."

"You know, I wouldn't be so sure. Most men like it when I admire their jewels."

"Can you... just give it to Jace?" Alec pressed.

Izzy chuckled and said, "You're such a buzzkill."

Thankfully, she handed the necklace over.

When Jace spotted Magnus, he turned to Izzy and Alec. "Blend in. Keep your weapons ready."

The two siblings nodded and headed off, slipping into the crowd easily. Alec kept a close eye on Jonas the whole time. As Jace and Jonas conversed with the warlock, Alec bristled as he picked up on the clear signs of flirting Magnus was throwing Jonas' way.

Alec climbed to a higher level to get a better view on things. He cast a wary eye over the crowd, and swiftly notched an arrow as he noticed someone suspicious enter the club. As soon as he saw the man draw a seraph blade, Alec let the arrow fly.

It hit its target, and Alec paused, pleased with himself.

"Look out!" he heard his sister shout from somewhere in the crowd.

Alec hurried downstairs to check the body. He swept through the crowd and passed the warlock and Jonas. He knelt down over the dead circle member, his back toward his friends.

"Who are you?" he heard the warlock ask.

Alec got up and checked out the way the now-dead guy had entered, but didn't see anyone else suspicious. He returned back to kneel over the body, belatedly noticing that the warlock had disappeared.

"The area's secure," Izzy said as she walked over. "Looks like he was the only assassin."

"He has a Circle rune on the base of his neck," Alec told the group.

"They found us. It's not safe here," Jace declared. "We've got to go."

They all left the rave swiftly, with Jonas trailing behind. Alec dropped back to keep pace with the man. When Jonas' steps faltered, Alec quickly called to the group. "Guys."

Izzy and Jace turned to look at Alec, but their gaze was immediately drawn to Jonas as the man swayed on his feet.

"Jonas?" Alec prompted, tempted to reach out and support him, but not wanting to upset him.

"I need a minute," Jonas said. "I'm not– I'm not feeling well."

Alec searched the man's gaze. "Okay. Do you want to sit?"

"No," Jonas said. He looked up and met Alec's gaze. "Can I lean against you? Just for a moment, I– I trust you." Jonas swallowed and repeated, almost to himself, "I trust you."

"Of course," Alec said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Jonas practically fell against him. Alec supported the man easily, and soon he had Jonas on his feet again, though he was holding up most the man's weight with an arm around his waist.

"What's wrong?" Jace asked. "Did you get hurt?"

Jonas shook his head. "No, it's not that." He swallowed again and held out his hand, not meeting anyone's gaze. "Here, I snagged a button from Magnus. Maybe it's magic, or something."

"I thought I saw you get something." Jace reached out and collected the button. He then walked away to put some distance between them and began to draw a rune on his hand.

"So… the button is magical?" Jonas asked.

"He's tracking Magnus," Alec explained.

Izzy nodded. "The button belonged to Magnus. Jace can pinpoint the location using that."

Jace tried tracking the button, but evidently his attempt didn't work. "No. The signal's not strong enough. Magnus must be blocking the track."His gaze landed on Alec. "Let's do this, Alec."

Alec glanced at Jonas. "You okay if I let go?"

"One sec," Jonas said. He inhaled and exhaled a few times, as though calming himself. Then, he nodded. "Yeah."

Alec gradually let go of Jonas, and was relieved to see that he could now stand on his own. Alec then walked over to Jace and they locked hands, staring into each other's eyes.

"What's happening?" Alec heard Jonas ask.

"Parabatai tracking," Izzy explained. "When parabatais track, their power grows stronger. Jace and Alec are gonna track Magnus together."

Their audience was silent then, and Alec focused on the task at hand. He got a little lost in Jace's gaze as it went on, but he couldn't' really help himself.

Jace was…

Alec just had a lot of feelings about Jace.

After a while, Jace shook his head to clear it and let go of Alec. "Got him," Jace declared, clapping Alec on the shoulder and walking away.

Disappointed by the end of their moment, but refusing to show it, Alec walked back over to Jonas. The man still looked kind of… off, and Jonas asked, "Do you want a hand?"

"Please," Jonas said. He reached out, and Alec entwined his hand with the other man's.

The touch felt oddly intimate, and the feeling was only intensified when they continued to bump shoulders along the way.

Alec, for the life of him, couldn't bring himself to mind.

Magnus Bane fought to save himself from yet another pesky Circle member, even going so far as to knock over a bookcase that he'd spent hours organising exactly the way he liked. Alphabetical by author's last names, and then subdivided by genres.

It was such a shame to see his hard work ruined.

The Circle member was undeterred. He stepped over the fallen bookcase and twirled his seraph blade. "Your magic's strong, warlock. Much stronger than that horned weakling I killed this morning."

"Elias..." Magnus murmured, as he recognised who the man was talking about.

The Circle member took that moment to dash past him, and Magnus shot a blast of magic at the man but he ducked out of the way.

"That was his name," the Circle member said. The two began circling each other. "Well, lucky for us, he sold you out before I took his warlock mark. Cat's eyes. Be a nice addition to my collection—"

The man cut off with a cry of pain as an arrow lodged in his leg. He fell to the ground, and Magnus swiftly disabled him with a blast of magic.

The Circle member collapsed, and Magnus heard someone say from behind him, "Well done."

"More like medium-rare," Magnus quipped back, and then turned around to see who'd helped him. He felt his mouth drop open into a small 'o' as his gaze landed on the gorgeous and incredibly attractive man that he'd spotted before, at the rave.

Magnus shifted his expression into something charming and approached his knight in shining armor. "I'm Magnus," he said. "I don't think we've been formally introduced."

"Alec," the man said, an adorable, almost dazed smile growing on his face. "Oh, uh... We should– Uh... should really... You know, probably get… you know…"

He pointed awkwardly out the door.

"Right," Magnus grinned. He could not deny the fact that he felt an inexplicable and immediate connection with the man in front of him. A similar discovery to one he had earlier. Twice in one day, who knew that he could be so lucky. "We should join the party."

Alec nodded, and said, "Right." He then flashed Magnus one last, beautiful smile before dashing off.

Magnus watched Alec run off for a moment, and then turned back to scan his eyes across the destroyed room. "This fight's far from over."

After the lair had been cleared out, Magnus ordered everyone to regroup in the main sitting room. He'd just decided on a place to move the hideout too, when he heard someone call out his name, "Magnus."

Magnus turned, smiling pleasantly as he spotted the other man acting as one of his new fixations. Zoe, a young daughter of a fellow warlock, stood in front of a shaggy haired, wonderful man. Jonas had grown a lot since Magnus had last seen him. He'd filled out his once lanky limbs and was now about as tall as Magnus himself, perhaps even taller.

Zoe ran up to Magnus and gave him a hug. He pulled back after a moment and said, "Go join the others, my dear. This is no place for a little girl. Go."

He watched the girl run off, and then turned to Jonas. "I heard what you did for Zoe," he began. "You risked your life without hesitation to save a young warlock child."

"Mhmm," Jonas hummed in reply.

"You're not like the others, Jonas." Magnus made sure not to say the man's last name. He'd mentioned it before only to cause the Shadowhunter discomfort. "Most Shadowhunters protect Downworlders out of sense of duty, but you saved young Zoe because of what was inside your heart."

Jonas stared at him, waiting patiently for Magnus to say more.

With some reluctance, Magnus acquiesced, "I can summon the demon, but you must make the demand. Now, I warn you, retrieving your memories will not be easy."

Jonas didn't seem all that surprised or bothered by Magnus' warning. "Nothing seems to be easy these days."

"True," Magnus allowed, amused by the man in front of him. He then, reluctantly, turned from the Shadowhunter to look around the room thoughtfully. "But we're not safe here. The lair's location has been compromised." Magnus stepped back to adress the room. "Hold tight, everyone, we're about to move."

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Alec walk over to stand next to Jonas. Jonas didn't appear all that bothered, but Alec seemed slightly relieved now that he was by his fellow Shadowhunter's side.

Interesting, Magnus thought. He made a mental note of what he'd seen, and then turned his attention to the problem at hand. Thrusting both of his hands out, he charged up his magic, and then joined his two palms together. His magic exploded outwards, coating everything in a shimmering blue layer.

He then jerked his hands down and up, teleporting them away to Brooklyn.

"Ah," Magnus sighed in relief as they arrived. "Much better." He took in the new view out the windows in front of him, before turning and looking about apartment. "Ugh," he murmured as he took in the changes to the place. "It's inevitable. After each move, I get the itch to redecorate." He turned and shifted his gaze pointedly between Jonas and Alec. "Normally, I love a dirty lair, but this is one is just sloppy." He emphasised his words by righting a flipped table with the heel of his foot.

Magnus watched his two quarries. The taller one— Alec— stared at Magnus, perplexed. Jonas on the other hand, seemed utterly disinterested with the entire situation and, perhaps even the world.

The warlock eyed the two for a moment, not quite sure how to take their reactions. Then Magnus turned to the lady that was standing behind him, Isabelle. "I believe in payment for services rendered." He let the jewel dangled from his hand, offering it to her. "Thank you for defending the warlocks."

The Shadowhunter gave a weak chuckle. "I couldn't."

"Oh, but you could. And you should." Magnus walked around to her back and clipped the necklace on. "The Lightwoods have been wearing this for years. Besides, this would look silly on your brother."

Magnus glanced over to see that the man in question had drifted over to the blonde Shadowhunter, taking Jonas with him. Magnus met Alec's gaze briefly, taking in the man's puzzled expression, and quickly turned back to the Lightwood in front of him. Magnus leaned in to whisper, "About Alec, is he more of a flower or cologne man?"

Izzy smiled and offered a weak, unsure chuckle in reply.

Someone cleared their throat, interrupting Magnus' questioning. He turned to look over at Jonas, who appeared impatient. "The demon?" He prompted.

"Are you certain?" Magnus inquired, stepping out from behind Izzy. He felt a bundle of nerves build in his gut. He'd just been gifted with an introduction to this incredible man, and he'd rather not lose him anytime soon. "Summoning such a powerful demon could be lethal."

Jonas replied with a bland, steadfast look.

"Okay." Magnus raised a finger and pointed it towards the three Shadowhunters grouped up in the corner. "Pretty boy, get your team ready."

Jace started to move forward with a whispered, "You know what to do."

"I'm not talking to you," Magnus said, pressing a hand against the man's chest to stop him. "I'm talking" —he stared past the blonde to point more directly at Alec— "to you."

Alec looked smug for a moment. He then noticed that he had eyes on him and shifted his expression into one of confusion, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. It was disgustingly adorable, and Magnus turned to Jonas before he could start gushing at the man.

He waved a hand toward Jonas. "Come with me."

The warlock walked onwards and through a set of doors, which he threw open with grace. He felt a presence at his side and began to explain. "Everyone wants the Mortal Cup. Don't trust anyone, especially not the Clave."

He then stopped and faced Jonas.

"Thanks," the man huffed out after a moment.

Magnus held up a set of chalk. Jonas took it and looked inside. At the Shadowhunter's confused expression, Magnus explained, "If a person wants their memories returned, they must draw the pentagram to summon the demon." Magnus showed the man a diagram in an old tomb that he held up. "I can walk you through it, if you like."

Jonas swallowed, a flicker of emotion crossing his face. Magnus was amused at the sight of hesitation in his gaze. Apparently going up against blade-wielding Circle members was no big deal for Jonas, but drawing with chalk? That seemed to pose a problem.

"Art," Jonas said with a scoff. "Of course," he glanced up at Magnus and continued, "I'm sure I'll get it eventually."

Magnus nodded, then turned and snapped his finger at the blonde man that wavered outside the doors. "Shadowhunter," Magnus called, and the man hurried over. "Prepare Jonas as best you can."

He really hoped that this wasn't going to end badly, not just for the sake of their safety, but for the good of the entire Shadow World as well.

So I finally got a review on this story, and not just one, but two! Thank you so much, Lia and Minho'sgirl15! Your support means the world to me and pushed me to update early.